THE NANYANG
CHRONICLE New perspective:
Seeing NTU from above
>> Spotlight Page 13
Can words survive in our online jungle? >> Opinion Page 15
No need to speed into adulthood >> Opinion Page 17
VOL. NO.
24
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15.01.18
ISSN NO. 0218-7310
Rationalising sports superstitions >> Sports Page 21
Putting the brakes on books >> Lifestyle Page 8
PHOTO: CHRISTY YIP
PHOTO: ZHI SYI LIM PHOTO:YEO THEODORE
PHOTO: YEO WEI LUN
Bringing out the Troupe
>> News Page 2
Hall 10 cheerleading champs disband
>> Sports Page 23
News
More youth take on lion dancing NTU’s Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe is witnessing a reignition of interest in recent years, as more enthusiasts gather to train and support one another Jasmine Hoe CLAD in a bright yellow and red costume, second-year School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering student Jacky Pang peeks out at the large crowd for the last time before crouching down and covering himself with a thick, textured cloth called the lion back. As the “lion tail”, Pang prances around the stage in darkness throughout the performance. He has to depend only on the drum beats and the movements of the “lion head” in front of him to execute the routine. Pang is part of NTU Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe that performed at the school’s Cultural Activities Club Member’s Night last December. It was his first lion dance performance since joining the troupe in August. “I’ve always wanted to try out lion dance,” said the 22-yearold. “So when I heard NTU had a lion dance troupe, I jumped at the opportunity.”
More young participants
Pang is one of the 15 new members who joined the troupe last year, a five-fold increase from the three members who joined in
2016. The troupe currently has 23 members. This is in line with a larger national trend, where interest in performing lion dances is slowly gaining popularity here, especially among the young. In November 2016, The Straits Times (ST) reported an increase in the number of registered lion dance clubs in Singapore from 311 in 2015 to 323 in 2016. ST also reported that of the 10,000 people who were actively involved in lion dance, many were young people. NTU Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe president Bryan Chan, 23, has seen a similar rise in lion dance participation among NTU students in the last two to three years, despite witnessing a downward trend in the last decade. The rise in primary and secondary school troupes has changed the image of lion dance as traditional and something that young people cannot be involved in, said the third-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student. Formed in 2003, the troupe has been receiving an increasing number of invitations for performances on an ad-hoc basis, performing for external events and companies. There are about 30 to 50 performances per year, with Chinese New Year being their busiest period, where they have performances every day.
Change in perception
Member Natasha Lim said in the past, people often associated lion dance with the ah beng (Hokkien
NTU’s Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe perform at the opening of the Yunan corner. President Bryan Chan says that requests for performances have been increasing recently. PHOTO: BELICIA TEO
for gangster) culture, but this is not the case now. “We may look fierce on the outside but the troupe members are just the normal people we see every day,” said the secondyear School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering student who joined the troupe last August. The 20-year-old added: “Sometimes I see people much younger than me performing, which makes me think that if they can do it, so can I.” For first-year School of Computer Science and Engineer-
President Bryan Chan (middle) leads the troupe in a warm-up exercise using the drum, cymbals and gong.
PHOTO: YEO WEI LUN
ing student Ang Yong Loong, it was his friends in secondary school who first encouraged him to join lion dance as a co-curricular activity. It was not long before he grew to love performing. “When the lions play around with the audience, it brings joy to people around which makes me feel really good,” said the 21-yearold, who has been performing for six years.
Discipline is key
Like any other form of performing arts, lion dance requires hard work and physical endurance, said troupe member Lim. Most members have to go through at least three months of training before they are allowed to perform. The NTU troupe’s training typically starts off with intensive cymbal training, where members train their arm muscles and learn the rhythm of hitting the cymbals. This is followed by practice drills, such as running and jumping on the spot, before learning the dance itself. “It can be as tiring as any high intensity sport, as the lion dancers have to coordinate dancing and controlling the lion,” said Lim. Even a seemingly simple task like hitting the cymbals requires lots of practice, and second-year School of Humanities student Benedict Teo knows this from experience.
He remembers clanging the cymbals out of sync from the group during his very first performance in 2016, which happened a few weeks after he joined the troupe. “It felt very embarrassing, but that memory has reminded me to quickly attain a basic competency so I don’t embarrass myself in the future,” said the 22-year-old.
A close-knit troupe
When mistakes are made, members of the close-knit troupe rely on each other for encouragement. “It’s common to make mistakes, especially for stunts,” said firstyear School of Materials Science and Engineering student Hung Hsi Chien. Instead of scolding or blaming the one who committed the mistake, members encourage one another, and check if he or she is hurt, the 23-year-old added. “It’s this sense of community that keeps me coming back,” said second-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student Sarah Thong, 20, adding that the troupe forges strong bonds during practices and by having meals together. On passing on the legacy of lion dance, Chan, the president of the troupe, said, “We’re looking for continuity — to keep this art (alive) and continue it beyond this troupe, so that even when we stop lion dancing, we know that others will continue it.”
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NEWS
THE NANYANG
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Students say vending machine cafe convenient but costly
The Ma2 Vending Cafe at Crescent Hall offers hot meals such as mutton nasi briyani and chili crab on steamed rice, but students feel they are pricey for instant food.
While the Ma2 Vending Cafe at Crescent Hall offers a wide selection of hot meals round the clock, students feel that prices are on the steep end Adele Chiang PIONEER Hall resident Keith Lee was studying in hall when he felt late night hunger pangs. Within two and a half minutes, the 20-year-old was tucking into a plate of chili crab on steamed rice from Ma2 Vending Cafe — a cluster of six vending machines that opened in Crescent Hall in September last year. Unlike the typical vending machines that dispense snacks and drinks, the Ma2 Vending Cafe serves hot food with the likes of seafood Hokkien mee, nasi briyani, chili crab on steamed rice and even finger food such as cheese tofu and fish fries. Ice cream and cold canned drinks are also available. Lee, who is a second-year School of Social Sciences student, says he does not mind forking out more for its accessibility, as no food is available at the canteen after midnight. “The food might be a bit overpriced, but I am paying more for the convenience,” he said. Lee is also impressed with the
quality of food from the machines. He said the chili crab was “legit”, adding that the mutton nasi briyani he tried on a separate occasion tasted similar to versions from hawker centres. This cluster of vending machines is conceptualised by the No Signboard Seafood restaurant chain in Singapore. There are currently five other outlets located in the void decks of HDB flats. Prices range from $4.50 to $9.90 for hot mains, and $3.20 to $3.40 for finger food.
“I think the vending cafe's selling point is the convenience, since students who stay in hall usually sleep late. But if there are other means of getting food late at night, I will not make a repurchase.” Jonathan Lim, 22 Second-year student Nanyang Business School
With the introduction of Ma2 Vending Cafe, Pioneer and Crescent Hall residents now have easier access to hot meals — a convenient supper option within campus. But students feel that despite the convenience, the food prices are a
big deterrence. “I wouldn’t get the food again, unless I don’t have time to travel the extra 10 to 15 minutes out of school at night. If I was really looking for a good meal, I would make the effort to travel,” said Cedric Seah, 20, a second-year student from the School of Humanities. The Pioneer Hall resident ordered the mutton nasi briyani once and felt that the rice was dry and unevenly cooked. Another resident, Jonathan Lim, 22, said he usually walks to S11 Eating House (known informally as “Extension”), which is open 24 hours. The walk from Pioneer Hall takes about 10 to 15 minutes. “I think the vending cafe’s selling point is the convenience, since students who stay in hall usually sleep late. But if there are other means of getting food late at night, I will not make a repurchase,” said the second-year student from Nanyang Business School. Others feel it is not worth paying for instant meals if there are cheaper and freshly-made alternatives available. “I’m okay with frozen food, as long it tastes good,” said Esther Rim, 20, a second-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. “But if it’s unreasonably priced or if I can get something fresh and good at the same price, I probably won’t purchase it,” added the Crescent Hall resident.
PHOTO: HAZIM ZULFADHLI
GRAPHIC: AMY ONG
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NEWS
THE NANYANG
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CHRONICLE 05
North and South poles: An explorer’s playground history as the longest solo northto-south traverse of Antarctica without the help of motorised vehicles, by walking and using skis. This was part of his Pole2Pole expedition, which began in Monaco, a city-state near France, in May 2016. He has been making the 39,000-kilometre journey to the North Pole by boats, cars, skis and kayaks. He plans to conclude his expedition by May in Europe.
“You don’t get tired because it’s like a playground for adventurers. That’s when you feel alive.” Mike Horn, 52 South African-born Swiss professional explorer Explorer Mike Horn shares his experience of crossing the North and South poles, emphasising the importance of staying hopeful yet realistic when faced with challenges. PHOTO: BELICIA TEO
Besides courage and patience, explorer Mike Horn’s family is what helps him tide through the tough times during his expeditions Xu Qi Yang TURBULENT waves shattered the glass window of the boat explorer Mike Horn was on. Panic consumed the crew as they clambered on the sinking boat, in their earnest attempt to stay afloat in the middle of the Southern Ocean. But amid the frenzy, something caught Mr Horn’s eye — an albatross. The large white seabird was soaring above the choppy waves and it was moving together with the strong winds. The ease of the albatross’ flight was worlds apart from the fear that pervaded the boat, he said. It was that expedition to Antarctica that made the 52-year-old realise the value and freedom of embracing the challenges of life. Eventually, they triumphed over the storm after sealing the shattered window, and using weights to balance the boat. “If you can operate in stormy weather and start liking the things you don’t like doing, then you can live on the full spectrum of life (and) play like an albatross,” Mr Horn said. This philosophy is what spurs Mr Horn on during his globetrotting expeditions. He has completed eight thus far, many of which occur in unforgiving environments. Now, he is more than halfway through the astounding expedition called Pole2Pole — a two-year
journey around the globe through the North and South poles. Speaking to NTU students at the Lee Foundation Lecture Theatre at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information on 8 Nov, Mr Horn stressed the importance of thinking realistically in difficult circumstances. “The glass is not half full or half empty. It is what it is,” he said. “When I’m at minus 50 degrees (Celsius) and I have nothing to eat, it’s not as comfortable as 20 de-
grees with a hot plate of food in front of me,” he added. “But it’s not the end of the world.”
The Pole2Pole expedition Born in South Africa, the Swiss explorer spent his childhood mostly outdoors. He often climbed the Table Mountain in Cape Town, where he stood at its southernmost peak and gazed towards Antarctica. Little did he know that he would embark on a voyage there a few decades later, which would make
But his journey thus far has not been without obstacles. He took a whole month to reach Antarctica, two weeks longer than planned, as his sailboat often struggled to get past icebergs, some of which were as large as islands. He also had to race against time to cross the continent before winter arrived, where temperatures would plunge to as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius. As he lugged his 256-kilogramme sled filled with survival supplies, Mr Horn broke his ankle and injured his shoulder en route
to the South Pole due to the rocky and jagged terrains. Several times he also fell into crevices, dangling precariously from a harness he had tied to his sled. But Mr Horn was never deterred. He believes in committing fully to challenges, which to him is easier than turning to simpler alternatives when the going gets tough. “For anything in life, you need courage,” he said. “The moment you cannot go any further and you think you are completely blocked in, you just have to be patient.” His patience and determination paid off when he successfully completed the crossing of Antarctica last February. “People ask me, ‘don’t you get tired?’ No, you don’t get tired because it’s like a playground for adventurers. That’s when you feel alive,” he said.
Family keeps him going Mr Horn believes in surrounding himself with people who love and care for him — one of whom is his late wife, who died of breast cancer two years ago. “She was the pillar behind everything that I did. Without her, I couldn’t do anything,” he said. He has two daughters, who had skied with him to the North Pole 14 years ago when they were just 11 and 12. Mr Horn said his love for his family was the reason he survived the many dangerous encounters on his journeys. “That bond that I have (with my family) is my insurance policy to dream big and make the right decision to come back home alive,” he said.
GRAPHIC: REYNARD ADRIANTO
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NEWS
THE NANYANG
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Taking the education path less travelled Some students have taken a longer and less conventional route to university, overcoming their fair share of challenges to adapt to university life Wee Rae WHILE most Singaporean males enter university at the age of 21, Balasaravana Nambiar only matriculated into NTU at age 27. His road to university was less straightforward than most of his peers. Balasaravana sat for the GCE O-level examination twice and studied at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) for the next two years. After graduating from ITE, he went on to do his National Service (NS) before enrolling in Singapore Polytechnic. Balasaravana then worked as an assistant engineer for a year before he finally entered NTU in 2015. It was during his one-year stint at Singapore Technologies Electronics in 2014 that Balasaravana realised a degree was essential for him to advance his career. While working as an assistant engineer, Balasaravana often had to take instructions from his superiors and found himself doing menial tasks such as conducting background research for projects. He wanted to be the one planning and taking charge of projects instead and this spurred him on to get a university degree. “I realised having a degree is important,” said the third-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, who is now 29. Balasaravana is not the only student who took a less conventional route to university. After completing her GCE A-level examination in 2012, 23-yearold Melanie Heng did not perform well enough to enter her desired university course. Heng enrolled into Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) instead, where she graduated with a diploma in Mass Communication Following her graduation from NP, the first-year School of Humanities student decided to work as a Singapore Airlines (SQ) flight attendant for two years before coming to NTU. “I just wanted to take a break from studying and earn some money before coming to university,” she said. For Balasaravana and Heng, adapting to the learning environment in NTU was a challenge. Said Balasaravana: “In ITE, the lecturers spoon-fed us a lot. In polytechnic, it was a bit more independent but the teachers were still largely there (for us) and willing to help. But in university, everything is left to us to handle on our own.”
School of Humanities student Melanie Heng, 23, quit her job as a Singapore Airlines flight attendant after two years to pursue a full-time degree in NTU.
PHOTO: MELANIE HENG
Heng felt that her two-year break from studying caused her to fall behind her peers. “For most girls, it’s a direct transition coming to university (from a junior college or polytechnic), but for me, it’s difficult because I have to gain the momentum to study again,” said Heng. Heng added that it was tougher for her to understand concepts during lessons as compared to her peers who did not take a break from school.
“I just wanted to take a break from studying and earn some money before coming to university.” Melanie Heng, 23 First-year student School of Humanities
Having to break out of her routine of going for flights was also a difficulty that Heng faced. “In SQ, it was like a routine because I mostly did the same things during flights, just that I faced different kinds of passengers each time. In school, I have to get used to doing different assignments and studying for different tests all the time,” she said. To keep up with the pace of lessons in NTU, Balasaravana and Heng relied on friends for help. “They (my friends) helped me revise concepts taught in class and always answered whatever questions I had,” said Balasaravana.
Balasaravana Nambiar, 29, realised the importance of a university degree after working as an assistant engineer for one year. PHOTO: BELICIA TEO Third-year student Vernon Goh, 26, spent five years as an Air Force engineer before coming to NTU. PHOTO: YEO WEI LUN
Another student who faced difficulties in adapting to university life is Vernon Goh, a third-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. The 26-year-old signed on with the Air Force when he was serving NS in 2012 and spent five years working as an Air Force engineer. Goh said his long hiatus from studying made it challenging for him to keep up with lessons during his first semester in NTU. He also had a hard time finding his motivation to study as he was so used to working in the army. “Once you start working, you don’t really feel like studying anymore because you’ll realise that studying does not have much purpose,” he said. “People who’ve only been study-
ing their entire life want to get good grades because getting good grades means getting a good job. But when you start working, you’ll find out that skills like social skills, problem-solving skills and planning skills are more important, and you can’t learn these in class.”
“In Singapore, you can't survive without a degree.” Vernon Goh, 26 Third-year student School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Goh was eventually able to keep pace with his school work and even scored “A”s for some of the modules he enjoyed taking. He cited
“Manufacturing Processes” as an example, a module on the fundamentals of manufacturing. Equipped with planning skills from his experience in the army, Goh also contributed to hall activities such as the Freshmen Orientation Camp (FOC). He is the current chairperson of Hall of Residence 16’s FOC programme. “One of my biggest takeaways from NS was planning (skills). I learnt how to plan for a lot of failures so that if something bad happens, I’ll always have a backup plan,” said Goh. “That’s why I join these (events) in university so that I can apply what I have learnt.” On why he decided to enrol in university after five years of working, Goh said: “In Singapore, you can’t survive without a degree.” “You just need to have that slip of paper so that people will give you a chance, and then you can present your other skills,” he added.
Lifestyle 1
Putting the brakes on books NTU is now the highest ranked Asian university in the QS University Rankings, but learning need not be limited to its classrooms. Tiong Linshan speaks to three NTU students on a semester-long Leave of Absence, who are chasing their dreams outside of school
BACK in school for the new semester and raring to go, these three NTU students share with the Nanyang Chronicle the adventures they had during their semester-long hiatus.
Michelin star hawker dreams Last semester, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) student Lee Lock Teng took a break from the books to wield a chef’s knife at his own hawker stall, Ah Lock Tofu, located at Yishun Park Hawker Centre. The 25-year-old, who started his third academic year in January 2018, spent over 12 hours each day mincing pork belly and preparing stuffed tofu for his signature Hakka Tofu dish. His stall serves a fusion of traditional Hakka yong tau foo and donburi (Japanese rice bowls), with prices ranging from $3 for his Hakka Meatball Mini Bowl to $6 for the Hakka Tofu Platter. While the choice to start a food and beverage (F&B) business came naturally to the passionate home
cook, who started cooking since he was 10, taking a break from school was something he mulled over for a long time. He eventually decided to apply for a Leave of Absence from the University last June to pursue his passion for cooking, as well as earn extra pocket money to pay for his university tuition fees later on. The ambitious hawker had to start from square one, learning the ins and outs of running his own hawker stall. “I had zero experience in running an F&B business,” he said. “It’s totally different from daily home cooking.” Lee experienced one of his biggest setbacks on his stall’s opening day. His initial plan to operate his stall from lunchtime fell through as kitchen preparations took much longer than expected. In the end, Lee was only able to open his stall for business in the evening. But these blips along the way have not dampened Lee’s entrepreneurial spirit. He had borrowed $5,000 from
relatives and set aside $5,000 of his own money for Ah Lock Tofu’s initial capital. By the second-month mark he had broken even, and could also roll out a new menu and revamp the stall in time for Yishun Park Hawker Centre’s grand opening last November. Even though business slowed down after two months due to smaller crowds, Lee still receives about 80 unique customers daily. On weekdays, he opens for dinner from 6pm to 9pm, but his food is usually sold out by 8pm. His family helps him to manage the day-to-day operations of the stall. Lee may be young, but he already has big ambitions in the future for his humble hawker stall. “My goal in this hawker business is to get the Michelin hawker award”, he proclaimed. And while his passion may lie in food, education remains a priority to him. Though he still has two more years left in NTU, Lee is determined to simultaneously juggle both his business and studies. Now a part-time student, Lee will
“My goal in this hawker business is to get the Michelin hawker award.” Lee Lock Teng, 25 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
spread his education over the next three and a half years to ensure that he can focus on his studies while still running his business. “When I can go into doing franchises, I can be more focused in school. I really want to complete my studies,” he said.
Beauty queen of only 22 When Lynette Chua joined the Miss Singapore Pageant International (MSPI) a year ago, she did not expect to take an LOA a few months later to represent Singapore for the Miss Asia Pacific International
(MAPI) pageant. Clinching the Miss Singapore Asia Pacific title at MSPI last August meant the third-year EEE student had to take a break from her studies to represent Singapore in the international round of the pageant. The finals were held last November in Manila, Philippines. Chua, 22, said her decision to enter MSPI was “initially out of fun”, as she had no plans for her summer break last year. The MAPI pageant was her fourth pageant in two years. In 2015, Chua participated in the NTU Sports Club Pageant, and in 2017, she also took part in the Campus Model Search. As the MAPI competition dates clashed with Chua’s semester-end final examinations, taking an LOA was her only choice if she wished to compete internationally. Chua was initially hesitant about putting her studies on hold as she was worried that it would affect the timeline of her studies. “I would be one semester behind my friends, and it’s also not the usual path people normally take,”
she said. But the thought of exploring options beyond her course of study won her over. Chua said: “I didn’t want to take (the LOA) at first. But I thought about it, and my parents were quite supportive. “I realised that it’s not every day I get this opportunity to represent Singapore on an international level, and I should just go for it since I’m still young.” While on her LOA, Chua’s previous routine of studying, captaining the Crescent Hall tennis team and training with NTU’s varsity tennis team was replaced by a hectic pageant training schedule. On top of attending pageant trainings, costume fittings and gym sessions, Chua was also working. Last September, she did a full-time internship at CIMB Bank, in addition to balancing a part-time job at health food store Guac & Go, where she made salad bowls. “The most important thing for me then was to make my semester productive, so that I wouldn’t feel like I wasted my time taking a semester off school,” she said. Chua also believes pursuing her pageant passion has helped her
“The most important thing for me then was to make my semester productive, so that I wouldn’t feel like I wasted my time taking a semester off school.” Lynette Chua, 22 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
stand out from her peers when applying for internships. “It looks interesting on my resumé — that’s actually how I got my first internship at CIMB Bank. My boss was quite surprised and said (my resume) is very different from others”, she said. Life as an engineering student was tough, said Chua, and taking a breather was just what she needed. “It definitely feels like I have achieved more in the past three months, as compared to just studying in school,” she said.
A shot at the games A 50-metre pistol training at 9am in Jalan Bahar. A 10-metre pistol
training at 3pm in Yishun. A postdinner gym session till 11pm, before heading home. That is what a typical training day for 26-year-old national shooter Hoong Shi Xiang looks like. The fourth-year student — who is on a double-degree programme at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and School of Social Sciences — was on a twosemester LOA, in preparation for the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games selections that took place over the months of December and January. During this time, Hoong was packing his schedule with shooting sessions four days a week. On weekends, he rested more — only having one shooting session alongside his gym workout. Hoong would spend Mondays, his only rest day, training with the Hall of Residence 13 cheer team. “That is my side activity to keep myself sane,” he said. His rigorous schedule was what led him to take a year off from school to focus solely on his shooting training. As Hoong fell short of being selected for both the 2015 and 2017 Southeast Asian Games by one placing, he is even more determined to succeed this time around. “My greatest fear is coming back after a two-year break with nothing. It’s not the medals,” he said. “More like, I couldn’t fulfil my dream of representing the nation for the two Games.” Hoong also had to battle peer pressure during his LOA. Many teammates and friends told him putting his studies on hold was not a good idea as grades should come first, he said. They found it difficult to understand why he would delay his graduation by a year, given that he had no intentions of going professional yet. In addition, training for shooting events may not be financially viable in the long term, according to Hoong, since he has not yet attained “Olympic standards”, which would come with a higher pay. Despite these challenges, Hoong decided to take a leap of faith to apply for a year-long LOA. Hoong’s family also remains a strong pillar of support as he pursues his dreams. “My mum is really supportive of my LOA and shooting pursuit,” he said. The only condition from his family, however, is that he has to complete at least one degree once he returns to school. Currently, he is still on the fence about whether he should finish both degree programmes, or forgo one in order to graduate earlier. But with his sights set on the Olympics in 2020 and 2024, especially since he did not make the cut
2
3 for the Youth Olympic Games back in 2010, training hard is Hoong’s top priority now. He said: “It’s really just the hope and desire that I will eventually make the team and represent Singapore in upcoming major games.” “What’s worth the hustle is that I see myself improving generally as a whole despite fluctuations from day to day. These improvements are going to better my chances when selections are here.”
1. Beauty queen Lynette Chua competed for the Miss Asia Pacific International title in Manila with 39 other ladies. PHOTO: Bryan Lee 2. In the lead-up to selections for the Commonwealth Games, Hoong Shi Xiang trained 6 days a week at the shooting range. PHOTO: Christy Yip 3. Young hawker Lee Lock Teng opened his Hakka yong tau foo stall at Yishun Park Hawker Centre last September, and now dreams of attaining a Michelin star for his hawker business. PHOTO: Christy Yip
10-11
Internships in
Internships allow students to develop work experience, and some places present this experience in unconventional ways. Dayna Yin explores such internships offered in the funeral and correctional industries AS THE saying goes: new semester, new you. No matter which year of study you are in, there is a chance internships are on your radar. NTU students are alerted to countless internship opportunities by the NTU Career and Attachment Office (CAO) via email, or through various career talks and job fairs happening on campus. “Whether long or short, the key point (of internships) is to hone the skills and industry acuity of our students,” said Ms Pfeiffer Chung, a CAO manager. “By taking on multiple internships, our students can be clearer about which organisation or industry suits them best in terms of interests, skills, personality and values,” she added. In the United States, more than half the number of student interns annually are offered full-time positions by employers after graduation from university, according to research by the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University published last year. Internships are even seen as a requirement for entry-level jobs in the engineering and infotechnology industries. Some industries, on the other hand, see internships as a way to introduce young people to their unique line of work, as the Nanyang Chronicle finds out.
Grave expectations When 36-year-old funeral director Ms Angjolie Mei started her company, The Life Celebrant, in 2010, she believed that training programmes were vital in the funeral industry. Since early last year, she launched internships in her company to introduce students to funeral service work, a field that she felt was enriching, despite it being considered taboo by many. “This is an industry that is not common, so we do want people to know more about what goes on behind the scenes,” said Ms Mei, who likens her work to a less conventional form of hospitality service. “We’re serving grieving families, helping them to send off their loved ones one last time. In this job, not only does it change your perception about life and death, but you quickly learn about the importance of empathy and respect because you are making an impact by how
you care for the deceased.” The Life Celebrant handles over 100 funerals annually, providing customisable, all-in-one services for the deceased. One of its unique offerings is “Showers of Love”, a service where family members can take part in the bathing and dressing of their loved one before the body is embalmed, giving families some “quality time” with the deceased before saying their final goodbyes. Interns are heavily involved in every step of a funeral service, from transporting the deceased to handling the logistics of a service, and even providing physical and emotional support for the family of the departed. As most applicants hope to learn about the industry, Ms Mei believes they should start by learning the importance of hospitality, with interns working as event staff during funerals - serving refreshments and helping to pack up after the service - before learning to consoling and offering emotional support to grieving families. This ensures that interns can familiarise themselves with the flow of a funeral and adjust emotionally and mentally to an environment involving grief and mourning. “We start simple, not rushing anyone into anything,” said Ms Mei, who describes hospitality as the “first touchpoint in the business” for students. “They (newcomers) probably applied because they were curious about the industry but have never touched a body before. We would still give them an introduction and have them watch how we work first. Once they are comfortable, they can join us proper,” she added. After a few rounds of helping at events, students who feel confident in taking on more responsibilities can begin shadowing full-time staff to help out in more specific tasks, such as dressing the deceased and other funeral preparations. While it is important to remain professional on the job, Ms Mei feels that a vital part of her team’s role during a service is forging a meaningful bond with the families they serve by understanding their needs and sharing their grief. For one of Ms Mei’s employees, Chelo Gay Chan, 35, talking to the bodies while she styles their hair or applies their makeup gives her con-
“They (newcomers) probably applied because they were curious about the industry but have never touched a body before. We would still give them an introduction and have them watch how we work first. Once they are comfortable, they can join us properly.” Ms Angjolie Mei, 36 Founder, The Life Celebrant
fidence and comfort in performing her duties, as she knows her work is crucial for families in their grieving process. “They can no longer take care of themselves and that’s why we’re here to help them,” said Ms Chan, who runs the “Showers of Love” service at TLC. “In a way, what I do at TLC is part of taking care of the family I am serving,” she added. In her seven years with TLC, Ms Chan felt that the most rewarding part of her job is seeing herself grow from someone who disliked funerals back home in the Philippines, to someone proud to have forged a career in the funeral industry today. “Can you imagine someone who avoided funerals and wakes before, and now she’s the one taking care of the deceased? I went through a 180-degree change and working here (at TLC) has helped me value life more,” she said. Since the internship programme started a year ago, The Life Celebrant has seen six interns supporting the team of 12 full-time staff. At this point, the company has no interns from NTU but Ms Mei would like to change that, with thes hopes that university students
“If you know why you chose to do something, everything else just falls into place easily.” Ms Angjolie Mei
in Singapore can give the funeral industry greater exposure and accredition. “TLC can offer students firsthand knowledge that prepares them in the event that they experience a passing at home. In a way, students can raise awareness by sharing their experiences with loved ones and we can work towards professionalising this industry,” said Ms Mei. Whether it is an intern, volunteer or full-time staff, Ms Mei is always on the lookout for empathetic indi-
viduals who do not mind the challenges that accompany this meaningful work. “If you know why you chose to do something, everything else just falls into place easily,” she said.
A career with conviction Final-year School of Social Sciences (SSS) student Samuel Chan stumbled upon a CAO email promoting the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) internship programme over the summer break last year. Little did he expect the short two-month internship to change the way he felt about the people behind bars. At the Psychological and Correctional Rehabilitation Division, Chan was tasked with reviewing the case files of various offenders and compiling his findings into a case study. The 25-year-old psychology student felt this was a rare opportunity to better understand offenders and put what he learned in university to good use.
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1 “When I read cases, I started to understand the offenders’ backgrounds, and how their actions led up to how the crime transpired,” said Chan. “If you were in their shoes and exposed to the things that they experienced before the offence, it’s not difficult to imagine a similar fate for yourself in that situation. I don’t think these offenders are that different from you and me,” he said. Since 2004, SPS has been conducting internship programmes in various divisions within the organisation, allowing students to apply their skills in real-world situations at a correctional agency. “The setting offers a different experience, giving students an opportunity to gain insights into how SPS creates a positive impact in the lives of offenders, their families and the community, through rehabilitation and reintegration efforts,” said SPS to the Nanyang Chronicle. As a project-based internship programme, SPS typically hosts a
batch of 10 undergraduate students from various local universities during its May-August and DecemberJanuary internship periods. Since 2012, SPS has partnered with CAO to bring credit-bearing internships to NTU students. For 23-year-old SSS student Wong Jin Ting, her Prisons internship was an exciting and enriching opportunity. Wong felt that she was creating real change in society by producing a research report aimed at improving inmate rehabilitation programmes. “My supervisors let me take charge of the research project, interviewing inmates and gathering our own feedback,” said Wong of her internship experience. “It was fulfilling because the supervisors really took our recommendations to heart,” she added. Inspired by her work and her sister who is a prison officer, Wong hopes to apply to become a prison officer after graduation next year. “I really liked what they (prison officers) do and how everyone was
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“I really liked what they (prison officers) do and how everyone was working towards making a difference in their (inmates’) lives. It’s a very unique experience.” Wong Jing Tung, 23 Final-year student SSS
working towards making a difference in their (inmates’) lives. It’s a very unique experience,” she said. SPS has seen a growing number of internship applicants over the years, and attributes it to the posi-
tive reviews and feedback the organisation has been receiving from former interns who “felt that they had contributed to a good cause” in their short time with SPS. “Students who had previously interned with us shared that their experience was an eyeopener where they witnessed how Captains of Lives (the official title given to Prisons personnel) worked closely as a team and collaborated with the community in making a positive difference in the lives of offenders and their families,” said SPS. For Chan, he was inspired not only by the work that goes into helping offenders, but also the work and resources that are offered to them after their release. “It gives you a different perspective of offenders,” said Chan, who credits his SPS experience for helping him realise that he wants to pursue work that is hands-on in helping others. “It also taught me about how
meaningful it is to work with not just these populations, but also those who are in need, and I want that to be something in my career.” 1. The Life Celebrant (TLC) conducts internships throughout the year, and is open to having students shadow and participate with the team to gain first-hand experience of every aspect in bereavement services. PHOTO: Dayna Yin 2. Showers of Love is one of the services at TLC that includes families in the grooming and preperations before the deceased’s casket presentation, as a way for families to spend a few final moments with their loved one. PHOTO: Dayna Yin 3. The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) hosts interns from various majors and local universities, giving them an opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills at Singapore’s only correctional agency. PHOTO: Singapore Prison Service
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LIFESTYLE
THE NANYANG
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CHRONICLE 05
LEARNING
E D I S T U O THE BOX Learning can often be enhanced with experiences outside the classroom. Clara Lee takes a look at modules that went beyond the textbook to challenge students last semester STUDENTS from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) and the School of Computer Science and Engineering (SCSE) took modules last semester that moved them away from their textbooks and into the community. The Nanyang Chronicle spoke to these NTU students about their modules’ most memorable moments and challenges.
This Is Yishun Held over the weekend of 4 and 5 Nov, a team of 26 students from the WKWSCI Photojournalism module held a free photo exhibition showcasing their works from the past semester. Titled This Is Yishun, visitors got the chance to see the eponymous neighbourhood in a new, positive light through a collection of photo essays at the new Yishun Park Hawker Centre. Yishun was selected on account of the town’s supposed “bad reputation” for a series of crimes, such as cat killings and homicides. The students’ photo essays were centred around old businesses and trades in Yishun, putting residents such as Singapore's last remaining frame-maker under the spotlight. Apart from being a visual experience, the event also included an “Instagram walk” from Chong Pang to the exhibition venue. Participants who signed up received firsthand tips from social media influencers Cheryl Chew and Veronica Ang — Singapore’s Instagrammers of The Year 2017 — on getting the perfect shot. The students received recognition for their efforts when the event garnered media attention from news publications such as The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao and The New Paper. The exhibition was helmed by four students who pitched the idea to the class and and won with the
most number of votes. One of the four students, finalyear WKWSCI student Abigail Ng, revealed how they had to delegate the workload by sorting the class into various portfolios - the exhibition team, publicity team, reporters and business managers. “It’s a lot more work compared to taking an exam, but there is also a lot more purpose. We get to hone our skills,” said the 22-year-old. Being in-charge of such an event allowed her to hone her management skills, especially in terms of human resource and making sure that they met important deadlines, she added. “This module really exposed us to various challenges we typically aren't used to facing in a written exam. Compared to posting photos online, physical space needs to be rationed more carefully,” Ng said.
“It’s a lot more work compared to taking an exam, but there is also a lot more purpose. We get to hone our skills.” Abigail Ng, 22 Final-year student WKWSCI
The students were mostly left to their own devices and had the creative freedom to curate the exhibition however they pleased, said Mr Samuel He, the instructor in charge of the CS2044 Photojournalism module. “I like to teach in a way that isn’t restricted to the classroom because the nature of photography makes it a very visual medium. The students need to learn to put themselves out
1 1. Among those featured in the photo exhibition is Mr Lim Yow Hoon, who teaches and gives free Yuen Shi Dian massages, similar to acupuncture, to elderly residents. To show his appreciation, the 61-year-old set up a booth at the exhibition venue on the second day. PHOTO: Bryan Lee
2 there,” said the 34-year-old. “I don’t know if continuing with this mode of assessment would be feasible but I know that I would continue extending my students’ outreach beyond the campus.”
Building a better future, one robot at a time In the labs of SCSE, 250 students taking the CZ3004 Multi-Disciplinary Design Project (MDP) module worked hard on their semester-long assignment. Each group of eight students was tasked to build a robot that could traverse a 2-metre by 1.5-metre arena. The teams had a semester to create a fully-functioning machine that could avoid collision with the arena’s “walls” with the help of sensors and algorithms. The winning teams would showcase their robots at NTU open houses and during visitations from distinguished alumni, where they would skilfully manoeuvre the robots through a maze. These robots would also be put on display when prospective students visit NTU. To encourage healthy competition and better results, the teams were ranked based on the amount of time it took for their product to find the “fastest path” from one end to another. The leaderboard was updated on
a weekly basis as students made improvements to their design, motivated by the desire to emerge triumphant in the final standing announced in week 13. This mode of assessment has produced quality results with every cohort, as observed by course instructor, Dr Smitha K G. “The students practically live in the lab during the semester, and it is through this project that eight very different individuals come together to work towards a common goal,” said Dr Smitha. By complementing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, she believes that they can experience working with others when they enter the workforce where certain demands have to be met. Taking this module in his third year at SCSE, Thomas Lim Jun Wei shares the same sentiment. Apart from the friendships forged through this journey, the 24-year-old believes that this module has taught him the importance of teamwork. “Having such an assessment would be beneficial for future scenarios in the workforce, where we would have to deliver a fully-functioning product based on certain requirements,” he added. Final-year SCSE student Jerel Quay also agreed with the objectives of the course.
2. SCSE students taking the CZ3004 Multi-disciplinary Design Project (MDP) module are split into groups of eight and tasked to build a robot within a semester. PHOTO: Christy Yip
“I prefer this mode of assessment because it puts our theoretical knowledge to test in a real-life scenario. It’s very different seeing the things you have learnt about in textbooks come to life by your creation,” he said. The 25-year-old added that despite the long hours, seeing his ideas come to fruition when the robot completed the course made it all worth it. Some students even believe that examinations are rendered obsolete in this day and age. SCSE student Lau Yi Hong, 26, said: “Most of us forget the information we have memorised for exams and at the end of the day, we would resort to Google anyway. But practical skills can never be Googled.” Dr Smitha said that this opens up opportunities for students to put what they have done on display and encourages them to take ownership of their work. “Such modules are crucial to the students’ learning experience. We can impart as much theoretical knowledge as we want but it does not beat (them) seeing it for themselves,” said Dr Smitha. “I hope to see more modules like this across faculties and to let our students take their learning beyond the classroom setting,” she added.
MARITIME PAVILION – Coordinated by Singapore Maritime Foundation Clarksons Platou Howe Robinson Partners Pte. Ltd. J. Lauritzen Singapore Pte Ltd Jurong Port Keppel Offshore & Marine Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) Maritime Singapore Connect Miclyn Express Offshore Pacific International Lines Pte Ltd Thome Ship Management Pte Ltd
POWERING LIVES – Coordinated by Energy Market Authority Energy Market Authority Keppel Infrastructure Holdings Pte Ltd Powering Lives Information Centre Red Dot Power Pte Ltd Sembcorp Industries Ltd Singapore LNG Corporation Pte Ltd SP Group Sunseap Group Pte Ltd
ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING
COMMODITY & NATURAL RESOURCES Rio Tinto
ENERGY & CHEMICALS Clariant (Singapore) Pte Ltd Ecolab Firmenich Halliburton Leeden National Oxygen Ltd Mitsui Chemicals Asia Pacific Ltd MODEC Offshore Production Systems (Singapore) Pte Ltd TOTAL
ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING ABB Pte Ltd Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) Air Liquide Singapore Private Limited Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) DSO National Laboratories Keyence Singapore Pte Ltd Lam Research Singapore Pte Ltd Panasonic R&D Center Singapore RF360 Singapore Pte Ltd Schlumberger SMRT Corporation Ltd ST Engineering Tetra Pak Asia Pte Ltd TÜV SÜD PSB Pte Ltd
LOGISTICS & TRANSPORTATION Changi Airport Group (S) Pte Ltd Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation PSA Corporation Limited SBS Transit Scoot Singapore Airlines Limited ST Logistics Pte Ltd
3M AGC Group (AGC Asahi Glass) Akribis Systems AMD Applied Materials ASM Technology Singapore Pte Ltd Aurecon Beng Hock Mechanical Engineering Pte Ltd Delta Electronics Int’l (Singapore) Pte Ltd DenseLight Semiconductors Pte Ltd Dyson EDMI Limited Entrepreneur First Hilti Asia HOPE Technik IMI Critical Engineering Jardine Engineering (Singapore) Pte Ltd Johnson Controls (S) Pte Ltd Jurong Engineering Limited Lite-On Singapore Lumileds Maintech Engineering & Supplies Pte Ltd Makino Asia Pte Ltd Meiden Singapore Pte Ltd Mott Macdonald Singapore Pte Ltd PCI Limited Qualcomm Realtek Singapore REC Solar Pte Ltd RedMart Limited Renesas Electronics Corporation RoviSys SATS Ltd SGInnovate Shimano (Singapore) Pte Ltd Showa Denko HD Singapore SIA Engineering Company Limited Singapore Flying College STATS ChipPAC Pte. Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Textron Aviation Toyota Tsusho Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology (Asia) Pte. Ltd. UMC
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Teralytics
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, BASEMENT 1
6 February 2018
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, LEVEL 3
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, BASEMENT 1
1 February 2018
COMMODITY PAVILION – Coordinated by Centre of Excellence International Trading Borouge Pte Ltd Lobb Heng Pte Ltd South32 Marketing Pte Ltd TopTip Holding Pte Ltd Trafigura Pte Ltd Wilmar International Limited
COMMODITY & NATURAL RESOURCES Anglo American Marketing Limited Singapore Branch CONSULTING & PROFESSIONAL SERVICES JDX Consulting Mercer (Singapore) Pte Ltd Orbium Pte Ltd PeopleSearch Pte Ltd Phaidon International (Singapore) Pte Ltd Randstad Pte Limited Synpulse Singapore Pte. Ltd. The Learning Lab TOP CAREER International
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Capgemini Singapore Pte Ltd Centre for Strategic Infocomm Technologies Certis Cognizant Technology Solutions CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd FDM Group Fuji Xerox Singapore Gemalto Pte Ltd Hewlett Packard Enterprise HP Inc. Institute for Infocomm Research (A*STAR) Integrated Health Information Systems Pte Ltd Keppel Data Centres NEC Asia Pacific Pte Ltd PCS Security Pte Ltd Quantum Inventions Pte Ltd R Systems SAP Sea Shopee SP Sysnet Pte Ltd Tata Communications International Pte Ltd Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Titansoft Pte Ltd Uber Unit4 Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Xtremax Zendesk Singapore Pte Ltd Zuhlke Engineering Pte Ltd
List of Organisations
BDO LLP Mazars LLP RSM
BANKING & FINANCE Bloomberg L.P. Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank DBS Bank Ltd Flow Traders FOMO Pay Pte. Ltd. Goldman Sachs OCBC Bank Ltd PhillipCapital RHB Bank Singapore TD Securities United Overseas Bank Limited
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Acronis Asia Research and Development Pte Ltd Akamai Technologies Singapore Pte Ltd Anacle Systems Limited Aspire Systems Consulting Pte Ltd Avanade Asia Pte Ltd AxiomSL Singapore BitTitan Catena Technologies Pte Ltd CDNetworks Singapore Pte Ltd Chinsay Pte Ltd CTC Global Pte Ltd Cyber Security Agency of Singapore D’Crypt Pte Ltd Ecquaria Technologies Pte Ltd First Derivatives HCL Singapore Pte Ltd Huawei International Pte Ltd ilmuOne Data MVI Technologies NextLabs International Pte Ltd NTT Data Business Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd PatSnap Pte Ltd PleoData Pte Ltd Ramco Singtel Group Skyfy Technology Pte Ltd Ufinity Pte Ltd Wego Pte Ltd Works Applications Singapore Pte. Ltd.
INSURANCE Aviva AXA Insurance Pte Ltd General Insurance Association of Singapore Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia NTUC Income Prudential Assurance Company Singapore
ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING
BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES & HEALTHCARE
ASE Singapore Aztech Group Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd GLOBALFOUNDRIES Singapore Pte Ltd Keysight Technologies Singapore (International) Pte Ltd Linxens Singapore Pte Ltd Micron Rohde & Schwarz Asia Seagate Siemens Pte Ltd STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific Pte Ltd Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Co. Xilinx Asia Pacific Pte Ltd
Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) Duke-NUS Medical School Edwards Lifesciences (Singapore) Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology MSD International GmbH National Healthcare Group Novartis Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Pte Ltd ResMed SGInnovate Singapore Health Services
NON-PROFIT & PHILANTHROPY Autism Association (Singapore) Autism Resource Centre (S) / Pathlight School
PUBLIC SERVICE Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore Central Provident Fund Board Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau Economic Development Board Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) Housing & Development Board Info-communications Media Development Authority Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore JTC Land Transport Authority Ministry of Communications and Information Ministry of Defence Ministry of Education Ministry of Finance Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ministry of Home Affairs Ministry of Law Ministry of Social and Family Development National Environment Agency National Library Board National Trades Union Congress People’s Association PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency Singapore Armed Forces (Air Force) Singapore Armed Forces (Army) Singapore Armed Forces (Navy) Singapore Customs Singapore Department of Statistics Urban Redevelopment Authority
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, LEVEL 3
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, LEVEL 3
ACCOUNTING & AUDITING
NANYANG AUDITORIUM, BASEMENT 1
9 February 2018
BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION CapitaLand Limited CTBH Dredging International Asia Pacific Gammon Pte. Limited HSL Constructor Pte Ltd Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd John Holland Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants Keppel Land International KTC Civil Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd Leighton Asia Samwoh Corporation Pte Ltd Tiong Aik Construction Pte Ltd Woh Hup (Private) Limited
CONSUMER BUSINESS BreadTalk Group Ltd BRF Singapore Foods DFS Venture Singapore (Pte) Ltd Mondelez International NTUC Fairprice Co-Operative Limited Uniqlo (Singapore) Pte Ltd
ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING MediaTek Singapore Pte Ltd
HOSPITALITY, TOURISM & MICE Clariden Global Marriott International
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY Epic
MEDIA & MARKETING Dentsu Singapore Pte Ltd Essence GroupM Singapore Nielsen PRecious Communications Singapore Press Holdings Limited Text100 Pte Ltd Times Publishing Group Wunderman Y&R
CAO CLARITY Booth
Nanyang Auditorium, Level 1, 2 & 3 Planning your route for Career Fair 2018? Make CAO CLARITY booth one of your ‘must visit’ stops to pick up key career tips and ensure you make the right impression at the fair.
Receive a complimentary limited edition SODA bag when you visit the CAO CLARITY booth.
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CAREER TAG Do I shake hands with my interviewers? Do I ask a salary and benefits question? How ready are you for your next interview? Challenge yourself on how much you know in a Career Tag competition and stand to win attractive prizes!
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SPOTLIGHT
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New semester, new perspective Amid the hype over newly built halls, facilities and buildings, photojournalists Christy Yip and Belicia Teo take a new look at some of NTU's old charms
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1. Housing the University's faculty members and their families, Nanyang Heights, built in 1994, is a common spot where children can be seen having fun at the playground, while others walk their dogs every evening. 2. The running track and multi-purpose courts at the Sports and Recreation Centre have become a second home for generations of sports teams and running enthusiasts, who train at these spaces. 3. The Swimming Pool Complex is made up of an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a children's waddling pool, and a diving pool. The complex sees a surge in bookings every July when Freshmen Orientation Programmes hold various water activities there. PHOTOS: FONG WEI JIE
ART DIRECTION: BELICIA TEO, CHRISTY YIP
Opinion EDITORIAL
OFF THE BEATEN PATH EVERY year, more than 20,000 students begin their new phase of life in university. While a majority of the cohort have taken the well-trodden path towards academic excellence — first studying at a junior college or polytechnic and then on to university — a handful of individuals have taken a detour or two along the way. Be it working their way up from vocational institutes like the Institute of Technical Education, serving the nation in the armed forces or taking on odd jobs, these students deserve our respect and applause — for their endless pursuit of education and experience, for daring to be different and for pushing themselves to challenge the norm. These individuals may choose to start university a few years later than their peers, but are in no way disadvantaged. Whether or not they are more book smart is irrelevant; the experiences they received in the working world and their determined climb through Singapore’s education system would have lent them credibility. Indeed, there is a wealth of knowledge that may be gained from working first before going back to school. These might be valuable life
skills that one can learn and acquire only beyond the confines of the classroom. To encourage more students to enter the workforce and acquire these skills, the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) launched their SkillsFuture Work-Study Degree Programmes last February. These programmes allow students to take on jobs and receive sponsorships to study for their degrees at the same time. While SIT’s programmes are more focused on the engineering sector, SUSS offers programmes in finance and business analytics. National University of Singapore has also announced plans to introduce six- to 18-month internships in its three computing programmes namely information security, business analytics and data science. It is only a matter of time before NTU steps up its game and does the same with its programs. So do not be surprised the next time your schoolmate tells you he was only a freshman at 25 or even older. He might have just decided to see the world a little more or to acquire life skills before starting his paper chase, and there is nothing wrong with that.
THE NANYANG
CHRONICLE CHIEF EDITOR
OPINION EDITOR
LAYOUT SUPERVISOR
MANAGING EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
PRODUCTION SUPPORT
SUB-EDITORS
ONLINE EDITOR
Dewey Sim Paige Lim
Adora Tan Ignatius Koh
NEWS EDITORS Gracia Lee Natalie Choy
Khairul Anwar Candy Choo
PHOTO EDITOR Christy Yip
Yeo Kai Wen Joe Tok Kenny Wong
FACULTY ADVISORS Wu Shangyuan Zakaria Zainal
GRAPHIC EDITOR
LIFESTYLE EDITORS Alicia Teng Jovi Ho
Chloe Then
Reynard Adrianto
BUSINESS MANAGERS Vanessa Tan Vinice Yeo
A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446
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GRAPHIC: DIANE LIM
Appreciating our unsung heroes Wee Rae A FEW years ago, my grandfather worked as a cleaner in a secondary school. He carried a “wet floor” sign, a mop and a pail, up and down eight long flights of stairs every morning. He was 85 years old then. One day, when I went to visit my grandparents, I saw stacks of paper on the dining table that read in both English and Mandarin: “Please keep the toilets clean”. My grandfather intended to stick these signs in the toilets all around the school because of how filthy they were. He later revealed to me that the signs had been either torn up or strewn on the floor. Throughout his two years of working as a cleaner, my grandfather has had his share of unpleasant experiences — from having his “wet floor” sign stolen to clearing faeces on the floor. During his two years of service, not a single student went up to my grandfather to thank him for keeping the school clean. Hearing firsthand the struggles my grandfather faced taught me one thing: to do my part in keeping the environment clean, and to always show appreciation towards these cleaners. In a survey conducted by the Singapore Kindness Movement in 2017, the number of people who cleaned up after their own meals in public and kept public toilets clean and dry after their usage fell from 5.83 to 5.52 and 6.17 to 5.88 respectively as compared to 2016, out of a scale of 10. Though these figures reflect badly on our society, I wonder how
many of us have stopped to reflect upon our actions and tried to make a conscious effort to change. Last October, former top civil servant Lim Siong Guan said at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)-Nathan lecture, that the nation should now work towards cultivating a First World society, having already developed a First World economy. He added that a First World society is one that is based on the graciousness people express and receive from each other. Making reference to The Hidden Wealth of Nations by David Halpern, Mr Lim said that the key to making our society happier is not through accumulating more wealth, but by improving the quality of relationships —in which graciousness is an essential trait. It saddens me to know that despite Singapore’s successes in the past few years, Singaporeans still have to be reminded to be gracious. Based on the World Giving Index, an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation, in 2016, Singapore ranked 28th out of the 140 countries polled in three areas — volunteering, donating to charity and helping a stranger. On the other hand, Myanmar, a country with an emerging economy, has topped the index for the third year running. Many countries look to Singapore to learn how we gained economic success despite being such a small state. But when it comes to learning about interpersonal skills such as caring for one another, we have to look to other countries like Myanmar instead. Living on campus for the past
year has exposed me to many similar sightings my grandfather saw — sinks choked with food remnants, toilet bowls left unflushed or clogged with toilet paper, and dustbins overflowing with takeaway boxes, drink cans and alcohol. Yet, when such occurrences happen, we choose to point fingers at the cleaners and blame them for doing a bad job. Whenever my friends and I talk about the toilets in hall being dirty or dustbins not being cleared, comments like “I don’t know what the cleaners are doing” or “Maybe they’re just lazy” often come up. Ironically, when the dustbins are overflowing, people continue to stack their rubbish or leave it by the side of the dustbin instead of throwing it in the rubbish chute, often leading to food spillage. In 2015, the inaugural Cleaners’ Appreciation Day was held on 3 May, where more than 4,000 cleaners in Singapore received tokens of appreciation from the People’s Action Party Town Councils. But we do not need to wait for an event like this to express our appreciation to these people whom we see almost every day. Simple things like keeping the place around us clean or disposing bulkier waste into the rubbish chute, could be a great help to the cleaners. A simple smile or thank you could also make their day. While these cleaners may be paid to clean up after us, it does not hurt to help in areas where we can. For my grandfather, his time at the school would have been much more fulfilling if students did not treat him like he was invisible.
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OPINION 15
THE NANYANG
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The survival of words in our online jungle Alicia Teng Lifestyle Editor “CAN you cut down on the text by half? People won’t read it.” That was the first comment I received from my editor on a travel piece I wrote for a lifestyle publication two years ago. Having just returned from my first sponsored overseas assignment to Taipei, I was enthusiastically packing the listicle with detailed descriptions and information of Taiwanese cuisine. My editor’s comments left me stumped. Were these not travel writing essentials? What ensued was a flurry of revisions — a week’s worth of writing, slashed within hours. I learnt the hard way that exhaustive paragraphs no longer apply — at least not for online lifestyle writing because audiences’ expectations have since shifted. In the Internet age, attention spans have gotten shorter. Traffic analysis of several online editorials, conducted by data scientist Josh Schwartz in 2014, found that most readers barely make it past an article’s halfway mark. Few have the time and patience to read through a full-length feature article.
An abundance of listicles In the jungle of online media, traditional long-form writing has been overtaken by the listicle. This style of short-form writing — think 10 Must Try Taipei Food Spots, a listicle for example — allows readers to digest content quickly and systematically. This inclination could be due to the brain digesting categorised chunks of bite-sized information more easily — as revealed by data in a 2014 research study titled The Top-Ten Effect. The issue of changing audience demands is particularly pronounced in online lifestyle journalism — travel features, food reviews and event coverage alike. Readers are generally not looking for in-depth observations of a place, nor do they need several paragraphs of background on how a dish is prepared. They just want to know what is available, and where to find it. Online media today is saturated with listicles. Companies such as INSIDER and Buzzfeed churn them out regularly, with Asia-based publications like Lifestyle Asia and The Smart Local following suit. A problem with listicles is that it is easy to slide into poor quality writing, while producing insubstantial pieces. University of Central Florida humanities professor Nathan Holic bluntly labels them as “content for the sake of content”, among criticisms that they serve simply to
GRAPHIC: AMY ONG
generate site traffic, without actual journalistic value. Understandably, it can be frustrating for a writer, who has dedicated hours to crafting a quality piece, to realise that readers would rather breeze through a listicle than read a feature-length article. I have learned to cull the number of words I use while writing shortform lifestyle pieces. I have stopped myself from crowding a listicle or food review with text. My editors provided guidance and gave me freedom in terms of writing style, so eventually, I got used to the idea of “less is more”. But sometimes, I still feel stifled — especially when one has so much to say about the complex flavours in a dish, or the quirky details in a foreign destination. Unfortunately, there is never enough space in the structure of short-form pieces. By the time I switched from fulltime to freelance work, the rule of thumb was to only have one to two paragraphs per image. Now, even my article on Taipei’s lively food scene would be considered way too long by today's standards.
The rise of multimedia Also, audiences now prefer videos. The mix of movement and sound in videos is a perfect recipe for attracting viewers’ attention, according to psychologist Dr Susan Weinschenk in her 2013 behavioural science webinar. During my lifestyle editorial internship, I witnessed the transition from words to visuals at my company. Articles have become photoheavy, with shorter paragraphs and snappier writing. When I left, the company had just started a dedicated department for creating one-minute Facebook video features. Online video quality has improved. Editing and cinematography have become slicker and more creative, culminating in energetic lifestyle videos that resound well with viewers. Take SHOUT’s Talad Neon Night Market video for instance. With drone shots, upbeat tracks and dynamic food close-ups, this production by the local media company has since garnered over two million views on Facebook. The soft nature of lifestyle content makes it exceptionally suitable
for this video format. Stunning visuals and well-crafted transitions make the content exciting, with words kept mainly to short text overlays. According to market researcher Forrester Research in 2014, a oneminute video is the equivalent of 1.8 million words. People tend to absorb information from videos much quicker, as more senses are activated through the content. Media publisher Digiday discovered in 2016 that videos are shared seven times more often than website links, across the top 14 publishers on Facebook.
Long-form journalism lives Accepting the differing preferences of the online audience is especially essential. It is also important to acknowledge that no single medium will remain top dog for long. Online short videos are all the rage now. But in the near future, perhaps virtual and augmented reality might take over. As media and technology evolve, so will society. Our current methods of consuming information will likely change with the times.
To survive the threats posed by other mediums, digital lifestyle journalism must form a mutualistic relationship with them. VICE’s food-focused digital site MUNCHIES is one example — combining editorial and video content to create mixed-media series centred around a place or trend. Indeed, in the world of online media, words still have their value. As online editorial Content Insights writer Em Kuntze puts it: “There’s always going to be a demand for in-depth news and journalism, because we’re human and we’re curious.” Long-form journalism provides a rich narrative format for breaking down complicated news stories, or for turning an unknown town into a compelling travel destination. That said, listicles are excellent for distilling content, and for providing a clear, organised format for readers to absorb details. For online editorials to survive the age of videos and listicles, writers need be constantly aware of the evolving demands of their audience, while ensuring that quality is always maintained. Only then, can long-form writing thrive online.
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Nothing but the breast intentions
PHOTOS: DAYNA YIN
Dayna Yin I NEVER thought that breastfeeding would become such a big part of my life. Before you think congratulations are in order, no, I’m not a new mother or am becoming one anytime soon. I have barely explored the world of dating, let alone motherhood. But somehow, breastfeeding has taken over the bulk of my interests and school work since last semester, simply because I wanted to fight the stigma of public breastfeeding among mothers in Singapore. It all began when one of my school assignments required me to come up with a social media campaign based on a social issue. Looking at the pool of options out there, nothing hit me quite as hard as the physical, emotional and mental toll motherhood had taken on my sister as a first-time mother. The one thing she was most concerned about as a mother, was having to breastfeed in public. As her son fussed under nursing covers, my sister was always forced to choose to either have a child hungry and crying, or get stares for breastfeeding without a cover in public. Times like these made frantic searches for nursing rooms a common affair, even affecting her milk
supply at times from the stress she had to be under. It broke my heart to see how my sister was being “attacked” on all fronts, having to face public judgement for indecent exposure or suffer through her painful eczema breakouts caused by hormonal imbalance from breastfeeding. At times it just seemed easier for her to stop breastfeeding altogether, so that she could heal and feel like herself again. Thankfully, she was not alone. In Singapore, the 2011 National Breastfeeding Survey found that both working and stay-at-home mothers stopped breastfeeding earlier than expected due to their inability to produce enough milk. These shorter breastfeeding periods are likely due to the stressful environments mothers are exposed to, as revealed in a 2012 study by the University of Rochester. From research and conversations with breastfeeding mothers, it was evident that the fear of judgement from non-mothers, and men especially, were stopping them from feeding their own children in public when the need calls for it. I felt that if a band of mothers in Singapore were to come together through our campaign, we could show that public breastfeeding is a
mother’s right. Then, public acceptance could be greater, because mothers would be sharing their side of the story. Thus, the Bare It For Baby campaign was born.
Bare-ly understood: the gaps in public knowledge Over the course of eight weeks, our campaign featured mothers from all walks of life breastfeeding in some of Singapore’s most common public spaces. From parks to swimming pools and even in an arcade, I went around Singapore to take these photos and to talk to these mothers about their breastfeeding journey. As I came to understand the complexity of this problem, I realised that if non-mothers were not crossing paths with mothers, they would always perceive public breastfeeding as a controversial talking point. Bare It For Baby began as a positive online movement advocating for a mother’s right to breastfeed anywhere in Singapore. The movement subsequently received media coverage in Mothership, Shin Min Daily News and The Smart Local’s sister site, Zula. With more media coverage, more people took notice of the campaign, leading to more mothers
coming forward to be part of the photo series. Yet, based on first impressions that I gathered, it was baffling to find that many non-mothers were unaware of the basic rights of a mother in Singapore. Some thought that public breastfeeding was illegal, and raised concerns as to whether I was allowed to post such material. I was not surprised by that response because I, too, googled whether public breastfeeding was legal in Singapore. To my surprise, search results showed that every mother actually has the right to publicly breastfeed and there is no law against it in Singapore. In fact, the Health Promotion Board has been actively promoting breastfeeding among mothers, with advertisements about it from as early as the 1980s. The fact that me and my friends were uncertain about a mother’s rights and questioned their breastfeeding choices showed the need for concerted efforts to empower mothers in Singapore. Another issue that came to light recently were online comments made by keyboard warriors about the campaign. Ever since online content site,
Mothership, covered the campaign on their site, men (and even mothers) made several derogatory comments and accused our campaign of glamourising the act of breastfeeding, sexualising breasts in an unnecessary manner. These comments only serve to reflect the backward thinking of society and how we should instead, encourage greater acceptance of public breastfeeding. While I do encourage all to visit the Bare it for Baby website, at times I receive insensitive comments that question our effort towards the campaign and undermine a mother’s act of love towards her child. I intend to drive conversations towards public breastfeeding, but such negativity and unnecessary remarks deter many others from standing up for something they believe in. At the end of it all, before we can talk about society looking out for mothers, we need to find out a whole lot more about motherhood and how tough it really is. If this campaign taught me anything, it is the importance of speaking to a mother and asking her about her experiences. There is no excuse, we all know one in our lives.
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canteen talk
No need to speed into adulthood
What did turning 18 mean to you?
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Turning 18 did not mean much, besides getting your driving license. The day I turned 18, I registered for driving lessons, as it was something I always planned to do. Kimbeily Christopher, 20, School of Social Sciences Year 1
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It meant having more freedom and being able to drink legally. It didn’t feel special other than that. Alison Chiang, 19, Nanyang Business School Year 1
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I think every birthday is important, not only 18 but 19 too. But it brought about the question of registering for driving lessons, which was something I was looking forward to. Sathish Jayabalan, 24 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Year 4
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In Norway, you can buy alcohol, get your driving license, and you can vote for the government when you turn 18. You’re independent for the first time. Aleksander Jaeger, 22, Exchange student Norway
GRAPHIC: DIANE LIM
Ginnette Ng HOW do people around the world celebrate their children’s passage into adulthood? For the Jewish, boys celebrate Bar Mitzvah when they turn 13, a common birthday ritual to signify that they are now recognised as adults and are responsible for themselves. In many Latin American families, girls celebrate their transition into womanhood with a birthday bash known as Quinceañera (Spanish for “15-year-old girl”). In the United States, “sweet 16” birthday parties are highly popular, particularly because it also marks the age at which one can get their driver’s license. For Singaporeans, this is age 18, when we are seen to enter into adulthood when we are old enough to drive. So, after my 18th birthday, it became a common conversation at many family dinners and Chinese New Year gatherings: “When are you going to get your license?” To which I would respond: “I don’t want to drive.” My family had expected me to jump at the chance of exercising the latest legal right I had earned as a young adult. My uncle thought my decision to not want to drive was a foolish and lazy one. Similarly, my friends were surprised at how firmly I was objecting to driving. A few of them had signed up for driving lessons after turning 18; some even started lessons while in the middle of their GCE A-level examination revision. Now in university, most of them would have been driving for at least two years. They were excited about this rite of passage that gave them greater independence, and perhaps, even symbolised another step into adult-
hood. The convenience of being able to go anywhere quickly and comfortably was another appeal.
Too much of a pretty penny But even with a driving license, it will be several years before most of us can afford a car. When we graduate, between our other daily expenses and paying off tuition loans, buying a car will be out of the question for many. The starting pay of fresh graduates pales in comparison to the cost of a Certificate of Entitlement (COE) alone. The median starting pay was $3,360 in 2016, according to a survey conducted by National University of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University. Meanwhile, the cost of a COE for smaller cars (up to 1,600cc and 130bhp) was around $50,000 in the first half of 2017. This is more than the total tuition cost of around $40,000 for a four-year undergraduate degree, after factoring in the subsidies for Singaporeans. For those who are allowed to take their parents’ cars out for a spin, it is usually on days that their parents do not drive to work and this may not be a daily privilege.
Watch your carbon footprint Also, the environmental implications of motor vehicles cannot be denied. Private vehicles contribute to the largest share of carbon emissions by the transport sector in Singapore. It is twice that of emissions from public transportation like buses and the Mass Rapid Transit. Despite the availability of electrical cars and hybrid cars, these make up less than 2 per cent of cars on the road, according to the Land Trans-
port Authority’s annual statistics from 2016. While the effects of climate change can already be felt, lifestyle changes that may seem small still play a part in slowing it down.
The road ahead Fortunately, more Singaporeans are choosing not to drive at all. There is a falling trend in the number of people who see the need to learn how to drive. According to government findings, about 11,000 driving licenses were issued in 2016, almost a seventh of the number in 2008. This is no surprise considering the popularity of ride-sharing and taxi services like Uber and Grab in recent years. Expanded and added bus routes around residential areas have also made public transportation highly accessible and convenient. This trend will likely continue, with the introduction of bike-sharing schemes in Singapore, which make short commutes simpler and more efficient. Nevertheless, my parents are still unconvinced by my unyielding position. My mother tells me I will change my mind in due time, once I have children. But I have also seen some incredible and resilient mothers in my daily commute — one handled her newborn, the pram and her groceries all at once on the moving bus. Not to mention, many old folks get around their neighbourhoods via public transportation. If they can do it, so can I. Perhaps I will change my mind in the years ahead, when my parents are older and less mobile. But while I am still young, I do not mind toughing it out with many other Singaporeans on the buses and trains.
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Sports
Superstitions in sports
Superstitious Sports Stars
Former tennis world No. 1 Serena Williams wears the same pair of socks throughout a tournament, without washing it.
Golf world No. 2 Tiger Woods will only use a red shirt if he golfs on a Sunday.
Athletes and coaches alike turn to superstitions for success Adeena Nagib Before every floorball match, 22-yearold Muhammad Khalis Rizauddin will put Ray Jones Jr’s Can’t Be Touched on repeat to get him in the mood for the game. “When I listen to it, I feel unstoppable,” said the NTU floorballer, a second-year School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student. “I can relate to the lyrics because I play as a defender, and it reminds me that I can’t be touched, can’t be stopped and can’t be moved,” he added, mimicking the song’s lyrics. For Khalis, listening to the chorus helps him to focus and toughen up the moment he steps onto the court. He said: “Once, I didn’t have time to listen to the song and I didn’t play well. I wasn’t ready nor at the top of my game. “Since then, I have never played a game without listening to it.” While Khalis’ pre-match ritual may raise an eyebrow or two, it is not un-
common for athletes — both amateurs and professionals — to habitually perform such routines as they believe it helps them perform better. Even British distance runner and four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah routinelys shaved his head and drank a cup of coffee 20 minutes before every race. Though superstitions like these are almost always arbitrary and discovered by accident, they are a crucial part of an athlete’s preparations before they compete. These consistent and purposeful actions, ranging from what athletes eat, do, listen to or wear, are calculated, both individually and as a whole, to best prepare their mental and physical states for competition. This has been believed to translate to a better performance in matches. While some routines, like consuming carbohydrate-heavy food the day before a match to boost one’s energy levels, are backed up scientifically, others, such as putting on one’s right boot first before the left, have inconsequential results. Despite this, athletes continue to perform their pre-game antics to achieve a sense of control. Hockey player Hannah Tan Ismail,
20, does not wash her shin pads until after the end of a season. The second-year Nanyang Business School student, who represented Singapore at the Southeast Asian Games this year, adopted her superstition from her secondary school teammates. She has stuck by this superstition for the past six years. “It feels like I’ll be washing my hard efforts from training away,” said Tan. NTU women’s football team captain Fatin Aqillah, 22, ensures she eats a plate of nasi rawon before each match. Nasi rawon is a traditional Indonesian dish comprising white rice and beef stew. “The first time I ate nasi rawon before a match was against one of the top teams in the Women’s Premier League. My teammates were amazed at how well I performed,” said the final-year student from Sports Science and Management (SSM). “When I don’t eat it, I feel weird and like something is missing. “I know it’s psychological. But in games, once your body gets tired, the mind needs to be strong. Nasi rawon gives me that sense of comfort,” she explained. Dr Nick Aplin, a senior lecturer at SSM, found superstitions such as the
one Fatin holds to be “fairly typical”. “It’s not unusual with sportsmen because it’s all about re-creating a successful mindset,” said Dr Aplin, who conducts lectures on the sociology and history of sports in SSM. He added: “The idea of a superstition is part of a sensible cognitive strategy that helps athletes be prepared, focused and even confident.” Dr Aplin encourages athletes to continue practising their quirky pregame routines, only if they help in performance. “It doesn’t matter how inconsequential one’s superstition is because it acts as a trigger. “The actual significance of the action is not the most important, but the effect is,” he said. That said, for Hall of Residence 3 softballer Tan Yi Zhen, 20, superstitions will not affect her game. Tan, who used to play for the Singapore Combined Schools — a team consisting of the top school players in Singapore — said: “It’s quite ridiculous if someone loses confidence should they misplace a hat, for example.” “If you’re fully prepared, you wouldn’t need the extra luck,” said the second-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student.
28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps listens to Michael Jackson as he walks along the poolside to his starting block.
American women’s soccer star Alex Morgan wears a pink headband in matches and can only play with the jersey number 13.
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Raising the fitness bar with calisthenics Using only bodyweight to build strength and endurance, calisthenics is set to become the next hot fitness trend
“If you don't have enough strength to do it, your body just won't do it. So there's not really much risk to injury as compared to the gym where if you cannot do an 80kg bench press, you may get injured doing so.”
Kimberly Kwek Pull-up and push-up routines may be dreaded by those training for the National Physical Fitness Award (NAPFA) tests or the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) in Singapore, but they are gaining popularity as part of another type of fitness regime. Known as calisthenics, it is a form of exercise where one uses their body weight as resistance. Common calisthenics exercises include pull-ups, push-ups, squats, dips and crunches, and more people locally and abroad are incorporating these exercises into their workouts in creative ways. It is necessary to master these basic calisthenic exercises to build strength, before one can try out the more advanced exercises like handstands, and variations of the basic exercises, like diamond pushups and the human flag. Some athletes even string together a few of these exercises into a routine, also known as freestyle. Calisthenics groups in Singapore often modify and integrate basic exercises, as well as perform more advanced, gravity-defying routines as part of their training routines at fitness corners around the island — these often catch the attention of curious passers-by. “A lot of people have been asking what we’re doing and if they can join,” said Elliot Ang, co-founder of Asia Calisthenics Federation (ACF) and a final-year Sports Science and Management (SSM) student. ACF is a sports body that organises street workouts — exercises that combine calisthenics and athletics — in the form of competitions
Rain Chua, 24 Co-founder Bar Brothers SG
Rain Chua pulls himself parallel to the ground in the shoulder flag position.
and meet-ups for the public all over Asia.
“People are still warming up to the idea that something as simple as body weight can help you keep fit. Some individuals can find it tough and maybe a bit boring or generic.” Elliot Ang, 27 President Asia Calisthenics Federation The response to their events has been positive so far, said the
PHOTOS: CHRISTY YIP
27-year-old, with the number of calisthenics groups registered under the ACF having tripled in the past year. Despite the growing interest, Ang said: “People are still warming up to the idea that something as simple as body weight can help you keep fit. Some individuals can find it tough and maybe a bit boring or generic.” That was the case for him when he first started out. “I hated it. It was very painful and I found it quite boring because I thought it was just normal exercises like pull-ups and push-ups,” he said. “But those were just the basic things and there were a lot of other exercises, like handstands and front reverse. I stuck with it and after a while, I found different peo-
ple to train together with so it got a lot easier.” For Ang, he felt there was a drastic difference between lifting weights in the gym and using his whole body weight to exercise. “Back then I thought I was strong, but when I went into calisthenics, I realised that there was a whole new angle to being fit and healthy,” said Ang.
Rain Chua's Guinness World Record of 70 diamond push-ups in a minute was broken last October by just two repetitions.
“I enjoy it being more functional instead of just lifting dead weights...I can learn to control my own body in calisthenics.” Jasen Teoh, 23 Third-year student Sport Science and Management For enthusiast Jasen Teoh, 23, he initially found it difficult to believe how effective calisthenics could be in helping him get into shape. “Most of the time when you say you want to get into shape, you think that you have to lift weights. So trusting that it would work was one of the main challenges I faced,” said the third-year SSM student, who first tried calisthenics five years ago. “A lot of people are also scared of what this sport has to offer. Some of the things (the routines they do) look pretty scary, but people don’t really look at the basic (exercises),” added Teoh. But 24-year-old Rain Chua — who previously held a Guinness World Record for doing the most number of diamond push-ups in
one minute — gave the reassurance that there are proper ways and places to train. “Street workouts are pretty safe as compared to the gym. If you don’t have enough strength to do it, your body just won’t do it. "So there’s not really much risk to injury as compared to the gym where if you cannot do an 80kg bench press, you may get injured doing so,” said the final-year student from the School of Computer Science and Engineering. Chua is also the co-founder of local street workout group Bar Brothers SG. Inspired by the street workout group Bar Brothers of the same name in the United States, he set up Bar Brothers SG to promote the sport and give people the chance to come together to work out. But Chua added that going to the gym and doing calisthenics are not necessarily alternatives for each other as they serve different goals — gym-goers use weights to do strength training, while those who do calisthenics train for endurance. Calisthenics is both functional and convenient, he said — it can be carried out almost anywhere. “I enjoy it being more functional instead of just lifting dead weights, which is something where you repeat the motion. At least I can learn to control my own body in calisthenics,” Teoh said. Teoh, who currently works at the Singapore Calisthenics Academy, hopes to see the calisthenics movement gain even more ground in Singapore. “We want to educate the effectiveness of this kind of fitness and how to do it properly. I hope for it be more known, but more importantly, the main vision is for people to be able to unite and grow together,” he said. There are two main groups in the calisthenics community: those who train for strength and those who do freestyle routines. Ang added: “Each side of the community respects each other. We always have meet-ups and do each other’s routines. “We form a camaraderie between both sides, and that’s how we push for calisthenics.”
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Hall 10’s three-time cheer champs Razers disband Defending IHCC champions Razers disband and will not take part in the upcoming cheerleading competition this year Darren Ching DEFENDING Inter-Hall Cheerleading Competition (IHCC) champion Razers, the resident cheerleading team of Hall of Residence 10, has disbanded due to insufficient members to compete in the annual IHCC next month. The team, established in 2008, has emerged as champions thrice and finished as runners-up twice in the past five years. But last semester, Razers failed to recruit enough members in their annual season recruitment drive, spurring team captain Aronn Lim, 22, to close the team down. Lim, a second-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) attributed the low enrolment numbers to the guaranteed twoyear hall stay given to first-year students, which was implemented at the start of last semester. As freshmen no longer need to earn points to secure a hall room for their subsequent year, there is less incentive for them to participate in hall activities, he added. “The two-year hall policy definitely hurt us quite a bit. Given how we’re also short on seniors, the lack of freshmen made it hard to maintain the team.”
Lack of interest
The team first put up a showcase last August and conducted open sessions which introduced basic cheerleading moves and stunts to hall residents. But these initiatives only managed to attract nine first-year students, adding on to a team that had only retained four seniors. Razers’ vice-captain Dylan Teow, 23, said a lack of genuine interest
“The two-year hall policy definitely hurt us quite a bit. Given how we're also short on seniors, the lack of freshmen made it hard to maintain the team.” Aronn Lim, 22 Second-year WKWSCI student Hall 10 cheerleading captain
Hall 10's Razers in their final pyramid formation during the Inter-Hall Cheerleading Competition last year.
and understanding about the sport from Hall 10 residents made it difficult to attract new members. “There are so many misconceptions, like guys needing to be strong and girls needing to be light,” added the second-year Nanyang Business School (NBS) student. Hall 10 resident Joelle Chua, 19, was looking forward to being a part of Razers and was devastated when told of the team’s closure during training in mid-October. “Even though I was new, I felt like something important had been taken away from me,” said the first-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS). “Looking back at Razers’ past achievements made me feel like my batch had failed this great team.” Despite this setback, Chua is not ready to give up her passion for cheerleading. She has since joined NTU’s varsity cheerleading team ACES to continue her pursuit of the sport. Likewise, it is not the end of the road for second-year WKWSCI student Toby Wu, 22, who was a member of Razers last season. His desire to learn new cheerleading techniques pushed him to join Hall 10’s direct rivals Douzers, Hall 12’s cheerleading team, who were the runners-up for IHCC 2017.
Despite having found a new team to continue cheerleading, Wu is still in disbelief over the disbanding of Razers. “It doesn’t make sense. We finished last year as champions with a full team. Now we’re at square one all over again,” he lamented.
“Looking back at Razers' past achievements made me feel like my batch had failed this great team.” Joelle Chua, 19 First-year student School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Other students within the cheerleading community also expressed shock at the news. Captain of Hall 16’s cheerleading team Xtreme, Eng Yao Xuan, 20, speculated that the team could have folded due to an absence of team bonding among members.
“The more bonded your team is, training sessions will likely be more enjoyable and then more people will be keen to participate,” said the second-year SPMS student.
Competitors aim for top
With the absence of defending champion Razers, Douzers from Hall 12 will aim to clinch the title in next month’s IHCC competition. But their captain, Yong Joon Weng, 22, was quick to remind his team not to be complacent. “It’s no doubt that Razers has always been our main competitor, but that doesn’t mean we stand a higher chance of winning,” said the second-year student from the School of Humanities. He added: “There are many halls and they all have a chance at winning, so we just have to continue working hard and hopefully it’ll pay off.” While Razers will not be participating in IHCC this season, team captain Lim is already in discussions with Hall 10 president, David Lee, about ramping up their recruitment efforts for next season. These include pulling in hall seniors to form the team’s core, calling back graduated seniors to help with training and recruiting prospective freshmen as cheerleaders, even before they matriculate into NTU.
PHOTO: THEODORE LIM
The dissolution of Razers is a huge blow for Hall 10 president Lee, 22, a second-year NBS student. “Every time I think about it, it kills me a little inside,” he said.
“There are many halls and they all have a chance at winning, so we just have to continue working hard and hopefully it'll pay off.” Yong Joon Weng, 22 Second-year School of Humanities student Hall 12 cheerleading captain For Razers’ coach Fairul Hidayat, it is uncertain if he will return to coach the team even if they manage to reassemble next semester. “If time permits, I’d love to,” said the 30-year old. “But for now I’ve yet to move on, so giving a firm yes will be difficult as losing them again will be even more painful.”