Prosperians 昕物 Vol.16

PROSPERIANS Vol 16

"TOGETHER, WE FIGHT THE VIRUS"

HALL ACTIVITIES RE CAP WORDS FROM YOU A LL PH O TO G ALLARY

HALL 2 MAGAZINE

HALL MAGAZINE TEAM INTRODUCTION MESSAGES FROM VPSA MESSAGE FROM HALL MASTER RESIDENT TUTORS RA COUNCIL RA EXCOS HALL FACILITIES RESIDENT INTERVIEWS

HALL ACTIVITIES RECAP SPECIAL HALL NIGHT TALK RECAP

E-SPORTS

HSBC PROSPERITY HALL 2

Th e pl ace we live, the pl ace we dream, th e pla ce w e lo ve in deed. HSBC p r ospe rity Hall. In this h umbl e buil ding, h und r eds o f stu den ts h ave l ived the n am e o f their name "prosperity" to the most . Kno w n b y the n ame Prosperian s , we r esi dence celebrate Prosperity from the ins i de, o u r con n ection with peopl e, a nd t he k no w led ge we grasped.

Th is magazi ne w il l n ow l ead you al l th e way t hro u gh o u r way to Prosperity.

W i th vario u s even ts ful l of diversity, l ife i n H all 2 i s never l ess in terestin g. In this magazi ne, w e have recapped th e ac t iv ities and su mmarized our col orful l if e of Hall 2. We h ave th e Special Hal l Night Talk, Hi ki ng , In tern ation Night, a nd ot her acti vi ties

The Prospe rity Ha ll comes a s a fa mil y.

Fee l our strong pa ssion of being in u n it y from he a ring reside nce shout for the ir pla y e rs a t the FIFA tourna ment, Dese rt Night, a nd Inte rna tiona l Me e tup, wh ic h strengthe n the interna l conne ction betwe e n individua ls, ma king Ha ll 2 a pla ce like home.

These a re just a fe w to mention. This y e a r's a nnua l ma ga zine will pa ck it all up for y ou, with a ll the a ctivities in record , a nd a fe w words from our fa mily members.

PROF. CHAN HON FU RAYMOND

DR. RAY

RESIDENCE TUTORS MUHAMMAD IRFAN Greetings :) I am Irfan from Pakistan, a final-year Ph.D. student in Electrical Engineering. This is my third year in Hong Kong, and I have been living in the Student Residence in three different halls. Staying in Hall is the best experience of my life, given the enormous number of activities inside. As a postgraduate student, I feel more responsible for taking care of the residents and providing you the best hall life experience & support by engaging in learning activities. I am looking after the disciplinary matters and this Magazine in Hall 2. I love video games and learning photography. Happy reading.

KOWSHIK BALAJI

I take pride in being one of the RTs serving prosperians this year. This is my third year living in Hall 2, and my experience as an international student has been positive and warm overall. Hall 2 offers an ideal multicultural environment where I got the opportunity to socialize with international and local students by joining several prosperian events and activities: fun and good times guaranteed! I am still friends with people from different countries whom I had met in Hall 2 – and it’s been more than a year since then. As a Residence Tutor, I feel very honored to pass the warmth of hall 2 to the new residents. I am grateful to be part of prosperian family, and I must say all these moments in Hall 2 will be commemorated.

P A T R I C K

Hello! I am Patrick, a final year Electrical Engineering undergrad from Malaysia. This is my second year serving as RT, and so far I am having a blast! I am mainly in charge of the 5th and 6th floors, facilities and our hall's SPECIAL Hall Night Talks Team. I find it both breathtaking and exciting at the same time. The responsibility of helping to ensure the proper functioning of our hall is one I will always cherish. If you need a friend to talk to, let me know. I hope all of you have a wonderful stay here!

SU JIN Hi everyone! I'm Su Jin, the Residence Tutor who is in charge of 7th and 8th floors. Being part of the RT team, serving the residents in Hall 2 has become my major responsibility.

Although this is only my first year staying in Hall 2, I'm very impressed by its diverse culture as well as the friendliness of our residents. This year, I'm taking up the role as Hall 2 IT Team leader. We have organized a series of workshops, introducing the very high-in-demand programming skills to the residents. We strongly believe that digital literacy is one of important pillars in our future generation. By providing these learning opportunities , they can surely benefit from it and broaden their knowledge in the technology field. Being the Hall 2 IT Team leader, it has opened up numerous opportunities for me to meet talented people.

Undoubtedly, this is an interesting and fruitful learning journey that I will always treasure.

JIMMY YIP Hi everyone! I’m Jimmy, the RT for 9/F and 10/F. I am so honoured to serve you as one of the RTs this year. I am responsible for coordinating the RAExco to give you the best possible living experience in Prosperity Hall. This is my third year in Hall 2, and I am blessed by the opportunity to contribute to a place where we meet new friends, take part in various kinds of activities and grow together intellectually and mentally. As a Residence Tutor, I hope being your guardian can make your hall life hassle-free and joyous by sharing the warmth. I enjoy every moment here in Hall 2.

Hope you feel the same! ;D

FAYE ZHAO

Hi, I'm Fei from 11th Floor, responsible for Hall finance and PEK competitions. I'm a final year undergraduate major in EE. This is my 4th year in student residence and 1st year living in Hall2. I'm so happy to become a part of prosperians and join this big warm family. Hope all residents could enjoy their Hall life this year, and feel free to participate in our various interesting activities. I'll always be there for anyone who needs help:)

2O2O/2O21

RA COUNCIL

Hello Prosperians! My name is Hohin. I am glad to join the RA Council this year as the Chairperson to serve the residents in hall2. I like the atmosphere of hall2 very much, and I hope that I can have more chances to get along with people in hall2. Come and find me in 403A! coun chair hall2 hall2 403A

Hello (´ε ) I’m Kelly, The vice-chairperson of the RA council this year. Hallmates in hall2 are very fun and nice! Let’s have late night snacks and study together! Hope you all enjoy your hall life in hall2 and please come find me to study in 401B! Please also find me and study together!!!!

Hey guys!! This is Michelle, the secretary of the RA Council. It is my second year living in hall 2 and I am pleased to have the chance to serve Prosperians and getting along with you all. Please feel free to reach me at 405A anytime when you wanna eat, hang out, or even study XD Hall2 is definitely my second home, and I am grateful for such warm-hearted and fun family members. Enjoy your stay in hall2, I bet you will discover a wonderful experience here(⁎⁍̴̛ᴗ⁍̴̛⁎)

Hello I am Bobby from 804A, the RA council member this year. This is my third year in HSBC prosperity Hall and CityU. Living here makes my life in CityU much more colourful, feeling every moment and happiness of this year. I love hall2 which is a very sweet and warm place. Enjoy your whole life. Please feel free to find me to play mah jong!

Hello Prosperians! It’s Jelly. I am excited to live in hall2 for two years and become one of the RA council members. Hall2 Has given me the opportunity of making family-like friends and created a great environment for me to enjoy different kinds of activities with my whole mate. These days, I learnt that hall is not a place for sleeping only, but also pleasuring your precious university life here. You can chat or play whenever and wherever you want!

Feeling hungry? Just cook whatever you like or go out for midnight snacks with your friends. These things you can’t know if you haven’t lived in hall2! So, don’t hesitate to live in hall2!

Hi everyone. I am Ivan from 502B. This year is my second year living in hall 2.

After being a member of RA Exco last year, I would like to serve my fellow hallmates with the experiences I learnt from last year. Therefore, I decided to become a member of the council.

Together with the 17th RA Exco, we will strive for turning hall 2 into a better place. I hope that hall 2 can become your ideal hall.

Hello, I’m Karina, a member of the RA council this year. I am grateful that I can live in hall2 for two years, which is a place of love.

Everyone in hall2 is kind and friendly so that I have a lot of fun here. Please feel free to find me in 401B no matter eating, playing or chatting. Hall life is meaningful and irreplaceable, Please enjoy it!!

Hi Prosperians~ This is Justin, a member of the RA council. Living in hall2 is fun, it’s glad that I can live and meet all of you in hall2.

If you want to play and chat, please come to find me at any time!! Enjoy your whole life in hall2, I promise you will definitely love here! XD

RA EXCOS

Hi prosperians! 😊, I’m Arthur, the president of Utwopia, as one of the RA exco members, I would be glad to see prosperians having fun in Hall 2 since Hall 2 is a place that contains love and peace! By the way, Feel free to find me in 705a when you want to grab some food or grab a drink, needless to say, find someone to play mahjong with you! Let’s have a memorable hall life together, enjoy!

Hello! l am Alice:), the internal vice president of Utwopia. As one of the RA members,l hope that l can bring helps and happiness to the residents in Hall 2.You can also find me in 605B for gathering and fun! Although 2020 is full of misfortune and adversity, l wish you guys can still enjoy your hall life. Hope that Hall 2 can be your utopia which we wish it could be too!!!

Hi everyone, I am the financial secretary of Utwopia, Ray from 706A. Nice to meet you all in hall2. This year, because of the prevention of COVID-19, many activities can’t be held. However, I still wish all of you can have a memorable hall life this year. If you have any problem or you feel bored, please feel free to find me.

I look forward to seeing you in the following hall activities.

Hello, I am Esther from room 605B. I am the general secretary of Utwopia. It is my pleasure to become one of the RA members of hall 2. I hope to organize events and serve the residents. Also, my hallmates are nice and I want to make friends with them. It is fun to play and eat in hall2. Feel free to find me and I hope all of you can enjoy your hall life.

Hello Prosperians! I am Gary and the information technology secretary of Utwopia. It is my honor to serve residents in Hall2. I hope all of you can have an unforgettable memory this year. Also, I love playing music, especially singing and playing guitar. Feel free to play music with me!

Hi, I am Draken from 106B. It is welcomed to find me for meiking and tw mahjong. By the way, I need someone good at MA and Physics. Please contact me as soon as possible.

I am Pakhin, the sports secretary of utwopia. I hope that every prosperians enjoy their hall life and meet new friends.

Feel free to find me in 403B, I am willing to have fun with everyone like playing mahjong, poker or drink.

Halo

G2

RA exco hall life

RA EXCOS

Prosperians Interviewed by

Prosperians

RESIDENT’S ACHIEVEMENT

KOWSHIK BALAJI

COULD YOU PLEASE BRIEFLY INTRODUCE YOUR PROJECT REGARDING BLOCK-CHAIN? Well, the project that I am currently working on is a micro-credit solution targeting to serve underbanked. When you go to a bank, you get evaluated and they offer you financial products like credit cards based on your credit score. Underbanked people do not have a formal credit score; hence, it is nearly impossible for them to obtain credit from the traditional credit system, like banks or other financial institutions. There are some microlending companies that offer loans to the underbanked; however, the cost of compliance and credit management makes lending an expensive process; hence they charge hefty interest rates.

We decided to change that, but the main problem is credit evaluation of these people. So we decided to leave the traditional data and models behind and focus on obtaining data from various sources.

Our goal is simple: reduce cost and automate evaluation. Microcent verifies underbanked users using deep learning models by extracting over 600 data points and provides a decentralized digital financial identity by leveraging blockchain. Since the underbanked do not have a credit score, Microcent helps them build their credit score. We provide automated verification, digital identity and immediate access to the underbanked users. We allow microlending companies and professional lenders to tap into the untapped market at the lowest cost. We provide risk management tools and automated portfolio maintenance services to the micro-lending companies. I hope we see a day where underbanked is not treated differently from banked people. It is all about financial inclusion and it will make their lives 1000X better.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO COME UP WITH THE IDEAS AND CONVERT THE IDEAS INTO A REAL PROJECT? Before coming up with any idea, the most important thing you need to look into is the problem. Then evaluate whether the problem really exists. This is very important because many times we think there is a problem when there actually is not. Now do your secondary research and do not forget to put your confirmation bias aside. Find out if someone else solved this problem. If you could not see anything that is already in the market, then try to come up with something that is simple and easy to understand. Trust me, your idea will be far from perfection in the first attempt. But that is fine. You can improve it with the feedback from the target customers or your friends or advisors. Finally, keep an open mind. You might come across a lot of things to which you need to change your existing beliefs.

HOW DO YOU BALANCE YOUR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND EXTRA-CURRICULAR LIFE?REAL PROJECT? To be honest, I focus more on the extra-curriculars. I think it is more important for you to learn what’s going on outside and one of the best ways for university students to be exposed to this is competitions, and that’s the reason why I participated in a lot of competitions. I did over 50 competitions in the past three to four years and I can assure you that I got more knowledge and experience from these competitions than any university course I have taken. For academic life, I do think its kind of difficult to get a high GPA if you focus too much on extra-curriculars. But again I am not the guy who wakes up in the morning and tells myself to aim for a perfect GPA. I do have the GPA that society classifies as decent and I am happy with that. You can do both competitions and academics in parallel. You just need to be able to manage it.

WHAT DO YOU THINK HALL LIFE BRINGS TO YOUR SUCCESS AS A RESIDENCE TUTOR? Can’t believe this is already my second year as resident tutor of Hall 2. I absolutely love the work I do as a resident tutor. The job of the residence tutor is management, you manage people, you manage the problems of the residents and every problem is unique. So as a resident tutor I learnt to do that and solve their problems without breaking the eggshells. It is tough at times as residents might think you are biased or favoring the other person when in fact you are trying to be neutral. I did come across similar problems in my teams in competitions, where two team members fight for their idea to be presented in the final solution. If you are a people’s person, the job of resident tutor will definitely add value to your professional life.

pROSPERIAN aCHIEVEMENTn STORY OF THE RESIDENT

1

Six-year-old runner wins first place in the 60-meter run

grade 1 primary student

What were you thinking about when you won the medal?

I was very happy when I won the gold medal

3

2

grade 1 primary Do you usually jog or exercise in your daily life, student

and what other hobbies do you have?

I do not really jog in daily life but I love rope skipping. I always do rope skipping in the nearby park. Additionally, I also draw and paint in my leisure timeaal

What is your favorite subject at school, and why do you like it?

For now, there are only English, Math, and Chinese as academic courses. Other than these, we also have PE classes, music classes, and art classes. I like painting and singing the most, so music and art classes are my favorite. I also like PE classes, because we can exercise and do free activities.

4

Do you usually jog or exercise in your daily life, and what other hobbies do you have?

5

We go to school at 8:05 and school will be over at 3:30, so I have plenty of leisure time for my own extra-curricular activities. Then after school, I mostly do rope-skipping or play with my younger brothers. Sometimes I also go out with my friends after school. For weekends, my dad and mom would take me out, and we used to ride bicycles around the lake to enjoy the view and leisure time. Additionally, my dad also took me to some hall events to meet those big brothers and sisters. al

pROSPERIAN aCHIEVEMENTn INTERVIEW WITH LING Yin Ling

1

What thing(s) can you say is (are) the most interesting or moving for you during working hours in hall 2?

There was a female resident from Malaysia that used to live in hall2. During her staying in hall 2, we got along very well and chatted a lot. It has been 5 years since she graduated from CityU and left Hong Kong. However, she still came to Hong Kong and visited me for the past years, and every time we would eat out or drink tea then chat about family life. Though she could not make it to Hong Kong last year due to the pandemic, we still keep in touch via Whatsapp, and she just sent me some photos of her family and her two babies.

Have you ever participated in hall events with residents?

Of course yes. For some events, we would have meals together. The nearest gathering was not long ago. Other than having meals, sometimes I drank tea together with some RA members and residents. I used to participate in the tradition Poon Choi organized by the hall for celebrating every new year, and it was really a big get-together.

3

2

What impact do you think the pandemic brings to you regarding work?

The big difference is that visitors are not permitted in the dorms for the sake of controlling the pandemic. Though there are some other additional works to do such as wiping the elevator buttons and doorknob, it is nothing to me. aal

There are a lot of non-local residents in hall 2 that do not speak Cantonese. How do you communicate with them?

Actually, I understand some English and I can speak more mandarin.

Because I was born and raised in Hong Kong, I have been exposed to daily English for a long time. I have been making progress in English and mandarin especially since I started working in the student residence and getting to meet more non-local students here. Some of my colleagues are also from the mainland and can speak fluent mandarin, so I also learned some mandarin from them.

5

4

Could you give hall 2 residents some new year wishes, as the lunar new year is approaching?

I hope all the residents will stay healthy, find a decent job in the future. al

DIVERSITY IS PROSPERITY. KEEPING WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE MOTTO OF UNITY, THE HSBC PROSPERITY HALL KICKSTARTED IT'S HALL ACTIVITIES FOR SEMESTER A 2020/2021 WITH INTERNATIONAL MEETUP NIGHT. ORGANIZED BY THE GO GLOBAL TEAM, THE AIM OF THE EVENT WAS TO WELCOME ALL THE NEW PROSPERIANS TO THE CLOSELY KNIT COMMUNITY OF HALL 2 AND FOR EVERYONE TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER. EVEN THOUGH THE HALL HAD ONLY ABOUT A HUNDRED RESIDENTS DURING THAT TIME, MOST OF THEM JOINED THE EVENT MAKING IT A SUCCESSFUL ONE. THE PLATFORM OF CHOICE WAS ZOOM. THE EVENT STARTED OFF WITH THE HALL MASTER - DR. RAY GIVING A WARM WELCOME TO EVERYONE ALONG WITH A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALL 2 AND THE EMPHASIS IT PLACES ON UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY THE RESIDENCE TUTORS’ INTRODUCTION AND WELCOMING MESSAGE. THEN THE RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION INTRODUCED THEMSELVES AND SHARED PLANS ABOUT THE UPCOMING EVENTS. A QUIZ GAME WAS THEN ENJOYED BY ALL THE ATTENDEES. THE GAME WAS HOSTED ON KAHOOT AND COMPRISED OF 30 QUESTIONS RELATED TO HONG KONG, CITYU AND STUDENT RESIDENCE. THE EVENT ENDED WITH A GROUP PHOTO THAT CAPTURED THE UNITY AND HAPPINESS OF ALL THE PROSPERIANS. ONE THING IS CERTAIN FROM THIS EVENT: DESPITE THE DIFFICULT TIMES, THE UNITY AND SOLIDARITY AMONG THE PROSPERIANS OF THE HSBC PROSPERITY HALL WILL REIGN SUPREME.

HIKING Wan Chai Gap to Aberdeen Reservoirs Written by Aiym

"Wander often. Wonder always" Hall 2 Scholarship Team organized Hiking to Aberdeen Reservoirs in Semester B 2020/21. Professor Tit Wing Lo, the Associate Vice President of City University, his wife, and Dr. Ray, with his family, joined this event with 24 Hall 2 residents. We also visited the Police Museum, dedicated to the history of policing in Hong Kong.

Visit to the Police Museum, dedicated to the history of policing in Hong Kong with about 1200 exhibits

3.4 kilometer moderately trafficked point-topoint trail from Wan Chai Gap to Aberdeen Reservoirs

On Aberdeen Reservoirs that consist Upper Reservoir and Lower Reservoir

COOKING CONTEST Online Cooking Contest has become Hall 2's signature annual event. This year residents participated individually and in teams of 2 and 3. Teams submitted their recipes in the video format on YouTube.

Champion Li Jingyan, Zhou Yinuo, Zhang Xinlei

2nd Place Sek Hei Tung, Chan Chun Jonathan

3rd Place Zhumakhan Arman, Mussali Aizhigit, Taubaldy Aiym

8 Winning Teams

DOOR DECORATION Written by Aiym

Creative Minds Inspire Others Door Decoration is a traditional event of Hall 2 when residents apply their creativity and ideas to decorate their room doors.

Champion

1st Runner-Up

2nd Runner-Up

401B "Doraemon" Tang Wing Li, Lam Tsz Ying

1003A "Welfare Day" Ng Chi To, Lam Chiu Wai

804B "Stay Healthy, Stay Safe" Woo You Hay

703B "Surrounded By Butterflies"

905B "Friends (90s sitcom)"

601B

1104B "Money Heist"

1101B "Happy Chinese New Year"

904A "All About Us Haha"

405A "Chinese New Year"

MICRO-FILM CONTEST Micro-film contest was organized by Hall 2 UP team, aiming at encouraging residents to present their ideas in the form of a short video. Participants formed a team of 2 to 4 and shot a video with the theme of “Hall Life during Covid-19”.

Winner, Best Actor/Actress, Best Video Editor One Day of Hall Life Arman Zhumakhan, Mussali Aizhigit

2nd Place A Normal Day LI Jingyan

3rd Place Our Life in Hall during COVID Clarissa-Suryajaya, Gunawan Rianita, Limin Viviana, Krisensia Fidelia Dwiksa

4th Place, Best Video Editor Covid-19 Hall2 Life of Gang Gang Li Yan Mei, Woo Yiu Hay, Sek Hei Tung, CHAN Chun Hei Jonathan

5th Place Travelling in Circles Aryan Girish Kasliwal, Utkarsh Jain

SRO SHOOTING CONTEST TO RELIEVE SOME OF THE STRESS CAUSED BY FINAL EXAMINATIONS PREP, THE STUDENT RESIDENCE OFFICE ORGANIZED AN INTER-HALL SHOOTING CONTEST. TEAMS OF FIFTEEN FROM EACH OF THE HALLS ENJOYED A FRIENDLY COMPETITION. THERE WAS ALSO A TEAM COMPROMISED OF THE RESIDENCE MASTERS AND STAFF AS WELL. THE EVENT WAS HELD FOR TWO DAYS FROM 27 TO 29 APRIL 2 PM TO 6 PM. HALL 2 WITH ITS TEAM OF ALLSTAR PLAYERS WON THE CONTEST DECISIVELY. THE RT OF HALL 2, YIFEI ZHAO, PERFORMED AMAZINGLY; CLINCHING VICTORY FOR HALL 2. CROWNED AS THE CHAMPIONS, HALL 2 RECEIVED LOTS OF PRIZES IN THE FORM OF SNACKS AND GOODIES. THE ENTIRE EVENT DID WONDERS IN PROVIDING STRESS RELIEF AND LIFTING THE SPIRITS OF EVERYONE IN THE HALL.

A perfect way to boost the body and mind before the finals? Simple: pizza with friends. On April 29 at 7 pm, the Hall 2 Signature Pizza Night was held. This was a perfect way to end the academic year and allow the prosperians to enjoy each other’s company, relax and boost their energy reserves for the exams ahead. It was a wonderful initiative by Dr. Ray and the Residence Tutors to bring happiness and relaxation to the prosperians.

y o j n E o t y a w c i m e d n a P the

GOT NEW PS5 FOR OUR RESIDENTS THIS YEAR

H S B C P R O SP ERI TY H A LL H T T P S : / / C I TY U- H A LL2.GI T HU B . I O