The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 18 Issue 07

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REVIEWS | 5

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02 NEWS

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News Bites NTU NTU HOST SCIENCE RESEARCHERS FROM ASIA

ANNUAL TALKS ON NTU PROGRAMMES

NEW BATCH OF NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION FELLOWS

NEW SCHEME TO PROVIDE EXPERTISE FOR TECH START-UPS

the United States, to avoid the radiation storm.

The second session of “Let’s Talk NTU” 2012 was held last Saturday, this time catered to the polytechnic student crowd. The talks, which were aimed at prospective undergraduates, were held at the Grand Hyatt this year. The first session took place on January 7th. The event took up all three ballrooms and three function rooms, making it the biggest annual recruitment event yet.

Ten young scientists of different nationalities will have up to $5million over five years to conduct research in Singapore, as recipients of the Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship. They were selected from 120 applicants involved in research in top universities all over the world. The areas they will be looking into include water technologies, clean energy, interactive media, and even space technology.

A new scheme, 123Jumpstart, founded by Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF), is offering its members’ expertise to technology start-ups. The SiTF, which consists of companies ranging from local start-ups to MNCs, offers training and education opportunities to technology companies. The scheme is targeted at helping graduates who have entrepreneurial passion, but lack the experience.

JAPAN POSTS HIGHEST TRADE DEFICIT IN OVER 30 YEARS

VICTORIA STREET WHOLESALE CENTRE TO BE RELOCATED

WORLD

About 120 scholars from the region have attended a three-week long winter school, which includes a summit and panel discussion. The school, held by the Institute of Advanced Studies on Particle Physics and Cosmology and Implication for Technology, was launched on January 9th by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. The programme STUDENTS SPREAD MOBILE will be held once every two years, HAPPINESS and aims to enable researchers to keep up with the latest scientific A two-month-long campaign developments. aimed at redefining happiness is making its rounds through the TWO NTU STUDIES HELP three local universities. The ‘HapELDERLY GET $10K GRANTS piness Revolution’ is a final year project by four students from the NTU research groups won two of Wee Kim Wee School of Communifour local grants given by Japan- cation and Information. The mobile based Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance booth spends three days at each Welfare Foundation (MSIWF). The university and assigns tasks to parfirst project aims to fashion an eld- ticipants, which usually involves erly-friendly pedestrian crossing self-reflection and appreciation system, and the second investigates exercises. The collated submissions how social factors play a part in di- from the tasks will be published abetes management in the elderly. once the tour ends in February.

Victoria Street Wholesale Centre will be relocated to Kallang Road on April 1st. The centre houses 41 units with tenants selling mainly groceries and dried provisions.

More than 10 wholesalers will not be continuing their lease, as the space will be about 30 per cent smaller and rent is expected to be three or four times more expensive.

The eight-storey building will be able to accommodate 50 per cent more units as before, 60 shop units in total.

The MSIWF grant scheme is part of the insurance company’s corporate social responsibility plan.

TOURS AND EXHIBITIONS TO COMMEMORATE WORLD WAR II

RSIS RANKS IN TOP 50 THINK TANKS IN THE WORLD The S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) made it to the 2011 Global Go to Think Tanks’ Top 50 ranking, placing 48th on the prestigious list. The results were released on January 18 by the University of Pennsylvania’s International Relations Program, making RSIS’ first time on the list . The school placed 22nd among university-affiliated think tanks.

SINGAPORE CHIEF PUBLIC SERVANTS ASSISTING SEPARATE INVESTIGATIONS IN PROBE Singapore Civil Defence Force chief Peter Lim Sin Pang and Central Narcotics Bureau director Ng Boon Gay are now assisting separate investigations in the probe by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. Both chiefs are now on bail but suspended for ‘serious personal misconduct’.

To mark the 70th anniversary of World War II in Southeast Asia, the National Heritage Board will be organising a month-long series of tours in February in various sites around Singapore such as the Kranji War Memorial. A highlight is the opportunity to take a tour around the Tiong Bahru civilian air raid shelter, which is thought to be the last of its kind in Singapore.

Free guided tours will be available every Saturday, from 10am to 11am and 11am to 12pm.

MEGAUPLOAD CLOSED, DOTCOM ARRESTED

KIM

Online storage site Megaupload has been closed down by the U.S. Department of Justice as part of a multinational move against intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements. It is one of the biggest IPR cases to be brought to court, with damages caused by copyright infringement estimated at US$500 million. Key employees such as founder Kim Dotcom have been arrested in New Zealand, and they face up to 55 years in prison if found guilty.

MASSIVE SOLAR STORM HITS EARTH The largest solar storm in almost a decade hit Earth on January 24th, affecting air traffic over the North Pole and radio communications.

Although there was no risk to people on Earth, the charged particles caused computer glitches. US carrier Delta Air Lines adjusted flight routes for transpolar journeys, such as those between Hong Kong and

Japan’s trade deficit has almost hit the ¥2.5trillion ($40.2bn) mark for the first time since 1980. The trade deficit represents a dramatic shift from the big surpluses over much of the past 50 years. It comes after a year of struggling against a strong yen and the Eurozone crisis.

Damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami last March affected key export sectors and also forced Japan to rely on expensive fossil fuel imports.

BLUES LEGEND ETTA JAMES DIES Powerhouse singer Etta James died on January 20th in Riverside, California, with her husband, Artis Mills, and her two sons by her side.

She had succumbed to a yearlong battle with leukemia. Her bllues hits include “The Wallflower”, “Something’s Got A Hold On Me”, and the wedding favourite “At Last”. She has influenced numerous musicians such as Adele and Amy Winehouse.

ITALIAN CRUISE AGROUND

SHIP

Upcoming Events 30TH JANUARY

11TH FEBRUARY

FACULTY AND STAFF GIVING CAMPAIGN

RED CROSS FLAG DAY 2012

Guest-of-honour: Professor Bertil Andersson

Time: 3.00-8.00pm

The Development Office of NTU will be kicking off the faculty and staff giving campaign at 11am in the Nanyang Auditorium.

The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) will be organizing its Red Cross Flag Day 2012 to raise funds for local humanitarian efforts in Singapore.

NTU faculty and staff will join in a range of activities for education and engagement in the campaign.

Each person will be issued a collection tin and work in pairs for street collections on that day.

Professor Andersson will officially kickstart the campaign on stage.

Volunteers will be awarded CIP hours and certificates for their involvement.

For enquiries, do contact the SRC via redcross-fundraising@ntu.edu.sg

RUNS

At least 16 people have died after the cruise ship, Costa Concorda, slammed into rocks off the island of Giglio, Italy on January 13. The $450-million cruise ship, operated

by Costa Crociere, was carrying more than 4,200 passengers and crew. It crashed after the captain, Francesco Schettino, made an unauthorized diversion from his programme route. He has been arrested for manslaughter amid growing public anger.

If you have any exciting events to publicise, please contact us at chronicle@ntu.edu.sg

News

M1 mobile users face reception woes in NTU—Page 6

Popular car parks to start charging 6+((1$ 7$1 SOME car parks that were previously free will now be implementing parking charges. This is a bid by authorities to reduce illegal parking and ease the parking crunch during the peak periods.

Parking at Canteens 1 and 2, Halls of Residence 1 to 6, 8, 9 and 16, Nanyang Circle, Nanyang Terrace and Nanyang Valley will no longer be free after February 1st.

Mr Cheng Ho Ho, Deputy Director from the Office of Facilities Planning and Management (OFPM), said this measure was not meant to discourage students from driving to school. Instead, it was meant to direct cars to less crowded carparks farther from the academic blocks.

“Overall, there are enough lots for the entire car population in school and the different tiers of charging help to cater to different needs and demands. Students can choose if they want to pay or park further and walk,” he explained.

He estimated NTU's car population to be around 2,700 cars. Excluding the National Institute of Education and the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, there are currently 3,245 parking lots, which is more than sufficient.

Car parks in NTU are divided into zones, according to their accessibility to the academic area and thus corresponding to the level of demand. The affected car parks are in the new Zone 3a, which was previously part of a larger Zone 3.

Hourly rates are $0.02 per min, capped at $4.80 for Zone 1. Zone 2 and 3a rates are at $0.015 per min, capped at $3.60 from Mondays to Fridays, 8 am to 6 pm. Season

parking fees range from $25 to $55 per month.

This is not the first time a free zone was made into one with parking charges. The previous change was implemented back in 2010.

“We had a similar situation previously with Zone 2 parking. After we implemented parking charges for Zone 2, the situation improved.

Thus, we think this measure should be effective in solving the problem,” said Mr Cheng.

Zone 2 consists mainly of open car parks around the academic schools, stretching to the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) and the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS).

“Students can choose if they want to pay or park further and walk."

Mr Cheng Ho Ho Deputy Director Office of Facilities Planning and Management

The new system seems to have the desired effect of encouraging students to use the free lots.

“I will avoid the paid car parks.

It doesn’t matter if I walk a bit further,” said Alex Chua Jun Hao, 23, a student from the School of Biological Sciences (SBS).

Chua used to park at Hall of Residences 1 or 2. He added that he will probably park at the Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) and even the graduate hall in future, as these still offer free parking.

PARKING CRUNCH: Parking along Hall 1 was free-of-charge until the new policy was implemented.

Others such as Lee Wenbin, 24, a third-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, has decided not to drive to school as often.

The Hall 2 resident finds the rate of $25 for season parking reasonable though, and is considering applying for it. “I have difficulty finding lots at the Hall 2 car park during lunch time so I think this might be better for the situation.”

However, some are unhappy about having to pay.

“It’s quite ridiculous that we now have to pay for parking on top of so many other miscellaneous fees,” said Zachary Tan Kang Hui, 22, a student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The second-year student added that the students’ opinions were not looked into before the policy was implemented.

Mr Cheng said it was not possible to get the opinions of everyone, adding that a consultation had been held among the Student Affairs Office, hall fellows and representatives from each Junior Common Room Committee.

Other hall residents suggest that they get priority or free parking, or reduced parking rates.

“It will be good if they can decrease it for students, maybe from $25 to $20,” said Ng Kuan Boon Joel, 22, a first-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Canteen vendors and staff working in the vicinity of Zone 3a are also affected.

Mdm Ng Kah Sek, 48, a Canteen 2 stall vendor said, “We can’t do anything about it, but the charges for season parking are still cheaper than rates outside.”

PHOTO | LAU KIAYONG

NTU extends condolences to dead student

CHEERFUL: Students expressed disbelief at the death of Lan Xing Ye.

%5,$1 /(21$/ THE death of a Chinese student in Hall of Residence 13 during the Lunar New Year break left neighbours and friends distraught.

Lan Xing Ye, 19, was found dead in her dormitory room on Saturday 21st January.

Shin Min Daily reported that her roommate found her lying motionless in her room, allegedly with a plastic bag over her head.

Police and paramedics were alerted to the scene at 12.05am, and they declared Lan dead at around 12.20am.

Lan's roommate declined to comment.

Lan had been attending the university’s 18-month bridging programme for international students. Students interviewed said she moved into her residential hall two weeks ago.

Lan also attended a brief immersion programme at Victoria Junior College (VJC) in February last year. Vincent Lum, 17, a VJC student who met Lan at the immersion programme said she was a cheerful girl who shared jokes with him.

News of the incident spread among students via Facebook and Twitter and this news was confirmed by an e-mail from NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson.

Lan’s neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Yan Yan, expressed her disbelief.

The second-year accountancy

PHOTO | INTERNET

student said: “It was too close to be true. She just lives there. It's really sad. Suddenly she's just in another world.”

Li Siyao, 19, a first-year Business and Computing double degree student, was in the senior batch of the bridging programme Lan was enrolled in. He said that the batch knew her well as they had stayed together in a hostel off campus in their first year.

“She looked very normal before the incident. A lot of people couldn’t believe it happened.

They thought something was wrong with the report. They were very shocked,” said Li. Lan was cremated on Wednesday afternoon. Associate Professor Kwok Kian Woon, associate provost of student life, said that key NTU staff joined Lan's parents, course mates and friends to bid her a final farewell.

“I wish her peace and happiness somewhere”, said Yan. Professor Andersson and Asssociate Professor Kwok conveyed the University’s condolences to Lan’s family and friends.

“During this difficult time, let us show our strongest support and understanding for her family members, course-mates and friends,” Professor Andersson wrote in his e-mail to NTU faculty and students.

Professor Kwok said, “The most important thing we can do now is to help Ms Lan's family and friends find solace.”

He also requests that the privacy of Lan's family be respected, as police investigations have yet to be completed.

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New programme for NTU’s brightest

5mm apart from story 5mm apart from story

GROOMING HIGH-FLIERS: (From left) Professors Cornelius Murphy, Cham Kan Hin, Freddy Boey and Alan Chan take questions from the floor about NTU’s new scholarship programme.

PHOTO | TAN ZHI JIAN

'(%%,( /(( NTU students and faculty will benefit from the new University Scholars Programme through a “ripple effect”, said Professor Freddy Boey.

“The ability of these scholars will filter down and positively influence the rest of the university,” the NTU Provost explained last Wednesday at a press conference.

“Having top students choose NTU is a boon to professors. The scholars’ course mates too will be motivated by them in the courses they share.”

Come August, a select batch of 50 undergraduates will be the pioneer intake of the programme.

The scholars will come from all colleges in NTU, with the likely exception of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine. The scholarship is bond-free.

Students in the programme will be able to interact closely with top faculty such as Professor Kerry Sieh, the director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

They will also undergo small group learning in classes of about 20 to encourage greater interaction and engagement.

Upon graduation, the students will be recognized as University Scholars, receiving a separate certificate on top of their degree.

Only outstanding post-second-

ary students will be eligible for the programme. Admission is currently by invitation-only.

Incoming freshmen taking up other scholarship programmes will still be eligible for the University Scholars’ Programme.

The majority of the places will go to Singaporeans — to encourage them to study in NTU instead of heading overseas for their undergraduate studies.

Professor Boey said: “Universities around the world are facing intense competition for the world’s best and brightest students… The programme will encourage them to explore and stretch their intellectual

limits, and instill in them strong qualities of mind and character.”

The programme is meant to complement, and not replace, an undergraduate’s major.

University Scholars will take 75 per cent of their classes in their chosen major, and the remaining 25 per cent under a set of modules exclusive to the programme.

The scholars are not required to take extra courses out of their major requirements, said Professor Kam Chan Hin, Associate Provost (Undergraduate Education).

“But instead of having them select their electives in an ad-hoc manner, we intend to provide a more balanced selection of programmes for them,” he added.

“The ability of these scholars will filter down and positively influence the rest of the university."

Professor Freddy Boey NTU Provost

The University Scholars will take compulsory electives in four categories— social sciences, humanities, engineering, and interdisciplinary studies.

They will also take a set of core courses which include quantitative reasoning and ethics.

“Plagiarism is a crucial issue in a university,” said Professor Boey.

“An ethics course will cover that, and instil in them a sense of what it means to be a member of society,” he added.

Professor Alan Chan, Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, confirmed that the new programme will be modelled in the fashion of a liberal arts programme.

“But we do not wish to categorize it under a label,” he added.

“We will place emphasis on both breadth and depth, especially in Year 1. Our curriculum will be diverse, yet sufficiently challenging for the scholars.”

Plans for the University Scholars Programme had been in place since 2004, revealed Professor Cornelius Murphy, the Associate Dean (Undergraduate Studies), College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences.

But it will only be introduced during the next academic year, because the plans took time to mature, he added.

“As the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) features strongly in this programme, it could only begin after HSS had become more established,” he said.

Beyond academic matters, the scholars will also be given the opportunity to immerse themselves in campus life as on-campus accommodation is guaranteed for them.

They will be staying in the eight halls of residence that will be completed by 2015.

Nobel Laureates distil their wisdom for young minds %(1-$0,1 02(< THE average IQ per square meter in NTU hit a record in the School of Biological Sciences on January 7, when a panel of six scientists— five of them Nobel Laureates— arrived to lead a discussion with 119 students from around the world.

As part of the International Science Youth Forum 2012, jointly organized by Hwa Chong Institution and NTU, the panellists led a discussion moderated by NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson.

During the discussion, the scientists shared their experiences, their views on the qualities required of good scientists, and the challenges facing the scientific community today.

Universities in particular play a critical role, they said.

“A good university is a university in which you have free spirit, where people are taught to become experts in something… whatever you choose, [the school] should direct you to a very deep knowledge in something,” said Professor Danny Schectman, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

The panellists stressed the importance of connecting scientific research to complementary disciplines such as Philosophy.

Professor Anthony Leggett revealed that he had read Philosophy as an undergraduate, and only made the shift to a career in science after graduation.

The 2003 Nobel Laureate in Physics said, however, he would never regret his undergraduate years in Philosophy because it trained him to ask questions and approach problems in unique ways.

The panellists also recommended that scientists and researchers tap on one another’s strengths.

Professor Schectman explained, “As a scientist, you are not alone.

You are in a community. If you don’t meet with others, you’re liable to invent something that was made two years ago.”

Besides finding strength in numbers, however, scientists have to consider the big picture, said Professor Sydney Brenner, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Nevertheless, all the panellists agreed that passion and curiosity were indispensable. They advised students to pursue genuine passions they would consider doing for the next 50 years of their lives.

Professor Aaron Ciechanover revealed that his first true love had been biology. In the eyes of his mother, however, being a doc-

Islamic art inspires Nobel Prize-winning discovery:

DISPENSING WISDOM: Professor Sydney Brenner, the 2002 Nobel Laureate for Medicine, PHOTO| TAN KOR WOONG advises students to see the big picture.

tor was the ultimate profession, and when the time came, he agreed to enrol into medicine.

He enrolled into post-graduate biochemistry only after completing his military service, but this late change of heart ultimately led to his Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded in 2004.

Students in the audience said

they were honoured to have had the opportunity to interact with Nobel Laureates personally.

Sudipa Upadhaya, 25, a junior research fellow doing quantum chemistry research in the Bose Institute in India, said: “I never expected to get a chance to interact with Laureates— that is like a dream come true.”

Islamic mosaic art patterns may seem to be the furthest things from science, but they helped Professor Danny Schectman to recognize the patterns that eventually led to his Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2011.

In 1982, he discovered quasiperiod crystals, also known as quasicrystals, solids that resemble medieval Islamic mosaics.

Initial reception of his ideas was dismissive, but Schectman was undeterred.

“I was willing to defend myself because I was the most critical of myself,” he said.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 29 years later.

Quasicrystals have since been used to develop medical instruments and kitchenware.

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Medical Dean: Science cannot succeed in isolation 2XU ZULWHU %ULDQ /HRQDO JHWV Ă&#x20AC;UVW KDQG LQVLJKW LQWR WKH WKRXJKWV RI WKH PDQ KHDGLQJ 178 V PHGLFDO VFKRRO 3URIHVVRU 6WHSKHQ .HYLQ 6PLWK PROFESSOR Smith, the founding dean of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCSoM), stresses the importance of having great minds meet across disciplines.

He will head Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second medical school, a much-anticipated addition to NTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current schools and faculties.

Q: What drove you to go into the ďŹ elds of medicine and research?

A: The passion to continuously provide better and cost-effective treatments to patients to improve their lives.

Innovations in medicine can only come from research. Hence medicine and research are intimately intertwined in modern day healthcare organizations.

Q: What attracted you to come to NTU and lead the LKCSoM as its founding dean?

A: Over many years, Singapore has been showing an impressive commitment to the enhancement of research and science and to the building of an educated and knowledge-based society.

Moreover, I saw this absolute commitment to research at the very top of NTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s management.

Thus, coming to NTU was a very exciting opportunity to become a part of this effort.

Personally as well, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a ďŹ t for me. I have been a research professor for all my life and my personal love has been research.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been a research professor all my life and my personal love has been research."

Q: What do you think makes a good doctor?

A: A good doctor of tomorrow should not only have an understanding of the science of disease but also a sense of partnership with the patient and know about the business aspects of healthcare systems.

He should be professional and competent, patient-centric and genuinely caring, able to work well in teams, understand the need for lifelong learning and practice in a cost-effective manner.

Q: What role do you think NTU plays in the development of medical research in Singapore, with its upcoming LKCSoM? A: The ramping up of NTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research plans, coupled with its huge successes in biomedical engineering and healthcare technology makes NTU an excellent place to start a new medical school.

It has found a good match in Imperial College. Both are strong in engineering. Now, in partnering Imperial College, NTU can be assured of a world-class medical programme as Imperial Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Faculty of Medicine is currently ranked ďŹ fth in the world.

Against this is the backdrop of a rapidly ageing Singapore population. So everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excited with the prospect of creating a new cadre of future doctors, to meet Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future healthcare demands.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone's excited with the prospect of creating a new cadre of future doctors."

Q: Now that the fundamentals are in place, what do you think it would take for NTU to establish itself as a medical â&#x20AC;&#x153;hubâ&#x20AC;??

A: It is my belief that the way ahead for medical research lies in the integration of ideas and the marrying of minds of doctors, researchers and engineers.

It has been widely recognized that the greatest innovation comes from bringing different specialties together.

This mirrors NTUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research ethos. The LKCSoM builds on the strength and foundation of engineering in NTU. Through the new buildings, we are creating two clusters for medical hubs.

One is in the NTU campus with the new building for experimental medicine integrating with buildings around it like the School of Biological Sciences(SBS), the research techno plaza and animal house; and the second one in Novena campus integrates the clinical aspect with Tan Tock Seng Hospital and Communicable Disease Centre.

The research focus will have the ultimate aim of translating its discoveries into fresh, creative solutions for better patient outcomes.

Faculty involved in research will also have opportunities to explore collaborative or interdisciplinary projects with other scientists and researchers in Singapore.

We must be open to interna-

tional collaborations as well as those within Singapore, there is a place for competition and a place for cooperation, big science can no longer succeed in isolation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A good doctor should be professional and competent, patient-centric and genuinely caring."

Q: What challenges do you foresee with regards to student intake, considering that there is already an established medical school in NUS? What would the selling point of the LKCSoM be?

A: Medicine is a hugely popular course in Singapore and I believe, there will be no lack of grade A applicants to the school.

LKCSoM will offer a joint Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree, awarded by both Imperial College and NTU. We will make use of innovative pedagogies and teaching methods to deliver the medical curriculum, complemented by elearning.

Our students will have the opportunity to work in multidisciplinary research teams with clinicians and engineers to create medical innovations.

Q: What is the level of autonomy afforded to LKCSoM? How much leeway will it have in the setting up and running of its programmes?

A: LKCSoM is an autonomous school within NTU and has its own Governing Board. Of course all programmes have to be approved by NTU but we have pretty much leeway in the downstream implementation.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are plans for NTU undergraduates to be able to take electives at the medical school."

Q: What is the extent of collaboration there will be between the LKC and existing schools in NTU? Are there any plans for joint classes/seminars?

A: When LKCSoM research is established, there will be close collaborations with SBS, and schools under the College of Engineering, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the Nan-

NTU'S DOCTOR RIGHT: A holistic understanding of medicine, patient relations, and the healthcare business makes a good doctor.

PHOTO | INTERNET

yang Business School. There will be joint seminars and research projects and programmes.

Q: Will schools in non-related ďŹ elds, such as the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, also have the privilege of obtaining knowledge from LKCSoM? A: Yes, in the area of neuropsychology.

Q: Can NTU undergraduates access the Novena Campus of LKCSoM, or take classes there?

A: Yes, certainly. There are plans for NTU undergraduates to be able to take electives at the medical school.

Q: Any community outreach programmes/volunteer schemes in the pipeline for our future doctors?

A: Yes, they should be sensitive to the needs of the changing healthcare landscape.

The best way to instil this awareness is through community outreach programmes.

About Professor Smith Professor Stephen K. Smith is Vice-President (Research) at NTU and the Founding Dean of the Lee Kong Chian (LKC) School of Medicine.

He was Principal of Imperial College London's Faculty of Medicine and Chief Executive of Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust in the United Kingdom.

He left the NHS Trust from September 30th last year to focus on his roles at NTU. A gynaecologist by training, Professor Smith has published over 225 papers on re-

productive medicine and cancer.

Before joining Imperial College London, he headed the Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the University of Cambridge.

In addition to his academic and clinical work, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Biology, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Arts.

He also serves on numerous committees including the World Health Organisation and the National Health Service.

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Poor M1 reception plagues NTU customers :HDN PRELOH VLJQDOV DURXQG VHYHUDO SDUWV RI FDPSXV OHDYHV 0 FXVWRPHUV GLVFRQQHFWHG DQG IXPLQJ /,$2 ;,$1*-81 THE troubles for M1 customer Medwin Teng began last April, when he could no longer make phone calls out of his Hall of Residence 16 dormitory room.

The third-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering student dismissed it as a temporary lapse in service.

But the poor reception in his room on the first floor persisted.

Ten months on, even after moving up a floor, the 23-year-old still has to lean out of the corridor to get a clearer signal.

Teng is just one of the customers residing in a cluster of low-lying buildings close to NIE, who have been plagued by frequent loss of service. The affected area stretches all the way to Hall of Residence 15, about a kilometre away from an NIE rooftop where an M1 base station was previously situated.

The reception issues were caused by the removal of the rooftop unit on April 1st last year. The area was slated for conversion into a ‘green roof’, as part of NIE’s ‘greening’ efforts.

According to Ms Imelda Sng, an executive from NIE’s Development and Estate Department, M1 was offered an alternative location for its base station, but did not take up the offer.

Ms Chong Yi-Ting, a spokesperson from M1 Corporate Communications, said, “We were told to move out by NIE and did so.” She claimed that the site offered was ‘sub-par’, and thus was not used.

According to Ms Chong, customers can expect some reprieve when a base station is installed at the North Spine in three months’ time. Maximum signal strength will only be restored when a full monopole site is built oncampus – a process which will take at least half

a year more.

So for more than 10 months now, affected customers have had to find ways to remain contactable.

Teng, who manages a dance group in his hall, often had to leave his iPhone perched on the windowsill to contact his members. "I get one or two ‘bars' of reception this way," he said, "but for calls, it's best if I do it in the corridor or carpark."

H i s room mate's w i reless router also provided him access to internetbased communication software on his phone. This has mitigated some of the inconvenience, he said.

Yet not all hall residents have such devices. Kenneth Tay, a second-year from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, was once uncontactable for so long that his family got worried.

"I normally leave my phone in the room, even when I go for meals,” said Tay, who stays in Hall 3. “For that entire stretch, I must have been ‘off the grid’.”

The 22-year-old only knew his family was looking for him after being told in person by a friend.

“Maybe we should pay half the bill if we're only getting the service half the time."

Leong Gek Hong Parent of affected NTU Student

Not only Hall residents have been affected; Ms Kiren Kaur, a teaching fellow at NIE’s English Language and Literature Department, has had to deal with sub-par reception even in open areas such as the NIE canteen.

Dummy photo

GETTING A SIGNAL: Certain M1 customers have had to deal with bad reception on campus for the past 10 months.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | ALEX TAI

“There’s no reception there,” Ms Kaur said. “The ‘no service’ sign comes on.”

The problem, however, escalated a notch when she was caught in a lift breakdown. According to Ms Kaur, those who heard the alarm bell assumed it was someone toying with the button, and thus did not call for help. Of the seven in the lift, only one of them, a StarHub customer, had cellphone reception. Help arrived about fifteen minutes after he made a call to the maintenance department.

“Thank goodness we had a mobile phone with reception,” said Ms Kaur. She sent an SMS to a colleague for help in the lift, but her colleague only received it a day later.

Even in the best-case scenario, the issue will have taken a year to address.

This reaction time to the issue has garnered some criticism among those the Chronicle interviewed.

Mdm Leong Gek Hong, parent of an affected NTU student, said that it was unfair to customers to have to wait for more than a year for full service to be restored, considering the full bill was being paid.

“Maybe we should pay half the bill if we're only getting the service half the time," the 57-year-old said. "That's not how it works."

The problem, however, does seem limited to the lower floors of dormitory buildings as well as areas that lie in depressions.

Recept ion at Ca nteen A has been unaffected, as it lies on a rise of a hill. The Singtel and StarHub customers the Chronicle asked mentioned no problems.

Until the base station and monopole are in place, M1 customers might have to take a leaf out of Teng's book, and place their phones on their windowsills. There's also now another reason to leave one’s room or office, and get a breath of fresh air while at it.

Upcoming facilities to enhance NTU environment Ms Clara Fong, Assistant Director from the OFPM. Citing Caffe Express as an example, Ms Fong explained that students and faculty have told them that the area tends to get slightly warm, and have requested for a more conducive environment.

A n e n c l o s e d , a i r- c o n d i t i o n e d refreshment area is thus currently under construction. For now, business has been affected by construction works.

Mr Gwee Yi Chen, the manager of Caffe Express said, “Business has decreased by about 35%, but in general I think the renovation is better for the long run,” he said. “I believe people are more likely to come after the construction is complete.”

Indeed, students have expressed a greater inclination to visit Caffe Express after the upgrade is complete.

BRIDGING SHELTERS: While subtle, the roofing extension (directly behind the bus stop sign) keeps students dry.

PHOTO | ANGELINE YEO

6+((1$ 7$1 AN air-conditioned dining area at Caffe Express, located beside the Nanyang Auditorium, and improved drainage at the Lee Wee Nam bus stop are some of the ongoing improvements that the school population can look forward to in the coming months.

The sites of construction recently seen around campus are indicative of a series of upgrades undertaken by the Office of Facilities Planning and Management (OFPM).

Some of t hese improvements in facilities and infrastructure around NTU were a result of students’ feedback, said

“During the rainy days, I get wet. So if I get wet, the students get wet!"

Mr Siew Hoong Kit Divisional Director Office of Facilities Planning and Management

“I w i l l def i n ite ly come here i n future as an enclosed, air-conditioned

environment will be more conducive,” said N. Naganandhini, 23, a fourth-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).

Drainage at the Hall of Residence 1 bus stop is also being improved, after feedback from residents highlighted the problem of constant flooding during rainy days.

But not all the improvements have stemmed from students’ feedback.

A wider piece of roofing has been placed above the walkway between the staircase from Canteen A and the Lee Wee Nam Library bus stop.

Mr Siew Hoong Kit, Divisional Director from the OFPM, said, “This is basically an initiative on our part. I walk around the campus and this was something I noticed.

During rainy days, I get wet. So if I get wet, the students get wet!”

Siti Raba'ah, a third-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, said: “I get wet from the rain that splashes in, hence I think this upgrading is a good move."

Heavy rains also tend to cause surface runoff to flow into the bus stop, thus a cut-off drain has been installed to improve drainage.

Furthermore, granite tiles will be placed on the reclining wall to create a more comfortable seating area. The bus stop roofing will also be changed to an opaque material. This will provide better shade by preventing sunlight from getting through.

Lifestyle

XǸȾČ?Č˝É&#x153;ȨȽČ?ŃźÉ&#x2022; LÉ&#x2030;Č?Č&#x192;ȨǸȾ

Talk to strangers over coffee in Italy, or meet them in a secret restaurant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Pages 14-15 eat regularly, gastric pain is as common as the ďŹ&#x201A;u bug. Little did Jeelene Ker, 19, expect it to affect her date.

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MEMORABLY ROMANTIC

really special and meaningful to me. We went to the Science Centre together, and tried our hands at every experiment and exhibit.

JACQUELINE LIM ENGLISH (HSS) YEAR 1

Our day was ďŹ lled with laughter as we relived childhood together, without being conscious of being childish. It was memorable seeing each other comfortable enough not to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;coolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. I could feel the innocence in our relationship.

After that we randomly decided to end our day with a home-cooked dinner, and went to shop for groceries. We went back to hall and cooked a sumptuous meal of our favourite dish, salmon and asparagus.

Meet t he advent urous couple Jacqueline Lim, 19, and Aaron Lee, 21, who love roaming around Singapore without plans in mind and going wherever their hearts lead t hem . Bot h a r e Eng l i sh Literature students at the School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, who have been together for over a month.

Describe the best date youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had.

For me, there isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really such a thing as a best date, because the time we spend together is always spontaneous and fun. On New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eve, we were making Ramly burgers in hall and watching movies on the laptop, not planning to count down. Then I mentioned that I felt like seeing ďŹ reworks. We just packed and headed out.

Surely there must have been one that was really memorable?

Our ďŹ rst ofďŹ cial date together was

What do you love most about Aaron?

Aaron is like a best friend to me. We can talk about almost ever ything, from insignificant things like favourite foods and colours, to our views of the world. I like how we can share our thoughts with each other on a deeper level, but most importantly, we live as strong individuals. We love each other for our individuality instead of changing ourselves for the other. I love how he makes me a stronger person and has complete faith in me, and our relationship.

Of course, I love how he matches up to my thirst for adventure.

We have lots of fun and happy moments together.

student at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Tell us more about the ballet concert date.

Being a passionate dancer herself, my girlfriend has always enjoyed watching ballet performances. At the start of our relationship she once suggested going to the annual Ballet Under The Stars concert at Fort Canning Park together.

Initially I thought I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be able to understand the dance enough to appreciate it, but after watching the performance I began to see its beauty.

So did both of you start to go for ballet concerts together often?

Yes, in fact we made it our pact to watch Ballet Under The Stars together every year. The second

time we went, which was in July last year, was actually the most memorable date we had together.

Halfway through the concert it started to rain quite heavily. But the show went on, as the stage was sheltered. We only had one umbrella, and we huddled under it together. Although we were both wet from the rain, I really enjoyed and cherished her company.

Since both of you appear to share different interests, what keeps your relationship strong?

What I like about our relationship is how we share the same philosophy in life, and I think that is very important. We supported each other through thick and thin, as both of us believe in being strong and constantly challenging ourselves in life. When either of

us is going through a tough time, the other is there to turn to for encouragement. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like we are beside each other, but we are also looking forward together, facing the same direction.

TANG CHIA XING, PRODUCT DESIGN (ADM) YEAR 1 Imagine yourself outside in the freezing winter. Snow is falling, and the cruel wind rushes at your cheeks. You are chilled to the bone. But all is made better by the warm touch of your loverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand interlocked with yours. This may sound like a scene right out of a Korean TV drama, but lucky 19-year-old Tang Chia Xing, has had the experience. And in where else but Korea, the wonderland of winter romance.

PRINCESS IN A WINTER WONDERLAND: Chia Xing plays the female lead in a romantic Korean drama her boyfriend orchestrated.

Chia Xing and her boyfriend have been together for more than two years, and it remains the most memorable date she has ever had.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not surprised; what more could a girl ask for?

Describe the time you spent with your boyfriend in Korea.

I went to Seoul on a holiday with my boyfriend and his family last December. It was the best date and the best holiday ever. Though the weather was really cold, I felt warm inside, and safe with my boyfriend beside me. We had a lot of fun together going on thrill rides at Lotte World, an amusement park.

We even saw some K-pop artistes giving an introduction of Lotte World, and we were really excited, as weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re both fans of K-pop dance and music.

What made the trip most memorable?

It was his ďŹ rst overseas trip, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also my ďŹ rst time going overseas without my family. He really took care of me the entire time. I was really touched and felt that heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s someone I can trust and rely on.

AWFULLY UNFORGETTABLE CONAN CHOONG PSYCHOLOGY (HSS) YEAR 2 Fr iend sh ip i s toug h to come by. A r oma nt ic r e lat ion sh ip tougher. Starting a cross-cultural relationship can be the toughest of all. Conan Choong, 23, did not meet with a good experience when he dated a Japanese girl who was on holiday in Singapore.

DIXON CHERN, MATERIAL SCIENCE (MSE) YEAR 2 Spending a special night under the stars would probably sound like the all-time classic idea of a romantic date to most people. For Dixon Chern, his starry night took place at an outdoor ballet concert with his girlfriend, Shana Tan, a ballet enthusiast and a Year 2 Chemistry

How was your worst dating experience?

It was really bad on this particular day when I was on a date with a boy from my previous Junior College. It started off well until I had sudden gastric pain due to my erratic diet.

I could not stand straight and my lips turned blue. My date was so helpless that he ended up dialing every female friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number he had in his contacts list to ďŹ nd out how to ease my pain. Eventually our whole date was just spent in one corner, nursing my bad gastric.

ANTICIPATING THE STARRY NIGHT OF BALLET: Dixon and his girlfriend, Shana, securing a spot at Fort Canning Park right before nightfall.

PHOTOS | COURTESY OF JACQUELINE LIM, DIXON CHERN & TANG CHIA XING

Tell us how it turned awry.

She is the ďŹ rst foreign girl I dated and that was probably the cause of my phobia of extremely shy girls.

I brought her to Sentosa since it was a typical place tourists should

go. She was nothing like a typical Singaporean girl; she wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t start eating until I did, she wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t walk in front of me, or even beside me when we were holding hands. Due to the language barrier, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know how to communicate on extensive topics. Hence, there we r e ma ny long pau se s a nd awkward moments.

Eventually, we were at the musical fou nt a i n c h i l l i ng whe n she suddenly tapped me lightly to tell me she had a ďŹ&#x201A;ight to catch in two hours! I was so dumbfounded. She did not dare to tell me she had to leaveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that was how shy she was.

"I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to date such a shy girl anymore for fear of my pocket.â&#x20AC;?

Conan Choong

So I hopped onto a taxi with her back to her hotel to pack up and sent her off to the airport. Despite the rush, she did not manage to catch her ďŹ&#x201A;ight. Leaving me with no other options, I forked out about $800 of my own money to get her a new ticket. Did I just break the record for having the most expensive ďŹ rst date?

If given a chance, would you date someone of another nationality again?

I would love to date someone from Europe or America. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d really like to know how different they are from Asian girls. And of course, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to date such a shy girl anymore for fear of my pocket.

JEELENE KER BUSINESS YEAR 1 For many girls who go on diets or are too busy with work to

But it seems that your date was really sweet during this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;worstâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; date.

Yes, although the date itself was awful, he was really sweet to me.

I have to say I was moved by his small gestures. He actually went around searching for warm water after a few calls and stayed by me till really late. It was so memorable in a bad way that I take extra effort in having a balanced diet now so that history would not repeat.

SHARYL KUA LINGUISTICS AND MULTILINGUAL STUDIES (HSS) YEAR 1 First impressions count. The truth in this adage has killed many couples going on a ďŹ rst date; they either make or break it. We all want to dress to impress and portray the best side of us. 20-year-old Sharyl Kua is surer that she has gotten up on the wrong side of bed as her dramatic episode of bad luck follows.

Describe this unforgettably bad date you had.

It was my ďŹ rst date with a boy from my school, and everything had to go wrong that day. I was out in my new shoes when I accidentally stepped into a puddle of wet soil before the meeting. Totally freaked out, I went to the nearest mall to seek refugeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to buy a new pair. Unfortunately, he spotted me before I could buy something. Instead, he suggested that I just wash up in the toilet. He looked disgusted though.

We went to catch a movie thereafter, which was ridiculously popular that we ended up sitting at the second row. Our necks were so uncomfortable but we did not speak a word. And to end this really bad day, we were unable to catch the MRT due to train disruptions. It took us so long to get on the shuttle bus that both our moods were dampened. It was such a bad day.

What would make you consider going on a subsequent date?

Someone whom I can talk easily to and feel comfortable with. This date was bad because both of us were too cautious about how we react in front of each other. We did not voice our own opinions despite the discomfort.

It made everything awkward.

GRAPHIC | WEE JIA HUI

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travelogue

ESPRESSO WITH BENEFITS

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RIVOIRE: Have an espresso and enjoy the views of the Piazza della Signoria.

I

was seated at â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rivoireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a coffeehouse in Florence, reading a book with a cup of cappuccino and a slice of fruitcake.

A stranger then approached my table in the midst of the busy crowd and asked in a heavy Italian accent: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is it okay if I take a seat?â&#x20AC;?

Back in Singapore, I was already well-acquainted with the habit of sharing a table with strangers at crowded coffee joints, so I agreed.

But then it got weird. He started... talking to me.

What followed was a conversation between two strangers that would never have occurred had I not agreed to share the table. I told him I was a tourist and was rewarded with helpful suggestions on scenic places to visit in Florence, such as the Boboli Garden. I found out that Azio was working as a tour guide, which would probably explain his friendliness.

Azioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s occupation notwithstanding, I realised that it was commonplace in Italy for conversation to occur between two complete strangers sharing a table, tour guide or not. As I gazed at the seats on the piazza, I could barely distinguish the lines between friends and strangers. People were sharing cigarettes and exchanging smiles with each other; a heartwarming atmosphere that I could not place a price tag on.

In fact, this amiable culture was what inspired Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to inject the spirit of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thriving communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; he witnessed on his trip to Milan in 1982 into his business. As a tribute, the names of all the drinks we see in Starbucks today have Italian names. Even the titles â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grandeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ventiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; are part of the Italian vocabulary.

In addition, the ambience and friendly culture that we witness today in Starbucks are modelled after Italyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coffeehouses that encourage customers to have a coffee and chill.

What I noticed on my holiday in Italy however, was the absence of Starbucks. Apparently, Schultz

felt that his company, although modelled after Italian coffeehouses, would not be accepted in Italy.

Starbucks was a take on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fast foodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concept, as opposed to an appreciation of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;slow foodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which the Italians valued.

Besides the wonderful experience of their coffee culture, their modus operandi also struck me during my visits. You pay different prices depending on whether you drink standing up or sitting down.

Ask for a seat and soak up the atmosphere, while enjoying a cup of coffee at a leisurely pace. But there was an extravagant price to pay: 50 euros ($80) for four cups of coffee and two slices of fruitcakes.

Alternatively, there are also standing counters catering to those who need a dose of espresso on-the-go. No additional service is provided and you are not required to tip for service. This was also observed in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Autogrillâ&#x20AC;? rest stations along highways for the weary traveller to order an espresso shot for the road. One shot, consumed while standing, was 5 euros ($8).

In a place where strangers could strike up a conversation as if between old friends, it was a truly

remarkable experience.

Little had I known that the culture we see in Starbucks outlets today are in fact modiďŹ ed versions of age-old Italian coffeehouses.

ORDER, DRINK, GO: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Autogrillâ&#x20AC;? rest stations allow time-conscious customers to down their espressos while standing up.

PHOTOS | INTERNET

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foodsnoop

GUESS WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

COMING FOR DINNER?

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he 15 people sitting across Ms Zina Alamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dining table have never met. But the atmosphere is comfortable, chatty and not awkward at all.

They discuss anything from books to movies to their jobs.

Conversation topics change in the blink of an eye as they wait in anticipation for Zina to bring out the first course.

These people are not even here for Zina. They are here for the food. This is the scene in Zinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home every time she organises a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;communeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. She hardly has the time to join in the conversation as she is occupied with cooking, but steps in once in a while to check on her guests.

Zina runs Khana Commune, an underground â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; restaurant at her home in Pasir Panjang. The concept adds a twist to dining out as guests eat at the home of the cook, in the company of strangers.

Her dinners are mostly spread through word-of-mouth, or through magazines like Time Out. All you need to do is visit her blog and buy a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ticketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The dinners cost $55 per head, and Zina also offers specially customised party menus for guests who make private bookings for a small get-together at her home.

So far, she has seen more ticket-buyers than she can possibly accommodate. Interested customers often see â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sorry!

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re fully booked!â&#x20AC;? notices on her blog soon after the gatherings are announced.

Originally from Bangladesh, Zina, 27, grew up in Singapore. The former journalist lived abroad for around eight years in London, Spain and Cairo. From eating at Gordon Ramsayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in London, frequenting tapas bars in Spain to gorging on Egyptian feta cheese in Cairo, her travels cemented her passion for food and gave rise to her motto: â&#x20AC;&#x153;live to eatâ&#x20AC;?.

Zina, who also works as a freelance writer, started the business with her mum as her inspiration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My mum is an amazing cook and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always talked about opening a restaurant, but it seemed like too much of a commitment,â&#x20AC;? says Zina. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sharing our home-cooked food through dinner parties open to the public seemed like the perfect compromise.â&#x20AC;?

Every week, Zina sets the dinner table for around 16 guests.

Her terrace house is lit up with fairy lights and decorated with artifacts that both Zina and her

A GATHERING OF A STRANGE KIND: The cosy atmosphere of Khana Commune, one of the few â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; restaurants, invites pleasant interaction topped with music and Bengali cuisine.

CRACK AND MASH: Prawn & bean bartha served with crackers is the ďŹ rst of the ďŹ ve-course meal served by Zina.

DECEIVINGLY SOFT: Gulab Jamun, fried milk balls served with sugar syrup, is crispy on the outside but ďŹ&#x201A;uffy on the inside.

PHOTOS | COURTESY OF ZINA ALAM

mother, Mahmuda Alam, have collected from their many travels. Among them, a wooden coffee table in the shape of a hand and a giant ancient clock dating back to the 1930s have proven to be good conversation starters.

The menu for each dinner is released beforehand on her blog, the same day that dates are announced. The food is a fusion of Bengali cuisine with flavours from the West and a touch of the Indonesian palette courtesy of Zinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s maid, Wati.

The last dinner of 2011 on December 7th was an eclectic mix of all these tastes. For starters, she served prawn & bean bartha with crackers and stuffed mushrooms. The bartha was a bean and prawn meat mash, with the fragrant taste of the bean complementing the prawns well. The mushrooms were stuffed with cheese and baked to a soft texture that melts in your mouth, as if you were eating bite-sized pieces of heaven.

The main course was the Beef Tehari, the Bangladeshi version of Biryani, which seemed to be a hit with everyone. Zina also customises her dinners based on some dietary restrictions her guests may have. For those who did not eat beef, she had prepared Chicken Korma, with a creamy curry and well-cooked meat.

Accompanying the main

course were Watiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s juicy peanut and pineapple salad and Mahmudaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tomato with chilli chutney. Dessert was Gulab Jamun, fried milk balls served with sugar syrup. Fried to a dark brown colour, the wonderfully soft Jamuns and the sugar syrup were just the right complement to end the curry-based meal.

And what better to accompany a sumptuous meal than with cosmopolitan companyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a businessman from Singapore, a real estate consultant from Malaysia, an art director from London and a marketing manager from Azerbaijan. Some of the guests came in pairs, but most were clueless about who the other guests would be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; restaurant scene in Singapore is slowly burgeoning, although there arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a lot of regular ones like mine,â&#x20AC;? Zina said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The concept is becoming popular and more people are experimenting with it.â&#x20AC;?

Similar home-dining ventures in Singapore include Holy Crabâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;perfect for crustaceanlovers. Hosted by Mr Elton Seah, prices depend on the size of the crab, ranging from $60 to $150.

Brunch & Co is another home-dining enterprise, run by Mrs Louise Tong-Davies, who serves brunches on weekends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The food at Brunch & Co was lovely,â&#x20AC;? said Pearl Lee, 23, a fourth-year student from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Halfway through the brunch, the host made people switch between the two tables, so the guests got to interact with everyone.â&#x20AC;?

Essentially, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; restaurant experience is all about dining in the home of the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; where you get to snoop around the kitchen, mingle with complete strangers, discuss anything under the sun and try out recipes tailored specially for the company of the night.

As Zina herself puts itâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;there is so much more soul in home cooked food. Add to that a table full of new faces, it is a dinner and a show.

CHECK OUT THESE â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;HOMEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; RESTAURANTS@ â&#x20AC;˘ khanacommune.wordpress.com â&#x20AC;˘ brunchandco. blogspot.com â&#x20AC;˘ holycrabsin.com

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dapper: your essential style guide

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dapper: your essential style guide

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spotlight

Not Naked, Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Got The But Famous Love

PHOTO | UNTITLED ASIA

7KHLU EDQG QDPH PD\ EH TXHVWLRQDEOH EXW 7KH 1DNHG $QG )DPRXV DUH D IRUFH WR EH UHFNRQHG ZLWK %HQMDPLQ /LP GLVFXVVHV ZLWK WKH EDQG WKHLU UHDFWLRQ WR WKHLU VXFFHVV DQG ZKDW WKH IXWXUH KROGV IRU WKHP â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;D DIE before I let anyone come to tell us what to do with regard to our music,â&#x20AC;?

T hom Powers asser ts in the ballroom of Mandarin Gallery, ahead of his bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scheduled performance at The Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Party concert held at *SCAPE on 15th Jan. Powers is the frontman of The Naked And Famous (TNAF), a New Zealand indie rock band who rose to fame after the release of their debut album Passive Me, Aggressive You in 2010.

Since then, they have been conducting tours in the UK and US, but 2012 marks the ďŹ rst time the band has ever come to performed

in Asia. Prior to arriving in Singapore, TNA F had stopped over at Hong Kong, Taipei and Jakarta. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel privileged to play in these places for the ďŹ rst time because you can tell that the crowds have really fallen in love with the record as they along to all the songs. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been really lovely and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m enjoying it,â&#x20AC;? says Alisa Xayalith, the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading vocalist and only female member.

Despite their newfound reputation, the band remains extremely humble about their success thus far. They continue to reach out to their fans using social media.

Facebook and Tumblr lend a personal touch and this can be observed from the many humorous photos and quotes of bass guitarist David Beadle posted on the web by other band members.

It is amusing, but more importantly it also allows the band to capture special moments and share them with fans.

Powers says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mainstream success has always been an accident for us, and we just take it in our stride because it means exposing us to a

bigger audience.â&#x20AC;?

One contributing factor to the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heightened fame was having their songs aired on popular TV shows like Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries.

According to Xayalith, being featured on television is not only a good income opportunity, but it also helps raise their proďŹ le.

Hav i ng suc h a huge fanbase around the world following just one album release is a rema rkable achievement for any music artiste, and even more so for a band from New Zealand.

Being a small island country down south, New Zealand has a music scene that is quite isolated and one that is difďŹ cult for musicians to break out from. Powers agrees, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done is pretty bizarre.â&#x20AC;?

Last December, TNA F made a big sweep at the New Zealand Music Awards, winning ďŹ ve of six award nominations, including Best Group and Breakthrough Artist of the Year.

It is a t remendou s achievement for a band who had just emerged on the music scene, and only fur-

ther proves their immense potential.

audiences with the same set of songs.

In fact, the band is already in the midst of producing their second album.

Comparing themselves to other bands, Powers says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already started to do demos and concepts, so I think weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a year ahead of those who come off tour and then ďŹ gure out how to make the next album.â&#x20AC;?

It is a bold yet smart move that allows the band to remain focused on making music, as well as not tire

Because of their drive to continue making music, TNAF does not feel pressured to repeat the success of their hit single Young Blood. It topped the New Zealand charts on its debut and subsequently got the band nominated for the BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sound of 2011 poll.

Powers explains, â&#x20AC;&#x153;That idea is totally common in many bands who have a big single that carries them through, and they usually

PHOTO | BENJAMIN LIM

work under tightly controlled environments. However for us itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re steering our own band and we self-produce the album.â&#x20AC;?

The frontman hints that the style of their music could change in the future. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After doing close to 180 shows last year, we feel that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve evolved as musicians and that has an impact on how the second album will turn out.â&#x20AC;?

W hen pressed for an example, dr ummer Jesse Wo o d r e v e a l e d , â&#x20AC;&#x153;J a z z fusion!â&#x20AC;?

Having been away from home for a year while on tour, the band considers themselves international artists and has no plans to return. Especially since they have already achieved the unthinkable for a New Zealand band by hitting worldwide fame. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too much to gain from what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing if you look at the bigger picture. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s highly exciting being an internationally touring band so I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any aspirations to go back home, back to Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s house,â&#x20AC;?

Powers sums up.

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%ULWLVK LQGLH EDQG %RPED\ %LF\FOH &OXE ZHUH LQ WRZQ WR SHUIRUP DW 7KH 3HRSOH·V 3DUW\ RQ -DQXDU\ %HQMDPLQ /LP VSHDNV WR WKHP DERXW WKH SKLORVRSK\ EHKLQG WKHLU PXVLF ZULWLQJ DQG VRPH RI WKH EDQG·V DGYHQWXUHV THEY may have taken their name from a chain of curry houses in London, but British indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club has seen their fame rise steadily since their emergence on the music scene in 2006.

Band members Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram and Ed Nash started writing songs at the age of 15. Starting with their debut album in 2009, the prolific band has released a total of three albums in the last three years.

On having a diverse fanbase and touring in Asia:

> It’s amazing to know that your music is heard on

the other side of the world, but at the same time you are also aware of the fans in other countries these days because we’re so integrated with the Internet.

We could be on Facebook talking to fans on our wall, and then you go out there and meet those people. It’s kind of making a real connection as well as a virtual one.

“We put on very energetic shows and the shows are complete labours of love.

It’s one of the best things you can do as a band.”

Bombay Bicycle Club Interview with Gigwise.

> People in Asia seem to be a bit more reserved at the shows and sort of express their appreciation in a d i f f e r e nt k i nd of way, but I actually prefer how c r owd s r e ac t h e r e b e cause they look a lot more attentive.

They might not be jumping around as much, but they are also not fighting with one another. And no one’s trying to throw beer at us.

> I always thought we would suffer in Asia because the following behind British bands seemed to be more image-based. On the other hand we’re just four normal guys and what you see is what you get. I thought that wouldn’t translate very well, but turns out it has.

Philosophy of making music:

> The most ridiculous thing in the world is saying you have nothing to write a song about other than being on the road when you go on tour. The best part of being in a band is getting to travel around the world.

I really can’t think of any other job that lets you do it and meet different people and have those experiences— now that’s a pretty good thing to write a song about!

You’ve just got to make sure that you go out and find new experiences instead of sitting in the hotel. > We used an iPhone to write one of our new songs,

so you can do it anywhere now, no excuses. You only need a laptop and a guitar and nothing else.

Lady Gaga writes her whole album at the back of the tour bus and she’s doing fine. But she probably could afford a studio anyway.

On the band’s motto “Nothing Lame”:

> I’m constantly in

argument with the label about what our idea of lame is. I think it started when we had meetings with them and they would always suggest things that we thought were lame. So we ended up saying, “Please don’t send us lame suggestions.”

If I was watching another band’s music video and I saw an advert for our album name for the first ten seconds I would find that very annoying—we’re quite selfdestructive like that.

Explaining the band’s success thus far:

> At least half of the first album was made up of songs that were written when we were 15 or 16, and it seems that these are the songs which people seem to have

a personal connection with.

Regardless of age, people always find something in our lyrics that reminds them of being young, and I think that’s why they like us.

“A lot of the time I was just recording it for fun and didn’t think it [bedroom music sessions] would go on any albums.I think we’re all surprised by how well it’s done.”

Bombay Bicycle Club on the success of their acoustic album ‘Flaws’.

> Releasing three albums in as many years would not have been possible if they haven’t all been quite different in music styles. It becomes a bit easier if you’re not just trying to replicate the first album.

We didn’t want to fall into the trap of being defined by

that first album, a problem which in particular a lot of British indie bands seem to face. They would release their first album and then tour for three years before starting to think of what to do next when they near the end.

Recalling the embarrassing yet memorable moments:

> We had some pretty

crazy moments when we started touring. Three members once got naked and got locked out of their hotel room. They had to go down to the reception without any clothes on. >

There was this one

gig where the fire alarm went off while we were playing to only four people in a big venue. We were soon outside with these four people and plenty of firemen, and the promoter was crying because she had lost loads of money. > Ever y ba nd goe s through those early stages when they go on tour and play to absolutely no one— it’s sort of a rite of passage. Unless you’re like The Vaccines where you have loads of hype from the start.

PHOTO | UNTITLED ASIA

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FILMS JACK AND JILL COMEDY Adam Sandler, Al Pacino 91min

JACK and Jill is in essence a disaster. Recall how Jack and Jill went up the hill and came tumbling down, and you have the entire movie summed up in a nursery rhyme.

Jack Sadelstein (Adam Sandler) is a successful advertising executive in Los Angeles.

His Thanksgiving becomes a painful and drawn out affair, as his identical twin sister Jill (also played by Sandler) overstays her annual visit.

Jillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s obnoxious character problems gets on Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nerves and threatens to tear his rather tranquil life apart.

Meanwhile, Jack is under pressure at work to sign Al Pacino (playing as himself) for a Dunkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Donuts commercial, who falls head-over-heels in love with Jill at a basketball game.

The plot follows a formulaic thread and the predictable ending is all too neatly packaged in holiday cheer. Expect shameless product placement and glaring plot gaps throughout the movie.

Most scenes are strung together haphazardly without any explanation given.

Questions like why a random hobo is seated at the family table, or why Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son compulsively duct tapes small animals to his

FEMME FATALE: Gina Carano is brutal as a skilled spy.

HAYWIRE ACTION Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor

93min

NAMING a movie â&#x20AC;&#x153;Haywireâ&#x20AC;? is akin to painting a bullseye on oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work for disapproving and sarcastic critics to take aim at.

Unfortunately for director Steven Soderbergh, some may say the title is an apt description for the movieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall quality.

The movie centers around Mallory Kane (Gina Carano), a highly sought-after espionage and combat specialist working for a US private security contractor.

Upon returning from a rescue mission in Barcelona, her boss Kenneth (Ewan McGregor) cajoles her into taking up one more espionage assignment.

She reluctantly agrees and ďŹ&#x201A;ies to Dublin to pair up with a British agent, Paul, (Michael Fassbender). However, the mission quickly

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SEEING DOUBLE: Adam Sandler delivers mediocre performances as both Jack and Jill.

body are left unanswered. They seem more of a forced effort to keep up the humour, and raise more eyebrows than induce laughs.

Sandler straddles several roles as cowriter, actor and producer in this genderbender comedy. Although he reprises the familiar funnyman role, the down-to-earth nice-guy quality seen in his earlier movies goes awry and Mallory ends up having to ďŹ ght off relentless pursuers while trying to ďŹ nd the people who betrayed her.

Director Soderbergh removes all unnecessary details that could oversaturate the ďŹ lm, and instead utilizes silence and stillness to draw the viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention to key conversations.

A great level of attention has been paid to the ďŹ ght scenes. The choreography is electric and vicious, and these brutal sequences are effective in attuning the audience to Malloryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s state of mindâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;she is always guarded, always ďŹ ghting to be in control of her situation and surroundings.

Haywire boasts a talented cast. As Mallory, Carano simultaneously exudes power, danger and femininity. Though her range of emotional expression seems limited, it works well with the steely, independent loner she is required to play.

Michael Fassbender is charming and inscrutable as Paul. Similar to his role as Magneto in X-Men: First Class, there is a powerful air of mystery and depth that surrounds him. Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas, who plays as the formerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s handler, give intelligent and understated performances as men who pull the strings behind the scenes.

However, after a thrilling ďŹ rst 30 minutes, the adrenaline eventually dwindles until interest in the plot or Mallory herself can hardly be felt. The action may be consistently superb, but it becomes clear that Mallory is too efďŹ cient and unfazed by the danger in front of her. Ultimately this makes the movie quite predictable.

A poorly conceived villain also contributes to the disappointing quality. It is a pity how his evil schemes lack relevance to the overall plot, and the ďŹ lm leaves his relationship with Mallory too underdeveloped to make his plans impactful.

While the ending leaves more to be desired, acute dissatisfaction is unlikely.

Haywireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incredible opening, charming actors, and inspired action sequences manage to save its shockingly poor plot.

-BENJAMIN MOEY

PHOTO | INTERNET

like 50 First Dates and Click now sags into a tired routine.

As Jill, Sandler does nothing more than don a dress and adjust his voice up an octave, expecting the audience to ďŹ nd it hilarious.

Loud-mouthed and manly, his performance borders on overkill.

While her lonely spinster life is men-

tioned in the movie, there are no further attempts to ďŹ&#x201A;esh out her character.

Instead the producers choose to focus on something else entirelyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Jillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disgusting bodily habits.

Even more puzzling is that Jill is described to have a big heart and is adored by the kids, yet all we see is her shrill and annoying side.

More of a caricature than misunderstood heroine, it is difďŹ cult to feel much sympathy for Jill.

Other performances are equally cringeworthy. Erin (Katie Holmes) is forgettable, blending into the background as Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s robotically supportive wife. Worse still is how Al Pacino revels in self-parody.

Although Pacino is a Hollywood heavyweight revered for his serious roles in ďŹ lms like The Godfather and Scarface, he demonstrates none of that masterful acting here.

Instead, he chooses to display unfunny antics like strange hip-hop rapping, doing nothing for both his career and the movie.

Pacinoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wooing is loud and theatrical till bordering on psychotic. Why the Oscar heavyweight has subjected himself to such indignity remains a mystery.

Ironically, the comedy is nothing but depressing. The movie starts off promisingly with a series of charming anecdotes shared by twins, but quickly descends into a shambling mess.

When slapstick humor and racist insults fail, a barrage of crass toilet humor and fart gags is unleashed.

Director Dennis Dugan seems to be piling on the gags in a desperate attempt to generate laughs, which are half-hearted at best.

-TOH EE MING

LOST: Journey 2 loses its sense of direction as it focuses too heavily on CGI and 3D effects.

JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND ACTION-ADVENTURE Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine 94min

THOSE looking for a faithful adaptation of Jules Verneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel are likely to be disappointed by this latest 3D action-adventure.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, pun intended, is the sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008). However only one member of the original cast remains â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Josh Hutcherson. He reprises his role as Sean Anderson, the young boy who followed his father on the ďŹ rst adventure.

This time, Sean embarks on a quest with his stepfather Hank Parsons (Dwayne Johnson) to ďŹ nd his missing grandfather Alexander (Michael Caine) who has been sending them signals from an island that supposedly does not exist.

Dwayne Johnson, known for his action roles, unsurprisingly contributes his brawn to the movie, popping his chest muscles and saving the day effortlessly. In one atypical scene, however, the actor sings and strums the ukulele.

Surprisingly acclaimed Oscar winner Michael Caine is reduced to an eccentric old man who cruises around on giant bees.

Additionally, the disappointing character development results in a problematic portrayal of relationships in the movie. For example, the romantic relationship between Sean and the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide Kailani (Vanessa Hudgens) is played out too quickly. It is a mindless side plot that exists simply for the sake of having a teen romance element.

Director Brad Peytonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extravagant use of CGI results in a visual spectacle that ďŹ zzles out with its underdeveloped plot and ďŹ&#x201A;at characters. While the ďŹ rst ďŹ lm of the franchise rode on the advent of 3D cinema, the sequelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ xation with 3D turns out to be a tired attempt that audiences are unlikely to appreciate.

This lack of direction culminates in a haphazard plot which is unsatisfying for most viewers.

Overall, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island is an escapist, feel-good ďŹ lm catered to the thrill-seeking young audience. But beneath the island of stunning beauty and strange life-forms, it is rather hollow inside.

-EVELYN LEE

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BOOKS YOU DESERVE NOTHING Alexander Maksik (Fiction) $18.95 available at Kinokuniya Published by Europa Editions â&#x20AC;&#x153;WELL thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only one way to say this, Madame de Clery, your daughter has had a sexual relationship with a teacher.â&#x20AC;?

Alexander Maksik introduces the taboo subject of a sexual relationship between teacher and student in his debut novel You Deserve Nothing.

It explores the romantic relationship between English school teacher Will Silver and his French student Marie.

Maksik has decided to make his book an account of a melange of topics and events.

Apart from exploring studentteacher relationships, it also discusses the ethics of teaching and challenging beliefs. Also mentioned are topics on abortion and abuses.

You Deserve Nothing heavily borrows elements from other signiďŹ cant classic and contemporary literature such as Lolita and John Keating from the Dead Poets Society. This makes â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You Deserve Nothingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rather unsophisticated and unoriginal to most avid readers. Nonetheless, Silver is extremely empowering and charismaticâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;he introduces fresh ideas and explains complicated philosophical concepts in an accessible manner.

Maksik narrates the whole story from different points of view. This makes You Deserve Nothing rich and colorful in terms of perspectives.

However, some plot points are written rather clumsily which leads to poor character development.

You Deserve Nothing has certainly established Maksik as a serious writer with much potential. Packaged in a very readerfriendly way, You Deserve Nothing is the perfect novel for those wishing to start a serious reading habit. -BRIAN LEONAL

TRAVELS IN CHINA Roland Barthes (Non-ďŹ ction) $30.50 available at Kinokuniya Published by Polity WHAT could one of the greatest semioticians of all time have to say about a great nation at a time when it was in turmoil? Travels in China may just have the answer.

Roland Barthes, the famous French philosopher and semiotician, traveled to China in 1974, along with a few other distinguished French philosophers.

At that time the country was in the ďŹ nal phase of the Cultural Revolution.

The author intended to publish a book about the trip after his return, which never materialized BOOKS FROM KINOKUNIYA unfortunately. 30 years after his death, three notebooks of his jottings throughout the trip have now been edited, translated and published.

The ďŹ rst notebook records mundane tourist observations that Barthes makes from travels to Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing. In the second and third notebook, Barthes details his visit to other Chinese cities. As the days progress, Barthes slowly withdraws from the company of his fellow delegates and disregards the political discussions. Instead he immerses himself in the aesthetics that the country has to offer, such as tea and calligraphy.

It is hard to comprehend Barthesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disinterest in the political discourses as the author himself does not explain in his book.

On another level, one could also ponder the intrinsic meanings which symbols like tea and calligraphy hold in the greater scheme of life.

Despite the presence of helpful annotations, Barthesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest in matters both socially and politically irrelevant still makes the signiďŹ cance of events in China in 1974 a mere passing mention in his book. With heavy text, Travels in China is abstract and tiresome. -SHARANYA VENKATRAMAN

"It s the longest MUSIC FALLEN EMPIRES Snow Patrol (Alternative Rock) album we ve

ever made by far but also the best. I ve gone through three writer s blocks but I m glad because the results are great."

Fallen Empires is the 6th album by Snow Patrol and by far the longest ever made.

Gary Lightbody, lead vocalist of Snow Patrol, speaking in an interview with NME.com on the development of their new album Fallen Empires.

WHEN the hit single Chasing Cars played at the end of the second season ďŹ nale of TV show Greyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Anatomy, Snow Patrol came to the attention of America and the world. By the end of 2006, the band was at the height of its popularity.

But after the massive success of that alternative-rock ballad, Snow Patrol has been somewhat under the radar ever since. Their mediocre follow-up A Hundred Million Suns (2008) had, at best, a lukewarm reception from critics and fans.

But with Fallen Empires, Snow Patrol has proven that they can still produce the same solid arena rock that made them so popular. The instantly recognizable voice of lead singer Gary Lightbody dovetails beautifully with the backup vocals of guest singer-songwriter Lissie in Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Never Let You Go. Lead single Called Out Into The Dark carries on in the same vein. Bright guitars and punchy beats take the band into an unexplored territoryâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;pop music.

The new album also marks a change in direction for the band. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Never Let You Go opens with the unfamiliar sound of fuzzy synthesizers, which builds layers of electronic sounds into a towering anthem.

The inclusion of a gospel choir in the orchestra-laden The Garden Rules and the pounding beats on the title track are also shifts in the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music style. But Snow Patrol does not veer too far off course.

The stadium-ready The Weight Of Love and stirring ballad This Isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Everything You Are are signs that Snow Patrol has not actually made too drastic a transformation. The songs carry on the same formula of their previous albums.

While some of the songs are beautifully tragic, the band starts to sound repetitive on almost every track. Even Lightbodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sentimentality seems to be overworked.

At slightly over 57 minutes, a tighter, shorter album would have fared better. Nonetheless, Fallen Empires sees a return to form for the Northern Irish band and is a marked improvement from their previous effort. -KOK YUFENG

VOYAGEUR Kathleen Edwards (Alternative Country)

In addition to Edwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regular backing band, the album also features guest musicians including Norah Jones.

PHOTOS | INTERNET

CANADIAN singer and songwriter Kathleen Edwardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fourth album starts off like how a cross-country road trip would. It hums with cheer while underlined with unspoken optimism, and gradually lapses into a more sober and reďŹ&#x201A;ective mood Voyageur reďŹ&#x201A;ects the relatively eventful year the singer had.

The country artist ended her ďŹ ve-year marriage to musician and long-time collaborator Colin Cripps last year. Following that she found love as well as a creative partner in Bon Iverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Justin Vernon.

Edwards has described Voyageur as her divorce album. Each song comes off contemplative and seems to reveal Edwardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal experiences and emotions.

Folk-pop opener Empty Threat is a bold reference to both her failed marriage and her newfound romance with Vernon.

She sings during the chorus â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m moving to America/Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an empty threat.â&#x20AC;?

Lead single Change the Sheets picks up the pace as the rollicking song crests up and down theatrically. This, together with its poetic lyrics, makes the track stand out from the rest.

However there is one track which feels out of place amidst the other songs on the album. Bluesy piece Mint is almost indiscernible from the likes of Sheryl Crow, redolent with electric guitar and heavy bass. It feels like a startling interruption to the overall earthy and placid tone of the album.

An aptly named album, Voyageur is a solidly crafted vehicle that traverses across Edwardsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emotional landscape. It approaches certain signiďŹ cant milestones in the past year but deftly skirts around them instead of delving straight in. Overall the album is a thoroughly empathetic listen for some, and an enjoyably cathartic experience for all. -NG TZE MIN

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੊ิƚ࣍୔ḩ Մࢲ ৺ߒລ߽

‫ࡄݚ‬࿗ഺᇖྖ၉୔၉؎ ๽ჼٝ

ો୔ହս֬õՄລö ൥ᇖ‫੄ݚ‬࿗ഺቒఀև֬Մ ࢲ౰ሇࠊ‫׵‬è Ӑ*MZ\QT )VLMZ[[WV ࣉ୔֬ລ߽՝ಇ୔ൌ Ԣ༣ਛႵହսᇖ໚ ᄌा൚ԛШƗՕࠊ‫׵‬༒ႋ ࿗ ߽ Ӽ Ͼ ֬ õ ྔ Մ ࡈ ୔ ਛսᄆ ಭ֥Ӎܻैè ߆ḩḩ೒੊႙ՄöƗѰ‫ދ‬ Մລቒਾܻᇠఀև‫ދ‬ ๤࿗૓၉ఖা჏ഺƗทෳ ༦π֬ࢲ଩ѓ൥๤࿗૓ሸ ᇖ߆Ե๫໚ߋè ѐሸ֤ሸဍ֬ؒझçཱི௝ ྔ Մ ࡈ ୔ ߆ ၢ ໾ ੊ ໾ ၢࠪཔഹѝဍè െ֬ѝဍा൚Ɨᇶࡽ༒ႋ ࠊ‫ׂ֬׵‬၉਑‫׋‬ः൥ ਛদັ࿗ഺለቇܻैè ؒझû଱ཻ୔Ɨ໨૓၉ఖ ෢ ‫ ཱུ ޱ‬Ӑ ‫ ن‬ѝ ਛ ᇈ ༦ߒ֬଺‫ݠ‬ü‫ۆ‬ѐሸಇ୔ ՔƗ෷ѝ൜ƥõᆊ൥ׂ၉ սު‫׏‬ႜû଱ཻ୔Ɨ໨૓ ۸෷ᄤହս؎‫֬ݝ‬ՄࢲƗ ၉ఖማ֬୶‫ݠ‬üè ѰЫѷս࣡മ֬ᇖ߆Ե๫ ౭ࢲࢊඔ֬൥౤୔ᆴ ໚ߋമമ༒ႋሩè၀๤൏ ࡞౤೬çՉૌ֬‫ے‬౭‫ܪ‬ൠ ༗ຳƗହս࿗ሷᄤྔ֬၉ ၢࠪಪ࿚çՉࢸ֬Ⴝၸè ୔Ⴜྔ֬๳௬ƌö ᄤລ߽༶ϽӍƗཱི௝ ཱུ Ӑ ‫ ݓ ދ‬Ѧ ‫ ۼ‬෢ ࢊ ࢺ ûନমྔԵüᄼࢃລ߽ւ ჻֬ᆾႋƗ‫ٺ‬ѠҜܻਛࡈ ್ቒۡӝèဍ჻൥၉ಜၢ ୔߆ขഏข༶਍۸ᅡขè ߄ନমເ൵֬ྔഺքè෷ ข ഏ Ⴜ ๤ ࿗ ૓ ࣡ ྖ ሠ ૓ႼሩࣘМ‫֬ླྀۥ‬୆৶Ɨ Ш֬ဍԢƗข༶Ⴜ۹۸ᇖ ‫؀‬ৈ಍Ӎè ໚࿗߽ඒ༶ധ๽֬ᅡ൜ ဍ჻֬ಭఞ၀ࠥۡƗ ขƗ۹ᇜ҉๤֬ѝဍ‫ދ‬ᅡ ᄤဍԢᆴఴःႼ҉ങܻᇠ ൜ಥ࿗ഺ૓୆‫ܛ‬മॠ฿မ ߒ޲‫ݮ‬ሩ෷૓֬ଇሺè ᇖ߆໚ߋთ૽ීè झ౭‫ۆ‬ѐሸᇖ‫׌ࣣݚ‬ ཱུ Ӑ ‫ ݓ ދ‬Ѧ ߕ ӎ ൲ ਛ ֬ûନমՑüƗᄤཱི௝֬ ѐᆵᇖ‫ְࢹݚ‬कႼᇖ߆า ቒ‫ָߋޱ‬ເႽƗ߄ନম‫ދ‬ ೫֬Ե๫༤ීè ָलࢃ਼ຐϡࢃल֬π౭ ࠊ ‫ ۡ ֬ ׵‬ӝ ൥ ߆ ‫ྰ ڢ‬ӵᆥ‫ݛ‬è ‫ڢ‬ሔྵè๤࿗૓ᅡ൜ਛ ਽ບՄລ۪֬໾ᇐਏ ఒ ண ç ‫ ڢ ݸ‬ç ภ ሔ ְ ၀٫ӏۡè҉࣎Ⴜହս߆ कႼքѝྦ֬ᇖ‫ݚ‬Ե๫ ৈ๽ç߆቉თࢮ໾ധሀ ‫ ڢ‬൬ Ɨ ਾ ᄤ Ӎ ֬ ܻ ᇠ ᄤ ᆛƗ҉ങࣘМ֬ѝဍ೉ව ߒ ৈ ֬ ఞ ‫ ٹ‬༶ ࿗ ༤ Ɨ ‫ݚ‬მင۪໾Ըകç଺୶‫ؚ‬ ๤ ൏ ၀ ୆ ၉ Е ဋ ‫ ڥ‬è Ӗ ‫ ؂‬ಥ ܻ ᇠ ‫ ݝ‬ቇ ਛ ᮖ è

ྔՄࡈ୔߆ḩ೒੊႙Մ

ᇢሓᡁ ᇢ߷଀ĶИ֨

Ⴕହս‫ࡄݚ‬࿗ഺᇖྖ Ɠ1V\MZVI\QWVIT ;\]LMV\[ +MV\ZMƔएϾ֬୔؎๽ჼ ٝቒൺ࿗ഺߒ႙è ࿗ഺൠ༇԰ᇽರઔչ ӵ‫ࢤڳ‬൸ѝනƥõएϾ๽ ჼٝ֬଩֬Ɨ໴٫ཟಥ‫ݚ‬ ࡄ࿗ഺ‫߆ؚ‬ಭԵ๫༤ීႼ ‫۾‬മ၉ұ֬ਛࢺèö ֙ລ֬๽ჼٝƗԩਛ ႼሸሀລқƗ࣡Ҙ֬ѝဍ ᆴບƗ‫۾‬Ⴜ೟՘֬ྤᄕԕ ࢉƗಥᄤӍ֬Ҝთᆇྜྷ‫ڀ‬ ҉ၟè ၉ଇᄇହ‫ࡄݚ‬࿗ഺᄤ ቒ‫߽֙ࠖࢉ֫֬ޱ‬ᇖӵ‫܆‬ ‫׀‬ҐᇖਛܾሷৡႼ‫ئ‬ങᣔ ሷ Ƙ၉‫ܒ‬൥ !ᣔሷè ܼࣗ෷ႚ֥֬࣎൥଱ ᆣܾᣔሷƗ෷ಶಝྜྷۡҗ ਢ‫׀‬ᄤขഏۡएႚদܾ֬ ሷƗಥ಍Ӎܻᇠເ෷ಪਢ ߒ޲è ેЫԕ֥֬࿗ഺ၀Ѱ ҉ऐ೥Ɨႀເ෷૓҉࣎​࣎ ւቃਛႵହսᇖ໚࿗߽ཊ Ӎ൜ٚ֬ඇ߉ ç࡮ᇃç ᇖ‫ࣟދࢹݚ‬झ૲कƗ၀௝ ӎਛཊᇌ֬ᇖ‫ݚ‬Ҷè ఊᇖƗఴদହսඛয় თग़࿗࿗ᄄ࢓ੇ֬வ֪ಝ Ɠ ෦Ɣ‫ؚ֙‬ລ֬ࠊ‫׵‬τ ஍‫֥ے‬નၰè ᆊଇদሸབྷ‫۝‬ग़࠶ս ࿗֬‫࠰୔ل‬ഺනƥõদ֥ ྔࡍ௨ಭഺ‫҉׀‬ඊƗହս Ⴜᆊી‫֬ށ‬ᅸևƗಥ໨‫ے‬ ֥໘୷èö

ሕၣսႺྡྷ

໾੊ᅥ൝༦႙Մ ඪᇖሕၣཋπྖ ൝Ɨࠊ৶ສᅱö4-, ໾ ੊ѝဍè Юཱུ࿗ഺҜთ֬ဍԢ ൥Օࣄሕၣ֬ाӍѝဍè ս ໑࿗ഺߋഭ ෢ሩႂৈ֬ࢲቄƗ໾ ເõ໾੊ᅥ൝öè ੊ࢃ਑ఖഁප݂֮֬Ɨᄤ ᄤ ୔֬ሕၣսႺྡྷ ඪᇖّิ࿏ሎƗເܻᇠӶ ᇖƗᆊཻ࿗ഺҜთਛႵಭ ཊԢ၉Ӎਾಭธເܻᆿ֬ ૽ཿ߽౤୔ᄕ‫׵‬Ɠ8MWXTM ൱फᷮဗè )[[WKQI\QWV AW]\P 5W^M দሸҒਟ‫܄‬Ӹ༩ව୔ UMV\Ɣ෵Ӷཋ֬õ໾੊ᅥ ࠰֬ஓवިනƥõսࡌ၉

ᅂ஭ᡁ ĶИ֨

ହ

ఖ୴৶࿗‫ށ‬໾ҋƗ၉ఖӶ ཊ၉ؔ࣡Ҙ֬ѝဍƗ‫ے‬फ ٫ӏ‫ށ‬ƌö ྰ؇๹ନ‫܄‬Ӹ༩၉୔ ࠰֬ӮवࢴƗ൥ହս໚ߋ ࠊ‫׵‬ཿ߽Ɠ+]T\]ZIT )K \Q^Q\QM[ +T]JƔሕၣսႺྡྷ ԛ໅߽֬ᇽ༣è वࢴᄤൺ٧൏๰੤ԛ ໅߽՝ಇ୔ ᄌःा൚ԛ Шሕၣè

वࢴѝ൜໾֠ুൄ‫ؚ‬ ໾֠჻ᄨ഍ႼࡍƗõ෠ ಝ໨૓֬ਇ༤൏࡞иఊ ෷࿗ཱུങƗ֓൥෷૓फ ֫໨૓࿗֫‫ঀޚ‬Ɨ‫ޚ‬Ⴜ ๆ‫ٺ‬èö वࢴफ֫໾֠჻‫ޚ؂‬ Ⴏྖ‫׀‬ϣ໾ҋቚ‫ށ‬Ɨಥ ෷௪ເ‫׵ے‬è ሕၣࢃ჆ ᄌ ಷࠪ ಷᄤ. ໂྰս੓एྡྷè

ሕၣսႺྡྷ჆ ᄌ ಷᄤѥ‫ݡ‬ຝ֬. ໂྰս੓एྡྷਛ ൵ӍቀҘ஍è ണႜdਦሷࡹ

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07 CHRONICLE

ငઉ ѐࠧ൰

‫؎ݝ‬၎ধ୶Ⴂ ‫ݚ‬ಭ೥൅؆৲য়୘ ໸ࡈၕ ᇖ໚ѐࠧ

௞

౯୶ႢЁલ԰য়ࡌ༇ൠ ‫ࡍྔؚ‬௨౤୔ࡌ๝‫ؾ‬င ൥ࡸ٫ӏ௻љ֬ൠè ֓൥ᆊဩ֬༤߽ܿ҉߽֤ ᇈཊք֬౤୔‫؎ݝ‬჆၎ধ୶ ႢƗರ‫ތ‬ൠ‫҉؂‬ཟሸ࠴‫׵‬൴ ಇቚƪ ࣔ࠲୔Иᅪ‫؂‬ႼИ֨ྔ ࡍ௨౤୔‫؎ݝ‬၎ধ୶Ⴂ֬ൠ ࡸƗ‫ؾ‬ᆊ൥‫٘ڕ‬႟ਛཊࣉྔ ࡍ௨ധ߽֬ฆ؎ƪ ྿‫ئ‬ບ‫ݚ‬ಭ‫؂‬໴ٌয়ࢺᆊ ᇜ༤ྦƗႀເ෷૓֬໚ߋӗ ֤؆৲ഺࠊƗ‫҉ؾ‬൥၎ধ෷ ಭᅽਟࡌ༇ൠè кᆇಱເЮ‫׀‬ಭ၎ধ୶Ⴂ ֬໚ߋ࡞ࢫ‫׀‬ႜའਛྔࡍ௨ ಭሸ৲֬୆৶è ‫؎ݝ‬၎ধ୶Ⴂ֬ᅽ‫ܫ‬ෂ޳ ߽ಥಭ૓҉ആ჆԰য়ෲൠƗ ՝ཱིःဨӵ໴ٌ؆৲ᅽ‫ܫ‬ሸ ࠴֬ߑ༤ܿè ए۸‫ݚ‬ಭ‫؎ݝ‬၎ধ୶Ⴂ֬ ৯ሷƥ྿‫ئ‬࿗ഺ༤ܿϣ୶Ⴂ ւ֥ේഡৡռ೨è ҉଻‫ن‬ཊƗᄤହսཱུഡৡ ၀ӏӏႼ୶ႢԢેèႼཻହ սཱུഺϣ୶Ⴂւ֥ේഡৡƗ Ё෷૓ռ೨ç༨ၐè Ⴔఊ൥ᄤྔ࿗ఀा൚൏Ɨ ‫۾‬୆ै֥҉ങ୶Ⴂռ೨ේഡ ֬౭ࣦè Ⴜཻಭ߽ԂႼ௞ਛ୶ႢƗ ෵ၢ൐ીൠ‫؂‬႒‫ۅ‬ಥ୶Ⴂಇ ቚܻ֬‫׋‬è

ҳ๴ǧອࡍྒ

ढ़൥ᆊဩ֬ཟٌԂ࿊༶ ಇƗ༤ܿႼ୶Ⴂᅽਟࡌൠ֬ࡌ ๝ःиࢧ଻݀ං‫ݠ‬ሷ؆৲ഺࠊ ֬য়୘ਛè ࠮ൗેႼ౯୶Ⴂ֥ේഡৡ

Ёલռ೨Ɨ྿‫ئ‬࿗ഺߕ൥ ୨ᄂ߄ల‫ܭ‬Ⴏේഡ෵฻‫܉‬ ֬౩ࢸ‫ڢ‬༇Ɨ၀҉ᄂ౛൴ ᆣয়٣࡞è ເਛช๴၉൏֬ѓ৭Ɨ

࿗ഺ૓ෂ޳ၟࣣ޴ંਛ؆ ৲ഺࠊ֬ᇞးয়୘Ɨ၀൅ ಇਛሸ৲֬୆৶è кᆇಱເᆊ၀ຢ಍೥൅ ਛ՝ࡌৡϳ֥ේഡህ֬ၰ ၳèϳ࣐ේഡԩਛ١ѓഏ ࿗ᆴບƗߕ൥۸࿥ਇ࿗ഺ ؆৲ഺࠊ֬मࡋ๶࣬è ֓൥Ɨ೉‫ݛ‬࿗ഺ૓ႀເ ‫؎ݝ‬၎ধ୶Ⴂ԰য়ේഡ֬ ౩ࢸƗ଱ᄤࡌৡህ‫ދ‬ᄤේ ഡৡഺࠊःє֫ેႼ൐ી ҼѠਛè ෠ಝේഡৡႼൌ‫ٺ‬ຢആ ֬ࡌ‫׏‬നേƗ྿‫ئ‬࿗ഺߕ ൥࿑ᄻϣ၉ᆣֆ֬ᄪၐ‫ڢ‬ ւߴࡌৡƗಥ୶Ⴂࠎᆇ‫ں‬ ଢಇ԰য়è ᆊ൥ႀເ঳‫خ‬Ɨߕ൥༤ ܿӵྦƗಥཊք౤୔҉‫״‬ ֫၉౔॓ሸ࠴֬֨য়è кᆇफ֫ᆊဩ֬༤ܿӐ ࣹ༶দᇁ߽Ԕߑཊք֬୔ ౥ಭƗ၎ধѠಭ‫ڼ‬ᄺሸ࠴ ֬ఖउႉ൑è ၉۸࿗ఀ༶দƗ၀Ⴜ҉ ങ࿗ഺ࿑ᄻϳߴࡌৡህè ϳߴࡌህ֬য়Ⴕႀಭ‫ؾ‬ ၺƗ֓൥၀Ⴜ၉ཻ࿗ഺ൥ ႀເ໴ٌ൨႒໴୶Ⴂᅽ‫ܫ‬ ֬ಷሷғϳߴࡌህ֬è ֙ಝƗкᆇ၀ଃϩ҉൥ ෵Ⴜྔࡍ௨౤୔‫؂‬Ⴜ೉Օ ֬༤ܿƗ֓൥ᆊ‫ܩ‬౻൤֬ ಙಥಭ֋Ⴓè ເਛ‫ܤ‬৪‫୔ئ۾‬౥‫ݚ‬ಭ ࿗༤؆৲ഺࠊƗкᆇ‫۾‬फ ֫൥൏ްಥྔࡍ௨ಭ٘ി ཊႼ֬ധ߽ฆ؎Ɨၢѓᄚ ჩ༶၉քᆥಙ֬ࡕᆻܻè

‫ڴׇ‬Г൶මཟ ྔࡍ௨ಭᄂၰࢫൺႡЗ ާ߹᪫

Г

൶Ɨ‫ྱݤ‬თ‫ݪ‬࿀‫؂‬൥၉ཻӏႯদ ྠಿ࿷ᇤಭ֬ሺဋèᆊཻྠಿՔ ٘႟ਛ࿷ᇤಭѰ҉ഃӐ‫ؚ‬ഭя֬ಭѝչ ሸ࠴֬ྖၰè ֙ಝƗྔࡍ௨ಭ၀҉৯ບè֓෢ሩ ൏ք֬єబƗႼ‫ݚ֬ئ۾‬ಭᇶࡽࢫൺ೉ Օѝչπ֬ཟٌè ႡЗ൥თ౛૨֬ಭ‫ܕ‬๠֬١൛ᆴ ၉Ɨ֓ቒࣔෂ޳Կఖਛ၉‫ܩ‬თଚഺಭႡ З֬‫ڋ‬ӝƗ೉ࣔఀࢧൺᇻ଩֬൞ࢿႡЗ ಷ ?WZTL 0]O ,Ia è ᆊརࠊ‫׵‬൥ᇖ‫ݚ‬၉‫ؚ‬ཊքၣඓࡌྨ ׄƘۡ თۡృ֬ቛ๳‫ن‬ఖཟè൞ࢿႡ Зಷᄤ۹۸‫ࡌݚ‬৯೉ƗಷЮçૌ‫ݚ‬çႎ ‫ྠְ֬ݚ‬൛‫ં؂‬Ⴜ҉๤è ‫ؾ‬ᄤྔࡍ௨Ɨᆊརࠊ‫׵‬ᇽး‫ٺ‬ເ਍ ۸ࢯؔè൵༼ƗҜთᆇႼൌ໻‫ٺ‬ᇙ֬൏ ࡞ಥ෷૓თഭя֬ଚഺಭႡЗèࢫሩƗ

Ҝთᆇ߽൴ధ൴ྠӵ၉۸࿏መ֬ಭ੊࣐ ྡྷ၉۸Ӑչ໻‫ٺ‬ᇙ֬ࠩ฿ႡЗè ᆊར໘Ꮵ֬ࠊ‫֬׵‬Ԣ‫׋ن‬Ɨთఊ෷৒ ෂ֬ႡЗࠊ‫׵‬൥၉ဩ֬Ɨ଱ः൥༗ຳ୆ ‫ܤܛ‬৪ಭ૓‫ئ‬๠‫ݝ‬ႡЗদѝչ‫ؚ‬ఊ෷ಭ ֬πၰè ֓кᆇಱເᆊဩ֬Ԣ‫׋ن‬Ɨෂ޳ᄤχ ൜ሩಭ૓ߕ҉‫׀ܛ‬౛૨Ɨ၀ߕ҉‫ܛ‬ആ჆ ѝչሸ࠴֬౭‫ے‬è ྔࡍ௨֬౭ঊಙ൓൥೉ՕèႴఊ൥‫ؚ‬ ሸ࠴֬ࡌಭƗ྿‫ݚئ‬ಭ၀‫ޚ‬ങ๠‫ݝ‬ႡЗ ࠎᆱ฿მငদѝչ‫ࡌؚ‬ಭ֬πთܸߏè ֓ᄤ‫ئ‬ᇜ໚ߋ֬ᒪಠ༶ƗาѠ൥මཟ ࢧा٩֬།١໚ߋƗႼ‫ݚ֬ئ۾‬ಭᇶࡽ ࿗߽ಇѝչπƗ මཟ၀҉ᄣ଱ીГ൶è ൞ࢿႡЗಷ၉‫ܒ‬༒ႋਛ ଇྔࡍ௨ ಭҜთèкᆇफ֫෠ಝඛ଩Ѱ҉൥٫ӏ ֬‫ئ‬Ɨ֓၀٘႟ਛႼ྿‫܋ئ‬ᇠჷၰთଚ ഺಭႡЗƗთ෷૓‫ٺ‬ཡঀৈ֬‫ے‬ൺთ౭ ‫ے‬è кᆇಱເ‫ئ‬ඛ֬ྔࡍ௨ಭ൥҉ࣁၰ‫ۺ‬ ე෷ಭႡЗ֬è೉‫ݛ‬Ⴜ৒ෂ൞ࢿႡЗಷ

ҳ๴ǧອๆҔ

֬௣ขƗ႒‫߽ۅ‬Ⴜ҉ങಭᄂၰҜთè кᆇफ֫೉‫ݛ‬ႀເྖয়ᅷο‫ؾ‬շ൅ਛ ѝչπ߽֬ࠖƗ൓ᄤढ़༛èೖ‫ݚئ۾‬ಭ ୆‫ܛ‬෾Ԣׂ၉ҋƗႮ‫׀۔‬ѝչπƗཔྗ ҉ࣹ‫ޱ‬ѓ୆ϣ෸֙ӵ၉ᇜഺࠊ١൛Ɨᅀ ࣐თഭя֬ಭ֬‫ے‬౭è

ອ൉଀

ਊ

ྔ ࡍ ௨ ‫׏‬ ႜ

ᇍృƗਊ֤Ɨ ᇌ ቛਛྔ‫ޖ‬෦௒Ƙ û‫ݠ‬ሷ҉ߑüè ‫׏‬ႜඒਊ֤၉݁֬ ‫ڋ‬۳Ɨᇽ฼ຽನሩ‫ں‬ଢ ႀ޴ં‫ݠ‬ሷ‫֤ؾ‬ᇈ‫ݠ‬ሷ ༉್఍๶֬‫ۇ‬୘è ‫׏‬ႜ౭ࢲࢊඔਛ౤ ങ୔೉‫ތ‬फ़ຳധ߽თࠪ ‫ں‬ଢ‫ؚ‬෷૓֬ࢫൺၢࠪ ॣ‫׮‬è кᆇᄤ‫׏‬ႜഏ႟֬ ׂ‫ل‬ๆःಇैਛՕ௒è кᆇಱເՕቛ௝෠ဃ࿊ ਛਊ֤ၢັ֬‫ڋ‬۳Ƙധ ߽྆൓è֓ୄಿ҉‫ܛ‬മ ್ಭྖƗႼ‫׋‬౥૴֕྆ ‫׀‬ϣ‫ܪ‬ൠւ‫ݝ‬Ɨᆣ฿‫ܪ‬ ൠࡕ۳ં֍Бè ‫ؚ‬иਊ֤ఴ਍ҍቛ ௝Ɨûཱི‫҉ݠ‬Я 1ü ‫ ދ‬ ûཱི‫҉ݠ‬Я 11üƗкᆇ ‫ن‬ཊᆊ೟ҍቛ௝Ⴜሩൌ ‫ٺ‬৒ෂ֬౭ࢲè ෠ಝ෸૓‫٘؂‬႟ਛ ധ߽ཊཧƗढ़൥‫׏‬ႜୄ ಿ཈֫ఫௐ၉੷Ɨ‫ݿ‬໴ ྔ༾‫ے‬è ᆊ೟ҍቛ௝֬ᇽ࢟ ၀൥ႵჷϲಭછৠԾ೓ ‫ާދ‬՗ࡹᇽဍèᆊಥк ᆇफ֫ෂ޳ᄤै࿊ࠩƗ ҉ཥ൥ै಍ྔ֬‫׏‬ႜè ࣔ୔দขຝ‫׏‬ႜᇶ ࡽቃުƗ෸૓෵଼চ֬ ᇽ฼‫҉ޚ؂‬๤èႵ࡬֍ ֬π౭௒֥໺ռ௒‫؂‬ Ⴜè҉๤֬‫׏‬ႜ౭ࢲ‫ދ‬ ᇽ฼୆‫ܛ‬༒ႋ֥҉๤֬ ܻᇠಜ฿Ɨ๤൏၀୆ᅀ ࡍ‫׏‬ႜ֬ұ՘è ः‫ށ‬ཥఴᆛሷռ֫ࠌު֬ขຝ π౭௒û଱ཻ୔Ɨ໨૓၉ఖማ‫ݝ‬ ֬୶‫ݠ‬üèՕ‫׏‬ႜ෠ಝ൥ၢ౤೬ ֬π౭ເ‫ܪ‬ൠᇽནè֓ಖ୆‫ܛ‬ԯ ா֥ܻᇠୄྖቒೃ೏֬࢟઒Ɨߙ ఖો۸ಭྖᇖ֬õലࡋၙöè ขຝဍၣಈ஛սƗ‫׏‬ႜൗႯ֬ ဍ჻‫؂‬൥஄ཥ࠰ѠƗ྿‫ئ‬ማྙ֬ ౤ങ୔ເਛᆭԂ஄ཥ‫ٻٻؾ‬தಇ ै஄ཥ෵ᇽဍ֬‫׏‬ႜèᆊಥௗ٣ Ⴜ၉‫֬׮‬Гᆪè иఖขຝဍၣಈƗЮ‫׀‬ဍၣಈ ൓ᄤ૸ཱིè‫׏‬ႜဍ჻၀҉ᇁႼ଱ ࠲۸èкᆇಱເЮ๹‫׏‬ႜᆴ෵ၢ ߽ჷ‫׀‬෾ҋ൥ႀເಓ‫ي‬൱फཹ‫ݛ‬ ‫ދ‬൨֙֬ဍ჻è ҉‫ݝ‬Ɨкᆇಱເਊ֤‫ؚ‬ᆊ՘֬ ቛ௝၀҉൥ેႼ߄ྖමèᄤၢັ ֬ûཱི‫҉ݠ‬Я 1ü ‫ ދ‬ûཱི‫҉ݠ‬Я 11üƗਊ֤Ⴏਛ྿‫ؚئ‬ϩদጲ൫è ֓൥Ɨᄤû‫ݠ‬ሷ҉ߑüৡƗਊ֤ Ⴏਛཻ྿໺ռ‫׵‬ቛთဍ჻֬റ౭ দጲ൫Ɨ൥၉۸҉๤֬ӎ൲è ྔࡍ௨‫׏‬ႜш྽ࡆ࿊୴৶Ɨӛ ‫҉ئ۾‬๤֬١ས‫ن‬ᅡƗಥЮ๹‫׏‬ ႜႼ෵๳௬èᆊဩғ୆ឨૌ჆ఊ ෷‫֬ࡌݚ‬ቛ௝ƗѰౖಥྔࡍ௨ಭ ႋၢເϓè

ჷ ‫׀‬ ෾ ҋ ఫ ௐ ၉

੷

26

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18

CHRONICLE 07 ഺࠊᆴࢲಷঅཟ౾

ϛ ᄌ ಷ ໨૓ᄆ߽ϛ 8Q\KP[\WX ౭ಭࢲ໽қ

ᄆ߽ûၺ৒໊দսᅥü

၉

ਛુ݅቎്్य़৶Ɨ‫׏‬ႜᄄ‫۾‬൥۸ੇ ฤሩঽબ֬ᄆ߽Ж‫׀‬è౭ಭࢲႜ௒‫۾‬ ൥௲ๆ‫׀׀ۉ‬༣ण‫ؾ‬দè པ‫ؚ‬჆ී঵֬π౭௒Ɨఌߟ‫׵‬ቛ௒ෂ޳ ‫۾‬୆๎ᅥಭ૓֬൱फറࣣèûၺ৒໊দս ᅥüሸಝ֯ഏਛ౭ಭࢲ‫׏‬ႜᄄᆴྡྷ֬൵࿑Ж ቝèၢ༒࿚‫ݍ‬฼Ғ֬Ю௒൥ुา Фࣈೞ‫ف‬ᄤ ಓ༣ਛׂ೟ࠩᆴ‫݉ߴ֬ޱ‬ᆴቛèЮ௒൥ᆊ۸ ‫׏‬ႜ༩ਠᇖ൵ҍၢ ,۳൛ഏ႟è ௒ᇖुาФࣈೞ‫֬ࡹ࢛ف‬ഭ൴ᄣ՘ᆟ‫ڢ‬ ਛಭ૓֬ဋ౶èިܻ֬‫ܪ‬ൠУࣦთ࿔২֬‫׵‬ ቛӍ૲၀ᇁႼᄤ ,‫׏‬ႜᄄғ୆‫ے‬ൺ֥֫è

ԩ

ᆷᄤཟ౭ಭࢲ֬໽қးᄤମৡࢺबè ࡂঢ়࿗ཱུࣔƗჂ୆؎‫ݝ‬၉۸Ⴅ঳֬໽ қ൏࡞èᄤࣣ‫ݝ‬࿗ཱུ֬Ծ၃ᇖྖƓQVVW^I \QWV KMV\MZƔ֬൏ްƗၰບ‫ن‬ཊ8Q\KP [\WX ᄤ౭ಭࢲᆊ၉ๆาѠ໘Ꮵ๾ԢਛࡍႼྖྟ ࡍਟ֬и೚è‫ג‬ӐࣁജනƗᆊ၉ๆ෷૓า Ѡເ‫ܫ‬ॡ૓ሠШਛ‫ڽ‬Ⴜõπö֬࿑ᄻè ձ֬и೚ढ़ၢರ࿑ ᇜྖྟ֬ந‫ۻ‬Ɨ‫ٺ‬Ѡ ൥ૌ‫ݚ‬൛‫ދ‬๹‫ـ‬ఊ൛ KPWQKM WN )UMZQKIVW WZ <]ZSMa *IKWVƔƗບࡍ Нႉਟ၉‫ܒ‬൥

! ! èᆊ۸าѠ֬ࠊ‫׵‬Ɨᇁདྷᄤ౭ಭࢲ֙ ๆ֬ᄱഏ ‫֥׋‬ລഏ ‫׋‬è

ണႜd ᅼѩ

11AM

ᅽ௒dະક༶ᄢ

2PM

9PM ᅽ௒dະક༶ᄢ

ྔࡍ௨ଐๆ઄ ྙ३બဗ‫ੱྡྷ٭‬Ӹ

5PM PM M

‫ރ‬

Ӳ಍౶ቒսଐๆ઄֬õྔࡍ௨ଐๆܻࣦ઄öۡ ૣƗиႎ‫ݚ‬અ‫֬؞‬õఫᨐဋöۡ ૣèᆊ ۸õྤ‫ڥ‬ଐๆ઄öࢃᄤ౭ಭࢲເ֙‫׀‬౭ੰ฻‫ྙ܉‬३બဗ ‫ੱྡྷ٭‬Ӹèၢఴ෵໊Ⴜ֬١൛౰ሇ౭ಭࢲƗሸಝࡕ۳၀ ҉٪Ɨ ౭ಭࢲఀ࡞ටಭລဗྺး !! è

౭ಭࢲ࠮ࢃ֥দƗ҉୍ܼπᄤ࣐ྡྷᇖƗߕ ൥π၎໊ࣿ‫ن‬࿯è౭ಭࢲ‫؂‬൥ѝϩƗ౷ ࠅƗဎტ֬‫ށށ‬൏ఀèᆊ၉ఀ֬ûହᄁü ഺࠊƗᇖ໚ѐࠧᅼѩთսࡌ‫ٺ‬ཡ ୔౭ ಭࢲ֬၉ๆè

ၣඓग़࠶ѷ༅ܽ ๔չୋ‫ރ‬൓༅ᅡ

ै

ຢ‫׏‬ႜ ྺးᇞྔӭ‫ו‬၉༶౭࿉è໑ ჆ѥ‫ݡ‬ຝࣈೳၣඓग़࠶ѷ༅ܽ֬๔չ ୋ‫ރ‬൓༅ᅡࠎ྿൥۸҉շ֬࿑ᄻè ᆊ൥๔չୋ‫ׂރ‬၉՘֯ഏ‫ױ‬ହ࿷ս੫è ሸ ! ୔ఖ‫ݻ‬ᇇࣉࣔ ୔Ɨಥಭ૓ᄣ՘฿ မᆊ෎ࣣ‫׌‬Զࡺྭໆౖ༫झྦ֬൵‫ݻ‬èᄤ ᅡ๖૑८Ɨ‫܄‬ቛಭ჻ࢃ‫ن‬ეԶௗ ᆥ૲‫֙ދ‬ ୔֬Զௗ၉ဩè‫ؾ‬У૲Ɨᄼႍሩ၉໑֙୔

ണႜd ᅼѩ

ӷॡ֬ଇሺƗ୔਴Ɨң໑ְ࠰‫ދ‬ഺ௣ࣁജè‫܄‬ቛಭ჻ࣁ ജƗોᅭԶௗ‫֬૲ޱ‬ӷॡ‫҉؂‬၉ဩƗ෢ࠖ‫ैۺن‬ᅡল֬ ಭèોᅭԶௗ‫؂‬ᄤෛන҉๤֬৬ൕƗᄤ൴ৡၟࣣ൥ӭ‫בב‬ ֬èՕᅡলܽ୆ಥҜܻᆇ၉঎Ⴙ઄֬‫ܙ‬ӵƗࢀᄶƗ‫֬ྡྷݻ‬ ಷሷƗ฿မᄤԶഏ֬ഺࠊƗಱൔᇾଇ֬ѩ೽èᄤՕ՘õ‫ݻ‬ ྡྷöᇖƗ୍ࢃै֥ᄆ ࡸ໚༅ᆎ௝Ɨఊᇖ ࡸ‫۾‬൥՝໊ ‫܋‬ाთ൞ಭࡵ૲è਽ບƗߕࢃै֥๔չୋ‫֬ރ‬๯ְң໑Ɨ ೟ְңƗսࢯืƗ‫ݘ‬੝൰ְսਏ‫ڶ‬ॠനേè ᅡܽࢃाᇇ ᄌ !‫ރ‬Ɨોๆा‫ن‬൏࡞ເᄱഏ ‫֥׋‬ລഏ ‫׋‬ƓЎচ‫ࡓܒ܋‬ఀƔƗ࿗ഺႱ߹ࡕ۳ເ è

అቐϝഠ

Ⴐଖ‫ڋ‬ಆƗӏӏ߽‫؀‬໨ाྖè :W[M ಭ໚თധ߽ग़࿗࿗ᄄ

ྖᇖ଱۸าѠ֬<)èເ൐ી߽ ೉Օ༒ႋ୍ୂƪ лՕढ़ၢ‫ݿ‬໴‫ੇ࢓֬ࠪܫ‬ƗѰ ౖႼཔ๤֬ྜྷಆ‫ދ‬π‫ށ‬è

෷٫ӏ༬ྖƗሌ၉Ɨைఞ‫ށ‬Ɨ ‫ޚౖؾ‬Ⴜғ߆è 2ILM ߢࣈ߰Եѳთྗ༖࿗ᄄ

;WVO ‫ࠖ׏‬თ‫׏‬ሷ‫܄‬Ӹ࿗ᄄ

ႀເ෷֬ྦ۳‫ށޚ‬è٫ӏ฿๓Ɨӵ ඊƗ‫ౖؾ‬Ѱ҉߽ႀເ၉‫ཱི׋‬ൠः෢ѓ ‫ن‬ைఞè ᇌ๴dਦᠶᡌ

5Ia ྗ༖‫܄‬ӸთԵૉ࿗ᄄ

ःफ֫ഺࠊৡ૲ၟࣣႼ෷ ਛƗેႼ෷ः߽फ֫ങਛ‫ޚ‬ ‫ױئ‬།è 2QVO ‫ࠖ׏‬თ‫׏‬ሷ‫܄‬Ӹ࿗ᄄ

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07 CHRONICLE

ვৈ ཨ࣪ิဍӖ߽

õിߌ၉۩öെӳाӖ ᷧ৶໴౲ ߢ࿙ᠶ ĶИ֨

Ы

Ӳເõിߌ၉۩öཨ࣪ ิಷఴদྔाӖƗ҉ ‫ۆ‬õിߌö‫ڋ‬۳èᆣӍဍӖ߽ න֬ߌ҉‫ئ‬Ɨ֓ಶಝᷧ৶໴ ౲èࢃࣔ೟۸Ͻཱི൏֬ဍӖ߽ ᇖƗཨ࣪ิဍӖਛ‫ئ‬൵‫׵‬๗۪ ౾ƗPQOPّ಍Ӎ ಭè ု‫ݖ‬౾଩Ӡಪ಍Ӎ ဍӖ߽֬ाӍƗཨ࣪ิ೉ᆾ ߯ࡌϵᅦᄤ໾ขᇖရ֬ഽࢍข ഏᆾ߯ሩ໾ขഏ֬ৈ‫ؙ‬èܼࣗ ෷У‫ؚ‬ሩܻᇠƗો၉໑۪ૠ‫؂‬ മമ‫׀‬Ы෷֬ો၉۸‫׵‬ቛ‫ۺ‬༒ ႋህਛè ࢫሩཨ࣪ิৼӖ໻൵ု‫۪ݖ‬ ౾Ɨ࠮ॠӠಪཊӍఞ‫ٹ‬è൵༼ ဍӖਛûঅཟ౾üƗ֓ࢫ༶দ ֬ව൵‫҉؂‬൥ሸ࠴۪֬è ᆊဩ֬τ஍ഔຸႼ‫׋‬ढ़༛Ɨ п࣯ཨЁ႒‫ۅ‬иࢧཟ๗ཨ࣪ิ ۪֬౾è õിߌ၉۩ö၀Ⴐଖ õിߌ၉۩öᄤ౾଩ᆴ࡞֬

õിߌ၉۩öᄤ౾଩ᆴ࡞֬ߌങ֬ढ़৿è֓ಖᆥ൥ᆊ၉‫׋‬ғਾ෷‫۾‬ ࡍૠಭçढ़πè ണႜd ߢव‫ډ‬ ߌങ֬ढ़৿è֓ಖ൥ᆊ၉‫׋‬ғ ਾ෷ૠಭçढ़πè֙ລƗ෷ᇞ ‫׀ڶ‬නõսࡌ‫ށ‬ƌöƗોන၉ ՘Ɨ‫؂‬಩֫սࡌ‫ޣ‬ฝսླྀè ෠ಝߌ҉‫ئ‬Ɨ֓෷֬ો၉ चߌ‫؂‬მԢ࣠ಭèӖຢû၉ဋ ථ࡞üғᇛ჆ा८නߌèၢເ ෷߽‫ྱݤޚ‬Ɨ֓෷࣯ಝ‫׀ླྀۥ‬ නƥõႼЫૌ୶Ўຽ‫ݝ‬ઞƪö སսࡌ᧚္ᅦᄤ෷ഭя֬ཆৈ ๽֬ૌ୶๽჻è

ဍӖõPQOPö۪ûᔨƌᔨƌ ᔨƌüçû҉֫ਛüçûૈ‫٭‬ ೫໾üఴƗཨ࣪ิးܻᇠᅦ ఖদѰනƥõ҉ᅦఖদ֬஻ ႽƗ҉းܶఴ૲֬௎‫ܩ‬èö ߕેӖƗսࡌ‫༼؂‬Ы෷֬ߌ ‫ۥ‬õPQOPöਛè ‫౒ے׵‬ொᅡཊ۪Ӗ൓৶

দሸϟ৚ϔೝѷ༅ܽ֬ၣඓࢴቛ

ᅂ஭ᡁ ĶИ֨ ϟ৚೟սၣඓѷ༅ܽ ᆴ၉֬ϔೝѷ༅ܽႀᆻᆣ ྰఀ࡞Ɨࢃܽୄ෵Ҧೳ ੊çႍཧ஑ç‫ޱ‬ႍཧ஑ç ྆൓ᇽၳ֬ҍ‫߉ٺ‬ቛᄕ ັ෷‫ݚ‬ᅡԢèᄤࢹඖ‫ݚݩ‬ ൵‫ف‬ၣඓᇖྖ֬ᅡ൜ࠊ‫׵‬ ‫ޱ‬Ɨদ֥ਛྔࡍ௨‫ࡌݚ‬ѷ ༅ܽè ߉ᅡ֬ᇽ฼ເõ૚ཟ თཊ൓öèቛ௝࿂ඔൌࣻ ൞ࡇԡٌ‫ݚ‬თ୿ᇤᄤ‫܄‬၃ ۱ଈ֬ႜའ༶Ɨധ߽‫ن‬ഺ औєƗ૴ࠂਛ԰჆‫ັݝ‬თ ֙༶࢓ࢿಭ૓֬‫ے‬ൺè ᅡল‫ٺ‬ເწငთ৬ ൕçಭთཊքഺࠊçಭთ ሸಝࠪ‫ܢ‬؆ව۸ҍ‫ٺ‬èᆊ ՘߉ᅡ‫ܒ‬ᅡԢ ‫ॻޟڝ‬ ൌࣻ൞ࡇᇖᇇ‫ل‬ൌ൞ࡇԡ ֬ቛ௝è ೝഐ֬ûພᇃஎᆇü çᢐ‫֬ܨ‬ûٕ၇ྙ३üთ

ྔࡍ௨‫ࡌݚ‬ѷ༅ܽ ࿗ഺ૮‫್ٵ‬Ӎ ा٩൏࡞ƥ ᄱഏ ൏ Њລ ൏ ྙఀ੉ᇇລഏ ൏ ़ϟୄ‫֬ف‬ûໂଳඵ֖֬ ഺüເᅡԢ֬࢑‫׋‬è֓Ɨ ૣে֬ûՄๆüçଔସ֬

ᅡᇇࣉ୔ ᄌ ಷ

ଭఖ෷૓֬ണཥࠖ٘‫ݝ‬দ஌ണ ෷૓èᄤཡൺ಻ც‫ދ‬πց֬๤ ൏Ɨ၀҉ິᇢຽЁሀ෷֬۹۸ ‫܄‬ቛಭ჻è ᆣӍဍӖ߽‫ޚ‬ຢᆣƗཨ࣪ิ Ӗਛঀ۪çફ۪Ɨ๒໾Ɨພৈ ఝè ֓‫ޚ‬ढ़༛֬൥Ɨ໴ٌै֥ ෷თჷӖᅭ߹૏‫ލ‬Ӗû၉ဋථ ࡞üè਽ບƗ ൵۪ৡƗӖਛ ฅ‫ئ‬ఊ෷۪൴۪֬Ɨෂ޳ӵਛ ၉ӍõّӖöဍӖ߽è

๓ྖࣁജ‫܄‬ቛಭ჻ ෠ಝിߌƗཨ࣪ิ҉ິᄤ ׂ‫ل‬՘τढ़ఴ၉၉ࣁജৈ๽თ ‫ދ‬ഹ֬ો၉໑ӵ჻è၀ࣁജਛ ਍໑ขഏ֬ണႜൄƗവᇇߕ

õཨ൛ု‫ݖ‬౾öಥಭࡵൔਛ෷ ԐનМ‫ن‬৶۪֬ഹè

ႜ௦ ‫׏‬ႜѳ႟൰

ቒ‫ ߽ࠖޱ‬฿မ૚ཟთཊ൓ ûӱဤೡ֬୶ಭüࠪ၏ ຖḨۖ೚৉ඵ֬û۪झЎ ཕᇖü๤ဩႋಭᇻ଩èଇ ߉ᆎࠝ႟್ဋਁƗಥಭᆘ ‫҉ݱ‬ၟèಝ‫ؾ‬ƗႵ჆୔ք ࣹᄀƗ၉ཻ߉ቛၟा൚݊ ਡè ೖཟ‫ؚ‬ᅡԢ֬ቛ௝Ⴜ ‫۾‬മ֬ਛࢺƗढ़ᄤา‫׮‬൏ ؔ‫ۼ‬෢ࢊࢺ჻Ҝܻ߉ᅡè ՕບƗો‫ڿ؂߉ڝ‬Ⴜᇖႎ ໚ࢊࢺèҜܻᆇ၀ढ़֥‫ݑ‬ ขෳಃႎ໚‫׏‬ሷ֤লఝƗ ‫ٵ‬Ⴏເ è

෠ಝ໾࠶҉ᄿဩƗཨ࣪ิߕ ൥Ӗਛ೟൵໾౾èяӖя๒ û ౤௡‫ݛ‬ৈჺüçû୫ሴ‫ޚ‬લü ‫ދ‬û၉ᆭ؆ྵüƗ࡞ᇖߕԳ ҳõ;WZZa ;WZZaö ֬໾֠Ɨু ཨढ़න൥ӻၰൌቇè ဍӖûᄌ਑քѝ໨֬ྖü ൏Ɨཨ࣪ิ၀ᅡཊõ‫ے׵‬ö֬ ሸ࠴è࡞ቄ൏ഔຸ୬‫׵‬ਛഭ฿ ᄤõ๒໾öƗ၀ພఖડय़‫ڋ‬ ࡖƗ੤Ԣ‫ן‬ொ֬၉૲è õཨ൛ု‫ݖ‬౾öಥಭࡵൔਛ ෷ԐનМ‫ن‬৶۪֬ഹƗఊ۪Ӗ ൓৶म‫ؚ‬໹Ⴅᇐၗè֓ཨ࣪ิ ҉ન჆࣎ᅡཊ۪Ӗ൓৶Ɨ၀း ಥಭै֥෷‫ށ‬ພ֬၉૲è ûᔨƌᔨƌᔨüçû҉֫ ਛüçûૈ‫٭‬೫໾ü ൵໾౾ࢫ ৼ෉ഏƗᆣؔဍԢข໌ൌቇè ‫ؾ‬ቒౄ࣫֬൥෷ഭഏ߽‫݂ن‬ ཱི֬ୄॷèᆊ๏ୄॷሔਛཱི֮ ஥Ɨाܸःᄤာ‫ޱ‬Ɨཨ࣪ิ၉ ؎ߕ‫ן‬ொ‫׀‬ϣພाܸƗಥୄॷ ၉ഁ၉ഁè

‫׏‬ႜƥ ûս଑ඓൄü ֤ဍƥ ‫ײف‬ഽ ᇽးဍ჻ƥ ਊӛໆç ੅౤ᄐç ᇢ࿨ ç ᚍେ ç ໸ۗ

ᅽ௒dະક༶ᄢ

ܻ

഍‫ޖ‬෦௒ၟࣣӵເ҉ങܻᇠՑࣿ႙ྔ֬шШࢲ଩èᄤࣉ୔‫ޖ‬෦֝ ഏ႟֬ᇴ‫ئ‬Ⴑྵႜ௒‫ݿ‬໴ၗ໠‫׀‬ᄣ՘ᅡा੊ᆡ޾‫ࢧ֬׽‬ਏè ᄤਊӛໆç੅౤ᄐçᇢ࿨ᆊ೟໑ႜญऔྙ֬ࡍ૗༶Ɨûս଑ඓൄü ֬‫ܪ‬ൠਾಭఀևèႜ௒‫ۆ‬ѐሸ๤ଇཱིනƗࢊඔਛ၉ଇ੄࿗݉দ֬ս଑ඓ ൄᅭཁƓਊӛໆ൬Ɣࢺࣾൄ‫ڷ‬Ɠ౜ம൬Ɣ‫ދ‬Ыलً৉යਾƓ੅౤ᄐ൬Ɣ ෵ঙ໊֬ࠅఄੈၿƓᇢ࿨൬Ɣ֬‫ܪ‬ൠè ෠ಝ൥ၢСဣलً൏ఀເУࣦƗ֓൥ûս଑ඓൄüಖႼሩ୰ޯõབྷ ‫ޖ۝‬෦༦झö‫໌ڋ‬è‫׏‬ႜ۳ऌ࣡ૺƗ৬ൕУࣦैෂިսಖ୆ࢃӭᇞ‫ے‬၉ ೨‫݂ؾ‬ƗЎ‫ླྀދڦ‬ਟ‫֫׼‬థ֥‫ށ‬԰Ɨܻᆇᄤఊᇖढ़ሸᅺఊৈèႜ௒ృ‫ן‬ ֬҉൥սၳ‫ދ‬۱ଈƗ‫ؾ‬൥ಭྦთಭ౭è௪ႼõၢಭເЮö֬මཟè ႜ௒ᇖƗਊӛໆϹॵƗ੅౤ᄐઢ૔Ɨ‫଺ل‬ᆡ‫ا‬၉୶ಖેႼ࢛౭֬ၰ ໌Ɨ၉౔௹൓ᆎӻèଃྙ૓߆২࣡Ҙ֬଑ඓѝဍƗ‫۾‬൥ᅀ็ਛႜ௒ܻ֬ ഍ྦè‫ܪ‬ൠ౭ࢲ࣌՟Ɨࢹ່൳֫ં཈ਚҫƗ֓ቛເ ୔ׂ֬၉ҍ‫ޖ‬෦ ֝Ɨᆊ๯ा֫٫ӏ҉շƗሩ൓ਾಭ࣠༦è Ɠ໚ ອᙢՉƔ

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18

CHRONICLE 07

რढ़຾ૉ฿ࡁᆇ߽ ହսཱུჺဍӖ߽

ହսाӖ ࠱М࿗ᄄৣฝ ॖᙢ േᒹӨ ອହĶИ֨ ૉ฿ࡁᆇࡵ૲߽

რ

ढ़຾҉ࣹఴদྔࡍ௨࿍ Եྔሌࠧûຸࡍྤ‫ڥ‬ü Ɨฒ֥ሸ࠴ቒఀ஖თମ໑۪൴ ‫ލ‬ቛ൏Ɨ‫҉ݿ‬Ⴘჯᆷ޲ƥõອ ٪öè෹නƥõ໨՝ཱིः൥ອ ٪֬‫ٿ‬රƗาѠ༦ߒອ٪३ਹ ֬؆าӖٌèö ᄤࣉ୔֬޼ହ໖൱ॻ୔ࢲ଩ ৡ რढ़຾Ыτ஍ᄤອ٪ᆴ‫ޱ‬ѝ ဍè֙ອ٪ဍӖ൏Ɨ‫ޱ‬ข‫܄‬ቛ ಭ჻಍‫؂‬٩༶ਛ൴๯֬‫܄‬ቛƗ ฯቑᄤఊᇖèრढ़຾ѝ൜ሸ࠴ ၀҉Ⴕ֫‫ڌ‬অ࡜ࢨè ྔሌࠧᅡཊӵඊ၉૲ න֥ሸ࠴ׂ֬၉ᅭሌࠧûন ؒॷüთׂ‫ل‬ᅭሌࠧûຸࡍྤ ‫ڥ‬üႼ‫҉ތ‬๤Ɨრढ़຾ಱເû নؒॷü֬Ўሔ‫ڋދ‬۳иࢧ๓

ᅽ௒d‫്ݖ‬Ӗ௒฻‫܉‬

ࣔᆎ൓èûຸࡍྤ‫ڥ‬üᄼ൥ቃ ෹ሸ࠴ഃӐ֬౭۪੥ནƗ‫ౖؾ‬ ᄶྟ၀པ‫׀ؚ‬иࢧӵඊè ෹๰੤ûഋ҉ఖü൥ࢊෛ‫ئ‬ ՘ਅπൺഋƗႀՕ҉‫۔‬ᄣπ֬ ฿မèႀເҫ੸པਅƗેॐੵ ౩Ԫ‫ؾ‬ൺ֥ഋ‫ݤ‬è რढ़຾ᄤûҶบüৡႮ‫۔‬ ‫׀‬ቚਛྔӎ൲Ɨடाၢັ֬ඁ ౭Ӗٌಇጲ൫ᆊ൵ᇖ‫֬ڋݚ‬౾ ଩è ਔ֥თਦٖ‫ލ‬Ӗû๗୍නü ֬‫ݝ‬ӸƗრढ़຾๰੤û๗୍ නü൥෹૓۶३੪ႂ֬Ɨ၉ᆷ ֥5>ғா૲၉ఖ஌èۗा൚फ ֫ਦٖଚഺ‫଻ދ‬ၢ॓ࣔƗ֓པ ԰‫ޱ‬ғ‫ن‬ཊਦٖఊ൓‫ޚ‬౛౔Ⴢ ढ़πè რढ़຾ಱເû๗୍නü‫ޚ‬ ໘ᏥƗો՘ཱུ֥ჺ‫߽؂‬Ӗè‫ؚ‬ ՕƗкᆇ໠෹‫ؚཱུ‬ჺဍӖ߽Ⴜ ൐ી‫ے‬ཟƗ෹ณငሸ࠴‫ޚ‬༦ߒ ၀‫ޚ‬ཡൺᄤཱུჺाӖƗႀເ࿗ ഺ૓֬ಪ౭‫׵ے‬ਛ෹è දఊሸಝ ГԂሸ໨‫ڋ‬۳

ହսཱུჺဍӖ߽

ഭເ၉໑۪ญྔಭƗრढ़ ຾ณӼሸ࠴ࣣ৬ਛ྿‫ֶ׋ئ‬Ɨ फ֫ᆊ൥၉۸‫ݝ‬Ӹè෹҉༗ຳ ࿎߄၉ཊƗ֓၀҉ఙ๴Ӑࣹ҉ ඡè ෹ಱເ၉౔දఊሸಝः‫ށ‬Ɨ ቒᇞး൥ࣗቒս֬୆৶ƗᄤГ Ԃሸ࠴֬‫ڋ‬۳༶Ɨाྖ‫׀‬ϣ۪ Ӗ‫ށ‬è ቒࣔრढ़຾Ҝ჆û߆ಭྙ ݂ս֨ü83ƗѰଭ༶ !ۡ‫ٺ‬è ෹ѝ൜ሸ࠴֙൏‫࣌ޚ‬ᅭƗႼ࿩ ৶è෵ၢ‫ྜྷۡޚ‬ቒ‫ޱ‬ሸ࠴‫߯ن‬ ֫҉շƗѰ‫ྍے‬௦໅‫ۺ‬ე֬ۡ ௦ࡕè რढ़຾ࢫ༶দ߽ᄤࣉ୔Ԣׂ ೟ᅭሌࠧƗ‫ౖؾ‬෹၀ѝ൜༗ຳ Ⴜ߽ࠖҜ჆༫झဍԢè

ཥࡠ൓৶஑୶۪൴რढ़ ຾൵՘ᄤହսाӖƗ‫ٿ‬ ර࠱Мᆣ۸ৣฝƌ ׂ‫ل‬՘দ֥ྔࡍ௨֬რढ़຾ ၉দହսဍԢƗः༒ႋਛ ‫ئ‬ ଇହս๤࿗ఴদᆭԂèཊӍ࠱ ֫ඪྋ҉๠Ɨৼৣฝ֬਍஍ቃ ঺၀Ыಪ౭۪֬ૠ૓ᅤओਛè ဍ Ӗ ߽ ၢ რ ढ़ ຾ ֬ ׂ ‫ل‬ᅭሌࠧûຸࡍྤ‫ڥ‬ü֬ ᇽռ۪õഋ҉ఖö༺ा࿄ ଥè෹֬ဍӖ౭‫ے‬༬୏Ɨമ മ ‫ ׀‬ሉ ህ ཊ Ӎ ܻ ᇠ ֬ ྖ è

რढ़຾҉ஊõ֫ቓöႂৈಭ

ৈ௦ ႂৈ2]SMJW`

ᆊ

ሌࠧƥûॻᄇҘ‫ޥ‬ü ۪൴ƥ Ҥନગၐ ๾ࡰƥ û;\ZWVO 0MIZ\ü çûᄣ၉՘ü

რढ़຾ᄤဍӖ߽ഏ҉ᇁሌࠧৡ۪֬౾ƗߕႯาѠ֬١൛ጲ൫û୨༸üƗᆘ‫ݱ‬಍Ӎè෹؆า֬Ӗి੠ ࠍ۪ૠ֬ྖƗಥսࡌฯቑᄤႂৈৡƗ๗Ԣ‫ـ‬Ⴙè ണႜdߢव‫ډ‬

൥Ҥନગၐׂ֬ൌ ᅭჷԾሌࠧƗ൳੪ ਛ ൵۪౾ƗఊᇖЎচ ൵ྔ۪‫ ދ‬൵֍౾è ሌࠧၢ౥ঀƗඁ౭֬ ౾‫ڋ‬ເᇽƗ฿ཊਛҤନગ ၐ๊֬ૌ೤ႂ‫۪ދ‬Ӗ൓ ৶è ᆻ֫၉฻֬౾଩Ⴜ‫ڽ‬ ൝ขಷझû0=6<-:ሐ ಃ഍ࣈ֬୶ಭ૓ü֬ᇽ฼ ౾û;\ZWVO 0MIZ\üçû ଇᆔทॖହü֬௒່౾ ûAW]Z *M[\ .ZQMVLüç

஄

რढ़຾ཱུჺဍӖ߽֬၉ս ਑‫׋‬ଔ‫ݝ‬჆თᇽԂಭখ߆֬‫ؚ‬

ߕႼᇖಷႽ‫ ށ‬ᇢ୔ࡇ୘ ‫׏‬ႜû๠ັଃಷᆴπü ֬ᇽ฼౾û*ZI^M AW]Z 0MIZ\üè ఊ ᇖ Ɨ û ; \ Z W V O 0MIZ\ü۪֬Քၰၳമ ॠƗ၀മൺ۪ૠ֬‫ށ‬௦è ෸૴྆ሩ୶ഺႮ‫۔‬ቃԢ൅ ਅ֬ब‫׮‬Ɨၢࠪ՝൅Ϯ֬ π౭ᇖᇞྔᅦఖদ֬ब ྖè ሌࠧ෠ಝેႼᇽռ۪ ֓൥࠲޳ો၉൵۪౾‫؂‬क Ⴜքѝྦèᇁढ़༛ྔ۪û ਽၉ๆ ਽၉۸൞ࢿüᄤ ‫ދ‬ఊ෷౾଩པи༶଻૮཈ ֫໴ٌ๱཈ሸ࠴è Ɠ໚ ཨФᐈƔ

ߌèЫ໠֥თ۹໑ᇌቛಭ‫ލ‬ቛ ֬‫ے‬ཟ൏Ɨრढ़຾࣯ಝõ֫ ቓöਛ෷૓ƌ෹फ֫໿ϭু ൄõ‫ޚ‬ఌܶöƗ၀ಱເᄤ෷֬ ੪ႂ൰੪ႂõ٫ӏႃ೭öƗႀ ເஜяः൥‫ټ‬Ӎƌ ෹၀Мਟთ෹‫ލ‬Ӗõ๗୍ නö֬ਦٖቀ൥õ೵೵֬öƗ ߽‫װ‬೟઒වƗਾཊӍܻᇠ஽‫ڻ‬ սླྀèᇽԂಭখ߆വᇇߕ‫ؚ‬რ ढ़຾නƥõ୍ࣉๆদ֫ቓ‫ئޚ‬ ಭƌö რढ़຾၀ࢫৼ෉ഏ࠲൵‫ށ‬ ۪Ɨമൺ༦π֬ขຝ஄ཥझû ༠৭ಭఄüҳ౾õᆾຳö‫ދ‬õ ୷ྖöè෹ᄤဍӖ൏҉ິთཊ Ӎ۪ૠ߯൴ƗߕϬԢਛढ़π֬ ሯ൤Ɨಥ෷૓ৈाਛߏè ս١ฒࠪᄻ஄‫ؚ‬ཧ

ᅽ௒dະક༶ᄢ

ሌࠧƥûԡۨϩü ۪൴ƥ Ӯཛྷ ๾ࡰƥûӼ୽üƗûҦü

ᇖ

‫ݚ‬ୄ‫׀‬Әಭఞྔഺ ք۪൴Ӯཛྷ๾Ԣਛ

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൵ᅭ۸ಭԾቛሌࠧûԡ ۨϩüƗाచਛ۸ಭ಍ ྔ֬ႂৈੱӸè ߏሩ‫ؚ‬ႂৈ֬ಪ౭ ‫ދ‬Ծቛ֬ᆺሩƗӮཛྷᄤ ۪ૠ֬ᆭԂ༶๠‫୴ݝ‬৶ ֥֫ਛ࣐၉ҋ֬ሸ໨൓ ཊè ᄤᆣᅭሌࠧᇖƗӮཛྷ Ծቛਛûᆎྖߌü‫ދ‬û Ӽ୽üְ ൵۪౾è෷ၢ ‫ࣱۋ‬๠๰؆า֬೤ႂጲ ൫ਛõπఖ‫٭‬öƗõπ ‫٭‬ཛྷö‫ދ‬õπࢍ઒ö೟ ۸ᇽ฼è ఊᇖûᆎྖߌüᄼ ൥௽྆Ԣਛ‫ؚ۪‬ૠ֬౭

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ࠤ෷ϻቄൗ֫‫ۅ‬౾ᇐ௹ ֓Ⴢ҉൅୰ޯ֬౭ၰè ᇽռ۪ûۨϩüƗ౾ ‫ן‬ঽબ໘‫ދ‬Ɨ‫ށ‬ཥ൥၉ ଇങ୔ᕘᕘ‫ࢊ׀‬ඔሸ࠴ ֬‫ܪ‬ൠè༸ๆછഏःး ࢹඖƗЮ‫ۅ‬නԢদ֬π ᄤቒ‫֨ે؂ޱ‬Ԣè਽၉ ൵ûҦüϻ෢ሩ֍Չ֬ ۘౝఴቄƗࢃπ౭֬‫ے‬ ‫׵‬ຢૌ‫׀‬টा࿄ଥè ࣔ࠲୔ƗӮཛྷ֬ႂৈ ಱᆰ؎҉ؕ฻ۡƗ๤൏ ၀ГԂሸ໨ႂৈ‫ڋ‬۳è ෷‫ئ‬՘‫ۺ‬๗ᇠւদ࣠ ༦è༗ຳ෷ᄤ໊দ֬ႂ ৈԾቛᆴ੥Ⴜ‫֬ئ۾‬๳ ௬è Ɠ໚ ࢇིᡑƔ

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07 CHRONICLE

photo:spotlight In the times they falter, it has become a natural instinct for the teammates to catch the flyer...

...even if it means hurting themselves. Lin Zishen, Captain of Hall of Residence 1 Unisus Cheerleading Squad, injured his hand after saving teammate Stephanie Lim.

TRUST FALL Fancy footwork and swift motions may seem easy to pull off, but behind the glamorous display of acrobatic stunts lies the intense trust-building between every member of the cheerleading team.

ABOVE: Whenever a new or high-level stunt is attempted, members of the squad will stand near the stunt, ready to support the flyers or bases should it go wrong— an act known as “spotting”.

Opinions frankly, my dear

EDITORIAL

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SUDDENLY I SEE Legend has it that the Greek ph i losophe r A r c h i me de s jumped out of the bath stark naked and ran through the streets of Syracuse, dripping wet and yelling madly. As renowned and as digniďŹ ed as the famous scholar was, he could not resist the siren call of inspiration, no matter where it decides to strike.

A lot of people like to ask writers where they get their ideas. There exist a multitude of answers, for writers are snarky people. But we all know that an idea can strike at any place and at any time.

You could even be dreaming, and wake up with an idea so complete you marvel at how you did not see it before. Or you could be like me, and be stuck on an MRT train.

Travel li ng back home one night, I was idly daydreaming when the idea for a story hit me, fully-formed and perfect. I searched my pockets and found that I had forgotten to bring a pen and notebook. I reached for my phone, but its battery had died. I had no way of recording my thoughts.

The next hour was one of the longest of my life. There is nothing more painfully

tantalizing than having a great idea in your mind and not being able to write it down.

I was literally running to my house the minute I alighted from my bus, just to get to a pen and some paper.

Luckily the idea had not ďŹ&#x201A;ed away in the interval, but everyone knows how fickle these things are. Everyone has experienced it â&#x20AC;&#x201D; dreaming up a marvelous, world-changing idea and then forgetting all about it before stepping out of the shower.

This does not just apply to writers though. Scientists, musicians, artists, engineers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no matter where your interests lie, inspiration may strike at any moment.

But lack of writing material is not the biggest threat to inspiration. The failure to act upon it is. The greatest idea in the world will not touch lives if it is lying in a locked drawer, forgotten. Histor y rarely remembers who had the initial idea (Archimedes being an exception), but rather the people who acted upon their ideas and brought them to life.

So be ready the next time you catch lightning in a bottle, and remember that one day it needs to be let out to shine.

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Facebook: The Nanyang Chronicle Website: www3.ntu.edu. sg/chronicle General Enquiries: chronicle@ntu.edu.sg

Hear the Lions roar STEFANUS IAN SUB EDITOR

I

T MIGHT have been 17 years since we last played a match in the Malaysian League (M-League) but the passion still burns bright.

Having pulled out from the M-League after the 1994 season, ou r gener at ion g r ew up being more familiar with English Premier League clubs than our own local clubs.

Fast forward to 2012, and the crowds are now streaming back into the stadium as Singapore reenters the M-League with a new team called LionsXII. The hype surrounding the team was immense, with the media almost expecting the team to win the ďŹ rst match against Kelantan FA. Looking at the team, which had been conďŹ rmed just a month before the season started, I was skeptical. Where had all these added expectations come from?

The players had mostly been plying their trade in the S-League and had struggled to perform at the international stage.

I wondered how long the interest would last once the team started struggling.

True enough, I was proven right as I witnessed their opening match 2-1 defeat to Kelantan at the Jalan Besar stadium. I went home wondering if people would turn their backs on local football once again.

Two home matches later, and I willingly admit that I might have been too hasty. The whole experience of watching football is key.

Even with television stations rolling out 3D technologies technology, nothing beats being there in the ďŹ&#x201A;esh.

To be able to watch a match with some 7,000 other people was a draw in itself. In a stadium, you become a part of something specialâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; shouting, cheering and celebrating as one united body.

From the agony of seeing a shot hit the bar, the disbelief of a blatant miss, to the jubilation of a goal.

These experiences are ampliďŹ ed in the stadium. I realised this was how football was meant to be enjoyed. Live, and not in front of the television.

During the LionsXII match against Kuala Lumpur, it was clear that there were still fervent fans around.

After the second goal was scored, the crowd embraced the

GRAPHIC | TRUNG

traditional Kallang wave celebrations as they danced and jumped in delight. The cheering lasted well after the referee had blown for the restart of the game. Being the only foreign team, LionsXII is naturally the common target of every other club.

Ever y match involving the LionsXII becomes a matter of national pride and holds that little bit more ďŹ&#x201A;avour.

Challenges seemed more aggressive and the referee would always be scrutinised.

This is where we come in. If the ďŹ rst two home matches are anything to go by, I believe the

efforts of the supporters can affect the result of the game. We need to make Jalan Besar a daunting place for visiting teams and get behind our LionsXII. After all, there is a reason why the crowd is called the 12th man.

W het her you are familiar with the offside rule or not, this is one experience that you should not miss.

So dear Singaporean football fans, it is time to put up or shut up. It is time to show that we are not fair-weather fans.

It is time to bring back the Kallang roar, not just behind the screen but at the stadium as well.

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a matter of perspective

The birds and the bees I ANAY NAGARKAR

PHOTO | INTERNET

MEGHA MANSHARAMANI

M

Y PRIM A RY and secondary education took place in a reputable Indian school, known for its academic excellence. Yet, in all my years of primary and secondary education, only two hours were dedicated to sexual education, which was entirely based on abstinence.

Those two hours have been the f ull extent of my for mal sexual education. When I first learned of the sexual education programme in Singapore secondary schools, I thought of it as something the education system was doing right.

However, after learning more about the state of sexual knowledge among Singaporean youth, it became apparent that a formal sex education programme was simply not enough.

In a survey conducted among young adults between 15 and 24 years old by Bayer Healthcare in 2011, it was found that 47% of respondents in Singapore did not use contraception when having sex with a new partner. In the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore

had one of the highest rates.

M isinfor mat ion among Singaporean young adults with regards to contraception was also found to be prevalent, with one in four believing in at least one common my th regarding contraception methods.

You know a sexuality education programme is lacking when a sizable number of participants believe in the spermicidal qualities of Coca-Cola!

Nearly all the youths surveyed in Singapore repor ted they had received formal sexual education, whereas only 50 % of youths in India had access to such information.

This vast difference in the amount of formal sexual education received was not reflected in the amount of information youths in Singapore and India have on contraception methods.

Half of the Indian youths admitted to being unfamiliar with the various methods of contraception, compared to 42% of the respondents f rom Singapore.

Youths in both countries claimed to have knowledge of exactly 2.8 contraception methods.

These statistics clearly demonstrate that the sexual education programme in Singapore

has not been successful in equipping youths with the practical k nowledge on issues such as contraception.

This is one area in which the sexual education programme in Singapore has room for improvement. Given t hat t h is recent survey and previous others have shown that Singapore youths are lacking in practical sexual knowledge, it is alarming that t he M inistr y of Education is considering changing the sexual education programme to focus more on abstinence and less on contraception.

Like most Asian countries, Si ngapore does have a more conservative culture compared to Western countries, which explains the focus on abstinence in sexual education. However, cultural norms have to be balanced with practicality.

Perhaps the focus should not be on increasing the amount of formal sexual education received. Sex education can be made more relevant by providing information on practical issues such as contraception.

The problem with the sexua l educat ion program me in Singapore is one of quality, not quantity.

N TODAY’S dynamic world, where people have become more adventurous and open about their sexual preferences and practices, sex education is of primary importance.

Sex education has always been thought of as an effective medium to educate the youth about healthy and safe sexual practices.

The Ministr y of Education agrees that although abstinence is the best value for Singaporean youth to embody, contraceptionbased education is also crucial.

I believe that the MOE should continue to be pragmatic and embrace contraception-based sex education in the future.

The traditional approach towards sex education includes awareness among the youth about contraception and various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like HIV/AIDS. Howe ver, t he moder n approach, as practised in the United States, promotes abstinence rather than focusing on contraception.

In Singapore, the goal of sex education is basically to delay the first sexual encounter among teenagers or youth.

“I think educating the youth about contraception would be more effective as it informs them about the risks involved, concerning STDs and teenage pregnancy,” said 19-year-old Rishi Marwah.

The second-year School of Computer Engi neer i ng (SC E ) student added, “The basic human temptation to do something that they are restrained makes a b s t i ne nc e -ba s e d e d uc at ion slightly irrelevant.”

In Singapore, the goal of sex education is basically to delay the first encounter amoung teenagers or youth, rather than to prevent transmission or pregnancy using contraceptives.

Studies have been carried out by some major universities in the United States on the kind of sexual education that should be provided to the growing youth.

T hey have shown t hat abstinence-based education is not as effective, because it does not really affect the individual’s decision to engage in sexual intercourse.

This is based upon the individual’s choice and he would rather be informed about the different ways of contraception than be told what not to do.

Also, Singapore has one of the lowest teenage pregnancy rates in the world, and this has been declining over the past five years.

This proves that the current system of educating the youth about contraception has been very effective.

In other Asian countries such as India, which follows the same system as Singapore and promotes contraception, children are generally educated in the seventh grade, when they are around 12-13 years of age.

Healthy sexual practices are promoted and they are informed about the risks involved.

In a country like India where HIV/AIDS has been a major problem, educating the new generation about the health risks that come with the various STDs is much more important than trying to stop them from having sex.

A s of 20 0 9, accor d i ng to UNICEF, the estimated number of people liv ing with H I V in Singapore has a high estimate of 4.4 per thousand.

T he adult prevalence rate, which is among the ages of 15 to 49, is 0.1%.

Thus, as of now the situation in Singapore is prett y safe as compared to the rest of the world.

By the time students come to university, they are much more aware and informed. Tertiary students want to explore their sexual preferences and tend to engage in sexual practices.

Va ibhav K at hot ia, a Civ i l Engineering student, says “In my opinion, I would prefer that sexual education programs be given at the secondary level as the youth of today are exposed to a lot of ‘social evils’ at a very young age.”

“This is due to the advancement of Internet and freedom of usage. So hence, they’d rather be well informed before-hand,” he added.

Exposing children to the idea of sex at a younger age does not necessarily result in them engaging in more sexual activities in the future.

In fact, when children are open to talks on sex by their parents and teachers, they are less inclined to explore the subject on their own accord.

This way, they are more accurately informed and have a better understanding towards sex.

So when people ask the question, abstinence or contraception, it is an individual’s choice based on his principles and morals.

However, in my opinion, contraception-based education would definitely be much more effective for youths of this generation, especially in the context of Singapore.

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louder than words

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GRAPHICS EDITOR

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â&#x20AC;?

The true meaning of festivals is fading away because parents do not explain the signiďŹ cance of them any more. It is not good, but it is inevitable.

Bel Goh Wei Feng, Yr 2, MAE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Cultural festivals are still valuable.

CNY is about uniting as a family.

It is a loss if you let such festivals erode away.

Claire Lim Ai Ni, Yr 4, CEE

Celebrating cultural festivals is really dependent on your upbringing. Your family values affect what importance you give to CNY.

â&#x20AC;?

Cheng Chen Hui, Yr 2. SCBE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face it: Our generation is just too stressed. These cultural festivals have evolved to become timely holidays, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all.

Vaibhav Kathotia, Yr 2, CEE

A generational gap exists. I cannot even understand my elders.

Somehow, CNY holds no value for me as an individual.

Michelle Huang Jun Ru, Yr 1, NBS

All festivals are suffering thanks to Western inďŹ&#x201A;uence.

Mohd Ariff, Yr 3, NIE

â&#x20AC;?

CNY has become mainly about money. The ďŹ rst question you ask your friends is: How much money did you get this year?

â&#x20AC;?

Poon Jun Jin, Yr 1, NBS TEXT | SNEHA GURURAJ ; PHOTOS | MOHD ALFIAN

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bpl talk

Return of the Kings

they said that?

I try to forget that I m the best in the world.

Reigning Commonwealth and European 400m hurdles champion Dai Greene on motivating himself.

Really getting into knitting!

Helps me relax after the high-pressure world of the Premiership.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand on taking his mind off the BPL.

NAZRI EDDY RAZALI FANS might think that they had travelled back in time when Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes took to the field for Arsenal and Manchester United once more.

Rumours of Henry, 34, returning to Arsenal had been floating around for days but many took it as mere speculation. Having left the club in 2007, Arsenal’s all-time leading scorer with 227 goals plied his trade in FC Barcelona before moving on to the New York Red Bulls in the United States in 2010.

But with the Major League Soccer (MLS) in its off-season, the striker returned to North London to train before surprising many with a two-month loan deal which ends in February.

Wit h t he sea son ha l f way through, transfer speculations were heating up as clubs look to remedy faults with the January transfer window. However, few would have expected these two clubs to turn to their past for inspiration.

Speaking about his temporary move, Henry said that his former manager and long-time mentor,

Arsene Wenger, had asked him to fill the gap in a depleted squad.

Teammates Marouane Chamakh and Ger vinho had left for the month-long Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Henry played down the significance of his loan move, stating that he did not expect to be a key player.

However, he proved that he still had it in him when he scored the only goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup fixture on his second debut.

Slipping past the defenders on the left flank, Henry calmly placed the ball across the keeper and into the far corner of the net, reminiscent of the countless goals that he had scored in similar fashion for the club. The celebrations saw a jubilant Henry and his team mates dashing towards Wenger, with the stadium crowd roaring in adulation.

But it is not always all goals and celebration for the Frenchman who failed to make an impact against Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

In Manchester United, practically no one knew of Paul Scholes’ return other than manager Sir Alex Ferguson. The 37-year-old had retired at the end of last season, fol-

lowing a glittering career spanning over two decades and 151 goals for his childhood club.

With United facing a severe injury crisis and some players not meeting standards, Ferguson had little choice but to recall Scholes as a stop-gap measure in midfield.

When asked about the decision to bring him back, Ferguson defended his actions, stating that it was not a regressive move as Scholes still had plenty to offer in terms of passing and composure.

Following Henry’s example, Scholes repaid the club with a firsthalf stoppage time goal against Bolton Wanderers. He also showed that his age did little to tame him as he escaped the red card following a dangerous tackle on Bolton’s Mark Davies during the game.

But it was not all smoothsailing for Scholes as he gave away a goal to Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in his first appearance of the season.

The impact of both players raised pressing questions about the quality of their clubs’ present crop of talents.

Against Swansea City, Arsenal found themselves flailing for pos-

session. Apart from Robin Van Persie, who now has to his name 23 goals in all competitions for the season, Arsenal severely lacks an alternative attacking force, with Gervinho coming a distant second with 4 goals.

Henry could ease Van Persie’s pressure to perform for a limited time, but what he essentially provides is cover as the other attacking options step-up their game.

Players like Andrei Arshavin and Aaron Ramsey have yet to improve their performances, while Jack Wilshere, nursing an injury, is sorely missed.

Manchester United, in the meantime, cannot hide their lack of innovation at the middle of the park. They have even resorted to dropping their talismanic forward, Wayne Rooney, into midfield to provide that creative spark.

The problem is exacerbated with the reintroduction of Scholes.

Though effective thus far, Ferguson has to address the issue of continuity in midfield as Giggs and Scholes hang up their boots for good.

But in the meantime, fans of the Barclays Premier League can only relish this blast from the past.

Be the tough 6 5 Czech we all expect you to be.

Former world-class tennis player Jeff Tarango criticising Tomas Berdych, who complained about being hit in the arm at close range by a bullet passing shot by Nicolas Almagro in their Australian Open fourth-round match and refused to shake hands with Almagro after the match.

A minor detail is that when the ball goes out, we return it and Madrid do not. This is the difference between the two teams.

Barcelona defender Daniel Alves after the Copa del Rey match with Real Madrid where the Catalans triumphed 4-3 on aggregate.

Your problem is your name, Harry, and you have got a Cockney accent.

Tottenham’s manager Harry Redknapp quoting his friend after the media reported that he opened a bank account in the name of his dog’s name, Rosie.

PHOTOS | INTERNET

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CHRONICLE 07

I H

NTEGRITY? ONOUR?

G

LORY.

STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE: National shortstop Gabriel Li is one of the players recruited by halls to represent them in the IHG.

SIOW WEILIANG CONTROVERSY was in the air as squatters led their respective halls to overwhelming victories in this year’s Inter-Hall Games (IHG). Halls are paying squatter fees of about $30-$60 for national or varsity players who are not hall residents to squat in their hall, all in the bid to taste IHG gold.

A rising trend in recent years, player squatting is becoming commonplace for many IHG sports, with a sudden influx of national and varsity players squatting in halls whenever IHG draws near.

Third-year mechanical engineering undergraduate, Gabriel Li Yekai, 23, is one such example.

Having squatted for Hall 7 previously, the national softball player is playing for Hall 10 this

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Hockey is one of the sports with highly sought after players.

year, and led them to a 17-1 victory over Hall 14 in their preliminary softball match.

Believing in fair play, Li refused Hall 3’s invitation, as fellow national teammate, Farhan Harahap, was already a resident player there.

“Having too many national players in the same hall will be deemed as a monopoly, and it removes the opportunity for other people to have a fair chance to participate” said Li. Brian Lee Jun Wei, a firstyear student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS), voiced his unhappiness towards the squatting of national and varsity players for IHG. “I felt that the spirit and unity of the games were compromised.

The focus on results rather than the process has made IHG into a player-grabbing arms race,” said the 22-year-old, a hall resident.

Mohammad Haiqal Bin Eddy, 22, NTU varsity hockey player and current Hall 10 resident, offers a different take on the issue.

“Like the local sports scene of importing foreign talents, squatting is a healthy practice, raising the standard of IHG sports and making it more exciting to watch and play,” said Haiqal, a second-year mechanical engineering student.

While national players seldom train with the hall teams, they are nearly always in the main lineup and other new hall players are often benched in their favour.

“It (squatting) shifts the focus of IHG from encouraging residents to

PHOTOS | ALEX TAI

be active and participate in sports to one whereby winning and glory becomes the main priority of the Halls,” adds Haiqal.

S e cond-yea r N I E s t ude nt Mohammad Redzuan Bin Jaafar, 23, shares Haiqal’s sentiments. A club player under Division 3 of the Singapore Hockey Federation, Redzuan comments that player squatting has both its advantages and disadvantages.

“It is saddening to see halls working hard, not in trainings, but in trying to get good and experienced players... as squatters" Mohammad Redzuan, Hall 10 hockey player and squatter

“Squatting national or varsity players can act as mentors to newcomers, boosting hall morale,” said Redzuan, a IHG squatter for Hall 10.

However, he also observed that “it is saddening to see halls working hard, not in trainings, but in trying to get good and experienced players from the national/club teams to play for them as squatters.”

Hall 3, the main organisers of IHG this year, explained that the squatting of national players has helped improve the standing of the games. Hall 3 Sports Secretary, Kenneth Khing, 23, stated that image branding and raising the standard of the games were the main reasons for IHG player squatting.

“Voxsports is coming down to cover our school’s IHG and I do not believe that we would want to show a sub-standard performance to the public. It reflects badly on us,” said Khing, a second-year Sports Science and Management student.

However, Khing also agreed that over-reliance on squatters is undesirable in the long run and revealed that a capping system was actually already in place to tackle the problem, with each hall granted a maximum of five caps per IHG event.

Regular squatters and resident national or varsity players are deemed as one cap. A squatter who is a national or varsity player would take up two caps, limiting the number of top players that halls can recruit.

Knowing that it would be impractical and difficult to remove player squatting for good, Khing feels that the various sports secretaries need to be the ones to maintain the balance.

“National players and hall players alike should train and bond together. Establishing that camaraderie is more important than a win but we often overlook it.”

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From rags to medals NICHOLAS QUEK T H E tea m h ad to pay $ 6 0 0 f rom t hei r ow n pocket s just to represent the school at the Singapore Canoe Marathon 2012.

But that was only a portion of what the NTU canoe members had to fork out throughout the past year.

Fu nd i ng ha s con si stent ly been a concern, following the decision to revamp the team after a series of disappointing performances last year.

T he tea m's qua r ter master Stephanie Tabulajan, 21, said that while she understands the shor tage of f unds was by no means NTU’s fault, they needed the money to replace their wornout equipment.

“Compa red to ot her loca l universities, our equipment is much older. It definitely makes training a challenge,” she said.

“M a ny of ou r padd le r s actually had to purchase their own equipment, including the boats which can cost as much a s $4,0 0 0,” t he second-yea r Spor t Science & Management undergraduate added.

And it reflected in last year’s results, when the team walked away from the competition with only three medals.

Mr Chia Chin Yeh, Assistant Spor t s Ma nager f rom t he Spor ts and Recreation Centre (SRC), disagreed that the funds allocated were insufficient.

“I understand that canoeing is an expensive spor t, but it already has a significant amount of funding.

“The boat storage at MacRitchie reservoir, for example, already costs $5,000 a year. We also added three new boats to the current fleet recently.

"In fact, the five racing boats the canoe team has now are more than sufficient."

Mr Chia went on to add that athlete development is not the main objective of sports in the university.

“The aim of sports in NTU is to promote team spirit and leadership, not to produce elite athletes,” he said.

PORTAGE: Participants like Alvin Ng (left) and Lim Jia Qing have to carry their boats 80m after every lap.

“If you want a world-class env i ron ment , you shou ld be t r a i n i n g w i t h t h e n at i on a l team.”

Mr Chia declined to comment on the allocated funds, citing confidentialit y as the reason.

The reasonable number of boats remains a point of disagreement between both sides.

While the amount of funding f rom N T U has remained constant, various factors like the expansion of the team, the decision to hire a professional coach and rising competition fees have forced many team members to dig deep into their own wallets.

While the team has requested for additional funds to cope with the competition, equipment and coaching fees, the result remains

TAKING A BREATHER: K1 Novice gold medalist Theng De Sheng pushing himself to the limit in the final stretch of the lap.

unknown until the next financial year in March.

Until then, members of the canoe team have to contend with t heir cur rent equipment and coaching fees, which amounts to $75 per session, at their own expense.

Increased competition fees for this year’s Singapore Canoe Marathon also caught the team by su r pr i se a s t he y d id not anticipate the 60% fee hike.

Compounding the problem is the fact that NTU allocated only enough money to send what they deemed as “core” members to compete. To make matters worse, the budget for competition fees was based on last year’s rate. In this aspect, the team was underfunded for the competition on two counts.

Despite t he cost s, tea m captain Teo Wei Kok, 21, was determined to send the entire team into the competition.

"I don’t believe in separating the team,” he said.

"W hen we joined the compet it ion I wa s i ntent on ever yone joining and I admit t hat was t he reason why we busted the budget.

“To my knowledge, NTU set aside $2000 for four competitions this year, but Singapore Canoe Marathon alone amounted to $1200 and that was why we had to pay half of the competition fee.”

T he s e c ond-y e a r s t ude nt from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (SPMS)

went on to add that this was the first time the team had to bear compet it ion e x penses at t he Singapore Canoe Marathon 2012.

Despite funding issues for the 20 representatives from the NTU Canoe Team, it was all worth it.

“If you want a world-class environment, you should be training with the national team."

Chia Chin Yeh Assistant Sports Manager, SRC

The team swept the competition away clinching 14 medals, including eight golds and three silvers, far exceeding last year's medal count.

The annual event, held on Ja nu a r y 8t h at t he K a l la ng Basin, saw par ticipants f rom secondar y and ter tiar y institutions as well as private clubs compete i n va r ious categor ie s . T h i s i nc luded kayak races, where the paddler sits, and spr int canoes, with the paddler on one knee.

Each race varies from 14km to 31k m , de p e nd i n g on t he categor y. Upon the completion of e v e r y l a p , w h i c h s p a n s 4.3k m, the par ticipants have to carr y their boats over 80m of land.

PHOTOS | COURTESY OF TEO WEI KOK

Teo, who clinched gold in the K2 Novice Men categor y, expressed doubt that this year's success will hasten the approval of funds for the team.

"I think what NTU wants is not medals, but more on the focus of progress and commitment.”

But he conceded that the canoe team was not always this focused.

“I almost joined other sports because I thought the canoe team lacked discipline,” he said.

"It was so bad we even had people walking out on us.

“But af ter tak ing over la st yea r, I wa s dete r m i ne d to instill a competitive spirit.

Ultimately, I want the team to be a powerhouse in the canoeing scene”, Teo added.

The women team's captain, Joey Goh, 21, agreed.

"Even those who were not considered core member s by t he s c hool m a na ge d to w i n medals, showing that we have the potential to compete with the best," said the second-year chemistr y undergraduate who came out tops in the K2 Novice Women category.

Currently, the team trains an average of 11 times a week, and even more when competitions d r aw nea r. T h i s i s i n s t a r k contrast to the three training sessions per week last year.

T he ca noe tea m w i l l be participating in the upcoming M R500 spr int race in March and the National Canoe Championships in May.