The News Feed by Gerald Tan

THE

NEws FEED fresh off the timeline

a ngee ann publication apr - aug 2015

Tribute To Lee Kuan Yew With NEWater

MP Dr Lam Pin Min, PM Lee Hsien Loong, volunteers and visitors unveil the 10 by 6 metre mosaic. (PHOTO: Dr Lam Pin Min’s Facebook page)

By Gerald Tan Anchorvale Community Centre (CC) unveiled a 10 by six metre mosaic of the Lee Kuan Yew tribute ribbon made of NEWater bottles at the Sengkang West National Day Carnival on Saturday, August 1. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,

and Minister of Parliament for Sengkang West constituency Dr Lam Pin Min graced the event. The installation, located at Anchorvale CC’s multipurpose hall was the main attraction of the carnival. Comprising over 8,000 NEWater bottles, the artwork made its mark in the Singapore Book of Records as the largest mosaic of the Lee Kuan Yew tribute ribbon formed

using of the Lee Kuan Yew tribute ribbon formed using NEWater bottles. Student leaders from Anderson Junior College, Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central, Nanyang Polytechnic and youths from the Sengkang West constituency completed the model together. The main purpose of the project was to remember the efforts made by the late founding father to develop Singapore’s water sustainability. “The late Mr Lee was a visionary and his efforts allowed clean, running water to flow from our taps,” said Mr Raymond Chua, chairman of the Sengkang West Citizens’ Consultative Committee. Scarce land to collect water and absence of natural lakes and aquifers galvanised the late Mr Lee to explore every possible way to provide a sustainable source of portable water for Singapore. Today, NEWater meets up to 30 per cent of Singapore’s water demand. The mosaic, which took about two days to create was admired and photographed by over a hundred residents during the carnival that evening. “I came specially just to see it and it’s really pretty,” said Priya Lakshimi, student from a neighbouring secondary school. “We’ve spent over 30 hours unloading hundreds of boxes of NEWater, cutting out

red and white circles to stick on the bottle caps and arranging the bottles to fit the shape of the ribbon,” said Samuel Ng, one of the student volunteers involved in the preparation process. Despite the long hours, he said “all the effort is worth it, and is nothing compared to the effort Mr Lee Kuan Yew put in to provide us with a clean water supply today.” Samuel’s parents, Ng Boon Huat and Angela Ho were more than happy that their child was involved in this meaningful project. They mentioned that it was good for the younger generation to learn about Mr Lee’s contributions in transforming Singapore from a small fishing village to first world country. During the mourning week after Mr Lee’s death, the family paid tribute to Mr Lee by visiting the condolence boards set up at the Istana. They felt that this project was just another way to honor the late Mr Lee. “Our family is extremely grateful to Mr Lee for leading and building Singapore to what it is today,” said Ng. Ho also added that should the project be open to “older people” like her, she would gladly participate too. The mosaic will be on display till August 10 at Anchorvale CC’s multipurpose hall.

SAF50: Celebrating The Golden Jubilee Military Expert Jonathon Chia, also Commemorating 50 years of an instructor from the Underwater System service to the nation with exclusive School was one of the ambassadors for the family carnival exhibits that featured personal reflection

By Priscilla Phang The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) celebrated 50 years of defending the nation with an exclusive SAF50 family carnival for servicemen on July 26 at the Istana. The SAF50 family carnival commemorates and acknowledges the presence of the armed forces through their exhibits and booths. The exhibition showcased the contributions made by the Army, Navy and Air Force over the past 50 years. President Tony Tan was also present at the event. “However, due to security reasons, there is no publicity for the president coming,” said Major Simon Chew, one of the event organisers.

entries that would only be seen by visitors of the event. “There were over 1,000 reflection entries submitted by servicemen

port international counter-piracy efforts for the fifth time. Families were also able to see missions the SAF was currently working on, as well as a glimpse of a day in the life of an officer. The families also took this opportunity to bond with one another.

(The Armed Forces) gave me many opportunities to grow and become a better leader and protect the nation.” and those displayed in the exhibit were the more prominent ones,” said Mr Chia. Numerous exhibits of past missions that the Armed Forces had gone on were also featured on the board. “The latest mission was called ‘Blue Orchid’, where they do peace making and ensure the ships around the Gulf of Aden is safe,” Mr Chia added. The Armed Forces had gone there to sup-

- Richard Tan, Military Expert

An SAF personnel who attended this event with his family, chose to remain anonymous for the interview said, “I was able to explain to my family about the SAF and what they do, which in a way bonded us.” “Being a navy officer was not my dream job,” said Military Expert Richard Tan, an existing navy officer who has served the

SAF for 30 years, “however, after getting the job and working for them a couple of years, I am happy to be in the armed forces. They gave me many opportunities to grow and become a better leader to protect the nation we call home.” Tan added, “As the birth rate decreases, there are more older generation SAF personnel now. The younger generation needs to step up and protect the nation.” Due to the exclusivity of this event, not many knew about it, and those who did were ecstatic to be invited. “I was very excited for this event and I (took) this opportunity to come for (the) event because it happens only once in 50 years. I really enjoyed the experience (especially) because the event is private as it makes it more personal, and I was able to reflect on my time with the SAF so far,” said Military Expert Leonard Tan.

The News Feed | Apr - Aug 2015

School Recreates The Olympics

Photography Exhibition at NAFA: Humans Of Singapore Graduating students from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) collaborate with Humans of Singapore to organise a photography exhibition By Gerald Tan Humans of Singapore (HoS) exhibition inspire and bring Singaporeans closer as they discover and relate to life stories displayed at event from May 15 to 17. The exhibition was a final project done by graduating students from the Diploma in Arts Management (Visual Arts) course in NAFA and was open to all visitors. “As a final year requirement, students are required to undertake a graduation project of their own design. They were responsible for the conceptualisation, design, curation and execution of the selected project,” said Mr Kenneth Seah, lecturer-in-charge of the exhibition in an email interview. Started in 2013, HoS has garnered a strong following of 14,400 followers on their Instagram account and 85,000 likes on Facebook. The founder, Mr Shitij Nigam captures images of random Singaporeans on the streets and talks to them to find out about their story. He then shares it on social media. Passion and interest in photography prompted Nigam to start the HoS platform. “It is an interesting topic and all group

members agreed that since we do not see it everyday in museums, why not feature our own local people?” said Ian Irfan, one of the 26 graduating students from the academy. “The success (of HoS) on social media was unexpected,” said Nigam in an email interview, “it started out as a hobby and I am glad that it inspires Singaporeans today.” The exhibition was split into three portions. One side of the gallery comprised of photographs of younger Singaporeans while the other side featured the older generation. The centre set of the gallery was salon-style photographs of Singaporeans from all walks of life. Vignette lighting complemented the exhibits. With each photo came an interview regarding the subject’s life and their thoughts, which made way for some very interesting interviews. The interviews also sought to make the pictures less of a photo exhibition and allowed the photos to connect with those who came. Raffles Institution student Choo Shuen Ming pointed out that his favourite photograph was that of a heavily tattooed female. He enjoyed the “unexpected twist” on how she turned out to be a graphic designer in a Japanese company, and not the “stereotypical ah lian with no future”. Chloe Goh, a 26-year-old single mother correlates to the photograph of a fellow young single mother who had to work three jobs on top of her unlucrative business. “I can understand what she is go-

The LASALLE Show Boasts Works Of Graduating Class With the local art scene constantly evolving, people are growing to accept the arts as a career with a future. By Cammy Gee Graduates were full of mirth as they showcased their works in The LASALLE Show, a graduation exhibition open to the public. Public turnout was high during the second day of the showcase, which was held on May 22. Visitors and parents thronged the school, including tourists. Most students, such as Jerlynn Heng, a fresh graduate with a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree in Fine Arts, are confident of their future in the Arts industry both locally and internationally. Sam Guo, a graduate with a Diploma in Fashion Design, said that he believes Singapore’s increase in budget for local fashion events, such as Singapore Fashion Week which has been revamped from the Audi Fashion week, has helped to promote the arts industry recently. The arts scene also consists of the local media industry. Broadcast Media and exITE graduate, Lynette Tan, felt that broadcast is a very wide platform comprising film, writing, and visual effects. One of her biggest concerns prior to pursuing broadcast was that “media was not as

recognized in the past” and there were few job opportunities in this field. Now, she says, “The media industry is ever-growing, and the stereotype of the industry not having ‘enough’ jobs is slowly disappearing.” With the growing concern of arts being an unconventional career choice, the number of people who are willing to join the industry is declining. “The industry in the past was very difficult to break into, but with today’s technology and market, there is a slight increase in demand for people with such expertise,” said Mr Gabriel Teo, parent of a secondary school student. However not all graduates have the common consensus that job opportunities are broad for art students. Daryl Tan, a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) graduate in Arts Management is still worried about the post-graduate employment opportunities. “It’s difficult to make it everywhere. It’s particularly difficult in Singapore as it’s hard to find an audience and supporters, especially in the performing field,” he said. Once a musician, he decided to switch his route and pursue a management course which he said was “safer”. His only advice for students aspiring to pursue arts is to “know what you want to do, and know what you’re getting into”.

Know what you want to do, and know what you’re getting into.” - Daryl Tan, LASALLE graduate

By Prashain Kumar

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) students Lynh and Ian stand proud in front of their successful final project the Humans of Singapore exhibition. (PHOTO: Gerald Tan)

ing through,” said Goh. Being part of the editorial team for this project, Vietnamese student Linh Le mentioned that immigrants and foreign contract workers are also included alongside Singaporeans to show that they were essential to the success of Singapore. “You don’t usually see what you usually see, and this breaks stereotypes,” said Linh. Visitor numbers were weak on the last day of the exhibition If better publicised, this event would reach out to more Singaporeans. Despite so, the exhibiton did not fail to inspire lucky visitors of the unique event, the stories from each interviewee in the project touching the hearts of the visitors who went. “I look forward to seeing more events related to art that brings people together as I felt empowered and heartened by what I saw today (at the exhibition),” said Goh.

Sarah Wong, who won the award for the slowest baby in the crawling competition, poses with her family who also coordinated to enter the “My Vintage Family” contest, which they won third place. (PHOTO: Audrey Leong)

Small Hands Make For A Big Show Baby shows just one of the many ways a community can come together from all walks of life, says Patrick Tan, chairman of Tampines Community Centre Management Committee By Audrey Leong

Increasing Creativity With Choreography

Some 50 babies crawled their way into the hearts of many as they competed to be the fastest baby at Tampines Central during Baby 2015 Show. The crawling competition was just one of the many events at Baby 2015 show, held at Tampines Central Community Centre on May 17. In six seconds, Aymeric Ryan Chua managed to come out victorious amongst the other babies in that race. While most parents tried to use their child’s favourite toys to encourage them to crawl to the other end, Aymeric was already at the finish line before his parents could even take his toys out.

competition,” said Mr Benedict Chua, father of Aymeric. He also added that the event is “unique, one of the only chances that (they) get to take pictures as a family, besides Chinese New Year and Christmas.” The award for the slowest baby was also given out during the baby show to Sarah Wong, who would not budge until her family placed a pink iPhone 5 on the mat in front to persuade her to crawl forward, after all her peers had reached the finish line. She was also lovingly dubbed as “Sayang”, a term of affection in Malay, by the host as she tried to encourage Sarah to complete the race. Ms Emily Lee, organiser of the event and newly appointed chairperson of the Tampines Community Centre Women’s Executive Committee (WEC), said that the event was not just for the parents of the babies. Activities such as T-shirt printing and other competitions such as “My Vintage Family” saw many households spanning three generations vying for first place. Ms Rupika Bhargava, a volunteer, said that through the

event, kinship is increased”, adding that she was “happy that it’s a success (and) I’d do anything to see the babies smile”. Apart from the various events, families could sit on the life size versions of various board games such as Snakes and Ladders and Hop Scotch, bonding through the games and allowing their children to interact with each other. Ms Lee added that since Tampines Central has “lots of new estates, these events are good for new families”. Alongside Punggol, Sembawang and Clementi, Tampines was one of the districts to offer new flats in the concurrent Sale of Balance Flats exercise, which explains the need for family and community cohesion. Over 100 people attended the event, most of which were families who had signed up to take part in the competitions. The baby show is a prequel to the Istana art competition happening on August 2 at the Istana organized in conjunction with Singapore’s Jubilee birthday celebration by various community centres.

A performance that incorporated traditional, hip-hop and drama elements. (PHOTO: Angela Ouyang Qi)

By Angela Ouyang Student choreographers from Rebulic Polytechnic (RP) pushed boundaries and promoted different dance genres at the annual LEAPS! Dance Showcase on May 19. LEAPS! creates a platform for student choreographers to try out different ideas that are out of the norm. Dance genres include ballet, hip-hop, contemporary, tap and other different ethnic dances. In this year’s LEAPS!, some dance items feature more than one genre while others include other types of performing arts such as drama and Silat, a Malay art of self-defence. “We want to encourage that kind of cross-pollination (of) ideas,” says Mr Ganesh Kalyanam, director of The Republic Cultural Centre (TRCC). He added that the performances have become more creative throughout the years. For instance, a group danced to live beat boxing, inspired by how both beat boxing and dancing required the use of different pitches and movements at the same time. The group aimed not just to leave an impression, but also to get the audience thinking

about the meaning behind their actions and vocals, says Myra Aziz, chorographer of the dance item. “With experience comes expectations, and with expectations come the need to constantly surprise the audience,” she adds. According to Myra, LEAPS! provides a “two-way learning process” as it pushes choreographers out of their comfort zones and introduces the audience to the culture of experimenting. Zaini Tahir, mentor for all 11 dance items, says that this opportunity of self-choreography enabled the students to be the “masters of their own works”. “For LEAPS!, I let them be whatever they want to be,” he says. The freedom he gave in his mentoring stretched the originality of choreographers and brought them out of their comfort zones. LEAPS! is a soft launch leading to RP’s final dance showcase, Momentum. Happening from May 25 to 30, Momentum is entering its eighth year on, featuring RP’s very own dance groups and other gold award winners at the Singapore Youth Festival.

Family Carnival Strengthens Family Ties Mr Christopher De Souza unveils family carnival and open house at Ulu Pandan Community Centre By Priscilla Phang Four schools situated in the Holland-Bukit Timah area completed 39 exhibits, showcased at Ulu Pandan Community Centre’s (CC) Family Carnival on May 9. “From May to September this year, there will be 10 more family activities and exhibits in the area to bring families closer to SG50,” said Mr De Souza, Member of Parliament for the Holland-Bukit Timah constituency in his opening speech. To commemorate 50 years of independence in Singapore, four schools, namely Henry Park Primary, Hwa Chong Secondary, Nanyang Primary and St Margaret’s Secondary teamed up with Ulu Pandan Community Centre to put up 39 exhibits for residents to learn more about the history of

their estate. Topics include developments made in the Holland-Bukit Timah area such as Sunset Way, Bukit Timah Railway Station and Ghim Moh. The 39 exhibits, comprising the history of Holland-Bukit Timah and the various schools, took a few years to compile and complete. Teachers from the various schools compiled information about the histories of the various schools and the Holland-Bukit Timah area, which was then collated by Ulu Pandan Community Centre and sent for printing. “(One) valuable lesson learnt would be how the nation progressed, the pre independence of Singapore and what the pioneers had done to make Singapore what it is today,” said Mr Vijaya Ganesh, vice-principal of Henry Park Primary. Besides having these exhibits, there were many games, handicraft, and health booths for people from all ages to learn and have fun. “This event is really good for the family

as it became a bonding session for me and my children to enjoy ourselves. My kids and I also got to indulge in lots of delicacies that are quite hard to find in Singapore because many companies stopped producing these delicacies as it dates back all the way to the 1970s,” said Nancy Ng, a mother of three. Examples of the delicacies served that day included Nonya rainbow kueh, hawthorne candies and traditional biscuits Another member of audience, Harlinda Jamari said, “I would definitely bring my family to this event again next year because it is really nice to see my kids having fun and enjoying themselves.” Due to many succesful family-friendly activities planned, Ulu Pandan CC has received positive feedback from families. The community centre has planned another event on June 6, which will have games, dance workshops, art competitions Nerf gun challenges and will allow the public to try their hand at various sports.

Swiss Cottage Secondary organised the “Swiss Olympics” to encourage sportsmanship, respect and friendship amongst its students through games and sports on May 20. The Swiss Olympics was held for the first time in Swiss Cottage Secondary and was the first sports event in Swiss Cottage where students ran the event entirely by themselves. With his first year in Swiss, Mr Toh Chee Keong, Head of Department for Physical Education came up with the event to revamp the traditional Sports Day schools usually have. Other than the usual games such as Soccer, Basketball, Badminton and Captain’s Ball, stalls were placed all around the school where students who were not participating in the sports could learn how to play traditional games, such as Capteh, Lereng and Sepak Takraw, and garner Co-Curricular Activity points for themselves. At the opening ceremony of the Swiss Olympics, the South East Asian (SEA) Games Official Mascot, Nila, made an appearance, where it passed a replica of the Olympic Torch to Vice-Principal, Mrs Patrine Tang, who lit the school’s torch to commence the start of the games.

Excellence is when all of us are striving. Winning is not everything.” - Mr Toh, Head of Department for Physical Education Mr Toh mentioned that his objective was to instill the students with “the Olympics value of excellence, friendship and respect. “Excellence is when all of us are striving. Winning is not everything. The teachers also played, we lost, we just have to lose gracefully, it’s fine. In life we cannot win all the time, and that is the truth. Then the other one is the friendship, it is really the bond we build you know, and they’ll be friends forever. The last one would really be about respect. Respecting the officials, respecting the opponent,” said Mr Toh. Swiss Cottage has produced a couple of sportsmen who have represented Singapore. Twins Kumaresa and Vignesa Pasupathy, who graduated from Swiss Cottage in 2012 are still living up to Swiss Cottage’s vision. “Swiss Cottage actually played a really big part in my sporting life,” said Kumaresa. At the age of 18, they are the youngest floorballers to be representing Singapore in the SEA Games. Both were delighted that Swiss is placing great importance on sports.

The News Feed | Apr - Aug 2015

One People, One Nation, One Celebration

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In a phone interview, Jessie Chng, who was born in Singapore but moved to the United States at the age of six, stated that she “missed Singapore very much”, and “really wanted to watch this year’s NDP as it is Singapore’s 50th year of independence”. Fortunately for her, her parents were able to record some videos at the Padang during the preview show and sent them over to her. “The vintage army outfits were very cute, but it also showed (the younger generation) how the police used to look like,” said Chng. This year’s attendees also prioritized the Pioneer Generation of Singapore, who had seen singapore grow from pre independence to what she is today. Tickets and carnivals around Singapore were catered especially to them, and the NDP show made sure to bring to light their contribution to the nation through videos and interviews shown on screen. Not only that, but the older and younger generations came together to perform sev-

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Many senior citizens were present at this year’s show.

eral dance pieces to iconic songs during themusical segment, showing off months and months of hard work.The concert provoked sense of patriotism in all, from those watching at home to those watching on screens at the Floating Platform. German citizen Mareile Steyer, who lived in Singapore for 26 years and was watching the parade from the Floating Platform said that watching the parade reminded her of why she moved to Singapore to raise her children in the first place. “Not many countries are as safe (as Singapore),” Steyer added, “My daughter is Singaporean - she was born here, and my two children both go to neighbourhood schools.” While she has not given up her German passport, Steyer said that she was very inspired by Singapore when she first came as a child, and also by the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew whom she said was the “one who helped (build) Singapore to what it is today. “I’m so thankful for this country,” said Steyer, “I’m a Singaporean by heart, not by passport, and I’m so glad that this is home, truly.”

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line-up was altered especially for this year, with the musical and performance elements of the show sandwiching the parade segment.

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up with. 78 year old retiree Mr Phang Tai Chee said, “They should do this every year,” in reference to the funpack, “so that everyone can show their loyalty to the nation.” Mr Phang attended the concert with his wife, who was By Audrey Leong and Cammy Gee sitting one row behind him. He added that A birthday bash like no other, Singa- the show was very impressive, setting the bar pore’s jubilee birthday celebration proved to much higher than previous years. “I really be the biggest one yet, with the organising liked the part where they provided the hiscommittee making sure that everyone gets tory of the nation and the way they brought involved in the celebrations. it to life was very good,” said Mr Phang. The event, termed Singapore50 (SG50), The National Day Parade (NDP) usualis a year long event that celebrates the 50 ly features a parade by all three branches of years of independence since her separation the Singapore Armed Forces, followed by a from Malaysia in 1965. concert by local artists. This This year’s parade sought to let everyyear it was held at one have a taste of the national day festivithe Padang, ties and not just those who had won where the tickets. Every household in Singapore very first received a funpack, which were NDP was usually only given to those who held back had attended the parade. Contents in August included old time toys such as 9, 1965. capteh, Old Maid game cards and However paper balls that were popular with this year’s children in the past as well as more show iconic items such as the Singapore proved to be Scarf and a memorial book that different from documented 50 years of National Day previous shows Parades, where those who had attended yet again, with Singaporean waving not one, but two the parade could place their tickets the parade National flags proudly. as a memorabilia. featuring costumes “I really liked the funpack this year (as) and props inspired by the very first it’s really interesting,” said Siti Khadijaiy, “I NDP show. especially liked the small Singa Lions that This included the old police force they included in the bag.” The Singa Lion uniforms as well as costumes worn by was a famous icon of Singapore since its the People’s Action Party during that palaunch in 1982, being included in various rade. Veterans who had marched for past national campaigns such as the Singapore shows were invited to march again this Kindness movement. It was included in the year alongside servicemen currently servfunpack to remind Singaporeans of the icon ing the armed forces and were seen smiling of kindness and graciousness that they grew as they reminisced their own army days. The

Biggest birthday celebration for the nation made sure that every Singapore citizen had a slice of the cake

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The Good Morning ‘Cher exhibition was launched for the second time at Westgate to celebrate Singapore’s education history on July 24, Friday. In lieu with SG50, the showcase displayed learning materials and games including uniforms, country erasers and five stones which were games and items which popular in the past. Visitors could also participate in the event by solving crossword puzzles, in which answers could be found from different parts of the exhibition. Upon completion, participants could redeem a goodie bag with a limited edition SG50 designed notebook, a pencil and a set of five erasers.

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By Angela Ouyang

Vectors by: Teo Yu Siang, Designed by: Cammy Gee

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Singapore commemorates its jubilee year as well as 50 years of education with a showcase of oldschool artefacts.

The Air show during the NDP performance flew the Singapore Flag across the area.

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The NUSSU Rag & Flag Day garnered more than 20,000 audiences at The Float at Marina Bay on August 7. Since 1959, NUS students have organised the Rag and Flag as part of the NUSSU Freshman Orientation Programme. To commemorate NUS’s 110th anniversary and Singapore’s 50th Birthday, the event was held outside the campus for the first time. Despite the rainy weather, performers and audience members braved through the drizzle and celebrated the occasion with gusto. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Environment and Water Resources and alumni of NUS gave an opening speech and said, “(This year’s celebrations) are special. (This is the) first time we are having it at such a huge scale. As we celebrate our golden jubilee, this is of extra significance. “If you look at the Singapore we have today, it is a result of a great adventure, vision and imagination,” added Dr Balakrishnan. It was revealed that the students collected ed a total of $451,120 from their fundraising flag day on August 4. The funds are to be donated to 19 beneficiaries supported by the Community Chest.

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By Prashain Kumar

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Childhood games and collectibles were put on display at the exhibition.

A member of the public, Adeline Sng, said she found the exhibition very meaningful and she was proud of how far Singapore’s education system had come. “This event is prominent in telling the whole population about how education is a pillar of strength in Singapore. It is interesting to see how the past, present and future of education has been warped into one,” said Ms Debbie Teo, Senior Communications and Engagement Officer of the event. Besides looking back at the past and celebrating today’s education system, Good Morning ‘Cher also served as a three-generation effort, involving retirees, workers and students. “It is not often that you see three generations working together as one. The sight is precious,” Ms Teo says. Head of Ambassadors, Ms Elissa Goh, says that there are “different takeaways for different generations”; the pioneer generation will recall and celebrate the past, the young adults will appreciate the education system and be inspired to contribute with “visionary leadership”, while the younger generation will learn that even as a young nation, Singapore has a story to tell. To bring involvement among students, many schools like Bukit View Secondary School, De La Salle School, Fuhua Primary School, and Swiss Cottage Secondary School had individual booths where students could present their chosen topics to the public. Good Morning ‘Cher is a nationwide event that was launched in the four main regions in Singapore. It started its first exhibition at Changi City Point from July 10 to July 12, and its last show will be at Suntec City Mall from August 28 to August 30.

Ragging The Dark Sky With The Flag Up High

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Education Exhibition Goes Old School

The NUSSU Rag & Flag Day was held at The Floating Platform.

Radio DJs Kimberly Wang and Sonia Chew from 987FM were the hosts for the evening. Various halls and faculties performed stunning dance pieces throughout the event, with the Faculty of Science, Kent Ridge Hall, NUS Business School, Sheares Hall and Yong Loo Lin School of clinching gold awards. At the later part of the event, local talents Gentle Bones and The Sam Willows serenaded the audience with their latest singles “Sixty Five” and “Take Heart”. American singer and songwriter Christina Grimmie closed the event.

The News Feed | Apr - Aug 2015

Kovan-Hougang Market To Clean Up Their Act

Dirty tables are a common sight even after the implementation of the Return Your Tray campaign in the Kovan market. (PHOTO: Audrey Leong)

“People don’t want to wait for tables,

Overwhelming number of patrons they would rather go somewhere else to in food centre leaves cleaning staff eat than to wait for the cleaners to clear the struggling to keep up. tables,” said Ms Kok Siew Come, an emBy Audrey Leong Several years after winning cleanliness awards, the Kovan-Hougang Market and Food Centre is plagued with hungry birds and dirty cutlery due to a lack of cleaners. Used plates left by customers pile up, spanning across tables until cleaners are able to clear up the tables or sweep up the food left on the floor.

ployee of the Teochew Fish porridge stall, in Mandarin. Previously, the Kovan-Hougang Market and Food centre had won many awards for cleanliness after their renovation in 2011. Most notable of all was the Singapore OK Award, which is given to hawker centres where all the stalls have achieved an A rating, and has an overall high standard of hygiene.

Admiralty’s New Urban Kampung Counters Inconvenience to Elderly

An artist impression of Kampung Admiralty, which will end construction in 2017. (PHOTO: Housing Development Board)

By Angela Ouyang A new one-stop-hub, Kampung Admiralty, will be built beside Admiralty MRT Station to foster community bonding and solve elderly problems like inaccessible hospitals and retail stores. The 9,000 square metre plot will be transformed into the new Integrated Development in Woodlands consisting of amenities such as retail shops, a medical centre, a hawker centre, Studio Apartments (SAs) and elderly and childcare facilities by 2017. Li Yalin, a resident with two elderly parents, said that the two-storey medical centre would benefit her very much. “Currently, the nearest hospital is Khoo Teck Puat. It is inconvenient for the elderly to take the bus after taking the MRT just to get there,” she added. Besides decreasing the walking distance to seek treatment, Admiralty Medical Centre will lead to shorter time required formedical staff to get to homebound patients. An elderly resident, Guo Lin Li, is more excited about the new retail shops and looks forward to bonding with her grandson at the

three-generational playground at the Community Park. She also added that it would be a good opportunity to educate the younger generation about the old kampung spirit. The new retail shops also mean that Guo will save 20 minutes of travelling time, as she will not need to take public transport anymore. The SAs comprise 104 units and they come in two sizes – with internal floor areas of 36 square metres and 45 square metres – and prices start from $91,000. Each SA will be furnished with elderly friendly features such as retractable indoor and outdoor clothes drying systems; induction stoves and resilient flooring upon purchase so that the elderly can move in immediately. Mr Vikram Nair, Minister of Parliament for Sembawang constituency and Vice-Chairman of Sembawang Town Council, said that Kampung Admiralty is will be built to increase social interaction among the neighbourhood and bring out the kampung spirit in an urbanised city and “it kills two birds with one stone by making Admiralty more elderly friendly and engages the community, young and old.”

She added that while the market has become more popular in recent years, the cleanliness level has dropped significantly due to the lack of cleaners. On the other hand, the elderly cleaners are also feeling the pressure to clear the tables as fast as they can. There are only 12 to 15 workers in charge of cleaning the entire food centre, which encompasses sweeping the area and clearing dirty dishes. “I’ve swept the area two to three times, but there are still tissues that ends up falling from the tables,” said Ms Lee Ya Moi, a 50year old sweeper employed for the area.

Besides cleaning up after customers, the cleaners also have to chase away birds, which peck at the left over food and leave droppings on tables, hence driving away potential customers from that area. “If the cleaners aren’t fast enough, the birds will come and make a mess,” says Thomas Lee, owner of Cowboy Charcoal Grill, one of the newest additions to the market. In response to the matter, Mr Chen Show Mao, Minister of Parliament for Aljunied constituency urged Singaporeans to take the first step in clearing up after themselves, and making use of the “Return Your Tray” campaign, which was implemented by the NEA in 2011 when the market was renovated. However, the campaign has met with much difficulty in trying to engage with Singaporeans who do not return their trays to the stations. Mr Raju Balakrishnan, a customer who had moved into the area just over a year ago, added that there were not enough tray return points to motivate customers to return their trays. Nonetheless, the cost of eating at the hawker centre is much lower than that of the shops in nearby shopping centres, “People don’t really come for the cleanliness, they come for the food and the price. Many find it cheaper so they eat here,” said Balakrishnan.

Renovation Works At Ghim Moh Market Brings Inconveniences

Kelvin Tsui, a student from the neighbouring Gan Eng Seng Secondary. The temporary market is located about Residents and hawkers have been affected by the poor design and non-sheltered 100 metres away from the original location. route to the temporary market due to clo- “It has caused me some inconvenience such as the inability to purchase food from the sure of Ghim Moh Market for renovation. Built in 1995, Ghim Moh Market was se- market should it rain, as the route to the lected to be one of the few Hawker Centers temporary market is far and not sheltered,” to undergo renovations to improve its facili- said Lionel Chong, a resident staying in Ghim Moh. ties due to old age. Residents also raised issues regarding According to The Straits Times, renovation works that started in 2014 will end the design of the temporary market such as early next year if there are no delays during the poor ventilation of the hawker center. “It is a bit warmer than the original location. the process. Originally located at 20 Ghim Moh Walkways are also narrower, which makes it Road, a temporary market has been built be- tricky when you are carrying hot food,” said side Ulu Pandan Community Centre so that Ann Leong, a mother of two. “Renovation is necessary if they are exresidents in the area will not have to lose out on their favourite hawker food. However, panding the market. However, from what it the renovations has caused some unhappi- seems, the market is retaining its original ness amongst hawkers relocated to the tem- size, which defeats any purpose of renovaporary market as they will have to increase tion,” said Lee Swee Ean, a housewife residtheir food prices accordingly to cover the ing in Ghim Moh. Jonathan Koh, a staff from NEA said, cost of rental for their store. According to Phillip Wong who runs Ghim Moh Market “Residents will be able to enjoy improved and owner of Soy Fresh, he had to increase ventilation at the hawker center at 20 Ghim his drinks from a $1 to $1.10, a 10 per cent Moh Road due to better design and additional fans.” He added that the layout of the increase from the original price. However, residents staying in Ghim refreshments area would be improved to alarea were not significantly affected by the low ease of movement of patrons. Residents increase. “Food living in Ghim is still worth the Moh can look money as it is forward to the still cheaper than new hawker censhopping malls tre, which will be prices and the completed with vendors are very new and imexperienced and proved facilities - Jonathan Koh, to enjoy when it sell good quality of food,” said National Environment Agency re-opens in 2016.

By Priscilla Phang

Residents will be able to enjoy improved ventilation at the (new)hawker centre.”

The News Feed | Apr - Aug 2015

Mall’s Traffic Unaffected By Constructions By Prashain Kumar Bukit Panjang Plaza (BPP) has been undergoing major renovations since August 2014, causing inconveniences for both shoppers and mall tenants. Despite passing the one-year mark, renovation works are still incomplete. In the past 11 months, BPP has redesigned the visual and physical structure of the mall and bought in new eateries and retail stores such as Nene Chicken and City Chain. There have been mixed feelings about the current renovations. Bukit Panjang resident Lee Ji Xuan said that trying to navigate in BPP became difficult due to the renovations involving escalators that led to the second floor. “We have to take the lifts instead, (which) are always packed,” he added. Shoppers are able to enter the mall through the first and second level, which include eateries, retail shops and a supermarket. However, the mall’s navigation did not escalate any worry for some patrons. “Daily shoppers like myself usually go to the supermarket at level one so going upstairs doesn’t really affect us,” said Gerald Tay, a university student living in Bukit Panjang. Despite the ongoing renovations, BPP is still garnering many shoppers, even from other districts. “I go to (BPP) sometimes to purchase stationeries (and necessities) at Popular Bookstore or Daiso,” said Amanda Ong, a polytechnic student living in Bukit Batok. Some tenants find that the renovation did not cause much negative impact on their business. Starbucks recently reopened in BPP after ceasing operations for six months. “A bad thing about the renovation noise is that we have a hard time talking to the customers,” said Hakim bin Mazlan, a barista, “also, some customers have a hard time having a conversation with each other when they are chilling (here).” Artisan yogurt and dessert bar, Milk and Honey, opened a new outlet at BPP last month. Lydia Tan, tenant and manager for the stall remarked that despite the construction, BPP was the most requested location for a new outlet.

By the time it’s completed, more people would shop (at BPP) and sales is bound to improve.

- Ms Lydia Tan, Milk and Honey Manager

Although the renovations may deter people from patronising the outlet Tenant and manager for Milk and Honey, Lydia Tan, said that the location of Starbucks being right beside Milk and Honey would allow business to be good due to heavier human traffic. She was also optimistic about the improvement of sales once the renovations of the mall are complete. “By the time it’s completed, more people would shop (at BPP) and sales is bound to improve,” said Tan. According to tenants who were informed by CapitaLand, renovations are expected to be completed by October.

Bishan Dengue, Fears Confirmed The number of dengue cases continues to rise, galvanising both the NEA and residents into action. By Cammy Gee Residents of Bishan are anxious due to the recent declaration of the cluster being a high-risk area for dengue. According to the National Environment Agency’s website, a total of 152 cases have been reported in the district as at July 29. With 39 cases reported, the area has the highest increase in the number of cases over two weeks. Siti Fadhillah, a resident of Clover By The Park is extremely “horrified” by the current dengue situation. Clover By The Park has 15 reported cases; the highest among all affected places in Bishan. “I am too scared to even leave my house,” said Siti. Karina Kong, a resident of Block 289 Bishan Street 24, where two cases were reported, said that she was “very worried about the situation” as she “tends to always get bitten by mosquitoes”. Residents of Bishan are anxious due to the recent declaration of the cluster being a high-risk area for dengue. According to the National Environment Agency’s website, a total of 152 cases have been reported in the district as at July 29. With 39 cases reported, the area has the highest increase in the number of cases over two weeks. In response to the escalating cases and the code red high-risk signal, residents like Karina have taken steps to prevent more dengue cases from occurring. The Raffles Junior College student said, “I always dry everything, and make sure that the pails don’t have water. (My family) tries not to

Ultimately, we can only take care of our own household, but it is the work of everyone in their own houses and environment that Bishan can become a dengue-free zone once again.” - Mr Jack Wong, Resident leave stagnant water around and (we) wear repellent whenever we go out.” “We are currently working with stakeholders to step up ground and premises inspections, which are conducted daily. We are also working with grassroots leaders and dengue prevention volunteers to remind residents on the importance to practice the mosquito wipeout steps,” said Mr Quek Xin

Xian, a representative from the National Environment Agency (NEA) in an email interview. In a survey conducted by the NEA, most citizens understand the danger of dengue and how to prevent it, but need to take a stronger stand. “The residents need peri odic reminders to eliminate stagnant water. Everyone must play their part to help stop dengue transmission in the community, by checking their premises for potential mosquito breeding habitats and removing them daily,” said Mr Quek. As the affected areas are located near Bishan Park, Mr Quek has also advised residents to “apply insect repellent when there is dengue transmission in their neighbourhood”. “Ultimately, we can only take care of our own household, but it is the work and effort from everyone in their own houses and environment that Bishan can become a dengue-free zone one again,” said Mr Jack Wong, a resident of the high risk Bishan Street 22.

Fernvale Point: Gone But Not Forgotten

Fernvale Point (left) served residents in Fernvale and Sengkang with its 24 hour food court and supermarket but its demolition (right) disappointed many. (Photo: ST’s Seah Kwang Peng and Gerald Tan)

By Gerald Tan Once a bustling hub for young and old Sengkang residents, stone and rubble sit on the site of the demolished Fernvale Point. Despite appeals made by tenants and the management, the mall inevitably ceased operations on April 10. “Fernvale Point had a 10 year lease and it expired early this year,” said Geraldine How, company director of Abundance Development, the management office that handled the operations of Fernvale Point. “The lease could not be renewed,” added How. Since its opening in 2005, the mall located at 21 Sengkang West Avenue has served the residents of Sengkang with an array of lifestyle shops, supermarket, food court and wet market. “Its closure limited shopping and food

(options) to Seletar Mall,” said Glen Tan, student from Pei Hwa Secondary, one of the schools in the area. In November 2014, Seletar Mall began operations beside Fernvale Point and comprised Sengkang’s first cinema. “I am excited as it is more convenient and I don’t have to travel too far to watch a movie,” added Glen who had to travel to nex or Vivo City for a movie back then. Young mother Aimee Chua used to do her grocery shopping at Fernvale Point’s NTUC Fairprice supermarket and wet market twice a week. “I have to travel all the way to Hougang Mall now as the supermarket in Seletar Mall is (Fairprice) Finest,” said Chua. “Expenses will increase as the prices of groceries (in Fairprice Finest) is higher than the regular Fairprice and wet market,” she added.

Many residents have given feedback to Dr Lam Pin Min, Minister of Parliament for Sengkang West constituency on what they hope to see being developed on the existing Fernvale Point site. “A community centre with sporting facilities like gyms would be great as it will be more convenient for residents to exercise,” suggested Glen. For Chua, she hopes that it will not be “another condominium again”. In a Facebook post, Dr Lam assured residents that their feedback is valued and he “will be meeting the relevant agencies for further discussions” and that he and his team “would keep working on it”. Later, Dr Lam shared the top ten suggestions provided by residents via surveys, emails or through the social media platform. The list included a development of a wet market, hawker centre, library and childcare centre.

The News Feed | Apr - Aug 2015

Arsenal Takes Gold Home At Barclay’s Asia Trophy English Premiere League (EPL) teams drop by Singapore to battle for the Barclay’s Asia Trophy, leaving Everton fans disappointed by their team’s performance. By Audrey Leong The Arsenal – Everton match on 18 July, proved to be more than what fans bargained for, putting them through an emotional rollercoaster that led to a three – one win to Arsenal. “We came all the way down from KL (Kuala Lumpur),” said Raymund Yeoh, a Malaysian Everton fan whom travelled over 200 miles from home to see his favourite football team specially compete with Stoke and Arsenal from the English Premiere League (EPL), and the Singapore Select XI - made up of only the best players from the Singaporean home teams. The match, which saw the two teams vying for first place in the cup, was held at the new Singapore Sports Hub, after Stoke and the Singapore Select XI had clinched third and fourth places respectively in the previous match days before. Just merely past the 20 minute mark, Theo Walcott from Arsenal tucked in the first goal of the match against Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles in a neat half volley into the goal. After half time, Everton made two substitutions for Steven Naismith and Gerard Deulofeu, replacing them with Ross Barkley and Kevin Mirallas. Barkely went on to

Arsenal fans rejoice after the final minute, as they beat Everton to win first place. (PHOTO: Getty Images)

score Everton’s first and only goal 75 minutes into the match. However, this was after Arsenal’s Santi Carzola and Mesut Ozil scored two goals for the red team within minutes of each other in the second half. Taunts from the Everton fans could be heard when the referee ruled a goal scored by Arsenal’s Aroura Kone offside. Even though they had lost the match, the Everton fans continued to wave their banners and flags, chanting “Everton” in hopes of lifting the spirits of the players and fellow supporters. “Being an Everton fan teaches you how to deal with hardships, patience and loyalty. Just because they aren’t the top team doesn’t mean you (change teams),” said

Yeoh, who has been an Everton fan since the 1980s and attended the match together with the Everton fan club in Singapore. On the other side, Arsenal fans celebrated as their team emerged champions. Asyikin Yusoff, Syamin Salleh, Jai Prakash and Daryl Eng, Arsenal fans who had met through the fan club, described the match as “unbelievable, but they have played better before”. The four had come together especially for the match and were waiting for a chance to show off their team spirit at an event like this. Others brought their children, to show them what it’s like to sit in a stadium full of excited and enthusiastic fans.

Barking Up The Right Tree: Asia-Pac Championship

Child is being guided through the tree climbing obstacle by professional tree climbers. (PHOTO: Priscilla Phang)

By Priscilla Phang The Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Championship proved to be more than just a competition, getting both competitors and spectators alike into the unusual sport. Unveiled by Mr Desmond Lee, Minister of State for National Development, the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Championship and Carnival took place from July 25 to 26 at Cathay Green. Out of the few shortlisted countries, Singapore was chosen to host this event for the second time. “This event has been happening for several years and (the host country) has been rotating with the other countries that is eligible,” said Esther Tan, the manager of the Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology (CUGE). The comp-

etition will be held in Texas next year. Approximately 60 tree-climbing professionals from seven Asia Pacific countries came to Singapore to compete for the opportunity to fly to the United States to climb against other competitors from the rest of the world. The competitors came from Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan. Ms Tan also added that “an estimated of 2,000 visitors visited this event over the two days of competition and fringe activities”. Mr Thomas Ng, one of the main officials for this event, started off the event with his speech. He said that the purpose of the event was to increase awareness of tree climbing in partnership with other organisations and that “this event not only shows the compe-

tition but shows the legacy, skills and techniques on tree climbing, and provides career information and opportunities for young and aspiring arborists.” Mr Desmond Lee, Minister of State for National Development, quoted the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew in his speech on why it is important for greening in Singapore to become a national priority. “First, to create a city that is green and livable to Singaporeans. Secondly, to promote social equality, because in the past, only areas where the well off lived were well green and not other places. Lastly, it is to signal to foreign investors that Singapore was well run and worth investing,” he explained. The Late Mr Lee has been attributed to transforming Singapore in to a modern city, implementing plans to combat problems such as water scarcity and the lack of greenery. The event was not only catered to tree climbing enthusiasts, but also the general public. Children could expect to do interesting arts and crafts during the event. “The kids can use markers to draw on wood that comes from the trees. Besides drawing on wood, there are face painting activities for them too,” said Li Li Yuan, a Girl Guide from Mayflower Secondary School. As tree climbing is uncommon in Singapore, many parents like Carolyn Leisen, mother of two, wanted to make use of the event to expose her children to unique types of sports. “I brought my kids here to experience tree climbing because they love outdoor activities and this is something unique,” said Leisen. She added that it comforted her that tree climbing was a safe sport, knowing that it was done professionally.

Ng Wah Soo, who brought his 2-yearold son and his wife to the match, called it “Fantastic and really interesting, especially the goals”. Their son cheered along with fans both sides. “This is the first time we’ve ever been at the stadium, the atmosphere was really overwhelming, especially when we were doing the Kallang Wave,” said Ng’s wife, who had come because of her husband, to support Arsenal. “With this pre- season win, I hope that The Gunners will gain the momentum to do their best this season,” added Ng. In the last season, Arsenal ended the season in third place, just above Manchester United. The next season of EPL begins August 8.