MIC

A (P) 218/01/2008

ridgeonline.wordpress.comthe ridge

Primal InstinctsAre we two-dimensional?

Page 18

Breach that ... GAPS!How the results are

leaked every semester.Page 12

02 desk

contents 01design Sam

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APOLLO18 PrimalInstincts20 OffBeatSports24 TheIndieScene25 PeoplePage

NEWS06 NUSWelcomesitsNewChiefArtist08 Level-4000FASSModulestoCarry5MCFromNextAY10 NewStudentHubAtYIHBy201012 Breachthat...GAPS!14 EnterHangeul!

LIFESTYLE30 Ringouttheoldandringinthecool

OUTSPOKEN32 MinefieldsofPoliticalIncorrectness34 Beinggrownupisn’thalfasfunasgrowingup

WIRED36 Netbooks–AQuickShoppingGuide38 Techbuzz

SPORTS42 NUS–GreatEasternWaterPoloChallenge2009

TRANSMEDIA40 Bestof2008

REGULARS04 TwoCentSaloon05 PhotoStory16 BordersBookReview22 Canvas26 MusicAlbumReview28 HayaoMiyazakiFilmReel

02 editorial

New Year. New Semester. New Issue of the the ridge.

But since 2009 has already been ushered in properly one too many times by now, we will spare you the festive shtick.

Every new year for the individual usually comes a healthy negation of the past. We have decided to eschew the usual welcoming the

future and moving forward routine and instead choose to nosedive back into history - ancient history to be exact.

the ridge brings back the themed section and for this academic term we will be highlighting deities and their qualities. For the

month of January the spotlight shines down on Apollo [17-27], the Greek and Roman god of the sun, music, poetry and much more.

Highlighting Apollo’s traits, we talk about modern life and how it is becoming more and more two-dimensional [18-19], shed light on the local indie music scene [24] and suggest some off beat sports

for you to try out [20-21].

The News desk brings you all the stories that concern you. With whole scale changes to curriculum and campus we report on the 5 MC change [08-09], the UHWC move [10-11] and new modules

being offered [14-15] along with much more.

Budding artists of all mediums will be glad to know that they have a new canvas to display their work in the ridge. The

section aptly titled Canvas [22-23] is an opportunity for all to display their art whether it is photography, poetry or paintings. Any entries can be emailed to ridge.canvas@

gmail.com.

For any other enquiries, please contact us at ridgechiefeditor@nus.edu.sg.

Hurrairah bin SohailChief Editor

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Chief EditorHurrairah bin Sohail

Executive Editor (Online)Hannah Yan

WebmasterHo Yi Jian

NewsJason Hau & Lynette Lim

OutspokenKokila Annamalai

LifestyleArzish Baaquie

TransmediaHurrairah bin Sohail

WiredGurmesh Singh

SportsSuhas Bhat

Creative DirectorClaryce Lum

Head of Creative Team: DesignSamyuktha

Head of Creative Team: PhotographyAdi Yoga

CopyeditorSuhas Bhat

Head of Marketing & PRSamyuktha

SecretarySowmya Gopi

TreasurerDennis Phua

04 news

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Two Cent Saloon

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The year 2008 came to an ominous close with the economy in doldrums, a shaky political situation in Thailand and many NUS Arts students wondering if the result leak was accurate.

Yes, when placed in context, it seems that results (and an unconfirmed leaked result at that) are just as important as worldwide events.

There is a result-oriented culture here in NUS, where students are only concerned about the grade that they will get for the module, while remaining totally oblivious to the world around them.

This apathy has been known for awhile now, at least by those who bother to.

This is a worrying situation, not least because university graduates are expected to have acquired a certain amount of knowledge outside of their books by the time they graduate.

The NUS administration’s policy of compulsory breadths and unrestricted electives for undergraduates is an attempt to address this issue.

Unfortunately, there is no module on current affairs, because that is where we seem to be sorely lacking in.

How many can name their Member of Parliament? Or heard of the news that MP Seng Han Thong was set on fire during a grassroots event?

Amazingly, there are some that have absolutely no clue, and more shockingly, no interest in caring.

This lack of political discourse outside of the Political Science department is possibly detrimental to the rise of a civil society here.

At least some members of our sister university, the National Technological University, bothered enough to use the Speakers’ Corner to hold a (small) demonstration.

And no, they do not get modular credits or extra grades for doing so.

Students should be encouraged to take greater notice of the world around them outside of their textbooks and readings, for it is of greater relevance and importance to everyday life.

This results-over-all culture in NUS, and Singapore to an extent, has to change or else we will end up with a nation of uncaring, uninformed citizens.

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Pyrotechnics of all kinds are sold openly in the streets of Manila. At the stroke of midnight, the sky is littered with light from every imaginable direction.

As the night’s celebrations draw to an end, people return home, resigned to another year of hardship. The alleys, filled with burnt-out wicks and spent fireworks, are left to be swept away the next day.

Here in Singapore, these same lights in the night welcomed the New Year from every corner of our island. Here’s to a new year with less resignation, more hope, and more light.

“Now is the accepted time, not tomorrow, not some more convenient season.It is today that our best work can be done and not some future day or future year.

It is today that wefit ourselves for the greater usefulness of tomorrow. Today is the seed time, now are the hours of work, and tomorrow comes the harvest and the

playtime.”

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963)

A ThousAnd Words ...

text & photo Louie Laurel | u0704757@nus.edu.sg

06 news

NUS Welcomes its New Chief Artist

text Lynette Lim | lynette_lim@nus.edu.sg

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news 07As the world ushers in the New Year, the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) has an added cause to celebrate.

The Chairman and Members of the NUS Board of Trustees welcomed the new President of NUS, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, in a welcome lunch held on Jan. 8, 2009.

Held at the NUS Kent Ridge Guild House, the event was graced by His Excellency Mr. S R Nathan, President of the Republic of Singapore and NUS Chancellor, as well as Dr. Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Education.

Representatives from the various sectors making up NUS, students, academics, administrative staff as well as alumni, also attended the lunch.

In the speeches by Mr. Wong Ngit Liong, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, and Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan himself, it was these people who were thrust into the spotlight.

“There is no doubt that it is our people that make NUS great,” said Mr. Wong.

“Each has a unique and special role to play in making NUS what it is today.”

Prof. Tan agreed, highlighting four main groups, namely, the students, faculty, administrative staff and alumni.

In his speech, Prof. Tan focussed on the students of NUS and what the school’s “quest to be a leading global university means for them.”

“There will be some students who want to ascend Mount Everest. We cheer them on,” said Prof. Tan.

According to him, NUS will be pushed to reach greater heights than it has already reached by its people challenging themselves.

“We need boldness, self-belief and conviction to overcome obstacles and to grasp this opportunity,” he said.

Prof. Tan also laid down the aspiration he has for NUS.“Educating graduates who help advance the world we live in, is one of the most important which universities can make,” he said.

He added that leading universities in particular can go further than that, to “transform our societies and power our economies”.

Such an education will equip students “with the mental and personal abilities that will serve them well

as they scale the various types of peaks at different times in their lives”.

He illustrated this point with two examples of NUS undergraduates who have gone on to reach unconventional heights.

One of these was Mr. Navtej Singh, a history graduate from NUS.

He went on to establish his career in advertising, fast food restaurants a nd other food ventures, and finally his own start-up Finance and mobile commerce business.

To do so, there is still a long way to go for NUS.

NUS will have to be “where others are not going to be”, said Prof. Tan.

The difference that can and will set NUS apart is “our location and understanding of Asia, to distinguish NUS as a leading global university centred in Asia”, said Prof. Tan.

NUS has certainly come one full circle with Prof. Tan’s appointment as President.

“The evolving picture of our University’s journey began more than 100 years ago as a modest medical school with just 23 students,” said Mr. Wong.

Today, 100 years later, Prof. Tan, whose journey with NUS began as a medical student in 1978, takes the helm.

He served as the youngest medical Dean at 38, and has since then helped shaped the directions and initiatives for NUS, as Mr. Wong said in his speech.

The NUS Vision, “Towards A Global Knowledge Enterprise: A leading global university centred in Asia, influencing the future,” was also launched at the lunch.

This was coupled with the NUS Mission, “To transform the way people think and do things, through education, research and service”.

The Vision and Mission were launched two-fold, first by representatives of the various groups that make up the body of NUS, and finally by Prof. Tan, His Excellency Mr. Nathan, Mr. Wong and Dr. Ng.

As the yellow and blue confetti burst into the air upon the launch of the Vision and Mission, Prof. Tan stepped easily into his role as “ ‘chief artist’”, as put by Mr. Wong in his speech, ready to paint the new strokes of brilliance to NUS.

08 news

Level-4000 FASS Modules to Carry 5MC From Next AY

There will be a change in the academic programme of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) starting from the next academic year (2009/2010). Level-4000 modules will no longer carry four modular credits (MC) but five MC instead.

Alongside this change, students now also have to accumulate 40 MC of level-4000 modules to fulfil their Honours requirement, upped from the original 32 MC. This means that for most students, the total number of level-4000 modules they need to take stays the same at eight.

The exception is students from 2006 cohort onwards who have taken less than four level-4000 modules prior to the academic year 2009/2010. They would only have to take seven level-4000 modules altogether.The greatest implication in this policy change, then, is that students will be taking fewer level-3000 and below modules to fulfil their remaining MCs.

Associate Professor John Richardson, the Vice-Dean of Undergraduate Matters in FASS, explained that this would “allow Honours students to concentrate more deeply on their Major in their final year. Doing fewer modules would prevent them from dissipating their energies and help them to focus.”

Although this change appears to be a new development, the idea has already been around for some time.

Prof. Richardson said that the changes were discussed over a period of two to three years where they we received positive feedback from student groups.

Students’ Response

On Dec. 19, 2008, the FASS administration emailed the affected cohorts to inform them of this impending change.

However, when the ridge approached some FASS students for opinions on this change, many were surprised at the news and admitted that they did not know such a change has been made.

Most students have concerns and unanswered questions.

Shen Shifa, a second-year Communications and New Media (CNM) major, brought up the difficulty in planning modules according to the new policy, “Four 4 MC and one 5 MC modules add up to 21 MC. Will this be overloading? Should I remove one 4 MC module and only take 17 MC for the semester?”

Two online circulars were just about the only documents available for more information on this policy change and they failed to address concerns like the reason for this implementation and rationale behind its timing.

text Chrissy Phoong | yoke.xi@nus.edu.sg Lee Meixian | meixian@nus.edu.sg

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Fourth-year History student, Eisen Teo, sympathized with third-year students and how they have to adapt to this abrupt change. “Some people I know plan two years or three semesters in advance. Suddenly they have to face this, without even being given a good reason why this change took place.”

Correct Timing?

Prof. Richardson said the change was delayed to the new academic year instead of the Semester Two to minimize disruption and maximize benefit.

“We discussed all the possible points of introduction before deciding on the first semester of 09/10,” he said. “Decisions of this nature are always hard to make and reliant on judgment.”

Prof. Richardson defended the administration’s decision by pointing out the inevitability that seniors would always wonder why a certain new system was not made applicable to them.

“If we are to improve, we have to change,” he said. “And if we are to introduce changes, we have to introduce them at a specific point. That some groups cannot benefit from them is not a reason to stop all change.”

The Need For Transparency

There are many questions that students want answered, but none as much as the lack of an explanation accompanying the policy changes.

Said Eisen Teo, “This isn’t the first time sudden announcements have been made by the FASS administration without providing supporting rationale. Questions like how the decision was reached and who was responsible for it are not answered.”“It’s puzzling and frustrating. I don’t think transparency in decision-making is too much to demand from a concerned student. We do not just want to know the What; we want to know the Why as well.”

Prof. Richardson had tried to explain the situation by weighing different priorities. “The information we have provided about the change focused on ensuring that students made the right choices of modules and will not face difficulties with graduation because of it,” he said.

“This is an important message. We will send a message later to explain the reasons for the change.”

Should Other Faculties Follow Suit?

Beyond the walls of FASS, some students hope to see the same policy implemented in their faculties.

Second-year mechanical engineering student, Raymond said, “It’s a good move and should also be implemented in the Engineering department. We are often short-changed by the 3MC modules with a 4 MC workload. By implementing 5 MC level 4000 modules for us, I think our workload will be justified.”

v10 news

New Student Hub At YIH By 2010

Come 2010, the Yusof Ishak House (YIH) will be transformed into a bustling hive of activity and energy.

From a mere home of student facilities and amenities, the metamorphosis will see YIH become the get-together point for students seeking a platform to interact, exchange ideas and feed off their creative and youthful energy.

As a student hub, YIH will play host to a variety of activities such as forums, movie screenings, exhibitions and performances.

The makeover is expected to be completed by late 2009.

The three main parties involved are the Office of Student Affairs (OSA), the University Health, Wellness and Counselling Centre (UHWC) and the National University of Singapore Students’ Union (NUSSU).

YIH undergoes facelift

The exterior of the YIH will be changed as part of the plans to “give a complete facelift to the whole YIH,” according to Mr. Koh Yong Chea, senior manager of the OSA.

In addition to a change in its façade, there will also be

some minor changes to the interior of YIH.

Facilities like the canteen, also known as Central Square, the food outlet – Sukiya and Munchie Monkey, the student rooms like the TV room, study room and student lounge, as well as all facilities on the first floor will not be renovated.

UHWC moves

The UHWC will move to the site occupied previously by the Shaw Foundation Alumni House, opposite the YIH.

This move is tentatively scheduled to be carried out from 11 Mar to 13 Mar.

Dr. Catherine Chua, director of UHWC, stated that UHWC would be unable to provide any form of service during those three days.

According to her, the UHWC would be operational from 16 Mar onwards at the new premises.

In view of this, it is offering full time undergraduates under UHWC’s health scheme a one-off offer to claim medical cost including investigations up to S$25 per visit for consulting any doctors of their choice.

This will be a one off proposal only applicable to the duration of the move.

The claim is capped at a maximum of two visits per student, stated Dr. Chua.

OSA undergoes revamp

The current UHWC site will be converted into a temporary office for the OSA before undergoing its final transformation into a “Student Area” by 2010.

Mr Koh explained that this is because the main OSA office, which has remained unchanged for at least 15 years, is due for some renovation.

text & photo Chin Mei Kuan | mk.chin@nus.edu.sg

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He added that there will be a re-configuration of the office layout, an addition of rooms and some minor construction that are expected to be completed in about 10 to 12 weeks, starting from late March or early April.

New student area for exhibitions, talks, forums

Following OSA’s move back into its renovated premises, the current UHWC site will be converted into a “Student Area.”

Aimed to serve as an interaction area for students, the “Student Area” holds the possibility of holding exhibitions, movie screenings and forums.

According to Mr Koh, specific uses for the space will be proposed by NUSSU, and subject to the university’s approval.

New outdoor student forum for bazaars and road shows

In line with the student hub concept, the open space outside the Student Career Centre will be converted into an open forum apace for organizing talks and bazaars.

According to Mr Koh, this new forum is targeted at easing the congestion at the Central Forum, due to “the large number of student organizations holding their activities there”.

He added that it will be designed as an Omnitheatre, but was unable to confirm the scale of bazaars that can be held there.

The forum’s capacity would depend on the architects’ recommendations, he explained.

Rearrangement and renovation of NUSSU facilities

There will be some shifting done for NUSSU facilities as well.

According to Mr. Koh, the NUSSU secretariat will move to the other side of the sixth floor from where it currently is.

As the renovations and construction works are expected to continue well into the academic year, Mr Koh stated that the administration will seek to reduce the inconvenience caused to students, especially during the examination periods.

The Shaw Foundation Alumni house will house the Counselling Centre and the UHWC.

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12 news

Breach that... GAPS! YOU NOTICE A leak in the walls of a ship. You plug the hole, only for another to pop up somewhere else. Then another; and another. This scenario sounds like it came straight out of a Looney Tunes cartoon but it is a problem that the National University of Singapore (NUS) faces almost every semester.

The latest hole appeared on Dec. 16, 2008, a full week before the scheduled release of the examination results. A member of a popular local online forum posted instructions on how undergraduates from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) could view their updated Cumulative Average Point (CAP) scores by logging into the Graduating & Academic Planning System (GAPS). The steps required the user to view the page’s source code, hardly a common thing to do but

given the number of people waiting for a leak to spring, it was only a matter of time before one was discovered. How many, you may ask.

In fact, this particular thread is over 80 pages long, with more than 1,200 posts since May 2007.

According to Associate Professor John Richardson, Vice Dean for Undergraduate Matters in the FASS Dean’s Office, a routine check of the GAPS system led to the discovery and subsequent rectification of the leak.“It was a glitch in the system and the IT team worked very quickly to rectify the fault,” Prof Richardson explained.

He also stressed that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the incident and that “We don’t blame the students for discovering the leak, as it was an open system.”

text Fabius Chen | fabiuschen@nus.edu.sg Jason Hau | jasonhau@nus.edu.sg

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Breach that... GAPS! Candidly, he described the leak as “akin to a student discovering a piece of paper, containing their results, that was dropped on the floor and then telling his or her friends about it.”

Guidelines on how to deal with such events include immediately blocking access to the faulty system and implementing new measures to ensure no future leaks from that source.Despite the updated CAP scores being available a week before the official release of results, the Dean’s Office is adamant that grades are being processed as promptly as possible.

Mrs. Karen Tong, Assistant Manager of the FASS Dean’s Office, commented: “In the interest of all students, the staff is already working as quickly as they can to ensure that they get a fair and accurate result out.”

This seems fair enough, considering NUS released its results just two weeks after the end of examinations.

In contrast, other major local universities can take longer for their results to released, a point that Mrs. Tong reiterated to the Ridge.

For example, the National Technological University released their results on Dec. 29, even though their examinations ended one week earlier than NUS.

In addition, it seemed that many students were oblivious, or simply did not bother that there was a leak.

“I did not know about the leak. In fact, I was not exactly looking forward to seeing my grades too,” said Chen Zhi Ying, a third-year economics major.

Prof. Richardson summed up the feelings of many when he told the Ridge, “Perhaps students these days are becoming too concerned about their grades. The passion and love for learning should be the primary factors.”

While this incident was due to a flaw in a system maintained by FASS, students should take note that they should refrain from actively seeking out leaks, lest it escalates to a university-level case.

Unlike this case, hacking into a closed system is a serious and possibly illegal action.

Prof. Richardson explained that students suspected of that would be referred to the university Board of Discipline.

Now that the problem with GAPS has been resolved and the particular glitch removed, one wonders if another leak from another source will appear in four months’ time.

Perhaps third-year Social Work undergraduate Patrick Song sums up the feelings of many when he quipped, “I missed out on the leak this time, but hopefully I can see the leak the next time it happens.”

14 news

Enter Hangeul!For ‘Koreanophiles’ in the National University of Singapore who wanted to learn Korean had no choice but to take it at either the NUS Extension or at various private language schools around Singapore.

Now, they have another option right at their doorstep.

The NUS Centre for Language Studies has introduced the Korean Language Programme in August 2008.

Along with Hindi, it is one of the new additions to the many languages conducted under its foreign language programmes. This is part of the university’s efforts to internationalise and is in keeping with the goals of the Korean Foundation, set up by the South Korean government, which was designed to spread the Korean language and culture around the world

This also provides opportunity for more students to explore academic and career opportunities provided for student exchange programmes currently running between the various Korean varsities and NUS.

So far, there has been an encouraging response to Korean 1 (LAK 1201) with 80 students in its first batch. This healthy response reflects the demand amongst students wanting to learn Korean.

Indeed, we have all heard about how the Korean pop culture (or Hallyu) has swept across Asia winning thousands of fans from Taiwan to Indonesia.

Its pervasiveness here in Singapore can be seen in the popularity of Korean drama DVDs lining side by side

with Japanese and Taiwanese soap operas, “Sol Marts” selling Korean groceries and even a Little Seoul at Novena Square!

However, just how strong has culture been a compelling factor for this interest in the Korean Language?

Ms. Dorcas Fong, 23, a recent graduate from the Communications and New Media programme who took Korean at the NUS Extension pointed to the novelty of the language that piqued her interest, as compared to Japanese and French.

She told the ridge, “There are far less numbers of people learning Korean and this makes an excellent opportunity to speak a language that not many people are fluent in.”

“It will be useful in situations where companies are seeking Korean speakers,” she added.

A recent study by Masters graduate and current lecturer for the Korean Language Programme, Mr. Seo Won Chi, has listed pop culture, career, personal achievement, academic exchange and interest in foreign languages as the main motivations for students taking up the language.

The study mentioned Dr Doobo Shim, a NUS assistant professor, reporting that at one private language school in Singapore, the number of new Korean language students enrolled had increased by 60 percent between 2001 and 2003 because of the interest in Korean Dramas.

text Aminurashid Juma’at | u0500245@nus.edu.sg

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Granted that South Korea has confidently grown to become the world’s seventh largest economy, the study has shown that career prospects (requiring Korean language skills) figured less heavily on the variance percentage as opposed to pop culture (0.77 and 0.88 respectively).

Personal achievement (0.42) and interest in foreign languages (0.64) on the other hand scored lower.

Interestingly, reasons pertaining to academic exchange scored highest among these factors at 0.93.

Mr. Seo attributes this to the preparation of students for the student exchange stint through the Korean Language Preparation Programme.

However, when taking into the totality of constituent items under each factor, interest in Korean pop culture has been a much stronger reason for the uptake of the language.

With all the hype surrounding the Hallyu, it remains

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to be seen if the passing of this pop cultural phase will sustain the continued appeal of the Korean language.

However, this does not necessarily warrant any ounce of pessimism.

Looking at how the Japanese and French have long established their linguistic currency, the Korean language might just retain its clout.

The Center of Language studies offers LAK1201 Korean 1 at the beginner’s level. Students wishing to pursue the language further can do so through Korean 2 and 3.

The Student Exchange Programme (SEP) language preparation programme will be offered only to freshmen who have just been accepted into the university. They may apply to the International Relations Office in June/July for admission into the programme. All other interested students may wish to direct their enquiries to the International Relations Office.

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Don’t let the ominous cover fool you; Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight is not so much a vampire tale as it is a teenage love story.

The first time I laid eyes on the paperback, my immediate expectation was for a classy, sophisticated and sensuously dark novel. I am a fan of vampire novels. I love the intrigue, the fear, the tension between attraction and repulsion. Meyer’s tale falls disappointingly short in the sophistication rate-o-meter.

The heroine, Bella starts off as an emo-slash-insecure big-city girl who ends up in a small town and a new school where she meets the unrealistically flawless Edward Cullen.

Bella’s personality quirk is clumsiness which Meyer exploits to an annoying degree. She is also cynical, sarcastic, unfriendly and a certain kind of smug. For some reason, despite her unapologetic disinterest in all and sundry, everyone wants to be her friend.

Edward Cullen is described as almost God-like. If ever there was a physique so breathtaking, a face so beautiful, skin so immaculately fair and eyes capable of setting your knickers aflame, it would be Edward’s.

A couple of chapters into the book and I was wondering how on earth Twilight made the bestseller list, let alone got past the editor. The countless, breathless, sexually charged descriptions of how

Cullen’s eyes change colour every time Bella looks at him is snort-worthy. I’m not going to even start on the fascination with his teeth.

The style of prose is simple at best and if I’m feeling a little less generous, cringe-inducing. Meyers spouts over the top adjectives like there’s no tomorrow. The sheer volume of descriptive words – most of which seem to be synonyms from a thesaurus – scares me. The dialogue is equally embarrassing.

At one point, Cullen leans in and sniffs the back of Bella’s neck. He says, “Just because I’m resisting the wine doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the bouquet.” I

text Christel Gomes | gpddess.gomes@gmail.com

couldn’t help but let out a loud snort on the MRT at that point. Who talks like that?

Sexual tension in Twilight just builds and builds. Every other page is a romanticised description of the incredible strength of will it requires for Edward not to touch Bella, or vice-versa. Reason being, noble Edward doesn’t trust himself not to make dinner out of her.

So at the end of it all, I wonder what all the hype is about. A few minutes on Google brought up a plethora of smitten teenagers swooning over the unbelievably romantic plot.

That didn’t satisfy my question as to why intelligent adults found the novel so compelling. A few more searches and I find a perfect description by Lev Grossman who states; “What makes Meyer’s books so distinctive is that they’re about the erotics of abstinence… He barely touches her, but there’s more sex in (it) than in all the snogging in Harry Potter.”

design Samyuktha

Apollo has been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun; truth and prophecy; medicine and healing; music, poetry, and the arts; and more. In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo is one of the most important Olympian deities.

Representing the ideal of the “kouros” or the beardless youth, Apollo represented a multitude of qualities and traits. He was also seen as a god who could bring ill-health and deadly plague as well as one who had the ability to cure.

As the leader of the Muses and director of their choir, Apollo functioned as the patron god of music and poetry. Hermes created the lyre for him, and the instrument became a common attribute of Apollo.

Apollo(‘Aπόλλων)

18 apollo

It is no wonder that gods such as Apollo have no place in religion and society today, as he is

too real, too human, to be venerated.

Edith Hamilton said about Apollo that “Two ideas were fighting in him as in all the gods; a primitive, crude idea and one that was beautiful and poetic”. Apollo was a patron of music and the arts; he was the god of wisdom and healing. But he was also unforgiving, even brutal. In love especially, his pursuits were seldom graceful and often beastly.

It is rather interesting that one of the most important of the Olympian deities was portrayed as embodying such duality. Regardless of his reputation as a violent, promiscuous god, Apollo was both revered and loved. His primal expressions were considered natural, not vulgar.

The concept of a less-than-ideal but accepted god is refreshing and foreign in a world that is increasingly judgmental, increasingly mechanical. It is no wonder that gods such as Apollo have no place in religion and society today, as he is too real, too human, to be venerated.

In a society where rationality is emphasized and letting your feelings, instead of your intellect, guide your actions is frowned upon, we often take for granted the ideal that the capitalist society tends to promote – working efficiently for maximum productivity.

Hardly anyone questions why emotions have to take a second place in our lives centred on competition and making it big, at any cost. Passion and adventure have taken a backseat to our efforts at living up to the notions of success as defined by the state and economy.

Apollo’s love affairs are notorious in mythology. Apollo had many lovers, both male and female. The stories of his romantic quests speak of love and sacrifice, but also lust and revenge. Apollo may not be an apt role model for lovers, but the traits that made him legendary as a lover are ones that call for some reflection.

Even when the nymph Daphne rejected his love and turned herself into a tree so that Apollo could not pursue her, he tended to her as his tree and used his powers of eternal youth to keep her evergreen. He sought the objects of his affections tirelessly, however daunting their rejection was; he was not ashamed to indulge in and express his desires; and he was spirited and passionate as a lover. Within and outside of context, these are traits that are dying in society today.

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text Kokila Annamalai | kokila.annamalai@gmail.com

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As a way of life, we are taught to be down-to-earth, to control our emotions and desires. In most societal circles, the fantastical are not appreciated; the radical are not

supported. Lust is vulgar, because it is primal.

Letting your anger get the better of you is weak, because emotions are second-rate. It is unrefined to say whatever comes to mind, it is primitive to express your natural impulses. We come from a tailor-made world, where how to eat, how to sit, how to walk and how to talk are all learned. There are rules for everything, and you have to live up. If you do not, then well, you will not make it – socially or economically. Because there are no mythological gods to defend your case.

Apollo had his share of faults. Violence and sexual preoccupation were not his proudest moments, and are not traits that any society, at any period, advocates. He was, in some ways, an example of what not to be like, as people learned from the mistakes their gods made.

But Apollo represents something people at the time found important – balance. Balance between the refined and the primal, between work and play, between duties and desires. And that is something hat may very well be missing in our lives, to the extent that recreational and relaxing situations need to be simulated to de-stress the over-worked employee of today. Psychologists and counsellors have better business than ever; and stress management courses can afford to charge exorbitant rates for their services.

The Greek god of truth, archery and poetry has an important message to share. The importance of our desires, instincts and emotions are often underplayed, as they are a hindrance to the economic prosperity that capitalism endorses.

As a result, we run the risk of turning into two-dimensional people. Most of human nature is designed and cultivated to the extent that formulated ideals have been internalized as natural. But yet, in each of us, there are certain primal motivations. It is ignorance to indulge all of them; but to exercise that part of us at times, to give it expression, may not be such a crime after all.

Primal Instincts

20 apollo

Off Beat Sportslifestyle the ridge decides to focus on one of Apollo’s lesser known aspectts: he was known to be the meanest archer in town. Here are a

Ah yes, Apollo’s favourite sport. Robin Hood’s as well. Not to mention a certain Legolas. The ancient sport has definitely progressed with the help of technology, but the basic skills of great co-ordination and discipline still apply. Take a look at the Singapore Archery Club website or our NUS Archery Club websites. Just remember, there’s no need to go and grow a ponytail and spout Elvish during trainings.

The art of rock climbing has served humankind well since we were cavemen trying to find bird’s nests in remote cliffs. Although that may be an extreme example, rock-climbing is an elegant sport that needs you to be ultra focused and disciplined. Pay a visit to the ‘Rock Gym’ on campus and get in touch with the NUS Climbing Club to further pursue the sport. Scaling the wall outside your house to get into your room when you forgot your keys doesn’t count as experience.

text Arzish Baaquie | arzish@gmail.com

Archery

Rock Climbing

With the recently concluded Contender: Asia giving Thai kick-boxing a huge amount of publicity, you may be inspired to pick up the sport. An intense and physically demanding sport, Muay Thai requires commitment and fitness, as well as discipline. Check out BXG Fitness or AS Fitness for courses for beginners. Better warn your parents before you pick up the sport though; bruising is an inevitability.

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Technically not a sport, paintball does provide good fun and a decent workout with your friends. Two teams basically try and shoot one another with guns that shoot out pellets of paint which, by the way, are cause considerable pain. Teamwork and accuracy with the paint-gun are obviously important skills required. Not forgetting the hugely important protective gear. Remember that annoying project-group mate who we told you not to use your fencing skills on? Invite him to a friendly old game of paintball.

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A sport that has become hugely popular over the last few years, wakeboarding involves, in layman’s terms, hanging onto a cable for dear life whilst standing on a board as a speedboat drags you across the sea. If that got your blood pumping, this is the sport for you. Wakeboard enthusiasts can check out our NUS Wakeboarding club or the Singapore Wakeboard Association. Just remember, leave the stunts to the professionals. You would not want to come to school in a cast because you wanted to impress that girl with a 360 degree mid-air somersault. Two words:Epic fail.

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The sport of polo may not be as popular as other sports due to the minor detail that it involves riding a horse whilst swinging a stick. However, having been portrayed in the media as a sport only the posh partake in, its no wonder many are flocking to the Singapore Polo Club to learn more about it. Although a tad expensive, it also gives you the perfect opportunity to wear those t-shirts that were originally designed for people who play the sport: the polo t-shirt.

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send your contributions to ridge.canvas@gmail.com along with your Name, Faculty and Year

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24 apollo

The Indie SceneWith Apollo being the patron god of music along with having mad chops on the lyre, the ridge and the Original Music Society take a look at the local music landscape.

Our local indie scene has gone through a series of changes throughout the years. The scene has never been static. One only has to listen to the bands listed above in order to hear the different musical influences behind.

Gig venues like Fat Frog Café (now Timbre over at Substation) have also either vanished or been reconstructed. Surely too, the people who stood in front the stage have since moved onto other areas of society.

The local indie scene includes the indepedent industry of musicians, bands, gig-organisers and of course, the shows themselves. Because the music is produced and performed by self-motivated people who are as ordinary as the person sitting next to you, and the gigs that pepper the land involve an intense interactive experience.

Yet the local indie scene has often been branded all-too-quickly as a hotbed for substandard music. Granted, there are indeed some lousy bands out there, but this implies unmotivated performers, not unmotivated music.

Elihu Katz, a sociologist in the field of communication and media, theorized that people, far from being passive consumers, sieve through everyday culture and take only what they can suitably use in their lives. If we apply this to the assumption of indie music being below par, we can start to see that maybe the issue’s not with the music, or even the bands, but

that in Singapore there exists a sad state where most Singaporeans are unable to identify with music that is produced by people like them.

It would be too hasty to conclude that our local music scene is “sluggish” or even “struggling”. Though not representative of the masses, there are still many Singaporeans who have found their identity with local indie music. Surely, the huge turnout at events like Baybeats, Rock for Wayne, and other gigs like the Weekend Trip are testimony to the undying passion that many hold for the local indie scene.

These local gigs and the variety of bands form an identity-bedrock for local listeners that transcend age, race, gender and even institutions like schools, where it’s not uncommon to see people from different backgrounds with the same passion for local music.

This is because in the local indie scene, these listeners aren’t just consumers of yet another cultural product – they are also equal producers of local culture. While local bands do rely on CDs and Myspace, what really defines them are their live shows, where unfiltered, raw interactive exchanges flow between the band and the audience, making them co-producers in creating the experience.

We do not seek not to cajole or coerce you to support the local music. Rather, we hope that with heightened awareness of the local indie scene, you would be interested to take a listen, and perhaps engage in the local indie scene where many have found their passion and self-identity.

text Johnson Soon | john.sonne@gmail.com photo Thomas Tan

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lifestyle the ridge asks you: “What do you think of when you think GREEK? “

Greek gods like Apollo or Ares or Zeus!-Meghna Desai, Business, Year 3

text Samyuktha | pas.assez.jolie@gmail.com

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The series that I’ve been watching... it’s called Greek!-Shareena Siraj, Business, Year 2

I think architecture-Raghuraman Uthaman, FASS, Year 2

Philosophy!-Kishan Kumar Singh, Science , Year 2

Togas. Then next comes Socrates stuff... stuff I leant during my Philosophy module.-Hanis Farhanah Yusof, Business, Year 2

This show I love watching called GREEK :D :D-Nabha Battul, Science, Year 2

I think of Helen of Troy!-Arzish Baaquie, Business, Year 4

People Page

26 apollo

We know Apollo was a connoisseur of music. But since we could not get a hold of him for this article, the ridge instead reviews the latest releases for you.

Guns ‘n Roses, stalwarts of the glam/hair metal and stadium rock heydays are almost unrecognizable from their “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” days.

With everyone minus the frontman forming Velvet Revolver and releasing two studio albums, it is nice to finally hear from Axl.

Over the years Rose has built up a reputation for being erratic, egomaniacal and a control freak forged amid cancelled tours and shows, crew members and supporting acts being fired during events and a stubborn refusal to release new material.

The insanity is further reflected on the album credits with 17 studios listed as being used for recording and a plethora of contributors and collaborators, including

virtuoso guitarist Buckethead and Queen guitarist Brain May (whose material was totally scrapped) appearing on the record in some capacity.But with a stable lineup, and it seems, all the false starts out of the way we can finally get back to enjoying good old, straight up rock and roll.

If you put aside all the drama, the antics and the hysteria, Axl Rose is still one of the most accomplished musicians around with an undeniably excellent ear for melodies and harmonies.

There is a fine line between genius and insanity. And while insanity’s entertainment value is immense, you sometimes want your celebrities to remind you why they became famous in the first place.

text Hurrairah bin Sohail | hurrairah@gmail.com

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“ ... the joke on the street was that China would embrace democracy before fans got a hold of Chinese Democracy.”

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Chinese DemoCraCy

Finally, the wait is over and Axl Rose has decided, for better or for worse, to let his magnum opus Chinese Democracy see the light of day.

With a 17 year delay and annual rumours and speculations about the release of the album, it is safe to say that this record has been the most anticipated and expected album. In fact, the joke on the street was that China would embrace democracy before fans got a hold of Chinese Democracy.

For an album with so much hype around it, it has not made the mark that had been predicted. Lacklustre marketing from best buy, a botched publicity gimmick from Dr. Pepper (who promised a free Dr. Pepper beverage to fans if the album was released this year on time) and no touring in support of the album has seen disappointing sales. The music though, remains faultless.

The sound is un-mistakable Guns ‘n Roses circa Use Your Illusion I & II. With the grand orchestral arrangements and choirs on songs like “There Was A Time”, “Street of Dreams” and “If The World”, you can see that the songs are almost thematic sequels to cuts like “November Rain” and “Estranged”. The songs are a progression of grandiose sounds and complex arrangements.

“ ... the joke on the street was that China would embrace democracy before fans got a hold of Chinese Democracy.”

However, none of the trade-mark Guns ‘n Roses guitar licks and riffs have not be eschewed. Songs like “Better” and “Riad ‘n the Bedouins” exhibit the same menace of old. The only difference is that it takes five guitarists now to do what two did before.

In fact, there are times when one is left expecting a blues, fuzz-drenched Slash wah solo only to be let down by a below par, overly technical guitar pieces which is definitely the biggest downer

Axl’s voice is still between a high pitched growl and a banshee shriek. But the vocal melodies, which range from falsetto to lows through the album, are perhaps the best and strongest of Rose’s career.

As usual, with Guns ‘n Roses, you do not expect deep and meaningful poetry. But that is not to say that Chinese Democracy is full of trite hackneyed lyrics. The album does offer some high points. On “Better” Axl sings “No one ever told me when/ I was alone/ They just thought I’d know Better/ Better.” Now whether this is a sarcastic dig at all the doubters or bleak retrospect at the years spent in the proverbial wilderness is up for debate.

Overall, the album trumps most new albums out there. But on the absolute scale it sounds over produced and over thought out. A classic example is “Better” which has three different bridge sections. While all of them sound excellent, mashing them together makes the song lose the raw feel it needed.

The album either needed less time being processed, or more time being perfected. Maybe if Axl Rose released Chinese Democracy 10 years earlier or 10 years …

However with news of another album already being in the pipelines, maybe Guns n’ Roses can reclaim the glory days of yesteryear.

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28 transmedia

Hayao Miyazaki Film ReelA humanist at heart, Miyazaki treats each film as the sum product of a unique blend of hopeful idealism weighted by a sober recognition of the very real issues modern society faces.

After the dramatics of 2008, it is time to sit back, wind down and taste a little nostalgia before taking the plunge into the new year. Opening 2009 is acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated flick, Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea—a charming little film about a goldfish princess who befriends a human boy.

With the director’s signature fantastical backdrops and a catchy theme song, it is no wonder that Ponyo has captured the hearts of audiences the world over. While the film seems to have been targeted at young children, older audiences can still enjoy the film for its comical elements and stunning portrayal of the ever shifting seascapes.

A humanist at heart, Miyazaki treats each film as the sum product of a unique blend of hopeful idealism weighted by a sober recognition of the very real issues modern society faces. Light, fluffy, buoyant and beautiful, each film is a masterpiece of cinematic magic in its own right.

Nausicaä, Valley of the Wind

Set in an apocalyptic future, the film’s heroine is Nausicaa, a princess of a small tribe living in the Valley of the Wind, one of the remaining pockets of habitable land on a toxic-ravaged earth.

A compelling story about ecological destruction and the foibles of human behaviour, Nausicaä’s humane and moving message should ring a bell with the current emphasis on ethical and environmentally-friendly practices in both production and consumption. One of Miyazaki’s earliest feature-film hits, Nausicaä, Valley of the Wind arguably launched his career as one of Japan’s most well-loved animators, both commercially and critically.

text Leong Su Zhen |leongsz@hotmail.comph

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My Neighbour Totoro

A perennial favourite with teachers and students everywhere, My Neighbour Totoro follows up on Miyazaki’s anti-modernization rhetoric with its intensely attractive portrait of rural Japan, consisting of quaint vehicles and lush agricultural greenery. The main characters, Mei and Satsuki, and their iconic furry helper, Totoro lend the film a cheeky innocence that makes nostalgia palatable for even the most jaded person. While Mononoke-hime may be considered Miyazaki at his most accomplished, Totoro easily wins the prize for being one of his most accessible and upbeat films to date.

Porco Rosso

Although Porco Rosso remains one of Miyazaki’s lesser known films, it is no less enjoyable than the rest. Emulating a post WWI air set amidst the white cliffs and azure seas of the Adriatic region, the film’s tone is the most mature so far. As the title suggests, the main character is Marco, a disillusioned bounty hunter who flies a brightred plane and is “a pig of a man” literally. Appearances however, are only skin deep and it is the film’s interesting use of surface representations that make it one of the most nuanced and layered films in the director’s oeuvre. Another bonus point is that unlike the other films, there is no resoundingly didactic message to mar a good chill-out movie watching experience.

Spirited Away

The film that launched Miyazaki to international acclaim stars a spoilt young girl who stumbles into an alternate world populated by spirits. Forced to work in a bathhouse operated by an obnoxious witch called Yubaba, Chihiro has to learn to rise above her own lethargic personality to earn her freedom. The film’s complex exploration of consumerism and material comfort as both desirous and yet potentially morally emptying also marks it as being aptly representative of the times. Chock full of breath-taking dream-like scenery, lovable characters and an excellent score by Joe Hisaishi, Spirited Away’s Oscar win is certainly deserved.

Based in Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki’s other works include ‘Laputa: Castle in the Sky’, ‘Kiki’s Delivery Service’, a Chage & Aska music video titled ‘On Your Mark’, the excellent ‘Mononoke-hime’ and the screen adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones’s young adult novel, ‘Howl’s Moving Castle’.

Light, fluffy, buoyant and beautiful, each film is a masterpiece of cinematic magic in

its own right.

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30 lifestyle

Ring out the old and ring in the coolThe New Year has rolled around and once again it’s time to make some resolutions – regardless of how long they are kept.text Samyuktha| pas.assez.jolie@gmail.com

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For those of us who don’t quite want to make life-changing resolutions knowing that we will break them five minutes into the new year (read: I will stop eating fried food), lifestyle the ridge brings you fashion resolutions...

Girls

We know you love your tights, but we are trying very hard not to beg you to stop wearing them as pants. There is a big difference between jeans and tights: the former flatters your ass while the latter just makes you look like you forgot to wear that miniskirt you were planning to pair it with.

PS. We would advise you not to write this down in your list of resolutions. Nobody needs to know.

For those of us who have been throwing on the same jeans and rotating the same well-worn and threadbare five t-shirts for the past few months, all I can say is variety is the spice of life. Try being radically different... and wearing a skirt perhaps? Maybe that cute guy in lecture will finally sit up and take note of your existence.

This one is for those of us on the other end of the

spectrum – those who simply cannot live without their Nine Wests or Aldos. That is no reason to try and manoeuvre campus stairs in your killer 4-inch heels. By the time that 4pm lecture in AS7 rolls around, you’ll be sorely regretting your decision to show them off.

Although there is no need to go the other extreme and carry the same bag for four semesters, it would be advisable to consider not carrying a new bag everyday. Apart from reducing your chances of leaving your wallet, phone or keys in thewrong bag, we also think it would ease the economic burden on you and your family in these difficult times.

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For both guys and girls, do throw out that pair of shoes/bag/jeans that is long past expiry but you have just not had the heart to part with. In the same vein, resolve to change something about your looks. Get a different haircut, start accessorising if you usually do not – just add a little pizzazz. Here’s to keeping your resolutions.

If you do not have time to preen (we can only assume you are doing 6 modules and juggling 3 CCAs simultaneously), skip the fancy five-minute ritual and head straight for a layered look. It adds character to your t-shirt and jeans look, while having the additional benefit of keeping the air-conditioning at bay.

Factor five minutes into your daily schedule for accessorising. Anything from a simple watch or belt to cufflinks works to spruce up your outfit and distinguish you from the hordes of t-shirt and jeans-clad student drones.

Agreed that some girls dig long hair. But do consider shampooing it regularly. Not many girls I know dig long greasy hair.

We know Lecture Theatres in NUS can get rather cold, which is why you are unlikely to get weird looks if you walk around campus in a hoodie. What however does promise to change that is wearing the hood on your hoodie. Now that is guaranteed social suicide.

Guys

We can’t repeat this one enough. Resolve to change out of your FBT shorts and singlet the minute your workout ends. Contrary to what you believe, girls are not turned on by the sight of your muscular thighs.

32 outspoken

Minefields of Political Incorrectness

Sometimes you simply have to stop shuffling and step on people’s toes – on purpose.

Today, anyone promoting a self-image of a modern, well-educated and informed person should never be politically incorrect. Society is generally quick to condemn those who dare to expose their ignorance by saying the “wrong” things. Singapore, a multicultural melting pot, is among the world’s many societies permeated with Western ideologies that are placing increasing emphasis on excruciating diplomacy.

Last month, I was invited to give a literary response at a book launch. The book was a collection of stories written by 14- and 15-year-olds, about their experiences with ‘differently-abled’ people. I was impressed at the extent to which the issues related to the handicapped were explored. Many people are reluctant to openly discuss these issues, to the despair of the disabled.

When attempting to be sensitive and politically correct, to avoid stepping on toes, we are faced with the challenge of choosing the right words. Differently able, disabled, handicapped, not-all-there, special… How do we know which words to use without offending anyone? Unfortunately, too often, the solution is to not say anything at all. However, in this book, I found that the authors overcame the challenge of appropriate diction by offering honest descriptions of their main characters instead of sticking on labels.

text Danbee Shin |danbee.shin@nus.edu.sg

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A tumour of misunderstandings, wariness and suspicions arising from lack of communication – is

this really what we’re advocating by demanding constant and indiscriminate political correctness?

Isn’t this what we should be doing; judging people by their individualities and personalities instead of stripping each other of identity? When you say African-American instead of Black, you are still judging the person by his or her ancestry, not personal traits.

Admittedly, most of the time, the way around minefields of political incorrectness is a lot more complicated, sometimes inexistent. Should we then just keep our mouths shut and stay put lest our politically incorrect remarks explode in our faces?

Being politically correct is accepting that all systems of thought are equal in value. It is demonstrating sensitivity towards all cultures, an attempt at courteousness and tact, respecting each other’s race, gender, religion and everything else that, for most of history, has divided people and driven them apart. It is not inventing new terms to label or describe the same thing in a somehow less crass manner.

What is the point of being politically correct, when, by doing so, voices are smothered and freedom of speech revoked? How can we be expected to be sensitive towards another’s views and opinions if we cannot express our own? How is this death of expression supposed to help promote better understanding and tolerance between different groups of people?

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Surely, the loss of freedom of speech is a step backwards in the struggle to secure human rights for all – the very human rights that political correctness is supposed to protect. Sweeping the dust under the carpet does not make it go away, it just leaves a disturbing and irritating lump on the ground. A tumour of misunderstandings, wariness and suspicions arising from lack of communication – is this really what we’re advocating by demanding constant and indiscriminate political correctness? Can we afford this in today’s ever smaller world?

As with all the world’s controversial questions, the answer lies in balance. Balance between political correctness and common sense judgement. No one deserves to be the topic of an insensitive slur, but no one deserves to have their views suppressed either.

Not always being politically correct does not, by any means, translate to saying anything and everything at whim. We need to be responsible for our expressions, aware of and sensitive about their implications. We need to be practical in our interaction with the heterogeneous world we live in, and the multitude of people who co-exist regardless of various differences.

Perhaps we should look towards being less politically correct and more morally correct. Morality is more intuitive, whereas political correctness is an idea engineered by modern society. True, we are then faced with the subjectivity of morals, but surely all moral judgements are of equal value – or is that politically incorrect?

34 outspoken

Being grown up isn’t half as fun as growing upThese are the best days of our lives.

When I received the theme for this month’s issue I admit I was nonplussed – it was ‘Apollo’. Apollo, in Greek mythology, is God of the sun, medicine and truth, among other things; all I could think of was the Apollo wafer bar. Hands up, those who remember it – I can still recall even the advertisement jingle [“A-pollo!”], with a wave of nostalgia. And so, the idea for this article was born. After all, it is the New Year and a perfect time for looking back, as well as looking forward.

We have all got older relatives who grow lyrical about ‘the old days’ and how things have changed so much since then; how things are more expensive and how moral standards have dropped. The difference between my reaction to these relatives now and say, five years ago, is that now I actually

find myself agreeing with them. It seems the curse of maturity and adulthood has come upon me at last. Things did seem simpler when I was younger, things were definitely cheaper, and life was more carefree. But after all, not many things intrude upon the life of a sheltered sixteen-year old.

For many of us, entering university marked a sharp departure from everything that had come before; now we were ‘adults’, supposed to be ‘independent’ and ‘responsible’; and that did not just mean having the freedom to live alone on campus and stay out later than before. It meant having to plan for the future, to start thinking about getting a job. I am graduating this semester and I must admit, I am quite terrified. There is a part of me that longs for teenager-hood, with its perfect balance of freedom, independence and the promise of parental security. Despite the teenage angst and relationship dramas, my teenage years were some of the best of my life enhanced by the fact that I had no other responsibility than to do well in my studies and CCAs. Now that I’m about to graduate from university, it is a whole different story.

So what are we almost-graduates to do? Added responsibilities and the onset of adult working life are part and parcel of growing up and resisting that is only delaying the inevitable. For me, accepting that fact of life – that I must grow up – has not been the easiest pill to swallow, but my

text Helen Victoria Scida | helenvs@nus.edu.sg

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“To those undergraduates who still have some years left to go, I say: make the most of it.”

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consolation is this: with only five months left to go, I am determined to make the most of it. My new year’s resolution this year is to thoroughly enjoy university life to its fullest. Take dance classes; meet new people; worry less about exams and papers and more about learning. To put it simply, I plan to live life.

So even though I am graduating this year and plunging headlong into adulthood with all its perceived problems and stresses, at least I will have made some great memories from my last few months at NUS to take with me. To those undergraduates who still have some years left to go, I say: make the most of it. Not that graduating and entering the workforce is a confirmed step down, of course; each new life stage carries its own adventures and experiences. What is important is that, ten or twenty years down the road when we look back upon our time in university just as I am doing now, prompted by the memory of a childhood snack, the one thing we should not feel is regret. I leave you with a quote from one of my favourite authors:

It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it’s called Life. – Terry Pratchett

Now, go out there and live it.

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36 wired

Netbooks – A Quick Shopping GuideThis month, we give you a few tips on selecting the right netbook for you.

A netbook is a small laptop that runs a full Linux or Windows operating system. With their low price and ultra portability, this newest generation of laptop has become extremely popular. Added to that, the fact that they are also quite capable as PCs makes them much more than the secondary devices they were once thought to be.

Netbooks generally have 8-to-10-inch widescreens, but no built-in optical drives. Not a single one has a full-size keyboard, so you can expect a more cramped typing experience than with a regular laptop. Despite that, the keyboards can still be surprisingly comfortable once you’re used to them, but be sure to try out the keyboard before you buy, as not all of them will have the same layout or size, and you might not like the way some of the keys are arranged on certain keyboards. Almost all netbooks nowadays will come with a webcam, a few USB ports, built in Wi-Fi, and a few extras like card-readers.

Weight is an important consideration for a netbook. Make sure you find out not only about the weight of the laptop itself, but also how much it weighs with

everything (charger cables, bag) included – as you will probably be carrying the whole bundle around a lot of the time.

Netbooks nowadays offer both Linux and Windows operating systems. Although Linux is cheap and very user-friendly, the average user tends to be more familiar and comfortable with Windows. Windows XP is the usual offering, with some Vista-capable models also available. Vista is quite a resource hog though, and is thus not a very good choice of operating system for a netbook (or a regular laptop for that matter).

Netbooks offer buyers the option of getting a Solid State Drive (SSD) or a regular spinning hard drive. While SSDs have faster transfer speeds, are durable, and have longer life spans, storage capacity currently maxes out at 16GB in a netbook. Most netbooks are available with spinning hard drives that can store up to 160GB worth of data, but I do believe that anything less than 60GB is just too little.

text Mazyiar Saleem | mazyiar@gmail.com

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The Acer One

MSI Wind Netbook

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Almost all netbooks these days come with an Intel Atom processor. The Atom processor is the fastest and most energy-efficient netbook processor you can get. You can find Intel Celeron M or VIA processors in first-generation models like the ASUS EeePC 4G and the HP 2133 Mini-Note, but you’re much better off not buying those. All the new netbooks almost exclusively use the Atom, and many of them will run fine with 1GB of memory.

Speaking of memory, it is important that you check whether the netbook you are getting gives you the option to expand memory. At least 1 GB is a must, in my opinion, and most can be upgraded to 2GB - but you will have to check. The same goes for hard drives also. Some vendors are using 1.8-inch hard drives instead of 2.5-inch ones, meaning you can’t swap it out with a bigger hard drive that you buy later.

Standard netbook batteries are typically three-cell (less than 30-Wh) units, which means that they will not really get you more than 3 hours of battery life on a single charge. If you’re not planning on carrying your charger around most of the time (which makes things significantly lighter) look for netbooks with higher capacity (6-cell) batteries.

If you are considering buying a netbook, hopefully this guide will help you in your search for that perfect (if not, close to perfect) netbook. Happy shopping!

ASUS eee pc 1000 with a 10” screen

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38 wired

TechbuzzWe take a look at what has been creating a buzz in the tech world of late.

RIAA Ends Lawsuits

The recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has decided that it will not go after peer to peer file-sharers and sue them on an individual basis. Instead, it will work with the various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to warn and eventually cut off Internet service to repeat offenders. This would of course mean good news to individuals and more importantly, colleges where peer to peer file-sharing has been said to be rampant. It may be that the RIAA finally developed a conscience and decided against heavy-handed tactics against infringers. It also helps that this strategy would help decrease the costs involved in anti-piracy efforts. However, ISPs now say that they want the RIAA to help defray costs involved in policing peer to peer file-sharers. This may ultimately put a huge dent in the RIAA’s new copyright enforcement strategy.

SMS Using Gmail Chat

Google has recently introduced a new feature in its integrated Gmail Chat, allowing you to send free messages to hand phones. The recipient will be able to reply instantaneously, as Gmail will tie a unique phone number to the SMS. The bad news is

text Gurmesh Singh | gurmesh@nus.edu.sg

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that this service is currently only restricted to U.S. phone numbers. Although operators like Singtel, M1 and Starhub already have such an Internet SMS feature available for use, having the convenience of sending an SMS from your mailbox without needing to log into a separate service would undoubtedly make it much simpler.

Songbird Takes Flight

Songbird, the open-source rival to iTunes has finally come out of beta and been officially released as Songbird 1.0. Due to its open-source nature, it will undoubtedly be much more customizable than Apple’s iTunes through various add-ons. One particular add-on, mashTape, displays Flickr photos, YouTube videos, artist biographies, news items and other web content that is related to the artist currently playing. Apple will definitely not take this news lying down, as they seek to maintain the iPod+iTunes exclusivity. One of the drawbacks of Songbird, however, is the inability to rip songs off CDs, just yet. However, there is no doubt that such a limitation will not affect the majority of users.

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Rows of PS3s located at the PlayStation Lab in Switzerland

PS3s Not Only For Games

Rather than playing games or watching blu-ray movies in all their high-definition glory, a group of White Hats (ethical hackers) decided to use about 200 PS3s to show that they could exploit a weakness in the MD5 cryptography algorithm used in digital signatures and certificates (often used in Internet Banking websites, for example) allowing them to create their own rouge Certification Authority (CA) certificate which would be trusted by all browsers. However, it has been claimed that the use of to sign security certificates MD5 being phased out, with a more secure SHA-1 algorithm being used. Also, it would take months for an attack like this to be replicated. According to the group, the reason that PS3s and not computers were used was that the hardware in the PS3s, specifically the Cell processor, “is suited for basic arithmetic used in cryptographic algorithms and that it greatly outperforms general purpose computers on brute-force computations”.

Pirate Party Gains Support

In a time when anti-piracy measures are being ramped up, with pressure from copyright holders with the help of their excessively paid legal representatives, the Pirate Party in Sweden has been able to increase its membership by 50% in the last quarter of 2008. This makes them a larger party than the established Green Party, which currently holds 19 seats in the Swedish parliament. In fact, more than half of men aged 18 to 29 are

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considering voting for the Pirate Party. While they may not have the most elegant of names, the Pirate Party does have some rather noble goals. For example, they want to protect consumer rights especially in the area of unfair Digital Rights Management (DRM) which are often found in MP3s downloaded from various online stores. They are also interested in reforming the copyright laws and pharmaceutical patents to make them more balanced and serve the needs of the people better. It will be worth watching the European Parliament Elections in June to see how the Pirate Party fares.

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40 transmedia

Best of 20082008 will be hard to live up to. But here’s to hoping that 2009 does and exceeds our expectations. transmedia the ridge compiles a list of the movers and shakers of the year 2008.

As the new year dawns, we look back on the year that went by noting the songs, events, images and people that made a lasting impression. To this end, we have compiled a “Best of 2008” piece which reflects on 2008 analytically, but also with a hint of nostalgia.

A series of occurrences grabbed the headlines in the year. The not-so-squeaky-clean teen queen Britney Spears shaved her head and checked into rehab. With a sudden, but somewhat successful comeback later in the year, controversy always boosted her métier.

In nearby Hong Kong, the Edison Chen scandal erupted in full fury. The island nation’s paparazzi was gripped into a single-minded frenzy for an entire month, climaxing with an ineluctable cul de sac that saw his formal exit from the Hong Kong media industry.

Heath Ledger’s sudden death shocked not just Hollywood, but all of the entertainment industry, and talks of a posthumous Oscar for his role in The Dark Knight kept his name in news throughout the year.

In music, Lil Wayne was by far the best ‘breakthrough’ rap artist of the year with his album Tha Carter III. Loaded with chart-topping hits from the insouciantly prurient ‘Lollipop’ to the infectiously feral beat of “A Milli”, and being voted as Artists’ Choice at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Lil Wayne took Ludacris’ ribaldry to a whole new level.

But what is music if not enjoyed live? Aaron Kwok’s De Show Reel Live In Concert 2008 deserves a mention with its groundbreaking 450 degree revolving stage, setting a world record as the largest in an indoor setting. As for local gigs, Kanye West and Kylie Minogue performed on our sunny shores and we are sure you recall the controversy that was stirred along with the down-sized versions.

Moving on to games, Grand Theft Auto IV was perhaps the most awaited game the entire year but avid pc gamers cried foul over a less-than-rocking gaming experience compared to PS3 and Xbox versions, prompting creators, Rockstar Games to scramble to release a suitable patch. 2008 saw the continued spate of music video games, with Rock Band 2 being released and Guitar Hero World Tour hot on its heels. The release of WoW’s expansion pack, Wrath of the Lich King, unleashed a media blizzard, selling 2.8 million copies within the first 24 hours of availability, making it the fastest selling computer game of all time.

The media industry had its influence on the US Presidential election as well. Sarah Palin was lambasted by Tina Fey’s memorable SNL sketch much to her party’s dismay. But there was a positive impact

text Tay Huizhen| benediction.jay@gmail.com Suhas Bhat | suhasbhat1988@hotmail.com

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on the election as well with many musicians actively supporting Obama, helping him comprehensively sweep the youth vote. Will.i.am’s “Yes, We Can” comes to mind also as one perfect example illustrating the political power of media.

Best songs of 2008

“Lollipop” by Lil Wayne hit the airwaves in March and was a prelude to his success. While this was Dwayne Jr’s 6th album, newcomer Flo Rida managed to get his single “Low” to be a number-one hit for ten weeks in a row.

The world of pop had a number of artists vying for supremacy but the most impressive performer was debutante Katy Perry. With refreshingly spunky singles like “Hot n Cold” and “I Kissed a Girl”, she is the one to look out for in 2009. The industry; still dominated by seasoned performers such as Beyonce, Mariah Carey et al; welcomed back Britney Spears who released her comeback song, “Womanizer”, to much aplomb.

In Taiwan, musician Jay Chou released his 9th studio album, Capricorn. Comprising a range of talents, the musician has once again impressed fans and critics alike. Rice Aroma epitomizes his ability as he sings, raps and also delivers an optimistic, encouraging message urging all to not give up in the face of adversity.

Rock fans would probably be disappointed with the year, though, with Radiohead, Coldplay, Guns n Roses, Slipknot and many other bands and artistes failing to impress. “Viva la Vida” will probably be the year’s most recognizable track and a late show of force by Pop/Rock singer Pink with “So What?” failed to undo the damage.

That was the year that was. Action-packed and constantly surprising, 2008 will be hard to live up to. But here’s to hoping that 2009 does and exceeds our expectations. Thus, from the Transmedia desk, we hope you rock, dance, read, watch, be entertained and thoroughly enjoy the transmedia that comes out in the rest of the year. We promise to cover it to the best of our abilities.

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42 sports

NUS – Great eaSterN Water Polo ChalleNGe 2009

“Where the Great Emerge”

Come 23rd January 2009, more than 200 spectators will pack the stands of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Sports and Recreation Centre Swimming Pool to witness the coronation of the inaugural winners of the NUS – Great Eastern Water Polo Challenge. Eight tertiary teams will slug it out between 13th and 22nd January in a race to stake their places in the finals.

With the removal of Water Polo from the Inter-Varsity and Polytechnic (IVP) Sporting Calendar, there is no longer an avenue for promising and talented tertiary students to further develop their talent and passion in the sport. Thus, the NUS – Great Eastern Water Polo Challenge serves as a platform for budding young water polo players in tertiary institutions to showcase and develop their talents. It also aims to elevate the profile of the sport and bring about a resurgence of the sport at both the tertiary and national level. The efforts of NUS have since been recognized by the IVP Council with the inclusion of Water Polo back into the IVP Sporting Calendar for the next academic year. What is even more remarkable of this tournament is that it was entirely conceived, planned and brought to fruition by a group of enthusiastic students from NUS within a span of less than 6 months.

text Bryon Teo |bryonteo@gmail.com

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On the difficulties faced by his team in organizing this event, Matthew Chew, NUS Team Captain, said, “We had a hard time convincing the school that students can actually organize such a large scale tournament in such a short period of time. We nearly gave up as we were unable to secure sponsorship as most companies were tightening their belts in light of the current economic climate. But we were glad that Great Eastern Life and the other sponsors believed in and supported us”.

Team Manager, Andre Teo, further added that the team was inspired by Singapore’s successful bid for the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 to dare dream, “Through the organization of such a tournament, members of the team have had the opportunity to hone not only their playing skills but also their leadership and organizational skills. This will serve us well as future leaders not only in sports but also elsewhere.” This view was mirrored by the team’s Secretary, Bryon Teo, who believed that the success of the event will inspire the next generation of sports leaders to dare to dream and to turn their dreams into reality.

Over the next two weeks, spectators will be able to catch top athletes in action including players who were part of the Singapore team which successfully defended their SEA Games title two years ago. Lin Diyan, who was part of that team, is eagerly looking forward to the tournament, “The quality of the teams involved makes it exciting not just for the players involved but also the spectators watching the games”.

...the success of the event will inspire the next generation of sports leaders to dare to dream and to turn their dreams into reality.“

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Nigel Tay, who was the youngest member of that team, added: “We have been training really hard throughout the holidays for this competition. I really cannot wait for it to start!”

Besides the two pair of brothers (Lin Diyan, Lin Diyang and Andre Teo, Bryon Teo) who are stalwarts for the NUS Team, there will be a pair of brothers who will be lining up against each other during the tournament. Sean and Willy Peh will be wearing the colours of NUS and Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) respectively. Sean is unfazed by the prospect of facing his elder brother in the pool, “We are brothers but in the pool, we will fight tooth and nail to secure victory for our teams. To pull off a win over my elder brother’s team will make the victory even sweeter!”

So come on down to NUS Sports and Recreational Centre’s Swimming Pool to catch all 8 tertiary teams in action as they attempt to stake their claim to the best tertiary team in Singapore!

This tournament is presented by Great Eastern Life. It is also sponsored by NewUrbanMale and supported by Singapore WaterPolo and Zouk. The tournament will be held at the SRC Swimming Pool, NUS, from the 13th to 23rd of January 2009. To find out more about the tournament and the fixtures, please visit their facebook group at www.tinyurl.com/nuswaterpolo

Group A Group B

NUS RP

NTU NP

SMU NYP

SIM SP

Fixtures

02 desk (trebuchet ms 12pt regular, line height 14pt)

02 desk (trebuchet ms 12pt regular, line height 14pt)

02 desk (trebuchet ms 12pt regular, line height 14pt)