The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 14 Issue 08 by Nanyang Chronicle

CHRONICLE

A professor, an artist, or an astronaut? He s all of them. PAGE 13

THE NANYANG

F E B R UA R Y 18 , 2 0 0 8 | V O L14 N O 8 | IS S N N O 0 218 -7 310 | W W W. N T U . E D U . S G / C H R O NI C L E

Tuition fees hike, but not for current students School fees will increase by four per cent for Singaporeans, but by ten for PRs and 50 for foreigners. Current students are unaﬀected CHERYL ONG NEWS EDITOR WHILE NTU is raising tuition fees by four per cent for Singaporean undergraduates who enrol in the coming academic year, current students can rest easy—their tuition fees will stay the same. Singapore permanent residents and foreigners who apply for tuition grant bonds will pay 10 and 50 per cent more respectively. This translates to an annual fee of $7,000 for the permanent residents and $9,540 for foreign students. “Many factors were involved in reaching the decision to raise the tuition fees,” said Mr Chan Kwong Lok, the University’s Chief Planning Officer. This included rising costs in manpower and campus facilities, as well as the increase of Goods and Services Tax (GST) to seven percent last year. The last time NTU raised its tuition fees was in 2006, which similarly followed a GST hike in the previous year. The National University of Singapore and the Singapore Management Univer sit y a lso raised their tuition fees, but varied the increments across different

courses. NTU is the only varsity that will raise its tuition fees by a flat rate across all courses. The University has also adopted a “cohor t-based” approach in setting tuition fees, whereby fees are kept the same throughout a student’s course of study. “With this approach, students can better plan for their finances with a predictable fee schedule,” said Mr Chan. Fi r st-yea r Env i ron menta l Engineering student Kenneth Neo, 21, welcomes the move. He said students currently paying their fees through bank loans or without tuition grants will be spared from incurring more costs. Incoming undergraduates, however, expressed concern at the news. “I do feel the universities need to explain more on their reasons for the fees hike,” said Timothy Kwan, 20, who will enter university in the coming academic year. Another student enrolling in university next academic year, Kesmond Goh, 21, is concerned that the hike will deter students with financial problems. Mr Chan, however, assured st udents t hat t he Univer sit y will continue to adopt a needsblind admission policy. That is, students will not be deprived of an education here due to financial constraints, but will be accepted based on merit. The University is also working with the Ministry of Education, said Mr Chan, to improve current financial aid schemes to better provide help to needy students.

27 传统中舞出新影

CHANGES ON TUITION GRANT FOR INCOMING STUDENTS WHO YOU ARE

CURRENT TUITION FEES

NEW TUITION FEES

Singaporeans

S$ 6,100

S$ 6,360

Permanent Residents

S$ 6,100

S$ 7,000

Foreigners

S$ 6,710

S$ 9,540

Rhythm Winning for hall 40 22 03 Ole and blues the Bid bazaars

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Fe b R uary 18 , 20 0 8

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Warm wishes for frozen China Cheryl Ng WHEN she made a phone call back to her hometown Hunan to wish her family happy Chinese New Year in the first week of February, first-year School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences student Yang Lu, 20, discovered that her family had no electricity and heat in their home. They had been forced to move to a hotel for three days, until power was restored. “I’m an only child and my parents live with my grandmother, whom I was worried about because it’s harder for old people to cope with such harsh weather,” said Yang. Yang Lu’s family are not the only victims of a snow storm crisis that crippled China’s transport and energy systems last month, stranding hundreds of thousands of people during the peak travel season before the the lunar new year. T hat is when t he Chinese travel back to their hometowns to celebrate Chinese New Year with their families. “My family’s luckier because they live in the city. Those that live in the rural areas are a lot more affected,” said Yang. In response to the disaster, Ya ng a nd 14 ot her st udent s organised a pioneer fund-raising event held on Febr uar y 13th and 14th at Canteens A and B to raise donations for victims of the snowstorm. These students are members of the Students’ Union International Undergraduate Committee People’s Republic of China Group (NTUSU I UC-PRC) a nd t he Si ngapore Chinese Students’ Union. “We received an email from

STUDENTS living in Halls 3 and 16 will have to pay more to stay in their air-conditioned rooms. The raise in rental fees for the air-conditioned halls is “definite”, but “a l mos t con f i r me d” for some non air-conditioned halls, according to student leaders who attended a dialogue with the Dean of Students and a separate Students’ Union Council meeting. Both meetings were held in the last week of January. The current rates for Halls 3 and 16 are $190 per month for double rooms and $250 for single rooms. The monthly rates for other halls range from $155 to $160 for double rooms and $195 to $210 for single rooms. No explicit reason was given for the proposed raise, and the amount by which fees would increase is also not determined. The Chronicle interviewed six representatives who were present at the dialogue with the Dean of Students, Associate Professor

A GUNMAN KILLED FIVE AND wounded 16 other students in Northern Illinois University before killing himself, last Friday. SCIENTISTS FOUND A SOLAR system like ours 5,000 lightyears away across the galaxy last Wednesday. It is the first planetary system that really resembles our own, but is smaller in size. CHANGI AIRPORT’S TERMINAL 1 will get a ‘Tropical City’ makeover costing $500m and will take three years to complete, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore last Thursday. S’PORE SPORTS COMMITTEE unveiled its vision to build a sporting culture, where Singaporeans love sports as much as they love food, last Thursday. FORMER PRESIDENTIAL candidate Mitt Romney endorsed John McCain’s White House bid after dropping out of the race last week.

SHOWING THEIR CONCERN THROUGH GIVING: NTU students queue up to donate and help the needy in China. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

a member of the public asking if there was going to be a donation drive for snowstorm victims and decided that this would be a good idea,” said Ying Hao, 21, the student in charge of the fundraiser. He then contacted the People’s Republ ic of C h i na e mba s s y, which worked with them on the fundraiser, and liaised with the Student Affairs Office (SAO) to conduct the event. “This is the first time we are organising a fund-raising event so we were quite worried about the response and security issues,” said Ying, a second-year Electrical and

Electronic Engineering student from Zhejiang. Ying might as well have not worried. A total of $9,280 was raised in donations, far surpassing the expectations of the students who organised the event. Close to 50 donations were made within the first hour of the event and an individual made a donation of $100. The sum will be sent to the chinese embassy who will decide how the money can be used to help the victims. Yang’s family however, are not likely to benefit from this as the money will go into helping victims

living outside the city first. The family is now safe at home. “We were i n it ia l ly af ra id that people wouldn’t be keen on donating but what really surprised us was that donors were not just Chinese, but people from Iran, Malaysia and Singapore,” said Ying. One donor was Mr Calv in Chong, a part-time student and suppor t staf f member at t he National Institute of Education, who donated $20. “I’m here to donate because these victims are really pitiful and they need help to get back home on time.”

Air-con halls’ rent getting pricier Chen Jingting

news flash

Lok Tat Seng, who declined to comment. One possible reason for the increase in rates could be due to the proposed conversion of some single rooms into double rooms, said Sports Secretary of the Nanyang Business School, Tan Jun Da, 22. For example, a resident in a single room may have to pay more for the extra space he or she enjoys if the other single rooms in the hall are converted into double rooms. The increase in electricity tariffs of nearly 6 per cent from Januar y 1st this year may be another factor in the rising hall rent. At a separate Union’s Council Meeting held the day after the dialogue, there was only a brief mention of the rent raise without much discussion. T h e Cou nc i l c on s i s t s of presidents of all school clubs and plays an advisory role to the Union’s Executive Committee. The issue had been mentioned in previous meetings, said president of the Biological Sciences Club, James Ong, 23, but it is still

T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S A N D Australia reach an Open Skies aviation agreement that promises increased competition on one of the world’s most lucrative and protected long-haul routes. HIV VACCINE RESEARCH HAS hit a deadlock, said Nobel-winning biologist Professor David Baltimore last Friday. No real breakthroughs have surfaced in 20 years. OKINAWA DEMANDS US REIN IN its troops last Thursday after a US Marine was arrested for allegedly raping a girl. MARCH 8 WILL BE THE DAY of reckoning for Malaysia, as the Malaysian government last Thursday announced that is when the general elections will be held. A L M O S T T W O -T H I R D S O F Pakistanis want President Pervez Musharraf to resign, believing that it would improve the nation’s security, found a BBC poll last Wednesday. M A NDA I ZOO’S IC ON A ND famous Sumatran orang utan, Ah Meng, passed away on February 8th. As tribute to her, the next orang utan born in Mandai Zoo will be named Ah Meng Junior. HOLLYWOOD’S THREE-MONTH long writers’ strike concludes after the Writers Guild of America decided to end the protest. Filming for shows such as Desperate Housewives that were put on hold are resuming at breakneck pace.

correction

COMFORT WON’T COME CHEAP: Residents of air-conditioned and other as-yet unconfirmed halls will need to pay more to stay there. PHOTO | GERALDINE KANG

unclear by how much the rent will be raised. The increase in rates would be unpopular with students, but they need to “look at the big

picture”, said a representative at the dialogue, who believes that the University needs to cope with the additional costs due to inflation.

“Canoepolo players prepare for stern test with challenge” (Vol 14 No 7, page 37) The photograph in the article should have been credited to Mr Alvin Lee. We ap olo gis e for the error.

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fe b R ua ry 18 , 20 0 8

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NIE brings artwork back home The new art gallery aims to promote art education and knowledge in art history Junaini Johari COME May, a new place to exhibit art works by National Institute of Education (NIE) students and other artists will open at Nanyang Crescent. The art gallery, a facility of NIE’s Visual and Performing Arts Academic Group, will showcase different art ranging from NIE student graduation pieces to the works of local and international artists. The new building will replace the former galler y, which has been used as an activity centre for students since 2007. Event s held t here a i m to promote knowledge of art history and stimulate discussion about the educational and psychological aspects of art education. The art gallery will reach out to both school and local communities. One of its features on arts education will be an exhibition of works by children. Children’s artwork seldom gets the attention it deserves, said Ms Jane Leong, part of the Art Gallery Committee. “We intend to change this by showcasing children’s art

professionally, so that people can appreciate its significance and meaning.” The Arts Academic Group said moving the new gallery to NIE’s Arts Block will link the Nanyang Playhouse and gallery to create an “arts hub”. “We want to create a vibrant area of focus between NTU and NIE,” said Associate Professor Chia Wei Khuan, the Head of the Visual and Performing Arts Academic Group. “At the moment the area between the gallery and playhouse is still quite bare and we want to make it artistically presentable.” The galler y, which has yet to be named, is said to be more impressive than its predecessor, with t wo separate spaces for exhibitions and documentary and film screenings. For the past year and a half, the National Institute of Education has had to rent commercial sites to display its artwork. This time, however, these works will be displayed at home. This comes as good news to students such as Nurul Jannah Binte Mukasim, 23, who is taking a visual art course for her postgraduate diploma in education. “For now we don’t get much chances to showcase our works, so this will be a good morale boost for us. It will give us more confidence in our works,” she said.

OPENING IN MAY: Construction at the National Institute of Education’s new art gallery is almost done. With its unveiling in May, works from NIE students and artists will be exhibited here. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

Ole at hall bazaar SU gets in touch with students through surveys Beatrice Mok

THOSE who attended Pasar Ole! at Hall 2 last Wednesday were greeted by the sights and sounds of beating drums, loud cheering and people crammed together in closely situated stalls. The one-night-only bazaar, jointly held by Halls 1, 2, 4, and 7, featured about 20 stalls selling food, apparel, accessories, and even provided manicure services. “Pasar Ole! was held to cultivate camaraderie between the four halls and to create an unforgettable experience for the residents of the halls,” said Chen Nee, 19, vicechairperson of the joint hall bazaar organising committee. The highlight of the bazaar was the Dunk and Slam, where an auction was held for nominees to be dunked into a tank of water. Offers went as high as $70 for those who gamely did dares like being dun ked while wear ing bikinis. “It was very exciting to watch people increasing the bid for their friends” said Hall 4 resident Charlene Tan. Laughter erupted when the God of Fortune mascot drew his own ticket while picking out the third prize-winner of the bazaar’s lucky draw. Jasmin Cai, 19, a Hall 2 resident,

Teo Wan Gek

SELF-BESTOWED LUCK: The God of Fortune mascot won third prize at the lucky draw when he drew his own ticket. PHOTO | ANG SENG KEAT

felt the event’s emcee livened up the atmosphere, and the bazaar was engaging thanks to games like Bingo and Dunking. While Pasar Ole! is the first such joint hall bazaar to be held here, the organising committee hopes to turn it into an annual event and to rope in more halls into planning the next bazaar. This is good news for some like Hall 4 resident Belicia Loh, 19, who looks forward to the next Pasar Ole!. “I hope the next bazaar will be even more exciting,” she said.

T H E r e c e nt t wo s u r v e y s conducted by the Students’ Union (SU ) regarding t he shuttle bus services and Hall Admission Scheme (HAS) are the first in a series of surveys that will be conducted this month. Ot he r i s sue s t hat w i l l b e s u r ve ye d i nc lude t he satisfactor y/ unsatisfactor y (S/U) option and IT services such as the wireless connection in NTU. The two surveys, launched on February 9th, aimed to find out how students feel about the changes that have been implemented for the shuttle bus services and the HAS. This is the first time the current SU is surveying on the HAS. A previous survey done by the Students’ Union last September on the shuttle bus services had led to the change of bus routes back to A, B, and C. Choudhury Anshuman Das, 21, Union President, said that the survey results did not show a clear majority.

“In our last survey, 50% out of about 3000 students wanted two lines, the other half wanted three lines, therefore we couldn’t change immediately,” he said. “This survey is to find out whether the changes we made were effective or not.” Lim Wei Yi, 22, a secondyear Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, approved of the way the SU handled the shuttle bus routes issue. “The shuttle bus route is much better now,” Lim said. “So I think the sur veys help. At least the Student Union did look at what the student wants.” Shar ing Lim’s sentiments, Ismath Banu, 21, a f irst-year Humanities and Social Sciences student, was in favour of such surveys being conducted. “I think such surveys can help to highlight the students’ concerns to the school administration, and for them to act on it,” she said. Also, Das had received emails providing feedback on HAS, and had an idea how students felt, but needed statistics from the survey to ‘get concrete proof that something went wrong’, he said. Changes to the HAS will be introduced next year, before students join the school and club

“I think such surveys can help highlight the students’ concerns to the school administation, and for them to act on.” Choudhury Anshuman Das, 21 President, Students’ Union

activities, said Das. They will then join the activities next year with the new system in place. “If there is a genuine problem, then the surveys will clearly show it,’ Das said. However, there will not be a revamp of HAS. Das said: “The whole basic idea of HAS is that there should be a weightage given to people staying far away, so that is going to stay. The CCA part could have some tweaking here and there, but the whole backbone structure is going to stay.”

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FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

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Non-Chinese students join the Chinese New Year celebrations Shereen Syariff ST U DEN TS of different races were drawn in by the crowds as the lions ‘roared’, and cymbals clashed - marking the beginning of the Chinese New Year Celebration Live 08. Held on Febuary 4th at the area outside OCBC bank at canteen A, the celebrations organised by the Chinese Society were aimed at promoting Chinese cultural values, family ties and spreading the festive spirit, not only to the Chinese students, but to those not acquainted with the Chinese culture and traditions. “This is my first time taking part in Chinese New Year celebrations. It’s interesting to see how everyone gets into it. I’m excited to go to Chinatown now. It’s very fun and festive here, I can’t imagine how it must be like there,” said Nanyang Business School exchange student Nandini Bhat. Mr Anthony Teo, secretary to the University who was also the Guest of Honour, talked about the importance of actively immersing ourselves in all cultures and being able to experience f irst hand the festivities, in multi cultural Singapore. The traditional lo hei that fol lowe d pr ov ide d ju s t t hat oppor t unit y. Usua lly par t of the traditional reunion dinner where everyone gathers around the table to ‘toss’ to longevity and abundance of luck, invited guests and students of various

Nur Raihana

TOSSING THE YU SHENG: Students of all nationalities and ethnicities took part in this year’s celebrations. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

nationalities and ethnicities took part in the tossing of the yu sheng, a Chinese raw fish dish. Chinese Society president Shu Theng Hong said that he was disappointed with the turn out as he had expected more students to stop by that area during the lunch

time hour. Abishek Dutta, 27, from the Robotics Research Center (MAE), still found the celebrations fun anf enjoyable even though he had some difficulty handling his chopsticks. Some of the obvious crowd

pleasers included the Mandarin Peeling Contests, Guess the Number of Oranges, hongbao and orange giveaways to passers-by and the traditional art of Face Changing – where the performer’s face changes as a means of displaying emotion through various colours.

NTU WOWs students at career fair Raymond Chua JOB-SEEK ING students at the NTU Career Fair on January 30th and 31st found more than just employment opportunities when Asia’s first assessment centre to be based in an educational institution was launched. Managed by the Career & Attachment Office (CAO), which a lso orga n ised t he Fa i r, t he Centre aims to improve students’ employability after graduation. A ssessment cent res a re commonly used by companies to suss out candidates they would want to hire. The Centre at NTU will teaches students to cope with the stringent tests involved by polishing on their interpersonal skills to survive interviews and get employed more easily. Currently only available to engineering students, candidates undergo a simulated working day for the job they apply for and the resulting responses measure their ability to handle actual job situations. A smaller version of the Centre

Facebook group created to protest proposed change to hall occupancy

is the World of Work (WOW) programme to kick off later this month. Lasting one and a half day long, students will be tested for selected job positions. They will then receive feedback to brush up on their work skills, such as email correspondence. Besides these new introductions, M r s Chong Mei Eng, deput y director of CAO said her office aims to provide ser vices like career coaching, profiling tools, and the career fair to “empower job-seeking students”. “ T he objec t ive i s to he lp graduating students secure a job or an interview. For other students, it presents an opportunity for them to find out what the career fair is all about,” she added. The fair got 108 participating employers– an increase from last year’s career fair with 74 compa n ies. To accom modate this rise in number, the fair was expanded to cover two floors in Nanyang Auditorium. Final-year Computer Engineering student, Tan Hong Jun, 24, said: “The fair brings

THE proposed changes to some hall rooms’ occupancy could affect some 2000 residents as early as this August, yet few would seek out avenues to express their opinions on the proposal. However, people like Hall 6 resident David Hu, 22, felt strongly enough about the issue to create a group on popular social networking site Facebook. The group was set up to disseminate infor mation to its near 500 members, as well as provide an avenue for discourse on the issue of triple-sharing rooms. “We stay in hall, our voices should be heard. We need to feel like we’re part of the decision making process,” said Melvin Lum, 21, also a Hall 6 resident. But t he group has it s detractors, who feel that it is a very limited channel to get one’s opinions heard. “N T U m ight listen to suggestions as to how to make the rooms more comfortable,” said Hall 11 resident Pong Hui Min, 20. “But I don’t think it’s going to affect plans to convert the rooms.” “I think speaking out won’t work because once everything is decided, no matter what you do or how many meetings you go for, the decision will stay,” said Hall 1 resident Chia Woan Lan, 22.

“We stay in hall, our voices should be heard. We need to feel like we’re part of the decision making process.” Melvin Lum, 21 Hall 6 resident

DEMAND FOR DIVERSITY: Students want to have a variety of industries to choose from. PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI

many companies to congregate at one location, giving employers a chance to speak directly to us students.” While some students felt that there was a wide enough variety of industries to choose from, others felt otherwise. “ T he r e s hou ld b e mor e business-related companies,” said Ang Hui Teng, 21, a final-year

Business student. Mrs Chong said that since the NTU student population is predominantly engineers, the event will attract more engineeringrelated compan ies. However, major non-engineering companies like ACNielsen Research -and Walton International Group have been added this year to increase diversity.

Hall 1 resident Henri Susanto, 19, t h in k s t hat d isgr u nt led residents should express their views through the Students’ Union instead. Never t heless, Susa nto s a i d h e wou ld a c c e p t t h e university’s decision, as long as it is accompanied by “reasonable justification”. Despite there being many more residents who would be affected, Hu said it could be due to apathy that the rest are not lending their voice to the cause. “Maybe they do feel something about it; they’re just not voicing it out,” he said.

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FE B r UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Students say cheers to wine appreciation Joanna Hor WINE is definitely not just for the rich. To prove this point, NTU Wine Society organised ValenWine, the first ever wine exhibition held at tertiary level, which was opened to all NTU staff and students on the February 13th and 14th. Held i n conju nct ion w it h Valentine’s Day, the event at the Nanyang Auditorium attracted some 1,500 visitors over the two days. Va l e nW i n e C h a i r p e r s o n Alex Seo, 25, said that he hoped the exhibition, modelled after Wine for Asia, could expose the general student population to wine culture. “I’m not saying that we should be professionals, but at least have the basic knowledge to describe the taste of wine and not be ignorant about wine,” he said, adding that wine tasting is a good social skill for students who would probably have to attend social functions in the future. Visitors to the exhibition were each given a wine glass and encouraged to try various wines from different counters set up by 15 wine merchants and retailers

such as Denise the Wine Shop and Le Raisin. Prior to the event, the Students Affairs Office (SAO) had raised concerns that students might get drunk during the event. However, Seo said they managed to convince SAO that the society would take necessary precautions, for example, stationing people around to take note if students were getting drunk. “Wine tasting is not about drinking one glass of wine. There are spittoons around if students feel uncomfortable and want to spit it out. “ We i nte nde d t h i s to be educational,” he added. “There are educational posters, wine tours. We don’t encourage students to just come and drink.” Various students echoed his sentiments, but some felt that more could have been done to teach students about wine. “Probably for those new to wine, they could have some facts about drinking, like which wine would go with which food,” said second-year Business student Tham Chee Hao, 23. First-Year Business student Teo Shao Hao, 21, shared a similar view.

Role-playing as world leaders in model UN Jayesh Kannan AT JUST 18, Sanket Gupta, a first-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, seemed too young to be the International Mone ta r y Fu nd’s Ita l ia n representative. However, that was exactly Sanket’s role at the NTU Model United Nations (MUN), held from February 1st to 3rd, at the Nanyang Executive Centre. “It was an amazing experience,” said Sanket, who read up on Italy’s approach to international relations before the event. “It was also fun as I learnt how to behave like an Italian delegate. In fact, I had to mimic the foreign policy of Italy during council.” Lakshmi Balachandran, 20, the Secretary General of MUN 2008 said: “Problems like climate change and the Middle East crisis were debated until countries could reach a consensus.” She believes this makes students more aware of global issues that are important to them. The event is one of Singapore’s bi g ge s t s i m u l at ion s of t h e international organisation. More than 200 tertiar y students, of various nationalities, role-played as delegates for countries at the conference. Five councils were held this year – t he Secur it y Council, Historic Security Council (a past

version of the Security Council), General Assembly, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and International Monetary Fund (IMF). Also, some students played journalists covering the dialogues. They represented three media institutions – British Broadcasting Corporation, the American Fox News Network, and the Middle Easter n A l-Jazeera News Network. A key discussion topic at the event this year involved the International Monetary Fund and the economic spiral experienced by the real world. Some delegates, like Stephanie Yap, 20 who playe d I nd ia’s representative in the dialogue, we r e t a s ke d w it h h a nd l i n g sensitive political issues like nuclear power. “It was a challenging task to convince other delegates in one minute speeches in a formal setting,” the second-year Economics student said, who lobbied for support before the event. Meanwhile, playing an Italian delegate made Sanket interested in a country he has never been to before. “Being an Italian delegate for a couple of days is one thing,” he said. “Going to Italy and experiencing this wonderful country first-hand is a completely different ball game.”

LESSONS IN WINE APPRECIATION: Students who visited the wine exhibition tried different wines from merchants and retailers all over the world. PHOTO | KONG YEN LIN

“Maybe there should be a talk, with instructions about how to take wine step by step, so that we can appreciate it,” he said. Never t heless, most of t he

at tendees had pra ise for t he event. Foo Suan Woon, 22, a thirdyear Materials Science Engineering student, felt that the exhibition

was good as it showcased a large variety of wine. “We are all young adults. We like to try expensive stuff and indulge ourselves,” she said.

NBS team wins case competition in Canada Chan Sijia May IT WAS a case of déjà vu for Nanyang Business School ( N BS ) w he n , j u s t t h r e e months after winning the inaugural Asian Business Case competition, another team emerged champion in the Undergraduate National Case Competition on January 26th. The winning team had the highest cumulative score over the three-day competition, which took place in the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, a province of Canada. Trumping their opponents from established business schools from America and Canada, the team of four comprised Daryl Neo Shun Xiang and Quek Hong Soon, both 23-year-old Business students in their second year, Zhang Peifei, 21, a secondyear Business and Computing student, and Pham Phuong Dung, 22, a third-year Business student. Teams were divided into groups w it h at least one American, one Canadian and one non-Nor t h A mer ican school.

T he sc hool tea m s t hen competed to obtain the highest average score within their groups, so as to move on to the final round.

The school teams were

DOING NBS PROUD: Winners of the Undergraduate National Case Competition pose with their professor at Concordia University in Canada. PHOTO | COURTESY

tasked with conceiving solutions to real world business problems within three hours.

They had to deliver their a n s we r s v ia a 20 -m i nute s PowerPoint presentation, and face a 15-minutes question and answer (Q&A) session afterwards. For the final round, the Q&A session was extended to 20minutes and the panel of judges was bigger. Team leader Neo said that the way they presented made them rise above the competition. “We had a unique style of presentation which we have been practising on over the past few months,” he said. “And this really made us stand out as the other schools had never seen such a

style before.” Adjunct Associate Professor A r t h u r L e e G i l b e r t , f r om the Division of Information Technolog y and Operations Management, said: “Each member of the team has a very distinct persona and deliver y st yle. The team exhibited a passion for their work and complete confidence in their analysis and recommendations.” De s pite s t r e s s f r om t he competition, the team managed to have fun in the process. “ We e njo y e d ou r s e l v e s thoroughly, and the exposure was fantastic,” said Quek. “I realised how a cohesive team can be so much more powerful then just the sum of each individual.”

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Exploring madness through music Stacey Chia THERE has always been a stigma for mental patients, and youths are still clueless about how to approach the issue. In an attempt to change this situation, four final year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information launched ViBes’ 08-Voices through the Arts, a campaign aimed at using the arts to promote positive mental health awareness among youths aged 15-24. The event attracted about 500 people and comprised of a songwriting competition and a 10-minute play on positive stress management. The initiatives were intended to enhance the student’s knowledge of mental health and to reduce the social stigma associated with it. Lee Pei Ting, 23, a member of the project group said that the group was motivated by personal experiences. “ We fou nd d i f f ic u lt y approaching our friends who suffered from depression,” Lee said. Some s t ude nt s sha r e he r sentiments. Adrian Ngin, 23, a first-year student at the School of Art, Design and Media he would try to avoid eye-contact and stay away from severe cases of mental illness. W it h t he s uppor t of t he Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and Silver Ribbon (Singapore),

an organisation geared towards promoting positive mental health, a song-writing competition was organised prior to the event to enable youths to express their thoughts and opinions regarding the issue of mental health. Held at the Woodlands Civic Centre on Febr uar y 2nd, the ViBes’ 08 finale showcased the six finalists of the song-writing competition. The finalists were selected based on their or iginal song compositions, which centred on the themes of stress, depression and support. Lee explained that the songwriting competition was a way to get youths talking about the issue of mental health, as the arts is a familiar medium. Dr Swapna Verma, a guest speaker for the event said that people do not want to be cruel but they just do not know how to approach the mentally ill. The psychiatrist at IMH said that the need for support is very crucial for anyone suffering from the illness. In her speech, she urged the public to be wary of early signs and symptoms such as excessive fatigue and disturbed sleep in their loved ones and to help them seek early treatment. A lso on stage sha r i ng e x per iences overcom i ng her illness was Ms Yew Runbin, 24, who is recovering from borderline personality disorder, which is

SONGS OF SUPPORT: Finalists of the ViBes’08 songwriting competition belt out their self compositions reflecting their thoughts towards mental health. PHOTO | COURTESY

characterised by instability in moods. “It is difficult to get a job because of my history of mental illness,” she said. However, with the support of friends from her Livejournal communit y, Sg_mentalhealth, she managed to take a positive approach towards her illness. Today, she continues to post on the blog as a way of showing support to other mental patients. Booths were also set up by the IMH and Silver Ribbon to provide

Koh Si Hui

FINDING A CURE: International collaborations in malaria research may help prevent the female Anopheles mosquito from spreading the disease. PHOTO | COURTESY

Apart from the talks, poster sessions showcased the global development of malaria research in the last four years. Professor Tan said students had put up their work and this provided opportunities for discussion of ideas between professors and students that was beneficial. Professor Bozdech said that some of the overseas researchers were impressed by the quality of

Computing club ready to take flight Edmund Lee

information on mental health and a 10-minute play was stage to emphasise the importance of seeking help when unable to cope with stress. Mr Raymond Yeo, 24, who turned up at the event, felt that the event helped him clarify doubts he had about mental illness. He said: “I learnt a lot from Dr Swapna’s talk, and that support from friends and relatives is i mpor tant towa rds t hei r recovery.”

Malaria research conference forms platform for international collaboration IN A bid to foster closer ties between the international malaria research community and Singapore, the Singapore Malaria Network hosted a network meeting at NTU. Held at the Nanyang Executive Centre from January 31st to Febuary 1st, the two-day symposium was a follow up of the successful malaria meeting in 2004 , which brought together international speakers who gave informative talks about malaria research and it’s challenges. This year’s symposium, unlike earlier ones, provided opportunities for leading international experts and researchers to present their latest malaria research findings to their counterparts. A ssociate Professor Peter Preiser and Assistant Professor Zbyneb Bozdech , who both teach at the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), are part of the organising committee for this event. Two other committee members include Assistant Professor Kelvin Tan from NUS and Dr Laurent Renia from Singapore Immunology Network.

research done in Singapore. “T h is gives Si ngapore the visibilit y to the research community in Europe. “Learning always goes both ways so they have a lot to learn from us as well,” he said. The professors said that the Singapore malaria network hopes to collaborate with more foreign institutes and make Singapore a regional research hub where a

top-level research centre can be established. “There is a big gap between research which is using high level of technology which you need functional infrastructure to operate and where the disease really is—which is out in the jungle,” said Professor Bozdech. He added t hat Singapore has the infrastructure for high technology and capacity to make the gap narrower. Professor Tan added, “The other unique thing is that malaria scientists who come to Singapore are experts in their own field of research. There is marginal overlap in their skills. When we work together, there is a synergy that is very hard to find in other parts of the world.” Increased collaboration with foreign institutes is positively regarded by undergraduates. Lisa Lim, a final-year SBS student said that with increased collaborations, students here would be able to find new ways of approaching old problems. “Often the best ideas do not stem from one, but from many,” she said.

AN NTU computer programming club will square off with a hundred ot her teams in an inter nat iona l program m ing contest in Canada this April, after beating regional contenders in Iraq last year. The team, Inter-Collegiate Programming Contest (sigAPEX) Club, was one of 26 teams that made it pass the regional contest, which saw thousands from Asia vying to get into the International Collegiate Programming Contest. sig A PEX stands for Special Interest Group Aspiring For Programming Excellence. The International Collegiate P rog r a m m i ng Conte st i s a pr est ig iou s i nter nat iona l programming contest sponsored by IBM. It aims to help develop top students in the f ield of computer science worldwide. sig A PE X i s pa r t of t he University’s students’ chapter of the Association for Computing Machinery. Club members are involved in solving computerrelated problems like viruses and software defects. In t h is competition, participants compete to design a software system that works out at least eight world computing problems within five hours. The problems posed vary in terms of their difficulties, ranging from minor glitches to destructive viruses. Computer science experts select the winning team based on how quickly they solve the most number of problems. After their victory in Tehran last December, sigAPEX has been stepping up their training for the finals. Ankit Uppal, 20, the club’s honorary general secretary, said: “We try to create a competitive environment in our trainings so that our team will be conditioned to the high stress level in the competition itself.” They are also working on speed typing, because that in the case of a tie, the faster team would win. Apar t f rom the training sessions, team coach Nguyen Quang Huy, 26, a post-graduate student from School of Computer Engineering said former finalists from the competition have been roped in “to mentor our younger generation”. Despite the challenges and stress from the impending finals, the team is confident that they can do well in the competition. Kev i n Jones, adv isor of the N T U Inter-Collegiate Programming Contest (sigAPEX) Club and a School of Computer Engineering lecturer said: “They have the skills, experience and synergy as a team. Clinching a position among the top 20 is reasonably achievable.”

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T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Drink in moderation to get your sexy back Jalelah Bte MS Abu Baker BINGE drinking is uncool and certainly not sexy—that was the message a group of final-year students were trying to spread in NTU two weeks ago. According to the Ministry of Health, binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks during a drinking session at least once in a month. A mba ssador s of t he “Get Your Sexy Back” campaign held white boards and conducted a “street roving” – they approached students at Canteen B to ask what they thought was sexy. Par t ly to at tract st udents to their campaign booth, the move also aimed make students understand not to associate binge drinking with attractiveness. Initiated by four undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information and sponsored by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore, the campaign hopes to educate youths about the effects of binge drinking and the importance of drinking in moderation. Lau nched at Zou k last December, the campaign came to NTU on January 30th for its street roving, after it was held at other polytechnics and universities. Unlike previous campaigns to

counter alcohol-related problems like drink driving, “Get Your Sexy Back” is the first major concerted effort to increase awareness on binge drinking. A t t he c a m pa i g n b o ot h , students got to take a bar exam on laptops provided to test their knowledge on alcohol limits and effects. Students who had a certain number of correct answers won at t r ac t i ve pr i ze s , i nc lud i ng

“Teenagers nowadays are getting irresponsible. It is a good thing to raise awareness.” Shanthini Sandramohan, 21 First-year Engineering student

vouchers from New Urban Male. According to a report published as part of the 2004 National Health Survey, the percentage of binge drinkers had increased from 5.1 to 10 between the years 1992 and 2004. “There has been an increase in the number of youths who binge

drink,” said a representative from Alcoholics Anonymous Singapore, adding that there are also many foreigners among them. Dr Lim Wei-Yen f rom t he Ministry of Health said in an e-mail interview that binge drinking is associated with unsafe sexual practices, while driving while intoxicated increases the risks of accidents. St udent s r ecogn i se bi nge drinking is a problem and support making this issue more prominent among youths. Jeremy Lim, 21, a first-year Engineering student, notice that young people who binge drink are just following their friends. Shanthini Sandramohan, 21, also a f irst-year Engineering student, thought it was time binge drinking was addressed. She said: “Teenagers nowadays are getting irresponsible. It is a good thing to raise awareness.” “Singapore is planning to be a lifestyle nation, and it is important that youths in Singapore know how to enjoy alcohol without abusing it,” said Rebecca Ye, 23, one of the campaign’s organisers. She added however that the focus on drink driving has made it seem as if it is okay for youths to binge drink when they are not driving. “We want to tell them it is not,” she added.

YOUR TAKE ON WHAT’S SEXY: Campaign ambassadors drew crowds to the booth by approaching students. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR

More reasons to get a study buddy Sociology Society

gains official status

Charlene Tan REGISTRATION for peer tutoring opened in the second week of school, which is headed by the Students’ Union. This year the scheme has been expanded to include all subjects offered in the first year of School of Chemical and Biological Engineering. This is eight up from its initial offerings of only f irst-year Common Engineering subjects.

Modules are chosen based on the number of students who have encountered difficulties or have failed and are retaking the modules. T he pr og r a m me h a s not yet been extended beyond the engineer ing schools because efficient management of the peer tutoring was of prior importance to the planning committee. However, the team hopes to achieve that in the future, said the first director of the peer tutoring committee, Lim Si Wei, 23. Tutors who sign up with the progra m me a re sen ior s who have done well in the module previously, achieving a minimum grade of A- in the module. “I think this is a good chance for me to review the subje cts

I have learnt as well as help my juniors in first year who are having difficulties in their studies,” said Nguyet Cong Tri, 20, third-year student from the School of Chemical and

Lee Yen Nee

STUDY BUDDIES: With the addition of new subjects, more students will soon receive academic help from their peers on campus. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

Biochemical Engineering,. Zhao Hai Nan, 20, a firstyear student from the School of Electrical Engineering sees the scheme as an opportunity for cultural exchange. “I used to be a tutor in China, and I would like to know more local students and communicate with them,” she said. Although the scheme serves a s a good g r ou nd for loca l and international students to interact, communication can be a problem. “At times, I cannot understand what the tutor is teaching,” said first-year Common engineering st udent, Louis A ng, 22, who took part in the programme last

semester.

However, students still find the scheme beneficial. “ W h e ne v e r I e nc ou nt e r a problem, I can just meet up (with my tutor) in school,” said Siau Jian Shyan, 26, a fourth-year Civil and Environmental Engineering student, whose grade improved from an F to B for a module he was tutored for.

National Institute of Education Professor Caroline Chan feels that peer tutoring is mutually beneficial to both tutor and tutee. “The tutor has the responsibility to have a certain amount of knowledge to teach someone, and that is a self motivating factor which can enable the tutor to learn more,” she said.

FOR two years, they operated as an unofficial club with` more than 200 members, inviting speakers like Worker’s Party leader Sylvia Lim to give lectures in NTU, among other events they organised. Last mont h, t he N T U Sociological Society finally gained official status from the Student Affairs Office (SAO). Before that, SAO had recommended the Society be a sub-club of the existing Humanities and Social Sciences Club, but the Societ y decided against it, citing “differences in objectives and goals”. With this new standing, the Societ y has plans for bigger projects and events. They are cur rently work ing on giv ing students a chance to be research assistants under the supervisions of professors. Besides an on-going lecture series from guest speakers, a public forum on undergraduate education will be held in August that will also involve the National University of Si ngapor e a nd Si ngapor e Management University. Although sociology students ga i n automat ic member sh ip, the Society welcomes all NTU students.

O pe n me mbe r sh ip, wh i le appreciated, failed to elicit much interest from second-year Computer Science student Wendy Zhong, 23, who worried that it will be hard for students like her to pick up enough knowledge on sociology to enjoy the activities planned. “ T he ac t i v it ie s pr opos e d seem more relevant to sociology students,” she said,. To address such concerns, Co-President Hemavalli S.Padmanathan, 23, a third-year Sociology student said the Society is looking at collaboration with other faculties, through which “interdisciplinary education and cross-faculty collaboration on projects will better prepare students for the working world.” BENEFITS IN BEING OFFICIAL 1. Autonomy in planning events for the Society 2. A sense of recognition gives the club leverage in liasing with external parties such as guest speakers 3. Opportunities to get funds beyond the club’s division and faculty; for example, from NTU alumni affairs office.

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T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Anglers haul in catches despite the rain Nanyang Lake Fishing Carnival draws fans and first-timers alike to NTU Jalelah Bte MS Abu Baker

NETTING THEIR CATCH: Some participants at the Nanyang Lake Fishing Carnival bringing in their catch quickly in while others look on. Nearly everyone at the carnival caught a fish. PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI

ANGLERS at this year’s Nanyang La ke Fi sh i ng Ca r n iva l wer e rewarded for braving the rain when nearly everyone reeled in fish. The annual event, held on Febr u a r y 2nd a nd 3r d , wa s organised by NTU’s Angler’s Club, who imposed a cap on the number of participants this year. At most 75 people were allowed to take part each day, and the registration cost between $8 to $15, depending on one’s affiliation to N T U or the Anglers’ Club. Anglers are required to release their catches back into the lake, but some are allowed to keep fish between 1 to 3kg. Anglers’ Club President Victor Chia, 22, said: “This year we made it clear that walk-ins won’t be entertained. Last year, we could not turn down the people who came down all the way for the event without registering.” He added that the cap allowed participants to fish comfortably without getting their lines tangled. He said the poaching had not decreased the number of fishes that

participants caught. Outsiders have been catching fishes without a fishing permit at the lake. The Anglers’ Club was thus concerned that unauthorised fishing would threaten the number of fishes left for the carnival. While this fear was unfounded on the event, the bad weather put a damper on the mood. “The issue of poaching has certainly not stopped people from turning up for the event,” said Vice President of the club, Jerome Ng, 22. “The only thing that prevented people from turning up after registering for the event this year was the rain.” Mr Rajinder Ganesh, 25, a Masters student from the school of E lec t r ica l a nd E lec t ron ic Engineering, turned up despite the weather, and said: “This carnival doesn’t happen every weekend, so I decided to come down.” Ms Caroline Tan, a first-timer at the carnival, was rewarded for her patience. She reeled in Takashimaya vouchers in the carnival’s lucky draw. A friend who works in NTU had told her about the carnival. She said: “This is a good fishing spot. It is difficult to find one in Singapore, so I think NTU should open up this event more than once a year, maybe twice.”

NBS MBA is among When DNA fingerprinting world’s top 50: FT and ethnicity do not mix Becky Lo NANYANG Business School (NBS) is now rated among other worldrenown business schools like Harvard and Stanford, according to the latest Financial Times’ annual rankings of 2008. NBS is the first local business school in Asia to make it to the top 50 in the Financial Times’ ranking of top 100 Master of Business Administration (MBA) programmes around the world. The list compiles the best business programmes worldwide and is used by business schools to gauge themselves against other schools worldwide. This year, the University of Pennsylvania was first, while Stanford and Har vard netted fourth and fifth respectively. NBS MBA was also ranked first in Singapore and in the top three business schools in Asia by the Economist Intelligence Unit last October. “Like any other institution, we are very happy that we have set our goals and targets and met them,” said Executive Associate Dean of NBS, Professor Gillian Yeo. “We have moved up quite a lot in the global ranking, but of course there is room for improvement.” T he ran k ings will also strengthen the graduates’ chances

a nd posit ion s i n t he job market. MBA student Mr David McNamara, 29, from Ireland, liked NBS’ programme because it is “value-for-money” but felt there was room for improvement in the programme’s emphasis on group presentations, when groups tend to become quite large, with up to 10 people each. Students also feel it is also helpful to use the classroom as a setting for practice before facing challenges from the outside world. “St udent s shou ld be given the chance to work on campaigns for companies with real problems so that we can put theories learnt to good use,” said Jesslin Lim, 20, a first-year business student. “Also, it will ensure that NBS graduates are capable of meeting the requirements and needs of the society.” The Straits Times reported that NBS aims to be in the top 25 within six years. “Asia is blooming and many activities and important developments are going on,” said Prof Yeo. “We are in an ideal location. Our undergraduates have will continue to compete with international students.”

Maybeline Yew

crux of the issue lies in the time after the crime and before the police arrives; DNA can be planted WATCHING your favourite ever ywhere by leaving saliva, CSI (Crime Scene Investigator) blood and fingerprints behind searching for DNA traces at a during this time,” murder scene on television may Dr Duster, who has ser ved make you believe that DNA tests are as President of the American a foolproof way to solve crime. Sociological Association, has But students had this notion spoken out on the dangers of d i spe l led at a g uest lec t u r e classifying different human races titled “Genetic Ancestry Testing: in genetic terms. Scientific Precision or Fool’s Gold He is known for saying “Race in the Molecularization of Identity, does not exist” because human DNA across ethnicit y is 99.9 percent alike. Dr Duster said DNA profiling has had great social implications on the fields of medicine and health in countries like the United States, where drugs tailored to a patient’s race may fail to consider how his environment and diet may have caused him to fall ill. Assistant Professor Francis Lim from the School of Humanities and Social Science urged caution when using a person’s DNA to determine if, for example, they are more prone to criminal or anti-social behaviour. ”If Singapore were to use DNA profiling,” he said. ”We have to be careful that the technique will not be used for racial profiling as this DISPELLING MYTHS ABOUT DNA PROFILING: Dr Troy Duster warns students at his guest will be detrimental to inter-ethnic relations and can result in racial lecture of the social and ethical problems created when DNA profiling to used to solve crimes or design medicines. PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG discrimination.” Health Care Delivery and Crime Fighting” on February 11th. The lecturer, Dr Troy Duster, Silver Professor of Sociology at New York University explained how this so-called “CSI effect” may be exploited. He was invited to Singapore by the University to give a lecture as a Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor. “It is possible to plant DNA in crime scenes,” he said. “The real

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T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Lifestyle

Indulge in the seven sins this seven-day break Page 20

I am Russel, hear me roar Civil Engineering student Russel Wong earns $800 a month from selling car audio parts. However, there is more to it than making money, as David Pang discovers

IF YOU hear ear-splitting booms on your way to school or lose your train of thought thanks to aircraft-like sounds during your outdoor drawing class, chances are that Russel Wong has just driven past. Russel’s black Mitsubishi Lancer is one of, if not the loudest, car on campus. A 4000W Rockford Fosgate amplifier sits beside his feet, powered by two 30kg Varta Ultra batteries the size of a small bar fridge. A self-taught car audio enthusiast and salesman, 24-year-old Russel transformed his passion into a business by the time he started university. “I’m into trance music, so when I got my car in 2004, the first thing I did was to get something loud,” he says.

He joined online forums related to car audio and visited car audio shops to learn the craft. When he was in the United States on an exchange programme in 2006, Russel attended a two-week installation course on car audio. “Those weeks were the best moments of my life,” he says. “I met up with wellknown car audio expert Steve Meades, who shared with me many insights on car audio, SQ (sound quality) and SPL (sound pressure level). He remains my inspiration to this day.” In December 2005, Russel got his break when AutoTomorrow, a local distributor, made him an official dealer for DB Drive, which was a new brand from the United States. “It was pret t y tough at f ir st, but thankfully, I had an existing customer base through my contacts in the car audio community. As I had no overhead costs, my earnings were strictly profit-based.” As part of his job, Russel devoted more time to the forums, mainly responding to queries on the new brand. His efforts paid off, extending his contacts to as far as the United States. He adds: “I learnt a lot doing sales, especially when it comes to dealing with customers. You’ll learn when to push for the sale, and when to retract if the customer is a potential trouble-maker.”

PRICELESS POSSESSIONS: Russel poses with his amplifier (background) and most treasured woofers (foreground), which are designed by him and custom made in the United States.

My friend told me that schooling is like a race ̶ since I am in it, I might as well go all the way. Russel Wong, 24 Final-year Civil Engineering student

GET DOWN AND DIRTY: Russel adds a finishing touch to his self-made woofer casing. PHOTOS | COURTESY

Russel earns up to $400 for ever y complete set-up (inclusive of speakers, amplifier and subwoofer) he sells and averages close to a thousand dollars per month, but every cent he earns goes into his passion in car audio. “I’m quite happy with a simple lifestyle. No clubbing, no f lashy clothes and no extravagant social life,” he says, although he discloses his weakness for hawker food. His frugal lifestyle has led to strenuous complaints by his girlfriend, but he does not intend to change it anytime soon. His passion for all things audio started as

a hobby in his secondary school days, when he first began tinkering with PC speakers, wiring them in different configurations to achieve the “best sound”. “I once spent 10 hours in the car park tearing my car apart to run wires and cables for my new system,” he recalls with a chuckle. Still, his foray into sales comes with costs. Russel found himself at the crossroads when he failed an entire semester in 2006. “I spent a lot of time looking for customers, to the point of taking calls during lectures and tutorials. It wasn’t long before I became sick of school and studying,” he admits. As his interest in his course of study waned, Russel considered dropping out of school. Fortunately, he decided to give it one last shot. “My friend told me that schooling was like a race – since I was in it, I might as well complete the race. When I passed my next semester, the idea of quitting was quickly quashed.” Russel is working with a US manufacturer in developing a new line of products targeted at the Singapore car audio market. But for now, his focus is on completing his degree in NTU. “Nowadays, I’ll only do a sale when I’m approached. Sales is getting way too competitive, and I have no intention of letting it jeopardise my graduation.”

lifestyle

FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

food from the globe

Not your average Jones Go Down Under with Koh Jing Jing and Michelle Tan as they drop by the Australian mart at Dempsey to ﬁnd a food mart that is more upscale than its plain name

LOOK out for this laidback, nondescript place the next time you venture up Dempsey Hill. The six-month-old Jones the Grocer mart is well stocked with gourmet food from ice creams to pastas flown in from Australia and Europe. Jones the Grocer has a lot to offer: The butchery sells a wide variety of meat including Japanese wagyu beef, and it also has a walk-in temperaturecontrolled cheese room, and a casual, free-seating café. With black signboards above almost every shelf giving detailed descriptions of the products, such as where it came from and how to cook it, even a firsttimer will not feel lost among the wide array of products. The café sells a spread of healthy food, such as their hand sliced smoke salmon with lime, dill mayonnaise, cucumber, onion and capers on Sentosa Light Rye gourmet sandwiches and salads, and the menu changes often. Everything on the menu is made with food from the shop. Prices range

from $7.50 to $9.50 for the sandwiches which are rather pricey as the fi llings are not generous. Hot drinks like cappuccino, latte and hot chocolate are $3.50 and are a tad disapponting as we expected thicker beverages. Jones a lso specia lises i n gif t hampers of its own products, such as ‘cooking’ hampers or ‘sweet’ hampers, or customers can design their own by choosing items. One of the prepared hampers has Jones English Breakfast Tea, r um balls, chocolate-coated coffee beans, French nougat, orange and poppyseed shortbread and Jones chocolate-coated honeycomb; they say this hamper can be used for almost every occasion. Prices start from $82.50 for the ‘sweet’ hamper. JONES THE GROCER BLK 9 #01-12 DEMPSEY ROAD TEL: 6476 1512 OPENING HOURS: 9.30AM TO 11PM (EXCEPT FOR MONDAYS, TILL 6 PM)

G’DAY MART!: Like most of its Dempsey neighbours, Jones the Grocer is not just about selling premium products, but also about shopping for your groceries in style. PHOTOS | COURTESY

HOT STUFF

SAY CHEESE!

THE sharp, tangy fi re-roasted Eggplant Capsicum dip ($9.50 for 200g) makes a great alternative to jam and peanut butter on bread, as it leaves a spicy aftertaste and goes well with Pane Croccante ($16.90 for 240g), a light and crispy f lat-shaped handmade Italian bread. The healthy dip is also preservative-free and made with gluten-free, vegetarian, dairyf ree and egg-free ingredients.

THE luxuriously sinful Brillat Affine Truffle cheese ($14.50 for 100g) are best eaten with crackers or on a platter with dried figs and cranberries. The cheese is smooth, creamy and melts in your mouth. It is also a personal favourite of the shop’s cheese expert, Hirda, who relishes the white truff le shav ings t hat have an intense, earthy, slightly bitter taste. “It has a very sweet a roma, not li ke normal mushrooms which smell of veggies. It opens up your appetite to a ny t h i ng,” she says.

HOW about some Hot Chilli Lin guine pa sta ( $12.50 for 375g) to replace boring instant noodles? It is one of their most popular packaged pastas, accord ing to Pi k i Lawson, the store assistant. The level of spiciness, however, might be lower than what most Singaporeans would expect. For the pasta, Piki recommends Put tanesca sauce and Napolitana sauce ($10.90 each for 320g) which are both spicy and go well with chilli linguine.

FOR the curious who have never tried blue cheese, go for the Shadows of Blue cheese ($4.90 for 100g), a ‘training’ cheese that teases with just a hint of the tangy blue mould that gives these cheeses their distinctive colour. It is an acquired taste, slightly bitter and leaves a sharp aftertaste. If the cheesy taste is too strong, temper it with Quince paste ($4.20 for 100g); the sweetness takes some of the bite off the blue cheeses.

TEA-LICIOUS PERK yourself up after a day of studying with fragrant Mango with Flowers tea ($25.50 for 150g). It comes in a sturdy can that allows for safe storage in hall cupboards (ref ills are $18.40 per packet). Alternatively, test the taste first by ordering a pot at the café for $4.50. The mild scent of the mango and the refreshing, fruity taste of the tea go nicely with their dishes. The tea tastes good even when chilled.

ON A hot day, serve up a pot of Arctic Fire tea, a black tea flavoured with blue cornflowers as it is more aromatic than other t ypes of teas and the blue cornflowers lend extra fragrance. The unusual name alone will lure you to give it a try, and the sight of pretty blue cornflower petals scattered among black tea leaves makes for a visual feast.

lifestyle

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T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

know your prof

To infinity and beyond A Jedi, an astronaut or an artist? Will the real professor please stand up? Associate Professor from Art, Design & Media, Martin Constable aka Photoshop Jedi that is on his door (together with his formal title) shares the story behind his spacesuit with Maybeline Yew go further than my ordinary self. Many artists have also used personas as some things are easier expressed through another voice. Traditionally not many painters use personas, but of course we know that many novelists and pop idols do so.

Do you introduce yourself as Jack Youngblood or Martin Constable?

I will introduce myself as Martin Constable to my students and in school. However, when I go to exhibitions, shows and interviews, I prefer to use Jack Youngblood as this is who I am in art. That’s the way I have split up my life. Actually I’m fine with students knowing that I am an artist, that’s all, and I am happy to work it this way.

If you could turn back time, would you choose to be an astronaut? SEEING DOUBLE: Prof Constable demonstrates the use of his self-made instrument against his life-size digital painting of Jack Youngblood, a persona he adopts for his artistic works. PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE

What do you teach in class?

I teach digital art which includes paint art techniques in Photoshop. Some students come with different expectations for this course but it is really about painting and software procedure. Definitely, I show them the structural core and procedures of basic Photoshop techniques. At the same time, I talk about how to ingest creativity into images with the use of digital art.

What is the story behind the life-size spacesuit hanging on the walls of your office?

I use this spacesuit as my building block and a starting point for my works. This spacesuit doesn’t look like much by itself, but it is what I do to it in Photoshop that is more important. Sometimes, I have to do a lot of funny things like finding different t ypes of materials, even scraps of rags and trousers to add onto the spacesuit which is really difficult to do yet it is completely necessary for preparation to use it when I do digital art using this spacesuit as my ingredient.

Why use the concept of astronauts?

Basically, it is about being someone you are not, which is attractive and powerful. When you pretend to be someone, you can do things you do not usually do. You might

No, I don’t think so. I’m fine with being an artist. I just wished that I had discovered the beauty of digital arts sooner.

ask, why astronaut, why not cowboy? This is because I believe that being an astronaut is a powerful metaphor, a flexible one because it is transcendental. Also, it suits the overall flavour and serves the purpose of my quest to venture into the realm of investigating paint art techniques in the digital world quite well.

upcoming events official opening ceremony of Nanyang Literary Festival 2008 - pandora’s box Pandora’s Box: a phrase that evokes mystery and energy. This energy stirs below the surface, waiting to escape in an explosion of vibrant discovery. It is this restless energy that the Nanyang Literary Festival 2008 wants to tap into, to bring Arts to fellow students, allowing us to see the world in ways we never thought possible. We hope that this Pandora’s Box will inspire questions, initiate explorations and instigate passions! Registration is free. Date: Wednesday, 20 February 2008 Time: 11.30am - 4pm Venue: Canopy J, Canteen A J oin

in the games after the opening

ceremony and sign up on the spot as a participant

Alternatively, you can e-mail your name, matriculation number, course / year and handphone number to L avin Achudan at epiphany-spo1@ ntu.edu.sg NTU CAC Impresario 2008 Impresario 2008 Grand Finals is here! 1st March 2008, come and catch the finalists from various categories, ranging from Modern Dance, Vocal Singing, Original Composition to Band. A wonderful night of performance and entertainment is in store for you! A special door gift and goodie bag will be given to every audience member. Date: Saturday, 1 March 2008 Time: 5.30pm - 10pm Venue: MediaCorp TV theatre Tickets: $12 (Gallery), $16 (Premium) For pre-purchase of tickets, please visit www.cacimpresario.com. A lternatively, tickets will be on sale at our booth at

Canteen A on 4th, 5th, 6th February 2008 (Tuesday - Thursday) For ticket sales and other enquiries,

please email cacimpresario @ gmail.com

What is this spacesuit made of?

Strongman Challenge 2008 Tertiary Challenge Do you think you are strong enough for Log Walk, Tyre-Flip and Car Pull?

This spacesuit is made of stuffed fabric and getting it made was difficult. I had to go to special costumiers here in Singapore to get it done, but towards the end I had to step in by making the coloured wooden parts myself.

Come join us in a team of four and stand to win cash and prizes worth up to $5,000.

Do you show this masterpiece in your classes?

Minimum age for entry is 18.

Occasionally I do show some of my works, but mostly it serves more for the purpose of technical backing and showing students art principles. I don’t really like talking to students too much about my work, unless I have some particular art principles to show in class. For instance, I am known as Professor Martin Constable in classes but Jack Youngblood when I do my digital art.

Date: Saturday, 15 March 2008 Time: 10am - 6pm Venue: Basic Rescue Training Centre, 101 Jalan Bahar Singapore 649734 To register, contact Jasmine Ling: 6665 4607 or Roy Loh: 6665 4606 Closing date: 11th February 2008

Who is Jack Youngblood?

Jack Youngblood is a device I use because in every creative act, there is a fictional aspect to it and that is who Jack Youngblood really is. When I adopt a persona, I can

DOWN TO EARTH: Prof Constable does not wear his spacesuit as he prefers to adopt his persona only in artworks.

To have your event listed, e-mail chronicle@ntu.edu.sg. Include event date, location, contact and any pictures.

JAN UA RY 2 8 , 20 0 8

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FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

reviews Delta

BOOKS

DELTA GOODREM (POP/PIANO POP)

JAMES PATTERSON

A S T RONG Ce l i ne D ion inspiration pervades through much of Delta’s third album but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing as Goodrem has matured both as a singer and a lyricist. This album has a stronger pop f lavour than her previous outings. P e r s o n a l experiences seem to inspire the lyrics in songs such as “ B r a v e ”, w h i c h tackles what it means to keep up public appearances. A n upbeat at tit ude is instead maintained and this is seen in her lyrics and her energetic musical style. The ballad ‘The Guardian’ is undoubtedly the best song: it speaks about fighting the

$19.59 available at Borders Published by Little, Brown & Company

BLAH BLAH BLAH

EVELYN was a Sanctified Brethren woman of good standing, a devoted mother, a serious quilter. Only after she dies in her sleep, as she always wished she would, do we find out that she has been living a secret life. In the opening pages, Evelyn is reading in bed when she’s visited by the Angel of Death. “Not yet,” Evelyn tells the angel. “I have to finish this book.” For years she has been in love with Raoul, a Las Vegas man who took her dancing and showed her the joys of life outside Lake Wobegon. town stuck in its ways, Pontoon is a heartfelt and comic novel by one of the greatest storytellers. -TEO MUI KIAN

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A multi-ARIA award winning Australian singer-songwrite, Delta Goodrem rose to prominence with her debut album Innocent Eyes.

7th Heaven

A TERRIBLE fi re in a wealthy suburban home leaves a married couple dead and Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner Rich Conklin searching for clues. And after California’s golden boy, Michael Campion, has been missing for a month, there finally seems to be a lead in his case—a devastating lead. As fire after fire continue to couples in wealthy, comfortable homes, Lindsay and the Murder Club must find the arsonists responsible and get to the bottom of Michael Campion’s disappearance. But suddenly, the fi res are raging too close to home. Frightened for her life and torn between two men, Lindsay must find a way to solve the most daunting dilemmas she’s ever faced—at work and at home. To add to the drama, the author writes in a poor little rich boy with a congenital heart defect who’s gone missing, for a further delectable mystery and throws the Club’s newest member, Yuki Castellano, directly into harm’s way. The complexity of 7th Heaven is likely to cause readers to start flipping the pages frantically in order to understand the plot. The story starts out with a couple of serial killer arsonists who appear to be college kids, except for that nasty homicidal urge apparent in their crimes. As always, Patterson’s novel proceeds at a breakneck pace, coupled with surprises and crackling dialogue. The courtroom scenes where Yuki goes up against one of the most brilliant defense attorneys on the scene reads like something from Court TV, but it’s her sudden blooming romantic interest which will captivate readers. The Women’s Murder Club novels are always fi lled with personal stories, murder mysteries and suspenseful chases. That is a reason why so many readers pick them up each year. Reading this new novel seemed like settling in with old friends who had new stories to tell. Fans of the series already know why they pick up each book, and they’re going to be happy with this latest offering. 7th Heaven is written well enough to stand on its own, so if you’re new to the series, feel free to jump on board with this one. Just make sure you start early or don’t have to go to work the next morning. You’ll probably read this one straight through the night. -LYDIA CASSIN BOEY

MUSIC urge to go back to a cheating lover. Ot her songs a r e ju st as good. ‘God Laughs’ is a poignant take on her parents’ divorce and how one must move on, while ‘In This Life’ has a guitar driven v ibe, r ef r e sh i ng ly dif ferent f rom t he t y pica l Good rem sound. T he signat u re song ‘Believe again’ has a unique mix of lush strings and dance beats which celebrate Goodrem’s new sound. There is much to like in this sugary sweet album which sheds the much darker tone of her second outing. Give this one a good listen.

-KARTHIK SHANKAR

Carnival II: Memoirs of an Immigrant WYCLEF JEAN (REGGAE /KOMPA)



Wyclef Jean is a Haitian American musician, producer and member of the hip-hop trio The Fugees.

PHOTOS | INTERNET

I believe the impossible is possible to overcome. I believe in miracles born from love in everyone. Believe Again by Delta Goodrem

MEMOIRS of an Immigrant is an appropriate title as Wyclef Jean returns to his Haitian roots, following the success of The Carnival (1997), and produces an album full of easy listening tunes. T he f i r st fe w t rack s ma ke you feel as though you are sailing along the islands of the Car ibbean Sea, where songs such as “Welcome to the East” and “Slow Down” contain the beats of reggae. Memoirs contains many radio-friendly hits, including the lead single “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)” which features Akon and Lil Wayne, both artists famous for infamous

Audio Daydream

BLAKE LEWIS (ROCK/POP)

songs a nd ly r ic s . It i s surprisingly sweet and the mild acoustic beat is soothing on the ears. Star power is apparent in Memoirs, featuring the usual hip-hop suspects such as Chamillionaire and Mary J. Blige, as we l l a s Colombia n powerhouse Shakira. Some would say he is relying too much on them for this album. However, Wyclef banks on his many guest artistes to bring about an international flavour to this album and as a result, he makes a subtle political statement about the quick pace of globalization, through his music.

-RACHAEL BOON



Blake Lewis is a singer-songwriter and beatboxer who was the runner-up to Jordin Sparks on the sixth season of American Idol.

AUDIO Daydream, Lewis’ debut album, showcases his distinctive style: percussive vocal bleeps, hip-hop beats and even more strange vocal modulations. While h i s e f for t s t a nd s out from the mostly homogenous releases of other American Idol contestants, it still fails to impress. New wave a nd electronic inf luences are heard throughout the album, but the result sounds like an amateurish attempt at a midi drum machine. The album largely centers on a smooth stud, in-the-club persona, but despite the hip-hop slang and colourful song titles, there are no real grooves nor

memorable hooks. Comparisons to Justin Timberlake are inevitable, and Lewis fails to measure up. His single, “Break Anotha” starts with a relatively groovy f unk r iff, but goes no where from there. T here a re pleasa nt ballads (“I Got U” and the Europop sounding “1000 Miles”) but they seem more fit for a Disney cartoon soundtrack than the Top 40s. One t h i ng i s for su re though, this album shows some effort on Lewis’ part for his debut album. As a young artist just starting his career, there is hope that his sound will mature with time.

-WANG WEI YANG

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FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

FILM

Juno

Comedy/Drama (NC16) Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner 92 minutes

NNNNN v

IT’S hard to tell what kind of actress Ellen Page will be in ten or twenty years (she’s twenty now), because she plays teenage girls to witty perfection. She wa s t he b e s t reason to sit through the provocative Hard Candy, and in Juno, she creates a smart and idiosyncratic 16-year-old. Juno MacGuff (Page) is pregnant, and the father is Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera), a pale yet sweet boy who clearly adores her. She considers abortion, then decides to carry the baby to term and give it up to suburban adoptive parents Mark and Vanessa. A series of heartwarming yet hilarious episodes

follow, which is e xactly why Juno is one of the most meaningful movies in a long time. Informing her bestfriend, surly yet loving working-class father and dog-obsessed stepmother is simple, compared with arranging a legal adoption with the Lorings, “a perfect couple” found through a Penny Saver ad. The wealthy Lorings live in a suburban mansion and yearn for a newborn. But complications arise and Juno must, once again, cope with the unintended c on s e q u e n c e s of h e r actions. This is Hollywood’s third ‘take’ on the topic of unexpected pregnancy,

Kung Fu Dunk

Action /Drama (PG) Jay Chou, Charlene Choi, Chen Bo Lin 100 minutes

J UST li ke h i s ea rlier mov ie , S e c r e t , Kun g Fu Dunk rides on the popularity of Jay Chou. I n t he mou ld of Stephen Chow’s 2001 comedy Shaolin Soccer, martial arts is used as an attempt once again, to promote Chinese culture. T he Stephen Chow connections don’t end there. Chow’s perennial side k ic k Ng Ma n-Tat stars as one of the four kungfu masters. Even t h e c i n e m a to g r a p h y and special effects are reminiscent of Kungfu Hustle (2004). Given away at birth a nd broug ht up i n a kungfu school, Fang ShiJie (Chou) is recruited by greedy agent ChenLi (Eric Tsang) to play basketball. T he lac k of plot development is glaring, with Shi-Jie turning into a professiona l player and snobbish teammates (Chen Bo-Lin) becoming his buddies, all in a blink of the eye. The romance between

in these past few months, following “Knocked Up” and “Waitress.” But sassy writer Diablo Cody (AKA Brook Busey-Hunt, a former stripper-turned-blogger) and director Jason Reitman (“Thank You for Smoking”) def y expectations and stereot y ping, treating both adolescent and adult characters with sensitivity and respect. Ellen Page’s performance is perfection, delivering Juno’s witty, self-deprecating, playful dialogue with panache, blithely deflecting tinges of humiliation at school over her increasingly obvious pregnancy, while sorting out her feelings for h e r i nc r e a s i n g l y smitten boyfriend. And— miracle of miracles—the rest of the cast is equally convincing. Watch out for the last scene where Page and Cera sing a duet based on Mouldy Peaches’ “Anyone Else But You.’ This is one of those times where the soundtrack is just as good as the film.

-Farizah Salleh

NNNNN

Shi-Jie and his love interest, Li-Li (Charlene Choi) is almost non-existent as the director fails to play it out, resorting to mere flashback scenes. The only scene worth the ticket price is where Shi Jie unites with his bir t h parents, af ter a series of clichéd subplots. T he special effects are exaggerated and the basketball matches were unrealistic. The kungfu i s on ly com mendable in Chou’s thrilling fight scene at the nightclub. Chou’s performance seems to have stagnated and this movie adds little credibility to his acting

chops. At times he is a de l ig ht to watc h—t he shy yet char ming boy on screen—but it wa s torturous to watch him try to portray his character realistically. Supporting actor Tsang, steals the limelight from the rest of the cast. When humourous he was easy to take to; when serious he was masterclass. For those sitting in purely for festive reasons, Kungfu Dunk should still satisfy. The combination of kungfu and basketball should have been a hit but this movie’s surely not a slam dunk.

-Tan Thiam Peng

REVIEW One Foot Off The Ground Comedy (PG)

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Xu Fan, Yu Genyi, Li Yixiang, Xiao Xiangyu, Jin Hong, Yao Lu 106 minutes

AFTER a poor Chinese opera troupe wraps up a performance in Kaifeng, t hei r d i rec tor is told t hat t hei r sponsorship money has gone missing. This forces the troupe to disband until more money is raised. Left unemployed, the performers are forced to take on odd jobs to survive, adding strain to their already rocky friendships and marriages. Three months later, none of them are getting by. Ma San (Li Yixiang), whose wife is dying to go to France for a better life, engages in cock-fighting, an ancient art. Liu Bing (Yao Lu) opens a photostudio and ends up having a crush on a model wannabe. Sihai (Jin Hong) sells stolen puppies. His wife, the icy, patronizing diva of the troupe, Sumei (Xu Fan) has gone to Hong Kong to seek work. These performers are thrown into the real world where their opera skills aren’t relevant. Life becomes difficult and they face hardships but eventually, they pull through. The movie illustrates these through comedic situations. Set in contemporary China, the depiction of the country is accurate and picturesque, like the view of the popular Cheng Huang Temple in Shanghai. One would enjoy admiring the beautiful urbanised landscapes as well as the animated, colourful opera scenes. The anti-climatic ending however, causes the whole film to lose its spirit because the audience expects to see more opera performances. The movie is also more concerned with wit and the directions of diverse characters, rather than the development of the plot, which leaves you feeling slightly

GIVE-AWAY! The Nanyang Chronicle has three pairs of tickets to One Foot Off The Ground which is

bored after a while. Sumei’s cold personality was also quite a mismatch from the laid-back lifestyles of the three male leads. She’s ironically a personal favourite because of her realistic mindset about working in the real world yet at the same time, preserving her passion for opera. However, credit must be given to this movie for its divergence from the conventional Chinese kung-fu films. The light-hearted and authentic humour is enjoyable, especially the character’s funny antics and egoistical statements. Particularly entertaining was how Ma San tried to match-make his auntie with his teacher with younger photos of both of them. Finally, we see One Foot off the Ground in literal terms. This occurs when a person lifts one of his legs in the air, keeping the other on the ground. Hence, both feet are spread apart vertically 180 degrees wide. This has become a trademark stunt in the movie, highlighting the poise and flexibility of the opera trainers. Everyone in the audience will be completely bedazzled by it.

-Ellyne Phneah

(One foot off the ground is s creening e xclusively at T he Picturehouse.)

E-mail us your answer, with the subject, “One Foot Off The Ground” along with your name, gender and contact number to chronicle.contest@ntu.edu.sg

exclusively screened at The Picturehouse, to give away.

Contest closes March 3 2008

Answer the question below and stand a chance to win passes to the film.

This give-away is courtesy of The Picturehouse.

Question: Why was the Chinese opera troupe forced to disband? a) Internal conflict b) The members wanted to join other troupes c) Their sponsorship money was stolen

There is a student discount for tickets purchased before 6 pm at The Picturehouse. Tickets are sold at $7, upon presenting your student pass at the Box Office, on Level 5, The Cathay Cineplex.

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FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

tech review

One client to rule them all With the number of Instant Messenger (IM) programs, email accounts and social networks exploding in recent times, keeping in touch with friends has never been more complicated. A new program has emerged, promising to bridge the assorted communication platforms. Our tech editor, Lim Yan Liang, puts Digsby through its paces

WHILE programs like GAIM and Trillian have tried to unify the many IM services in the past, the result has always been far from perfect. The launch of Digsby two weeks ago naturally raised many eyebrows. After all, no other program has promised to unify the Big Three—IM services, emailing, and social networks—on a single client before. Picking up an invite to the private beta (see pullout box), I overcame my initial cynicism and bit the bullet.

accounts all on one page. The client supported simultaneous logins of multiple IM accounts, whether on the same IM network or not. For email, Digsby supports Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, AOL Mail, IMAP and POP3 accounts; just about covering every major provider out there. Multiple email accounts can also be tracked at once—I experienced no difficulty tracking new mail on two Gmail and Yahoo! Mail accounts at the same time.

INSTALLATION The download was a breeze as the install file, at 15.8MB, is relatively small. Installation was a hassle-free affair. While Digsby, by default, wanted to change my homepage and launch automatically whenever I start my computer, the two options were easily unselected during the installation process. COMPATIBILITY The cornerstone of Digsby is its extensive IM support; The program works with the AIM, MSN, Yahoo!, Google Talk, ICQ, and Jabber IM networks. I was able to create a profi le and connect to my MSN, Yahoo! and ICQ accounts without facing any difficulties, and the nononsense Account Management screen allowed for configuration of email, IM and social networking

browser window. MySpace support is less impressive, partly because it offers less types of updates than its rival. USABILITY T he layout of Digsby is a typical IM user interface, and the familiar organisation belies a host of subtle but useful extra features. Tabbed chatting is not just a novel but functional feature, doing for IM what tabbed browsing has accomplished for web browsing: eliminating the clutter of multiple blinking windows on one’s desktop. The ability to set aliases for one’s IM contacts also means easier identif ication of friends with more esoteric email addresses and nicknames. Digsby also introduces a novel approach to IM, where a pop-up window with a text bar

GRAPHIC | INTERNET

A s for social net work ing, Fac ebook a nd M y Spac e a r e supported. Operating with a Digsby application on Facebook, there is such deep integration that a user can see new posts, status and profile updates and even friend and group invitations without opening a

will appear when your open chat window is minimised. This feature means that one is kept aware of a contact’s reply and is able to respond easily, without the need to switch to the chat window. I found this especially useful when I was work ing on something

important and did not want to switch windows. Hovering over the account name on the buddy list will show new emails, and opening your inbox or a specific new email is one click away. Digsby automatically detected Firefox as my default browser, and whenever I chose to open my email inbox or go to my Facebook page, Digsby would unobstrusively open a new tab in my browser. Facebook addicts will love the realtime updates provided by Digsby, as a small pop-up window will appear whenever there are any updates that you configured to be notified of. Facebook status can also be edited without requiring a browser window. Digsby also has a Flash widget that allowed visitors to my Facebook profi le to message me directly from the website. There are still some kinks to be ironed out at this stage; it can take up quite a substantial amout of RAM (up to 90MB), and some users have reported high memory usage problems. However, no issues cropped up while I was running it and it did not freeze or crash. OVERALL My early impressions of Digsby have been rather pleasant. The all-in-one nature of the program eliminates the need to run multiple

IM clients and notifier programs or to continuously visit a website to check for updates, and the clean and functional design manages to link the disparate networks together with a single interface. dotSyntax, the people behind Digsby, should be applauded for being able to provide such a usable and tightly integrated program for closed beta. While there is no voice or video support at this time, this is not unexpected in a beta version. Heavy users who typically use some or even most of the services supported by Digsby have nothing to lose trying out this program.

INVITE ONLY A BETA version is the first version released outside the organization or community that develops the software, for the purpose of evaluation and real-world testing. With Digsby in closedbeta release, an invitation code is necessary to gain access to trial use. Some of the working codes circulating on the Internet are: • digsby • 53m1 • arstechnica • mashable • bigblue

Microsoft: We won t take no for an answer The Microsoft-Yahoo saga continues, with the embattled search giant continuing to resist the former s unsolicited overtures. Cameron Ng brings you the latest developments

THE highly publicised takeover bid of Yahoo by Microsoft Corporation hit a snag on Monday, when the Yahoo board officially rejected Microsoft’s US$42.1 billion stockand-cash offer. Calling Microsoft’s bid “substantially undervalued”, Yahoo said in a press release that its board had “unanimously concluded that the (Microsoft’s) proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo and its shareholders.” At press time, there was also speculation that Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation are in talks to acquire a 20 percent stake in Yahoo in the latter’s latest bid to fend off Microsoft. In response, the Redmond software giant said that it will press ahead with trying to acquire Yahoo, possibly by trying to oust the current board. “We are confident that moving forward promptly to consummate a transaction is in the best interest of all parties,” said the software giant in a statement. Calling its offer a “superior value”,

At press time, there was also speculation that Rupert Murdoch s News Corp. are in talks to acquire a 20 percent stake in Yahoo. Microsoft called Yahoo’s decision to reject the bid “unfortunate”. While Microsoft could appeal directly to shareholders with its offer, which as of last Thursday represented a 62 % prem iu m over Yahoo’s closing price on the open market, this approach is not

without its own set of problems. Yahoo has a “poison pill” provision that allows its board to issue up to 10 million emeregency shares with near-unlimited voting power in case of an unwanted acquisition offer, on top of a clause that would also allow its directors to cash in their existing stock options, potentially releasing another 16 million shares. With Microsoft already stating that it would have to take up a loan if the acquisition of Yahoo were to be realised, these potential developments could well price Microsoft out of the market. Meanwhile, Yahoo’s main rival in the web search and online adver t i si ng ma rket , Goog le, also commented on Microsoft’s hostile bid attempt. Alluding to Microsoft’s poor track record in fair competition, Google’s senior vice president David Drummond suggested t hat t he sof t wa r e giant may be attempting to exert ”inappropriate and illegal influence

over the Internet.” While there may be some basis to Google’s comments, reports that Yahoo may be trying to form a pact with its bitter rival to fend off Microsoft’s advances mean that Drummond’s comments are far from altruistic. Microsoft made the high profile offer for Yahoo on February 1st after 18 months of talks with Yahoo resulted in nought. Analysts have pointed to the departure of Terry Semel from Yahoo’s board as a possible trigger for the bid, as the 25 million unexercised stock options he has means the outgoing CEO could still play a crucial role in the ongoing takeover proceedings. If the acquisition materialises, expect Microsoft to bank on the established Yahoo brand name to consolidate market share in the search arena. STORM IN A TEA CUP: The MicrosoftYahoo merger will result in about 30% of the search market, still a long way off from challenging Google’s commanding 65% share.

PHOTO | INTERNET

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FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

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latest in tech

tech review

Bye bye, Moto? v

The biggest U.S. maker of mobile phones announced on Jan 31st that it is considering to sell its cellular division. Ritesh Kalra reports on Motorola s woes TIMES have certainly been better for Motorola, whose phone unit may well be severed from the parent company. After losing US$388 million in this quarter alone, Motorola’s current president and CEO Greg Brown says that they are “exploring ways” to make their phone division profitable again. Talk are currently going on with Nortel Corp., North America’s la rgest te lephone equ ipment ma nu fac t u rer, wh ic h ha s expressed interest in combining their businesses. Calling the decision to shed its beleaguered handset business

a “s t r uc t u r a l a nd s t r ate g ic realignment”, the Illinois-based electronics giant warned investors to expect further decline in revenue and market share. Motorola has been in the red since the 4th quarter of 2007, with a loss of US$1.2 billion in its handset division. After hitting the jackpot with its wildy popular ultrathin Razr in 2004, Motorola has conspicuously failed to recapture the magic again. Its overdependence on the Razr line was particularly visible by the end of 2006, when sales of the cult classic slowed down

significantly. Critics have called many of Motorola’s new products nothing more than souped-up versions of devices the company has long been selling, and the compa ny ’s pr opr ie t a r y u s e r interface has also been criticized for looking ancient and clunky next to the likes of the iPhone and the Symbian operating system. The troubled cell-phone maker also failed to impress at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress at Barcelona, unveiling updates to two previous models and a pair of mobiles aimed at the low-end market. The line-up included the

MILKED TO DEATH: The iconic Razr’s downfall was partly because of its own resounding success. PHOTO | INTERNET

unexciting W161, which featured a black and white screen and ancient USB1.1 technology. Motorola practically invented the mobile phone market in 1983, cementing its brand name with the launch of the iconic StarTAC, released in 1996, which was the world’s first clamshell mobile. While being known mainly as a handset maker, it also has extensive operations outside of this sector, selling wireless network equipment and set-top boxes to large business and governments.

Bluetooth, meet WiFi

iPhone: unlocked

LIM YAN LIANG TECH EDITOR

WA L L St r e e t analysts have repor ted that as much as 40 percent of iPhones sold in Europe have been u n locked. T he figure was obtained a f ter compa r ing i Phones sales f ig u res to AT&T activation statistics, debunking the original belief that there was an excess of inventory in Apple stores. New research by online website iLounge indicates that about 35 percent of iPhones sold worldwide are being sold to users who intend to unlock them, or possibly to middlemen who then ship the phones to countries where Apple does not have any carrier partners. The unlocking of the iPhone enables it to be used on mobile networks other than AT&T, which has a lucrative exclusive agreement with Apple. Suc h r a mpa nt h ac k i ng of t he i Phone cou ld hu r t Apple’s revenue as it collects an undisclosed amount every month from AT&T for each iPhone subscriber, allowing Apple to drive the iPhone’s price below the US$400 price point. Financial analyst Eric Savist estimates the amount to be around US$18 per phone per month. This could lead to over US$362 million in lost revenue in the course of a typical 2 year plan for the more than 1.7 million iPhones not subscribed to AT&T. The iPhone is one of the hot te st mu st-have s of t he moment, and strong demand has led to the creation of a grey market of hackers and resellers who specialise in actively reverse

BLUETOOTH technology is set to get even faster and more ubiquitous next year, with the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) announcing over the weekend that it would adopt existing WiFi technology in upcoming Bluetooth devices. The new standard, Bluetooth High Speed, will be able to switch seamlessly between the high transfer-rate WiFi standard and low power Bluetooth to conserve battery life. While devices that incorporate both Bluetooth and WiFi already exist, such products make use of separate chips to provide dual connectivity. The new specification will allow manufacturers to merge the two platforms on a single chip, thereby saving costs and increasing energy efficiency for consumer devices that support the new standard. The announcement comes at a time when increasingly large files such as music or pictures are being transferred between devices such as laptops and camera phones using Bluetooth, while transfer speeds have remained stagnant in its current version. Under t he new sta nda rd , Bluetooth technology will continue to provide the framework for connectivity and communication between devices, yet also be able to take advantage of built-in WiFi for high speed transfers whenever large fi les are transferred. “What

Four million iPhones have been sold worldwide while AT&T, Apple s mobile partner, has recorded only two million subscriptions. Daryl John Ho asks: where have all the iPhones gone?

PHOTO | INTERNET

we’re doing is…using the 802.11 radio, when necessary, to send bulky enter tainment data, faster,” said Michael Foley, executive director of the Bluetooth SIG, in a statement provided to Ars Technica. Prototypes of such combination devices are slated to appear as early as end 2008, with actual devices based on Bluetooth and the 802.11n standard scheduled to go retail by late 2009. Even then, the Bluetooth SIG intends for the adoption of 802.11 to only be a temporar y solution. The group maintains that it is still interested in integrating ultrawideband wireless technology, a more advanced standard than WiFi, as the mainstay for high speed connectivit y when the technology matures and becomes more widely available. Bluetoot h i s t he ma i n communication technology used by mobile devices, and is currently built into hundreds of millions of cellphones worldwide. Including devices of all form factors would bring the number of machines with the technology shipped till date to more than 2 billion.

INTEL HAS RE VE ALED THE Tukwila chip, the world’s first processor to break the 2 billion transistor mark. Intel claims the quad-core, 65nm Itanium processor will be released before the end of the year. SCIENTISTS FROM THREE universities have created a knee brace that generates power while a person walks. It is capable of generating 5 watts of energy, or enough to power 10 cell phones. INTEL OFFICES IN GERMANY have been raided by EU competition regulators, as part of an ongoing investigation into the company’s allegedly monopolistic practices. The raids took place exactly a month after a hearing in Brussels on the matter. PANASONIC HAS ANNOUNCED a 32GB SDHC card with a maximum transfer rate of 20MB/s. The card, rated at Class 6, will cost US$699 when it is released in April. A NEW APPLICATION RELEASED last Tuesday, Ziphone, claims to be able to jailbreak any version of Apple’s iPhone, including the newly released version 1.13 firmware. SYMBIAN HAS RELEASED ITS sales figures for 2007, and the 77.3 million smartphones it sold has far eclipsed the 14.3 million Windows Mobile phones and 4 million iPhones sold, representing a 50% growth over 2006 sales. SONY ERICSSON HAS ANNOUNCED that it will adopt the Windows Mobile operating system for its flagship Xperia X1 smartphone, which it unveiled at the Mobile World Congress currently taking place in Barcelona.

PHOTO | INTERNET

engineering and breaking the locking mechanisms in the phone. Even the latest batch of iPhones can be unlocked within 10 minutes by using unlocking software easily available online. Online retailers like Wireless Imports, which has shipped over 2000 iPhones to Hong Kong, estimate that more than 200,000 phones have been shipped to Hongkong alone since its debut on June 29th last year. T houg h r ese l ler s se l l t he iPhones off at a premium, many local iPhone users could not contain their affection over the gadget. Kiki Tay, an entertainer, said: “I've been looking forward to it even before it was out. Technology-wise, it is far ahead of the competition.” Few iPhone users in Singapore are apologetic about buying iPhones through the grey market. “Well it’s their fault for using such draconian measures in an open age,” said June Chin, a sales executive. They would rather unlock their phones than wait for the iPhone to be formally introduced into retail channels here. With the recent launch of the 16GB iPhone model, there is no sign of the grey market for iPhones disappearing. The rumored delay of the iPhone software developer kit, which was widely expected to eliminate the need for 3rd-party unlocking of the phones, means that this phenomenon is likely to continue in the near future.

WARRANTY SELLER SQUARETRADE says that out of a sample of 1,000 claims it sees an Xbox 360 failure rate of 16%, far higher than the projected 3% fail rate for the Wii and PS3. SHARP HAS INTRODUCED A NEW semiconductor laser capable of 6x recording speeds to dual-layer Blu-ray media on laptops. Mass production is set to begin in April. GRAPHICS CARD MAKER NVIDIA has acquired the physics processing company Ageia, with the goal of integrating the company’s PhysX technology into future products. The acquisition comes after Intel’s purchase of Havok Inc, another maker of physics technology for games. IBM HA S SHRUNK THE CELL processor used in the PS3 to 45nm, resulting in 40% less power use and reducing the active cooling needed. The new processor is expected to result in a cheaper and more reliable PS3. NOKIA HAS ANNOUNCED THE top-of-the-line N96 dual slider, successor of the highly popular N95 mobile phone. Packing an upgraded 16GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, the N96 is slated to launch in the third quarter of 2008. SONY HAS HINTED THAT PS3 owners may soon be able to download full, original, and fully playable versions of PS2 games onto their PS3s through the Playstation Network.

show

WRATH

INSTEAD of clouting voodoo dolls, unleash your fury by joining the Singapore Complaints Choir. No, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be Hady Mirza to do this. To perform your rants with fellow Singaporeans, e-mail info@singaporefringe. com or call 6440 8115 to register. The only complaint here? The government has recently imposed a rule, disallowing foreigners to join.

L WHAT have Greek art statues got to do with lust? Plenty. After all, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture, was the one who inspired lust among mankind. Catch the rare Greek masterpieces for the first time in Southeast-Asia at the National Museum of Singapore before they return home to the Louvre after March 16th. For $8, you can admire the full aesthetic beauty of these gods and goddesses just as the visitors to the Lourve museum view them.

GLUTTONY

IF YOU are planning to splurge on a buffet, you might as we surroundings, top-notch service and visually-enticing halal Scotts) is the answer to indulging yourself in a range of tan seafood to savoury designer desserts served in liquor shot c out more than $50 for lunch, high-tea or dinner. To make th meal session so you can feast to your heartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s content in this voted best last year in The Straits Times.

Seven day Sin

LUST G

Who says Singapore is all about keeping a squeaky clean image? Estelle Low an you that the seven deadly sins can be some wicked fun to indulge in during th

THINK that the juiciest prawns can only be obtained from the wet marke Get hooked on fishing for your own prawns at Bishan Park. At $30 for can barbeque your catches instantly with a barbeque pit in close vicinity required as the prawns there are huge and succulent and will leave you Weekdays hail the best catch as you do not have to compete with other p

GREED

ENVY E

ell settle for the best. Elegant l cusines, Carousel (Royal Plaza on ntalising delights, from fresh succulent cups. Dining at Carousel means forking he most of your money, be early for your s 24-hour buffet restaurant that was

ys in City

nd Aw Hui Min show he upcoming break

jan uary 28 , 20 0 8

T he nanyang chron icle

THE latest iconic attraction in town have some of us turning into green-eyed monsters this recess week. Although the Singapore Flyer is slated to open on March 1st, throngs of people have already booked their tickets for the ride. Those whose companies were willing to pay $9,000 per capsule for its inaugural run on February 11th are the lucky ones who got to ride for free. Others, who had their special someone splurging $399 a couple ticket, enjoyed a romantic evening accompanied by a panoramic view this Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. We intended to get tickets before its official launch, but all had already been snapped up by corporate bookings.

SPEND a day at Spa Esprit @ House (located at 8D Dempsey Road). Nourish your skin with Budapest Customised Facial ($150 for 60 min; $220 for 90 min), where your skin gets assesssed by a therapist and a slew of ingredients (pumpkin, orange, rosehip, sweet rose, paprika and quince) wait to be slathered on you. Pair this up with Kajogal Massage ($120 for 60 min) to make up for the gym sessions you have missed. This massage, designed by yoga guru Dr Kajal and therapists at House, combines 20 yoga poses to oxygenate and give your muscles a gratifying stretch.

et? Think again. r three hours, you y. Marination is not hankering for more. prawners.

SLOTH

SICK of the sharp turns and rude shocks that plague your 179 journeys? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to arrive in vogue, with your hair in place. Call for the Chrysler 300, the longest limousine in Singapore to ferry you and your friends to the hottest parties in town. Measuring over eight metres, the Chrysler 300 offers a mini-lounge ambience, which includes a mini bar and plasma TV system. Fork out $350 per hour ($488 per hour on Fridays and Saturdays from 8pm) for your personal moment of glory. We leave it to you.

PRIDE PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI, COURTESY

lifestyle

FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

THE SKINNY ON SKINNIES Some trends just won’t go away—so expect those pair of skinny jeans to hug your legs longer. Better start working out those thighs we say. Skinny

STRAIGHTENING UP Too baggy a jeans makes you look sloppy, but the straight cut jeans are just as comfortable and still looks effortless. Straight cut jeans by Five Four, $229, from Spin

jeans, $129, from River Island, 01-41 VivoCity; tube top, $89, from the Bottle, 03-06 The Heeren Shops; tee shirt, $39, from Collage Myth, 03-48A Far East Plaza; patent heels, $169, from Glitz, 03-76A Far Workshop, 04-138 Far East Plaza. East Plaza; faux leather belt with stones, $38, from Wannabe, 03-14 The Heeren Shops.

JEANS It’s in the

SHORT CUTS Jeans are so versatile that you can change the look of your outfit with just a simple roll of the cuffs. Great for hot summer days, especially with ballerina flats or platform sandals. Skinny jeans, $69.90 , from My Room, 04-106 Far East Plaza; tunic, $52.90, from Woodwood, 03-88 Far East Plaza; leather Mary Janes, $175, from River Island, 01-41 VivoCity.

HIGH MAINTENANCE If you’re blessed with LITTLE BOY BLUE Who says you can’t look the legs of a model, try wide leg jeans. Lest dapper in something as casual as a pair you want to end up looking like an oversized of jeans? Look aplomb by pairing it with a jacket or tailored shirt, and some smart clown, pair the look with a fitted top and let the jeans speak volumes. High waisted jeans by oxfords. Jeans by Lifetime Denim, $139.90, from Spin the Bottle, Dr Denim Jeansmaker, $159, from Wooonderland, 02-10 Wheelock Place; chiffon top, $64.90, from Little Brown Shop, 03-97A Far East Plaza; woven belt, $48, from Wannabe, 03-14 The Heeren Shops; platform sandals, $159, from River Island, 01-41 VivoCity.

03-06 The Heeren Shops; bow tie, $29, from Collage Workshop, 04-138 Far East Plaza; shirt and shoes, model’s own.

Old school sailors had their dungarees, while western boys swear by their 501s. Even the Kaiser himself, (Karl Lagerfeld, mind you), has given his blessings to jeans. Imran Jalal shows you how to stay true to your style by adding some denims into your wardrobe

STAPLE WEAR If there is a pair of jeans everybody needs, it has to be the regular fit. Opt for darker hues instead of acid washed ones or over-embellished pairs—we’ll leave that to our reckless adolescence. Jeans in distressed

KICKING UP A STORM Our parents rocked their generation with their bell bottoms. But if you think they are meant only for the disco queens, think again. Everyone from Kate Moss and Mischa Barton have been spotted wearing them. Flare jeans, $129, from River

wash, $238, from Buffalo David Bitton, 02-320 Marina Square; limited edition tee by , $69, from Sidewalk 10, 03-84 Far East Plaza; Terra Plana Island, 01-41 VivoCity; all other items, model’s own. shoes, $165, from Spin the Bottle, 03-06 The Heeren Shops.

RAW ENERGY Some just like it raw, raw denim that is. Never washed after leaving the factory, jeans afficionados can vouch that raw denim is more natural and unique.

Tapered jeans by Dr Denim Jeansmakers, $159, from Wooonderland, 02-10 Wheelock Place; denim jacket, $129, from Collage Workshop, 04-138 Far East Plaza; tank top and shoes, model’s own.

dapper: your essential style guide

lifestyle

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

foodsnoop

The French Revolution Move over, wine and ﬁne-dining. Chitra Kumar and Apple Lee discover French food takeaways that are wholesome and fuss-free

WORTH THE WAIT: Strawberry Seduction (left) is light on the palate while Banana Madness (right) is a quick fix for hunger pangs. PHOTOS | COURTESY

SAYBONS 68 Orchard Road #B2-32 Plaza Singapura Tel: 6884 9018 Opening Hours: 11am to 10pm daily

CENTRE PS 78 Guan Chuan Street #01-43 Tel: 6220 1285 Opening hours: Mon to Thurs: 10.30am to 8pm Fri and Sat: 10am to 9pm Closed on Sundays

JUST a stone’s throw away from Tiong Bahru Market, Centre Ps (pronounced “Centrepiece”) stands out from the rest of the eateries with its bright pink interiors and boutique ambience. Barely six months old, Centre Ps came from a desire to create goodlooking and tasting French pastries. They say their baking and creative processes are governed by five Ps — passion, perfection, personalisation,

SAY bonjour (“hello” in French) to Saybons, a French takeaway concept kiosk at basement two of Plaza Singapura, right above Dhoby Ghaut’s North East Line train station. Six-month-old Saybons, which means “it’s good” in French, a modification of “C’est bon”. Saybons offers sweet and savoury fare from three categories – Soup, Bread and Butter and Dessert. Each item costs no more than $5. The French-style soups come in takeaway cups, allowing you to drink on the go. No pre-mixes and chunks of ingredients — the soup is lump-free and smooth. If you prefer savouring it in the comfort of your home or office, remove the

lid and stopper and reheat it in the microwave. Seafood bisque ($3.60 for regular; $4.60 for large) is a rich and creamy soup made with fresh crab and prawns sautéed lightly in their shells, then simmered in French-imported white wine and secret aromatic ingredients before being pureed. The runner-up in the soup category is Wild Mushroom ($3.20 for regular; $4.30 for large). This beats all other mushroom soups outside of Saybons hands down. Its rich blend of assorted wild mushrooms is f lavourful and comforting, making it a more filling than coffee or tea. They serve two other soups

— Tomato Soup and Broccoli & Cheddar ($2.80 for regular; $3.80 for large). To accompany the soup, there are dippers; a serving of crisp, toasted focaccia bread ($1.40 for two slices) which comes in garlic herb butter, sun-dried tomato butter or herb butter. But the real indulgence are the crepes — wafer-thin pancakes that originated centuries ago in Brittany, the northwest region of France. Served in convenient takeaway cones, this quintessential French street snack comes in four flavours. The all-time favourite, Nutty Nutella ($2.60), is crunchy, so it is best savoured slowly. What’s best is

that it sure brings back memories of eating peanut butter as a child. Fa s t c atc h i ng up a mong customers is Banana Madness ($3.60), a combination of Valrhona milk chocolate imported from France, bananas and peanuts . Other crepes on the menu are Strawberry Seduction ($3.60): fresh strawberries paired with Valrhona white chocolate and roasted almonds, and Apple Delight ($3.60): fresh apples caramelised with cinnamon and topped with almonds. Certified with the ‘Healthier Restaurant Award’ by the Health Promotion Board, Saybons will open a new outlet at Raffles Place (off Phillip Street) in March 2008.

premier and patisserie. Headed by internationally acclaimed pastry master, Steven Ong, there is no lack of fanfare for this small boutique pastry shop. Steven clinched the third prize at the World Pastry Team Championship in 2004 and is considered as a master in his art. To start off, try their petits gateaux, a light sponge cake with custard filling. We recommend the pastry Pisa ($7), a combination of biscuit layers with fresh raspberry compote (cooked fruit syrup) and vanilla bean bavaroise (French vanilla cream) melt together in harmony without leaving any tinge of heaviness unlike conventional

cream cakes. Each bite leaves behind a mild and sweet aftertaste of raspberries. Another house signature pastry, Les Macarons ($10 for a box of five, $18 for a box of 10), may seem overpriced, but these dome-shaped, cookie-like pastries are devilishly good. Coming in 17 exotic flavours (mint; violet; caramel; pistachio; cafe crème; chocolate; green tea; lemon; apricot; ala rose; champagne; cherry; lychee; lavender; chocolate; olive and black sesame), each macaron

is airbrushed with shocking techno shades of blue, silver and copper to set it apart. Upon first bite, the super thin crust crumbles in the mouth and the flavour infuses the palate without overwhelming. To taste the best of each pastry, eat it with all the layers in a bite. For a more gastronomic treat, opt for the hot favourite Grand Cru Royale ($60 for 1.2kg), a dark chocolate and hazelnut cake. Studded with a generous amount of bite-sized hazelnuts, this cake retains its

chocolatey flavour without being sickly sweet. If that’s not impressive enough, customers can customise chocolate sculptures as gifts, such as a bottle of wine or a bouquet of roses with the help of the staff — but they’re not cheap, costing an average of $150 per sculpture. With a splendid view of the old estate of Tiong Bahru, Centre Ps is highly recommended for anyone wanting a gourmet pastry experience.

MINI MOUNTS: Named after the highest of the Alps mountains in Europe, Mont Blanc (left) is based on a sweetened puree of chestnuts, standing out from its cousins Pisa (middle) and Grand Cru Royale (right). PHOTOS | COURTESY

lifestyle

FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

travelogue

War tragedy revisited No fancy sound effects or special lightings. Just viewing war artefacts and realistic colossal paintings in dioramas alone in the World War II underground museum in Moscow was powerful enough to make national fencer Ruth Ng Yi Lin feel as if she had travelled back in time to experience the trauma and pain of World War II in Russia IT WAS one of those days when I had a rare day off from fencing training, and my Russian coach felt that my team mate and I should see some Russian history. We chose to visit the World War II (WW II) museum, known as the Central Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 by local Russians which was an hour and a half journey from Moscow city centre. A 10-minute walk from Metro station Park Pobedy, the museum was a popular place for locals and foreigners alike. Even though it was autumn, wearing four layers of clothing could not shield us from the constant bone-chilling wind. Also, it did not help that to reach the museum we had to walk half a kilometre across the museum square. The museum was an elegant building of towering marble and stone columns that looked like a war memorial adorned with Russian flags and murals.

to make the scene more realistic. Paintings are drawn to scale from the perspective of where visitors view the picture. The massive canvases cur ved and stretched up to 10 metres to create the illusion that visitors are witnessing the war scene first hand. One of the most unforgettable diorama was a devastating scene of destruction at St Petersburg. When the Nazi Germans invaded St Petersburg (known as Leningrad from 1924 to 1991) in winter, the Russians put up a fierce struggle, withstanding the invasion forces and ultimately foiling the Nazi plans of taking over Russia. Tragically, this came at a high cost of city destruction and human carnage. Leaning over the railing, I saw a tank barricade seated on one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s characteristic bridges which began as a painting and ended right before us as a 3-D

object. Buildings were on fire and people were running on the streets for shelter. Although there were no sound effects or special lightings, I could almost smell and hear the chaos and destruction as the city was set ablaze. There was a board that explained the army tactics of the Nazis and the Russians, but I was too distraught to remember the details after experiencing war tragedy in the realistic diorama setting. We visited more dioramas and each one was equally impactful, even though they were just huge realistic canvas paintings drawn to scale. At the end of the day, my interest in the war was piqued. I left the museum, taking away indelible lessons about the war. It was an experience that cannot be sought just from watching films and war television programmes as walking through the museum was closest to experiencing what life was like during WW II.

MONUMENTAL MUSEUM: An extensive alley with fountains leading to the central part of the squareâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Museum of the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945.

The massive canvases curved and stretched up to 10 metres to create the illusion that visitors are witnessing the war scene first hand.

Only after buying the tickets, I realised that we had reached our destination; that stately monument is the museum. We entered through a nondescript door and walked down a two-storey flight of stairs. The air was clean without any musty smell. Just like the exterior of the museum, the interior exuded an old world charm of poise and class. Ahead of us were endless passageways to halls and rooms filled with war artefacts, ranging from military products to household items that the civilians used to survive the war. As most of the exhibits had English translations, it was easy to understand the story behind them. The museum was unimaginably vast; some halls had a four-storey ceiling. One hall leads to other halls and smaller rooms. We walked around often only taking cursory glances at the artefacts as there were so many of them, and we had to get back to the suburbs for more fencing training. But luckily we had time to see the diorama exhibition which really brought Russian history alive for me. A diorama a mix of two- and threedimensional (2-D and 3-D) art, combined

EXPERIENCING armageddon: Stepping into a war diorama is like being transported back to the scene, as a vivid perspective of the war is painted on the 10-metre wide canvas. Even the shades of light are painted, achieved without special effects. PHOTOS | COURTESY

Undergraduate Investment Forum

ISSUE 8 | NTU INVESTMENT INTERACTIVE CLUB | WWW.NTU-IIC.ORG

Introduction to

Initial Public Offering (IPO) The company’s first sale of stocks

By Jackson Lim An Initial Public Offering, or IPO as it is commonly known, is a company’s first sale of stock to the public. A company in need of money can do its fund raising in two ways. One, they can raise funds by increasing their debt obligation through undertaking a loan, or by issuing bonds and commercial papers. Alternatively, they can do their fund raising through equity; that is, through the issuance of shares or common stocks to the investing public. This process is also commonly known as the process of a company going public. While a company going public usually has to comply with the strict rules and regulations set by the governing country’s stock exchange and monetary bodies, there are a lot less complications for investors who want to invest in the company.

Basic research before applying Although IPO shares are generally considered to be attractively valued, it doesn’t mean we should just jump into any IPO that come our way. Due diligence in the form of basic research is still very important in making sure that we do not apply for stocks of fundamentally weak companies. Some basic points to take note of are: The Company’s business It would be foolhardy to invest in a company that you know next to nothing about. Investing in a company is very much like doing a business; you want to

make sure that your investment will give you reasonable returns. Thus, one should at least look at the nature of the company’s business, and maybe think about whether it is a good business and what the future prospects of such a business are. The Management A company’s management is the brain behind the company’s business dealings. Thus, companies with reputable and capable leaders at the helm will always instill more confidence in investors. The Company’s track record Although past performances count for little in a company’s future prospects, it is a relative stable indication of the company’s general direction. Companies with proven track record also tend to reward shareholders more than companies with lackluster performances. Market Conditions A company’s performance is definitely not independent of market conditions. A good company in a weak market may not perform as well as investors would like. On the other hand, relatively weaker companies that are thriving because of a booming market should also be avoided. Potential risks and challenges No company is immune to risks and challenges. However, a company well prepared for potential risks and challenges tend to survive tough times better than others. After doing your research, if you are satisfied that the company is worth your investment, you can then decide how to go about applying for the company’s shares.

QUICK FACTS ON OCBC SECURITIES 1) OCBC Securities Private Limited (“OCBC SECURITIES”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of OCBC Bank and member of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST) and the Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading Limited (SGX-DT). 2) OCBC Securities has more than 300 trade representatives serving individua l and institutional customers 3) OCBC Securities adopt the State-of-the-art technology to deliver speedy multi-market electronic execution of trades for our customers.

Steps in the application for an IPO Finding out about the IPO A company that is going for an IPO in Singapore will usually advertise their intentions on publications such as The Straits Times, Business Times or via the Singapore Stock Exchange’s (SGX) website: (http://info.sgx.com/webipo.nsf/rev+new+ipo+by+closing+date?OpenView) Details being advertised will include the number of shares offered to the public, the number of shares issued by placement, the issue price, the closing date of application and the modes of application. Companies will also set up road shows to garner more interest in their listing; therefore, investors have many means of being informed about an up and coming IPO. Getting the prospectus After you have been informed about an IPO, and you want to find out more about the listing company before investing your hard earned money, you can always get a copy of the company’s prospectus. The prospectus is a legal document that a company seeking a listing in Singapore has to lodge with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) for approval. It contains a wealth of information about the company such as the company’s history, track records, management’s background, future prospects and challenges. The prospectus can be obtained via several means; you can either obtain the physical copy from the company’s booth at the roadshow, or a soft copy from the company’s website or from the Singapore Stock Exchange’s website. Modes of application There are various modes that a potential applicant can apply for the shares. One such way is via the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM), where applicants can apply for the shares at the ATMs of their respective banks. Another mode of application is to pick up the application form from the special booth at the company’s pre-IPO roadshow. Alternatively, applicants who have a good relationship with their brokers can also apply for private placements through their brokers, but this mode of application is subject to the number of placement shares that the broker holds. Applicants should also take note that payment for the shares is due on application. That is, applicants have to pay in full for the total number of shares that they apply for, and after the balloting and allotment process, if an applicant is allotted a lesser number of shares than he or she applied for, the excess being paid for in advance will then be credited back to his or her respective bank account. Another point to note is that application for the shares is in board lots rather than odd lots; meaning that the minimum number of shares an applicant has to apply for is 1000 shares or 1 lot of shares, and that subsequent increase in the number of shares applied for will have to be in multiples of 1000 shares. Conclusion After you have completed the application for the shares, your only task left is to wait for the balloting results to determine the number of shares allotted to you. We would like to remind fellow investors that after getting the shares, periodical assessment of the company’s performance should still be carried out faithfully so that you will always be invested in the right companies at the right time.

WIN! QUICK QUIZ 8 Quick Quiz is back! One lucky winner will walk away with a $20 Royal Sporting House Voucher! Answer the question below and e-mail to uif.quiz@ntu-iic.org before 29 February 2008.

There is no administrative fee or subscription fee for using iOCBC. True or False? Please set the subject of mail as Quick Quiz 8 and leave a mobile number. NTU-IIC reserves the right to change the prize of the quiz without prior notice. Jubilant winners with their prizes. Be a winner too by taking part in our contests!

4) iOCBC is accessible via mobile phone, automatically available to all Internet Trading customers through GPRS. 5) There is no administrative fee or subscription fee for using iOCBC.

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杨伟烈：知名度不能强求。 —— 刊30页

新闻 Impresario 2008 半决赛

放展飞示梦青想春刘婷婷●报道这群男参赛者使出浑身解数，以精湛舞技赢得台下观众的如雷掌声。摄影|林佐伊

经

过一场激烈的角逐后，Impresario 2008 的八名独唱组男女参赛者、三个对唱组合和三个舞蹈组合最终从八十名参赛者中脱颖而出，顺利杀入最后的总决赛。半决赛日前在位于北部的长堤坊（Causeway Point）购物广场举行，吸引了不少

第14届《飞乐时空》词曲创作比赛南大中文学会将于2月20 日至5月31日，接受《飞乐时空》词曲创作比赛报名。参赛者须付$8的报名费。比赛分为两个组别：A 组为“原创歌曲”；B组为 “我们作曲，你来填词”。有意参赛者可上官方网站 http://www.musicexpress14. com查询详情，并下载参赛报名表格。

前来观赛的公众和参赛者的支持者。开放给全新加坡参加的才艺选秀比赛Impresario 是由南大文化活动协会（Cultural Activities Club）主办的；活动意在让年轻人有机会展示自己唱歌、舞蹈才能的平台。比赛分为男女独唱、小组

合唱和现代舞蹈四个组别。各组参赛者各个实力非凡，经过一场龙争虎斗，才分出了胜负。来自南大的舞蹈组合 Tattoo受访时告诉记者，她们的团队刚成立不到两个月，为了这次比赛每天都在刻苦练习，毫不懈怠。 Tattoo组合的队长表示，

第四届《亚太大专华语辩论公开赛》

参赛队伍名单出炉

由

南大中文学会主办的第四届《亚太大专华语辩论公开赛》参赛队伍名单出炉。这次报名参赛的大专队伍多达30个，但名额仅 16个。主办单位于是以地区作为抽签标准，从来自新加坡、马来西亚、中国、香港、澳门、台湾、俄罗斯和澳大利亚各地的大专学府中抽出两至三个队伍。抽签仪式日前于学生事务处举行，由南大学生活动助理经理李保玲女士负责。

参加比赛是一个学习的过程，不仅能在平时与队友们切磋中不断提升自己的舞技，还能考验全体队员的意志力。这魅力四射的女生组合也因对舞蹈的共同热忱，不断努力完成梦想。独唱男子组中来自义安理工学院的陈友斌在得知自己进入总决赛后，难以掩饰自

己激动的情绪。谈及自己能在半决赛中闯关成功的因素，友斌露出了自信的表情说：“我舞台经验比较丰富，还有选歌较为得体。” 他认为，舞台是展示自我才艺的最佳选择，它可以锻炼自己，让自己不断蜕变、成熟。男子独唱组唯一一个马来同胞Shaiful Hakim，也是比赛唯一自弹自唱的选手。他在台上纯熟自如的表演博得了全场最热烈的掌声，成为制造比赛高潮的焦点人物。他告诉记者，他很享受舞台上为大家唱歌的过程，喜欢通过这种方式把自己的情感与听众分享。 Impresario大赛的评委之一陈彼得老师对此次赛赋予了较高的评价。他说：“今年选手的素质颇高，实力不相上下，让我们评委很难取舍。” 他也表示将继续支持像 Impresario这样的才艺比赛。 “它是年轻人展示自我才华的窗口，又能替乐坛不断输送新鲜血液，希望通过这样的比赛挖掘更多的新人。” Impresario 2008 总决赛将于3月1日在新传媒举行。

参赛队伍的名单： ● 新加坡国立大学 ● 新加坡南洋理工大学 ● 马来西亚多媒体大学（马六甲园区） ● 马来亚科技大学 ● 马来亚普渡拉大学 ● 马来亚大学（上届冠军，直接获取参赛资格） ● 中国北京交通大学

● 中国上海交通大学 ● 香港浸会大学 ● 香港大学 ● 澳门理工学院 ● 澳门大学 ● 台湾世新大学 ● 台湾东吴大学 ● 莫斯科国立大学 ●澳大利亚墨尔本大学

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

新书发布记载海外华人研究

华裔馆展出记载海外华人史的书籍，探讨了海外华人对社会的影响。摄影|沈丽芬

陈文华●报道

海

外华人的历史已有数百年之悠久。在我们的移民史中，华人足迹遍及亚太地区和印度洋沿岸，撰写了世界航海史的一个重要篇章。华裔网、国家图书馆和

曼舞妙出舞新姿影母今朝●报道

南

大华族舞蹈团（Chinese Dance Club）日前在南洋女子中学大礼堂举行两场名为《舞影》的精彩演出，博得现场观众持续热烈的掌声。这场演出的九支舞蹈既融合了传统风格的柔美性和民族性，也加入了现代风格的

华裔馆日前在国家图书馆举行了《海洋亚洲与华人世界之互动》座谈会暨新书发布会。主办者发布的三本书收集了五十篇关于海外华人研究的论文，都是在2005年8 月份第三届海外华人研究与文献收藏机构国际会议《海

洋亚洲与海外华人（1405— 2005）》所讨论的研究。这三本书分别是《郑和之后的华人移民与社会》（英）、《海洋亚洲与华人世界之互动》（华）和《郑和与东南亚》（印尼/ 马来）。除了新书发布会，当天座

谈会也探讨了海外华人的课题，围绕着郑和下西洋与对海外华人，在政治、文化和生意活动上的影响。主席是华裔网主席兼华裔馆馆长廖建裕教授。另两位主讲者是新加坡国立大学的陈国林教授和马来西亚南方学院中文系系主任安焕燃先生。两位都是同天发布的新书的其中作者。陈国林教授以《郑和与东南亚的都市》为题发表了演讲，分享了在东南亚的都市里，不同种族信仰的人们有交织的风俗习惯。他说：“建筑设计是文化和身分认同的体现与具体化。 “可从人们宗教建筑找到其他种族信仰的设计特征，看到东南亚人民的和谐。” 安焕然先生则在《郑和叙述与马华社会》的演讲中，谈到马华社群里如何神化郑和的形象以及其形象如何变成了华社护根的象征。郑和不只在华人社会里占着重要的位置，回教社群也崇拜郑和。所以，郑和的“和平使者”形象是学者们想要深入研究的方向。

随意和洒脱。伴着歌曲的快大家腿上都有伤得青一块肿在表演的过程中，舞蹈员慢起伏，舞者带观众走进爱一块的了，有些人生病了也的帽子掉，服饰配件脱落等情旅程。继续排练，每个人都付出了情况，都被舞蹈员聪明地掩学生事务处主任骆达成副很多。” 饰过去了。教授在谢幕后给予这场演出舞蹈团主席吴倩仪在受访记者在采访过程中还发高度的肯定，认为演出效果现了一些内部的笑料。其中时表示：“这几年，舞蹈团实非常好，希望同学们再接一支舞蹈项目的舞蹈员的裙不断进步，整体的水平有了再厉。舞蹈老师陈丽莉在演子上的别针松了，差点掉下很大提高。我们希望能吸引出结束后，也表示为学生的来，但舞蹈员巧妙地以优雅更多热爱舞蹈的人参与，也努力和付出而感动不已。之式换了个动作抓住裙子继希望我们的演出能吸引更多其中的一位演出者，材续跳舞。的人观看。” 料工程系二年级的王梦溪受访时说：“我很感谢老师的心细指导；我们当中很多没有学过舞蹈的同学，经过半年的训练准备，现在都跳得很好。” 另一名舞蹈员，电子与电机工程系三年级的朱瑶也表示：“这学期开学以后，几乎每天我们我们都要练舞，因为很多在地上滚的动作，《舞影》的舞蹈，巧妙的融合了传统与现代元素。摄影|符志强

时事动脉新加坡樟宜机场搭客量再创新高，去年迎来的搭客多达3670万人次，全年搭客量增幅达4.8%。

耗资120亿铺设，全长40 公里的滨海市区地铁线（Downtown Line），第一阶段（共六站，长4.3公里）工程在本月12日在牛车水站动工；预计在2013 年竣工。

人力部调查显示，高学历者在市场上的需求比低学历者来得高，职位空缺增长率也较快。

新加坡去年的人口逼近460 万。内阁资政李光耀认为，因为新加坡面积小，理想人口应介于500万至 550万之间。

新加坡动物园的明星“阿明”在大年初二早上去世，享年48岁。阿明在世时，陪伴游客共享早餐、接待了不少外国游客；而且是唯一获颁发特别旅游大使的非人类。

香港经典漫画《老夫子》将重新包装，以英译版本进军欧美市场。新版也将会有中英对照，让华人学习华语。

台湾大选改革后的首届立法会，王金平顺利第四次连任台湾立法院院长。

中国被入冬以来最寒冷的暴风雪吹袭，导致部分地区的春运、电力和食品运输陷入瘫痪。中、东、南部的铁路及公路交通都大受影响，上万名返乡客滞留火车站和公车站。

美国白宫经济学家预测，今年美国经济增长率估计与去年持平，为2.7%。而明年美国经济增长率有望达3.0%。

美国一家连锁超级市场集团 Trader Joe's 宣布，基于顾客食品安全，将从4月开始停售部分中国制食品。

韩国第一号国宝“崇礼门”被烧毁，怀疑是遭人蓄意放火，导致整体木制框架全塌落。

FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

特辑

民歌餐厅的小舞台本地音乐的大梦想你是否厌倦了夜店、卡啦OK、酒吧等娱乐场所，而想尝试另一种休闲体验呢？你是否渴望有个地方能让你松懈心情，聆听优秀歌手的演唱？民歌餐厅或许就是你正寻找的对象！记者陈丽汶、郭进华采访报道。

身

木船民歌餐厅地址：

29 Carpenter St, SAFRA Town Club, #02-00, Singapore 059923 电话： 6538 0366 网址： http://www.theark.com.sg/ 营业时间：星期四至星期六，晚上8点至11点费用：入场费$10（包括一杯饮料），消费另外计算

为新加坡的首家民歌餐厅，木船自1993年创办至今除了是个无烟酒、让歌者和听者享受音乐的地方，也是培育本地歌手如蔡淳佳、永邦和陈伟联的音乐摇篮。创办人董劲廷说，海外歌手在木船办歌友会，让表演者能有在现场伴奏或配唱的成就感，加上在木船表演时与不同表演者搭配，能累积更多舞台经验。 “木船”的名字后面，蕴含着“一群歌手为理想一起启航”的使命，让喜爱音乐的人能齐集一堂，分享他们的想法。木船的口号是“乐在其中（Love Yourself）” ，除了要歌手尽情玩音乐，感染观众，要他们爱惜己，

照料他人。餐厅的表演曲目主要是流行歌曲与表演者的创作。木船坚持对音乐的梦想，开办音乐学校，让爱音乐者在短期内学会玩音乐，享受沉浸在音乐中的喜悦。木船也和民众联络所合作，开班授课，并为今年的壮艺大游行写了主题曲《给我一个点，我要转动世界》。

我们的“厅”后感：在克拉码头附近的木船民歌餐厅，场地稍微大一些，摆设也有一般餐厅的感觉。现场乐队与顾客的交流，为表演带来不一样的感受；而侍应生也都耐心有礼地回答询问，初次前来的顾客会倍感亲切。一周的开始为学业拼搏了好几天，一周的结束就建议你到木船听歌，享受音乐，放松心情。

爱琴海民歌餐厅地址：

6 Raffles Boulevard #02-308, Marina Square, Singapore 039594 电话： 6333 1933 网址： http://www.musicdreamer.com 营业时间：星期天至星期四及公定假日，晚上6.30至10.30 星期五至星期六及公定假期前夕，晚上6.30至11.15 收费：周日（星期天至星期四）入场费 $9.80++ （包括一杯饮料）周末（星期五至星期六，公定假日及假日前夕）入场费$12.80 ++ （包括一杯饮料）

开

业10年的爱琴海一直坚持为顾客提供舒适健康的听歌场所，因此餐厅内不卖酒类，并且禁烟。业者曾志强表示，许多人都误解“民歌餐厅”的意思，以为餐厅的歌手只唱民歌，但爱琴海的表演曲目以顾客的点歌要求为主。因此，除了时下流行歌曲外，歌手也会演唱民歌、新谣、旧歌等歌曲。为了迎合不同年龄层的顾客兴趣，爱琴海除了会主办不同的主题夜如：“新谣

之夜”、“旧歌金曲”、电视主题曲等，同时也会邀请不同的特别嘉宾如蔡礼莲（《关怀方式》演唱者）、刘晋旭（梦飞船成员）、史心莹（校园Superstar 四强）等到餐厅表演。 “爱琴海”中的“琴” 字代表钢琴、音乐，顾名思义，“爱琴海”这个民歌餐厅就是汇集爱好音乐者的海洋，餐厅布置亦主要以海洋为主。而菜单上的饮料有的以《关怀方式》、《月亮代表我的心》等歌曲命名，看

摄影｜林佐伊

出了业者的创意与用心。

我们的“厅”后感：爱琴海歌手与顾客之间的互动、亲切周到的服务以及自然不做作的表演，都让人觉得演出就是一场聚会，令顾客倍感温馨。而且，爱琴海的地点颇佳，是个供顾客舒舒服服地歇脚、饮食及听歌的地方。

下一期

民歌餐厅特辑（二）南大生驻唱的

苦与乐您若对《南苑》有任何意见，或想投稿至言论和文艺版，请电邮到 nanyuan@ntu.edu.sg与我们联络。

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

言论咖啡厅

大声心唱中出不快

滕思珂

来

自荷兰的投诉合唱团（The Complaints Choir Project）最近登陆新加坡，并在岛内掀起一阵风波。据悉，两位荷兰艺术家来到新加坡发起投诉合唱团，并应邀在新加坡艺穗节上亮相。演出的歌词事先已获得媒体发展管理局（MDA）的批准，但是因为歌词涉及本国多项议题，投诉合唱团的表演准证不允许外国成员参与，并被迫取消公演，改以私人表演的形式进行。新加坡人真的喜欢投诉吗？这次前来投诉的民众仅有

文艺

顷刻之间，随即天明

照片｜网络下载 60人，相对全国400万人口总数，毕竟只是连百分之一也不到的小部分人。也许每个人都有不满，但并非每个人都乐于表达自己的不满。究其原因，其实是根植于新加坡人心中的传统亚洲文化与现代思想杂融导致的局面。保守，恭顺，内敛的东方气质性格加上西方现代文化思想的渗入浸透造就了今天的新加坡人。一方面，西方文化中独立自主的思想使新加坡人相对于中国人更懂得维护自己的权益，敢于表达不满情绪。但是，作为亚洲人比较不善于表达内心的不满，所以，当投诉合唱团初来乍到，响应他们的人并不在多数，而少数的“勇者”也要求匿名。小小合唱团，居然招来政府干预，值得吗？

悠哉凉亭

观木偶戏思文化情赖美银

我

到了位于原貌馆旁的小角落，观看了一次福建提线木偶戏。街上来往的人不少，但上前观看的公众竟以小孩居多。孩子们站的站、蹲的蹲，目光凝注着台上的一切；虽然未必听懂戏中人物的闽语对话，但他们仍是全神贯注。家长们有的陪孩子一同观看，但也有的直拉着孩子离开。有些家长则表情淡然地站在一旁，等候蹲坐在台前

照片|赖美银提供的孩子。我无法明白那声声催促的心情，更无法想像敬而远之的心态。周末的晚上，还有什么好匆忙？这么难得的木偶戏，为什么就不贴近它多一些？突然领悟，物未必以稀为贵。我静静地站在台前的一角，突然听到一个微胖的华

浏览投诉合唱团的歌词，虽然像当局所说，牵涉到一些敏感话题，但多数内容都只邻里间的小摩擦，像万花筒折射出新加坡各个角落典型而有趣的故事，与轻快的音乐配合，不失幽默诙谐。民众将自己的不快用健康的音乐表达出来对于政府，对于民众本身都是积极的。政府可以通过歌词内容了解民情，从而达到官民通过歌声交流的目的，而那些惧怕“出头”的投诉者也有了可以吐苦水的地方，岂不一举两得。中国古代曾有人将冤情写成歌词在市集上卖唱伸冤，历代皇帝也十分重视对民谣民歌的采撷。古代人已经懂得用歌声传达信息，今天的投诉合唱团，是不是也可以在双方努力下成为政府与民众交流的平台呢？

族男孩用英语冷嘲了木偶戏一番就走开了。我费解地望着他的背影，然后陷入久久的沉默。记得当晚有位印族小朋友蹲坐在那里好久好久。我心中有莫名的感动。之前同家人来办年货的时候路过这条街，看到告示牌写着“新加坡最后一个福建木偶戏团体”，当时演出时段已过，母亲好奇地向那里的保安人员咨询详情，保安人员过后还说：“现在要看到福建木偶戏，难咯。年轻人不要看也不要接手……” 一个保安人员，能确保地方安全，却无法捍卫内心执著。如今我有幸观赏过这样的木偶戏，却无力挽留一些什么，顿时对自己的文化认同有些许的不安，心中不免泛起文化情的涟漪。

插图｜洪雪婷

滕思珂

流

年，似乎是一个很容易定义的名词。流，即从我们的手中流走，失去；年，就是我们的年华，岁月，抑或是时间。每一次想起这个词，心底总会涌出淡淡的哀伤。据说有一种叫蜉蝣的小虫子，生命只有短暂的一天，朝生夕死，何其可怜。可是换个角度想想，这种微不足道的小虫子就在这短短的24小时内，充分利用每一秒的时间，走完了生命从生到死的全部过程。如此短暂而精彩的生命，是不是让我们人类也自叹不如呢？小虫子可以在极短的时间里完成我们人完成不了的事情，那么为了心存感恩相约而再来的人们，我们是不是应该做点什么？很小的时候老师就告诉我们一寸光阴一寸金，寸金难买寸光阴的道理。那时候小学的孩子，怎么会知道和黄金这种贵重之物相比，光阴这种东西更加珍贵而难以把握。现在想起那时的童年岁月，不禁哑然失笑：如果将光阴与金子对等，那我们，岂不是一群挥金如

土的轻薄狂徒。朱自清先生曾经感叹过：洗手的时候，日子从水盆里过去；吃饭的时候，日子从饭碗里过去；默默时，便从凝然的双眼前过去…… 我掩着面叹息, 但是新来的日子的影儿又开始在叹息里闪过了。他老人家也许预感到，百年后的我们，还在延续着同样的错误，将生命视为一种必然，让自己成为时间的奴隶。大家都见过沙漏，细细的沙子从窄窄的口颈中流下，发出淅淅簌簌的声音。如果想象一下，那沙子就是所有的时间，沙子流完，生命就将结束，沙子的流动是不是会在你的心中刻下深深的伤痕，使你痛苦地想握住每一粒的沙子，好让它们流得慢一点，再慢一点。既然有握住流沙的冲动，为什么不能用同样的冲动去把握住时间呢？所谓人生苦短，如果把死亡的周遭都想一遍，还有什么能阻碍我们不再为了流年而感伤，活出生命的精彩来呢？缓缓流淌的时间，是淙淙的溪水，是点燃的蜡烛，就像张爱玲的小说中提到过一首日本诗：夏日之夜，犹如苦竹，竹细节密。顷刻之间，随即天明。

FE B R UARY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

娱乐

杨伟烈 :

我想演坏人 ! 或许伟烈的外表看似冷酷，但他其实也很平易近人。

宋慧纯●报道

摄影|符志强

中文副编辑

刚

出炉的《才华横溢出新秀》亚军杨伟烈，最想演的角色居然是剧中的大反派！他说，现实中的自己没有办法当坏人，所以希望以演戏来过过当坏人的干瘾。或许你对杨伟烈还是很陌生，但他之前在大决赛时与对手潘虹熹的吻戏早已让人印象深刻。

影评

热爱歌唱的伟烈，有强烈的表演欲，所以他一退伍就毫不犹豫参加了《才》的试镜活动。伟烈自认样貌一般，所以必须不断充实自己的演技来获得大家的肯定。当初参赛时，他的对手大多数在海外主攻表演或戏剧，所以对于尚无演戏经验的他，是一个考验。能够走到决赛，获得亚军，是他始

料未及的。他坦诚：“我学会了怎么与对手合作。不想被人超越，却又要携手才能演出好戏，这之间的平衡是很难拿捏的。” 伟烈在《才》中的艺人导师郑斌辉在比赛过程中所给予他的耐心指导，对伟烈来说是非常宝贵的经验，让他一直铭记在心。除了想与导师对戏，伟烈

也很欣赏梁朝伟的演技，很想跟他学习。如今，年仅21岁的杨伟烈重返校园，就读于南大黄金辉传播与信息学院一年级。他说自己从不后悔参加比赛，让他重新选择，他还是会参加《才》。但他如果放弃学业，最遗憾的就是不能好好享受当大学生的乐趣。其实伟烈是一个拥有很多梦想的年轻人。当飞机师就是他的梦想之一。但现在的他却可以兴奋的告诉大家，他实现了另一个梦想的一部分，就是当一位表演者。现阶段的他，除了一边念书一边充实自己，更希望有一天自己的演技能够受到肯定，引起共鸣。伟烈说：“知名度这种事不能强求；与其用花边新闻炒红自己，我更希望靠自己的实力走红。” 尽管娱乐圈是公认的 “大染缸”，伟烈却用较乐观的角度调适自己入行的心态：“我觉得社会就是这样。只不过演艺圈是个极限，很多东西很表面。 “我反而认为这样可以学习掌控自己，累积工作经验，加强人际关系。”

双“周”电影大对决

洪美霞

郭思慧

《长江7号》

《功夫灌篮》

盼

了四年，终于盼到了星爷周星驰又一自导自演的力作《长江7号》。这部电影或许让期待搞笑的观众有点失望，但观众却会被戏中父亲（周星驰饰）和儿子小狄（徐娇饰）的亲情所感动。电影焦点放在地一只球拥有逗趣的表情与还原的能力的外星狗“长江7号”。穷小孩与富小孩之间的种种冲突竟因为这只外星狗“七仔”而突然又变好。星爷在戏中一直重复着的

方

照片｜网络下载一句话反映了他的一套穷人观：我们虽然穷，但是我们要有骨气，我们不说谎，我们不去偷，我们不去抢，不打架，好好读书，要做一个有用的人…… 选择在自己家乡拍摄电影，星爷透视了穷苦人民的境况。失去母爱的小狄，在父亲的关怀下成长，对他的人生观影响极深。当大家都在追求名利地位时，只有小

狄想要当一个穷人！因为只要有骨气，就算穷到哪里都会受到尊敬。但是学校里的老师都看不起小狄，唯有美丽温柔的袁老师（张雨绮饰），关怀和鼓励着小狄。《长江7号》表面上是一部孩子的电影，其实是写给大人的一个童话故事。它实现和满足了每个人心中想要一只“长江7号”的幻想。

世杰（周杰伦饰）从小被父母遗弃，在一次偶然的机会下，被立哥（曾志伟饰）发现其“中投”的高超武艺，后以寻亲理由让世杰进入第一大学打篮球。世杰将身藏武功和各式篮球技巧融会在一起，最终以“乾坤大挪移”之术扭转比赛局势，成功帮球队夺冠。不仅如此，世杰发现父亲竟然是亚洲首富，而且又赢得暗恋对象的赞许，为这部片子划上完美的句点。

娱乐动脉激情照风波越闹越热，一些网友大胆推测，依照相片中类似阿娇等人的发型与背景推断，当时的陈冠希正与现任女友杨永晴相恋，却还大胆派出这些照片，而阿娇当时的绯闻男友是方力申。阿娇公开道歉，对自己的行为感到抱歉；陈冠希也传因网民痛批而罹患忧郁症。香港命理师李居明在鼠年大胆预测，指梁朝伟和刘嘉玲将在今年12月分手。此外，他也大胆的断言，其实两人之间的爱情感早已逝去，目前只是朋友。根据东森娱乐最新显示调查，上班族最想共度情人节的理想情人，男性选择的是林志玲，女性选择的是金成武。即上回被传暗恋贺军翔之后，郑元畅为了证明自己喜欢女生，自暴喜欢《白色巨塔》女主角张钧甯。目前两人在赶拍《蜂蜜幸运草》，该剧制作人坦言两人关系很有趣。韩国MBC电视台体育新闻主播林敬真酒后主持现场直播节目，遭MBC电视台严惩。木村拓哉与工藤静香虽已结婚7年但仍就甜蜜。木村最近还亲自为老婆挑选性感内衣和网袜。

电影里采用专业的电脑特技呈现了利用功夫传球、投射三分球、灌篮等英姿，但用得过多令电影缺少真实性。此外，电影的主题是以篮球和三种情-亲情、爱情和友情做为中心，而篮球为中心的部分拿捏得恰当好处，没有过于描绘。只可惜，情感部份拿捏得不如也以体育为题材的《少林足球》那么细腻。有些情节似乎还需做交代和铺垫。这两个中心没达到一个平衡点，使得有些情节显得多余。但即使电影里有些情节不够紧凑，电影里的种种无厘头情节都抵不过周杰伦那浑然天成又逗趣的演技。《功夫灌篮》有句名言，球场上没有指教，只有尖叫和惨叫。阖家观赏贺岁片的目的是为了娱乐，因此只要看戏的过程中有欢笑，就足以给予一点点的尖叫声了。

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

娱乐休闲厅

乐评

陈孟奇专访

陈孟奇：

从歌声中“找到自己”

凡事都要做到200分

郭进华

周汶静●报道

凡

事都要做到200%，不能只要求100%；这就是创作歌手陈孟奇对生活的态度。对于在去年12月间发行的首张个人创作专辑《永远都在》，孟奇也是抱着同样的态度去筹备。他说：“在做这张专辑时，需要面对自己的许多挣扎，我很重感情，有时觉得应该放某些东西进去，有时又觉得不适合，所以遇到了很多矛盾。” 但孟奇始终觉得做回最原始的自己最好。现今唱片市场因盗版而不景气，被问起为何会想自己发片时，孟奇说：“我认为发唱片不一定要赚钱，只是希望歌曲可以感动人。” 曾经参加过第一届《绝对Superstar》的孟奇觉得，那场比赛让他成长很多。对于自己被淘汰，他认为只是那时比赛所要的和自己想呈现的不一样。他坦言：“我反而觉得很高兴，现在的 Superstar参赛者都在唱我的创作。” 《绝》“毕业生”陈世维和何维健的新专辑中也可听到孟奇的创作。虽然在不久前才发行个人专辑，孟奇却在乐坛活跃了一段时间，为不少知名的歌手创作了不少脍炙人口的歌曲。当中最让人印象深刻的《马德里不思议》，还入围了去年的新加坡金曲奖最佳作曲，肯定了孟奇的创作实力。对于当歌手这一道路，孟奇知道不能走得

乐坛新

杨淑慧

声代

当

专辑：《Start From Here》歌手：王若琳推荐：《Let's Start from Here》《Lost Taipei》

乐坛充斥着凭外形取胜的女歌手时，年仅20岁的王若琳打破了“ 年轻就要可爱”的乐坛走向，用实力征服了大家。刚开始听王若琳的歌，或许你不会爱上她低沉厚实的嗓子，但是越听就越有味道，你会不自觉地陶醉在她舒缓又慵懒的歌声中。

专辑：《薇恩Xazz》歌手：薇恩推荐：《It's So Beautiful》《找自己》

少

摄影｜王一凤长久。但他却依然持乐观态度。他说： “我不想被打倒，我想帮助那些想写歌的人，因为只要有梦想，就会成真。” 当被问起最想为谁写歌时，孟奇最想要的却是和不同的人合作写歌。“我想和蔡健雅或林俊杰合作写歌，他们的作品都比较original。” 记者发现专辑的歌曲都环绕着“她” 而唱，那么“她”究竟指的是谁呢？ “其实听歌的人想把‘她’想象成谁都可以，对我来说，我的歌有些是写给我妈妈，一些是给朋友。像专辑里的《只要有你Baby》是写给一个面对三角恋的朋友，希望能鼓励他。”

《Let's Start from Here》、《Bada Bada》、《Lost in Paradise》等爵士曲风适合在一个人的休闲午后聆听，能让你有一种舒服的快感。听到陶《爱很简单》的英文版《I Love You》时有些讶异，少了 R&B，多了随性；王若琳不但唱出自己的风格，也诠释得更有味道。首张专辑收录了17首中、英文歌曲，其中包括了自己的创作以及西洋经典反唱。丰富的曲目不是件坏事，可惜中文歌曲却只把英文歌曲重新填上中文词，难免会让人有所比较。把《迷宫》和《Let's Start from Here》并列播放，不难听出差别。王若琳在演绎英文歌曲时的情绪拿捏比中文歌曲来得好，唱起来也较自在。一出道就背着许多知名音乐人的力挺与支持，王若琳是幸运的。好听的歌声不需要复杂的编曲或宣传噱头，简简单单的也可以深入民心。

了宣传照片和资料模糊焦点，多了一层让人注意好音乐的诚意，就以这样的模式，本地新进女歌手薇恩Xazz推出了首张同名专辑《薇恩Xazz》。唱片公司以一个女生弹吉他的插图代表薇恩，并以各种插图贯穿专辑设计。这 “听其声不见其人”的包装方式，其他歌手虽用过，但还能吸引好奇的听众试听。网上除了专署网站之外，就找不到其他相关资料了。消除资讯爆炸的干扰，让听

一把吉他的潇洒

陈丽汶专辑：《记忆中的向日葵》歌手：阿杰（徐志杰）推荐：《纪念日》《Sing For Free》

阿

众能专注地听音乐，是值得赞许的地方。曲风大多以中快板摇滚为主，当然也不乏抒情歌曲；除了有本地资深音乐人祁哲泉的参与，薇恩也为专辑写了两首歌曲。很喜欢专辑的第二首歌曲《It's So Beautiful》，轻快的配乐加上薇恩活泼的歌声，有种很甜蜜梦幻的感觉；副歌中的“It's so beautiful beautiful beautiful…”也琅琅上口，加深了对这首歌曲的印象。专辑的最后，薇恩以轻柔舒服的方式诠释陶的《找自己》，和快节奏的原版有强烈的对比。通过薇恩，犹如以慢镜头环视周围，在她的高音中听到内心的挣扎，听后似乎更有“找到自己”的感受。只可惜薇恩声音的辨识度不高，歌声里有太多其他女歌手如孙燕姿、戴佩妮的影子；但她清新并不过于圆滑的歌唱方式，依旧值得去听。

杰（本名徐志杰）是环球音乐最新签约，年度力捧的创作歌手。发片前，他是领有台北市证照的街头艺人，曾在淡水老街、西门町等地方表演。从小立志当歌手的他，花了整整十

年终于圆了梦想，顺利推出自己的首张创作专辑《记忆中的向日葵》。专辑中大部分的词曲都由阿杰包办，也与著名作词人厉曼婷、金曲奖最佳编曲陈主惠等人合作。整张专辑的伴奏以吉他为主，配合简单的编曲，衬托了阿杰淳厚诚恳的声音。专辑曲风以抒情为主，阿杰深情演绎首播主打《记忆中的向日葵》，唱出逝去恋情的苦涩记忆，《无关占有》则唱出了让爱自由却不舍放手的矛盾。专辑唯一对唱情歌《纪念日》唱出轻快的民谣曲风，由阿杰与彦玲纯情诠释，洋溢着温馨舒服的气氛。最喜欢专辑中由阿杰包办词曲的《Sing For Free》，他娓娓唱着： “别泄气／生命有它的出口／na na na”。阿杰透澈的歌声来诠释这首歌，自然更有感染力。听完这张专辑，便忍不住产生一种背着吉他浪迹天涯的欲望。他的歌声中除了有温暖和深情，其实更蕴含了街头艺人边走边唱的潇洒。

Opinion

“However, when it comes to comfort, I think that we students expect too much.” Page 35

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Smoke clouds the message Dunhill Button Lights, Kent Delu xe Lights and Viceroy Menthol; for t wo years the British American Tobacco has been courting students here to join them in making these cigarettes. With four booths at the Nanyang Auditorium during the Career Fair, the company was one of the three largest exhibitors, alongside the nation’s biggest employers such as the Public Service Division and the Ministry of Defence. Such a strong presence may be confusing to students. It is, after all, ironic to find a fair offering careers with a tobacco company taking place on a campus where smoking is all but banned, and handing out goodie bags branded with their company logo which students then carried all over campus. The Universit y wants to allow students to choose for themselves which career they take—even if it is with a company that many would shun. And yet, the University’s position towards smoking is clear: it puts up anti-smoking posters with gruesome images, and smoking is prohibited and punishable at most places here. Hence it is ironic that the Universit y has allowed the tobacco company to participate in the career fair year after yea r. By send i ng out such confusing signals, they risk

undermining concerted efforts by the government to promote a smoke-free environment. Non-smok ing is t he position that the University has adopted—a sound position given that Singapore has ratified the World Health Organisation’s Fr a mework Convent ion on Tobacco Control since 2004—so all departments in the University should work together to send a coherent message to students. The University is just one part of the equation, though. It is only natural that the company should want to recruit the brightest and the best from NTU; but using the opportunity to spread their brand all over campus showed disregard for efforts by both the government and the University against smoking. St ud e nt s p a r ad i n g t h e company’s bag around should t h i n k t w ice befor e g iv i ng publicity to a tobacco company. T hose consider ing a career with it should think about the bigger implications involved in becoming part of the equation in producing cigarettes. Smoking is discouraged; so is it not right that tobacco companies should be discouraged from recruiting here? Students are adults and can make their own decisions about whether they smoke and who they work for; but it is certainly confusing to send us such a double message about tobacco.

CH R O N ICL E THE NANYANG

chief editor Lin Junjie Managing editor Lin Xinyi sub-editors Natasha Ann Zachariah Philip Lim Tan Mingxiong Danny Valerie Toh Ser Yi News editors Cheryl Ong Emma Lim Lifestyle editors Aw Hui Min Estelle Low

sports editors Fabian Ng Tan Jinhe layout editors Gerald Tan Imran Jalal Sharon Hiu

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. Signed opinion columns, letters and editorial cartoons represent the opinion of the writer or artist and are not necessarily those of The Chronicle.

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU

A column by The Chronicle editors on issues close to their hearts

Sloppy, the new chic? Gerald Tan l ayo u t e d i to r

am bound to r uff le a few feathers by saying this, but f ran k ly my dear s, I have almost had it with fellow university students who dress sloppily for school. Before you get offended and start blackmailing me with old pictures of me in my various disastrous fashion choices, let me state for the record, that it is sloppy dressing that I am against, not people who do not dress well. Just like how not everyone is born with a titanium spoon in their mouths (oh please, silver is so yesterday), or that I cannot tell the difference between two scientific equations, I understand that not everyone has the sense for the sartorial. There will always be people who think that dressing f rom head to toe in var y ing shades of neon pink is perfectly acceptable. Howe ve r, he r e i n l ie s t he difference. What sets these people apart from the sloppy dressers is that the former makes the effort to try. Sloppy dressers simply do nothing. It is as if they have decided to come to school wearing what they wore to sleep the night before. I know vintage is all the rage in style these days but that does not give some students the excuse to attend lectures dressed in stained and worn-out T-shirts with frayed sleeves. Since we are at it, let me kindly suggest to those guilty that singlets are strictly for the running tracks at the SRC, not Lecture Theatre 1A. Guys, flipping up the collars on your Polo shirts also do not make you the epitome of cool. Having a good sense of humor does. And Elvis called. He wants his look back. Even though clothes may not be the best judge of character, they do say a lot about your levels of professionalism. Why then do you think you are required to be formally dressed for your presentations? You do not see air stewardesses serving meals dressed in pyjamas, do you? If wearing the right clothes can help make lasting and positive first impressions, why not? Honestly, I know of nothing else that hides my insecurities as well as clothes do. Whenever

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

I take the effort to dress up for school, I find myself speaking more confidently and generally feeling more positive.

The Devil wears Prada even when he goes out to eat prata. Most students like to cite the common excuse of “it is just school” to defend their lazy wardrobe choices. In my opinion, this is a blatant disregard for the University’s rules, which clearly states that sloppy attire is not allowed. Do we really need the Fashion Police to patrol the long corridors of the academic blocks, poised and ready to bring down these offenders? U l t i m a t e l y, w e n e e d t o understand that we are here to receive our formal education at

an established higher institution. We had better show that we are befitting of our status as university students by turning up in school dressed appropriately. There is a saying, “You are what you eat”, and I am a firm believer that you are what you wear as well. If you are not a sloppy person by nature, then do not choose to dress like one. It is all about doing (and wearing) the right things at the right time. You simply do not attend a Gucci fashion show dressed like you are going to a wet market, do you? So think about it. Consider how you want people to perceive you the next time you decide to go sloppy by putting on that T-shirt you have had since 1993 to school. In the meantime, excuse me while I think about what to wear for school tomorrow. If you have second thoughts, just remember my parting advice: The Devil wears Prada even when he goes out to eat prata.

opinion

Fe b R ua ry 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

canteen talk

Valentine’s Day is an occasion for couples to cherish their love. Yet, has this tradition become too commercialized? We set out to find the answers from NTU students

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be simple. If you are in love with someone, every day is a Valentine’s Day.

”

Huang Bingyao, MAE, Year 2, 21

“ GRAPHIC | YVONNE NG

Green appetite unsatisfied If you are a vegetarian, you may find it hard to give your tastebuds a good meal in Singapore. Jayesh Kannan tells us more about the bittersweet quest for “green” food of NTU students

rder chicken rice or lamb chops at any of the campus canteen, and they will serve you promptly. Ask them for “something vegetarian”, however, and problems arise. First, they serve you a look of surprise, as if you have asked for something as silly as wine in a bakery. Then comes a ‘Huh, now we have to cook something specially for you?’, followed by pity, because they know whatever they are going to give you is barely appetizing to them, let alone your vegetarian taste buds. This is hardly unexpected. When I first came to Singapore, many advised me to turn nonvegetarian. They keep telling stories about how many of them came here as vegetarians, only to convert later because of the problems they faced such as difficulty in finding vegetarian food on campus (and outside too). Their failure, however, has encouraged me to continue being a non-meat eater. After all, there are actually a few veggies on campus, which means my goal is not so farfetched.

At the outset, problems seemed to abound. Tr ue, there are vegetarian stalls at some canteens. However, eating vegetarian food that tastes like meat such as “mock chicken” really makes me lose my appetite. I once tried vegetarian fried prawns, for example, which are almost identical to seafood. You either believe they are really made of soya because the stall reads “Vegetarian” or generally avoid such a scenario by sticking to the traditional fried rice and potatoes. I chose the latter.

After all, with challenges comes excitement, which is precisely what I have always experienced during my monthly trips to Little India to stock up on vegetarian food. Fast food adds a completely different dimension to this story. W hen I f irst came here, I was unaware of the fact that the McDonalds outlet at Canteen A, unlike those in India, does not have a vegetarian burger. More recently, I have also tried cheese-burgers without meat. It is still filling, but then, what is the fun of a burger without the patty? In fact, one may wonder whether a bun with ‘shrubs’ and a slice of cheese in the middle even qualifies

as a burger in the first place. In addition, I am also perplexed by the prices of vegetarian dishes here. Having spent most of my life paying less for vegetarian dishes, I was taken aback when a clerk at a local pizza joint told me the pizza without the meat would actually cost more. How, if ever, could one explain this discrepancy? Back in my country, vegetarian food is an easy find and hence, I never found the need nor the inclination to even try out meat. In Singapore, however things are slightly different. It has been over a semester since I came here and I have had to resort to Maggi, along with biscuits and other snacks to sustain myself. That said, I have managed to refrain from joining meat lovers in their indulgence. True, eating meat is entrenched in Singapore culture. For someone who has never eaten meat before, however, the temptation to savour meat is definitely insurmountable. It has also dawned on me that perhaps the troubles I face in my quest for vegetarian food may not be that bad. Af ter all, with challenges comes excitement, which is precisely what I have always experienced during my monthly trips to Little India to stock up on vegetarian food. Not forgetting to mention, too, the pride I feel as I accomplish my goal of remaining a vegetarian despite all the problems encountered. Thanks to them, my goal of maintaining a vegetarian lifestyle while in Singapore seems much more possible, if not worthwhile.

I think it is nice to see the guy willing to do so much for you even when everything in the market is surely overpriced on V-Day. Yong Khung Xing , ACC, Year 2, 20

Valentine’s Day should be taken away. It is the thought that really does count in the end.

”

Namita, Eng, Year 1, 20

“

I think it is fine to have a bit of commercialization as long as you are given a variety of choices. I guess there is a bit of peer pressure too. Dave Dingal, CBE, Year 3, 19

Many ECA clubs are taking advantage of the day to do fundraising, but I don’t think we should abolish it.

”

Yudhistira Andi, MAE, Year 2, 21

TEXT | HUYNH KIM PHONG, PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE

opinion

fe b R uary 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

A ray of hope for Pakistan Today the general elections are held in Pakistan. Inheriting the political legacy of his mother, will Bilawal Bhutto Zadari, a 19-year-old Oxford undergraduate, meet the challenge? Jayesh Kannan finds out

ecember 27th, 2007 will always be a black day in Pakistan’s history. Ms Benazir Bhutto, barely two months home after spending more than eight years in exile, was brutally killed in a suicide attack. A two-time Prime Minister, she was riding high on a fresh wave of democracy and optimism when her life was cut short by this sudden and tragic incident. T h ree days af ter Bhut to's assassination, her son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari found himself inheriting not just one of the most celebrated positions in Pakistan politics, but also a history steeped in power and bloodshed. A political legacy Born in September 1988, a month before his mother was elected Prime Minister, Bilawal was given a name meaning “one without equal". Benazir hoped the name would help her stay longer in office. A 19-yea r- old H i stor y undergraduate at Oxford, he has yet to even graduate, let alone be prepared to enter politics. It is therefore strange how this teenager, who has spent more time of his life outside Pakistan than in it, will sooner or later, be at the helm of this. Soon after his mother’s death, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) appointed young Bilawal as their new chairperson. Of course he would not be there if not for a political mother who was assassinated – as she would not have been without a political father who was hanged. The PPP did not quite elect Bilawal; it elected to accept his inheritance, as it did with his mother earlier. Dynasty politics has always been synonymous with politics in the Indian subcontinent. In India, the Nehru-Gandhi family has produced three Heads of State in as many generations. Pak istan had Zulf ikar A li Bhutto and Benazir. Now they have Bilawal. Zulfikar was publicly hanged by his own military General. Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, and now Benazir Bhutto, were all assassinated. Nepal and Sri Lanka are no different. Somehow, a politically heavy surname has always helped the party.

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH

Challenges ahead These are tr ying times for Bilawal. Not only does he have to cope with the loss of his beloved mother, he must also come to terms with the fact that he now has to lead Pakistan’s largest political party into an uncertain future. He had been in his school st udent cou nci l ea rl ier. Yet , university politics are one thing; the political battle is something entirely different.

It remains to be seen how Bilawal, at the tender age of 19, will be able to manage the pressures of university as well as politics. It remains to be seen how Bilawal, at the tender age of 19, will be able to manage the pressures of university as well as politics. The responsibilit y that he has to now shoulder would have been beyond his wildest dreams. Whether his party will sweep the upcoming elections in February is the million dollar question

that the world now seems to be asking. For t he mome nt t houg h , Bilawal will return to complete his studies as under Pakistan Law, he would have to wait another six years before being eligible to contest the polls himself. That would give him plenty of time to get a hold of his nation’s sensitive political fabric, what is required of him and perhaps, to brush up his Urdu too. Bi lawa l’s i ne x p e r ie nc e was evident at his first press conference. More comfortable in English than Urdu, he was seen struggling against the media’s stings. “I'm sure you'll understand I'm nervous," he told them at one point of time. Shuttling between London and Dubai for the past 10 years, he has till now been a mere spectator in Pak istan’s political arena, which certainly puts him at a disadvantage. T he toug he st c ha l le nge before Bhut to and h is pa r t y now is the growing strength of extremist religious parties within Pakistan. In many rural areas, fundamentalist leaders openly criticise the moderate par ties a n d a l m o s t r u n a p a r a l le l government. The fundamentalist ideology disillusions many locals and increases the chance of a fractured ve r d ic t , f u r t he r d a mpe n i ng t he PPP’s chances to for m a

Government. Many of these religious leaders have already written of Bilawal, calling him young, inexperienced and West-bred. The unknowns General elections in Pakistan are held today. Whether they will be free and fair has been repeatedly questioned and challenged. If the elections are rigged, it remains to be seen how Bilawal and his party would react.

Bilawal has not only the magical “Bhutto” surname, but also the charisma and confidence that can only grow as time elapses. Would he undertake large-scale protest movements demanding fresh elections or international intervention or would he patiently wait another f ive years until he’s of age to fight the elections himself. If demonstrations are held, how successful would they be under Bilawal’s leadership? Would he be able to make a difference?

The picture would hopefully be clearer by the end of February. A breath of fresh air On the flipside, Bilawal’s entry might just give decaying Pakistan politics the jolt it really needs. Pakistan, which has had four military coups in its 60 years of independence, is currently reeling under political turmoil. Pa k i s t a n’s ot he r honc ho, Nawaz Sharif’s image has been tainted with var ious charges of corruption. He was recently disqualified from ever contesting elections. Another aspect is that over a third of Pakistanis today are below the age of 35. In the past decade, they have been through scores of terrorist attacks, a dictatorship and most r e c e nt l y, a n u npr e c e de nte d emergency. They are getting increasingly resentful and want a change. They want someone they can relate to and fall upon in this time of crisis. Bi lawa l ha s not on ly t he magical “Bhutto” surname, but also the charisma and confidence t hat ca n on ly g row a s t i me elapses. Challenges abound, he is, just as his mother once was, probably the only ray of hope in this dark tunnel to democracy and more importantly, stability. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will have to carry forward what birth and fate have bestowed upon him.

opinion

Fe b R ua ry 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Yet a panacea, still a solution Staying in a double room is already a nuisance to many students. Imagine a third person was joining you in the coming semester. Anger and protest are sure to occur. Yet, why not look at it in another way besides mere rejection? Huynh Kim Phong opinion editor

i Hui turns to Jing Ting, asking, “Can you imagine t hat t h r e e pe ople a r e going to be stuffed in this small room?" “Yah lah! I really cannot understand what the higher-ups are thinking." This kind of conversation has been mushrooming among students here ever since news of a proposal to convert two-thirds of the double rooms in 11 halls into triple rooms broke in the previous issue of the Nanyang Chronicle. The proposed change may take place as early as in August, and it has sparked off debates, discontent and even rage among the student population, especially hall residents. A lmost 500 students have set up an online community on Facebook called “Say NO to NTU triple-sharing rooms in NTU". Yet despite t he heat , one question arises: is there really no grain of gold in this proposal? Often our reasoning becomes biased when what is pleasant may be taken away. However amidst this storm of protests, it is important to stop and think, and to look at the issue from more than one perspective. In view of the increased intake of students, the ultimate solution of campus accommodation is to build more halls. However, I believe that while triple rooms are yet to be the final answer, it would still help alleviate the problem. Benefits to come Many students complain that the current cut-off points for hall admission are too high. In response to that, this proposal would bring 900 more places, leading to a decrease in the cutoff points and thus giving more students the chance of on-campus accommodation. In addition, triple-room sharing w i ll a lso give residents who were once squatters better living conditions.If so many students are so desperate for a place in hall that they sleep on the floor in the room of their two friends I do not see why we should not make some rooms into triple-rooms and give the third tenant the equal right to it, including proper furniture. However, why do many students still object towards this proposed change?

A MATTER OF COMFORT Many hall residents feel that the halls are already beyond capacity for living comfort. Many say toilets and shower rooms are shabby despite the continuous effort of the administration to upgrade and maintain the halls ever y year. Others think that the current space in double rooms is already too little for two people. These are all true. Ye t , m a n y s t u d e n t s also complain that they do not have a place to stay in halls. With this proposed change to triple rooms, some students will be placated due to the increased number of vacancies, yet others will complain about declining living conditions. To please all is a hard equation to solve and on balancing this equation, the administration has prioritised the needs of the students. After all, when you stay too far and do not have a place in halls, sitting the MRT and bus is surely no comfort and low comfort is still better than no comfort, I believe. LOOK AROUND YOU However, when it comes to comfort, I think that we students expect too much. This is not the students' fault since most of us are born in a peaceful period with high living standards. T h is, in t u r ns, t r igger s a question: have we been raised to embrace only a luxurious way of life where sharing our room with another person is already such a nuisance to us, that sharing with a third is unthinkable?

So in the end, it is not too much if we ask ourselves to compromise a bit of our comfort to give more chances to ourselves and our fellow university students. Have we been raised in a cocoon that we are blind to the lower living conditions we have yet to see? This might be the reason why we always make upward instead of downwards social comparisons, feel discontented with what we have and start complaining about what already seems too good for others. Here is an anecdote. Even though I am a foreign student coming from a developing country,

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

I was raised in an industrialised city so I too had no chance to see what the university students' living conditions in my home country are really like. Howe ve r, la s t yea r, i n a community project, I saw how dormitory life is for Vietnamese university students at Ha Noi Medical University, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. What I found was not spacious double or single rooms like in our hall of residences, but 10 people sharing a room only twice the size of our double room in Hall 4. There are five double-decker beds and each student only has a small box where clothes are folded inside. Are they complaining? No. They seem happy with what they have, saying it is already too good compared with the condition of many of their friends who have to rent a house outside. My f r iend s i n Ma laysia similarly confirm that students there do not have the luxury of double rooms. So in the end, it is not too much if we ask ourselves to compromise a bit of our comfort to give more chances to ourselves and our fellow university students. If we stop looking up and spare the time to look down once, we might realize that a triple room is not that bad after all.

give and take That said, students might still ask: why do I have to work so hard for ECAs just to compromise my comfort after all the efforts? This should be addressed by the administration in their future review of the hall admission scheme.

On the other hand, the administration must also make the effort to listen to students’ constructive inputs, ensuring the change will not throw students into the abyss. W hile more places thanks to the proposed change, would cater to students in dire need of campus accommodation, a fair scheme should be worked out to allow those who still want to enjoy the comfort of a single or double room to strive for it using their ECA efforts. Besides, t he univer sit y administration also has to note that converting a room into a place for three is not just putting one

more bed and one more table in the double room. The size of current furniture in double rooms will not allow three sets in one room. It is a give-and-take situation. While more halls are already in the pipeline, the University administration still needs to set aside a lump sum at the moment to boost the annual upgrade of the halls. Special emphasis must be given to the sanitation system to accommodate the increased tenants coming from the triplerooms. In addition, room rental for triple-rooms need to be adjusted accordingly. Students certainly do not want to pay more for less. While comfort is an important factor that students take into consideration, rental rates will be prioritised by needy students who do not mind sharing their living space with a third person. it is a two-way process On one hand, we students should start working together with the administration and chip in our constructive suggestions instead of hostility and outright rejection. O n t h e ot h e r h a n d , t h e administration must also make the effort to listen to students’ constructive inputs, ensuring the change will not throw students into the abyss.

10 Pairs of The Spiderwick Chronicles Preview Tickets and Posters up for grabs! The Nanyang Chronicle brings you free movie treats from UIP! Peculiar Peculiarthings thingsstart starttotohappen happenthe themoment momentthe theGrace Gracefamily fam(Jared, his twin brother Simon, sistersister Mallory and and theirtheir mom) leave ily (Jared, his twin brother Simon, Mallory mom) New York and move into the secluded old house owned by their leave New York and move into the secluded old house owned by great-great-uncle, ArthurArthur Spiderwick. UnableUnable to explain the strange their great-great-uncle, Spiderwick. to explain the disappearances and accidents that seemthat to be happening on a daily strange disappearances and accidents seem to be happening basis, the siblings investigate what’s really goingreally on and uncover on a daily basis, the siblings investigate what’s going on the truth of the Spiderwick and the estate creatures andextraordinary uncover the extraordinary truth of theestate Spiderwick and that inhabit it. the creatures that inhabit it.

Name the young actor that takes on dual roles as twin brothers, Jared and Simon Grace, in the fantasy adventure, THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES? Email chronicle.contest@ntu.edu.sg with your answer, name, matriculation number and contact number to win!

Closing date: 21 Feb. Winners will be notified by 22 Feb.

Date: March 3 , Monday Screening Time: 7.30pm Venue: Lido Cineplex, Hall 3, (Level 5, Shaw Hse @ 350 Orchard Road) www.spiderwickchronicles.com

PG Parental Guidance suggested Some frightening scenes

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Be part of the Chronicle team. Join us today as a: • writer • photographer • graphic designer Photographers should have: • prior experience in photography • own DSLR equipment

Interested parties, please email chronicle@ntu.edu.sg or telephone 6790 6446

CHRONICLE THE NANYANG

sports

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E

sports talk

Returning football to its roots FABIAN NG SPORTS EDITOR

WALK on, walk on, with hope in your heart. And you’ll never walk alone, you’ll never walk alone. Fans of Liverpool Football Club will no doubt recognise the words to the club’s theme song, which has been a powerful symbol of unity through the years. Toget he r t he y have be e n through tough times, such as the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, as well as good times, like when Liverpool won its fifth European Cup in 2005. And it is this special bond they have that compels them to act even as the running of the club becomes increasingly shambolic. A mer ica n ow ner s George Gillett and Tom Hicks may have bought the club, but they have not been able to buy the affection of the Kop. They have publicly undermined the manager, Rafael Benítez, by admitting that they have made an approach for a replacement. Their true intentions have been questioned, with most supporters convinced that the Americans are simply out to make a profit off the club. The Anfield club is now being targeted by Dubai International

RED REVOLUTION: Liverpool fans will make history of a different kind. PHOTO | INTERNET

Capital (DIC), which is determined to complete its takeover bid having lost to the Americans the first time. Even though DIC seems like a better option in the eyes of most of the Anfield faithful, being headed by a lifelong Liverpool fan, the supporters have decided to take things into their own hands. They have launched a plan to buy out Gillett and Hicks under the Share Liverpool FC Group. Basically, they hope to get 100,000 fans to contribute a total of 500

million pounds (S$1.38 billion), allowing them to buy the club outright. This is based on the Barcelona model of ownership, where the supporters are members, each holding a single share. The share entitles them to elect a Board who will run the club till the next election. With this model, the club will be sacrosanct; the Kopites need not fear their beloved club losing its proud history and tradition anymore.

By returning the club to its roots, to the people who live and breathe the team, it can be hoped that football will finally stop prostituting itself to the highest bidder. The list of rich businessmen taking over an English Premiership club seems to grow longer each season, resulting in the clubs gradually losing their identities. Instead of being at the mercy of an outsider, who may tire and forsake their latest play thing, fans can choose to follow the example of the Share Liverpool FC Group and attempt to take over their clubs. The system may not be foolproof, but Barcelona, among other clubs, has been very successful with it. Indeed, should the model be implemented properly, it has the potential to cement the relationship between the fans and the club for generations to come. By investing for the future, by involving the supporters directly in the club, perhaps the focus will finally be on the club’s success on the pitch rather than the bottom line in the accountant’s book. The time has come for football to come full circle, and Liverpool fans will be at the vanguard of the revolution. It promises to be a brave new world ahead.

they said that? I was full of it, I wanted to cuddle everyone I could see! Fulham’s Jimmy Bullard on hugging the referee after hitting the winner against Aston Villa.

This is the night The Executioner gets executed. Boxer Joe Calzaghe pulls no punches talking about his upcoming fight with rival Bernard Hopkins.

He still has a great desire to succeed and still has that edge to him. In fact, he even got into a ﬁght with a cone during his ﬁrst training session. Blackpool manager Simon Grayson on new signing Paul Dickov.

Drug (ab)use: fair game for everybody? THOMAS LUFF SHOULD the Olympics allow d r ug s ? W it h t he con s t a nt emergence of drug abuse in sport, could lifting the drugs ban even the playing f ield? With the Olympic motto being swifter, higher, stronger, surely drugs that increase an athlete’s ability would perfectly match this ideal. However, this is not realistic. Almost all banned drugs have adverse side effects for their users. Still last year provided two high profile cases of steroid abuse: Marion Jones, the Olympic gold medallist, and baseball star Barry Bonds. Both were involved in the Bay Area Laboratory CoOperative (BALCO) scandal. BALCO was responsible for producing tetrahydrogestrinone, a steroid that was undetectable then to relevant anti-doping sports authorities. When the drug was discovered and a test developed for it, several athletes were found to be using it, including Tim Montgomery, former 100 m record holder, and Shane Mosley, a former champion boxer. What the BALCO scandal

revealed was the amazing depth of penetration drugs had in the sporting world and how it could go unchecked for long periods of time. It helped bring back the debate over the necessity of a drugs ban in sports. If the drugs are banned to prevent athletes from harming themselves but the athletes are abusing them any way, then would it not be safer to allow drugs? Money used for testing could be used towards the development of facilities that could monitor the usage by athletes and provide a safe environment for them to do so. T h i s a rg u ment ha s a lso been bolstered by controversial cases involving nandrolone. Na nd r olone , a cou si n of testosterone, is limited to two nanometres (nm) per millimetre of urine by the International Olympic Committee. The human body has 0.6 nm of nandrolone on average, but experts predict that one in 1,000 athletes has over 2 nm T his may seem a tr iv ia l amount, but consider around 16,000 athletes competed in the 2004 Olympics: the anomaly would land 16 athletes with a two year ban from athletics,

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

I think the haircut helps. Having my hair cut used to help me. I used to feel leaner and sharper. Meaner. So I might shave mine next month.

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

loss of any medals won, tarnish their names unfairly and cause a serious loss of income. Even if problems like these are fixed, the argument over drugs in sport will probably never end. People will always disagree if natural or aided ability is best within the sporting arena. The likely course is that they will remain banned for moral and

health reasons, especially at the Olympics. It is very easy to take the moral high ground and say that you would never use drugs to win, but if you were told that by taking them would bring financial security, and if you believe most of your opponents were users, could you honestly still say you wouldn’t at least consider it?

Sunderland boss Roy Keane (above) backs goalkeeper Craig Gordon’s newly-shaved head after a superlative performance against Wigan

I ll have to go low or he could be chucking me into the stands. Wales wing Shane Williams discusses how to best tackle England new boy Lesley Vainikolo at the 6 Nations Rugby tournament.

sports

Fe b R uary 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Sparring, Fight Club style

ROUGHING IT OUT: A sport not for the faint-hearted. PHOTO | FILE

Andre Frois NTU sent five representatives to pit their fighting skills against opponents from other universities in the inter-varsity Muay Thai sparring competition held at the Singapore Management University on February 3rd. Despite their efforts, only two

emerged with medals to show for their exertion. Jerr y Lee, a second-year s t u d e n t f r om t h e S c h o o l of M ate r ia l Sc ie nce a nd E n g i n e e r i n g , a n d A s h le y Tan, a School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer ing f resh man, dom inated t hei r weight category, bagging gold and silver medals respectively. They were quick to credit their performance to the intensive training regime that sees the NTU Muay Thai enthusiasts meet up on evenings at the Sports and Recreation Centre. There, friends put aside their feelings outside the ring as they square up against one another in “friendly” sparring matches, where punches aren’t always pulled. Students take on gruelling sessions with leather pads, which require intense concentration, visible on each of their faces. The niche sport may not be well known now, but is slowly attracting new blood, being especially effective in shaping the bodies of its practitioners. Lee, 22, assists as a trainer and mentor by night. Having

taken up the Thai sport almost half a decade ago, he vouches for the physical benefits it reaps, having lost 7 kg in two months. “We teach basic techniques – the jab, cross, roundhouse kick, elbow, and knee,” Lee said. “Static exercises help to build strength and maintain overall fitness, and pad-work enhances anaerobic endurance for cardio and to sharpen reflexes.” To non-converts who remain skeptical about the sport, Yeoh Keat Wei, 23, final year student from the School of Communication and Information said, “Muay Thai is a very disciplined martial art where each fighter pays respect to the ring, his opponent, and the spirit of fighting.” The Muay Thai club is not recognised as a legitimate subclub under the NTU Sports Club. “There is a huge interest in Muay Thai amongst students, but it is difficult to promote our existence without the club status as a platform,” Lee said. He added, “Fighting is not just about two people beating each other up, it’s a metaphor for selfdiscovery through the struggles one faces in life itself.”

Surf ‘N’ Sweat called off due to rain Lim Wei Li BAD weather ruined what was otherwise the perfect condition for Surf ‘N’ Sweat ’08. He ld at S e ntosa on t he February 3rd, the biathlon-like event attracted a large number of pa r t icipa nt s f rom ma ny educational institutions, but had to be called off in the afternoon because of heavy rain. The downpour sent organisers and participants alike running for cover, a nd ga mes were quickly abandoned as it got progressively heavier. Despite the organising committee’s plans for bad weather, the skies proved unforgiving. “The safety of our participants is of paramount impor tance to u s, t her efor e we had to cancel the event at 2 pm,” said Timothy Liew, chairperson of the organising committee of Surf ‘N’ Sweat ’08. Several races were cancelled, including the Men’s and Women’s Institutional, and the Men’s and Women’s Doubles. Participants caught in the

rain were directed to the nearest sheltered bus stop at the Dolphin Lagoon, and measures were also put in place so that they were able to collect their goodie bags and singlets. However, several participants were disappointed as they had been looking forward to the event. “It was lots of fun, but the rain kind of dampened the mood, and it was a disappointment,” said Raymond Tan, a freshman from the School of Maritime Studies. There was a bright side to Surf ‘N’ Sweat ’08, though. The participants appeared to have enjoyed some of the performances and games put up at the event. “The stage performance was quite good. They managed to get the bands and the beatboxer, and the games were great until it rained. The introduction of the donut eating competition was also refreshing,” said Charlene Chua, a Year 1 Business student. Liew felt that Surf ‘N’ Sweat ’08 had been a success, saying, “The most important thing is our participants enjoyed themselves. Overall I’m very satisfied with the way this event turned out.”

sports

FE B R UA RY 18 , 20 0 8

T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e

Passion to ACE for NTU It takes more than just teamwork for a sport like cheerleading. Liyana Low speaks to the NTU ACES President and Team Captain to find out the secret formula behind their success A L L t hat mat ter s in cheerleading is self-belief, a nd mos t i mpor t a nt ly, passion for the sport. Those are the factors that have led NTU ACES to success. Representing Singapore in the Cheerleading Asia International Open

Championships held in Tokyo recently, they came in third for their category. This time, with trainings lasting up to six hours each day, for five days a week, they hope to defend their place as national champions once again.

AC E S P r e s id e nt a nd second-yea r Bu si ne s s student, Hee Yuen Bao, 23; team captain and thirdyear student at the School of Biological Sciences, Goh Xue we i , 23, t a l k about t h e u p s a n d d o w n s of cheerleading.

Any highlights in your time at ACES? Xuewei: It definitely has to be going to Japan. Not only did we get to represent Singapore, we also made new friends from other countries. We still keep in touch with the Taiwan team; in fact we invited them over to Singapore recently for training.

How do you handle conflicts among team members? Yuen Bao: Because we have been a team for quite some time, we know how to handle conflicts with each other. We usually balance be t we e n s cold i ng a nd encouraging one another. What other factors do you think help NTU ACES achieve success? Yu e n B a o : H a v i n g many contacts is really important, and this is where our alumni members are a big source of help. One of them actually took t he effor t to f ind the contacts of the Thai cheerleading squad through the Internet so that we could establish links with them. Another also helped us find a gymnastics training v e n u e a t S t J o s e p h’s Institution because he had connections there. In addition, they have a lot of e x per ience i n cheerleading, so they help us with the management of t he tea m. Ac t ua l ly, they paved the way for our success and laid the foundations for us. What happens when a teammate gets injured dur in g t rainin g a few days before the performance? Yuen Bao: A substitute will come in for the injured person, but he or she will have to practise the routine beforehand definitely. But in the worst case scenario, we sometimes have to change the whole routine completely. But that is only when the substitute really is unable to master

the routine within that short time frame. We try to ensure that all of us are more or less equally skilled, so that each of us can take the place of the injured party easily. How can we develop a m o re v i bra n t cheerleading culture? Yuen Bao: There has to be venues t hat a re adequately equipped for teams to train in. Many teams in Singapore do not get to try out dangerous stunts because they do not have the facilities to do so. Xuewei: We have been ver y lucky because the support from the school has been immense. We even have special mats for us to train on, and for that we are very grateful. Any likes or dislikes about cheerleading? X ue we i : I ’ v e b e e n cheerleading for almost three years now, and the thing that attracted me to cheerleading was learning how to do t he s t u nt s because they were the most exciting and fun part. I thought that flexibility training was the toughest of all initially. But we have our teammates to help us through the stretching exercises, so it’s not so bad. Yuen Bao: I’m still in cheerleading because the sport is never stagnant. Not one routine is the same. What I learn from cheerleading is neverending; in fact, it gets increasingly interesting for me.

BALANCING ACT: Passion keeps the NTU ACES Team flying high PHOTO | COURTESY

Sports

One, three five, seven, meet the Aces on Page 37

Igniting the Olympic spirit in NTU An Olympic-styled torch relay, participation in the thousands, and a Minister of Parliament as the Guest of Honour: Kyle Leung gets caught in the NTU International Games fever WITH a record attendance of more than one thousand participants, this year’s N T U International Games saw unfancied Singapore r ema rk ably s weep a side t he competition to bag five gold medals and joint top spot in the medal tally with China. Held over two weekends, first on January 26th and 27th, and then on February 2nd and 3rd, the Games, now in its third year, consisted of eight international contingents. T he e vent wa s suppor ted by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports ( MC YS ) a nd associated w it h Singapore’s bid for becoming the host for the first ever Youth Olympic Games in the year 2010. Mr. Teo Ser Luck – Parliamentary Secretary for MCYS, graced the Games’ opening ceremony as the guest-of-honour. He said that it was important to have support from NTU in the nation’s Youth

Olympic bid. For the first time ever, the Games was preceded by a torch relay, just like the Olympics. It comprised 74 runners affiliated with NTU, with Mr. Teo being the final torch bearer. It was a firm display of support for the nation’s bid to host the Youth Olympic Games, ending with the signing of a four-metre long banner. “Especially for ‘student bodies’ like universities, events like this are a way of telling the world that our youth is enthusiastic and supportive of our bid (for the Youth Olympics),” Mr. Teo stated, adding that press reports of the NTU International Games will be ‘picked up’ by voters of the International Olympic Committee and is pivotal in convincing the voters that Singapore is the ideal candidate city over rival Moscow. He also commented that if Singapore were to win the bid, a large number of student volunteers from NTU would be needed to make the Youth Olympic Games a success. If enthusiasm was something to be hoped for, it was not very evident at the opening ceremony. Although the attendance at the sun-scorched grandstand at the NTU Sports and Recreation Centre barely reached 100, the chairperson of the International

Games organising committee, Di mas Ha r r y Pr iawa n, 20, considered it signif icant and heartening. He also remarked that it was still an improvement over past years’ Games.

“Especially for ‘student bodies’ like universities, events like this are a way of telling the world that our youth is enthusiastic and supportive of our bid (for the Youth Olympics).” Teo Ser Luck, 40, Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports

“It is d if f ic u lt for u s to attract many people, especially loca l st udent s, because t he International Games has only been around for three years while the Inter-Hall and Inter-School

PROMETHEUS: Final torch bearer MP Teo Ser Luck officially launches the International Games 2008.

FLYING THE COLOURS: The Games saw students from eight different contingents competiting in their own “mini-Olympics”. PHOTOS | COURTESY

games have a long tradition,” the Year 3 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student said. Despite few spectators and supporters during the Games, all of the participants exhibited great tenacity and often admirable sportsmanship, even in the face of problems such as amateur refereeing. With a lack of proper officials, Dimas had to double up as the referee for the soccer match between Singapore and Myanmar, which saw players questioning some calls. Another problem was the clash of fixtures as a result of athletes taking part in multiple sports. T h i s r e s u lt e d i n a f e w preliminary matches ending in walkovers and one-sided results as the contingents opted to focus

their effort on their forte sports, thus forsaking the weaker sports. Even with these setbacks, there was cause for celebration. The Union team, consisting of both undergraduate, postgraduate and exchange st udents f rom 25 different nations including Kazakhstan and the United States of America, showed immense solidarity having interacted and trained together prior to the Games. The Union team bagged both the men’s and women’s Basketball gold, showing great teamwork and aggression as they beat finalists China. Team member Allison Leavens, a third-year student from the School of Biological Sciences, had great praise for the sporting culture here, saying that events like these “encourage students from different faculties to get together, have fun and stay active.”