The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 23 Issue 02

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE

Beauty queens on campus LIFESTYLE | 12

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ISSN NO. 0218-7310

Keeping NTU Zika-free Campus vulnerable to virus, says expert

Students fight over cat’s name NEWS | 04

NEWS | 03

Injuries won’t stop athletes SPORTS | 22

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Students say buses still slow, but drivers now nicer

Students said campus bus drivers showed better service-oriented attitudes this semester, making trips more pleasant despite crowded buses.

PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

Jasmine Koh THE campus bus service has improved, with students reporting shorter waiting times and even friendlier drivers.

Last month, the Nanyang Chronicle reported that some students had to wait for about 40 minutes to catch a morning bus, due to long queues and crowded buses.

But students the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to recently said their journeys have now improved due to warmer service from drivers.

“Recently, drivers are more willing to wait for those who are running for the buses” said third-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Denny Tan, 23.

“It affects the quality of our bus experiences in a positive way. You won’t feel too stressed having missed the bus just before your eyes,” Tan also said.

Others, such as Tanner Tan, 22, a second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, said that drivers are more patient now and ensure passengers are safely seated before driving off.

Instead of shouting, they also use gentler tones than before when asking passen-

gers to move to the rear of the bus.

“For students like us who are tired from studying all day, it makes a lot of difference. At the very least, when the bus captains don’t shout, they don’t cause stressful situations,” said Tan. But others said that while drivers are politer, service standards can still improve.

Some brought up the issue of drivers alighting to use the toilet in the middle of the route without giving prior notice, which resulted in students stranded on buses for up to 15 minutes.

“It is unreasonable for drivers to stop the service without warning, because they have already been allocated toilet breaks,” said second-year School of Aerospace Engineering student Teo Hua Yi. “They are causing unexpected delays and longer bus waiting times – they need to inform the students beforehand if they are stopping,” the 20-year-old added.

Others said bunching, or when multiple buses arrive at the same time, still occurs.

The University’s bus service provider, Tong Tar Transport (TTT), launched in August an orientation programme for bus captains on campus.

The programme resulted from the dialogue between

the company and the NTU Graduate Student Council.

Drivers were taught about NTU landmarks through tours around the school. Talks were also organised to equip drivers with basic etiquette skills and to educate them of the importance of safety and sensitivity in school compounds.

In addition. the drivers were also given new service guidelines to follow, which include stopping for students who are running for the buses, ending their shifts only at the designated time and driving in tighter accordance with the bus timetable during peak periods.

A TTT spokesperson said that the company is also regulating the drivers’ shift timings to ensure higher bus frequencies.

Still, several students said that passengers should cooperate for a more positive commuting experience.

Said first-year School of Humanities and Social Sciences student Esther Poon: “Passengers can be more considerate and always make the effort to move in. As much as the system may be unsatisfactory, I believe that students being as considerate as bus drivers will also make a great difference.”

(Additional reporting by WONG JING HUI)

GRAPHIC: FIONA LIM

News

NTU keeps an eye on Zika Students also urged to take precautions to keep the virus off campus grounds Gracia Lee THE University has ramped up its anti-mosquito measures and urged students to take precautions, as experts warned the campus is vulnerable to the Zika virus.

NTU’s population density, combined with a concentration of possible breeding sites, makes it a high risk area for infection, said Infectious Diseases Professor Annelies Wilder-Smith from the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine.

Considering the amount of human traffic on campus, one mosquito can easily infect several people within a day.

Construction sites, which can be found along Nanyang Crescent and the new North Hill cluster, are also potential breeding grounds for the Aedes mosquito, Prof Wilder-Smith also said.

As of last week, 393 cases of Zika have been reported in Singapore.

Thirty-seven of these cases were reported to have stemmed from one construction site at Sims Drive.

Anti-mosquito measures

On campus, the Office of Development and Facilities Management (ODFM) has instituted mosquito surveillance systems at construction sites.

The ODFM also does weekly oiling, or pouring a thin layer of oil on top of water puddles to kill mosquito larvae, at these sites.

In addition, weekly inspections and fogging around campus is carried out, particularly at residential halls and Nanyang Lake.

NTU’s Chief Medical Officer Dr Calvin Tan said these measures have been effective in keeping the campus mostly mosquito-free, making it safer from Zika than the rest of Singapore.

“It takes one week for infected Aedes mosquitoes to become active and infect other people through mosquito bites,” said Dr Tan. “By that time, we’d have killed them by fogging,” he added.

But fogging alone is insufficient to eradicate mosquitoes.

Stagnant water, which fogging does not get rid of, is still a potential breeding ground for these insects, Dr Tan added.

Students, especially those living

The University’s Office of Development and Facilities Management has implemented several measures to prevent the spread of Zika on campus, including inspections of construction sites, fogging at residential halls and Nanyang Lake, and oiling – pouring a thin layer of oil onto water puddles to kill mosquito larvae.

PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

on campus, have to play their part to keep the school mosquito-free by getting rid of stagnant water.

The Office of Health and Safety (OHS) has put up posters in Halls of Residence instructing students on how to do the 5-Step Mozzie Wipeout, which includes turning over water storage containers, removing water from flower pot plates, as well as how to protect themselves from mosquito bites.

Students were also urged to inform OHS about any mosquito hotspots around school.

Spike in repellent sales

Following the news of the first Zika outbreak in Aljunied, sales of mosquito repellent sprays and patches nearly doubled at NTU’s Prime Supermarket, with stocks selling out within half a day, said supervisor Haroon Subramaniam.

When the Nanyang Chronicle visited the supermarket at North

Spine Plaza a week after the first locally transmitted case was reported, Tiger Balm repellent sprays were sold out at the cashier counter, although staff members said they had just recently restocked them.

At Giant supermarket, located near Hall of Residence 2, sales of mosquito repellent had also spiked.

“Most of the people who bought the repellents were students,” said branch manager Manuel Preciosa.

“One carton, which has 12 boxes of repellent, sold out in less than a day when it usually takes about two weeks to finish.

“One customer even bought three boxes at a go,” he said.

Students unafraid

But while students recognise the possibility of Zika spreading on campus, some of those the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to were indifferent to the threat.

Jolyn Wang, 21, noted that students from all over Singapore travel to campus daily.

“Students living in affected areas may become infected and bring the virus to NTU if they were to get bitten again on campus,” said the second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Tessa Whang, 20, a second-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, said there are a lot of mosquitoes on campus, which makes it a likely place for Zika infections to occur.

Both Wang and Whang said they had not taken any anti-mosquito precautions, and are not particularly worried about becoming infected, as the effects of the virus are neither serious nor fatal.

The virus is mainly dangerous for unborn babies whose mothers are infected, as it has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect where the baby is born with a smaller

head and a damaged brain.

But for most, the effects of an infection are mild, with only one in five showing symptoms such as a slight fever, rashes, headaches and muscle pain.

Being vigilant

Still, some students are choosing to remain vigilant about the virus.

Third-year School of Art, Design and Media student Ashley Tay, 21, said she was wary of the potential of the disease to mutate into other forms, which might be more harmful to humans.

Tay began attaching a clip-on mosquito repellent to her bag to keep mosquitoes away in school two days after the first locally transmitted case was reported.

She said: “The effects of the virus aren’t too dangerous for now, but it’s better to guard against potential health effects that we may not know of yet.”

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Students fight over cat's name: Marmalade or Ginger?

Cheryl Tee WHAT'S in a name?

The renaming of a cat in Hall of Residence 13 is causing a furore in some parts of the University.

Hall 13 residents are up in arms over the change in the name of their resident cat by the NTU Cat Management Network (CMN), a University club responsible for the upkeep of campus felines.

The spat began when the CMN introduced the cat in a Facebook post last month by the name Marmalade, while Hall residents referred to it as Ginger. The CMN selected its name from an online contest held in 2015.

The club rejected subsequent calls by Hall 13 residents to change the cat’s name back to Ginger, as there was another cat by the same name in NTU that went missing in the last academic year.

“It’s great that students care for the cats enough to write to us on the issue," said CMN president Ng Yi Pin, 20, a second-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student.

“But duplicate names create administrative problems when we are trying to ensure that all the cats are fed and receive adequate veterinary care,” he added.

Ng said that since the club was responsible for maintaining the central registry of campus cats, it

necessarily requires the power to name them.

Efforts to contact the Hall 13 Junior Common Room Committee garnered little success, as the Hall does not have an email address or website, and its Facebook group is closed off to non-residents.

This is not the first time confusion over the name of a cat has arisen in Halls here.

There were also numerous enquiries from residents to the CMN when the Hall 10 and 11 cat — known by two names, Bobby and Hitler — was officially re-introduced as Charlie in 2014, a name that the CMN decided on in 2007.

Similar to their Hall 11 counterparts, who still know of Charlie as Bobby, many of the Hall 13 residents the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to expressed anger at the club’s “lack of respect” for their Hall’s special traditions.

“Hall cats are one of the first things people associate with the hall and a symbolic Hall identity, so the CMN should have been more open to our feedback,” said thirdyear Nanyang Business School student Asyraf Ismail, 23.

“It's all right to call the cat what you want among your own club members, but there’s no need to go around broadcasting it to everyone on Facebook posts even after we explicitly told them we didn’t like the new name,” he added.

Others, like second-year Nan-

TEAM MARMALADE OR TEAM GINGER? Residents of Hall 13 and the members of NTU's Cat Management Network could not agree on a single name to call the orange tabby that wanders the area between Halls of Residence 13 and 14.

PHOTO: VALERIE LAY

yang Business School student Han Jing Wei, 19, said that the CMN should have consulted only Hall residents about the cat’s name, instead of making it an open poll for the whole University.

“Though the name Marmalade received 16 votes, only 32 people took part in the poll. The CMN did not have the right to change the

name of the resident cat without sufficient votes,” said Han. Still, some residents pointed out that the whole debacle will do little to change how students choose to address campus cats.

“Even if the CMN does have the final say over the names of Hall cats, what's stopping residents from continuing to refer to the cat

however they want?” said Shaun Ho, 22, a second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

He added: “Regardless of whatever new name the CMN comes up with, Ginger remains the one that resonates most with Hall 13 residents, so that will likely be used for many years to come."

NTU DOCUMENTARY ON EARTHQUAKE RESEARCH WINS AWARDS A documentary on earthquakes in Nepal by a team from the Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) has clinched three international film awards this year. The film has also been screened at 13 film festivals worldwide since last December.

Titled the Ratu River Expedition, the 25-minute documentary was shot over five days in 2014, and documents a team of seven scientists conducting fieldwork in Nepal to determine if the region is at risk of earthquakes.

Apart from conveying scientific findings, the film also shows the social side of the scientists when they interacted with the local community over meals and dancing.

The film’s accolades include

the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival Platinum Remi prize, the Mountain Film Festival Sierra Nevada Award and the Rochester International Film Festival’s Certificate of Merit.

Producer Professor Isaac Kerlow said: “Through the Internet, films shorten the time for cutting-edge scientific research to reach communities at risk, [which] often lack access to cultural centers, science museums and cinemas, [bringing] the fruits of scientific research closer to the general public.”

Located in NTU’s North Spine, the EOS is a science research centre that conducts research on earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami and climate change around Southeast Asia.

The film is available on Vimeo.

— SOPHIA TAN

PHOTO: GARY KHOO

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NTU ranking due to strong research: students But some say this comes at the expense of teaching quality, learning experience

"I believe that NTU’s strong standing is due to the effort of lecturers and the bell curve system, which promotes competitiveness among students. It has really stretched me academically. "

Sophia Tan STUDENTS acknowledged the University's strong research record following the results of two world university rankings published last month that placed NTU among the best in the world.

Those interviewed by the Nanyang Chronicle said the presence of international teaching faculty and the University’s emphasis on research contributed to NTU’s good standing in the rankings.

“Our foreign professors boost research standards in NTU with their expertise, and professors who know their research well bring multiple perspectives to problem solving that students can learn from,” said Wang Wei Yang, 26, a second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

But some students expressed doubt at how accurately the University's high placing reflected their learning experience.

NTU ranked 13th for the second consecutive year in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University rankings released on 6 Sep, while it placed 54th in the Times Higher Education World University Ranking released on 22 Sep. Established in 1991, NTU is the youngest university on QS's top 20 list. The QS ranking grades universities based on six indicators – academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, international students, international faculty and research citations per faculty.

NTU garnered the highest number of research citations per faculty among Singapore universities, and emerged as a top 10 university for engineering and technology.

“NTU is leading the charge of the Asian universities up the young universities table through its focus on science and technology. Being young is an advantage, as it allows us to be nimble and to chart our own dynamic paths without being held back by conventions,” NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson said in a press statement.

NTU's strong performance in global rankings has attracted international students, such as Monica Voicu, to join the University for their exchange programme.

Voicu, 22, a Romanian student from the University of Essex, said that she chose to apply to NTU after comparing universities across the Times ranking.

“I believe that NTU’s strong standing is due to the effort of

Monica Voicu, 22 Exchange student University of Essex

GRAPHIC: FIONA LIM

lecturers and the bell curve system, which promotes competitiveness among students. It has really stretched me academically as every seminar here requires a lot of readings and work done beforehand, which is usually not the case back in Essex,” she said.

Final-year School of Humanities and Social Sciences student Tessa Ng said that all her modules, regardless of discipline, had been

“challenging”, as research papers are required in all her classes.

“Professors will upload their own research papers or papers from other critics to stimulate our thinking and help us understand concepts better,” the 22-year-old said.

But some students felt that the ranking only showed the strength of the University's research and does not exactly equate to high teaching standards.

“I feel that teaching quality is lacking among some professors because research is their focus and teaching is simply a compulsory component,” said second-year Nanyang Business School student Alvin Neo. Second-year School of Art, Design and Media student Ho Ping, 21, also said: “Here, the teaching quality is inconsistent and varies by professor. Sometimes we fail to cover everything we are supposed to learn in the syllabus because the teacher cannot finish in time."

“I think the rankings are more

A SMOOTHER RIDE INTO CAMPUS, ON TWO WHEELS

Forget buses. NTU students can expect a smoother ride to the University in the future, as plans to transform the sprawling Jurong West area into a cycling town are in the pipeline.

As part of the bi-monthly Discovering Singapore Ride (DSR) event that aims to promote cycling, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Social and Family Development Dr Faishal Ibrahim led a group of

PHOTO: SOPHIA TAN

40 participants from the Ministry of Transport, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and other cycling enthusiasts on a cycling trip around the Jurong area and across NTU on 24 Sep. Transport Minister Mr Khaw Boon

indicative of high-calibre academics that the University attracts instead of faculties having good teaching abilities, as strengths in research and teaching are two separate matters,” she added.

Other students felt that the University can learn from its peers in the rankings to make the learning experience of students better.

For instance, final-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student Chua Wei Ling said that NTU’s assessment of students based on the bell curve cultivates a “learning for grades” attitude, rather than out of interest. In comparison, Ivy League universities do not grade students on a bell curve.

The 22-year old said: “The bell curve system makes class participation incentive-driven and feels like it penalises a student that obtains an average grade but whose competency in the subject is higher than that.”

But Chua also felt that the University has an advantage in making learning more holistic for students in time to come.

She added: “The University is still young and we have ample opportunities to gather feedback and look at how students are assessed.”

Wan, who has been to 17 previous DSR events, did not attend the event due to an injury.

The group started from Boon Lay MRT and made pit stops at the old NTU Gate and Chinese Heritage Centre.

“NTU was chosen as part of the route to show students that in taking up a cycling lifestyle, there are paths for students to cycle into the campus,” said LTA Active Mobility Unit Deputy Manager Kevin Seet.

Currently, students can cycle to the University via two routes — embarking at street level from Pioneer MRT station or by an overhead bridge crossing the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) at Jurong West Street 91.

Alongside developments of the new Tengah town, students can expect more dedicated cycling paths and connectors around the University.

The DSR is also part of the National Cycling Plan, a scheme to build 700 kilometres of cycling paths by 2030, creating an island-wide cycling network.

Said Dr Faishal: “Tampines, Yishun and Sembawang are already existing cycling towns but we will not stop there. Ultimately, the aim is to have seamless connection of all different towns to form a cycling network through infrastructure.”

— SOPHIA TAN

SOLVING GLOBAL CHALLENGES, THE INTERDISCIPLINARY WAY Young and research-intensive, Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) is ranked 13th globally. It is also placed 1st amongst the world’s best young universities.

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• Ageing Research Institute for Society and Education • Nanyang Institute of Technology in Health & Medicine • NTU-Northwestern Institute for Nanomedicine

• Research strengths across the university including business studies, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences.

• Understanding of the rapid transformation of Asia and its linkages to the rest of the world.

• Research areas/themes including Business Asia, Cultural Asia and Transformational Asia.

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HEART FOR HEALING HERBS A nature lover's romance with the NTU Community Herb Garden began with a simple suggestion from a friend to visit the grounds. Photo editor Zheng Juncen speaks to the volunteer who spends her free time holding tours and promoting charity awareness.

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tephany Olivia speaks little Mandarin, but once a month, she acts as a tour guide for a group of 10 to 20 elderly Chinese visitors, telling them about the 300odd medicinal herbs that grow in the NTU Community Herb Garden.

The herb garden is located near the school’s Jalan Bahar entrance.

Stephany, 25, was once the Nature Guiding Director in Earthlink — NTU's environmental club — and had to organise nature-themed guided tours around Singapore for fellow members of the society.

When a friend made a recommendation to check out the herb garden for a potential tour spot two years ago, Stephany found herself touched by how the garden gives out free herbs to cancer patients and decided to volunteer there.

She has been with them ever since, spending between six to eight hours there each weekend.

The herbs grown at the garden are said to have cancer curing properties.

Although not scientifically proven, these herbs have been mentioned on Chinese newspapers and reports for their healing properties.

The herb garden founder, NTU research assistant Mr Ng Kim Chuan, keeps track of the progress of patients who have taken his herbs, so as to better control their dosage.

For Stephany, a final-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student, a typical day volunteering at the Herb Garden usually starts with answering queries from the public and scheduling visits from different organisations.

"The funny thing is I don't know if Uncle (Ng) knows my name because he often addresses me as 'that Indonesian girl' in Mandarin."

Stephany Olivia, 25 Final-year SPMS student Once in a while, she also posts informational videos about the garden onto the NTU Community Herb Garden Facebook page.

During group visits, Stephany provides explanations to visitors about the different species of medicinal

herbs grown in there.

These visits happen once a month on average. Occasionally, Stephany also does gardening.

One of the biggest challenges Stephany faces is her difficulty conversing fluently with visitors, who are mostly Mandarin-speaking senior citizens, and Mr Ng. “The funny thing is I don’t know if Uncle (Ng) knows my name because he often addresses me as ‘that Indonesian girl’ in Mandarin,” she said.

But despite that, the two still work well together.

Stephany also started taking Mandarin classes two years ago to communicate better with visitors.

Ultimately, she hopes to apply her knowledge of these herbs to a career in the biochemical industry.

But her biggest takeaway has been meeting people from different walks of life on these tours.

She said: “By learning about their various stories and experiences, I gained different perspectives about life, and I can better appreciate life and the people around me.

“This experience has taught me to be a better person.”

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: GARDENING: Stephany, 25, NTU SPMS student, helps out with the gardening to ease the manpower shortage in the Herb Garden.

THE HARVEST: The leaves of bandicoot berry harvested from the Herb Garden is made into tea leaves. The herb serves as a tonic drink and acts as an energy booster.

THE INTERACTION: Passers-by tend to get curious about the medicinal purpose of the herbs and Stephany is always eager to solve their queries.

PUBLICITY: Stephany is NTU Community Herb Garden's media administrator. Using Facebook, she helps to increase the awareness of the social events held there.

Lifestyle

Fresh off the farm With Singapore’s land and labour constraints, the farming industry seems to be losing its foothold in our tiny city-state. Lifestyle writer Linette Leong explores the issues behind the industry, its effect on the farm-to-table dining concept, and checks out three places that serve food fresh off the farm.

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ousing and defence developments will soon be taking over land traditionally occupied by farms, in line with Singapore’s vision of becoming a global cosmopolitan city.

And the last remaining 62 farms in Kranji, which will be relocated before June 2017, are not being spared.

For Singapore’s rising food fad — the farmto-table dining concept — this news poses a huge challenge.

As the name suggests, restaurants procure all ingredients — such as fish, poultry and vegetables — directly from a local farm, skipping the usual middlemen of stores, markets or distributors. This means that restaurant diners are served food prepared only from the freshest ingredients.

In recent years, the farm-to-table trend has been making headway in Singapore, with more restaurants sourcing their ingredients from local farms. However, it has been far from a smooth-sailing ride for these homegrown entrepreneurs, as some farms are choosing not to bid for new lots due to the uncertain future of the agricultural industry.

While farms producing food staples such as vegetables and eggs are allocated land and allowed to bid for as many plots of land as required, businesses not under this category, such as Jurong Frog Farm and Hay Dairies Goat Farm, are left to vie over just two plots of land.

“The government does not put priority on agriculture, so farmers face short lease terms and a lack of support. Farm leases are only for 20 years, compared to industrial leases that can last up to 99 years,” said Ms Manda Foo, personal assistant to the owner of Poison Ivy Bistro, one of Singapore’s farm-totable restaurants.

“There are very few people in Singapore who are properly trained in agriculture and agronomy. Singaporeans don’t want to work on farms,” she added.

Despite being faced with such adversities, several restaurants in Singapore are still supporting the local farming community, serving only the freshest food to their customers.

We’ve narrowed down three places you may wish to visit for an authentic farm-totable experience.

1. Afterglow’s Raw Basil Alfredo Pizza is made with a pesto cashew spread, marinated cherry tomatoes and wakame seaweed.

2. Enjoy a game of table tennis with your friends at Open Farm Community while waiting for your food to be served.

3. Housing up to 70 customers, bask under the fairy lights in the the air-conditioned space of Open Farm Community.

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Open Farm Community 130E Minden Road, S248819 Opening Hours: Monday to Friday: 12pm - 10pm Saturday to Sunday: 11am - 10pm With an interior that mirrors a greenhouse and ceilings adorned with fairy lights, there is no doubt that the indoor dining space of Open Farm Community catches our attention at first sight.

Established in 2015, Open Farm Community is part of a joint initiative by Spa Esprit Group and urban farming company Edible Garden City.

The joint initiative is aimed at spearheading local farming and strengthening the community’s understanding and respect for food and its origins.

The restaurant liaises with local farms such as Jurong Frog Farm and Seng Choon Egg Farm for protein, while its vegetables come from an urban farm located right next door.

The menu is curated by award-winning chef Ryan Clift, with mains priced from $24.

Open Farm Community also organises occasional vegetable and fruit orchard tours, talks, and gardening workshops where families can come together and explore the many facets of food.

Afterglow by Anglow 24 Keong Saik Road, S089131 Opening Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday: 12pm - 10.30pm Wednesday and Thursday: 5.30pm - 10.30pm Just like how Coachella is the hipster of the music scene, Afterglow by Anglow embodies the hipster in the food scene with its raw, unprocessed, eco-friendly, and communitybased vegan food.

Unlike the other two restaurants mentioned, Afterglow does not have its own garden.

However, it supports the local farming community by crowdsourcing produce from local farms such Quan Fa Organic Farm and Sustenir Agriculture.

Be sure to try the acclaimed Deconstructed Sushi Bowl ($16), where a mild wasabi dressing is drizzled over seasonal pickles, shiitake mushrooms and avocado.

This unassuming sushi bowl is packed with the goodness of brown rice coupled with generous fillings.

Afterglow also offers a daily Eat Clean Meal Plan where it includes three meals and three cold presses a day, delivered straight to your doorstep.

4. Made with pickles, mushrooms and avocadoes, the Deconstructed Sushi Bowl by Afterglow is an option for those who crave a healthier alternative.

PHOTOS: AFTERGLOW, OPEN FARM COMMUNITY

Poison Ivy Bistro 100 Neo Tiew Road, S719026 Opening Hours: Wednesday to Friday: 9.30am - 6.30pm Saturday to Sunday: 8am - 6.30pm Tucked away in Kranji, Poison Ivy Bistro serves a wide selection of local fares ranging from otah to curry chicken to nasi lemak.

Diners get to feast right next to the bistro’s farm — the well-known Bollywood Veggies — completing their meal with a rustic and relaxing dining experience.

Contrary to what its name suggests, the food served at Poison Ivy is anything but poisonous. In fact, the chefs use less cooking oil and salt to prepare their dishes.

The bistro also caters both to vegetarians and the health-conscious, with vegetarianstyle curries and vegetarian platters.

On average, starters and mains are priced at $4 and $6 respectively.

After you’ve enjoyed your meal, join the guided farm tour to learn more about the food that goes on your plates.

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National Geographic Young Explorer Molly Ferrill (above) shares with NTU students how she uses photography as a tool to highlight issues from across the world.

PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

Travelling with passion While many of us travel to discover ourselves or to break the monotony of school, there are others who travel because of their motivation to make the world a better place. Lifestyle writer Gabriela Lim talks to two National Geographic explorers to find out about their experiences in remote parts of the globe.

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ith a dream of making a difference to the world around her, National Geographic Young Explorer Molly Ferrill packed her bags and took off to a secluded village within the jungle of the Western Bago Mountains in Myanmar.

The Bago Mountain Range was once covered in lush forest, where humans and wildlife, such as elephants, resided peacefully side by side.

But during her time there, Ferrill discovered that Myanmar’s agricultural development for rubber plantation had resulted in mass deforestation.

This forced the elephants – which are revered in the country as auspicious animals – to hunt for food in the villages nearby, bringing them into conflict with the local people.

Ferrill then turned to photography to document issues surrounding deforestation and the unique relationship between wildlife and humans in the villages.

“What drives my photography is the passion to bring people closer to ongoing issues. But before that, the foundation lies in the passion for human rights and animals,’’ said Ferrill, whose works have bagged her international recognition on

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platforms such as The Discovery Channel and ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network.

“There was not a single farmer I met who didn’t know somebody who was injured or killed by an elephant,” she added, in an exclusive interview with the Nanyang Chronicle.

“At times, the villagers will injure or kill the elephants, but it was so interesting to see the strong spiritual beliefs they had about the elephants."

The 26-year-old was a guest at NTU’s National Geographic Live! Talk in August, which also included a sharing by National Geographic research scientist Dr Albert Lin. Ferrill received the National Geographic Young Explorer grant, which gives her the opportunity to roam the world in pursuit of her passion of studying the changing relationships between man and nature.

Ferrill shared that similar to her Myanmar project, many other innocent villagers in different countries around the world are forced to face the consequences of governmental decisions, such as mass deforestation and habitat destruction.

Also globetrotting to chase his dreams is Dr Lin, who travels to discover more about the history of cultures around the world.

“I am driven by the idea that this generation lives in the most powerful moment in time

based on our connectivity to cultivate and build new knowledge collectively,” he said.

One of Dr Lin’s most inspirational moments happened during his trek in the remote mountains of Mongolia.

There, seven shamans, who believed that they had access to the spiritual realms, showed up to worship the eternal blue skies, which they regarded as the most important spiritual connection to Tengri, the God and power behind all nature.

This religion is known as Tengrism, or the “Sky God Religion’’, which has existed since the 8th century.

“I was on a search to understand ancient quests and mysteries I thought were a thing of the past," said Dr Lin. "But I realised there are still people in corners of the world who are living and breathing a continuation of that story."

On top of that, Dr Lin led an international effort in 2010 — The Valley of the Khan Project — to discover the sacred tomb of Genghis Khan, utilising one of the most advanced technologies for ground, aerial and satellite-based remote sensing.

The project earned him the National Geographic Adventure’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Adventurer of the Year award.

Known for his world-class technological in-

“What drives my photography is the passion to bring people closer to ongoing issues.”

Molly Ferrill, 26 National Geographic Young Explorer novations created in pursuit of anthropological discoveries, Dr Lin is currently embarking on a large-scale educational technology platform, which seeks to bring together groups of children from across the world to create an interconnected online learning environment.

“Maybe instead of sitting there and playing Pokemon Go all day long, we can do the same thing in another way.

Our ‘Pokemon Go’ could be used to collect data and information of phenomena happening all across planet earth that we can’t really see unless we work together to see it,” he said.

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NTU Hall ween Haunts Spooky fun awaits us as Halloween arrives once again. Lifestyle writer Syed Ebrahim Al-idrus takes you through the celebrations thrown by the different schools in NTU.

The Art, Design and Media School (ADM) throws an annual Halloween celebration for its students to come together over spooky Halloween-themed games and photobooths.

C

ome 31 Oct, streets in America will be transformed into rows of haunted houses in celebration of Halloween, traditionally known as the time of the year to remember the dead. Children don their favourite costumes as they race door to door for their annual trick-or-treating.

Though the culture of celebrating Halloween is less elaborate here, it has become increasingly popular over the past few years.

Pop-up events such as the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Singapore and Safari Boo at the Singapore Zoo have become popular among young Singaporeans, giving them goosebumps and the dose of terror they seek.

As the spooky date draws close, some schools in NTU have adapted the festival and are using it for their upcoming social events, looking to shock students with crazy costume parties and scary escape rooms.

School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) For the art students, Halloween is one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

Two years ago, rows of booths were lined at the school’s rooftop, where students played Halloween-themed games such as Pumpkin Toss — throwing balls into cardboard pumpkins of assorted sizes — while indulging in candy treats.

Last year, students danced to live music through the night in the school basement, which was transformed into an underground cave with intricate decoration that includes skeleton mannequins, toy bats and other creepy-crawlies hanging from corridor to corridor.

We are not going to spoil the surprise for you but the ADM Student Club promises that the celebration this year will be even bigger and spookier.

Besides seeing students dressed in their fanciest costumes and strutting down the school’s atrium, you can also expect

a performance by the ADM Music District group, comprising the school’s best singers and musicians, which is set to impress the crowd with its 90-minute performance.

Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Apart from the Halloween-themed desserts table last year that kept the communication students occupied all night (think of the pumpkin cream-frosted cupcakes and eyeball cookies), the Halloween party in WKWSCI also gave students a chance to put their creativity to the test with its best dressed competition.

Come this October, the organisers will be holding yet another round of the competition as part of its costume party.

Students went out of their way last year, coming to school dressed to impress in crazy costumes, such as a bunch of grapes and comic book character Harley Quinn.

School of Physical Mathematics and Science (SPMS) Ever wished you could enter one of the haunted houses featured in Ellen DeGeneres’ Youtube videos?

Well, the Scare Trail organised by the SPMS Club is the one to die for.

Decorating the mundane tutorial rooms with cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns and fake ghouls to look like nightmarish haunted houses, you will never know what might pop out during the trail to bring you an unforgettable nerve-wracking experience.

Doing away with the usual tricking, students can look forward to being stuffed with Halloween candy treats during the celebration. They can also participate in a lucky draw with attractive prizes, such as vouchers from CapitaLand Malls, up for grabs.

PHOTO: ADM STUDENT CLUB

Nanyang Business School (NBS) Business students, be prepared to face your deepest fears of a zombie apocalypse.

This Halloween, NBS will be decorating the school to mirror the recent Korean thriller Train To Busan.

Terrified yet?

Scares aside, the Halloween celebration this year will also serve to usher students back to school after the week-long recess break.

The school’s Accountancy and Business Club, which will be organising the celebration, shared that in line with its theme, students will be given a ticket stub each, where they can pen words of encouragement to spur their fellow schoolmates on as they study for the upcoming examinations.

These messages will then be pinned up on notice boards, which will be set up at several common study areas around the school.

Snacks will also be placed around the school, so grab some if you're dropping by.

School of Biological Sciences (SBS) If you’re an adrenaline junkie or analytical thinker, Halloween Night: SBS Escape! Room is the place for you.

Similar to their celebrations last year, the escape room will be designed with horror elements, where students will race against time to escape a locked room.

In their quest to escape, they will have to solve challenging and fun puzzles while tackling daunting scares from the props and their fellow schoolmates.

Alternatively, if you’re not a fan of math or puzzles, the BS Club also promises a sumptuous buffet feast and some sweet treats for all students to snack on during the highly anticipated celebration.

12-13 LIFESTYLE

&

Head-turners Hard-workers

As schools crown their new pageant Kings and Queens, Lifestyle writer Megan Koh brings the competition to the national level and introduces fellow schoolmates who have competed in nationwide beauty contests.

Kim Min Pei Lam The New Paper New Face 2016

WHEN Kim Lam was 16, she was scouted on the streets to be a model.

Her first modelling agency, Carrie Models, helped kickstart her career and Lam proceeded to land jobs with brands like Gucci and Burberry.

Four years later, she clinched first runner-up for Miss Singapore World.

The final-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student then represented Singapore on the international stage in Miss Pancontinental 2015, where she won second runner-up.

With Lam’s experiences in pageants, it was hardly surprising that the 22-year-old emerged champion of the recent The New Paper (TNP) New Face 2016, where she was also awarded Miss Photogenic.

The annual modelling competition by TNP is now in its 24th year, and has propelled the successful careers of previous contestants such as actresses Julie Tan and Jayley Woo. In an exclusive interview with the Nanyang Chronicle, the freshly crowned winner shares her experiences during the competitions.

Why did you join TNP New Face 2016?

What was the most memorable experience?

I wanted to try something different from Miss Singapore World, which I joined in 2014. TNP New Face is probably one of Singapore’s biggest modelling competitions and I thought it would be a good experience.

It was one of the catwalk classes with Pat Kraal. Even though she is 51, she was still walking in her high heels and teaching us how to do the walk. She was formerly from my modelling agency, Carrie Models, and was the one who taught me how to walk my first walk. It felt like a reunion, and was especially heartwarming.

Share with us your experience in TNP New Face.

It’s very different from a pageant where there will be a lot of public appearances and talking to people. In TNP New Face, we had radio interviews, photoshoots and catwalk classes with Pat Kraal, one of Singapore’s pioneer supermodels. During the process, I met with people from all walks of life, and it was a good opportunity for me to network and make friends out of school.

What was your biggest challenge?

I was the first one to open TNP New Face Finals and that brought me much pressure and stress. On top of that, we had rehearsals every night after school from 8 to 11pm.

However, the desire to put on an amazing show fuelled me to perform well. And on the last day of the rehearsals, I told myself: I’ve practised so much, surely there’s no way to mess up. Stop worrying and do your best.

Was your family supportive of your decision to compete in the competition?

I come from a close-knit family of seven. They backed me up all the way and were always so supportive. If they’re not there physically, they will always send me a message. Sometimes I prefer if they are not watching so I can just be myself.

How did you feel when you were crowned the winner of TNP New Face 2016?

I didn’t expect myself to win. I went straight in for the experience and the fun. When they announced the winner, I was surprised and honoured that they had so much trust in me.

What do you plan to do with the $11,000 cash prize?

The money is a nice gift to my parents who have invested so much in me during my growing years. My first flute was $4,000 and then my more professional one was $10,000. So it’s a definite thing for the money to go back to them.

What’s next in your plans?

I’m in my last year in university now and the Final Year Project is my main focus. The finale was on a Friday, and the next day, I was back in school at 8am. I felt so drained that weekend but the energy and adrenaline rush fuelled me. I have been very lucky to have a handful of people who have been guiding and training me. They have offered me jobs that I could only have dreamed of in the past. Looking forward, it’s about rising to the challenge and learning every step of the way with a grateful heart.

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Kim Min Pei Lam, Shanice Vanessa Hedger, Sng Xiao Li, Kaylie Ding are four of our campus beauties, having dabbled in nationwide pageants.

PHOTOS: ZHENG JUNCEN

Shanice Vanessa Hedger Top 15 Finalist Miss Universe Singapore 2016

Kaylie Ding Miss Mermaid ASEAN 2016

Sng Xiao Li First Runner-up of Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant 2016

A FAMILIAR face from Singaporean reality singing competition The Final One, Shanice Hedger has outdone herself yet again.

This time, she takes the stage as one of the top 15 finalists of Miss Universe Singapore 2016 and will compete for the crown at the grand finals on 16 Oct. Hedger first learnt about the pageant’s recruitment from an advertisement on Instagram. When her driving instructor persuaded her out of the blue to join the beauty contest, Hedger took it as a sign and submitted her application. And there, things took off for the 21-year-old.

Being completely new to the modelling industry, the second-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information mused at how she underestimated the difficulty of her first catwalk training.

“I didn’t know that walking alone would have so much techniques,” she said.

Besides the catwalk trainings, Hedger also had to follow a fitness regime with an appointed personal trainer that pushed her beyond her boundaries.

But to Hedger, the biggest challenge was to balance her studies and the long hours of trainings.

In one week, her training schedule can include three fitness trainings, three photo shoots, one press conference and one runway show all on top of her lessons.

However, she counts on her daily dose of Vitamin C tablets and positive attitude to tide through the lack of sleep.

The opportunity to compete in Miss Universe Singapore has been rewarding for Hedger, and she hopes to advance in the competition despite not being a model.

EVEN at a young age, Kaylie Ding was never the type of girl to sing along to the Little Mermaid theme song, Under the Sea. While her friends were harbouring dreams to be the next Ariel, Ding was instead obsessed with the Japanese manga series Crayon Shin-chan.

But this year, Ding joined Miss Mermaid ASEAN 2016 — Singapore’s first ever mermaid pageant — and won the title.

She was also crowned Miss Body Beautiful.

Held internationally in countries such as Australia, Thailand and Mexico, Miss Mermaid was organised in Singapore for the first time earlier this year.

With the pageant’s focus on promoting marine life conservation, Ding was encouraged by her budding passion for marine wildlife to sign up.

“I don’t have a very strong opinion on marine life but there are a few issues that I feel very strongly about, such as consuming shark’s fin,” she said.

“We have a responsibility and there is a need for people to constantly remind others to do their part.”

As part of the competition, the finalists had to undergo a series of swimming lessons in a neoprene mermaid tail and be photographed underwater.

“I’m not a very good swimmer and I was struggling when I was posing underwater,” Ding said.

Fortunately for Ding, Miss Mermaid was not entirely about performing like the mythical sea creature. The pageant also featured a catwalk segment, similar to other beauty contests.

“The reason why it’s called a mermaid pageant is due to the environmental causes it stands for,” Ding said.

FOR Sng Xiao Li, joining a beauty pageant wasn’t about the glamour and glitz.

The first runner-up for the Miss Singapore Beauty Pageant held in August shared that her mother was the reason and motivation behind her participation.

“My mother wanted me to join the pageant to watch me grow,” the 18-year-old said. “It was also fulfilling for her because she always wanted to join pageants when she was younger, but couldn’t because of stage fright.”

However, the competition was not smooth-sailing – the ruthless rivalry came as a shock for the first-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information student.

Subjected to ridicule during trainings, Sng was even taunted by a competitor who mocked that she had no friends.

“You face a lot of jealousy and frustration when the contestants don’t get what they want,” she said. “Sometimes they will look down on you, and there’s no one to talk to.”

Despite breaking down several times during the competition, Sng did not let the negativity get the better of her.

“The challenge is learning how to control your own negative emotions because they’re not going to do anything good for you,” she said. “Just look forward and keep going.”

Eventually emerging as the first runner-up and bagging the subsidiary titles of Best Dressed, Best in Talent, and Miss Beautiful Skin, Sng said the highlight of her competition was when she saw her mother’s reaction.

“I looked at my mother and she was just screaming for me, and that moment was my prize,” she said.

Sng will be representing Singapore next in Miss World University 2016 in December.

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DAPPER

Although identical triplets share all of the same DNA, they have different thoughts about their own bodies. Here we explore the topic of body image to commemorate World Mental Health Day on 10 Oct.

15

16-17 DAPPER

Three of a kind Photographer: Gary Khoo Text and Styling: Desiree Ng Featuring: Lydia Ong, Agnes Ong, Joycelyn Ong

ABOVE: (From left to right) On Joycelyn: Top, Love and Bravery Skirt, The Tinsel Rack

BOTTOM RIGHT: (from left to right) On Joycelyn: Top, Love and Bravery Skirt, The Tinsel Rack

On Lydia: Shirt-dress (worn as outwear) and Dress, The Tinsel Rack

On Lydia: Shirt-dress (worn as shirt), The Tinsel Rack Pants, Love and Bravery

On Agnes: Top and skirt, The Tinsel Rack TOP RIGHT: (from left to right) On Agnes: Shirt and Dress, Love and Bravery On Lydia: Shirt-dress (worn as shirt), The Tinsel Rack Pants, Love and Bravery

FIRST PAGE: (from left to right) On Lydia: Top, The Tinsel Rack, Jeans, model’s own On Agnes: Top and skirt, The Tinsel Rack On Joycelyn: Shirt-dress, The Tinsel Rack

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CHRONICLE 02

Identical twins and triplets share similar faces and body shapes, but do they view their bodies equally?

Dapper writer Desiree Ng speaks to 22-year-old triplets — second-year Sports Science and Management student Lydia Ong and her full-time employed sisters Agnes and Joycelyn — to talk about body image.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

ally a lean frame, with less fat and more muscles.

Lydia: I like sports, and am in the NTU Aquathlon team. I also play touch rugby.

A: 36, 24, and 36. (laughs) The average Singaporean girl is petite, unlike us, as we have broad shoulders. So, small frame, slim waist, with an S curve. That’s the perfect, ideal image.

Agnes: I like sports too, and I swim a lot and run.

Joycelyn: I used to play more sports, but now I mostly swim, run and go to the gym.

What do you think makes each of you unique?

A: People identify us as one person, like a three-in-one, but we’re all a bit different. An example would be the way we speak.

J: In terms of world views, it used to be similar too. But as we grow older, it diverges a bit due to different experiences that shape us.

J: I want to have at least 4 packs. (laughs) I am shorter than Lydia and Agnes by a full 5 centimetres, so I always hope to be a little taller, closer to an ideal height of about 165 cm.

How do you usually dress? Are there any clothes that you will particularly avoid?

L: I like to dress simply. I avoid bright colours, as I find that they attract too much attention to me.

Regarding body image, what do you consider as a ‘normal body’ or an ‘ideal body’?

J: For me, I avoid tight-fitting clothes, or clothes that are too revealing. Usually I like wearing sleeveless top with shorts and slippers. That’s the best combination.

L: For me, it should be proportionate, with the arms, torso and legs of almost equal proportions – ide-

A: Sometimes I wear sleeveless tops because of Singapore’s weather, but on certain days, I feel

more conscious about my arms so I’ll wear long-sleeved shirts. I remember during the shoot, I had to wear a halter neck, and I felt self-conscious about it.

actions. But if someone were to ask me about my broad shoulders, I will tell them that I will live with it. This is what I was born with, and I don’t see a point changing it.

Do you think it is possible for someone to have high selfesteem and poor body image?

How do you think it affects one another?

A: It doesn’t matter so much to me that I want to change it because of other people’s opinions of me. I’ll focus on other traits, so that people can remember me for those.

A: It’s about the mindset. If you grow up being confident about yourself, body image comes second. For example, some comedians are fat, but they do what they do very well.

J: People can use their skills to offset a poor body image. Fat Amy (a character from Pitch Perfect) can sing very well, so people recognise her for that talent, instead of merely her size.

Our bodies are all different — some have bigger hips, some have broader shoulders. How do you get comfortable with your body?

L: If you want to slim down, you just have to put your words into

J: As friends, we should also be encouraging. We could suggest clothes that complement their body type, to make them feel better about themselves.

Any last thoughts about this issue on body image?

L: Be confident.

A: Body image is not everything.

In life, one will complement the other. If one thing is lacking, you can find something else that complements it.

J: It’s all about the mindset. You must learn to be contented and satisfied with what you have. Be grateful for the body you have.

Opinion

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Understanding role of President key, debate over changes aside Singapore’s elected presidency has seen heated debate as of late, with the Government broadly accepting recommended changes proposed by the Constitutional Commission last month.

The qualifying criteria for candidacy has been tightened: a candidate must have been, for at least six years, the most senior executive of a company with at least $500 million in shareholders’ equity.

There is talk that the changes were targeted at specific individuals.

The revised criteria rules out two candidates who lost in 2011: Mr Tan Cheng Bock, who lost by less than 1 per cent of the vote, and Mr Tan Jee Say. But how much do we really understand about the role in question?

An Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) poll of more than 2,000 Singaporeans in 2011 found that four out of five wrongly assumed that the President ensures the Government manages the economy wisely.

Three in four wrongly believed the President could speak publicly on national

issues he deemed important.

In reality, the President is referred to as the second key over significant matters, notably when deciding key appointments and protecting national reserves.

How many of us remember that the late former President S R Nathan crucially approved a $4.5 billion drawdown on Singapore’s reserves to enable the Government to proceed with its $20.5 billion Resilience Package during the international financial crisis back in 2009?

This debate over qualifications for the presidency stresses the importance for us to know more about the President’s duties.

Some candidates even made ambitious promises outside the scope of the presidency during their campaign period.

When campaigning begins, we should meticulously assess the candidates based on the values needed for the role.

How can we argue over qualifying criteria for candidacy without even fully understanding the President’s responsibility?

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE CHIEF EDITOR

LIFESTYLE EDITOR

LAYOUT ARTIST

MANAGING EDITORS

SPORTS EDITOR

LAYOUT SUPERVISOR

CHIEF SUB-EDITOR

DAPPER EDITOR Gary Khoo

PRODUCTION SUPPORT

Nicholas Tan

Dewey Sim

Matthew Mohan Rachel Chia Serena Yeh

Ignatius Koh

PHOTO EDITOR

SUB-EDITOR

Zheng Juncen

Louisa Tang

NEWS EDITOR Rachel Chia

OPINION EDITOR Matthew Mohan

GRAPHIC EDITOR Brenda Lee

BUSINESS MANAGERS Sheena Wong Vanessa Tan

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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Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board of The Chronicle and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of Nanyang Technological University, its employees, the students or the Council of the University.

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A column by Chronicle editors on issues close to their hearts

GRAPHIC: BRENDA LEE

Not the average egomaniac

Ignatius Koh Sports Editor

M

y ego spurs me on to achieve more.

It may come as a surprise how a strong ego can be a source of motivation, but such is the case for me.

In my younger days, I detested seeing others outshine me in my top subject, English.

It was my strongest suit and I would consistently rank among one of the the top performers in English in class.

This changed in secondary school.

I found myself slipping into ‘B’ territory for the subject – my worst scores ever.

Despite my newfound mediocrity, I was arrogant and lazy. I told myself that my grades were mere letters — an inaccurate reflection of my language skills.

Still, at the back of my head, the ‘B’s bugged me.

The final straw came in Secondary 3, when most of my classmates who were usually more adept at science and mathematics also bettered me during the English midyear examinations.

Wake-up call

My ego couldn’t handle being second best any longer. If I couldn’t beat others at what was meant to be my best subject, I had no right to claim that I was good at it.

I had a meltdown in my room when I received my report card.

Until this day, my mother’s words continue to resonate in my head whenever I sense myself growing even a tad overconfident.

“You overestimate yourself. You think you are good, but there will always be someone better. Don’t ever think that you are the best,” she said.

It was a wake-up call for my 15-year-old self. After that episode, I don’t remember relinquishing the top spot in class for English as I started putting every ounce of effort into the subject.

That dent to my ego, in the form of a cruel reality check, reminded me that I had to always strive to do my best.

But never once did I cast my ego aside, and over the course of my later teenage years, I stopped short of growing arrogant by consistently reminding myself that I was far from the best in anything I did.

In junior college, my ego continued to push me.

One of my friends urged me to enter a short story writing competition organised by the Ministry of Education (MOE), called “Have You Got A Story To Tell?”

It was a new challenge that left my ego licking its lips. I was convinced that if I tried my best, I would be able to win at minimum a consolation award.

About six months later, I received an email from MOE congratulating me on being one of the seven contest winners.

Father of psychoanalysis

No one is better suited to expound on the ego than Sigmund Freud, a neuroscientist and the father of psychoanalysis. He hypothesised that there are three components of

the psyche: id, ego, and super-ego.

The id is the most basic form of our desires, while the super-ego tempers our expectations. The ego falls in between; it is pushed by the id while confined by the super-ego.

Psychologist and author Kendra Cherry wrote in an article on Verywell, a health and wellness website, that someone who possesses a strong ego “approaches challenges with a sense that he or she can overcome the problem and even grow as a result”.

This means that the person’s ego will continue to push his super-ego in order to form new limits.

It would be fair to say my ego single-handedly dragged me into the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

Being here opened my eyes to the capabilities of my peers. My lack of exposure to the media scene was woeful — I had not seen news reporters my age till I set foot in this school.

This made me realise that I was far behind the curve, as my writing was deemed below par and I seemed to lack any sort of journalistic ability.

But the new environment excited me. I was in the company of people who could spur me towards my dream of becoming a journalist.

There hasn’t been a relaxing moment in university. Just when I think I have achieved a milestone, I find someone who accomplished it a long time ago.

My ego has never been challenged this much but I relish the chance to improve over and over again.

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canteen talk

As the debate rages on whether the difference in prize money awarded to Olympic and Paralympic athletes in Singapore is justified, we find out what students think.

“

Laura Lam, 22 HSS, Year 4

N

“

Having that big a gap between the athletes’ incentives is a bad statement in terms of what they are promoting and what they stand for. It is almost like devaluing the Paralympics by having a huge difference in the prize money.”

“

Minju Kim, 21 ADM, Year 3

I think these standards were set because the competitions are of a different level. But I think this difference is too large. The prize money Paralympians get should be at least half of what the Olympic athletes get.”

Guo Kexin, 19 MSE, Year 2

Hokkien drama draws mixed feelings from experts Prisca Lim

Whether you are physically handicapped or able-bodied, the Paralympics is still a sports competition.

I think if Joseph Schooling can get S$1 million, Yip Pin Xiu should also get the same amount.

“

The difference in prize money makes sense.

The Olympic Games gets a bigger pool of participants; the competition is more intense. But the difference in prize money is not fully justified by the difference in the level of competition.

Yang Yang, 26 REP, Year 4

19

ew Hokkien drama Jiak Ba Buay casts a renewed spotlight on the importance of dialects in Singapore.

But while linguists and media experts say the series emphasises the importance of oft-forgotten local parlances, they expressed mixed feelings about its authenticity.

The weekly half-hour drama series on Channel 8, which premiered on 9 Sep, spans 10 episodes and is directed by local filmmaker Royston Tan. Produced by Mediacorp and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), Jiak Ba Buay aims to explain the Pioneer Generation Package as well as help senior citizens understand healthcare policies in a simplified way.

Experts that the Nanyang Chronicle spoke to said the emergence of dialects in free-to-air mainstream media was cause for cheer, especially for the elderly.

Calling it “a big step forward for Singapore”, Associate Professor Francesco Paolo Cavallaro from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) noted that dialects allow the older generation to express themselves fully.

He added that it is “never too late” to reintroduce dialects into mainstream society.

Professor Randy John LaPolla, also from HSS, said that the current generation of elderly citizens were alienated when dialects were restricted in Singapore.

In 1979, a Speak Mandarin Campaign was launched by then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Dialect programmes from television and radio stations were later phased out by 1981.

“All of a sudden, people were just cut off — like a curtain just came down overnight, cutting them off from their involvement in communities,” said Prof LaPolla.

He said learning dialects such as Hokkien first can make it easier to transition to Mandarin.

The Mother Tongue Based Multilingual Education programmes in some schools in the Philippines have shown that when students started learning their mother tongue first, they can pick up other languages faster, said Prof LaPolla.

Knowing languages also opens up more doors for those seeking to build careers.

Assoc Prof Cavallaro added that there is a significant number of Chinese communities across Asia that speak Hokkien and conversing in Hokkien can get Singaporean businessmen further than merely speaking Mandarin.

But while experts said that having dialects in Singapore is important, they had divided reponses towards the new drama.

Assoc Prof Liew Kai Khiun from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information said he was unsure there would be large viewership, given that Jiak Ba Buay airs at noon on a weekday.

He also described the drama as “more instructional and pedagogical, rather than entertaining”, and felt the nostalgic theme could appeal more to young people instead.

“The media should think about how to keep the elderly relevant to (today), instead of keeping them stuck in their times,” said Assoc Prof Liew, adding that the drama follows too closely to the realities of life, giving it a depressing tone and mood.

Prof LaPolla also described the manner in which Hokkien is enunciated and spoken in the drama as more “proper” and different from how people converse in Hokkien in real life.

But Assoc Prof Cavallaro described the drama as “overdue”.

“It is great to finally see a full show in Hokkien," he said. "Some people who would have enjoyed a

production like this have already passed away.”

It is a good sign the Government seems to be relaxing its stance on dialects, said Prof LaPolla, who hopes there will be more of such initiatives in the future.

Last year, the Government released a Hokkien video to explain the Pioneer Generation Package on free-to-air TV and radio channels.

In the last General Elections, some Members of Parliament, such as Teo Ser Luck and Chee Hong Tat, reached out to Singaporeans by speaking in dialect at their rallies.

But in a joint statement with the MCI on 1 Sep, Mediacorp said that the amount of dialect content on free-to-air television programmes still remains unchanged.

Assoc Prof Liew said loosening restrictions on dialects will be beneficial, as the linguistic purity of languages tends to be overemphasised in Singapore.

“To attain media success, programmes need to appeal to local audiences by speaking to the heart of its viewers,” said Assoc Prof Liew. This can be done by making dialogue more conversational instead, he added.

He said: “The mainstream media should be given the leeway to try out different arrangements."

What bodes well is that Singaporeans have shown that they do have an interest in learning languages, said Prof LaPolla.

An informal poll conducted by NTU’s Centre for Modern Language found that students’ top three choices for new language modules were Cantonese, Russian and Hokkien, in order of preference, Assoc Prof Cavallaro added.

Still, Prof LaPolla predicted that dialects are unlikely to be as widely spoken in Singapore as they used to be.

He said: “There will be no going back to over 90 per cent of people speaking Hokkien in Singapore."

louder than words

GRAPHIC: TAN ZHUO HUINDA

Sports

Council mulls removing 3 IHG events Discussions to remove sepak takraw, squash and water polo starting next academic year are ongoing, but some hall residents are against the move.

Khairul Anwar

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he futures of sepak takraw, squash, and water polo are up in the air for next year’s Inter-Hall Games (IHG) due to the opening of six new Halls of Residence in NTU. If removed, this will reduce the number of sports played at the IHG from 20 to 17.

Cheah Wenqi, 22, former Hall 6 president and outgoing member of the Hall Presidents Council (HPC), said that factors such as logistics and scheduling of matches were taken into consideration during discussions between the HPC and Joint-Hall Sports Committee (JHS).

Three of the new halls — Binjai, Tanjong, and Banyan Halls — will be opening in October, and another three are slated to open by the next academic year, bringing the total number of halls participating in the IHG to 24.

“To accommodate all 24 halls for 20 sports in the same timeline — two to three months — will be rather difficult,” said Jeremy Tang, 24, former Hall 3 Sports Director and outgoing JHS member.

In addition, Cheah added that the three sports were singled out because they “fulfill less of the IHG objective than others.”

“The aim of IHG is to bring all 18 halls together to play the 20 sports, engaging both players keen to play or learn the sport, and bond the hall by engaging residents to support the game,” said the third-year student from Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

The decision to remove these sports will be finalised by the incoming HPC and JHS committees, who will pick up where the previous committee left off.

While the decision has not been set in stone, students have expressed concerns on the proposed changes.

Hall 3’s sepak takraw captain Muhammad Firdaus Bin Ismail, a final-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was disappointed with news of the potential removal of the sport, in which his hall emerged champions during the previous IHG.

Hall 3’s sepak takraw captain Muhammad Firdaus (right) hopes the sport will remain a part of IHG.

“IHG aside, it’s such a waste, especially since this sport originated in Southeast Asia and most Singaporeans don’t know how to play it. If they take this away, there will be a loss of culture in the community,” said the 26-year-old.

Luk Siu Hoi, 21, Hall 11’s squash captain, felt that the decision could adversely affect residents, who require IHG participation points to secure a hall stay.

The first-year student from the

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering said: “Since I’m under the IVP (Institute-VarsityPolytechnic) scheme, I have nothing to worry about. But I worry for my hall teammates who now have to do extra activities in hall to get their spot back.”

Hall 16 water polo player Kelvin Tam, 22, believed that the sport was picked due to its niche nature as only the halls with experienced players consistently performed well in the sport.

PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

But the second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering felt that, if true, the reason was not compelling enough.

“I’ve seen new players still making an effort to train at the Sports and Recreation Centre, not because they want to win IHG but because they enjoy learning to play the sport,” said Tam. The HPC and JHS will decide the outcome before next year’s IHG season in December 2017.

Female rugger tackles stereotypes head on Natalie Choy

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roken teeth and a concussion will not stop Ong Pei Yi from donning the Singapore jersey.

The national rugby player had four upper teeth pushed back and two lower teeth knocked out during a local club tournament last year.

These were just some of the injuries that Ong, a final-year student at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, sustained in her three years playing the sport.

Her upper teeth had to be pushed back out, while her lower teeth were restored.

“A lot of players tell me concussions are the worst,” said the 23-year-old. “I’ve had one concussion before, but I felt this (accident with my teeth) was more major.”

To onlookers, rugby is seen as a sport suited for larger players.

But the slim, 1.66-metre tall Ong aims to erase the stereotype that

women rugby players need to be big in order to succeed on the field.

“Rugby is a sport for all shapes and sizes. Anyone can play,” she said. “There will always be a position that suits you.”

But Ong stressed the importance of having a toned physique, having been initially taken aback by the physical demands of the sport.

“You have to hit the gym. When you have more muscle, you won’t be breaking bones when you get hit,” she said.

The contact nature of the sport also makes it seem mindlessly aggressive to spectators. “It is definitely very physical because of the tackling involved,” said Ong. However, she dismissed claims that rugby is all mindless tackles and brute force, explaining that it is an “aggressive yet smart game”.

Decision-making skills are important, and emphasised during

training, she added.

Ong is now training for the final leg of the Asia Rugby Sevens Series — a regional championship contested as a three-tournament series — which will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The first two legs were played in Hong Kong and South Korea respectively.

Rugby sevens is played by two teams of seven players, with two seven-minute halves on a full-sized rugby pitch — almost the size of a football field.

Just three years ago, Ong knew nothing about contact rugby.

“I had never watched a single rugby match in my life,” she said.

She has been a competitive hockey player for seven years, representing Victoria Junior College in the A Division Hockey Championships from 2010 to 2011, and played hockey for NTU when she was in her first year of studies.

Ong was first exposed to rugby in her second year, when she took up the sport as an elective.

Her natural flair for it caught the attention of the NTU coach, who invited her to join the school’s women’s rugby team.

She has been playing competitively ever since.

Ong currently hits the gym thrice a week, and trains at Yio Chu Kang Stadium with the national team twice a week. Saturdays are reserved for extra training or weekend camps.

In January next year, she will be representing NTU at the Hong Kong International Tertiary Sevens — her final tournament with the university.

Said Ong: “I love the camaraderie in the national team, I feel very welcomed and I’m learning a lot.”

“But I’ll always say that NTU is my first family.”

Ong Pei Yi (in red), 23, does not shy away from any rugby challenge in her way.

PHOTO: GOZAR IMAGES

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Soaring with the Eagles NTU footballer Anders Aplin is living his childhood dream of being a professional footballer after signing with S.League side Geylang International Football Club.

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 1 F1: (7-9 OCT) The Formula One title race will once again go down to the wire between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton after they left their competitors in the dust for a second straight year. Defending champion Hamilton hopes to secure a third consecutive victory at the Suzuka circuit to boost his chances of retaining his title, but Rosberg will not go down without a fight.

Khairul Anwar

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he word ‘murder’ is embroidered on both sides of Anders Aplin’s football boots — a warning to opponents not to mess with him. Even teammates think twice before they decide to challenge him for the ball during training sessions.

“When I step onto the pitch, I go in for the kill,” said Aplin, a finalyear student from Nanyang Business School.

The 25-year-old was featured in FourFourTwo Singapore’s S.League Team of the Month in August, despite making only five appearances for Geylang International Football Club in his first year as a professional footballer.

FourFourTwo is a monthly English football magazine that has different international websites, including a Singapore edition.

But Aplin insists that the achievement was a team effort.

“On the pitch, we do well together. The senior players like Yuki (Ichikawa) and (Daniel) Bennett guide and encourage us every game. Their presence is very reassuring and it takes some of the pressure off,” said Aplin.

Every day, Aplin fights for a spot in an Eagles side that includes five Singapore internationals.

The only opportunities he has to impress Geylang head coach Hasrin Jailani are during training sessions.

“I treat every one of them like a final,” Aplin said.

Aplin was signed by Hasrin after the latter had heard about him through assistant coach Mohd Noor Ali, who had watched Aplin play in the National Football League last year. Hasrin then invited Aplin for a trial before offering him a professional contract.

Hasrin, a former Singapore international midfielder, said: “We saw his potential during training sessions and we liked what we saw during the games. We wanted to give him a chance.”

Referring to how Aplin stands out in training, Hasrin said: “His hunger on the pitch and attitude in training was what we were impressed by. I would rather take a player who wants to prove something, compared to a player who has already proven his worth, or who has already played in the S.League before.”

Eagles teammate Al-Qaasimy Rahman also praised Aplin's drive

Five must-watch competitions this month

2

TABLE TENNIS: INTERNATIONAL TABLE TENNIS FEDERATION (ITTF) WOMEN’S WORLD CUP (7-9 OCT)

For the first time, the ITTF Women’s World Cup will be hosted in the United States (US) this year. To be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the event will feature 20 paddlers, 18 of which competed at the recently concluded Olympics. The likes of reigning world and Olympic champion Ding Ning, as well as Singapore’s world No. 5 Feng Tianwei, will serve up a storm in a decorated field.

Anders Aplin is determined to keep his spot in Geylang International FC's starting lineup.

PHOTO: KHAIRUL ANWAR

to improve his football skills.

“It’s no secret that Anders is hardworking. He gives his hundred per cent and I haven't come across any day where he complains he’s tired or he’s not in the mood for training,” said the 24-year-old national left-back.

Aplin’s hard work finally paid off when he was brought on as a substitute against Balestier Khalsa when the two sides faced off in a League Cup match in July.

“It was a surreal experience. You know when you train hard everyday, but end up sitting on the bench every game? Then finally you get the chance to play and you tell yourself, ‘This is it’,” he recounted.

“So with 20 minutes left I went in and did what I could.”

His performance in the 2-2 draw handed him a place in the starting lineup for the next four games.

For NTU, Aplin plays either as a striker or an attacking midfielder.

Hasrin, however, played him at left-back and centre-back during the five matches. But this did not matter to Aplin.

“More than anything, I wanted to play, and this was a chance for me to play since Qaasimy and Bennett were unavailable,” said Aplin.

“The spot was up for grabs and I took the opportunity, and there was a lot of mental preparation going in. I had to change my attacking mindset to that of a safer, more defensive one.”

Aplin also featured against for-

PREMIER LEAGUE: 3 ENGLISH CHELSEA VS. MAN UTD (23 OCT)

“When I step onto the pitch, I go in for the kill.”

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho returns to his old stomping ground in an intriguing matchup against new Chelsea boss Antonio Conte. With world-record signing Paul Pogba barely finding his feet, Mourinho must find a way get his charges firing against a shaky Blues defence. But Diego Costa’s return to scoring form has come at a time when the Red Devils are equally unsure at the back. Expect United to struggle against the Chelsea onslaught.

Anders Aplin, 25 Geylang International midfielder

4

mer Arsenal and Liverpool winger Jermaine Pennant when Geylang met Tampines Rovers last month.

“I don’t see him as an ex-EPL (English Premier League) player. I see him as an S.League player, my opponent. And I’m not letting him pass without a fight,” said Aplin, who is a Liverpool fan and grew up wanting to play for the team.

Aside from dishing out crunching tackles, Aplin is also on internship at auditing giant KPMG. He eventually plans to work in the marketing sector after his graduation, when his contract with Geylang ends.

“I hope to continue playing football for another year at least, before putting my degree to good use.

Football in Singapore is not really an iron rice bowl but it’s my passion so I want to carry on with it for now,” he said.

“I haven’t reached my peak yet.

With more games, I will improve and I hope to be called up to the national team soon.”

TENNIS: BNP PARIBAS WTA FINALS SINGAPORE (23-30 OCT)

The world’s top eight women’s singles and doubles players will be back in town for the WTA Finals. Watch US Open champion and newly minted world No. 1 Angelique Kerber gear up for battle against the likes of Serena Williams and defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska. Doubles champions Martina Hingis and Sania Mirza will also be determined to retain their crown at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

5

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: NEW YORK KNICKS VS. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (26 OCT)

Reigning champions Cavs will want to start the new season firing on all cylinders as the team looks to defend its hard-fought title.

Star player LeBron James will be well-rested after skipping the Olympics, and raring to continue his scoring run. The Knicks, however, will not be pushovers, having acquired former Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose and centre Joakim Noah from the Chicago Bulls. With the duo joining stalwart Carmelo Anthony, get ready for an explosive opening to the NBA season.

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Rebounding from injuries

Sticks and stones may break their bones but injuries will not keep them down. Sports writer Fiona Mei Robinson speaks to three athletes who have bounced back from serious injuries to fly the national flag again.

A wrist injury did not stop archer Ang Han Teng from winning two bronze medals at the ASEAN University Games in July.

ABOUT SUNIG The Singapore University Games (SUniG) kicked off on 31 Aug and will last until 14 Oct. The SUniG is a platform for university students to perform at a high level while fostering ties between the different schools.

NTU will aim to break National University of Singapore’s five-year stranglehold as SUniG champions, after finishing behind them for the past five editions.

Sports that are still within a shout of a gold-medal finish are cricket, floorball, football, and volleyball.

NTU’S SUNIG HAUL (AT PRESS TIME) CHAMPION Basketball (Men) Basketball (Women) Bowling (Men) Bowling (Women) Tchoukball (Men) FIRST RUNNERS-UP 9-Ball Pool (Mixed) Badminton (Men) Badminton (Women) Cross country (Overall) Handball (Men) Handball (Women) Squash (Men) Squash (Women) Swimming (Men) Tchoukball (Women) Touch football (Women) Badminton (Men) Swimming (Men) Table Tennis (Women)

PHOTO: ZHENG JUNCEN

AIMING FOR GLORY Ang Han Teng, national archer, School of Physical Education and Sports Science

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fractured scaphoid bone five months prior to the ASEAN University Games in July did not dull archer Ang Han Teng’s hunger for success.

The 23-year-old made a formidable comeback from injury to win two bronze medals in the men’s team and mixed team events at the Games despite only having a month of training.

“My injury didn’t change how I go into a competition,” said Ang, a second-year Sports Science and Management student.

“I just went in with a competitive mindset.”

The scaphoid bone, which is found slightly below the base of the thumb, is an important part of wrist movement and stability.

Ang sustained the injury during a training session when he tripped on a rope on the archery field and used his left hand to break his fall.

After his surgery, Ang’s wrist was placed in a cast for an intial

“This injury, I feel, was a blessing in disguise as it made me think about where I want to go in this sport.”

Ang Han Teng, 23, NTU and national archer

two weeks, and then in a splint for another six weeks.

“I was taking a module where I had to type a 3000-word report for a project. At that time, I was still wearing my splint and couldn’t remove it, so I had to type it with just one finger,” he said.

This fracture was the first major injury Ang sustained since he joined the sport in 2012, but it was a timely break as he was starting

to feel burnt out after four years.

“This injury, I feel, was a blessing in disguise as it made me think about where I want to go in this sport,” he said.

“This is the first time I put my heart into doing something for so long, and so intensely. I had to drag myself to trainings before this injury. After (getting injured), I realised how much I actually like archery,” he added.

Ang is currently training for the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games qualifiers.

The archer trains with the NTU archery team thrice a week, with an additional shooting session on Mondays. He also has two gym sessions and a run as part of his weekly training regimen.

Apart from the SEA Games, Ang is also looking to make his debut in the 2018 Asian Games.

“These are the two main Games I’m looking forward to, and why I’m training,” he said.

“Next time, I’d want to tell my children I competed in the Asian Games,” he added.

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KICKING HER INJURIES TO THE GROUND Nurul Shafiqah, national silat athlete, School of Physical Education and Sports Science

FOR national silat athlete Nurul Shafiqah, two medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears in her left knee have not stopped her from competing in the sport she loves.

“I’ve been in silat for so long — if I quit, everything would have gone to waste,” said the second-year Sports Science and Management student, who has been in training since she was six.

Shafiqah completely tore her MCL, one of the four major ligaments in the knee, for the first time in 2010 during the National Pencak Silat Championship.

“When I got injured, I was disappointed. But I took my time to make sure I was properly recovered,” said the 22-year-old.

The former Singapore Sports School student then took a year off from competition to concentrate on her rehabilitation.

Despite her efforts to strengthen her knee through physiotherapy, Shafiqah tore the same ligament for a second time at the Asian Pencak Silat Championship in June this year while fighting against a Thai opponent in the quarter-finals.

“I felt angry (at the situation), but at the same time, I could have been more careful. It was my own mistake,” she said.

Her second injury left her in a brace for a month. It was only after a further two weeks before she could resume normal training.

Looking back on her injuries and

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Nurul Shafiqah (left) is spoiling for a fight at the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam, on her return from injury.

her return to the sport, Shafiqah cited her younger sister — full-time national silat athlete, Nurul Suhaila — as her pillar of support.

“She understands my pain,” said Shafiqah. “We give each other moral support because we understand

what the other is going through.”

At press time, Shafiqah was preparing for her maiden Asian Beach Games — a biennial competition regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia — that will be held in Vietnam from 21 Sep to 1 Oct.

Despite her initial second thoughts about participating, she decided that missing the competition would be worse than suffering another injury.

“After my rehabilitation and physiotherapy, I think I’m quite

PHOTOS: FIONA MEI ROBINSON

strong now, and more stable,” said Shafiqah. “I’m eager to fight.”

Displaying her never-say-die spirit, the tenacious athlete added: “I’ve been through (this injury) once. I think I’m able to do it again for the second time.”

LIFTING HIMSELF BACK UP Ng Choon Yeow, national weightlifter, School of Physical Education and Sports Science

Ng Choon Yeow aims to break the national record at the World University Championships in November.

FORMER badminton player Ng Choon Yeow switched his racket for a barbell seven years ago when he saw an advertisement that ultimately shaped his sporting career.

The advertisement promoted four sports that would be held at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games: archery, taekwondo, wrestling, and weightlifting.

Ng, 23, found archery too technical, and feared getting injured in taekwondo and wrestling. That left him with weightlifting.

Ironically, it was weightlifting that caused the second-year Sports Science and Management student’s major injury.

Ng suffered a slipped disc in 2012, which occurred when he and his friends challenged each other in deadlifting. When he had lifted near his maximum load, Ng heard a ‘pop’ in his back, and felt the symptoms of his slipped disc a week later.

The injury caused him back pains and discomfort that impeded daily activities like getting dressed, as he

was unable to bend down to put on his clothes.

Despite not needing an operation, the injury caused Ng to stop intensive training for three months.

The episode taught the weightlifter how to better prevent injuries.

“Before you get injured, there’s a certain feeling you get before your body gives way,” Ng said.

“Now I know when I might get injured. This is when I tell myself to stop, because it’s not worth getting another injury and having to come back from it again.”

Ng also has a spinal condition called facet joint arthrosis since June last year, and experiences numbness in his glutes when he stands after sitting for long periods.

He hopes to ease his way back to form for the upcoming Commonwealth Championships in October, and to push for the national record only at the World University Championships in November.

“I’m afraid that if I push (for the Commonwealth Championships), I’ll get another injury,” said Ng.

WHAT DOES OPPORTUNITY LOOK LIKE?

A student. An employee. A solutions seeker. Dunlin is one and all. With the Industrial Postgraduate Programme (IPP), she is empowered to pursue full-time PhD studies while conducting research at Thales Solutions Asia.

Find out how you can make the most of the opportunities.

ABOUT IPP & OPPORTUNITIES

Singaporeans & Singapore permanent residents are eligible to apply

School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, NOVITAS, Nanoelectronics Centre of Excellence

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