The RIDGE - Oct-Nov 2014 Issue by The Ridge

THE RIDGE MAGA ZINE

THE RIDGE MAGAZINE - A NUSSU PUBLICATION OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2014 Find THE RIDGE on Facebook facebook.com/NussuTHERIDGE

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CONTENTS NEWS

OPINION

06 SINGAPORE LYRIC OPERA: GALA CONCERT 2014

17 LESSONS FROM A POLYGLOT

BRUCE AND VIVIAN SUNG 30 TV SHOWS FALL 2014-2015 LINE UP 31 GEKKAN SHOUJO NOZAKI-KUN

18 LOVE MACRITCHIE 08 SINGAPORE’S NEXT BIG THING ON NUS CREATE AND THE STUDENTS BEHIND IT

20 WHAT DO I OWE YOU?

10 INTERVIEW WITH JEANETTE AW

22 MUCH ADO ABOUT NUSSU

12 50 FOR 50: GIVING CHANGE A CHANCE

26 GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME

14 BRINGING LOVE TO EVERY SINGLE SOUL (BLESS)

32 BROOKLYN NINE-NINE 33 IT LURKS AROUND THE CORNER: TWISTED PATH OF THE HORROR FILM GENRE 34 MOVIE REVIEWS: JU-ON AND THE DESCENT

ENTERTAINMENT

35 ON THE BECOMING OF THINGS – MAGICAL REALISM AND HALLOWEEN

28 RISING STARS – AN INTERVIEW WITH

36 MOSAIC MUSIC FESTIVAL: HERBIE HANCOCK 37 SKIN GAME – A NOVEL OF THE DRESDEN FILES 38 WINNER TAKES IT ALL

LIFESTYLE 40 THE ART OF COFFEE CUPPING

42 STEP ABROAD 44 EUROPE: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY 46 STREET STYLE: FASHION MONTH EDITION

WIRED 48 STGCC - WHERE EAST MEETS THE WEST

50 XBOX ONE - THE NEW CHALLENGER IN CONSOLE GAMING 52 8TRACKS - MIX AND MATCH PLAYLISTS FOR EVERY MOOD

SPORTS 56 INTERVIEW WITH 2014 NUS DOTA 2 CHAMPION TEAM’S CAPTAIN, SHI DONG

04 EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR’S NOTE

“ T

he first edition of the Ridge was published in the mid 80s—almost three decades ago. We’ve come a long way since then, from the “newspaper type publication” envisaged by then NUSSU Publications Secretary Tan Cheng Han, to the magazine you see before you today. The Ridge now comprises of a full team of writers, designers, and editors who regularly pour their blood, sweat, and tears into the making of this magazine. Their efforts are the reason why it is always discomfiting when we encounter blank stares from our fellow students when we mention the magazine, many of whom are unaware of the very existence of this publication. It is with this in mind that we have set up a new social media and marketing team, whose initial aim is modest—getting the student body to acknowledge our existence. We will be holding two competitions for this issue, where readers will get to win up to $600 worth of travel vouchers and vouchers for a free 2D1N stay at Costa Sands Resort!

It is our fervent hope that even readers who have only picked up a copy because of the publicity will ultimately stay for the content. In this issue, we have a whole line-up of articles touching on a diverse array of topics. Did you know that famed actress Jeanette Aw used to be an NUS student? News Desk Editor Velda Wong has the scoop, with an interview about Ms. Aw’s time at NUS and her struggles with balancing school and work. Meanwhile under Entertainment Desk, Tan Yan Ni brings us a refreshing and charmingly candid interview with the stars of the Taiwanese blockbuster of the summer, Café. Waiting. Love. Closer to home, Sports Desk Editor Yang Kai Yuan talks game strategy with the captain of the winning Dota 2 Team of the NUS Star League. Aspiring to a connoisseurship of coffee beyond the offerings of your local Starbucks, but not sure where to start? Lifestyle Desk writer Chloe Ang goes for a coffee cupping session at Common Man Coffee Roasters to offer us a tantalising glimpse into the world of “hardcore coffee”. Or is your sense of taste hampered by the implications of unethically sourced and traded coffee beans?

Opinion Desk Writer Anthony Wong proffers a commentary on our moral obligations to help the world’s poor as consumers living in a developed country. I hope that the unique mixture of the light-hearted and entertaining, and the serious and contemplative found within the pages of this magazine will serve as a pleasant sidetrack from the humdrum of daily life.

Debra Chua Chief Editor theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg

EDITORIAL TEAM 05

EDITORIAL BOARD Chief Editor Debra Chua theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg Deputy Chief Loh Kai Ying theridge.depchiefeditor@nussu. org.sg Creative Director Patricia Jonatan theridge.creative@nussu.org.sg Head Designer Karen Tan theridge.headdesigner@nussu. org.sg News Desk Editor Velda Wong theridge.news@nussu.org.sg Opinion Desk Editor Gabriel Pik Liang Marini theridge.opinion@nussu.org.sg Entertainment Desk Editor Tan Yan Ni theridge.entertainment@nussu. org.sg Lifestyle Desk Editor Wendy Wong Shumin theridge.lifestyle@nussu.org.sg Wired Desk Editor Zhou Jiajia theridge.wired@nussu.org.sg Sports Desk Editor Yang Kaiyuan theridge.sports@nussu.org.sg Copy Editors Nurshahiylia Erdina & Yu Pei Fern theridge.copyeditor@nussu.org.sg

CONTRIBUTORS Social Media & Marketing Director Kee Jia Yun keejiayun@gmail.com

News Desk

Webmaster Angelita Sasmita angelita.sasmita@gmail.com

Opinion Desk

Financial Manager Lee Kay Ling a0084324@nus.edu.sg Operations & Logistics Manager Teo Minshuen a0088383@nus.edu.sg Acting NUSSU Communications Secretary Kellie Chong commsec@nussu.org.sg Social Media & Marketing Managers Sufyan Selamet bookwormsuf@gmail.com Pang Jun Xiang pang_jun_xiang@hotmail.com

Drishti Bahld

drishti@nus.edu.sg

Gwen Xu

koh.zhi.min@nus.edu.sg

Pauline Teo

pauline@smart.mit.edu

Angeline Tan

a0065586@nus.edu.sg

Anthony Yoong

anthonyoong@gmail.com

Joanna Tan

tjyjoanna@gmail.com

Entertainment Desk Chia Soong Ming

a0072975@nus.edu.sg

Regina Koh

regina.koh.yp@gmail.com

Fenny Fong

fennyfong7@gmail.com

Marilyn Cheah

cheah.marilyn@gmail.com

Angelita Sasmita

angelita.sasmita@gmail.com

Lu Xinyi

rebeccaluxinyi@gmail.com

Lifestyle Desk Chloe Ang

chloe.nathania.ang.2012@vjc.sg

Hannah Haw

hannahhaw@hotmail.com

Sufyan Selamat

bookwormsuf@gmail.com

Wired Desk Ng Ching Peng

zombieoutbreak@live.com

Rakel Tang

rakelbluewolf@hotmail.com

Yeo Jun Yan

a0111387@nus.edu.sg

Sports Desk Yang Kaiyuan

Mary Lee mglee2@illinois.edu Lim Wei Di weidi@nus.edu.sg Grace Ng ngrace@nus.edu.sg Kok Ann Ng a0071969@nus.edu.sg

yangkaiyuan@nus.edu.sg

Designers Cheryl Low

cheryl.low@nus.edu.sg

Colin Ng

colin.ng@nus.edu.sg

Grace Ann Chua

graceannchua@gmail.com

Kelman Chiang

kelman.chiang@nus.edu.sg

Sun Lixin

victor.sunlixin@gmail.com

Ye Zichen

zichen@nus.edu.sg

06 06

NEWS

singapore lyric opera gala concert 2014 // Pop music, alternative rock, acoustic tunes - been there, done that! But when was the last time you went to an opera? DRISHTI BAHLD

On Aug 22, the SLO launched two Asian debut singers at the Gala Concert: Kishani Jayasinghe, a British Sri-Lankan soprano, and Arthur Espiritu, a Filipino-American tenor; the two singers who made their debut in Singapore during the concert have performed on several international stages. However, they were particularly enthusiastic about performing in Asia - a region they both identify as their “home”. In this exclusive interview, The Ridge got the chance to interact with both singers where they generously shared about the exciting elements of their performance:

What are your thoughts about making your debut performance in Singapore?

What do you consider to be the most exciting element of your performance?

Arthur: I’m very excited and looking forward to my debut in Singapore. I have never been to the country and will be looking forward to experiencing the sights, sounds and the people of Singapore.

Arthur: I can’t say exactly what would be the most exciting element of my performance but as a performer, I would like to hope that all aspects of my performance would be exciting. To the newcomers, I would like to say… It is common to expect many things with opera and also common to make assumptions from what you see on stage. Please expect the unexpected. Different performers present different approaches to their performances. As for me, I try to interpret the piece I’m singing according to what the composer and librettist intend and hope that I can reach out and give that expression to the audience. To

Kishani: I am very, very excited about my debut in Singapore. To be doing it with the Singapore Lyric Opera at the beautiful Esplanade Concert Hall is a real treat. In addition, I get to sing some of my favourite roles and composers all in one evening Mimi/Puccini; Hanna/Lehar; Sophie/ Strauss; Marguerite/Gounod; Gilda/ Verdi - I think it’s going to be a really special and magical evening!

Arthur Espiritu - Tenor

Kishani Jayasinghe - Soprano

make a performance more true and uninhibited, I have to try my very best to tell the story as written. Kishani: The thrill of making music and creating a live performance with beautiful and lush melodies is an amazing feeling. That moment of walking on the stage with the hall buzzing with anticipation and expectation is all very exciting. Being able to move an audience, touch their souls and entertain them with sublime music by the Masters is a really special feeling. And then of course there are all those stunning dresses...!

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07 07

William Lim - Baritone

Anna Koor - Mezzo-Soprano

Joshua Tan - Conductor

In addition, we got the chance to interview the revered local opera artists Anna Koor (Mezzo-soprano), William Lim (Baritone) as well as Joshua Tan (Conductor) on how newer fans should approach their first experience with opera. What would be your message to younger fans and first time operagoers? William Lim: We recommend that the young audience and especially first-timers come with an open mind. And to understand that opera is not boring but an exciting art form. They have heard of Paul Potts and Susan Boyle of Britain’s Got Talent fame… It’s incredible how accessible the

opera music is! Anna Koor: The vocal technique employed by us will be distinctively different from the pop music of today. They should keep an open mind. I believe that it’ll be a refreshing change of music style. So sit back, relax and enjoy! Joshua Tan: I think the audience will be surprised at how great and wonderful these pieces are. And yet, at the same time, they are all so varied and different. It will be a thoroughly enjoyable and moving evening. Even if you are unfamiliar with the music, you are bound to fall for them. Just sit back, relax, come

with an open mind and go along with the ride and musical journey. I remember my first experience with operatic music when I had no clue what the singer was singing about nor the plot. Yet the music was so unbelievably beautiful that instinctively you get it and you get hooked.

A big thank you to all of the artists for their responses! This insight into the world of opera is sure to remind our generation of the beauty of opera, and perhaps even motivate them to go for their first opera piece at Esplanade this season!

NEWS

singapore’s next big thing: nus create and the students behind it NUS STUDENTS HELP TO PIONEER FIRST SINGAPORE-DEVELOPED DRIVERLESS CAR

Demian Chong (2nd from left) and Qin Baoxing (5th from right, leaning on car) with the NUS-SMART AVs and the AV team at the workshop in CREATE@UTown.

PAULINE TEO & GWEN XU

an’t pass your driving test or having problems walking to the station? Worse, can’t trust the reckless drivers around you? No fear, the driverless vehicle is here! Driverless golf buggies will soon be piloted at the Chinese and Japanese Gardens – thanks to an NUS-MIT alliance. These buggies will ferry passengers about public parks and this will enable elderly residents enjoy the outdoors without having to

move about too much. Gwen from The Ridge visits the team behind this innovation at CREATE @UTOWN, just to find out more. In light of the local ageing population and in bid to help develop innovative transport solutions among other motivations, NUS and the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) started out with an old golf cart which functioned as its prototype four years ago. Using LIDAR (laser)

sensors for location sensing, the golf buggy affectionately named Rudolf has played a large part in further developments in this project which five NUS post-graduate students are working on. Keeping costs low, below $30,000, a stark contrast to the more popular driverless vehicle we know of from Google, the driverless car by SMART is targeted to become more for public transportation usage, and it is slated to be able, as least theoretically, to reduce the number of vehicles on

the road to a third of the current number should this concept be taken up widespread islandwide. Moving from operating an autonomous buggy at 7km/h in pedestrian environments, the team headed by Prof. Emilio Frazolli and Prof. Marcelo Ang have progressed to an Autonomous Vehicle (AV) in the form of an electric car with a maximum speed of 30km/h, being able to work in poor lighting/ indoors/rainy conditions, detect and avoid obstacles, and it is

NEWS

environmentally-friendly because it runs on electricity. On a full charge of 8 hours, the car can travel a distance of up to 130km. Several highlights of this research carried out by a mixture of mechanical engineering and computer science students are that it would solve the “first and last mile” problem of public transit, fewer vehicles meeting needs of many, solution to peak hour periods and better utility. Granted that vehicle ownership, a large take-up, strategically distributed charging stations would have to be built throughout the city would be required for this innovation to have a greater impact, the research means that existing technologies are combined with fresh methodologies, intelligently providing mobility on demand, making the future transportation paradigm a reality. While it is true that implementation would still be another milestone to get over, we at the NUS should be proud of the work our graduates are doing! In the words of Prof Marcelo Ang, “transport affects all of us and thus it is important”. This research then is contingent with our leading mission and vision in NUS, to be a leading global university centered in Asia, influencing the future, to transform the way people think and do things through education, research and service.

research? AT A G L A N C E DC: After graduation, I scouted around for a PhD programme and found out about the SMART Fellowship programme in 2009 and … the rest is history. I was given this golf buggy and just told by my supervisors to just get it to work – driverless-ly! He said, “The engineering problem will give you the research topic! I said, “OMG!” QB: Some seniors told me that Prof Marcelo Ang of NUS Mechanical Engineer Department was a good supervisor, so I approached him and he offered me two research topics – Industrial Robotics Arm and Autonomous Vehicle (AV). Naturally, I chose AV! Gwen: What exactly did you both do? QB: I worked on the perception problem – how to use the sensor which perceive the environment and translate that to something that the robot will understand. DC: I worked on every other problem of the car! QB: I sit in the cool air-conditioned control lab while Demian works like a mechanic around the car! Gwen: What was the most challenging part of your work?

Gwen, from The Ridge, speaks to Demian Chong and Qin Baoxing, two of our very own NUS PhD students who have played key roles in the development of the driverless golf buggy. Amidst seriousness and tongue-in-cheek replies, she chats with them about their learning journey.

DC: I think this is coming up soon. We will have to operate two buggies for 6 hours continuously at Chinese & Japanese Gardens for the public. This means come rain or shine, we have to follow the buggies around on our electric bicycles. (I think we’d look a bit ridiculous – but this is all in the name of research!)

Gwen: How did you both get involved in this driverless car

Gwen: What is the most fulfilling part of your work?

About the research • Objective - To solve the first-and-last mile problem of public transit; and to bring the cost of AVs down (<$30K) • Led by Prof Emilio Frazzoli, the Lead Investigator of SMART Future Urban Mobility research, and Prof Marcelo Ang of NUS Mechanical Engineer Department • Funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation under its Campus for Research Excellence And Technological Enterprise (CREATE) programme, through SMART. Driverless golf buggy • Driverless max speed – 10km/h • Driverless speed amidst crowd – 7km/h • Able to work in poor lighting/indoors, rainy conditions • Able to detect obstacles and manoeuvre around them • Environmentally-friendly as it runs on electricity Driverless electric car •Driverless max speed – 30km/h •Able to work in poor lighting/indoors, rainy conditions •Able to detect obstacles and manoeuvre around them •Environmentally-friendly as it runs on electricity •One full charge of 8 hours allows the car to travel 130km Advantages of driverless car • Safety, productivity and convenience of driver • Better utility of the vehicle (since 90% of the time, the car sits in the carpark) • Promotes car-sharing since it is able to self-drive to the next user, hence enabling car-sharing to take off

DC: When we successfully transferred the technology from an aged golf buggy to the electric car (I actually got the buggy to work as instructed by my supervisors!) And subsequently to a fleet of new golf buggies. QB: Seeing our algorithms work, i.e. The buggy is doing what we have designed it to do. I’m proud to say that because of my work, the AVs are super safe! Gwen: Do you have any last words to other NUS students who may be keen to further their studies?

DC: As long as you’re passionate about your work, success will follow. The job will follow suit too as I’ve since joined SMART as a research associate. QB: Actually, I never wanted to work! And even though I’m now working in SMART, I feel like I’m still a student, in my red track suit, denim bermudas and black track shoes, running around on campus, doing experiments with the buggy. But I’m happy! For more on the AVs, log on to www. smart.mit.edu. R

NEWS

INTERVIEW WITH

Jeanette Aw VELDA WONG

idely known for her breakthrough role in Singapore’s Mediacorp Channel 8 mega-blockbuster production The Little Nyonya, The Ridge is delighted to find out more about Jeanette Aw’s days in the National University of Singapore (NUS) before she became a local household name.

1. Tell us more about the activities you undertook when you were in NUS. Dance took up a big portion of my time when I was in NUS. I was very much involved in NUS’ Dance Ensemble (DE) and I eventually became the President of DE. Besides DE, I was also taking my ballet classes in a ballet school

outside of NUS. I remember taking double grades for my ballet classes and when the ballet exams were approaching, I’d be taking double classes, which basically meant I was dancing almost everyday. DE dance practices were about 3 times a week, with technique classes conducted on Sundays. Even though my schedule was packed to the brim with nothing but dance classes, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

“

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I GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU DO WHAT YOU LOVE, THE WORK WILL NOT APPEAR AS DAUNTING, BUT RATHER YOU’D BE YEARNING TO WANT TO LEARN MORE WITHOUT FEAR OF THE CHALLENGES.

2. When did you discover your love for music, arts and theatre? Were there any prominent scenes that inspired your passion for them when you were young?

3. What difficulties did you face in school? Could you tell us one significant event where you felt completely helpless but managed to pull through eventually?

I have always loved dancing since I was young and was a gymnast in my school team during my primary school days. It was only in secondary one that I decided to learn ballet, so it was a relatively late start. That explains the need for doing double grades in order to catch up with my peers. Dance and music are kind of inseparable, as music flows through your body through the movements and choreography. Additionally, I was interested in learning a musical instrument, so I joined the Symphonic Band hoping to play the flute. I was given the saxophone instead, but I grew to really fall in love with the saxophone with time.

I completed a double major in theatre studies and psychology, with a minor in English literature, and they were the subjects that I really loved. University days were my happiest academic years because I was finally able to choose subjects that I had a strong passion and interest for. I genuinely believe that when you do what you love, the work will not appear as daunting, but rather you’d be yearning to want to learn more without fear of the challenges.

My passion for acting really only developed later during my college years, when I had more exposure to the arts and different performances. With dance, we learnt to emote and tell a story with choreography and our bodies. Theatre brought that to a whole new level for me. There were a lot more techniques and skills involved and it is a craft that should be respected. So as we were deciding the core subjects to major in, theatre studies naturally became the first choice for me.

The real test came when I was offered a full time acting contract upon graduation, and then the Honours offer followed after. Deciding to take up the Honours was a dilemma because it meant that I would be doing Honours and taking on my new role as an actress full time on both ends. Writing my thesis and filming at the same time was nothing short of grueling and stressful. I remember going without sleep for days on end, just shuttling between school and the filming studio. I was also sent to Taiwan to film for four months and I had to defer a semester; this meant my peers had graduated and I had to resumed school with a company of new faces. There wasn’t much

comfort in that. There were some moments of frustration, moments of fatigue, moments of despair, moments when I thought I’d never be able to see it through, but I did. I did graduate with an Honours degree eventually. 4. Were there any moments of limbo you had to face during your varsity life? And, what is one life lesson you took away from NUS? I vividly recall having a part-time tutor teaching me in my final semester. She wasn’t the most supportive tutor - I remember her coming up to me one day and saying that I should just choose to focus on one thing instead of trying to handle both. Her words verbatim, “Jeanette, you should consider if you want to give up acting since you actors don’t earn much anyway or drop your Honours.” My stress level at that time was at an all-time high. I had serious sleep deprivation but I was still trying my best to perform. Instead of speaking words of encouragement, she just shattered any bit of confidence that I had left. I spoke to my family and my Professor and I soldiered on because I simply didn’t want to disappoint them. I’m glad I pulled through, because at the end of the day, I’m pretty happy with where I am now at this point of my career and I can say I’m an Honours graduate.

Life lesson? Well…There will always be people who can’t wait to see you fail but don’t be discouraged. Just push on and believe in your own potential. You don’t need to prove anything to your naysayers, think about the people who believe in you and love you, and you will find the strength to fight on. 5. Regarding your acting career, were there any major challenges you faced during the course of progression? What motivated you to keep pushing through? In a high profile job as a media personality, there will always be talk about you, be it lovely comments, negative criticisms, or even personal attacks. It’s all part of the job and it comes in a package. Improving and honing my craft has always been my focus, but learning to handle these comments is a learning process for me. It’s tantamount to the NUS part-time tutor multiplied by a few hundred. Slowly, you learn to sieve out the destructive from the constructive. I keep an open heart and mind and will work on the points that I know need working on. The life lesson I learnt in school helped me push on. I think about my family, my supporters, my fans, and all the production people who believed in me and who have helped me along the way. I owe it to them for where I am at and what I am right now. It is never an individual effort.

NEWS

50 for 50

Giving Change a Chance VELDA WONG

o celebrate Singapore’s 50th anniversary in 2015, a group of 50 youths called The Social Co launched 50 for 50, a charity drive which aims to raise money for charities in Singapore on Sep 23 2014.

50 for 50 is supported by the SG50 committee and will have 50 individuals known as “changemakers” who will raise funds for the charities they have an affinity with. The Board of Advisers headed by Miss Elim Chew will also aid the founder of the Social Co, Miss Rebekah Lin. “Through this initiative, we want to raise awareness for charities that people don’t necessarily know,” said Miss Lin, 29, at the launch of 50 for 50 at *Scape. “We hope to break the stereotype that the youth are only concerned about themselves and not others.”

Each changemaker will raise funds for his/her adopted charity and corporate donors will be roped in to match dollar for dollar according to the amount raised by the changemakers. The government has set aside $250 million in grants to support the Care & Share Movement, a national fund-raising and volunteerism movement under the National Council of Social Service, for the social service sector. Donations raised by the changemakers together with the corporates will be matched by a one-for-one government grant for the charities. SingTel has stepped forward as the first corporate donor while one of its staff has volunteered to be a changemaker. Some of the charities supported by the changemakers are as follows: 1) Social Inequality – needy

families e.g. Children’s Aid Society, Heartware Network, Ang Mo Kio Family Services Centre 2) Aging Population – active aging and caregiver support e.g. St Andrew’s Cathedral Home for the Aged, The Breadline Group, All Saint’s Home

whom have a strong ‘can do’ attitude and possess the same passion and vision to do good for the community. Ms Lin also said that they began The Social Co after finding that “Singaporean youth possess a lot of creativity and could use that gift to do something good”.

4) Medical Care – mental illness, disabilities and caregiver support e.g. Singapore Association of Mental Health, Caregivers Alliance Ltd, Singapore Cancer Society, HCA Hospice Care

Her group will raise funds through activities like carnivals, cocktail parties, auctions and open-mic nights to help at least 40 lesser-known charities here. Selected charities include the Student Advisory Centre, which helps underprivileged kids, and Caregivers Alliance, which supports caregivers of persons with mental illness.

Ms Lin, who is pursuing a PhD in English at Birkbeck, University of London, also shared that the idea of “The Social Co” was started with a couple of good friends over a cup of iced tea just three months ago, all of

“We hope to raise awareness for charities that people do not know about, charities that are not often in the limelight and have difficulties raising funds on their own,” said 18-year-old social entrepreneur

3) Social Cohesion – integrating and supporting work with migrant workers e.g. Healthserve

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Elijah Ted Ng, the youngest in the group. “Bigger charities here have the resources to generate publicity and many people know them,” said Ms Tan Li Li, executive director of the Singapore Association for Mental Health, which provides rehabilitative care to persons with mental health conditions. Mr Philip Tan, Chairman of Care & Share Movement Steering Committee and Chairman of Community Chest, who was present at the launch said: “It is heartening to find these 50 youths coming under The Social Co to raise funds for the charities. They all hold full time jobs and yet they are able to volunteer their time to raise money to support their chosen charities. I applaud the collective efforts of these 50 changemakers who want to make a difference to the lives of the less fortunate. As

we prepare for the celebrations of Singapore’s 50th Anniversary, there are many initiatives or celebrations being planned to make our country an inclusive society. For Community Chest, we want to rally organisations and individuals to contribute their time, expertise and money to help the less fortunate and make Singapore’s Golden Jubilee next year an especially meaningful one for all.” Mr Andrew Buay, Vice President, Group Corporate Social Responsibility and Talent Coach of SingTel, said, “SingTel is proud to be a corporate sponsor for SG50’s 50 for 50 charity fund raising initiative. We are especially delighted that one of our own young talents has stepped forward with a team of likeminded colleagues to drive the fund raising campaign.”

their perspective, develop a passion for the greater good, and gain values that will make them well-rounded and successful leaders in the company,” he added.

About The Social Co The Social Co, founded by Ms Rebekah Lin, is formed by a group of youths (all under 35 years of age) who will spearhead a charity drive to celebrate

One of the changemakers, Paul Foster, will kickstart his donationraising efforts by organising The Global Party on Sep 24 2014 at the House of Dandy. Invited guests will have to buy tickets to attend the Party where they will have a chance to buy auction items and donate further. Mr Foster’s chosen charity is the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Singapore’s 50th Anniversary. “50 for 50” will have 50 individuals raising money for charities in Singapore. The charities they have identified are under the following broad categories – Society Inequality, Aging Population, Social Cohesion and Medical Care. CoChairs of “50 for 50” are Cheryl Chong and Aseem Thakur. The Board of Advisers are Elim Chew (77th Street), Elaine Kim (CRIB), Fang Eu Lin (PwC), Leona Tan (UBS), Angelic Cheah (Pacal), Jeremy Lim (Oliver Wyman) and Michelle Ang (Ogilvy Impact). More information about The Social Co and the profile of the 50 changemakers can be found at http://50for50.sg/.

“This initiative is a great opportunity for our young talents to broaden

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B L E S S RINGING

OVE TO

VERY

INGLE OUL

VELDA WONG

ounded by National University of Singapore’s (NUS) alumnus Francesca Phoebe Wah, BLESS was set up in hope to revive the Kampong Spirit that is increasingly diminishing in modern Singapore today. A unique non-profit organisation, BLESS is strongly communityfocused and is managed by a total of 45 students and alumni. The group believes in the power of community and that community is its own strongest resource, which is why they have adopted the overarching approach of “a community for community” in its work by tapping on the available resources to existing social service agencies and the less privileged.

E N GA GE . E N RICH. EMPO WER. Launched on campus on August 16, BLESS has already started serving more than 884 children by providing them with basic school necessities, conducted weekly reading programme for underprivileged children, and has reached out to elderly people who live alone. They have also raised almost $11,000 from their donors through a programme that utilizes online media to receive gifts and donations from the public and distribute it to less privileged children. These initiatives were carried out in tandem with volunteers from the community and agencies like Fei Yue Family Service Centres and the Young-At-Heart Community College.

BLESS is also in a three-year partnership with the NUS Centre for Social Development Asia (CSDA). The social work and psychology graduate shared that the inspiration of setting up BLESS came from wanting to spread joy to 120 underprivileged children with gifts for Children’s Day last year. However, her generosity was restricted by the lack of financial support and thus she decided to canvass for funds through wordof-mouth from her immediate contacts. Much to her surprise, she successfully managed to raise more than what she expected, and was able to purchase simple stationery sets and plush toys for 360 children within two days.

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There are 5 main programmes under BLESS: Bringing Love to Every Small Soul Members of the public can go to a website to “purchase” an item for a child. Bringing Learning to Every Shining Star Resident volunteers conduct reading programmes for children aged 4 to 9 years old who are living in the same block as them. Bringing Laughter to Every Single Senior Resident volunteers conduct activities for the elderly people who live in the area.

Bringing Love to Every Single Stranger Students—from primary schools through universities—complete a BLESS card by demonstrating random acts of kindness to familiar individuals in their community Baking with Love for Every Sweet Soul Bakers commit to contribute a minimum of 12 cakes a year to children beneficiaries for their birthdays.

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“We need to develop head knowledge on how to assist the less-privileged appropriately and effectively. With this collaboration, BLESS is able to partner with CSDA to document all our processes and conduct proper applied research to contribute to the furtherance of the skills and knowledge in social development,” said Francesca. Interested volunteers are gladly encouraged to join the non-profit organisation and contribute their expertise, time or money into any of its altruistic programmes. As the old adage goes, ‘If you have never been there, you don’t know what it feels like’, aptly describes how privileged Singaporeans will never

truly understand the circumstances of the less well-to-do without living a life where money is a constant worry and one has to scrimp and save just to survive. Perhaps it is time for more young Singaporeans to step up to the plate to do more for their community at large and make a positive difference to the lives of others make a positive difference to the lives of others. To find out more about BLESS and its volunteering opportunities, visit www.bringinglovetoeverysinglesoul. com and like their Facebook page at facebook.com/ BringingLovetoEverySingleSoulSG/.

IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN THERE, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE.”

OPINION

lessons from a polyglot tips for learning foreign languages ANGELINE TAN

aving achieved fluency in five languages, I often get the question: “How do you find the time to learn so many languages?” Well, the thing is, I don’t find the time to learn them, it’s “time” that finds me. Okay, cheesy puns aside, my point is that you don’t have to go out of your way to allocate time (sometimes painfully sacrificing some much needed time to pray, exercise or commute from one place to another) to learn a foreign language. You just have to blend your foreignlanguage learning into activities you are currently doing. Polyglot speaker Benny Lewis, founder of fluentin3months.com, advocates adopting this mindset when learning foreign languages: if you cannot be in the country of your target language, bring that country to wherever you are. My tips for language learning are very much in this spirit.

Listen to decent, good-quality foreignlanguage songs or podcasts even if you don’t entirely understand the lyrics I am more of an audio learner, so if there is one method that enables me to learn new words, it is through listening actively, and listening a lot. A LOT. Personally, I’ve found listening to podcasts and music most helpful. You can now listen to foreign

language podcasts even while exercising on the way to school! Foreign language music is great for picking up new languages too! Moreover, with a catchy melody in the background, it can sometimes make it easier to remember certain phrases. For the record, slow-paced ballads are really great for beginners to the language. Don’t stress out too much if you can’t catch all the lyrics at first! Just pick up what you can, and sit back and enjoy the song!

Commit yourself to learning a certain number of words per day. REPEAT and APPLY them in your daily life Personally, I try to learn 3-5 new words per day in my target language. No high expectations, just 3-5 simple words. Usually I try to read material in my target languages, or simply formulate my thoughts in them. Next step: repeat and repeat them in many situations throughout the day until it get drilled in. You can even introduce these new words to friends who may not even know the language. Just try not to annoy them too much! Like me, you may have a bad memory when it comes to new words. But don’t

let that hinder your language learning! Be realistic, and set achievable goals for yourself. 3-5 words may not seem like enough, but within a week, you’ll start to see more improvements and feel smarter.

Talk to friends (native speakers or friends who are learning your target language) Just talk. Don’t feel shy, Grab every opportunity to speak out. They’ll be more than willing to help you. Or you could do a deal: “You teach me Vietnamese, I teach you English, etc...”

Make use of services like Whatsapp, Skype, and LINE to communicate with native speakers One good language learning hack is to leverage upon all the various social media and technological platforms to put your language learning skills into a real-life context! More often than not, your international friends will be more than willing to communicate in their native languages, and by doing so, the friendship bonds you make can become even deeper and more meaningful.

I wish you all the best in your languagelearning endeavours!

oneplaceo

OPINION

love macritchie JOANNA TAN

ith the unveiling of the proposed Cross Island Line (CIL), and its possible route across the Central Catchment Nature Reserve near MacRitchie Reservoir, many nature lovers have expressed concern regarding the impact of the line’s construction and its eventual operation on the natural environment. . The Nature Society of Singapore (NSS) has proposed re-routing the CIL to avert plausible environmental destruction. By appealing to our ‘love’ for the nature reserve, the “Love MacRitchie” campaign was started by several ecoenthusiasts to raise awareness towards this issue and to gather voices among Singaporeans to save this fragile ecosystem. The CIL line, as its name suggests, will cut across the island, serving as a key transfer line. Starting from Changi, the line will pass through towns such as Pasir Ris, Punggol, Ang Mo Kio, Clementi, with its final stop at Jurong Industrial Estate. It was intended to provide an alternative to the current East-West Line for commuters travelling in the East-West direction. Upon its completion, it would shorten travelling time significantly and vastly improve accessibility of public transport to the residents in these locations Of all the eco-concerns, the gravest involves the potential damage of the placement and operation of Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM) during the soil investigation works of construction. Nature-lovers fret that soil exposed from forest clearance will be washed into streams, resulting in the degradation of natural forest habitats.

photo credits to David Teng

OPINION

But before we become overwhelmed with the scientific explanations and conclude that the proposed route of the CIL is a terrible mistake, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a moment to re-examine the facts with a little more optimism. While there may be risks of environmental degradation during soil investigation, this can be mitigated. With detailed examination and planning of procedures prior to tunnelling, the possibility of constructing the tunnels without disturbing the nature reserve is substantial. Each TBM is built with a full face cutter head which excavates the ground at the speed of 1-3 rpm1. The loosened material can then be removed from the cutter head via a screw conveyor, which moves the material through the back of the TBM and out of the tunnel via a conveyor belt. As compared to the Cut-And-Cover method used in the construction of North-East Line, the use of boring machines to build CIL can minimise ground disturbances. As such, the sedimentation of loosen soil can be averted with conscientious efforts to protect the environment.

While two kilometres seem like a short distance for a train travelling at 45 to 80 km/h, it actually requires more than 40 million dollars to construct this additional railway, if we only account for its tunnelling costs. From the engineering and operations viewpoint, a straight rail line is also better and cheaper.

The NSS has proposed two alternative pathways for the CIL, but both would require a longer pathway around the nature reserve instead of cutting across it. The more popular and shorter Southern alternative follows Lornie Road and passes through potential catchment. It requires around 1.7 to 2.0 kilometres of additional railway, depending on the design alignment.

Even without considering the aforementioned economic costs, the alternative routes may be less ideal than we think . The MRTs operate on electricity. For every train that circles around the nature reserve, it has to expend electricity for the additional four minutes. Taking this into account, the redesign of CIL route seem relatively less environmentally-friendly as initially

While the value of our environment should never be evaluated in monetary terms, we have to recognise the fact that this additional money has to come from either the pockets of taxpayers in the country or from the users of the MRT . Those mildly concerned about the ecological agenda (especially those of the lower income group) may consider this a waste of resources. To remain competitive in this fast-growing world today, Singapore has to ensure that productivity is maximised at all times. When the public transport route is extended unnecessarily, the movement of workers between home and workplace is less efficient. And this will compromise our national labour productivity.

thought. Reaching a Compromise between Conflicting Interests Some form of resistance from an interest group can always be expected when any deliberate change is implemented. And this is true, not only for government policies. Therefore, a great level of wisdom and discernment is always essential to weigh all viable options before the best solution could be found. Unfortunately, sometimes the conflicting pursuits of different stakeholders can make any option seem a little worse than the best solution. One such example is the recent effort to relieve congestion along Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) and Lornie Road. Although NParksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; intervention of the initial plan to expand Lornie road had successfully prevented the encroachment of primary forest in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) near to MacRitchie Reservoir, the resultant alteration in design led to the Bukit Brown Cemetery Controversy. The conflicting interests to conserve Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heritage and its sparse greenery makes it almost impossible to make a decision without some form of compromising on either side. With multiple stakeholders to satisfy, the decision-making process can be more complicated than it seems. As for CIL, there has already been some feedback from the residents living in the vicinity of Lornie

Road, Adam Road and Thomson Road who will be affected should the alternative route become the actual plan. Many worry about the additional disruption CIL constructions would bring to a heavily built-up residential area Ultimately, if people had to choose between caring about nature and their own convenience, most would give in to the latter. As such, the problem cannot be easily resolved by selecting either of the alternative routes as the interests of other stakeholders have to be considered as well. Therefore, the key to finding the best rail line is to first reconcile the divided paths of the forked road to bring about congruence in opinion on the way forward. Perhaps, the debate over the proposed route for CIL is not as bad as we think after all. It did in some way serve to remind us about the beautiful and precious green spaces in Singapore whose existence is once again, being endangered. In the advocacy for a re-alignment, the Love MacRitchie campaign actually motivates us to re-discover the amazing biodiversity in MacRitchie - through organised walks to appreciate the intrinsic value of nature. Whichever route the train ends up on, one thing we can be sure of - it will definitely bring greater convenience and comfort to all public transport users. This is undoubtedly going to be a benefit for all. R

rpm ~ revolutions per minute

OPINION

What do I owe you? ANTHONY YOONG

ow much resources will we spend for the rest of our lives? Living in the developed world where basic necessities such as clean water are widely accessible, we often sideline problems experienced by parts of the world we do not see. In countries without proper infrastructures in education and governance, children are unable to receive proper schooling. Many children in developing countries are forced to work at the expense of receiving an education. Worse, various industries and corporations exploit these economic weaknesses to find sources of cheap labour, in order to manufacture their goods at a higher net profit. The cocoa farming industry in the Ivory Coast uses child labour extensively, with children as young as five collecting cocoa beans in plantations. These children are subjected to harsh (and dangerous) working and living conditions, collecting very little pay. They are also deprived of an education: in the Ivory Coast alone, 40% of the children working in these farms do not attend school. It is impossible for these children to break out of poverty â&#x20AC;&#x201C; most of them work in these plantations until adulthood. They are not secured a decent future, having spent their youth in physical

labour and without gaining any skills. The cocoa collected by these children goes into making our favorite chocolate products (such as various brands produced by food giant NestlĂŠ), which we consume regularly without knowledge of the production processes. People living in such conditions are unlikely to break free of their predicament, given the global structure of labour division. Developing countries that carry certain natural resources would find themselves having little option but to open up these resources for trade. They lack the technological infrastructure needed to harness and utilize these resources, and would require assistance from developed countries to build up their potential. Their workers are unable to gain skills that can propel them economically, because the nature of their jobs would be largely manual. But what does this have to do with us? Do we have the power to help these people? Even so, are we responsible for their fates? I will attempt to clarify these inquiries by briefly providing a global perspective to the problem of poverty and duties.

photo credits to Threads Apart

OPINION

In today’s context, the sense of duty to assist people in need stem from the fundamental belief in universal rights. Most democratic states (liberal or otherwise) uphold the idea of individual rights to decent living, or basic human rights. The most significant political manifestation of this concept can be found in the United States’ Declaration of Independence, which states, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The concept was also incorporated in the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, which mandates in its first article that all humans “are born free and equal in dignity and rights” and should “act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”. In general, most citizens of civilized societies can agree that every human individual is entitled to basic rights by virtue of being human. If we follow this ethical framework, we are obliged to assist all povertystricken people to the furthest extent of our capabilities. The global political context of modern times is not conducive for the principles of universal rights and duties, to say the least. Basic individual rights are mostly legislated and protected within individual states only. State governments protect their own citizens’ rights through public policy and local law enforcement, ensuring that each citizen is able to pursue his or her own means of survival within the boundaries

of the law. But if a breach of human rights occur in an external state, it is not considered politically legitimate for a foreign government to interfere. In other words, if a group of people are trapped in a poverty cycle in their particular country due to inadequate infrastructure, it is near impossible for any external state to directly modify their policies and legislations to improve their situation. One common argument against intervention is the claim that state sovereignty overrides individual rights. A proponent of this belief is political theorist Michael Walzer. In his 1980 paper titled “The Moral Standing of States: A Response to Four Critics”, Walzer defended the value of ‘communal integrity’, which derives its moral force “from the rights of contemporary men and women to live as members of a historic community and to express their inherited culture through political forms worked out among themselves”. In short, interfering in the political process of a foreign state (including how they determine what rights they should have) is tantamount to infringing their rights as a community. The idea of universal human values remains without a firm ideological foundation or institutional backing in the political arena. Even with the enormous lobbying and legislative efforts by various human rights groups over the past decades (such as the U.N. Human Rights Council and Amnesty

International), the defence of individual rights remains largely under the jurisdiction and prerogative of sovereign states. So are we still responsible for the fate of people living in poverty? Our individual answers to that question depends on our views on the value of human life. If we view human life as fundamentally valuable above all other things – we are more likely to place critical importance on securing a decent standard of living for all human beings. This vision requires major policy changes, and drastic revisions of our consumption patterns. Utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer suggests that such revisions are morally necessary if the funds we save from spending on luxury items can buy life-saving necessities for the destitute such as vaccination, food and shelter. If forgoing the purchase of certain nonessential luxuries – such as a private car or a new smartphone – can provide the opportunity to buy tubercolosis vaccination for a Nigerian baby, then we should forgo that purchase. Singer recognizes this claim as a tall order, but a valid one. Regardless of our stand on this issue, we ought to think about the consequences of our consumption patterns, the resources we are expending, and where else they could have been spent on, especially for those who choose to believe in a universal standard of human rights and duties. As for those who do not … that is a separate conundrum altogether. R

OPINION

Much Ado about NUSSU DEBRA CHUA

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t is a truth universally acknowledged, that every article critiquing NUSSU by a NUS student, must be in want of at least an implicit acknowledgment that the vast majority of the student population have as much fascination with the affairs of NUSSU as they do with watching paint dry.

More often than not, one almost detects a certain sense of sheepishness on the part of the writer for bothering to even expend the effort to articulate grievances that nobody holds, or at best only have a fleeting interest in. Even the recent scandal about the validity of NUSSU’s claims to transparency seems to have provoked more responses from external parties in the blogosphere and online news sites than from the parties who should have the most stake in the issue itself—the students. Many netizens have made interesting comparisons between

NUSSU and whichever state entity that happens to be at the forefront of their mind—the Central Provident Fund Board, Temasek Holdings, and even the government itself. It is noteworthy that in the latter case, the comparison holds in at least one respect— accusations of being out of touch with the sentiments on the ground have plagued NUSSU. A critique which, if true, is somewhat ironic, given that the sheer numerical size of NUSSU with all its committees and subcommittees ensures that it constitutes a sizeable proportion of the student population. Perhaps as a result of this criticism, NUSSU

nussu.org.sg

OPINION

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has consistently emphasised its receptivity to feedback from students, regardless of whether it is to do with the university, student life, or even the Union itself. The latest push for feedback issues from the public relations arm of NUSSU- the Public Relations Unit (PRU) which has launched Prubear, a social media campaign aiming to collect feedback from the student population, somewhat paralleling the state’s attempt to garner more feedback through My Singapore Conversations, though that campaign was (to its detriment, I’m sure) not fronted by a furry mascot fond of making puns on his name. The parallel between NUSSU and the government, I would suggest, holds in at least one more respect— public perception. NUSSU suffers from a very real public image problem. For many, it is looked upon with benign indifference and seen as an irrelevant, overly bureaucratic entity, whose only meaningful contributions to student life consists of welfare packs and orientation camps. At worst, the

Union is perceived as a selfserving organisation populated by ruthlessly ambitious young people looking to adorn their resumes with exalted titles demonstrating their leadership skills; people who ascribe lofty ideals to their various projects, which in reality, are simply a means of crafting real-life examples to substantiate their claims to personality traits desirable to potential future employers. It has also been pointed out that its executive committee external elections are somewhat farcical given the dire voter turnout rate, with the numbers for some faculty clubs not even reaching the three digit mark, therefore only serving to compound the impression that the Union is not representative of the student body. It is against this backdrop that the recent debacle over the Union’s transparency unfolded. For all the paint watchers out there—Mr. Teo Yu Sheng published an article on NUSSU’s finances, arguing that the Union had no justification for declaring its finances as

Perplexingly, [the Union] chose to engage in a bizarre feat of semantic acrobatics in disputing Mr. Teo’s definition of transparency by advocating a definition in which transparency “primarily entails a state of mind” and is “a matter of subjective intentions”.

transparent given that it was unable to publicly disclose a more detailed breakdown of 87% and 89% of its 2013 income and expenditure respectively. In response, the executive committee released an official reply defending the Union’s claim to transparency by explaining that they were unable to provide more information because their funds are held with the university administration, and therefore they have little to no control over the extent of detail in their financial statements. The committee also lambasted Mr. Teo for not acting in good faith by releasing information gained through private email correspondence with union representatives into the public domain without obtaining permission from the Union beforehand. Mr. Teo then countered that the intention of the Union to be financially transparent has no bearing on whether it actually is transparent, because transparency is determined by the degree to which it can publicly account for its income and expenditure.

Essentially, the main bone of contention is the definition of transparency; how it should be determined, and whether the NUSSU’s financial procedures could be justifiably deemed transparent. There were two obvious approaches which NUSSU could have used to defend the legitimacy of its claims of financial transparency against Mr. Teo’s allegations: they could have accepted his definition and explained why particular exigencies of the Union’s financial situation did not permit them the liberty of full disclosure, or they could have challenged his definition of transparency and proposed a new definition, the criteria for which the Union’s finances would presumably meet. THE UNION’S OFFICIAL RESPONSE ADOPTED BOTH. It would have been perfectly possible, though, for the Union to maintain that it has striven to be as transparent as possible while acknowledging that a more detailed breakdown of certain segments

OPINION

of its financial statements is not immediately available to the public, ‘immediately’ being the operative word here. Even Mr. Teo has acknowledged that it is possible for NUSSU to justifiably claim that it has “tried [its] best to be transparent”, but failed to do so because of school regulations. I find it peculiar that the Union did not choose to frame its response around this particular assertion, and instead, perplexingly, chose to engage in a bizarre feat of semantic acrobatics in disputing Mr. Teo’s definition of transparency by advocating a definition in which transparency “primarily entails a state of mind” and is “a matter of

subjective intentions”. Right off the bat, the glaring problem with this definition is the difficulty of determining the genuineness of an organisation’s subjective intentions without reference to the state of affairs, which is merely “suggestive” but not “conclusive”. What criteria would be available to third parties to determine whether the organisation is being sincere in its stated attempts to be transparent that would be “conclusive”? This allegedly more “nuanced” definition further muddies the conceptual waters when the Union’s response implies that transparency comes in degrees, and

that the “threshold of transparency” set by Mr. Teo is inappropriate. This is a rather strange statement to make, because if transparency under the Union’s definition can have different thresholds, does it then mean that measuring transparency by the subjective intention to be transparent, and measuring it by the actual state of affairs, lies within the same scale but are of different degrees, or are the two on entirely different scales? If transparency “primarily entails a state of mind”, then should the subjective intention to be transparent be taken to be both a necessary and sufficient condition for the organisation to be legitimately

photo by Augustin Chiam

OPINION

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deemed as such, or is it necessary but not sufficient? I would suggest that a more coherent approach would be for the Union to accept Mr. Teo’s definition of transparency and argue that it does meet his criteria. NUSSU is transparent insofar as it has welcomed public scrutiny of the finances which are within its power to publicly disclose. This, however, does not translate into the detailed breakdown of its finances being readily available because it is bound by the restrictions placed upon it by the university. It is nonetheless open for the Union to justifiably term its finances transparent because more financial details can be obtained upon request from the university. Certainly, this presents an additional hurdle to be overcome before one can obtain this information, but that does not seem an unreasonable demand, given the fact that the Union’s funds are held by the university and hence the need for its financial statements to tally with the university’s tax records. A reasonable person would not, I think, include a caveat of administrative convenience to the definition of

Classifying him as acting in “less-than-good-faith” and asserting that by publishing his article he is entrenching misinformation only undermines the Union’s claim to being receptive to constructive feedback.”

transparency and demand that the desired information must be made immediately available before the organisation is justifiably deemed transparent.

to be transparent and publicly accountable? Perhaps. But does this then, give the Union warrant to adopt the level of belligerence it does in its official response to his article?

I also find the Union’s accusation that Mr. Teo acted in “less-thangood-faith”, and that his article “[entrenches] misinformation”, problematic. It is a guiding principle in civil discourse (admittedly, not always followed) that one adopts the most charitable interpretation of the other party’s argument, and all the more so when one is offering a counter-argument. Claiming that Mr. Teo was acting in “less-thangood faith”, although not completely unjustified given that he publicly disclosed details of his private email correspondence with Union representatives without receiving permission, was, as it were, a lessthan-charitable interpretation of his intentions. Was it wrong for Mr. Teo to release information he gained from private correspondence into the public domain without obtaining the permission of the Union? Yes. Does the presentation of events in the article unfairly cast doubt on the Union’s concerted efforts

Classifying him as acting in “lessthan-good-faith” and asserting that by publishing his article he is entrenching misinformation only undermines the Union’s claim as being receptive to constructive feedback. The distinction between unfairly casting aspersions on the Union’s finances, and as opposed to merely seeking clarification and subsequently expressing dissatisfaction with the received response, seems rather thin. In any case, it is not immediately clear to me why casting aspersion should necessarily be viewed negatively. If anything, countering the allegations that are made against it has provided the Union with the opportunity to clarify its position and strengthen the legitimacy of its claim to financial transparency within public discourse, an opportunity that is particularly valuable when one takes into consideration the general apathy of the student body towards NUSSU.

As someone who has only recently been inducted into NUSSU committee meetings by virtue of my position at the Ridge, I find the incongruity between the warm geniality and sincerity of the NUSSU volunteers and elected officers I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and the impression of the Union conveyed in its official response, rather startling. NUSSU’s official response to this incident is perhaps telling of its lack of experience in dealing with formal, public criticism—to the best of my knowledge, most criticism of the Union has been conveyed through informal means, social media, or through private email correspondences, where the discursive strategy is markedly different. Hopefully, the Union will, as a result of this incident, learn to set the parameters of discourse and view similar incidents, if they occur, less as an exercise in damage control and more as an opportunity to significantly improve its public reputation. But then again, dear reader, nobody really cares right? R

OPINION

GOODNESS GRACIOUS ME

A Singapore Conundrum

LIM CHUN HUI

arlier this year, British journalist Charlotte Ashton, ten weeks into her pregnancy, boarded our local Mass Rapid Transport (MRT). Nauseated by the commute, Mrs Ashton had to resort to crouching the rest of her way as not one passenger offered their seat to the expectant mother. Having read to this point, one might be incredulous, even sceptical of her account. Yet, some of you may be able to identify with such a situation. Have we truly lost our ability to express kindness to one another? Are we desensitized to the plight of others?

This year, Singapore scraped past the halfway mark with 55/100 on the Graciousness Index implemented by the Singapore Kindness Movement; moreover, a Gallup poll conducted in 2012 ranked Singapore as the “least emotional” country in the world. While such polls can be argued to be of limited value, their prevalence and consistency may certainly suggest that there’s much room for improvement when it comes to expressing our altruistic side. Could it be possible to rectify this ignominious trend? Viral comments in social media seem to suggest that Singaporeans believe that

the path forward lies in educating our younger generations on the importance of being gracious. I disagree. It is by the very importance of educating our future generations that I stress, within our generation, we must channel our focus into shaping its educators to be sufficiently competent on the very topic of graciousness that they are, evidently, so lacking in experience. Let’s not imagine that the government, schools, or government schools, should be responsible, or even adequate, for clearing up the mess in society. Its high-time we recognise that the litter on the streets isn’t just

somebody else’s business because if we ourselves fail to learn the meaning of graciousness, what meaning are we then to impart to our future generations? Gracious /ˈɡreɪʃəs / 1 Courteous, kind, and pleasant, especially towards someone of lower social status. (Oxford Dictionaries) Yeah. We’ll probably just Google it. My own thoughts are that simply leading by example is probably a more effective way of “educating” impressionable youths. In that regard, it’s everyone’s responsibility

OPINION

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to be an educator; but before we can even recognise our individual responsibility to do so, we need to educate ourselves first before we are able to pass it on. Having travelled much, I’ve come to think that the quality of service and the general courtesy of a society seems to have a close association with each other. I recall one experience I had in California which was even so pleasant as to leave a lasting impression on me of their society. Upon entering one seafood restaurant, I was cheerily greeted by a chorus of melodious, chirpy voices which announced in unison, “Welcome to Bubba Gump!” We were swiftly ushered into our seats, menus placed delicately into each of our hands. “How are you guys doing on this fine day?” a loud booming voice echoed, accompanied by our dedicated waiter for that morning, a young, virile gentleman with a smile

that accentuated the sincerity of his words. Our orders were taken and he hustled off to get our meals on the burner. Dishes started to pour out of the kitchen barely ten minutes later. Whilst marvelling at the monstrous size of my steamed crustacean, I could discern the distinct strum of a banjo. “Ladies and Gentlemen, today we are honoured with the presence of a couple here on their honeymoon. Let’s sing them a song!” What followed was an amalgam of music and laughter as the entire restaurant erupted into a fury of vivacious hilarity, with everyone taking a breather from their meals to clap along at the expense of the blushing newlyweds. What begins in their service industry has been reflected into the gregarious nature of every

BECAUSE IT PROVES THAT YOU DON’T NEED MUCH TO CHANGE THE ENTIRE WORLD FOR THE BETTER. YOU CAN START WITH THE MOST ORDINARY INGREDIENTS. YOU CAN START WITH THE WORLD YOU’VE GOT.” - CATHERINE RYAN HYDE

Californian. The culture of paying it forward is ingrained in their very identity. Graciousness is at the heart of California’s service industry, where customers are treated as members of their own family, where members of the staff would assist in any way they could, with nary a frown on their faces. Is it your birthday? No way are you leaving without being mobbed by an ensemble of musicians cum waiters/waitresses. You would walk out of the restaurant ecstatic and jubilant, eager to reciprocate those feelings to make someone else’s day. Imagine if we were to adopt California’s tipping culture. I suspect we might just witness an overhaul in the service industry. Every waitperson would be expending blood, sweat and tears to bring

forth the dining experience of a lifetime. They would be courteous. They would be kind. They would be pleasant. The quintessence of graciousness. A culture to yearn for. Well, upon reading this article, all I ask is of you is to make someone else’s day. Compliment a friend for keeping awake during lecture, question the uncle/auntie from your favourite stall on why they refuse to display their Michelin stars, then applaud them for their modesty. Let it form into a perpetual network of reciprocation, where being gracious will mellow into an act of second nature. Hopefully, just hopefully, the next time a person is in need, there will be someone close by, to pay it forward.

ENTERTAINMENT

RISING STARS: AN INTERVIEW WITH

Bruce & vivian Sung TAN YAN NI

What does it feel like to be a newly minted star in the film industry? The Ridge speaks to the leads of Cafe. Waiting. Love - Bruce and Vivian Sung to find out.

aving achieved stellar box office results in Taiwan and Mainland China, Café. Waiting. Love is widely regarded as the Taiwanese blockbuster of the summer. Starring Vivian Sung, Bruce, Megan Lai and veteran actor Vivian Chow, Café. Waiting. Love chronicles the love stories of its main characters against the backdrop of a café frequented by college students.

Despite being newbies in the film industry, co-stars Vivian Sung and Bruce are naturals on screen, sharing an electrifying chemistry in their roles as best friends who fell in love with each other. The Ridge speaks to the fresh-faced duo about life, love and acting. Both of you attended the same acting classes and eventually played a couple in Café. Waiting. Love. Have you ever thought of dating each

other in real life?

(played by Marcus Chang in the film) – guys who are like angels.

Bruce: If there’s an opportunity… Vivian: Stop confessing your love to me! It feels as if the decision lies with Vivian now. Bruce: I’ve always been making confessions to her, but I think the type she likes are the guys like Ze-Yu

So Vivian, do you have a specific type of guy that you like? Vivian: I think I’m really similar to Si-ying in real life. At first glance, I’ll be attracted to guys like Ze-Yu who are mature and dependable. The strange thing is, the guys I’ve dated all eventually become somewhat like Ah-Tuo. They’re a little silly

Photo credits: Shaw Organization

ENTERTAINMENT

and foolish – someone who likes to take you on adventures and do very strange things. Even though I thought that those activities were really frustrating and weird at first, thinking back on it now, those were really happy moments. Does Bruce have a chance?

movies when I was a kid. My friends don’t use my real name as well – they also call me Bruce. Vivian: Yes, even his mother calls him Bruce. Bruce: That’s right, my mother calls me Bruce too. I’ve been using this name all along and it kind of stuck.

Bruce’s Manager: His surname is just Bu, and his name is Lu-Si (Bu Lu-si is the Chinese pronunciation of Bruce). He looks exactly like someone named Bruce. Has the movie inspired you to continue your careers in acting?

Bruce: As for me, I hope to continue my career as an actor. I think that

What is your real name then?

Bruce: My name is just Bruce. When my company wanted to choose an artiste name for me, they gave me a few choices but I thought they weren’t very suitable for me. When they thought of the name Bruce, I took it because it sounded like a cool name, plus I also liked to watch Bruce Lee

Bruce: Her singing… Vivian: Be quiet! I’m talking about my dreams! My dream was to be a singer and I filmed a music video and got exposed to acting. I thought it was quite interesting and starting going for performing classes. After filming this movie, I realised acting isn’t as easy as it seems. At first, it looked like we just went to the set to have fun every day, but we actually did a lot of homework in our own time and went through training as well. I’ve grown to love acting over time.

Vivian: I’ll think about it. Bruce, why don’t you have a Chinese name?

Vivian: Actually, yes. Acting was something unexpected in my life – my initial dream was to be a singer. Don’t laugh at me!

Bruce: Can I reveal my real name?

acting has exposed me to a lot of new perspectives and it’s very interesting at the same time. Most importantly, you get to experience a lot of different lives. For example, Café. Waiting. Love.’s Ah-Tuo let me experience how what it’s like to wear a bikini and walk as a cabbage. I got to work with many industry seniors and managed to create beautiful memories as well. There were also a lot of challenges, like having to wear a bikini in the winter. I hope to be able to take on many different roles in the future, for example I’d like to try fighting scenes, action movies, or even assassination films – I would like to try and experience all these at one point in time.

Photo credits: Marilyn Cheah

ENTERTAINMENT TV SHOWS

Fall 2014-2015 LINE UP ANGELITA SASMITA

ith Labour Day weekend long gone in the United States, we officially part ways with our guilty summer pleasures. But save your tears and anticipation, because this autumn also brings our favourite dramas and comedies to the tv screen once again! Our adorable nerds from The Big Bang Theory are back, scrambling to pick up the pieces after the life changing events in the season finale. In the Revenge finale, all the convoluted plots from season two have been untangled and we are now left with a clean slate. More twists and turns, however, are still to be expected from Revenge and we can look forward to our ‘revegenda’ for this season being fulfilled once again. Veteran shows such as The Good Wife, Castle and Grey’s Anatomy also return have also been renewed to ensure that quality drama still continues running on the television (or for many of us, our laptop screens).

Philadelphia University. A cutthroat lawyer, Keating would not hesitate to break the law in order to win her cases. Every year she enlists four students (from a pool of admiring aspiring lawyers) to work beside her. Amidst all the competition to win her approval, the students somehow get themselves entangled with a real murder. HTGAWM combines the drama from Grey’s Anatomy (remember when we first met the five eager-to-please interns?) and power house characters from Scandal (Annalise Keating is the town’s new Olivia Pope!). This would certainly be hard to resist. Scorpion It has been so long since we have a show about a group of people with a specialised skill set working together under a genius master mind. Anyone recall Leverage? Scorpion is loosely based on the life of Walter O’Brien, a hacker going by the name Scorpion and a computer prodigy with the IQ of 198. O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) and his team of geniuses are then recruited by the Homeland Security to help solve a complex global problem. Madam Secretary

The fall line-up would also not be complete without highlighting the new shows that are premiering this season. While it is highly probable that we will not see most of the shows back for the next season, some might just turn out to be our new sweethearts. So here are some upcoming new shows that we think would be the next topic of conversation. A TO Z Do you miss How I Met Your Mother? The new romantic comedy A to Z may just be able to help you. Set up ala 500 Days of Summer, A to Z tells the whole story of a relationship between Andrew Lofland (Ben Feldman) and Zelda Vasco (Cristin Milioti) the same mother of HIMYM fame, over the course of nine-months. As aptly put by the narrator of the show, “This television programme is the comprehensive account to their relationship.” How to Get Away with Murder Probably the longest title for a show currently airing, How to Get Away with Murder (HTGAWM) is a highly anticipated new project by Shonda Rhimes. Yes, the very same person who captained Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Scandal. HTGAWM follows the story of Annalise Keating (Viola Davis), a distinguished criminal defence lawyer who is also a professor currently teaching at the prestigious

When the title of the show was first announced, many expected it to be a comedy competing with our dearest VEEP. Fortunately, Madam Secretary was not just another copycat show. Madam Secretary is a political drama about a female Secretary of State, Elizabeth Faulkner McCord (Tea Leoni), who has to assume the office after the sudden death of the previous one. A retired CIA analyst, McCord has strong opinions and refuses to participate in the political parade. She often faces difficulties in manoeuvring politically but more than compensates for this with effective work. For those of you who love political shows, Madam Secretary would be delightful company while waiting for House of Cards to return next year. Stalker Even way before its public premier, Stalker has received many critical comments from TV critics for its depiction of violence. The new suspense thriller by Kevin Williamson, who was the brains behind The Following, follows Lt. Beth Davis (Maggie Q) in the Threat Assessment Unit (TAU) of the Los Angeles Police Department. As a former victim of stalking herself, Beth Davis’ manner in handling such cases often take on a personal tone. Be ready for a weekly dose of chills, tension and of course, some kick-ass action from Maggie Q.

ENTERTAINMENT

LU XINYI

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o much of anime has become stale and repetitive. New shows that are constantly coming out sound like derivatives of shows that have been done before. (Each season, Tokyo gets destroyed somehow. Each season, kids get themselves stuck in a video game somehow.) The industry recycles plots and character archetypes that it knows works. There’s rarely anything that feels fresh and new.

“

IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A FRESH ANIME WITH WELL-ROUNDED CHARACTERS, YOU WON'T FIND A BETTER ONE THIS SEASON."

Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, though, is a puff of fresh air. Don’t be fooled by its set up, which does sounds like a typical comedy initially. Sakura (voiced by Ozawa Ari), our protagonist, confesses her love to her tall and stoic-looking classmate Nozaki (Nakamura Yuuichi). Nozaki, secretly a popular shoujo manga artist, mistakes her for being a fan of his manga. He gives her his

autograph and invites her to his house to do inking on his manga, to her disappointment. Look beyond this seemingly typical show set up and you’ll find a refreshing drama unlike its banal counterparts. It takes the usual shoujo tropes and gently pokes fun at them, while never once condescending to its audience. It abandons high-brow, obscure meta-references in favour of a hilarious mix of character driven and situational comedy that never once feels gimmicky. The show manages to take well-worn shoujo character archetypes and subvert them anew, making each character much more likeable than they would first appear to be. Sakura and Nozaki do well as the straight man (and woman) protagonists, but it’s the supporting characters that really shine. When we are first introduced to Mikoshiba (Okamoto Nobuhiko), known as Mikorin, he comes off as your typical shoujo playboy: annoyingly confident, and spouting outrageously flirtatious lines. But then he actually gets embarrassed by the ridiculous things he says, and he’s revealed to be

intensely shy despite his projection of supreme confidence. Mikorin isn’t just another clever rendering of a trope -- he’s a very enjoyable and endearing one because of his layers of vulnerabilities and contradictions. The other characters, too, have the same force of personality behind them. We have Kashima (Nakahara Mai), known as the prince of the school and incredibly popular with the girls -- despite being a girl herself! Kashima, though, has eyes only for Hori (Ono Yuuki), her senior at the drama club, though he remains stubbornly immune to her charms. These characters are more than just deconstructions of familiar shoujo manga tropes -- they’re wellrounded individuals that manage to be very much relatable and likeable. The blurred gender roles in the world of Gekkan Shoujo occasionally makes for excellent satirical commentary, but the characters never feel like mouthpieces. They feel like real characters with real motivations. The show mixes just the right bit of romantic teasing into all the madcap hi-jinks and the rapid-fire punch of the jokes, so viewers -- despite

knowing full well that their romantic expectations will be overturned -- can’t help but root for these characters. Within the universe of Gekkan Shoujo, they also serve as the source of inspiration for Nozaki’s own romantic manga characters, and the contrast between reality as we know it, “reality” in-universe and the unreality of his manga makes for some great comedic lampooning of stereotypes. When Gekkan Shoujo presents a setup for something romantic, you know it’s going to be subverted and played for laughs -- the real question is how. The show manages to surprise viewers again and again by disrupting expectations in so many creative ways, expertly blending elements of deadpan, slapstick, satire and eye-popping visual gags. If you’re looking for a fresh anime with well-rounded characters, you won’t find a better one this season. If you’re just looking for an intensely funny comedy that never lets up on the laughter, well, you still won’t find a better one than Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun.

ENTERTAINMENT

TV REVIEW

Brooklyn Nine-Nine CHIA SOONG MING

efore Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns for its second season, here’s everything you need to know about the comedy series that turned Andy “d*** in a box” Samberg into a Golden Globe winner: 1. It is criminally hilarious Centred around detectives in a New York police precinct, the series is far funnier than the simple premise would suggest. It has a real talent for drawing laughs by finding the silly within the gritty – sure, a grisly murder just occurred… but what if our detectives solved it by bickering over who should play a door as they re-enact the death? There is always something about borderline inappropriate humour that makes us laugh louder. The awards circuit certainly agreed:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine won the 2013 Golden Globe over titans like The Big Bang Theory and Modern Family. 2. There are no weak links Even though Samberg is the most recognisable name in the cast, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is no doubt an ensemble effort. Andre Braugher and Melissa Fumero are especially funny in their roles; but the true star of the series is the shared chemistry of the cast. Everyone is peppered with absurd quirks and is unrelentingly likeable. 3. It goes the extra mile While the strong humour is sufficient enough to carry the series, it still manages to add on extra layers of social themes. Many episodes employ

plots that comment on serious crime or amoral politicking. Heavy subject material, though, is never allowed to outshine the humour. Also commendable is the series’ completely extraneous decision to make the precinct’s nononsense, stoic captain gay, thus highlighting his chemistry with the current ensemble when contrasted with the discrimination faced with past colleagues. 4. You need to catch it while you still can As with many critic darlings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine isn’t exactly a commercial hit. Savour the upcoming second season because it just might be the last!

impawards.com

ENTERTAINMENT - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

It Lurks Around the Corner: Twisted Path of the Horror Film genre CHIA SOONG MING

ove them or hate them, horror films are here to stay! It might help to get acquainted with them by charting the genre’s twisted mutations from birth to what it is today: It’s Alive, It’s Alive! Horror films were produced even before spoken dialogue was introduced to the medium. Many early films pioneered the conventions that horror filmmakers continue to employ today. Without the benefit of using the intrusive blare of a jump scare, silent era films from the 1920s such as Nosferatu and The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, relied on familiar visual tropes: Interplaying shadows and using surreal staging to make their setting and characters seem intimidating. Stronger, Faster, Better

fangoria.com, fogsmoviereview. com, horrorfocus.blogspot.com, ibtrav.com, littlewhitelies.co.uk ladymarshmallow.com

Early antagonists, like famed horror 1930s icons Dracula, The Invisible Man and Frankenstein, had clear physical deformities. Since then, increasingly desensitised audiences have pushed new films to go even further to keep their monsters scary. The lumbering zombies of George A. Romero classics thrilled during their time, but zombie films starting

with 28 Days Later decided to up the stakes with faster and stronger zombies. The recent “torture porn” movement too can be viewed as a similar escalation of the gore-heavy entries from the 50s and 60s. Even among films from the new millennium, the gore of to be found in entries like Saw is completely eclipsed when by later films like The Human Centipede and A Serbian Film, which go a step further to incorporate new elements of revulsion in the form of defecation and incest. Reel Scares, Real Fears Sure, I can’t guarantee anything short of a girly shriek when confronted with the hulking frame of Jason Voorhees or the burnt visage of Freddy Krueger, but the fear behind horror films has always gone beyond a purely visceral reaction. Horror can and will continue to be endearing by eliciting current real-world anxieties. The beauty of the genre is that even the most absurd links can be drawn together effectively by skilful directors. Slither managed to use killer slugs to comment on patriarchy in rural South Carolina. Poltergeist had evil

emerge from the television as society grew increasingly wary of overreliance on media. And Shaun of the Dead achieved the same critical and commercial success as its source material, Dawn of the Dead, by updating the central theme from consumerism to the disillusionment of routine. The Ring Fret not if you are turned off by the rapidly changing face of the horror genre. Filmmakers continually seek to revisit techniques from the past. The Sixth Sense director M. Night Shyamalan was initially celebrated because his style drew comparisons to Alfred Hitchcock. Director Adam Green, too, tried to deliver classic horror to the modern audience by shooting his recent super-gory Hatchet trilogy without the use of any digital effects, managing a continuous shot of a woman’s face being ripped in half using only innovative makeup and props. Perhaps, it is through appreciating horror as you would any other genre of film that you become prepared the next time your worst nightmare confronts you onscreen! R

ENTERTAINMENT - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

orendsrange.com

movie REVIEW

Ju-On: The Beginning of the End Starring: Nozomi Sasaki, Kai Kobayashi

u-On: The Beginning of the End provides a new take on the story behind the Saeki household that inspired the previous nine films in the franchise. The household is haunted by the vengeful spirits of Kayako Saeki (Nozomi Sasaki) and her son, Toshio (Kai Kobayashi). It is said that anyone who visits the house will be cursed and ultimately suffer a painful death at the hands of this mother and son pair. Unlike previous films, Ju-On: The Beginning of the End pays more attention to the characterization of Kayako and Toshio. A human touch is given to the pair through detailing their lives as humans, therefore deviating from the general notion that they are one dimensional spirits devoid of all sentimentality.

REVIEWED BY TAN YAN NI

This is not to say that Ju-On: The Beginning of the End lacks the scares that the franchise is famous for. Director Masayaki Ochiai appears to have carefully extracted the best scenes from the previous films and reworked them again alongside with a new array of horrific moments that will leave the audience reeling in shock. The hallmark of the Ju-On series which has terrified audiences for the past decade, and continues to do so now, is the ability to transform everyday household items into objects of terror through which spirits claim their victims. The result is a profound sense of unease that permeates the entire film, leaving audiences tense even though the actual appearances of the ghosts are fleeting.

Unlike the scares however, the film’s storyline fails to impress. The plot is presented in a series of vignettes which are choppy and difficult to grasp. While the connections between the seemingly unrelated scenes are revealed towards the end of the film, the unexpected ending opens up another series of questions and only leaves audiences more confused than ever.

Ju-On: The Beginning of the End is a film that scores high on the horror scale but leaves much to be desired in terms of narrative. Hopefully, with a title that suggests a sequel in the making, these critical plot questions will not be left unanswered for too long. skymovies.sky.com

movie REVIEW

Ju-On: The Beginning of the End Starring: Shauna Macdonald, Natalie Mendoza

s we lament the lack of trick-or-treating opportunities in Singapore this month, let’s turn the spotlight instead on one of the scariest films of the new millennium. There is almost no possible way for 2005 British film The Descent not to excite you; it is at once a complex exploration of moral ambivalence accompanying a “descent” into insanity and also a movie about monsters in a cave! In the film, young mother Sarah loses her husband and daughter in an accident. One year later, she attempts to conquer the fragility of her nerves through an adventurous cave-diving trip with her friends which then goes horribly wrong.

One of the main strengths of the film is that its terror is well established even before the mutant creatures emerge. In fact, the impossible cave labyrinth and its unforgiving terrain carry the tension for most of The Descent’s runtime. At different times, it the highly realistic and sinister cave setting will evoke the fear of enclosed spaces, heights, darkness, or of survival in nature. When the creatures do finally attack, there will be no problems relating to the sheer abject terror of faced by the group of women. Alongside the intense atmosphere suffusing it, the film is is also a character study on trauma. Subtle but dangerous irrationalities

REVIEWED BY CHIA SOONG MING

emerge from seething tensions between the women. The generous fight sequences with the cave’s inhuman inhabitants are scary not because they aim to scare us. Rather, they are choreographed as desperate, vicious struggles for survival that reflect Sarah’s mental debilitation, and that is where the true terror lies. In the end, past trauma snowballs into insanity, white lies snowball into a life-anddeath crisis and we are reminded that in life, as well as in the unknowns of a cave, one wrong step will snowball into our inevitable doom.

ENTERTAINMENT - HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

ge.com

sky.com

ON THE BECOMING OF THINGS

MAGICAL REALISM and HALLOWEEN REGINA KOH YEE PING

alloween is here. You are walking in a crowd of partygoers, all in costume, and you’re probably in a suit and mask too. Alternatively, in a little black dress and mask; we don’t differentiate. Now, you see that Dracula downing a Bloody Mary; in the next moment, that werewolf and witch leering from in the corner; suddenly you hear someone screaming, only it turns out to be part of the background music, with live instruments!) Either we are in a very typical Halloween party in a club... OR we are in a club of partying monsters… and you don’t quite know which is which. Congratulations, you have just spent one night of your lives in the world of magical realism. Now, would you like that night back? No? No problem, just follow us into the pit... Halloween = Hungry Ghost Festival condensed into one day In Celtic mythology, Halloween, or Samhain, is the only day of the year where the boundaries between the mortal and Otherworld cross. We’ve just exchanged the Chinese festival of the Hungry Ghost Month for its Western equivalent, except with less air pollution and more socially sanctioned distribution of free

“

IT WAS AS IF GOD HAD DECIDED TO PUT TO THE TEST EVERY CAPACITY FOR SURPRISE... TO SUCH AN EXTREME THAT NO ONE KNEW FOR CERTAIN WHERE THE LIMITS OF REALITY LAY.”

the real world that it takes a while to realise.

anyone. Famed author Gabriel García Márquez once claimed that, “It was as if God had decided to put to the test every capacity for surprise... to such an extreme that no one knew for certain where the limits of reality lay.” Other examples of works that could be vaguely placed in the genre include, the famous manga Death Note, and the illustrious BBC series Doctor Who.

One simple thought experiment: We use lightning to light our homes, we use radar to cook, there is levitation in Japanese trains and the computer is a time-sucking machine. Replace ‘lightning’, ‘radar’ and ‘levitation’ with ‘electricity’, ‘microwaves’ and ‘magnetic levitation’, and the fantastic becomes part of everyday fact – the verdict, however, is unfortunately still unknown on the fate truth of the computer as a time-sink. British author Neil Gaiman, for example, is a master of magic realism; his books such as American Gods and The Sandman feature anthropomorphic personifications doing ordinary, everyday things with concerns that are barely different from you or I me.

Halloween is prime time for the vaguely fantastic to happen, even for a something as mindbending as a giant triple-decker purple bus appearing at a hand’s raise. The premise of magic realism lies in treating the commonplace as vaguely fantastic, which is accounted for in its roots in surrealism. To sum up; everything becomes possible on Halloween. Like that man with the devil’s horns and the snappy suit with the pitchfork at the far side. He’s sliding up and he’s going on about a wonderful deal, and says he’s just looking for a business partner, and you nod and go “yeah, sure”. He brings out a pen straight after and goes: “Now, please sign here…”

Why is magical realism so fascinating then? The secret lies in how an object is seen and the wonder that it generates upon being viewed by

At least we’re not bargaining with Wall Street.

- GABRIEL GARCÍA MÁRQUEZ, ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE

candy and pranks. Given that this is the only day in which weird is socially permitted to happen, Halloween is the one time that magical realism reigns supreme, where people get to dress up as monsters and stroll in public in all their costumed creativity. So what exactly is magical realism, you wonder. Magical realism as a genre in popular culture is often undefined. It is usually placed as “something fantastic [which] happens in an otherwise normal and realistic world”. It is not science fiction, and it’s not urban fantasy, yet… things happen. People fall into a manhole into Wonderland; a roadside peddler sells you something that you will need in the next moment; a notebook kills anyone whose name is written into it, and implicitly controls the circumstances surrounding the death; a police box in London looks bigger on the inside than out… The commonplace becomes fantastic and yet conforms so well with details of

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ENTERTAINMENT

Mosaic Music Festival:

Herbie Hancock FENNY FONG

“D

runk on music, drunk on jazz” summarises this writer’s experience at the Herbie Hancock concert, which was a part of this year’s instalment at the Mosaic Music Festival. This concert marks Herbie’s first visit to Singapore. This time, he was accompanied by three other musicians; Vinnie Colaiuta on drums, James Genus on bass, and Lionel Loueke on guitar, and the musicality of these four combined simply blew the roof off of the Esplanade concert hall. Kicking the concert off with their rendition of Herbie’s hit, “Watermelon Man”, the band

captured the attention of the audience immediately, although some may have found themselves somewhat lost as the band moved on to non-routine jazz pieces, massively embellished and driven off-tangent with solos and improvisations, but luckily the music never failed to captivate. Particularly noteworthy was drummer Vinner Colaiuta, who had his own unique drumming technique. From the unusual way he held his drumsticks and his skill in keeping time for the entire band, to his exceptional twist of the 17th beats, his performance was

nothing short of stellar. Some may disagree, but that Vinnie was an irreplaceable element of the entire band’s performance, such was his magnetism and technical mastery. In addition to musical sophistication, there was also an element of risk, especially when the band experimented on several music technologies by using autovocalisation and auto-harmonisation tools on their guitar and keyboards. It cannot be denied that the incorporation of unconventional techniques into their music spiced up their performances, but I feel that at the end of the day, simplicity won out—I was particularly moved by the rendition of a traditional folk

song by Lionel Loueke, and found his performance relatable and easy to connect with at an emotional level. At the end of the concert, he band gave a tweaked rendition of ”Chameleon” which, for what seemed like an eternity, lasted for fifteen minutes. At the end of the day, most of the audience members, like me, left the concert hall feeling slightly dizzy and over-exposed to the music. Nonetheless, being exposed to such an advanced form of jazz was a wonderful experience. It was like being a different kind of tipsy.

musicians.allaboutjazz.com

ENTERTAINMENT

book REVIEW

Skin Game A novel of the Dresden Files Jim Butcher REVIEWED BY REGINA KOH YEE PING

s the 15th novel of the everpopular Dresden Files series, Skin Game requires no advance knowledge to read. Some know-how of the Dresden Files novels, however, might be required to understand its context. In this one, the Protagonist Harry Dresden who is currently working under a faerie queen, is loaned by his employer to work with recurring villain Nicodemus Archleone along with a number of others colourful characters to rob Hades’ vault. The Caper – a plot where a host of thieves band together to steal something − is unpacked accordingly to the defining standards of magical realism. The challenges in robbing a lord of the Underworld are

clear: Betrayal from other members of the Caper is expected and being caught might eventually lead to ostracism from a society of monsters composed of vampires, gods and faeries. The central themes, on top of the overarching one in the series about how choices define characters, include Greek mythology and even Star Wars. Salvation and redemption make an appearance too when a temporarily shattered Sword of Faith reforms as a Light Sabre in the hands of a Jewish mortician-turned-monster hunter, thus redeeming a number of cult members working under the villain of the book. The influence from Greek myths come up when

pride leads to Nicodemus’ fate at the end: his daughter dead by his own hand, his squires defected, his reputation systematically destroyed, and the thorn in his side only pricking in deeper by the Sword of Faith having been turned into a Light Sabre. Butcher’s trademark comes from a number of recurring plot devices such as Nicodemus’ backstabbing, Harry’s ability to play music being granted from a fallen angel, and even a Mjölnir bottle opener, which cleverly serves as a shout out to the recent Thor movies. Skin Game reminds us that the Dresden Files are a metatextual look into pop culture and is overall a welcome addition to the series.

orbitbooks.net

ENTERTAINMENT

YG Entertainment does it again: their newest boy group proves their worth - from their struggles before debuting to their explosively successful all-kill on the music charts with their first album, 2014 S/S.

WINNER TAKES IT ALL

MARILYN CHEAH

G Entertainment’s newest boy group since BIGBANG is out to impress. Despite being the last of the Big Three* entertainment companies in the K-Pop industry in recent years to debut a new boy group, there appears to be no reason for YG’s President Yang Hyun Suk to be worried. Aptly named WINNER, this five-member group looks potentially set to become strong rivals to SM’s EXO and JYP’s Got7. Although they may be latecomers to the K-Pop scene, WINNER debuted with an all-kill on multiple music charts, proving that they are not just another boy group to be taken for granted. WINNER’s immediate success may come as no surprise to some fans who have been highly anticipating their debut ever since they won YG’s survival reality programme, ‘WIN: Who Is Next?’. This programme determined which of the company’s trainees would debut as YG’s next male group, eight years after BIGBANG. Two teams, Team A and Team B, were pitted against each other through several rounds of competition that assessed their overall performances through their dance, vocal, and songwriting skills. The overall winner was determined through public votes, and it was then revealed that the winning

team would debut with a full-length album under the name of WINNER. This method of debuting and showcasing trainees may seem unusual and even unnecessary for a well-established company that has been known for producing talents that are distinctly different from the typical K-Pop idol today. However, ‘WIN: Who Is Next?’ provided an opportunity to the Winner members, who came from Team A, to hone their skills and prepare for a strong debut. The limelight that came with this pre-debut exposure was also definitely helpful in boosting their reputation and popularity even before any formal releases. Apart from their undeniable talent, Team A’s triumph over Team B in the end could also have been attributed to some of their members having already gained a certain level of recognition through other platforms, which ensured their popularity. Leader Kang Seung Yoon (20) had previously made it to the Top 4 in the singing competition Superstar K2, after which he signed on with YG Entertainment and released multiple single tracks, with some reaching the top spot in music charts. Rapper Lee Seung Hoon (22) was also a former singing

contestant in K-Pop Star Season 1, though he came in fourth. However, both of them were returned to trainee status after signing contracts with YG Entertainment. While Team B were arguably the better performers overall for some, especially with their talents in songwriting and dancing, Team A portrayed a maturity and an earnest readiness for debut that was not found in Team B. Team A consisted of members whom had faced multiple defeats and tumultuous experiences as trainees, and all of these were emotionally channeled through in their self-composed songs. Ultimately, it was this distinct edge that allowed Team A to become WINNER. Although it took WINNER almost a year to release their full-length debut album after the end of the competition, it was well worth the wait. Their highly anticipated album 2014 S/S does not disappoint with its diverse musical genres that highlight and blend their individual and overall strengths. Vocalist Nam Tae-hyun’s (20) soulful renditions complements that of Kang Seung Yoon’s powerful and textured voice, while Kim Jin Woo’s (23) soft, airy vocals provides a beautiful contrast. Rap parts are covered equally

well between Lee Seung Hoon’s slightly reedy voice that is uniquely pleasing, and Song Minho’s deep tones that will undoubtedly turn fangirls into a squealing mess. The members also showcase their songwriting skills, penning lyrics for and composing several tracks in the album. Usually, it is rarely seen for non-title tracks to gain popularity, but WINNER managed to overturn this with their selfcomposed song, Different, which is currently a fan-favorite on the charts. 2014 S/S is really quite a suitable name for what could be one of the best album releases in the spring/summer season of this year in the K-Pop industry. WINNER’s debut onto the K-Pop scene has been nothing but full of number one titles as well as fantastic performances digitally, online and physically through album sales. It is uncommon for new groups to debut with fulllength albums, let alone with such explosive popularity and great reception from both in and outside of Korea. YG’s new boy group though has defied all expectations and fully shown us why they deserve the title of WINNER.

Photo credit: ygfamily.com

LIFESTYLE

The Art of Coffee Cupping www.qiuuing.wordpress.com

LIFESTYLE

CHLOE ANG

ommon Man Coffee Roasters is a cafe that takes its coffee seriously. So seriously that it holds a coffee cupping session every Wednesday to help the ignorant and curious (me included) learn more about coffee appreciation. There, I introduced my Starbucks-drinking tastebuds to the aficionado world of coffee.

different!

The coffee cupping was held in a spacious cafe with an eclectic ambience. The session started with six different types of coffee beans, freshly grounded and separated into two cups per type of coffee. We were invited to go around to each cup, ‘agitate’ the coffee to waft out the aroma and then smell it.

Next, the coffee was brewed, and a crust of coffee formed at the top. We were instructed to break the crust with a spoon and smell the brewed coffee. So around we went again, and surprise, surprise—the coffee smelt different!

We took turns rapping the cup against our palm to shake the coffee and then breathing the fragrance in. It was amazing—each coffee had its own distinct scent: some were a little more intense, others had a floral tinge and even within one type of coffee, two cups could smell

The barista asked us what we could smell in each coffee: some could detect the smell of chocolate, while others the smell of red grapes. Everyone had different interpretations of the coffee, which imbued the coffee with a personal meaning for each individual.

While not completely different to its pre-brew state, it was as though the water added different dimensions to it. There was so much more to the smell now; the water acted as a medium and a fuller aroma was produced. Then came the fun part! We were told to go several rounds to taste

each coffee and find the different notes in them. But it was actually the trickiest part: to allow for maximum aeration of the coffee and a proper ‘mouth feel’, one must slurp up the coffee. The barista demonstrated, loudly and, ahem, professionally. In my first attempt, I nearly choked myself. Nevertheless, I attempted to slurp as embarrassingly loud as I could with every cup. Evidently, loads of practice goes into slurping because all I managed to achieve was a slight slurp that sounded like a whisper compared to the barista. We were given cups to spit the coffee out into, since we went several rounds of tasting. If we drank everything we tasted, the amount of caffeine would probably be enough to pull two straight all-nighters. It was interesting, getting to taste the different flavours, ranging from the lighter notes of coffee with slight acidity (usually due to the fruitiness),

to the more intense, richer flavours of chocolate and spice. I thoroughly enjoyed myself though I did feel rather inadequate at times, being a complete newbie when it came to coffee. It definitely helped that the barista was pleasant, patient and gave clear explanations when questioned. The coffee cupping attracted all kinds of people: a barista from another cafe sourcing for good coffee, tourists, and even colleagues out on a department lunch. If you happen to drop by on a Wednesday afternoon, you may want to catch the coffee cupping session as well!

LIFESTYLE

STEP ABROAD MHD SUFYAN BIN SELAMAT

et of a taste of what NUS’ short-term programmes have to offer.

nomadic lifestyle, so Mongolia was really the place for me,” the Year 2 FASS student told us.

For a perspective like that, a month of no Internet access and chasing animals was definitely worth it.

What comes to mind when you think about the overseas opportunities NUS offers? For most of us, we think of the Student Exchange Programme (SEP), in which students spend a semester abroad at a foreign university.

As it turns out, she definitely got all that she bargained for—and more. Having the opportunity to live in an authentic nomadic ghir (traditional Mongolian tent) gave her a window into the life of traditional Mongolian nomads, by roughing it out in the wilderness, taking care of their livestock, and chasing lambs, horses and even cows!

Nur Eliza, Environmental Studies, Year 4

While that sounds enticing, the International Relations Office (IRO) offers a wide variety of short-term programmes that go beyond the typical semesterlong exchange—from overseas internships to international summer programmes. The best part is, many of these options range from as short as four weeks, to as long as six months long. So if you’re looking to maximize your time-off during summer vacation, or want to live abroad for an extended period, the SEP isn’t your only option. But don’t just take our word for it—we spoke with our fellow peers who chose to take a leap by going on some of these shortterm international programmes.

Charmaine Ng, Literature, Year 2

International Summer Programme with the National University Of Mongolia

“

BEING EXPOSED TO THE VASTNESS OF NATURE ON AN EVERYDAY BASIS LEFT ONE IN A “PENSIVE STATE”

Being different is something that Charmaine can attest to. After all, she confesses that “it must take a tinge of weirdness for people to choose Mongolia in the first place.” Once a History major, Charmaine took part in the month-long Archaeology summer programme offered by the National University of Mongolia in Ulan Bataar, the nation’s capital. So why Mongolia? “I have a fascination with the transient and

On top of that, the summer programme allowed Charmaine to interact with not just Mongolians, but people from all around the globe. “There was a Canadian, a Finnish and many East Asians… I realise there are a lot of cultural differences, and it was very interesting to know how they feel and think.” Because the students couldn’t use their phones or access the Internet, they were forced to spend more time with each other. By the end of the trip, strong bonds of friendship were forged. Moreover, disconnecting from technology and reconnecting with nature seems to have left a deep impact on Charmaine. She laughed as she recounted the immediate culture shock upon returning to Singapore, and observed that being exposed to the vastness of nature on an everyday basis left one in a “pensive state”. “People say that the vastness of the sea presents the illusion of the sea meeting the sun. But in Mongolia, it’s the total opposite… [it’s] the land that meets the sun.”

International Summer Programme with Tecnológico de Monterrey in Querétaro, Mexico

“

JUST GO FOR IT!”

“It’s something that I couldn’t imagine going on my own… so I thought this would be a great opportunity to try [it out].” And that’s exactly what Eliza did: a six-week International Summer Programme with Tecnológico de Monterre, in Querétaro, Mexico. Designated as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, Quetaro was the perfect place for Eliza to explore and immerse herself in Mexico’s natural and cultural heritage. Some of her trip’s highlights include visiting La Pena De Bernal, one of the world’s largest monoliths; and the La Huasteca rapids. “We stayed in a cabin near the river and we went rafting. It was quite dangerous, and the most memorable part was when we jumped off a giant rock near the waterfall!” she enthused. Even though she faced challenges when it came to her Islamic dietary requirements, this didn’t stop her from enjoying her time there. In fact, she learnt how to adapt to her environment: as Mexican eateries usually sold non-halal products, Eliza scouted for foods that she could eat—such as eggs and cheese

LIFESTYLE

Any advice for students who’re still hesitating whether they should go on a short-term summer programme? “Just go for it!” Joel Wong, Physics, Year 3

International Internship with World Vision Sri Lanka

“ (“a lot of cheese!”). The hospitality and kindess of those around her also helped her transition into Mexican culture. She recounted her experience with her host family, whom she described as very friendly and accommodating, when she first came over for dinner. “When I came into their house, they kissed me from cheek to cheek to welcome me, and they even complimented me in Spanish.” When she told them about her halal requirement, her host profusely apologised. “She was like, oh I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! ‘Cause she’s a chef, she quickly cooked something and gave it to me, and she kept asking if I wanted more,” she said. “It changed my perspective of the place,” she mused. “From what we learn here, we think Mexico’s a very dangerous country and we’re too scared to go there. Once you’re there, it’s quite different!”

EVEN EATING WAS AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE.

For Joel, it was all about trying out his options. “I know I’m definitely interested in physics, and I’m interested in working in an NGO and doing humanitarian work. So, I just wanted to explore my options.”

This meant choosing to fly to Sri Lanka and working with World Vision for eight weeks on the ground. As an intern for the Paddipalai Area Development Programme (ADP), Joel was heavily involved in the evaluation of community organisations and their social development programmes. Learning on the job was an experience in itself. “For the hands-on part, I conducted discussions and interviewed the exco of the organisation—the villagers themselves. For the work itself, I had to write a study [on the organisations].” Taking the initiative, he also approached colleagues to teach him more about humanitarian work and to bring him out for field trips. His proactiveness paid off— he gained more experience and exposure. Though embarking on an

international internship was challenging, it was definitely worth it. One example was the different aspects of Sri Lankan life—very much different from his life back in Singapore—which took some time getting used to. “Over there, they horn for everything!” he exclaimed. “If you see someone along the road, you horned to say hi. If someone gives way to you, you horned to say thank you, and the person would horn back to reply, ‘no problem.’ ” Even eating was an eye-opening experience. In Sri Lanka, the use of utensils is few and far between, so learning how to eat with hands was a tactile gastronomic trip. And the food itself? “They mix together the dhal, curry and vegetables to form one whole ball of rice and meat and curry, and it tastes really good.” For those of you who worry about being stuck in a more ‘exotic’ country you know next to nothing about, that’s exactly the best time to break out of what you know, in order to experience what you don’t know. And that’s the beauty of embarking on an exchange programme overseas: you get to immerse yourself into a completely different culture, widen your horizons (figuratively and literally), break stereotypes and learn how to adapt to your environment. All this and more! As Joel succintly put it: “I didn’t stick to my own comfort zone, because I didn’t have a comfort zone.” So step out of yours today and take

your first step towards an adventure abroad, by checking out www.nus. edu.sg/iro for more information about IRO’s short-term summer programmes. From what we’ve heard, you definitely won’t regret it. To hear more from our peers about their experiences overseas, visit the i-Speak! Roadshow on 29 October 2014 (Wednesday). Time: 10am-6pm Venue: Central Library Theatrette 1, Outdoor Open Space R

LIFESTYLE

EUROPE: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY TERESA WIDODO

Photos by: Teresa Widodo

LIFESTYLE

“ I

t was my first time in Europe. It was my first long-distance flight. Only last summer that I completed a research attachment programme in Germany. You know what people do when they are on overseas programmes – and so I did too. I traveled every weekend in order to get the most out of my overseas experience. I quickly learned a couple of things while travelling. First, the best cities might not be in your bucket list (yet). As clichéd as it is, the first city that came to my mind was Paris, because it’s only natural that way, right? Everyone wants to go to Paris. Some people put it on their bucket list, some secretly wish that the love of their life will take them there and propose. I did not belong to those two, really. But I did want to go there just for the sake of being there. It turned out, for me, Paris was not as glimmering as it seemed. The city was beautiful and elegant. The buildings were well-preserved.I could feel the thick scent of love in the air as I watched lovebirds flocking around the Eiffel Tower. All the bakeries (even those not reviewed online) had pastries and doughy offerings which tasted just as good as Laduree’s overpriced macaroons.

But the saturation of tourists in Paris made the city feel less welcoming. As you probably can guess, the queues at the major tourist attractions were crazy. The prices of the food were so steep that I did not even dare to check the price of my favorite desserts. I could survive on bread alone though, and so I did – the bread was superb. No regrets there. The thing that disturbed me most about Europe was the pervasiveness of crime targeting tourists. In Paris, a friend of a friend lost all her belongings right when she arrived at the train station, passport included. There were also ticket touts— once, a well-dressed man with an officiallooking nametag approached me and my friend, pretending to be a ticket officer. He ‘helped’ us to buy tickets from the ticket machine, and the next thing we knew, we had ended up paying sky high prices for the tickets with an original price at the fraction of the amount we paid. Milan was another story. As we were buying train tickets, we soon found ourselves surrounded by old women who kept offering their help. We thought to ourselves, what harm could these elderly women possibly do? For one, with their surprisingly nimble fingers, they could snatch our tickets and change. Of course, there were also popular

IT WAS ABOUT REMINISCING ABOUT THE NINE-KILOMETER WALK I ONCE HAD THE MADE, THE WARM HOSPITALITY OF THE ITALIANS AND THE GREEKS, THE JOY OF EATING €1 PIZZAS AND THE RANDOM GERMAN PHRASES I PICKED UP. “

tourist destinations like Switzerland and Germany where I didn’t have to check my pocket every ten minutes. It is important do your homework before venturing into the foreign cities on your wish list –ask other travelers, Google or Rick Steves (hint: he’s one click away). The hidden gems are really hidden, and they are precious.precious to behold. It was only when I resolved to go off the beaten path that I was able to stumble upon some hidden gems. Touring less popular destinations in Italy like Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Pienza, and Val d’Orcia was a refreshing change from having to hone my death stares at the suspicious elderly women in Milan. I went to the less traveled areas in Italy like Montepulciano, San Gimignano, Pienza and Val d’Orcia. I had never heard of these areas before planning my trip but they turned out to be the highlight of my journey in Europe. The food was splendid, authentic, and affordable. The scenery was nothing less than breathtaking. For instance, despite being less popular with tourists, Val d’Orcia was where the paradise scene in Gladiator was filmed. If you are still not convinced, some scenes in Twilight were filmed in Montepulciano (don’t ask me which

scenes because I don’t know – I am not a fan of Twilight, I just Googled it). The best thing was the lack of tourists. I could easily find a nice spot for a selfie. In short, I could spend less and experience more. By the end of my Europe trip, I learnt one valuable lesson: traveling was never about being in different countries or continents – it was about the experiences and the memories we made. My postEurope fever was not about going back to the Parthenon (because I can still remember clearly how it looked like). Rather, it was about reminiscing about the nine-kilometer walk I once had the made, the warm hospitality of the Italians and the Greeks, the joy of eating €1 pizzas and the random German phrases I picked up. It was about imagining that one day, in the distant future, I might be able relive all of these fond memories, or even make some new ones. R

LIFESTYLE

street style: fashion month edition HANNAH HAW

treet style – this particular sartorial term has gained prominence in recent years. Every February and September, hordes of photographers camp outside Fashion Week venues in the hopes of capturing “perfect” moments on film. These said moments are performed by the hundreds of fashion bloggers, influencers and editors that attend Fashion Week held in New York, London, Milan and Paris (yes, in that order, resulting in what the fashion industry terms the Fashion Month). In this issue, we celebrate the works of Tommy Ton, a Canadian street style photographer who snapped up his shot to fame after shooting Lane Crawford’s Spring/Summer 2009 campaign. His works are aesthetically unique, differentiating himself by taking candid photographs that focuses on details of outfits instead of the conventional head-to-toe composition. In viewing Ton’s works with other equally well-known photographers’, the discerning consumer asks: Has street style peaked? Are these outfits a true representation of street style? Or are they simply a parade and an extension of the catwalk that ultimately fails to relate practically to the masses as well?

Photos from: style.com

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STGCC

Where East meets the West NG CHING PENG

he first week of September saw the arrival of hundreds to Marina Bay Sands - all in the name of attending the Singapore Toy, Game & Comic Convention (STGCC). Held over the weekend, the two day convention featured exhibitors from the likes of Bandai to Shogakukan Asia, who were there to promote their new translated manga titles. Organized by American company Reed Exhibitions, STGCC brands itself as a pop culture experience. With guest panels and autograph sessions by Marvel and DC comic artists, toy designers and figurine exhibitors, the convention has a reputation for featuring cultural icons for the geek crowd. This year’s STGCC greeted con-goers with a splendid Star Wars display, a follow up to last year’s Iron Man showcase. Furthermore, STGCC also attracts many fans of Japanese anime and manga. Just how does it manage to keep itself relevant to such a diverse crowd? The answer is simple: STGCC isn’t just a convention for American comic fans - it’s the one convention that caters to both

American and Japanese fictional media fans. This wide range of interests is reflected in STGCC’s guest lineup. American comic artists like Humberto Ramos, who is currently working on the Amazing SpiderMan series, are contrasted beside Japanese content creators such as Kedouin Makoto, the writer behind the story for famed horror game franchise Corpse Party. The guest list also features many other personalities. There are guest cosplayers, brand owners and also toy designers, demonstrating the flexibility of STGCC as a convention. Never will you see another lineup so mismatched and yet wide-reaching at another convention. If we’re talking about STGCC’s outstanding aspects, DJ Night definitely deserves a mention. A recent addition to the convention’s lineup, it brings indie Japanese music artists down to liven up the night with remixes of popular Japanese tunes and original compositions. This year saw IOSYS’ D.Watt, DJ Inu and Vocaloid

producer Sasakure. UK on stage, following up after 2013’s Livetune and Yuyoyuppe - both of whom had started their music careers with Vocaloid on the Japanese video site Niconico Douga. Unfortunately, Japanese music production circles and Niconico Douga are not readily available to those who are unable to cross the language barrier. But by putting these artists on stage, STGCC offers con-goers the unique experience of stepping into a world that might otherwise go overlooked. Let’s not forget about the one guest that got so many excited - Sugita Tomokazu, who provided the voice of Gintama’s Sakata Gintoki and also Joseph Joestar of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Many friends of mine immediately made the decision to pay the 19 dollar one-day entrance fee upon seeing him on STGCC’s guest list this year. When it was time for Sugita’s talk segment, the entire stage area was packed with his fans - a testament to his popularity. Additionally, this is arguably the first time any Singaporean convention

has managed to secure such an illustrious voice actor as part of their lineup. Initially, STGCC may seem like a convention solely centred around toys, games, and American comics. Venture further in and wade past the throng of people however, and you’ll see booths selling official anime merchandise such as character straps, clear files, and cosplay items. The divide between these two faces of STGCC are just as obvious when one observes the cosplaying crowd. Characters from DC and Marvel comics share floor space with characters from the cycling manga Yowamushi Pedal, and soon everyone just begins to blur together in a strange cultural mix. Straddling the line between West and East, there’s almost no question as to how STGCC is able to maintain its crowd. The convention is essentially the best of both worlds - get two for the price of one, and all the better if you happen to be a fan of both!

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“

EVERYONE JUST BEGINS TO BLUR TOGETHER IN A STRANGE CULTURAL MIX”

Vocaloid software allows composers to produce works using pre-recorded voice banks. Composers often upload their completed works to Niconico Douga. Niconico Douga is a popular Japanese video uploading site for budding singers and songwriters to show off their talents.

Photos by POPculture Online, Zach Sumairu, and JasonIcs

WIRED

Xbox One

DEAD RISING 3

THE NEW CHALLENGER IN CONSOLE GAMING YEO JUN YAN

n 2013, Nintendo Wii U and Sony Play Station 4 arrived in the Singapore market, marking the start of a new generation of console gaming. These game console giants continue to churn out new models to pique our interests and inspire our desire for them. Yet, the new becomes the old every other year as these products are scheduled to expire every two years. These products are scheduled to expire every two years. On 23rd September 2014, Microsoft Xbox One was launched locally. Considering that the Xbox 360 was introduced nine years ago, a new Xbox might be what the console gamers have been waiting for.

XBOX ONE VS. XBOX 360 The Xbox One console come with a 500 GB hard drive and three USB 3.0 Super Speed ports. These mean a larger internal game storage space and faster transferring of data from your external memory storage as compared to Xbox 360. The Xbox One does not support the games from its predecessor, Xbox 360, so there is little space for consideration if you are expecting an upgrade to your current games on the more efficient console platform with superior graphics. Nonetheless, you will be amazed by the quality of the games due to the eight-core x86 processor and AMD Radeon. The new controller is relatively more comfortable to play with, as the buttons do give a nicer touch when pressed than the previous model. With its updated shape and bulky battery slot (for the wireless version) removed, the Xbox One controllers provided a much better grip. Not only does the new Kinect have a 1080p HD camera, it has increased its motion capturing accuracy. Xbox One sees the introduction of a new way to control the Kinect. Instead of placing your hand unsteadily at a spot as the Kinect calibrates your choice, as was in the Xbox 360, you can now make a selection by simulating the pressing of a button in the air.

Dead Rising 3 is a third-person survival horror game that happens in an open world environment. What sets it apart from other zombie apocalypse games is that you can pick up blueprint and items from the ground to make fictional weapons and vehicles. Imagine hilarious and exaggerated combinations like a hammer taped with grenades that explodes once you hit the zombies, and vehicles that allow you to take out many zombies quickly. Other intricate configurations include a motorbike upgraded with a flamethrower alongside a bulldozer front wheel. The wardrobe for the characters are also overthe-top; male characters can wear a Japanese schoolgirl uniform one moment and a shark head in the next. However, some might find it boring to go around just tapping the same buttons over and over to kill hordes and hordes of zombies. Thus, the novelty of the game lies in finding and trying out the different combinations of weapons and vehicles while running around in a weird costume. The developer himself admitted that the map is quite small for an open world concept during the closed-door demonstration, but he praised the high interactivity of it. Verdict: Buy if you like hours of mindless fun and exploration.

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FORZA HORIZON 2

DANCE CENTRAL SPOTLIGHT

Forza Horizon 2 a racing game that belongs to the Forza franchise. It is being produced for both Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Dance Central Spotlight is the Kinect game on Xbox One that comes with the pre-order of the Xbox One Launch Kinect Bundle. The game seems to have become intelligent with the inclusion of the cardio mode that allows player to set up a workout regime based on their body type.

Besides boosting detailed graphics for the European scenery, weather and car models, the developer has estimated that 100 hours will be needed to complete events on the game. The traction and vision changed by the weather have made the game more realistic than before. However, if you are seeking realism in the specs of the cars, you might be looking at the wrong game because the cars can highly customised. For example, seeing an old model vehicle winning out a new one is not an uncommon sight. The customisation function exhibits an element of role-playing game (RPG) in that players get to play against each other by upgrading their vehicles as if it is a PvP battle. Additionally, there is a new â&#x20AC;&#x153;capture the flagâ&#x20AC;? game mode that has drivers go around an arena taking possession of a flag by knocking into each other. This adds a new refreshing element to an otherwise standard racing game. Undoubtedly, if you are a fan of the Forza series, this is a must-buy. If you are just a casual racing game player, you will certainly be sold by the graphics and the opportunity to rival your family and friends. Verdict: Buy if you love racing games.

Like the other games under the franchise, Spotlight only has a limited number of 10 songs from this decade in the disc. Further additions will need to be downloaded due to patent royalties. With the new Xbox One Kinect comes a new mode for beginners that allows them to switch to practice mode through voice command halfway through the game without messing up their scores. This function is friendly and will mostly likely be favoured by many. Like the previous instalments, besides fans, casual players can certainly enjoy Spotlight as an ideal game for gatherings especially when someone has the new Xbox One on display. Despite the limit of 10 songs, Spotlight can be fun when a huge number of people take turns to play and challenge each other. Verdict: Buy to double the fun at large gatherings.

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Mix & Match Playlists for Every Mood RAKEL TANG

ou look at your music library and a thousand songs look back at you, none of them the right track for the moment. Alternatively, you manage to find that one perfect song for whatever you are doing now (running, studying, running from studying, etc.) but you cannot seem to find another song to match the vibe of the song that is playing now. Listening to music should not have to be so hard. Sounds like problems you face? Then you might want to give 8tracks a shot. 8tracks is a free music app available on iTunes, Android and even Xbox. What makes it unique is that songs in 8tracks are arranged into playlists, which are crafted and shared by the users themselves.

These playlists often consist of songs which seem to fit a certain theme or mood such as “summer” or “indie”, and can hold up to an unlimited number of tracks. The basic requirements for a playlist are a minimum of 8 tracks, cover art, a title, a short description and at least 2 tags. There is no limit on how many tracks can be put into a single playlist, which allows for playlists with over a hundred songs and many hours of playtime; perfect for those of you who just prefer to let your music play in the background as you go about doing your own thing. The tracks for a playlist can come from two places: from your personal music library or 8tracks’ partner site Soundcloud, which helps if you want to upload a song you do not

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own. Currently, playlist creation can only be done on 8tracks’s website. The two tags that have to be included while creating a playlist help to facilitate the search engine. By typing a tag into the search box such as “study”, “happy” or “electronic”, you can find all the playlists under that tag. 8tracks takes this a step further and allows you to add an additional tag to your search, combining tags like “study” with “motivation” or “sleep” with “instrumental” to narrow down your search results and increase the chances of finding a playlist to meet your needs. Signing up as free member also opens you to a few more nifty functions such as the ability to like a playlist or add it to your collections

for easy access. Tracks that you particularly enjoy can also be ‘favourited’. If you are a Soundcloud user, these ‘favourited’ tracks appear under your ‘liked’ songs, where you can listen to them as standalone tracks outside 8tracks. For those who rely on music to lull you to sleep but do not want to wake up with your phone battery completely drained, there is a sleep timer function that stops the music at the end of a playlist or after a set number of minutes. Due to the unique music licensing on 8tracks, there are certain restrictions in place that may take a while to get used to, such as being unable to see the tracks in a playlist until they are played and being unable to rewind or fast-forward a

track. Tracks will also be shuffled after every playback. Furthermore, there is a limit on the number of tracks that can be skipped per hour as well as a limit on the number of tracks in a playlist that can come from a single artist or album. While all these restrictions may seem annoying at first, they do not interfere much with the listening experience and users eventually learn to take it in stride, while discovering songs that may have previously been outside their usual style. To wrap things up, 8tracks as a music app is one that appeals to

mood. 8tracks shifts the focus away from individual songs and instead, creates an atmosphere for you to feel comfortable while carrying out different activities. With 8tracks being available on a variety of platforms, it allows for mobility where you can immerse yourself in music wherever you go, as long as you have a decent internet connection.

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