Passtimes August 2014

Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Service Society Proudly Presents:

August 2014 Edition

PASSTIMES

PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

Contents

Words from co-editors Dear Readers,

Dear Readers,

Congratulations to you all for making your way to Imperial College London! I believe that you have already had your celebration last week and are having lots of fun right now. Apart from that, are you also feeling nevous about what your first year in university is going to be like?

Time passed quickly. I can’t believe it is time for me to write my last editor’s message in PASSTIMES. I still remembered this time last year I was busy editing the charity concert’s programme and PASSTIMES. Although this job is challenging and time-consuming, I have learned a lot from it. It is also very rewarding, especially when the It’s my honour to present the PASSTIMES to you all. readers told you they had a good time reading it. I would PASSTIMES is the official publication of ICPASS (Imperial like to thank my team and those who have contributed to College, Public Awareness and Social Service), providing PASSTIMES. PASSTIMES will not be as successful as it is a platform for the Imperial community to share and think, without any one of you. and here you go the first issue of PASSTIME! This is the first issue of the academic year 2014/15, a special Fresh- To all the freshers. Welcome to Imperial College! I am sure er’s Edition, and I hope it will give all freshers a brief idea you have worked a long way to get into one of the top sciabout Imperial Student life and the essence of PASS. ence and engineering universities. I hope you have enjoyed your summer after a long year of hard work.

Being an editor of a magazine has been one of my dreams since I was small. I am so delighted that I could have the I am sure you are nervous about the new environment at chance to take up this role for PASS especially this is a Imperial College. Don’t Worry! There are guides in this precious and rare opportunity for me as a mathematics edition for you to know more about your hall and subject student. Last but not least, my special thanks to all of the so that you will feel more comfortable stepping into the article contributors and the editorial team for their inspir- next stage of life. I hope you will find the guides useful. ing and beneficial work, without their effort, my dream wouldn’t come true.

Beside from studying at imperial college, please enjoy joining different clubs and societies, e.g. ICPASS and don’t Hope you will be more interested in PASS and Imperial forget about the nightlife and make use of the excellent student life after reading this. Enjoy and see you soon. location of London!

Jonathan Loo Co-editor-in-chief Publication Officer ICPASS 2014-2015

Hope you will enjoy this edition of PASSTIMES and see you around.

Enoch Ho Co-editor-in-chief Publication Officer ICPASS 2013-2014

Article Contributors & Proofreading Adrian Leung Fiona Lau

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Anfernee Lo Joanne Leung

Brian Yeung Joanna Leung

Ceclian Kan Kelvin Chan

Cherry Kwok Marvin Lo

Emily Kwok Mildred Mak

Evelyn Kiu Rosie Shen

P.4

What Is PASS?

P.4-5

President’s Message

P.6

Year Plan for 2014-2015

P.7-8

PASS Event Review

P.9-11

Hall Guide

P.12-15

Subject Guide

P.16-17

佔領中環：公民抗命與民主發展

P.18

民主與秩序: 平衡點

P.19

教育

P.20

WHY SOCIAL SERVICES ?

P.21-23

Reflections

Disclaimer: The contents published on PASSTIMES are created by individual authors, and do not represent the views of ICPASS or its committee members. Neither ICPASS nor its committee members are liable to any opinion expressed by contributors.

Copyright @ 2014 Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Service Society. All right reserved.

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What is PASS? Imperial College Public Awareness and Social Services Society (also known as ICPASS) is a fully student-run,

politically neutral organisation, mainly comprised of Hong Kong students studying at Imperial. Our objective is simple: to raise Public Awareness (PA) of issues around us and to contribute in action through Social Services (SS). However, if one focuses on PA and understands a lot of the world yet does not act upon the issues s/he sees, what use is there? If one blindly serves the community yet does not comprehend what the others are actually going through, what use is there? So as much as the name would suggest PASS could be split into two key aims, we believe that PA goes hand in hand with SS and they complement each other.

At Imperial, our core activities on PA include regular discussions on worldwide issues, presentations on current affairs as well as formal parliamentary-style debates with similar societies of other universities across the UK (e.g. other PASSes). We also organise cultural trips and provide insights into different jobs and roles in society, including the Administrative Officer (AO) Reception Talk for students as well as the Mentoring Programme coordinating with Imperial College Alumni Association Hong Kong.

We dedicate SS into action. Members are given opportunities to meet and serve the underprivileged face-toface. These include regular visits to the homeless and fun English days with students from local Hong Kong schools. We believe that the hands-on SS experience is unique and different for everyone, but would always complement and engage the sense of PA not only within the society of ICPASS, yet also the wider community, as global citizens.

We strongly believe that PA and SS have to go hand in hand. Our annual flagship event, Famine 24, sponsoring World Vision, is a gateway to understanding life in developing countries. This is achieved through physical experience (a 24-hour fast to simulate the shortage of food) as well as fun (but informative too!) activities and workshops during the 24-hour period.

Words from president PASS at Imperial is no new news – since its establishment back in 2008, the Society has held numerous activities each year in greater scale and even greater success every year with its core value in mind: to promote Public Awareness and set out Social Services opportunities to give back to the community. Some of the highlights include the ‘Candle of Vision’ Charity Concerts, Charity Christmas Dinners, Parliament and Legislative Council trips, as well as joint-university events such as Famine 24 and London 4U discussion forums.

With ICPASS stepping into its seventh year, we aim to continue what our predecessors have done so brilliantly – promoting global citizenship in an all-rounded manner. No matter where we go off in life, be it now or after our short stay at Imperial, we are all bound to make new connections with people and travel to new places, pushing our own limits and challenging ourselves. We will have to stand on our own feet out there, and PASS is exactly how we find our feet. Having been involved with PASS for the past year I have come to understand that PASS is not just a university society; it is instead a way of life that goes on and will stay on after one leaves ICPASS. Wherever we go, we are still citizens of the world, and just having to be aware of what is around us (PA) and therefore respond to that (SS) is fundamental for us living in communities.

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014 So what exactly will we do as a Society this year? For the year ahead, our plan is three-fold. Firstly, ICPASS will continue to raise Public Awareness (PA) at Imperial, especially since the College is mainly a Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects-based institution. We believe that scientists and engineers have as much social responsibility as anyone else, especially when it comes to issues such as health and future energy resources.

Previously, ICPASS held a fundraising and wishes/prayers collection day together with the Imperial College Japanese Society for the emergency relief of the 11th March 2011 Earthquake disaster in Japan. As for more recently, ICPASS, joining together with LSESUHKPASS, UCLUPASS and KCLPASS, also initiated an overseas students petition for the protection and safety of those working in the media industry directly after the attack of the ex-MingPao editor Kevin Lau (劉進圖). In the coming academic year, we hope to uphold the culture and atmosphere where we care about the greater community around us, encouraging and inspiring students to voice out their opinions for discussions, and taking actions, such as the two examples above, as appropriate.

Secondly, we hope to encourage more hands-on Social Service (SS) activities. Having understood the happenings around us, we hope to act upon it not just through fundraising events but also by the smallest acts of kindness. We all play our parts in this world, so for the betterment of society, ICPASS as a society hopes to walk out there and give what we can – energy – while we are young. Our committee this year reflected on our previous events and we are trying to take a fresh approach at what SS means to us. Some of the upcoming activities include reaching out to the London homeless and fun days with secondary school students who may be from underprivileged backgrounds.

We realise some of these have not been done before and so new challenges may arise, but as scientists we plan, experiment and improve. But it is not only about new; we will also of course continue with the fun-filled fundraising events!

Lastly but not least importantly at all, we hope to create new links as well as maintaining the great ones we have.

With parts of the year being in London and parts away, we hope to build quality relationships with local communities regardless of where we are. This is to echo with the global citizenship idea which is at the heart of ICPASS, and can be done through both PA and SS activities.

Other intra- and inter-university society links are also to be strengthened to bring out the best in PA and SS, where students with diverse ideas come together for discussions and interact together to give back to the community.

Currently we are in contact with 12 other PASSes/similar societies across the UK, and we will continue to sustain these links through joint-uni events. Famine 24 which ICPASS hosted last February would be the prime example of mixing Imperial students with students from other universities, providing them with a platform for idea exchanges on the issue of world poverty. Moreover, we have built up a good partnership with the Imperial College Alumni Association, Hong Kong (ICAAHK) through various events, the ever-thriving mentorship programme we jointly hold.

As I plan the 2014-15 session for ICPASS with my committee, we really hope that the novel ideas we bring to the society would be able match and step up the brilliant things we have achieved in the past. However, a society would not be able to exist without its members, so I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with ICPASS, especially our founder and those who have previously been committee members. And if you have not been part of us, do come along and join us; I would love to see you there in the new year exploring the idea of PASS and engaging with us – I can guarantee it is enormous fun and indescribably rewarding!

I wish you all a fantastic year ahead no matter you are still at Imperial or have gone beyond, and an even more successful year for ICPASS in its seventh year!

PASS love,

Joanne Leung President ICPASS 2014-15

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2014-2015 Year Plan

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16 19 20 26 16 22 23 7 9 14 22 22 11 14 30 3 16 20 11 13 24 4 24

Rector’s Reception (with ICAAHK) Legislative Council Visit with Ms. Regina Ip (with CAAHK) St. Mark’s School Service Mentoring Program Inauguration Day (with ICAAHK) HAECO Visit (with ICAAHK) ICCS Freshers’ Reception Day (with ICCS) TLAMP Mentoring Program at True Light Girl’s School London 4U Induction Night Freshers’ Fair Introductory Night to Freshers Sub-Committee Application and Interview Homeless Visit 1 Pre-Cambridge Quiz Charity Hotpot Night ICPASS Imperialogy (with ICCS) Internal Discussion Forum 1 Joint-U Discussion Forum 1 Homeless Visit 2 Famine 24 Cambridge Quiz Warwick Asia Summit Charity Concert Application Charity Concert Election Homeless Visit 3 Joint-U Parliament Trip Internal Discussion Forum 2 Mentoring Program Group Activities (with ICAAHK) Food Distribution to the Less Fortunate Dialogue in the Dark Homeless Visit 4 Internal Discussion Forum 3 Joint-U Discussion Forum 2 AO Reception ICPASS Executive Member Introductory Session Chinese New Year Dinner (with ICCS) Oxford Model Legislative Council Homeless Visit 5 LSE Forum Annual General Meeting Internal Discussion Forum 4 Homeless Visit 6

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Events review Cambridge quiz Adrian Leung, Brian Yeung, Hyman Ko

It was cloudy and chilly on 23rd November, 2013 when the 20th Inter-University Quiz hosted by Cambridge University Hong Kong and China Affairs Society (CUHKCAS) was held in Riley Auditorium of Clare College, Cambridge. Adrian Leung, Brian Yeung and Hyman Ko (all Year 1 Mathematics) represented Imperial College London and competed against 13 other universities all over Britain in every aspect of general knowledge.

Preparation work started about 2 weeks before the Quiz when the contestants researched on different topics including sports, entertainment, history, science, etc.. It was tough because from past experience the questions in the Quiz would be extremely specific, so that much part of the work involved was merely on memorisation. Nevertheless, some other students helped in the research and reduced the workload of the contestants.

The contestants and about 20 supporters of the team travelled to Cambridge early on the day where we were given a warm welcome by the organisers. Our team was one of the first to compete, along with University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL) and London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). The first part of the round was a team-by-team compulsory session of 40 questions maximum. As the questions this year were even more specific than before, our team, with only 9 questions answered correctly, was only below UCL which had a very knowledgeable contestant in their team.

The next part involved 15 minutes of non-stop quick response questions which only the team with the fastest response would be allowed to answer a question and would lose marks if answering incorrectly. Adrian of our team performed the calculation 220 = 1048576 quickly and amazed the audience in one of the questions. Unfortunately our team also made quite a lot of incorrect (and near-correct) responses, losing marks, finished off at the third of the group and thus unable to proceed to the final round.

Nonetheless, our team stayed behind and watched for the remaining rounds including the finals of the day.

The competition was ultimately won by UCL, with the host University of Cambridge as the runner-up.

Apart from attending the Quiz, we took our time walking in Cambridge during the lunch hour. We bypassed King’s College, Cambridge and had a close-up view of their internationally-renowned chapel from the outside. Some of us joined an informal social dinner after the Quiz as well and had fun chatting with students from other universities before returning home.

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

Famine 24

Hall guide

Kelvin Chan Famine 24 is our newly introduced flagship event. Last year, the event was co-hosted by 4 universities in London. It was a very successful event aiming to raise awareness of poverty in developing countries. We have also received support from World Vision and a total of £706.06 was raised to support World Vision’s current projects in Africa. Participants came from different universities in UK. Throughout the 24 hours of famine, we have prepared all participants with 4 challenging team building games and a short inspiring movie. All games came with a message behind. For example, in one of the games hosted

by Imperial College, participants were required to use limited newspaper and stationery to create products such as sandals or paperbags. They would then exchange the products to earn a living. Money would be collected regularly to represent daily living cost. Also, they could choose to spend the money on education. In the end, the group with the most number of educated people won the game. This game actually symbolised the daily living of poor people in developing countries. People work very hard every day, just to make a very small earning. Yet, they may be exploited by the buyers. Also, family may not be able to afford children for education which causes further generational poverty. Despite all the hunger, all of us ran cheerfully around the campus to complete different tasks and had great fun! At night when we had free time, we also gathered and chilled with one another. I am sure all of us became closer friends after the event. We are planning to host the same event Famine 24 in November this year. Not only is this a meaningful event, it also provides a great platform to mingle around and know new friends from different universities!

Remember to sign up later for this activity and raise funds for those in need!

St Mark’s Mentoring Programme Adrian Leung ICPASS was blessed with fine weather on 20 July 2014 for a fun English Day with a local school in Hong Kong.

10 Imperial students joined the service in the afternoon and interacted in English with students from St Mark’s School who normally don’t have the chance to speak much in English. By involving themselves in a role-play as well as in other mini-games, St Mark’s students have been offered the opportunity to immerse themselves into an English-speaking community and to speak more confidently in English, in particular some useful everyday phrases.

The success of the role-plays under the guidance of Imperial students had made all students, both St Mark’s and Imperial, enjoyed the event. As a continuation, some Imperial students are joining another mentoring day with St Mark’s students in late August 2014 as well.

The English Day was preceded by an Anglican church service in the morning and a buffet lunch with ICPASS cordially invited.

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Beit Hall Mildred Mak

Beit Hall is located in the Beit Quadrangle on Prince Consort Road and is one of Imperial’s most historic buildings. Many of the rooms in Beit Hall enjoy a view of the Quad which is a lovely outside space with a nice lawn and outdoor seatings.

Beit Quad is an especially lively place due to the presence of the Student Union. The Union Bar, Metric and FiveSixEight are gathering places for all students making Beit Quad is truly one of the central social areas at Imperial.

This Grade II listed property is situated right next to the Royal Albert Hall and opposite Hyde Park and the Albert Memorial. Despite its age, Beit has been refurbished and all floors are accessible by lift.It has a large kitchen on each corridor with shared fridges and freezers. There is a fully equipped coin operated laundry room in the basement which cost £2 for washing and £1 for drying. However, detergent and softener will not be provided, but the iron is free. There are two common rooms in Beit, the West and the East Common Rooms, where hall events usually take place.

Living in Beit is always exciting! As one of the largest hall at Imperial, Beit Hall organized a wide range of hall events to keep everyone entertained. For example, free Sunday breakfasts, movie night every Thursday, iceskating, trip to Harry Potter Studio, paintballing, pizza night, corridor cook off, Chinese New Year Party, End of Year Party and seasonal parties such as Christmas, Halloweeen and Valentine’s Day. To access around the college and your hall, you will need to have your Student Card with you, which is provided upon arrival, after registered in the common room. You will also be given your 4 room keys (Room, Drawer, Kitchen Cupboard and Mailbox). Make sure you keep them safe and try not to lose them, as you will be charged inorder to replace them. Also, kitchenware and cutlery are not provided at the halls. So, it is important for you to buy your own pots and pans and take good care of them as they can be stolen or used by others if left lying around in the kitchen.

Living in Beit will make your first year at Imperial very enjoyable because there are many first year students living in Weeks, Eastside and Southside (5minutes walking distance from Beit), providing a great opportunity for you to meet and socialize with people outside your course. Living within South Kensington Campus means that you can get up 5 minutes before lectures start and still be on time. An advantage of living in Beit is the extra sleep that you can get!!! If you are joining Beit Hall in the coming year, just get to know people around you and make new friends! I am sure you will enjoy it like I did.

Princes Gardens - Eastside/Southside Anfernee Lo

If you’re allocated to one of the halls belonging to Eastside/Southside - you’re in luck! The two, along with Weeks Hall, are located in the area known as Princes Gardens (and yes, there is a pretty big garden if you haven’t looked at the pictures).

Princes Gardens is arguably the best among all halls location wise, with Beit Hall being a strong contender. In less than 3 minutes, you can cross Exhibition Road and enter the main campus. Within a 10-12 minute walk, you have access to the tube station, restaurants, supermarkets (Sainsbury, Mark and Spencers etc.) and if you’re itching to shop, Harrods is within your reach for an extra 3 minute walk! Princes Gardens is also the area with most freshers.

Chances are, many of your friends will be living in Princes Gardens and it is extremely convenient to meet up or to make new friends. Aside from its location, Princes Gardens itself has a lot to offer. For Eastside, Wikinson and Gabor

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014 share a big common room with sofas, TVs etc. for your use (unfortunately Linstead is left out, having its own common room instead). There is a bar just outside of Linstead if you’re interesting in getting a pint or just grabbing some food without having to walk much. But most importantly, there is a convenience store beside Wilkinson with an aptly given name “Essentials”.

For Southside, Wilson’s Lounge located just outside of Falmouth is an overpowered common room where you can play pool, table tennis or just lie on the couch and watch TV. There are also health clinics and dental clinics that you can go to during their opening hours, although hopefully you won’t be

visiting them often!

Ethos, Imperial’s Sports Center, is also located at Princes Gardens and you can hit the gym, go for a swim or play some basketball, badminton, squash etc. under a 2 minute walk (the latter facilities require advanced booking).

As for the halls themselves - all the rooms in Eastside/Southside are en-suite, i.e. you have your own toilets, which is convenient (although the writer himself suffered from a clogged toilet for an extensive period, but that’s an exception). Each room comes with their own lamps, fan and bin. Pillows and blankets however are not provided so be sure to bring your own when you move in! Each floor has its own kitchen, which is usually spacious with the exception of certain floors (e.g. if your floor has fewer rooms your kitchen might be smaller). You have your own cabinet to store your kitchenware but in case not everything can fit into them there are also shared cupboards at your disposal. You will be sharing fridges with other people and so it is advised to label your food to prevent people from stealing yours. Each hall has their own laundry room - £2 to use the washing machine and £1 to use the drying machine.

What about activities? Your hall supervisors and seniors will be arranging many events that help you bond with your hall mates, such as a weekly Sunday brunch provided by the hall staff, boat trips, free tickets to musicals and so on. All in all Eastside/Southside offer a decent hall experience and I hope you all will have a great time at Imperial next year!

Weeks Hall Evelyn Kiu

Living in Weeks Hall was definitely an enjoyable experience. The best thing about it is being able to live close to campus at the cheapest rate possible as well as bigger rooms compared to the other halls in Prince’s Gardens! I’m grateful I was able to live within 10 minutes from campus so I could roll out of bed 15 minutes before lectures and come back to chill or make lunch between classes easily too.

Although the building is old and the rooms aren’t ensuite, there are many great things about the hall (to be fair, non-ensuite means you don’t need to worry about restocking on toilet paper so it isn’t so bad). Not only do you get a large room and window, you also get access to the facilities in the newer Wilkinson hall on Eastside. I enjoyed cooking with friends in the modern kitchens at Wilkinson. Throughout the year, the hall seniors also prepare Sunday brunches and various subsidized activities and trips that are sure to enhance your hall experience! Weeks feels like home as the common room is really comfortable – you can drop down to Bonkies, a student-run café and enjoy cheap milkshakes, play the piano as well as game on FIFA, play pool and table tennis or just lounge around on the couches. Also, being an old hall means that you have old-fashioned keys and never risk being locked-out, unlike your mates living in Prince’s Gardens!

Weeks is also a 2-minute walk to Ethos, the uni gym and swimming pool and is also very close to Essentials and Eastside bar if you realise you forgot to buy some groceries or if you’re too lazy to cook once in a while. Weeks is also minutes from Hyde Park if you fancy a run. I hope you enjoy your time at Weeks as I did mine. My hallmates were very pleasant and friendly and the hall is very conveniently located with sufficient facilities!

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Xenia

Fiona Lau

I can still remember how lost I felt when I received my hall offer —Xenia, which is located in Waterloo (i.e. far away from school). However, everything has its beauty.

I found the silver lining in Xenia. Xenia is 2 minutes walk from Waterloo railway and also the tube station, one of the largest in London. There are also a wide variety of bus lines in that area. What is more, if you do decide to walk from Leicester Square (China Town), you will see the famous London Eye and other land marks on the sides of River Thames.

Concerning the condition of accommodation, most of the rooms in Xenia are en suite and each corridor has its own kitchen, along with individual cupboards. Do not worry too much if you are unfamiliar with cooking.

There is a 24/7 Sainsbury right in front of Xenia. Not only are the facilities newly constructed, but also the whole hall building. The completeness in equipment is another advantage of living in Xenia, games room, student lounges, SKY television and Wifi are all provided.

If you are allocated to Xenia, do not feel upset. I’m sure you will love it by the end of the year. ;)

Evelyn Gardens Justin Cho

Evelyn Gardens This is a street where a number of halls are located, namely Southwell & Bernard Sunley, Holbein & Willis Jackson and Fisher. Situating fifteen minutes from the College, the walk every day passes Gloucester Road where a range of shops are available with 24 hour supermarkets and restaurants opened till late, nightlife could not be more convenient.

Moreover, on weekends one can take a direct bus (14) which runs throughout the night to Leicester Square China town for a meal out or even a midnight karaoke. On top of that, one can also head to watch a Chelsea football match at Stamford Bridge which is located reasonably close. So I wish you all to enjoy the halls here.

Pembridge Jason Tam

Pembridge, one of the many halls available, is located in Notting Hill Gate.

I stayed there for the previous year and I enjoyed it very much. Although at first I was worried about it as being one of the relatively distant halls from campus, I changed my mind after staying for a few days. It took only 20 minutes to walk to campus, and on the way you could enjoy the beautiful scenery in Kensington Garden. It is a convenient place with the tube station just round the corner. There is a Tesco very close by where I usually buy food and other groceries from. Notting Hill Gate is full of restaurants, ranging from those with Asian cuisine such as Chinese and Japanese to European like English and Italian. Portebello Market is also very close to Pembridge where you can hang out with friends on weekends.

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Subject guide Mathematics Kelvin Chan

Welcome to Imperial Maths! Before you have selected Imperial as your final decision, I believe that most of you have already received loads of warnings about the heavy workload and the difficulty of the course. Instead of scaring all of you away, let me first give you a general picture of the course in first year. A total of 8 compulsory modules and 1 computing course are included in the first two terms, followed by an individual poster project after exams in the last term. Typically, you will have 13 hours of lecture plus 5 hours of tutorials (where you can ask questions) each week. Sounds not TOO bad actually! You will also be given problem sheets from each module every week. They are optional and do not count into your degree. However, I strongly recommend you to complete them as they are quite similar to exam standard. Now here comes to the mark allocation. Mark is calculated by each module. You should expect weekly tests in the first two terms, which count 5% and 10% respectively. A January test is also set and count 5% of the modules you learn in the first term. The remaining 90% are all based on the final term exam! And overall speaking, first year results count 1/9 of your total degree at Imperial for 3-year students while 1/11 for 4-year students. Trust me, although you may be freaked out by the weekly tests and exams, they are not as difficult as you think! Especially for first term, contents are mainly revising and strengthening your high school skills. As long as you keep up with weekly tests and problem sheets, I am sure that you will survive easily. Also, remember that this is just your first year, and also you freest year throughout Imperial. Do not just study but keep reminding yourself to hang out with friends, or to travel around Europe to treat yourself after a series of hard-work. I am sure this will be a rewarding year for you! Feel free to ask me for any further questions. I hope you will enjoy your year as much as I did!

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Mechanical Engineering Emily Kwok

Imperial College is a place you will never get bored because you will find yourself working week after week on lab reports, projects and tutorial sheets. Nevertheless, the intellectual stimulation which arises later from this course will prove to you that you are at the right place for engineering. The seven areas involved in this course are Mechanics, Stress Analysis, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Mathematics, Mechatronics and Materials. Knowing the theoretical knowledge in the above areas is undoubtedly fundamental for an engineering student, but practical exercise on using design software and machines for manufacturing is equally important. Design and Manufacturing provides you a perfect platform to learn how to produce a product from designing to manufacturing. Lectures, alongside with tutorial periods, are conducted on weekly basis; tutorial periods allow you to talk to your tutors and seek for assistance on academic studies.For any other quires about the course, you can find your personal tutor whom you are assigned at the beginning of the course. You will be informed about the schedules for aboratory experiment and workshop at the beginning of the terms so do make sure you mark it down on your diary.

What I found the most challenging as a first year is to strike a balance between social life and academic study. University is notjust about studying - it is also a place to discover more about yourself throughmeeting new friends and participating in societies’ events. Get used to the workload as soon as you can after the first week and once you get that sorted, occupy yourself with other activities. I am sure you would be pleased to inform if you have not known - your first year doesn’t count towards your degree so enjoy your first year and try to make the most of it!

Chemical Engineering Justin Cho

Chemical Engineering A mysterious subject. A subject which seems to be unbelievably random, teaching completely new ideas which links to physics and chemistry. Don’t get me wrong, but this also makes it one of the most special subjects that are available for study at our university. Taking up an integral part in chemical production, nuclear power and any other industries which involves reactions and has pipes. So new comers, be warned studies in this discipline will seem very random but at the same time challenging. Welcome to Chemical Engineering Have a great time!

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Biochemistry/Biotechnology

Civil engineering

Hello biochemists! Welcome to Imperial. You will be experiencing one of the most exciting stages in your life here. I am sure you are curious about the daily routines of your life at university. You will be having 2 hours of lessons every morning during weekdays and usually in the afternoon, you will either have 3-hour lab sessions or 1-hour tutorial classes. The tutorial classes are aimed to enhance your understanding of the modules you are learning, the tutors are usually really nice and you will learn a lot. You have your Wednesday afternoons off, as this will be the best time for you to play sports or attend meetings held by different societies, or if you like, to explore London!

The Biochemistry department is located in Sir Ernst Chain Building, we share this building with Chemistry students. It is situated right opposite the library café. It is quite a newly furbished building, but unfortunately only tutorial classes are held there, we have lectures in an older building called Sherfield Building.

No matter which degree you are taking (Biochemistry or Biotechnology), you will be doing 4 modules in your first year, namely Biological Chemistry (BC), Cell Biology (CB), Molecular Biology (MB) and Proteins and Enzymes (PE). For each module, you will be assessed by a written exam that counts 75% to your final result and the remaining 25% is based on lab reports, multiple choice quizzes and essays. These four modules allow you to have an enriched knowledge on different metabolic pathways in human biology and understand more about DNA, proteins and cells. You have two exam periods each year, one in early February when you have finished learning the first two modules (BC and CB), and the second one in mid June (MB and PE). Although the weighting of your first year exam grades do vary depending on the course that you have chosen, the grades still contribute to the final degree, taking a 3-year Biochemistry course as an example, the first year counts 11% to your final degree.

Even though you have a one-week revision week just before the exams, from our past experiences, one week is definitely not enough to go through all the lecture materials, so please make good use of your Christmas and Easter break! It is also very important to do further reading if you are aiming for better results, the examiners like to see students providing extra details on areas they have covered.

You will be able to find very useful reference books in the library, therefore grab them before everyone else does. You are allocated to a personal tutor in the beginning of the year, thus if you have any queries, you can always contact him/her. The lecturers and professors in the Biochemistry department are all very welcoming and helpful. First year is the least intense year among your years in completing the degree, hence make good use of your time, spare some time to make new friends, understand different cultures and join various societies. Get into gear and prepare to excel! Good luck!

Welcome to Imperial CivEng! Not trying to hard sell, but Imperial does offer one of the best Civil Engineering programmes in the world and believe me, you’ll definitely find yourself having a cracking time here at Skempton!

Rosie Shen

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Marvin Lo

One of the reasons you’ll love Imperial CivEng is that the course is hugely diversified and comprehensive. Apart from the everyday lectures and tutorials, you’ll find yourself engaged in practical sessions, design projects, field trips, site visits, and most importantly, the legendary CivSoc Four Bridges Pub Crawl! Don’t worry about coursework. You’ll not be required to hand in loads of essays and reports. In fact, you might even enjoy doing some of the coursework. Highlights include producing technical drawings of self-designed structures using AutoCAD, modelling the structural behaviour of the London Millennium Bridge using GSA Oasys, and masterplanning the redevelopment of Hyde Park. All in all, 1st Year Civil Engineering at Imperial has been absolutely cracking.

You might get stressful at times, e.g. during Summer Term when you’ll be having your exams, but rest assured you’ll be alright.

Anyway good luck and I’ll see you at Skempton very soon!

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

佔領中環：公民抗命與民主發展 子曰：「篤信好學，守死善道。危邦不人，亂邦不 居，天下有道則見，無道則隱。邦有道，貧且賤焉， 恥也，邦無道，富且貴焉，恥也。」 《論語》（8.13） 什麽是公民抗命？

公民抗命，亦稱公民不服從或政治不服從 （Civil Disobedience），源於美國作家、哲學家Thoreau梭羅1849年的同名文章《Civil Disobedience》，於 著作中梭羅主張面對製度上、法律上、社會上根本的 不公時，以不合作的行為對抗，以自身的力量抗衡。 梭羅以一部機器比喻政府，勸諭人們以自身作為反摩 擦力予以抗衡： “If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.

Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.

What I have to do is to see, at any rate, that I do not lend myself to the wrong which I condemn.” 《Civil Disobedience》節錄 這不禁令人想起在超過一個世紀後由Hannah Arendt 著成的Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil 一書。此書是the Banality of Evil（邪惡的平凡 性）一詞的出處，書中作者透過描述一名前納粹軍官 受審時的證詞，指出他並不是心裡變態或者有人格障 礙，而只是盲目服從上級的命令，完成自己的「工 作」，甚至並沒有「犯法」： “He did his duty...; he not only obeyed orders, he also obeyed the law.” 《Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil》節錄 兩份著作幾乎完全無關，但卻有異曲同工之妙： 《Civil Disobedience》講述的是希望人們以自己的判 斷，自己相信的公義，以不服從對抗社會上、制度上 大型甚至系統性的不公；而《Eichmann in Jerusalem》 則描述了過度盲目服從，不經自身思考，進而成為「 邪惡」的一部分。如果用梭羅的機器比喻，人民就像 一個個齒輪，自身並不會作惡或者成為邪惡，但如果 被安置在名為「邪惡」的機器裡頭，就會成為製造邪

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惡的機器的一部分， 成為平凡的邪惡 ，或者能說 是平凡得邪惡：正因平凡，正因服從，所以邪 惡。這也就是梭羅主張應該不服從的時刻。 歷史上有不少人物都曾以公民抗命的方式對抗權 威，有名的例子包括甘地爭取印度從大英帝國獨 立，以及Rosa Parks拒絕讓座予白人乘客，反對美 國政府所實施的種族隔離政策。公民抗命在歷史 上由不同人帶動也發展出很多不同的模式，有暴 力和非暴力；革命性或非革命性；以及個人或群 體之分。 如果將佔領中環分類，就是屬於非暴力、非革命 性的群體公民抗命。 佔領中環的起源與發展 佔領中環這一觀念源於戴耀廷2013年1月16日刊 於的《信報》的文章《公民抗命的最大殺傷力武 器》，主張以「非暴力的公民抗命方式」，以「 佔領中環要道，以癱瘓香港的政經中心」作為談 判籌碼，向政府以至中央施以政治壓力與其談 判，以實現真普選為其終極目標。 戴耀廷的文章受到廣泛關注後，佔中運動逐步發 展，戴耀廷、陳健民及朱耀明於2013年3月27日 發表「讓愛與和平佔領中環」信念書，正式將運 動命名為「讓愛與和平佔領中環」，簡稱和平佔 中，三人亦被稱為佔中三子。 佔中商討日為佔中前期活動，一共三次，主要目 的是望集思廣益，完善佔中計劃，並且以民主的 方式推動是次運動，亦是「商討」的一環。 622全民投票是指2014年6月20至29日關於佔中的 投票活動，以民主的方式讓全港市民就普選方案 投票，以及就是否接受不符合國際標準的普選方 案表態。活動最後有達79萬名市民參與，主辦方 認為此數字顯示出香港市民對真普選追求非常 強烈。雖然法律上是次投票並沒有任何約束力， 只能視為一種表態，但中央政府對此嚴詞批評， 環球時報社評稱「香港『基本法』同時反映了整 個國家的意志，在香港政改的核心問題上，13億 中國人同樣有發言權」，而「香港非法公投人再 多，也沒13億人多」，完全否定香港人對普選的 話語權。港澳辦更指公投「是非法的，也是無效

的」，但並沒有指明活動如何犯法，亦未見任何 個人或團體因此被控。 71預演佔中是由學聯及學民思潮發動，於2014年七 一遊行後分別通宵靜坐，其中學聯佔領遮打道，凌 晨時分被警方清場，期間不許任何人士自行離開， 最後共拘捕511人；學民於特首辦外通宵等候梁振英 上班，希望向他表達訴求，但未獲理會，後和平散 去，未有人被捕 。是次活動是希望顯示佔中的可行 性和向政府表達不滿。 隨著時間推進，不同人士都就佔中發表意見，流動 佔中等概念亦透過互聯網等媒體出現，未來佔中的 發展仍然充滿變數。 反佔中行動 有支持者自然有反對者，比較主要的反對聲音來自 建制派人士以及商界，而當中最有名的莫過於保普 選反佔中大聯盟的簽名行動，多名政府官員亦罕有 不避嫌明確表態反對佔中並且會參與簽名活動。

數發聲。例如622全民投票近80萬人參加，周融就指 代表有620萬人不支持或者反對佔中（雖然根據政府 數據2012年登記選民只有346萬，另外2013年香港裡 14歲或以下人士有近80萬） ，而幫港出聲或反佔中 大聯盟就是幫這些沉默的大多數發聲。 事實又是否如此？ 「沉默的大多數」真正的立場又 是什麼？我們無從得知。正如敵人的敵人不一定是 朋友，也可以是敵人，也可以兩樣都不是：世界上 既不是敵人也不是朋友的人何其多。相信「沉默的 大多數」也是相同的道理，裡面有支持佔中的，也 有反對的，也肯定有漠不關心、認為佔中事不關己 的。無論將他們定性為支持或者反對佔中都是騎劫 了他們的意願，皆因這個世界並非非黑即白。 無論佔中或是反佔中都急於為自己創造民意基礎， 甚至個別人士及團體將自己包裝 成代表大多數人。 前者是無何厚非，因為民意基礎乃是政治上談判的 重要籌碼，但後者則體現出他們對民主狹隘的見解 和不理解。 普選及民主化與香港的出路

反佔中行動大多都只是言語上表態，例如個人或團 體在訪問、新聞稿、聲明、報紙報導、社論或記者 會中表態反對，包括建制派人士、聖公會大主教鄺 保羅、多個商界組織等，亦有一些行動例如小巴貼 上反佔中海報、汽車遊行等等。 最大型的反佔中活動莫過於保普選反佔中大聯盟的 簽名行動，以「保和平、保普選，反暴力、反佔 中」為口號招徠，在全港多處設立簽名站，並開放 網上簽名。行動不限參加者年齡及國籍，參加者不 需要是香港永久居民，小童、旅客均可參與。主辦 方面以保護私隱為由，不會將資料輸入電腦系統核 對簽名人士是否第一次參加。雖然只靠參加人士自 我約束，但主辦方面指相信參加人士不會重複簽 名，並且聲稱會令它比其他民間投票更具公信力， 直指622全民投票有水分。於截稿前簽名活動聲稱已 經有超過一百萬人參加。 而簽名活動最引人注目的莫過於各個政府官員表態 已經或將會簽名反佔中，不怕利益衝突，以「個人 名義」簽名。特首梁振英指佔中是「為犯法而犯 法」，對於簽名反佔中他表示「反對大規模犯法是 官員應有態度」，直接將佔中視為普通的犯法活動 而非公民抗命。

民主並不是單單的一人一票選舉，更不是以多數壓 倒少數的數字遊戲。民主是對社會上的每個人的意 見和權利都予以尊重，多數尊重少數，以討論達成 共識的理想制度，而一人一票選舉只是現代複雜而 龐大的社會比較有效體現民主的一種方式和手段： 讓每一個公民有平等的機會選出能代表他們意見或 者代替他們發聲的代表。香港人必須認識到這一 點，民主才能真正植根。 在種種的歷史因由下，香港作為特別行政區的政治 制度的獨特性令其民主化難有先例可循，《中英聯 合聲明》和《基本法》定的框架、中國共產黨政府 的取態，都左右著香港的命運，香港在民主化的路 上何去何從，仍無人知曉。

Cherry Kwok 郭卓宜

沉默的大多數？ 反佔中簽名行動的發起人及發言人周融（不是張 融）同時也是幫港出聲的發起人之一，他多次主張 兩個組織及其舉辦的活動都是幫香港裡沉默的大多

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

民主與秩序: 平衡點 「 民主可以對人權、自由進行保護，對抗腐敗，保 證媒體的話語權… 現在，香港社會還未出現更腐敗 或者不透明的趨向，但即使出現了這樣的現象，民 主是否能成為萬能解藥是需要進一步探討的問題。 」(曾鈺成, 2014) 鑒於近期香港政治正臨近轉捩點，香港人需要在這 重要時刻就實現政改達成共識；或許現在是時候冷 靜下來重新思考自己一直以來所捍衛的價值、信 念，並於左右兩極的理念之間取得平衡。 相信普遍讀者都認同，作為國民的一份子我們應當 享受最基本的公民權益，其包括參與國家政決策、 選舉等等，不論是直接或是間接。可惜現實往往不 如人意，十幾年來市民對民主的期望不斷落空，強 行通過的東北撥款、民意淨值負29%的特首、逐漸 受打壓的集會遊行、從未實現的普選……此等証據 無處不在。人民所重視的少不了民生，而領導香港 的團隊卻扭曲漠視民意，令港人不得不深深慨嘆， 香港有著再好的發展亦失去了其根本意義。 以上的描述我深信每一位香港市民都有深刻的體 驗。不過，我亦必需向讀者提出社會秩序對香港、 中國的現今及未來大局的重要性。首先，我們必需 意識到中央政府絕對無意糟塌港人高度自治下的生 活；香港作為國際金融商貿中心，擔當着連接中、 西方的橋樑角色，為着國家發展作出重大貢獻，對 國對黨無疑有利。在此前提下，中央理當銳意維護 和足進香港的繁榮與穩定，此亦為當初提倡「一國 兩制」方針的原因，「然而反對派人士卻傾向從悲 觀和負面角度估算香港在回歸後的境況 、並以此嚇 唬港人，為自己爭取政治資本。」 無論認同和願 意接受內地文化、管治政策與否，我們必需明白「 一國」是無可厚非的事實；於竭力維護、爭取自身 權益之時，亦要提防那些誇張、失實的爭權者的言 論，不要讓「被內地侵佔」的概念充斥腦袋。維護 與對抗兩者迥然不同。佔中、對政府官員作人身攻 擊、一面倒反共等非建設性行為並不會更有助訊息 傳達、令政府、中央就此改變主意，反而只會更促 進日後同類或更激進的行為，與改善民生的原意背 道而馳。

教育

作為知識份子我們又該怎樣取個平衡，共同為香港 的將來定位並出一分力？

總覺得自己出生在最美好的年代，童年時可以心無旁騖玩狐貍先生幾多點，懂得何為品味時物質也愈發豐富 了。然後到那覺得行樂須及春，追求刺激樂趣的歲數，整個光怪陸離的世界已被裝在不離身的萬花筒，隨時 搖一搖就能看到它又一個新面貌。

在法治方面，民主與秩序的爭論先決條件是合乎基 本法；坦然說句，自己是自由主義者，因此個人認 為兩者的平衡點是在基本法的框架內以理性、具建 設性的行為及政治參與表達自己的理念及捍衛公民 應得的自由。但除此以外，在基本法下探索香港之 時我們往往忽略了尊重中央權力的需要，因為香港 的高度自治權是由中央授予的；我們竭力追求應得 的民主權利時亦不要將「兩制」凌駕於「一國」， 將「高度自治」演澤為「完全自治」。

透過電話線上網搜尋資料做專題報告的日子仿佛未曾離我遠去太多。我總是不習慣whatsapp那連綿不斷的對 話方式，更不喜歡每次從英國歸來，眼睛埋在電話屏幕裏，直往我行李箱撞的途人。記得兒時街上不是總有 父母教導孩子要「睇路」，然後沒收了他的數碼暴龍機嗎？ 且看今時今日地鐵上的一家人是如何相處的：一家之主專心致志盯着電話，妻子也捧著一部，讓她懷里天真 爛漫的嬰孩睜著載滿好奇的大眼睛，對那絢爛奪目的光團亂戳一氣。大兒子在車廂中歡蹦亂跳撞到一位先 生，他母親慌忙把他拉回身邊呵叱一句：「你再這麼調皮要被警察叔叔拉去的!」所以我們切勿「行差踏錯」 ，就只是為了避免責罰? 難道兒童不應在車廂奔跑的原因不是以免他們影響其他乘客，更重要的是防止意外發 生、防止他們傷害自己嗎?

以上提及的是對中央權力的應當尊重，並非絕對包 容。草草看過白皮書及各大新聞報導後，卻再次有 點夢滅的感覺。自從2003年為第二十三條立法的風 波後，中央對香港採取更積極的干預是可以理解 的，但此次白皮書如何強調北京對香港的完全控 制、如何詳盡地闡釋中央掌握香港的權力、如何厘 定普選產生的特首候選人必須愛國的政治底線，實 是將一國兩制的定義自由塑造，叫人憤慨。雖則明 白到中央政權需得到尊重，但在香港政局動蕩、佔 中運動如箭在弦之際中央卻透過二萬三千餘字的白 皮書去加力宣揚中央如何擁有香港特區的全面管治 權，表示決心涉足香港政治發展的取態，我視作為 中央對支持民主自由的港人忍耐底線的挑釁。此為 失衡點，當普羅大眾都意識到社會逐漸離心時，相 信政府、中央加倍精力堅守社會秩序都只會達到反 效果。 中央有中央自己的原則、於特色社會主義上的理 念、對逐步「收回」香港的進程，但仍處於五十年 不變的一國兩制下卻未能得到普遍港人的信任、社 會的穩定、人民所追求的應得權利，即等同未達到 民主與秩序的平衡點，政府、中央責無旁貸。

香港學童的競爭日益激烈，針對望子成龍的家長，嬰孩食用品的廣告不泛標榜可以幫助孩子變得更聰明的。 其中印象比較深刻的一個片段，是關於孩子聰明得在課堂上不用專心聽老師講道。但是當孩子的教育水準提 升到幼稚園的教科書從“C for cat” 變為“C for caterpillar”的同時，他們的思想教育有沒有一同進步? 聰明就不用 尊重他人，這種價值觀不應在社會上普及吧! 基層市民攜同子女游行，要求政府發放課外活動津貼。一名受訪 女童描述自己家貧窮的情況時，表示自己想學中國舞但負擔不起學費 表示自己想學中國舞但負擔不起學費。 這些家長給子女灌輸「人有我也要有，不然就是貧窮、被虧欠」，港人引以為傲的逆境自強、獅子山下的精 神，是否將會逐漸被磨滅? 常聽人投訴香港的教育制度不好，家長紛紛把子女送到外國升學，以期子女能在激發自主思考、鼓勵個人發 展的環境學習。其實缺乏正面的價值觀，無論孩童接受怎樣的教育也很大機會會被自己淘汰。畢竟人生命裏 不可能沒有起跌 ，讓人困擾的十字路口更無處不在，只有給自己的定位卻是我們任何時候的憑借。家長不教 孩子自我鞭策、自我檢討，他們又能為孩子護航多久? 相比外國的開放式教育，個人還是偏向中國講求自我管束的思想教育。至於個人以後的發展，就在個人的承 擔範圍內。

Cecilia Kan 簡曉忻

作為港人一份子，你仍甘心坐視不理嗎？或是仍在 與假想敵作戰？抑或你是真正明白了自己所捍衛的 是哪種價值、並於民主與秩序上如何取捨已心裏有 數？那就出發吧，捍衛之旅。 劉兆佳,回歸後的香港政治 (商務印書館, 2013), 5-6

「一國兩制」的事業前無古人，即便香港政府、市 民和中央處理得再好亦難以避免糾紛，更何況此方 針實踐之始已潜在重重可爭議地帶；作為知識份子

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Brian Yeung 楊樂天

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

WHY SOCIAL SERVICES ?

We serve as we care; and through services we care more.

Social service is inseparable from public awareness. We serve because we are sympathetic and merciful to those who suffer from problems arisen through public affairs. If social service were separated from public awareness, it would then have lost its original meaning, and its focus would easily be shifted to other aspects that are more attractive to us, like socials – things to entertain ourselves instead of our beneficiaries.

Yes, social services might not be very appealing. But this is never an excuse to our responsibility to the society. We have the privilege to study abroad, and we have the privilege to know that there are far more underprivileged people across the world and across all age groups, who need help from the society but are helped by no one. Yet they are humans. They do have hopes. They hope to get a home and eat clean food but the reality doesn’t allow it because they have no money. They hope to receive education for themselves and their children but schools ignore them. They hope to emerge themselves from poverty but they might not realise that they are in fact born to and trapped inside the vicious cycle of poverty. How unfair the society is? Who are to help them? Themselves? No, they can’t even manage it.

This is instead a responsibility for all of us – no matter you like it or not. This is a mission.

As a result, this year ICPASS organises regular visits to the homeless and fun English days will local underprivileged schools. We believe that the hands-on social service experience is unique and different for everyone, but would always complement and engage the sense of public awareness not only within the society of ICPASS, yet also the wider community, as global citizens. Through sharing after services, we may be inspired by others’ experiences as well.

To further emphasise the linkage between the two, we have set Famine 24, sponsoring World Vision, as our annual flagship event. This is a gateway to understanding life in developing countries, and is achieved through physical experience (a 24-hour fast to simulate the shortage of food) as well as fun yet informative activities and workshops during the 24-hour period.

Of course, these events have only an infinitesimal effect on the social problem round the globe.

Yet we believe that these may motivate each of us to care more about the society and to serve more in return, in a way that he/she deems appropriate. While ICPASS promotes and triggers the virtuous cycle of love and hope, we need each of your help to complete the mission.

Adrian Leung

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014 Short reflections from the current and past committee members Desmond Yuen - President (2013-2014) Joanne Leung - President (2014-2015) First thing first, I would like to take this opportunity to greet PASS has played such a huge role in my first year of and congratulate all the successful offer-holders and freshers- Imperial. It has allowed me to try out new skills such to-be! Getting into Imperial does not appear to be as easy as as organising the Christmas Charity Dinner (and YES it seems… As I can still recall, I was no different from any onethere was a promotional video which we shot- be sure of you back in two-year time. to check it out by searching ‘ICPASS Charity Christmas I was excited, yet nervous. I had a completely unfamiliar en- Dinner 2013 – Heartbeat Teaser’ on YouTube), debating vironment to adapt to and a much larger social circle to build on current international and local issues, and writing up with. However, do bear in mind that a school is a minia- a radio drama on old Hong Kong. There is such huge ture of society. Grasp the chance, step out of your comfort scope to what you can do in this society and the only zone, and be exposed to the new world with all the daunting thing that limits you is TIME… #imperialproblems But challenges. I chose PASS (or equivalently, PASS has chosen rest assured- there will always be plenty of things which me) because I used to be very politically apayou like and can fit in your schedule, and thetic, especially about Hong Kong news it is incredible to meet people within and community. PASS has granted me Imperial as well as those from oththe chance not just to raise my own er unis who are PASSionate too! awareness on what’s happening in Hong Kong, but also to boost my Brian Yeung - Vice-president self-effectiveness and meet new (Public Awareness) (2014friends over my university life.

2015) Chance favours only the brave but prepared mind.

Having participated in lots of PASS activities last Cannis Chan –Vice President(year I’d say there’s simply Public Awareness)(2013-2014) too much to take away – in particular revitalising my I mean it is quite hard for me to knowledge and PASSion organise my feelings for pass still in social and political issues. lolz anyways I think this paragraph Being really lucky I was given the will be suitable for passtimes: ICPASS “best debater” title (although to be means so much to me that I cannot use a honest not quite) in the LSE forum, and few words to conclude my feelings towards it. that was when I investigated in the legality of However, a lot of people have described PASS as their second popular nomination in Hong Kong and realised the need home - I do not necessarily agree on that. PASS should be of all of us to stand out and have a say in such issues. your stepping zone to the bigger world, to the unknown, and Another experience that impressed me a lot was holding another big step out of your comfort zone. University is not a discussion forum with another ICPASS member on the only a place for you to explore and expand your knowledge, culture of Hong Kong local restaurants – it did awaken but also a place for you to discover yourself. Thanks to IC- my sense of appreciation and preservation of how differPASS, which has provided me with opportunities to explore ent people from all around the world has come together areas that originally sounded impossible to me: debating, and built up such complex yet unique society. organising activities and forums, and most of all - to know a group of lifelong friends from both IC and other parts of the Adrian Leung - Vice President (Social Service) (2014UK. It has formed the best memories in the last two years of 2015) my university life. Are you ready for taking up this challenge? It has been a great pleasure for me to be a Sub-committee member for 2013-2014. Being in the Sub-committee allowed me to work closely with the Committee mem-

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

Short refelctions from the current and past committee members

Brain Lee – Vice President (Social Service) (2013-2014)

-bers, and it was definitely more than the experience of organising and helping in PASS events. The ComWhile keeping most of the events that have been organised in mittee members are also good friends and supportive previous years, we have also started off a campus hunt activ- mentors to me and I enjoy the relationship very much. ity “Imperial Run” and a new SS flagship event “Famine 24”. I treasure a lot their advice on personal growth, conAs one of the ICPASS committees, the attendance of an event flict-handling and other aspects of life as well. I believe is always what I worried about the most. Fortunately many of that this is inseparable from the relationship between our members have shown their support to our society, which the Committee and the Sub-committee, and I will foster has been the most crucial element to our motivation and suc- this kind of dual (official and personal) relationship in cess. I am grateful to have met all of you and hereby would the new academic year as a Committee member. like to express my most sincere gratitude to those who have either worked with us or participated in our events!

Rosie Shen - Secretary (2014-2015) Adrian Lam – Secretary (2013-2014)

To me, PASS is a place where people voice out their opinions, share their thoughts PASS is knowing the present, and and make new friends. I was not caring for the future. To me PASS in the subcommittee team last is more than this. PASS provided year, so the reason I wanted to a lot of things which cannot be join PASS this year is that I learned from the curriculum saw the PASS love in those and I believe this is crucially members who had been important in the future. It ofcontributing a lot to make fered me an invaluable chance the HK/UK society a better to think critically as you get place, and the soft skills along with people who have they have acquired and of their own point of view, as course, friendships they well as how to communicate have built up throughout with others. You will be able to the projects. To be honest, at meet a lot of friends too! The most times I do regret not joining important thing of PASS is it passes the subcommittee, so freshers, on a clear message – the society needs if you are willing to do something every of us. Do not hesitate to offer what meaningful and enlarging your circle you can. Individual commitment to a group of friends in the coming year, don’t forget effort is what makes a teamwork, a company work, a society to sign up and be our subcomittee members! You can work and a civilization work. The future is in our hands. never expect how amazing the memories that you share with your companions will be. Last but not least, I hope Hayley Leung - Treasurer (2013-2014) you will find the activities we hold this year enjoyable and inspiring!

My two years in PASS have been filled with many unforgettable memories. From being a sub-committee during Kelvin Chan - Treasurer (2014-2015) fresher year to being elected as the official committee last Being a sub-committee in PASS last year was great fun! year, the many activities that I joined or partly organised PASS has given me a lot of chances to meet new friends have given me new understandings towards public affairs as many activities held are joint-universities. I also met and social awareness. With PASS I grew and gained a lot of new people not just from London, but whole of UK! valuable experience. I am especially grateful to find a group Each sub-committee was assigned to a few projects. I of like-minded friends who fought for what we believe in was in the team holding Famine 24. The great success together. Thank you ICPASS for the fruitful years. of the event certainly made me proud and happy.

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014 Short reflections from the current and past committee members Also, there were discussion forums throughout the year.

Enoch Ho - Publication Officer (2014-2015)

Even though I was in London, I still felt being engaged in Hong Kong society as the topics were mainly about politics in Hong Kong and China.

Overall speaking, it was an enjoyable year at PASS and I looked forward to next year’s event, especially that we are introducing new social service events

Things end but memories last forever. I can’t believe the year has passed. I have learnt a lot from all of you and ICPASS. I am really thankful to have the chance to work with my fellow committee members. Although we have faced different challenges when we organized new events like Imperialogy, Famine 24 and other joint-university events, they had certainly provided us valuable lessons and enhanced the bond between Jonathan Loo - Publication officer (2014-2015) us. Thank you all for making such an unforgettable year and thank you all for joining the events. I hope you have gained a Activities organised by PASS last year had been totally lot from our events and PASSTIMES. Please continue to share enjoyable: primarily they serve to augment your knowlour visions and shape a better ICPASS for the coming years. edge and deepen your understanding of international affairs, moreover,they gave me the opportuniAll the best! ty to meet many new friends and I have hada lot of fun. Visiting the UK parBryan Liu - IT Officer (2013-2014) liament is certainly my favourite!

Not only did I (finally!) visit the PASS offered a valuable opporHouse of Common chamber, tunity for me to give and learn: where the MPs hold their to broaden the horizons on meetings, but I also went to people and societies around the Lords Chamber, where us, to understand each other the Sovereign, the Lords through exchanging ideas, and the Commons come and to help those in need by together. I would not have various means. My heartfelt that many stories to share thanks for everyone who were with my family and friends involved in the year’s events: if I have notjoined these from Charity Concert to Famine activities!

24, from raising money to discussion on hot topics. Without the Justin Cho - IT Officer (2014-2015) help and input from you all, the events would be far from being fruitful. Best ICPASS has been a magnificent platform for wishes towards the exciting year ahead for all! my social networking this year, allowing me the opportunity to meet many students from both Imperial and other universities. In addition, it has given me a great insight into a range of social and political issues at home. Not to mention the joy from the preparation and taking part in their voluntary events. Overall, as member of the society, it has really enhanced my ‘freshers’ experience, allowing me to meet many others from HK, consistently delivering a strong homely feeling six thousand miles from home. Hope this gave you a bit of an insight to one’s feelings as a member of this society

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PASSTIMES AUGUST 2014

THANK YOU FOR READING

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