The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 16 Issue 04

CHRONICLE Hitting the books or the beach? PAGE 27

THE NANYANG

O C T OBER 12 , 20 0 9 | V OL 16 NO 4 | IS SN NO 0 218 -7310 | W W W. N T U. EDU. S G / C HRONIC L E

A royal touch on campus PAGE 2

南大生希望 短程巴士车站

“一站两用” 19页 PHOTO | YUSUF HAMID

Nail-biting finals at this year s University Games

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Doctors with a twist by 2012 CAI ZHIMIN NEWS EDITOR

NTU could establish the third medical school in Singapore as early as 2012, according to a proposal submitted to the Ministry of Education (MOE).

The University has set its sights on a partnership with Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), with the new medical school built next to the hospital in Novena.

The second largest hospital in Singapore was picked for its strength in infectious disease research, among other factors. It is something the new school hopes to leverage on.

“Medical schools have to have close proximit y to healthcare systems which provide a base for teaching and research,” said Director of the Medical School Project Jan Carlstedt-Duke. The hospital, which started in 1844, is established in various other fields, including rehabilitation medicine, respiratory medicine and immunology.

Professor Carlstedt-Duke said that NTU is well-poised to start a medical school, given that “there are already existing activities relevant to medicine or have some contact with medicine” among the existing faculties.

For instance, the College of Engineering is already developing drug delivery systems and the National Institute of Education deals with sports medicine, among many other activities across the University.

“T hese existing activ ities provide a strong base for a medical faculty in NTU and at the same time, the medical school will interact with these schools and provide leverage to other disciplines. It is a two-way process,” said Prof Carlstedt-Duke.

T h e p r o p o s e d f i v e -y e a r undergraduate curriculum will also have a management edge over the other medical schools in Singapore, as it will tap on the University’s existing strengths in engineering and business.

NTU Provost Bertil Andersson,

who also sits on the advisor y panel for Singapore’s third medical school proposal, told The Straits Times on September 19th: “What does the doctor of tomorrow need to know? In addition to the basics in medicine, he must also know how to run a business.”

For example, students could learn about bioengineering, an interface between medicine and engineering, as well as health management.

Sa mue l Ho, a t h i r d-yea r student in the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, wants to pursue a medical degree upon graduation and is attracted by the management aspect of the proposed school.

“It would be good to have some practical theory that might teach students to not just be doctors but also run hospitals or even a medical school,” said the 23-yearold, who wishes to pursue the field of pathology.

P r of Ca rl s te dt-D u ke a l so revealed that talks are ongoing to establish a partnership with

Imperial College London.

The medical school proposal is in response to a request made by MOE and the Ministry of Health to NTU in May, to cope with a chronic shortage of doctors. Healthcare demands are on the rise, spurred by a growing and an ageing population.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in March that the public healthcare sector has recruited as many as 1,000 overseas-trained doctors in the past three years to plug the demand at public hospitals here.

The National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine has a yearly intake of 260 students, and a maximum capacity of 300. The Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School takes in about 50 postgraduate students.

For the third medical school, Prof Carlstedt-Duke predicts an enrolment of about 50 undergraduates in the first year, which will be increased to 150 within four years.

An outcome on the proposal is expected early next year. > STUDENTS REACTIONS ON PAGE 27

Behind the scenes of fashion PAGE 16 ‒ 17

Kitchen buzz

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O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

A royal bridge over troubled waters The first UK-Singapore water forum got a dose of royalty Ng Jun Sen A CONVOY of luxury cars escorted by police vehicles drove through campus last Fr iday, car r ying a member of the British royal family.

His Royal Highness the Duke of York, Pr ince A ndrew, was here to give a speech for a water forum at the Nanyang Executive Centre, and witness the signing of a new collaborative neuroscience programme between NTU and the University of Warwick.

The son of the British monarch Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of York was present in his capacity as the UK’s Special Representative for I nte r nat iona l Tr ade a nd Investment.

He commented on shifting attitudes, from competition to collaboration, saying that “we need to be much more collaborative in our activities in order to be able to find ways of delivering the required designs and engineering results to the whole globe”.

A n e xa mple is t he newly signed agreement between NTU

ROYALTY ON CAMPUS: The Duke of York looks forward to more cooperation between Singapore and the UK. PHOTO | NG JUN SEN

and the University of Warwick, to set up a neuroscience research programme here.

T he progra m me a l lows students to benefit from joint ventures and better access to shared resources between the two universities, including links to other research programmes based in Biopolis.

N T U P r o v o s t , P r of e s s o r Ber til Andersson, said: “This a g r e e m e nt u nd e r s c or e s t h e commitment by NTU to working

with Warwick to accelerate the development of neuroscience at both universities.”

Biolog y research and biomedicine are relatively new to NTU, with the School of Biological Sciences set up only in 2001. The agreement will help accelerate the development of neuroscience research here.

The Duke of York was also present to grace the inaugural U K-Singapore water for um in NTU.

It is the first of such forums here with the purpose of allowing r epr esentat ives f rom bot h countries to share their views on water issues and network with other professionals in the field. “ Wate r r e s ou r c e s a r e something that we hear today as a source of conf lict in the years to come,” commented the Duke of York“. (This forum) is an opportunity through partners in science for the United Kingdom and Singapore…to discuss…the possibilities where we can work together for the greater good.”

T he r e h ave b e e n s e ve r a l international clashes in the past due to water. In 1967, Israel and Syria waged a war over water supply networks. Tensions with Malaysia over water agreements a lso forced t he development of new water technologies in Singapore, such as microfiltration and forward osmosis processes.

The Duke of York was confident that these programmes will benefit both nations greatly.

“This is where the collaboration be t we e n Si ngapor e a nd t he United Kingdom comes into the game, because I believe that both Singapore and the United Kingdom are well-renowned for their innovative and intellectual skills,” he said.

Design meets technology A Young Scientist Award—and $3.5m THE recipient of this year’s Young Scientist Award is no stranger to success, having attracted close to $3.5 million worth of research grants in the last three years.

Assistant Professor Yu Ting f rom t he School of Physica l a nd M at he m at ic a l S c ie nc e s c l i nc he d t he awa r d for h i s research in nanoscience and nanotechnology.

T he 34 -y e a r- old Ph y s ic s lecturer won in the Physical, Infor mation and Engineer ing Services category with his study on metal oxide nanostructures and graphene (a single layer of carbon atoms).

These can be used to develop nanodevices and harvest energy.

He received his award from Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, at the President's Science and Technology Awards Ceremony held at the Istana on September 28th.

The ceremony was organised by the Singapore National Academy of Science.

It is presented to researchers a ge d 35 a nd b e low who actively engage in research and development in Singapore, and show great potential to be worldclass researchers in their fields.

A/P Yu said what gave him an edge over competitors could have been the many firsts that he has achieved.

For e xa mple , h i s st ud ie s have led to new approac hes for engineering the electronic

structure and properties of graphene.

T he r e sea r c h r e ce ived attention from what is widely regarded as the leader of the graphene research community, the Condensed Matter Physics Group at the University of Manchester.

“Our work could possibly have useful applications for nanoelectronics, photonics and phononics,” said A/P Yu. “For e xa mple, u si ng graphene, we could possibly build an ultrafast computer where the electron could move about 200 times as fast as silicon, which is currently used in computer chips,” he explained.

A/P Yu hopes his research ef for t s w i l l r esu lt i n t he harvesting of green energy such as developing ultracapacitors, super-Lithium-ion batteries and wide-range solar cells.

His fascination with the world of nanoscience, which he called “a small place containing another new big world”, grew when he was a PhD student at the NUS Physics Department.

Ot her t ha n pioneer i ng scientific breakthroughs, he wants to impart to the younger generation the passion he has about this field.

“Hopef u l ly one of my students—several would be great—will one day win the Nobel Prize.”

HANDS ON: One of the interactive exhibits on show. PHOTO | COURTESY

Kyle Leung A FUSION of technology and art: this was the essence of an exhibition, held on October 7 in school, which showcased work by t he N T U I nter ac t ion a nd Entertainment Research Centre (IERC).

T it le d ‘E x plor at ion s i nto Interactive Architecture’, each of the seven exhibits integrated d ig it a l me d ia i nto ph y sic a l spaces.

“Artists often have amazing ideas but cannot implement them; scientists have amazing principles t hat can be put into ar tistic contexts.” said Dr Louis-Philippe Demers, Principal Investigator for the IERC and Associate Chair of Research for the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM).

The research assistant to Dr Demers, Mr Armin Purkrabek, said: “The abstract nature of the works serves to ignite the imagination.” Purkrabek was in charge of composing visuals for

the works.

One of t he work s , T he Beat Table, used multi-touch t e c h n olo g y of t e n f ou n d i n advanced mobile phones today.

Users could mix their own music by interacting with graphics projected on the table.

Another simulated visually and aurally the experience of being in a wind tunnel.

Joshua Ta n , a t h i r d-yea r student from ADM who attended the exhibition, felt the integration of design with human interaction was an eye-opener.

The 21-year-old said: “It is novel and takes art to a whole new level.”

“These are works of art that have high entertainment value and will attract crowds,” said Dr Demers.

T h e I E RC h a s s u bm i t t e d proposa ls a nd t he work s showcased are slated to tour many other countries as installations in public places, museums or arts and music festivals around the world.

news flash barack obama, president of the United States, won the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday for giving the world 'hope for a better future' with his work for peace and calls to reduce the global stockpile of nuclear weapons.

NASA is preparing a violent return to the Moon, crashing two unmanned spacecraft, a satellite and a rocket booster, into the Moon in a bid to detect the presence of water-ice.

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) has taken samples of dried fruit products sold in Singapore for laboratory testing.

The move comes after a US Food and Drug Administration report warned people not to consume dried fruit, including dried plums and prunes, due to lead contamination.

The MINISTRY of MANPOWER will be taking a tougher stand in efforts to curb the illegal deployment of foreign workers such as maids. This came after the ministry revoked the licences of 11 employment agencies last month.

The nine polyclinics under the National Healthcare Group are going digital, with Bukit Batok Polyclinic being the first to introduce paperless medical records. The move is part of the Health Ministry's plan to better integrate services between hospitals, polyclinics and family physicians.

A r t work s wor t h s ome $30 million will be on display at a contemporary Asian art fair, ARTSingapore 2009. 60 artists and art galleries will be taking part in the fair, which is into its ninth year.

THE United States confirmed that it will attend its first-ever summit with Asean next month, setting the stage for a rare, if tricky, encounter between President Barack Obama and the Myanmar leadership.

PRESIDENT Hu Jintao pledged that Beijing would protect the right s of international news organisations reporting in China.

While the communist government has loosened controls on reporters, it still tries to contain coverage of human rights and other sensitive topics.

THE United States slipped from first to third place, behind the UK and Australia, in a ranking of financial development released by the World Economic Forum, as the global financial crisis badly hurt bank stability in developed countries.

Singapore rose from 10th place in 2008 to fourth this year, despite a slight dip in its financial score.

THE p r i c e o f g o l d h a s charged to a new high of nearly $1,466 an ounce amid speculation that it could hit US$2,000 in the next decade, prompting investors to pour cash into the precious metal, spurred on by inflation fears and concern that major currencies such as the US dollar will keep falling in value.

Jay Chou and Lin Chi-ling will visit Singapore to promote Treasure Hunter. Singapore will be the first stop for the movie's 11-day promotional tour. They will both arrive in Singapore on December before heading to Malaysia.

news

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

A climb after three years The university moves four places up in international ranking Edmund Lee Wei Jian NTU'S ranking moves up four places to 73rd position in the Times Higher Education—Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings after three consecutive years of decline.

NTU is now among the top one per cent of all the world’s universities, in the company of institutions like Utrecht University which recently produced Nobel laureates, as well as Uppsala University, which has produced five Nobel Laureates over the last century.

The Times Higher Education— QS World University Rankings evaluates universities in six areas: academic peer review, employer review, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, studentfaculty ratio and the number of citations.

The head of the QS intelligence

unit Ben Sowter said NTU’s improved ranking this year is due to more citations from teaching staff in academic journals.

This is in contrast to NTU’s ranking last year, which fell eight places to the 77th position.

The university is happy with the rise in rankings, NTU President Dr Su Guaning said.

But he added t hat t he ranking standard is not to be taken as an absolute yardstick to measure a universit y’s performance as it is “at best a rough indication of the stature of each university and annual fluctuations are expected”.

While acknowledging such rankings systems do have their merits, he said it is better to let the “rankings take care of themselves” and focus on more important things.

“We will continue to focus on systematically improving the quality of our research, e d u c a t i on a n d l e a r n i n g environment, things that will make a university great,” Dr Su said.

Music to my mouth Kyle Leung Free to join and free to eat: this was the tactic that Radio Fusion had in mind when it organised an eating competition.

Called The Great Burger Gobbler, the first-half of the event was held on October 4th—the first day after recess week—at the open area outside OCBC Bank at the North Spine.

The three fastest cheeseburger eaters won an iPod Shuffle music player each. “ We wa nte d to u s e f r e e cheeseburgers to attract the crowd,” said Teo Shu Hui, 21, promotions director of Radio Fusion and thirdyear student of the Nanyang Business School (NBS).

“We thought that we could bring some fun and joy to the school.”

However, Guan Xu Kai, 23, a third-year student from NBS, who had earlier on participated in ‘Gobbler’, disagreed.

“It looked like they (the crew) were just entertaining themselves. They could have taken the opportunity to showcase their hosting talents instead of just playing music nonstop.”

Other participants such as Phua Zheng Hui, 21, felt the event benefited all: “Free food aside, it is a win-win situation for both Radio Fusion and students. There will be positive word-of-mouth.”

Phua, a first-year engineering student, won an iPod Shuffle with a record of 43 seconds.

Besides not having to pay a cent, participants could also take part as many times as they wished. “They will become full anyway, and we

did not want to restrict anyone,” explained Teo.

“Free food aside, it is a win-win situation for both Radio Fusion and students.”

Phua Zheng Hui College of Engineering Year One

According to her, although 170 c h e e s e bu r ge r s we r e consumed, there were “just over 100 participants”. Phua alone ate four burgers.

Fr ee-of-c ha r ge a nd unlimited entry for ‘Gobbler’ meant that Radio Fusion had zero returns for their financial outlay on cheeseburgers and iPod Shuff le music players, but Teo was confident that the money was well spent.

She said: “It’s not our objective to earn any money for this event. We just want to get people to start listening to us.”

The second-half of ‘Gobbler’ will be held on Monday, October 12, next to 7-11 from 3 to 6pm.

An additional three iPod Shuffle music players will be up for grabs, with a limited number of Zouk passes for participants who can eat a cheeseburger in less than than one minute and 30 seconds.

03

Walking through our heritage who were the station masters and guides for the event. While the event was organised by the Sports & Recreation Centre (SRC), an exter nal events management company, Lemlabs Team, was cont r ac te d to f ac i l it ate t he operations. It paid students from the Dragon Boat Team to facilitate the walk.

WAVING PLACARDS: Participants form a ribbon by the Quad. PHOTO | JULIATI SURYA

Heritage Walk 2009 was no stroll in the park to success Cerelia Lim DESPITE one thousand students signing up, only half showed up for this year’s Heritage Walk.

Although walk in registration was allowed for the first time this year, it failed to meet the target of 1,000 participants.

“We would like to have more students, especially freshmen,” said Professor Er Meng Hwa, Senior Associate Provost who flagged off the walk at the Quad on September 26th.

Un li ke in prev ious year s, Heritage Walk 2009 was held on a Saturday at the beginning of recess week.

“We put it on a Sat urday so that it would not clash with classes,” said Mrs Sheryl Low, Deput y Director of Spor ts & Recreation, Student Affairs Office, and chair man of t he event’s organising committee.

However, students felt that the turnout might have been better if it had not been held on a holiday and started later.

“Saturday is okay, but starting at 8am is too early,” said Tang Jun Li, 21, a second-year student from

the National Institute of Education (NIE).

“I am quite surprised at the turnout, considering that it is a Saturday,” said Lucas Tong, 24, a second-year student from NIE, who was an event facilitator.

Around 80 per cent of the participants were international students.

“Local students probably signed up for the walk, not realising it was held on a Saturday. I guess they did not want to come back to campus on a weekend,” explained Mrs Low. She added that even though the walk is in its seventh year, each walk had a different theme.

This year’s walk had the biggest teams, divided into an average of 40 students each. Participants of the Heritage Walk last year were divided into pairs.

The attempt to create a Golden Human Heritage Ribbon failed as the number of participants fell short of expectations. Tape was used to mark out the outline of a huge ribbon at the quadrangle outside the Students Activities Centre, so that participants could stand according to it. Waving placards, they would form the intended portrait, but eventually only managed to fill half of a ribbon.

However, the event benefited NTU’s Dragon Boat Team members,

“Local students probably signed up for the walk, not realising it was held on a Saturday.

I guess they did not want to come back to campus on a weekend.”

Mrs Sheryl Low Deputy Director Student Affairs Office

“The money will go towards raising funds for our upcoming Penang race,” said Chew Jia Han, 23, a third-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and a member of NTU’s Dragon Boat team.

For the first time, the Heritage Club was roped in to assist in the Heritage Walk. More than 20 members had an early start at 6.30am to pack goodie bags for the participants. “ T he e x-pr e side nt of ou r club approached SRC as we felt that we should play a part in Heritage Walk,” said Raymond Lee, President of Heritage Club.

He added t hat dur ing t he Union Welcome Week, they had set up a booth and given out keychains to publicise the walk.

Having witnessed a smaller turnout than expected, Prof Er said that as this event is targeted at the freshmen, he hopes to work with the Junior Common Room Committees to boost participation rates in the future.

RACE AGAINST TIME: Contestants had to eat a cheeseburger as fast as possible . PHOTO | FOO CHEE CHANG

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O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

Piecing together a record mosaic 1994 Accountancy graduate from the Nanyang Business School. If she succeeds, she will be the first woman from Singapore to reach the South Pole.

Among the guests was Mr Leslie Kwok from the Class of 1999, a former national swimmer who said that he had a memorable experience and his best years of swimming in NTU, despite the “traumatic and stressful examinations” he had to go through.

Efforts to seek fellow graduates included the use of social media platforms like Facebook, said Mr Lim. Mr Soon Min Yam, the Director of AAO, said that he was pleased with the turnout at the event.

RECORD BREAKING: Every card matters. PHOTO | ANDREW SUSILO

Mavis Goh Alumni from as far back as 1989 are set to enter the Singapore Book of Records by forming the nation’s largest mosaic of business cards.

Around 300 Graduates from the Class of 1989, 1994, 1999 and 2004 were back at NTU on September 26 to rekindle friendships and r e m i n i sc e about t he i r a l ma mater.

The chairman of the reunion committee, Mr Lim Thian Fatt, said that the idea of creating a name card mosaic was suggested by a member of his committee.

The namecards of the guests present were collected and placed on a 1.75m by 0.83m platform to form the mosaic.

“We wanted to make the event more interesting. Using name cards reflects the participation and unity of the classes, as everyone comes together for this event,” he said.

Guests and t heir fami lies

were brought on a campus tour, before assembling at the Nanyang Auditorium for an opening speech b y G ue s t- of-Honou r S e n ior Associate Provost, Professor Er Meng Hwa. The alumni also laid their class plaques outside the School of Biological Sciences, an annual tradition, and caught up with old friends at a high-tea buffet.

T he 25-st rong reu n ion committee liaised with the Alumni Affairs Off ice (A AO) for this event, which took four months to prepare.

One of the guests at the event, Ms Sophia Pang, turned up at the event to express her gratitude towards A AO in helping her organise her upcoming expedition to the South Pole on New Year’s Day 2010.

“They have given me token support, and have also talked to sponsors. Now that I have the time, I would also like to meet my old friends,” said the Class of

“Using name cards reflects the participation and unity.”

Mr Lim Thian Fatt Chairman Reunion Committee

“It is the first time these four classes are having their reunion, and for a first time, I’m pleased with the response," he said. " T he com m it tee member s worked very hard for it, and we feel that it is a good opportunity for the alumni to network.”

Mr Chew Kheng Chuan, the Chief University Advancement Officer, felt that the event was meaningful because the alumni were the ones who organised it.

“We should try to make sure that the alumni themselves want to have the event, so that it’s not contrived. This event is meaningful because it’s organised by the alumni for the alumni,” he said.

A Swede deal for biomedicine Goh Kai Shi N T U H AS set up a new joint Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Biomedical Sciences with one of the largest medical universities in Europe - Sweden's Karolinska Institutet (KI).

Doctorate st udents in t he programme can use the facilities and resources in both NTU and KI, as they spend two years here and two years there.

“It’s a good way to get the best out of two worlds; the student is ta ken care of by t he N T U system and at the same time gets inter national exposure,” said Professor Lars Nordenskiöld, Associate Chair (Academic) of the School of Biological Sciences (SBS).

“The biomedical f ield is a rather new one for NTU, which is more traditionally known for its engineering and business.”

“It’s important to link up with good partners in the biomedical

field,” he added.

T he idea for a joi nt Ph D was brought up when Professor Nordenskiöld and Professor Alex Law, then the Associate Dean of Research in SBS, made a trip in June 2006 to KI, followed by an official visit by a delegation from SBS to KI. The agreement between NTU and KI was signed late last semester, and they already have one student, Chen Ming Wei, 24, as part of the programme.

The first-class honours degree holder from SBS’s undergraduate programme, who graduated this May, is working on a research project that aims to study a group of enzymes (a biological molecule that catalyses chemical reactions) which produce a certain type of antibiotics effective in killing cancer cells.

“The results may be utilised by drug-design scientists and hopefully help them create more efficient cancer drugs,” said Chen, a Malaysian.

The doctorate students in the programme will also get the chance to work with and learn under two different professors, one based in NTU and the other in KI, as part of the collaboration.

This is not the first joint PhD that NTU has established with overseas universities. This year, agreements have been signed with Imperial College London and Technische Universität München as well. The Memorandum of Understanding for the NTU-KI joint PhD programme was signed in Ger many by N T U Provost Professor Bertil Andersson and Professor Wallberg-Henriksson of KI. “Together, we will build on and strengthen existing research projects between K I and NTU professors, foster collaborations that can capitalise on KI’s strength in translational research, and expose students to cutting-edge bioscience investigations aimed at improving the health of people,” said Prof Andersson.

05

Tough times, big hearts, open wallets Giving Ambassadors recognised for efforts in helping to raise money Kenneth Goh Re ce s sion blue s do not dampen the spirit of giving back to NTU—that was the sentiment shared at the Annual Giving Ambassadors Night.

Held at the School of Art, Design and Media on October 2nd, the event honoured Annual Giving Ambassadors by awarding them trophies. The Ambassadors, who volunteer to encourage their peers to contribute money to the school come from three annual giving programmes: Faculty and Staff Annual Giving, Graduation Class Gift and Alumni Giving.

A l most a t h i rd of N T U faculty and staff contributed to the inaugural Faculty and Staff Annual Giving Campaign, one of the three annual giving programmes, with nine offices a c h i e v i n g a 10 0 p e r c e n t participation rate. One of them was the Office of Finance, which has 100 staff. ”Initially, the recession made me unsure if my colleagues were willing to contribute,” shared Ms Jean Lim, the Giving Ambassador as well as the Secretary of the Office of Finance.

To boost awareness about the campaign, she started a pledge list and publicised it during the lunch hour.

Said Ms Lim: “At the end of the day, it was the cohesiveness and the good team spirit coupled with the support of bosses that made it possible for the Office of Finance to achieve 100 % participation rate.”

Professor Cheng Tee Hiang, Associate Professor from the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering (EEE) felt that “if not for the recession, we would have

collected more money”. The 700strong faculty, which achieved a 60% participation rate, won the Most Outstanding Team Spirit Award.

“People were willing to give back as they saw that the money was used for useful funds, like funding the professors’ research,” Professor Cheng added.

Gold, silver and bronze awards were given to the ambassadors according to the number of gifts they solicited from their peers.

The night also saw six alumni and two f inal-year students stepping for ward to become ‘Annual Giving Ambassadors’, extending their service from being Graduation Class Ambassadors last year.

T he Graduat ion Gif t Campaign, also known as ‘iGave’, saw almost half of the 2009 cohort participating.

De s pite t he e f for t t he y put in, the ambassadors also acknowledged that some of their peers are reluctant to part with their money.

“Some of my peer s feel resistant as they have no idea as to where the money will go to,” shared Chan Sze Hua, an award recipient who graduated from the School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) this year.

Vincent Chia, a final-year EEE student who is also an awardee, felt that his peers have the wrong perception of ‘iGave’.

“They think that it is similar to donating to charity, but it is more of a step to express gratitude,” the award recipient said. He plans to contribute $100.

Some feel that the culture of giving back is still not rooted in NTU. Ryan Oetama, a secondyear student from the Nanyang Business School, feels that giving should come naturally without all the hype. “If the culture is already there, there will not be a need to discuss or bring it up.”

RECOGNITION: Limelight cast on the Ambassadors. PHOTO | WILLIS HENRY

Lifestyle Sleeping in a stranger’s living room - Page 10

BREWING INTEREST IN BEER

Beer is thought of as a working man s drink, so it may seem the lesser cousin of wine.

But there is more to the pints of golden brew that are often chugged down without a second thought.

To prepare for the Oktoberfest, Elizabeth Law finds out more by joining a pub walk and brewing her own beer HOME BREWED BEER IBREW

PUB WALKTHE TIPPLE EXCHANGE

www.ibrew.com.sg

www.singaporewalks.com

THE Coopers Micro Brew Kit ($175) is one part science experiment, one part cooking project.

For example, adding more water into the fermenting tank of the kit does not mean more beer for drinking. All you might end up with is foam all over the floor, since the water fi lls the space that allows the beer to expand when it ferments.

Though not rocket science, there is an element of trial and error in brewing your own beer, according to Mr Raymond Lee, owner of iBrew Marketing, which imports the kits.

They come with a step-bystep guide and DVD. Follow the necessary instructions and leave the beer to sit for a week, after which it is ready to be bottled. But it is still not ready for drinking.

The home brewer must add sugar tablets which give the beer its fizz as it ferments a second time for a further two weeks.

Leaving it to mature like this lets the flavour develop. Since I was making lager, I ended up with a cross between Tiger and Anchor,

MORE THAN A SIX PACK: Lee stands proud with his home brewed beer.

DO-IT-YOURSELF: Save yourself the trouble of walking to the shops by brewing bottles of beer at home.

light bodied and slightly bitter.

While there are many things t hat brewer s can do such as adding their own ingredients for different flavours, fi rst-time brewers are encouraged to stick to the instructions for a successful brew as even slight variations will affect the quality.

It costs a mere $2 per litre, so with home brewing legalised in 2004, beer aficionados have jumped at the opportunity, setting up companies and even a club.

For barista Teo Hui Kiat, the draw of the kit is the thrill of making his own beer, as well as the low cost.

“It is really exciting because every batch is different. Also, for people like us who drink beer regularly, it is worth it.”

Mr Neo Say Wee, the founder of HomeBrew, a local home brewers’ club, agrees. A 500ml serving of Amber Ale, the club’s most popular brew, costs upwards of $10 at a bar, whereas a home-brewed version costs less than $2 a litre.

But not all see the kit as a good thing.

Mr Ernest Ng, Brewmaster and owner of home grown RedDot Brewhouse says: “Many people think it’s easy to brew beer. But when they mess up, they completely lose interest in beer.”

CHEERS ALL AROUND: The first glass of many drunk that night.

AS THE ship moored on the banks of the Singapore River, a Caucasian walked down the plank and up to the assembled locals. “Take me to see your Sultan,” he said in fluent Malay, much to the astonishment of the group.

Sir Stamford Raffles’ landing in Singapore is just one of the many tales told during The Tipple Exchange ($25), a historical pub walk along Boat Quay.

Tales of Singapore, washed down with beer T he wa l k ta kes people to back alleys and the lesser known historical landmarks along the river, looking for tales of Singapore not found in the history books, washed down with beer—lots of it.

The two and a half hour long tour br ings walkers to t hree historical pubs: The Penny Black on Boat Quay, The Archipelago Brewery, and Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Brasserie, both on Circular Road.

BROKER’S ALLEY: Travelling through dimly lit nooks and crannies just for beer.

PHOTOS | YUSUF HAMID & ELIZABETH LAW

The Penny Black, a Londonstyle pub, is well known for Old Speckled Hen—British ale that leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste. The Archipelago Brewery brews beer with ingredients like lemongrass and gula melaka. The smooth and slightly sweet Traveller’s wheat beer is recommended. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub & Brasserie serves up Dublin’s favourite drink: Guinness stout.

The guides tell tales of the Singapura Cat, which was intended to replace the Merlion. However, it was discovered that the cat is not native to Singapore. All that is left

are three life-sized statues at the waterfront near Cavenagh Bridge.

Veteran tour guide of 24 years, Carol Joy Dragon, says that these stories show a slightly gritty side of Singapore.

Besides, she adds: “It definitely helps when a few beers have been dr unk so ever ything you say seems interesting.”

For some, like Briton Les Gale, the chance to learn a little history while strolling to the pubs set this tour apart from pub crawls.

“This is the first time I’ve gotten to drink beer while on a history lesson.”

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07

Cosy in the kitchen Sometimes regarded as a chore, cooking takes on a new perspective as food preparation classes get social. Cook and then sit down for a meal together‒and you have a full evening of entertainment. Hong Shuheng rolls up her sleeves and gets cooking

STEAMING HOT: A watched pot never boils, but not in this case.

CURIOUS passers-by peered at a group of people massaging Ziploc bags fi lled with ice, wondering what was going on in the packed premises of the Novena outlet of Udders on a Saturday morning.

We were trying to freeze milkand-cream mi xt ures into ice cream.

Letting out a gasp of surprise as the creamy concoction finally became more like the familiar frozen dessert, I dug into it with anticipation. It tasted appetising with the addition of vanilla beans, though it did not look appetising.

This ice cream workshop is organised by Udders, an ice cream parlour. For $40, you also get a buffet of ice cream, freshly made waffles and drinks.

Such hands-on food classes let students cook, create or decorate food i n i nt i mate a nd casua l

settings, and are catching on with tertiary students who want new activities they can do with their friends.

Tan Shilin, 22, an alumnus from NTU who graduated last semester, attended two classes under Mongstirs, an online-run cake decorating class that meets at instructor Tang Meng Choo’s house.

“I learnt a lot from her classes,” says Tan, who paid close to $100 for each class.

Mongstirs r uns a fondant (sugarpaste) modelling class, in which fondant is shaped into 3D figurines including a bumblebee, a handbag and even a bride.

“I started this class when my friends asked me to teach them,” says Tang. “It’s a good chance for me to share what I’ve learnt, as well as meet people,” the stay-at-

NUMBED FINGERS: Ice cream was not the only thing getting cold.

home mother adds.

The idea of creating decorative figurines to sit atop cupcakes and my experience at making ice cream made me want to learn more about cooking.

So I ventured into deeper waters, and learned to cook a full-course meal from a budding culinary instructor.

Harbouring thoughts of being Nigella Lawson, I stepped into Chef Mervyn Phan’s elegant steel kitchen. It proved harder than it looks on television. As I clumsily chopped mushrooms, rolled minced beef into meatballs and fished steamed clams from a pot, my ambitions of becoming a domestic diva quickly disappeared.

Phan organises Cookyn parties in his city studio at Novena for party sizes ranging from six to twelve. For $80, the class taught a four-course gourmet Italian meal including all ingredients and dining after cooking, with free flow wine and sparkling juices.

Students do minimal basic cooking though, as Phan takes charge of the more important steps. Most of the students in this class do not usually cook at home.

“I came to this class just for fun together with my friends,” said law yer Denise K hoo, 28.

Phan realises the irony in this, but stresses that his cooking classes are not only to teach people how to cook.

“A lot of people don't know what they are eating. My classes allow them to understand and appreciate the ingredients inside dishes instead of eating blindly,” he said. “It’s more like a party.

"You learn something along the way, but it’s not intimidating at all,

and everyone has fun,” added his wife Amanda Ang. “It’s so fun to spend a Sunday afternoon cooking rather than just sitting there and having a boring meal,” laughed Ang, adding that it is not uncommon to see university students attend these classes together. Hands-on food classes tend to be smaller, priced higher and attract well-heeled students who treat them as more of a social activity, unlike typical cooking classes from People’s Association (PA) held at community centres (CCs).

Single culinary workshops at CCs are typically demonstrationbased and cost an average of $15 to $40, for 20 people or more.

Yet CCs are out to revamp their image too. Miss Jacinta Lim, director of PA's Lifeskills and Lifestyle Division, said they have hands-on culinary courses like sushi-making and cocktail workshops.

“And younger people would be attracted to workshops featuring c u isi ne t hat t he y enjoy li ke Western gourmet cuisine, Korean dishes and our latest range of ‘Wines and Chill-Out Beverages’ courses,” she added.

ALL YOU CAN EAT: A scoop of tiramisu ice cream on a piping hot waffle at the Udders ice cream workshop cum buffet.

Palate Sensations, a cooking school in a colonial building at Wessex Estate, aims to capture a different niche from CCs. With classes from $100, it emphasises intimate, fun and entertaining experiences.

"Our cooking classes replace a t y pica l evening out,” says Managing Director Lynette Foo. She adds that many parents send students about to go overseas for their studies to Palate Sensations for classes.

“These young students learn how to appreciate food better through our cooking classes. And everything at Palate Sensations is cook and dine, so they get to eat their own food, have fun and interact with other students,” says Foo. Jeremy Cheok, 23, a third-

year student from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, has attended cooking classes from Coriander Leaf, a cooking studiocum-bistro. Classes there cost an average of $150.

“This price range is pretty reasonable if the place is reputable.

And if I have a group of friends who want to do this as an activity then I’m sure to go ahead, especially if there's wine pairing,” says the expresident of Deli Aprecio Club.

DIMPLED SUGAR BEES: Waiting to be placed on cupcakes with green "grass" icing.

Yet the high prices of such hands-on food classes may deter others. Cheong Qingyang, 22, is not willing to pay so much.

“I would rather have fun and exper iment with recipes and Youtube videos to learn cooking.

It’s more economical,” says the second-year student from the Nanyang Business School.

On the other hand, students such as Sev Chua, 22, find joy in cooking and are willing to pay.

“If I had spare money, I would.

But it must be something really interesting and not those recipes you can learn off the Internet easily,” the fourth-year student from the School of Art, Design & Media says.

“For me, it’s all about learning how to cook and creating something nice for people to enjoy and eat together.”

KING SIZED MEATBALLS: Twice the size, twice the taste.

PHOTOS | CHERYL WEE & ELIZABETH LAW

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foodsnoop

flavour hodgepodge

Throwing out conventional flavours, eateries are flinging unusual flavours together and prepping up some bizarrely exciting combinations.

Kezia Toh and Loh Supei find out more FUSION BEER The Queen & Mangosteen #01-106/107 Vivocity 1 Habourfront Walk Tel: 6376 9380 Sun-Thu: 11am-12mn Fri-Sat & PH Eve: 11am-1am

singaporean sushi ISUSHI Block 57, New Upper Changi Road, #01-1356 Opening hours: 8am-830pm (daily) Tel: 6242 8652

NASI lemak staples—mini portions of crunchy peanuts, ikan bilis (deep fried anchovies) and mildly spicy sambal chilli—are packed neatly into a sushi roll. Replacing the vinegary Japanese sushi rice are soft grains of fragrant coconut rice.

This nasi lemak sushi ($0.70) is a favourite—by evening on a busy weekend, it was already sold out.

A not her se lec t ion f rom

ISUSHI’s “Local Flavour Sushi” range is the chicken rice sushi ($0.70). A piece of seaweed wraps a mound of Hainanese chicken rice, paired with a small slice of cucumber, and topped off with a chunk of chewy chicken meat.

The salty pairing of oily rice and meat is nicely counterbalanced by the refreshingly clear flavour of the fresh cucumber. It makes for slightly messy eating though as the rice tends not to stick together and the sushi comes apart rather easily.

Other selections include fish otah and black pepper crab. Some sushi f lavours such as braised mushroom and chwee kueh (rice cakes with preserved radish) need advance orders.

BREWED with barley malts and rolled oats, the Saison sayang ($8 for a 0.33litre), is infused with Indian coriander, Chinese herb ba jiao and a touch of lemon. Served in a large mug of bubbly gold and capped with a light layer of froth, the concoction was a fragrant and fruity mix, achieved by letting the fermentation temperature run higher than most beers, says A rch ipelago Brew master Fa l Allen.

Its aftertaste packs a punch with the slightly bitter taste of ba jiao and the fragrant spice of coriander, but with scarcely a hint of lemon, though. Packing these flavours together may be uncommon, but it helps to make a drink that is exciting and palatable to a wide range of people, adds Allen. Its name, too, is a derivative of the Saison style of beers produced in Belgium and France that are spiced by local botanicals. But the drink is complemented by local Asian spices instead, hence the term “sayang” (Malay for sweetheart), a play on the concept of East meets West.

tom yum cocktail

savoury ice-cream

Loof @ Odeon Towers Extension Rooftop, 331 North Bridge Road #03-07 Opening hours: 5pm-2am (daily) Tel: 6338 8035

Skinny Pizza 3 Temasek Boulevard #01-002 Suntec City Galleria

THE Tom Yum ($18.90) mixes vodka with tom yum spices, fresh lime juice and coconut liquor. Lime slices peep through the glass while a whole chilli perches at the edge, forming a visually enticing palette of yellow, red and green. For an extra kick, try chomping onto the chilli while sipping the vodka for a mouth numbing effect. At first sip, a faintly subtle silhouette of tom yum spices emerges; the full vigour of its sharp spicy body comes only later. But the tom yum taste dissipates after a while, rendering the drink an ordinary lime vodka after the novelty wears off.

This signature cocktail has been with Loof since it started three years ago, and has proven to be a crowd favourite, says Cheryl Ho of marketing and public relations.

She explains the drink was created by a bunch of Swedish guys based in Bangkok. Inspired by the potent combination of herbs and spices that is tom yum, they took a “quirky approach with an Asian slant” that finally gave rise to the cocktail.

Opening hours: 10am-10pm (daily) Tel: 6333 9774

TASTING like cream of mushroom soup—only frozen, the truff le mushroom f lavoured ice cream ($5.50 per cup/cone) has bits of Por tobello mushrooms for added texture. Imbued with the aromatic fragrance of mushrooms, the melting dessert slides down the throat with characteristic saltiness, leaving a slightly sweet aftertaste.

Another savoury flavour is the

Mexican chilli ($5.50). As the name suggests, it is not one to be messed with. Red chunks of chilli and its orange-red appearance foretell a tongue numbing experience. It is spicily tangy with a strong flavour that lingers for a long while.

Round it off with the parmesan pecan ($5.50). Crunchy pecan nuts enhance the texture of parmesan cheese, resulting in a malty and salty-sweet combination.

bubblegum popcorn CORNERY - The Popcorn Gallery ION Orchard #B4-46 Tel: 6884 6458

PU F FS of ga r i sh blue-g r een bubblegum popcorn ($3.20) come sealed in a medium-sized container.

It is made on the premises, giving the popcorn a warmly soft and fluffy texture that melts in the mouth.

The popcorn is hot-air popped, instead of the usual oil-popping method used in cinemas, then caramelised and coated with flavouring in an hour-long process, reveals Aramidth International CEO Suyanto Agus, who is in charge of the CORNERY. But wh i le it wa s not too cloying, the infusion of bubblegum gave a rather artificial taste that overwhelmed the taste of the corn.

B e c au s e it i s ba n ne d i n Singapore, bubblegum was used as a crowd puller, says Agus. “It is time to have more than just sweet and salty options for popcorn,” he adds.

By the way, the shop is generous with samples, so you can freely try before buying.

PHOTOS | CHERYL WEE AND COURTESY

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Surfing the world, one couch at a time

Accepting the goodwill of strangers who expect nothing in return might be a foreign concept to many, especially when you are in an unfamiliar land. Jason Quah takes a closer look at couchsurfing ENJOY a six-course Christmas dinner in Mexico or a home cooked breakfast every morning while touring Europe — all you might have to do in exchange for the hearty meals and good company is wash the dishes.

Free hospitalit y and accommodation from strangers in a foreign land might set alarm bells ringing. However, this is precisely what couchsurfing offers.

Take your pick of hosts who open their homes to unknown travellers without charging a fee.

CouchSurfing, a non-profit or ga n i sat ion , c u r r e nt ly ha s 1.4 million users connecting travellers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world through the website www.couchsurfing.org. Registered user s browse t he prof i les of other users and send requests for accommodation online.

Mustafa Kamal, 21, a firstyear student from the School of Biological Sciences, is both a host and a couchsurfer. He stumbled upon couchsurfing while “looking out for possibilities of getting free accomodation”.

Each couchsurfing user has a profile page. Users can even i nc r ea se t he i r l i ke l i hood of being welcomed into homes, by showing off how well they cook, for example, or offering music or language lessons to their hosts Travellers don’t have to give the host money or anything in

return as much is reliant on the goodwill of individuals.

B e y o n d s a v i n g m o n e y, couchsurfing has other benefits.

H o s t s s om e t i m e s a c t a s volu nta r y tou r g u ides for couc h s u r fe r s , pr ov id i ng a n authentic local experience by exploring the city off the beaten tourist track.

Couchsurfers get to explore the city off the beaten tourist track Some hosts even take the spirit of goodwill a step further.

“Most of my hosts will prepare a heavy European breakfast for me at the start of the day. In Paris, my host, Isabelle, knew that I only take Halal food so she roasted Halal chicken that she bought from the Asian supermarket. Lisa and Daniel—my hosts in Bülach, Switzerland—brought me to a Swiss farm and even paid for my train tickets upon knowing that my Swiss rail pass had expired.

In return for all this, I offered to help out with the dishes,” recounts Kamal.

Ng Yiqin, 21, a second-year student of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, remembers

an encounter in Mexico with fondness.

“I was invited into my hosts’ parents' home and sat through a whole six to seven course Christmas dinner complete with copious amounts of alcohol,” she says.

She felt that the experience went beyond standard tourist fare.

“It was like being part of a family and I had so much fun and felt so welcomed. Christmas is essentially a big thing in Mexico, and being part of the family experience really opened my eyes.”

Of course, not all experiences are rosy. There have been incidents of users who do not stick to the guidelines—from irritating sexual advances online, to the danger of hosts with more on their minds than hospitalit y.

Misunderstandings over doing the dishes, water and Internet usage have also left a bitter taste for some couchsurfers.

A reference system, where couchsurfers indicate details of experiences with fellow users, is the primary safety mechanism.

There is also a verification system, where users pay a token sum to verify personal details such as name and address.

St i l l , com mon se n se a nd trusting one’s instincts are the best bets against nasty situations.

“Know your host or guest well by going through their profile before sending or accepting a request. It is perfectly all right

to reject a couch request if your intuition tells you that you'll feel uncomfortable having the person over,” says Kamal, who has couchsurfed 10 times.

“If you feel something is amiss during your stay, just leave,” advises Ng. For those who have logistical or parental constraints when it comes to hosting, there are alternatives.

One such couchsurfer is Vicki Yang, 21, a third year undergraduate majoring in English at NUS, who cannot return the hospitality she has received overseas. “I'm staying with my parents, and they're already picky about sleepovers, much less foreign strangers walking about the house in pyjamas at night. I don't think they would find the concept of couchsurfing particularly safe as well.”

Hosts unable to provide a place for couchsurfers to sleep can set a ‘Coffee or Drink’ status on their profi les where no accommodation is provided but users can show them around or just hang out.

Yang enjoys meeting up with people from across the globe without having to leave Singapore so she tries her best to fit in meetups with couchsurfers amid university commitments. “I thought it was a pretty neat idea to meet new people; I love meeting new people from wherever,” she says.

While couchsurfers usually have no problems recognising each other thanks to pictures on

their profiles, confusion sometimes occurs.

Kamal remembers an experience in Spain when one such incident took place. He recounts, “We were sitting two tables away from each other, but waited for 30 minutes without realising each others presence, until she finally came up to me but got my name wrong and asked if I was ‘Mohammed’.”

A love for t ravelling and m e e t i n g n e w p e o p le k e e p s couchsurfing going. Yang recounts an inspirational encounter with a Spanish couchsurfer: “a Spanish ex-journalist told me about her job and informed me about the perks of being a truck driver in Europe. It sounded dead grunge and I remember being very excited about it, and wanting to work towards that.”

Kamal agrees, pointing out that “going to gatherings can be enjoyable especially when you meet up with like-minded people.

You'll just spend hours talking about travelling.”

Having hosted about 10 people over the last two years, Kamal remains excited every time he gets to host new couch surfers.

“It's simply awesome, especially when the surfer has been to many amazing and exotic countries. So far, all my hosting experiences have been positive. It's nice to just sit around lazily in the living room and exchange travel stories.”

SNAPSHOTS: Couchsurfers get chummy with their newfound friends.

PHOTOS | COURTESY

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travelogue

Flashing

Travel Tips

red

1

If you just want to walk through the area as a travelling tourist, bring a friend with you, as pimps are less likely to hassle groups rather than individuals.

2

Ask your hostel or hotel owners which joints are more reputable, and attract a safer crowd, as some of the red light establishments can be dodgy.

Sure, there are the usual attractions. But trawling the seedy underside of cities makes for a distinctly different experience, as Lim Weili discovers while exploring two of Europe’s infamous red light districts NIGHT brings with it solitude, and loneliness is intensified in its darkness. Since time immemorial, men have turned to the twin pleasures of the bottle and the warm touch of skin, as they seek to forget the vicissitudes of life.

While on exchange in Europe, I visited two of Europe’s most infamous red light districts, the district of Pigalle in Paris, and the old city of Amsterdam, also known as the “walled city”, or De Wallen.

Each left an indelible impression.

What would have been tacky elsewhere found a home in Pigalle, with posters of French maids with heaving bosoms and impossibly sexy nurses dotting the window displays of the numerous sex shops.

Not h i ng, t houg h , cou ld overshadow the crown jewel of Pigalle, a five-storey tall building called the “Sexodrome”, a blazing red and blue neon presence on the streets of sin. It had its own sex shop, peep show, and live show, and the curtains over its huge glass windows only served to keep potential patrons guessing.

Not that the other shops were any less sordid. Most had large pictures of women and couples in various positions, with strategically placed yellow stars to encourage the imagination.

The attractions of Pigalle were so varied that, apart from the shops, there were also bars and strip joints for all clienteles. There were straight bars next to gay bars,

and a few doors down there were also some for those who batted for both teams.

I was accosted by all manner of pimps. A kindly middle-aged dame approached and asked if I wanted girls. Upon seeing my waved disinterest, she chatted a little before retreating politely.

There were also the extremely persistent ones, who called out from a distance, asking if I wanted any “boom-boom” and “good times”, while making obscene hand gestures. Even after rejection they ran after me, pressing namecards into my hand. One of them, a lanky middle-aged man with a reedy moustache, ran after me for a couple of hundred paces, and even attempted to follow me across the road I jaywalked to get away from him. He only stopped when he realised there were other customers waiting.

Ever y thing was fair game to these pimps, who tried their hardest to pull the tourists into their joints while fending off their competitors’ efforts. Often, they refused to quote prices upfront, insisting ever ything could be negotiated. This was a classic honey trap, where customers were lured in and piled with drinks and girls, only to wake up with a huge hole burnt into the wallet. If they still had it.

For those who wanted a sneak pr e v ie w t houg h , t he r e we r e peepholes in the walls of the strip joints that cost half the entrance

SEEDY RETAIL: Sex shops in the heart of Pigalle, the red-light district in Paris.

3

In the day, Pigalle is a cultural hub, with museums, restaurants, and other souvenir shops in its back streets. As for De Wallen, it has many shops offering street fashion.

4

TURNING HEADS: The Moulin Rouge and its distinctive windmill were austere by Pigalle’s standards, but hardly any less raunchy behind closed doors, judging by the constant stream of customers. PHOTOS | LIM WEILI

fee, but I could only imagine how silly one would look bent over with one’s face planted into a wall for 10 minutes.

If Pigalle was brash and bawdy, De Wallen of Amsterdam was more discreet, though no less tacky. The area was shrouded in a thick haze of smoke that wafted out from the weed bars, locally known as “coffeeshops”. Only the drug museums carried the word “marijuana” on their signs. The tour guide said that museums were allowed to carry drug names because they were educational establishments, something that made sen se perhaps on ly i n Amsterdam.

T he tour guide had a precautionary tale for those triggerhappy with their cameras. The canals of De Wallen were a watery graveyard of cameras wrested off eager tourists’ hands by pimps, and the window girls often kept a flask of urine to drench those they saw taking their pictures.

So I kept my camera firmly in my pocket as I entered De Wallen, a maze of narrow streets with girls in large windows on both sides. The girls were free to solicit customers on their own, and each window was rented for eight-hour shifts, so how much the girls made was up to how “hardworking” they were.

After a while it became obvious that the better looking girls could be found closer to the heart of the district, and the rest at the outskirts, because the rents of the windows varied accordingly. The rate was 50 euros (around $100) for a 20-minute session, and the pimps hanging around were quick to assure men that the girls were clean as they underwent regular health checks. There was no lack of customers, and I saw many men engaged in “negotiations”,

before slipping into one of the many windows and pulling the curtains over.

The girls varied widely. There were young lithe ones who struck come-hit her poses when you looked at them, and the older seasoned ones who sat at their stalls simply smoking weed.

None of the girls was nude, as urban legends attest to, but all were wearing bikinis with bright neon outlines. Some of the bikinis were so flimsy they barely held the ample assets of the girls in check, but that was probably deliberate.

Several alleys were so narrow it made for awkward viewing, because just turning my head meant I made eye contact with one of the girls at an almost intimate distance, and I hurried through these alleys despite the frantic cacophony of knocks coming from the windows on both sides.

T here was a heav y police

Don’t take pictures in De Wallen. The pimps c a n b e e x t r e me l y aggressive to those they catc h ta k i ng pic t u r e s.

Piga l le has no ca mera restrictions. presence, which gave a general sense of security. What struck me though was the presence of drug dealers openly selling fixes.

I walked past a black man going “Cocaine, cocaine” and it took me a while to realize that this was the very same substance that would get you hanged back home for possessing just a pinch.

De Wallen also had a reputation as a hub of eclectic fashion, with several fashion ateliers dotting the district. While navigating the labyrinthine mess I saw many ma n nequ i n s wea r i ng t rendy clothes next to women hardly wearing anything. It was part of the move to eventually clean up the area, by introducing legitimate businesses while slowly stripping the licences of “entertainment” establishments that f louted the rules, a subtle reminder that in 10 years or so, the Amsterdam of old might be no more.

WATERY GRAVEYARD: Trigger-happy tourists have their cameras wrested off and dumped into the canals of De Wallen, Amsterdam.

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review

BOOKS 206 Bones The Lost Symbol $48.15, available at Kinokuniya Published by Doubleday

AVID readers of Dan Brown would be glad to find that he has not lost his signature style in The Lost Symbol.

His talent of engaging readers till the very end has not been lost.

Ironically, it is the very same reason that results in a compromise in character development.

In his latest book, Brown once again ties fiction in with historical facts, architecture and symbolism. The result: a 500-page tome that makes for a captivating read.

Nearly six years in the making, this new book condenses all of protagonist Robert Langdon’s latest adventures into a mere 12 hours.

Set in the capital of United States, Washington D.C., this is definitely one of the strengths of the book. Brown’s familiarity with the city’s culture is evident, compared with his previous books where he seems to have grossly misunderstood foreign cultures, relying on cliches.

The Freemasons come into the picture when Langdon is invited by his friend and mentor, Peter Solomon, a Freemason, to make a speech at the Capitol building.

However, upon arrival, it is revealed that the invitation was a hoax and Solomon’s severed hand is left on the Capitol Rotunda floor as a clue for symbologist Langdon.

Thus begins the adventure as Langdon masquerades as a Freemason and devises an elaborate plan—one that involves Solomon’s sister, noetic scientist Katherine Solomon.

Together, Langdon and Solomon dash around Washington to complete their quest, with the CIA hot on their heels. In the midst of a race against time to recover Masonic treasures, we are introduced to Mal’akh (angel in Hebrew), a heavily tattooed, muscled eunuch. Langdon crosses paths with Mal'akh to stop him from searching for the hidden Masonic pyramid with the powers of transformation.

As with most of Brown’s villains, Mal’akh is onedimensional and his character lacks development. We are forced to simply accept that he is mentally unstable with no room for back-stories. But perhaps this is a good compromise for the heart-stoppingly exhilarating read that The Lost Symbol is.

The novel thrusts the brotherhood of the Freemasons into the spotlight when it describes in detail the way the brotherhood functions. Brown’s claim that “all rituals, science, artwork and monuments in this novel are real" lends credibility to this novel. Yet because the Freemasons are so misunderstood, it is difficult to know which parts are based on truth and which are sensationalised.

For those who enjoy the intrigue of a mystery set in a forgotten cranny of history, The Lost Symbol will impress.

Brown’s latest novel moves at a brisk, purposeful pace, drawing the reader on a swift, compelling journey to the story’s denouement.

“Muse are MUSIC the great ¯¯¯¯¯ proponents of outlandishly exuberant modern rock; a skyscraping ¯¯¯¯¯ musical juggernaut."

The Resistance Muse (Alternative Rock) The Resistance is largely influenced by George Orwell's novel, 1984, echoing similar concerns of a dystopian future.

THE Resistance follows a romantic narrative transformed into a reflection on life, using love as a key to escaping the world's problems at large. Muse’s latest offering contains heavy themes like revolution, civil unrest and government tyranny.

Instead of giving fans what they are familiar with, Muse goes musically a shade more adventurous than before. The Resistance can be easily distinguished from previous works by the heavy incorporation of classical instruments. The most ambitious track in the album has to be the three-part orchestra symphony, Exogenesis. Classical piano and string instruments run the bulk of the symphony, but Muse rewards the patient listener with familiar gargantuan guitar midriffs. United States of Eurasia, a track hugely reminiscent of Queen, even has a Chopin nocturne.

While it is easy to acknowledge the amount of effort gone into the making of The Resistance, the direction Muse is heading may be too experimental for the liking of their fans.

-Foo Jieying

Shaka Rock Jet (Rock)

Jet's musical inspirations are embedded in classic rock from the 60s and 70s, which include bands like AC/DC.

Patrick Conboy on Muse, State Magazine

-Debby Kwong

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel Mariah Carey (Pop)

¯¯¯¯¯

-Melissa Lin

Every track on Memoirs was overseen

by Carey and the ace duo of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart.

1

Myths of the Freemasons

1 2 3 4

AUSTRALIAN rock band Jet puts the fun back in Rock n’ Roll with its third album, Shaka Rock. The titles of the songs Beat on Repeat and La Di Da provide hints of the upbeat feel of the album.

The band crafts likeable party tunes, accompanied by frontman Nic Cester’s brilliant vocals. She’s a Genius is rooted in Jet’s fundamentals – an unabashed display of punk and attitude. Yet the only ballad on the album, She Holds a Grudge, ambles along towards a half-hearted climax. Overall, fans of Jet will be glad to see the band sticking to their distinctive rock and roll sound.

However, some may be disappointed with the lack of musical variety. The best hooks come from repetitive choruses, and the prominent bass riff for the beginnings of songs is overused – just like in their 2003 iPod breakout hit Are You Gonna Be My Girl.

ONE of the merits of Carey’s latest offering is that it elicits an intense reaction from listeners. You really love some tracks while hating others. Aiming to ride on the successes of her previous two albums, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel instead falls short.

The album has a strong R&B feel, and is definitely the most experimental of her offerings, breaking away from her signature powerful ballads and bubblegum pop tracks. Most of the songs recount failed relationships, which is a surprise given her high-profile marriage to Nick Cannon.

By the fifth track, the albums start to sound eerily similar, her repetitive mid-tempo beats and signature breathiness getting on your nerves. The unnecessary inclusion of preludes and interludes add to the album’s downfall. Its only saving grace are the standout tracks, such as Betcha Gon’ Know (The Prologue) and H.A.T.E.U. Get the great tracks from iTunes, and give the album a miss.

Freemasonry in itself is not a religion or cult, so initiates are allowed to subscribe to any religion of their choice.

Freemasonry is rich in symbols that may not be unique to the society, such as the ubiquitous pentagram.

There are about 1.5 million Freemasons in the United States today.

Contrary to The Lost Symbol, membership into the Freemasons does not require shady activities like drinking wine from a skull.

PHOTO | COURTESY

-Maryam Mokhtar

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FILMS Julie & Julia Comedy (PG)

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Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci 123min

DO NOT watch this movie on an empty stomach. Julie & Julia is a delectable account of celebrity chef Julia Child's (Meryl Streep)journey to writing Mastering The Art of French Cooking as well as that of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a food blogger inspired by the cookbook, almost 50 years later.

The movie opens with Child and her diplomat husband, Paul (Stanley Tucci), arriving for his latest posting in Paris, France. Her enthusiasm for both food and life drives her to want to learn cooking at Le Cordon Bleu, a premier allmale cooking school.

We are then brought to the present, where aimless government employee Powell is looking for inspiration in her banal life. On a whim, she decides to cook her way through all 524 recipes in Child’s cookbook and blog about her experience.

Food in the movie is not just eaten and digested. The gastronomical delights that Child and Powell serve

up are also fruits of love binding family and friends together.

Child’s thoughtfully prepared dinners for her husband show that the way to a man’s heart is truly through his stomach. On the other hand, Powell's increasing success at preparing complicated meals for her husband also points to their developing relationship.

Mer yl Streep por trays the bullishly direct Child to perfection.

In her whooping voice (itself creating comic gold), Child’s steely can-do attitude and defiance of her detractors are yet another instance of how the versatile Streep can have impeccable comic timing.

Julie Powell, in contrast to her carefree idol Child, is a neurotic by-product of post-9/11 America, where her pent-up frustration from her lowly government job has created much domestic strife at home.

While Amy Adams has been touted as an up and coming actress, her character had far less mettle

and her teary meltdowns became rather tiresome to watch.

Yet perhaps she can be forgiven because of the heavyweights that she stars opposite in the movie.

Streep is a living legend while Tucci is one that The New York Times has described as being able to “assert a strong sense of his own presence even as he happily cedes the center of attention".

The audience is thankfully spa r ed f rom a n overdose of emotiona l drama as director Ephron has an innate ability to bring in the humour when needed.

Most of these go back to Paris in the 1950s, where scenes of Child power-chopping a mountain of onions and wrestling a turkey is a welcoming respite.

Powell’s eventual popularity as a food blogger on her Julie/Julia cooking project echoes the earlier success of Child.

But ultimately, Powell seems to draw on Child’s charisma and gusto to carry her through her husband’s seeming nonchalance. On the other hand Child finds comfort in her supporting husband Paul, thereby unintentionally exposing the transience of modern marriages.

Julie & Julia is a wonderful instance of how a woman can step into the kitchen yet wield

PHOTO | COURTESY

d om e s t i c i t y a s a f e m i n i n e strength.

It is one of the few Hollywood movies that is able to portray females as independent without being overbearing.

The on-screen chemistry is evident between Streep and Tucci, who are reunited after last starring together in David Frankel’s The

Pandorum

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Action /adventure (PG) Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet 108min

PHOTO | COURTESY

A DE A DLY c om bi n at ion of unexplained lunacy, an abandoned spaceship, as well as albino-looking mutants, are things you would not expect to find in the void that is space. But in Pandorum, they are precisely what drive the story.

Pandorum is helmed by German director Christian Alvert, who has a respectable string of psychological thrillers to his name. The screenplay is written by Travis Milloy.

The premise of the film is unique, and when it opens, it is full of potential. Bower (Ben Foster) and Payton (Dennis Quaid) are two crewmen, who wake up on a huge spaceship with no recollection of who they are or what their missions

were. As Bower starts to explore the seemingly abandoned spacecraft with Payton’s radio guidance, he realises that their ship has been taken over by an army of ruthless monsters hungry for human flesh.

At the start, there are nailbiting moments when Bower tries to flee from the albino-looking ghouls.

But the plot starts getting predictable after 20 minutes or so when the protagonist moves from one part of the spacecraft to another repeatedly, with a never-ending stream of mutants behind him. The chase is seemingly endless, with the gritty corridors melding into one another after a while.

Devil Wears Prada in 2006.

Coupled with the direction of Nora Ephron, who also gave us sleeper hit (pun not intended) Sleepless In Seattle, this movie is definitely one to watch when in need of a hopeful pick-me-up.

Of course, it would also be helpful to have a love of food.

-Yip Jieying

Despite being unadventurous plot-wise, director Christian Alvart manages to create a somewhat creepy atmosphere by surrounding our protagonists in constant darkness. The feeling of isolation is also played up in the first hour as the two crewmen are separated in different parts of the ship, alone.

The climax of the film has to be the sudden twist in the plot when Payton’s real identity is uncovered.

It is then revealed that many of the mutants are suffering from Pandorum, a condition caused by spending long periods of time in deep space. This makes the mutants prone to paranoia and eventually homicidal rage.

Bower, t hen, has to f ight both with Payton and against Pandorum from taking over his own consciousness. The protagonists battle each other representing different sets of ideals.

As actors, Foster and Quaid do well to hold their own in the convoluted plotlines that govern Pandorum. Foster in particular displays his acting chops in his portrayal of Bower. In his gripping depiction of Bower's narrow escape from the ghouls, Foster never once degenerates into histrionics that characterise the performances of lesser actors.

While credit should be given to Alvart for trying to incorporate the many ideas of suspense, surprise and tension, the movie would have done better with fewer of these ideas but more story development.

The screenplay was executed below expectations, with scenes failing to make sense one after another, making viewer guesswork difficult. By the time some decent plot twists emerged at the end, the movie was far beyond redemption.

-Trixie Yap

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FILMS Phobia 2 HORROR (NC16)

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Charlie Trairuth, Marsha Vashanapanich 125min

WITH the Thai title Haa Phrang literally meaning ‘five crossroads’, Phobia 2 is a compilation of five short thrillers, all tied together with the common theme of karma, ranging from moralistic to downright spinechilling.

The movie gets off to a quiet start with Novice. Pey, a rebellious motorbike-racing and windshieldsmashing teenager, accidentally causes the death of his father one night. Later, his mother sends him

PHOTO | COURTESY

to the monastery for the crime he has committed. Yet Pey is eventually unable to escape from the long, winding arms of karma, and is severely punished for his wrongdoings. Viewers will find that gruesome visuals dominate Novice more than the element of fear.

Ward starts out as cheeky fare, but reveals its darker side swiftly.

The focus is on a young man who is hospitalised for his injuries sustained in a motorbike accident.

In the same ward lies another patient—an old spiritual leader on life support. When night falls, a series of struggles between the two ensue. The predictability of Ward is made up for by the effectiveness of the scare tactics employed in this segment, which pack a hefty punch and leave the audience eagerly anticipating the rest of the movie.

The suspense mounts with the third story Backpackers. Two Japanese hitchhikers join the burly driver of a 10-wheel truck and his assistant for a ride down a remote highway. The truck’s contents soon

reveal themselves, as pounding noises from the back of the truck escalate into an inexplicable chain of events involving zombies and the petrified couple. Backpackers comprises all the campiness of B-grade horror, promising little else besides entertainment.

Salvage sees Nuch getting her just desserts for her unscrupulous ways. A car saleswoman, she sends accident-wrecked cars for massive refurbishing before passing them off as new cars to unsuspecting customers. Fate catches up with her mercilessly, forcing her to stand trial before mutilated, goredrenched spirits in a parking lot, while searching for her son.

Finally, In the End is adroitly directed by Pisanthanakun, whom fans will remember from his contribution to 4bia. He offers a delightful twist to the conventional horror genre, with a tongue-incheek parody of the notion that there are ghosts on horror-movie sets. There are slapstick pratfalls aplenty, which will elicit more than a laugh or two from the audience.

While the stories get predictable at times, the gory visuals coupled with top-notch sound effects continue to deliver. Together, Phobia 2 offers a five-course meal of fear that offers more unique flavours than many films of this type, and will leave viewers hungry for more. It is a dexterously crafted film and a laudable contribution to the Thai horror industry.

-FOO JIEYING

upcoming events NTU BLOOD DONATION DRIVE 2009 The NTU Chapter of the Red Cross Humanitarian Network is having their first blood donation drive of the academic year.

Interested donors can register at the web address below to get priority during the drive. Give blood, give life.

13-16 OCTOBER, 11AM-5PM, OLD CANTEEN A HTTP:// CLUBS .NTU.EDU.SG / REDCROSS / For more information, contact Mhd Umer at 83314393 PERSPECTIVES FILM FESTIVAL: MONSTER MANIA The Perspectives Film Festival is an annual event organised by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. This year, expect to see iconic monsters like Godzilla and the Peking Man. The festival will also feature an opening address by local film maker Eric Khoo.

23-24 OCTOBER, 9-5PM, GOLDEN VILLAGE CINEMAS, VIVOCITY TICKETS ARE AT $8 PER SCREENING AND AVAILABLE AT ALL GOLDEN VILLAGE BOX OFFICES AND AXS MACHINES. For more information, visit www.monstermaniafilmfest.com GOFAR PHOTO EXHIBITION The GOFAR (Going Overseas For Advanced Reporting) team from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information is holding a photo exhibition featuring pictures taken during their recent trip to Bangladesh.

9-30 OCTOBER, A SIAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH CENTRE 2-13 NOVEMBER, LEE WEE NAM LIBRARY For more information, visit http://www3.ntu.edu.sg/gofar/ gofar2009/index.html IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE AN EVENT LISTED, DROP US A MAIL AT CHRONICLE@NTU.EDU.SG

tech review

IVY LEAGUE EDUCATION AT NTU at MIT can be found on Academic Earth.

A qu ic k br ow s e t h r oug h both websites reveals titles from prestigious universities such as How to Live Given the Certainty of Death (Yale), The Calculus Lifesaver (Princeton) and Hannibal (Stanford).

MELISSA LIN FOR those of you who have always dreamt of attending an Ivy League university, but had your dreams dashed by your less than stellar grades, fret not. The World Wide Web is here to save the day.

With top universities like Har vard, Pr inceton and Yale posting videos of their lectures online, an Ivy League education is now just a click away, and freeof-charge too.

Websites like Academic Earth and Open Culture provide a onestop access to these videos.

Rated by Time.com as one of “The 50 Best Web Sites of 2009” alongside Google, Facebook and Wikipedia, Academic Earth combines high qualit y v ideo lectures with a user-fr iendly interface. The speaker’s voice and notes are generally quite clear, and the lectures are classified according to topic, university and instructor, so searching is made easy. Viewers can even grade the lectures to indicate which ones are more interesting and helpful and, hence, worth watching. Podcasts of lectures can be downloaded as well.

If the lectures are not enough to make you feel like a bona fide Ivy League student, you can download

5mm apart from text

To make you feel like a bona fide Ivy League student, you can download the homework and examination scripts as well.

THE WORLD IS FLAT: Ivy Leagues spinning the web of knowledge. PHOTO | COURTESY

the homework and examination scripts as well (although sending them to the university’s professors for grading is out of the question, of course).

At Open Culture, both audio and video versions of lectures can be found too, although iTunes users will be pleased to note that podcasts are more favoured here.

For the Singaporean student who feels that the education system

focuses too much on depth and lacks breadth, websites like these are God-sent. You can learn about topics that you have always been curious about, but never got the chance to pursue in depth. Instead of relying on Wikipedia for ‘facts’, learn from acknowledged experts in their field such as Thomas Friedman- three-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a New York Times columnist - whose lecture

art from text A 2004 study by the Education Resources Information Center ( E R IC ) fou nd t h at d i s t a nc e learning—learning experiences in which students and instructors are separated by space and/or time— can be highly effective. Backed up by such studies, it seems like websites like Academic Earth and Open Culture are here to stay.

G r a nte d , watc h i ng t he s e lect ures w i ll not land you a certificate from these colleges,

but education is not just about the things that can be written in a resume. For people who are simply passionate about learning, websites like these are a gateway to the immense knowledge that exists outside of NTU. HIGHLIGHTS The World is Flat 3.0

by Thomas Friedman MIT/Political Science academicearth.org/lectures/theworld-is-flat Introduction to Game Theory

by Benjamin Polak Yale/Political Science academicearth.org/lectures/ introduction-to-game-theory Philosophy of Death

by Shelly Kagan Yale/Philosophy academicearth.org/lectures/ death-intro Course Introduction: Science, Magic, and Religion

by Courtenay Raia UCLA/History academicearth.org/lectures/ intro-science-magic-religion Introduction to Starcraft and Competitive Gaming

by Alan Feng Berkeley/Economics academicearth.org/lectures/ introduction-starcraft

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tech flash

tech review Tech Editor Kenneth Wee shares five important tips to safeguard your Facebook privacy

Students are suddenly finding themselves in sticky situations when their professors request to “friend” them on Facebook. Fortunately, the social network actually offers a slew of privacy controls, so you will never have to worry about whether to add the professor, or your mother.

Friends

Use Your Friend Lists Friend Lists are the foundation of your Facebook privacy settings. To create a friend list, click on “Friends” at the top of the Facebook homepage. In the left-hand column, click “Friends” again under the “Lists” section. Now you’ll see a button at the top that says “Create New List”.

Your friends cannot see your lists, so you can name them whatever you like.

You can add each friend to more than one friend group. Friend groups are used like “tags” are used elsewhere on Facebook. A typical setup for groups would be “Friends”, “Family”, and “Professional”.

When you’ve finished making lists, you’ll be able to use them when selecting who can see what (or who cannot!) when configuring the security settings described below.

Profile

Customise Profile Privacy At the top right of Facebook, there is a menu that many people probably ignore: “Settings”.

Hover your mouse over the “Settings” menu and click “Privacy Settings” from the list that appears. On the next page, click “Profile”. This takes you to a page where you can configure who gets to see certain information on your profile.

Here, if you choose “Customise” in the drop down menus, you can be more specific. This is where the Friend Lists you created earlier become useful. On any item that offers an “Edit Custom Settings” option, you can click that link to display a pop-up box where you can choose people or lists to block (where it says “Except these people”). If you haven’t made custom lists as explained in step one, you can enter individual names here instead.

Photo Albums

Protect Your Albums This one is straightforward enough. On the “Photos” tab of your profile page, click “Album Privacy”. Here again, you can use your Friend Lists to set the privacy for each photo album.

However, do note that your profile pictures go into a special album that is visible to ALL your friends.

If you are trying to make all your photos invisible, you must do so album by album.

Wall Posts

Avoid Embarrassing Wall Posts Within your profile page, you can control who can view wall postings made by your friends.

To do so, click on the “Settings” icon on the wall in your profile page. Next, adjust the settings for “Who can see posts made by friends?”

You can also control which friends can post on your wall. For this, you will need to visit the “Profile Privacy” settings page. There is a section labeled “Wall Posts”. From this area, you can disable your friends’ ability to post on your wall.

Friend Lists will work in both instances.

News Feed

Quitting Facebook There is a delay of about 14 days between submitting your delete request and actual deletion. Beware though, if you log in to Facebook during this time, your deletion request is automatically cancelled.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any way to confirm that your request was completed.

PHOTOS | COURTESY

15

Control Automatic Wall Posts and News Feed Updates Your actions in Facebook such as comments, and likes, appear as highlights on ALL your friends’ home pages. Go to “News Feed and Wall” under “Privacy Settings”, and choose whether you want your mother to know you are in a relationship. However, you cannot use Friend Lists here. These are only on or off options.

Delete, Do Not Just Deactivate Your Account You can easily deactivate your Facebook account from the “Settings” page. However, deactivation still retains all your profile information within Facebook, including pictures and friends.

To permanently leave Facebook, you need to submit a deletion request at http://www.facebook. com/help/contact.php?show_form=delete_account. This method is official, and you know your Facebook account has been permanently deleted when you are unable to log in and do not get a message to reactivate your account.

However, even after permanent deletion, Facebook says that copies of your photos may remain on their servers for technical reasons.

The latest mobile metrics Rep o r t r e v e al s t h at A p p l e ’s iPhone OS’s market share has increased 7% in the past six months , mak ing it the mo st dominant platform for mobile web browsing.

Starhub announces new range of SIM-only mobile plans called Smart Surf that comes with abs olutely no c ontrac t and is specifically designed for smartphone users in Singapore.

A r e se a rc her r ec en t ly concluded that the most commonly used password on Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts was 123456, and that a staggering 20% of users only used a password that was six characters long.

Amazon announces new international edition for Kindle t h a t w i l l s h i p t o o v e r 10 0 countries, which also includes the ability to buy content even outside the U.S. Starhub Mobile has started of f er in g f r e e S M S t we e t in g anywhere, anytime on any phone with the launch of the MobiTweet service.

D - L i n k I n t er n at i o n a l introduces the D-Link Xtreme N Dual-Band Gigabit Router DIR-825, a two-in-one home network router featuring Draft 802.11n wireless technology.

Gal a x y Microsystems recently unveiled the world’s first single shot GeForce GT X260 + Razor Edition graphics card, which utilises a technology called “Vapour Chamber”.

K e m p l e r a n d St r a u s s officially announces the world’s smallest phone watch, dubbed as the W PhoneWatch, and equipped with a touchscreen display, and internal storage of up to 4GB. J vc l aunches the new FULL HD PIC SIO GC-FM1, the company’s first entry in the fastgrowing pocket camera market.

A-Data unveils industry’s f irst ever waterproof and shock resistant portable HDD SH93, a super strong hard disk drive designed specifically for student s , road warrior s , and sports enthusiasts.

Western digital introduces its new My Book Elite desktop e x t e r n a l d r i v e s f e at u r i n g a cus tomis able e -lab el that is always visible, even when the drive is unplugged, making it easy to know what is on the drive and how much space is left.

Lenovo brings multitouch screen experience to the ThinkPad X 20 0 Tablet PC and ThinkPad T400s laptop with the application SimpleTap.

16

show dapper: your essential style guide

Blue dress with knot detail, $45, from Spellbound; Black necklace, $49, from Dresscode

odels. M a ke-up. L ig ht s.

Racks of dresses. Just some M of the many things that go into the preparation of every photoshoot. In this editorial, we take you behind the scenes of our last shoot (before the new editors take over).

People running around, lugging bags of clothes, armed with hair curlers a nd ma keup sponges, bu s y i ng t hem selves w it h t he f i n i sh i ng touches so that our models always look picture perfect — it’s always a mad rush from start to finish.

(Left to right) On Xinyi: Long sleeved blouse with feather detail, $39.90, from Myth On Jamie: Diamante shoulder padded long sleeved blouse, $45, from Myth; Grey harem pants, $43, from Spellbound

Kudos to the many people who have helped us in one way or another.

We’ve had a great year with Dapper; it’s been a whirlwind experience and we would like to thank the readers and our awesome team for your support. We hope that you have enjoyed reading these pages as much as we have enjoyed doing them.

Peace out, Audrey and Carina

(Left to right) On Esther: Tube dress with military detail, $83; Black embellished hairband, $36, both from The Little Flower at the End of the Rainbow On Xinyi: Navy blue jumper, $54, from Myth; Blue geometric necklace, $45; Feather hairpin, $19, both from Egg3; Black slip (worn underneath), $19, from Spellbound On Jamie: Structured grey dress, $103, from The Little Flower at the End of the Rainbow

White deconstructed men’s shirt, $95, from Egg3; Studded belt, $49, from The Little Flower at the End of the Rainbow

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Backstage Access

Stockists Egg3 01-04 The Cathay Dresscode 01-07 The Cathay Myth 03-46 Far East Plaza Spellbound 03-24 Far East Plaza The Little Flower at the End of the Rainbow 04-52b Far East Plaza Ohsofickle 04-133 Far East Plaza

Styling: Audrey Tsen & Carina Koh Photography: Foo Chee Chang (chang-photography.com) Photography assistant: Yusof Hamid Hair & make-up: Lee Ruiqi Models: Esther Tan, Cheng Xinyi, Jamie Phua

Metallic Union Jack heels, $89, from Dresscode; Faux snakeskin strappy heels, $45, from Ohsofickle

状况连连 F1 Rock不起来？ —— 刊22页

新闻

南大生希望短程巴士车站“一站两用” 苏文琪●报道

上

个月初，一段南大生在 短程巴士车站擅自装上 自制站牌，误导巴士车长停车 的录像在网上流传开来，掀起 网民议论。 录像中，数名南大生在生 物科学学院外的车站绑上印 有“179”字样的站牌，结果车 长因为看见假站牌而停下，还 让一名学生顺利上车。 录像流传开来后，不少学生 质疑为何校内短程巴士专属车 站不能“一站两用”，也让新 捷运巴士停留。 新捷运179号巴士虽途经生 物科学学院车站和艺术、设计 与媒体学院车站，但都不在这 两个车站停留。 许多搭乘179号巴士到艺 术、设计与媒体学院一带的学 生，抱怨每天都得在第二宿舍 食堂外的车站下车，走上好长 一段路才能抵达上课地点。 艺术、设计与媒体学院三年 级生冯可欣（21岁）说：“这 里（艺术、设计与媒体学院） 已经有巴士专用的车站，应该 不会造成交通阻塞，为何新捷 运巴士不能在这里停留呢？”

该学院的二年级生陈文凯 （23岁）也认为，让179号巴士 在学院外的车站停留，不但能 方便艺术、设计与媒体学院学 生，住在对面宿舍的学生及教 职员也将受惠。 陈文凯说：“早上的巴士 非常拥挤，如果179号巴士能停 留，平常在那里等巴士的人可以 有多一个选择。我想这肯定会增 加我们搭到巴士的机会。”

“录像中的车长既 然上当了，新捷运 不如将错就错，让 179停在那里。” 李来兴 电机与电子工程学院二年级

新捷运企业联络助理副总 裁陈贵珍受询时说，由于公 共巴士仅能使用指定的车站， 故179号巴士无法在这两个车 站停留。但是，对这项安排将 来实行的可能性，她则不予置 评。 另一边厢，并非所有学生都 希望179号巴士能在短程巴士专 属车站停留。中文系二年级生

张丹璐（21岁）说：“如果增 加两个车站，停车次数也会跟 着增加，这多少会降低巴士的 车程效率。” 黄金辉传播与信息学院三 年级生曾颖娴（22岁）则说： “生物科学学院外的道路仅能 让一辆车行驶，巴士车长会 因要注意安全，而不敢经由反 方向的道路超前，碰上繁忙时 段，肯定会阻碍交通。” 根据记者向陆路交通管理局 查询，校内所有公共巴士车站 的位置，都是校方在征求当局 的意见后才定下的。 去年三月，本报英文版曾报 道关于艺术、设计与媒体学院 外的新车站。 当时，学生会声称正在进行 其他计划，如扩展179和179A 号巴士服务至这两个车站。不 过，事隔一年半，却仍无进 展。 针对这点，南大学生会学生 服务执行官夏天（21岁）说， 学生会将视情况的发展，再向 新捷运提出建议。 电机与电子工程学院二年级 生李来兴（23岁）说：“录像 中的车长既然上当了，新捷运 不如将错就错，让179停在那 里。”

多数学生受访时说，179号巴士若能在生物科学学院和艺术、设计 与媒体学院外停留，将方便他们来往校舍和住家。 摄影|陈奕龙

中国福建省设立校友会 李嘉吟●报道

随

金秋九月 五彩缤纷 金秋九月的云南园，五彩灯笼在蜿蜒的小径上一字排开。闪烁 的烛光将古色古香的花园渲染得十分祥和。由南大中文学会 主办的中秋园游会，今年设置了与中秋节相关的文化展览，并 且还安排导游，让师生们在庆祝佳节的同时，能清楚了解中秋 节的由来和传统。 照片|南大中文学会提供

着赴中国发展的南大 校友人数稳健增加， 南大在中国福建设立了全新 校友会。 在南大的20个海外校友 会当中，有15个设在中国， 其中包括北京、上海、广东 等地。 校友会的建立为海外的 南大校友提供了学习、互助 与合作的平台。 为了增强与母校的联 系，校友可以免费订阅 《心系南洋》（NTULink） 和《品阅南大》（Class ACT），以便进一步了解母 校的最新动态。 南大校长徐冠林教授在

出席南大于中国福建省举行的 毕业典礼时说：“中国的崛起 已经是一个不争的事实。过程 中，‘新加坡经验’得到了中 国各级政府的广泛重视，南大 为传播这一经验发挥了不少作 用。” 徐教授也指出，南大也进一 步扩大和加强本科生到中国的 学习和浸濡的计划。 此外，身在中国的南大校友 也可以通过加入校友会来回馈 母校，如担任校友班级代表。 他们也可以成为辅导 员，与南大就业与实习指导 处（Career and Attachment Office）合作帮助学生了解在国 外各行各业的需求，并且帮助 在籍学生发展研究项目。 去年四川大地震发生后，中 国校友会也同本地土木与环境

工程系的35名师生代表合作帮 助赈灾。 环境工程系二年级生李庆华 也说：“太湖流域是水污染很 严重的地区之一。如果我的专 业能为我的家乡做一点贡献， 那将是荣幸之至。” 对于南大与中国未来的关 系，中国教育部官员王永利指 出，来新留学的中国籍学生是 促进新中两国互动与了解的桥 梁。 王永利说：“两国有了能 相互了解的基础，肯定对两国 关系进一步发展有很大帮 助。” 他补充：“就以市长班的学 员来说，他们毕业回国，都在 各层次的政府当领导人，肯定 能在促进两国关系的工作上， 起着积极作用。”

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本地学生的“双语之路”关卡重重 黄康玮●报道

当

翁毓汶（21岁）在上 《华文新闻报道与写作 课程》时，常因词汇有限而无 法有效地将新闻重点清楚地表 达出来。 这名黄金辉传播与信息学院 三年级生说：“写新闻必须以 清晰、扼要的文字抓住读者的 注意力。可是以我目前的华语 程度来看，不足以让我做到这 点。” 自5年前从中学毕业之后， 选择到理工学院升学的翁毓汶 便甚少使用华文，就连日常沟 通也以英语为主。 为了重新掌握母语，翁毓汶 现在正努力恶补成语，并翻阅 华文报。“在课程结束前，我 需要提交一份专题报道，因此 我得加倍努力才行。” 在南大，像翁毓汶的例子并 不罕见。

“任何有价值的东 西，都是必须付出 代价的。不需要付 出代价的东西，可 能价值也并不是很 大。” 杨莉明 通商中国总裁

自1966年起，我国政府便开 始推行双语政策，确保新加坡 在语言方面公平对待不同种族 的同胞。虽然英文被定为必修

的第一语文，学生也须修读母 语，两者兼顾。 然而，看似周密的政策却似 乎仍有不足之处。 本地学生在中学毕业之后， 若没有持续选修与华文相关的 课程，将不再与华文有深入的 接触，双语程度将面临下降的 可能性。 就读商学院会计系一年级的 吴崇毅（21岁）虽意识到双语 的重要性，但他不否认自己已 逐渐失去双语的优势。 在中学修读高级华文后就和 母语有较少接触的他说：“除 了繁重的课业，大多学生都是 以英语沟通。况且，要维持双 语也并不是件容易的事。” “双语人才”非人人能胜任 尽管我国政府殷切希望本地 学生能精通双语，以便在国际 舞台上保持竞争优势，“双语 人才”并非人人都能胜任。 根据南大人文与社会科学 学院中文系助理教授高虹的 解释，“具备双语能力的人需 能够交替使用语言与他人沟 通”。 针对此观点，自认颇具语文 天赋，并在‘A’水准理解与 写作及H2华文考试中，双双考 获优等的王裕权（20岁）说， 国人要精通双语，并非易事。 这名有意报读南大的国民 服役人员说：“如果身边的人 所说的不是标准英语或华语， 他们的双语程度自然会受到影 响。” 生物科学学院一年级生刘宗 龙（21岁）则补充，学生的双语 程度需靠自身不懈的努力，才

插图｜黄施嫣

能维持一定的水准。 目前正在修读中文系课程 《汉语导论》和《征服王朝》 的他，每日都通过翻阅华文 报章与其他刊物，维持母语水 平。英文方面，则是通过日常 生活中的会话来强化。 我国环境 有利于通晓双语 身为翻译教授的高虹认为， 同他国比较，新加坡在招聘与 培训翻译员方面占有优势，可

见我国的双语环境乃数一数二 的。 为了建立一个以华文华语为 交流媒介语的平台，并造就一 批双语双文化的人才，我国政 府于2007年设立通商中国，在 保留新加坡的多元文化传统的 同时，搭建联系中国与世界各 地文化和经济的桥梁。 通商中国总裁杨莉明受访时 说，本地除了高素质的华文报 和华语电视频道，国人还可选 择浏览众多华文网站，从中汲

取学习华文的养分。所以，即 使本地学生在中四毕业后，也 仍有机会接触双语环境。 杨莉明相信，本地学生是能 够掌握双语的。 然而，这当然需付诸努力 才能达成。她鼓励说，只要有 心学习，学生必定能够获益匪 浅。 她说：“任何有价值的东 西，都是必须付出代价的。不 需要付出代价的东西，可能价 值也并不是很大。”

言论

认清志愿服务的职责 陈婧

放

眼望去，突然发现身边许多 朋友都有了“志愿者”的头 衔：APEC（亚太经合组织峰会） 志愿者、EXPO（世界博览会）志 愿者、YOG（青年奥运会）志愿者 等，多得让我眼花撩乱。 今明两年的数个国际盛会，为 本地年轻人提供了成为志愿者的 良机，也得到了大学生的积极反 响。世博会在南大的志愿者招募会 上，甚至出现了报名表格被一抢而 空，“一表难求”的火爆场面。 然而，与报名时的热烈反应形成 鲜明对比的，却是正式活动时的冷 冷清清。 在笔者日前出席APEC志愿者培 训会上，承办单位的负责人无奈地 说，许多学生志愿者们常以“考 试”、“比赛”、“社团活动”等

原因一再更改之前已经确定的时间表， 有些人甚至一声不响地爽约，让主办方 头疼不已。 一位报名成为志愿者后又退出的学 生坦言，自己当初是对活动感兴趣而报 名，事后才发现活动与自己的考试时间 相抵触，不得不选择放弃。 相信许多学生都是怀着一腔热忱报 名成为志愿者，但如果只有“三分钟热 度”，就很容易被现实的冷水浇灭。 所有职位都有其应尽的责任和义 务，由不得志愿者随心所欲。“自愿” 并不等同于“自由”。 自愿加入不等于有权来去自由。志 愿者的人数本就有限，哪怕少一个人都 会给现场的其他人员造成额外负担。如 果可以随时缺席，那么如何保证人手的 充足和人员的调配？ 自愿服务不代表态度自由。志愿者 的服务领域十分广泛，大至行政统筹， 小至交通住宿，都懈怠不得。如果可以 敷衍了事，那么如何确保活动的质量水

平和宾客的满意程度？ 青奥运组委会顾问张思乐曾表示希 望青奥志愿者向3200名运动员提供“一 对一服务” ，协助安排运动员的活动、 交通等。不难想象，如果这3200个志愿 者里有任何一个人抱着这样“自由”的 态度，那么受连累的就不仅是那个被 “放鸽子”的运动员和青奥会组委会， 更是新加坡国民的形象和国家的声誉。 正因为自愿不等于自由，所以报名 时比热情更重要的，是坚持下来的责任 心和使命感。 随着活动的展开，“志愿者”的光 环会慢慢褪色，取而代之的是越来越多 的辛苦与劳累。只有责任心才能让我们 在报名时三思而行，安排好自己的时间 表，以免日后出现问题。只有使命感才 能让我们在工作时有始有终，不因为困 难或麻烦而随便应付，甚至打退堂鼓。 在APEC志愿者培训会上，最活跃的 往往不是年轻学生，而是中年的阿叔 阿嫂。他们不光积极抢答问题，也耐心 配合活动安排，而且更加清楚志愿者应 承担的责任与义务。相比起他们的态度 来，我们这些年轻人又该作何反思？

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宿舍美味飘香 端出异国佳肴 人们或许会认为年轻人 厨艺不佳，但在南大宿 舍中，却不时有美食的 香味隐藏了一群年轻的 厨艺高手！记者陈婧带 你潜进南大宿舍，发掘 这些南大生亲手烹调的 美味佳肴！

Nguyen Dinh Duy (Justin) 计算机工程学院三年级，22岁 拿手菜：越式春卷、 Mi Quang （越式广东面）

Emmanuelle Soultanian 传播系三年级，23岁 拿手菜：意大利面、荷包蛋 交换学生Emmanuelle刚到新加 坡两个月，就开始想念家乡的 美式西餐。 她说：“宿舍里的西餐和美 国的味道还是有所不同，所以 我只好自己尝试做出习惯的味 道。” 坦言“吃米饭吃到过敏” 的Emmanuelle，每个星期都有 三、四天自己下厨做晚饭。她 认为这样既经济又实惠，还能 吃到更正宗的味道。 Emmanuelle的所有厨具都 是在新加坡购买的，共花了不 到50元新币，材料主要则是从 学校超市购买的。 她也发现，许多国际学生也 跟她一样，经常会在宿舍厨房 里煮家乡菜。 她说：“也许对于我们来 说，这也是排解思乡情怀的一 种方法。”

旅游

虽然来新已有3年，来自越 南的Justin还是难忘家乡菜的口 味。 与其到出外消费，厨艺了得 的他三不五时都会在宿舍里做 来自越南的Justin难忘家乡菜的美味，所以经常会亲自下厨，烹煮 道道地地的越南菜。 照片|Nguyen Dinh Duy 提供 梁伟楗 环境工程系三年级，23岁 拿手菜：意大利面、 绿豆西米露 宿舍食堂的食物选择很多， 但是吃久了难免会感到腻烦， 因此，梁伟楗决定亲自下厨， 为自己和朋友们准备一道道美 味佳肴，改善伙食。 每个星期都会下厨两至三次 的他，最喜欢一边下厨，一边 和朋友聊天。 对他而言，他不仅是在与 朋友分享美食，更是在与他们

必看

交流的好机会，可以趁机增进 情感。 身为环境工程系学生的他也 打趣说，在宿舍里煮饭“更加 环保”，可以当作环境工程师 的“选修课”。 由于厨房条件限制，梁伟楗 专攻所需工具较少的西餐，例 如意大利面和甜点等。 尽管如此，他在烹饪过程中 也没有少受厨房的“刁难”。 他说：“厨房里的炉灶太 旧，经常生不起火，烹饪设备 也不齐全。大概最适合的就是 煮速食面了。”

谢至理 电子电机工程系二年级， 21岁 拿手菜：鸡汤、可乐鸡、 鱼香肉丝 来自中国江苏的谢至理，在 厨师父亲的耳濡目染下对烹饪 产生兴趣。 虽然课业繁忙，他每个周末 也都不忘下厨。 谢至理自己花近百元置办了 锅碗刀铲一系列厨具，虽然前 提投入较大，但他还是觉得很 划算。 他说：“我一般做了和室友 一起吃，两个人平摊下来两至三 元一个菜，还是很便宜的。”

到韩国，不看什么会后悔，不买什么会难 过，不吃什么会遗憾？就让记者林诗敏告 诉你，让你不走宝！

起越南美食。 Justin说，家乡的原材料才 能煮出道地的口味。 他每次回越南时都会带着大 包小包的食材回来。 所以，他常用的酱料、米纸 和虾饼都是道地的越南货，做 出来的越南菜也是最正宗的口 味。 Justin平时做菜只要半个小 时，朋友聚会时则会花上两、 三个小时来准备一整桌拿手 菜。 身为主厨的他在越南过年 时曾经还整整一天不间断地做 饭。 他坦言：“虽然宿舍厨房 条件比较简陋，可是和朋友一 起烹饪和享受家乡美食的乐趣 并没有因此打折扣。” 谢至理的拿手好菜大多是中 餐，既有10分钟就能做好的可 乐鸡，也有前后要花上2个多小 时的鸡汤。 他坦言：“卸鸡的过程比较 有乐趣，尤其是自己从整只鸡 开始卸，要切碎、去油、剔肉 等等。” 他也会上网浏览，搜索食 谱和美食博客，不断尝试新菜 色。 他也会把自己做菜的步骤和 照片上载到博客上，但是博客 只限朋友，陌生人止步！ 谢至理认为，做菜的最大乐 趣是“自己劳动和享受成果的 乐趣”。

必吃

必买

韩国街边美食数不胜数 ，造型古怪的薄煎饼 是你绝不能错过的。在 冷冷的韩国街边，吃 个温温的煎饼，爽！

室！它横跨南北韩国 这可不是个普通的会议 内。 界，同时处在两个国境

静的环境与丰富的历 被森林环绕的月精寺幽 几天。 史收藏让许多人流连好

汉城的小店很多，但是售卖的商品都独 具特色。设计抢眼的小包包和笔记本都 让人爱不释手，想把它们全都买回去！

香喷喷的烤肉大餐真是 让人垂涎！如果你怕 自己的烤肉功夫不足， 也可以请店员代劳。 照片｜林诗敏提供

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娱乐

苏打绿用夏天 批判黑暗社会 杨淑慧●报道

自

认天生悲观，苏打绿主 唱青峰通过《夏／狂 热》宣泄对社会的不满。 自发行《无与伦比的美丽》 之后，青峰就暂停创作，直到 去年底开始筹备“韦瓦第计 划”才恢复创作能量。 在飞往伦敦录制专辑的班机 上，他就一口气完成了7首歌 词，把各种社会乱象融入作品 中。 青峰说:“我在过去一年想 得比较多，来到这张以‘夏’ 为主题的专辑，决定好好描写 社会黑暗的一面。” 新歌《蝉想》的歌词：“爱 呀/弄污了一个又一个胸膛/粉 饰魔鬼的幻想/欲望掠夺后更穷 凉/再认不得路回家”，虽听起 来很轻快，歌词却稍微黑暗以 及写实。 他说，《春。日光》是一 种抒发情绪，释放正面能量的 专辑。然而，为“夏”定主题 时，他希望能够好好描写社

继充满正面力量的《春。日光》，苏打绿在新专辑《夏／狂热》中宣泄出对社会的不满，描写出社会的 黑暗面。 摄影|李嘉炜 会黑暗面，因为这比较罕见， 自己过去也不敢呈现。 在“韦瓦第计划”下，苏打

绿将在两年内发行4张不同概念 的专辑。贝斯手馨仪说：“我 们曾尝试过很多不同的曲风，

觉得不妨把特定的曲风放在一 张专辑里，让专辑的概念性与 主题性更强烈。”

至于一年出两张专辑会否很 赶，电吉他手家凯说：“我们 到了伦敦制作新专辑，制作期 不到一个月，虽然相当紧凑， 可是我们有机会与不同的音乐 人合作，收获很多。” 苏打绿6位团员的英语程度 不一，但身为团长的吉他手阿 福却被团员们取笑说是拥有 “语言障碍”阿福笑说：“英 文我们听得懂，只是不一定会 讲，不过我们有很棒的团员帮 忙翻译，所以问题不算大。” 青峰在记者会上也解释， 《狂热》这首歌，是针对社会 变迁而创作的。这首歌曲让他 有最深刻感触的是小时候家后 因须建筑高楼大厦而夷为平地 的草原。 他说，或许我们后来会觉得 自己把自然植物毁掉，再重新 种上“设计过的植物”，因此 似乎有点难以理解，而这正是 《狂热》想传达的信息。 从《春。日光》的清新民谣 风到《夏/狂热》的摇滚风， 苏打绿表示日后的秋冬专辑将 继续突破自己，尝试诗歌与古 典曲风。 那么，四季之后苏打绿将挑 战什么样的音乐类型？ “那当然是……秘密咯！” 团员们异口同声地回应。

“F1 Rocks”演唱会 脸无奈，对着无声的麦克风呐 喊，观众才领悟，原来是音响 失灵！ 被制作单位请下台的那一 刻，苏打绿各个神情错愕，观 众席也频频传出嘘声，要求制 作单位退票。5分钟后，音响 终于恢复，苏打绿再次回到台 上，青峰还逗趣地说：“是你 们太热情了，才会跳电！”

大牌齐聚 却惊吓连连

喜！两‘张’皇牌同台飙歌 演唱会最有看头的就是歌 神张学友和天后张惠妹。主办 单位在安可表演时安排两张皇 牌同台飙歌，两人以极具爆发 力的嗓音共同献上《站在高岗 上》及一首粤语歌曲，瞬间让 闷热的现场恢复热情。 歌神这次更顶着一头银白色

长发，像个疯狂醉汉似的原地 旋转和撕吼，大展摇滚魅力。 喜！大嘴巴精心Remix 率先登场的大嘴巴似乎是 当天唯一一组特地在表演中 融合不同文化特色的表演嘉 宾。 开场歌曲不是《国王皇后》 或是成名曲《结果咧》，而是 爱纱献舞的《夜上海》，随后 再以“Da Now一场”掀起全场 观众的气氛！ 除了演唱以上两首名曲， 他们还特地用了Lady Gaga 的“Poker Face”的曲、Black Eyed Peas的“My Humps” 和“Let's Get It Started”的词 重新Remix成一首歌曲，把气 氛推到最高点！

虽然麦克风被消了音，阿妹仍以舞台魅力十足的表演让歌迷们过足了瘾。

洪芷欣●报道

配

合今年F1大奖赛举行的 首场“F1 Rocks”演唱 会云集中文乐坛天王天后张学 友、张惠妹，和新声代偶像团 体苏打绿和大嘴巴，未开唱就 先造成轰动。 但是演出当晚，现场却是状 况连连，搞得观众愤愤不平， 更让人质疑举办单位的专业和 用心。让记者带你回顾这场万 众期待却惊过于喜的演唱会。

惊！大嘴巴、阿妹被消音

惊！故障打断苏打绿high歌

大嘴巴率先登场演唱，但大 家却只听得见MC40的饶舌， 爱纱的歌声可是要竖起耳朵才 能隐约听到。 阿妹的现场演唱实力众所周 知，登场演唱《假惺惺》时却 只听得到强劲的伴奏和两位和 音天使的声音，完全听不到阿 妹的演唱。 原来，两人的麦克风都被消 了音，无辜失声，让观众都为 她们捏了把冷汗。

记者看过无数的演唱会， 不论商演或是个人演唱会，从 未听闻断电这回事。但这史无 前例的第一次竟然发生在一场 如此声势浩大的国际演出上。 苏打绿演唱《狂热》时， 现场气氛本推入高潮，但音响 器材突然发出一声巨响，直接 断电。 台下观众愣了一下，原本 还以为是苏打绿刻意制造的演 出效果，但只见台上的青峰一

张学友不仅发型令人惊艳，演出更是震撼全场，歌神魅力不减当 年。 照片|洪芷欣提供

23

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

LaLa徐佳莹校园音乐会

自然不做作 星光3班冠军以笑容虏获观众 马依苇●报道

台

湾新声代唱作才女徐佳 莹首次到南大开唱，难 掩兴奋的她，快步绕场一周， 与现场热情的观众握手，直 呼：“好喘哦，我看我还不能 开演唱会唉！” 日前，星光3班冠军徐佳莹 在由南大文化活动协会所举办 的音乐会中，不仅发挥了自己 的搞笑才华，还与现场的800 多名观众进行互动，热闹非 常。 当晚，徐佳莹一改往日的短 裙装，取而代之的是白色T恤

加牛仔裤的随意穿搭，发型也 选择了清爽的马尾辫。站在台 上，俨然像个在籍大学生。 与主持人进行“快速提 问”时，直爽的徐佳莹也毫不 避讳，大方承认自己现在已 经名花有主。观众立即大喊 “李伯恩”（即徐的现任男 友）作为回应，让徐佳莹羞红 了脸。 当晚，徐佳莹表现得非常活 泼幽默。身形娇小的她，一上 台就打趣地说舞台大得走不过 来，接着还开起了场下摄影师 的玩笑。 此外，徐佳莹还表示对新加 坡的美食情有独钟，在来新的

尽管行程繁忙，身心疲累，徐佳莹依然笑容可掬，帮粉丝在专辑上 签名。

这几日“大开吃戒”，把唱片 公司的减重计划抛到脑后。 互动环节部分，主持人安排 3名幸运的观众到台上与徐佳莹 近距离接触，并让他们现场挑 战难度颇高的《身骑白马》的 闽南语副歌部分。 所幸的是，挑战者都是徐佳 莹的铁杆粉丝，他们不仅丝毫 没有跑调，而且连闽南语发音 也非常准确，让徐佳莹听后直 呼“很好、非常好！” 一向喜欢用歌曲记录自己的 成长过程的徐佳莹，在演唱会 接近尾声时演唱了对自己格外 具有意义的《失落沙洲》。 她透露，这首歌曲是描述自 己在17、18岁时的初恋故事， 并感慨地提醒观众“感情都是 失去才懂得珍惜的”，同时 还鼓励大家好好珍惜身边的感 情。 在诠释这首歌曲的过程中， 徐佳莹一改之前的嬉闹，眼眶 微微湿润，表情透着淡淡哀 伤。 演唱会上，徐佳莹虽然只演 唱了新专辑中的5首歌曲，但了 得的演唱功力和卖力的表演着 实让南大的同学们大饱耳福和 眼福。 身为乐坛新人，却已入围新 加坡金曲奖2009最佳演绎女歌 手的徐佳莹，也将于11月6日再 度莅临狮城，与其他实力雄厚 的天后级歌手，包括张惠妹、 梁静茹等争夺歌后宝座。

面对现场800多名观众，歌唱比赛出身的徐佳莹身经百战，很快就 将现场气氛炒热。 摄影|黄庆翔

乐评 音乐Jukebox 专辑：《上五楼的快活》 歌手： 陈奕迅 推荐：《床头灯》 《多少》

陈



奕迅出道十多年 来，慢歌快歌，或 温柔或激亢，全部唱遍， 新意难出。 于是，在全新专辑 《上五楼的快活》中，他请来蔡健雅、苏打绿、范晓 萱等唱作俱佳的歌手参与创作。若要实话实说，期待 很高，惊喜却不怎么大。不过，新意不够，至少有诚 意。 专辑名称为《上五楼的快活》，种种评论介绍都 把“快活”二字摆为重心，可为什么是“上五楼”的 快活呢？上五楼，去到的是哪里最快活？想必是家。 家中一盏《床头灯》，微小却温暖的光，才能够由 得人自在疯狂或沉默。回家，虽然是一件再平凡不过 的生活例行，但唯有家中的温暖才能触动所有人的内 心。 并不一定需要五光十色、灯红酒绿的生活，或历经 波折、荡气回肠的感情才能够打动人。平凡，有时侯 或是最催泪的武器。 淡然的心绪，或许是年龄阅历使然。关注起伏跌宕 的戏剧，不如关注生活本身，以及生活其中的人们。 《在你身边》和《给你》两首歌，字字句句，简简单 单，都是诚恳的关爱的流露。你快活，所以我快活。 或许没有突破，但陈奕迅确实在成长。（文／黄路）

专辑：《梦•想•家》 歌手： 潘裕文 推荐：《帮你记得》 《好想放假》

星



光1班季军潘裕 文终于美梦成 真，苦等两年多后发 行了第一张个人专辑 《梦•想•家》。 拥有王子之称的潘 裕文，通过10首歌曲 来表达他勇于追求梦想的心情与精神。 专辑收录的其中3首歌曲是电影和电视剧的指 定主题曲和片尾曲。日本卖座强片《生命最后 一个月的花嫁》中文版主题曲《帮你记得》唱 出了舍不得离开情人和想念的心情。潘裕文的 歌声柔中带刚，把这首歌诠释得非常感人。 另一首我个人较喜欢的作品是专辑的最后一 首歌《好想放假》。这一首由本地资深音乐人 李缌菘所谱的歌曲，曲风新鲜、节奏轻快。潘 王子唱得很洒脱，给人一种抛开束缚，自我解 放的感觉。 整体来说这张专辑感觉一般，与同期出道 的林宥嘉、杨宗纬和萧敬腾的首张大碟比较， 略显逊色。由于歌曲风格变化不大，且缺乏深 度和新鲜感，潘裕文也把一些歌曲唱得较为平 淡，整张专辑始终无法让听者留下深刻印象。 (文／卢苏沛）

专辑：《畅一首歌》 歌手： 郑元畅 推荐：《畅一首歌》 《不死心》

偶



像剧一哥郑元畅大 胆涉足唱片圈，推 出首张个人EP《畅一首 歌》。为满足不同听众群 的要求，EP一共收录五 首风格迥异的歌，颇具诚 意。 主打《畅一首歌》最 为抢眼，动感十足。MV找来同门师姐林志玲性感出 镜，与小综大斗舞技，其中不乏下腰、劈腿、M字舞 步等动作。不过，后半部分几乎都是林志玲在抢镜， 小综倒是表现平平。歌曲旋律普通，但值得一提的是 MV明亮炫酷的视觉效果，再加上台湾第一美女的加 持，很适合元畅的青春偶像风格。 另一首《不死心》，早前因银幕情人林依晨跨刀 演出MV而备受关注。但是，整支MV的偶像剧味道很 重，而且略显做作。副歌部分，可以说是唱出了人们 在爱情中徘徊的心声；简单几句，便哼出了不知是否 应该在爱情中前进的怅惘。 从这次尝试来看，小综似乎试图通过5个不同的故 事，展现不同的自己。但是，无论歌曲的风格还是演 绎的方式，都还略显粗糙，没有特别之处。 偶像剧一哥“畅”够了，还是乖乖回去演戏比较 好。（文／黄海）

Opinions “Does the whole world know your secrets?”

Turn to page 26 to find out

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

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

Competition the way to go Si n g te l’s r e c e nt shoc k acquisition of the exclusive broadcast rights for the Barclay’s Premier League for the next three seasons from 2010 has ignited a nationwide debate over whether this was a case of competition gone wrong.

Effectively, local sports enthusiasts will have to subscribe to both SingTel’s mioTV service and StarHub’s c a b l e T V t o c on t i n u e watc h i ng conte nt t h at was previously supplied b y a s i n g l e p r o v i d e r.

This led to suggestions t h at Si n g a p or e’s p a yT V market is too small to suppor t compet it ion and we would be better ser ved by a monopoly.

However, we will be missing the forest for the trees if we simply refuse to countenance change on the back of a knee-jerk reaction.

Why condemn SingTel for dar ing to challenge

for t he jewel i n t he l o c a l p a y -T V c r o w n ?

T he new k id on t he block has certainly put its money where its mouth is.

M r A l le n L e w, t h e company’s chief executive officer, hailed the BPL coup as a “game-changing moment”.

Indeed, the introduction of SingTel’s mioTV service in the pay-TV market was meant to freshen the landscape and prov ide consumer s with a viable alternative to Sta rHub’s cable T V. There may be teething problems as SingTel starts to assert itself in the market, but compet ition shou ld spur both companies to examine their offerings and streamline their operations.

StarHub has had a clear run in the past few years, and this has been reflected in its programmes. With a new rival in town, there is a greater incentive to offer the most competitive packages.

CH R O N ICL E THE NANYANG

chief editor Ng Yong Kiat Fabian

opinionS editors Shereen Naaz Charles

MANAGING editor Ahmad Iskandar

sports editors Tham Hui Min Tiffany Xue Jianyue

sub-editors Ng Wei Chuen Caleb Vo Van Hung Chuang Bing Han Hong Shuheng News editors Cai Zhimin Alexis Yusuf Abdol Hamid Lifestyle editors Toh Li Min Kezia Wee Ling Li Cheryl

layout editors Cha Ee Ling Alexis Josephine K Chow Lee Shuxian photo editors Foo Chee Chang Tan Yi Leong Irwin Lim Joe Ee Zoe graphics editor Sarah Amnah Zaihan

Reviews editor Law Shi Ming Elizabeth

ONLINE editor Kuek Jinhua

TECH editor Wee Zhi Qiang Kenneth

business managers Teo Xin Wen Jean Yong Sze Yean Joyce

dapper editors Koh Fang Ting Carina Tsen Si Jia Audrey Chinese editors Seow Kia Hui Ng Soon Kiat

production support Ng Heng Ghee Teacher advisors Andrew Duffy Javed Nazir Xu Xiaoge

A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446 Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board of The Chronicle and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of Nanyang Technological University, its employees, the students or the Council of the University.

Signed opinion columns, letters and editorial cartoons represent the opinion of the writer or artist and are not necessarily those of The Chronicle.

Printed by KHL Printing Co. Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive, Singapore 508968

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

Five days and waiting Tiffany Tham sports editor

I

am still waiting for my transcript that I ordered five working days ago.

I cannot seem to understand why we have to wait so long for our transcripts to reach us when it probably takes a mere five minutes for it to be printed out and given an official NTU stamp.

Waiting is a strange activity, or inactivity, if you ask me.

People are willing to spend hours queueing up for even a simple Post–it pad, just as long as it is free.

It really does not matter if we already have five stacks at home.

An extra Post–it pad never hurt anyone right? Wrong.

T he longer we ca r r y out the action of waiting, the more stagnant we become.

T he longer I wait for my transcript, the more I feel like I have not done anything at all.

I sit around and wait and wait, and wait even more–for that one piece of paper.

I ron ica lly, much as I am irritated by all the seemingly senseless waiting, I have no choice but to just wait it out.

Sometimes, I think we all wait because we enjoy it.

Or at lea st we enjoy t he pleasure derived from the reward we get for waiting.

Just last week, one of my f r ie nd s que ue d up for f r e e goodie bags from NTU’s Cultural Activities Club.

She joined the snaking queue which stretched from Nanyang Auditorium to Lecture Theatre 2A. The best part is that she just joined the queue without even knowing what she was queueing up for since she could not see the start of the queue.

She is one of those people who believe in ‘delayed gratification’– that nothing is worth getting unless it involves waiting.

And, of course, the element of surprise.

Besides, good things come to those who wait, right?

I wish I could say the same about my transcript.

I doubt that waiting an extra day for my transcr ipt would increase my GPA by an extra point or two.

But waiting, like everything else prolonged, is painful.

And we would do just about anything to stop that pain from

GRAPHIC | SARAH AMNAH ZAIHAN

becoming agonising.

Ever found yourself stuck in a lift with someone who simply cannot wait for the lift to reach his or her floor?

I wonder if he realises that no

I doubt that waiting an extra day for my transcript would increase my GPA by an extra point or two matter how many times we press the buttons, the lift does not move any faster.

Or the annoying lady at the traffic light who simply cannot wait for the green man to flash.

These jumpy people are all around us.

And nerves, like laughter, are contagious.

I found myself a victim of second-hand nerves when I sat for

my driving test recently.

As if I were not nervous enough waiting for my turn, the incessant mumbling of the person next to me was enough to make me crash into a wall.

And this was not good for a person who was about to sit for a practical driving test.

But whether we like it or not, waiting has become so much a part of our daily lives, literally.

On average, a person spends 60 minutes a day just waiting.

It happens all the time.

Whether it is waiting for your online shopping packages to arrive at your doorstep or simply waiting for the lesson to end, waiting is inevitable.

So if we must wait, let’s wait gracefully.

The same way we try to age gracefully.

Being graceful about waiting may not take away the pain of waiting another extra day for my transcript, though having it sent to my house more than makes up for it.

But then again, I am paying $3.50 for it.

26

opinions

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

canteen talk

Recently, NTU announced its collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital to establish a third medical school in Singapore. We ask students what they think.

Having a third medical school will allow more students to study and ultimately practise medicine in Singapore, and not overseas.

”

Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz , MAE Yr 1, 19

“

I think that it will be a challenge for us to establish ourselves as a medical university when we boast a technology niche.

Dianne Goh , HSS Yr 3, 21

Currently only NUS houses a medical faculty in Singapore.

I think NUS can do with some healthy competition from us.

”

Nashata Binte Mohd Isa, BIE Yr 2, 22

“

I think the location is very important. People may forget that the medical school is part of an NTU collaboration if it’s in Novena.

Muhd Rishd , MAE Yr 3, 25

Together with the newly opened HSS and ADM, the upcoming medical school will definitely help to raise NTU’s profile globally.

”

Tan Zhen Tak, MAS Yr 1, 19

TEXT | SHEREEN NAAZ CHARLES SYARIFF; PHOTOS | GRACE AU YONG

Short and tweet Nurfaiezah Binte Mohd Osman

O

ne hundred and forty characters. Enter. That’s all it takes for the whole world to know you’re in the toilet right now.

When I first heard about Twitter, I had serious doubts.

Why would I want to share the nitty gritty of my life with the world ?

Twitter is the latest social networking site to join in the ranks of MySpace and Facebook.

This simple social media site is revolutionising the way we communicate with less characters than is required to send a mobile message.

From our everyday routines to random thoughts and even shockingly intimate confessions, there is no rule on what users can or cannot share.

More than just about sharing one’s favourite hangout place, Twitter has pushed the limits of intimacy between friends who reveal personal details which are often not mentioned in normal face-to-face conversations.

For instance, my friend told me about someone she knew who went for a dental check-up, only to discover she had a jaw disorder.

Her friend tweeted about the various treatments that she would have to undergo and was undergoing.

However, when asked about it in a normal conversation, she was more reticent with her replies.

This is just one example of a common trend in Twitter.

A general search will reveal a variety of topics announced by users, from marriage proposals to the fact that they are tweeting from the toilet.

Indeed, Twitter appears to be the new public toilet wall where people can comfortably air their dirty laundry without fear of reproof or shame.

Forget the interrogation methods, or even polygraph tests.

Remove any human eye contact and replace it with a simple click of the button and people are more than willing to tweet their personal secrets away.

The allure of Twitter lies in its simplicity and also accessibility.

One does not need to be the next Pulitzer Prize winner to send a tweet. Designed to suit the short messaging service system, it enables users to share snippets of their lives without the burden of long-winded narratives that are often present in weblogs.

Without the pressure of good spelling, good grammar or even proper sentence structure, literally anyone can send a tweet.

Add to that a mobile device with constant Internet connection and we find ourselves published and read by loyal followers in real time, without any delay.

This allure has not been overlooked by celebrities.

GRAPHIC | ALAN CHOONG

Even as they complain of pestering paparazzi, tech-savvy celebrities like Ashton Kutcher challenged CNN to a popularity contest to get one million followers on Twitter, and won.

Or local celebrity Jade Seah who recently attracted her own attention by tweeting about how she did not like the ‘extra attention’ at the gym.

So much for privacy.

Twitter seems to be the new public toilet wall where people can comfortably air their dirty laundry without fear of reproof or shame This opens up a new level of intimacy as fans are able to get direct updates from their beloved stars.

No longer needing tabloids or gossip columns, fans feel a closer connection with their favourite stars through the tweets.

In this case, the intimacy created by Twitter transcends the normal limits of a face-to-face interaction.

Distant, famous figures can become more real than one’s own colleague or classmate because of Twitter.

Nevertheless, as with other virtual mediums, the genuineness

of one’s identity can come into question.

In the two days that the Dalai Lama supposedly opened his Twitter account, 20, 000 followers flocked to receive frequent feeds from him.

Unfortunately, it was revealed to be a hoax and the account was later suspended.

Still, the possibility of cheats lurking in Twitter does not dampen one’s obsession for intimacy in this popular site.

As users seek to constantly update their followers on their lives at real time, tweets evolve to become more real, without the rules and taboos that govern normal interaction.

That time of the month in the female calendar is openly shared.

Our love for our significant other is proudly announced to the whole world without care for the interest and well-being of the followers.

Random thoughts can be heard without us having to say them.

Twitter is a powerful tool not because of its complicated and ingenious design.

Rather, it is powerful because of the way the masses make use of it.

The comfort in which users are able to interact freely and easily, even as in real life they are forced or choose to stay silent about certain matters, makes Twitter an Internet phenomenon.

While I am not about to share my dirty little secrets on Twitter anytime soon, I doubt that my small social rebellion will leave any serious dent on its future.

opinions

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

27

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

Recess Week or Hell Week?

Recess week seems to have become a period of dread rather than a welcome respite.

Three of our writers give different perspectives on the issue Er Yanbing

Emmanuelle Soultanian

FOR someone who needs more than 24 hours every day, recess week is an oasis to catch up on readings and deadlines.

The f irst seven weeks left most of us with no time to even breathe, what with professors gleefully handing out assignments, presentations and essays.

For most of us, the first half of the semester passed by in such a flash that without this break, it would be nearly impossible to catch up on work.

With mid-term assessments around the corner, the recess week has turned into a much-awaited study break.

Some took advantage of the short break to go overseas. I could only watch enviously as friends posted up holiday pictures on Facebook.

Although I chose to remain in Singapore like many others, the irony is that most of us voluntarily stayed behind to slog it out behind our laptops and textbooks.

This limbo of having time-off midway through the inundation of school work presents itself to us as more of a study break than a holiday.

Being back in NTU during recess week actually proved to be sur pr isingly rela xing and conducive to studying.

Initially, I had only wanted to pick up a few books from the library and watch a few films in the Business Librar y for a module.

But seeing the frenetic campus we all love to hate during the school term sedated into peacefulness, I changed my mind and decided to return to catch up on my readings instead and get a headstart on my essays.

It was refreshing to walk down the North Spine without having to jostle for space, hover like vultures around a table in the canteens, and occupy a quiet corner in the library.

Without the buzz of students shuttling from class to class and hanging around, our campus proved to be a great place to focus and get ready for the next, more demanding half of the semester.

And there is no better time than recess week to do this.

We have the luxury of working through the night without missing that lecture the next morning.

O r s le e pi n g i n on r a i n y mornings and even the flexibility of time for a small spot of retail therapy in between readings.

Now that school has resumed, those of us who have maximised our recess week to catch up on school work (with, of course, that bit of relaxation thrown in) will find ourselves refreshed.

And also more ready to tackle the final stetch before we face the dreaded finals.

THE best part about being in Singapore is that I have Asia at my fingertips.

Thailand, Bali, China, India, you name it-the possibilities are endless.

Wee k s pr ior to t he muc h anticipated recess week saw me excitedly trying to decide my next holiday destination.

As many exchange students around me seized the 10-day opportunity to leave Singapore and discover a new culture, I noticed that many local students were not doing the same.

When I asked around, I was surprised by the responses from local students.

Instead of plans of leaving campus to rela x in different hotspots around Singapore like East Coast Park or Sentosa, most students planned on staying on campus revising or catching up on work from the first half of the semester.

On the other hand, my fellow exchange students were all ready to escape as soon as class was over for the week.

Heather Miyoshi, an exchange student from the United States, said she would be taking full advantage of the recess week to travel to Bali and Thailand, despite the heavy school load she has.

I wonder if it was because we are here for a limited amount of time and need to seize every travelling opportunity we have.

But as I recalled recess week in my home university in San Diego, it dawned on me that even there, we f lock to the beaches, book retreats around the county and at nearby tourist destinations like Cancun.

I have always thought of recess as a week where students can rest and take a break from the tiresome cycle that comes with school, leaving them rejuvenated by the time the week is up.

But what does recess week mean for NTU students?

It seems as though in Singapore, recess and revise are synonymous.

And yet, I do not find it peculiar that students feel the need to study during recess week, considering the amount of work that I myself had due.

Nonetheless, I took on recess week full speed ahead and booked a week’s getaway to Bali.

W i t h s uc h a de m a nd i n g curriculum, it is not surprising that students feel the need to study.

W h i le st udent s a rou nd the world use recess to detach themselves from school, can it be that NTU students look forward to recess week to study?

Recess week at NTU seems to be just another week of lax studying in anticipation for the upcoming second half of the semester.

Manjit Kaur AS I laid in bed in the wee hours of Sunday morning, I realised that only a fraction of my holiday assignments had been completed.

A week had passed and recess week was virtually over. I found myself wonder ing how I was going to complete the remaining assignments and projects due the coming week.

My workload for the week seemed insurmountable. Among other things, I had to prepare for three quizzes, two graded assignments and a research paper.

It may seem manageable on any other given week, but the key point here is that it was recess week.

Ideally, recess week is a brief respite from the stress of school.

It is a week in which I can escape from the crowds I have to endure in my daily commute.

Recess week means I can escape from the rigours of edveNTUre,

draining tutorials, and reports.

It should mean shopping sprees and carefree hours in the city.

My biggest grouse is with lecturers who had decided to reschedule missed lessons or assign assignments But the reality I faced was wnowhere close.

My biggest grouse is with lecturers who reschedule missed lessons or give out assignments during the break.

T her e seem s to be a consensus among students that the break week is a good time to catch up on studies.

GRAPHIC | MUHAMMAD HIDAYAT

I completely disagree.

In fact it would be quite an achievement if I completed all my assignments amidst all the project meetings. Time for r e v i sion i s sca r ce a s I dedicate my time to completing assignments due the next week.

The impending examinations in November are an additional cause for concern.

On hindsight, it was foolish of me to think of recess week as a genuine period of rest. I had long anticipated the recess week, promising myself that I would catch up on reading my magazines, watching movies, playing computer games and socialising. I had also looked forward to using my free time to enhance my proficiency in French.

I am still wondering how I’m going to complete my piled up assignments. Can we have a week’s extension for recess?

sports

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

bpl talk

Offence is the best defence The start of the 09/10 BPL season has seen a glut of goals Grace Leong Attack!

That seems to be the dominant philosophy of BPL managers this season, which is shaping up to be a goal fest.

The last round of matches saw Arsenal record the highest scoring game of the season so far with a 6-2 win over Blackburn.

The preceding weekend notched up an impressive nu mber of goals, too: Liverpool trounced Hull City 6-1, and Sunderland beat Wolverhampton 5-2, just to mention a few.

These are not anomalous oneoff results. Since August, games have been averaging 3.01 goals each where the usual average in the Premiership hovers in the vicinity of 2.6.

It looks like a new era of exciting and attacking football has come, much to the delight of BPL fans. The sheer amount of money being splurged on the world’s most expensive league may yet be justified.

The trend can be explained

GOAL: With three goals already, Dirk Kuyt epitomises the cavalier attitude of BPL strikers this season. PHOTO | COURTESY

by managers employing bolder, more offensive tactics. Instead of relying on a single striker up front, more players are given the license to shoot. Many of Manchester City’s starting XI are forwards or attacking players, unsurprising for a club that has nine able strikers.

Defenders are foraying closer to the other end of the pitch and grabbing a piece of the action as well – Arsenal centre-back Thomas Vermaelen is his club’s top scorer

with four goals.

So why this change from the boring but effective tactic of parking the proverbial bus that prevailed in the league just a few seasons back.

If there is one lesson to be learnt from last season, it is that remaining unbeaten is not enough to bring home the league title.

Liverpool lost only two games, but dropped precious points in a series of draws that saw them finishing

second behind Manchester United by four points.

The math is simple: winning one out of three games will still give the same number of points as drawing all of them. Attacking football pays off more although it is a riskier approach.

Is it leaving defences more exposed? With more players up front, there is naturally less cover at the back. Only four teams are letting in a goal or less per game: Birmingham, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Wi n n i ng t he Prem ier sh ip crown needs more than just a few big wins. The current rich goal-scoring form will need to be sustained throughout the entire season, which is no mean feat.

Arsenal has been playing freeflowing, adventurous football for several years now, but they have not looked like title contenders.

While the ability to score is doubtless essential, preventing the other team from scoring is no less crucial. The squad that comes out on top is one who can combine potent offence wit h ruthless defence.

It is still early in the season, and already high standards have been set. As players gel and find their consistency, we can only expect better from the 'best league in the world'.

29

they said that?

“I want medals, not milestones.”

Footballer Steven Gerrard is closing in on 500 appearances for Liverpool

”I share with Renault a strong winning mentality and feel comfortable with their friendly and open attitude.”

Current BMW Sauber F1 driver Robert Kubica on his move to Renault next season

sports profile

Netting the prize Sean Seet NTU's netball ace, Chen Huifen looks up to Sharelle McMahon, Australia's netball captain, as a source of inspiration.

The 24-year-old Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) student has already taken part i n mor e i nte r nat iona l le ve l competitions than we count on both hands.

C hen had wa nted to joi n basketball in pr imar y school initially but did not want to feel left out as most of her friends joined netball and so she signed up for the sport as well.

“After a few games, I realised that I really liked the game,” said Chen and she has stuck to netball ever since.

This has proven to be a good choice as she has been named the University's Sportswoman of the Year 2008/2009.

“When I first received the SMS that I had been given the award, I thought it was a mere nomination, but upon a closer look, I really got it!” said an excited Chen.

Her other passion is teaching, which is why she is in the National Institute of Education now.

“Given the chance to choose my job again, I would still be

a teacher, not even a full time player," said Chen.

"I feel that is very important to lead a balanced life, not just concentrate completely on netball.

It is a passion, yet I don’t want to burn out.”

As a national player, Chen enjoy s perk s l i ke t r ave l l i ng over seas to compete against teams.

This year was the first time Singapore par ticipated in the prestigious Australian Netball League (ANL) 2009.

The event was held at the Toa Payoh Sports Hall where she pitted her skills playing in a wing attack position against stronger Australian teams.

Although the Singapore team finished last, Chen maintains that they are training to become a force to be reckoned with in the future.

Singapore’s national netball team players are considered small in terms of physical size on the world stage, but there are ways to counter this disadvantage.

Chen relates an encounter with 2.06m tall Sri Lankan, Tharjani Sivalingam, who was named Best Shooter of the 2009 Asian Championship.

“She was so tall, and it was hard to defend against her, but

”It will be an opportunity to feel the warmth of our people, the exuberance of our culture, the sun of our joy.”

Brazil President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (above), on Rio de Janeiro's winning bid to host the 2016 Olympics

THE PLAYMAKER: Chen's creativity is a prized asset. PHOTO | WALLACE WOON

by avoid ing h igh ba lls and intercepting passes, we managed to hold out,” she said.

Chen also revealed interesting tales from the women’s locker room. “There was this one time after a match, when we were in an

ice bath together. " S u d d e n l y, o u r c a p t a i n appeared stark naked in front of us and gave us all a shock.”

“Actually, she was just wearing beige undies, but it was rather funny,” she recalled.

”Obviously I'm happy to be there because I've worked so hard this year to get there, I think I've earned it.”

Tennis star Serena Williams on reclaiming her World No.1 ranking

sports

O C TO B E R 12 , 20 0 9

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

31

Ups and downs at University Games The Singapore University Games (SUniG) has witnessed great action over the past six weeks.

Eve Yeo, Xue Jianyue, Wong Oi Shan and Loh Supei report

Highlights Women's Soccer: NTU trumps SIM 9-0 >> AT THE women’s soccer finals on October 8th, NTU beat SIM by 9-0 in a one-sided encounter.

NTU hammered in four goals in the first half and added five more in the second.

The most memorable goal was striker Ang Kuan Ren’s curling free kick. It was followed by an excellent display of attacking football by NTU while SIM struggled to get out of their penalty box.

Nervous defence and poor communication resulted in SIM being destroyed by NTU’s incisive passing and movement.

Rugby: nce Best performa > in five years >

it into y team made fo r the TH E N TU rugb ls na fi Games the Universit yOct ober 4th. first time on well in the fi rst ha lf, d eir N TU di d stretching th er, ev ow scor ing twicefoan H e. m ti half e th in g lead to 14-7 be stre rong showin N US put up awinning the game with second half, -14. a score of 26 od team performance, “It was a go cause of individual t be ar, but we lost ouca ptain Sidney Kum er rors,” N TU 23, said. acing was theinr N TU's second pl , whe ance since 2004 pions. best perfor mow am ch P ned IV they were cr

Volleyball: Victorious once << again THE volleyball men’s team, defending champions at SUn iG, retained their crown this year wit h a 3-1 win over NUS. Despite missing two key players which weakened NTU's defence "the whole team never gave up",, said NTU captain Marcus Tan, 23.

"Our blocking was very d, and some of our attacks also goo wen t quite well," he said.

The women’s team gained places from last year’s foutwo rth, losing only to NUS, who won 3-1 Women’s volleyball captain Tan. Sze Jia, 22, said: “We put a good fight. The matches were up ver y close.”

PHOTOS | MALCOLM KOH, XUE JIANYUE, YUSUF HAMID, LOONG YONG EN

Women's Squash: Misses out on gold >>

Upsets

THE women’s squash team’s hopes of winning gold fell short as they lost narrowly to NUS 2-3 on October 2nd.

“I am especially disappointed because mine was the deciding match in the game,” Nur Adawiyah A. Aziz, one of NTU’s star players, said.

"Most of the opponent's shots were in while mine were mostly out,” the 28-year-old said. “I thought I played well today but sometimes you just need a bit of luck.”

<< Touch Football: Outplayed DEFENDING champions NTU lost out to rivals NUS 0-2 at the touch football finals on October 4th.

The NUS side, runner-up last year, dominated the final match. Although NTU fought back tenaciously and nearly scored at least three times, they eventually went down 2-0 to NUS. NTU touch football captain Eileen Khoo, 22, said both teams are close in strength, but NUS played better in the finals as “they wanted it more”.

Sports

Goals galore Page 29

IVP sports move out and into SUniG The Singapore University Games is now home to many ex-IVP sports.

Sports Editor Xue Jianyue and Maxie Aw Yeong find out why Many sports have shifted from the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Games to the Singapore University Games (SUniG) over the past three years.

Both are multi-sport events where universities compete with one another, except that the IVP also involves polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education.

The number of sports in the IVP Games has fallen to only 10 for the 08/09 season, from 27 back in 2005.

change in ivp structure

T h i s t r e nd s t a r te d a f te r competitions were cut back in September and October in 2005, according to Mr Chiang Chai Liang, sports manager at the Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC).

The IVP organisers did this to avoid clashing with examinations in poly tech n ics, wh ich were shifted to September and October when their academic year moved to April.

Therefore, the window for competition is now confined to a short period in January.

“There is a severe constraint on facilities for many sports within such a short time, thus, we cannot cover every sport,” said Mr Chiang, 44.

For example, some spor ts such as rugby, touch rugby (now called touch football), football and softball, use the same field, he explained.

“Wit h a con sider at ion of facilities and popularity in the sport, football and touch football were chosen to remain in the IVP,” said Mr Chiang.

suniG widens scope

For spor ts that have been dropped out of IVP, SUniG is the only inter-varsity competition left that enables them to qualify as a Group A sport in the Sport Scheme, which guarantees their players a hall place if they excel.

To qualify for the category, spor ts have to par ticipate in competitions organised by the IVP Sports Council, Singapore University Sports Council and other international sports organisers.

As a result, there was a gradual shift of sports from IVP to the University Games from 2006 to 2008, with nine sports moving into SUniG when IVP stopped organising them.

Other sports that remained in the IVP also joined the SUniG, cont r i but i ng to it s g r ow t h .

They include touch rugby and swimming.

Handball and Ultimate Frisbee also joined in this year, expanding the SUniG to 14 sports, up from 12 last year.

The only sport to leave the University Games this year is sepak takraw, due to lack of participation from SIM and SMU.

POISED TO STRIKE: NTU women’s soccer players in action at SUniG finals. They eventually won SIM 9-0. PHOTO | MALCOLM KOH

ivp is still important

As for now, the IVP and SUniG share six sports. Between the two, IVP remains as the more prominent competition.

A s I V P i nvolves you nger polytechnic students, there are more competitors, said Mei Shan Krishnan, 21, captain of the NTU women’s swimming team.

Therefore, IVP is usually the gauge for performance, according to the third-year Nanyang Business School student. “In the University Games, the competitors are a lot

fewer,” she said. “ T he s t a nd a r d i n I V P i s higher, and some polytechnics have S. League players too,” said Aaron Li, 24, NTU men’s football captain.

The SRC values the IVP as a more competitive platform than SUniG, which has only the four universities, said Mr Chiang.

Therefore, an IVP participant will have higher priority in getting a hall place under the Sports Scheme, compared with a player who only participates in SUniG.

“T his does not mean t hat SUniG is not important as the football team prepares well for both SUniG and IVP,” said Li, a fourth-year student at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Players that take part in both the IVP and SUniG will be ranked higher than IVP-only players for priorities in getting a hall place, Mr Chiang said.

“This is because we acknowledge their year-long commitment,” Mr Chiang added.

About ivp and sunig

JOSTLING FOR THE BALL: New sports like handball have found their way into SUniG this year. PHOTO | LOONG YONG EN

IVP

SUniG

Universities, polytechnics and Institutes of Technical Education

Only universities

10 sports

14 sports

Held mostly in January

Held from August to October

Organised by the IVP Sports Council

Organised by the Singapore University Sports Council