The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 16 Issue 06

CHRONICLE Comfortable chic PAGES 14-15

the nanyang

january

11 , 2 0 1 0 | V o l 16 n o 6 | i s s n n o 0 2 18 -7 31 0 | W W w . n t u . e d u . s g / c h r o n i c l e

Bite-sized luxury

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NTU and NIE students left out of new bus interchange HALF EMPTY: Only NTU and NIE buses are left at the old Boon Lay bus interchange.

A smooth and efficient transition is the reason why buses serving NTU and NIE remain at the old interchange for now Nabilah Bte Syed Sultan the new Boon Lay Bus Interchange may already be fully operational, but NTU and NIE university students and staff will not be able to use it to travel to and from campus until March.

A spokesman for SBS Transit said this delay is to give the new interchange, which opened on December 27 last year, time to deal with passenger volume.

According to SBS Transit, the three bus services that serve the NTU and NIE community will gradually be moved to the new interchange in late March. In the meantime, buses 179, 179A and 199 that ply the campus routes will use the old interchange.

Nonetheless, students The Nanyang Chronicle spoke to were disgruntled that they would not get to enjoy the features offered by the new interchange. These include air-conditioning, as well as links to Jurong Point 2 shopping centre and Boon Lay MRT station.

Siti Zubaidah Bte Abdul Muttalib, 21, a third-year student from NIE said: “I understand why this is being done, but I cannot help but feel short-changed. We are one of the biggest users of the interchange

yet we do not get to use the facilities.”

Lee Wai Meng, 24, a fourth-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, thinks otherwise.

“It is only a temporary measure and I think it is justified that they take some time to decide where to place our buses,” he said. “But it would be an added bonus if students had an option on where they should be placed.”

“We are one of the biggest users of the interchange yet we do not get to use the facilities.”

Siti Zubaidah Bte Abdul Muttalib National Institute of Education Third Year

The decision to delay allowing NTU commuters to use the new interchange to travel to and from the campus came about in a meeting in November last year.

Representatives from the Students Affairs Office (SAO), the Students Union, as well as SBS Transit officials agreed that it would be best to allow those buses travelling to the NTU and NIE campuses to remain at the old bus interchange due to its high passenger volumes.

“I think this decision was a reasonable one”, s a id M r L i m B o o n K i a t , a

PHOTO | LEE WAI MENG

representative from SAO. “We a l l feel t hat it’s best t hat these three buses remain at the old interchange to ensure a smooth transition.”

According to Mr Lim, there are three main reasons behind the decision to stay put for now.

Firstly, the new bus interchange is relatively small. SBS Transit needs time to monitor the peak hour crowds of non-NTU and NIE commuters first before eventually having to deal with the relativelyl large numbers of NTU and NIE commuters after the full transition.

Secondly, the shift from the old to the new interchange was made during the term break. As a result, there still remains a high chance of students getting confused over the shift despite the notices that were given by NTU and SBS Transit.

Lastly, it is to avoid the potential disorder that might arise due to the initial operation of a new facility.

Routes of several bus services have been amended with the shift to the new interchange, with some services calling at additional bus stops and bypassing others.

Mr Lim said that he understood the students’ desire to use the new facility, but urged them to be patient. Everyone may be “assured” that the ‘spots’ for 179, 179A and 199 have already been allotted at the new interchange.

“We believe that our students are mature enough to weigh the priorities and be patient.

I too, would love to enjoy the air-conditioned interchange,” he said.

For your entertainment

Water >> PAGE 28 polo’s golden boy

古今玩意, 玩味 童真 >> PAGES 18-19

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news

JAN UARY 11, 2010

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

New centre for integrated circuit design Virtus to boost the field by encouraging research and education Lau Liang Tong THINKING green will be the focus of a newly launched research centre to pioneer studies in fields that include green technology and bioelectronics.

The Integrated Circuit Design Centre of Excellence of Singapore was unveiled on December 15th 2009 as a joint effort between NTU and the Economic Development Board (EDB).

The $50 million facility, named “Virtus", Latin for “excellence", is slated to be working early this year, and will be located at NTU. V i r t u s’ i nt e r i m d i r e c tor Professor Yeo Kiat Seng said that integrated circuit (IC) design is currently a booming field. EDB has highlighted green electronics and bioelectronics, the centre’s current focus, as two of four growth areas — the other two are plastics and security — that it hopes to encourage in Singapore. “(IC design) is the enabler of new products and services and

STRIKING A GOOD START: Professor Kam Chan Hin (right) and EDB's Mr Damian Chan, officiate the opening of Virtus. PHOTO | COURTESY

also a key source of quality jobs in research and development as well as design and development,” said Professor Yeo, who also heads the Division of Circuits and Systems in the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering (EEE).

IC design is a key in developing a mor e ef f ic ie nt comput i ng system, and a critical element of technological changes.

An EDB press release stated that there is a global shortage of

engineers in the IC design field. The field fuels research and development for the semiconductor industry.

Aligning itself closely with the industry, Virtus aims to become a global design hub that provides education of the highest quality and spearheads research in IC design, said Professor Yeo. To m e e t t h e s e a i m s , N T U st udent s w i l l be g iven oppor t u n it ies to be e x posed to work s of t he professor s,

researchers and postgraduates at the centre.

Virtus aims to attract finalyear EEE students specialising in IC design, including those who are part of the Specialist Manpower Programme or URECA programme (Undergraduate Research Experience on Campus), as well as students whose final-year projects are on circuit design.

EDB will play a pivotal role in Virtus. It has committed to offer at least 100 integrated circuit design postgraduate scholarships, and will also contribute to the salaries of Virtus’ 20 researchers and cofund equipment, fabrication and electronic design automation tools of the centre.

A l r e a d y, i t h a s i n k e d partnerships with several key industr y players, among them t he industr y-leading Agilent Technologies, which will contribute simulation software worth $28 million to the centre.

Virtus is seeking people with strong academic and research h istor ies to lead t he cent re, including post-graduate students who can join the August 2010 intake, said Professor Yeo. He added that Virtus aims to train more than 100 post-graduate students in the next five years.

Man, music and media get interactive at ADM Interactive media open house showcasing students' works brings together design, art and technology Ivan Tan More than just a mish-mash of science and art, the Interactive Media Open House showed how st udent s f rom t he School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) a re ha r nessi ng i n novat ive technologies to get their creative voices heard — in more ways than one.

One exhibiter was 23-year-old Justin Tan, a third-year Interactive Media major, and co-leader of a musical project entitled ORBIT. ORBIT enables users to easily compose music with a sleek and easy Flash interface. By dragging visually striking pre-set ‘orbs’ into various sequences, users can conduct their own performance piece w it h cor respond i ng visualisations that syncs with the composed music.

Justin and his team of three have bigger dreams for ORBIT, to have it expanded as a Facebook application and game that can be enjoyed by people outside the academic realm. They hope their voices will be heard beyond the confines of ADM. More noise came from Timothy Tan, 22, a second-year A DM student, another Interactive Media major, who deepened the artistic

depth of his brainchild sound// mu sic, a projec t i nspi red by musician John Cage that questions the line between “sound” and “music”.

“Beyond the science and the art, Interactive Media is ultimately about the people.”

PerMagnus Lindborg Associate Professor School of Art, Design and Media

Using originally developed “sound” clips, sound//music users dabble with a myriad of sound clips that they can put together with geometrically shaped blocks, allowing them to create their own perception of melody or music.

They were among over 20 students selected from six different Interactive Media modules who came together in November last year to display eight projects in a quasi-exhibition fashion — public yet within the confines of school — marking the end of a myriad of semester long projects.

“At this stage, the students and their projects are not ready for the huge shows. These are students’ works in progress,” said Assistant Professor Vladimir Todorovic, who teaches the Interactive Media Workshop module. He added that

he was confident that they would attract a lot of attention ver y soon.

Interactive Media is a lesserknown track for ADM students to major in. Compared to more popular tracks such as visual communication, photography or digital filmmaking, Interactive Media has traditionally seen the smallest cohort since the school’s opening four years ago.

Using easily downloadable open source programs such as Tuio and Processing or even Flash-based programs m ight seem si mple, but st udent s often spend much time outside curriculum hours honing abstract programming languages such as Java, C++ and Flash.

Justin felt that ADM focuses

more on the “conceptual side o f I n t e r a c t i v e M e d i a”, s o students often have to exercise independent learning and basic mastery of critical programming languages. Rather than vocational spoon-feeding by the professors, c u r r ic u lu m hou r s a r e s pe nt developing students' conceptual processes.

Associate Professor PerMagnus Lindborg, who teaches the Sound Design Workshop, sees the main draw in Interactive Media as “the interactive foci, the meeting point between technology and people," and puts across an important undercurrent that underscores all of these projects – that beyond the science and the art, Interactive Media is ultimately about the people – behind or in front of it.

news flash confidence levels of local consumers have rebounded to levels previously seen in 2008, hitting 79.4 on the MasterCard Worldwide Index as compared to 31.2, a reading taken six months ago. barack obama, US President outlined the intelligence and other governmental flaws, especially those that led to the failed bombing on Christmas Day, and promised to make changes to fix them. singapore post has been named as the Official Postal Services Sponsor for the upcoming Youth Olympic Games (YOG). They will provide both local and overseas delivery of YOG tickets. t he spa a s s oc i at ion Singapore will now act as a "discussion outlet" for any member spa with financial difficulties, allowing client s to complete packages at other participating member spas. This also provides a safety-net for customers. many travellers in europe were left stranded after numerous flights were delayed or cancelled due to the icy weather gripping the region. The heavy snow is the result of high pressure over the polar region, which pushes the cold Arctic air towards northern Europe.

Thousands of former Maoist child soldiers in Nepal were freed from UN-monitored camps, where they were held with other exrebels as part of a peace accord. while the number of commercial aircraft Boeing delivered rose 28%, there was a 61% dip in aircrafts ordered last year. A total of 263 aircrafts were ordered last year as compared to 662 in the previous year.

Advocates for sex workers in South Africa fear the spread of HIV that might come with half a million football fans expected to visit the region. They are calling for the country to decriminalise prostitution to help tackle the spread of HIV. Samsung has teamed up with Dreamworks, maker of "Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda", in a bid to bring 3D enterntainment into a larger number of mainstream homes. three chinese dairy executives could face a trial in February over selling milk products with high levels of melamine. At least six infants died and 300,000 fell sick after consuming the milk products. p h il ip p ine m erc en a r ie s could cause violence before the national elections, thus threatening votes. Philippine politics has been plagued by violence for a long time. sentosa visitors who travel in by car will have to pay more in the future. Private vehicles will have to pay charges which will differ according to specific time and day.

HANDS ON: Assistant Professor Vladimir Todorovic plays with the interactive art works on display. PHOTO | NG JUN SEN

news

JAN UA RY 11, 2010

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

While you were gone...

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More students getting away

A roundup of the various school events and happenings that occurred during the holidays while you were away from school N E W S I N G A P O R E - FR E N C H NANOTECH LAB OPENS IN NTU A JOINT research laboratory set up by NTU, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Thales Group of Companies has been officially opened at the Research Techno Plaza in NTU on Dec 16 last year. (see photo below) K nown as the CN RSI n t e r n a t i o n a l - N T U -T h a l e s Resea rch A l lia nce ( C I N T R A) Laboratory, it aims to develop innovations in nanotechnologies for comput i ng, se n si ng a nd communication applications.

NANYANG CENTRE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION A NEW training centre has been set up under the School of Humanities,

Arts and Social Sciences (HASS) in NTU to train Chinese officials and public administrators. The Na n y a n g Ce nt r e for P u bl ic Ad m in ist rat ion a lso aims to spearhead China-related research on public administration and economic management.

SINGAPORE-US SCIENTISTS JOINTLY DEVELOP POWERFUL MICROCHIP SCIENTISTS from NTU and Rice Universit y, the United States have developed a microchip that may potentially use 30 times less electricity than the microchips of today, while running seven times faster.

T he ne w te c h nolog y wa s dubbed PCMOS (probabilistic comple me nt a r y me t a l- ox ide

semiconductor), and may one day allow for battery life in phones of up to two weeks, according to a statement by NTU. NTU ALUMNA THE FIRST SINGAPOREAN WOMAN TO TRAVEL TO SOUTH POLE NTU alumna Ms Sophia Pang from the class of 1994, Nanyang Business School, has become the first woman from Singapore to reach the South Pole on Dec 30th last year.

She set off on the 900k m journey on Nov 22nd with six other participants from different Commonwealth countries, and faced temperat u res of up to minus 40 degrees Celsius, all to mark the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

FLYING OFF: More NTU students go all over the world. GRAPHIC | ALAN CHOONG

Xue Jian Yue UNLIKE many of his university peers, Gareth Goh will not be fussing with the humid climate of Singapore this coming semester.

Instead, the 22-year-old will be in a more comfortable climate, because, come January 12th, he will spend six months in San Diego State University.

He joins 650 other university mates scattered across the globe this semester.

He is among a rising number of NTU students going abroad for short-term studies over the past few years, said Mr Sonny Lim, Director of International Relations Office, which administers global studies programmes.

“They get to learn about new cultures, meet new people and travel to new places.”

STRONG COLLABORATION: Front row, from left: His Excellency Mr Olivier Caron, Ambassador of France to Singapore; and Dr Su Guaning, President NTU. Back row, from left: Mr Pierre Guillon, Director, Institute for Engineering and Systems Science, CNRS; Mr Patrick Plante, Chief Executive Officer, Thales Technology Centre Singapore; Professor Bertil Andersson, Provost NTU; and Professor Dominique Baillargeat, Director CINTRA. PHOTO | COURTESY

SPMS don wins prize Chan Yan Yu A N A SSOC I AT E profe s sor f rom t he School of Physica l a nd M at he m at ic a l S c ie nc e s has won himself a renowned Chinese prize for "significant contributions to computational mathematics".

Associate Professor Tai XueCheng was awarded the Feng Kang Prize, named after a lauded Chinese researcher who pioneered computing studies.

The prestigious prize, named after Associate Professor Feng Kang, a founder and pioneer of C h i ne se computat iona l mathematics, comes with a cash award of 20,000 y uan (about S$4,000), and has been honouring young Chinese scientists for their contributions to scientific computing since 1995.

Associate Professor Tai received the award in Guangzhou, China, last November.

His work in mathematical mode l i ng h a s b e e n u s e d to

reconstruct images after they have gone through wear and tear. “ ( T h e pr i z e ) e n c ou r a ge s me to cont inue to st r ive for excellence in my research and to seek solutions for challenging scientific problems," said Prof Tai, who enjoys using mathematics to solve technological problems.

To him, it is the recognition that matters . “I hope that this kind of award can attach more people to step into research that are useful for our society.”

Mr Sonny Lim Director International Relations Office

G oh , w ho i s pa r t of t h e International Students Exchange Prog r a m me ( I NST E P) , sees exchange as a welcome respite from the stressful environment in Singapore.

While at San Diego, he hopes to have a more balanced life without the need to chase grades.

At least, he said, he can spend less time studying than he does in Singapore as the subjects taken overseas under INSTEP have no effect on his grade point average.

"It is also a new experience, and we are still paying NTU school fees overseas," the second-year student from Nanyang Business School added, which is cheaper than paying USA fees.

For Debor a h Lee, 21, t h i s st udent exchange is the only chance to travel for six months before starting work.

The third-year student from

the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) said: “It is a good opportunity to learn how to live independently away from home."

According to Mr Lim, there are many reasons behind the appeal of an overseas exchange.

“Some see it is as academically and personally enriching,” he said. “They get to learn about new cultures, meet new people and travel to new places.”

St u d y i n g o v e r s e a s a l s o allows students to experience other educational systems and to ne t wor k w it h pe e r s a nd professors from other prestigious universities, he added.

Besides INSTEP, other overseas programmes include the Global Immersion Programme (GIP), which can last up to one year, and the shorter Global Summer Studies (GSS), which stretches from four to six weeks.

More students are also taking part in GIP over the years too, according to Professor Er Meng Hwa, Senior Associate Provost for NTU. While there were only 200 participants when it was started back in 2005 with four cities in two countries, there are now close to 500 GIP participants annually, with eight countries and 28 cities, he said.

“They can choose to immerse themselves in work and/or study at up to two foreign countries, each for a ma x i mu m of si x months,” Prof Er said.

However, not all students can look forward to exchange. High costs and family commitments are reasons why some NTU students choose not to go exchange.

“I consider spending money going for exchange a luxur y at this stage, as I have other priorities in my family,” 25-yearold Tay Xiong Sheng said.

T he s e c ond-y e a r S c ho ol of Biological Sciences student suggested that NTU can subsidise more for poor students to go for exchange. “Perhaps they can even conduct lotter y for poor students to go for fully sponsored exchanges,” he suggested.

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news

JAN UARY 11, 2010

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

BYOB daily, or pay Tiffany Tham b e ginning t h i s s e m e s t e r, everyday will be ‘Bring Your Own Bag' (BYOB) day.

This means that students who do not bring their own bag will be required to purchase plastic bags when patronising the retail shops on campus.

This can be attributed to efforts by the NTU environmental club EARTHlink.

The campaign, launched two years ago, was initially held only on Wednesdays. Customers at the stores in NTU were asked to pay an additional 10 cents per bag. The fee remains the same.

“It's wrong to think that the cost of our actions is not high.”

Adrian Koh President EARTHlink

This initiative is a collaboration between NTU Office of Facilities Planning and Management, and the National Environment Agency.

EA RTHlink NTU campaign management officer Tsen Yi Sing, 23, said the club's main concern is the student population's response to the change.

“I admit that there is a problem when it comes to trying to get people to act out what they have been told to do," she said.

T h is is why E A RT H lin k will also organise an annual awareness-raising campaign, the Environmental Awareness Campaign 2010: GreeN T U, to educate students on the importance of the environment.

T he car nival will be held on February 1st and 2nd at the North Spine, with a photography exhibition from a conservationthemed competition and a ‘Design your own bag' contest.

However, students said it will take more than a carnival to bring them around to the idea of paying for what they are used to getting for free.

Huang Junming, 22, a secondyear Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student, said the habit of reducing plastic bag usage has to be inculcated from young, as it was for him.

“I don't think it's been hard for me to reuse plastic bags as my parents have always taught me how to value resources," he said.

For Chua Kit Ying, 20, the challenge will be to get people to make recycling a habit.

“It's quite difficult especially when t here's a lways a more convenient way to go," she said.

Changing such perceptions will be EARTHlink NTU's main objective, said club president Adrian Koh, 22.

He said: “We hope to influence habits and also have policies that make the adoption of earth-friendly behaviours a much easier process.

“It’s wrong to think that the cost of our actions is not high.

Singaporeans are just not exposed to the cost of not recycling.”

Get your sexy back again Student-initiated programme against binge drinking celebrates anniversary Chan Yan Yu T WO yea r s af ter it s lau nch , Get Your Sexy Back (GYSB) is still going strong, advocating responsible drinking among young adults.

Its latest event, named GYSB Boomz ’09, was held on Dec 9th 2009 to celebrate its second anniversary.

Local celebrities who graced the event included singer JJ Lin and Project Superstar finalists Chen Diya and Carrie Yeo. T he event at t racted a 400-strong crowd.

GYSB was started by a group of We e K i m We e S c hool of Communication and Information students concerned about the problems caused by binge drinking among youths.

Now managed by Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore (APBS), the initiative aims to promote the

message: It’s not the drinking, it’s how you’re drinking.

APBS spokesman Frazer NeoMacken said: “We are glad that our programme and our message have struck a chord with young adults, and we hope to continue building on the strength of the GYSB programme."

The programme has received more than 3,000 pledges of support on its website and the number of fans on its Facebook page has grown to over 1,500.

“I think this is a great initiative because it is run by youths, and many of those who drink and drive belong to this group. They might be more receptive to messages sent by people of their age,” said Pang Hong Xiang, 23, a third-year Humanities and Social Sciences student.

Howe ver, some r ema i n unconvinced about the campaign's cause two years down the road.

Second-year Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering student Marcus Chan, does not agree with drink driving, whether moderately or not.

“No matter how much one drinks, one has still drunk," the 24-year-old said.

Quick stepping to the Latin beat

PHOTO | IRWIN TAN

EMILY Ooi and Ng Chek Lee (above) wowed the judges at the NTU DanceSport Academy's closed dance championships on Dec 10th last year, and walked away as first runner-ups in the Grade C category, while Sukyee Gong and Ethan Ou came in champions.

Held in the lobby of the School of Art, Design and Media, dance couples had to display their mastery of the Cha Cha Cha, Rumba and Jive, executing sizzling yet graceful moves.

Award winning author from NTU learns to overcome his fears and befriends a cat.

The quirky story was fuelled FORMER English major Amanda by Ms Teow’s ardent love for art Teow was struggling with writer's and children. Her two-year-old block at the worst time possible.

It was December 2008, and “I find joy in being she was taking part in a writing competition held by the National given ample Book De ve lopme nt Cou nc i l , opportunities called “The First Time Writers a nd I l lu s t r ator s P u bl i s h i n g to meet fellow Initiative”.

She had se ve r a l idea s i n authors and m i nd a f te r s p e nd i n g hou r s illlustrators who brainstorming.

Finally, she went to bed, and share the same that was where inspiration struck. interests.”

All the ideas came together in her mind and she leapt out of Ms Amanda Teow bed, grabbed a pen, and put to Graduate, School of Humanities words and illustrations the draft and Social Sciences of what would be her winning entry: “Morris Takes A Chance”, a tale about a brave mouse who

Andi Yusof

BRAVER THAN MORRIS: Amanda Teow dared to dream of becoming a writer.

PHOTO | NGUYEN NHU HA AMANDA

niece, born in the Year of the Rat, served as her muse for the fictitious character Morris.

That tale netted Ms Teow a chance to have her entr y published by Singapore Press Holdings. She was also given an award at a ceremony last October at The Ar ts House, where she was one of nine winners who had their books introduced to the audience.

Associate Professor Neil Murphy, the Head of the English Department at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said: “I am not surprised that Amanda won this award because she was always a very creative student with lots of enthusiasm for her field, as well as being an independent thinker."

Now a teacher in Cedar Girls’ School, Ms Teow said t he e x per ience ha s he lped put her in a better position in the local industry. She is currently working on a few ideas, including sequels to the adventures of Morris.

“My schedule is busier because of appointments,” she said. “However, I find joy in being given ample opportunities to meet fellow authors and illustrators who share the same interests.”

Ms Teow attributed her success to her taking a chance by joining the competition. It was this decision, she believed, that paved the way for her to become a writer and illustrator.

A/P Murphy added: “I fully expect Amanda to have more success in t h i s a r ea i n t he yea r s a head ."

Lifestyle Fabulous reads in quaint spots - Page 6

LEISURE

Things to look out for in

FORGET shopping. Busy yourself with a heart-stopping buffet of new leisure options.

Come March, Sentosa will be injected with fresh screams with the opening of Resorts World.

It will house adrenaline-pumping at t r ac t ion s l i ke t he world’s la r ge s t oceanarium, and the highly anticipated Universal Studios Singapore.

The latter has 18 theme park attractions premiering in Singapore. Rides include the world’s tallest duelling roller coasters and the castle in Far Far Away from Shrek.

Get a bird’s eye view of Singapore’s skyline at The Marina Bay Sands’ Sands Skypark, which soars 200 metres into the sky. If luck is on your side, try the casinos.

For a stripped down alternative, the 1.5km seaside Woodlands Promenade is perfect. Opening in December, it offers expansive views of the Straits of Johor.

Linking the resorts to Marina Bay is the spiralling steel Double Helix Bridge, which opens in May. It comes with viewing pods to soak up the panoramic view.

If you are tired of using your legs, ‘fly’ at the world’s largest sky-diving stimulator — the 17-metre-tall iFly — which opens at Sentosa in July.

The cable cars will make a comeback in July with a sexy metallic black and chrome makeover. The cabins will be studded with jewel lights and larger panoramic windows.

music The Mosaic Music Festival (12 - 21 March) boasts a lineup of well-established acts as well as well-known names from the indie music scene. A pioneer band of alternativerock, Dinosaur Jr is set to thrill audience with their stage antics while acts such as the acclaimed American artiste St. Vincent will entrance audiences with her husky voice. Get your tickets from Sistic.

Flaunt your hardcore dance moves at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival, the indie version of ZoukOut. Featuring international and local DJs, this mega dance event will be held in clubs across Singapore in May. Fans of ‘90s boyband Backstreet Boys can scream their heart our for their thenteen idols when they come to town on 28 February.

Don’t miss acclaimed British alternativerock band, Muse who will be headlining the Big Night Out Festival this year.

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EVENTS

GRABBING centrestage this year is the first Youth Olympics Games (14 – 26 Aug), The Games will see 3,600 young athletes from around the world descend onto our sunny isle to compete in 26 sports ranging from football to wrestling.

NTU gets a stronger whiff of the sporting action by serving as the Games’ Village.

2010 looks set to be a year buzzing with events and activities. Lifestyle Editors Kenneth Goh and Jennifer Dhanaraj gaze into the crystal ball and chart out what to expect in the year ahead

GRAPHICS | ALAN CHOONG PHOTOS | COURTESY OF RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA, LUNCHBOX THEATRICAL PRODUCTIONS, SINGAPORE YOUTH OLYMPICS ORGANISING COMMITTEE & INTERNET

fashion

Girls (and guys) will be thrilled to know that Victoria’s Secret’s flagship Asian store will be in Singapore. The famous lingerie retailer will open their 30,000 sq ft store at Resorts World Sentosa early this year.

Here’s to hoping that Singapore can also play host to the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.

The 2nd Audi Fashion Festival is back after a one year hiatus. A-list designers, such as Gareth Pugh and models graced the event in Singapore in 2008 and we can expect a fashion bonanza this year.

theatre

Take a walk down memory lane with the restaging of Dick Lee’s 1991 musical, Fried Rice Paradise, in August.

Sing along with Timon and Pumba when the Broadway performance of The Lion King comes to The Marina Bay Sands in October.

It is ‘all that ja z z’ whe n t he long-r unning smash hit musical, Chicago returns to Singapore from 16 April - 9 May. Tap you r toes to t h e f a b u lou s t u nes.

T ic ke t s f r om Si s t i c , at $ 4 0 $170 .

television

Expect critically acclaimed shows such as comedy-musical Glee (Star World) and comedy-drama Hung (HBO).

Get spellbound by vampires and witches in The Vampire Diaries and Eastwick respectively on mio TV. Also, find out if Singaporeans can laugh at themselves

when Just for Laughs Asia premieres late January on Channel 5.

Say goodbye to Paula Abdul as talk show host, Ellen Degeneres steps into her stilettos.

Find out if Simon Cowell has met his match in the ninth season of American Idol on Channel 5 (13 Jan ).

Art and The Law, the theme of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival explores both legislative and metaphorical interpretations of the law.

Highlights include _ _ _can change (pronounced blank can change) by The Necessary Stage which tackles change from a conservative point of view.

Do visit the free exhibitions such as Jonathan Kambouris' Last Meals, at the Esplanade, which is a series of mugshots of convicted killers juxtaposed with their last meals.

Get ready to loosen your belts as Singapore’s inaugural Restaurant Week (22 - 28 March) promises serious gorging sessions.

Pioneered by the respected online restaurant guide, DiningCity.com, it features restaurants which offer a special threecourse menu for a fixed price.

Prices start from $25++.

film

Making its debut in Asia is A Design Film Festival with an eclectic selection of films on design disciplines including architecture, guerilla culture and graphic design.

Films such as Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight will give you an insight to the man who created the enduring ‘I Love NY’ campaign.

It is happening from 20-30 January, at Sinema @ Old School. Tickets from $12$15.

Hug your popcor n t ub as you get mesmerised by big-screen offerings. Watch Harry face Voldemort in what promises to be the darkest Potter film yet in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part One. Hear tbeats star t to race as Rober t Downey Jr dons his suit once again in Iron Man 2.

Alice in Wonderland gets the Tim Burton treatment in this whimsical movie starring Johnny Depp.

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lifestyle

JAN UARY 11, 2010

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

quiet is the new loud woods in the books

58 Club Street Tel: 6222 9980 Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 11am - 9pm Sun: 12pm - 6pm

WHERE'S WALLY?: Spot your favourite childhood books.

PHOTOS | DANIELLE HAN

QUA I N T, si mple a nd pret t y a re just some of t he word s you wou ld u se to de sc r ibe this bookstore.

With its clean white walls stealing no attention from hundreds of vividly coloured book covers, this store is l i ke a t r ip dow n memor y la ne, taking you back to the days when picture storybooks had the power to fuel your imagination.

Barely four months old, this quiet bookstore is gaining popularity for carrying enduring favourites like Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.

Your inner child will also be delighted to embark once again on The Adventures of Tintin and the like.

But ow ner s Sha n non Ong, a recent graduate from NTU’s School of

Book Republic

Rethink your visits to mainstream bookstores like Kinokuniya as Danielle Han scouts for indie and quaint outlets that will whisk you away to your own wonderland

Humanities and Social Sciences, and artist Mike Foo, emphasise that their store specialises in picture books for both children and adults.

Even among adults, the demand for picture books such as The Arrival bu Shaun Tan is high as the bookstore has a niche following.

Most of t hei r c u stomer s a re illustrators who are look ing for inspiration for their craft, says Foo. "T here is a f lexibilit y about pictures because it is easier to share the joy of such picture books with each other. Words are no longer a barrier in discourse. " Imagination can take flight for both kids and adults, continues Foo. T his explains why a graphic translation of Shakespeare’s King Lear

sits among more lighthearted and child-friendly titles.

“Pictures help people understand stories better because they give the story life. It also makes people interested in an unfamiliar story,” explained Ms Ong. For this reason, Woods in the Books also sells Chinese and locally illustrated picture books.

The collection of Chinese books includes original Japanese and Korean stories that have been translated into Chinese and are not available in English.

Equally relatable local titles like Ah Kong’s Clock and I Don’t Want Mei Mei Anymore will bring picture stories closer to our hearts than we thought possible.

BOOKSACTUALLY / POLYMATH & CRUST 86 Club Street Tel: 6222 9195 Opening Hours: Mon - Sat: 11am - 9pm Sun: 12pm - 6pm MASS APPEAL: The availability of obscure books makes it fit for a true book lover.

25 degrees celsius 25 Keong Saik Road #01-01 Tel: 6327 8389 Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 11am - 7pm Closed on Sundays & public holidays FOODIE or not, 25 Degrees Celsius will inspire you to pick up cooking or learn the fine art of wine tasting.

25 Degrees Celsius does not refer to the café that is located at the far end of the store, but to the bookstore that you have to walk through to get to it.

In fact, visitors would find it hard to bypass the tantalising book covers of pink cupcake icing and green salads that greet them when they enter. This mosaic of colours and flavours makes tongues tingle.

A wide variety of recipe books are neatly classified according to food type, or by region.

Thus, it is easy for one's tastebuds to take a trip around the world The former ranges from vegetables to eggs and from baking to the art of garnishing, while the latter ensures that every continent is equally represented.

If you are feeling ambitious, browse the selection of books for chefs.

While good recipes are imperative to

the book cafe

20 Martin Road #01-02 Seng Kee Building Tel: 6887 5430 Opening Hours: Sun - Thurs: 8.30am - 10.30pm Fri - Sat: 8.30am - 12am

JULIA CHILD: Let the lady of the ladle inspire you.

whipping up a delicious meal, cooking techniques are of equal importance.

The store has therefore made available a number of books on basic culinar y techniques such as knife handling skills.

These tips are totally indispensable for those who count cooking as their passion.

A non-foodie will not feel entirely out of place when they spot recognisable figures in books such as Jamie’s America by Jamie Oliver, or is reminded of reality television in The Biggest Loser Cookbook.

You w i l l a l so be able to f i nd a heartwarming read in chef biographies, and a good laugh in humorous and gastronomic books such as The Gallery of Regrettable Food.

That's certainly food for thought.

YOU will probably not be buying a book from The Book Café.

Instead, you will be drinking a cup of coffee as you sink into one of the store's large, plush, creamcoloured sofas — after taking your pick from the shelves of books and magazines.

The Book Café started out as an initiative by MPH Online to allow customers to buy books through its online store, and then collect and enjoy them within the café’s cosy premises.

It has since stopped this service, but the books that have been collected during that period has

NOW under one roof and spanning three levels, BooksActually and its younger sister, Polymath & Crust, is a safe haven for the literature enthusiast.

It is essentially a cosy place to hide away from what owners Karen Wai and Kenny Leck call “The Dan Browns and John Grishams, and other mass market titles".

S p e c i a l i s i n g i n f i c t i on , BooksActually’s shelves are packed with a wide range of literary works.

It comes as no surprise that this innocuous looking bookstore has gained quite a following over the years.

Each title is handpicked by the owners and by implication, comes with a personal recommendation.

They do not scrimp on the classics, though you may find yourself challenged into reading the unfamiliar or devouring local

grown into a random but extensive collection where you should expect to find Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Book the Eleventh tucked away next to Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers.

But if books are not your thing, then take your time at the magazine stands where you can hone your skills with the help of the latest Golf Digest or marvel at the world’s wonders with National Geographic.

The reading material may not always impress fans of a solid, classic novel, but The Book Café makes reading an enjoyable experience.

literature, which the store actively supports.

Polymath & Crust has a tasteful selection of non-fiction titles that are comprehensively sorted into categories ranging from food to politics.

On the third level of the store, its less crowded shelves invite readers to browse through each and every book such that no titles are overlooked.

While it is almost impossible to peruse the entire store in a sitting, it is the warm ambience that keeps visitors coming back.

Coupled with its convenience in the Central Business District, this bookstore will not fail to intrigue the young and ignite nostalgia in the old with its rustic wooden shelves, vintage typewriters and toys, and hand-stitched paper notebooks.

GET YOUR MAGAZINE FIX: With its mind-boggling range.

lifestyle

JAN UA RY 11, 2010

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

07

foodsnoop

downmarket luxury

Mention Les Amis and Il Lido, two of Singapore’s top names in the fine-dining scene and people think of exclusive luxury.

Not any more, as Lifestyle Editor Kenneth Goh shows you how to eat well without burning a hole in your pocket casa verde

cafeteria il lido

1 Cluny Road Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitors Centre

3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City Mall #B1-012 (Around the fountain terrace)

Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 7.30am - 11pm

N EST L ED in t he verdant surroundings of the Singapore Botanic Gardens is Casa Verde, which is ‘Green House’ in Italian.

Formerly known as Café Les Amis, the one-year-old restaurant is managed by the Les Amis group, whose f lagship restaurant, Les Amis, is synonymous with finedining (a four-course meal there can cost $400).

Helmed by the chefs in the Les Amis group, Casa Verde offers a substantial Italian menu all day long, with a casual ambience a m id st g r een fol iage — a nd reasonable prices.

It is a café in the morning, where service is DIY and the menu is limited to burgers, pizzas and pasta.

By night, the repertoire extends to an ambrosial smattering of appetisers, meat-centred main courses and desserts.

A three-course dinner here costs around $40.

This rustic trattoria is open to the elements with mostly alfresco seating — cosy armchairs and tables next to majestic tree canopies evoke a chill-out vibe.

Being in t he hear t of t he gardens can be quite a hassle though; diners arriving by bus must ta ke a 20-minute walk from the Tanglin Gate, opposite Gleneagles Hospital.

It is a shorter walk from the Nassim Hill Gate, but this is not well served by buses.

In short, go by taxi or drive, as there are ample parking slots nearby.

T he 110-seater restaurant ser ves up pizzas from a see-

Opening Hours: Mon - Sun: 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.30pm - 10pm

PIZZA SPRING ROLLS: Luscious and gooey cheese spilling out of the sides.

PHOTOS | IVAN TAN & NG QING XIANG

through wood-fired pizza kitchen, which creates aromatic whiffs of freshly baked pizza.

To work up the appetite, the crostinos platter ($16) is a lovely mosaic of colours and flavours, with six bite-sized crostinis (Italian style tapas).

Perched daintily on the toasted bread beds are mounds of fillings like rosemary-laced braised pork belly, juicy tomato baubles and porcini mushrooms drenched in truffle oil.

The salty tang of Parmesan c he e se shav i ng s of f set s t he intense velvetiness of the creamy mushroom morsels.

For those tired of the usual pizza, tr y the signature dish, sfilatino Casa Verde ($24), which is essentially a rolled-up pizza.

Encased in the rolls are sautéed mushrooms, ham and gooey melted mozzarella cheese. However, too much of the chewy, dense dough

SWEET FINALE: Nutella panna cotta (left) and cotton wool-soft tiramisu (right).

can be an overkill. To add a piquant kick, dip the pizza rolls in sweet and spicy tomato salsa.

The highlight of the menu is the slow-braised veal shank ($26), balanced on a bed of mashed potatoes a nd showered w it h gremolata (garlic, parsley and lemon peel).

T he cit r u s y da sh f rom gremolata lifts the gaminess of the fork-tender meat. The fat-glistened hunk is cooked to a plush maroon interior, which oozes juices in between bites.

Desser t provides a perfect curtain call.

The Nutella panna cotta ($10), crowned with hazelnuts wrapped with frozen chocolate fudge, was surprisingly firm and not too wobbly — unlike some renditions of the famed dessert.

T h a n k f u l l y, t h e do s e of Nutella was not too heavy, which highlighted the natural sweetness of the hazelnut pearls.

Despite some minor upsets such as an overdose of dough in the rolled-up pizza, dining at Casa Verde is a breezy affair, which deserves an ‘I will be back’ status.

CORSTINO: Bite-sized delights.

GIVING casual Italian diners a serious run for their money is Cafeteria Il Lido, a four-monthold restaurant, which casts the spotlight on f uss-free Italian dining.

It is the mass-market offering from the Il Lido group, which owns Forlino and its flagship Il Lido.

The menu here is palatable and wallet-friendly, with most of the main courses hovering in the $10 price range.

The traditional Italian staples use ingredients that are easy and fast to whip up, especially for timestarved lunchtime diners from the nearby offices.

T he 6 0 -seate r r e s t au r a nt receives up to 90 customers during the hectic lunch hour.

The menu is also updated every few months, to suit the seasonal ingredients that are imported from Italy, as well as customers’ feedback.

Surprisingly, none of the dishes in the menu were inspired or simplified versions of the classics served at Il Lido.

Instead, the menu has a mishmash of pasta, pizza, appetisers, soups and sandwiches.

The meal opened with a fourcheese pizza ($14.50), a showstopping assemblage of milky mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and mascarpone on a crackling, wafer-thin crust.

This combination gives an intensely full-bodied punch of cheese, which neutralises all hints of the tomato sauce slathered on the crisp dough.

The earthy perfume of cheese not only explodes in the mouth, but stubbornly lingers on the fingers.

MELLOW YELLOW: A pan of baked omelette glowing like sunshine.

Especially sinful are the five pebble-like dollops of velvety mascarpone lusciously slapped onto the pizza.

The crust, which boasts decent heft and crunch, is deftly pitted against the melt-in-your-mouth mascarpone for a clever play on textures.

However, the delicate crust is not strong enough to carry the weight of the rich toppings, so it is messy to eat.

A word of advice: share this pizza as even one slice proved to be heavy on the stomach.

The Tuscan Prawn frittata ($14.90 ) is a wholesome egg omelette, served hot off a palmsized pan. It is not difficult to see why — the “egg cake” is baked to a golden brown perfection.

The 4cm thick disc gets sliced to yield supple spoonfuls of wobbly scrambled egg.

Cosily embedded within the omelette are plump tiger prawns, which impart firm sweetness to the eggs — although the dish could use less oil.

Try the panna cotta ($7.50) — the sharpness of the berry sauce gives an acidic rush to the baked cream.

The food here certainly gives bang for your buck but do not expect Il Lido standard here.

CHEESY TOUR-DE-FORCE: Four types of cheese on this pizza.

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show

What a difference

55

years make

Managing Editor Elizabeth Law Photo Editor Eunice Chan

THE OLD Nanyang University was a milestone in the development for Chinese people in South-east Asia when it was set up in 1955.

Commonly known as Nantah, it was the only Chinese language university outside China then. People from all walks of life, including rickshaw riders and taxi drivers, contributed to its building.

The Hokkien Association in Singapore donated 500 acres of land in Jurong for the university’s campus, while philanthropist Mr Tan Lark Sye donated $5 million, a princely sum at the time.

Nantah was set up as an immediate solution to the teacher shortage Singapore was facing at that time. Most graduates were sent to Chinese schools around the region. However, the University was faced with a series of setbacks, including having its academic standards questioned, resulting in reforms being imposed.

In 1978, Nantah merged with the University of Singapore in a bid to consolidate the nation’s academic resources. Five decades on, Nanyang University has been replaced by NTU but some things still stay the same. To celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Yunnan Campus, The Nanyang Chronicle takes you on a journey back in time.

Innovation Centre The Innovation Centre used to house the Science Faculty. Since 2000, the building is a space for budding technopreneurs to start their businesses closer to the expertise in NTU.

Archive photos reproduced with permission from NTU Gallery.

Nanyang Arch The gateway in Yunnan Crest (left and top) was the original entrace to the university. In the past, students had to walk almost one kilometre just to get to class. As the construction of the Pan-Island Expressway moved the entrance to it’s current location, a replica of the Nanyang Arch (above) now sits in the university’s Yunnan Garden.

jan uary 11, 2010

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

Nanyang House One place that still retains it’s intended use is the old Student Union Building, now Nanyang House. Initially used for Student Union activities, the building now houses club rooms of NTU’s wide array of CCAs.

Chinese Heritage Centre The Chinese Heritage Centre (below) was initially the library, which also served as an administrative office. It saw many events such as Queen Elizabeth II’s visit in 1972 (centre). Today, the library’s collection specialises in Chinese communities outside China and was renamed the Wang Gangwu Library in 2003.

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lifestyle review

BOOKS The Gathering Storm Brandon Sanderson $49.17, available at Kinokuniya Published by Orbit

TWO years after the tragic death of Robert Jordan, the original author of the Wheel of Time series, a successor has been selected to continue his legacy: Brandon Sanderson, author of the popular Mistborn trilogy.

The final book in the series, originally titled A Memory of Light, was meant to be published in a single volume in accordance with the late author's wishes.

However, the sheer amount of unfinished content left behind

by Jordan rendered it impossible to condense everything into a single volume.

It was thus collectively decided by Jordan’s wife, publishers and Sanderson that the last book would be split into three volumes, of which The Gathering Storm is the first. Towers of Midnight and A Memory of Light w i l l conc lude t h i s epic se r ie s .

Sanderson rouses primal feelings of frustration, anger and sympathy as The Gathering Storm tells the story of Rand al'Thor, The Dragon Reborn, struggling against a manipulative world that seeks to control him.

Yet, it is that same world that he is prophesied to save.

Sanderson is deft with his descriptions, and every line of the novel allows the reader to feel al'Thor's sanity and patience unravelling as he is challenged physically and mentally.

As he grapples with age-old dilemmas like the meaning of his existence and difficult choices he has to make, al'Thor becomes a vehicle by which Sanderson explores themes such as reincarnation and the fate of humanity.

The Dragon Reborn then learns that the Wheel of Time and its accompanying reincarnative cycles are a chance to undo past mistakes and find love.

Sanderson brings to the series his own style while staying true to the original author's vision. Though The Gathering Storm feels distinctively different in terms of grammar and syntax, it is no doubt a fitting continuation to the series.

The biggest discernible difference between the two writers lies in their forte. Jordan painted epic, sweeping pictures with his pen, while Sanderson specialises in crafting intimate details.

One of the drawbacks of Sanderson’s writing is the lacklustre resolution devoted to al’Thor’s conflict with the Forsaken, Semirhage and Graendal, minions of the hellishly diabolical Dark Lord.

The build up of suspense behind these conflicts spanned several volumes of the series but was hastily dissolved in the space of two chapters, and fans of the series anticipating their conclusion may find themselves left wanting.

Although Sanderson had many loose ends to tie up, he devoted much attention to detail, providing resolution for other minor subplots and continuity for fans of the series.

All in all, he justifies the inclusion of his name on the covers of possibly the most epic saga from our time.

With two more books to go, the Wheel of Time saga is set to quietly supersede the position held by The Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter in the hearts of fans of the fantasy genre.

JAN UARY 11, 2010

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

“It's time to MUSIC For Your Entertainment take risks, be ,,,,, a little more brave, time to open people's eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them."

Adam L ambert (Pop Rock)

Lambert cites David Bowie and Freddie Mercury as two of his greatest musical influences.

Adam Lambert, in an interview with The Rolling Stone, on his music and performances.

-Ellyne Phneah

This is War 30 Seconds To Mars (Progressive Rock)

,,,,,

This is War was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who has also worked with Blue October and Switchfoot

30 SECONDS To Mars' newest offering explores a genre different from their previous albums. While the two could be labelled industrial rock and emo-alternative respectively, this one has the unexpected influence of electronica over an alternative base.

The band's attempt at re-invention pays off fabulously, and it should. Making this album took four years, during which they encountered a host of problems with their record label.

That difficulty may be responsible for the underlying theme of this album — battle and survival.

The album’s main drawback is that it is experienced best only in its entirety, and many fans may find a disappointing similarity in the 13 tracks.

Standout tracks include Night of the Hunter, a lovely, dark number that perfectly aligns frontman Jared Leto's rasping vocals with thumping, strong beats.

Hurricane features an unlikely collaboration with Kanye West, and though the pairing was initially questionable, the result is a highly successful experiment. Leto and West's vocals complement each other, neatly sidestepping a potentially disastrous marriage of two singers from very diverse genres.

Lyrically, the album sometimes borders on esoteric, and is a throwback to the band's typical encouragement of selfinterpretation.

An ingenious quirk is their use of a choir made up entirely of fans, which helps avoid the overproduced quality most veteran bands suffer from, and produces a glorious, stadiumlike feel.

This Is War is an excellent album for new listeners to begin their foray into a new genre; old fans won't be disappointed either, as long as you're not a stickler for 30 Seconds To Mars' more familiar sounds.

-Edwin Loh

1.

2.

3.

AMERICAN Idol runner-up Adam Lambert shines in his debut release, For Your Entertainment. Though detractors lamented his lack of vocal control on the show, he clearly demonstrates that he has learnt a thing or two making this album. By marrying professional control with panache, this record certainly showcases his vocals.

The retro-contemporary album opens with disco-style dance hits such as Strut, Fever and If I Had You, all energetic, playful and catchy beat-based songs.

Lyrically, Lambert does not play down his overt sexuality, which has captured much media attention since news of it first broke during his Idol days. Fever, for instance, opens with There he goes, my baby/Sexual tic-tac-toe. While this may raise a few eyebrows among conservative listeners, Lambert’s honesty is laudable.

It is this same honesty that rescues Whatya Want From Me from radio-friendly mediocrity, with the heartfelt lyrics I’m a freak/But thanks for loving me reminding listeners that beneath his confident swagger, Lambert harbours a genuine, heartfelt gratitude for the support and acceptance he has received.

Despite the majority of his tracks being swinging, largerthan-life numbers that teem with verve and zest, Lambert tones it down in Broken Open and Time for Miracles, with pared-down vocals and themes of vulnerability.

For Your Entertainment is the most assertive album of all American Idol contestants to date, and holds much potential for Lambert’s future career as a rock star.

It fulfils the feisty promise he makes in the lyrics of Whatya Want From Me, and will indeed entertain you till you scream.

Trivia

Universal Pictures has acquired film rights to the Wheel of Time Series and the first movie's release date is tentatively set for 2011.

Robert Jordan, original author of the series, was actually the pseudonym of James Oliver Rigney Jr (October 17, 1948 – September 16, 2007) There are currently 12 books in the Wheel of Time series, with 2 more in the pipeline.

PHOTOS | INTERNET

-Abha Nitin Apte

lifestyle

JAN UA RY 11, 2010

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

nanyang arts fest highlights

FILMS Sherlock Holmes Action /Adventure Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams 134min

WITH Iron Man muscle and a steady Guy at the helm, this reinvention of the fictional detective explodes onto the screen.

Robert Downey Jr stars as the titular character, while Guy Ritchie directs the smartly-plotted script with wit and style.

The movie is set in late 19thcentury London, which is shaken by a series of dark murders committed by the sinister Lord Blackwood (a scene-stealing Mark Strong).

Dreaded for his practices, which appear to be steeped in black magic, Blackwood apparently rises from the dead after being hanged and causes widespread alarm.

He leads an order of men to fulfil a grand master plan by inflicting the people of London with fear.

Holmes, along with his trusted companion, Dr John Watson (Jude Law), are embroiled in the case.

OPENING CEREMONY The official opening ceremony of NAF 2010 features performances from NTU CAC Member Clubs and guest performers.

,,,,,

Together they play a gunsand-fists game as they get down and dirty in the streets of London, simultaneously deducing their way through the abyss of the dark arts.

Holmes’ love interest comes in the form of Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), whose scheming tactics provide the right amount of tease to sometimes disarm the genius detective.

The Mean Girls alumnus fills the shoes of the seductress-cumtrickster with panache, and their relationship is vital to a key subplot that reveals its importance at the end.

However, anot her pair ing distracts from this subtle romance: the easy chemistry between Downey Jr and Law ultimately proves most amusing.

T he cha rac ter s’ ba nter is engaging and often hilarious,

20 Jan 10:30am-2:30pm Canopy K @ LT 1A

PHOTO | INTERNET

the partners-in-crime-solving prov id i ng com ic r e l ief, a nd anchoring the entire film’s exciting chases and plot twists.

The cinematography of Sherlock Holmes cer tain ly deser ves a mention.

It is a solid greyscale palette that matches the mystery and mayhem of the plot.

A stirring musical score by Hans Zimmer (of The Pirates of the Caribbean) also provides the right rhythm to complement an already excellent pacing.

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

The Fourth Kind

Comedy/Drama/Romance

Sci-fi /Horror

Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sam Elliot 103min

,,,,,

PHOTO | INTERNET

PAUL Morgan (Hugh Grant) is a high-f lying lawyer, and Meryl Morgan (Sarah Jessica Parker) a top estate agent, both easily the best in their fields.

Yet a successful career is not enough to keep his wife's wrath at bay when she discovers his infidelity, and she evicts him from their New York apartment.

But the city-slicker pair is thrust unceremoniously out of their comfortable existence when they witness a murder, and are placed in the witness protection programme.

Relocated to the small town of Ray, Wyoming, they are the butt of every small town gag that could possibly be milked from such a plot.

Paul, for instance, repeatedly sprays himself in the face with grizzly bear repellant.

Despite a formulaic storyline, the acting chops of Grant and Parker elevate the film to lighthearted, watchable fare.

11

Grant suitably evokes his bumbling, self-effacing persona, while Parker is a family-friendly version of her Sex and The City character.

Her efforts at assimilating with the country folk result in a harrowing encounter with a bear, and her madcap antics are bound to draw chuckles from the audience.

However, an exploration of the couple's marital woes causes the film to sag in the middle due to the inclusion of these heavier themes.

The role of the killer is almost negligible as the film winds us through the inexorable lessons the two titular characters take away f rom t hei r sma l l-tow n experience.

Trying to marry a romantic comedy with mystery is, perhaps, not so great an idea.

While we may have heard about the Morgans, we might not remember them.

-Heng Hui Min

Milla Jovovich, Will Patton, Elias Koteas 98min

EXCLUDING fist-sized parasitic babies that spring from your chest in a fountain of blood, as in Alien, aliens are seldom associated with horror in popular culture.

But in The Fourth Kind, aliens dump their friendly public image as bug-eyed, spindly-fingered creatures a la ET, and take on a more sinister image.

Milla Jovovich plays Dr Abigail Tyler, a psychiatrist who discovers some bizarre coincidences in her patients.

They each relate seeing an owl staring at them every single night of a particular week.

A s Tyle r pr obe s f u r t he r, disturbing details are revealed, and these provide the premise upon which the film is based.

The film opens with a harshly lit Jovovich speaking to the camera, against the backdrop of an eerie, spinning forest landscape.

Wit h excessive solemnit y reminiscent of hackneyed T V shows on supernatural phenomena, Jovovich tells us that they will be dramatising the events of October 2000.

The film essentially presents us with what is purportedly the truth, and leaves the decision of what to believe up to us.

Dr Abiga i l Tyler appea r s throughout the film to narrate events in an interview conducted by director Olatunde Osunsanmi, who is no stranger to the genre, having previously helmed horror flick The Cavern.

Actual video footage from Tyler is peppered throughout the movie, interspersed and contrasted against better-quality film dramatisations.

The re-enactment of events alongside the old footage only

Every keenly executed sequence teems with red herrings, contributing all-in-all to an enjoyable ride.

The final act pulsates with the obvious possibility of a sequel with the revealing of Holmes’ actual arch enemy from the crime novels of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

With Downey Jr now headlining two mega franchises (Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man), it looks like audiences will continue to be entertained by this character actor in the near future.

-Wilson Ng

,,,,,

Singapore Records: Sand Montage A sand art booth will be set up for participants to create patterns with specially designed sticker cards. As the main highlight of the festival, NAF 2010 aims to create Singapore’s first and largest sand art montage.

20 Jan-27 Mar 11am-4pm, e v ery Tues and Thurs Canopy K @ LT 1A Guitar Hero Jam Pit your skills against your friends or just have a rocking good time jamming at the Guit ar Hero booth.

27-28 jan 10:30am-2:30 pm Canopy K @lt 1A Graffiti Week NAF 2010 brings you Grafitti Week where you can let your creativity guide you on designated painting boards.

Featured graffiti artist Benson Lee will round up the action on 12 March by creating a piece of graffiti against a backdrop of participants' works.

8-12 Mar 10:30 am-2:30 pm North-South Linkway Lunchtime Performance: Taekwondo & Wushu Combining power and agilit y, NTU's Wushu and Taekwondo clubs will showcase their skills in a captivating performance.

PHOTO | INTERNET

ser ves to make the film more disturbing, the grainy video lending authenticity to the film.

De s pite te nd i ng towa r d s melodrama at times, the movie is well paced, with horror escalating steadily at every turn.

What is perhaps most winning about Tyler is her unwavering courage in facing a malevolent unknown force despite growing evidence that it is not human.

Conceptually, the alien revealed in this movie is terrifying: it is evil, inescapable and virtually allpowerful.

The notion of such an existence that we are incapable of defending ourselves against is chilling.

What will reverberate most with the audience in the first half of the movie is the helplessness displayed by the characters.

By the second half, the unfolding of the alien conspiracy becomes genuinely horrifying.

Most importantly, however, the film takes a monumental amount of risk.

How terrifying you find this movie will depend on how much of the film you choose to believe.

-Wong Oi Shan

10 Mar 1-2 pm NTU South Spine, outside 8 flags My Green He(ART) In a c o ll a b o r at i o n b e t w e e n NTU Earthlink and NAF 2010, this competition combines art with conservation. Using only recyclable materials, participants will be required to create gifts for their special someones.

11 Jan-12 Feb For more information, visit www.naf.sg.

Art Snack!

Art Snack is a presentation of a variety of famous art works from all over the world accompanied with tidbits of interesting trivia.

15-19 Feb Lee Wee Nam Library Closing Ceremony An unforget t able evening of excellent music and fun will draw NAF 2010 to a close. Look out for the unveiling of Singapore's first sand art montage.

27 MAR 4-8PM IMM Sky Garden

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lifestyle

JAN UARY 11, 2010

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

review

contest

FILMS Invictus Drama Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge 134min

SOU T H A f r ica, 1990. Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) walks from Robben Prison a free man.

Escorted down a long, dusty road by a motorcade, he is flanked by two warring races, longstanding enemies.

On one side, black Sout h Africans emerge from a squalid dirt field and stop their game of soccer with cheers for Mandela’s release.

Directly opposite, upper class white youths at rugby training do nothing to hide their contempt for Mandela’s stand on equality.

This telling juxtaposition of racial animosity permeates the film.

South Africa was so racially divided that blacks would openly support any country that played against the Springboks, the national rugby team and a glaring symbol of apartheid during those times.

M a n d e l a , n e w l y- e l e c t e d president, sought to change that.

He planned to use the 1995 rugby world cup, which South Africa was to host, as a means of reconciling the enmity between the nation’s blacks and whites.

,,,,,

He rallies the nation behind the white-dominated Springboks, urging South Africans to step beyond racial lines to come together as a country.

The film is further buoyed

by Freeman, who is said to have studied hundreds of hours of Mandela footage to pull off this performance.

This dedication has evidently pa id of f, as h is stat u re a nd decisiveness brings to life the character of the man.

Faced with opposition even from his closest allies, Mandela’s decisive political acumen and enduring faith in his ideals hold the dream of a country together.

But intimate moments within the film belie Mandela’s personal demons.

Twice divorced and estranged from many of his family members, it is Freeman’s nuanced portrayal of a silently tortured Mandela that allows audiences to witness the very relatable, human side of a great man and an epic leader.

Matt Damon plays Francois P ie naa r, t he capta i n of t he

Starring Ethan Hawke, Daybreakers is set in a time when humans are hunted by vampires to the brink of extinction.

PHOTO | INTERNET

Springboks, with great aplomb.

Blonde, buff and noticeably fit enough to engage in the rough and tumble game of rugby, his physique in Invictus is testament to his dedication as a method actor, just as his similarly underrated role in The Informant! was.

Pienaar begins as a skeptic of Mandela’s seemingly fantastical notions, and later develops into a driving force that unites his team of rugby players.

Invictus is a demonstration of the power of compassion and intelligence, as Mandela wins over the hearts and minds of his country.

Beautif ully composed, the movie conveys the gradual shift first towards racial tolerance, then

eventual acceptance.

Eastwood’s trained directorial hand manages this subtle shift adroitly — one is never forced to sit through uncomfor table reconciliations forced into the film for the sake of it.

Instead, the emotion is always tangible and believable. Set against a soundtrack of South African beats, the film is punctuated with choruses resounding with gumption.

Named after a poem by William Ernest Henley which Mandela drew strength from during his 27 year incarceration, Invictus is an uplifting tale of one man’s unwavering courage, grace under fire, and the resulting pride of a unified nation.

- Clara Lock

A lone vampire must join forces with one of the few remaining human survivors, and battle his own kind in a deadly struggle that will decide the fate of the human race.

In Cinemas January 14th, 2010 We have 5 movie hampers to be given away, each containing a pair of passes to Daybreakers, a movie poster, and a notebook.

Simply answer this question: When does Daybreakers open in cinemas?

Email your answers to chroniclereviews@gmail.com before Sunday, Jan17th, 2359h.

Include your name, contact number, and matriculation number.

All prizes are courtesy of Shaw Organisation.

tech review

TOO BOLD 2 HANDLE

Kevin Lim

tech editor

BEING lighter and smaller in size than its predecessor is one prominent feature of the new Blackberry Bold 9700, commonly known as Bold 2.

The smaller size sets the first impression when presented to users of the older model.

When compared to the Bold 9000 model, it looks very similar with no major aesthetic change except for a trackpad.

The optical trackpad is usually the second commendation the smartphone gets after the first few swipes of the thumb.

The Bold 2 not only looks cooler with the optical trackpad but easier to control as well.

This change from track-ball to track-pad is reminiscent of the times when optical mice phased out the track-ball mice, giving users swifter control and freeing them from problems like dirt trapping.

The only bad point of the new track-pad design is that it cannot scroll as fast as when it was still a track-ball.

An improved 3.2 megapixel camera now armed with auto-focus and 30fps video recording capability is the industrial standard, such a feature is expected of from the 9700.

Such features are mandator y for a business orientated Blackberry, being able to snap documents up close with clarity will bring convenience when you least expect it to.

With the keypad layout retained in the Bold 2, one can be assured of the flawlessness of its design.

Strategically placed bumps make sure the small keys are pressed with precision and ease. They are even graduated in the directions optimised for the use of both thumbs.

W hile shor t bat ter y life is still a complaint, power management is now better because the feature that cuts off the cellular network during low battery is removed.

This means that I can now make the “Hey my phone is dying” calls to warn my friends of the inpending doom.

However, the problem of a premature battery life is over shadowed by the phone's ability to stay perpetually connected. Social networks and chats are well integrated. You can stay signed-in simultaneously in MSN Messenger, Facebook, Blackberry Messenger and more.

Further concerns of the phone include a very plain web browser that has difficulties when handling more complex websites.

With its limited screen size and no touch screen capability, surfing webpages need some time to get used to.

Language input is limited to those that are pre-installed—nowhere as extensive and readily available as that of an iPhone.

Users can view Word, Excel or Powerpoint documents with Dataviz's 'Documents To Go', though to create new documents on the phone, one would have to pay for the full version of the software.

It also comes preloaded with 5 games of which may differ from each carrier.

Through a microSD memory card, the total memory is limited only by the size of the card and how many you can carry.

With memory aplenty, the 9700 can act as your personal media player supporting video with multiple formats including H.264 and WMV3. Supported audio includes MP3, AAC and WMA. Now that App World is not limited to the phone's internal memory, users can install much more applications (apps) into the microSD and transfer them to any new BlackBerr y phones they buy.

Sim i lar to iTunes store, Research in Motion's (RIM) App World offers both free and paid apps.

Navigation is also faster with the GPS and assisted-GPS (A-GPS) feature.

BlackBerry maps is improved with better control and it does not take a long time to lock on to the satellites and calculate your position.

A leather lined back sums up the aesthetics of the phone, making it look very classy.

The supplied pouch looks nice but I did hope for a better coverage of the phone as it left the width of the Bold 2 exposed. A good pouch will be a good acceesory to protect your investment in.

The Bold 2 is the obvious choice when you want a good candy-bar BlackBerry with a QWERTY keypad that is updated with the latest technologies.

PHOTO | COURTESY OF RESEARCH IN MOTION

lifestyle

jan ua ry 11, 2010

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

13

tech feature

Green Technologies

Electronics are becoming more eco-friendly than ever. Green is no longer a specification but a way of life.

Kevin Lim tech editor

GREEN is the colour of the year not just for the industry but for consumers as well.

With a growing emphasis on saving the environment, more electronics companies are initiating eco-friendly practices for their products.

It is a win-win situation: it is good for business, it benefits the consumers and ultimately reduces the demand for energy.

PHOTO | COUTESY OF USEPA

Companies such as Apple, Hewlett Packard and Dell have been the forerunners of this trend by pledging to protect the environment in a friendly and positive race to become the greenest company.

Initiatives include the use of e-manuals to save paper and minimal packaging to save on shipping. Fewer flights mean less fuel wasted on transporting the empty packaging space.

External certification consisting mainly of Energy Star, RoHS and ISO14001 (see sidebar) were started in past years to reduce energy waste and the use of chemicals which are harmful to the environment.

While more companies are adopting such standards, some have even initiated their own green programme extending beyond this green certification.

Initiatives like D-link Green enable the designing of routers which can detect network cable length and adjust the power output accordingly. As a result, it uses the minimum energy needed.

Singapore’s ‘green’ journey can be traced back to when the traffic lights were upgraded from using incandescent light bulbs to LED instead.

Sony Ericsson’s GreenHeart™ creates power-efficient chargers which remind you to disconnect them from the wall plug when not in use, eliminating unnecessary electricity waste.

Apple a lso ta kes pa r t i n suc h environmental efforts by using greener

alternatives in their packaging and their products. All of their products are designed to be free from harmful substances like arsenic, brominated f lame retardants, mercury, phthalates, and PVC.

It is comforting to know that every component in the iPhones and iPods which accompany you on your daily schedule is toxin free.

Going green is not merely putting a logo on the box. Product designers and engineers have to devise ways to accommodate or work around restrictions.

This means that they cannot work with the tried-and-tested materials they are comfortable with. They are forced to ensure a similar reliability of the products made with the new materials.

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, together with the RoHS Directive made lead-free soldering almost mandatory, which was a huge challenge to the electronics industries.

“Tin whiskers” on lead-free solders are tiny growths of metal hairs on their surfaces, causing problems such as electrical short-circuits and acting as tiny antennas which introduces noise into high frequency circuits.

PHOTO | COURTESY OF SEC

Removing lead from solder also makes it more prone to corrosion, lowering the lifespan of a gadget.

Solder suppliers like Kester and Indium Corporation continue to join in the research to innovate by coming up with new recipes for lead-free solder alloys which are easier to use and more reliable.

According to a case study by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, lead is fatal when large amounts are absorbed into our body.

A signif icant percentage of waste electronics, all of which contain printed circuit boards (PCB) in them, are not recycled and ends up in the dump.

Lead found in the solder on PCBs are washed by the rain into the soil, finding its way into our drinking water.

However, important electronics like medical equipment are still manufactured using leaded solder because of uncertainties regarding the reliability of the new leadfree solder.

Singapore’s eco efforts can be found in the Green Label Scheme started by the Si ngapor e Env i ron me nt Cou nc i l (SEC).

Produc t s bea r i ng t he labe l mu st completely satisfy the criteria set by the council.

SEC issues different products unique guidelines and strict restrictions.

The Green Label standard monitors both energy efficiency and the presence of harmful chemicals used in the certified products.

However, The Green Label is not widely used in electronics as labels like Energy Star, RoHS and ISO14001 are sufficient and well recognised.

Another instance would be OpenNet, an initiative that aims to connect the island with optical fiber communication. It targets a 95% island-wide coverage by 2012.

Energy Star

RoHS

Replacing optical fiber over copper telephone wires saves a significant amount of electricity because it isn’t susceptible to interference as less power is needed for transmission.

Long e lec t r ica l cable s lose mor e energy the longer it runs. Optical fiber communication does not face such problems as laser is beamed through glass fibers, further contributing to the energy saved.

A total switch to optical fiber from the old telephone wiring will also free up tonnes of copper for recycling into other products, while glass used in the fibres come from sand which is largely abundant and does not significantly harm the environment.

Increased energy efficiency translates to longer battery life and lower electricity bills. In the long run, both the earth and your wallet will be thanking you.

Started in 1992 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), the Energy Star programme attempts to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions in power plants. It later expanded into other areas such as everyday electronics. Energy Star certified products use less energy and save power.

The Restriction of Hazardous Substance directive came into action in 2006 and is commonly known for the ban in the use of lead. It also restricts use of mercury, cadmium and other harmful substances.

CE Mark

CE is a comformity mark used in Europe. Products that bear the “CE” marking are certified to meet mandatory requirements in areas such as health, safety, consumer and environmental protection.

ISO 14001

Aiming to reduce waste and pollution, the ISO14001 standard provides guidelines for businesses of all sizes ensuring that their operations have minimal impact on the environment.

14

show dapper: your essential style guide

Grey knit cardigan, $59.90, New Look; Yellow striped tank, $33.90, Myth; Pop art rings, $25.90 each, FuncDeko; Brown leather oxfords, $53.90, New Look; Denim shorts, model’s own

pic•tur photography by Ivan Tan; styling by Audrey Lim & Tan Jingliang

Pink Peterpan-collared top, $59.90, Woodwood; Grey harem pants, $48.90, Myth; Purple velvet heels, $49.90, New Look; Black 2-way bag, $69.90, FuncDeko.

MODEL

STOCKISTS

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT

New Look Suntec City #01-151/157

Sian-Tzu Casteels Freddie Goh

Depression Far East Plaza #04-41 FuncDeko Far East Plaza #03-90B Myth Far East Plaza #03-46 Spellbound Far East Plaza #03-24 Woodwood Far East Plaza #03-88

dappercentrespread14final.indd 2

1/8/10 11:59:35 AM

jan uary 11, 2010

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

Cream knit beret, $16.90, New Look; Rose print cropped sweater, $36.90, New Look; Light blue shorts, $59.90, Woodwood; Brown leather oxfords, $53.90, New Look; Sheer stockings, model’s own Cream knit beret, $16.90, New Look; Rose print cropped sweater, $36.90, New Look; Blue cuffed shorts, $59.90, Woodwood; Sheer tights, model’s own; Brown leather oxfords , $53.90. New Look.

ur•esque

School does not always have to be devoid of style. A carefully selected wardrobe that is fresh and affordable, coupled with pastel palettes and cotton fabrics take centre stage for the new semester. Pack up, cheer up, and get going.

n Jingliang

Yellow striped tank, $33.90, Myth; Light blue harem pants, $42, Spellbound; Braided chain bracelet, $24, Spellbound; Brown leather oxfords, $53.90, New Look; Black 2-way bag, $69.90, FuncDeko.

Pink Peterpan-collared top, $59.90, Woodwood; Ankle-zip marble jeans, $79.90, New Look; Purple velvet heels, $49.90, New Look; Tool set necklaces, $25 each, Depression.

dappercentrespread14final.indd 3

1/8/10 11:59:44 AM

本地选星节目不如外国吗？ —— 刊20页

新闻

欢笑中 学习浸濡小贴士

通过丁威讲师风趣幽默的演讲，学生对中国四大城市有更深一层的了解。 摄影|黄俊森

陈韦元●报道

即

将在几周内启程到北京 的宇航工程系二年级生 林纪延（23岁），在知道自己 被分配到那里后，一直苦恼着 是否能适应当地的天气和饮食 习惯，以及语言文化的差别是 否会造成沟通障碍。 为了能让像林纪延一样有类 似担忧的学生在出发前对中国 有基本了解和心理准备，通商 中国联同南大于12月21日举办 了新系列的E3分享会。 分享会旨在为这批参与全球 教育计划（GIP），将赴中国 浸濡长达22周的学生提供一些 关于中国的资讯和在当地生活 时所需注意的事项。 届时，学生会在中国顶尖院 校如清华大学、复旦大学和上 海交通大学，选修有关中国文 化、现代中国史、政治、经济 等领域的课程。他们同时也将 到跨国公司和中国民企实习。 通商中国希望通过分享会的 Excite、Explore和Experience 这3大E元素，激发学生的求 知欲、鼓励他们了解和探索中 国，并且亲身感受当地脉搏。 除了通商中国总裁杨莉明之 外，分享会也邀请来自新加坡 孔子学院的丁威讲师来分享经 验和知识。 丁讲师向学生简单介绍上

海、北京、苏州和成都这四大 城市的特色，也解释这些城市 在文化和生活素质上的差异。 起初严肃的气氛，却在丁教授 有趣的演讲中变得轻松许多。

“最大的问题是我 们习惯把中国人 看做一种。可是我 们要知道中国那么 大，我非常强调的 是每个地方的人是 不一样的。”

丁威 新加坡孔子学院讲师

他以本地人爱比较的习惯为 这四大城市的经济数据排名， 借此点出这些城市不同的生活 素质和文化。演讲间中也穿插 有奖问答游戏项目，以生动的 方式加深学生对中国的了解。 谈及为何明显区分各个城市 的特点，丁教授解释说：“最 大的问题是我们习惯把中国人 看做一种。可是我们要知道中 国那么大，我非常强调的是每 个地方的人是不一样的。我们 在接触的时候一定要根据那个 地方的特点来反应。” 他举例说明，在中国南方与 当地人有争执时，讲道理还行 得通；到了北方，就应避免冲

突，尽量息事宁人，因为北方 人习惯说没几句就动手打人。 经过丁讲师解说，即将前往 上海的会计系二年级生符嫣凤 （20岁）了解到自己需注意哪一 些礼仪才不会无意得罪当地人。 杨莉明则在分享会的间歇时 间，同一些学生分享自己几年 来在中国通商的经验，以及和 当地人来往的一些趣事。 分享会另个项目是由曾到中 国浸濡的学长通过小组讨论与 学弟妹分享他们的亲身经历。 曾赴上海进修的电机与电 子工程系大四学长温庆雍（24 岁）说，虽然启程前有参加过 类似分享会，但当时只有演 讲，并没小组讨论。他认为本 地学生毕竟比较含蓄，不敢直 接提出问题，所以小组讨论反 而能让他们吸收更多资讯。 分享会结束后，林纪延认为 自己学到了许多关于中国的知 识，而这也回答了心中当初的 疑惑，帮助他在出发前做足心 理准备。此外，他希望分享会 的互动性能再增加些。 然而，曾到北京进修的环 境工程系大四学长卓瑞祥（24 岁）表示，分享会给予的帮助 到头来也只能帮这群学生做好 心理准备。 他说：“分享会能帮助他们 知道在中国时能怎样适当地表现 自己，但由他们自己去感受和浸 濡当地文化才是最好的学习。”

黄康玮●报道 中文编辑

从

中以 韩 文语 叙 系说 跨 学国 恋 生情 获 演 讲 赛 亚 军

未参加演讲大赛的中文系二年级生，首次 上台就以流利的韩语在第5届韩语演讲大 赛中虏获评审，夺下了亚军。 在韩语导师的介绍与支持下，蔡佳敏 （20岁）两个月前参与了由韩国驻新加坡大使馆 和新加坡韩国学校主办的演讲比赛。她借着哥哥 的跨国爱情故事，与其他10名热爱韩语的本地人 一较高下，在讲台上以韩语侃侃而谈。 演讲故事叙说她和哥哥五年前到韩国旅游 时，遇见未来嫂嫂的经历。由于对方母亲不舍女 儿，所以蔡佳敏的哥哥在父母支持下做出让步， 到韩国和嫂嫂建立家庭，圆满了这段跨国恋情。 蔡佳敏希望以这故事传达关怀身边人的美德。 她说：“让世界变得更美好其实不难，只要对身 边的人有所关怀，这世界也是充满温情的。” 也正是这段经历，点燃蔡佳敏对韩文的兴 趣。她说，中文系老师也曾在课中提到韩国高丽 时代文人的诗，让她发觉课程不只教有关中国的 事物，自己也能研究参考韩国文化、文学和历史。 要同时掌握英语、华语和韩语，蔡佳敏觉得 并非难事。她相信只要有心学习、付出努力，是 能掌握好第三语言。与众多“哈韩”国人不同， 她是为了学习韩语而看韩剧和听韩语歌曲。 蔡佳敏说，导师给予了不少支持和评价。除 了认为她能够顺利考取韩国语能力测验中级证 书，老师也相信只要她在韩国住上约半年，韩语 水平就能与当地人一样。这无疑让她在学习的过 程中倍感鼓舞。 对于接下来的计划，蔡佳敏希望能在这学期修读第三级韩 语课程，也期盼能参与全球暑期学习计划（GSS），赴韩国交流。 虽然华语和韩语存在着差异，但蔡佳敏认为这两个属于汉 字文化圈内的语言都让她感到亲切。她说：“如今能够找到和 自己热爱的华语相似的语言，虽然它们有些不同，但还是有连 接性和相关性，我觉得这真的很亲切。”

蔡佳敏凭着动人的跨国恋情故事打动评审，获得了第五届韩国 演讲大赛亚军。 照片|受访者提供

17

ja n ua ry 11, 2010

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

言论 编辑室

螳臂当车 死得其所

黄康玮 中文编辑

就

算新加坡停止呼吸，我们也不可 能拯救地球。 李显龙总理上个月在哥本哈根联合 国气候大会尚未落幕之前，接受本地记 者采访时说了这一句话。这句话虽然现 实，听了难免会泄气，然而这体现人 们在现实中所面对的重重困扰。有些事 情、有些问题，即使付出再多也于事无 补。 尽管如此，我国将依旧保持原有的 计划，依照去年4月宣布的永续发展蓝 图，朝着把碳排放量减到7％至11％的 目标迈进。如此做法都无法拯救地球， 那我们还为什么还要螳臂当车，大费周 章地改变生活，做这些毫无意义的活动 呢？ 这情况与小孩在沙滩上把海星一只 一只地抛回大海的故事相似。也许这行 为在他人眼里是愚昧以及毫无价值的。 但是，纵使力量再小，能力有限，我们 还是应该尽力而为。虽然到头来只帮助

教 育 旨 在 自 身 领 悟

插图｜钟佳唐

了一只海星，至少也算尽了本份。 就有如《心晴大动员》，节目里的 义工都竭尽所能，帮助在贫穷线上挣扎

徐益芳

个

人认为上大学的一个好处，就是可选择 不把某科的成绩算在总成绩内，而且有 机会选择修读自己喜欢的科目，但是有些热 门科目万一手脚慢就未必能抢到。 最终的目的不外乎是希望能够得到理想成 绩，开心毕业。这不禁让人要问∶如此大费 周章，那读这么多书到底是为了什么？ 相信大多数人都曾问过自己这个问题，但 问了之后没有解答，又继续埋头苦读。即使 有答案，当压力侵袭时也会觉得茫然。 古代文人读书是为了考取功名，光宗耀 祖。现代人读书原因可以有很多，但受教育 的最终目的还是为了一纸文凭。拥有多张文 凭似乎就代表拥有高能力，获得社会认可。 许多父母担心孩子的将来，特别是现在有 了直通车等精英制度，小六会考更显重要， 因为这决定了孩子以后会接触的人和所面对 的机遇。可是，即使进入名校，还必须通过 重重关卡才能顺利毕业。这种压力套在学生 身上，让他们逐渐对学习失去兴趣和信心。 读书到底是为了什么？这个问题见仁见 智。笔者搜集了朋友的意见，除了一般为了 父母和前途、更有意义地打发时间等原因， 还有其他颇为有趣的想法。像是认为不读 书就会回到原始时代、不读书等于没有事情 做，因为年纪太小了，还来不及进入大人的 世界，又回不到幼时无知无觉的快乐。 更有朋友认为读书是为了增加知识，克服因为无知而带 来的莫名恐惧。因为有读书受教育，所以人类更文明，社 会更进步。进步不仅是学术上，更是人格、身心的发展， 以及人与人之间交流的层面上。 笔者认为，读书或教育有两个目的：增加知识和丰富内 涵；前者是为了建设世界，后者则是建设个人。 就像朋友所说的，增加知识可以让我们更了解所居住 的世界，使人类更文明和先进，我们才能走到今天。至于 建设个人，有朋友认为还可以分类为内涵修养及满足求知 欲，扩充心灵。 这些听起来似乎很抽象，其实就是希望大家在读书的当 儿不要朝分数或是薪金看齐，更重要的其实是自己个人的 修养，毕竟要先正心、修身，才能齐家、治国、平天下。 所以，读这么多书到底有什么用？这还要看自身的领 悟，毕竟修行是在个人。

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的人。虽然他们的能力只能给予短暂的 帮助，未必能解决这些家庭所有的问 题，但是已经给予他们希望面对未来。

不过，有时候好心也不见得有回报，也 有可能被抹杀。 再说，结果也并非是最重要的。过 程中所付出的心血，以及那真诚的态 度，才是更为重要的。 美国电视名厨Bob Blumer上个月来新 期间，同新加坡酒店与旅游教育学院 （SHATEC）的学生交流。当时学生问 他可曾失败，他立即回答：“我常常失 败。事事不可能尽如人意，最重要是你 必须自己扭转劣势。在厨房里，错误也 绝对可以变成‘美丽的意外’。” 他的食谱中著名的巧克力熔岩蛋糕 就是源自于错误，所以犯错或失败其实 都并不重要，关键是我们必须把错误变 成学习，持之以恒就能不停地向前挺 进。 过度专注于成绩的我们只喜欢往胜 利前进，而当知道自己将面临失败时， 就自行放弃。所以我们必须改变这既定 的心态，别被结果蒙蔽了双眼。其实， 过程中所领悟的才是真正的胜利，你这 份诚心和努力或许能带动他人响应你的 理念。

调整态度 重视母语 杨伟强

最

近李光耀资政在新加坡 华文教研中心开幕仪式 上说，早年以为靠死记硬背就 可学好双语是错误的。他认为 现今教育工作者的当务之急是 引起学生对华文的兴趣，然后 让他们能够掌握基本的华文读 写能力。 他也表示将在有生之年把所 犯下的错误纠正过来。这席话 导致许多教育工作者、语言专 家、媒体和关心此事的民众在 各大媒体上展开激烈的讨论。 笔者同样关心此事，也常注 意各大报章言论和相关报道。 笔者不能也没有资格鉴定谁对 谁错，但只想由衷感谢这些对 华文教育抱着热忱的前辈。没 有他们，也就没有今天和将来 的新加坡华人。 今后本地华文教育所会面对 的问题是值得严以对待的。和

10年前在小学学习华文华语时候 相比，现在已迥然不同了。数据 显示现在有约60％的华人家庭以 英语为家庭用语，看似是顺着局 势而延伸出用英语教华语和废除 死记硬背的教学方式。

因为潜意识里认为英 语是最重要、最“上 流”的，导致孩子丧 失学好华语的最佳环 境。 但不得否认的是，当年要不是 有词语手册、听写、默写和“250 条成语”这无趣的道具，自己就 不会有今天的书写能力。当然， 以华语为第一语言，福建话为第 二语言的家庭环境，也使自己学 习华文华语的过程变得相对容易。 现今孩子就没这样‘好命’了。

插图｜钟佳唐

就算父母会讲方言和华语，而 且讲得还比英语好，他们却依 然以‘半桶水’的英语和孩子 沟通。因为潜意识里认为英语 是最重要、最“上流”的，导 致孩子丧失学好华语的最佳环 境。 对此，笔者有两项建议。 首先，教育部可考虑把华语 考试成绩重列入大学的入学标 准。虽然十分“现实”，但学 生和家长就不会放弃华文，而 成绩较好的学生也会有理由继 续努力，不会觉得把华文读好 是浪费时间和精力的。 其二，重新允许本地电视台 播放制作有意义的方言节目。 其实，方言也是华人传统文 化的一部分，不应被杜绝。华 语在本地式微的原因之一或许 就是少了这些语言文化色彩添 色。看电视除了认识文化，孩 子也能学习及加强华语程度。 以上建议或许可提高国人 对华文的重视和兴趣。但追根 究底，要加强莘莘学子的华文 水平还是得从小做起。所谓三 岁定八十，父母在孩子还处于 牙牙学语状态时就应多使用华 语跟他们沟通。身为失败作品 的我们，唯有把希望寄托于下 一代，从小培养和塑造适当环 境，以确保他们双语程度处于 优势。 把华语当作是母语，才是让 孩子掌握好华文的不二法门。 本地学校几乎科科都是以英语 授课，再加上小学到中学整10 年的洗礼，如果父母担心华语 会对孩子英语程度造成威胁， 也未免太杞人忧天了。

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生活

早

在80年代前，多数中国 制造的玩具都原产自上 海。在1920年期间，上海的铁 皮制造业蓬勃发展，对玩具的 生产有着深远影响。 加上中国经贸对外开放， 许多欧美铁皮玩具开始流入上 海市场，掀起潮流。之后，上 海玩具厂商就争相模仿并大量 制造铁皮玩具，成为玩具史上 重要的里程碑。 铁皮玩具是上海玩具中最具 代表性的老玩具。坐落于罗威 路（Rowell Rd）的上海玩具博 物馆是新加坡，也是全世界第 一家展示上海玩具的博物馆。 收藏品不只有铁皮玩具， 也包括了铁皮饼干盒，与上海 玩具有关的海报和漫画等，估 计种类超过1万多种。其中， 铁皮玩具最易唤起许多人的童 心，也承载了一份集体记忆。 铁皮玩具不容易损坏的特征 是它大受欢迎的主因。为了节 省开支，它成了家长的首选。 在博物馆里，所有玩具以 主题分类，十分整齐。其中， 红旗敞篷车、手扶手拉车和铁 皮机器人都是不能错过的铁皮 玩具。铁皮玩具虽结实，但也 容易生锈和划伤小孩的手，所 以到了90年代初，就完全被塑 料玩具取代了。 富时代特色 是社会的缩影 有人说，玩具是时代与社会 的缩影。这点对上海玩具而言 一点也没错。 世 界 大 战 时，出现了

Xbox360和PS3对身为数码原住民的我们应该不感陌 生。日新月异的科技取代了传统积木和洋娃娃，还有 爷爷奶奶儿时的铁皮玩具。这期就随记者郭慧盈走入 时光隧道，揭开古董玩具的神秘面纱。

功能已经大不相同。不过相 比之下，传统玩具仍与现代 玩具有些许相同之处。 两代玩具 娱乐之余不忘教育 例如在取材方面，正当迪 斯尼卡通征服美国儿童的心 时，中国也出现了“翻版” 迪斯尼卡通玩具，抢先一步 比正品先登入市场。米老鼠 和白雪公主对当时的小孩来 说一点儿也不陌生。 此外，两代都有帮助儿 童发展智力的玩具。现在， 我们有会唱ABC歌谣的玩 具，80年代前则有木制六块 拼图。娱乐孩子之余，也不 忘教育。 若谈到不同的地方呢，其

实就有个不为人知的事实。 在1910年前，中国制造的娃 娃不生动，也不神似人，大 多是木制或土制。小女孩 也不把它们抱入梦乡，因为 这些娃娃其实是陪葬品。上 海玩具博物馆馆主陈国泰表 示，到了清末，许多人就因 此不敢接触欧美进口的洋娃 娃。 古董玩具虽造型简单，但 意义深重。相比之下，现代 玩具显得肤浅。玩具的制造 一向来都十分被重视，搞好 玩具工业，是为了全世界的 儿童服务。由此可见，玩具 小世界大，小小的玩具不只 提供了儿童娱乐，也是他们 的老师与时代的象征物。所 以，绝对不要轻视玩具哦！

在上海玩具博物馆，参观者可以找到文革时期具有英雄形象，富有鲜 明时代特色的兵士玩偶。 抗日、抗美玩具。文革时期，也 出现了具有英雄形象的农夫、兵 士等玩偶。他们代表革命精神与 气概，富有鲜明的时代特色。 政治家通过玩具向儿童间接 灌输政治思想十分普遍。此外， 占多数的男性化玩具也显露了中 国重男轻女的传统思想。从娃娃 的穿着与发型也能够了解到清末 至文革后期，中国人民服装打扮 的演变。这些小细节都展现了上 海玩具独有的历史意义。 当中较有特色的有两件玩 具，其中之一是小熊摄影师。这

款玩具的原先设计构思是为了吸 引小朋友的目光，没想到却在文 革时期引起红卫兵的注意。简单 的玩具一夜之间成了被新闻工作 者喻为狗熊的物品，由此引发了 示威暴动。 另一件玩具是名为“赤道战 鼓”的刚果人民公仔，纪念当时 毛泽东支持刚果人民对美国侵略 进行反抗。玩具就如此成为了一 种外交手腕，令人不得不佩服。 铁皮玩具退出了历史舞台 后，迎来了塑料与电动玩具。玩 具虽然还是玩具，但时代与社会

花钱上游戏咖啡座或自费买游戏 的人，租借服务是更为划算的选 择。” 网上租借服务无疑能提供在 家玩纸板游戏的机会。而租借过 程非常简单，只需通过他们的网 站电邮预定，然后安排亲自取游 戏或寄送即可。 BoardGamesRental目前虽只 有30多款游戏供租借，但他们 仍在继续收集资料，为顾客搜罗 最受欢迎的游戏，尽量每个月至 少增加一个新游戏。熊瑞源补 充：“若在现有的选项内没有想 要的游戏，也可以通知我们，我 们会尽力安排。” 游戏租金可分为6组，视游戏 大小和价格而定，基本上是两天 租金外加押金。 他们也设计一系列的游戏配 套，为不知道该选哪几套游戏的 人提供意见。配套里每个游戏 的价格也比租借单一游戏来得便 宜。当然，他们也欢迎顾客自行 选择，不过要早点预定，以免扑 个空。

老少咸宜的纸板游戏不管在哪个年代都占有一席 之地，近几年涌现的纸板游戏咖啡座就证明其魅 力在数码时代依然未减。喜爱纸板游戏的人，不 妨跟着中文编辑苏文琪寻访花费少，能享有个人 空间的纸板游戏租借服务。

所有玩具都以主题分类，整齐划一排列在陈列柜里，令人一目 了然。 摄影|陈蕴慧

同样的玩意 不同的

目

前， 大部分租 借服务都 是 在 网 络 经 营 ， 不 设实体店面，这里就为大家 介绍由四位纸板游戏爱好者 所创办的网上租借服务—— BoardGamesRental。 就读南大计算机工程学院 一年级的江俊良（21岁）连同 来自国大的柯玉炜（21岁）、 熊瑞源（21岁）和林伟雄（21 岁）筹备了好一段日子，才在 半年前正式开业。 上过游戏咖啡座的人应该 晓得，咖啡座通常有时间限 制，让人玩得不够尽兴。碰上 人多的时候，环境也十分吵 杂，多少会影响玩乐兴致。 柯玉炜说：“我也觉得上 本地游戏咖啡座，很多时候是 花费在食物上而不是游戏。” 她也分享：“纸板游戏可 以说是昂贵的嗜好，对不想

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（左起）柯玉炜、熊瑞源、江俊良和林伟雄携手为纸板游戏爱好者 提供另一选择。 摄影|陈渊莊

为了保持这些纸板游戏完 好无损，他们为所有纸牌和 游戏纸钞覆膜，并且也影印 游戏指南副本。不仅如此， 他们也扫描一些游戏物品如 游戏卡做存档，以防有顾客 丢失，还能自制替换。柯玉 炜说：“我相信大家都不希 望在玩的时候，发现少了游 戏物品。” 贴心的他们也提供免费教 学，让人不必看着那些游戏 指南发愁。网站也转载各款 游戏的录像，让不知道游戏 玩法的人，可以对该游戏有 基本概念后再做出选择。 熊瑞源建议5到6个人玩 一套游戏，太多的话，能玩 的游戏越少，因为许多游戏 的人数顶限是8个人。他也 说：“当然最重要的是和对 的人一起玩，这样气氛才热 得起来。” 对 这 项 租 借 服 务 有 兴趣者，可上网到www. boardgamesrental.com查询。

1/8/10 2:16:42 PM

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乐评 音乐Jukebox 不能错过他们 铁皮机器人 >>> 店里最畅销的商品之一。 大小不一，但复古味十足。 售价：$49.90-$99.90

<<< 可儿娃娃 东方味较重的“芭比娃娃”。新加坡只有这 里找得到。 售价：$24.90

明信片 >>> 买一组明信片，留下美好记忆 的当儿，也能寄给好友分享。 售价：$3.00

不说你不知 1）馆里有个“六一儿童玩具商店” 展区，而“六一”就是6月1日，国 际儿童节。 2）馆主陈国泰，除了是玩具收藏 家，他也在上海设立自己的铁皮玩 具工厂。至今，玩具已出口到世界 各地。 3）有些上海玩具的价值已经是当 时零售价的10万倍！

关于上海玩具博物馆 Museum of Shanghai Toys (MOST) 地址: 83 Rowell Road, Singapore 208015 开放时间: 星期二至星期天， 上午11时至傍晚7时 票价: $8（成人）/ $5（小孩或 学生）

精彩 推荐商品 Puerto Rico（3-5人） 租金：$16｜押金：$40 想挑战自己的人，也 可尝试这策略游戏。玩家 将化身为波多黎植物园 主，种植五种不同农作 物：玉米，蓼蓝，咖啡， 蔗糖和烟草。玩家须有效 管理业务如种植、储存和 运送庄稼等，才能获胜。 游戏时间较长，较适合一 般聚会，在慵懒的下午动 动脑筋。

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No Thanks！ （3-5人） 租金：$4｜押金：$20 纸牌游戏，规则简单 但需动点脑筋，目的是 要争取最少点数。牌里 有编号3至35，开始前会 抽出9张牌，每人手中也 有11个筹码。过程中玩 家不可透露手中筹码。 每翻一张牌，玩家可 选：在牌上放个筹码， 将牌让给下个玩家；或 收下牌（连同该牌上的 筹码），再翻下张牌。 能收集连贯号码（12至 14）最好，因为算点数 时，只需算入最小的 数字（12），就 能赠加获胜机 会。游戏结束 时，玩家手中 剩下的筹码也能 从总点数扣除。

专辑：《100天》 歌手：林俊杰 推荐：《一个又一个》 《跟屁虫》

从

,,,,,

咳血到失声，因而导致有段时 期无法唱歌。走出低潮期的林 俊杰交出一张值得嘉奖的作品，在新 专辑《100天》里展现了他纯熟的唱功 和优异的创作能力。 首波主打《第几个100天》旋律动 人，林俊杰的诠释也令人激赏，尤其 到了最后一段副歌，漂亮的转音使听 者情绪高昂。 此外，专辑中最为亮眼的创作莫过 于《跟屁虫》，歌曲中带有印度腔的 口白十分逗趣，而宝莱坞风格的曲风 可说是别树一帜。这点恰恰和歌词中 想表达不想做跟屁虫，想做出与众不 同的音乐理念不谋而合。 由林宇中作词，林俊杰作曲的《一 个又一个》更是值得一提。爵士风的 编曲是专辑中的一股清流，听了十分 享受。歌曲淡淡地唱出感情中爱人走 了一个又来了一个的现象，可听度极 高。 用100天里的心情写照作为主题， 这概念的确令人期待。可惜的是， 林俊杰却没有让此主题贯穿整张专 辑，成为这张专辑中的最大遗憾。 （文／余思远）

专辑：《让我们一起微笑吧》 歌手：F.I.R 推荐：《荆棘里的花》 《冲浪季节》

首

,,,,,

度担任专辑制作人的阿沁和飞 因对细节有高要求，F.I.R暌违 了两年才和大家见面。 F.I.R通过新专辑鼓励听者与他们 一起勇敢地以微笑面对所有挑战， 也重申刚出道时的理念：寻找心中 的“Fairyland In Reality”。 首波主打《We Are》以大家熟悉的 摇滚曲风大声宣示他们回来了，励志 的歌词诉说着他们出道至今的历程。 《荆棘里的花》是专辑少不了的抒 情摇滚歌曲。飞利用她温柔的嗓音唱 着爱情就像荆棘里的花，不畏艰难地 绽放。 《冲浪季节》的可爱无厘头风格虽 然乍听之下神似旺福乐团的歌曲，但 飞破格的演唱让人眼前一亮，可说是 专辑里的最大和唯一惊喜。 整体来讲，专辑保持F.I.R一贯的 风格，但也少了新鲜感。或许是第一 张专辑的成绩太耀眼，连续几张专辑 下来没有突破不免让听者感到厌倦。 虽然能锁住粉丝群，但是对F.I.R有 着极高期待的歌迷，这次肯定难免失 望。（文／陈韦元）

影评 电影播映室

UglyDoll（2-6人） 租金：$7｜押金：$20 纸牌游戏，规则 非常简单，节奏快且 刺激，有暖场作用， 适合在派对玩。每人 轮流翻开一张丑娃 牌，直至发现第三张 一样的就可开始抢 该丑娃。抢完后再继 续翻，抢到最多张牌 就是赢家。柯玉炜笑 道：“一群女生玩的 话会更刺激，因为我 们的反应较大。”

电影：《刺陵》 导演： 朱延平 主要演员：周杰伦、林志玲、 林道明、曾志伟

乔

,,,,,

飞（周杰伦饰）、蓝婷 （林志玲饰）和其他众 多人物前往浩瀚的沙漠，是要 在寻宝的过程中，为各自心中 疑惑找到解答。 但是在欣赏他们的探险之 旅后，作为观众的反而脑子里 有更多问号。 故事情节上缺乏逻辑，也毫无衔接性。很多事情没有交待清楚，叫人摸不着头 脑。画面再好看，也无法让观众感受到沙漠的神秘与危险。 一群人打打杀杀，为的就是要到古城，找寻古物。要到古城看起来会是件挺困 难的事，但是周杰伦、林志玲、曾志伟和林道明就轻而易举，莫名其妙地被个龙卷 风卷入了古城。 演技方面，周杰伦依旧保持酷帅的摸样，而且也在戏中耍不同的功夫，值得赞 赏。林志玲这次的戏份和发挥空间明显地比在《赤壁》还要来得多。除了泼辣倔 强，她还得演被恶魔上身，实属不易，可见演技有些进步。 虽然戏中也出现了许多人物，但其意义令人费解，就好像大漠飞鹰的感情戏， 以及客串绷带怪客的刘耕宏来抢古城地图。 所幸的是，导演找了曾志伟来注入搞笑场面为观众解闷。 本来以为周杰伦和林志玲合作，会擦出不同的火花，但最后也只能失望而归。 只能说，不能对这部电影有太大的期望。（文／卓芳慧）

1/8/10 2:20:57 PM

5mm apart from story

20

jan uary 11, 2010

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

娱乐 超级星光大道 《超级星光大道》可说是台湾最轰动以及最受瞩目的选星 节目，自2007年开播以来已办到第六届。这比赛更是培养出了 许多畅销歌手，如林宥嘉、杨宗纬、梁文音和徐佳莹。他们个 个都享有极高的人气和买气，也在各地音乐颁奖典礼上获奖无 数。 其中，并非参赛者的萧敬腾，也以踢馆赛中优异的表现，引 起网民热烈讨论，最终被唱片公司相中，成为发片歌手。每周 比赛主题，如地狱悲歌vs天堂High歌，歌中剧和踢馆赛，都为 节目增添不少可看性。 从第三届的比赛开始，评审团更是拉队到洛杉矶、日本和 新加坡等地寻找好声音。此外，最新一季的比赛采用了全新的 赛制，由四位资深音乐人带队，比赛的选手共分成四个队伍对 抗，新鲜感十足。

超级偶像 2007年开播的《超级偶像》至今已选出了三届冠军，而第四 届的比赛正如火如荼地进行。比赛标榜着不限年龄与职业的号 召，旨在为有实力的人一圆明星梦。 此外，评审团也颇具公信力。他们包括黄国伦、陈珊妮、林 隆旋和陈国华。第一届冠军张芸京的中性外形与演唱风格让她 与众不同，而在不久前刚发片的她，也拥有不俗的销量成绩。 同是来自首届《超偶》的亚军黄文星除了发行EP，也因帅气 外形获得演出电影和偶像剧的机会。第二届冠亚军艾成与符琼 音也陆续发片，而最新一季冠军是有性感女神之称的朱俐静。 第三届比赛也增添了每周MVP的环节，每周比赛得最高分的 参赛者就能得到奖金奖品或成为电台主打星，接受杂志专访。

超级女声 《超级女声》在中国电视节目界拥有极高的人气，更形成一 种社会现象。2004至2006年间，每年连续举办了三届比赛。而 在停播三年后，《超女》也在2009年5月再次启动赛事。 此节目规模庞大，比赛制度是先从不同的地区选出前三甲， 再集合选手进行选拔直到冠军诞生。2004年举办的首届比赛冠 军是安又琪，而第二届赛事更是引起轰动，总决赛当晚冠军李 宇春一人就累积了300多万张的简讯投票。除了李宇春外，本地 乐迷熟悉的还有亚军周笔畅和季军张靓颖，而这三名超女近年 来表现不俗，获奖无数。 去年本地电视主题曲《寂寞光年》也肯定让本地观众不会对 第三届季军刘力扬感到陌生。此外，《超女》的成功也 造就了其他类似比赛如《快乐男声》。

Astro新秀大赛 《Astro新秀大赛》可说是众多歌星 选拔赛里，历史最悠久的选星节目。由 马来西亚电视台Astro频道从1996年开 办至今，已为马国培育出无数出色的歌 手。 每年举办的比赛都会采用不同的制 度，并且评审团人选也不一样。除了邀 请海外的歌手担任表演嘉宾外，每年比 赛的环节也非常精彩，如快歌、慢歌和 演唱大会指定歌曲。 年度比赛更挖掘出了不少好声音，如受欢 迎程度甚高的“微笑王子”张栋梁就是2002 年的冠军。外形俊俏的他也有机会参与偶像 剧《微笑Pasta》的演出。 此外，金曲歌王曹格也是1999年总决赛选 手。2005年亚军符琼音也到台湾参加《超偶》摘下 亚军头衔，并成功推出了个人专辑《粉红点唱机》。 去年的赛事更添加了全新环节，让创作人呈交自己的 作品，最后选出最佳的原创歌曲。

新 星 久 后 变 腥 星 .. .

第三届《新加坡偶像》冠军在千呼万唤下诞 生，而这也让选星节目回温。但比赛激情退却 后，不禁让人反思的是，前几届冠亚军人物何 去何从。相比之下，国外选星节目的选手似乎 更能在乐坛上持久发光发热。本地选星节目不 如外地吗？让余思远为你整理分析。

绝对Superstar_ 2005年启播的《绝对Superstar》引起国人热烈关注，并且带 动选星节目热潮。比赛评审团由五位本地资深音乐人组成，其 中包括李伟菘、许环良和黎沸挥。 此外，观众投选也占了成绩的大部分。首届冠军陈伟联虽然 双目失明却歌声动人，迅速成为国人讨论的话题和媒体争相报 道的对象。其余的四位参赛者——潘嘉丽、洪俊扬、石欣卉和 何维健，也分别与不同的唱片公司签约。 除了洪俊扬宣布将退居幕后，其余四人近期都有发行新作 品，成绩不俗。第二届比赛隔了一年多才举办，Superstar热潮 显然已经退温。 这也使第二届冠军陈世维无法像第一届冠军那样受瞩目，发 行首张个人专辑后，便没有关于他会再发片的消息了。 值得一提的是，马来西亚与越南的电视台更购买了《绝对 Superstar》的节目形式版权，在各自的国家举办比赛。

非常Superband_ 趁《绝对》和《校园Superstar》热潮未退，此类歌唱比赛再 度出现。《非常Superband》要选出的不再是单一歌手，而是至 少两人的出色乐团。主题新颖的节目成功造就另一股追看热潮。 《非常》至今已办了两届，比赛成绩除了部分掌握在评审 手中外，观众投选更是占了很大的百分比。首届冠军荣衔由三 个男生组成的乐团迷路兵摘下，不久前才发行第三张专辑的他 们，这几年来也证明了自己的实力。除了在新加坡金曲奖获得 肯定，他们也受邀演唱许多本地重头戏剧的主题曲。 到了第二届比赛，除了全新的主持人，评审人选也遭大洗 牌，备受争议的台湾毒舌评审包小松的加入也为比赛增添了不 少话题。同样的，隔了两年才举办的第二届比赛，无法造成很 大的轰动。第二届冠军兔子在比赛结束后，就似乎没有任何新 动向。

综观所有选星节目，我们不难 看出其中《超级星光大道》和 《超级女声》算是培养出较多 畅销歌手。但是，要歌手顺利 出唱片也掺杂了许多天时、地 利、人和的因素。歌声动人， 唱得出色未必夺冠。比 赛冠军人物也不一定是 人气最旺的，而没进 入前三甲的选手也说不 定会被唱片公司相中。 本地选星节目无论是在内容或 选手素质都并不差。但挖掘本 地歌手是个长远的任务，需持 久耕耘。也许在不久的将来， 我们也会发掘红遍华人乐坛的 选秀新星。

插图｜钟佳唐

chinese20.indd 1

1/8/10 2:06:14 PM

Opinions “Wishing for change in NTU?” Turn to page 23 to find out

frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

Too anxious to please?

McDona lds’ decision to r e place t he zod iac pig with Cupid for their latest Doraemon luck y char m sof t toy se r ie s ha s set online forums ablaze with negative comments.

A s a ha la l cer t if ied establishment, McDonald’s has to abide by the laws set by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore with regards to handling and preparation of food.

However, although the toy pig had nothing to do with the actual preparation of food , t he f a s t food chain still felt that it was necessary to.

While Muslim patrons do not see the presence of a pig soft toy offensive to their religion, perhaps the problem is that we are overly fixated with the idea of racial harmony.

In wanting to tr y to r e s pe c t eac h ot he r ’s pr ac t ices, we tend to forget the real significance beh ind t hese taboos or restrictions.

For instance, most of us are aware that most

Buddhists are vegetarian on certain days of the month but we are unaware of the religious significance.

When we carry out acts of tolerance, acceptance or even at tempts at practicing religious and racial harmony without f ully understanding its significance, it brings about more harm than good.

By trying to appease the Muslims, who are unfazed by t h i s , Mc Dona ld’s has instead robbed t he ethnic Chinese of a zodiac character.

Even as we climb the global scale, it is important to not just be accepting of different religious practices but instead be willing to ask why it is done.

It i s abs u r d t hat at t he e nd of t h i s e nt i r e s a ga , Va le nt i ne’s Day, C h i ne se Ne w Yea r a nd Islamic religious practices f i nd t he m se lve s i n a n inconclusive meeting in none other than the fast food capital – McDonald’s.

Has significance really lost it s sig n i f ica nce?

CH R O N ICL E THE NANYANG

chief editor Shereen Naaz Charles MANAGING editor Law Shi Ming Elizabeth

sports editors Eve Yeo Yu Ping Loh Jiaju Ronald

sub-editors Kwan Hui Xian Lin Jieming Melissa

layout editors Mak Jinfa Joseph Hong Shuqi Loh Jun Qi Tang Ying Ying Glenda

News editors Goh Kai Shi Aw Yeong Jia Jia Maxie

photo editors Chan Wan Wai Eunice Ng Jun Sen

Lifestyle editors Goh Shang Zhe Kenneth Jennifer Dhanaraj

graphics editor Choong Jia Tang Alan

Reviews editor Lock Mei Jin Clara

ONLINE editor Tan Jun Long Jeremy Han Xinyun Danielle

TECH editor Lim Song En Kevin

business managers Teo Xin Wen Jean

dapper editors Lim Hui Ching Audrey Tan Jingliang

production support Ng Heng Ghee

Chinese editors Su Wenqi Wong Kang Wei opinionS editors Chan Xiu Fen Rosemary Goh Jiamin

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.

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

Death of the reader

GRAPHIC | LAU HONG HU

Goh Jiamin opinions editor

R

ecently a friend proudly declared that he had not read fiction since he g r aduated f rom secondary school five years ago.

While it barely bothered him, it certainly did me.

It dawned on me that for many, reading has become a perfunctory act.

Even f r iends major ing in English Literature readily stay away from books dur ing the holidays.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A man is known by the books he reads”. In a similar thread, a society can be judged by the books it consumes.

W hen people do read voluntarily, their choice of fiction is often dependent on what is on at the movies.

The Time Traveler’s Wife, for instance, was not as popular before it was turned into a movie.

When I picked up the book a few years back, no one had even heard of it. Yet today, it remains on the Best-Sellers lists all around the world after its movie’s release.

Movies are often reductive to the stories they attempt to emulate.

Reading fiction only after watc h i ng it s mov ie ve r sion i s cor r osive to ou r r ead i ng experience.

The perpetual choice for the popular connects people. At the same time, it limits the scope of content we engage with.

In a society that is hard pressed for time, fiction has been relegated to being a time-waster.

People would rather spend their time more “productively” sitting around watching television.

This attitude towards fiction t remendously u nder rates its value.

When people do read voluntarily, their choice of fiction is often dependent on what is on at the movies.

W hen commit ted to, it is more than mere storytelling. It encapsulates ideas to which we have personal responses.

Reading connects us with the inner selves we tend to overlook in the hustle and bustle of life.

In literature, ideas are explored and greater thought is encouraged.

Through reading literature, we develop meaningful, insightful

lives, where we can challenge ourselves intellectually.

We often go through events and phases in our lives in which we need to be alone, be it physically or emotionally.

It is in these times that a book does more than tell a story. It connects us to another’s world.

Since reading is a personal experience, interpretation of a text directly involves the reader.

In this other world, we identify a shared experience within fiction which people in our lives might not understand.

This may offer us some degree of illumination and knowledge.

It is also a reassuring process in which our solitude is reduced.

As C.S. Lewis wrote, “We read to know that we are not alone”.

Reading fiction is less frivolous than most make it out to be.

When the effort is made to commit and connect to the words on the page, reading becomes personally rewarding.

This is especially so when the choice of fiction does not depend on what has been adapted to the big screen.

As the Oopma Loompas in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory said: So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, Go t hrow your T V set away, And in its place you can install A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

opinions

JAN UA RY 11, 2010

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

Are you there NTU? It’s me, Student.

Chun Yuan Shan

A

s we wave goodbye to 2009 and welcome 2010, it is time to grab a coffee, snuggle up in a cosy corner to review the past year, and draft a new set of resolutions for this year.

Looking back at the old to-do list from January 2009 and what we set out to achieve, NTU has undeniably done a good job.

In the course of 2009, we saw NTU undergo a slew of changes, ranging from the completion of the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) building to the change in the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U) option deadline.

Canteen B has made the effort to go environmentally friendly with greater use of non-disposables.

Bus-stops are also less packed during peak periods thanks to increased frequencies of public buses and the free shuttle services to and from Pioneer MRT station.

Education should allow students room for creativity and spontaneity together with room for experimentation and mistakes With those improvements in 2009, has NTU been turned into a student’s dream campus?

Communication and transparency between students and administrators — uncheck.

If only students knew what hit them during one of the most frantic times of the year: the subject registration.

Tr a n spa renc y bet ween t he st udent s a nd t he sc hool administration could be better with explanations for technical glitches occuring during subject registration.

W hat about e ncou r a g i ng greater artistic flair?

The lack of vacancies in some HSS subject s proves to be a nightmare. Uncheck again.

The search for perfection is an endless task.

A peek into the 2010 to-do list for the universit y might be the key to making 2010 a year of significant change and improvement.

1. Thou shalt implement the S/U option after the release of results.

Here we are, one of the biggest issues ever of dealing with a student’s life: grades.

23

canteen talk

Singapore Idol 2009 has just ended. We asked students how they felt about the outcome and what they thought of the criticisms surrounding Sezairi Sezali, the third male, Malay winner.

I did not have a favourite while the competition was going on but I think it would have been nice to have a female winner

”

Sharifah Marziana, NIE, Yr 2, 25

“

I prefer Sezairi but I would not mind if Sylvia had won. It is a fair competition and people should not say things like that Hafizah Abdul Wahid, ADM, Yr 4, 23

GRAPHIC | ALPHONSUS WONG

Yes, we should be less resultsoriented, we should enjoy the process of learning, we should seek knowledge for the purpose of improving ourselves.

Giving us an extension for the S/U option shows that the student’s voice is heard and, believe it or not, is much appreciated by those who have noticed the later deadline.

Alas, the administration might have failed to notice the crux of the whole issue.

Educat ion shou ld a l low st udents room for creat iv it y and spontaneity together with room for experimentation and mistakes.

With the constant worry about grades, st udents do not dare to take subjects that they are interested in for fear of risking their Grade Point Average (GPA).

2. Thou shalt be more selective in sending out emails to student’s accounts.

Now, what could a student of Mechanical Engineering or Psychology possibly do with email notifications of bank internships with the positions of auditors and marketing officers?

A lso, what con st it utes “possible spam”?

It is time for students’ email to go on a diet. Better management would make much improvement to the current system.

A web portal for important updates and internship opportunities should be set up to hold all relevant information.

A l l i t wou ld t a k e i s a n occasional email notification to remind students.

3. Thou shalt give us more library resources.

As students, we arm ourselves with resources we find in libraries to beef up our assignments and further our readings.

No doubt our online resources should prove to be ample.

However, our libraries should still contain books with documents unavailable online.

Add it iona l mater ia ls l i ke newspaper clippings and courserelated films would do no harm either.

This is especially crucial for those courses that require many external readings, such as those from HSS. Will 2010 be a more rewarding year, or would similar issues of the past continue to plague NTU? The to-do list is not the defacto way to a fulfilling new year, but a list of feasible suggestions.

The first ever Youth Olympic Games has set its Youth Olympic Village in NTU. Given the opportunity, who would not want to leave a lasting impression on our guests from a far?

I think Sylvia is better. Male contestants usually win because females are more likely to vote

”

Wong Kah Chon, CEE, Yr 1, 21

“

Sezairi deserves to win the competition. He has extra training which gave him advantage over Sylvia Mohd Al-Muzakkir, MAE, Yr 2, 23

It is another Malay winner but it does not bother me much because my ricebowl is not affected by it

”

Koh Teng En Zecharaiah, MAE, Yr 4, 24 TEXT | ROSEMARY CHAN; PHOTOS | GRACE AUYONG

24

opinions

Jan uary 11, 2010

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

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

Why are we so hung up?

Timothy Ng

I

believe that most of us have a certain amount of xenophobia within us, a fear of foreigners or strangers.

The word may be Greek to you but it came from my Primary 6 English textbook, on the last page where the useful words to impress teachers were found.

What struck me most at that age was the existence of a word that describes the awkwardness of hav ing someone not f rom your circle of family and friends appearing in your life, like a new sibling joining the family.

The influx of foreign talent can also be seen as inevitable as having a new sibling in the house.

We, as true blue Singaporeans, merely were here first before them and go through what most children experience when there is a new addition to the family.

We first go through a “neglected phase”, where all the attention shifts from the older child to the new one.

Immigrants prov iding competitive wage demands over Singaporeans, doing jobs no Singaporean would ever touch, it was always about them, them, and them when they first arrived.

A f te r get t i ng ove r be i ng neglected, we often transit to the “petulant phase” where children vie for parent’s attention to validate their self-worth.

Athletes such as James Wong and Stefan Tseng are not a dime a dozen on our sunny island of Singapore

Local tabloids run articles about the foreign talent in Singapore stealing the rice bowls of locals, taking the top spots during PSLE and so on.

These articles are the result of Singaporeans at the height of their petulance, where we unleash the “complain technique” for these newcomers.

Howe ve r, we cont i nue to see foreign talent grabbing the headlines.

Starring in our national teams, winning medals for Singapore, as well as a healthy sum of money for their effort.

The whole “rinse, dry, repeat process” of being hung up over foreign talent starts up all over again.

The only consolation to these new bundles of joy being added

GRAPHIC | CHAN HUI LING

to our family is the fact that it is not something only Singapore is facing.

We constantly read and hear about the onset of globalisation.

Indigenous pride has been overtaken with agendas to lower the costs of production in multinational corporations in the world today.

In a global economy where a decimal place decline in a company’s stocks results in a few billion dollars of losses, every factor counts in this global village.

Similar economic factors are at play in sport, too.

It is more feasible economically to engage foreign talent although copious amounts of taxpayer’s money is used to fuel sporting excellence in Singapore.

Local athletes like James Wong and Stefan Tseng are not a dime a dozen on our sunny island.

Until Singapore can churn out world champions we will have to live with our xenophobia and remain petulant at the stream of foreign talent and workers joining our Singaporean community.

Foreign immigrants have made Singapore their home for years, yet the true blue Singaporeans remain petulant over their presence on our sunny shores.

The question that should loom over our heads, is why are we perpetually hung up over foreign talent?

This writer is Singaporean, la.

Rosemary Chan Opinions Editor

A

lready, cosmopolitan Singapore’s workforce consists of a staggering 1.8 million foreigners, which makes up one– third of our population.

I mu s t ad m it t h at wh i le foreign talents and workers are an indispensable presence in the growth of our nation as an international hub, this sobering figure has made me wonder if we are perhaps going overboard in our engagement of foreigners.

Confessedly, it seems that the attitude of Singaporeans is a catalyst to the recent years’ invasion of foreigners.

Pride has made Singaporeans unwilling to settle for not just jobs with low wages and long hours, but also jobs that come attached with a certain amount of discrimination.

Because Singaporeans are too picky about the type of jobs they are willing to do, employers have no choice but to remedy this situation by bringing in foreigners who are willing to take up jobs that Singaporeans shun, such as toilet cleaners.

Having said all that, it appears to me that we have merely been substit uting what is lack ing.

This seemingly innocuous act of

replacement would eventually stunt our growth as a nation.

Prolonged reliance on foreigners however, is not a solution and could potentially cause a number of social and economic problems.

Prolonged reliance on foreigners however, is not a solution and could potentially cause a number of social and economic problems.

In the same vein, a lack of people who possess specific expertise required to be internationally competitive has brought about a wave of well-trained personnel from abroad, such as professors and engineers.

Indeed, being a metropolitan society, there is a pressure to consistently attract foreign talents who have invaluable skills to aid us in our development.

Howe ve r, I ca n not st r e s s enough how crucial it is for us to deal with our inadequacies.

In order to avoid disadvantaging

our countrymen in the long run, we should focus on nurturing an even larger pool of local talents.

It is not difficult to imagine t h e f r u s t r at ion a n a v e r a ge middle-class Singaporean goes through.

The rising costs of living, and widening income disparities further handicaps locals in their struggle to stay afloat in such a competitive environment.

Con side r i ng t he se t r y i ng ci rc u m sta nces, i l l feeli ngs towards the incessant influx of foreigners who are here to make a living as well is unhealthy but understandable.

Let’s not forget however that our forefathers are immigrants as well.

And that these visitors are not spared of the struggles we face.

I am not questioning the need for these newcomers, but I would like to highlight the ridiculous extent of this “need”.

T here i s a ver y f i ne l i ne bet ween nat ion pr ide a nd arrogance.

It is true that locals need to lay down their pride or “face” as we commonly refer to, however, our insecurities should not be taken lightly.

Perhaps on ly when t he ridiculous number of 1.8 million drops will Singaporeans stop obsessing over the number of newcomers in their midst and ill-feelings be dispelled.

opinions

Jan ua ry 11, 2010

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

25

Going the distance for a better degree Zhang Jieqiang

I

f finances were not an issue, many I believe would choose to study in overseas universities rather than in local ones.

A November 25, 2009 Straits Times article entitled We offer only local scholarships reported that “top companies hand out scholarships tenable only in local universities as they believe them to be as good

GRAPHIC | ALAN CHOONG

as the Oxbridge, Ivy League or other brand-name institutions overseas.”

This move aims to counteract the brain drain, and discloses an urgency to retain local talents.

This is applicable not only to these companies, but also the nation.

The stayers/quitters rhetoric has been part of the nation—

building discourse for more than a decade.

This trend continues to be a concern.

Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, in his address at Chung Cheng High School's 70th Anniversary last year, noted that “more than one in five of the top students from the 1996-1999 A level graduating cohorts are not working in Singapore today”.

He calls for schools to “help students retain their emotional bonds to Singapore,” so that they will return to contribute to the local economy.

That these top companies put the accent on the quality of a local education reveals that they have interpreted the trend of students choosing to study and work abroad as a sign that overseas universities are believed to be better than local ones.

However, it is clear that local universities have stringent admission criteria. Only top students are granted places.

Thus, there are students who study abroad precisely because their grades do not make the cut for a local education.

Indubitably, local universities are dubbed to be academically “as good as” overseas universities.

Perhaps the reason why

students choose to study abroad is not simply an academic one.

In the same Straits Times article, one of the said top companies, Sembcorp, believes that the universities here are “just as good”, but added that “because it had strong international operations, it encourages its scholars to get overseas exposure”.

Emphasis of an “overseas exposure” is placed even by a company that offers local scholarships.

More than one in five of the top students from the 1996 - 1999 A level graduating cohorts are not working in Singapore today The article implicitly admits that education goes beyond an academic experience; it encompasses a cultural one.

Students who have graduated from overseas universities return

to Singapore with enriched cultural experiences which would benefit local companies.

SM Goh points out that a local pre-university education “prepares our students to be entrepreneurial and world-ready.”

But what is the point of being “world-ready” if students are not encouraged to explore and experience other worlds with overseas scholarships?

The perpetual dilemma is that once they go abroad, they might not return.

But they might.

Those that do bring to our society and economy experiences they could not have gained locally.

Of those that do not, perhaps they have found a truer home nearer to their hearts.

And if so, maybe the question we should be asking is not: “What if overseas scholarship recipients do not return to Singapore?”, but rather: “Why is nothing there for them to return to once they have seen another world?”

Perhaps, the problem we should answer at the heart of the brain drain discourse is: how do we work towards a Singapore in which students could and would “retain their emotional bonds to”?

26

sports

Jan uary 11, 2010

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

bpl talk

Fouled by money woes Bhavan Jaipragas predicts a rough year for English football as financial worries take a toll IN LITTLE over a month we will usher in the Year of the Metal Tiger. Geomancers and feng shui experts predict a year of considerable conflict and tension.

As it stands, the Barclays Premier League will have to face its fair share of tribulations in the coming months.

Chief among the league’s problems is its very lifeblood — money. Debt levels in the top f light of English football topped three billion pounds (S$6.5billion) last year.

While the credit crunch gives us no reason to cheer, it at least had a tremendous stalling effect on owners piling debt onto their clubs, as the clubs themselvse are plunged into debt as well. Wage costs continue to rise in most clubs as players continue to demand more competitive pay.

L ive r pool ma nage r R a fa Be n ite z apparently had to cast his net elsewhere after realising that Ruud van Nistelrooy still commands a £120,000 (S$267,000) a week salary despite having scored just five goals in the past two seasons.

The situation is not helped by the stratospheric income tax rates in the United Kingdom (where the top rate is 50 per cent), which either deters players from signing with English teams or forces the teams to raise players’ salaries to make up for their

TURN OF THE TIDE: David James of Portsmouth may not have anything to cheer about come 2010 PHOTO | INTERNET

income tax.

Everyone wants in on the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, with some willing to put their money into it.

This season, foreigners own ten out of the twenty clubs in the top flight.

Despite the lucrative financial prospects that these foreign owners may bring, it does not seem to be the ultimate answer to the

premier league’s financial quagmire.

Just last week, it was reported that the salaries of Portsmouth players were delayed for three consecutive months. There are rumours that it might receive a writ from the government to wind up because of its financial predicaments.

The club, which lifted the English FA cup just two seasons ago, seems to be

stalling like that juggernaut of yesteryear – Leeds United.

Owner Ali Al-Faraj and his intentions for the club continue to be a mystery to many in the footballing world, as is the case for several other foreign owned clubs, like cash-strapped American-owned Liverpool.

Apparently the Merseyside club are unable to sign new players due to a lack of funds.

Manchester City, the world’s richest club after its takeover by one of Abu Dhabi’s billionaire sheikhs, is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Having poured close to half a billion dollars into the club, its owner expected instant results and Mark Hughes was acrimoniously felled as manager. Sheikh Mansour duly proved that patience is certainly not a virtue for the league’s foreign owners. We will have to wait and see to judge the resolve of other club chairmen in the months to come.

The World Cup in June presents another conundrum for the league this year.

On one hand, players on the fringes of international sides will be striving to raise their game to claim the last few spots on the plane to South Africa – club managers will definitely not be complaining.

However, marquee players may choose to step down a few gears, or avoid the cut and thrust of physical confrontation in matches for fear of injury and damaging their chances of playing at the upcoming World Cup. Admist all the apprehension towards the Year of the Tiger (and the year ahead for the English Premier League), fans should just pay attention to what happens on the field.

After all, isn’t it the drama on the field that draws us to mass around the screen in the neighbourhood kopitiam every Saturday night?

sports talk

Goal 2010, gone by 2010 Ronald Loh sports editor

NOW that 2010 is finally upon us, Singapore's 22-year dream of finally qualifying for the World Cup suddenly resurfaced in my mind.

Goa l 2010 ended t ragica lly when Singapore suffered a 2-0 loss at home to Saudi Arabia in June last year.

While the disappointment of us not participating in South Africa come June may have been soothed since, I still cannot help but wonder what it would take for our Lions to participate in one of the world's most prestigious competitions.

Is it a sheer lack of talent that hinders us from qualifying?

We may be too conservative to even fathom the thought of pursuing a career in football Actually, the answer lies in our mindset.

Si ngapor ea n s a r en't pa r t ic u la rly optimistic about our own country's footballing prospects, players or academies.

As such, we aren't as willing to forgo our entire career just to put a ball at the back

of a net. Even though we do have our own youth football academies, just how many Singaporeans would forgo a stable job for a shot at becoming the next Fandi Ahmad?

Our culture of going all out for a stable education and then a stable job may have blocked off our soccer ambitions.

We grew up taking on academia. Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo grew up taking on his fellow football kakis on the streets of Portugal.

We may be too conservative to even fathom the thought of pursuing a career in football.

Even if the Football Association of Singapore injects huge amounts of funds to improve our infrastructure and youth academies, we will still be staring at a lack of talent.

Simply because we do not dare.

If we are unable to step out of our shell, our talent pool will always be limited.

Singapore coach Radojko Avramovic will always have limited options. We will always be shortchanging ourselves. It's tantamount to not giving ourselves a chance.

Another reason is the lack of financial clout in Singapore football. Indeed passion drives athletes, but their salaries pay for the mortgage.

While a multi-million dollar contact is not the main reason why footballers take to the pitch, it does provide a huge incentive.

Take England's football academies for example, they hold trials and scout for talent. Youths join, because they hope that

YOUTH TALENT: Singapore must expand its youth development for greater success on the international front PHOTO | INTERNET

they might be the next David Beckham. The former England skipper reportedly earns US$27 million (S$50 million) a year. Surely everyone fancies that.

Even if they do not reach the pinnacle of becoming an insanely rich footballer, an average footballer in Spain, England or Italy still commands more than what a Singaporean footballer earns.

The Football Association of Singapore could promote a footballing culture, starting with the primary schools. Allow our children to be able to dare to venture into becoming a full-time footballer.

Our infrastructure in training facilities, stadiums, yout h academies and club managements could then be worked upon.

The football culture could be promoted through increased league broadcasts, and

coverage of primary, secondary and tertiary school games. We have to allow ourselves to feel connected with those who take up the game, and only then will passion among Singaporeans be ignited.

Footballing has to be made into a realistic job prospect in Singapore. Our players' salaries have to be competitive.

While it may be unrealistic to expect it to match those of players from Real Madrid, Chelsea or Manchester United, it could be matched to other jobs in Singapore.

Only when Singaporeans are able to consider it as a proper career, will they be willing to invest their fullest attention to it.

We must first learn to trust football. Then we would be in gear to realistically push for a World Cup berth.

sports

Jan ua ry 11, 2010

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

sports feature

Golf: size isn't everything Sports Editor Eve Yeo tries her hand at miniature golf, indoors.

UPHILL TASK: Miniature golf is no easy feat. PHOTO | GOH CHAY TENG

NOW that Tiger Woods is on a break, it seems like the right time for somebody else to take up the mantle of #1.

Enter my photographer, Goh Chay Teng, and I as we start off with miniature golf.

Lilliputt, Singapore’s first and only indoor themed miniature golf course, has 18 holes modelled after prominent local landmarks like the Esplanade and Sentosa.

Before this visit to the course, golfing seemed like a slow, dull sport.

However, the idea of playing away from the sweltering heat and long distances of outdoor golf courses seemed inviting.

Hoping to discover some hidden golfing talent a la Michelle Wie, we stepped into the golf course eagerly.

After being assigned a putter, ball and score card for one round of 18 holes, we were br iefed by a trainer and given a short demonstration about basic golf techniques like the grip, stance and swing.

Next to us were some children who seemed to putt each course in under ten seconds. We took at least a minute to do the same in the airconditioned premises of Lilliputt, a miniature golf course at East Coast Park’s Big Splash.

We were trying to hit balls into 18 different holes while trying to stay under-par.

Each mini Singapore landmark was complemented by v isual animations and sound effects.

Trishaws, cable cars and even an M RT car riage transpor ted the ball to another venue while opera music blared f rom the mini Esplanade and the lights of Sentosa’s Musical Fountain lit up after each successful putt.

Lilliputt's assistant manager Gladys Loo said: “Teenagers and undergrads usually come in groups of up to five players. They compete against one another to see who does the best job of keeping underpar."

Each score card can be used by a maximum of 5 players for a “tournament”.

Chay Teng and I played against each other for one round of 18 holes.

After exceeding every single putt limit at the first few holes and being hurried by others waiting in line, we gave up keeping score.

they said that?

“I have never left the race track, after three years, I regained the energy I'm feeling now.”

Michael Schumacher (below) on his return to Formula 1 racing.

The idea of playing away from the sweltering heat and long distances of outdoor golf seemed inviting Chay Teng seemed to improve with each hole while I performed rather abysmally from start to end.

However, I was glad to have competition as it kept me alert and made me play my best. Or rather, what I thought to be my best.

Despite all these bells and whistles, NTU Golf Club president Eugene Koh will not be going there for serious training anytime soon.

The 24-year-old said, "Mini golf is played in a more casual and relaxed setting than actual golf and does not instill much golf skills in the player. Most beginners who are interested to pick up golf skills or even play leisurely still approach the club to learn."

One thing is certain, however.

There is nothing miniature about the effort needed to play mini golf.

Common Golf Terms

1 2 3 4

27

Putt Shot made on the putting green.

Derived from Scottish word meaning to nudge.

GREEN The whole golf course, according to golf rules. However in popular usage, it refers to a putting surface.

Par The number of strokes a player should take to complete a round with good performance.

Putter An 'L'-shaped club with a flat, straight side for putting.

GRAPHIC | ALAN CHOONG

“Arsenal will give us the best challenge this season. They are playing better and always have confidence in all the games. They are at their best this season” Chelsea defender Alex da Costa believes that Arsenal are their strongest rivals for the Premier League title

“My coach said he liked me better before I could speak English.”

Yao Ming on what he learnt in America

“Everybody wants the number one spot but it's not my goal for 2010.

My aim is to be happy, healthy and to play like I have over the last two days.”

Rafael Nadal, on winning his first tournament of 2010, the Capitala world tennis championship in Abu Dhabi

Sports

It’s a small, small world on Page 27

sports profile

Cool in the pool, hot out of it “Compared to my swimming days, I am much more ill-disciplined about what I eat now. I eat whatever I want but follow a specific diet during competitions.”

“I didn’t get to go to Orchard after school till I was 18.”

Lim Yaoxiang

A sportsman since his early teens, Lim had a very different after-school life from his peers during his secondary school years at Maris Stella High.

“While most of my schoolmates went to places like Orchard Road after school, I went for training,” he recalled. “I didn’t get to go to Orchard after school till I was 18.”

Having a different teenage experience was physically and mentally challenging but Lim is grateful as it has “made him a stronger person all-round”.

Representing the republic in regional

and international competitions has provided him with the opportunity to meet famous athletes such as Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe.

Lim feels inspired when he sees such athletes in person as he gets to observe up close “what they do and how good they are”.

“Unlike what is shown on television, these athletes are huge. I’m like a midget standing next to them,” he joked.

Frequent travelling to exotic locations, like Kuwait, with the team also enabled Lim to improve as a physical education teacher.

Aside from his personal experience and skills, he shares with his students his travel stories about the different cultures and people he encountered.

Beyond water polo, Lim has a band — The Swim Shadys — with fellow national athletes and swimmers Mark Chay, Kenneth Goh, Gary Tan and Benjamin Gan. He is the lead guitarist.

Lim is currently in a relationship, having met his girlfriend at one of The Swim Shadys’ photoshoots last year.

Guess he is no longer eligible for CLEO’s bachelor contest this year.

MUSCLE MASS: Lim, a formidable force in the pool, did not start water polo till four years ago.

Former national swimmer turned water polo player has a band. Sports Editor Eve Yeo finds out more.

He was one of CLEO magazine’s top 50 most eligible bachelors last year but did not enjoy “selling” himself for votes.

“I didn’t mind trying it out since I was already 27. I don’t think anybody would still ask me to join such competitions when I hit 30,” said the second-year student from the National Institute of Education.

Lim said that the competition “exceeded his expectations” as he experienced what it felt like to be a superstar surrounded by screaming fans.

“For about two days I felt like a superstar.

It was weird but I tried to enjoy it while I could,” Lim said.

The former national swimmer made the switch to water polo after a coach

approached him and asked him to try the sport out during his undergraduate years at the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Du r ing t he t r yout, he discovered his passion for the sport and decided to concentrate on water polo.

When Lim joined the national team at 24, he was a good six years less experienced than most of his team mates. Yet, he sees his initial inexperience as an advantage for the rest of the team.

“Starting out with a smaller advantage (less experience) meant that I was less likely to be chosen during selections and thus, more opportunities for the rest of the team,” he said.

Nonetheless, he made the cut for the team that played at the 2009 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Laos, where they achieved a gold medal.

Lim has a big appetite, admitting that he can eat up to three portions in a sitting.

TONING DOWN: Lim sports a softer side outside of waterpolo, playing guitar in a band.

PHOTOS | ELIZABETH LAW