THE RIDGE MAGAZINE A NUSSU PUBLICATION SEPTEMBER 2011 mica (p) 207/11/2009 Find THE RIDGE on Facebook facebook.com/NussuTHERIDGE
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FIFA bribery scandal 55
Social Networking, NUS-style!
R
Elevating the Timbre of local music 19-21
51
Rag Day 2011 10-15
D
because the touch of your hand can do magic
email DESIGNER RECRUITMENT - <YOUR NAME> and YOUR PORTFOLIO to theridge.headdesigner@nussu.org.sg
10
31
CONTENTS NEWS
OPINION
ENTERTAINMENT
08 THE RUNDOWN
22 A DYING NOTE
31 BOOK REVIEW, MOVIE REVIEW, WHAT’S IN MY IPOD?
10 RAG 2011
23 SINGAPORE: THE MIGRANT CITY
16 NUS FIRST LOCAL UNIVERSITY TO OFFER SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP
24 RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM: WILL IT HAPPEN IN SINGAPORE ?
17 24/7 STARBUCKS OPENS AT UTOWN
26 DOES CENSORSHIP STILL HAVE A PLACE IN SINGAPORE?
38 INCHING HER WAY TO THE TOP
18 NUS RESEARCHERS DEVELOP AUGMENTED REALITY CAMPUS NAVIGATION APPLICATION
28 HOME AWAY FROM HOME
39 THE NUS DANCE REVOLUTION!
19 ELEVATING THE TIMBRE OF LOCAL MUSIC
30 ON THAT POINT, SIR!
34 FIVE REASONS TO GO TO THE ASIAN CULTURAL CINEMA SYMPOSIUM 35 IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU(TUBE)!
42
52
LIFESTYLE
WIRED
SPORTS
40 FOOD HAUNTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SCHOOL!
50 ICREATE
55 FIFA BRIBERY SCANDAL
42 EVENTS LISTING
51 SOCIAL NETWORKING, NUS-STYLE!
56 EN GARDE, PRÊT, ALLEZ
44 ALL TRESSED OUT
52 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOOGLE+
57 INTER-FACULTY GAMES (IFG) 2011
46 FACE THE BOOKS
54 BYTE-SIZED
58 SPORT OF THE MONTH
48 FOREIGN LANGUAGES: FIVE REASONS TO START LEARNING
62 SINGAPORE ADVANCES TO 3RD ROUND OF 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
04
EDITOR’S NOTE
Ed EDITOR’S NOTE
W
ell, it was fun while it lasted.
The new semester is getting into full swing, and that means it’s time to start blowing away the dust on your pile of readings from August and start, you know, reading. After months of freedom and weeks of orientation exuberance, it’s going to be difficult to settle down and come back to our books. But to paraphrase the words of Winston Churchill, we must just KBO – keep buggering on. And we can help! If you’re too tired to continue mugging, be sure to check out some of the recommended places to grab a bite both in and outside of school (p40). In addition, we give you a reason to step out of the stuffy library and hit the road with a listing of upcoming
cool happenings (p42). Thinking back, the highlight of the orientation activities this year was no doubt Rag Day. Held at The Promontory @ Marina Bay, it was student creativity at its very best. If you didn’t make it down to the event, we’ve got pictures, loads of ‘em (p10)!
Speaking of music, we also hooked up with local musician Inch Chua (p38), who made waves recently when she announced that she will be furthering her music career in Los Angeles, citing a lack of a market and opportunities in this part of the world.
Chua’s decision also puts the spotlight on YouTube and But the purveyors of student its self-made stars, deemed activities never rest, and the as a great way for aspiring Inter-Faculty Games are here to musicians to garner exposure. prolong the never-ending rivalry We love YouTube, and we between the university’s various love funny stuff, so naturally schools and faculties (p57). we caught up with Maimunah Bagharib, one of the co-stars Continuing our quest to talk of YouTube show ‘Sex Appeal to outstanding graduates & Jokes’, to get the low down from NUS to inspire current of being famous on the Internet students, we talk to Edward (p35). Chia, co-founder of Timbre and giant of the local music scene Man, isn’t the Internet great? (p19). Unfortunately, there And it could potentially get wasn’t enough time for my better. Google, the eponymous favourite topic: beer. Internet Company, jumped into
the social networking fray with Google+, a Facebook clone with several key differentiations (p52). Want to be an early adopter? Drop our Wired editor a line, and we’ll send you an invite! But I must disclaim that THE RIDGE will not be held responsible for you losing days of your life over a new social network.
Raymond, Chief Editor theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg
EDITORIAL TEAM
EDITORIAL BOARD
CONTRIBUTORS
Chief Editor Raymond Lau theridge.chiefeditor@nussu.org.sg
News Desk
Deputy Chief Editors Meera Nair & Vani Goyal theridge.depchiefeditor@nussu.org.sg
Opinion Desk
Creative Director Caryn Quek theridge.creative@nussu.org.sg
Sherman Pun
shermanpun@nus.edu.sg
Phyllis Tay Hui Shan
a0073629@nus.edu.sg
Shibanshu Mukhopadhyay
shibanshu@nus.edu.sg
Daniel Tay
a0074233@nus.edu.sg
Vibha Ghariwala
vibha@nus.edu.sg
Debra Chua
a0088025@nus.edu.sg
Abhinav Deshmukh
abhinav.deshmukh@nus.edu.sg
Entertainment Desk
Head Designer Nguyen Son Tra theridge.headdesigner@nussu.org.sg News Desk Editors Luke Vijay & Yeo Shang Long theridge.news@nussu.org.sg
Retna Devi
a0071116@nus.edu.sg
Nurshahiylia Erdina
nurshahiylia@nus.edu.sg
Anupama Hegde
A0078256@nus.edu.sg
Nathanael PS
u0900511@nus.edu.sg
Saheli Roy Choudhury
saheli.rc@nus.edu.sg
Charlyn Ang
A0073139@nus.edu.sg
Lifestyle Desk
Opinion Desk Editor Augustin Chiam theridge.opinion@nussu.org.sg
How Shu Hui
shuhui01@nus.edu.sg
Teresa Widodo
teresa.widodo@nus.edu.sg
Goh Bang Rui
bang@nus.edu.sg
Lifestyle Desk Editor Bridget Tan theridge.lifestyle@nussu.org.sg
Wired Desk
Entertainment Desk Editors Nicole Kang & Divya Gundlapalli theridge.entertainment@nussu.org.sg
Sports Desk
Sports Desk Editor Tan Herng Yih theridge.sports@nussu.org.sg Wired Desk Editor Shanmugam MPL theridge.wired@nussu.org.sg Copy Editor Ngui Jian Gang theridge.copyeditor@nussu.org.sg Financial Secretary Arnab Ghosh theridge.finsec@nussu.org.sg
NUS STUDENTSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; UNION NUSSU Publications Secretary Tan Heng Wee pubsec@nussu.org.sg
Chinab Chugh
chinab91@nus.edu.sg
Lam Woon Cherk
wooncherk@nus.edu.sg
Prateek Sinha
A0074895@nus.edu.sg
Naveen Prakash
naveen.prakash@nus.edu.sg
Muhammad Syarifuddin
m.syarifuddin@nus.edu.sg
Layout Designers Lilian Ho
lilianho@nus.edu.sg
Rishika Anchalia
a0078704@nus.edu.sg
Photographers Shane Koh (Head)
u0800107@nus.edu.sg
Muhammad Nasri Bin Ibrahim
a0067091@nus.edu.sg
Carmen Chee
a0077341@nus.edu.sg
Chen Zhaokai Benjamin
u0801934@nus.edu.sg
Kristen Kiong
kristen@nus.edu.sg
05
08
NEWS
THE RUNDOWN NUSSU RAG AND FLAG
$480,000 4,800 15 14 21 More than
was raised this year
Rag Day featured
beneficiaries will receive these donations
floats:
NUS students collected donations on Flag Day
This year’s Rag Day was held at
The Promontory@ Marina Bay
on National Day
1
built by students, and
built by alumni
Source: National University of Singapore
Turn to page 12 for the Rag Day photostory and photo spread >> UTOWN UPDATE
More than
1,000
UTown students took part in a symbolic walk to UTown to celebrate the start of the new academic year
Source: National University of Singapore
“UTown will enhance our students’ learning experience and add to the living and learning choices already available to students at NUS.”
- NUS President Tan Chorh Chuan, at the symbolic walk along the Link Bridge
“Honestly I find the place quite promising. There’s plenty of people organising themselves online, giving suggestions and forming interest groups. It does show that if left to their own devices NUS students can do things and exchange ideas.” - He En Hua, third-year economics student
“So far I’ve only seen one water cooler in the entire building and that’s on the ground floor. It’s not too bad because I don’t mind tap water but if I specifically want cold water I’m going to have to travel down 11 storeys to get it. On the other hand, there are some services that have worked pretty well, the service frequencies of buses that ply the UTown route are pretty decent.” - Ng Hui Ying, second-year psychology student
“I would say the price to quality ratio is okay, even if UTown is expensive. However, it would be nice to have water coolers.” - Tessa Voesenek, third-year economics student
NEWS
09
FINAL STAGE OF CIRCLE LINE OPENING SOON
The final stage of the Circle Line will open on
8 Oct 2011
12 16.6km
Kent Ridge Station
, which is located opposite the National University Hospital, is among one of the stations to be opened.
Buona Vista Station and HarbourFront Station
stations will span will become interchanges for commuters to transfer from the Circle Line to the EastWest line and North-East line respectively.
These last
of track Source: The Straits Times
NUS MBA RANKED BEST IN ASIA
The NUS MBA programme was ranked The ranking was based on the returns on the investments of students who graduated in 2006.
1st 4th
in Asia, and
Forbes compared: the graduates’
earnings
internationally,
by a Forbes ranking of two-year MBA programmes outside of the United States
in their first five years out of business school
the
to
costs
incurred, such as forgone salaries and tuition fees
This is the
first time a Singaporean business
school has made the list
Source: National University of Singapore
BIODIVERSITY ENCYCLOPEDIA
Professors from the Department of The encyclopedia comprises two parts: The encyclopedia is Biological Sciences led efforts to create a discussion of Singapore’s natural an encyclopedia that documents nearly environment and related topics like climate change and sustainable pages long, involved development, and
200
years of Singapore’s natural history
an A-Z guide to Singapore’s biodiversity, featuring over
1,500
entries
552 65
contributors, and was made possible with a
$1.1 million
donation from various organisations Source: National University of Singapore
AUTHORS YEO SHANG LONG, LUKE VIJAY + GRAPHICS YEO SHANG LONG + PHOTOGRAPH NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
10
NEWS*PHOTOSTORY
R
ag 2011 is a meaningful journey that I am glad to have helped shape. Its value is not only in the grand spectacular finish but also in the meaningful experience that all have been brought through. I am humbled to see passionate student leaders lead freshmen into noble pursuits such as recycling campaigns and volunteering at charities. Friendships forged amongst Raggers, even between faculties and halls, are a heartwarming sight to behold. In all, Rag is not just a one-day event that Raggers prepare for throughout the summer; rather, it is a meaningful journey that all Raggers get to experience collectively as NUS.
- Raymond Yang, Rag 2011 Director
R
ag represents a faculty effort to construct something out of nothing. Never mind the bit about the environmental friendliness or the Flag appendage that comes in tow. It is the ragging experience over the months that really count. I wish that more emphasis could be placed on assisting faculties and halls to nurture our individual and collective identities. Rag should be an identity-driven project rather than one that publicises the school. In fact, I feel the number of Raggers in NUS is falling precisely because the importance of publicising the school currently supercedes the need to build identity. This problem is especially acute in FASS. Until March, we didn’t even have a Rag head simply because of all the negativity that surrounded it.
The pride of the school and its faculties and halls needs a shot in the arm. Without this feeling of pride, every float is but an empty shell at best. Our job as student leaders should be more of growing this pride rather than thinking of how we can best the competition annually. - Wee Shi Chen,
FASS Rag Head and Arts Club President
T
o me, Rag is not just about magnificent floats and well-choreographed dances; it’s about people coming together. The bond that shines through in a Rag presentation that’s what makes it magical.
- Benjamin Tan, choreographer for the dance performance presented by Sheares Hall and Kent Ridge Hall.
NEWS*PHOTOSTORY
11
RAG 2011 F
or the first time in its 53-year history, Rag Day was held as part of the National Day celebrations on August 9. Students, representing their faculties and halls, built fourteen floats, while NUS alumni constructed one. The floats, all made using recycled materials, journeyed from NUS to the Promontory @ Marina Bay in the early hours of August 9. That afternoon, the floats, each accompanied by a dance performance, were showcased. A team of judges awarded prizes to the best float and best performance. The NUS President’s Challenge Shield, which is awarded to the team that performs the best on Rag Day, went to the NUS Faculty of Law. The Faculty of Law also won the NUSSU Challenge Shield for Best Presentation.
R
ag and Flag is not just about who collects the most coins, who wins the float competition, or how much the floats cost. It is also not just about the friendships made, the sweat and tears, or the team spirit and camaraderie in the faculty or hall. It is about being part of an NUS tradition that spans more than 50 years, and to remember the original intention behind it – a spirit of giving back to society. However, over the years, many students have just gone through the motions and forgot this purpose. Many students involved in Rag know about the money spent and materials wasted, but they don’t talk openly about it. Students who are not involved in Rag don’t
really care what is happening; most are nonchalant and unconcerned. We thought that doing a documentary would highlight these issues and bridge the gap between these groups of people. Our intention was not so much about the money, but the spirit and intention behind Rag day itself. Perhaps opening these debates and conversations will change the future of Rag.
- Colin Tan, a student filmmaker who made ‘Rag to Riches’, a documentary about NUS Rag and Flag’s past, present and future. View it at: www.facebook.com/nusragtoriches
The NUS Chancellor’s Shield, given to the team that performs the best for both Rag and Flag Day was presented to the NUS Business School. The Business School also took home the NUS President’s Shield for Best Total Collection for Faculty Clubs as well as four NUSSU Challenge Shields. These were for Best Costume, Best Float and both Best Total Coin Collection for Faculty Clubs and Best Per Capita Collection for Faculty Clubs. Meanwhile, the Faculty of Science won the NUSSU Challenge Shield for Most Environmentally-Friendly Float and Kent Ridge Hall won the NUS President’s Shield for Best Total Collection for Halls of Residence for Flag Day.
Turn to pages 12-16 for photos of the Rag Day, and check out our Facebook page at www. facebook.com/nussutheridge for more photos >>
AUTHOR LUKE VIJAY + PHOTOGRAPHER KRISTEN KIONG
12
NEWS
RAG DAY
THE RIDGE DOCUMENTS THE SIGHTS OF RAG DAY 2011, WHICH WAS HELD ON NATIONAL DAY AT THE PROMONTORY@MARINA BAY. PHOTOS BY: SHANE KOH MUHAMMAD NASRI BIN IBRAHIM CARMEN CHEE BENJAMIN CHEN KRISTEN KIONG LUKE VIJAY YEO SHANG LONG
NEWS
13
ICH AT BAY.
Turn the page for more photos >>
PHOTOGRAPHERS SHANE KOH, MUHAMMAD NASRI BIN IBRAHIM, CARMEN CHEE, BENJAMIN CHEN, KRISTEN KIONG, LUKE VIJAY, YEO SHANG LONG
14
NEWS
NEWS
15
PHOTOGRAPHER SHANE KOH, MUHAMMAD NASRI BIN IBRAHIM, CARMEN CHEE, BENJAMIN CHEN, KRISTEN KIONG, LUKE VIJAY, YEO SHANG LONG
16
NEWS
NUS FIRST LOCAL UNIVERSITY TO OFFER SPORTS SCHOLARSHIP
N
US is the first local university to offer fullfledged sports scholarships to students who have excelled in both academics and sports. Starting this academic year, a total of five such scholarships will be awarded annually. The scholarship covers a student’s tuition fees throughout his or her course of study. In addition, an allowance will be given for living expenses. Scholarships will be renewable on a yearly basis depending on the student’s performance, two conditions of which are that they must maintain a minimum Cumulative Average Point of 3.5 and must contribute to the relevant sport in NUS. Associate Professor Ter Kah Leng, from the NUS
Business School said that these scholarships are a wonderful initiative. “It underscores the importance of all round development not only academically but also in leadership, team work and character building. It will certainly motivate scholarship holders to attain new heights in their sporting and academic careers,” Ter said.
available against the number of athletes in campus, I don’t really think that I would stand a chance,” he said. However, he added that the scholarships present a great opportunity for the students who have been selected.
Samantha Chang, a third-year student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) said, “Being someone who is very much involved in sports, this scholarship would certainly motivate me to achieve my goals in these areas.”
According to the NUS Office of Admissions, response to this new initiative has been positive. A total of five Sports Scholars have been selected from the pool of applicants. They are Christel Fung Shufen (Swimming), Andrew Lim Xin En (Swimming), Maxine Lam Aiting (Canoeing/ Dragonboat), Jaime Lye May-Yee (Netball) and Goh Chui Ling (Track & Field).
Jason Lee, a first-year student from the Faculty of Science, thought otherwise. “Looking at the number of scholarships
Prior to this development, financial support existed in the form of the NUS Sports Grant. These grants are currently
AUTHOR PHYLLIS TAY HUI SHAN + PHOTOGRAPH FANPOP.COM
“IT UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF ALL-ROUND DEVELOPMENT NOT ONLY ACADEMICALLY BUT ALSO IN LEADERSHIP, TEAM WORK AND CHARACTER BUILDING.” given out on a yearly basis to five existing students and are based largely on their sports performance in school. In addition, the grants are only valid for a year.
NEWS
17
24/7 STARBUCKS OPENS AT UTOWN J
ava lovers rejoice! On August 1, Starbucks Coffee, the internationally known coffeehouse chain opened a 24/7 branch in NUS that can seat more than 300 patrons.
square metres, it is not the largest outlet in Singapore. This is because, officially, Starbucks Coffee only rents the counter and kitchen areas from NUS. The seating area – about 406 square metres of airLocated at B1-01 of the Educa- conditioned indoor seating and tion Resource Centre at Universi- 426 square metres of outdoor seatty Town, Starbucks@UTown has ing, is provided by NUS. 154 indoor seats and 176 outdoor ones. Since its opening, the outlet Cheyenne Ng, a spokesperson for has served an estimated 800 cups Starbucks said, “Some of our biga day. ger stores include the stand-alone stores such as Starbucks Liat Tham Ming Jie, a second-year Towers, Raffles City and United economics student and Tembusu Square.” College resident said, “I think it’s a great place to hang out. I usually But even if Starbucks@UTown come down here with my room- does not have the honour of bemates to chill out. It’s also a good ing the largest Starbucks in Sinplace to study, the view is very re- gapore, it is indeed the first of its laxing.” kind.
campus of a local university. She new glass studio that has been added that the branch is also look- built into B1-01, on the far left of ing for opportunities to work with the Starbucks. the NUS student community. Dexter Tan, a third-year commu“We have connected with Radio nications and new media major Pulze and other students groups and the president of Radio Pulze, and will continue to do so to forge said that the new, prominently meaningful partnerships in the located studio means that the staNUS community,” she said. tion will enjoy increased visibility.
RADIO GAGA Besides getting their daily dose of caffeine, patrons to Starbucks@ UTown will be pleasantly surprised to find themselves witnesses to a behind-the-scenes look at live college radio broadcasts.
The Tembusu College resident added, “It opens a whole new window for deejay-student interaction. Listeners can expect more impromptu interview and audience interaction. Plus, students who want to have their opinions heard can come by the studio and knock on our door.”
For more information on Radio As of this semester, Radio Pulze, Pulze and its shows, check out the However, although the coffee- Ng said that Starbucks@UTown is the official campus radio station station’s website at www.radiopulhouse covers an area of about 800 the first outlet to be opened on the will broadcast live from a brand ze.com. AUTHOR LUKE VIJAY + PHOTOGRAPH CARMEN CHEE
18
NEWS
NUS RESEARCHERS DEVELOP AUGMENTED REALITY CAMPUS NAVIGATION APPLICATION
R
esearchers from the Faculty of Engineering have developed an Android application dubbed ‘AR Navi’. AR Navi, which is short for Augmented Reality Navigation, was created to help students and visitors find their way around the engineering faculty as well as highlight the various facilities and places of interest that are located there. Utilizing augmented reality technology, AR Navi enhances the existing surroundings by overlaying computer-generated information onto the real world environment. The application’s main interface comprises of a 3D map overlaid onto the camera view. An arrow indicates your location on the map and it is constantly updated as you navigate your way around
“AR NAVI, WHICH IS SHORT FOR AUGMENTED REALITY NAVIGATION, WAS CREATED TO HELP STUDENTS AND VISITORS FIND THEIR WAY AROUND THE ENGINEERING FACULTY AS WELL AS HIGHLIGHT THE VARIOUS FACILITIES AND PLACES OF INTEREST THAT ARE LOCATED THERE.”
Although usage of AR Navi is currently limited to within the Faculty of Engineering, Associate Professor Ong Soh Khim, who led the research team together with Professor Andrew Nee at the mechanical engineering department, suggested that there may be plans to expand the application to include other segments of the NUS campus. The research team may also look into expanding the application to users of other smartphones such as the Apple iPhone.
campus. Individual buildings on the map can be tapped on to A total of 156 specially-designed retrieve further information about markers have been placed at them. various locations in the Faculty of Engineering. Users simply have Essential information and to point their mobile device at any graphics are displayed to users one of these markers to fix their at locations such as laboratories, existing location. canteens, department offices, lecture theatres, toilets, handicap Mr Andrew Yew, a second-year ramps and other facilities. PhD student in mechanical
AUTHOR SHERMAN PUN + PHOTOGRAPH AR NAVI
engineering and chief architect for the application said, “The technology behind can also be adapted for other purposes, for example, using it for tours such as a museum tour with pop-up information on displays and artefacts.” The AR Navi application was developed for Android smartphones. Anyone with an up-to-date Android device that comes with a camera, GPS, accelerometer, magnetic sensor, and internet will be able to download and run this application.)
NEWS
19
ELEVATING THE TIMBRE OF LOCAL MUSIC In a new feature, THE RIDGE goes off-campus to interview NUS graduates from all walks of life. This month, Yeo Shang Long and Luke Vijay speak to Edward Chia, a former Arts and Social Sciences student who is the managing director and one of the founders of Timbre Group. >>
PHOTOGRAPHER CARMEN CHEE
20
NEWS
ELEVATING THE TIMBRE OF LOCAL MUSIC An interview with Edward Chia, the managing director and one of the founders of Timbre Group.
H
ow do you build a food and beverage empire out of a live music bar you started in your first year of university? Just ask Edward Chia, a recent NUS graduate and one of the two founders of Timbre, the highly successful chain of music bars which today employs about 200 staff and is expected to post a turnover of more than $12 million this year. The 27-year-old, who is now the managing director of Timbre Group, spoke to THE RIDGE about how he nurtured a business venture he started in his first year at NUS into the successful Timbre Group, his time as a student in NUS, and his passion for promoting local music. “I always felt more like a part-time student and a full-time business owner,” Chia said almost immediately of his time in NUS, pointing out that he kept a low profile and devoted much of his time to managing Timbre. When Chia first started out, Timbre was still a fledgling business with a single outlet, and
he had to put much effort into getting it up and running. “The first two years were really tough times,” he said. “We were not making profits; we were struggling to pay our bills. No one knew what Timbre was; no one knew where we were.” He recalls the difficulties in balancing work and school – many a time he would go through his notes during lull periods at work, while in school he sometimes had to step out of class to attend to business matters. Occasionally, he even had to skip lectures entirely, relying on webcasts and lecture notes to catch up.
“I couldn’t take time off work,” he said. “I was literally taking an exam in the morning and then going to the festival at night.” Still, Chia, who graduated with a degree in economics and political science, does not regret studying at NUS. “I’m still very thankful for the education I got,” he said. “Economics and political science were great disciplines for me – they gave me the right foundations, the right basic knowledge to be able to react to real-life situations in the business world,” he said.
Today, of course, it is clear that Chia’s efforts have paid off. Timbre is a far cry from what Meanwhile, with little experience in the F&B it was when he was an undergraduate, having business, he had to learn on the job in order to since grown and diversified considerably. manage Timbre’s day-to-day operations. Two years after Timbre@Substation opened, “One day it could be just helping out in the the company broke even. Two more Timbre kitchen, making sure that food goes out at outlets followed soon after, at the Arts House a certain time, at another day it could be in 2007 and at Old School in 2008. In 2010, helping out in the bar,” he said. the Timbre Music Academy, which now has more than 100 students, was opened. Chia remembers the first time he organised Beerfest Asia to be a particularly stressful Timbre Group has since also ventured into period, for it coincided with his final exams. catering and festival management. It now
NEWS
“I couldn’t take time off work... I was literally taking an exam in the morning and then going to the festival at night.”
- Chia, on the first time he organised Beerfest Asia serves more than 800 customers daily at Studio M Hotel and V Hotel, and organizes festivals like Timbre Rock and Roots, which brought Bob Dylan to Singapore earlier this year. As Chia reminisced about the milestones in the company’s steady rise, it is clear that he is a driven, focused young man who keeps his feet firmly on the ground when managing the business. And yet, for all his talk of costs, investments and expansion, Timbre is no ordinary business. Set up with the social mission of promoting and supporting local music, Timbre is the successor to a non-profit organisation that Chia set up when he was 18. Chia’s organisation, called Arts for Us All, had the same goal of supporting local musicians. After meeting at an Arts for Us All concert, Chia and co-founder Danny Loong hatched the idea of setting up Timbre. It was the next logical step, Chia said, for the social mission “made a lot more sense as a commercial company, and it could give a lot more value to the scene.”
21
“I think it’s important to have passion in what you do and love what you do, regardless of whether it is a business or a hobby or a social cause.”
- Chia, on his advice to NUS students Loong remembers being impressed by the 20-year-old Chia’s passion for local music. “When you are 20 years old, there are other things people are interested in... not many will be interested in promoting or supporting local music,” he said. Chia, he said, “is beyond his years, and has an appreciation for the arts, and the support for music.” It is this passion that has helped fuel Timbre’s growth into to a brand name closely linked to the local music scene. But this mission is not to be confused with charity, for it has also helped Timbre flourish as a business. By supporting local musicians, Timbre carved out a niche for itself amidst a plethora of live music bars. “We are very blessed, very fortunate, to be able to have a social mission that also became our business’s unique selling point,” Chia said. “It helped us to make ourselves a bit more distinctive and unique; that was the beautiful thing about what Timbre did.” But perhaps the most crucial element of Timbre’s success lies not just in the business’
social mission or its unique selling point, but also in the sheer passion that Chia himself brings to the table. Although his days of helping out in the kitchen are behind him, Chia works 12- to 16-hour days, focusing on the strategic side of the business. “I think I spend almost every single waking moment working,” he jokes. But this estimate is not far from the truth. Chia himself seems to recognise the power of this passion and the vital role it plays in ensuring the success of a business. When asked for his advice to NUS students, he said, “You need to do something you believe in; don’t do something for the sake of commercial gain.” “I think it’s important to have passion in what you do and love what you do, regardless whether it is a business or a hobby or a social cause… one has to be passionate, one must have perseverance, and more importantly, stay humble at all times but be prepared to work really hard.”
AUTHOR YEO SHANG LONG, LUKE VIJAY + PHOTOGRAPHER CARMEN CHEE
22
OPINION
A DYING NOTE // //
I
t is no secret that those of us who were brought up in Singapore tend to be risk averse. As a result, our local arts and entertainment industry has fallen by the wayside into the growing heap of industries sacrificed in the name of pragmatism. Eventually, the common perception is that one enters the local arts scene only because one “cannot make it.” Sounds familiar? That is because the arts industry has seen its fair share of hasbeens. The problem is that Singaporeans tend to focus on the failures without giving due credit to the success stories. Even those who decide to persevere do not enjoy the glamour that is commonly associated with the industry. It is, therefore, not surprising for artists and musicians to leave our little
ON THE GRADUAL DEATH OF THE LOCAL ARTS INDUSTRY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR SINGAPORE
island to find greener pastures abroad where the people are more accepting of homegrown talent. Inch Chua, a local artiste, recently announced in a stronglyworded Facebook note that she had decided to move abroad to pursue her career as a singer/ songwriter. In the note, she expressed her disappointment at being judged by many Singaporeans who assumed that she must “have made some majorly bad decisions in [her] life to wind up a musician.” Chua is by no means a smalltime artiste - she was the first Singapore solo performer to be invited to the prestigious South by the Southwest Music Festival, an annual arts festival that takes place in the United States. Despite her significant
AUTHOR DANIEL TAY + PHOTOGRAPH CENTRALPARK.COM
accomplishments, she continues to have her grant applications ignored and rejected by various government bodies such as the National Arts Council and the Singapore International Foundation. No wonder this industry is dying. Singaporeans shun the very prospect of being an artist or musician, deeming it as a path that reaps little job satisfaction, coupled with much less financial stability. The government continues to perpetuate this mindset by refusing to support local talent. Success continues to be defined by its worth to the economy in dollars and cents. Our only hope is if the government significantly changes its attitude towards the arts and culture milieu. Initiatives to
develop and encourage the arts need to be followed through, creating an incentive for people to follow their passions and dreams in this arena without fear of failure. Singapore’s Budget 2011 declares boldly that “$143.1 million will be dedicated to develop Singapore’s art scene and to enhance the artistic capability of the nation.” The more important question is whether all that money has gone to good use. And now, as our artists and musicians began to take flight from our island, we need corrective action more than ever. It is time to face the music about the state of our local arts industry before it gets too late.
OPINION
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SINGAPORE: THE MIGRANT CITY
T
his issue has caused a wave among locally-born Singaporeans – and it is not the famous Kallang wave.
culprit, Mr. Wang Peng Fei, a 24-year-old final-year hospitality student and a China national, fled back to his hometown when his video entered media spotlight. AlSingapore has the largest pro- though he claimed the video was portion of foreign immigrants in made in light-hearted fun, it was Asia. While boosting Singapore’s not taken so lightly by locals. human resources and supplementing its low birth-rate may be the It is worrisome that some immiultimate aim, the rising numbers grants with minimal or negligible of immigrants have raised the ire knowledge about Singapore may of some Singaporeans. not fully understand the sensitivity of such issues as multi-racialism The question arises as to whether to Singaporeans. these immigrants understand the nuts and bolts of Singaporean so- Locals have developed their own ciety sufficiently to be able to as- concerns over the years. For insimilate into the societal fabric. stance, some Singaporeans claim that they have to face stiff compeIn late July, the Singapore social tition due to burgeoning numbers media scene witnessed a rampant of foreign immigrants in the alvideo injected with racist remarks ready saturated job market. These against a minority group in Singa- foreign immigrants make up a pore, as well as a diatribe against third of the total workforce of apspoken languages, cabbies, Sin- proximately 3 million – a staggergaporean women and food. The ing increase from 3% in 1970.
Local students entering universities also feel the pressure as they vie against international students for placements. The international students benefit from scholarships offered by local universities aiming to boost their global images.
focus on boosting their productivity and stepping up their game. Competition emanates from both locals and foreign immigrants alike and the latter should not be solely blamed for the job woes of Singaporeans.
How justified are these sentiments The then Minister Mentor, Mr. ultimately? Lee Kwan Yew stated in a speech earlier this year that “Singapore While the negative sentiments should welcome new immigrants raised about Mr. Wang’s untactful and help them integrate into Sinand caustic remarks may be valid, gapore society.” He claimed that such incidents do not characterise integration was possible, although the entire immigrant population. the first generation will take some The key to assimilating foreign time to do so. Indeed, it will. immigrants is ultimately to help them understand the nuances of The hope remains that the present living in Singapore; but it takes and future generations of immitime and Singaporeans need to grants will eventually assimilate into the fabric of this nation, just give them the due time. as our predecessors did. The argument of losing out to competition from foreign labour is also contentious. Instead of pointing fingers, Singaporeans should
AUTHOR VIBHA GHARIWALA + PHOTOGRAPH BIZTECHREPORT.COM
24
OPINION
RIGHT-WING EXTREMISM: WILL IT HAPPEN IN SINGAPORE? //
// T
he events which transpired on the 22nd of July this year in Norway were like a bolt from the blue, shocking both Norwegians and onlookers worldwide. Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing extremist, set off a bomb in a government building in Oslo and singlehandedly carried out a massacre at a camp for the youth supporters of the Labour Party, amassing a death toll of 77 people. Breivik’s actions were brought about by a culmination of his extremist views towards Islam and Muslim immigrants. The anonymity provided by the Internet, often lauded as the bastion of the free marketplace of ideas, not only reinforced his
radical views but also provided him with the dangerous knowledge of how to bring his plans to fruition. Contrary to what some commentators have opined, Breivik was not a solitary madman alone in his delusions of a coordinated assault by Islamists on Western civilisation - his beliefs are echoed in the ideologies of far-right parties in an increasing number of European countries. Breivik himself was a member of Norway’s Progress Party until he left the party, deeming it too moderate. Politicians in far-right parties in Europe have been resorting more
frequently to anti-immigrant rhetoric which borders on xenophobia; a move which has hitherto proven to be popular with the general public, as evidenced by the general increase in support for far-right countries in Europe. To name a few, the Progress Party has emerged as the second largest party in Norway after the 2009 parliamentary elections, and the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party garnering an unprecedented 29 per cent of the votes in the 2007 federal elections has made it the most popular party in Switzerland. Both Breivik and the far-right in Europe share the belief that the influx of Muslim immigrants
AUTHOR DEBRA CHUA + PHOTOGRAPH MINTMAGAZINE.CO.UK, DNEWSGLOBAL.COM, FROMUSATODAY.COM
in Europe leads to an erosion of their national identity and indigenous culture, takes away jobs that would otherwise belong to locals, and places more strain on the country’s infrastructure. In these times of economic uncertainty, it is perhaps unsurprising that anti-immigrant ideologies are so well-received by the electoral public. Reactions towards the traditional Islamic practices vary from country to country - from the banning of the burqa in strictly secularist France, Belgium and Italy, to the more tolerant multicultural approach taken by the other European countries like the United Kingdom thus far. One might be tempted to dismiss
OPINION
the relevance of the immigration problem faced by many Western countries; after all, is Singapore not famed for being a melting pot of diversity, with almost all locals having descended from immigrants themselves? However, this is hardly the case, perhaps most aptly exemplified by the recent General Elections. A cornerstone of many of the opposition partiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; policies was the tightening of immigration laws allowing foreigners to become permanent residents or citizens, with greater disparity between the locals and foreigners in terms of housing, healthcare, employment and education - a policy that was met favourably with the general public. Although grievances about the perceived
economic problems immigrants bring bear striking resemblance to those in many Western countries, the dissatisfaction with immigrants in Singapore seems mainly limited to economic reasons rather than concerns over a dilution of culture or clash in cultural differences, particularly in the case of immigrants coming from a culturally similar background like that in China or Malaysia. Furthermore, the questions of whether foreigners are the cause of our economic problems remain open to debate. It is fortunate that Singapore does not have to face the dilemma of choosing between preserving an indigenous, homogenous culture or being a tolerant and
multicultural society unlike most other Western countries. Singapore has come a long way from the racial riots of 1964, with all the different racial groups successfully assimilating into society and identifying with common aspects of a national identity with people of different ethnicities, while still retaining the traditions and cultures of the respective races. As a society, we should strive to maintain this delicate status quo and avoid the racial politicking that seems to be increasingly dominating European politics.
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not be repeated, irrespective of the political views one holds. It is one matter to engage in healthy public discourse over the merits of having a multicultural society as opposed to a culturally homogenous one, but resorting to violence as a means to resolve it is both irrational and counterproductive, and does nothing to improve the current state of affairs.
Regardless of whichever side one is more inclined to take, one thing is certain - the travesty of the 22nd July massacre must
AUTHOR DEBRA CHUA + PHOTOGRAPH MINTMAGAZINE.CO.UK, DNEWSGLOBAL.COM, FROMUSATODAY.COM
26
OPINION
DOES CENSORSHIP STILL HA S
ingapore is ranked numero uno for having the most open economy for international trade and investment (Global Enabling Trade Report 2010) and for having the most transparent economy in the world (IMD World Competitiveness Report 2010). We are renowned for being among the best countries to do business in. Sadly, the same reputation does not extend to the promotion of the arts. ‘The arts’ is a generic term which envelopes the literary, performing and visual arts. It can encompass any expression of creativity be it music, theatre, and even photography and comics.
seen than in the field of the arts. For example, the requirement of an Arts Entertainment Licence and Film Exhibition Licence are a by-product of this stringent policy of censorship. The banning of homosexual scenes in popular television dramas and movies is largely a government policy decision driven by the need to be sensitive to the amalgamation of different viewpoints that constitute Singapore’s society as a whole.
This stand is best expressed in the words of K. Bhavani, former spokesperson of Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts: “[A balance needs The BBC’s country profile to be struck between] providing for Singapore regards it to greater space for free expression be a country “known for the and the values upheld by the conservatism of its leaders and its majority.” However, whether strict social controls. [A country the majority of Singaporeans whose] media environment is are indeed intolerant of highly regulated and where homosexuality is still a subject censorship is common.” Nowhere of much debate. The more are the effects of censorship better important question is, how do
AUTHOR ABHINAV DESHMUKH +PHOTOGRAPH POLYVORE.COM, TOONPOOL.COM
the government ministries decide capabilities in Asia. This college what are “the values upheld by the is regarded by the Yale Bulletin to majority”? have the potential for serving as a “catalyst for innovation.” Liberal Even if it was to be conceded arts has its roots in the Latin that the government is accurate word liber, meaning “free” (hence in perceiving the majoritarian the idea of art being freed from view, this line of logic may still censorship or restrictions). be problematic. While it is the duty of the state to consider the Just as the liberal arts education sensitivities of the masses so as in Yale played a pivotal role in to maintain social stability, it can the promotion of liberal values also be argued that the arts have in the United States, NUS has a historically merely reflected a similar responsibility to deliver perception of reality and to censor the same to Asia. Censorship the arts is akin to the expurgation in this environment needs to of reality. Moreover, the be exercised with caution lest it effectiveness of shielding society defeats the very purpose of this from certain aspects of reality in ambitious venture. an age where information freely flows over alternate media like While the establishment of a the internet needs to be reliberal arts college may promote examined more closely. free thinking, it cannot flourish in an environment of strict The establishment of the Yalesuppression. Censorship and NUS liberal arts college is a step the promotion of free thought in the right direction, a testament are antithetical and mutually to Singapore’s ambitions to exclusive. Indeed, questions have be a leader in the promotion been raised about whether the of rational and intellectual Yale-NUS College can truly
OPINION
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LL HAVE A PLACE IN SINGAPORE? adhere to the strict government oversight without compromising on its liberal values. In fact, many Yale students have written in to their own campus media to challenge this collaboration between NUS and Yale. To many observers, it is clear that in a battle between liberal values and government censorship, the historical precedence seems to suggest that the Singapore government is the likely winner. To be fair, restriction is required for an immature society, one which is unable to respond to external stimuli in a balanced manner and which will prefer to take its objection to the streets in a violent manner rather than restrict it to opinion pieces in newspapers. Violent protests have been observed in numerous countries in response to supposedly inflammatory books or cinema. The standard response is to ban the book; however this extreme act of censorship merely addresses the symptom and not
the root cause of the problem. While censorship as a preventive measure can reduce the cause for civic unrest, it by no means is a permanent or sustainable solution. The litmus test of a civilized society is its response to
provocation. Through the course of expressing oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creativity through the artistic medium, it is entirely possible (some might say inevitable) that one might offend cultural sensitivities. This is an opportunity for society to engage in debate and learn to negotiate boundaries. It is this process which helps society to
evolve into one that is vibrant and dynamic, transcending all borders to encompass an all-inclusive society. Censorship denies it this opportunity.
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OPINION
HOME AWAY
FROM HOME
I
t can get pretty frustrating when, suddenly, the realisation that you have to spend a good number of years apart from the people and the place that were you grew up in, hits you hard. To top it off, matters like accepting the new place and the people, and being accepted in return, had agitated my mind into delirious strife. Despite all my internal confusion and struggles, when I did get to finally interact with the local people after landing in Singapore, I realised that my concerns were simply unfounded. Added to this was the gladness of getting a company of really amicable friends at my residential block in the Prince Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park Residences (PGPR). Nevertheless, a life bereft of my
close friends and loved ones only helped the blues get to my head. It was great having new friends around but I could not shake off the feeling of loneliness and notice the depressing fact that for once in my life, my family was not around me. I missed my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cooking and the view from my room back home. Even the tiniest things which I had never noticed much at home suddenly seemed so important and conspicuously missing in my life. When I realised the intense feeling of homesickness, I decided I had to get rid of it before it got the better of me. Since the roots of these emotions lay in me noticing the absence of my family around me, I decided to get started by indulging my mind elsewhere whenever the
AUTHOR SHIBANSHU MUKHOPADHYAY + PHOTOGRAPH VARIOUS SOURCES ON THE INTERNET
feeling popped up. The best antidote to cure my homesickness turned out to be pretty simple: avoid solitary activities and surround yourself with company. Being around others proved not only effective in ignoring the wistful longing for home, but also helped in forgetting it completely. Immersing myself in the various NUS Student Societies and activities would be another efficient method of getting rid of the blues, along with active indulgence in various hobbies that occupy my time. Indeed, time flies when you are having fun. Whenever faced with the prospect of being confined to my room in PGPR, I chose to always keep myself preoccupied
OPINION
HAILING FROM ABROAD, THE IDEA OF COMING TO SINGAPORE TO STUDY WAS JOLLY WELL EXCITING TO ME, BUT I HAD FORGOTTEN TO INCLUDE HOMESICKNESS IN MY MENTAL NOTE OF POSSIBLE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES IN LIFE AT NUS. IRONICALLY, IT TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF MY DOMINANT FEELINGS AFTER LEAVING HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME.
as much as I could, be it with academics, listening to music or even my favorite online game. On the Internet, Facebook and YouTube proved to be my choice companions, providing entertainment as well as welcome distraction. Finally, at the end of the day, I would log in to Skype and spend my well-deserved time video-chatting with my family. With time comes acceptance, and I gradually got used to living without my close ones. Co-existing with friends turned out to be quite similar to the pre-university life I was used to. As the number of friends I made increased, they became like a new, extended family to me. Arranging my room just the way I wanted it to be gave me the feeling of being close to
home as well. Once in a while, I would even cook my own food in the cluster kitchen the way my mom used to make it back home. It started to feel like I was in a home away from home. Upon sharing these sentiments with my friends, it turned out that almost all of them harboured similar feelings of nostalgic melancholy, even those who resided in Singapore itself but had taken up accommodation on campus during the semester. However, as we all realised later on, it was not difficult to get rid of homesickness, especially in a place as welcoming as NUS. In fact, when I fly back home for the holidays, I miss the place and the people in NUS, and occasionally even the food from the canteen of
my home faculty. On returning to NUS at the end of the holidays, I feel tinges of reminiscence come back to me yet again, having spent a good number of weeks at home; but then I see my mother sign in to Skype and a warm smile spreads across my face. Homesickness ebbs and flows in my life but I have learnt to deal with it and come to terms with NUS, my home away from home.
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OPINION
ON THAT P INT , SIR! Topic: Is Singapore Ready for a Liberal Arts Education?
For
Against
“The youth of Singapore comprehend the upper hand gained in today’s competitive world when holding a vocational degree complemented by the liberal arts. It is, after all, the students who decide the popularity of a subject, and since the youth realise the advantage of this sort of a broad-based education, a liberal arts education will be openly welcomed in Singapore.”
“Setting up shop in a censorship-laden regime will render true liberal arts scholarship impossible. But beyond the classroom, this collusion has even worse implications. We will become the academic partners of an oppressive autocracy, tools of their illiberal ambitions. Yale will not liberalise Singapore. The People’s Action Party (PAP), the nation’s ruling elite, holds all the chips and pays the checks. To trust the PAP’s assurances about academic freedom would be naïve. But to rope our name to an oppressive autocracy would be profoundly irresponsible.”
Second-year, life science major
Article in the Yale Daily News
AUTHOR OPINION DESK + PHOTOGRAPH LIBERALARTSDEGREE.COM
ENTERTAINMENT
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BOOK REVIEW
AUTHOR: AMY CHUA | REVIEWER: ANUPAMA HEGDE
M
y friends laughed at me for reading Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. “Why are you reading a parenting book?!” But I beg to differ - Amy Chua’s bestseller is no ordinary parenting manual. You laugh, cry and are left speechless when Chua rips her daughter’s Mothers’ Day card, just because she feels “she deserved better.”
her husband about his ambitions for their pet dog. Yes, Chua’s ‘tiger parenting’ extends to the dog too.
The media has sometimes accused Chua of torturing her children. No sleepovers? An outrage! No school plays? Insane! But you soon realize that Chua’s brand of parenting is more complex than mere discipline and denial.
To reiterate, then, Battle Hymn is no ordinary parenting manual!
Chua, without disparaging Western parenting, simply elucidates the differences between Chinese and American values. Of course, she has her neurotic moments, such as when she asks
Surprisingly, I felt ambivalent towards Chua instead of strongly supporting or decrying her. But perhaps this is what Chua intends - not to preach, but simply to tell her story.
Update: Sophia, Chua’s daughter, recently got admission to both Harvard and Yale. She picked Harvard. Looks like Amy Chua is having the last laugh!
AUTHOR: IRAJ PEZESHKZAD | REVIEWER: RETNA DEVI
W
hen the narrator falls in love with Layli, it should have been a joyous occasion. However, in this case, such a union is frowned upon due to the strained relationship between the narrator’s father and his uncle, a blustering and paranoid patriarch. We then embark on a journey with the narrator as he does all he can to safeguard his love by ensuring that the problems between his father and uncle do not escalate into a feud. My Uncle Napoleon, is more than just a novel about a family and a series of comical mishaps, it is about family ties put to the test by perspectives and prejudices that formed the undercurrents of Iranian society during the 1940s. As the story is about an extended family, there is never a shortage of fascinating characters. There
is Uncle, a fan of Napoleon Bonaparte, who fabricates battle stories as proof of his courage. Then there is Asadollah Mirza, an easy-going man whose antics such as admitting to be an alleged murderer just so the family can find a missing person; his antics will leave you in stitches. This is just one of the many chaotic situations that take place throughout the novel while the narrator writes love letters to Layli and valiantly tries to prevent his father from angering Uncle. First published in Iran during the 1970s, My Uncle Napoleon is a timeless and transnational classic. It is an engaging and humorous novel that will make your family seem normal or at least comical through its dysfunction.
AUTHORS ANUPAMA HEDGE, RETNA DEVI + PHOTOGRAPH BOOKMARCSBOOKS.CO.UK
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ENTERTAINMENT
MOVIE REVIEW REVIEWER: NURSHAHIYLIA ERDINA
U
nfortunately for comic enthusiasts, Captain America has always had a tendency to fade into the background. After all, he is not the flashiest superhero out there, especially when compared with the impressive Marvel hero line-up of previous years. Thor is, quite literally, a god wielding a hammer that could rip its way through an advancing horde of ice giants and back again before one
effort, only to be rejected because, frankly enough, he possesses a body that looks like it could break with a simple gust of wind. This changes when he is given the chance to take part in an experiment that eventually transforms him to the highest peak of human perfection. No fancy lasers, spider webs, or metal claws. But does this mean the movie is any less worth watching? Hell no. Putting Steve’s new drool-worthy body aside, there is plenty more
AUTHOR: R. C. MORAIS | REVIEWER: D. GUNDLAPALLI
F
ood and chefs! These are my favourite combinations in life at least for the last two years and seeing these come together in the book by Richard C. Morais titled The Hundred-Foot Journey was splendid! Hassan Haji, the protagonist in this novel, recounts his journey from his family’s modest restaurant in Mumbai to his elegant, charming restaurant in Paris where he conquers the haute French cuisine. After a tragic accident, Hassan and his family are forced to travel across Europe where they eventually settle opposite a famous chef, Madam Mallory, in a remote French village of Lumiere. Now, here comes a great story peppered with hilarious cultural mishaps that are an unexpected delight in this
book. When the French chef discovers that the boy cooking in the cheap Indian restaurant across the road is more talented than her, a culinary battle (dare I say WAR, ensues). More twists pit Hassan and Madam Mallory which ultimately reveals something about Hassan’s destiny in life. I think what I particularly loved in this book was that the food really comes alive and it is charming with a good reflection of the precision-based French cuisine. So far, I find that very few books can talk about food in such a clever way and combine a great plot as well. If you adore food, or have always dreamed of life as a chef or starting your own restaurant , this book pretty much covers it.
could even finish saying ‘Mjolnir’. Iron Man gave us an armoured suit that could do the same and fly off with your woman, leaving you gawking. Cap? He is just a man with a heart of gold who wants nothing more than to do right by his country. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) tries to enlist in the military to help with the WWII
AUTHOR DIVYA GUNDLAPALLI, NURSHAHIYLIA ERDINA + PHOTOGRAPH GOODREADS.COM, IMDB.COM
to get the heart racing with lots of Nazi ass-kicking, espionage and the requisite explosion while the main character leaps away into the air in the nick of time. This is not an excellent movie by a long-shot, but it is a suitably entertaining one that serves as a good summer blockbuster to catch. The action scenes stand out, the romance between Steve and brassy army agent Peggy
ENTERTAINMENT
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WHAT’S IN MY IPOD? (Hayley Atwell) is easy to root for and Chris Evans himself manages to pin down the character of Captain America pretty well. Film Captain America: The First Avenger Starring Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving & Samuel L. Jackson
The Band Perry — If I Die Young
Jessie J — Who’s Laughing Now
‘Lil Wayne — How To Love
Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera — Moves Like Jagger
Britney Spears — I Wanna Go
Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood — Remind Me
Demi Lovato — Skyscraper
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer — Give Me Everything
Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars — Lighters
Release Date 28 July 2011
AUTHOR NICOLE KANG + PHOTOGRAPH AMAZON.COM
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ENTERTAINMENT
5 REASONS TO GO TO THE ASIAN CULTURAL CINEMA SYMPOSIUM SEEN THE E-MAILS IN YOUR NUS INBOXES ABOUT THE ACCS AND WENT “MEH”? DON’T WORRY, YOU’RE NOT THE ONLY ONE. HERE ARE FIVE REASONS TO AT LEAST CONSIDER GOING FOR THE ACCS!
“
Themed Human Spaces: The Symposium aims to look at film as a space to reflect the collision of the human condition and cultural constructs. This is a pilot project that looks at gentrification, bridging and celebration of differences that exist in the milieu of Asian intra-cultural existence through film. The symposium aims to collate and publish findings that can unravel ways to centralise marginalized ‘voices’ that exist in different spaces through film.”Website for Asian Cultural Cinema Symposium (ACCS) 2011. As much as we are literate and educated students, we need to be honest with ourselves and admit that Asian cultural films are not our cup of tea all the time. With the steady (and sometimes nauseating) dose of action blockbusters, is our appetite enough to accommodate the giddy, yet chewable, delights of cultural films? Well, the short synopsis of the event may put us into a good
snore already. Thus, we give you five reasons to attend the ACCS! 1. A CHANCE TO SEE A FEMALE UNDERDOG KICK SOME MALE ASS! (YES, MADAM SIR!) Our history books are populated with male heroes and figures. Sure, we have the occasional Florence Nightingale whose Bambi docility, while inspiring, is often swept aside. What makes ‘Yes, Madam Sir!’ more compelling is compounded by its Asian-ness, doubling its underdog status. It is rare to find an Asian female protagonist (who does not look like Lucy Liu) kick butt. 2. SEE HISTORY COME TO LIFE ON SCREEN (BOAT PEOPLE) If you are ready to see more underdog action, perhaps you might be inclined to watch a Japanese photojournalist befriend a prostitute and thief as they go
AUTHOR NICOLE KANG + PHOTOGRAPH ASIAN CULTURAL CINEMA SYMPOSIUM 2011
against the Vietnamese Communist government. No epic saving music, just watch the tragedy play out on the screen. Just as history was. 3. A NOSTALGIC LOVE STORY ON OUR VERY OWN RAILWAY TRACKS (RED DRAGONFLIES) If you were a part of the fanfare when the Tanjong Pagar train took its last breath of steam, perhaps this movie may interest you! With the railway tracks as the setting for a love story, what could make it more nostalgic and romantic? If you ever run out of ideas to tell your children how you met their mother, you can always use this story as a premise. 4. FORBIDDEN LOVE (AT THE END OF DAYBREAK) Adulterous romances are not just confined to the Hollywood screen, they belong to our Asian films too. With a slightly Romeo and Juliet taste of the forbidden apple, surely you have been the
occasional prey of the “starcrossed lovers” genre? Of course, this comes with a darker and less sappy twist. 5. LUST, CAUTION (BI, DON’T BE AFRAID!) Sometimes, veiled pornography is the stuff of most avant garde films, so ‘Bi, Don’t Be Afraid!’ is a family drama that is heavily embroiled in lusty adventures (quite literally). Of course, we do not recommend you watch it for its slight R-rated content but for its artistic value (*wink wink*). Visit http://asianculturalcinema.org for more details and dates of the shows.
ENTERTAINMENT
I
f you own a video-sharing website and receive an estimated three billion views per day, you know you’ve done something right. For the world’s most popular video sharing site, YouTube, things could not have been any better, with - according to the company - more than forty eight hours’ worth of video being uploaded every minute. And it’s only been six years since it was founded in February 2005!
IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU(TUBE)!
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that a television series is currently in the making.
Apart from spotting talent and turning them into celebrities, nality, wit and humour, garner million subscribers mark for his YouTube also has a massive social fame and recognition through channel CHARLIEISSOCOOL- impact. It is able to penetrate into their videos and become Internet LIKE, where he posts video blogs areas where mainstream media celebrities. (vlogs) and occasionally original cannot enter and has, on countmusic. Quirky and humourous, less occasions, provided exclusive One of the earliest and cona prominent segment of his vlogs footages, mostly shot on mobile sistently popular channels is is the Challenge Charlie series, phones, and so ensuring a free SMOSH, a web-based comedy where he performs challenges flow of information. It is also series created by Ian Hecox and posed to him by fellow YouTube used as a platform by organisaSo what exactly is YouTube’s Anthony Padilla in 2005. They users. On the musical end, Char- tions and celebrities to collaborate function? For us, it is an outlet began with posting videos of the lie released his first solo album to raise awareness on many social for escape after a hard day of duo lip-syncing popular theme THIS IS ME last December and issues. attending lectures and giving songs from Mortal Kombat, undertook a new musical project, presentations in tutorials. For Power Rangers and Teenage Mu- Sons of Admirals, with three Unlike other video-sharing others, it is a source of education tant Ninja Turtles. One of their other YouTubers. websites, YouTube’s appeal and knowledge gathering. Yet most popular videos has them among netizens is set to last for others prefer watching interviews lip-synching the English version Another popular comedy web many years to come because of of their favourite celebrities. Since of the Pokémon theme song and series is THE ANNOYING OR- its easy accessibility. Users only most of its content is user-generto date it has gathered more than ANGE, created by Dane Boedneed to install the freely availated, YouTube’s scope is almost 24.7 million views. Their success igheimer, about an anthropomor- able Adobe Flash Player plug-in limitless. Not only do netizens led them to a feature in TIME phic orange that is… well, really for their browsers – the most get access to professional content magazine’s ‘Person of the Year: annoying. The orange resides on common software used for video in the form of films, documenYou’ issue on December 13, 2006. the kitchen counter and irritates playback. With no playback time taries, news clips, highlights and Since then, they have expanded other fruits and vegetables with limit, or content restrictions, music videos, they can also view their scope to include skits and a series of bad jokes and puns. YouTube provides an unlimited original contents put up by other sketch-comedies spanning several In every episode, the orange’s video library, consisting of a users. genres and four other Smoshunfortunate victims are eviscerlarge collection of user-generated related YouTube channels. ated by the chef ’s knife. With and professionally-made videos, On that last note, YouTube has refreshingly original scripts and spanning across many genres and also given rise to a new phenomTwenty-year-old Charlie dialogues, the channel is ranked sub-genres that are only a click enon where ordinary netizens, McDonnell became the first UK- as the eighth most subscribed away. through a combination of origibased YouTuber to hit the one channel. Boedigheimer confirmed
AUTHOR SAHELI ROY CHOUDHURY, MEERA NAIR + SKETCH WAMWAN.COM
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ENTERTAINMENT
NUS’ VERY OWN... Did you know that we have a YouTube star right here in NUS?
Maimunah, who is currently freelancing as an actress as well.
That’s right! Meet Maimunah Bagharib, a second-year student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Together with her best friend, Hirzi Zulkiflie, Maimunah runs the YouTube channel MUNAHHIRZIOFFICIAL where they post videos of themselves doing wacky things that have entertained and attracted over 5,000 subscribers and generated a whopping 100,000 channel views!
THE RIDGE: What inspired you to start your very own YouTube channel?
THE RIDGE caught up with
Maimunah Bagharib: It was the French film titled LOVE ME IF YOU DARE, where the two main characters dared each other to do completely outrageous things. Hirzi and I saw it and immediately thought about how cool it would be if we played that game and recorded it. Initially we put it up on YouTube to share the videos with our
friends. But it began to garner a following and people were suddenly asking for more. Support increased and it just became our own baby - the YouTube channel. We’ve since made fun, weird videos that showcase ourselves, what we love to do, and the people we are. And thankfully, people enjoy it. TR: How would you describe your channel? MB: If there’s one channel you want to watch for fun, wackiness and wit, you should subscribe to us! Our videos cater more to the local audience and we love participation so we play highly on that. Fans can write in, send in videos, and suggest what they want to see. And we’ll do it!
TR: You have two shows: ‘10 Dares’ and ‘Sex Appeal & Jokes’. How did you come up with the general concepts for them? MB: ‘10 Dares’ was basically just us doing wacky things. We came up with ‘Sex Appeal & Jokes’ when we thought we wanted to move on to something with a bit more wit, but still keep our personalities and weirdness intact. Our general appeal is basically light-hearted humour.
ENTERTAINMENT
TR: What’s your take on self-censorship on the Internet? MB: Hirzi and I practice this on our own actually. The Internet allows for various contents, but I feel that you still have to know your limits. At MUNAHHIRZIOFFICIAL, we are pretty outrageous but we know where to draw the line. You have to be responsible, because however small your content may be, you are still showcasing it to the world.
TR: Have you had any funny experiences while filming these videos? MB: Because our way of filming is very guerrilla, sometimes people get so shocked that we’re right in their faces. Once, there was this lady who was getting a little pissed off but I thought it was quite funny so I stayed to film her. Just as she was about to go berserk I stopped to run, thinking Hirzi was still with me. The next thing I know, he was far away. He left me all alone to potentially get attacked!
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TR: What are your favourite YouTube channels? MB: I love COMMUNITY CHANNEL, WHATSUPELLE, JENNA MARBLES and NIGAHIGA. I love their humour and the way they present their content. It’s so cleverly packaged and they are all personalities that are just so lovable!
TR: What’s your take on people flaming your videos, and on flaming in general? MB: People will always have their own opinions. We take negative comments constructively and we appreciate it. But what’s best about these negative comments is that our fans will defend us, stand up for us and fight for us. And that’s just really humbling. In general, though, I don’t like slamming people. Viewers, even if they want to be heard, should have some respect for people who are in it for the real passion. My motto is that if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. Simple as that. No one is pointing a gun at you and asking you to watch anything. PHOTOGRAPH MAIMUNAH BAGHARIB
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ENTERTAINMENT
INCHING HER WAY TO THE TOP Singapore Idol which is about how you look or present but truly about talent. You can’t cheat with songwriting.
T
he local Arts and Music scene had never quite reached its potential in the past few decades and our local musicians definitely have the necessary talent for that to happen.
TR: Where would you have imagined yourself to be at 10 years ago, where you are right now or someplace else? Inch Chua: I think the music is great. I’ve got a couple of personal favorites and I feel the entries seem to be increasingly more diverse than last year’s.
quality, organised by the lovely Sylvia Ratonel for Club Rainbow. While SXSW was a festival environment, you can hardly compare them both because they’re both completely different TR: Do you have a favourite experiences. Singaporean musician/ More recently, Inch Chua has put singer/songwriter? And I guess because it’s home, the our small nation on the map by why? concerts do feel a little bit more performing at global music festilike community more than vals. Despite being internationIC: Yes, I do. My all time favorite competition. ally recognised, Inch continues to songwriter hands down is Bani pay homage to Singapore in her Haykal from B-quartet; he’s just TR: In view of your recent covers and continues to particitruly an amazing lyrical genius announcement to further pate in local events. and probably one of the most your music in LA, what brilliant minds I’ve met in my do you think are the Inch is currently the ambassador lifetime. He’s immensely unique challenges that local for the Eco Music Challenge Sea- and genuine with his craft, truly a musicians/singers face in son 2 (organised by the NEA), a very inspiring person. the local music market? local song-writing competition which aims to raise a local enviTR: Having worked with IC: I guess the lack of a market ronmental consciousness. both local artists (at the and opportunity is probably Pay It Forward Concert) the biggest problem. It’s not THE RIDGE managed to catch and foreign artists at last talent development because an interview with Inch as she year’s SXSW concert, there is a good handful of talent shares about her hopes and expe- what is your experience here. So amongst many things, riences in the music scene! like working with them? NEA’s Eco Music Challenge is What do you think are the a way to provide songwriters a THE RIDGE: Hi Inch! Seems differences in working and platform that not only helps to like there is quite a large music styles? further the environmental cause spread of local musicians but at the same time provides rising to the Eco Music IC: Well, ‘Pay It Forward’ was an opportunity to showcase challenge, what do you an independent initiative but one’s music in a dignified and think of their music? was a variety concert of the best creditable way. It’s not like
AUTHORS NATHANAEL PS, NICOLE KANG + PHOTOGRAPH NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
IC: I wanted to be a policewoman, specifically a CID. All that triple nine drama on TV really convinced that I wanted to be EXACTLY like Inspector Elaine Tay (Wong Li Lin). TR: Does Singapore really have “little artistic talent” as many tend to believe or are there just fewer opportunities for them? IC: Definitely few opportunities! Over the years I’ve met fellow musicians who are afraid to spend the money to produce albums or put out their own music for the sole reason that they have no clue where or on what platform they can put that music on. Well there’s the Internet now, which really helps, but the infrastructure of a real music industry (referring to the English market) does not really exist in Singapore. TR: What is your personal message to any aspiring local musician? IC: Resistance, persistence, kindness and getting plugged into your local music community.
ENTERTAINMENT
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THE NUS DANCE REVOLUTION! A
ugust 16 was the first of a four-day event hosted by the NUS Centre For the Arts (CFA). Playing an active role in increasing the NUS student’s exposure to the arts, CFA holds annual events featuring popular performing arts and production groups. This year, the string of events started with the CFA House Party which gave one a short and sweet taste of the dance CCAs on the first day.
First up was NUS Dance Blast!, a group of six guys, dressed in all black, red or white, who danced hip hop to a variety of song cuts. Throughout their performance, their sharp and strong moves were a stark contrast to their seemingly air of nonchalance. Each member also had their allotted time to perform a solo, and with their evident passion, it is no wonder they managed to attract a large following (the loud cheering bore Though the event officially started testament to that!). at 6:40 p.m., the audience was kept entertained as one of the sponsors, Following that was the Classical Timezone, had kindly provided us Indian Dance. With a smaller with a Dance Dance Revolution group of just five girls, they (DDR) machine, on which appeared much less intimidating different people willing to take than the former, but they were up the challenge were welcome to no less impressive decked in have a dance-off at the foyer as a traditional costumes and jingling pre-showcase amusement. anklets. The dance comprised simple footwork, continuous hand Slightly before the stated time, movements and a flowing pattern doors to the University Culture which was nothing less than Centre (UCC) were opened. You pleasant. can imagine that quite a large crowd had already gathered, so Unbeknownst to some of us, NUS the hall was quite snug by the has its very own Bollywood time the emcee, Lynette, made Indian Dance troupe, giving us her appearance on stage! more variety to the usual classical
Indian dance style. However, the group of 16 was rather large, so the choreography seemed to be compressed into relatively simple steps - I really was looking forward to more booty-shaking and hair-tossing.
Balancing the cultural line-up so far was the NUS Dance Synergy, who introduced a contemporary dance piece with dashes of what resembles Argentine Tango and ballet. Sad to say, it was a bit messy at some parts because there were multiple points of focus. To spice up the oriental mix more, Nevertheless, it did not entirely the NUS Chinese Dance lived tarnish the performance. up to the previous performance. Armed with just a pink dance fan Joining their dance contempoeach, they carried out their cho- raries was the NUS Dance reography quite smoothly, even Ensemble who performed ‘Hiincluding a number of gymnastic dayah’. Their contemporary piece moves to ease their way through was enchanting. They twirled the performance! a lot, and I even observed that some steps were repeated when Second to last was the NUS Ilsa the chorus played, driving the Tari (Malay Dance). This group’s performance. An image of Mardance was, for lack of a more defi- tha Graham briefly flashed at the nite word, abstractly slow. They back of my mind’s eye when five first started off with contorting girls stood in a line and did a few movements, and proceeded to moves in succession, from the first slow rolling on the stage floor in girl to the fifth. a circle. Even the two guys, who made an entrance by sliding in on Thus, I have to say that the first their backs, moved slowly to the day of the CFA House Party was music. In spite of all that, it was a real buffet of almost every type enchanting as their movements of dance. Indeed, its bite-sized were fluid and highly reminiscent performances were a real treat for of Silat. anyone interested in dance.
AUTHOR CHARLYN ANG + PHOTOGRAPH CENTRE FOR THE ARTS
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LIFESTYLE
FOOD HAUNTS
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE SCHOOL! HOMEY HAUNTS Examinations around the corner, readings piling up, and only 15 minutes between consecutive lessons? Campus offers more than enough convenient locations to grab a bite to revitalize you and satisfy your cravings.
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2 Yong Tau Foo & Laksa at The Deck (Arts) - Featured newspaper articles and awards pasted on the plastic screen are testament to its quality and popularity. The coconut gravy is thick and not too salty nor bland, and goes surprisingly well with the freshly-made ingredients! For those who are more health-conscious, there is the option of eating it dry or with clear soup as its base. At only an average of $2.50 for a hearty meal of Yong Tau Foo, it is definitely one of the most affordable and delicious food options on campus!
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The Ayam Penyet stall at The Deck (Arts) - For those who love fried or spicy food, this stall offers an awesome combination of fried chicken and seafood! Ayam Penyet is Indonesian food, with its chicken and seafood being smashed before deep-frying to just the right amount; the chicken is not over-fried or excessively dry. Combined with sambal chilli, the fried chicken at this stall beats KFC hands down! Enjoyed in the refreshing coolness of the upper level of The Deck, this eatery even offers a free flow of drinks to soothe one from the scorching heat.
4 Toast @ Work at YIH - Move over, Ya Kun! The popular chill-out spot among Singaporeans has made its way to campus. Hurrah to affordable and good coffee and toast during lesson breaks! The half-boiled eggs are a winner too â&#x20AC;&#x201C; done perfectly with the right amount of firmness, and yolks which spill sunshine goodness.
AUTHOR HOW SHU HUI
Megabites at Frontier (Science) - The variety offered at this Western food stall will satisfy your cravings for pasta and fried or grilled western food, complete with a sumptuous combination of fries, coleslaw and mashed potatoes. The cakes and desserts are imported from restaurants and lend a nice touch to the end of a heavy meal!
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I
t has been said that one of the favourite activities of Singaporeans is eating. Our coffee shops and eateries are opened till the wee hours every day, with people hanging around for a snack or two on a daily basis. NUS reflects this ‘Singaporean’ hobby very well. I remember being spoilt for choice as a freshman two years ago, and with the opening of University Town, the campus has become a little food paradise on its own! To save your tastebuds all the trouble of having to sample all the food we have available, I have picked a few of the favourite joints inside and outside of campus to share with you - let the food hunt begin!
ESCAPEES PARADISE For those who are tired of non-stop mugging and facing the books, it’s time to take a break and indulge yourself in a treat for all that hard work!
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2 Din Tai Fung at Paragon (Orchard Road) - This Taiwanese restaurant serves excellent Xiao Long Bao (savoury pork buns)! The skin of the bun is thin, but does not give way easily. The trick to eating this is to break the skin lightly and drink the gravy before dipping the rest of the bun in vinegar. The branch at Paragon does its best to attract the customers, and quite successfully so with queues usually building up by 6:00 p.m. every evening!
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Ma Maison at The Central (Clarke Quay) - The place exudes an enchanting vintage charm, and the girls will definitely love this place! Serving a fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine, the restaurant offers an interesting palate different from the usual food fare seen in Singapore.
4 Pasta Inc at Keong Saik Road - Dimly lit candles and a cosy atmosphere greet you the moment you enter the threshold. In my opinion, this place offers the best pasta I’ve tried so far. The noodle gravy is savoury and not flowing all over your plate nor leaving you high and dry. The result is a light yet excellent meal with sufficient place for dessert that one will want to relish over and over again. A wonderful place to impress that cutie you met in the lectures for a pleasant meal.
Ichiban Boshi at Esplanade Mall - The Ichiban chain of restaurants has grown steadily over the years and it’s not hard to see why. Prices are definitely affordable at an average of S$16 for a bento set, and the quality is on par with more ‘chi-chi’ places like Sushi Tei. With an excellent spread of Japanese food, this value-for-money Japanese restaurant is my go-to when I need a quick fix of the appetizing Sushi or Tempura prawns!
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LIFESTYLE
EVENTS L CRUEL LOVE World Cinema Series: Deep End
True love becomes cruel as 15-year-old Mike falls for his co-worker Susan. What starts out as a coming-of-age story soon turns ugly as Mike finds means and ways to sabotage and eventually destroy Susanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s relationships. Set in the sixties, the movie is directed by Jerzy Skolimowski who illuminates the transition of times from the optimism and idealism of the sixties, to the emptiness ahead at the turn of the decade. Tickets at $9 from SISTIC. Date: September 13 Time: 7.30 p.m. Venue: Theatre, Basement, National Museum of Singapore Tel: 6332-3659
NIGHT FLIGHTS Voyage Night Festival 2011
Ignite your evening with aerial performances by Theatre Tol from Belgium and marvel at the debut of Night Lights, a nine-evening light installment around the Bras Basah district at the Voyage Night Festival 2011. Created to celebrate the spirit of Asia and Europe, and the recollection of journeys and pilgrimages of yesteryear, this evening of stunning performances is not to be missed. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, admission is free! For more information, visit www.nationalmuseum.sg. Date: September 2 and 3 Time: 7.30 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Tel: 6332-3659
AUTHOR BRIDGET TAN + PHOTOGRAPH RESPECTIVE ORGANISERS
LIFESTYLE
S LISTING TAKING OFF
Singapore Aviation Centennial Exhibition Marking its first century since the foremost flight took off in 1911, the year-long Singapore Aviation Centennial Celebrations programme presents yet another piece of its pie. A showcase of the past, present and future of aviation in Singapore, the exhibition titled Our Journey, Our Future, will present the key milestones of aviation; perfect for existing and prospective flying enthusiasts. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.aviationcentennial.sg. Date : August 8 to October 31 Time : 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily Venue : Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3 Departure Hall, Row 11
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LIFESTYLE
ALL TRESSED I
mages of dames with long flowing tresses, gleaming in the sun have been around since time immemorial. THE RIDGE cuts a long story short and glorifies the new crowning glory short styles.
what is it with the rebonded hair and the allure of having spaghetti (uncooked, mind you) straight hair which resembles a wig and makes your back view no different from the ten thousand other people around you?
We’ve had Rapunzel revived in the most recent animation ‘Tangled’, her river-long locks of hair exuding a life and power of its own. We’ve had other Disney princesses whisked around the ballroom with a sweeping mane of golden strands; even Lara Croft sported a nifty long braid as the athletic Tomb Raider.
Having personally attempted the stunt, and subsequently detesting the flat, lifeless strands, what do I have to say after all my (bad) experiences experimenting with long tresses? Enough with the overly-glorified long hair already. What I really want to do now is chop off all the ruined hair and start all over, beginning with a short style. I have to admit, it takes guts to do away with years of growing out that crowning glory.
Even in this sunny island, where you’d think the inhabitants would be queuing to snip the heat-absorbing material off their shoulders, long (and stick straight) hair seems to be the order of the day. On that note,
Face It
Stalk
Much as we like it, not everyone can pull off that adorable pixie cut Ashley Greene had as the adorable Alice in ‘Twilight’. Take note of the face shape you have; if yours is more of a round face, a short bob is only going to make it look rounder. Heart-shaped faces can make practically every haircut glamourous (the world is unfair, face it). Of course, it’s best to consult your stylist before proceeding if you’re not sure.
Yeah you heard me. If you see someone with an amazingly styled head of hair, stalk her (at least until you get the name of her stylist). Just like not everyone can pull off a short hairstyle, not everyone can create a lovely short style so grab the opportunity and reduce the chances of getting a cut you’ll regret for the rest of your life (or at least until your hair grows out again).
Some things to take note of when you want to sport a short style:
Those up for a challenge can try the more androgynous Kiera Knightley look, with longer strands straddling the face with a chic sweep to the side.
AUTHOR BRIDGET TAN+ PHOTOGRAPH VARIOUS SOURCES ON THE INTERNET
If you have that extra time in the morning, a layered pixie cut the likes of Lisa Rinna’s is a sure-fire showstopper.
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OUT Scout Unlike the days of old where the only reference for hair they had were the trimmings of a sheep, Google is our friend. Scour the internet and find the perfect cut. Don’t stop at one - gather a few and show them to your hairdresser to get their input on which would be the most suitable. If after all that, you’re still unsure if you’ll make the cut, there are always iPhone applications in this tech-savvy era. Download a few which allow you to try out different hairstyles and see which you prefer. Remember: whatever you do, don’t ask your family and friends! After all, it’s your decision to make.
SASSY SHORT STYLES SEEN For the less adventurous, a shoulder length cut like Charlize Theron’s is a safe yet sexy bet. Complete it with curls for that angelic just-out-of-bed look.
Leave it to Halle Berry to pull off even the hardest of styles to do. Even Harry Potter star Emma Watson doesn’t have what it takes.
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LIFESTYLE
FACE THE
BOOKS Y
ou’re sitting in the lecture hall listening to the drone of the professor, and the little tab below indicates to you ‘One new notification.’ All of a sudden, the world seems oh so bright and sunny, and the details of research objectives or statistics seem a million miles away. Facebook has been griped as more of a bane than a boon in university, with many a lecture tuned out to check out what’s-her-name’s latest status update. Completing a report at the eleventh hour becomes a chore as the Facebook devil whispers a probe into an old friend’s profile while working on
endless reports. Even a writer, cue me, checks notifications while writing this article (please hold, I think my friend just changed her profile picture!). The Facebook phenomenon has somehow increased the rate of procrastination all over the world. Beware! The Facebook devil loves young souls the most, especially students in the middle of piles of assignments and tedious textbooks. However, THE RIDGE discovered some secret ways which will guard you from the Facebook devil and – hopefully – turn Facebook into an angel instead.
Facebook’s amazing growth has forced the educators to cooperate with it in increasing students’ enthusiasm to study. Fortunately for us, NUS is one of the universities which are aware of students’ tendencies to check their profiles more often than checking their e-mails. Therefore, there are numerous groups and customised pages made specifically for NUS students, most of which belong to NUSSU’s constituent bodies. They were designed as forums for students to chat about events and topics relevant to the groups’ subjects and – most importantly – they are well-equipped with exam tips. Sometimes you can also find last year’s exam papers stowed in there!
FACEBOOK ETIQUETTES! HERE ARE SOME UNWRITTEN RULES IN USING FAKEBOOK - OOPS, I MEAN, FACEBOOK: Photos. Welcome to Facebook. Unless you look like a character from Monsters Inc, please show us your face, not that hot artiste whom one and all can easily Google. Friend Requests. Facebook friends aren’t just a number. Don’t befriend random people - this makes you look like a stalker, which probably you are if you turn a deaf ear to this piece of advice. If you want to befriend a stranger, add an explanation on your friend request explaining who you are and why you are requesting. Status Updates. There is no need to update on your status once an hour. Your Facebook friends won’t care much about what shirt you are wearing today or what meal you are going to have. Plus, it will be a nuisance for your friends to have a News Feed full of your status updates. Siblings. It is okay to have close friends who are like your sisters or brothers but Facebook’s contact information refers to your biological siblings. If your best friends really mean that much to you, you can put them in featured friends or make a new friend category and put them there. It’s just not custom nowadays to have 6,837 brothers and sisters. Application invitation. You are free to take that ‘What were you in the past?’ quiz but do you really have to randomly click a dozen of your friends to “try this scarily accurate quiz”? There is always a Skip button on the bottom of the page (yes right there). Click it. Please. Wall Cleaning. Your wall is literally a wall which represents who you are and you have to keep it stain-free unless you want your friends to see “Stacy needs cabbages on her farm” (or something along those lines). Remove wall posts from spammers and applications unless you really want people to see them.
AUTHOR TERESA WIDODO + PHOTOGRAPH VARIOUS SOURCES ON THE INTERNET
LIFESTYLE
ACCORDING TO MSNBC.COM, A RECENT STUDY SAYS THAT “COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO ARE ON FACEBOOK WHILE STUDYING OR DOING HOMEWORK WIND UP GETTING 20 PERCENT LOWER GRADES THAN STUDENTS WHO DON’T HAVE THE SOCIAL NETWORKING SITE IN VISUAL RANGE, OR EVEN RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND ON THEIR COMPUTERS OR MOBILE PHONES.”
Exploring deeper into Facebook reveals a lot of educative pages. For example, if you are majoring in English Literature and taking EN3231: American Literature I, you will be learning about nineteenth-century American writings which include those of Mark Twain. Thank God because apart from the eccentricities of Lady Gaga, Mark Twain also has a representation on Facebook (with a charmingly bushy picture of the man himself!). A casual perusal may unveil interesting facts about him, events discussing his writings, or even a synopsis of his writings while waiting for another notification to pop.
HERE ARE SOME OF THE FACEBOOK GROUPS AND PAGES FOR NUS STUDENTS: The NUS BBA - http://www.facebook.com/nusbba NUS Business School - http://www.facebook.com/pages/ NUS-Business-School-National-University-of-Singapore Science Student Support - http://www.facebook.com/groups/ scistusupp/ Chemistry, NUS - http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Chemistry-National-University-of-Singapore-NUS Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music - http://www. facebook.com/ystcm NUS School of Computing Outreach - http://www. facebook.com/pages/NUS-School-of-Computing-Outreach NUS Industrial & System Engineering - http://www. facebook.com/ise.nus
A month ago, I received a friend request from a stranger. Being the internet-phobe I am, I delved deeper into her profile and found that the she was a secondary school student and the 40 mutual friends prompted me to click ‘Confirm’. She sent me a message to inform me that she had found my profile from my schoolmate’s profile and we chatted for a while. Since then, I have been helping her with her assignments. It is impressive how visiting facebook.com and clicking a magic ‘Sign Up’ button can turn a stranger into a friend – or, in this case, a tutor. So why not take a leaf from the profile of this girl and start adding those students who pass tests with flying colours as your Facebook friends or prospective mentors? I also find status updates immensely useful, especially in preparing for conducting interviews. Many a quote for an article has been found there, or by simply chatting with friends who happen to be Facebook stalking at the time (you’re bound to find a few at any hour of the day). At the end of the day, the social networking site is a double-edged sword. Although there are countless ways for Facebook to lower your grades, there are even more ways to excel in academics by using it in the appropriate way. But there’s no denying it: you’d have to face the books to get to the top!
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FOREIGN LANGUAGES 5 U
sually when I meet someone in the campus who can speak a foreign language fluently, I start to suspect that they must have undergone a rigorous training regime to speak with such fluency. This is especially so in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) where language modules are offered to the general NUS population. With such close proximity, it is no wonder that you can close your eyes and still be able to randomly pick a student mastering the arts of a foreign language when you next visit the Arts faculty. The Centre for Language Studies (CLS) offers a range of regional and foreign languages to be taught. The 12 languages include: Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia,
Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Tamil, Thai and Vietnamese (a whole plethora to choose from, if you ask me). For those who know next to zilch, elementary classes are offered on a regular basis for those who are interested. For advanced studies, one can still find language modules which provide a greater challenge. For those who plan to go on exchange to countries where English might not the official language of education, these language modules might just be the knife to cut you free before you fly off to exchange. THE RIDGE spoke to a few of these learners who have mastered the basics in their respective foreign languages.
Brendan-Keefe Au
AUTHOR GOH BANG RUI + PHOTOGRAPH BRENDAN, HYQEL
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Often, when I decide to take up a new sporting activity or hobby, interest is one key factor to take into consideration. It is hard to determine when your burning passion will extinguish, but you can always try to make full use of it while your enthusiasm is afoot. For Brendan-Keefe Au, a second-year student majoring in communications and new media, his interest in the German language sparked off from his other passion in life - classical singing. He mentions, “A lot of my repertoire is auf Deutsch (in German). So I thought it would be useful not to have to rely on word-for-word translations constantly.” Indeed, ever since the Korean Pop (K-Pop in short) wave overwhelmed the shores of Singapore, finding fans of such Korean groups picking up the ropes of the Korean language is no longer a rare sight. As the story goes, if you understand the songs that you sing, you would be able to understand even more of the human emotions underlying the lyrics, which is part of the whole point of music anyhow, isn’t it?
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Another reason you might want to pick up a foreign language is the air of sophistication that you might emanate when you speak it, French for instance. Hyqel Helmy, a second-year student in FASS, expresses, “I’ve always thought French was a beautiful language. It sounds so flowery and refined no matter what you’re saying!” Never mind if you’re male and all macho, the flowing accents of the language still manages to enthrall. In terms of elegance, you might actually strike up a notch or two if the language you’re planning to learn has a general stereotype of being refined.
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S 5 REASONS TO START LEARNING 3
One potential side benefit which you will definitely find useful is your ability to speak with your friends who knew the languages without fear of being overheard or generally comprehended. In other words, it’s out with speaking behind one’s back and in with speaking right in one’s face! One interesting incident which Brendan recalls, “I’ve been able to talk very frankly about many things with German-speaking friends in public without being widely understood.” Of course, you require a certain fluency before you can pull this off, because slipping in seven to ten English words in a sentence probably makes it pretty easy to decipher. Incidentally, you might also wish to keep your ears perked to catch a phrase or two in the language you’ve learnt.
Hyqel Helmy
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Ease of learning is yet another key issue if I were to learn a new language. A few languages which use Roman characters for their writing systems such as Bahasa Indonesian, French and German are relatively easier for English learners to start. That alone can be a motivating factor since you can spend more time learning the other aspects of the language such as the grammar or vocabulary and less on learning a different writing system. Brendan shares, “Spoken German is beautiful and sexy, and is relatively easy for English-speakers to pick up as the Romanic languages share many linguistic elements.” It seems that perhaps if you’re more inclined towards the romantic side, you might just wish to pick up the languages.
5
Last but not least, in the fast globalising world, an extra language learnt means securing an additional edge over counterparts during that job hunt. These foreign languages act as keys to open up a world of opportunities normally reserved for foreign talents. Yet, when you decide to expose yourself to other languages and cultures through the learning of a new foreign language, you are placing yourself in the right spot to further your career prospects. Being a cosmopolitan where you are highly mobile in your working environment once meant being a bilingual. However, finding a bilingual in Singapore isn’t a hard task considering the long-standing bilingual educational policy. On the other hand, a trilingual or a quadrilingual might be harder to find considering learning languages might not be a forté for everyone. As quoted by Hyqel, “Well, French is an important international language, with many international organisations adopting it as an official operational language.” If you do decide to pick up a new language, this will indeed be a wise decision, and I don’t mean just French.
So there you go: five reasons to start learning. If you have missed out on the new learning in NUS this semester, there’s always the new semesters. For more information, you can always refer to the CLS website http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/cls.
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WIRED
ICREATE O
ver the summer of 2011, NUS Computer Centre organised its inaugural iCreate Mobility Challenge, a competition meant to challenge students to come up with working ideas to enhance their educational experience and campus life on the following mobile platforms Android, iPhone/iPad, Mobile Web and Windows Phone 7. These ideas included eLearning, student/library services and geo-location related apps. Attractive prizes and rewards were offered as incentives to students in this challenge, which also aimed to encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Out of the 90 applicants, a total of 18 teams from all four platforms qualified at the final round, where the decision comprised of judges’ votes and SMS voting. The winners from each category are:
01
02
03
04
SUPER IVLE BOY (ANDROID CATEGORY)
M3W (IOS CATEGORY)
JPPJFF (MOBILE WEB CATEGORY)
APPSYCOS (WINDOWS PHONE 7 CATEGORY) (OVERALL WINNER)
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Chai Zheng Xin
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Cheok Jianzhong Matthew
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Long Jinghan
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Amulya Khare
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Damien Tan Rong Tai
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Lee Xian Jieh
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Rong Juancheng
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Chong Kwok Hoe, Ivan
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Yap Wei Rong
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Liew Wee Keat
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Wang Yong
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Mohit Singh Kanwal
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Sim Xiangli
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Wu Qi
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Rajul Gupta
They received a Motorola XOOM 32GB WIFI for each team member and SGD $2,000 for the team.
They received an iPad 2 32GB WIFI+3G for each team member and SGD $2,000 for the team.
They received an Motorola XOOM 32GB WIFI for each team member and SGD $2,000 for the team.
They received a Viewsonic ViewPAD 10 16GB WIFI for each team member + SGD $2,000 for the team.
The product videos of all the top 18 apps can be found at the NUScast YouTube channel. Also, version 1.0 of ‘Around NUS’ has been rolled out and is available in the App Store.
AUTHOR ARNAB GHOSH + PHOTOGRAPH IVLE.NUS.EDU.SG
WIRED
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SOCIAL NETWORKING, NUS-STYLE! U
nless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll know that this is the era of the Social Network! The need for people to stay connected with each other, be it for social or business reasons, is one of the main reasons for this social burst.
ucation sector. It seeks to present a resourceful platform for students from the National University of Singapore to interact with each other through their respective faculty groups on topics ranging from school life, faculty news, module information exchange, selling and buying of books, university upA survey shows that more people dates, making new course friends, visit Facebook than Google itself! updating your profile, and lots As a student, it is virtually impos- more! sible to avoid it; you have your school friends to keep in touch Of course, NUS Diary also supwith, upload your own photo al- ports the full functionality of a bums and browse through others, social networking site (albums, grab some excitement from the birthdays reminders, chat, foplethora of games, and so on and rums, friends, gifts, groups, links, so forth – tons of other reasons notifications, profile, status etc.). that will make you yet another social networking addict. Well, It may seem redundant to have I don’t believe anything is wrong yet another social network in the with it. Rather, I really appreciate presence of Google+, Facebook this concept – it’s a radical dream and Twitter but NUS Diary has put into reality. clear and distinct aims that these social networks can’t satisfy. For NUS Diary is a website that brings starters, it is directed particularly social networking to a whole new at NUS students, and so provides level by incorporating it in the ed- a place to carry out discussions
for choosing modules by seeking help from the extensive list of module reviews (NUS Diary is currently in collaboration with www.module-review.com). Furthermore, not all modules support an IVLE forum for discussion, and here comes NUS Diary to the rescue! Freshmen can also use this platform to choose their majors without hiccups; they can follow threads/discussions about modules and ask seniors about the same. Currently, NUS Diary is undertaking a large project - ‘NUS Diary – Student Organisations plan’. It will serve as a common base for all student organisations throughout NUS to internally interact with each other and all other members of NUS Diary.
simple request for membership). Leaders of the respective student organisations can keep track of the number of members as well as communicate with their members inside a private forum (similar to a closed Facebook group). Members can also use this as a means to upload pictures of CCA events and share it with either their own group or the whole NUS community. Personally, being an avid user of this platform, I believe that NUS Diary will help bring about positive change for our peers and university as a whole. So what are you waiting for? Head over to www. nusdiary.com and be prepared to be amazed!
All NUS students interested to know about the CCA opportunities may read up and join the respective student organisations via NUS Diary itself (through a
AUTHOR CHINAB CHUGH + PHOTOGRAPH NUSDIARY.COM
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WIRED
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GOOGLE+ P
erhaps you remember the chaos on your Facebook walls a couple of months back, when your friends were boasting about getting Google+ invites, or when they were actively asking for invites? But what exactly is Google+, and why has it sent tech writers and bloggers into such a frenzy? At its core, Google+ is another social networking site – the latest entrant in a sea filled with established players like Facebook, Friendster, and even Twitter. But Google+ has the backing of what is possibly the most powerful company on the Internet, and that can make all the difference in the fight for social network dominance. Facebook remains the undisputed king of social networking on the Internet today, boasting more than 750 million active users. It is no surprise that Google+ is poised to capture that market, and actively sees Facebook as its biggest competitor. It would be unwise to call Google+ a Facebook clone, although the average Facebook user would make a pretty seamless transition into Google+ because of its close approximation to Facebook. What sets this newbie apart is that it comes with clear improvements in places where Facebook falters, such as privacy settings and open-public content. Google+ is still under beta testing, which was launched on June 28. Its growth has been phenomenal, reaching 10 million users in slightly over two weeks on July 14. Presently, it has an impressive 25 million users. And yes, it is still invite-only, and it is still in developmental stages. Remarkable, isn’t it?
SO WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK OUT GOOGLE+? HERE’S WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER:
Circles: This, by far, is the biggest and most pivotal feature that Google+ offers over Facebook. Whenever you add someone on Google+, you are asked to place them in a ‘Circle’ basically a group of friends that you can name and share content with. This replaces the traditional mass friendlist feature of Facebook or Friendster, where every post you put up can be seen by all your friends.
Stream: With Circles, you can sort your friends into any number of groups, such as Friends, family, schoolmates, workmates, etc. Whenever you post content, you can choose to display it to everyone (Public), or to certain select Circles. That way, those drunken photos you have taken with your bros can be shared with your ‘Dude, bros’ Circle without fear of your boss stumbling upon them.
Content, links and posts that your friends share are displayed here in chronological order, much like Facebook’s Wall. Just like Circles, you can specify what appears here – be it everything, or just posts from certain streams. It’s useful when you know what your real-life friends are posting, without the chaff from casual acquaintances clogging up your stream space.
Also appearing on your stream is Google’s ubiquitous +1 button, functioning similar to Facebook’s ‘Like’. While on a website with +1 integration, you can just hit the +1 button to post the content to your own stream to share with your Circles.
WIRED
53
E+
Imagine a Facebook where you can hide content from your parents. Now you know why you should be on Google+.
Hangouts:
Sparks:
Mobile App + Huddle:
Do you miss your friends so much you have to talk to them all the time, and absolutely have to see them while doing so? The aptly-named Hangouts allows for up to 10 people to participate in videoconferencing sessions. You can start a Hangout session for a particular Circle or manually add friends in. This beats Facebook chat any day.
Sparks appears on your sidebar, and is basically a content aggregator that throws up content you like when you click on it. For instance, you might save ‘Soccer’ as a Sparks search, and whenever you’re on Google+, you can click on it to show news, updates and content relating to soccer. It’s a nifty way to get updated on your interests with just a quick, simple click.
Google+ offers a mobile app version currently only for the Android OS and Apple’s iOS. Of course, as a Google product, Android users will feel most of the love, as features such as instant uploading of photos are only available to Android. A nice feature that Google+ has is Huddle, a messaging function that lets you mass-text groups of friends or Circles in a manner reminiscent of WhatsApp.
***
Right now, Google+ has yet to be officially launched. It is still no Facebook, as it has yet to be widely adopted, but it could all change when Google unleashes its full potential, turning Google+ into a social networking site that could give Facebook a run for its money. Interested in checking out Google+ and looking for an invite? Drop an email to theridge.wired@nussu.org.sg and Wired will hook you up with one.
AUTHOR WIRED DESK + PHOTOGRAPH XKCD.COM/918.PNG
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WIRED
BYTE-SIZED / GOOGLE TO ACQUIRE MOTOROLA
/ MAC OS X LION
/ HP TOUCHPAD LAUNCHES IN SINGAPORE
To gain more power in the very competitive smart phone and tablet market, Google has struck a deal with Motorola to buy the latter’s mobility business for USD 12.5 billion. With the deal, it’s believed that Google will stand a better chance of competing with Apple, which is Google’s major rival in the mobile industry. The deal will also put Google in a better position in terms of intellectual property, a part where Android – Google’s Mobile Operating System – has been attacked vigorously recently.
Apple has recently just launched the so called “world’s most advanced operating system” – Mac OS X Lion. Lion is the eighth major release of Mac OS X, and it has an added bunch of new features such as enhanced multi-touch gestures, full-screen apps, mission control and launch pad, among others. Alongside with the addition, Lion has also dropped a few features, including the Java Runtime and Adobe Flash Player.
You might have seen the TV commercial recently about HP TouchPad, Hewlett Packard’s very own tablet that runs on webOS instead of Android. Until now, the tablet market is still dominated by Apple’s iPad and other Android-based tablets. HP TouchPad is a nice addition to the tablet market, and it might get corporate adoption provided many companies use HP computers.
AUTHOR LAM WOON CHERK + PHOTOGRAPH ANANDTECH.COM, TUAW.COM, GADGETMIX.COM
SPORTS
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FIFA BRIBERY SCANDAL F
ootball is one of the world’s most beloved sports, but the recent corruption case involving the top echelons of the sport’s administration is sure to leave a sour taste among billions of fans all over the world.
him for all that has gone wrong with the sport.
In a nutshell, key officials in the 24-member strong International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Executive Committee have been allegedly involved in ‘cash for votes’ scandals during the voting process for the decision on the host country for the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups; Russia won the bid for the 2018 World Cup and Qatar for 2022.
Sport is a key aspect of human life with almost every person on the planet being a keen follower of one or the other. As far as FIFA is concerned, the fans and players alike deserve an organisation which is responsible and reputable, as opposed to the disgraced laughing stock it has transitioned into.
Unless his new term brings about visible reforms and transparency, it will undoubtedly see more outrageous scandals come to light.
The suspension opened a can of worms with three of FIFA’s most influential figures facing corruption charges right before the election of the new FIFA President.
in an incriminating email by the be good for FIFA in the years to FIFA General Secretary. come. Warner has submitted his resignation, and bin Hammam’s Jack Warner, the Confederation career is hanging by a thread after of North, Central American and facing suspension from all FIFA Caribbean Association Foot- activities. Blatter weathered the ball (CONCACAF) President storm for now and even managed is charged with asking for bribes to hold on to his presidential post for his vote, while the incumbent thanks to a farcical unopposed Sepp Blatter is blamed for failing election as a result of bin Hamto take action despite his knowl- mam’s suspension. edge of the matter. Many critics have indicted Blatter FIFA’s image as a clean and trans- as the dictator of the sport for the parent organisation was definitely past 13 years, and often blamed shattered by this scandal. It is commendable that it has selected two new countries in a bid to enhance the profile of the sport in the respective regions; however the events preceding the vote have led several people to speculate whether this is just a honeyed front to hide the reality.
Mohamed bin Hammam, President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and also the mastermind of Qatar’s World Cup bid has been accused of bribery
Subsequent allegations against Sepp Blatter, Jack Warner and Mohamed bin Hammam will prompt a reshuffle of the executive committee which can only
The first reports of corruption gained fuel when Qatar was alleged to have ‘bought’ votes. This prompted FIFA President Sepp Blatter to initiate an inquiry into the matter. Two of the committee members, Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii of Tahiti were caught on tape accepting bribes and were subsequently suspended by FIFA’s ethics panel.
AUTHOR PRATEEK SINHA + PHOTOGRAPH SPORTSBULLY.COM, KARLLUSBEC.FILES.WORDPRESS.COM
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SPORTS
EN GARDE, PRÊT, ALLEZ NUS FENCING OPEN
F
or all those who have not experienced the art of fencing before, here is an eye-opener. The NUS Fencing Challenge 2011 is an annual event organized by the NUS fencing team, held on July 30 to 31 this year. The game is fierce by nature and every contestant plays to win; even in practice sessions. The weapons used vary in three types: Foil, Sabre and Épée. Out of these, Foil is more commonly used among kids, and Sabre and Epee are the basic modes of combat for adults. While there are different modes to score a point against an opponent, the primary method of identification for the Referee is the electric current that passes through the magnetic coat worn by the players when struck by the opponent. Even though the blade imported from China or Germany can be expensive, the fencers prefer them for their endurance. The competition, open to the general fencing population of
Singapore, has been going on for the past four years. The event attracts many national fencers who represent Singapore for the SEA (South-East Asian) games. The event had individual and group categories for men, women, boys and girls. Separate events were conducted for each type of weapon also. About 200 individuals participated in the competition, forming around 50 teams for the group events. At the end of an intense day, the team from Absolute
AUTHOR NAVEEN PRAKASH + PHOTOGRAPH NUS FENCING OPEN
Fencing dominated the winner’s position in most of the group categories. The individual trophies went to Zhang, Cheryl Ye and Ryan Ren An under the men, women and the boys categories in the Foil competitions respectively, while Yi Yang and Victoria Ann won in Sabre. At the close of the day the organizers were appreciated by the spectators and other competitors for their perfect orderliness in the organization of the event.
In spite of the risks involved in playing a sport like this, I met many parents who were enthusiastic to send their kids for the event, and even stay and support them all the way through. Ryan Ren An, 12, a P6 student at SJI Junior, training in the sport from the age of six under his father who runs a fencing school (Fencing Masters) mentioned that his primary aim was to get into NUS for his undergraduate studies and that he was very excited to be at the event. Lin Fang Yi from Z Fencing stated that balancing both his academics and the interest in the sport was a tough task. Yet his inspiration to practice for the sport never subsided at any point throughout his five years of fencing.
SPORTS
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INTER-FACULTY GAMES (IFG) 2011 E
verybody is cognisant of the animosity that exists between faculties. “My faculty is the best” is the prevailing public opinion, but of course, that is anything but unbiased. We cannot compare the faculties academically so once every year, students and staff members of NUS have the opportunity to put their money where their mouth is. On a level playing field, the faculty representatives compete in a myriad of sports in the quest to lift the Shih-Choon Foong trophy and also gain access to the bragging rights that come along with it.
opportunities to reach higher echelons of sports. Barring a few variations in the number of games contested, perennial favorites like soccer, tennis, badminton, basketball and floorball among others are a regular feature. Despite distinctions in the faculties finishing on the podium in the sports, some notable teams like the Engineering Soccer (Men), Business Basketball (Men) and Engineering Bowling have been winning for the last three years and no doubt will start as firm favorites. Several new competitions like DOTA had been introduced over the past two years, but unfortunately, this year the number of sports has been reduced.
The Sports and Recreation Centre (SRC) along with the teams of the respective sports and the faculties all come together to conduct the IFG each year. It is a welcome relief from the usual academic pur- This year, the sports included in suits during the course of the year the competition are: and additionally i provide a vital platform for the budding sporting talent to come through and gain
• BADMINTON (MIXED) • BASKETBALL (MEN) • BASKETBALL (WOMEN) • CONTACT RUGBY (MEN) • FLOORBALL (MEN) • FLOORBALL (WOMEN) • FRISBEE (MIXED) • HANDBALL (MEN) • HANDBALL (WOMEN) • NETBALL (WOMEN) • ROAD RELAY (MIXED) • SOCCER (MEN) • SOCCER (WOMEN)
• SQUASH (MIXED) • SWIMMING (MIXED) • TABLE TENNIS (MIXED) • TENNIS (MIXED) • TOUCH RUGBY (WOMEN) • VOLLEYBALL (MEN) • VOLLEYBALL (WOMEN) Traditionally, this competition has been dominated by bigger faculties like Engineering, Medicine and Arts because of their larger and more diverse student population. Engineering has been the champion for the last three years, and it is up to the other faculties to dethrone them by providing stiff competition. One can definitely expect an exciting and enthralling contest this year.
AUTHOR PRATEEK SINHA
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SPORTS
SPORT OF THE MONTH
DRAGON BOATING ABOUT THE SPORT
D
ragon boat is a physically intensive sporting activity.
There are 22 members on a boat, which consists of 20 rowers, a drummer and a coxswain. Boats are made of lightweight fibre. The paddles usually weigh 400500 grams. Races are typically 250m, 500m and 1000m long. It is a common misconception that only the biceps are exercised in this sport, but in fact, the whole body - especially the back and shoulders - is used. Power is generated by kicking the front seat, and the twisting of the torso is vital. While the technique is easy to learn, it is extremely hard to perfect, and requires a sufficient
AUTHOR ABISHEK RAVI, JOSEPH CHIN
amount of practice.
IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THIS SPORT FORM, COMPOSURE, COORDINATION AND TEAM SPIRIT ARE OF SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE. The sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s popularity is slowly and progressively growing. The official Singapore Dragon Boat Association event, the PM Cup, is the most eagerly anticipated event in the NUS waters.
SPORTS
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PRIME MINISTER (PM) CHALLENGE TROPHY DRAGON BOAT RACE
T
he NUS Dragon Boat team has done the university proud, with both the men’s and women’s team steering their way to victory for the Prime Minister (PM) Challenge Trophy Dragon Boat Race on July 10 2011. While this has been yet another feather in the cap for the women’s team who have been regular winners over the past few years, it has been an incredible achievement for the men’s team, who have reclaimed the trophy after a four-year gap. On the day of the race, the men’s team faced a grand challenge in that the men’s open as well as the PM Cup were held concurrently. Other universities had opted to pull out of the men’s open, hence giving their paddlers ample time to rest before the PM Cup, while TeamNUS chose to race back to back between events with barely any breaks in between. The mo-
tive was not just about winning the competition - it was about fighting on for every single race as if it were the last. The women’s team faced adverse weather conditions, which also led the organisers to decide to change the race distance from 1000m to 800m during the event. The team had to change their strategy at the eleventh hour, but their adaptability ensured they maintained an edge over their competitors in spite of the fact that the team was highly inexperienced, with a number of new paddlers on board. The performance was more than commendable, as the team led from the start and managed to fend off close competition from SMU and race favorites SIM.
PHOTOGRAPH FACEBOOK.COM/NUSDBRECRUITMENT2011
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SPORTS
DRAGON BOATING
INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEW WITH LOW ZHENLUAN, WOMEN’S TEAM CAPTAIN WHAT KIND OF A TRAINING REGIME DID THE TEAM FOLLOW? We started the season focusing on maximum strength training to build on core muscles and big muscle groups with plenty of gym sessions. Thereafter, we progressed to strength endurance before finally moving on to speed endurance as we built up to our final PM Cup race in July. We also engaged in canoeing few times a week as a complement to the four training sessions per week for dragon boating. Building up to the race, we competed in a dragon boat competition in Penang in June and also had a five-day training camp.
HOW DID IT FEEL TO BE CROWNED CHAMPIONS YET AGAIN? It was stressful as we had to live up to the standards set by the previous team, and the team this year consisted mostly of inexperienced paddlers. Moreover, the standards of the other schools were higher and we had a very close fight for victory
during the course of the race. On Saturday, we placed third in the tertiary division, which worried us a bit, but we managed to retain our title during the PM Cup race despite unfavorable weather conditions.
HAVING CONSISTENTLY WON IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, PEOPLE MUST HAVE FELT YOU WERE FAVORITES. HOW DID THE TEAM DEAL WITH THE EXPECTATION? The previous team won almost every race and it was a challenge to match up as we had a lot of inexperienced paddlers this time around. The expectations created frustration when we could not perform during training, but thanks to the seniors, our coach and the teammates who motivated each other, we kept our goal in mind and worked hard towards it. It was indeed a tough mental battle building up to the race.
IT IS KNOWN THAT
PHOTOGRAPH FACEBOOK.COM/NUSDBRECRUITMENT2011
THERE WERE ONLY 22 MEMBERS ON BOARD AS THE COMPETITION APPROACHED. THUS, WINNING MUST HAVE BEEN QUITE AN ACHIEVEMENT? With 22 members, we had to ensure that everyone stayed focused as we couldn’t afford to lose a single one of them. It was tough to maintain team motivation and provided quite a scare when teammates started falling sick; we were thankful that everyone stayed together right till the end. Our coach was our biggest source of motivation and we all paddled long and hard to do him as well as our predecessors proud.
SPORTS
IN A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED AFTER THE TWO PM CUP RACES, THE RESPECTIVE CAPTAINS SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS ON HOW THEY WON THIS RACE AND THEIR PADDLING JOURNEY TOWARDS THE COVETED TITLE. AS THEY SHARE THEIR CANDID REFLECTIONS, IT IS EVIDENT THEY HAVE WORKED A LONG WAY TOWARDS THEIR GOAL, BATTLING ADVERSITY AND JUGGLING NUMEROUS COMMITMENTS.
INTERVIEW WITH CHARLES CHAN, MEN’S TEAM CAPTAIN HOW DID THE TEAM’S INTERPERSONAL DYNAMICS AND CHEMISTRY HELP? It certainly played the most important role. One of my teammates said, “As grown adults who went through military training for two years and as an undergraduate of NUS, joining the dragon boat team is the one of the most irrational decisions ever made by one. However, if I were to be given a chance again, I would still be part of this family because nothing can ever make me feel as who I am when I’m around my brothers.” This can be attributed to the fact that we spent most of our time together, going through thick and thin during the boating seasons. Only those who fought with us side by side would be able to comprehend and understand the sentiment of the team cohesiveness.
IT IS KNOWN THAT THE TEAM FINISHED LAST IN THE TOURNAMENT THE PREVIOUS YEAR - HOW DID THIS AFFECT THE TEAM
MENTALLY? DID THE UNDERDOG TAG HELP IN ANY WAY? Finishing last was devastating. When I first took over the team in July after the 2010 PM Cup, everyone was feeling down and hopeless. The same questions went around - why did we lose, did we not train hard enough, or have we not put in our best? It took quite a while to get the team’s confidence back. Standing alone makes us weak and fragile, but standing close together as one unit restores the strength. That is how we got back on our feet and restarted training afresh with our new coach. Being an underdog did help in a way as there are not many expectations riding on you. At the same time, we could carry on with our training programmes unnoticed as we are not perceived as a threat to the other schools. Since the dragon boat scene is not relatively huge, it is fairly easy to identify the better teams and the up and coming ones, consequently being considered out of the spotlight helped divert some of the pressure on us.
HOW DID THE
COACH’S INPUTS HELP THE TEAM? Our coach certainly helped as he was from the canoeing team and was once a national canoeist of Singapore. Having experience with both sports, he could apply theoretical as well as technical knowledge to the team. As we are integrating both dragon boating and canoeing skills to the training regimes, he is certainly the best man for the job, making him the youngest coach to win the PM CUP.
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62 SPORTS
SINGAPORE ADVANCES TO 3RD ROUND OF 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS LIONS TUCK AWAY THEIR CHANCES TO ELIMINATE MALAYSIA AND JOIN THE BIG GUNS IN ASIA
T
he epic encounter between traditional causeway neighbours, Singapore and Malaysia, provided football fans a timely reminder of the intense rivalry between both sides. A coveted spot at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers was up for grabs, and the media wasted no time in capturing the pre-match jibes in which the players and coaching staff alike launched at each other. The Malaysian team, which had previously faced top English sides Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in the build-up to the match against Singapore, was keen to build on their 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup success by cementing a place in the third round qualifiers. Following a major overhaul including the sacking of several top names in local football, the Singapore Lions team sheet included a mixture of experience and youth together with the notable presence of evergreen
AUTHOR MUHAMMAD SYARIFUDDIN
forward Aleksandar Duric, the dependable Daniel Bennett, midfield lynchpin Mustafic Fahrudin and Chinese imports Shi Jiayi and Qiu Li – all of whom are naturalised citizens.
bring to Bukit Jalil Stadium.
As both teams exchanged stinging criticism on each other as a customary pre-cursor to a mouth-watering return leg, 300 bold Singapore fans made The carnival atmosphere which the journey up north to support filled Jalan Besar Stadium quickly our Lions. It was fever pitch at subsided after a mere 24 seconds Bukit Jalil as these supporters when Malaysia capitalised on were treated to an extremely some slack defending to slot hostile environment. Cheered the ball past Singapore’s young on by 85,000 passionate roaring custodian between the posts. supporters, the Harimau Malaya Showing great spirit nonetheless, managed to trim the two-goal the Lions recovered and rallied advantage to a solitary one, together to produce a fine thereby setting the match up comeback, eventually ending for a nail-biting finish. With the first half at 3-1 in favour of the nation’s pride at stake, the Singapore. Malaysian coach K. Malaysians galloped forward in Rajagobal must have worked his search for a second goal which charm during the half-time team would eventually see them pep talk as a resurgent Harimau through (on away goals rule). Malaya (Malayan Tigers) clawed its way back into the match. However, it was not to be as the Nevertheless, the Lions’ held Lions sealed the tie with a goal firm and sealed the first leg with against the run of play to send finesse, claiming a two-goal the Singapore fans into rapture. advantage and a 5-3 aggregate to Our fans got more than what
they requested as their Malaysian counterparts (whose broken hearts needed some form of relief) began hurling expletives and projectiles as soon as the Lions employed time-wasting tactics to run down the clock. The Harimau Malaya grew increasingly incensed as harsh tackles flew in, causing dangerous play and culminating in one of its players being sent off the field. At the end, courageous goalkeeping and resolute defending from the Lions prevailed until the final whistle blew, guaranteeing the men in red an opportunity to represent the continent in the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil. Singapore has been drawn in Group A of the Qualifiers alongside top pedigree sides in Asia, with China, Jordan and Iraq.
STUDENT EXCHANGE AT FUDAN UNIVERSITY
I
have never attended a foreign university before, and had no idea what to expect for my student exchange undertaking. However, looking back at my experiences in Shanghai, I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to study in China there is no place more exciting than Shanghai for an exchange in China! The city is growing faster than any other in the entire world and is the most lively and upbeat metropolis in the country. While at Fudan University, my
Chinese language improved and my awareness of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cultural past and contemporary social norms have increased significantly. I have also been able to engage in a mutual exchange of experiences with my new friends at Fudan. The teachers and students alike at Fudan were friendly and welcoming, as well as conscientious and thorough. Interestingly, the one similarity between NUS and Fudan is that students from both universities are too shy to ask questions
during classes. There were, however, instances of cultural differences. These do not exist in the classroom but in day-today activities such as shopping. In China, shopping is not so simple and bargaining does take some getting used to for a foreigner accustomed to fixed pricing; but I found haggling for goods on the street as much of an art as a cultural difference. Living in Shanghai, I have gradually observed the differences between the Chinese people and firmly believe that Shanghai is more open to the outside world than any other city in China. As it is the most cosmopolitan city, getting a real Chinese experience spurred me to leave my dormitories and venture out
to explore. On the whole, being a student is the best time in a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and everyone should make the most out of it by going on exchange at least once during their academic career. Studying abroad helps to broaden our knowledge base and comprehend the different cultures as compared to our own from a first-hand experience. Last but not least, exchange students will most often be able to form friendships which last a lifetime, and not to mention, take their academics a little less seriously as they would have otherwise done at NUS, thus providing some leeway to truly enjoy their time.
AUTHOR LE CHENCHENG + PHOTOGRAPH IRO