The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 14 Issue 09 by Nanyang Chronicle

CHRONICLE

Thirteen months old but already up the summit twice... PAGE 44

THE NANYANG

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Students get a glimpse of triple-sharing hall rooms EMMA LIM NEWS EDITOR

TWO triple room showrooms were opened to students for viewing at Halls 13 and 14 last week, each displaying a different room layout as proposed by the Student Affairs Office. The Hall 13 showroom consisted of a double-decker bed and a single bed, while the one in Hall 14 had a double-decker bed and a loft bed. This follows SAO’s confirmation in the Tribune published last week to convert about 35% of existing double rooms in 10 halls to accomodate a third occupant. Students were asked to fi ll out survey forms after viewing the rooms to indicate which layout they preferred.

When asked whether the survey is any indication that the proposal could be implemented soon, the assistant manager for student accommodation of SAO, Mr Choo Choon Huat said: “The showrooms were meant to give students a feel of how a triple room would be like if it is put into place. However the triple-sharing proposal is not confirmed.” M r C hoo adde d t h at t he objective of the survey was to r eceive i nput f rom st udent s regarding their prefered layout. “It’s better than expected,” said Soh Jia Ling, 20, a firstyear Material Science student who viewed the room layouts. “I thought it would have been more crammed.” But others like Cheryl Tan, 22, a second-year business student, is still unsure whether she can live comfortably with a second roommate even after viewing the showrooms.

IMPRESARIO IMPRESSES

The showrooms were meant to give students a feel of how a triple room would be like if it is put into place. Mr Choo Choon Huat Assistant Manager (Student Accomodation) Student Aﬀairs Oﬃce

Hall 14 Showroom: Students who visited commented about the loft bed used in the layout . PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI

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Rock concert heats up

22 Transformers? you decide 31

韩风吹袭南大校园

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New degrees for top students Chen Jingting DOU BL E deg r ees a nd crossd i scipl i na r y si ng le deg r ee programmes will be the way of the future for NTU students. I n t he c om i n g ac ade m ic year, which starts in August, academically gif ted st udents will have five new direct-honour programmes to choose from. T he new double degree programmes are in Accountancy & Business, and in Engineering & Economics. T he new si ngle degree progra m mes a re Ma r it i me Studies with a Business Major, Information Engineering & Media, and Linguistics & Multilingual Studies. The changes, said Associate Provost Professor Er Meng Hwa, are necessary to equip students “with quality education and more diverse choices to meet national and global demands”. To ac h ie ve t hat a i m , t he Nanyang Business School (NBS) combined its individual threeyear Accountancy and Business courses into a double degree curriculum that will take between three-and-a-half to four years to complete, depending on students’ preferences. NBS does not plan to expand beyond its intake of 100 students to “retain the qualit y of our programmes”, said A ssociate Professor Choo Teck Min, Associate Dean of NBS Accountancy. NTU will also offer a Double Honours Degree in Engineering and Economics with an intake of 60 students. “There is much synergy between these two fields of study,” said Associate Professor Low Chan Kee of the Economics Division. “While engineers aim to develop wealth,

DOUBLES ARE THE WAY OF THE FUTURE: Double degrees featured prominently in the new undergraduate programmes unveiled for academically-gifted students. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR

economists want to optimize wealth creation, distribution and consumption.” A pioneer batch of about 30 students were invited to join the Infor mation Engineer ing and Media programme last year after enrolling in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. However, for those more adept in the sciences, the art modules posed a slight challenge. “Most of us did not have experience in drawing. Thankfully,

we have good tutors who taught us from scratch on how to draw,” said Chiew Siew Mooi, 19, one of the pioneer batch of students. Humanities students will not be left out of the new initiatives. T he new Bachelor of A r ts in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies (LMS) programme will accept 50 students for now but plans to increase its intake by ten every year until it reaches a cap of 80 students. Students will explore other

l a n g u a ge s b e s i d e s E n g l i s h and study language issues in neighbouring countries, gaining a multicultural perspective that gives them an edge in the global market, said Dr Ng Bee Chin. Assistant Professor of the LMS Division. T hese programmes are a lready at t rac t i ng i ncom i ng undergraduates such as Ng Jian Yuan, 21, who is drawn to the prestige and accelerated nature of the double degree programme in Accountancy and Business. “I hope to simultaneously pursue professional degrees in Accountancy and in Hospitality, my field of interest,” he said. N T U aims to make double degree programmes a key feature in its undergraduate education, said Dr Er. “With the four colleges (College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Science and NBS) well in place, we are well-positioned to introduce more of such programmes in the future,” he said. Dr Er added t hat wh i le successful applicants this year will pay the same school fees as those in existing programmes, fees might be adjusted according to different programmes in the future. However, second-yea r Accou nta nc y st udent A a ron Chua, 23, felt that a single degree has its own advantage. He is taking a double specialisation in accountancy and information technology. “A single degree holder can graduate in three years’ time,” he said. “While a double degree student would take at least six more months to do so. Hence, the former would have a significant head start to gain experience in the industry.”

Memory tips shared at seminar Joan Chew CAN YOU memorise 30 random numbers just by hearing it once? How about reciting it perfectly, in reverse? World record-holder in Human Memory Nishant Kasibhatla showed students how it could be done at the Mensa-Ureca Colloquium 2008 last Wednesday evening. After completing both feats, the memory whiz said: “I’ve been doing it for the past 12 years. This is a trained skill, I’m not born with this ability.” Mr Kasibhatla then shared with the audience three memory techniques: visualising the things to be memorised, association of one item with the next, and being rewarded for the memorisation. The biannual seminar was

organised by Mensa NTU and Ureca Student Club to promote scholarship and educational opportunities in Europe. Its guest-of-honour was Mr Holger Standertskjöld, ambassador and head of the delegation of t he European Commission to Singapore. President of Mensa NTU, David Xia Ming, 21, has watched Mr Kasibhatla perform last June at a Mensa event. Even so, he was still “ver y impressed” by his demonstration at the colloquium. “I believe that everyone has an admiration for intelligent people and it’s possible to maximise our memory through proper training,” the second-year business student said. “A lot of academic work in NTU requires memorisation, so his talk can help us directly in our exams.” Mensa NTU is a branch of

Mensa Singapore and its members have IQs that fall within the top two percent of the population. For members of the Ureca Club, they comprise of the top five percent of undergraduates in NTU. Although students from these two clubs were given priority to the event, the colloquium was also opened to students from Mensa NUS, Mensa SMU and the rest of the NTU student population. The first colloquium was held in October last year. President of the local MENSA society, Mr Patrick Khoo, who is in his thirties, was quick to dispel perceptions of Mensa members and their IQs. “IQ only shows what you get on a particular test; there are many aspects on which it cannot test for,” said Mr Khoo. “ Me n s a do e s not hold a

news flash HUNDREDS OF SPECIAL Op erations Command forc e s and military police combed the forests along Kranji Expressway and Labrador Park for fugitive Mas Selamat Kastari as the manhunt for the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorist continues into the ninth day on Thursday. TO FEND OFF COMPETITION from other airports in the region, Singapore will be building a fourth passenger terminal at Changi Airport, said Minister of State for Transport Lim Hwee Hua in Parliament. A M A N W H O A L L E G E D LY stabbed an odd-job worker to death in a hawker centre on Thursday afternoon, was later shot dead by a policeman at close range in the Outram MRT station when he tried to attack the cop. SINGAPORE’S BUDGET TERMINAL for low-cost carriers will undergo a S$10 million upgrade that will more than double its handling capacity. BIRD FLU SAMPLES SENT BY the Indonesian government to the World Health Organisation (WHO) show no signs that the virus has mutated into a deadly form transmissible between humans, a WHO official said Thursday. O I L P R I C E S S U R G E D PA S T USD$105 (S$146) for the first time on Thursday as traders reacted to sliding US energy reserves, the weak dollar and Opec’s decision to leave output unchanged. THE THAI GOVERNMENT MUST stop sending ethnic Hmong people seeking refuge in Thailand back to Laos without first assessing if they face abuse and persecution back home, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. A GUNMAN OPENED FIRE ON Thursday inside a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. Eight people died in the attack, Israeli officials said. NICARAGUA PRESIDENT DANIEL Ortega said Thursday that the nation is breaking relations with Colombia “in solidarity with the Ecuadoran people.” AUTHORITIES IN NEW YORK are searching for a man on a bicycle as a possible suspect in Thursday’s bombing at a military recruiting station in Times Square. The blast, around 3:45 a.m., caused no injuries, officials said.

correction MEMORY WHIZ: World record-holder Nishant Kasibhatla speaks from experience. PHOTO | GERALDINE KANG

monopoly on ideas or giftedness, strengths and abilities,” he added. “There is diversity which helps each member to u nder sta nd himself better. You get ideas and inspiration from this diversity.”

“NBS MBA is among world’s top 50: ft” (Vol 14 No 8, page 9) It was misstated that NBS MBA was the first in Asia to be ranked top 50 in the Financial Times annual ranking of MBAs. It should be the first in Singapore to be ranked as such instead. We apologise for the error.

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Concer n s about t he room facilities were also raised by st udents who v isited t he showrooms. “The fan is too small,” said a first-year student at the National Institute of Education, Chan Xiao Shan, 20. “The person who sleeps at the lower deck of the doubledecker bed will not be able to feel the cool air.”. Students also found the bed,

“It’s unfair for the third person because he or she is paying the same room rate but getting everything smaller” Aletheia Hong, 20 First-year Mathematics and Economics student

desk and wardrobe for the third occupant too small. “It’s unfair for the third person because he or she is paying the sa me room r ate but get t i ng

A glimpse into triple-sharing

SHOWROOMS FOR VIEWING: The Hall 13 showroom (left) features a double decker bed and a single bed while the Hall 14 showroom (right) features a loft bed and a double decker bed. PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI & TAN ZI JIE

ever ything smaller and worse off,” said Aletheia Hong, 20, a firstyear Mathematics and Economics student. The loft bed at the Hall 14 showroom, positioned about two metres off the ground (over a study desk), was also cited as difficult

and dangerous to climb. One of the hall support staff said that she nearly fell while climbing up to fit the bed sheets. Even af ter v iew ing t he showrooms however, some students are still not in favour of the triple rooms.

“I don’t think it is just an issue of layout,” said Sarah Tan, 19, a first-year common engineering student. “Besides the fact that the room is small, I’m disturbed that vthere are no plans so far to increase the number of toilets and canteens in the halls.”

She is not for triple rooms because she is not convinced that the quality of life in hall can be maintained. T h e S AO s a id t h e y m a y make some improvements to the furnishings and will consider feedback gathered from students.

Hall leaders to submit alternate proposal “The purpose of the survey is to reflect the residents’ voices. The school’s approach is more top-down, we want something bottom-up.”

Teo Wan Gek STUDENT leaders from 11 halls went door-to-door before the recess week, to conduct surveys on the proposal to convert some double rooms into triple rooms. The Junior Common Room Com m it te e (JC RC ) me mb e r s wanted to find out the views of its residents on the issue and to offer an alternate proposal to the Student Affairs Office (SAO). NTU had disallowed the JCRCs from disseminating the survey through email due to it being a ‘sensitive issue’. Without proper explanation of the University’s rationale, said Lim, most people would object to the triple room conversion. “The purpose of the survey is to reflect the residents’ voices,” said Lim Wei Qiang, 23, president of Hall 10. “The school’s approach is more top-down, we want something bottom-up.” Hall 9 President Teo Hong Wei, 24, agreed. “This survey will provide a platform for (us to decide) which direction to take regarding the triple room conversion issue,” he said. T he pr e side nt of Ha l l 10 decided to conduct a forum for his residents so that they could receive information on the proposals first-hand from him. People who attended the forum were then asked to take part in the survey. Lim said: “I want information to come as much as possible from the JCRC. To prevent any miscommunication, which can be disastrous, we decided to conduct a forum.” The sur vey asked residents

Lim Wei Qiang, 23 Hall 10 President

KNOCK, KNOCK: Halls went door-to-door to solicit responses from their hall residents on proposed changes to hall occupancy. POSED PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI

for t heir opinion on var ious issues. Questions included if they were willing to stay in a triple room, what kind of fees were reasonable, and whether they were willing to consider off-campus accommodation. About 2,000 residents participated and a compilation of the sur vey results showed that 94 per cent of those polled were against the triple-sharing proposal, said Hall 11 President Neo Shu Fang, 20. The Chronicle understands that the SAO had also made two

other recommendations in their proposal to meet the demands for hall rooms, including off-campus accommodation and the renovation of the old Hall 3 to create more rooms on campus. However according to a story published by the Tribune last week, the SAO was said to favour the triple room recommendation more than off-campus accomodation due to high rental costs involved in the latter. SAO was unable to get back to the Chronicle by press time. Acting on the poll results

which indicated overwhelming opposition towards triple rooms amonog residents, the hall leaders i ntend to ma ke a n a lter nate proposal. “There are still things that the JCRC can do,” said Neo. “A counterproposal we are suggesting is offcampus accommodation, but we might encounter problems with the prices.” A Hall 14 resident, Lim Wei Yi, 22, who did not support the proposal for triple rooms, felt that living at residences near to campus might be a better idea.

“This plan might be feasible for those who stay far away and are unable to get a place to stay in hall, especially the foreigners,” Lim said. “I have a few foreigner friends who rent houses near NTU as they cannot get a hall.” The Hall 10 president said that some of the hall presidents will be meeting with Associate Provost Er Meng Hwa this week. They hope the provost will review both the proposals submitted earlier by the SAO and the alternate proposal made by the hall presidents. The University will also be conducting their own survey in early March, and has set up two triple-sharing showrooms which were on display last week at Halls 13 and 14. The Hall 9 president hopes that the survey conducted by the JCRCs will prove helpful. “This survey is one avenue for us to learn more facts and figures about what the residents actually wa nt ,” sa id Teo. “Hopef u l ly, this will result in a win-win situation.”

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Razzle dazzle at Impresario Junaini Johari F ROM si ng i ng room mate s performing at their hall functions, Seow Ee Hung and Daniel Ong can now call themselves an awardwinning duo. The pair was crowned the Best Vocal Duet/Group in Impresario ’08, an annual talent competition organized by N T U’s Cult ural Ac t iv it ies C lub. It wa s he ld on March 1st at MediaCorpTV Theatre. They beat a duo from NIE and a couple from Temasek Polytechnic and Guangyang Secondary School, walking away with $600 cash, vouchers and six free vocal lessons at Music Clinic. Amidst the flurry of backstage activity and congratulations by well-wishers, the t wo were a picture of calm. “We joined this competition just to have fun,” said Ee Hung, 22, a second-year Mechanical Engineering student. “But given the opportunity, we would love to continue performing, may it be together or as solo artistes.” T he duo showca sed t hei r versatility with an a cappella rendition of Wang Lee Hom’s Luo Ye Gui Gen, then switched to hip hop number Yan Chang Bi Sai by Tank to show off their dancing skills. T he compet it ion, open to all tertiar y students, gave the contestants an opportunity to

suss out the music scene outside of NTU. “We have been exposed to so many good singers in this competition. Now at least we know the standard outside of NTU,” said Daniel Ong, 22, a secondyear Electrical and Electronic Engineering student. Another group that did NTU proud was D’ Vantager s, who emerged victorious in the Modern Dance categor y. T hey wowed the audience and judges with their slick fusion of hip-hop and ballet. Comprising mainly first- and second-year students, the eight members of NTU’s Modern Jazz Club felt that their diversity was what set them apart from the other competitors. “I guess the judges liked our different styles,” said Mohamed Razfrainn B Rozaly, 22, a secondyear Mechanical Engineering student. But while being able to fuse the different styles together earned them the top spot, it was not an easy road for them. “The first part is always the hardest,” said Mohamed Razfrainn. “We had to get used to our different styles and habits, but in the end it was all worth it. In this competition all of us learnt a lot about teamwork and cooperation.” Other categories included Best Vocal Solo (Male & Female), Best Original Competition and a new

Teaming up with the US Air Force in aerospace research Ellyne Phneah THE SKY’s the limit as NTU and the US Air Force Academy (USAFA) have agreed to collaborate on research programmes. The union betweeen the two institutes is also the first time that the academy is doing a research tie-in with a university outside the United States. Bot h or ga n i s at ion s w i l l work on some of their common disciplines like space physics, satellite systems, and mechanics and structural integrity. The Cooperative Research and Development Agreement was signed during the academy’s visit here on February 26th. NTU President Su Guanning is honoured that the University had been chosen for the collaboration a nd a nd looke d for wa r d to establishing good relations with the academy. Professor Pan Tso-Chien, dean of the College of Engineering said that the idea developed when a team from NTU joined a delegation led by MINDEF chief defence scientist, Professor Lui Pao Chuen, to participate in the Singapore-USAFA Workshop in Colorado last September.

“Now that the matchmaking is done, I’m here to say ‘I Do’,” said the academy’s dean of faculty, Brigadier-General Dana Born.. “This is the beginning of a long, fruitful marriage.” President Su said t he collaboration should bridge the gap of knowledge, experience and expertise between aerospace academics and the defence industry. “It is the exposure to application of latest technologies in the USA that we can use as a benchmark for our technology,” he said. The chief defence scientist, Profe s sor Lu i , sa id t hat t he partnership with the academy, one of the top two aerospace research institutes, would allow NTU to move up with international exposure and raise the standards of aerospace education, particularly in space technology. Selected engineering students and air force cadets will go on exchange at USA FA and NTU respectively. They will interact with faculty members, participate in innovative programmes and utilise resources and facilities. “It will serve the society,” Professor Lui said. “For USAFA, it will produce the best leaders in the Air Force. For NTU, the best leaders of Singapore.”

BAND OF BROTHERS: Monstar Phunk grooves its way to win the best band category. PHOTO | SZE JIAMIN

category, Best Band. T here was no shor tage of talent, ranging from 19-year old male vocalist Shaiful Hakim, who tickled the audience with his antics, to winner of the Best Band categor y Monstar Phunk who brought down the house with their energy.

However, there were a few in the audience that felt that the competition catered to a niche audience. “I felt that the competition was streamlined towards the Chinese market,” said Leanna Tan, 24, a third-year NUS undergraduate. “It was a bad move to conduct two-

thirds of the show in Mandarin.” T he v ic e - c h a i r p e r s on of Impresario ’08, Gavin Tan, 22, said more English songs were performed in the competition over the years, but did acknowledge that the diversity of the audience should have been taken into consideration.

Going green in style this year Jalelah Bte MS Abu Baker COMBINE an environmentallyfriendly fashion parade, a plant adoption scheme, and a life-size mechanical bear, and you get this year’s Green Carnival, held last Wednesday and Thursday. A collaboration between the Students’ Union and Earthlink— an environmental club here— the annual campaign was well-received this year with a host of new displays including a “green” fashion show. Models don n ing sweet wrappers, red packets and plast ic bags got st udent s whipping out their handphones to capture the unusual sight. T h e e v e nt a l s o s aw t h e successful launch of an adopta-plant programme. 168 plants found new homes at the end of the two-day event. “This plant will remind me to be responsible for nature when I see it on my desk,” said Mr Ronald Yapp, 35, a graduate student from National Institute of Education. The adoption programme was a prelude to the World Environment Day, which falls on the June 5th this year. Students who have adopted a plant would be invited to a tree-planting session that day.

Social and Environmental E xec ut ive of t he Un ion , Ramanathan Thurairajoo, 25, said she was impressed about the turnout, because not only did staff and students turned up to adopt the plants, even construction workers here were seen adopting them. There were exhibits put up by National Environment Agency, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) and Vegetarian Society, among many others, but it was ACRES’s exhibit that drew the most attention.

It featured a caged mechanical bear that made loud groaning noises, and was aimed at raising awareness against bear farming. Earthlink will continue its efforts to increase environmental awareness in students through another campaign, the “Bring Your Own Bag Week” from March 10th to 16th. Inspired by the green tradition set by IKEA, students who do not bring their own bags to some retail stores and bookshops within the campus will have to pay ten cents for a plastic bag.

HOW GREEN ARE YOU?: The Adopt-a-plant programme reminds the NTU community to be responsible for nature. PHOTO | NG WAI MUN

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Premium bus service to ease students’ transportation troubles Students who make transits at Jurong East on their way to school have a new alternative Natasha Ann Zachariah STUDENTS who brave the perils of public transport to make the daily commute to NTU now have another transportation option. Premium bus service, 582, was launched last Monday in an initiative by Tong Tar Transportation to ease travel woes of students. Mr Philip Peh, general manager of Tong Tar Transportation, said that the new service was aimed at students travelling from the northern and eastern parts of Singapore. He said that by taking the premium bus, students would save time as they would not need to make many transits at the Jurong East and Boon Lay interchange. He added that the bus would cater to NTU staff and members of the public as well. Buses start from Jurong East at 7.45 am. until 10am., with service resuming in the afternoon from Canteen A at 3pm. until 5.30 pm. This one-way service, to and from Jurong East Interchange to NTU, is only available on weekdays.

Single-trip journeys will be charged at $1.80 for the first two to three months of trial, after which the fare will be increased to $2.30. The route has six stops along the way, three of which are within NTU. They are: the bus stop at Canteen A, the School of Biological Science and at the Innovation Centre. Mr Peh was unsure of how recept ive st udent s wou ld be towards this different service. The company would be monitoring the usage of the service before making any changes. The transport company said that buses were not yet operating at full capacity. The last bus of the route last Thursday saw only one passenger on-board. But M r Peh sa id t he new service would provide students with something that SBS’s 179 and 199 cannot. “It provides a faster service through a shorter route and since no standing is allowed, everyone is assured a seat.” he said. But getting a seat on the bus might not be much of a concern for students. Yasmin Ahamad, 22, a secondyear Psychology student said: “I don’t mind standing as long as I get to the destination.” Also, the price of a single-trip

snapped on campus

PHOTO | COURTESY OF WILLIAM KANGDRA

SURELY an unusual sight for any student who has waited for a bus during the peak hours – more than half a dozen 179 buses clog up the road leading to a bus stop across from Canteen A. If only such sights were more frequent when students were in a hurry to get to class early in the morning. Seen anything quirky or odd on campus? Take a photo and send it to us at chronicle@ntu.edu.sg

ANOTHER WAY TO TRAVEL: Premium bus 582 now ferries passengers from Jurong East to NTU, but there seems to be few takers. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR

journey might put off students. “Most of us are on concession passes, so it doesn’t make sense to pay extra,” added Yasmin. Mr Peh said that the fare was “stipulated by LTA” but noted that the company would monitor the response and review the situation

accordingly. He added that if it was bad, they would pull out. T he St ude nt s’ Se r v ice s Executive, Lim Si Wei, said that the Students’ Union is working with Tong Tar to seek a reduction in bus fares to make it a viable option for more students.

First-year Art, Design and Media student, Tan Hong Jin, 23, hopes that this new service will catch on with other students. “It is best if a lot of people take this bus, so that I’ll have more of 179 to myself!” he said.

Building a boat on concrete ideas Wang Cheng Wee THE FIRST elimination round of the Singapore National Concrete Canoe Competition (SNCCC) took place on March 1st, with a team f rom N US w i n n i ng t he Ora l Presentation round. Organised by the NTU Civil and Environmental Engineering Club, this is the first competition of its kind in Singapore, although it has been held in the United States since the 1970s. A s it s na me suggest s , pa r t icipa nt s mu st bu i ld a functioning canoe using concretebased materials. Teams must go through an elimination round, an oral presentation round, a swamp test where they will test their canoes, and the final canoe race this May or June. The aim of the competition is to promote civil engineering and advanced technologies through the use of concrete. The latest oral presentation round saw ten teams from NUS, NTU and Singapore Polytechnic competing for the title of Best Oral Presentation. Teams were graded on the way they proposed their plans and their handling of the Question and Answer session. SNCCC Chairperson Poo Sue

WILL IT SINK OR SWIM?: Concrete canoe competitions are common in the United States, where varsities have been holding them since the seventies. PHOTO | COURTESY

Xin, 22, believed there were several reasons for Team NUS1’s win. “ T he y we r e te c h n ic a l l y compe te nt i n t he way t he y presented their design,” she said. “They showed extensive knowledge in the Q and A segment. They also made a prototype – a scaled down model of the real canoe – which impressed the judges.” For Team NUS1, the win took them by surprise.

“I think the Q and A session helped as we answered the questions quite well,” said Tan Chen Sin, 21, a second-year student at the NUS Faculty of Civil Engineering. For students who missed out on this year’s competition, Poo has some good news for you. “The next Concrete Canoe Competition might be held next year. But most probably, it is going to be held biannually.”

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Singing their way to the festival of songs Shereen Naaz Charles Syariff THE NTU Cultural Activities Club Choir has won several medals internationally, but their bid for Czech glory has been threatened by a lack of funds this year. A shor tage of f u nd s i s endangering the choir’s hopes of taking part in the Festival of Songs Olympics 2008 International Choir Festival, held there from June 4th to 8th this year. “It’s not confirmed yet as we are still raising funds. We are still short of money,” said chairperson of the choir, Ariel Yeong, 22. Yeong said the current cost of the trip per person is $2,500, a steep figure that they are trying to reduce. But some success was found through their annual concert, Viva Voce: Cantemus 2008, held at the Victoria Concert Hall on Febuary 29th. The annual concert, which also serves as a form of practice for the competition, was sold out a week before their actual performance. The choir wowed the audience with their two-part concert: a medley of international songs and gospel tunes, followed by a “semi-original” dance production with tunes from popular musical “Gr ea se” a nd mu sic lege nd s ABBA. Despite their hectic practice schedule, t he choir has been searching for opportunities to gain exposure through performances;

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY: If the Choir cannot raise the funds it needs, it’s “Goodbye, my love,” to the International Choir Festival in Czech. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR

this is important for their new members to gain experience. The singers have been sourcing for sponsors to pay for their trip, as well as finding ways to fund

Glider challenge takes off despite turbulence Edmund Lee Wei Jian T H E I NAUGU R A L g l idermaking competition seemed destined for a crash when it was slated for a December launch last year but garnered poor signup rates. The competition, organised by t he st udent sec t ion of A m e r ic a n S o c ie t y of Mechanical Engineers (ASMENTU) here, was postponed to Februar y 16th because the junior college students they hoped to invite were busy with their A-level examination preparations. For t unately for t he organisers, the delayed launch saw a healthy turnout of 75 junior college students, who were targeted to get them interested in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “It was so disheartening at that time that we hoped for just seven teams (of three each) to join,” said Guay Wei Qin, 23, co-chairman of the event’s planning committee. “If it did not take off in February, the event would have been considered a failure.”

Participants had to build a model aircraft using materials like Balsa wood, weights, and sandpaper. After being taught how to build their own gliders in the morning of the one-day event, they were given a few hours to build one from scratch in their respective teams. This year, a Pioneer Junior College team named “Pzhou” netted first place, followed by “Weapon T” from Meridian Junior College and “Crimson Dawn” from Anglo-Chinese Junior College. Unaware of the problems that had threatened the takeoff of the glider challenge, most participants like Lee Jun Xiang, 18, a secondyear student-participant from Pioneer Junior College, enjoyed themselves at the event. “It was a ver y f r u itf u l experience,” he said. “I will be looking forward to the next Mech Challenge and recommend it to my friends.” Buoyed by its success, ASMEN T U hope s to hos t a not he r Challenge next year. “I wish that the event will one day it will become a well known and established name among all tertiary institutions,” said Guay.

it themselves. They have been ca nvassi ng for money wh i le performing at events such as Christmas caroling sessions. The choir is also no stranger

to the international choir scene. Set up over ten years ago, they have been winning awards since 1999, and more recently, two gold diplomas and two silver medals

in the recent World Choir Games 2006 in China. Despite their best effor ts, however, the nagging worry of insufficient funds persists.

Salsa en Sync takes dancing to the streets Beatrice Mok WHILE it was an ordinary day for most, February 28th will be remembered for a small milestone achieved in Singapore’s dance history. Bailamos en la Calle, Spanish for “We dance in the street”, was the first ever inter-tertiary Latin dance event held in Singapore. It took place at DXO, a club at the Esplanade. NTU’s latin dance performance team Salsa en Sync took part in the dance event, which was organised by Singapore Management University (SMU) Latin dance club Caderas Latinas. Performance teams from other tertiary institutions, such as National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Salsa and Ballroom club and Republic Polytechnic’s Groove Republic, were also invited as guest participants. The night kicked off with a Latin dance workshop “Salsa Shines”, followed by social dancing and performances from the schools. Dressed in grungy, old-school outfits following a “1930s Street Latin” theme, NTU’s Salsa en Sync

wowed the nearly 200-strong crowd with their sex y dance moves and smooth stunts. T he per for mance was not an easy feat. Having to juggle schoolwork with four hours of training thrice a week, the NTU dancers felt they have grown closer as a team. Sofia Lim, 20, a Salsa en Sync member, descr ibed the timeconsuming preparations they made for the performance. “We put in many hours for choreographing and training and trained extremely intensively,” she said. Their efforts seemed to have

“Their costumes were stunning and the dancers looked like they were enjoying themselves.” Christine Liew, 19 NUS undergraduate

paid off, judging from positive feedback from the audience. “Their costumes were stunning and the dancers looked like they were totally enjoying themselves,” said Christine Liew, 19, a NUS first-year undergraduate. Nonetheless, many on the sidelines were bold enough to try out Latin dance moves themselves, evident when numerous beginners stepped up when the dance floor was opened for the social dance. “It was inspiring because of the high quality of the dances per for med , a nd it wa s good exposure and an opportunity to pick up basic skills,” said Ang Shi Yan, 19, a first-year undergraduate from SMU. T he e nt hu sia sm i n L at i n dance was not restricted to the performances at DXO. Salsa en Sync has been facing overwhelming demand for their regular salsa classes. With two very successful salsa camps conducted in the past two years, the club may be conducting weekly salsa workshops in NTU, with guest instructors, games, salsa clubbing, and fortnightly social nights as well.

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Rock fest strikes the right chord Seasoned bands involving students and alumni charm audiences at rock concert in NTU Jayesh Kannan ROCK’IT, NTU’s first ever rock concert opened to all studentbands, got a rousing welcome from the student population. Organised by the Live Music Society, a sub-club under the umbrella of the Cultural Activities Club (CAC), Rock’It was held outside the Student Activities Centre on February 19th, drawing a crowd of over 250 students. Unlike Jamfest, a rock contest held in 2005 which was limited to hall bands, this year’s rock fest was open to the participation of all current and past students of NTU. Nine bands were selected from more than 14 after auditions late last semester. Mu ha m mad Sya i r a zi , 23, President of C AC sa id: “T he response and interest shown was quite positive considering that this was the first time such an event was being held in NTU. In spite of auditions being held during exams, three new bands got selected.” Less than half of the auditioning bands were hall bands. Cutting

SOAKING IT ALL UP: Participating bands such as S.P.O.N.G.E. (above) proved their mettle at the Rock’It festival held outside the Student Activities Centre. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

across courses, years of study and halls, students with similar tastes had come together and formed bands. Two of the performing bands at Rock‘It are no stranger to the local rock circuit. King Kong Jane (KKJ) and Stentorian have performed at Babies, Singapore’s national rock concert at the Esplanade. KKJ performed five of its own compositions at Rock‘It, and also has plans to cut its ver y first album.

Lead vocalist of KKJ, Colin Lim, 24, a fourth-year Communication Studies student, was excited about the fact that famous producer Leonard Soosay had agreed to record their album a few months back. “Since our band was formed in late 2005, we’ve written over 10 songs. We hope to see our CDs on shelves sometime during the last quarter this year,” he said. Colin wishes to pursue a career in music after graduating.

New supper spot for hostelites

Jam Band member Jonathan Yap, 23, from 7IC, Hall 8’s band, felt that his band already has a portfolio of popular songs which they have learnt to play quite well. “Hall 8 has had a strong talent pool over the past 3 years. This has greatly helped us in our search for band members,” he said. Students who stayed back after their classes to watch the concert and support their friends enjoyed themselves.

Korean culture comes alive at NTU Koh Si Hui

FOODIES REJOICE: Famous dishes will be offered 24 hours daily. Perfect for the night owl. PHOTO & TEXT | CHEN WEI LI

HALL students cramming for their looming examinations will have a new source of comfort food – a new food court that will run 24 hours a day. Unveiled at Jurong Point on February 23rd, the food court, also known as Xin, will be a godsend for students previously limited to nearby coffeeshops like ‘Ah Fang’

and Block 179, which are not 24hour food outlets. An added draw – Xin boasts famous stalls like Thye Hong Hokkien noodles, Chong Pang nasi lemak and Boon Tat St. Seafood of Serangoon Gardens Chomp Chomp fame. Shah Aidil, 22, a first-year Nanyang Business School student

who recently discovered the new foodcourt, is happy to have such a place near the campus. “Most of the good food are found in the eastern areas,” he said. “To have such a great food place, especially in Boon Lay is a boon as far as NTU students are concerned.”

Will Hobtay, 22, a research student from the United Kingdom said that he enjoyed listening to rock over a few beers. He was surprised that unlike concerts back home in the UK, there were no mosh-pits or head banging at Rock’It. Ng Wai Ken, 22, a first-year MAE student, is a regular at rock concerts. Comparing this concert with professional ones, he was quite pleased with the standard of the performing bands though he felt there was room for the bands to improve. Vendors at the event bazaar, on the other hand, were not very pleased as some claimed they had barely made any sales. A stall vendor said he believed that since most students present were ardent rock fans, they were too engrossed with the performances. The beer stall however, was well patronised by students. Wu Jianping, 25, chairperson of the event, said Rock’It has been a shot in the arm for rock culture in NTU where traditionally, most students were generally fans of mainstream pop or hip-hop type of music. More than anything else, it is likely to raise the profile of local band music and encourage even small and new local bands to make it big in the future.

THE FIRST major Korean Cultural Festival (KCF) in NTU was held on February 21st and February 22nd. Organised by the NTU Korean Cultural Club, it aimed to promote the understanding of Korean c u lt u re a mong st udent s a nd encourage cultural diversity in NTU. Highlights of the two-day event included the Hanbok (a Korean traditional costume) photo taking session, a food bazaar that sold Korean delicacies like Bibimbap (steamed rice), and exhibits featuring different aspects of Korean culture. Since the Korean Cultural Club’s establishment in 2005, it has organised many events such as a Korean class and other small cultural festivals. The Korean Cultural Festival marked the first major project for the club. The club received generous sponsorships for the food products from Korean restaurants and grocery shops in Singapore for this event, including Hankook Rice Cake House and Sol Mart. The festival’s project manager, Lum Yi Zi, 21, said the club got

help from their Korean Language elective tutors in introducing them to the local Korean network for sponsors. Some students who attended the Korean Cultural Festival found it beneficial for learning more about Korean culture. “I think the Korean fair is well organised and informative,” said Joyce Lim, 21, a second-year Materials Science Engineering student. “It was a good initiative on the club to source for sponsors such as Korean Air. ” Others felt that it could be i mprove d to se r ve t he N T U community better. “There could be f lyers or booths set up to promote Korea as a tourist site, especially since finalyear students would be planning for their graduation trips,” said third-year Sociology student, Jean Wee, 22. “ I h o p e I c a n s e e m or e interactions between the Korean Cultural Society and the Korean community here through these kind of cultural events,” said Assistant Professor Kang Yoon Hee, who is Korean. “I am sure there will be lots of mutual learning through the interactions between these two NTU communities.”

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Medical Testing their knowledge of materials science and engineering centre to close during lunch hours

Becky Lo

WHY ARE some things opaque? This was one of the many questions pre-university students were quizzed on in the recent Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Challenge 2008. T he a n nua l nat ionw ide competition, held on February 26th and 27th, was organised by the MSE Club. Students from 13 junior colleges and two polytechnics took part to learn about the significance of material science in their daily life. “I am happy to see more junior colleges joining this year, as well as NUS High School,” said President of the Materials Science and Engineering Club, Eric Ng, 23. “Based on the feedback, I am confident that most of the participants had enjoyed the twoday experience in NTU.” The club said they hope to invite external media coverage for the Challenge next year to enhance publicity for both the University and the club. Unlike previous years, the competition this year included audience par ticipation in the final round. Supporters could help answer questions posted to their school teams, winning not just points for their school but also Takashimaya vouchers for themselves. Af ter t wo days of intense

Maybeline Yew SEVEN months after the medical centre here started providing lunchtime consu ltation, t he s e r v ic e w i l l b e s u s p e nde d temporarily. Launched in August last year as part of the medical centre’s drive to provide additional valueadded services, it is being put on hold due to manpower shortage. GAME FOR CHALLENGE: Pre-university students gathered to answer quiz questions relating to Materials Science and Engineering. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

competition, Anglo-Chinese Junior College and Temasek Polytechnic emerged winners in the junior college and polytechnic categories respectively. A total of $3,800 worth of cash prizes, mainly sponsored by the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, were awarded to the three best teams from the junior

college category, the best team from the polytechnic category and the best theory paper from each category. Besides attractive cash prizes, participants also got to “learn more about teamwork and increase their knowledge in the subject,” said Aditya Singh, 18, a studentparticipant from Anglo-Chinese Junior College.

“ T h i s wa s one of t he largest-scale competitions organised by NTU that I have participated in. It was very well-organised. I will certainly take part in such events in the future,” Singh said. And the answer to the question? A material is opaque because it either reflects or absorbs light that falls on it.

Dr Peter Yeo Senior Physician NTU Medical Centre

Fingerprinting songs by their content Ritesh Kalra THE AMERICAN Music Genome Project was an attempt to organise songs according to characteristics like singer’s style and music tempo. It resulted in a popular music streaming website, Pandora.com, which helped people to find music with similar styles. Now, not unlike the Project initiated in America in 2000, a n Elec t ron ic a nd Elec t r ica l Engineering (EEE) professor is inviting junior college (JC) students to help him in a project to classify music based on their content. By Apr il, t wo JC students will be selected via interviews conducted by Assistant Professor Wan Chunru. Professor Wan will be supervising the project under the Nanyang Research Program (N R P), which invites ter tiar y students to assist professors in research programmes. Dr Wan intends to study and compare the waveforms of various songs, grouping them according to their features and characteristics.

The scale of this project will, however, be much smaller. Cur rently, searching for mu sic pie ce s f r om a huge collection relies on manually classifying its content according to song title, artiste name, or music genre. However, this method has proved time-consuming and often results in inconsistency. T h e c on t e n t- b a s e d m u s i c classification that Dr Wan is working on may help overcome these problems. “Wit h t he mu sic data available, we analyse the music signal, extract features that represent the music content, and automatically index and classify the music document,” said Dr Wan. Dr Wan wou ld base t he research on song samples and algorithms from past research conducted by his students. He also has sources available from sites such as www.songpeddler. com , wher e m i nute-long samples can be downloaded for analysis.

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

Dr Wan hopes that students good in Math will apply for his project, due to the use of algorithms in the research. “Good music soothes your

“Without trained staff to dispense medicine, even if we were open during lunch hour, students would still need to wait after 2pm to get their medicine.”

mind and helps to express your feelings,” said the professor. “And I hope the JC students learn and experience as much as possible from this research project.”

Senior physician-in-charge of the centre, Dr Peter Yeo, said the main reason for this manpower shortage is due to staff resignation in the dispensary. “Wit hout t ra ined staf f to dispense medicine, even if we were open during lunch hour, students would still need to wait after 2pm to get their medicine,” he said. The medical centre is currently searching for suitable candidates to address the shortage. While students interviewed s a id t h e s u s p e n s ion wou ld pose some trouble, most were understanding. “I think it is inconvenient,” said first-year Materials Science and Engineering student, Roy Calvin Alingalan. “But it is a necessary action to suspend the service if the medical centre has limited resources.” However, he hoped the centre would resolve this manpower shortage soon so as to resume the service. Dr Yeo assured students this suspension will only be temporary and that the main operations of the clinic will not be affected. However, it is not known when the lunchtime consultation will resume operation again. The Student Affairs Office will inform students once the service resumes.

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Laughing out loud to win gaming finals The World Cyber Games Campus Gaming Festival is held at NTU for the first time Raymond Chua AT THE first World Cyber Games (WCG) Campus Gaming Festival held here from February 26th to 27th, the team that laughed last truly laughed best. A f ive-member team from Singapore Polytechnic (SP) calling themselves Team “hahaha” beat 15 others to clinch champion in the inaugural event, organized by NTU Electronic Sports Club (ESC) with support from Anime Works, a sub-club of NTU Visual Arts Society. The festival was held at the Na nya ng Aud itor iu m Foye r, where avid gamers from tertiary institutions pit their skills against one another in Defence Of The Ancients (Dota), a popular tenplayer game built on the real-time strategy game, Warcraft 3. Lukewarm responses for other games like Counter Strike 1.6, Need For Speed: ProStreet and FIFA2008, forced the four-day event to be shortened to two. ESC ’s w i n n i ng pr opos a l ,

SMILES OF VICTORY: Students from the Singapore Polytechnic emerged champions in the first World Cyber Games Campus Gaming Festival hosted by NTU. PHOTO | KONG YEN LIN

emphasising lower costs but greater publicity, won the bid to host the WCG: Institutes of Higher Learning, a new category that a major event sponsor, Rapture

Gaming, introduced to congregate players from all campuses. Rapture Gaming has staged cybergaming competitions at several campuses, including NTU’s

Yep, it’s time to volunteer

Fighting fire the cool way Teo Wan Gek

Joanna Hor MORE NTU students are wanted to take part in NIE’s Youth Expedition Projects (YEP) to countries like North India and Thailand this year. Also known as service learning trips, these overseas projects aim to benefit not just the community, but the participants as well. Last year, the National Institute Education Service Learning Club organised trips to Sikkim, a state in North India, and Chiangmai in Thailand. Of the 60 studentvolunteers who went, only three were from NTU. Chairperson of NIE Service Learning Club, Akhilandeswari, 24, said that many students pulled out after realising that they had to raise funds for their own trips. The costs amounted to about $600 to $1300 depending on the countries they were going to. Howe v e r, t h e le s s -t h a nfavourable response from the NTU community last year has not dampened NIE’s resolve to include them again this year. “We will be happy to recruit NTU students. We need people with different backgrounds and skills. They will make the team richer,” said Associate Professor Vilma D’Rozario, Sub-Dean of NIE’s Student Development and Liaison Foundation Programmes Office. Akhilandeswari echoed her sentiments, saying that the projects require help in const r uct ion

cybergaming event, Cybermania. Selected campus Dota winners continued into the WCG Singapore F i n a l s , a p r e c u r s or t o t h e international Grand Final.

SHARING THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERISM: Youth Expedition Project groups present their projects to guests. PHOTO | ZOE LIM

of schools as well as in the teaching workshops that teams had conducted. For second-year Accountancy student, Teo Wan Choo, 21, her love for travelling and conservation got her to join the expedition trip last year. Her team helped set up a nursery for North Indian villagers and taught conservation awareness in a village school. T h i s y e a r, t h e S e r v ic e Learning Club hopes to attract about five NTU students for each team, Akhilandeswari said, adding that they would be glad to increase the number of vacancies if the response was positive. Details for the trips would only be finalised in the second half of the year, although plans to return to Thailand and North India have been mooted. At the Ser vice Learning Day on Febr uar y 22nd that

com memor ated com mu n it y service projects organised in NIE, two of the three YEP groups gave a presentation on their projects to guests. NTU’s Associate Provost Professor Er Meng Hwa was the guest-of-honour. Since Y EP’s inception in 2002, student teachers have gone to 26 countries including Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia and North India. T he e x p e d it ion pr oje c t was established in line with a framework of values, skills and learning, with values taking centre stage in the framework. “We believe that skills and knowledge are important for student teachers,” said Prof D’ Roz a r io. ” But t he c or e , underpinning thing is values, because teachers have to be role models. The teacher’s character is very important.”

“This is a wonderful platform for us to promote cybergaming as a sport and build a healthy gaming culture in NTU,” said the club’s president, Ho Pin Yan, 23. The players agreed. “It is an chance to have fun and gain experience in competing,” said Lim Daorong, 23, from Team “NTU13”, one of the three teams that represented NTU. The competition was played in Knockout format. The tense atmosphere was broken by choruses of “Nice!” that echoed whenever someone executed a good move. “We got together less than a year ago and this is the first time we’ve won a competition,” said Yu Qin, 18, captain of Team “hahaha”. Three of the top four teams in the competition were from Singapore Polytechnic. Yu attributed their success to a vibrant cybergaming culture bolstered by an on-campus LAN (Local Area Network) gaming shop. For Team “hahaha”, however, they will not be laughing out loud when they face stiffer competition at the WCG Singapore Nationals this August. The battle may have been won, but the war has only just begun.

A GENTLE spray of water may be all that is needed to put out a fire, as compared with powerful jets of water often used by fire-fighters, revealed a research conducted by an honours Engineering student. To suppor t h is project on “Water Mist Technology for FireFighting”, final-year Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) student Tang Kok Bin, 22, received a Home Team Research Grant on November 26th last year. The grant awards a sum of up to $1,500 per applicant from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Open to tertiary students in their final year, the grant supports research in security issues such

STAY COOL UNDER FIRE: Water mist technology can make firefighting easier. PHOTO | COURTESY

as crime, terrorism, and civil defence. Ta ng’s projec t bega n last August when he was recommended by his super vising professors, Associate Professors Lim Geok Hian and Patrick Chua, to apply for the grant. “In recent year s, t here is growing interest in the use of water mist system to extinguish fires,” said Tang. “The water mist system not only delivers a safe, environmentally-friendly f ire protection solution, it is also able to extinguish fire effectively using minimal water quantities. This, hence, minimises f looding and water damages.” Dr Lim saw merit in Tang’s research, and possible applications in cases where fires may have been set deliberately. “With this technology, only ten per cent of water from the conventional firefighting method is used,” he said. “Evidence in arson cases can also be preserved using water mist technology, and unlike the current jets used, they are not damaging.” The study also looked into using cold water mist and crushed ice for fire extinguishment. A final report will be submitted to the MHA by April 30th. Tang has already seen some progress in the fire tests he conducts at the Burn Test Centre at the Civil Defence Academy. He has found that using a cold water mist can effectively cool down fire temperature. Ta ng hop e s t h at t he investigative study can help to improve the effectiveness and range of the water mist, as well as protect firefighters and people trapped in a fire.

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Virtual futures for Increased satisfaction from eager steamboat lovers the near future Tertiary students from all over Singapore compete in online trading competition here Tan Thiam Peng THE FUTURESWORLD Challenge 2008 concluded its six-week long competition with a prize-giving ceremony on February 28th. Joi nt ly orga n ised by t he University’s Investment Interactive Club and Ong First Tradition, a local futures brokerage firm, the ceremony recognised winners for their achievements. A c heque of $2,0 0 0 wa s also presented to The Straits Times Pocket Money Fund. The donation was converted from virtual earnings made from the competition, capped at a maximum amount. Open to local university and polytechnic students, this was Singapore’s first virtual futures online trading competition aimed at promoting financial literacy. It featured real-time updates from

the Singapore Exchange (SGX) and virtual trading in market prices. Special Projects Officer of the Investment Interactive Club, Hon Jin Ti, 21, said the event let students meet up with industry experts from Ong First Tradition and SGX. Of the 300 participants in the individual category, 54 progressed into the Champions’ League. Ashish Rao Damerla rose above them all to clinch the top prize—an Apple MacBook. T he 22-yea r- old M a s te r s student in Environmental Science and Engineering, also won the team category with fellow Masters students Gourvendu Saxena, 26, and Deepika Lakshminarayanan, 22. They each took home an Apple Mac Mini and a iPod. “It wasn’t easy,” Deepika said. “But once we got the hang of the index ranges, we invested in a very planned and safe manner, and made good profits.” “Winning this competition gave us the confidence to enter the real world futures trading. I will definitely join again if possible,” said Gourvendu.

Chen Jingting IN MOST steamboats with spicy and non-spicy soups, the spicy part always boils sooner and longer than the non-spicy section. A group of students, however, have developed a new steamboat aims to solve that problem. Under the Nanyang Research Programme (NRP), Assistant Professor Yau Che Ming from the National Institute of Education (NIE) and his team of three students aim to develop a biboiling steam pot which will ensure that spicy and non-spicy soups boil simultaneously and continuously for the same period of time. The NRP, which is organized by N T U, encou rages ju n ior college (JC) and gifted secondary f o u r s t u d e n t s t o c on d u c t academic research work with the university’s professors. P r of e s s or Ya u a n d t h e st udents, t wo in secondar y four and one in JC, started the research in January last year. Heat theory and material processing researches were used. T heir main focus was to

find the key factor for the differences in boiling time of the soups. “There are many possible factors, such as the design of the pot, ingredients or amount of oil. We had to trial-and-error many times before finding the main one,” said Professor Yau. In experiments carried out in his home kitchen, the students varied the ingredients and amount of oil to create spicy and non-spicy soups. They then measured the time taken for each type of soup to boil. They found the key factor to be the heat transfer process that takes place in the partition separating the soups. Heat travels from the non-spicy section to the spicy par t, resulting in the spicy soup boiling sooner and longer than the non-spicy soup. The team’s solution was to design the steam pot with soup compartments which are more isolated and insulated from each other. Currently, they are trying to produce an actual model of

A BETTER STEAMBOAT EXPERIENCE: Students develop an improved pot. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

the pot for testing and evaluation. They had failed to do so due to the high price charged by the manufacturer. Professor Yau hopes that he will be able to find another manufacturer next year with more funding from the. Although, it will cost from $1,500 to $2,000, he said a redesign of the pot will make it marketable. The self-confessed steamboat lover who prefers non-spicy soup said: “This project is more than an interest. I see it as a need to enhance the steamboat experience.”

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SALSA

EN MOTION

To land a dream job, sometimes you just have to create that opening yourself. Final-year Business student Gary Foo did that by starting his own dance studio. Nur Raihana ﬁnds out more

ARY’S foray into the sensuous, flirtatious world of street salsa started when he encountered the dance in one of the salsa clubs dotting the island. The catchy music and the romantic image of daily fiestas and street dancing it conjured up got the 25-year-old hooked. “What I saw was a socialised form of dancing, a breakaway from the normal perception of couple dance. It looked cool and very hip,” Gary says. Seeing how dancers change partners frequently in salsa, Gary reckons it is a good way to extend one’s social circle. “You get to meet different people. There is so much temptation and at first you go ‘Wow, so many girls!’” he says. “But I’ve been here so long I’m over that stage.” He lets on though, that due to the intimate nature of the dance, things sometimes do heat up on and off the dance floor when “guy meets girl and girl meets guy”. CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 DESIGN | IMRAN JALAL, PHOTOS | CHEN WEI LI

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Salsa en motion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 Gary recalls how one of the instructors from his school left his girlfriend for a dancer from another school, where he subsequently joined as a dance instructor. “We are a small market trying to promote salsa to those people interested in dancing,” he says. “But that’s similar to an employee going over to work for the competitor. Definitely not a good thing.” Salsa can also be performed solo, and Gary is familiar with the demands of an individual performance. “When I dance alone, I must be the conqueror. It makes me feel somewhat narcissistic, an ‘I am on stage, look at me’ feeling,” he says. Not content with merely dancing, Gary started his own studio, Dance En Motion when the departure of close friends from the salsa scene left him without a dancing clique. “During that time, I felt lonely. So I thought, why not bring my own friends in and introduce them to salsa?” What started off as informal classes soon evolved into a full-fledged dance school, and the going has been smooth so far. Gary’s family has been supportive by lending him the start-up capital for his venture. Three years on, those who were students have now become competitors on the dance floor. But there is nothing but friendly rivalry between Gary and his former charges. “I feel shiok, and a sense of satisfaction when they’re winning competitions and awards. That’s one of the main things that keep me going,” he says. “I also see a transformation in the person. Salsa requires

constant interaction with people and it forces you to build up your social skills. I see a lot of changes in my students because they become more confident after dancing.” These days, Gary clocks about 26 hours a week in the studio. “That’s more time at work than in tutorials,” he jokes. Unlike other time-starved undergraduates who turn to coffee to extend their waking hours, he has to find alternative ways to manage his time, as he is allergic to coffee. “I plan my schedule well ahead, up till the exams so I can get people to take over my dance classes, giving me free time during my exam period.” So serious is he about Dance En Motion that Gary plans to expand the company. And his academic course definitely gives him a headstart in running his business. “I’m putting into use what I’m learning in school — how to manage this business, marketing, logistics and products. I’m doing my own accounting. When you’re an entrepreneur you have to take care of everything, but it’s satisfying.” Equally satisfying are the accolades he receives as a choreographer. Inspiration is drawn mainly from salsa music, which revolves around complex African beats. “Music is more important than the dance itself. If there is no music, it is not dancing. Just motions.” Music formed the basis of his choreography in Singapore International Festival last year, which earned rave reviews for its fusion of African and Chinese contemporary dance moves. “The music was very raw and strong and I just wanted to react to it,” he says.

“The African drumming made me feel very spiritual and it is so uplifting. When I hear the drumming and see the motions, I felt the rawness and power of the dance.” Gary tries to stay true to the African roots of salsa, so much so that he finds himself performing African-inspired moves on the dance floor often, though he is still trying to come up with a signature move. For all his achievements, Gary remains realistic. “If you want to really compare with the

best, of course I am just a small fry and I feel like I still have a long way to go. Some people can do everything. I am exploring different dances, and trying to go into ballet and jazz to improve on different things.” Gary also hopes to dispel the misconception that salsa is a dance only for the girls and effeminate men. “It’s actually a very raw and strong dance. It is an African dance and if you look at Africans, they are so… manly. So it’s definitely suitable for males.”

Music is more important than the dance itself. If there is no music, it is not dancing. Just motions. Gary Foo Final-year Business student

PUMP IT MY WAY: Gary demonstrates his grooves to his beginners’ class, which consists of students of all ages and

ethnic backgrounds.

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food from the globe

Say Konnichi wa to Yamakawa! This is a haven for Japanese snack lovers. For the un-initiated, a walk through the store will turn you into instant fans of Meiji chocolate and mochi. Stacey Chia and Say Xiang Yu show you why it s worth visiting YA M A K AWA Supe r i mpor t s popular Japanese snacks, sweets and drinks, many of them exclusive to the store. But shopper s look i ng for groceries should go elsewhere, as this is really a convenience store for snacks. T he Japa nese a re fa mou s for coming up with interesting a nd de l ic iou s f lavou r s . For example, the mart sells not only the original flavoured McVitie’s digestive biscuits ($4.20) but also in chocolate and sweet potato flavours as well. Prices are higher than local supermarkets, but the quality is better. For example, the chunks of crab meat in the Nissin Seafood Instant Noodles ($3.50) are better than the thin strips in the noodles sold in Cold Storage. The shelves are full of the unique and attractive packaging you’d e x pec t f rom Japa nese products, with the famous face of Hello Kitty, Japan’s most famous icon, gazing down from boxes of special edition Strawberry and

Milk Hi-Chew Candy. At the end of the day, even though Japanese supermarket Meidi-ya is well established in the Clarke Quay area, Yamakawa Super has proven that even a tiny snack mart can be mighty, as long as it brings in the products that people want.

YAMAKAWA SUPER 6 Eu Tong Sen Street B1-28B The Central Open 11am-10pm daily

IRASSHAIMASE!: Greetings from the friendly staff at Yamakawa Super reflect its bright and cheery atmosphere. PHOTOS | GERALDINE KANG

OUR FAVOURITE PICKS FROM YAMAKAWA CHOCOHOLICS UNITE! FORGET M&Ms. Meiji Melty Kiss ($4.50 for 63g) truly melts in your mouth. Individually wrapped, these chocolate cubes are dusted with cocoa and come in three flavours — green tea, milk and framboise (raspberry). They are so soft and smooth that they practically dissolve in your mouth. Yamakawa recommends framboise as it goes exceptionally well with chocolate. Grab them quickly, as they are only sold during Japan’s winter/spring season — which is now.

ARE you a Pocky fan who is tired of the same old flavours? Try the new Glico Crush Pocky Almond ($5.80 for seven packs of four). Coated with chopped almonds that produce a brilliant flavour, they are chunkier and tastier than the original. They come in seven nifty packs so that you can just pop one or two of them in your bag before heading for lectures. For a limited time only, get them in a special package decorated with paintings by Vincent Van Gogh.

INSTANT GRATIFICATION NEED something to wash your meal down with? The Marukome Genen Instant Miso Soup ($5.55 for 11 packets) comes with garnishing like tofu, wakame seaweed and green onions. And if you are a big fan of milk-based soup, try Nissin Milk Seafood Noodles($3.50 for 83g) as the soup is made out of soya milk which is very popular in Japan due to it’s health benefits.

THESE palm-sized Japanese pancakes, “Kotobuki” Azuki Dorayaki ($5 for four) are great snacks on the go, with generous amounts of red bean fi lling. They also come in other flavours like red bean with chestnut or sakura mochi. But eat them quickly, or they will turn mouldy thanks to our humid weather.

NEW WATER GET the milk tea the way it’s supposed to be with Kirin Gogo No Kocha ($3.50 for 500ml). The drink is not diluted or cloyingly sweet, low in fat (only 0.4g per 100ml), and easy on your waistline. The 500ml bottle ($3.50) is also handy to keep in your room, so that you can grab a cup of your favourite drink (and heat it up if you like) any time.

CALPIS water ($3.50 for 500ml) is the “in” cultured milk drink in Japan right now. It provides the same benefits as Yakult — it aids your digestion, and it comes in grape flavour as well. Unlike Yakult which has to be kept chilled, Calpis water can be stored at room temperature without turning bad. That’s good news for hall residents who do not own a fridge but love their daily intake of cultured drinks.

lifestyle

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

foodsnoop

Glocal delights

What’s so near, yet so far? Estelle Low and Aw Hui Min track down two restaurants in close vicinity, offering cuisines that are worlds apart CAFE SAMAR 17 Bali Lane Tel: 6398 0530 Open 24 hours

THIS 24-hour cafe can be used as a film set for Aladdin or Arabian Nights given its opulent oriental furnishings. On any day, the second level of the cafe is a perfect hideout away from the busy streets, to relax in a

decadently furbished environment of heav y tassel led c u r ta ins, Arabian rugs and cushions tossed on the floor. The aroma of shisha and Arabian music adds to the cosy ambience. Similar to its counterparts in the Kampong Glam district, Cafe Samar sells Middle Eastern food. However, it specialises in Yemeni cuisine. The dishes are flavourful but not spicy. The Chicken and Lamb Mandhi Combo ($44) is the cafe’s signature Yemeni dish. Served on a huge plate, it is plenty for two hungry people. It also comes in individual Mandhi dishes — Chicken Mandhi ($22) and Lamb Mandhi ($24). However, the meat is dry, especially the lamb rack, which is rock hard. Still, they are well-marinated as the spices can be tasted not just on the exterior of the meat but also on the inside.

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE: Shelf your diet plans and dig into this hearty Chicken and Lamb Mandhi Combo (above) and the all-time favourite dessert, Basbusa (below). PHOTOS | CHEN WEI LI

The plentiful cucumber, tomato and onion garnishes drenched with yoghurt sauce offsets the heatiness of this spicy dish. The basmati rice, cooked with spices, is more aromatic and palatable than nasi briyani and nasi lemak as the rice

used is drier and coarser, which goes well with roasted meat. The Hammer Meal, another popular main dish, is served in one-quarter the portion of the Mandhi and is available in both chicken and lamb dishes ($12). Prepared from a Moroccan recipe, the Hammer Meal requires a high threshold for spiciness. The lightly-grilled meats are covered with rich, tear-inducing Moroccan gravy that leaves a lingering spicy aftertaste. Unlike the Mandhi, the meat is cr ispy on t he outside and

FIFTH SEASON 28 Race Course Road Tel: 6293 4842 Open daily 11.30am to 3pm (lunch), 6.30pm to 10.30pm (dinner)

NO BEEF, no pork, no lard — Fifth Season is a halal Chinese-Indian restaurant with 80 items on its menu, with well-trained chefs of different nationalities like Bengali, Nepali, Tibetan and Bhutanese. Just one minute’s walk from Little India train station, Fifth Season seems confusing at first. The ground floor interior is Chinesethemed while the second f loor is Indian-themed, with Chinese paintings adorning the walls of both levels. For starters, go for Crispy Chilly Baby Corn ($10.90). The baby corn is perfectly disguised as a meat dish as it is lightly battered and stir-fried in hot garlic sauce with tints of chilli and tomato. The corn is unexpectedly crunchy and can double up as a side dish. Equally delightf ul is Gobi Manchurian ($9.50) — cauliflowers

BRIMMING WITH GOODNESS: (Clockwise from top left) Tabanjan Prawns, Manchow Soup, Spicy Fried Chicken Momos and Mixed Fried Rice are made from halal ingredients to suit all Asians’ palates.

fried in the same ingenious style except that the sauce is a tantalising meld of ginger and onion and soya sauce. Still, Fifth Season’s claim to fame is their traditional Tibetan dumplings called momos. Although a tad pricey at almost $2 per piece, the Spicy Fried Chicken Momos ($7.90 for four, $14 for 10) are a must-try. Toasted and tossed in zesty

hot garlic sauce, these momos are a king-sized version of pan-fried Chinese dumplings guo tie, except that the edges are crisp and the skin slightly more chewy. With a simple filling of minced chicken with spring onion toppings for a burst of fragrance, these momos perk you up even if you miss dipping them into the sweet chilli sauce that comes with it. Manchow Soup ($6.90 for

chicken, $5.90 for vegetarian) is a Cantonese-styled soup that has won the hearts of many diners. Its serving may be small, but it reminds you fondly of shark’s fin soup, garnished with crispy wheat noodles. Generous chunks of chicken and mixed vegetables make this soup a hearty indulgence, yet the hint of sourness widens your appetite for other dishes. Make room for dessert at Fifth

succulently soft on the inside, especially the lamb rack. The Basbusa ($6) dessert is the highlight of the meal. Glazed golden brown, it is soft and has a brownie-like texture, but it does not crumble when bitten. Most regulars smoke shisha ($19 per hour) to complete their Middle Eastern cuisine experience. But even without that, the laidback ambience, GST-and-servicecharge-free policy and 24-hour ser vice make Cafe Samar the ultimate chill out place with friends.

Season. Try the triangular Fried Banana Pan Cake ($7.90 for four slices). Crispy thin layers of fried noodle skin meld deliciously with a honey-glazed banana filling — this is goreng pisang with a twist. Dip it in the complementary vanilla ice cream to up the fun factor of eating this pancake. Also best served with vanilla ice cream is Dasaan ($6.90), honeydipped crispy ribbon noodles glazed with sesame seeds. Freshly deep-fried before serving, its sheer crispiness and caramel sweetness is so TV-snack addictive, you may consider a second order. For something to quell your thirst, Alphonso Mango Lassi ($4.90) will do the trick. Made from plain yoghurt and premium Alphonso mangoes from India, it tastes like a lactose-free mango milkshake. This refreshing drink leaves a mildly sweet aftertaste, a perfect way to end your meal. Named after the four generally accepted tastes (sweet, bitter, sour, salty), Fifth Season has created a unique taste with something for everyone. Topped with attentive and knowledgeable waiters, this restaurant is a haven for locals and foreigners alike. PRESENT THIS PAGE TO ENJOY 10% DISCOUNT AT CAFE SAMAR AND 20% DISCOUNT AT FIFTH SEASON ON ALL ORDERS.

lifestyle

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

travelogue

From desert to dust During a week’s break from her work attachment in Suzhou, final-year Environmental Engineering student Low Shu Qing backpacked to Inner Mongolia with her friends and learns that The Resonant Sand Gorge is losing its beauty to commercialisation

I had always imagined Inner Mongolia to be a vast land of green grass with people living in yurts, but realised later that Inner Mongolia actually has several large and famous deserts such as the Badain Jaran Desert, Tengger Desert and Kubuqi Desert. After a 30-hour train ride from Suzhou to Baotou, Inner Mongolia, we were eager to leave the musty and crowded cabins, ready to embark on our first backpacking trip. When we reached Baotou, whatever that greeted me was brown and dry, from mud houses to grasses. They were crisp from the scorching sun and dry winters. So much for talk about how pretty and tall the grasslands were in Inner Mongolia. We rented a jeep, including a driver and a tour guide from a local agency in Baotou. One of our first destinations was to The Resonant Sand Gorge, situated at the north edge of the Kubuqi Desert, 44km away from Baotou. The two-hour journey from Baotou to The Resonant Sand Gorge was very rocky, and there was no greenery to speak of. The carsickness and afternoon heat made many of my friends sleep through the journey while the driver skilfully navigated through roads without signboards. Initially, I did not anticipate my trip to The Resonant Sand Gorge as I thought there would not be many things to see or do. I was so wrong. I was soon awed by the number of activities available. I felt as if I was in a desert theme park. At the entrance, a group of natives swarmed towards us like butchers looking for meat, to conv ince us that it was impossible to walk on the soft sand without buying their shoe protectors. It increased the surface area of our feet so that we would not sink into the soft white

FAST AND FURIOUS: The buggy car takes you through an exhilarating ride across the desert like a rollercoaster without a track that leaves you asking for more.

A BAD HUNCH: Forget about getting a nomadic feel through camel-riding. The locals have capitalised on this opportunity to sell this traditional form of transport to tourists, which limits their chance to explore the desert freely. PHOTOS | COURTESY

sand so easily. It was also to prevent sand from getting into our clothes and shoes. Eager to start exploring the desert, we gave in. The shoe protectors cost S$2 anyway. Before long, we slipped our legs into the shoe protectors, except two of my friends who insisted on wearing their flip-flops. In the end, it did not make a difference as all of us had sand slipping into our bottoms when we decided to slide down the sand dunes without renting a sled for it. Despite the scorching sun, the sand felt cold against our skin. The desert was so vast and there were so many activities going on that we were lost for a moment at which to start first. We decided to take a general tour of the desert first and thus headed to the buggy cars. Each of us paid S$10 to be brought around by a Mongolian driver for 15 minutes. We drove up and down the sandbank, across the desert and over the sand dunes. It was a mystical sight to behold. The boundless desert against the clear blue sky made the long journey all the more worthwhile. Gazing at the natural beauty gave me a sense of tranquility. But as I glanced across my friend’s vehicle ahead of me, I saw that it was

emitting a lot of exhaust. Silently, I thought, we were polluting nature’s masterpiece. We decided to give parasailing a try as it was relatively cheap. The locals seemed stunned as they thought parasailing was

The Resonant Sand Gorge got its name from the echo of the sand, produced when you step on the desert’s surface. It is supposed to be melancholic and soothing, but I heard none of it. only for daredevils. As it was my first time being on a parachute, I expected a magnificent view of the desert. It was, until I spotted the tents.

The slew of tents in the desert, selling food, beverage and souvenirs were actually quite an eyesore. I also saw cranes and tractors. I had this queasy feeling that I may not have captured the picturesque landscape the desert once had, when it was undiscovered then. The Resonant Sand Gorge got its name from the echo of the sand, produced when you step on the desert’s surface. It is supposed to be melancholic and soothing, but I heard none of it. Perhaps the rustle of the sand was drowned out by the chatter from tourists. The longer I lingered at the desert, the more litter I found. Soiled tissue papers and empty water bottles were spotted every fifty steps I took. Though insignificant compared to the vastness of the desert, it was the beginning of destr uction of Mother Nature. The demand for tourism as an important source of revenue has led the locals to tap on these natural resources extensively. As we made our way back to the car park, we spotted a supermarket and an even larger-sized souvenir hall. The amount of noise generated from there had just destroyed the serenity of the desert. I never got to hear the “shhhh” sound of the sand.

lifestyle

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

know your prof

En-chanted!

She can make you beautiful. Or help you find your perfect match. Meet Sociology professor Kang Yoon Hee, who has collected over 100 spells for her doctorate research. She tells Koh Sihui more

absorb the knowledge in order for the spell to work. There are other requirements like chanting the spell to your own body before taking your baths. You can also use lime or lemon to purify yourself first. Another method is to chant the spells to the bucket of water that you are going to bathe with and it is believed that you will become pretty after that.

What other interesting encounters have you had during your fieldwork in Sumatra? DON’T MESS WITH HER: This framed picture depicts a Buddhist chant in scriptural form obtained from a Korean temple. PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI

about different types of spells. I recorded these spells in a notebook.

What did you do with the spells?

Tell us more about yourself. I grew up in Seoul. I left Korea in 1995 to pursue my doctorate studies in the United States. I have been studying anthropology and social sciences for about 20 years. In July 2007, I moved to Singapore with my husband and two sons. I joined the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in August last year as a part-time lecturer and subsequently as an Assistant Professor in December.

Which area of research do you specialise in? My specialty is in linguistic anthropology, which focuses on the connection between language and culture. For my doctorate dissertation, I studied about the Petalangan people in Sumatra.

Share with us your experiences when you were studying the Petalangan people. The Petalangan people practise beauty and love spells to evoke others’ desires through controlling others’ emotions. There was once when a Petalangan woman approached me and asked if I wanted to try her spell. I was scared but at the same time, I was curious to find out why people believe in spells even in the modern world. Hence, I agreed to learn more spells from her. I even attended lessons to learn more

I collected the spells to analyse the textual organisation and symbols that people use in their spells. I also tried to find out the meanings that Petalangan people attached to the spells and how they practise them in real life. One of the spells I learnt was exclusive for young people who wanted to find their spouses or lovers.

One of the spells I learnt was exclusive for young people who wanted to find their spouses or lovers.

Bee worms are precious food to the Petalangan people. As I was considered a special guest, they served me cooked bee worms. I couldn’t refuse to take them as it would be like rejecting their hospitality. Though I ate just a little part of it, I found it a trauma. I used to like shrimps but after that incident, I refused to eat them as the shape is so similar to a bee worm. My aversion for shrimps grew even stronger when I was pregnant with my first son. It actually took more than two years for me to overcome the feelings of disgust and start eating shrimps again.

Are you still keeping in touch with the Petalangan people? I plan to go back there for a short trip to visit them this year together with my family. I guess they would be surprised to see me with my husband and children as I was single at the time I did my field work. Probably they might think that I have used their beauty spells to get myself a husband.

If you had the power to create a spell and use it, what kind of spell would it be? (Laughs.) There are many projects going on now for me so maybe I should create a spell where I can have the power to control my time and manage all my things well.

You mentioned that you did not use the spells. Why not? Under what kind of circumstances would you use a spell?

Bring Your Own Bag Week This campaign applies to all retail shops in the NTU campus. Reduce unnecessary usage of plastic bags and promote a culture of using your own shopping bag through this campaign, initiated by Earthlink NTU. Each plastic bag will cost 10 cents, regardless of its type, color, size etc. However, this charge is only restricted to plastic bags given at the cashier counter (does not include any plastic packaging that comes with the supplier). A separate container at the cashier will be set up to collect this money. All proceeds collected from plastic bag charges will be donated to Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore). Start Date: Monday, 10 March 2008 End Date: Sunday, 16 March 2008 For more information, visit http:// clubs .ntu.edu.sg / earthlink / byob / or email

earthlinkfeedback@yahoo.com

4th singapore short film festival This biannual international short film festival features works under 30 minutes each by international indie filmmakers. Previous screenings include winners from the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and shorts from the UK, Israel and Philippines. This time, choose from a selection of film noir, socio-political documentaries and experimental films. Audiences can vote for their top three favourites for the Voice Awards. Date: 13 March to 16 March 2008 Time: Various timings Venue: The Substation. Guinness Theatre Tickets: $4, $6 For ticket sales and other enquiries, 6222 5595 or visit www.substation.org call

Free Photoshop CS3 & Indesign cs3 workshop While Photoshop is great for manipulating images, InDesign is responsible for assembling your content into a completed report. From a research report to a large scale presentation, this session is dedicated to illustrate the tight integration with Photoshop and InDesign. Learn how to work faster, more easily, and more intuitively with these two software. Get ready to impress your lecturers with your newly acquired skills! Date: Monday, 24 March 2008 Time: 12.30pm - 2.30pm Venue: LT1A

Personally, I do not believe in the power of spells. But, I guess if I were like the Petalangan people who do not have the resources to cope with hardship and are being marginalised, I would rely on the power of magic spells.

How are the spells carried out? First, memorise all the words of the spell from a piece of paper, tear it apart and then burn it and drink the ashes with water. This allows the whole body to

upcoming events

MOVING ON: Prof Kang shares her plans to start a new project this summer on Korean immigrants in Singapore.

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

lifestyle

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

dapper: your essential style guide

Secret

Garden

Full blooms are sprouting everywhere this spring. From girlish daisies, to luscious peonies and enchanting hibiscus, looking pretty is smelling oh so sweet. Imran Jalal susses out the best ďŹ nds to accompany this blossoming trend

Jersey dress, price unavailable from Qoosh, 03-42 Far East Plaza.

Wooden sandals with satin ties, $89 from Dreams Boutique, 03-97B Far East Plaza.

Top, $49, from GarĂ§on, 04-04 The Heeren Shops.

Sleeveless dress, $59 from Chandelier, 04-47 Far East Plaza.

Dress, $59.90 from Ztamp, 03-47 Far East Plaza.

Pleated satin dress, $30 from Glamtz, 03-43 Far East Plaza.

Cotton shorts, $39 from Collage, 61 Haji Lane.

Vintage Alfred Shaheen dress, $159; beaded wooden platforms, $89; leather belt with crystals, $59, all from Oppt Shop, 04-25, The Heeren Shops.

Vintage jewelry box, $39.90 from Victoria JoMo, 9 Haji Lane.

Photography CHEN WEI LI StyIing IMRAN JALAL StyIing Assistant GERALD TAN Models FAHIMAH & MARIANNE

Frou frou dress by One Teaspoon, $249 from Antipodean, 27A Lorong Mambong; gold plated necklace, $35 each from Soon Lee, 56 Haji Lane.

show

DATING THE RIGHT

STYLE TOTAL SPENT

$116.90

Ever wondered how NTU guys shop? Chronicle Lifestyle editors trace the speed shopping trips of four students at Far East Plaza and see what in-house style columnists have to say about their buys

TOH CHAO ZHANG Nanyang Business School Year 1 Date Theme: Sunset by the beach

FINDING the right outfit for a date is not easy, especially when a guy has only an hour and a budget of $150. To test if that’s true, four guys (secondary contacts from us) from different schools were given a hypothetical situation: due to a busy schedule and a tight budget, they only had an hour and $150 to forage for an appropriate outift for their dates. On the Monday of recess week, Chronicle set out and joined them in their quest for clothes at around 1pm. It was not easy as not all of the shops that sell men’s apparel were opened then. And even though all four guys found their shirts within an hour, half the time was spent negotiating with store owners to loan their clothes for the photoshoot. However, Business student Toh Chao Zhang says that if

caught in a real situation like this, he would rather make do with the clothes that he has at home instead of stressing himself out hunting for a decent outfit in breakneck speed. Time and budget was no problem for English Literature student Steven Chia. The only dampener was the poor service at the shops he patronised. In the end, he had to settle for second best at shops that were more flexible in loaning their items. Even though the guys tried their best to pick out the most suitable outfits for their dates, our two style columnists — Imran Jalal and Gerald Tan — felt that they could have been more adventurous with their choices. “What difference is there from the start?” asked Dapper columnist Imran Jalal.

PLAIN JOES TO STRIPEY JOES: The guys show us what they will wear to school (above) and what they have chosen to wear for their respective dates (right). PHOTOS | CHEN WEI LI & ZOE LIM

77th Street #01-33/35; #03-1055/106; #04-116/117 Graphite #03-98b; #04-121a HDLN #04-139 Man Studio #03-118b Pescados #03-99 These shops are found at Far East Plaza

On Chao Zhang: Trucker Cap, $39, from HDLN; light grey V-ne with red stripes, $38.90, from Graphite; dark grey checkered b $39, from Pesacados; sling-bag and slippers, student’s own.

“My prio in the c of cloth is actu comfo befor aesthetics.

Imran: Comfort doesn’t mean an ensemble slippers and shorts all the time. Chao Zhan invest in a good pair of leather sandals rath wear his sloppy flip-flops. A sheer shirt ove inexpensive tank top would give a more re resort feel, without looking too tacky (if yo contemplate putting on that gaudy Hawaiia

Gerald: T-shirts are not the only comfortab choices for a date at the beach. Chao Zhang have chosen a short-sleeved shirt with inte prints (like what Imran suggests, no Hawai shirts, please!) to pair with his bermudas. N in adding more colour to his wardrobe cho spice up the date — it is the beach after all!

eck T-shirt bermudas,

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

TOTAL SPENT

MUHAMAD FIRDAUS BIN HAMZAH

STEVEN CHIA English Literature (HSS) Year 1

BENJAMIN CHIA School of Biological Sciences Year 2

Date Theme: Romance at the Esplanade

Date Theme: Ice-skate to impress

Date Theme: Chill out at Brewerkz

$97.80

School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Year 1

On Firdaus: Black shirt with stripes, $38.90, and distressed jeans, $58.90, both from Graphite; beaded wrist band, and shoes, student’s own.

ority choice hes ually ort re .”

“My shopping includes hardcore shortlisting and a high level of patience!”

e of ng could her than er an efreshing ou ever an shirt).

Imran: With a physique like his, Firdaus would have looked dashing in almost anything. But he chose a hackneyed look of washed-out jeans and shirt. And those dirty shoes do not really paint a good impression for a romantic night at a venue like the Esplanade. Tucking the shirt out also makes him look unpolished.

ble g could eresting iian No harm oices to !

Gerald: Firdaus’s outfit is safe, but it can be boring for an evening at the Esplanade. He can bring out his charisma better by donning a crisp white shirt with casually rolled-up sleeves or pairing it with a skinny tie. Dark-coloured or raw denim works best with the ensemble.

$112.70

$92.90

On Steven: Scarf with black and white stripes, $26.90, from 77th Street; woollen sweater vest, $38.90, and striped polo tee, $46.90, both from Graphite; black jeans and shoes, student’s own.

“I’d browse each shop quickly and take note of anything that I like and their prices as well, all the time forming a mental picture of my overall look.”

Imran: The choice of outfit makes him look a little too young. But Steven is clever to mix patterns like thin and thick monochromatic stripes in his dressing. And the sweater vest is a very wearable apparel which can be worn even out of the skating rink. However, layering a scarf, woolen polo tee and vest might be unsuitable for a tropical climate like ours if you are thinking of wearing it outdoors. Gerald: Steven’s outfit stands out the most amongst the four guys. The sweater vest is a versatile wardrobe piece that can be dressed up or down, depending on the formality of the occassion.

On Benjamin: Brown beaded choker, $5, and brown leather bracelet with silver details, $18, both from 77th Street; black shirt with orange and blue stripes with silver cufflinks, $69.90, from Man Studio; shoes, student’s own.

“One can play around a bit more and exercise greater creativity with casual wear or streetstyle.” Imran: A chill out at Brewerkz to me means something casual yet chic. Benjamin’s pick looks a little dated and mature for his age. Those cuffs on the jeans are way too high and doesn’t make him look smart. Remember the cuffs of your jeans are supposed to cover those laces, but not sweeping the ground. Gerald: Benjamin can appear more sophisticated by perhaps layering a cardigan over a shirt and choosing a pair of well-fitted trousers. A pair of preppy shorts is also suitable for that long chat along Clarke Quay, and at the same time up his ante in the preppy chic department. Leave the stripes for the club.

lifestyle reviews

BOOKS

Remember Me SOPHIE KINSELLA

$34.25, available at Borders Published by The Dial Press

IMAGINE waking up one day to realise that all your dreams have miraculously come true overnight. This is what happens to 28-yearold Lexi Smart, who wakes up after a car accident, convinced that it’s 2004 and she’s just missed her father’s funeral. However, she gets the shock of her life when she discovers she is now a gorgeous and successful businesswoman who owns a Louis Vuitton handbag, drives a Mercedes and adheres to a strict no-carb diet. Best of all, she is now married to a millionaire husband who looks like a model. The only problem is Lexi cannot remember how she achieved it all. The last three years of her life are a blank–her last memories consist of being the 25-year-old girl with uneven teeth, slightly tubbier than she would have liked and dating a guy aptly nicknamed “Loser Dave”. Despite a seemingly perfect life, there is more than meets the eye when she tries to put together the missing pieces of her memory. She discovers, with a shock, that her best friends now hate her. Crushed, Lexi begins her mission to find out what caused her to change from “snaggletooth” to “cobra”. Her confusion worsens when Jon, an architect working for her husband, makes a stunning revelation as she struggles to ignite the flames of passion with her Greek God of a husband. Kinsella is at her witty best in this light and easy read, allowing readers to indulge in the escapist fantasy of waking up one day to find that life has become perfect beyond recognition. She also highlights the age-old cliché that perfection is overrated. The conventional indicators of success–a handsome millionaire husband, illustrious career, good looks–do not necessarily lead to happiness in Lexi’s life. While the characters may appear caricatured, Kinsella creates a likeable heroine in Lexi Smart, who remains idiosyncratic and insecure despite all her outward success. Readers will identify with her obsessions and root for her in her journey to self-discovery. Kinsella displays a keen awareness of the ingredients which appeal to the female readers who make up the bulk of her readership. This trite but touching rags-to-riches tale is peppered with her trademark wicked sense of humour that fans will love. -CHERYL NG

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

Let s go back in time, when our kiss was brand new. An adventure not perfected, a little hesitant. Wreckless Love by Alicia Keys

DEAN KOONTZ

$28.90, available at Borders Published by Harper Collins

A MASTERWORK of suspense, T he Darkest Eve ning of the Year delivers a heart-gripping story that encapsulates the true essence of a myster y novel with its thrilling climaxes and u npr ed ic table t w i st s to t he story. A refreshing read featuring unconventional protagonists, the author’s ability to interweave an epic tale of triumph over evil into the life of dog lover, Amy Redwing, is simply amazing. Born an orphan, Amy Redwing has a soft spot for dogs which sometimes, go overboard to the point of prioritising her love for dogs over her boyfriend, Brian McCarthy. Through a series of unexpected events, Amy found herself saving Nickie, a golden retriever, from the hands of an abusive owner. Amy and Nickie form an inexplicable bond and even Amy’s two other golden retrievers, Fred and Ethel, treat Nickie with awe and respect. When a mysterious couple–Harrow and Vanessa–enters their lives, Nickie proves to be more than man’s best friend with her supernatural instinct that was the key to saving Amy and Brian from impending harm. Rarely does a reader fi nd novels that use pets as their main protagonists, but in this compelling book, Koontz writes a beautiful story based on the concept of a selfless mission-dog-rescue as the background of his thriller.

-MAYBELINE YEW

As I Am

ALICIA KEYS (R&B)



Alicia Keys has sold over forty-one million albums and singles worldwide as of 2007.

MUCH hype has been made about the transformation of this street-wise prodigy to the bejewelled beauty who graces the covers of this album – and rightly so. For those accustomed to A licia Keys, this album may come across a s wh i ny and drowning in melancholia but a second listen brings into focus a more polished style. Favou r ites i nc lude “Wreck less Love”, where she skillfully marries her old street-wise style with soulful lyrics, accompanied by groove-worthy beats. Also check out “No One”–it is the single which epitomises the transition to a soul-androck vibe.

An Alicia Keys album w o u l d n’ t b e c o m p l e t e without one of her classical masterpieces, and we’re not shortchanged with “As I Am”. You can almost imagine the Grammy-winning soulstress gliding her fingers across the ivory keys as you allow yourself to be t a ke n i n by the classical sounds of her piano. Eac h t r ac k se e m s so different and diverse – leaving no room for boredom or the mundane. Yet, as diverse as it is, it almost seems to be making a statement about Keys and the myriad of unique characteristics that make her “as she is”. -SHEREEN NAAZ

CHARLES SYARIFF

Hate It or Love It CHINGY (HIP-HOP/RAP)



This is the fourth studio album by Chingy and the first since his return to DTP Records.

CHINGY has all the makings of a up-and-coming rap star who does not fail to live up to his potential, leaving us thumping with his latest studio album Hate it or Love it. In this album, Chingy employs 10 different producers across 14 tracks, so be prepared for fusion and dynamic song styles. Moving away from usual club mixes, Chingy infuses more pop into his latest album. This versatilit y cer tainly shows in songs like “How We Feel”, where guitar-infused me lo d ie s t a ke t he le ad . However, repeated clichéd hip hop beats undermine the dance-pop cult in the song

The Darkest Evening of the Year

MUSIC

“All Aboard” (featuring Steph Jones). Chingy adopts various songs styles as he slows things down for the lusty ballad “Gimme That” and applies a slic k groove to “Check My Swag”. Apa r t f rom these two songs, the others are the usual candy-rap club anthems, suitable for the the club-loving, dance floor rattling fans. Without a doubt, Chingy’s latest songs will infiltrate the hottest clubs soon. Apart from his overnight number one hit “Right Thurr” (2003), his other songs seem to be pretty forgettable. Hate it or love it, it’s your choice!

-JOANNE YAN

Growing Pains MARY J. BLIGE (R&B/SOUL)



She is widely known as the “Queen of Hip Hop & Soul”, receiving over 26 Grammy Award nominations and winning eight.

PHOTO | INTERNET

GROW I NG Pa i n s s e r v e s a s a per sona l testimony of Mary J. Blige’s bat tle with depression and drug abuse. T he lead single “Just Fi ne” has the right blend of edginess and determination; characteristic of her previous album “The Breakthrough”. “Shakedown” is a duet feat u r ing Usher and is a m i x of U s h e r ’s v e l v e t y solo and Blige’s personal experience infusions. This is an excellent song for those who are clueless of how to express our feelings to that special one. “Grown Woman”, a joint

production between Blige and Ludacris, is a rap cum hip-hop song which speaks about one man’s love for a n olde r wom a n a nd h i s sen se of inadequacy caused by his youth. To p p i n g t h e R & B billboards charts at number one, G rowing Pain s i s a testament to Mary J. Blige’s a r t i s t ic e volut ion . Fr om her battle with depression and drug abuse, Mary has successfully channelled all that sorrow into her lead single “Just Fine”, which peaked at number 22 on the Hot 100 Billboard Charts.

-CERELIA LIM

lifestyle

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

FILM The Leap Years ROMANCE (PG)

@ v



Joan Chen, Ananda Everingham, Wong Li Lin, Qi Yu Wu 90 minutes

PRETTY and intelligent literature teacher, Li-Ann (Wong Li Lin) is everything a guy could ask for but with no special someone to celebrate her leap year birthday with, she takes matters into her own hands by following the Irish folklore-that no man can refuse a woman’s proposal on the 29th of February-to earn herself a date with dashing Jeremy (Ananda Everyingham). The crazy proposal sees her go on a whirlwind date with Jeremy. But before the relationship can take flight, Li-Ann is told that he has to leave for Canada. However, they make a pact to meet, same place,

Sky of Love ROMANCE /DRAMA (PG)

same time, every leap year and a 24-year romance begins. Every leap year, Li-Ann will eat mum’s specially-prepared birthday noodles, meet with girl pals and arrange for evening celebrations. But when night falls, without a doubt, Li-Ann will be waiting at the cafe where Jeremy first caught her eye and the audience eagerly anticipates his arrival. On Li-Ann’s leap year wedding, she is to wed Raymond (Jason Chan), whom she has exchanged no more than polite greetings with, but only because her mother and friends keep badgering her about her singlehood status.

W he n L i-A n n’s childhood friend, KS (Qi Yu Wu), points out that she is unhappy, one cannot help but feel sad that she has finally succumbed to pressure of fulfilling familial obligations, which is what director Jean Yeo wants to highlight. By the time KS reads out Jeremy’s letter at the wedding, tears would already be flowing down one’s face. If anything, this movie teaches us that patience for true love will pay off. The audience learns that Jeremy has his reasons for not making things clear to Li-Ann. Based on Catherine Lim’s 2003 novella, The Leap Years is for die-hard romantics. Even if you’re not one to shed tears easily, at least you’ll be looking at Singapore buildings in a different light after this. In one touching scene, Jeremy throws a briefcase full of love letters from the top of OCBC building, hoping that the winds will bring them to the Gods to make his wishes come true.

-JOAN CHEW



Yui Aragaki, Haruma Miura, Asami Usada, Karina, Yumi Aso, Joji Takahashi 120 minutes

SKY of Love is a lethal combination of cuteness and tragedy that is hard not to fall victim to. Based on a novel circulated to over 11 million readers via a Japanese cell phone network and published in paperback (2006), it is a true phenomenon of the emerging cellphone society. A f t e r lo s i n g a n d get ting her cellphone back, attractive first year high-school girl Mika (Yui Aragaki) begins to receive calls from an anonymous admirer. A summer-long phone romance leads to an eventual meeting with bottle-blonde cool guy, Hiro (Haruma Miura), and quickly accelerates to Mika’s deflowering. Mika is set up for humiliation when Hiro’s jealous ex, Saki (Asami Usada), hires three thugs to rape her. Saki then publicises her r iva l’s a l le ge d pr om i s c u i t y t h roug h t he sc hool gossip network. Enraged, H i r o o v e r c om e s h i s characteristic aloofness

to protect Mika, and the bond between him and Mika strengthens. Along the way, Mika suddenly gets pregnant. Hiro believes he’s ready for fatherhood, but both sets of in-laws harbour r e se r v at ion s . A s t he aud ience fol lows t he couple’s progress over the years, they discover some surprising developments. Both Yui Aragaki and Haruma Miura, wildly popular teen idols, display a convincing intimacy in this romantic, eloquent, war m, affecting, and true-to-life love story.

With strong supporting performances by actors like Asami Usada and Yumi Aso, the movie maintains a t e nd e r at mo s phe r e between the melodramatic high points of the wellconstructed plot. The movie is a t r ue de pic t ion of a n adolescent romance with a sur pr isingly mat ure touch. It will remind you of your most memorable and poignant first love and hence this would definitely be an emotional experience for the audience.

-RITESH KALRA

REVIEW Secret Sunshine DRAMA (PG)

Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho 141 minutes

DIRECTED by one of Korea’s leading filmmakers, Lee Chang-dong, this film portrays a very raw and realistic side of life, questioning the perseverance of the mind and soul in times of difficulties. Set in the town of Miryang (the literal translation in Mandarin is Secret Sunshine), this documentarylike fi lm focuses on the attractive and strong-willed female lead, Shin-ae (Jeon Do-yeon), as she relocates to Miryang with her young son after losing her husband to a car accident. Facing a new beginning in an unfamiliar town, mother and son attempt to settle down, opening a piano school with the help of a good-natured but bothersome car repair shop owner, Mr. Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho), who has taken a liking to Shin-ae. It is surprising to see a male lead who is not particularly eye-catching and looks a lot like a normal person you would see on the streets. In the beginning, Shinae tries hard to fit in but the town folks are not as friendly as she would have liked them to be. A series of unexpected events happens just when life is going uphill– including her losing her own son in the most horrific manner that most mothers would have nightmares about. Utterly devastated, she turns to the local Korean Christian community to seek refuge and peace. When she feels that her trust in God is betrayed, she takes drastic measures to search for hope and revenge. Applause has to be given to the director as Christianity in this fi lm is portrayed in a very natural setting and from a neutral point of view.

GIVE-AWAY! The Nanyang Chronicle has three pairs of tickets to Secret Sunshine which is exclusively screened at The Picturehouse, to give away. Answer the question below and stand a chance to win passes to the film.

Question: Why did Shin-ae move to Miryang? a) She lost her husband b) She lost her son c) She fell in love with kim Jong-chan

REVIEW



T he f i lm end s on a peacef u l yet unfinished note as there are many questions left unanswered. It seems as if the director is telling the audience that at some point of time, the story ends but life still goes on. Reality may not be particularly beautiful or meaningful, we do not live in a paradise, but the reasons for living are within us. Jeon Do-yeon, who won the Best Actress Award in the fi lm’s debut in the recent Cannes Film Festival 2007, brilliantly displayed the vulnerability of Shin-ae’s character. The heroine is someone we can relate to, someone who is imperfect, at times foolish and yearns for stability. Do-yeon admitted that it was a difficult time for her, as she is not a mother and initially could not come to terms with Shin-ae’s emotions. However, if you think that this fi lm is perhaps full of despair, you will be surprised to know that it is actually ver y wellbalanced, as the male lead Song Kang-ho, adds in bits of humour along the way and lightens up the atmosphere. Secret Sunshine is definitely one movie that will touch your heart in many ways, and even with very simple camerawork, it leaves a lasting impression in your mind.

-KOH JING JING

(SECRET SUNSHINE IS SCREENING EXCLUSIVELY AT THE PICTUREHOUSE.)

E-mail us your answer, with the subject, “Secret Sunshine” along with your name, gender and contact number to chronicle.contest@ntu.edu.sg

Contest closes March 25 2008 This give-away is courtesy of The Picturehouse. 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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M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

tech review

A MMOmentary gaze into the FUTURE

CLASH OF THE TITANS (below): While World of Warcraft is by far the largest MMORPG of today, its competitors are preparing for a new round of battle.

LOOKING INTO THE HORIZON: The esteemed panelists provided a rare glimpse into MMO development. PHOTOS | INTERNET

One of the highlights of the recently concluded Game Developer’s Conference in San Francisco was a panel of top game designers discussing what lies ahead in Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) gaming. Our tech editor, Lim Yan Liang, deciphers what this means to the discerning MMO gamer W h e n r e pr e se ntat ive s f rom such industry heavyweights like NCSoft, Blizzard Entertainment and Bioware converge to discuss multiplayer game design, one can be sure that gamers everywhere will sit up and listen. From the prevalence of certain genres to choice of revenue model employed, the panel participants provided uncommon insight into their individual philosophies on game development and how the online games of tomorrow will be like.

Next stop: Consoles!

The biggest surprise was the near-unanimous agreement that MMOs would almost definitely be migrated to the console market. As with the innovation of controls that have made First-Person Shooters, once the sole domain of the PC, a success on consoles, expect to see MMOs on the PS3 or Xbox 360 in the near future as studios finetune the MMO genre to make it console-friendly, eliminating any balance or controller issues that might give one format an edge over the other. Jack Emmert, Chief Creative Officer of Cryptic Studios, makers of the popular MMORPG City of Heroes, said that his company’s recently announced Champions Online was a case-in-point, being concurrently developed for both the PC and consoles. NCSoft (makers of Lineage II)

Lead Designer Matt Miller saw the console audience as a large, untapped market, and Min Kim, Korean developer Nexon’s (of Maplestor y fame) Director of games operations in America, agreed that game makers are keenly looking for new areas to develop. Ray Muzyka, CEO of Bioware, who were responsible for hits like Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire and had just announced an as-yet-untitled M MOR PG, highlighted a number of challenges MMOs entering the console market faced, such as the need to address the technology issues of a crossplatform title and of knowing how to develop a title that would appeal to both PC and console gamers, who are typically of different demographics and have varying interests. Blizzard’s Senior Vice President of game design Rob Pardo noted that currently MMOs work better on PCs, but does not discount the possibility of successful MMO games on consoles, provided the console platform is appropriate to the game design.

wANTED: TALENTED PLAYER-DESIGNERS

While current MMOs live or die by the availability of developercreated content , st ud ios a re certainly warming to the idea of

integrating fan-created content into their games. One can probably expect the next generation of MMOs to include content-creation tools for interested players to tinker with. Muzyka said that he saw great promise in the future of usergenerated content in the MMO space, noting that Neverwinter Nights was a prime example of how the availability of content creation tools for the amateur game developer could make a game an enduring success. Emert agreed that such tools will definitely be included in the future, and that developers knew players have been asking for them.

sUBSCRIBE TO CHANGE

W h i le m a n y play e r s a r e accustomed to paying a fixed subscr iption fee for mont h ly access to an MMO, this is likely to change in the future. Microtransactions, essentially small payments for additional in-game perks and bonus items or for a short amount of play time, may in time be combined with existing subscription schemes to form a hybrid model. While Emmert called microtransactions “the biggest bunch of nonsense”, most of the panel did not feel nearly as strongly. Kim, whose company pioneered microtransactions with Maplestory, felt

that while it did not provide the reliability of sales figures across long periods, micro-transactions were not on ly com mercia l ly viable but also highly scalable as it did not tie players to any fixed subscription scheme. Compa r i n g it to one - of f purchases in Apple’s iTunes store, he noted that such an opt-in scheme gave players more choice, not to mention the increased flexibility of being able to target a younger audience who might not be able to afford a subscription.

expect change

As the panel drew to a close, one thing was certain about the future of MMOs: the genre will be more than just World Of Warcraft, although the behemoth that is Blizzard’s household name does not look like it is going away anytime soon. The vibrant discussion hinted at the numerous exciting MMOs in the pipeline, with each designer bringing their own unique points of view to the debate. You can be sure that significant changes are yet to come in the world of large scale online gaming.

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M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

tech review

Aerosmith—Guitar hero, or guitar zero? While Guitar Hero has been a godsend to wannabe rockers the world over, the franchise disappointed with its first spin-off. Kenneth Chew frets over the upcoming edition Guitar Hero fanboys around the world have been deep in prayer that the latest edition of the series will be nowhere as bad as the previous spin-off, “Rocks The 80s”, ever since Activision announced the new, Aerosmith-only, title. “Rocks The 80s” was widely lambasted as the biggest, most anticipated let down of a follow up since just about every new edition of Windows, with nearly no improvement to gameplay whatsoever other than aesthetic differences. For the same price as a full Guitar Hero game, the expansion offered only 30 odd tracks, less than half that of its predecessors. In “Guitar Hero: Aerosmith”, the player would be taken through the 30 plus years of the band’s meteoric rise to rock superstardom, from its very first performance in a high school till its half-time Superbowl performance in 2001. Understandably, reaction to the announcement of the Aerosmith follow-up has thus been tempered with a degree of caution, with fans wary that it might be no more than just another overpriced, overhyped attempt to cash in and rip off fans of the hit franchise till the arrival

of Guitar Hero 4. On one hand, love them or hate them, Aerosmith has undeniably been one of the genre-defining rock bands for nearly 40 years. And it has been many a fan’s dream to strum along to hits such as “Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” or “Sweet Emotion” a la Aerosmith guitar legend Joe Perry.

Yet, one wonders whether an edition focused on one band alone, would pull in the numbers Arguably, no other rock band has the recognisance and variety of songs needed to carry a video game by itself. With 66.5 million CDs sold from their debut in 1970, and a catalogue of hits ranging from tear-jerking ballads to pounding rock-n-roll, there seems to be a definite base for the franchise to tap on. No stranger to video games, the band was featured in “Revolution X”, a sidescrolling shooter made way back in

1994 with Midway. This of course, without even mentioning the legions of die hard Guitar Hero fans hooked on the game since its smash debut in 2005, and which earned it an industry record US$820 million in 2007 alone, despite the high costs associated with the series, requiring specialised controllers that cannot be used with other games. Yet, one wonders whether an edition focused on one band alone would pull in the numbers for the billion dollar franchise, no matter how popular Aerosmith might be. Unconfirmed rumours abound that songs from other artists associated with the band might be included in the game after all. This would possibly include tracks from Led Zepellin and The Who, and other artists that have performed with Aerosmith or were an inspiration to the band. Another massive hit would be a boost for Activision in its video game war for market share in the rhythmic games genre against its largest rival, “Rock Band” from Electronic Arts (EA). “Rock Band” has received universal critical acclaim, and sold

THE TOXIC TWINS: Coming to a console near you. PHOTO | INTERNET

over 1.5 million units worldwide across all platforms since its release 3 months back, stealing some of the thunder from the ‘Guitar Hero’ franchise. As such, with “Guitar Hero: Aerosm it h”, t he compa ny i s fervently hoping that its audacious twist on the genre would catapult the franchise to the forefront of the music games industry once more by capitalising on that niche in the market for a specific song compilation. Whether it will be an interesting enough take on the genre and a product worthy of its price tag or

another massive flop like “Guitar Hero: Rocks The 80s” thus remains to be seen. Till then, many a neighbour in university dorm rooms will shudder at the thought of more Guitar Hero action going on till the wee hours of the morning and disturbing their precious study time, only this time to the effervescent tunes of Aerosmith rock-n-roll. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith is slated for release on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and Playstation 2 platforms in June 2008.

Bully gets critics riled up...again

It has been two years since Rockstar Games first made giving a virtual swirlie or Indian burn possible, in the process causing an uproar among parents and educators worldwide. Lim Yan Liang shows that not much has changed since Rockstar’s launch of “Bully: Scholarship Edition” last Tuesday has reignited an all-too-familiar call by a coalition of school teachers worldwide to boycott the game, which it says “glorifies violence” and “encourages violence and intimidation”. Gener a l Sec r eta r y of t he National Union of Teachers (UK) Steve Sinnott said the video game, which lets players take control of a teenage rebel with a criminal bac kgrou nd w it h i n a school environment, was undoing much of the work of cutting out bullying in schools. English Labour MP and wellknown video game critic Keith Vaz, who supports a recently proposed bill to increase censorship in videogames, added that a game revolving around bullying was “simply tasteless”. The cacophony of complaints seems to be working, as retail chains such as PC World have decided not to offer the games on its shelves, with one spokesman saying that the chain was “careful

EVER DEFIANT: Getting into trouble with authority is nothing new for Rockstar and its controversial games. PHOTO | INTERNET

about what (they) sell”. Yet, more rational, albeit less shrill, voices have spoken. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) gave the original game a Teen (also k nown as

PG13+) rating, and Florida courts ruled in favour of shipping the game, after video game opponent Jack Thompson, who branded it a “Columbine simulator” tried to block the game from store shelves

with a lawsuit. Reviews from reputable sources have also been stellar, with the game achieving a rating of 8.9/10 and 8.7/10 from IGN and Gamespot respectively. The game also made

the top ten best PS2 games of 2006 in Playstation magazine. T he “De n n i s t he Me nac e simulator game”, as it is popularly referred to, also proved to be more than just a controversy magnet, winning for Best Videogame Script at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards late last year. No stranger to controversy, Rockstar is also the creator of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) games, a series that is as polarizing as it is critically acclaimed. In fact, Bully is based on the latest version of the GTA game engine. First published in 2006, the updated “Scholarship Edition” is a port of the PS2 game for the Xbox 360 and Wii. Besides featuring a graphical facelift, this edition includes a number of new features, such as eight new missions and four new classes, on top of new unlockable items, clothing and two-player minigames. The Xbox 360 version also sports a new online mltiplayer mode.

Undergraduate Investment Forum

ISSUE 9 | NTU INVESTMENT INTERACTIVE CLUB | WWW.NTU-IIC.ORG

YIPpee! Young Investor Pack

is here!

The ﬁrst-ever comprehensive basic know-how package for investment guru wannabes Want to learn how to invest but don’t know how to start? Fret not! YIP is here to help! By Bay Hui Yun The Young Investor Pack (YIP), developed by OCBC Securities in partnership with I-Cube will provide a basic yet comprehensive platform for tertiary students from our local Universities and Polytechnics to learn about investment and kickstart their financial management journey. With NTU Investment Interactive Club (NTU-IIC) spearheading the launch event, YIP will go out to the tertiary students with a big bang on Saturday, 15 March 2008, accompanied by pyrotechnics to invigorate the senses! In line with its belief of raising awareness on the benefits of investing early and also to make this education process fun, NTU-IIC has ingeniously married an ‘amazing race’ with a seminar-styled

sharing session, allowing participants to pick up investment tips from the sharing session and apply the knowledge in funfilled activities. “NTU-IIC has always impressed me with its drive and commitment towards nurturing financial literacy amongst students. Its large-scale events are innovative and meticulously executed. This idea of incorporating a seminar with an amazing race is creative! The school strongly encourages these student-led initiatives as it develops our students’ leadership capabilities,” commented Associate Professor Christina Soh, Associate Dean (Business), Nanyang Business School. The seminar presents speakers from OCBC Securities and SGX, who will be sharing their insights on various financial tools and risk management strategies. Besides the seminar, the other highlight of the launch event is the ‘Cash Trail’, an “Amazing Race”-styled adrenalin-

pumping segment that will see 80 teams, with 3-5 members per team, racing against time and battling their wits to complete tasks at various checkpoints within the Central Business District (CBD).

principle in investing – higher (lower) risks, higher (lower) returns – into the games at the various checkpoints”, added Ms. Amanda Goh, 21, Financial Events Director of NTUIIC.

Not only do the teams need to be fast on the move, they will have to think on their feet and make sound buy/sell/hold decisions on various stocks when faced with simulated fluctuations in the stock index.

YIP is a program where students sign up to start or get themselves prepared for their investment journey. In our next issue, we shall look in greater detail at what YIP has to offer to all investment guru wannabes!

“We’ve incorporated ‘Cash Trail’ together with the launch in the hope that amidst learning about investing through the sharing session, our participants will have the chance to put to the test what they’ll be learning about risk management and stock selection. More importantly, we hope that our participants will have lots of fun and enjoy the thrill of the chase!” quipped Mr. Terence Lim, 23, President of NTU-IIC. “Recognising that our target participants are tertiary students who are ‘newbies’ in investing, we’ll emphasize a fundamental

Visit http://ntu-iic.org/site for the latest updates.

Watch out for these attractive prizes to be won! 1st prize: $1000 2nd prize: $800 3rd prize: $500 10 consolation prizes of $100 each!

Stay tuned to NTU-IIC website for more updates on YIP! ** All information is correct at time of print but may be subjected to changes

QUICK FACTS ON OCBC SECURITIES

offers Server-Based Live Watchlists, and you do not have to face 1 OCBC “missing watchlist problem” when you login using different computers. functions allows you to customize the list of stock counters that 2 Watchlist you wish to monitor whilst and “Alert Watchlist” enable you to set the price alert.

allows you to trade via six regional markets - Singapore, Malaysia, 3 iOCBC Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia. iOCBC system is designed based on the latest security standard – 4 The Secure Socket Layer (SSL) to ensure all sensitive information e.g., password and order placement are protected.

Investment Research website provides quality equities research and 5 OCBC information accessible to the individual investor.

WIN! QUICK QUIZ 9 10 lucky winners will each walk away with a “PARTY WORLD FREE 4 HOUR KTV ROOM” voucher! Answer the questions below and e-mail uif.quiz@ntu-iic.org Deadline: 17 March 2008. 1. When will YIP be launched? 2. What is the name of the amazing race? Please set the subject of mail as “Quick Quiz 9” and leave a mobile number. NTU IIC reserves the right to change the prize of the quiz without prior notice.

Sign up NOW! Join us at the launch of YIP and get some investing tips at the seminar. Put your knowledge of risk management and stock selection into test at ‘Cash Trail’ and stand to win attractive prizes! See you there! Registration details on NTU-IIC’s website (http://ntu-iic.org/site)

Winner of “QUICK QUIZ 8” - UIF ISSUE 8 Congratulations SEE RUI YIN! You have just won a $20 Royal Sporting House Voucher! You will be notiﬁed via email soon.

UNDERGRADUATE INVESTMENT FORUM Brought to you by:

www.ntu-iic.org

www.iocbc.com

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

through the looking glass

Stage the halls Foo Chee Chang & Kyle Leung

THE pressure of staging a drama was a challenging experience for everyone involved in the Hall Productions. The performers, who had spent months rehearsing, shed their own personalities in favour of colourful characters that stretched the breadth of emotion and expression. Drama and the dedication required proved to be a challenge for these NTU students. In the performing arts, time has to be sacrificed to accomplish a spectacle. Actors and crew alike were passionate about and committed to perfecting their performances during rehearsals - that would ultimately lead to success on stage.

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张乐声：勤奋是成功的首要条件 —— 刊35页

新闻

新学年学费上调学生反应不一黎远漪●报道

新

学费调整，扩大了本地、永久居民及海外学生的学费区别，学生反应不一。校方上个月所宣布的学费调整，除了不会影响在籍学生以外，另一大特点就是区分了，也扩大了本地学生、永久居民及外国学生的学费区别。本地学生的新学费将上扬4%至$6360，永久居民增 10%，达$7000，而海外学生的新学费则猛升50%，达到 $9540。为此本报记者采访了数名学生，发现有人认为合理，有人能够谅解，也有学生为此表示不满。扩大区别为安抚民心会计系二年级的骆淑蕙在与外国大学对比后认为这样的增幅其实是合理的。她说：“毕竟在国外如澳洲，当地学生与海外学生的学费区别更为显著。” 她认为之所以会出现这样的区别或许也是为了安抚国人的心。生物系二年级生余思林也有同感。她说：“虽然外来人才有助于我国的发展，但许多国人还是会觉得他们的到来，扩大了竞争也抢走了一些饭碗或许当局才会扩大本地与海外学生的区别，以便稳住民心。” 海外学生负担加重而中文系一年级的罗兰则

“虽然外来人才有助于我国的发展，但许多国人还是会觉得他们的到来，扩大了竞争也抢走了一些饭碗，或许当局才会扩大本地与海外学生的区别，以便稳住民心。” 余思林生物系二年级

为海外学生感到担忧。她表示：“外国学生学费猛增，不知下学期入学的海外新生能否应付的来。 “本地学生或许只需减少消遣的费用，但海外学生也许就需重新考虑是否有能力来此就读了。” 受访的永久居民学生看法则比较适中。会计系二年级的马维思认为这样的做法或许是希望能促成更多永久居民及外国学生加入新加坡国籍。而另一名不愿透露姓名的学生则认为：“给予本地学生较低的学费可能也是希望本地学生能够留在新加坡就读，以避免人才流失。” 相较于前两者，受访海外学生的看法则反应不一。商学系二年级的邓慧琳认为有关部门扩大本地及海外学生学费的做法是可以理解的。她觉得毕竟当局还是希望本地学生能够感受到当局重视国人利益的程度，而能够享有较低的学费的确是新加坡国民的权利。环境工程系三年级的邓安

外籍学生的新学费猛升至$9540，虽然包括杂费，但还是不小的经济负担。摄影|韩伟定

琪则认为学费区别过大有欠公平。她表示，学费会有区别是可以理解的，但是其中的差距似乎有些过大，这可能会减少永久居民及海外学生前来就读。学生希望校园设施与环境能获得提升针对这次学费上调，在籍

“本地学生或许只需减少消遣的费用，但海外学生也许就需重新考虑是否有能力来此就读了。” 罗兰中文系一年级

南大生受访时都表示虽然对此多少感到惊讶，但毕竟调整未牵涉自己，也因而松了一口气。然而若自己也被包括在内，有同学就表示这将不仅仅会给家人带来更大的经济负担，自己毕业后也多少需花上更长的时间偿还学费贷款。而即将在下学期入学的新生黄荻凯则表示，学费会上调是无可厚非，是能够谅解的。他也认为学费有所提高是因为许多外在因素所造成。无论反应如何，所有受访的学生都希望学费调高后，学校的设施、餐厅的食物、短程巴士服务及校园的环境等等，都能够获得进一步的提升，毕竟谁都希望能“物超所值”。

新闻背景校方上个月发布文告表示将采用新的调整学费制度调高学费。今年入学的学生将不受每年学费调整的影响，继续缴付固定的学费。在籍学生将不受这次调整的影响，学费保持不变。新学费将会从下学年起开始实施。南大学生的学费调整如下：本地学生： $6100增至$6360 永久居民学生： $6100增至$7000 海外学生： $6710增至$9540

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南大生患血癌室友不离不弃鞠欣航●报道

他

出生平寒，有个弟弟和妹妹，都在中国念高中。母亲无业在家，父亲是一名工厂的普通工人。但他却不曾向命运屈服，成功的考取了新加坡教育部的奖学金，成为了村子里六千多人中，第一个走出中国的大学本科生。 18岁的李冰冰来自中国河南义马县，就读于南大机械与宇航工程系一年级。可是在两个星期前，这名活泼的南大生的生命有了 180度的转变。现在，李冰冰正躺在病床上与白血病一搏生死。他被诊断出患上血癌，一种白血病细胞无限制地增生的恶性疾病，现正在新加坡国立大学医院接受紧急治疗。在举目无亲的异乡，李冰冰的室友陈焕龙，工程系一年级学生，犹如哥哥一样照顾着他。陈焕龙在受访时说： “冰冰是一个十分聪明、

韩南风大吹校入园鞠欣航●报道

在

南大校园出现一群身穿韩服，笑容满面的女生，给闷热的夏季带来了丝丝凉意。由韩国文化社（Korean Cultural Club）举办的首届韩国文化展，以 “韩国传统文化”为主题，深入浅出的展出了韩国的音乐、服饰、饮食等韩国文

勤奋的孩子。他平常十分节省，不舍得花钱在自己身上。节省下来的钱，几乎都汇给家里，供弟弟妹妹上学，让家里过上幸福的日子。” 焕龙在他的部落格上写道，据医生初步检验，李冰冰体内的红血球含量，只有正常人的40%，而骨髓中的癌细胞含量，却高达50%。虽然李冰冰饱受病痛的煎熬，他仍然十分坚强乐观。据本报了解，李冰冰现在病情稳定，治疗前景比较乐观。医院会尽快开始化疗，其所需的费用将在3万到4万新币左右。记者通过焕龙悉知，南大的高层领导和国际留学生中心都对李冰冰的情况十分关心，并多次到医院探访。南大表示第一疗程治疗的费用，学校会尽量负担，要李冰冰及家人放心。教师内部也在准备为李冰冰捐款治疗的活动。记者也到医院探访了冰冰。他告诉记者说：“我希望可以继续回南大读书，完成学业。我很感谢帮助我的

新元上周上升到近13年来的最高水平，一度报1美元兑1.3881新元。

国大学生刊物进行的一项性调查显示，64％学生每周做爱超过一次，而且大部分时间没有把宿舍的房门关上。

回教祈祷团头目Mas Selamat bin Kastari在2月27 日，下午4点05分，从惠德里路拘留中心逃走。警方派出了大量警力去追踪他的下落。国际刑警也发出了警戒，呼吁其他国家全力支持追捕回祈团头目。

丹戎巴葛集选区议员马炎庆在国会上表示多年来的“讲华语运动”已经取得成效，无需再对方言“赶尽杀绝”，因为 “华语可以cool，方言不用枯”。

开朗乐观的李冰冰患病以来不曾向病魔屈服。照片|陈焕龙提供

人，也希望病好之后，我也可以去帮助他们。” 由于治疗费用昂贵，冰冰的朋友们正在计划着募捐活动。焕龙表示：“如果募捐活动由我们个人去做，仅仅依

南大师生在文化展上穿上传统韩国服饰，拍照留念。摄影|沈丽芬

化。为了使参观者对韩国文化有着更深入的理解，文化展的大型宣传栏重点介绍韩国的地理、舞蹈、文化、建筑、生活等方面的知识。宣传栏内的精美图片和韩国小饰品，更增加了观展者了解韩国文化的兴趣。主办单位也同时展出丰富多彩的韩国文化知识问答来增强学生们对韩国的认识，还播放韩语电影，让“哈韩一族”大饱眼福。

时事动脉

节目总监甘懿孜在受访时说：“许多学生只了解韩国的流行文化，而对传统文化确知之甚少。 “所以我们要举办这次活动来向大家介绍韩国传统文化，让大家看到世界的多样性，从而希望减少韩国人和新加坡人在沟通上的误差。” 来自生物工程二年级的印尼学生Maria参加了韩国文化展后告诉记者，她非常喜欢这次的展出。

靠中国学生的捐献，是远远不够的。 “我们希望学校可以出面，交给几大社团联合去做，充分发动新加坡本地学生和南大的教授们来帮助冰冰。”

“我原本是来陪朋友来参观的。可是后来，我也想试一试穿韩服拍照的感觉。” 她也表示：“虽然穿韩服的环节很有趣，但是如果拍照的背景再真实一点就好了。” 从去年底就开始筹备的过程中，韩国文化社的学生们面临着极大的挑战。经验不足使准备过程步履艰辛，导致韩国文化社也无法在短时间内找到合适的赞助商。但种种困难都没有使学生们退缩。来自韩国文化社的李湘绮透露：“韩国文化社在五月会组团到韩国参观旅行，希望可以让更多对韩国感兴趣的学生得到真实体验韩国的机会。”

万事达卡的一份调查显示，在被誉为亚太、中东和非洲“世界主要商业中心”的21个城市中，新加坡的商业中心地位受环境变化影响的可能性属第三最低。

从3月1日起，所有中央商业区内的德士将不准随意在路边载客人。这项新条例将于每天早上7点到晚上 10点间实行，星期日和公共假日除外。

俄罗斯总统选举结束，普京支持的梅德韦杰夫当选俄国新总统。

韩国《东亚日报》报导，韩国首尔将禁止透过校内的福利商店和自动贩卖机，出售可乐等汽水、咖啡、快熟面及油炸食品等，因为这些食物会阻碍青少年的成长发育。

香港财政司司长曾俊华透露，香港今年度财政盈余高达1156亿港元（约207亿新元），港民将获得“红包”。

韩国新总统李明博已正式宣誓就任第17届韩国总统。

苏格兰的医学研究显示，红茶内含的化学成分具有类似胰岛素的作用，能对抗糖尿病。

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社交网站你迷上了？韩伟定陈劲禾●报道中文总编辑

电

机与电子工程系二年生陈伟晋本身在不同社交网站（social networking sites）共拥有超过五个户口。

现在是个Facebook迷的他，每天都会花一些时间玩一玩网站上的应用服务（applications）；假期期间每天甚至会花上三小时在这些网站上。早在五年前，伟晋是通过朋友的邀请电邮第一次登陆了社交网站的虚拟世界，

尝试结识新的朋友。他因好奇，在不同的社交网站开了户口，游览一番。他说：“还记得有一个‘WhoLivesNearYou’的社交网站，能让你不出家门，也可以知道有哪些人住在你住家500米之内，并跟他们进行交谈与讨论，蛮有趣的。” 就像伟晋一样，许多大学生扩大生活圈子的方式，不是参与社区活动或参加社团，而是一头栽进虚拟的网络世界中，利用社交网站来认识更多朋友，甚至寻找失

插图｜ Firdiana Fawzir

征文

《南苑》欢迎南大师生投稿。文艺版：游记、散文、小说等作品均以700字为限。新诗则以20行为限。言论版：时事评论、自由论以600字为限。请把稿件寄到nanyuan@ntu.edu.sg。我们将与您联络。

yuan 《南苑》欢迎您加入校园记者队伍！若您想体验记者生活，并对采访工作有兴趣，请把个人资料电邮至： nanyuan@ntu.edu.sg nanyuan@gmail.com

Facebook游览他人的虚拟书架，看到有意思的书名只要点击就可以到相关网站了解更多有关书籍的内容。我所读的小说部分是从这管道取得的。” 传播系四年级学生柳美燕认为交流网站上的一些应用服务确实会让人玩上瘾。但她也指出人们总被一些新事物的新鲜感所吸引，过了一段时间就会觉得厌倦，最终这些网站可能不再受欢迎了。对机械工程系的三年级学生张家铭来说，社交网站除了是一种娱乐消遣，也能促进现实生活中人与人之间的关系。他受访时指出：“有些人虽然不常见，但因为通过这种网站得知他们的近况，碰面时就有了话题。” 不过也有人认为不一定要通过虚拟的管道才可以与朋友保持联络。商学院一年级的韩秀怡觉得要维持一个定期更新的档案很费时，就连注册户口她也觉得麻烦。她说：“我通常只是阅读别人的部落格，不然就用 MSN和朋友聊天。社交网站不是我生活中的必需品。”

《飞乐时空》创作赛征收作品陈金汶●报道

第

nan

去联络多年的知己。社交网站近年来在互联网上成了世界各地网络用户的“新宠”。 Facebook,Friendster, MySpace等社交网站，不只吸引了时下年轻人登记游览，就连年长人士都开始对这“年轻人的玩意儿”产生兴趣。数据显示，这些社交网站的登记用户有逐日增加的趋势；每日的新用户是以上千来计算。如此可见，社交网站的 “魅力”无法挡。社交网站是一个能够把一群志趣相同的人聚在一起的网络平台。不论是在世界的哪一角，只要有网络科技和社交网站的免费户头，就能联系起来。使用者可通过不同的管道与其他朋友沟通或分享资讯，如视讯、讨论区、个人档案等。英文系一年级学生郭怡君是个典型的书迷。她利用社交网站的应用服务（applications）记录了自己度过、正在读和想读的书籍。她说：“我一有空就会上

14届《飞乐时空》日前在 Canteen B 举行了一场发布会，正式宣布比赛开始征收作品并与Nokia合作设立报名网站。《飞》的主席陈金晶在中文学会歌咏组主办的‘午餐音乐会’上宣传时解释了这个网上报名方式。为了让参赛者更方便和快速地为自己的作品报名，Nokia为《飞》设立了一个报名网站。有别于往年的报名方式，参赛者只需通过这个网站把自己的作品制作成音频文件（audio file），再上载并填入参加表格，过后付上$8的报名费就可。除此之外，《飞》也保留了以往邮寄的报名方式。《飞》是南大中文学会每年都会主办的全国词曲创作比赛，目的是为了要宣扬本地的中文音乐创作。比赛的范围包括了词曲创作和歌词填写，开放给所有中学以上的教育学府及音乐学院的学生还有服兵役的朋友参加。

这一届《飞》的主题是“知音人”。陈金晶受访时表示，设定这个主题是为了要吸引所有热爱音乐以及音乐创作的朋友来参与这个全国性的音乐创作比赛。有好几位参赛者的作品通过主席陈金晶（左二）在发布会宣布《飞》比赛正式开始。摄影|黄伟曼《飞》比赛平台，被发掘后，作品有机《飞》现已开放让公众报会收录在一些职业歌手的专名参加，报名的截止日期为辑中。 5月31日。比赛主办者每年都会和 ViMusic合作把优胜的作品推荐给唱片公司，所以参赛欲知详情，请上网查询：的作品都有机会被发掘。 www.musicexpress-14.com

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特辑

言论

南大生民歌餐厅驻唱畅谈歌唱心得上一期，本报介绍了两间民歌餐厅——“木船”和“爱情海”，介绍了能让你松懈心情，尝试另一种休闲体验的好去处。这一期，我们访问了三位在籍南大生和校友，让他们与大家分享在民歌餐厅驻唱的苦与乐。陈丽汶郭进华●报道／林佐伊●摄影傅智康 23岁，生物工程系三年级 2007年曾在木船表演5个月

几

照片｜受访者提供

经辗转才正式成为表演者的智康，目前虽停止表演，但还很珍惜在那短暂时期吸取的经验。智康服兵役时经朋友介绍，常到木船听歌，支持同一组表演者。2007年3月与朋友一起试音后表演了两次，但为了备考而暂停，后来偶然遇到之前合作过的键盘手，又回到木船表演。尽管每周一的表演没薪酬领，智康还是因为爱唱歌和享受在台上唱歌的感觉而坚持下去，但后来因课业繁重和其他原因而停止。表演时，智康最喜欢现场乐队的感觉，

“一把乐器、一把声音，就会沉醉在唱歌的时间里。能得到掌声，更是最实在的肯定。” 最后一天的表演，支持智康的常客特地前来，还制作海报、带来荧光棒，满满的诚意让他感动。当晚的点歌单特别多，也让他留下一个美好的回忆。

何彦函 27岁，国立教育学院毕业 2000年起于木船表演

目

前是天蓝乐团主唱兼键盘手的彦函，起初是在木船个人表演，三四年前成立乐团，其中在天蓝乐团是2006年年尾成立的。彦函喜欢在木船表演的现场感觉，除了能吸取表演经验，还能与观众交流。“喜欢业余时唱歌，但未达到专业水准的年轻人，民歌餐厅是个能让他们发挥的另一选择。” 表演时，天蓝乐团一般都唱流行歌曲，偶尔会发表自己的创作。除了在木船表演，天蓝乐团也在近几年的 “心情溶剂”词曲创作大赛中担任表演嘉宾。

编辑室●视角定格

年轻人恶搞当娱乐科技便利是祸是福？韩伟定中文总编辑

网

络科技发达，视频娱乐更是年轻人生活中不可或缺的。随着录像科技普及化，只要手上有一架能够录像的器材，就能当个‘导演’，自拍短片上载到网络上。之前在Youtube视频网站上看到了一些年轻人卑劣的行为。他们把一位常在乌节路地铁站外售卖纸巾的残疾阿嫂所自编自唱的一首《一元纸巾歌》，恶搞一番，模仿她的歌曲，自拍成短片，放上网供大家观赏。这些年轻人真的没事做吗？这位残疾阿嫂也只不过是想谋生活，自力更生。他们的行为让我感叹他们对残疾人士的不敬与羞辱。表面上看似年轻人好玩，但这种取笑方式反而

文艺

灰麻色醉赖美银

黄冠华 25岁，经济学系四年级 2005年5月起于爱琴海表演

人总爱麻醉不是吗？颓废这股流行的主教擦肩而没过始终鬼祟地排荡踵前绊倒的贱差儿它不做就是硬要把人心拉扯得遂碎随岁坠坠坠忘了曾经无知只知糖果真好吃的幼稚记不起过去没想只想旷课也挺好玩的少年狂忘不了你的名字你的脸庞说不尽灰色在这里怎么用上

冠

华就读初院时，便开始到民歌餐厅听歌。即使他在当兵的时候几次到爱琴海面试当歌手都不成功，他却坚持在餐厅打工。后来，冠华在机缘巧合之下被乐手发现，训练了几个月后，他最终以歌手的身份，站上了民歌餐厅的舞台。对歌唱的热忱是冠华在爱琴海表演的主要推动力。冠华认为，这份工作最大的收获就是能做自己喜欢的事，尤其是当顾客的专心聆听他的演唱时，他感到非常满足。到目前为止，他还没遇到任何奇怪的点歌要求或疯狂歌迷，但他却表示曾听说两位男歌手对唱情歌，以及顾客在民歌餐厅求婚等“特殊事件”。

显现了他们欠缺应有的社会道德修养。他们在私底下自娱也就算了，但现在犹如拿起了放大镜大肆愚弄，实在让人心寒。年轻人做事冲动在所难免，但也得顾及大局，考虑事成后所涉及的后果。科技带来的便利，是祸还是福，没有一个确切的答案。总觉得很多事是人为因素在作祟。之前有外国年轻人把他们欺负一位年老三轮车夫的录像放上网，引起网民激烈反弹。也曾有本地学生殴打同学的过程被拍摄下来，在网上流传，引起社会关注。这些事件的“拍摄者”都说影像仅供自娱，无伤他人之意。网络毕竟是个公共平台，无数人浏览，所以还是该三思而后行为妙。

无奈，又在此堕入文有尽的窘况插图｜杨国瑞

索性，就这样

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

北京通讯

台北通讯

北京的沙丁鱼罐头文/摄影●林安琪

上

下班的高峰时间，是它们出没的时候。四轮滚动着铁罐，人们拼了命地挤上去后，又没命似地赶着下来。前头师傅尽量让能上车的都上车，因为他知道公交车（北京的巴士）每靠站的那一刻，他就成了在冷风中等候的人们的希望。后头卖票员则扯着嗓子喊：“往后移一点！往后！你那边不是有位子吗？动一动吧！我在说您呢！对对对，往后边移一移！”

会动的，因为卖票员会喊到你动为止。就算他不喊，另一批刚挤上车的也会逼着你往较少人的空间逃难。背贴背、胸贴背的情况司空见惯，与自家人可能都还没那么亲近过。有卡的刷卡，没卡的买票。为了到达目的地，只得花钱买难受。十几分钟的车程还能忍受, 一旦碰上塞车, 40分钟才走五站的时候, 师傅会开车门让等不及的乘客下车徒步, 对他们来说这样可能还快些、舒服些。而在罐头里，若不开口，

是没办法离开的。这是个训练胆量的机会。让对方知道你要什么，希望他怎么配合。 “下车吗？不下的话换个位吧。”因为已经没有多余的空位让人移动了，只得通过交换本来站立的位子来接近出口。交换的过程中，免不得也挤得四周人难受。这时动作一定要快，不能犹豫，因为太挤了，挤得脾气很容易就上来。 “别再挤了！”人堆中常常就这么冒出这类话 -- 急促，懊恼。一开始会很怕开口，也会非常在意别人的反应。后来发现，其实一切都是例行的程序。如果不入乡随俗，就别想混得容易。如果说话引不起别人注意，就得一直留在罐头里。挤就挤吧，挤出一条供自己呼吸的路，然后下车。

“鼠”光照亮台北文/摄影●黄思琳、王翊颀

远

赴他乡参加交换生计划，在台北寒冷的冬季度过了不一样的农历新年。在异乡求学生涯固然孤单寂寞，但台湾人热情好客的本性让我们感到格外温暖。

36个锣鼓一年的声响代表着人们对希望。新的

长达9天的台北灯节当然总少不了鼠先生和鼠小姐的踪迹。

老鼠的。家拜年

作者是本报前中文总编辑，正在北京参与实习计划。

大

也来向

ro一家

amta 亲戚H

作者是传播系学生，正在台湾国立政治大学参与交换生计划。

娱乐

不需理由的浪漫照片｜华纳音乐提供

罗雪俐●报道

第

二届《绝对Superstar》总冠军陈世维坦言自己还不能当女性心目中的理想情人，但自认是个浪漫的男人。刚发行个人首张专辑《不需理由》的世维在最近一期的Cleo杂志中被选为钻石单身汉（50 Most Eligible

Bachelors）之一。对此，他在电访中透露自己和女生约会时，一定会让女生感到非常幸福。陈世维认为自己获选的原因在于自己正处于适合交往的年龄，平时又喜欢运动，锻炼出好身材，这应该是吸引女生的关键。他透露，自己的理想情人基本上要体贴，还要在适当时做个小女人。样貌方面，世维说自己看了顺眼就好，能和她勾通最重要。专辑里的歌曲大多以爱情为主题，其中世维亲自谱曲填词的快歌《不属于我》更显示出世维浪漫温柔却又潇洒的一面。世维说整张专辑的风格与他的个性很接近，想给人一种随性，自然和开放的感觉。对于外界会拿他和第一届《绝》总冠军陈伟联相比，世维说：“始终我们两个的风格都不一样，所以怎么比都是不一样的结果还有效果。” 虽然这会带给他一点压力，但世维觉得只要尽了力就足够了。从义安理工学院银行与金融系毕业的世维说，如果不当歌手他想要回到学校去进修。闲暇之余，他喜欢把时间花在家人和朋友身上。从参加比赛到发行专辑，世维也在生活上作了调整，不但少外出，即使外出，也会更注意自己的形象。如果有机会，世维不排除往其他领域发展。但正在努力学钢琴的他还是会把重心放在音乐上。目前除了忙着宣传专辑，世维也在努力地写歌。至于会不会随着第一届《绝》陈伟联和潘嘉丽的脚步把自己的音乐带出新加坡，世维说还有待公司的安排。

乐评陈诗珈专辑：《不需理由》歌手：陈世维推荐：《遗落》、《明天我不会依然爱你》

期

待已久，第二届《绝对Superstar》冠军陈世维推出了首张专辑《不需理由》。专辑曲风以抒情情歌为主。但激情澎湃的歌如专辑主打《不需理由》也带有一点点的摇滚野性，使听者情绪沸腾。《遗落》在陈世维富有感情的诠释下，加深了整首歌的感动度。望着天空满天星斗，今后各奔东西，难道心中痛楚会随着满天繁星逝去，就此结束，不会牵挂吗？种种画面会随着歌曲的旋律与歌词出现在你的脑海里，是首贴近人心的情

歌。《明天我不会依然爱你》这首歌的旋律简单、轻快，让你不经意地随着音乐摆动。恋爱中的男女听了这首歌，可能会反省自己是否在恋爱时自我为中心了，从来没有顾虑到另一半的需要。可惜，专辑也有不足的地方。陈世维的歌声似乎只适合诠释某些类型的歌曲。例如主打歌《不》中几句的拉音的处理似乎有点不自然，让歌词唱起来有些扭捏，没有发挥到他声音的优点。

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

娱乐休闲厅

张与乐音声乐

张乐声专访

有缘滕思珂●报道

回

忆自己的音乐历程，张乐声坦言，觉得自己和音乐很有缘分，对音乐的热爱和执着把他带到今天的舞台。九年前一个偶然的招生计划把怀着出去见见世面的乐声带到南洋理工大学选修电

摄影｜陈姿洁

子电机工系。从小就喜欢哼哼唱唱的他自然不会在新加坡放弃自己的挚爱——歌唱。在民歌餐厅驻唱一年之后，张乐声开始创作歌词。刚开始只是帮助喜欢创作的朋友填中文歌词，后来因为一个朋友的介绍为电视剧写了主题歌，从此作品便源源不断面世。短短几年创作生涯，三十多首新加坡电视剧主题曲，加上为杨丞琳、蔡淳佳等歌手专

娱乐大嘴巴

乐评

完美结局

“期待”林俊杰陈金汶

专辑：《期待爱》新歌+精选集歌手：林俊杰

从

首长专辑《乐行者》到《西界》，本地音乐创作才子JJ林俊杰不但为听众带来了不少耳熟能详的歌曲，在音乐创作与诠释歌

辑创作的歌词已尽收囊中。虽然热爱音乐，但是乐声在音乐事业上并不是一个很激进的人：“我相信命运，是你的就是你的。”就连去年参加《绝对 Superstar》也是因朋友鼓励的。作为写词人的前两年，乐声没有卖出一首歌，经历了一个慢慢被人认可和欣赏的艰难过程。可是对于音乐的执着，让他坚持了下来。2006年，他的实力在专业舞台上被认同，获得《绝》男子组第四名。目前乐声已建立与华纳的合作，为更多的歌手写歌作词。说到成功的秘诀，乐声坚持勤奋为首要条件。他很注意学习别人的变化，并且觉得自己也有不少进步。张乐声现阶段在一家半导体公司工作，歌词创作则是副业。谈到合约期满以后的计划，乐声说目前还不能确定。因为近年歌词版税收入甚少，在中国的家人也不是非常支持他踏入娱乐圈。虽然亲人不支持，乐声却向记者坦言，不管卖不卖得出去，歌词创作永远是他最大的爱好；他一定会坚持下去，而本地乐坛仍会是他歌词创作的平台。除了唱歌，乐声还爱好画画。在他看来，画画和唱歌一样是一种抒发情感，打发时间的方式，并且能有一种满足感，是一种天生的“骨子里个人喜好”。当记者问到乐声今年的心愿，他说希望可以多写一些歌词，与更多的创作人合作，去更多的地方旅行。他说：“虽然计划赶不上变化，还是希望一切顺利。”

曲方面也成长了不少。这次在《期待爱》新歌加精选专辑里除了收录林俊杰出道五年来最脍炙人口的一些曲目之外，还收录了与师妹金沙合作的新歌《期待爱》。继《被风吹过的夏天》后，再度与金沙合唱为精选集甜蜜指数加分不少，必定是另一波K歌首选。从扣人心弦的《翅膀》，甜蜜轻快的《豆浆油条》，豪云壮志的《曹操》到带有一点东方古典混搭西洋曲风的《杀手》，每一首都让人记忆犹新，琅琅上口。这些被收录的经典曲目让我们听到了林俊杰在音乐创作上不断地创新与突破的演绎方式，不断挑战自己歌唱技巧的极限。虽然演绎方式已明显地进步和熟练许多，但比起一些实力派的动感歌手，我依旧期待林俊杰的声音能有更大的突破。

鞠欣航

每

次看电影电视剧的时候，故事的结局，似乎总是那么的令人振奋。所有故事片（除战争纪录片）的结局几乎都是正义一方胜利，邪恶一方被打落荒而逃。当然，也有邪恶一方获胜的例子，例如《生化危机1》（Resident Evil I ）。当看到英雄失败时，人们就会不知不觉的期盼剧情的继续发展，等待续集，一直要看到正义一方胜利方肯罢休。果然，在《生化危机2》里，好人最终获救。最近上映的《未接电话》（One Missed Call）也是如此。当正义的女主角要被杀死时，天使挺身相救。不仅正义一方似乎永远获胜，爱情

故事的结局也是美满的。例如韩剧《我的野蛮王妃》，两个相爱的人似乎注定要在一起，无论遇到什么样的挫折都会克服。看到有情人终成眷属，我们对自己的情感生活，是否也有了一定的希望呢？不过，有情人终成眷属和正义战胜邪恶是永远不能相提并论的。宁可爱情破裂，邪恶也不能战胜正义。至今为止，我还没有看过邪恶战胜正义的电影或电视结局。不知是因为自己孤陋寡闻，还是因为人们都渴望和平与正义，摒弃战争与邪恶？因为人们喜爱，所以电影电视要按照观众的需求来创作拍摄，以至于吸引观众，增加票房收入。电影电视从人们的生活和想象中取景。但在生活中，正义与邪恶之间是无法划清界限的。一个宗教信仰的正义是另一个宗教信仰的邪恶，战争，似乎总是以正义

娱乐动脉香港一代巨星沈殿霞因病逝世，享年61岁。在香港红勘体育馆举办的追思会，吸引了近万人前来，其中包括他的前夫郑少秋，还有许多久未露面的艺坛前辈。

淫照事件发展至今已经波及了许多女艺人。其中备受关注的张柏芝被传婚姻亮起红灯，岳父谢贤更被指支持儿子谢霆峰与张柏芝离婚。

原本计划要在今年底付出，现在先好好的在家里带孩子的日剧女王松岛菜菜子，传因财务危机提前复出。据说老公反町隆史的演艺事业出现危机，才让她不得不提前回到娱乐圈。

《功夫灌篮》的导演朱延平和男主角周杰伦应上海复旦大学之邀，担任艺术执导。该校负责人表示，国际大导演李安也受邀担任名誉教授。

香港巨星成龙的父亲陈志平（原名房道龙），2月26 日于香港养和医院病逝，享年94岁。

的名义，来创造邪恶。归根结底，人们对正义总是充满希望和幻想。不同的人的立场不同，所以在电影电视中，英雄们不都是男人，也不都是女人。不同种族，不同信仰，不同年龄的人和不同星球的生物，都是人们心目中正义的化身。也许，当人们在生活中身经百战后，电影电视那虚拟的世界才是人们向往完美结局的最后净土。

赢取陈世维最新专辑本报将送出两张陈世维亲笔签名专辑《不需理由》。问：陈世维在专辑中与哪一位本地女歌手合唱了《背叛》？请把正确答案、个人资料和联络号码电邮至： nanyuan@ntu.edu.sg 得奖者将获得通知。

Opinion

“After all, it is in giving that we receive - always and inevitably.” Page 38

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Pleading to be heard More than a month ago this newspaper broke the news on the Student Affairs Office (SAO)’s proposal to introduce triple rooms to help fulfil the demand for accommodation on campus. The SAO has since confirmed the proposal in a story published in the Tribune last week. More recently the office had set up showrooms in Halls 13 and 14 with two different layouts of the proposed triple rooms to gather feedback on students’ preferences. But recent developments— such as the protest group set up on Facebook, the negative responses swarming the Union’s expression boards, the counterproposal to be made by student leaders of the 16 halls—suggest that many students do not want to live in triple rooms. We have heard the arguments from both sides: the problem of shortage of rooms is real and the SAO wants to help students who cannot get a room; current residents, however, do not want to stay in a triple room—and many of them do not seem to care whether or not those on the waiting list get a room. While it is clear that the

SAO has the best interests of all students at heart, there should be no doubt as to the unpopularity of triple rooms among most students. Should the proposal continue to be put into effect in spite of the opposition, the end result might be an ironic and wasteful one: residents might just end up shunning these rooms and hall accommodation altogether. The proposal may well be the best solution now, even if it is unpopular. But it would be a shame if students felt their voice was not heard—especially when this time it is such a loud voice. The SAO had made clear that it welcomes inputs from students on the proposal. But that has not stopped students from questioning if their inputs would make any difference. The office, of course, is not required to consult students to make any decision, but doing so would be for the good of the University. It is great that the SAO has made the first step to solicit feedback from students. Now the next step will be to show students that their feedback is taken seriously.

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

graphics editor Long Fan

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.

WEB editor Alan Tan Yu Shyang

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU News Hotline: 6790 6446 Letters: chronicle@ntu.edu.sg Opinions: chronicle.opinions@ ntu.edu.sg Please include your full name, contact number, faculty and year of study.

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

Hey, extreme! Vo Van Hung opinion editor

ecent ly, t he Ch i nese news media reported that an env ironmenta llyconscious girl in China ca l le d he r fat he r “a criminal” because his company manufact ured disposable chopsticks, which are considered harmful to the environment. Imagine my incredulity when I first came across this piece of news. Apart from causing anguish for her father, the girl’s harsh remark is also unlikely to help advance her case for environmentalism. Frankly, I was appalled. Perhaps it is just me, but I have always had a problem with people such as overzealous environmentalists, some of whom are even more insensitive than this girl. For one , t he s e s o - c a l le d friends-of-the-Earth seem poised to dismiss anything that reeks of plastic as evil. In fact, a number of these environmentalists even go as far as attacking enterprises in logging, skiing and genetic research. Thanks to their reckless actions, damage worth millions of dollars has been inflicted, all in the name of environmentalism. The justifiability of their actions remains hugely questionable. Granted, doubt could be cast upon Japan’s claim that the whales it catches are merely for scientific research. Still, this did not, in any way, ma ke it acceptable for environmentalists such as members of the militant Sea Shepherd group to hurl stinging acid onto a Japanese whaling ship and, in so doing, injure three crew members. After all, it is ironic that a group with so much compassion for whales could commit such atrocious acts against fellow human beings. Not surprisingly, the FBI calls these so-called environmentalists eco-terrorists, a name that speaks volumes about their likeability. Violent and creepy, they have been immensely successful in giving their cause a bad name.Needless to say, the presence of such extreme people is downright petrifying, especially since most of them seem to revel in imposing their belief upon us and remain averse to alternative ideas. How I long for a day when they all give up their extreme stance, or just disappear

GRAPHIC | NELSON YEO

from my life! Fat chance, really. For I have realised, after a while, just how convenient it is to be extreme. After all, given their unrestrained enthusiasm, these people do look good, especially at first glance, in an age where passion is all the rage. Policy-makers who are not used to pondering upon both sides of an issue will love them, too. Didn’t President Truman once ask for a one-armed economics adviser who would never utter the phrase “On the other hand”?

Beware when dealing with evil lest you become evil yourself Better still, when people start accusing them of their irrationality, these overzealous people can still massage their ego thinking that it is all about “us versus the rest” – a thought that makes them appear so glorious, or so they fantasize. In fact, even before some of them finish reading this very article, they may have jumped to the conclusion that I am just a middleof-the-road wimp who sits on the fence and dare not stand up for anything. Such, it has dawned on me, is the lure of being extreme that we should, sooner or later, banish any

thought of avoiding encounters with extreme people in our life. They are here to stay, much to my dismay. All I could offer, perhaps, is a piece of advice for those who share the same sentiment with me. When you encounter extreme people who are about to tell you about their worthy cause, try your best to resist the temptation to rationalise with them. After all, if these people were convinced so easily by alternative ideas, they would not be extreme in the first place. It is better, instead, to tell yourself that you are just in for free entertainment, which is precisely what most of their ridiculously one-sided speeches seem to me There is also another approach, to be adopted only if you have, like me, had a surfeit of free enter ta i n ment f rom e x t reme people in your life. It entails launching into an extremely awful tirade against them. I assure you that extreme behaviour is scary even to the most extreme souls on Earth. It is important, however, to guard against a pitfall. Chances a re, you may relish bash ing extreme people so much that you become just like them. Please pity me - this is precisely how I feel at the moment, having written with such zeal about extreme people. As the adage goes, beware when dealing with evil lest you turn into evil yourself. Indeed.

opinion

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

Altruism that packs rewards Everyone loves doing good deeds and volunteerism is now no longer bound to the orphanage near your home. Overseas community projects are on the increase. Quah Chin Chin finds out the reasons behind this trend

oluntour ism—no, t hat is not a spelling error; it is a word that has been making waves since newspaper reports surfaced that youths in Singapore are increasingly going overseas for charity work. For instance, a check with Singapore’s Youth Expedition Project (YEP)—a programme by the National Youth Council to encourage volunteerism among youths—website showed that since its inception in 2000, the number of overseas community projects it has supported has risen steadily. Ironically, however, the reports say that those who volunteer overseas hesitate when it comes to spreading charity in Singapore. This begs the question: Are such expeditions truly motivated by altruism or selfish reasons, specifically, a desire to visit a new place in the name of charity, or to gain an experience that would look good on one’s resume? A debate was sparked off in the press last year, with many critics doubting the motives of these volunteers. They argue that while Singapore may be well-off compared with most neighbouring countries, there is still plenty of room for charity here. Indeed, there is—but most c h a r it a ble or ga n i s at ion s i n Singapore are arguably better taken care of, especially in terms of funding. For example, the National Volu nte e r a nd Ph i la nt h ropy C e n t r e , a n o n - go v e r n m e n t organisation that comprises nonprofit organisations, companies, and public sector bodies to foster philanthropy in Singapore, receives funding from the Ministr y of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Also, every so often, the plight of less privileged individuals or homes is highlighted by the media, often resulting in generous help from the public. An example is the popular Ren Ci charity programme aired on Channel U, which was rated the number one television programme in Singapore in March last year by market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres. A nd le t ’s not for ge t t he “corporate social responsibility” t h at h a s late l y b e c ome t he buzzword for companies, many of which “adopt” a charity. The same cannot be said for such countries as Vietnam, the Philippines, or India, just to name a few. Slum areas and villages

GRAPHIC | FIRDIANA FAWZIR

abound and they receive little or no support from the government or other organisations. Not surprisingly, available help centres are often run down, u nde r sta f fed a nd lac k ba sic amenities. Hence, is there a need for us young people to go all the way from Singapore to these provinces to build a toilet for the villagers, install fluorescent lights and ceiling fans in their classrooms, or even teach the rural children about oral hygiene? I say yes to over seas volunteering, because I feel it really does make an impact on them—especially if the changes

Here , we often take simple things like clean water or electricity for granted; yet, these are things that our peers - just a few hours’ flight away do without but are not complaining about it. brought about are sustainable, such as education or the installation of basic amenities. A good sanitary system, for instance, makes a difference between the onslaught of waterborne diseases such as cholera, and the lack of them.

Similarly, providing schools with computers and imparting the know-how to the students will go a long way in helping them progress technologically. I would also like to believe that overseas expeditions do stem from altr uism from the participants. Community service projects, especially those that last for two weeks or more, usually require months of preparation, from the proposal stage right up until the physical and psychological training in the final days prior to travelling. For a volunteer to be fully committed to the project, he/ she must firmly believe in its cause; only then will he/she expend much time and energy into organising the expedition. While overseas projects may be born out of altruism, they often come with intangible rewards that go beyond any monetary or resume-enhancing value. Such trips can alter one’s perspectives and even attitudes towards life in ways that the participants had never expected it to. A team of 18 members, myself included, carried out a community service project to Vietnam about a year ago, and came away with many life’s lessons, such as learning to be satisfied with our campus facilities and to try to cease complaining about things that we perceive are lacking. In addition to teaching basic hygiene to rural children in a primary school in a village in Hatay province, we interacted with students in a university

in Hanoi, the capital cit y of Vietnam. We found, to our utter dismay, that each student shares his/her rooms with nine other friends. Their study “table” is merely a foldable piece of wood the size of an A2 sheet of paper, which can be opened up whenever necessary. Their clothes, meanwhile, are all stashed inside a metal box barely one-tenth the size of the wooden cupboard in NTU Hall 12. It was a rude shock for us, many of whom were embarking on an overseas expedition for the first time. We found it hard to imagine us living our life the way they were.

While there may be things we can “teach” our fellow beneficiaries, they do teach us much more, even if we started out without expecting anything in return. It was also the first time in my life that I had a glimpse of what poverty—and accepting one’s situation—could actually mean, and it is something I honestly doubt I could have lear nt in Singapore. Here, we often take simple t h i n g s l i ke c le a n w at e r or

electricity for granted; yet, these are things that our peers—just a few hours’ f light away— do without but are not complaining about it. In a similar vein, accusations that overseas volunteers have a smug super ior it y, wrapped up in the notion that we, from a richer nation, can teach the underprivileged from a poorer country a thing or two, are also unfounded. Yes, our ability to help is perhaps due to better financial resources or technological advancement, but once there, the tables are turned. Our eyes are opened to many things that may have been unheard of in our sheltered cocoon in Singapore. One example would be the plight of victims of Agent Orange – a genetic disease—inducing chemical used by the Americans during the Vietnam War, which, three decades on, is still adversely affecting generations of Vietnamese. We, a s for e ig ne r s i n t he country, also have to adapt to our hosts’ culture and ways of life. T h i s aga i n i mpa r t s to u s invaluable lessons such as respect, humility and sincerity. More often than not, the change in environment also lets us reflect on our lives back home, leading us to appreciate a calmer, slowerpaced life. S o , w h i le t h e r e m a y b e things we can “teach” our fellow beneficiaries, they do teach us much more, even if we started out without expecting anything in return. After all, it is in giving that we receive—always and inevitably.

opinion

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

letters from readers

Looking beyond the sloppy attire I REFER to the article titled ‘Sloppy, the new chic?’ in the opinion section of volume 14 issue 8 of the Nanyang Chronicle. I am disappointed about the writer’s discussion on such a trivial and irrelevant matter. I agree that it is an opinion column for a reason. However, this does not give the writer the right to target people who opt for a more casual style of dressing. I personally believe not everyone in school is that concerned about clothing. It i s ob v iou s t h at m a n y engineering students are wearing what the author claims to be ‘sloppy’. Yet, they are not doing so without a reason. W it h a t i me t a ble for a n average of 8 modules per semester, not all students would think of “hiding insecurities” through their clothing. To be honest, I think that doing so is extremely superficial and ridiculous. T he pr i ma r y goa l of a university student is to excel in academics and develop his or her character. Even Calvin Klein would agree that intellect and charisma are not contingent on nice clothing. The writer might have been right in his observations about dressing in NTU. However, a more thorough analysis would have indicated that style of dressing is a matter of choice and a form of personal expression. Not everyone is obliged to express themselves in a manner acceptable to all.

canteen talk The proposed triple-sharing sheme has triggered much controversy among NTU students. We asked some of them for alternatives to the scheme

I think the university should provide shuttle bus services to oﬀ-campus accommodation sites near NTU instead.

”

Chia Woanlan, EEE, Year 2, 21

“ VOLUME 14, ISSUE 8

It is a University after all and conformity is not something that is so much encouraged. I be l ie ve t he r e a r e mor e important things to consider like the increasing apathy of students around the world towards current affairs. After all, while there are those who see a much bigger picture of this world such as the everyday

struggles people undertake to get through their education, there are a lot more others who are blinded by their desires and obsession. The article has clearly proven that.

Lokesh Anand Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Year 4

Triple-sharing rooms not a blessing in disguise I WOULD like to express my views on NTU’s plan to convert certain rooms into triple-sharing rooms from the next academic year onwards. While I agree that triple-sharing rooms will help to better cater to NTU students’ rising demand for accommodation, I wish to object on the following grounds. Firstly, I believe more people will be using such facilities like washing machines, kitchens, and toilets. Furthermore, there will probably be much more quarrels among roommates. After all, it is relatively hard to get along well with two roommates, especially if we are from different countries and cultures. One may argue that having three people stay in one room will enable them to foster bonds and develop a better understanding of other cultures. However, relationships are far more complicated than that.

Differences are still differences. And there are some people who are unwilling to change themselves for the sake of others. As a result, hall offices are likely to have a hard time dealing with emails of complaint from residents. Security poses yet another problem. At the moment, there are still such cases as underwear thefts in a lot of halls. I just lost mine two weeks ago and I know many others who lost theirs too. The school should focus more on beefing up security rather than trying to put more people in halls. At present, I think virtually all students in universities throughout the world want to stay in a hostel because it offers them far greater convenience and is much more affordable too. However, the school does not have to be responsible for every student. It is fine if not all students

can secure a room in halls. Consider the case of the National University of Singapore (NUS). After their second year, NUS undergraduates are required to move out so that the freshmen can have a room in the NUS hostel. I suggest that perhaps NTU should adopt measures to help students find off-campus accommodation. The school should liaise with accommodation owners to provide rooms at reasonable rates for students. This is a considerably better way to address the problem at hand. It will help to alleviate the shortage of accommodation in NTU without compromising the comfort of hall residents.

Duong Cam Tu Communication Studies Year 3

An alternative is to open up the apartments available on campus for undergraduates to share. Chew Sin Ling , SPMS, Year 2, 21

The university may introduce a homestay programme for international students to lessen the burden on the current halls.

”

Medy, CSC, Year 4, 24

“

The university should not continue increasing the student in-take every year until the new halls have been completed. Nguyen Phuong Minh, SPMS, Year 2, 20

If the triple-sharing rooms get too crowded, I may opt for a room outside instead probably in the ﬂats in Boon Lay.

”

Arvinder Singh, MAE, Year 1, 21

TEXT | VO VAN HUNG, PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI

opinion

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

Bondless for more success Bonded scholarships are increasingly a thing of the past, as governments and organisations are seeing the merits of bond-free ones. Cerelia Lim offers her view

t is that time of the year again—the A-level results h a v e b e e n r e le a s e d a nd already, copies of Scholars’ Choice have hit the news stands. Scholarships allow talented students to continue their studies without worrying about the cost of education. In addition, scholarships are prestigious and support academic excellence. Singapore’s education system was revamped in the 1970s to be based on merit. That is to say, success is not by any means dependant on your socioeconomic status but purely on your ability. During that very same period, the idea of offering overseas sc hola r sh ips wa s moote d to provide our most intellectually capable and gifted students with an opportunity to study at some of the finest universities abroad. It was nat urally expected that these students will serve the sponsoring organisation upon their graduation. Ver y of ten, these students were more than happy to do so as they foresaw a promising academic and career path laid in front of them. However, since the 1990s,

GRAPHIC | JANELL HOONG

there have been reports of students wanting to break their bonds. For example, in July 2004, Chen Jiahao, a former Public Ser v ice Commission scholar, broke his bond after studying overseas for two years. Suddenly, it seems the natural e x pec tat ion of ser v i ng you r sponsoring organisation is not that natural after all. This begs the question: will a bond-free scholarship be more beneficial to our society? In many western countries,

like the US, most scholarships are bondless. A good example would be the Rhodes scholarship, which enables capable students from territories under British rule to study at the University of Oxford. As long as the student has the ability, his or her education will be sponsored by the organisation and no repayment of any form is expected. The result of this system is that it fosters a spirit of loyalty and a desire to give back to the

sponsoring organisation, if not the society. This, in turn, leads to the offer of additional scholarships, benefiting more students. Here in NTU, we have two scholarships that are bond-free, namely the Singapore Millennium Foundation Ltd (SMT) Scholarship and the Tan Kah Kee postgraduate Scholarship. Both scholarships are awarded to students of all nationalities at the postgraduate level. T he ma n on t he st reet

might resent the thought of an international student receiving a bond-free scholarship. Still, it is extremely important that we have to look beyond the issue of dollars and cents in this situation. After all, these scholarships are given to the most deserving students from their homeland. The scholarship providers probably hope that upon graduation, these students will decide to stay on in Singapore and contribute to our ieconomy. There are many methods we can employ to achieve practically t he same goal. However, t he method that produces the least resistance with the most returns will, more often than not, have terms that honour the recepient’s free will. As an illustration, compare the workmanship of a carpenter held in captivity, forced to produce ar ticles against his will, and that of another carpenter who produces articles from his heart. Clearly, the latter should be held in higher regard compared to the former. There is no guarantee that all students who receive bondfree scholarships will stay on in Singapore but this is by far one of the best methods of retaining and grooming talent. The success of Silicon Valley was not the work of Americans alone. Rather, it took many hands of different nationalities and races working together to make it a place that attracts the best and the most talented people around the globe. If Singapore wants to become a hub in Asia that attracts and retains the best, it cannot afford to be seen as stingy. Bond-free scholarships are just the tip of what the government can use to portray a “generous” image.

sports

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

sports talk

Rams to the slaughter KENNETH CHEW A TEAM like Arsenal’s unbeaten ‘invincibles’ comes around once in a blue moon, while you would be hard pressed to fi nd another team as hapless as Derby County this season. Their woeful performances have led many to question once more the widening gulf between the big guns and minnows of the English Premier League (EPL). With 10 matches left to go, the Rams have only just secured their 10th point, and along with it their fi rst clean sheet in an amazing 21 matches in their last match against Sunderland. Derby are well on track. Well on track indeed to be the worst team in the history of the EPL. But was the writing on the wall all along? Their list of summer signings contained a who’s who of Premiership rejects. From the likes of £3.5 million club record signing and bench-warming extraordinaire Robert Earnshaw, to wingback Tyrone Mears, who failed to make the cut at West Ham. Despite this, Derby supporters hoped fervently for an emulation of Reading’s dream debut last

season. How wrong they were! After a decent start, with a draw in their opening game, hopes crashed once they suffered one humiliating defeat after another. 4 - 0 to Tot te n ha m , wh i le mercilessly hit for 5 at Arsenal and West Ham. Even Liverpool, which has a penchant for struggling against weaker teams like the cooks and bus drivers of Havant & Waterlooville, thrashed them 6-0. Manager Billy Davies would pay the price for six points in 14 games and a horrendous goal difference as he was unceremoniously given the boot less than midway through the season. Respected former Wigan boss Paul Jewell was then appointed, but by now what the club needed was divine intervention, and not a new boss. Jewell brought in an array of has-beens and unknowns, but the likes of mercurial French winger Laurent Robert, and Manchester United flop Roy Carroll have seen better days. The much-needed infusion of quality was too little, too late. In truth, only a miracle could save their top flight status. Derby had redefined the term “no hopers”,

they said that? It s kind of like head in the fridge, body on ﬁre. England’s Jonny Wilkinson describes his winning play against France in Rugby’s Six Nations Tournament.

If you are driving to work, don t get into a car with Liam Miller because he gets involved in more car crashes than anybody I know.

GOING DOWN: Derby seems doomed to relegation from the EPL. PHOTO | INTERNET

they were so far adrift from safety, the depths the Rams had sunk to was a new low. Their dreadful performances this season has led even Jewell to exclaim: “I’m not going to name them individually but as a group

Sunderland manager Roy Keane gets tired of Liam Miller’s excuses for turning up late to training

of players, we’re all responsible – it was disgraceful.” Instead of brave David versus Goliath styled upsets, what the Rams have shown this season seem to be akin sending helpless lambs to the slaughter.

Brand new stage, brand new games? THOMAS LUFF IN THE past it was simple: the best club football was played in Europe, the best basketball and baseball in America, and so on. Now, though, it seems that every major league wants to go global. This means no longer would competitions feature teams from within one nation when it can potentially reach out to the whole world. The EPL has already announced controversial plans to play outside of England for one game a season. The NBA commissioner has stated he is looking into setting up five teams in Europe and the NFL has already tried and failed to start up in Europe. The idea to expand leagues abroad has been met by mixed reactions from fans. Some see it as a means for the league owners to make money, while others think the leagues need to do it to reach their global markets to remain successful. However you look at it, some of the complaints offered by English fans are simple-minded, complaining that a league where many teams are owned by rich Americans and Russians, run by foreign managers, and played by top class foreign talent could lose its Englishness. With this level of globalisation in the league already, it seems hard to fathom

why any fan would argue that it could lose its Englishness. More seriously, though, it is not just some fans who hate the idea of foreign leagues entertaining on new turf. Existing leagues within the proposed countries are extremely opposed to it. The Euroleague which is the top European basketball league, has always looked to distance itself from the NBA, going as far as to ban any of its teams from competing against an NBA team. To add to this conf lict, N BA commissioner David Stern has

made it clear any European team would be started from the bottom up rather than by absorbing any existing European teams. T h e N F L to o k t h e s a m e approach, forming an European league called the NFL Europa League, but repeatedly failing on many levels. It ran for a period of 16 years (including a two year hiatus). The teams that competed in the league were often underfunded and lacked basic facilities. The London Monarchs had a pitch of only 93 yards when a standard NFL pitch is 120.

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

The league’s attendance was also appalling, with the average being around 20,000 fans per game. In its f inal season the league lost some US$30million (S$42million). It did attract one famous name, though. Dwain Chambers, after being banned from Athletics for steroid abuse, we nt to t he leag ue. He wa s accepted into the ranks as a player for the Hamburg Sea Devils after a training camp selection process but was open to extra dr ugs testing because of his past. Overall, Chambers was a poor player and suffered a stress fracture in his foot in his only season, which left him on the bench for part of the season. Whether these new leagues will become reality or not, many American leagues have taken baby steps toward international status. Every major American sport (ice hockey, basketball, baseball and American football) has played games outside of America, but so far only American football a nd ice hoc ke y have played regular season games outside of America. It will be interesting to see what happens if the leagues go ahead. Will the Manchester derby really have the same impact in Sydney? I think not. Will Shaq be willing to play basketball in Moscow? I think not. Will a new NFL league let Dwain Chambers play American football again? I hope not!

GRAPHIC | LONG FAN

I remember the pain, seeing that my foot had rotated, but I only recaptured my senses in hospital. Arsenal’s Eduardo da Silva(above) after his horrific leg break

I d done enough ﬁghting in pubs so it was the natural thing for me to do. Boxer Clinton Woods on how he became the IBF Light Heavyweight World Champion.

Maybe he is a bionic man. Chelsea boss Avram Grant after John Terry recovers ahead of schedule from another injury again.

sports

M AR C H 10, 20 0 8

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

sports talk

Youth Olympics: Should Singapore have won the bid? Terence Lee THIS may sound unpatriotic, but I’ll say it anyway: should Moscow have won the right to host the Youth Olympics in 2010 instead? The media has touted it a David versus Goliath matchup, pitting young and tiny Singapore against experienced and established Moscow. It is like Norwich versus Chelsea for FA Cup supremacy, one side technically superior to the other. By all accounts, Moscow had a superior bid. Moscow has hosted more than 100 international sports championships in the past 25 years, including the 1980 Olympics. Unlike Singapore, they already had existing sporting venues and an Olympic Village ready, maintained since 1980 in anticipation of a second hosting of the Olympics. In fact, they had scored higher in the Inter national Oly mpic Committee (IOC) evaluation report, with a score of 7.5 to 8.5 as compared to Singapore’s 7.4 to 7.9. Sports is a way of life in Moscow, and Russia is among the top medal winners in the Olympics.

What does Singapore have to show in its medal cabinet? Furthermore, endorsements from the likes of tennis champions Mar ia Sharapova and Nova k Djokovic would have been thought to strongly boost Moscow’s chances of hosting the Youth Olympics. Therefore you can imagine what was going on in the minds of the IOC members when it was their turn to cast their votes. It was reality TV at its best, the sporting version of World Idol, with the results announced live and beamed around the world. The energy level at the Padang was incredible. The David versus Goliath struggle was reaching its climax. As I was seated in the stands, a group of middle-aged supporters, all decked in red, stood in front of me. They were waving the Singapore flag and dancing to the beat of the samba drums. One of them, an Indian man, looked in my direction and exhorted us to join along. He shouted, waving his hands, beckoning us to be more enthusiastic. “Come on!” he shouted to us, and his middle-aged friends joined

in the chorus. It wasn’t long before ou r attention was diver ted to the gigantic screen next to the main stage, where the live telecast of the results was being broadcasted. When the time came for the announcement, the crowds gasped and held their collective breath when the envelope was handed to IOC president Jacques Rogge. The tension was unbearable, and all eyes glued to the screen. “The International Olympic Committee has the honour of a n nou nci ng t hat t he f i r st Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010 is awarded to the city of – Singapore.” The crowds erupted in cheers. Streamers burst forth from the top of Old Parliament House, a release that signalled both relief and euphoria. David had slain Goliath, with Singapore winning an improbable battle to host the first ever Youth Olympics. While it may seem like Singapore had beaten insurmountable odds, perhaps things were not as they seemed to be. Yo u s e e , s om e t i m e s t h e underdog does have its day.

READY, GET SET, GO: Singapore prepares a world stage for sports. PHOTO | COURTESY

Yes, Singapore does not have an excellent sporting culture, but it is a vibrant young nation. Singapore has never hosted the Olympic Games, but it’s small size does not limit its competence. Singapore’s bid in terms of technical excellence and youth involvement may not be superior to Moscow’s, but it has always pu nc hed aboved it s we ig ht . Singapore’s Youth Olympics bid

committee played their cards right when they presented Singapore as being a small, youthful city that will benefit tremendously from hosting the Youth Olympics. It was a stroke of genius indeed. As the euphoria fades, the real test begins. There is no doubt that Singapore had mounted an excellent bid, but now it needs to prove itself a worthy host, and set a high standard for future Youth Olympics.

10 Pairs of The Orphanage Preview Tickets up for grabs! The Nanyang Chronicle brings you free movie treats from UIP! The Orphanage centers on a Laura (Belén Rueda) who purchases her beloved childhood orphanage with dreams of restoring and reopening the long abandoned facility as a place for disabled children. Once there, Laura discovers that the new environment awakens her son’s imagination, but the ongoing fantasy games he plays with an invisible friend quickly turn into something more disturbing.

***********************************************************

Name the famed producer behind the Spanish horror, The Orphanage.

Email chronicle.contest@ntu.edu.sg with your answer, name, matriculation number and contact number to win! Closing date: 1200hr 12 March 2008 Winners will be notified by 1300hr 12 March 2008

** Collection of tickets wil be on-site from the UIP redemption table at the cinema entrance on the day of screening.

Date: March 12, Wednesday Screening Time: 7.15pm Venue: GV Marina, Hall 2 (Level 3 @ Marina Square) PG Parental Guidance Some DISTURBING CONTENTS

http://www.theorphanagemovie.com/

sports

M A R CH 10, 20 0 8

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

No freak result in 3-on-3 basketball Cheryl Ng THEY were a group of friends who had never played together as a team before, but when they heard about the Ice Cold Beer Cup 2008, five basketball enthusiasts from NTU decided to get together and form a team called the Basketball Freakos. “Our captain Raymond decided on the name because that’s my e-mail address and we also we thought it’d be quite a funny name,” said Phyllis Yap, 20, a second-year student from the School of Material Science and Engineering. The Basketball Freakos did well for NTU to come in second despite suffering an early defeat to SIM Team A, which relegated them to the losers’ pool. SIM Team A, from the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), was eventually crowned champion, a s t he y beat t he Ba sketba l l Freakos 13-10 in the finals of the competition. The event, held on February 22nd, was a mixed 3-on-3 basketball invitational tournament organised by the Singapore Management University (SMU).

According to the rules of the competition, one girl was required to be on the court at all times. “It was disadvantageous for me to attack against the quicker and taller guys, so my attacking options were limited, but I tried my best to help out in defence,” said Yap. The Basketball Freakos did not have an easy path to the finals as they stood on the brink of elimination after losing to SIM Team A in the first round. “After the loss, some of my team mates were quite demoralised. They were thinking that they would be out but as their captain, I encouraged them and tried to make them feel confident about the next game,” said Raymond Xu, 23, a second-year Accountancy student. He a lso demonst rated h is leadership on court, emerging as the top scorer for his team with points in a crucial 17-9 victory over SIM Team B, which earned them a place in the semi-finals. “It helped that we knew their playing style and they were quite tired because they went to the losers’ bracket before us and played a lot of games, so they did not have enough energy,” added Xu.

“The NTU team really showed their mettle to emerge as champions of the losers’ bracket and beat us to go to the finals.” Desmond Lim, Member of the SMU team that lost to the Basketball Freakos

The semi-finals against an SMU team proved to be a nail-biter as the Basketball Freakos came away with a narrow one-point victory despite being down by 7 points in the second half. “The NTU team really showed their mettle to emerge as champions of the losers’ bracket and beat us to go to the finals,” said Desmond Lim, a member of the SMU team that lost to the Basketball Freakos.

However, the team from NTU lost eventually to the bigger and more physical team from SIM in the finals by three points. “We wanted to go for the championship but it was still a very fun outing for us,” said Xu. T he Basketba ll Frea kos eventually walked away with $50 in cash and $80 worth of Ice Cold Beer vouchers while the champions won $100 in cash and $100 worth of vouchers. However, Xu felt that he had gained more than just cash and beer. “I didn’t really know the rest of my team mates before this and the event actually brought us together so we’ve become much closer since.” 16 teams from SMU, NT U, SIM and the National University of Singapore (NUS) took part in the mixed tournament, with three teams representing NTU. A lt houg h t he Ba s ke t ba l l Freakos were the only team from NTU to make it to the top three, the other NTU teams that lost to them in the earlier rounds stayed to support them in the finals. “We didn’t feel too disappointed to lose to them because they were the better team in terms of skill,”

AN INCH AWAY FROM VICTORY: 3 points made all the difference. PHOTO | COURTESY

said Aw Lay Hoon, 21, captain of the NTU women’s Inter-VarsityPolytechnic (IVP) basketball team and second-year student at the Nanyang Business School. Her team lost to the Basketball Freakos during the losers’ bracket stage. “I chose to stay because I wanted to suppor t my fellow school mates. That’s what having the NTU spirit is all about.”

Mohammad Fazly: Through the valley of death and back What exactly is it like to reach the brink of devastation? Mohammad Fazly tells Liyana Low there is nothing you can do but to just deal with it

ABOVE HIM ONLY SKY: Fazly will continue to face this world with incredible optimism and faith. PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG

MOHAMMAD Fazly is used to dealing with the word ‘cancer’. T he 21-yea r- old a spi r i ng physical education teacher was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2001, while still a student playing hockey at Raffles Institution. With the support of his family, coach, teachers and friends, however, he not only overcame the illness but was even selected to be a part of both the Under-15 and Under-21 national hockey teams. For steadfastly refusing to give up hockey while battling with cancer, he was nominated last year for the Singapore Sports Council Inspiration Awards by the Singapore Hockey Federation. People who find out about his battle with the disease later on typically react in a certain manner. “Usually people would ask me how old I am. When I tell them my age, they would then follow up by asking why I am not doing my National Service. Then when I tell them it was because I had cancer, some of them would think that I’m pulling their leg. They really couldn’t believe that I had cancer, they thought I was joking!” he said. But cancer is a thing of the past. Fazly has recovered and is now concentrating on doing well in his studies and excelling for the national team. Fazly admits that juggling studies with national team training is no easy feat. Travelling from school to training can be quite

tiring and his lessons end late in the evenings at times. “Sometimes, I feel really tired and I just feel like sleeping, but I guess discipline really matters if you want to do well.” As a national player, he has had many opportunities to travel overseas for competitions. The most memorable of which was in Da r w i n, Aust ra lia, where the national team played in the Arafura Games. “The team bonded very well. We understood each other better. We not only played hard as a team but also had fun as a team. We got second eventually, losing to Northern Territories by 2-0, but

“They would (ask) why I am not doing my NS ... when I tell them it was because I had cancer, some of them would think that I’m pulling their leg.” Mohammad Fazly, 21, National Institute of Education

I’ve learnt that I need to be well prepared, composed and mentally strong when playing at the level.” Fazly was also a player-cumcoach for the boys’ team during his time at Victoria Junior College. When asked about some of the challenges he faced, he explained, “Some of the players do not really respect you because they think that since you are of the same age as them, you don’t have the right to teach them what to do or what not to do.” “But I think it is important to slowly gain their trust. Be their friend, so that they would be enthusiastic about training and thus, more willing to listen to your instructions and advice.” Fazly recalls going into the finals of the National Schools “A” Division hockey competition and going against Raffles Junior College, one of the traditional powerhouses, as one of his biggest achievements as a player-coach. “In VJC, a lot of support was given to girls’ hockey. The guys got not much support in comparison, so it was really an achievement for us to go so far.” It looks like nothing can stop Fazly from achieving his goals in life. And the belief that helps him through everything? “You have to believe that everything happens for a reason. We may not see the reason at that moment, but when things happen, we just have to face it positively.”

Sports

He stared Death in the face, and emerged victorious Page 43

Vertical Horizon

RARING TO GO: Special Olympics Singapore athletes were among the most enthusiastic participants in National Vertical Marathon 2008. PHOTO | COURTESY

Fabian Ng sports editor

“BECAUSE it is there.” Geor ge Ma l lor y’s fa mou s r e spon se to t he que st ion of why he wanted to climb Mount Everest clearly resonated with the participants of this year’s National Vertical Marathon (NVM). Ong Kok Heng, a 36-year-old teacher taking part in his fourth

marathon, embodied this spirit. This time round, he was not alone. He was joined by his wife Lynn Chan in the Lover’s Challenge category. What made them unique was little Zachary Ong, their 13month-old son, following them to the summit. “We are not looking to break records, just a sense of personal accomplishment,” said Ong. “It is even greater to do this as a family, though Zachary was asleep

through the whole climb!” Held on March 2nd at Republic Plaza, the event saw a total of 1451 participants, a slight decrease from the previous year. “It was not due to a lack of applicants, but due to technical d i f f ic u lt ie s w it h t he on l i ne registration, we had to reject a substantial number of people,” said Aileen Wilopo, chairperson of the N V M 2008 organising committee. Smaller attendance notwithstanding, the introduction of a ne w side e ve nt c a l le d “A-maze” drew much interest from participants. “Pa r t icipa nt s have to get through an array of five stations and have the chance to win prizes, including three special jackpot prizes,” explained Wilopo. Toh Yi Jun, an 18-year-old Pioneer Junior College student, won one of the jackpot prizes by successfully matching the correct action to a randomly chosen card. He said, “I just did the silliest action to entertain the crowd, it

was great that I won the prize because of that!” Despite the novelt y of the “A - m a z e ” s i d e e v e n t , t h e participation rate was affected by the constant drizzle that marred the carnival atmosphere.

“We are not looking to break records, just a sense of personal accomplishment.” Ong Kok Heng, 36, Four-time National Vertical Marathon participant

However, the rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Special Olympics athletes, as a strong turn out was backed by energetic performances. “This event is a good exposure for those athletes functioning at average level to take part in a

mainstream event”, said Lau Kim Lan, 38, the sports manager for Special Olympics Singapore. “It functions as a confidence booster and encourages them to fulfil their potential.” One such athlete, Ahmad Salim Buang, echoed this sentiment. The 19-year-old was caught up in the atmosphere and declared, “I love it!” H i s mot h e r, 52-y e a r- old homemaker Kamsih Afandi, felt that the NVM was a good chance for her son to engage in healthy exercise and was pleased with the opportunity for special athletes to participate in such an event. Students from NTU were not left out as well, with a category reserved for NTU teams. Edw i n Ng, a second-yea r School of Materials Science and Engineering student, took part in his 5th N V M and emerged champion with his teammates in the NTU Team category. Tapping into his wealth of experience, Ng shared his winning formula. “It was simple, really. I just ran all the way up!”

Record-breaking effort to raise funds for needy students Cheryl Ong FUND Run ’08 successfully set a new Singapore record by having a total of 1,175 members take part in a 24-hour continuous relay of 100-metre laps. Only a single runner can be on the track at all times and no one is allowed to run two legs consecutively. Officials from the Singapore Book of Records presented Guestof-Honour A ssociate Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Professor Yow Kin Choong with a cer tif icate to commemorate the effort. The record will be featured in the 2008 issue of the Singapore Book of Records. The event made its debut on March 1st at *Scape Youth Park. The other Guest-of-Honour, NTU President Dr Su Guanning, flagged off the relay as the first runner at 1 pm. I nd iv idua l par t icipants included not only NTU students, but a lso st udent s f rom Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), who we r e i n for me d of t he e ve nt

through their school website. “Events of such a scale are a rarity and it sounded interesting as it is a record breaking event,” said Koh Yi Tian, 18, a student from HCI. Ja n ice A ng M i n Yue, 27, a member of t he public who participated in the race, felt that Fund Run ’08 is “a commendable effort” and a “fresh and creative approach” to raising funds. G o o d i e b a g s c on t a i n i n g vouchers from Ben and Jerry’s and Eng Wah were given to the runners as thank-you gifts for their efforts. Kenneth Chew, 22, Chairperson of the Student Fund Committee, said that this particular fundraiser incor porated a greater element of f u n compa red to traditional fundraisers like Flag Day. Instead of soliciting funds directly from the public, the main avenue of f unds comes from the sponsors for the Fund Run. The public is encouraged to participate in a more active way rather than the passive tradition of cash giving. The Singapore Totaliser Board

and the NTU Alumni Club are the two main cash sponsors for Fund Run. Other than giving $2,500 to Student Fund Committee for the event, the Singapore Totaliser Board also pledged 15 percent of the total donation collected, which includes the amount to be received from NTU Alumni Club. The NTU Alumni Club donates four dollars for each contact of an NTU undergraduate received. The Student Fund Committee is aiming for 1,500 contacts from the st udent population. They have about 700 contacts currently. “It is for a good cause and students have much to gain since being part of the NTU Alumni Club is one way of keeping in touch with the NTU family after graduation,” he said. Of the final amount received from Fund Run, thirty percent will be donated to the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled (MINDS), the external beneficiary adopted by Student Fund for this event. Last year, the Student Fund

gave out a total of 40 bursaries wor t h $1,0 0 0 each to needy students. An emergency grant is also set aside for immediate and urgent financial needs of

students who apply. To contribute your contacts, you can log on to the student fund website at: www.ntustudentsfund. com

FUND AND GAMES: NTU President Su Guanning got the ball rolling. PHOTO | COURTESY