YRC 18

Issue 18 /

Core 101:

Voices & POVs Youth Vibe on Music & Film

SGD 7.50 ISSN: 2010- 1376

YRC Investigates Singapore’s Local Music & Film Scene

Singapore Insights Where is the Music Going?

Resources Use the YRC in More Ways

Dylan Wong & Jonathan Jie Our Featured Authors of the Month

“Things are looking optimistic.”

Building the Next Generation of Thinkers & Writers

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YRC TEAM

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESK

Managing Editor/Publisher Catherine Khoo Editor Carlo Venson Peña Circulation Manager

Nannette Cruz Designer

Lim Soo Yong Editorial Assistants Natalya Thangamany, Jessica Grummett Editorial Advisory Board

Catherine Khoo, Vijay Chandran, Noel Chia Contributors

Alicia Boo, Paulina Lee Illustrators

Adeline Lim, Natalya Thangamany YAC Core Contributors

Kenrick Lam, Woon Kaiqin, Theresa Ellsworth, Joel Chuwa, Amy Jelsma, Ee Chonghui, Lee Tat Wei For advertising and sales enquiries

6336 8985 Education Subscription Agents

ILoveReading.SG 9007 8361 Emit Asia 6372 0330 Email: info@youngreaderclub.sg Website: www.youngreaderclub.sg All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Call 6336-8985 for back issues.

Printed in Singapore by SC International Pte Ltd on Lumisilk Matte Arte Paper Cover and additional photos by

Carlo Venson Peña

Although it does seem like Singapore has a perpetual summer– a climate that is most conducive for both work and play– even the most prudent of weather can sometimes be playful and aspire for some jaunt. Such weather often brings memories of old, as you sip cold teh from the packet as you walk along the streets of Joo Chiat Road.

This issue of the YRC is no different. As promised, 2013 will be a year of many changes, and part of that is featuring more young authors to inspire you and your quest for writing prowess.

This issue starts our walk towards a more fun and interactive YRC magazine that stands true to its ideal of building the next generation of thinkers and writers.

Our cover says it all– having two young authors in the prime of their writing– a first in YRC history. But that’s not all. We have a revived zest for more responsive writing, such as CORE 101 and its throng of young writers from secondary school, as well as I Can Write So Can You and its precursors to a book that comes out later in the year.

Favourites like Parents Ask, Teens Answer and Singapore Insights still headline this issue of YRC, with tenet columns like YRC Investigates taking centrestage with a set of interviews from renowned Singaporean writers, directors and artists, all strewn together in this music-and-film-themed issue.

There is more to come in the coming months– new columns, more interactivity with the website, a revamped way of connecting with us via Facebook and Twitter, and a lot more.

Truly, 2013 will become a year of many firsts for YRC. We hope you come and join the fun all year long.

Happy reading!

is published by Experiences & Experiments Pte Ltd 442A Joo Chiat Road Singapore 427655 Issue 18

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8 Featured

YRC Investigates 23

Author

Email from Oman 34

features 8

Featured Authors: Dylan Wong & Jonathan Jie For the first time, YRC is featuring two guys on the cover: co-authors Dylan and Jonathan from NUS High School who collaborated for a story that won them a merit prize in the 2011-12 Young Author Awards. Read on to find out how collaborating for a story gave these boys a stronger bond of friendship.

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Mass Destruction by Jonathan Chiu Scientific research is at its apex in Nazi Germany. A scalar weapon is developed and presented to the ambitious Martin Bormann, a Nazi official. Realising the power he possesses, Bormann sets his plans to produce more bombs to work but when Hitler grows suspicious, he clears himself of suspicion by framing the inventor. Fuelled by his ambition, he plots to overthrow Hitler. Will his plan succeed? Catch this riveting award-winning story from a young teen from Raffles Institution.

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Singapore Insights Three people, three lives, three insights on one country’s education system and beyond.

See why Singapore is on the verge of a paradigm shift.

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Email From Indonesia Tall and seemingly daunting Arkan has a passion for writing that surpasses all heights. Read on to find out more about this young author from our neighbouring country, Indonesia.

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ANTHOLOGY 101 Know a little bit more about your featured stories in the newest YAC Anthology Series in this page of fast facts.

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Death by Dine by Khor Jie Lin Something happens then someone says something and some other things start to happen in the story.

Confused? Read on to find out who, why, where and what really happened in this merit-awarded story by a lass from Henry Park Primary School.

national education 23

YRC Investigates: Singapore’s Local Music and Film Scene Got the right mix for the beat? Read on to see what Singaporeans here and overseas are doing to ensure that our local music and film industries continue to grow with much creativity, enthusiasm and opportunities for youths such as you!

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Matters of Perplexity Jason Phan is a philosophy assistant lecturer who likes talking about life’s little quirks. Read this new column and learn how the simple things in life are actually quite complex too. Join him in this new instalment of his lifelong search for answers to life’s biggest simple questions.

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CORE 101

Resources

27 Singapore

Insights

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Parents Ask, Teens Answer Music is an expression of the soul. But what if this expression turns ill and becomes too violent or depressing for parents to bear? What can parents do to guide their children about musical genre choices without stifling a youth’s freedom to express himself through music?

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I Can Write, So Can You Veteran author and editor Catherine Khoo takes you on another writing journey that leaves you inspired to write snippets of your own sojourns.

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Breaking Boundaries: D.O.T. A Singaporean discovers more than just beautiful sights and sounds in a trip to India, and realises where her real passion lies: helping other women to become more independent and self-sufficient. Discover the Daughters of Tomorrow in this special feature on the plight of young girls and mothers.

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My Dear Teacher: Teachers Talk about their Favourite Teachers Making a debut on YRC Magazine this issue is a column that is very close to home. Read on to find out the mentors who influenced your teachers to become the professionals that they are now.

66 Resources

The YRC is more than just a magazine. It’s a useful tool for learning better English

comprehension and writing for both primary and secondary students. Tap these useful

guide questions for your next group discussion in class or at the student study area, which

are coupled with resource sheets available for schools and parents!

inspirations 38

Different Strokes Another junior photographer shares a view of the world with this new contribution.

CORE 101: Teens’ Voice Music and film is a part of any teenager’s life. But how much support– financial or otherwise– is the industry receiving from the government and the local patrons? Is the support enough to sustain the vibrancy of the local music and film scene? Our YAC Core members share their thoughts on the matter with these well-thought expositions on the matters at hand.

40 ENTERTAINMENT: Singapore Style by Woon Kaiqin, Canberra Secondary School 64

MUSIC & FILM IN SINGAPORE: Student Perspectives by Ee Chonghui, National Junior College

CORE 101: Points of Views Have we done enough to make sure that local artists and filmmakers are heard? Has the Singaporean track record in these industries improved or has it reached the plateau? YAC Core members present a roster of arguments in this set of contributions.

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A Lion in A World of Giants

by Lee Tat Wei, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

OUR CONTRIBUTORS

YRC Magazine recognises the talents of our regular contributors and writers. For article, illustration and photo contributions, please contact the Editor at info@ youngreaderclub.sg or call 6336.8985.

Adeline Lim Educator / Illustrator What Adeline did for this issue: Featured Stories Adeline Lim is an illustrator, designer and visual artists educator who is currently residing in Singapore.

Experienced in both physical and digital media, Adeline has worked as a layout artist for magazines, as well as covered a b ro a d r a n g e o f illustrated work in ink, watercolour paints and digital collage for children’s stories.

Joel Chuwa Student, Henry Park Primary School What Joel did for this issue: YRC Investigates Comic Strip Featured in the newest anthology series on Magic and Fantasy for his story Comic Maniac, Joel is a merit prize winner in the 2011/12 Young Author Awards.

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Jessica Grummett Editorial Assistant What Jessica did for this issue: Health, Fast Facts (online) With her Masters in Creative Writing, Jessica is currently in Singapore under internship with Janus Education Services, the education arm of the magazine. Graduating from Newcastle University in the UK, J e s s i c a h a i l s f ro m Garforth, a town within the City of Leeds.

Paulina Lee Student, University of Adelaide What Paula did for this issue: Singapore Insights Pursuing a degree in health sciences in Australia, Paulina was once the health columnist for YRC magazine. Now all grown up, she spends most of her time on her studies and in documenting travels she often goes to.

Ee Chonghui Student, National Junior College What Chonghui did for this issue: CORE101 Herself a merit winner in the Young Author Awards when she was still in primary school, Chonghui is now currently contributing to YRC magazine and pursuing her studies at the National Junior College.

Kenrick Lam Student, AngloChinese School International What Kenrick did for this issue: Parents Ask, Teens Answer The most senior of the YAC Core, Kenrick is a romantic at heart and an objective writer by training. He won second prize in the 2007 Maybank Young Author Awards and has been writing for the magazine since its inception in 2010.

Theresa Ellsworth Student, Singapore American School What Theresa did for this issue: Singapore Insights Even before winning a merit prize in the 2 0 1 1 / 1 2 Yo u n g Author Awards, Theresa has shared her writing dexterity to YRC in snippets of contributions that underline her love for writing and her dream of becoming a published author in the future.

Lee Tat Wei Student, Anglo-Chinese School Independent What Tat Wei did for this issue: CORE 101 A senior member of the YAC Core, Tat Wei wrote his first book of 27,000 words when he was 11. Now in secondary school, Tat Wei is a footballer at school, but is just as hard-hitting as a contributor for the magazine.

Ron Yap YAC Core Member, Zhong Hua Secondary School What Ron did for this issue: Parents Ask, Teens Answer (online) As a budding writer, Ron started his stint with the Young Author Scheme, becoming a merit prize winner in the Young Author Awards.

Now at 15, Ron aspires to be a travelling author, in pursuit of his ultimate inspiration to write his bestseller.

Jason Phan Associate Lecturer, Singapore Institute of Management What Jason did for this issue: Matters of Perplexity His background in mass communications has actually strengthened Jason’s inclination to pursuing a master’s o n p h i l o s o p h y.

Now an associate lecturer at SIM, Jason uses his prowess in understanding life’s simple complexities and helping young adults to meet their full potential.

Woon Kaiqin Student, Canberra Secondary School What Kaiqin did for this issue: CORE 101 A finalist in the 2012/13 Young Author Awards, Kaiqin is currently a student in Canberra Secondary School.

YRC Magazine has identified the following errata on the previous YRC 17 issue concerning Josabelle Wong’s interview and story and hereby rectifies them:

Alicia Boo Counsellor, Focus on the Family What Alicia did for this issue: Parents Ask, Teens Answer As a counsellor for Focus on the Family, a local charity with IPC status dedicated to helping families thriveSM, Alicia specialises in counseling youth, young adults and parents of youth.

She was a full-time staff with the organisation and now continues as a volunteer counselor.

Alicia is also an accredited speaker and facilitator for Focus on the Family’s youth and parenting programs.

• Josabelle’s brother is named Jonavan, not Jonovan. She wrote her story in Primary 4, not Primary 5. Neither did she mention in the actual interview that she wanted to become a doctor, since she is afraid of needles and blood, in general.

• Wrong sentence structure was also identified in Line 3 of Page 19 At YRC Magazine, we ensure that stories are kept at their most original form, yet there are times that content is abridged to suit the magazine’s readership.

The YRC is a literary magazine that conforms to the reading palate of 10-14 year olds.

Once a story is featured in the magazine, it is at the discretion of the editor to copyedit articles to a certain extent, to suit the target audience.

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Letter to the Editor

YRC Magazine welcomes your comments, suggestions, and anything that you wish to share with us!

Here are three letters we received from our readers for this issue of YRC.

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I think the magazine is very interesting and I like how they include stories by other young writers in it. I especially like the story ‘Across the Universe’ by Rachel Lee as I can relate to it. I also like the article ‘Eureka! Ideas That Changed the World’ because it is interesting and we can learn more at the same time; and ‘Breaking Boundaries Learning Without Borders’ since it teaches us about self-control.

Rachel Han Methodist Girls School

Featured Author ...Young writers of today

Dylan Wong and Jonathan Jie are two fresh-faced teenage boys on the cusp of 17 from NUS High School of Math and Science. After a minute or so with them, it was clear that both boys have distinct personalities of their own, complementing each other. YRC Magazine talks to these boys about school, Singapore and the issues concerning youth their age.

Dylan and Jonathan’s Muffin Man stalks the unfortunate fates of two bakery customers as they step onto a dark path that dragged them to mysterious demonic forces, all witnessed by the menacing-looking Muffin Man icon on the very bakery they patronised. So what made the two take a symbol traditionally identified with joy, childhood memories and tasty pastries and twist it into something horrifying?

“I just started thinking,” Dylan said. “I started off with ‘bakery’ and then I imagined this image of a person, a man who was a muffin. And from then on, I can just realise the horror that you can see behind that, if you want to turn it around a lot.”

“When we were thinking of an idea for the title,” Jonathan adds. “We came up with generic horror titles and then we thought of the words ‘Muffin Man’. So that became the central idea of the story.”

The origins of Muffin Man trace back to an email about the Young Author Awards sent to Dylan and Jonathan from their English teacher, challenging them to submit a story of at least 5,000 words to the competition. It was 8

Text by: Natalya Thangamany Photos by: Carlo Venson Peña

one of many emails the boys received about competitions they could try for and something about the Young Author Awards piqued their interest. “We were trying for a number of competitions then,” Dylan said. “And then we came across this one, so we decided to submit for it as well.”

Muffin Man was the first story in YAA history to have been worked on by two authors. “We happened to have some time to work together, and it was a rather long wordlimit,” Jonathan explained the reason for the collaboration, adding that the deadline then was nearing quickly to write out a solo piece.

“So we decided to collaborate.”

Dylan recounts the day they started out on their Muffin Man venture. “There was this one afternoon while we were waiting for the bus for a long time; we kind of had a booklet where we wrote our ideas down. And from then on, we just made the story happen.” Through Dylan deciding on the horror genre and Jonathan coming up with the story’s scenario, Muffin Man was thus born.

Despite the challenge of writing such a complicated story in a short time, Dylan and Jonathan took advantage of the long bus rides they shared (it was lucky that they took similar routes) and wrote their ideas for the story. By planning together, writing their parts separately, splitting story sections between themselves and then coming back together to edit, they managed to complete and ‘stitch’ the story together. They even had a friend of theirs who did the cover illustration for Muffin Man.

PROFILE

Jonathan Chiu, 15 Mystery & Adventure

Raffles Institution I have been inspired by literature since I was young, relishing in works of poetry and prose– the only pathways to an entirely different dimension where thoughts and emotions are freely expressed. I derived inspiration for this short story from my keen interest in, and contextual knowledge of, political regimes that have appeared in the books of history.

Mass Destruction Written in Secondary 2 at Raffles Institution

Mass Destruction Again, I could not help but scrutinise the elaborate contraption before my eyes.

It was about two feet tall, two feet wide, three feet long. It seemed more like a cross between an inverted, intricate pulley system shaped entirely out of steel mesh– and a miniature pipe organ made of metal– coupled with a knotty mass of wires, and an bizarre, round tin object with indents at its side, than a– “What did you say it was just now, Jürgen?”

He replied, “Eine bombe, mein Herr.”

“Of course I know it’s a bomb! What’s so special about it?” Annoyed, I slammed my fist on the table.

Jürgen trembled. “It’s a scalar weapon– an explosive weapon capable of harnessing infinite amounts of energy to completely obliterate its target.”

I sank back into my chair, contemplating his words silently. A scalar weapon!

Illustrations by Adeline Lim

Never had the world experienced a breakthrough in the field of scalar electromagnetism; and yet right before my eyes, in the office of the Parteikanzlei, there lay a device of mass annihilation.

“How long did you take to build this… this… thing?”

Jürgen whispered, “Only two months, mein Reichsleiter, in the Chancellery’s workhouse. No one else knows about this.”

“How did you build it? Where did you happen to chance upon such power?”

Jürgen remained silent. He glanced at me uncertainly, but I returned his stare with a look of unchallenged fury, and this cleared all of his doubts. He reached into his vest pocket, fishing out a yellowed, faded photograph.

Anxiously, I leaned forward and grabbed the photograph from him. It was a blurred snapshot of a metallic flying saucer, with the words ‘V-R-I-L’ faintly scribbled on the reverse side.

“What insanity! You don’t mean to say

Due to the length of the story, YRC presents an abridged version of Mass Destruction. Read the full e-book at the Resources section of www.youngreaderclub.sg.

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YRC Investigates

•SIN

LO

RE’S•

GAPO

CAL

FILM & MUSIC Music and film has been around on our shores for a very long time. Music started off here in Singapore through the folk music that originated from the four main races; we had traditional music from Chinese, Malay, Indian and even Peranakan culture. This issue looks at the many faces of Singaporean film and music through the eyes of its own lot of artistes.

In the 1960s, under the influence of Western music like jazz, pop-rock and rhythm-and-blues, Singapore churned out urban acts like The Crecendos, The Quests, Naomi & the Boys, and Sweet Charity. Today, we have music household names like Dick Lee, Kit Chan, Stephanie Sun, Tanya Chua, Taufik Batisah, Sylvia Ratonel and local bands emerging from various music genres such as rock and a-capella. Local artistes like Corrine May, Inch Chua, Olivia Ong, Sanny Veloo and Sun Ho are also making waves in the international music circuit.

For Singapore movies, it was the comedies from local director Jack Neo that paved the way for Singapore cinema, with filmmakers like Eric Khoo and Royston Tan following in

his steed. From the 90s where we had heartwarmers and comedies like ‘Army Daze’, ‘The Teenage Textbook Movie’ to the present where satirical comedies (‘Ah Boys to Men’), folk horror (‘The Maid’) and explorative heartwarmers (‘I Not Stupid’) defined the local filmscape.

But because international influence has been so strong, many of us prefer international acts. In fact, many local musicians have taken their trade overseas, lamenting over the lack of support from their fellow Singaporeans. Sadly some Singaporeans even believe that local music and movies are subpar and are of ‘low standards’. These in turn hinder local acts from making it big in their own country, but as we start recognising talent on our own shores, we start to raise the banner for local musicians and movies.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION

By: Natalya Thangamany

...Understanding how the world works

NATIONAL EDUCATION

JACK NEO, FILMMAKER

With 20 films under his belt, filmmaker Jack Neo is a very prominent figure in the Singapore movie industry.

His films focus on many aspects of Singapore culture and carries positive messages that touch both heart and soul.

It was through a Chinese teacher in 1974 that his passion and inspiration came full circle. “Every week, we had to write a Chinese composition,” he recounts to YRC. “One day, he came in and told us ‘okay, this time I don’t want you to write a composition. I want you to prepare a story and in class, you will come up and present the story.” Through that creative move by the teacher, Mr Neo went back and cooked up a story that took over two hours to present and enthralled his classmates.

It was through that incident that Mr Neo discovered his talent for storytelling.

“After my GCE ‘O’ Levels, I didn’t get a good result so I couldn’t continue my studies. I was very upset,” he shared. “At that time, the army was looking for a regular officer, so I signed up as one.”

It was in 1979, as he neared the end of his army service, that he went into television. By 1998, through a film commission, he got his first movie: ‘Money No Enough’. From then on, Mr Neo has churned out local hits like the ‘I Not Stupid’ series, ‘Homerun’, ‘The Best Bet’, ‘Money No Enough 2’ and ‘Ah Boys To Men’ , all to a growing interested audience.

Despite his many successes in the local film industry, Mr Neo modestly owes them to his team of fellow comedians and film directors, as well as his faith in God. He also feels that while Singapore has done nearly everything, the local movie industry can go a lot further and could use a boost from upcoming talent. His future plans include conducting courses for potential filmmakers and directors. “We can’t be selfish,” he says. “We have to be willing to teach and share the knowledge we have.”

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Singapore Insights

...Three people. Three lives. One Singapore.

Singapore has a bustling local film and music industry. Young as it is, the local scene is starting to make a mark in local and international scenes. Is the current support enough to sustain these local industries? Where will it go in the next few years, given the current support?

Paulina Lee Singaporean Student in Australia As a Singaporean in Australia, I feel that the support given to budding artistes is really huge! However, it is nothing compared to the support given here in Australia or even Adelaide itself.

During my younger years in Singapore, (probably 5 years ago) I do remember Singapore having national competitions encouraging the young generation to submit works of art to be showcased on television. Also, there were competitions that encouraged advertisers to show creativity in their advertisements. These definitely show me that Singapore does try its best to encourage local creative artists.

On the other hand, here in Adelaide, we will be having the annual Fringe event that basically celebrates art! Singapore’s support for their own locals is a far cry from what Australia has to offer for their locals. For the period of one month, all over Adelaide there would be plays, music concerts and shows 28

going on. Tell me about support; the event starts in February but the advertising has already started months ago!

More info can be found at: http://www. adelaidefringe.com.au/ On a side note, Singapore should start expanding and learn more from other countries and let go of its citizens, like a child; if she doesn’t fall, she will never learn.

Singapore should encourage its citizens to go out there and see for themselves what there is that they are missing out, because only then can they explore their own potential.

Paulina Lee is a former health columnist for YRC Magazine.

She is currently working towards a degree in Health Sciences in the University of Adelaide, Australia.

Of minds and hearts...

By Jason Phan

Turning

Into A New Leaf

Philosophy associate lecturer Jason Phan poses yet another boggling circumstance to help us understand the complexities of the usual. Read on and tell us what you think – and get a prize for answering the riddle!

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NATIONAL EDUCATION

Matters of Perplexity

I N S P I R AT I O N S

CORE 101... Points of View

By LEE TAT WEI, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent)

Despite our country’s small physical size, many of us have enjoyed various local films, television dramas, and music from our very own nation. We may even comment that some of these media are better or comparable to international standards. But these films come once in a blue moon, and some comments are perhaps just patriotic biasness.

Honestly, has Singapore invested enough into the film and music industry?

Does our local film and music scene even have a chance of standing alongside Asian media giants like Taiwan, Japan and Korea?

With our current film and music industry like this, I personally feel we can’t.

There is a clear lack of monetary support for the media scene here. Movies here depend a lot on the close-to-the-heart formula for success– not that it’s bad; in

fact, it’s probably our niche.

Heartwarming tales sprinkled with comedic moments are perhaps the only way to counteract the inability for any outstanding special effects or sets. But a constant use of this plot has created a Singaporean-style movie that only locals can appreciate. If we expand these films to other Asian countries, I think it would be met with mediocre success– only because Singaporean films have an emotional depth concealed under its comparatively low budget that only locals can see past.

Even so, tearjerkers can only do so much. If we really want our film and music scene to flourish, we would need hard cash. Many talented international artists that originated from Singapore moved away because of better career opportunities overseas that sprouted from

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Email from...

Indonesia

Name: Ahmad Arkan Ichsan Age: 14 YAA 2012/13 finalist Arkan Ichsan shares his life in Indonesia and how these have impacted his love for writing in this issue of YRC Magazine.

My name is Arkan. I live in BSD City, Serpong. Being in the suburban side of the capital city of Indonesia, the traffic’s horrible and the trash is everywhere.

Sometimes it’s just too horrible for me and I want to leave this city. But with all the traffic and the polluted air, where I live is where I love.

Indonesia is a nation where culture and resources are in abundance. We have about 14,000 islands with hundreds of languages and it is the fourth most populated country of the world. A place the villagers dance and the farmers work, a place where rice is our staple meal and tea cold nor hot is a favourite.

Being in a somewhat new suburban area, we do not have what we call “culture”, but do not be fooled, since many areas from Sabang until Marauke

Where do you live: BSD City, Serpong, West Java, Indonesia Hobbies: Writing, reading and playing basketball

injected us with cultures. Dances, music, stories, you name it! It’s like it’s some kind of fusion– a fusion of culture and traditional arts.

SCHOOL LIFE On weekends, I usually write or play games. But during weekdays, school is where I go. I go to school everyday at precisely six, considering that I must join the never-ending clash with the infamous Jakarta traffic. My school, Highscope Indonesia, is a wonderful school, especially when it comes to events like the science fair, debates or even Business Day, where we need to work with other students from the same grade level and create a business to surpass our allowed budget. You can say Issue 18

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by Catherine Khoo

NATIONAL EDUCATION

I Can Write, So Can You

How to Create

MEMORABLE CHARACTERS In my ten years since creating the Young Author Scheme, I have read countless stories ranging from science fiction, fantasy, heartwarmers and yes, have often been asked, what is the key to writing a good story? My answer: your characters.

This is never more evident when I coached my most recent young author, who has written a fifty-thousand plus fantasy novel. My advice to you, Rachelle, when you read this, is concentrate on building a main character that has strengths similar to you, but flawed as with your characters…

It may seem obvious, but when you create characters it is important to make each character distinct and different. In fact, you must do this to keep your novel interesting.

Besides, in a novel that has a lot of characters, readers can have a hard time keeping track of who’s who unless there are clear distinctions.

In fact, sometimes writers have the same problem when working on a novel.

So whenever you introduce a new character, you must provide a clear impression of that character’s uniqueness. That way, the reader will know this is a new character, and will recognise him when he appears in later scenes.

Do your job well, and you will create characters so memorable that they stay in the readers’ minds for the rest of their lives.

That’s not an unrealistic goal. Who could ever forget, for example, Sherlock Holmes, Ebenezer Scrooge, or Winnie-the-Pooh, after reading the books about them?

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I N S P I R AT I O N S

CORE 101... Points of View

By WOON KAIQIN, Canberra Secondary School

New resident contributor Woon Kaiqin shares her insights on the current state of local entertainment and what she thinks should be the Singaporean niché.

The free entertainment we receive online; the latest updates on the hottest new movies: HD music videos of artistes and bands (especially k-pop bands); the new songs that famous and infamous artistes release. As you walk past your little sister’s bedroom, her voice goes like, “GIRLS

GENERATION MAKE YOU FEEL THE HEAT” along with her amazing dance moves.

While we are “fandomnising” over these worldwide celebrities and productions, have we ever thought that maybe Singapore could outshine the rest?

The question ‘What is the problem with the local film industry’ still remains.

It’s not uncommon these days to expect at least one local movie to be produced and to hit the big screen each year. More and more Singaporeans are starting to give their support. We have movies such as Money No Enough, I Not Stupid, Be With Me, and the recent Ah Boys To Men, the list is endless.

Advertisements, songs, even flash mobs, they are everywhere! As time flies like they say, local cinema will start progressing and become more accepted. Films are interesting in that it captures an era and preserves it on a medium where in years down the road, would proof as interesting material.

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NATIONAL EDUCATION

Parents Ask, Teens Answer ...Linking teens and parents together

Music plays an important role in a teenager’s life.

But what if parents get a signal that the music their teens listen to is more dangerous than one expects?

Mr Irfan from Old Kallang Road asks: My 15-year-old son has always been a fan of different types of music. Recently though, I have noticed that his songs of choice have been a bit too loud with heavy beats, and the lyrics have some indications of vulgarity.

Is there any way for me to approach him and talk to him about it, without stifling his need to express himself and choose the media he exposes himself into?

Senior YAC Core member Kenrick Lam starts the discussion. He says the need for youth to express themselves through music in this day and age has increased exponentially

due to the widespread circulation of songs on the internet and the radio. However, with the rise of easy access and distribution, comes the problem of inappropriate content reaching youth who are more susceptible to influence.

That being said, Kenrick says, the songs teens use to express themselves are telling of their value systems and friends. The songs could also be telling of the type of culture they are a part of in school or in the various groups that they are in.

In order to approach your teen with the issue of musical expression, Kenrick advises that parents should note that open dialogue is important, just as with discussing other issues pertaining to your teens’ life. Understand why your teen appreciates such music even though it has indications of vulgarity. The reasons can be telling of any underlying issues that surface

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Know a little bit more about the Young Author Club Anthology Series in this quirky page of fun facts and figures about the books, the stories and the featured authors.

Chains of Fate, written by Lee Tat Wei, was so LONG (it was 27,000+ words) that it was cut into a two-part series when it was featured in YRC Magazine in 2011. It is also the longest story featured in the newest Tales of Magic & Fantasy anthology.

The newest anthology series book covers were drawn by two people: German graphic artist Klaus Geisler for the Asian Tales and Singaporean Chong Ten Yee for Magic & Fantasy!

NICHOLAS CHAN, who wrote Life In Malaysia in the Asian Tales Anthology, is also a motivational speaker for under-risk teens and has even published another book about helping teens overcome depression.

a

Isabelle Lim, whose story The Beauty of Jade is featured in the Asian Tales, had once donated her hair to a charitable institution that helped make wigs for children with cancer.

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Nur Eva Alisha Bte Mohamed Hisham, who wrote Who Am I, also once posed for Giordano in a fashion spread in this very magazine!

Find out more about the new anthology s e r i e s a n d o rd e r copies of the new YAC anthology series, l o g o n t o w w w. catherinekhoo.sg/ anthology/ or call 6336.8985 for more details!

Breaking Boundaries

By Carrie Tan, Founder & Chief Livelihood Advocate – Daughters of Tomorrow F E AT U R E S

...Learning without borders

A Better Tomorrow for Girls YRC Magazine links with a Singaporeled social enterprise that helps young girls and mothers, bringing this story in a comeback for one of its tenet columns.

In 2007, I went to a small town called Kadapa in South India to volunteer at an orphanage called Aarti Home. It’s not that far from where we were– three and a half hours by air, and then five hours by train. I went there to do some good, hopefully feel better about myself, and boy, did it turn out to be the biggest shock of my life. And I ended up coming back to Singapore feeling extremely blessed, and extremely awful.

The word “orphanage” does not hold any meaning until you see and hear the real stories and meet the real people who live there. There was a girl called Pushpa, who arrived at Aarti Home just two months before. Before she was brought to the orphanage, she lost both her parents in a car accident, and was taken in by an uncle who sexually abused her. She was six years old.

There was another baby who arrived just a couple of weeks before I was there. She was left there by her grandmother, who was too poor and completely uninclined to care for her. She was a month old and having severe breathing difficulties. She did not live long enough for me to see her. I missed her by a week, but I got to know about her from a BBC documentary that was filmed there just before I arrived.

I was 25 years old then, and I went to India thinking I would meet some children, have a good time, teach them some English and maybe make the world a little better, but away I came haunted ever since by pictures of dead babies, and stories of girls who face a very different set of problems from us. They are not worrying about pimples, and popularity and what to wear for graduation prom. They have worries that unless we learn about, and speak about, and do something about, they are not going to go away.

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By Natalya Thangamany

I N S P I R AT I O N S

My Dear Teacher

An Interview with Ms Lim Suat Lay, West Grove Primary School YRC Magazine debuts this one-of-akind column that unravels the mentors that inspired your teachers to become the professionals that they are now, and how their passion for the teaching profession has become their way of life.

Who was your favourite teacher and why do you admire him/her so much?

What makes that teacher ‘heroic’ to you and what effect did he/she have on your life as a teacher?

When I was in school, I was a very naughty pupil who was always up to some mischief and naturally, being such a distracted child, I did not do well in my studies. If not for the teachers whom I had met over the years who persisted in teaching, guiding and encouraging me, I would not be who I am now.

Out of all my teachers, my favourite teacher is my secondary school Maths teacher, Miss Chan. (I cannot remember her full name). She was the one who taught me

how to love Mathematics. I remembered that I used to fear Mathematics a lot and hated anything that had numbers. Miss Chan, through her dedication and interesting way of teaching mathematics, managed to convince me that I could be good in Mathematics too.

Now, being a teacher myself, whenever I see children who fear Mathematics, I would be reminded of my younger self. I would try to reach out to these children and help them to love Mathematics, just like how my teacher had reach out to me.

I guess, what I admire Miss Chan the most is her unwavering perseverance and commitment in guiding and helping us grow.

And of course, her love for us.

What made you want to become a teacher?

Previously I was working in the Ministry of Education HQ as a Finance Executive Officer. In the course of my work, I had the chance to visit schools and get to chat with the other teachers. I realised I was very

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PROFILE

Ghosts & Ghouls

Khor Jie Lin, 13 Holy Innocents’ High School “Hi there! I am Jie Lin. My story is about loyalty, trust, friendship... and revenge. I crafted most of this story from my daydreams and fantasies. I hope you enjoy reading it.”

Death by Dine Written in Primary 6 at Henry Park Primary School

Chapter 1 Caroline Clove teleported herself into the building.

“Youse shift now. Me cants stand thoose screamings ninnies,” a zombie said to her.

The zombie was a screamer; this meant that it was a type of zombie whose body was as big as a bus while its legs were normalsized. Besides being hideously disfigured and having speech problems, it could jump fifty times higher than a normal person.

Caroline watched as the zombie screamed an ear-piercing “bye,” before jumping off into the sunset. No wonder the newcomers always screamed; this zombie was a monster. Literally. Caroline continued in the building, and at last she reached an office. Pushing open the brass door, she could already see a few newcomers waiting for her.

Caroline was a ghost, and her job was to welcome the newcomers into the realm of the dead.

Illustrations by Adeline Lim

“Is this heaven? If it is, then my cousin is stuck out there! She said that people who see a light when they die go straight to heaven, while people who see a door, like us, go straight to hell, so she wouldn’t follow me!” a headless little girl said.

Caroline answered patiently, “Only angels and the gods live in heaven, and only evil people and the devils go to hell. People like us however, are in between; we’re ghosts. You got that? Okay, now let’s fill in this occupation slip and find out what you’re going to be…”

The little girl pushed away the papers that Caroline was waving in front of her face and said, “What about babies?”

“Huh?” “You know… babies? They wear diapers and drink milk.”

“What about babies?”

“Where do they go? I mean… they’re just babies…”

“I’m not really sure–” “And why can I still see, even though Mama chopped off my head?”

Due to the length of the story, YRC presents an abridged version of Death by Dine. Read the full e-book at the Resources section of www.youngreaderclub.sg.

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to p u d e v v We’ve re

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3 1 0 2 n i f stuf y v o o r g re o m u o y e giv

Boulders

by Andrew Teoh

A boy named Louis finds a stone which turns out to be a Boulder– mythical creatures made out of rock. He meets Bron while he is hunting and together with Bron, Louis tries to stop King Garlshwartz, who wants to take over the world.

13 O’clock Tales

by Fiona Tan

Follow Kristin Tan, a fun-loving girl, as she goes through a tough and arduous journey of getting a snowglobe, where she earns her own money day by day. Her amazing adventures bring her to see a lion that spits out gold; a proud little cherry blossom; a cute water droplet; and the fight between cats and tigers.

Plus

Our Not-To-Be-Missed Columns and Departments: * National Education * Singapore Insights * YRC Investigates * CORE 101 * Email From * Breaking Boundaries * Inspirations

Get to know more about YRC Magazine! Visit www.young readerclub.sg for subscriptions, contributions and more!