The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 15 Issue 10 by Nanyang Chronicle

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M A RC H 3 0 , 20 0 9 | V Ol 15 NO 10 | Is sN NO 0 218 -7310 | W W W. N T u. edu. s g / C HRONIC l e

Dirty dancing in clean water at NIE ElizabEth law

e m i t g prin

OUT OF AIR IN WATER: Of human effort, struggle and exhaustion. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

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A MAN and a woman dancing together is no mean feat — but try it while submerged in a tank full of water. Onlookers might mistake the stunt for a magic show as Professor John Matthews and his fellow artist executed ballroom dance moves in a large tank of water in the Nanyang Playhouse. The performance, In the Large Glass of Water Water, was part of an exhibition called Visual Praxis, held in conjunction with the official opening of the National Institute of Education’s The Art Gallery. For the show, the two performers will dance in the water for approximately a minute, after which they will rise to the top of the tank to catch their breath and return to the middle of the tank for another dance. To make the show more fascinating, stage lights were used to enhance the visual impact. Lights came on as the dances began and fade while the performers rose to catch their breath. Explaining his choice of using stage lighting to enhance the emphasis on the human form, Prof Matthews, the Head of Visual Arts at NIE, said: “The human figure has traditionally been a figure of expression in European art and has regained popularity in recent years. We are trying to reflect that sentiment through our performance.” This is a reincarnation of Prof Matthews’ earlier performance on 2003, where the glass tank was situated outside the old art gallery on the Plaza Level then.

The performance is inspired by the 1953 movie Houdini, where the magician escapes from chains while submerged in water in a glass tank. Due to the air-conditioning in the Nanyang Playhouse, the water was much colder than expected. As such, both Prof Matthews and his fellow performer, Joyce Ong, 23, could not execute certain moves they had rehearsed, and had to shorten their performance to prevent hypothermia. Despite t he premat u re end , Prof Matthews was excited that he was finally able to perform. The initial scheduled performance had to be cancelled due to leaks in the glass tank. There will be another scheduled performance on April 1st. The five cubic-metre glass tank was built by Singaporean Hamzah Meer with laminated Japanese glass and steel. It contains two cubic metres of water. Though the tank makes the artists’ movements look restricted, Ong revealed that it is an optical illusion caused by the glass. Commenting on her performance, the fourth-year NIE Bachelor of Arts (Education) student said: “Being underwater, it makes you appreciate the movements you usually take for granted while on dry land. Visual Praxis also features art pieces by other artists and art educators, such as print specialist Cecily Cheo and installation artist Jason Lim, who performed at The Art Gallery’s official opening. >> More reports on Visual Praxis, Page 2 >> Review, Page 16

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Less energy, more efficiency NTU is the only Asian university to present invention at World Best Technologies Showcase Maxie Aw Yeong As energy efficiency becomes an increasingly pressing issue, Professor Ooi Kim Tiow and his team have developed a compressor that could very well be the world’s most efficient. The team from NTU’s School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineer ing has developed a compressor that could reduce energy loss by 80 percent as compared to its counterparts that are currently in the market. While t y pical compressors have a stationary housing, the newly-developed compressor has a rotating housing that moves with the mechanism, thus reducing friction and energy loss.

This will decrease the energy required to run energy-guzzling cooling systems, which are essential for appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioners. This revolutionary invention is selected to take part in the World Best Technologies (WBT) Showcase, a n a n nua l for u m e x h ibit i ng undiscovered technologies. Held at Arlington, Texas from March 24th to 25th, it will display close to 100 products this year. N T U i s t he on ly A sia n university selected to present its invention among the world’s best, such as the University of Illinois and the University of Waterloo. Professor Ooi’s invention faces stiff competition from the world’s leading universities, Research and Development laboratories and research institutions. “We are very proud to have our technology included as one of the world’s best,” said Professor Ooi. He also mentioned that through this showcase, he hopes to meet parties interested to commercialise the product.

Budding artists will now have a place to showcase their works with the official opening of The Art Gallery at NIE on March 19th. The Art Gallery is next to NIE’s theatre which is also called The Black Box. Both will be a hub of cultural activities, especially for the young athletes during the 2010 Youth Olympics. Artistic exhibits by artists and art educators will be showcased here, said Professor Lee Sing Kong, Director of NIE, at the official opening. The launch was accompanied by Visual Praxis, an exhibition featuring works by artists and art educators at NIE. The exhibition, which is open from March 5th to April 9th, is the first staff show in the new art gallery. In conjunction, a performing arts piece, In the Large Glass of Water, was also on show. Professor John Matthews of NIE and his fellow performer danced in a large tank of water in The Nanyang Playhouse.

The opening was graced by Mr Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Home Affairs. “Appreciating art is all about seeing and not just looking,” said Mr Masagos Zulkifli. NIE’s art gallery started as a foyer in the Raffles Building at the old Bukit Timah campus. It was developed into an art gallery when NIE moved to its current location. But in 2006, it was converted to a Students’ Hub. This new art gallery is a reincarnation of the old one. In line with the values of education, the art gallery is able to tap into a network of art centres and community centres to provide arts education for schools and the public. A first-year student teacher Michelle Tan, 19, said: “It is very exciting that we have such specialised facilities here in NIE. Furthermore, it is great that we are able to be part of the Youth Oly mpics in more ways than one.”

LAUNCH OF THE ART GALLERY: Showcasing artistic works by budding artists. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

A 77-ye ar-old man died of heart failure after his genital became stuck in a soft drink bottle with which he engaged in a sexual activity. Prime Minister Lee hsien Loong has announced several change s to the C abinet and other appointments, including the country's first full-fledged woman minister. Sing ap ore h a s seen i t s worst monthly drop in tourist arrival numbers in six years . 689,000 tourists visited Singapore last month, a 15.2 percent fall year-on-year.

A RAY OF GREEN HOPE: The new compressor will reduce energy loss by 80 percent. PHOTO | COURTESY

Indeed, the showcase aims to do just that. Mr. Paul Huleatt, CEO of WBT Showcase, explained that besides providing coaching to the teams to enhance their pr e sentat ion s , t he showca se also ser ves as a platform for

companies to gather contacts for more marketing opportunities for their products. Huleatt also said that around one-third of the past presenters have eventually received funding for their projects.

How great thou art Melodies of love Elizabeth Law

news flash

Singapore's manufacturing output contracted by 22.4 per cent on year in February, an improvement on the record decline of 29.8 per cent the previous month. Housing and Development Board launched its latest Build-ToOrder project, called The Nautilus@ Punggol. Come april, the National Library Board will not allow anyone with unpaid fines and fees to borrow books or items until the charges have been paid. The Singapore National Eye Centre said the number of glaucoma patients in Singapore has gone up by four times. Camping permits are now required on weekends as well, with a quota imposed on the number being given out.

PERFORMING WITH A CAUSE: Red Cross Humanitarian Network held its first charity concert. PHOTO | COURTESY

Wang Simin THE Red Cross Humanitarian Network (RCHN)—NTU Chapter organised its first charity concert with the aim of raising funds for their beneficiary's new residential home. The beneficiary – Red Cross Home for the Disabled (RCHD) is the only residential home in Singapore to provide both long term and short term respite care to the severely disabled. It plans to raise $20,000 for the purchase of new therapy equipment and supplies needed in this new home. The theme of the concert was “Illuminate: Reveal those who are Unseen” and it was held on March 21st at Nanyang Auditorium. According to the Vice-president of the project Yoanna A rlina Kurnianingsih, 20, the title was appropriate as it resonates with RCHN’s objectives of wanting to raise funds for the disabled’s new residential home, and to increase public awareness of the disabled.

“Only a few people know about the RCHD. We can say that they are “unseen” people, to most public especially those inactive in this aspect of humanitarian work,” Yoanna said. T he Guest-of-Honou r was Senior Associate Provost Er Meng Hwa. T he c h a r it y conc e r t s aw voluntary groups such as Chinese Dr u m , Wu shu , C hoi r, P ia no Ensemble, Jazz and Blues and the popular local percussion band ‘The Strikeforce’ performing, as well as Project Superstar winner Kelvin Chen Wei Lian. A s t ude nt D u t a P r aw i r a from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering was invited by his friend. “I l i ked ‘ T he St r i keforce’ because it was most engaging, and Kelvin Chen Wei Lian’s songs, because he was very inspiring," he said. "Si nce he is a bli nd ma n himself, never theless he still attempts to save and help people in need.”

Operator of Singapore's second integrated resort, Resorts World at Sentosa, stated that it is on track to open four of its six hotels by the first quarter of 2010, adding some 1,350 rooms in the Republic. SIA Engineering said it has signed a long-term contract to provide maintenance and fleet management services to Gulf Air, which boasts the largest network in the Middle East. Beijing has reacted angrily to a Pentagon report on China's military power, which claimed it was altering the military balance in Asia. the former chairwoman of now-defunct Sanlu Group lost her appeal against a life sentence for selling hundreds of tonnes of milk laced with a toxic chemical. Pop star Madonna is said to be travelling to Malawi in a bid to adopt a second child. R & B sta r A kon ha s launched a song, "Blood Into G o l d", to c o mm em o r at e t h e victims of the slave trade, past and present.

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Exuberant response at Open House Students and parents gathered to discover more about L.I.F.E @ NTU Manjit Kaur THE NTU Open House held on March 14th at the Nanyang Auditorium was marked with vibrancy and energy. The theme of this year’s open house is L.I.F.E@NTU, which stands for “learning is fun and exciting”. Free shuttle buses ferried prospective students and their parents f rom Boon Lay and Jurong East stations right to the doorstep of the Nanyang Auditorium. Stationed at various locations, student ambassadors and faculty members ser ved as guides to provide assistance to the visitors, entertaining their queries and br i ng i ng t he m a r ou nd t he campus. Associate Professor Yakoob Siyal from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) had been talking non-stop for

ENQUIRING STUDENTS: Ambassadors engaging students who want to know more. PHOTO | NAREKRIT SINRACHTANANT

four hours since 9am. “The turnout is better than last year and better than the recent education fair held at Suntec City,” he said. Students and parents generally had good feedback about the Open House. Viki Chua, 18, a Ngee Ann Poly tech n ic st udent who was accompanied by her parents hopes to pursue her studies at Wee Kim

Wee School of Communication and Information or Nanyang Business School (NBS). According to her, the professors and students at NTU are ‘very forthcoming and helpful’. “The requirement for poly students entering NUS is quite unclear. “Howe ver, at N T U, t he explanations provided by the students and professors are detailed

60 minutes to save the world Lei Jiahui N T U has pledged to put the campus in darkness for one hour from 830pm onwards on Saturday, March 28th. This is in line with Earth Hour, an initiative organized by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (W W F) to spread the message about the importance of energy conservation. The third year in its running, this year’s Earth Hour has been referred to as the world’s first global election, between Earth and global warming. By taking part in this year’s Earth Hour, NTU has clearly taken her stand and cast her vote to mother Earth. “The main purpose of our participation in Earth hour is to raise awareness about climate change,” said Lee Hui M in, president of Earthlink NTU. Lights at the study benches at both the North and South Spine are supposed to be promptly turned off at 830pm. Façade lights, as well as non-essential lights are also supposed to be switched off. Some halls have expressed their support by promising to turn off their corridor lights. These hall administrations have encouraged students staying over that night to switch off their respective room lights. However when sur veyed, not all students were receptive

GOING DARK: NTU joins in the battle for climate change. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

to the idea of spending an hour in darkness. “The exams are drawing near. The key point of this campaign is to save electricity and to be environmentally friendly. We can achieve that in other ways, not necessarily just by turning off the lights,” said Hon Jing Ti, a second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. “Elec t r icit y i s essent ia l, especially at night, and is needed for many activities we do,” added third-year student from the School of Biological Science, Leow Wan Qing. However, some see it as a meaningf u l campaign and an attempt at making a statement in energy conservation.

“This is a very meaningful initiative as it serves as a stark reminder that the degradation of the Earth is an increasingly urgent problem that we need to address,” said Sheryl Teo, a firstyear student from Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. Ear thlink’s vice president, Jeevaneswaran Ramoo said this is an opportunity to “promote responsible consumer ism” to everyone in NTU. Ultimately, energy conservation should not be limited to just one hour. “ We h op e t h at s a v i n g electricity can be inculcated in the everyday lifestyles of students,” he concluded.

and they seem more sure of students entering from poly. They are able to guide poly students better,” she said. Her mother, Mrs Teo Cheok Lin, 48, felt people like Professor Chan from NBS were extremely helpful. “He enlightened us on the course and gave us a detailed explanation, helping us understand the requirements better,” she said. Shermin, a second-year student in National Junior College, plans to read Accountacy in NBS. She felt that the open house was “more vibrant than expected”. However, some felt improvements could be in place to benefit the overall success of the Open House. Accord i ng to A ssista nt Professor Michael Patterson from the Psychology Division at School of Humanities and Social Sciences, although the “turnout is great”, the “space was a bit small”. Most v i sitor s i nte r v iewed said that their perception of the university did not change despite the two recent NTU deaths. One of them, Chen Yifan, is looking forward to studying at the school of E le c t r on ic a nd E le c t r ica l Engineering (EEE). T he second-year Tampines

Junior College student felt that “it’s not the school, but the students” when it comes to determining a school’s reputation. W hen asked if he wou ld consider NUS engineering faculty instead, he said: “Compared with NUS, NTU’s Engineering is much stronger.” When Associate Professor Siyal was asked about the recent deaths linked to the school of EEE, he said: “The deaths are not a cause of issue and it has nothing to do with the reputation of the school.” He believes t hat t ragedy happens ever y where and maintains that the school of EEE in NTU is still “top of the world”. Apart from Discover@NTU events, the Open House also included school tours, guided visits and talks on the various degree programs. Part time lecturer Mahani Bte Ahmad was glad she made the effort to visit the open house at the last minute. She said: “I’ve been applying for a teaching position with NIE but without success. “Finally, I got some personal insight into the requirements for teaching.”

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BHG comes to NTU

Counselling concerns

Chia Hui May

Josephine K Chow

The BHG fashion bazaar held from March 23rd to 25th was a hit as students flocked to the Nanyang Auditorium in search of bargains. Response was good as crowds thronged the auditorium, browsing through items ranging from food and footwear to cosmetics and clothes. The bazaar, organised by the NTU Students' Union, was an effort to contribute to a good cause. BHG donates 7% of the overall proceeds to NTU bursaries and emergency grants. The new brands that were brought in this year included Dr Martens, Everyday Minerals and even lingerie lines like Sloggi. “The brands are more pricey and upmarket this year. Last year the brands were more common and affordable,” said Katherine Teo, 20, the chairperson of the event. The organiser decided to bring in more undergarment brands this year. It proved to be a right move, as lingerie seemed to be popular with women. “The variety of undergarments is quite good and the prices are

A lmost a month has passed since the two deaths occurred on campus. While students and authorities are still trying to make sense of what happened to David Widjaja and Zhou Zheng, there have been questions as to how such tragedies can be prevented in the future. Students who require help or are seeking advice can do so with the Student Counselling Centre (SCC), which has several programmes and systems in place. Mr Chan Boon Pin, a case coordinator at SCC, said that its pastoral care system helps both local and international students with social and cultural issues, among others. He added that the system is accessible through various oncampus channels besides the SCC, such as officials from the medical centre and halls. Cit i ng t he Dav id Widjaja incident, Mr Chan said that two immediate measures took place as a response. They included two separate cou se l l i ng session s; one for Indonesian students and another

COLOURFUL INTIMATES: Lady shoppers are spoilt for choice. PHOTO | ZOE LIM

comparable to those outside,” said a student from the Nanyang Business School who declined to be named. However, a remark echoed by the shoppers concerns the number of cashiers at the bazaar. Koh Shihui Michelle, 23, said: “The cashiers could be better positioned, and there should be more cashiers as well.” According to Teo, the number of telephone points in the auditorium limited the number of cashiers they

could set up. Telephone points are needed for NETS transactions, which is the most preferred mode of payment. Overall, the shoppers were satisfied with the event and said they will return should it be held again. “The range is quite good and prices are reasonable. I wouldn’t mind coming back next time to look around,” said Yogi Teo, 25, a student from the School of E lec t r ica l a nd E lec t ron ic Engineering.

for members from the School of E lec t r ica l a nd E lec t ron ic Engineering (EEE) who knew David Widjaja. Mr Chan said that since the incident, the SCC received five or six more new cases from students seeking help. However, he also said that the pastoral care system was not the only avenue that students can seek help from. A Student Buddies system has been put in place, where new international students who enrol in NTU are placed under the guidance of their senior counterparts. International students also fou nd t he Ho s t pr og r a m me popular, where they can immerse themselves in local culture. “ I n t e r n at i on a l s t u d e n t s , including exchange students, join local families in activities and festive celebrations and experience for themselves a local and unique cultural occasion,” said Mr Chan. When asked if the SCC will review the pastoral care system, Mr Chan said that while there are no problems with the current one, areas for improvement are being looked into, such as focusing on helping students with emotional needs.

Cookin' up a book Cherry Blossoms in NTU? Elizabeth Law

The Deli Aprecio Club (DAC) will launch a campus cookbook this August, in line with the freshmen orientation for the next academic year. Wr it te n b y c u r r e nt DAC president Jeremy Cheok, 24, and final-year School of Mechanical a nd Ae r os pac e E ng i ne e r i ng student Wilfred Lim, Campus Cookin’ promotes healthy cooking on campus. Most of the recipes were tested over a span of three months. The dishes were then photographed over three days in the December holidays last year. Despite their lack of expertise, the club managed to pull off the feat. DAC business manager Wong Yun Tian credited this to teamwork. “We had a really great team that was very co-operative and helped out in any way they could,” said the 19-year-old student from t he Wee K im Wee School of Communication and Information. However, t he process was not without challenges. What originally began as a collaboration between Hall 12 residents and the DAC became the club’s special project due to red tape issues. “We also had a very hard time figuring out the recipes from the pictures as my co-author Wilfred left halfway to concentrate on his final year project,” said Cheok.

The second-year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering said: “We had to constantly rewrite the recipes to make sure they were consistent.”

“I think it is only possible because of team work.” Wong Yun Tian, 19 Business Manager Deli Aprecio Club

The 60-page cookbook, which promotes healthy cooking and eating on campus, makes use of ingredients that can be easily bought from stores near NTU, such as Sheng Shiong and NTUC Fairprice. However, it shies away from local cuisine. Explaining the rationale, Cheok said: “We felt that you can find local food at any canteen around NTU. But Western food like this, we want to show that it can be very simple to cook yet still taste very good.”

Campus Cookin' retails at $5 each and can be bought from the DAC. For more information, visit the Campus Cookin' Facebook group or email to deliaprecio@ntu.edu.sg.

PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

IT IS a rare sight as pink and white flowers bloomed on trees around campus earlier this month. According to plant physiologist John Yong, an assistant professor from the National Institute of Education, the unusually dry spell stimulated these rosy trumpet trees (tabebuia rosea) to blossom. Estimated to be between 10 to 15 years old, these trees were introduced from the tropical Americas as part of the Garden City campaign for wayside trees. They provide important habitats for birds, mistletoes and other aerial plants like birdnest ferns.

– Kuek Jinhua

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New look for lounge Linette Heng A trial launch was held for students to experience the newly revamped Student Activities Centre (SAC) lounge in March. The revamp includes a foosball table, a billiards table and three XBox stations. “There has been an increase in the number of people coming here to play after the new XBox sets have been added, especially in the evenings from 4.30pm to 8.30pm,” said Students’ Union Welfare Service member, Agung Sugiarto Tan, 18, a second-year student from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Meralo Antonio, a second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS) welcomes the additions in the lounge. He said: “I think it is good to have Xbox stations in the lounge because we can have some fun here after lessons.” “It also helps us students to relax,” he added.

According to the president of the Students’ Union, Ng Hwei Yun, the trial launch is used to gauge students’ responses for ideal opening hours and to find out which games would be popular among them. This is done in preparation for the official launch, which will be held next semester. While Ronny William, a secondyear student from SPMS was satisfied with the new additions, he said he would like to see more additions to the lounge in future. “I enjoy myself playing the Xbox games, but I think it will be better if there are more varieties of games,” he said. “ T he k i nd of ga mes t he y offer now are quite difficult for a beginner to pick up. It is better if they have easier games to cater to students who are here just to relax.” Nonetheless, Tan believed that the response after the revamp generally has been positive. He also said that they are planning to add board games at the official launch.

Night of glamour

Red bull gives you wings Hong Shuheng Using just a simple piece of paper, three students have won an allexpenses-paid trip to Austria on May 1st and 2nd, after emerging tops in the Red Bull Paper Wings National Finals. The paper plane competition was held for the first time in Singapore on March 12th in Hall of Residence 3. The event gathered 45 finalists f rom Singapore Management University, National University of Singapore and NTU. Participants competed in three different categories—the longest airtime, the longest distance and aerobatics. The competition provided paper plane enthusiasts with a platform to showcase their skills. “I’m a paper plane aficionado, and it’s my first time seeing a stage like this to display our skills,” said Vikram Bahl, 20, a student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The event showcased various designs of paper planes, such as the addition of flaps and tails onto the simple pieces of paper, as well as different cuttings made on the planes. Yet despite the presence of various designs, all three students who won the respective categories said that a lot of it had to do with luck. “I think it was luck—you saw how my paper plane f lew out of the boundaries and back,” said Desmond Sim, 23, a second-

AIMING HIGH: Paper plane enthusiasts pit their aerodynamic skills against each other. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who won the longest airtime category. His paper plane flew beyond the rope boundaries at one point and was thought to be disqualified, but it managed to make a swerve back in time.

“I’m a paper plane aficionado, and it’s my first time seeing a stage like this .” Vikram Bahl, 20 School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Despite loud music and Red Bull girls giving out free cans of the drink, the event only attracted a handful of spectators. “I expected the response to be greater. Maybe the publicity wasn’t enough.” “The hall is also hard to find for people not staying in Hall 3,” said a spectator Ng Yu Ming, 19, a first-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. Yet according to Ms Ann Tay, the consumer collecting executive of Red Bull Singapore Pte Ltd, the event has been quite a success. “We’re not really looking at spectator turnout rate. Turnout has been pretty good in terms of participation,” the 23-year-old said.

Students set up ad agency Despite the recession, ADdiction offers free advertising and marketing Pearl Lee

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Contestants take the stage with charisma and in style. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

Goh Qian Yi The Pageant ’09 organised by the NTU Students’ Union was held at the Nanyang Auditorium Foyer on March 19th. About 600 people turned up in party wear for the two-and-a-half-hour event. Shankar Gunalan, 26, a fourthyear student from the School of E lec t r ica l a nd E lec t ron ic Engineering was crowned Mr NTU, while Ravinder Kaur, 21, a third-year student from the School

of Biological Sciences won the title of Ms NTU. They each won a ticket to Perth and a total of $1450 in cash and prizes. Shankar said: “It was an overall good experience and definitely brought me good fr iendships too.” Ravinder Kaur enjoyed herself throughout the course of the pa ge a nt . “ T he Pa ge a nt h a s definitely given me an excellent stepping stone to make me realise my strengths and weaknesses,” she said.

Driven by a strong interest in advertising and public relations, 10 undergraduates have taken the initiative to set up an advertising society in NTU. ADdiction, NTU’s advertising society, is the first advertising agency in Singapore to be wholly managed by students. Although founded only last semester, the society currently has in their clientele base companies such as Coca-Cola and Nature Trek ker, a non-gover nmental organisation (NGO). Anisha Baghudana, 21, founder and president of ADdiction, said: “I thought it would be great if there was a platform available for youths to come together and create advertisements, and it struck me that I could actually create this platform.” The fourth-year Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) student then consulted Professor Ang Peng Hwa and Assistant Professor Yeoh Kok Cheow for advice. She also

sought the opinions of her friends, who showed positive interest in the idea of a student-run advertising society. A Ddiction prides itself on being an interest-based club and offering free services. Cathryn Neo, 21, the media director of ADdiction said: “This is why we want to reach out to NGOs, who usually face problems of budget constraint, yet are most in need of publicity. According to Neo, it is a winwin situation. Not only will the NGOs benefit from having the improved publicity, it will also help ADdiction to build up its portfolio and credentials. Baghudana said: “Advertising is a creative industry where age and experience doesn’t matter. What counts are the ideas.”

“Sometimes even the clients are not sure of what they want themselves.” Mr Roger Yong Copywriter Iris Nation

The current recession might even help to increase the club’s clientele base, said Stephanie Tan, 19, a first-year student from the Nanyang Business School. “ I n s uc h t r y i n g t i me s , companies will want to find ways to cut costs. Offering free-ofcharge advertising and marketing ser vices will actually benefit companies a lot.” Howe ver, some rema i n skeptical about the club’s long term success. Mr Roger Yong, a copywriter with eight years of experience at advertising agency Iris Nation, said: “Sometimes even the clients are not sure of what they want themselves.” He also said the agency needs to be a consultant to the brand, which he is not sure if students are ready for it. “And when you are a studentr un ad agenc y offer ing probono services, there’s always the possibility that clients might not treat you as seriously, and won’t expect that much from you,”he said. A Ddiction will host CocaCola’s ‘Open Coke, Open Happiness’ campaign in NTU next month. Although the club currently consist s of ma i n ly W K WSC I students, membership is open to all NTU students.

Lifestyle

Exam fever hits study spots around the island - Page 12

SOLE SUCCESS: His days at NTU made Mr Shenzi Chua, 39, realise that Singaporeans enjoy dressing down. PHOTOS | EUNICE CHAN

HEART AND SOLE The head honcho at local fashion chain NewUrbanMale is an engineering graduate from the class of 1994. Shahida Bte Hassim talks to Shenzi Chua about the brand he has created, including his line of flipflops, and what he really thinks of NTU students’ dress sense DRESSED in faded blue jeans, a simple t-shirt and cap, he certainly does not look like a person who has revolutionised casual wear for Singaporean men. Meet Mr Shenzi Chua, 39 — director, designer, and the brain behind leading home-grown retail chain NewUrbanMale. More commonly known as NUM, these retail stores — 15 local branches in all — cater to the rising needs of men in areas of fashion and lifestyle. Though it first targeted men only, NUM has won the hearts (and soles) of men and women alike since its creation in 2003, raking in $8 million last year. “Our initial intention was to cater to

men. However, we soon realised that women too loved shopping at our stores,” said Mr Chua. Despite graduating from NTU with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1994, he chose a career in fashion and retail after finishing his internship with a local engineering company, realising it was not his cup of tea. Instead, he worked in web technology upon graduation, recognising that living and shopping online would be popular. What started out as an online men’s lifestyle magazine quickly turned into a successful business recipe for Mr Chua. From his website NewUrbanMale.com, he built a loyal base of about 10,000 readers. The strong numbers made the expansion offline a lot smoother. Step into any NUM branch today and the first thing you’ll probably notice is its “mandatory wall of flip-flops”. A palette of colours against a clean, white wall, these flip-flops have become synonymous with the brand. The attractive NUM staff may also catch your eye. Mr Chua revealed that when picking its staff, NUM looks out for many things such

as personality and sincerity in serving, not just looks. “Everybody likes to be served by goodlooking people. But good looks alone, without any character, will only turn people off.” Mr Chua’s days in NTU played a part in his understanding of Singaporean tastes in fashion. “NTU students have always been viewed as being slightly less trendy and ‘hip’, as compared to other campuses. Even when I was in school, I noticed how students loved wearing their hall and faculty t-shirts to classes,” he said. Despite his disapproval, it was this same observation that made Mr Chua realise the Singaporean preference for casual wear. Bearing this in mind, he aspired to promote a style that was casual yet trendy and sophisticated at the same time. This remains the approach NUM takes when designing its own clot hes and deciding which international brands to bring in. Most of NUM’s products—from its famed Havaianas to its notor ious party tanks and vintage tees—are either selectively imported or designed with the purpose of allowing wearers to be “who

they truly are”. The simplicity that the brand advocates stems from the man himself. Despite his current success he does not believe in flaunting his wealth. Instead, he holds true to his guiding principle, which is to live as minimally as possible. This probably explains why you won’t find him driving around town. “The only form of driving you’ll see me doing is driving people crazy,” he jokes. Seeing how down-to-earth this fashion mogul is, it is no wonder that his young employees, many of whom are tertiary students, look to him as a role model. Still, this does not change the way Mr Chua views himself. In fact, he makes it a point not to think about shouldering the responsibility. “I try to live life as best I can, and if it influences others in the right way, then that’s good,” he says. Despite his public persona, Mr Chua insists that he is a private person who dislikes social events such as launch parties. “When you attend such parties, you realise that people are very pretentious. They do and say things that they’re not sincere about, and that’s not something I know how to do.” What he does like, though, is having some quiet time to himself. Early nights are much hoped for, as it allows him to clear his mind before beginning the next day anew. This habit is one that has stayed with him since his equally hectic undergraduate days. Nonetheless, the phenomenon of dressing down in NTU, which has managed to sustain itself over the years, still amazes Mr Chua. “Tell NTU students that it’s time to stop wearing their hall tees, faculty tees and university tees to school,” he said. “It’s not fashionable.”

TO BE WHO YOU TRULY ARE: NUM products aim to be casual, yet trendy.

lifestyle

M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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

foodsnoop

Food for a cause

If you feel bad about eating out so often and spending money for no good reason, these eateries will quiet that noisy conscience. Karen Xin and Cheryl Wee bring you two restaurants with a mission Food for thought

Annalakshmi Restaurant

420 North Bridge Road #01-06 North Bridge

Chinatown Point, 133 New Bridge Road #B1-02, Podium A

Nearby MRT Stations: Bugis & City Hall

Nearby MRT Station: Chinatown (Exit E)

Opening hours: Mondays-Saturdays 9am-9pm, (Closed on Sundays & Public Holidays)

THE SIGN beside the self-service water station reads “Please donate to help make water freely available for someone else in the world”. Suppor t clean water. Help end poverty. Educate the people. Framed posters scrawled with these words boast Food for Thought’s mission which is good food for a good cause. They are a social enterprise striving to make profits yet serve the community at the same time. T hey are located opposite the National Librar y and with their warm orange lights spilling out amid the dim lights of the surrounding shops, an invitingly warm welcome is created. The food is equally welcoming —and warming. The House Shitake Mushroom Soup ($5) came first, topped with a generous heap of chopped mushrooms. The broth is surprisingly robust with flavour although it is made with no cream. Next came the Cuban ham and pork steak sandwich ($12.90 for the premium combo that comes with a side) with a serving of smoked duck salad. In line with their promise to be generous with portions, the juicy filling spilled out of the grilled focaccia bread and made the sandwich a little messy to eat. The bottom layer of bread was also soggy from soaking up the sauces. But the juicy shreds of pork steak were soft and moist, which complemented the salty, chewy strips of Cuban ham nicely. Along with tangy mustard, melted square

A DESSERT HAVEN: Scoops of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce perch atop home made desserts. Sticky marshmallow brownie cup (above) and the butterscotch peach crumble (right).

Opening hours: 11am to 3pm and 6pm to 9.30pm, daily

SMOKING GOOD DUCK: There is nothing quite like it. PHOTOS | CHERYL WEE

cheese and a ring of pineapple, this sandwich is a lush orchestration of different flavours and textures. The side of smoked duck salad did not pale in comparison. The salad was a colourful combination of red capsicums, pulpy orange slices and chopped lettuce, topped with slices of smoked duck and drizzled with honey mustard. And unlike usual cured meats, the smoked duck was not overly salty. Instead, it was soft and tender, and almost seemed to melt in the mouth. The salad complemented the sandwich well by smartly counterbalancing the salty edge of the Cuban Ham and pork steak. Since the sandwich

did not contain any greens, the salad also helped balance the meal nicely. An array of desserts ended off the meal on a sweet note, each made by enterprising local bakers who work from home. The Butterscotch Peach Crumble ($7.90) was served with ice cream. Baked in a soufflé dish, it was layered with butterscotch on top, crumble with raisins in the middle and peaches with almonds underneath. T he c r u mble, r e se mbl i ng cookie dough, is a buttery paste with crunchy sugary granules. The raisins and slightly sour cubes of canned peaches temper the cloying sweetness of the dessert. T he St i ck y Mar shm all o w Bro w ni e Cup ( $ 9.9 0 ) wa s a bittersweet experience coupled with espresso and fluffy melted marshmallows. The vanilla ice cream on top melted quickly when doused in hot, freshly brewed espresso and rivers of black and white trickled downwards. The brownie, which had a mild cocoa taste, soaked up the aromatic f lavor of unsweetened strong coffee, while the sticky tendrils of marshmallows clung to the sides of the cup, contributing a mild sweet taste that made everything all the more agreeable. No problems scraping the dish clean here. Good food for a good cause indeed.

A WAITER dressed in a traditional I nd i a n c o s t u m e pu l le d t h e elaborately-carved wooden door open with a flourish. At first glance, the restaurant looks like a museum. Car ved, painted images of Indian gods and goddesses line the wall. The place is a feast for the eyes and the stomach. The “Eat what you Want and Give as you Feel” concept stems from the saying “athithi devo bhava” which means “the Guest is God”. This non-prof it restaurant believes that preparing and serving food lovingly and selflessly is akin to making a tribute to the Goddess of Abundance, Lakshmi. “ We a r e he r e to pr ov ide happiness to people,” said Mr S. Satish who volunteers at the restaurent. They provide happiness to people by giving sumptuous meals. From Friday to Sunday, the restaurant has a lunch and dinner buffet spread with an equal mix of North and South Indian food, ranging from soups to desserts. On other weekdays, there is an a` la carte menu. The food is vegetarian, but that should not put non-vegetarians off. “The food is so good I wouldn’t miss not having meat in it,” says

Ms Susanne Hebel, who is not vegetarian. The yam dish in the buffet tastes remarkably like beef rendang. The yam is chewy and covered in a thick brown spicy grav y with fragrant coconut leaving a agreeable lingering taste. A favourite is the papadams, a thin crusty-like biscuit that was delightfully salty: an Indian version of a potato chip about the size of your palm. They serve up this popular item in small batches, so that it will not go soft from being left in the open. “The food in this restaurant really reminds me of my mother’s cooking. We will definitely come again because we miss ‘real’ Indian food so much,” says Ms Vanwwi, a customer. A must-try side dish is the idli—a white savoury cake made with coconut, rice and fermented lentils. This sponge-like cake has a slightly sour tang that is easily hidden by the coconut chutney and smattering of spices that accompany it. However, not everything is that good. The mee goreng was dry and stuck together in clumps. There was only a bland side dish of spinach for the briyani rice. The highlight of the dinner was the dessert. The simple green bean soup was deceptively good—not too sweet, with just a smack of condensed milk, the winning recipe of the day. The wholesome milky sweet sensation kicks in f irst, then comes the chewy beans. It was not too thick, but offered a light and refreshing way to finish the meal. The restaurant hires paid staff and has volunteer helpers. In light of such a spirit of giving, it was indeed tough to put a price on the meal.

INTRICATE PATTERNS ON THE DOORS: The rich cultural feel of Annalakshmi lies in its lavish decor. PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

lifestyle

M AR C H 30, 20 0 9

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

drinkup THE MID-RANGE CHAIN

BOOST JUICE BAR VivoCity 1 Harbourfront Walk #02-134 Opens Mondays to Fridays, 10am to 10pm; Saturdays and Sundays till 11pm

THE PRICE: $6 for a 250ml cup, $7 for 450ml, and $8 for 650ml. Takeaways only. WHAT: With its eye-catching lime-green shop front, the chain promises juices that are freshly squeezed, with no added sugar. A unique offering is the Pocket Rocket Juice ($6.50 for 350ml), a “super juice” packed with Omega-3, fibre and a vita booster of multi-vitamins. Ot her ju ices i nc lude t he addition of boosters, that “little bit of magic powder” which have vitamins or minerals embedded within them. THE CROWD: Mostly Caucasians, who are familiar with the chain back in their home countries, according to store manager Bom Ng. Many students also frequent the outlet. THE JUICE: The selling point of the Pocket Rocket Juice is its addition of Omega-3 fats. Packaged in a chirpy lime-green styrofoam cup bearing the bright store name, the juice is thick like a milkshake. A swig reveals a hint of pineapple and the full body of

THE PRICEY PLACE

banana, with the sour tang of orange bits. It was a rather confusing blend of flavours, probably because the drink is chock full of ingredients. Some of the fruits added to the blend, like the pomegranate, could barely be tasted. With an attractive red hue, the first sip of the Immunity Juice brings out the strongly sweet taste of watermelon juice, followed by the sweetness of strawberries and oranges. The flavours come together in a riot. But the combination does little for the tastebuds because of the clash of various tastes which leaves one quite confused.The best bit of this juice requires a bit of patience. The pulpy bits left at the bottom in a foamy residue are full of bite and lessen the over whelming sweetness. T H E SERV ICE: Fr iendly and c h e e r f u l , bu t not to o we l l informed. The counter staff had to turn frequently to the manager for advice on the different kinds of juices available, and where their supply of fruit comes from, among other questions. WHAT YOU PAY IS WHAT YOU GET: A suitable healthy treat for the diet-conscious, but the lack of a seating area at the Vivocity outlet made the price seem a tad too high for just that one cup of juice. Grab a cup and savour it at the rooftop Skypark instead.

GLOW JUICE BAR AND CAFÉ The Hilton Singapore 581 Orchard Road #02-00 Opens Mondays to Saturdays, 11am to 6pm

THE PRICE: $9 per glass, but works out to be about $10.50 after tax. Takeaway juices come in run–ofthe-mill plastic cups. WHAT: Tucked in a quiet corner of the shopping gallery at The Hilton, its décor is minimalist, with plush white padded seats and polished wooden tables. Their power juices are most popular, especially the Instant Energizer, a blend of carrot, bee pollen, apple and parsley. Promising instant vitality, the pick-me-up juices include the Apple Tart, a blend of green apple and lemon juice. THE CROWD: Comprises mostly regulars on familiar terms with t he staf f. Customer s, most ly health-conscious, visit this place for a pick-me-up after shopping at the galler y, says marketing communications coordinator SueMei Teo, 23. THE JUICE: The Instant Energizer is served chilled in a clear glass, showing its rich orange colour. The taste of carrot hits the tastebuds instantly, agreeably sweetened with bee pollen and apple. The thick layer of foam that covers the juice is where the pulpy bits are concentrated and is supposedly the most nourishing part. “Those who really know how to drink juice will leave the foamy part till the last. That is why some customers don’t like us to clear their glasses right away, because they want to fi nish up the foamy part at the

GLASS OF GOODNESS: Juices come freshly-squeezed, with no added sugar.

bottom,” explains waitress Leah Sutiman, 53. The Apple Tart comes in a garish green colour. On first sip, it is almost overwhelmingly sour, but gets quite refreshing as the slight sweetness of the apple juice slowly comes through, leaving a tingling sensation on the tongue. THE SERVICE: Decked out in plush maroon silk blouses and black pants, the staff were warm, enthusiastically personable and professional.

WHAT YOU PAY IS WHAT YOU GET: True, the price may be steep. And the Instant Energizer did not instantly energize as decreed. As a pick-me-up, the Apple Tart works purely due to the immense sourness which can perk anyone up immediately. Other than that, the promised vitality did not last longer than the course of the drink. But really, the price was more for the pleasure of luxuriating in a calming ambience, attended to by warm service staff.

JUICE IT,

THREE WAYS

A simple cup of juice can be as cheap as a dollar, or cost more than one red note. Kezia Toh and Hong Shuheng check out three spots with diﬀerent pricetags, to ﬁnd out if what you pay is what you get THE CHEAPER JOINT

CANTEEN A JUICE STALL Broadway Foodcourt, on campus.

NUTRIENT BOOST: Juices come freshly-squeezed, with no added sugar. PHOTOS | ELIZABETH LAW, HONG SHUHENG & YUSUF HAMID

THE PRICE: The Avocado Juice at $1.80, and the Three Fruits Juice at $2.50. Packaged in a clear plastic cups. THE CROWD: Intermittent crowds on a school day, during the lunch hour. THE JUICE: The Avocado Juice is a steal at $1.80, and was recommended by Mdm Han Yuni, 43, who makes the juices. Supposedly “good for the skin, especially for young girls”, the

ice-blended juice came with a dash of salt for taste. The mark of a good avocado juice is a nice buttery aftertaste, but this version was too watered-down, and delivered only a tad of the full-bodied flavour of avocado. A more popular option is the Three Fruits Juice, a blend of watermelon, papaya and honeydew, though customers ask for pineapple instead of honeydew, as it adds a zesty tang to the drink. The slight taste of watermelon complemented the flavour of papaya, which lent a pleasantly sweet f lavour to the rather diluted drink. But the tang of pineapple left much to be desired, with its sour biting aftertaste.

THE SERVICE: Brisk and efficient. Pretty much do-it-yourself – you get your juice after a short wait, and pay at a separate counter. WHAT YOU PAY IS WHAT YOU GET: For the ver y affordable prices, it is a viable and healthier drink option to go with a meal, though the juices could be less watered-down. Top up $0.50 to get a “no-ice” option, for a less diluted blend.

lifestyle

M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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

Childhood charms Tired of the daily grind of school work and the burdens of busy activities, Carmela Reyes, Ellyne Phneah and Erica Ng return to the simple things in life flying high

captivating greenery I HAD no idea what to expect at the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden, but I was eager to explore. Covering two hectares in a corner of the botanic gardens, the youthful integrity of this children’s garden is well protected. You need to be accompanied by someone under 12. I had none, so I had to wait for a guide. Feeling sheepish and impossibly old at the age of 20, I couldn’t help but let my curiosity get the better of me as I imagined what might be waiting for me on the other side of the gate. I was not disappointed. Wandering through the plentiful trees with my guide, I felt like a small child under the watchful eye of my mother and I tried to stay on my best behaviour. I stopped at every sign, reading and learning about the trees and plants. It was a unique educational experience with nature as I had to stop and look at the colours of the plants used to make dyes, deeply inhale the fragrant herbs, and touch the textures of leaves and flower petals. The colourful and clear explanations on the signs within the garden made learning fun. I was able to play with different musical instruments made from plants and fr uits.

NAKED TREE: A man-made tree structure outside the garden. PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG

Upon spotting a gong fashioned from a tree trunk, I gave it a few good whacks and couldn’t help but giggle at the sounds that resulted. As I played with the different instruments, and took the time to stop and smell the roses, it was impossible not to feel youthful. I felt like I was in a magical place, sur rounded by the multit ude of fresh greenery, as if I were one of Peter Pan’s lost boys in Never Land. Scrambling up the tree house ladder and trekking through the small caves nestled

down the slippery slopes

LAZY RIVER: A man made stream with a current strong enough to pull you along.

IT WAS always a special treat to be able to make a trip to the 20-acre enclosed waterpark in Canada’s Wonderland. The adrenaline rush of waterslides is not something that diminishes with age. Facing Chinese Garden MRT station, a water wonderland awaited at the Jurong East Swimming Complex, its colourful winding slides an appealing escape from the sticky Singapore heat. Aside from the three multicolored snake-like waterslides, refreshing waterfalls dotted the premises, with a multi-coloured playground

that had water spraying every which way, and a lazy river that sparkled invitingly. Determined to start the day with a splash, I climbed up the four flights of stairs to conquer the first slide - a narrow winding yellow tube that didn’t seem large enough for me to wedge myself in. I stopped in my tracks and looked uncertainly at the slide. It seemed awfully narrow, even for my 1.64m frame, and the rushing water looked strong enough to sweep me away. But wasn’t that the point?

behind waterfalls, I found myself really immersed in the experience, forgetting that I was a guest in the garden, and an overaged one at that. GONE WITH THE WIND: Keeping hold of the kite was a challenge. PHOTO | COURTESY

POTTING GARDEN: Fanciful swirls decorate the entrance.

Squelching my misgivings, I took a deep breath and swung myself into the dark tube to prove that I could still slide with the best of the bunch – most of whom were half my age, if not younger. As I rocketed through the darkness with water splashing everywhere, a huge smile spread across my face. I let go of any worries I had and enjoyed the invigorating experience. As I neared the end of the slide, my eyes lit up at the clear blue water and before I knew it, I was submerged with a satisfying splash. W hen I resu r faced a few moments later soaking wet, hair disheveled, with water up my nose, I still had the huge smile on my face. Eyeing t he t ubes and t he two biggest slides, I was excited to tackle more water escapades and forget my homework, my responsibilities and my worries. It was refreshing to embrace my inner child and let go, even if just for a day.

BIG WAVES: This pool generates waves sporadically. PHOTOS | BRANDON LEE

ALONG Champions Way, an avenue tucked in the south of Woodlands, there are vast plains interspersed with little hills. I spent a good part of my childhood playing police-andthief and blowing soap bubbles there. But I’d never flown a kite till now. As I dragged the struggling kite behind me for a good ten minutes, it finally rose to embrace the wind. I released more string as the kite rose fearlessly and I pulled

the string taut in fear of losing my kite. The string was on the verge of breaking as I struggled to keep it afloat. Should I let the kite go? It took me a while before I was willing to free the kite and then watch it disappear from sight. Perhaps t he k ite wa s too beautiful to be compelled to deviate from its trajectory the way the wind had planned it. Maybe, it deserved to continue flying. I was thankful to leave on that note.

a trot through the trees

DWARFED BY A HORSE: Down the muddy jungle trail. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

SITTING atop a full grown sturdy horse was a far cr y from the pony riding of my childhood. A l l t h ou g h t s of h or s e b a c k accidents, Christopher Reeve and back paralysis faded when I met Buzz—a beautiful, cream coloured, brown patched horse, bred in New Zealand. The jungle trial that Buzz and I travelled on was muddy and I was glad to have Buzz do the walking for me. Even though I was being led around, I had to communicate

when to stop and move off. Horses are actually able to interpret our tone of voice and body language. If I did not sound firm enough, he would not take me seriously. He was talking to me in his own way too. Buzz’s little actions such as bending his head down to scratch his feet and the way he tossed his head helped me understand how he was feeling and made him all the more endearing to me.

lifestyle

M AR C H 30, 20 0 9

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

Pick a spot, any spot With the urgency of exams creeping up, Kuek Jinhua, Tan Jia Yi and Manjit Kaur ﬁnd out where students from all over the island have been studying IN THE NORTH: NEE SOON COMMUNITY CLUB

IN THE EAST: PACIFIC COFFEE (CHANGI AIRPORT TERMINAL 1)

30 Yishun St 81, Singapore 768455 Opening Hours: 10am–9.30pm daily, closed on public holidays

Changi Airport Passenger Terminal 1 Airport Boulevard Departure Hall West, Unit #021-70 Singapore 819642 Opening Hours: 24 hours daily

E N V I RO N M E N T: T he study room seats 20 people. “There are more users than tables, especially dur ing the weekends and the time leading up to exams,” says Mr Mohamed at the Community Centre (CC).

ENVIRONMENT: This place is a haven for all-nighters. Full-length glass walls provide abundant sunlight in the day while antique-looking green lamps with gilded stands provide light at each table when it gets darker.

NOISE: With only three people on a Saturday afternoon, the study room was silent. FOOD: Food is not allowed but there is a café on the fi rst floor. Coffeeshops are a two-minute walk away.

NOISE: The ambient music is soothing and sometimes sleep-inducing. THE STUDYING EXPERIENCE: Tables here resemble oak-panelled desks of old libraries. This scholarly feel puts people in the mood of studying. But the red plush armchairs are so comfortable that coffee does little to ward off sleep. The tiny tables next to them are only knee-high and not suitable for studying. Though there is WiFi coverage, power points are scarce.

PHOTOS | HANNAH LEONG, TAN JIA YI & FOO CHEE CHANG

THE STUDYING EXPERIENCE: Be prepared to share the room with elderly folk, who also read there. STUDY TIPS: The CC is a five-minute walk from Khatib MRT station. Although you have to be a member to study here, this study room offers one of the lowest membership rates at $12 per annum, which converts to $1 monthly, compared to other CCs which charge as much as $100. No reservation of seats is allowed.

IN THE WEST: McDONALD S (KING ALBERT PARK)

McDonald's Place 11 King Albert Park, #01-01/02/05, Singapore 598292 Opening Hours: 7am–11pm, Sunday–Thursday; 24 hours, Friday, Saturday and eve of public holidays E N V I RON M E N T :

The second floor of t h i s out le t i s dom i nated by st udents, regardless of the day of the week. O ne d i ne r, Ms Mahani, said t hat she wa s shocked to see the large number of students here. NOISE: Headphones to d r ow n ou t distractions a re st rongly recom mended.

FOOD: The usual McDonald's fare. THE STUDYING EXPERIENCE: A St Andrew's Junior College student Elizabeth and her friend were both studying for their ‘A’ Level exams. She says she can concentrate in spite of the noise. Other students from nearby Ngee Ann Polytechnic and Singapore Institute of Management were also spotted. STUDY TIPS: When the outlet is crowded, priority is given to customers who are there to dine in. “Students will be politely asked to give up their space for other customers,” said a McDonald's staff member.

IN THE SOUTH: HARBOURFRONT CRUISE CENTRE

1 Maritime Square, Level 2 Singapore 099253 Opening Hours: 10am–9pm daily

EN V I RON MEN T: There are dining benches where students can choose to study at. NOISE: Other than the occasional bawling toddler and snatches of conversation, it is generally quiet with light human traffic. FOOD: A range of hawker fare, but the quality of food leaves much to be desired. The chee cheong fun at $2 was tasteless and the laksa at $3.50 was rather pricey. Go to the nearby HarbourFront Centre instead. THE STUDYING EXPERIENCE: This unusual studying place offers minimal distractions, but there are no power points. STUDY TIPS: If you study with a laptop, ensure its battery has been fully charged.

FOOD: Pacific Coffee's pastries and cakes look tempting, but at $4 to $5, their prices are a turn off. Their coffee is at market rates. Cheaper options are available at other dining locations, such as Burger King, or the airport staff canteen at the other end of the terminal. STUDY TIPS: This place is popular with travellers who have time to burn before their flight. They leave their luggage and stay there for long hours, so it may be difficult to find a seat.

IN THE CENTRAL: NATIONAL LIBRARY STUDY LOUNGE

National Library Board 100 Victoria Street, Level 5 Singapore 188064 Opening Hours: 10am–9pm daily, closed on public holidays

ENVIRONMENT: There are high chairs facing a garden, and study tables and sofa seats for group discussions. The two-seater desks lining the full length windows offer a breathtaking view of the Bugis area and provide good relief for the eyes. NOISE: When fully packed, the sound of chatter is unavoidable. It is quieter on weekdays. The noise from the vending machines can also be distracting. FOOD: There are vending machines within the lounge. Alternatively, food can be bought from the Hans café on the first floor or the nearby Bugis Junction. THE STUDYING EXPERIENCE: NTU student Derren Fong says he likes the vast number of library books he can refer to, but his main gripes are the lack of seats and power points. STUDY TIPS: Access to the study lounge is free. When crowded, reservation of seats is not allowed. If you are studying with a friend, take turns to look after your belongings.

lifestyle

M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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

travelogue THE IDEA of a trip to Japan filled me with excitement. Taking in the pulsating rhythm of Tokyo would be thrilling. Until I found out that I was bound for Tohoku, in the north of Japan. I had never heard of that place; much less know what to expect. Tohoku, as described in the official travel website, promises the best natural scenery in all of Japan. It is also famous for its rich histor y, with ancient samurai castles and temples built during Japan’s Edo period. So armed with thick coats, scarves and gloves for protection against t he har sh winter temperatures, we were off to the land of the rising sun. It turned out that my bulky overcoat came into good use i n A omor i , a n a r e a i n t he Northwestern tip of the Tohoku region. As a city renowned for its cold weather and heavy snowfall, temperatures can drop to as low as -5 degree Celsius. One of the tourist attractions in Aomori is Mount Hakkoda, a volcanic mountain range that soars 1300m above sea level. Via a cable-car ropeway, we ascended to the summit to get a bird’s eye view of the winter scenery. Stepping out of the ropeway cabin, I felt li ke I had been t r a n spor ted i nto a w i nter wonderland. Snow so white and pristine that it hurt the eye when we looked at it, blanketed the entire mountain top. Set against a clear blue sky, it was a sight to behold. But the breathtaking landscape hid a gruesome history. In 1902, a group of 210 soldiers were caught in a blizzard while trying to cross the mountain. Trapped under layers of fast accumulating snow, only two men in the regiment managed to survive. For us, it was worth braving the bitter cold, watching my father,

PRISTINE WINTER BEAUTY: The Tohoku region in the thick of winter, where temperatures could dip to a low of -5 degrees Celsius.

the road less travelled

A volcanic mountain, creepy inns and the customary Japanese convenience store. Woo Sian Boon travels up north in the land of the rising sun brother and uncle become children again as they launched into a snowball fight. Careful to stay out of their aim, I laughed till my sides ached while they packed powdery snow together and tossed them at one another. By night, we had arrived at Kinugawa, a small town famed for its hot springs. We would be staying at a hotel with hot spring facilities that night. Stepping into the lobby, I was

tips for travelling in the tohoku region

Shed your inhibitions and your clothing and take a hot spring bath in the Japanese Onsen. Many hotels offer indoor and outdoor facilities where one can bathe and take in the surrounding natural scenery at the same time.

Be sure to get a tour guide who is effectively bilingual and is knowledgeable about the Tohoku region. With the area being less commercialised, most tourist attractions only provide signboards written in Japanese. Having someone well versed in Japanese who would be able to elucidate on rich historical facts about the different places in Tohoku would be a plus point.

Natural scenery in Japan is breathtaking all year round because of the four seasons they experience. Cherry blossom season begins in April and ends in early May during springtime. In late October to November, one will be able to experience the fall season where trees will be draped in spectacular orange-red leaves.

struck by how old-fashioned the architecture was. Shelves neatly arranged with Japanese figures of Samurais and Geishas were part of the decoration. We squeezed into an ancient looking lift so small that it could only fit two people. The rooms consisted of three sma l le r room s sepa r ated by traditional sliding shoji (paper) door s a nd w it h tata m i mat s covering wooden floor boards. The area where we would be sleeping had no furniture except two tatami mattresses on the floor. A solitary weak orange light rendered visible the room’s high ceilings and paper walls but left most of the room in shadow. I felt a shiver of trepidation as I recalled the translation of Kinugawa which our tour guide had expounded on during the bus journey to the place. It literally meant “Angry Demon River”. I hoped that the multitudes of people that had passed through the area had managed to scare any angry demons away. A suggestion to walk to a nearby convenience store was t hus wa r m ly welcomed. T he convenience stores in Japan are marvels in themselves, and there was always at least one within walking distance from our hotel no matter how rural the area was. With the nearest shopping mall at least a 45-minute drive away, the stores not only provide an avenue for a quick midnight

snack run, they make sure that an emergency need for household items can be met easily too. Thus, their aisles are usually stocked with items that range from cold soba noodles, the usual snacks and sweets to porn magazines. Other than that, books, manga and DVDs of the latest movies and sundry items like shampoo, wa sh i ng powder a nd e ven cosmetics are also in stock. T he Japanese are fond of reinventing existing products. Kit Kat chocolate bars, for example, come in all sorts of flavours. In the seven days we were in

Japan, we managed to find Kit Kats in blueberry cheesecake, mandarin orange, green tea and cappuccino flavours, all in different stores scattered around the region. That night, lying snug under a mountain of blankets, I had tried to fall asleep but was painfully conscious of the creaks and groans the wooden f loorboards were making. It did not help that water was steadily dripping away outside the window. My hyperactive imagination started going wild, and visions of a Sadako crawling up the outside wall soon had my heart turning cold with fear. It was a harrowing night as I lay frozen in the darkness and unearthly stillness, with my eyes tightly shut, but still wide awake. I came down to breakfast the next morning, bleary-eyed, and walked past the reception counter, where a row of staff dressed in impeccable dark suits and neatly pressed ties bowed in welcome. That was one of the things which really impressed me. The Japanese are polite to a fault, and even though there is a language barrier, their smiles and the genuine desire to help make your stay a memorable one showed that they cared. Getting away from the fast pace of school life, and just savouring the sights, while learning about another countr y’s culture and practices made me realise that life does not only revolve around school, work or f r iend s a nd family. There are many things out in the rest of the world that is worth taking time to understand and to appreciate.

Got an interesting travel experience to share? E-mail us at chronklifestyle@gmail.com

BREATHTAKING VIEW: Mount Hakkoda, a beautiful volcanic mountain range that hides a gruesome history. PHOTOS | COURTESY

lifestyle review

BOOKS The Household Guide to Dying Debra Adelaide $21.90, available at Borders Published by Harper Collins

DIAGNOSED with terminal cancer, Delia, the bestselling writer of a series of household guides, is dying. She decides to tackle the subject of her own demise by writing “a household guide to dying” as her last guidebook, which covers topics from choosing a coffin, writing a will and even attending an autopsy. She desperately tries to get her house in order by drawing up a list for her daughter’s future wedding, stocking up the freezer with homemade sausages and even offering her husband suggestions for a new wife. At the same time, Delia also has to come to terms with her past before dying. She travels back to her hometown in search of the people she desperately hopes to meet before her demise. In the book, she narrates her feelings and thoughts with alternation of the past and present events, which is confusing. I often had to re-read the previous chapter to make sure I was not lost amidst her narration. The perplexing narrative made it difficult to read the end of the book. However, I slowly realized that it was precisely the author’s use of descriptive details that made the book unique. The book worked out nicely at the end with the abundant details It is hard not to take the book too personally and start considering one’s own funeral. But then again, funerals are for the living, not the dead.

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“I wanna be rich, I want lots of money. I don't care about smart, I don't care about funny. I want lots of clothes." "The Fear" by Lily Allen

-Bernice Neo

The Flood J. M. G. Le Clezio $29.90, available at Borders Published by Penguin Classics

FRANÇOIS Besson is the unfortunate protagonist who hears the long monologue via tape-recording of a girl finding the courage to commit suicide. Besson wanders around town in a daze, finding himself drawn into an existential crisis as he suddenly comes to the revelation that the lives of the townsfolk have become devoid of meaning. The Flood traces twelve days in Besson’s life as he tries to find meaning in his existence but is thwarted at every turn. Besson’s final revelation on day twelve causes him to turn violent against himself in abject surrender, setting the stage for a shocking yet intense conclusion in days 13 to 15. While Le Clézio’s descriptive prowess is unmatched, his metaphors and allusions hamper the flow of the story as the descriptions tend to sideline the story and confuse the reader. The prose is exceedingly intense and unconventional, but at times Le Clezio’s brilliance becomes an inconsiderate ramble. The Flood is reminiscent of existentialist works such as Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Unfortunately, it is also a deluge of metaphorical overkill, which inevitably smothers the storyline. -James Ho

MUSIC

It's Not Me It's You Lily Allen (Alternative Music)

¯¯¯¯¯ This album earned a nomination for Best Alternative Music Album at the 50th Grammy Awards.

IT HAS been almost three years since the release of Lily Allen's debut album Alright, Still. However, the hiatus paid off and she is back with an even better pop album, It's Not Me, It's You. Full of beat and dark lyrics, the album was written by Allen and produced by Greg Kurstin, one half of the musical duo The Bird and the Bee. Allen touches on a wide plethora of subjects ranging from God to bad sex and relationships, but also tells of weight issues, drugs, her parents and the fears of being a celebrity. Who’d Have Know, one of my personal favourite songs, is a first person exposé describing the serendipity of love and the uncertainties at the beginning of a new relationship that one can relate to. Allen's razor-sharp wit and clever lyrics are certainly the main draw of the album. My personal favourites were lead track The Fear and F*** You, originally titled GWB. No prizes for guessing who it refers to. -Bernice Neo

No Line on the Horizon All U2 (Rock)

¯¯¯¯¯ This album is dedicated to Rob Partridge, who signed the band's first record deal in 1979 and died of cancer in late 2008.

IF you are a hardcore U2 fan, the band once again live up to their musical legacy in their latest release entitled No Line On The Horizon. The album is full of the expected: Bono’s echoing, anthemic vocals and The Edge’s melodic and rhythmic strumming. However for the non-U2 fanatics, their new record can only be described as mediocre at best. Although the band has been together for more than 30 years and established their signature sound, it is crucial that they challenge themselves and evolve with the times. It is evident that U2’s sound had not undergone any serious transformation, which does not translate as well to the current generation. With not a single outstanding track, No Line On The Horizon will leave its listeners craving something much more refreshing. -Renee Villasenor Turn to page 16 to find out how to get a free copy of U2's No Line On The Horizon!

To Lose My Life White Lies (Indie Rock)

¯¯¯¯¯ Previously known as The Fear of Flying, they changed their name because "White Lies are common but quite dark".

PHOTO | COURTESY

THE quintessential tough moral question: are white lies permissible? While White Lies' debut album does not offer to answer the question, To Lose My Life certainly leaves you with as much to think about. A quirky obsession with death underlies the album, something peculiar for a band made up of three 20-year-olds. However, this band definitely does not err on the side of caution in ensuring that who they are is congruent to the songs they do. The band sounds distinctively English and fans of Snow Patrol or Joy Division may find their style familiar. The first single of the album, Unfinished Business, is a showcase of the band's excellence in musical dynamism. Starting off with just the vocals, the song rapidly culminates into an intense musical spectacle that will get you to your feet. Title track, To Lose My Life is a standout, setting an ironic and questioning stance that the rest of the album takes after.

-Poh Wee Koon

lifestyle

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FILMS

Confessions of A Shopaholic Romance /Comedy (PG)

NNNNN

Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack 106min

REBECCA ‘Becky’ Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) discovered the magic of shopping as a young girl and it was a moment that changed her life forever. Her personal mantra—“a man will never treat you as well as a store”— eventually drives her to Manhattan, the fashion capital of the USA. The allure of high-end fashion boutiques proves too dazzling to ignore and after swiping her “magic cards” at every turn possible, the compulsive shopper soon finds herself “legally broke”. She then lands herself a job as a financial journalist, where she ironically dishes out financial advice to others under the pseudonym, ‘The girl with the green scarf’. Throw in an element of romance in the form of her handsome British editor (Hugh Dancy) and one gets the recipe for a chick flick. Despite its initial shallow visage, the film goes on to reveal moments of raw, genuine human emotions. When Becky suffers

repercussions after her double lifestyle is exposed, the audience cannot help but feel sympathetic towards her, as though her hysterical shopaholic inclinations exist as a separate Hyde to her Jekyll. A refreshing addition to the film, Fisher successfully draws attention away from a blatant exhibition of consumerist values. Decked in the likes of Gucci and Prada, the actress livens the atmosphere with her spunky and comic personality. Her dynamic, yet somewhat volatile relationship with bestfriend Suze (Krysten Ritter), also adds colour to the film, making scenes involving the two a much-anticipated affair. A light-hearted comedy, the scenes of romance, friendship and fashion are noticeably clichéd and repetitive. The plot itself is recycled and very much reminiscent of other chick f licks, such as Bridget Jones’ Diary and The Devil Wears Prada.

-Shahida Hassim

Race To Witch Mountain

PHOTO | COURTESY

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Action /Adventure (PG) Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino 100min

Interview | Duffy Press Conference

PHOTO | COURTESY

A REMAKE of the 1975 film - an adaptation from the book with the same name, Race to Witch Mountain adds to the stable of formulaic family entertainment movies produced by Walt Disney Productions. The stor y opens with Jack Bruno (Dwayne Johnson), an ex-convict who gives up his NASCAR dreams to be a Las Vegas taxi driver. He gets implicated in the adventures of two teenage siblings (A n naSoph ia Robb a nd A le xa nder Ludwig), who are in fact aliens from outer space trying to save the Earth from total annilation. With the threats of gover nment personnel seeking to capture the children and an alien droid assassin hot on their heels, Bruno seeks the help of astrophysicist Dr Alex Friedman (Carla Gugino). They then embark on a mission to protect and lead the children back to their spaceship in Witch Mountain.

Although Johnson does a decent job of being an endearing and comical father figure in the movie, the plot is simply too frivolous for the older audiences. The movie tends to be repetitive which quickly bores the viewer. While the varied special effects and mandatory feel-good exchanges between the characters appeal to children, a more mature audience would reel from these cheesy scenes. M a n y m a y f e e l p e r p le xe d b y significant loopholes in the story like why the aliens require the assistance of the two older humans. This is especially so when they seem perfectly capable of completing their mission with their supernatural powers. In light of how children seem to enjoy this movie, it is recommended as a family outing or for those looking for a mindless escape. -Vanessa Too

DUFFY may only be 24 this year, but for someone who has reached stardom as quickly as she did, she is certainly down to earth. In Singapore for the first time for her Rockferry concert, the Welsh singer shared how she had a tendency to feel apologetic at her concerts because of her limited repertoire. Despite having been compared to singers like Dusty Springfield and washed up singer Amy Winehouse, Duffy revealed that she is really quite herself and does not like conforming. The singer then recounted her experience of her only singing lesson ever and how she subsequently gave up because of the things she had to do. “It was too pretentious. Doing all those exercises and making funny shapes with your face and mouth, it just wasn’t me.” It is for the very same reason of standing out that led her to call herself Duffy rather than Aimee. “Even on a school excursion and if someone was misbehaving, there would be twenty other Aimees so how was I going to be singled out for causing the most trouble?” While some consider her a sort of fashion

icon, she credits her mother instead, calling her a fashion pioneer and a blue-eyed siren. One could almost sense a tinge of sadness in her voice as she said: “It’s a shame really, that she would never see all the beautiful places I’m seeing now because trying to get her on a plane for 11 hours is a nightmare.” When asked about how she deals with emotional songs such as Warwick Avenue, Duffy stated that it is merely part and parcel of singing. “Whatever you do, you have to do it wholeheartedly. If I start crying on stage, it’s not nice but I just have to take it on the chin.” One of the perils of being famous, she says, is to be at the mercy of others because there’s this role that others expect you to play. Yet for this feisty singer, there is one thing that she will not do just yet: sing a duet. She claims that she does not have enough courage to do so and has had to turn down quite a few offers, including a performance with Roger Daltry, lead singer of The Who. “’No’ is a difficult word to say, but it doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person.” -Elizabeth Law

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review

THEATRE BACKSTAGE PASS Reviews Editor Elizabeth Law meets seasoned actors Lim Kay Siu and Neo Swee Lin to discuss issues from music to Mini Coopers. How did both of you ďŹ rst get into theatre?

Lim Kay Siu (KS): Well I started theatre because of my ex-girlfriend, who got me into presenting for educational videos. So one day I had to make a video on doing auditions at TheatreWorks. I thought it looked very interesting so I signed up. Xu Xiao Zhong (then-artistic director of TheatreWorks) felt that I had a lot of potential and cast me even though I had absolutely no prior experience. I messed up big time but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Neo Swee Lin (SL): I got involved in drama very early, from when I was in school and I performed in plays and all. So even though I read law at the National University of Singapore, I met Ivan Heng and got exposed to theatre which really got me hooked. How does it feel to act alongside a relatively new cast members in the

productions that both of you are involved in?

KS: A lot of the new actors are very exciting and they bring a new quality to the production because they have a different take on things. So we learn from these actors too. We saw both of you per form together at the Christmas show, A Crazy Christmas. Any chance of a solo show anytime soon?

KS: Selena (Tan) has been trying to get me to do just that. But really, most of the songs that I write are very personal and about how much I love Swee Lin and all. So sometimes it gets a bit too personal and I get quite shy about my music. If you had to bring three CDs to a deserted island, which would they be?

SL: A CD by Kay Siu. The Greatest Hits of Lim Kay Siu. Probably a

PHOTO | ELIZABETH LAW

Beatles compilation, because they have all sorts of genres, from Rock, to Easy Listening. Plus I know all of their songs and I have all their CDs. They are one of those bands of whom you can say you've got every single CD because they won't make any more. And some Bach. Classical music, a must.

Suites I'll bring Violin Suites and we'll complement each other.

KS: I was going to say the same, Bach's Cello Suites.

How about one book you would bring to the same deser ted island?

SL: Okay since you said Cello

In A Glass of Water What

JOHN MATTHEWS FOR VISUAL PRAXIS The Nanyang Chronicle was treated to a special preview of the artistic performance at the Nanyang Playhouse on March 26th.

N I E Head of Visua l A r ts, Professor John Matthews and fe l low per for mer Joyce Ong showcased the human form by ballroom dancing and doing different actions in a 200cm by 158cm by 158cm glass tank. W h i le t he dancing wou ld conjure images of synchronised swimming, the performers do more than that and even try to simulate running underwater. Audiences are in for a surprise as Professor Matthews wears more than just a business suit in the performance. T he human for m has traditionally been seen as an outlet of expression in European art while water is seen as something that cleanses and takes things away. A combination of the two creates a surreal experience not only for the audience but also the performers. Coupled with the sound of water that simulates waves, In A Glass of Water creates a phantasmagorical experience both which enriches and provokes.

SL: A long long book so I wouldn't get bored easily. I suppose it's The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, because I have this thing about the Bard from all my theatre training. KS: It's also the Katong Convent thing, lah. So what was the last concert you went to? KS: We went to the Indigo Girls, which was beautiful. They made us cry. They were very very good. Swee Lin, how did you start out ac ting as mothers and grandmothers? SL: I don't know. Someone told me a while back that I'm quite a

Tell us three things we don't know about you. SL: I long for a yellow Mini Cooper S. Oh, and Kay Siu can't drive. KS: Yes. Swee Lin used to go, "Learn to drive, bitch." Now she's even given up on that. SL: Oh, one more thing: I'm a huge gamer. I play all sorts of games but my favourite game is Multi-User Dungeon (MUD). I've played it for more than 10 years and I've even met up with my online friends. As part of The Studios season from April 2nd to May 9th presented by The Esplanade Co., catch Lim Kay Siu in Destinies of Flowers in The Mirror and Neo Swee Lin in POOP. Tickets areat $27 each for all fulltime students with valid student passes. For more information and behindthe-scenes videos, visit www.thestudios.com.sg/2009

U2 CD GIVEAWAY The Nanyang Chronicle has

E-mail your answer, with the

three sets of U2's latest album,

subject "U2 Contest" along with

No Line On The Horizon to

your name, gender and contact

give away.

number to chroniclereviews@gmail.com

Question: What is U2 lead

-ELIZABETH LAW

singer Bono's real name?

Contest closes April 1st 2009.

a) Robert Seamus Giradet

Catch In A Glass of Water by Professor John Matthews and Joyce Ong at the Nanyang Playhouse on Friday, April 1st at 9am.

KS: Then I'll bring some Pink Floyd and some blues. Which will drive Swee Lin crazy. Okay maybe Jimi Hendrix. That isn't so noisy, unlike Johnny Winter and the lot.

character and really, I've always had to be a real character, even when I was in my teens. Kay Siu and I met because I was playing his mother in a production called Dragon's Teeth's Gate in 1986.

PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

b) Paul David Hewson

This CD give away is courtesy

c) David Howell Evans

of Universal Music.

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tech ﬂash

tech review

The new iPod shuffle: Less is more? Cameron Ng ﬁnds out what Apple s ﬁrst music player that talks to you is worth

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: Only in black and silver though.

THE design of the latest generation of the iPod shuffle is a remarkable depa r t u re f rom prev ious generations. While preserving its simple design, the new iPod shuffle now sports no buttons, knobs or wheels on its body. Looking like a nondescript t hu m b d r i v e w it h a pa i r of earphones attached, the new iPod shuffle is being touted as one of the smallest digital audio players out in the market right now. Weighing in at 11 grams and boasting a 4-gigabyte capacity, this audio player does away with the added features included in most other players and offers purely audio playback. The player supports numerous audio formats which include MP3,

A AC, Audible, WAV, AIF, and Apple Lossless. W i t h ou t bu t ton s or a n y other kind of tactile response mechanisms in its design, the iPod shuffle relies on the bundled earbud-style headphones to control music tracks. T hese headphones include a remote control which offers volume control as well as the ability to pause and skip music tracks. Needless to say, you will not be able to access the functions of the player without these headphones. Apple does offer replacement earbuds for the iPod shuffle, but in time, users can buy third-party headphones and adapters for use with the new player. IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF The latest generation of the iPod shuffle has one major upgrade over previous versions: the new VoiceOver technology. This means that the player is now capable of telling its listener the title of the song currently playing as well as the name of the artiste singing the song. VoiceOver speaks 14 different languages. This feature is surprisingly handy for a player that does not

Fast and beautiful, but not good enough yet While the new Safari 4 beta is aesthetically beautiful with interesting features, Vanessa Too is not completely sold on it SAFARI 4 is described as “browsing made smart and beautiful”. It introduced several new features and changed the layout to make it more comfortable for windows users and more attractive for Mac users. WHAT MAKES IT SO HOT Firstly, the browser adopts an interface that most Microsoft Wi ndows u ser s wou ld be comfortable with. The control buttons (minimize, maximize/

restore and close) are located at the top right hand of the title bar. This contrasts with the Safari for Mac, where the buttons are typically found on the left. Safari 4 beta for Windows has a more Windows look and feel as compared to previous versions. Secondly, the “top sites” feature is impossible to miss. As the homepage of Safari 4, it offers a 3D gallery view of websites that you frequent. Users would appreciate the fact that they are able to scan

APPLE INTRODUCES THE NEW iPod shuffle, the world’s smallest music player.

have a screen as it takes away whatever guesswork one might have when playing an unfamiliar song. CHEAPER ALTERNATIVES Apple is confident that the new iPod shuffle will fare well against similar audio players such as the Sansa Clip, Creative Zen Stone Plus and Samsung Pebble. However, the iPod shuff le’s spar tan de sig n a nd it s lack of an actual built-in interface may not sit well with consumers, who are more comfortable with a traditional layout that at least includes some buttons. At the price of S$128, it is also currently the most expensive of the four MP3 players mentioned above. In comparison, the 4-gigabyte version of the Sansa Clip retails at around S$90, and comes with an FM radio tuner and a builtin m icrophone for recording purposes. The new iPod shuffle is worth buying simply because it supports many different audio formats, but apart from that, its functions do not stand out from other audio players. If you already own a Shuffle, do

the websites they visit regularly and check if there are any updates at a glance. This is definitely one of my favourite features. Safari 4 aces the test when it comes to speed. Although the time taken for loading the websites were in milliseconds, it is worth noting that Safari 4 was almost 3.5 times faster than Firefox 3 and 42 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 in Windows. In comparison, Safari 4 was 4 times faster than Firefox 3 on Mac OS X.

SONY ERICSSON INTRODUCES the Outdoor Wireless Speaker MS500, their first outdoor Bluetooth speaker. THE NOKIA 5730 XPRESSMUSIC with a full QWERTY keyboard, is the next member to join the expanding N-Gage family. SAMSUNG INTRODUCES THE Samsung Xplorer (B2100), a new phone that incorporates various outdoor feature s and robust durability, and boasts a stylish design and comfortable grip. PHOTOS | COURTESY

not bother with this latest iteration. For more discerning audiophiles, other cheaper non-iPod options are also available.

CANON UNLEASHES ITS LATEST digital SLR, the Canon EOS 500D, with class-leading features such as 15.0 megapixel APS-C size C MO S s ens or, F ull- HD v ide o recording, a new 3-inch LCD and an expanded ISO range. SAMSUNG INTRODUCES THE ST Series and PL Series compact cameras, which combine style with the latest technological innovations for an enhanced photo-taking experience.

THE WORLD’S SMALLEST MUSIC PLAYER: The iPod shuffle on a palm.

SOME PROBLEMS HOWEVER The main gripe I have is with the tabbed browsing. The tabs are integrated in the title bar, instead of between the main window and bar where the tabs are normally situated. While this allows a larger area for viewing sites and looks glossier, it might complicate things for Vista users. The transparent feature of the tabs makes it difficult for users to read what the title of the tab is as it allows what is behind the tab to peek through. This makes the Safari window look cluttered after several tabs are opened. Don’t go running to change you r browser, Sa fa r i 4 beta takes up more memory when the same applications are run on the different browsers. For now, I would stick with my comfortable Firefox till the quirks in the beta version are sorted out. Safari 4 beta was run on the following platforms: Windows Vista with 2GB RAM, Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 & Mac OS X Leopard with 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce 9400M.

GENIUS LAUNCHES ADVANCED webcam, the eFace 1325R, featuring 1.3M pixels, a premium multi-layer adjustable lens, and night vision infrared technology. MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES ITS Windows Internet Explorer 8, the new web browser that can be downloaded in 25 languages. AMD RELE A SED WINDOWS 7 driver support as part of the latest ATI Catalyst 9.3 unified graphics driver. HEWLETT PACKARD UNVEILS t h e H P D e s i g n j e t 51 0 0 , a competitively priced and costeffective 60-inch large-format printer. JVC INTRODUCES THE LATEST line of Everio Camcorders that of f er s inn o v at i o n s in v i d e o sharing, dual storage memory and portability. MICRO-STAR INTERNATIONAL released the 790F X-GD70 and 79 0 GX-G65, the f irst motherboards equipp ed with the MAX FSB technology for easy overclocking. N V IDIA CORP OR ATION ann oun c e s t h at it h as b e en approved as a third party tools solution provider for the Wii console, making NVIDIA PhysX te chnolo g y SDK av ailable to registered Wii developers. THE NEW BL ACKBERRY application store is set to launch on April 1 at the CTIA Wireless trade show in Las Vegas.

TOO MUCH PEEK-A-BOO: Vista users may find the transparent tabs in the title bar difficult to read. PHOTOS | COURTESY

special

JOURNEYS a special feature on graduation projects

Graduation projects are the rite of passage to every undergraduate s years at NTU. The Chronicle has selected 15 projects from the various Colleges to see what went behind the scenes in making students ďŹ nal projects a resounding success.

special

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School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Robotic guardian NAMED after the Egyptian goddess of life and health, Isis is a robot designed by final-year School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student Lu Hoachuan. It aims to be a reasonably priced “sensor-networkbased mobile home care system” for the elderly. Isis functions primarily as a 24-hour monitor which keeps track of the patient’s vital signs such as blood pressure, glucose levels and heart rate. Biosensors attached to the patient will transmit these data to the internal computer of Isis, which in turn sends the information via the Internet to doctors for their records. Equipped with a rotatable camera, Isis is also able to communicate visuals to doctors and coordinate virtual visits with family members away from home. It is also able to call for an ambulance in case of an emergency. Commenting on the complexity of the machine, the 23-year-old said: “The technology is already there, but it’s a matter of integrating it to make it more applicable in daily life.” Despite the many benefits Isis will bring, Lu does not think it will totally replace the traditional role of care givers. “No, Isis is more of a monitoring system,” said Lu. “With the rapidly

ageing population, this robot will be able to help ease the minds of people who worry about senior family members.” Completed in just over two months, the development of Isis was a tough process for Lu, as it required knowledge and skills from other areas outside of his specialty in electrical and systems engineering. Working with friends in different schools of programming and engineering, Lu developed and practised project management skills while collaborating. “I had to learn new things that may not be ordinarily useful in everyday life in order to make Isis a success,” he said. Isis was selected by the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering as a showcase for the Engineering Accredition Board, an indication of how successful this innovation is. His next goal for Isis is the development of face recognition functions and capabilities to better serve consumers. Given the rapid rate of innovation and improvements in technology, Lu believes it is important to remain practical. “Research alone is too far from our lives, we need to harness technology to serve our lives,” he said. CARMELA REYES

PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG

Protecting the pangolins NOT many girls would be willing to work with faeces, but for School of Biological Sciences student Mazrina Binte Abdul Malik, analysing the volume and condition of fecal output was part and parcel of her project. The final-year student has been researching on Sunda pangolins, specialised feeders of ants and termites. To monitor the food intake of these creatures, she not only has to examine their fecal output, she also collects ants and termites for nutritional analysis, using only a portable vacuum cleaner to collect these

School of Biological Sciences

minute insects around the zoo for her research. Her woes were worsened by the recent rainy season.

for zoos to prov ide them with a sufficient amount or ants and termites to eat.

With Mazrina's work, the WRS will be better able to help ensure the survival of these creatures.

Mazrina took an interest to the endangered species after seeing how they are being hunted for their scales and meat.

Hence, Mazrina's project is aimed at improving the pangolins’ artificial diet and the captive management programme of these creatures. She is working with the Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) to contribute to the conservation of the pangolins.

CARINA KOH

According to her research, the population of Sunda pangolins have decreased dramatically for the past 10 years and they face a danger of extinction if conservation work is not strengthened. Furthermore, given the specialised diet of these pangolins, it is difficult

Mazrina hopes to create more public awareness on the importance of conserving pangolins since little is known about this creature. In the wild, they are seldom seen in groups as they are very shy creatures.

PHOTO | COURTESY

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Language from the soul TO FEEL the soul — that is the aim of the work created by School of Art, Design and Media student Sarah Salim. Sarah’s work had her dive into her culture, religion and heritage in more ways than she could possibly imagine. Her project involves getting in touch with her zahir and batin. In Islam, the terms zahir and batin refer to the body and the soul respectively.

PHOTO | COURTESY

Sarah spent countless hours revealing her zahir and batin through the creation of a visual

language using Arabic scripts to celebrate “the extraordinary histor y of Arabic scripts as well as an exploration of the Islamic or Arabic viewpoint of the world.” She created a pattern chock full of symbols and religious meanings to manifest her personal identity in today’s world. Using Arabic typography, designs and patterns, Sarah has created a work to allow viewers to feel her batin. “By identifying my audience beyond the Islamic world, I am

School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Their aim is to develop suitable membranes and membrane processes that make water t reat ment and energ y production more efficient, in line with Singapore’s efforts to become a hydro-hub. So far, these projects have r e c e i v e d s u p p o r t f r om in s t i t u t i o n s s u c h a s t h e Environment and Water Industr y Development Council (EWI) and the Singapore Membrane Technology Centre (SMTC). Assistant Professor Tang Chuyang from CEE, one of the project supervisors, said that membrane processes have become increasingly popular worldw ide and are replacing conventional methods of water treatment. Singapore, in par t ic ular, is “one of the leaders in developing technologies in the membrane field”, with various projects carried out by institutions like NTU. One of the membrane-related projects in the university was undertaken by Gu Yangshuo, 21, and Xiao Dezhong, 22, both third-year CEE students, together with Deng Anqi, 22, who was a final-year CEE student then.

The original idea for this research came from a study funded by EWI and led by Professor Anthony Fane from the University of New South Wales. In essence, the three students seek to investigate the practicality of forward osmosis, which sees water flowing through a semipermeable membrane from a low-concentration to a high-concentration solution, in water and wastewater treatment. According to them, the results obtained indicate that using this process for wastewater treatment may be a good idea due to its lower energy requirement.

School of Art, Design and Media

making a reputation amongst my other Muslim youths that we are aware of the world outside ours,” she said. Through her project’s use of Arabic scripts in a contemporary environment, Sarah said she can have her own voice and be heard as a young Muslim woman in today’s world.

Astrid Al Mkhlaafy, she was given valuable feedback and all-important inspiration to create a large pattern based on Arabic scripts and designs. However, the project is not only about showcasing a piece of work to other people.

“No matter how modernised the world can be, a Muslim will always be a Muslim.”

“I learned much more about my own heritage and religion,” said Sarah. “I see my FYP as an extension to a journey I will take on after I graduate.”

With the help of her mentor and supervisor, Assistant Professor

JOHN GAMBOA

School of Computer Engineering

Membrane paves the way forward A GROUP of students from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) is exploring the use of membranes and membrane processes in producing clean energy and water, together with several international collaborators.

“ With a s u i t abl e m e m b r an e , t h e c o s t of electricity generation can be very competitive against other clean energy sources such as solar power and wind energy,” he added. In the spirit of innovation, Xiao, meanwhile, is excited about embarking on further research into the applications of forward osmosis. “I hope to continue this study for my final-year project.” VO VAN HUNG

Tennis on the WWW FOR the past 12 years, NTU has been existing not only in Boon Lay but on the World Wide Web too.

( V RML) , a computer scripting languague similar to JavaScript that is used to create 3D environments.

The Virtual NTU campus has been growing in size and complexity each year, with new virtual facilities being “built into” it.

In order to create the virtual tennis game, Yeo had to create an algorithm from scratch.

Created in 1997, this Virtual Campus is a c u m u l a t i v e p r o j e c t b y numerous past year computer eng ineer ing s t u d e n t s . T h e l a t e s t additions include sports activities, such as tennis games and bungee jumping. Final-year students are assigned projects for the Virtual Campus every year and only the best projects will be incorporated into the Campus by Professor Alexei Sourin, the original creator of the NTU Virtual Campus.

Still, Xiao and Gu believe that there is still much room for improvement and further studies. “We need a better forward osmosis membrane so that a smaller membrane area is required to treat a given amount of water,” said Gu.

This year, one of these projects was undertaken by Helga Yeo, a fourthyear student at the School of Computer Engineering (SCE). Her task was to design the tennis court game for the Virtual Campus.

Asst Prof Tang shares this view, adding that currently available membranes tend to have high set-up costs too. “With the new FO membranes we are trying to make, the capital cost can be likely reduced significantly.”

Although the final product looks simple, it usually takes a year for a single software application to be constructed.

He said researchers may also modify forward osmosis to generate electricity in an eco-friendly and costeffective way. PHOTOS | LIANG HUI YAN

This is because creators have to be familiar with Virtual Reality Modeling Language

She also had to research ex tensi vel y to gather theories of bouncing balls online. Then, the physics theory of motion projectile formulas was used to model the vertical motion of the tennis balls when it is dropped or thrown straight up or down. The formulas were then incorporated into her script. Yeo counts herself lucky to have been able to get her first choice of FYPs out of the list of ten choices submitted. She chose this project because she is a big fan of T he SIMS, a game based on v ir t ual environments. “You must choose a topic that you have a personal interest in so that your passion for it will sustain you when the work gets tiring,” she said. Yeo hopes to extend her passion into her career. She has already sent her résumé to computer and video game publishers, hoping to enter the g am i n g i n d u s t r y af t e r graduation. TIFFANY THAM

PHOTO | ELIZABETH LAW

special School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Sense the heat C ALLED to behave like animals running in the wild, st udents took t ur ns to roam t h e Sp or t s an d Re c r e at i on C e n t r e field to simulate the movement of deer and horses caught in a forest fire. This was all for a FYP by Le Thu Nga, 22, a student from

the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Le has been working on sensor de v ic es which t rack animal movements to locate forest f ir e s . W hi le us ing animals to t rack env ironmental conditions is not a new idea, the novelt y is in L e’s use of

low cost sensor s and wireless technology.

An algorithm is a logical sequence to find a solution.

Wireless temperaturedetect ing de v ices w ill be attached onto forest animals, while some are f ixed into a selected hotspot. W hen the mobi le de v ic e s dete c t an y temper at ure abnor malit ies , the t rackers on the dev ices will be triggered.

Her new method locates a general region, where the forest fire may be, instead of a specific point of interest. Localising activity is triggered only by events such as higher temperature and rapid animal movements, hence speeding up the process and saving power.

T h i s al low s au t h or i t i e s to actively monitor the situation, by tracking any irregular animal moving patterns.

While most projects focus on either research or applications, Le’s combines both. Her project supervisor, Assistant Professor Peter Chong said both the technical knowledge about the research as well as the practical skills are necessary to implement it. “For sure, it is not an easy task,” he added.

Le’s project also includes the development of a new technique of locating a problematic region more economically than existing methods. Le did not plan to design a new technique when she fi rst embarked on the project.

PHOTO | TAN ZI JIE

“Init iall y I ( just) wanted to implement an algor ithm f rom the literat ure re v iew, but I found that it did not suit my pur pose of detecting for e s t f i r e s . T h e r efor e we came up with a simpler algor ithm, which is more e f f ic i e nt an d n e e d s f e we r sensor s.”

However, Asst Prof Chong is optimistic about the project: “I am hoping that she can further develop the proposed idea to overcome (existing) limitations. Finally, we are planning to patent it if there is any opportunity.” Laughing bashfully, Le revealed: “It’s something I can be proud of, which I never would have thought.” TAN ZI JIE

Enzymes That was what final-year student Ng Chee Sheng from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) said when asked about his choice of Final Year Project (FYP) topic. Titled “Screening for Microbial Enz y mes for Bioethanol P roduction and Bioref iner y Applic at ion b y P roteomic s Approach”, this project aims to identify the appropriate enzymes to improve the efficiency in obtaining bioethanol f rom agricultural and forestry waste products. Bioethanol is a very promising renewable energy source, but its current method of production, which makes use of food grains or sugarcane, depletes our food source. Ng’s new method seeks to remove this conflict of interest. T he c ur r ent methods of

IF YOU think that nightlife in Singapore is limited to late night suppers at 24-hour prata places, night cycling along East Coast Park and club-hopping at Clarke Quay, think again. Four students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information—Rachel Judith Ang, Ho Sie Sie, Christopher Ong and Quah Chin Chin, prowled the streets for their F Y P at night to uncover a different side of Singapore.

One activit y they obser ved was the commonl y-know n transvestites plying their trades at Orchard Towers, Chang i Point, Geylang and Desker Road.

23-year-old Ang said:“It was actually quite dangerous as we had to take photographs dis c r e etl y. Mos t of the s e ladyboys are quite ‘territorial’ and will be offended if outsiders enter their ‘turf.’”

It was also not an easy task to get the ladyboys to speak to them. Fortunately, the team learnt to adopt an acute approach with the appropriate use of lingos, such as addressing the ladyboys as “sisters”.

School of Biological Sciences

“ALL of us have the potential to make a positive impact for the good of society. Why not just try?”

‘Sisters

Through conversations with them, the team realised some of these ladyboys engage in night activities not to make a living.

bioethanol production are highl y ex pensi ve and inefficient. To improve existing methods, lignocellulose is taken from agricultural and forestry waste products like sugarcane pulp, wood chip or even sawdust. It is then degraded into sugar and converted into bioethanol.

“Most of them, especially those

The major bottleneck faced in the industry is the conversion of lig nocellulose into sugar. By understanding the detailed process in the breaking down of lignocellulose, the appropriate enzyme can be identified. This new improved efficiency can then potentially make the largescale production of bioethanol a viable industrial process.

FOR L ow Hock Yam, it is all about taking calculated r isks. Although the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) student admits that there is a chance of failure, his “die-die-haveto-work” attitude spurs him on.

“I had about 200 project topics to choose from and I knew instantly that this was the one for me.” Ng said. “Should my paper be published, the implications for the industry c an b e imme ns e. E ve r yone would be using this method and

Revolving PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG

this can mean renewable energy sources would really be widely used all around the world.” H o w e v e r, t h e l a r g e - s c a l e s t u d y of p r ot e i n s v i a t h e P r ot e om i c s A p p r o a c h i s a c on volute d pr o c e s s and it was not all smooth sailing for him. T he anal y s is of proteins took a much longer

t ime than expected and he was forced to give up his next objective of cloning these enzymes. T hankf ully, SBS students are given the entire second semester of their final year to devote to their projects. GOH QIAN YI

H is F Y P r e v ol v e s a r ou n d an improved des ig n of t h e Re v ol v i n g Van e ( R V ) compressor, and is based on the original RV compressor designed by his professor and supervisor who is currently a PhD student.

The original RV compressor c ontains jour nal bear ings

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School School of of Chemical Chemical and and Biomedical Biomedical Engineering Engineering

Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information

s’ shed light on nightlife Tireless Tyres OTHER than being converted into the sof t f loor ing for playgrounds, waste tyres often have little use. Disposing these nonbiodegradable tyres has been an age-old problem for many societies, and environmentallyacceptable solutions to deal with them have been limited. Attempts to solve the problem of waste tyres usually result in other problems, such as serious health and fire hazards, as well as the formation of potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other diseases.

PHOTO | COURTESY

from Thailand, are actually very well-educated and well-to-do. They do it more as a hobby or a holiday activity rather than as a job,” Ang explained. They also spotted a trend of themed house parties. According to 24-year-old Ho, there are themes such as Royalt y or Hollywood, and the success of a party is rated according to how closely the party-goers follow its theme. Some parties may have seemingly innocent themes, but they can give way to lust and wild acts of playfulness several drinks later.

One of the organisers admitted to a “summer” theme party in a room at the New Majestic hotel, where the girls were skimpily-clad in bikinis and posed seductively for pictures. There were also outrageous “fun” forfeits, from licking someone’s ar mpit s for 15 seconds to sucking someone’s toes. Besides forfeits, some house party organisers also hire male or female strippers to tease, dance and interact physically with the audience. Of course, not all of the after-

dark activities they observed were sleazy ones. While some fished for rich men, there were others who fished for prawns. Ong, 24, said: “There are prawn farms that operate 24 hours because it is actually more enjoyable to go prawning at night.” Quah, 23, said of their overall project ex per ience. “ W hile it was challeng ing to have to carry out our research at night, our FYP was very fun as we felt a continuous sense of excitement.” LUI WEN QING

School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

g Vane that require lubr icat ion f rom an oil sump in order for it to rotate. Due to the pr e s enc e of the oi l s ump, it faces the same limitation as normal compressors used today, which also f unct ion on journal bearings. Because compressors are unable to be orientation-free, that means a horizontal compressor can only be placed in a horizontal application. This would not be a problem when used in a refrigerator; compressors are the “black things” you see at the back of your household fridge. However, if these compressors are to be placed in militar y suits as

coolants, it would mean that soldiers have to be standing straight at all times. To overcome this, Low has replaced the journal bearings with ball bearings. As ball b e a r i n g s d o n ot r e q u i r e lubrication to rotate, there is no need for an oil sump. T his would mean that the compressor can now be placed into any orientation. In addition, the removal of the oil sump helps to reduce the compressor’s size, though mechanical ef f icienc y and frictional losses are deduced to b e s i m i l a r to t h e R V compressor. The idea for this project stemmed from a conversation Low was

having with his professor and super v isor some t ime ago, when he was doing research on conventional compressors as part of the URECA program he was under. They realized that the people making compressors had initially thought of using ball bearings but scrapped the whole idea after a while. This sparked their curiosity as little explanation was prov ided concerning a possible roadblock they might have faced. W h o k n o w s ? W i t h L o w ’s innovation, we might be walking around with “miniature aircons” in our jackets someday. CHRYSTAL YEONG

Building on the research of a prior FYP, an NTU team of post-graduate students, led by Associate Professor Wang Kean, is exploring the possible use of such waste tyres. This $150,000 joint research collaboration with the National Environmental Agency (NEA) is hoping to come up with solutions by converting waste tyres into high quality carbon suitable for water treatment and other potential applications. T h e r e s e a r c h fo c u s e s on preparing high-quality tyrederived activated carbons (TAC) from waste tyres, and using them to remove toxics from waste water. This will transform the tyres from a pollutant into

an absorbent reduces pollution.

which

Through a process known as pyrolysis, which is a chemical decomposition by extreme heat, a shredded waste tyre is converted to TAC. T hese TAC contain a large fraction of pores, providing excellent absorption capacity for waste water treatment. It is also said to be comparable to other commercial absorbents. Another potential application de veloped by the team is the creation of TAC f ilters for implementat ion in the absorption ‘hoods’ above stoves in homes and kitchens. According to Assoc Prof Wang, this could have health benefits as Asian women have been shown statistically to be at greater risk of lung cancer due to the increased amounts of cancer-causing carcinogenic toxic chemicals generated by traditional stove-top cooking. While great success has been achieved in the laborator y so far, Assoc Prof Wang said practical application of this product is still some way off. “For one, that would depend on the funding granted and scale of support from NEA,” he quipped, as he demonstrated the use of the cooking filter developed with a proud smile. KENNETH CHEW

special

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Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

(Don't) hit me, baby Strike back at the menace WE HAVE heard of Star War’s Phantom Menace, b u t h o w a b o u t "T h e Hidden Menace" of the petrochemical industry?

This menace is about a phenomenon called stiction (static friction) in valves that costs the industry millions of dollars every year.

PHOTO | COURTESY

RAPPER Chris Brown allegedly beat up his girlfriend, pop singer Rihanna, so badly that she had to pull out of her performance at the Grammys the same day. Pictures of her battered face were subsequently leaked, showing her with swollen eyes, bruised cheeks and cut lips. Less than three weeks later, they are reported to be back together, with rumours that they are on the verge of marriage. Think this only happens Hollywood? Think again.

Dating violence does exist and is on the rise even here in our sunny Singapore. A team of final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information has made a pioneer attempt to address this issue, initiating a public education campaign on dating violence in Singapore. The team of four, comprising Angeline Leow, Priscilla Li, Jasmine Ng and Carmen Lee, joined with the Centre for Promoting Alternatives to Violence (PAVe) to organise a week-long nationwide campaign to raise awareness of dating violence. The campaign, known as Dating Violence Awareness Week (DVAW), is targeted at young Singaporeans aged 17-25 and was held in the week of Valentine’s Day. The team chose this topic for their FYP because it wanted to contribute to a social cause that will benefit the community. “We felt that we could relate to this social issue very well as it is relevant to our age group,” said Lee, on behalf of the team. This awareness movement is noteworthy because it does not only reach out to the victims of abuse.

“There were cases where perpetrators came to seek help for their aggressive behaviour. This self-realisation and willingness to change is crucial because it can make or break a relationship,” said Lee. It was a challenge for the team to approach victims due to the sensitive nature of the issue. Fortunately, some were brave and willing to share their personal encounters. However, it was not all smoothsailing for the team. In the midst of the looming recession, it was difficult to canvas for money and to obtain sponsorship for the project. Conceptualising the campaign was also a battle for the team, which was racing against time with their limited manpower. PAVe will now take over from the team to bring this initiative to tertiary institutions. It will also extend DVAW with the support of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports in the near future. “The FYP has garnered highly positive feedback from the media, government agencies, and the public. I am happy for the team and proud of their work,” said the project supervisor, Associate Professor Lee Chun Wah. Even though the project has come to an end, the team believes this awareness movement should be a continuous process. DVAW has a Facebook account where the four take turns to update members on upcoming events and sharing sessions. “Change can only be advocated through sustained efforts. It does not happen overnight,” Lee said. ERICA NG

School of Chemical and Biological Engineering student Evelyn Leo Wan Ling’s FYP aims to raise industry awareness to combat this problem. A valve is like a water tap. If a water tap is old and rusty, more force is required to turn it, and it might spring a leak, explained Asst Prof Vinay Kumar Kariwala, who supervised the project.

She also had to learn coding and scripting in Microsoft Visual Basic to apply to her program. It was a time consuming process because “the disadvantage of simulation is that if the code This leads to a drop in doesn’t work, there are no product quality, and a results”. potential loss of millions of dollars, all because of a But Evelyn’s hard work small undesirable effect in certainly paid off. "The Hidden Menace" was the valves. awarded the consolation However, engineers usually prize at this year’s Discover pay scant regard to the valve Engineering during L.I.F.E.@ stiction problem. “Engineers NTU Open House. are not aware of it. To them, if it’s not broken, you don’t JAMES HO fix it," said Dr Vinay. Valves in a chemical plant are interconnected, and if just one valve is too tight, others will be affected. If it is too loose, chemicals might leak.

In the last five years, researchers have developed valve models which allows for better analysis of stiction. Evelyn’s work paves the way for industrial application. She used an industrial An average industrial plant software named Hysys to has 10,000 valves and up realistically emulate plant to 30 per cent of them are operations. liable to malfunction. Through such simulations, Every few years, a chemical problems can be identified plant is shut down for and solved, thus increasing maintenance. efficiency and saving money.

PHOTO | HANNAH LEONG

School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

Drug delivery with a difference WHILE modern science has not developed a way to shrink humans (yet) like the classic science fiction film “The Fantastic Voyage”, the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (SCBE) is working on one better: delivering drugs via organic means. Under the guidance of Assistant Professor Lim Sierin, a third-year student Samuel Tay from SCBE has been working on a project entitled “Novel ProteinBased Drug Delivery Vehicle". It aims to use new methods in drug delivery. This new drug delivery system uses the shell of a protein from the bacillus bacteria. Due the presence of a microscopic empty core in the enzyme, it would be ideal for drug delivery. “It is like the pills we eat, which are a soft container with the drug inside,” Tay explained. “But just that

GRAPHIC | COURTESY

this method carries the drug in a microscopic capsule.” As of now, most drug delivery systems use inorganic compounds such as polymers to deliver drugs. However, these inorganic compounds do not help the human body, according to Asst Prof Lim. In fact, the immune system responds negatively to the introduction of such new objects in the body. With this new organic system, chances of the body triggering an immune system response may be decreased.

To achieve the desired result, Tay had to go through many trials. “To modify the protein, work has to be done at the DNA level to invoke the needed mutation." “It is actually quite cool as the protein has a shape of a soccer ball,” Tay said. With this biomedical breakthrough, it is possible that in the future, tiny organic molecules will replace the science fiction dreams of tiny people to aid others. JOHN GAMBOA

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PHOTO | COURTESY

School of Computer Engineering

Enhancing our edveNTUre A MORE interactive and efficient edveNTUre could soon be coming your way, thanks to two students from the School of Computer Engineering (SCE). For their Project, Lim Chee Han, 26, and Wang Shunde, 24, worked on such new enhancements targeted on edveNTUre to be released next semester. Mr Kevin Jones, the supervising lecturer from SCE, came up with the project idea after receiving

feedback from other professors about the current edveNTUre system. Lim and Wang found this project a relatively appealing alternative to doing research for their Project as both of them enjoy hands-on work. With their new implementation, all students and professors can expect better interactions, faster assignment turnovers and image-possessing abilities. With Wang’s enhancements, students can update display

photos to more recent ones and inform professors about their preferred names. This will enable professors to match faces and names to students more easily. It will also be more convenient to mark attendance, add new assignments, check if they are submitted, and grade them almost immediately. In addition, the new enhancements will encourage more online discussions as the professors and students will be able to post comments

about any submitted work, bringing interaction out of the classroom setting. For Lim, his focus was on developing the imageprocessing capabilities of edveNTUre. Currently, the system can only handle textbased assignments. Lim aims to allow professors to view submitted images more conveniently. The images can also be altered in size or dragged around the workbench to be compared to others.

A drop-down button allows these images to be graded conveniently and marked with colour tabs. Professors will also be able to sort the submitted images by names, grades or ranks. Mr Jones was pleased with the developments by the current enhancements as the software is relatively bugfree. He felt that the students had captured the essence of functionality. “The school will do acceptance testing and see how this new enhancement will be supported. I would like to see this being implemented hopefully, by August,” he said. VANESSA TOO

Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information

Be in control THEY asked students to watch their credit diet. They got ten others to help accomplish their mission. And they launched the first nation-wide credit education campaign carried out by youths, for youths. Generation Clear is a threemonth-long campaign aiming to instill responsible credit card usage habits in tertiary students. Organised by four final-year students from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), this campaign uses peer influence as the main moving factor for behavioural change. They started their campaign by conducting an online Youth Hunt ranging across all tertiary institutions. 10 individuals they deem “opinion leaders” were nominated as Generation Clear Ambassadors. Next, they set up booths at Nanyang Polytechnic’s Open House and stole talk time off lectures, tutorials, prize presentation ceremonies and even an arts’ club blast in various tertiary institutions to interact with students and present their message on credit management.

Meanwhile, they invited tertiary students to join a video competition with the theme: ‘Be Credit Wise’, which embodied tips on how to handle finances. All eight entries were broadcast on Youtube and the Generation Clear website. The winning video earned 208 views. Finally, 800 free invites to Zouk were distributed for the fi nal night of the campaign. 600 people turned up for performances by MediaCorp Channel 5’s Live & Loaded with local youth bands such as Aurigami and For This Cycle. The event was a platform for featuring the works of the top three winners of the video competition and the Generation Clear ambassadors in a fashion show. Melissa Chua, Arefa Jadliwala, Deana Saechang and Ng Lingkai, proposed, planned and executed all these, in collaboration with Citibank Singapore Limited. It all started when representatives from the company approached WKWSCI for students’ aid in helping to educate their peers on the importance of good credit management.

PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

“Eleven groups of finalyear student from the Public Relations Division pitched their ideas for this campaign and we emerged champions,” said Ms Melissa Chua, one of the project members.

Also, figures from Credit Bureau Singapore show that credit card signups among adults aged 21-29 years old saw an increase of 39% over the last 12 months, between July 2007 and July 2008.

The need for this campaign arose when tertiary students were given the power to borrow from banks before they entered the workforce.

“We felt that the campaign would be a suitable and timely opportunity to bridge this gap between the interest in credit and the lack of knowledge amongst the young today,” said Ms Deana Saechang, spokesperson for the NTU group.

That was when Citibank launched the Citi Clear Card, Singapore’s first credit card that does not have a minimum income requirement for tertiary students.

In the last fi ve years, Citi has worked with Ngee Ann

Polytechnic to incorporate t h e t h e m e of “C r e d i t Management” into it s curriculum. It has committed more than S$5.5 million to its financial education program and reached out to some 200,000 students. In this three-month campaign, the WKWSCI students had 15 pieces of media coverage altogether, both print and online. Based on the circulation number of the publications, the total number of people exposed to the campaign coverage is 931,432. KAREN XIN

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Mélange V A mixture of passion and grace

Photos: Zoe Lim & Yusuf Hamid Story: Hong Shuheng

ibrant colours and graceful moves were in full display at the NTU Joint Dance Concert (JDC) 2009, held on March 15th at the National Library Drama Centre. Upholding the concert’s theme “Mélange: Celebration of Life”, the seven dance clubs under the Cultural Activities Club (CAC) presented their hard work in a 2-hour long concert that kept the audience captivated. Fluidity met with power in the dance moves on passionate showcase that night. Expressing their love for dance purely through the use of their bodies, the different genres provided an apt reflection of life.

The seven dance clubs include Breakdancing, Chinese Dance, Contemporary Dance, DanceSport Academy, Modern Jazz, Kinetics and Salsa En Sync. The main highlight of the concert was a fusion dance item put up by dancers represented by all the dance clubs. This year marked the first time that an alumni member from Modern Jazz choreographed the item instead of a professional choreographer, as a sign of CAC giving NTU dancers more chances to contribute to the local arts scene. Another special appearance during this year’s concert was by D’Passion Wheelchair Dance Group which showcased the

beauty of dance even while immobile. The dancers twirled around in their wheelchairs, moving in tandem with their elegant standing partners in a display of fluid moves. About 250 people were involved in the preparation for JDC, which started since September last year. This has been the third year the concert has been held. All 615 tickets were sold out this year. This year, in conjunction with the Nanyang Arts Festival closing ceremony, an art display in the foyer area depicting a dancer’s hard work from preparation to performance was also presented to the public.

show dapper: your essential style guide

“So many adventures couldn’t happen today, So many songs that we forgot to play, So many dreams swinging out of the blue We let them come true”

The Runaway, found

Clockwise from top:

(On him) Grey/cream long-sleeved shirt, $49.90; Black pants, $79.90, both from Victoria JoMo; Brown fedora hat, $49, from Blackmarket (On her) Grey pleat sleeve wrap dress, $459, from Blackmarket; Galle navy blue heels, $89.90, from Victoria JoMo (On her) Fantastic Antik sleeveless racer button front blouse, $109; Hansel pointed yoke crop pants, $249, both from Blackmarket; Galle navy blue heels, $89.90, from Victoria JoMo; Yellow vintage suitcase, stylist’s own (On him) Hooked Clothing black collared shirt, $99; Viktor dark blue jeans, $210; Brown fedora hat, $49, all from Blackmarket; Metallic grey shoes, $229.90, from Victoria JoMo

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“It’s so hard to get old without a cause, I don’t want to perish like a fading horse, Youth is like diamonds in the sun and diamonds are forever”

| Stockists | Victoria JoMo 9 Haji Lane Blackmarket 19 Jalan Pisang

万勿错过的演唱会报你知！ —— 刊35页

新闻

青奥热延烧不到南大？

当新加坡成功申办青奥会时，全国上下热烈欢腾。然而，这股青奥热是否能在南大持续延烧？摄影|陈奕龙

林茂清●报道

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届青年奥运会（青奥会）将于明年八月在新加坡举行。届时，5000名选手将入住南大选手村，与本地学生做进一步交流。

但是，南大学生对青奥会的了解仍相当模糊。本报针对青奥会进行的抽样调查显示，虽然所有受访者都知道青奥选手村将设在南大，但能够具体指出青奥会将于2010年8月份举行的仅 10％。

至于如何参与青奥会义工工作，南大生更是倍感疑惑。义工招募进程缓慢是谁还没准备好？青奥会组委会的数据显示，整个赛事需要约2万名义工，目

南大生盼179A在先驱站停留黄顺杰●报道中文副编辑

繁

忙时段地铁上“一位难求”，多数受访的南大生都希望新捷运短程巴士路线179A能在先驱（Pioneer）地铁站停留，以便增加在地铁内找到座位的机会。自先驱地铁站于2月28日投入运作后，许多南大生搭乘179 号巴士离开学校时，都选择在此站旁的车站下车，以避开繁忙时段文礼（Boon Lay）地铁站涌现的人潮。但是，穿梭于文礼转换站与南大的179A虽途经先驱站，却不在此站停留，为南大生造成些许不便。对此，记者向50名南大生进行民意调查后发现，44名学

生认为新捷运应该将先驱站纳入179A的巴士路线，1名觉得没这个必要，其余则表示无所谓。黄金辉传播与信息学院二年级生周汶静（21岁）受访时表示，179A应该在先驱站停留，为南大生提供多一个“下车” 的选择。住在东部菜市（Chai Chee）的她向记者透露，从南大返家约50分钟的车程颇长，所以为了能在傍晚繁忙时段在地铁上“找一个（座）位”，汶静都会乘搭179号到先驱站转搭地铁。她说：“多数住很远的人都会想要在Pioneer（先驱站）下车，因为大家都想要有位坐。” 不过她建议，为方便学生更容易在地铁上找到位子，179A

应该只在回程时于先驱站停留，从文礼驶向南大的方向则无须作出调整。另外，记者在校园内的车站观察到，许多南大生都会选择乘搭179号，“舍弃”直达文礼的179A。南洋商学院一年级生陈俊豪（21岁）对此也有同感。

前仅达到目标的半数。青奥会发言人透露，大多数义工将来自学校和民间组织。根据青奥会官方网站的信息，学生的义工事务将由各个学校的学生事务处负责。但当数学与经济系一年级的王婧怡（20岁）前往南大学生事务处报名时，却被告知义工招募工作还未开始。学生事务处透露，学校正与青奥会组委会以及国际奥委会紧密商讨义工招募活动，但并没有具体提出何时会在校园展开招募活动。参与网上调查的学生中，多达54%的人打算加入青奥会义工队伍，但仅有3%的人已经报名。调查显示，对于报名方式与义工工作范围的不确定是大多数学生仍未报名的一些原因。对于国际学生来说，青奥会期间的住宿问题也是他们参与青奥会义工工作的阻碍。机械工程系二年级生邱始扬（21岁）透露，“如果要参与义工工作，我们就必须留在校园。如果没有地方住，我们只好回国，然后就什么也做不了。” 尽管如此，学生事务处对于学生参与青奥会的热情仍持乐观态度。青奥会组委会表示，义工管理部门已经开始在本地

高等学府举办活动，鼓励更多学生响应号召，参加志愿服务。

他受访时说：“当学生们看到是179A进站时，他们都会选择不上车，而179号通常又是挤满了人。” 可见，学生们或许愿意为了地铁上的座位而承受巴士上暂时的拥挤。

为何179A不在先驱站停留？

学生不满被当“局外人” 据网上调查结果显示，过半的受访者认为校园住宿问题是青奥会最主要的负面影响。青奥会顾问张思乐一直强调“软价值”，但这显然尚未体现，因为南大生似乎还感觉不到青奥会的存在。电子电器工程系一年级生叶闯（20岁）透露，他也只是收到了选手村宿舍装修通知信件才接触到青奥会的。南洋商学院一年级生郭昱秀（20岁）说：“学校好像一直把学生当成局外人！在处理宿舍问题的时候，只是告诉我们会有哪些影响，然后让我们乖乖听话。” 她也说：“学校似乎更注重装修宿舍这种基础设施建设，并没有站在学生的角度，提高学生的参与感，让我们觉得青奥会是一件很光荣的事情。” 就读物理与应用物理系二年级的王天一（21岁）说： “（学校）可以多举办一些关于青奥会的展览，让学生们更了解什么是青奥会，届时都会做些什么，以及有哪些事情是他们可以做的。”

南大学生会（Students’ Union）的学生服务执行官李博（21岁）向记者说明，学生会曾在2月初与新捷运的代表会晤。文转下页>>

“多数住很远的人都会想要在 Pioneer下车，因为大家都想要有位坐。” 周汶静黄金辉传播与信息学院二年级

179A不在先驱站停留，对部分南大生造成些许不便。摄影|Yusuf Hamid

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<<文接上页当时学生会向他们提议，安排179A于下午3时至晚间8时在先驱站停留，方便学生在那里搭地铁。不过，新捷运基于以下考量，暂时不打算让179A在先驱站停留： ● 先驱站的巴士停泊处同时仅能容纳2辆巴士。由于目前已有4条巴士路线在此区穿行，179A的趟次又相当高，因此179A若在此站停留将导致交通阻塞。 ●为避免上述状况发生，新捷运或须更改所有在此区穿行的巴士运作表，造成行政上的困难。 ●车站现有的空间不足以应付繁忙时段的庞大人流量，若允许179A停留，可能导致意外发生。 ●179A若在先驱站停留，将延长旅程时间，进而影响整个路线的运作流程。 ● 目前已有179号及179A两路巴士供学生选择，没必要更改路线。未来或做出相应调整新捷运联络总监陈爱玲以电邮回复本报的询问时表示，公司暂无任何调整179A路线的计划。她说：“179A现已提供到达文礼地铁站的直通服务，因此（新捷运）目前并没有计划更改179A的路线，使其在先驱地铁站停留。” 然而，李博透露，新捷运将“利用考试前这一个月的

时间，去观察同学们的乘车习惯”。若学生对179A的需求递减，新捷运将可能增加179号的巴士数量。

学不学方言学生应有选择

学生偶遇“好心”179A车长为方便学生乘搭地铁，179A巴士车长好意让学生在先驱站下车？黄金辉传播与信息学院二年级生鞠欣航（21岁）告诉记者，她曾遇过让学生在先驱站下车的179A巴士车长。她向记者阐述，她在上周二傍晚6时30分乘搭了一辆 179A。有乘客在巴士抵达先驱站之前按铃，接着巴士便在先驱站停留。她说：“听到（巴士车）门开的声音，几乎所有的人都立刻站了起来，在那一个站下车。” 她补充说，大多数的乘客都以为179A会直达文礼，所以当巴士在先驱站停留时， “大家都把它当成意想不到的惊喜”。为此，记者特地于上周三傍晚到先驱站的巴士车站观察半小时，发现所经过的8辆179A 都没在车站停留。记者也从南大搭乘179A，并试图在先驱站下车。不过，尽管按了铃，巴士仍没在先驱站停留，而是直达文礼。记者之后向巴士车长了解，179A按理不应在先驱站停留。不过一些车长可能因为换班的缘故，“忘了自己正在驾驶179A，而不是179”。

（丘芳喧补充报道）

新加坡政府在鼓励国人多说华语的过程中，导致年轻一代与方言脱节。插图|林玉琴

萧佳慧●报道中文总编辑

学

习方言是否是学习华语的障碍，见仁见智。但是，学生是否应该有选择的权力？本地学生从中学到大学都有选修日文、韩文、德文、法文、西班牙文或马来文等第三语文的机会。第三语文的选择如此多，却始终不包括粤语、福建话和潮州话等方言。本地一些中学与初院曾为学生举办免费方言课程，但这类课程并不固定提供，学生在校内接触到方言的机会更是少之又少。语文能力因人而异李资政首席私人秘书徐芳达日前指出，学习方言将占用学习其他语言的精力与时间，而我国50年来推行双语政策的经验也显示，多数国人无法应付另一个语言。自小习惯以潮州话与家人沟通的丹戎巴葛集选区国会议员马炎庆理论上认同方言对双语学习的影响。但他也说：“即使少说潮州话，华语也未必会相对更好。” 在近期的媒体报道中，主张多说华语，少说方言的人士频频强调本地双语政策至今相当成功，倡导方言并不明智。后港单选区工人党议员刘程强受访时也说：“多

用某种语言而少用另一种语言理论上的确会影响应用的流畅度。” 但他也说：“每一个人的语言能力不一样，因此多用方言对华文程度的影响程度不见得有定论。” 方言作为考试科目学习态度大不同？但是，马炎庆也对提供方言为选修科目的可能性提出质疑。他说：“学校如果以第三语言的形式教导方言，就一定会有考试，学生的学习态度肯定会不一样。” 自小对方言就颇有兴趣的陈国燕（22岁）并不赞同。就读南大文学院英文系三年级的她说：“如果有机会，我一定会选修方言。只要有兴趣，即使有考试也不会削弱我的学习热忱。” 马炎庆则提议，学校或可考虑通过英语教导籍贯文化，让非华族学生也有机会了解华族籍贯的饮食与地方戏曲等各方面的文化。会馆提供方言课程年轻人反应欠佳据了解，本地各籍贯的会馆也有提供方言文化课程供公众参与。但是，新加坡茶阳（大埔）会馆文物股主任何炳彪受访时透露，参与会馆活动的年轻人并不多，而他们多数也不怎么会说方言。他说：“在政府鼓励讲华语，不讲方言的政策下，原本有讲方言的家庭也因此少讲，

甚至不讲方言，会讲方言的青少年也成了“异类”。环境若不改变，趋势是悲观的。” 方言成为流行或促成学习风潮马炎庆受访时表示，年轻人未必对方言不感兴趣。他说：“方言可以是一种流行文化，要看当下流行什么。” 他指出，《881》的流行或许就让年轻人发现福建话也可以是很酷的语言，而港剧、台剧也有相同效应。电影电视的流行或可能促成年轻人学习方言的动力。他也认为，政府可考虑稍微放宽电视广播方面的管制。他说：“观众喜欢精彩的内容。我们可以以比较豁然的处理手法来看待这种流行文化或者文化的传讯。如果节目或部分节目穿插方言，当局可以考虑以双声道播放。” 虽然本地公共电视频道禁止以原音播放港剧，国人仍能通过付费频道观看，年轻人则会选择上网收看。但是，家中未订阅付费频道或没有上网习惯的国人则没有机会以原音观赏。国大文学院一年级生许新毓（20岁）坦言：“想要加强方言，一方面是为了与奶奶和外婆沟通，尽孝道；另一方面则是为了观看原汁原味的港剧，日后若到澳门和香港也可以更自在。” 陈国燕也因为观看港剧的关系，多了讲粤语的动力。由此可见，方言随着港台剧流行起来，或能继日流、韩流之后，吹起另一股语文风潮。

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言论编辑室

校园大声讲

再造音乐才能造就巨星萧佳慧中文总编辑

新

加坡自2005年掀起选秀风潮后，相继举办《绝对SuperStar》和《校园 SuperStar》等选秀比赛，但近期比赛的选手却似乎无法获得众人肯定。新加坡的音乐人才是否已消耗罄尽？还是他们都选择了错误的方向？回顾本地歌唱选秀比赛，陈伟联、潘嘉丽、石欣卉、何维健的唱功都毋庸置疑，但他们似乎都缺少了什么。反观台湾选秀节目《超级星光大道》，从第一届冠军林宥嘉到之后的赖铭伟、徐佳莹和方宥心，个个都拥有唱功以外的音乐再造能力。所谓的音乐再造能力就是将不为人所重视的音乐元素加入自己的演出，从而创造出独属自己的音乐风格。这或许就是本地参赛者所欠缺的。星光先驱林宥嘉夺冠后虽是往主流市场发展，却从未舍弃他衷爱的另类音乐，而他也在《迷宫巡回演唱会》中淋漓尽致地体现出他对音乐的坚持。他不被主打所束缚，选唱多首较冷门的歌曲，但他反驳说：“这些歌不是冷门歌，只是没有打的好歌。”这些歌曲或许并不符合大众口味，但却相当动听。林宥嘉就是通过比赛以及个人演唱会，将少为人知的好歌介绍给听惯口水歌的观众们。

他为非主流音乐注入了新生命。刚出炉的星光四班总冠军方宥心也拥有同样的再造能力。她小时候曾以本名“方婉真” 发行台语唱片，日前参加《超级星光大道》，一度被批“台味”过重。但经过评审黄韵玲的指点，她将擅长的演歌技巧与现代流行歌曲融合在一起，重新演绎蔡依林的《舞娘》、蔡淳佳的《陪我看日出》、戴佩妮的《这就是我》和林宥嘉的《那首歌》，也让台语曲风以及演歌技巧再次受到瞩目。再回到本地的选手，他们的个人风格仅限于歌声与舞台魅力，却缺乏音乐性更强的独特性。本地歌唱选秀比赛的参赛者一向中归中矩，选歌一般上也符合主流风格，似乎跟着市场随波逐流，也因此难在华语乐坛掀起惊涛骇浪，引起广大回响。要在当今乐坛生存，好声音是必备的，多才多艺更是加分，但不可取代的音乐再造能力或许才是致胜关键。重现歌曲不难，将歌曲重新包装并赋予独属你自己的风格才能与众不同，在观众心中留下永久的烙印。好歌手不仅是把歌唱好，也是要唱出好歌，提高本地观众的音乐素养。前者可引起观众当下的热烈喝彩，后者才能让歌曲在观众心中余音绕梁。

从心建立校友关系郭进华

总

理李显龙日前在剑桥大学建校800周年的一场校友酒会中指出，从美国一些顶尖大学的经验来看，通过一个强大的校友网络，校方能筹集资金、面试有潜力的学生，并深入社群与人们交流。由此可见，本地学府若能意识到建立一个强大校友网络的重要性，并有效推动与校友维系良好关系，校方与在籍学生将受益无穷。再过不久，本届毕业生就将从南大毕业，往各自的领域发展，并正式成为南大校友。但在他们还未毕业之

插图｜李丽怡

心系母校的校友不仅能通过捐款来回馈母校，也可通过校友事务处以实际行动支持校园里由学生举办的活动。他们也能成为校友班级代表，让同届同学与南大保持联系。一些校友则以主办讲座的方式，同在籍学生分享经验，让他们从中受惠。尽管南大校方在硬体设施方面下足了功夫，南大在“心件”这方面还需多费些心思。比方说，在积极筹款

的同时，校方也应了解并非所有校友都愿捐款，因此在募款时应灵活处理，而不是通过电话疲劳轰炸，近乎强迫学生捐款。

为学校筹集资金固然重要，但若因此失去了未来校友衷心的支持，值得吗？有校友指出，一些学生虽表示会在毕业典礼上捐款，却不断接到募款电话，直到他们捐款为止。有些同学对募款电话产生厌恶，因此索性不捐了。为学校筹集资金固然重要，但若因此失去了未来校友衷心的支持，值得吗？日前媒体报道，新加坡管理大学一名毕业生为了鼓励拥有创业精神的学弟学妹们，捐出 1万7500元给母校，作为奖学金和创业书籍奖的基金。这种自发性的捐款，比起为了搪塞电话而作出的捐款，更有意义。曾在校园看到校友季刊《心系南洋》，希望我在毕业时，南大的“心件”已加强，而我们也不再只是收到刊物或接到募款电话，而是能够真正的 “心系”南洋。

寻找完美备考方程式洪慧敏

大

照片｜网络下载

前，校方已通过各种方式，积极加强与他们的联系，并吁请他们在i-gave计划下捐款给南大。与此同时，校方也没有忘记已毕业的校友。除了定期通过刊物更新校园资讯以及举办各种校友活动，校方也鼓励他们出钱出力回馈母校。相较于其他本地学府，拥有超过50年历史的南大在这方面的付出，可谓不遗余力。除了设立专门负责联系校友的校友事务处（Alumni Affairs Office）, 南大更在两年前于纬壹（one-north）建立校友俱乐部，提供校友们多一个休闲娱乐的场所。

学生在考场上身经百战，但也未必能对 “考试”一词完全免疫，把它当作吃饭逛街般轻松写意的小事。这倒不是学生素质不好，而是他们还没找到最适合自己的备考方程式。这个“备考方程式”听似必须特别订做的家具，除了它以外就再也没有更适合的。偏偏这完美备考方程式就像影子一样抓不住，就连辨认它也有困难。其实，我们都知道模范的备考方法就是定期复习、放松心情、保持良好生活习惯等。但事情往往不能尽随人愿。大学生在课业、副业、

课外活动和社交生活里穿梭，有时难免顾此失彼。每天早睡早起，复习充裕的备考方法固然好，却总让人觉得心有余而力不足。因此，寻找一个符合自己习性、属于自己的“模范备考方程式”是必要的。世界上证实有效的温书法则很多，适合自己的却不容易找。古代发明悬梁刺股的孙敬和苏秦后来成为显著的政治家，但如果在现今社会使用这方法，恐怕会被人怀疑患有自虐倾向。美国著名哈佛大学就有学生在考试前夕裸奔（streaking）以舒缓考试压力。在新加坡，此举是否能有效舒缓压力却是个未知数，但参与者肯定会被学校，甚至警方，叫去问话。南大校园中也有不少有趣的

例子。有人选择半夜在安静的校园里跑步，让精神更好、脑袋活跃，然后继续通宵温书。但体力稍差的学生在回到宿舍后应该会累得只想睡觉，不想读书了吧。喝提神饮料如咖啡、可乐等看起来是个权宜之计，花费不高却能保持清醒。但是，有些人会对咖啡敏感，有些人则担心可乐喝了会发胖，所以这样的提神备考方式并不完美。每人的习性不一，虽然寻找属于自己的完美备考方式不容易，终究还是得自己去找。孙子兵法有言，知己知彼，百战不殆。只有了解自己的习性、了解“敌人”，也就是备考科目的需求，才能定下适宜的应对良策，在考场上百战百胜。

M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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M AR C H 9, 20 0 9

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

娱乐大嘴巴《王元口力口》校园演唱会娱乐动脉王菲复出代言，以400 万新元天价创下华人明星代言费最高纪录。王菲产后复出传闻不断，日前遭圈内人爆料，将接拍洗发水广告，消息也被厂商确认。香港娱乐圈日前爆发 “声讨”周星驰的口水仗，莫文蔚日前受邀担任第三十三届香港国际电影节形象大使，不讳言力挺前绯闻男友，大赞他是个“非常有才华的人，香港很杰出的电影人”。第四届《超级星光大道》落下帷幕，方宥心以微分之差击败张心杰，夺下总冠军，却遭网友猛烈抨击。林鸿鸣、康祯庭和梁一贞分别夺下第三、第四和第五名。仔仔周渝民日前上《康熙来了》时，遭小S徐熙娣逼供，承认心里还有前女友大S徐熙媛。仔仔被小S的不停追问搞得啼笑皆非，手足无措，娱乐效果十足。仔仔也坦言，事业若无发展，就不会再谈恋爱。台湾摇滚女歌手林晓培将于下个月在香港开唱，还把头发染得火红，希望能“红运”当头。林晓培近年恶运缠身，继2007年酒驾伤人案后，又在去年爆出经纪合约纠纷。演唱会主办单位主动邀约更令她倍感激动。新传媒艺人陈泓宇和谢韵仪5月份踏上红毯，金曲歌王曹格也受邀出席。原来陈泓宇与曹格有着十多年的交情，当年与曹格一同唱卡拉 OK更是专抢曹格的麦克风。首届《Singapore Idol》亚军沈祥龙将于本月25 日在圣占姆士发电厂举办首场个唱会，力邀出道自同届比赛的Taufik Batisah出席，看看自己这几年来在音乐上的成长。

歌迷为怀秋争风吃醋陈凯玲●报道

台

湾人气组合大嘴巴南大开唱，女歌迷为帅气男主唱怀秋争风吃醋，怀秋更遭主持人陷害，险些牺牲色相。大嘴巴日前来到南大参与由南大文化活动协会主办的《王元口力口》校园演唱会，热歌劲舞以及与歌迷的精彩互动让现场宛若校园派对。幸运的歌迷受邀上台与大嘴巴玩游戏，挑战在最短的时间内准确无误地念出绕口令。团员们在挑选游戏伙伴时，一对好友为了与怀秋同队，险些反目。主持人周崇庆为了安慰落选的歌迷，企图要求怀秋让女歌迷摸他的腹肌，却引来其他歌迷尖叫连连。

虽然怀秋人气看似最高，爱纱却是团中三个国王眼中最重要的皇后。

常会和她一起做长达3个小时的指甲护理，让怀秋现场露出腼腆的笑容。混搭音乐风大胆玩音乐

出时常会在幕后进行混音工作，为平凡的舞曲增添别具一格的转调。 MC仕凌则会在创作歌词时注入嘻哈、口技、饶舌等西方音乐的元素，为歌曲的新鲜感大大加分。

没有爱纱就没有大嘴巴

大嘴巴独特的三男一女搭配，加上团员们截然不同的音乐背景，形成了台湾乐坛少见的新鲜组合。队长DJ宗华擅长刷盘，演

大嘴巴在演唱会间中轮流分享对其他团员们的看法。团中年纪最小的怀秋更声称：“没有爱纱，就没有大嘴巴。” 男生们一致认同爱纱是名尽责、专业的艺人。据团员们透露，爱纱为了练好主打《国王皇后》的MV舞蹈弄伤了膝盖，却毫无怨言地坚持到底。在演艺经历最资深的女主角爱纱眼中，其他三位团员就像小男生，MC仕凌是可爱的阳光型男，DJ宗华活泼好动，俊俏的怀秋则是个美男子。爱纱还爆料，爱漂亮的怀秋

（左起）DJ宗华、MC仕凌、爱纱和怀秋带来热歌劲舞，将演唱会变成校园派对。摄影| 陈渊莊

欲知更多相关报道，请上pulse.sg娱乐栏目。

狂女面对困境应接受或突破陈颖涵●报道

鲁

迅的《狂人日记》反映出封建“仁义道德”的吃人本质，揭露了家族制度与礼教的弊害。当时的社会的确受到极大的限制，使人民感到压迫无助。如今在这个文明社会的世界里，我们的思想是否真的正确？我们的想法又是否应该一致？一个为了政治理想而选择放弃家庭的女人；一个把死产婴儿放置在储物柜的母亲，她们的背景截然不同，遭遇却十分相似——被众人鄙视，当成疯子。苏佳亮导演将这两个耐人寻味的故事通过由他一手包办编剧、监制、执导的《狂女日记》搬上舞台。面对困境应接受或突破苏导演受访时说，人们正被主流文化侵蚀着、消化着，因此他希望透过戏剧表达出人在现实中的矛盾，所作出的决定是否必须经过主流社会的赞同才算正确。他认为，人们无论拥有什么背景都会被大环境施压。剧中政治家的教育程度比较高，却接受国家法律的制裁；母亲教育程度较低，面对的则是自己孩子生命的抉择。但是，她们都一样被情感所牵扯，不能回归到主流思想。

苏导演说：“困境一定会有。只要有文明就会有法律，只要有法律就会有制度，就会出现困境。但我们在面对困境时，到底应该接受，还是做出一些突破？”

上百双“手”的压迫《狂女日记》将以两个独角戏的方式呈现。两部不相干的剧穿插在一起，却为此剧提供新颖的架构。此外，剧中也运用几百双硬

纸皮剪成的“手”带出压迫、求救的意境，也增添舞台上的视觉效果。《狂女日记》将于5月7日至 9日晚上8时在滨海艺术中心上演。学生可享有$23的优惠票价。

创作灵感出自真实故事苏导演透露，他的创作灵感出自两个真实故事。其中，有关政治囚犯的故事就是取材自提倡民主的缅甸政治家翁山淑枝的软禁事件。翁山淑枝面对着各种困难与众人的眼光，却仍怀着满腔热血，甚至愿意牺牲自己的一生，为的就是实现政治理想。

“只要有文明就会有法律，只要有法律就会有制度，就会出现困境。但我们在面对困境时，到底应该接受还是做出一些突破？” 苏佳亮《狂女日记》导演

另一则故事的灵感则来自 2006年的一起刑事案件。一名母亲将自己产下的死婴藏在工作场所的储藏柜里，东窗事发后引来社会严厉的谴责。

《狂女日记》将两个由真实故事启发的“ 狂女 ”独角戏穿插呈现。照片|滨海艺术中心提供

M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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伟菘思菘好友音乐派对2009

天

王天后效应似乎是演唱会的不败方程式，更何况是天王天后大集合。知名本地音乐人李伟菘、李菘广邀众多好友孙燕姿、蔡依林、罗志祥、萧敬腾、陈晓东和邓妙华前来站台，必定吸引大批粉丝前去捧场。这场演出仿佛是好友聚集在一起唱歌，轻松惬意，却似乎缺乏新意。受邀前来站台站台的好友名单早已公布，除非加照片｜李伟菘音乐学校提供入特别的元素，否则应该很难为观众呈献一场惊喜连连、别详情：4月18日晚上8时出心裁的演出。新加坡室内体育馆期待指数：4／5 票价：$168 $148 $128 $98 $78

详情：5月30日晚上8时新加坡室内体育馆票价：$248 $208 $188 $148 $88

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演唱会

Late Nite@Esplanade 迷路兵 “Three in Transit 三人行”

巡礼考试在即，想放松紧绷的情绪？考试过后，又不只如何消磨时光？让记者罗靖婷为你介绍接下来两个月在本地举行的演唱会。经济不景，若有闲钱，万勿错过！

自

照片｜滨海艺术中心提供

详情：4月24日晚上9时30分滨海艺术中心 Recital Studio 票价：$25

从迷路兵在“非常Super Band”中夺冠后，本地观众就没什么机会观赏迷路兵的现场演出。在发行了两张专辑后，他们终于即将举办他们的首场售票演唱会。这回在滨海艺术中心开唱，虽然更像是小型音乐会，却能让观众更近距离地感受他们的现场演唱魅力，想必也会让大家感受到他们的活力与舞台魅力。除了中文歌曲，迷路兵也将演唱英文歌曲，观众将可见识到迷路兵不同以往的演出。期待指数：4／5

郭富城“舞林正传” 世界巡回演唱会2009

草蜢“草蜢忘我演唱会 2009”

百

“宝

变的造型与精湛的舞蹈绝对不会少，但已被列入健力士世界纪录，全球最大的演唱会旋转舞台“梦幻魔方”的450度旋转舞台更是这场演唱会最大的看头。我虽然不是郭富城的歌迷，却也能体会他的天王魅力。被誉为“舞台王者”的郭富城在香港已经呈献了16场“舞林正传”演唱会，场场爆满，反应空前热烈。相信绚丽的舞台、独特的服装造型以及舞王的劲歌热舞会让观众值回票价。期待指数：5／5

照片｜Hype Records提供

详情：5月9日晚上8时新加坡室内体育馆票价： $148 $128 $98 $68

贝对不起，不是不爱你，我也不愿意，又让你伤心…”你或许已经不记得他们，但你应该不会忘记这些经典歌曲。试着想一想，出道至今 24年，能唱、能跳、能创作，被称之为“最耐久”的香港组合草蜢，我们怎么能忘得了呢？草蜢在香港红馆开唱，销售爆棚，三度加场，可见草蜢风采依然。不想错过小时候听过的动感歌曲，就赶快买票出席。期待指数：4.5／5

乐评音乐Jukebox 专辑：《爱灵灵》歌手：戴爱玲推荐：《抢不走的梦想》

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在

这个孤单的时代，每个人的心中都需要一句咒语，来获得心灵的答案——这就是戴爱玲全新专辑《爱灵灵》的主要概念。三首主打歌《空港》、《爱灵灵》和《沸腾》就呈现出爱情的咒语，也凸显戴爱玲诠释情歌的极佳演唱功力。誉为铁嗓公主的戴爱玲自出道以来，就常被用来与天后张惠妹比较。唱腔具有爆发力的她，也曾被公司冠以“声音活火山”的美誉。她虽然能唱，却始终无法爆红。对此，自认唱功不比张惠妹逊色的戴爱玲坦言曾想过要放弃。专辑里收录的《抢不走的梦想》，似乎是她的心情写照，透露了自己不停追逐的梦想以及心中难以掩饰的无奈。第三张专辑《爱灵灵》距离上一张专辑《天使之翼》相隔11个月。制作公司为戴爱玲精心打造全新造型，希望改变以往简单飘逸风格，走向“性感路线”。为此，她更尝试了出道以来最大尺度的裸露，胸前开了一个V字形，服装色调也从黑色转成色彩浓郁的古典华丽风。虽然新造型让人有眼前一亮的感觉，歌曲曲风并没有多大的差别。专辑里收录的10首新歌都还算好听，却感觉一成不变，缺少自我突破。看来戴爱玲想要实现梦想、取得骄人的成绩，我们还得继续期待。（文／罗靖婷）

专辑：《一号创作专辑秘密》歌手：蓝又时推荐：《秘密》《I Pray》

曾

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为台湾人气剧《白色巨塔》演唱片尾曲《曾经太年轻》的创作才女蓝又时，终于推出了个人创作专辑。蓝又时创作力相当旺盛，曾为不少当红歌手，包括范玮琪、刘若英、林忆莲等，写过歌曲。首张个人专辑《一号创作专辑秘密》更尽显了她的创作才能。主打歌《秘密》的词曲都由蓝又时亲自操刀，而且意境清晰，说明了一对恋人无法在一起，结果爱情成了不能成立的秘密。蓝又时擅长创作抒情中板歌曲，所以专辑收录的都是抒情情歌。经过她带点沧桑沙哑的歌声演绎后，歌曲更容易让人感动。可惜的是，由于曲风相近，难以让人留下深刻的印象。再加上旋律略显平淡，起伏不大，所以较难成为让人琅琅上口的歌曲。《I Pray》是专辑里罕见的一首较轻快歌曲。听了整张专辑后，总觉得年仅24岁的年轻女生演唱的却多数是悲伤的情歌，有些别扭，过于老沉。不过，蓝又时的唱功的确具爆发力，是个毋庸置疑的实力派歌手。相信经过更多磨炼和经验，必能在乐坛上有一番作为。（文／黄施嫣）

专辑：《慢慢等》歌手：韦礼安推荐：《高丽菜》

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览过Streetvoice这个影音创作人聚集的网站的人们对韦礼安绝对不会陌生，《快乐星期天》的观众也应该会记得这位第一届“校园歌喉战”的总冠军。《慢慢等》是韦礼安正式发行的首张创作专辑。与其说它是专辑，不如说它更像是一种宣传方式，向更多听众介绍他的音乐。这张专辑收录了七首歌，当中《慢慢等》和《好天气》都有专辑版和demo版本。在专辑封面中，韦礼安背着一把吉他，面带笑容，一张清秀的脸蛋把我的目光吸引过去。他的音乐有一种感染力，而且更重要的是，歌曲相当耐听。他的歌曲会让身体跟着节奏摆动，暂时搁下手中的工作，放松一下心情。其中一首demo《高丽菜》，以一种诙谐的语调把生活里的点滴写成一首歌，非常可爱。从这里，我们可以看得出这位创作人的灵感就来自天天发生的大小事，而他选择用音乐和文字把它们记录下来。总体来说，这张专辑只是把他之前的创作作品集合在一起。从消费者的角度看来，相信我们更期待听到的是他完整的创作作品。如果可以把demo收录成 bonus CD回馈听众，大家肯定会更乐意掏腰包买下。所谓，好的作品必须“慢慢等”，我们也继续期待平他的全新完整大碟。（文／廖婧平）

Opinion “What exactly runs through a woman’s head?” Turn to page 39 to find out

EDITORIAL

Into the darkness For an hour last Saturday night, par ts of Singapore, as well as the world, were covered in darkness. This was the culmination of the World Wide Fund for Nature’s annual international event called Earth Hour, which seeks to raise awareness towards the need to take action on climate change. The issue of global warming has been at the forefront of public consciousness ever since the former United States Vice President Al Gore brought it into the spotlight with his A c ade m y Aw a r d-w i n n i n g 2006 documentary film “An Inconvenient Truth”. With a stated goal of a billion participants, the organisers of Earth Hour can hardly be accused of lacking ambition. H o w e v e r, c r i t i c s h a v e lambasted the initiative as being nothing more than a publicity stunt, with the main accusation that the event consumes more electricity than it is purported to save. Even so, it is important to note that Earth Hour remains

at its core a symbolic gesture meant to highlight the problem of climate change, and not a solution. By taking the effort to dim or turn off the lights for an hour, an individual or organisation is actively recognising the need for action to be taken to help alleviate the problem. Close to home, Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar echoed this sentiment as he said, “An enduring global solution must involve the combined effort of governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals.” It i s t he e m ph a s i s on the individual that remains relevant, as the lessons learnt from Earth Hour 2009 need to be absorbed and applied through the year for lasting changes to be made. There is no point pledging support for the initiative against global warming and flipping the switch off for an hour a year, but continue being profligate the rest of the time. All it takes is a little effort, and the hour spent in the dark may lead to a brighter future.

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

sports editors Tiffany Tham Hui Min Xue Jianyue TECH editor Kenneth Wee Zhi Qiang layout editors Cha Ee Ling Alexis Josephine K Chow Zhang Leyu

News editors Cai Zhimin Alexis Edmund Lee Wei Jian

photo editors Foo Chee Chang Tan Yi Leong Irwin Lim Joe Ee Zoe

Lifestyle editors Toh Li Min Kezia Wee Ling Li Cheryl

graphics editor Sarah Amnah Zaihan

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

A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446 Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board of The Chronicle and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of Nanyang Technological University, its employees, the students or the Council of the University. Signed opinion columns, letters and editorial cartoons represent the opinion of the writer or artist and are not necessarily those of The Chronicle. Printed by KHL Printing Co. Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive, Singapore 508968

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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.

Stop the stereotype, stop the violence Renee Villasenor We know who it was, we know where and when it happened, we know what occurred and how the event unfolded, but we still do not know why. Why was David Widjaja driven to attack his professor and then, reportedly, take his own life? We may ne ver k now t he factual details of what pushed the fourth year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student that morning. However, the incident raises the question of what more could have been done to prevent it. A nd t h at i n t u r n r a i s e s questions about what students think counselling, and what part it plays. Is it for emergencies only, or is it more a part of their lives? In other words, is it for prevention or for cure of problems? There was no doubting the sincerity of NTU’s President, Dr Su Guaning’s e-mail to the university. “It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of a tragic incident on campus,” he wrote, and “We are all deeply shocked and saddened by what has happened.” So, it was surprising to me as an American how brief the outreach aspect of his letter was. It simply stated that: “The University’s counselling professionals have been mobiliszed. For help, do contact the Counselling Centre crisis hotline at 9721-8066.” In contrast, when someone was stabbed and killed on my home campus in America, the authorities provided details about the event, as well as tips on how to avoid becoming engaged in a similar situation – a reminder of the many protective and counselling services provided to students. There are many ways governing of f icia ls ca n ha nd le such a sensitive event, but providing as many hard facts without the weight of overwhelming emotional editorial, plus reassuring students that many resources are available to them, helps to provide at least a small amount of relief to such a traumatiszing situation. The aftermath of the tragedy draws has attention both to the counselling services in NTU and other Singapore institutions in helping their respective students cope wit h t he academic and per sona l i ssues; a nd to t he students’ own attitudes towards the service.

GRAPHIC | YVONNE NG

Some said they were unaware it even existed. That suggests students would only search for it in an hour of need, rather than it being a part of their everyday lives. N T U, li ke many ot her u n i v e r s i t ie s , pr ov id e s p e e r cou n se l l i ng, cou n se l l i ng by mental health professionals, crisis helplines, self-help resources, and workshops for students. So why do occurrences such as Widjaja’s still take place and why might these services not be helping all students in need of assistance? The answer lies in the very perception of counselling services in today’s society. It is commonly thought that anyone who seeks counselling is perceived as weak and unable to handle the stresses of life on their own. Regardless of the quality and frequency of counselling available to students, such resources will fail to be utilised as long as this stigma on those who seek help remains. R at he r t h a n ad v e r t i s i n g cou n se l l i ng a s a pr e vent ive resource, it should be introduced as a resource that they should take advantage of in order to maintain their health and well-being. Counselling services should be used more regularly than they would be if only used on a “preventive” level. W h i le st udents shou ld be

self-aware enough to seek help when they are feeling stressed or over whelmed, such actions should not be saved for only dire situations. I n s tead , s t ude nt s shou ld welcome counselling as a common practice in order to maintain a healthy mental state. Following Widjaja’s death, NTU officials vowed to make stronger efforts in working to prevent a similar situation from taking place in the future. They planned to do this by striving to detect troubled students and providing assistance. However, by the time it is evident enough for a professor or staff member to detect that a student is troubled, I suspect that the student in question will possess issues that are very difficult to address and handle. Instead, counselling services should strive to depict themselves in a new light, one that shows they ser ve not only those in need of assistance with issues but also those who want to live healthier mental lives, and explore themselves in order to develop as stronger and more positive human beings. Only then will counselling ser vices be used to their full potential by being able to help students maintain their mental health and stability and, in turn, prevent another tragic incident from taking place on campus.

opinion

m a r ch 30, 20 0 9

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

To think or not to think Nabilah Bte Syed Sultan

he saying goes that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Get a load of this – all university students think about is school, and that makes them dull. Agree? I was on my way to school on bus service 179 when I overheard the person next to me telling a friend about her laboratory report due the following day. On another occasion, t wo friends spoke about an upcoming presentation while queuing up to buy lunch. I am not sure whether a school related response would follow if you met these students outside campus – but just touch your heart and ask yourself if you think it would be school or non-school related. I personally feel it would be t he for mer. Gone are the days where people spoke about t he i r pa s s ion s w it h g u s to. Whatever happened to speaking about hobbies, family, holidays or the many simple things in life? It almost appears that these matters have been placed at the bottommost pit of nothingness. As ironic as it sounds, these topics stand in as fillers in the event a conversation related to school dries off. I n a soc ie t y t hat place s meritocracy in high regard, it is inevitable that topics among university students centre on performing well in school. The need to be the creamiest of the crème de la crème (pardon the pun), takes reign both in their minds, and you guessed it, in their conversations. A sociology student I spoke to disagreed and said conversation topics depended on the person you are with – if you are more comfor table with the person you are conversing with, you are more likely to open up and speak about issues other than sc hool. Conve r sat ion topic s differ, however, when you are wit h acquaintances or wit h, to put it crudely, “friends for convenience”. She felt that with those friends, it would be easier to speak about generic matters like school which both of them are able to relate to. Fair enough. In fact, I agree with her. Another peer I spoke to said that it is inevitable that university students, whatever their relationship with each other, speak about issues pertaining to school because there is just too much going on. According to her, the ups and downs of schoolrelated matters are more than enough to fill a bag. And try as you may, it has become almost impossible to avoid having the largest piece of the pie centred on the musings of academic matters. So just for the fun of it, I decided to ask a girlfriend out for lunch and I mentally (and secretly) made a list of all the things that we spoke about. Here is a list of the

canteen talk

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of parents who have jumped onto the Facebook bandwagon. How do students feel about this phenomenon?

My parents live in a different country so I think them having Facebook is actually a good thing as it allows us to keep in touch.

”

Megna Mansharamani, CBE Year 2, 20

“

If my mother were to add me on Facebook, I would definitely confront her and ask why she is trying to invade my privacy. Harith, MSE Year 3, 24

top eight things we spoke about. 1. Lack of sleep Working till the wee hours of t he n ig ht to catch up on readings, completing lab reports and assignments. To top that off, snooping on other people’s facebook accounts, chatting on MSN and surfing the net all at the same time. Multitasking (and not sleeping) is the in thing. 2. Boys Need I say more?

If you are more comfortable with the person you are conversing with, you are more likely to open up and speak about issues other than school 3. Guilt from not helping around the house T h a n k s t o s c h o ol , g i r l s nowadays have concessions when it comes to doing housework. It is great that moms know that we are busy in school with work and CCA, so they do not say much. But yet, we still feel guilty. 4. Cute Professors The School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) had a portal set up a couple of weeks ago to vote

GRAPHIC | ELIZABETH LEE

for a favourite professor within the faculty. Now, how many girls do you think voted for the cutest looking one? 5. Revlon – Beyond Natural Skin Matching Make Up This weightless foundation that goes on white and self-adjusts to match your exact skin tone is a must have for all occasions. Amazing isn’t it? For a smoother finish apply the Revlon-Primer before the foundation. 6. No time to exercise Hea lt h pract it ioner s have stressed the importance of getting exercise at least three times a week to stay fit and healthy. But we are pressed for time, so we just ignore the act all together. They say that walking is a form of exercise. So is a walk from North Spine to South Spine counted? 7. Exams Exams are around the corner and there is no way we could get down to studying with the backlog of assignments still left undone. We need to be taught how to manage our time, just like how we were taught to tie our shoelaces, chew instead of swallow our food and pee at the appropriate places. 8.Good Reads Instead of picking up a book that you hear is good from your friends or from reading a magazine review, it would be interesting to pick something blindly from the library shelf. If the book turns out to be good read, then great. If not, challenge yourself to read it till the end. If you succeed, treat yourself to something nice, like ice cream.

My family members, especially my aunts, have tried to add me as a friend but so far I’ve declined, because I need my space.

”

Siti Fairuz Bte Ahmad, HSS Year 1, 19

“

I think it’s quite cool that my mother is on Facebook. She uses it to network , which is one of the primary purposes of Facebook. Er Yanbing, HSS Year 2, 21

”

If I were to put myself in any parents’ shoes, I guess this would be the best way to check up on my children. The Net is an indespensable tool. Rahul Koshal Dobey, CEE Year 4, 25

TEXT | SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES; PHOTOS | FOO CHEE CHANG

opinion

M AR C H 30, 20 0 9

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

Survival of the fittest, not the locals KENNETH CHEW

he thorny issue of foreign talent on our shores has been ongoing for years, and with the global recession raising new doubts over our economy, there seems to be no end in sight. T he author ities have consistently assured Singaporeans that they will spare no efforts to save and retain jobs. But w it h s uc h a s su r a nce comes fi nancial and economical concerns. Singapore’s population stands at 4.85 million currently, but what many do not know is that a good 25% consists of foreigners who are working, studying, and living on our shores. Vo c i f e r ou s debate s h av e thus surfaced with regard to just who should go, if job cuts, retrenchments and downsizing are inevitable – should the interests of the locals be protected at all costs, or should a more meritocratic approach be undertaken by our Government? T here has been much discussion on the issue, especially on popular local online forums such as SgForums and Hardwarezone, as locals and foreigners alike chip in with their two cents worth, both for and against the notion. For one, the recent influx of foreigners in our service sectors is a topic that has seemed to spark off heated responses amongst the local community. One respondent on Hardwarezone noted that seemingly ever ywhere he goes, from the neighbourhood bubble tea shop to posh restaurants downtown, it has become increasingly unlikely that a local staff would be serving him behind the counter. A not he r la me nted of t he common scene in Holly wood movies where calls to customer service hotlines are directed to India’s call centres being readily apparent even in Singapore now, as increasingly foreign accents welcome callers nowadays. As rice bowls and livelihoods come under threat, it is hardly surprising to see such defensive reactions from locals who are losing their jobs, but yet see more and more foreign faces around them with each passing day. Still, some favour a more sensible and rational view instead of a blanket criticism of all things foreign. “Since Singapore is based on meritocracy, one has to have something in hand to sur vive here, it is only too bad that most Singaporeans do not acquire such merit, which is why tailor-made foreigners are brought in at the expense of the locals,” said another netizen on SgForums. I tend to agree with the latter. At the risk of coming across as taking a moral high-ground, the question begs – is it not myopic that in this day and age, sometimes

GRAPHIC | ZED TAN

instead of meritocracy, individuals are still viewed through tinted shades, with an emphasis on colour and race? P e r s o n a l l y, r e g a r d l e s s of the industr y, job scope, or requirements put in place, I am all for foreign talents, but only if they can contribute to the plate, and prove their worth amongst or over the locals. Singaporeans who do not measure up have themselves to blame.

Nationality and identity can hardly be altered, but what can be changed are the mindsets, attitudes and aptitude for a particular task or job instead But as the harsh reality of job cuts and recession hits us, who should be the first to go? Have ou r ex pat r iates and foreign workers actually proved to be better than the locals, have they mer ited tak ing the jobs Singaporeans would otherwise fi ll? Being ser ved by foreigners everywhere from snack stands in the heartlands to fi ne-dining restaurants downtown should not inherently be an issue. But it does become one when frustrating language barriers mar the service

experience. Poor language standards are amongst the utmost complaint Singaporeans have had about the foreign workers here today. But perhaps more alarming are the concerns about the attitudes and behaviour displayed by some foreigners making a living in Singapore. T h e m e d i a h a s r e p or t e d notorious foreign-born athletes who have been earmarked for citizenship but end up causing a multitude of problems for their sporting associations instead. From f ield at h lete Zha ng Guirong going AWOL (absent w it hout leave ) a nd bei ng uncontactable for months, to shuttler Riky Widianto deciding to just pack up and leave when asked to commit to citizenship recently. These individuals have indeed made a mockery of the fi nancial resources and support given to them. Wou ld not such time and resources instead have been better spent on promising locals, who while perhaps not possessing as much natural talent, truly see Singapore as their home? Or how about top expatriates who while having impressive resumes, illustrious backgrounds and draw a huge pay check, fail to understand the substantial cultural and societal nuances of our diverse little island? Perhaps promot i ng t he Singaporean manager who has worked his way up over the past 20 years, with an instinctive understanding of the company and its people, would have been a better option instead, at a fraction of the cost. That said, locals should not take for granted their right of stay.

Attitudes, competency and efficiency should be the key factors that decide one’s suitability for a job, not race or nationality. I recall an incident when foreign waitresses at a chicken-rice restaurant I frequent did not show any tinge of unhappiness after a friend of mine paid his $5.50 bill all in coins. We explained that he was trying to clear his local currency, as he would be f lying off for studies overseas the day after. T he y si mply sm i led , sa id wistfully that studying in Australia was but a distant dream for them and wished him bon voyage, before going back to their work. Envision the contrast in attitude if you try that with the grumpy local auntie at the neighbourhood

minimart, who shoots you a black face of doom when you ask for an extra plastic bag. Perhaps there should not be a debate at all over who should be the first to go, and abolishing the divisions between what we term ‘foreign’ and ‘local’ is what is needed instead. Nationality and identity can hardly be altered, but what can be changed are the mindsets, attitudes and aptitude for a particular task or job instead. ‘Foreign’ or ‘local’, only the best should remain, and that is all that should matter. Historical precedent has never decreed that the locals survive; instead evolution has proven the ‘survival of the fittest’. Job security and the workplace should not be any different.

in pen on paper

Bringing you the thrills and spills of NTU life

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

sports

m a r ch 30, 20 0 9

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

bpl talk

What type of fan are you? While the Premiership sizzles with action on the football pitch, Tiffany Tham, Grace Leong and Xue Jianyue explore the different categories of people present at the broadcasting of a BPL match in a typical café bar. The Cold Chugger >

Swedish golfer Henrik Stenson (below) dresses down for one of his 69 strokes

Lapsed followers of football who have found better things to do with in their time. They could probably remember a few outdated household names. Their longlost enthusiasm is occasionally revived when a spectacular goal is scored.

Someone who cannot live without football. Mood rises and falls with the performance of the team to which he has pledged loyal allegiance. Easily distinguishable by his jersey, bunch of kakis, loud boos aimed at his rival fans and even louder cheers for his favourite team. Occasionally, he might get into brawls and (hopefully not) ugly flagburning.

No preference for any team. More interested in game play, statistics and stalking the referees. He is most often seen scrutinising prematch analyses in The New Paper and on the Football Channel. He is great expert in calculating the probability of a win or loss for any particular team, and is therefore the best friend of soccer gambling addicts.

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

GRAPHICS | ZED TAN

Fans in good times, fans in bad times too Grace Leong The last few weeks must have been hear tbreaking for Manchester United fans. First, a 1-4 loss at home to bitter rivals Liverpool turned the Theatre of Dreams into the Theatre of Nightmares. The following week offered no relief as United suffered a second consecutive defeat to mid-table Fulham — their first back-to-back loss in the BPL since April 2005. To top it off, t wo of their players were suspended during the match. A lt hough second-place Chelsea failed to take advantage of the slip-up, Liverpool seized the opportunity to close on the gap at the top of the table with a decisive 5-0 victory over Aston Villa. The Red Devils are still ahead by a single point and have a game in hand, but the pressure is mounting. Manchester United fans too, are facing the heat, being the target of taunting by Liverpool fans and the rest of the anti-Man U camp.

Understandably, there is a lot of resentment against United as our generation was born into an era where they won just about everything. Man U fans are sometimes perceived as arrogant, fair-weather fans, supporting the team only because they keep winning. However, football is more than just about winners or losers. Of course, we all like to our favourite team take home the trophy, but real fans stick with their teams, fair weather or foul. E v e n t h o u g h f a n s f r om opposing teams may taunt each other occasionally after a major upset, there must still be a degree of respect for each other’s loyalty towards their respective clubs. That is because all of us are first and foremost fans of ‘the beautiful game’. March has been a rollercoaster ride with upsets that blew the bpl title race wide open. Anything can happen in the next eight games. Only one thing is for sure: drama. Fans, brace yourselves for the final lap.

“I don't like intellectual prostitution. I like intellectual honesty.”

“If you are saving a shot, that has to be worth taking your shirt and trousers off for.”

the lukewarm

the technical geek >

they said that?

Internazionale's coach José Mourinho retorted to his Serie A opponents in a row over a contested penalty in the 3-3 draw with AS Roma

The beer belly distinguishes this drinking gentleman. He comes to the bar with his buddies to spend the night in their favourite club only to end up wondering, "who are those annoying dweebs dow n s ta i r s s ta r i ng at pu ny flatscreens and going 'GOAL' fer anyway?" Doesn’t care much for football, so just dump Guinness on him and his friends – they will leave you alone after that.

THE HARDCORE ^

“He (Rafa Benitez) might take you off when you're on two just to keep your feet on the ground. But he knows my feet never leave the ground.” Liverpool's skipper Steven Gerrard stays rooted despite his giddy-headed three-way netter

"Terrorists shooting past our van, into our van, and not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had clearly left the scene and left us to be sitting ducks." International Cricket Council's match referee Chris Broad realises that nothing is spared from terrorism, not even sport THROUGH IT ALL: Football fans are one with their team. PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

sports

m ar c h 30, 20 0 9

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

sports talk

Still the same coach

Online local sports journalism a hit Erica Tan

ADAMANT: National sprinter Amanda Choo still trains under Mr Loh Chan Pew, her long time coach. PHOTO | COURTESY

Last February, Mr Loh Chan Pew, the coach who led the national 4x100m women’s team to a national record in 2007, was replaced. Singapore Athletic Association said that the association wants coaches with Level 3 and 4 coaching certificates, instead of the previous minimum of Level 2 that Mr Loh has. However, some members of the women’s team, Amanda Choo and Ann Siao Mei, remain unhappy over the change and still trains under Mr Loh. Choo, a third-year student from the National Institute of Education (NIE) who also represents NTU in track, writes about why she believes Mr Loh is still the best man for the job. Amanda Choo Since the sacking of my coach Mr Loh Chan Pew last February, the women’s relay team has not trained together although the 2009 SEA Games is merely nine months away. Yet, the relays are the only events in athletics that require team work because of the baton passing, which is key to shaving off at least two seconds from the athletes’ combined timings. Nonetheless, there are many reasons why I would not train under another coach, because I believe there is simply nobody better than Mr Loh as the coach for the women's team in Singapore. Over the years, Mr Loh had been instrumental in nurturing the team that broke a junior record and then the national record that had stood for over a decade. The revival of the national women relay squad is solely because of Mr Loh’s foresight in starting a team whose average age was 16, seeing the potential in them to better their timings individually. In addition, he made the effort to build up this team, persuading them to train together to qualify for the SEA Games, which paid off with a national record. During the Chinese Taipei I nte r nat iona l Tr ac k & Fie ld Meet in 2005, Mr Loh discussed and enquired from his Taiwan counterparts on the standard and participatory rate for that meet. He k new t hat t here were

participants of good calibre that would give us enough competition to achieve a good timing. A lt hou g h t he Si n gap or e Athletic Association (SAA) was initially reluctant to allow the team to participate in the Taiwan Open 2005, Mr Loh pushed for the junior team to take part.

Given his qualities and contributions, on what grounds is his sacking justifiable? It paid off as we broke the national junior record there. For a coach to patiently nurture a team over four years, Mr Loh must surely have believed our ability to achieve the potential he saw. This belief culminated in 2008 when SAA introduced a co-opt sharing scheme that had athletes pay a percentage of the cost for overseas trips if we did not meet the stipulated timing. During the 2008 Taiwan Meet, Mr Loh wrote a cheque of about $1,000 to pay for the whole team should we fail to meet the timing set for us. He believed that we would achieve the target set and was willing to sacrifice his own money as an outward show of trust. Given h is qua lit ies a nd

contributions, on what grounds is his sacking justifiable? As an athlete who has been in the sport for more than a decade, I have not been satisfied with the reasons SAA has given for this change. For example, the main reason they gave is the need for new blood and proper qualifications, which is questionable. T he call for new blood is contradictory as the president of SAA himself has been at the helm for over 20 years. Secondly, the coaches taking over the women’s relay team are not new, having being in the coaching panel as long as Mr Loh. Furthermore, they are still coaching the men’s relay team. If new blood is the way to go, then why not apply the same reasoning to the men’s team, when the women’s team has at least been on par with the men’s team in terms of achievements? Besides, in a practical field such as sports, one can see that paper qualifications do not necessarily equate to results. SAA may back up its arguments with words and figures. However, i n t he world of sports, if you cannot produce an outstanding athlete, your words will have no meaning no matter how you pride yourself on paper qualifications. The girls' results bear testament to Mr Loh's effort and capabilities, and it would only make sense for me to continue my training under him.

More Singaporeans are turning to alternative media such as Red Sports as sources of local sports news. Since its launch on February 1st 2007, readership of the self-funded website has grown exponentially, breaking through the 100,000monthly visits mark on March 8th. Leslie Tan, 39, founder of Red Sports, says that their news website is the only one of its kind in Singapore dedicated to local sports. In addition, Leslie hopes that coverage of local sports news can help to build a Singaporean sports identity. “I think Red Sports receives a response because it is focused on the fundamental question: Who are we?” he says. Reporting through the Internet has also contributed to Red Sports readership growth. “Local sports websites like Red Sports and Sport On provide interactive discussion forums that engage readers,” said NTU Sports Club’s publications officer, Caine Ng, 22. Apart from local sports news, Red Sports also collates a list of links to international sports news under one of its sections. “They (Red Sports) also have more in-depth content as well as external links to useful sportsrelated information,” the firstyear student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences said. When asked about why the Barclays Premier League (BPL) is more heavily covered in national newspapers, Leonard Thomas, 39, Sports Editor for Today, feels that BPL remains by far, the most popular tournament among readers here.

However, the increase in news readership on the Internet stands in contrast to a drop in circulation and viewership through traditional media channels. According to the 2008 Yearbook of Statistics issued by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, English newspapers have seen a decline of 8.5% from 2001 to 2007. In response to the shift in media consumption habits, the mainstream media has also been engaging readers online on local sports issues. Today has also started a weekly feat u re ever y Wed nesday to cover national sports and tertiary tournaments. “I think it is important that we write in the youngsters’ point of view,” Thomas said. “When I was still in school, I would look forward to seeing my school being featured for their outstanding sports performance.” In addition, local sports have recently received more airtime on television. Star ting f rom March, Med iaCor p w i l l broadca st highlights from the National School Spor ts Championships 2009 ever y Wednesday f rom 7.30pm-8.30pm on Channel 5. Some others who only have an eye for the highlights still prefer to read via traditional media. “I think that The Straits Times alone is capable of providing me with the latest sports highlights,” said Cheryl Tan, 21, a member of the NTU Dragonboat Team, a thirdyear student from the Nanyang Business School. W hen asked about t he competition between new sports news websites like Red Sports and that of the mainstream media, the Red Sports founder is not worried. “Readers will follow and reward good journalism, whether online or mainstream,” said Tan.

CLICK: Online sports journalism is getting popular. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | XUE JIANYUE

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M A R CH 30, 20 0 9

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

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The three sporting faces of NTU Along with 30 other Sport On! Ambassadors, they will help to promote sports in their respective home institutions POH WEE KOON A CAREER in sports may not be as difficult to realise as it was once thought to be. Initiated by the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), the Sport On! Ambassador Programme provides youths with the opportunity for hands-on training and exposure in various sports disciplines. “In addition to being a professional athlete, there are other exciting and fulfilling career options such as sports journalism and sports events management,” said Dr Bervyn Lee, director of Sports Culture, Sports Marketing Group (SSC). A month ago, nominees of the programme underwent four training workshops in sports photography, journalism, marketing and event management. Nominees then submitted an article complete with photo coverage by March 11th. The articles are evaluated by a panel of judges and selected by popular vote. The NTU winners, Ong Xue Fen, Debbie Lee and Chia Hui May, were named Sport On! Ambassadors. Let's see what the three sports enthusiasts have to say about their new roles as sports ambassadors.

PHOTOS | ELIZABETH LAW & POH WEE KOON

Chia Hui May NBS, Year 3, 22 NTU Tennis IVP player

Debbie Lee NBS, Year 2, 20 Captain of the NTU Canoe Polo team

Ong Xue Fen NBS, Year 2, 20 Recreational runner and swimmer

As a Sport On! Ambassador, I got to merge two of my interests — sports and writing. During the workshop, it was great to be able to meet professionals in these fields, picking up useful tips on how to cover events and transform them into writing. At the sports photography session, I also had the opportunity to take pictures of a paintball match. I hope to be able to post articles, my thoughts and perhaps promote new sports to the community. I also hope that more people from NTU will become connected with sports and find an interest in it.

I am surprised I won the competition. During the worksop, I learnt more about sports journalism and marketing. One special experience I had was the chance to explore my writing ability through the compulsory admission of an article regarding sports. In addition, I had a chance to try out photography using a DSLR camera. As a Sport On! Ambassador, perhaps I can contribute to NTU sports culture by promoting sports through workshops. I also hope to know the captains of other sports teams and perhaps collaborate with them on major sporting events.

The best thing that I’ve picked up from the workshop is in sports photography, where I learnt to take close-up pictures. During one of the photo shoots, I was trying to get a close-up shot of the action and I actually got hit by a paintball. It sure left a mark on my experience! Through the Sport On! Programme, I am glad to have had the chance to be exposed to different sports that I would never have gotten a chance to. Hopefully, I will be able to share my passion for sports with people around me in NTU too.

Bikers and organisers rally against the rain CARMELA REYES BATTLING heavy rain, student organisers of the NTU Bike Rally overcame many logistical challenges and earned praise from the public. Held on Sunday, March 15th, the event experienced light rain in the afternoon which became heavier over time. However, given the unpredictable weather in the days before the event, the organising committee had already made wet weather plans such as providing all participants with ponchos. Commitee Chairperson, Samuel Goh, first-year student from the School of Material Science and Engineering, said that the rain did not dampen the spirits. “We carried out our contingency plans smoothly to ensure that all our participants were safe,” the 21-year-old said. In addition, NTU students helped to load the bicycles onto lorries, and ensured that participants boarded the chartered buses and disembarked correctly at the next checkpoint. These contingencies were challenging given the length of the 85km and 128km routes. Besides providing shelter from rain, safety issues were also a concern. In a letter to The Straits Times on March 21st, medical doctor Anthony Thian, one of the cyclists on that day, praised the quality of medical coverage. “The numerous safety cyclists that rode along the whole 128km route were helpful and timely in providing first aid to the

participants,” he wrote. Dr Thian also noted that the ambulance was also seen circling numerous times. "This provided a great psychological lift to the riders to know that professional help was readily available,” he wrote. The event, organised since 2007, was very well received. Many participants felt that the quality of the event was exceptional for one helmed by university students. Among the record number of 652 participants drawn to this non-competitive event this year was Bao Li, 22. The final-year student from the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering felt that the Bike Rally was very well organised this time round. “I’ve been to a lot of events in the past few years and I think this was definitely one of the best,” she said. This event came after the highly publicised OCBC Cycle Singapore held a few weeks ago. “I rode in the OCBC event, but you can’t really compare it to this,” said Charles Zhou, a 28-year-old Citibank employee. “This was almost like a marathon, three times longer than the OCBC route.” His co-worker and cycling partner, 22year-old Abhinav Krishna, agreed. “We were excited to ride in both events since the only thing they have in common is cycling, which is good,” he said. Although the event was noncompetitive, the Bike Rally committee awarded all participants who completed the route with a finisher t-shirt for conquering the 128km challenge.

UNFAZED: Good preparation helped participants to tide over the afternoon rain. PHOTO | ELIZABETH LAW

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Find out where you belong in BPL fandom Page 41

Goal: scoring for needy students Sponsorships are still pouring in despite the downturn, with Hong Leong Finance being the latest contributor Tiffany Tham sports editor

The financial recession is here but needy students do not have to worry yet. The Students’ Union’s latest event, the NTU-RHB Goal for Fund, aims to increase both awareness of students in need of financial aid as well as the amount of funds available. The event took the form of a street soccer challenge and the finals were held at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza on March 7th. This year’s soccer challenge is different from other charity events because the registration fees paid by participants do not contribute significantly towards the Students’ Fund. The Students’ Fund is a subcommittee of the NTU Students’ Union set up in 1995. It exists to provide financial assistance to needy students, through the awarding of book grants and bursaries. RHB Bank (Rashid Hussein Bank) is t he tit le sponsor of

this year’s fund-raising event because they have shared values such as teamwork, community involvement and volunteerism. The chairperson for the event, Katherine Teo, 21, a second-year student of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: “The bulk of the money actually comes from monetary sponsorship from companies such as RHB Bank who have the ability to donate financially.” The Students’ Fund had sent out invitations not only to tertiary schools this year but also to ITEs (Institute of Technical Education) and secondary schools. T he r espon se had been encouraging, with 78 teams taking part over two days. “I had foc u sed on spor t s because it’s in line with NTU being the Games Village next year for the Youth Olympic Games,” said Kenneth Chew, 23, a third-year School of Materials Science and Engineering student. The idea of tying sports with fund-raising was first proposed by Chew, who was last year’s Chairman for Fund Run 2008. The Fund Run had set a new Si ngapor e r ecord w it h 1,175 members taking part in a 24-hour continuous relay of 100m laps. Senior Parliamentary Secretary of the Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports,

RHB BANK V NTU STUDENTS’ UNION: The exhibition match pitched the organisers’ skills against employees of RHB Bank. NTU won.

Mr Teo Ser Luck, was the guest of honour at Goal for Fund. An alumnus of NTU, he told those present at the event that he had been a needy undergraduate himself, as finances were tight

A SEA OF RED: The organising committee in high spirits after the kick off by Mr Teo Ser Luck (in black). PHOTOS | XUE JIANYUE

because his father had lost his job then. Mr Teo jokingly said, “I had never thought Students’ Fund actually existed you know. You all never create awareness. I had to struggle to do part-time work to pay my school fees.” At present, the number of appl icat ions g r eat ly e xceed s the number of bursary awards available. The dismal economic climate could add further strain on NTU’s f i na ncia l reser ves for needy students. Mr Kay works at RHB Bank’s Fi na nce De pa r t me nt a nd he had played in the exhibit match between the student organisers and RHB bank. “RHB has a service quality department which supports social events and sports events such as the Singapore Cup,” said Mr Raymond Kay. “The NTU event ties in nicely with our outreach to students because we are one of the banks that provides interest-free loans to local varsity students,” he added. Shawn Lau, 21, who is waiting to enter SMU’s economics programme this year said that he was glad to do his part for a good cause. He added: “I joined this as part of a get together with my SAJC (St. Andrew’s Junior College) classmates because I haven’t seen

them for two years.” “We heard of this event from the current IVP (Inter-Varsity Player) team and we decided to come down to support it,” said Jasmeet Kaur, another Goal for Fund participant who graduated from NUS last year. “We knew it was for a good cause,” she added Ben & Jerry’s resident band, Elusi on, was also on hand to provide music for the street soccer matches. A renowned local vocalist, Ms Melissa Fitzgerald serenaded the crowd with covers of awardwinning songs such as Viva la Vida by Coldplay. Chair person Teo hopes her committee will meet the target of $20,000 for needy students this year. “Our focus is not on the amount of money that we raise but on creating awareness and reaching out to as many students as we can,” said Teo. In year 2008, a total of $30,000 was given out as bursaries last year, valued at $1,000 each. I n add it ion , a su m of approximately $10,000 to $12,000 was given out in the form of emergency grants. The final figures for the amount of money raised from Goal for Fund would only be available later this year.