Students get a glimpse of triple-sharing hall rooms - Nanyang ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Remember MeSO P H I E KI N S E L L A$34.25, available at BordersPublished by The Dial PressIMAGINE waking up one day to realisethat all your dreams have miraculouslycome true overnight.This is what happens to 28-yearoldLexi Smart, who wakes up after acar accident, convinced that it’s 2004and she’s just missed her father’sfuneral. However, she gets the shockof her life when she discovers sheis now a gorgeous and successfulbusinesswoman who owns a LouisVuitton handbag, drives a Mercedes and adheres to a strictno-carb diet.Best of all, she is now married to a millionaire husbandwho looks like a model.The only problem is Lexi cannot remember how sheachieved it all. The last three years of her life are a blank–herlast memories consist of being the 25-year-old girl with uneventeeth, slightly tubbier than she would have liked and dating aguy aptly nicknamed “Loser Dave”.Despite a seemingly perfect life, there is more than meetsthe eye when she tries to put together the missing pieces ofher memory. She discovers, with a shock, that her best friendsnow hate her. Crushed, Lexi begins her mission to find outwhat caused her to change from “snaggletooth” to “cobra”.Her confusion worsens when Jon, an architect working for herhusband, makes a stunning revelation as she struggles to ignitethe flames of passion with her Greek God of a husband.Kinsella is at her witty best in this light and easy read,allowing readers to indulge in the escapist fantasy of waking upone day to find that life has become perfect beyond recognition.She also highlights the age-old cliché that perfection isoverrated. The conventional indicators of success–a handsomemillionaire husband, illustrious career, good looks–do notnecessarily lead to happiness in Lexi’s life.While the characters may appear caricatured, Kinsellacreates a likeable heroine in Lexi Smart, who remainsidiosyncratic and insecure despite all her outward success.Readers will identify with her obsessions and root for her inher journey to self-discovery.Kinsella displays a keen awareness of the ingredientswhich appeal to the female readers who make up the bulk ofher readership. This trite but touching rags-to-riches tale ispeppered with her trademark wicked sense of humour thatfans will love. -CHER Y L NGThe Darkest Evening of the YearDE A N KO O N T Z$28.90, available at BordersPublished by Harper CollinsA MASTERWORK of suspense,The Darkest Evening of theYear delivers a heart-grippingstory that encapsulates the trueessence of a mystery novelwith its thrilling climaxes andunpredictable t wists to thestory.A refreshing read featuringunconventional protagonists,the author’s ability to interweavean epic tale of triumph over evilinto the life of dog lover, AmyRedwing, is simply amazing.Born an orphan, Amy Redwing has a soft spot for dogswhich sometimes, go overboard to the point of prioritisingher love for dogs over her boyfriend, Brian McCarthy.Through a series of unexpected events, Amy found herselfsaving Nickie, a golden retriever, from the hands of anabusive owner. Amy and Nickie form an inexplicablebond and even Amy’s two other golden retrievers, Fredand Ethel, treat Nickie with awe and respect. When amysterious couple–Harrow and Vanessa–enters their lives,Nickie proves to be more than man’s best friend with hersupernatural instinct that was the key to saving Amy andBrian from impending harm.Rarely does a reader find novels that use pets as theirmain protagonists, but in this compelling book, Koontzwrites a beautiful story based on the concept of a selflessmission-dog-rescue as the background of his thriller.-MAY B E L I N E YEWPHOTO | INTERNETAs I AmALICIA KE YS (R&B)Hate It or Love ItCH I N G Y (HIP-HO P/RA P)THE NANYANG CHRONICLEAlicia Keys has sold over forty-one million albums and singlesworldwide as of 2007.MUCH hype has been madeabout the transformation ofthis street-wise prodigy to thebejewelled beauty who gracesthe covers of this album – andrightly so.F o r t h o s eaccustomed toAlicia Keys, thisalbum may comeacross as whinyand drowning inmelancholia but asecond listen bringsinto focus a more polishedstyle.Favourites include“Wreckless Love”, whereshe skillfully marries herold street-wise style withsoulful lyrics, accompaniedby groove-worthy beats.Also check out “No One”–itis the single which epitomisesthe transition to a soul-androckvibe.This is the fourth studio album by Chingy and the first since hisreturn to DTP Records.CHINGY has all the makingsof a up-and-coming rap starwho does not failto live up to hispotential, leaving usthumping with hislatest studio albumHate it or Love it. Inthis album, Chingyemploys 10 differentproducers across 14 tracks,so be prepared for fusion anddynamic song styles.Moving away from usualclub mixes, Chingy infusesmore pop into his latest album.This versatility certainlyshows in songs like “How WeFeel”, where guitar-infusedmelod ies ta ke t he lead.However, repeated clichédhip hop beats undermine thedance-pop cult in the songGrowing PainsMA R Y J. BL I G E (R&B/SO U L)“All Aboard” (featuring StephJones). Chingy adopts varioussongs styles as heslows things downfor the lusty ballad“Gimme That” andapplies a slickgroove to “CheckMy Swag”.A p a r t f r o mthese two songs, the othersare the usual candy-rap clubanthems, suitable for thethe club-loving, dance floorrattling fans. Without a doubt,Chingy’s latest songs willinfiltrate the hottest clubssoon. Apart from his overnightnumber one hit “Right Thurr”(2003), his other songs seem tobe pretty forgettable. Hate it orlove it, it’s your choice!-JOA N N E YANShe is widely known as the “Queen of Hip Hop & Soul”, receivingover 26 Grammy Award nominations and winning eight.GROWING Pains servesas a personaltestimony of MaryJ. Blige’s battlewith depressionand drug abuse.The lead single“Just Fine” hasthe right blend ofedginess and determination;characteristic of her previousalbum “The Breakthrough”.“Shakedown” is a duetfeaturing Usher and is amix of Usher’s velvetysolo and Blige’s personalexperience infusions. Thisis an excellent song for thosewho are clueless of how toexpress our feelings to thatspecial one.“Grown Woman”, a jointAn Alicia Keys albumwouldn’t be completewithout one of her classicalmasterpieces, and we’re notshortchanged with “As I Am”.You can almosti m a g i n e t h eGrammy-winningsoulstress glidingher fingers acrossthe ivory keys asyou allow yourselfto be taken inby the classicalsounds of her piano.Each track seems sodifferent and diverse – leavingno room for boredom or themundane. Yet, as diverse asit is, it almost seems to bemaking a statement aboutKeys and the myriad of uniquecharacteristics that make her“as she is”. -SHEREEN NA A ZCH A RL E S SYA R IF Fproduction between Blige andLudacris, is a rapcum hip-hop songwhich speaks aboutone man’s love foran older womanand his sense ofinadequacy causedby his youth.T o p p i n g t h e R & Bbillboards charts at numberone, Growing Pains is atestament to Mary J. Blige’sar tistic evolution. Fromher battle with depressionand drug abuse, Mary hassuccessfully channelled allthat sorrow into her leadsingle “Just Fine”, whichpeaked at number 22 on theHot 100 Billboard Charts.-CEREL I A LIM
THE NANYANG CHRONICLE The Leap YearsRO M A N C E (PG)Joan Chen, Ananda Everingham, Wong Li Lin, Qi Yu Wu90 minutesPRETTY and intelligentliterature teacher, Li-Ann(Wong Li Lin) is everythinga guy could ask for butwith no special someoneto celebrate her leap yearbirthday with, she takesmatters into her own handsby following the Irishfolklore-that no man canrefuse a woman’s proposalon the 29th of February-toearn herself a date withdashing Jeremy (AnandaEveryingham).The crazy proposal seesher go on a whirlwind datewith Jeremy. But before therelationship can take flight,Li-Ann is told that he has toleave for Canada.However, they make apact to meet, same place,Sky of LoveRO M A N C E /DR A M A (PG)SKY of Love is a lethalcombination of cutenessand tragedy that is hardnot to fall victim to. Basedon a novel circulated toover 11 million readersvia a Japanese cell phonenetwork and publishedin paperback (2006), itis a true phenomenon ofthe emerging cellphonesociety.A f te r losi ng a ndgetting her cellphoneback, attractive first yearhigh-school girl Mika (YuiAragaki) begins to receivecalls from an anonymousadmirer. A summer-longphone romance leads toan eventual meeting withbottle-blonde cool guy,Hiro (Haruma Miura),and quickly accelerates toMika’s deflowering.Mika is set up forhumiliation when Hiro’sjealous ex, Saki (AsamiUsada), hires three thugsto rape her. Saki thenpublicises her rival’sa l leged prom i sc u it ythrough the schoolgossip network. Enraged,Hiro overcomes hischaracteristic aloofnesssame time, every leap yearand a 24-year romancebegins. Every leap year,Li-Ann will eat mum’sspecially-prepared birthdaynoodles, meet with girl palsand arrange for eveningcelebrations.But when night falls,without a doubt, Li-Ann willbe waiting at the cafe whereJeremy first caught her eyeand the audience eagerlyanticipates his arrival.On Li-Ann’s leap yearwedding, she is to wedRaymond (Jason Chan),whom she has exchanged nomore than polite greetingswith, but only because hermother and friends keepbadgering her about hersinglehood status.to protect Mika, and thebond between him andMika strengthens.Along the way, Mikasuddenly gets pregnant.Hiro believes he’s readyfor fatherhood, but bothsets of in-laws harbourreservations. As theaudience follows thecouple’s progress over theyears, they discover somesurprising developments.Both Yui Aragaki andHaruma Miura, wildlypopular teen idols, displaya convincing intimacy inthis romantic, eloquent,warm, affecting, andtrue-to-life love story.Yui Aragaki, Haruma Miura, Asami Usada, Karina, Yumi Aso, Joji Takahashi120 minutesW h e n L i - A n n ’ schildhood friend, KS (QiYu Wu), points out thatshe is unhappy, one cannothelp but feel sad that shehas finally succumbedto pressure of fulfillingfamilial obligations, whichis what director Jean Yeowants to highlight.By the time KS readsout Jeremy’s letter at thewedding, tears wouldalready be flowing downone’s face. If anything,this movie teaches us thatpatience for true love willpay off. The audience learnsthat Jeremy has his reasonsfor not making things clearto Li-Ann.Based on CatherineLim’s 2003 novella, TheLeap Years is for die-hardromantics. Even if you’renot one to shed tears easily,at least you’ll be looking atSingapore buildings in adifferent light after this. Inone touching scene, Jeremythrows a briefcase full oflove letters from the top ofOCBC building, hoping thatthe winds will bring them tothe Gods to make his wishescome true.-JO A N CH E WWith strong supportingperformances by actors likeAsami Usada and YumiAso, the movie maintainsa tender at mospherebetween the melodramatichigh points of the wellconstructedplot.The movie is at r ue depiction of anadolescent romance witha surprisingly maturetouch. It will remind youof your most memorableand poignant first love andhence this would definitelybe an emotional experiencefor the audience.-RITESH KA L R A@vSecret SunshineDR A M A (PG)Jeon Do-yeon, Song Kang-ho141 minutesDIRECTED by one of Korea’s leadingfilmmakers, Lee Chang-dong, this filmportrays a very raw and realistic sideof life, questioning the perseveranceof the mind and soul in times ofdifficulties.Set in the town of Miryang (theliteral translation in Mandarin isSecret Sunshine), this documentarylikefilm focuses on the attractive andstrong-willed female lead, Shin-ae(Jeon Do-yeon), as she relocates toMiryang with her young son afterlosing her husband to a car accident.Facing a new beginning in anunfamiliar town, mother and sonattempt to settle down, opening a pianoschool with the help of a good-naturedbut bothersome car repair shop owner,Mr. Kim Jong-chan (Song Kang-ho),who has taken a liking to Shin-ae. It issurprising to see a male lead who is notparticularly eye-catching and looks alot like a normal person you would seeon the streets. In the beginning, Shinaetries hard to fit in but the town folksare not as friendly as she would haveliked them to be.A series of unexpected eventshappens just when life is going uphill–including her losing her own son inthe most horrific manner that mostmothers would have nightmares about.Utterly devastated, she turns to thelocal Korean Christian community toseek refuge and peace. When she feelsthat her trust in God is betrayed, shetakes drastic measures to search forhope and revenge. Applause has to begiven to the director as Christianityin this film is portrayed in a verynatural setting and from a neutralpoint of view.The Nanyang Chronicle has three pairs oftickets to Secret Sunshine which is exclusivelyscreened at The Picturehouse, togive away.Answer the question below and stand achance to win passes to the film.Question: Why did Shin-ae move to Miryang?a) She lost her husbandb) She lost her sonc) She fell in love with kim Jong-chanREVIEWREVIEWThe film ends on a peaceful yetunfinished note as there are many questionsleft unanswered. It seems as if the directoris telling the audience that at some point oftime, the story ends but life still goes on.Reality may not be particularly beautiful ormeaningful, we do not live in a paradise, butthe reasons for living are within us.Jeon Do-yeon, who won the Best ActressAward in the film’s debut in the recentCannes Film Festival 2007, brilliantlydisplayed the vulnerability of Shin-ae’scharacter. The heroine is someone we canrelate to, someone who is imperfect, at timesfoolish and yearns for stability. Do-yeonadmitted that it was a difficult time for her,as she is not a mother and initially could notcome to terms with Shin-ae’s emotions.However, if you think that this film isperhaps full of despair, you will be surprisedto know that it is actually very wellbalanced,as the male lead Song Kang-ho,adds in bits of humour along the way andlightens up the atmosphere.Secret Sunshine is definitely one moviethat will touch your heart in many ways,and even with very simple camerawork, itleaves a lasting impression in your mind.-KO H JI N G JI N G E-mail us your answer, with the subject,“Secret Sunshine” along with yourname, gender and contact number tochronicle.contest@ntu.edu.sgContest closesMarch 25 2008T h i s g i v e - a w a y i s c o u r t e s y o fThe Picturehouse.There is a student discount for ticketspurchased before 6 pm at The Picturehouse.Tickets are sold at $7, upon presenting yourstudent pass at the Box Office, on Level 5,The Cathay Cineplex.
Page 5: MARCH 10, 2008The nanyang chronicle
Page 11 and 12: MARCH 10, 2008The nanyang chronicle
Page 13 and 14: Petal pushers — a potpourri of fa
Page 15 and 16: THE NANYANG CHRONICLE YAMAKAWA Supe
Page 21 and 22: THE NANYANG CHRONICLE GardenPhotogr
Page 31 and 32: THE NANYANG CHRONICLE南大生
Page 33 and 34: THE NANYANG CHRONICLE特辑南大
Page 35: THE NANYANG CHRONICLE娱乐休闲
Page 38 and 39: 38opinionMARCH 10, 2008The nanyang
Page 40 and 41: 40opinionMARCH 10, 2008The nanyang
Page 42 and 43: 42sportsMARCH 10, 2008The nanyang c
Page 44: SportsHe stared Death in the face,

Students get a glimpse of triple-sharing hall rooms - Nanyang ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?