CHRONICLE - Nanyang Technological University
CHRONICLE - Nanyang Technological University
CHRONICLE - Nanyang Technological University
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18<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
05<br />
<br />
<br />
SCI-FI<br />
REALISED<br />
New Media Village opens in NTU<br />
with 3D immersive experiences and<br />
cutting edge simulation.<br />
NEWS | 6<br />
NEWS | 3<br />
ALUMNI SHINE AT ANNUAL AWARDS<br />
| 27
02 NEWS<br />
News Bites<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
NTU<br />
NTU SOLAR CAR BEATS ESTAB-<br />
LISHED TEAMS IN RACE<br />
An NTU-developed solar car beat<br />
more established teams like that<br />
from MIT and Cambridge when it<br />
travelled more than 2,000 km over<br />
six days in a solar racing competition,<br />
which started on October 16th<br />
and was held in Australia. The<br />
<strong>Nanyang</strong> Venture 5, developed by<br />
an 11-strong team, came in 14th at<br />
the Veolia World Solar Challenge.<br />
NTU INNOVATION CLINCHES<br />
“BEST OF SHOW” AT TECHVEN-<br />
TURE INNOVATION AWARDS<br />
Led by Dr Tan Ee Leng and Assoc<br />
Prof Gan Woon-Seng from the<br />
School of Electrical & Electronic<br />
Engineering, their innovation, Immersive<br />
Soundscape took the “Best<br />
of Show” (Blue Ribbon Award)<br />
at the TechVenture Innovation<br />
Awards 2011. The innovation demonstrated<br />
the ability to reproduce<br />
3D sound effects from conventional<br />
sound inputs with applications in<br />
the media and gaming industry.<br />
NTU, A*STAR RESEARCHERS DE-<br />
VELOP HIGHLY EFFICIENT AND<br />
CHEAP SILICON SOLAR CELLS<br />
The new thin-film silicon solar<br />
cells are made from cheaper, lowgrade<br />
silicon and yet are able<br />
to generate electricity currents<br />
comparable to costly, high-quality<br />
silicon solar cells.<br />
Developed by NTU and A*STAR<br />
Institute of Microelectronics (IME),<br />
the new cells were created using nanostructure<br />
technology. With this<br />
development, the researchers hope<br />
to halve the costs of solar energy.<br />
NTU, INDUSTRY AND RESEARCH<br />
PARTNERS COOPERATE IN<br />
OCEAN ENERGY RESEARCH<br />
NTU is collaborating with industry<br />
players and world-renowned<br />
research partners on a multidisciplinary<br />
venture, the Joint Industry<br />
Programme in Offshore Renewables.<br />
This collaboration aims<br />
to develop efficient and effective<br />
wind and marine power generation<br />
systems. The programme will have<br />
over twenty-five projects over the<br />
next three years, such as offshore<br />
wind turbines and other sea-based<br />
power generation research.<br />
NBS’ MBA PROGRAMME<br />
RANKED SINGAPORE’S TOP<br />
FOR 8TH YEAR<br />
NTU’s <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business School<br />
has maintained its 69th position in<br />
The Economist magazine’s global<br />
rankings of MBA programmes,<br />
and is ranked third in Asia. Strong<br />
ratings for education experience<br />
and increasing new career opportunities<br />
have helped NBS maintain<br />
its position. NBS admits about 80<br />
full-time MBA students and about<br />
40 part-time students annually.<br />
SINGAPORE<br />
CALLS TO REVISE MEDISAVE<br />
At a debate in Parliament, Dr Lam<br />
Pin Min, head of the Government<br />
Parliamentary Committee<br />
for Health, said that Medisave<br />
spending should be expanded to<br />
cover more outpatient treatments,<br />
especially for chronic illnesses.<br />
Health industry experts and MPs<br />
suggested that the usage of funds<br />
be revised yearly to match rising<br />
costs in Singapore.<br />
Upcoming Events<br />
CHILDCARE CENTRES INTRO-<br />
DUCE SUPPORT STAFF AP-<br />
POINTMENTS<br />
The Ministry of Community Development,<br />
Youth and Sports<br />
(MCYS) announced that childcare<br />
centres can now hire “para-educators”<br />
and “para-educarers” to aid<br />
childcare teachers in the development<br />
of children. This change will<br />
take effect from January 1st next<br />
year. In a statement released by<br />
MCYS, these new appointments<br />
will help teachers to “provide<br />
greater instructional attention for<br />
children who require additional<br />
support”.<br />
SLOWING EMPLOYMENT<br />
GROWTH<br />
The Monetary Authority of Singapore<br />
(MAS) announced that employment<br />
growth is expected to<br />
slow down later this year, as the<br />
economy cools. MAS stated that<br />
job cuts have already been noted<br />
in the financial and trade-related<br />
sector. This is related to the weakening<br />
global growth. Unemployment<br />
rate in Singapore rose from<br />
1.9 per cent in the previous quarter,<br />
to 2.1 per cent in three months<br />
ending June 2011.<br />
5TH BODY FOUND AT BEDOK<br />
RESERVOIR<br />
The series of ghastly deaths at<br />
Bedok Reservoir have been a<br />
cause for concern for many Singaporeans<br />
on whether they could be<br />
due in part to the influx of immigrants<br />
and the detrimental effects<br />
of the two casinos. The recent<br />
deaths have also sparked discussions<br />
over the possible effects on<br />
property prices in the vicinity and<br />
future developments in the area.<br />
TRANSFORMERS THEME PARK<br />
RIDE TO OPEN AT USS<br />
The world’s first theme park ride<br />
based on the sci-fi franchise<br />
Transformers will open its doors<br />
to the public at Universal Studios<br />
Singapore, on December 3rd 2011.<br />
The ride will feature 12 scenes, 3D<br />
digital media, blending sets and<br />
special effects. Michael Bay—director<br />
of the movies—will celebrate<br />
the ride’s world premiere at an exclusive<br />
party on December 2nd.<br />
WORLD<br />
NEW CURBS ON ENTERTAIN-<br />
MENT IN CHINA<br />
China has been known for political<br />
censorship, but for years the<br />
Communist Party has tolerated a<br />
creeping liberalisation in popular<br />
culture. Chinese leaders proposed<br />
new limits on media and Internet<br />
freedoms that include some<br />
of the most restrictive measures<br />
in years. Major television stations<br />
were ordered to broadcast<br />
two hours of state approved news<br />
every evening and to disregard<br />
audience ratings in programming<br />
decisions. These measures will go<br />
into effect on Jan 1st 2012.<br />
2 WEEK OLD BABY RESCUED<br />
FROM TURKEY’S QUAKE<br />
A two-week old baby was pulled<br />
out from the wreckage of a building<br />
47 hours after a 7.2 magnitude<br />
earthquake struck eastern Turkey.<br />
The baby’s mother and grandmother<br />
are reportedly still trapped<br />
inside the crumbled building, but<br />
are believed to be still alive. The<br />
official death toll has been put at<br />
366, with about 1,301 injured in<br />
the quake.<br />
MIXED REACTIONS OVER DIS-<br />
PLAY OF GADDAFI’S BODY<br />
As the public display of Gaddafi’s<br />
body ended, and more details of<br />
his last moments alive were revealed<br />
through the gruesome video<br />
recorded by one of the rebels<br />
who captured him, there were<br />
mixed reactions about what the<br />
brutal treatment of the deposed<br />
dictator might mean for Libya’s<br />
future. Rights groups called Gaddafi’s<br />
death a potential war crime.<br />
Arab journalists and bloggers noted<br />
that GaDuffy’s end was similar<br />
to the fate suffered by Benito Mussolini<br />
and Nicolae Ceausescu, two<br />
notorious European dictators.<br />
CROCODILES BREAK FREE IN<br />
THAI FLOOD<br />
Floodwaters in Bangkok have<br />
resulted in crocodiles that have<br />
broken loose, menacing the local<br />
population. Authorities have<br />
warned that crocodiles are swimming<br />
through rising floodwaters<br />
around the outskirts of Bangkok.<br />
Reports state at least 100 broke<br />
free last week in Ayutthaya province,<br />
north of the capital. Authorities<br />
have offered case rewards of<br />
1,000 baht (S$40) for each crocodile<br />
caught alive.<br />
COMPUTERS IN JAPAN’S PAR-<br />
LIAMENT INFECTED WITH VIRUS<br />
In the latest series of mysterious<br />
cyber attacks that have raised<br />
concerns about leakage of sensitive<br />
information. Media reports<br />
said that one of three lawmakers<br />
accidentally released the virus.<br />
This comes a month after Japanese<br />
defence contractors revealed<br />
that they had also been targets of<br />
cyber attacks, which may have<br />
been aimed at classified military<br />
data. No known classified information<br />
has been stolen.<br />
NTU CAC<br />
IMPRESARIO<br />
NTU CAC Impresario 2012:<br />
Nationwide Talent Search<br />
Competition<br />
Categories: Vocal Solo, Duet/<br />
Group, Original Composition,<br />
Dance<br />
Register online now at www.<br />
cacimpresario.com!<br />
Registration Closes on December<br />
4th 2011.<br />
If you have any<br />
exciting events to<br />
publicise, please contact us at<br />
chronicle@ntu.edu.sg<br />
Vocal Auditions in Dec 2011.<br />
Dance Audition in Jan 2012.<br />
For further enquiry, email<br />
enquiry@cacimpresario.com,<br />
call Dorothy at 9668 2935 or<br />
Dawn at 9199 0143
News<br />
Interview<br />
<br />
with the Vice President – Page 5<br />
Outstanding alumni awarded<br />
HAPPY HOMECOMING: WP Secretary General Low Thia Khiang (centre) was inspired by his NTU education to go into politics.<br />
PHOTO | WAN ZHONG HAO<br />
SINGER Stefanie Sun, and Members<br />
of Parliament (MP) Teo Ser<br />
Luck and Low Thia Khiang shared<br />
the stage with other industry leaders,<br />
all NTU alumni, at the <strong>Nanyang</strong><br />
Auditorium to receive the<br />
<strong>Nanyang</strong> Alumni Awards on October<br />
15th.<br />
Everest Mountaineer: redefine the impossible<br />
<br />
WHEN NTU Alumna Lee Peh Gee<br />
and her five women friends declared<br />
their goal of climbing Mount<br />
Everest, they were laughed at.<br />
But, that only made them more<br />
determined.<br />
“People laugh in disbelief when<br />
they cannot comprehend something<br />
so impossible,” said Singapore<br />
Armed Forces Major (MAJ)<br />
Lee Peh Gee, who was part of the<br />
Singapore Women’s Everest Team.<br />
She eventually stood on the<br />
8,850m summit on May 22, 2009.<br />
“When you finally go and do<br />
it, you have redefined what they<br />
previously thought was possible<br />
or impossible,” the 35-year-old<br />
told a packed audience of students<br />
at the <strong>Nanyang</strong> Auditorium on<br />
October 12th.<br />
The seminar was the highlight<br />
of eFEST 2011 with the theme of<br />
‘Learning is Everywhere’. The annual<br />
event, running in its fourth<br />
year, aims to promote the use of<br />
e-Learning tools and resources<br />
among NTU students.<br />
MAJ Lee said that learning does<br />
A total of 34 alumni, the biggest<br />
number since the award started in<br />
2005, were awarded for either excelling<br />
in their fields, or for their<br />
contributions to the university or<br />
society.<br />
The Awards has four categories:<br />
the <strong>Nanyang</strong> Distinguished Alumni<br />
Award, <strong>Nanyang</strong> Alumni Achievement<br />
Award, <strong>Nanyang</strong> Outstanding<br />
Young Alumni Award and <strong>Nanyang</strong><br />
Alumni Service Award.<br />
Education Minister Heng Swee<br />
Keat, the guest-of-honor, attributed<br />
the success of NTU to the strong<br />
examples set by earlier alumni<br />
members, so that future graduates<br />
will follow in their footsteps.<br />
“In a world of constantly<br />
evolving changes, our graduates<br />
not only come from books, but also<br />
from various life experiences.<br />
“I want to let others know that<br />
it is possible to pursue a dream,”<br />
she said.<br />
One important step to take is<br />
to step out of comfort zones, even<br />
when the outside world seems scary<br />
and dangerous, said MAJ Lee.<br />
During the expedition, she<br />
would wake up in her tent to hear<br />
it flapping violently at times.<br />
After all, Mount Everest is<br />
known for its notorious wind speeds<br />
of up to 100 kilometers per hour and<br />
the temperature could dip as low as<br />
negative 40 degree celsius.<br />
“The storm always seemed<br />
worse from inside the tents,” said<br />
MAJ Lee. “But the storm outside<br />
may be nothing more than the<br />
regular winds we normally encounter.”<br />
“The moment you get out, you<br />
are just one step closer to your<br />
goal,” she said.<br />
The climb to Mt Everest’s peak<br />
from their base camp took the<br />
team about four days, and preparation<br />
for their climb took five<br />
years, where the team did staircase<br />
training at 30-storey HDB<br />
flats.<br />
MAJ Lee revealed that in t he<br />
road up to their expedition, all of<br />
them had to double up as marketers,<br />
fundraisers, public relation<br />
managers and public speakers so<br />
as to raise funds for their cause.<br />
She said that her education in<br />
NTU helped her in that aspect.<br />
“It was similar to the time<br />
when I was a hospitality and tourism<br />
management undergraduate<br />
balancing my eight months practicum<br />
and studies," she said.<br />
"I managed to do a hotel project<br />
and my own final year project then."<br />
MAJ Lee’s speech inspired Joel<br />
Gan, a third-year Mechanical and<br />
Aerospace Engineering (MAE) student,<br />
in pursuing his dreams of<br />
achieving a “big feat” like that<br />
someday.<br />
Also, he felt that MAJ Lee’s<br />
experiences could be applied to<br />
his goal of setting up a business.<br />
“There will be multiple problems<br />
along the way, so the best thing is<br />
to never give up and always keep<br />
trying,” he said.<br />
Daniella Ng, a former national<br />
must be nimble and adaptable,” he<br />
said.<br />
They must not only have the<br />
confidence and ability to succeed,<br />
but must also be deeply rooted to<br />
Singapore, so that they can take<br />
Singapore forward.”<br />
Ms Sun, Mr Low and Mr<br />
Teo, who were all awarded the<br />
<strong>Nanyang</strong> Alumni Achievement<br />
Award with four others, expressed<br />
attachment to their alma<br />
mater.<br />
“I feel very honored (to receive<br />
the award) and also hope to<br />
work together (with the university)<br />
in the future to promote NTU,”<br />
said Ms Sun, who graduated in<br />
2000 from the <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business<br />
School.<br />
Ms Sun was awarded for her<br />
achievements in the entertainment<br />
industry, both locally and internationally.<br />
About 100 fans at the ceremony<br />
cheered and chanted her name<br />
as she took to the stage to receive<br />
her award. Some even managed to<br />
get her autograph during the reception.<br />
“I feel that education helps you<br />
to mature in your thinking and<br />
helps you to see things in a different<br />
light,” Ms Sun said.<br />
Mr Low, Secretary General of<br />
the Workers Party, agreed with Ms<br />
Sun.<br />
Mr Low, who graduated in<br />
1980 with an Arts degree, was<br />
awarded for his role of providing<br />
an alternative voice for the<br />
PURSUE YOUR DREAMS: MAJ Lee Peh Gee, speaking at a seminar for eFEST 2011, urged students<br />
to conquer their own Mount Everest. PHOTO | MALCOLM KOH<br />
people in Singapore’s political<br />
scene.<br />
According to him, his education<br />
sparked off his political<br />
thinking, which shaped his ideals<br />
of democracy.<br />
“I was particularly inspired<br />
by a lecturer who had a deep<br />
knowledge of political systems<br />
and I listened intently to his lectures.<br />
He taught me how to look<br />
at politics in a different light,”<br />
he added.<br />
Mr Teo, Minister of State of<br />
Trade and Industry, said that his<br />
education at <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business<br />
School helped in his current line<br />
of work as it developed his understanding<br />
of business and economics.<br />
“What it teaches you is to understand<br />
how to see an issue and<br />
come up with the solution. Issue<br />
changes everyday and what NTU<br />
teaches you is how to solve those<br />
problems,” he said.<br />
“That is the biggest advantage.”<br />
It was the second time Mr<br />
Teo was present at the <strong>Nanyang</strong><br />
Alumni Awards, having received<br />
the <strong>Nanyang</strong> Outstanding Young<br />
Alumni Award last year.<br />
At the ceremony, NTU president<br />
Professor Bertil Andersson<br />
also revealed that eight in 10 students<br />
from the class of 2011 made<br />
a graduation gift to NTU, which<br />
he said is a sign of the growing<br />
sense of identification among<br />
younger alumni with NTU.<br />
sailor also found the determination<br />
of the team particularly inspiring.<br />
“It motivates me to set out<br />
some goals for myself to attain<br />
during my four years here,” said<br />
the first-year student from Sports<br />
Science and Management.<br />
For Ashekan Hosseinloo, the<br />
most memorable part of the seminar<br />
was when MAJ Lee challenged<br />
the audience to overcome their<br />
own Mount Everest.<br />
“It was a physical thing for<br />
them, but could be other things<br />
for us as well,” said the graduate<br />
student currently pursuing a masters<br />
in MAE.<br />
Everyone has an Everest.”
04 NEWS<br />
Students react to<br />
climate change<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
GREEN CONSCIENCE: Jeremy Lim (back row, right), his team members and mentor after<br />
presenting their project at the National Climate Change Competition.<br />
PHOTO | COURTESY OF TONG SIAN CHOO<br />
<br />
A SAIL boat trip and a water<br />
bucket three years ago taught<br />
undergraduate Jeremy Lim the<br />
value of water conservation.<br />
Lim survived for 14 days<br />
with only half a bucket of water<br />
a day to bathe with.<br />
The experience taught the<br />
22-year-old that it is possible to<br />
live on much less resources than<br />
he was used to.<br />
“I realised that when I had<br />
the options presented by the<br />
comfort of modern life, I did not<br />
choose to save. Since then I have<br />
become uneasy about wasting<br />
resources,” said the third-year<br />
student from Wee Kim Wee<br />
School of Communication and<br />
Information.<br />
During the last semester<br />
break, Lim collaborated with<br />
three other NTU undergraduates<br />
to create the ‘Green Seed Initiative’<br />
to encourage Singaporeans<br />
to conserve energy and water<br />
consumption.<br />
The project won first prize<br />
in the National Climate Change<br />
Competition<br />
Lim is one of many NTU students<br />
who have become more involved<br />
in green initiatives.<br />
“When I had the<br />
options presented<br />
by the comfort<br />
of modern life, I<br />
did not choose to<br />
save."<br />
Jeremy Lim<br />
Third-year student<br />
Wee Kim Wee School of<br />
Communication and Information<br />
The environmental club also<br />
reported collecting a record<br />
amount of recyclables at the end<br />
of the last academic year during<br />
its annual recycling drive.<br />
It collected 2,670kg of paper<br />
from 16 recycling bins across<br />
campus as opposed to 800kg the<br />
year before and just 420kg in<br />
2009.<br />
According to them, the spike<br />
in collection shows that more<br />
students now know that their<br />
belongings can be recycled, instead<br />
of simply being thrown<br />
away.<br />
While some chose to do their<br />
part via Earthlink NTU, others<br />
chose to take up initiatives more<br />
in their areas of expertise.<br />
Another student who joined<br />
an eco competition is Nelson Tan<br />
Yan Cong, 20.<br />
The first-year student from<br />
the School of Art, Design and<br />
Media was among the 12 finalists<br />
in the National Environment<br />
Agency Eco Music Challenge<br />
2011.<br />
For him, raising awareness on<br />
being environmentally friendly<br />
is a form of eco-friendliness in<br />
itself.<br />
“Caring for the environment<br />
is everyone’s responsibility and<br />
we can all use different means to<br />
do our part. For those who are<br />
musically inclined, why not do<br />
their part by doing what they do<br />
best with music,” he said.<br />
He composed a Chinese song<br />
titled “Green Environment” to<br />
raise awareness about climate<br />
change and the importance of<br />
the environment.<br />
In another initiative, a team<br />
of eight NTU students showed<br />
their care for the environment<br />
by designing and building a fuel-efficient<br />
car named <strong>Nanyang</strong><br />
Venture IV.<br />
It not only won the top prize<br />
in the diesel fuel category at<br />
this year’s Shell Eco Marathon<br />
Asia but also won the Off-Track<br />
Award for Safety.<br />
Team member Kuganeshan<br />
Ganesamoorthy, a third-year<br />
student from the School of Mechanical<br />
and Aerospace Engineering,<br />
said: “Until people completely<br />
accept alternative energy<br />
sources, fossil fuel will be used<br />
extensively.”<br />
“Caring for the<br />
environment<br />
is everyone’s<br />
responsiblity."<br />
Nelson Tan Yan Cong<br />
First-year student<br />
School of Art, Design & Media<br />
He added that it is important<br />
to ensure fuel efficiency in cars<br />
so that we can reduce our carbon<br />
footprint.<br />
Vice-president of Earthlink<br />
NTU, Nandita Beri, 19, said the<br />
increase in student participation<br />
is simply a result of increasingly<br />
visible consequences of climate<br />
change such as change in weather<br />
patterns, shortage of water<br />
and food in many countries.<br />
The third-year student from<br />
the School of Chemical and<br />
Biomedical Sciences said: “Not<br />
only is climate change and the<br />
environment a pressing global<br />
issue, it’s become an individual<br />
concern.”<br />
Earthlink NTU has reported<br />
an increased participation in its<br />
initiatives this academic year. Its<br />
membership increased by 30 per TEST DRIVE: NTU students won the top prize at this year’s Shell Eco-Marathon Asia<br />
cent this year alone.<br />
with their fuel-efficient car. PHOTO | COURTESY OF NTU VENTURE IV TEAM<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
A meeting of minds<br />
FREE IDEAS: Entrepreneur Wong Meng Weng intriguing students with an iPhone<br />
application demonstration.<br />
PHOTO | NG JUN SEN<br />
<br />
STEVE Jobs may have passed<br />
on, but the legacy of his foresight<br />
and creativity lived on<br />
through some 400 participants<br />
at a seminar organized by NTU<br />
graduates on October 15th.<br />
Named TEDxNTU, the seminar<br />
held at the Marina Bay<br />
Sands Expo and Convention<br />
Centre was the largest one so far.<br />
TED, a non-profit organisation<br />
that hosts idea-sharing<br />
conferences, stands for ‘Technology,<br />
Entertainment, Design’.<br />
But it has since broadened its<br />
scope to include talks by accomplished<br />
thinkers such as<br />
local entrepreneurs, academics<br />
and researchers.<br />
It boasts people like James<br />
Randi and Steve Jobs as its<br />
honorary alumni.<br />
Vivek Manoharan, 23, assembled<br />
his team of graduates<br />
to host the seminar after being<br />
inspired by watching the riveting<br />
TED videos on YouTube.<br />
Despite bearing the name<br />
of the seminar, official TED<br />
organisers played no role in<br />
organising the event. Instead,<br />
it was Manoharan and his<br />
team who brought the seminar<br />
to fruition, with the help of<br />
funding from NTU’s Student<br />
Affairs Office.<br />
“TED is all about people<br />
coming together, sharing<br />
ideas,” said Manoharan, who<br />
is currently pursuing a PhD in<br />
biomechanics.<br />
The speakers were selected<br />
based on their remarkable<br />
achievements and their ability<br />
to inspire others.<br />
One of them was entrepreneur<br />
Wong Meng Weng, who<br />
demonstrated an iPhone application,<br />
which could teach users<br />
how to order the different permutations<br />
of “kopitiam-styled”<br />
coffee.<br />
Wong is the founder of<br />
several technological companies,<br />
such as pobox.com,<br />
and organised the TEDxSentosa<br />
event in 2009.<br />
Other speakers spoke on pursuing<br />
ideas, and shared insider<br />
tips on how to reach career or<br />
personal goals.<br />
“This session was about how<br />
to dream and succeed. It is for<br />
people with ideas, and how if<br />
they have the right method, they<br />
can make it work,” said Manoharan.<br />
Although many in the audience<br />
felt inspired after attending<br />
the event, some saw room<br />
for improvement.<br />
Elvin Zhang, a second-year<br />
student from <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business<br />
School, said that the session had<br />
given him a lot of good ideas.<br />
But the 22-year-old felt that<br />
the speakers could have been<br />
more energetic, as the seven<br />
hour long seminar could wear<br />
some listeners out.<br />
Others, like School of Computer<br />
Engineering undergraduate<br />
Arun Puraiswamy, 22, felt<br />
that while the event was not<br />
on the same level as global TED<br />
events, there was still value to<br />
such seminars as they are important<br />
to the places where the TED<br />
conferences do not officially<br />
visit.<br />
“The talk could be made specific<br />
to the younger generation,<br />
such as NTU students,” he said.<br />
On hearing such feedback,<br />
Manoharan admitted that<br />
TEDxNTU is still at its starting<br />
stage.<br />
“We’re still growing, and the<br />
main TED event also started off<br />
like this.”<br />
He intends to make it a biannual<br />
event, and promised “an enhanced<br />
experience” in the future,<br />
which he said would depend on<br />
future selected speakers.<br />
But the essential message<br />
of TEDxNTU will still be unchanged.<br />
“Have an idea. Life is all<br />
about ideas, good ideas, bad<br />
ideas, doesn’t matter. Just follow<br />
it,” he said.
18<br />
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05<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
NEWS 05<br />
GOING GLOBAL: Professor Er Meng Hwa ensures students are prepared for the international stage through partnerships with external institutions. PHOTO | COURTESY OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE<br />
Royce’s <strong>University</strong> Technology borders in your opinion?<br />
Centre.<br />
A: Geographical borders are<br />
Through these joint collaborations,<br />
our industrial partners are world for countries to protect<br />
still relevant in the modern<br />
Go international, able to tap on NTU’s expertise in their sovereignty. However, the<br />
the form of our talented faculty changing global environment<br />
and students and our world-class in the fields of communication<br />
facilities.<br />
and information, trade and finance,<br />
politics and security,<br />
At the same time, our students<br />
and faculty benefit from the opportunity<br />
to work with leading has created new opportunities<br />
and science and technology<br />
stay competitive<br />
private sector researchers on and challenges.<br />
complex and challenging reallife<br />
systems.<br />
top talents whose skills, expe-<br />
<br />
In the globalised economy,<br />
<br />
By working together on projects,<br />
they are also able to access borders will be highly sought<br />
rience and expertise transcend<br />
<br />
the latest state-of-the art technology<br />
and better understand countries.<br />
after by employers in many<br />
<br />
emerging trends.<br />
Q: What does your position as<br />
Vice President in charge of International<br />
Affairs entail?<br />
A: As Vice President for International<br />
Affairs, I work closely<br />
with the senior management<br />
team to shape and carry out<br />
NTU’s international agenda of<br />
ensuring that our students are<br />
well prepared for life and careers<br />
that will increasingly have<br />
an international dimension, and<br />
to enable the university to effectively<br />
compete on the world<br />
stage for the best students and<br />
faculty.<br />
As ideas and knowledge in<br />
every field become international,<br />
being at the cutting edge of<br />
higher education and research<br />
requires a strong dialogue with<br />
our peer institutions in other<br />
countries.<br />
This means that NTU needs<br />
to enhance our reputation as a<br />
choice partner with top international<br />
universities and organisations.<br />
This is another important<br />
part of my job. Our partnerships<br />
range from strategic education<br />
and research collaborations, to<br />
joint undergraduate and graduate<br />
degrees, and international<br />
undergraduate and graduate<br />
student exchanges.<br />
Q: How can NTU students prepare<br />
themselves to be global<br />
talents?<br />
A: The world is increasingly becoming<br />
more connected and interdependent.<br />
To succeed in the working<br />
world in the future, NTU students<br />
need to have a cosmopolitan<br />
mindset and they must be<br />
prepared to meet the challenges<br />
of working with people of different<br />
nationalities and expertise.<br />
This requires our students<br />
to cultivate their cultural intelligence<br />
and gain the right skills<br />
and global exposure, so that<br />
they can effectively engage and<br />
work with teams anywhere in<br />
the world.<br />
Currently, one in two students,<br />
or 50 per cent of the<br />
graduating cohort, participate<br />
in various programmes to grow<br />
their global exposure and competence.<br />
NTU’s new Office of Global<br />
Education and Mobility aims to<br />
raise this participation rate to 70<br />
per cent, so that more students<br />
can gain from a global educational<br />
experience even though<br />
they are studying in Singapore.<br />
Q: Apart from an affiliation<br />
with China by setting up a<br />
campus there, how else is NTU<br />
being internationalised?<br />
A: We are developing more opportunities<br />
for our students to<br />
study and immerse themselves<br />
in various overseas environments.<br />
We are continuing to attract<br />
top international students.<br />
Every year, we bring in more<br />
than 1,000 international students<br />
from our partner universities<br />
to spend a semester on our<br />
campus.<br />
This cultural exchange is an<br />
important part of internationalisation.<br />
NTU is also stepping up our<br />
efforts to seek and enhance collaborative<br />
agreements with the<br />
best universities around the<br />
world.<br />
We have established joint<br />
graduate and PhD programmes<br />
with renowned universities, like<br />
Imperial College London and the<br />
Technical <strong>University</strong> of Munich.<br />
NTU is also an active player<br />
in GlobalTech, the network<br />
of the world’s top technological<br />
universities chaired by NTU<br />
President Prof Bertil Andersson.<br />
We are also expanding our<br />
involvement in China and India,<br />
as well as other regional networks<br />
and alliances.<br />
Our overseas alumni are a<br />
valuable resource in these efforts,<br />
and I look forward to cultivating<br />
deeper ties with them.<br />
NTU has established more<br />
than 30 international alumni<br />
chapters to network with our<br />
alumni and potential partners.<br />
“We are developing<br />
more opportunities<br />
for our students to<br />
study and immerse<br />
themselves in<br />
various overseas<br />
environments."<br />
We have also been offering<br />
international executive programmes<br />
to professionals and<br />
senior officials from the region<br />
to be trained on NTU’s campus.<br />
Q: How are international industrial<br />
partners encouraged<br />
to set up research facilities in<br />
NTU? And how will this benefit<br />
students?<br />
A: NTU has established a number<br />
of joint labs with our strategic<br />
international industrial partners<br />
on campus such as BOSCH<br />
and THALES. NTU is also Rolls-<br />
Q: Which international figure<br />
do you look up to and why?<br />
A: Our former Prime Minister Lee<br />
Kuan Yew. Under his visionary<br />
leadership, he has transformed<br />
Singapore from a third world<br />
country to first world status in<br />
just one generation.<br />
Singapore’s development and<br />
transformation as a nation is a<br />
miracle to many people around<br />
the world and has drawn admiration<br />
from many state leaders.<br />
I come from a humble background<br />
and my late father was a<br />
hawker. I owe my success largely<br />
to Singapore’s system.<br />
Q: Which aspects of international<br />
affairs would you like to<br />
highlight during your tenure as<br />
Vice President in charge of International<br />
Affairs?<br />
A: I intend to work with our<br />
colleagues in the colleges and<br />
schools to provide more global<br />
educational programmes and opportunities<br />
for our students.<br />
I also aim to achieve the new<br />
target of 70 per cent participation<br />
rate during my tenure.<br />
At the same time, I will be<br />
working closely with President,<br />
Provost and other senior colleagues<br />
to help raise NTU’s international<br />
profile and reputation<br />
through various alliances and<br />
networks.<br />
This would also help raise<br />
NTU’s visibility and improve<br />
NTU’s global rankings.<br />
Q: How relevant is geographical<br />
“I come from<br />
a humble<br />
background and<br />
my late father<br />
was a hawker. I<br />
owe my success<br />
to a large part<br />
to Singapore's<br />
system."<br />
Q: Which is your favourite<br />
canteen in NTU?<br />
A: I like to take Subway and<br />
Japanese food for lunch when<br />
I am on campus.<br />
Q: What do you do in your<br />
free time?<br />
A: I like to read, especially<br />
books on leadership and management,<br />
I Ching, and Human<br />
Brain Research.<br />
I am also a keen golfer and<br />
a Chinese classical song crooner.<br />
I practice my golf swing at<br />
the driving range 3 to 5 times a<br />
week as a form of exercise and<br />
relaxation.<br />
I have developed a technique<br />
called “PID” which<br />
stands for “Posture, Inertia and<br />
Dynamics” for my golf swing<br />
which has proven good enough<br />
to win the 3rd position in NTU’s<br />
President Golf Challenge 2009.<br />
I sing occasionally. I won the<br />
championship in NTU’s Talentime<br />
in 1989.
06 NEWS<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
Try clothes on your virtual "self"<br />
DOWN THE RUNWAY: Models like these may become obsolete with the interactive digital<br />
technologies.<br />
PHOTO | WAN ZHONG HAO<br />
THE next time you shop for clothes<br />
online, you may no longer have to<br />
worry whether your purchase fits<br />
you. Instead, you will be able to see<br />
how the clothes fit on your virtual<br />
“body” from your computer screen,<br />
before making a decision.<br />
This is possible with a new invention,<br />
due to be launched in four<br />
to six months' for online shops.<br />
Called the Virtual Fashion &<br />
<br />
GLOBETROTTER: Francis Lau has travelled to far off countries such as Denmark on business trips.<br />
PHOTO | TAN WEI ZHENG<br />
Clothes Simulation technology, it<br />
was one of many interactive digital<br />
media inventions showcased<br />
in NTU’s New Media Village at<br />
the Institute of Media Innovation<br />
(IMI) on October 12th and 13th.<br />
These inventions were the result<br />
of a collaboration among the<br />
different disciplines in NTU such as<br />
computer engineering, mechanical<br />
engineering and psychology.<br />
The Virtual Fashion & Clothes<br />
Simulation technology was developed<br />
by Professor Nadia Thalmann,<br />
the director of IMI. All you<br />
have to do is key in your body<br />
size into any website which has<br />
the technology embedded, and<br />
you will see a virtual “you” strutting<br />
around, clad in the apparel of<br />
your choice.<br />
Professor Thalmann said that<br />
this technology will help customers<br />
avoid the disappointment of<br />
purchasing ill-fitting clothes from<br />
online retailers in the future.<br />
“While the application is still<br />
in its prototype phase, its real<br />
value lies in bringing such a 3-D<br />
virtual environment directly into<br />
the design industry’s production<br />
process, helping to shorten design<br />
cycle times and cut physical sample<br />
costs,” she added.<br />
Designers would also benefit<br />
from the technology, as they will<br />
be able to try their designs on the<br />
virtual models.<br />
“This will revolutionise the fashion<br />
industry as it would help designers<br />
save on materials and money,<br />
reduce time spent on marketing,<br />
and cut the industry’s carbon footprint,<br />
making for a more sustainable<br />
planet,” said Professor Thalmann.<br />
Other highlights unveiled at<br />
IMI included the 3-D Immersive<br />
<br />
18<br />
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05<br />
Room, MAVEN (Mobile Avatar for<br />
Virtual Engagement by NTU) and<br />
the Crowd Simulator.<br />
MAVEN is a remote-controlled<br />
device on wheels, with Internet<br />
and mobile video conferencing<br />
capabilities.<br />
It is different from normal<br />
video conferencing devices as it<br />
provides a 180-degree view of the<br />
surroundings of the person you<br />
are speaking to through its three<br />
overhead cameras.<br />
Visitors can also fully immerse<br />
themselves in a virtual world with<br />
the Immersive Room. Measuring<br />
10m by 10m, the room features a<br />
curved projection screen wall that<br />
stretches almost 360 degrees all<br />
around.<br />
The Immersive Room is<br />
equipped with infrared emitters,<br />
high-end projectors, stereoscopic<br />
lightweight 3-D glasses, position<br />
trackers and computer graphics.<br />
It has been used in applications<br />
such as the Pink Dolphin<br />
Simulation, a joint effort between<br />
IMI researchers and the Underwater<br />
World Singapore.<br />
The simulation aims to help<br />
autistic children improve their<br />
communication and learning<br />
skills through interaction with<br />
virtual dolphins, as research has<br />
shown that they respond and interact<br />
well with dolphins.<br />
Using Kinect technology, the<br />
same used in Xbox consoles, the<br />
dolphins in the simulation move according<br />
to a user’s hand movements.<br />
Dr Noel Chia, Assistant Professor<br />
with the Early Childhood<br />
& Special Needs Education Academic<br />
Group, explained that this<br />
simulation could potentially be<br />
a cost-effective tool to improve<br />
interaction skills in autistic children,<br />
given the high costs of conducting<br />
Dolphin Assisted Therapy<br />
with live dolphins.<br />
On display was also the Crowd<br />
Simulator, which helps to predict<br />
human behavior during emergency<br />
evacuations by allowing the<br />
user to control a virtual avatar using<br />
hand gestures and guide other<br />
virtual characters in the direction<br />
he wants them to follow.<br />
Professor Thalmann believes<br />
that the multi-disciplinary collaborations<br />
have played a significant<br />
role in contributing to IMI’s<br />
research discoveries.<br />
She said: “This is a multi-disciplinary<br />
initiation with professors<br />
and students from different schools,<br />
linking arts and hard science. This<br />
is a new image for NTU now.”<br />
Expand your horizons with a Maritime career<br />
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CANDICE NEO
18<br />
NEWS 07<br />
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05 <strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
Take your tastebuds global<br />
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EL-HASSAN~TASTE OF MOROCCO<br />
(CANTEEN 11)<br />
WATCHING Mr Nasir Bin Ali chatter<br />
with his customers, you can<br />
hardly tell he only took over the<br />
business four months ago.<br />
His passion for his stall is<br />
expressed through his regular<br />
prompts for feedback from his<br />
customers to ensure that their expectations<br />
are met.<br />
“First and foremost, I [enjoy]<br />
meeting people. I don’t really regard<br />
[students] as my customers, I<br />
regard them as my friends,” said<br />
Mr Nasir.<br />
Though born in Singapore, Mr<br />
Nasir remains confident about the<br />
authenticity and taste of his food.<br />
He picked up the trade from<br />
his Moroccan uncle who taught<br />
him how to make the stall’s signature<br />
kebab.<br />
This stall is hard to miss with<br />
Qu’ran prayers playing in the<br />
background and the aroma of kebab<br />
wafting from it during busy<br />
hours.<br />
While many may know it as<br />
the western stall, it is not the typical<br />
stall selling your usual chicken<br />
chop and spaghetti.<br />
A closer look will find a menu<br />
peppered with varied Middle Eastern<br />
or Moroccan influences.<br />
The stall is in fact, an extension<br />
of his family business, El-<br />
Hassan ~Taste of Morocco, a F&B<br />
business partly owned by his Moroccan<br />
uncle.<br />
Mr Nasir believes that the<br />
skills his uncle imparted to him<br />
have allowed him to prepare<br />
high quality Moroccan food<br />
which could rival that of a native<br />
cook.<br />
He revealed that Arab students<br />
regularly buy his Kebab,<br />
which he says is a sign of its authentic<br />
taste.<br />
The 38-year-old stallholder<br />
picked up his passion for cooking<br />
from helping his mother in the<br />
kitchen when he was young.<br />
“I don't really<br />
regard students as<br />
my customers, I<br />
regard them as my<br />
friends."<br />
Mr Nasir Bin Ali<br />
Stallholder<br />
El-Hassan ~ Taste of Morocco<br />
“Initially, I was not interested<br />
at all but I ended up in the kitchen<br />
with my mother and had to<br />
help her. In the process, I learnt<br />
a bit about cooking, and [my interest]<br />
grew and developed,” he<br />
said.<br />
His current job is a completely<br />
different scope of work from his<br />
previous job as a safety engineer<br />
at Exxon Mobil.<br />
Asked if he likes the job<br />
switch, he said, “I’m passionate<br />
about cooking, I love food and I<br />
think the hall 10 and 11 students<br />
are very lucky people. They have<br />
a lot of good food here.”<br />
MANNA KOREAN CUISINE<br />
(CANTEEN 13)<br />
AFTER a six-year work attachment<br />
as a branch manager for<br />
Hyundai in Singapore, Mr David<br />
Sin decided to make a permanent<br />
shift here in 1999 and dived into<br />
the food business for his family’s<br />
sake.<br />
“My family wanted to stay…<br />
because if we return to Korea then<br />
maybe the education system will<br />
be different. I wanted to allow my<br />
children to continue studying in<br />
Singapore so I resigned,” said the<br />
56-year-old.<br />
He opened his stall in the revamped<br />
Canteen 13 in July 2006,<br />
at the suggesiton of the canteen<br />
owner who had heard of Mr Sin's<br />
restuarant business, to attract Korean<br />
food-lovers.<br />
The food stall was hailed as a<br />
must-try by Felicia Chin and Dasmond<br />
Koh, hosts of Channel U<br />
food programme, Campus Yummy<br />
Hunt.<br />
The native Korean is also the<br />
owner of Manna Korean Restaurant<br />
and his Korean food can also<br />
be found at Telok Ayer Street and<br />
Takashimaya Food Village.<br />
Many of Mr Sin’s ingredients<br />
such as his special sauce are imported<br />
from Korea to preserve authenticity.<br />
Some of the food is also<br />
prepared at the restaurant by their<br />
Korean chef before being sent to<br />
NTU.<br />
Despite the cost, Mr Sin continues<br />
to keep his food affordable<br />
at the canteen outlet; prices are<br />
half or a quarter of their usual<br />
rates. $3.80 can get you a piping<br />
hot bowl of their popular bibimbap<br />
and soup.<br />
He said. “Our workers give big<br />
portions [and] the price is low but<br />
quality is not compromised. So<br />
pretty much everyone can enjoy<br />
Korean food.”<br />
SPECIAL XI'AN NOODLES<br />
(CANTEEN 9)<br />
MRS XU Shuang Zhi, 49, has seen<br />
cohorts of graduates come and go<br />
in her 15 years selling Chinese<br />
fare.<br />
“Call it fate,” she said when<br />
asked why she opened the stall. “I<br />
first found this stall when I saw<br />
an advertisement while flipping<br />
through the newspapers”<br />
She had been looking for a<br />
job, having married a local and<br />
migrated to Singapore.<br />
“Call it fate... I<br />
first found this<br />
stall when I saw<br />
an advertisement<br />
while flipping the<br />
newspaper."<br />
Mrs Xu Shuang Zhi<br />
Stallholder<br />
Xi'an Specialities<br />
SAY KIMCHI: Mr David Sin outside Manna Korean Restaurant, one of the chain of stalls he<br />
owns selling authentic Korean food. PHOTOS | GOH CHAY TENG<br />
her family of six, and the stall is<br />
kept open for business everyday<br />
except for the three days of Chinese<br />
New Year.<br />
Her husband often comes by<br />
to help her at the stall.<br />
“It’s not an easy job. Usually<br />
we wake up at 5, 6am or sometimes,<br />
even 3 or 4am just to prepare<br />
food.”<br />
The time depends on the<br />
quantity of food that Mrs Xu has<br />
to prepare for the next day.<br />
All her noodles and dumplings<br />
have to be traditionally<br />
handmade with pure flour everyday.<br />
“When you talk about Xi’an<br />
food, you are really talking about<br />
our noodles," she said<br />
"Xi’an noodles are very special<br />
in that they are made of pure<br />
flour and they can be very thick<br />
in texture."<br />
“It’s not like your normal<br />
mee pok or mee kia. Our noodles<br />
have to be consumed fresh within<br />
the day or it will become fermented,<br />
which is why we need<br />
so much time to prepare the food<br />
everyday.”<br />
She also sells traditional cold<br />
side dishes like cold tossed seasoned<br />
shredded potatos, cold<br />
tossed seaweed, and marinated<br />
cucumber to accompany the noodles.<br />
Speaking of hometown food,<br />
she shared that “the famous director,<br />
Zhang Yimou—he’s also<br />
a Xi’an person. It is known that<br />
every five to six days, he must go<br />
back home to have a meal.”<br />
AUTHENTIC TASTE: Mr Nasir's Middle Eastern dishes have a devoted following among<br />
Arab students.<br />
Though an accountant back<br />
in China, Mrs Xu decided to open<br />
a food business due to her poor<br />
command of English.<br />
For her, Xi’an Noodles is her<br />
bread and butter for supporting<br />
TWIST OF FATE: Mrs Xu was an accountant in China but decided to run a food stall at<br />
Canteen 9 after marrying a Singaporean.
Lifestyle<br />
Discover<br />
Vietnam’s rural charm – Page 14<br />
CHILLING OUT<br />
DJ STYLE<br />
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QUIET MARINA: Boy Thunder likes Marina Barrage for the gentle<br />
breeze that helps even first timers fly their kites high.<br />
BOY THUNDER AND ADAM PIPERDY<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
WHERE’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHILL-<br />
OUT SPOT?<br />
BOY THUNDER: The first place that<br />
comes to mind is Marina Barrage. My<br />
girlfriend brought me there on a date<br />
about a year ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed<br />
my time chilling out on a picnic<br />
mat with a kite in hand.<br />
You’ll be amazed at how good you are<br />
even if you’re a first time flyer, thanks<br />
to the breeze.<br />
Since then, I’ve been hanging out there<br />
once a month without fail.<br />
ADAM PIPERDY: I usually go to Changi<br />
Beach—Bistro@Changi. I’ve been going<br />
there for three years.<br />
My ex-girlfriend’s uncle owns the pub<br />
there, so we used to hang out there<br />
quite a bit.<br />
I usually grab a few beers, then take a<br />
walk down the beach and admire the<br />
lights from the boats.<br />
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE<br />
THAT HELPS YOU TO RELAX AND<br />
DE-STRESS?<br />
BOY THUNDER: The gentle breeze and<br />
the escape from the usual Orchard<br />
Road crowd. This place has a vast<br />
field. Families gather here for picnics<br />
and the sky is a picturesque view of<br />
kites all over.<br />
ADAM PIPERDY: It’s a little hard to<br />
get here by public transport and that<br />
means that not many people get here.<br />
It is much quieter and more peaceful<br />
than East Coast Park, so you get a sense<br />
of tranquillity just by watching the<br />
sunset or people riding bikes.<br />
You can also hear the waves coming<br />
in, and the rhythmic crashing of waves<br />
onto the sand calms me down and<br />
gives me a sense of peace.<br />
Since we host shows for crowds, sometimes<br />
we really need to get away from<br />
everything, sit down, and listen to the<br />
waves coming in.<br />
Call me old school but that’s how I like<br />
to spend my free time. (Laughs)<br />
WHEN IS THE BEST TIME OF THE<br />
DAY TO HANG OUT THERE?<br />
BOY THUNDER: From 4.30pm till before<br />
it gets too dark.<br />
ADAM PIPERDY: I guess watching the<br />
sunset is great. And if you happen to<br />
ton (stay up for) the night, you can<br />
watch the sunrise too.<br />
MR YOUNG<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
WHERE’S YOUR FAVOURITE CHILL-<br />
OUT SPOT?<br />
Does Facebook count? Just kidding.<br />
There’s pretty much two places I’m<br />
at most of the time these days—either<br />
at home, savoring my alone<br />
CHANGI CALM: Changi beach is much quieter and more peaceful than East Coast Park, as it’s a little hard to get there by<br />
public transport, says Adam.<br />
PHOTOS | GOH CHAY TENG, WAN ZHONG HAO, COURTESY OF 91.3FM<br />
time, or at Evolve Mixed Martial<br />
Arts, a mixed martial arts gym in<br />
Far East Square. I’m there Monday<br />
to Friday in the afternoon till early<br />
evening, and most of Saturday.<br />
I take Muay Thai classes, boxing<br />
classes, chat with the people there,<br />
and read up on whatever’s interesting<br />
that I can use on my radio show<br />
in between classes.<br />
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS PLACE<br />
THAT HELPS YOU TO RELAX AND<br />
DE-STRESS?<br />
It’s the nice, friendly vibe there—an<br />
atmosphere of learning and respect.<br />
No matter how good you are, there’s<br />
always someone better that you can<br />
learn something from. It’s a refreshing<br />
change from the oft-pretentious<br />
world I’m in.<br />
Plus, exercise is an amazing tool<br />
for de-stressing. When I’m there, job<br />
stress, worries, frustrations, everything<br />
that brings me down doesn’t<br />
exist. I sweat, punch, kick, elbow,<br />
knee it all out. The fact that it’s getting<br />
my fat butt in shape is a bonus, too.<br />
It’s funny because some may see<br />
the combat sports as wild and violent,<br />
but it’s really helped me focus and<br />
calm my mind.<br />
SWEATING IT OUT: Taking Muay Thai and boxing classes at Evolve Mixed Martial<br />
Arts helps Mr Young keep cool.
12<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
LEARNING FROM OTHERS<br />
HOOT.ME<br />
<br />
<br />
Hoot.Me is a collaborative study tool that makes your social network also your knowledge network. Using<br />
the application, you can join a study session and discuss questions and problems with friends on Facebook,<br />
using group video conferencing and smart chat, which supports math symbols for equations and YouTube<br />
video embedding. Study sessions are stored, so you can view conversations that you missed or that were<br />
held a while back to find possible answers.<br />
OPEN STUDY<br />
<br />
<br />
Open Study is a real time, give-help-and-get-help study site open to<br />
students worldwide. There is a wide range of study groups based on<br />
topic. Students directly answer questions posted, resulting in Q&A<br />
format instead of drawn out discussions. If no one in your circle of<br />
friends can help, try tapping on the brains of more than 50,000 students<br />
registered on the site.<br />
MANAGING TIME AND TASKS<br />
SIX-DAY EVENT SCHEDULE<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Start maximising your 24 hours a day, six days a week in a snap with<br />
this basic Microsoft Office Excel sheet. Straightforward and printerready,<br />
it has columns for Mondays to Saturdays with hourly rows from<br />
7am to 11pm. Make the template uniquely yours and add a column for<br />
Sunday for more study time, or adjust the hours to suit your body clock.<br />
YOUR STUDY<br />
BU D DY:<br />
THE INTERNET<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
FACEBOOK FOR STUDYING: Hoot.Me allows you to hold study sessions with group video conferencing and smart chat,<br />
which supports math symbols for equations and YouTube video embedding. PHOTOS | INTERNET<br />
ACCESSING YOURSELF<br />
STUDY BLUE<br />
<br />
<br />
Create flash cards that support text (including special characters for<br />
mathematics and languages), audio recordings and images with Study<br />
Blue. Check on your progress by converting your flash card deck into a<br />
multiple-choice or true/false quiz. You can compare and combine flash<br />
card decks with friends. For studying on the go, access your material<br />
via the Study Blue mobile phone app.<br />
QUIZLET<br />
<br />
<br />
Like Study Blue, you can create flash cards with Quizlet and access a<br />
database of flash cards created by other students. To add to that, Quizlet<br />
also has study games like Scatter (matching game) and Space Race<br />
(speed game), and a text-to-speak feature that allows you to listen to<br />
terms and definitions instead of reading them, if you prefer.<br />
OTHER USEFUL TOOLS<br />
SPREEDER<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Spreeder will help you get through your avalanche of readings before<br />
you know it. It trains you to speed read by making you read a passage<br />
you upload first at your base rate (the rate you can read with full<br />
comprehension), then at double that rate, and a third time back at<br />
your base rate. Repeat this cycle and you will find your base rate has<br />
increased. Upload your readings as practice passages, and your pile of<br />
readings will decrease as your base rate increases.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Collate all your study material for a particular topic with Just Paste<br />
It—import notes from word processors including Microsoft Word,<br />
Microsoft Works and Open Office (text formatting will be preserved),<br />
insert images, and even embed videos. Your work will be automatically<br />
saved to the server every three minutes, so you need not worry about<br />
LEARN TO SPEED READ: Spreeder trains you to speed read by increasing your base rate (the rate you can read with full a browser crash interfering. When you are done, save your work as a<br />
comprehension) through free online practice. PHOTOS | INTERNET PDF file, or publish it to generate a URL that you can share with friends.
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
SARNIES<br />
TO ENJOY: Instead of having a sandwich to go,<br />
savour Sarnies’ flavourful dishes amongst its<br />
cosy interiors.<br />
LOCATED amidst the bustling financial<br />
district, Sarnies is a modestly-sized café<br />
specialising in freshly prepared gourmet<br />
sandwiches. Its name comes from the word<br />
“sarnie”, which refers to the British slang for<br />
sandwich.<br />
The café has an understated charm, with<br />
the wooden furniture and dim lighting of<br />
the interior giving off a rustic and cosy feel.<br />
The breakfast menu is available from<br />
7.30am to 11am, while lunch is sold after<br />
11am till 3pm. The food usually gets sold out<br />
by then 3pm, but the café remains open till<br />
5pm selling drinks only.<br />
ARTISAN WICHES<br />
<br />
<br />
SIMPLY<br />
BREAD<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
WITH a name like Simply Bread, it is no<br />
surprise that bread takes centre stage here.<br />
The fragrant smell of freshly-baked bread<br />
wafting through the air, hits you when you<br />
step into the store—which has a wide array of<br />
bread, pastries, and loaves on display.<br />
Located in a quiet corner on the second<br />
level of Cluny Court, the café’s interiors are<br />
minimalist—with a clean design and white<br />
furniture. The floor-to-ceiling windows offer<br />
a scenic view of the greenery outside and also<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The lunch menu has several savoury<br />
sandwich choices, such as Aussie Grass<br />
Fed Steak, Smoked Salmon and Chicken<br />
Schnitzel, all priced from $11.90 to $14.90.<br />
At the owner’s recommendation, I ordered<br />
the Roast Chicken Sarnie ($12.90), the café’s<br />
signature and bestseller.<br />
It had generous portions of roasted<br />
chicken, house cured bacon, and homemade<br />
guacamole tightly packed between two<br />
crusty slices of bread. This is one of their less<br />
sinful options as the chicken is roasted and<br />
the bacon is free from preservatives.<br />
The chicken tasted of flavourful herbs<br />
and spices, which contrasted elegantly with<br />
the crunch of bacon. The vine tomatoes and<br />
lettuce gave a zingy bite to complement the<br />
taste of the meat.<br />
To top it all off, guacamole complemented<br />
the strong and earthy flavour of the other<br />
ingredients. All in all, this fancy sandwich<br />
tasted marvellous, and was worth every<br />
penny.<br />
The other item I tried was the Basil Pesto<br />
Sarnie ($11.90). It came with a layer of grilled<br />
mushrooms, oven roasted tomatoes, and fresh<br />
greens tossed in olive oil.<br />
The aromatic basil pesto sauce was spread<br />
thickly across the toasted bread. The portion<br />
was just right, with quality ingredients<br />
packed generously, leaving me satisfied<br />
without feeling too stuffed or bloated.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
CLEAN AND CRISP: As bread was their main attraction, Simply Bread kept their interiors minimal yet<br />
stylish. PHOTOS | WAN ZHONG HAO<br />
allows sunlight to stream in, brightening<br />
the place. It has a laid back feel and offers<br />
a comfortable spot where you can sit back<br />
and relax.<br />
Their lunch menu serves up a good<br />
variety of sandwiches and each order comes<br />
with a side of coleslaw. Aside from the classic<br />
Grilled Cheese Sandwich ($6.45), they also<br />
have standard options like Ham & Cheese<br />
($9) and Chunky Egg ($7.10). Like Subway,<br />
you can pick out your preferred bread from<br />
Much of the sandwich’s flavour came from<br />
the sauce, but it was not too overpowering<br />
and blended nicely with the juicy mushrooms<br />
and refreshing greens. To ensure freshness,<br />
the sauces are made daily and produced from<br />
scratch.<br />
As well as sandwiches, the café serves<br />
soups and salads, priced from $9.90 to $12.90.<br />
And alongside the usual coffees, they sell<br />
brews from Singapore-based gourmet tea<br />
company Tea Connection which only sells<br />
to cafes.<br />
I washed down my sandwich with a<br />
the display counter. There is a wide selection<br />
of loaves ranging from White Sourdough to<br />
Ciabatta and Rustic White, each with their<br />
own distinct taste.<br />
The first sandwich I ordered was the<br />
Turkey Sandwich ($8.50). It came in<br />
two halves of palm-sized portions, with<br />
thinly sliced turkey, lettuce, and sweet<br />
ploughman’s pickle tucked between two slices<br />
of Rustic Wholemeal bread. However, it was<br />
disappointing as it tasted like something that<br />
can be easily replicated in your own kitchen.<br />
The only thing that stood out was the<br />
sweet ploughman’s pickle. It added a punch<br />
to the overall taste, giving the sandwich<br />
a savoury bite. However, it got a little<br />
overpowering at times, masking the taste of<br />
the turkey as a result.<br />
The BLT Sandwich ($9.50) fared slightly<br />
better. I had this with Sourdough Rye, a rustic<br />
loaf with a thick crust and soft interior. The<br />
sandwich had generous amounts of bacon,<br />
lettuce, and tomatoes, and every mouthful<br />
was crunchy and flavourful, with the<br />
refreshing taste of the greens contrasting<br />
against salty bacon. The crispy lettuce and<br />
juicy tomatoes attested to the quality of<br />
ingredients used. My only qualm was that I<br />
could only taste faint traces of the thin layer<br />
of mayonnaise that was spread across the<br />
bread. As a result, it became a little too dry<br />
halfway through the sandwich.<br />
Service, however, scored high on my<br />
cards. The variety of breads available left<br />
me spoilt for choices but the staff were<br />
forthcoming in their recommendations. This<br />
friendly gesture will no doubt help diners<br />
pick out a type of bread that best suits their<br />
preference.<br />
Sandwiches aside, you must give their<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
13<br />
Lemon and Ginger Tea ($5) which had an<br />
invigorating lemon zestiness and a cooling<br />
ginger aftertaste.<br />
To complete your meal, the café also<br />
offers sweet treats. The menu for the baked<br />
goods changes daily and it includes muffins,<br />
cookies, scones and brownies. Do check out<br />
their Facebook page for their daily specials.<br />
Being a small café, it is relatively quiet<br />
and is a decent location to lunch and lounge<br />
around for a bit, but do take note that it can<br />
get crowded from 12-2pm when the nearby<br />
office crowd starts filling in.<br />
BURSTING WITH FLAVOURS: The Basil Pesto Sarnie was worth every dollar as they were generous<br />
with the ingredients, which went marvellously with the fragrant pesto sauce.<br />
PHOTOS | GOH CHAY TENG<br />
Sticky Bun ($1.85) a shot. The bun is a crowd<br />
favourite, and it will usually be sold out<br />
in the late afternoon. The bun was chewy,<br />
dense, and generously glazed, with hints of<br />
cinnamon. It was sweet, but not cloyingly<br />
so, making a perfect afternoon snack. This<br />
sweet treat paired well with the Orange Pekoe<br />
Tea ($2.80), a drink that had a subtle citrus<br />
aroma and taste to it which also left a pleasant<br />
lingering sweetness.<br />
Simply Bread is a comfortable and<br />
peaceful place which provides a tranquil<br />
ambience for an afternoon snack. However,<br />
there is nothing exceptional about their main<br />
courses. With prices and tastes comparable<br />
to other sandwich cafes around, it might not<br />
be worth the trouble to go out of your way<br />
for a bite of their sandwich.<br />
MEDIOCRE: Unless you live in around the<br />
neighbourhood, Simply Bread’s sandwiches<br />
are not worth travelling for.
14<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
OFF THE BEATEN TREK<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
RUSTIC LANDSCAPE: Paddy rice and maize corn fields make up the mountainous region of Sapa, home to a rich diversity of ethnic minority groups with breathtaking views of sunsets.<br />
ith just a return ticket<br />
from Singapore to<br />
Ho Chi Minh and<br />
W no accommodation,<br />
tours, or transport booked for the<br />
entire trip, I set out on a nineday<br />
backpacking trip, in hope<br />
of unexpected adventures. Some<br />
have called me crazy for doing<br />
that, especially in a country<br />
where I have never been and<br />
whose language I do not speak.<br />
But I have always wanted to<br />
experience what it was really like,<br />
off the tourist route.<br />
As we had to navigate the<br />
country on our own, we encountered<br />
taxi drivers who insisted on<br />
longer routes, or even “helpful”<br />
locals who wanted a quick buck.<br />
We realised the hard way that<br />
hotels close for the night when<br />
we arrived at one too early in<br />
the morning and had to wait two<br />
hours at its door before it opened<br />
for the day.<br />
After walking through the<br />
hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh<br />
and Hanoi for the first three<br />
days, I was yearning for some<br />
open spaces and rustic scenery.<br />
A staff at a local tour agency in<br />
Hanoi told us that Sapa was a<br />
rural little village situated in the<br />
mountainous region of Vietnam,<br />
and is home to a rich diversity of<br />
ethnic minority groups. Eager to<br />
get away from the city, we immediately<br />
took up the tour package<br />
to Sapa.<br />
Hanoi bid us goodbye in its<br />
typical chaotic manner at the<br />
Hanoi Railway Train Station.<br />
Each time a train pulled up,<br />
hoards jostled to get off and on<br />
it, while the train attendants blew<br />
their whistles incessantly. We<br />
were trying to squeeze past the<br />
crowds to locate our platform,<br />
when a Vietnamese man in<br />
uniform stopped us in our tracks.<br />
He took a glance at our tickets,<br />
smiled, and waved us over to<br />
follow him. At that point, I was<br />
relieved, thankful for the valueadded<br />
service that the station<br />
provided. When we arrived at our<br />
train, the man stopped us again.<br />
This time, he gestured to us for<br />
money. From then on, I learnt that<br />
there is no such thing as a free<br />
lunch in Vietnam.<br />
After travelling for more<br />
than eight hours on a sleeper<br />
train from Hanoi, we finally<br />
made it to Lao Cai Province in<br />
northwest Vietnam. It is located<br />
near the border of China, where<br />
the Red River separates the two<br />
communist countries. Unlike<br />
Hanoi, which was hot and humid,<br />
this province has a fairly cool<br />
temperature, ranging from 15°C<br />
to 29°C. It was such a relief to feel<br />
the cool breeze once I made my<br />
way down from the train and on<br />
to another bus which would take<br />
us to Sapa town.<br />
We were packed into the<br />
small bus with 20 tourists, but<br />
I was lucky enough to get a<br />
window seat. I was rewarded<br />
with a magnificent view of the<br />
mountains as the bus pulled its<br />
way up the steep and winding<br />
roads, which bears a staggering<br />
altitude of 1,600m. I was faintly<br />
reminded of the ride up Genting<br />
Highlands, but with more majestic<br />
and breathtaking views this time.<br />
The precipitous slopes are<br />
carved into beautiful green<br />
terraces of paddy rice and maize<br />
corns fields. At six in the morning,<br />
we saw the blazing red sun slowly<br />
appearing behind the mountains,<br />
and the sky was tinged with<br />
shades of orange and blue.<br />
As soon as we arrived, we<br />
heard the line, “Excuse me,<br />
can you buy this from me?”<br />
being repeated relentlessly. A<br />
group of women dressed in their<br />
traditional ethnic costumes stood<br />
by the bus, hands stretched into<br />
the bus’s open windows, shoving<br />
handicraft items at us. This<br />
definitely made for a bizarre<br />
introduction to the minority<br />
ethnic people.<br />
A while later, I learnt from<br />
my local guide, Viet, that these<br />
aboriginal ladies would walk<br />
miles from their villages to the<br />
town centre of Sapa and spend the<br />
rest of the day selling handicrafts<br />
to tourists. With limited English,<br />
they would attempt to strike up<br />
small talk by asking, “Where are<br />
you from?”, but they all end with<br />
the imminent question, “can you<br />
buy this from me?”. A group of<br />
three tailed us during our trek,<br />
from Sapa’s town centre to Cat Cat<br />
Village. Due to their persistence,<br />
I finally gave in and bought a<br />
keychain.<br />
At Cat Cat Village, shrieks<br />
of village kids came within<br />
earshot as we entered the village.<br />
They were playing outside their<br />
homes which are lined along the<br />
undulating slopes in the valley.<br />
Instead of battery-operated toys,<br />
they played with sticks, stones,<br />
and whatever they found in their<br />
environment. Due to the high<br />
influx of tourists in the village,<br />
they did not look surprised to see<br />
us, preferring to return to their<br />
own fun and games instead.<br />
Our guide Viet kindly took us<br />
into one of the villagers’ homes.<br />
I was astonished to see how<br />
sparse and primitive the place<br />
was. I noticed that simplicity<br />
and functionality are priorities<br />
in their lifestyle. There were<br />
only a few pieces of furniture,<br />
and no hint of technology, save<br />
for a television set. It made me<br />
reflect on how most things in our<br />
urban environment are not that<br />
necessary.<br />
We continued our way down<br />
the valley, where a stunning<br />
waterfall awaited at the bottom.<br />
With the sun beating against the<br />
cascading waters, it was like a<br />
shower of diamonds. With such<br />
alluring views of nature, the<br />
trek was anything but tiresome.<br />
We also saw farmers plowing the<br />
paddy rice fields, while chickens<br />
and pigs roamed freely on the<br />
PHOTOS | COURTESY OF JEREMY TAN<br />
SCISSORS, PAPER, STONE: The kids of Cat Cat Village make do with what they<br />
have and fashion toys out of their immediate surroundings.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
farm grounds.<br />
When evening came, we<br />
enjoyed a cup of hot Vietnamese<br />
coffee on the rooftop of one of<br />
the many cafes in Sapa, and took<br />
in the breathtaking sight of dusk<br />
approaching. We watched the sun<br />
retreat behind the mountains,<br />
and listened to the crows of the<br />
rooster as it announced the end<br />
of another day. This is Sapa, a<br />
rural countryside that allows<br />
you to leave behind the bustle of<br />
cities, and admire the slow-paced<br />
beauty of village life.
18<br />
<br />
<br />
16 <strong>CHRONICLE</strong> LIFESTYLE<br />
05<br />
<br />
She’s<br />
Got The<br />
Love<br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
LIFESTYLE <strong>CHRONICLE</strong> 15<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
THE BEST compliment anyone<br />
can pay to Florence<br />
and the Machine is that she<br />
sounds like nothing you’ve<br />
ever heard in your life.<br />
There have been many<br />
labels attached to the redhaired<br />
songstress—baroque<br />
pop and art rock among<br />
them, but Florence Welch<br />
defies them all.<br />
Her music runs across<br />
the entire musical spectrum,<br />
from breathy ethereal<br />
ballads to rebellious punk<br />
anthems, all delivered with<br />
a knowing wink and a pout<br />
of the lips.<br />
At just 25, the singer<br />
has already become a global<br />
star. Her debut studio album<br />
Lungs was certified gold in<br />
the USA, selling over 730,<br />
000 copies – a rarity for a<br />
British musician since the<br />
glory days of the Beatles.<br />
Frequently turning up<br />
for interviews dressed in an<br />
eclectic mix of clothing and<br />
digressing into tangents to<br />
discuss Nabokov’s Lolita and<br />
the British cult film Withnail<br />
and I, everything about<br />
Florence Welch screams<br />
unconventional. Even her<br />
stage name (often stylised<br />
as Florence + The Machine)<br />
came from a private joke in<br />
which she referred to her<br />
friend Isabella Summers as<br />
Isabella Machine, and herself<br />
as Florence Robot.<br />
“I was an hour away from<br />
my first gig when I realised<br />
the name Florence Robot/<br />
Isabella Machine was so long<br />
it would drive me mad,” she<br />
said in an interview with the<br />
Sunday Times.<br />
The ‘Machine’ today refers<br />
to the rotating group<br />
of musicians who provide<br />
backup vocals and instrumentals<br />
for Welch, while<br />
Summers remains as her<br />
main keyboardist.<br />
“I knew I loved<br />
singing and<br />
music...it was<br />
always just<br />
something that<br />
I loved but I was<br />
never thinking<br />
of it as a career.<br />
It was more just<br />
like, ‘OH, I CAN<br />
SING! WOO!”<br />
Florence Welch<br />
Interview with Clash Music<br />
The 31-year-old is no<br />
slouch in the creative department<br />
herself, having<br />
earned six producer and five<br />
co-writer credits on Lungs,<br />
a 2010 BRIT Masterclass<br />
Award winner.<br />
It would come as no surprise<br />
to learn that Welch’s<br />
path to fame was fittingly<br />
unique as well.<br />
Starting out at the bottom<br />
rung of the London<br />
club scene in the mid-2000s,<br />
she caught her big break in<br />
December 2006 while performing<br />
in London, Soho for<br />
the Queens of Noize, a band<br />
of influential music promoters<br />
and producers.<br />
Thoroughly inebriated,<br />
Welch cornered band member<br />
Mairead Nash, in the<br />
bathroom and started singing<br />
the 1962 hit Something’s<br />
Got a Hold on Me by Etta<br />
James.<br />
“I invited her back for<br />
another night, and I remember<br />
thinking ‘Oh…my…God,<br />
I’ve literally never heard<br />
anyone with such a powerful<br />
voice ever,” recalls Nash in<br />
an interview with the Daily<br />
Telegraph. “I had to manage<br />
her.”<br />
Florence and the Machine<br />
eventually released Lungs in<br />
2009 to widespread critical<br />
acclaim.<br />
Peaking at number one<br />
on the UK charts and second<br />
in Ireland, it would eventually<br />
reach the top of the<br />
American charts as well.<br />
Chart success isn’t the<br />
only indicator of the singer’s<br />
influence though.<br />
Tracks from Lungs have<br />
been used in official movie<br />
soundtracks such as Eat,<br />
Pray, Love, and featured in<br />
episodes of television series<br />
like 90210, Skins, and Glee.<br />
“Do I want<br />
to be stuck<br />
in teenage<br />
land, where<br />
everything’s<br />
free and easy?<br />
Is it time to<br />
grow up?”<br />
Florence Welch, reflecting on<br />
her new-found maturity.<br />
Interview with The Observer<br />
The music videos created<br />
for Lungs all display her love<br />
of colour and crazy clothes.<br />
In Dog Days Are Over she<br />
prances around in a kimono<br />
and rags through a cloud of<br />
cloured smoke.<br />
Another common element<br />
of her videos is her eccentric<br />
refusal to wear pants.<br />
Irreverent, playful and<br />
whimsical—it perfectly encapsulates<br />
both Florence and<br />
her Machine both as a person<br />
and a music band.<br />
The October 31st release<br />
date of their upcoming album<br />
Ceremonials cannot<br />
come soon enough.<br />
Lungs (2009)<br />
BRIT Award winner and certified platinum in a dozen countries<br />
across Europe, what is it that makes Lungs so special? The sheer<br />
variety of the songs on the album, for a start.<br />
Kiss With a Fist, for example, is a cheerfully manic song with<br />
lyrics like: You smashed a plate over my head / So I set fire to our<br />
bed. It sounds absolutely nothing like the majestic Cosmic Love,<br />
with its epic swelling overtures.<br />
According to Florence herself, the entire album is a journey. It was<br />
designed as a cohesive whole from start to finish, with its very randomness<br />
an integral part of linking the different songs together.<br />
“It’s like a scrapbook,” she said in an interview with Artist Direct.<br />
“You have to listen to everything to understand the whole body<br />
of work.”<br />
There are albums that you only play when you feel sad, or happy.<br />
The beauty of Lungs is that it has any song to fit any occasion. It<br />
is full of wonder and nonsense with equal measure. How else can<br />
you explain lyrics like: Washes away down the kitchen sink, taken<br />
from the album’s crowning jewel, Dog Days Are Over?<br />
In her own words, “I really love the idea of making the totally<br />
mundane magical.”Adding a dash of colour to an otherwise grey<br />
day, Lungs is one of those albums you’d pick if you had to choose<br />
one to take with you to a desert island.<br />
PHOTOS | INTERNET
16 LIFESTYLE<br />
<br />
MUSIC<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
MYLO XYLOTO<br />
(Alternative Rock)<br />
Coldplay<br />
<br />
According to Coldplay, the<br />
album’s lyrics were inspired<br />
by ‘old school American<br />
graffiti’ and the ‘White Rose<br />
Movement’.<br />
IT COULD have been just<br />
another pretentious name<br />
for a Hollywood celebrity’s<br />
baby. Instead Mylo Xyloto<br />
is Coldplay’s latest offering<br />
following their 2008 hit<br />
record, Viva La Vida or Death<br />
and All His Friends.<br />
When asked by the New<br />
York Times about the meaning<br />
of the album title, lead singer<br />
Chris Martin was reluctant to<br />
tell the truth.<br />
“Music comes from a<br />
place we don’t know. It sort<br />
of comes through the fingers<br />
and toes,” he said vaguely.<br />
Martin later revealed that<br />
the title came out of the<br />
‘randomness of the universe’<br />
on American political satire<br />
program The Colbert Report.<br />
Billed as a concept album,<br />
Mylo Xyloto delves into a<br />
narrative of two young<br />
lovers, Mylo and Xyloto in an<br />
oppressive, dystopian urban<br />
environment.<br />
The term ‘concept album’<br />
RACHAEL Yamagata is, by<br />
her own admission, not one<br />
to write happy songs.<br />
So it is a pleasant surprise<br />
to find that Chesapeake,<br />
which was three years in the<br />
making, is a more uplifting<br />
release than her previous effort<br />
Elephants...Teeth Sinking<br />
Into Heart.<br />
The 34-year-old’s signature<br />
sultry tones are a mainstay<br />
on the album, and lend<br />
themselves well to the variety<br />
of genres she samples.<br />
Opening track Even If<br />
I Don’t is a twee, upbeat<br />
number reminiscent of a pop<br />
song, with a sprightly tempo<br />
punctuated by drumbeats.<br />
This jaunty, refreshing<br />
track is likely to find the<br />
songstress some new fans—it<br />
is an accessible entry point<br />
into an album in which<br />
Yamagata discovers her more<br />
optimistic side.<br />
Stick Around, with its<br />
smoky jazz flavour, is a hopeis<br />
debatable though, as the<br />
narrative is not properly<br />
explored, nor does it seem<br />
to go beyond the surface<br />
storyline of boy meets girl.<br />
But that is easily forgiven,<br />
as the individual tracks in<br />
the record are enthusiastic,<br />
upbeat and generally more<br />
uplifting than any of<br />
Coldplay’s previous albums.<br />
With the help of coproducer<br />
Brian Eno, the<br />
album achieves a very<br />
luxurious, surging sound that<br />
is a mix of swelling synths,<br />
exhilarating guitar riffs and<br />
Martin’s gorgeous falsetto.<br />
The melodies, guided<br />
along by catchy piano tunes,<br />
simply bring everything<br />
together in a right balance,<br />
especially in tracks like Hurts<br />
Like Heaven.<br />
Balance is the key word<br />
for this album. The band’s<br />
previous work produced very<br />
heavy anthems like Viva La<br />
Vida.<br />
While that formula still<br />
features prominently in<br />
Mylo Xyloto, it is smoothed<br />
out by light, playful beats<br />
paired with delicately<br />
beautiful instrumentation.<br />
Their song Paradise elegantly<br />
exemplifies this balance.<br />
Martin sings a thirdperson<br />
narrative about a girl<br />
whose life has not measured<br />
up to her expectations: When<br />
she was just a girl she expected<br />
the world / But it flew away<br />
from her reach so she ran<br />
away in her sleep.<br />
With a strong hook, and<br />
the always-loved stretched<br />
vocals of Martin, one can<br />
easily imagine a ginormous<br />
sea of swaying arms at a<br />
stadium, well-equipped with<br />
light sticks or mobile phones.<br />
While Eno, who also<br />
produced U2’s 1991 record<br />
Achtung Baby, also worked<br />
on Coldplay’s last album, his<br />
touch is more evident in Mylo<br />
Xyloto.<br />
Eno’s signature use of<br />
synths and keyboards is more<br />
apparent, especially in one of<br />
the album’s standout tracks<br />
Princess of China which<br />
features R&B artist Rihanna.<br />
The band’s trademark<br />
piano and light guitar riffs<br />
take a backseat to make<br />
way for robust synths and<br />
compellingly heavy guitar<br />
riffs in this song.<br />
Rihanna unexpectedly<br />
lends a sense of depth to the<br />
song and elevates Martin’s<br />
comparatively weak vocals<br />
to a level that might not have<br />
been possible without her.<br />
While Mylo Xyloto still<br />
carries the world music<br />
elements that Coldplay had<br />
infused in their music three<br />
years ago, it is also packed<br />
with well-placed urban traces<br />
that will cement their status<br />
as the biggest-selling band in<br />
the world.<br />
-JENNIFER DHANARAJ<br />
U.F.O: Mylo Xyloto’s title is so bizzare, inspiration for Coldplay’s fifth album might have come from outer space.<br />
STICK AROUND: Fans of honest, mellow and soulful music will certainly not go wrong giving Rachael Yamagata’s (left) Cheaspeake a listen.<br />
PHOTOS | INTERNET<br />
CHESAPEAKE (Indie)<br />
Rachael Yamagata<br />
<br />
Rachael Yamagata’s songs<br />
have featured on popular TV<br />
shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’<br />
and ‘How I Met Your Mother’.<br />
ful take on second chances in<br />
love. She sings: I’ve been in<br />
trouble before with my rushing<br />
in / but I’m willing to take the<br />
chance again.<br />
Older fans may be pleased<br />
to note that Yamagata has not<br />
completely abandoned her<br />
contemplative, somber roots.<br />
Full On is a delicate,<br />
wistful piano ballad, with<br />
Yamagata’s vocals reined in to<br />
convey the disappointment of<br />
a lover ‘faking it for so long’.<br />
For this album, Yamagata<br />
reunited with music producer<br />
John Alagia, with whom<br />
she also collaborated on her<br />
debut album Happenstance,<br />
released in 2004.<br />
However it is evident that<br />
this soulful songbird has<br />
evolved since she emerged<br />
onto the music scene.<br />
From song to song,<br />
Yamagata writes with a maturity<br />
and intimacy that is not<br />
often found among contemporary<br />
pop artists.<br />
Chesapeake enters previously<br />
uncharted territory in<br />
Yamagata’s repertoire by being<br />
slightly eclectic, resulting<br />
in a collection of songs that<br />
lacks a clear direction for her<br />
as an artiste.<br />
However this exploration<br />
of Yamagata’s happier persona<br />
is, above all, a commendable<br />
exercise in self-discovery.<br />
-CLARA LOCK
18<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
05<br />
<br />
MUSICAL<br />
DICK LEE: THE ADVENTURES OF THE<br />
MAD CHINAMAN<br />
<br />
Fresh from his stint as creative director for 2010’s<br />
National Day Parade, Dick Lee returns to theatre<br />
production with a bang.<br />
BASED on his biography of<br />
the same title, The Adventures<br />
of the Mad Chinaman is Dick<br />
Lee’s intimate and often<br />
hilarious recount of his life<br />
journey towards musical<br />
stardom.<br />
Featuring many wellloved<br />
local hits such as<br />
Rasa Sayang and Fried Rice<br />
Paradise, the solo recital hits<br />
home as both a lively depiction<br />
of the life of a local musician<br />
and a record of Singapore’s<br />
music history.<br />
One of the most successful<br />
local musicians, the 55-yearold<br />
is well-known for his<br />
numerous music compositions<br />
and plays, including the<br />
renowned play Forbidden<br />
City: Portrait of an Empress,<br />
LOOKING SPLENDID: Dick Lee captivates the audience with his honesty.<br />
“If I could go<br />
back in time, I<br />
would tell my<br />
20-year-old self,<br />
“Don’t worry,<br />
just do it.” But,<br />
looking back,<br />
I think I did it<br />
anyway.”<br />
Dick lee, in an interview with<br />
August Man.<br />
first staged in 2002.<br />
With his characteristic<br />
down-to-earth narration,<br />
Lee manages to bring both<br />
laughter and tears to the<br />
audience.<br />
From sharing personal<br />
stories such as the death of his<br />
beloved sister to poking fun at<br />
local politics, he comes across<br />
as honest and straightforward.<br />
Set in a living room with a<br />
mix of designer furniture and<br />
artefacts from the past, he also<br />
infuses a nostalgic flavour<br />
into this solo recital.<br />
Lee looked sharp in a<br />
pink suit as he alternated<br />
between lively performances<br />
at his white grand piano and<br />
unpretentious recounts of his<br />
life’s many trials, setbacks<br />
and triumphs while seated on<br />
his sofa.<br />
He delivers a great<br />
performance beyond a<br />
simple music recital, belting<br />
out renditions of famous<br />
songs like Heart of Gold,<br />
prancing around to the beat<br />
of old Chinese pop songs, and<br />
sharing humorous stories.<br />
The audience is given a<br />
peek into Singapore’s past as<br />
Lee recounts the transition<br />
in Singapore’s music culture<br />
over the decades, such as the<br />
move from use of Laser Discs<br />
(LDs) to Compact Discs (CDs)<br />
and the phasing-out of video<br />
cassettes.<br />
Among his numerous<br />
heart-warming tales, one<br />
highlight is an escapade<br />
during his years in Saint<br />
Joseph’s Institution.<br />
He recalls an early<br />
mischievous attempt at<br />
business when he sold books<br />
containing objectionable<br />
material to his classmates.<br />
Despite his admission of<br />
guilt at that incident, the<br />
comical manifestation of Lee’s<br />
entrepreneurial spirit at such<br />
a young age was greeted with<br />
both laughter and awe from<br />
the audience.<br />
In a more significant<br />
episode, Dick Lee describes<br />
his initial difficulty in<br />
establishing himself as a<br />
musician.<br />
His admiration for<br />
successful Western musicians<br />
had led him to strive hard to<br />
imitate them.<br />
However, he realised that<br />
in the process he had lost sight<br />
of something more important<br />
than fame and glory—his<br />
Singaporean identity.<br />
This would prove to be<br />
critical to his success later on.<br />
Spurred on by this<br />
LIFESTYLE 17<br />
HE’LL BE BACK: A sequel, The Return of the Mad Chinaman, is in the works.<br />
PHOTOS | INTERNET<br />
awareness, he created a<br />
form of national identity<br />
through his composition of<br />
the National Day song Home<br />
in 1998, which was performed<br />
by local singer Kit Chan.<br />
Similarly, The Adventures<br />
of the Mad Chinaman does<br />
more than just entertain.<br />
Beyond the laughter, tears,<br />
and a lesson on Singapore’s<br />
history, the audience is led<br />
to contemplate their life’s<br />
achievements and goals.<br />
A sequel, The Return of the<br />
Mad Chinaman, is currently<br />
in the works.<br />
It will continue the story<br />
from where Lee left off, and<br />
with luck it will be just as<br />
good as the first.<br />
-ALOYSIUS LAI<br />
BOOKS<br />
DAMNED<br />
Chuck Palahniuk (Fiction)<br />
$24.95 at Kinokuniya<br />
Published by Jonathan Cape<br />
Ltd<br />
Damned is Chuck Palahniuk’s<br />
new novel that unfortunately<br />
reads like a diary of a typical<br />
adolescent, reminiscent of the<br />
unfortunate Adrian Mole.<br />
The writer of the provocative<br />
novel Fight Club, capable<br />
of searing social commentary,<br />
decides here to parody a<br />
child’s relationship with God.<br />
Although the premise is<br />
interesting, the climax and<br />
the ending of the book leaves<br />
much to be desired.<br />
This version of Hell is<br />
introduced to the reader by<br />
Madison, a 13-year-old adolescent<br />
dead from a freak<br />
accident supplemented by<br />
marijuana.<br />
She meets her Breakfast<br />
Club posse of friends along<br />
and together they conquer<br />
hell as their territory.<br />
Although precocious for<br />
her age, Madison still struggles<br />
with the adolescent issues<br />
of self-identity, image and<br />
acceptance.<br />
Her narrative oscillates<br />
between biting sarcasm and<br />
hopeful naivety, and offers<br />
few insights in between her<br />
cutting observations.<br />
Although the character<br />
development was lacking,<br />
Palahniuk’s description of<br />
Hell’s inner workings is enjoyable<br />
in every way.<br />
The conundrum of telemarketers’<br />
accuracy in striking<br />
just before dinner is<br />
served is solved in Damned.<br />
Apparently in Hell, making<br />
calls during the customers’<br />
meal, bath and relaxation<br />
times is a respected job of its<br />
hellish occupants.<br />
Palahniuk’s Hell is essentially<br />
a consequence of<br />
humanity’s own existence.<br />
For example the physical<br />
landscape is made out<br />
of various kinds of human<br />
waste—a different take from<br />
the burning realm we’re<br />
more familiar with.<br />
Ironically, beneath the<br />
overly pessimistic portrayal<br />
of mankind some hope is<br />
revealed.<br />
It is Madison’s unabashed<br />
hopefulness that<br />
keeps her apart from the<br />
wailing masses of the despondent<br />
and damned.<br />
Eventually, under her<br />
command, Hell takes on a<br />
more cheery form.<br />
Unfortunately, the lack<br />
of a compelling storyline<br />
in Damned is accompanied<br />
by character relationships<br />
that are unconvincing and<br />
lack focus. Madison does<br />
not lose, but she never truly<br />
wins either.<br />
Palahniuk continually<br />
reminds us that the expectation<br />
for both Earth and Hell<br />
to be like Heaven is a fundamental<br />
flaw of humanity.<br />
That indeed seems to be<br />
the point for the book—do<br />
not read Damned with the<br />
expectation that it will be<br />
extremely good, or you<br />
might very well just be<br />
damned in your own hopes.<br />
-LIM XIANGYUN<br />
LOBSTERS SCREAM<br />
WHEN YOU BOIL THEM<br />
Bruce Weinstein and Mark<br />
Scarbrough (Non-Fiction)<br />
$23.11 at Kinokuniya<br />
Published by Gallery<br />
EVER heard a high-pitched<br />
sound when a lobster is<br />
dropped into a pot of boiling<br />
water?<br />
No, it is not the crustacean<br />
screaming in agony, although<br />
the resemblance is uncanny.<br />
The sound was apparently<br />
so convincing Adolf Hitler’s<br />
Nazi government banned<br />
the Germans from cooking<br />
lobsters in this way.<br />
The sound is actually produced<br />
when steam whistles<br />
out from the joints of its shell.<br />
Simple science, yet even<br />
today many people still believe<br />
that lobsters have the<br />
ability to scream even though<br />
they do not have vocal cords.<br />
American authors<br />
Bruce Weinstein and Mark<br />
Scarbrough debunk this and<br />
a hundred other food and<br />
cooking myths in their latest<br />
book Lobsters Scream When<br />
You Boil Them.<br />
The two writers contribute<br />
regularly to various food<br />
publications, including recipe<br />
website Eating Well and The<br />
Washington Post .<br />
While the duo’s past 19<br />
books have primarily been<br />
cookbooks, their 20th piece<br />
of work is more of a scientific<br />
investigation into the<br />
many kitchen myths and<br />
misconceptions that have<br />
been passed down from one<br />
generation to the next.<br />
From simple errors like<br />
storing coffee beans in the<br />
refrigerator to the technicalities<br />
of differentiating<br />
grilled steaks, Weinstein and<br />
Scarbrough substantiate their<br />
points with scientific evidence<br />
and real-life examples.<br />
The writers are careful<br />
not to use too much jargon<br />
so that the book is more<br />
‘kitchen-friendly’. They use<br />
a humorous and to-the-point<br />
writing style that makes the<br />
book read more like a lighthearted<br />
conversation.<br />
Lobsters Scream When<br />
You Boil Them therefore<br />
reads like a collection of<br />
short stories, a pleasant<br />
surprise from the usual<br />
textbook-style culinary<br />
texts.<br />
Each fact starts with the<br />
myth as the headline and<br />
the authors’ short answer,<br />
often hilarious, as the subheader.<br />
One example is Myth<br />
number 50, “Putting an<br />
avocado pit in the guacamole<br />
will keep it from turning<br />
brown.”<br />
The authors have a short<br />
and simple reply to such a<br />
piece of ‘wisdom’, “In your<br />
dreams.”<br />
The organisation of information<br />
is a bit madcap,<br />
as is the mix of food history,<br />
science and culinary<br />
expertise.<br />
But this haphazardness<br />
is what makes this book<br />
of myths and their corresponding<br />
truths so much<br />
fun to read.<br />
The only drawback is<br />
the lack of pictures which<br />
would have appealed to<br />
Masterchef wannabes with<br />
a phobia for text-heavy<br />
books.<br />
-BENJAMIN LIM<br />
BOOKS FROM KINOKUNIYA
18<br />
<br />
FILMS<br />
<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS<br />
ROMANTIC COMEDY<br />
Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams<br />
94min<br />
PARIS, YOU ARE MY LOVE: Adriana (Marion Cotillard) and Gil (Owen Wilson) take a romantic walk in Paris.<br />
PHOTOS | INTERNET<br />
WOODY Allen’s newest film is a charming<br />
ride, weaving his nostalgia for Paris’ timeless<br />
beauty in an uncharacteristically buoyant<br />
romantic comedy.<br />
Gil Penders (Owen Wilson, Marley and<br />
Me) is a restless Hollywood scriptwriter<br />
working on his first draft of a novel that he<br />
refuses to let anyone read.<br />
He longs for Paris of the 1920s, a time<br />
and place of great artistic vibrancy and<br />
congregation of creative talents.<br />
On vacation with his fiancée, Inez (Rachel<br />
McAdams, The Time Traveler’s Wife), and<br />
his future parents-in-law, the writer soon<br />
discovers that his dream holiday in Paris<br />
does not go according to plan.<br />
Gil pokes fun at his fiancée, whom he likens<br />
to a typical spoiled American housewife,<br />
as well as her equally intolerable parents.<br />
His fiancée however does not pay too<br />
much attention—as she does to all things—<br />
towards what she hopes is a passing fancy<br />
in Gil’s novel writing.<br />
Their future is already set in her mind: a<br />
married life in Malibu of attending parties<br />
and raising their children on Gil’s scriptwriting<br />
pay checks.<br />
Not only does Gil have to deal with her<br />
disapproving parents, he also has to contend<br />
with Paul (Michael Sheen), Inez’s former<br />
crush who is an insufferable know-it-all.<br />
After one too many taunts from Inez’s<br />
family, Gil ends up walking the streets<br />
of Paris alone after their dinner together,<br />
slightly drunk and lost.<br />
When the clock strikes midnight, a vintage<br />
convertible arrives and beckons to him<br />
to join the passengers in their revelry, which<br />
turns out to be in the 1920s. He is transported<br />
back in time.<br />
In one night he meets American novelist<br />
couple F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Tom<br />
Hiddleston and Alison Pill) and writer Ernest<br />
Hemingway (Corey Stoll).<br />
Despite feeling utterly disoriented, Gil<br />
goes along with the flow and engages his<br />
literary heroes in conversation.<br />
The following nights bring him into the<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
company of more of his idols, including<br />
Getrude Stein (Kathy Bates), T.S Eliot and<br />
the legendary Picasso.<br />
The numerous cameos are delightful<br />
and Adrien Brody (The Pianist) is especially<br />
wicked in his role as Spanish Catalan surrealist<br />
painter Salvador Dalí, of which he<br />
evidently enjoyed playing.<br />
Not only does Gil get to have his novel<br />
draft read by Stein, he strikes up a romantic<br />
alliance with the lovely Adriana (Marion<br />
Cotillard, Inception), Picasso’s lover and<br />
muse.<br />
Ironically just like Gil, she is discontented<br />
with her own era, yearning for the Belle<br />
Époque of the 1890s, which she believes was<br />
the golden age of Paris.<br />
This is when Gil realises that his own<br />
nostalgia is timeless and insatiable.<br />
Allen speaks to us through his many dialogues<br />
executed perfectly in singular shots<br />
that are as tight as they are minutely detailed.<br />
Visually, Midnight in Paris is a feast for<br />
the eyes, suffused with warm colours and<br />
backlight that frame the city and its characters<br />
gorgeously. It is hard to not want to<br />
wander the streets of Paris upon watching<br />
this film.<br />
Perhaps this really is the magic of Paris.<br />
The romance is sweet without being overwhelming.<br />
As fantastic as midnight time travelling<br />
may seem, Midnight in Paris is still sufficiently<br />
anchored in reality.<br />
Having the characters stick by their respective<br />
decisions somehow makes the present<br />
more believable, and in turn, alluring.<br />
-LIM XIANGYUN<br />
GO TO SLEEP LITTLE ONE: Don’t open your eyes.<br />
PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3<br />
HORROR<br />
Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown<br />
85min<br />
<br />
WHEN bodies are thrown out of bed and<br />
dragged forcefully across the floor, a child’s<br />
‘imaginary’ friend may be more than just a<br />
mere fantasy.<br />
Set in the Eighties, Paranormal Activity 3<br />
is the third installment of the franchise and a<br />
prequel that sets the premise for the hauntings<br />
in the first two movies.<br />
Acclaimed for their work in 2010’s Catfish,<br />
the new directorial duo of Henry Joost and<br />
Ariel Schulman offers a plot that revolves<br />
around the childhood of sisters Katie (Chloe<br />
Csengery) and Kristi Rey (Jessica Tyler Brown).<br />
Sticking to the franchise’s signature style,<br />
Paranormal Activity 3 is once again shot in<br />
the ‘found-footage’ format, making it seem<br />
as if the events of the movie were actually<br />
real life recordings. This style was also successfully<br />
used in other horror movies such<br />
as Cloverfield and The Blair Witch Project.<br />
The mysterious ‘Toby’ is the confidante<br />
of Kristi, the youngest in the family. Her<br />
mother (Lauren Bittner) plays down this<br />
strange behavior, insisting Toby is imaginary,<br />
much to the suspicion of her boyfriend<br />
Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith).<br />
As the father figure, Dennis believes he<br />
must take action to deal with the hauntings,<br />
and installs several security cameras to hunt<br />
for the supernatural entity.<br />
He soon discovers a cult symbol drawn<br />
in the room that Kristi points out as belonging<br />
to Toby. At this point, the pace of the<br />
story quickens.<br />
The horror climaxes when Kristi’s refusal<br />
to comply with Toby’s demands leads to<br />
increasingly traumatic and violent hauntings.<br />
The downward spiral of the family that<br />
ensues petrifies and throws both the characters<br />
and the audience into a gripping panic.<br />
Shock factor aside, the turbulence of<br />
relationships, strong storyline and a clever<br />
twist at the end merge together, resulting in<br />
a surprisingly well-developed horror film.<br />
The relatively unknown cast is competent<br />
in delivering their roles in a believable<br />
fashion, adding authenticity to the ‘foundfootage’<br />
angle.<br />
Despite several loose ends in the overall<br />
plot, like how the spirits are connected<br />
to the cult symbols, the story’s delivery is<br />
nonetheless brilliant.<br />
By confining the set to three spaces in<br />
the house, Joost and Schulman let audiences<br />
familiarise themselves with the scenes and<br />
invite them to play an intense game of spotthe-difference<br />
within each setting.<br />
Subtle hauntings become more menacing<br />
as the movie progresses, ramping up the<br />
terror, which keeps audiences on the edge<br />
of their seats.<br />
Joost and Schulman let us scare ourselves<br />
with our anticipation and impatience,<br />
and this is the genius that makes Paranormal<br />
Activity 3 an exceptional horror film.<br />
-SARAH THIAM<br />
EN GARDE: Aramis (Luke Evans, centre) and the Musketeers do battle with Cardinal Richelieu’s soldiers.<br />
THE THREE MUSKETEERS<br />
ACTION<br />
Logan Lerman, Matthew Macfadyen<br />
110min<br />
<br />
AWAY from the T-virus pandemic of<br />
Resident Evil and gruesome extra-terrestrial<br />
beings in Alien Versus Predator, Paul W.S.<br />
Anderson ventures into the classic novel by<br />
Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers.<br />
Tous pour un, un pour tous—all for one,<br />
one for all—is the spirit that unites the three<br />
musketeers of 17th century France, Athos<br />
(Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans)<br />
and Porthos (Ray Stevenson).<br />
They are soon joined by young<br />
D’Artagnan (Logan Lerman). Trying to<br />
achieve his dream of being a musketeer<br />
like his father, D’Artagnan travels to Paris<br />
and ends up picking fights with the Three<br />
Musketeers, but eventually forges a strong<br />
friendship with them instead.<br />
The evil Cardinal Richelieu (Christoph<br />
Waltz) attempts to sabotage the heroes<br />
by influencing their friend Milady (Milla<br />
Jovovich) to double-cross them.<br />
He sets into motion another plot to frame<br />
Queen Anne of France of having an affair<br />
with the Duke of Buckingham, with the ultimate<br />
goal of dethroning King Louis XIII. It<br />
is up to the Musketeers to untangle the web<br />
of deception and save the day.<br />
Anderson made minimal changes to the<br />
original novel’s plot, a brave choice as audiences<br />
would naturally expect something more<br />
from an adaptation.<br />
Bearing this in mind, Anderson included<br />
extensive swordplay scenes and dazzling<br />
special effects, reminiscent of action adventure<br />
movies like Pirates of the Caribbean.<br />
Some parts of the movie seemed a little<br />
rushed and unrealistic, especially the scene<br />
where D’Artagnan met and fought with all<br />
the Musketeers in a single day.<br />
But if you are looking for a fun action<br />
flick, The Three Musketeers is well worth<br />
the time.<br />
-CHOO WEN RUI
18<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
LIFESTYLE 19<br />
<br />
it’s a basic remix<br />
Credits.<br />
Photography: Bryan Ho<br />
Stylist: Farhana Ja’afar<br />
Makeup & Hair: Geraleine Yap<br />
Models: Rachel Lim, Sam Duckett<br />
Stockist.<br />
Fanny Fashion, 6 Eu Tong Sen Street, #02-41 The Central<br />
DeSoul, 14 Scotts Road #03-25A Far East Plaza<br />
Zhoppetizer, 14 Scotts Road #03-134B Far East Plaza<br />
Spellbound, 14 Scotts Road #03-24 Far East Plaza<br />
The Corner Shop, 14 Scotts Road #03-16 Far East Plaza
20 SHOW<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
On Sam (from left to right):<br />
white top, blue jeans, stylist's own.<br />
white top, green & white shorts $69.90,<br />
DeSoul. white top, straw hat, blue<br />
shorts, stylist’s own, blue coat $149.90,<br />
The Corner Shop.<br />
white top, dark blue shawl,<br />
grey trousers, stylist's own.<br />
white top, black layered jacket $169.00,<br />
and grey harem pants $119.00, DeSoul.<br />
On Rachel (from left to right):<br />
white top, blue jeans, stylist’s own.<br />
white top with floral leggings $10.00,<br />
Fanny Fashion,<br />
floral jacket, stylist’s own.<br />
white top with blue bodycon skirt<br />
$45.00, yellow mustard skirt $39.90,<br />
Spellbound.<br />
white top with black suspender, stylist’s<br />
own, grey criss-cross grey skirt $35.00,<br />
Spellbound.<br />
white top with black trench coat<br />
$109.90, The Corner Shop, black skirt<br />
with gold pattern $45.00, Spellbound.
22 SHOW<br />
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18<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
SHOW 23<br />
The finalists from Nail That Unique STYLE<br />
have come together for the grand challenge.<br />
Clearly, they have their own personal<br />
style, but do they have what it takes<br />
to transform a simple white tee shirt into<br />
something uniquely stylish and edgy?<br />
This style challenge had the five finalists<br />
creating two different looks — something<br />
edgy to wear on campus in the day, and<br />
something fabulous for a night out in<br />
town.<br />
Their outfits have been posted on Facebook<br />
(www.facebook.com/Ntusg) for voting.<br />
The total votes will contribute to 50<br />
per cent of the results, while the other half<br />
will be in the hands of a panel of judges.<br />
The winner will walk away with $500<br />
worth of vouchers for Sweddish apparel<br />
store H&M.<br />
ALICE NG. School of Art, Design and<br />
Media<br />
ONG SOON KUEY. School of Mechanical<br />
and Aerospace Engineering<br />
WILFRED LIM. School of Art, Design and<br />
Media<br />
GINGER CHIA. Wee Kim Wee School of<br />
Communication and Information<br />
LEONG CHONG YEN. School of Mechanical<br />
and Aerospace Engineering<br />
Come for a “hey-ppening” event on campus<br />
on November 1st, 12.15pm at Canopy<br />
K at LT 1A where the contestants debut<br />
their creations live.<br />
On top of that, NTU President Prof Bertil<br />
Andersson will launch HEY!, a new NTU<br />
magazine targeted at prospective and<br />
current students while NTU students show<br />
off their unique fashion sense in the final<br />
round of Nail That Unique Style.<br />
Walk away hey-py with exclusive goodies,<br />
MacDonald’s vouchers, and perhaps even<br />
a cool gadget. (Hint, it starts with an I!)
22 SHOW<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
18 <br />
05<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
SHOW 23<br />
The finalists from Nail That Unique STYLE<br />
have come together for the grand challenge.<br />
Clearly, they have their own personal<br />
style, but do they have what it takes<br />
to transform a simple white tee shirt into<br />
something uniquely stylish and edgy?<br />
This style challenge had the five finalists<br />
creating two different looks — something<br />
edgy to wear on campus in the day, and<br />
something fabulous for a night out in<br />
town.<br />
Their outfits have been posted on Facebook<br />
(www.facebook.com/Ntusg) for voting.<br />
The total votes will contribute to 50<br />
per cent of the results, while the other half<br />
will be in the hands of a panel of judges.<br />
The winner will walk away with $500<br />
worth of vouchers for Sweddish apparel<br />
store H&M.<br />
ALICE NG. School of Art, Design and<br />
Media<br />
ONG SOON KUEY. School of Mechanical<br />
and Aerospace Engineering<br />
WILFRED LIM. School of Art, Design and<br />
Media<br />
GINGER CHIA. Wee Kim Wee School of<br />
Communication and Information<br />
LEONG CHONG YEN. School of Mechanical<br />
and Aerospace Engineering<br />
Come for a “hey-ppening” event on campus<br />
on November 1st, 12.15pm at Canopy<br />
K at LT 1A where the contestants debut<br />
their creations live.<br />
On top of that, NTU President Prof Bertil<br />
Andersson will launch HEY!, a new NTU<br />
magazine targeted at prospective and<br />
current students while NTU students show<br />
off their unique fashion sense in the final<br />
round of Nail That Unique Style.<br />
Walk away hey-py with exclusive goodies,<br />
MacDonald’s vouchers, and perhaps even<br />
a cool gadget. (Hint, it starts with an I!)
18<br />
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Opinions<br />
<br />
WEIGHING OUR WORDS<br />
The Occupy Wall Street<br />
movement has captured the<br />
imagination of people across<br />
the world in the last month.<br />
Protests over economic inequality—the<br />
dominance of the<br />
minority over the economy—<br />
have finally given a voice to<br />
the majority.<br />
The protest drew attention<br />
to fundamental structures<br />
that our society is built on,<br />
and the possible dangers and<br />
harms should we continue<br />
along these lines.<br />
It has shown anger at the<br />
fact that it is not the greater<br />
numbers who are always<br />
heard, but those with the resources<br />
to make sure they are.<br />
Many times, the topics<br />
that are trumpeted, are not<br />
the issues of actual concern<br />
to people.<br />
So do we, as ordinary<br />
people, have weight behind<br />
our words? Actually, being<br />
someone who can contribute<br />
a voice to important issues<br />
is not too far a stretch of<br />
imagination.<br />
Graduates from NTU have<br />
gone on to become important<br />
movers in society. Low<br />
Thia Khiang has provided,<br />
and continues to be, an important<br />
counterbalance in<br />
Singapore’s political scene.<br />
CHIEF EDITOR<br />
<br />
SUB-EDITORS<br />
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NEWS EDITORS<br />
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LIFESTYLE EDITORS<br />
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REVIEWS EDITOR<br />
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DAPPER EDITORS<br />
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CHINESE EDITORS<br />
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OPINIONS EDITORS<br />
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<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
SPORTS EDITORS<br />
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LAYOUT EDITORS<br />
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PHOTO EDITORS<br />
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GRAPHICS EDITOR<br />
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ONLINE EDITORS<br />
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BUSINESS MANAGERS<br />
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<br />
PRODUCTION SUPPORT<br />
<br />
<br />
TEACHER ADVISORS<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
And Stefanie Sun is a powerful<br />
influence as a top singer.<br />
If we can learn anything<br />
from the Occupy Wall Street<br />
protests, it is that ordinary<br />
people can make an important<br />
difference.<br />
This can be seen even<br />
among our university population.<br />
Graduate students from<br />
NTU organised the TEDxNTU<br />
seminar recently, to give innovative<br />
people a platform to<br />
inspire. Its theme was to show<br />
people how to translate their<br />
dreams into reality.<br />
More students from NTU<br />
have also been taking part in<br />
green initiatives to highlight<br />
the importance of environmental<br />
well-being.<br />
So it is not whether we<br />
have a voice—it is about how<br />
we use it.<br />
As a newspaper, we have<br />
the responsibility to make sure<br />
that the things that we write<br />
about, matter. And as citizens<br />
of the world, that the issues we<br />
lend a voice to are significant<br />
enough to deserve it.<br />
At this time of market turmoil,<br />
with unemployment and CHIEF EDITOR<br />
CASSANDRA YEAP<br />
costs of living fast getting beyond<br />
the common man, there<br />
may be no time as important to<br />
through the<br />
consider what causes we lend<br />
reports on Steve Jobs’<br />
weight to. death, I came across<br />
Reading<br />
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Facebook: The <strong>Nanyang</strong><br />
Chronicle<br />
Website: www3.ntu.edu.<br />
sg/chronicle<br />
General Enquiries:<br />
chronicle@ntu.edu.sg<br />
<br />
<br />
Human factor affects<br />
articles that recorded<br />
the last piece of advice<br />
he gave Tim Cook, his successor.<br />
“Just do what is right,” he said,<br />
“not do what Steve Jobs would.”<br />
This reminded me of what<br />
someone else who filled similarly<br />
large shoes had said. Sister<br />
Nirmala who took over Mother<br />
Teresa as the head of the global<br />
Missionaries of Charity Order,<br />
said she was clear that she was to<br />
be herself, not the Nobel Prizeawarded<br />
nun.<br />
Jobs and Mother Teresa were<br />
visionaries who left lasting changes<br />
in terms of products, programmes<br />
and culture, they mentored<br />
the people they worked with.<br />
Their successors were to be<br />
unique individuals, not slavish<br />
followers of a cult of personality,<br />
nor of the characteristics that had<br />
worked for their mentors.<br />
Products and results—these<br />
things are important. But for<br />
me, the deepest meanings are<br />
created at the intersection of one<br />
life with another. For Jobs and<br />
Mother Teresa, the effect they had<br />
through personal relationships<br />
left legacies that outlived them<br />
through their successors.<br />
Great figures like Mother<br />
Teresa, Jobs and Princess Diana<br />
understood true achievement as<br />
their impact on fellow human<br />
beings and this was evident in<br />
their lives.<br />
Mother Teresa worked with the<br />
poorest of the poor and the abandoned<br />
in the slums of Calcutta for<br />
50 years, while Diana has been<br />
immortalised in images of her<br />
holding hands with HIV patients<br />
and lepers.<br />
Even Jobs, whose attention to<br />
detail meant at times a tyrannical<br />
working style, was driven by the<br />
needs of the consumers first—the<br />
human experience.<br />
Throughout my life, what<br />
stayed with me and impacted<br />
who I was as a person and where<br />
I was going, were the people and<br />
relationships.<br />
When I became president of<br />
the debate club, I set myself a<br />
long to-do list of new initiatives<br />
to complete or existing projects<br />
to improve. Through a year’s<br />
flurry of activity, I eventually got<br />
through the list.<br />
Looking back over that year, I<br />
should have felt a sense of accomplishment<br />
over all that had been<br />
achieved. Instead, the satisfaction<br />
of advising and coaching my juniors<br />
was what lingered on and still<br />
continues to be an important part<br />
of my life through the relationships<br />
formed.<br />
Likewise, as a news editor at<br />
The <strong>Nanyang</strong> Chronicle, I was<br />
glad to see news articles on timely<br />
issues produced by the paper. But<br />
the most memorable aspect was<br />
GRAPHIC | GOH WEI CHOON<br />
working with writers who were<br />
not too confident in their abilities,<br />
and through a bit of guidance on<br />
my part and a lot of passion and<br />
drive on theirs, seeing them turn<br />
in incredible work.<br />
That is also where the primary<br />
fascination with journalism lies<br />
for me—the chance to interact<br />
with diverse types of people, hear<br />
their stories and share in aspects<br />
of their lives.<br />
It is no surprise then that as<br />
the Chronicle closes for the semester,<br />
what I will take away will<br />
be the crazy overnighters during<br />
production of the paper, the<br />
laughter and frustration shared—<br />
the sense that despite the fatigue,<br />
you were with people who wanted<br />
the same goal as badly as you.<br />
With technology increasingly<br />
replacing human functions, it has<br />
become even easier to downplay<br />
the difference made when on life<br />
meets another.<br />
Recently, the movie ‘Up in the<br />
Air’ drove home for me how easy<br />
it is to lose sight of what matters<br />
due to the seductiveness of efficiency.<br />
In the drama, a system to<br />
fire people by videoconferencing<br />
is introduced by an ambitious<br />
fresh graduate.<br />
She is later devastated when<br />
her boyfriend breaks up with her<br />
over text message.<br />
Her hypocrisy highlights a<br />
greater truth about life—on the<br />
surface we may appear to be all<br />
business, but it is the relationships<br />
that keep us going.
34<br />
OPINIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
Driving beyond the COE<br />
ALOYSIUS LAI<br />
easier than weaving around car<br />
parks for at least 15 minutes. This<br />
an you imagine having time can be better spent blissfully<br />
to ferry younger siblings sipping a cappuccino at Starbucks.<br />
from one extra-curricular<br />
activity to another? from the edge of Singapore to the<br />
In fact, taking public transport<br />
COr being the designated central areas can be quicker than<br />
driver when your friends go clubbing?<br />
I would much rather be stuck such example—the newly-opened<br />
driving during peak hours. One<br />
in a crowded train.<br />
Circle Line, has greatly increased<br />
It is easy to understand why accessibility across the country.<br />
many would desire a vehicle of Regardless of traffic conditions,<br />
their own. A car offers better mobility,<br />
greater travelling comfort, place in Bishan now last 45 min-<br />
my trips from NTU to my aunt’s<br />
and shorter waiting time. However, utes, down from an hour previously.<br />
buying a car in Singapore is no<br />
simple undertaking and I am certainly<br />
glad I am not driving one. port seems like the better option, I<br />
However, even if public trans-<br />
Not only do we have to consider<br />
the price of the vehicle, but with the cost of public transporta-<br />
still face a dilemma as a commuter<br />
also the cost of the Certificate of tion going up as well.<br />
Entitlement (COE), Electronic Road A price hike in transport costs<br />
Pricing (ERP), road taxes, customs of one per cent has recently been<br />
duty and fuel prices.<br />
approved in August this year.<br />
To make matters worse for This came at a time when congestion,<br />
service disruptions, and<br />
prospective car owners—especially<br />
undergraduates like us—owning a erratic arrival times were matters<br />
car is almost guaranteed to become of much debate among citizens.<br />
costlier in the future.<br />
Before the purchase of a new<br />
GRAPHIC | GOH WEI CHOON<br />
vehicle, a potential buyer has to bid Taking public<br />
for a COE according to the vehicle’s<br />
CLARA CHAN<br />
town in your own car might take $1,100. Factoring in miscellaneous<br />
category. The COE allows the buyer transport from<br />
a while.<br />
expenses such as fuel and parking<br />
to use the vehicle for 10 years, after the edge of<br />
When the latest rates were announced,<br />
my friends and I were left tain a car hovers around $2,000<br />
charges, the total amount to main-<br />
which it has to be scrapped or have<br />
t’s 6pm and you just escaped<br />
its COE renewed. This is a major Singapore to the<br />
from an agonising meeting feeling frustrated.<br />
a month.<br />
cost component of a Singaporeregistered<br />
car. For instance, the<br />
You drag your exhausted not help but question—how can I sum, most of us would be enjoy-<br />
with a demanding client. All things considered, one can-<br />
While it is a rather extravagant<br />
central areas can<br />
COE of a 1600cc Honda Civic is at be quicker than Iself to the train station, afford a car? And we’re not even ing bonuses and a healthy raise<br />
least $50,000—almost the price of<br />
only to squeeze your way into an talking about the vehicle itself, after working for two years, which<br />
the car itself.<br />
driving during<br />
already packed train.<br />
but a Certificate of Entitlement—a would ease the burden.<br />
Besides cost of purchase, vehicle<br />
maintenance is also an is-<br />
of starting your car’s engine and anywhere else in the world, just made only after being certain of<br />
peak hours.<br />
Contrast this with the feeling piece of paper that is unheard of Furthermore, if the purchase is<br />
sue. ERP was introduced in 1998<br />
being greeted by your favourite to own a car.<br />
having the ability to cope with the<br />
to control traffic in the Central<br />
song on the radio. Obvious choice, Let’s take a step back and be monthly payments, this rather significant<br />
expenditure is definitely<br />
Business District, along expressways<br />
and busy roads.<br />
This choice became even more pected? Definitely not. COE prices<br />
isn’t it?<br />
honest: was the rise in cost unex-<br />
Frequent ERP rate increases There has been some concern apparent during my 10-week have never remained low for long.<br />
and expansion of ERP area coverage<br />
have been a thorn in the delays and disruptions are becom-<br />
summer. I was more than willtedly<br />
exorbitant levels, this does carefully planned<br />
side for many local drivers. As of ing more frequent this year, deing<br />
to work overtime on several not mean that cars are a luxury<br />
that Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) internship at Tanjong Pagar this Despite the rates reaching admit-<br />
I believe that with<br />
August 2011, ERP rates have been spite the increase in fares. On the<br />
occasions, just so I could avoid reserved only for the wealthy. and prioritised<br />
increased at two gantries and other hand, there has been marked<br />
the peak hour crowd and have a To me, the ability to afford a<br />
decreased at a third after a quarterly<br />
traffic review by the Land public transport infrastructure.<br />
progress in the expansion of the<br />
spending, coupled<br />
comfortable trip home.<br />
car is based on our ability to manage<br />
our finances. Tough as it may with regular<br />
I relished the rare occasions<br />
Transport Authority (LTA). With the introduction of the Circle<br />
when I was allowed to use the be, I believe that with carefully<br />
Despite layman complaints, Line, there is hope for better travelling<br />
experiences for commuters.<br />
family car instead of the dreaded planned and prioritised spending, healthy savings,<br />
there is good reason for constraining<br />
vehicle population in Singapore. If you compare monthly ex-<br />
being a car owner<br />
public commute. Despite the coupled with regular healthy savings,<br />
being a car owner is possible,<br />
heavy parking charges and massive<br />
jams, the comfort more than regardless of the price hike. is possible.<br />
When roads can no longer penditure on transportation between<br />
a car owner and a com-<br />
handle the increasing vehicle load,<br />
made up for it.<br />
the only option left is to expand muter, I anticipate that they would<br />
Let’s do the math: according<br />
Having your own wheels<br />
road networks. LTA is already cost me at least $1,000 and at<br />
to a survey conducted by the<br />
widening the Central Expressway most $200, respectively. With<br />
spells freedom, convenience and Ministry of Manpower, a fresh<br />
and has approved construction of Singapore’s good public transportation<br />
infrastructure, it is more ment you desire. Craving prata af-<br />
Arts (Hons) degree earns an aver-<br />
After all, inflation is something<br />
independence at almost any mo-<br />
graduate armed with a Bachelor of within reach.<br />
the North-South Expressway.<br />
Property prices in the vicinity cost-effective to be a commuter. ter watching a late-night movie? age of $2,360 a month, after the that we constantly deal with, seeing<br />
how much prices have risen for<br />
of these road works will probably After all, should the need No problem. No need to forgo mandatory 20% Central Provident<br />
decline, and residents will have arise, cab services are within easy supper and rush for the last bus to Fund (CPF) deduction.<br />
food, utilities and accommodation.<br />
to be relocated to make way for reach at the dial of a telephone. avoid paying the ridiculous 50% Based on my current spending, Owning our very own car is<br />
these new roads. To minimise these It does not take much imagination<br />
to figure out what my savings Yearning for a day trip away ary, after deducting portions for when we rush to get our driver’s<br />
midnight taxi surcharge. and factoring in the higher sal-<br />
something that we all dream of<br />
problems, it is important to control<br />
vehicle growth.<br />
of a whopping $800 per month from the stresses of piling school our parents ($500), food ($400), license at the magical age of 18. I<br />
Beyond all cost issues, car can do. I can easily save up to work? Easy! Drive across the transport ($300) and entertainment<br />
($410), I can expect to save While it has been three years<br />
certainly did.<br />
ownership may be worth the $10,000 within a year and fly to causeway and feast on barbequed<br />
money if it brings about sufficient Greece for a vacation.<br />
seafood after shopping to your at least $750. This amounts to since I earned my legal right to be<br />
convenience. However car owners<br />
do encounter problems that a luxury than a necessity in a And my favourite reason for With this $18,000 serving rowing my parents’ car, it doesn’t<br />
Car ownership is clearly more heart’s content.<br />
$18,000 after two years.<br />
behind the wheel, I am still bor-<br />
commuters usually do not, such small and highly-urbanised country.<br />
Personal transportation in 8.30am instead of 7.30am and still the cost of a car under 1500cc longer than I had initially hoped<br />
owning a car? I can wake up at as down payment, this reduces bother me. It may now take even<br />
as parking and traffic conditions.<br />
For example, finding parking Singapore is not a viable option be early for my 9.30am lecture. to $81,500, inclusive of COE. for, but that isn’t going to stop<br />
space within busy shopping areas for many, especially with recent However with COE prices going<br />
at a whopping $50,000 mini-<br />
year bank loan, monthly installing<br />
one, and it shouldn’t stop<br />
Factoring in interest for a seven me from working towards buy-<br />
can be difficult on weekends. additions to the public transport<br />
Taking a train to City Hall is a lot network.<br />
mum, being able to zoom around ments would cost slightly under you either.<br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
Smoking us out?<br />
BENJAMIN LEE<br />
I<br />
have been a smoker for as<br />
long as I remember. Over<br />
the years, I have become<br />
completely immune to<br />
judgemental stares, disdainful<br />
sniffs and the usual frantic<br />
fanning of the air because of<br />
my nicotine-laden breath.<br />
With fewer places to light up<br />
legally as the years go by, smokers<br />
like myself have no choice<br />
but to congregate at whatever<br />
space that is left—creating an<br />
even more undesirable environment<br />
for non-smokers. A true<br />
paradox indeed.<br />
Of the many reasons I can<br />
come up with, the most convenient<br />
would be to blame the extension<br />
of the smoking ban.<br />
Since 2009, smoking has<br />
been prohibited in many places,<br />
including playgrounds and exercise<br />
areas, shopping centres, and<br />
within five metres of entrances<br />
and exits.<br />
There are precious few smoker-friendly<br />
locations as it is.<br />
Smokers can choose between<br />
being packed like sardines in the<br />
tiny, designated smoking rooms in<br />
bars, standing around awkwardly<br />
puffing around a dustbin along<br />
with hundreds of their peers, or<br />
simply enduring the baleful glares<br />
of passers-by as they attempt to<br />
quickly finish a stick.<br />
Vera Lim, 23, a graduate<br />
student from the School of Humanities<br />
and Social Sciences<br />
said: “With so many restrictions,<br />
people break them because they<br />
have little or no other choice.”<br />
“While some smokers need<br />
to be more considerate, the rules<br />
and regulations that force smokers<br />
to stand in corners, or sneak<br />
a cigarette, creates more problems<br />
than it solves.”<br />
I do understand where all the<br />
unhappiness directed towards<br />
smokers is coming from.<br />
Even as a smoker, I would<br />
sometimes choke from the noxious<br />
amounts of smoke produced<br />
where smokers congregate.<br />
Its health detriments and<br />
problems are well-documented,<br />
and anti-smoking evangelists<br />
are more than effective at convincing<br />
non-smokers that they<br />
are the ones who are truly suffering.<br />
Despite the Ministry of Environment<br />
and Water Resources’<br />
plan to extend the smoking ban,<br />
to further restrict the areas where<br />
smokers can congregate, so to<br />
reduce the impact that secondhand<br />
smoke is having on nonsmokers,<br />
the current restrictions<br />
are already being openly flouted.<br />
Why go to such<br />
lengths to corner<br />
us smokers into<br />
being tempted to<br />
break the law, or<br />
look for loopholes<br />
to exploit?<br />
GRAPHIC | SWARNALI MITRA<br />
Just take a look at areas in<br />
town such as Orchard. At any given<br />
building, the number of smokers<br />
smoking illegally in places<br />
such as stairwells, carpark corners<br />
and lift lobbies is incredible.<br />
Thomas Lam, 28, an NTU<br />
alumni, sums it up perfectly: “With<br />
all the bans in place, it is a toss-up<br />
between walking a huge distance<br />
to take a smoke, or getting ready<br />
to run like the wind when the<br />
National Environmental Agency<br />
guys try to approach you.”<br />
A very basic carrot-and-stick<br />
argument is at stake here. Further<br />
governmental regulation<br />
could attempt to cordon off the<br />
smokers, or they could take the<br />
‘soft’ method by appealing to<br />
their public spirit to spare nonsmokers<br />
the agony of having to<br />
breathe the toxic smoke.<br />
A little consideration goes a<br />
very long way, instead of having<br />
the long, and often brutal, arm<br />
of the law intervene.<br />
For example, before an interview<br />
with a prospective employer,<br />
or a date with someone new,<br />
we try not to go in there reeking<br />
of cigarettes so as to not give a<br />
poor impression.<br />
Neither do we intentionally<br />
inflict on non-smokers the gruesome<br />
ills and diseases that are so<br />
freely displayed on our cigarette<br />
packs.<br />
Even as the crusade towards<br />
banning tobacco altogether in<br />
Singapore picks up steam, regulations<br />
that squeeze smokers into<br />
small corners continue to create<br />
a paradox.<br />
Maintaining levels of public<br />
health is necessary, but why<br />
go to such lengths to corner us<br />
smokers into a position where<br />
we would be tempted to break<br />
the law, or look for loopholes to<br />
exploit?<br />
Sean Lee, 23, a first-year<br />
student from the National Institute<br />
of Education concurs:<br />
“Smokers just have to be a little<br />
more considerate. No one likes<br />
having cigarette smoke blown<br />
in their faces. New parents, especially<br />
if they are non-smokers<br />
themselves, would be extra<br />
careful with regards to their<br />
children”.<br />
Get out of that tiny stairwell<br />
and take a walk to somewhere<br />
open to get your nicotine fix, or<br />
just resist the temptation for a<br />
little while.<br />
With all the negative aspects<br />
of smoking, exercising restraint<br />
would do us a world of good,<br />
and have the added benefit of reducing<br />
a problem before the authorities<br />
see fit to intervene and<br />
make yet another hurdle that we<br />
would have to jump over.<br />
I know I will be taking my<br />
own advice from now on.<br />
<br />
OPINIONS 35<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I prefer to use my<br />
phone manually. It<br />
is very weird to be<br />
talking to my phone<br />
in public. There is no<br />
privacy.<br />
Sia Wan Rong, SBS, Yr 3, 22<br />
“<br />
While the iPhone<br />
technology is<br />
cutting-edge, I’m<br />
skeptical that<br />
Siri will recognise<br />
Singaporean<br />
accents. <br />
Nurazleena<br />
“<br />
Ramli, HSS, Yr 2, 20<br />
The iPhone 4S is<br />
counter-productive.<br />
If the phone can’t<br />
catch what I’m<br />
saying, it may carry<br />
out the wrong<br />
function for me.<br />
Shawn Tan, EEE, Yr 2, 21<br />
”<br />
After watching<br />
numerous videos of<br />
the Siri application<br />
being tested, I<br />
feel that it’s more<br />
entertaining than<br />
practical.<br />
Elton Lim, SBS,<br />
”<br />
Yr 3, 23<br />
I feel that a phone<br />
that can serve my<br />
basic needs is good<br />
enough. I don’t see<br />
the need to buy<br />
a phone like the<br />
iPhone 4S.<br />
”<br />
T. Deepa, NIE, Yr 4, 22<br />
TEXT | JAYASHRI LOKARAJAN ; PHOTOS | WAN ZHONG HAO
36 OPINIONS<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
GOH WEI CHOON<br />
GRAPHICS EDITOR
18<br />
<br />
05 <strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
bpl talk<br />
Solidarity through adversity<br />
CLEMENT ONG<br />
<br />
ALTHOUGH the recently concluded<br />
Manchester derby dominated the<br />
headlines, with Manchester City<br />
crushing their United rivals 6-1,<br />
one should not forget that City<br />
constitute only one of the two currently<br />
unbeaten clubs in the league.<br />
The other club holding this unblemished<br />
record is, surprisingly,<br />
Newcastle United.<br />
At the moment, Newcastle are<br />
sitting pretty at fourth, behind<br />
Manchester City, Manchester<br />
United and Chelsea.<br />
This comes as a surprise to<br />
many, since the club was embroiled<br />
in turmoil at the start of the season.<br />
Firstly, midfielder Joey Barton<br />
controversially demanded to be<br />
transferred out due to what he<br />
claimed was a lack of ambition<br />
within the club’s leadership.<br />
Moreover, the club lost two<br />
influential players, namely excaptain<br />
Kevin Nolan and defender<br />
José Enrique, to West Ham United<br />
and Liverpool respectively.<br />
They also searched in vain for a<br />
successor to the prolific Andy Carroll,<br />
who moved to Liverpool last season<br />
for £35 million (S$70 million).<br />
All this meant that Newcastle<br />
entered the season in a seemingly<br />
GOAL DELIGHT: Cheik Tioté (far left) celebrates his late match goal against Arsenal. PHOTO | INTERNET<br />
shambolic state.<br />
But they have so far confronted<br />
any doubts over their ability with<br />
an impressive run of results which<br />
saw them climb up the table.<br />
Of particular note is the team’s<br />
defensive solidity this season,<br />
which saw them conceding just six<br />
goals in nine matches so far.<br />
This stands in stark contrast<br />
to last season, when they leaked<br />
goals throughout the campaign,<br />
including heavy defeats to Bolton<br />
Wanderers and Stoke City.<br />
Newcastle have also been playing<br />
more like a unit this season.<br />
This could be credited to the dynamic<br />
central midfield pairing of<br />
Yohan Cabaye and Cheik Tioté.<br />
Cabaye, a French midfielder<br />
signed from French champions Lille,<br />
was a seamless fit into the team, and<br />
struck up an understanding with<br />
the more defensively minded Tioté.<br />
The results that have followed<br />
show a team that allies a solid<br />
backline with a healthy dose of<br />
finesse in attack.<br />
But as impressive as Newcastle’s<br />
form has been thus far, the strongest<br />
team they have faced is arguably,<br />
Arsenal.<br />
It remains to be seen if<br />
Newcastle have the pedigree to<br />
challenge the likes of Manchester<br />
United, City and Chelsea, whom<br />
they will face in three consecutive<br />
weeks at the end of this year.<br />
But if Newcastle remain galvanised,<br />
and continue to maintain<br />
a high level of performance in the<br />
league, the Toon Army could rise<br />
from obscurity, to possibly challenging<br />
the Europa League, or even<br />
a Champions League spot.<br />
SPORTS 37<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Tennis player Serena WIlliams<br />
on the 2009 US Open<br />
semifinal incident where<br />
she threatened to choke a<br />
lineswoman with a tennis ball.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
F1 driver Lewis Hamilton after<br />
finishing second in Korea.<br />
Medals to rule them all<br />
XAVIER KOO<br />
sports talk<br />
IT COMES as no surprise that<br />
in a results-driven society like<br />
Singapore, the viability of a sport<br />
is determined almost entirely on its<br />
medal-winning potential.<br />
This was shown when Singapore<br />
Table Tennis Association (STTA)<br />
Chief Lee Bee Wah was questioned<br />
for fielding two inexperienced<br />
youths—Isabelle Li and Zena Sim—<br />
for the 2011 SEA Games in November.<br />
Lee nominated the two in hope<br />
of developing the youngsters who<br />
were just entering their professional<br />
phase.<br />
The Singapore National Olympic<br />
Council (SNOC) subsequently rejected<br />
the nomination on grounds that<br />
the selection of world-class female<br />
players like Feng Tianwei, Wang<br />
Yuegu and Li Jiawei, world ranked<br />
fourth, ninth and 18th respectively,<br />
should take precedence.<br />
In the quest to use our best<br />
athletes for international competitions,<br />
we have overlooked the painful<br />
reality that this over-emphasis<br />
on sporting excellence has spread<br />
to multiple levels in Singapore.<br />
In our relentless pursuit of<br />
glory, we have neglected the larger<br />
benefits of sports for young people.<br />
Sporting competitions develop<br />
character, and through these ex-<br />
periences, participants learn intangible<br />
qualities like fair play and<br />
humility in the face of defeat.<br />
Unfortunately, these benefits<br />
are now only conferred only upon<br />
the privileged, medal-worthy few.<br />
At the amateur level, the pursuit<br />
of results is unrelenting.<br />
Schools pride themselves on<br />
their niche sports and actively<br />
recruit players through the Direct<br />
School Admission (DSA) scheme to<br />
enhance their teams.<br />
Schools like Anglo-Chinese<br />
School (Independent), Raffles<br />
Institution and Saint Andrew’s,<br />
for example, are constantly placed<br />
among the top three for rugby<br />
GRAPHIC | WEE JIA HUI<br />
at the national level and attract<br />
hordes of DSA candidates.<br />
Through DSA, secondary<br />
schools can admit anywhere from<br />
five per cent of their annual intake,<br />
to a staggering 100 per cent.<br />
Unsurprisingly, the environment<br />
of results-motivated competition<br />
leaves out equally passionate, but<br />
relatively undeveloped, athletes.<br />
And like their professional<br />
counterparts, they are usually<br />
relegated to mere bench-warmers.<br />
Findings by the Straits Times in<br />
2006 showed that, on average, only<br />
15 per cent of students make the team.<br />
The result? Some defect to other<br />
sports or even worse, quit entirely.<br />
This problem is aggravated in schools<br />
with limited spots reserved for those<br />
who are deemed “good enough”.<br />
Similarly, budding athletes in<br />
the international arena need their<br />
fair share of competition experience.<br />
This will aid their overall development<br />
as professional athletes,<br />
helping them deal with the reality<br />
of competitive sports—the stress,<br />
the stakes, even the defeats—that<br />
they will inevitably face.<br />
The pursuit of sporting excellence<br />
inadvertently favours established<br />
rather than budding athletes.<br />
Ms Sum Chee Wah, director of<br />
Education Programmes Division at<br />
the Ministry of Education, told the<br />
Straits Times in 2008: “Students<br />
with potential will represent their<br />
school in competitions and be<br />
groomed by the National Sports<br />
Association (NSA).<br />
“Many of our national athletes<br />
were first exposed to sports via cocurricular<br />
activities and inter-school<br />
games competition.”<br />
Does this mean that the less<br />
talented will never get competition<br />
experience?<br />
It may seem obvious enough but<br />
we must realise that there is more<br />
to competition than just winning.<br />
Until the day we stop our obsession<br />
with results and start thinking<br />
about athletes, the chase for sporting<br />
excellence has gone too far.<br />
GRAPHIC | WEE JIA HUI<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Norwich City winger Anthony<br />
Pilkington on his pre-BPL<br />
football experiences.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Wigan Athletic chairman<br />
Dave Whelan on Liverpool’s<br />
idea of negotiating their own<br />
overseas television rights.
38<br />
SPORTS<br />
<br />
Handball newbie now a champ<br />
Handball in<br />
Singapore<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
NTU HANDBALL<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
AVRIL HONG<br />
SHE mistook handball for an<br />
entirely different sport just two<br />
years ago.<br />
But this did not stop Rose<br />
Tan from eventually excelling<br />
in the sport and leading the<br />
NTU women’s handball team<br />
to victory at the Singapore<br />
<strong>University</strong> Games (SUniG) this<br />
year, where they triumphed over<br />
powerhouse NUS.<br />
The 22-year-old picked up<br />
handball inadvertently two<br />
years ago at a clinic organised<br />
by students from the School of<br />
Physical Education and Sport<br />
Science (PESS).<br />
She had confused the<br />
rules of handball with that of<br />
Tchoukball—another sport she<br />
was playing around the same<br />
time back then.<br />
“The coach and my seniors<br />
kept laughing at me because<br />
I kept forgetting I should not<br />
bounce the ball before scoring<br />
(as per Tchoukball rules) in my<br />
first handball match,” said the<br />
third-year Sport Science and<br />
Management student.<br />
“Sometimes key<br />
players can get a<br />
little arrogant and<br />
snobbish, but Rose<br />
is very down-toearth”<br />
NTU’s handball coach<br />
Wong Shin Yee<br />
Tan, who also played<br />
basketball competitively during<br />
her secondary school days, felt<br />
the variety of sports she played<br />
made it difficult for her to pick<br />
up a new game.<br />
She said: “It’s more difficult<br />
to learn a new sport when you’re<br />
older because your muscles have<br />
developed in a certain way for<br />
your current sport.<br />
“What’s more, handball was a<br />
sport I had never heard of while<br />
I was in primary and secondary<br />
school.”<br />
Despite being new to<br />
handball at the time, Tan went<br />
on to represent NTU in 2009.<br />
She also tried to make up for<br />
lost time by embracing training<br />
opportunities.<br />
As captain of the women’s<br />
handball team, Tan trained with<br />
the players that represented<br />
Singapore at the Youth Olympic<br />
Games (YOG) and received<br />
scoring tips from the team’s<br />
coaches.<br />
But the highlight of her<br />
experiences was at a training<br />
expedition to the National<br />
Taiwan <strong>University</strong> in Taipei,<br />
where she discovered a new side<br />
to handball.<br />
She said: “It was in Taiwan<br />
<br />
<strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
<br />
18<br />
<br />
05<br />
POISED TO SCORE: In just two years, Rose Tan has risen to become a crucial part of the NTU handball team. PHOTO | WONG JING YING<br />
where I realised that handball is<br />
such a beautiful game.”<br />
“Their players defend so fast<br />
and attack so gracefully that it<br />
was an inspiration to train with<br />
them.”<br />
Perhaps the reason for her<br />
success as team captain is her<br />
belief in the overall well-being<br />
of players.<br />
Tan’s coach Wong Shin Yee,<br />
25, who has coached at NTU for<br />
three years, said: “Rose builds<br />
the team in aspects that I cannot.<br />
She has a deep understanding<br />
of team dynamics and their<br />
challenges.”<br />
She added: “Sometimes key<br />
players can get a little arrogant<br />
and snobbish but Rose is very<br />
down-to-earth.<br />
“That’s how she gained the<br />
team’s respect.”<br />
Tan is so dedicated to her<br />
handball team that school work<br />
takes a back seat at times.<br />
“I practically push my<br />
projects aside during competition<br />
season,” Tan admitted.<br />
“So far, I’ve been lucky<br />
to have group members who<br />
understand that I will focus on<br />
projects after my games.”<br />
While Tan is considered<br />
a recent convert to handball,<br />
it was the thrill of learning<br />
something new that motivated<br />
her to excel in the sport.<br />
And this desire to learn still<br />
motivates Tan, who also added<br />
that she is still learning the<br />
ropes.<br />
She explained: “I am still<br />
trying to understand some grey<br />
areas in handball rules that are<br />
very complicated.<br />
“Sometimes when we shoot,<br />
defenders might block us in a<br />
way that would usually result<br />
in a foul but referees might see<br />
it as a good defence.”<br />
But in spite of a seemingly<br />
slow start, Wong feels Tan will<br />
make a valuable player in the<br />
local handball scene with time.<br />
Wong said: “She really has a<br />
lot of potential and is only just<br />
beginning to blossom.<br />
“I expect to see great things<br />
from her in the future.”
18<br />
<br />
<br />
05 <strong>CHRONICLE</strong><br />
SPORTS 39<br />
<br />
RUSSIAN TWIST<br />
DEFENSIVE POSITION<br />
1<br />
2<br />
Twist your upper body to the right<br />
placing the ball on the floor.<br />
1<br />
Raise your arm<br />
to block your<br />
opponent’s<br />
shooting arm<br />
while keeping<br />
your weight on<br />
the back foot.<br />
Lie on the floor<br />
while holding a ball<br />
over your torso with<br />
both hands.<br />
3<br />
Repeat on the other side.<br />
Transfer your<br />
weight to the<br />
front foot and<br />
nudge your nonblocking<br />
arm<br />
against your<br />
opponent’s hip<br />
to block her.<br />
2<br />
<br />
Rain fails to dampen street spirit<br />
<br />
Wounded hand no obstacle for champ<br />
<br />
PHOTO | WONG JING YING<br />
THE NTU Street Challenge 2011 organised<br />
by the NTU Sports Club took place at a first-year student at <strong>Nanyang</strong> Busi-<br />
Kwong, 21, the event’s chairperson and<br />
the Sports and Recreation Centre (S&RC) ness School.<br />
on October 22nd. It boasted a total of six For some, the competition was an opportunity<br />
for cross-cultural friendships.<br />
sports: soccer, handball, frisbee, captain’s<br />
ball, floorball and handball.<br />
“It was an exciting experience because<br />
Despite delays caused by poor weather,<br />
the organisers had contingency plans Norway,” said Nur Hidayat, 21, a third-<br />
we got to play against footballers from<br />
in place.<br />
year student from the School of Physical<br />
“We were not caught off guard (by and Mathematical Sciences and a finalist<br />
the weather). Since most of the events in the football event.<br />
only took five to 10 minutes to set up, “The event had many participants<br />
the captain ball teams were agreeable<br />
to move indoors,” said Ling Siew new friends<br />
from different countries and I made some<br />
today.”<br />
AN INJURED hand was not<br />
enough to stop Robert Gorczakowski.<br />
The first-year American<br />
exchange student at<br />
<strong>Nanyang</strong> Business School<br />
(NBS), 20, stormed to victory<br />
at the men’s singles<br />
finals of the NTU Tennis<br />
Open Championships.<br />
He beat Romain Delon,<br />
22, a first-year exchange<br />
student at NBS, 6-1, 7-6 to<br />
clinch the title.<br />
“I had to tape up my<br />
finger halfway through the<br />
finals match, but I did not<br />
let it affect me at all,” said<br />
Gorczakowski.<br />
“In the end, I just stuck<br />
to my game and held out to<br />
the end. Barely.”<br />
Held from October 10th<br />
to 24th, this year’s NTU<br />
Tennis Open Championships<br />
featured the biggest<br />
run of the annual event<br />
ever.<br />
The event garnered a<br />
record total of 108 participants<br />
competing in four<br />
categories—the Men’s Singles<br />
and Doubles, as well<br />
as the Women’s Singles<br />
and Doubles.<br />
PHOTO | WAN ZHONG HAO
Sports<br />
Show<br />
of strength at tennis open – Page 39<br />
NTU overall 2nd in SUniG<br />
Overall Champion<br />
VICTORY HUG: The NTU men's football team faced an uphill battle in their title defence. PHOTO | COURTESY OF JOSIAS TEO<br />
LAI JUNJIE<br />
SPORTS EDITOR<br />
IT WAS almost an all NTU<br />
and NUS (National <strong>University</strong><br />
of Singapore) affair at the<br />
Singapore <strong>University</strong> Games<br />
(SUniG) this year, with the longtime<br />
rivals clashing in as many<br />
finals.<br />
But despite the good showing<br />
this year, NTU dropped to<br />
second place among the four<br />
universities at the games, which<br />
lasted from August 27th to<br />
October 8th, losing out to NUS<br />
by a single championship gold<br />
medal.<br />
NUS won the overall title<br />
with 13 championship gold<br />
medals, edging out NTU's 12.<br />
NTU were SUniG champions<br />
last year after trailing behind<br />
NUS for four years.<br />
Ms Sheryl Low, Deputy<br />
Director of the Sports and<br />
Recreation Centre, was pleased<br />
with the efforts of NTU’s athletes.<br />
She said: “There are always<br />
ups and downs and we cannot<br />
be champions in every sport we<br />
take part in.<br />
“SUniG was created to give<br />
opportunities for students<br />
from all the universities to get<br />
involved and come together, so<br />
winning fewer golds does not<br />
mean we are worse off.”<br />
Despite coming in second, Ms<br />
Low and NTU’s SUniG athletes<br />
pointed out commendable<br />
performances by several teams<br />
in the games.<br />
The NTU men’s football team<br />
was one such example that put<br />
in a noteworthy performance<br />
during the games.<br />
The team suffered a poor<br />
start in their first match, falling<br />
THIS IS NTU!: The men's volleyball team were a dominating presence, winning all their<br />
matches. PHOTO | LAM ZHAO YAO<br />
to Singapore Management<br />
<strong>University</strong> (SMU) 4-1.<br />
As the competition was<br />
played in a round robin format,<br />
this meant that NTU had to win<br />
their final match against NUS by<br />
a minimum four goal difference<br />
to retain the title.<br />
Salvation for the team arrived<br />
in the form of a goal during<br />
injury time in the match against<br />
NUS, when a strike from forward<br />
Hasbullah Johari allowed them<br />
to win the match 4-0.<br />
This enabled NTU to snatch<br />
the gold from SMU and retain<br />
the men’s football title.<br />
“We wanted to defend our title<br />
so badly that we psyched ourselves<br />
up and gave everything we had<br />
in that match (against NUS),” said<br />
captain Aidil Osman, 23.<br />
The second-year student<br />
from the <strong>Nanyang</strong> Business<br />
School added: “I was utterly<br />
speechless when that final goal<br />
came in at the last minute.<br />
“I couldn’t say anything<br />
while the whole team went crazy<br />
celebrating. It was unreal.”<br />
Others like the touch football<br />
women’s team contributed to<br />
the share of gold medals as<br />
well.<br />
The gold was especially<br />
sweet for the team who had<br />
played second fiddle to NUS<br />
and Singapore Institute of<br />
Management (SIM) for the past<br />
three years at SUniG.<br />
“Our philosophy at every<br />
competition is to go in with no<br />
fear and just do it,” said touch<br />
football captain, Jolene Tan,<br />
23, a final-year student from<br />
National Institute of Education.<br />
9 Ball Pool<br />
Aquathlon<br />
Badminton<br />
Basketball<br />
Bowling<br />
Cricket<br />
Cross Country<br />
Handball<br />
Netball<br />
Rugby 7s<br />
Soccer<br />
Squash<br />
Swimming<br />
Table Tennis<br />
Tennis<br />
Touch Football<br />
Ultimate Frisbee<br />
Volleyball<br />
Waterpolo<br />
Sports<br />
Overall ranking<br />
1st: NUS<br />
2nd: NTU<br />
3rd: SMU<br />
4th: SIM<br />
Mixed<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Mixed<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Women<br />
Mixed<br />
Men<br />
Women<br />
Men<br />
NUS<br />
NTU<br />
SIM<br />
NTU<br />
NTU<br />
NTU<br />
SIM<br />
SMU<br />
NUS<br />
NTU<br />
NUS<br />
NUS<br />
NTU<br />
NUS<br />
NUS<br />
SIM<br />
NTU<br />
NTU<br />
NTU<br />
NUS<br />
SMU<br />
NUS<br />
NUS<br />
NTU<br />
NUS<br />
NUS<br />
NTU<br />
SMU<br />
NTU<br />
NUS<br />
NUS<br />
<br />
13<br />
12<br />
3<br />
3<br />
ALL THE WAY UP: Their championship gold was a long anticipated victory for the touch<br />
football women's team. PHOTO | COURTESY OF ASHLEY MAK