The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 15 Issue 09

CHRONICLE

SWEAT IT OUT.. PAGE 18-19

THE NANYANG

M A RC H 9 , 20 0 9 | V OL 15 NO 9 | IS SN NO 0 218 -7310 | W W W. N T U. EDU. S G / C HRONIC L E

Black Monday >>PAGE 2

The Cookie Museum

品尝本土口味

>>23页

Goodbye Switzerland.. >>PAGE 13

Carving wood into art.. >>PAGE 6

Rule the streets on... >>PAGE 21

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | IRWIN TAN

02

news

Tragic event on campus Edmund Lee Wei Jian news editor

A mood of shock and empathy still lingers in NTU a week after a student fell to his death after attacking his professor on March 2nd.

David Hartanto Widjaja, 21, a final-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, was meeting his project super v isor A ssociate Professor Chan Kap Luk, when the tragedy happened.

After stabbing A/P Chan, he fell from the linkway between block S1 and the Research Techno Plaza.

He was pronounced dead by paramedics at approximately 10.40am, in a statement released

by NTU. This incident has garnered much sympathy from campus.

Rikesh Primalani, 23, a secondyear student from Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), was one of the first to see Widjaja’s body, even before the police and ambulances arrived.

“He must have been suffering in silence as his thoughts and worries ate him up inside,” he said.

“This feeling of helplessness is one which nobody should have to endure.”

However, some students felt that despite the tragedy, there can be no excuse for the actions by Widjaja.

“I am shocked and sad for him (Widjaja), his family members and the injured professor. However,

I think that his behaviour was irresponsible,” said Zhang Song Bai, a third-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE).

Zhang added that this is major news for NTU, and it will take some time before the spectre fades off.

Prayudi Utomo, 20, a secondyear student from the School of Biological Sciences who had been in high school with Widjaja in Indonesia said: “I can’t believe that this actually happened. I feel sad for David, he should have finished his studies.”

Associate Professor Michael Heng from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, who taught Widjaja, said he had a positive impression of the young man because he was an outstanding and confident student in class.

A/P Heng had his human r e s ou r c e m a na ge me nt c la s s on March 5t h obser ve a one minute’s silence in memory of their schoolmate.

Following the incident, NTU President Dr Su Guaning sent an e-mail to all students and facult y members in N T U and NIE informing them of what had happened.

“The universit y is deeply shocked and saddened by what has happened. The matter will be investigated thoroughly,” he wrote.

“The university community will rally together at this difficult time and do our utmost to help the student’s family, the professor and his family, and those traumatised by the incident.”

Cou n se l lor s , doc tor s a nd international student off icers

rallied around Widjaja’s family to provide support when they arrived late afternoon on Monday.

W h i le t he u n iver sit y ha s counselling services in place, some feel that more should be done to prevent a repeat of the tragedy.

“Things happen, and we still don't know the reason behind the attack.”

Muhammed Iqbal, 22 WKWSCI Year 2

Kok Chiang Liang, 24, a thirdyear student from EEE said the counselling services should be more personal in their approach.

He mentioned that according to media reports, NTU sent three warning letters to Widjaja when his academic performance dropped.

In the letter, it was said that the management asked Widjaja to seek help if there were circumstances affecting his performance.

Kok believed in such a case, a human touch is better than letters in helping a struggling student.

When approached, the Student Counselling Centre was not able to comment.

Associate Professor Heng said “doing more may not be the only solution”.

“Sometimes we need to push and drag a student who is unable to help themselves out of the hole they are in," he said.

“They need help and most of

the times they are afraid to open up because of the stigma,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the blogosphere, many are upset by the allegations made by the media regarding the tragedy.

A blogger k nown as “edwin2026” claims to be a friend of Widjaja and raised questions about media’s coverage of the issue.

He claimed that Widjaja did not slit his wrists and Widjaja's parents said that there were no wounds on his wrists.

In a subsequent e-mail, Dr Su urged all not to speculate as it is not of utmost importance.

“As police investigations are still on-going at this time, I ask that we do not speculate on what led to the tragedy, but to focus instead on the healing and support of all those traumatised by the tragedy,” said Dr Su. Muhammed Iqbal, a secondyear WKWSCI student who was amongst the first to arrive at the scene of the tragedy, believed that rushing to conclusions is irresponsible, especially when facts are not available.

“Things happen, and we still don’t know the reason behind the attack. We cannot assume t hat it’s his ( Widjaja) or t he professor’s fault,” said the 22-year old student.

“Even until today, as I walk past the scene of the incident, I look back and think of what could have been if only someone had noticed or if he had spoken to someone about his problems,” said Rikesh.

“He’s a student, he is one of us.”

news flash Singapore's growing media is expected to create 10,000 jobs in the industry over the next six years, says Media Development Authority.

The National Parks Board and NTU are experimenting with a special type of soil for growing trees in a four-year project.

A 27 year-old Doctor from the Singapore Armed Forces, who has been absent without official leave since last October, has been found dead in Melbourne.

19 year-old Teen had sex with 10 year-old girl whom he had met online. He has pleaded guilty to two counts of carnal connection.

The European Central Bank kicked off a period of record low interest rates by cutting its benchmark level to 1.50 per cent in a bid to jumpstart the recession-hit eurozone economy.

The Malaysian government has unveiled plans to spend another 10 billion ringgit in a further attempt to revive the nation's economy.

North Korea is allowing a South Korean aid group to build a rehabilitation centre for the disabled in its capital despite inter-Korean tensions.

China says it will increase military spending by a "modest" 14.9% this year to 480.6bn yuan.

Australia and South Korea agreed during a summit between Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and President Lee Myung-bak to deepen security ties and launch formal talks on a free trade agreement.

R & B singer Chris Brown has been charged with assault and making criminal threats after an argument with his girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.

The first night of Britney Sp e ar s' Circus tour re c eive d positive reviews de spite lip synching speculations.

Michael Jackson says his series of 10 concerts at London's O2 arena in July will be "the final curtain call".

President Barack Obama vowed last Thursday to forge a new US healthcare system this year by confounding entrenched interests which crushed the hopes for reform of several of his predecessors.

POLICE CAPE COVERING THE DEAD BODY: David Widjaja fell to his death after allegedly stabbing his professor. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

Successful pirate attacks off Somalia have dropped sharply t hi s y e a r a m i d s t e p p e d u p enforcement, but the longer term outlook remains uncertain, senior US officials said.

news

m a r ch 9, 20 0 9

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

Cheaper chip Power and speed do not usually co-exist but this microchip possesses both, making it efficient and eco-friendly Goh Siew Luan NTU and Rice University of USA have successf ully invented a revolutionar y microchip that allows computers to run faster while using less energy.

This may be the technology that grants you the convenience of charging your mobile phone just once every two weeks. The lifespan of surgically-implanted devices may also be stretched.

This latest invention uses 30 times less power while running seven times faster than existing microchips, hence it is ver y environmentally-friendly.

Usua l ly, speed ha s to be compromised to achieve precision in conventional microchips.

In addition, unwanted electric signals, commonly known as ‘noise’, have to be overcome to get the precise calculation.

Instead of suppressing the u nwa nted sig na l s , t h i s new te c h nolog y ha r ne s se s it for greater use.

“Noise is in herent in t he microchip and we thought since we cannot get rid of it we might be able to make it work for us,” said Dr Natalie Kong, one of the team members and a Teaching Fellow

of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE).

This means that chipmakers can now cut down on production c o s t s u s e d to s u p pr e s s t h e unwanted signals, leading to c h e a p e r e le c t r on i c d e v i c e s for Singaporeans in the near future.

However, the microchip has its limitations as well. Not every device is suited for its use.

“Some devices require really pr e c i se ca lc u lat ion but t h i s microchip doesn’t allow for that,” Dr Kong mentioned.

Challenges have not deterred this group of scientists from carrying out their research.

Dr Kong said: “As scientists, it is natural for us to look for a possible solution when we see a problem.”

In the same vein, fellow team member, A ssociate Professor Yeo Kiat Seng said: “Brilliant academ ic per for mance a lone cannot guarantee success. We need the courage to dream and imagine, the willingness to try and explore new t hings, t he g ut s a nd g u mpt ion s to ta ke unconventional decisions and the determination to succeed.”

A / P Ye o i s a l s o he ad of Division of Circuits and Systems in EEE. He reckons it will take about four years for actual products to appear. The team hopes that its invention will open up a new industr y and generate greater investments.

03

Students make way for YOG Yusuf Hamid Come May, most students living in all the Halls of Residence will be required to move out of campus to make way for renovation works.

Upgrading and refurbishment will take place in the student rooms and common facilities of Halls 8 to 15, which will house athletes, coaches and officials for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) next year. In total, 10 halls will be used for YOG accommodation, including Halls 3 and 16, which are not being renovated.

A release handed out to hall residents sought the understanding of affected students, citing the YOG as a “special milestone for the nation and our University as the inaugural Games Village.”

Regardless, all students must move out by April 30th, with priority for reallocation given to students undergoing academic prog r a m mes , I ndu st r ia l a nd Professional attachments and those with no home in Singapore.

The remaining halls will be used to house students who qualify to stay back in hall.

Student Affairs Office (SAO) confirmed that renovation works would take place from early May to end July, with the rooms ready for stay when school starts in August.

This news was not well received by hall residents. ”It is very rushed. We only have two to three days after our last paper to move everything back home from hall,” said Aileen Seet,

20, a second-year-student from Nanyang Business School (NBS).

Also affected are the various freshmen orientation camps (FOC), usually held a few weeks before school reopens in August.

Hall presidents were informed of the mass move-out last semester, giving hall committees more time to rearrange for their affected activities during the holidays.

“Hall spirit will be affected because many of us will be moving out. A good part of FOC is showing freshmen the life in hall, and staying on campus for the camp will result in better mixing and bonding,” said Justin Lim, 22, Hall 1 President.

T he s e cond-yea r s t ude nt f rom N BS wa s concer ned with the extra costs of using exter nal accommodation and transportation.

“Hall spirit will be affected because many of us will be moving out.”

Justin Lim, 22 Nanyang Business School, Year 2

“The freshmen will have to travel to hall from their camp lodging, because it is important that they still have activities on campus for familiarization. If they were staying in hall there would be less restrictions on time, or even the amount of noise they make.”

Some FOC organiser s felt

that the SAO was unsupportive and did not sufficiently address their concerns and difficulties in arranging the camp.

“T hey even suggested we shor ten the camp,” said Zave Zhuo, 24, president of the Union orientation camp, adding that SAO suggested “that as a student union committee, they should be a role model to other clubs by reducing the duration of their camp”.

The third-year student from NBS had suggested alternative accommodation in campus, such as unused lecture theatres or tutorial rooms. “All we want is a roof over our heads. However the school just told us that the facilities were not for lodging.”

Under t he rea l locat ion guidelines, some foreign students do not qualify for a room despite not having a home in Singapore.

Vietnamese student Vo Van Hung, 22, is not doing his Industrial at t ac h me nt or a n acade m ic programme during the summer holidays, and has to move out of his Hall 15 room.

“I prefer to keep my room up to July 15th, which gives me time to plan for alternative accommodation if I don’t qualify for hall next semester,” said the second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Vo added that he will probably resort to temporary sharing with a friend in hall if the friend manages to retain the room.

Despite the inconvenience, Hung is resigned to the situation.

“If that is what the school deems to be in its best interests, so be it.”

Physiotherapy services now available on campus Pearl Lee Athletes and sports enthusiasts can now seek treatment for sports injur ies r ight on campus, as physiotherapy services are now available at the medical centre above Canteen B. Physiot her apy t reat ment s are charged at $35 per session for students, and are currently available every Tuesday afternoon from 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

They are conducted by Dr L e sl ie Ng , who a l s o r u n s a spor ts clinic at Cit y Hall. He was recommended to N T U by Dr Catherine Chua, director and head of health and wellness of the University Health, Wellness and Counselling Centre at NUS. “We accepted the offer because we thought it would be a good idea to have physiotherapy services in school,” said physician-in-charge of the medical centre, Dr Peter Yeo. “ T h e r e a r e m a n y s p or t s people in NTU and NIE College of Physical Education and it is def initely more convenient if they can seek treatment for their injuries right here.”

According to Dr Yeo, there has been a n increase i n t he number of students requesting

physiot herapy ser v ices since its inception last month. The physiotherapist sees about eight to ten patients per week.

“It i s most ly t he st udent athletes coming for physiotherapy treatment, but there are also staff patients who approach us for treatment for persistent pains like back aches and neck aches,” said Dr Yeo. Physiotherapy consultation is available by appointment only, a nd st udents do not requ i re a doctor’s refer ral to see the campus physiotherapist.

Nick Ow, a 21-year-old firstyea r i nte r-v a r sit y f loor ba l l player from Nanyang Business School, welcomes the addition of physiotherapy ser v ices on campus, as it is cheaper and more convenient compared to a private physiotherapist.

“Some st udent s m ig ht f i nd it t r ouble some to s e e k phy siot he r apy t r eat me nt on their own outside, but now that the service is provided in school it saves students a lot of hassle,” said Ow. Previously, a student needing physiot herapy t reat ments would have to be referred to a physiot her api st t h roug h a polyclinic if they want to enjoy subsidised rates.

TREATMENT FOR INJURIES: The service will benefit many athletes in NTU. PHOTO | ZOE LIM

A lter nat ively, t he y cou ld turn to private physiotherapists for treatments, but the bill could easily r un up to hundreds of dollars.

Marianne Tan, 21, a secondyear student from the School of Hu ma n it ie s a nd Soc ia l

Sciences feels that while a campus physiotherapist will save students a fa i r a mou nt of mone y a nd also the trouble of waiting for referrals, the limited time slots for consultation may not be able to cater effectively to students.

“It would be better if there

were more time slots available for st udents to see the physiotherapist,” said Tan. “Once a wee k m ig ht be insufficient as some students who need to see the physiotherapist might not be free on the day he is in.”

04

news

M ar c h 9, 20 0 9

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

Peeping Tom rears his ugly head Students raised concerns about security measures to prevent potential peeping cases Manjit Kaur A n a l l ege d Pe e pi ng Tom incident occurred at Hall 7 on the evening of February 19th, which resulted in a police report being made.

This has raised issues about the lack of security measures in Hall of Residence 7.

Anna (not her real name) was showering when she noticed that somebody was peeping at her.

Even af ter she screamed, the man took his time before leaving.

According to a source, the man is believed to have climbed onto the window ledge next to the last cubicle of the toilet.

The same source also confirmed with one of the Hall 7 residents that the incident happened at approximately 6.40pm, when most residents were out at the Inter-Hall Games closing ceremony.

An hour before the incident, she said a man was lingering near

her room as she and her roommate were leaving.

More than 20 cases of Peeping Tom incidents have occurred on campus over the past nine years.

In March 2006, video footage recorded from a 24-hour closed circuit television (CCTV) at Hall 8 proved to be valuable evidence that led to a Peeping Tom’s arrest.

A St r a it s Ti mes a r t ic le mentioned that as a result of the incident, Hall 8 started installing numeric locks in all its women’s toilets.

However, there are no CCTVs or numeric locks installed in Hall 7.

Also, there is no pin-code access system for the femaleoccupied levels.

“You can’t control who comes and goes, so it’s really free and easy,” a resident of Hall 7 said.

Fur t her more, most Hall 7 residents feel that security is not tight enough and the toilets are not well designed.

The source mentioned that she does see security guards patrolling at night and entering the TV rooms, but not on the upper levels.

An inspection of the toilet revealed a loophole in security.

The window ledge, which is just slightly above waist level, is not difficult to climb onto, making it

easy to peek into the cubicle.

Another resident of the hall said: “The door should be fully framed up without a gap between the ceiling and the floor."

Mr Choo Choon Huat of the Student Affairs Office (SAO) said that ever y hall has different security requirements due to the different building structures.

“Different security systems have to be implemented in the Halls of Residence in consultation with the respective JCRCs as they are the end users,” said Mr Choo.

W he n a s ke d a b ou t w h at preventive measures are being t a ke n , t he S AO a nd H a l l 7 authorities declined to comment.

Apart from a notice on level four where the Peeping Tom was spotted, cautioning residents about the incident, there are no concrete changes to the security of the hall.

H o w e v e r, M r C h o o s a i d that there are plans to install mechanical door locks during the upcoming vacation.

Those interviewed, however, prefer more patrolling efforts by the security team.

“I hope that the authorities will ensure more patrolling as Hall 7 is quite far away from the other halls," the source said.

OVERLOOKING FROM THE TOP: Many have claimed to see peeping toms lurking in their hall of residence. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | IRWIN TAN.

A fine treat for the taste buds Wine and chocolate lovers not holding back despite having to fork out money Hong Shuheng S T U DEN T S w i l l i ng ly pa r ted with their money for wine and gourmet chocolates at ValenWine 2009, a wine-tasting event held at Nanyang Auditorium on February 12th and 13th.

The event brought together wine and chocolate in a joint col labor at ion bet ween Wi ne Society and Rotaract Club, which was in charge of the chocolate exhibition.

This year, $1 was charged for five samples of wine, unlike last year when sampling was free of charge.

“Last year, wine merchants gave feedback that many students were abusing the system," said Timothy Liew, 22, chairperson of the ValenWine 2009 committee.

“So we decided to impose a charge. But five portions for one dollar is ver y affordable,” he added.

Over 2,400 people turned up for ValenWine 2009, an increase of about 700 people compared to last year, according to Liew.

In fact, the wine merchants enjoyed relatively brisk business.

A few groups of students were

seen opening bottles of wine they had bought to have drinks with friends on the spot.

One of the 13 wine merchants, Ben Foods (S) Pte Ltd, had sold out its stock of around 120 bottles of Santa Lucia Moscatel De Alexandra Late Harvest 2007 by the second day.

The price for one bottle of this dessert wine at the event was $18. This was much cheaper than the normal retail value of $30.

“There is a very wide range of wines here and the prices are very reasonable. So, I bought a few bottles,” said Samuel Chiang, 25, a st udent of the School of Electr ical and Electronic Engineering (EEE).

Ms Avril Chew, retail manager of The Chocolatier, , was initially concerned about the relatively h igh pr ices of t he gou r met chocolates she put up for sale.

“Tertiary students are more openminded and receptive. They do know a lot about gourmet chocolates.”

Ms Avril Chew, 30 Retail Manager of The Chocolatier

DRINK UP: Students learning from a wine merchant about the art of wine. PHOTO | ZOE LIM

But she found that students were not that budget-conscious.

“Tertiary students are more open-minded and receptive. They do know a lot about gourmet chocolates,” the 30-year old said.

The event was also a good opportunity for students to learn more about various types of wines and gourmet chocolates in a group interaction format.

“I didn’t know anything about wine before I attended this event.

Today, I learnt that there’s rosé wine,” said Jeff Musante, 21, an EEE exchange student from the United States.

Howe ve r, s ome s t ude nt s felt that the lack of sufficient knowledge about wines hindered their appreciation of the event.

“I don't know how to ask for

which wine to sample. Maybe you should have some wine knowledge prior to the event,” said Joanne Ong, 22, a student of the School of Biological Sciences.

Yet she still felt that ValenWine was a good starting point to learn about wine sampling.

“I just want to taste different kinds of wine. It’s like a beginner’s thing,” she said.

news

m a r ch 9, 20 0 9

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

05

New MRT stations for Jurong Fall in transport fare The opening of Pioneer and Joo Koon stations are expected to help ease congestion at Boon Lay Interchange

Shereen Naaz Charles Syariff

Chrystal Yeong THE Boon Lay Extension (BLE) officially opened on Saturday, February 28th adding two new MRT stations to the East-West Line.

The BLE, which commenced construction in March 2006, is expected to serve approximately 35,000 riders daily, according to the Land Transport Authority.

The opening of the Pioneer and Joo Koon MRT stations will serve Jurong West residents as well as workers at the Jurong Industrial Estate.

P r e v i o u s l y, t h e y h a d to take a bus from Boon Lay bus interchange in order to get to their intended destination in Jurong.

“Most people would board 179 at Boon Lay.” Jason Boh School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Year 2

Although this would reduce the crowds at Boon Lay MRT station, some students are concerned they would lose the fight for a seat as the trains might be filled with communters who board at Joo Koon and Pioneer stations. The crowds would be particularly heavy at peak hours when ever yone is rushing home for dinner.

“I think some might consider taking the train to Joo Koon and then back again so that they can get a seat,” said Eddie Low, 23, a second-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE).

Fellow MAE student Vincent Wee, 22, said that he would try to avoid peak hours but does not foresee himself taking the train

IN THE HEART OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD: Pioneer station starts serving residents.

PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

in the opposite direction in order to get a seat as he feels that it is a waste of time.

However, students may choose to get off the service 179 bus at the bus stop near Pioneer MRT station to beat the Boon Lay crowd.

Nevertheless, the route towards NTU is unlikely to change, because

bus 179 and 199 will still be departing from Boon Lay. “Most people would board 179 at Boon Lay, so you are less likely to be able to get onto the bus from Pioneer,” said Jason Boh, 22, a second-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Students can now save on their travel expenses when all bus and train fares are reduced from April 1st onwards.

T h i s move by t he P ubl ic Transport Council follows closely the decision by transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT to pass their savings from the Singapore Budget 2009 to commuters.

With the implementation of the new fares, students using the adult ez-link cards can save two cents per trip. For those who need to make transfers, they will save an additional 10 cents for each transfer.

Students who purchase the monthly hybrid concession of $97 will now save $4 monthly. While $4 may come across as a relatively small amount, some students, like second-year undergraduate Shanthini D/O Sandra Mohan, are more than happy to welcome the extra savings.

“My parents usually give me about $100 for my concession pass. With the $4 drop, I can now save $7 extra a month instead of just $3.”

The 22-year old student from t he School of Elect r ica l and Electronic Engineering sees this drop in a positive light.

Her concession pass comes in handy as she travels from Yishun to get to school and to give tuition, making at least one transfer a day.

For NTU students who do not travel on concession passes, and make at least one bus or MRT ride transfer to school, each trip will be 14 cents cheaper. The daily savings of 28 cents works out to

$7.40 every month.

Those who make at least two transfers save 26 cents per trip.

The 52 cents savings per day means that students will save $15.60 a month.

However, not ever yone is contented with the new drop in fares.

Turka Devi, 28, a first-year student at NIE, spends $8 a day t ravelling f rom her home to school.

Unlike other tertiary students, first and second year students from NIE are not eligible for concession and travel on adult fares.

“I make three transfers for every trip to school. Currently my transport fees come up to about $250 per month. Even with the revisions, the $20 I save is a small amount to me. It might benefit the lower income families, but for me this drop is negligible.”

For students who live closer to school and do not make any transfers, the two cents drop may not be significant.

Devi remains unfazed by the drop in prices, set to be readjusted come June 2010.

“The impact is really not as much as I would have liked it to be,” she said.

Howe ve r, st udent s l i ke Shanthini believe that the other aspects of the transport fares like the transfer rebates which are permanent, are worth being thankful for, especially in these difficult times.

“At least the government is doing something to help us, what with the GST packages and the drop in transport prices. I think we should be grateful instead of complaining so much about the minimal drop in prices,” she said.

NEW STUDENT CONCESSION CARDS AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION You can exchange your current concession ez-link card for the new CEPAScompliant tertiary concession ez-link card.

Date: March 16th to March 20th Time: 9am to 6pm daily Venue: Aircon Lounge (Basement 1), Student Activities Centre

Fighting to beat the 9pm crowd with alternative transport Lui Wen Qing STUDENTS who leave NTU at night and want to get to Boon Lay MRT often turn to other alternatives because their usual SBS Transit bus service 179 takes a longer time to arrive than in the day.

Crowded bus stops in NTU after 9pm is a frequent sight, in particular, the bus stops at Canteen A and at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

Among those spotted at these bus stops were undergraduates who stay in school to study, complete their group projects or participate in extra-curricular activities; final-year students

who attend recruitment or career events held in the late evenings; and postgraduate students whose classes are usually conducted at night.

Francis Seah, 25, a fourthyear student from the School of Electr ical and Electronic Engineer ing, said: “The bus services at night are much more irregular and can sometimes take up to 30 minutes to arrive.”

While some students grumble about the long wait and try to take it in their stride, others get so frustrated that they turn to other transport options in a bid to get home faster.

“Fortunately, my friends who were going home with me also stay in the same area, so we could

share the taxi fare,” she said.

Besides taxis, there is also the alternative to take a private bus that drives through NTU at night.

“I don’t mind paying this extra bit in exchange for the convenience and comfort.”

Ong Yan Wen, 22 Nanyang Business School, Year 3

Offering to take passengers to Boon Lay for $1, it has been spotted stopping at the more crowded bus stops in NTU. It is believed that

the service has been operating for a few years.

A sign with the words “To Boon Lay MRT” is stuck on one of the windows of the bus. A lady would call out to passengers waiting at the bus stops and ask if they want a ride out of school.

Most students who have taken a ride on this bus are happy with the service, despite the $1 fee being slightly more expensive than the usual bus fare.

Fi n a l-y e a r s t ud e nt f r om Nanyang Business School, Ong Yan Wen, 22, said: “I don’t mind paying this extra bit in exchange for the convenience and comfort that this bus provides. It also enables me to get to Boon Lay faster instead of waiting for 179.”

When contacted, Mr Cary Teo, a manager from SBS Transit, shared their findings from a survey on service 179 conducted in February this year, at the bus stop in front of the Hall of Residence 4.

At the bus stop in front of Hall 4, the average time interval between each bus did not exceed 19 minutes during the peak period between 8.30pm and 9.30pm. The average bus load ranged from 45% to 89%.

“We are still keeping tabs on the service and will not hesitate to enhance the level of service in tandem with the demand,” he said.

“We will make the necessary bus schedule adjustment when required.”

06

news

M ar c h 9, 20 0 9 m

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

He came, he saw, he created Japanese artist carves elaborate shapes out of tree trunks with his chainsaw at ADM Yusuf Hamid A MAN wielding a large chainsaw on campus is hardly a usual sight.

For the last two weeks, anyone passing the School of Art, Design & Media (ADM) would have seen full-time artist, Mukai Katsumi, turning large tree trunks into pieces of art with deft strokes of his chainsaw and chisel.

M r K at su m i ha i l s f rom a mountainous region on the outskirts of Tokyo.

“This piece is called ADM”, said the 62-year old, pointing to a pair of spiralling wooden sculptures towering over him.

A smaller, strange looking piece he calls the ‘Dragonfly’ sits on the ADM lawn, drawing curious glances from passers-by.

“Some of these pieces I create for fun. Sometimes I work too long on the bigger pieces so it’s time to play,” said Mr Katsumi.

Here for a two-week wood

TALL AND MIGHTY: Mr Katsumi's work outside ADM attracted many curious onlookers. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

chiselling workshop at A DM, Mr Katsumi has turned the lawn into a outdoor exhibition space, displaying his woodwork on the grass as he finishes each one.

“ T he s t ude nt s e njoy t he workshop. It’s their first time working away from their desks.”

Assisting him were several ADM students, volunteering their

free time in exchange for a unique learning opportunity.

“We’re learning to deal with massive structures, so we’re really working out of our comfort zone,”

said Frankie Tee, a second-year ADM student.

T he 35-year old has been helping Mr Katsumi for the entire workshop, despite the language barrier between them.

“He speaks very little English, but luckily we have good chemistry so there is no need for him to explain too much,” said Tee. He a lso sa id M r K at su m i “teaches informally and gives us a lot of independence”.

T he c u l m i nat ion of M r Katsumi’s workshop will be an exhibition of his sculptures at the Outside Gallery at ADM, running from 5th – 31st March.

St ude nt s h a v e g r ow n to appreciate Mr Katsumi’s public style of working on his sculptures.

“Of all the universities in Singapore, NTU is best known for engineering, so maybe we should promote our artistic side,” said To Chun Yu, 23, a 3rd-year School of Material Science Engineering.

“It really beautifies the campus as NTU is mostly very grey and dull.”

The exhibition runs from 5th to 31st March at Outside G a l le r y, L e v e l 1, A DM Building.

Revelations lit up

Observing the Earth from NTU

Cai Zhimin

Kwan Hui Xian

news editor

“Blast: Tear it down, to rebuild” was the theme of the Nanyang Literary Festival this year.

Organised by Epiphany, English and Drama Society, the festival aims to show how the fields of science and arts can complement each other.

Vice President (Performance) of Epiphany, Dianne Goh, 20, from HSS, said that the festival which is in its second year, aimed to encourage an appreciation of literary and dramatic arts among the NTU population.

“We strongly believe that NTU has a hidden source of artistic talent and we want to give them the opportunity to showcase their creativity and passion for the arts,” said the second-year student from HSS. True to the theme of the event, the event hoped to demolish old preconceived notions of the arts and to give it a fresh new look.

However, few students were seen taking part in the events held at the area outside OCBC bank.

Students like Shahida Bte Hassim, an Epiphany member from School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), felt that the poor turnout was due to the mindset of the NTU population.

“I think the general perception is that the event is aimed mainly at students who are more artistically inclined. This then affected the turnout for the events,” said the second-year student.

Their saving grace, however came in the form of the highlight of the festival—Revelations, a theatrical of three short plays, two of which were original student works from a submission exercise organised back in 2007.

“We don’t have the exact figures at the moment, but we are happy to say that for the performance, we sold more tickets this year than we did last year,” added Goh.

“We are a technological university, naturally we only have a small pool of arts-based students.”

Shahida Hassim, 22 School of Humanities and Social Sciences Year 2

The second-year Literature major also added that although not all the actors were experienced, the entire team put in “500% for Revelations”.

Howe ve r, t h i s idea l doe s not come easy. The club, being relatively new, have large ground to cover in order to achieve their goals.

“Because we are a technological university, naturally we only have a small pool of arts-based students.

Therefore it’s hard to tr y and inculcate a strong sense of the arts within the general population,” said Shahida.

T H E Ea r t h Obser vator y of Singapore (EOS) was officially launched on February 19th.

Located along the North Spine, the autonomous institute at the Universit y is one of Si ngapore’s f i r st Resea rch Centres of Excellence, endorsed by the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council.

The research focus of EOS is on understanding Southeast A s i a’ s d y n a m i c o c e a n s , atmosphere and tectonic plates a nd on cha racter i zi ng t he tectonic, volcanic and climatic processes responsible for natural hazards.

T h i s i n for mat ion cou ld be usef u l to gover nments, communities and businesses in the region The EOS is funded by the National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education.

Though the observatory has just been launched, “the centre is taking shape nicely,” said NTU President, Dr Su Guaning.

Fut u re pla n s were a lso discussed on the day of the opening itself, at the annual scientific programme meeting.

In total, 18 proposals were submitted for consideration by the EOS Scientific Advisor y Board.

S ome ke y pr og r a m me s the EOS has in mind include setting up an experimental Globa l Posit ion ing System station within NTU as well as

GAINING KNOWLEDGE: Learning more about the earth. PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG

improving on an interactive global database on volcanic unrest named WOVOdat.

It will also work on outreach and education programmes for students in secondary schools and junior colleges.

T he EOS i s a l s o look i ng at setting up a post-graduate programme in NTU, even as soon as next year.

The EOS will set up a division of Earth Science in the College of Science, but it remains unclear which faculty the division will be under. There is talk of the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences being a possible choice.

In the long run, the observatory hopes to turn the division into a school of Earth Science with its own undergraduate programme.

Besides having collaborations with the School of Engineering and the School of Art, Design and Media, the EOS is also working together with the National Institute of Education on a proposal to come up with a volcano model for high schools.

The observatory’s academic director, Dr J. Bruce H. Shyu, encourages such projects, saying that “if a student can have his or her own idea and come up to a professor, and work to develop some possible programmes or projects, then that would be very very nice.”

He believes that the EOS as a science and research centre will serve to complement NTU’s strong engineering tradition, and give the school a more holistic outlook.

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

Having your catch and eating it Cai Zhimin ONE of the rare times the Deli Aprecio Club (DAC) brought their food outdoors was for Catch and Cook ‘09, jointly organised with the NTU Anglers’ Club.

The collaboration between the two clubs attracted about 60 participants who made their way to Pasir Ris Town Park on the afternoon of February 23rd.

While most of the participants were bu s y catch i ng praw ns, members of the food appreciation club braved the afternoon heat and busied themselves at the BBQ pit to come up with a five-course meal, serving up dishes such as Barbequed Rosemary and Garlic Chicken, as well as serving up dishes of the prawns caught. “ We a r e t r y i ng to move towards a more hands-on approach which value-adds to our current activities,” said club president Jeremy Cheok, 24.

Members currently attend food tastings at restaurants, but “seldom do any real cooking”, according to the second-year student from the School of Material Science and Engineering.

Former club president Leroy Chan, 25, who was in charge of the BBQ pit, was chef of the day.

“While freshwater prawns have bigger heads and are more meaty, saltwater prawns are smaller and they taste sweeter,” explained Chan, a third-year student from the School of Biological Sciences.

Josephine K Chow

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD: A member of the Anglers’ Club serving freshly-cooked food. PHOTO | CAI ZHIMIN

The NTU Anglers’ Club released some 20kg of prawns into each of the six ponds, half of which were salt water and the other half, freshwater prawns.

A participant, Candice Choong, 22, caught four prawns after three hours.

Despite her low success rate, the third-year student from the

School of Civil and Environment Engineering enjoyed herself at the event.

“Sometimes I can feel the bite (of the prawn) but when I take the fishing rod out, it is often a false alarm. So when I finally caught one, there was a great sense of achievement,” she said.

Guitar Hero rocks on Wang Simin THE Inter-School Recreational Games (ISRG) 2009 ended with the Guitar Hero finals showdown on February 17th in LT26.

This year was the first time electronic gaming was brought into the competition.

The annual tournanment which lasted for two weeks saw the introduction of electronic games such as Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), FIFA as well as Guitar Hero, on top of the traditional board games.

Electronic gaming was included in the ISRG to promote cybersports as a recognised sport in NTU. Ho Pin Yan, 24, chairperson of the ISRG organising committee said: “In NTU, there already is an active gaming culture. Many NTU students play DOTA in hall.”

T he u lt imate Gu ita r Hero turned out to be Fung Chun Hong, 22, a second-year student from the School of Art, Design and Media.

He said: “You would never imagine 10 years ago that you could get a medal or trophy from a v ideo game competition in Singapore, let alone one with the school logo on it.”

“Somet i me s you get so immersed that you really feel like

You’ve got spam Students received spam mails which ranged from weight loss advertisments to pleas for help

news editor

you are on stage rocking out,” the music games enthusiast added.

Ironically, Fung does not have the Guitar Hero game himself, and could only practise for the competition over the weekend at his friend’s place.

Guitar Hero requires a player to strum a guitar controller emulating a real guitar, in accordance to the changing notes on the screen which the player has to keep up with.

Besides bringing in electronic games, new board games such as Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride were also included. These additions were well-received by participants. Settlers of Catan is similar to Monopoly where players

“You would never imagine 10 years ago that you could get a medal or trophy from a video game competition.”

Fung Chun Hong, 22 School of Art, Design and Media Year 2

build a civilisation by collecting resources such as wood, sheep and bricks.

The objective of Ticket to Ride is to build numerous tracks across America, by collecting tracks of the required colours.

These additions were wellreceived by participants.

Ronald Yeo, 23, a secondyear student from the School of Hu ma n it ies a nd Socia l Sciences, said: “The games succeeded in uniting students from different faculties, and provided opportunities for them to bond.” It was Yeo’s first time playing these games.

To many, the most enjoyable aspect of the ISRG was the opportunity to make friends and to learn valuable strategies and improve their skills for future plays.

ISRG organising committee chair person, Ho, said t hat including the new games at this year’s ISRG was a good start and the committee hopes for more next year.

“The ISRG committee hopes to include more games for next year’s games, such as CounterStrike. In addition, perhaps we can have a band, instead of a solo Guitar Hero competition too.”

07

N T U S T U DE N T S h av e b e e n complaining about an increase of spam mails in their inbox in recent months.

Spa m refer s to u nwanted commercial electronic messages, often involving nearly identical messages and sent to a large group of recipients.

Such messages may attempt to trick unsuspecting users to verify that their email addresses are in use, by asking them to unsubscribe from mailing lists.

S om e ot h e r s , k n ow n a s phishing emails, attempt to obtain confidential personal information such as passwords, credit card and banking details.

According to the Centre of IT Services (CITS), spam accounts for more than 70% of the email messages circulated worldwide.

Aside from being a global problem, CITS believes that the increase of spam mails recently could be due to the negligence of students.

By posting an email address on the Internet or giving it to unfamiliar websites, the chance of the address being harvested for spamming purposes will be increased, a CITS spokesperson said.

Raymond Tan, a 23-year old student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering agreed with CITS’ explanation.

“I’m sure there are gullible fools who fall for the spam scams,” said the second-year student.

“A lso, an increase in t he number of students in NTU will cause an increase in gullible fools, and they’ll use their NTU mail to

sign up for rubbish outside like porn.”

He also said that there is not much that can be done to counter the problem.

“Currently, the ‘spam’ in my NTU junk mail which really annoys me is actually the advertisements for certain events which turn up multiple times,” he said.

“That’s what CITS should clamp down on.”

Gayathri Vasu, 22, had similar sentiments.

The second-year student from the School of Biological Sciences said that she considers the multiple mails sent out by administrators to ‘ignore the previous sent mail’ as spam.

“I think it’s pretty redundant lest they contain information that might really affect students like exam timetables maybe,” she said.

“Conventional messages from the Board of Directors wishing students ‘Selemat Hari Raya’ aren’t counted as spam, but at least I don’t leave them in my inbox anyway. I look, and delete.”

I n 2 0 0 7, t h e S i n g a p o r e government introduced a legislation to ser ve a s t he over a rc h i ng framework for spam control in Singapore.

CITS has also deployed spam control solutions, such as daily updates of blac k l i sted spa m sources from its solution supplier, as well as filtering and blocking of known sources of spam, which currently stands at the block rate of approximately 20,000 per day.

Despite the concern of CITS about spam and phishing, Huay Kah Mun, 21, however, does not feel that spam is a threat.

“I’m actually not worried at all because I don’t read even read them,” the second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences said.

“As for people who fall for them, I guess they’ll eventually learn it the hard way.”

POSSIBLE SPAM: Clogging up the mailbox. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | IRWIN TAN

Lifestyle

Recession-hit wallets will still be happy with fine dining, hawker style - Page 12

Two left feet

Effortless agility on the dance floor does not come easily for some. Dance novices Karen Xin and Kezia Toh battle coordination problems and nervousness to cavort to the lively beats of the cha-cha, and glide gracefully to the waltz Waltz

I TOOK a tentative step forward, then backward.

Wit h t hat, my inst r uctor, Kelvin from Shawn & Gladys Dance World, announced that I had learnt two-thirds of what the waltz is all about.

That was music to my ears. If dancing is like walking, surely even I can dance.

But things got harder from there.

The waltz is a slow and romantic dance. Those two simple steps I had just mastered during the waltz workshop conducted by the NTU Dancesport Academy, are part of “Andante con moto”, meaning “a walking pace with motion.”

The couple joins hands while the lady rests her other hand on the gentleman’s arm, and he places his hand on her shoulder.

Then, they move to the music and let the world pass them by. A romantic daydream for me, as I am the most unlikely person that you will see dancing.

Hence the sweaty palms, racing heart and nervous laugh each time I made the wrong move while waltzing.

Next we learnt the box-step.

The initial stepping front and back, became step front-slide-tiptoe and a step back-slide-tiptoe. For me it was a coordination nightmare.

Every movement was interlaced with tip-toes, which tested my calf muscles to the limits.

By this time, I felt like I could not do another tiptoe in my life.

But I persevered and it paid off.

Because this was when I learnt my favourite move: the “turning-

step”, or according to me, the “swirling-step”. This brought me back to a romantic scene in my favourite movie “Beauty and the Beast”, in which the lovebirds twirled around the room to Teapot singing “a tale as old as time”.

We were then paired up. Soon, I was enjoying the wind on my face as my partner and I twirled round the room. My awkwardness dissolved as we laughed over our stumbling missteps.

But soon enough, nervousness hit when we were asked to swap partners. A towering male with an unexpected accent, whom I found out later to be from Kazakhstan, invited me to dance. I immediately felt stiff. The music began. We clasped hands and moved off.

I felt strange being so close to a stranger, and a funny picture came into my mind. It was of Belle and the Beast, for my partner was just so much bigger than I am. I felt so tiny in his grasp, my head barely peeping over his arm.

I guess he felt strange as well because he was taking surprisingly small steps. Probably, he was afraid of stepping on my toes. We moved in silence for what seemed like an eternity to me. But I was grateful for the fact that in a waltz, the men are the leaders. Box-step or turning-step; clockwise or anticlockwise; forward or backward everything is decided by him.

The lady follows. She must never try to take the lead, as it will only result in a clash or an awkward disconnection. That is the key to a flawless dance of love.

- Karen Xin

TOE THE LINE: Rows of dancers keep up with the instructor. PHOTOS | NARERKRIT SINRACHTANANT

IN THEIR ELEMENT: Seasoned cha-cha dancers made heads turn with their grace and agility.

Cha -cha

T WIRLING with abandon and arching my back to the sensuality of the Cuban beats, I found myself lost in the Latin rhythms and the enthralling gaze of my partner.

Well, not quite.

For one thing, the cha-cha workshop was in a sparse function room under the glaring light of the afternoon sun. Hardly romantic.

And a beginner’s mistake: I arrived ready for cha-cha in shorts and my most comfortable pair of pumps.

The sight that greeted me, however, was a girl sprawled on the floor in a painful-looking split, wearing sky-high heels.

In another corner, two dancers were practising the characteristic shuffle of the cha-cha with graceful agility, on five-inch-high killer heels.

I wanted to turn and r un.

Being the dance novice that I am, my attempt at the ridiculously complicated cha-cha was a huge step up the dance ladder.

Originating from Cuba, the name was coined after the sound made when the lady’s heels smack

the dance floor in a cha-cha-cha rhythm. It requires a great deal of hip motion to be fully expressive, a huge problem for me.

However, I was surprised by the turnout rate. For an event conducted over recess week, it attracted a big crowd. On the downside, this meant that the time devoted by the instructor to each budding cha-cha enthusiast was cut short.

To get the ball rolling, instructor Mario taught the basic step—a step backwards and forwards on the right foot, accompanied by a side shuffle. The key was good posture, he said.

We then moved on to a strangely named move, the “New York”.

A side turn with both arms flung far out on both sides, the movement was extremely graceful, yet fiery.

This was clearly well received by the class of budding dancers, for as the music kicked off, the hall erupted into a mass of dancers twirling and flailing (often overenthusiastic) limbs.

Ducking the over-animated movements of the “New York”

aside, this was the sole move where I felt even slightly graceful.

The coup de grace came when we had to combine all our moves in a rhythmic routine, to the pulsating beats of Latin music.

My first try was a disaster, aptly expressed by the watching photographer’s grimace and his choked-back laugh.

I soon discovered that the trick to less grievous movement was to cease looking at the steps of others, and concentrate on your own.

That, of course, is harder than it sounds. To turn it up a notch, we were introduced to a turn-step, an elegant spin accompanied by a side shuffle. As heels creaked noisily on the dance floor, my partner and I whirled round and round, though I’d venture it was more out of recklessness than agile grace.

The final routine—a combination of all we had learnt, to the energetic rhythms of the Cuban beats, was highly enjoyable.

Never mind that my moves left plenty to be desired, but putting all we had learnt in over two hours into action was incredibly satisfying. - Kezia Toh

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11

The Classifieds

Combing newspapers for recruitment ads, amid the recession, can be an infuriating process. Some people would rather create their own jobs. Here are some occupations you will never see advertised in the papers

Cemetery caretaker IT IS not difficult to see the caretakers at Choa Chu Kang cemetery, with their straw hats and canine companions. Meeting them is harder—when they spot people, they move swiftly away. Getting them to speak about their profession was like chasing ghosts.

Polite calls of “Excuse me!” only seemed to hasten their pace. At a makeshift tent where they rest, a caretaker finally broke the silence.

“Nobody here will want to be interviewed,” said the elderly man. “We have very low self esteem, working in this low status job.”

“Nobody wants to deal with the dead,” he added.

Another cemetery related trade has already fallen prey to modern times.

“Grave digging now uses machinery,” explained Mr Tan Bin Hua from the National Environmental Agency. “There is no longer a need for manual gravedigging.” - Yusuf Hamid PHOTOS | CHERYL WEE

Noodle maker

PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

IN THE 1960s, Campbell Road housed a bustling market. Now, all that is left of it is Sin Hoe Choon, a noodle-making shop.

Back then, noodles were painstakingly handmade, says shop owner Mrs Chen in Mandarin.

Today, a large noodle-making machine dominates the shop. Although mechanization has quickened the process, her husband still gets up at 3am to get things started at the shop.

The yellow noodles in your bowl may very well come from the shop as Sin Hoe Choon supplies factories and markets, though some customers prefer to buy them from the shop in person.

But business has been falling, due to competition from bigger factories. The job prospects at this shop are grim and unlikely to attract the new generation.

This shop was passed down from her parents-in-law, but Mrs Chen is vague about the future: “I don’t really know if my children would want to take over the shop.” - Kezia Toh

Street side tailor

Fortune teller

THE $2 shirts from the bargain shops in Little India might not fit. Here’s when the street side tailor steps in.

Three tailors have wheeled their sewing machines to the pavement of Hindoo Road. Sitting less than a metre away from traffic, with only the shelter of the trees, they alter garments for $5. They work the treadle paddle of their sewing machines with their sandalled feet, in the noonday sun.

A large pair of scissors, a bag of scrap cloth, thread in the machine’s spool and two plastic chairs—one for the tailor and another for customers—are all that is needed to open for business. - Cheryl Wee

FOR more than 20 years, Mr Wang has sat along Bencoolen Street at a table with items like sweets, books that advise on auspicious days, and playing cards which he says can predict the future.

He learned the art of fortune telling overseas in his youth. Now in his late fifties, he advises customers on fate and luck and lets them decide how much to pay.

True, most people today believe fortune telling is a scam, but Mr Wang says his intention is purely to warn people about life’s obstacles. Those who cheat will get their just desserts, he said.

Without a licence, he constantly worries he will be chased away. All he wants is a quiet place to offer what he believes is his gift from God.

- Ellyne Phneah PHOTO | EUNICE CHAN

Cobbler SEVEN cobblers have settled in a neat row in front of People’s Park Food Centre at Chinatown.

Business was brisk as several customers came, sat and left within an hour. The boss of the makeshift stall, Mr Tan, said he does not worry about competition as they have all been there for years and have their own regular customers.

T hanks to the economic cr isis, more customers want to save money by sending their shoes for mend.

He pr efe r s t he pave me nt to a shop because “life is not all about business."

He said: “A ll my f r iends are here."

It looks like the signature stools of these Chinatown cobblers are here to stay.

- Chrystal Yeong PHOTO | CHERYL WEE

PHOTO | CHRYSTAL YEONG

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foodsnoop

Fine dining, hawker style Top grade food is not just found in restaurants. Hong Shuheng and Rachel Tan find gems at less-than-luxurious outdoor eateries

big d's grill Chang's Swallow Eating House Blk 46 Holland Drive #01-359

IN A hot and humid coffeeshop at Holland Dr ive which also houses the well-known Holland Village XO Fish Head Bee Hun stall, Big D’s Grill dishes up restaurant-standard Wester n cuisine alongside stalls selling traditional coffeeshop fare such as zi char and nasi padang.

“I just want to educate people about authentic Western food,” said Chef Damian D’Silva, who is also the owner. That is why Big D’s Grill stands out for selling restaurant-standard Wester n cuisine at prices that come as a shock in such a setting. Prices of mains start from $8.90, and go up to $48 for a Wagyu ribeye steak.

The Boneless Chicken Leg ($8.90) is a hunky slab of meat with beautiful golden-brown grill marks, served with thick goldenskinned steak fries and a pool of baked beans.

Biting into the crispy skin of the steak fries yields up mouthfuls of pure potato goodness accompanied by a natural sweetness, refreshing compared to many heavily salted and anorexic fries at other Western food stalls.

MODERN ITALIAN FOOD Old Airport Road Food Centre Block 51 Old Airport Road #01-35

TUCKED away in a quiet corner of bustling Old Airport Road Food Centre, Modern Italian Food is easy to miss. On a Sunday afternoon there was nary a person in line, proof that good food does not have to come with long queues.

A sign on the stall-front says that they cook to order and so ‘it takes the same amount of time a

DELECTABLE: Tiramisu topped with fruit

DISHING UP THE GOOD STUFF: The boneless chicken with a side of golden brown steak fries, and baked beans. PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

Even the baked beans are part of Chef D’Silva’s pursuit for perfection. Instead of just serving plain old beans, he cooks this simple side dish with bacon, giving the otherwise understated side a mouth-watering smoky flavour. Salty at first taste, but strangely addictive after a while.

restaurant takes’ to prepare our food. Time to settle at a bright yellow table and round plastic stools and wait as chefs Max Liew and Melvin Chiam set to work.

Barely ten minutes into the wait, the pasta arrives steaming on classy white square dishes.

For only $5 a pop, the portions are sizeable. A top-up of a dollar gives a set deal including soup and cheese sticks.

One gauge of Italian food in Singapore are the more popular dishes like aglio olio and carbonara, and Ma x and Melv in do not disappoint.

The carbonara is covered with an egg yolk sauce that is thick and milky, with a hint of smokiness from the generous amount of beef bacon in it. Rings of caramelised onions under the cream sauce were a pleasant surprise.

The aglio olio at Modern Italian Food was a favourite. It is a plate of garlic goodness with lots of beef bacon bits hiding among the spaghetti, although the chefs could have been a little less heavyhanded with the pepper.

For fusion fans, the Seafood Linguini in Lobster Brown Sauce hits all the right notes. It looks like lor mee and tastes like seafood hor fun, except with linguini instead of Chinese rice noodles.

The linguini is perfectly al

For the chicken marinated with thyme and rosemary, the charred taste from the grilled crackling skin contrasted with the slightly salty taste of the tender meat.

Chef D’Silva likes to let the herbs do the talking, but some might like to hear from the salt a little more, too.

Meanwhile, presented as a twirl of bright red on a white plate, the Crabmeat Linguini for $10.90 had big servings of crabmeat shreds intertwined with the tomatobased pasta. It’s al dente with a firm bite, with the tangy tomato complementing the succulent crabmeat. Bits of cut chilli padi

PACKET OF GOODNESS: The calzone spills open to reveal piping hot ingredients and mozarella cheese. PHOTOS | COURTESY

dente and drowned in a savoury brown sauce accompanied by clams, white fish and fresh crunchy prawns.

However, t he Seafood Spaghetti in Chilli Crab Sauce was disappointing. “Smells nice,” my companion remarked when it was set in front of her.

“Bring on the mantous!”

It was just as well they didn’t provide the buns, normally used to mop up the sweet and spicy chilli crab sauce.

The sauce was watered down and tasted suspiciously like bottled ketchup.

Pizzas take time to cook but are worth the wait. The calzone is a pizza topped wit h ham, mushroom, onion and capsicum, then folded over to form a curry puff-shaped pie.

It is a bit underwhelming for its price ($10, medium-sized), but packs a punch.

However, the hawker centre setting does nothing for the food. Smoke poured out from the hokkien mee stall two units away and the sound of clanging woks is not the most ideal ambience for an Italian meal.

But the desserts bring to mind

gave it a relishing spicy kick.

The Snapper Livornese ($11.90), two slabs of white fish slathered with tomato paste and topped with capers and olives, was presented in a slightly haphazard manner. A limp salad on one side was drizzled with vinaigrette and scattered with ground black pepper.

Yet the dish was saved by the slightly sour tomato sauce which complemented the bland fish. It is an unusual offering at coffeeshop stalls, but the smart use of ingredients elevated this simple dish. Not much to look at, but the taste made up for the price.

Rounding up the meal on a sweet note, the traditional Italian dessert, the Bonet, looked like a tiny chocolate pudding. But eating it revealed the silky texture of a mousse instead.

Made w it h bit ter sweet Valrhona chocolate and drizzled with caramel sauce, it had an excitingly contrasting sweetness and bitterness. But the portion was miniscule for the price of $4, a few bites can leave you longing for more.

It is back to basics here at Big D’s Grill.

Focus on the soul food that warms the heart, and transport yourself away from the hot and humid coffeeshop, tucking in happily without any complaints about the beads of sweat on your forehead.

the waterways of Venice and the quaint trattoria in the Italian countryside.

There are only two items: Tiramisu and chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream ($5 each). Save room for dessert and order both.

The alternating layers of liqueurdoused cake and mascar pone cream in the tiramisu shames that of many other restaurants.

Every bite melts in the mouth.

The taste of brandy, Kahlúa and Marsala wine gives way to a soft sweet chocolate and a smooth aftertaste – none of that lingering sour taste of coffee at the back of your tongue.

Then there is the chocolate cake with vanilla ice-cream, a warm bittersweet piece of heaven à la mode. Each cake is filled with a hot fudge centre that oozes out when you cut it open.

The accompanying vanilla icecream is run-of-the-mill but went unnoticed, because the cake stole the show.

Pray for the day when Max and Melvin open a branch at a classier location. Most diners would be willing to pay more to eat Italian food in air conditioned comfort.

Meanwh i le, recessionhit wallets will still be happy to continue forking out $5 for restaurant-worthy food in a smoky hawker centre.

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13

travelogue

for one more day

For the last day of her four-month long exchange programme, Lui Wenqing found that taking a laid-back pace, just like the Swiss way of life, was the best way to say goodbye to the town she’s grown to love IT WAS the last day of my fourmonth exchange programme in St Gallen, Switzerland, and I was determined to spend the day revisiting as many of the sights and sounds of this quaint little town as possible. As I closed my apartment door for the last time, I glanced at the ancient keys.

My apartment, as I learnt from a Swiss student during my first week here, was probably more than a century old. Its age was apparent, with the traditional fireplace, creaky wooden stairs and an oldfashioned basement.

From my apartment, the nearest bus stop was a minute’s stroll away, and as expected, the bus arrived promptly. It ambled up the slope towards my first stop of the day, the university.

Knowing that I would not see the beautiful campus again for a long time, I took picture after picture of snow-capped roofs and smoking chimneys.

“Nächster Halt, Universität.

(Next stop, University.)” I hopped off the bus and stepped into the warmth of the university building with its aroma of freshly brewed coffee. I strode down the corridors, past the familiar classrooms with wooden seats and full-length glass windows that provided refreshing views of the greenery outside.

I hugged the people who had become my friends and bid them Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye), then went back into the cold of the winter morning. There was plenty to do before my flight home.

I walked to the Old Town, home to charming shops and boutiques hidden away in a patchwork of cobbled alleys.

I headed straight to Merkur, a shop selling handmade chocolates, f rom pralines wit h exquisite printed toppings to mouth-watering champagne truffles.

Switzerland is a haven for

THE ABBEY DISTRICT: A site of beautiful baroque architecture.

SWISS STYLE: A relaxed amble along the streets is the best way to say goodbye. PHOTOS | COURTESY

anyone with a sweet tooth and a fat wallet, with cosy cafés offering frothy hot chocolate and sinful chocolate cakes, nestled among the Swiss banks. Despite burning a considerable hole in my pocket, I left the shop clutching a heavy bag of chocolates.

My walk continued along Marktplatz, a bustling lane in the Old Town, where ornate oriel windows that had been preserved since the 17th century decorated the buildings. Twinkling Christmas lights draped the shops and wove an enthralling charm throughout the streets.

I passed familiar store names like Bucherer, H&M and Globus and they all seemed to call out to me with huge signs of “20% Rabatt! (20% Discount!)”. I resisted and did not stop until I reached Geschenk Lädeli, which sells Swiss crafts and souvenirs. As I waited for the Swiss knives I had chosen to be engraved, I picked out other souvenirs to take home, including mini cow bells and postcards.

Before long, my tummy gave a rumble. I made my way to Migros, Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain with a self-service restaurant

and reasonably-priced meals. I tucked into my Bratwurst mit Pommes (grilled veal sausage drenched in a tasty mushroom and onion sauce and accompanied by fries) and savoured every bit of it, especially since eating out in Switzerland is considered an expensive luxury, even for the locals.

After lunch, I continued my stroll through the Abbey District, which has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983. What makes it world famous is not just the beautiful double tower facade of the Abbey cathedral or the collection of medieval manuscripts in the Abbey library, but also its significance in the early historic days of St Gallen.

Back in 612 A.D., an Irish Monk Gallus founded a settlement and a monastery in this town, which eventually came to boast some of the most beautiful baroque architecture in Central Europe.

I stood on the grass in front of the cathedral and admired the grandeur of the clock towers.

Ironically, it was only on my last day that I finally understood why St Gallen has often been labelled

the cultural metropolis of East Switzerland.

“I hugged the people who had become my friends and bid them Auf Wiedersehen (goodbye)” Just as my thoughts started to linger, the clock struck three and I was jolted back to reality. I went on to my last stop of the day, the Alhambra, a quirky café-cum-bar popular among Swiss students.

In the day, the cosy candlelights and Arabian-st yled furniture are a comfor table setting for afternoon tea, but at night, the place dramatically transforms into a bar.

I ordered the Arabian tea I had tried on my very first day in St Gallen, served with rock-

like pieces of sugar that had to be popped into the mouth, before sipping the tea through a metal straw.

It was soothingly familiar, just like how I had grown accustomed to everything in St Gallen.

Before I knew it, it was time to head to the airport. Reluctantly, I lugged my luggage, filled to the brim with chocolates, souvenirs and four months-worth of precious memories up the train carriage, hung up my coat and settled into a seat.

As the train pulled out of the platform and the beautiful town of St Gallen faded into the distance, I recounted the day’s activities with a contented sigh.

I was glad that I had spent the last 24 hours in St Gallen at a pace characteristic of the Swiss way of life, leisurely and unhurried.

Got an interesting travel experience to share?

E-mail us at

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review

BOOKS FoolF Christopher Moore $49.95, available at Borders Published by Willam Morrow

FOOL presents the story of King Lear by Shakespeare from the point of view of the court jester, Pocket, with a whole load of humour and bawdiness thrown in.

For those unfamiliar with the plot of King Lear, Lear decided to split his kingdom between his three daughters and based his decision of how much each daughter should get on how much they loved him. His two sycophantic elder daughters were rewarded with land while the youngest honest daughter who refused to play the game was disinherited and banished.

Reading Moore for the first time, his style of writing and brand of humour caught me off guard. The familiar story of King Lear is thrown into a madcap scenario with larger than life characters. The jester steals the show with his antics and his crafty ways to make things right again. Moore throws in a few extras adding humour and variety to the story.

I liked how characters like the three witches from Macbeth, are added in. For non Shakespearean readers, some of the humour might be lost but Moore makes up for it with the vibrant characterization, especially that of Pocket. I enjoyed reading about the jester's scheming nature and how he meted out punishment to the two elder daughters. His deviousness is one of the things that makes the book an entertaining read. Readers beware, the book is as bawdy as it was warned to be.

“Dear old Southland, I hear you calling me.

And how I long to roam, back to my old Kentucky home.”

"Dear Old Southland" by Louis Armstrong

a

Su

Vikas Swarup $18.90, available at Borders Published by Simon and Schuster

IF YOU have watched Slumdog Millionaire, you might want to think twice before picking up the book. The Oscar-winning movie was inspired by Vikas Swarup's bestselling novel, Q & A, now published as Slumdog Millionaire.

The protagonist, Ram Mohammad Thomas, has answered twelve questions correctly to win a billion rupees on the game show Who Will Win A Billion?

Unfortunately, the producers are unable to shell out the money and bribe the police to arrest Ram instead, accusing him of cheating.

Readers are treated to a captivating account of Ram’s life experiences as narrated by the protagonist himself. Swarup weaves a fantastic thread of stories outlining how Ram’s life experiences, by sheer coincidence, give him answers to the twelve questions.

However, the book glosses over controversial themes such as religion, incest and even espionage.

It felt like the book skimmed through the sub-stories, almost as if plowing through Ram’s life.

That said, the prose is uncompromising and cynical as the author takes a harsh look at Indian life. While it is a far cry from the glamour of modern day Mumbai, Slumdog Millionaire is a riveting book up until its predictable end. -James Ho

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button OST Various Artistes (Soundtrack)

¯¯¯¯¯ This movie won Best Special Effects at the 81st Academy Awards, held recently on 22nd Feburary.

JUST like the movie, the soundtrack to David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is achingly haunting. With tracks that sound delicate and enigmatic, this soundtrack slowly draws the listener into the heartwrenching love story of Benjamin Button.

While the first CD contains the movie score, the second CD in this soundtrack is filled with the sound of blues and jazz, drenched in the magic of New Orleans in the 1950s.

Included are classics like Louis Armstrong’s If I Could Be With You (One Hour Tonight). With its soulful trumpet solos, this song is at once wistful and ethereal, harking back to the good old days of smoky jazz halls.

What is different about this soundtrack is the way in which composer Alexandre Desplat incorporates music tracks with lines of dialogue from the movie. It is such minor details that really manage to truly capture the essence of the movie and of the spirit of The Big Easy. -Cameron Ng

When The World Comes Down All American Rejects (Alternative Rock)

¯¯¯¯¯ The band is donating 10% of their profits from this album to Feed The Children, a non-profit organization.

SEVEN years after the release of their successful single Swing, Swing in 2002, American rock band The All American Rejects returns with their third studio album, When The World Comes Down. This twelve-track album contains mainly upbeat, fasttempo tracks typical of the band.

The first single, Gives You Hell, is characterized by its heavy distortion of electric guitars, contrasting sound dynamics and angst-filled lyrics. Other tracks such as I Wanna, Fallin’ Apart and The Wind Blows are equally catchy despite recounting tales of tragic romances, sorrow and heartbreak. Fans looking for a slightly more mellow ballad will also find what they are looking for in the form of Mona Lisa.

While AAR has taken a darker, more serious approach to this album, listeners expecting something vastly different will only be setting themselves up for disappointment.

-Vanessa Too

Slumdog Millionaireatrici

MUSIC

-Shahida Hassim

Read about All American Rejects' recent trip to Singapore on page 15 and find out who influenced their music.

Slipway Fires Razorlight (Indie Rock)

¯¯¯¯¯ Some of the tracks from this AngloSwedish band's album were written on the Isle of Tiree in the Inner Hebrides.

PHOTO | COURTESY

RAZORLIGHT'S brand of infectious pop-flavoured rock guarantees rousing stadium pomp from start to finish. Both brilliant and self-indulgent, the band is an enigma.

Lead-out track Wire to Wire is a beautiful heartfelt, piano-based tune which will haunt you for days. Fans of their usual brand of foot-stomping indie anthems will not be disappointed with tracks like Tabloid Lover and its wild guitar solos that have you rocking along.

But it is in Hostage of Love where the pretentious pomposity of Johnny Borrell and company can become quite a turn-off. “I am your salvation and your herald of sin” is but one line where Razorlight take their own literal worthiness to patronising extremes.

Without a doubt, Razorlight sounds good, but so do other indie-rock bands such as The Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs. Unfortunately, while sometimes one struggles to tell the bands apart, the bombastic arrogance exuded by Razorlight is almost their saving grace. -Kenneth Chew

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FILMS

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas Drama (PG)

NNNNN

Asa Butterfield, David Thewlis, Jack Scanlon 94min

THE movie begins with Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer whose promotion took his family away from their comfortable home in Berlin to the countryside.

Despite repeated warnings from his parents not to venture to the back area of the house, Bruno explored the woods and found himself on one side of the barbed wire of the “farm” he had seen from his bedroom.

Desperate for a playmate and driven by boredom, Bruno was elated when he found a boy of his age wearing a pair of striped pyjamas on the other side of the fence. It was here where he formed a friendship with a Jewish boy named Shmuel.

As the movie unfolded, I was amazed at the parallel existence of both humanity and the cruelty of mankind; humanity displayed

by Bruno towards Shmuel during their friendship and cruelty spewed from Bruno’s father who was commanding the death camp. It is a perfect equilibrium between kindness and savagery, and all that separates

both is a barbed wire fence.

Bruno’s determination to continue the forbidden friendship despite his struggles with prejudice and propaganda deserves com me ndat ion . T he f r ie nd sh ip t hat blossomed despite the odds is almost heart wrenchingly beautiful. At times when he was caught between believing that Jews were enemies and Shmuel was different, one can almost relate to his frustrations as we often have to decide between the truth and what we are forced to believe.

The fact that this movie is portrayed through the eyes of an eight-year-old cushioned the horrors of the Holocaust, making it easier to grapple with the cruelty during the war reflected in the film. Used to the conventional happy endings that most childhood movies have, I was shocked by the devastating ending. It only goes to show that evil will eventually befall those who practice it and what goes around comes around at the end of the day. -Bernice Neo

PHOTO | COURTESY

NNNNN Interview | All American Rejects

Departures Drama (PG) Masahiro Motoki, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Ryoko Hirosue 130min

THIS year’s Oscars had no surprises. Well, almost. Japanese director Yojiro Takita managed to snag the Best Foreign Language award from Israel’s Waltz with Bashir with the inspiring drama Departures. With that in mind, there is a lot to expect from such a film.

Departures follows the story of Daigo, (Masahiro Motoki) a cellist who finds himself out of work after a Tokyo orchestra disbands. His only choice is to return to his rural hometown with his wife to start over.

Looking for work, Daigo finds a job listing for “departures.” Thinking it is for a travel agency, he applies for the position, only to realize it is for a job at a mortuary.

He takes the job out of desperation and embarks on a personal odyssey of his past and his estranged family while dealing with the stigma of his newly discovered career.

The drama starts off as a light-hearted comedy but it later evolves to address themes of life, death, rebirth and compassion.

Takita weaves together Daigo’s rebirth while equally focusing on the importance of death to the human journey, making use of symbols like location, food, music and even plants to deliver its message.

In one ceremony for a deceased teenager, writer Kundo Koyama not only manages to sum up the importance of Daigo’s profession to society despite its stigma, but also helps his self-realization.

The beaut y of the cinematography enhances the intricacy and care taken to extract meaning from “nokanshi,” the art and ritual of encoffinment central to the film.

Death never felt so pivotal to life. Takita is able to reveal the kind of closure and importance death plays in all of our lives,

(L-R): Nick Wheeler, lead singer Tyson Ritter, Mike Kennerty and Chris Gaylor.

PHOTO | COURTESY

as both the mourner and the deceased. In the end, Daigo discovers that his work as an intermediary between the living and the end is paramount in resolving a past that still torments his memories.

The film’s weakest point is the poorlyhandled conflict between Daigo and his wife regarding his profession. Its resolution may come off as predictable for some but it is ultimately redeemed in the film’s third act. Either way, it’s a film worth the trip to the theatre. -John P. Gamboa

FROM the band’s name to its quirky get-up, the All American Rejects (AAR) may appear unreasonably deviant. So I was surprised to learn that their fathers influenced their taste in music.

Formed in 2001, the Oklahoma pop rock band had just released their third album, When The World Comes Down, in December last year.

Many seldom take pop rock acts seriously but there is a lot more to AAR than meets the eye. Guitarist Nick Wheeler used to play the banjo, while drummer Chris Gaylor listens to classical music. It may seem like a stark contrast to the pop rock sounds they produce today, but this is probably what makes AAR so musically diverse and unique.

Wheeler and Gaylor both attribute their greatest musical influences to their fathers’ music choices, which range from Kenny G to Rick Raymond. The band’s all-time favourite is English rock band Queen, to the extent

PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

that Wheeler sports a tattoo of Queen on his left arm.

Talking about the ideas behind the production of their latest album, Wheeler said, “The theme for making the album is to have something real in the midst of all the watered down music produced today that is simply overwhelming.”

This time round, the band has grown to produce a more mature sound without losing their original style and edge. In this record, the band also performs a duet with The Pierces, Another Heart Calls, which is something they have never done before.

W hile t his is A A R’s f irst time in Singapore, they were eager to meet and greet everyone. What really appealed to me was their humility and warm presence despite the long sessions of interviews. They may call themselves Rejects but they certainly have this writer’s stamp of approval.

-Erica Ng

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review

THEATRE The Caveman speaks Singapore-based thespian Daniel Jenkins talks to Goh Qian Yi on superstitions, his childhood amibitions and even, sex.

Which play/musical do you secretly dislike?

Now, it’s probably just me, but I’ve always found Chekhov to be a bit boring. I know I am probably a philistine, and I haven’t seen a good enough production, and I know the man is obviously a genius playwright, but come on, I reckon most people secretly think his plays are a bit dull.

What is your most challenging role to date and why?

I think most roles are challenging for d i f fe r e nt r e a s on s . T h e P ill o w m an wa s a c ha l le nge emotionally. For A Midsummer Night’s Dream, it was the language and the heat (we performed in Fort Canning). And in Cabaret I had to sing and dance. However, probably the most challenging so far is this role in Defending the Caveman.

Being a one-man show, there is obviously a lot of lines to learn and being on stage for the whole show demands an enormous amount of concentration.

If you were a stage light, what colour would you be and why?

I think I would be red. Dark, sultry and mysterious, red always adds a bit of danger and atmosphere.

Quite the opposite of me but hey

if I’m a light I might as well be something exciting right?

Do you have any superstitions or rituals while on stage, such as saying the M word?

(Shakespeare's famous Scottish play)

Not really, I try to prepare mentally and physically before a show with a good warm up and I focus on what it is I have to do. I also usually walk through the show on the stage before we begin, to get a feel of the theatre and mentally visualise myself performing the play. This helps me to concentrate and focus. Oh of course there is also the lucky underpants, socks, rabbit’s foot, four leaf clover and horseshoe I keep in my dressing room.

What was your childhood ambition?

When I was very young I wanted to be a policeman. Chasing bad guys seemed ver y glamorous at the time. Then as I grew up and realised the amount of work and danger involved, I decided it would be much more fun to just pretend to be a policeman instead.

In fact pretending allows me to do all sorts of jobs without actually having to do them.

When and what made you decide to pursue a career in theatre?

My dad was a director at the BBC so I guess you could say it was in my genes. But it was really my mum who encouraged me. She was always very supportive, never pushy and just supported me and advised me. I think without her help and guidance I would not be where I am today, so thanks mum.

“Then as I grew up and realised the amount of work and danger involved, I decided it would be more fun to just pretend.”

Daniel Jenkins on his ambition to be a policeman and what became of it.

Tell us the truth: are theatre actors really underpaid?

DEFINITELY! Most working actors in Singapore today have to do other jobs to supplement their income, as acting really does not pay well. Hopefully at some point the powers-that-be will realise that if they want the theatre and performance scene to grow and develop, they have to pay decent wages.

Do you believe in a superior sex and why?

Well I think it depends on the couple really, missionary is the

PHOTO | COURTESY

usual, but the woman on top or doggy style has its advantages.

Oh hold on, that’s not what you meant right? Um ok then I guess I should say men. Or maybe women.

Yes definitely women. If I don’t say that my wife will kill me.

If you were to be an influential woman, who would you want to be?

It would be quite fun to be any woman for a day, influential or not. Just think of all the fun a man can have.

Tell us three things we never knew about you.

Believe it or not, I used to have long hair in the '80s. I have never driven a car although I’d like to and I hate baked beans.

Catch Daniel Jenkins in Defending The Caveman, playing at DBS Arts Centre — Home of SRT from 11-15 March 2009. Tickets available from Sistic at $40 each, not inclusive of $3 surcharge.

Revelations What

Epiphany Theatre One of the plays, Orange Static, written by Brennan Kwa won first place in the 24-hour playwriting competition organized by Epiphany last year.

PHOTO | COURTESY

EPIPHANY recently performed a series of short plays at the ADM (School of Art, Design and Media) auditorium on February 17th.

The evening kicked off with A Threesome written by Chrystella Prathap. More a set of monologues between three different women than a play, Threesome featured some decent acting from the cast.

However the extremely dramatic and theatrical treatment spoiled what could have been a solid albeit slightly preachy play.

The second in line Orange Static had three actors playing the same man from childhood to middle age and right to old age bringing up the age old question: Do we become our parents? Written by Brennan Kwa, the play featured excellent acting while managing to provoke some interesting ideas.

The third and arguably the best play was an adaptation of David Ives' extremely popular Words Words Words. Based on the infinite monkeys theorem, three monkeys

test the hypothesis that they would produce Hamlet if they typed randomly at a keyboard. Featuring numerous funny lines that make a dig at popular literature, solid acting in Words brought the house down.

The last and only play that felt like a full fledged one, barcorders. net was set in the near future in Singapore where every citizen had to get a barcode. This gave him a number of his online profile which revealed every intimate detail from his life right down to his family history.

A disturbing and occasionally f unny play, it looked at how te c h nolog y wa s r eac h i ng a stage where privacy was being breached.

Putting the audience in a pensive mood, it was a perfect way to end a night of fun. While NTU's talents are definitely capable, the line between great acting and over acting is a fine one.

-Karthik Sankar

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tech review

Seventh Heaven

Released recently to the public, the Windows 7 beta seems to far exceed everyone s expectation. Kenneth Chew shares his wonderful experience AFTER the Windows Vista debacle, many felt that Microsoft had to get the next edition of its Windows operating system (OS) right, for it was the least they owed to its large user base.

Microsoft has done very well by listening to the public’s complaints about this train wreck.

Annoyances like the overzealous User Account Control (UAC), a security feature that stops unauthorised changes, and the resource-hogging ‘Aero’, the graphical user interface, have been overhauled.

T he r e s u lt i s a fa nta s t ic blend bet ween stabi l it y a nd performance.

Even in beta, Windows 7 has rock-solid stability levels approaching that of the ‘techsumer’ favourite Windows XP SP3, while featuring the intuitive and graphical ‘Aero’ interface of Vista.

One would expect such an improved OS to require the latest c ut t i ng- e dge h a r dwa r e , but Microsoft has promised that any computer running Windows XP will be able to run Windows 7.

A nd for once, t hat is not simply just marketing propaganda.

Various sites report that netbooks run well with it, even though it has not been customised for such systems. My two systems, an Intel Core 2 Duo laptop which I have owned for more than a year and a five-year-old DIY desktop have both been running blazing fast with it for over a month.

For a start, installing Windows 7, booting up and shutting down the system, and the entire range of e ve r yd ay t a s k s , s uc h a s transferring files and burning discs, have been faster than any

T H E G r ou p Sp e c i a l M obi le A s soc iat ion ( GSM A) a nd 17 leading mobile operators and manufacturers have agreed to use a standard universal charger for upcoming models of mobile phones.

With this new initiative, the GSMA hopes to ensure that the mobile industry adopts a standard format for mobile phone charger connections and more energyefficient chargers. This will result in an estimated 50% reduction in standby energy consumption, thereby potentially eliminating up to 51,000 tonnes of duplicate chargers.

tech flash AMA ZON.COM WILL BEGIN selling e-books for reading on Apple’s popular iPhone and iPod Touch using a free application, Kindle for iPhone and iPod Touch, from Apple’s App Store. The software will give them full access to the 24,000 e-books for sale on Amazon.com, which include a majority of the best sellers.

AT L A S S O U N D & V I S I O N introduces the Bose® SoundDock® Series II digital music system for iPod and iPhone in Singapore.

This stylish speaker unit is the first certified iPhone compatible SoundDock® system and boasts high quality audio performance with an enhanced look and added functionality.

(ABOVE) AERO PEEK: The new “Show Desktop” button.

(RIGHT) THE SUPERBAR: Hover over a taskbar icon to see a thumbnail of that program. Hover over the thumbnail to see a preview of that program in full view.

PHOTOS | KENNETH CHEW

versions of Windows XP or Vista.

Popular technology website ZDNet found Windows 7 to triumph in 21 out of a 23-item performance test of such tasks.

Performances in games have also been found to be 10% to 20% faster without any complications to the system.

T he i mprovement s i n t he user interface (UI) have been tremendous — most apparent is the new taskbar at the bottom of the screen, dubbed the ‘Superbar’.

Akin to the dock of Mac OS X, it is a feature-rich all-inone application launcher whose functioning is hard to describe in mere pictures and words.

Applications can be ‘pinned’ to the taskbar for easy launching and hovering over an icon shows a preview of a window. With ‘Aero Snap’, a simple but powerful new feature makes organising

windows on your desktop a joy.

The little tool snaps to the edges of the screen or next to each other intuitively, making for a much cleaner-cut interface.

The result is a fantastic blend between stability and performance The latest versions of Media Player 12, Internet Explorer 8, and other applications like Paint and Wordpad have also been included.

On t he ot he r ha nd , nonessential software such as Windows Live Messenger have been removed to provide a clean base for the user

to customize.

As a whole, the improvements on Windows 7 are tremendous and too numerous to list. Most are intuitive enhancements that one will only discover after actually using the OS. Wit h t he beta ver sion of Windows 7 already that good for everyday use, one can only expect fantastic things from the release version when it goes on sale six months to one year from now.

From the gamer, to the student, to the typical user who just needs a good, stable and user-friendly OS, there is truly something for everyone.

Windows 7 was released for a limited public beta on January 9th 2009. The release candidate (RC) is speculated to be available for sale within a few months to a year’s time.

A Universal Standard Mobile Charger CAMERON NG

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Besides the positive benefits to the environment, a universal standard charger will remove the hassles and worries of not having the right charger.

By Januar y 1st, 2012, the agreement between GSMA and the mobile companies will see a ‘universal charging solution’ (UCS) being used worldwide, with the Micro-USB technology as the common universal charging interface.

The majority of all new mobile phone models will suppor t a universal charging connector, and most of the chargers shipped with the mobile phones will have to meet the high efficiency targets set by the OMTP (Open Mobile Terminal Platform), the industry

body behind the development of the technical requirements of the UCS.

A universal standard charger will remove the hassles and worries of not having the right charger So far, the companies that have jumped on board this new initiative include LG, Motorola, Nok ia,

Samsung, and Sony Er icsson among others. Most conspicuously missing from this list is iPhone maker Apple.

“Moving toward a universal charger is a good thing considering the life of cellphones,” remarked Casey Harrell, a toxics campaigner with Greenpeace. “I don’t know why [Apple] didn’t join, but a universal standard is not truly universal unless all the big manufacturers are taking part.”

Apple has been marketing its own environmentally-friendly aspect of its new products in the past year. It is possible for Apple to adopt the new universal charger standard, and reinforce its image as a company that cares about the environment.

APPLE REVAMPS ITS ENTIRE Mac lineup with more power. The new iMac line runs on the much awaited NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics card. New Mac minis will also deliver up to five times better graphics performance through the same NVIDIA cards. The Mac Pro now runs on the NVIDIA GeForce GT120 graphics card and is powered

by Intel’s latest “Nehalem” Xeon processors.

NVIDIA INTRODUCES GRAPHICS processing units (GPUs) in four separate categories that push performance to the highest levels ever achieved in enthusiast and high-performance notebooks.

XFX UNLEASHES CORE EDITION graphics cards that will provide gamers with optimal levels of performance, speed and user experience.

FLICKR IS NOW OPENING A video channel for everyone which was previously restricted to paying customers only. Pro users will also get the ability to upload in highdefinition.

PANASONIC INTRODUCES THE LUMIX DMC-GH1 as a new member of the LUMIX G Micro System of new generation interchangeable lens system cameras. The LUMIX G Micro System combines a downsized body with advanced functions that achieve both easy operation and comfort.

AMD REVEALS THE WORLD’S first graphics processors to harness 4 0nm process technology: the AT I Mobilit y Radeon HD 4860 and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4830. The new 40nm production process allows n ot e b o o k m a n u f a c t u r e r s t o deliver more graphics horsepower in a smaller chip, ideal for smaller notebooks.

ASUS UNVEILS A LAMBORGHINI laptop that comes with a 1TB solid-state drive (SSD) , a 16inch HD display, a Blu-ray drive and leather-covered panel rests.

The Asus Lamborghini VX5’s LCD cover is designed to remind users of the L amborghin Reventon sp or t s c ar ’s aluminum - alloy fuselage.

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SURF N SW

Relive the Surf n Sweat 20 Editors Irwin Tan and Zo exhilarating journey of surfing, beach volleyball a spor

WEAT 2009

009 experience as Photo oe Lim bring you on an frisbee, truck-tugging, and many other exciting rts.

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

dapper: your essential style guide

show

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Clockwise from left: Colourful Eastpak backpack, $89, from Eastpak; Nike ‘Pushead’ low-rise dunks, $420, from Warped Yakpak robots express messenger, $69.90, from Spin The Bottle; Nike Vandal Supreme, $200, from Warped Army print Eastpak backpack, $79, from Eastpak; Nike ‘Stussy World Tour’ London high-cut dunks, $360, from Warped

Photographer Foo Chee Chang (chang-photography.com) Photography Assistants Ahmad Iskandar Prayudi Utomo

Lugging your laptop and thick textbooks around for hours at a go is no easy feat when you’re traversing the many hills and troughs of our campus grounds. Dapper Editors Carina Koh and Audrey Tsen show you how to lighten your load with style that doesn’t compromise comfort. Check out these psychedelic backpacks and sneakers that will spice up any outfit instantly.

Clockwise from left: Yakpak Hyphy range houndstooth backpack, $65, from Spin The Bottle; Nike ‘Appetite for Destruction’ low-rise dunks, $169, from Warped Yakpak City Scape express messenger, $69.90, from Spin The Bottle; Nike Air Jordan I low-rise dunks, $129, from Warped Yakpak Hyphy range checkered backpack, $65, from Spin The Bottle; Nike ‘Destroyers’ high-cut dunks, $250, from Warped

Stockists Warped 03-119 Far East Plaza Spin The Bottle 03-06 The Heeren Eastpak 04-27 The Heeren

本地孤儿不相信 梁文音是歌手 —— 刊26页

新闻 南大校园血案

奖学金●毕业专题●线上游戏 对学生造成的困扰有多大？ 上周一起骇人听闻的校园血案震惊南大全体师 生，并引起社会大众的热烈讨论。根据《联合 晚报》揣测，可能导致黄必明袭击陈及鹿副教 授的原因共有3种。 中文副编辑黄顺杰采访了数名南大师生与相关 社会人士，看看这些因素是否足以构成学生的 困扰。

因素(1)：奖学金得主压力大？

据

校方发表的文告显示， 黄必明的亚细安奖学金 得主资格已在上个月被取消。 有报道指出，这或许是促使黄 必明失控犯案的原因。 在大多数人眼中，顶着奖学 金光环的学生都被认定是成绩 优异的高才生，而这或给这些 学生带来无形的压力。 获得亚细安奖学金从泰国到 本地求学的Pim（19岁）受访 时指出，奖学金规定学生的累 计平均积点（Cumulative Grade Point Average）需维持在3.5以 上，因此确保成绩符合标准确 实有一定的压力。但她认为， 这并不是一切压力的源头。 目前就读于南洋商学院商

科一年级的Pim说：“我最 大的压力其实来自于本地学 生。我觉得他们非常努力、 很用功。所以无论我再怎么 拼，似乎都还是不够。” 她也指出，除了学业 外，文化、信仰与风俗习惯 上的差异也为她造成一定程 度的困扰。 获颁南洋奖学金的本地 学生熊爱玲（22岁）则认 为，奖学金提供单位所设下 的标准相当合理。 就读商科三年级的她 说：“3.5的累计平均积点 属于中等成绩，只要多努 力、不松懈，要达到标准并 不难。”

因素（3）：线上游戏魔力大？

据

好友透露，黄必明生前 沉迷于线上游戏（cyber games），尤其是“DotA” （Defence of the Ancients）。 虚拟的科幻世界究竟能否使人 变得暴力，导致行为反常，甚 至失去理智、分不清虚拟与现 实？ 新加坡线上运动与网络游戏 协会秘书Ooi Yi-An（23岁）认 为，自我控制能力不足是导致 暴力行为的关键，线上游戏并 非问题的根源。 南大线上游戏学会会长何品 谚（24岁）对此也持有相同看 法。 他指出，不论“DotA” 或《魔兽世界》（World of Warcraft），这两个游戏都没 有过于血腥的斩首镜头，因此 不至于使玩家变得暴力。 不过，据记者了解，有些 线上游戏确实过度暴力。风靡 一时的“反恐精英”（Counter Strike）2D射击游戏就包括近 距离的血腥画面。 可是，自认对线上游戏沉 迷成瘾的黄金辉传播与信息学

院一年级生李承春（22岁）认 为，只要时刻警惕自己，就不 会混淆虚构与真实的世界。 他说：“有些时候，我的确 会对游戏中的其他玩家感到非 常气愤，但我绝不会将这股愤 怒发泄在现实生活中的任何一 个人身上。” 他也指出，玩线上游戏是一 种逃避现实的方式，因此能在 一定程度上协助舒缓压力。

World of Warcraft游戏画面。 照片|网络下载

因素(2)：毕业作业压力大？

有

媒体报道指出，黄必明 在行刺前，正与教授讨 论即将呈上初稿的毕业专题作 业。因此，论文的连带压力顿 时也成了焦点之一。 一位不愿具名的电机与电子 工程学院四年级生受询时说， 学生在准备毕业专题作业期间 往往对自己有很高的期望，所 以压力在所难免。但她认为， 除了论文，压力抑或由其他状 况造成。 她说：“压力也可被视为 一种挑战，关键在于你怎么 看。” 此外，她也透露，负责督 导毕业专题作业的教授职责只

是“确保该有的都有”， 并不会对学生过于严苛。 执教于电机与电子工程 学院的王瑞海副教授受访时 坦言，在准备论文的非常时 期，学生面对的压力确实相 当大。但他认为，学生若碰 到难题，大可向教授求助。 他说：“在校（指工学 院）4年当中，每一名学生 都会认识至少30、40名教 授。所以学生有困难，都可 以找我们谈。” 王副教授透露，如果事 态严重，教授们会安排学生 到专业辅导员那里接受辅 导。

事件背景 期中假期结束后开 学的第一天，骇人听闻 的校园血案震惊全校， 更引起全国上下密切关 注。 事发当天早上，就 读电机与电子工程学院 四年级的印尼华裔黄 必明（David Hartanto Widjaja，21岁）持刀刺 伤担任他毕业专题作业 （Final Year Project）的 导师陈及鹿副教授后， 从5层楼高的大楼衔接通 道坠楼身亡。 据本地媒体报道， 黄必明在陈副教授的办 公室袭击他前，正与后 者讨论毕业专题作业， 却突然不知何故，趁陈 副教授不注意，亮出刀 子，往他的背部捅去。 接着，两人也发生肢体 冲突。 随后，黄必明便出现 在衔接电机与电子工程 学院与科技研究大楼的 空中通道的顶盖，接着 跃身而下。 陈及鹿副教授遇袭后 被送往国大医院进行了 背部与手部手术，并在 3月4日出院，目前康复 情况良好。 据陈副教授的妻子陈 雪梅透露，陈副教授仍 需回院复诊，短期内将 无法恢复校内职务。 刺伤陈副教授后坠楼 身亡的陈必明遗体于3月 3日下午在万里火化场被 火化，骨灰已被父母带 回印尼雅加达。 欲知更多相关 报 道 ， 请 上 pulse.sg校园 新闻栏目。

更正 “形象提升课程——就 业的关键？”（Vol 15 No 8, 22页）

毕业专题作业对总成绩影响颇大，令学生们倍感压力。 摄影|刘思敏

本文图说应更正为“形 象提升课程对就业是否 有帮助，见仁见智。”

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The Cookie Museum 欧式情调品尝本土口味 洪慧敏●报道

你

能否想像置身18世纪的欧洲，品 尝着新鲜出炉的饼干，留香于齿 间的不是甜滋滋的巧克力味或肉桂香， 而是椰浆饭或冬炎海鲜等本土口味？ 坐落于滨海艺术中心商场里的The Cookie Museum（前身为The V Tea Room）就能让你亲身体验。 走进这间颇有情调的饼干专卖店， 除了典雅的设计以外，最引人瞩目的莫 过于店里极具本土风味的饼干，其中就 包括椰浆饭、江鱼仔、辣虾米和冬炎海 鲜等新奇口味。 椰浆饭口味的饼干有着花生和江鱼 仔混合的浓浓香味，而冬炎海鲜口味的 饼干吃起来则不会太辣，就连饼干表面 还真有虾、鱼等海鲜，非常独特。 店里摆放着一台精致的手推车，

提供不同口味的饼干样品，让顾客免费 试吃，找寻心仪的口味。 经理柯秋 也特别推荐Berry Lite口 味。饼干里包含澳洲坚果和蓝莓，吃起 来口感酥脆，甜而不腻。 柯经理透露，店里的饼干大多不含 鸡蛋和牛奶，糖份也相当低，对注重健 康的人来说是不错的选择。 The Cookie Museum也拥有自己的厨 房，饼干都是亲手制作的，而且每种口 味只制作大约200罐。店里每个月都会 研制10到15种新款的饼干口味，让顾客 试吃，从中得到反馈。 The Cookie Museum多样化的饼干口味包括独特的冬炎海鲜口味。 摄影|江岫颖

饼干博物馆 享受欧式情怀 The Cookie Museum的店面设计相当 典雅，散发着18世纪的欧洲色彩。 红色的壁纸配搭墙上金色框边的大 型镜子，而黑色平滑的地板也与金色圆 形柱子相衬。吊灯 的昏黄灯光加上店 里播放的英文歌曲 营造出一种悠闲的 氛围。 窗外繁忙的街景 更与店内烂漫惬意 的步调形成强烈对 比。 店里的许多家具 都采用了在欧洲盛 行一时的洛可可式 设计。朴素典雅的 橱柜装满了一罐罐 的饼干。

柯经理透露，店里精致的椅子是特 地从意大利订做的法国君王路易斯十六 氏时代的仿制品。 名为 “Museum Diary” 的菜单来头 也不小。柯经理说，封套可是老板与公 司职员一同到意大利的弗罗伦斯考察时 发现并带回来的。菜单的黑皮革封套加 上18世纪欧洲人画像的图案，仿佛是博 物馆里图文并茂的解说本子。 店里橱柜所摆放的一罐罐饼干就像 是博物馆里展示的文物，在这里享用下 午茶更让人有如置身博物馆的感觉。 如果你是第一次光顾，店员会带你 到店里的各角落介绍店里的食品，先了 解你的喜好再为你推荐适合你口味的茶 点。 若不知道想喝什么茶，顾客可到 店里的茶叶闻香角落（tea-sniffing corner）。顾客可以先闻茶叶，然后依 喜爱的香味点茶。

等待的同时，店员也会带顾客到摆 放酒精蛋糕的一角，向顾客介绍店内精 致的招牌糕点。 但是，一壶茶要价$12到$15，一罐 饼干的售价则介于$38到$45。想在舒适 且有格调的环境里品尝美味的茶点， 代价可不小。

The Cookie Museum 地址： Esplanade Mall 8 Raffles Avenue #01-02/04 Singapore 039802 营业时间： 星期一至四：中午12点至晚上10点半 星期五和六：中午12点至晚上11点半 星期天：中午12点至晚上9点

旅游

探索 鲜为人知 的 台湾

一提到台湾，你一定会想到台北101、士林夜市、阳明山和故宫博物 院。除了大家熟悉的台北，台湾这美丽的宝岛还有什么好玩的呢？记者 许美珠带你一起探索台湾鲜为人知的一面。

草莓篇@苗栗

箱

集邮

苗栗盛产草莓，所以到了那里一定不能忘记去采 草莓！ 除了新鲜的草莓，苗栗人还利用草莓做出许多不 同的食物，例如草莓娃娃冰、草莓爆米花、草莓贡丸 和草莓香肠，走到哪里都能看到草莓。

大海篇@花莲

花莲不仅只有太鲁阁的风景怡人，苏花公路 也非常漂亮！ 如果你延着苏花公路出发，你会看到由一望 无际的大海和碧蓝天空连成一线的美景，就好像 S.H.E《沿海公路的出口》MV里的画面。 如果有机会到石梯坪，记得去看美丽的浪花 打在岩石上，景观是十分壮观的！

黑道篇@绿岛 绿岛是台东市东边外海的绿色明珠， 是台湾的外岛。 绿岛有个绿洲山庄，而这其实就是早 期用来囚禁黑道大哥的监狱。 听绿岛的朋友透露，他小学的体育场 就是某个大哥出钱盖的！ 照片｜许美珠提供

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言论

公然亲热没有罪？

校园大声讲

外国学生应该 化压力为动力 鞠欣航

弗

雷德●史密斯（Fred Smith）曾经在1965年 向他的导师递交过一份作业， 他的导师只给了他刚刚及格的 分数——C。 6年以后，史密斯承受着巨 大的压力，将他只得了C的作 业投诸实践中，追求当年被耶 鲁大学教授否定的梦想。 在创业过程中，史密斯几乎 输光了了所有的家产，不仅负 债累累，还被自己的姐姐告上 法庭。 可是最终，我们看到了今天 年营业额高达196亿美元的世界 第一个快递公司——联邦快递 （FedEx）。 在南大，一名学生因为无 法承受压力及学习上的失败， 走上了绝望的不归路。 当社会各界人士对已故的 印尼学生表示哀悼和同情时， 是否想过如何才能使压力造就 成功，避免让它毁灭生命呢？ 针对本地学生而言，压力大 多数来自学校。但是，对于背 井离乡，在新加坡求学的外国 学生，他们所面对的压力并不 简单。 首先是学业上的压力。 在不同的教育系统下学习 需要很强的适应能力和学习能 力，所以在学习的过程中， 尤其是在不同的社会和语言背 景的情况下，失败是难免的。 学习没有捷径，只能持之以 恒，不懈地努力。 这个时候，如果可以正视 压力，用压力来鞭策自己， 就会达到自律的境界。更重要 的是，自律往往是决定学习成 败的关键因素。 其次是社交上的压力。

外国学生孤身一人来到新加 坡，必定会感到寂寞。 这个时候，除了和本国朋友 交流，外国学生不妨多试试结 交本地朋友来舒缓压力。 这样一来，外国学生不仅 可以学到更多的新加坡风俗 习惯，更方便日后融入社会。 隔阂感消失后，寂寞的感觉也 就愈变愈淡。 在金融海啸来袭的今天， 新加坡企业的“保护主义”也 越加明显。 这给外国学生的就业增加 了很大的压力。申请工作时， 由于国籍的缘故，外国学生费 尽周折才能找到适合自己的工 作。 但是外国学生需要认识到， 每个国家在金融危机的时候都 会先保护自己的国民，这是不 置可否的事实。 在这样的压力下，外国毕 业生似乎就应该在毕业前多多 交际，认识社会上不同的人， 和他们保持良好的关系，以便 日后需要他们一臂之力。 与其在假期游山玩水，外国 学生不如在假期多多寻求工作 机会增加经验，毕竟有些公司 还是十分青睐外国人的。 经验增加个人价值，实践增 长工作知识。 如果一个人既有经验又有知 识，那么他一定会是各大企业 的抢手的人才，就业压力在这 种情况下也能迎刃而解了。 无论什么样的压力，外国学 生都要试着以乐观的态度来看 待，并时刻铭记：压力只是生 命的一部分。 正如弗雷德●史密斯成功 地将压力转化为动力一样—— 静下心来，呼吸着充满热带岛 国气息的空气，也许你的压力 正在孕育着丰满的人生。

罗靖婷

近

几个星期，翻阅本地 报章时，不难发现青 少年“越轨”的新闻层出不 穷。 无论是在拥挤的地铁车 厢内深情缠绵，或是在组屋 楼梯间偷尝禁果，行为的尺 度之宽无不令人面红耳赤。 可见，公然亲热的举动不仅 迁入南大校园，也在公共场 所中显而易见，参与者年龄 也有年轻化的趋势。 这些青少年究竟有没有 自知之明？ 上个学期的某个晚上， 我无意间撞见一对男女鬼鬼 祟祟地从学校的楼梯间走出 来，女生还在整理上衣和裙 子。 前阵子，我又在校内目 睹两名外籍学生在大庭广众 下紧拥在一起，甚至不在乎 他人目光地亲吻起来。 我自认不是保守派，但 是我觉得身为学生就应该有 自己的一套规矩和原则。 谈恋爱，绝对行。然 而，如果超越界线，闯入 “禁区”，那绝对不行。 不久前，就读另一所本 地大学的男性友人向我“告

插图｜林玉琴

密”，说有一对情侣同居在他 的宿舍的同一层楼，偶尔还会 看到女生用厕所，或是从男生 的房间走出来。由于房间相隔 不远，有时甚至连不该听到的 声音都听得一清二楚。 当然，同样的行为并不仅限 于大学生。最近，在一起轰动 本地的师生乱伦恋中，一名32 岁小学女教师竟与15岁男学生 发生过多达6次性行为。 另外，一名身穿校服的少女 与少年男友在灯火通明的露天 停车场大搞“车震”，欢好声 引起附近居民的不满，更登上

本地报章头版。本地少年的行 为之猖狂，可见一斑。 偷尝禁果或许是片刻的情不 自禁，又或许只是一时好奇心 所驱，但是，女生倘若怀孕， 后果可就不堪设想了。 因此，我们应当自己的“训 导主任”，在适当的时候给予 自己严厉的警告，以免铸成大 错。 朋友更应该互相检视，若 发现身边有人不慎踏入“禁 区”，请赶紧向他出示警告 的“红卡”，否则真正后悔时 也已于事无补。

重来好不好？

插图｜黄郁雯

黄云珊

人

压力可能把人逼上绝路。 摄影|陈奕龙

哇，好羡慕喔！

我 说 不 行 ！

生道路，充满未知 数。 时而惊喜，也不 时荆棘载途。 当今社会理想主义， 对诸多事物样样要求完美。 但人非圣贤，一旦犯了错或 误了时机，能够重来的机会

又有多少呢？ 以去年的淫照风波为 例，对于男主角陈冠希，民众 该批评的也批了，可诅咒的也 都咒了。丑事曝光后，当事人 不由得不勇敢向大众道歉。 身为当红艺人的陈冠希能够 有如此的勇气认错，再以宣布 退出影圈当处分，已属难得。 日前，陈冠希在丑闻爆发后 首度以嘉宾身份来到新加坡为 一家国际快餐连锁店与知名运 动品牌友情站台。 毋庸置疑，这引起了新一波 的不满和抗议的情绪。但值得 一提的是，在一片吐嘈声中仍 有仁慈宽恕的人士存在。 新加坡政府成立黄丝带计划 以提倡国人给予前犯人改过的 机会。 倘若我们能够敞开胸怀， 试着原谅曾经违法的罪犯，又 为何不能以同样的宽容之心对 待知错能改的人，让他们重来 呢？

另外，人在情路上，也可能 需要重来的机会。 选择分手后，有人坚信好马 不吃回头草，也有人认为旧爱 还是最美。 很多时候，分分合合的恋情 不过是因为眷恋和习惯，最后 仍覆水难收。教人感叹的是， 被榨干的感情始终会枯萎。

倘若我们能够敞开 胸怀，试着原谅曾 经违法的罪犯，又 为何不能以同样的 宽容之心对待知错 能改的人? 事事无绝对，那些坚决不回 头的，千万勿排除破镜重圆的 可能性。因为当你蓦然回首， 你的真命天子或许就在灯火阑 珊处。 要重来，可以，但除了天时 地利人和，也真的需要很大的 勇气。

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娱乐

本地孤儿不相信 梁文音是歌手 邓熙玮●报道

梁

文音走访本地儿童收容 所，孩子们都不相信她 是歌手。 台湾星光二班亚军梁文音 日前来新宣传首张个人专辑 《爱的诗篇》，走访了本地儿 童收容所，被孩子们一再追 问：“You’re a singer?” 梁文音笑着说：“为了说服 那些孩子，我叫宣传人员给他 们看我的专辑。他们看了还是 怀疑，最后我只好唱歌给他们 听。” 梁文音因父母早逝，被送入 儿童收容所。看见本地收容所 设施齐全，梁文音直叹：“孩 子们好像是住在六星级的酒店 一样。” 为了部落而努力 被问及现在最想做什么时， 梁文音表示，希望有一天能带 自己原住民部落的亲戚朋友们 一起出来玩。 但她坦言：“需要的费用应 该会很大，因为我的部落实在

是太大了。不过，他们是我努 力的原动力。” 梁文音说：“我的部落里 有个广播器，每当我出场（比 赛）时，村民就会发出广播， 通知全部人停止手边的工作， 去看电视。” 也因为如此，尽管从小就失 去父母，梁文音一直都觉得自 己的生活从不缺少爱。爱与幸 福也顺理成章成了这张专辑的 主题。 梁文音认为，她的专辑就好 像是一本书，里头全都与爱有 关。 她表示，希望以自己的声音 来感动别人，分享自己的爱。

“我的部落里有个 广播器，每当我出 场（比赛）时，村 民就会发出广播， 通知全部人停止手 边的工作，去看电 视。” 梁文音 台湾歌手

本地组合“2个女生” 重拾麦克风 也重拾笑容

尽管父母早逝，梁文音觉得自己的生活从不缺少爱。 摄影|林佐伊 梁文音说，她小时候曾参加 合唱团，并到新加坡演出。 当她看见观众听了合唱团的 歌声后感动落泪时，她就希望 长大后也能有如此的喧染力。

记者会主持人杨君伟坦言， 自己喜欢梁文音的声音，并把 她的主打歌“最幸福的事”作

歌路不同 不怕被比较 出身自第二届《超级星光大

道》的梁文音被问及是否介意 别人拿自己同其他星光歌手比 较时，她认为，由于大家从比 赛开始所演唱的歌路就很不一 样，所以不怕被比较。 另外，也有人说梁文音的歌 声酷似张清芳，令梁文音相当 惊喜。 她说：“我真的有点不敢恭 维。我在比赛时就曾唱过张清 芳的歌，真的很开心有人说我 的声音像她。”

“2个女生”重拾笑容，也 重拾了麦克风，回到录音室。 永其表示感觉很好，但还蛮紧 张的。 她说：“毕竟好久没录音 了。第一次进入录音室，我的 胃因紧张而在录音时出问题， 一边录，一边按摩肚子。可 是，还好孝芬（馥蔚）在。她 了解，让我休息和relax后再 录，后来也就顺利录好了。” 录完这首单曲，两人也不知 道什么时候还有机会再合唱。

家庭，过着平凡简单的生活。 永其笑说：“奇怪的是，我 还是不会感觉自己老了！我觉 得比以前更勇敢了，也更会珍 惜家人和朋友。” 她也说：“毕竟尝试在一个 完全不同的环境生活，交新朋 友，认识不同的文化，再重新 地建立自己的生活圈子。在感 恩之际，也让我懂得珍惜。” 馥蔚则是更认识自己，变得 更有自信，处事待人方面也成 长了许多。 她说：“这期间，我遇到 了许多人和事。我觉得，不要 和别人比较。一个人的成功与

否，不是只用数字和拥有的地 位或金钱来衡量。” 如果要选一首歌送给对方， 她们会选哪一首呢？ 永其说：“当时要去芝加哥 时，应该是‘I’m ready to fly’ 或‘Faraway’吧！现在则是 《快乐是》，希望孝芬（馥 蔚）会一直快乐的生活着。” 馥蔚选择的当然是《重拾笑 容》。 “这首是我们友谊代表作， 就像歌词所唱的：‘Ole to you my dear friend，无论相隔多远 只要你过得快乐，你能如常所 愿！’”

主打歌当作起床歌 梁文音：叫得醒吗？

“一个人的成功与 否，不是只用数字 和拥有的地位或金 钱来衡量。”

为手机闹钟铃声，早上把自 己叫醒。梁文音立即反应说： “叫得醒吗? ” 梁文音透露，自己喜欢用 hip-hop或比较有律动的音乐叫 自己起床。由于专辑里的歌太 过抒情，因此根本不可能叫醒 自己。

杨馥蔚 2个女生

暌违8年， “2个女生”再度合作，推出单曲。 照片|受访者提供

徐益芳●报道

杨

馥蔚以一首创作歌曲纪 念“2个女生”之间的友 谊，让廖永其不禁落泪，也让 这个团体在解散近8年后再度聚 首，推出单曲《重拾笑容》。 2001年，本地女子组合“2 个女生”与唱片公司约满后便

解散，杨馥蔚（原名杨孝芬） 和廖永其也各奔东西。 去年9月，杨馥蔚在网上告 诉廖永其，自己其实在5年前写 了一首歌《重拾笑容》，纪念 她们的友谊。 永其坦言，自己听了歌 曲后，不禁哭了，还告诉馥 蔚：“我不知道可不可以录 唱，因为我一听就会哭。”

馥蔚说：“这次是刚好碰到 Justine（永其）回新两个月。 为了庆祝‘2个女生’25年友 谊，也为了回馈歌友出单曲， 感谢大家多年来的支持。接下 来要看‘天时地利人合’，也 要靠大家对单曲 《重拾笑容》 的反应来决定下一步。” 在过去的7年里，永其在美 国芝加哥组织了自己的幸福小

当年仍显羞涩的廖永其（左）与杨馥蔚。 照片|EMI提供

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影评 电影播映室

乐评 音乐Jukebox

韵味不足 不够味儿

专辑：《2008年黄小琥 世界巡回演唱会Live DVD》 歌手：黄小琥 推荐：《你是我的眼》

星

电影：《梅兰芳》 导演：陈凯歌 主要演员：黎明、章子怡

听

说陈凯歌要拍《梅兰芳》的时 候，脑中便闪现出一幅陈导仰天 长啸的画面: “我要翻身！”。 《霸王别姬》的成功绝对是陈凯歌 导演事业上最辉煌的一页，更是一个陈 导15年来始终无法超越的瓶颈。 电影有两种成功方式——一种是赤 裸裸地冲击观众的神经，像《霸王别 姬》；第二种就是在你的心上“挠痒 痒”。后者就是《梅兰芳》的策略，却 似乎没有把握好力度。 影片很明显地分成3个部分，但对于

最能打动人又最能让演员发挥的梅兰芳 与孟小冬之恋的部分，陈导却似乎过于 吝啬。 黎明与章子怡的对手戏过少，情绪 刚要牵动我神经的时候，陈导却镜头一 转，改为侧面刻画，顿时让人觉得索然 无味。 画面的时代感也略显不足，少数令 人惊叹的镜头也没有对影片整体氛围的 烘托起着实质性的作用。 章子怡在剧中的表现恰到好处，但 局限于人物性格，也没有特别出色的发 挥。 也许是一开始对《梅兰芳》的期望 太高了吧，总觉得部女版《霸王别姬》 不够味儿！（文／林茂清）

别把爱情看得太复杂



光评审黄小琥卸下了“灭绝师 太”的身份，打着“Any Song!

Any Key! Any Time! Any Tempo!”的 招牌，展开世界巡回演唱会，却显露出 天后并非无所不能。 演唱会影音全纪录收录了中英台三 语的经典歌曲，其中包括《舞娘》与 《爱无赦》。黄小琥以略带阳刚味的嗓 音重新演绎蔡依林的经典舞曲效果如 何？坦白说，是有点不舒服。 黄小琥在演唱会上还换上性感的爆 乳装大秀舞艺，展露出“灭绝师太”妩 媚的一面。师太勇气可嘉，观众却不敢恭维。 黄小琥也在演唱会上献唱了星光金曲《背叛》和《你是我的眼》，真正表现 出她“Pub女皇”的风范。天后爆发力十足的醉人歌声搭配上这些耳熟能详的 经典词曲，表现出不同于杨宗纬和林宥嘉的风格。 如果想要知道一种声音能够呈现出多少不同的变化，你或许会欣赏黄小琥 这回在音乐上的自我突破。但是，天后实力再坚强，也有不该触碰的领域。 （文／萧佳慧）

专辑：《希望·爱》 歌手：刘德华 推荐：《一晚长大》

刘



德华在上张专辑《一只牛的异世 界》里大玩音乐元素的苦心似乎 并不讨好，沉寂两年发行的最新专辑 《希望·爱》，又回到了刘天王一惯的 大众路线。 和刘天王之前的专辑一样，实在找 不出一首深入人心“经典”之作。反而 《I Do》中舒淇的声音让人耳朵一亮。 主打歌《一晚长大》是典型的刘氏励志作品，勉励大家在金融危机时期积极 乐观面对人生。但苦于刘天王一直无法突破的哭腔和过于普通的声线，音乐感 染力本身大打折扣。 在专辑收录的四首国语歌曲中，我们听到了刘天王为Beyond经典作品《海阔 天空》重新填词的国语作品《承诺》。以这首在汶川大地震时广为流传的公益 歌曲结尾，得却让人感受到希望，感受到爱。 发行前就有将近半数的歌曲曝光，这张专辑更像是履行义务的应时之作。似 乎刘天王更想借此专辑传达《希望·爱》这个主题，而不是带给歌迷们最新的 作品。（文／林茂清）

专辑：《J世纪 大牌新曲精选盘》 歌手：蔡依林 推荐：《耍大牌》

蔡

电影：《游龙戏凤》 导演：刘伟强 主演演员：刘德华、舒淇、何韵诗

尽

管知道这世界上没有完美的情人 或爱情，但还是要相信，只要你 有心，努力去争取，幸福会降临在你身 上。 刘德华在剧中饰演一名情路坎坷却 始终相信总有一天会找到真命天女的亿 万富豪，而这个女人就是由舒淇所饰演 的艳舞女郎——米兰。 除了刘德华和舒淇的童话般的爱情 以外，剧中的另外两段爱情故事也探讨

了爱情路上所会出现的问题。 旁人的闲言闲语，一点也不重要。 重要的是，你喜不喜欢对方。就这么简 单。爱情中种种问题都是因为大人们自 己想太多，把爱情看得太复杂。 但是，剧中主角通过电视节目示 爱，却似乎透露了错误的观念。爱情本 来就是两个人的事，为什么非要在全国 观众的见证下才能表露真情意？这也许 正是所谓的戏剧效果吧。 不过，这部爱情喜剧仍能让观众会 心一笑。刘伟强导演觉得都市人的生活 紧张，需要一些轻松的电影。这一点， 他做到了。（文／王春雁）



依林加盟华纳，即将在月底发行 新专辑《花蝴蝶》，旧东家金牌 大风（前为EMI）却抢先推出了《J世 纪 大牌新曲精选盘》，势必要抢捞最后 一笔。 说这是一张“精选”，倒不如说是 蔡依林在旧东家的全纪录。蔡依林在金 牌大风发行过的歌曲，几乎都收录在这 张专辑中。歌曲根本没有经过“精心挑 选”，又何谓“精选”？但是，3年来 对蔡依林的专辑只是心动却没行动的歌 迷们应该乐翻了！ 专辑中的新歌也并非“新歌”，因 为《惯性背叛》和《耍大牌》都是早已 录制却未发表的“存货”。《惯性背 叛》延续《舞娘》、《唯舞独尊》和《特务J》的“玩节奏”风潮，再次显露蔡 依林在舞曲方面的独特性；《惯性背叛》却只是首普普通通的情歌。 从2001年至今，每当蔡依林或周杰伦发片，媒体总会将专辑歌曲与“双J 恋”作联想，这次也不例外。《惯性背叛》和《耍大牌》都被指出是影射旧情 人周董的“耍大牌”和“惯性背叛”等坏习惯。可见，媒体永远不会对“双J 恋”的炒作感到厌倦，但观众未必还有兴趣。（文／萧佳慧）

Opinion

“Should signs around campus be made more friendly?”

Page 31

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Why the laughter?

After the tragedy that occurred last Monday, the university community reacted swiftly, with news of the incident spreading across campus.

The university was quick to rally together publicly, with NTU President Dr Su Guaning leading the call for the school to “not speculate on what led to the tragedy, but to focus instead on the healing and support of all those traumatised by it”.

Indeed, rather than being vilified, David Hartanto Widjaja was sympathized with.

Associate Professor Chan Kap Luk, who was attacked, also expressed his regret that he could not help his student earlier.

Over 100 students and staff also attended Widjaja’s funeral service in a show of respect.

However, simmering below the display of support lies a torrent of harshness.

I n s t e a d of a s h o w of concern, certain segments of the university community have come up with offensive jokes and callous comments.

It may be a display of black

humour—an attempt to deal with the overwhelming nature of the situation.

Nevertheless, it is in poor taste to ma ke light of t he situation, especially when the full story behind the incident is not yet clear.

Wit t y reinter pretat ions of acrony m s, a l lu sion s to gaming terms and even the mainstreaming of the term “stabbing”—this is not the way to close the chapter on one of the most shocking events to happen on our campus.

Rather than always being quick to laugh things off, even and especially when they are of such magnitude, perhaps it is time for a shift in our attitudes.

Due to the stigma of mental hea lt h issues, people who need help may end up being overlooked.

It is time for us to take a moment to reflect on how callous it is to make a mockery of a fellow student, who was driven to such extreme measures.

Laughter is not the best medicine in this case.

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 Reviews editor Law Shi Ming Elizabeth dapper editors Koh Fang Ting Carina Tsen Si Jia Audrey Chinese editors Seow Kia Hui Ng Soon Kiat opinion editors Shahida Bte Hassim Shereen Naaz Charles

sports editors Tham Hui Min Tiffany Xue Jianyue TECH editor Kenneth Wee Zhi Qiang 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

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

ONLINE editor Kuek Jinhua business managers Teo Xin Wen Jean Yong Sze Yean Joyce production support Ng Heng Ghee Teacher advisors Andrew Duffy Javed Nazir Xu Xiaoge

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

Sarah Amnah Zaihan graphics editor

I

have a cla ssmate who is punctual, meets deadlines, and keeps to herself. But when she is out of school, she transforms into a party animal, hitting the clubs with the most popular crowd surrounding her. You would not believe that they are the same person.

There are many of us who lead double lives. While not as drastic as a Jekyll and Hyde transformation, the switch between dual lives is still common enough for most of us to relate to.

For those who practise it, the reason is simple—never mix business with pleasure. Keep the real fun out of school.

I would first like to clarify what ‘school’ means. A school is defined as “any institution primarily concerned with education”, which is the reason why we come to school in the first place—to be educated. It does not include parties and having a ‘wild’ time.

While I am not against an entertainment village on campus, chances are that it will be a distraction. Imagine going for a lecture, willing it to end so you can quickly make your way to catch a movie before your next lecture.

On the other hand, if you take school time as time to study, then the whole situation might just work better. After all, at the end of the day, there will be time to enjoy yourself.

I suppose you could see it as time management as well.

I also believe that there has to be some level of professionalism when you work with your schoolmates.

How much they know about you, or how much you choose to reveal to them, could affect this relationship.

How would you feel if your project group mate turned up for a meeting, his or her breath reeking of alcohol and cigarettes, having just returned from a party?

Similarly, your reputation can work against you in school, when instead of realising your potential, no one wants to work with you because you have a “party-girl” reputation.

Different people see different aspects of who you are. We should understand that there are certain types of behaviours to observe in certain places. And, if anything, others will appreciate you for your work ethics.

I believe that there is a time and environment for everything, and while you may wish to have fun in school, it is much wiser to save your antics.

Now, before you write me off as some party pooper, I assure you that I am not against the idea of having fun in school.

On the contrar y, I believe some form of campus involvement is impor tant. That is why we have co-curricular activities, and events held by the school for us to unwind.

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

But the next time you take pity on the girl who eats alone during lunch, or the quiet guy in class who does not seem to have any friends, think again, he may have more friends than your Facebook and phone book combined.

I stand by my mantra—Keep your school and personal life separate.

in pen on paper

Bringing you the thrills and spills of NTU life

GRAPHIC | LI LI YI

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opinion

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

Starts at at 40mm 40mm // 5mm 5mm apart apart from from top top story story Starts

Lonely Darwin in the Lion City Should Singapore be doing more to raise awareness towards evolution amongst her young?

Xue Jianyue

M

os t bi r t hd ay s a r e celebrated wit h a bi r t hday song and presents, or at least some form of

recognition.

But when Charles Darwin’s birthday came, most of Singapore was silent over one of the most iconic persons in Science.

In fact, 2009 marks not only the 200th anniversary of his birth, but also the 150th anniversary of his most famous work, The Origin of Species, which brought the theory of evolution into prominence.

This event originated in the US in the late 1990s.

The United Kingdom, the land of his birth, was particularly enthusiastic.

People threw him a party at the Natural Histor y Museum, printed out stamps in his honour, and offered free admission to the zoo for anyone sporting a beard in recognition of his famous facial hair.

Even in the US, where nearly six in every ten people reject the theor y of evolution, Dar win’s birthday has been long celebrated by ma ny—academ ics a nd secularists alike. In fact, across the world, celebrations dubbed the “Darwin Day” were held.

Although modern evolutionary biology has developed much from the time when it was first proposed

by Darwin, many scientists still respect him as a great pioneer in Science.

In stark contrast, celebrations of Darwin’s accomplishments, if any, were muted in Singapore.

EVOLUTION NOT TAUGHT TO ALL

The reason for this, I suspect, is a general apathy of the significance of evolution among the general populace.

For unlike many education systems across the globe, not every Singapore student learns about evolution in school.

I n t he ‘O’ L e ve l Biolog y syllabus, evolutionary biology is only introduced to secondary four students taking pure Biology. That in itself accounts for only a small proportion of the population.

Even then, possibly due to religious sensitivities, the facts taught are very basic, and its diverse applications to the scientific world and the subsequent impact on our thinking are not emphasized.

This presents a rather bleak scena r io for e volut iona r y understanding here.

Though 60 % of Americans reject evolution, perhaps an even larger proportion of Singaporeans are not suff iciently educated in evolution to make informed judgments about it.

Misconceptions of evolution are likewise common outside the scientific world. These include a misunderstanding that evolution is something purely dependent on chance.

This is not true as while genetic mutation is random, the process of natural selection is very systematic and logical.

Singapore, with her ambitions to become a life sciences hub and a knowledge- based economy, should leave out such a fundamental part of our education for the majority of its people

As Darwin’s 200th birthday passes, perhaps it is time to bring evolution to the broader public understanding.

Instead of being conf ined to purely classroom-Biolog y, evolution should be introduced under the subject of General Science from lower secondar y onwards.

It would give all Singaporeans, not just the perceived ‘elite’ triple science and biology students in secondary school, a chance to be taught evolution properly.

WHY TEACH IT?

We h ave to d i sm i s s a n y perception that evolution is ‘just a theory’ confined to science, but rather, it is a concept that can, and will radically shift the way we approach life.

A good but cont rover sia l example is how evolutionar y k nowledge changes at tit udes towards race and socia l backgrounds.

For instance, proper understanding of evolution can he lp mu lt i-r ac ia l Si ngapor e understand that skin colour, which is an evolutionary adaptation to variations in sunlight intensity, has no connection with a person’s ability to succeed.

This may potentially enables Si ngaporea n s to e va luate appropriately certain national ideologies like Social Darwinism.

The latter is a belief that competition among all individuals, groups, nations is what drives social evolution in human societies.

Evolutionar y concepts are also an important foundation that underlies all disciplines in biology.

This is more so as Singapore delves into research on diseases that are hereditary in nature and particularly prevalent in certain ethnic groups.

They include things like cancer, a top killer disease here, as well as diabetes, of which the Republic has one of the highest incidence rates in the world.

Besides biology, evolutionary concepts and pr inciples have already transcended numerous non-biological f ields such as computerization.

I n a r t if icia l i nte l l igence, e volut iona r y conc e pt s s uc h a s r e pr o d uc t ion , m u t at ion , recombination and selection have inspired the use of evolutionary algorithms, a subset of evolutionary computation.

In addition, Darwin’s idea has

an enormous impact on humanities such as communication studies and psychology, which has shaped our thought in the 20th century and beyond.

Like Darwin, who remained a careful scientist till his death, we should never jump into misinformed conclusions about evolution before dismissing it

can singapore do more?

Evolution is such an important concept that the UK has made it compulsory for it to be taught in publicly funded schools for children aged 14-16.

Even many of my Indonesian friends told me that evolution is taught since primary school back in their home country.

He nc e I do not s e e wh y Singapore, with her ambitions to become a life sciences hub and a knowledge based economy, should leave out such a fundamental part of our education for the majority of its people.

The gravity of the issue is not overlooked by scientists in the US too, the forerunner in scientific research.

Over the decades, millions are poured into court battles to protect science education in public schools against the of proponents of intelligent design.

W hile debate is raging in the public arena over intelligent

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

design and evolution, there is a widespread consensus in the scientific community that evolution is the best possible explanation of life on earth, and a proven fact backed by an overwhelming amount of evidence.

A potential divisive force

However, outside the scientific circle, people are still divided sharply over the evolution vs intelligent design debate.

Most notably, evolution has generated unhappiness among from some religious conservatives in the US and across the world.

At t he sa me t i me , major religious institutions such as the Roman Catholic Chruch had long embraced evolution, dismissing intelligent design as valid scientific explanation.

In multi-religious Singapore, this debate could potentially be a divisive force too, especially if people do not understand evolution sufficiently in the first place.

Therefore, we should realize the gravit y of the evolutionintelligent debate across the world and foresee potential problems that could come with it.

J u s t l i k e t h e i r We s t e r n counterparts, I hope universities and scientific instituitions here can make more effort to generate interest in evolution among the general public such has holding exhibtions, talks and crash courses are evolutionary concepts.

The implications of evolutionary concepts, with its much debated relations with certain religious beliefs, public policies and racial perceptions, cannot be ignored.

Whether people agree with evolution or not, I hope they will at least study what it is all about before passing judgments on it.

Like Darwin, who remained a careful scientist till his death, we shou ld ne ve r ju mp i nto misinformed conclusions about evolution before dismissing it.

opinion

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Sign language

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canteen talk

The recent tragedy involving EEE student David Hartanto Widjaja drew many different reactions from the NTU population. What are some of the things students have to say?

It’s quite shocking that such a thing happened in NTU. I empathise with the student, since he was so close to graduating.

”

Simon Lydia, HSS Year 2, 21

“

James Ho

I

know jay walking is dangerous. However, t he campus administration thinks it is prudent to place banners screaming “Jaywalking Kills!” around the campus grounds.

A walk around school reveals a dizzying variety of signage, including warnings, reminders and disclaimers.

P ublic i nfor mat ion sign s should be visible, concise and easy to recall, but it seems that many signs around campus are a tad too direct.

And this is not a good sign.

Take, for example, at the Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC), where students frequent the gym, sports halls and swimming pool.

You would likely see red (literally) as you walk or drive towards the SRC. Red pa i nted signs a nd disclaimers war ning against vandalising or trespassing on NTU property are peppered across the grouds.

I am not proposing abolishing t hese establ i shed r u le s a nd r e g u lat ion s —t h at wou ld b e ta nta mou nt to advocat i ng anarchy. However, we study and work in an internationally reputed institution, yet we need signs telling us to follow certain rules.

However, I think that the message can be presented in a more subtle and friendly manner.

Maybe the problem is not with the signs, but with us taking them for granted. We do know that jaywalking is dangerous, but for convenience’s sake, we keep doing it.

I am reminded of Anthony Burgess’ great piece of work, ‘A Clockwork Orange’. Burgess writes that ‘the heresy of an age of reason’ is that ‘I see what is right and approve, but I do what is wrong.’

Interestingly, it seems no one even pays attention to the sign telling us, “Be responsible, don’t

speed.”

Certainly not the undergraduate driver I have seen driving down Nanyang Dr ive at break neck speed, with a complete disregard for pedestrian safety. He could give Lewis Hamilton a run for his money, at the cost of running down people. But I digress.

There was an article published in The New Paper two years ago about changing the wording of signs posted at plots of state land set aside for recreational use.

The Singapore Land Authority’s original signage read: “Enter at your own risk.”

At The New Paper’s suggestion, it was eventually changed to “This site is for casual community and recreational use. Please exercise caution and be responsible for your own safety.”

This certainly received a more positive reaction from the general public. Perhaps we might be more receptive to friendlier-sounding signs.

Take a walk around Canteen A and one will see signs telling one to “Please dispose of used cutlery after meals.” It sounds polite and cultured.

Contrast this with the “Be safe, stay alive” banners in school, which gives me the impression that I study in a hostile and dangerous environment.

Ungram mat ica l signs and notices are thankfully few and far between. One exception is a notice prohibiting food and drink in a computer lab.

“You spill you pay; you spoil you pay more” is an unfortunate if not somewhat amusing case of bad grammar. To top if off, it comes across as threatening and unfriendly.

And yes, we intelligent and responsible adults are not in the habit of heeding signs phrased in such a manner—the food wrappers and empty drink cans filling the computer lab’s trash bin provide stark testimony to this.

Poor sign language is not the only problem. Excessive signage is

GRAPHIC | JANELL HOONG

a waste—I counted at least five “No Smoking” signs put up on the walls in a certain hall canteen.

I do not know about you, but I think placing five prohibitive signs in an area the size of two classrooms seems like overkill.

The Student Service Centre has its share of oddities too.

Four notices asking students to ring the bell for assistance are pasted not more than a metre apart, perhaps insinuating that students are too stubborn to read and follow one reminder.

Then there are two notices at the Student Affairs Off ice reminding students to watch their step because of the ‘gentle gradient on floor ahead’. I have never seen a warning against gentle slopes before, but this could be a peculiar precedent.

To b e f a i r , i t i s t h e administration’s responsibility to instil a safety-conscious culture in all who work and study within the campus.

To this end, putting up relevant banners, signs and notices is a necessary measure.

However, we might want to improve on the way these signs are presented. With the 2010 Youth Olympics Games only a year away, there is a strong impetus towards creating a positive and lasting impression among visiting athletes and officials.

Various residential halls are currently undergoing retrofitting and renovation in preparation for the upcoming Youth Olympics.

We could conceivably ‘renovate’ our signs and notices as well to make them more innovative and friendly.

Still, I sometimes wonder if the nub of the issue is our tendency to take things for granted, regardless of how a sign is presented. Or it could be that we are simply too apathetic to bother.

But the optimist in me refuses to contemplate t hat d i st i nc t possibilit y. A f ter all, we are intelligent and responsible adults, are we not?

I feel that the school syllabus is a tad too stressful. Maybe this incident shows us that something should be done to revise it.

Balqis Mohd Yusoff, EEE Year 2, 23

It’s true that it can get pretty stressful being in Engineering. But it’s ultimately up to the individual how he or she handles that stress.

”

Adrian Leong, MAE Year 2, 21

“

I’m shocked as it happened so close to home. Maybe if he had talked to more people, the situation wouldn’t be as bad as it seemed?

Ang Hui Min, SCI Year 2, 20

A good rapport between students and staff is important. It might help prevent such incidents from happening again.

”

Hendra Putra, EEE Year 2, 24

TEXT | SHAHIDA BINTE HASSIM; PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG

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sports profile

Meet Captain red underpants NTU Sports Club President Winston Chow takes time off his Industrial Attachment (IA) to share his personal pursuits with Sports Editor Tiffany Tham

first day of secondar y school where volleyball selections were actually part of the orientation programme.

My coach, Mr Lim Bah Seng, will choose the six tallest boys and girls from each class. I was the sixth tallest.

I think even though I didn’t have the chance to take up soccer as a CCA, I'm glad that I was actually par t of my school’s volleyball team. It had led on to my representing Pei Dao in Singapore Combined schools competitions for two years.

Though my school may not be a famous school, I am proud to say that Pei Dao Secondary school has won numerous national champions consecutively through the years.

I understand that you're a customer service officer with Mercedes-Benz during your IA. Isn't that something completely different from engineering?

Not really, you need to have an engineering background so that you will know what the customer is talking about when they complain about their car.

Moreover, I've realised that most of my managers here have engineering backgrounds. In a month’s time, I will be attached to the workshop and will learn more about the Mercedes-Benz engines.

With the ongoing downturn, it seems the sales of MercedesBenz cars would drop. Has the IA been a challenge for you as a result?

Contrary to that, sales here haven't been at all bad. Did you know that 60% of the cars in Singapore are actually MercedesBenz cars?

There are at least two new Mercedes-Benz at the new cars bay every day.

That works out to be 730 new Mercedes-Benz per year on the road. No wonder they are so rich.

The only challenge I face in the IA is waking up early in the morning. That’s the toughest part.

Plus, there are times where I have to rush back to NTU for Sports Club meetings after work.

These meetings usually end at 2am. I'm tired!

D o te l l u s b r i e f l y h o w you became the Sports Club president.

I started as a Logistics Officer before the Sports Club members nominated me to become the President of the NTU Sports Club just last year.

I have been with the Sports Club for three years now and I have organised events such as X-Physique 2008.

What do you think you will be remembered for as the 18th NTU Sports Club president?

I have been told that I make an effort to connect with people and I recognise that it’s important to build personal relationships with people you work with.

This is so that they do not just do things for you for the sake of it but because you matter as a person to them.

How would you describe the NTU Sports Club as a team?

We are one big family. We study, work hard together and look

33

they said that? ”I'd love to stop him - I hope we can stop him."

Chelsea's manager Guus Hiddink on his club's desire to prevent Sir Alex Ferguson from achieving the quintuple

“I'm a prince and I'm sort of slaying a dragon, which is something I have never done before.”

Soccer star David Beckham (below) on his role as a dragon slayer in a new Disney advertisement

No wonder you emerged champion for that competition.

Moving on to your NTU activities, how would you describe your contribution today as NTU Sports Club President?

More of guiding the juniors, to guide them and to inspire them to carry on next year. Mostly it's public relations work with Student Affairs Office, Alumni Affairs Office, Sports Recreational Centre.

LUCKY CHARM: Winston's secret to success depends on bum colour. PHOTO | COURTESY

out for each other. I would say the Sports Club is a brother-sister club; with a rich 18 year history.

Some of us joined the club because our elder siblings were previously members, and they had encouraged us to join the club.

NTU Sports Club is known for its tough sports orientation camps. What is your take on it?

It i s a c u lt u r e shoc k but contrary to belief, the camps do not really push you out of your comfort zone.

It depends on the freshmen that come in each year as different people have different tolerance levels.

We will actually customise the programmes so that we don’t push the freshmen too hard physically.

We want them to have fun.

As a sportsman yourself, do you have any unconventional pre-competition preparations that you usually make before a major competition?

It has to be red underwear. It is a lucky colour, but if I run out of red underwear I will find the next best colour, maybe orange.

What I am wearing must also be comfortable too.

So has it really helped?

Yes it did. In secondary school, it helped me to win the National ‘B’

Division Boys Championship for volleyball in year 2000.

Although I played volleyball, my favourite sport has got to be soccer. Manchester United!

They’re my favourite team, I’ve been watching them since the Eric Cantona era.

“For the benefit of future generations, I would eliminate all the computer games on the face of the earth. Kids should go out and play, get hurt.”

Winston Chow, 26 NTU Sports Club president

Why didn't you choose soccer instead of volleyball in secondary school as a CCA, since you've said you prefer soccer to volleyball?

Because my secondary school had emphasised volleyball and it's the most prestigous of all sports in Pei Dao. I ca n st i l l r emember my

How do you unwind when you feel stressed with your huge responsibilities?

I will go clubbing and get a good drink, although I’m probably too old for the former. I go to clubs like Zouk because of the music and entertainment.

My favou r ite ha ngout i s Bar None, The ambience and atmosphere there is great. It goes very well with my choice of poison - Heineken.

Why do you club to get rid of stress?

The music helps me get rid of stress. Especially if its music from live bands. My favourite live band is the Groove City from Bar None.

Besides clubbing, what is another unconventional hobby that you have?

Poker. It’s a high level game for high level people.

If you had one wish for Singapore’s sporting scene, what would it be?

I really hope Singapore would make it into the World Cup one day and not just the qualifiers.

For t he benef it of f ut ure generations, I would also eliminate all computer games from the face of the earth so that kids would actually go out and play, get hurt.

Nowadays children are too soft. Actually it's a message to the parents. They are too overprotective nowadays.

Let your child fall so that he or she can rise again, stronger than before.

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH

“I was fortunate enough to play with Robbie Williams back at White Hart Lane."

Former English footballer Les Ferdinand has a slip of the tongue when talking about Robbie Keane

“They have to really live like monks."

New Southampton boss Mark Wotte praying that his players can avoid alcohol

“My mum has been telling me I am the number one spinner in England for the last 10 years, so that's enough pressure for me."

England cricket bowler Graeme Swann upon claiming eight wickets in the agonising draw in Antigua last week despite a recurrence of an old injury

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sports talk

Riding the new cycling wave After the success of OCBC Cycle Singapore, is cycling being reborn as a sport? Grace Leong writes about the rising popularity of cycling

'TOUR DE SINGAPORE': Live strong for a new cycling movement. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

T r av e l l i ng to c la s s eac h morning, you would have noticed more cyclists braving the steep slopes of our campus.

A side f rom t he com mon, clunky utility bikes, there is also a fair share of sleek, state-of-theart racing machines.

This diversity bears testimony to the many functions of cycling: commuting, sports, recreation and so on.

In recent weeks, however, the profile of the activity has blossomed. The first OCBC Cycle Singapore event on Februar y 22nd saw over 5,000 cyclists taking to the roads – a number that surpassed the organisers’ expectations.

Will the buzz generated by this event spark off a new cycling craze?

There are reasons to believe so, since it would not be the first time a sponsored large-scale event has brought attention to a sport.

T he St a nd a r d C h a r te r e d Si n g a p or e M a r at h on m a d e r unning hip and attracted a record 50,000 participants last year, an exponential increase

from the 6,000 in 2002.

This marathon also inspired similar races such as the Great Easter n Women 10K and t he Adidas Sundown Marathon.

The large turnout for OCBC Cycle Singapore, in spite of the high entrance fees of over $100 for some categories, is an encouraging sign for organisers interested in holding mass cycling events.

Even as the hype from the first major cycling race since the 90s fades, cycling enthusiasts still have the 128km round-the-island NTU Bike Rally to look forward to later this month.

The return of Lance Armstrong, a household name in this sport, to competitive cycling this year has also ensured its increased coverage in the media.

A s t he ma n beh i nd t he Livestrong movement, he brought some glamour into cycling.

However, will this be only a temporar y wave of popularity among endurance sports here?

The image of cycling as a cheap way of getting around for bluecollar workers, or as a weekend family activity at East Coast Park, is familiar.

The practicality of cycling ensures its widespread usage, whether or not it is popular as a sport.

Rising oil prices, the recession and environmental concerns have given new impetus to promoting cycling as both a sport and a

means of transport.

T he gover nment has recognised this and announced several bicycle-friendly initiatives earlier this year.

Altogether, $43 million has been earmarked to build dedicated cycling paths in housing estates, starting in Tampines by the end of this year.

A scheme to allow foldable bicycles on public buses and trains during off-peak hours has also been approved.

However, this does not mean you can star t cycling freely anywhere.

Current policies still do not allow bicycles on footpaths, and cyclists can be fined $20 for riding on them.

This means that cyclists are confined to roads, exposing them to great risk of colliding with motor traffic and deterring many from long-distance cycling.

Nonet he less , g iven t he reception at OCBC Cycle Singapore, it is clear that Singaporeans are taking cycling more seriously than before.

Furthermore, the inclusion of a road race in the cycling events at the Youth Olympics is certain to boost the status of the sport.

Gone a r e t he days when cycling is merely for transport or leisure, as cycling is reborn as a cool, competitive sport.

Look forward to riding on the cycling wave.

Gunning for more places at NTU's Invitational Shoot Poh Wee Koon This year, organizers of the NTU Invitational Shoot 2009 engaged sponsors to help fund the event and were able to extend the shoot by one day to accommodate more participants.

“Despite i ncrea si ng t he competition days to one day more from the previous years, there was still an over-demand for competition places,” said Wong Li Zhen, president of the NTU Air Rifle Club.

NTU Air Rifle Club held the Air Rifle & Pistol shooting competition at the Yishun Safra Indoor Range from February 24th to 27th.

The increase in the number of competition days allowed for 446 participants to join, which is 93 more than the last year.

T he oppor t u n it y to ga i n exposure in a competition setting is a main factor that draws shooters to this event, especially when this invitational is held just a month away from the Inter-School Shooting Championships.

“This competition is stressful, but it is a good way to train up for the Nationals,” said Sally Li, a secondary-three student at Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary School.

Li has joined this event since

FULL HOUSE: The popularity of the shooting competition limits the number of participants at the event. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

20 06. She was subsequent ly ranked first in the School’s Air Rifle (Women) category for this year’s shoot.

A not her change t his year was the creation of a separate Challenge Shield, awarded to the best performing institution across all categories.

This decision was made based on the coaches’ suggestion, as it seemed unfair to compare the skills of the secondary school shooters to those of tertiary students, who are of a higher skill level.

A f ter days of i nten se competition, the winners this year are West Spring Secondary School

and SAFRA for the Schools and Open category respectively.

NTU’s team bagged honours in the Air Pistol category, winning first place in the women’s open and second in the men’s open.

Coach Kasmijan, who has been coaching the NTU shooting team since 2003, applauded the tenacity

of the NTU shooters.

“They are extraordinary. They share the weapons, and they have little training time, but they are able to be as good as all the other shooters,” said Kasmijan, who has represented Singapore in various international shooting competitions.

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NTU Floorball goes DIY for IHG Xue Jianyue sports editor On February 21st, one week after the conclusion of the Inter-Hall Games (IHG), the IHG floorball competition was held at the SRC Sports Hall 2.

However, this was no scheduling error. In fact, IHG floorball has been running independently of the official IHG (also known as the Hall Olympiad) for the past six years.

Ja m ie C hong, fou nd i ng president of the NTU Floorball Club, wanted to include floorball in the Olympiad back then.

“The club attempted to ride on the IHG but failed,” the 27-year-old NTU alumni said. “So we organised a t hree-on-t hree tour nament ourselves beside Canteen A when it was still below the library.”

C hong sa id t hat spor t s secretaries from various halls were reluctant to include another sport in the IHG. “Most claimed that the IHG hockey sufficed and they didn’t see why they should make way for one more sport,” he said.

Floorball has stayed outside the Hall Olympiad (HO) ever since, but IHG floorball has been kept alive by the NTU Floorball Club.

“We respect the HO committee’s decision of not including floorball in the official IHG,” Cindy Phua, 21, president of NTU Floorball

SPEEDY ACTION: Although participation points are not awarded, floorballers still competed fiercely at the IHG. PHOTO | XUE JIANYUE

Club, said. “Nonetheless, we do not want to disappoint the floorball enthusiasts in the various halls."

V i nce nt L i m , 24, for me r president of the club, felt that there were advantages of an independently held IHG sport event, as the club had the freedom to set their own rules.

If floorball were to be included in the HO, the club would be giving up the rights to implement their own rules.

“Our role would thus be that of an external consultant with

no power to amend the r ules and regulations,” Lim, a fourthyear student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said.

Only seven out of 16 halls took part in the IHG floorball this year, in contrast to the HO where all halls send at least one team per event.

“We see some familiar halls participating but some of the halls have lukewarm responses,” Lim said. “It could be due to the fact that the competition itself does not

contribute points to the rankings in the IHG.” Jerry King, a representative f r om t he Joi nt H a l l Sp or t s Committee, which organises the HO, said cost was one reason for excluding floorball.

“Given the limited budget by their individual JCRCs, sport secretaries need to allocate the funds to the variety of sports being played in IHG,” said King, 24, a final-year student at Nanyang Business School.

The intense competitiveness

for IHG made it necessary for each hall to have its own sports equipment to train with.

“Hence if the halls are unable to buy the equipment, it might not be viable for IHG to include floorball.” King added.

As IHG f loorball enters its sixth year, Ye Yi Ping, another for me r N T U f loor ba l l c lub president, hopes that floorball could be included in the HO one day, in addition to hockey.

“I think both sports are rather different in their playing style and techniques required,” said the fourth year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“Over the years, they’ve both built up their own group of supporters, be it in hall or in the sports arena,” the 23-year-old said.

On the bright side, the Joint Hall Sports Committee remains open to the idea of hosting floorball in the future. In a joint statement, the committee said that “it will depend on how future sports secretaries feel about it.”

The committee also suggested that NTU Floorball can do some ‘promot ion’ of t he spor t to explain to them the costs and the administrative side of convening the sport.

As for now, NTU floorballers look forward to welcoming new players at the Novice Open held at the SRC on March 9th.

NTU Muslim Society catches Olympic fever Lim Yufan inspired by the upcoming Youth Olympics Games, NTU Muslim Societ y (N T U MS) organised a miniature Olympics of their own for Muslim tertiary students across Singapore.

Called the Mini Olympics, the event attracted an estimated 150 students. The event was held at the SRC on February 24th, including Muslim students from places as far away as Azerbaijan.

“The universal message that we are trying to convey in this event is brotherhood and friendship or Ukhuwah which is fundamentally not limited to Muslims,” said the chairperson of the organising committee, Arie Sukriadi, 20, a second-year student from the School of Electric and Electronic Engineering.

T he organising commit tee of the Mini Olympics hoped to st reng t hen t he bonds among Muslim students.

The event was thus open to students at NIE, NUS, SIM and SMU. “We hope to instil a sporty personality in Muslims, and see more Muslims involved in sports,” said Nurjihan, one of the members of the organising committee.

T h e 21-y e a r- old s t u d e n t

from the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering student added: “Although Islam teaches segregat ion ( bet ween ma les and females), we want others to know that we can still make new friends while sticking to the boundaries.”

T he N T U MS sought to dow nplay a n y c onc e r n s of religious exclusivity.

“We hope to instil a sporty personality in Muslims and see more Muslims involved in Sports."

Nurjihan, 21 Member Mini Olympics organising committee

Sukriadi said that the Mini Olympics is just a stepping stone for future events by the Society, which can involve non-Muslims.

Although this is not the first time NTUMS has held a sporting event for Muslim students in NTU, a futsal tournament for the men

within NTU was all that was done in previous years.

This year, the men competed in futsal and handball, while the ladies competed in dodge ball and captain’s ball.

A light rain in the evening did little to put out the excitement in the participants who braved the weather and stepped out on to the tracks to take part in the final event, the 4 x 100 metre relay cum telematch.

Contestants had to complete challenges such as dribbling a football, using their mouths to pick sweets up from a pile of flour and spinning round a cone.

Even though the ladies and men competed together, organisers made sure that there was no physical contact between opposite genders dur ing the relay, which is in accordance to traditional Muslim culture.

The ladies were also strongly urged to wear attire that covered most of their body.

Hidayat Md Rabu, a first-year student from the School of Physical a nd M at he m at ic a l S c ie nc e s , said: “The rain did dampen the atmosphere a little. But we don’t care about the weather. It was really fun."

To top it all off, winners were also given medals in an attempt to emulate the Olympic experience.

THE SEVEN: Organisers of the Mini Olympics with their banner. PHOTO | XUE JIANYUE

Sports

Catching the Olympic Fever on Page 35

Cycling marathon hits the big stage High costs and injury risks did not deter sports enthusiasts from proving themselves at the OCBC Cycle Singapore Yusuf Hamid Over 5,000 sports enthusiasts flocked to the F1 Pit Building early Sunday morning on Februar y 22nd, but the draw this time was not high octane cars blitzing the asphalt.

The first OCBC Cycle Singapore, a mass participation cycling event on public roads, was supported by the Singapore Sports Council and saw an impressive turnout with 5,400 cyclists of all skill levels taking part.

“Sports are starting to come to the fore in Singapore, and I can see there’s an incredible amount of local support here today,” said Mr Donal Hayward, 62, senior project manager with Arup Singapore, who rode in the 40km category.

A l s o u npr e c e de nte d wa s the 45min closure of all ECP Expressway lanes in the 10km city-bound stretch at 6.30am, to provide the 50km category riders with smooth passage at the early stages of their journey.

“It is difficult for Singapore to have competitive cycling because the cycling community is still not that big. ” Ang Weizhe, 22 Cyclist Nanyang Business School

“As a driver, it was difficult to get here because I was not informed about the ECP closure this morning,” said Mr Azlee Jamil, who drove to the event to take part in the 40km category.

Even so, the 31-year-old sales consu lta nt for Eu ro Mon itor International was pleased with the organisation of the event. “It was a smooth route which meant we could maintain a higher average speed.”

However, other riders took issue with the route, which had some narrow turns that caused

some collisions.

“The organisers should split the road cyclists and mountain cyclists into separate categories, because each of us have different speeds and stability on the road,” said Kai Por, 19.

T he t h i r d-yea r M a r i ne Engi neer i ng st udent f rom Singapore Polytechnic added that there was a sandy patch for about 100m at the beginning of the route, which was dangerous because it had very little friction.

The large turnout by the cycling community was unexpected given that Singapore has no official cycling routes for them to train on for the event. According to the organisers, the sporting event was held in conjunction with governmental efforts to promote cycling.

So while official steps may be on the way, riders are taking their own initiative to find routes across traffic-heavy Singapore.

“It’s not actually diff icult to train in Singapore. Mandai is a pleasant place to ride and it’s like the countr yside,” said Shane Yeap, 15, a secondar yfour student from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) who trains regularly with a group called the Joyriders.

“Our training route takes us from Thomson to West Coast and t he Botanic Gardens for breakfast. A long the way we pass Mandai, Woodlands and upper Bukit Timah,” said Yeap.

However, who also complained about his dangerous brushes with bad drivers.

Sharing his sentiment was radio personality Rod Monteiro, 41. “It’s about time we had bike lanes in Singapore, and drivers here can be big bullies!” said the deejay from Radio 91.3FM. The road blockages meant that cyclists at the event had the whole road to themselves.

Nonet he le ss , accident s wer e frequent occurrences.

“My partner wiped out when he took a corner too fast,” said Monteiro with a grin. “But I joined up with another group of cyclists which was enjoyable.”

A large section of the F1 pit was dedicated to medical treatment for injured participants.

“99% of the injuries here today are from falling. That’s the main difference between this and other sporting events,” explained Dr Teh Kong Chean, a senior consultant, sports medicine at Alexandra Hospital.

“We were expecting about 150 casualties today, especially with

FIGHTING SPIRIT, THE BIKING WAY: A cyclist at East Coast Park wills himself to carry on. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

the road corners being quite tight.

Also the injuries are more likely to be serious because some riders can go as fast as a car,” said Dr Teh, who supervised the medical team on duty.

Four distance options ranging from 5km to 50km allowed cyclists to ride undisturbed through a scenic route. Starting at the F1 Pit Stop, the cyclists passed by the Kallang Stadium, East Coast Park and went up to the Changi Coast Road before looping back.

Australian David Pell was the biggest winner on the day, beating the much fancied Dane A lex Rasmussen to come in first in the 35-lap Elite Criterion category with

a time of 1hr 28min 16sec.

Pe l l wa l ked away w it h US$12,500, nar rowly beating second placed Alan Marangoni of Italy and third placed Ricardo Van der Velde of Netherlands.

W h i le t he pr i ze mone y provided some incentive, the high registration cost might put off some riders.

“I’m surprised that the turnout was so good, because the fees are so high!” said Ang Weizhe, 22, a first-year student from the Nanyang Business School.

Prices for entry ranged from $26 for the children’s category to $168 for t he 50k m Super Challenge.

“C y c l i n g c a n b e a v e r y expensive sport, when you consider the prices of the bicycles which can go into the thousands of dollars,” said Ang, who has been cycling for five years.

On whether cycling can hold its own against the more developed sports in Singapore, he said: “It’s difficult for Singapore to have competitive cycling because the cycling community is still not that big.”

“We need support from the police to introduce more cyclistfriendly rules on the roads and increase public awareness about road safety for cyclists. We’re always battling with the traffic.”