Issue 2 2015/16 by The Ridge

NUS student groups that aim to make a difference Upcoming developments around campus Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the problem with class participation? A NUSSU PUBLICATION ISSUE 2 2015-16

5 movies that impacted society Ethical Eating?

mica (p) 113/10/2012

What change will you make today?

Features 06 A CAUSE FOR GOOD: STUDENT GROUPS IN NUS 08 A SOCIAL BOOST FOR YOUR HEALTH: RAISING AWARENESS IN NUS STUDENTS 10 INSPIRATION ON CAMPUS: A CHAT WITH XUE HUI 12 EMPOWERING DOMESTIC WORKERS THROUGH FINANCIAL LITERACY

News

Contents Jan-Feb 2016

14 UPCOMING NUS EVENTS 16 FIVE UPCOMING STUDY AND BREAKOUT SPOTS IN NUS 18 FROM PAPER TO PRACTICE

Opinion 20 CLASS PART CLASS FART? 22 DIALOGUE SESSIONS: MEANINGFUL DISCUSSIONS, OR JUST ECHO CHAMBERS FOR THE ELITE? 24 CREATIVE MENTORSHIP: THE HAND THAT FEEDS

Lifestyle 32 UNLOCK THE NUS MATRIC CARD 34 DO YOU KNOW YOUR FASHION STAPLES? 36 CONNECTING PEOPLE, TOUCHING LIVES: THE POWER OF APPS 38 FOOD KARMA: A TASTE OF INDIAN FOOD WITH A CONSCIENCE

Entertainment Creative 26 FIVE FILMS THAT CHANGED SOCIETY 28 BOOK REVIEW: THE OPPOSITE OF LONELINESS & THE GOOD GIRL 30 TV SHOWS TO BINGE ON AFTER EXAMS

39 PLEASE LISTEN TO ME 43 WIT AND WHIMSY: AN INTERVIEW WITH DAREL SEOW, DESIGN ENTREPRENEUR 45 YOUTHS FOR A CAUSE, ARMED WITH CREATIVITY

EDITOR’S NOTE 03

EDITOR’S NOTE As students, we often think of contributing to society as something abstract and faraway, something we don’t need to concern ourselves with for today. We tell ourselves, ‘One day I’ll volunteer for this,’ or ‘one day I’ll take part in that’. After all, we’re only students – we aren’t capable or experienced enough to make a difference. But how true is this? What does activism really mean for us as students here in NUS? Is playing an active role in our community something that’s out of our reach?

On a more serious note, we question position and privilege as university students in Singapore (p. 22); and showcase how five movies have helped to shape our collective consciousness (p. 26). Ultimately, we hope this issue will prompt us to dig a little deeper, and to ask ourselves, as students in our NUS community, and as individuals in our wider society: what cause can I effect and what effect can I cause today?

This issue, The Ridge explores what it means to cause an effect. We look at how our fellow peers have done just that, from the clubs and initiatives on campus spearheaded by passionate undergrads (p. 6), to the students actively involved in driving health awareness programmes on campus and beyond (p. 8). We also introduce to you a group of students who have invented a life-saving device (p. 18), and the works of one (literally) hands-on photographer (p. 39).

Wendy Wong Chief Editor theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg

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EDITORIAL TEAM

EDITORIAL BOARD

CONTRIBUTORS

Chief Editor Wendy Wong Shumin theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg

Logistics Manager Rich Yu theridge.finlog@nussu.org.sg

Deputy Chief Yu Pei Fern theridge.depchiefeditor@nussu.org.sg

Finance Manager Wu Minfei theridge.finlog@nussu.org.sg

Creative Director Kelman Chiang theridge.creativedirector@nussu.org.sg

Social Media & Marketing Director Hannah Haw theridge.mediamarketing@nussu.org.sg

Head Designer Teo Geng Hao theridge.headdesigner@nussu.org.sg Features Desk Editor Elizabeth Kamaldin theridge.features@nussu.org.sg News Desk Editors Velda Wong & Drishti Baid theridge.news@nussu.org.sg Opinion Desk Editor Varsha Sivaram theridge.opinion@nussu.org.sg Entertainment Desk Editor Angelita Sasmita theridge.entertainment@nussu.org.sg Lifestyle Desk Editor Muhammad Sufyan B Selamet theridge.lifestyle@nussu.org.sg Creative Desk Editor Alisa Maya Ravindran theridge.creative@nussu.org.sg Head Copy Editor Yu Pei Fern theridge.copyeditor@nussu.org.sg

Webmaster Teo Geng Hao theridge.webmaster@nussu.org.sg

Features Desk Tan Hui San Joey Chua Khoo Yi Feng Velda Wong Rachel Phua News Desk Wendy Wong Akankshita Dash Drishti Baid Opinion Desk Andrew Lim Varsha Sivaram Sara Lau Entertainment Desk Chia Soong Ming Janelle Chua Tan Yan Ni Angelita Sasmita Lifestyle Desk Wendy Wong Chloe Ang Ng Ching Peng Creative Desk Yu Pei Fern Chia Soong Ming Alisa Maya Ravindran Copy Editors Aron Goh Low Jay Sen Akankshita Dash Bianca Mae Chavez Malaluan Designers Benjamin Hu Yang Baolong Kenelm Tey Sun Lixin Hor Jen Yee Yang Zhuohan Jerlyn Ng Wan Yu Ching Soon Tiac

FEATURES

A CAUSE FOR GOOD: STUDENT GROUPS IN NUS BY TAN HUI SAN

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Enforced volunteerism”. Sounds like a paradox, but that’s what most of us who have been through the education system in Singapore know all too well. We’ve all been through the mandatory Community Involvement Program (CIP), visiting elderly folks or grumbling while we held out metal tins, collecting donations for the needy. While the effectiveness of such programmes are questionable, that’s not to say they have created a generation of apathetic, paper-chasing youths. Here in NUS, there exists a number of student-led groups that aim to make positive impacts on society, passionate about championing social causes and making the world a better place to live in. Some may question the effectiveness of these student groups. How can they make an impact outside of raising awareness within campus? For one, student groups may not have as large an influence as the larger Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) that dominante civil society. But that does not make our contributions any less significant. Our youth doesn’t necessarily mark us for inexperience - often times, it’s a fresh perspective that we can offer. Despite our limited position, it is still a privileged one that can empower us to do better for others.

Feline Therapy Program (Credit: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/nuscatcafe/)

NUS Peace: People Ending Animal Cruelty and Exploitation Established in 2006 by a group of NUS students who were motivated by the goal improving the welfare of animals, NUS PEACE has spearheaded numerous projects and partnerships with local organizations who are motivated by a similar goal, such as Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and ACRES. Their mission is to raise awareness of issues concerning the treatment of animals – including both pets and wild animals – through education, advocacy, and action. NUS PEACE currently has four ongoing projects: the Catcafe, Paw Friends, Therapy Dog Programme, and Project Management.

Being gifted with the skills and opportunities – whether led by the school or by students – to better the community no matter how small the contribution is perhaps one of the greatest lessons that we can take away from our years of education in Singapore. Away from those mandatory CIP hours, these student-led interest groups have provided us youths with a wider platform where our voices on vital issues can be heard.

Fundraising Activities (Credit: http://blog.nus.edu.sg/nuspeace/2015/10/12/ nuspeacefundraisingdrive15/)

FEATURES 07

CSC Day 2014 (Credit: http://www.nus-csc.org/main/news.html)

NUS Students’ Committees Service Club (NUS CSC) The NUS Students’ Committees Service Club (NUS CSC) was founded in October 2002 with a commitment to community engagement. They aim to foster volunteerism among the youths and students of NUS, broadening their exposure to various groups of Singaporeans, ranging from children to elderly, and inculcating in them a culture of giving. Three main programmes have been organized in line with the desire to expose students and the wider community to diverse groups of beneficiaries and their needs. These programmes are: Regular Volunteering Programmes, Special Projects, and eXternal Partners. The broad approach of the CSC has enabled the youths to reach out to various sectors of the community and hence have enriched their experiences. If you would like to volunteer in any way, do check out the NUS CSC’s website at http://www.nus-csc.org/, Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/nus.csc/, and Twitter account (@nuscsc).

Gender Collective Veering away from volunteerism and community service, the Gender Collective is an interest group organized by Dr Mabel Wong from University Scholars Programme, on December 9, 2011, with the aim of encouraging and facilitating the recognition and discussion among NUS and non-NUS individuals. It focuses on gender and sex-related issues, which are intricately woven into our lives and society at large. The groups hosts interesting forums and discussions, screenings, and volunteers for various events hosted by other organizations in the community.

At Cinnamon College Masters Commons, 2012 (Credit: https:// www.facebook.com/gendercollective/photos_stream)

Furthermore, resources are provided on their webpage, summarizing the varied opinions raised during discussions and events, thereby exposing us to wider issues and broadening perspectives. Some past events that they have been a part of include, IndigNation: Queer/Trans Sex Ed in 2015, Sex Ed with Gender Collective in 2012. Students are welcomed to post comments and thoughts on their Facebook (https:// www.facebook.com/gendercollective) and Twitter pages (@gendercollectiv). Besides these three groups, here are other NUSaffiliated student-led organizations also involved in community engagement: NUS Enablers: www.facebook.com/NUS. Enablers Connect Tuition: usp.nus.edu.sg/highlights/2014/ connect-tuition.html NUS SAVE (Students Against the Violation of the Earth): www.facebook.com/NUSSAVE/ It’s never too late to rethink your resolutions. Challenge yourself to act instinctively in lending that helping hand, in joining a cause you feel deeply about but have never had the ‘time’ to contribute (bit about our focus being on improving ourselves, but rarely others etc). A little goes a long way – a small donation, promoting the organization to friends and family, raising awareness of the cause and so on. Love knows no boundaries, and age should not matter. Being a youth is an empowering position to be in, to affect change to our community and in making the world a better place. R

FEATURES

A SOCIAL BOOST FOR YOUR HEALTH RAISING AWARENESS IN NUS STUDENTS

esides championing causes for the wider society, NUS students are actively involved in helping to drive health awareness programmes in and out of campus. The following two features preview NUS student initiatives linked to mental health and a bone marrow donor volunteer programme.

TALKING TABOOS: MENTAL ILLNESS Marginalised Communities Hub Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme BY KHOO YI FENG

This can’t be happening. Don’t tell anyone about it. It’ll will ruin my career, my future, my life. Mental illness. Everyone knows what it is, yet no one talks about it. It’s become a taboo in our society; stigmatised, feared, denied. People shun its very usage or labelling - after all, nobody wants to be known as the crazy person. Yet, such negative perceptions of mental illness and the silence surrounding it have placed immense emotional and mental burdens on individuals who face it, as well as for their caregivers and society at large. According to the Institute of Mental Health, one in five youths have experienced a mental health condition, but two in three of these youths do not seek help. Choosing to remain silent can be an extremely disempowering and disabling experience for many individuals, who end up internalising their self-doubts. This can possibly propel them even further into despondency and even depression.

We fear what we don’t understand, but what can we do to understand and help then? An NUS initiative run by eight undergraduates from the Mental Health Wing of the Marginalised Communities Hub under the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme hope to change common misconceptions of mental illness. The students, who hail from a variety of disciplines including Psychology, Engineering and Life Sciences, are running a campaign, “Better Understanding for Better Wellness”, throughout the semester. The programme hopes to inform students more comprehensively on mental health issues in Singapore, inspire students to cultivate better personal wellness, and reach out to those who may be suffering in silence. This running series will include educational dialogues with peers-in-recovery, caregivers and mental health professionals, as well as two specialised training sessions during recess week held by the Health Promotion Board and Institute of Mental Health. Going beyond educating, the campaign will also facilitate contact sessions with persons-in-recovery. Participants are also exposed to and encouraged to participate in existing outreach projects, or in initiating their own. Let’s not keep silent. Mental illness is not a taboo - so let’s talk about it. For more information on the “Better Understanding for Better Wellness” campaign, contact Charmaine at charmaine.lim@u.nus.edu today.

FEATURES 09

SGMARROW Be a bold marrow-cle today!

BY VELDA WONG

ver wondered how it feels like to be a Bone Marrow Donor? Fret no more! A group of NUS Medical students from the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) created SGMarrow and is leading remarkable efforts in their quest to recruit donors and bring the other medical schools in Singapore on board.

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Shape the nation into one... where the word, ‘marrowcle’, is an actual work and all patients will have a chance to start anew.

SGMarrow is a joint pilot project between the IFMSA Singapore and the Bone Marrow Donor Programme. It was set up as a conduit to cultivate awareness and encourage bone marrow donation among youths in Singapore. Having just completed a successful donor drive at NUS Medical School in the first semester of Academic Year 15/16, SGMarrow sincerely hopes that more youth will be able to step up and be a marrowcle to understand the benefits of being a donor and also to curb the stereotypes that being a marrowcle brings with. Fena Lee, one of the student leaders of this initiative, shared candidly that her team hopes to aspire and change the mindset of youth towards being a marrowcle. One of the strong reasons for the objective of this collaboration was wanting to change the perception of bone marrow donation, which has a penchant for being misunderstood. Furthermore, they hope to bridge the knowledge gap by starting with university students. Over time, they hope to truly be able to transform their generation of young people and shape the nation into one where joining the register is part and parcel of the growing up process, and where the word, ‘marrowcle’, is an actual word and all patients will have a chance to start anew. The team is delighted that the response for the drive has been tremendously encouraging in its nascent stage despite a handful of donors who were fearful of the perceived pain in being a donor and is looking forward to bringing their services to the larger community within NUS. SGMarrow’s success was indeed heartening for the team and they plan to conduct similar outreaches in other universities and schools in bid to reach out to more people to be a marrowcle.

Photos from SGMarrow’s Facebook page

For more information (especially if you are interested), you can either keep your eyes peeled on a drive coming near you or visit SGMarrow’s social media pages for more insights on what’s it like to be a marrowcle! You are also strongly encouraged to follow and check out their website and instagram account regularly for interesting pretty little factoids on the benefits of being a bone marrow donor! R Keep up with SGMarrow on their social media channels at: Website: https://sgmarrow.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ BeAMarrowcle Instagram: @sgmarrow

FEATURES

Inspiration on Campus:

A Chat With Xue Hui Winner of the Microsoft Youthspark Scholarship 2015 BY JOEY CHUA XUE TING

Meet Er Xue Hui, a year 2 NUS student majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Mathematics. Diagnosed with hearing impairment at four, Xue Hui was recently awarded the Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship 2015, which recognizes students with disabilities who demonstrate excellent academic credentials, strong leadership potential and a passion for higher learning.

Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship 2015 Recipient, Er Xue Hui (Photo credit: www.spd.org.sg/updates/detail/record-number-of-recipients-for-the-microsoft-youthspark-scholarship-this-year-450.html)

espectacled with green frames, the genteel girl who sat opposite me exuded an air of thoughtfulness. Her shy smile and mild tone made for a pleasant first impression. I felt particularly at ease in her presence, as though I had known her for a long while. When asked to describe herself in two words, “YOLO” emerged as Xue Hui’s first answer. With her finger to her chin, the twenty-year-old gave the question some more thought and uttered “adventurous”. “Oh, but wouldn’t that be the same thing?” she asked, with a

little chuckle. Xue Hui’s YOLO attitude and adventurous spirit is evidenced in how she enjoys picking up new skills – the most recent of which was learning how to ride a cruiser skateboard. She initially bought the skateboard to make her way round UTown faster, after learning how to ride it from YouTube. Now, skating with her friends after school every Monday has become part of her weekly routine. So what motivated her to apply for the scholarship? It was born as a fierce desire to ease her family’s financial

load, particularly since “the cost of studying isn’t really quite a small amount”. The scholarship, which covers her entire tuition fees, has considerably reduced her worry of being unable to repay her parents for her University education. Grateful for the opportunity, Xue Hui hopes to contribute to the Information Technology (IT) field in the future by working as a Software Engineer or a Security Engineer.

FEATURES 11

Microsoft YouthSpark Scholarship 2015 Recipients, (from left) Er Xue Hui, Daryl Loh, Mohamed Najulah, Ang Chin Hao and Then An Zhi (Photo credit: www.spd.org.sg/updates/detail/record-number-of-recipients-for-the-microsoft-youthspark-scholarship-this-year-450.html)

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Everyone will face challenges, just different forms of challenges.

Certainly, Xue Hui’s hearing impairment has brought with it inconveniences that require her to expend more time and effort in doing things. Adaptability, hard work and motivation to do what she likes were cited as among the traits that kept her going in difficult times. She overcomes challenges in school by asking her friends for help and clarifying lesson content with her lecturers; her efforts are not in vain as evidenced by her stellar performance during the GCE ‘A’ level examinations, where she scored distinctions in six of her seven subjects. Xue Hui’s hearing impairment does not make her any less than a usual person,

but she feels that the media does not always portray this as so. “When some of my hearing impaired friends are featured in the news, the news make it seem like the hearing impaired community cannot help themselves.” She explains that individuals have a range of abilities within the hearing impaired community, and it’s not the case for everyone to have to rely on external assistance. Xue Hui summarized what she would like to tell fellow undergraduates in three simple words: “Don’t give up”. Even though the arduousness of University life renders all students equally knackered and pressured,

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one still has “friends to support one another”. As she very wisely surmises, “Everyone will face challenges, just different forms of challenges.” Clearly, Xue Hui has taken her challenges head on and emerged a winner. Xue Hui is a prime example of strength and diligence in the face of adversities, and I was inspired by how she was determined to not let her hearing impairment get in the way of her life. In the end, it is merely a condition, and that condition has only spurred her to work harder. R

FEATURES

EMPOWERING DOMESTIC WORKERS THROUGH FINANCIAL LITERACY BY RACHEL PHUA

n a country heavily reliant on foreign domestic workers, two Singaporean women are on a mission to help the women from these societies break out of the poverty cycle. At local non-profit organisation Aidha, domestic workers attend classes two Sundays a month at the United World College Southeast Asia (UWCSEA) Dover campus, where they learn how to save money, use computers - and in an advanced module - how to run a business. Founded by two former members of the Singapore Committee for United Nations Women, Aidha, which is Sanskrit for ‘that to which we aspire’, aims to turn foreign domestic workers and lowerincome women into financially stable employees, and eventually, financiallysavvy entrepreneurs. Previously an initiative under the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), Claudine Lim and Saleemah Ismail decided that the programme should be autonomous, hence leading to Aidha’s launch in 2006. According to the two women, the first step towards attaining financial literacy is to teach the foreign domestic workers how to save up. “A lot of the women said it was very difficult to say no to the family when they ask for money. And then when they go back home five years later, they have nothing,” Ms Ismail said. The next step is to teach the women how to successfully run their own businesses - a crucial life skill for many.

Photos credit: Aidha (unless otherwise stated)

“In their home country, there are not many employment opportunities, and small businesses are the backbone of their economy,” said Ms Lim.

“A stable financial situation… helps their morale here. The relationship with their employers improves,” Lim said. LADIES HELMING THE SHIP

Despite having a small pool of staff and volunteers, the charity organisation has taught 2,700 domestic workers over the past nine years, with annual donations tripling since 2011. Yet, the founders believe that they still need to reach out to more women. According to the Ministry of Manpower, there are more than 227,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore. “We are only scratching the surface,” Ms Lim said. Besides expanding the cohort, Aidha is also planning to launch a similar program for low-income single mothers early next year. Ms Lim also noted that it’s not just the workers who benefit from such financial education - Singaporean employers benefit as well when their domestic workers learn to manage their money. They worry less about their finances and they are more motivated to work.

While Lim was interested in helping women from developing countries, Ismail did not have a specific group she wanted to volunteer with, except that after writing to several organizations, “UNIFEM was the only one that replied.” she said. Helping domestic workers resonated with her, Ismail said, because she “grew up with my mother and all my aunties working as servants.” Ismail, who also started a separate reading program for disadvantaged children called Early Readers, said that since most women still run the home, “when you educate one woman, you educate the whole family… there will be more emphasis on education in the household.” Both founders believe that even more can be done locally for domestic workers and Singaporean women alike.

FEATURES 13

Above: Claudine and Saleemah teaching the FDW students. (Credit: Rachel Phua)

Getting men on board with gender equality will help to push for fairer treatment, the women said, and is what the organization has experienced successfully. Out of seven boards of directors at Aidha, three are men, and many more are volunteers, they said, including bankers and business professors. Lim said that although the “introduction of the day off was a breakthrough… it can [still] be negotiated away.” The day off policy, which ensures that domestic workers are entitled to a day off every week, started at the beginning of 2013. According to a 2015 report by the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), 40 percent of the domestic workers surveyed did not have a weekly day off.

“And I think that comes out in some of our government policies, like the whole attitude towards paternity leave,” she added.

“They want to empower the women... through education. That’s something that they believe in,” Ismail said. STUDENTS HAVE A PART TO PLAY

Ismail noted the shortage of females holding senior working positions, as well as the gender wage gap.

Singaporean women face another set of problems.

“There is no lack of talent… [yet] women on boards count for less than 10%. We make up 50 percent of the population. It [also] takes us 50 years to have the first full minister to run an agency,” Ismail said.

Even though they have many more opportunities in a “meritocratic society”, said Lim, women are still seen as “the chief caregiver” at home.

According to research done by the Ministry of Social and Family Development, in 2014, females earned 88 percent of what males earned.

Aidha also recognised the significant contribution from National University of Singapore (NUS) students as volunteers and interns as well. Many of them help facilitate the classes, imparting their skills in computer literacy, financial planning and communication to the ladies. And with many students’ families employing domestic workers, Ismail hopes that the younger generation can encourage their domestic workers and kin to enroll and support the women in the courses respectively as well. R

NEWS

Financial Talks by PIAS Organised by a financial advisory firm in conjunction with the NUSSU Students’ Fund, these financial talks aim to equip graduating cohorts with the fundamentals of wealth management - such as the habits of financially successful people.

25 Jan, 1 Feb (630-830pm) Central Library Theatrette 2

BIZCOM Infinite Bazaar An exciting marketplace event by the NUSSU Business Committee (BIZCOM) showcasing the various NUStyle/NUS discount partners, and featuring special night performances by budding talents!

26 Jan (10am-6pm) 27 Jan (10am-9pm) UTown Town Plaza

Inter-Hall Games 2016 The annual Inter-Hall Games is back! Organised by the respective halls, IHG is a sporting event involving friendly competition between residents from the six halls, in games ranging from frisbee to sepak takraw.

Jan to mid-Feb

NUSSU Council Meeting Interested to know more about what NUSSU does? Join us for the fourth 37th NUSSU Council meeting in which the council will convene to discuss student matters, including academics, welfare and student life.

23 Jan (10am-12pm) LT27, Faculty of Science

Engin Day

Food, freebies and a lucky draw - these are just some of the highlights of Engin Day, organised by the NUS Students’ Engineering Club. Munch on some popcorn and candy floss, and stand a chance to win prizes including limited edition T-shirts and drawstring bags - all while having fun with carnival games (like riding on a rodeo bull)! Engin students will also get to enjoy a free churros and Chewy Junior giveaway (unlimited for 4 hours from 2pm onwards).

27 Jan (12-6pm) Outside LT6

NUS Career Fair Graduating soon? Come down to the largest on-campus recruitment event of the year, organised by the Centre for Future Ready Graduates, where you could potentially find your first job.

1 and 5 Feb

BY WENDY WONG

EVE

NUS UPCOMING

Wondering what’s happening on Check out our comprehensive guide on the fun-filled activities (NUSSU) and its constituent clubs and committees in the comin page (fb.com/nus.stud

Cultural Week Bazaars This two-series bazaar is where you can find out more about organiser NUS Students’ Cultural Activities Club. It will feature a myriad of exciting performances by CAC sub-groups, and freebies such as popcorn and candy floss (while stocks last).

Bazaar #1: 28-29 Jan (11am-630pm) @ UTown Town Plaza Bazaar #2: 3-5 Feb (11am-630pm) @ Central Forum

Social Policies Forum

“Expression in the New Media Age: Possibilities and Threats” Organised by the NUS Students’ Political Association (NUSPA), the Forum allows tertiary students across Singapore to interact with political and civil society leaders on sociopolitical issues. This year, join in the conversation on how the use of new media in society has shaped Singapore’s socio-political landscape.

5 Feb (630-930pm) UTown Ngee Ann Kongsi Aud

New Guns Forum “Singapore Reloaded! – Moving Ahead” Engage with political figures post-GE2015, hear what their parties’ plans are, and how a multi-party system would shape Singapore’s political scene. As the fourth installment of the ‘Guns’ series organised by NUSPA, the forum will also include a highly anticipated Q&A session, between members of the audience and the guest speakers.

11 Feb (630-930pm) UTown Ngee Ann Kongsi Aud

In-fusion In-fusion is an annual NUS cultural concert involving all the country groups across NUS to stage a performance. Organised by the NUSSU International Relations Committee, this concert is the only university-wide cultural extravaganza.

14 Feb (ticketing starts at 6pm) UCC Theatre

NEWS 15

Appreciation Day

EVENTS

happening on campus this semester? filled activities and events organised by the NUS Students’ Union s in the coming weeks! For more updates, visit NUSSU’s Facebook com/nus.students.union).

OlymNUS OlymNUS is a sports contest initiative bringing together students from different countries to promote diverse friendships across the NUS community. Organised by the NUSSU International Relations Committee, the event was named OlymNUS in 2011 with the idea of bringing the Olympic spirit to the NUS community.

28 Feb (9am-5pm) Sports & Recreation Center

NUS Open Day & Student Village The NUS Open Day + Student Village is open to all prospective NUS students, and aims to showcase the various major Student Union entities and vibrant student life opportunities that NUS has to offer.

12 Mar (9am-6pm) UTown

Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum “Singaporean Identity: Is There One?” One of the intellectual highlights of the university calendar, the annual forum provides tertiary students and academics opportunities to engage prominent political figures in conversation, and hear their views on topics of international and regional concern.

Apr (630-930pm) UTown Auditorium 2

Organised by NUSSU Welfare, it’s the time of the year to show your loved ones how much you care - all you need to do is to complete the phrase, “I want to thank my friend for…” and stand to win attractive prizes!

17-18 Feb (1030am-5pm) Central Library Forum, UTown, Science

CAC+US’16 Concert

The largest NUS Cultural Activities Club concert across campus, “Into the Night” will treat you to a night of exhilarating dance and astounding music performances by our 11 sub-clubs - from ballroom dance, to street dance popping and locking! This year, CAC also partners the NUS Students’ Community Service Club (CSC) to give their beneficiaries a chance to interact with the arts - such as teaching them simple dance moves and inviting them to the concert. 19-20 Feb (730pm onwards) UCC Hall

Seasons of Love

This inaugural music festival will be held in line with Valentine’s Day at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus. Music bands from various faculties will perform, with the winning bands decided by voting. Building upon NUS’ strong music culture, “Seasons of Love” aims to foster greater interaction between NUS faculties, and provide student bands with yet another platform to showcase their talents. This festival is organised by the NUS Students’ Law Club and NUSSU Executive Committee.

Free Cone Day Everyone likes ice cream, but doesn’t it taste so much better when it’s free? Drop by at any of our booths to enjoy your free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream while stocks last! For the latest updates, follow NUSSU Welfare on Facebook!

7-11 Mar

22 Feb (630-10pm) Upper Quad, NUS BTC

SPARKZ Organised by the NUSSU International Relations Committee, this concert aims to give all NUS undergraduates, including international students, a stage to shine and a place to make friends regardless of boundaries.

18 Mar (ticketing starts at 6pm) UTown Aud 2 (TBC)

Exam Welfare Pack Giveaway One of the most anticipated events of the entire semester, the welfare pack giveaway will take place from Week 11 to 13. Collect your packs at your respective faculties to enjoy the freebies that will keep you going through mugging period! For more updates, follow your faculty club’s Facebook today!

Week 11 to 13 Campus wide

Financial Literacy Carnival Want to gain some basic financial knowledge? Visit the Financial Literacy Carnival IV organised by NUSSU Students’ Fund.

28 Mar (10am-530pm) UTown Plaza

NEWS

5 UPCOMING STUDY AND BREAKOUT SPOTS IN NUS

uring vacations, as we wind down and kick back at home, the various offices of the University Campus Infrastructure (UCI) take advantage of the lack of students on campus and labor tirelessly against a ticking clock to constantly improve and renovate popular study spots, faculty canteens, and break areas for us students.

BY AKANKSHITA DASH

Here are the 5 spots that will be available to NUS students for use by the end of 2016.

“Artist’s Impressions for AS8” (Picture Credit: University Campus Infrastructure (UCI))

1. AS8 Study Area Located next to AS1 and Central Library, AS8, still under construction, has many students wondering about its end result. Beginning construction at the end of 2013, UCI expects the project to be completed around July 2016, in time for the new semester. With Asian-inspired abstract motifs incorporated into the interior design, expect to feel awed by the ambience of this brand new study area replete with seminar rooms, a computer cluster and conveniently located café nearby where students can take a break from studying.

2. Central Forum

“Central Forum” (Photo Credit: UCI)

Located below Central Library, construction on this site started in late 2015, with expected completion around July 2016. A brighter lighting system, improved and accessible space, and an overall change in spatial design will enable us students to enjoy the highly demanded bazaars or galas that pop up intermittently during the semester. A dining outlet has also been proposed in the area, but has not been confirmed yet.

3. Frontier Canteen, Faculty of Science Construction and renovation started in late 2014, and taking into account the large area to be renovated, there are two phases to the project. Phase 1, which includes the construction of a student lounge, sheltered walkway, study area with a computer cluster and an air-con eating space, will be completed by July 2016. Phase 2 of the project is more complex, as it involves revamping the huge Frontier canteen near S16, so as to make the indoor and alfresco canteens more comfortable for students and staff during peak hours. “Artist’s Impressions for Frontier Canteen, Faculty of Science” (Picture Credit: UCI)

NEWS 17

4. FOE Study Spaces in EA Although E1, E4, E5 are already quite popular study spots with multiple utilitarian facilities, UCI has decided to make them even better! With improvements starting early this year, students can look forward to superior provisions in EA. These spots, which are thematic in nature, will have more flexible furniture, better ventilation and cooling and power sockets. There will also be additional vending machines, printing kiosks, whiteboards and shelves in some of these spots. These will hopefully aid students in their work and make them feel more comfortable while studying. Work on E1, E4 and E5 will be completed by end 2016.

“FOE study spots E1, E4 and E5” (Photo Credit: UCI)

So, at the start of the next academic year, when you go to your favourite spots on campus and find them even more appealing than they were before, you know who to thank- the various departments of University Campus Infrastructure, who are constantly striving to make students’ lives better.

AS3 (Photo Credit: UCI)

5. Study Spaces in FASS - AS3, AS4, LT12 & LT13 Renovation on AS3 started around 4th quarter of 2015, and finished at the end of 2015 itself, in time for the new semester. The area looks much more enticing, with trendy partition walls overlooking chic modern tables which have a capacity to seat more people. Additional power sockets, whiteboards and lights have been installed to make the area even more accessible Refurbishment of AS4, LT12 and LT13 will be finished by September 2016.

Note: UCI, helmed by the Vice President (Campus Infrastructure) oversees Office of Campus Amenities (OCA), Office of Campus Security (OCS), Office of Estate Development (OED), Office of Environmental Sustainability (OES), Office of Facilities Management (OFM), Office of Safety, Health & Environment (OSHE) and works closely with Office of Housing Services (OHS). UCI coordinates the activities, creates and integrates synergies across these offices with the aim of providing lean and green services to the campus community.

NEWS

FROM PAPER TO PRACTICE BY DRISHTI BAID

WINNERS OF THE INTEL INVENT 50 CHALLENGE TELL THE RIDGE HOW THEY TRANSFORMED THEIR TEXTBOOK KNOWLEDGE TO A REAL-WORLD SOLUTION

n 5th December 2015, Intel Corporation announced the winners of Invent 50 — its first student technology competition in Singapore. The winning team, comprising three NUS students – Daniel Lee Chi Cheng, Teo Yew Shen and Val Mikos - were awarded $10,000 in prize money for their elegant innovation: a set of wearable wireless devices that seek to prevent life-threatening accidents among patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. The journey had begun before the Invent 50 competition came around. Three Engineering students – two undergraduates and one PhD – came to know one another in search for their Final Year Project topic and research, respectively. When a professor introduced the three of them to a project investigating the walking patterns of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients. In alliance with the National Neuroscience Institute, the

project initially involved collecting data from patients at Tan Tock Seng Hospital and analyzing it. THE WINNING IDEA One key problem that PD patients face is known as Freezing-of-gait (FOG), wherein a patient is not able to move forward while walking despite attempts to move their feet. This debilitating symptom of PD often causes the patient to fall – and may cause life-threatening injuries. But is this preventable? Currently, doctors are only able to analyze patients’ gait patterns over short time periods. Diagnosis based on this limited analysis could be flawed and ineffective. This problem prompted the students to design a wearable sensor that would permit accurate data logging from the patients. By monitoring the walking motions of the patient, a fall could be predicted by detecting the high frequency of short, small steps that usually occur

before an accident occurred. PD loggers designed a wearable sensor to do exactly that. With the help of a sleek wireless microprocessor, the Intel Edison, a prototype was born. The innovation truly came to life with the Intel Invest 50 competition. When team PD Loggers – those who were logging data from PD patients – enrolled for this 12 week competition, they received advice from mentors and training from a 2-day bootcamp that would make their innovation better suited for commercialization, marketing and above all, optimal for consumer use. They built a set of three sensors to monitor movement, an LED light to indicate when the patient is likely to fall, and a website where that the data collected

NEWS 19 cookbook to a successful project. I think our willingness to learn and strong teamwork helped us through this contest.” Daniel agreed and added, “I’d advise other student innovators to get their hands dirty when it comes to new technology. Learning about new technology can be challenging, but it gives you a great sense of fulfillment.”

Winning Team PD Loggers at the Intel Office (from left to right: Val Mikos, Daniel Lee Chi Cheng, Teo Yew Shen) (Photo Credit: Drishti Baid)

from the sensors could be easily accessed and analyzed on a mobile device via the internet. “This would allow us to predict accidents before they occur, and also help the doctors’ by improving diagnosis based on data collected over longer periods of time. The other great feature is that the website enables patients to stay at home and send their doctors data on their gait without physically going to the hospital,” explained Daniel. The team shared that the competition “made them think of aspects that we never thought of before.” For instance, Val shared that initially the project used three sensors – two strapped around the legs and one around the patients neck. But when the they thought of the patients perspective, the neck sensor may be uncomfortable for users outdoors as it attracted undue attention. “Thus we revised the design, so now we can record data with just two sensors as well. Users don’t have to use the neck sensor if they don’t want to. From a purely technical

“

Learning about new technology can be challenging, but it gives you a great sense of fulfillment.”

view it had seemed great to have an additional sensor to improve accuracy – but the competition made us consider other crucial factors like these as well”, said Val. Daniel added that this project involved a huge “mindset shift” for all three of them. “Suddenly we weren’t doing this for grades anymore – we were doing it to meet real needs. It made us a bit anxious at times, but as we persevered we realized that the project was extremely gratifying because of this”, said Daniel. The project also stretched their university knowledge to its limits and beyond. Yew Shen talked about how the extensive programming that the project demanded first overwhelmed him as an electrical engineering major. “I was so glad to have Daniel, a computer engineer, on the team! In general, we all worked well in a team because our skills complemented one another’s.” At the end of the journey, Team PD loggers was chosen to be one of the 18 finalists in the competition. “The last day was mentally exhausting!”, said Val. “It was the exhibition day, and we had pitched our idea more than 10 times. There were so many amazing teams with great projects around us too – we could hardly believe we had won when our name was announced!” When asked what they though was the key factor behind their success, Val replied “there is no

PD Loggers’ story is a tribute to the idea of an innovation nexus – where innovation is born when innovators(students), corporate technology leaders(such as Intel) and universities collaborate. This idea was well summarized by Sameer Tupaki, (Head of Marketing, Intel Malaysia and Singapore), who stated that “The Invent

“

Suddenly we weren’t doing this for grades anymore – we were doing it to meet real needs.”

50 was launched because we wanted to be in the middle of innovation. Students of Singapore who came together in the Invent 50 competition were sponsored by Intel and supported by the Ministry of Education(MOE) to develop futuristic solutions. PCs and servers are now a thing of the past, with new technology like wearable devices and real sense cameras we are contantly looking for new ways to compute and interact.” In the future, the team hopes to commercialize the product and improve its accuracy in predicting accidents. Parkinson’s disease, which is the 2nd most common neurodegenerative disease in Singapore, will continue to rise given the ageing population. PD loggers’ lowcost innovation could be a true blessing to the thousands of PD patients in the future. R

OPINION

CLASS PART CLASS FART?

used to instinctively avoid classes with a heavy focus on class participation, as they often meant ripe opportunities for instinctive panic, horrific embarrassment, making oneself stand out and therefore, committing social suicide. Even though these jitters have since faded, it hasn’t stopped me from questioning the prevalent focus on graded class participation (colloquially known as ‘class part’), especially in FASS where I’ve studied for the last three years. During my brief stint on Student Exchange Programme (SEP) in the US, I saw classroom enthusiasm among students skyrocket, with everyone contributing to the lesson through both questions and answers despite the fact that class participation was not graded. Compared to Singapore, my experience is that questions posed by tutors are often met with silence. Perhaps it’s a cultural difference: expressing one’s opinion remains more of an exception than a norm in Asian societies.

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But there are implications for staying in our comfort zones. Be it participating on the IVLE Forum, tutorials or seminars, you know you’ve got to learn to speak up or screw up. If you lose that 10 or 20%, you might be on course for tanking the bell curve. Worse still, some professors or tutors don’t seem to register the students’ names, leaving us to wonder if our participation (however scant) is counted for.

Unpacking the farce In September 2010, a paper by the NUS Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL) extolled graded class participation for its ability to force students to think spontaneously, provide educators with feedback on student progress, increase interest in classes through interaction, and of course – build confidence and expression as a skill in the so-called “real world”. In reality, things could not be further from the truth. Here are three reasons why.

The Usual Suspects Having taken classes in a variety of departments, I’ve found that it’s often the usual suspects, a few individuals amongst the silent majority who dominate the conversation. You may find some of them familiar: Accordingly, one professor (who declined to be named), when asked if he thought class participation was meaningful, commented, “Honestly, no, it isn’t useful. Students don’t always say helpful things, and usually it’s just one or two people talking.” Naturally, the presence of one to two of these individuals is more than enough to sour the classroom environment.

Classroom chaos Many a time, class part can result in a colossal waste of time. I for one, have noticed many poor tutors glancing at the clock while pretending to listen attentively to the verbal vomit of a few

OPINION 21 who bring the term digression to new lengths. So don’t be surprised if your lecture or tutorial questions never get finished because of a raucous minority.

Participatory plagiarism “She expects us to write like at least 500 words on the (IVLE) Forum every week… unlike you I’m really not the writing type. So I always look at what others write first, then just copy slash paraphrase.” An affirmative confession by an Engineering student, but unfortunately this doesn’t just happen to our friends from faculties with less emphasis on the written word. Even us flowery, more verbose types know how to copy smartly; often (especially in more theoretical, abstract mods) I’ve witnessed and know people who simply reproduce what others have written. And of course, many tutors use IVLE statistics for forum postings to decide class part on the basis of the number student submissions, not what they actually say… Without a standardised, objective rubric for computing “participation”, we may very well just be barking at the tutor for attention.

Learning to speak up So why do such problems continue to persist? This being Singapore, we can almost blame everything on one thing: the education system. No longer do we have the luxury of disappearing into our seats, hiding behind classmates to avoid the teacher’s gaze and relying on our more vocal classmates to take one for the team. Yet, if we put aside our fears for just a second, isn’t that precisely the problem? The fear of speaking, the fear of embarrassing or differentiating oneself is less so a personal fault as it is a learnt habit; a way of life and acting that gradually cemented over time to produce the mute souls we are today.

In Primary School, I remember with distaste that it was characterised by intense repetition. Languages were about compositions, comprehensions and penmanship. Math emphasised frequent practice of the same types of questions (i.e. drilling) and Science was about memorising definitions word-for-word. In essence, there was a tremendous amount of rote learning – a fact of life exacerbated by even-more-repetitive assessment books, and regular tuition. I called it life support because it kept me barely alive even as learning was dead. When we were nearing the exams, ten year series (TYS) became our best friends. Even if it wasn’t an absolute bore, it certainly drummed in the idea that school was a lot about practice makes perfect. Given the insignificance of class participation in one’s educational career, it comes as no surprise that many become uncomfortable with speaking up in university. Changing the context does little to change us as students. The disjuncture between largely antiparticipatory public education and university is enormous in this respect. The curricula, teachers themselves and the system encourage a pervasive mode of rote learning and memorising. Then, without warning, vigorous class part suddenly becomes an expectation.

Shutting out the white noise In the end, graded class participation really is a just sloppy way to solve the deafening silence of our students. No offense to those who do it out of interest and that rare, purist desire – there are often many more black sheep than white ones. We have to be forced to speak up now rather than learn from young the inherent worth of giving our voice to an often faceless system. R

FOUR PEOPLE YOU CANNOT AVOID IN CLASS PARTICIPATION THE LOUDHAILER Speaks out but in irrelevant ways, prioritising quantity over quality. Enjoys the sound of their own voice rather than actually contributing.

THE DEVIL’S ADVOCATE “Are you trying to say xxx or yyy? Why are we talking about aaa when the issue is clearly on yyy?” Disagrees with everyone for the sake of it without actually adding to the discussion.

THE INTELLECTUAL NARCISSIST Shows off knowledge without making clarifications and assumes everyone else is in the know. In a word, esoteric.

THE TEACHER’S PET Only addresses the tutor when asking questions or challenging points raised. Does not care about the thoughts of the rest of us mere mortals.

OPINION

DIALOGUE SESSIONS: MEANINGFUL DISCUSSIONS, OR JUST ECHO CHAMBERS FOR THE ELITE? BY VARSHA SIVARAM

or a country with a burgeoning problem of political apathy, it comes as something of a surprise that there is an arguably strong culture of dialogue sessions in schools. From the Pre-University Seminar to various Model United Nations (MUN) conferences, there are a number of avenues for students to engage with issues of politics and international relations in group settings. There are, however, two big questions that we need to consider, particularly of the MUN scene. 1. Are such dialogue sessions really reaching out to students from all backgrounds, or just catering to an elite few? 2. Do they serve to affect productive change in the long term, or is it simply armchair colloquy that occurs in a vacuum?

The first query is a tricky one, and sensitive to many. The term elitism has become a tiresome buzzword in any discussion about local education, but it does beg repeating when forums such as these are examined. As I write this in the UTown Starbucks, MUN participants have been filing past me, in varying states of formal dress against the blazing sun. I cannot help but wonder if some of them are more comfortable than the others. The roster of schools that organise MUN conferences isn’t that much different from the names you’d see on Brands Chicken Essence ads of yore: Raffles, Hwa Chong, and Saint Joseph’s Institution (SJI) are a few. Whilst this may not directly deter students from diverse backgrounds from joining, there are a few factors at play that potentially discourage.

OPINION 23

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If the same groups of people, usually from the same schools, discuss the same issues every year, are the purposes of such events ... really fulfilled?

For one, MUN conferences tend to take place during the school holidays for junior colleges and International Baccalaureate schools, but overlap with the school term for polytechnics and the Institute of Technical Education. For instance, the MUN sessions organised by SJI and River Valley High School in 2015 were from 13 to 15 November and 2 to 4 June respectively. Calling this a deliberate exclusion of other students might be a stretch – on the part of the schools, it just seems to be a fair attempt to fit the conferences into their own institutions’ calendars. However, it can set something of a precedent, perhaps unintentional, for which students can and should be attending MUN. Speaking of the students themselves, it’s fair to say that if you attend a few of these conferences, you’re sure to see familiar faces. As a participant, that in itself may not be a bad thing, but the implications go much deeper. If the same groups of

people, usually from the same schools, discuss the same issues every year, are the purposes of such events – presumably to foster productive discussion and cultivate new skills – really fulfilled? Arguably, there have been initiatives to combat this issue, signalling a change in the demographic of students who participate in such dialogue sessions. For instance, the Youth Model ASEAN Conference, created in 2011, is organised by Singapore’s five polytechnics, giving poly students a larger platform in the MUN scene. The United Nations Association of Singapore Model United Nations was founded in the same year, with the mission of ‘[broadening] access to and participation of’ such conferences, and the vision to introduce them to all schools. This creates a wider base for MUN participation, as well as undermines the precedent that one has to be a seasoned veteran to join.

”

Ultimately, the second query, on whether productive change is really affected, is the more pressing issue. It applies to MUNs as well as other kinds of dialogue – forums with politicians, talks by diplomats, and so on. Are they steppingstones to greater political participation? Do they inculcate skills that will go on to be applied to problem-solving in today’s current affairs? Or are they becoming glorified portfolio-boosters? At the end of the day, my view is that such dialogues are intended to be neutral -to promote education and discussion regardless of your own politics or beliefsbut cannot escape the negative pitfalls of elitism and fruitless rhetoric. They are certainly useful to those who make the intellectual effort, but if your participation involves making grandiose claims about nothing, that’s all it will remain. R

OPINION

CREATIVE MENTORSHIP: THE HAND THAT FEEDS BY SARA LAU

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From the Oxford English Dictionary: Mentor (noun): Etymology: A borrowing from French; modelled on a Greek lexical item Meaning: (in later periods) a person who offers support and guidance to another; an experienced and trusted counsellor or friend; a patron, a sponsor.

e all need a little guidance in our lives – there will always be times when we feel a little lost, when a helping hand would be most welcome. This helping hand comes in many forms and with many different titles: advisor, guide, instructor, coach, counsellor, mentor. In recent times, it seems that the term “mentor” stands out the most. It feels weighty on the tongue, and to say you are a mentor to someone else sounds almost official, much like a sign of commitment. The term itself implies a relationship closer than that between a teacher and a student, or an advisor with an advisee. Though Singapore lacks a long history in the arts, we now have a rapidly progressing arts scene. From being called a “cultural desert”, Singapore is now one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant artistic hubs, with national arts institutions like the National Gallery of Singapore and The Esplanade. In response to the growing number of artists and artistes, mentorship programmes have risen to prominence. Many of such programmes are funded

and created by the National Arts Council. These include the Mentor Access Project (MAP) for literary artists, Visual Arts Development Association Singapore’s (VADA) Curatorial Mentorship & Training Programme, and NOISE Singapore’s mentorship programmes for young artists and musicians. While it is beneficial for our arts scene to have a variety of arts education and mentorship programmes, it is concerning that most of these programmes come from a government body. Who are the mentors, and how do they guide these artists?

to the purpose and freedom of art. This history and present ongoing censorship potentially undermines the various mentorship programmes being held. Of course, the artists who act as mentors would have their own integrity, but the question remains: What kind of art are these young artists allowed to cultivate? What does this mean for the future of Singapore art? If these artists-mentors are solely the ones that fall within the boundaries set up by the censorship bodies, does it not defy the very essence of art as a progressive medium?

While it is encouraging to see government bodies take interest in the arts and in cultivating and mentoring new artists, the National Arts Council (along with the Media Development Authority) has a history of censorship. Performance art was subject to a 10-year ban after Josef Ng’s controversial performance piece, Brother Cane. Literary and theatre artist Elangovan has clashed with the authorities multiple times due to his bold and evocative works that discuss taboos such as domestic abuse, religion and sexual exploitation. Recently, Tan Pin Pin’s film on exiles, “To Singapore, With Love”, was effectively banned when it was not allowed for any ratings. It is worth noting that all these cases mentioned are just the ones that made it into the public eye, it is likely that artists have several other hidden anecdotes of similar situations.

Perhaps, these mentors could also coach younger artists on how to wrestle with the many censorship regulations that befall the arts. Mentorships can be very private relationships, thus their separation from other types of educational programmes. Mentorships can provide an avenue for artists to pass on knowledge and advice that can only be shared when enough trust has been built in a relationship. Maybe these mentorships are actually a way for local art to become more progressive, rather than being static. Besides, there are also mentorship programmes outside of institutional ones, and perhaps it is not prudent to suggest that governmental mentorship programmes alone can define the future of art in Singapore.

It poses the question of how these young artists are being mentored and what kind of art they are encouraged to create: the specified boundaries place the integrity and objectivity of art in jeopardy. Censorship is inherently contradictory

Whether you agree with the usefulness of mentorships or not, these mentorship programmes can cause the rise and fall of the industry in an increasingly global art network. It is necessary to constantly question the effect of having artists being mentored under a heavy veil of censorship – to constantly reexamine them is to protect and foster a more open and progressive arts scene. R

ENTERTAINMENT

FIVE FILMS THAT CHANGED S O C I E T Y BY CHIA SOONG MING

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ost of us love going to the movies. But how often do you come across movies that make you think, movies that make you question your opinions?

Although the medium of film remains an effective ideological tool, the following 5 films, by no means, aimed to revolutionize thought. They changed society by containing mindset-changing themes that guaranteed emotional reactions from viewers. So, let us take a look at the movies that have, over the years, challenged the way society thinks and behaves.

SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)

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Trust pioneer sexpot Marilyn Monroe to overturn the conservative tastes of Hollywood’s viewing public. This innuendo-laden comedy featuring heterosexual men cross-dressing to elude pursuers managed commercial and critical success without the approval of Hollywood’s censorship code. The film’s success in the late 1950s contributed to the growing irrelevance of the Motion Picture Production Code, which had kept an embargo on sexual themes in film since the 30s. Some Like it Hot’s endurance as one of the most celebrated comedies of all time proves that times have changed, and that sex does indeed sell!

THE MATRIX (1999) It is easy to trace genre staples like “bullet-time” back to this 1999 sci-fi action mammoth hit. Special effects aside, the film’s conception of virtual reality quickly became the go-to allegory for existential philosophy. “Plugged into the matrix” replaced “brain in a vat” for discussions on the reliability of perception through the five senses. And choosing between the red and blue pill has become synonymous with a dilemma between blissful ignorance and harsh reality. subliminalspaces.files.wordpress.com

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SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER… AND SPRING (2003) Highly didactic in its story of the moral upbringing of a monk’s apprentice over several decades, this meditatively paced and breathtakingly shot South Korean piece resembled a series of Buddhist parables and stood out as a strong counterpoint to English language films. Though characters lust, torture and murder, the Western good vs evil narrative does not emerge, and we are presented with an alternative worldview where morality and personal disposition exist in cycles of peaks and troughs, not unlike the four seasons. ia.media-imdb.com

MONEY NO ENOUGH (1998) Jack Neo’s screenwriting debut not only renewed public interest in homegrown filmmaking, it revolutionised the way casual viewers perceived storytelling in movies. Money No Enough managed to be effortlessly accessible by perfectly mimicking the tone of the Singaporean heartlands. The characters’ undying aspirations to transcend financial hardships came across as universal; breaking perception that social exposition in film was limited to arthouse pieces and only dealt with nebulous concepts far removed from real life.

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DO THE RIGHT THING (1989) In Do the Right Thing, written, directed by and starring Spike Lee, we see how Italian, Hispanic, Korean and Black residents of a Brooklyn ghetto interact with each other while stewing in a heatwave. The script was lauded for capturing the brash and often racially-coded language of the streets. Though there are comic elements throughout, themes get heavy as street prejudice and police brutality emerge and a race riot erupts near the film’s end. Regardless of skin colour, director Lee painted all characters in shades of grey that left viewers pondering what the “right thing” should be in the cultural melting-pot that is America. R nebula.wsimg.com

ENTERTAINMENT As for her schoolmates, she reminds them that “What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. Get a postbac or try writing for the first time”. She sounds a clarion call of rising up to the realization that we are makers of possibility and, as idealistic as it sounds, have the potential to begin something new. Indeed, we have the refresh button right at our fingertips. At the end, she exhorts “Let’s make something happen to this world”.

photo by: naancymaac.ca

REVIEWED BY JANELLE CHUA

he Opposite of Loneliness is written by Marina Keegan. She graduated from Yale but died five days after graduation. However, the stories examining human relationships and the message of hope and possibility in her essays resonate still. Written during her time as an undergraduate, the book contains both creative stories and nonfictional essays. The stories place characters in different settings-- in Challenger explorers are trapped in a submarine floating above the ocean bed while in Winter Break, a student returns to her suburban home to discover her mother’s loneliness—which causes her interrogate the dynamics and meaning of human relations. The essays document Keegan’s thoughts and experiences about life. In Song for the Special, she declared that before she dies, she would “climb to the top of a radio tower” and say “Hello” to “outer space”. In addition, the essays feature interviews with fellow undergraduates explaining their reasons for choosing a particular

line of work. In Even Artichokes Have Doubts, she wonders why “In a place as diverse and disparate as Yale”, “ around 25 percent of employed Yale graduates will enter the consulting or finance industry”. Keegan’s writing seeks to understand this generation. In fact, it seeks to expose the mechanisms of millennials – from fear and anxiety to a shared communal feeling between peers, to the complexity involved in relationships, to arrive at this: our existence as individuals is testified by the impact we have on the people around us. The titular essay, The Opposite of Loneliness, highlights the silent but palpable camaraderie between peers at Yale. She explained that “it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together”. We may or may not know the individual sitting across us in the library, but we know that we share this experience together. Through this shared experience, we become strangers who are familiar with each other’s experiences.

What we have to remember is that we can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over. Her stories also include reminiscing about the past. In them, she tackles a plot featuring a retrospective glance on days gone by with a tinge of regret. Yet, she bravely trudges onward into an unknown future. In Hail, Full of Grace, the protagonist returns to her hometown with her adopted daughter Emma. She enrols Emma in a play at the Unitarian Universalist Christmas pageant organised by her friend Jared. However, she confesses that “coming home was hard for me”. The town she lived in reminded her of Julian, someone she dated for seven years. Upon bumping into him at the supermarket, she asked him to attend the play. As she saw her daughter performing, she “heard the creak of a door” and “Julian shutting its heavy frame behind him”. At that moment she felt herself “letting go”. The Opposite of Loneliness urges readers to hope. But more than that, it nudges readers to not lose their idealism. R

ENTERTAINMENT 29

photo by: hoopla.com.au

BY TAN YAN NI

ebut novel of author Mary Kubica, The Good Girl is a thrilling story of a kidnapping, with not just one, but many surprising twists. Nothing is certain in this novel – the cold-blooded kidnapper and helpless victim stereotypes are shattered as quickly as they are established and the line between good and evil blurs as the story progresses. The “Good Girl” in question is Mia Dennett, a socialite who belongs to the prominent and well-to-do Dennett family. When Mia’s boyfriend fails to turn up for a date at a bar one night, she leaves with Colin Thatcher, an enigmatic stranger who has been stalking her for days. Colin whisks her away to an abandoned cabin in rural Minnesota and holds her hostage for months before she is returned to her family, with no memory of what transpired in that cabin. The mystery behind Mia’s disappearance is narrated from a web of perspectives stemming from different time points

– before, during and after the event. The shifting timeline and multiple perspectives may take a little getting used to at the beginning, but the rapid pace of the plot after the pieces fall into place make up for this shortcoming. The plot twist at the end of The Good Girl turns whatever impressions readers have of Mia upside down, in a way reminiscent of other psychological thrillers like Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. However, The Good Girl could have definitely done better in the foreshadowing department, as the lack of clues failed to justify the sudden conclusion, which caused the surprise ending to feel abrupt and even a little contrived. Nevertheless, the solid plot progression before the sudden twist makes this book a commendable attempt for a debut novel. Those who cannot wait to get their hands on more writing by Mary Kubica, will also be pleased to know that her next novel, Pretty Babies, will be released this coming summer. R

“A twisty, roller coaster ride of a debut.”

ENTERTAINMENT

TV SHOWS TO BINGE ON AFTER EXAMS 1

BY CHIA SOONG MING vox.com

icture getting a luxury yacht for Christmas, or opening your gift box to find the actual Hope Diamond, before retiring to bed with Van Gogh’s Starry Night above your headboard. It’s all fair game for Earth’s last survivors, as they revel in excess and anomie with free rein of the world.

Despite his faults, Phil is endearing within his odd couple pairing with his newfound wife, Kristen Schaal’s nagging weirdo Carol, who injects some much needed heart to the apocalyptic wasteland.

Equal parts depressing and hilarious, The Last Man on Earth presents a fairly realistic picture of what would ensue if most of the world died out, leaving a handful of strangers the noble duty of restarting civilisation: they would act like complete idiots, of course. Laden with unlikeable (in other words, human) characters, the series is sometimes unbearable, but always unique in its premise. It consistently causes us to laugh at mankind’s steadfast mediocrity - even when circumstances demand heroism. Despite a slowly inflating cast, the show remains strongest when exploring the chemistry between its central couple. Saturday Night Live’s Will Forte plays Phil Miller, the titular last man on Earth (or so he thought), an aimless slob making the absolute least out of a bad situation.

WILL FORTE AS PHIL MILLER IN THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.

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The Last Man on Earth is wish fulfilment at its funniest, allowing viewers to take off on grand fantasies about a world without rules, before yanking them back to Earth with the gang’s misadventures. It’s a show that serves as a friendly reminder that the average Joe is and will always be average - even if he were the last man on earth.

KRISTEN SCHAAL AS CAROL IN THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.

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JESSICA JONES BY ANGELITA SASMITA

Netflix original series does it again. It’s not the first time a superhero adaptation has used noir undertones to address its core concerns. Gotham was a similarly structured series met with mixed reviews from critics, yet, new series Jessica Jones is fast winning over these critics as a worthier effort released to date. Helmed by former Dexter creator Melissa Rosenberg, the first season of Jessica Jones focuses on Jessica’s struggle to readjust to her normal lifestyle after being held captive by mind-control nemesis Killgrave, only to find out that worse nightmares were in store. Krysten Ritter plays out her version of the protagonist Jessica Jones as a streetwise girl with a penchant for sarcastic wit. While Jones does not take the high road every time, it was easy to sympathise with her character and her decisions from the beginning. What’s unique about the series is that it weaves in and addresses grave topics such as rape and PTSD without diverging from the series’ core themes. Also, Netflix’s use of a straight-to-series viewing model (where all episodes of a new TV series are fully released to the public without having to use the success of a pilot episode to decide release of subsequent episodes) enables the story arc to be constructed steadily in a way that allows the plot to close the loop, and not leave the development of its characters fragmented for viewers. All 13 episodes are available now on Netflix. Have an early Christmas TV junkies! R

KRYSTEN RITTER AS MARVEL’S JESSICA JONES

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LIFESTYLE

UNLOCK THE NUS DISCOUNTS MATRIC CARD BY WENDY WONG

SELECTED PROMOTIONS LAWRY’S THE PRIME RIB 15% off a la carte bill Offer ends 31 May 2016

What do you use your matriculation card for? Besides entering the Central Library and presenting it to the obviouslybored invigilator in the exam hall, did you know that your matriculation card has a different kind of power? No, it can’t do all your readings for you, but it can make your short-term gratification when you’re struggling under a pile assignments that much more satisfying. Yes, we’re talking about NUS D-I-S-C-O-U-N-T-S. NUStyle is an initiative by the NUSSU Business Committee (Bizcom) that offers exclusive deals to both past and present members--students, staff and alumni--of the NUS community. Since 2006, the NUStyle team has been actively sourcing for the latest and most relevant deals--from cafes and restaurants, to fashion labels and entertainment spots. As of January 2016, NUStyle has 35 partners on board the discount scheme. All you need to do is to present your NUS card at participating outlets to enjoy the discounts and privileges. On top of that, NUStyle holds sponsored contests and giveaways, and even posts reviews of merchants on their Facebook page. The next time you’re craving some froyo or Korean fried chicken, remember check out who NUStyle’s partners are before you whip out your wallet! R NUStyle website: nustyle.sg NUStyle Facebook: fb.com/nusdiscount This post was brought to you by NUStyle.

PEPERONI PIZZERIA @ BIOPOLIS 10% off a la carte food Offer ends 30 June 2016

NENE CHICKEN 5% off total bill Offer ends 31 December 2016

GOGOVAN Download the GogoVan Singapore iPhone or Android App and key in “NUS15” to enjoy 20% discount for delivery and moving services. Offer ends 15 April 2016

BLISSFULTHOTS 15% discount storewide. Enter discount code “NUS” when ordering online. Not valid for decoration services, festive hampers and selected gift items. Offer ends 31 May 2016

LIFESTLYE

DO YOU KNOW YOUR FASHION STAPLES? BY NICHOLAS ONG

heap but of a low quality, or more expensive but where quality is uncompromised?

This is a dilemma that many of us face when it comes to shopping for new clothes. In fact, so many of us frequent retailers like Forever 21, Zara and H&M to get a quick fix for our anxiety of falling out of trend. Little do we know, we’re contributing greatly to the burgeoning fast fashion trend. Fast fashion refers to less expensive collections of clothing, many of which are inspired by pieces seen on high fashion runways. Fast fashion targets mainstream consumers and is heavily profitdriven. Consequently, this phenomenon has brought along with it a slew of problems, from environmental issues like creating

more waste and depleting our limited natural resources, to social ones such as the increased use of labour working in suboptimal conditions in developing countries. In contrast to fast fashion, capsule collection pieces are timeless staples. Not subject to rapidly changing fashion trends, they serve as the foundation upon which seasonal pieces can be built, or are themselves transitional across many occasions. They tend to be more costly, yet are often made at a higher quality, and thus can last you through many seasons. So what exactly are these capsule collection pieces? We offer you some classic examples in both menswear and womenswear.

THE JEANS These trousers can be found in nearly every person’s wardrobe. Usually made from denim, they offer their wearer both versatility in composing the right ensemble, as well as durability. Often a go-to legwear, it can be complemented with just about any top, even if the latter is also denim, and a pair of shoes of any imaginable colour! For such an article which prides itself on its hardiness, you may be better off investing in a good pair and avoiding the hassle of buying and giving away cheap versions repeatedly.

LEFT: MODERN STRAIGHT LEG FIT JEANS, HARLEY-DAVIDSON; RIGHT: TYPE C JEANS, G-STAR RAW

THE DRESS SHOE Synonymous with formal events and the office, this footwear is a necessary addition to your wardrobe. As students, you may think that they will not be used frequently and would be left sitting idly in the shoe cabinet to collect dust. However, you can never be too prepared for that birthday party or wedding dinner you’ve been invited to, or the job interview that you’ve successfully landed.

LEFT: DERBY SHOE, ECCO; RIGHT: OXFORD SHOE, ALDO

Now, how much should you spend on it? It is agreed by fashion aficionados that the shoe is one of, if not the, most important style element in men’s dressing. It follows that the quality of your shoes speaks of how much effort you put into your ensemble. A good pair of shoes with robust stitching, a hardy sole and high-quality genuine leather, though possibly more costly than your other articles of clothing, will last longer than them, making your money well spent.

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THE BLACK DRESS Well, not just any black dress – we’re specifically talking about the little black dress (LBD). It is a staple every girl should (already) have, no matter the size of her wardrobe! Versatile and enduring, this neutral-coloured piece has its roots dating back to the 1920s, when the fashion legend Coco Chanel helped spread its popularity to the masses. Despite the changing times, the LBD has braved through the harsh seasons and emerged a design that continues to remain fairly untouched, yet elegant. Indeed, Leonardo di Vinci couldn’t have been much truer when he remarked that “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.

LEFT: WOOL-MIX DRESS, COS ; RIGHT: SHEATH DRESS, KATE SPADE NEW YORK

Because of its colour, it can serve as a canvas on which accessories and other pieces can be layered for different events. Have an important meeting to attend? Pair it with a blazer. Classy dinner function? Time to bring out those costume jewelry. Just bear in mind not to overdo it, lest you lose the essence of donning this THE BALLET FLAT understated classic. As the name suggests, ballet flats have very short heels, or are designed such that it gives the impression of having no heels at all. Originally meant for ballerinas, it has now extended its reach to the masses and become part of the female capsule collection.

LEFT: TALI BOW BALLET, COLE HAAN; RIGHT: LORAYNA, STEVE MADDEN

THE PENCIL SKIRT

Interestingly, the ballet shoes of the past weren’t low-heeled – in a matter of placing fashion over function, this shoe had a high heel, which certainly did not allow the ballerinas of those days to prance around gracefully. It was only after the French Revolution that people realized that the ballerinas were struggling with their shoes. It was also believed Marie Antoinette made her way to the guillotine in a pair of heeled shoes. For these reasons, the perky heels were removed. Seems like Marie Antoinette’s head wasn’t the only thing being chopped off. The ballet flat, besides being very adaptable to many different outfits, is also more comfortable than the high-heeled shoe. Plus, it does not bring about the health risks associated with the latter. Need we say more?

A key item in the wardrobe due to the fact that it goes well with nearly any form of footwear, the pencil skirt is narrowly cut and presses firmly against a woman’s body. Its hem is tailored to be touching, or slightly lower than, the knees. It is also particularly essential to a businesswoman as it allows the wearer to appear more graceful, a trait certainly desired in the corporate world. For instance, due to its slim cutting, it forces the wearer to keep the legs closed when sitting. It goes without saying that the quality of the pencil skirt should be emphasized since it offers many choices in pairing it in an ensemble, and has a tendency to be worn very frequently. Therefore, one should not scrimp when it comes to purchasing this staple to be spared from any embarrassment due to malfunctions in its workmanship. R

LEFT: MULTICOLOURED PENCIL SKIRT, GUESS; RIGHT: BLACK PENCIL SKIRT, DKNY

connecting people, touching lives â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the power of Apps BY NG CHING PENG

LIFESTYLE 37

n this age of modern media, applications are part of an endless resource pool for youth. Apps for social communication and entertainment flood online stores. There are any number of apps to choose from, with multiple utilities. “Come back to the real world,” some

may say - but is being connected via apps a bad thing?

communication and can impact the social lives of those using apps.

Applications aren’t just good ways to kill time - they’re ways by which youth can reach out to others. Social Media provides for youth a digital means of

Some Singaporeans have taken advantage of this to advocate various causes, showing us that applications, too, can touch the world and change lives.

Red Cross Connection

and simple interface is not only easy to understand but also attractive. With clear bars and numbers, the Impact Tracker feature indicates how much blood is needed to keep blood banks afloat for the month. Users get customizable profiles. Alerts when blood stocks are low can even be shared via Facebook or Twitter. With a few taps, you can access and share that information with friends just like you’d share on Facebook a picture of a dog making funny faces.

repository of quick facts about blood donation. Busting myths and debunking misconceptions, it’s a helpful source of knowledge to the layperson who may not be aware of those facts.

Launched in 2013, the Singapore Red Cross (SRC) introduces to us Red Cross Connection. This is an app geared towards amplifying blood donations via youth crowdsourcing, combating the rising need of blood donations in Singapore. The application makes use of the connectivity of social platforms to crowdsource for donations. Its colorful

IOM X Connect Singapore Applications have more to them than just connecting people socially. They’re also a great way to tackle global issues and to educate oneself without needing a textbook. Created by IOM X (International Organization for Migration) and Microsoft, the IOM X Learn, Act and Share App is a great example.

Who said apps were just purely for entertainment? Red Cross Connection is an app, but it has very real impacts on the lives of those receiving blood donations. Gone are the usual campaigns - this application has all of that and then more.

Red Cross Connection also has a This app was developed to aid Singapore students in conducting a social survey on human trafficking and exploitation. Hoping to raise awareness on the issue, students from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) took to the streets with the app. They tested 100 Singaporeans on their knowledge of human trafficking. However, survey results showed that most were unable to identify potential victims of trafficking, and the gravity of the issue was underestimated overall.

Survey apps like the IOM X Learn, Act and Share App are becoming useful tools in conducting such research. Apps connect people, and this has made it easier to spread messages to many people all at once. With those survey results, IOM X can now hope to design their activities with a clearer idea of their target audience. Applications have a vital role to play in such projects, and can be good aides in advocating a cause. Just as how the IOM X Learn, Act and Share App can impact the fight against human trafficking, just think of what applications could be used for when tackling other issues! R

LIFESTYLE

FOOD KARMA:

A taste of Indian food with a conscience BY CHLOE ANG

ay-what-you-want restaurants have been popping up all over the world and yet, Singapore hasn’t really jumped on the bandwagon yet. Perhaps we are afraid to ‘lose face’ if we pay too little and end up looking ‘kiam siap’ (Hokkien for stingy) or perhaps we simply aren’t ready to deal without having an absolute figure that we can represent our meal in terms with. Yet, my latest dabble in such a concept at the Indian restaurant Annalakshmi turned out to be a very refreshing change. The concept is simple, you go in for a buffet meal of Indian vegetarian cuisine and when you leave, pay according to your gut feel (pun not intended). At the second branch of this establishment, a smiley, white-haired man at the counter might wave you in benevolently, welcoming you inside to feel the cosy ambience. Somehow, Annalakshmi is set up in a way that will radiate a sense of goodwill to you. The food also impresses the palate, with a wide assortment of vegetable curries and biryani rice and dessert and drinks all readily available. Personally, the potato with raw banana emerges as my favourite and the desserts are delicious too.

The founder of the international chain of restaurants is the late Swami Shantanand Saraswathi who opened the Temple of Fine Arts. Thirty years ago, the Annalakshmi restaurants were founded through the desire to provide food to those who could not afford a meal. A staff member confirms that foreign workers on a tight budget and looking for a decent meal frequent the restaurant. This is a dining concept that is founded on a cycle of goodwill; those able to reimburse more help to keep this organisation going, and enable those who need it to continue to benefit from it. I expected to feel pressured to take less or pay more but the staff aren’t pushy and the elderly man accepts your payment with an understanding smile as if to say he knows you gave what you could.

We’ve all been so caught up in taking the most insta-worthy photo of our food, finding the best light to take pictures and picking the cafes that are the ‘next hipster cafe’ in vogue. Yet, after a while, doesn’t the food usually taste the same, the furniture looks like it’s all bought at the same store and the endless line of cafes become a bit... monotonous? Pay-what-you-want eateries tend to have a rather grounding effect in that they remind you of the little bits of humanity that exist in the unlikeliest of situationsfood is everyday and ordinary to most of us, but is also precious and extraordinary to some of us. Who knows? Maybe instead of chalking up likes, we’ll decide that chalking up good karma is a lot better. R

Annalakshmi Janatha 104 Amoy Street Singapore 069924 Annalakshmi (Second branch) #01-04, Central Square 20 Havelock Road Singapore 059765

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PLEASE LISTEN TO ME

‘Y

ouths are a marginalised group’, my internship supervisor said flatly.

This notion went against everything I understood about my position in society. What I have is privilege, the dirty word of our fractured world and something that I vow to never take for granted. “Marginalised” hardly appears to be the right word to describe an educated, middle class, Chinese cisgendered person in Singapore. How does being young amount to anything that can be considered disadvantageous? For one, young people are protected by an age moratoria– we are sheltered from the realities of the working world and are expected to cultivate ourselves (i.e. take from others), while adults face pressure to contribute and give back to society. Even the beauty industry has been obsessed with us for the whole of their existence. But there are facts that cannot be overlooked: youths are a demographic minority and the percentage of youths is

A PHOTOVOICE ESSAY BY YU PEI FERN

expected to continue shrinking. A consequence is that public policy discourse emphasises the aging population, putting us on less-than-equal importance next to the elderly. Our age is often pegged to inexperience, as though quantity of time lived is equivalent to its quality. Even when our voices are heard, they are often proffered for their token value –the “young person’s perspective”- rather than as valuable in themselves. Call me cynical, but never count these perspectives out. Enter PhotoVoice, a research methodology that places the narrative in the hands of the subject rather then being left to the researcher’s devices. The medium of photography becomes a platform for the voices of the marginalised. I may be privileged in some ways and less so in others. But what we have or do not have should never stop us from being heard. I was able to present my PhotoVoice series to senior civil servants during my internship at the National Youth Council last summer. This is what I said.

RESILIENCE Youths today have been called a variety of names, from “the strawberry generation” to being self-indulgent, running their lives on social media and seeking only short-term gratification. “They have no resilience. They are lazy and unwilling to work hard.” These labels may be true, but they are not definitive traits of today’s youth. Hearing others slam youths so readily can be frustrating when you consider that youths are simply reacting to a world that they had little part in building as children. Instead of labelling the generations for their ways, we need to remember the contexts have changed. We can only make the best out of what’s been left for us.

CREATIVE

ENGAGEMENT Youths’ opinions are typically received in public spaces – Pre University Seminar, Polytechnic Forum, Model United Nations, etc. While we may look at this group of youth as a model of young, active citizens, these youths are typically the privileged few that have accumulated advantages over their peers, enabling them to become such youths whom adults would prefer to invite to such events in the first place. They may be vocal and visible but certainly not fully representative, and it would be a grave mistake to see the silent majority as being any less insightful.

EDUCATION Does the emphasis on meritocracy in education undermine our understanding of the role played by the environment? I had been a fairly weak student for much of my school life, ignoring my studies in pursuit of my interest in writing despite the little support for it. One teacher told me that I would be a failure in life. While I was lucky to find myself in a place that enabled me to steer my life in another direction, many others are unable to overcome their circumstances and never see the true boundaries of their potential. Without discrediting one’s individual talents, perhaps it would do us good to remember that those who succeed at school simply manage to fit into the system.

CREATIVE 41

MIGRATION A friend of mine recently migrated to Perth, barely weeks after graduation from university. Her reasons for leaving are typical– the desire for a slower pace of life, a less stressful environment for her (future) children to grow up in and dissatisfaction with her life here thus far. While the grass may be greener on the other side, it is still grass after all and we will have to cut it. Nothing can grow without proper cultivation and each place comes with its own host of issues. Maybe other people find that they thrive under different conditions. But I want to stay and make it a better Singapore for everyone to live in; however others may define it.

NATIONAL IDENTITY

Growing up in Singapore has been a bit of a culturally confusing experience. As early as the 1980s, our leaders have been worried that we would end up as a “rootless and transient society” if our youths did not appreciate our history. But it is difficult to practice a national identity that is not yet fully formed and at times sporadic.

Is it so bad to be “rootless and transient” when we could see it as being “fluid and adaptable”? In any case, traditions change – instead of focusing on finding the Singapore identity in the recesses of history and nostalgia, I want to enjoy the process of exploring it.

CREATIVE

TECHNOLOGY “Quick! Stop it! It’s a child with an iPad!” Most of us have heard some variation of this statement. Web and digital addiction has been one of the main issues debated for the better part of the new millennium. Thanks to technology, we have become a generation grasping for real relationships with others.

But just think for a moment – if we went back 300 years in time and told people that painless surgery was possible, they’d probably think that we were freaks as well for cutting and sewing up people. It’s not so much that “youths these days are addicted to their phones and cannot have meaningful relationships with others”. Rather, the nature of how we relate to people is different, as it has constantly changed throughout history.

THE RIGHT TO LOVE In June last year, same-sex marriage was legalised across the United States by word of law. This gave a huge boost for LGBTIA communities everywhere across the world. I myself wonder if the same can ever happen in Singapore because the usual response is, “Now is not the right time.” In the end, some forms of discrimination are legitimized while others are openly condemned. I think this is a lesson from history that people tend to misunderstand. What the Holocaust, Apartheid and Civil Rights Movement remind us is hardly that racial discrimination is wrong, but that any of discrimination is deeply inhumane. Is there ever a right time for change to happen? Maybe a truly free, colourless world is not truly possible. But while idealism still runs in me, I, and many others before me, will always be looking out for the right time to come. R

CREATIVE 43

WIT AND WHIMSY: An Interview with Darel Seow, Design Entrepreneur BY CHIA SOONG MING

t just 26 years old, designer-illustrator Darel Seow has worked across Singapore and the UK for clients such as the Asian Civilizations Museum and Gap. His quirky kid-friendly illustrations, often about nature, have been featured everywhere from t-shirts to the entrance of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. He was also a featured speaker at the Singapore Writers Festival 2015. The Ridge speaks with this Singaporean up-and-comer about his work, international reception, and entrepreneurship in an unconventional field.

Describe a typical day of work as an independent illustrator. [It] entails wearing a ridiculous number of hats – it’s challenging having to juggle marketing, accounts, meetings and the creative work itself. Contrary to what many think [about] having ultimate freedom and flexibility, being selfemployed also means your boss overworks you terribly. In the midst of a project, [I work] from the moment I’m up [up to the moment] I roll back into bed, repeated ad nauseam.

To what extent does this lifestyle meet the expectations you had when you first embarked on an unconventional career path? I don’t suppose I had any expectations, apart from the very idealistic and naïve one of making awesome work daily. I’ve learnt [that] so much time [has to be] devoted to noncreative work, and [that] having a creative block bothers you much more than when [design] is just a hobby. It’s hard work and very tiring, but I can’t imagine doing anything else!

What do you consider your signature style? I work in too many different aesthetics to name one. I enjoy telling stories, both through words and images, and like to garnish them with a dash of wit and whimsy.

What has been the reaction of clients and the public to your aesthetic and the themes explored by your work? My foray into design began with t-shirt designs for Threadless, which entailed understanding what the target market wanted both in terms of subject matter and aesthetic. I don’t function the way many artists do in terms of expressing themselves through their creations. I’m drawn to a problem and respond to it visually, where teasing the solution out brings me the greatest sense of satisfaction and joy. I’ve heard from friends that my t-shirts have been seen around NUS, so I hope [my work has been] well-received!

From where do you draw inspiration and ideas? The vast majority of my work is rooted in nature and that’s where most of my ideas originate. In general, I like observing everyday life and the little quirks and surprises I spot along the way, which [is] always a good starting point for an illustration. Other times, I just sit and think, hopefully [without] nodding off. Interestingly, I get most of my ideas whilst showering – perhaps I should just move my studio there, although I can’t quite see my computer agreeing with it.

Do you think there are sufficient opportunities for new, full-time designers in Singapore? How so? I don’t feel qualified to comment [until I gain more experience], but it’s encouraging to see better-looking designs [on products] all around. Granted, beautifying brands is just one aspect of design, but it points to a positive shift in perception regarding the ability of design to add value to a product or company.

CREATIVE

It’ll be a while, but I believe the essence of design is bridging differences, and I am optimistic that this common ground will make it an attractive option for companies to employ, bringing work to the growing league of designers.

What image do you think you put forth as an ambassador of “Singaporean” design while working abroad? As Singaporeans, we are pretty well-poised in that most [foreigners] have a positive view of our country, and on top of that, speaking English fluently adds a rather delectable cherry. Unfortunately, no one [I’ve spoken with] seems to know anything of Singaporean design or designers. I’ve let [my overseas contacts] know that things really are getting better and I’ll be returning to rapidly growing industry where I’ll be able to play my part in shaping its development.

“

I hope that in seeing the way I work and what I make that there’s something to look for in future!

I hope that in seeing the way I work and what I make that there’s something to look out for in future!

As a “foreign” artist in the UK, how strong an expectation is there for your work to incorporate your ethnicity and nationality? I know of many others who wish to incorporate an aspect of their background into their work, but I’ve never had the desire to do so. Perhaps being in London felt quite similar to Singapore, in that Singaporeans are in the unique position of an English-speaking Asian country and we’re far more Westernised than our counterparts. Furthermore, most large cities are far more similar than we imagine and being in such a metropolis means that everyone is pretty much free to do whatever they want, free from expectations. R Check out more of Darel’s work at http://darelseow.com/.

Design Credit: Darel Seow Images from: printclublondon.com,

CREATIVE 45

YOUTHS FOR A CAUSE, armed with Creativity BY ALISA MAYA RAVINDRAN Photo:http://www.aanf.org/youth-summit/

CIP AND EARLY EXPERIENCES

he mandatory Community Involvement Programmes (CIP) should be familiar to those who completed primary and secondary education in Singapore. Be it picking trash from beaches or tutoring underprivileged children, most youth ended their social engagement with such compulsory school-organised programmes. In recent years, however, several youth groups with social causes have sprung into action, many using creative methods to promote their work.

CREATIVE YOUTH CHANGEMAKERS In the past few years, groups of young adults have come together to work towards a positive social cause. The Hidden Good is one such group, aiming “to uncover the good in ourselves and those around us”. The social enterprise employs a variety of methods including entertaining YouTube videos, flash mob dances and a series of appreciation events to spread the message of kindness in Singapore and to promote such a spirit in our society.

At Conjunct Consulting, youth are combining business sense with social causes

Conjunct Consulting is another such organization. Almost entirely run by student volunteers, they provide probono consulting to help a variety of institutions including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities to help streamline their workflow processes. UNSAID, another youth-run collective, aims to tell the lesser heard stories through artistic mediums such as theatre. Lastly, photographer Bernice Wong brings to attention difficulties that foreign workers encounter in Singapore.

Members of The Hidden Good engaging the public to show thanks for mothers at a Mothers’ Day event.

CREATIVE

LOOKING BEYOND THE SELF These youth groups use a variety of methods to highlight and remedy social issues. The common thread tying the groups is the rising number of youths more interested in serving the larger community, often through innovative means, showcasing both an interest in the arts as well as a rising social-consciousness. Young Singaporeans are no longer trudging through mandatory CIP-type projects to fulfill graduation requirements. They are expending time, energy and effort to building brand names, working with beneficiaries, organising projects and executing events for a social cause they are passionate for.

CAN YOUTH REALLY MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE? How effective are youth groups in creatively promoting their causes? Effort, and a lot of it, is required to curate videos, plays and other creative methods of outreach. Is it worth the effort? With so many competing sources of information readily available in our media saturated world, only a clever hook will capture the public’s attention to the work of these youth groups.

COMMUNITY-CENTRIC WORLDVIEW It is encouraging to see the mindsets of Singaporean youths shift to a community-centric worldview. Globalization, an increase in the proliferation of the arts and sheer youthful boldness are three of the many factors contributing to this change. Able to see their opportunities and their ability to make changes more clearly than ever, horizons have broadened for today’s Singaporean youth. Perhaps, youthful vigour is the greatest asset for those behind such groups. For there is no doubt that a great amount of energy, resilience and trial-and-error is involved in their work.

“

With so many competing sources of information readily available in our media saturated world, only a clever hook will hook the public’s attention to the work of these youth groups. ”

Bernice Wong engages the large community of foreign workers in Singapore to highlight the challenges they face through her photographs.

Creativity is therefore a necessity. Despite funding from organizations such as the National Youth Council and raiSE, these youth groups lack the financial clout of larger firms. In that sense, how much of an impact can these youth groups really enact? Perhaps, their greatest hope is to have faith in the ripple effect: the hope that one good event or project will cause a stir among people, and that their cause will spread by word-of-mouth. Despite all these efforts, it is still unclear how far these youth can go. Perhaps, at the end of the day, it is the small triumphs that will count. R

CREATIVE 47

INVISIBLE HANDS BY WENDY WONG

osephine Tan is a Year 1 Political Science and Psychology student currently on exchange at the University of Michigan. The 21 year old photographer took these photos of migrant workers along with Rachael Ng, a Year 4 Literature student. Josephine tells us what inspired them to get handson with these photos. Why did you choose to photograph migrant workers and their hands? We were inspired by Humans of New York and wanted to showcase the individual - the migrant worker who might have a family, who is working hard for their loved one’s future. That’s why we focused on the face and the slight details of each migrant worker that makes him an individual. What do you hope viewers will take away from looking at your photos?

“My name is Abdul Halim, from Bangladesh. I come here to earn money. I work in construction for big company. I do the signaling for cranes at the work site at Upper Thompson road. I came here for 5 years last time, then I go home, then now I come back again. Maybe will work 5 more years. Of course like working in Singapore, no choice, must earn money.”

I hope that people who do see my photos come away thinking of how we marginalise this group of people in society. I think we really need to have a serious conversation about migrant workers in Singapore - how they are viewed, how they are stereotyped as being ‘dirty’ and ‘unclean’. This conversation cannot just involve us students or even non-profit organisations like MWC, but needs to involve the migrant workers themselves. Only they know what it is like to be marginalised and how we as privileged members of society can help. R

To see more of her photos and to find out what inspired her to go hands-on with these portraits, visit theridge.sg today.

“My name Alamin. I work in Singapore 3 years at marine industry. I do welding in the shipyard. I don’t know how long I will work here, maybe 10 years? I send all money home to my family.”

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