The Nanyang Chronicle Vol 19 Issue 10 by Nanyang Chronicle

THE NANYANG

VOL. NO.

CHRONICLE

10 08.04.13 ISSN NO. 0218-7310

NTU falls to NUS for a second year

RUGGERS TUMBLE AGAIN SPORTS | 40

SHAKING UP THE NIGHTLIFE Night scene heats up as chilling spots take on new tricks

LIFESTYLE | 9

Before I die, I want to...

拥有华丽的冒险

南苑 | 28

02 NEWS

THE NANYANG

VOL. NO.

CHRONICLE 10

News Bites WORLD

SINGAPORE

PHOTOS: INTERNET

Deadly flash floods in Argentina have killed more than 50 people in Buenos Aires. Thousands were evacuated from their homes and dozens are still stranded on rooftops, treetops and the roofs of city buses. Half of the bodies have been identified and rescue workers fear an increase in the number of casualties. N.KORE A MISSILE L AUNCH FEARED

NEW STRAIN OF AVIAN FLU CLAIMS FIFTH LIFE

Missile and launch components have been moved to the east coast of North Korea indicating that the state could be planning a missile launch soon. The components, said a US official, are consistent with those of a Musudan missile, which has a 2,500 mile range and could potentially threaten South Korea, Japan and South-east Asia.

China is on high alert after thefifth death from the H7N9 virus. This is a strain of avian flu previously undetected in humans. The number of human cases in China stands at 14 as of press time. Chinese authorities are still determining the source of human infections. The virus hasn’t been shown to spread easily among humans.

RIVER SAFARI ATTRACTS 1,500 ON OPENING DAY

STARHUB LAUNCHES WORLD’S F I R S T CA S H L E S S M OV I E TICKETING SERVICE

Singapore’s new $160 million River Safari wildlife park drew close to 1,500 visitors on its public opening last Wednesday. Eager visitors turned up in throngs for the 9am launch. The Amazon Flooded Forest, a key attraction, is the world’s largest freshwater aquarium. It’s home to more than 18 animal species, including the giant river otter, the electric eel and the manatee.

StarHub customers can now use their smartphones to pay for movie tickets at Shaw Theatres. They can collect their tickets by tapping their phones at theatre ticketing booths. The service is accessed through an enhanced StarHub mobile wallet app, SmartWallet. The app offers cashless payment at 30,000 retail points including ComfortDelGro taxis and Watsons.

NTU NTU GRADUATES STILL IN DEMAND

Nine out of 10 NTU graduates found employment six months after their final examinations. NTU graduates continue to be in strong demand, said Associate Provost of Undergraduate Education, Prof Kam Chan Hin. NTU REMAINS ASIA’S TOP ACCOUNTING SCHOOL

Now fifth in the world in accounting research, after moving up two places internationally, NTU is ranked first place outside of the US. Professor Tan Hun Tong of the Nanyang Business School also remains the world’s top accounting researcher for the third year. NEW STUDY FINDS POORER KIDS DON’T LAG BEHIND

As part of a local initiative launched last Tuesday, Singaporeans will give cash to hawkers to reserve food for those who cannot afford it. Chope Food For The Needy has garnered more than 4,000 Facebook “likes”. The campaign took inspiration from the ‘suspended coffee’ movement in Europe and the US.

Children from lower-income families are as competent as their counterparts in most areas, except in their command of spoken English. The study, conducted by NTU and NIE researchers, analysed the impact of family income on the cognitive development of children.

What’s happening on campus? Blood Donation Drive

“Discover NTU Libraries” Photo Contest

E-waste Recycling Campaign 2013

Recruitment for Gym Assistants

The 12th Chinese Bridge Competition

Every year in Singapore, 100,000 units of blood are needed to treat the ill and injured, but demand has always been greater than supply. Take a break from studying and do your part by participating in the blood donation drive organised by Halls of Residence 8-11. Where: Function Hall @ Hall 10 When: 11 Apr, 12-6pm

Capture the importance, usefulness and value of NTU Libraries including its staff, and resources in this photo contest. The competition is open to all staff and students of NTU. Each participant may submit up to three original entries. Visit blogs.ntu.edu.sg/library/ happenings for contest details. When: by 31 May Contact: librarypromotion@ntu. edu.sg

As part of an Earthlink NTU initiative to reduce e-waste such as mobile phones and laptops, an ewaste recycling bin has been placed at the entrance to the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering on Level 1. Visit http://clubs.ntu.edu.sg/ earthlink/website/ for details. When: 12 Mar-17 May, 8am-8pm Where: Halls and Graduate Hall @ NTU

The Sports & Recreational (S&R) Centre is looking to hire students as gymnasium assistants, at a rate of $7 per hr. Any enquiries about the job should be done directly at the Centre. Before submitting their resume, interested applicants should check their eligibility at http://bit.ly/YXxwH6. Where: NTU S&R Centre When: by 30 Apr Contact: darrenchua@ntu.edu.sg

The competition invites youth to perform the Chinese arts such as Chinese songs, calligraphy, and wushu. The top two winners will get to travel to China to compete with college students worldwide. Cash prizes to be won. Where: Confucius Institute, NTU Auditorium level 3 @ one-north campus Executive Centre When: 18 Jan-26 Apr, 9am-5pm THE NANYANG

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News

Speaking with Mr Cheong — Page 5

Fund Your Passion

ALL OUT FOR AN A: Some students feel that it would be better to shell out big bucks for something that they feel for rather than something mediocre.

The drive to do well for final-year projects has left many investing thousands of dollars, all in the name of a good grade. Wong oi Shan

erfection comes at a cost. As school comes to a close, hordes of seniors rejoice at the submission of their final-year projects. Yet, some do so with their pockets burnt. For f i n a l-y e a r br oadc a s t st udent s f rom t he Sc hool of Art, Design and Media (A DM) and the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information ( W K W S C I ) , t h e pr e s s u r e to produce a qualit y f ilm meant spending a lot. “Last year, one group's budget was around $30,000 — probably the most ambitious project so far in terms of the production value,” said Assistant Professor Vladimir Todorovic from ADM. Cecilia Ang, 23, a final-year Communication Studies student and director of the short film Purple Light, spent about $8,000 from her own pocket for her finalyear project (FYP). “ W h e n y ou s e e a v i d e o , you want to it to be of a good

production quality. To get that, you have to spend, even if you were to save on manpower," she said. The money she invested into her film went mainly to hiring professional actors and a film crew. In order to fund the budgets for their f ilms, many students submitted previous works for film competitions in hopes of winning prize money, or approached sponsors for financial help. Most return fruitless. “They seek funding from private companies, but they usually don’t succeed,” said Prof Todorovic. “But one of the main agencies that sponsors our students' films is the Singapore Film Commission. We are thankful to them for this support, and every year we have students getting their short film grants.” O t he r s , l i ke A h m ad K h a n Surattee, 24, producer for short film Discoteca!, took it a step further by working five days a week as a bellboy during the school term to fund his FYP. “It really took a toll on my physical and mental state," he said. But he said the sacrifice was necessary to raise the money needed for the film. Eac h of h i s tea m member s originally had to fork out $3,000 to $4,000 from their own savings. But the financial burden was eased when they were awarded a $10,000 grant

from the Media Development Authority. “We didn't want to let [the lack of] money be a deterrent. So we were well aware of what we were getting ourselves into. We asked for it," said Ahmad.

“Struggling with finding funding, using your own money, worrying about it, all of that is a learning opportunity. And it's a very real world. It's how it works.” Ms Nikki Draper Broadcast & Cinema Studies Lecturer WKWSCI

Still, Ahmad said he doesn't regret mak ing an expensive short film as he did not feel that a low-budget would have allowed them to achieve the standards they set out for. “I would rather regret doing it and suffering, than not doing

it at all and eventually produce something that we don’t even feel strongly for. We felt that it was a story that really needed to be told," he said. These experiences also mirror the actual process of making a short film. As such, the required rigour and equips students with the right perspectives for filmmaking, said Mr Kym Campbell. The WKWSCI Broadcast and Cinema Studies lecturer said: “That's part of the film business. It's not just a simple project. “It's going and producing a film and finding money and trying to handle a budget.” Ms Nikki Draper, senior lecturer at WKWSCI agrees. “Struggling with funding, using your own money, worrying about it, all of that are learning opportunities. And it's very real world," she said. “It's how it works.” Yet, money isn’t everything, said Mr Campbell. He recalled “really dreadful movies” that had a high budget but did not live up to the expectations. Budget aside, every part of the process from handling cameras to recording audio and even special effects are fundamentally crucial to the process. But the harsh reality of funding a film has become a burden to bear

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: WALLACE WOON

that some end up turning away from their craft. N ic ole Ye , 22 , f e e l s t h at competition became stiffer as groups tried to outdo one another by having a larger budget. Groups with more money were hence able to able to enlist help from more professionals. “My project turned me away from production, completely. I am not going to apply for a career in production," said Ye, who was the producer for her film, Hidden Folk. She declined to state a specific sum, but said she had self-funded between $5,000 to $10,000 for the cost of the production. Yet the need to spend large amounts may not be necessary. The grade of the FYP is not just based on their production values, said Prof Todorovic. “ T he y cou ld on ly ga i n i f they experiment with the film language instead of competing with industry, and putting most of their efforts in higher production values,” he said. Even film competitions look beyond the production value and judge the ideas behind the movie, said Ms Draper. “I supervise student projects sent out to festivals. And I would say that the projects that have got the most attention have not been the best funded."

04 NEWS

THE NANYANG

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CHRONICLE 10

Touchscreen surgery

AN INSIDE LOOK: The new Anatomage Table will enable the first batch of medical students in NTU to virtually dissect 3D anatomies.

Isaac Tan news edITor

oo many people, too few bodies. A year ago, The Straits Times reported a lack of cadavers donated and said this could affect the training of future doctors. There were only 24 bodies donated last year as compared to the 38 in 2008, according to the Ministry of Health. To solve the problem, NTU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will introduce the Anatomage Table, a virtual dissection platfor m designed by A mer ica n

firm Anatomage. The school will bring in thisnew technology in time for its first batch of students this August. The $120,000 device is also the first of its kind in South-east Asia. Assistant Professor Dinesh Srinivasan, lead for Anatomy Teaching at the school, said its curriculum will incorporate the Table as a supplementary teaching tool. It features a life-size interactive anatomy with a touchscreen display. Students can virtually dissect and learn about the human body, layer by layer. “This cutting-edge teaching tool will help medical students

visualise muscles, blood vessels, organs and soft tissues as they can perform virtual slicing, layering and segmenting,” said Prof Srinivasan. “This is something previous teaching methods, such as cadaver-based study, were unable to do.” The ability to view different types of virtual anatomies will also help students better understand different health conditions, he said. Actual MRI results and CT scans can also be uploaded onto the Anatomage Table to reference actual case files and present reallife scenarios.

PHOTO: NTU

“Students can appreciate specifically how certain structures or organs are connected, which can sometimes be hard to visualise in a cadaver,” he said. The Table is part of the school's initiatives to incorporate state-ofthe-art technology to improve the quality of medical education. The Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine will see its first enrollment of 54 students come August. The f ive-year degree programme is a joint school effort with Imperial College London. It will operate out of two campuses – Yunnan and Novena.

FACTS ABOUT THE ANATOMAGE TABLE • About 12 people can stand around the Table and interact comfortably at any one time. • The Table weighs 226kg and comes with roller wheels. • Custom annotations can be added to anatomical structures for better visualisation.

Illegal circulation amIr Yusof

QUESTIONS ON THE GO: A photo of a mid-term quiz questions was circulated amongst the first-year Computer Engineering student cohort. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: OLIVIA NG

A M I D-T ER M quiz for f ir styear Computer Engineering students was unexpectedly cancelled on 20 Mar, after questions from an earlier quiz were circulated. Associate Professor Hui Siu Cheng, the school’s associate chair for administration, called off the quiz after he found out that the questions were circulated via WhatsApp before the rest of the cohort sat for it later that week. In a follow-up email to the cohort, Prof Hui said the quiz results will be replaced with scores from either an optional re-test or the weekly lab programming assessments. The higher of the two scores will then contribute towards each student’s final grade, he added. But, he didn’t specify whether

there would be any changes to the weightage of the mid-term quiz. His decision angered some who had already taken the test earlier. “I think it’s a poor way of handling the situation. I spent weeks preparing for the quiz and I think I stood a good chance of scoring well. Now, my effort is wasted,” said Gou Yunfan, 19. Some also thought it wasn’t a fair to replace the quiz scores with those from a re-test or lab assessments as the nature of the assessments were different. “Although both are about programming coding, the lab test is a practical assessment whereas the quiz is a theoretical one. “Students who do better in practical tests may pull up their scores and distort the bell curve,” said a first-year student from the School of Computer Engineering (SCE) who declined to be named.

Despite the backlash, there were students from the cohort who u nde r stood Prof Hu i’s decision. “The fact that some students cheated, left the school with little choice but to come up with alternative forms of assessment,” said Lee Liang De, 21. When contacted, Prof Hui declined to comment as the issue is still under investigation. The NTU Academic Integrity Policy states that sharing questions from an assessment that others have yet to undertake constitutes as collusion. This act is classified academic fraud. T he St udent Academ ic Integrity Policy states that it supports the “pursuit of truth which depends on absolute integrity of conduct among all members of the community”.

VOL. NO.

NEWS 05

THE NANYANG

10 CHRONICLE

Press for better: former ST Chief To ensure a quality newspaper, proper training is necessary in a changing media landscape. Amir Yusof

atriotism and quality media training are necessar y to maintain a good press system in Singapore, said former Chief Editor of The Straits Times, Mr Cheong Yip Seng. Speaking at a talk organised by the NTU Library on 28 Mar, Mr Cheong called young Singaporeans to step up and do their part for the country by putting their media skills into practice. “If you are committed to this nation and want it to do well, join the media. “Serve the mainstream media and help it maintain its high professional standards to preserve credibility for the long run,” Mr Cheong said. This appeal came as he outlined the areas that the Republic's political conditions have changed: the increasing difficulty to control national agenda, changing media consumption habits, and the need for a credible newspaper. Mr Cheong explained that in the late 60’s, while he was still a rookie reporter, the ruling government had to ensure the media was supportive of its policies. This was done through a heavy-handed approach of controlling content. “ T he r e wa s a se n se of vulnerability at the time. Crime was high and the government was wary of threats from the north and the south,” Mr Cheong said. “It needed its policies to sit well with the people. Hence, the media had to play a non-adversarial role.” He agreed that those circumstances required the press to aid in nation-building efforts. But with a developed Singapore

FOR THE PEOPLE: In his speech, Mr Cheong Yip Seng (right) reminded the audience that a good publication should meet the needs of the people.

and the advent of new media and the Internet, the focus has changed. T he increasing number of Singaporeans utilising social networks have “amplified the voices of dissent and forced the government to accept the Internet as a legitimate platfor m” for discussing topics concer ning national interest. T he I nte r ne t a l s o le d to the digitisation of information and a new bite-sized way of

"If you are committed to this nation and want it to do well, join the media." Mr Cheong Yip Seng Former Editor-in-chief The Straits Times

RETELLING HISTORY: Queues streched on from the autograph table to the steps of the LT as many waited to meet the media veteran.

consuming news. The unbundling of information today allows people to choose the content they want, while abandoning news that does not interest them, said Mr Cheong. He warned that bite-sized news consumption would lead to people ignoring other important points within policies. Citing the recent White Paper debate, he joked that many only r emember ed t he 6.9 m i l l ion population figure from it. “I ’m fea r f u l t h i s way of consuming media will lead to a less-informed electorate. “This is very dangerous because when you go to the ballot box, the risk is very high that you are going to make the decision of who to vote for based on incomplete information.” A credible and well-informed newspaper is the answer to such a problem. This has always been a stand Mr Cheong takes but even more so now given the current situation. A good press, however, is only possible if there is a steady stream of professionals who “collectively love this country and want this country to prosper”. H e e x pl a i ne d t h at ne w s gathering is a complex process that requires a degree of professionalism and commitment that no online sites like TR Emeritus and The Online Citizen are capable of. He stressed the importance of institutions that provide rigorous journalistic education beyond onthe-job training. Final-year Communication Studies student, Jasmine Ng,

PHOTOS: LIM MU YAO

23, who was at the talk, agreed that a background in journalism does help. But she does not discount that having knowledge in different subject areas could, in fact, add more value to the experience. Koh Hui Yi, 19, a first-year Sociolog y st udent, who a lso attended the talk, shared similar sentiments. It's not impossible for students from other disciplines to pick up journalistic skills if they put in more time and effort, she said. “It all boils down to whether these individuals have a genuine passion to make good journalists in the future,” she said. It's this same passion and dedication that Mr Cheong feels is lacking in newsrooms today. He raised concerns over how the bountiful opportunities in Singapore might distract young Si n gap or e a n s f r om s t a y i n g committed to journalism. Citing the example of Singapore Press Holdings scholars, he said that many serve their bond and then leave for better-paying jobs. Hence, the newspaper is unable to retain the talents they spent time and money training. Repeating his call to action, Mr Cheong appealed to young Singaporeans to see that pursuing journalism is a worthy cause— a core group of quality journalists running the papers is essential for both the media and the nation. “If the media loses some of its best people, the results will show very clearly in the paper and we cannot have a degraded product because it will not serve the people well.”

06 NEWS

THE NANYANG

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Wonder Scientist

A WONDERING SPIRIT: A passing thought about solving Singapore's water and energy crunch five years ago led to Assoc. Prof Darren Sun's discovery of titanium dioxide, a "wonder" substance capable of producing clean water and electricity. PHOTO: YANGER TAN

With the discovery of a wonder material, Prof Darren Sun may have the answers to the perennial water and energy problems Laura Lewis

is wife once labelled his work “a piece of junk”. Despite t he harsh comments, Associate Professor Darren Sun continued work on a possible solution to Singapore’s water and energy crunch. Last week, his discovery of a multi-use titanium dioxide — a substance capable of producing hydrogen, generating electricity and acting as water filter — was a dream come true. He found it was possible to turn titanium dioxide crystals into nanofibre membranes, which are then capable of filtering waste water and producing hydrogen. Touted as a “wonder material", h i s s c ie nt i f ic br ea k t h r oug h was also published in over 70 science papers, the most recent being the journal of Energy and Environmental Science. The material acts as a filter, allowing water particles to pass through but rejecting foreign, contaminated par ticles at the same time.

“Titanium dioxide loves water,” Prof Sun said. In addition, the substance splits water particles to produce hydrogen. Compared to platinum, which is traditionally used to treat wastewater, titanium dioxide is cheaper and works three times faster. It ’s a l so able to produce electricity when combined with other materials to form a crystal, which then traps and converts solar energy into electricity. Its anti-bacterial properties also allow for it to be used in bandages. But Prof Sun was also quick to

“I like to wonder about things, this is my character... If you have any challenge that I can provide a solution to I would love to know.” Associate Professor Darren Sun,52 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering

play down his academic breadth. Instead, it was his curiosity that led to the discovery. A self-confessed dreamer, he hopes to f ind solutions to environmental problems such as global warming. “I like to wonder about things, this is my character,” he said. He also dedicated the success of his findings to his research team, which he worked with for five years prior to the breakthrough. The team is made up of of four researchers, six undergraduates and 10 PhD students. Prof Sun hopes hopes to have more undergraduate students in his research teams in the future. “I especially like teaching the younger generation, students who can be motivated and constantly question ‘why’,” he said. “I don't treat them as students, it's a friendship,” he said. The trust Prof Sun shares with his students is evident from how they are now managing a start-up company looking to commercialise the product. The microscopic fibres and titanium dioxide has also been patented. W hile his team continues researching on titanium dioxide, he admits he’s already wondering a b out ot he r e n v i r on me nt a l problems such as global warming.

The ambitious scientist reveals he is working a substance — known as on Hoc-DNA — that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. “If you have any challenge that I can provide a solution to, I would love to know.” As such, he feels his wife plays a big role in grounding his ambitious plans. Chemical engineering has always been a topic of conversation

between Prof Sun and his wife, he said. It is no wonder as they were former classmates while pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering. Being able to engage on both professional and emotional levels, Prof Sun of ten discusses his research work with her. “I st i l l g ive my r e sea r c h papers to my wife and ask her for comments. She questions me a lot,” he said.

5mm apart from story

MAGIC IN A TEST TUBE: When turned into titanium dioxide crystals, this "wonder material" would work three times faster at a lower cost than platinum in purifying waste water. PHOTO: NTU

VOL. NO.

NEWS 07

THE NANYANG

10 CHRONICLE

A learning partnership Yebeen AshleY Kim

ome May 13, a collaboration between the NTU Welfare Ser vices Club (WSC) and Jurong Point will see some 36 pr imar y to secondar y school students benefit from free peer tutoring services. The programmes will provide academic help to primar y and secondary school students from low-income families. While WSC recruits student volunteers to run the programmes, Jurong Point provides the venue and facilities. The learning corner on level three (#03-202) of the shopping complex has been designated as a classroom for the tuition sessions. “We chose to work with Jurong Point as it is a convenient venue for our [NTU student] volunteers, and for the children and parents,” said Francoise Lee, the person in-charge of the peer tutoring programmes. M s Ly n e t t e L e e , s e n i o r m a r k e t i n g c om m u n i c at ion s manager of Starmall Property Management that operates Jurong Point said: “We hope this project can help students to cope with increasing academic pressures, as well as to reduce financial stress on lower-income families.” In fact, it was Jurong Point that first approached WSC with the possibility of a collaboration. T h i s i s becau se WSC ha s had experience with r unning

A HELPING HAND: Free peer tutoring services for students will mark the first time NTU Welfare Services Club has collaborated with a retail outlet in the name of volunteerism. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: TIFFANY GOH QI QI

other tutoring programmes held in family and student services centres. The tie up with Jurong Point is currently planned to run for two years. Future plans to continue the programme will be decided by the response from parents and students. T his is unlike most ot her

tutoring programmes conducted by the WSC, that are usually planned to run as permanent programmes. Ms Lee explained that the two years is meant as a trial period. Judging from the response from parents, the duration is then open to reviews when the sign-up rates increase. Despite the uncertainty, Ms Lee said: “We hope that it will be

a success and continue as a longterm project.” But with only 29 students volunteering as tutors to a pool of 36 primary and secondary school students, the programme started off slower than expected. According to Ms Lee, the learning corner was built in Apr 2012, but peer tutoring sessions will only commence on 15 May.

But Yeo Xue Zhen, 21, a thirdyea r Com mu n icat ion St ud ies student understood that ever y projec t need s t i me to rea l ly kick off. “Ever y idea starts small. If the programmme receives more publicity, it has potential to grow and benefit more people. Then, more people might be interested and sign up for it,” she said.

Lifestyle RAISING THE BAR

As regular bars are aplenty, concept bars are drawing customers with their novelty. Elizabeth Tan finds out how these bars are taking experiences to a different level.

CHILL OUT: At Beer Market (top and left), customers can watch the prices of drinks rise or fall throughout the night; Eski Bar (middle) serves drinks that are in-line with the bar's theme such as Snowflake and Eski-Blue and Nektar (right) takes customer's preference into account, involving them in the creation of the drink. PHOTOS: SAM LIN

BEER MARKET 3B River Valley Road #01-17/02-02 Clarke Quay Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs: 6pm-2am Fri, Sat and Public Holiday: 6pm-3am Tel (after 6pm): 9661 8283

WHILE other bars have the prices of their drinks fixed, beer and cider prices fluctuate at Beer Market. As its name suggests, Beer Market is a toned-down version of Wall Street of alcohol, inspired by similar bars in Barcelona where the change in prices of beers is determined by the demand of the customers. At Beer Market, beers and ciders start at a fixed price when they open each night. As the customers start ordering their drinks, prices increase proportionally to the demand for the particular drink every half an hour. The more buyers, the higher the price. But there is no need to worry about sky-high prices, as prices will return to their original level as the crowd dissipates towards the end of the night. You may find yourself trying to spot other patrons who are ordering the same beer that you have in mind. The decision on whether to buy a drink, or wait for the

next round depends on how accurately you can predict changes in demand. That is, if the price of the beer you desire decreases. Normally, the price of more popular beers such as Hoegaarden can increase two-fold on Friday nights and Saturdays. To make the night more interesting, try placing bets on which beer or cider will have the highest price by the end of the night — the loser buys everyone at the table a round of drinks. Besides the usual beers and lagers like Erdinger, Hoegaarden and Heineken, Beer Market also serves variations such as Strawberry Frulli Beer, popular for their subtle taste and relatively low alcoholic content.

“Beer Market is a toned-down version of Wall Street of alcohol.” Beer Market is further differentiated by its Happy Hungry Hour, where customers can get chicken wings or a plate of nachos at $3 per plate to go with their beers. “We set up this Happy Hungry Hour to complement the high prices of our beer since we do not have a Happy Hour,” said operations manager, Charlie Qiu. But if you are unwilling to watch the price of your drink skyrocket, or pay for overpriced beers, you can visit Beer Market on Black Mondays, where the prices remain fixed at their lowest.

NEKTAR

ESKI BAR

31 Scotts Road

46 Circular Road

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 5pm-1am Sat: 5pm-2am

Opening Hours: Sun-Thurs: 4pm-1am Fri-Sat: 3pm-3am

Tel: 6836 9185

Tel: 6536 3757

AT FIRST glance, mixologist Suffian Mahmoud appeared to be chatting up the ladies at Nektar's cocktail bar. But closer inspection revealed he was actually asking his customers how they wanted their drinks to taste, and showing how the drinks were made. This is what sets Nektar apart from the other bars, in personalising their customer’s experience. “Our menu changes every three months. Every time a customer suggests something different, we try experiments with mixes and incorporate it into our menu when the drink is finally successful,” said Mr Mahmoud, 28. While Nektar allows for group gatherings, the best seats in the house are at the bar counter, right in front of the bartenders. This close proximity allows customers to interact with the bartender, watch the process of mixing and smell the concoctions, before finally tasting the end product. “We offer a wholesome service as we want to educate customers on their drinks," Nektar's owner Buraya Ng said.

AT ESKI Bar, chilling out with friends over drinks just got cooler. Started in 2005 when the cocktail industry was in its infancy, Eski Bar, with its concept of a sub-zero bar, is set in an enormous industrial freezer. The interior of the bar is separated into two sections. The outer room, shaped like an igloo, is maintained at sub-zero temperatures of down to -4 degree Celsius. The inner room, however, is at slightly more comfortable temperatures of around 10 deg C. Those who cannot stand the cold may also be warmed by the idea that Eski Bar offers free jackets. Even the drink names playfully mirror the bar’s theme. They include Eski-blue, a mix of lychee liquor and grapefruit juice, Snowflake, a concoction of vodka, white grapes, lime juice and sugar syrup, and Goosebumps, a blend of Grey Goose vodka, triple sec and orange juice — all of which are priced under $20. For a country in the tropics, Eski Bar’s concept is an cool alternative for those who want to chill out.

10-11 LIFESTYLE foodsnoop

THE OTHER CHICKS ON THE BLOCK

The salty, crispy batter crunches. The oil glistens onlips and fingers. Succulent white meat torn by teeth or peeled from the bone. Fried chicken. The classic example of pleasure that tastes better for it makes you guilty. Greasy, irresistable, and for under $10. The true fried chicken lover quickens his pace as he goes by the Colonel's diner. Instead, he seeks out the real deal by people who love fried chicken as much as he does. Steffi Koh seeks out the alternatives and rates them.

4 FINGERS CRISPY CHICKEN CRISPY JUICY TASTY GREASY

7/10 7/10 9/10 6/10

2 Orchard Turn #B4-06A ION Orchard Delivery Hotline: 1800 4274779 Opening Hours: 8am-10pm FOR some, the real deal comes in the form of Korean fried chicken. Cheekily termed by its fans as “KFC”, it's known for its ultra-thin, crispy skin, tender ness of t he meat and how it’s less greasy than its more well-known competitors from the southern US states. Small Korean-run fried chicken eateries began appearing all over the US in 2007. The New York Times ran an article on one of the most popular ones, while franchises from South Korea have also arrived on our shores. 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken, a local chain,

goes as far as to pit their chicken against the 76-year-old Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise, urging its diners to “join the resistance”. They dish up Korean fried chicken in a Western fast-food restaurant setting. Their dr umsticks (pictured r ight), "hand-painted" with soy garlic or spicy glazes, are remarkably similar in size and weight to the classic Southern fried chicken's. However, their wings and drumettes are smaller than those served by other Korean fried chicken restaurants. The sweet soy garlic glaze on the skin tastes almost similar to the popular Japanese soy sauce-coated rice crackers, which may appeal to lovers of the snack. Chilli lovers, however, may not find “enough kick” in their spicy glaze. Every bite was a combination of audibly crisp skin and moist, tender meat that came cleanly off the bone. The meat may seem bland on its own, but eating it with the skin makes it tasty enough that you can comfortably stomach six drumsticks in one sitting. If there's a bone to pick, it's the pricetag. T h e i r s i x- p i e c e d r u m s t i c k s e t , accompanied by sides of seaweed fries and a regular soda goes for almost $20. Its tasty chicken is best saved for a special treat to share among friends.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Fried chicken can be found in its classic Southern style at Arnold's Fried Chicken (top), or the newer Korean va

NENE CHICKEN CRISPY JUICY TASTY GREASY

3/10 5/10 7/10 5/10

1 Vista Exchange Green #01-24 The Star Vista Delivery Hotline: 6222 6363 Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm

FOR others, the chicks have to be saucy. NeNe Chicken, k nown as a “f r ied chicken sauce specialist”, is a Seoul-based fried chicken restaurant chain with more than 900 outlets in South Korea. It opened its first overseas franchise in Singapore last November. It should be noted that Korean fried

chicken is prepared in a variety of styles, from ones with crisp, fried skin, to ones with crumbly, delicate batter coated with sweet garlic or spicy sauce. NeNe’s style is more of the latter. The restaurant presents its tender chicken drumlets and boneless “sticks” in Asianinspired flavours such as green onion and black sesame. Their four-piece set meal ($7.90-$9.90, depending on choice of sauce) comes in six flavours, including “swicy”, "snowing chicken" and “freaking hot” (far right). Each set also comes in a top-open paper box with a side of soda, Buffalo Sticks (shoestring-cut fries) and a small tub of Korean-style pickled radish. What stood out in particular was the black sesame fried chicken, which the counter staff also pointed out as the most popular dish. T he i r blac k s e s a me s auc e h ad a satisfyingly nutty aroma and a sweet, savoury taste. Cr umbly cr ust coated the chicken drumlets thinly, ensuring that it kept its

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ariety, at NeNe Chicken (bottom right) and 4 Fingers Crispy Chicken (bottom left).

crunch, while a hint of lemon juice excited taste buds. The green onion fried chicken came a close second. It was a delight to flip open the box’s lid to see a generous helping of freshlyshredded green onion. As with swicy (sweet and spicy sauce), it evoked familiar tastes of local zi char dishes of deep-fried chicken in ginger-and-onion sauce and sweet and sour pork respectively. The side of tart, crunchy pickled-radish cubes came as a refreshing interlude to the sweet, greasy sauces that bordered on being jelak (heavy on the palate). The main issue was the moist sauces would turn the thick batter soggy. A downside to the strong flavour of the sauces was that the meat of the small drumlets could not be truly tasted. You would need to visit NeNe Chicken at least six times to try out all their flavours. However, given the small portions, it seems like you’re paying the premium for the variety and batter, which makes it more a tasty snack than a filling meal.

ARNOLD'S CHICKEN CRISPY JUICY TASTY GREASY

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Main Branch: 810 Geylang Rd City Plaza #02-99 Delivery Hotline: 6276 6537 Opening Hours: 1130am - 10pm

AND there are those who put up only with the plain, old-fashioned Southern fried chicken. T he ver sion, deemed a classic, is dredged in flour, marinated in plain salt and pepper (or with a secret blend of 11 herbs

“

PHOTO | STEFFI KOH

The peppery batter, audibly crispy from the first bite, coats succulent, well-cooked white meat.

and spices), is then pan- or deep-fried in oil. Anyone seeking for the definitive fried chicken in Singapore may find an answer in the no-frills, generous cuts of chicken served here at Arnold's Chicken. Opened in 1988, the halal-certified fried chicken chain's main branch in City Plaza has a Western diner concept. Their fried chicken and sides are served on plates and cutlery, just like how fast food restaurants were in the eighties. But eating with your bare hands is, of course, the way to go for chicken purists. T h e f r e s h n e s s of t h e i r c h i c k e n drumsticks and breast cuts ($24.10 for the five-piece meal) is unmistakable. Each piece comes hot enough to burn your f inger tips, accompanied by t he

mouthwatering aroma of piping hot oil and savoury chicken. The peppery batter, audibly crispy from the first bite, coats succulent, well-cooked white meat. The meat is tender and satisfyingly salty. This was even the case for the breast meat — a segment notorious for being dry and bland when cooks struggle to get it fully-cooked. Considering its relative freshness and the lack of clumpy fats, it hardly matters that Arnold's Chicken charges a slightly higher price than its rivals. If you’ve kept a wide berth from fried chicken all along because the only option seems to be Colonel Sanders’, perhaps it’s time to pay these other chicks a visit.

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mugshot

t just 24, Elias Soh is a DJ and music producer, with a feature in the New York Post and a self-titled EP under his belt. But while success has been sweet, it wasn’t always smooth — his parents are not in favour of what he does. “My parents grew up around a lot of music in the 60s, and at the time one of my uncles was playing for a prominent rock band in Singapore,” Soh says. “Unfortunately there was drug use involved and my parents witnessed it firsthand, so there was a lot of discouragement when I started to pursue music.” But Izaak Stern — as he is known in the underground music scene — is now part of the DJ producing team at SYNDICATE Singapore, an audio-visual collective that offers locallycreated music and visual art. A pint-sized g uy w it h a la idback demeanor, he remains humble even when his friends greet him as Izaak Stern instead of Elias. When asked why he conceals his identity in the professional sphere, Soh replied: “I don’t want people to judge my music before listening. They’ll think, ‘Oh, another local artist? Not worth listening to.’ And I don’t want my music to have that kind of stigma attached to it.” As a DJ, Soh spins at two locations in Singapore with SYNDICATE SG. He plays bimonthly at Home Club on the first Saturday of each month, and also performs gigs called SYNDICATE Subsessions at The Substation on alternate months. But as a music producer, he mixes and creates tracks with blends of instrumental

hip hop, blues and groove — a style of music commonly referred to as ‘experimental hip hop’. Ironically, Soh’s passion for music stemmed from his parents’ musical background. “Under my dad’s influence, I listened to a lot of soul music and The Beatles as I was growing up,” he says. But it can be disheartening to not have his parents’ support for his musical endeavours. In a slightly poignant tone, he says: “After a while, I stopped talking to them about music altogether. It’s difficult to explain to them what I actually do now.” A nd it really is too bad that they

disapprove, because Soh’s music impresses many. Unpredictability is characteristic of his works — unexpected warps, insertion of vocals, and changes in tune or beat can be found across his tracks. ‘‘I make all my tracks from scratch. I sample jazz and soul records, ambient sounds, and music from my instruments. I then use a software to arrange and record,” he says. “A lot of my music is very influenced by the instrumental element of hip hop,” Soh adds. “I use the drum beats from these tracks and try to marry them with more experimental electronic sounds.

HOME STUDIO: Soh has transformed his room into his own music studio, where his creative processes take place. PHOTOS: WALLACE WOON

“T hat ca n be a ny t h i ng, f rom t he scratching of chairs to the jingling of keys — to make it sound different from the original tracks I sampled.” In 2010, Soh released his first EP — The Izaak Stern EP — under international electronic music record label Qilin Music. Given that his music deviates away from the mainstream, Soh says the response to his EP came mostly from Western countries — his tracks were picked up on independent alternative music radio station NTS Radio in the UK. Locally, his music is played on Lush 99.5 FM. While Soh was prepared to receive criticism, he never expected critical acclaim. In 2009, the New York Post declared his music would “leave you cotton-mouthed for more”, and featured him under their “Artist To Watch” segment, alongside award-winning British math-rock band Foals. Although Soh’s parents have not changed their minds in light of all his success, his younger brother is much more supportive of his music career. “My brother often tells his friends to listen to my music,” Soh says. With a laugh, he adds: “In fact, he was the one who discovered the New York Post article about me. “After he told me about it, we danced around the room together!”

Check out Elias’ musical creations at soundcloud.com/izkstrn

HEY, MR. DJ One spins at parties and produces his own music, while the other hosts radio shows. Aisha Lin tunes in to find out what sets them apart.

CHARM AND CHARISMA: As a radio personality, Kubaren has to be spontaneous and quick-thinking while on air so as to keep listeners entertained.

KUBAREN Algasamy may come across as shy, and tends to avoid being the centre of attention. But every weekend, the second-year student from the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences is the star of the show

on Singapore’s only Tamil radio station Oli 96.8 FM. W h i le h i s r ea l-l ife a nd ta l k show personalities may seem like opposites, it took a call to a radio station, a suggestion from his mother and compliments on his

voice that pushed Kubaren to pursue a parttime DJ career. “Over the years, a lot of people have said that I have a voice for radio but I didn’t really realise it then,” says the 23-year-old. “Right after I completed National Service in 2011, my mother encouraged me to apply to be a parttime DJ at Oli since I have a good command of the Tamil language.” He adds: “It was interesting because a couple of years prior to that, I called in to make a song request and the DJ on air told me that I had a good voice for radio.” From song requests to radio show games, Kubaren has the freedom to plan and execute the infotainment segment of his show. Aside from playing Tamil hits, he also broadcasts news snippets and fun facts, does his research on the DJ booth’s two computers, and engages his audience with the information and trivia he has found — all in his four-hour radio slot. Described by his juniors as jovial and always willing to lend a helping hand, Kubaren also takes his love for hosting shows to the stage with the NTU Emcee Club. Comparing his experiences on air and onstage, he says: “To a certain extent, I prefer being an emcee. It’s a more intimate experience as the audience is right in front of me, and I can talk to them like how I would

talk to friends.” Nevertheless, Kubaren shares with the club’s junior members his DJ experiences, wh ic h he say s a lot of people have misconceptions about. “People always say, ‘You guys just have to talk for hours on air and then your work is done’, but this is not true,” he says. “I’ve seen how the full-time DJs work: they take on the role of the music director, sound editor, and are responsible for checking that the DJ system is working well — with paperwork and office duties to top it off. It’s pretty crazy.” Yet none of this deters him from wanting to pursue DJing as a career after graduating, though he is uncertain about whether he will stick with Oli or move to other stations. Says Kubaren: “I have considered DJing at an English radio station. But as far as full-time DJing is concerned, Oli is the only Tamil station in Singapore — meaning it is a niche area with little competition and more recognition. “So far, I’m happy DJing with Oli.”

Tune in to Kubaren on Oli 96.8 FM on weekends from either 6am to 10am or 10am to 2pm

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ROWDY AND RECKLESS Born and bred in Atherstone, Laura Lewis takes us on a journey to experience an 814-year-old tradition.

hree o'clock was approaching. Pennies and sweets littered the street, and a sense of anticipation clung to the bitter cold February air as a throng of men in rugged clothes gathered outside a bank. The sleepy town of Atherstone lies in the middle of England, far from most excitement, with only farms and fields in plain sight. I have lived here all my life and if there's anything to note, it's that Atherstonians need a little encouragement to have a good time in their otherwise quiet lives. And this encouragement comes in the form of turmoil and tradition, from the Atherstone Ball Game held every year on Shrove Tuesday — the day before the start of Lent on the Christian calendar. Even though the ball game, which dates back to the 12th century, is well-loved by the masses in Atherstone, its exact origins still remain a mystery. Every year, without fail, my friends and I join the crowd of eager locals as they congregate on Long Street, which is ironically only 400m long. The narrow one-way cobblestone road lined with wooden-beamed tudor houses and pubs is the centre of the town. And on Shrove Tuesday, it becomes the centre of uproar.

Packed

At 2.30pm, the street was already packed when I ar r ived on a f r igid Febr uar y afternoon last year. Along the street, shop windows were boarded up, which gave us a prelude to the chaos that was to come. The sky was grey, but at least it wasn't raining. Teenagers were wrapped up in coats and milling about in groups, while children gathered outside the local Barclays bank in hungry anticipation, for the ‘shower’ that was approaching.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, it rained — buckets of sweets fell from the secondfloor window of the bank. The wide-eyed children bolted for the sweets on the ground. In a mad scramble, they stuffed as many sweets into their pockets and bags as they could before the next wave came. They were then slowly ushered away by parents as the older ones took their spots. My friends and I edged closer, positioning ourselves just below the window as people began shoving in every direction. This time, a metallic shower of bronze pennies fell to the ground and among them a single golden penny. Around me, teenagers were scanning the road for a hint of gold — worth £10 ($18). Heads were buried in the crowd as people scuffled while snapping up loose change. But all this was simply a prelude to the actual game.

Prepared to battle

Right before the clock struck three, it seemed every man in the town was gathered outside the local bank, wearing ripped jeans and bedraggled shirts — the brave and the bold were prepared to battle. At three on the dot, Kay Alexander, a prominent BBC news personality, threw an 8kg leather ball out of the bank window into a cheering crowd. Filled with water and draped in red, white and blue ribbons, the ball became the subject of manic grappling and snatching. The ribbons could later be exchanged for cash prizes. While the ball was buried in the crowd, I found myself pushed away from the scrum, by the motion of the men. The ball disappeared from sight, dragged into the depths of the horde. A round me, people were shouting words of both encouragement and abuse.

Profanities like “batter them youth” and “come on Rocket” (Rocket being the name of the Atherstonian who won the Ball Game in previous years most often) could be heard.

Men piled on top of each other as the crowd gathered, squashing one another and yelling to their friends: “Deflate it, deflate the ball!” Twenty minutes later, the ball resurfaced and everyone scattered out of the way as it was booted to the end of the street. Men emerged from the crowd with bloody noses as the ball rebounded off a shop front before hitting the ground. Immediately, rowdy players and spectators alike chased after it like cat after mouse. But that was only the star t of the violence that was to ensue in this normally peaceful town. As the ball was manhandled back to the centre of the street, a melee of contesting players crashed through the large wooden doors of the 500-year-old Red Lion Inn. The action quickly came to a frightening halt as marshalls in fluorescent jackets stepped in.

Sheer violence

The sheer violence would be terrifying to anyone from out of town; but for me, it was a reminder of the typical mayhem that I used to experience. One particular year, when I was just nine,

I was too close to the scrum as the ball was tossed out of the window — I could only watch helplessly in horror as it was punched in my direction. With eyes only for the ball, the men didn't see me and I found myself knocked to the floor. Surrounded by the crushing crowd, I could only recall flashes of bloody faces and a misty cloud of perspiration hanging above before I was dragged to safety by a game steward. Without official rules, brutality persists and players only stop short of killing one another. And it was obvious in the game's final stages that there were no rules, and no mercy. At the doorway of the Red Lion Inn, men piled on top of each other as the crowd gathered, squashing each other and yelling to their friends: “Deflate it, deflate the ball!” From that moment, the ball wasn't seen until the end, when it emerged with the winner clinging to it — the last man with the ball. The shoving and being compressed along with hundreds of people — this was the part I enjoyed the most. The air was stale. And sweat rose like fog, which felt warm despite the chilly one degree Celsius air outside. At 5pm, a horn sounded, marking the end of the intense game. Bloody and bruised, the winner and the deflated ball — now his prize — came up for air. While the rest of the countr y was celebrating Shrove Tuesday with pancaketossing races, Atherstone just preserved its tradition for the 814th year. Despite the raucous locals and unbridled violence, the Atherstonian Ball Game brings the usually subdued community together. After all, it is times like this that remind us of what it means to be an Atherstonian.

PHOTO: INTERNET

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LIFE IN WATERCOLOUR Lai Yao Khuan, 23 Second year Art, Design & Media student Animation Major www.drawingmylife.blogspot.com/ www.facebook.com/yaokhuanart

SPLASH OF LIFE: Self-taught artist Yao Khuan delights in creating intricately detailed and realistic watercolour paintings by experimenting with various painting techniques. PHOTO: HAN HUI JING

Han Hui Jing

e was working on a painting when Lana del Rey’s hit single Born to Die came on. Lai Yao Khuan later titled his work Because you and I, we were born to die, as he felt the lyrics from the song embodied the message of his conceptual piece — a life-like study of a boy embracing a skeleton intimately. The painting, which depicts the beauty of death, summarises the artist’s diverse sources of inspiration, which range from his reflections on life to celebrities like actress Nina Dobrev and singer Katy Perry. A common feature in all of his works, however, is their life-like appearance — achieved through close attention to the smallest of details — remarkable, considering that he was largely self-taught. He learnt to improve by analysing the works of other online artists, and inferring their styles of painting through their brushstrokes and use of colour. His attention to detail is present even when he deals with mediums more commonly associated with a lack of detail, such as watercolours. Watercolour is a medium where paint pigments are thinned with water. Usually used with the ‘wet-on-wet’ technique, the diluted paints are applied on wet paper, causing them to blend together to form their characteristic pastel hues. But, Yao Khuan breaks the norm by using the less common drybrush technique, where brushes are loaded with more colour pigment

than water and applied on completely dry surfaces. This produces brushstrokes with clean edges, allowing him to achieve a high level of detail. It also allows him the flexibility to incorporate techniques more commonly used with other mediums for his watercolour pieces. The final products achieve a fine balance between the realistic and the painterly, reflecting an incredible amount of detail even in watercolour. These delicate works have not gone unnoticed in the arts scene. His works were recently featured on Culturepush.com — a popular local art and design blog that regularly highlights the works of young and promising artists. Despite his talent in drawing and painting, he asserts that he sees the fine arts as just a hobby to balance out his future career in the animation industry. “Even though I’m quite confident about my abilities in the fine arts, I want to keep it as a hobby so that I can express my own ideas, and not just do what a client asks,” he said. He is currently learning the basics of drawn animation in his first year as an animation major, and describes the process as difficult and tedious. He has had to put aside many of the techniques that he has developed as a fine artist in his animation work. “You have to draw the same thing repeatedly, so your characters tend to be very simplified,” he said. “ But I also want to step out of my comfort zone, and I think animation would definitely challenge me to do that.”

ILLUSTRATIONS: LAI YAO KHUAN

How do you make your watercolour paintings look so realistic?

I use photograph references, which I follow closely by firstly sketching, then painting. I break down the photograph into sections of different colours when I sketch, and mark out any changes in tones, shadows and highlights. I think it’s very important to be sensitive to such details, so that your painting will look more vibrant and realistic.

Why do you prefer watercolours to other mediums?

I did of him and liked it. He even re-tweeted my original tweet of the painting. I think he’s very inspiring, and it felt awesome because you would want your subjects to acknowledge your work. I was really sad because I missed Lana del Rey when she was in Singapore and couldn’t give her the portrait I did of her. I’m still hoping that other celebrities I’ve painted will come to Singapore, so that I can give them my paintings.

Watercolours are cheap and readily available, and I also like them for the vibrancy of their colours and their translucent nature. Whenever I paint, it’s usually because I have a sudden urge to express a particular feeling, so I think it’s important to express that feeling before it dies off. Watercolours allow me to complete my paintings quickly because of their fast-drying nature.

Tell us a bit more about the creative process behind your conceptual works.

I let an idea evolve as I am looking for models to help me translate what I visualise into photograph, which I later use as a reference. I usually take over a hundred photographs with a range of compositions to choose from. I choose the final image that to use as a reference based on which evokes the strongest feelings within me.

Have any of the celebrities you painted ever seen your paintings, and if they did, what did they say?

Peter Adrian (a model) saw the painting that

What do you eventually hope to be able to do with animation?

I would want my animations to emulate the movies that I watch. Technology is so advanced now — you even see cinematics in video games. Everyone always wonders, “How did they do that? I can’t understand it!” So maybe one day I can look up at the screen, and say, “Hey, I did that!”

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lookbook.NTU

SNAPBACK’S If you were raised in the 80s or 90s, you might remember this one-size-fits-all. Aisha Lin finds out how it has made a comeback.

RIHANNA loves her Supremes. Kanye West sports Just Dons. Even K-pop bands like BIGBANG and SNSD have been flaunting them. Introducing the snapback — a flat-billed cap, named after its adjustable snap-on fastener at the back. Appearances range from bright and bold, to simple and classy. Regardless of design, snapbacks are increasingly hot favourites among celebrities, and youths have been quick to catch on to the trend. Originating from the US, the snapback was traditionally worn by major league baseballers. Pioneered by team Brooklyn Excelsior in 1860, it was a symbol of team unity. Americans began to don the stylish cap in the 1970s, mirroring rappers, baseballers and basketballers. Popular snapback brands included New Era Caps, Neighbourhood and Obey. By the late 90s, the popularity of snapback caps began declining as people preferred fitted hats. Since then, the snapback cap has made a comeback — again through the influence of celebrities, but more specifically rappers and hip hop stars, who promoted snapbacks to an even wider audience in the early 1990s. Companies such as New Era Cap moved away from strictly polyester or wool caps to reinvent the snapback in snake skin or faux fur. ‘‘The popularity of printed caps are definitely present — particularly the Hawaiian flower designs and animal print designs,” said Boards & Stuff’s store associate Bryner Tan. “The five-panel cap is made up of five pieces of fabric that are cut specifically for different regions of the head, and make the cap super sleek and well-fitting.’’ Today, the return of snapbacks as a fashion craze is mostly due to artistes like Jay-Z, Chris Brown, and Wiz Khalifa who don them in music videos and even to high-profile events. ‘‘Dancers also wear them because they bring out a certain kind of confidence or ‘swag’ when you dance,” said first-year School of Humanities and Social Sciences student Angelene Wong, 20. Indeed, as the lyrics of rapper Tyga’s song (featuring Chris Brown) go — the ‘snapback’s back’.

Angelene Wong, 20

Obey Original Snapback Hat, $60 Japan

BACK Lee Xinfu, 23

Andreas Andreen, 24

Samuel Lee, 24

Justine Koh, 21

College Snapback, $40 University of California, Berkley

Elstinko Trucker Cap, $57 HatsOn Store

Adidas Flatbrim Originals Snapback Cap, $40 Adidas Originals Store

Miami Heat Cap, $40 GMarket

PHOTOS: CATHERINE ANNE CHEW

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After releasing their second album and winning two Grammy awards, American band fun. make their way to Singapore. Reviews Editor Charmaine Ng brings the highlights of their press conference last month.

ack Antonoff, lead guitarist of American indie band fun., lowers himself into a seat before a life-sized printout of his bespectacled mug. He turns, looks back at his likeness, and said: “When you make those faces they don’t tell you they’re going to blow it up that big.” Living up to a name like theirs may be a tall order, but for 28-year-old Antonoff and his band mates, well, it’s all in good fun. Frontman Nate Ruess, 31, jokes about setting up a bar called Sling — a nod to the iconic Singapore cocktail — and the trio, who gamely take on Singlish expressions lah and shiok, has more success expressing the latter colloquialism. If they appear merry, it’s not without reason — the band won two Grammy awards this February, snagging Song of the Year for We Are Young, and Best New Artist. The latter might be a bit of a misnomer, as fun. has been around since 2008 opening for bands like Paramore, Relient K and Jack’s Mannequin in concerts. But with the release of their sophomore album Some Nights, they have come into their own first world tour, stopping by Singapore last month. As Ruess spoke about how their popular hit single gave him a geography lesson on countries he didn’t even hear of before, it appears that he, together with his bandmates, has not fully grasped their sudden elevation to fame. As Andrew Dost, 29, puts it, it doesn’t matter if there’s not another world-conquering single, because they are already doing what they love.

You won Best New Artist at the recent Grammys although the band has been around since 2008. How do you feel about that? Nate: It makes sense because it feels like the Grammys has a profile on mainstream music, and this is our first year in being recognised in the mainstream. We’ve been around for a long time but this is just a different world.

This year has been big for indie rock, as it’s getting more mainstream exposure. What do you think about the rise of acts such as yours? Jack: It’s the same as other types of music getting bigger: it’s great. Things move in cycles and this is the better part of the cycle. This is where new sounds come in, people are inspired and are ready to make records that don’t sound like one specific kind of music, and are convinced that they can make it big on the mainstream level.

Where does each of you put your Grammy trophies? Nate: We’ve not got them yet. We heard they take months so who knows when we’ll get them. But since we haven’t been home, we might have them now in the mail. My parents are better at holding on to things than I am. They live in a house while I live on a suitcase, so mine’s going to them.

TUXEDO TRIO: Comprising Andrew Dost (left), Nate Ruess (center) and Jack Antonoff, fun. stopped by for a concert in Singapore last month.

PHOTO: INTERNET

Andrew: I’m debating whether to give it to my parents. I think I probably should because they’ve supported me so much. I guess it’ll show how much I appreciate and care for their support. At the same time, I also want to, in a greedy way, put it on my shelf to see it every day. Jack: I’ll give mine to Andrew’s parents so he can keep his. Andrew: It’s funny because it has taken months. They said it would take months, and we assumed it’d be one or two months. A decade can go by and we may probably be calling each other up asking: “Has your Grammy reached yet?” Nate: Not to slam the Grammys but I remember playing baseball when I was a kid and trophies were given out like they were Kool-Aid or something. But these [Grammys] are taking a couple of months. There must be a master smith churning out these Grammy awards.

Big label companies tend to control how their artistes are portrayed. How much control do you guys have over your creative process? Nate: We don’t really have a problem with that. We’ve already established ourselves as songwriters and musicians, and that’s one of the great things about being in the business for a long time, so when we got signed we were told to do our thing. It’s worked out really well and if in the future we ever feel like we are compromising who we are as artists, we will do something about that.

FUNNY GUYS: Antonoff (left), Dost (center) and Ruess looked comfortable at the press conference last month at the Hard Rock Hotel. PHOTO: TAN PEI LIN

You covered Gotye’s Somebody I Used To Know with Hayley Williams. Is there a chance of a collaboration with her? Are there other bands you would like to work with? Jack: We like Paramore. Hayley Williams is really cool; they’re all really cool. They remind me of rock bands in the 90s, and Williams is a big rockstar with a female presence. It’ll be hard to top that [experience] because she recorded her part 6,000 miles

away over Skype. Obviously it’ll be really cool collaborating with her in the future, but I don’t think we can top that. Andrew: I wasn’t there for that so I would say Paramore. I had terrible food poisoning then. Nate: And I thought we could get through the press conference without talking about your food poisoning. Andrew: We’ve been talking about it a lot lately; it has recurring in my life.

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Demi Lovato feels shiok cess of her new single Heart Attack, Lovato said she felt “really shiok” about it, giggling at the slang she just learnt from 987FM DJ Divian during the press conference. “None of us expected the success it got, as there was no promotion for the single at all,” she added. She describes her new album Demi as “heavier and more emotional”, providing relevance to girls who have faced similar issues in love and life.

What can we expect from your upcoming album? My upcoming album is everything that I am, and everything that I’ve done, but 10 times better. There are great pop songs, and there are songs that are more emotional. I’m opening up to talk about some things I’ve never explored with my music before, it’s a pretty big step for me. I’m really excited.

What do you feel about being a judge on The X Factor?

ALL ABOUT HER: Demi Lovato, 20, is not interested in acting for now, as she doesn’t want to play someone else. PHOTO: WALLACE WOON

creams and cheers resounded from the queue even during the soundcheck of Demi Lovato’s recent concert at Resorts World Sentosa. In fact, the fans’ (otherwise known as the Lovatics) excitement was apparent from way earlier on at noon, when long snaking queues around Hard Rock Cafe were form-

ing well before the concert that started at 8pm. At a press conference held before Lovato’s first gig in Singapore, she discussed her upcoming album Demi, which is slated for release in May. She also talked about her excitement regarding her concert that night. When asked how she felt about the suc-

The X Factor allowed me to showcase not only my personality, but also my opinions and knowledge of music. It’s been pretty cool to open up like that. My fans got to know me better because of it. It was a great opportunity, and it’s nice to watch people realise their dreams.

You stopped acting since 2010. Will you consider acting again this year? With music, I get to create and do my own thing. But with movies and TV shows, I have to

play someone else, and that’s not something that I’ve been interested in lately. I want to focus on my music and perform as I feel it works the best for me.

Because of bullying, you switched to homeschooling. If you could meet your 15-year-old self, what would you tell her, and why? Put your seatbelt on, because life is about to get crazy. I’ll also tell her she’s beautiful and doesn’t need to change for anybody and that she’s loved.

You’re a huge influence and inspiration to so many people. How do you cope with the pressure of being a role model? I used to complain about it not being fair, and say that I was just a singer, and didn’t sign up to be a role model. Then, I was just a teenager and I wanted to do my thing. But now, it doesn’t feel like pressure anymore because I’m just being honest. I realise I can inspire and help others, and that’s no pressure at all, and it just feels really great.

Your image and fashion style is always talked about. How do you deal with that? To be honest, it’s always going to be the case that people scrutinise the things I do, and I’m not going to be able to please everyone. I should be myself and I enjoy the clothes that I wear. If people like it, great. And if they don’t like it, still great.

-CAROLYN DALI

From Mambo to Ghetto

HE MAY go by the stage name Ghetto, but Zouk’s resident DJ on Wednesdays spares no effort when it comes to his appearance. DJ Ghetto, whose real name is Chua Hock Heng, professes to be a “vain pot” and looks to K-pop stars T.O.P and G-Dragon for fashion inspiration. In an interview held before he went on stage, the scratch DJ was dressed up in a black biker jacket over a plain white tee, with a pair of brightly-coloured floral print pants. To complete the look, his hair was dyed an eye-catching neon pink. Ghetto said he previously had other equally bold hair colours as well, including turquoise, ash grey and baby pink. The fashionable DJ is the newest highlight of Zouk’s Thank God It’s Wednesday (TGIW) night, which replaces the nightclub’s former entertainment staple Mambo Jambo. Launched last July, the weekly event moves away from synchronised choreography tailored for 80s hits to feature Ghetto’s Mash-up, Electro, R&B and Trouse music in Zouk’s main room. As a hip-hop DJ, Ghetto cites the neversay-die attitude of American hip-hop turntablist ie.Merge as his inspiration.

In his third year at Zouk, Ghetto already has a list of accolades to his name. After being crowned the winner twice at the DMC World DJ Championships (Singapore) in 2009 and 2010, Ghetto was named Best New DJ by JUICE Magazine in 2010. Despite being a man of few words, Ghetto exuded confidence in commanding a full-house crowd with his rhythmic thumping mix, which he describes as “fist-thumping”. It was revealed in a recent interview with 8 Days that if he hadn’t been introduced to deejaying, Ghetto would have been either a salesman or a cashier, and not living his dream as a DJ now.

-CHARMAINE NG FB: DJ Ghetto (SG); TWITTER: @djghettosg; SOUNDCLOUD: djghettosg WHERE: Zouk Singapore, 19 Jiak Kim Street S’pore 169420

ADMISSION: $25 for non-members on

Wednesdays; Ladies enter free

SCRATCH THAT: The mainstay of Zouk’s TGIW event DJ Ghetto may have a loud fashion and music style, but the twotime DMC World DJ Champion (Singapore) is a man of few words off-stage. PHOTO: ETHEL CHUA

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FILMS G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (3D) ACTION [PG13] Dwayne Johnson, D.J. Cotrona, Channing Tatum 110min

,,,,,

espite its star-studded cast, G.I. Joe: Retaliation has little to offer beyond the glitz of its high-budget action sequences and 3D effects. The film is a sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, and continues with Commander Cobra’s diabolical plan of taking over the world, with his accomplices — Zartan (Arnold Vosloo), Storm Shadow (Byung-Hun Lee) and Firefly (Ray Stevenson). The plot sequence proves predictable from the start, with the usual elements of wronged heroes, the rise of the villains, and the triumph of good over evil. Channing Tatum returns to the big screen as Captain Duke, leading his own band of soldiers called the G.I. Joes. Tatum is joined by the big guns of Hollywood: Bruce Willis as General Joe Colton, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Roadblock. Willis plays a retired general who returns to assist the G.I Joes in proving their innocence and saving the world. He delivers his witty one-liners flawlessly – when asked if he was all right in a middle of a gun fight, his response was “my cholesterol is a little high”. The film is jam-packed with spectacular explosions, as places and people are blown up repeatedly. But it isn’t long before the pyrotechnics become over-the-top and meaningless. In a particular scene that lasted five seconds, the whole of London was blown

BIG GUNS: Channing Tatum (left) and Dwayne Johnson return to the big screen in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. While the movie is not short of action sequences, the thin plot and pyrotechnics overload wear interest. PHOTOS: INTERNET

up — a development that did little to contribute to the overall plot. But the film scores in its breathtaking extended fight sequences. Think ninjas, G.I. Joe Snake Eyes simultaneously abseiling and fighting along the Himalayan valleys, all while an unconscious Storm Shadow gets thrown between mountains on a zipline. Audiences would also particularly enjoy viewing the action-packed movie in 3D. Flying bullets, bodies, machines and shurikens (Japanese throwing stars) will

leave the audience reflexively flinching and dodging. But with so many new characters, the movie barely skims the surface in developing their personality traits and backstories. This is particularly the case for key characters such as Warrant Officer Flint (DJ Cotrona) and Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki). Yet, credit should be given to director John Chu for not dramatising an instant romance between Flint and Jaye. Instead, there is a lingering sense of

DON’T CRY, MUMMY

DRAMA [NC16] Nam Bo-ra, Yoo Oh-seong, Yoo Seon, Dong Ho 91min

,,,,, WHEN this movie isn’t trying to emotionally blackmail you into sympathising with its characters, it bores you to tears. You-lim (Yoo Seon) is an avenging mother in this Korean melodrama, out to seek justice for the suicide of her teenage daughter, Eun-ah (Nam Bo-ra). Eun-ah was raped by a trio of teenage boys, who are then let off the hook by the court on account of being minors. While the movie would remind viewers of Park Chan-wook’s famous vengeance trilogy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Old Boy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, it does a much inferior job in its treatment of the same subject. Far from featuring any kind of satisfying vengeance whatsoever, the film spends most of its time accounting for the acts of violent revenge to come by showing just how badly Eun-ah is victimised by the trio. Eun-ah is played by the talented Nam

A MOTHER’S KILLER INSTINCTS: Korean actress Yoo-Seon plays a mother who seeks revenge for her daughter.

Bo-ra who throws her heart and soul into suffering her character’s physical and psychological torture, making her scenes unbearably heartbreaking. But even that’s not enough to save her one-dimensional character from being defined as anything more than a helpless victim of a violent crime.

Similarly, the three rapists in question are so simplistically characterised as black-hearted and perverse that there’s nothing left to do but judge them with disinterest. But the bigger problem is with how Youlim fails to elicit much sympathy from the audience despite her incessant crying and

more to come in a scene where a brief attraction was established between Flint and Jaye. But Director Chu cut the moment off before anything developed, keeping the progress in their relationship realistic. Moviegoers looking for a conventional, but nevertheless entertaining film will enjoy G.I. Joe: Retaliation, which offers humour, a strong cast to support the otherwise predictable plot — and of course, 3D explosions.

-TAN PEI LIN

screaming which depict her anguish. The mother’s actions and motivations are often so illogical and contradictory, they are likely to make the audience dislike her intensely. For instance, she frequently refuses to act on the options available to her and no explanation is given for her inaction. Much of her behaviour also seems strangely foolish – in one scene, she confronts one of the rapists alone in a deserted park in the middle of the night. While the apathetic or spineless characters around You-lim may be part of director Kim Yong-han’s commentary on the South Korean legal and civil services, it quickly comes across as preachy and wearisome when the same shallow attitudes are seen in every other bit-part character. The film drags its feet through its first half, sinking the viewer deeper into misery. By the time You-lim finally takes matters into her own hands, it’s no more than a relief from all the passive suffering, rather than the rewarding heart-pumping climax of vengeance that viewers hope for. As a final disappointing touch, the film ends with a predictable plot twist that most could see from a mile away. Don’t Cry, Mummy is marketed as a film that tells the true story of rape victims who were not given legal justice. Despite the noble intentions, its message is pushed so strongly that it comes across as tactless instead of persuasive.

-WONG OI SHAN

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10 CHRONICLE singles of the month

PHOTOS: INTERNET

#THATPOWER

EVERYTHING IS EMBARRASSING STEP Sky Ferreira (Alternative)

Vampire Weekend (Alternative)

HUMAN

PRONOU NC ED “hashtag t hat power”, will.i.am’s lead single off his upcoming album #willpower proves he can hold his own without the rest of the Black Eyed Peas. With a bass-heavy electro drop, a sample of Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, and will.i.am’s signature autotuned rapping, the dance single is a clubready hit. Besides Justin Bieber, will.i.am has teamed up with other celebrity guests like Britney Spears, David Guetta and 2NE1 on #willpower. So far, it seems he’s headed in the right direction.

SKY Ferreira made her debut with the mischievous EP As If! in 2011, and is now back with a more grown-up sound in Everything is Embarrassing, a hypnotic single off her second EP, Ghost. There is a world-weary sense to her new song, which features loops of down-tempo beats, and is reminiscent of synthpop music popular in the 1980s. The sparseness of the track also takes the teen angst a notch down from her previous EP. Perhaps the acoustic-sounding vocals are the best part, as Ferreira comes across as neither pretentious nor trying too hard.

TRUST New York City-based indie band Vampire Weekend to tell us about young love in their newest single, Step. Frontman Ezra Koenig kicks off the song, and his easy vocals rest well on the catchy rhythm — which has traces of Vitamin C’s 2000 hit Graduation (Friends Forever). The group leaves their predominantly rock roots for a subdued arrangement relying on drumbeats and playful, light melodies on the keyboard. Poignantly confessional, Step sparks interest for fans who await for the band’s upcoming record due to release in May.

HUMAN, the latest single off English trio Daughter’s upcoming album, starts with carefree strums of the acoustic guitar, while lead vocalist Elena Tonra declares to have “woken up like an animal / teeth ready for sinking”. The upbeat and catchy guitars make up for Tonra’s monotonous and emotionless howling. Her gentle exhaling of bittersweet lyrics (“Despite everything I’m still human / But I think I’m dying here”) in the chorus is also pleasant in comparison. A no-frills track, the catchy guitar riff in Human will stay on your mind for a while.

will.i.am ft. Justin Bieber (Pop)

-AISHA LIN

Daughter (Folk)

-GOH CHIEW TONG

reviews

ALBUM THE SUMMER STATE EP The Summer State (Pop)

,,,,,

rue to their namesake phrase “the summer state of mind”, local band The Summer State’s high-energy debut EP is a promising start to their music careers. In five tracks, the independent band claim a sound that fans of Yellowcard and All Time Low would be pleased with. The Summer State consists of Ryan Lopez, Victoria Chew and Shaykh Enn on guitars, Edwin Waliman on bass and Bryan Sta Maria on drums. T h e m e m b e r s w e r e p a r t of T h e Apprenticeship Programme, an initiative by the National Arts Council and Noise Singapore, where they were put under the tutelage of local alternative band Electrico’s frontman, Dave Tan. Two years on, and the band released its self-titled EP. Trying Was My Only Regret opens the album with the theme of lost love and the hope for renewal of the relationship. While the track begins with a vocal performance similar to emo-punk, it progresses to a perspective that is optimistic and reminiscent of past ghosts. The second track Love, That’s What They Call It These Days picks up the pace of the album by using fast-paced guitar riffs and resonant drum beats as a backdrop to lead singer Lopez’s vocals. Moving away from traditional rock

sounds, Hope, From the Gallows and I Do, I Don’t adopt arrangements that are more pop than rock. The use of the piano as an alternating lead instrument with the electric guitar also provides some versatility that sets the band apart from regular rock outfits. Released a few days before Valentine’s Day, I Do, I Don’t is a rock ballad and duet between Lopez and local singer Siti Zahidah. But the weak vocal performance mars the potential for listeners to empathise with the otherwise relatable lyrics, which are backed by acoustic guitars and violins. Overall, The Summer State EP consistently reflects the band’s understanding of rhythm and chord progressions, through their seamless blending of fast-paced electric guitar riffs with heavy rhythmic bass lines.

-RUSSELL CHAN

LOCAL ROCKERS: The Summer State were apprentices of Electrico’s frontman Dave Tan under The Apprentice Programme initiated by Noise Singapore. PHOTO: HERMAN RAHMAN

WIN A PAIR OF ZOUK PASSES Simply answer the following:

How many songs are there in The Summer State’s latest EP? Send your response via private message to the Nanyang Chronicle’s Facebook page (http://facebook.com/chronNTU). The first 25 respondents with the correct answer will each receive a pair of complimentary Zouk passes. All students, staff and faculty from NTU and NIE can take part.

OFFICIAL NIGHTLIFE SPONSOR:

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ALBUM THE 20/20 EXPERIENCE Justin Timberlake (R&B)

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ustin Timberlake is back with a brand new album The 20/20 Experience, after a six-year hiatus. The record boasts a more adventurous sound and is the first of a two-part album series. The album marries elements of neo-soul and R&B with nuances of other genres, such as the sounds of classy big bands in the 50s. Timberlake also reveals his experimental side in other tracks, blending influences from South Asian and Latin American music with modern, electronic beats. Pusher Love Girl sets up a grand entrance for the album with its theatrical introduction of fast-paced orchestral string runs. The song continues with Timberlake attempting a performance almost entirely in his signature falsetto, like in his 2002 hit Cry Me A River. The second track Suit and Tie, featuring rapper Jay-Z, impresses with its smooth big horn arrangements reminiscent of the swing era — though this is somewhat marred by the lyrics “I be on my suit and tie/ Sh*t tie, sh*t tie”. Yet, Timberlake’s smooth voice, which meanders in and out of falsetto, soon draws

the listener back into the groove of the beats. Timberlake also experiments with the sounds of Indian and Cuban music in Don’t Hold The Wall. The track features warbled Indian chanting, ethnic drums and hand-clapping, as well as producer Timbaland, who backs Timberlake up with fragmented vocals, “Dance/ Don’t hold the wall”. Similarly, Let The Groove Get In features elements of Cuban reggae to the refrain ‘‘Are you comfortable?/ Let the groove get in!’’. While these reflect sincere attempts to diversify his musical style, the excessive music loops of hand-clapping, droning drumbeats and chanting in both lengthy seven-minute tracks make them more of a miss than a hit. But Timberlake saves the best for last. Towards the end, the hit single Mirrors is unleashed. And once the chorus sets in, it’s obvious that the catchy melody was tailored for mainstream radio. Inspired by his wife, actress Jessica Biel, Timberlake’s performance will sweep ladies off their feet with the song’s romantic lyrics: “The vacancy that sat in my heart/ Is a place that now you hold”. Finishing the album off on a high note, Blue Ocean Floor showcases Timberlake’s creativity and versatility by featuring live sounds from a tape recorder and backmasking tracks to create musical textures. Perhaps as a nod to the trend of using unconventional sounds in musical arrangement, the experimental Blue Ocean Floor definitely scores one for Timberlake in his attempt to diversify, while staying true to

NEW SOUL: Justin Timberlake returns with a new album, creating tracks from unexpected sounds. PHOTO: INTERNET

his vocal style. The triumphs of Suit and Tie, Mirrors and Blue Ocean Floor will leave listeners antici-

pating what he’ll bring in the second half of the album series come November.

GUN MACHINE (FICTION)

trying to find the most dangerous serial killer in New York’s history. The hero Tallow is a socially dysfunctional loner and an apathetic cop, but he’s also smart, intuitive and resourceful, and doesn’t take long to get two members of the famously hostile crime scene unit on his side. Ellis should also be given credit for creating a fascinating antagonist in the serial killer responsible for collecting the guns. He’s not quite your gun-slinging and invincible Rambo type character. Instead, he’s well-versed in planning attacks, and highly skilled at fashioning homemade weapons. Still, this serial killer is capable of superhuman feats of violence: he single-handedly takes down a whole building of gangsters simply with a few well-placed homemade napalm bombs. Ellis’s visual-dependent writing also translates into this work. The action scenes give the impression of a Hollywood summer blockbuster unfurling. Even the occasional visual gag, which is difficult to carry off in prose, is well narrated and described. What flops in this cop thriller, however, is how Tallow frequently forms elaborate, far-fetched theories on the fly — which then turn out to be conveniently true. The reader’s credulity hits maximum when we find Tallow combing the side of the street for a cigarette butt which he believes the killer threw away over a day ago. Much to our amazement, he finds it and get it analysed for a fingerprint. While Gun Machine isn’t the most satisfying read of its genre, readers will find themselves sympathising with the emotionally-tortured Tallow, leading them to continue reading on about his pursuit of the serial killer.

-AISHA LIN

BOOKS TRANSPARENT STRANGERS (POETRY) Loh Guan Liang

$16 at BooksActually Published by Math Paper Press

WHAT happens when our normally invisible existence gets transformed into colorful, lively images and narratives? In Transparent Strangers, snippets of our daily lives are vividly depicted like a series of montages. The persona is your average Singaporean who stays in a HDB flat, buys 4D, eats at a Kopitiam and takes the train to work. Yet, his voice refuses to be drowned out against the modern, apathetic exterior of our city. The voice of the everyman persona reverberates through the concrete, steel walls of the city and haunts readers with his tales that speak directly to our hearts with a familiar note.

Transparent Strangers is Loh Guan Liang’s debut collection of poems with subjects ranging from topics such as photography, political elections to burial sites. The persona travels through the heartlands — from Bukit Batok to Tampines — depicting Singaporeans through new lenses that are tinted with a sense of honesty and self-awareness. There is a quiet, sharp observance of our everyday life and the political issues that surround it. In the poem, Elections, the persona reflects on a reporter’s question to a minister: “What is your greatest regret?” The persona’s answer is encapsulated in how “we smile, standing in line, awaiting our turn” to cast a ballot for the party that the majority of Singaporeans will vote for anyway. The book also traces the persona’s flashbacks of youth, a time of experiment and exploration. In the poem, Spaceman at the Butter Factory, the persona experiences the adrenaline rush and “interstellar chaos” of clubbing, only to land in “craters of loneliness” when the club closes. Readers can easily relate to the everyday topics of the book and the urban alienation that we experience in this city obsessed with speed and progress. The book exudes a nostalgic and melancholic character that resists the forwardlooking and practical nature of Singapore, as our ever-changing landscape is slowly “smudging into unfamiliar territory”. Overall, Loh’s Transparent Strangers is a stellar debut that leaves readers exhilarated by the sheer creativity of his poetry and language. Readers are treated to the different landscapes of Singapore from his thoughtfully-worded poetry.

-AMANDA LOH

BOOK FROM BOOKSACTUALLY

Warren Ellis

$40.50 at Books Kinokuniya Published by Hodder & Stoughton

RENOWNED graphic novelist and writer Warren Ellis (Transmopolitan, Crooked Little Vein) is packing heat in his second novel, Gun Machine. Gun Machine is the serious older brother to the more outrageous tale in his debut novel, Crooked Little Vein. Both novels are cop mysteries with a great deal of humour. However, with Gun Machine, Ellis spins a much darker web of violence and conspiracy. Detective John Tallow, fresh from witnessing his partner’s murder, stumbles across a room full of guns — each leading to an unsolved murder. Still fresh and unstable, from the trauma of his partner’s death, Tallow is tasked with

-WONG OI SHAN

BOOK FROM BOOKS KINOKUNIYA

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DAPPER 21

Photographer: Charis Chai Assistants: Victor Gui, Wilfred Lim Model: Dasha S (Upfront) Make-up: Bernice Low (www.makethisout.com) Layout Design: Phyllicia Wang Stockist: H&M, Ion Orchard, Orchard Building Style Nanda, stylenanda.com Mode Parfaite, #03-17 Far East Plaza Topshop, Ion Orchard, Raffles City, Bugis Junction, Knightsbridge, Tampines Mall, Vivo City Zara, 313 Somerset, Great World City, Ion Orchard, Liat Towers, Marina Square, Ngee Ann City, Vivo City On Dasha: Moto Waistcoat, Mode Parfaite, $100. Black Snake Trousers, H&M, $49.90.

22-23 DAPPER

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5 1. Aztec Sweater, H&M, $69.90. Leather Shorts, Zara, $49.90. Leather Boots, Photographer’s Own. 2. Wide Brim Fedora, Topshop, $59. Daisy Bead Tee, Topshop, $79.90. Black Snake Trousers, H&M, $49.90. Rhinestone Bracelet, H&M, &19.90. 3. White Sleeveless Top, Photographer’s Own. Batik Trousers, H&M, $39.90. Spike Cuff, H&M, $19.90. Leather Bracelet, Photographer’s Own. 4

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4/5/13 1:51 AM

24-25 SHOWCASE

After six decades of firing local pottery, Singapore’s last two dragon kilns are dying. Photo editors Lim Mu Yao and Yeo Kai Wen uncover the story behind the last days of the dragon.

DEEP IN THE BELL O n t he out sk i r t s of N T U two dragons lie cold and dormant. Their bellies used to hold flames of over a thousand degrees celsius, hot enough to melt titanium. These are the dragon kilns, named for their long, snaking bodies that make them resemble the Asian mythical beast. Singapore’s longest kiln is 43m. Back in the 1930s, Singapore was home to more than 20 dragon kilns. Historically, these long kilns have fired earthenware for more than 1,500 years — first in Japan, then all over the region. Now just t wo remain, both

located off Jalan Bahar Road. At Thow Kwang Industry, a pottery company, these kilns are fired up fewer than five times a year. Loaded with pottery, the doors are sealed with bricks. Stokers feed timbre into the firebox that fuels the fiery beast. At the front end, temperatures are relatively cooler at 960 degree Celsius. To the top of the slope however, the heat rises to reach a furious 1,280 deg C.

Environmental concerns

Firing kilns may soon be a thing of the past because of environmental concerns raised by the National Environmental Agency.

“We used to fire up the dragon kiln four to five times a year. However, we’ve stopped doing so this year. Without governmental approva l , t h i s place w i l l be useless, ” said Mrs Tan Ah Chiew, 60, a recreational ceramic artist at Focus Ceramics. The clock is ticking for Thow Kwang and its neighbour, Jalan Bahar Clay Studios. Come 2015, Clea nTech, a n eco-friendly business park under Jurong Town Council Corporation, will take over the land occupied by the two surviving dragon kilns. Focus Ceramics’ current lease expires in 2015. Less than 100m away, Thow Kwang Industry is

even shorter on time, as its lease expires at the end of 2014. It’s a far cry from its heyday in the 1970s, when there was high demand for artisanal pottery. T he cera m ics t rade slowly d w i nd le d i nto ob s c u r i t y a s Singapore industr ialised, and demand for such goods dr ied up, leading to many kilns being shut down. Today, the other sur v iv ing k i l n , t he Gua n Huat Dr agon Kiln, is home to Jalan Bahar Clay Studios. Running the dragon kiln is a day job for Mr Benson Ng, 52, a managing par tner of Focus Ceramics.

He rents out st udio spaces wh i le act ively promot ing conservation efforts to save the dragon kilns. T he k iln prov ides precious work space for a group of 24 potters and ceramic ar tists — including contemporar y artist Jason Li m and Dan ish a r t ist Charlotte Cain. “We really hope the kilns can find a place in modern Singapore. You don’t get this kind of space anymore,” Mr Ng said. Resident a r t i st at Foc u s Ceramics, Mr Todd Tok, shares similar sentiments. “ T h i s i s t he on ly place to practise potter y quietly,” said

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LY OF THE BEAST Mr Tok. “It’s hard to find another place like this.” T he 30 -yea r-old f r ee la nce potter is also an art teacher with the School of the Arts.

Reigniting interest

T he k ilns, have gar nered public interest over the years through various conser vation programmes. In collaboration wit h N T U Museum, the N T U Universit y Sc hola r s Prog r a m me ( USP) organised a symposium and two exhibitions on the dragon kilns last month. T he sy mposium inv ited prominent academics such as

Professor Kwok Kian Woon, who is an advisor to the Centre of Asian Art and Design. Gabriel Chee, 22, a first-year USP student from the Nanyang Business School, said, “I didn’t know that there was such an interesting back-stor y behind these kilns.” A not her com mu n it y a r t project, Awaken T he Dragon, brought 3,000 members of the public together to experience the vanishing craft of firing pottery in the dragon kilns. A ll t hese effor ts are made in the hope that one day, these fires would gain enough heat to rekindle this dying art once more.

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT)

FEEDING THE DRAGON: During the firing at last month’s Awaken The Dragon festival, organisers spent over $8,000 on discarded wood to feed the fires of the dragon for four days. LYING COLD, AND DORMANT: Focus Ceramics’ Guan Huat Dragon Kiln is built on a slope. At 43m long, it takes around 36 hours to fire up to its highest temperature of 1,280 deg C and another 72 hours to cool. SKILLED HANDS: Mr Todd Tok, 30, is an artist at the Jalan Bahar Clay Studios. He is among the 24 resident artists who find the place quiet enough to practise pottery. MOUTH TO THE DRAGON: The entrances to the Thow Kwang Dragon Kiln are sealed with bricks during firing. The residue of flying ashes from the wood give the earthenware fired inside a glossy and irregular finish. THE DRAGON’S BELLY: Guan Huat Dragon Kiln was built by Mr Lee Yong Lee and his friends in 1958. Although it is considered the longest dragon kiln in Singapore today, kilns are documented to be as long as 100m.

手指间的创意世界 —— 刊32页

新闻 “在我生命终结前”（Before I Die）黑板填写活动

青春宣言不留遗憾

学生们在黑板上留下自己的愿望。邓超（左）希望这一生中能有机会挑战如蹦极一类的极限运动。

孙嘉汐●报道

面

对生命消逝时，每个人也许都会有些不知所措，恐慌甚至害怕。因此回首自己的一生，思考是否有些事情值得留恋、或者有事情还未完成而留下遗憾。南洋理工大学北区教学楼讲堂1A外及南北教学楼连接通道处于3月25日至4 月5日之间吸引了不少师生的参与“在我生命终结前”（Before I Die）黑板填写活动。这个活动源自华裔艺术家Candy Chang在美国发起的黑板墙填写活动，邀请民众想想自己在临死前还有什么没有完成的梦想，如此创意的想法也在世界各地引起广大回响。刘峻豪（经济系一年级）和郭奕永

（经济系一年级），连同李诗娅（宇航工程系一年级）以及邹静稀（化学与生物化学系三年级)在2012年12月看到了 Candy Chang在TED演讲的节目介绍自己的活动而受到启发，四人觉得活动很有意义，因此也想要在校园内发起一样的活动。李诗娅说： “我们觉得新加坡人每天忙于事业、学生忙于课业，却忽略了在工作以外，生命中也应该关注的其它事情。” 为期两周的活动分为两个部分。第一个星期同学们可以自由地把愿望填写在黑板上。第二个星期则围绕“生命的色彩”为主题，每一天都有一个专属的代表色。主办者更精心准备了不同颜色的明信片分发给师生。被问到这次活动是否达到了预期的效果，四名主办者纷纷表示满意，他们

之前并未想到有这么多学生愿意参与，他们准备好的黑板都被大家各自的愿望填满。许多受访同学都表示希望在生命结束前自己已经结婚，并且能够有家人的陪伴。但是记者也发现在黑板上写下的一些愿望措辞欠佳或者是具有争论性的，例如“反清复明”以及“搞基”。廖芷晴（社会学系三年级）告诉记者在生命结束前她想要学习不同国家的语言，特别是泰语。因为她认为泰语很好听，同时表示自己现在正在学习日语，也希望日文功课可以更进步。潘月昊（信息工程与媒体二年级）的愿望是想和朋友或爱人环游世界，了解不同地方的风土人情。他本身对摄影也有浓厚的兴趣，所以也希望可以利用镜头记录旅行中的美好时刻。

摄影: 杨荔雯邓超（宇航工程系二年级）则希望尝试刺激的极限运动，例如蹦极。此外很多同学表示虽然在没有参与活动前就已经有自己的愿望，但这次却启发他们更深入地思考、想清楚生命中什么是最重要的人事物以及自己真正想要的东西。四位活动的主办者也有自己生命结束前的愿望。李诗娅透露希望能够设计自己的婚礼服、做一个完美的劈腿；刘峻豪希望自己能够写一本书；邹静稀想开一家幼儿园，并让自己的妈妈当院长，同时还想和北极熊以及南极企鹅一起拍照；郭奕永则表示自己其实还没有想好。主办者表示活动想要启发大家想想生命的本质，因此也希望除了在南大举行之外，日后也可以在其它地方举办，鼓励更多新加坡人思考“生命的意义”。

VOL. NO.

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10 CHRONICLE

讲堂录像应被合理应用

节全能问题任重而道远

黄逸凡●报道

球性节能活动“地球一小时”呼吁人们在晚上8点半到9点半关上不必要的电灯和电器，以提高人们对于全球暖化以及能源消耗过快的意识。南大今年同样参与进“地球一小时”的活动。在活动开跑的前几天，南大发展与设备管理处（Office of Development and Facilities Management）就通过电邮号召全校师生参与。而在活动当天，学校确实也透过关闭校区公共走廊、停车场附近、宿舍区域的照明灯光来响应此活动。但是毕竟这样的活动只是意义大于形式，况且不难注意到校园各处灯光明亮、空无一人的讲堂内电灯冷气也不关上，因此令人好奇一向提倡绿色校园理念的南大是否有节约能源。

师生的消极态度

黄金辉传播与信息学院于2012年成立了节约能源委员会, 是个致力于减少能源消耗的工作小组。委员会负责人张喜光，同为该校的设施与行政处助理主管, 觉得学校在节约能源方面应鼓励多一些师生参与。陈庄伟（中文系三年级）说：“我们周围其实常常能看到浪费能源的现象，像周围一直开启的冷气，时时待机中的电脑都证明。” 李迪娅（数学科学系二年级）也表示:“校园环保其实很难真正做到,因为一直会有需要读书学习的人，而那些灯光又不能不关。” 而张喜光对此则坦诚: “目前校园的节能计划只采用了节约能源委员会为改变现况所呈上的意见的建议，忽略了要从师生当中发起活动，导致大部分人对于节能都采取比较消极的态度。” 因此他认为如果日后能够加强节能的宣传，将有助于帮南大晋升成为更绿色的校园。

因为有讲堂录像，许多学生因为前一天睡太晚或社团有活动，第二天索性不去上课，也不担心耽误课程进度。但与此同时，也大大降低了讲堂课的出勤率。构图:林慕尧

卢凌之●报道

南

大在2003年7月推出讲堂录像服务，目的是为了让学生可以回家复习讲师在课堂上所传授的知识。 2006年由学生会进行的一项调查中显示，在受访的1202名学生当中，94.9%的人认为观看讲堂录像对他们的学习有帮助；更有95.8%受访者支持校方继续这项措施。然而在讲堂录像服务迈入十年之际，记者发现有某些学生却滥用讲堂录像的便利，索性选择不去上课。

因有录像出勤率锐减

来自理学院的老师提出了他们对学生没有合理运用课堂录像的担忧。物理与应用物理系助理教授于霆表示近几个学期他和同事们发现来上课的学生越来越少，有时出

勤率甚至不到50%。他怀疑出勤率下降和学生过量使用他所提供的讲堂录像有直接关联。几位不愿透露真实姓名的理工科学生也向本报坦诚因为有讲堂录像，所以索性便不去上课了。他们说：“前一天睡太晚，或者社团有活动，就选择逃课。反正有录像，不会耽误学业进度。而一整个学期从不参加讲堂课的其实也大有人在。”

文学院无录像课程

理学院和工学院开设的绝大多数课程都有了讲堂录像，反观有提供这项学习辅助的文学院课程至今寥寥无几。记者走访发现现今在南北教学区的所有讲堂 (LT 1-29)、包括陈振传讲堂、李光前讲堂在内，以及拥有单独教学楼的生命科学学院(SBS)、数理科学学院(SPMS)和化学与生物医学工程学院(SCBE)中

的讲堂，都拥有可自动进行讲堂录像的硬体设备。反观文学院的三个讲堂，却没有这样的设施。但据受访学生透露，其实许多文学院开设的主修课都是在南北教学区的讲堂中进行的，而没有课堂录像的主要原因则是讲师自己没有意愿录制。

录制决定权在于老师

人文与社会科学学院中文系助理教授高虹认为尽管校方鼓励老师同意将自己的讲课情况，透过器材自动摄录并且上传到 edveNTUre供学生参考，然而是否要这样做，决定权还握在老师们的手中。她也表示因为各学院的专业特点不同，所以讲堂录像并非适用于每个学科；理工科课程理论性和运算性强，内容基本是定型的，所以把所教的课程放上网将会有很多学生受益，但是人文学科往往个人感悟理念观点内容非常

多，放录像上网，不一定能给学生提供最好的效果。她说：“讲师不采用这种教学方法，必定有自己合理的原因，学生也应该尊重。”

今年将升级系统

而今年除了会继续推行调高空调温度之外，校方也开始提供款项，所以张喜光也乐见或许能够有更好的收获。校方已经升级一些学院中使用多年的空调系统并且安装感应器让系统在无人的房间里自动停止运转。

可鞭策自己来上课

虽然如此，但受访的学生都表示理解，并认为这种做法不会影响他们的学习质量。唐莹璐（中文系二年级）说：“其实没有讲堂录像更好，这样就能鞭策自己去上课，课堂效率也会更高。而且能和教授有互动，对内容理解也会深刻些。” 于霆教授说：“坐在讲堂上课，会使学生保持更高的专注度，锻炼快速反应和思维运作能力，效果会比观看讲堂录像好很多。人有惰性可以理解，学生难免会有不想上课心理，但要学会合理控制；否则便违背我们提供讲堂录像的初衷了。”

插图:陈楚怡

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THE NANYANG

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言论

畅游网路让新加坡人真正快乐黄逸凡

近

日咨询公司Eden策略学院公布了一份关于快乐指数的调查，统计网络用语中快乐关键词的数量。其中新加坡人被认为是受调查五个国家人民中最快乐的一群人。然而这份统计结果令笔者感到诧然。2012年12月中一家美国调查机构盖洛普公司指出新加坡却是全球最不快乐的国家，两份结果前后明显出入，这不禁让人感到疑惑，新加坡人到底是快乐还是不快乐？

现实压力不快乐

的确，本地人似乎有许多不快乐的理由。

让政本地更有人文气息

由于国土面积小、资源匮乏的自然原因，新加坡人的危机意识要比其它国家的公民要强烈很多。外部环境微小的变化便能引起本地人的警觉，“幸福感”也容易随风而去。尤其近两年来，全球经济衰退、外来人口增加造成物价上涨、社会竞争更为激烈，这些细小的变化自然很快使得新加坡人变得不那么快乐了。本地政府总为人民安排好了一切，所以每个人只需要完成好他的社会职责，加上快速的经济动向，事事讲求效率，人与人之间缺少了平时的密切来往、缺乏社交互动，导致距离被拉大。这些因素也就导致了新加坡人在社会中不喜欢以及不擅长去表达自己的情感。

借助网络表达真实感受

与其说新加坡人不快乐，倒不如说新加坡人其实看起来不快乐。互联网上多姿多彩的社交媒体促使人们发表自己的真实想法，和朋友分享心情，这种新型的人际交流模式，鼓励使用者面对现实生活中不曾发表的看法。互联网固然有些界线不得横跨，但只要没有触碰到敏感议题，网络使用率颇高的本地网民在此情况下会更勇于表达真实感受，线上的快乐字眼就增加了。也许现实生活中有许多压力造成本地人觉得生活苦闷、无趣，可是若能够透过互联网抒发情绪，对于身心来说也是有益处的。

插图:范威杰

需爱惜博物馆

张颖恩

府在国会宣布从 2013年5月18日起，国人和永久居民将能免费参观公共博物馆和文物机构。此外，政府在未来的五年内也会投入6200万元协助博物馆加强馆藏，还有利用新的技术保存文物，相信这项计划对许多人来说都乐见其成。此项计划将会鼓励国人参观本地的博物馆，里头也珍藏许多历史的遗产，同时也是新加坡建国以来的重要载体。国人除了能够提高自己的历史知识，也能体会先人们的辛苦，更加珍惜现在所拥有的。其实国人常被批评不够爱国，其中一个原因便是对国事较冷漠，因此希望透过参观博物馆，让下一代能够更好地了解自己国家的历史发展，熟悉本国文化。

当然免费开放文物机构也将会可能带来负面影响，除了博物馆收入锐减，更令人担忧的是会不会有人因为可以免费进入展馆而不爱惜馆内的环境，造成原本充满艺术和文化气息熏陶的博物馆变成了吵闹、杂乱的地方。因此这得依赖国人自己的心态与公德心，免费的机会就应该更加珍惜。

插图:张维伦

可增进种族沟通

免费开放文物单位能够让国人以及永久居民加以了解彼此的文化以增进沟通，并从而珍惜先人所留下的珍贵历史财富。除了博物馆，土生华人博物馆、马来文化遗产中心和将于2015

年开放的印度文化遗产中心都可供国人免费参观。新加坡是个多元种族的社会，国人去参观异族同胞的遗产中心，无疑能增加对他们的了解，这也有助减少人与人之间的磨擦，因此最理想的方式就是与异族同胞一起参观博物馆，

升学不再一战定生死卢凌之

英

国伯明翰大学最近推出新招生办法：将1000个学额称作“无条件”学额，即是说优秀的高中生只要被学校老师预测为可以在A水准会考中考取三科A，就可以被伯明翰大学入取。条件是这些学生，必须将伯明翰大学列为第一志愿。

报读名校，不再看会考成绩——伯明翰大学此举，颠覆了多数大学以“A水准考试论英雄”的通行做法。中国自古既有科举取士的传统，科举制度在十八、十九世纪期间传到西方，被英国所效仿；至今，以竞争性的统一考试选拔优秀生，已在东西方大学招生通例。会考的机制，因其公平性、集中性与高效，广为人所接受。

不再害怕考试

互相讨论，增进感情，以促进一个更和谐的社会。除此之外，免费开放的文物机构当中包括了即将在2015年开放的新加坡国家美术馆，相信这将能够开拓国人对艺术的视野，认识不同的艺术风格以及作品。

然而这个制度的缺陷其实也在其优点之中。会考制度实现集中、高效的同时，也产生了“一战定生死”的效果，结果反过来损伤了公平。在这个制度下，应考心理素质较弱或是不幸在考试期间身体不适的考生就会遭殃，成绩也就反映不了他的真实水平。因此伯明翰大学以学生平日的表现来作为四分之一新生的录取标准，对于有考试恐惧症的学生而言无疑是个喜讯。除了少数人文学科外，高中

一个先进的国家除了要有稳定的经济发展之外，人民素质也是很重要的。支持本地艺术家

新加坡向来都注重科学与数学的教育与发展，相比之下，艺术与人文常被视为比较没有发展空间的领域。

老师是能相当准确的测试出考生的水平。因此，容许一部分学生以平时表现来报考大学，依然能有效地选拔出优秀生。从这些角度来说，伯明翰大学的做法既是有试探性，且有进取意义，值得更多大学，包括本地高等教育学府效仿。这个做法也不会冲击我国“选贤任能”的价值观。

强化教育意义

虽然大学收生不再完全仰赖会考成绩，但这不表示学生就不再有升学压力，应届考生必

笔者因此希望免费开放博物与艺术馆能够让人们有机会接触和了解艺术文化，并感受艺术的独特与魅力，同时鼓励更多抱有艺术梦想的国人继续追寻目标。除此之外，本地的展览馆可以多多收藏本地艺术家的作品，透过最实际的方式支持本土艺术创作与人才，使本地的艺术更有效地传播给社会大众。毕竟本地制作的艺术品相较外国的作品也绝不逊色，若有让更多国人看到本地人才的作品，相信这将会给他们带来更大的信心与鼓励来创造更多好的作品。一个先进的国家除了要有稳定的经济发展之外，人民素质也是很重要的。新加坡人常常就被批评文化修养不足，因此透过免费开放国人参观博物馆，相信这能让我国迈向一个更有人文气息的国家。

须确保学业成绩全10年苦读“ 毁于一旦”的风险没有了。压力反而是被分散到平日里，应届考生必须确保自己的学业成绩全年都保持在最佳状态。当然我们也必须回过头思考教育的意义：教育本是为了培养下一代对于学习的兴趣以及课业以外的爱好而并不只是为了应付考试。若本地采用这种升学制度就能够让平日在课堂上拥有良好学习态度的学生获得适当的鼓励，也同时强化了教育的根本意义。

THE NANYANG

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CHRONICLE 10 生活之艺想天开

其

实DIY是在60年代起源于西方的概念，原意指不依赖或聘用专业的工匠，利用适当工具与材料自己来进行居家住宅的修缮工作。如今，有越来越多的人被这个花费少、成品独一无二的DIY爱好吸引,加入这个的行列。

苗雪琪，土木与环境工程院二年级苗雪琪在高中时首次在家附近的手工艺品店接触到布艺。该手工店不止售卖成品，也提供一些布艺制作的教学，让她有机会学习基本的针法。她坦言：“其实手工制作的方法和步骤并不复杂，很多时候都是一个重复劳动的过程，只是需要有耐心，就能够做出精美的成品了。”至于材料可以在 Spotlight以及Art Friend等这类售卖手工制作材料的店就可以购买到了。她会把做好的作品会送给朋友，跟朋友分享喜悦的心情，他们收到自己亲手制作的礼物也会非常开心。有很多人或许会想，既然现在的礼品店售卖的商品花样齐全，也有许多专门提供礼品定制的店铺，为什么还要选择自己动手制作呢？对此，她透露，当初她看到一些精美的布艺玩偶时，便想尝试自己制作。而在完成一个作品之后时，就觉得其他的东西也可以做出来，是一件很有成就感的事情。她也将自己做的布艺玩偶穿成手机挂件，带起来独一无二，很有自己的风格。做手工其实是一个很耗时间，但物质成本很低的事情，所以尽管现在很忙，苗雪琪也不会停止手工制作。除了布艺，她也有尝试刻章、做纸花等，让她的娱乐休闲生活更加丰富多彩。

手指间的

创意世界

色彩缤纷的不织布、晶莹剔透的水晶珠、以及干净洁白的橡皮擦，只要经过一番巧思，就可以制成精美的布偶、饰品和印章，中文编辑洪媛采访了三名爱好手工制作的同学，带大家一起走进他们的创意天地。

分便比较有自己的想法，希望自己所佩戴的饰品拥有独特的个人风格。” 现在因为平时课业较忙，做的也比较少了。但手工制作一直是她的兴趣爱好，而且加上自己又是美术学生，所以会继续摸索手工制作的奥妙。

李瑞雪，信息工程和媒体与经济双学位三年级李瑞雪最初看见朋友开始用橡皮刻印章后感到兴趣浓厚，便加入到了刻章的行列中。她表示其实方法和步骤非常简单，只要观看网络上的教学视频就能很快掌握。李瑞雪会将做好的印花印在卡片、书签上，和同样爱好刻章的朋友互相分享彼此的作品。她更把自己最满意的作品送给了远赴美国求学的朋友，并刻上朋友喜爱的动漫形象，就连印章也送给了朋友留作纪念。除去上网浏览选取图样的时间，制作一个橡皮章大约需要半个小时左右，主要视线条的复杂程度而决定。她说：“其实刻橡皮章并不难，只是需要细心和耐心，才能雕刻精细，印出来的图案才会精美。至于如何确定何处要刻掉，什么部分要保留，其实方法很简单:只要在打印时将图案处理成黑白的，把黑色的部分去除，然后留下白色的部分。虽然已经三年级的她如今课业十分繁重，平时刻章的时间也越来越少了。但记者前去时看到她将自己的作品都非常整齐的收纳在纸盒中，可见对其的珍爱。正如她所说，全神贯注地做自己喜欢的事情，是一个很快乐的过程。

李瑞雪将自己最满意的作品送给了远赴美国求学的朋友，留作纪念。摄影: 蔡佳恩苗雪琪会把做好的作品送给朋友，跟他们一起分享喜悦的心情。

橡皮章制作

陈依梦，艺术、设计与媒体学院一年级陈依梦平时很喜欢去图书馆翻阅一些关于手工制作的书籍，看到串珠的部分更是产生了浓厚的兴趣。她所制作的饰品大多是自己的设计，偶尔也会通过逛街观看外面的商品或上网浏览一些他人的作品来寻找灵感。陈依梦找到自己喜欢的样式后会加以设计，让作品使其更符合个人风格。串珠制作的材料中大部分会使用网购，因为种类较齐全、选择更多样化。串珠的成本根据所使用的材料质地而定，但大约介于一至三元左右，如水晶和宝石一类的价钱较高，塑料珠则比较低廉，但后者做出来的效果也不是很好。她通常会选用较高档的水晶，例

陈依梦所制作的饰品大多是自己的设计，让饰品更符合个人风格。如施华洛世奇水晶，因为以此制作出来的成品色彩鲜艳，闪亮晶莹，保存的时间也较长。朋友生日时，陈依梦便会专门制作一些饰品作为礼物。她平时自己也会根据着装来设计饰品进行搭配，她表示：“既然是美术学生，穿着方面对于新潮的部

材料：橡皮砖，铅笔，硫酸纸，花露水或洗甲水，美工刀，透明胶带，印台 1．将图案打印出来，简单的可以用硫酸纸(tracing paper)描图转印，较复杂的图案则可以使用花露水或洗甲水浸泡后转印在橡皮上。 2．用美工刀将橡皮砖切割成比图案稍大的尺寸，再抠出图案凹凸的部分。 3．用透明胶带将残留的橡皮屑清理干净。 4．印制:两手分别拿着橡皮章和印台，轻轻拍压印章，让印油均匀粘满这个橡皮章。盖章时手指紧按橡皮章不放，用同等力道均匀按压橡皮章，以免印油颜色不均。盖章之后，清洗残留在橡皮章上的印油，避免下次使用印章时颜色混浊不鲜明。

VOL. NO.

THE NANYANG

10 CHRONICLE

生活之中医保健

告别肌肉酸痛骨痛和身体酸痛的问题不仅仅发生在老年人身上，年轻人如今也常为此感到困扰。记者孙嘉汐、黄逸凡采访了南大中医诊所的丘德兴医师，看看如何通过食疗和按摩方法缓解这些症状。

将杜仲（左）与乌鸡等肉类一起炖煮食用，可以达到补气养血的作用。通过按摩委中穴可以放松腰背上肌肉的酸痛效果。摄影: 林雅婷、Forlando Tambunan

在

天气炎热的新加坡，许多人喜欢在户外穿的较单薄，可是却在室内大吹冷气，导致骨痛问题的产生。此外，随着科技发展，智能手机、平板电脑的普及，许多人面对电脑手机的时间越来越长，而长期伏案工作或者不正确的坐姿导致肌肉酸胀, 疼痛的问题也愈发严重。

注意钙质摄取

若想要拥有健康的骨骼，首先就一定要注重钙质的摄取, 因为缺乏钙质是医生公认为引起骨病的因素之一。尤其是喜爱运动的人群，在激烈运动的过程中，如果受到了撞击或扭力的影响，非常容易引发骨折。现在很多过去往往发生在老年人身上的疾病，例如骨质酥松症都有年轻化的趋势，因为钙质流失其实在人20多岁左右就开始发生了，女性更是容易患上这种疾病。因此必须通过摄取含钙量、蛋白质高的食物尽量减少这种现象的发生。

多吃豆类骨类食品

丘医师说从中医理论来看，主要认为肾脏掌控了骨头，因此只要能够补肾的药材或食物，都对骨质有帮助，例如豆类食品：黄豆以及黑豆，加上蛋白质的摄取，例如核桃。因为核桃中的白蛋白（albumin）对增强钙质的吸收和骨质是有一定帮助的。此外，中医讲究“以形补形”。因此把一些骨类的食物，如猪脊骨、羊脊骨、牛脊骨等拿来熬汤或熬粥，对增强骨质也有一定帮助。若想要补肾，药材中的杜仲、黄精、熟地、当归等,都有显著的效用，而食用方法简单，只要将将这些药材和乌鸡等肉类一起炖煮食用，就能达到补气养血的作用。

养成正确坐姿

长期不当坐姿也会导致的颈部、腰背酸痛的问题，而这也同样困扰着许多年轻人, 较严重者甚至还会引发腰椎间盘突出症。丘医师建议年轻人应该有意识地改变并养成正

确的坐姿，适时按摩放松相应部位的肌肉。

穴位按摩减缓疼痛

有一些穴位可以适度缓解身体各部位的酸痛现象。肩井穴位于在大椎穴与肩峰连线中点，肩部最高处。用手指食指压于中指上的方式按压此穴，到其产生酸胀感的程度。这样的方式，会对症状有所缓解。对于腰背酸痛，患者可以通过按摩脊柱周围一些穴位如委中穴达到放松肌肉的效果。中医一直都有“腰背委中求”的说法。而现实中，委中穴的确有舒筋通络、散瘀活血的功用。委中穴位于大小腿连接处腘窝的正中。同样按摩此穴会有所帮助。此外，丘医师还指出缓解这些病痛最主要还是要靠我们学生平时要养成良好的读书、工作的姿势。应尽量避免久坐的行为。最好能够在读书工作一定时间后能够稍事放松一下，使得肌肉避免长时间处于紧绷状态。这样才能使我们远离腰背酸痛的困扰。

南苑与中医诊所合作

今年起《南苑》与南大中医诊所合作，每期推出中医保健专栏，让南大生学习简单的医学保健知识。但切记这些资讯只是帮助您在身体康健时做保养或预防疼痛疾病，并非治疗治本的药方。若身体不适，提醒您尽早寻求专业医疗协助。

影评电影播映室电影：《忠烈杨家将》主演：郑少秋、郑伊健、于波、周渝民、李晨、林峯、吴尊、付辛博类型：古装、战争

,,,,,

被

誉为“最帅杨家将”阵容，电影《忠烈杨家将》上映前就收到广泛关注，这部电影也是于仁泰导演继《霍元甲》后磨剑七年的全新力作。北宋年间，杨门名将骁勇善战，辽兵闻风丧胆。杨家个性冲动的七郎（付辛博饰）为替哥哥六郎杨延昭（吴尊饰）出头而误杀了国丈潘仁美之子潘豹，遭受丧子之痛的潘仁美在与辽军对阵时公报私仇，弃杨太公杨业（郑少秋饰）和其士兵于不顾，使其被困两狼山，杨业妻子佘太君（徐帆饰）得知丈夫中伏后，向神算鬼谷子求助，得来一张写着“当知天命难违，七子去六子回”的字条，她忍痛送别七子，他们各自的命运，也就此展开⋯⋯ 这部电影的最大一个特点就是台词很少，没有许多刻意的文戏和煽情戏，只是用人物的表情和动作表达，可见演员们还是下了一番功夫。在人物刻画方面，电影中的人物形象还是十分鲜明的。杨业的耿直、大郎的领袖风范、二郎的率直、三郎的沉默冷静、四郎的重情重义、五郎的稳重内敛、六郎的天资聪颖以及七郎的冲动莽撞都演绎得非常饱满。其中，由周渝民所演绎的三郎杨延安令人印象深刻，他善于弓箭，箭无虚发，百发百中。他总是沉默寡言，但其实他是在观察周围的动向以便随时进攻。在与辽国箭手萧风芦苇荡对决的那段情节尤为精彩，双方箭尽之际，三郎凭着胆色与勇气把握机会，用身体接下萧风最后一箭，并将其击杀。整部电影中，三郎是台词最少的，但他眼神中的笃定，面对敌人的冷静，展现出一个有胆识有担当的杨家将。这部电影让我们看到了周渝民的成熟蜕变，他已经逐渐褪去了偶像光环，演技日益精湛。不过，同样是偶像出身的吴尊，演技并不如预期的好。毕竟六郎杨延昭是整部电影中最关键的人物，他承受了父兄幼弟一个个离他而去的伤痛，一步步从那个没上过战场、沉浸在爱情中有些优柔寡断的公子，成长为了一个孤身背回父亲遗体、历尽沧桑的男人和英雄。然而对于六郎的成长，吴尊的演绎略显不足，有些遗憾。俊美的演员、精彩的打斗场面以及节奏紧凑的故事情节，总之这部电影还是非常值得一看的。（文／洪媛）

若想知道其他保健方法,欢迎您投函到nanyuan@gmail. com，我们将选出部分问题寻求中医师帮您解答，并在下一期专栏刊登。中医诊所讯息地址：SBS01s-68, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 6357551 电话：65921732／ 65921733 网址： www.ntucm.com

图片:国泰影院提供

THE NANYANG

VOL. NO.

CHRONICLE 10 娱乐

梁文音《黄色夹克》专辑记者会

提醒歌迷放缓忙碌生活许永森●报道

挥

别狮城近两年，梁文音抛开往日娇娇女造型，剪了一头短发，穿着鲜艳、轻松的服饰带着第四张个人专辑《黄色夹克》于3月15日与本地歌迷会面。梁文音很高兴地表示听不腻自己的歌声，而且每次听的感受还是会不同，曾经也被自己的歌声感动过。这次录制过程中，梁文音在短短四小时内录完《黄色夹克》和《心里的孩子》。但追求完美的她想重录，却被阿弟仔老师的一句“这些东西修饰过就不自然”，领悟到了歌唱的秘诀其实在于“自然”。音乐往往对她的生命哲理有所启发。性格好强的她渴望透过歌声传递内涵，希望把歌唱好之外，梁文音也坚持丰富的歌词内容。因此这次为筹备专辑，她勤奋地做足功课、翻看童年旧照，令她不禁感叹“每首新歌都是回顾生命的好时机”。这张专辑的主题“成人童梦”对梁文音来说，言既不深奥也不肤浅。她感慨目前处于“要独立，

但依然抓住叛逆尾巴”的年龄，因此觉得是时候要与童年告别了。梁文音也爆料年幼时她渴望穿上高跟鞋，和妈妈打扮得一样漂亮；念书时，也嫉妒大人不用上学的幸福。她原本以为《想流浪的鱼》是一首轻松的儿歌，所以没有毅力去加以了解。但录制时却想起了陈年往事，才领悟到歌曲犹如人不可貌相，必须先了解歌曲涵义才能更好地加以诠释。

创意MV突破风格

首波主打《黄色夹克》的MV是由团体自由发挥的李伯恩执导。李伯恩导演的时候非常搞怪，将梁文音塑造为有魔法的小女生，当身边的事物一旦被变成黄色，一切就会放缓速度，间接提醒人们在忙碌生活中依然得细心留意平常容易忽略的事情和关心的人。这种歌曲也以创意为基础，还结合了舞蹈、手语以及乐器，呈现出风格上的突破，显示梁文音的自在。崇尚简单生活的她绝不容许“复杂”踏入自己的人生。她也表示最喜欢歌唱搭配吉他简单、纯粹与自在的乐器声。

梁文音也接受了本报记者的专访。

摄影: 林鑫

这张专辑的主题是“成人童梦”，梁文音表示这对自己来说言既不深奥也不肤浅，并也感慨目前处于“要独立，但依然抓住叛逆尾巴”的年龄，因此觉得是时候与童年告别了。摄影: 王森代表天马行空的鲜艳黄色，对梁文音而言独具意义。这次宣传活动上，公司立出了一支黄色旗子，让她从世界末日的恐慌中领悟到和平的重要性。她坦言说：“音乐能突出自己的性格，用歌声能诉说自己的心声。”因此她不断鞭策自己必须努力向上，其目的就是想透过音乐传递爱和温暖。

正在努力创作

梁文音也接受了《南苑》记者的独家专访，回答了大家关注的问题。

威夫特(Taylor Swift)的表演风格。

梁文音表示自己正在努力学习创作，但是并不强迫创作，毕竟歌曲需要灵感，而硬挤的状态下就很难制作出自己理想中的作品。她强调每件事都要有过程，必须给予时间扎实学习才容易成功。她提倡“边走边学习”，坚信歌手得有“不断分享”的使命。自从发行首张专辑至今，她看着自己五年内慢

你对新加坡的有什么深刻的印象？美食！而且到处都是商场，不担心没地方去，也不用担心安全问题。

会不会认为对自己的要求太高？不会。目标是由自己设定与督促的，无需他人衡量, 尽管达不到也不会太责怪自己。

你心仪的偶像与崇拜对象是谁？每个阶段都不同，会留意新的声音和好的作品。最近也喜欢泰勒·斯

专辑中最喜欢的歌曲是什么？《爱是什么》，因为它唤醒我小任性的年纪。很享受那种放松的感觉。

慢适应成长，回顾一路走来，她认为诚恳是至关重要的。梁文音表示人们必须适时调整自己的舒适圈，适应环境，并懂得寻找别人的出发点，最重要的是在与他人交流时，千万不能一直总是希望他人配合自己。

歌迷如同家人

已熟悉电台环境与本地主持人的梁文音，对新加坡并没有感到陌生，甚

那你认为“爱是什么”？需要很多沟通和包容。彼此让步的同时又可以坦诚提醒对方，一心为对方好也不嫌对方挑剔。对夹克的时尚观是什么？颜色和款式要搭配。台湾天气比较凉，披外套就蛮好搭，也可让造型有很大的改变。若真要带一件物品到荒岛，最想带什么？小叮当，但那不等于

至觉得很有安全感。亲切的她颇为享受与歌迷成长学习的过程，她形容歌迷就像家人一般，有种微妙温暖的感觉。新专辑深具挑战，她却表示不断突破的过程很过瘾，有期待和压力才能促使实力的累积。提及是否有计划来新开办演唱会，她直率地回应：“如果大家和公司觉得自己可以，希望不久的将来就能看到（演唱会）的海报。”

去荒岛因为可以把自己变回来，哈哈！存在的物品就手机吧，尽管没讯号也有事做，还可以看照片。对在籍学生有什么勉励？热爱的梦想，就应该摸索出自己喜欢的一套的东西，那就是创意。自己想修读音乐，也喜欢流行音乐的好玩，不像古典乐那么局限。若身为人母，我不但不会局限孩子培养打从心底热爱的兴趣，还会从旁辅导才会精准。

VOL. NO.

THE NANYANG

10 CHRONICLE 黄小琥和萧煌奇“2013 True Voice 新加坡演唱会”

乐评音乐Jukebox

真挚情感全场动容专辑：《跨出界》歌手：自由发挥推荐：《GYM》、《ABC》

, , , , , 黄小琥和萧煌奇两位实力派歌手联手开唱，两人合作默契无间，完美诠释了多首经典歌曲，让本地歌迷听得如痴如醉。摄影:林慕尧

胡莉珊●报道

荣获金曲奖“最佳新人奖”，黄小琥笑称自己歌红人不红，而且当时来新台湾夜店女王黄小琥宣传时，都会比起其他新和著名盲人歌手萧煌奇凭人歌手待上多两三个礼着对音乐的执着，携手来拜，她说“新加坡严格来到“第二个家”新加坡首说是我第二个家。” 度开唱，让本地歌迷听出萧煌奇和黄小琥同样耳油。在演艺生涯中经历起起伏两人于3月30日在新加伏，并在10年前结缘，而坡博览中心The Max Pa- 他们事业上的转折点可以 vilion举行了“2013 True 归功于台湾歌唱选秀节目 Voice 演唱会”，开场时《超级星光大道》。黄小放映占士邦和邦女郎造型琥靠着犀利的批判风格，的影片，随即现身翻唱了担任评委时被封为“灭绝欧阳菲菲的《热情的沙师太”，因此声名大噪。漠》，如此魅力四射也炒萧煌奇则感谢第一季冠军热了现场气氛。林宥嘉把他的歌曲《你是我的眼》演绎得这么好。

两人延续逗趣风格

他们在这场演唱会中不忘延续之前记者会上的鬼马风趣。演唱代表作品《阿嬷的话》时，萧煌奇向身旁的黄小琥鞠躬并叫了声“阿嬷”，这让只比萧煌奇大13岁的黄小琥哭笑不得，作势要用麦克风敲他，逗笑现场观众。爱斗嘴的两人也戏称对方是特别嘉宾，萧煌奇申诉，“你唱那么久，我

以为你帮我热场热好了，现在演唱会才正式开始，萧煌奇来了。” 一连唱了32首歌后，演唱会以号称“铁三角” 组合的姚若龙、萧煌奇和黄小琥所制作演唱的《没那么简单》圆满落幕。黄小琥常说，唱歌是她的信仰，不管是大舞台、小舞台她都不在乎，只要能在台上唱歌给大家听，这才是最重要的。

狮城是“第二个家”

自1990年发行第一张专辑《不只是朋友》，并

关灯让观众体验眼盲

当先天有视觉缺陷的萧煌奇娓娓唱出《你是我的眼》时，演唱会全场的灯光瞬间暗了下来，连大荧幕也没有显示任何画面，仿佛让观众和他一样感受眼盲的世界，而萧煌奇则以最真挚温暖的嗓音演绎歌曲，令全场动容。除了和声及献唱，萧煌奇在黄小琥演唱《新不了情》时也演奏萨克斯管，让黄小琥直夸他“能唱、能写又自己制作专辑独立发行，现在又会吹萨克斯管，太有才华了”，但他却笑称自己有跑龙套之嫌。演唱会当晚的最高潮要属萧煌奇和黄小琥合唱《牛仔很忙》，两人还秀了一段非常精彩的“牛仔舞”，丝毫没有因为萧煌奇的视觉障碍而受局限，台下的观众也跟着音乐摆动起来。

创作歌手李伯恩和阿达组成的台湾男子组合“自由发挥”凭借搞怪无厘头的创作风格，在竞争激烈的台湾流行乐坛闯出名声。2012年更是入围了台湾金曲奖“最佳演唱组合奖”。今年3月两人推出的全新创作专辑《跨出界》，大打跨合作牌，与各种不是演艺界的名人合作，力图给观众一种新鲜感。《跨出界》由金曲奖最佳制作人阿弟仔老

近

首次献唱电影歌曲

歌迷们在演唱会上首次听到黄小琥以华语、粤语和闽南语现场演唱电影《冠军歌王》主题曲《心爱的人》。她透露这部电影预计6 月初将在本地上映，而录制时不会说广东话的她便因此吃尽苦头，让制作人花了近一个小时教她粤语发音。对于要和吴孟达演对手戏，她幽默风趣地说：“一开始其实心里面忐忑不安，难道我只能跟吴孟达吗？” 曾在台湾Pub界打滚18 年的黄小琥尽管夜夜翻唱别人的歌，但她强调“大家都以为唱别人的歌很容易，可是要把这些歌曲唱成有自己的味道，就‘没那么简单了’。”

由

师亲自操刀、“暗黑女神”陈珊妮跨刀专辑中摄影，再加上两位本来就极具创意的歌手，打造了一张个人风格强烈的专辑。全碟共10首歌曲，以嬉皮风趣的风格贯穿，带着夜店迪斯科的感觉，听起来让整个人心情畅快。倒是结尾的一首电子民谣《爱的和弦》，舒缓的节奏使高涨了几十分钟的情绪缓慢下来，领略了“自由发挥”诠释慢歌的魅力。这样看似不搭调的安排，还真是符合这个组合一向出人意料的风格。其实这张专辑的最为出众的就是MV部分。除了自己操刀当起导演，他们还请来韩国塑身女王郑多燕、布袋戏国宝黄俊雄、台湾补教界名师徐薇客串演出，连前导预告都找上了周星驰电影《功夫足球》里面的酱爆，并且完成他作曲家的梦想！这次找徐薇老师参与演出的《ABC》，当中他们用饶舌连出英语语态词法的要诀，同时还点出许多台湾人在英文上发音常常犯的错误，可以说是别出心裁，值得一看。（文／卢凌之）

演唱会不忘延续之前记者会的鬼马风格，幽默风趣的语言逗得全场观众笑声连连。

年来由模特儿跨行至歌手的全方位艺人越来越多，在电视剧《犀利人妻》中饰演负心汉老公温瑞凡的温升豪也晋升了歌手的行列。然而令人惊艳的是，并非歌手出身的温升豪歌唱毫不生涩，富有磁性的嗓音将歌曲演绎的十分出色。虽然这张同名EP只收录了三首歌曲，但温升豪表示自己已经完成了16年来的梦想。其中也是偶像剧《金大花的华丽冒险》插曲的《何苦》是由香港才子林夕填词，当中诉说情人分手前夕，对方给予自己的冷态度，让当事者感到非常受伤。温升豪的唱腔深厚优柔，转音处也下了不少功夫，唱出了分手的痛苦，令人感同身受。然而这张EP的不足之处是三首歌曲都是抒情歌，旋律以及曲风也大同小异，造成温升豪的唱法有些千篇一律，除了《何苦》较为抢耳，另外两首歌曲则不太耐

图片:网络下载

专辑：《个人首张EP》歌手：温升豪推荐：《何苦》

, , , , , 听，同时也无法看出他能否诠释抒情类型以外的曲风。不过身为模特儿和演员的他首次转行当歌手就能够有如此不俗的功力，虽然不及乐坛中众多的其他实力派歌手，然而看到又有全方位艺人新出炉，还是非常值得鼓励。（文／刘亭廷）

Opinions EDITORIAL ABC. These letters used to be symbols that were cradled in the most tender of our memory. It is peculiar how they have now come to inflict the most intense of feelings. Like losing of innocence past adolescence, they mutate. First numbers are added to the back of these alphabets during the O levels, before pluses and minuses happen at the university level. And like awkward teenagers, we’ve grown to shudder at the thought of them — irrational a reaction, but inevitable is our fall into this meritocratic trap. A frazzled and snappy bunch that is most troubled by letters this past week was the finalyear cohort, who were fumbling to hand in their graduation projects. And they might have caused the rest of the NTU population some inconvenience while engaging in their “alphabet fears”. They bottlenecked the printing shop, knocked on random professors’ doors to demand impromptu meetings, sprinted to the academic office, and haggled for their papers to be accepted when they turn up 10 minutes after the office closed for the day. At least that’s what happened last Tuesday at the Department of Sociology. Today, they find themselves skimming through descriptors

frankly, my dear of potential valedictorians, who are proving their worth in 200 words of prose, which often times swank the number of times they’d gotten onto the Dean’s List and the first-class honours they would be graduating with. Alphabet anxiety runs to the highest point, escalating to the point where the valedictorian recites a rousing speech in representation of the cohort of letter pursuers, who reconciled with a letter score to their CVs before they hurl their mortar boards into the air. So, ABC. How we respond to these letters are such indicators of growth, and are so telling of the phases we go through in life. So far, they’ve come to mean rankings, ambitions, and some even allow them to make their way in to dictate their worth. B u t f r om t h e mome nt convocation is over, there is a need to rethink this overly simple categorisation for ourselves and start stringing up the accumulated letters into words and sentences that can constructively build our ambitions. After all, we can’t make many words out of just one letter. The Bs, the Cs, the Ds and the Es are all equally good building blocks to help us understand and accept our shape, so that we will not continue fitting square pegs into round holes.

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE CHIEF EDITOR Wong Pei Ting MANAGING EDITOR Wan Zhong Hao SUB-EDITORS Fiona Lam Han Hui Jing Ronald Loh Steffi Koh Tiffany Goh ONLINE EDITOR Agung Santoso Ongko NEWS EDITORS Cynthia Choo Isaac Tan Miranda Yeo LIFESTYLE EDITORS Bernice Koh Nicole Tan REVIEWS EDITOR Charmaine Ng DAPPER EDITORS Phyllicia Wang Wilfred Lim OPINIONS EDITORS Dipshikha Ghosh Redzwan Kamarudin

CHINESE EDITORS Hong Yuan Liu Ting Ting SPORTS EDITORS David Lam Nazri Eddy Razali LAYOUT EDITOR Carolyn Turgeon PHOTO EDITORS Lim Mu Yao Yeo Kai Wen GRAPHICS EDITOR Chin Li Zhi BUSINESS MANAGERS Lim Pei Yi Vivian Lionel Lim Ng Wei Ying Xiu Xian Ho

A students’ newspaper published by the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI) Nanyang Technological University 31 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637718 Tel: 6790 6446 Unsigned editorials represent the majority view of the editorial board of The Chronicle and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of Nanyang Technological University, its employees, the students or the Council of the University. Signed opinion columns, letters and editorial cartoons represent the opinion of the writer or artist and are not necessarily those of The Chronicle. Printed by KHL Printing Co. Pte Ltd, 57 Loyang Drive, Singapore 508968

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A column by Chronicle Editors on issues close to their hearts

Love of simplicity DAVID LAM SPORTS EDITOR

y toes are per petually discoloured and jut out in funny ways. I wake up with aching knees on occasion due to patellar tendinitis, or jumper’s knee. My right knee has cartilage degeneration resembling a 30-yearold’s, and my orthopedist once had me take two weeks’ rest. Despite my ailments, I return to the basketball court for my weekly three-hour dose of selfinflicted physical trauma. I attempt to make up for my diminutive frame by out-running, out-jumping and out-maneuvering my opponents. And getting mighty banged-up in the process. Our body recovers slower after after we turn 21, and it’s little wonder I’ve been feeling Father Time’s bitter embrace recently. I’ve been asked many a time why I carry on participating in high-impact sports, even joining an amateur basketball league last year. My interrogators reason that modern living is ref ined and intellectual. The pen is mightier than the sword as they say, and macho competition is becoming obsolete these days. No doubt that putting the body through excessive rigour is an exercise in futility. But let me explain myself and on behalf of other sports enthusiasts – who accumulate the debt of ailments to be paid in full in old age. Sport offers a reprieve from the complexities and open-endedness of everyday life through its fixed set of rules and boundaries. Wait a minute, you might think, what’s so great about rules and boundaries? The answer is simple: These give you a degree of certainty and determinedness. As opposed to the unknowns we face on an everyday basis, we sports nuts get to lose ourselves in determinacy for a good amount of time. In life (not to wax philosophical), you rarely know whether the choices you make are the best, not until way after you make them. The rules of life are complicated,

GRAPHIC:CHIN LI ZHI

its goals indeterminate and different for every person. Rewards are often slow to come, or entirely nonexistent. For example, many undergraduates (myself included) constantly question the fruitfulness of their education. Given the turbulent nature of the job market and the increasing g loba l i sed e conomy, hav i ng a degree may not g ua ra ntee desired employment or prospects. In the workplace, politicking is inevitable, resulting in covert allegiances that are constantly changing. As such, the r ules to career advancement, being largely influenced by workplace relations, are inscrutable. We ca n not e ve n beg i n to m e a s u r e t h e c om ple x i t y of relationships; be it with friends, lovers or family. The laws of human interaction are simply too sophisticated to rationalise. Well, in sports, such doubt is rarely present. In team sports, the players are colour-coded. Ce r t a i n l y no d i s pu te a b ou t allegiance there. I know exactly how long I

have to wait before I get my reward of glory from winning a soccer match — 90 minutes of game time with 15 minutes of halftime. How do I win a basketball game? Score more points than my opponent. Doesn’t get any simpler than that. Also, I enjoy the look of sianness on my defender’s face when I score a long three-pointer after beating him off the dribble. In the face of the inscrutability of life, nagging physical ailments are a small price to pay for the fulfillment of my higher needs; t he need to u nder sta nd a nd control my environment. I know I will be making my regular trips to the hardwood with my knee guard strapped for a long time to come.

VOL. NO.

OPINIONS 37

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10 CHRONICLE

Working behind the counter LYSANDRA LU

few weeks ago, I asked how big a particular dessert was at a restaurant. The waitress stared at me, before blurting out she didn’t understand. After much gesticulation on my part, she answered me in Chinese. I couldn’t understand her. She couldn’t translate it. So I gave up and asked for the bill. But the service tax added fuel to the fire — I was paying an extra 10 per cent on top of GST for such poor service. I w ished I had fellow Singaporeans as wait staff after that. But will we ever see our own people in such a capacity? Si ngapor ea n s r age ove r foreigners “stealing” our jobs, even ones that most of us would prefer not to do. If that were true, we don’t seem to be doing much to get those jobs back. It looks like a change between generations. Older Singaporean workers are at stores; I see them when I walk into a supermarket, middleaged or elderly Singaporeans working at the counter. Tr ue, sometimes I will see younger Singaporeans too, but only for a brief time before the O and A Level results, are released. They pack up and leave the job soon after they recieve their results. I was one of those younger staff once, and it became clear that none of the other youngsters expected to

GRAPHIC: ALAN CHONG

stay, and none of the older workers expected us to either. Most of my older co-workers, who were mainly from Malaysia,asked why someone like me, fresh from Junior CollegeC, chose to work in a shop. After all, I could have gotten a job as an administrative assistant in comfortable air-conditioning, instead of standing at a cash register for eight hours a day. Apparently, being part of the minority of potential university undergraduates made me desirable for a blue-collar job.

Until technology takes over, there will always be a demand for people to take on these jobs. So the question is: are Singaporeans willing to get their hands dirty? But if that is the case, where does it leave us as a country? If a degree automatically earmarks you for white-collar jobs, then the pool of local service workers shrinks. It’s not just JC students, either. When polytechnic graduates enter the workforce, they will usually

look for work in a field closely related to what they have studied. So a poly graduate wit h a diploma in design will want to design the clothes, not sell them in a shop. Optometr y diploma holders want to test people’s eyesight, write prescriptions, not help them choose the frames and then key numbers into a NETS machine. When I worked in the shop, the polytechnic co-workers I spoke to were also only working there to earn a living while searching for a ‘proper’ job. They were not looking to take on a service job behind the counter full-time. Again, as poly graduates turn away from such careers, the job candidate pool shrinks. Of course, the hard work and long hours in such service jobs will not make them appealing to anyone with qualifications. But money can’t collect itself, and neither can food serve itself. Until technology takes over, there will always be a demand for people to take on these jobs. So t he quest ion i s: a r e Singaporeans willing to get their hands dir t y? Or will we just sit back, let the elderly in the industry be slowly be phased out and replaced by foreigners we complain and moan about? As long as there are people willing to work, they can get behind the counter. If we have something to say, then we should step forward and initiate change.

Why are we at university anyway? Gillian Seetoh There is something more to a university education than the degree that we are awarded at the end. At least, that’s what Professor Simon Chesterman, Dean of NUS’s Faculty of Law, thinks. He points out that it is counterproductive to try to predict which subjects are going to be useful in our careers. After all, in 10 years, what we’ve learnt from our courses will become obsolete. So to make the university experience worth our time, we need more intrinsic reasons for picking the modules that we do, rather than just eyeing the degree at the end. Prof Chesterman raised the example of Steve Jobs to prove his point. Jobs studied calligraphy, physics, literature, poetry, and an assortment of other disciplines in university — but not engineering, as many would have expected. Even though Jobs had no idea what his future held, he followed his interests. He took up calligraphy to learn about serif and san serif typefaces and did not think that it had any practical application.

When he designed the first Macintosh computer, the serif and sans serif typefaces he learned in his calligraphy course — which initially seemed irrelevant to his field — came back to him. So with the release of A-level results last month, yet another cohort of students faces the decision on where — and whether or not — to pursue tertiary education.

We gain the ability to process complex information, appreciate high quality thought, the ability to understand complex arguments, and an understanding that learning is life-long. This figure is expected to increase to 40 per cent by 2020. With an already increasing number of students attending university, you would be hard-

pressed to find a student who does not worry for the future, given the intense competition for jobs in our society. Understandably, the main concern on students’ minds would be to pick a major that would eventually result in a good job with a decent pay. But, I believe that a university education is essential for career success, because it provides intrinsic benefits such as networking and critical thinking skills that can be used in our future careers. As we go through the unique experiences of university life, we stand to gain the process complex information efficiently. We learn to process complex information, appreciate high quality thought, the ability to understand complex arguments, and an understanding on the the life-long nature of learning. People might perceive that these skills as irrelevant for the working world. But the higher anyone rises up a corporate ladder, the more information they will need to have at their fingertips. Besides, as Jobs has shown, it’s not what you learn that matters, it’s how you process and use what

you have learned to apply to your career that matters. A not he r i nva lu able a s set gained from university is the social networks that we develop during university. This social capital will be very important in our professional lives, in terms of providing access to new jobs and opportunities. Sometimes, we may have the

relevant skills and knowledge for a job, but other times it’s who we know that can help us secure it. Although the practicalities of life will remain an important consideration, we should ultimately prepare for professional success by building networks, and acquiring critical thinking skills — all of which can only be achieved through a university education.

GRAPHIC: ALAN CHONG

38 OPINIONS

THE NANYANG

CHRONICLE 10 NO.

A time to appreciate Sivanangai Thirumeni

t the end of the long, empty corridor, a janitor sits alone with only an old radio set for company. Ever y 15 minutes, someone walks past her to get to class. She looks up but the passer-by doesn’t pay her any attention. This elderly janitor works at NTU Hall of Residence 4. I feel sorr y that most hall residents treat her as though she’s invisible. Other than my roommate and I, no one else seems to offer any form of acknowledgement. So I make it a point to chat with her for a few minutes every time I see her. She never fails to surprise me with the depth of her personal stories that she eagerly shares in fluent English. She speaks of her daughter back in Indonesia with much fondness. This is a mother who left her home countr y to work in Singapore just so she could support her daughter’s studies. And her motherly affection is not just reserved for her child — she often advises me to study hard and always asks: “Got class today?” when she sees me around during the day. Rain or shine, she arrives at 8am every day to clean the toilets and corridors.

I’ve never heard her complain about the state of the toilet, no matter how dirty it is. Instead, she whips out her cleaning supplies, turns on her radio and belts out Indonesian songs while cleaning.

louder than words :

T here’s anot her janitor at Canteen A who left an impression on me. Although we are supposed to clear our own trays, he readily clears them for us once we are done eating. I’ve always wondered why he only smiles when I ask him how he is, before I learnt from another janitor that he is almost deaf. So I was hear tened to see three final-year students from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering organising a janitor appreciation event this Lunar New Year. They raised $540 in under a week through donations, and rallied the support of 14 student volunteers to distribute 180 goodie bags for NTU janitors. One of the event organisers, Oh Kailin, 23, said the janitors were

surprised to receive the goodie bags, and even wondered what the occasion was. “They were very happy and I could tell they really appreciated it,” Oh said. The students’ efforts show that anyone can make a difference in the lives of the people around us. T he sad tr uth is, we don’t reach out to our university staff, be it janitors, canteen vendors, or the IT and admin staff because we don’t realise the value of their contributions. Perhaps we would be kinder to them if we understood the full extent of the role they play in making our school a conducive place for learning. For example, it’s our privilege to have ja n itor s c lea n ou r common hall toilets. I’ve also seen IT staff not just help students with technical problems on their computers, but also go out of their way to teach them professional programmes and software. Besides, say ing a word of thanks can make us all happier. Ps ychologist Dr Rober t Emmons found that gratitude not only magnifies our positive emotions but also blocks negative ones like envy and regret. So showing our gratitude to those around us doesn’t just make their day — it makes ours too.

GRAPHIC:DERRICK FUN

A s s uc h , a s i m ple ‘G o o d Mor ning’ or ‘T hank You’ can brighten their day, even if we might be too busy to have a conversation with them. Or we can be considerate and keep the school premises clean by clearing our own plates at the canteens. After all, a little appreciation goes a long way.

CHIN LI ZHI GRAPHICS EDITOR

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5mm apart from story

OPINIONS 39 canteen talk What’s your view on the government’s stand towards the “sticker lady”, with regard to street art and graffiti in Singapore?

If you opt to live in a country like Singapore, you must abide by her laws. Things cannot be taken for granted in the name of art. Sanchita Shandilya, REP, Yr 2, 20

GRAPHIC: JEDIDAH TAN

Ask and you shall receive Dipshikha Ghosh opinions EDitor

id that hurt, I asked, pointing at the tiny star-shaped tattoo on the hand of the woman who was rubbing a free moisturiser sample on me. She told me it didn’t, and this simple question led to the most interesting conversation I’ve had all month. I learnt two important things. One, strongly opinionated feminists exist, even in places like cosmetic stores. Two, the best insights come when you least expect. You never know where your questions and answers will take you. Avant-garde musician, artist and writer Amanda Palmer called this “the art of asking” Unable to secure a job even with an arts degree from a reputable university, she painted her face white, stood on a box, became a nine-foot bride, and gave people flowers in exchange for money. She found the connections she made with passers-by to be invaluable, shaping many of her future decisions such as making her music available online for free. A beautiful expansion of this concept would be the Before I Die exhibition, a global art project that invites people to reflect on their lives and share their personal aspirations on a public wall. The exhibition was also set up at the junction of NTU’s North and South Spines, in the form of chalkboards that passers-by can write on. By the end of the first day the board was overflowing with colourful chalk scribbling by the end of the first day.

Students poured their hearts out, desiring ever ything from “going for lectures” to “having a threesome” in only three inches worth of space. While my mother always advised me never to talk to strangers, my experiences in university showed me that strangers are often the ones who make life interesting. Just one look around can confirm that a university like ours encourages exchange students from many countries. A simple conversation can, at the risk of sounding dramatic, be a vicarious journey for both parties. There are students here from

Simple questions taught me that the best chicken wings come from a nameless shop in the back roads Chinatown, and that papaya mixed with milk actually tastes great. places you might never get to visit. Diverse accents, cuisines, cultures and mindsets are only the beginning. Simple questions like: “Where are you from,” or “What did you do this weekend,” have taught me that the best chicken wings come from a nameless shop in the back roads of Chinatown, and that papaya mixed with milk actually tastes great.

Today, everyone is busy being the master of his or her own fate. No one will make an effort to be involved in your life, unless you invite them in with questions The Oxford English dictionary defines interaction as “reciprocal action or influence”. Interaction is the solution to most of our daily woes. A subject you feel like you can never conquer? A really boring or stressful week? Talk about it. To put things in perspective, I engaged in a social experiment: I made it a point to get out of my comfort zone and talk to at least three strangers every week. On one occasion, I shared a well-hidden fact about myself with an exchange student from the United States, in return for a fact about him. W h i le we did not end up exchanging personal particulars, but t he pe r sona l e ncou nte r never t heless lef t me feeli ng strangely light-hearted at the end. I gained a new perspective from another chat with a business student. “No one wants to be associated with losers,” he said. While I was a little skeptical of his views as I always considered humility a virtue, I did learn the skills of selling my strengths in five minutes from him. He told me that whether it’s a job interview or a date, it’s important to be able to put your best foot forward and this comes from knowing who you really are. Finally, a conversation with a professor about middle-income immigrants in Singapore, and the way they typically behave, had me in splits. Ask and you shall receive something you never imagined you needed to know.

Unless she has caused harm to the public, the government should go easy on her. She had no bad intentions. Eldon Sng Wei Xiang, CS, Yr 4, 23

There should be restrictions for such artistic expression. Freedom of expression should not infringe upon freedom of choice. Chin Hsien Juen, NBS, Yr 1, 19

I find the law too strict. In a democracy, people should be allowed to express themselves; as long as it’s not rude or vulgar. Agustus Benyamin P, MAE, Yr 1, 18

If the government becomes too lenient, people are bound to take advantage. Graffiti can make public places ugly. Rounak Mehta, MAE, Yr 2, 19

PHOTOS: FORLANDO TAMBUNAN

Sports

Suit up, en-garde — Page 43

Try as they might

TOO MUCH OF A STRETCH: NTU player Wei Junhan (red) makes a desperate lunge to stop his NUS opponent from scoring.

Laura Lewis

T U c a m e ou t s t r on g l y in the final against their f iercest r ivals, winning three penalties in the first 10 minutes. The only problem was, they missed all three — spurning nine points. With the final whistle blown at t he I nte r-Te r t i a r y Ru g b y Championship final, NTU was left to rue their missed chances as they crashed to a 44-10 defeat to NUS. The same team denied NTU the title in the final few minutes last year. The odds were firmly stacked against NTU, who had previously lost 25-5 to the same opponents in the tournament’s preliminaries. But af ter defeat ing an i nt i m idat i ng SM U side by a single tr y in the semi-f inals, NTU captain Marah Fahmy, 25, and company harboured hopes of reclaiming the title, and perhaps exacting revenge. “The SMU team has players

who had been playing together since secondar y school. T hey were cohesive and technically super ior,” said the f inal-year Sc hool of Me c ha n ica l a nd Aerospace Engineering student. “So, w i n n i ng SM U i n t he semi-finals with a well-worked try in the final 10 minutes made it all the more enjoyable and gave us confidence for the finals,” he said. In the final held at the NUS Sports and Recreation Centre, NTU managed to hold their own against their opponents for the first 15 minutes, despite missing the three penalties early on. NUS then clinched their first three points after 18 minutes and the floodgates opened. Two minutes later, they broke through the NTU line, increasing their lead to 10-0 with a successful conversion. N T U’s Shazwan Haf iz, 23, e vent ua l ly wh i zzed pa st h i s opponents, split the defence, and dived over the line. The NTU rugby player scored the first try against NUS. But it was not enough as his team were trailing by 13 points.

Unfortunately for NTU, the NUS team weren’t ready to end the half, surging forward to make the halftime score 25-5. Things remained the same in the second half, with N US imposing themselves throughout until the final whistle. N T U’s coach, Gilber t Soh, c om me nte d on t he te a m’s performance: “The occasion got the better of them. “They were well prepared but not able to execute what they are normally able to. Despite a couple of injuries, the reserve stepped up well, but NUS deserved to win.” Marah, on the other hand, said NTU lacked communication and experience. “ We c ou ld n’ t m a n a ge to convert possession into points and communication was down so we missed some of our tackles,” he said. “Most of NUS’s players also started playing the sport from a young age and now play in the Singapore Rugby League. “Meanwhile, our team is made up of first and second years. Even then, we have players who only

PHOTOS: WALLACE WOON

picked up the spor t in junior college. We lacked experience and composure,” he said. Despite t he loss , it ha s nonetheless been a fruitful season for NTU’s rugby team, as they emerged winner of the Tertiary

10s Championship and runner up for the SUniG 7s, among others. B u t w i t h N US e n f or c i n g t hei r st rong hold ove r t h i s championship, it remains to be seen whether NTU has what it takes to wrestle the title back.

SO CLOSE: NTU and SMU fight for possession during a line-out in the semi-finals.

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bpl talk

The QPR conundrum Redzwan KamaRudin

ll is not well at Loftus Road. In the last transfer window, Queens Park Rangers spent a total of £22.5m ($42.5m). Not only is this a large amount by

any team’s standards, their key players are paid inf lated wages. Christopher Samba, for example, arrived at a costly £12.5m and is paid £100,000 per week. The case for money not buying success does not get any more compelling than this. Though they hoped to emulate

the successes of Manchester City and Chelsea, Rangers instead are last in the league, with four wins as of press time. This means that if things don’t t ur n around wit hin t he next month, they are set for a return to the second-tier Championship. W hen that happens, things

won’t be getting any better for a long time. Making matters worse is the fact that Rangers are in debt of almost £89m. Relegation from the Premier League would mean a significant drop in revenue, not just from selling matchday tickets at their already small stadium that seats 18,000, but also in broadcast earnings. To cut costs, the owners will have to sell players to reduce the wages of the current team. But interested buyers would think twice about overpaid players from a team whose average age is 29. The Rangers’s f irst team is made up of players who are — or quick ly heading past — their prime, with the likes of Park Ji Sung (32), Christopher Samba (29), and Tal Ben Haim (31). W h i le a relegat ion release clause lowers the selling price of player s li ke Loic Remy to less than what the Rangers paid for them, their hefty wages — £75,000 per week for the French striker — will still be too expensive for most clubs to buy them. And the case is much the same with the other players from the expensively assembled squad of mercenaries. The fact is, there is little market value for overpaid and underperforming marquee players. Given the calibre of the play-

ers, the last thing they want is to toil a season or two in the Championship. T he players would want to leave the club to continue playing in the Premier League, but given how Rangers enticed them with an exuberant remuneration package, it’s unlikely that they’ll leave the club for less. That said, Rangers also don’t want to be stuck with overpaid players in a less lucrative competition. If owner Tony Fernandes and his team cannot squirm their way out of this footballing and financial quandary, QPR could soon be in a position many clubs have been in af ter relegation — ad m in ist rat ion, wh ich has claimed the likes of Bradford City, Portsmouth and of course, Leeds United. M a na ge r H a r r y Re d k napp could hardly be blamed for the team’s demise — he inher ited a squad full of jaded veterans bought by his predecessors. But this isn’t the first time Redknapp’s been in this situation. He has a track record of motivating players and saving clubs from relegation. Ye t h i s p a s t c l u b s , Bournemouth, Southampton and of course, Portsmouth, have all gone into administration. Caught between a rock and a hard place, all is indeed not well at Loftus Road.

A SHADE OF HIS FORMER SELF: Park Ji Sung has performed below expectations in what has become a disappointing season for Queens Park Rangers. PHOTO: INTERNET

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sports talk

Cardboard superman

PHOTOS: INTERNET

”What can I say? I was tired, my back hurt from sitting on the floor, and we were talking about relaxation and focusing.” Golfer Jason Dufner (above), on what he was doing when a picture of him slouching against a wall became viral and other golfers started mocking him.

“Because no one is talking about him, it seems it’s fun for him to criticise great players for people to know he exists.’’ Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva’s response after Marseille midfielder Joey Barton called him an “overweight ladyboy”.

“For sure it’s not a victory that I’m very proud of because it should have been Mark’s.” Sebastian Vettel, apologising to his Red Bull teammate, Mark Webber, after ignoring team orders and snatching a Malaysian Grand Prix victory from him.

GLORY, BUT FOR HOW LONG: Footballer Michael Owen is now a shadow of his former self due to injuries, and decided to call it quits at this season’s close.

Media stories are full of superhuman athletes who feel no pain, fear or injury. Is the frailty of humanity lost on the sports spectator? Colin Tung

njury and illness may mean a layover for most, but they seem to barely faze super-athletes. Ser ious f lu-like sy mptoms lef t Michael Jordan fatigued, dehydrated, and dizzy, but he still won Game 5 of the NBA Finals for the Chicago Bulls in 1997. Tiger Woods was nursing a tor n ligament and t wo stress fractures in his left knee, but lasted the course of the 2008 US Open and emerged victorious. The media glorified their grit and superhuman perseverance for playing through ailments, and immortalised their victories. But it beg s t he que st ion: Are the media and spectators contr ibuting to a potentia lly unhealthy sporting culture in which athletes believe they need to per for m such superhuman feats? Two weeks before the 2008 US Open, Tiger Woods said: “I’m playing in the US Open and I’m going to win.” That was despite his doctor telling him he needed

six weeks before he could begin rehabilitation for his injuries. Michael Jordan was similarly defiant of medical advice. He said of the NBA final: “No matter how sick I was, no matter how tired I was, no matter how low on energy I was, I felt an obligation to my teammates and the city of Chicago to go out and give that extra effort.”

In our fervent demand for impregnable sporting icons, are we ignoring the other side of sports — that of struggle and frailty — as demonstrated by other athletes? By publishing their stories of bravado in the face of injury and illness, the media portrays them as one-dimensional and invincible — pandering to fans who prefer to see their favourite athletes in such light. In our fer vent demand for impregnable sporting icons, are

we ignoring the other side of spor ts — that of str uggle and frailt y — as demonstrated by other athletes? Ta ke Pau la R adc l i f fe a nd Michael Owen for example A f t e r s e t t i n g a wom e n’s world record in the 2003 London marathon, Radcliffe sustained a leg injury that destroyed her c ha nce s at t he 20 0 4 At hen s Olympics. The long-distance runner was forced to bow out from the race after 36km due to stomach cramps linked to the medication she took for her injury. “I was so exhausted, so gutted, so angr y and so helpless ... I could go no further,” Radcliffe wrote of the experience in her autobiography. Her words offer a glimpse into the human weakness, evident even in the stereotypically macho world of sports. It’s something people who called her a “quitter” forget when they question how the world’s fastest female marathoner could be so helpless. M o r e r e c e n t l y, 33 -y e a rold Eng l i sh footba l le r O wen announced his plans to retire at the season’s end, after a career fraught with injuries. The fourth-highest goalscorer for England blamed the demise of h i s ca r e e r on i nade qu ate rehabilitation of a hamstr ing

The illusion of infallibility in athletes created by the media leads to sportspeople being jeered for expressing weaknesses that are in fact in every human being. injury, and the fact that he was overplayed. T he s e t wo at h le te s f ac e d media and public pressure to perform despite injuries, and their careers suffered as a result. The illusion of infallibility in athletes created by the media leads to sports people being jeered for expressing weaknesses that are in fact in every human being. It’s easy to forget athletes are also made of flesh and bone. As such, there needs to be greater acceptance of athletes and their injuries. Unrealistic expectations of our favourite athletes and putting them under unnecessary pressure might well be the catalyst to their downfall.

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getting physical with...

On the offence

Amid flailing swords and lunging strikes, Jacqueline Lim learns the art of swordplay from the NTU Fencing Club.

y assailant lunged towards m e . I d o d ge d , w h i l e retaliating with a stab of my foil. I squinted through the netted mask as my suit pressed perspiration and grime against my pores. Two hou r s i nto m y swashbuck ling initiation, and the spartan training room was swirling as I got uncomfortably warm. Not quite the setting I imagined my first fencing session to be in; it was no Victorian-esque painting room like in the James Bond film Die Another Day. But I had little time to pay attention to my surroundings. Shuffling back in a hurry, I evaded the next flurry of swipes from my opponent. Struggling to remember the footwork and strokes I had been taught earlier that evening, I realised how technical the sport of swordplay actually was. Ea rl ie r, nat iona l fe nce r Jeremoth Tan, 21, told me to put on my lamé, and I immediately wondered if he was cueing for some corny humour from me. It turned out the first-year Mecha n ica l a nd Aerospace Engineering student was referring to the metallic vest that detects contact with the opponent’s foil. Beneath the lamé, there were breaches for the lower body, two protection pieces — the plastron for the master arm and the chest protector, a must-have for female fencers — and a jacket to complete the ensemble. It’s no wonder I was perspiring. That aside, I felt heroic in my

PRESSING FORWARD: Jacqueline executes the lunge on national fencer Jeremoth as she gets accustomed to attacking a human target.

PHOTOS: LIM MU YAO

A SHOT THROUGH THE HEART: Jacqueline gets accustomed to taking on a live opponent after just an hour of drills.

PHOTOS: LIM MU YAO

battle order — like Zorro. T he r e a r e t h r e e t y pe s of weapon in fencing — foil, epee and sabre. However, picking up the sabre was difficult, and hence the club only offered the foil and épée. After warming up, Jeremoth patiently guided me through the basics of handwork and footwork. These included the basic stance with the sword, stepping forward and backward, the lunge, and the riposte. A f t e r ge t t i n g t h e b a s ic s sorted, we started a few rounds

of drills, and I started to get used to the feeling of attacking a live opponent. I was worried I would injure Jeremoth, but realised the blunt end of the foil would not pierce anybody. But soon it wasn’t the weapon I was concerned about. Within an hour, my t-shirt and shorts were soaked, and I was trapped in a sauna of garments. My forear m was also threatening to pop out of its socket due to the strain of having to keep the 500g sword raised. As if that wasn’t enough, I had to duel Jeremoth to round off my experience. E v e n t houg h t he fe nc e r s thought I was combat-ready, I was wor r ied for my safet y —

my opponent was a seasoned swordsman, while I was a beginner. Nervously, I walked towards Jeremoth and we carried out a check on our blades and lamés to make sure contact was registered on the electrical system. We then went to the starting lines and saluted the referee, and each other. I assumed my position with bated breath. “Allez,” went the go-signal, and Jeremoth began shuffling his weight back and forth, anticipating my first move. Fuelled by a mix of adrenaline and nerves, I sprang forward to attack Jeremoth, but he parried with ease. The whole time I was in the suit and mask, all I could see

was a pixelated version of my su r rou nd i ngs. I fe lt sl ig ht ly claustrophobic, but steeled myself to finish the duel. Jeremoth went easy on me while I attacked like a confused fly, flailing my sword as it became heavier with each thr ust and parry. Despite my weariness, I found myself needing just one more point to win the bout. I executed a riposte as I saw Jeremoth’s half-hearted lunge, and heard the beep of the scoring system — I won the duel by a single point. We removed our helmets, and I eagerly took in a huge breath of fresh air. W h at a f e e l i n g , b e i n g a swashbuckling heroine for a day.

FENCING 101 Foil: Foil have tapered, f lexible blades with blunt tips. Foil actions often occur at blinding speed.

Piste: The strip of playing area. Retreating off its with both feet results in a touch point awarded to the opponent.

Épée: It is heavier and has a stiffer blade than the foil’s. Unlike in foil, the entire body is valid target for scoring touches.

Parry: A block of an attack, deflecting or warding it off by ‘pushing’ the attacking blade aside

Plastron: A quilted pad worn by fencers to

Riposte: An attack that a fencer makes

Sabre: Unlike in foil and epee, the fencer

Parry-Riposte: A common technique in

protect the torso and side.

can score with the edge of the blade and the tip in sabre.

SPARRING PARTNERS: Jeremoth and Jacqueline demonstrated rapport throughout the session as the tutor imparted his skills to his disciple.

immediately after he executes a parry.

scoring touches, with the fencer rapidly switching between attacking and defending.