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News Bites NTU
Photography and NTU Dance Beat.
NEW PROGRAMME TO PRODUCE CHINA-SAVVY LEADERS The Future China Advanced Leaders Programme, a new collaboration between Nanyang Business School and Business China, aims to nurture China-savvy senior executives. Business China is a platform launched in 2007 to encourage bilinguism and bi-culturalism. The new programme is targeted at leaders and managers of organizations based in Singapore but will have operations in China. Apart from covering know-how on business in China, the three week-long programme will provide participants with ďŹ rst-hand experiences in Chinese tea drinking, calligraphy and cuisine. There will also be a weeklong ďŹ eld visit to China. NEW CAFFE EXPRESS OPENS Renovations have been completed at Caffe Express, a cafĂŠ located beside the Nanyang Auditorium. Students can now enjoy their meal in an air-conditioned dining area with black and white furniture that gives a modern and simplistic feel. Refurbishment of the cafĂŠ was part of the efforts by the school to upgrade facilities and infrastructure in NTU.
EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER GIVES SPEECH AT NTU The European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science encouraged greater European Union (EU)-Singapore collaboration in her speech on March 3rd. Here on her ďŹ rst ofďŹ cial visit, Mdm MĂĄire Geoghegan-Quinn, stated that NTU is â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the most active Singaporean participants in our European research programmesâ&#x20AC;?. Examples of joint research centres include the Centre for ElectroMobility with the Technical University of Munich and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine with Imperial College London. HEALTH-TEE CAMPAIGN IN NTU A health campaign, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Health-Tee Me!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, by Youth Advolution for Health (YAH) came to NTU on March 5th. YAH is a youth-led health advocacy programme under the Health Promotion Board. NTU students had their photos taken with youths advocates, who were wearing shirts featuring large cartoon carrots, as part of a photo competition. NTU is the fourth education institute to be visited since the campaign started a month ago.
SINGAPORE
NTU OPEN HOUSE This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s open house, L.I.F.E @ NTU, which took place on March 10th featured a new contest LIFE Collection @ NTU. The competition is a platform to showcase NTU students dressed in stylish yet casual clothing suitable for campus. A catwalk took place at the Quad in the afternoon, where contestants strut their style while students got to vote their most stylish student. Other competitions included U-
Currently, only about 10 per cent of maids here have a day off each week, and the Ministry of Manpower said it hopes the regulation will promote Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s image as a quality destination for maids. NEW TERMINAL 4 TO REPLACE BUDGET TERMINAL IN 2013 A new and improved Terminal 4 will replace Changi Airportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Budget Terminal, which will be demolished on September 25th. The Changi Airport Group said the new terminal can accommodate up to nine million more passengers per year. Airlines currently operating in the Budget Terminal, such as Tiger Airways, will shift their operations to Terminal 2 from September 25th. Terminal 4 is expected to be ready by 2013.
JUICY APPLE DEALS REMOVED FROM IT SHOWS
Joseph Kony. The purpose of the ďŹ lm was to help keep Konyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrest a priority in US foreign policy. Kony has been indicted as the top war criminal in the International Criminal Court for crimes such as child abduction and rape, but has never been brought to justice.
Vendors have been advised to sell Apple products only at approved stores, not major consumer electronics events such as the PC show in June or Comex in September. Distributors say a reason for the change is that Apple believes involvement with such shows dilutes its image. The only vendors not affected are the telcos, which can continue to sell Apple iPhones and iPads with subscription plans.
A Humboldt penguin escaped its Tokyo Sea Life Park aquarium, leaving behind 134 of its companions. Park keepers suspect the penguin scaled a rock about twice its own height and went under the park fencing into the city. Staff from the Park have been combing riverbanks in search of it since March 4th.
Khaw Boon Wan, Dr Khoo brought the ďŹ rst dialysis machines to Singapore in the 1960s. He chaired the NKF until 1995, when illness forced him to retire.
WORLD
NIGHT SAFARIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S GIRAFFE CALF MAKES ONLINE DEBUT SYRIAN ARMY DENIES AID The Night Safari, which welcomed giraffe calf Nalo three months ago, has set up a blog to enable Singaporeans to follow the baby giraffeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing-up moments. Nalo means â&#x20AC;&#x153;lovableâ&#x20AC;? in Swahili. It is the ďŹ rst giraffe to be born at the Night Safari in three years, and is also the tallest baby, standing at 1.88m and weighing 75kg at birth. The blog is the ďŹ rst for an animal in the Night Safariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s care and provides glimpses into the calfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, such as its attempts at walking.
MAIDS TO GET MANDATORY REST DAYS EACH WEEK
NKF FOUNDER DIES AGED 91
From January 1st next year, a new regulation will require employers to give their foreign domestic workers a day off weekly, or compensation in lieu. The new law will not apply to existing maids until their permits are renewed after that date. Employers who break the rules can be ďŹ ned $5,000, or slapped with a six-month jail term.
National Kidney Foundation founder Dr Khoo Oon Teik died on March 5th in hospital after a long illness. He was 91. Dr Khooâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s abiding interest was chronic renal failure, after his brother, the late Reverend Khoo Oon Eng, succumbed to the disease in the 1950s. Described as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;father of dialysis treatment in Singaporeâ&#x20AC;? by former Health Minister
Syrian military forces carried out artillery bombings on the western suburb of Homs in early March. This was the latest offensive in the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crusade against the year-long civilian uprisings aimed at toppling President Bashir al-Assaadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regime. At least 1,700 people have been killed in the town known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Capital of the Revolutionâ&#x20AC;?. Repeated attempts to send humanitarian aid to the stricken town have been blocked by the military, according to the Red Cross. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;KONY 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122; MEDIA CAMPAIGN GOES VIRAL A half-hour ďŹ lm made by USbased charity Invisible Children went wildly viral in the ďŹ rst week of March, garnering several million views in the span of a few days. The video calls for the international community to help raise awareness about Ugandan war criminal
HUNT FOR ESCAPED PENGUIN CONTINUES IN TOKYO
PRINCE HARRY â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;DEFEATSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; USAIN BOLT IN FOOT RACE The worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest man took on Queen Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 27-year-old grandson, only to be stricken by laughter after the prince made a false start. Both sprinter and prince struck a pose for cameras after the mock race in Jamaica, one of the lighthearted highlights of Prince Harryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s visit to the country. As part of Queen Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diamond Jubilee celebrating 60 years of her reign, British royalty and dignitaries will be on such visits over the year. THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS FLOODS HIT SOUTHEASTERN AUSTRALIA Heavy, continuous rains have caused river swelling and ďŹ&#x201A;ooding in certain parts of New South Wales and Victoria. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unprecendentedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; amount of rain was anticipated and evacuation orders were given in timely fashion to thousands of residents. The rains are expected to continue, but herald a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bumper yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for crops, according to an Australian commodity forecaster.
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A delicious day out – Page 4
Student entrepreneurs' efforts recognised at Nanyang Awards 6(5(1( &$, HOME-COOKED biryani that does more than just warm people’s stomachs. This was the secret ingredient behind the NTU-Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE)’s achievement at the Nanyang Awards. The team initiated Gourmet Guru, a project to enable low-income housewives to earn a sustainable income by recruiting them as cooking instructors. The initiative provided an opportunity for the homemakers to prevent traditional recipes, such as assam pedas and biryani rice, from dying out. Participants in SIFE projects are exposed to business concepts through meetings with mentors and industry partners. They give business students guidance while they exercise real skills like building business models, such as helping the low-income homemakers commercialize their cooking venture. This also gives non-business students a hands-on approach in acquiring basic business skills.
“A head for business, a heart for the world” is a motto that members of the NTU-SIFE, the NTU chapter of worldwide non-profit organisation, have lived by since the club’s founding in NTU three years ago.
“We are just doing something that has potential... and is feasible, as well as helping other communities.” Stanley Chia President of NTU-SIFE
Abiding faithfully to this line was what led the NTU-SIFE to a Nanyang Award for Teamwork at this year’s Nanyang Awards Ceremony. “We are just doing something that has potential and that we feel is feasible, as well as helping other
communities,” said Stanley Chia, 25, a third-year student from Nanyang Business School and president of NTU-SIFE. Launched in 2005, the annual Nanyang Awards are given to recognise the outstanding achievements of faculty, staff and students. In his opening speech, NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson thanked all 22 individuals and two teams who received the Award for their “steadfast dedication and exceptional contribution to NTU”, adding that they had “truly done the university proud.” He also believed that some of the achievements would have worldwide impact. An example is Professor Venkatraman’s research on fully biodegradable stent technology that also has the capacity to deliver drugs. A stent is an artificial tube that can be surgically inserted in blocked vessels. Other notable winners of the Nanyang Awards included Associate Professor Zhang Hu, Assistant Professor Tan Nguan Soon and
ALL SMILES: Proud winners of the Nanyang Awards flash their pearly whites for the camera. PHOTO | TAN ZHIJIAN
Professor Subbu Venkatraman. For their research in bio-science and material technology, they were presented with the Nanyang Awards for Research Excellence, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The loudest applause of the day, however, was reserved for the 18 professors and lecturers who
received the Nanyang Award for Excellence in Teaching. As each award winner strode onto the stage, there were cheers, whoops, wolf-whistles and standing ovations as the students in the Nanyang Auditorium sought to show their appreciation for those who had inspired them.
Stop, bus, stop /81$ + 3+$0
STANDING HIS GROUND: Unable to get on the shuttle bus, a man dashed onto the road and blocked it from leaving. Neither party PHOTO | COURTESY OF JONATHAN CHIANG relented for a few tense minutes.
TRAFFIC came to a standstill on the morning of February 21st as a man stood in the path of NTU’s shuttle bus C for about five minutes. The scene took place on the stretch of road outside canteen 2, in the lane that leads out to the expressway. It was captured on camera by Jonathan Chiang, 22, at about 9.15am. The photo went viral on Facebook. The identity of the man is still unknown. Joshua Sim, 23, a passenger on the bus, said the driver overshot the bus stop opposite canteen 2 by a few metres. This resulted in people gathering around the back door waiting to get up the bus. However, the driver opened only the front door for boarding, said Sim. “Everyone was waiting around the back door, waiting for it to be opened, but it didn’t,” said the first- year student from Nanyang Business School (NBS). After a while, the driver closed the door without taking on passengers, and started to drive off.
At this point, people ran towards the front door, said Sim. That was when the man dashed in front of the bus to prevent its departure. Passenger Tay Bo Yi, 22, also from NBS, said the man shouted and gestured to the bus driver to open the door. However, the driver did not. During the five-minute standoff, a long line of traffic formed behind the bus. The driver then accelerated forward briefly, causing the man to move out of the way. Before driving off, the bus driver wound down his window to shout some vulgarities at the man, said Tay. Mr Philip Peh, General Manager of the bus company, Tong Tar Transport Service Pte Ltd, could not be reached for comment. NTU’s shuttle bus services fall under the purview of the Student Services department. Deputy director of the department, Mr Lim Boon Kiat, said it was not clear whether the man in the picture was a student, a staff member or an outsider on campus.
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Signing up for food and HI-fives
IN HIGH SPIRITS: An NTU participant (in yellow) joins her HI counterparts (in red) in decorating a kite, which is to be flown during the amazing race finale in Yishun. PHOTO | NG ZHONG JIN
/, =+82 '$ IMAGINE a world where stories are told not in words, but through hand gestures. During their recess week, 24 NTU students experienced just that
when they partnered hearingimpaired (HI) people for a foodthemed amazing race, HI Gourmet 2012. This is the first year the event has taken on such a format, as opposed to previous years which had only featured
awareness drives. Held on February 26th, the event saw NTU students and 18 members of the HI community race from the Esplanade to Yishun, taking part in games and food ‘checkpoints’ along the way. Food such as soy bean curd
tarts, Turkish ice cream and Indian fish head curry served in traditional banana leaf were among the rewards for completing game stations. Beyond gastronomic delights, however, participants said they learned to appreciate the beauty of sign language when interacting with their HI partners. This was especially since the experience was new to many of them. “My biggest takeaway from this event is having learnt some basic sign language,” said Lim Jun Xiang, 21, a first-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “I particularly like signs that are special to Singapore such as places of interests and MRT names. It was one of the reasons why I signed up for this event.” HI Singapore is an annual event organised by the NTU Welfare Services Club, which aims to raise awareness and promote interaction with the deaf community in Singapore. This year’s HI Singapore was named HI Gourmet to fit the food theme. “Food is a common theme for everyone,” said Quek Sheng Quan, 20, the overall organiser of the event. “That’s why we have promoted it as our highlight this
year to attract NTU students to connect with the HI community,” added the first-year student from the Nanyang Business School. In preparation, the NTU competitors watched a video of basic signing of individual alphabets that would help them communicate with their HI partners. On the race day itself, they used cue cards. Organisers who went through a sign language course the previous semester were also on hand to help. Lim said he was able to communicate with fellow HI participants with relative ease, despite being a beginner in signing. “They are able to understand very basic sign language,” he said. He added that he was inspired by the bubbly personalities of his HI friends. “One of them is 35 years old, but he still plays with me like a kid,” he said. Meanwhile, the HI partners also said they found the experience interesting, as they could interact with students outside of their community. “I like the amazing race idea because it is a fresh experience,” said HI participant Lily Goh. The 32-year-old likened the race to popular South Korean variety show Running Man.
EOS director to shake up research aims /, =+82 '$ NTU’s Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS) has been awarded $5 million by AXA insurance group’s research fund on February 28th. Its director, Professor Kerry Sieh, was also made the first permanent Chair in Natural Hazards in Asia. At the signing ceremony, Professor Sieh revealed that the endowment will be used to foster earth sciences research, with the focus on understanding and forecasting earthquake, volcano and rising sea levels in Southeast Asia. Additionally, the funding will help link natural hazards research more directly to society, in the fields of policy, economics and education, risk assessment and management, he added. Professor Sieh cited Professor Andreas Schaffer as an example. The EOS Sustainability Director, who lectured in ‘Sustainability Management’ at the Nanyang Business School, also does research in economic strategies that help address climate change. EOS plans to implement cross-faculty appointments of a similar nature with other institutes in NTU. These include the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, the Nanyang Business School and the National Institute of Education (NIE). In addition, EOS also aims to
GROUNDBREAKING DIRECTION: Professor Sieh (extreme left) intends to create more Asia-centric natural hazards research. PHOTO | COURTESY OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
collaborate more closely with NIE to enhance the educational aspects of earth sciences research. “I am going to work with NIE to invent what I call Singapore Earth Sciences, using past examples from Southeast Asia rather than from Europe,” Professor Sieh said. The endowment will not be used for scholarships or exchange programmes for students. Instead, it will help connect EOS electives such as Natural Hazards and Society more closely to the ‘social science aspects of disasters’, said Ms Susan C. Eriksson, Education and Outreach Director of EOS. “This is especially for stu-
dents who major in social science and humanities programmes but appreciate what science brings to society,” she added. NTU President Professor Bertil Andersson said: “Annual returns on the AXA Chair endowment will enable Professor Sieh to create and strengthen research programmes with other entities at NTU in natural hazards and climate change.” EOS was triumphant amidst stringent selection criteria and considerable competition, said the head of AXA’s Research Fund, Mr Godefroy Beauvallet. He said EOS was selected due to its good track record and its potential for future growth.
TEACH A MAN TO FISH: A young participant weighs his catch at NTU’s annual fishing competition on the 25th and 26th of February. Fish were released into the Nanyang Lake, and anglers could rent rods and then reel in what they could for cash prizes or PHOTO | LAU KIA YONG simple leisure.
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NTU's creative talents win big 6(5(1( &$,
A Cabbage That's Not For Cooking THE simple folds of a cabbage could well be the key to a prizewinning outdoor furniture design concept, as NTU student Aaron Lim found out recently. The 24-year-old was one of two NTU finalists in the top eight entries for an outdoor furniture design competition, Mapletree Business City’s “Design in the City”. A third-year product design major at the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM), Lim said his design of the seating area, entitled VENA, was based on the patterns formed by the cross-section of a cabbage. He added that he was influenced by the idea of biomimicry, a scientific field which examines and emulates nature to solve human problems. The finalists of the competition were announced by real estate company, Mapletree Investments on February 21st. Lim and fellow NTU finalist Li Wenjin, 22, will now have to build prototypes of their designs before the final judging on March 28th. Li, a final-year product design major at ADM, said she was “hugely inspired by minimalist sculptors like Carl Andre and Richard Serra.”
Her design is a metal sculpture shaped like a short flight of steps. People can sit on the sculpture as they do on public benches. She said although her design concept was influenced by artistic considerations, she also had to consider functional aspects as it was meant to be a piece of public furniture. For example, the metal used had to undergo antirust treatment. Mapletree CEO Mr Hiew Yoon Khong said the “Design in the City” competition was held to “bring across… appreciation for innovation and creativity by nurturing young design talents in Singapore.” Lim and Li emerged as finalists from more than 60 other entries from other local tertiary institutions, including polytechnics, National University of Singapore and LaSalle College of the Arts. They will now vie with six other designers for two grand prizes of $12,000 each. The winners will also have the opportunity to have their work displayed permanently at Mapletree Business City, an integrated business hub at the fringe of the Central Business District.
SIT TING PRE T T Y: Lim's cabbageinspired seating area (above) and Li's bench sculpture (left) may be installed in public if they clinch the top two spots in the finals. GRAPHICS | COURTESY OF AARON LIM AND LI WENJIN
Safer Police Posts For The Future PEOPLE under threat of physical harm, such as a teenager fleeing from a gang attack, may soon have a secure place to retreat to, thanks to the efforts of NTU students. Chia Yan An, 23, Darrell Mak, 25, Robin Tan, 18, and Xu Mingjie, 22, came up with an L-shaped door which prevents possible assailants from following people into a “safe room”, where they can hide from
assailants and make virtual police reports via teleconferencing. Their concept came up tops at a design competition organised by the Singapore Police Force (SPF). NTU emerged joint champions along with an SMU team, fending off competition from 13 other entries. The inaugural “Neighbourhood Police Post (NPP) for the Future”
competition, held this year, aims to re-examine how NPPs can stay relevant to the community by incorporating new technologies. Chia, a second-year student from the School of Computer Engineering, said that one of the team’s biggest considerations was how to “balance imagination, creativity and feasibility” while factoring in cost effectiveness.
For instance, the team was assigned to redesign Marsiling NPP, but were unable to obtain the basic blueprint of the floorplan. As such, they had to make full use of their imagination and creativity with respect to the design. The NTU students’ winning concept also included a mobile exhibition area for SPF recruitment drives or community outreach events.
Their ideas will be implemented in future NPPs, and prototypes of their design concepts will be displayed at the May 2012 Annual Police Workplan. “The biggest reward is having our ideas being implemented in the future NPPs to improve the public safety of the community, and leaving our impact all over Singapore,” said Chia.
INTRUDERS, KEEP OUT: The winning team from NTU (left) with the guest-of-honour, Second Minister for Home Affairs Mr S Iswaran. Their design for an L-shaped door (above) prevents assailants from entering a 'safe' room. PHOTO AND GRAPHIC | COURTESY OF CHIA YAN AN
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NTU research poised Audience gets to get more complex interactive during film on 6+((1$ 7$1
WHAT is the difference between growing babies in the womb and growing tumours in the body? Why do we need to sleep about eight hours each night? The answers to these questions, and more, are linked to a promising area of research, complexity science, said Mr Jan Wouter Vasbinder, Director of the Complexity Program in NTU. Mr Vasbinder was speaking at a three-day conference, “More is Different”, held in NTU from February 27th to 29th. It marked the for mal inauguration of the Complexity Science programme in NTU, which commenced in August 2011. Complexity science, which is the study of complex systems, looks at things as a whole. It st ud ies how i nd iv idua l components interact, giving rise to new behaviour. This differs from the scientific method, which reduces a system to its basic components and studies each individually.
Research in complexity science could benef it countr ies, from predicting earthquakes down to easing traffic jams.
“Complex science... looks at things as a system, puts it together.” Professor Geoffrey B. West Former President Santa Fe Institute
“Traditional science breaks things down but complex science is opposite, it looks at things as a system, puts it together,” said Professor Geoffrey B. West. The former President of the Santa Fe Institute (SFI) was an invited speaker at the conference. Examples of complex systems include cities, brains and economies. As they exhibit behaviour that cannot be explained by being broken down into parts, they are
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE: Professor Geoffrey West illustrates complexity science using real-life examples. PHOTO | LAU KIA YONG
studied as an entire system. As such, complexity science could be the next big thing in solving global challenges such as hunger and climate change, said Mr Vasbinder. “All the major problems in the world we deal with… have their bases in complex systems," he added. Indeed, researchers have already identified themes such as cities and governance to look into, although the programme is still in its early stages. It was not until the 1980s that the introduction of home computers enabled complex s y s tem s to be s t ud ied a nd simulated visually. “Complexity science is a very fresh field of research which is still evolving and changing,” said visiting Professor W. Brian Arthur from SFI. Professor Arthur will also be conducting research under the Complexity Programme. Currently, the programme is only open to faculty members, post-doctorate students, as well as PhD students. But due to its interdisciplinary nature, there are no restrictions to the schools which applicants come from, or the fields of study they intend to pursue. Mor eove r, t he u se of c om ple x it y s c ie nc e i s not limited to graduate students or professors. Students who attended the conference said they found it useful for their research topics. “The topics here are related to my research, which is about climate models, a type of complex system,” said Ms Queen Suraajini Rajendran, 21. “This helps me understand the subject area better,” added the first-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Collaborations— both local and overseas— are also in the pipeline. The programme plans for workshops and research projects with institutions such as the SFI and the Institute Para Limes (IPL) from the United States and the Netherlands respectively. W it h N T U ’s Comple x it y Science programme underway, Singapore is poised to kickstart the research field in Asia, said Mr Vasbinder. He added that Singapore is uniquely able to understand and make use of scientific knowledge earlier than other countries. “Si ngap or e ca n b e come the first movers in the field of complexity in helping develop theories and applications used in solving these problems,” he said. Beyond marking the formal inauguration of the programme, the conference also aims to create a community of complex science researchers.
safe sex
FRANKLY SPEAKING: Six panellists addressed the audience's questions and concerns about sex after the film screening. PHOTO | ANGELINE YEO
*$1 :(,/,1* A group of friends clubbing on New Year's Eve were unable to decide if they should drink and go wild at the party. That decision was left to the audience during the NTU screening of the “Not So Secret Lives of Us” (NSSL) film. T he pr ot a gon i s t s’ f ate s cont i nue d to be l ite r a l ly i n the audiences' hands, as SMS responses from the hundred-strong crowd determined the movie’s story progression. The film premiered in LT 1 on Febr uar y 7t h. Dur ing t he screening, the f ilm paused at several defining moments, during which the audience SMS-ed their preferred choice of action. It then proceeded to unfold the outcome of the majority’s decision.
“This film shows the audience 'what it could have been'.” Mohamed Syahid Second-year student Nanyang Business School
NS S L , wh ic h i s bi l le d a s “interactive”, is directed by Boo Jun Feng, best known for his awardwinning film “Sandcastle”. It will also be screened in other tertiar y institutes, such as the Singapore Management University, Management Development Institute of Singapore, and ITE College East this month. The film aims to educate youths about sexuality and to address their concerns about sexually transmitted diseases. It was produced by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) under a sex-education initiative. H P B pa r t ne r e d 21 You n g Hearts, a NTU Hall of Residence
5 community organisation, in the making of the film. The organisers took pains to conceal the sex-education theme in its publicity efforts, as they took into account youths’ natural aversion to the topic. The message was revealed only during the film’s NTU premiere . But the film’s producers said the interactive medium aptly relays the message of sex health, as it empowered viewers to make choices on the characters’ behalf. “What better way than to give them absolute power in deciding the characters’ fates?” said Ms Ng Hui Min, the event’s programme planner from advertising agency Oglivy & Mather. The chairperson of 21 Young Hear ts, Mohamed Syahid, 26, agreed. He said the film enabled v iewer s to look bac k at t he consequences of what the characters did or did not do. “As youths, there are many times when we find ourselves in places where you want to do something, but you don’t know what it’ll be like, so this film shows the audience ‘what it could have been',” said the second-year student from Nanyang Business School. T he f i l m r e ce i ve d m i xe d responses from the audience in NTU. “I was disappointed that they didn’t show all the alternative outcomes that we didn’t choose”, said Tomasz Jan Ferenc, 25, an exchange student from Poland. B u t ot h e r s f e lt t h e f i l m successfully put across the subject of sexual health. “Instead of a stagnant onesided view showing all the cons, we get to see different scenarios through the interactive film,” said a second-year student from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 23, who only wanted be known as Andy. “I think it increased awareness of the dangers of unsafe sex and is a wake-up call for some people.”
Lifestyle
Riding the Dutch Way â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Page 11
foodsnoop ARTEASTIQ $ 2UFKDUG 5RDG 0DQGDULQ *DOOHU\ 2SHQLQJ KRXUV 0RQGD\ WR 7KXUVGD\ SP SP )ULGD\ SP SP 6DWXUGD\ 6XQGD\ DP SP :HEVLWH ZZZ DUWHDVWLT FRP Just like the concept of music jamming, art jamming is a bunch of people coming together to create
a common type of art. Stepping into the art jamming room was a refreshing sight of many artists diligently at work. Situated at Mandarin Galler y, this social painting and tea lounge is not merely for the artistic. According to Ren, the sales manager, the concept of the place was to welcome beginners to try out painting in a non-intimidating environment. Understanding that it can be quite scary for ďŹ rst-timers to approach art, he says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The idea is more to have fun than to come up with something perfect.â&#x20AC;?
Though there are art teachers, Ren made it clear that their role is not to teach but to be a guide as they are more interested to assist customers in coming up with something of their own. Like many others, my feelings were a mix of excitement and a fair bit of skepticism. At the end of the 3-hour session, I was convinced t hat A r tea st iq's approach to beginner painters worked. The participants, too, stood in utter amazement of what they had accomplished. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m still overwhelmed. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve
never been good in art and I never thought I could paint at this age,â&#x20AC;? said Sarah Lim, 32. Her friend, Ying Ru, 29, who described herself as â&#x20AC;&#x153;an absolute beginnerâ&#x20AC;? said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s okay to come unprepared, just come with an open mind.â&#x20AC;? The 3-hour session costs $48 and comes along with a free beverage, set of brushes, free ďŹ&#x201A;ow of paint and standard 20cm cotton canvas. Subsequent visits to complete painting costs $5 per hour. There is also a student price of $28. Above that, there are different promotions everyday
from Mondays to Thursdays. While guests are welcomed to have their meals or snacks while art jamming, Arteastiq also has a stylish tea lounge area. Unlike most cafes, they do not sell any readymade tea bags, much to the disappointment of the tea connoisseurs who may wish to buy some home. Instead, they boil the fruit with the tea base pot by pot upon orders. Tea is usually served with biscuits and a wide selection of mochi. They also offer exquisite ďŹ&#x201A;avors like liquor-infused tea with gelato ice cream after 5pm.
WEEKEND ESCAPADES
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PHOTOS | COURTESY OF GAN WEI LING
THE SCREENING ROOM $QQ 6LDQJ 5RDG 2SHQLQJ KRXUV 7KXUVGD\ SP )ULGD\ 6DWXUGD\ SP &ORVHG RQ 6XQGD\V :HEVLWH ZZZ VFUHHQLQJURRP FRP VJ While we may have snacked a popcorn while catching a ďŹ lm, not many of us have heard of a film and food package ($68) where a 3-course meal is crafted to complement the ďŹ lm. You can be sure to get different theatrical experiences every time you visit The Screening Room.
Marrying the culinary passions of Chef Samia A had and her husbandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interest in film, the Screening Room was born. They screen ďŹ lms of all genres, as long as Chef Samia ďŹ nds its crusine executable. Located at Ann Siang Hill, the ďŹ ve-storey building consists of Mamounia lounge, Mamounia restaurant, the studio, the film theatre and La Terraza rooftop bar. While every level is decorated differently, the place exudes a posh, middle-eastern charm, featuring an Arabian tent and plush carpets at the alfresco dining area. Fi lm screen i ngs a re on ly available on Thursday to Saturday evenings. Usually, the guests have their meal at Mamounia
restaurant and proceed to the ďŹ lm theatre at 9:15pm when the movie commences. I caught the ďŹ lm Paris je tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;aime and was served French cuisine. The menu of the day was Cream of Portobello Mushroom soup, a choice of Duck Leg ConďŹ t or Butter Poached ThreadďŹ n and Pineapple Tarte Tartin for dessert. T he mea l bega n w it h t he chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s selection of complimentary appetizers, better known as amusebouche French-Turkish W hite Cheese with Pomegranate Seeds and Molasses with Mint Leaves and Mexican Guacamole with Nachos. The Turkish White Cheese is salty and creamy, while the hint of pomegranate exudes a rich tantalizing taste.
T he C r ea m of Por tobe l lo Mushroom with white trufďŹ&#x201A;e oil emulsion has got to be one of the best mushroom soups I have tasted. It is neither as creamy nor chunky as most mushroom soups, yet it leaves a lingering ďŹ&#x201A;avor at the back of your tongue. The Butter Poached ThreadďŹ n is served with boiled carrot, ginger, capsicum and cherry tomato. The dish gives a light and fresh feel, a safe dish that is satisfying but less extraordinary. It pales in comparison to the Duck Leg Confit. Paired with roasted Idaho potatoes and shallot marmalade, the saltiness of the crispy roasted duck skin adds to the sweet, grilled f lavor of the duck meat. Both fish and duck
went well with the Pieropan Soave Classico white wine, which has an invigorating razor-sharp crisp. Aside from the ďŹ lm-inspired dishes, Mamounia restaurant serves what they term the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Otherâ&#x20AC;? Mediterranean cuisine, savouring the culinary delights of intriguing lands spanning from Marrakesh to Mecca. Coriander Leaf, an afďŹ liated cooking school, is another of Chef Samia Ahad's initiatives, where they teach the dishes served in these food and ďŹ lm package. The Screening Room charges $20 for the ďŹ lm ticket alone, more than twice the price of the usual movie ticket. But if it is a movie date with that special someone, it may be worth it after all.
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DEALS & STEALS: Zouk, a popular nightclub, is transformed for the Zouk Flea & Easy market with bargain-hunters on the prowl for great buys and items going as low as $1.
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ith a wardrobe bursting with more clothes than it can hold, se lf-con fessed shopa hol ic Brenda Lim has come to terms with letting some of them go. With Topshop and Miss Selfridge among her favourite brands, the 21-yearold first-year student at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information spends over $100 every month on a typical shopping trip. After keeping her buys for a year or two, Brenda would set up a stall at a flea market to get rid of unwanted clothes and make space for new ones, and also to top up her empty piggy bank.
The convenience of selling her wares at a flea market is the biggest draw. “It is the easiest way to clear my wardrobe. Setting up a blog shop takes time. I'll have to take pictures, hire someone to model my clothes, set up a website, and do my own advertising. A flea market is less of a hassle, being a one-off thing,” she says. With the extra cash, Brenda has an excuse to buy more clothes to fill up her closet. Besides selling second-hand clothes, there are also other ways to earn extra cash the flea market way. K r i s t y Te o , 21 , a f i r s t - y e a r accountancy student sets up a stall to increase online traffic to her blog shop
HUNTING FOR A GOOD BUY: If you're selling second-hand stuff, price it at around $5-$10 and expect customers PHOTOS | INTERNET & COURTESY OF ZOUK & LEE SU FERN coming for a good bargain.
(www.loveyourphone.wordpress.com), which sells imported iPhone cases. She usually hands out online discount codes to her flea market customers. Since then, online sales have increased by about one and a half times. And what started out as a hobby also turned out to be a full-time job for Kevin Yin, a recent Computer Engineering graduate in 2011 from NTU, and his girlfriend Jeanrin Loh, both 26. The couple, who had had enough of finding things to do in Singapore with little money, were inspired to start a business when they came across NaRaYa, a Thai brand of fabric bags in Bangkok. They then obtained the rights to import the bags to Singapore. This started RinVin.Closet, a small business selling an assorted array of knickknacks, from quirky spectacle frames to lego sets, and they plan on expanding. But such a money-making method has its fair share of risks. Bad weather is a common impediment resulting in lower human traffic. At Kevin's first flea market at Marina Bay Sands, heavy rain and strong winds nearly destroyed the tent. “All the male vendors were pinning our weight down on the tent, and some of us even got carried up with the tent about a foot off the ground,” he says. But despite unpredictable weather conditions, Kevin remains fond of f lea markets. “Being under the sun and rain selling your products gives you an experience you wouldn’t find elsewhere,” he says. “Also at flea markets, our prices are somewhat bargain-able if you buy more." Kristy has also learnt that pricing is important to attract customers. “Allowing people to bargain usually leads to a more successful deal, as people feel they have clinched a worthy purchase,” she says.
Brenda, who usually prices her items around $5-10, says: “A piece of clothing from Topshop can cost up to $80, but when you bring it to a flea, nobody cares if it’s branded. If it isn’t $5, they aren’t buying.” But towards closing time, going all-out to slash prices works like a charm. “I will drop prices drastically to clear as many clothes as I can. I even sold a few pieces at $1 each,” she says. Additionally, Miss Sofie Chandra, 28, Marketing and Business Development Manager of Zouk Flea & Easy, advises vendors to set their pricing strategy based on the type of products they sell. “If your products are unique, a one-off item or vintage, there are definitely people who are willing to pay more,” she says. “ B u t m o s t of t h e t i m e , t h e Singaporean mentalit y plays a part. Because it is a flea market, the bargain factor is important, some are looking for items that go as low as $2 to $5.” For sellers looking to get more out of an online business via flea markets, Mr Kent Teo, the organizer of flea markets at venues such as *SCAPE and Singapore Flyer has some advice. “Flea markets are a good avenue to test market response to your products and services, and gain market exposure for your brand name. You can complement you r on l i ne ma r ke t i ng e f for t s by expanding your database and inviting customers to sign up for your mailing list after they make a purchase,” says the 27-year-old who is also For Flea Sake's spokesperson. “Of course, there is also the added advantage of real-time customer contact, so it is a good chance to interact with customers and strengthen relationships,” he adds.
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Let's Get Down To BU$INESS ZOUK FLEA & EASY
Forget the traditional tables and chairs. At Zouk Flea and Easy, items are hawked from every available surface to maximise the use of space. The event is held is at Zouk and Winebar in the afternoon till evening, a rare chance to enter the club before nightfall. Also, savvy shoppers need not be deterred by the seemingly upscale location, as there are bargains from as low as $2.
WHERE: Zouk Singapore WHEN: Every quarter of a year STALL RENTAL FEE: $50 ITEMS PROVIDED: Stall location is
BEHIND THE SCENES: Vendors think of creative ways to get their items noticed.
FOR FLEA SAKE
It organises both regular and ad-hoc ďŹ&#x201A;ea markets. Regulars include Flashbang at the Singapore Flyer, for a more upscale clientele, and Space at *SCAPE, which attracts mainly youths and working adults.
WHERE: Various places such as *SCAPE Sky Terrace (Level 4), the Singapore Flyer and Chinatown Pagoda Street WHEN: Check www.forďŹ&#x201A;easake.com/ďŹ&#x201A;eamarkets for dates STALL RENTAL FEE: Between S$40 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; S$55 ITEMS PROVIDED: 1 table, 2 chairs, 1 rack space. Extra tables and chairs available at extra cost. MAIN CLIENTELE: Females aged 16-24 years old and young families HOW TO REGISTER: Email sales@ forďŹ&#x201A;easake.com FOR MORE INFORMATION: Check out www.forďŹ&#x201A;easake.com
dependent on items sold MAIN CLIENTELE: Aged 16-35 HOW TO REGISTER: Apply personally at the Zouk ofďŹ ce reception or download the application form from the website, to be faxed or emailed with a recent photo UPCOMING FLEA: Sometime in May alongside the Asian Fashion Exchange (14-20 May), celebrities, stylists and fashion magazine editors will be invited to take up stores at Flea & Easyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special Fashion Elite Edition. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Check out www.zoukclub.com or call 6738 2988
*SCAPE BAZAAR
Next to Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, *SC A PE Bazaar is usually thronging with teens and people in their 20s. It is held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and stallholders can choose pitches with or without air-conditioning. The stalls operate, come rain or shine. Soak up the energy and go bargain hunting with the huge assortment of stalls. Pre-owned items are no longer allowed so there is no need to worry about the state of the items.
WHERE: *SCAPE Mall
WHEN: Every Friday (2pm - 10.30pm), Saturday (12pm - 9pm), and Sunday (12pm- 9pm)
STALL RENTAL FEE: Ranges from $38-60, depending on location ITEMS PROVIDED: 0.6m x 1.2m (2ft x 4ft) table and a plastic chair MAIN CLIENTELE: Teens and young adults HOW TO REGISTER: Online registration form at www.scapebazaar.com FOR MORE INFORMATION: Email scapebazaar@gmail.com
MAAD PYJAMAS
T he Market of A r tists and Designers (MAAD) is the place to go for original and creative products. Not an ordinary ďŹ&#x201A;ea market, it is better known as a monthly art and design festival. Forget run-ofthe-mill products, only original works by the vendors are for sale. Featuring only artists and designers, vendors can range from hair artists to dessert makers. They are encouraged to unleash their creativity and decorate their stalls any way they like. While shopping, enjoy performances by local musicians, sip beer and simply relax on a Friday night.
WHERE: Red Dot Design Museum, a three-minute walk from Tanjong Pagar MRT station WHEN: One Friday night of each month (the next one is on April 13th, 5pm to 12 midnight) STALL RENTAL FEE: $50-$70 ITEMS PROVIDED: A display case, a case stand, a lamp and a stool/chair MAIN CLIENTELE: Young adults and the working crowd in the area HOW TO REGISTER: Online registration form at www.maad.sg FOR MORE INFORMATION: Call 6534 7194 or email ask@maad.sg
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READ THE FINE PRINT
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BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Different organisers aim to capture different crowds. So try attending ďŹ&#x201A;ea markets by various organisers to observe the type and level of human trafďŹ c, as well as how vendors operate. It would be even better to speak to a few vendors to ďŹ nd out more about their experience.
It is important to take note of what is included in the rental package. For example, only some organisers provide tables and chairs.
The aesthetics of your stall is extremely important to make sure that it stands out. Make use of bright colours, posters or signs to attract attention. Also ensure that it is reasonably neat to make it easier for customers to check out your products.
Leverage on the popularity of social media platforms to increase the proďŹ le of the ďŹ&#x201A;ea markets and also that of your shop.
One way to do so would be to provide name cards or mini posters. Alternatively, bring a notebook for people to pen down their email in case they lose your name cards.
WHAT THE FLEA!
Have a tarot card reading done, or try out a hair and beauty makeover. What The FLEA! also collaborates with charity groups and organisations to raise funds for a village in Prey Kla, Cambodia, and welcome new charity outreach projects.
Always remember to smile, greet and make small talk with customers. Never underestimate the power of building good customer relationships, and always be proactive. No one likes unfriendly stallholders. Friendliness goes a long way and leaves a deeper positive impression on customers. Also, make friends, not only with customers but also with other vendors. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re attending a ďŹ&#x201A;ea market or holding a stall, it is important to network as youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll never know when these relationships would come in handy.
WHERE: Various locations island-wide WHEN: Check What The FLEA!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook or Twitter page for the latest schedule (the next one is on April 17th at the F1 Pit Building) STALL RENTAL FEE: Dependent on location ITEMS PROVIDED: One 0.9m x 0.9m (3ft x 3ft) table and two chairs MAIN CLIENTELE: Aged 17-35 HOW TO REGISTER: Visit www. whattheďŹ&#x201A;ea.wordpress.com/registration FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit www. whattheďŹ&#x201A;ea.wordpress.com
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WE'RE ALL MAAD HERE: Enjoy live performances, sit still while your caricature is being drawn by a group of 20 artists and get a daring hairdo by a hair artistâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all at MAAD Pyjamas.
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APP of the
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SNAPWORDS FREE Available on iPhone and iPad If you are familiar with games such as Taboo and Charades, this game will not be completely foreign to you. Simply put, Snapwords is a word-guessing game. Two teams compete against each other by trying to guess the word that appears without mentioning the word itself. The interface of the app is clean and fuss-free, with no customisation (you are either in Team 1 or Team 2). The sound effects of the game amp up the excitement, an ominous sounding ticking starts whenever time is almost up, while a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;pingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; indicates to the opponent how many points your team is racking up. But with words such as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;carburetorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sordidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;desiccantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, this game is certainly not for the vocabulary-challenged.
BOP IT! US$0.99/ SG$1.25 Available on iPhone and iPad What used to be a handheld toy has now been condensed into an app for the tech-savvy generation. This is basically an audio-reaction game requiring you to bop, twist, or spin, amongst several other features, according to the music. Bop It! is available in both single player and multiplayer versions, in which you can either play along with several players or go head-to-head with just one opponent. It gets surprisingly addictive despite its repetitive nature, and a voiceover chirps funny and usually disparaging comments whenever you lose.
KING OF OPERA US$0.99/ SG$1.25 Available on iPhone and iPad It is a giddy chase. It is a disoriented takeover. It is a ditzy ďŹ&#x201A;ight. Upon tapping a corner, wildly spinning opera singers, or tenors, each carrying a unique voice, will start walking in a straight line and take on a chance at stealing the limelight. To win the game, your tenor needs to act like a bumper car, bumping your opponents off the centre and taking hold of that spotlight for the longest time possible by avoiding other tenors. So take on up to three other opponents, and be engaged in the most comical party knockdown ever. Upon winning, you may literally take on the spotlight for the rest of the party â&#x20AC;&#x201D; this is if no one else tries to take it over with a friendly bump on the shoulder.
ALL EYES ON THIS: Games that cater to more than one player help people interact with each other. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION | VINNIE QUEK
TRUTH OR DARE FREE Available on iPhone and Android An all-time favourite party game that almost everyone has played before, the app version is not much different, save for a few tweaks for greater convenience. Before the game begins, choose from two to 20 players and key their names in. In order to draw a name, this app replaces the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spinning the bottleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; part with shaking the phone. The questions and dares you get may be harmless and reminiscent of secondary school daysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; with guileless questions such as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Who is your bestww friend?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or cheeky such as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hold hands with the person opposite you until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your turn againâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. While the app certainly saves time and brainpower by providing ready-made questions and dares, it can get slightly infuriating when you have to shake your phone vigorously for it to register the next turn.
MARBLE MIXER US$0.99/ SG$1.25 Available on iPhone and iPad Kids of the 80s and 90s, still remember those sandy playgrounds which provided the perfect arena for a game of marbles? Relive those times with Marble Mixer, an electronic spin on the classic game of marbles Designed exclusively for the iPad, the game allows for up to four players. The objective of the game is to score as many points as you can by ďŹ&#x201A;icking marbles across the point mat or by knocking your opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marbles off. There are three game modes featuring various challenges on different mats. The controls for this game are so ďŹ nely tuned, that it feels completely natural to be f licking imaginary marbles across a screen. If you want to ďŹ&#x201A;ick hard to smack an opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marble off the mat, the game picks it up precisely, and the collision of marPHOTOS | INTERNET bles sound exactly like the real thing.
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ROTTERDAM ON TWO WHEELS
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t is minus 15 degrees and the wind is howling. I am wearing four layers, a scarf and thick woollen glovesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;but I am still cold. The snow, which has been falling since the previous night, has left the cobbled roads caked with icy powder. But despite the bitter cold, people are still riding their bikes and going about their daily business. Welcome to Rotterdam, the heart of a biking nation, in the grip of its longest cold snap in 15 years. Ea rly last mont h, temperat u res in Rotterdam and many other cities in the Netherlands plummeted below zero. Unfortunately, the drastic drop coincided with my arrival in late January. Undaunted by the cold, I spent the larger part of a month exploring the insand-outs of the ďŹ nancial heart of the Oranje nation (the moniker of the Dutch football team). And like the Dutch, I did it mostly with pedal power. Indeed, one of the f irst things I noticed is that come hell or high water, the Dutch never stop riding their bikes. Ever. This is in spite of the fact that public transport is cheap and efďŹ cientâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;your choice of tram, metro, train or bus. Now, after a month riding around Rotterdam and the surrounding country, I ďŹ nally understand why: to ride a bike is to be Dutch. They love their bikes so much, the running joke is that every bike in the Netherlands have been stolen at least twice and sold on the streets. It makes sense then that any Dutch adventure should begin and end on two wheels. There are many shops in the city that rent bikes out to travellers for about ďŹ ve to 10 euros ($8-$16) a day. One of these places is the StayOkay hostel in the heart of Rotterdam located in the kooky-crazy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cube Housesâ&#x20AC;? (literally a collection of cubed-shaped buildings) that rents bikes out to travellers. This was where I stayed during my ďŹ rst week and also where I rented my bike for seven euros a
day. Room rates were reasonable (about 20 euros a night) and like all hostel stays, I had the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds. Interesting charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a Swiss lawyer on a sabbatical, a German ďŹ lm critic, a Welsh carpenter hiding from his girlfriend to name a fewâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;came and went almost daily in my six-bed dorm room. Out side, t he cit y of Rot terda m unravelled. Just two minutes from the hostel was the Binnenrotte Marketâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the biggest in the city. Here you can get Dutch specialities for as low as 2 euros. A common gripe many tourists have is that the Dutch have no food culture. A typical Dutch meal consists of bread and cold cuts for breakfast and lunch, and only one hot meal a day for dinnerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;consisting mostly of potatoes. While the complaint might be true for the most part, there are culinary gems to be found, if you know where to look. At the market, you have all the greatest hits of Dutch food in one place. Everything from lekkerbek (a fried ďŹ sh eaten with a garlic sauce and literally Dutch for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tasty faceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;), to broodje haring (raw herring gutted, tossed with onions and served atop pillowy buns) to my personal favouriteâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;steamed mussels. The mussels (four euros for a serving) are served up by a ďŹ sherman coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who shovels them screaming hot out of a giant steamer. Even in a market of 450 stalls, this one is easy to ďŹ nd. The ever-growing heap of mussel shells on the table, the burgeoning crowd jostling for a space at the counter, the steam from the giant vatsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;all signs pointing to a quality establishment. Stomach-f illed, I biked onward. A lt houg h Rot te r d a m h a s nu me r ou s museums, such as The Maritime Museum and World Art Museum, I gave them a miss. A decision I do not regret because otherwise, I would not have chanced upon the dark back-alleys of Delfshaven, or biked down the sleepy boulevards of Kralingen where I could observe actual everyday life whilst enveloped in the wintry air. But for me, the city centre was the star attraction. Because most of Rotterdam was
THE CUBE HOUSES: A collection of 39 cube-shaped buildings, one of the many hyper modern sights in a city centre that was razed during World War II.
bombedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;literally, to its foundationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;by the German air force during World War II, practically the whole city centre had to be rebuilt. In a bold statement of rebirth, architects rebuilt the city with eccentric designs. Their works can be seen around the city, from the famous Cube houses to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;swan-likeâ&#x20AC;? Erasmus Bridge. Perhaps the most enjoyable experience I had was biking through the quirky city centre and finding myself suddenly in
an older part of town, surrounded by old European-colonial buildings, cobble-stoned streets and an ancient harbour reminiscent of a bygone era. This juxtaposition should feel outof-place, and in any other city, I could not imagine it to work. But as I listened to the waves lapping against the old boats in the harbourâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with one leg over my bike, it was then that I realisedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this is Rotterdam.
Perhaps the most enjoyable experience I had was biking through the quirky city centre and ďŹ nding myself suddenly in an older part of town. MUSSELS, ANYONE?: A great, piping-hot snack at the Binnenrotte Market to keep you warm in the crazy cold weather. PHOTOS | COURTESY OF DANSON CHEONG
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spotlight
Same Old Brand New Band PHOTO | UNIVERSAL MUSIC
Tracks from the album such as $IWHU DQ HLJKW \HDU Wanna Lose You Again, have KLDWXV %ULWLVK 1RUZHJLDQ Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a distinct melancholic quality that ER\ EDQG $ PDGH DQ departs from their previous sound. Mark attributes this to the 10 years DSSHDUDQFH LQ WRZQ of maturity that the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music RQ )HEUXDU\ WK IRU has undergone. WKHLU *UHDWHVW +LWV 7RXU 5HQHH 3RK VSHDNV WR WKH On the evolution of their music: EDQG¡V NH\ERDUGLVW DQG YRFDOLVW 0DUN 5HDG RQ > Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a little bit wiser WKHLU IDQV ZKR JUHZ XS from relationships and breakups, ZLWK WKHLU PXVLF DV ZHOO and we translate these personal experiences to our lyrics. When we DV WKH EDQG¡V IHHOLQJV ďŹ rst started out it was all about the DERXW PDWXULQJ IURP D fun and positivity, and our songs were like calling cards for our fans, ER\ EDQG FOR M E D i n 1998, A1 or ig inally comprised main vocalist Ben Adams, keyboardist Mark Read, and guitarists Christian Ingebrigtsen and Paul Marazzi. They achieved worldwide success with over three million records sold, eight international Top 10 hits and a Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough Act in 2001. Following their split in 2002, Mark, Ben and Chr istian announced in August 2009 that they would regroup for a series of concerts in Oslo. Subsequently, their fourth and latest studio album, Waiting for Daylight, was released in October 2010.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey, come and join our gang!â&#x20AC;? Now weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re just writing about things that really matter. Anyone who gets the chance to catch us live will really see how weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve developed as a band.
> Our fanbase comprises mostly young female adults who grew up listening to our songs. I think listeners, whether young or old, will be able to identify with songs such as Like a Rose and Heaven by Your Side. On the appeal of their songs:
> Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very lucky to have an amazing bond with our fans.
About our songsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; appeal, I guess thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something only the fans can answer, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s our positivity and relatability of the lyrics. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all quite down-toearth guys, very approachable and normal. We love to spend as much time as we can with our fans and our favourite thing to do besides performing is chatting with them.
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a song about looking for light at the end of the tunnel. No matter how hopeless a situation is, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no point in giving up.â&#x20AC;? Mark Read of A1 on the title track of their album Waiting For Daylight.
On the biggest highlight of their comeback:
> We had no expectations whatsoever. Singapore has changed so much and we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t k now whether there would be anyone here to see us as itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been so long. But when we got to the airport and saw quite a lot of people, we thought â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey, this could be good.â&#x20AC;?
The proudest moment for us is coming back here and seeing that the fans have stayed. They used to be like 10, 12 years old, now theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re 22. There isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a bigger compliment than seeing fans stay loyal to you for 10 years, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s amazing.
any musician faces is thinking outside the box to make a name for himself. But the good thing is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also easier to reach out to audiences now as artistes can get launched off the back of Youtube and other social networking sites. In essence, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a challenging but also very exciting time for bands now.
On growing up:
> Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been difďŹ cult trying to get audiences to accept the evolution from boy-band to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;man-bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take time, but weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not going to shy away or alienate ourselves from the audience because of it. Ultimately, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let our new music speak for itself. In our shows we usually do at least one dance routine for old timesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sake and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty bad but also hilarious. We make an absolute joke out of it, â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are some really advanced moves, try to keep up if you canâ&#x20AC;? but the most advanced dance move we do is like a slide on the ďŹ&#x201A;oor and a click. We like to have fun with the audience and I think that shows in our concerts.
> Compared to ten years ago t he music i ndust r y has changed dramatically, and unfortunately record sales have dropped to an all-time low because of illegal downloads online. One challenge
On being passionate about music:
> Each of us is passionate about different genres, Christian enjoys country, Ben likes soul and R&B music, while I really like classic mainstream pop. It can really be a nightmare writing together. So if we get something we all like, we know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to connect with our fans because we put the best of all worlds into one. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenging, but the day you stop being challenged and getting that thrill from doing what you do is probably the time to quit. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re certainly not anywhere near that, in fact we feel like this is a new beginning for us and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to be making music for a very long time. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all done our own solo projects, but nothing can be compared to being in a band, that camaraderie you have among all the members. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so much more fun to do things together.
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09 CHRONICLE reviews
MUSIC BREAK IT YOURSELF Andrew Bird (Indie Rock)
English and Scottish folk music, as well as classical music and jazz, were some of Andrew Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early inďŹ&#x201A;uences.
REPLETE with the warm tenor and the distinctive whistling that have come to deďŹ ne the American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music, Break It Yourself bears all the hallmarks of an Andrew Bird album. The 38-year-old American returns after 2009â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critically acclaimed Noble Beast, which hit 12th on the Billboard 200, and his seventh solo album is yet another masterpiece. Abandoning the studio, Bird attempts a less rigid approach to recording on the self-produced album, completing the whole of Break It Yourself in a barn outside of Chicago with his three-piece touring band. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It s ta r te d out a s a glorified rehearsal,â&#x20AC;? Bird said in the press release for his album, and the spontaneous nat ure of t he recording process shows as he forgoes traditional song structure on tracks like the opener Desperation Breeds.
Gently plucked strings and ghostly vocals make way for an almost groovy melody that builds in urgency, ďŹ nally erupting with high-pitched strings and feedback that end as abruptly as they began. The folksy Orpheo Looks Back is dominated by periods of violin-led instrumentation and feels almost like a jam session. Improvisation is key here and indeed the everchanging, ever-ďŹ&#x201A;uid Break It Yourself never bores despite its 14 tracks spanning a daunting one hour. Break It Yourself is also Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most straightforward and most accessible album yet. With the exception of the eight-minute standout Hole In The Ocean Floor, he keeps away from the long winding interludes of his previous albums, opting for simpler arrangements instead. Lead single Eyeoneye is Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most radio-friendly track to date with its infectious melody and driving guitars, while the austere Sifters is arguably the most affecting track on the album. Lyrically Bird has also, by his own admission, become more d i rect. Metaphor s and wordplay, which are a mainstay of his previous
AN UNDERRATED TALENT: Andrew Bird is a multi-instrumentalist who holds a Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in violin performance.
works, are less obtuse and signiďŹ cant in the new album. The line â&#x20AC;&#x153;I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see the sense in us breaking up at allâ&#x20AC;? on the song Lazy Projectors is the musician stripped of his layers of words and this vulnerability resonates throughout the album. Blunt as he may be, the album is still littered with
can pull off that line with such ease and grace. It is the magical songwriting that makes the album every bit as cerebral as it is emotional. Break It Yourself is Birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most uniďŹ ed work to date. His newfound frankness has allowed emotions to f low much more freely and connect with the listener.
Consistent and relatable, Break It Yourself dispenses with the distractions and goes straight for the heart. This is not the ďŹ rst time Bird has achieved success with his creations, and it is not hard to see why this is the talented musician at his ďŹ nest yet in his 16-year career.
THE END OF THAT Plants and Animals (Indie Rock)
lead singer Warren Spicerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice f loating over gentle strumming that never rushes. Indeed, the album is rarely ever urgent, the twanging guitars and Spicerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s laidback delivery strolling through the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eleven tracks. The general weariness of the album is perhaps a reďŹ&#x201A;ection of the themes that The End of That grapples with. As the band matures, Plants and Animals faces an existential crisis brought on by the advent of adulthood, with growing responsibilities and stagnating relationships. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hopi ng to be friends, do cool stuff and be equal,â&#x20AC;? Spicer announces on the genial, country-tinged title track. It is evident that he and the rest of the band have accepted these crumbling relationships with sensibility and tired resignation. The centerpiece of it all is the six-minute long Crisis!, a bluesy, guitar-drenched track that has Spicer talk-singing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The stroller situation on the sidewalk is out of control,â&#x20AC;? he quips, as the guitar riffs build into an epic crescendo, which unfortunately does not attain the cathartic effect it aims for. This is perhaps where the albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest ďŹ&#x201A;aw lies. Despite a few standout tracks
like the forceful Control Me and the blistering Lightshow, the album never seems to be convincing enough. In choosing a languid approach, Plants and Animals does not deliver the emotional impact that their material promises. Striving for self-aware wit, Spicer cannot help but sound apat hetic, impeding h is ability to connect with the listener better. Fur ther more, the contrived 2010, clocking almost seven minutes, and t he meander ing closing track Runaways, make the album feel draggy, like it has overstayed its welcome. That is not to say that Plants and Animals has come off worse than before. In actual fact the band has taken another step forward in the right direction with The End of That. In spite of its slip-ups, the band shows that they still can write good songs. It is a refreshing change from the loud, in-your-face rock sound of La La Land, with the band sounding much more comfortable with themselves this time round. The End of That, while not the best that Plants and Animals can offer, is still worth a listen.
Plants and Animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst full-length album Parc Avenue was shortlisted for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize.
NOT THE END OF THEM: Plants and Animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third album is a step in the right direction.
PHOTO | INTERNET
PHOTO | INTERNET
lyrical gems such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re laying mines across the shore/ So my heart is ripped and tornâ&#x20AC;? on Lusitania, a duet with Annie Clark (better known by her stage name St. Vincent). Singing â&#x20AC;&#x153;And weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll dance like cancer survivors/Like the prognosis was that you should have diedâ&#x20AC;? on the track Near Death Experience, only Bird
CA NDA DI A N trio Plants and Animals have been in a state of constant ďŹ&#x201A;ux. From the stirring indie folk rock of their 2008 debut album Parc Avenue to the aggressive electric sounds of 2010â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s La La Land, their music has taken diverse routes to reach moderate success. On their third full-length album, Plants and Animals attempts to establish some sort of middle ground, returning to the acoustic-driven sound of Parc Avenue, sans the elaborate instrumentation. The End of That finds the band embracing a more stripped-down, â&#x20AC;&#x153;liveâ&#x20AC;? sound, reminiscent of the 70â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guitar rock that seems to be the inspiration for most of the tracks on the album. The opener, Before, is a gorgeous slow-burner with
-KOK YUFENG
-KOK YUFENG
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reviews
FILMS A SEPARATION
DRAMA (PERSIAN) Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi 123min
5-STAR PERFORMANCE: Peyman Moaadi (left) and Leila Hatami deliver in their roles.
PHOTO | INTERNET
WINNER of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, A Separation is an Iranian ďŹ lm that takes audiences on an experiential journey, exploring complicated emotional conďŹ&#x201A;icts in an upper middle-class family. Beginning in the courtroom, the movie shows married couple, Nader (Peyman Moaadi) and Simin (Leila Hatami) ďŹ ling for separation. Simin yearns to start a new life in another country, but her husband is unwilling to leave, instead choosing to stay behind to look after his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease. Back home, Nader copes with his wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s departure by hiring a pregnant Razieh (Sareh Bayat) to take care of his father. The next day, Nader and Termeh return home to ďŹ nd the elderly man unconscious on the ďŹ&#x201A;oor with his hands tied to the bed. Nader ďŹ&#x201A;ies into a rage and accuses Razieh of stealing when she returns. A heated argument results in the womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s miscarriage, and the two parties make ensuing lawsuits against each other thereafter. Amidst the conďŹ&#x201A;icts and frustration, there are still moments of kindness and love where we see both the humane and the brutal sides of the characters. The beauty of
A Separation lies not in the dramatic events but in the alluring little moments where the characters deliver emotions through the simplest actions, like Naderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elderly father holding on to his departing daughter-in-law with trembling hands. The tensions in the movie are excellently handled by the moving performances of the actors, whose realistic acting adds immense depth to characterisation. Moaadi and Hatamiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portrayal of a couple in love but unable to stay together was particularly notable. Sarina Farhadi also delivers an impressive performance as the young daughter Termeh. Equally attached to both parents, she is caught between the honor she wishes to show her mother and the moral struggle she faces when defending her father in court. Although she does not feature prominently, Sarinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tearful and nervous performance is pivotal in heightening the emotional pitch of the ďŹ lm. Although the plot may seem simple and the many issues potentially small and remediable, they form an intricate web when culminated together. Unlike clichĂŠd drama, A Separationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s magniďŹ cence lies less in its narrative but more in its depth. It sheds light on contemporary Iranian society by tackling issues such as gender and class. All in all, the ďŹ lm poses questions and offers no obvious conclusion, leaving audiences thinking. A Separation is an intimate and complicated ďŹ lm which, rather than giving a straightforward social commentary of society and human rights, touches the very core of our hearts by displaying the multifaceted complexities of human emotions. This is undoubtedly one of the best ďŹ lms released this year.
-GAN WEILING
IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY
ROMANTIC / WAR DRAMA (BOSNIAN) Goran Kostic, Zana Marjanovic
127min
WARTIME drama In the Land of Blood and Honey is a brave and and unexpected choice for Hollywood actress Angelina Jolieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s directorial debut. Set during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, the ďŹ lm tells of a love story that blossoms between Bosnian Serb forces captain Danijel (Goran Kostic) and Bosnian Muslim artist Ajla (Zana Marjanovic). The two meet in secret because she is a prisoner at a camp that he runs. However as the ethnic conďŹ&#x201A;ict drags on, the two ďŹ nd themselves torn apart by the war. To ensure authenticity, Jolie chose a cast of relatively unknown, local actors who had lived through the war. This move has rewarded Jolie handsomelyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;with so much emotional depth brought to their roles, it is difďŹ cult to ďŹ nd fault with their acting. Danijel is portrayed as a man torn between conďŹ&#x201A;icting desires. His father, a prominent Serbian general Nebojsa (Rade Serbedzija), had taught him to view Muslim Bosniaks with contempt. However a paciďŹ st at heart, Danijel is sickened by the senseless killing of civilians. Teetering between cynicism and idealism, loyalty and suspicion, he is a richly complex character of much pathos. Like Danijel, Ajla is an equally complicated character, as she struggles with the guilt of having consorted with the enemy. Although constrained by the script, Marjanovic still delivers a captivating performance with the few lines she has. In one powerful scene, she asks with a slight tremor in her voice, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Are we so terrible that we should be exterminated?â&#x20AC;? The somewhat perverse and masochistic love story between captor and prisoner is
PROMISING RAW TALENT: Zana Marjanovic (left) shows audiences the fearful conditions in which women had to live in during the Bosnian war.
deeply compelling. In comparison, the rest of the ďŹ lm sags as the secondary characters like Ajlaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sister, Lejla (Vanesa Glodjo), are severely under-drawn. Though Serbedzija gives a chilling performance as a selfrighteous general obsessed with ethnic cleansing, he is given too little screen time. A more nuanced portrayal of these characters would have have added depth to the ďŹ lm. To Jolieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s credit, she strives to avoid the villain stereotype and instead attempts to explore the Serbsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; motives for prolonging the war. There is no easy way to convey such a grim subject matter. Spanning ďŹ ve years, the
war takes place in stark, wintry landscapes littered with the debris from bombed buildings and corpses. The loversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; clandestine meetings are lengthy, with heavy overtones, and are punctuated with swift acts of violence, both physical and psychological. The initial effect is jarring, but this pattern becomes a tad repetitive later on. Jolie has skillfully dramatized the atrocities and suffering of the Bosnian war. No one is spared from the monstrous acts, which are presented in unďŹ&#x201A;inching detail. Women are presented as powerless and voiceless, and the movie includes shocking images of rape
PHOTO | INTERNET
in the form of the prisonersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bloodied thighs and lifeless eyes. Jolieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to transmit her political message about the evils of war must be lauded. However this is also where she falls short as by putting politics ahead of story and character, she fails to weave together a truly powerful and convincing story. Nonetheless she has demonstrated great care in crafting each scene, and bringing out the best in each actor. With a more sensitive touch to the plot and consistent characterization, she could have told a more poignant story.
-TOH EE MING
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09 CHRONICLE reviews
FILMS ACT OF VALOR
ACTION Alex Veadov, Jason Cottle 123min
THE most interesting fact about Act of Valor is that its stars are not trained actors, but members of the US Special Forces unit, the Navy SEALs. Without disclosing their real identities, these soldiers play lead roles in a ďŹ ctional story about a counter-terrorist operation against a multinational terrorist network intending to strike home. Criticisms about its explicit Nav ypromotional slant have proliferated among criticsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in fact the movie was initially created as a recruitment tool. However from an entertainment standpoint, Act of Valor is a solid bet with impressive cinematography and compelling action sequences. The story centers on Chief Dave and Lt. Rorke, two long-time friends and leaders of a SEAL team. An undercover agent, Morales (Roselyn Sanchez), has been captured and tortured by men working for an inďŹ&#x201A;uential jihadist backer, Christo (Alex Veadov). Upon rescuing Morales, Daveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team discovers that a well-known terrorist named Shabal (Jason Cottle) is planning to use Christoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support to smuggle suicide bombers into the US. Throughout the ďŹ lm, Dave and Rorke track Christo and Shabal down in order to safeguard their country against the deadly attacks. Dave also narrates parts of the show, sharing his feelings of deployment, as well as recounting his friendship with Rorke. Interspersed between the main plot sequences are snippets of the soldiersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; camaraderie and scenes with their own families.
BOOK CELEBRITY IN DEATH (Fiction) J. D. Robb $27.99 at Kinokuniya Published by Little, Brown Book Group
FOR those unacquainted with the In Death series, Celebrity in Death is essentially a marriage of murder mystery and Hollywood glitterati. But for familiar readers, this is an enjoyable breather from its previous darker and much more intense episode, From New York to Dallas. In the 43rd entry of the crime-thriller series, Lieutenant Eve Dallas investigates the murder of a female celebrity at a celebritysaturated party. With a victim that was
EXPLOSIVELY FUN: Disregard the sub-par acting of the Navy SEALs and you will be treated to an action-packed visual treat.
PHOTO | INTERNET
An immediate downside to casting real soldiers to act shows itself in intimate family scenes. With their sub-par acting, the SEALS are unable to produce the depth of emotional expression needed to move audiences. However, their performances shape up considerably on the battleďŹ eld. Friendly banter and jokes between teammates have enough warmth to create a passable connection with viewers. Furthermore, the crisp execution of combat maneuvers makes the ďŹ ghting feel realistic and raw. While no single character receives any substantial character development, the show deserves credit for adding some deeper layers of characterization to its villains. The backer, Christo, contemplates stopping his insurgency support for the safety of his family. Shabal is heartless enough to kill children in collateral damage. Yet, for a moment, we see that he seems to genuinely suffer on
some level, counting the cost of the soldiers he sacriďŹ ces. By showing a more human side to its antagonists, the movie avoids the mistake of creating what could easily have been cheesy, one-dimensional villains. As such, both heroes and villains feel like real, believable people. The main draw to Act of Valor is the action, which directors Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh present in a clear and focused manner. Each battle, ranging from a jungle mission to the storming of a yacht, is riveting and intense, and there is a sense of urgency to each engagement because both sides are equally capable of decimating the other under the right circumstances. There is no discomfort in following the action sequences too because the explosions, sounds, and pace of the movie have all been ďŹ nely calibrated to make sure that the audience can keep up.
The SEALs only engage enemies when they have the preemptive and can dictate the terms of the battle. When they are outnumbered, they retreat decisively from the hails of gunďŹ re raining down on them. The professional and unexaggerated actions of the SEALs create an appealing realism that distinguishes itself from the typically steroid-infused, hyper-masculine heroics in most Hollywood action movies. While the disappointing acting of the SEALs beyond the battleďŹ eld may detract from the movieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s value, there is something real and engaging about their heroism that refreshingly contrasts the over-the-top, CG-saturated action ďŹ&#x201A;icks of today. Act of Valor may not shake you to your core, but it will deďŹ nitely remind you of the sacriďŹ ces the men and women in the service make to keep our world safe.
highly unpopular among her peers and a star-studded list of suspects, the plot unfurls into a classic whodunit manner. Writing under her grittier and darker pseudonym of J.D Robb, popular romance author Nora Roberts vies away from her trademark amorous writing style for a steelier tone set in the streets of futuristic New York. For those who have been faithfully following Lt. Dallasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career, this book greets like an old friend. Dallas does not disappoint with her signature caustic demeanor and dry-as-dust humor, which is frequently shown in exchanges with her partner Peabody, as well as with her husband Roarke. It is also gratifying to ride along Dallasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s train of thought, as she progressively gets closer to nailing the murderer. However, it is not advisable for newcomers to the In Death series to start with this book, as most characters and the various relationships they hold with each other have already been considerably ďŹ&#x201A;eshed out since her ďŹ rst book Naked in Death. Robb makes no exception for newcomers as she hits the ground running from the get go, which may prove to be confusing for those who are unfamiliar with the series. While Celebrity in Death promises a murder mystery like its predecessors, it is dissimilar to an Agatha Christie novel where the culprit is almost always drastically unexpected. Instead, Robbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eventual perpetrator is easily predictable and does not provide for any gasping moment of truth at the end. Celebrity in Death paints a more realistic crime story where instead of solving the mystery by tying together a few
incongruous details, the detective relies on forensic science, ďŹ nancial-tracing and record-checking to sift out the culprit. This may prove mundane for those expecting sudden plot twists and an explosive ending. Nevertheless, Celebrity in Death is a solidly crafted story that pays attention to the details. Its strength lies in the highly developed nuances of each character as well as of the relationships they share. Robb is gifted in molding each of the main character into distinction, so much so that they may all too likely be real people instead of names in a book. This makes reading particularly
rewarding when it comes to emotional scenes between Dallas and Roarke. In comparison to New York to Dallas, there is a marked languidness in Robbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s storytelling this time round. The relatively light-hearted plot allows followers to ease back into the routine of Lieutenant Dallasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. While the In Death series rarely strays from its tried and tested formula of multiple suspects, red herrings and a dramatic police interview scene at the end, Robbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s latest offering is nevertheless, no less satisfying than its predecessors.
-BENJAMIN MOEY
-NG TZE MIN
THE TOP 5 IN-DEATH BOOKS J. D. Robbâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s In Death series tracks NYPD Homicide Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lieutenant Eve Dallas in both her career and personal life. We look at the books which contain major plot developments in the series:
#3 Vision: Eve pursues a psychotic serial killer who exhibits his victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bodies around New York with their eyes removed. Her aide Peabody suffers a vicious attack during the course of investigation.
#1 Naked: The ďŹ rst book of the series follows Eve as she tracks down a serial killer. It also features her ďŹ rst encounter with her would-be husband Roarke.
#4 Creation: Eve tackles the reappearance of a serial killer nicknamed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Groomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, who slips a silver ring on the ring ďŹ nger of his victims.
#2 Reunion: A female convict whom Eve has put away several years ago is released. Bent on taking revenge on Eve, she goes on a killing spree with Roarke as her end goal.
#5: New York to Dallas: A hardened criminal previously arrested by Eve escapes from prison and continues abducting young victims. Eve confronts her childhood as a character from her past makes an unexpected appearance.
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dapper: your essential style guide
7 KH 5R\DOW\ Meticulously selected by the people of ntu, these charmingly well- groomed individuals are the best of the best in their respective lands. Presenting the Kings & Queens of ntu.
Photographer: Bryan Ho Styling: Farhana Jaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;afar Make-up & Hair: Zanncreations Models: (Clockwise from Left) Nim Jin Xiang from SCEMSE, Crystal Lim from SCEMSE, Richard Lesmana from Hall 13, Nicholas Chia from Hall 2, Loh Min Zhen from Hall 1, Fiona Lim from Hall 13, Karmen Tong from CAC Cynosure Ball.
(Clockwise from Left) On Jin Xiang: Beige patchwork ďŹ eld crew, $69.90, dark blue denim jeans, $49.90, black shoes, $63.90. On Crystal: Chain print dress, $49.90, Colour block strappy heels, $46.90, panelled bag, $33.90. On Richard: Dark blue cardigan, $69.90, brown centre seam3R 7EVEL TVIZ TEKI 4PIEXIH FPEGO FPSYWI shoes, $69.90, light brown chino, $59.90. OnJIPX Nicholas: [MXL GSPPEV QIXEPPMG % PMRI WOMVX PIJX XS Light brown cardigan, $69.90, VMKLX +VI] pink ORMX TVMRX W[IEXIV TMRO TIRGMP WOMVX 4PEMH XEVXER HVIWW 7EPQSR TMRO žSVEP zipped pocket skinny jeans, $46.90. HVIWW 'VITI WLMVX [MXL PIEXLIV GSPPEV ERH On Min Zhen: Green ďŹ&#x201A;oral tuck cap GYJJW VIH PIEXLIV TERXW %PP TVMGIW SR VIUYIWX sleeve, $69.90, multi-colour block bag, 8LI )HMXSV´W 1EVOIX %ZIRYI $33.90, patent scallop platform T-bar heels, $59.90. On Fiona: Bird-printed 3R .SREXLER TVIZ TEKI ;LMXI WLMVX [MXL waist dress, $59.90,[MRKIH WPIIZIW TVMGI SR VIUYIWX 8LI )HMXSV´W vintage ďŹ&#x201A;ower stud, $9.90, ďŹ&#x201A;ower pendant, $16.90. 1EVOIX %ZIRYI 4]NEQE TERXW 1SHIP´W S[R
PIJX XS VMKLX 3VERKI WXVMTIH TSPS 8 WLMVX On Karmen: Black ďŹ&#x201A;oral tuck cap sleeve, (EVO HIRMQ 1SHIP´W S[R $69.90, enamel hinged cuff,, 1 $13.90, &PYI TPEMH woven bead earrings, $9.90, redXEVXER and WLMVX TVMGI SR VIUYIWX )HMXSV´W black heels, $59.90, 8LI all from New1EVOIX Look. %ZIRYI (EVO HIRMQ 1SHIP´W S[R 4M\IPEXIH TVMRX WLMVX TVMGI SR VIUYIWX %737 GSQ (EVO HIRMQ 1SHIP´W S[R 7YQQIV XMQI 8 WLMVX , 1 (IRMQ SZIVEPPW 1SHIP´W S[R
ཡൺઘ۳২าޑ൮ફࠊሰ໌ üü ृ ၁
ྔ ହս߆ৈႂৈဍቄ߽
ହսᄐႂûၰü Ⴏྖےൺႂৈ ࢇིᡑĶИ֨
ହ
ս߆ৈᄤྔࡍ௨ս߽ ฝເܻᇠӶཊਛ၉Ӎ ࣡Ҙ֬ႂৈဍቄ߽ ହսᄐႂ ᆴûၰüè ֬ڽڅұƗᆣ֬ࢲቄၢ ࠪࠇಝ၉฿֬ႂཹƗൗ֫ᆊཻ ܛᆷչྖਹ֬ৈ౾ࢃܻᇠ၉ Ⴢ၉ւ࣐ਛ҉ڋ۳֬ၰ ࣩ֙ᇖè ହս߆ৈႵلƗս ౝƗၢࠪռࠓৈְᄆ ᇜ ҉ഹҍቍӵƗѰౖႼӘ ݝ ໑ହս࿗ഺၢࠪᆾ֤ুൄҜთ ਛᆊӍဍԢƗ၉ܒဍቄਛࣻ൵ ౾è ఊᇖЎচᇾଇ֬ᇖ۪૽ݚ ûᐉ߄üƗᆊ൵౾ሷ࿏຺ ຩƗѶੇӕƗے౭༬è ݝᄨૌᐉ߄Ɨݪ࿀׀ѝ ཊਛ୶࡞Ո௹ೃૌ֬ے౭è ହս߆ৈႯሸ࠴֬١൛؆า ׀ጲ൫ਛۅ౾֬ၰࣩè ၉൵ûࠤय़֬ࢲಷü ֗Ѵৈލቄ౾Ɨৈ౾Ԑ߯نٺ ਛ֗Ѵৈఝ֬ྦาƗྠཧ ׀ເ๗ᇠࠂਛࠤय़૽ՠ উݾ٩֬ྦ۳ࢲދಷৡߒঀಪ
ਢ֬ӍƗཊӍ֬ఞٹᄣ၉ չ֥ۡӝè õၣඓ֬Юᇐଵເฯဿ౭ ҧƗۡ۸ಭྰဨࠪࡹ֬ಭ ۳öƗହս߆ৈᆾ߯ߢᄙډ ুൄѝ൜Ɨõৈࢃ҉ݝ ྠ൛֬ဍቄࠪ֬ئ۾ႂৈቛ দࣁ߆ৈƗಥྔࡍ௨؆า֬ ڋ۳ݝ֬ဍቄࣁജ۾ۺ ֬ئႂৈπށᆇèö ढ़ၢཟཧƗເਛӶཊຢૌ֬ ဍቄၢࠪಥܻᇠമॠےൺ֥૽ ৈ֬ᷧ৶ᄤƗ߆ৈ֬჻ ᄤٕલ֬࿗၃ᆴƗ၇ၢࡆಷ ׀ሠШᆊӍႂৈീဗè Ӑන֨ƥõტ֥֬ঙѰ ેႼႜའ֬൝ఞƗ٘ؾൗ ࡛ࡍ۾ృދӵඊèೖેႼ ჻߯༶֬ݷඪƗ ٌቃ֥ࣉๆèö দሸռࠓৈౖྰ؇ሷ܄Ӹ ༩ݙ֬࠰لਥࣨᄤൺ٧൏ ᆣ۸ႂৈ֬ሠШ൏࡞՝ಇ ϝᄌःा൚ਛè නƗõྒྷॴॣ֬Ɨᄤ ࣔѝဍ֬ఴ࠲ᇢƗોᇢး ਇවᇇๆᆷ֥മ၇è
ռࠓቍѝဍႵലݚౙুൄ֬ቛûܤৈ၉ރü ᅽdହս߆ৈ܉ ࢫሩනèõ֓ᆥႀເսࡌ Ӑ൏࡞֬པƗቍ჻֬ے౭ ફફ୧ऑދമޯƗᆊ٫ӏ
ढ़ݓèö ֙Ы֥ᄤ߆ৈ֬ռࠓ ৈؙৡڕႼ۸ಭ֬њཟး
ཊ൏Ɨѝ൜༗ຳދቍ჻ᄤ ଃ֬ႂৈ߽ഏဍၽԢ٫ӏࣣ ֬ռࠓৈቍ౾è
ׂൌϝࣄՔ౾Ծቛиೞû٭ৈ൏३ü
൵ཱུບԵࠊࠥ࠙ ႂৈఌғ ާ߹᪫ ĶИ֨
ׂ
ׂൌఅࣄиೞ֬Ҝೞᆇອๆ֙ๆւদ ֬൵ሸԾ۪౾ûδិ୍ށઞüთûާ అ܋üè ᅽdହսᇖ࿗߽܉
ൌϝࣄՔ౾Ծቛиೞû٭ৈ൏ ३üᄣ༣णؾদèಝᆴఴႼ ݝҌၢࠪиೞܹ֬١ະᅦთᄤ࿗ཱུ ന৲Եְܼ֨ቚԵƗ֓ᆊׂ၉ ᄤཱུບएϾԵࠊè ᆊརࠊᄤ ᄌ ಷӳ൮݃ӍƓ+Q\a ;Y]IZM 5ITTƔएྡྷƗ֬းಥཱུئ۾ ບ֬ಭਛࢺՕՔ౾ԾቛиೞƗѰܤ৪ Ҝࡍè ᇽϾنӮծᜃѝ൜Ɨõႀເཊᄤߕ҉ ئޚಭᆰ֨ᆊ۸иೞƗၢ༗ຳ ݝᆊ֬ࠊಥཱུئ۾ບ֬ಭਛࢺᆊ ۸иೞèö ࢫሩනƗõᆊ۸иೞ҉ࠎࠨݚٺ ƗႀՕ༗ຳႼཱུئ۾ບ֬ಭদ
ҜೞƗಥႼ۸ขढ़ၢ߯ن֬ ৶၀ढ़ၢಥ্࠙ขࣣမèö ᆊརԵࠊา׀ါ౯ਛ৬ࣄҜೞᆇ ֥ӍٺཡҜೞࣣ֬မၢࠪւদ࣡Ҙ֬ѝ ဍèთՕ൏ƗཊӍܻᇠߕҜთ߁ Ⴚ༫თྤᄕսԕࢉè ֙ๆ֬ဍԢЎচਛׂൌఅࣄиೞ֬Ҝ ೞᆇອๆƓ ෦Ɨଝሮग़࠶ࣣয়Ɣ ւদ֬൵ሸԾ۪౾Ɨûδិ୍ށઞü თûާఅ܋üèອๆࢃၢሸ֗ሸӖ֬ ١൛ӶཊԢ൵౾ڋຢ҉֬౾ሷƗ ᅡ൜ਛᄤՔ౾ԾቛთဍӖ١֬ྭޯ ৶è দሸᇖ֬ݚ࿗ഺ྿၉๙ࣉلൌ ෦Ɨဩ၀ׂൌఅࣄиೞ֬Ҝೞᆇè ᄤࠊ֙ๆࢃሸ֗ሸӖອ٪֬ûު üთᅭ࣪࿋֬ûݝᄐݡüè ྿၉๙ൺ٧൏න߽Ҝࡍᆊ۸иೞ
ႀເ༗ຳۺሸ࠴֬ቛ၉۸نѝ֬ࠖ ߽Ɨ൏၀ढ़ၢ๗֥ئ۾ಭ֬ቛѰ ՝ᇖ֥֫၉ཻԾቛ֬ਹދےढ़ၢࣀࡲ֬ ױ།è ྿၉๙නƗõҜࡍᆊ۸иೞቒս֬൳ ࠍःݝиೞಱൔਛ၉ཻᇄ֨֬ލ ႽƗѰౖቍᆵਛཊᄤ֬ৈèö ԩਛဍӖ۪౾Ɨᆊଇ৬ࣄҜೞᆇ၀ ࢃთܻᇠٺཡਛ֬Ծቛਹےদჾთ ᄤԾቛ൏ტ֥ࣣࣧ֬မè ՕບƗܻᇠ߁Ⴚ༫ເᆊࠊ֬ఊ ᇖ၉۸ઢèóࠈཱ൲๗ôთóϫສս ۪ྙô֬Ⴚ༫҉࣎ಥܻᇠႼ߽ࠖҜთᆊ ۸ࠊƗ၀ಥଭሩࢉનᄢ݉ؾè ԩਛᆊ۸ཱུບ֬ԵࠊƗû٭ৈ൏ ३üࢫ༶দᄤ ᄌ ಷ၀߽ᄤཱུୄएϾ ෂ֬ԵࠊƗႼྜྷಆ֬Ⴝ҉٥ ئၰè
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7+( 1$1<$1*
09 CHRONICLE ହս߆֠
ûႜüഭሯ ହսၣඓࢲ
ûႜüܒႼൌᆭދ൵߆ੇྡྷ۪౾ቍӵƗܒࢊඔਛ۸୶ಭ֬ܪൠè ᅽdହս߆֠܉
ອᙢՉĶИ֨
၉؎֬ହဣয়܄ս࿗ၣඓࢲ ࣉ ᄌ ಷ༺ा࿄ଥè࿗ཱུ֬۹ ۸ധࣰཔाᅡਛ၉༩ਠ֬ၣඓࠊè ହս֬ၣඓѝဍ฿ḩḩ߆֠ ۾֙ಬ҉ಥƗ ᄌ !ಷᄤྔࡍ௨ݚ৲ ս࿗֬ၣඓᇖྖƓ6=; =VQ^MZ[Q\a +]T \]ZIT +MV\ZM 0ITTƔӵ܆ഏဍਛ࣡Ҙमઅ ֬ဍԢ ûႜüè ࣉഏဍ֬֠ûႜüܒႼൌᆭ ދ൵߆ੇྡྷ۪౾ቍӵƗܒࢊඔਛ ۸୶ಭ֬ܪൠèᆇរଲႛ֬ഭሯ
ᄤႂৈ݂֮֬ދލ༶֫۳ບಭè Ⴏ၉ଥଥЎےݫ౭֬֠ഺۺ׀ ܻᇠࢊඔਛ၉ؚଢ୶ఆਉؾჂཔෂ֬ಭ ഺࣣ৬è û࢟ؿüࢊඔਛᄤࣿഏ֬ݡ୶߁ པᆡڋԀա֬ܪൠèଇ਼ၐሩߢ೫ ދন೫֬ఒணƗ୬ࡡ֬ЄԐٺѝչਛ ߁པ๎Ɨଃᆡχࠞ֬ਢࣰᆡè ûଈᄕ෴üѝչਛ୶ಭफ़ຳᆝຉଈ ᄕ֬ࡉ෴ƗማሸႵ֬ᇽè ᆇၐሩսު೫ၐڢƗཧᆟᆊ֬ ಪ౭ދ༗ຳè๔֬႒Ⴏృߋਛ ൺ֬௮ދඖہƗᅀࡍਛขཹݛƗമ മ׀༒ႋਛܻᇠ֬ဋè ûႜü֬࿗ഺᆾ֤۲ီࣁജƥõႼ
õීߌනƗขഏ၉ٺ ᇙƗข༶ൌ܆èເਛ ᆊӍဍԢƗսࡌ ڸԢਛ୴ئޚ৶ö
֬࿗ڸԢਛ୴֬ئޚ৶è õ՝ಇ֬ ᄌځःा൚ԛШ ਛèö ۲ီනƗõોᇢႼᇇങ ਇ༤ƗႼཻ֠ဍ჻၉ᇢးਇƗ ોਇ൏࡞ᇇങ۸ཱི൏ƗႼ൏֥ ව۸ཱི൏èսࡌॴྒྷਛèö ಝؾƗႼݷඪᄤܻᇠ֬ᅮഹᇖ ࠍ֫ਛಱढ़èဍԢჼનࢹඖޱƗ྿ئ ֬֠Ⴕሌ၃ᆾ֤ুൄѐ֬ ৯û ᆇॲ׀ےਛ è ֙Ы֥ᆊҜთûႜüቒս֬൳ ഈ౭ü ދûྖ้้ü#ߕႼ၉ཻ֠ Ⴕئғئၣ֬࿗ഺᆾ֤Ծቛ֬ Ўচ ࠍ൏Ɨۗۗࡍ್֠֬ᆇࢇᜑᡌߴ պ֨ƥõ൵༼ሸ࠴༦ߒ߆֠èؾ ûႌྠಭü ދûְևüèö ීߌනƗõขഏ၉ٺᇙƗข༶ൌ ౖफ֫߆֠၉۸٫ӏႼπ֬ ܆èöເਛᆊӍဍԢ֬ӵ܆Ɨ߆֠ ധèދսࡌ၉ఖ୴৶֬ےफށޚèö
ହս࿗ഺञ࿚ྖฆןҷ ອ ࡈৈ ĶИ֨
ହ
ဣয়܄ս࿗ުൌሺ߽ :ML +ZW[[ AW]\P 6<= +PIX\MZ ᄤ ᄌ ಷᇇ ᄌ ಷᄤЮཱུएྡྷਛञ࿚ࠊè ᄤᆊؒؒ֬ๆৡಝ༒ႋਛ҉ങ࿗ ഺদञ࿚Ɨढ़Ѱ٫ો໑ࠕލڟЮ๏ࡸ ֬࿗ഺদञ࿚è սҍ֬ٺ࿗ႀເݤஊีࠎྖ ञ࿚֥ےޱഭ฿҉൨ؾ࿑ᄻ҉ञ࿚èЮ И၀نཊႼཻ࿗ഺႀເ҉ލڟञ࿚֬ ࠕЮ๏ࡸؾٌҜთᆊ֬ञ࿚ࠊè ЮИᆓؚହս֬ᄤཱུ࿗ഺ࣐ྡྷਛן ҷèןҷࢹݛ൜֙ᇖᇁႼս֬ ۇ ࿗ञݝ࿚Ɨ֙ؾᇖئϽ֬ჷႀ फ֫ञ࿚٫ӏႼၰၳ֬ࠊè҉࣎ ढ़ၢЁሀ֥Ⴜྺး֬ಭ၀ӵເનቇ ֬õႎྭᇽၳöමཟè ྔࡍ௨ݚ৲ࢤჩ࿗ᄄƓ61-Ɣ࠰ ֬࿗ഺྒތѝ൜ᆊׂञ࿚è ۨෛࡁᆇಝᆊׂञ࿚Ɨ֓ ߕ߽ݤஊᆓีދèો֥֙ਛ
ञ࿚൏Ɨྖᇖߕ߽ᅥᅥࣚࣚ֬è ܼࣗՕƗྒߕय़ڢਛྖয়ᅥ οèන" õཟఖञ࿚ئીԓۡၢࠪ ࣾఖ྿ئഺଈދЁሀЍ֬ ಭƗᆰ֨шᆊဩቚèö Ыఖ֫ތᆰᆊརࠊ൏Ɨྒ ѝ൜ሸ࠴ުൌሺ߽ಭ֨ᇽၳჸሀະક Ɠ:ML +ZW[[ 0]UIVQ\IZQIV 6M\_WZSƔ֬ ఴӵ჻ƗၢಶݝҌ .IKMJWWS ᄤఀྔ۾თቍᆵႼܸ֬ࠊè ၉١Ɨ ֬ൺ٧࿗ഺેႼञݝ ࿚ƗఊᇖႼ ֬࿗ഺѝ൜ሸ࠴ཟးञ ࿚֬Ɨ֓ႀເഭ฿҉ލڟњሠؾЫ௮ ٩ఠཋ࿚è ఊᇖսҍٺಭႀເ฿ᇞ҉չњƗࠎ ᆇᄤఴ၉۸ྙఀےಠഏड़ැƗഋְ֬ڋ ༬रؾЫऒᆴບè ၉ଇྰ؇ࠖთሷ܄Ӹ࿗ᄄ࠰ل ֬ਗ਼တѝ൜ሸ࠴ఊޚཟञ࿚Ɨढ़ ၰමèö ՕບႼ֬࿗ႀເ҉ཟञ࿚֥ےޱ ֬ںଢफ֫ႀൻཱིѰ҉൨ލञ࿚è တනƥõफ֫ޚढ़༛ƌ֬ںଢ ഭ৶ؾ࿑ᄻ҉ञ࿚è ఊᇖႼ ֬࿗ഺѝ൜ݤஊᆓؾռ ҉٩ྖಇञ࿚Ɨ၀҉ཟົУ֬
ᇌdອๆҔ
ਛᆊ۸èႼ֬ಭႀເ߽ᄘᆓƗؾ ҉್ࡍ۔ཋ࿚֬ྡྷਠƗ҉ݝսҍٺ ѝ൜Ɨޚڢཻ۔ಇཋ࿚࿗Ɨᄤ໊ দ߽ॐੵࡍ್ञ࿚֬ྡྷਠè
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CHRONICLE 09 ငઉ
࡛Ԃཟ ቚߴሸ࠴
ҳǧ<Z]VO
ᅼѩ ᇖѐࠧ
၉
ܩႵ߆ၯ6*)჻ ਦඇܮݾఖ֬õਦ ࿏ڋöၢ҉ࠪညـᆴ ޟ೨è ਦඇں֬ݾଢ՝ཱིந ဨؚব֬ྜྷಆπށƗ Ѱ࡛׀ᆭԂᄤڔݞս ࿗п၃ޱಇԽ6*)҉ؾ ؇ 5* )֬ ब è ः ᆊ ဩƗ၉۸õӘ࠰ଃྙö֖ ഺਛƗѰౖറఌ֬ਾಭᘐ
҉ࠪ٤è ֙ਦඇݾᅋဋᆴ࡞ӵ ເਛ୮ᄆ֬ଃྙƗૌ֬ ཥƗಭा൚දำଊ ܯƗߴܫᆊဩ၉۸Ԣ೫֬ ޱ໖Ɨᄿી߽ᄤݝಇબӐ ֬൏࡞ৡ၉ᆷЫ൱è ᄤս࿗൏քƗેႼ၉ ᆎᆥ֬বଇཱུᄂၰࢫ ൳è֬ڔݞп၃ഺƗদ ሸӏำ৺֬ᄕ჻Ɨ ᄀᄀ҉ᄤ࿗ඓ਼პી ଇè ЫႮ൝ґלƗࢫሩ ჂЫࠌࡷґלèᄤս٩
ၺҘᆴఴƗఊࢃ Ыୋय़ඵґ֬לଈᄕè ୍ढ़ၢනƗႎྭଔ ԢƗᡎოટӪᇖƗ ಭढ़ൔè҉ݛᇽࢤਇ าୋၟࣣ֑༚҉ГƗ છ֙ࠊછ။Ɨ၀҉߽ ཟఖਦඇݾƗۺਦඇݾቒ ޱ၉۸߽ࠖè ਦඇݾቛເߢொ֬ژ ၯ߆ދၯƗᄤૌݚব ֬ۇৡƗᆊၰ໌ሩഭ฿ ුᇐ၉ϵè ਦඇݾদሸবඪ ҉ۡ֬ދڔݞӏำƗે Ⴜࣣݝ6+))֬ᆪଃèᄤ 6*)֬ܬႼමໂৡƗਦ ඇݾ҉ᆻ֫Ыྗರ֬è ਦඇݾϣ൴ബਛᆊીӐ၉ ؔ൏࡞Ɨ֓ःેಭफ֫ õႼöè ཊᄤƗᅋဋᆴ࡞Ɨ ીႼਛèᆊःਦඇݾ ֬ܪൠ֬ቒറఌᆴè ཊ֬Ɨ၉۸ӥӥֿֿ ֬ૌݚƗ၉၇ӵଇƗ՝ ཱིಭ༅֥ଃྙè ःᆊဩਦඇ֬ݾӵ܆ ෂ၉༶ሷڴׇਛಭ֬ ࡕᆻܻèಭा൚ะઉ ເી߽ӵ܆ƪເીп ၃ڔݞս࿗Ɨಖ࿑ᄻ֥ 6*)ৡಇኈೱݖռƪເ ીᄤ߆ಭ֬ധ߽ߓࣩ༶҉ நჩԢ၉۸ਦඇݾƪ ҉ܼތƗкᆇಱ ເƗѰ҉ڕಱૌ ࢤ֬ݚჩ฿༩ᄶःਛਦඇ ݾèಝߢொ߆֬ژ ಭƗ֓՝ཱིၔ૽֥ૌݚ ֬ၟࣣЫૌݚߋࣖ ೕӐսèᆊఊᇖ၀Ўচਛ ਦඇں֬ݾଢƗाଃ׀ಥ ማ6*)֬ཟè
ሸྗःሸಝૌ ާ߹᪫
ཊ
ੱ Ⴚ པ ၃ ྜྷ ീ
ᅂᡁ
ѐࠧ൰
քധ߽ሆᇞບѝƗಭ၀ᄇদᄇ ᄤሸ࠴֬ບાèπૌቓƗ֓ Ⴜ྿ئಭເਛማ౷২֬ບѝ҉༛ࣀሀ ൴ඓõۆആöሸ࠴֬ບાèఊᇖƗ݂ࠞ ൱৶࢛ᆥ൴ඓƓ4);13Ɣ၉རࢧເ љ࣐ྡྷཱི֬ྟ൴ඓè ݂ࠞ൱৶࢛ᆥ൴ඓ၉ᆷၢদЫಱເ ඒֵູཉྦ֬൴ඓè֓ቒࣔขຝଇ။ Қ٠ಖᆾԢᆊར൴ඓႼ྿ޱئၓᆟƗ ႀՕҊࢃ҉ᄣቚᆊར൴ඓè ಝԢཊਛᆊཻڼИ֨ƗಶႼ྿ئ ಭ࿑ᄻࡆ࿊࣐ྡྷᆊར൴ඓèᆊ٘႟ਛႼ ཻಭເਛۆആບѝƗ҉༛઼ሩڋཉ࣐ྡྷ
ᆊར൴ඓèᆊ۸ཊཧᄤਾಭႳè кᆇಱເಭ߽ᆊીᄤၰບѝƗവᇇ ࿑ᄻ࣐ྡྷູཉ֬൴ඓƗᇽးൺ֥ਛૉ ฿֬ႜའèૉ฿ϣಭ֬ບѝݝয়ཟ ߋƗ֤ᇈ྿ئಭર׀ማ౷ލڟധ߽њ ሠ֬ບѝèႴఊບྠۆᄶࢲთ࿑ྵ иೞְࢲƗ׀ځݝృןບѝ֬ᇞး ྦƗൗ֫ಭؚሸ࠴֬ບા҉ܛનၰƗ വᇇಥ֬ሸྗྖൺ֥ռࠓè ఊƗಭཟݝ൴ඓদۆആሸ࠴֬ ບѝ֬Ԣنढ़ၢЫয়ࢺ֬è֓Ɨ кᆇಱເݛເਛບѝࢫؾൺູۡཉྦ ֬൴ඓࡂ҉႒ۅ၀҉ᆻ֫èп࣯Ɨഭ฿ ࡹॉቒᇞး၀ቒᆌݓè кᆇफ֫ಭးؚሸ࠴֬ບѝ֥ےሸ ྗƗಭሸಝः߽ఖদè
ࣉƗࣣӏ߽๗֥ᇢ ຽ֬ಭٻٻၷઉሩƥ୍ै ैਦඇݾиս҉ਛ࠲ ෦Ɨಖၟࣣ6*)֬ଃྙ ਛƗؾཊᄤߕᄤս࿗ ৡ؇ඇƗ໊দ၀ߕఴ ໊҅è ᆊᇜཟٌƗкᆇಱເ ેႼшး֬èਦඇݾᄤ ॐഏ֬ڔݞ൏ްƗ၀ેႼ ၰਟ֥ࣉๆ֬ӵ܆è୍Ⴌ ᄀ҉ᆰ֨ሸ࠴ࢃদ߽ ӵເીဩ֬ಭƗԽԢ ીဩ֬ൠ၃è୍֙༶ᆰ ֨֬ƗᇁႼሸ࠴࿑ᄻ ֬èؾᆊ๏႒ۅᄿી ቃƗः୍॓ሸ࠴֬୴৶ދ ྗਛè кᆇ၉ᆷ࡛ྗƗႼ ཟѰౖ၉ᆷ࡛Ԃ༶ಇƗш ಝᄤሸ࠴֬ขഏ݂ن نಪè кᆇफ֫Ɨ၉۸ཱིݠ ሷ֬ӵ܆॓၉ഺ֬࠙ ্Ɨ҉ᅺ၉۸è ၢࡌӐ႒ۅးಥཱིݠሷؚ ሸ࠴֬ಭഺႼማ౷Ⴜྜྷ ಆƗᆊ۸ቒᇞးƗ҉ؾ ࡌӐЁݠሷτࢃށদး ቚીèቛເࡌӐ႒ۅႋ ֤ݠሷنཊሸ࠴֬ྜྷಆދ าӐƗ҉ؾરڋۼè ၉۸ಭ֬ӵ܆॓Ӑ ఀ্࠙Ɨఫສ҉းႀເ၉ ۸ս࿗֬ഁ݂ж௮୍֬ ݠሷ٩ఠ֬ಭഺè ᅂࣣනݝƥõᆊ۸ധ ߽҉ಓๆғƗಓيநဨๆ ғ֬ಢöè܉Ԣๆғ ֬ಢƗᄀиநဨԢๆғ ۾ᇞးèᆊ۸ಢƗः ݠۺሷ࿑ᄻಊèںଢးቚ ֬Ɨݠۺሷ၉۸ቚ֬ ߽ࠖè
༅ ൺ ॴ
ອᙢՉ
ቒ
ࣔƗõ֕છ༓ᆦญöႋඔ ଇ༖ಭ൝֬ߌƗЫৠ ֬ൄչྙƓ,I^QVLMZ ;QVOPƔ ྗنး౷৲ԩ௦მѰؚՕൠ ఼֨è ཊքಭ֬ߌმढ़ၢؾၥए֬ Ե֥ఫৡᆴບèሴ༬ཟཟƗ၉֑ ֬ငઉ٩֥ະഏƗः ಇਛؚ֬६ᇌèᆊဩ֬ະકຶ ৶֬ಙಥಭޱஊè ࣉƗಭ႒ۅཡႼنငಊƗ ֓кᆇߏၗ૽ᇠ֥ैڕሸႵ У֬ޱᄺರ֬Ӽƪ ߌმྠ֬è֓Ɨ၉֑є ӵਛሺƗःႼਛྠƗढ़ၢЫս ቚᅪèીൗྖᆴმƗ ၀ढ़ւদٌݛޱèၢкᆇ
ྗᄤۗࢹඖ֬࿗ཱུࡓఀƗ҉ങ ুൄࠪ࿗ӯሩ֫֬ࡓಷ ಇੱྡྷèಝؾƗкᆇಱເᄤੱႺ၃ᄇ দᄇྜྷീ֬ࣉๆƗಖເ༅ւদਛ ПҠ֬ଈᄕè ᄤฃૹ֬ݚლᇖƗϩཧႼሩᇇۡ ഏ֬׀໑ƗڑՖ֬Ɨཊഺࠊᇖ֬ սཧಖઇເሐల֬܄कèԩਛᄤսཧ УഏሔᇉၜሷၢಥӵເႺॡ֬ቜ కçսཧ߉߉çത٭ᬉçְูา࠶ ѝဍ၀ӵເ၉սੱႺઢè кᆇࣔಷᄤଝ۸ሮࢲᇖैࡵႼ ܸսཧਇݝӸ֬И֤ƗᄤҠ҉ ಮ؉èཱིཧሸჃѓЫ௮თଢٺঢ়Ɨ Ыܸᄤ၉۸ᇁཱི༵֬ନᅌৡƗ҉֗ ֫çߕЫཧږռᆷᇇЫڢè ཧږҞಮ֬ռ߽ಥսཧႀ৶ ؾЫж֫ڌنèᄤપࢮܨ၀҉ٞთ ཧږ၉ఘะ֬սཧƗཧږ၉൹ սཧ֬ਈƗೖႺॡܚઠƗսཧः ֫ζؼè кᆇᄤฃੱݚႺ൏ःᅂࡵݝཧࢤږ ཱིཧႯӐзѴ୲ੱॡƗၢಥܚ ઠਈƗ֓ಭ࣊èཱིཧႼւሩ ୵ڃჂι֬ဋറϠሩܕಂஜ֬ᄝҫ ԐࠜƗࡵᆇྖෝè ᆊဩ֬ൠࡸ҉࣎نഺᄤฃݚƗઇເ ୳৵֬၀҉࣎࣎սཧè ࠍׂ ࣄϔඵ़ࣈཥࢉቒࡋࡇ੪֬ û࿚೫ᦗݡüƗࢪਛಷЮฅ׀᩿გ ૽սਏ҄ೱྡྷ֬ᦗݡເèો֙ᦗݡ బᗮݝಷЮဈݡψƗѓ߽ᄬԶؙಁ ֥ۑ၉۸షඪຝƗЫგະফࢰè ݡဣ܋ჺދඪܽ֬܄ቛಭ჻߽՝ ᇖ๎࿑Ԣ൨ލѝဍ֬ᦗݡƗ༶֬ݡ ᦗ߽ᄬൺೱèᄤඪܽᇖ֬ᦗݡ ߽ႀເӼൺ҉ህਇࠪЫ౸࣓֬৶ ؾ࿑ᄻၢ๛ᆿ༒֬١൛ሸೱè ՕບƗቁછԇӾҫჷಭ֥ୄ ְܥҫჷੱႺ֬ჷႀèᆊཻЫႺಭ క֬છᆴၢՕ໘Ɨႀເ ។છè໊Ыಇ֬છၢЫ ڢƗႀՕછ܋ࢃ߽ږછ۰Ɨғࡍ ၢਇƗᆊཻછோः՝ՕӵເႺಭ֬ ቜకè кᆇಱເ༅ჺç٭ౡ܋ჺçݡဣ ܋ჺְੱႺࣦಭ֬ๆฝƗಖ ӵਛ༅֬׀შèႺॡ႒ۅЫࢤჩƗ য়ࢺ༅Ю႒ሸႵ֬Ɨ๛ᆿेى೭ ਦçಠݡဣƗߕ༅၉۸ࡌè
ಱເƗõ୍ཡႼሸႵنငಊö Ѱ٫ְõ୍ીढ़ၢ නèö თՕ൏Ɨ྿ئಭᄤະક ഏنѝငઉƗಖ҉ᆎྦྷ ଇè൲৭Ⴏະકᆊ۸ྻୌ ขอьᄺರè кᆇಱເƗેݛႼႮఞ Ӽಱන֬ߌؾ٘ڕ႟ᆪਛ ߌმ֬֬ᆎྦႼևॐੵƪ࠙ ࠥႼཹ֬ะઉ၀႒ۅࢀ৲ᄤ ाӻҊྗ߁֬܋ჷᄼᆴഏ֬è õಊ৶ᄇսƗᄺರᄇ սèöкᆇሢࡵƗᆦ҉ڰ ӗƗࠎᆇႼ൏ްདྷᇌ૽ᇠะઉ ߌے֬ಙདྷᇌਛ֬င ઉሸႵƗ֓Ɨ၀൏Ӽఖ Г߀֬ᄺರƗ٤ᆿ၉ཻ ྖᆴმढ़ւদࣶ֬ٻè
න ƪ ҉ න ƪ
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рг╝сИУ├и ╘йриЫр╕╗тАл▄ЙтАмсВЪ╓лтАл╪жтАмр╜врлМр╡С╒╜рвЙ ╓мрп╡р╕лрг╝сГЧрлМр╡Ср║Ъ╞ЧсБАсВ╝рлМрзи ╓мрвАсИДргжсЗИ╞ЧсБвракр╢Др╡исЩ▓сБ░╓м р╡▓рг╝рейрбЮ╞Чр▓ернН╓ЩсБЙ╒ШтАл▌ЪтАмр║н▀ж тАл▐▒тАм╞Чр╕┐▀╜р┤Э╘КтАл╓м▀Ж▌╛тАмр┤║раК├и рг╝сИУр┤ирбА╤ардХрн┐рйлр░Юр╝Цс╕йс╕й рг╝сИУр░┤╓мрп╡р╕лсГ║тАл▌ЕрлБ▐ЛтАмсГ║╘░╘░ р╡ерн┐сЗд▀жрбМ╓мтАл┌ЛтАмр░Ю├исЙГргРрг╝сИУ ╓мсЙГрж║╞Ч╤Ур╡есЙФтАл▌УтАмсИФсЬП╓м╥Ы
р╣Ц├ир╡▓р╡▓╪Жр╕▓╓мр╜Ар╣Кр│Яр╗ЪсГПсЖл р╡Э╓Ш█д╞ЧраОсЖЗ╙О╙Орм▒╨Эрв╛рмУ╤й с░Гс╕йс╕йсГВржгсГВрзЦ╓мтАл█ТтАмрдл╨ЬтАл┘ЖтАмсДд реорнД╞ЧтАл╪ЯтАмр╡П╒ЦраЮрнН╓мр╗МрзЛ╞Ч╨У сЖкрнНсБЙ╨всИ╖р║┤╥ЙриЫ╞М рпЭрг╝р╡ерб╕рзИр╡ас╕йс╕й ╓Щрм▒тАл▄йтАмсБИ р╕┐р│ЙсЫЭсЫЭр╝мрйЗ╧╡сВ▒р┐╡тАл╫АтАм╒ЭрпесЗЦ ╓бр│НргЭсВФр╕╕р╣░╓мрг╝╨ЭсЗЦ╞ЧсДд╓о ▌ВсЕ╜р┤др╝╢╤╢▌ВсЬЧсЫ╛├и сЖКрзбсЙТсЗ╛ рмЗ╓мрмФтАл▌ЭтАмсГЖр│п╓ЩрнЗ╞У+PIZLWV VIa╞Ф╧йрг╝╞Чр▒йр╛Ф┘ар╜Ч├и
ре┤сЗЦ╓Вр╣К рмЗр▒НреЯрз╢р╕▓╙И р│ЙтАл▌ЫтАмсВ╝р╡РрлА╨╕рлМрг╝тАл█╛тАмсВ╝сЙУтАл╪╖тАм тАл█ТтАм╞Чрм▒рдГр╡ер▒НреЯрз╢риЫ├исЖКрзб╓м ркШ█│рзир╕▓р▒НреЯрз╢тАл▄ЛтАмр╢║╞Ч╘йриЫр╡╣ рквтАл▐ШтАм╧йр▒НреЯрз╢р║Ъ╞ЧсБАсВ╝├╡р░ПсЦ╢ р╡Нрйе├╢╞У:WKSa :WIL╞ФтАл▐ЛтАм├╡рдФ ╒╜р▓Ъ╧▒├╢р╕▓╙И╞ЧтАл┘║тАм╤ар╡ерлк▀Др╕б р▒НреЯрз╢тАл▐ЛтАм╒╜р▒НреЯрз╢р▒╛р░М╤н├итАл▐▒тАм сЖЗ╓мр╣КрнП╓м╤нтАл█ЛтАм╞ЧреЭреЭ╓мре┤р╗М р░ЦриЫ▀ЙрйКтАл╓мргЬ╫ЛтАмсЙЫсВп├ирм╢сВ╣╓м см▓сГар╣Кр╗МромтАлр▒Н▐ШтАмреЯрз╢╓мр║╕ре┤╞Ч сБЙрео╧грнН╓В╓ер▓нрбЮр╝╜ргй├и рмС▀Ярлбриж╓мр╕бтАл▌ЫтАмр╗│
╓ериЫркШ█│рзир╕▓тАл▐СтАм╞ЧрдГ╥ЙрнЖ╒╖ тАл▌ЭтАмр╕бтАл▌ЫтАмрнлр╗│├ирм▒тАл╪┐тАмр╡╣ркв╥Йр╣дрео р╗М╓мрнлсЕИр╕бтАл▐ЛтАмр│ЛсЖ▓р│Пр╕б╞УVW] OI\[ IVL N]LOM[╞Ф╞ЧрзБ╧╖р▒Ыр╡┤р╗А р╜│тАлр╗М▌атАмрзЛтАл╫отАмсЗМ╞Чр░КсЗЦр╢зр▒НреЯ рз╢├зрнерлЦсЖлр╡ЭтАл▐ЛтАм╥ШтАл▐етАмреор╜Чр╕бсЙТ р╡║▀ТсВЩ├и ╒Хр║Ъ╞ЧрзБ╧╖сБАсДдрлЛр╣ЖсД▒╙л р╡ПсЗМсЙЫрлзр╕бсГЭрлгрпТ╞УPWVMa KZ]VKP╞Ф╞Чр▓░тАл▐МтАмр▓нтАл╪ВтАмрнЖреУсИй╤▒ рз╖╘║реИсЗМсЙЫтАл▌ЭтАм╙╕├и р╕Чр╖│╒╜сИ╕р▓Э╓м╧Фрлдр┤▒р░М
ркШ█│рзир╕▓тАл▐СтАмр╡е╧ЦсЗдсЗ╛рмЗ╓м╙Ирг╝тАл╫АтАм╞Ч╙Ирг╝риПсЕдр▓НтАл▌ЪтАмр╗╗тАл┘║тАмсЖ┤сБЙ├и ркШ█│рзир╕▓р▒НреЯрз╢тАл▄ЛтАмр╢║р╡╣ркв╓мтАл▐ШтАм╧йр▒НреЯрз╢├и р│Йр╣др╣Жр╡Ч╘Н╨Д╓мсЗЩр│Лр╡Н├и р┤гсВЬd сЗв▀╖рмА
сБЙ╨ХреотАл┌етАмсЖ┤тАл▐▒тАм╞Ч рд╛╙бр║▒╒ЭркШ █│рзир╕▓тАл▐СтАмр╡о╓мр╝Нрм╣╥Н╞ЧсВ╝█╕рлЩ ркШтАл╫║тАмр┐Ш╞У5IUUW\P +I^M╞Ф ├и сЖК█╕тАл╫║тАмр┐Ш╞Чрг╗╙╡р╡есВ╡р╡Н▀ор╡Н╞Ч ╨лтАл▌бтАмр╢крггтАлра▓▌ЭтАмр╡Мр║крнФ╓м╘Ср╝итАл▐▒тАм р╖╡сЙН╙╡╓м├итАл╫║тАмрзбсВ╝ра▓╧лсЗЬ╥Йр╣д
р╛асИШ╓мсЗЩр│Лр╡Н╞ЧсДд▀вр│л╓о▌В╓м сЕ╜сА╣р╝╢ргЭсВФр╕╕р╣░╞Чр▓ернНрдл╓л╒╜ сИ╕р▓Эр╡ерм▒рлА╓мр┤▒р░М╧Фрлд├и╓ЩсЗЦ сЙТр╗АсИЧ▄╗╓м╞Чр╡е█╕р╜ер╣Жр╡Ч╘Н╨Д р╛асИШ╓мсЗЩр│Лр╡Н├и ╓е┘зр╣╣сЗ╛р▓нсЙКр╝╝сЕВрдЙсИЕ╓мтАл╫║тАм р┐ШтАл▐▒тАм╞ЧрдГтАл█ЕтАмсДдр╕ЕсАдр╝╢р│╜сЖ┤р░┤╞Ч тАлр║▒█СтАм╨╕р╗Врзн╞У8ZM^MTTa╞ФсЗ╛рмЗ╓м тАл▌бтАмр╕М╘Срж╜тАл╫ЛтАм├и ╓ЩрнНр║│р╜жрм▒сБЙр║│р╗┤рбД╓мсВН╪О сАг╞ЧреИсИйраМ▐кр╕ЕсАдрб╜рб╜рвлргФтАл▌бтАм ╧Ир╜Ур╡П╞ЧрнН▀╜тАл┘ЖтАмр╜КсЖг█╕р╡Юрв┐тАл╪ВтАм тАл▐БтАмр╜ер╗АрнНтАл╪╛тАмрклриЫр╝╢ржж╞ЧтАл█ТтАмр╡║╓е сБЙтАл▄йтАмрнЖр▓ернНр╛Цр▒нрпгргир╝╢ржж╓мрз╢ риП├и╓Щр║╕р║╕╓мтАл┌Л▌бтАмсДдсЖКсБЙр╢орбЮ ╘┐ржжр╡П╞Чр╖╕┘жтАл┌ФтАмрдГрнЖ╧грнН╓мр╛Ц сЗЦ╓мр╖╡сВ╝╓м┘Чрм┐тАл╪ВтАм╘┐╓ериЫрг╗р╜к
сДРр║Ъ├и р╝ЪсАдр╗┤р╜ТтАл▐БтАм╞ЧсЗБр╡ергФ▀враД├и ╥ЙтАл▌ЭтАмсДдр╣Жр│л╧Зр▓ЗсБвтАл▐▒тАм╞ЧрнНреЭ╤а ралсИйрзЭрд╛╞ЧсДдсЖК╥Йр╡║╙│р╡о╓о▌В тАлрвА▐ЛтАмсИД╓мтАл█ЛтАмр▓з╞ЧрнНреЭсБвр▒й╘к╓м реИ╓е╧╜рпТсГЪсЗм╞ЧтАл█ТтАмр╡║р╛Щ▌В╓ЩсЗЦ ╓м╧Фрл║╞ЧсА╕р╡есДХр░ЮтАл▀Х▐БтАмрнЖреИ╓е рйЗр╛Щ╞М ╥ЙтАл▌ЭтАм╞ЧсДд╒ХрбБсЖЗр╣Ур╛Цр╕╗р╡Ь╞Ч сайр╢╡р╣Жр░Ю╨╕сБЙ╧╡тАл█ЛтАмсД╣╞ЧсАд▌Вр╕▓ ╤арлЩрив╞Ч╘й┘лсИ╕ра┤р╜Я╧грпКтАл┌ШтАмр│╣ тАл▐ШтАм╞Ч╤ар║┤риЫр╣╖┘др│╣р╢ж├и р╣др╡П╞Чр║ер┤ПсДдтАл▌бтАм╤ПтАл▄отАмр░ЦтАл┌ЛтАм ржж╞Ч╤ар║┤риЫ╘│р┤Пр║Ър╕▒╞Чромр┤ПсБЙ ╨ЭрлМрг╝раОр┤Хр▒НреЯрз╢╞Чр▓ернНреЭсБв ╙нргЦсДдсДМ▌Вр╝╢╞Чрм▒сЙСр▓н╓м▀┤сБ▓ ╓ЩсЗЦ├и
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CHRONICLE 09 ვৈ
ৠय़ૉ฿ࡁᆇ߽
ৈ௦ ႂৈ2]SMJW`
ঝѠ ᷧ৶၎ࣿ ߕෟҋᄐèනƗõვ ৈಈેႼ֬ܬӵ܆൛Ɨߕ ྺๆ൏׀৭ಭދöè ৠय़ঝѠ Ɨᄣ࣐܅ ᇖሌࠧ൮ӍƗѰ౯দ໑ሮ മႂৈಭৠໆᑒߢދᄙЁ ਏഭቚûෂᅂཔൔüᇖሌ ࠧè ৠय़սฒሌࠧཟٌ
ৠय़ঝѠޱᄣԢሌࠧƗ۾ӵඊƗ֓၎ಝГਛჷ൚֬༾Ⴜ ᇐےè ണႜdӮᇍࡹ
သ߷ĶИ֨
ৠ
य़ѝ൜ೖؿሷཟ್ ვৈಈƗ҉߽٘
ؚƗ֓Ѱ҉༗ຳؿሷҋ֬ޱ Ӫèп࣯ვৈಈѝ݂ڋƗ֓ Ѱ٫ો၉۸ଃྙܛЫ ཊè ৠय़ಱເሸ࠴ྤޚᄕƗྙ
Օሌࠧ౾ڋႼѠᆴఴ֬ሌ ࠧƗئਛ၉ځӵඊࠪჷ൚֬༾ Ⴜᇐےèؚ࿑۪١Ɨৠय़ ѝ൜ሸ࠴ؚᇖሌࠧ֬൮Ӎ ҉սඊ༘Ɨၢ၉ۺᇌ ቛಭबƗሸ࠴ᇁးቚށЮځ ःށè ৠय़ᄤૉ฿ࡵ߽ഏѝ൜ ޚཟنئᇖሌࠧèಱເᇖ ሌࠧთᄋმሌࠧ҉၉ဩƗᇖ ۪౾౾ڋиࢧئဩߋèढ़ Ӗ܋යಖ༗ຳئᄤབྷ نᅡè ሌ۪ࠧ౾սئၢ౭۪ເᇽƗ པ֙ᆷࢫ֍Չèৠय़නƥõ ۪౾֍ƗᆷࢫःށƗ҉ྺး ฅ߄ئဩಇྰ൬èö ఊᇖûቒࡋ့üᆊ൵۪ಥ ৠय़ႍཧቒമॠƗ֬౾ڋ าѠƗႼप൝֬໌֨ƗළƗ ಥಭـ၉ྔè Ыؚࠪᇽռ۪ûෂᅂཔ ൔü5>ࠌণྦےƗ߽҉߽ྖ ؿሷैਛ߽Ⴜ҉ႜའƗৠय़ ಖߕཇ҉ےྦܛƗࠌণӸ؎ ᇁߕढ़ၢè ৠय़ಱເࢹࠅ߽҉ޱႜ འ֬ಭఞèफ֫ٿދර֬ ܸ༩ෂুႽƗ၉ఖӵӐཔ ྗٿර֬ಪ౭ߕᄤè ࠅ֬ޱԩਛᅽࡌܫƗ၀ લᇽԂࠪቇᇽ౾֬Ե ࠊè
ోቶଃૉ฿ࡁᆇ߽
୴৶࿗ᇖ ႮԽৈญ ߢࡈਥĶИ֨
֨ƪüè ࡁᆇ߽ഏƗׂ၉ၢ۪൴֬ ഭؚځૉ฿֬ోቶଃ֫Ⴜ ಭ࣠ဎƗ !෦֬ຢ ཻྱ೬࣌ᅭèѝ൜Ɨሸ࠴ߕ ҉ ཥ ҫ ᑁ Ɨ ޚԀ ֫ ఖ ᄤõ࿗༤ᇖöƗႀՕးၢᇖ ॴèᆊᆰଇቛՔಭཱི ྔؚݬቛպؚদනᄤ٫ӏ҉ ಿၥè ࣐۪൴5QVO *ZQLOM[ႍ֬ཧè ֓ՕƗಖ࡛Ԃࣗሸ࠴ ैሩ൱ࢲӐս֬ ಭ ႒ ؚ ߽ ۅᆊ ୶ ݠႼ ཻ ႍ Ⴏᇖߴ႒ᇽԂಭދૉ฿ ཧḩḩः൱झõ?M )ZM ࡁᆇ֬Ⴜè ోቶଃᄤཊӍဍӖ൏ѝཊ : - 5 ö֬ᇽ࢟ᆴ၉è ࣉƗ !෦֬҉࣎Ⴜਛྔ ֫ ൌ ٺᆚ Ɨ ሸ ֗ ሸ Ӗ ၉ ൵ ֬ᇖଇሺƓోቶଃƔƗࣉ û;_MM\ 5Q[NWZ\]VMüƗ၀ဍ Ӗਛۡ؎֬ûႼཻಭ҉ لᄌߕྡྷنਛ൵ᅭ۸ಭԾቛሌ ࠧƗõ?PW 3VW_['öƗûඩᆰ πüƗᅡཊਛ۪֬Ӗ৶è
ಥ
ోቶଃ֬ᷧ৶҉ᇁᄤԢ ೫֬ບᄤ๏ࡸƗ۾ᇞး֬ Ⴜሩᆊဩ࡛֬बދႮఞè್࣐ ۪ญ၉ᆷోቶଃ՝ཱིቒս֬ ཟè ՝ ෦ा൚Ɨѓ֥ᅺ ್߽ࠖƗಖ൚ᇛેႼტࡵཔ ᇖሸ࠴֬Ѽৈè ֓ోቶଃ൚ᇛ҉ᄂ٩ఠè ؚሸ࠴නƥõᆊःཟး ֬Ɨၢ҉٩ఠèöᅟሎ ޱئƗోቶଃ֬ଢಝ࡞ ࢹൔਛᆰଇቛՔಭƗཱིݬè Ɨోቶଃሩཱིݬদ֥ .]VSQM 5WVSMa[ ႂৈ࿗ཱུ࿗
ሌࠧƥ û?ISM ]Xü ۪൴ƥ τױ ࡰƥ û?ISM ]XüƗû ৡদݝü
ঝ
ѠਛƗτױᇛ ᄤສᇠఀև༶ྡྷن ਛ ׂ لᅭ ۸ ಭ ሌ ࠧ û ? I S M ]Xüèሌࠧۇးಥ๗ᇠ ՝τױ؆า֬Տྦႂ֙ ᇖےൺ֥ႂৈቒჷ൚֬ᆥ ਏè û?ISM ]Xüሌࠧৡ֬ Ɨಥಭເᆴ࣠ဎèᆻ֫ ၉֬τױເᆊ൵่۪ ՔƗಪ࿚ጲ൫ᆊ൵۪Ɨӥ ֿϣ๗ᇠւ࣐֬ုݖ൞ࢿ ৡè ᇖ֬ڋݚûৡদݝü τױഃӐ֬ඁ౭۪è ཱིౝ֬ϻቄࡍഏτ࣡ױ ᅧ֬Ӗ܆ᅀ็ਛ۪౾֬߉
ےƗമकԳ৶è ༬๗ሌࠧޱƗ๗ᇠࡵܛ ᆪ֥τױڸԢ֬ྖ࿚თ ্࠙֬ഺࠊֶèሌࠧৡ֬ ႂৈჴු၀ᅀࡍਛƗႼᇖݚ ދڋૌ൛ုݖè ᄤᆊᅭሌࠧৡƗτ֬ױ ۸ಭڋ۳۾ຢᆣƗӖԢ๓ࣔ ሸ࠴֬ඁ౭ုݖ౾ڋ൏ଭଢ଼ ֫థ֥ށèƓ േᒹӨƔ
ሌࠧƥ ûಞü ۪൴ƥ ༸ ࡰƥûಞüƗûཻ ü
Ӗ
ުûཻü֬༸ᄤ ᄌ ಷྡྷنਛׂلᅭ ྔݚმሌࠧûಞüè ሌࠧ൳੪ਛ ൵۪౾Ɨս ҍٺГਛ༸ܿႼ֬ඁ౭ڋ ۳ûಞüçûಥπ୍ü ၢࠪûཻüְè ᇽռ۪ûಞü൵౭࿉ ୰ ਢ ֬ ਖ ഋ ༩ ౭۪ è ᆊ൵౭ ۪֬ఴቄၢۘౝ֗Ԣਛ၉ؔႱ ૌ֬࿏Ɨಥ༸֬ಪ౭ᄤڳ ۪ሩࡽફଯ֬߯نݮਬࣗ ᇈè ྔ۪ûཻüಇമ ൺߒ႙ႜûཻƗ၉
ᅽǧະક༶ᄢ
ఖማ֬୶ݠü֬ᇽ౾èՕ ۪Քւۺಭ၉ᇜॴ೬֬ၓ ࡍݴഏ༸Ԑનۗృಪਢ ֬ے౭ϣûཻüӖ֫ԯ ಭྖè ಝՕሌࠧၢඁ౭ڋ۳ ເᇽƗၢങਛ၉࣠༦Ɨ ֓Օሌࠧᄣᅡཊਛ༸֬ ޫ۪ށთ֬৶è Ɠ ອƔ
õᆊःཟး֬Ɨ ၢ҉٩ఠèö ోቶଃ
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Opinions frankly, my dear
EDITORIAL
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THE ONLINE CAUSE The conservative American radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was embroiled in a controversy recently. Ms Sandra Fluke, a 23year old law student from Georgetown University, testif ied before a session of Congress on contraception policy. She spoke of the need for birth control for both reproductive and medical reasons, mentioning a friend who needed contraception to prevent the growth of cysts. However, Limbaugh believed Fluke was promoting casual sex. In response, he called her a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;slutâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;prostituteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on live radio. The backlash was immediate. Limbaugh was denounced in both mainstream and new media, while Fluke received a personal call of support from the President. This is the first time he has lost advertisers in droves. Fearing negative publicity led by social media users on Twitter and Reddit, companies like AOL Inc. and Sears have distanced themselves from him. Another case in point is the video â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kony 2012â&#x20AC;&#x2122;. In brief, it was made by non-profit group Invisible Children to raise awareness of Ugandan warlord and mass-murderer
Joseph Kony, urging people to pressure governments to bring him to justice. These examples are just two of the new spin on an old tradition. Sometimes grassroots movements fizzle out. Sometimes they create a lasting impact, like the abolition of slavery in Britain. However, technology has become crucial in passing on information and alerting the world of such wrongs. Such speed has led to better organization, increased awareness, and giving a voice to the people who previously had none. The old refrain of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;What can I do? Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m just one personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is losing credibility by the day. TIME magazine honoured â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Protestorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as its Person of the Year for 2011, celebrating the brave young men and women of the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement. While the gradual opening of public discourse withholds pitfalls such as hate speech, it is a move for the better. While in the past people like Limbaugh and Kony might have gotten away for their mistakes, technology is making it easier for the world to organize a response today. In this new century, your voice matters.
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An ex-bookworm confesses
GRAPHIC | QIXUAN LIM
DEBBIE LEE L AY O U T E D I T O R
B
rooding Edward Cullenâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; immortalised in Stephenie Meyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Twilight seriesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; is the subject of many a teenage girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fantasies. Not mine. I gave up on the vampire romance series after getting to New Moon. It became overwhelmingly sappy to me, like those bubble teas which go too heavy on sugar. Now, a layer of dust coats all four Twilight novels on my bookshelf. It is not just hot vampires who have been getting the cold shoulder from me. A whole collection of booksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; ranging from Dan Brown paperbacks to Lee Kuan Yewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hard Truthsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; silently beckon to me to pick them up where I left off. I am becoming a lapsed bookworm, a once-voracious reader who can no longer ďŹ nd the time or the will to read nowadays. Thoughts of assignments and presentations nag away at me whenever I consider ďŹ nishing off a half-read book. To make matters worse, I lose track of the plot line once a book has been in cold storage for too long. This has not always been the case. I was an avid bookworm during my teenage years, with dog-eared copies of Harry Potter or Mr Midnight being my schoolbag staples.
I r e m e m b e râ&#x20AC;&#x201D; s om e w h a t proudlyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; that I ďŹ nished all seven Potter novels before each corresponding movie was screened. But now, I have lost count of the books that I have carted home from Kinokuniya, but not read. Their fancy covers and famous authors compel me to take a look. I try to. I ďŹ&#x201A;ip through the pages for a while, and then put the book back in its place. Even when I ďŹ nally have time to read, I would rather surf the web instead. Reading gets tedious after a while, and the monotony of squinting into paragraph after paragraph is no match for the excitement and instant gratiďŹ cation that the online world promises. A while ago, I read a book which explored the rather curious nature of the Internet. In a st yle reminiscent of M a r s h a l l M a c l u h a nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s , T h e Shallows by Nicholas Carr proposes that the web is fundamentally changing the way we thinkâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and read. Carr invites us to picture a book reader as a scuba diver plunging into the depths of information, and a web surfer as a water-skier who merely skims the surface. Alarming as it may sound, his proposal resonates with me. I do not have the patience to read the lengthy novels I used to relish tackling. If I do ďŹ nd the time to read at all, I go for zippy paperbacks that do not impose on my time or bag space.
Already, most of my reading is squeezed into a short period at the end of the day. It seems that people around me see it the same way too. On my daily commutes, I hardly see anyone take out a book to read anymore. The only people who do so are the elderly or foreigners. Reading is now viewed as a quaint hobby, something done only by people with too much free time on their hands. Yet, I have also noticed that most commuters are fully engrossed in their smart phonesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; watching v ideos, gaming, or texting away. It seems that people are too busy for books. But I still feel that the reading habit canâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; and shouldâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; be maintained. I believe the payoff that comes from reading makes up for the time we fork out for it. A good book ďŹ res up my brain and brightens up my day. Making time for books calls for more effort now as compared to the past, but it is not impossible. For instance, we could purposefully set aside some time each dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; on daily commutes perhapsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; to nourish our spirits with a dose of good literature. In an age of online distractions and shuttered bookstores, the very future of books has been thrown into question. What I am certain of, however, is that reading will always be worth the effort we put into it. Well, except for sappy vampire romance novels.
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a matter of perspective
The age-old question B ALOYSIUS LAI
e grateful to your parents and look after them in their old age — this is what Singaporeans have been told since young. Filial piety, a basic reciprocation of the love our parents shower on us, is a value inculcated in most of us. Yet, the latest Singapore Budget suggests the government is detracting from this long established ideology. With policies like increased CPF contributions for older workers, Silver Housing Bonus to encourage seniors to move to smaller HDB flats, and more subsidies for elderly healthcare, the responsibility of caring for aged parents appears to have been lifted off the shoulders of their children.
If the failure of the Baby Bonus scheme has proved anything, it is that policies can only encourage certain courses of action, but do little to change a person’s mindset. This, however, is definitely not the case. If anything, this is an indication that the government acknowledges the increasing difficulty in caring for the elderly, and is adapting strategies to complement the changing local demographics. It is no secret that Singapore has an ageing population. Singapore’s old age support ratio dropped from 9.9 in 2000 to 7.9 in 2011. This means there are currently 7.9 residents aged 15 to 64 years old for every senior citizen aged 65 years and above. Consequently, every working adult has to bear a heavier responsibility of elderly care. Despite past government efforts, we are fighting a losing battle in alleviating our ageing population. Policies like the Baby Bonus s c he me a nd r om a nc i ng pr o grammes have met little success. In a decade, the average number of children borne by a woman dropped from 1.60 in 2000 to 1.20 in 2011. This is far below the minimum of 2.1 needed to exactly replace the population with the passing of each generation. The predominant family unit
has also progressed from singleincome families to dual-income families. With both spouses bringing home the bacon, juggling career, children, social life, as well as elderly parental care is fast becoming impractical. With an ageing population that shows no signs of slowing, coupled with the increasing difficulty of coping with elderly care, the need for government inter vention is undisputable. The only reasonable path to take is to facilitate independent elderly care. Besides, Singapore is becoming increasingly cosmopolitan. More adults are opting for alternative lifestyles — being openly homosexual or staying single. On February 4th, TODAYonline published that 44.2 percent of men and 31 percent of women between the ages of 30 and 34 have chosen singlehood. This is an increase from 42 and 30 percent respectively only two years ago. To accommodate individuals who avoid marriage, it is necessary to equip them with the skills and means to care for themselves when they age. Without children, they have no choice but to be self-reliant in their golden years. Certainly, one cannot ignore the possible moral implications of emphasising independent care amongst the elderly. At first glance, it advocates an ‘every man for himself’ mentality, which will hurt the social fabric of the nation. But will it? Concluding that the new government stance on elderly care distorts traditional cultural values is going too far. Government policies are incapable of degrading our filial piety. If the failure of the Baby Bonus scheme has proved anything, it is that policies can only encourage certain courses of action, but do little to change a person’s mindset. The choice to provide for our aged parents all boils down to the fundamental moral values ingrained in us as children. Without a doubt, education is vital in the moral upbringing of our young. Ensuring that our education system promotes the right values will go a long way in strengthening the moral fibre of our society. Only then can we maintain a strong family unit where the young continue to care for the old. It will be a sad day indeed when the younger generation no longer feel beholden to their parents. After all, if we shirk responsibility to our elders, who is to say our children will not do the same?
GRAPHIC | NUR FAIZAH
VIHASINI GOPAKUMAR
T
he Government’s new initiatives toward the elderly in the recent Budget raise questions about whet her t hese measures will reduce the responsibility that children have towards their aged parents. The senior citizens of our community should be well taken care of and I believe this is best done when children take responsibility for their parents. The value of filial piety risks getting lost with the new budget plan that is geared towards senior citizens providing for themselves. I firmly believe that promoting self-sufficiency amongst the elderly is the wrong move when it comes to how we treat the very people who have contributed to the building of our economy and society. A report by the Committee of Ageing Issues in 2006 showed that 72.9% of senior citizens aged 65 and above lived with their families, while just 7.3% lived alone. To this end, filial piety and being responsible for the elderly is a value that most Singaporeans have internalised. Yet, this is a value that has come under question. Admittedly, some of the measures proposed in the budget, such as increased financial assistance for the home care of elderly or increased tax reliefs for the selfemployed are a good thing. The tax reliefs are especially beneficial for the 7.3% who have to be self-sufficient. Even then, it is unknown how many of them actually have sufficient income
to qualify for such tax reliefs. Even worse, some of the other measures such as the building of elderly care within housing communities can potentially provide an excuse for children to not have to take responsibility of their parents. Humans are creatures of convenience and as long as we provide people with an excuse to not have to work that hard, they might take it. This is especially so for those who will give up their personal responsibility to the welfare mechanisms that the government is providing. For many struggling families, giving up their parents and the expenditure linked to them is the first step to “saving” household income.
The senior citizens of our community should be well taken care of and this is best done when children take responsibility for their parents.
Even though they may not be concerned with the financial aspects, knowing that your parents are being cared for, albeit by someone else, will make a person feel as though it is unnecessary to have to meet and interact with them. I feel that this is detrimental for the unity and cohesiveness of a family, and the government should not be encouraging this. Every senior citizen deserves not
just to be respected, but should also feel loved and cared for by their own family. They need consistent care and affection, and old people who live alone, especially in the bracket mentioned above, will lose out on this. Any grandparent who only meets their children or grandchildren only once a month is bound to feel less than satisfied with their life and begin feeling depressed or upset. This is not how we should be treating our senior citizens. Key indicators in 2010 showed that only 17.6% of all senior citizens actually are still employed and have self-sustaining daily income. With the creation of budget plans like an increase in CPF and Medisave contributions, it may incentivise senior citizens to go back to work. However, with 85.8% of senior citizens aged 65 and above only having education qualifications below secondary school level, it is no surprise that many seniors are turning to hard labour such as becoming cleaners, garbage collectors or road sweepers. We should be discouraging, instead of encouraging, such a trend amongst our elderly. Instead of pushing for independence, we should facilitate dignity in old age. “This move towards self sufficiency is a kind of implicit encouragement for less than responsible children. It is the basic responsibility of children [to take care of their parents], especially given the challenges the elderly grapple with,” said second-year Electrical and Electronic Engineering student, Anisha Raina. With every family being a microcosm of society, it is important to principally promote unity, care, concern, filial piety, respect for our seniors and the protection of the welfare of our elderly. These are principles that the government is compromising on with the new budget proposal and this is detrimental to the future of the country. I welcome the Government’s move towards making life easier for the elderly through financial incentives and policies. However, perhaps it needs to have a firmer stance on children and their responsibility towards their elderly parents. It is easy to build elderly neighbourhood flats and promote oneroom home living, filled with conveniences and welfare mechanisms. But if we soon have to deal with elderly couples and singles living alone in the final years of life with little emotional support, then that is hardly a dignified society.
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CHRONICLE 09
Cash rich, sense poor? BRIAN LEONAL
I
t is common to hear adults today begin their conversations with “Youth nowadays...” They lament the younger generation’s love for expensive toys, frequent travels and high spending power. These privileges are enviable, but are often deemed extravagant. With the extensive comforts that these extravagances offer, it is easy to claim that the younger generation today is somehow unmotivated, inefficient and frivolous. This call seems to be echoed by the media. “Youths spend more to show off,” AsiaOne News reported in November 2011.
Parents inevitably feel the need to give the best to help their children establish positions in a society fixated with affluence.
According to the article, 84 percent of the 1104 consumers in a survey think there is widespread consumption of products and services to improve their looks and image among young people. But is it fair to simply blame young people?
Globalization has enabled companies to lower production costs by relocating to countries with cheaper resources and manpower. As a result, products are becoming more affordable. When everyone around them has a smartphone, how can a teenager not own one? When being constantly bombarded by advertisements and when popular shows like Gossip Girl extol the merits of looking good, is it normal for a teenager to turn away from such products? We are living in a culture where having new and fancy things is not only desirable, but is also the norm. Development in many Asian countries tends to be associated with affluence. In Singapore, for example, success is frequently measured by how much money one makes. The mainstream media perpetuates this by glorifying successful businessmen and women. Universities flaunt their highest-paid fresh graduates every year as part of marketing strategies. At the same time, they convey the idea that success is highly related to one’s wealth. With all these ideas in place, parents inevitably feel the need to give the best to help their children establish their positions in a society fixated with affluence. What constitutes as “the best” can range from attending a prestigious school to going on overseas learning programmes to having the latest gadgets that will enhance learning and networking. To t hese parents and t heir
louder than words
GRAPHIC | ALFONSUS WONG
children, such expenses are not extravagant but necessary. Take the tablet PC for example. Students without them may find it hard to keep up with lessons. This is especially more problematic in an education system that puts an increasingly greater emphasis on a networked system. Secondary schools in Singapore
have started to introduce the use of iPads in lessons. It will not be long before all schools adopt this technology. Without such gadgets, young people may find it harder to function productively in society. T he increased ex penses of young people is not unique to Singapore. In October 2011, the UK
NICHOLAS ONG GRAPHICS EDITOR
Daily Mail reported that parents in the United States of America spent S$5000 on their first-borns before the end of their child’s first year. Almost half of the figure is spent before the child is even born. A middle-income two-parent American family spends more than S$50,000 more to raise their children today than they did in 1960, according to a 2011 report by the US Department of Agriculture. Excluding college tuition, parents can spend up to S$275,300 to support a child to the age of 17. More has to be done to change the misconception that youths today are necessarily extravagant. For example, students should explain why these expensive learning tools are needed for a more complete learning experience. It is also high time for parents, youths and society to have equal say in this matter. While it is good to have a rich learning experience, it is also important to control spending, because education is after all an investment. If a costly investment does not give a comparable return, it probably cannot be called a worthwhile one. All parties should hence encourage a rational evaluation about spending patterns so that they can understand each other better.
More has to be done to change the misconception that youths today are necessarily more extravagant. However, education expenses should be affordable for everyone, including lower-income families. If aid is given to the most disadvantaged population, it should not make them feel belittled in the society. If a student needs to borrow an iPad from the school for learning, it should be made clear that the notion of having to borrow does not diminish the student’s place in society. This will help individuals who cannot afford certain expensive goods and services by making them feel that they are not in any way less important or valuable as their richer friends. In the end, it is the spirit and the values that you choose to embody that counts. If extravagance is indeed needed to instill and foster critical thinking and creativity among youths, probably it is the most worthwhile investment that parents can make.
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A touchy matter LI ZHUO DA
R
ecall the awkwardness you felt when you witnessed a nearby couple kissing passionately on the train, oblivious to the presence of others. You are not alone. A bemused parent recently posted a photograph online of a couple kissing on the bus, beseeching netizens to suggest how he should explain the act to his child. Another post on online community portal STOMP showed a girl sleeping soundly on the lap of her partner on the train. Such public displays of affection (PDA) have kicked off another round of debates on the appropriateness of such behaviour. Couples caught in the heat of action might feel that it is up to an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s discretion to behave anyway he or she desires. However, the very fact that PDA is public denotes that others are affected by it as well. It can tarnish a schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation, corrupt young minds or cause discomfort to members of the public. PDA should be rightfully regulated. So why do young couples persist in these public acts of intimacy?
It has to do with the changing conceptions of privacy. For a generation of youths that grew up in the datadriven networked world, the concept of privacy seems to be eroding. Perhaps it has to do with the changing conceptions of privacy. For a generation of youths that grew up in the data-driven networked world, the concept of privacy seems to be eroding. Private lives are becoming increasingly public as couples now post intimate photographs of each other. This is especially prevalent on social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace. The streams of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;likesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;commentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sharesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; only serve to reafďŹ rm their affection, encouraging them to display it further. It is not surprising to see youths extend their online habit of exhibitionism into the real world. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Sherry Turkle mentioned that popular culture compounds the situation as it â&#x20AC;&#x153;deconstructsâ&#x20AC;? or â&#x20AC;&#x153;deactualizesâ&#x20AC;? reality in the vision they offer.
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We are constantly overwhelmed by such campaigns that after a point, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hit you as hard.
â&#x20AC;?
Nashita Kamir, WKWSCI, Yr 4, 23
â&#x20AC;&#x153; GRAPHIC | JEROME SIEW
She predicted that simulations and reality will one day merge or become indistinguishable due to progress of science and technology. In contrast, more conservative members of public have a clear concept of privacy. They grew up in an environment with a clear distinction between the private and public sphere. These different conceptions of privacy often lead to different standards of acceptable intimacy in public. However, just because different concepts of privacy exist does not mean that PDA should be condoned. Nor will this explanation satisfy those annoyed by these acts or those who feel that such behaviour is against their values. Presently, Singapore has no laws speciďŹ cally regulating PDA. However, there are other laws that the public can invoke should they feel uncomfortable in witnessing these acts. For example, under Section 17 of the Rapid Transit Systems Act, intimate couples in the public can be charged with causing nuisance and ďŹ ned up to $500. Our neighbours however, are not as tolerant due to religious concerns. In Malaysia, Muslims have to adhere to the Sharia Law which prohibits unmarried Muslim couples to be alone together even in private quarters. However, should we impose such restrictions in Singapore, especially since we live in a society which promotes multi-racial values? My answer is a deďŹ nite no. Hard law enforcement not only damages Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claims of democracy, it can even backďŹ re. In South Africa, many teenagers protested by organising mass kissing sessions when a law was
passed that forbade PDA among those below 16 years of age. Softer approaches like education might work better. Given the high number of public intimacy cases observed in teenagers, schools should have clear codes of conduct and education programs specifying acceptable levels of PDA.
In contrast, more conservative members of public have a clear concept of privacy. They grew up in an environment with a clear distinction between the private and public sphere. This should come along with lessons on privacy, in order to improve understanding from the other members of the public. Though not all PDA cases can be regulated, the government can start in places with high human trafďŹ c such as MRT and buses. The public could be accorded the right to separate the couple in action, and empowered to inform staff of the occurrence of these acts. Ultimately, public education is just a form of external regulation. It is still up to the individuals to constrain their level of intimacy in public. As a sensitive society, we have to be able to balance our need to express affection with basic consideration for others in a shared public space.
I watched the video but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t change me because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really know where my effort is going. Daniyar, SCE, Yr 4, 24
Most people just like the video or share it, and think they have done enough for the cause.
â&#x20AC;?
Florian Zeisbrich, NBS (MBA), 22
â&#x20AC;&#x153;
If such videos reach the right people, it can create change. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important. Neethi Thomas, EEE, Yr 1, 21
You can create awareness. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good because at least people now know what the problem is.
â&#x20AC;?
AďŹ q Samat, CEE Yr 2, 23
TEXT | SNEHA GURURAJ ; PHOTOS | VINNIE QUEK
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bpl talk
Merry-go-round at the Bridge HUANG SHUQUN
SPORTS EDITOR
FORMER Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas might be laughing his way to the bank after the club sacked him a mere nine months into the season with a pay-off of several millions. Once a part of Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff, he was touted as one of the most talented young managers in Europe after an undefeated season with Porto, picking up a quadruple of trophy wins. After Chelsea paid Porto 15 million euros to bring Villas-Boas to the club, many expected him to bring success to the West London club. Things looked rosy when Chelsea won the 2011 Barclays Asia Trophy in the pre-season, winning all six games while conceding a goal just once. The Premier League, however, certainly looked anything but. Implementing a high defensive line similar to that he used with Porto, the club made several defensive errors that even resulted in a 3-1 home defeat against Aston Villa.
Subsequent woeful performances led to the return of the 4-3-3 formation that Mourinho used, yet there was no improvement, with owner Roman Abramovich deciding that the recent loss against West Brom was the last straw. But he was not entirely to blame. At the first sign of trouble, veteran players like John Terry and Frank Lampard complained to Abramovich about the poor results and lack of playing time. The core players of Mourinho’s team are still at the club, labeled as the “old guard”. Under-performing massively this season, they have placed the blame squarely on the manager, undermining his authority openly by publicly questioning his tactics. Such is the nature of the Premier League, with the immense pressure to succeed immediately. Large player fees also means that the manager is usually the one that has to make way in times of trouble. Managerial stability is one thing that Chelsea has lacked since the departure of Mourinho, with seven
they said that? Without Messi, Barca are the best team and with him, they are in another galaxy.
sds | LEsds
REPLACED: Roberto di Matteo (right) takes over from the sacked Andre Villas-Boas.
managers leaving the club in eight years under Abramovich’s ownership. Roberto di Matteo is taking over till the end of the season, with Pep Guardiola, Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho lined up as possible replacements for the role.
Hot favourite Mourinho may have a point to prove after abruptly leaving the club in 2007. In the meantime, fans can only hope that Chelsea would still be playing in the Champions League this time next year.
Is education worth the gamble? NICHOLAS QUEK
HARVARD GRADUATE: Jeremy Lin’s meteoric rise to prominence incidentally brings in PHOTOS | INTERNET another dimension of professional athletes.
The average athlete would earn far less and many would not even be able to play full-time as they would have to supplement their income with a daily job. Even after a player has broken through the ranks and made a name for himself in the sporting
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Bayer Leverkusen’s coach Robin Dutt after his side lost 7-1 to Barcelona in the European Champions’ League, with Lionel Messi scoring five goals against his team.
sports talk
MOST would have heard of his exploits on the basketball court for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) league, but few would have paid any attention to Jeremy Lin’s Harvard University background. That is the nature of the sporting arena, where athletes are judged based on their achievements on the field, and the player’s academic background is given only a fleeting mention. It explains why many aspiring athletes would train hard everyday to become a successful athlete, often at the expense of their studies. The last Ivy League player to ply his trade in the NBA was University of Pennsylvania player Jerome Allen in 1995, while one would have to go back to 1954 for the last Harvard graduate, Ed Smith. One might suggest that education is virtually irrelevant in a profession where players earn millions annually from their basic wages as well as bonuses and endorsements. In 2011, Forbes SportsMoney 50-50 found that the top 50 athletes in the world earned an average annual income of US$28 million (S$35 million). Such statistics give rise to the misconception that education is not critical to determine the success of an athlete. As with any other profession, these statistics are skewed by the top earners of the game.
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arena, he cannot play indefinitely as age will catch up with him. Depending on the physicality of the sport, most athletes would usually retire by the age of 40. Some of them may go on to become sports coaches, analysts or even commentators but many do
not stay in the sport after spending so many years in the game and seek other ways of livelihood. Famous names such as Mike Tyson have ended up with bankruptcy problems due to their lavish and expensive habits. It is, of course, no guarantee that a good education can ensure that an athlete would be able to avoid all these problems upon retirement. But it gives the athlete a chance to start over in a different career. After all, they cannot survive only on their past reputation and they do not have a choice. The wisest sportsmen plan their career options after their time on the field, and education plays a crucial part as they decide to embark on their new journey. Former basketball player and NBA legend Michael Jordan has a degree in cultural geography f r om the Universit y of Nor th Carolina. Frank Lampard of Chelsea Football Club has 11 GCSEs, with an A* in Latin, and he has publicly stated that he would like to work in the property market after retiring from football. When even the most successful of athletes take the effort to plan their future, more must be done for the less-sucessful. It just goes to show that education still remains the key to long-term sustenance and career earnings would not always last their lifetime.
GRAPHIC | INTERNET
But I m 21, so I m still young. I think from last year, already I m bigger [older] in my head Manchester City player Mario Balotelli (above) on his fine by manager Roberto Mancini for breaking the club curfew.
He has to face this pressure in a way for having the Djokovic surname. World no. 1 tennis star Novak Djokovic on his younger brother Marko after Marko’s loss to Andrey Golubev in the Dubai Championships.
I do know the first lines, I know the whole of God Save the Queen. I m not known for my singing ability. I don t think that s necessary. US-born British hurdler Tiffany Porter being asked to sing British National Anthem after being named as the British team captain for the World Indoor Championships.
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Reaching for the stars
PUTTING UP A GOOD SHOW: Hall 1 dance team Unific showing off their winning dance moves.
HUANG SHUQUN
SPORTS EDITOR
A DA ZZL I NG d isplay by t he Hall of Residence 1 dance team, Unific, saw them clinch gold for the fifth year in a row in the annual Hall Olympiad Closing Ceremony (HOCC) dance competition held on February 24th. T he t heme for t h is year’s competition was “Danza Libre”, which meant liberation through dance. T he dance teams had to choreograph their dances to express this theme. Unific awed the crowd with their tremendous performance, as they went on to defend their title. Their dance was about a romantic bittersweet memor y, expressing the feelings of loss and pain in such a relationship as t he male and female lead struggle to free themselves from their past and their memories. Unific captain Geraldine Sim, 23, said that the dance team’s key purpose was to entertain the viewers instead of winning, as they wanted to express dancing
i n t hei r ow n way i n stead of adhering to the rigid guidelines. “ We d i d n o t f o l l o w t h e judging criteria as it does not hold priority over putting up a good show as we feel that (the criteria) restrict dance. “We wanted to show NTU a different kind of HOCC (dance). There were many unique parts to ou r da nce, suc h a s si lent choreography and movement,” said the third-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Shocked A s t he team had not paid much attention to the judging c r ite r ia , G e r a ld i ne b e l ie v e d t hat t he w i n had come a s a pleasant surprise despite their track record. “We were very shocked, but happy, to receive such appreciation and acknowledgement for our e f for t s a nd h a r d wor k . T h e applause from the audience was the best gift for us,” she added. Childhood memories proved to be a popular choice for halls to express the theme of liberation.
H a l l 16 a nd H a l l 10, t he f i r st a nd second r u n ner s-up respectively, drew inspiration from Disney and children stories such as Oliver Twist. Capta i n of Ha l l 10 da nce team Soulmix Crew, Mohamed Shukri, 23, was sur pr ised by their third placing as they felt that their objective was just to entertain the audience with an interesting story. “We are aware that we do not have a vast dance experience or high technique level. During the rehearsal, we have seen the high standards by other halls, so the results really came as a surprise to us,” said the third-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. W h i le ot her ha l ls used cheerful and positive themes and story lines for their dances, Hall 4 stood out for their performance as the dance reflected a darker theme of a haunted house and the eventual “death” of a dancer. Hall 4 dancer Toh Mei Siew, 21, had no regrets about her hall’s performance even though they were not placed in the top three.
PHOTO | COURTESY OF DARYL KOH
“T he ending of our dance might have been controversial but we chose this as we hope to leave an impression on both the audience and judges,” said the third-year student from Nanyang Business School. Ha l l 16 da nce capta in, Li Jian, 24, felt that he had gained a lot from the dance competition, forging strong bonds within the
team, both dancers and nondancers alike. The second-year student from t he School of Elec t r ica l a nd Elec t ron ic Engi neer i ng sa id , “More than half of our dancers had no dance background prior to joining, but they have all put in a tremendous amount of effort. We believe that with hard work, we can overcome everything.”
Title
Winner
Overall Champion: Recreational Games
Hall 9
Overall Champion: Sports
Hall 3
Overall Champion: Recreational Games and Sports
Hall 3
Dance Placings
1st: Hall 1 2nd: Hall 16 3rd: Hall 10
Sports Surf N SINK Hall 1 stirs up a storm – Page 31
NICHOLAS QUEK
PROBLEMS plagued the annual Surf N Sweat 2012 event as participants disputed the final results of some events. A technical error in the timerecording equipment caused it to stop working mid-race in the main event, Surf N Run. This resulted in inaccuracies in the final race timings and positions, causing a delay in the announcement of the results. Participants were unhappy with the event, which was modelled after a biathlon. “Not only were the timings inaccurate, they could not even provide the final results on the same day,” said Eugene Tan, 21, who took part in the Surf N Run Men’s Doubles event. “Honestly, when compared to previous years, I would say this year was the worst that I have taken part in," added the first-year student from the School of Sport Science and Management. Held at Siloso Beach, Sentosa, Surf N Sweat is an annual event organised by the NTU Sports Club. The event also comprised of Surf N Hunt II which required participants to locate items to score points around the island and other side games. This year's event attracted more than 1300 participants from the public. It was also the first to use Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) tags that were tied to the ankle of each race participant. Timings were then taken manually at the start of the race and would
SIDE-GAME: Food challenge was popular.
TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES: Participants of the main event sporting the RFID ankle tags which did not work and caused frustration.
automatically be recorded when the participant crossed the gantry at the finish line. However, an error with the RFID system resulted in a disruption due to the lack of a backup plan, such as the use of manual time-taking that was practised in previous years. “There was a technical error with the equipment, which was provided by an external vendor. “We were told by the vendor that they had a back-up system in place in case of any unexpected equipment failure,” said Pearlie Sum, the vice-chairperson for Surf N Sweat. These technical errors were coupled with human errors made at the start line that resulted in the start timings being not in sync with the computerised clock. Eventually, the organisers had to rely on the backup system by the vendors. Although Sum acknowledged the inaccuracies regarding the race results, she maintained that the organising committee had
made efforts to gather the most reliable result. “After comparing the results we had with that of the external vendors, we were able to attain a result that was much more accurate than what we originally had,” added the first year student from Nanyang Business School. “I do not think that any racing event is able to produce a 100 percent accurate result, especially on such a large scale.”
More problems Besides inaccuracies with the final results, there were also other issues that frustrated participants. Some lamented the inadequate knowledge of the marshals and an unclear finishing point. “Most marshalls were not clear of the route, as they were volunteers from the various Junior Colleges. They were only briefed with simple instructions,” said Russell Chua, a first-year student from the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering who
is also the chairman for Surf N Sweat 2012. “As for the ending point, we changed it from last year. Maybe some people were unsure. “However, we did make the finishing line as prominent as we could,” added the 22-year-old. Others felt that the stage, which hosted entertaining events, was too far away from the main races. Alex Tang, the stage controller, ack nowledged that space constraints from side games such as frisbee pushed the stage too far away from the races. “Although the stage was quite some distance from the main races, we had speakers placed all over the beach,” said the first-year student from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Despite the negativity, others recognised the efforts made in organising the event and complimented the improvements made over previous years. Beach volleyball was one of the more popular side games that received positive feedback.
PHOTOS | COURTESY OF ZHANG WEILIANG
“Overall, it was quite organised. The fixtures began punctually and there were little delays,” said Pek Hong Kiat, a first year student from the School of Sports Science and Management, on the volleyball event. Other side events such as the Tug-of-War and eating competitions provided alternative entertainment that was generally well-received. On the whole, many participants agreed that despite the problems with the results, the event still succeeded in providing participants with a day of funfilled entertainment. “It was still quite fun, and my friends and I still enjoyed ourselves, despite the hiccups,” said Ong Kaiyan, 22, who has also participated in previous years. “It is difficult to fault the organisers especially for an event of this size. I would still come back next year after I graduate,” added the fourth-year student from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.