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The perfect storm: Coming to NTU EDMUND LEE WITH the setting up of the Earth Observatory of Singapore in NTU, Southeast Asia can now act rather than react to natural disasters that threaten the region. The observatory will focus on earth science studies such as natural disasters. It will be set up in stages with the award of $150m from the National Research Foundation and the Ministry of Education. Founding director, Professor Kerry Sieh said that the setting up of the observatory is the “prime need” of the Southeast Asian region because little is known about the long-term implications natural disasters have for the region. As such, the region is ineffective in handling the problems brought by the natural disasters as it takes a “reactive” mode rather than being “proactive” in understanding the situation. Professor Sieh said: “Believe it or not, up till now no one has answers to how to tackle such dire issues posed by Nature. No one knows when the next significant
volcanic eruptions and earthquakes will hit. “Unbelievable, we got this potential dragon in our backyard and we know nothing about it.” The purpose of the observatory is to be proactive in its approach by stepping up processes to forecast both immediate and longterm dangers that nature poses to the region. With the findings, Southeast Asian communities will be in a better position to handle whatever risks nature brings. Also, the observatory is looking into the possibility of partnering with the different faculties. It intends to work with the School of Computer Engineering to source out new ways of detecting earthquakes as well as the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies to analyse what the findings of the observatory mean for Southeast Asia. President of NTU, Dr Su Guaning said: “NTU’s established strengths in related fields such as earthquake engineering make us a natural home for research in earth science. We are excited to welcome
a dream team of scientists here, to lead the observatory and help establish Singapore as the foremost authority in earth science.” The “dream team” consists of three world-renowned scientists. Aside from Professor Kerry Sieh, who is from the California Institute of Technology, is a leading authority in the field of volcanology and earthquakes.
and the geologist who created the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) which measures the magnitude of volcanic eruptions. The observatory is expected to attract other top-notch experts in various fields of earth science to contribute to understanding and addressing many of the environmental threats.
As the number of faculty members increases, NTU is also looking into the possibility of offering a new post-graduate programme in earth science, which may commence in the later half of 2009. Dr Su said: “In our view, this is a spark which helps the university to develop to greater heights.”
Unbelievable, we got this potential dragon in our backyard... Professor Kerry Sieh Founding Director Earth Observatory of Singapore at NTU
The team also includes Professor Paul Tapponnier, a leading neotectonicist in University of Paris, as well as Chris Newhall, an Affiliate Professor of the University of Washington
UNDERSTANDING NATURAL DISASTERS: The Earth Observatory of Singapore in NTU intends to find new ways of detecting natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina. PHOTO | COURTESY
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Single room hall fees to go up To cope with rising costs, hall rental fees will be increasing for all single rooms and air-conditioned double rooms
Hall Rental fees adjustments Hall of Residence
1&2
Cheryl Ong news editor
SINGLE room hall residents must soon tighten their belts, as the cost of staying in their rooms will rise with the start of the next academic year. While hall fees for single rooms across all the Halls of Residence on campus have experienced an increase of between $10 to $30, the rates for all double rooms remained the same except for Halls 3 and 16. According to an email from the Student Affairs Office addressed to hall residents on March 19th, the fee adjustments were made to cope with the the increasing costs of maintaining the halls and their facilities. The Singapore Department of Statistics stated that, in February this year, inflation rose by 6.5 per cent. Furthermore, the email stated that Halls 3 and 16 faced higher increases in hall fees as they are air-conditioned and have lifts that serve every floor. Hence, charging more to stay in these halls will not only “reflect the operating costs involved” but will be a matter of “better equitability”.
3 & 16 4, 5, 6 & 7 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 Neither the Student Affairs Office nor the dean of students, Associate Professor Lok Tat Seng, could give more details by press time. However, the Chronicle understands that the decision to raise hall fees was made more than a year ago, but in view of the
“It’s a reasonable increase, compared to the price of renting a flat in Jurong.” Lionel Loh, 23 Hall 2 Resident
room Current rate new rate Single Double Single Double Single Double Single Double
$210 $155 $250 $190 $195 $155 $200 $160
Goods and Services Tax hike then, it was postponed. A discussion with presidents of the Halls of Residence revealed as well that the University sought to minimise the impact of the increase by keeping the double room rental fees unchanged, since at least 80 per cent of hall residents stay in such rooms. The hike for all single rooms has made them less appealing to Hall 6 resident Sheralyn Hu, 20, who said she would not apply for one if they get more expensive. However, t he genera l consensus among hall residents is a reluctant acceptance of the fee adjustments. “It’s a reasonable increase, compared to the price of renting a
$230 No Change $280 $200 $215 No Change $220 No Change flat in Jurong which doesn’t have the same facilities [as offered by the halls],” said Hall 2 resident Lionel Loh, 23. For him, a single room is a privilege which should be reflected by how much it costs as well. Hall 3 resident Valmond Tang, 24, believes that students will still apply for hall admission despite the increase, to avoid the hassle of travelling from home every day. Also, Hall 2 resident Elizabeth Leung, 20, despite her misgivings, thinks single rooms are attractive even though they will be more expensive. “I’d still apply because of the privacy you can get,” she said. “You won’t feel as restricted if you’re staying alone in the room.”
Triple-sharing proposal still a maybe Teo Wan Gek assistant news editor
PROPOSAL PENDING: Now feedback has been gathered, the proposal for the triplesharing rooms will be considered by committee PHOTO | FILE
REPORTS of the death of the triple sharing scheme are premature. Following an e-mail sent out by some hall presidents, many students — and even the national media — have picked up the idea that the proposal has been shelved. Yet the proposal has not yet even been considered by the university authorities. Hence they are gather ing feedback from students to help make a decision. T he h a l l pr e s ide nt s s a y they got the idea that the plans would be scrapped after reports from a meeting last Sunday by the Students’ Union president, Choudhury Anshuman Das, 21, with the dean, Associate Professor Lok Tat Seng. In the meeting, they said Prof Lok assured Das he would make the students’ worries about the proposal known to the committee which will make a final decision. The SU was representing the 16 Junior Common Room Committees
(JCRCs) and the Union Council. The Council comprises the 19 members from the academic and non-academic constituent clubs. Das presented Prof Lok with survey results collected through the Edventure system and made a firm stand against the triplesharing proposal. The survey showed that 80 per cent of some 1,800 students polled opted for “Comfort”—which was elaborated as “No to triple-sharing & less number of space available for seniors”. Das said: “This is the first time all three student leader groups have combined in saying ‘no’, so we urged him to take this into serious consideration.” A hall accommodation officer from the Student Affairs Office has clarified that the “triple-sharing room concept is still at the proposal stage” and the University is still engaging “stakeholders, in this case, students, in discussion and to seek their feedback.” “A formal recommendation Continued on page 3
news flash IRAQ EXTENDED DEADLINE BY 10 days for militias fighting troops in the southern city of Basra to hand over weapons last Friday. THE EAST TIMOR PRESIDENT criticised Australian-led forces last friday for failing to capture rebels who shot him. TWO PAKISTANI SECRET AGENTS who were involved in tracking alQaeda suspects, were shot dead in Karachi, police said last Friday. BRITISH AIRWAYS WAS FORCED to cancel 20 percent of flights last Friday from Heathrow airport’s new 4.3-billion-pound terminal as it struggled to get back on track after a disastrous first day. THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT ON Friday decided to begin recalling dioxin-tainted mozzarella from the market after the European Commission warned it could follow Japan and South Korea’s lead in imposing an import ban on the cheese. AS THE PHILIPPINES SCRAMBLES to boost it s rice supply, the government has come up with a conservation programme that will discourage wastage of the country’s staple, it was announced last Friday. THE EMBATTLED MALAYSIAN Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, has until December to secure his position in his party UMNO. COMFORT DELGRO HAS SET itself a new target of achieving 70 percent of its annual turnover from overseas operations within the next five to seven years. SINGAPOREAN CONSUMERS are going to have pay more for their NETS CashCard come May, as it will include the cost of the CashCard as well.
correction “TUition fees hike, but not for current students” (Vol 14 No 8, page 1) It was misstated that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike was one of the factors that contributed to the tuition fee increases. It should have been general cost increases, which can include taxes, but not the GST. The increase in GST was absorbed by the government. We apologise for the error.
“ROCk fest strikes the right chord” (Vol 14 No 9, page 9) It was misstated that Muhammad Syairazi was the president of the Cultural Activities Club. It should have been David Lee. We apologise for the error.
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NTU thanks donors for $200m raised Joan Chew SECOND-year Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student Daemon Aw, 24, used to take up four tuition assignments to pay for his school bills. And that, he said, was “all gone at the click of the mouse when paying for the student E-bill”. But that changed for Aw when he received $3,000 from the Lee Foundation Bursary last semester, which he said helped paid for hostel accommodation and tuition fees. “I’m [also] heavily involved in CCAs in school, so my results are a roller coaster ride. If not for this bursary, I would still be giving tuition this semester,” he said. T he fou nd at ion wa s one of some 1,400 donors that the University wanted to honour at the appreciation dinner held at Shangri-La Hotel on March 13th. T he d i n ner was mea nt to com me mor ate t he N T U 21st Century Fund meeting its target of $200m four years ahead of schedule. The fund was launched in an effort to provide financial support for the University’s undertakings in research, assist financially disadvantaged students, and pay for bursaries for top students. G ue s t- of-honou r a nd t he
University’s chancellor, President S.R. Nathan, presented tokens of appreciation to donors who had contributed more than $1m. Singer Stefanie Sun, an NTU alumna, was the guest performer for the night. The campaign was matched dollar-for-dollar in donations from the government. Ca l l i ng it “a t r emendou s achievement”, the chairman of the fundraising committee, Mr Ch’ng Jit Koon, thanked donors at the dinner for “sharing so generously in our vision of what NTU can achieve as a university”. Since its launch in June 2001, the fund has enabled more than 60 awards of excellence, eight professor sh ips a nd 16 f u nds for ca mpu s i n it iat ives to be established. In addition, it helped to fund more than 40 scholarships and bursaries. Mr Ch’ng said in his speech at the dinner: “Ever y bursar y provided means that one able student will have his financial worries lifted, and he or she can concentrate on being his or her best as a student.” T he su m r a i sed , sa id t he Universit y’s president, Dr Su Guaning, will ultimately benefit students by funding initiatives that can transform teaching and learning here.
THANK YOU: President SR Nathan, who is also NTU’s Chancellor, presents a token of appreciation to representatives of the Lee Foundation, which contributed more than $15m to the 21st Century Fund. PHOTO | SZE JIAMIN
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Proposal for bunk beds not on the shelf will be made and this will be taken through due process of approval,” the officer said. “It is premature to speculate on the outcome at this point.” T h e f i n a l d e c i s ion , h a l l presidents told the Chronicle, will only be made on April 25th when the Dean of Students discusses the proposal at another meeting. This which was supposed to have taken place on Wednesday but was postponed.
“This is the first time all three student leader groups have combined and said no.” Students’ Union president Choudhury Anshuman Das
T h e h a l l pr e s id e nt s h ad previously appealed to residents via e-mail to wear black to school on Tuesday, March 25th, to “voice out your personal opinions against triple room sharing.” However, they decided not to go ahead with the event after learning from Das that Professor
Lok would speak up for them against the proposal, the hall presidents said. The cancellation of the event was then promptly sent through e-mails and MSN. “We felt that our objective [of encouraging residents to voice out their own opinion] had been met, therefore there was no need to do something that extreme,” said Hall 8 President Kerry He, 24. However, in some of the e-mails and MSN messages sent out by the hall presidents on Sunday and Monday, it was written that there would be “no more triple rooms.” But they realised later on Tuesday’s meeting with the dean that the Student Affairs Office could only offer their “strong recommendations” to illustrate the student leaders’ stand, as they are not the sole decision makers regarding this issue. This could be one of the reason why Channel NewsAsia mistakenly reported that the dean “had assured them [the hall presidents] that the plan will not go ahead.” The hall presidents had since issued a joint statement saying: “We should not have been so absolute in our messages.” T h e r e a s on s b e h i n d t h e proposal are varied. First, there is a need for more beds on campus, but the government has asked for non-essential building plans to be
delayed. Second, the triple rooms would give students a cheaper option to stay on campus. And third, other alternatives such as living off campus would be very expensive as rentals are high at the moment.
“It is premature to speculate on the outcome at this point in time” Hall accommodation officer Student Affairs Office
The 16 hall presidents have earlier submitted an alternative proposa l t hat suppor ted offcampus accommodation instead of triple rooms. Hall 11 president, Neo Shu Fang, 20, said the Universit y could look into further publicising the off-campus accommodation option as though it was more e x pen sive, t her e a r e mor e amenities “When you’re staying outside of campus, there’s a kitchen and other facilities that you can enjoy, and it is more private too, that’s why the cost is much higher,” she said.
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Low turnout, few voices at forum JAYESH KANNAN FEWER than 30 students turned up at the feedback session organised by the Students’ Union, despite publicity that included posters and mass emails. Held on March 24th, the Union initiative, called “U Voice Out”, hoped to address queries and concerns students have regarding university life. However many of those who did turn up chose to remain quiet
and not ask questions. And of those who did speak up, many were final-year students, such as Wilfred Lim, 25. “The new proposals may not affect me directly but it would def i n itely af fec t my ju n ior s at N T U,” said Lim, a four thyear Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student. T he Un ion’s pr e s ide nt , C houd hu r y A n shu m a n Da s , believed that the heav y rains and the approaching exams were
reasons for the low turnout. The fi rst feedback session was initiated last semester, and had a turnout of about 50 students, also far below the initial expectations of the Union. The president, however, is not giving up. “By organising such sessions, we are providing a platform for students to come and voice out their opinions,” he said. “We hope that students would take advantage of this and engage with us.”
KEY ISSUES DISCUSSED TRIPLE-SHARING ROOMS The Union and the 16 Hall Junior Common Room Committees (JCRC) said that they were against the triple room proposal “in spirit”. They believe that the disadvantages of this policy outweighed its possible benefits. Discussions on the triple-sharing rooms proposal are still on-going.
CAR PARK While the Union said a deadlock on the issue of car park charges in various parts of the campus, including the 16 Halls of Residence, continues, the new car park fee system would be put in place this December. “Negotiations with the Office of Facilities and Planning Management are going on,” said the Union’s Human Resource Executive Samuel Chee. SATISFACTORY/UNSATISFACTORY OPTION The results of a recently held survey on Edventure were announced. Of the over 1800 respondents, a clear 70% voted to allow students to exercise their option after declaration of results. This is similar to the system that the National University of Singapore has adopted. The Union said it was open to alternatives as this matter is still in the proposal stage. UNION INITIATIVES An entertainment hub at the Student Activities Centre will be set up by the end of August. The Union president said that the lounge, equipped with a gaming centre, foosball and pool tables, as well as a TV lounge would be opened.
FEEDBACK FORUM FAILS TO GET STUDENTS RESPONDING: Rows of empty lecture theatre chairs and incompleted feedback forms were a sign of the poor turnout at the Students’ Union organised feedback session. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE
NTU’s quick fix for SMU search glitch JUNAINI JOHARI A QUIRK of NTU’s search engine advertising surprised students who googled for “SMU Singapore” to find information on Singapore Management University. Alongside the usual search results they also found sponsored links to NTU’s website – but they were under the headline “SMU Singapore”. NTU quickly sorted out the issue, which happened just before Easter, but not before it had raised some eyebrows in cyberspace. Wit h Goog le Ad sea rch , buying certain keywords allows a company’s advertisement to appear next to the search results, under the line “Sponsored Links”. However, one feature of Google Adsearch, known as dynamic ad copy, can automatically change the title of an advert into the search terms of a user. Hence the search
term “SMU Singapore” became the headline of an ad for NTU. T hat i s cont rol led by a n algorithm, so it does not happen all the time. Hence the university was surprised when it heard about the issue at 5pm on Thursday 20th February. The chief information officer looked into the matter and at 8pm the university contacted the advertising agency, Saatchi Lab, to find out what had happened. By 10.30pm that night, the dynamic ad copy feature had been disabled. The university monitored the site throughout the night to ensure it did not happen again, and then contacted SMU the next day to clarify what had happened. Netizens were quick to react, though. One SMU student raised the issue on his blog ht t p:// uniquefrequency.wordpress.com, and it was picked up by bloggers a nd posted onto sg _ lje r s , a Singaporean online community.
It sparked a lively debate among net izens. Some, such a s x f a l le n s t a r sx , e x pr e s se d scepticism, saying that “it might give the wrong impression with regards to the school,” while others preferred to give NTU the benefit of the doubt, saying that it was most likely a glitch. Several people also wrote saying “Relax, it’s just dynamic ad copy.” Mr Patrick Ang, Head Marketing Communications at NTU, said: “It was not a mistake on anybody’s part but was simply a feature of the Google search system.” M s Ji l lian A ng, assistant manager of SM U’s Cor porate Com mu n icat ion De pa r t me nt confirmed this. “The issue was resolved the next day. It was settled quickly and was not blown out of proportion. I think most of the people who knew about it were from the online community only.”
An Industrial Attachment (IA) feedback system was also discussed. The Union revealed its plans to introduce this system to help address any problems that students on attachment might face. As part of its green initiative, a water audit system will be held in the Halls of Residence sometime early next semester. A collaboration with the Public Utilities Board, it would help decrease water wastage on campus.
CAO ad
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A dream that was powered by the sun Koh Jing Jing A SOLAR-POWERED car made by a team of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (M AE) students will get its day in the sun, when it enters a Japanese solarpowered cars racing competition this August. The black, futuristic-looking, car, named Ecofronture, uses solar cells placed on top of it to capture and convert sunlight into usable energy, in place of fuel. The students will enter their car in the Dream Cup Solar Car Race in Japan, an eight-hour-long endurance race around a course 5.81km long. The Dream Cup was the first solar car race in the world to be held at an international race circuit in Suzuka, Japan when it launched in 1992. “This race is not about winning but about getting valuable overseas exposure for our students,” said Assistant Professor David Butler, one of the team’s advisors. While Ecofronture has not been put to the test yet, the team estimates its top speed at 100km per hour, and that it can run for 3 and a half hours on batteries. The assembled vehicle was displayed at the Quad on March 25th as part of a campaign to
raise awareness of solar power. Earthlink, an environmental club in NTU, helped organise the event. The road to success was not all smooth for the students. Originally a final-year project by an earlier team in 2006, financial and manufacturing challenges forced them to pass on the baton to the current second generation of final-year project students. “T he lear ning cur ve is tremendous,” said Vince Chan, 23, leader of the current team. “The emotional attachment we felt for the project [led to] frequent late nights while doing the project.” Assistant Professor John Heng, another of the team’s advisors, said: “More than a ny t h i ng, t he se st udent s gained valuable insights on teamwork, cooperation and the project brought out the best of characters in them.” While the increasing price of oil has brought eco-friendly v e h i c le s l i k e h y d r o ge n powered cars into the limelight, Professor Tek Seang, who is also an advisor, said solar-powered cars are still not feasible for mass production due to the cost of manufacturing them and their functionality.
Bridging schools beyond Singapore
A LINK BETWEEN THE COUNTRIES: Principals from both Singaporean and Malaysian schools join hands in a sign of solidarity at the end of the initiative to foster closer educational ties. PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE
Chen Jingting
I n st it ute of Educat ion ( NIE ) and Institut Aminuddin Baki of Malaysia, the programme was conducted from March 13th to 20th. A lt houg h t he progr a m me lasted only a week, NIE Director Professor Lee Sing Kong urged the principals to “continue the bridges you have built.” H e e d i n g P r of e s s or L e e’s call, Northland Primary School Principal Mrs Lim Kian Huat is collaborating with two Malaysian principals to enable their students to correspond with one another by snail mail and electronic mail. “Our students can improve
their language and communication skills, and learn more about one another’s culture at the same time,” said Mrs Lim. Likewise, the pr incipal of North Vista Secondary School, Mr Lim Lai Chuan, will organise educational trips to Malaysia for his students, by enlisting the help of principals there to find suitable places to visit. P r om i s i n g mor e of s uc h collaborative programmes, the associate dean of leader sh ip programmes at NIE, Assistant Professor David Ng, said that an initiative with the United Kingdom will be launched this November.
New HSS library opened
have written. Mr Chia Yew Boon, head of the library, said: “The HSS library can be a hub for intellectual activities to facilitate interaction between students and faculty members. It should be student-centric to cater to their intellectual needs.” The new library houses from 15 to 20 computer terminals and more reading areas have been added to provide a better studying environment for students. And the new library welcome students from all faculties, said the associate dean of HSS, Professor Kwok Kian Woon He said: “HSS aims to change the intellectual climate in NTU, hence this new library should not be exclusively for HSS students. “Students from other faculties can also pick up information that will prove to be useful in t heir pedagog y and lear ning experiences.”
Learning is not just for students, but principals as well. For one week, 30 principals from Singapore and Malaysia got to learn from one another about promoting innovation and better management of their schools. In the inaugural Building Educational Bridges: Innovation for School Leadership Programme, the principals visited schools in both countries and shared about challenges they face, such as how to engage students in more effective learning. Co-funded by the National
Maybeline Yew
AT THE FRONTIER OF SOLAR-POWERED TECHNOLOGY: The Ecofronture team poses proudly with the product of their hard work and toil. PHOTO | COURTESY
STUDENTS and staff can now enjoy more facilities and books with the opening of another Humanities and Social Science (HSS) Library on March 24th. In order to meet the learning and research needs of the growing faculty population, the HSS library committee has relocated English books to the new library at south spine to make room for a greater number of books, journals and teaching resources. The current HSS library on the other hand, has been renamed as the Chinese Library to house Chinese books, thus catering to the needs of students who are interested in Chinese literature and works.
As HSS is a relatively new faculty in NTU, the addition of this new library will ensure the library collection is constantly updated to keep up with rigorous curriculum changes in HSS said Professor Kwok Kian Woon, associate dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science. A third-year sociology student, Clara Ong, 21, said: “With the Chinese books separated, more room will be available for books for other disciplines which is sorely in need of a greater variety reference books for some of its modules.” Not only does the new library serve to provide an alternative space for more books and journals, i t a l s o e nc ou r a ge s s t u d e nt participation by putting on display journals, poems and articles they
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Taking the lead in water technologies NTU launches a new institute for research into water purification and its uses in the urban environment Koh Si Hui TO H E L P Si ngapore a nd it s neighbouring countries meet the ever-increasing demands for water, N T U has launched a n i nst it ute gea red towa rd s developing new environmental and water technologies. T he Un iver sit y of f icia l ly launched the Nanyang Environment and Water Research Instit ute (N EW R I) on March 19th at the Nanyang Executive Centre. Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim launched the institute and two new centres under the institute’s banner—the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre a nd t he DH I-N T U Wate r & Environment Research Centre and Education Hub. These centres study f undamenta l and applied membrane technology as well as urban environmental issues. De s c r i bi ng t he i n s t it ute as an “eco-system of centres and institutes”, Dr Yaacob said there would be more chances for research and industry partners
LEADING THE PACK: NTU’s new institute will serve as a platform for scientists looking into water technologies. PHOTO | CHEN WEI LI
to c ol lab or ate i n—f r om t he development of technology and its uses, to education. One r e sea r c h appl icat ion
t he i n s t it ute i s s t ud y i ng i s biogranulation technology, which uses microorganisms to remove impurities in sewage water.
“[This] is one such cutting edge technology that we take a lot of pride in,” said the institute’s founding execut ive director,
Professor Ng Wun Jern. “It can be applied to wastewater reclamation and seeks to replace the bulky sludge systems.” P r ofe s sor A nt hony Fa ne , director of the membrane centre, said the latest projects in the centre include using solar energy to distil water for drinking, and a system to monitor water treatment plants. The centre has a total budget of $27m over a five-year period. The DHI-NTU centre, headed by Mr Jesper Dorge, will have a budget of about $43m over five years. At the launch, Dr Yaacob also presented three new environmental and water technologies postgraduate scholarships to NTU students. T he Nat iona l Resea rch Foundation (Environmental and Water Technologies) has committed $30m over five years to such scholarships in hopes of getting more researchers involved in the technology sector. T he recipient s of t he postdoctoral scholarships at the launch, Mr Winson Lay and Mr Shi Jing Sheng, are currently pursuing their doctorates at NTU. The scholarship’s third recipient was Miss Sri Hernani, who is studying for a master’s degree in environmental engineering. Mr Lay said: “Receiving the scholarship is like a gateway to making a positive difference in the water and environmental industry.”
Students battle it out, American Idol-style Raymond Chua GIVING an American Idol twist to an other wise conventional presentation competition, a group of engineering students conjured up “Present! Your Skill!”, held on March 14th at LT19A. The competition, organised by the NTU student section of the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET-NTU), featured a pa ne l of judges i nc lud i ng professors from the College of Engineering and a former winner of “Present Around the World”. Besides awarding points, they also gave their comments on each presenter. But aud iences hopi ng for caustic remarks, made infamous by Simon Cowell in American Idol, were disappointed. The contestants were mainly t r eated to d iplomat ic a nd encouraging comments from the judges. A s s o c i a t e P r of e s s or I a n McLoughlin, one of the judges, praised an engineering student for presenting his topic like a business sales pitch despite its technical nature and encouraged him to stay in the engineering field—which he said needed more eloquent speakers.
However, like the famous singing competition, the audience were still able to vote for their favourite speaker. Their support for me d 3 0 p e r c e nt of t h e contestant’s final score. T he i naug u r a l e vent wa s inspired by “Present Around The World”, a short papers presentation competition organised by the institute on the national, regional and international levels. Presenters had ten minutes to present on any topic related to science and technology. Most of the contestants used content from their school projects or industrial attachment knowledge and one student even introduced technology from a company he set up. “Our intention is to cultivate
“We want to see NTU’s best and brightest stndents showcase their work.” A/P Ian McLoughlin Judge for Present! Your Skill!
good presentation skills and spice things up with the improvised format,” said Seet Qi Yao, 23, vice president of IET-NTU, on the decision to present the competition in this format. Liu Shiyu, 22, a third-year M e c h a n ic a l a nd A e r o s p ac e Engineering student beat seven other contestants with a delivery of his URECA (Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus) project on retractable roofs. H i s s p e e c h i nc or p or ate d simu lat ions and a protot y pe demonstration. “To bring across interesting ideas to people, I learnt that passion for the project is very important,” said Liu, who also said he intends to enter “Present Around the World” in April. Such a confidence boost is exactly what the event hoped to achieve, said the organisers and judges. “T h is is a n e xcel lent career-enhancing move for the participants and an opportunity to build their self-esteem,” said Professor McLoughlin. “We want to see NTU’s best and brightest students showcase their work to their peers in school, and hopefully on the global stage too.”
PRESENTATION IDOL: Liu Shiyu (above), wowed the judges with his delivery on retractable roofs, with a scale model and simulations. PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI
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From dropouts to university Elizabeth Soh NINE years ago, nobody would have expected Electr ical and Electronic Engineering students Shawn Koh, Gabriel Ooi, and Kenneth Ng to make it far in life, much less gain entry into university. T he y had d ropped out of secondar y school and none of the government schools wanted anything to do with them. Ooi, 24, who was studying in a Malaysian high school, quit because he was unable to keep up in class. “Eve r y t h i ng wa s i n t he textbooks, which was so hard,” he said. “I felt like I could only learn through actually experiencing and touching.” Ng, 26, who’d just dropped out of Rangoon Secondary, had been, in his own admission, a “bad egg”. “I mixed around with bad company,” he said, sheepishly. “My gang of friends all stayed around my neighborhood, so everyday I would join them and just gui hun (fool around).”
“It was so tough in the beginning. I would never have made it if it hadn’t been for the support of my teachers at Assumption Vocational Institute.” Shawn Koh, 20 Formely a school dropout, and now a second-year Electrical Engineering Student
The months after that were difficult ones for the boys, who faced ridicule from others and were constantly the cause of unhappiness in their families. “It was particularly bad during Chinese New Year,” remembered Koh. “There was so much of a social stigma attached to being a dropout, and I was embarrassed to face all my relatives.” “My parents nearly got divorced because of all the fights they were having over me,” said Ooi. “ I felt like I was just trouble.” Ng’s parents were so anxious for him to turn over a new leaf t hat t hey moved into a new neighbourhood. The turning point for the three of them came when their parents enrolled them in the Assumption Vocational Institution (AVI), which is part of a non-profit Catholic organisation that takes in boys
between 11 and 18 years of age, who come from troubled backgrounds. At the institution, the boys received vocational training, at tended mot ivat iona l programmes, and received counselling. It was there, they said, where they were given a second chance to succeed academically. “It was so tough in the beginning,” Koh, the quietest of the group, said softly. “I would never have made it if it hadn’t been for the support of my teachers at AVI.” All three credited their success to the unwavering faith their teachers at the institute had in them, despite the lack of confidence they had in themselves. “One of my teachers, Mrs Mah, encouraged me to keep up by going for night classes. I was initially reluctant, but she was determined to make me go, and it benefited me so much later,” said Ooi. “Yes, even back then, we had so little confidence that we would make it,” agreed Ng. “Then, if you had told me I would go to poly, I would have called you crazy!” This statement prompted loud laughs from his friends, who nodded their heads in agreement. By all accounts, though, the three have certainly done well. All scored a string of d i st i nc t ion s du r i ng t hei r studies in polytechnic and received numerous prizes, including the Lee Kuan Yew STEP Award and Lim Boon Seng Scholarship. They remain close friends till today. Ng and Ooi share a double room in Hall 12, where Koh occasionally stays over. They take nightly jogs together, attend lessons together, and study together. “We study very hard,” says Ooi, grinning. “We’ve already made it so far, so we die-die must pia (push) all the way.” But for the rest of the time, they are still students who experience the same dilemmas we all do every day of our lives, as they argue over whether or not they should head down to Jurong Point for dinner. But when asked what was the most important thing they had learnt in taking the road less travelled to university, their expressions turn serious as if in deep thought. “There is a Chinese saying that a minute of time is as valuable as a tael of gold, but even if you had a tael of gold, you wouldn’t be able to buy back a minute of time. We wasted so much time when we were younger, but now, we make sure that we live meaningfully, so not even a second is gone to waste,” concluded Ng.
OVERCOMING THE ODDS: Shawn Koh, Gabriel Ooi and Kenneth Ng have managed to further their education despite the difficulties they encountered along the way. PHOTO | ZOE LIM
ADM students welcome new shuttle bus stop Jayesh Kannan BEGINNING early March, students and staff from the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) no longer need to walk to Canteen 2 or A to take a shuttle bus that plies route A. This was because a new bus stop has begun operation outside the school on Tuesday, March 11, almost three years after the school first began operations in July 2005. Although there is a bus stop across the road from the school, it only serves shuttle buses plying route B and SBS service 199. The demand for shuttle buses serving route A, said students’ services executive of the Students’ Union, Lim Si Wei, is higher as many ADM students have their classes at South Spine S3 where shuttle bus B does not go. “The request was raised by the students of ADM through the ADM Student Club Management Committee,” said Lim, 22. T he Un ion suppor ted t he proposal and raised it to the Office of Facilities & Planning Management for approval. T he f i na l pr opos a l wa s approved by the Office of Facilities and Planning Management on the condition that if needed, the operating hours of the shuttle bus stop would be limited to after
BETTER LATE THAN NEVER: The shuttle bus stop at the School of Art, Design and Media arrived three years after the school was opened, but students appreciate the fact that they can reach school more conveniently. PHOTO | GERALDINE KANG
2.30pm—the per iod when the demand for the bus stop peaks. A f irst-year A DM student, George James Parel, 22, is delighted by the move. “I think it is a good move because half of my lessons are at S3 and I have to regularly travel back and forth, at least three times a week.” Despite the lack of shelter, Parel said: “I’d rather walk 25 steps to a non-sheltered bus stop than 250 metres to a sheltered one in the rain, especially when I am carrying my drawings.” The Union is also looking into improving shelter for all bus stops, ensuring proper bus bays to reduce congestion and extend the 179 &
179A service to bus stops like the School of Biological Sciences. However it is unlikely that approval for public buses to stop there will be given for now. The bus stop, which has neither a shelter nor a bus bay, can lead to traffic problems and congestion along the busy Nanyang Drive especially during peak hours.
Currently all public bus stops in NTU have a shelter and most have a bus bay. “Based on feedback I received so far, ADM students are quite pleased with the new shuttle bus stop, as travelling to and fro school for lessons has become much more convenient now,” said the students’ services executive, Lim.
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Taking learning beyond the classroom Shereen Syariff W H I L E most undergraduates in N T U spent the last twelve weeks rushing through essays and tutorials, 20 students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) were looking for perfect yoga locations, managing and organizing Yoga By The Water, an event put together to commemorate World Water day. As part of an event management module, the practicum students worked with the Public Utilities Board (PU B) to organise t he inaugural event, held at Upper Pierce Reservoir on March 22nd. T he event received an overwhelming response especially by readers of PURE magazine – a free street magazine by PUB, the national water agency. It aimed to create awareness of water issues in Singapore by getting Singaporeans to share their thoughts on keeping Singapore’s waters clean. Yoga B y T he Wate r s aw approximately 200 participants of all ages practising selected yoga positions by the water including
YOGA BY THE WATER: Yoga fans gather to commemorate World Water Day. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR
‘the dog’ and ‘the crocodile’. They included young children , undergraduates , working adults and even the older generation all of whom sacrificed their sleep just to practice yoga at 8.30 am. The event was an effort by PUB,
not only to celebrate World Water Day, but also to mark the first anniversary of PURE Magazine while creating an awareness of water issues in Singapore by bringing people and water closer together.
NTU openhouse
A l s o on t he a ge nd a wa s inducting five Singaporeans who had done their part to ensure the cleanliness of Singapore’s waters to be ‘Friends of Water’. Guest of Honour, Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, was on hand to present hampers to the new ‘Friends of Water’ “It’s a lot of work! Right from the first day, we were warned if you can’t cope, to drop the module,” said student organiser Grace Ho, 23, a final year student. The students worked in groups of 4 to 5 people to facilitate the efficiency of their work. Such groups included media relations and logistics. Each group had a mentor from PUB to guide them along the way. “ I’m sure many of them couldn’t sleep the night before. PUB being the more experienced one helped out, but the students themselves are really experienced,” said Mr Yap Kheng Guan, Director of the 3P Network Department “I’m in the Public Relations team so it’s been quite hectic. It’s been really difficult as well. Like you have to invite them not too early , and although a lot of people
DESPITE a fall during one of the performances that shocked audiences, this year’s Joint Dance Concer t held in the Nanyang Aud itor iu m d rew favou rable opinions from the audience with its vibrant and diverse dance styles. Organised by the NTU Cultural Activities Club, guest performers were invited to participate in the concert alongside all the various dance groups in NTU.
“They reminded me that dance is not all about technique but it is about having fun as well.”
NTU OPENED its gates to the public on March 8th, giving prospective students and their parents a look at the University’s offerings. The Open House attracted more than 10,000 visitors, and many were impressed by the welcome they got from student ambassadors, who answered queries about courses and campus life.“The people here are friendly,” said a prospective student, Amelia Azmi, 19. “I like the lively atmosphere.” “It was very helpful to me,” said Mr Ho Ting Hor, 46, a parent.“ The event was quite informative and well-organised.” This year also marked the second time the Students’ Union helped organise side activities such as a lion dance, band performances, and a carnival. Text | Jeanette Tan
“It’s a lot of work! Right from the first day, we were warned if you can’t cope, to drop the module.” Grace Ho, 23 Student Organiser of Yoga By The Water
The show goes on despite a fall Beatrice Mok
PHOTO | ZOE LIM
responded , some don’t turn up,” said Alexa Hann, 21, an exchange student from Germany. She added that she had to constantly call various media groups in order to ensure maximum publicity for the event. “It’s been quite crazy, especially for us handling the media. In class, we go through all aspects of the message and event and we’re putting into practice what we learnt in class” said Bulelna Makina, 25, a final-year student.
William Oo, 23 Dancesport Academy President
Zhonghua Primary, Bhangra ( a n e x te r na l P u njabi d a nce association), and Flaminco (a troupe which performs Spanish dances) were amongst the invited guest performers. Many inter v iewed said this year’s concer t was a big improvement in ter ms of the performances and audience turnout compared to the previous years. A participant in the Chinese dance, Wong Qianling, 19, said that the performances was far
better than what the performers had expected. The president of Dancesport Academy, a NTU dance club for competitive ballroom dancing, William Oo, 23, agreed. “The joint dance concert was much better this year as there was more rehearsal time, the venue was closer to NTU, and there were better performers this year,” he said. The performers were able to fit in more rehearsal slots and spend less time on travelling, since the venue was on campus. A lt houg h t he c r owd wa s impressed with the concert, a fall during a performance by the four-man Bhangra group while the dancers were swinging their partners in the air shocked the audience. However, he recovered and the show went on. A first-year Materials Science and Engineering student, Sim Yuan Ping, 21, said: “The fall of the Bhangra dancer shocked the audience as it was completely unexpected.” The performance that stole the limelight for the concert was the performance put up by the dancers from Zhonghua Primary School. T he young per for mer s entertained the audience with their adorable steps T he Da ncespor t Academy president, Oo, said of the Zhonghua Primary dancers: “They reminded me that dance is not all about technique but it is about having fun as well.”
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Saving the earth, one bag at a time Jalelah Bte MS Abu Baker FAVOU R A BLE responses to a week-long campaign to reduce the use of plastic bags on campus has encouraged its organiser to suggest that the initiative be made permanent. For a week from March 10th to 16th, students making purchases at retail outlets on campus had to pay 10 cents for plastic bags. The campaign, called “Bring Your Own Bag Week”, was initiated by Earthlink, an environmental club t hat hopes to ma ke t he NTU community more aware of environmental conservation. The initiative was the first of its kind in the University and involved all retail stores here. To encourage customers to bring and use their own bags, those who required plastic bags were charged, with the proceeds going to the Environmental Challenge Organisation (Singapore), a nongovernment organisation that encourages conservation among youths. E x pla i n i ng t he r at iona le for such an initiave, Earthlink president, Hannah Leong, said: “[We] have got to start somewhere. This is to kick-start a change in environmentally unfriendly habits.” A survey conducted by Earthlink at the end of the campaign showed that almost half of 423 people who
SAY “NO” TO PLASTIC BAGS: To get customers to reduce their use of plastic bags, stores charged ten cents per bag,. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE
made purchases during that week favoured a permanent campaign. Eighty per cent also welcomed a permanent charge on plastic bags. However, second-year Business student Ong Sze Hui, 20, said that the campaign did not have a great impact on her. She did not have to buy a bag as the book she bought could be easily hand-carried. “It is just an action, and it
doesn’t really remind students to save the earth,” she said, but acknowleged that the campaign is a good start. Many of the par ticipating stores seem to think so as well. “I think this is just a first step,” said Eight Flags sales assistant Ms Sendy Phang. “There should be such a week every month.” She added that Eight Flags had no problems implementing the
campaign as it did not cause any disruption to business. However, not all participating stores had such a smooth sailing experience. The Nanyang Supermarket located near Canteen 2, for example, had trouble getting customers to cooperate. To avoid causing long queues at the counters, storekeepers did not explain the rationale of the campaign to customers. As a result, some refused to
make a purchase if they had to be charged for each plastic bag, forcing the store to relent and give out the bags for free. Despite the troubles, store owners generally thought that the campaign should have been held for a longer period of time, or at least more frequently. Some stores have even taken the initiative f uther. Popular Bookstore has initiated a “Bring Your Own Bag” campaign on the first Wednesday of every month since December last year. The Sun, a 24-hour convenience store located at the Nanyang Executive Centre, sells re-usable bags to encourage customers to cut down on their use of plastic bags. However, a cashier at The Sun, Mr Zheng Yan, said sales of the reusable bags are poor. He suggested that having a promotion on such bags could be more effective in making people more aware of environmental concerns. Mr Zheng added that while the message of the campaign is clear, he is not very optimistic about the long-term impact it will have, as many would rather pay to get a plastic bag than to bring their own. Ear thlink, however, found feedback to be encouraging. The club president said: “We hope to use this campaign as a platform to move on to bigger challenges such as the use of styrofoam packets in canteens in time to come.”
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Coffee with a dash of love New campaign aims to raise student awareness of HIV and Aids - over a cup of coffee in the CBD Yaya Idris HIV IS not a topic people would usually discuss over coffee, but a group of students did just that in an awareness campaign called “Coffee With Love”. Targeted at undergraduates, the programme aimed to raise awareness and understanding among youths about the sexually transmitted disease in an informal setting. The three-hour long event was held on March 15th at the Geek Terminal. It was organised by AIESEC Si ngapore, a n i nter nat iona l, non-profit organisation which helps young people find ways to contribute to society. T he event d rew about 70 g ue st s , most of whom we r e invited by their friends who are members of AIESEC. They played icebreaker games and had a coffee appreciation session. The crux of the event, however, was the interactive session about facts on HIV and AIDS. Second-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Liu Meng Xi said he never thought that
I’D LOVE A CUP: While Geek Terminal cafe owner Danny Pang was on hand to explain the finer points of brewing the perfect espresso, the crowd at Coffee With Love was really there to learn more about HIV and AIDS. PHOTO | GERALDINE KANG
he could be a potential victim of HIV. After the event, however, the 20-year-old said he was now more
aware of the threats and ways to protect himself from the disease. Even the guests who were
Lively investment scene set to hit NTU
An ordinary winner of an Amazing Race Natasha Ann Zachariah BEING part of the first Singaporean team to ever win The Amazing Race Asia, you might expect Collin Low to hit cloud nine and remain there. But the 35-year-old, who works in the internet marketing industry, is a pleasant surprise. Despite his success on the show, Mr Low, who is an NTU alumnus, remains firmly grounded in his beliefs and daily life. While it has been 11 years since he left the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Mr Low still speaks affectionately about the memories he has from his years here. He was part of the pioneer batch of communication students at NTU. Mr Low said that it was “quite an experience” joining the school, as he was a science student. The pull factor, for him, was the chance to study advertising. He divided most of his time between school and hall activities, p a r t ic i p at i n g i n bi at h lon s , Surf’n’Sweat, as well as involving himself in organising orientation camps and dinner and dances. H is mentor at school was Professor Hao Xiaoming, who he holds in high regard.
T he le c t u r e r t aug ht h i m jour nalism early in his undergraduate programme. “He’s always encouraging and unassuming, passionate about teaching, just ver y fatherly, I guess,” said Mr Low fondly. “He is someone who I respect a lot.” Professor Hao, on meeting his former student again last year since he left school 10 years ago, said that Mr Low is “a student to remember”, as he was constantly involved in school activities. “Collin is a person that you will recognise, even after so many years.” he said. So, it came as no surprise to Professor Hao when he heard that Mr Low had won the reality TV competition. Mr Low lights up when he talks about the Amazing Race, an experience he describes as “awesome”. Ta k i ng pa r t i n a n e ve nt which spanned 10 countries and ultimately, crossing the finishing line on home ground, is something that he would happily do again. “Nothing beats the feeling. Seeing all the teams cheering for us… it felt great,” he said. M r L ow w a s e v e n m or e surprised by the warm reception that his fellow Singaporeans have
already aware of HIV benefitted from the session. A nna Carolina Liong, 22,
a third-year Computer Science student, has attended other HIV awareness drives but still found the session enjoyable. She added that having a real HIV patient narrate his or her story at the session, compared with merely giving the facts of the disease, would have better reinforced the message that HIV can affect anyone. Towards the end of the event, the café owner, Mr Danny Pang, conducted a coffee appreciation session, which was a hit among guests. “Coffee with Love” is a part of a series of HIV awareness drives in a joint initiative by AIESEC Singapore and Standard Chartered. This awareness campaign is part of AIESEC’s aim to develop leadership skills in youths and to encourage them to participate actively in the community. However, Assistant Sociology professor Francis Lim, who counts studies on HIV and AIDS in society among his research interests, said mere conversation is not enough. “The challenge is not about the facts of the disease but the complacency the general youths have,” he said. “That complacency is something which has to be addressed rather than [giving] information and pure facts about the disease.”
Evelyn Wong
Collin Low (right) with his partner for The Amazing Race Asia 2, Adrian Yap. PHOTO | COURTESY
given him. Their reactions “changed [his] perspective about Singaporeans”, as many came up to congratulate him, rather than just pointing and staring. It has been almost two months, since the finale aired but life for Mr Low has not changed. He still teaches his pilates classes and attends the gym regularly. He plans to upgrade himself and pursue his passion for fitness. He describes himself as “just so ordinary”, but for a man who has achieved so much already, he is anything but.
The investment bug seems to have bitten NTU students if the number of students who signed up for an investment seminar and a related competition is any indication. More than 1,000 students took part in the Young Investors’ Pack investment forum and competition on March 25th. Joi nt ly or ga n i sed by t he investment clubs from NTU, the National University of Singapore, a nd Si ngapor e M a na ge me nt University, the event was sponsored by OCBC Securities and supported by Singapore Exchange. Aiming to educate students in finance and investment, the programme held a seminar and a cash t ra i l—a n i nvest mentoriented version of the American reality television game show “The Amazing Race”. Pa r t ic ipa nt s on t he t r a i l purchased virtual stocks. They had to sieve through rumours to decide how to manage their shares, and were given clues if they answered the questions correctly at check points set up around the city. T he pa r t ic ipa nt w it h t he overall highest net worth was the winner.
The team with the highest overall net worth, Finats, which represented Ngee Ann Polytechnic, won the Cash Trail. A member of the winning team, Tan Quing Jue, 19, a Business Studies student, explained how the team speculated on their stocks which gave a high turnover by the end of the game. “Don’t t r u st t he r u mou r s you hear, instead judge on their credibility and use that to your advantage,” was his advice And this was the underlying message that Harvard University professor, Richard Zeckhauser, wanted to bring across when he spoke as a Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitor here last Monday. Wealth and success follow if one is able to play the ambiguity game well, said Professor Zeckhauser. Such ambiguity, he explained, comes from not knowing “the probabilit y of other available options.” When one’s competitors are less well-informed, they pose a lower challenge in being able to make good investment decisions. President of the investment club, Terence Lim, had this advice for his fellow schoolmates: “Start learning and investing. Time loss is investment loss.”
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Halls encourage Singapore art versus the world’s cultural exchange Ritesh Kalra
Becky Lo HOPING to counter the homesickness international students may feel when they first arrive in Singapore, four Halls of Residences held a Cu lt u ra l Appreciat ion and Exchange Night to encourage interaction between them and the local students. Held on March 7th, the event was the first collaboration among Halls 8, 9, 10 and 11. The event aimed at promoting understanding and tolerance among students with diverse backgrounds. “ T h e r e i s a not ion t h at international students are neglected by hall committees when events are planned,” said Hall 10 President Lim Wei Qiang, 23. “We want to show that we do care for them. We want to make them feel welcome in the halls.” The event received a favourable turn-out of about 200 participants, including students from countries like Norway, Indonesia, Sweden and Vietnam. Voicing his support for the event was the dean of students, Professor Lok Tat Seng.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for us to interact and understand one another, and for us all to appreciate our individual cultures,” said Professor Lok, who added that he would welcome more of such events. The interaction session was a l l t he more sign if ica nt for international students new to hall life in NTU. “I would recommend that the halls arrange more gatherings like this,” said Eirik Walle, 26, a third-year exchange student from Norway. “This was actually the first time I got to connect with my fellow hall members.” While Hall 3 resident, Ma Thiri Aung, 21, a second-year student from Myanmar supported the initiative, she suggested that halls should also hold their orientations at a time closer to the start of academic term. This is because international students who travel back home for the holidays may be unaware of such programmes. For the organisers, the large turnout at the event had encouraged them to make it a yearly affair, and if possible, include residents from other halls, and eventually the whole University population.
IN AN attempt to find the link between art, technology and open spaces, an Art, Design, and Media student studied and compared public art in Singapore against those in countries such as America and the United Kingdom, She also looked into the use of new media technology in art. Zou Xinru, 22, said that her study will serve as a guide for prospective artists trying to display their works in the country. The third-year student was motivated to do the project under t he Underg r aduate Resea rc h Experience on Campus (URECA) programme, because she believed that art here is still in its “infant stage”. “I believe that our research will help the artist to create a work that is truly modern, unique, and authentic to the Singapore experience,” she said. She studied artworks put in open spaces in Singapore, such as Pedas Pedas near the National Museum of Singapore, and based her comparisons on criteria ranging from sustainability to relationship with the physical environment. T he pr oje c t c o or d i n ator, Associate Professor Suresh Sethi,
THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS: Under a URECA research project, a student studies public art in Singapore. PHOTO | COURTESY
felt that Zou’s work will lend a “changing perspective” to how design researchers like himself view art in the environment. “My attempt in URECA is to shift the learning process from instruction to discover y, with the student researcher directly involved in the learning process,” said Professor Sethi. For Zou, the research gave her a new insight into the standard of local art. “Although we may be lacking in many areas, promising young
and vibrant individuals and groups are emerging,” she said. “With gover nment suppor t, I have faith in the growth of public art in Singapore.” “The research we have done will be useful to all who are interested in art in public spaces, especially to artists who want to create works in Singapore. I believe that our research will help the artist to create a work that is truly modern, unique and authentic to the Singapore experience,” said Zou.
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“We’re Irish on St. Patrick’s Day” Page 22-23
Engineer gone fishing These days, your degree does not determine your career. Electrical and Electronic Engineering graduate Joycelyn Lim chose a philosophy cafe, Gone Fishing, over an engineering job, Maung Ye Yint Aung discovers TUCKED away in a little corner of Jalan Rejama in Hillview, Gone Fishing is an oasis of art, philosophy and good food. It is a place to chill out with friends and escape from hectic school life. Customers are even invited to scribble their musings on its walls. This cafe has been run by 23-yearold Electrical and Electronic Engineering graduate Joycelyn Lim since the start of the year. It’s an unconventional career path, but Joycelyn sees plenty of graduates in jobs that are not related to their courses. “Many of my engineering friends are working in banks and the finance industry,” she says. “Most graduates nowadays are looking for more than just a stable job and a stable income. They want a sense of satisfaction from their work.” Joycelyn stepped into the industr y because she was keen on doing her own business and being her own boss. “I had planned to do so since my final year in NTU and was actually helping my mother with the family business [a wholesale flower nursery] after I graduated last year,” she says. “At first I wanted to go into retail as I am interested in fashion, but I came across Gone Fishing which has a lower overhead, and decided on opening a cafe instead.” She says that she was lucky that the previous owner was her mentor in running the cafe, and also left her all the kitchen equipment and cutlery.
Before I started Gone Fishing, I only knew how to fry an egg. Now, I prepare all the food. Joycelyn Lim, 23 Owner of Gone Fishing cafe
“He was returning to his previous corporate job but did not want to close down the cafe,” she says. Even so, when Joycelyn started out, she was clueless and relied on customers’ feedback to improve the food and service. “Before I started Gone Fishing, I only knew how to fry an egg. Now, I prepare all the food,” she laughs. The cafe’s specialities include Almond Coffee and Suzanne’s Roast Chicken, a favourite among customers.
MAKE YOUR DEGREE WORTHWHILE: Joycelyn uses her engineering knowledge to forecast profits and plan supplies for her cafe. PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI
ARTY FARTY: Paintings from Vietnam adorn the walls of the cafe that attracts yuppies like pilots, lawyers, bankers and doctors.
As well as the culinary challenges, Joycelyn faced doubts from her parents and friends, who felt that she was too young and inexperienced to run her own business. “Luckily, my boyfriend is very supportive and believes that I can manage,” she says. Thaw Aung, 28, a Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering graduate, helps out at the cafe when he is free during weekends. Though charming and tranquil, Gone Fishing is rather inaccessible, but Joycelyn is positive about the business as the quiet, hidden location has become a hot spot for the yuppie crowd. “I have a regular customer base that is very supportive and are like close friends to me,” she says. “I want laid-back people to come to this cafe. It is for people who just want to chill or are looking for a quiet place to think.”
Gone Fishing attracts many young eligible bachelors like pilots, lawyers, bankers and doctors, she says. Joycelyn is so content with her cafe being kept low profile that she has second thoughts about a Channel NewsAsia interview that was proposed by a customer in January. “The selling point of Gone Fishing is that it is a hidden gem,” she says. “It is the quiet ambience and homely feeling that attracts customers.” The media was not the only one interested in Gone Fishing. Someone offered to buy the cafe for a six-figure sum two weeks after it opened—double what Joycelyn invested in the cafe. “I was not ready to sell my café even though the offer was very tempting,” she says. “The café was taking off and I could see that my hard work was paying off. The sense of satisfaction is priceless.” She says that it usually takes about six months to a year to break even in the food and beverage business, but that she hopes to break even in six months, as business has been good. To ensure that her degree from NTU does not go to waste, Joycelyn uses the analytical training she gained as an engineering undergraduate to solve problems. “In my final year I took a module which taught me how to forecast and plan for the manufacturing sector in engineering,” she says. “Although I am not doing engineering, that module has helped me to forecast my profits and plan my supplies for the cafe.” Running a cafe has made Joycelyn
more outgoing and confident, and she has grown used to chatting with customers who are complete strangers. Brought up in a sheltered family, Joycelyn has become more independent by managing her finances and operations. In fact, so enriching is this experience that Joycelyn hopes to share it with other newbies. “I welcome all NTU students who want to open their own cafes to come here and learn,” she says. “I am still learning myself, so why don’t we learn together?” A philosophy discussion is held every third Wednesday of the month from 8pm. “The free-spirited and thought-provoking discussion is hosted by Mr Lau Kwong Fook, who is a freelance philosopher, editor and trainer,” says Joycelyn. “A typical session begins with Mr Lau sharing his selection of interesting headlines from the media, inviting participants’ responses, followed by a choice of topic to be discussed for the evening.” To attract students from NTU, Joycelyn offers a free meal for every three set meals bought by them. In the future, Joycelyn would like to renovate the cafe once she has enough money, and also open another cafe with multiple shareholders, as it will give the cafe a larger customer base. Whether it materialises or not, Joycelyn remains down-to-earth. “I am satisfied with my life now. I am extremely busy, but also extremely happy.” She points to a wall which has a passage written by her boyfriend on it: “Time to start big things.”
THINK BIG: Joycelyn shows off an inspiring graffiti drawn by her boyfriend, Thaw.
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For three NTU students, their close-calls have been sobering moments in their lives. From a climbing accident to a brush with the ‘afterlife’, they share their experiences with David Pang I’M A SURVIVOR: Clockwise from top, Quan Teng, Camille and Jackson escaped the dungeons of death. PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG
During his BMT (basic military training), a heat stroke rendered Jackson Tan unconscious. He found himself in a series of bizarre dreams... “I t h a ppene d i n May 2002, right after my Battle Inoculation Course,” recalls the final-year Mechanical Engineering student. “I had just gone through a tenday field camp, so I was terribly exhausted during the platoon’s march back to the barracks.” Along the way, Jackson had given the last of his water to a section-mate who was close to dehydration. “At about 200 metres from t he end-point, I was so disorientated that I could no longer march in a straight line. I remember hearing my company sergeant major shouting at me not to close my eyes. But I did anyway.”
“I have a settled and calm picture of the afterlife now.” Jackson Tan, 25 Mechanical Engineering student
A f t e r a m o m e n t of darkness, Jackson found h i m se lf wa l k i ng beside h i s budd y a nd s e v e r a l com ma nder s , who wer e carrying a struggling recruit
towards the medical centre. W hen medics tried to remove his clothes and spray water on him, he star ted to kick and punch them. “I tried to get a good look at the person, but when I saw his face, I realised that he was me. Then everything went black again.” After a while, Jackson woke up again and found himself suspended in darkness. “I could hear a tune in the background, a soothing and invigorating chant. As I drifted around, I saw numerous dark lines in the distance snaking around a vast expense of desert,” he says. Of all the “dreams” he had, Jackson remembers the last one most vividly. “I found myself walking along an aisle. I could see rows of faces on my left and right, familiar ones which for some reason I could not identify.” After he was transferred to Changi hospital, Jackson found himself doing crazy stuff. “One of the patients in my ward asked me for two hundred dollars, and I gave it to him without question!” T he incident has also changed his outlook of death. “It may seem strange, but I have a settled and calm picture of the afterlife now.”
Ho Quan Teng was a 5-tonner (a military transport vehicle) driver during his army days. During a field exercise in 2003, his vehicle nearly rolled off a cliff. “I had just sent some stores with my five-tonner to the command post on top of a hill and was on my way back to camp with three other ser v icemen,” Quan Teng recalls. The drive down the hill was uneventful. However, as the vehicle was turning at a bend, it suddenly swerved to the left, which was the edge of a cliff. The 24-year-old Materials Engineering student has a v iv id memor y of t hat harrowing moment. “It was as if time had stopped. I was actually able to look around as the vehicle began to list dangerously towards the bottom of the hill. There was this device onboard that measured the vehicle’s angular position, a nd i t g a v e a r e ad i n g indicating that the vehicle was tilted 60 degrees to the left.”
“It’s not everyday that you get a second chance.” Ho Quan Teng, 24 Materials Engineering student
“A magnitude of thoughts struck me. I was thinking about a lot of things—my family, my future and all the things I would not be able to experience should my life end there and then,” he said. “It was like the passage of a lifetime.” St i l l, he ma naged to reposition the vehicle by making a sharp right turn and flooring the accelerator. He attributes it to the sense of calmness he felt “towards the end”, which gave him the strength. “For tunately, none of u s wa s i nju r ed , but we were badly shaken by the traumatic experience. The two guys sitting at the front with me, their faces were as white as sheets and they didn’t move for awhile. The other guy at the back was dead quiet too, but he was unscathed physically.” Quan Teng recovered subsequently, and continued as a driver for the remainder of his National Ser v ice. Looking back, he is grateful for escaping death. “The incident has made me re-evaluate myself and my priorities—from that day on I lived with a sense of purpose and without regret. It’s not every day that you get a second chance.”
Camille Zanette is an avid cyclist who gets around her hometown of Toulouse in France on her bike. She recalls one accident which nearly became her last ride. Seven centimetres long, the barely visible scar on Camille’s lower jaw bears testimony to her close call in June last year. “It happened back when I was cycling to a friend’s house at night,” says the 21year-old exchange student from France’s Universite Paul Sabatier Toulouse. As Camille was turning a bend, she felt a shar p jerk on her front wheel. “Something caught on the spokes. Before I realised what was happening, I was flung violently off my bicycle,” she recalls. Camille had landed hard on the stem of her bicycle. However, she was not aware of the extent of her injuries at that time. “I remember checking myself to see if I was alright. I was relieved initially when I realised that I was alive and didn’t break anything. Then the pain hit me.” Despite bleeding profusely from her upper and lower jaw, Camille remained conscious. “There was a lot of blood. I laid on the ground for a while, then two gentlemen came over with ice packs. They seemed to know exactly what to do. I would’ve bled my life away if they hadn’t found me.” The owner of a nearby restaurant across the street had called the sapeur pompier (the city’s Fire Department, which also prov ides pa ra med ica l assista nce ) and the ambulance, which arrived soon after.
“I would’ve bled my life away if they hadn’t found me.” Camille Zanette, 21 Communications student
“The doctors had to place a steel plate to support my upper jaw. But worse was the seven-centimetre long gash on my lower jaw, which needed t went y st itches. Miraculously, no bones were broken and I didn’t lose any teeth.” B u t t h e r e a l or d e a l began after Camille was discharged. “My face was a terrible sight, like a monster. The lowe r h a l f of m y f ac e was badly swollen and I couldn’t open my mouth at all. Thankfully it was past midnight when I was discharged, so no one could see me!” For a month, she was subject to a liquid diet. “I was very relieved when they finally removed the stitches, which heralded the return to solid foods once again.” “I’m really grateful for all the help I’ve received after the accident and in the course of my recovery,” she says. “This ordeal has shown me how vulnerable life is. I’m definitely more careful now!”
lifestyle
M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
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PI T S TO P C AFE 14B Circular Road Tel: 65355383 Opening Hours: 2pm to 11pm (Mon to Thurs & public holidays) 12pm to 3am (Fri, Sat & eve of public holidays) 12pm to 11pm (Sun)
SETUP HIDDEN among the rows of bars and eateries of Circular Road, Pitstop Cafe is a secret cove on its own. The walls are plastered with photos of smiling customers that are the hallmark of Pitstop’s ser vice. In fact, the walls are now too crowded to put up new photos.
Board game cafes are all the rage these days, but which ones are worth your time and money? Kelvin Pang checks out four players
THUMBS-UP Students can enjoy Students’ Night on Monday nights and Students’ Noon on Friday afternoons. $8 buys a free flow of drinks and games and a serving of mochi ice cream. Ladies get mochi ice cream, one free drink and free flow of gaming till 11pm on Wednesdays, Ladies Night. Try the Shitake Dumplings ($5.90), unique dumplings with juicy shitake mushrooms in the centre. ROUNDUP Have a go at Chicken Cha Cha, a quick and fun memory game where you chase after your opponents’ feathers to eliminate them, or That’s My Fish!, a strategy game as you try to fend off enemy penguins and keep the fishes for yourself. However, it would help if the staff were better equipped to teach customers more difficult games like Shear Panic, and a larger menu would be good.
Game play? to
D E CO D ER S C AFE 271 Bukit Timah Road #B1-04 Balmoral Plaza Tel: 62352160 Opening Hours: 2pm to 10 pm (Mon to Fri) 2pm to 2am (Sat, Sun & public holidays)
SETUP SLEEK is the word that comes to mind at De Coder’s Cafe: its leather couches are in splashes of bold red and black, the cafe’s main colour scheme. It is particularly suitable for large parties; with a central table that sits up to eight, and a large low coffee table that sits up to 15. The cafe moved out from ACS(I) in 2007, where it started out as a school society, to the present location at Balmoral Plaza.
T HE M IND C AFE (B OAT QUAY ) 68 Boat Quay Singapore Tel: 6334 4427 Opening hours: 2pm to 11pm (Mon to Thurs) 12pm to 3am (Fri, Sat) 12pm to 11pm (Sun)
SETUP AMONG the quaint shop houses of pubs and restaurants along Singapore River, the bright orange facade of this Boat Quay outlet stands out. The second of The Mind Cafe franchise, it has two levels and seats about 10 groups of four to six people.
the ‘idiot’. The Cr ispy Chicken Platter ($8.90) or Oatmeal and Checkerboard Cookies ($7.00 for a dozen cookies) makes a tasty snack. Ever y Tuesday is Ladies night, with free gaming from 6pm till closing and a complimentary ba sket of mu nc h ie s of you r choice.
THUMBS-UP Mind Cafe has plenty of popular games like Ticket to Ride, where you tr y to build your railway empire over the US, and a triviabased game, You Must Be An Idiot, where players try to guess
ROUNDUP The state of some games is a turnoff. Missing pieces, cr umpled cards and tattered boxes make even the most interesting game unappealing. Still, The Mind Cafe is well balanced in its collection of games and its menu, making it one of the most well-known board game cafes in Singapore. Andy Toh, a second-year Engineering student, who visits The Mind Cafe bimonthly, says: “When I think of board game cafes, I think of The Mind Cafe before Settler’s Cafe, because Mind is cosier.” Settler’s Cafe, the first board game cafe in Singapore, has outlets in Holland Village and North Canal Road. Both Mind and Settler’s carry almost similar games with similar prices.
HID EO U T C AFE Blk 84 Bedok North Street 4 #01-45 Tel: 6242 2426 Opening Hours: 2pm to 11pm (Sun to Thurs) 2pm to 2am (Fri, Sat & eve of public holidays)
SETUP OPENED last October, Hideout adopts the idea of a tree house—a place to be away from the world. The walls are white with trees painted on them. Pick up a Forfeit Leaf from the Forfeit Tree if you lose a game, and high-five everyone in the cafe or have your photo taken wearing an outrageous wig.
THUMBS-UP Be side s popu la r ga me s l i ke Bonanza and Saboteur, this young cafe boasts unique games like Descent: Journeys in the Dark, a fantasy board game for four or more hardcore players, and Ca$h and Gun$, a party game of hoarding loot. The couches are plush and inviting and there’s also a platform corner with floor cushions that is ideal for big parties of up to 12 people. The service here is great as well. “The staff here are very warm and friendly,” says Tse Chung Yan, a third-year Bio-Engineering student who stays in Simei.
ROUNDUP The current menu may be limited to pizzas and fruit tarts, but there’s always the famous bak chor mee f rom Bedok 85 ma rket place. Getting here is not a problem, as two bus services (14 and 222) stop just in front of the cafe. Ta ke ad v a nt a ge of t he Student Package ($7 for four hours of gaming) available all day on Mondays and Tuesdays (2pm to 6pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays). For $6, ladies get two hours of gaming with free flow of drinks on Thursday (6pm to 11pm).
THUMBS-UP Students get free cafe membership with an immediate 10 percent off the bill. There is an ongoing Myster y of the Month, where customers solve a puzzle to win prizes, and a Password of the Week, which is released on their website. Simply say the password before payment to chip five percent off the bill. What’s more, NTU students can enjoy a further 10 percent off by presenting their matriculation card. De Co de r ’s c a r r ie s a respectable menu for a board game cafe. The Ocean’s Catch ($7.50) is a generous serving of tomatobased spaghetti with prawns, fish, crabstick and succulent clams. For the choc-addict, the Double Mocha Fudge ($4) is a must-have. ROUNDUP The members’ discount, reasonably priced food and drinks, and a perfect chill-out ambience keep people coming back for more. What’s more, the Students Package every weekday afternoon means for just $5, students get unlimited gaming from 2pm to 6pm. They’ll even throw in a complimentary tidbit basket for a group of four.
PHOTOS | JESSICA YEO, KYLE LEUNG & COURTESY
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news
M AR C H 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
food from the globe
Gastronome Francais Amidst old architecture and a relaxed atmosphere is a taste of France in the historic neighbourhood of Tiong Bahru, discovers Chitra Kumar
FORGET about chi-chi French gourmet shopping for foie gras, artisan farm cheese or a bottle of French wine at an uptown supermarket. A good 10-minute walk from the Tiong Bahru MRT station, next to the wet market, is four-monthold Le Bon Marché (French for ‘The Good Market’ although its literal translation means ‘A Good Deal’) founded by the former French chef Stephane Herve and his wife Shirley Tang. Decorated in low-key browns, this French gourmet shop stocks exclusive and reasonably priced products from France, Germany, Spain and Italy. It includes 50 different cheeses; French and Irish oysters shipped i n sa lt water so t hey a r r ive still tasting of the sea; freshbaked French sourdough bread; homemade sauces and soups; poultr y; sausages; fresh meat including grain-fed beef rib-eye and pasture-fed lamb leg; to pink champagne biscuits and imported macaroons.
And even though the daily grocery items are much pricier than local products, it is a reasonable price to pay for shopping for a wide range of French products without having to step out of Singapore.
LE BON MARCHÉ 78 Guan Chuan Street 01-41 Tel: 6226 3269 Opening hours 11am-10pm (Mondays to Saturdays) 11am to 5pm (Sundays) Closed on Wednesdays
BON APPETIT!: Find everything from biscuits to bubbly at Le Bon Marché. PHOTOS | AHMAD ISKANDAR
MY FAVOURITE PICKS FROM LE BON MARCHÉ
BARBEQUE FIESTA SAUCISSON Sec D’ Auvergne ($6.70 per 100 grams) is the French version of bak kwa without the oil and the sweetness, and is much leaner and chewier. Made from pure pork meat, the French sausage is best savoured by slicing it into thin slices and pairing it with beer or wine. It usually comes with a thin paper skin which you should peel off before eating
DITCH that bottle of local seasoning at your next barbeque and instead go for the Route of Spices ($16) a blend of spices that can go with red and white meat or even fish. This French seasoning is so versatile it even works as a condiment on salads and crepes.
ANOTHER way of adding some life to a piece of meat is to pan-fry it with Veal Jus (Veal Stock) $6 for 150ml, Lamb Jus (Lamb stock) $6 for 150ml or Cassis Giblet Sauce (Brown duck stock) $7 for 200ml which adds a delectable tinge of sweetness and sourness to the meat. A little French cooking tip: throw a slice of duck breast on that griller, slap on either of these homemade sauces, add in a dash of red or white wine and voila.
INSTANT GRATIFICATION AFTER burning the midnight oil, recharge yourself with Nectar de Cassis ($5.50 for 250ml), a dark purple French blackcurrant juice drink rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. Hailing from Burgundy, the east of France, Nectar de Cassis is fast becoming a trendy drink among the younger French generation.
FOUR Cheese Risotto Pronto ($5.20 serves 2–3 people) is a no-frills, affordable dish which you prepare like instant cup noodles. Just add water and a simple Italian dinner rice cooked with broth and flavoured with grated cheese and other ingredients is ready in 12 minutes. Creamy and chewy, it contains no artificial colouring, no gluten and no MSG and true to its nameit has four different melted cheeses— cheddar, gouda, parmesan and blue cheese.
lifestyle
M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
A lifelong courtship Meet visiting Professor Marc Abadie from School of Materials Science & Engineering. A professional tennis player turned academic, he shares with David Pang his passion for tennis TELL US MORE ABOUT YOURSELF.
I’m a “black foot”, which is a colloquial term for the French born in Algeria when it was a Department of France. One interpretation was that the Europeans there commonly wore black shoes, while the locals didn’t and went about barefoot. After Algeria became independent, my family moved back to France and settled in Strasbourg, Alsace.
WHAT DO YOU TEACH IN CLASS?
I teach Polymer Synthesis and Polymer Physics, which are final year subjects at the School of Materials Science and Engineering. I’ve also conducted post-graduate courses on Advanced Polymers.
WHEN DID YOU BECOME A PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER?
While I was doing my doctorate at the University of Strasbourg. At that time, I was already playing a lot of competitive tennis. The problem was that when I played tennis most of the day, I couldn’t do my experiments and thesis at the same time. I wanted to get into tennis while I still had the chance to do so, so I took a break from my doctorate. That was possible back in 1968.
WHY TENNIS IN PARTICULAR?
My family’s very much into sports. I chose tennis in particular because it’s a competitive sport with a lot of contact. On the court, it’s just you, the ball and your partner. If you lose, it’s your own fault.
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upcoming events PERSPECTIVES FILM FESTIVAL ’08 From March 31st to April 4th at the National Mus eum of Singap ore, Perspectives ‘08 presents the classics from the Golden Era of Singapore cinematic history. Be touched, inspired and entertained by the imaginative works of yesteryear. Join them for a free outdoor screening of a local comedy, Seniman Bujang Lapok. Get ready your pen and paper, as the film dispenses pointers on living a good life. Come laugh, cry, scream and sigh with them!
When we were changing sides in the court after each round, I would accidentally take his towel and blow my nose with it.
MOVIE: SENIMAN BUJANG L APOK (PG) IN M AL AY WITH E NGLISH AND C HINESE SUBTITLES / 119MIN DATE: APRIL 4TH TIME: 8PM VENUE: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SINGAPORE FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT
WWW.NTU.EDU.SG /SCI /PERSPECTIVES
Professor Marc Abadie School of Materials Science & Engineering
It’s also an astute game that requires both intelligence and skill. To win, you have to find ways to gain an advantage during the game. For example, if my partner has a good forehand but a weak backhand, I’ll play backhand and vice versa. Tennis is a sport you can play up to the grave. The game’s pace can be controlled and there is little risk of injury during play.
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH THE MONEY?
WHERE DID YOU PLAY?
DID YOU FACE ANY OBSTACLES DURING YOUR MATCHES?
I played in France, Germany, Switzerland and England. At that time, participation was by invitation. If you were eliminated after the first tour, you usually got nothing. They would pay you if you advanced through the subsequent tours until the final. If you won, you’d get the cup and a nice cheque. I was earning 50 times my previous salary, so I made a lot of money.
ANY INTERESTING EXPERIENCES?
That’s a good question. Mettre du beure dans les épinards, which translates as “put butter in the spinach”. If you get some extra money, you can improve your life. I bought modern furniture for my wife and got myself a Kawasaki three-cylinder (500cc) bike. The bike was really a bomb and raced like a rocket. I was younger then.
I had a lot of problems in England as I’m colour blind. In those days, tennis balls were white, unlike the yellow ones we see today. The courts in England are made of grass, so I couldn’t find the ball when it landed on the grass. In the end, I only managed to win one tournament there, but the cup I received was pure silver.
WHY DID YOU RETURN TO ACADEMIA?
While I was in Paris, I was play ing against a strong opponent who dominated the game. I didn’t want to lose, so I had to think of something without breaking any of the r u le s . W he n we we r e c ha ng i ng sides in the court after each round, I would “accidentally” take his towel and blow my nose with it. He played very badly thereafter.
I got tired of it. Tennis is a fun game, but it’s boring when you are playing it all the time at the professional level. You can’t play competitively all your life. As an academic, you’re constantly learning. Though it’s harder to be one, learning is something you can do till the end. In France, I was a good player, but in the middle rankings. Not good enough for a long-term career. My father-in-law also had some misgivings about his daughter marrying a tennis player, so I had to go back and finish my doctorate.
DO YOU STILL PLAY TENNIS NOW?
Yes, but not as regularly as in the past. Modern courts are made of concrete, which is bad for my knees and back. I would prefer to play on clay.
GIVEN A CHANCE, WOULD YOU MAKE A COMEBACK?
WILL YOU BE | SO CLOSE Through a series of paintings, drawings and a fridge, nine emerging artists from Singapore’s local arts institutions will explore the human trajectory of closeness in their maiden fine arts exhibition, “Will You Be | So Close”. Curated by two students from NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media, the exhibit’s theme came to co-organiser, Annette Heitmann, when she lost someone close to her. DATE: MARCH 27TH TO APRIL 14TH TIME: TUE TO SUN (1130PM TO 7PM) VENUE: FORTH ART GALLERY 69A PAGODA STREET (2ND LEVEL) SINGAPORE 059228 FOR MORE INFORMATION, ANNETTE AT 92344179 OR VISIT HTTP:// WILLYOUBESOCLOSE.WORDPRESS .COM
CALL
HOME NURSING FOUNDATION FLAG DAY: MAKE THE DIFFERENCE The Home Nursing Foundation (HNF) invites students from Nanyang Technological University to participate in their fund-raising event—The HNF Flag Day on Saturday, July 19th. HNF seeks to cultivate volunteerism in youth by working in tandem with schools to heighten awareness for the care of the elderly sick in Singapore. DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 19TH TIME: 1ST SHIFT 8.00AM TO 1.00PM 2ND SHIFT 11.00AM TO 4.00PM COLLECTION VENUE: TO BE ADVISED INTERESTED STUDENTS, PLEASE CONTACT DAYN (DAYN.LIM@ HNF.ORG.SG) AT 6854 5504 OR D EVIS ( DEVIS . KANG @ HNF. ORG . SG ) AT 6854 5503.
Of course! But you cannot go back. You can only go forward.
ABADIE JUNIOR: His five-year-old son, Bronislav joins him on the court. PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE
To have your event listed, e-mail chronicle@ntu.edu.sg. Include event date, location, contact and any pictures.
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lifestyle
M AR C H 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
dapper: your essential style guide
E L S O
obsession Diamonds may be a girl s best friend, but Imran Jalal proves that shoes̶from feisty booties, chunky wedges, slinky pumps and dainty T-bar sandals̶are definitely her solemates CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Black T-bar pumps, $98 from Collage, 61 Haji Lane; cork peep toe pumps, $104.90 from The Dress, 04-20 Far East Plaza; yellow booties, $129 from Victoria JoMo, 9 Haji Lane; denim and patent T-bar sandal, $74.95 from The Dress, 04-20 Far East Plaza; faux crocodile skin pumps, $76 from Pazzion, B1-09 Wisma Atria; patent pumps with satin bow, $79 from Pazzion, B1-09 Wisma Atria; flats, $56 from Pazzion, B1-09 Wisma Atria; Mary Jane flats, $59.90 from Bianca; white leather wedge, $69 from Zhen Jing Fang, 03-96C Far East Plaza; metallic gladiator sandal with ankle strap, $129 from 2 CM, Far East Plaza; Mary Jane with wooden wedge, $69 from Pazzion, B1-09 Wisma Atria; leather T-bar sandals in tan, $104.90 from The Dress, 04-20 Far East Plaza; booties with suede fringe, $118 from Collage, 61 Haji Lane; loafers, $39.90 from Bianca; suede wedge with patent trim, $69 from Pazzion, B1-09 Wisma Atria; gold booties, $150 from Victoria JoMo, 9 Haji Lane.
Photography CHEN WEI LI StyIing IMRAN JALAL
lifestyle
M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
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food snoop EATZ 19 95 Beach Road #01-01 Creative House Tel: 6337 4491 Lunch: 11 am- 3 pm (Mon-Fri) Dinner: 6 pm- 10 pm (Mon- Thurs) 6 pm- 11 pm (Friday and Eve of Public Holiday) Saturday: 12 pm- 11pm Sunday & Public Holiday: 12pm- 10pm
EAST meets West at Eatz 19—a swanky, halal café that is a three-minute walk from Parco Bugis Junction. As fusion cuisine is highly inventive and experimental, some imagination is needed to envision the taste of these culinary synthesised dishes. But it is not all about reckless combinations. Owner Shakila Sham, 36, experiments with food to get unique combinations that harmonise on a plate. “I play scientist and the lab is my kitchen,” she says. It has paid off, because the eatery has cooked up a creative 30-dish menu of fusion gourmet since it opened in 1999.
The eatery serves generous portions of food that is healthy and value-for-money. The set meals ($9.80 for lunch, $15.80 for dinner) come with a soup-of-the-day, main course and a dessert or hot beverage drink. The main courses for the lunch and dinner sets differ slightly, and the dinner portions are generally larger. The Seafood Thai Cream Linguine is satisfying, thanks to the combination of juicy prawns, mussels and squids. Spiced with refreshing lemongrass, we loved the sweet twist the sauce gives to this classic Italian dish. Shakila says that linguine is the pasta of choice because it blends exceptionally well with Asian sauces like Sze Chuan and Tom Yam. The Grilled Oriental Dory is also quite a gem. Steamed in light soya sauce (a conventional Chinese cooking method), the dory fillet tastes light yet savoury. The fi llet is positioned on top of a side dish of delectable mashed potatoes, and is uncovered only when you sliced through the fish. If the fish had been deboned, this dish would otherwise be perfect. The Chicken Parmesan with Asian Herbs, however, was less satisfying. Served with grilled potato wedges and fresh garden greens, the chicken breast f illets are drenched in a rich and tasty homemade tomato-herb sauce. Yet, it is hard to tell if there is distinctively anything Asian in the sauce because the fi llets were overpowered by the sharp taste of the parmesan cheese. Overall, the unique food and classy inter ior of the cafe make the dining experience a truly memorable one. And with no GST or service tax, Eatz 19 is the place to impress on a budget.
NOT JUST ANY EXPERIMENT: These dishes taste as good as they look, and are uaranteed to whet your appetite
Winning Combinations
Can t decide on what to choose when you crave for both Western and Asian cuisine? There is a way to satiate and have them both, as Dawn Lum and Nur Raihana find out HERBS & SPICES 207 Upper Thomson Road Yew Lian Park Tel: 6252 9038 Lunch: 11am-3pm (Tues-Fri) Dinner: 6pm-11pm (Tues-Fri) Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays: 11am-11pm Closed on Mondays
DOUBLE TROUBLE: Feast on gastronomical cuisine with a selection of Indian and Italian cuisine at Herbs & Spices PHOTOS | SIM LI FEN
IT IS double the taste and delight at Herbs and Spices, a Eurasian-themed restaurant offering a delectable selection of Indian and Italian cuisine on separate menus. To ensure authentic and delicious food, owners Augustine Koh, 34, and Charlene Heng, 26, hired two chefs, one Italian and one Indian to cook up their storms. Kick off your dining experience with the round naan pieces, which are flatbreads baked fresh in the tandoor, the restaurant’s cylindrical clay oven. The Kashmir Naan ($2.50 per piece) proves to be a big hit with its soft chewy texture and burst of flavour from the chopped dried cherries it contains inside. Common variations such as the Garlic Naan and Cheese
Pipeini con Porcini e Ricotta ($22), handmade pillow-shaped pasta filled with porcini mushroom and ricotta cheese. Far from cloying, the creamy pasta sauce complements and accentuates the taste of the cheesy ravioli. It may be pricey, but it’s good value as the portions are big and the quality is high. For the afternoon crowd, the lunch sets (which are available from 11am to 3pm) are value-for-money. At only $6, the Indian lunch set comes with a salad, two vegetable side dishes, a meat side dish, a choice of white rice or briyani, as well as a drink. The Italian set meal offers a choice of salad or soup, pasta, tiramisu or a hot beverage at a reasonable price of $22. To further sweeten the deal, the restaurant absorbs GST and service charge. In sum, Herbs and Spices is the place to go for a gratifying treat of authentic Indian and Italian cuisine. With pizzas coming up within the next month and new additions to the Indian menu, we simply cannot wait.
Naan ($2 per piece) are subtly flavoured but still delicious. The naan is eaten with dips like Palak Paneer ($6), which is a blend of cottage cheese with boiled spinach puree. The dish is an absolute delight to the palate because it embodies a myriad of flavours—sweet, salty, and tangy. It impressed with its smooth consistency and full-bodied taste, leaving us truly hankering for more. The generous portion of the Angoli Fish Head Curry ($18 for small) ensures there is sufficient for two to three persons, but to For NTU students, simply present this take it on, you need to have a high threshold page at Herbs & Spices to enjoy these offers: for spiciness. Besides the freshness and softness of the Angoli fish, the spiciness sets- Lunch (11am-3pm): 1-for-1 on the Italian and tanginess of the assam curry renders - Dinner: 20% off with minimum spending made the dish a gastronomic treat. of $50 From the Italian menu, try the Ravioli
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A Day with Saint P
NTU joined in the fun at St. Patrick s Day parade for the first time. After
FOR three hours at least, a group of around 70 NTU students were clad in brightly coloured wigs, and adorned large hats shaped like Guinness beer, at Boat Quay on March 16th. They were part of a contingent of marchers in the Singapore version of St Patrick’s Day, a traditional Irish celebration t hat com memor ated t he Catholic apostle for spreading Christianity in Ireland. It was the fi rst time NTU was involved in the parade, which has been held here by the Irish Business Association since 2006. This year, the university students, a majority of whom a r e f r om t h e Col le ge of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS), were fifth in the marching order. The
parade started from the Asian Civilisation Museum and ended at UOB Plaza. NTU’s Indian Dance Group also joined in the celebrations, performing a dance routine for audiences at the Plaza. Guinness, a sponsor for the event, gave out oversized hats shaped like a glass of stout for every purchase of their beer. Beh i nd t he u n iver sit y’s involvement in this parade was Associate Professor Cornelius Murphy, who believed it would allow students to “let their hair down”. “NTU has many musical, dance, and artistic talents hidden away in Jurong for too long,” he said, adding that taking part in St Patrick’s Day Parade may expose them to different cultures and experiences.
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Patrick
r all, you don t have to be Irish...
PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE & NG WAI MUN TEXT | LEE YEN NEE
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travelogue
Shanghai nights In a place where trend and tradition meet, Elaine Ng travels through time from dirty, dusty residential areas to stylish, contemporary hangouts at Tian Zi Fang, Taikang Road, Shanghai NESTLED in the corner of Taikang Road is an old yet untraditional area of cosy cafes, trendy boutiques, hip hangouts and the art scene, known as Tian Zi Fang. Almost demolished in 2004, the art street was saved when 17 expatriate studio owners wrote in a petition and had the place reprieved on grounds that it be made “the real cultural street”. A s a resu lt, plans were changed to capitalise on its artistic value as well as its popularity among tourists, rather solely to preserve the nostalgic buildings. B u t i t i s t he s e n s e of community which is rare in the present city life that makes Tian Zi Fang appealing. Unlike some sites in Shanghai that are made to look historical, this area is truly old and unpretentious. Old residents in pajamas greet each other or lounge around their neighbourhood with their dirty laundry literally hung above tourists. City dwellers seeking some refuge from cit y life can r ub shoulders with the residents, who are friendly and amused at excited tourists eagerly taking snapshots of their humble abodes and belongings.
However, Tian Zi Fang is not an area where the actual residents hang out for their shopping or meals. Largely frequented by expatriates and tourists, shops there are now cater to international customers with prices to match. For one, a breakfast at Tian Zi Fang ranges from about 30 yuan to 68 yuan ($6 to $13), a relatively expensive fare for the locals. Italian food can be found at Cafe Mojo, a cosy restaurant that builds art out of simple ingredients out of its little kitchen.
Although a typical day at Taikang could set you back quite a bit as compared to elsewhere in Shanghai, this is the price to pay for an unpretentious visit to the past while enjoying the comforts of modernity.
OLD WORLD CHARM: Old shikumen (stone-gated houses) houses in Tian Zi Fang have been lovingly restored and transformed into shops and galleries, with its borders gradually expanding to include more. PHOTOS | COURTESY
There, a hearty American breakfast of fluffy pancakes heavy with fresh strawberries and cream is among the best I ever had. The great assortment of panini (Italian sandwiches) at 45 yuan ($9) was enough for my friend who has a big appetite. The street brims with quirky shops and little cafes, harbouring wares from exotic Tibetan items to east-meets-west cheongsams, so my heavy breakfast was easily digested by weaving in and out of the many shops. Tian Zi Fang is home to Shirt Flag, a design studio, known for its
popular and slightly controversial communist kitsch designs which are printed on t-shir ts, bags, notebooks and more. Strolling into the delightful maze of sidewalk shops, we also found esydragon, which offers refreshing oriental curios. Its produc t s a re wonder f u l ly weird, usually with a twist on a commonplace item. For example, the fabric in Japanese pattern teddy bears (Chirimen) are replaced with Oriental print fabric instead of the traditional Japanese prints. Other items range from mugs in flamboyant multicolored designs
of traditional Chinese costumes to classic communist fist-in-air figurines. After conquering almost every single shop, we entered the three-storey Film Cafe for a bit of sustenance. At the attic with its sloping roof and oriental style decor, the voyeuristic experience of watching old films through a gigantic window where the projection is directed to makes Film Cafe a great a novel place to chill out. All are welcomed to view movies by Zhang Yimou and Charlie Chaplin as long as they get a drink,
which ranges from 15 to 40 yuan. In this city where movie tickets cost up to 100 yuan ($20), the cafe is the perfect alternative. Lunchtime arrived quickly and we found ourselves in the heart of Tian Zi Fang. According to a local friend, Kommune has been a favorite for years and visitors. We understood why the moment we entered. Kommune, with its interior full of Chairman Mao memorabilia, stands out with its jovial staff and solid menu of food, mainly American. We were warmed up with the sweet-spiced Thai Pumpkin Soup and the well-toasted garlic bread at the side. But what made us really contented in this cold weather was the wickedly rich hot chocolate, upsized and served in a gigantic cup. More than two thirds of the shops in Tian Zi Fang are cafes and boutiques but what sets it apart is still its art. Even though the right side of the art street has more shops than art, the galleries in blocks three and five are filled with artworks from photographs to oil paintings to sculpturing, to satisfy any art connoisseur’s palate. A lesson we lear nt and deeply regretted was to visit the shopping area before the art scene as galleries close way earlier than cafes and boutiques. Although a typical day at Taikang could set you back quite a bit as compared to elsewhere in Shanghai, this is the price to pay for an unpretentious visit to the past while enjoying the comforts of modernity.
At the attic with its sloping roof and oriental style decor, the voyeuristic experience of watching old films through a gigantic window where the projection is directed to makes Film Cafe a great a novel place to chill out.
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BOOKS Brida
PAULO COELHO $30.00, available at Borders Published by HarperCollins
EVERYONE is destined to have another half. Some people are fortunate enough to find them, others have had to wait, while there are those who never find who they were meant to be with. Brida is a truly remarkable novel which makes us dream of meeting our other half. Brida is the story of Brida O’Fern, a young Irish girl, and it follows her on her path through the Wicca pagan tradition. She has long been interested in various aspects of magic, but feels as though there is still something missing and she is searching for something more than what her faith can give her. She meets a wise man, a Magus from the Tradition of the Sun, who teaches her about overcoming her fears and trusting in the goodness of the world. He also tells her she has a gift but he is unsure of what her gift is. She continues on her journey to discover what that “gift” is and meets Wicca, a woman who teaches her how to dance to the music of the world, and how to pray to the moon. She seeks her destiny, as she struggles to find a balance between her relationships and her desire to learn magic. Brida learns how to listen to what the universe has to offer and how to recognise her soulmate. In order to learn more about herself and how she affects the people around her, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. The modern classic by Paulo Coelho, “The Alchemist”, having sold over a million and a half copies around the world, taught that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams. Now, his third book brings you on a journey that encompasses deep emotions, mystery, spirituality and soul-searching passion. This novel is for readers who are in search of answers to questions: about the quest for love and happiness, and to realise their dreams by following their heart. And as usual, Coelho is able reach out to readers through the ease of his words. -CHITRA KUMAR
When you re lonely inside the world looks so carefree, when you re lonely inside you just can t see. Love Is All There Is by Sheryl Crow
NORA ROBERTS AS J.D. ROBB $27.80, available at Borders Published by Piatkus Books
ANOTHER addition to an ardent devotee’s list of Nora Robert’s “-in Death” series is Strangers In Death. She consistently provides quality entertaining thrillers and her latest offering is no different. Thomas Anders, a Manhattan businessman, is found dead, su r rou nded by se x toys. Lieutenant Eve Dallas suspects the businessman’s wife, Ava, is not as innocent as she claims, even though she has an reliable alibi: she was with a group of friends on vacation. Anders was an extremely wealthy man and Ava was set to inherit his fortune. However, Dallas soon discovers that Ava, who plays the grieving widow to a T, has been paying for sex on the side. Dallas’ radar starts getting suspicious when another dead husband turns up in a brothel and his wife has a strong alibi as well. It is probably no surprise that she also stands to inherit her husband’s fortunes. Dallas knows in her heart that both cases are connected and she will not rest until she gets the answer neatly tied to an indictment for murder. Are these wives getting away with murder? There will be no spoilers in this review but this is another outstanding book in the “-in Death” series that puts Eve Dallas in the driver’s seat to the very last page. A real eye-opening thriller–Roberts just gets better with every page. Roberts captures the readers’ attention throughout as the suspense remains high, while readers wonder how Eve will prove who the killer is. Eve develops her investigative skills throughout the book and this adds to the fun of observing her as she goes on the hunt, seeking evidence to affi rm who did it.
-RITESH K ALRA
MUSIC
Detours
SHERYL CROW (ROCK/POP)
Her music blends country, pop, folk, and blues rock into one mainstream sound. Crow is also a noted political activist.
APTLY named, this sixth studio album truly sounds like a detour from Sheryl Crow’s usual hit numbers that talk about soaking up the sun and having fun. She shuns her established rock star demeanour to bring in more soul for her latest release. Backed by trendy percussion and bass, Crow’s i nt i mate ly r ics takes us through her life experiences, from her battle with breast cancer in “Make It Go Away (Radiation Song)”, to a painful lullaby to her son, Wyatt, and her broken e nga ge me nt w it h L a nce A r mstrong in “Now That You’re Gone”. Besides display ing an emotional vulnerability, Crow also unleashes her trademark
social commentary in this album. In the opener “God Bless This Mess”, Crow shows that political messages can be conveyed in the language of p o p a s s h e condemns the war in Iraq and sings of a president who leads his “nation i nto a wa r a l l ba sed on l ie s”. The eco-friendly “Gasoline” aims a ba r b at “t he characters in Washington afraid of popping the greed vein”. Detours is produced by Bill Bottrell, who also oversaw Crow’s 1993 multiplatinum debut Tuesday Night Music Club. T his Crow-Bot trell partnership has now produced a w inning ef for t t hat is both compelling and highly listenable. -CHERYL NG
Discipline
JANET JACKSON (DANCE-POP/R&B) The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it Janet Jackson’s sixth number one album.
AFTER the commercial flops that were Damita Jo (2004) and 20 Y.O. (2006), this is Janet Jackson’s latest comeback a lbu m but it still wouldn’t skyrocket her back to her 1980s peak. The 22-tracked album looks excessive, but nine are interludes, which seems to be her trademark in recent albums. The album begins strong, but it mellows in the middle with Jackson’s whispery vocals. The electric lead single “Feedback” is bound to get you on your feet thumping to the heavy bass, with producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins behind the reins. “Rock with You” sees Jackson
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working with current beau, Jermaine Dupri. Her sensual vocals combined with the sexy lounge feel, makes another obv ious char t topper. “So Much Betta”, where Jackson dons android-synthesized vocals, is the experimental track on the album, which worked out great for this release. It seems that with fresh blood on the production team, Jackson is churning out some hits but also some misses, such as the title track “Discipline”, a S&M laden song. Discipline is sure to bring Jackson to the spotlight again, but it would take more than discipline to have the lights stay on her.
-KELVIN PANG
Sleep Through the Static JACK JOHNSON (R&B/SOUL)
He is a Hawaiian-born musician, filmmaker and surfer who achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album.
PHOTO | INTERNET
JAC K Joh n son moves i n t wo speeds: slow and slower. Such is the slow-paced nature of his music. While his music may not appeal to all, many have taken a liking to his laid-back style. Fatherhood has however, put a slightly different spin on Jack Johnson’s latest album. He opts for more sombre and less catchy tunes–to reflect one who seems bogged down by more serious, pertinent issues like fatherhood, the state of the environment and the War on Terror in Iraq. The title track is one of his personal songs, and combines a sleepy tune with soulful
lyrics. “If I Had Eyes” is a heartbreaking t r ac k feat u r i ng Danny Riley (Johnson’s wife’s late cousin), whose voca l s capt ivate listeners. This album was later dedicated to him after he lost his battle to cancer in the final cut of the album. Definitely a far cry from his usual feel good jibes, this album is raw and delves into the dark corners of Johnson’s heart. Seeking inspiration from the trials and tribulations he faces, Johnson composes a natural and organic style, ref lective of his life story.
-S HEREEN N A A Z C HARLES SYARIFF
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ENTERTAINMENT The Orphanage Horror /Thriller (PG) Beln Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Geraldine Chaplin 106 minutes
A DOPT ED as a child, L au r a ( Be le n Rue d a ) decides to move back into her previous home–the orphanage, with husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) and son Simon (Roger Princep), with plans to reopen it. Simon soon meets an imaginary friend at a cove on the beach. Dismissive at first, Laura begins to believe in his existence af ter Si mon’s sudden disappearance, and is drawn into the mysteries of the house. The movie begins with the premise of child spirits at a former orphanage. All the fears we have of a big, isolated house, like creaking stairways and sounds of phantom footsteps, contribute to t he tense atmosphere ex per t ly conju red by first-time director, Juan Antonio Bayona. One memorable scene is the horrific image of a child with a sack over his head suddenly appearing in front of Laura, who turns out to be Simon’s ‘friend’. Equally disturbing is the lone exploration of the house by a psychic shown through night-v ision,
Crows Zero Action (NC16) Shun Oguri, Takayuki Yamada 131 minutes
WELCOME to the Suzuran High School for Boys, where the students are called “crows” and they fight their way to achieve power. Also known as “The School of Crows”, all the students fight for a common goal: to unify the school and reign supreme. In comes Genji Takaya, played by Shun Oguri, a transfer student who attempts to take control of Suzuran to prove his capabilities to his yakuza boss father. However, in order to do that, he has to defeat rival Tamao Serizawa (Takayuki Yamada), who
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instantly cranking the creepiness-factor up by a notch. T he ma in d raw of this movie is its story. A mother struggling to get her child back is hardly uncommon, but Spanish actress Belen Rueda is extremely convincing as an anguished woman confronted with ever y mot her’s wor st nightmare. Her desperation is felt, in her last-ditch attempt to find Simon, when she takes on the creepy task of invoking the children’s spirits. Her emotional performance makes the ending even more saddening, though all is always not lost in a
fairy-tale. There may be loopholes and unanswered questions but they do not detract from the audience’s enjoyment of this enthralling story. Produced by t he director who gave us the acclaimed and fantastical ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, Guillermo Del Toro delivers in this fairytale-like movie which won seven Goya Awards, the Spanish equivalent of the Academy Awards. T h e O r ph a n a g e i s d i f fe r ent f rom you r s t a nd a r d hor r or f a r e which only exist to shock, because it has a haunting story to tell, promising to grip your heart after the closing credits start rolling. -Valerie Toh
Rule #1 Horror /Drama (NC16) Shawn Yue, Ekin Cheng, Fiona Xie 95 minutes
IT IS rare to find a horror movie that boasts a thoughtprovoking storyline as well as genuinely creepy thrills. Yet, local director Kelvin Tong has achieved this with Rule #1, a horror-thriller about cops, shot entirely in Hong Kong. Shawn Yue stars as a cop who witnesses supernatural happenings during his job and ends up getting transferred to the hilariously named Miscellaneous Affairs Departments (MAD) by his superiors. He soon finds out that his new department is in charge of handling calls
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from the public on strange happenings. Ekin Cheng plays his weary alcoholic boss, who tells him the department’s number one rule–there are no ghosts. As the mystery deepens, themes of bonding, faith, heroism and betrayal are explored. At the heart of this Kelvin Tong film is a well-developed story, which teaches you that things are not always what they seem to be. Both male leads play their roles convincingly and share a natural chemistry that add a human touch to the story. Towards the
end of the movie, the scene where they banter with each other about whether they would shoot the next person who walks through the door is both humorous and poignant – made possible by convincing acting and Tong’s excellent scriptwriting. Fiona Xie plays Yue’s girlfriend with her signature doe- e yed look wh i le Stephanie Che throws in some emotions as Cheng’s neglected wife. Both male protaganists’ relationships with their partners are fully explored as the policemen grapple with the challenge of balancing their work and love life. Like any other excellent Asian horror movie, this show scores by creating genuinely disturbing and scary scenes. Most of all, it distinguishes itself from the forgettable horror fare out there because it is a thinking man’s movie, which tugs at the heartstrings and leaves you pondering endless possibilities. -Cheryl Ng
Maroon 5 Press Conference Maroon 5 has won several awards for its debut album Songs About Jane. Released in June 2002, the album enjoyed major chart success in many countries around the world.
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currently holds the position of being the closest to control Suzuran. Under the mentorship of former student Ken Katagiri (Kyosuke Yabe), Genji gradually takes over the school class by class, building up his army for the final face-off with Serizawa’s gang. Based on the best-selling manga Crows by Hiroshi Takahisa, Crows Zero is the never-been-told story of the origins of the series, known as “episode zero”. Under the careful eye of director Takashi Miike, viewers get glimpses of
these tough guys and their human side as they cry, sweat profusely in front of girls and bond over an afterschool tussle. A veteran in gangster movies, viewers expecting a thrilling ride from Miike will not be disappointed. With fight scenes involving eccentric characters, it is packed with testosterone and a twist of fun that only Miike could stylise. Add the backdrop of graffiti-covered walls and techno-rock music, you now have the winning formula for an enjoyable high school gang movie. The montage at the end of the movie was definitely worth the wait, crosscutting between scenes of the gripping final face-off, Ken’s retribution for his selfless act and Serizawa’s sidekick’s surgery–each scene depicting its own kind of battle. It leaves you wanting to pick up a copy of Crows the next time you drop by the bookstore.
-Nur Salfarizah Saleh
MAROON 5: Posing for the camera at the press conference. PHOTO | KUAN JIE WEI
M A ROON 5 had their first concert in Singapore on 25th March 2008. The group of five arrived at t he Singapore I ndoor Stadium Function Room, before the concert, for a press conference, ready to entertain. They were welcomed w it h a lion dance p e r f or m a n c e , w h i c h d i s pl a y e d a C h i ne s e scroll with the words “Ma roon 5 w i l l roc k t he hou se ton ig ht” when translated from Mandar in to English. Un iver sa l Music a lso awarded t hem w it h “Maroon 5” plaques. T h i s Ca lifor n ia n
ba nd ga r ne r e d t h r e e G r a m m y a w a r d s f or their performances and “It Won’t Be Soon Before L on g ”, t h e i r s e c on d album, sold like hotcakes in South-East Asia. “I t h in k it was so much pressure to make this one that you couldn’t fe e l it aga i n ,” Ada m Levine confessed. And for this album’s newly spiffed up look, the five agreed that Jesse Carmichael and James Valentine dressed the best. They also said that they did not really know what to expect from their third album because they
would not be writing any songs until they finished touring. Fans of Levine might like to know these little deta i ls: he suppor t s Manchester United, can’t cook, still enjoys partying and treats his voice bet te r t ha n h i s guitar. What was impressive was the unity and spirit of the band. They admitted that while touring has been f un, t hey have experienced fatigue and exhaustion but they still try to lift each other up, stick together and support each other throughout.
-Ellyne Phneah
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tech review
Facebook goes viral
Popular social networking site Facebook has added three new features to stay ahead of the pack. Tech editor Lim Yan Liang logs in and finds out A LONG with the newly implemented privacy options that some Facebook users may have noticed upon logging on to the social networking site, Facebook announced last Wednesday that it would be introducing a chat feature in the near future and a “People You May Know” function. “People You May Know” is a recommendation engine that finds fellow Facebook users who are connected through six other people or less. If the engine sees that you have four or more friends in common with someone, it would then suggest that person as a friend. Like a viral marketing campaign, the more friends that a person has, the higher the likelihood he would be recommended new friends through the engine. The end result is a faster growing and denser social web of interconnectivity among Facebook users, which the social network hopes will exponentially increase its user base and revenue.
While this new feature will undoubtedly make it easier for Facebook members to fi nd new connections based on relationship distance, it may yet result in further controversy over privacy issues as users may be constantly inundated with friend requests from people they hardly know.
The end result is a faster growing and denser social web of interconnectivity. Facebook has repeatedly come under fire in the past, with many critics expressing concern over the company’s handling of user data. Besides charges of data mining, Facebook’s controversial Beacon advertising application stealthily tracks users’ online habits on more
than 40 partner sites, such as Blockbuster.com and Livejournal, and broadcasts purchases on such sites to their Facebook contacts in the form of alerts and newsfeeds. While the social networking site swiftly tweaked Beacon to address user concerns, it stopped short of offering a general opt-out option for the entire program̶ something many users have hoped for. Fac eb ook’s de c i s ion to i mplement “People You May Know” may have been inspired by a Facebook group called “Six Degrees of Separation”. Using the theor y that ever ybody on the planet is separated only by six other people, the group has managed to attract more than 4.5 million members so far, hitting its one millionth mark in less than a fortnight. SCARY OR HELPFUL: Facebook may just know friends you have forgotten about. PHOTO | INTERNET
Coming to a Singtel shop near you The phone with everything but the kitchen sink may finally be making its way to local shores̶officially. Cameron Ng gets caught in the iPhone fever
THE iPhone, Apple’s Internetenabled multimedia mobile phone w it h it s mu lt i-touc h scr een , virtual keyboard, 2.0 megapixel camera, music player and its e-mail, web browsing, and local Wi-Fi connectivity, may fi nally be officially launched in Singapore this September. SingTel, one of Singapore’s lead i ng te le com mu n icat ion s company, is said to have finalised negotiations with Apple to launch its coveted handset within the year. Both SingTel and Apple have yet to confi rm or deny the possibility of their supposed agreement. In fact, representatives from SingTel have declined to comment on the issue of the launch of the iPhone. However, a local vendor, who has close Apple associates in the United States, has revealed that "SingTel has more or less sealed the deal". The vendor has requested not to be named. The iPhone, Apple’s maiden foray into the world of mobile phones, was first released in June 29th, 2007 to an enthusiastic American audience, and has seen continued demand since it was first available to the public. Even within Singapore itself, where the iPhone
PHOTOS | INTERNET
is still officially unavailable, ZDNet Asia analysts believe that an estimated 10,000 units have been bought by Singaporeans through different means, with some units costing up to $1,000. Even so, several analysts
be l ie ve t hat t he de ma nd i n Singapore for the iPhone may be dampened by its lack of 3G functionality. Users in the United States using AT&T’s EDGE network have had problems with regard to lacklustre surfing speeds. EDGE is
considered in marketing terms as being 2.5G, which is faster than GPRS but slower than 3G. If the iPhone were to launch in Singapore without 3G functionality, it will see Singaporean users having to resort to utilising the legacy GPRS network for mobile surfing. Some obse r ve r s a r e a l so sceptical that SingTel will agree to Apple’s unprecedented revenuesharing model. Currently in Europe and the United States, Apple has demanded that it be given a share of the revenue from each unit of iPhone sold to mobile phone subscribers. However, not all analysts are so negative. Aloysius Choong, research manager for research and analysis firm IDC Asia/Pacific, believes t hat Apple may not necessarily insist on implementing the revenue-sharing model in Singapore. " We' ve hea r d a n A pple executive coming out to say that they don't necessarily need to go with that model. So it could be, and it will be in the long term, [going] back to a more familiar relationship where you distribute through the operators, you get a subsidy through the operators,"
he said. Retail operations manager of iShop, Zachary Wong, believes that the issue of 3G functionality may not be an issue at all: "You never expect what Apple is able to pull out. The 3G model could be in Singapore as well. 3G is the industry platform for this part of the world, so I say the demand for the newer model of the phone will be much, much higher." W h i le t here ha s been no official word as to when the second generation, 3G enabled iPhone will be released, various sources such as CNBC’s Jim Goldman have stated with a degree of certainty that the updated model will be available to consumers in June. Mr Choong agrees: "Consumers are looking for... design and brand. And these two are really what the iPhone has in place. And not just that, one great thing about the iPhone is that it goes beyond the usual business of early tech adopters." Apple itself has claimed that it has plans to sell 10m units of the iPhone by the end of the year. Retailers expect the iPhone to be priced around $690 when it is eventually launched here.
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news flash
tech review
Rise of the
Diminutive Giants
Barely has the first quarter of 2008 passed us but the race for the ultra-mobile PC (UMPC) crown is already reaching boiling point. Our tech editor Lim Yan Liang brings you the latest updates in the world of the subnotebook THREE issues ago, we predicted that 2008 would be the year of the laptop. But few could have foreseen the eagerness with which major laptop manufacturers have jumped onto the UMPC bandwagon, a nonexistent market less than a year ago. From the Fujitsu LOOX series to the Samsung Q1 and Everex’s C loudbook , t he subnotebook might finally make the leap from a techie’s toy to a mainstream computing tool. FULL STEAM AHEAD Even Intel, foremost a chipmaker, could not resist entering the market. Partnering with Malaysia-based notebook vendor FT EC, it unveiled the education-centr ic Smar t Book on March 25th at IT megastore, TecAsia, in Kuala Lumpur. The fi rst design from Intel’s “Netbook PC” blueprint to be launched, the r uggedized Smar tbook comes with 512MB of RAM, Wi-Fi, and an Intel Celeron ultra-low voltage processor. The 7” base model retails for RM1, 199 and will sport a 40GB harddisk. This has come swiftly in the wake of an earlier announcement on M a r c h 2 n d , w h e n I nt e l formally announced the Atom microarchitecture, putting the spotlight squarely on its brand new Silverthorne processor. The ultra-low power chip, meant for a new class of mobile internet devices, is purported to consume eight to ten times less power than current mobile processors. Calling it “purpose-built silicon”, General Manager of Intel’s Global Communications believes the low cost processor will enable laptop makers to “price their (goods) very aggressively”. The industry-wide innovation shake-up shows no sign of abating, with Korean manufacturer MIU also announcing last Tuesday its new portable computer cum handset, which it has dubbed the Hybrid Dual Portable Computer, or HDPC. Besides sporting a full QW E RT Y keyboa rd a nd a 4” screen, the convergence device will support a number of connectivity standards including Wi-Fi and GPS. The HDPC is also capable of voice over internet protocol telephony and mobile TV streaming, and will be released in July for around US$399. Meanwhile, Asus, the company which created the ubiquitous Eee PC and current market leader in the subnotebook segment, is not standing still. The upgraded Eee
ADOBE SYSTEMS HAS RELEASED Photoshop Express, a free webbased image editor. The browserbased application requires Flash 9 and gives users 2GB of free storage. GOOGLE HAS ADDED YOUTUBE Insight to its stable of free analytics tools, providing content creators and advertisers alike advanced data such as viewing patterns and viewer location. MOTOROLA ANNOUNCED LAST Wednesday that it will formally split into two publicly traded entities by 2009, one handling mobile devices and the other broadband and enterprise products. AMD HAS ANNOUNCED FOUR new high-end quad-core chips in its Phenom line, as well as two triplecore processors, a first on the PC market, to target the mainstream audience. NOT TO BE OUTDONE, INTEL has built two new quad-core processors that run faster than previous quad-core chips without using any additional power. The new chips are 25% faster than previous Xeon processors. SAN JOSE-BASED MEMORY d e v el o p er S up er Tal ent h as announced that it expects to begin shipping 256GB solid-state disk drives for laptops in April. The drive will cost PC makers US$5,950. YAHOO, GOOGLE, AND MYSPACE have formed a foundation to promote the OpenSocial platform. The platform aims to be neutral, community-governed specification for building social-networking applications.
THE TINY AND THE MANY: Even within the niche UMPC category, manufactureres are experimenting with different functions and form factors. PHOTOS | INTERNET
PC, projected to hit the shelves as early as mid April in the US, will sport an 8.9” screen and have its storage boosted to 12GB. Industrial source DigiTimes also claims to have evidence that a touchscreen EEE PC might well be a reality too. SMALL DOES NOT FIT ALL While UMPCs might be small in form factor, critics are urging manufacturers to take a closer look at design. “I think consumers expect small designs to be slim. Thickness, no matter how compact, does not translate into mass appeal, or even limited appeal”, said Brooke Crothers, former editor-at-large of CNET News.com. The issue of thickness continues to be a nagging problem, with manufacturers finding size a primary constraint to the UMPC’s attractiveness. Another major concern for would-be buyers is the issue of batter y life. Manufacturers are hard-pressed to increase the capacit y of built-in batteries, since UMPC batteries are typically smaller than usual laptop ones. “If the battery only lasts as
long as my current laptop, or worst, dies even faster, I’d rather carry my laptVop and be able to do everything,” said Mervyn Teo, First Year Common Engineering student. Start-up time is also a major sticking point with many users. W h i le s m a l l a nd h i g h l y portable, UMPCs suffer from long booting times, often taking longer to reach the desktop than their full-sized brethren due to slower processors. Cameron Ng, a long time EEE PC user, feels that the long boot times “kills casual pocket use”, saying that “unlike my PSP, I feel that my EEE isn’t a full-fledged ultraportable because it can’t boot up instantly.” Other UMPC users have similar complaints, noting that unlike other ultra-portable devices like MP3 players and Palm-like devices, booting up a UMPC for short-term use like checking of email would require a disproportionately long wait. LOOKING AHEAD Of course, hardware m a nu f ac t u r e r s a r e at wor k
developing solutions. With a variety of hard-disk makers like A-Data and Samsung announcing that they will be shipping 128GB solid state disk drives in volume this year, and the further miniaturization of traditional harddisk drives, expect the thickness problem to eventually be a non-issue. With the implementation of Atom processors, battery life will hopefully also be much improved. M ic r o s of t , w h ic h h a s b e e n marketing its Origami Experience 2.0 (a software suite built on the Vista operating env ironment and designed specif ically for the UMPC), has also hinted that users of subnotebooks may have a speedier and more streamlined operating system built on the familiarity of Windows. Barring delays, expect the suite to be available by mid-2008. While UMPCs have come a long way since the Asus EEE PC first hit the market, the main justification for purchasing one still depends on how much emphasis one places on portability. As a secondary portabilit y tool, however, the UMPC is very much the mobile warrior’s weapon of choice.
BLIZZARD HAS RELEASED A milestone content patch for World of Warcraft called Fury of the Sunwell. At 260MB, version 2.4 includes a new high-level area, new dungeon and raid content, a brand new faction, a global arena tournament and interface improvements. A US AND A BRITISH LIBRARY plan to reproduce online all 75 editions of William Shakespeare's plays printed in the quarto format before the year 1641. The project is designed to make all of the quartos, many of which are only accessible to scholars, available to the wider public. SIGMA HAS RECENTLY LAUNCHED its DP1, the first compact camera featuring a DSLR-sized sensor to hit the market. With a street price of US$800, the 14-megapixel camera provides full manual controls. APPLE HAS OVERTAKEN DELL as the leading provider of laptops to the higher education market, and a recent survey has shown that roughly 40 percent of college students are looking to purchase a Mac as their next computer. POPULAR BITTORRENT SEARCH engine TorrentSpy has been forced to shut down after a prolonged legal fight with the Motion Picture Assoication of America resulted in courts ruling against it.
Undergraduate Investment Forum
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ISSUE 10 | NTU INVESTMENT INTERACTIVE CLUB | WWW.NTU-IIC.ORG
YIPpee! Young Investor Pack
FINALLY here!
The first-ever comprehensive basic know-how package for investment guru wannabes By Phua Wang Yu Saturday, 15th March 2008, saw the inaugural launch of the Young Investor Pack (YIP) where more than 700 eager investment newbies filled up Nanyang Auditorium. The turn-out for the event far exceeded the target of 500 people the organising committee had in mind. If you do not already know, the Young Investor Pack is a program developed by OCBC Securities in partnership with I-Cube, spearheaded by NTU Investment Interactive Club (NTU-IIC). Not just a seminar, the YIP launch also incorporated a race that challenged the physical stamina and financial knowledge of participants. The launch signifies the start of one’s investing life. The Guest of Honour, Mr. Hsieh Fu Hua, CEO of SGX, graced the event despite touching down in Singapore at six a.m. in the morning. This only goes to show the amount of support Mr. Hsieh has for YIP. Mr. Hui Yew Ping, managing director of OCBC Securities, commented, “The introduction of YIP is a breakthrough in our continuing efforts to guide young investors in their journey to become savvier investors in their own right. The members of I-Cube have made significant contribution to YIP. I also praise NTUIIC for organising such a successful launch event that marked a key milestone of YIP.” Mr. Terence Lim, 23, President of NTUIIC opened the seminar with an insightful and humourous speech. He added a dose of humour which set off rounds of laughter in the auditorium by ending his speech by telling the race participants to not only keep their eyes open for clues, but also for Mas Selamat. Mr. Richard Dyason and Mr. Stephen Tan, both respected professionals in the business world, were guest speakers for this seminar. Mr. Dyason, a very charismatic speaker I might add, spoke largely on how to leverage on one’s strength and what we should focus our attention on in order to get maximum results. His energized speech got the crowd excited and inspired about investing. Mr. Tan taught us how the market works and the things young investors should take note of. “I really
love the way the seminar was conducted. The speeches were both entertaining and informative. I will definitely start trading soon!” Mr Christopher Ng, 21, a freshman from NTU remarked after attending the seminar. To aid young investors like us who are trying to get a leg-up, the team behind YIP set up an application booth that let those who turned up for the seminar get hold of YIP on the spot. One of the biggest perks of YIP is a comprehensive pocketbook that introduces students to different investing instruments, technical and fundamental analysis, and useful investment links! Other topics covered in the pocketbook include: • Introduction to the Stock Market • Guide to Start Investing • Perils of Investing “YIP pocketbook is a starter guide to the world of investments. I was only aware of stocks and unit trusts as investment choices initially, but with the YIP guide, I begin to understand more sophisticated instruments such as warrants, futures and ETFs,” Mr. You Yewei, 23, a 2nd year student from Nanyang Business School quipped. It can be sure that Mr. You and many others will put their new knowledge gained to use soon! More than 80 groups of participants took part in the ‘Cash Trail’, an amazing racelike style game which saw teams running from places of interest such as Hong Lim Park, Victoria Concert Hall and Red Dot Museum. It incorporated some fundamental principles of investing – higher risks will beget higher returns and vice versa. A four-person team from Ngee Ann Polytechnic emerged as winners, bringing home 1000 dollars, while teams from NUS and NTU came in second and third respectively. Everyone was a winner as they not only walked away with prizes but also newfound knowledge on investment. Want to be a YIP member? Visit www.iocbc.com or email to younginvestor@ocbcsec.com today!
Winners of “QUICK QUIZ 9” Congratulations to the following for winning a “PARTY WORLD FREE 4 HOUR KTV ROOM” voucher each! 1) Chua Shunjie 2) Goh Yee Hui 3) Chiang Tong Lam June 4) Lee Soke Yee 5) Lin Zhiwei Marcus
6) Kwok Ka Chun 7) Huang Yong’ An John 8) Cwa Xing Long, Jackson 9) Chia Jingyi 10) Tay Ping Liang Abel
You will be notified via email soon.
OFF TO A ROARING SUCCESS: The grand launch of YIP
QUICK FACTS ON YIP
1
Young Investor Pack (YIP) is a program developed by OCBC Securities in partnership with I-Cube, spearheaded by NTU Investment Interactive Club (NTU-IIC).
2
YIP aims to instill financial literacy amongst young Singaporean by raising awareness of the benefits of investing at a young age and providing them with the basic tools to start learning the ropes of investing.
3 4 5
YIP targets at young Singaporeans ranging from age 18 to 29. The “Young Investor Pocketbook” is specially compiled and designed by NTU-IIC, where budding investors will be able to get a basic knowledge of the various financial instruments, like Foreign Exchange, equities, bonds and commodities. Sign up to be a YIP member at www.ntu-iic.org or www.iocbc.com (click on the “Young Investor” icon)
WIN! QUICK QUIZ 10 We are giving away 10 sets of “$20 City Chain Gift Voucher with a $5 MPH Discount Voucher”! Answer the questions below and e-mail uif.quiz@ntu-iic.org Deadline: 7 April 2008 1. What are the topics covered in the Young Investor Guide? Please set the subject of mail as “Quick Quiz 10” and leave a mobile number. NTU IIC reserves the right to change the prize of the quiz without prior notice.
Undergraduate Investment Forum Brought to you by:
www.ntu-iic.org
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实在歌手：友谊第一 ，比赛第二 刊34页
新闻 ARTSpeak系列之黎沸挥音乐房“十分音乐”讲座与座谈会
幽 默本 畅地 谈音 乐
觉得中文歌曲不好 听。” 直到后来接触 到巫启贤的新谣小 组“地下铁”，才 让他改变了想法。 多年的经验也 让他体会到中文歌 曲其实有自己本身 的味道，而要写歌 就“需要扩大听歌 的口味，并丰富自 己人生的经验”。 黎沸挥日前带 着自己的音乐学 校“黎沸挥音乐 黎沸挥以幽默的方式与学生互动，和大家分享自己的音 房”的学生，到南 乐历程。 摄影|梁家润 大校园举办了“十 地著名音乐人黎沸挥其实在 分音乐”讲座与表演会。他 郭进华 报道 学生时代“很看不起中文音 幽默风趣的谈吐让观众在欢 乐”。 愉中获益不浅。他的学生也 他 说 ： “ 我 在 中 学 的 时 在表演会上献唱了七首歌。 为许多华语乐坛歌手 在讲座上，黎沸辉还 写歌并制作专辑的本 候，只听英语摇滚歌曲，总
●
曾
说，自己以前“根本不会写 歌”。至今还在纳闷他第一 首“乱写”的歌曲《不是不 愿意》为何会夺得龙虎榜的 12周冠军。 他也幽默地探讨了新加坡 人的咬字问题，说：“大多 数新加坡人都说福建方言， 而方言没有卷舌音，结果 ‘老师我没自信心’就变 成‘老斯哦没自信心’。” 他提出了一些有趣的例子， 把观众都逗乐了。 黎沸挥也介绍了新加坡音 乐的历史。 活跃于华语乐坛20年的他 表示，当时新谣起步艰辛， 之后才逐渐受到大家的支持 和肯定。 本地歌手如巫启贤到海外 发展，更为本地音乐打了一 剂强心针。 他回忆起学音乐时的痛
苦：“当时没有所谓的音乐 学校，弹钢琴、吉他都是自 己学习、自己训练的。” 他也因此认识到音乐的 重要性，所以在几年前成立 了音乐房，把心得和大家分 享。 出席讲座的南大生受访时 表示，他们获益良多，也对 黎沸挥改观。 机械与宇航工程系四年级 的邓祥俊指出，之前在电视 歌唱比赛上看到他讲评时很 专业、很严肃，并没想到他 其实很亲切。 就读化学与生物化学系 一年级的陈淑芬则另有体 会。她说：“在音乐生涯中 有些小挫折，但他还是从中 成长，这种精神是值得学习 的。” 这项活动是由南大文化活 动协会携手联办。
ARTSpeak系列之“爱雨的我，都说了”碧燕南苑唱谈会
用音乐记录生命 滕思珂●报道
本
地歌手黄碧燕之所以 选择当一名独立唱作 （Indie）歌手，是因为她不 会写书，于是就把音乐当成 代替书本的另一种记录生命 的方式。 她说：“我相信机缘巧 合，也是音乐，成为治愈我 的忧郁症的良药。所以我的 专辑更像是一种必须要诞生 的记录生命的专辑。” 经过五年的生命低潮，忧 郁痊愈复出，黄碧燕带着创 作专辑《Chiselled》，以感 慨的心来到南大与学生们会 面。由南大文化活动协会举 办的唱谈会，让南大学生们 有机会更了解这位独立派音
乐人的心路历程。 碧燕的好友Ivan以刘德 华的经典名曲《你说他是 你想嫁的人》为唱谈会拉 开帷幕。Ivan也是碧燕创办 的KEYiN Records的签约艺 人；《Chiselled》的封面即 是出自他手。 暖场后，身着黑衣仔裤 的碧燕出场与学生见面。一 首洋溢着激情与活力的歌曲 《此刻的你》很快拉近了年 轻人为主的观众与碧燕的距 离。 碧燕也在场演唱一系列 自己钟爱的作品，其中包括 中学时期偶像江玲的《我的 歌》，以及“That Certain Cat”。当她在现场邀请观 众与她一起合唱《我存在》 的副歌部分，唱谈会的气氛
到达高潮。 碧燕的另一位客座嘉宾是omy 网络编导/记者胡珂宁。她也为 大家演唱了她的单曲《明天我会 在哪里》。这首歌是珂宁在911 事件发生后，对生命重新思考的 结晶。她希望将这种洒脱的精神 传达给朋友，不留遗憾。 也是电台1003兼职DJ的珂宁 在受访时谈到独立唱作歌手的艰 辛。她说：“可能最大的困难还 是资金问题。但是我觉得在钱的 问题上应当调整正确的心态，一 步一步做好作品，将音乐精神传 达给别人并且能激励别人，才是 Indie歌手真正的出发点。” 问及碧燕的歌唱路线时，她 回答说：“我认为经历过这次生 病，我还是更偏爱节奏强的歌 曲，因为这种歌曲更能带出歌手 与听众的情绪。”
黄碧燕自弹自唱，用歌声唱出自己的生命故事。摄影|梁家润
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M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
PSP
时事动脉
随身携带 无所不在
PSP虽然是电玩，但它的独特魅力不仅局限于男生，就连女生也为之疯狂。 摄影|陈姿洁
刘婷婷●报道
不
管是你挤进地铁时， 还是在学校下课后， 甚至行走于大街上，都可以 看到这么一群人：他们双眼 不离手中的小型游戏机，拇 指不停在“遥控钮”上猛 按，表情时而紧张时而舒 缓，全神贯注。 他们是典型的掌上游戏机 （PlayStation Portable，简 称PSP）迷。一机不离手， 能让他们玩得着迷，陷入虚 拟的数码世界里。 PSP就是一种可以随时随 地玩游戏、听音乐、看电 影、上网、看电子书、玩模 拟器的时尚数码掌机。随着 现代都市人生活需求的提 高，像PSP这样的掌上电子 产品迅速风靡全球，似乎已
保健篇
经成为一种时尚潮流。在新 加坡，手上拿着PSP的人更 是随处可见。 那究竟这玩意儿有什么 “魅力”可让如此多的男女 老少都为之倾倒呢？ 商学院四年级的刘伟良玩 PSP已经有三年之久，但每 当谈起这游戏机时还是像新 玩家一般兴奋不已。 他告诉记者，买PSP是因 为当初想找一种能在旅行途 中或平时放学后便于携带的 娱乐用具。他说：“无聊时 可以打发时间，玩游戏更是 可以释放自己的心情。” 对于男生来说，PSP最大 的魅力还是在游戏上。刘伟 良认为PSP能广泛受欢迎的 重要原因之一是玩家可以从 网上直接获得免费游戏，而 不必花钱去买游戏软件。 计算机工程学院二年级
吴炜炜●报道
营 俗 养必 早不 餐可 少
话说，早餐吃得好， 午餐吃得饱，晚餐吃 得少。由此可见，一顿营养 早餐对身体健康的重要性。 然而，多数现代人对早餐都 抱着可有可无的态度。 有些人睡到日上三竿才起
插图｜Sarah Amnah
的王伟同样感慨道：“PSP 游戏很吸引人，而且画面很 美，操作还很方便。” 王伟也很享受玩PSP时的 乐趣。他说：“游戏中，喜 欢赢得一次次挑战的胜利感 觉。如果是在地铁上，PSP 游戏可以让无聊的车程变得 有意思多了。” 但不可否认的是，也有 一部分年轻人买PSP只是为 了跟随潮流，给自己挣个 面子。不管是怎样跟PSP结 缘，一旦玩上了，玩家们就 再也无法抵挡它的魅力。 对于女生来说，来自新加 坡管理大学的毛苏蓉当初是 在朋友的影响下买了PSP， 她认为这电玩最吸引人的地 方是它强大的多媒体功能。 她说：“（游戏机）不仅 可以玩游戏还能看电影、上 网、听音乐！音质很好，宽
床，自然就省略了早餐，或 者早餐午餐一起吃，美其名 为“Brunch”；还有些人以 不吃早餐来减肥。殊不知， 不吃早餐是有害无益的。 首先，不吃早餐会造成精 神不振，影响胃酸分泌、胆 汁排除，从而影响消化系统 功能，引发胃炎、胆结石等 疾病。其次，也会引起营养 不良，导致抵 抗力下降，身 体素质变差。 此外，专 家也解释，人 如果不吃早 餐，在午饭时 就容易出现强 烈的饥饿感，
屏让人看得舒服。” 毛苏蓉还补充：“女生 往往也会被它时尚的外型所 吸引，现在出的颜色很美， 体型也越来越苗条了。”这 位忠实粉丝确实视PSP为她 的“宠物”。 PSP可以随声携带并给玩 家带来欢乐，但它带来的负 面影响也不可避免。 王伟告诉记者，他看到 有人甚至上课的时候还拿着 PSP玩。他说：“对于那些 自制力差的人而言，很容易 上瘾，一旦沉溺于其中自然 就会影响学习和工作。” 也有不少人说买PSP浪费 钱，但刘伟良反驳：“你能 说买一件漂亮的衣服是浪费 钱吗？买PSP也是同样的道 理。若不考虑经济因素，我 认为每个小孩都应该拥有一 台。”
不知觉地吃下过多食物，多余的能 量会在体内转化为脂肪，久而久 之，脂肪在皮下堆积，导致肥胖。 同时，由于早餐离前一天晚餐时间 相距太长，胃壁特别容易腐蚀而造 成溃疡。 什么样的早餐才称得上是营养早 餐呢？ 如果把食物分为谷类、蔬菜、水 果、肉类和奶类，含有少于两类的 早餐属营养不足。含有至少三类的 早餐营养较好，而含有四类的便可 称为营养早餐。 依据这一方法，营养专家推荐了 以下几个简单且营养的早餐方案： 1. 脱 脂 牛 奶 一 杯 、 烤 全 麦 面 包 两 片、番茄一个，方便又营养。 2. 银耳莲子粥或者燕麦粥一碗、由 低脂乳酪、生菜、面包、火腿
台湾总统大选结果尘埃落 定，马英九与萧万长以221 万张选票的优势正式当选 台湾正副总统。民调显 示，台湾人民普遍对于这 个结果感到满意，也对马 英九的“六三三”经济政 策也受到人民的支持。
西藏首府拉萨连日来发生 的骚乱，目前已经蔓延到 西藏以外地区。四川阿坝 地区日前也发生藏人抗议 活动，在拉萨发生的藏人 抗议中国统治的示威活动 所引发的骚乱，已有至少 80人被打死。
巴基斯坦总统穆沙拉夫 说，他会全力支持即将上 任的新政府。人民党提名 优素福为总理，已宣誓就 职。
针对香港爆发的流感疫 情，香港卫生署和世界卫 生组织都表示，这波疫情 同禽流感或SARS没有关 系，不过人们仍需要保持 警惕，政府必须快速作决 定，以防疫情恶化。
不丹日前举行国民议会选 举，结束旺楚克王朝一个 世纪的世袭统治，进入君 主立宪时代。不丹王室提 倡快乐指数，在争取经济 发展的同时，也维持传 统、保护环境，过着快 乐的日子。根据快乐指 数，68％的不丹人算是快 乐的。
本地出现手指甲般大小的 晶片，能测出流感病毒， 包括可致命的H5N1禽流 感病毒。这个VereFlu“晶 片实验室”还能在短短两 小时内提供流感的基因信 息。
新加坡报业控股推出本地 第一个网上搜索引擎服务 （www.rednano.sg），搜 索引擎的首要特点就是具 有本土化的搜索功能，在 搜寻跟新加坡有关的资料 时，更准确、更便捷。
各一片做成的三明治一 份。 3. 鸡蛋挂面一碗、水果一 个、酸奶一杯，高蛋白 且低脂肪。 4. 瘦肉炒米粉一份、牛奶 一杯、香蕉一条，营养 均衡搭配。 5. 春 卷 若 干 个 、 豆 浆 一 杯、西瓜一片，满足营 养能量的需求。 更多保健资讯刊32页
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M AR C H 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
保健篇
香港通讯
青春痘的秘密 青
春期长痘痘一直是同学们的一大烦恼。尤其 是在天气炎热的新加坡，长痘痘更是不足为 奇。很多学生不惜花钱去做美容护理，买止痘膏 等药品，甚至是采用民间偏方来消除痘痘。 那么，你对自己为什么长痘痘又有多少了解 呢？记者吴炜炜向一名中医师了解了青春痘的不 同类别和对抗青春痘的办法。
插图｜Sarah Amnah
青春痘的类别
对抗策略
胃热型（痘痘是以长 在嘴巴周围为主）： 患有消化功能不佳或 胃痛、偏食、不爱吃 青菜水果的人，很容 易长痘痘，而且多是 长在嘴巴周围
中医说，多吃富含纤维素的食 物，如胡萝卜、金针菇等，以帮 助肠道蠕动。早上起床后立即饮 用一杯温水，平时多喝酸奶，帮 助排便顺畅。
肾阴虚型（痘痘以长 在上额及下巴处最 多，消了又长，难以 完全消除）： 属于家 族性遗传型的青春痘
通常皮肤属于油性，脸容易出 油，因此最好多以水洗脸，以防 毛孔阻塞。另外，多吃些清淡的 食物，如冬瓜、西瓜、胡萝卜 等。尽量避免熬夜，不吃辛辣、 热补，及容易上火的食物。
肝火旺型（痘痘以长 在左脸颊为主）：压 力大或要经常熬夜的 人最为常见
应该多吃有退肝火功效的食物， 如绿豆、冬瓜、小黄瓜等。尽量 在晚上11点前入睡，因为这个时 间至凌晨1点，经络系统正好走 到肝经，此时睡觉可调节肝脏运 作功能。此外，保持心情愉快也 能去肝火防痘痘。
肺火旺型（痘痘以鼻 子及右脸颊为主）： 通常有咽喉痛，痰黄 等症状
中医建议，可多做运动，增强肺 脏功能。多吃有润肺功效的食 物，如薏仁、木耳、杏仁等。此 外，饮用蜂蜜茶和绿茶也能润 肺。
生殖器官的问题（痘 痘以多长在人中处为 主）： 通常有月经不 调、痛经等生理症状
平时要少吃冰冷、辛辣的食物， 生理期间更要避免吃。中医说， 服用中药四物汤可以调经养血， 缓解症状。
在
国人心目中，香港是个很热门的旅游胜地。“买东 西、吃东西，买东西、吃东西…”对于这宣传标语， 相信你不会感到陌生。但其实，香港除了是个美食与购物 天堂之外，她还存在了许多待人发掘的奥秘。 文 / 摄 影 ● 李 丽 敏
清水湾位于新界东部，面向南中国海，地点还蛮偏远的。因为作 业的关系，我到了那里采访一群遥控飞机爱好者，也亲身体验 了玩遥控飞机的快感。玩遥控飞机，其实需要很多集中力。一 次我只将视线转移了几秒钟，就找不回自己那架飞机，还得要教 练“三哥”指给我看。我玩得太起劲，他还笑说：“飞太远了， 快转回来，你想飞回新加坡啊？”很开心一份作业带我到了一般 旅客不会去的地方、接触了平常不会碰到的人与事，或许这些难 得的经验才是到国外交流的真正意义所在吧。
作 者 是 传 播 系 学 生 ， 正 在 香 港 参 与 交 换 生 计 划 。
体 验 不 一 样 的 香 港
西贡同样位于新界东部是另一个偏远、交通又不太方便的地方。要去西贡是我下课 后临时决定的，乘搭10分钟的地铁，再搭近15分钟让我晕车晕到想吐的小巴后，我 终于抵达西贡。第一次看到渔夫们就在自己的小船上做生意，很有趣、也很有新鲜 感。我还亲眼目睹渔夫当场“处理”一条活生生的魔鬼鱼，虽然过程很血腥、恶 心，但它不仅新鲜，价钱还很便宜。这一幕应该是在一般菜市场里都体验不到的 吧？
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言论 编辑室●独具慧眼
女人，你“戒”了吗？ 宋慧纯 中文副编辑
今
年 ， 保 健 促 进 局 （Health Promotion Board）的反吸烟活动，以 因吸烟而患肺癌身亡的抗烟 女斗士Zita Roberts的故事， 劝请女烟客戒烟。 保健局资料显示，年龄介 于18到29岁的年轻女烟客， 人数从1998年的5.2%增至 2004年的6.6%，增幅令人关 注。 多年来，政府不断地提 倡戒烟，也实施了一系列的 戒烟运动，来提醒国人吸烟 的危害，并向国人灌输抽烟 其实是有益无害的观念。本 地烟客人数不减是个问题； 女性烟客人数不降反升，更 是一个令人担忧的现象。其 实在普遍推行戒烟运动的同 时，政府也有个别的戒烟活 动，主要针对的对象就是女 烟客。 就好比之前，保健局邀
征 稿
行举止再怎 么吸引人， 只要手上 刁根烟， 其实就是 对形象大打折扣了。这个看法或许 过于主观，但事实上，抽烟给 人的印象一直偏向于负 面，这我们不能否认。 其实，抽烟影响个人 形象，对女性的生殖能 力也会造成一定的危害。美国癌症 协会就指出，抽烟的女性普遍上都 比较难受孕。孕妇抽烟也可能造成 早产，或是婴儿胎死腹中。 我想很多女性不是不知道或不了 解这个道理，而是在染上烟瘾后， 要完全解除，需要的是很强的耐力 和毅力。烟瘾和毒瘾、酒瘾一样， 一旦染上就会终生纠缠，除非你真 的有心克制戒除。所以对于某些女 烟客心有余而力不足的情况，我还 是可以理解的。 而且，压力也很有可能是造成女 烟客无法戒严的原因之一。因为社 交圈子的关系，倘若你每天所接触 到的人大多以烟客为主，那么吸烟
请了新传媒艺人林湘萍，来 当形象大使，将自己如何戒 烟的亲身经历与其他有意戒 烟，但却意志不坚定的女性 分享，作为一个榜样。 虽然对很多的烟客而言， 抽烟是一种最直接的减压方 式，我们也无法否定他们这 套说法，但我们有义务向身 边的烟客告诫抽烟的害处。 更重要的是，减压有很多方 法，与其选择一个伤害自己 身心健康的方法，他们是不 是可以为了自己的健康，选 择其他方式，如运动，来减 压呢？ 但可悲的是，很多女烟客 无法看到这些害处，继续在 一片“烟雾迷蒙”的环境中 寻求精神上的解脱。在不断 增加的女烟客人数中，有大 部分是介于18至29岁的年轻 女性。 撇开健康问题不谈，我认 为女烟客所忽略的或许是形 象的问题。我想，一个漂亮 的女生，不管衣着打扮，言
《南苑》欢迎南大师生投稿。 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。
华语Cool，掀起华语热 李光耀的领导下推行。当时此 项运动的最大宗旨即是鼓励人 们多说华语，少说方言。到了 加坡在推行华语运动 90年代，讲华语运动便开始注 时 不 忘 重那些因接受英文教育而与华 创新，“华语 族文化脱了节的新 Cool”这个 加坡华人。 标语似乎增 我们可明显 加了推行多年 地看出讲华语运 的讲华语运动 动与政府的 的号召力。 社会语文政 今年，讲华语 策 的 精 密 运动更以新手法 关联。在 吸引年轻人，以国 政府提倡双 家体育队选手为宣传人 语政策的当儿，也 物，也以“讲华语，你 同时鼓励接受英文 肯吗？”激励国人学习 教育的新加坡人多说 华语。 华语。这种“新加坡 华语Cool，多么琅琅 式”的运动似乎总离 上口的口号，然而 不开政治关系。 新加坡政府的这番 到了今天，运动以 用心良苦背后的 亮眼的标语吸引 推动力是什么 专业人士与 呢？ 年轻人的注 讲华语运动 意力，其中 插图｜黄郁雯 1979年在前总理 似乎又加了多一层用
黄伟曼
新
nan
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
插图｜杨国瑞
似乎是联系 你们的共同管道。 所以，很多时候，抽 烟对这些女烟客而言，变 成了一种习惯，一种规律，一种 联系情感的方式，透过共同行径 互相了解。 所以，女烟客可能顾及到很 多现实中的种种考量，无法定下 心来将烟瘾戒除。因为长久以来 的一种生活方式，一旦戒除可能 影响到的，不仅仅是他们的工 作，社交，心理上如何调适这些 戒烟后所带来的变化对她们而言 是一项很艰巨的考验。 所以，不管是Zita Roberts， 还是林湘萍的故事，女烟客们是 不是得到了某些启发，愿意静下 来思考抽烟到底对自己的未来与 健康会带来多大的影响呢？ 健康的女人所散发出的一种 自信，亮丽的神采，是独一无 二，让人惊艳的！
意。表面因素是害怕华语在新 加坡社会失去定位，新加坡华 人会流失他们宝贵的价值观与 文化遗产，然而，这种政策毕 竟也包含了一定的经济因素。 中国的崛起给华语增添了全 球性的价值，使它成为了21世 纪渐趋强势的语言。这种语言 的力量就变成了中国用来影响 环球国家的一种软势力，而各 国也掀起了一股“华语热”。 中国经济稳步发展，有远见 的新加坡领导人当然也不愿意 落伍，而鼓励新加坡人学习华 语便成了维持经济效益与竞争 力的有效办法。 单从这点，讲华语运动的弱 点便呼之欲出。表面上是要新 加坡华人多接触自己的文化根 源，但其实却更显现了新加坡 社会因多元化而导致华族没有 共同文化根源的可能性。 多说英语、多说华语、少说 方言、精通双语，这些都好像 只是一种随波逐流，是维持国 家生存能力与竞争力的政策。
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娱乐
实在歌手PK赛 高音对决 宋慧纯●报道 中文副编辑
在
歌唱比赛充斥着本地娱乐圈 的当儿，本地音乐学校Hark Music 与Lunar Asian Fusion Bar联办 了首届《实在歌手PK赛》，以“PK” （指单挑决斗）为卖点，将“Live” 的概念与“PK”融合一体。 记者亲临第二场复赛进行采访，发 现比赛歌手卖力演出，观众更是情绪 高昂，现场气氛沸腾到了极点。 八位参赛者分为四组进行PK，主 题是老歌新唱。参赛者都使出浑身解 数，以摇滚，R&B等不同曲风来诠释 多首脍炙人口的经典老歌，让在场观 众听得陶醉。 全场高潮就属外来挑战者Alex陈凯 良与参赛者陈廷婷的对决。 凯良除了以具爆发力的歌声演绎了 张学友《吻别》的摇滚版，还使出自 己的压箱宝“飙高音”，以美丽的声 线现场将歌曲的副歌飙高了六度。 廷婷当然也不甘示弱。除了以天籁 般嗓音诠释了陈淑桦的经典情歌《梦 醒时分》，也以另一首歌展示自己迷
陈廷婷高亢又富磁性的歌声赢得在场观众热情的掌 声。 摄影|Ahmad Iskandar
宋慧纯●报道
杨 宗从 纬 跑 十 公 里 解 压
中文副编辑
《超级星光大道》比赛出身 的杨宗纬，每次遇到负面新 闻时，都会以跑步来舒解压力，一 跑就是十公里，心情才得以平复一 些。 之前因为参加《超》比赛时虚报 年龄一事闹得沸沸扬扬，让杨宗纬 倍感压力。 对于外界抨击自己的那些负面新 闻，杨宗纬尽量不回应，但对家人 的负面报道，他始终很在意。 他说：“我不会为负面新闻掉眼 泪。我的眼泪都是为了爱我的人而 掉。” 他也坦言，耍大牌，上夜店，搞 同性恋等负面新闻不间断，心情也 一直在调适，但家人、朋友和歌迷 给予他的鼓励，是他坚持下去的原 因。 日前杨宗纬抵达新加坡为新专辑 《鸽子》进行一系列的宣传活动。 他在会见媒体时，也聊到自己成名 以后，有很多事情都得多注意。 但随性的杨宗纬依旧搭公车 ， 不同的是周围的乘客都会向他要签 名。“我过去的生活很惬意，我也 很耍宝，并不是你们想象中那么有 距离感。”
当初因为跷课，在偶然的机会 下被100万的奖金所吸引，参加了 《超》的试镜。 参赛以来，杨宗纬一直很感激 制作人还有一群战友在一旁的支 持。就算比赛结束了，他还是一直 有和他们保持联络。 在来临的演唱会上，他也很希 望星光帮的战友担任嘉宾。 杨宗纬表示演唱会上会让大家 看到动感的自己，可是到什么程 度，他还在与公司讨论。 虽然希望家人出席演唱会，但 他坦言：“我怕看到家人会哭，会 影响到我的演唱。我是一个蛮‘易 感’（容易感动）的人。 ” 虽然媒体常拿他和萧敬藤、林 宥嘉做比较，但杨宗纬坦诚他们的 感情很好。 他和林宥嘉时常互传简讯打 气；与萧敬藤则常聊天，有心灵上 的交流。 被问及“省话一哥”萧敬藤与 自己交谈时是不是很省话，他打趣 着说：“我不知道，可能我自己也 很省话吧。” 杨宗纬演绎情歌时的深情和温 柔让大家印象深刻。他觉得自己是 一个浪漫，但也是很实际的情人。 他说，以前自己曾经捧着一束用金 沙巧克力包裹的桦树到女生宿舍， 送给自己心爱的人。
人的高音，赢得在场观众如 雷掌声。最后，她获得全场 最高28分，以一分之差，险 胜凯良。 但评判之一的林照晖表 示：“Alex的表演很棒，颇 有大将之风，虽败犹荣。” 廷婷的哥哥，陈廷荣表示 很支持她参赛：“廷婷的优 势是比较有舞台经验。” 其实多数参赛者都有参加 歌唱比赛的经验。 参赛者之一的吕颖芝以 前就读南大时，就参加过 由南大文化活动协会主办 的“Impresario”。 此次来参加《实》，他们 认为最不同的是要在短时间 内与现场乐队配合无间，这 是压力最大的地方。 另一位参赛者蔡德贞则表 示：“PK的精神就是下一次 一定要唱得比这一次好。” Alex陈凯良是受Hark Music之邀前来踢馆。他曾 是《非常Superband》的参 赛团体“J3”的成员之一， 也在木船民歌餐厅驻唱过。 对于参赛者的表现， 他说：“他们的技巧相当
不错，这毕竟是不同的场 合。” 比赛每一期会淘汰掉一名 选手，直到决赛圈为止。从 3月9日起，连续八个星期， 八位参赛者将演绎八个不同 的主题歌曲一斗高下。 而主办单位也会邀请全岛 各地的实力派唱将与参赛者 进行PK，同时颁发奖金给赢 得PK的挑战者。 他们希望给观众视觉上 的感官与听觉上的震撼，以 实况歌唱比赛的概念，让观 众了解歌唱比赛的另一层意 义。
实在歌手 PK赛 实在歌手PK赛进行的同 时，Hark Music 有意邀请各 方歌唱好手前去踢馆。 有意者请把个人资料和联 络号码电邮至： info@harkmusic.com
对于负面新闻，杨宗纬都会尽量调适自己的心情。 摄影|薛佳敏
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M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T H E NA N YA NG C H RON IC L E
吴佩真●报道
邱意淋 专访
娱乐休闲厅
倔强背后 更渴望浪漫 摄影｜符志强
本
地歌手邱意淋对音乐 拥有一套自己的想法 和坚持。就像EP里的“La Vie En Rose”唱道，当一个 人被爱的时候，所有的东西 都是粉红的。所以对音乐执 著，倔强的意淋，更渴望浪 漫的爱情。 近期刚发了首张个人 EP“Lonely Afternoon”， 里头收入了五首邱意淋的创 作歌曲。她说：“创作灵感 主要来自于个人生活经验， 朋友的生活故事也给了我不 少启发。” EP中共六首歌曲，诠释 的都是不一样的曲风。 常在婚礼献唱的意淋表示 由于客户要求不同，所以自 己必须具备很深的辨识度。 从抒情，爵士，摇滚，甚至 尝试用法语来诠释歌曲，意 淋坦言希望听众能透过不同 角度来了解更深一层的她。 从创作到整个录音过程， 邱意淋一直抱着兴奋却又期 待的心情。由于整张专辑都 是亲自筹备，就连资金也不 例外，因此意淋现在正积极
不一样的 Lonely Afternoon 中文总编辑
专辑：“Lonely Afternoon” 歌手：邱意淋 推荐：《当我八十岁》 “Play With Me”
六
首歌曲，六种不同 真情诠释，听得舒
服。 虽说只有六首歌，但因歌声中的 诚意，所以觉得专辑更值得珍惜。 本地独立唱作歌手邱意淋发了首 张EP“Lonely Afternoon”，收录了 三首华语和两首英语创作，还有一首 法文翻唱曲“La Vie En Rose”。 收到EP的时候，起初没有多少期 待。新加坡音乐市场比较小，要在本 地闯出一片天，唱出不一样的声音， 有一定的挑战性。 但是，我错了。我从邱意淋的EP 中听出梦想的力量。 《当我八十岁》一曲，唱出一种 渴望甜蜜浪漫爱情的女生的心声。节
奏轻快的抒情 摇滚曲风，加 上邱意淋的独 特声线，把歌 词间的韵味体 现出来。 特 别 喜 欢“Play With Me”这首英语 歌曲，富爵士 风格。钢琴、 弦乐和敲击乐 器作了巧妙的 结合，好似时光倒流，回到六、七 十年代，让人特别有感觉。歌曲道 出了对生活的不满和迫切逃出寂寞 的困境。 反而，《失了踪》一曲却似乎 有点逊色，算是专辑中较平淡的歌 曲。编曲方面没有多大的惊喜，但 是邱意淋的歌声就有一种让你听得 陶醉、舒服的感觉。 一把难得的好声音，值得细听， 感受其中的诚意。一张EP是一个开 始，虽不是所有歌曲属主流性质， 但还是期待邱意淋给我们带来一张 完整的首张创作专辑。
邱意淋
地为EP做宣传，希望能把专 辑带到台湾。 问及是否想再出第二张， 意淋表示：“现在能拥有属 于自己的一张专辑，已算是 圆了个梦。至于第二张，还 是要看“Lonely Afternoon” 的销售成绩如何才能够作打 算。” 自认坦率内向，意淋对 生活有着乐观的态度。虽然 这份音乐道路的决定不受鼓 励，但她却很坚持。“只要 想清楚后，相信自己是对 的，就要勇敢去做，不要害 怕批评， 更不要去在意别人 的看法”。 毕业于心理学，却毅然放 弃辅导员的工作而选者歌唱 为主业，意淋表示自己并不 后悔。她也从不畏惧向别人
求助，因为知道他们都会愿 意对她伸出援手。 对于音乐，邱意淋始终坚 持自己的想法。一旦决定， 就会努力把它做到最好。就 如学日语来说，意淋非常后 悔当初半途而废，所以现在 坚决要把法语学好，毕竟自 己也对法语深感兴趣。 邱意淋的世界，执著不 懈。
赢取邱意淋 最新EP 本报将送出两张邱意 淋亲笔签名EP“Lonely Afternoon”。 问：邱意淋EP中的唯一一首 法文翻唱曲的歌名是什么？ 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。 截至日期：2008年4月4日
玩家变“诗人”
乐评
韩伟定
“只要想清楚后， 相信自己是对的， 就要勇敢去做，不 要害怕批评， 更不 要去在意别人的看 法。”
陈金汶 专辑：《为你写诗》 歌手：吴克群 推荐：《为你写诗》 《眼睛不闭着》
久
违了的大玩家吴克群在 这次的新专辑里摇身一 变成为浪漫的诗人来《为你写 诗》。这次他抛开了以往看似 玩家的造型，表现出深情的诗 人情怀。 专辑里收录的词曲都出自吴 克群之手，大多属于抒情，轻 快和自由的曲风。十首原创带 出不同的情感的歌曲也不忘保 留一点玩家的调皮。 第一波主打《为你写诗》旋 律简单动听，歌词单纯，让人 印象深刻，是一首百听不厌的 小情歌。采用家喻户晓“小星 星”部分的旋律在加以创作， 在搭配歌词充分表现人们为爱 所散发的傻气与付出的青春。 在带有点摇滚味的《我不 管》里他更是不吝啬地唱出想
爱就爱的感觉。感染力不输甜蜜 情歌。 虽说已转变成浪漫的诗人，但 他依旧不改玩家的作风，继续在 快歌上发挥他独特的创作功力， 创作了《情人节》和有一点嘻哈 的《我的自传》。 值得一提的是他为癌症歌迷 写了一首歌《眼睛不闭着》。对 我而言这是整张专辑最值得一听 的歌曲。简单的旋律，单纯的鼓 励，不只为那位歌迷带来希望， 也能让其他的听众和歌迷感受到 他真诚。
Opinion
“The economic benefits that are coming our way, unfortunately, may remain firmly in our pockets.” Page 38
frankly, my dear
EDITORIAL
The unease about triple-sharing T he proposa l for tr iplesharing has apparently touched a raw nerve among a majority of students. Indeed there has not been a comparable issue in recent years that could impact the equation between the Universit y and students. Fr om t he pr i nt to t he broadcast to new media, news of what should have been a university’s proposal to meet demands for rooms on campus has now come under the spotlight of the national media. Comments made by both students and student leaders in recent media reports suggest that many students perceive the University as less inclined to a consultation process in making decisions that affect students. The University, on the other hand, is exasperated that students are seemingly unwilling to listen to the merits of its proposal—with scant regard for the needs of the 1,000 students still waiting for a room on campus. Regardless of whether such sentiments are grounded in truth or in perception, there is a need for handling the issue with kid gloves.
The student leaders have met with the dean of students, Associate Professor Lok Tat Seng. Hopefully he would help assuage fears about the impact of triple-sharing. It is great that both parties have taken the first step to engage each other in a dialogue Howe ve r, it wou ld be unrealistic for students to expect that they would always get what they want. Con s u lt at ion m u s t not be mistaken with acceding to popular demand. This is because unpopular decisions, while inciting dissatisfaction, must be made at times for the good of the University. But the University would also do well to bear in mind the repercussions of ignoring the voice of its most important stakeholders. It is a delicate balance the University must make all the time—keep students contented all the time and what is necessary may never happen; implement unpopular proposals in spite of stiff opposition and students might never truly feel as part of the University.
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 photo editors Chen Wei Li Kuan Jie Wei Tan Zi Jie graphics editor Long Fan WEB editor Alan Tan Yu Shyang
tech editor Lim Yan Liang
business managers Lee Yi Ling Eileen Teo Xin Wen Jean Toh Zong Rong
Chinese editors Han Weiding Song Huichun
production support Ng Heng Ghee
opinion editors Huynh Kim Phong Vo Van Hung
Teacher advisors Andrew Duffy Ben Nadarajan Javed Nazir Xu Xiaoge
Reviews editor Rachael Boon
A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446 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. Printed by KHL Printing Co. Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive, Singapore 508968
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A column by The Chronicle editors on issues close to their hearts
Scary roommates 101
GRAPHIC | JANELL HOONG
Gerald Tan L ayo u t e d i to r
I
n life, we are often faced with having to make tough choices, such as where to eat for lunch, what to wear to school, and if tomorrow’s lecture at nine in the morning is worth skipping. As such, one can only hope and pray that personalities between room-mates do not clash as the Titanic and the iceberg did. We all know what happened with that story, don’t we? But fret not, for below is a handy guide—with tongue firmlyin-cheek, of course—to room-mates from hell you should avoid in your lifetime. The Exhibitionist Un less you a re tota l ly comfortable with having another person’s dangling bits swinging right in front of your face as you read up on your notes for tomorrow’s lecture, I say, avoid sharing a room with the Exhibitionist at all costs. Even though it is perfectly acceptable to change in your rooms, people who belong to this category need to understand that the room they are sharing is fundamentally not a 24/7 nudist colony. Familiarity does not give them the excuse of parading around the room in all their naked glory.
The Collector Pursuing a degree in junk col lec t ion (what e l se?) , T he Collector is well on his way to his First-class Honours in the field of collecting trash. His ultimate ambition is to accumulate as much rubbish as possible, all of which will be scattered on every single possible surface within the confines of his own personal space. And just like how shopaholics get a kick whenever they whip out their credit cards to pay for their Louis Vuitton purchases, the Collector gets an insane amount of satisfaction seeing junk piling up all over the place.
Living with the Loud-Hailer is like having a Public Announcement system right in the comforts of your own room. Should you end up having to share a room with the Collector, stop wondering how long he has left that half-eaten bowl of instant noodles on his table. Trust me, you would not want to know.
The Emitter Taking a deep breath of fresh air is as hard to come by as a pleasant-smelling garbage truck when sharing a room with the Emitter. Mostly lacking in the hygiene department, the Emitter leaves you no choice but to take shallow breaths whenever you are in the room. The Emitter believes very strongly that life is not a bed of roses, and it should never smell like one too. The Loud-Hailer Living with the Loud-Hailer is like having a Public Announcement system right in the comforts of your own room. With a voice to rival that of a Boeing 747 plane, the Loud-Hailer almost makes you feel guilty for eavesdropping on his conversation each time he talks nonchalantly on the phone. However, that guilt quickly disappears as you listen lustfully while he dishes out the sordid details of your neighbour’s raunchy affair with another resident. a final note So you see, a roommate can make or break your experience in hall. This makes choosing the right roommate more difficult than planning your timetable on STARS. Remember to choose wisely. There is no add-drop period for your roommates, you know.
opinion
M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e
37
Change we believe in; change we demand Quah Chin Chin
C
ha nge, it se e m s , ha s become a buzzword lately, where recent elections and upcoming ones around the world are concerned. First, there is United States presidential hopeful Barack Obama, whose campaigning has revolved around bringing a “change we can believe in”. “I’m asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change…I’m asking you to believe in yours.” so goes his vow. Taiwan also saw changes when ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh, who governed the country for eight years, lost to Ma Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang (KMT) party. A nalysts said voters have become tired of a DPP president whose administration was marked by heightened tensions w it h China, and did little to grow the economy. Closer to home, Ma laysia witnessed a historic moment in its political landscape. In the general election held recently, the Opposition captured the western
states of Penang, Kelantan, Kedah, Selangor and Perak and denied the ruling Barisan National a twothirds majority in the Parliament. Pakistan too has had elections, with opposition winning comfortable majorities. Despite differ ing political landscapes, these countries have show n t wo com mon t hemes: democracy and change. It may be a tad early to predict how the US presidential race will go, but the polls in Malaysia and Taiwan have clearly defined “people power”. The Malaysia election marks the first time in its history that the Opposition has gained so much ground. That can be attributed to the dissatisfaction that voters had on issues they felt the Barisan failed to tackle—and which they took to the polls—including corruption, rising crime and minority rights. Meanwhile in Taiwan, victory went to the KMT which lost to the DPP in 2000 and 2004, after nearly half a century in power—again showing how democracy works. Yet, now that the dust has begun to settle, it remains to be seen whether the elected ones can deliver on their promises. Malaysia’s DAP, for one, vowed
GRAPHIC | NELSON YEO
to increase transparency and equality, among other things. It s secreta r y-genera l Li m Guan Eng, also the new Penang Chief Minister, has said that the state government will review development contracts based on an open tender system, and that the state’s appointed officials will be required to declare their assets. Bot h moves, aimed at introducing more transparency, a re com mendable. Sim i la rly, President Ma of Taiwan has vowed to stamp out corruption, even citing Singapore as having an exemplary clean government, as reported in the papers. Meanwhile, Barisan needs to realise that good economic growth isn’t enough to woo voters; there are bigger issues such as equal rights for minorities and a credible judicial system. The DPP, on the other hand, should move f rom tak ing an extreme stand to a more moderate one, according to analysts. Change the people has asked for, and change there must be—through the newly-elected representatives, and in those who lost. Otherwise, the electorates will not hesitate to speak out once again in another four years’ time.
University Town: will it really wow? Cerelia Lim
I
t has been about a century since the birth of our first public university but we have yet to fully exemplify the whole meaning of the word “university”. Or iginated from the Latin word “universitas magistrorum et scholarium”, it roughly translates to “a community of teachers and scholars”. Unde rly i ng t he word i s the spirit of a place where all teachers and scholars engage in exchanging knowledge. The academy of Plato can be considered as the earliest institution of higher learning. It was a school of philosophy and t hought, where st udents and teachers partake in lively discussions. There was a great desire to exchange ideas and a genuine passion for learning. T h at i s w h at u n i v e r s i t y originally stood for. However, let us look at how it is interpreted today. Ask any university student what university education means to h i m. Chances a re he w i l l probably tell you about hall life, compet it ions and t he insane workload, but not what he has lear nt. Intellect ua l cur iosit y seems nowhere to be found in
GRAPHIC | FIRDIANA FAWZIR
our universities nowadays. Yet, recently N US has planned to develop a university town that will facilitate independent thinking, inter-disciplinary teaching and lea r n i ng, and cross-c u lt u ra l communication. Conceived in 2006, this concept pioneers an innovative model of
learning and teaching integrated into residential colleges. The aim is to create a transformative educational experience that will prepare students for the globalised world. T he question is: will t his visionary idea really turn into reality? The infrastructure will
be ready, but will the original university spirit be? Right here in NTU, we have 16 halls of residence, which aim to create opportunities for social and cu lt u ra l act iv it ies, t hus delivering a more holistic learning experience for the residents. However, not all of them see
the need for such opportunities. Hall living is limited to a place of lodging, while the learning process scarcely goes beyond classrooms and textbooks. If we want a truly t r a n s for m at i v e e d uc at ion a l experience that will prepare us for the globalised world, we have to look at our education as beyond studying for exams and learning for the sake of results. In the recent career fair held at Nanyang Auditorium in February this year, a recruiter commented that NTU students had excellent academic credentials, but lacked the soft skills that are increasingly valued by employers. Suc h sk i l ls , it i s a rg ued , cannot be picked up through reading textbooks. Instead, they are usually acquired when we engage in the lively exchange of k nowle dge a nd idea s , a s exemplified by the academy of Plato. Will the concept of integrated lear ning be implemented successfully in NUS’ University Town, or will it just be another hyped-up project that fails to deliver? And will NTU’s university education achieve something of the same nature? T he outcome, it seem s to be, will depend on how we, as students, define education.
38
opinion
m ar c h 31, 20 0 8
T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e
i talk
Open your eyes, broaden your mind
A dim voice to be heard The poor in Singapore continue their struggle to make ends meet everyday. More measures are required to alleviate their plight Terence Lee
O
n a busy Sunday afternoon, Chan Ai Eng, 71, was selling tissue at a crowded street near Bugis Junction. T he sk i n ny hu nc hbac ke d woman carried a large plastic bag filled with packets of tissue. The pale sinews on her arms were almost visible; her translucent skin wrapped around her limbs like parched leather. With a diminutive voice she pushed her wares to bystanders, who waved her away. Lonely and abandoned, Madam Chan is a forgotten ghost treading the land of rapid modernisation. She is homeless, wandering from place to place, unsure of where she will stay for the night. If she is lucky, kind hawkers will treat her to a free meal. But more often than not, she pays for food with the meagre sum she earns. Living on such a subsistence level, she has fallen out of the scope of the budget speech, which was delivered by Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on 15th February 2008. In that speech, Mr Tharman mentioned how a budget surplus meant that needy Singaporeans s t a nd to ga i n by r e c e i v i ng ‘hongbaos’ in the form of financial assistance. However, she w i l l not be receiving growth dividends, which is based on family income and the value of their homes. Top-ups w i l l be given to Medisave accounts, and Public A s s i s t a nc e payout s w i l l b e increased, but these mainly service needy families and not homeless folks like her. An additional $200 million will be pumped into ComCare, and another $10 million will go into grassroots, self-help groups, and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs). Howe ve r, at t he mome nt it rema i ns u nclea r wh ich organisations will benefit from this funding, and how much of it will be steered towards lending a helping hand to the homeless elderly. For Madam Chan and those like her, the god of prosperity seems to have passed them by, much to their misery. Despite the various measures mentioned in Budget 2008, the homeless elderly seemed to have been left behind.
GRAPHIC | FIRDIANA FAWZIR
While 10 welfare homes exist in Singapore to provide care for about 1,700 destitute people, many of them are still left wandering the streets. With no caring relatives, no friends, and no way to be contacted, the only hope for Madam Chan is to attract the attention of social workers, if they ever find her at all.
In a society where ‘filial piety’ is touted as one of its foremost values, we should not be seeing feeble elderly sleeping out alone and unprotected
At present, no official figures have been made public about the number of homeless in Singapore. However, the fact remains that sightings of the destitute sleeping on void decks and on benches are common. They can be spotted sleeping on laid-out cardboard boxes,
with their bags as pillows and newspapers as blankets. T he se people ca r r y t he i r belongings with them in plastic bags. Many of them are old, lonely, and abandoned. While Budget 2008 has not directly addressed the problems these individuals face, it seemed that their families and society in general are not helping much either. Both appear to be content w it h leav ing t he problem to welfare organisations, which sometimes lack sufficient funding themselves. In a society where ‘filial piety’ is touted as one of its foremost values, we should not be seeing feeble elderly sleeping out alone and unprotected. Irrefutably, the budget speech has promised benefits for all. Even then, it is doubtful that much of the wealth generated from the additional education, entrepreneurial, and research assistance will trickle down to the bottom of the barrel. The new measures effectively cover the lower-class to the rich, but what about the desperately poor? The economic benefits that are coming our way, unfortunately, m a y r e m a i n f i r m l y i n ou r pockets. While many of the middle class and rich will benefit from
the new measures, nudging them to “give back to the poor” may not be easy. It is probably present economic realities that make this extremely difficult. On the one hand, the middle class, many of whom are degree holders in middle-management jobs, have inf lation to worr y about.
While many of the middle class and rich will benefit from the new measures, nudging them to “give back to the poor” may not be easy. O n t h e ot h e r h a n d , t h e rich, many of whom are living comfortably off their hard-earned money, may find it difficult to give up too much for a philanthropic cause. A m id st a l l t he bu z z a nd excitement of the ‘New Singapore’, such as the upcoming casino with its opulent splendour, the shuffle
of chips at the poker table, and the Singapore Flyer soaring above the skyline, Singaporeans should, or rather must, never forget the crucial importance of turning this country into a more compassionate society. To that end, the voice of those like Madam Chan must never be forgotten. Seeing her at the McDonalds r e stau r a nt a long t he a i rconditioned ‘street’, I went up to the old lady and bought tissue, paying extra for it. Her face widened in a wrinkled grin and she thanked me profusely. We then sat down at the table to have a chat. She revealed that she was actually left to fend for herself by her only son, who bums around from job to job and stays at their relatives’ place. Her husband abandoned her early in the marriage. Her feeble legs only allow her to work twice a week. She earns less than $10 a day, adding up to barely $20 a week. Our time together was cut short because she had to go back to selling tissue. With no contact number, it was difficult to meet her again. I left her my number, hoping that somehow we could keep in touch again. She never called.
opinion
M A R CH 31, 20 0 8
T h e na n ya ng c h ron ic l e
letters from readers
Problems with green campaign I REFER to the “Bring your own bag” campaign, organised from March 10th to March 16th to raise environmental awareness and reduce unnecessary usage of plastic bags in NTU. First of all I think there is nothing utterly objectionable about usingplastic bags. It is stated on the National Env i ron me nta l A ge nc y ’s website that unlike many other countries, Singapore has “one of the most efficiently operated refuse collection services in the region”. Of Singapore’s total waste (including plastic bags), 92.7% was incinerated in 2007 and used to generate 3% of electricity in the country. Therefore, you do not need to save plastic bags in order to to protect the environment in Singapore. True, Singapore is targeting zero landfill and an increase in
recycling rates from the current 51% to 60% by 2012. However, I think this can be achieved if we focus on measures like waste sorting collection instead. Charging people for plastic bags cer tainly causes inconvenience. $0.10 per bag is too high a price, which exceeds the cost. This, in turn, is likely to generate inefficiency. Moreover, the fact remains that plastic bags do not go to waste easily. Many people usually keep the plastic bags from supermarkets and use them as trash bags. If there is no more ‘NTUC bags’, they will have to buy plastic bags meant for containing garbage, which actually cost more. It i s a l so s ug ge s te d t hat “appa r e nt e conom ica l l yf ree stat us” resu lts in overconsumption, which I beg to differ. The bags are not economically-
f r ee, but ‘bu nd led’ w it h t he products purchased in markets, and their costs hidden in the product prices. Besides, overconsumption is unlikely since few would want plastic bags unless necessary. Disposable plastics bags are not major environmental issues in Singapore as most of us do recycle them. I personally use as few plastic bags as possible and always ask the supermarket’s counter staff to put goods in the same bag. I feel that it is better for the campaign organisers to encourage more responsible use of plastic bags, instead of making people pay for them.
Zhang Chaoyi Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Year 4
Green campaign essential
39
canteen talk The recent “Bring your own bag” campaign was held to promote environmental awareness in NTU. We asked students for their feedback regarding this campaign
“
Plastic bags are not necessarily bad as I often use them to contain trash. The campaign is good though. Sharifah Sheikhah Aljunied, 21, Year 1, CSC
I think it does raise environmental awareness, but 10 cents per bag is too low a price and one week is too short to nurture this habit.
”
Ivan Lin , 22, Year 2, CBE
WE WOULD like to thank Mr Zhang for his feedback. Below is our response to the points raised in his letter. 1. Though it is true that Singapore has an extremely efficient refuse collection system, littering is still a problem - a study conducted last year by NEA showed that about about five percent of the people think that littering is a socially acceptable behaviour. Improperly disposed plastic bags may also lead to potential problems such as the collection of stagnant water and the spread of dengue fever in the country. 2. Although the incineration of waste generates energy, plastic bags are not meant to be fuel. Besides, the burning of plastic bags to generate energy does not mean that they are used efficiently. 3. The best way to work towards zero landfill is through waste minimization. Undoubtedly, waste sorting collection is important. However to tackle the root of the problem we should focus on reducing basic consumption instead. 4. Furthermore, the current recycling rate of 51 percent is relatively low compared to other countries such as Germany and Japan, and is also driven by industrial waste recycling (which is regulated by the government). Recycling rates in the residential sectors are much lower (20-50 percent given on SULO website). 5. It is encouraging to know that Mr Zhang requests for the cashier to put goods in the same bag when possible, to reduce the number of plastic bags used.
“
The campaign is unlikely to have any effect in the long run as most people will return to their habit after a while. Tanvee Rao, 18, Year 1, MAE
PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE
However, the fact remains that most customers feel too shy to ask, or do not see the need to correct the cashier. It is therefore better for the supermarkets to control the distribution of plastic bags unless the customer requests for more, rather than distribute them for free and depend on the customer to decline them. 6. From our observations, it is not really clear that plastic bags are reused many times before they are thrown away. In most cases, they are used for garbage only once and thrown away. The average number of plastic bags a Singaporean gathers far exceeds the number required for garbage and most of them are just thrown away. This is clearly inefficient. 7. It is a common scenario for customers to think that “since I already paid for the plastic bag, why not take it?”. This mentality leads to a situation where people
are taking more than necessary, leading to overconsumption, which is inefficient. 8. Plastic bags are not accepted by Sembenviro, the recycling vendor in NTU, for recycling. The high volume to weight ratio of plastic, coupled with the fact that there is a very wide range of plastics to segregate, makes plastic bag recycling highly uneconomical. One of the intentions of this campaign is to test the reaction of the student population, in order to prove to ourselves and the school administration that NTU students might not be as immature as we are led to believe. If overall feedback is positive, it will be an encouragement for us to push for other campaigns in the future.
Earthlink NTU Feedback Team
This kind of campaign should be held regularly and it is a price of one dollar, not 10 cents, per bag that will make a difference.
”
Nguyen Danh Long, 19, Year 2, CEE
“
It is a good campaign. I think it is only reasonable to make people pay for the plastic bags that they use. Low Yiing Jye, 21, Year 1, MAE PHOTOS | KUAN JIE WEI
sports
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sports talk
Gunners going, going, gone?
To float like a butterfly and sting like a bee THOMAS LUFF
DOWN FOR THE COUNT: Which Arsenal player has the courage to stand up and be counted, now that their season is threatening to fall apart? PHOTO | INTERNET
WELYON SUTJIPTO I T ’S tou g h b e i n g a G oone r nowadays. After a promising star t to the campaign, the Gunners have proved themselves to be goners — yet again. No thanks to a certain Didier Drogba, Arsenal are now third in the table and seemingly out of the Barclay’s Premier League title race. There are of course many reasons for this, ranging from the well reasoned to the ridiculous. I will leave the traditional analyses to the pundits, and instead give you the five culprits of Arsenal’s derailed season. EMMANUEL THE NEW SAMSON ADEBAYOR It might not be scientifically accurate, but most people should be able to make the connection bet we en t he Togole se’s ha i r and his scoring prowess. Until recently, Arsenal was leading the Premiership, helped largely due to the 19 goals in 24 league games of Adebayor—who had long dreadlocks at the time. Ever since he cut his braids, however, he has not scored for five consecutive league matches, and Arsenal has failed to win in the league as well. All things considered, it would appear that he and his hair are the biggest factors contributing to the team’s current malaise.
NICKLAS THE BLENDER BENDTNER “Blender” is a really appropriate nickname for the ridiculously prof ligate Dane, who has been tipped to rip opposing defenders to shreds in the future. He also happens to need a reality check, as the distinction of being Birmingham City’s top scorer in the Championship last season does not equate to similar success against the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea. What boggles me most is that he believes he should command a first team place in the line-up. Sadly, anyone who’s watched an Arsenal match with him in it would quickly realise the extent of his skill—nonexistent. CESC YOU RE NOT SO FAB ANYMORE FABREGAS O t h e r t h a n e f f e r v e s c e nt performances in the Champions’ League, Fabregas hasn’t really done much to keep Arsenal at the top. He may have started the season with a bang, chalking up goals and assists, but has since hit a barren patch. Strangely enough he is Arsenal’s first choice set-piece taker, despite his inclination towards chipping the ball into defenders. He may be a fantastic player, but he has failed to deliver when it matters in the league. When your main player doesn’t play well, you are in trouble. Imagine a Cristiano Ronaldo who cannot score.
WILLIAM CAPTAIN CRYBABY GALLAS Many a great captain has shed tears on the field, but none has ever had a total breakdown in full view of millions in the center circle. T he pet u la nt c r y i ng a nd kicking is embarrassing, yes, but not the worst that could happen. The “walking to the other end of the pitch” and abandoning his team mates in such a situation (after his teammate conceded a last minute penalt y against Birmingham, the first of Arsenal’s four deadly draws) is terrible. After that image of a bawling captain who had to be escorted back to the dressing room by his manager, who would actually bear to see the same man lift a trophy at the end of the season?
WHEN you think of boxing greats like Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson or Jack Johnson, you not only think of big blows but big personalities. However, today’s boxers lack that flair. Let’s be honest. I have trouble imagining Ricky Hatton being able to spell his own name, let alone fire back a quip like Ali. Most fighters nowadays are as exciting as watching paint dry, that is of course if they aren’t coating the walls with blood. A quick scan of the BBC spor ts pages from the last few week s t h rows up t wo boxing stories. A court ordered community service for former world champion Scott Harrison for fighting in a pub and, death threats were issued in a prefight press conference, with Joe Calzaghe being told that he had “better be willing to die” by Bernard Hopkins if he stepped into the ring. It is sad to say that these incidents are not uncommon in contemporary boxing, and it is so frustrating. I have always loved boxing, so it gets on my nerves when we are given Neanderthals and psychopaths to choose from. G r a nt e d , Ty s on c ou ld probably be held up as the shining example of both these categories, but at the same time he did have something lacking in most boxers at the moment: respect for your opponent. So many boxers deliver prepared speeches which mention their respect for their opponent but few show it. At the end of the infamous Tyson versus Lewis fight in 2002, the fighters had to be separated by a wall of men at the start of the match. After
suffering a heavy loss, Tyson extended his arm and, using his glove, attempted to wipe the blood off winner Lewis’s brow. Actions like these truly speak louder than words and it is a bloody shame they aren’t part and parcel of the modern sport. For all you fans of the sport though, there is hope. Britain boasts two new fighters who are not thugs but true fighters, and they look set to bring some excitement back to the sport. Firstly there is Amir Khan, a devastating boxer who won an Olympic silver medal in 2004. He has since burst into the professional scene, destroying his opponents with an attacking style that left many on the canvas even before the fi rst round ends. The other fresh face is David Haye, a boxer you will either love or hate. He oozed selfbelief in his last fight in which he was tipped to lose, as he predicted himself a first round win. He didn’t quite hit his target but he fought well. In the first round, he showed he wanted the fight more. Haye was hit early by a left hook from his opponent, Enzo Maccarinelli, but Maccarinelli stood off Haye, giving him too much room. Haye took advantage of this and proceeded to hit his opponent with some booming blows to take control. A f ter t he w i n , he la id claim to all the belts in the cruiserweight division, and will now step up to the heavyweight class. I wish these two fighters well as they are men who deserve to excel and perhaps they can usher in a new golden age to a sport that needs a good spit shine.
ARSENE THE PROFESSOR WENGER Arsene knows, you see. Quite what he knows, I am not sure, but his lack of tactical acumen has been found out of late. Despite the commendable commitment to fancy football and faith in youth, Wenger seems to be running out of ideas. Four points in five games at such a critical juncture of the season is tantamount to suicide, and unless the manager rallies his troop for a fi nal push, Arsenal’s title dream is as good as over. Oh well, at least there’s still the Champions’ League to look forward to.
BOXER REVOLUTION: Can the new faces of boxing bring back the lost glamour to the sport? GRAPHIC | LONG FAN
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West turns tables on East with two late goals LIM WEI LI THE second edition of the East vs. West Halls All Star Soccer Challenge proved to be a night of drama. Two equalising goals late in the second half sparked a comeback which saw the West rob the East of victory in extra time. The East team consisted of players from Halls 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9, with players from the West coming from the remaining halls. Every player was nominated by their respective hall soccer captains and had to go for trials to secure their place in the teams. Early on, two goals by the East team, one in the first 20 minutes and the other just before half time, appeared to have killed off the opposition. But the West team did not give up, forcing a headed goalline clearance and blasting a fierce shot into the side netting. In the second half, the West team rallied late in the game to force the match into extra time by scoring two goals in quick succession, the fi rst off a corner kick, and the second off a free kick. The late surge continued and ultimately led to victory for the West team as they thumped in an emphatic winner deep in extra time to seal the match 3-2 on golden goals, and 5-4 on aggregate over two legs.
FREE KICK TO VICTORY: The West team scores their first equaliser against the East team. PHOTO | AHMAD ISKANDAR
“Obviously we are disappointed, but soccer is like that,” said Aaron Lee, a second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) and captain of the East team. “Credit to the West team for their never-saydie performance.” The mood in the West team was one of jubilation. Mohammed Yusof bin Abu Bakar, 22, an Accountancy freshman and captain of the West team, said: “It was a very hard fight. We were trailing for 80 minutes. The players thought we had lost, so when we won we were
quite ecstatic.” Leslie Tan, 26, a recent graduate from the School of MAE and the organiser of the event, felt that the event was good for NTU soccer. “It gives players normally on opposing teams the chance to play together, allowing us the chance to select people for IVP (InstituteVarsity-Polytechnic Games), and also offers the players the chance to play in IVP conditions, like at night under floodlights,” he said. “It’s good to know people from other halls that have the same interest in soccer,” said Torrence
Sim, 22, a freshman from the College of Engineering and vicecaptain of the West team. The players also viewed the event positively. Hu Tianchi, 22, a Year One Accountancy student playing for the East team, said: “I believe this event shows that NTU students can organise their own events, and it is also an opportunity to pick out potential players for our school team in a bid to challenge for next year’s President Cup.” “Events like this help to foster a vibrant spor ting culture in NTU, and help to build a sporting identity,” said Cho Wei Hai, 22, a Year One Business student playing for the West team. The teams also benefited from a training session with Tohari Paijan, a former S-League coach and soccer analyst for the New Paper, which West team captain Yusof described as “a good chance to learn more from the game tactically.” It was evident that players and supporters alike enjoyed the event, with vociferous support from the terraces echoing the action on the pitch. Lim Aik Leong, 26, a thirdyear Business student and assistant manager of the East team summed up the event, saying, “Despite the rain, we managed to play some football, attractive and of a high standard.”
they said that? Football is like fighting a gorilla - you don t stop when you re tired, you can only stop when the gorilla is tired. Coventry manager Chris Coleman with some advice for his strikers, who failed to score against QPR
There was plenty of spice last year, a bit of a lovers tiff between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso. F1 driver Mark Webber gives a concise summary of the row between the former McLaren team-mates
NTU cheerleaders ACES Cheerobics again FABIAN NG
back to compete for the ACES, such as Liu Xingwei, 26, an engineer who had graduated from NTU last year. “I came back because I feel that I can help the team with my experience, especially in such major competitions. I have learnt so much from my time with the ACES and I feel it’s only fair to pass on my knowledge to the juniors.”
SPORTS EDITOR
THIRD time is still the charm for ACES. Proving that their success was no flash in the pan, NTU’s c he e r le ad e r s we r e c r ow ne d champions for the third straight year in the national Cheerobics competition. Hee Yuen Bo, 23, President of the NTU ACES, said: “We were even more motivated this year to prove that we were more than just one or two time wonders, and cement our reputation as the best cheerleading squad in Singapore.” Cheerobics 2008 was held on March 16th and the prestigious local competition drew a healthy amount of spectators to the Kallang Leisure Park. This year saw a change in the competition’s r ules, with the number of people in a team reduced from 25 to 16. The cut in numbers meant that teams were more restricted in the choice of stunts they could execute in their routine. The timing for each routine was also reduced by a minute, so teams had to fi nish their performance within two and a half minutes. Lai Mun Chun, 24, the ACES’ vice-captain, said: “Not only did
IMPECCABLE TEAMWORK: A necessity in the formula to success. PHOTO | COURTESY
the difficulty of (our) routine increase, it was also much more intense than in previous years.” Faced w it h t he i ncrea sed challenge, the NTU cheerleaders still managed to pull off their stunts without a hitch. T his led to ACES Team A finishing in first place in the open categor y, comfortably beating the Kent Ridge Steppers from the National University of Singapore by 32 points. AC ES Team B, wh ich had
a mont h to pr e pa r e for t he competition as compared to Team A’s six months of training, also finished agonisingly close in third place. They obtained 222 points out a possible 300, losing second spot by half a point. Members of the squad were quick to attribute the sustained success to an attitude of placing team before self and were unanimous in identifying teamwork as the key to their success. Alumni of the school also came
We were even more motivated this year to prove that we were more than just one or two time wonders. Hee Yuen Bo, 23, President of NTU ACES
With the excellent performances of both senior and junior teams, the NTU ACES seem ready to extend their reign as the top cheerleading outfit in the nation. As Hee said, “The future is bright, and I hope that the future batches can carry on the winning tradition.”
GRAPHIC | LONG
It s true that Hleb saw Vigorelli and they went out from the Melia Felix but it s not true that they went to talk to Inter Milan. They went for an icecream. Arsenal’s Alexander Hleb (above) agent Vincenzo Morabito explains exactly why his client met with Inter Milan
As for the fourth official, he is a doughnut. Bolton boss Gary Megson is clearly no fan of the official after a poor performance against Sporting Lisbon
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Counting the milestones National sprinter U.K. Shyam shares with Liyana Low how running has transformed his life and gave him a broader perspective on the sport
STEPPING OUT: U.K. Shyam has a bright and forward outlook for the future of running in Singapore. PHOTO | COURTESY
U.K. SHYAM has crossed many finishing lines in his life, but the journey is not yet over for him. Currently completing his postgraduate diploma at the National Institute of Education, Singapore’s fastest man has experienced many highs and lows in his life, including breaking the national 100m sprint record in 2001. “I was a rags-to-riches story. Coming from a broken family with no financial support, and sacrificing all I had for the sport, breaking the 33-year-old national record was a fairy-tale come true,” he said. Shyam said that he almost did not succeed as a sprinter because of the lack of support. But thanks to Ang Peng Siong and Shyam’s Chilean coach, he managed the feat. “Ang Peng Siong gave me a job at his swimming school and told me to never give up on my dreams. He even made me running weights out of old tyres. He and my Chilean coach were really the only sources of support at that time.” It was after his success that he was offered a scholarship to train and study at the same time, but it was his success that also created problems later on. He had to skip a whole semester
if a major meet like the SEA games clashed with his examinations. “So a f ter sk ippi ng t wo consecutive semesters, I asked the NUS administration if I could postpone my exams. They did not agree to my request.” That was when it went downhill. Shyam was labelled a flop and a prima donna when he failed to meet expectations in the 2003 and 2005 SEA games. “The need to perform at the SEA games coupled with upcoming exams was really a trying time for me. “It really affected me because t wo year s before I had been positively portrayed in the media. And then suddenly, I was the bad guy. They didn’t bother to interview me or ask for my opinions on the issue.” But Shya m has put t he experience behind him and moved on with his life. In 2006, he helped his coach train disabled athletes and they were a source of inspiration for him. “Seeing these athletes display such determination, discipline and focus, despite being several steps behind physically, it’s really very heartening,” he said. Shyam feels confident that the local athletics scene will improve,
and there have been obvious changes to Singapore’s sporting landscape within the past few years. “Having the Sports School is a big move towards the right direction. It will provide a system where athletes can study and train effectively. It will also allow training to be more scientific and progressive so that young athletes would not burn out by the time they reach their early 20’s. “In Singapore, university is a big stumbling block for many because juggling studies and training is no easy feat. In the end, many give up running because they want to focus on their studies. “In comparison, in the US, because student athletes are not a minority, there is a lot of support for them from the universities.” Shyam predicts it will take 10 to 20 years before Singapore can establish a comprehensive suppor t str ucture for student athletes similar to that in the United States. So what’s next for U.K. Shyam? “There’s a possibility that I might contribute to Singapore’s sporting landscape through policy making a nd ad m i n i st r at ion , but I’m def initely looking for ward to teaching for now.”
Swimmers push the limit in overnight challenge Tan Jinhe sports editor
HELPING A Needy Swim (HANDS) 2008 saw its par t icipants swimming non-stop for nine hours throughout the night on March 14th and 15th. The Sundown Swimathon, one of the two events held in HANDS 20 08, c ha l lenged sw i m m i ng enthusiasts to complete as many laps as they could from 10pm to 7am the next day. Among the participants were competitive swimmers from Water Sapiens, an external lifesaving organisation, the NUS lifeguard community and members from the SMU biathlon / triathlon. They formed teams of five with at least one female to take part in the Sundown Swimathon. The overnight element of the challenge served as a pull factor for these participants. “It was a different and unique experience,” said Fiona Sim, 23, a member of the team from Water Sapiens that won first place, having
WITHOUT SLEEP: 16 teams persevered in the nine-hour long overnight swimming marathon. PHOTO | NG WAI MUN
completed 344 laps by the end of the challenge. “A lt houg h we have be e n swimming for many years, we have never swam overnight before. It was not as easy as we thought. We had to stay up throughout the night and it can get cold and tiring,” she said. Crystal Goh, 22, whose team from NUS came in third in the Sundown Swimathon, said: “At first we heard it was an overnight event, so we wanted to participate, but later the organisers said they couldn’t get a permit for it to be overnight and it was going to be a day event instead. Then we were not interested anymore.” “Luckily they still managed to make it possible. The overnight f ac tor de f i n ite l y uppe d t he d i f f ic u lt y le ve l a nd it i sn’t something everyone does.” The number of laps swam were reported at intervals at 12.30am, 3.30am, 5.30am and 6.30am, which helped motivate the swimmers to complete the marathon. “It was a good gauge for us,” said Goh. “We knew how far ahead
or behind we were compared to the other teams. It made us push harder to close the gap.” The main aim of HANDS 2008 was to raise funds for the Singapore Children’s Society. In addition to t he Su ndow n Sw i mat hon, there was also a Mass Swim for participants of all ages to swim at a leisurely pace. Emily Tan, 28, a coach for Water Sapiens, came with a her five-yearold daughter Ariel Kwa in support of the effort. Kwa completed a total of 30 laps continuously. “For a certain number of laps she swam, she can exchange for a gift. It gave her an incentive to swim more,” said Tan, referring to the lap gifts such as mugs and first aid kits given to swimmers who had accumulated the required number of laps (15 or 10) for a particular gift. “We took the challenge upon ourselves to swim as many laps as we could,” said Sim. “It was for charity after all and the children wou ld b e ne f it . We t hou g ht swimming nine consecutive hours was nothing compared to the children who may be suffering more.”
Sports
East meets West in an all star clash. Find out who won on Page 42
A day of being wild as X-physique... Maung Ye Yint Aung ATHLETES taking part in this year’s X-Physique got to experience nature up close and personal whilst testing their limits. Held on March 16th, the event attracted 292 participants, who were tasked with completing a 20-kilometre race that included obstacle stations such as bike trails, topography, rope elements, canoeing and abseiling. The participants formed teams of four for the mixed open and inter-varsity categories. They could also take part in pairs for the lover’s challenge, and stand to win a three-day, twonight stay in Hong Kong. A new segment was introduced in the form of trekking in Lorong Halus, which represented a different challenge for participants. “This year, we wanted to go back to nature as in the previous yea r s X-Physique was i n a n urban environment,” said Ang Li Ann, co-chair of the organising committee. “ Nat u r e h a s m a n y mor e elements such as weather and topog r aphy t hat add to t he challenge of the race.” Though generally well received by participants, a concern raised in
this year’s X-Physique competition was the last-minute decision to place the Junior College participants under the same category as the inter-varsity teams. “Due to there being very few JC teams this year, we had to place them in the inter-varsity category and give the JC students a chance to compete as they train very hard,” said Ang, a School of Mechanical and Aerospace
“This year’s race is more challenging with more running involved. It is a good change from an urban setting; being closer to nature.” Winston Chew, 19, Innova JC Student RUN, FOREST, RUN: Athletes had the chance to view nature close up while running towards their next checkpoint.
Engineering freshman. Logistical constraints and sa fet y conce r n s a l so le d to the organising committee not including obstacle stations such as river crossing and bridge jumping, which was part of X-Physique in
previous years. A common consensus among participants this year was that a lot of running was involved, which required a certain level of fitness. “It was my first time taking
...gets in the mood for love
A WALK TO REMEMBER: The sporting couple enjoyed their day in the sun. PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE & MAUNG YE YINT AUNG
part in X-Physique, and it was fun and exciting, especially the bike trail,” said Debbie Lee, 19, a firstyear student at Nanyang Business School. “But there was too much running and too few activities.”
Innova JC student Winston Chew, 19, said: “This year’s race is more challenging with more running involved. It is a good change from an urban setting; being closer to nature.”
The introduction of the Lover’s Challenge category drew many couples to X-Physique. Maung Ye Yint Aung plays gooseberry
were in no hurr y, being more interested in whispering sweet nothings to each other. Bjorn even went out of his way to a vending machine to quench Tiara’s thirst. The last station of the race required the couple to canoe a distance of 2.4 kilometres along the coast line of Pasir Ris Park that took them past kelongs with a rustic charm. Cruising their way leisurely through the water, the Pasir Ris coast line provided a romantic back drop for the couple. With each stroke of the paddle, Bjorn and Tiara inched their way closer to the finish line soaking up on the sun, sand and sea. “I enjoyed the canoeing station most,” said Bjorn, while Tiara said, “The bike trail was exhilarating. It was like a rollercoaster ride; except I was in control.” Upon arriving back at the starting point, I saw a few couples sitting on the ground, resting their tired bodies. As tired as they may be, their faces were filled with smiles and their conversations with laughter. This year’s X-Physique has proven to be a loving and lovely affair.
LOVE was in the air, as this year’s X-Physique organised by NTU Sports Club introduced a new category – the Lover’s Challenge. Feeling adventurous, I decided to follow a couple through part of the race to experience X-Physique for myself. Bjorn Wong, 21, a graphics design student from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), and Tiara Kong, 20, a business student from National University of Singapore (NUS), was kind enough to let me tag along. I followed the couple, navigating through undulating terrain and vegetation that was reminiscent of National Service days. The race route took us through Lorong Halus, an undeveloped side of Singapore that was rather refreshing. Although they were in the midst of a race, Bjorn and Tiara