December 2013 - Temasek Polytechnic

campus newspaper
December 2013
TP takes on
New York
GTA 5 Review
Get colour in
your hair
CMM and Visual
Comm students
go on study trip
Setting new bar
for open mission
game design
Cheaper ways of
getting colourful
locks
3
9
11
Design graduates’ short films make it to Cannes Festival
By: Juliana Chia
A
part from Ilo Ilo’s film debut by
home-grown director Anthony
Chen, two other films by Temasek Polytechnic (TP) Design students also
made its debut at the the recent 66th
Cannes Film Festival in southern France.
Cake and Café Je Vous Amie were
the two short films screened at the film
festival’s Short Film Corner. They were
directed and produced by a team of aspiring film-makers from the Diploma in
Moving Images: Benjamin Low, Alistair
Quak, Cheryl Tan and Jufri Husne. All
four graduated from TP in May this year.
Cake and Café Je Vous Amie were
shot on a budget of more than $9,000
and about $500 respectively, as final-year
projects. According to the team, Café Je
Vous Amie, directed by Alistair, was shot
in one day and was the least expensive
film to be made in the cohort.
Cake was eventually granted full
funding by the Media Development Authority (MDA) through their short film
scheme, explained Benjamin, 21, who
we did it for fun
anyway. Since
we’ve spent half
a year thinking
and
creating
our films, we
thought, why
not try to enter
it to festivals
like Cannes?”
In total,
four out of the
seven Singaporean films at this
year’s Cannes
Photo: Benjamin Low Film
Festival
From left: Ms Yvonne Tang, Design graduates Cheryl Tan, Jufri Husne,
came from TP.
Benjamin Low and Alistair Quak at the Cannes Film Festival.
Design School
served as writer and director for the film. alumni Ray Pang’s Closer to Me and
Both short films are also available on Sin- Christina Choo’s 3D short film Silent Sins
gapore Airlines’ in-flight Krisworld enter- made their debuts as well. Ray’s short film
tainment system.
was shortlisted for the People’s Choice
Said Benjamin, who is currently Award and Jury Award under the Louis
serving NS, of their film debut at Cannes: Vuitton Journey Award.
“It was co-director and cinematographer
The other three Singaporean films
Alistair’s idea to send it to Cannes. We that debuted at the Film Festival were Tay
both knew it would be a long shot but Lide’s Staring At The Sun, Edwin Ho’s El
Gris Perfecto (The Perfect Grey) and Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo.
Ms Yvonne Tang, course manager
of the Diploma in Moving Images (recently renamed as the Diploma in Digital
- Benjamin Low
Film and Television), said that TP Design
We never imagined that we would be
sitting in the small theatre watching
our films in Cannes.
School has done Singapore proud at the
festival.
“This shows that not only are TP’s
works of good standard and quality - although very few people know about us
sadly - our works are also comparable to
those from overseas,” she said.
Clearly, this experience is one the
aspiring film-makers are not going to forget anytime soon.
“Seeing our films screened there
was an added bonus. We never imagined
that we would be sitting in the small theatre watching our films in Cannes.
“Of course, it’s every film-maker’s
dream to have his work premiered in
Cannes. Though ours is not a feature film
with a red carpet opening, to be able to
see and be there ourselves is something
we won’t forget. And we hope to return
in the future with our other concepts,”
shared Benjamin, who started making
short videos with Alistair since secondary
school.
Ms Tang accompanied the team to
France this year, and was a mentor for the
production team, assisting the production team in securing locations and giving
her input to the pre- and post-production
process.
She said Anthony Chen’s award for
the best debut feature film is a motivation
for future film-makers.
Bigger and better courses in April 2014
By: Siti Munira Komari
T
wo new courses would be launched
come April 2014 to reflect the recent developments in their respective industries. These are the Diploma in Communication Design (CMD) and the Diploma in Game Design and Development
(GDD).
CMD is the evolution of two current courses - the Diploma in Visual
Communication (VSC) and the Diploma
in Interactive Media Design (IMD).
Under the new course, Students will
be undergoing an extensive curriculum to
expose them to various media platforms,
from traditional to interactive media.
Course Manager for VSC and IMD,
Mr Soh Yong Hern, said: “The key reason
why the two courses are coming together
is because we have become so similar.
“The web people are learning the
print stuff, and the print people are learning the web stuff.”
In their first year, students of the
new course will undergo Foundation
Studies.
It will cover everything from basic
visual literacy and image- making to technical skills in web and print.
In the second year, students are
then allowed to specialise in an area of
their choice – Branding Design, Digital
Design, Design Illustration or Photography.
Another course that would be
launched in April is GDD, which was previously known as the Diploma in Game
Entertainment and Technology (GET).
Course Manager for the diploma,
Mr Jonathan Pillai, said: “The games in-
dustry has moved
beyond the creation of games
for entertainment
to the creation of
games for teaching in areas such as
the fields of medical, military, education and the use of
games in advertising.”
Modules for Workshop held for ‘O’ Level Students for the new Diploma in Commuthe course would nications design saw overwhelming response.
remain the same.
A full-fledged game design and deHowever, prospective students could ex- velopment studio as a learning enterprise
pect a more refined and thorough intro- is also being developed.
duction to concepts in the curriculum.
Mr Pillai explained: “In this enterSubjects such as Game Production prise, students will work on projects for
and Publishing give students a chance to clients in an environment that is akin to
publish a game during their final year.
real world game studios.”
2
Stop Press :: December 2013
TP students organise Senior’s Week for charity
have different programmes every day for
the entire week; for example mahjong,
P students interning at the Thye bead-making (jewellery making), culinary,
Hua Kwan Moral Society (THK) kite making and drawing competitions.
as well as CCA groups TP Silat and
“We try our best to plan activities
Dikir Barat gave their all in commemorat- that attract the elderly.”
ing THK Seniors’ Week – a 7-day event
Held at the THK Bukit Batok East
celebrating the golden agers.
Social Service Hub, Seniors’ Week aims
The event was made possible with to promote a sense of identity and bethe help of student volunteers and THK longing amongst the elderly. It also allows
interns from the Diploma in Gerontolog- them to foster special bonds with other
ical Management Studies.
senior citizens and residents from all over
The students were honoured when the constituency.
invited to organise various activities, proThe TP Silat team joined in the
grammes and performances not just for fun as well, performing exhilarating synthe elderly, but for the guest of honour, chronised martial arts followed by Dikir
Member of Parliament Mdm Halimah Barat’s upbeat performance of musical
Yaacob as well.
numbers ranging from Malay, English to
Siti Nur Diyanah, 19, an intern and Hindi.
organiser for Seniors’ Week said: “We
Interacting and socialising with
the elderly was the
highlight of the programme.
Suryan Zaki, 19,
Captain of the silat
team said: “It’s a great
event to have – commemorating the elderly, because it shows
them that the youths
actually do appreciate
them.
“But on the
contrary, I too feel
that we shouldn’t just
limit it into a weekly or
The Dikir Barat girls giving an unpbeat, feet-tapping performance
for the elderly at the Bukit Batok East Social Service Hub.
annual event because
By: Hamizah Salikimen
T
valuing and enjoying spending
time with your
grandparents or
seniors should be
a subconscious
act.
“Taking
care of them
should not be an
obligation, it is a
responsibility.”
Vice-President of the Dikir
TP Silat team also entertained the seniors with their energetic synchroBarat team, Nur nised martial arts movements
Ummairah
Bte
Nazhar, shared similar views on appreci- ken. They also had a chance to take a picating the older generation.
ture with Mdm Halimah Yacob.
She said: “Youths should particiFarah Atikah, a committee member
pate in these kinds of events beacuse they of TP Silat said: “Performing for them
shouldn’t be self-absorbed – their parents really puts a smile on their faces and it’s
will grow old too.
nice that we made their day. Nothing
If the younger generation are able beats that sense of personal achievement
to communicate with senior citizens, it’ll and you will feel good about yourself. It is
be easier to understand their parents’ a win-win situation where you get to give
needs in the longrun.”
back to the society as well.”
A prize presentation ceremony was
Siti Nur Diyanah said: “ We all, esheld soon after the performances, with pecially the youths, should try to give back
the winners and volunteers for each Sen- to the community not just for money, but
iors’ Week activity going away with a to- for a sense of goodwill.”
Performing for them,really puts a smile
on their faces and it’s nice that we
made their day.
-Farah Atikah
Pottery show by Iskandar Jalil and his students
By: Hamizah Salikimen
& Natalie Chew
“S
hakei”, a pottery exhibition by
renowned ceramist Iskandar
Jalil and the Temasek Potters,
a group he founded, opened on Nov 21.
Held at TP’s Glocal Connect Village Art Gallery, it displayed the creations of 21 members.
They adapted East Asian garden
design principles (Shakkei) of incorporating background landscapes into the
shapes and forms of their pottery pieces.
Mr Iskandar, a former tutor in TP,
said that he was proud of his students’
works.
“I wish they would not imitate or
copy my style. But that’s the danger –
they always work with me, they always
see what I make, there is a tendency for
them to be influenced by my style.”
The 73-year-old Cultural Medallion recipient added that although his
students had organised the exhibition,
he did not consider himself a mentor to
them, insisting: “I just help them.”
In his speech, the guest of honour,
Japanese Ambassador Haruhisa Takeuchi
said: “When I look at Iskandar Jalil, the
Japanese word Sensei comes to my mind.
It means being a master of teaching. The
Temasek Potters are blessed to have Iskandar Jalil Sensei as their source of inspiration.”
A collaboration between TP’s BeyonDesign Centre and TransCultural
Studies, the exhibition ran for three
weeks, attracting many young pottery enthusiasts.
Lim Lena, 19, a student from the
Diploma in Visual Communication said:
“I respect ceramists so much because it
isn’t an easy job to do. It can be relaxing and fun at times but the amount of
effort put into the artworks I’ve seen at
Shakei is beyond amazing.
“I tried pottery making a few years
back so it was easy to tell that the exhibition was an obvious imprint of true
dedication.”
Amongst the many who have captured the essence of pottery-making,
establishing themselves as a new generation of potters are Ms Tan Gek Lin, Ms
Suriani Suratman, and Ms Hiroko Mita
whose works were presented in the exhibition.
The exhibition also had a few
well-known guests such as local sculptor
Chong Fah Cheong, who together with
Mr Iskandar, was among the pioneering
batch of teachers at Laselle College here.
Like most of the other guests, he
too had high praise for the displayed
pieces.
Mr Cheong said: “It’s very accom-
plished, the glazes, the shapes.”
He added: “It can only reflect on
the person who obviously guided them,
who is no less than Iskandar Jalil himself.
You can see the guidance and the knowledge behind his teaching.”
The guest of honour, Ambassador of Japan
Haruhisa Takeuchi described Mr Iskandar
Jalil as a ‘Sensei’ or master teacher.
Stop Press :: December 2013
Two diplomas go on study trip to United States
3
CMM and Visual Communication students meet in New York City
By: Cherylaida Baharuddin
S
tudents from the Diploma in Communications and Media Management (CMM) left on Oct 2 for a
media study immersion trip to the media
capital of the world, New York City.
The group of 16, consisting of
third-year students, a lecturer and a tour
guide wasted no time upon reaching New
York and went straight to the Columbia
Journalism School after checking into
their hotel.
Their next stop was touring the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest art museum in the US, which holds art
Photo: Wei Lieh
15 Visual Comm students were in New York
to experience the art and design culture there
collections from all over the world.
This was one of the three museums
they visited; the others were the Museum
of Moving Images and the Museum of
Modern Art.
During their NBC Studios tour, the
students got lucky as they witnessed Miley
Cyrus rehearsing for her cameo on Saturday Night Live. They even got to see her
famous tongue-wag and twerk combo.
“I’ll never forget seeing Miley
Cyrus twerk. It’s the weirdest experience
for me”, said Rushdy Abdul Rahman, 23,
a third-year CMM student.
A group of 15 second-year students from the Diploma in Visual Communication was also in New York at the
same time. They were on a study trip to
learn and experience the art and design
culture there.
Elyssa Liz’Anne, 19, a second-year
Visual Communication student said: “I
was genuinely surprised to meet people
from other schools from my polytechnic
in New York. It felt foreign to me at first
because in Design School, I am like living in a bubble so meeting people from
Volunteering with Loov
By: Siti Munira Komari
A
team of TP students created
waves at the recent Singapore
Computer Society (SCS) Splash
Awards 2013 by emerging winners in
their category with a mobile app that
aims to create a more compassionate
community by encouraging youths to
come forward and volunteer.
Known as ‘Loov’, the app was developed by three second-year students
from the Diploma in Business Intelligence and Analytics (BIA) – Eddie
Chew, Koh Chin and Darren Ng.
It was an exceptional win for the
team which was up against stiff competitors in their Institute of Higher Learning (IHL) category.
Eddie Chew, 18, said: “I think the
simplest word to describe it would be
we were very happy, there is no better
word to describe it.”
Into its 10th year, the competition focuses on innovation, creativity
and entrepreneurship. Teams had to
come up with apps that would benefit
the community by utilising government
data from data.gov.sg.
Loov, which was derived from
the word ‘love’ and ‘volunteer’, takes
an unconventional approach by incor-
porating social media platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter to ignite the spirit
of volunteerism in youths.
Through the use of social media
platforms, the team hopes to tackle the
problems faced by youths such as not
having like-minded friends whom they
could go with to volunteer.
Darren Ng, 19, explained: “We included social media so that you can find
a community of people that has more
or less the same interest as you.”
Another highlight of the app is
its ability to recommend volunteering
events which best match the user’s profile, as youths are normally faced with a
problem of not knowing where to volunteer based on their interests.
17-year-old Koh Chin said: “It
is difficult to find organisations to volunteer at because we would not know
when and where there will be an event.”
a totally different field is always
nice.”
Some of
the places the
Design students
visited were the
School of Visual
Arts, West Village,
Chelsea Galleries,
Central Park and
Bryant Park.
New York
is also the city of
Photo: Esther Lam
art, where inspi- The group of 16 third-year CMM students visited Columbia Univerity,
ration comes from during the trip which also covered museums and news organisations
just makes you feel that the sky’s the limevery corner and
street, in any form, be it in terms of mu- it”, said Rushdy.
Elyssa was inspired by all things
sic, film, theatre, dance or visual art. It is
architecture:
“I love skyscrapers and urno surprise that both groups of students
banised architecture, so seeing the tall
were inspired by what they saw there.
“Being in New York, the media buildings first hand instead from a book
capital of the world, it’s like a validation is really surreal. I paid close attention to
of the things that you want to do and can details of the buildings, that I know how
Art Deco has influenced the architectural
do as a media student.
“It gives you many ideas on the traits of buildings like the Empire State
things you can do back in Singapore and Building.”
Paws up for TP’s animal lovers
By: Tan Pei Yu
“U
ntil one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul
remains unawakened,” declared French poet Anatole France. Are
you someone whose soul has already been
touched by animals, or are you hoping to
open up your soul to these animals?
Well, you need not look any further.
TP’s very own Temasek Polytechnic Animals Web (TPAW) is here to facilitate and
guide animal-lovers on how to care for
them the right way.
Established in Nov 2012, TPAW
was set up by a group of animal lovers for
animal lovers.
“It was set up because we wanted
to raise awareness on animal conservation. We also hope to educate the student
body about issues related to animals, such
as how to take care of their pets and raise
awareness on animal cruelty,” explained
Roy Haiqel B Sa’adli, the current president
of TPAW.
“Our motto as an interest group is
to educate, conserve and provide such a
service, in order to play a part in animal
conservation and welfare.
“We help out by educating the student body with talks and provide our service to animal organisations,” said the stu-
dent from
Veterinary
Te ch n o l ogy.
H e
added that
T P A W
hopes to
arouse
p e o p l e ’s
interest in animals and conservation by
getting their members to volunteer for
meaningful and enriching programmes.
One major organisation TPAW has
worked with is the oceanarium located in
Resorts World Sentosa. TPAW recruited
volunteers and provided them with the
necessary training to become student ambassadors of the Marine Life Park. These
students were given the opportunity to
learn more about marine life conservation
and spread their knowledge by educating
oceanarium visitors.
Another significant event organised
by TPAW was during Campus Care Network (CCN) Day, last year. It was TPAW’s
first event as a club and members gathered
to make and then sell dog and cat treats.
Roy said: “There was a lot of trial
and error involved when we were making
the treats but it was all worth it since it was
all for a good cause.”
school
Stop Press :: December 2013
4
Growing up fast, shaping her own future
By: Tanya Kneale
“T
he future is in your hands” is a
piece of advice most children
would grow up listening to.
But how many actually have the courage to
take charge of their life and actively make
changes?
Syasya Firzanah, a final-year student
from Gerontological Management Studies, is one good example of a brave leader.
HUMANITIES &
SOCIAL SCIENCES
As the oldest of three children,
Syasya held responsibilities and gained independence at a tender age.
Having to fill in for her parents and
act as a role model for her younger siblings,
she matured much faster than her peers.
Knowing that her siblings were impressionable, the East Spring Secondary
alumnus has always been mindful of her
actions.
Taking charge of the household
while her parents were at work to fend for
the family was pressurising for her – but
the virtues instilled in her helped mould
her into a loving and caring individual.
It has been nearly three years since
graduating from secondary school, but she
insists on contributing back to her alma
mater whenever she has spare time.
“They’ve done so much for me
while I was there, so I feel like I should do
something for the school too.”
S
oh Si Min from the Diploma in
Retail Management (RMT) had
the chance to take up her internship in Shanghai, China.
“It’s a blessing as the teachers acknowledge me as someone who could
perform overseas,” said the 19-yearold.
But the stint was not smooth sailing for Si Min, who is RMT’s top student. Communication proved to be a
problem for her over in Shanghai. “The
reports had to be typed in Chinese, so I
downloaded a special software just for
that sole purpose.”
“Living overseas helps to culti-
ing up her left arm. Such a positive disposition and a strong resilient mind have
enabled her to excel in sports.
“All I hope for, is to make a positive
impact on someone’s life.” With a heart of
gold, Syasya actively does her part to make
the world a better place.
Earlier, she took part in an OCIP
mission to Cambodia where she taught the
native children proper hygiene care, songs
and dance.
During the mission, she gained a
deeper insight into the sufferings of the
less fortunate, which powered her drive
even further.
The all-rounder believes in giving
her 110 per cent in life.
“I want to live with no regrets”,
she firmly states. Her role models include
other sportsmen who have dedicated their
lives to perfecting their game, such as Michael Phelps.
All I hope for is to make a positive impact on
someone’s life...I want to live with no regrets
Taking things one step at a time
By: Leck Kai Sen
Being an active sportsman, Syasya
pays special attention to the school’s fitness events, such as sports day.
She makes her contribution by
handing out drinks to spectators and helping out with the school’s netball team.
Age isn’t an issue where Syasya is
concerned.
As a teenager, the athletic young
lady already has more sporting experience
under her belt than some people in their
whole lives.
She has already triumphed in kayak,
netball and football.
Most recently, Syasya has led the TP
female soccer team to the championships
in “Diva La Futbol” two years in a row,
coming in top eight position.
Despite injuring her right shoulder
in an accident, Syasya did not let adversity
stop her.
Instead, she compensated by train-
By: Victoria Chua
M
uhammad Muhajir’s photography passion has taken him
places.
One of which was the 2013
HSBC/NYAA
(National
Youth
Achievement Award) Earthwatch Research Study Trip to Nova Scotia, Eastern Canada.
The 21-year-old was chosen by
NYAA to represent the school and document the trip. The purpose of the trip
was to study the mammals of Nova Scotia and the nature of the environment.
“It was a mixed feeling of honour,
pride and gratefulness to be part of the
DESIGN
BUSINESS
vate a sense of responsibility and independence. When you’re overseas
you need to adapt to the culture,” she
added.
Aside from her academic achievements, Si Min is also actively involved in
TP Cliquers, the polytechnic’s outreach
ambassadors. She has a strong flair for
public speaking.
“I’ve done hosting of events during the course of my study. The first
event was the junior’s scholarship ceremony and my biggest one so far is the
National Retailing Competition.”
So how does she cope with her
studies alongside her commitments?
“Time management for me is
important as I am involved in a lot of
things. My priorities are not just studying but also making the time I spend in
TP worthwhile,” said the all-rounder .
“The important values I learnt at
TP are perseverance and self-discipline.
It’s easier said then done and takes a lot
of determination to stay on the right
track,” shares the CHIJ St. Nicholas
Girls’ School alumnus.
But she admits that her ambition is to pursue fashion. “I initially
wanted to go to Parsons (A design
school in New York) to study fashion management. But right now, I just
want to take things one step at a time
and graduate from TP.”
His hobby takes him places
Singapore team. Initially I was afraid and
I did not feel confident enough, but I
decided to give it a shot,” he said.
The expedition was no bed of
roses. “I lost my baggage containing my
tripod during the transit,” he said.
“Eventually, I had to use my arms
as a form of support during the seven
days spent there. It was really tough
work.”
His passion was ignited when he
was 17. “Photography was one of my
core modules when I was in ITE previously. I began to develop my interest and
dived into it.”
So, what inspires him? He explains
that inspiration can be drawn from almost anything around him.
“Being a photographer has taught
me to have a mind of my own and that
was what attracted me the most about
this hobby,” he elaborates.
Yet, he remains humble and admits that there is still room for improvement in his work.
He adds that if another opportunity to travel overseas to pursue his
hobby ever presents itself, he would not
hesitate to accept the offer.
“This trip to Nova Scotia has allowed me to rediscover myself. It made
me realise that I should appreciate my
life more and I was also able to view
things from a different perspective.”
5
Stop Press :: December 2013
By: Laetitia Wong
W
INFORMATICS & IT
I want to be the
CEO of Google.
I know it’s a big
dream, but it’s
really not for the
money.
animatedly talked about her childhood.
“I want to be the CEO of
Google. I know it’s a big dream, but
it’s really not for the money. I truly like
mobile developing. I am not smart, but
I am hardworking and I have to work
very hard to achieve the things I want.”
Hanni is also exceptionally
independent for someone of her age,
as she lived alone since she was 13.
“I am living in Singapore alone
now as my parents live abroad. Before
coming to Singapore, back in 2009
when I was 17, I was enrolled in a
Canadian International boarding school
located in Tokyo.”
Something people don’t know
about Hanni, is that despite her low
profile, she has a quirky personality.
You get to see this especially after she
warms up to a person.
“I had 4 dogs back in Japan, along
with a rabbit and a rooster. They all
lived with us, in our backyard. I used
to dig up earthworms from our garden
and feed it to our rooster. That was his
name, ‘Rooster’. We ate Rooster the
rooster eventually, though!”
By: Joceline Loo
O
n the surface, 20-year-old Adrian Kho looks like any other
student but deep down, he is a
passionate youth who aspires to do his
best to care for the environment.
“I have always admired the
pristine beaches in places such as Mauritius. When I compare these places to
our beaches in Singapore, I thought why
can’t ours look the same as theirs?”
This thought was what pushed
Adrian to embark on a 6-month long
project of creating green building materials, under the support of the Bayer
Young Environmental Envoy (BYEE)
programme.
His innovative eco-idea earned
himself an opportunity to meet overseas experts in the field when he, as the
co-winner of the local leg, together with
the other top envoys, went on a weeklong study trip to Germany sponsored
by Bayer in November.
He said the trip was extremely enriching, with sharing sessions by
various speakers from different backgrounds. They shared on a myriad of
environmental topics like water, energy,
and preventing food loss. “We also got to see first hand the
amazing sight of the Cathedral in Ger-
many and had a tour guide to explain
to us its significance. On the side note,
every meal that we had there was delicious, and left us craving for more,” said
the well-travelled envoy.
Adrian hopes to keep in contact
with the friends he had made through
the programme and looks forward to
future collaborations.
His supervisor, Dr Wong Sook
Fun, whom he met while on his envoy
experience, fuels Adrian’s passion in
what he does.
“Her passion on environmental protection involving materials is really something that really inspires me
to continue to play a part and do something for the environment.”
APPLIED SCIENCE
ith her petite size, you would
never have expected this
wispy child-like girl of having
such a vibrant personality.
Hanni Chen, a half Shanghainese
half Japanese 21-year old, was presented
with an Outstanding Achievement
Award for her perseverance and
dedication towards helping others in
need.
Participating in the Youth
Empowerment Symposium (YES!), a
10-week community project organised
by YOUTHsync of Metropolitan
YMCA Singapore, Hanni and her team
emerged as the Top 5 in their category.
However, they were initially faced with
difficulties in forming a team.
“It wasn’t easy because my course
mates were soon starting their internship
and were only free on weekends. Many
didn’t have the time or dedication for
this project. Nonetheless, we were
lucky enough to end up with four very
diligent members in our group.”
Paired with the Chinese
Development Assistance Council
(CDAC), the team approached the
project with an open mind as well as
a thorough plan to integrate the skills
they learnt in their course.
“We taught 10 students, all of
whom were Sec 1 to 5 students of
CDAC beneficiary families. The goal
was to teach these students how to
create apps using a software called
App Inventor. Personally, I didn’t want
people jumping to the conclusion that
creating a good app is difficult, or
requiring intensive programming skills.
It’s actually very simple!”
Hanni’s determined personality
shone through her reticent façade
when she talked about her work, as
she elaborated on the difficulties faced
throughout the duration of the project.
“Given only 10 weeks, we
were running on a tight deadline. An
enormous amount of dedication was
needed, as we met up with our partner
organisation CDAC to discuss and
review our projects on a weekly basis.
When that was done, we had to go
home and revise our entire workflow
and start from scratch, which was very
tiring. ”
The third-year Diploma in
Mobile and Network Services student
is currently working at the National
Institute of Singapore (NIE) under
Temasek
Polytechnic’s
Student
Internship Programme (SIP).
Having an extremely intriguing
past, and towering future aspirations,
Hanni’s infectious laugh made it
impossible not to crack a smile as she
Young environmental activist
Active, friendly, humble
By: Tan Pei Yu
& Bon Koh
“A
ctive, yes, but definitely
not competitive!” is how
19-year-old Ng Kwan Jin
describes himself. His hobbies include
long-distance running and cycling
(which he recently picked up), and he
jokes that he also “surfs” the Internet
regularly.
Besides sports, Kwan Jin also has
unique taste in music – vinyl records. “I
mostly borrow (the records) from my
uncle who goes to Japan to buy most of
it.”
The second-year Aerospace Electronics student is from Penang, Malaysia, and moved to Singapore in 2011. He
quips: “In case any Malay friends want
to befriend me, they can speak Bahasa
Melayu to me.”
Although Kwan Jin is doing pretty
well in school, he admits he still needs
time to adjust to Singapore’s fast-paced
way of life: “The cities are more hectic,
because it’s really laidback from where I
come from, so I have to adjust.”
Kwan Jin represented Temasek
Poly on a Singapore International Foundation Friendship Express Programme.
He was amongst 50 youths who travelled to developing countries and offered aid. “I find a joy in helping people.
The sense of achievement from helping
the villagers is something new. I picked
up a lot of leadership skills throughout
the camp,” he said.
Kwan Jin has big dreams – he
wants to be a fully licensed aircraft engineer. “I’m aiming for ST Aerospace, but
apparently it’s really competitive so I’m
keeping my fingers crossed.”
As a person, Kwan Jin tries to be
as friendly and humble as possible, citing motivation from his favourite quote:
“Being humble and friendly opens a lot
of doors.”
ENGINEERING
She’s small
but has big dreams
trail
Stop Press :: December 2013
6
CCN Day
A Caring Campus
M
ore than 120 stalls were set up at
the Plaza and along the schools
concourse areas on Nov 15. There
were food, fun, games and performances
all lined up to raise funds for the less
fortunate students in TP. The event was
also to create a meaningful bonding time
for the various Care Groups. Many came
down to give their support and even had
fun while they’re at it.
The photo booth in Engineering
School was crowded with people
wanting to take group shots.
Henna painting booths attracted many
customers.
TP’s first batch of Polytechnic Foundation
Programme (PFP) students designed their
own badges and stickers for sale.
The boys from Engineering School
moving around promoting their brownies.
Photos, Text & Layout: Cherylaida Baharuddin
Design School lecturer
Wei Lieh Lee raised
a total of $610 in the
span of 90 minutes.
A stall selling pre-used items had this
child-sized teddy bear.
These furry twins are just one of the “props” at
the photo booth run up by the Student and Alumni
Affairs department.
mind
scape
Stop
2008 2013
StopPress
Press::::June
December
7
Social media conundrum
Networking is fine, but keep the nitty-gritty out
beings on this planet, what do we do with
this great tool?
We take pictures of our meals and
hashtag them with a dozen words. Great
job, humanity.
With a vast majority of our
generation using various social media
platforms, social networking is the trend
By: Russell Scully
A
ll right, hands up if you have
a smartphone and Facebook,
Twitter or Instagram account
too. Most of you, I’m sure will have them.
In this golden age of science and
technology, almost anyone can access the
Internet at the push of a button.
The death of an influential figure
is known worldwide within an hour of
his passing. Curious souls have unlimited
learning resources and are rarely left
wanting.
So as the most capable sentient
Don’t you sometimes feel
that the need to post picture after picture of your
lunch or announce to the
world how your socks
don’t match is a little...
Redundant?
of today, whether we’re connecting with
old friends, stalking exes, managing a
virtual farm or crushing helpless pieces
of candy.
I can’t pinpoint what it is that
compels us to post status after status
about anything and everything we do, nor
can I explian why we actually respond to
these statuses, but this addiction to our
social lives has truly taken root.
Personally I have a Facebook,
Twitter and Instagram account (yes, I
consider myself well-connected, thank
you), but I sometimes feel that this big
hoo-hah over social networking is a little
unnecessary.
Don’t you sometimes feel that the
need to post picture after picture of your
lunch or announce to the world how your
socks don’t match is a little... Redundant?
Well, who are we to judge right?
It’s not our lives, after all. Don’t get me
wrong, I don’t hate social networking - it
has its uses and I’ve reconnected with so
many old friends through it.
In my opinion, the good outweighs
the bad when it comes to social
networking, despite the annoyances
created.
Sure it makes studying tougher than
it already is (everything that isn’t studyrelated becomes at least ten times more
fascinating, and Facebook is an excellent
tool for procrastination), but all in all, it
has served us well.
I can honestly say that if not for
Facebook, I probably wouldn’t remember
My Space is for any TP student to share
his or her thoughts and experiences. You
are invited to write an article of about 600
words.
Please write to MySpace.StopPress@
gmail.com with subject heading “Mindscape”. Articles will be edited for content
and length.
half my friends’ birthdays or be updated
with news.
Humans are social beings and we
crave social interaction. Perhaps this is
why the social networking trend caught
on so fast. It is undeniably useful and
practical in many ways... as long as I don’t
have to see another plate of chicken rice
on Instagram.
Photo: thedrum.com
The ‘meh’ generation
We are being accused of being apathetic,
but is it a fair label to be pinned on us?
By: Josiah Ang
A
pathy: a word that has been
thrown around a lot, most often
used to describe gen Y, or the
millennial. Being one of the people born
in this category, I abhor the label because
I believe that my generation is not apathetic, we are just moulded by the world
that we were born into.
We were born in the information
era where technological advances has
made it so easy to get news at our fingertips, so much so that we’ve become
desensitised to the horrors of the world.
I was seven when I first saw something that I would eventually be desen-
sitised to. Till this day, I remember every single detail of what I saw that day,
through a screen no less.
It was a particularly sunny Tuesday
morning when my grandmother, who
was taking care of me, got wind of the
news that there was a terrorist attack in
the United States. She turned on the TV
and I got my first glimpse of a terror attack.
Over the next couple of days, the
news kept replaying the clip of the two
airplanes crashing into the World Trade
Centre and those images were immortalised in my mind. Back then, I empathised with the people who lost their
lives in the attacks.
However, over the years I realised
that subsequent terror attacks had less
and less emotional effect on me. I knew
the numbers, thousands dead, many more
injured.
But it just didn’t have the same effect anymore. They were just numbers on
a screen. I grew numb to the tragedies
that occurred around me.
So, I don’t believe that my genera-
tion and I are apathetic. It’s not that we
do not care about the world around us.
We do care, it’s just that we have
been desensitised by the constant media
barrage we experience everyday. Adults
deem this desensitisation from the media
as apathy.
Desensitisation is being exposed to
so much of a certain subject that you are
not affected by it anymore. This is what
happens to us as a generation. In fact, I
believe that we as a generation are in fact
empathetic.
Whenever I am in the mass rapid
transit (MRT), I notice youngsters giving
up their seats voluntarily to people who
need it more. These little acts of kindness go unnoticed to many people and if
adults pay a little attention to these things,
I believe the ‘apathetic’ labels would stop.
Of course, there will always be incidents
of isolated negative behaviour.
But I believe that our generation,
though not apathetic, is jaded. This is another consequence of the media blitz that
we experience everyday. As I mentioned
before, being exposed to the number of
tragedies that we have been exposed to,
we tend to feel jaded because we don’t
feel like anything that we do will make a
difference.
Still this jadedness and desensitisation, are not ideal traits that we should
embrace. I implore my fellow gen Y comrades to shake off this negative stereotype that adults have of us. Let us unite
and show them that we do care.
It’s not that we do not
care about the world
around us. We do care,
it’s just that we have
been desensitised by
the constant media
barrage we experience
everyday.
9
Stop Press :: December 2013
One of the best open-world games
By: Koh Bon
Photos: Google.com
G
rand Theft Auto V - the missionbased game that introduces
amazing aspects of gaming no
other open-world game has attempted
before.
The 15th title in the Grand Theft
Auto series, the game is developed by
Rockstar North, and published by Rockstar
Games, and was highly anticipated ahead
of its release.
The innovative features that the
virtual, vast, varied and beautiful world
has to offer are endless.
These include the ability to switch
between three independent characters
any time you deem fit, the different side
missions available at your disposal, or even
the fact that what may start as a normal
day walking down the street may turn into
a full-fledged high speed police chase.
Players who love a good cinematic
crime raid are definitely in for a treat.
The game allows you to vary perspectives
between the three protagonists Trevor,
Michael and Franklin.
The player is given the opportunity to
live the lives of either a methamphetamine
entrepreneur living in a desert (Trevor),
a former criminal who is constantly
as it is, a downside to the game would be
the fact that GTA V portrays women as
second class.
They are often depicted in the game
as prostitutes, strippers, suffering wives,
and even feminists meant to be made fun
of.
The absurd and unnecessary
misogynist element within the game
reinforces sexism.
Despite the evident rampant
misogyny, the game is a must try.
Rumours of PC version
unhappy even with his current state of
comfortable privileges in life (Michael),
or Franklin, a talented young African
American, who, unlike Michael, does not
have opportunities in life presented to him
on a silver platter.
The main events in the game are
the heist missions, planned by Michael
and gang. The missions are mostly
complex, often involving multiple stages
Photos: wallaad.com
of preparation.
When a gunfight ensues (and they
ensue frequently), the player has an arsenal
of weapons to choose from, all easily
customisable with in-game add-ons.
GTA V has set the bar for openmission game design with its beautiful
depiction of Los Santos.
In comparison to the older games,
many people in the community agree that
the fifth instalment in the 16-year-old
series has taken the game to the next level.
However, there are also critics
saying that Los Santos does not have
the same amount of realism that it’s
predeceesors had, for example, Vice City.
As amazing and detailed a gameplay
After the release of GTA V on the PS3
and Xbox 360, many fans of the series
are anxious that a PC version of the
game may be dropped.
Luckily for them, there are
hints from Rockstar games that a PC
version may well be on its way. A twitter post from the company replying to
a fan querying about an announcement
for the PC version of the game said:
“Keep an eye out for info on that on
our newswire page”
Even though this doesn’t seem
like a very positive sign, it is better than
“we have nothing to share”, which they
have tweeted before.
The possible death of disc drives
By: Josiah Ang
I
n October, Apple unveiled its updated version of the MacBook Pro with
Retina Display.
The main change revealed was
Apple cutting the disc drive from the
body of the laptop, hinting at the fact that
they are heading in a direction where disc
drives will be a thing of the past.
Slowly whittling away at obsolete
products from their line of products has
been a time-honoured tradition with Apple.
The fact that there is only one product that they are offering with a disc-drive
is a telling sign that they are planning to
remove the disc-drive from the Apple line
for good.
The plan seemed to have started in
2008, when Apple unveiled the MacBook
Air, the first Apple computer that did not
include a disc drive.
High prices of the Air coupled with
the fact that programs were still predominantly sold on CDs (Compact Disc) made
the removing of the disc drive seem like a
huge blunder.
It was only three years later that
Apple opened its App Store, providing an
alternative platform for programs to be
acquired from. In the interim between the
launch of the Air and the App Store, stop-
gap measures were implemented.
Some of the measures introduced
included the feature allowing Air users to
tap into working disc drive from another
computer.
Another feature used to help ease
people into a disc-less world was offering
its OS (Operating System) recovery tools
on a USB (Universal Serial Bus) drive.
Users of the Air were also given the
option of purchasing an external CD drive
to use, though they had to buy it separately
for an additional US$79.
Though the exclusion of disc drives
from a machine wasn’t unique or new,
Apple’s plan to remove it came during
the time when Blu-Ray was just getting
popular and Apple’s PC competitors were
trying to upgrade their DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) to Blu-Ray compatible drives.
In retrospect, the conversion to a
disc-less machine seems to have benefitted
both Apple and its consumers immensely.
One perfect example of this would
be the fact that removing the disc drives
has allowed for a lighter and slimmer machine to many of its customers’ delight.
In providing the lighter and sleeker
machine for its consumers, the cutting of
the disc drives also allows Apple to ship
more units in one shipment, which helps
Apple to save more money.
As Cloud technology, which allows
people to save their information and files
securely on a virtual server online advances, it is inevitable that more and more
companies will host their programs online.
Because of this, disc drives becoming obsolete is just an eventuality and it
seems like the gamble Apple made three
years ago has paid off.
Photo: Nairaland.com
Photo: Beatsperminute.com
Apple Macbooks are getting lighter and slimmer with the removal of the disc drive
The only question left is whether
Apple’s PC competitors will continue on
their trend of continually upgrading their
disc drives to the latest machine.
Or will they follow the lead of Apple in doing away with the disc drives for
machines.
It seems Apple products are clearly
heading towards a disc-less world and the
disc drive may well be going the way of
the floppy disk: towards extinction.
Stop Press :: December 2013
10
2013 POL-ITE Games
Soccer team scores gold after 5 yrs
TP soccer boys clinched the cup after
beating ITE in the finals
By: Joseph Dimmick
fter 5 years without
winning the POL-ITE
Games, this year Temasek
Polytechnic’s soccer team beat the
Institute Of Technical Education (ITE)
‘s soccer team 5-1 in the finals.
With many of this year’s squad
busy playing for S-League clubs, training
was only able to kick into full gear barely
a month before the games. Time was
clearly not in their favour.
The start of school training meant
that there were simply no rest days for
the players. On top of their existing fiveday training regime with their respective
clubs, the two days left were occupied
with school training.
The high level of intensity and
commitment that each player put into
honing themselves as a footballer was
certainly admirable.
With little time spent training
A
together, one could only imagine the
difficulties they faced while training for
this year’s tournament.
Self-belief and the fostering of a
strong bond was their answer claimed
Muhd Safwan, a third-year student from
the Diploma in Mechatronics.
“Every year we believe in ourselves
and that we have the best players but
somehow we don’t win.
“This year, the bonding was a lot
stronger as a team. I think that made the
difference.”
The
games
saw
Temasek
Polytechnic conceding only three goals
as compared to their tally of 18 goals
scored.
Despite their massive showing
during the tournament, Muhammad
Haziq Bin Azman, the team captain,
claimed that it was no easy feat.
Having a team of stars,
complacency was something to be
tackled.
“The thing that we had to take
care of was our egos. Most of us are
club players, like I play for Home United,
and others play for clubs like Geylang
International and Balestier Khalsa and
so on. So we have our own ideas on how
to play the game.
“That was something we had to
manage. I believe we did that very well
as we eventually managed to sort that
out and worked together toward our
common goal, which was to win every
game we played in.” said Haziq.
Paddling to glory after 10 years
By: Lee Yong Yee
A
fter months of intensive training to rival any professional
sportsperson’s, the TP Dragonboat Men’s Team has finally ended the
10-year podium-finish drought.
It was placed third in this year’s
POL-ITE dragonboating competition.
A beaming Aqil Bin Haji Isnin,
proud member of the team, shared what
it felt like to wear the bronze medal
around his neck.
“It was an absolutely hair-raising
and memorable experience for all us!
The satisfaction and accomplishment
that we experienced cannot be expressed
in words. But don’t get me wrong; we are
not satisfied and we are still hungry for
more. I’m positive that next year’s performance would be even better than this
year’s,” said the Accounting & Finance
student.
With the training conducted supervised by coach Adrian Low, it is not
difficult to believe Aqil’s claim. Mr Low
only started coaching the Dragonboat
Team in the beginning of the year, but
already has impacted the team greatly.
“Ever since (he) came in to coach
us, no training was considered usual;
for me, personally, the training we went
through dwarfed whatever we’ve gone
through previously. It required a tremendous amount of mental focus to
get through, because it was the most
challenging training we had ever experienced,” Aqil shared.
Each training session combines
crossfit and power exercises that help
stretch the limits of the team’s physical
strengths. One such exercise is the “pyramid” set of pull-ups, which includes
weights. Each team member starts with
a 25kg set of weights, and slowly builds
his way up to 45kg. This method gives
the exercise its name.
It seems that the new training regime and its results have not only surprised the TP Men’s Dragonboat Team.
Other competitors who were caught off
guard, have billed the team a dark horse.
However, ending the “curse of a
no-podium finish”, as Aqil puts it, has
not gotten to the heads of the dragonboaters. While they are elated with their
win, the team understands that to continue feeling this happiness, they would
have to work just as hard for next year’s
competition. The team has already started training for next year’s POL-ITE.
The Dragonboat Man’s Team came in third in
this year’s POL-ITE Games
‘ I can’t really walk or run,
but i can kayak, snorkel...’
By: Cherylaida Baharuddin
A
lvina Neo was never the sporty
girl, nor was she into sports while
studying in Temasek Polytechnic
Born with Spinal Bifida, a spinal
condition that impaired her ability to
walk, Alvina was the “queen of LOAs”
when in TP as she had to be frequently
hospitalised.
It was then that she started thinking
that she cannot keep being afraid of trying
new things.
The Biomedical Science graduate,
who is now a researcher for National
University of Singapore, says she is living
her dreams:
“For myself, I can’t really waIk
or run, but I can kayak, snorkel, (play)
archery, wheelchair basketball. I also
climbed the Bukit Timah hill, my first hill
in preparation for the expedition”.
The expedition which she eventually
went on proved to be one of the craziest
things she embarked on, climbing Mount
Ophir with 14 others, four of whom were
disabled athletes.
It was no easy feat for Alvina as she
obviously felt the brunt of sitting for 7
hours while descending Gunung Ledang.
It was even too much for her to take at
one point that she broke down.
“The best thing that could ever
happen was having a bowl of hot Maggie
and hotdogs upon reaching basecamp”
said Alvina.
She is grateful after her remarkable
efforts to raise funds to build wells for
irrigation and drinking water in Cambodia.
Alvina recently hand-cycled 100km
around Singapore in a bid to raise $3,000
for Club Rainbow, an organisation that
helps children who are suffering from
chronic illnesses.
That was one of the toughest
challenge she ever faced as she never
trained on roads before the event.
It was hence no surprise, that it
took a lot of perseverance and willpower
for her to pull herself up the slopes.
“It is easy as in you don’t really need
to balance and all that, but it’s difficult
because once you get out to the roads,
you have to fight against vehicles, with big
lorries and busses. You’re very vulnerable
when you are out there.”
To Alvina, hand-cycling is more
than a sport; it pushes her to her limits
and at the same time enables her to inspire
others.
“Bicycle, hand-cycle, both have the
same gearing system. This is the gearing
system that pushes me forward, to go out
there and to spread the message, not to
change the world, but through small ways,
to inspire people to change themselves.”
Despite the danger factor attached
to the sport, Alvina is determined to
continue handcycling and represent
Singapore in international competitions.
Balancing a full-time job and
studying has never deterred Alvina from
doing sports. She once swam 100 laps
in Swim for Hope 2011 where $1 was
donated for every lap she swam.
Alvina Neo and Tong Ming Ming were guest
speakers at “Graduates with a Heart” forum
Graduates with a big heart
Alvina Neo returned to campus
to give a talk at the inaugural ‘Graduates
with a Heart’ forum organised by SAA
and the Community Service Club.
Alvina recently participated in the
Swissotel Vertical Marathon 2013.
She said: “What are limitations? I
believe that for any able-bodied person
like all of you here, you have some form
of limitation too. But do you let yourself be limited by your limitations?”
The other big-hearted alumnus
featured in the forum was Tong Ming
Ming who donated part of his liver to a
stranger.
The engineering dipolma graduate
saw an urgent plea on Facebook and felt
a “calling”.
Stop Press :: December 2013
11
A cheaper splash of colour
By: Christabel Png
T
he rainbow hair trend is on the rise
amongst the youth in Singapore
– especially here in Temasek
Polytechnic. Go on, take a look around our
campus and keep an eye out for students
sporting outrageously coloured locks.
So let’s say you love the idea of
having candyfloss hair with a pink and
purple mane, but you aren’t sure if you really
want to jump straight into spending lots of
money dyeing your hair because you could
potentially look like a Jigglypuff.
A cost-effective alternative would be
to colour your hair temporarily to test the
waters.
Hair chalking allows
you to easily change
your hair colours often,
and it comes off easily
with washing.
- Desiree Lim
There are several ways that you can
do this, depending on the look that you are
going for.
The first method would be to use a
temporary hair dye. Check out Manic Panic’s
Semi-Permanent Vegan Hair Colour, which
can be purchased for around $30 at 77th
Street. The colour usually lasts for four to
six weeks, depending on how well you take
care of your hair.
This method has longer staying
power, it is more suitable for solid colours,
and is much more expensive in comparison
to the other two methods which we will
look at next.
The second method that you can try
would be to chalk your hair using soft chalk
pastels that can be bought at art stores such
as Art Friend. As seen on style icon Alexa
Chung, hair chalking is a simple and cheap
way to add temporary colour to your hair.
“Hair chalking allows you to easily
change your hair colours often, and it
comes off easily with washing,” says
Desiree Lim, a 19-year-old student from
Republic Polytechnic. “It might stain your
clothes though, so make sure that you wear
something you don’t mind getting dirty
when applying the chalk,” she suggests.
Lydia Teo, a second-year student
from Temasek Polytechnic’s Diploma in
Visual Communication, adds: “It can stain
your clothes if it rains, so I usually advise
people to wear black.”
The 18-year-old is a veteran at
temporary hair colouring, and uses hair
chalk to experiment with multiple colours
at a time (twelve different colours is the
highest number she has tried). “Don’t do it
Music for lunch
By: Sim Yu Xiang
I
t was lunchtime, but students streaming
out of lecture theatres, classrooms and
labs did not head towards the canteens.
Instead, they seemed to indulge in a
different kind of meal – bobbing their heads
to the performances outside the library and
enjoying food for the soul.
For three consecutive weeks from
13 Nov, bands from Temasek Polytechnic’s
Music Vox performed outside the library
during lunch break.
It was part of the Lunchtime
Performance Series Mid-Week Madness
organised by the
Temasek Arts Centre.
A total of 11
bands brought popular songs from the
likes of Beyonce,
Green Day and Jessie
J, which drew crowds
of students.
Charles Loh,
20, the Vice-President
of Music Vox, said: “It
Photo: Sim Yu Xiang
felt very nice, knowing
that the students enjoyed our perfomances.
It gave us the extra boost to give 110% for
our set.”
The event was launched as an arts
initiative by the Student and Alumni Affairs
Department to promote appreciation
towards the arts.
Mr James Lye, 24, the Student Development Officer in-charge of this initiative,
said: “I’d like youths in Singapore to start by
questioning the definition of art.
“Is art a tangible thing or is it something
which cultivates one’s thoughts, emotions,
character and outlook?”
Even though the event featured only
the Music Vox, plans are underway for future
instalments to include more arts groups.
Photos: Christabel Png
too often though”, she says. “Hair chalking
dries up your hair. It makes each strand
weaker and your hair becomes more brittle.”
The last method of temporary hair
colouring is one that you might not have
heard of before. Lydia uses food dye to
colour her hair when she wants a strong
solid color just for the day. This is ordinary
food colouring that can be purchased at the
supermarket under the baking section.
“Food dye stains skin, so I thought
of using it for hair to create a less damaging
dye,” she says. So far, she hasn’t seen any side
Above: Lydia’s hair applied with food dye
(left) and hair chalk (right)
effects from it. Food dye creates a stronger
and brighter colour in comparison to hair
chalking. According to Lydia, it’s easier too.
“I just coat a brush or sponge with
dye and dab it onto my hair. After that I use
a toothbrush to fine-comb it. Then dry your
hair using a hairdryer and you’re done.”
Don’t use a hair straightener or a
curling iron on your hair when using this
method though. “The heat will make the
food dye sizzle and your hair will burn.”
New chorale conductor
By: Joceline Loo
A
decade is a long time and it was a
time for a change for the Temasek
Polytechnic (TP) Chorale.
Ms Ong Chiak Yin, 38, took over
the baton from the founding conductor
Mr Darius Lim, and is now leading the
85-member strong choir.
Member Pat Yuan Teng, 19, believes
that having a good conductor is important,
as she will have the ability to share her
knowledge and groom her students well.
“A mentor has to be able to not only
demonstrate well, but also use words to
explain, ensuring that the mentees understand
and deliver similar
sound quality.”
Having been
a teacher for over
15 years, one of the
first improvements
Ms Ong made was
to discipline the
sound quality, and
make the choir
more aware of
each other’s singing
Photo: Joceline Loo
techniques.
“She introduced everyone to music
theory so that people without music
background can read and play notes so they
can learn the songs by themselves,” said
student conductor and section leader Victor
Tan.
Having been an alto voice in choirs
back in her schooling days, Ms Ong can
relate to her students who are juggling
between school and passion. She believes
that how the students cope with the different
responsibilities will shape the student into the
person they will become.
“Everyone juggles between life’s
demands and responsibilities and none
of these that we need to do are any less
important.”
Stop
Press :::: June
June 2008
2008
Stop
12 Press
Stop Press :: December 2013
Mata Mata comes to Temasek Polytechnic
By: Tanya Kneale
T
he cast of MediaCorp’s hit
television series Mata Mata made
a special guest appearance at TP
Rawks, Temasek Polytechnic’s biggest
annual outreach party for Sec 4 students.
Singapore’s favourite contractor,
Phua Chu Kang, joined in the surprise
visit by the four Mata Mata actors –
George Young, Paul Foster, Adam Chen
and Nadiah M. Din – for an afternoon of
fun and games.
“I can’t believe the cast of Mata
Mata came to TP! I love watching the
show and I’m a huge fan of all of them.
This is like a dream come true!” exclaimed
Rawker Maddie Chen, 16.
Phua Chu Kang was the first on
stage to greet the Rawkers. He warmed
up the crowd with his humorous antics
and even engaged in some light banter
with the audience.
A short game of music and dance
followed, where the winner was awarded
a pair of tickets to the screening of the
Mata Mata finale.
The cast of Mata Mata then came
on and reached out to the Rawkers with
a group photo-taking session in order to
get TP and MediaCorp trending.
They later engaged the Rawkers in a
friendly competition, playing games such
as “chapteh” and the highlight was when
a Rawker was paired up with a celebrity
Photos: Tanya Kneale
as a team to compete. The endearing
personalities made the Rawkers hold
them in high regard and it resulted in
resonating cheers as the afternoon event
drew to a close.
The #tprawks trending tag was
raving when Rawkers began posting
their excitement in a huge wave of tweets
and Instagram pictures. Many Rawkers
expressed their enthusiasm with tweets
such as: “Only need one word to describe
my experience at TP: #tprawks”.
Eudora Tan, TP’s Corporate
Communications Officer and the leader
behind TP Rawks said: “It’s a very familylike culture here, we care for the Rawkers,
we go through thick and thin with them
and I think that’s something that TP is.
” She hopes that the takeaway for every
Rawker is -“Coming to TP is like coming
home”.
Every year, TP Rawks is organized
for prospective students to personally
experience TP’s vibrant culture and
exuberant energy. Over three days,
various activities such as the highly
anticipated Jam and Hop, takes place.
This gives Rawkers a chance to know the
poly and its courses.
“TP Rawks has really opened my
eyes to the Polytechnic culture. I love the
sense of support and community here.
I’ve had a great time and I wish this never
has to end!” said Jaslyn Koh, a 17-yearold TP Rawker.
Catwalk to glory
TP students make it to the finals of Teens Magazine’s Teen Model Search
Photo: Sim Yu Xiang
From left: Inqa Widu Ayu, Dominic Wong and
Novell Tan, TP’s Teen Model Search finalist
By: Sim Yu Xiang
I
t started with over 50 contestants,
with countless more not making
the cut during the auditions.
Everyone gave it their all
to outshine the others in a battle of
body and soul which lasted for weeks,
all to become the champion of Teens
Magazine’s Teen Model Search 2013.
TP students Dominic Wong,
Inqa Widu Ayu, and alumnus Novell
Tan made it to the finals of the nationwide competition. Novell was the first
runner-up and also clinched the Miss
Congeniality award, while Dominic was
the second runner-up.
The final showdown among 24
hopefuls, ranging from 15 to 21 years old,
was on Nov 23, at the atrium of Bugis
Plus. It was hosted by popular radio
presenter Boy Thunder and graced by
other celebrities like former MediaCorp
actress Dawn Yeoh and singer Derrick
Hoh.
The theme of the competition
was Colour My Life, focusing on giving
to others, having a healthy lifestyle and
caring for the environment. In the spirit
of giving, the finalists also raised over
$5,000 for Club Rainbow, a charity
committed to children suffering from
chronic diseases.
Finalists put on a fashion
show, performing several catwalks, a
Korean-Pop dance item, and they were
interviewed on the competition theme.
There were also performances by singer
Derrick Hoh and students from Celine
Jessandra School of Performing Arts.
For 20-year-old Novell, who
has won various beauty pageants, this
was her first modelling competition. She
said: “Modelling and pageants are very
different. You have to smile all the time
in a pageant, but we were not supposed
to smile in some parts of the modelling
competition. It was fun though, we felt
like real models, with so many outfits to
change into and personal assistants to
help us.”
18-year-old
Hospitality
and
Tourism Management student Dominic
was nudged to join the competition by
his elder sister Amelia Wong. She is also
a TP student and was a winner in the
Teens Model Search in 2011.
Dominic said: “I seriously did not
think I would win. When all the subsidiary
prizes were given out, I thought it was
over for me. I was really surprised when
it was announced that I was second
runner-up!”
Designed and published by Diploma in Communications and Media Management students
Designers: Cherylaida Baharuddin, Sheryl Tng, Tan Pei Yu, Josiah Ang, Tanya Kneale, Leck Kaisen
For Inqa, 18, the chance to
participate came unexpectedly. She said:
“I never expected myself to be a part of
this. Initially, I was scouted when I was
studying outside the labs, and they called
me down for the audition. I enjoyed
the journey because I made a lot of
friends and I learned so much from this
competition. I think it made me a better
person. I feel more confident about
myself and conquered my fears.”
You have to smile
all the time in a
pageant, but we
were not supposed
to smile in some
parts of the modelling competition.
– Novell Tan,
first runner-up
Stop Press PDF Version:
www-bus.tp.edu.sg/bus-home/bus_aboutus/bus_publications.htm