The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 15 Issue 08

CHRONICLE

If looks could kill.. PAGE 21

THE NANYANG

F EBRUA RY 16 , 20 0 9 | V OL 15 NO 8 | IS SN NO 0 218 -7310 | W W W. N T U. EDU. S G / C HRONIC L E

Restricted: Affection

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CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Students are more daring in their public display of affection. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | IRWIN TAN

Love is in the air ̶ it seems that more students are not holding back showering their love even on school premises.

EDMUND LEE WEI JIAN NEWS EDITOR

WHILE the economic side of Valentine’s Day usually picks up during the February season, it seems that the physical side of things are heating up as well.

It seems that more students are getting more daring in publicly displaying their affections (PDA).

There have been reports on STOMP, an online news portal, about young adults and even uniformed students engaging in PDA in public places such as playgrounds, carparks and even hospitals.

And it seems like the University grounds are not spared either. Couples are not shying away in their expression of love even when they are admist crowds.

From walkways, pillars to benches and even in lecture theatres, some students complained that couples are casting off restraints in their expression of love.

Some like Andrew Chew, 22, a secondyear student from the School of Computer Engineer ing, claimed that they have seen “actions behind the pillars along the walkway. Such actions include hugging, kissing and light petting.

The Nanyang Chronicle spoke to a few security guards, who confirmed that they have seen many students making out, especially at dark corners at the various

halls of residence.

Students are spilt on the level of public display of affections that is acceptable.

While many agree that holding of hands is acceptable, they are spilt when it comes to acts like kissing or hugging.

The usual holding of hands, peck on the cheek seemed to be ancient practices as compared to what I see nowadays. I think couples nowadays are just more daring.

Wang Jun Jie, 23 School of Computer Engineering Year 3

“The usual holding of hands, peck on the cheek seemed to be ancient practices as compared to what I see nowadays. I think couples nowadays are just more daring in their expression,” said Wang Jun Jie, 23, a third-year School of Computer Engineering student.

Some like Celine Tay, 20, a second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences said whether display of affections are considered abhorring is something subjective, and it differs from individual to individual.

However, she also said that school is a place where students should refrain from

being touchy.

Grace Ong, 20, a second-year student from the Nanyang Business School believes that there is nothing wrong in couples expressing their affections publicly as it is natural.

“I do not understand why people have to be so uptight about others making out. It is something natural, something beautiful. To me, such people who make noise are just plain jealous,” she said.

Terence Tan, 30, a counsellor who has been i n t he profession for seven years believes that one possible reason why students are more daring in expression is because of the cultural norms portrayed by the media.

I ndeed , Hol ly wood ser ia ls such as Gossip Girl and Desperate Housewives have been lambasted by pro-family groups in the US. He said: “The frequent portrayal of liberal attitude in media towards sexuality and expression of affections will influence what is deemed acceptable by young people.”

However, there are those that believe that students should learn to control themselves as their actions may demean NTU’s image.

“This is a well-respected institution and I think students should learn to carry its image well,” said Chen Jia Xi, a fourth-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“It is shameful if our image is tarnished in the hands of people who cannot even bridle their passion.”

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MBA makes it to top 25 among some NBS students.

“When I received an email by the school telling us this piece of good news, I was really proud that our MBA programme has done well,” said Christina Gao, 20, a year-one student at NBS.

“I am delighted that our business school is moving in the right direction.”

Dr Jitendra V. Singh Dean of NBS SCALING NEW HEIGHTS: NBS MBA jumps to the 24th spot from 46th in 2008. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

Wang Simin THE Nanyang Business School (NBS) became the first Singapore business school to have its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme to be ranked among the top 25 in the world in a recent survey done by Financial Times (FT).

This was released on January 26th, when FT released the listing of the top 100 full-time global MBA programmes.

Dr Jitendra V. Singh, Dean of NBS said: “I am delighted that our business school is moving in the right direction and our Nanyang M BA programme is gaining worldwide recognition.”

F T ’s r a n k i n g of t he top 10 0 f u l l - t i m e g lo b a l M B A programmes is based on three major categories – alumni career progress, international diversity of the institution and research capabilities.

Also, FT’s grading is based on

two sets of surveys – one completed by alumni who graduated from the MBA programme three years ago (in 2005), and another by the business school.

On average, a student who graduated with MBA in business three years ago reported an annual salary of US$104,300, compared to last year’s figure of US$90,000 reported by those who graduated three years earlier.

This rise in ranking has provided a boost in confidence

However, some students are still rather sceptical about their employabilit y in t he cur rent recession.

Wileen Siow, 19, a year-one NBS student said: “It is not the school that matter in Singapore, but the quality of the degree.

However, she is positive that the situation is getting better with NBS getting more widely recognised in the world.

"Certainly, a first-class degree will definitely stand out.”

Managing the science of sport Yusuf Hamid SPORTS enthusiasts can now extend their passion into an academic pursuit as NTU offers a new Sports Science and Management (SSM) programme in t he upcom ing Academic Year 2009-2010.

The four-year direct honours program is keeping in step with Singapore’s burgeoning sports industry.

The Straits Times reported last December that the Singapore sports industry had crossed the billion-dollar mark and was on course to meet a healthy $2 billion in annual receipts by 2015.

T his new programme will provide graduates the knowledge and skills to work in the sports industr y by focusing on t wo areas, sports science and sports management.

“NTU sees the need to build a critical mass of human resources to support the growing sports industry,” said Asst Prof Chow Jia Yi, faculty member of the Physica l Educat ion & Spor ts Science academic faculty and Programme Coordinator for the SSM programme.

“The programme is brand new and is the first such degree in Singapore to be offered by a local university.”

According to Asst Prof Chow, the pioneer batch of SSM students will be relatively small, with the inaugural batch taking in only forty-fifty students. This figure

is set to increase as the demand for SSM graduates is expected to grow.

“The programme is brand new and is the first such degree in Singapore to be offered by a local university.”

Phase 1 of circle line Bartley, Serangoon, Lorong Chuan, Bishan and Marymount stations will be open on May 30.

M INDEF h a s d e c i d e d t o extend the Physical Training Phase from four weeks to eight weeks for National Service enlistees who fail to get the NAPFA silver award.

The number of Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) available this year will be about 24 per cent lower compared to last year.

LTA to spend S$43m to design and construct dedicated cycling tracks next to pedestrian footpaths in HDB estates.

NUS a nd the Sing a p ore Business Federation have jointly launched a programme to groom and prepare talented students.

Fourth-quarter net profit of DBS Group Holdings, Southeast Asia's biggest bank by assets, fell 40 per cent compared with a year earlier as weak financial markets hit fee income.

Oil prices have risen to above $34 a barrel despite concerns about weakness in the US economy, which continue to cast a shadow over the commodity.

US film giant Universal Studios has proposed building a more than 1.5 billion-dollar theme park in Beijing and is awaiting Chinese government approval.

P o p e B e n e d i c t X VI s a i d it was "intoler able" to d eny the Holocaust as he confronts controversy over a bishop who claimed Jews were not killed in the Nazi gas chambers.

A Russian and a US satellite c r a s h e d i nt o e a c h o t h e r i n an unprecedented collision unleashing clouds of space debris that c ould threaten orbiting spacecraft, officials said.

Assistant Professor Chow Jia Yi Programme Coordinator, Sports Science and Management Program A NEW NICHE: Catering to the growing sports industry . PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

NIE currently offers a Physical Education and Sports Science programme, but Prof Chow said that there are several differences.

“SSM is an NTU programme, a nd has not h i ng to do w it h NIE in the sense that it’s not physical education,” he said, adding that unlike NIE students, SSM undergraduates will not be employees of the Ministry of Education.

However, SSM students will spend 60% of their time in the NIE grounds.

“Most of the facilities and expertise are in NIE, but students are encouraged to take modules from other courses in NTU”.

Despite the statistics, not all are

news flash

convinced that the sports industry is a viable career option.

“I’m into sports and like reading up on sports science, but I won’t consider SSM because I’m not sure it’s going to earn me big bucks,” said Teng Han Yong, 21, a former Anglo-Chinese Junior College student who is currently deciding between Engineering courses at NUS or NTU. Ne ve r t he le s s , P r of C how is confident there will be job opportunities for SSM graduates, citing the wave of global sporting events that Singapore hosted in 2008.

The most significant event on the horizon is the Youth Olympic Games 2010, which SSM students

will be “strongly encouraged to be involved in”, said Asst Prof Chow.

Some students welcomed the introduction of SSM with a tinge of regret.

Mohamed Farhan Tahar, 23, a third-year MSE student, always had a keen interest in spor ts science and was considering going overseas for his undergraduate studies before deciding to do an Engineering degree in NTU. “I think there was very low demand for this programme before I came to NTU. It’s too late for me to transfer over because I’m in my 3rd year, but I’ll consider SSM after I complete my current degree,” he said.

corrections “concerns raised over sleeping guards” (Vol 15 No 7, page 04) It was stated that "a Chinese associate professor" was previously caught stealing three pairs of underwear and three bras . The associate professor is Singaporean and not of Chinese nationality.

We apologise for the error.

“NIE Scores a Hat Trick at ISG” (Vol 15 No 7, page 32) It was stated that the National Institute of Education (NIE) won eight golds in the Inter-School Games 2008.

The correct number of medals NIE won was nine.

We apologise for the error.

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A penny for a bag Green initiative encourages shoppers to bring their own bags Manjit Kaur UNAWARE that he had to bring his own bag for his purchases, PhD student Navin Michael readily donated 10 cents for a small plastic bag at the 7-Eleven store in campus.

He had bought a few small items and was on his way to dinner.

Starting February 4th, every Wednesday is now Bring Your Own Bag (BYOB) Day, whereby shoppers in NTU are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags or refuse a plastic bag for items bought.

Those who want plastic bags are asked to donate 10 cents for each bag taken, part of which will go to the Singapore Environment Council to fund environmental programmes.

BYOB Day, which sees nine participating stores including Popu la r Book store, 7-Eleven and Nanyang Supermarket, was organised by Earthlink NTU with the aim of discouraging the use of plastic bags.

The first day of BYOB saw most people walking out from the 7-Eleven holding a drink in hand without a plastic bag.

As of 8pm on February 4th, the store — which usually sees 20 bags given out daily, had only given out about three bags.

Sirichat Vongsomtakul, 22, who bought a drink, did not ask for a plastic bag.

“I usually don’t ask for a bag as I don’t want to cause more rubbish,” said the second-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

When buying more items, she brings her own reusable bag.

However, others like 20 yearold student Truda Kwan would not bring her own bag when buying more items.

“I would rather pay 10 cents and get it over with,” said the second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social

Sciences.

Over at Nanyang Supermarket at Canteen 2, students who bought one or two items were not offered a plastic bag unless they asked for one, while those who bought several items would be offered a bag.

T he s tor e m a n a ge r, who declined to be named, revealed that about 10% fewer plastic bags were given out on Wednesday.

She believes that not many people are using reusable bags as the BYOB campaign has only just started, but the situation should improve over time.

Storekeepers like Miss Jannie Huang from 7-Eleven also agreed that the BYOB campaign helps create awareness about reducing plastic bag use.

“It is good for everyone. We get to save plastic bags given out and also save the environment,” she said.

“I usually don’t ask for a bag as I don’t want to cause more rubbish.”

Sirichat Vongsomtakul, 22 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Year 2

In Singapore, BYOB Day was launched on April 18th, 2007. It saw more than 100,000 plastic bags saved.

Howe v e r, w h i le M ic h ae l believes in voluntarily reducing the use of plastic bags, he feels that paying 10 cents is insufficient to create awareness of using less plastic.

“Ten cents is not going to get in the way of wanting a plastic bag.

If people want it, they will get it,” he said.

The BYOB initiative kicked off alongside the environmental awareness campaign, “greeNTU”.

Organised by Earthlink NTU, the campaign was held from January 29th to 30th with events such as photography and reusable bag design competitions.

MAKING A GREEN COMMITMENT: Pledges on a paper tree outside Nanyang Supermarket. PHOTO | CAI ZHIMIN

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Wise words for difficult times

SAGE ADVICE: Students recieve valuable advice from alumni. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

Yusuf Hamid PASSION and diversit y were key themes bandied about at the Alumni Networking Night on January 21st.

Organized by ICON (Integrated Career Opportunities Network) and supported by the Student Union, the casual twoand-a-half-hour session saw 10 NTU alumni from various industries returning to their alma mater, fielding questions from students concerned about job prospects in a tumultuous economic climate.

The Business Times reported last December that the “number and range of jobs available are taking a hit”, forcing graduating students to reconsider their career goals, especially when it comes to landing their “dream job”.

“I’ve subm it ted many applications but had no positive responses”, said Tan See You, 22, a fourth-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE).

“I wa nte d to hea r some experiences from the alumni and see what opportunities there are for a career as I’m graduating

soon,” he added.

Some of t he alumni came prepared with anecdotes about managing to succeed in their current fields, despite mediocre academic performances while in NTU. Strikingly, many of them are currently working in industries not related to their degrees.

Mr Teoh Hunn Leong, 41, a 1993 Mechanical & Production Engineer ing (M PE) graduate, now works in the financial and investment sector despite his engineering background.

“You can study any subject in school, but can you do it for your whole life?” he questioned.

“One shou ld look be yond academic results, desire the job and look for something you really want.”

ICON President, Siddhar th Trivedi, 20, emphasised that this event was different from other networking sessions organised by the various schools.

“This session is more candid and meant for the students. It’s not representing any specif ic company or industry,” said the third-year student from EEE, adding that the event was also held to kick off ICON’s two-month long

recruitment competition.

As most of the attendees returned to their seats for the second half of the session, a throng of students remained outside to talk with the senior alumni.

Mr Shenton Sng, 41, a senior consultant with KBC Advanced Technology and a 1994 MPE graduate, had a crowd of at least 10 students listening intently to him.

“Not many students asked me about money! Mostly they were worried about their first job and how to be successful at it,” said Mr Sng, recalling the most common question.

“With the recession, don’t be picky and don’t worry about money but experience instead.

There are many years ahead to work”.

Despite being surrounded by eager students till late, Mr Teoh remarked that it was good to come back and be involved with the students.

“I’m always involved with career fairs, and sometimes to recruit graduates. After all, one must always recognise his roots.”

More opportunities for GIP China Shereen Naaz Charles Syariff S T U DE N T S w i l l now h a v e increased opportunities to work and study in more companies a nd sc hool s a rou nd C h i na , thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed bet ween N T U a nd Bu si ness China.

Business China is a Singapore or ga n i sat ion t hat promotes collaborations with China.

As a networking group, it aims to nurture bilingual and bicultural groups of Singaporeans.

In doing so, they hope to be able to help Singapore forge deeper ties with China.

The MOU, signed on January 28t h , not on ly st r eng t hen s partnerships with the organisation, but is also an attempt to create more opportunities for its students to excel in the Chinese market.

Signed by NTU President Dr Su Guaning and Mr Sam Tan, CEO of Business China, the MOU will enhance the Global Immersion Progamme (GIP) in China.

The GIP China Work and Study Programme currently facilitates student internships and education opportunities in four cities in China.

With the MOU signed, plans are in the pipeline to expand the programme to reach out to more cities and companies in China.

“N T U st udent s a re wel l informed and are aware of the benefits that they can gain from immersion in China to learn about culture, history, and economic development,” said Professor Er Meng Hwa. “More importantly, it is the real life experience and networkthat will benefit them their life time,” he said.

Professor Er acknowledged

C h i na a s one of t he mos t important economic partners for Singapore and he further emphasised that the collaboration with Business China will allow students who have completed the programme to join Business China as members and facilitate networking.

H e b e l i e v e s t h at t h i s is “benef icial to their ca reer development a nd advancement”.

Third-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lin Wei Qi, 23, who has already participated in GIP China, feels that the MOU will bring positive changes to the program.

“There would be more valueadde d i f mor e ne t wor k i ng sessions can be arranged to allow students to interact with Si ngapor ea n ent r epr eneu r s based in China or local wellknown entrepreneurs.”

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Retro fever at NBS

DANCE DANCE: Winners of "NBS Got Talent" strut their stuff. PHOTO | ZOE LIM

Kenneth Chew MODELED after the hit variey show, “America's Got Talent", Na nya ng Bu si ness Sc hool introduced its own version of NBS Got Talent.

It was one of the highlights of NBS Week, an annual affair organised by the Accountancy and Business Club (A BC) for students of NBS. Other major events include a bazaar at South Spine, as well as the NBS Face pageant.

According to ABC president, Koh Lay Ling, 21, NBS week aims to “reach out and inculcate a sense of identity". This year's NBS week's theme is retro fever.

While NBS Got Talent is open to performances of all genres, the competition held on February 5th was dominated by vocalists, with only one out of the seven participating acts being a salsa duo.

The pair of dancers, Ahmad Mubarak, 23 and Gina Cheong, 20, eventually brought home the

grand prize worth $200.

Being the only dance item definitely helped the duo stand out. The duo are both members of the NTU Salsa En Sync Club.

“Dancing definitely requires more effort. It is tougher as we need to relate with each other," said Mubarak said.

Never theless, the goal of showcasing talents and allowing for a platform for NBS students to bring out their hidden talent have been accomplished.

First-year st udent, Claire Neubronner, 19, who charmed the crowd with a soulful performance of Bethany Joy Lenz’s “Halo”, said: “It was a really good chance for stage experience, for I’ve never been in a singing contest before."

While most students were glad to receive free J. Co donuts, some commented on the bizarre choices of certain bazaar stalls, including one booth selling portable massage chairs for cars.

The bazaar seeks to encourage the entreprenuership among NBS students, explained Koh.

The NBS week also brought in game machines and video game consoles for students to play with. N BS merchandise were also on sale.

Muba ra k , who is i n h is second year, felt that the NBS week was a success.

He said: “The event really brought NBS people together as I can see students make the effort to come down and participate in the activities."

However Alex Cheong, 22, anot her second-year st udent from NBS, commented on the bot t leneck of human t raf f ic f low formed around the area due to the events taking place.

As a whole though, the general consensus was one of appreciation for the great effort put in by the ABC, offering a break from the monotony of the typical school day.

As a year-one Business student Ivan Lim, 21, said: “The entire week’s events have been pretty well done, and the atmosphere has been great!”

United Nations, united people Priyabrata Priyadarshi A MASS walk-out in the European Union (EU) and the abduction of the delegate of UK in the General Assembly were some of the dramatic events that unfolded at the 2009 Model United Nations (MUN) organized by the NTU Debating Society.

It was held on 7th and 8th Febr ua r y at t he Na nya ng Executive Centre.

The event kicked off with an opening ceremony on the evening of 6th, where the keynote address by the Guest of Honour, His Excellency, Mr Paul Madden, British High Commissioner.

He emphasized the greatness of the UN and its role in “bringing all countries together to bring about real achievements and changes in the world”.

T he ot he r w i se mu nd a ne ceremony was made lively at

times with quips such as “the difference between a camel and a diplomat is that a camel can go work for a week without drinking while a diplomat can drink for a week without working” from Mr Madden.

MUN is an academic simulation of the UN where delegates from various countries meet to debate and solve some of t he most pressing issues of the day, such as immigration and asylum in the Europe and terrorism.

The surprise was when one of the UK delegates was abducted by "terrorists" in the middle of the debate, giving it a twist and setting it in a new direction which heightened the intensity of the event.

This was one of the highlights of the M U N which attracted students not only from NTU but other institutions as well.

This event enabled students to

understand issues faced by real world governments.

Saga r A . Ga nd h i f rom Serangoon JC, delegate of India, who won the Best Position Paper Award for the Security Council, expressed concerned about global isssues.

He said: “We were shocked at Pakistan’s withdrawal of support for our bid as a permanent member of the Security Council, though the delegate of Pakistan had initially pledged his support”.

More than half of the delegates were from other institution so as to give this event a semblance to the actual UN councils. But only one of the chairs and co-chairs was a non-NTU student.

Secretary General, Anindya Dutta, a third-year student from the School of Electr ical and Electronic Engineering, hoped to have more international chairs in the next edition.

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Fewer jobs on offer at Career Fair Career prospects still in doubt due to recession despite 107 participating companies Lui Wen Qing AMID the fanfare of the opening ceremony, there was still an inevitable tinge of gloominess at the NTU Career Fair.

Organised by the Career & Attachment Office (CAO), the annual two-day event saw some 107 organisations participating.

The number of organisations involved remained similar to last year’s despite a fall in private employers, as the number of participating Government agencies this year doubled.

The impact of the current economic downturn did not go unnoticed at the fair, as most of the organisations had limited job openings.

Some, such as world-leading financial services company Credit Suisse and US-based manufacturer of con st r uc t ion a nd m i n i ng equipment Caterpillar, were under a temporary hiring freeze.

However, both companies still sent representatives to the fair as their participation had been confirmed prior to the recruitment freeze.

Fi n a l-y e a r s t ude nt f r om Nanyang Business School, Desmond Chia, 23, said: “There should be more companies invited, especially

given that many companies are offering fewer positions due to the economic downturn, so more companies would mean more opportunities for us.”

Still, the fair's objectives were achieved. Graduate students were given a chance to interact and network with prospective employers while getting a clearer perspective of career options.

“Salary level now may no longer be the same as the previous years’ and they should also consider other alternatives to full time employment.”

Mr Teo Ser Luck Senior Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports

“The career fair is useful as the companies not only bring a long t hei r hu ma n r esou rce managers, but also staff from other departments such as engineers,” said J. Subramaniyam, 25, a final-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

SCOUTING AROUND: Students searching around for potential employers and internships. PHOTO | LIANG HUI YAN

Given the bleak economic outlook, Guest-of-Honour and Senior Parliamentary Secretary, M i n ist r y of Com mu n it y Development, Youth and Sports & Ministry of Transport Mr Teo Ser Luck urged fresh graduates to learn to be more adaptive by managing their expectations.

He sa id: “T hey shou ld understand that the salary level now may no longer be the same as previous years’ and they should also consider other alternatives

to full time employment such as freelance assignments, internships and overseas attachments in order to stay economically active.”

CAO is intensifying efforts to help final-year students secure jobs.

Mr Loh Pui Wah, Director of CAO, said: “More company talks will be organised for students to generate awareness in other niche industries, to broaden their career choices. We are also reaching out to more SMESs (small and

medium enterprises) in diverse industries.”

CAO also revealed a slew of new initiatives to help students secure jobs.

One e xa mple i s t he SM S job alert service which has job openings from Defence Science and Technology Agency, Ubisoft and J P Morgan on the aler t.

The services will eventually be extended to other employers to prov ide students with timely information on available jobs.

Riding the waves of victory Spilling secrets on Post Secrets Nabilah Bte Syed Sultan

"FAVOURITE FLOAT": NTU's Draconika wins the votes of the people. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

NTU's Draconika came in first for the "Favourite Float" competition following the Chingay Parade last January.

The three-dragon float, which symoblises the synergy of sciences and arts will be housed per manently at the Quad.

Fun Facts:

Did you know?

Tallest float in the parade

The dragons rely on hydraulic power to move their heads.

The structure is taller than the ERP when standing upright.

Not just three heads

The float consists of three dragons, but only one tail.

The fire-breathing Draconika leaked water on the first day of the Chingay parade.

SECRETS were out for all to see on February 9th as anonymous contributors penned their private thoughts on postcards displayed at the Post Secret segment of Art Jam Day. The event at Canopy K saw the Cultural Activities Club (CAC) relaunch its Art Jam magazine, which promises to bring to readers a new outlook.

T he m a ga z i ne , wh ic h i s published every three months, is available for free.

The publications team of CAC revamped the concept of the magazine from a general arts magazine to one that featured more work and stories from the tertiary youths all around Singapore.

Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Gloria Ong, 20, a first-year student from Nanyang Business School said: “Many didn’t appreciate the magazine previously because it dealt with matters they couldn’t relate to.”

T he latest issue feat ured v i s u a l a r t wor k s b y N T U students, ranging from sketches to photography.

Also at the event was a writer recruitment for the magazine, as well as guest band performances and magic shows.

T he updated maga zi ne also features the Post Secret segment which appears to be well received.

Nandakumar Narasimhan, 25, a fourth-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering was fascinated at the display of secrets.

“It gives you a good spectrum of the bad to the really horrible secrets,” he said.

Kemas Aurino M., a secondyear student appreciated the anonymity.

“I think it is a very good idea and you can say whatever you want without having to wor r y about people judging you,” said the twenty-year-old from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

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Bikini business boom Age gracefully with technology Bikini boy steals the night and raises fund for committee Goh Qian Yi FOR Henah Ahmad, an exchange student from Scotland, the last thing she envisioned herself doing would be selling peanuts at a night bazaar.

The exchange student at the School of Chemical and Biological Engineering currently resides in Hall 1. Together within her hall residents, she took part in Pasar Ole! '09, a joint hall event aimed at fostering ties amongst residents of different halls.

Organized by Hall 2, the event saw the involvement of Halls 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12 and 13. This year’s venture expanded considerably from the last which saw only four participating halls.

The night bazaar, which took place on February 11th, saw a myriad of different activities.

The organisers also brought in a professional deejay, turning the usually peaceful Hall 6 carpark into a hive of activity.

Stalls were selling food items such as mashed potatoes, clothes, as well as Valentine's day gifts.

Henna and nail painting services were also available among the 38 stalls.

Henah's peanut stall did not do fantastically, nevertheless, she enjoyed the experience very much.

She said that it was her first time at a night bazaar. Such activities do not exist at her home university.

“NTU always has different events in hall so it is nice for us exchange students to experience new things," she said.

One of the attractions of the bazaar was a lucky draw with a top prize of a pair of return air tickets to Bangkok.

Stalls and games were not the only highlights of the night. Hall 2 president, Aw Si Kuan, stole the night when he stripped down a to salmon pink bikini top.

“When he donned the bikini, he was really just trying to provide entertainment. He definitely drew the crowd in," said Janica Pang, 20, chairperson of Pasar Ole!' 09.

Although Aw, a second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, never intended to pull off such a stunt, requests from fellow hall residents made him spontaneously purchase a bikini from one of the bazaar stalls.

“I guess it is all in the name of fun. The idea wasn't pre-planned at all but since it was for fundraising, why not?" said the twentytwo year-old.

The stunt proved to be a good fund-raiser.

The dunking of a bikini-clad Aw into a pool of water cost the audiences over $100. The money went to the Hall 2 committee.

However, canvassing for funds was secondary.

Pang, a f irst-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, said: “Our main purpose for organising t h i s e v e nt w a s to e n h a nc e communication between halls and especially between JCRCs." “This also provides a platform for residents from different halls to mingle and enable individuals to showcase their talents or put their entrepreneurial skills to test."

However, Henah felt that she did not get to interact with many people as most were busy with their own stalls. She agreed that it was a good chance to learn about running their own businesses.

She came up with a moneymaking idea on the spot, charging $1 for throwing a wet sponge at her friend's face. This earned her $10 in an hour.

The joint event proved that combining resources was a good way to go.

A member of the organising committee, Nevin Ong, 22, said: “We ca n pool ou r r esou rces together and command a bigger crowd. Sponsors will also be more forthcoming when they learn of the larger expected turnout."

“We're def i n itely look i ng towards expanding the carnival futher," he added.

5mm apart from story

FLASH AND SPLASH: A bikini and a dunk took in over $100 for Hall 2.

PHOTO | COURTESY

Lui Wen Qing DESPITE stiffer competition as the number of applicants this year doubled, three NTU research teams clinched research grants from Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group (MSIG) for projects on enhancing traffic safety for senior citizens.

The teams come from three schools – the School of Mechanical a nd Aerospace Engi neer i ng (MAE), Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (W K WSCI) and the National Institute of Education (NIE).

One project revolves around creating innovative gadgets that enhance traffic safety by tapping into the young minds of school students.

“The workshops’ theme will be aligned to the topic of traffic safety and students will develop creative ideas and design gadgets that can be used to prevent dangers and improve the usage of transports.”

He said that one interesting idea which young students have contributed is the clip-on ear piece which will send out alarm signals each time the driver dozes off while driving.

Another idea proposed was a traffic light sensor which can adjust the timing of the green man according to the physique of the pedestrian.

While Dr Yau’s interest is in traffic safety, Dr Theng Yin Leng and Dr May Lwin, both associate professors at WKWSCI, focus on

ALL SMILES: Researchers using technology to improve society. PHOTO | CHEN WEI LI

active ageing. They will assess the feasibilit y of interactive digital technology in promoting healthy lifestyle habits.

One possible way they are looking at is to use Nintendo Wii Fit to teach them how to make wise healthy lifestyle choices through interactive games.

For Dr Patrick Chua, he hopes to benefit senior citizens with his research work with his mobility aid design.

The associate professor at MAE said Singapore has a rapidly increasing ageing population which brings about problems such as a lack of mobility.

As such, they have decided to design and develop a mobility aid for senior citizens who are unable to walk or walk properly without assistance.

The mobility aid, which will be hidden will be attached to the limbs. It will perform the walking function and provides support, thus reducing the difficulty of movement of the senior citizen and also reducing the social stigma of being a handicapped.

If this project is a success, Dr Chua hopes to enlarge the scope of the project.

He said: “We wou ld li ke to design a similar mobilit y augmentation system for the military to help soldiers who carry very heavy backpacks and walk long distances.”

Dr Chua said a lot of effort must first be put in brainstorming, designing, testing and analysing and d iscussing w it h fel low researchers. He hopes that his work will be patented one day.

Tabling the wrong time Linette Heng SOME Nanyang Business School (NBS) students were taken aback earlier this year, when their tutorial time for AA304, Accountacy and Auditing was changed without prior notice.

T he 28 affected st udents had received an email f rom t he Un iver sit y Prog r a m mes Office(UPO), telling them of the change.

Third-year student Alexas Ong, 22 was one of the affected students.

“I got a shock when I first saw that email because I feel that changing the timeslot without my consent defeats the purpose of me planning my timetable and doing my subject registration way back in December,” he said.

The course was originally sc hedu led f rom 10.30a m to 12.30am on Wednesdays. However when students were registering for the course, the timing was reflected to be two hours earlier.

This was because the online C la s s Sc hedu le Sy stem had not been updated to reflect the accurate schedules of the course instructors.

In response to the complaints, the administration calls this a “technical oversight”.

“W hen t he er ror was high lighted, U PO moved 28 students (where their schedules permit) to the timeslots originally requested for by the Head Of Division,” said Ms Jenny Goh, M a nage r of Unde r g r adu ate Programmes, NBS. This meant that students who had enrolled for the tutorial slot at 8.30am had it pushed forward to 10.30am. For the rest whose schedules do not permit them to make this change, they were shifted to a different tutorial slot

“The change in the timetable will cause me to have eight hours straight of lessons.”

Ong Xing Yu, 22 Third-year Accountancy student

of the same timing.

Some e x pressed t hei r dissatisfaction at the inconvenience.

“The change in the timetable will cause me to have eight hours straight of lessons, which I would say is totally ridiculous,” said third-year student Ong Xing Yu, 22.

Accord ing to t he cou r se coordinator, Assistant Professor Tan Seet Koh, shifting the time slot back was the only solution because the part-time instructor of one of the tutorial groups could not make it at the time given.

“From t he st udents' perspective, I suppose there could be better communication by UPO on the need for the switch,” said Professor Tan. Nonetheless, the UPO said that it had tried its best to accommodate requests for students affected by the switch. Most of the students were returned to their original tutorial slots after appeals were lodged.

“Moving forward, our office will take steps to tighten our own internal processes and procedures to avoid a repeat of such an occurrence,” said Ms Goh.

Lifestyle

“From tree-hugging protests to candle-light marches to political bake sales, the Berkeleyan environment...” Page11

On the scent

Finding your own unique perfume is not difficult. Woo Sian Boon hunts down spots where you can blend it your own way The Body Shop

SNIFFING OUT THE BEST: Creating a personal blend out of the myriad of choices. PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG & COURTESY

JR Fragrance Jamal Kazura Aromatics 21 Bussorah Street BUSSORAH Street, near the more well-known Arab Street, may be obscure but it is full of strange delights.

JR Perfumes is situated at a corner of the street, and entering it was like stepping into a wizard’s den. Most of its walls were covered with rows of neatly arranged glass bottles containing liquids that ranged from colourless to a deep copper.

T he shopkeeper, a helpf ul young man called Suhail, said that the shop had been around since 1933.

He explained that they import scents and essential oils from different countries, including France and India.

T hese scent s a re blended toge t he r to pr oduc e u n ique fragrances that are displayed in the shop. Customers can choose among these to be further mixed into the scents they want.

I had great fun sniffing the different scents in an attempt to figure out what essences they were.

Inexperienced as I was, some were instantly discernible.

One of the scents, Ultimate, caters to men and had the clean smell of soap.

For sure, the names given to the

scents were not as sophisticated, such as Sweety, Mystique and Pleasure. But they smelled just as good, if not better, than the storebought ones.

Still, f inding a scent was difficult. After sniffing so many fragrances, I was confused by the overwhelming mixture of scents and no longer recognised which ones I preferred.

Undeterred, Mr Suhail smiled and suggested a blend called Wisdom, which had a citrusy note of bergamot, and Pleasure, which contained the essence of greenflower.

The resulting scent was zesty and had a floral note to it. I liked it immensely, as it was refreshing and not too cloyingly sweet.

A plus point about the scents is that they do not contain alcohol, so there is less danger of allergic reactions.

I noticed that besides the f r ag r a nce s , t he r e we r e a l so intricate glass perfume bottles on display. These were individually hand blown and imported from Egypt.

Delicate and with many hues to choose from, they appealed to my feminine side. Besides scents that appeal more to the mainstream customers like me, the shop also stocks fragrances that cater to their Arab customers.

These carry a more pungent

smell and I could not help but crink le my nose after taking a whiff of one “Oodh Hayath”, which contains the essence of wheatgrass.

I lef t t he shop feeli ng en l ig htened. Fi nd i ng you r preferred scent is not so difficult after all. You only have to know where to smell.

IT IS easy to fall into old habits, and once in a while you need a change.

One of the things about me that has not changed since junior college is the scent I wear. Every time I decide that I need a bottle of perfume, I am put off by the mind-boggling range of choices on the shelves.

Wanting a change spurred me on to find a scent that I would like, yet is unique at the same time, so the idea of mixing my own scent was appealing.

My first stop was The Body Shop, as friends have chattered excitedly about the “Invent Your Own Scent Starter Kit”, which drew my attention.

My expectations were high, but at first glance the metallic tin it came packaged in looked uninteresting and plain. I was underwhelmed initially, until I found out that the plain casing was an effort to be environmentally f r iend ly, t r ue to t he brand’s values.

The kit contains six fragrances in nifty little spray containers, with distinctive names such as Zestini and Amorito.

Although it claims that you

can invent your own scents, there are already some surefire mixtures that The Body Shop recommends.

For example, mixing two of the kit’s fragrances, Chymara and Rougeberry, creates the sultrysounding Enchanting Nights. But I preferred the combination of So Scrumptious, a fusion of Aztique and Rougeberry.

Perhaps I should not have played around with all six fragrances at one go because, except for the fruity-smelling Zestini and the musky-smelling Amorito, everything else started smelling the same, which was floral and unsurprisingly commercial. This translates into being pleasant but forgettable.

Also, I found that not all of the fragrances suited my usual tastes. Amorito, which contains a pleasant whiff of chocolate, had an unfortunate musky undertone.

It was too strong for my liking as it overpowered any scent it was mixed with. Another qualm I had was that the fragrances were eau de toilettes, so they could last only for a maximum of four hours before you need to spray on a fresh layer.

The Body Shop “Invent Your Own Scent Kit” retails at $29.90.

The shop’s scents come in different bottle sizes: 3ml bottle—$3 to $8.

6ml bottle—$5 to$15 12ml bottle—$10 to $30 Glass perfume bottles: Small—$15 Medium—$15 to $25 Large—$40 Very Large—$150

sniff on this:

1. In the 1980s, the perfume Giorgio by Giorgio Beverly Hills was banned from restaurants because the scent of it was too dominant over food aromas.

2. Even though jasmine was the most expensive perfume oil at the time Coco Chanel decided to create her first scent, she ordered her perfumers to include it liberally. The scent, labelled as Chanel No. 5, became and remains the company’s most famous perfume.

3. When mixing scents, dab a little onto your skin. How it smells on you is not always how it smells from the bottle. The same scent, too, can work differently for two different people.

THE FRIENDLY SHOP KEEPER: Explaining the individual essences and how to combine them.

4. Your sense of smell might get jumbled after smelling too many fragrances. To cleanse, you could sniff at a sachet of coffee beans.

lifestyle

fe b r ua ry 16 , 20 0 9

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

09

Road to nowhere Join exchange students John P. Gamboa, Renee Villasenor and Carmela Reyes as they venture into unfamiliar territories on random bus trips around the island

I

randomly picked bus service 174 at Boon Lay interchange and hopped on, eager to see parts of the island I had yet to venture into.

Thus far, most of my experiences with the public bus transport system had been journeys to and fro the city centre.

One of the most prominent sights of the skyline here is the housing towers. On the bus, I got the impression that most of the city’s housing towers were designed by a single government contractor or company.

It was hard to figure out where I was because these towers had no distinct features for me to distinguish the districts.

Midway, I got off to explore a building that looked like a market. This one seemed different from others I have seen because it resembled a Spanish plaza, with surrounding f lats enclosing a hawker centre, a soya bean vendor and a couple of electronics dealers.

The architecture looked identical to everything I had seen on the island so far, but the square’s enclosed

layout made it felt as if the rest of the island had disappeared, and that I was in my own little city.

A f ter grabbing a dr in k , I hopped onto bus service 945, and dropped off at Bukit Batok Park.

My first glimpse of the park was its granite face which was anchored by a pond. The sight was a stark contrast to the businesses, housing flats and hawker centres that populate the island.

I n t h is beaut if u l pa rk , Singaporeans were fishing and having picnics away from the hustle and bustle of city life, and the dichotomy between nature and the man-made structures was amazing. It almost made me forget that I was in a cosmopolitan city with a 4.5 million population.

After wandering around the lake watching families fish and relax, I knew that this was a place I would very much like to stumble upon again. My assumption of the island being just a concrete jungle was definitely a little shaken by this experience.

-John Gomboa

MUSING ON A JOURNEY: John embarking on his sojourn that would show him unexpected sides of Singapore.

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VIEW FROM THE TOP: Carmela overlooking the Chinese Garden and beyond.

A

s an exchange student from the US, I have played it safe so far. This means that I have stuck to my fellow exchange students and have not ventured into any territory that was not mentioned in Lonely Planet’s guide to Singapore.

Thus, I set out on my journey on bus service 32 with trepidation.

“Uniquely Singapore” is the official slogan used to reel tourism into this small city-state. However, as I sat on bus after bus, peeling my eyes for any difference in the rhythmically monotonous landscape of apar tments and business buildings, I found myself wondering what makes Singapore special.

After an hour of travelling, I found a small temple along Mohamed Sultan Road. I would have passed this by if the sound of drums had not erupted from

the top floor. Eager to discover the source of the clamour, I rode the elevator up the building but saw that I was too late to catch the lion dance, which formed part of the Chinese New Year celebrations.

This indistinct business building seemed to me like a very obscure location for such an activity.

I realised that amongst this spr awl i ng met ropol i s , sma l l aspects of the community such as temples and food stalls make Singapore unique. To have such an international community in this small island provides a rare opportunity for visitors to share in a genuine experience with each of these communities.

Thereafter, I hopped on another bus and in a short while the bus ended up in Little India, where the annual Thaipusam festival was taking place.

From t he windows of bus

pagoda, hawker centre and a modern Roman Catholic church. T hese three locations made me alight while I was travelling on a bus in Singapore.

At first, the thought of getting lost in a foreign country on a bus made me cringe, but secretly, I felt flutters of excitement in my stomach at the prospect of such an adventure.

On a sunny Saturday morning, I went to Boon Lay bus interchange to begin my daytrip exploration.

I skimmed through the posted bus listing, randomly selected a bus and dutifully lined up at the proper berth.

After my first few minutes aboard bus service 198, I thought my choice of route was a f lop.

Nothing caught my eye as the bus went through a residential area.

service 139, I could see people c h e e r i n g on m e n c a r r y i n g elaborate loads (known as kavadi) on their shoulders. They had many needles through their torso which connected them to their loads, which seemed to me incredibly painful.

The differences and strengths of individual cultures in Singapore were very apparent through these two vastly different celebrations I had encountered.

Of course, Los Angeles, where I live, is diverse as well.

However, by no means can you stumble upon such intact traditions like in Singapore.

While the island cit y may not be the most idyllic Southeast Asian tourism spot, it still provides an (pardon the cliche) unique experience for those willing to look for more.

-Renee Villasenor

But as we pulled away from the suburbs, I was proven wrong.

I spotted a beautiful pagoda in the distance and hit the stop button. I was on the way to my first adventure. I had found the Chinese Gardens.

From the outside, the pagoda appeared to be rich in culture a nd f u l l of prom i se. To my astonishment, the building was empty except for a tall spiral staircase. Undaunted, I climbed up seven flights. Surrounded by trees, the view from the top was worth the effort.

After that, I hopped on bus ser vice 335 and alighted at a hawker cent re. T here, I wa s immersed in the flurry of fastpaced service, hungry customers, and appetizing aromas.

After tasting a delicious spring roll called “popiah”, I was back on a bus, this time bus service 66.

My last stop was a Roman Catholic church in Bukit Batok.

Coming from a Catholic family in Canada, I wondered what the churches here were like. Clean and bright, the Church of St. Mary of the Angels was all modern lines and glass walls. A lone woman knelt at a pew, praying the rosary quietly under her breath and I felt almost voyeuristic witnessing such a private moment. I made a small donation and lit a prayer candle for the health and happiness of my family and friends at home.

Following that, I returned to NTU feeling contemplative and satisfied with my day.

-Carmela Reyes

CELEBRATING: A walk through Little India. PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG, ZOE LIM & YU DI

10

lifestyle

FE B R UARY 16 , 20 0 9

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

Up, up and away Vanessa Too, James Ho and Chrystal Yeong discover the view from the top, in the newly reopened Singapore Flyer and old favourites like Sentosa's Cable Car and Carlsberg Sky Tower

IN A FLYER CABIN: A panoramic view of sights near and beyond the flyer

THE SINGAPORE FLYER WITH the recent problems plaguing the Singapore Flyer, some people may be hesitant about the extreme height of this 165m attraction.

But not me. A quick security check later and we were on board, in a capsule that could fit 28 people. At mid-afternoon on a weekday, we had the luxury of walking around without worrying about blocking another person’s view.

The Flyer's movement is barely noticeable unless you pay close attention.

The in-flight compass provided a handy little map of the view. It promised glimpses of Indonesia and Malaysia. Sadly, I saw neither and wished I had brought a pair of binoculars.

However, the local sights were enough to keep me occupied for 30 minutes.

CARLSBERG SKY TOWER STANDING at an impressive height of 110m (the equivalent of a 50storey flat), the sky tower is Asia's highest viewing tower.

The circular viewing cabin r e volves a rou nd t he cent r a l tower, giving visitors a bird’s eye view of Sentosa, Singapore, and nearby Malaysian and Indonesian islands.

Before the seven-minute ride, friendly photographers take your picture at the entrance to the viewing gallery, although you’ll need to shell out $20 to take that picture home. Bringing your own camera is advisable.

There is just enough leg room in the viewing cabin for a comfortable ride, although the blue seats remind me of the MRT. As the tower spins upwards, a n ent hu sia st ic com menta r y announces the various attractions of Sentosa over the PA system. The view from the circular gallery is indeed breathtaking and will give photography enthusiasts a perfect

The first thing that caught my eye was blue sea sparkling in the midday sun. From above, I could see so much more of the sea as compared to standing on a beach where the sea is only at eye level. Here, the great expanse of water extended for miles far beneath me.

I spotted the Esplanade, the Marina Barrage, the f loating stadium at Marina Bay and the F1 track. It made me wish I had snagged a ticket to the F1 race a few months back so that I could have seen the cars zooming around the track.

Besides that, I caught a glimpse of the future Integrated Resor t, which will surely be something to marvel at once it is completed.

At the moment, the construction site did little to enhance my Flyer experience.

Yet when I looked beyond

that to the skyline, the older part of Singapore stood out. There was a nice blend of old and new buildings, of different heights and a myriad of colours.

If you looked carefully enough, you could spot the occasional temple and mosque. Some buildings which I couldn't identif y had unique designs which stood out against the more ordinary-looking buildings. They made the skyline all the more beautiful to me.

An afternoon trip to the flyer was worthwhile because in the sunlight the intricate details of individual buildings are visible, something that would not be possible at night.

-VANESSA TOO Daily Flights: 8:30am—10:30pm (Last admission 10.15pm) Ticket Sales: 8:00am—10:00pm Admission for Singapore Flight: (30 mins) $29.50 for adults Other flights include the Express Boarding Flight, the Moët & Chandon Champagne Flight and several others.

From 16-28 Feb, present your NTU matriculation card at the ticketing counter and get 20% off all types of Flyer tickets.

(Max 4 tickets per purchase) Terms and conditions apply.

opportunity to snap some shots.

I could see far across Singapore despite the cloudy afternoon.

But if you are planning to sneak a peek at beach babes or hunks, you would probably be sorely disappointed unless you have a pair of binoculars with you.

The Sky Tower ride offers a n u n for get table pa nor a m ic experience, although it is somewhat pricey which might make one feel pressured to make every minute count.

If you’re planning on looking down on people (literally), you might want to stand throughout the ride and use the hand-rest for support. You might also want to avoid the weekend crowd and visit the Sky Tower on a weekday.

-JAMES HO Opening hours: 9am—9pm (last admission 8.45pm) Admission: $12 for adults

THE SPINNING VIEWING CABIN: Seen from below, the tower seems to reach the clouds.

THE SINGAPORE FLYER: The noon day sun peeking hrough the massive wheel.

SENTOSA CABLE CAR THE cable car is but one of many mind-boggling ways to get to Sentosa.

At the ticketing counter, the rather crotchety officer offered me the choice of cable car, Sentosa Express and more than one bus.

Visibly annoyed with reciting the long list of choices repeatedly, he then pointed to pictures of the two variations of cable cars—the normal one and the other with the glass bottom.

Choosing the cheaper and more authentic option without the glass bottom, I took the glass elevator to the cable car station, half dreading the possibility of having to share an awkward cable car ride with overly enthusiastic tourists quizzing me on the sights and scenery.

It came as a pleasant surprise then, that the station was empty, save for three cable car attendants and a couple already seated in a blue cabin. I admit that for a second I pondered my choice: with cheaper options available, it seemed the cable car was starting to become obsolete.

Within seconds, I had climbed into a bright yellow cabin, but not before one of the attendants did a double-take upon seeing my ticket stub. He had to confirm that I was taking a roundabout trip (meaning I wasn’t stopping at Sentosa). I guess taking cable car rides for the fun of it wasn't the usual case.

In the past, the thing I enjoyed most about cable car rides wasn't so much t he sightseeing but the thrill of frantically waving

to u n su spec t i ng r ider s i n neighbouring cabins and singing at the top of my lungs without caring that anyone could hear.

With no one to wave to, scream or sing with, I settled into the wooden seat for my first quiet cable car ride. The interior was just as I had remembered: comfortably simple, yet without the aloofness of the modern minimalist metal disposition that we have grown accustomed to.

The truth is, the view from above was not particularly breathtaking.

The massive construction site that would soon be the Resorts World at Sentosa was all that I could see for half of the ride.

Nonetheless, it was refreshing to get away from the sea of grey buildings for a change, and to spend a few minutes, 80 metres away from solid ground, doing absolutely nothing except take in the sights.

Upon alighting, I caught sight of the same couple from the blue cabin earlier on. Perhaps some people do still take cable car rides just for the fun of them. For 11 minutes of having your heads in the clouds, I’d say it’s well worth the ride.

-CHRYSTAL YEONG Opening hours: 8.30am—11pm daily Admission for normal cabin: One-way: $11.90 for adults Two-way: S$12.90 for adults PHOTOS | TAN ZI JIE & IRWIN TAN

lifestyle

fe JAN b ruary UA RY 216 8 , , 20 200099

TTh hee na nan nya yang ng cch hron ronic icllee

11

travelogue

Those cold summer nights Writer Mark Twain once said: ‘The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer at San Francisco.’

Trinetta Chong chills out in California— in more ways than one

M A R K Twain's comment may perhaps have been an overstatement, but two months of living in the Bay Area was certainly enough for me to declare that it was my coldest summer ever.

I was on a six-week study exchange at the University of California (also known as Cal) and its sprawling campus resided in Berkeley, a quiet municipality which rests on the eastern shore of the San Francisco Bay. My first night in the school hostel was spent shivering under a meager coverlet.

The discovery of summer nights averaging at 12 °C was literally and metaphorically a rude awakening.

As I tried to count my 1058th sheep, I silently berated myself for giving the thermal coverlet I’d found earlier to my Mexican roommate, who was warm, snug and very much asleep.

In spite of chilly temperatures at night, the weather in Berkeley is usually beautiful by day.

A quiet morning amble around the campus took me past centuryold Victorian buildings amid acres of emerald glades and wooded groves. The air was often crisp, accompanied by the sweet scent of freshly-cut grass and the laughter of students basking in the sun-rays with their cold-cut sandwiches and textbooks.

Most of the time, the vibe from Telegraph is mildly reminiscent of the song, Sex, Drugs and Rock N Roll.

On leaving the beaten track I could hear the light rustle of a scurrying squirrel if I listened ha r d e noug h a nd t he sof t trickling of Strawberr y Creek which runs through the heart of the campus.

While Cal is often considered the hallmark of the neighbourhood, the lively and vigorous spirit of Berkeley is not confined to just the campus.

Vent ur ing a lit tle f ur ther south I found Telegraph Avenue, a grungy and eclectic strip of pizza joints, used bookstores and chic bohemian boutiques.

P u shca r t ve ndor s se l l i ng everything from antique jewelry to anti-Bush T-shirts lined its colorful sidewalks while throngs of tour ists, st udents and the occasional nude oddball wander past its psychedelic murals.

The atmosphere was thick with

LIBERAL BERKELEY: Even the back of a truck is a testament to the free-spirit of the Berkeley residents.

angst and eccentricity while its graffiti-stained walls exuded a residual aura from the 1960s, the heyday of the hippie movement.

Most of the time, the vibe from Telegraph was mildly reminiscent of the song, Sex, Drugs and Rock N Roll.

A trip down this four-block section was raw, exciting and a rare opportunity to soak up every peculiar smell and take in every disheveled sight.

Berkeley was the focal point of the Free Speech Movement and anti-Vietnam War Movement back in the late fifties.

Remarkably, such a culture of activism and advocacy still runs strong among locals today.

ALCATRAZ PRISON: A calm, blue sea surrounds the old building, betraying nothing of its turbulent past.

Fr om t r e e -hug g i ng pr ote s t s (where protestors sit in trees) to candle-light marches to political bake sales —“buy muff ins to stop the war!” , the Berkeleyan env i ron ment cont i nues to represent the quintessential model of every protestor’s dream.

A 30 minute drive through Oakland and the Bay Bridge took me directly to San Francisco, a metropolitan heaven renowned for its mysterious fog and swanky urban life.

On one of the weekends, I had the pleasure of visiting Alcatraz Island, a historical landmark with a turbulent past.

Also known as The Rock, it was the country’s most infamous prison deemed inescapable and home to America’s most notorious criminals.

Isolated on a solitary island amidst the frigid Bay waters, the penitentiary is only reachable by boat.

As I boarded the ferry at Pier 39, my eyes immediately cast out to the open sea, only to spot the now-abandoned prison in the distance; standing on a dark, lonely mass of rock with what seemed like a lighthouse, barely d iscer n ible t h rough t he Sa n Francisco fog.

I ran to the helm of the ferry in excitement, brandishing my camera as I prepared to click away passionately. But all I could do was stop and stare.

The island, now in full view, was brimming with life. Several massive buildings stood serenely

in the midst of a luxuriant growth of foliage.

The lighthouse was nestled behind a thick shrubbery of green speckled with summer shades of yellow and purple.

A curious sign reading “Indians Welcome” greeted me as I stepped onto the dock.

T he a i r wa s sa lt-soa ke d , fresh and the fog seemed to have dissipated, revealing a sky as clear and blue as the Aegean Sea. I laughed happily as I witnessed a seagull swoop and emerge with a writhing fish in its beak.

My cheerful spirits became more somber as I entered the main prison building. Cavernous and bleak, the walls were bare except for the occasional barred window.

The main hall was cast in a shadow of despair.

Through the self-guided audio tour, I learned of stories as told by the voices of former inmates and guards who spent decades of their lives on The Rock.

In 45 minutes, I was led through a series of jail cells, rooms and hallways, listening to anecdotes of attempted escapes, cafeteria brawls and the loneliness of inhabitants.

Legend has it that many prisoners took their own lives within these walls.

Caretakers and visitors have recounted instances of unexplained screaming, laughing and sightings of glowing eyes from the darkness of these cells.

Back at Pier 39, I began to wander along the marina in search of food. Located at the edge of the Fisherman’s Wharf district, Pier 39 is vibrant, picturesque and every bit a tourist gimmick.

I wounded up paying a horrific US$6.95 (not inclusive of tips) for a basket of chili-cheese fries.

L o o k i n g b a c k n o w, m y s we e te s t me mor ie s of Sa n Francisco remain encapsulated in a vivid postcard of rolling hills, lovely Victorian houses and the soft dinging of cable cars at the turnaround; the ritzy boutiques at Union Square, the stillness of Coit Tower and the preposterous hike up Lombard (San Francisco’s most crooked street).

In the words of Tony Bennet, ‘To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars; the morning fog may chill the air, I don't care…’

My heart waits there in San Francisco.

Got an interesting travel experience to share?

E-mail us at

chronklifestyle@gmail.com

FISHERMAN’S WHARF: Buzzing with tourists. PHOTOS | COURTESY

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lifestyle

FE B R UARY 16 , 20 0 9

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

review

BOOKS

The Seamstress FRANCES DE PONTES PEEBLES $28.95, available at Borders Published by Bloomsbury

AN ENTHRALLING tale of love and courage, loyalty and adventure, The Seamstress is set in a pivotal historical moment, during the push to develop Brazil’s resources at the expense of subsistence farmers.

As seamstresses in the village of Taquaritinga, Emilia and Luzia dos Santos learnt how to cut, mend and conceal. These are useful skills in the lawless Brazil of the 1930s. Emilia, whose world is constructed with fashion magazines and romance novels, dreams of falling in love and escaping to the city. Luzia, whose hand was scarred from a childhood accident, finds her refuge in sewing and in her prayers to saints.

The two sisters’ lives diverge when Luzia gets abducted by the Hawk, an infamous bandit who terrorizes landowners. She then leads the life of the nomad and starts to see the bandits as comrades, not criminals, and would do anything to protect her group.

On the other hand Emilia meets and marries Degas, the son of a wealthy doctor and moves to the city of Bacife, only to feel lonely and disillusioned. She has to hide all connections with her sister, who has become increasingly notorious in Bacife.

This novel is rich in depth, and Frances de Pontes Peebles gives authentic details on Brazil, painting a world where brutality is common. The true beauty of the novel lies in the relationship of conflicting jealousies and loyalties between the sisters. -ELLYNE PHNEAH

The Other HandATRICI

A

J dore Vivienne I really want Gucci, Fendi and Prada.

Valentino, Armani too.

Madame love them Jimmy Choo.

Fashion by Lady Gaga

The Fame

L ADY GAGA (ALTERNATIVE ROCK)

 At 17, Lady Gaga was one of 20 people in the world to gain early admitance to the prestigeous Tisch School of The Arts.

STEFANI Germanotta, better known today as Lady Gaga, has made her mark on the chart-topping music scene with her highly acclaimed album, The Fame. Having previously written songs for artistes like the Pussycat Dolls, the accomplished singer-songwriter channeled her talent towards producing her own album. The result is a zesty and catchy compilation of avant-garde electro-pop, dance and disco hits that make you want to get up and dance.

The first track Just Dance somehow convinces you to do exactly that with its “fun, LA, celebratory vibe.” Matching up to the tempo is the second single, Poker Face, a groovy and infectious follow-up that does not disappoint.

While the rest of the album is very similar, the result of vibrant beats meeting tongue-in-cheek lyrics makes it far from monotonous. Ultimately, this album is sheer fun and makes you want to get into those killer four-inch dancing shoes and get your groove on. -NOOR ASHIKIN

Ultimate R&B 2009 VARIOUS ARTISTES (R&B)

 Multiple tracks on this album won accolades at the recent Grammy Awards, a sign of approval towards the genre.

FANS OF R&B who would fancy a trip down memory lane, this compilation of rhythm and blues from both yesterday and today is a collection you would revel in.

Despite its title, this special double-disc edition also features a wide range of evergreen classics from other genres such as pop, soul, jazz and hip hop. Whether you are in for a night of bootylicious dancing or savoring a romantic get-together, this album has just the right shuffle of smooth beats and dance numbers that will surely get you groovin’ on your feet.

On a salient note, lyrics of the hip-hop genre have always been known to be raunchy and cheesy. Sisqo’s Thong song goes “Girl I know you wanna show that thong” while Lollipop by Lil Wayne says “ooh I like to touch ya lovely lady lumps”. However, do not let this be a setback in relishing the music because when it comes to R&B, excellent music accompaniments are the main draw. -ERICA NG

SU

CHRIS CLEAVE $17.07, available at Harris Published by Sceptre

THE story begins with Little Bee, an African girl, describing the day she was released from the Black Hill Immigration Removal Centre in England. Right at the beginning, I could feel her enthusiasm and her determination of not allowing her past to haunt her.

In the second chapter, the narration switches to Sarah O’ Rourke, who tells her side of the story. To my surprise, the alternating narrator throughout the novel actually allowed for a better understanding of the deep relationship both women shared.

Within a perfectly paced recollection, Little Bee slowly tells of how she first met the O'Rourkes in Nigeria, and what happened on the beach that fateful day: Sarah’s husband was forced to severe a finger in exchange for the survival of Little Bee’s sister.

Unfortunately, his deliberation resulted in her death.

At the same time, it was also Sarah’s quick thinking that saved Little Bee’s life.

As the story unfolds, a past in Nigeria surfaces in the present England. What really captured me was the optimism and silent strength Little Bee portrayed despite her ill-fated setting. While the ending could have been more impactful, I especially admire her ability to forgive and to move on. -BERNICE NEO

MUSIC

Hold On Tight HEY MONDAY (ALTERNATIVE ROCK)

 This Florida based band was recently in Singapore to support Fall Out Boy on their Folie a Deux world tour.

PHOTO | COURTESY

HEY MONDAY is Pete Wentz’s latest acquisition for his Decaydance imprint label. Yes, that Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. Hold On Tight, which was released in December last year, is Hey Monday’s debut offering. At fi rst listen, I wondered if I had put in a Paramore album by mistake.

Vocalist Cassadee Pope sounds and looks like Hayley Williams of American rock band Paramore. The only noticeable difference is that Hey Monday, if anything, is more pop-driven and mainstream.

On tracks like Should’ve Tried Harder and How You Love Me Now, Pope sings of teenage angst and unrequited love. That pretty much sums up the Hey Monday sound: lyrics fi lled with angst and unrequited love.

Hold On Tight is listenable, but ultimately unmemorable.

You will nod and hum along with each track, but after that you will be left trying to remember what was the name of the band you just listened to. -CAMERON NG

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FILMS

The Pink Panther 2

Underworld: Rise of The Lycans Action /Thriller (M18)

Comedy (PG)

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Steve Martin, Emma Bunton, John Cleese 92min

Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Rhona Mitra 92min

PHOTO | COURTESY

FILMS in the Underworld saga have impressed audiences with their imaginative telling of a century-old war between the vampires and werewolves. Rise of the Lycans traces the beginnings of the conflict, revealing the secrets behind this eternal battle.

Many years ago, after these creatures were born, the vampires dominated the local region with their intelligence and political skill.

A lycan, Lucian (Sheen) was born into

slavery in the house of Viktor (Nighty), the powerful vampire leader. Lycans were able to take the form of man or beast at will. Viktor manipulated this bloodline to create a new breed of slaves, abused by the vampires as labourers, but prevented from transforming by a silver spiked shackles kept around their necks.

Viktor’s beautiful but rebellious daughter Sonja (Mitra) rides with the Death Dealers, a squad of vampire soldiers to protect Viktor’s domain against werewolves. Trouble brews when she falls in love with Lucian and begins a clandestine affair.

When Lucian finds a way to remove his shackle, Viktor attempts to destroy him like a disobedient animal. The thrill starts as Lucian manages to rally the other lycans to escape and fight for their freedom.

Though the movie deser ves credit for its elegant visual aesthetics, eerie characters and compelling action, it feels almost as if the film was on a loop: Sonja’s endless arguments with her father, Lucian’s enslavement and escape repeats several times in the show.

Yet the film’s climatic moment comes when Viktor puts his beloved daughter to death while Lucian watched. It gave the movie an emotional touch as we feel sorry for the forbidden lovers and this war which has hurt so many. -Ellyne Phneah

Hey Monday Press Conference The band started touring in September 2008 with established acts such as The Academy Is... to promote their debut album.

PHOTO | COURTESY

T HIS slapstick comedy would tr igger c huc k le s e ven f rom t he most jaded moviegoers. Following the Tornado’s theft of the legendary Pink Panther diamond from the Louvre and priceless exhibits from other countries, a dream team of the world’s best detectives is assembled.

Jacques Clouseau is of course the French representative.

Steve Martin reprises his role as the incompetent inspector with an outrageous French accent. Politically incorrect and having a propensity for getting into all sorts of scrapes, his antics throughout the investigation made for a constant stream of laughter from the audience.

For instance, the black and white footage of him snooping around a suspect’s house evoked a cartoonish effect. With sheer luck,

The Other End of the Line Romantic Comedy (PG)

Clouseau solves the case, catches the culprit and becomes the hero once again.

Directed by Harald Zwart, this movie is a satisfying sequel, exploring characters like Ponton, Clouseau’s trusty sidekick, in greater depth about being torn between family and career. It also continues the fragile budding romance between him and his bespectacled secretary Victoria.

Clouseau, who is so confident of his sleuthing abilities but clueless in love, is momentarily distracted by the advances of the beautiful Aishwarya Rai. But never fear, because as in all comedies, there is always a happy ending.

Here is a spoiler, be extra attentive when the hiding man looks at the departing detectives and says: “I even know one of them.” -Tan Jia Yi

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Sara Foster, Jesse Metcalfe, Anupam Kher 106min

PHOTO | BERNICE NEO

EVEN though the band had only arrived in town at 2 am on the day of the interview, they were bright-eyed and eager to share their music with us. Through the brief introductions, I warmed up to Hey Monday’s infectious energy. The band exuded an unmistakable spirit of togetherness and one definitely cannot miss the camaraderie among the band members.

Hey Monday is a Florida-based alternate rock band that started as a result of high school friendships. It caught the attention of Fall Out Boy bassist, Pete Wentz, who together with Columbia Records, signed the band under his own label, Decaydance Records. Composing of five members, the

band has Cassadee Pope as their front woman –her presence a refreshing splash in the testosterone-filled world of rock.

T heir debut album Hold On Tight describes the angst experienced by youths today and their songs are written to reflect personal experiences by the band members themselves. What sets them apart from their contemporary peers is the depth of their music. Very often, their songs are written to show and reveal the silver lining behind dark clouds.

When asked about the song Candles, Cassadee remarked, “Even though it hurts in a break-up, it’s important that you move on and put yourself out there.” -Bernice Neo

THE OTHER End of the Line is the perfect Valentine’s Day movie. It has all the trappings of a typical romantic comedy, from the attractive leads (played by John Tucker Must Die’s Jesse Metcalfe and Bollywood starlet Shriya Saran) to the little problems in life that threaten to sunder the two lovebirds.

When the two leads are from different continents, the problems they face tend to be cross-cultural. In this movie, Granger Wood r u f f ( Metca l fe ) i s a Ne w York advertising executive who has problems with his credit card. Who else but Priya Sethi (Saran) would answer the phone at a Mumbai call center on the other end of the line when he calls the bank’s helpline.

Masquerading as a local complete with a conv i nc i ng A me r ica n accent , she provides assistance for customers from the other end of the world. Cue crosscountry flirting and the inevitable falling in love of the two.

Of course, The Other End of the Line also has its fair share of East meets West

PHOTO | COURTESY

jokes. Priya’s family back in India is made up of every stereotype imaginable, from her conservative parents and the disapproving auntie to the eligible but dull Indian boy who has been arranged to marry her.

At the end, The Other End of The Line is another saccharine sweet movie of boy meets girl over intercontinental phone call and boy gets girl even through intercultural differences. -Cameron Ng

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review

GERALD ON lIFE

Gerald Chew, actor and teacher. Reviews Editor Elizabeth Law and Ellyne Phneah talk to him about theatre, his off-stage persona and even current affairs.

Do you think teaching is like acting?

Well, I guess you could say there are similarities between both and that they are sort of parallel. There is this element of convincing the audience. The purpose of the theatre is for both education and entertainment. But on the other hand, teaching is much less physically demanding.

What type of movies do you like to watch?

Does the global financial crisis worry you?

You always portray very serious people like doctors, is that how you really are?

No I’m really nothing like that.

Well I am serious when the time calls for it but not all the time. I think the sad thing about acting is that one is trapped by the way one looks. That’s why I always get such roles!

What was your ambition then?

childhood

When I was young I wanted to be a marine biologist. I was very fascinated with the ocean and underwater life. Well I changed my ambition a lot. At some point I wanted to be a writer which led to me becoming an actor.

Tell us your worst stage fright experience.

Changing costumes very quickly.

It is a thing that constantly scares me. Sometimes in periods as

THEATRE

What the Butler Saw Zebra Crossing Productions Starring Gerald Chew, Vernetta Lopez, Elizabeth Tan, Shane Mardjuki, Vadi PVSS, and Timothy Nga.

IN THIS rendition of Joe Orton’s masterpiece, What the Butler Saw, the issues of bureaucracy, religion and marriage are brought into the limelight with their apparent inadequacies mercilessly exposed. Artistic Director Loretta Chen skillfully adapts the play for the newly independent Singapore context of the 1960s.

It all begins when Dr Prentice Ang, a psychiatrist played by thespian Gerald Chew, attempts to seduce his potential secretary (Elizabeth Tan), only to have his plans thwarted by his alcoholic nymphomaniac of a wife (Vernetta Lopez). With the unexpected arrivals of a neurotic psychiatrist, an indecent bellhop and a confused policeman, the clinic transforms into a madhouse that gets increasingly disastrous as Dr Ang tries harder to cover up for his indecency.

The play unfolds at breakneck speed, which may leave one slightly confused. Cross-dressing and identity swopping on stage is so rampant that it often leaves most cast members in varying degrees of undress and compromising positions.

Ironically, there are no butlers in What the Butler Saw. Yet for a play challenging all things chaste and proper, the setting in a psychiatric clinic cannot be any more apt. -Goh Qian Yi

How do you feel about the arts scene in Singapore?

It is definitely growing. Many things are developing and it is getting better. I am very encouraged by the fact that many university students such as you two are interested in theatre and are even coming to interview me.

Singapore definitely has the raw material and potential for further artistic development.

My all time favourite would have to be the Krzysztof Kieslowski trilogy, Three Colours: Blue, White, Red.

GERALD CHEW: Getting up close and personal. PHOTO | ELIZABETH LAW

short as five seconds, we have to be present in an entirely new costume. I actually could not change in time in a previous production but luckily for me, I got away with it. Fortunately, I do not face this problem in What the Butler Saw.

PHOTO | COURTESY

Yes, I worry about the bankers

“Changing costumes very quickly. It is a thing that constantly scares me.”

Gerald Chew on his biggest fear.

and whether they might run away with my money! I was just kidding but really, Singapore’s theatre is mainly funded by the government with some private sponsors here and there. But with the current economic situation, I am not so confident about future funding.

Would you say that your job is more stable since it is media related ?

Not really, I think everyone is affected this time round. I have some hope though because people are still calling me for projects, not only locally but also internationally so maybe you are right that media related jobs are more stable and I shouldn’t worry. Perhaps it is because of this gloomy outlook that people need more entertainment to cheer themselves up.

Tell us something about yourself that we don’t know.

I love Peranakan food since I am Peranakan and my favourite colour is green. In fact, my past two cars have been green. It’s a very specific green: British racing green.

Catch Gerald Chew in What the Butler Saw. Playing at the National Library Drama Centre till February 22.

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William Shakespeare described it as “The dreadful dead of dark midnight.� However daunting the words of the Great Bard, Irwin Tan and Yusuf Hamid sacrificed sleep to capture unique moments around campus.

AFTER MIDNIGHT

0209 hours: A commercial vendor inspects a sandwich dispensing machine at the South Spine.

0250 hours: An off-service bus lumbers along Lien Ying Chow Drive - an unexpected sight.

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0220 hours: Late night busking? This student was strumming away while walking back with his friends.

0121 hours: Final examinations may be more than a month away, but some students are already getting into the habit of studying late in school.

0110 hours: A lonely figure strolls down the South Spine, surrounded by the warm glow of lights from the parapet wall.

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Art

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

dapper: your essential style guide

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| Stockists | Asylum 22 Ann Siang Rd

Of

Egg3 33 Erskine Rd Style Nordic 39 Ann Siang Rd Sino London 01-29 Wisma Atria Limited Edt Vault 03-12 The Heeren

War Stylists | Carina Koh & Audrey Tsen Photographer | Foo Chee Chang (chang-photography.com) Photography Assistant | Yusuf Hamid Hair and Makeup | Victoria Hoo (91780234) Models | Tiffany Becker & Marc Waldmeyer | Special Thanks | NTU Spor ts and Recreation Centre NTU Archery Club (clubs.ntu.edu.sg/ntuarchery) Aloysious Ong Sharlene Lim

Clockwise from top: White Surface to Air shir t, $289, Asylum / Black twisted neckline pleat dress, $139, Sino London; Grey booties, $129, Egg3 / White ruffled blouse, $139, Sino London; Grey pleated pants by Max Tan, $199, Egg3; Grey heels, $139, Egg3 / Black blazer, $288, Egg3; White Siv Studal shir t, $389, Asylum; Siv Studal shor ts with zip-off legs, $459, Asylum; Black Addias shoes, price unavailable, Limited Edt Vault / Black toga dress, $159; Coin necklace, $69; Black suede heels, $139, all from Egg3 / Filippa K dress shir t, $299; Filippa K waistcoat, $299; Nudie dry black coated jeans, $285, all from Style Nordic; Surface to Air sneakers, $329, Asylum

“Straight, shining, polished guns, Clambered over with jackies in white blouses, Glory of tan faces, tousled hair, white teeth, Laughing lithe jackies in white blouses, Sitting on the guns singing war songs, war chanties” — “Iron” by Carl Sandburg

潘嘉丽遇到蟒蛇 勇敢女生不勇敢 —— 刊26页

新闻 Impresario 2009 半决赛

参赛者卯足全力 争夺决赛权

舞蹈团体D2E从7个参赛组合中突围而出，成功闯入大决赛。 摄影|林佐伊

罗靖婷●报道

为

了在众多表现优异的参赛者中脱 颖而出，就读南洋艺术学院设计 与媒体系一年级的黄美薇在外形上下足 功夫，以黑色背心、黑色牛仔裤及皮

靴的性感造型争夺Impresario 2009决赛 权。 为了在评判和观众心中留下深刻印 象，23岁的黄美薇共花了200元在服饰 上。 演唱舞曲《More More More》的她 透露，服装及造型打扮应该符合歌曲的

曲风。 果然，绝佳的外形与纯熟的演唱技 巧，让她顺利闯入了大决赛。 由南大文化活动协会（Cultural Activities Club）举办的全国才艺选秀比 赛Impresario 2009已迈入第17个年头， 今年更吸引了超过1000名年龄介于16到 30岁的参赛者，其中以大学和理工学院 的学生居多。 竞争如此激烈，参赛者都不敢掉以 轻心。 他们不仅苦练歌曲或舞蹈，更在外 形方面下足了心思。 同样进入大决赛的舞蹈组合D2E也 为比赛付出了心血。 团队里的8个成员不但得兼顾学业， 还得每天聚在一起练习，毫不懈怠。 参加Impresario 2009的准备过程虽然辛 苦，但是他们都很享受整个比赛的过 程。 就读于南大化学工程系一年级的 D2E成员李文浩说，参加这一次的比赛 纯粹是因为团员们都热爱舞蹈。他们希 望能在比赛中为观众呈献最完美的演 出。 有趣的是，今年报名参加词曲创作 组别的参赛者比往年多了十倍，而且水 准都相当不错。 主办单位为了让公众能够参与比 赛，第一次将参赛作品放上网并且开放 网上投选活动，让大家选出心仪的原创 歌曲。

形象提升课程——就业的关键？ 鞠欣航●报道

当

南洋理工大学工程系四 年级生Jenny穿着红色上 衣和黑色短裙参加面试时，她 万万没猜到面试官对她说的第 一句话竟是：“下次面试时， 你的穿着要严肃一些。” 正如Jenny所料，她并没有 得到在她理想的金融机构工作 的机会。但是使她失去机会 的，究竟是她的着装，还是面 试时的表现？ 近年，形象提升课程 （Image Grooming Workshop) 如雨后春笋般在本地大专学府 盛行。但是，形象提升课程对 学生真的有帮助吗？学生是否 能更顺利地在如此低靡的就业 环境中找到理想的工作？ 雇员：整洁朴素就足够 记者在向多位管理层人员进

行了解后发现，几乎所有受访 的公司在面试时只需求职者穿 着整洁朴素。 对于服装搭配和化妆等细 节，他们并非很在意。 市区重建局企业发展部的执 行级人力资源官孙晓慧透露， 雇员只要求应征者穿着整洁并 符合工作条件即可。 另一位不愿具名的政府机构 负责人对应征者的形象要求也 相当基本。 他说：“面试时，我们重 视的始终是应征者的能力和态 度，仪态和形象对个人的入取 几率没有很大的影响。” 据了解，很多以销售与服务 为主的行业都会定期邀请形象 设计师来公司进行礼仪指导。 公司虽然重视员工的形象， 但在面试时绝不会因个人形象 问题而拒人于门外。 可见，尽管形象提升课程有 助于包装自己，它还未成为留 下良好印象的决定性条件。

专业形象设计师： 小细节或是成败关键 担任枚林凯形象设计师的刘 敏表示，目前的金融与裁员危 机或是促成形象提升课程盛行 的关键。 现年40岁的刘敏说：“第 一印象很重要，所以在经济不 景气的今天，更多人参加这种 课程来提高自己的面试入取几 率。” 据记者了解，形象提升课程 一般由化妆造型、服饰搭配和 社交礼仪三部分组成。 虽然雇员和学生们都认为 整体形象只需得体，但刘敏强 调，小细节如服装选择和发型 或许会是面试成败的关键，所 以求职者在应征时仍需注意仪 表。 学生：形象并非致胜要素 据了解，国大、南大和新大

担任Impresario 2009主席的23岁电 脑工程学院二年级生张勇 升 受访时说： “我们收到了很多很优异的作品，让评 判们大伤脑筋。最后，终于通过投票以 及专业的评审选出了六首歌曲，进入总 决赛。” 比赛当天，现场也出现了小插曲。 来自合唱组别的新加坡管理学院商 科系一年级生傅哲彰和邓伟伦在《忠孝 东路走九遍》时，忽然遇到电流中断。 傅哲彰说：“我们表演不到一半， 歌曲突然停了，连麦克风也无法操作， 真的是有点吓人。” 这两名年仅22岁的男生在历时20分 钟的电流中断后，又回到台上完成演 唱，主持人更打趣地说，幸好不用唱九 遍。 虽然他们最终并没成功闯关，但他 们坦言，输赢并不重要，重要的是他们 吸取了不少宝贵的经验。 担任半决赛评委之一的伍文聪老师 也给予参赛者了相当高的评价。 曾经在学生时期参加过类似比赛的 他认为，年轻人有歌唱以及舞蹈方面的 志向是很好的，并且鼓励参赛者继续朝 着梦想前进。 半决赛共有6名独唱组男女参赛 者、5个对唱组合、5个舞蹈组合及6名 词曲创作者，以优异的表现成功突围， 勇闯总决赛。 Impresario 2009总决赛将于2月28日 在南大的南洋大礼堂举行。

商学院学生在校方的安排下， 都必须参与形象提升课程。 参与过类似课程的国大学生 受访时透露，课程中所提到的 形象提升技巧都是基本知识， 学生其实可通过观察一般上班 族的打扮来了解恰当的办公室 穿着。 21岁的国大会计系二年级生 林宛柔说：“虽然应征时的第 一印象相当重要，我相信现在

的雇员最重视的还是应征者的 性格与能力，而不是形象。” 来自印尼的南大工程学院 二年级生Tina也曾报名参加形 象提升课程，但目的仅限于了 解“如何打扮自己”。 她说：“（参加这些课程） 并不是认为它们对我的事业会 有多大的帮助。即使有帮助， 我相信它们也不会是我找到工 作的主要因素。”

枚林凯形象设计师刘敏（左）认为，形象对个人的就业能力有很大 的帮助。 摄影|林佐伊

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旅游

吃喝 玩乐 香港 出国旅行最期待的就是自由自在地发掘当地 文化，更何况是到了公共交通设施齐全且又 没有语言障碍的香港。记者吴诗雁带你一同 踏上香港自由行，与当地人作近距离接触， 深入了解香港社会与文化。

时事动脉

箱

集邮

任你游！

为香港迪斯尼平反 虽然香港迪斯尼乐园与日 本迪 斯尼 乐园 相比 ，的 确小 了 点，不过却没有想像中的差。 香港 迪斯 尼乐 园的 旅客 比日 本迪 斯尼 乐园 来得 少， 所以 玩 游戏 都不 必大 排长 龙。 在园 区 内走 动也 无须 摩肩 接踵 ，便 可 以玩得尽兴。 最重 要的 是， 园区 内没 有游 客随 处小 解或 是霸 占座 位的 陋 习。 园区 内的 景点 解说 服务 也十 分贴 心， 共提 供了 华语 、粤 语 和英 语三 种语 言的 解说 人员 ， 不怕你听不懂。 香港 迪斯 尼乐 园也 专程 请了 洋人 来扮 演迪 斯尼 公主 。姑 且 不论 她们 的样 貌如 何， 至少 保 留了 我们 童年 时对 于公 主的 幻 想。 毕竟 ，不 是每 个人 都能 接 受郑欣宜版的白雪公主。

老房屋 现代高楼与 比 形成强烈对

与现 旁的老房屋 两 道 车 ， 九龙 马大桥前往 乘车开上青 。 过，屋 比 整修过，不 形成强烈对 有 厦 没 大 年 楼 十 高 、更 三 代 牌更加神秘 看上去像是 招 子 ” 房 打 老 铁 些 昌 那 的“隆 而让高挂着 市风味。 子的破旧反 岛上发现 港独特的城 香 了 成 去像是在荒 形 上 看 ， 峦 有感觉， 此有趣 后的层层山 竟可形成如 然 自 大 和 高楼大厦背 叹科技 样，让人赞 现代文明一 的组合。

点心之

政府将从今年4月起调高公 共援助金（Public Assistance Scheme）的款额，每月调 高30元至120元，视家庭人 口而定。这是政府自2007年 起，连续三年调高公共援助 金的拨款，以帮助贫困老人 及家庭渡过难关。 能源市场管理局（EMA）将 从今年9月开始采用新的电 费计算方法，改用3个月的 平均燃油价计算下一季的电 费，以更贴切反映国际原油 市场与油价的走势，并减少 住家电费的波动。 一名育有两个女儿的32岁老 师被控在两个月内与15岁男 生发生6次性关系。这名已 婚妈妈已向法庭认罪求情。 据悉，女教师是因为男生不 满她提出分手而对她恐吓， 才亲自向警方报案。 新 加 坡 淡 马 锡 控 股 （Temasek Holdings）日前 召开记者会，主席丹那巴南 宣布，总理夫人何晶将卸下 执行董事兼总裁职务。BHP Billiton前总裁Charles W. Goodyear将在10月1日正式 接任职务。 在请假17次后，台湾前第一 夫人吴淑珍终于在2月10日 出庭就前第一家庭的贪污洗 钱案应讯。除了表示部分认 罪外，吴淑珍也在审讯结束 后，在离开前发表了两则声 明，并向大众道歉。

都 韩国总统李明博表示，韩国 政府不畏惧来自朝鲜的威 胁，一定会坚持立场，不做 让步。据报道，朝鲜不久前 推翻了与韩国签订的和平协 议，而且正准备试射远程导 弹。

香港是 就 连 邻 出了名的点心 里 之 水 准 。 茶 餐 厅 都 有 餐 都， 云吞虾 馆 级的 肉 劲十足 ，份量 饱 满 ， 面 条 嚼 也十分 香港的 慷慨 红 茶 不一样 也和新 。 。香港 加坡的 的 是红茶 ，可是 红茶用的同样 柠 两片， 而是至 檬不是一片、 少 就足以 让人酸 五片，喝一口 得脸都 儿！ 揪在一 块

照片｜吴诗雁提供

随着澳洲东南部山林大火的 蔓延，估计最终死亡人数将 预计超过300人。澳洲东南 部维多利亚的森林大火已经 造成了至少173人死亡，超 过740间房屋被损毁，近万 人无家可归，火灾的面积超 过500万亩。 印尼苏拉威西岛北部的塔劳 群岛附近发生强烈地震，地 震深度约10公里，震级为里 氏7级。据报道，震区有很 多房屋倒塌，两处教堂受 损，但在截稿前并未有人员 伤亡的报告。该地区地处农 产区，人口稀少。

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Peter Draw 用画笔改变世界

言论 编辑室

政府信心喊话有用吗？ 黄顺杰 中文副编辑

目

年仅24岁的年轻画家Peter Draw卓英伟利用艺术与不同地区的 孩童沟通，为他们带来快乐。 照片|受访者提供

黄施嫣●报道

你

可能会对“卓英伟”这 个名字感到陌生，但你 或许听过“Peter Draw”。年 仅24岁的卓英伟来头可不小。 2007年的儿童节，他以一幅 长30米，宽12米的成龙漫画肖 像，创下健力士世界纪录。 去年初，他更开始了他的快 乐绘画之旅，前往10个东南亚 国家，与各地区较不幸的儿童 一起作画。 “Peter Draw”这个名字难 免令人感到好奇。 卓英伟透露，非华裔 的孩子经常把“卓”念成 “draw”，久而久之与英文名 结合而成他“行走江湖”的名 字“Peter Draw”。 用绘画跨越语言障碍 在卓英伟的快乐绘画之旅到 访的地区当中，有不少儿童都 不熟悉英语。 原本，他也担心会有语言障 碍，后来却发觉自己的顾虑是 多余的。 卓英伟说：“绘画有种神奇 的能力，可以跨越语言上的限 制，将人们联系在一起。” 在教导儿童绘画的同时， 他也从孩子们身上学到简单的 事物往往是使人们最快乐的原 因。 他透露，当他要求孩子们 画出自己快乐的原因时，惊讶 地发现他们画出的并不是物质 方面的享受，而是帮助不幸人 士、拯救树木等单纯的期望。 艺术如空气和水 在新加坡，当画家并非主流 行业。但是卓英伟说：“艺术 就像是空气和水那样重要。每

个人都必须从艺术中摄取每日 的生活灵感和启发。” 他也表示，虽然在追求绘画 梦想的过程中，总有无法顺心 如意的事，但只要持有正确的 心态，没有困难可以难倒他。 他把人生当作是个冒险，在 不断的挑战中，发掘自己的潜 能。

“虽然如此（改变 世界）的愿望在当 下看似遥不可及， 可是我希望将来某 年某月，可以和孙 子坐在秋千上，告 诉他们关于一个年 轻画家义无反顾地 追求梦想，改变了 世界的故事。” 卓英伟 “Peter Draw”

用一笔一画，改变世界 在网上档案中，卓英伟写 道，自己想要用一笔一画，改 变世界。 被问及要如何用绘画来改变 世界，他透露，这个志向背后 的动力源自于坚信绘画可以超 越本身的极限。 就如简单的几个线条就可以 勾勒出一幅美丽的画作一样， 简单的一个动作也能够改变世 界。 卓英伟坦诚：“虽然如此 的愿望在当下看似遥不可及， 可是我希望将来某年某月，可 以和孙子坐在秋千上，告诉他 们关于一个年轻画家义无反顾 地追求梦想，改变了世界的故 事。”

前的金融风暴是继 1929年的美国经济大 萧条（Great Depression） 之后，最大规模且最具杀伤 力的金融危机。 这股经济低潮以狂风扫 落叶之势席卷世界各国的金 融体系，包括工业大国美 国。 弹丸小国新加坡当然也 无法逃过受波及的厄运。 为了振兴下滑的经济， 我国政府日前于1月22日推 出了前所未有的财政预算 案，希望通过总值205亿新 元的方案以及各项经济援助 配套与措施，缓解金融风暴 所带来的冲击，并避免国家 的经济持续受挫。 除了首次动用国家储备

金来资助部分的51亿新元员工 再培训计划和雇用补贴（Jobs Credit Scheme），我国政府 各阶层领袖也相继挺身呼吁民 众“不要灰心”，并以“正面 的心态”勇敢面对眼前的难 关，形成一幅难得的景象。 我国开国功臣之一的李光耀 资政日前在一项新春晚宴上便 以淡定的口吻，吁请国人“无 须感到绝望或意志消沉”。 许多国会议员也趁国会辩论 时，再三对人民强调“别让悲 观的情绪抹杀克服经济萧条的 决心”。 连日来，本地各大报章也纷 纷刊载了这些领袖的呼吁。次 数之多，不禁令我提出疑问： 政府的信心喊话听在国人的耳 里，究竟有多大的鼓舞作用？ 55岁的德士司机黄存发认 为，这些信心喊话并无多大的 实际效用。他说：“鼓励是好 的，但这些话对我们这些老百

姓有什么实际帮助？更何况说 这些话的人又怎会了解我们的 切身之痛？” 大致上，民众对于领导人的 鼓励都心领了。不过他们仍然 希望能得到更多实际的经济援 助和补贴，而不是一些对他们 而言乃冠冕堂皇的话语。 虽然目前的预算案已打破之 前的金额纪录，但一些国人仍 觉得政府所提供的帮助还能更 多。 政府的信心喊话着实能提震 衰弱的士气。不过对于那些天 天陷于生活困境的国人而言， 鼓励就如同凉茶，只能提供暂 时的舒缓，真正能根除病痛 的，还需抗生素的辅助。 不过令我感到庆幸的是，新 加坡政府不但提供凉茶，还配 制出强效抗生素——财政预算 案来对抗如这次金融危机般毒 性异常强大的病菌。 我相信，我们会康复的。

校园大声讲

名字见报 “危机”重重 林茂清

每

当The Nanyang Chronicle和Tribune 上架时, 南大校园里都会出 现一道亮丽的风景——在餐 厅、在讲堂、在图书馆、在 校园各处，学生们几乎人手 一份，或翻阅，或讨论，或 只是简单地将它们带在身 边。 由此可见，学生们对于 校园里的任何事有着浓厚的 兴趣。但当自己变成了主 角，情况似乎就变了。 作为《南苑》的记者， 我在采访过程中发现，学生 们并不太希望自己的名字出 现在报纸上，而背后的原因 常教人啼笑皆非。 有些人说，不想名字 上报是因为怕无意中得罪 “人”，给自己惹来不必要 的麻烦。 因此，他们宁愿匿名在 网上表达自己的看法。 他们所说的“人”似乎 颇具深意。 我想，究竟有多少人真 正因此惹上所谓的“麻烦” 呢？ 社会上真的有那么多所 谓的“人”，像地雷一样， 埋伏在生活的四周，然后等

你一不小心地 踩下去吗？这 样的想法似乎 有点“杞人忧 天”。 再者，网络 作为一个龙蛇 混杂之地，有 多少人会关注 你的想法呢？ 还 是 在 网 上你可以天马 行空地褒贬时 事，而一旦名 字 上 了 报 ， 你就必须对自 己的言论负责 呢？ 其实，只要 你认真注重自 己的言论，你 会对自己有更 清楚的认知。 也有人说， 不想名字上报 是担心自己的观点与大众价值 观不符，会被视为异类。 但是，我们为什么一定要跟 别人一样呢？ 我们为什么要随波逐流，勉 强接受大众的观点呢？ 彩虹因为多彩，所以美丽； 每个人都应该学会欣赏自己的 独特之处，并向他人展示。有 碰撞，才会有火花。

插图｜某某某

插图｜Sarah Amnah Zaihan

此外，也有人说自己生性低 调，不想让认识的人在报纸上 看到自己的名字。 但我认为，这不是生性低调 的问题，而是被一种内敛的文 化熏陶而不习惯表达自己。 人们因不愿让自己的名字 上报而提出种种理由为自己辩 护。大家对这个课题如此有见 地 ，为什么要选择沉默呢？

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(Narerkrit Sinrachtanant ć‘„)

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

娱乐 《Smiling Kelly》记者会

潘嘉丽面对蟒蛇 勇敢女生不勇敢 洪慧敏●报道

勇

敢女生潘嘉丽遇上蟒 蛇、蜥蜴就完全投降。 潘嘉丽在新专辑《Smiling Kelly》记者会上分享了她上 台湾综艺节目《钻石夜总会》 时“被邀”抱蟒蛇、抱蜥蜴的 经验。 蟒蛇是勉强抱了，但这并没 有减少潘嘉丽对它的恐惧。当 台湾艺人小钟拿着蜥蜴到她面 前时，她更是吓得逃到椅子后 去。 再次上同个节目时，她问的 第一个问题就是：“这次有蟒 蛇吗？” 上通告趣事多 对潘嘉丽而言，上《钻石夜 总会》是个惊险却又有趣的体 验，就像在看探索频道一样。 她透露，有一次他们还得在 节目上挤羊奶。说着，她便向

间，所以我现在会把握每一次 上通告的机会，好好表现。” 长期在台湾发展，是否见识 到台湾媒体有多犀利？ 潘嘉丽认为，台湾媒体并 没有特别犀利，和新加坡媒体 没什么分别，提出的问题都一 样。 陈珊妮是个傻大姐

现场的记者示范正确的挤羊奶 手势。 节目参赛者的表演都让潘嘉 丽印象深刻，惊叹不已。 她透露，如果让她去参赛的 话，她应该会想尝试杂技方面 的表演。 她也说，如果她表演唱歌的 话，一定会输，因为就连参赛 的5岁小朋友都很厉害，演唱起 台语歌曲更是惊为天人，架势 十足。 身为首届《绝对Superstar》 女冠军的潘嘉丽当然也不逊 色，在《康熙来了》节目上演 唱参赛成名曲《美丽笨女人》 时，博得主持人小S和蔡康永 好评，令她印象深刻。 她表示，自己已经很久没有 唱那首歌了，所以得到主持人 的赞美让她特别惊喜。 潘嘉丽自认属于慢热型，刚 开始上通告时总会因为害怕说 错话而很少主动说话。 她说：“上电视不讲话就 会没镜头，会怕浪费大家的时

潘嘉丽以参赛者身份参加台 湾某节目，偶然遇见担任比赛 评审的著名音乐人陈珊妮，陈 珊妮也亲切地与她打招呼。 潘嘉丽原先还担心赛前不能 与评审聊天，倒是陈珊妮说得 轻松：“比赛还没开始。” 潘嘉丽透露，陈珊妮外表冷 酷，其实是个傻大姐。 她说：“她（陈珊妮）是个 很聪明、很有想法的人。大家 在那里都叫她‘鬼才’。起初 以为她会很凶，但是（我们） 却能聊得来。” 咖啡王子潘嘉丽？ 潘嘉丽透露，自己有打算参 演台湾偶像剧，但目前角色还 未定。她表示，希望角色能像 韩剧《咖啡王子一号店》里女 扮男装的尹恩惠那样。 她自嘲说，演这个角色会 很方便，因为自己也没什么身 材。

潘嘉丽带着全新专辑《Smiling Kelly》回到新加坡，与大家分享了 她在台湾上通告的趣事。 摄影|梁慧妍

《卉出靖彩》校园演唱会

石欣卉黄靖伦 牵手演绎另类MV

歌手尝试难度极高的《一眼瞬 间》，并突发奇想，带来既幽 默又深情的另类MV。两人先 是对着彼此的海报深情演唱， 再转向真人，石欣卉更试图模 仿黄靖伦的动作，滑稽程度让 全场笑翻。 随后，两人也在观众的要求 下清唱《你最珍贵》做为“安 可”，默契十足，让一旁的主 持人抱怨自己就像第三者。 他们同是歌唱比赛出身， 经历过无数次的评论，却丝毫 不吝啬地赞扬对方。石欣卉称 黄靖伦的歌声让她“心花朵朵 开，就像在大海上翱翔”，暖 入她心房。黄靖伦更大赞石欣 卉的歌声可媲美天后张惠妹。 石欣卉致力推动本地话剧文化

黄靖伦与石欣卉在校园演唱会上合唱《一眼瞬间》，还现场上演另类MV，默契十足。 摄影|陈渊莊

林茂清●报道

石

欣卉与黄靖伦深情合唱 《一眼瞬间》，让主持

人直呼：“娱乐性太高了！” 同门师姐弟石欣卉与黄靖伦 日前在由南大文化活动协会举 办的《卉出靖彩》校园演唱会 上开唱。

石欣卉以一身性感现代女 皇的造型登场，黄靖伦更是以 帅气十足的黑骑士打扮惊艳四 座。 为了回馈歌迷，两位本地

石欣卉当晚献唱了新专辑 《女皇》中的3首新歌。她表 示，演唱《无能为力》时，脑 中就会闪过很多低潮时期的画 面。她努力不让眼泪流下，却 唱得自己“发毛”，有走火入 魔的感觉。 她透露，自从参演电视剧 《一切完美2》后，就喜欢上了 演戏，也会尽量尝试更多元的 表演艺术。 接下来，她将把重心放在话 剧《天冷就回来》上。她也表

示，希望能够借由自己身为流 行歌手的影响力，让更多人关 注本地话剧。 黄靖伦现场大秀M字腿 黄靖伦不擅舞蹈，却在演唱 会上应全场观众要求，大秀M 字腿，引来观众尖叫声四起。 “认真唱歌的男人最帅！” 黄靖伦在回应歌迷尖叫时，又 为自己的“伦语录”添了一 笔。他也大秀成语功力，现场 当起老师，为大家解释“迅雷 不及掩耳”的意思。 除了可爱的“自然呆”个 性，征服观众的还是他独特的 歌声。 在演唱歌曲《傻里傻气》 时，他鼓励喜欢唱歌的人努力 追寻自己的梦想，因为自己也 是花了两年的时间四处参赛才 克服了对舞台的恐惧。 歌唱事业渐渐上了轨道， 黄靖伦希望日后也能尝试主持 和演戏，往多方位艺人路线发 展。他也透露，下一张专辑将 回归到自己最擅长的抒情路 线，并尝试写词。 他说：“我很喜欢用自己的 方式唱别人的故事。” 他相信，要是能唱出自己的 故事，一定更能抓住歌迷们的 心。

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娱乐休闲厅 讨闹派专访

本地摇滚乐团 梦想与五月天同台飙唱 王春雁●报道

拥

有远大梦想的本地摇滚 乐团讨闹派坦言，希望 有一天能够举办大型演唱会， 并与偶像五月天站在同一个舞 台上飙歌。 主唱思铃、吉他手思悯和 Vincent、贝斯手Sean以及鼓 手Vics在两年前组成“讨闹 派”。 成军两年后，他们终于圆 了音乐梦想，发行首张同名专 辑。

的吉他手，也负责作曲的部 分。 他说：“专辑里的《隐形 翅膀》这首歌给了我很多回 忆，因为这是我们写的、学的 和录的第一首歌。如果你听我 们上电台或看我们的表演，这 首歌是必唱的歌曲，不可或缺 的。” 被问到专辑里的另一首 歌《克利斯汀》是以谁命名 时，Vincent表示克利斯汀 是“Phantom of the Opera （歌 剧魅影）”里的人物。

“专辑里的《隐形 翅膀》这首歌给了 我很多回忆，因 为这是我们写的、 学的和录的第一首 歌。”

“讨闹派”的由来 乐团究竟为什么取名为“讨 闹派”呢？ 原来，“讨闹派”指的是 “讨人欢心的热闹派对”。 他们想呈现的音乐是热闹、 好玩的，并希望带给大家欢乐 的感觉。因此在这张收录了7首 新歌的专辑里，歌迷除了可以 听到讨闹派的摇滚和豪迈，也 能看到他们轻松的一面。 唱作俱佳 词曲一手包办 讨闹派足足花了整整一年的 时间制作新专辑，词曲部分也 由他们全权负责创作。 团长Vincent除了担任乐团

Vincent 讨闹派队长兼吉他手

因为看了这出歌剧后，发 现没有描述克利斯汀悲痛的歌 曲，便决定为她创作这首歌。 三男两女的相处模式 这个由三男两女组成的团 体，不禁让人好奇，他们的相

本地新晋乐团讨闹派希望有朝一日能与偶像五月天同台飙唱。左起：吉他手Vincent、鼓手Vics、主 唱思铃、吉他手思悯、贝斯手Sean。 摄影|Narerkrit Sinrachtanant 处模式究竟如何？ 思铃表示，三个男生都很有 绅士风度，只要练歌练到凌晨 两点时，他们就会负责送女生 回家。 当然，团体也难免会有意 见不合的时候。不过Vincent认 为，他们会争吵，是因为在乎

这个乐团，所以才会提出自己 的意见和看法。 Sean也笑说：“我们不是 那种会去记仇的人，虽然偶尔 会在背后说一些坏话。如果吵 架，明天就忘记了。” 要在新加坡组织独立音乐 团体并不容易，对此，团长

Vincent颇有感触。 他透露，在组团之前，自 己在某公司担任行销经理的职 位。 当初会决定为了乐团而辞掉 工作，是因为不想等到年老的 时候，才后悔没有把握这次的 机会。

乐评 音乐Jukebox 专辑：《潜流》 歌手： 张亚东 推荐：《密流》 《All I Have》

印



象中的张亚东感情 内敛、不多话；就 像《潜流》虽标为张亚东 的个人专辑，但当中大部 分的歌曲都不是由他演 唱。 尽管歌曲由不同的歌 手如王菲、莫文蔚和朴 树等歌手演唱，但这张专辑不同于一般的音乐合辑。 花费五年筹备，没有突出各位歌手的个人特色，只有 张亚东的个人创作与音乐风格。 整张专辑以“潜流”为主要概念。歌手们以各自的 声线诠释内敛的呢喃与暗涌的情感，流动的音节则呈 现深具张力的慵懒。 从《密流》中莫文蔚的性感细腻，到《缓流》中 张亚东的低微吟唱，再听《潜流》愈发紧凑的节奏， 内心潜伏的情感也随歌曲撩起。 非常欣赏张亚东对于融合乐器和歌声的敏锐掌控能 力。《All I Have》中虚幻的编曲和日本歌手坂本美雨 柔婉的歌声仿佛将听者带入幻境，令人焕然一新。 《潜流》中的张亚东其实一点也不安静。透过不 同歌手的诠释，我们仿佛听到潜藏在他心中的情感流 窜，像潺潺的流水，很动听。这或许比不亲自开口演 唱更有感染力。（文／陈丽汶）

专辑：《讨闹派首张 同名专辑》 歌手： 讨闹派 推荐：《隐形翅膀》 《Lost》

要



在新加坡市场 做 音 乐 不 容 易，何况是自己制作 并发行专辑。本地“最大胆”的独立乐团讨闹 派做到了。 讨闹派首张同名专辑收录7首由团员们一手 创作的歌曲，以及主打《隐形翅膀》的现场演 唱版。 一向不喜欢重摇滚的我却被《隐形翅膀》吸 引了。歌曲节奏强劲，但不过于吵闹。副歌歌 词“不去管别人看我的眼光／让我在阳光下飞 翔”除了体现出讨闹派追逐梦想不屈不挠的精 神，在现今时局也有着激励听众的作用。 专辑里的第四首歌曲《Lost》，处理很特 别。这首小品仅有简单的木吉他伴奏，主唱思 铃在唱出一段中文词后，隔了一段过门再唱出 英文词。轻柔的诠释方式让听众体会主角对一 段恋情的迷惘，而英文词更加强了这一点。 我看得出讨闹派在编排曲目时的用心。7首 歌曲都有各自的主题，却又能前后贯彻衔接。 不过尽管如此，专辑仍有些瑕疵——主唱思铃 的咬字不够清晰，歌词本又有一些错字，为听 觉享受扣了一些分数。（文／郭进华）

专辑：《2 her》 歌手：孙燕姿、张惠妹 推荐：《她们的歌》

华

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纳唱片打着孙燕姿 和张惠妹的招牌推 出《2 her》，无疑让喜 欢这两位天后的歌迷们激 动。但当发现这只是一张 合辑时，很多人不禁直呼 受骗，破口大骂：华纳的葫芦里到底卖什么药？ 无论歌迷们对这样的做法有多大的意见，一看到专 辑收录的曲目，就知道这绝对是一张很经典的合辑。 有人说，情歌是用来疗伤的；或许，情歌也是用来回 忆的。 从略带民谣风的《天黑黑》开始，独特的“姿式情 歌”让孙燕姿稳坐盛极一时的华纳天后宫，更给一个 时代的人打下了深深的烙印。孙燕姿两年未发片，确 实让歌迷们久等了。这张合辑或许算是一种慰藉吧。 与孙燕姿的清新风格不同，A-Mei的魅力来自她 歌声的感染力。抒情慢歌中总带着一种深沉厚重的情 绪，如泣如诉，让人感同身受。 听着合辑中的歌曲，你或许不记得每首歌的名字， 但那旋律与歌声一定会触动你早已尘封在心里的感 觉。 遇见《2 her》，就像遇见旧情人——被触动了，但 也清楚地知道已回不去了。听见《她们的歌》，不禁 想问：当唱片公司利用两位天后过去的作品大赚一笔 后，是否也应鼓励大家多往前看呢？（文／林茂清）

Opinion frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Making the silos meet Instead of operating in isolation, local universities could soon be working together to provide s t ud e nt s w i t h a s u p e r ior educational experience.

By foc u si ng on t hei r strengt hs, t he var ious institutions would specialise in a particular discipline, and students as well as facult y members could then enroll for courses across campuses.

Educat ion M i n i s te r Ng Eng Hen mooted t h is idea in Parliament in response to concerns that the upcoming fourth local university would not be able to offer its students a well-rounded education due to its emphasis on science instead of the humanities.

Dr Ng said it did not make sense for universities to act like silos in a small country like Singapore, and called for a more integrated system to help develop better thinkers and leaders with more compassionate and well-rounded views.

Ce r t a i n l y, t h e id e a of choosing the best university to take a particular course in may appeal to students. After all, a university could allocate its

resources more efficiently with specialisation.

Nevertheless, there are likely to be problems with the proposed changes. Unless a clear system is put in place with the four varsities working in tandem and keeping students informed, it is probable that confusion would reign with students unable to choose which courses to take at which campus.

Also, subject registration would be a massive logistical h e ad ac h e . P r e s e nt l y, t h e systems in place at both NTU and the National University of Singapore have had their fair share of critics from the student population. Under the proposed system, it is not illogical to assume that the problems will only increase.

Students may also lose their sense of connection with their home university, and it would be harder to establish a school identity with students spending their time in transit between the different campuses.

However, the idea is not without its merits. Pull it off, and the gamble may yet prove to be a masterstroke.

CH R O N ICL E THE NANYANG

chief editor Ng Yong Kiat Fabian MANAGING editor Ahmad Iskandar sub-editors Lien Xiu Wen Caleb Ng Wei Chuen Vo Van Hung Chuang Bing Han Hong Shuheng News editors Cai Zhimin Alexis Edmund Lee Wei Jian Lifestyle editors Toh Li Min Kezia Wee Ling Li Cheryl

sports editors Tham Hui Min Tiffany Xue Jianyue layout editors Cha Ee Ling Alexis Josephine K Chow Zhang Leyu photo editors Foo Chee Chang Tan Yi Leong Irwin Lim Joe Ee Zoe graphics editor Sarah Amnah Zaihan ONLINE editor Kuek Jinhua

Reviews editor Law Shi Ming Elizabeth

business managers Teo Xin Wen Jean Yong Sze Yean Joyce

dapper editors Koh Fang Ting Carina Tsen Si Jia Audrey

production support Ng Heng Ghee

Chinese editors Seow Kia Hui Ng Soon Kiat

Teacher advisors Andrew Duffy Javed Nazir Xu Xiaoge

opinion editors Shahida Bte Hassim Shereen Naaz Charles

“Interested to rent a girlfriend?”

Page 30

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

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

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

Touch me not

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

Edmund Lee Wei Jian news editor

I

do not know if anyone apart from me has noticed this phenomenon in this season of “love”: more couples publicly display their affections (also known as PDA).

Before you scream “puritan” or label me as a thick-headed mora li st , let u s be clea r on something: I am not against couples who are in love and want to express this in terms of actions publicly, although I must say that this is as long as their actions are not too grotesque.

Let’s set it straight: anything beyond holding hands and a peck on the check is a no–no in my little world of decency.

It shocks me that even on school premises, couples are caressing each other in crowded areas.

Well, I suppose love is blind isn’t it? It is so blinding that they are totally oblivious to the on-looking crowd of people who have a curious eye for this pseudo-divine saliva exchange, and some have a menacing judgemental “why-areyou-doing-this-in-public” eye.

I used to ask my primar y school teacher this silly question: “Why are there benches around in school? Are they for parents who are waiting to pick their kids up?”

I was told that benches are meant for students who want to study.

Today, it seems that benches do not just serve an educational purpose.

It may sound weird, but it feels as if nowadays benches are tools of the Social Development Unit, secretly sneaked into higher institutions and installed with a machiner y which emits an odourless “love scent’ that will attract lovers to perch themselves on this grandstand of romance.

If a person is truly loving, he or she will know when to show restrain and pull the brakes If artist Edvard Munch was alive, he would have painted “The Kiss” rather than “The Scream”.

Why do I not mind my own business then, you may ask.

C e r t a i n l y, t h e y d o n o t cause environmental damage by engaging in their special cupid moments, but I do find it distracting and disturbing to see couples furiously kissing like love-sick teenagers with hands traveling to ethereal zones while I am trying to study.

I must say this is not the worst sin I have encountered.

It is not pardonable when my group members and I are

desperately looking for a bench for a group meeting, only to find that the near-empty bench is ‘occupied’ by people who simply cannot control their passion.

We have to hover around the bench like v ultures, and occassionally make some random noise in hopes that Romeo and Juliet will let us have the stage.

Our school is an established institution that is widely regarded by many scholars around the world. Founded on rich Chinese heritage, the university holds proprietry in high esteem.

By d i splay i ng a f fec t ion s publicly to the point of being obscene, a re we show ing proprietr y? While people may advocate the idea of freedom of expression, the ver y fact that seperates us from animals is that sense of self control embedded within the human mind.

I find it ironic that those who publicly show their affections claim t hat t hey “love” t heir partners.

T h i s i s not love but lu st ma sque r ad i ng a s a for m of “freedom of expression”. If a person is truly loving, he or she will know when to show restraint and pull the brakes.

As we celebrate this Valentine’s Day, let us be considerate to the one we love and the public. Let’s not make the world stop and stare, and please remember your partner is not an apple touch pad.

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opinion

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

canteen talk

Presence, not presents

There has been an increasing trend of more couples engaging in Public Display of Affection (PDA). Are NTU students really that open?

I have noticed more foreigners than locals who seem to engage in public displays of affection. I will usually just laugh it off.

”

Nabilah Syed Sultan, HSS Year 2, 21

“

I have actually seen couples making out in their cars. Personally, I think it is disgusting.I mean a small peck on the cheek is fine.

Sashikumar, MAE Year 3, 23

I think it is rude to be engaging in PDA in an institution of higher learning. NTU should ban it before things become worse.

”

Sarina Binte Mohamed, NIE Year 1, 25

“

It’s a natural phenomenon which occurs at this age. In fact, it is completely normal, especially during this season.

Ng Keng Ee Apple, HSS Year 1, 21

Yes, they have their rights but it is not polite to be intimate in the full view of others, especially while occupying study areas.

”

Shi Yichen, MSE Year 1, 21

TEXT | SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF; PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG

Manjit Kaur

F

orget mail-order brides.

Meet the latest trend in China — rent-a-girlfriend schemes t hat have surfaced recently.

Earlier this year, China Daily reported the growing number of men who have resorted to renting girlfriends for Chinese New Year to appease their parents.

Mr Liu Facai, a 31-year-old sales manager, posted a notice in an online forum offering 6,000 Yuan ($1322) to any woman willing to pose as his girlfriend for five days. The reason he did this was to pacify his parents who had been pestering him to find a girlfriend and get married.

According to the same website, Mr Liu is not alone in his battle.

Closer to home, a member of an online forum, named FireSpitter, revealed that in his younger days, he had similarly asked a close friend to pose as his girlfriend during the festive period. All because his mother was worried he was gay, and kept pestering him to find a girlfriend.

This begs the question: Has the situation become so bad that we have to succumb to buying love?

I cannot help but wonder what happened to the simple concept of love - something that is shared among friends, family and dear ones.

From buying a lover to buying into the concept of love and even, buying someone’s love, has love become a financial transaction?

W hat star ted as a day of commemorating Saint Valentine’s love for his jailor’s daughter slowly evolved into a day of sending each other valentine cards.

However, over the years, as consumerism grew, so did the number, types and even prices of gifts.

Driven by commercialism, many retailers and restaurants are going all out to woo customers.

At Takashimaya Department Store, a special ‘Gift from the Hear t’ bazaar was set up for consumers to buy gifts for their loved ones.

Departmental stores are not the only ones tapping on the highly commercialised ‘holiday’. In fact, fast food joints and restaurants like Burger King and Pizza Hut are also dishing out special Valentine’s Day promotions. For example, in the United States, Burger King has re-introduced their “FLAME” scent perfume in light of this romantic holiday. Similarly, Pizza Hut is offering a heart-shaped pizza as part of its Valentine’s Day promotions this year.

Meet the latest trend in China — rent-a-girlfriend schemes Over the years, the marketing efforts of retailers have reinforced the significance of ‘couple-love’ by coming up with such offers and at the same time, pricing them at seemingly affordable prices, always subject to terms and conditions.

Of course, we must not forget that marketing gimmicks do not just appear out of nowhere.

Factors like social pressure and the idealised notion of what

GRAPHIC | JANELL HOONG

this day should be like drives the highly commercialised nature of Valentine’s Day. Oftentime, most girls compare the gifts they receive from their partners for this day with their friends.

While it is only natural for girls to want to share their Valentine’s Day experiences, it often leads to a situation of ‘mine was better than yours’.

T he person with the most expensive present wins.

Guys, on t he ot her hand, continue to outdo what they have done for their girlfriends the year before.

As one of my male friends puts it: “It’s important to impress the girl and make sure everything is perfect”.

In a bid to become a better boyfriend, he aims to make every Valentine’s Day better than the one before.

This never-ending cycle of outdoing oneself and others by going the extra buck leads me to question if the perfect day is ever possible, on a low budget.

What ever happened to the simple pleasures of enjoying the presence of someone you love without any presents?

Has t he sit uat ion become such that we have to succumb to spending large sums of money just to ensure we find love?

While matters of the heart may have been led many to delve deep into the corners of their pockets, I beg to differ.

I will not trade anything in the world for a candle lit dinner at the beach with great conversation and humour with a man.

Not even for a $450 dinner special at The Equinox.

opinion

fe b r ua ry 16 , 20 0 9

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

31

Starts at 40mm / 5mm apart from top story

How ‘tech’ is Nanyang Tech?

Does NTU live up to its name as a technological university, or do we still have a long way to go?

Opinion Editor Shahida Bte Hassim explores the issue that has undergraduates talking for some time now

H

ave you ever found yourself caught in a situation in which you are rushing to finish an assignment, but find the battery life on your laptop running dangerously low? And try as you may, your search for an unused power socket seems fruitless because there are simply not many around to begin with.

What about having to pull an a l l-n ighter to per fect a presentation, only to panic when you find that the video you have incorporated into your powerpoint slides is playing without any audio, because the school computer cannot identify the different video codecs? (For the less technologically inclined, a codec refers to a computer pr og r a m me t h at u n iq ue l y encodes and decodes a digital data stream, in this case, the video.)

If you find yourself nodding in agreement, then take comfort (or not) in the fact that you are probably not alone in this.

Ask any NTU undergraduate what improvements he or she would like to see around campus, and you will be bombarded with pleas to increase the number of power sockets in school, or something to a similar extent.

T hat seem s to be t he unanimous response I receive whenever the I pose the question to my peers.

Some even went on to specify where they would like more power points to be located – near the study benches along both North and South spines.

Another friend I spoke to lamented about the irony of the whole situation, especially since we are, after all, a technological university.

This issue of the lack of power sockets, however, is not the only one that seems to be bugging ou r u nde r g r aduate s . O t he r complaints brought up include the lack of proper lighting around campus (especially at night) and the relatively slow Internet connections available in the 16 halls across campus.

A Masters student I spoke to commented on how much of an inconvenience it is to study in the old Canteen A at night, especially since the lights illuminating the area are too dim.

This inevitably caused him to strain his eyes, while desperately tr ying to make out what is

printed on his lecture notes.

Of course in such a case, the most rational solution would be for the student to move to a more brightly lit area, such as any one of the numerous libraries we have on campus.

However, what happens when these places are packed with students plagued with the examfever? Should those who are not able to secure seats in the libraries then simply be forced to go home or off campus in a bid to continue with their revisions?

A friend I spoke to lamented about the irony of the whole situation, especially since we are, after all, a technological university Also, with the school libraries closing at nine in the evening, this option is not exactly one that may sit well with students who wish to mug late into the night.

Another viable option is for students to go home and continue with their revisions within the comfort of their own rooms.

This may prove to be a good option for some; but when home is close to one-and-a-half hours’ worth of travelling time away, it is not exactly the place I would want to return to only to have to open my books again.

Not if I can study on campus, and especially not when I can instead spend some quiet, quality time with my family after a long (and sometimes dreary) day in school.

Ironically enough, prior to writing this article, I had the fortune or misfortune, depending on the way you choose to see it, of witnessing how some of my own professors have had to battle with various technological glitches and problems during lectures and seminars.

Computers that fail to connect to the Internet, videos that appear without the accompanying audio, projectors that simply refuse to work, these are just some of the problems that arise.

And do not think that I am exaggerating when I say that the list goes on.

In such situations, the seminar or lecture is often put on hold, at least until the computer technicians come to the rescue.

Do not get me wrong; I am not hoping for a bunch of power sockets to magically appear all around campus overnight.

Nor am I hoping for sudden high-speed Internet connection

and perfectly-working computer systems to grace the lecture theatres and seminar rooms, as well as super bright lights to illuminate the whole school within an instant.

However, should something not be done to at least ensure that minor technological problems such as poor Internet connections and computers with not-upto-date softwares and codec installations, among other things, are avoided?

Do not get me wrong; I am not hoping for a bunch of power sockets to magically appear all around campus overnight I am aware that it may sound like NTU students are demanding for a lot. However, is it not only apt that we strive to live up to our name as a technological university?

As an assistant professor who recently joined the school pointed out during a seminar one day (the computers were not being very cooperative), “It seems like we’re facing even more technological

GRAPHIC | ZED TAN

difficulties in a technological university today.”

Ma k ing t he necessar y changes, such as increasing the number of power points on campus, installing new light fittings, having higher speed Internet connections across all 16 halls, as well as making sure that the computer systems are (and remain) glitch-free, is bound to cost a lot.

But I still maintain that something needs to be done to que l l u nde r g r adu ate s’ displeasures.

However, to be fair, students too need to realise that such privileges come at a price, and a very high price at that, if I may say so myself.

This then means that they not only have to be prepared to fork out the extra sum of money to pay for these additional changes, they will also need to wait.

After all, such improvements will not take place overnight.

As for me, I guess I will just have to be contented with making sure that my trusty MacBook is fully charged as and when I need to use it in school; have faith in the school’s (sometimes erratic) wireless network; and pray that my favourite study-spot in Lee Wee Nam is not taken up.

Other wise, the ugly Singaporean that resides within me may just surface and see the light of day.

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33

bpl talk

Letters to the Premier League It has been a mad season of drama at the Premiership with major upsets, sweeping wins, big name transfers and plenty of goofy behaviour. Kenneth Chew takes you through the A to Z of the wacky season so far

B

A

is for Bramble, Titus. The YouTube joke sensation has somehow transformed into a rock-solid defender this season, with Wigan posting the 6th best defensive record to date. The Gods must be going crazy.

is for A ndrei A r shav in (r ight) . f o r t h e lon grunning Arsenal transfer saga, which took more twists and turns than an epic Bollywood love story, and ended one day after the transfer window closed when the Gooners finally got t hei r d rea m ma n.

E

is for Emmanuel Eboue, front runner to take over Bramble’s title as the one-man comedy reel. Substituted against Wigan back in December for an atrocious performance and sent off after talking himself into the book and retaliating against Tottenham, it’s little wonder that even Arsenal fans hate him.

J

stands for Joe Kinnear.

In his first official press appearance, he swore an amazing 52 times in five minutes, threatened a lawsuit, and promised never talk to journalists ever again. Legendary.

N

F

is for Fulham—2 away games, six points, and an amazing three goals scored. They have the worst away record in t he ent i re countr y, yet somehow still sitting pretty at 10th position in the table. They must never want to leave Craven Cottage.

K

is for Keane, Robbie Keane. A lifelong Liverpool supporter, he signed for the club of his dreams for £20m ($42m) at the start of the season. Six months, seven goals, and 28 games later, he re-signed for Tottenham after a miserable time, caught in the crossfire of the internal Anfield politics, frozen out and a forlorn figure on the sidelines. is for everybody’s favourite joke club Newcastle.

Throwing away 90th minute leads, Kevin Keegan’s (right) umpteenth coming (and leaving), the sight of Shola Amoebi leading the attack, awesomely-named Spanish rejects like Xisco who can’t get a kick, and Joe Kinnear. Newcastle have never failed to entertain once more.

O

for O we n H a r g r eave s .

Manchester United’s longawaited replacement for Roy Keane has spent more time with the nurses at Old Trafford than with his teammates this season.

S

is for Sa nta Cr u z , Roque Santa Cruz. Still at Blac kbu r n Rove r s after the transfer window, as Blackburn knocked back multiple £20m offers for the Paraguayan h itman. Sam Allardyce wanted £40m for him, or roughly equivalent to eight £5m Shay Givens.

X

or the mark on the back Luis Felipe Scolari claimed referees have for Chelsea.

Hartlepool had Stoke City sewn up 2-0 by the 76th minute in the Mickey Mouse Cup, Chelsea were behind for 88 minutes.

Scolari has now paid the price for abject failure, as he was unceremoniously booted out from the Blues amid talk that he had lost the dressing room.

T

is for T h i r teen, a nd M a nc he s te r Un ite d’s thirteenth clean sheet in a row achieved at Upton Park on 8th February. Edwin Van de Sar has not been beaten for an astounding 1032 minutes and counting.

Y

is for The Beatle’s legendary song Yesterday. Chelsea threw away an 86-game, four-and-a-half-year unbeaten home record to the clowns from Anfield, while Arsenal seem intent on imploding right in front of Arsene Wenger’s face with their on- and off-the-pitch strife.

How these two fallen giants must wish for Yesterday, when all their troubles seemed so far away.

C

is for Charles N’Zogbia.

The whining Frenchman got shoved out the door at Newcastle, after angrily insisting he would never play for the Magpies again when manager Joe Kinnear forgot his name, and called him “Insomnia” instead.

Grow up.

G

is for Stephen Ireland’s grandmothers.

He has gone from lying scandalously about dead grandmothers one year ago and pulling out of an international call-up, to being the one constant in the Manchester City lineup this season amid a team of superstars. His grandmothers (both alive and kicking) must have never been more proud of him.

L

is for Dennis Lachter, Arshavin’s agent, who had quite possibly the quote of the season. In response to Arsene Wenger declaring that he “liked the look of Arshavin” he quipped, “I like the look of Angelina Jolie, but it doesn’t always mean you get what you want.”

Q

is for Queens Park R a nge r s . T he Manchester City of the championship are throwing money around like it’s running out of fashion. Will we see them in the top tier in not too long to come?

P

is for Pennant, Jermaine.

Apparently he rejected moves to Real Madrid and AC Milan, and ends up at Portsmouth days later. Seriously?

U

is for the unbelievably t ight table t h is season. Eight points separate bottom and 10th, and a couple of wins in a row will propel a club from the relegation mire to near contention for European places. Unbelievable.

D

is for Dubai International Capital, DIC. The unimaginably wealthy oil sheikhs swooped in to take over Manchester City, and immediately sealed a British transfer record £32.5m deal for Robinho, all in the same day. English football will never be the same again.

H

is for Hull City - promoted team which confounded all pre-season expectations. Although fizzling out somewhat, they sat proud at the top of the table with Chelsea and Arsenal after garnering 20 points from their first nine games. Enough said.

I

is for Ince, Paul. The former Manchester United legend’s Premiership managerial career lasted less than six months at the helm of Blackburn Rovers. Signing pensioner Robbie Fowler, installing Keith Andrews in the starting lineup straight from the Third Division, and taking Rovers to the bottom of the table are among the highlights of his time at Ewood Park.

M

is for Middlesbrough. One goal in their past eight matches and now second last on the table. Perhaps it's time to rehearse their g o o d b y e s in preparation for relegation.

R

V

stands for Villa (below).

T he f irst ser ious contenders to threaten the domination of the ‘Big Four’ in several years, third in the table after 25 games, and still going strong. Aided of course by the self-destruction of Arsenal and Chelsea, who were strongly tipped to be title contenders at the start of the season.

is for Rafa Benitez (left). From his legendary tinkering and penchant for fielding teams bordering on the absurd this season, to the Robbie Keane debacle, or even T H AT astonishing pre-meditated, scripted media attack on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United, Benitez has kept the headlines coming.

W

is for Wilson Palacios.

Sold to Tottenham for £14m barely a year after being transferred to Wiga n for £1m. Steve Bruce made more on the little Honduran in a year than he would if he had struck the $10m Chinese New Year TOTO jackpot.

Z

is for Zola, Gianfranco.

The rookie West Ham manager has done so well, even Carlton “can’t hit a barn door from two yards out” Cole is banging them in from all angles like Eric Cantona.

Amazing times at Upton Park indeed.

PHOTOS | COURTESY

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sports talk

Sports: still on the reserve bench From managing athletes to delayed projects, the local sports scene has much to improve

have been better handled behind the scenes and away from the public eye.

Lim Yufan Despite winning the right to host the Youth Olympics and the Formula One Grand Prix, Singapore still has a long way to go before she can call herself a great sporting nation.

Repeated delays in t he construction of the new sports hub as well as the poor security after football matches like the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final seem to cast doubt on the Lion City’s readiness to be a world class host for the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).

For starters, the local sporting scene should avoid being a regular source of tabloid fodder for it harms the dignity and performance of athletes in the sports scene. tHE BAN ON TRIATHLETES When national triathletes Mok Ying Ren and Dinah Chan were

UNNECESSARY: TAS overreacted to the triathlete case. GRAPHIC | ELIZABETH LEE

caught by their coach alone in a closed room at last October’s Asian Beach Games in Bali, the Triathlon Association of Singapore (TAS) seemed almost eager to slap them with a competition ban earlier last month.

While the couple did break the rules, was it really necessary for their coaches and the TAS to subject them to public ridicule?

National Sports Associations (NSAs) should take on the role of facilitators to the athletes’ success more seriously.

Negative public at tention will only be detrimental for the athletes’ performance and the association's reputation.

This incident has gone to show how poorly TAS has managed disciplinary cases which could

WHEN WILL THE SPORTS HUB COME? T he old , icon ic nat iona l stadium had an unusually longerthan-planned life.

In June 2007, thousands of Singaporeans gathered at the national stadium to witness the ‘closing ceremony’ of the sporting ground, which was about to be torn down to make way for the Sports Hub. One-and-a-half years on, football matches are still being held at the old stadium. The construction of the Singapore Sports Hub has also yet to start.

Contractual disagreements, rising building costs and the globa l econom ic cr isis have contributed to the delay.

It appears that sports has been sidelined as it plays second fiddle to the economic priorities of our nation.

Even with the $2 billion target for the sports sector contribution towards the nation’s GDP for

2015, an economically larger sports sector does not necessarily translate into an improvement in sporting standards in Singapore.

"YOU COME JORDAN, YOU DIE" It also seems like the Football Association of Singapore has not learned to beef up security even after fights between rival fans at the 2005 Tiger Cup match between Singapore and Myanmar.

Two year s on, post-match v iole nc e br oke out be t we e n Singaporeans and Vietnamese after the 0-1 shock loss to Vietnam in the AFF Suzuki Cup semi-final.

It took 10 minutes before the police arrested a Vietnamese fan who was suspected of being a pickpocket.

Similarly, Singapore's clash with Jordanian footballers could have been avoided if players were accompanied by security.

With the YOG inching closer, the Singapore Sports Council and other relevant authorities need to work harder to better manage upcoming sporting events.

As for the Sports Hub, let’s just hope it materialises soon.

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

Running in spirit of Ah Meng sports editor

Spanish golfer Alvaro Quiros draws inspiration from James Bond and proceeds on to win the Qatar Masters

“It would have been a great week if we could have turned the scoreboard upside down!”

Spaniard golfer Sergio Garcia sighs miserably as he finishes second last at the Masters WAVE NUMBER TWO: Recreation runners young and old, setting off for a brisk walk into hilly greenery. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

wave of r unners who took a leisurely two hours to run around the Night Safari and Singapore Zoo. “It rained towards the end but it didn’t dampen our spirits, we still managed to take pictures, relax along the way and complete the route in our own time,” said Low, a first-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Indeed, for more than three decades, this scenic place was the home of one of Singapore’s most beloved icons, Ah Meng.

The orang utan's legacy still lives on in the many places named

after her, such as the Ah Meng Restaurant and Ah Meng Kopi.

Even Ben & Jerry’s named one of their ice cream flavours AhMengo.

The Indonesian orang utan achieved celebrity status as the main attraction of ‘Breakfast with an Orang Utan’ programme launched in 1982.

A combination of her status as an endangered species and her association with famous people like Michael Jackson had earned her the ‘Special Tourism Ambassador’ award.

This award was confer red by the then-Singapore Tourism

Promotion board in 1992.

Mr Kumaran Sesshe, one of the zookeepers who took care of Ah Meng, commented that it was her gentleness and natural warmth with people that made her such a hit.

Chomel, A h Meng’s granddaughter, looks set to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps as she shares her patience and tolerance for boisterous children.

However, this would take time and training on the zookeeper’s part.

“This is why we may never have another Ah Meng,” Mr Kumaran concluded.

The Hardy Boys at Bouldermania 2009 Tiffany Tham sports editor

For the first time, Bouldermania 20 0 9 feat u r e d a n I nte r-ha l l categor y in the annual rockclimbing carnival, as well as a special invitation to 11 Maris Stella Primary School boys.

Jointly organised by NTU’s University Mountaineering Club (UMC) and Outdoor Adventure Club (ODAC), Bouldermania had attracted over 100 participants.

As a safety measure, crash mats were placed at the bottom of the rock wall.

Ms Michelle Niam, 21, explained the routes the young boys had to take as she was assisting UMC as one of the route judges.

Responsible for overseeing the path that climbers took, route judges also have to ensure the overall safety of the climbers.

The first-year student from Melbourne University, who was previously from NTU, had spoken to the Maris Stella boys who have

they said that?

“My favourite James Bond is Sean Connery. I think I look more like James Bond than he does.”

Tiffany Tham

AH MENG may have passed away but she lives on in the spirit of the participants at the Safari Zoo Run 2009 held on February 7th, one day before the first anniversary of the orang utan’s death.

T h is non-competitive r un promotes keeping fit and also hopes to raise awareness for the conservation of endangered animals.

According to the organiser, Ms Winnie Ng, 4,000 people participated in the 6.2km run around the Night Safari and the Singapore Zoo. It is the first time the Night Safari has opened its doors well before the usual opening time of 7.30pm to allow runners to catch a glimpse of sleeping nocturnal animals.

This inaugural Safari Zoo Run was kicked off by Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO of Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Mr Teo had flagged off all four waves of runners: the first was for elite runners, while the next three waves were for ‘fun and recreation’ runners.

He also gamely joined in the last group, and admits he is a firm advocate of sporting regimes.

Similarly, Audrey Phua, 23, a student of NIE, said: “I enjoyed the run even though it was very hilly and difficult at some parts; it was a very scenic route which made the run more enjoyable.”

A not he r st ude nt , Low Y i Chuang, 20, was part of the fourth

35

GREAT WALL: Bouldering, unlike rock-climbing is rope free. PHOTO | CHERYL WEE

been rock-climbing since they were 10. She said: “The kids actually asked about NTU and how to get in. I just told them; you guys have to work really hard!”

“We were simply amazed at their performance. Some of them even finished the climbing routes meant for university students!” said Chin Kairong, 22, Vice

President of UMC. Cheong Kenn Ee, a Primary five student, had won the primary school catetgory award.

As for NTU, the top scoring hall award went to Hall 4.

Joshua Lim, 22, as well as Chew Sook Fun, 20, both from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) emerged the inter-

hall men's and women's winners respectively.

Chin, the vice president, had also commented on the hard work they had put into building the bouldering structure.

The rock wall is held by the united strength of metal bolts holding tiles of wood together.

“This is probably the only rock-climbing wall in Singapore that is built solely by students,” said the UMC Special Projects Officer, Yang Bo Yang.

The wall had taken UMC five days to complete.

U MC i nv ite d ot he r r oc kclimbing teams from the two other local universities, NUS and SMU, to take part in the rock-climbing event. It is a customary practice for rock-climbing clubs to do so.

Jansen Ko, 21 of the NUS Rock Climbing Club said: “This is a friendly competition. We are all here to have fun. Some of us are new to rock climbing, while others are quite experienced. Whatever it is, we’re all learning from each other.”

GRAPHIC | MICHELLE HENG

“The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you can't control things. Why was it crazy? Because it was crazy.”

Liverpool's draw at Wigan drives their manager Rafa Benitez (above) up the wall and the Reds are now behind Chelsea in the league table

"Red is a good colour. If you're out in the sun long enough your freckles might connect and then you might get a good tan."

Andy Roddick's sharp service in response to a pesky journalist's queries about his toned and skinny physique

Sports

A daylight jog at the Night Safari Page 35

Fifteen years on, NVM stays strong A record number of participants, young and old, took part in Singapore’s oldest vertical marathon, held at the 60-storey Republic Plaza Xue Jianyue sports editor THE National Vertical Marathon (NVM) marked its 15th year on February 8th with a record turnout, drawing on a loyal following of runners and a few curious first-timers.

Mr Oon Jin Teik, CEO of Singapore Sports Council (SSC), was Guest of Honour for the official flag-off at 7.30am.

Organised annually by the NTU Sports Club, the NVM started in 1994 at the OUB building with only 180 participants. Since then, it has established itself as one of NTU’s most successful sport events.

“This year we had 1,638 participants and it is our highest participant rate so far, as compared to the 1,630 that we had in 2007,” said Tiffany Ng, 21, Media Liaison for the NVM organising committee, a second year Nanyang Business School student.

“It’s a non-traditional marathon and truly allows the participants to experience a whole different terrain.”

Ramona Koh, 20 Chairperson National Vertical Marathon Organising Committee

The participants came from all walks of life to scale the 60-storey Republic Plaza in the shortest possible time.

Its success is partly credited to many sports enthusiasts who never fail to turn up each year.

Among the most notable of them is 83–year-old veteran Tan Soo Cheng, who has been competing annually in the Veteran’s Challenge categor y since 1999, which comprises of runners who are 45 years old and above.

The retired accountant finds the NVM

more manageable as compared with a full marathon, of which he was an active participant in his younger days.

“It is easier to run than the full marathon because the duration is shorter,” said Mr Tan, who wakes up every morning at 5.30am to jog.

Chia K in Seng, another long-time marathon runner, added that it is a social event for him. The 65-year-old gardener said: “I also take this opportunity to meet up with old friends.”

However, some younger participants, like Sumiko Tan, 24, finds the vertical marathon more tedious.

“It is very different from the normal marathon, and requires a different set of muscles and training,” said the physical education teacher.

Ms Tan went on to win second place in the Women’s Open category and first place in the Lovers category with Sikhander Singh, 25.

The NVM also stands out because it is only one of the two vertical marathon events in Singapore.

“The nature of the competition is unique,” Ramona Koh, 20, Chairperson of NVM 2009, said. “It is a non-traditional marathon and truly allows the participants to experience a whole different terrain.”

The NVM organising committee also feels that corporate support has contributed the event’s success over the years.

It has been crucial in helping to cap the registration fee at $20 and below, making it one of the cheapest competitons for endurance sport in Singapore open to the public.

“Ours is a non-profit event,” said Koh, a first year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

“We have searched endlessly for grants from sponsors and external organisations to lower the costs for our participants.”

Many first-time runners would stay on to participate again next year, like Adidas planning associate Melvin Wong, 25.

“When I first came to run, it was just for the fun of it,” the third-time NVM participant said.

However, he was motivated by friends who strived to improve their ranking every NVM. His efforts paid off, as Wong emerged first runner-up for the Men’s Open category.

“After my first race, I realised I did quite well and my friends, who are very crazy about running too, encouraged me to train for more,” he said.

WINNERS FOR RESPECTIVE CATEGORIES Gino Ng Grace Lim Bee Chan Jeremy Paul Aldrich Lim Jing Hong Sikhander Singh Sumiko Tan CDL Corporate Challenge DSTA Inter-JC Challenge Catholic Junior College ODAC Team 1 NTU Team Open Wu Jinyong Andrew Men’s Open Women’s Open Veterans’ Challenge Youth’s Challenge Lovers’ Challenge

0:07:52 0:10:06 0:10:41 0:08:18 0:10:00 0:06:30 0:53:49 0:51:18

Milestones of THE National Vertical Marathon 1994

1999 2001 2005 2007

2009

NTU organises the first vertical marathon in Singapore, then called the NTU Vertical Marathon, at OUB building.

The event goes public renamed as the National Vertical Marathon.

A new category, the Lover’s challenge, was introduced.

The Special Olympics Singapore became its adopted charity.

NVM introduced the CDL Corporate Challenge and was held at the Republic Plaza for the first time.

NVM celebrates its 15th year with a record turnout of 1,638 participants.

PROUD FINISHERS: A couple from the Lover’s Challenge posing after the race. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID