I`m the Boss - Nanyang Polytechnic

Transcription

2015 - Volume 1
Published by
Real World
Exposure
Hall of Fame
05
YOLO
09
14
I’m
Innovative
Thursday, 30 August 2012
‘Usain
Bolt’
robot is a
Nanyang
Poly feat
ST PHOTO:
NEO XIAOBIN
LIANHE ZAOBAO
TAMIL MURASU
BERITA HARIAN
51 WGDFG
UYTU DSA
FD SAG
Ditawar kerja setelah 创业圆梦也回馈
lalui tempoh kerja
社会
sambil belajar
年轻人创业圆梦，若也能把社会企业的元
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(FDW Grant) vd;gJ md;whl
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3 eltbf;iffisr; nra;tjw;F epue;ju
cjtp Njitg;gLk; md;Gf;Fupatu;fisg;
guhkupg;gjw;fhf
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Semasa menuntut di Politecknik Nanyang
(NYP), Cik Diyan Ashkin Abdul Razak,
21 tahun, bersedia mengorbankan masa
menjalani program kerja sambil berlajar.
Wednesday, 20 February 2013
Team of 17 responsible for
record-breaking 6m
sprint at RoboWorld Cup
By IRENE THAM
TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT
素融进生意理念中来回馈社会，可真是两
全其美。
>> Pg 30
>> Pg 13
>> Pg 04
Take Selfie With #NYPAwesome And
Movie Passes!
*Pls see details
at the back page.
28
THE STRAITS TIMES
Some of the 17
members of the NYP
team, who include
third-year students in
mechatronics engineering – (standing
from left) Mr Max
Leow, 24, Mr Tan
Hong Tak, 20, Mr
Muhammad Rahimi
Abdul Ghani, 19,
Mr Antoni, 21, Mr
Matthew Chia, 24,
(seated left) Ms Azra
Shamim Roslan,
20, (squatting) Mr
Walfrid Arief Gui,
19, and (seated right)
Ms Ge Xiao Meng,
20 – posing with their
award-winning robots
Evo Rocky (left) and
Red Atom (right).
Thursday, 14 November 2013
24
I’m
the Boss
“NYP has made significant progress in twenty years,
to deliver a world-class, high-quality polytechnic
education to our young generation today.”
Mr Heng Swee Keat
Minister for Education
20th Anniversary Celebration of NYP on 30 March 2012
Articles reproduced with permission from Singapore Press Holdings
>> Pg 02
2015 - Volume 1
02 Hall of Fame
THE STRAITS TIMES Thursday, 30 August 2012
>> Continue Pg 01
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong cited the achievement as an example of good education at all levels
during his National Day Rally speech on Sunday.
Yesterday, The Straits Times spoke to some members
of the team that created the robot.
Dr Kevin Lim, a lecturer in mechatronics engineering
at the polytechnic, attributed Red Atom’s outstanding
performance to NYP-created software bringing faster
transmission of motion sensor readings to the “brain”
of the robot – the micro-controller board.
If the robot is too far to the left or right, it responds
in just five milliseconds. This allows it to automatically correct its position to run in the straightest line
possible. Red Atom is also better able to balance itself
without falling, a common sight in robotic races, said
Dr Lim.
At last year’s RoboWorld Cup, the NYP team finished third in the same category as its robot took almost twice as long – 60 seconds – to finish the race.
It took 10 times longer than Red Atom, at 50 milliseconds, to assess its orientation and position.
Red Atom, which took three months to develop,
also won medals in the obstacle run, penalty kick and
marathon at the RoboWorld Cup, which drew teams
from 27 countries.
A 1m-tall robot named Evo Rocky – also developed
by the same team at NYP – competed in a separate category for larger robots. It emerged the overall champion, winning five gold medals and a silver medal in six
events, including sprinting, marathon, penalty kick
and weightlifting.
The NYP team brought home 12 medals from the
meet, in which it has participated every year since
2007. This is the second time that NYP won a medal in
every event in which it entered. The first time was at
last year’s RoboWorld Cup in Taiwan, where its team
bagged 17 medals with three robots.
[email protected]
NYP’s
brand
promise
THE NEW PAPER Wednesday, 23 July 2014
FROZEN DELIGHT:
(From left) Mr Tommy
Leung, Miss Hong Kar
Yiu and Miss Wong Yoke
Teng, who were part of the
team behind the “Traffic
Jam Ice Cream”.
NYP team showcases
ice cream suitable for
diabetics at international
dairy competition
Sweet payoff
for odd flavours
Reports and picture by
LINETTE HENG
[email protected]
Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes
at the age of 10, Miss Hong Kar
Yiu, 22, had long forgotten the
taste of ice-cream.
But she finally had the chance
to taste it again for her finalyear project as a Food Science
and Nutrition student at Nanyang
Polytechnic (NYP).
Last year, she decided to create
an ice-cream that would be suitable
for diabetics.
Her pumpkin-flavoured ice-cream,
together with other flavours created
by her coursemate, Mr Tommy
Leung, and a team of staff members
from the school of Chemical and Life
Sciences, took part in World Dairy
Innovation Awards in Istanbul,
Turkey, this year.
HEALTHY
The awards saw close to 160 entries
We promise our prospects &
students that, beyond providing
quality education & training to
prepare you well for the job market
and university studies, we will also
nurture you to become innovative
& enterprising graduates.
from 30 countries in 17 categories,
and NYP was the only education
institution alongside a pool of
international F&B giants such as
Meiji and PepsiCo.
Miss Hong chose pumpkin, which
is suitable for diabetics, and Mr
Leung, 21, choose beetroot, a
vegetable also known for its health
benefits.
He said he wanted to create
something not available in the
market and added that the root has
a host of health benefits such as
being rich in anti-oxidants.
The third flavour is healthy,
but just as eyebrow-raising:
bittergourd.
The three flavours, with colours
modelled after the colours of
traffic lights, were packaged as
the “Traffic Jam Ice Cream”
It was a finalist in the Best Ice
Cream category. This is the fifth
year that NYP is participating in
the competition.
Ms Lina Tan, senior lecturer
of Food Science and Nutrition
course at NYP, was part of the
team that created the bittergourd
flavoured ice-cream.
She said: “At the first trial, the
taste of the bittergourd ice-cream
was terrible. It was bitter, tart and
the colour was too pale. It was
really not appetising.”
All three ice-cream flavours
have since been served at several
school events and at the school’s
restaurant, L’Rez.
Mr Richard Khaw, assistant
director of Food and Pharmaceutical
Sciences at NYP, said: “Most people
are sceptical at first. But they are
always surprised after they taste
them.”
REPORTER’S TASTE TEST
I usually avoid these exotic veggies at all cost and I did this taste
test with the mindset of a Fear Factor contestant. Here is my verdict:
BEETROOT
I could be fooled into thinking it is raspberry ice-cream because of its colour and
texture. It has a strong, earthy flavour and is an acquired taste.
PUMPKIN
It is the most popular flavour among the three, probably because pumpkin
pastries are common. There were nuts added, which was a nice touch to the
slightly cloying combination of pumpkin and milk.
BITTERGOURD
Most people would be resistant to the flavour but it’s my favourite. The
milk masks the harsh taste of the gourd and the bitter tang was a delightful
surprise.
2015 - Volume 1
Hall of Fame 03
THE STRAITS TIMES Thursday, 6 October 2011
Team gets a helping hand
from ex-winners
WorldSkills competitors
raring to go after mentors
share experiences, expertise
BY LEOW SI WAN
IN LONDON
HER biggest fear was how negative thoughts
could hurt her performance at a prestigious
international trade skills competition.
But with help from her mentor, who
had taken part previously in the biennial
WorldSkills contest, Ms Marilyn Tham, 20,
is now all ready for the four-day event which
started yesterday.
This year’s WorldSkills competition, in its
41st edition, is held in London. Some 1,000
participants from more than 50 nations are
vying for top honours in skill areas such as
cooking, floristry and mobile robotics.
Singapore is fielding its largest team
to date – more than 20 students from the
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and
the polytechnics will show off their expertise
in 19 categories.
Ms Tham, a Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
graduate, said: “Preparing for such a major
competition can be stressful and I suffered
some sleepless nights because there were
so many things to do. I am grateful that my
mentor, Anthony, provided some advice and
support.
“It is very comforting to know that
someone else has come through the
competition as a winner.”
She will compete in graphic design
technology and must complete tasks such as
editorial layout and creating advertisements.
Her mentor, urban artist Anthony
Chong, took part in the same competition
in WorldSkills back in 2003.
The 29-year-old has stayed involved in
the contest, often dubbed “the Olympics of
Skills”.
He said: “This competition changed my
life and it is natural for me to help out. It
also gives me an opportunity to keep myself
updated and find out what the scene is like
in other countries.”
Indeed, previous WorldSkills participants
who are sharing their experiences and
expertise with their juniors all attest to how
the contest has made an impact on their
lives.
They met their charges frequently – up
to a few times a week, for a couple of hours
each time – to offer critiques and industry
knowledge.
Mr Chong said: “I didn’t like to study but I
loved to draw. Many told me that if you do
art, you will not have a future.
“Doing well in WorldSkills changed my
life big time. I gained confidence, became
much more disciplined and I guess I have
proven that you can go somewhere in life if
you have a passion.”
Likewise, Ms Chua Ka Wen, an ITE
graduate who won a Medal of Excellence in
beauty therapy in WorldSkills two years ago,
Mentors Anthony Chong (left) and Viridis Liew (centre) with competitors (from left) Marilyn Tham,
Shuner Leong and Jared Sim. Singapore is fielding its largest team to date in the four-day event which
started yesterday, and over 20 students from the ITE and polytechnics will show off their expertise in
19 categories. PHOTO: INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION
said the competition helped her secure an ITE
scholarship, enabling her to pursue a degree
overseas.
“I did not perform well in the O levels but I
found my niche in ITE and winning a medal in
WorldSkills helped me find a direction in life,”
said the 23-year-old.
Ms Chua, who is now an undergraduate
at the University of the Arts in London,
returned to Singapore during her vacation to
help mentor a current WorldSkills contestant
competing in the same category.
WorldSkills is not just for those who did not
excel academically.
Ms Viridis Liew, 27, a software developer,
did well enough to enter a junior college but
opted to attend NYP so she could focus on her
interest in information technology.
Her gamble paid off.
In 2005, Ms Liew – who competed in the
IT/PC & network support category – was the
overall top scorer for WorldSkills.
She is currently in London to mentor
THE STRAITS TIMES Thursday, 14 November 2013
Para-shuttlers 3rd at world c’ships
By MAY CHEN
SINGAPORE
clinched
two
bronze medals on their first
outing at the Para-Badminton
World Championships.
Tay Wei Ming, 25, came in
third in the men’s singles (SU 5
category) event.
He later partnered Kelvin
Pung, 34, to the bronze medal in
the men’s doubles.
Para-badminton players are
grouped according to wheelchair, standing and short stature
classes. A lower number represents a higher level of disability.
Standing shuttlers with the
lowest level of disability are
grouped in SU 5, the most competitive category.
Tay, who suffers from Erb’s
Palsy, a condition that affects
his nervous system, emerged
from a field of 29 players from
almost 20 countries to take the
bronze in Dortmund, Germany.
The biennial event ended last
Sunday.
He upset second seed Ilker Tuzcu of Turkey in straight
games in the quarter-finals, before losing to Poland’s Bartlomiej Mroz in three games in the
semi-finals.
There was no play-off for
bronze.
Para-badminton men’s doubles pair Tay Wei Ming (left) and Kelvin Pung won
bronze despite losing in the semi-finals.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF TAY WEI MING
Still, the third-year sports and passed his pre-event target of
wellness management student making the last eight.
“My coach (for the past three
at Nanyang Polytechnic had sur-
years) could not travel to
Germany with me because
he had some family matters
to attend to and, initially,
that was hard for me,” said
Tay, a two-time Asean Para
Games champion, who was
competing in the biggest
tournament of his career.
“But I told myself that
I had put in a lot of effort
into this and it’s time for
me to prove something. I had
nothing to lose and I wanted
to achieve something for my
coach, myself and Singapore.”
Ta y a n d P u n g w e r e
beaten 21-19, 21-11 by
Malaysia’s top seeds Suhaili Laiman and Cheah Liek
Hou in the men’s doubles
semi-finals.
Si n gapore Dis abil ity
Sports Council (SDSC) president Mohan Menon was delighted with the results, and
said: “This is a testament to
the fact that the SDSC is doing something right in identifying and grooming new
talent.
“It’s reassuring that our
methodology is reaping rewards.”
[email protected]
contestants.
Ms Liew will also present the top
honour, the Albert Vidal Award.
“Contributing is the only way to help
and seeing them learn – that gives a real
sense of satisfaction,” she said.
Ultimately, the hope is for technical and
vocational expertise to be acknowledged.
Mr Chong said: “In Singapore, the view is
that people with skills are not as important
as those holding pens. People view a car
mechanic as just a person repairing cars,
whereas in Western societies, this group
of people are seen as professionals.”
ITE chief executive Bruce Poh said:
“Skills and technical careers are vital for
our economy and future growth.”
He added that he hopes the Singapore
team can rise to “the challenge of
excelling on the world stage and use this
opportunity to benchmark their skills
with the best of the best”.
Meanwhile, the competitors are all
raring to go.
Mr Jared Sim, a third-year NYP student
mentored by Ms Liew, said: “I have been
preparing for this for the past two years. I
am all ready.”
Beauty therapy competitor Shuner
Leong, a 21-year-old ITE graduate, added:
“For the next exciting four days, I am just
going to give it my best shot. I know I can
do it.”
[email protected]
About the
London event
WorldSkills International is a
worldwide, not-for-profit membership
association open to agencies or bodies
which promote vocational education
and training in their respective
countries or regions.
Number of participants: 1,000
Number of countries: 51
Number of skill areas: 46
When: Oct 5 to Oct 8
Where: ExCeL London
exhibition and conference centre
located in London’s Docklands
Opening and closing ceremonies:
Both events will take place at
London’s O2, a state-of-the-art
concert arena. The opening ceremony
– where Britain’s Deputy Prime
Minister Nick Clegg gave a welcome
address – took place yesterday.
Expected number of visitors: More
than 150,000
2015 - Volume 1
04 Hall of Fame
TAMIL MURASU Thursday, 14 November 2013
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NYP students clinched the Champion and
Best Prototype Award for their innovation,
X-RIGHT, at the 7th International Convention
on Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive
Technology held in Korea on 31 August
2013. This prototype helps solve the challenge
of obtaining an optimal chest X-ray of
wheelchair–bound patients.
GYM MOVE
NAMED
AFTER TAY
S’porean teenager’s feat is believed
to be the first from South-east Asia
By MAY CHEN
LOCAL gymnast Terry Tay has
joined an exclusive club that
includes some of the sport’s greats
such as Li Ning and Kurt Thomas,
following a move that was named
after him yesterday.
The 19-year-old earned the
certification from the Federation
Internationale de Gymnastique
(FIG), the sport’s governing body,
after successfully performing it
on Monday at the ongoing World
Championships in Belgium.
He is believed to be the first
male artistic gymnast from Southeast Asia to accomplish that feat.
Performed on the still rings,
the “Tay” – the name awarded
by the FIG – has a high difficulty
level of E (increases from A to F)
and a description which those
unacquainted with gymnastics
would find hard to comprehend.
Its creator, however, needs just
one word to describe it.
“Power,” said the Year 3 Nanyang
Polytechnic student, referring
to how much strength the move
demands of a gymnast.
Terry Tay made his mark in Belgium,
thanks to his use of power on the still rings.
ST FILE PHOTO
“It involves precise technical
execution, great amount of strength
and grace.”
Original elements are named after
gymnasts when an athlete becomes
the first to successfully execute them
at either the world championships or
Olympics.
The “Li Ning” on the still rings and
the “Thomas Flair” on the pommel
horse, for example, are some of the
sport’s more fabled moves.
But while others might have spent
months creating and perfecting a
new skill, Tay’s was an impromptu
creation the Singapore team came up
with only after arriving in Antwerp,
Tay’s signature move
where the meet is held.
Said Tay: “Our team’s judge Gan
Chai San suggested that I do it
when we noticed some gymnasts
trying new skills with the V-cross.
This new skill is the hardest I’ve
tried in a competition. I’m really
proud not just for myself but also
for Singapore.”
Singapore Gymnastics vicepresident Lee Hong Chuang hopes
this will spur more local gymnasts
in their pursuit of excellence. He
said: “Besides training hard, they
can also be innovative and look into
ways to improve and capitalise on
their strengths.”
While he finished 128th out of
136 gymnasts on the rings with
11.333 points, Tay admits that
having a new move in his name is
something special altogether.
He said: “I didn’t expect this at
all when I left for Belgium.
“This is something that will
be in the FIG code of points for
generations to come.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
Hall of Fame 05
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 1 May 2010
NYP’s ice cream licks the
big guns at awards
BY LEOW SI WAN
A TEAM of Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) lecturers and
students emerged as the cream of the crop, winning
an international ice cream award on Wednesday,
trumping major players such as Dreyer’s Grand and
Haagen-Dazs.
The NYP team’s “green tea laced with aloe vera”
recipe beat industry names from Slovenia and
the United States to emerge tops in the best new
ice cream category at the inaugural IDF Dairy
Innovation Awards in Austria.
The awards, which celebrate innovation in
the global dairy industry, is an initiative by the
International Dairy Federation – which currently
accounts for more than 80 per cent of the world’s
milk production – and the FoodBev Media’s Dairy
Innovation magazine.
This year’s competition attracted more than 170
entries from 29 countries in 12 categories, including
best new cheese and best new dairy drink.
NYP’s winning ice cream flavour was developed
by four students and two lecturers from the Food
Science Programme of the polytechnic’s School of
Chemical and Life Sciences (SCL).
Said SCL deputy director Mathew Lau: “This ice
cream was created as part of a module. We thought
the ice cream we created was good in areas such as
food safety, nutrition and taste, so we entered the
competition.
“To win at this competition despite our lack
of resources shows that we are on the right
track in terms of nurturing students to compete
internationally.”
The team chose green tea and aloe vera,
ingredients that contain antioxidants and have
anti-inflammatory properties, to appeal to its target
group – female consumers concerned about their
health and skin care.
Ms Gan Heng Hui, 33, one of the lecturers involved
in the competition, said: “We also used a zerocalorific sugar substitute so women can enjoy the ice
cream without worrying about sugar content.”
The polytechnic now plans to commercialise the
invention.
One team member, student Laura Lim, 20, who will
graduate from NYP later this month, said: “I hope we
are successful as we put in six months of hard work
to come up with the product. We are confident that
it will be popular in the mass market.”
The others in the team are students Chye Shan
Shan, 20, Chow Yina, 22, and Gan Shi Wei, 20, and
another lecturer Richard Khaw, 39.
THE STRAITS TIMES Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Close partners Audrey Foo (left) and Gladys Aw. Ms Foo won the gold medal in the Health and Social Care category.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROBERT ANG
Forced to compete alone after change in rules
SHORN of her partner because of a rules change, and forced to compete alone at the WorldSkills
contest, Ms Audrey Foo started to feel nervous even before she landed in Germany. The 21-year-old
broke out in tears at Changi Airport on June 28 just as the Singapore team was preparing to fly to
Leipzig.
“I felt very pressured to do well, because Singapore won gold in my category in the past three
contests,” said the Nanyang Polytechnic graduate, who contested the Health and Social Care category.
Since it was added to the competition in 2007, Singapore has topped the category each time. But
a change of rules turned the contest into an individual event. This meant a choice had to be made
between Ms Foo and her polytechnic coursemate Gladys Aw, 20. The duo developed a close working
relationship on the way to winning gold at WorldSkills Singapore, the local version of the competition.
“When you have a partner, there is someone to motivate you,” said Ms Foo.
But she was not alone in Leipzig. Ms Aw flew there to support her. When it was announced that
Singapore had claimed its fourth straight gold in the category, beating 11 other competitors, there
were tears on stage from Ms Foo, and from Ms Aw, who was in the audience. “I felt really happy for
Audrey, that she made it,” said Ms Aw.
Ms Foo, who also won the Best of Nation award for the highest score among Singaporean competitors,
said: “Before WorldSkills Singapore, Gladys and I were just hi-bye friends. But through this we grew
much closer.”
PEARL LEE
THE NEW PAPER Friday, 22 February 2013
WINNING TEAM: (From left) Ms Li Yang, team mentor cum senior lecturer
Edwin Foo and Mr Pei Wen Hua posing with their project.
Snaking their way
to victory
Nanyang Poly’s snake contraption comes up
tops in robotics competition
REPORT and Picture:
LIAW ZHI TIAN
[email protected]
T FIRST glance, it was like
a scene from the movie
Snakes on a Plane.
Five snakes, each 1 to 2m long,
slithered around menacingly.
But look closely and you will
notice that despite their life-like
movements, they are robotic
snakes.
These remote-controlled creatures
are the winning entry from
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) in this
year’s annual Singapore Robotics
Games, held on Jan 22 and 23, at
the Singapore Science Centre.
The competition saw five teams
battling it out for a trophy and a
cash prize of $500.
The endeavour is the hard
work of 15 students from NYP’s
engineering faculty, who made 10
such snakes.
The team, led by Mr Pei Wen Hua,
24, and Ms Li Yang, 20, put up a
superb show with five snakes at the
contest, where their project was
assessed for its technical prowess,
showmanship and creativity.
They were given 10 minutes to
display the invention they had
worked on for more than a year.
When the largest snake was
released,
a
team
member
pretended to teach it tricks, such
as nodding or shaking its tail.
At one point, he even got the
audience to dance with the
creature to the song “Moves like
Jagger”.
The highlight of the presentation
was certainly the snakes burrowing
through a tunnel that spat fire.
The performance ended with the
release of four smaller snakes, and
together, they formed the Chinese
character for water, which wowed
the audience and impressed the
judges.
The road to this competition was
full of challenges and hard work.
Ms Li recalled how in January
last year, their teacher brought a
small robotic snake into class, and
this sparked their interest.
“It seemed like quite a challenge
(to construct this machine),” she
said.
Also, with this being the Year
of the Snake, the students were
inspired to create robotic snakes.
When asked about their greatest
challenge, Mr Pei said: “The most
difficult thing is to accommodate
the various components in the
snake’s body.”
The team managed to figure this
out by fitting the motherboard in
the head of the snake, the battery
in the tail and designing the
antenna as the snake’s tongue.
Lifelike skin
They also covered the body of the
snake with lifelike skin designed
by NYP’s School of Interactive and
Digital Media.
The team spent about $32,000 on
the project, which was funded by
the school.
Moving forward, the school plans
to sell the technology to research
and military institutions and even
the toy industry.
A mentor to the team, Mr Wong
Chin Sai, 55, said: “We have made
it fireproof, and we hope to make
it waterproof in the future.”
Ms Li added: “In the future, we
hope it will be able to clean pools
or the Singapore River, or conduct
search-and-rescue missions.”
2015 - Volume 1
06 YOLO
YOLO= You Only Live Once
THE NEW PAPER Monday, 5 May 2014
Students
are STARS
at NYP
The Student Talent & Achievement Recognition
(STAR) Awards 2014 at Nanyang Polytechnic
(NYP) was held on April 25.
The annual event aims to recognise and encourage the polytechnic’s students with special
talents and passion in areas such as the arts,
community service, leadership, innovation and
creativity, sports and adventure.
These students have been making significant contributions to NYP’s camous life.
Mr Nabin Parajuli was awarded the Platnum Award in the individual Sports and
Adventure Category for his outstanding
sporting achievements.
The platinum Award represents the creme
de la creme among the nominees.
Of the 148 individual awards and 35 group
awards given out this year, the only Platinum
Award was given to Mr Nabin.
Good son, good student
RUN FREE:
Nabin Parajuli, 21, jumps
over hurdles during
his training. Hurdles
are a component of the
Steeplechase event.
TNP PHOTO: KIAT
TAN WJ
Breaking records
barefoot
Poly student says running shoeless ‘help brain connect to feet’
Report by GOH YAN HAN
[email protected]
Just two years ago, he was a
school librarian.
These days, he is a hunky record
smashing runner who prefers to
cover the distance barefooted.
How good is he?
At the recent Hong Bao Run, Mr
Nabin Parajuli came in second
to Mok Ying Ren, Singapore’s
top marathoner who won a gold
medal at the Myanmar Southeast Asia (SEA) Games last year.
And he was only three seconds
slower than Mok.
It was quite an achievement
for the 21-year-old because it
was his first competitive run
outdoors.
“At first, I was advised to wear
shoes because of the terrain,
but after the first 200m, I threw
them away and ran barefoot,”
he said.
He began running competitively
only two years ago, yet managed
to break three records in last
year’s Polytechnic-Institute of
Technical Education Track and
Field Championships (POLITE).
The Nepalese-born Singapore
PR, who entered Nanyang
Polytechnic (NYP) in 2012, won
an NYP award for his sporting
achievements two weeks ago.
(See report above.)
He had no previous sports
experience, having been in the
Library Club throughout his
years at St. Gabriel’s Secondary
School.
Then, in May 2012, at the age
of 19, Mr Nabin took part in a
4km school run and finished
fourth.
Mr Nabin said: “After the run,
the athletics coach asked me
if I had run before, as I had a
talent.”
NATURAL TALENT
Mr Nabin’s coach, Mr Tho Yow
Kin, said it was rare for someone
to finish so close to the Athletics
team members who had been
training consistently.
“For someone without any
running experience, it meant
that (Mr Nabin) had some inbuilt talent,” Mr Tho said.
Mr Nabin took part in POLITE 2012 after encouragement
from Mr Tho and trained with
the NYP Athletics team.
Without a podium finish, Mr
Nabin felt that the “results were
not good” and the experience
pushed him to start training
properly.
H e s a i d : “ B ef ore POL-IT E
2012, I rarely went for training.
But after that, I wanted to
After school, the fillial son helps his
mother at her dried goods stall in
Aljunied.
“It is my responsibility. I will cover the
shift so my mother can go home and
rest.” said Mr Nabin.
The shop closes at 10pm, so the
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) student
would go to the stall after school or
training and stay to the ened to ease
his mother’s load.
Mr Guru Oly, 61, who was
involved in recommending Nabin
to the school for the award, said:
“Nabin has a soft humility and it is a
phenomenal feat for a lay runner to
become a champion so quickly.”
Mr Oly is assistant manager for
Sports and Adventure at NYP.
Running coach Tho Yow Kin
added: “Even with talent, it is
impossible to achieve such high level
without hard work. Nabin also has a
wonderful personality and that gets
even his competitors cheering for him
during races.
“After every race, he will immediately
come up for me and thank me first.
“This is not something I will ask my
athletes to do, so he is very humble,”
said Mr Tho.
SPECIAL AWARD
Mr Nabin said the award was special
to him and took the opportunity to
thank his coach and team.
He added that while his parents
were initially cool about his foray into
running, they are now his strongest
supporters.
Of running, he said: “I’m never going
to leave it, even after I graduate from
NYP.”
LIANHE ZAOBAO Monday, 6 October 2014
500人挑战“最长画作”
世界纪录
join Athletics officially because
getting to represent the school is
a whole different feeling.”
RECORD-BREAKING
A year later, Mr Nabin entered
the same competition and
saw outstanding results — he
had broken all records in the
Steeplechase, 5km and 10km
events.
He said: “I didn’t train to break
the records, I was focused on
being better than what I already
was.”
And as if breaking the records
were not enough, Mr Nabin broke
them barefoot.
“The first day I went for training
with the team, everyone was
wearing their shoes, but I felt
better without them, so I just
took them off.”
And he has not worn them
again since.
His love for running barefoot,
also known as natural running,
has spread to many of his
teammates, who tried it out
curiously at first.
Many now run barefoot during
trainings and in competitions.
“When I run barefoot, my brain
can connect with my feet for
every step that I take so it helps
me to understand my body
better,” Mr Nabin said.
500多人昨天在南洋理工学院学院礼堂共同创作巨幅画卷，希望打破“最
长画作”健力士世界纪录。这场活动由日本最受欢迎的手机应用程序LINE
同新加坡画家卓英伟携手举办。（徐颖荃摄）
王舒杨　报道
[email protected]
手机即时通信应用程序LINE携
本地画家卓英伟（Peter Draw）和数
百名公众，前天创作约9200米的画
作，可能打破“最长画作”健力士世
界纪录（Guinness World Record）。
这幅长画作是500多人花了近一
天时间在南洋理工学院共同创作的成
果。他们包括来自茂乔小学、永青小
学、巴耶利峇美以美女子小学和南洋
理工学院的约200名学生，以及LINE
用户和公众。
画作约9200米，描绘了不同
LINE卡通人物和海洋生物等畅游新
加坡河的景象。
举办方将把前天的创作录像等
相关资料递交给健力士世界纪录
评委，等候对方评判是否挑战成
功。目前的纪录是由7200人在印度
创下的9154米长画作。
卓英伟为这次活动感到十分
兴奋。这是热衷用绘画行善的他
第三次尝试打破世界纪录。他曾
在2007年和2010年成功打破当时
的“最大漫画”和“为最多人上
绘画课”世界纪录。
健力士世界纪录对“最长画
作”的要求允许多人参与，不同
于“一人画成最长画作”。后者
世界纪录至今由本地艺人陈之财
保持。他在去年创作的《活在
当下，珍惜现在》蜡笔画长为
601.255米。
Together with members of the public and primary school students, 200 NYP
students attempted to break the Guinness World Record by creating a 9.2km
drawing on 4 October 2014. Organised by mobile application company
LINE, the event was held at the NYP Sports Hall.
2015 - Volume 1
YOLO 07
THE NEW PAPER
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
A series of
adventures
CAMPUS life turned out to be a series of
adventures for this top Nanyang Polytechnic
(NYP) student who is pursuing a Diploma in
Nanotechnology and Materials Science.
Joining the Adventure Club has taken finalyear student Lovell Ong (below right, in Taiwan)
on four hiking and camping trips to Malaysia
and one to Outward Bound Taiwan.
Last year, he also represented his school on a
10-day Cambodia Youth Expedition Project.
Said Mr Ong, 19, an NYP-ST Engineering
scholar: “Nanyang Polytechnic has given me
the opportunity to travel, meet more people,
broaden my mind and develop my character.
“I never thought I’d make so many trips and
see different places in a span of 21/2 years.”
He joined the Adventure Club in 2009 during
the poly’s annual Club Crawl, where different
interest groups and clubs set up booths to
recruit new students.
THE NEW PAPER Tuesday, 11 December 2012
They worked on special
effects software in US
THEIR overseas internship with a software developer
gave these Nanyang Polytechnic students the
opportunity to tap on the expertise of professional
animators, digital artists and technical directors.
Mr Samson Tan, Mr Boppana Sai Praveen and Mr
Sean Wee, all 19 and final-year students pursuing
a Diploma in Digital Visual Effects, were attached
to the Los Angeles office of Canadian software
developer Side Effects Software for a three-month
internship from June 18 to Sept 16.
Side Effects Software is the developer of Houdini,
a 3-D animation and visual effects software, as well
as two-time Academy Award winner for Technical
Achievements. The company’s software has been
used in films, such as Superman Returns and The
Incredible Hulk.
Fear of heights
Seeing the Adventure Club’s rock climbing
wall, he decided to scale it despite his fear
ofheights.
He said with a chuckle: “I felt a real sense of
achievement at first when I reached the top. But
looking down, I regretted it, especially having to
let go of the hand grips for the descent.”
He signed up for the Adventure Club when
told that it organises trips regularly and that
there would be one to the Jerangkang Waterfalls
in Pahang, Malaysia, in June that year.
After going on more trips, he not only
overcame his fear of heights, but he also learnt
to cook nutritious meals.
He and his fellow students had to carry their
food supplies and cook their own meals on these
outings.
This year, Mr Ong became president of the
club.
The poly encourages the different interest
groups and clubs to be more cohesive and hold
joint activities.
On his Outward Bound Taiwan trip in March
this year, Mr Ong joined 17 students from other
CCAs, including a few from the MindSports Club
which offers chess and board games.
He said: “We learnt about mental strength
from the MindSports Club students and that
endurance is sometimes more about mental
fitness than physical fitness.”
Overseas
attachments
programmes
PICTURE: NANYANG POLYTECHNIC
Said Mr Boppana: “We met a multitude of
experienced professionals and interns from other
countries. They were forthcoming and helpful,
constantly giving us advice and tips. We picked up a
lot of tips and tricks on using the Houdini software.”
The three students were each assigned to
produce a 10-second visual effects scene which
would demonstrate their command and knowledge
of the software.
Said Mr Boppana: “The project was designed to
help us learn to use the software at an advanced
level.”
The students were assigned a mentor from
the industry – a technical director from Method
Studios, and also a professor-in-residence from
Loyola Marymount University.
Each student had to come up with his own
concept of the visual effects scene and pitch it to
his mentor and professor.
Although they had a foundation knowledge of
the Houdini software from modules they had taken
in school and had used it for their final-year project,
they found the works of the other interns humbling.
Said Mr Wee: “The other undergrad interns were
much more advanced in their knowledge of the
software. It was demoralising at first but we were
motivated to improve and build on our skills to do
our school proud.”
Said Mr Tan: “We immersed ourselves in
learning the software and tried to absorb as
much knowledge as we could to apply it to
our internship project. Our colleagues also
showed us how to make our work look
more professional, such as introducing
imperfections to the computer graphics,
such as grainy effects, to make the scene
realistic.”
Mr Boppana produced a visual effect
scene of flying glass swords transforming
into metal ones.
Mr Tan came up with an underwater scene
of jellyfish and Mr Wee produced a scene of
flaming scythes.
Said Mr Boppana: “Before the internship, we
had a basic grasp of the software, now we are
one step closer to producing Hollywood-standard
visual effects.”
Before the internship, we had a basic grasp of the
software, now we are one step closer to producing
Hollywood-standard visual effects.
You will get the opportunity to go for
overseas attachments or study visits to
the US, Europe, the UK, Australia, China
and other parts of Asia, to help
you develop a global mindset, necessary
to take on the challenges of a
fast-changing world.
2015 - Volume 1
08 YOLO
THE NEW PAPER Tuesday, 7 August 2012
THE STRAITS TIMES LIFE Tuesday, 22 January 2013
HAT started out as a co-curricular activity two years ago
has turned into a serious business for local pop-R&B trio
Northbound. Nanyang Polytechnic students Ahmad Khalis,18, Fareez
Shah, 19, and Fauzaan Sahrudin, 18, began with covers of
popular hits by Ne-Yo, Christina Aguilera and Boyz II Men on
YouTube. Now, their debut single November Itu is at No 6 – and
still climbing – on the RIA charts.
That single was recorded in Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian
singer-songwriter Fazley Yaakob after the group hooked up
with him via local singer-songwriter-producer Imran Ajmain.
Northbound were first discovered by Imran after he saw their
cover of the popular song Selamat Hari Raya by late Malay
singer Saloma on YouTube.
Khalis told LOUD: “At that point in time, he was also looking
for back-up vocalists for upcoming projects and he found our
renewed take on an old song interesting...
“(Our band) came about when we were thinking of our
ambitions, so we decided to call ourselves Northbound because
the vision of our trio is to go up.”
Fareez told LOUD that his interest in music started when
he was 12, the same year local R&B star Taufik Batisah bagged
his Singapore Idol title. He won a singing competition in his
old school, Anderson Primary School, with a cover of Taufik’s
winning single, I Dream. Khalis was influenced by his older brother Ahmad Syarifullah,
22, who is part of homegrown hip-hop duo SleeQ.
Nanyang Polytechnic’s Chinese orchestra, led by conductor Mike Chiang (above), has about 150 members.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE
THE ONLY
WAY IS UP
IDOL INSPIRATION He said: “My interest in music was sparked after watching
American Idol 4 finalist Nikko Smith’s rendition of Georgia On
My Mind.
“I started to follow in my brother’s footsteps, especially the
way he portrays himself on stage and his perserverance, which
has gotten him to where he is now. But I just won’t tell him.”
Though they have family ties and contacts in the music scene,
they have not tapped into it. Instead, they believe in working
their way up on their own merit. This has led to them uploading
covers on YouTube every few weeks.
The newbies have not produced an album of their own, but
told LOUD that an album will be a big part of their upcoming
projects.
For now, it’s school first.
Khalis is studying sport and wellness management, Fareez hotel
and tourism management and Fauzaan visual communications.
Said Fauzaan: “Right now we are more focused on our
education because that’s most important to us. We always
emphasise education first before we meet, sing or record.”
But that hasn’t stopped them from accumulating their fair
share of supporters.
Fareez said: “I get weird requests to go and rendezvous with
both male and female fans, but I’ve not gotten used to it.”
Khalis added: “I’ve also had fans sending pictures of me with
my face cut out and replaced with a cat’s, with the caption
saying that I was cute. We love our fans dearly, don’t get us
wrong.”
Northbound has a surprise for Singapore on Thursday.
Look out for their take on the national anthem on the LOUD
website and their YouTube channel northboundtrio.
K-pop boost for Chinese orchestra
Melissa Kok
In a small room on campus, three dozen members
of Nanyang Polytechnic’s Chinese orchestra are
hunkering down to a weekly rehearsal.
As they strum, pluck and draw their bows up and
down on Chinese string instruments such as the erhu
and zhonghu, with the percussionists thumping out
beats on the dagu (Chinese drums) with gusto, you
recognise the distinct tune – not a traditional Chinese
classical piece but South Korean boyband Big Bang’s
hit, Fantastic Baby.
The fast-paced, electro club ditty has been rearranged
to suit traditional Chinese instruments, and sounds
refreshing and good enough to sing along to.
In the past few years, Nanyang Polytechnic’s Chinese
orchestra has garnered a reputation for pushing
the boundaries by exploring different genres. Their
renditions of K-pop songs have been so popular, the
orchestra managed to sell out its annual K-Attack
concert at the 1,600-seat Esplanade Concert Hall two
years in a row.
K-Attack’s programme includes current chart-topping
tunes by Girls’ Generation, Super Junior, 2NE1 and
TVXQ. The next K-Attack concert is planned for
November.
The orchestra’s conductor Mike Chiang, 40, says
their non-traditional approach to music has struck a
chord with young music fans and sparked interest in
teenagers to take up traditional Chinese instruments.
Mr Chiang, a former Zubir Said Scholarship recipient
and a former erhu player with the Singapore Chinese
Orchestra, took over as conductor at the polytechnic
in 2003. “This is not like secondary school where you
can ask the teacher to chase the student when they
don’t come. They have to come willingly,” he says,
recalling the challenge he faced initially recruiting new
members.
In the decade since he joined the tertiary institution,
he has led the orchestra to play Mandopop, movie
theme songs and Disney cartoon soundtracks.
The idea to play K-pop songs came in 2010, during
the Youth Olympic Games. The orchestra played a
concert at the Esplanade and prepared a special
K-pop medley for their encore.
Says Mr Chiang: “There were about 20 different
songs from different K-pop groups. It was the
biggest hit ever. We posted it on YouTube and
within two weeks, we had 250,000 hits.”
After that, the orchestra decided to work on a full
K-pop concert in 2011. It hired professional music
arrangers to come up with the song arrangements
and added modern instruments to its arsenal, such
as an electric bass guitar and Western drum kit, to
sound closer to the original songs.
This unconventional musical approach has
paid off. From only 20 members in 2003, says
Mr Chiang, it now has about 150 – including 30
alumni members.
The orchestra has won accolades, such as perfect
scores from the entire panel of international
adjudicators at the Australian International Music
Festival in 2007, a first in the festival’s 18-year
history. In 2011, it clinched a gold medal at the Asia
Pacific Chinese Music Exchange and Competition
in Taiwan.
The students are so dedicated, many of them
rehearse till late at night, five times a week.
Mr Alvin Teo, 18, a second-year aerospace
system management student who plays the erhu
in the orchestra, says: “I was wondering, a Chinese
orchestra playing K-pop, is that even possible? I
listened to it and it was mind-blowing. It changed
my idea of an orchestra being boring and I joined.”
Purists may not agree with Mr Chiang’s nonstandard repertoire. To them, he has this to say:
“There are so many Chinese orchestras in schools
and community clubs, and everybody is playing
traditional stuff. But Singapore is a unique place
where you can do anything.
“I think nobody will blame you for trying
something different. If it doesn’t sound good, you
won’t get the ticket sales and you won’t do it again.
“We have many different types of performances
that keep the students learning and moving
forward. In traditional style, we do well too.”
2015 - Volume 1
YOLO 09
THE NEW PAPER Tuesday, 17 December 2013
Street dancer a shy
student in class
Nineteen-year-old Tommy Cheong is a soft- his time between running the CCA and doing his
spoken teenager who transforms into a confident scholl work.
The second-year Industrial Design student is on the
street dancer after class everyday.
He is the president of Foreign Bodies, a street dance
hip hop group at Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP). It is one
of the most popular groups among the wide range of 80
CCAs in the school.
“I was in the basketball team when I was in secondary
school, but i always had interest in dance. i went
through two auditions before I finally got in,” said
Tommy, who joined the club in his first year at NYP.
The dance group ventures into different genres of
dance including breakdancing, popping, locking house
and dancehall.
About 300 to 400 students audition each year to
join the CCA. Many of the dancers in the group are
self-taught and they are coached by an alumnus who is
professional choreographer.
Tommy, who spends most of his days in school, splits
School of Design’s director’s list, which means he is
one of the top students in the course.
“My grades are mostly dependent on projects rather
than exams, meaning I have to be consistent in my
work,” said the former Normal (Academic) student at
Hillgrove Secondary.
“My parents wondered why i was spending so much
time in school. But my school results in the first
year took everyone, even myself, by surprise. I’m
motivated to keep working to maintain my grades and
aim even higher.”
Tommy said he is glad that he is abe to combine his
passion for dance and design at NYP.
“I plan to pursue Industrial design further and I will
come back to help out with Foreign Bodies even after
I graduate,” he said.
HIP: Industrial Design student Tommy Cheong is the president of
foreign Bodies, a street dance hip-hop group at Nanyang Polytechnic.
TNP PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
THE STRAITS TIMES Monday, 12 May 2014
A chance to learn from
the experts overseas
AS HE waited to board his
first-ever long-haul flight at
Singapore’s Changi Airport,
Mr Abdul Rashid’s parents and
three siblings fussed over him,
proffering advice about avoiding
pickpockets and staying out of
trouble.
However, the 18-year-old
himself was eyeing his brand
new suitcase, bearing his new
jackets, sweaters and canned
food, as it disappeared into the
cargo hold.
He says: “It was my first real
overseas trip. I was more worried
about losing my stuff.”
The National Precision
Engineering Scholar (NPES),
who studies digital and precision
engineering (DPE) at Nanyang
Polytechnic, was also about to
realise a dream.
This was to see the world and
go on a three-month internship
with Carl Zeiss, the German
maker of optical systems and
more.
The internship was part of the
NPES programme, an Economic
Development Board and Spring
Singapore initiative to nurture
technologists – who work with
craftsmen and engineers to
marry engineering theory with
technical expertise.
Mr Rashid, now 20, started
out
studying
manufacturing
engineering, but a 3.88 grade point
average in his first year won him the
opportunity to switch to DPE with
a full scholarship and the chance of
an overseas internship.
“It was going to be challenging and
would open up more opportunities
for me in the future, so why not, I
asked myself,” he says.
Mr Rashid – and his luggage –
arrived in Frankfurt safely and
went to Aalen, where the Carl Zeiss
facility is located.
He was placed in a team creating a
fixturing system using 3D software.
Fixturing is the secure clamping
of a part during various machining
operations.
He says: “I had been trained in
the use of specific Zeiss machines,
but ended up doing something else
altogether. It was quite challenging,
especially since the instructions
were all in German.”
Besides exploring the world of
Zeiss, he also got a chance to
explore Europe.
With five others who were also on
internships, he visited Berlin, Milan,
Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam and
Zurich.
He says: It was a chance to see
Europe, and I would never have had
that kind of opportunity. I really
loved Vienna.
Mr Rashid, who loves to play the
CCAs
National Precision Engineering Scholar Abdul Rashid, who loves playing the
guitar, was given the chance to go on a three-month internship in Germany.
guitar, is now waiting to start
his national service, after which
he will serve out his scholarship
bond in the precision engineering
sector.
He hopes to eventually earn a
degree in materials engineering
and join a company which makes
aircraft engines.
He says: “I want to learn
about new materials and help
improve existing materials,
making them stronger, lighter
and more efficient. Through
my research, perhaps one day
I may even discover something
completely new.”
With numerous
opportunities to
excel in sports &
adventure, arts &
culture, thinking
& leadership, as
well as caring &
sharing activities,
we aim to
nurture you as
well-rounded
individuals
passionate and
ready to make a
difference in the
world!
2015 - Volume 1
10 YOLO
THE NEW PAPER Monday, 19 August 2013
She has heart
set on helping
others
EAGER TO
HELP:
Michelle Vong
decided to enrol
in her social
sciences course
after striking up a
conversation with
her withdrawn
neighbour.
Conversation with ‘scary’ neighbour
helped her decide to study social work
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 11 September 2013
南洋工院生设计
老少同玩纸板游戏
促进一家人感情
“FAMITOPIA!”纸板游
戏获得全国家庭委员会和
南洋工院的赞助，分发到
33个家庭务中心。受访者
表示，此游戏适合一家大
小一起玩，并有助于增加
一家人对彼此的了解。
学园
王珏琪　报道
[email protected]
你敢接受“挑战”，拥抱你的
家人，跟他们说“我爱你”
，或与他们手牵手一起大声
歌唱吗？
为促进一家老少的感
情，南洋理工学院社会科学
（社工）专业文凭课程学生
设计了一个纸板游戏“FAMITOPIA!”。这项游戏获得全
国家庭委员会和南洋工院的
赞助，已分发到本地33个家庭
服务中心。
“FAMITOPIA!”玩家
在通往游戏终点过程中，
要根据纸牌完成不同任务
如“挑战”（Dare）、“分
享”（Share）和“投票”
（Vote），而其他玩家也要参
与，发挥互助精神。当所有
玩家都抵达终点，游戏才算
结束。
例如：玩家可能要根据
纸牌的提问，“分享”自己
的梦想等，再由其他玩家
投票，当大多数人表示支持
时，才能前进；拿到“投
选”牌的玩家，要请大家投
选谁看悲情影片时最可能掉
泪等事项，玩家猜中了才能
前进。
这个纸板游戏是一个毕
业作品，由另一组学生最近
再加以改进和推广。
小组针对56个玩过此游
南洋理工学院社会科学（社工）专业文凭课程学生设计的纸
板游戏“FAMITOPIA!”，玩家要接受“挑战”如手牵手大声
歌唱。（温树良摄）
戏的家庭做的调查显示，大部
分人认为游戏有助于促进对家
人的了解。学生也通过一些社
工，把游戏推广到他们所帮助
的社群，结果反应都很积极，
表示游戏有助于增进一家人的
感情。
学生还把在课程中所学的
知识运用在游戏设计中，如为
年长者设计产品时要注意的事
项。学生娜蒂亚（19岁）说，
团队为了确保年长者能参与这
项游戏，就设计了年长者较容
易掌握的骰子、筹码等游戏道
具。
参与改进这个游戏的学生
渡部贤治（19岁）曾与外婆、
阿姨等六人玩这个游戏，虽然
外婆不懂英语，经过家人的
翻译，大家都玩得很开心。他
印象最深刻的是外婆和阿姨接
受“挑战”，手牵手一起唱福
建歌曲的那一幕。
渡部贤治透露，虽然他们
每周会探访外婆和阿姨，感情
不错，但这项游戏有助于让他
们对彼此有更深一层的认识。
适合完成辅导家庭
三巴旺家庭服务中心高级
辅导员梁玉燕至今已让两个家
庭使用这个纸板游戏。她表
示，这两个家庭都认为游戏
很有趣，而这个游戏适合那
些已完成辅导的家庭一同玩
乐。
张家瑞（46岁，推销
员）与妻子和7岁的儿子试玩
游戏后，赞赏不已。他说，
这个游戏促进了一家人的感
情，通过游戏，一家人互相
坦白，彼此也更了解对方。
他指出，游戏也减少了父母
跟孩子之间的隔阂。
这组参与改进游戏的学
生希望，能进一步缩小游戏
尺码，设计便于携带的小型
纸板游戏，并且在游戏说明
册中附上游戏规则的母语翻
译。
Students from the School of
Health Sciences’s Diploma
in Social Sciences (Social
Work) have developed
FAMITOPIA!, a board
game that encourages
intergenerational
family bonding through
sharing more about one
another. The game has
been distributed to 33
Family Service Centres in
Singapore and have received
good response from users
and social workers.
TNP PICTURE:
GARY GOH
REPORT: LINETTE HENG
[email protected]
OW was your day?”
These four simple words from
Michelle Vong to her withdrawn
neighbour when she was in Secondary 3
helped her decide that she wanted to be a
social worker.
Now 17, Michelle, who has lived in
Hougang all her life, used to be scared of
her then-40-year-old neighbour, who was
diagnosed with depression.
Then a Secondary 3 student at CHIJ St
Joseph’s Convent, she soon realised that
her neighbour wasn’t so scary after all.
And it helped her to decide that she
wanted to help people like her neighbour,
who might not be getting the help that
they need.
Michelle is now a first-year social
sciences student at Nanyang Polytechnic
(NYP), specialising in social work. She was
awarded the NYP Scholarship on Aug 2.
The scholarship is awarded to outstanding
students.
She received a laptop allowance of
$1,000 and her her tuition fees will be
paid.
The bubbly teen could still recall that
particular encounter with her neighbour
very well.
“I would usually just say ‘hi’ when she’s
outside tending her plants. But that day, I
guess I was in a good mood so we chatted
for a while,” she said.
Her interest in the profession was first
piqued when she heard about it from a
family friend who was a social worker.
“I was curious. She had a job. And she
also helps people at the same time,” she
recalled.
NYP is the first polytechnic to offer
the Social Sciences (Social Work) course.
There are 52 students in Michelle’s cohort
and they are the fourth batch of students
in the course. The first batch of students
graduated this year.
Michelle’s O-level results allowed her to
qualify for a junior college of her choice,
but she was determined to enrol into NYP.
She had a L1B4 of 6 points (language
and four best subjects) and 8 points for
L1R5.
Initially, her parents questioned her
choice. They pointed out that she could
study social work in university as well.
“Most of my Secondary friends are in JC
and it will probably be the easier route to
get into university.
“But after poly, I would have the handson skills that JC students wouldn’t have.
Even if I didn’t get into university, I would
still have the skills and I can still be a
social worker,” she said.
Her mother, Madam Karen Kwong, 50, a
former nurse with nine years of experience
who now volunteers at a pregnancy crisis
hotline, said she has always shared the
challenges of her jobs with Michelle.
Said Madam Kwong, an admin assistant:
“The whole family had a discussion about
her options before she picked the course.
“Social work is more than a job. It can
be taxing and sometimes, you will bring
the problems of your client back home.”
Michelle has two older sisters, one
studying Visual Communications in NYP
and another majoring in Theatre Studies
at the National University of Singapore.
Determined
But she managed to convinced all of
them of her passion.
“When she sets her mind at something,
she’ll want to do it well. I’m proud of her
and I know she’ll see this through,” said
Madam Kwong.
Before enrolling into the course, Michelle
admitted that she was not very involved
in community service, beyond fulfilling
the mandatory Community Involvement
Programme (CIP) hours.
But she is now doing her best to catch
up. She is learning Hokkien and Cantonese
from her grandparents and relatives so
that she can relate to the elderly better.
The petite girl hopes to go into medical
social work, where there is a shortage of
social workers.
And just four months into the course,
she has learnt many things about herself
and helping others.
She said: “With my neighbour, it’s
not really about what we talk about but
lending a listening ear. We usually just talk
about simple things. I would tell her about
my day and she would tell me about hers.”
2015 - Volume 1
YOLO 11
THE STRAITS TIMES Monday, 17 June 2013
For this teen, weekends are all
about giving back
By MARYAM MOKHTAR
WHILE other teenagers spend
their weekends at the movies
or with friends, Mr Muhd
Shahfie Azhar spends his
time training cadets, carrying
out neighbourhood patrols or
finding homes of needy families
to paint for free.
The 18-year-old final-year
nursing student at Nanyang
Polytechnic is an active
grassroots volunteer with the
People’s Association who has
been involved in communityrelated programmes over the
last two years.
“No matter what, I have to
do some kind of volunteer work
during the weekend or it feels
like something is missing. It’s
become part of my lifestyle,”
Mr Shahfie told The Straits
Times.
Last October he set up the
Paint for Hope programme
MY PAPER
which aims to give the homes
of needy families a fresh coat of
paint to usher in festivities such as
Deepavali and Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
The middle child of security
officers worked with Woodgrove
Community Centre to identify
families that he could help.
Mr Shahfie, a former Si Ling
Secondary
School
student,
then roped in students from his
alma mater, school mates at his
polytechnic and youth members of
Woodgrove CC to join the project.
Students from other schools also
volunteered.
“I came from a humble
background, too, so I want to help
and give back where I can,” he
said.
On June 8, his team of 20
painters spent the day doing up
the four-room flat of 63-year-old
Sakroni Minwan and his family of
six in Woodlands.
So far more than 60 volunteers
have helped three families enjoy
freshly painted walls. They will
paint another home in October.
“A family member at one of
the houses told me she was really
touched by what we had done.
That made me very happy because
I didn’t think I could do something
for someone like this,” he said.
Mr Shahfie’s work has changed
the
once-introverted
teenager.
“After getting involved, he’s a lot
more confident and outspoken then
before, when he used to be more
of the quiet type,” said his mother
Lilies Rahma Jumadi, 36.
Mr Shahfie also spends weekly
sessions at his former secondary
school as a cadet inspector
and
volunteers
for
overseas
humanitarian projects, juggling
these with his studies in a bid to
inspire other youngsters.
“My motivation as a leader is to
inspire them. There’s something
about volunteer work that builds
our character and that we can learn
from, so I hope they can also get
involved,” he said.
Nursing student Muhd Shahfie Azhar, 18, is not your typical teenager. He spends his
[email protected]
weekends helping others through volunteer work. ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
Friday, 17 August 2012
Ad space on tote bags for sale:
To print QR codes
By GWENDOLYN NG
team of four young entrepreneurs
from Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP’s)
Design Entrepreneurship Centre
have come up with a novel way for advertisers to reach out to as many eyeballs as possible - with a simple canvas tote bag.
Th e ir to te ba gs c o me w i t h s p a c e o n o n e
side for advertisers to print QR codes - which
can be read by smartphone apps - to market
their products and services.
The group has made 4,200 bags which will
be given out to the public for free on Children’s Day, which falls on Oct 5.
One of the brains behind the business idea
is Mr Wilson Du, 29, an NYP Industrial Design
graduate who set up a design firm of his own
recently.
H e t o l d m y p a p e r : “ I n s t e a d o f p r i nting
company logos, which we know will turn people off, we decided to take a design approach
in marketing.”
The enterprising quartet also include Mr Scott
Tan, 27; Ms Keris Phua, 24; and Ms Mirene Ong,
24. Advertisers can choose from seven designs,
each printed on 600 bags. Ad spaces are being sold
for between S$675 and S$975. Each bag has nine
spaces for QR codes.
The group canvassed for advertisers for their
made-in-Singapore design at the three-day Singapore Gifts & Stationery Show at Marina Bay Sands,
which ends today. Some 9,000 people are expected
to visit the 214 booths at the annual trade show,
now in its seventh year.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed
between the Design Business Chamber of Singapore and the Gifts Association of Singapore at the
event’s opening ceremony on Wednesday.
I t w i l l a l l o w t h e a s s o c i a t i o n ’s 9 0 m e m b e r s ,
suppliers and manufacturers of corporate gifts to
access the design capabilities of over 200 design
firms and designers - both local companies and
foreign ones with offices based here.
CAPTURING EYEBALLS: The entrepreneurs behind the tote-bag advertising idea
are (clockwise, from left) Mr Scott Tan, Ms Keris Phua, Ms Mirene Ong and Mr
Wilson Du. (PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN)
Through the collaboration, Mr Frankie Chia, president of the
Gifts Association of Singapore, hopes to create a “uniquely Singapore” gift.
He said: “All along, the Singapore gift has featured a logo of a
Merlion, but the product is not unique to Singapore. It is a borrowed (idea) with an emblem attached.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
12 Real World Exposure
LIANHE ZAOBAO Friday, 2 May 2014
街坊街坊
胡洁梅　报道
陈福州　摄影
[email protected]
自己设计人生
“不会读书”的卢俊杰，学习成绩一直不理
想，让他一度自暴自弃。但他后来朝自己感兴
趣的绘画设计努力发展，如今不但顺利从工院
毕业，更在多项设计比赛中获奖，让他坚信成
败“不是从小注定的”。
25岁的卢俊杰从小就被贴上“不会读书”的标签，他念
小学时成绩欠佳被编入EM3源流，之后升上中学普通工艺源
流。
然而，对绘画与设计的兴趣却为他开启了另一道机会之
门。
他进入南洋理工学院修读视觉传介设计（Visual Communication）后，频频在设计比赛中取得杰出表现，获学院颁
发“创意与创新”金奖。在今年“工院及工教院应用学习教
育检讨”（ASPIRE）的标志设计比赛中，他的设计更从400
多个参赛作品中脱颖而出。
念小学和中学时总在考场打败仗的卢俊杰从未想过自己
有获人肯定的一天。
“我当时真的有些自暴自弃，因为英文水平差，常听
不懂老师在讲什么。我唯一期待的是上美术课。”
N水准毕业后，他进入工艺教育学院修读设计课程。他
原以为选择感兴趣的课程就能有所发挥，但没想到第一个学期
的成绩仍不尽理想。“我于是请教老师，也花更多时间找资料
自习，多观摩其他人的作品。”
完成工教院课程后，卢俊杰报读了南洋工院，却未获录取。
但他没有因此气馁，服完兵役后再作尝试，终于如愿以偿。
如今成功毕业，他有感而发地说：“一个人成功与否，不
是从小就注定的，也不是单凭一张成绩单。重要的是清楚自己
想要什么，才有努力奋斗的目标。” Loh Jun Jie’s design for the ASPIRE (Applied Study in
Polytechnics and ITE Review) logo was picked from over
400 submissions. This student from the School of Design
found his passion in design in NYP and shared that it is
important to have a goal in life, and to work hard towards it.
TAMIL MURASU Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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[email protected]
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Nirmal Raj was one of the School of Design’s Diploma in Visual Communication students, who
participated in a window display competition organised by NYP and RISIS. His team won the
first prize and they had the opportunity to showcase their project at the Gardens Shop@Nassim
Gate, which is managed by RISIS for the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Their window display
concept revolved around the Chinese Legend, The Butterfly Lovers where it featured colourful
butterflies among beautiful flowers.
2015 - Volume 1
Real World Exposure 13
Ditawar kerja
setelah lalui
tempoh kerja
sambil belajar
BERITA HARIAN Wednesday, 27 August 2014
SEMASA menuntut di Politeknik Nanyang (NYP),
Cik Diyan Ashkin Abdul Razak, 21 tahun, bersedia mengorbankan masa menjalani program kerja sambil belajar.
Beliau, 21 tahun, bertugas di sebuah syarikat kejuruteraan audio visual tempatan.
Pengalaman kerja yang diraih serta kenalan dijalin
semasa menjalani program kerja sambil belajar bersama
firma Electronics and Engineering (E&E) itu ternyata berbaloi.
Selepas tamat pengajian diploma bidang kejuruteraan
elektronik, komputer dan komunikasi, Cik Diyan ditawarkan bekerja dengan firma tersebut.
Bagi Cik Diyan, minatnya terhadap bidang audio
visual bermula di bangku sekolah menengah apabila beliau menyaksikan pertunjukan Simfoni Cahaya di Hongkong.
Melihat pertunjukan cahaya laser yang digabungkan
dengan kesan bunyian serta visual mencetuskan rasa ingin tahu dalam dirinya tentang proses menghasilkan pertunjukan itu.
Justeru, apabila mendapat tahu NYP menawarkan kursus elektif audio visual, beliau tidak melepaskan peluang
mengikutinya.
Semasa menuntut di NYP, Cik Diyan terpilih menerima Biasiswa E&E-NYP dan diberi peluang bekerja sambil
belajar dengan firma itu selama enam bulan.
“Pendidikan di politeknik menawarkan saya peluang
mengikuti bidang yang saya minati.
REBUT PELUANG: Setelah menjalani program kerja sambil belajar di sebuah syarikat audio visual, Cik Diyan Ashkin Abdul Razak
berjaya mendapat pekerjaan sepenuh masa di syarikat yang sama. - Foto ihsan DIYAN ASHKIN ABDUL RAZAK
“Saya bertuah ada majikan yang sedia menghargai
dan mengenal pasti bakat di politeknik dengan memberi
tajaan biasiswa dan menyediakan peluang di tempat
kerja,” kata Cik Diyan.
Beliau, yang bertugas sebagai penolong jurutera, kini
terlibat dalam beberapa projek menyediakan prasarana
audio visual di sekolah perubatan baru di Universiti
Nasional Singapura (NUS) dan juga hospital baru di Jurong.
“Saya percaya saya boleh memberi perspektif yang
berbeza semasa mengadakan perbincangan di tempat
kerja dan semasa melaksanakan projek,” kata beliau.
Sebagai lulusan politeknik, beliau juga mengalualukan saranan Jawatankuasa Semakan bagi Pembelajaran
Gunaan di Politeknik dan Institut Pendidikan Teknikal
(ITE) serta iltizam pemerintah melaksanakannya.
Satu s aranan yang akan dil aks anakan ial ah
memperkukuh program kerja sambil belajar bagi penuntut
politeknik dan ITE.
“Banyak pengalaman dunia pekerjaan yang boleh
diraih semasa menjalani program kerja sambil belajar,”
tambah Cik Diyan.
During her internship at Electronics & Engineering Pte Ltd,
School of Engineering alumna, Diyan Ashkin demonstrated
her capability and dedication to her work. Upon graduation,
she was offered a job as a systems engineer in the company.
Nursing students get
realistic practice at
new NYP centre
By AUDREY TAN
TRAINEE nurses at the School
of Health Sciences in Nanyang
Polytechnic (NYP) have been
fussing over eight of the most
sought-after men in school.
They monitor the vital signs
of the blue-eyed, brown-haired
boys, and when the time is
right, pump their chests to
ensure the heartthrobs’ “survival”.
Failure, thankfully, is acceptable.
The objects of the aspiring
nurses’ attention are high-fidelity mannequins that have
simulated human pulses and
are used to provide realistic
training.
They are part of a new centre in the polytechnic which
offers nursing students realistic learning through the latest
technologies.
Launched yesterday by
Senior Minister of State for
Health and Manpower Amy
Khor, the centre is a collaboration between the polytechnic and the Healthcare
Information and Management
Systems Society (HIMSS), a
global non-profit in healthcare information and management systems.
Called the NYP-HIMSS Centre of Excellence (Healthcare
IT), it has a simulated intensive care unit and an in-patient ward.
IT systems such as electronic medical record systems already used in hospitals
will also be installed.
This allows students handson experience with these
technologies, a privilege usually not given to them in hospitals during attachments.
For instance, electronic
(From left) Mr Steven Yeo, vice-president and executive director of HIMSS, Dr Chong Yoke Sin, chief executive of Integrated
Health Information Systems, and Dr Amy Khor being shown how the MonAmi interactive bedside table is used by a representative
of sponsor MaSante at the centre’s launch yesterday. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
medical record systems can
be accessed only by registered nurses and not nursing students due to patient
confidentiality.
“It’s good that we are able
to learn how to make use
of these systems and get
ourselves familiarised, so
when we’re back as registered nurses, we know
what’s going on,” said second-year nursing student
Khairunnisa Jumat, 28.
The centre will see its
first batch of students next
January, with some 2,500
students expected to benefit
each year.
Said Ms Wong Luan Wah,
director of nursing at the
School of Health Sciences
at NYP: “This way, we are
able to train them to... offer
competent and professional
care to patients once they
enter the health-care setting.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 4 January 2014
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 29 October 2011
Nanyang Poly-State Street scheme New centre for aspiring
to boost fund management sector game developers
BY LIM YAN LIANG
By RACHAEL BOON
ASPIRING fund managers will
have a better chance to gain
a foothold in the competitive
industry, thanks to a new programme offering scholarships
and internships.
The scheme launched yesterday is a collaboration between
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and
financial institution State Street
Corporation.
It will offer four fully-funded
scholarships and eight internships a year to students in a bid
to boost the fund management
sector.
Students require O-level qualifications and have to be enrolled
in the diploma in fund management and administration course
at NYP’s School of Business Management.
The scholarships, worth $8,000
each, will cover their three-year
course at NYP.
NYP and the United Statesbased State Street, which provides financial services to institutional investors, will each
contribute half the funding.
Eight students will have the
chance to undertake internships
at State Street for six months
during their third and final year
of studies.
Ms Lim Yin Kai and Mr Zhang
Ke Ran, both Year Two students
in the NYP course, are among the
first group of students who will
start internships at State Street’s
Singapore office in March.
Mr Zhang, 20, said: “We were
quite shocked when we found out
we were selected. This will be an
With Mr Henry Heng and Mr Narasimhan SL, director and head of talent
acquisition, Asia-Pacific, at State Street Corporation, are diploma in fund
management and administration students (from left) Zhang Ke Ran, Lim
Yin Kai, Ron Ariel Tan and Terrence Chua.
PHOTO: NANYANG POLYTECHNIC
eye-opening experience for us
as they are one of the giants
in the industry. What we will
get from this experience is
something that we will never
get from the regular type of internship.”
Ms Lim, 18, added that the
typical internship for students
in the course would be at a local bank.
She hopes to get an in-depth
look into the fund management industry during her six
months at State Street.
Mr Henry Heng, senior director of NYP’s School of Business Management, said at the
launch: “During the internship, our students will gain
high-quality real- life work ex-
perience in fund accounting and
custody operations, as they will
be mentored by practitioners who
are the subject matter experts.”
He also noted that there are
more than 260 fund management
companies in Singapore.
Data from a new Monetary
Authority of Singapore survey
showed that the demand for investment professionals and fund
administrators is growing at an
annual rate of 6 per cent on average, he added.
“The future of our graduates
from the diploma in fund management and administration continues to be very bright.”
[email protected]
ASPIRING video game developers can now get a helping hand at a specialist
centre which opened yesterday.
The Games Solution Centre (GSC), launched by the Media Development
Authority (MDA) and managed by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), is located at
Mediapolis Phase Zero in Ayer Rajah Crescent.
The space serves as the interim prototype for an eventual media hub
which will fund start-ups in sectors such as film and television.
With 725 sq m of space, the GSC will provide a fully furnished base – rentfree – to as many as 14 fledgling video game companies at a time. Companies
funded by MDA will get priority for a spot at the centre for the duration of
their project, which is typically six months to a year.
“A rapid prototyping environment, access to development tools and mentorship services – all these are aimed at making the GSC a one-stop resource
centre for you to develop your game,” said Mr Aubeck Kam, chief executive
officer of the MDA.
Opened as part of yesterday’s launch was the PlayStation Incubation Studio, four rooms within the centre that are equipped with Sony’s game-developing software, giving developers a chance to make titles for the PlayStation.
The project can be considered a larger-scale version of NYP’s Games Resource Centre, established in June 2009 in collaboration with Sony Computer Entertainment Asia to give its students the opportunity to develop
games using Sony’s games tool kit. Within the first two years, more than 500
students were trained and six start-ups incubated at the centre.
Because it is considerably bigger than the centre at Nanyang Polytechnic,
the GSC “will cater to a broader range of games development platforms”
besides the PlayStation, such as browser- based games, casual games, and
even massively multiplayer online games.
“The GSC will reach out to more than just NYP students,” said Mr Chan
Lee Mun, principal and chief executive of NYP. “It will also promote networking, partnership and collaboration among the growing community of
game developers in Singapore.”
Game developers say the new centre can help those starting out to learn
the necessary skills in a controlled environment.
“It is not just a space but a very good opportunity for someone like me,
who is not yet in the industry but wants to join it, to meet experienced people and get their advice,” said Mr Bryan Yap, 34, a game designer and chief
executive officer of BY–AW Studios.
His company, which began occupying one of the lots at the centre this
week, is working on a multiplayer Facebook game with a mythology motif.
Mr Tan Sian Yue, founder of Ratloop Asia, a local game company, agrees.
“It is also very tempting for me. They asked me, but I think it’s better for
new studios to occupy this space,” said the 38-year-old, whose game Rocketbirds was released on the Playstation Network this month. It is the first
made-in-Singapore title for the popular PlayStation 3 video game console.
“Just being a licensed developer for Sony is really, really hard. But actually being able to show Sony a working prototype, on their system – that’s
priceless.
Celebrity chefs dish out tricks of the trade in poly
By YEO SAM JO
FINAL-YEAR Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
student Chaw Kian Hui may still be pursuing a diploma in food and beverage business.
But unlike most of his peers, he is already
one step closer to his dream of becoming a
chef.
The 19-year-old already has a job offer
from internationally renowned Belgian chef
Emmanuel Stroobant. The chef-owner of
local restaurant Saint Pierre was at the polytechnic last month as part of the school’s
Celebrity Chef series.
In this series, established chefs such
as Mr Stroobant helm the polytechnic’s
training restaurant L’Rez for one day. They
work together with the students to serve a
four-course lunch to about 100 guests.
“It was a bit of a shock,” said Kian Hui of
his job offer. “But it’s my dream come true.
Final-year students (from left) Joleen Lee, Cheryl Choo and Sow Min Yee, all 19, learning from chef
Andy Gibb, 51, senior lecturer at the School of Chemical & Life Sciences, at the polytechnic.
My future path is laid out.”
and has a really good attitude – that’s one of the
Mr Stroobant was full of praise for his most important ingredients for a chef.
future apprentice: “He’s knowledgeable
“When I see young guys like him, I like to
take them personally under my wing.”
Since July this year, about 50 students
in the food and beverage business diploma
course have had the rare opportunity to
work with veteran chefs Stroobant, Violet
Oon, Michael di Placido and Eric Teo.
“There are lots of tricks they can learn,
like which direction the fish should face, or
what to add to the avocadoes so they don’t
oxidise,” said Mr Teo. “These seem like small
things but it’s important to set high standards.”
The students lap it all up. “I’m just starstruck,” said Sow Min Yee, 19. “It’s crazy that
we get to meet them and do a lot of different
dishes and cuisines, from Belgian to Peranakan food.”
“It’s good exposure for them,” said Mr Teo.
“I wish I had someone come in and show me
the ropes when I was a student.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
Real World Exposure 15
学校与企业合作办比赛
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 10 September 2014
南洋工院生将点子
落实在橱窗设计里
南洋工院表示，校方以系统化方式寻找合作企业提
供实习机会或展开其他的协作项目。除了礼品经销
商，学校也与不同工业合作，例如护理学生接受培
训、修读药剂课程的学生学习制造食用药物等。
学园
陈能端　报道
[email protected]
新加坡植物园纳森路入口处
的礼品店最近换上新的橱窗设
计。这个设计巧妙地利用枯树
枝、九重葛花瓣和纸蝴蝶为点
缀素材，布置成各种精品被大
自然围绕的景象。特别的是，
整个橱窗摆设并非出自专业设
计师的手，而是南洋理工学院
视觉传介设计专业文凭课程学
生的杰作。
本地礼品经销商RISIS今年
起接手经营植物园三家礼品
店。为了替纳森路入口处的
店面注入新意，公司首次和
南洋工院合作，举办橱窗设
计比赛，让优胜团队实现他
们的设计概念。
RISIS设计和品牌发
展助理经理陈铭涓受访时
说：“我们都当过学生，能
在求学时和企业合作，学以
致用，是很令人兴奋的事。
所以我们很高兴这次能与南
洋工院合作，不但让公司得
到一个亮丽的橱窗设计，我
们也为学生提供实践学习的
平台。”
南洋工院视觉传介设
计课程二年级生谢沚颖（18
岁）是获胜团队的成员之一。
她受访时指出，参赛让她获益良
多。“我们把纸上的构思落实到
真实的橱窗摆设时发现，细节的
处理非常重要，而我们因缺乏实
战经验忽略这点。”
理工学院及工艺教育学院应
用学习教育检讨（ASPIRE）委员
会经过九个月的深入研究与广泛
咨询后上个月公布十大建议，力
求让工院和工教院学生做出更明
智的教育及职业选择、掌握更精
专的技能，并拥有更多走向成功
的途径。委员会在报告中提出的
重点之一，是工院和工教院应加
强与不同工业的联系，以加强学
生的课程体验。
做为职能培训的代表教育机
构，工院与工教局多年来建立了
一套积极与商界合作的模式，通
过多元的平台促进学生的学习过
程。RISIS和南洋工院联合展开的
橱窗设计比赛就是例子之一。
南洋工院回答本报询问时
说，校方以系统化的方式寻找合
作企业提供实习机会或展开其他
南洋理工学院视觉传介设计课程二年级生谢沚颖（左一）和三名同学组成的队伍，赢得学
校与丽西施公司联合举办的比赛，能为植物园纳森路入口处礼品店的橱窗设计换上新意。
（唐家鸿摄）
的协作项目。一些关键
的考量包括合作伙伴的名
声、能为学生提供良好训
练和督导的能力及是否愿
意分享商业和科技前沿知
识等。
工教局多管齐下与企业
合作
目前，南洋工院和不
同工业进行广泛合作，例
如护理学生接受培训，学
习使用医疗机构采纳的保
健科技方案；修读药剂课
程的学生则会学习怎样制
造食用药物等。
工教局也多管齐下同
企业达成合作关系。工教
局发言人指出，工教局董
THE BUSINESS TIMES Friday, 4 January 2013
NYP students to run own restaurant
School’s aim is
to train F&B
entrepreneurs
事会有企业代表，他们定期和
校方一起参观不同企业，了解
最新的行内动向。另一方面，
除了设有商界人士的推广职业
和技术教育咨询委员会、学术
咨询委员会等，工教局也借助
校友网络的联系，为学生制造
到海外实习的机会。
现阶段，工教局和个别领
域的机构签署了100多项谅解
备忘录。这些领域横跨应用及
保健科学、商业和服务、设计
与媒体、电子与资讯通信，以
及工程和款待业。
为响应ASPIRE委员会的
建议，工教局接下来会进一步
强化为学生提供的就业信息和
实习体验。
发言人说：“为了助学生
做出更明智的事业选择，工教
局将把教育与职业规划融入学
生必修的生命技能课。在改进
实习方面，我们也会和企业紧
密配合，制定系统的学习成
果。我们也计划和企业进行咨
询后，为某些课程施行更长时
间的实习。”
The School of Design students
took part in a window display
competition organised by
NYP and RISIS. The winning
team incorporated twigs,
flower petals and paper
butterflies into their design.
THE STRAITS TIMES ONLINE Friday, 29 November 2013
NYP sets up new pharmaceutical facility
to help students gain hands-on experience
By KIM MIN SEOK
NANYANG Polytechnic (NYP) students in
the final year of the
three-year
diploma
course in Food & Beverage Business will
begin running their
own restaurant on
the school’s Ang Mo
Kio campus in April.
Tentatively named
“NYP Training Restaurant”, the facility is a collaboration
between the School
of Business Management and the School
of Chemical & Life
Sciences (SCL), and
aims to give the students practical skills
and experience.
The students, NYP’s
first batch in this
field, are expected to
pick up both culinary
skills and business
acumen through the
programme.
Joel Lee, director of
SCL, said: “We aren’t
training chefs, but
F&B entrepreneurs.
We want students to
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower Hawazi Daipi (extreme left)
pouring granules into a tablet press to make tablets. With him are (from left) Mr Chan Lee
Mun, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) principal & CEO; Mr Lim Hock Heng, GSK vicepresident & managing director; Dr Gaetan Angoh, NYP Chemical Technology Advisory
Committee chairmain; and Mr Wong Poh Seng, NYP School of Chemical & Life Sciences
assistant director (chemical). - PHOTO: NANYANG POLYTECHNIC
A new facility has been set up on campus to provide students with hands-on
experience of how things work in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
know all aspects
of the business.
The training restaurant will accommodate students who come
up with different
concepts and experiments.”
Taking on work
stints in actual
commercial environments will
also be on the
cards for the students, with restaurants such as
Fish & Co, Pasta
Mania and Sakae
Sushi
among
those
offering
attachments.
Course manager Gina TayWeers
said:
“What’s good is
that there are
always
more
opportunities
for attachments
than our number of students.”
Final-year student Lee Qi Jun,
looking forward
to working at
the campus restaurant,
said:
“It will give me
real-life experiences. I want to
set up my own
restaurant in the
future – interest
is the main reason.”
Demand for labour in the F&B
sector rose by
about 10 per
cent in 2011.
Work and
learn: The
students are
expected to
pick up both
culinary skills
and business
acumen in this
programme.
Launched on Friday, the Secondary Pharmaceutical Technology Centre set up
by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) will train at least 400 students annually on the
manufacture of medicinal products from start to finish. This includes being able
to see how products are made into their final dosage form as tablets or lotions.
“The training ensures that our graduates are equipped with skill sets to meet the
manpower needs of the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector,” said NYP principal and chief executive officer Chan Lee Mun at the ceremony.
Completed in September last year, the centre, which is the first-of-its-kind built
within an institute of higher learning, will help polytechnic students from the
School of Chemical and Life Sciences learn how to operate equipment which
are of industry standards. Among others, it will also help them to apply what
they have learnt about manufacturing processes in the classroom.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Manpower Hawazi Daipi was
also present at the launch to witness the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the school and global consumer healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline. Under this partnership, students will get to intern at the company
as part of their school programme.
2015 - Volume 1
LIANHE ZAOBAO Sunday, 22 June 2014
本地多数人不懂
纳米技术好处多
南洋理工学院的可持续纳米技术研究中心对
1000个国人进行印象调查，发现虽然国人对纳
米技术的认识度高，但对其利益及风险的看法
不一。
林静雯
[email protected]
纳米技术普遍出现在日
常用品中，但南洋理工
学院的可持续纳米技术
研究中心一项印象调查
发现，只有约四成知道
纳米科技的人视它为有
益。
纳米技术有潜力解决
许多国际问题如气候变
化、治疗癌症等，但其
实生活中的日常用品如
牙刷、防晒油、化妆品
等，多数也都含有纳米
技术。
南洋理工学院的可持续
纳米技术研究中心（Centre for Sustainable Nanotechnology）对1000个国
人进行印象调查，发现
虽然国人对纳米技术的
认识度高，但对其利益
及风险的看法不一。数
据显示，有约80％的国
人对纳它为有益。
其中27.5％的国人认为
纳米技术的风险比利益
来得高，而针对这点，
南洋理工学院高级讲
师洒乔治博士（Dr Saji
George）受访时说，“
造成这结果的因素很
多，而其中一个可能是
因为公众之前接触过一
些有关纳米技术的负面
新闻。”
若要改变公众对纳米技
术的看法，洒乔治博士
认为需要通过教育及宣
传。他说：“目前已有
约40名学生在这研究中
心受过训练，所以他们
日后会成为纳米技术大
使，把纳米技术的好处
宣传给公众。”
对于南洋理工学院的
学生来说，洒乔治博士
也指出可持续纳米技术
研究中心能让学生通过
器材与实验亲自体验纳
米技术，而且研究中心
也能让他们具备工业标
准的纳米技术知识及技
能，对他们日后若进入
这方面的行业有帮助。
耗资100万元打造的研
究中心会是南洋理工学
院一些学生的主要训练
A survey conducted by the School of Chemical
& Life Sciences (SCL) found that only about
40% of the participants know about the benefits
of nanotechnology, despite it being commonly
found in everyday products. The new Centre for
Sustainable Nanotechnology at SCL is set up to
correct public perception of nanotechnology and
for students to conduct research on the subject.
设施。这些学生多数来自
化学与生命科学系（分子
生物学文凭课程、药物化
学专业文凭课程、食物科
学与营养文凭课程及化学
与环保科技文凭课程）、
工程系（生物医学工程文
凭课程）及保健护理科学
系（牙科卫生与治疗文凭
课程）。
分子生物学文凭课程三
年级学生郑琰芸（19岁）
目前参与研究中心一项有
关纳米银消除细菌的有
效性研究。她受访时
说：“之前我都是从课
本上学习，但设立研究
中心后让我见识到如何
应用纳米技术。”
南洋理工学院的可持
续纳米技术研究中心日
前正式开幕，嘉宾为环
境局公共卫生署总署长
何永泰。南洋理工学院高级讲师洒乔治博士（左起）及化学与生命科学系主任李文坚博
士，为南洋理工学院院长兼总裁陈利民及环境局公共卫生署总署长何永泰讲解可
持续纳米技术研究中心里的设施。（南洋理工学院提供）
THE NEW PAPER Wednesday, 8 January 2014
NYP duo comes up with app for keying in medical info
Less hassle for trainee docs
Report by NATASYA ISMAIL
[email protected]
Trainee doctors normally use pen
and paper to record their personal
performance after completing their daily
practicum activities.
INNOVATIVE:
Mr Spencer Tan
(far left) and Mr
Edwin Kho.
But soon, they will be able to do it simply
by using their smartphones, all thanks to
“My Medilearner”, a mobile application
developed by two students from Nanyang
Polytechnic’s (NYP) School of Information
Technology.
Last September, Mr Spencer Tan, 19,
and Mr Edwin Kho, 20, began working with
Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (DukeNUS) on the app as part of their final-year
project.
The app is developed to help trainee doctors from Duke-NUS improve their learning
experience.
PHOTO:
NANYANG
POLYTECHNIC
on their logbooks while they lug heavy items
such as laptops and lab books around.
“With our application, it is more convenient for them to key in (their notes) through
their phones.”
The app, which took six months to develop, will also allow lecturers to access students’ performance during practicum activi‘CONVENIENT’
ties on the go, said Mr Melvyn Suan, assistant
Said Mr Kho: “From what we observe, it is director of mobile innovation at the NYP
very tedious for the students to write notes School of Engineering.
THE STRAITS TIMES
Saturday, 23 March 2013
With the app, trainee doctors can easily
input information into a portal without the
hassle of carrying their logbooks around.
Mr Suan added: “(Being) near-field communication (NFC)-enabled, the system minimises potential for human errors with NFC
tags developed to access a student’s profile
by hovering a tag over the phone screen.”
My Medilearner is expected to be fully
launched by March.
Nanyang Poly ties up with Pall for
hands-on training
By SUE-ANN TAN
Ready for
Real World
An internship in your chosen
field is the best way to get
an insight into your preferred
career path and put what you
have learnt to practice. You
will get a taste of real work
experience and meet top
professionals from your field.
Nanyang Poly students from the School of Chemical
and Life Sciences observing a demonstration by Pall
staff on its filtration equipment.
NANYANG Polytechnic’s new tie-up
with a global company will give its
students opportunities to be trained
on sophisticated equipment in the filtration and purification business.
A pilot batch of 50 Year 2 students
from the School of Chemical and Life
Sciences will start their training with
Pall Filtration in May.
Students will spend three hours a
semester at Pall’s Life Sciences Centre
of Excellence conducting filter trials
and other hands-on activities.There
will also be workshops and seminars
as well as sessions for the teachers.
Dr Joel Lee, director of the School
of Chemical and Life Sciences, said of
the three-year agreement signed yesterday: “Students can get first-hand
experience and receive proper training in the right environment.”
Pall Filtration, the Asia-Pacific HQ of
Pall Corporation, specialises in technologies related to pharmaceuticals
and biologics.
In 2011, it opened the Life Sciences Centre of Excellence at its facility
in Science Park II.
Some of the equipment in its 430
sq m facility includes the Flowstar
IV, which is an integrity-tester for accurate testing of filters for safe pharmaceutical production, and the XRS
20 bioreactor system, which helps to
grow cells or tissues in cell culture.
The collaboration benefits not just
the students.
Said Mr Eric Garnier, president of
Pall Asia: “We can find talents among
the students to fit our company, and
as a whole, they can contribute to
the growth of an industry that needs
manpower.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
Excelling in Careers 17
BERITA HARIAN Thursday, 28 August 2014
Lulusan diploma daki tangga kerjaya berkat kebolehan
RAMAI kawan Encik Shahid Shafie melanjutkan pelajaran selepas menjalani Perkhidmatan Negara (NS) tujuh tahun lalu.
Namun, lulusan diploma pengurusan perniagaan daripada Politeknik Nanyang (NYP)
itu memilih bekerja daripada mendapatkan
ijazah kerana “tidak mahu membebankan
keluarga”.
Pilihan itu ternyata tidak menghambat
beliau mendaki tangga kerjayanya bersama
Persatuan Rakyat (PA).
Encik Shahid menyertai PA sebagai eksekutif pembangunan masyarakat, pekerjaan
tetap pertamanya selepas tamat NS.
Sepanjang tujuh tahun bekerja, beliau
menikmati kenaikan pangkat setiap dua
atau tiga tahun hingga kini beliau menjadi
pengurus kanan kawasan undi Toa Payoh
Central dan Kelab Masyarakat Toa Payoh
Central.
Pengiktirafan yang diberi PA bagi keupayaan dan sumbangannya memberi Encik
Shahid, 30 tahun, kepuasan dalam menjalankan tugas.
“Saya mendapat kepuasan apabila diberi
penghargaan daripada penduduk, sukarelawan atau pemimpin akar umbi.
“Pengiriman mesej ringkas di telefon
pun cukup mengiktiraf sumbangan saya,”
ujarnya.
Mengimbas kembali keputusannya tidak
melanjutkan pelajaran selepas NS, Encik
Shahid berkata:
“Ramai rakan saya memilih melanjutkan
pelajaran selepas NS. Namun, saya mengambil keputusan bekerja kerana tidak ingin
membebankan keluarga.
“Sekarang memang ada niat melanjutkan
pelajaran, tetapi belum kesampaian. Saya
belum pasti bidang yang harus saya ceburi.
“Selain itu, saya tidak mahu mendapatkan ijazah sekadar mahu mendapat ke-
layakan kertas. Saya rasa itu membuat usaha
mendapatkan ijazah tidak bermakna.”
Mengenai kenaikan pangkatnya di PA, Encik Shahid berkata:
“PA telah memberi saya peluang memikul
tanggungjawab lebih besar bagi menunjukkan
kebolehan saya.
“Saya diberi pendedahan untuk bekerjasama dengan pelbagai pihak, daripada penduduk
Toa Payoh kepada Jawatankuasa Penduduk
(RC) dan pemimpin akar umbi.”
Minat pada pekerjaan dalam sektor kebajikan dan hasrat berbakti kepada masyarakat
mendorong beliau terus bertugas di PA.
Pegawai kacukan Melayu dan Cina itu salah
seorang daripada dua pegawai Melayu di Kelab
Masyarakat Toa Payoh Central, lantas mereka
turut membantu penduduk Melayu yang tidak
fasih berbahasa Inggeris yang datang ke kelab
masyarakat tersebut.
“Kami banyak meluangkan masa bagi RC,
yang anggotanya merupakan sukarelawan. Antara lain, kami harus mendidik, menolong dan
kadang-kadang merangsangkan sukarelawan
itu.
“Dalam jawatan ini saya banyak berhubungan dengan orang lain. Sebenarnya, saya banyak belajar sambil bertugas. Saya belajar cara
bekerja bersama teman kerja, sukarelawan,
pemimpin akar umbi dan penduduk,” ujar Encik Shahid.
Mengenai tanggapan bahawa seseorang itu
perlu mempunyai ijazah untuk berjaya, beliau PUAS JALANKAN TUGAS: Pengiktirafan ke atas keupayaan dan sumbangannya memberi Encik
Shahid Shafie kepuasan dalam menjalankan tugas sebagai pengurus kanan kawasan undi Toa Payberkata:
“Ada orang berkata di Singapura kita perlu oh Central dan Kelab Masyarakat Toa Payoh Central. - Foto M.O. SALLEH
ada ijazah. Kalau tiada, susah. Namun, sekarang ijazah tidak semestinya menjamin masa
The School of Business Management alumnus, Shahid Shafie chose to work immediately
hadapan cerah.
after graduating from NYP due to his family’s tight financial situation. Over the past seven
“Pada saya, yang lebih penting ialah melyears, Shahid has been promoted every two to three years and he is now a manager of Toa
akukan yang terbaik dalam setiap tugas yang
Payoh Central Community Club.
diberi kepada kita dan berasa bangga dengan
hasil kerja sendiri,” katanya.
THE STRAITS TIMES Monday, 10 November 2014
Playing arcade games is all in a day’s work
WHEN Mr Nigel Ang tells you he dreamt
of developing arcade games as a child, he
means it quite literally.
“I used to dream about alternative game
levels, and my characters had other skills and
weapons. I really wanted to make games,”
the 34-year-old recalls. His aspirations were
played out on his PlayStation console, and
on games like Gundam and Ridge Racer.
Fast forward 20 years, and he works for
the very Japanese company that created
those games, as well as arcade staples like
Pac Man and console games like Tales.
Playing games is how a normal day at the
office in Singapore’s Mediapolis in Buona
Vista begins.
“Playing is how we check our work, and
ensure that the mechanics function right
and that the games are fun,” says Mr Ang,
who helped to start the Singapore office
of Bandai Namco in August last year, and
focuses on its arcade game development.
Its growing team includes 50 artists,
designers and engineers.
But that can admittedly get tedious,
especially when a level has to be played
for several hours to work out how a single
effect is rendered, he says, adding that
large- scale productions like arcade games
can take up to a year to complete, with
costs easily sailing past the six-figure
mark.
Mr Ang, who studied digital media design
at Nanyang Polytechnic, joined Bandai
Namco after six years with video-game
developer LucasArts, where he worked
on multiple Star Wars games for various
platforms, and 2½ years as a 3D artist
with a start-up that created Singapore’s
first Nintendo Dual Screen game.
While he is tight-lipped about Bandai
Namco’s ongoing projects, they include
a 2015 arcade release based on a
popular series that he promises will
send arcade gaming to a new level.
“Arcade gaming is no longer about
buttons, joysticks and a screen. The
hardware for this game will provide a
more immersive experience and feel like
a private Imax,” he reveals, referring to
the super widescreen cinematographic
experience.
Such developments allow arcade gaming
to stay relevant with a generation
accustomed to carrying a gallery
of games in their pockets, he
says. “Arcades continue to thrive in
markets like Japan, even though there are
alternative gaming platforms.
“Even in Singapore, we have found new
fans, especially as we create new and
better machines on which the games are
played.
“I see arcades as having a continuing
relevance.”
His advice to anyone hoping to level up in
a gaming career is this: Dream big, work
hard, and it will pay off.
“When you see someone playing a
product that you created, you feel like a
winner.”
2015 - Volume 1
18 Excelling in Careers
起
岁
5
患病
肌肉萎缩青年
照常打工还升职
SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
Tuesday, 19 November 2013
周自蕙报道 [email protected]
24小时新闻热线：1800-8227288/91918727
MMS/Whatsapp传照片：91916194
5岁时被发现患上肌肉萎缩症，青年透过新加坡肌肉萎缩症协会帮
助，能与常人一样工作，甚至升任小组组长。
今年26岁的林鑫民，四肢因肌肉萎缩症而乏力，必须以轮椅代
步，虽然有理工学院的资讯科技系专业文凭，仍一度担心前途茫茫。
他的父亲林先生说，自己的大女儿一切正常，但他与妻子在儿子
5岁时，发现他患肌肉萎缩症，这是他们“做梦也没想到”的，但他
们并未放弃儿子。
“我只是个文员，妻子在家照顾孩子，幸好儿子从小到大的同
学，都非常热心帮忙。”
林先生说，儿子从小患病，医药开销较大，后来更因为肌肉持续
萎缩，必须从一般轮椅换成电动轮椅，还必须靠机器帮助呼吸。幸
好，这两笔开销都获得新加坡肌肉萎缩症协会（MDAS）的资助。
林鑫民会到协会进行物理治疗服务，这对他的病症非常有帮助，
能延缓萎缩问题。
他也透过协会，到协会属下的BizPower从事网页和平面设计工
作，后来更升任小组组长，这令他建立自信，深信自己的能力与一般
人无异。
林鑫民5岁时被发现患上肌肉萎缩症，但他现在能与
常人一样工作，图为他考获资讯科技系专业文凭。
（MDAS）
The School of Information Technology graduate suffered from muscular
dystrophy since he was five years old. With the help of the Muscular
Dystrophy Assocation (Singapore), he found a job after graduating from
NYP and was promoted to a team leader in his company.
BERITA HARIAN Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Capai cita-cita jadi guru
Tidak jemu timba ilmu
Raih Anugerah Pendidik Muda Terbaik
(Kategori kejururawatan)
kerana dedikasi didik juruwat muda
FARID HAMZAH
[email protected]
IMPIAN Cik Jumaiah Jumari
semasa kecil ialah menjadi guru
sekolah.
Minatnya berubah apabila
beliau mengikuti kursus kejururawatan di Politeknik Nanyang
(NYP).
Namun sejak itu, Cik Jumaiah yang tidak memandang
ke belakang akhirnya mencapai dua cita-citanya itu – dan
dipanggil ‘cher’, singkatan bagi
teacher, atau guru dalam bahasa Inggeris – dengan menjadi
guru kursus kejururawatan.
Beliau menjadi pendidik
jururawat di Hospital Besar Singapura (SGH).
Pada 2003, beliau melanjutkan pengajian hingga mendapat
ijazah sarjana muda sains kesihatan dalam jurusan kejururawatan daripada Universiti Sydney, Australia.
Bulan lalu, Cik Jumaiah
diberi Anugerah Pendidik
Muda Terbaik (kategori kejururawatan) dalam Anugerah
Epal Emas Institut Pendidikan
Perubatan Akademik (AM•EI)
2014 kerana dedikasi dan
komitmennya dalam mendidik
jururawat masa depan.
Anugerah itu mengiktiraf pendidik daripada pelbagai bidang
penjagaan kesihatan kerana
sumbangan hebat dan cemerlang mereka kepada pendidikan penjagaan kesihatan.
Cik Jumaiah, 36 tahun, antara lapan kakitangan daripada kumpulan penjagaan
kesihatan yang memenangi
anugerah (dalam beberapa
kategori) yang diberi oleh Institut Pendidikan Perubatan
Akademik – sebuah institut
bersama oleh SingHealth dan
Sekolah Perubatan Siswazah
Duke NUS.
Ibu seorang anak perempuan berumur 10 tahun itu
antara 93 pendidik jururawat
dan intruktor klinikal yang
bertugas di institusi-institusi
kesihatan di bawah naungan
SingHealth.
Tugas mereka termasuk
mengenal pasti, merancang,
dan memastikan penyampaian program latihan berkesan.
Mereka berkerjasama dengan
jururawat
daripada
pelbagai peringkat untuk
memaklumkan tentang sekitaran klinikal berdasarkan
amalan kejururawatan terkini.
“Jururawat pelatih rata-rata
baru tamat sekolah. Apabila
dihantar ke SGH , mereka
terus dibimbing kami. Jadi
mereka terbawa-bawa meng-
Diploma
courses
You can choose to
pursue your passion
with any of our 50
exciting and fulfilling
diploma courses, each
with a strong focus on
innovative learning and
nurturing an enterprising
spirit.
‘Baik, cikgu jururawat!’
PENCAPAIAN AKADEMIK
CIK JUMAIAH
KONGSI ILMU: Cik Jumaiah Jumari (kiri) rasa puas setiap kali dapat berkongsi ilmu dan kepakarannya dengan jururawat muda, sekali gus mencapai impiannya menjadi guru. - Foto TUKIMAN
WARJI
gelar sesiapa sahaja yang
mengajar mereka cher atau
teacher,” ujar Cik Jumaiah
mengenai murid-muridnya.
Selepas tamat pengajian di
NYP, Cik Jumaiah ditugaskan
di wad ortopedik, cabang perubatan berkaitan tulang dan
otot, di SGH. Namun, beliau
masih menyimpan cita-cita
menjadi pendidik.
Pada 2003, beliau melanjutkan pengajian hingga mendapat ijazah sarjana muda sains
kesihatan dalam jurusan kejururawatan daripada Universiti Sydney, Australia.
Tiga tahun kemudian, Cik
Jumaiah meraih pula diploma
lanjutan dalam ortopedik daripada NYP.
Minat dalam bidang pendidikan akhirnya mendorong
beliau memohon memasuki
jabatan yang membolehkannya mengongsi ilmu kejururawatan dengan jururawat
muda.
Pada 2007, beliau ditugaskan sebagai instruktor klinikal dan membimbing jururawat baru di wad.
Biarpun sibuk dengan kerja dan urusan rumah, Cik
Jumaiah masih meluangkan
masa mempertingkat diri selama tiga tahun sehingga beliau lulus diploma posijazah
dalam pendidikan tinggi daripada Universiti Teknologi
Nanyang (NTU).
“Dengan secara tidak
langsung,
saya
ingin
menyemai minat terus belajar dalam diri jururawat baru.
“Ini kerana hanya dengan
mempertingkat diri, seseorang jururawat tahu dan
dapat menyesuaikan diri
dengan perkembangan terkini dalam dunia penjagaan
kesihatan,” jelasnya.
Mujur bagi Cik Jumaiah,
beliau mendapat sokongan
daripada suaminya, Encik
Mohamad Rizal Mohd Razali, 36 tahun, yang juga seorang pendidik jururawat di
Lembaga Penggalakan Kesihatan (HPB).
Malah, pasangan itu merancang melanjutkan pengajian ke peringkat sarjana
dalam bidang pendidikan
secara bersama tahun depan.
“Mudah-mudahan kami
dapat menamatkan pengajian bersama dan menjadi
contoh kepada anak kami,
insya-Allah,” kata wanita
periang itu.
Diploma kejururawatan
daripada Politeknik Nanyang
(NYP), 2000
Ijazah sarjana muda sains kesihatan (kejururawatan) daripada
Universiti Sydney, Australia,
2003
Diploma lanjutan dalam ortopedik daripada NYP, 2006
Diploma posijazah dalam pendidikan tinggi daripada Universiti
Teknologi Nanyang (NTU), 2013
Merancang lanjutkan pengajian peringkat sarjana dalam
bidang pendidikan tahun depan
The School of Health Sciences
(SHS) alumna was presented
the Best Young Lecturer award
by the Academic Medicine
Research Institute for her
dedication and commitment to
nursing.
Ms Jumaiah Jumari’s childhood
dream was to be a teacher.
However, she grew to love
nursing when she was enrolled
in NYP. Now, Ms Jumaiah has
the opportunity to combine two
of her interests together – to
teach and be a nurse at the same
time.
2015 - Volume 1
Excelling in Careers 19
THE STRAITS TIMES
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
He chose
work as
animator
over degree
GO TO university? Or work on
blockbuster movies as an animator
at Lucasfilm Singapore?
Faced with this decision, Mr Peter
Tan, a Nanyang Polytechnic digital
media design graduate, took the road
less travelled seven years ago – and
turned down a place at the Academy
of Art University in San Francisco.
“I got an offer from Lucasfilm giving
me a six-month contract to replace
another animator going on maternity leave,” said the 35-year-old, who
eventually converted to a full-time
position.
“People go for degrees to work in
reputable companies, but I thought
to myself, ‘I already have the job and
nothing beats work experience.’ My
passion has always been animation
so I didn’t need to think so hard.”
His job is to create the movement
Nanyang Polytechnic digital media design graduate Peter Tan turned down a place at a US university seven years ago to work as an animator with Lucasfilm. He
is now lead animator at Industrial Light & Magic and has worked on a string of blockbusters, including movies in the Transformers series.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
of characters and objects using
computer graphics, such as in fight
scenes, or when actors cannot carry
out certain sequences, such as falling
from a building.
He has worked on a string of titles, including several movies in the
Transformers series, The Avengers
THE STRAITS TIMES Friday, 10 October 2014
Demand for niche
skills as machines
meet man
and Pacific Rim. He has also contributed to the television series
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and
the animated film Rango.
Mr Tan, who has more than doubled his salary since he first started, now leads a team of 20 animators in his role as lead animator at
Industrial Light & Magic, a division of Lucasfilm Singapore.
“In this industry, many animators are diploma holders,”
he said. “It’s not about the
paper qualification. It’s about
how well you do your job and
gaining experience with each
show.
“You get promoted because you
have the right qualities and abilities, not because you’ve gone
through a course and have a certificate.”
AMELIA TENG
PATH-BLAZING PROTOTYPER
Schools ramp up courses as firms
pay good wages for special talent
By JOANNA SEOW
AS SINGAPORE turns to machines and automation to raise
productivity, demand for people with the right technical
knowledge and skills is rising
rapidly.
Companies are willing to
pay good wages for such talent
while schools are ramping up
courses.
These workers range from
rapid prototypers who use the
latest 3D printers, to developers who can programme trading
software or drones.
There are no official figures
on the scale of such jobs but observers said opportunities are
growing across sectors.
“Demand for candidates
is outstripping supply” in the
financial services, said Mr
George McFerran, global sales
and marketing director at careers portal eFinancialCareers.
“Banks are looking for niche
skills and candidates who have
specific banking, information
technology and automation experience,” he said.
Data analyst jobs are on the
rise at DBS Bank as it makes
use of data analytics to automatically monitor for trigger
events, said a DBS spokesman.
In manufacturing, there has
been a 5 per cent rise in demand
each year for automation-related engineers over the past five
years, said Ms Linda Teo, country manager at recruitment firm
ManpowerGroup Singapore.
These engineers help design
and provide technical support
for automation systems in manufacturing plants, she added.
They command an entry salary
of around $4,000.
Flight control engineers who
customise software and navigation systems for drones can expect to earn around $4,000 too,
while 3D printing technicians
start off at around $2,000.
Educational institutes have
also adjusted their course offerings to meet the rising demand.
Checks with tertiary institutes showed that eight had
added or updated automation-related modules in the last
five years. Three will be starting
new programmes or specialisations next year.
Republic Polytechnic, for example, is launching a diploma
in engineering systems and
Who she is: Ms Amanda Choo,
25 (left), is a rapid prototype
technician at Risis.
ST PHOTO: CAROLINE CHIA
management, with a specialisation in
intelligent transport systems.
Nanyang Technological University
started the NTU Additive Manufacturing Centre last year to grow the
number of engineers with 3D printing
specialisation.
With the machines becoming much
more affordable, “there is a paradigm
shift in terms of design and manufacturing”, said the centre’s director, Professor Chua Chee Kai. There are about
70 PhD and master’s degree students
enrolled and Prof Chua has also held
seminars for manufacturers, artists
and dental surgeons interested in the
technology.
“If you want big companies to really get involved in 3D printing you
need a talent pool, you have to start
now,” he said.
Nanyang Polytechnic offers a module in rapid prototyping. Former student Amanda Choo has been working as a technician at jewellery and
gift company Risis since graduating
in 2009. She prints prototypes for
presentations or for casting moulds.
What she does: She prints
prototypes for presentations
or for casting moulds. One of
her projects involved printing
a 15cm- tall 3D prototype
(above) for the Singapore
Airlines Singapore Grand
Prix trophy this year. It took
1½ days to do it. Risis made
the actual trophy (left).
Where she trained:
Nanyang Polytechnic, where
she did a module in rapid
prototyping.
The technology reduces development
time, said Mr Navin Amarasuriya, director
of BP de Silva Holdings, of which Risis is a
subsidiary.
Ms Choo, 25, said she enjoys the challenges of the job, such as figuring out how
to print odd shapes without them collapsing.
“I get to see results very fast, and work
with a high-tech machine. It’s more interesting for the younger generation,” she
said.
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
20 Excelling in Careers
THE NEW PAPER Sunday, 2 March 2014
EXPRESSIVE:
Mr Issac Liang
specialises in illustrations
and concept designs.
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
MR ISSAC LIANG
Living with disability #3
He lets his
art
do the
talking
Hearing-impaired
illustrator-artist sought
after by big companies
for his skills
He cannot hear and his
speech is limited.
But Mr Isaac Liang has such a
flair for communicating through
pictures and illustrations that
companies want him to work on
their projects.
The 27-year-old, who was born
deaf, is a freelance illustrator and
artist for organisations like DBS,
Epson and the Ministry of Social
and Family Development.
He speci ali ses i n i llustrati on s
for children and concept designs
for animation and advertising.
A small project, which takes
about a week to complete, earns
him about $100, while a bigger
project, which can take up to a
month, brings in about $1,000.
Mr L i a n g ’s j o u r n e y w a s f u l l of
obstacles. As a child, he struggled
to master the English language.
“I used to hate English because
it was a very alien language to me.
I always failed in school and was
retained a few times,” he says.
He took nine years to complete
primary school education at Canossian School For The Hearing
Impaired, now known as Canossian School.
Com m un i cati n g w i th h i s parents, who spoke only Mandarin or
Cantonese, was also tough.
“I did not learn Mandarin and
their English was very limited English, so it was difficult,” he says.
Mr Liang admits he was often bored
and lonely as the only deaf student
in his class at Montford Secondary
School.
“Lipreading can be very tiring, especially in a group. After hanging out
with friends, my neck would ache,”
he says with a grin.
“It usually takes one
to two hours and a
lot of back-and-forth
questions and answers
in written form, as well
as a ton of sketching
before I understand
clearly what they want.”
— Mr Isaac Liang, on meeting clients
His patience and tenacity was further tested at Nanyang Polytechnic,
where he studied digital media design.
“ T h e f i rst year w as g reat because
I had a buddy who wrote notes for
me and we did some projects togeth-
er. But we went our separate ways for the
next two years, and it was very tough ‘listening’ alone. I relied heavily on the PowerPoint slides,” he says.
H e a l s o m i s s e d o u t o n m a t e r i a l s and
concepts that were not on presentation
slides.
“I was al ways rais ing my hand to ask
questions in class. Sometimes, I would arrange appointments with tutors and lecturers,” he explains.
Although he cannot communicate
verbally with his clients, Mr Liang
ensures that his first meeting with
his clients is face-to-face.
“It usually takes one to two hours and
a lot of back-and-forth questions and answers in written form, as well as a ton
of sketching before I understand clearly
what they want,” he says, adding that he
is grateful for the chance to use his skills
to make a living.
Mr Liang dreams of attending the Art
Center College of Design in Pasadena,
California.
“My f a m i l y c a n n o t a f f o r d t o s e n d me
there, so I tried out for a scholarship offered by DesignSingapore Council. I made
it to the top eight last year, but they give
the scholarship to only the top two,” he
says.
“But I’m not going to give up. This year,
I’m going to try again. I really hope I
make it.”
2015 - Volume 1
Aced it 21
TAMIL MURASU
Thursday, 17 May 2012
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THE NEW PAPER Monday, 27 May 2013
HIS stint as a waiter inspired his passion
in the service industry.
Undeterred by the long hours and
hard work at a catering company,
student Nathaniel Tan went on to
pursue a diploma in hospitality and
tourism.
And this passion has paid off.
The 21-year-old scored a perfect
GPA score of 4.0 at Nanyang Polytechnic this year. He will be graduating today and will receive the SingTel
Award, given to the top student in his
course.
His work experience helped him
breeze through his three years in
polytechnic, where he scored a total
of 33 distinctions.
“I could relate to the content that
was taught by the lecturers and tutors. There was a connection, I felt
like I have done this before,” said Mr
Tan.
But the road to his success wasn’t
a smooth one. The bubbly student
admitted that he didn’t really know
which course to pick after his O levels and he ended up failing modules
in his first year.
After leaving Orchid Park
Secondary School in 2008 with
a L1R4 score of 10, he enrolled
in the biomedical science
course.
But just two months into the
course, he realised that his passion for science was not enough
– he was failing two out of five
core modules.
Supportive
His parents supported his decision to switch courses.
Said Mr Tan: “I felt guilty at
first because I was wasting their
money for my school fees.
“But they didn’t reprimand
me at all. They believed in me
and (said) that I was old enough
to make my own decisions,” he
said.
Mr Tan worked for nine
months as a waiter while waiting to enrol into the hospitality
and tourism course in the next
academic year.
He credits his interest in the
service industry to the helpful
seniors and managers at his job.
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With her exemplary results,
the School of Chemical & Life
Sciences student Sashigala
was awarded the Eu Yan Sang
Gold Medal for graduating at
the top of her cohort. It was
in the Diploma in Molecular
Biotechnology that Sashigala
became exposed to the indepth learning nature and
practical work which deepened
her love for life sciences. Citing
life sciences as her calling,
Sashigala has big dreams to
become a research scientist one
day.
THE STRAITS TIMES
Wednesday, 16 May 2012
‘Hands-on’
learning for
him
Waiting his way
to a perfect score
REPORT: LINETTE HENG
[email protected]
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HAPPY: Mr Nathaniel Tan graduated
from his hospitality and tourism course
with a 4.0 GPA.
TNP PICTURE: ARIFFIN JAMAR
“Initially, I would just allow the
guests to scold me and wouldn’t
know how to react. But now at
least I know how to respond and
offer them something to appease
them, like free dessert, for instance,” said the amiable young
man.
He has been offered places in
the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological
University to study business.
His dream is to open his own
hotel one day and he promises
to provide top-notch service.
LOVELL Ong (right) of
Jurong Secondary School
who scored seven points in
his O-level exams in 2008
could have taken the junior
college route.
But he opted for a
polytechnic. Coming after
three months of “mundane”
swotting in the lead-up to the
O levels, he did not want to
have to do it again for the A
levels.
He chose the poly track also
for more “hands-on” learning,
picking a nanotechnology and
materials science course.
Now 20, he has a diploma
in that field, and is the top
graduate of his batch of
5,771 students at Nanyang
Polytechnic. He was also one
of three students from his
school who won the Lee Kuan
Yew award, presented to top
technology
or
computer
science students who also
excelled in co-curricular
activities.
As president of the Nanyang
Polytechnic Adventure Club, he
went on annual expeditions
to the mountains in Taiwan,
as well as other sea and
land expeditions with his
schoolmates.
His final-year project
took him to Singapore
Technologies Kinetics, where
he studied the materials used
in making military armour.
The younger of two
children – whose father is
a cement truck driver and
mother worked in a tyre
company – now plans to apply
to an overseas university.
Asked for his secret to
winning the Lee Kuan Yew
award, he said: “There are
many students equally or
more capable than me – I
think credit goes to my
lecturers for pushing me to
do my best, and nominating
me.”
2015 - Volume 1
22 Aced it
An early
start in
social
work jobs
NYP students to ease staff
crunch in sector by taking
up jobs before graduation
By LIM YI HAN
A GROUP of social work students are helping to ease the
manpower crunch in the sector as they start taking up jobs
ahead of graduation in May.
Some 25 of them from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) will
help social workers in their roles, such as by conducting
home visits and matching clients to help schemes.
These “social work associates” will also conduct preliminary assessment of clients’ needs and follow up on cases
with their more senior colleagues.
NYP is the first polytechnic here to offer a diploma in
social work, although a degree is required to become a fullfledged social worker.
The students met representatives from about 20 voluntary welfare organisations to explore job opportunities at
a session held yesterday by the National Council of Social
Service (NCSS).
Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, who was the guest
of honour at the event, said there is “an increasing need for
skilled manpower in the social service sector”. “We are experiencing many changes as Singapore progresses. We are
seeing more families seeking assistance,” she said.
She added that the Ministry of Social and Family Development and NCSS will “continue to keep social service
careers attractive” and come up with development programmes and opportunities, including scholarships for a
degree in social work.
Ms Ang Bee Lian, chief executive officer of NCSS, agreed
that it is necessary to create another group of social service
professionals because there is need for more services.
Ms Lim Sia Hoe, general manager of NTUC Eldercare,
who was looking to hire the students at the event, added:
“Every additional head, heart and pair of hands will make
a difference. There is a lot of work to do in the community
and we are really short of people.”
Student Rebecca Lim, 21, will start work at the Singapore Association for Mental Health in May. She comes from
a low-income family and was inspired to pursue the career
after her family received financial and social aid when she
was a child.
“I remember when I was 14, a volunteer took my siblings
and me out to a restaurant for a meal. That was my first
time at a restaurant,” said Ms Lim. “I was very thankful,
and when I said I would repay him one day, he told me to
pay it forward instead. I’m very glad I can make a difference
in society and touch others’ lives.”
[email protected]
THE STRAITS TIMES Friday, 29 March 2013
Nanyang Polytechnic student Rebecca Lim, 21, will start work at the Singapore Association for Mental Health in May. She was
inspired to take up social work after her family received financial and social aid when she was a child.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
BERITA HARIAN
Friday, 30 May 2014
Ubah haluan bawa
pingat emas HPB
Bekas pelajar
maktab rendah muncul pelajar
cemerlang di politeknik
NUR DHUHA ESOOF
[email protected]
ENCIK Raiyan Diniy Safaruan pernah gagal dalam peperiksaan ketika di
maktab rendah (JC) yang menyebabkan beliau tidak dapat melanjutkan
pengajian ke tahun seterusnya.
Daripada mengulangi pengajian
tahun pertama di JC, beliau membuat keputusan menukar haluan dan
menyertai politeknik dalam bidang
sains yang diminatinya.
Beliau memilih melanjutkan pengajian dalam jurusan terapi dan kebersihan gigi kerana menurutnya, kursus
itu “jarang dipilih pelajar”.
“Saya ingin melakukan sesuatu yang lain daripada lain. Kursus ini
juga membolehkan saya berinteraksi dengan pesakit dan tidak sekadar
duduk di dalam makmal,” ujar Encik
Raiyan, 21 tahun.
Ternyata keputusannya mengubah
haluan pendidikan itu satu keputusan
berbaloi kerana Encik Raiyan menunjukkan prestasi cemerlang sepanjang
pengajian tiga tahunnya di Politeknik
Nanyang (NYP).
Beliau meraih Gred Purata Mata
(GPA) 3.72 dan muncul sebagai pelajar terbaik dalam kohortnya.
Encik Raiyan turut menerima
anugerah Pingat Emas Lembaga Penggalak Kesihatan (HPB) di atas kejayaannya itu.
Anak sulung empat beradik itu menerima diplomanya Selasa lalu.
Ditemui di NYP baru-baru ini, Encik Raiyan berkata sepanjang tempoh
pengajian, beliau berpeluang menjalani latihan sambil bekerja yang mend-
ENCIK RAIYAN DINIY SAFARUAN: Pilih ke politeknik selepas gagal dalam tahun pertama di maktab rendah. Beliau cemerlang dalam kursus terapi dan kebersihan
gigi di Politeknik Nanyang. - Foto M.O. SALLEH
edahkannya kepada cara memeriksa,
membersihkan dan mencabut gigi beberapa pesakit yang kebanyakan adalah kanak-kanak dan pelajar.
Selain mengalami kesukaran menguasai beberapa teknik seperti menggerudi gigi, Encik Raiyan berkata
keperibadiannya yang pendiam menimbulkan cabaran baginya ketika berhadapan dengan pesakit.
Namun beliau belajar berinteraksi
dengan mereka dan cuba mengurangkan rasa takut dalam diri mereka sebelum menjalani pemeriksaan gigi.
“Saya juga pada mulanya takut mencabut gigi pesakit, lagi-lagi bila melihat
kanak-kanak itu seperti mahu menangis. Tapi saya memberanikan diri dan
memaparkan keyakinan agar pesakit
saya juga berasa berani,” kata Encik
Raiyan.
Selain cabaran di sekolah, beliau
turut menghadapi tekanan emosi pada
tahun ketiga pengajian disebabkan perpisahan ibu dan bapanya.
“Mereka berpisah sebulan sebelum
saya memulakan pengajian tahun ketiga. Saya agak terjejas pada mulanya namun saya sedar masalah itu antara ibu
dan bapa saya dan bukan antara saya
dan mereka,” katanya.
Encik Raiyan kini bekerja sebagai
ahli terapi kesihatan gigi bersama
HPB dan bergerak dari sekolah ke sekolah untuk memeriksa gigi pelajar.
Selepas menjalani perkhidmatan
negara, beliau merancang terus bekerja bersama HPB untuk menyelesaikan bon dua tahunnya sebelum
menimbangkan langkah seterusnya
untuk melanjutkan pengajian atau
terus bekerja.
Mr Raiyan from the School of
Health Sciences received the Health
Promotion Board(HPB) Gold medal
and was the best student in his
cohort.
As a soft-spoken and shy guy, it
was initially challenging for him
to interact with patients but he
overcame it and grew to be more
confident so that patients feel at
ease around him. He now works as
a dental therapist with HPB and
conducts school visits for students to
undergo check ups.
2015 - Volume 1
Aced it 23
THE STRAITS TIMES
Tuesday, 28 May 2013
THE NEW PAPER Friday, 18 May 2012
With polytechnic
graduation
ceremonies
taking place
now, The New
Paper introduces
you to some of
their outstanding
students. Today,
we meet Ms
Aileen Thomas
and Mr Xu
Jin’An (right)
Ms Ong was inspired by the way nurses cared for her son
Lukas when he had to undergo surgery as a baby, and
decided to become one.
ST PHOTO: EDWARD TEO
Air stewardess
gives up flying
to care for sick
TRAVELLING the world as an air hostess may
sound like a dream job.
But Ms Ong Teng Teng had a different calling.
She wanted to be a nurse.
The Singapore Airlines girl quit flying and enrolled in a course after being inspired by the way
nurses cared for her baby son when he developed
a painful abscess.
“It was a scary experience,” she said. “When I
saw the nurses take care of him, I realised I really
wanted to do what they were doing.”
Seven years later, the Nanyang Polytechnic student has graduated with a grade point average of
3.97 and an award recognising her achievements.
“When I was flying and got to travel, I was happy
for myself,” said the 37-year-old mother of two.
“But now it’s a different kind of happy. I’m satisfied when I can nurse a patient back to health.”
Ms Ong – who moved to Singapore from Malaysia when she was 20 – had always dreamed of
being a nurse. But her parents objected, believing
it was not a career that offered good prospects,
and she placed her ambition on the backburner.
Then, years later, the idea came back to her
– through her son Lukas Wong. At just a few
months old, he had to undergo two operations for
a perianal abscess at KK Women’s and Children’s
Hospital.
Inspired by the nurses, Ms Ong quit her job and
took up a nursing course at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). An internship followed at
Ang Mo Kio Thye Hua Kwan Hospital, which sponsored her to study at Nanyang Polytechnic.
Ms Ong, who became a Singapore citizen last
month, has also received the Tay Eng Soon award
for outstanding polytechnic graduates from the
ITE.
“I’m really grateful to the hospital for recognising my hard work,” she said. “I didn’t expect such
opportunities to come at my age.”
AMELIA TENG
TNP
PICTURE:
ARIFFIN
JAMAR
He conquered
maths to top NYP
Best friend inspires him
to change attitude towards
his studies
REPORTS: ESTHER NG
[email protected]
IS friend’s attitude towards school
at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) made him examine
himself and change his outlook
on life.
Once a near-dropout from secondary
school, Mr Xu Jin’An, 26, overcame the
odds to become Nanyang Polytechnic’s
(NYP) top graduate – all because of his
best friend.
His friend, a Malaysian, would travel
daily from his Johor Baru home to the ITE
in Yishun for classes.
Said Mr Xu of his classmate in ITE:
“Every day, he would wake up at 4am or
5am to get to school. He would never complain... Instead, he was very disciplined
and interested in his studies.
“Compared to him, things were so much
easier for me, and yet what was I doing?
It got me thinking – if he could do it, why
couldn’t I?”
So Mr Xu resolved to turn over a new
leaf and work hard in his studies.
But he had a lot of catching up to do.
“I didn’t have a good foundation in
mathematics because I didn’t study when I
was in secondary school. And in engineering, maths is very important,” he said.
“But I was determined to succeed, and
applied that determination to my studies.”
And with that motivation, he went from
a maths failure in secondary school to a
maths whiz in poly.
Today, Mr Xu is NYP’s top student of
its electronics, computer and communications engineering course.
He scored a perfect Grade Point Average of 4, 28 distinctions, 14 As, and was
on the Director’s List for six consecutive
semesters.
For his achievements, he won the Agilent Technologies Gold Medal, which is
awarded to the top student of his course.
He also received the Tay Eng Soon
“My parents are very
happy for me, but
they’re shocked as they
never thought of me as
being academicallyinclined.”
– Mr Xu Jin’An
award, which is given to the most outstanding ITE graduate enrolled in a polytechnic.
Said Mr Xu: “I’m very honoured to win
this award. Hopefully, it will spur me to do
better in my undergraduate studies.”
He recalled that he was so determined to
succeed that he would buy O-level maths assessment books to familiarise himself with
the subject.
Challenging subject
Though he had improved in maths in ITE,
Mr Xu found the subject more challenging
in poly.
“I once sat through a lecture not understanding anything,” he revealed.
Undeterred, he approached his lecturers for
help.
“They were very helpful and patient. One
of them, Ms Rachel Ang, would stay back after lecture to explain the maths concepts to
me. It’s because of her that I now love maths,”
he said.
“I’m a late developer. I wasted my time
when I was a teenager... I had to make up for
lost time.”
But the middle child – his electrician dad
and housewife mum have five children – had
to take on a part-time job to supplement his
family income.
So, for five years while he was studying
in ITE and NYP, Mr Xu worked four times a
week from 11pm to 3am as a vegetable packer at a wholesale market.
On some days, he would even work for
longer hours, revising his schoolwork between breaks.
During the examination periods, he would
She applies
working-world
skills in school
IT IS a dream of hers to work for the
Olympic movement.
Ms Aileen Thomas (Far left), 24,
loves meeting people and enjoys the
adrenaline rush of deadlines.
So, it wasn’t surprising that she
found working in the events industry a
perfect fit for her.
But even as she was doing well
working in an events company, Ms
Thomas decided to enrol in Nanyang
Polytechnic’s (NYP) diploma in
hospitality and resort management
course.
Her decision paid off.
Ms Thomas, 24, is a recipient of
the SingTel Award, which is given to
the top student from NYP’s School of
Business Management.
The bubbly former student of
Anderson Secondary School and
Tampines Junior College scored a
perfect Grade Point Average of 4, with
a total of 26 Distinctions and A grades.
She said: “I knew it was important
to learn business which would help me
in events planning.
“I had been a science student all my
life and i didn’t know that there were
subjects like business or accounting,
which i found that i was good at.”
She credits her success to hard
work and applying what she learnt
in the working world to school, for
instance, multi-tasking and skills in
organising and managing events.
Attachment in Switzerland
Ms Thomas also won the DBS
Award for Best Performance in an
industrial placement programme.
she went for a five-month attachment
in Switzerland, where she impressed
the lecturers there with her willingness
to learn hospitality and business
management.
She said: “I’ve no regrets taking the
longer route. I now know that i want to
do business, and I’ve beem accepted
into the National University of
Singapore and Nanyang Technological
University to study business.”
Ms Thomas hopes to work overseas
or on large-scale interntional events
after graduation.
“It would be a dream to work for
an event like the Olympics,” she said.
“I love meeting people, and yes, I
also enjoy the long work hours, the
lack of sleep and adrenaline rush of
running events.”
also meet up with his friend at his void deck
at 6am to study before heading to school.
Mr Xu has been accepted into Nanyang
Technological University’s school of electrical and electronic engineering. He has also
applied for a few scholarships.
He will be the first in his family to get a
university education.
Said Mr Xu: “I’ve very excited. I know
the course is going to be tough, but that
just makes me all the more determined to
succeed.
“My parents are very happy for me, but
they’re shocked as they never thought of me
as being academically-inclined.”
2015 - Volume 1
24 I’m Innovative
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 19 March 2014
“新心方言”福建话游戏卡，
图文并茂。
26岁的蓝永兴，对方言有特殊的感情。他发现年轻一
代懂方言的越来越少，于是设计一套“新心方言”的福建
话游戏卡，鼓励大家学方言。
蓝永兴刚毕业自南洋理工学院设计系，去年学校的毕
业作品的主题是，寻找新加坡社会缺乏什么，从而找出解
决的方法。他希望借助游戏卡的有趣方式，吸引年轻人学
方言，“方言是华人传统文化的一部分，如果有一天失
传，就太可惜了。”
蓝永兴的籍贯是客家，从小跟家人以客家话交谈。
他说：“我原本不会说客家话，也懒得多学一种语
言。但印象非常深刻的是小学一年级时，母亲跟我说的一
番话：‘你生在客家人的家庭，吃的是客家人的饭，如果
不学客家话，那就不要回家吃饭。’从那天起，我就非常
努力的学好客家话！”
尽管蓝永兴当初是被“逼”学客家话，他在学习的过
程，不仅渐渐喜欢上客家话，更对客家文化感兴趣。
他说：“有一次跟父母回中国的祖先祠堂，认识了更
多客家文化，很有教育性。”
他认为，跟爷爷奶奶一辈讲方言非常重要，“因为他
们有很多人生故事可以分享。懂方言，也对自己寻根很重
要。”
可是，他发现同龄朋友对方言很陌生，因此想到设计
方言的游戏卡。
几乎不懂福建话
蓝永兴说，本地人普遍都会讲福建，因此游戏卡从福建
话着手，图文并茂，对象是18岁至35岁的朋友。
最大的挑战是，蓝永兴几乎不懂福建话，需要花很多
时间收集资料和学福建话。
比如，他联系到新加坡福建会馆，会馆介绍了一名福
建话老师给他，分享教福建话的心得。
此外，他还找到一名福建话“补习老师”，就是南洋
理工学院的高级讲师王月灯。王老师是福建人，也是福建
话高手，她教会蓝永兴不少福建话的发音，并建议游戏卡
适合配搭怎样的图像。
蓝永兴说：“游戏卡的功能不是要让你成为福建话高
手，而是帮助不懂福建话，或是对福建话没兴趣的朋友，
通过有趣的方式重新认识福建话。”
他说，玩游戏卡胜出的条件之一，是要背下卡上的词
语，而卡后面也有教导如何用该词语造句。
蓝永兴在设计游戏卡的过程获益不少，像他如今已经
能说得一口流利的福建话。
他也发现很多福建话很有趣，“例如‘没鱼虾也好’
，其实在现实生活中，虾比鱼还贵。”
蓝永兴最大的满足感是：“看到玩游戏卡的朋友投入
其中，享受玩卡的乐趣之余，也发现学福建话的乐趣，让
游戏卡有了价值。”
像他身边有朋友原本不懂福建话，但对他的游戏卡很
好奇，“他们试玩后，也学会一些福建话的发音。”
上周，蓝永兴在学校毕业作品的展览上，展示他的方
言游戏卡，反应不俗。
他说，很多公众说，卡片的图像很有趣，具有新加坡
特色。
至于公众是否有机会买到他的方言游戏卡？
蓝永兴说，希望通过学校的联系，会有商家有兴趣投
资并研发他的游戏卡，那就有机会在市面上售卖。
The School of Design graduate Leonard Lam designed a
card game called Xin Xin Dialect that helps youths learn
Hokkien. He hope that youths will be able to bond better
with the older generation using this card game.
客家男生
设计福建话
游戏卡
黄靖晶 / 报道（受访者提供照片）
蓝永兴设计“新心方言”福建话游戏卡，是要让18岁至
35岁的朋友学会这个本地最普遍运用的方言，找回这个
地方语言的乐趣。
蓝永兴设计“新心方言”的游戏卡，鼓励年轻人学方
言。
THE STRAITS TIMES . DL Wednesday, 14 August 2013
Phase Shift: from student project
to PlayStation game
A poly graduate tells
VINCENT CHANG
how he got his game
up and running on the
PlayStation Store
eveloped by a Nanyang
Polytechnic graduate, this
modern take on an arcade
shooter is now available in
the Asia PlayStation Store.
Mr Hoong Boon Wai was still a
third-year student at the Nanyang
Polytechnic in 2010 when he devised
the PlayStation Minis game Phase
Shift: Threats Beyond The Network.
Last Wednesday, it made its
official debut. It is available for the
PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita and
PlayStation Portable for $4.49.
Mr Hoong, now 23, is the studio
head of the game developer Dark
Potato Studios, which he formed
after graduating in 2011.
Developing his baby at the Games
Resource Centre, a partnership
between the polytechnic and Sony
Computer Entertainment Japan Asia,
was hardly child’s play.
He had to persuade fellow
students, who were artists, enrolled
in other courses to join his allprogrammer team. This was essential
as the game features anime-inspired
sequences that advance the story of
a genius programmer’s fight against
cyber-terrorism.
A technical challenge the team
faced was having to write the game
engine from scratch. It was among
the first local developers to work on
the PSP platform and programming
resources were scarce.
“I sought advice from my lecturers
PHOTO: DARK POTATO STUDIOS
The game Phase Shift features anime-inspired sequences that advance the story of a genius
programmer’s fight against cyber-terrorism.
for best industrial practices and relied
on fundamental theories to develop
solutions,” Mr Hoong said.
The result: an efficient game that
runs on less than 24MB of RAM.
Switching from being a student
programmer to running a business
posed a different kind of challenge.
Said Mr Hoong: “I had absolutely
no experience in business
management. I was clueless as to what
to do most of the time.
“However, I can now better
estimate a project’s budget from
looking at the details and team
dynamics.”
He has noticed Sony’s efforts to
woo indie developers to its newest
PlayStation 4 game console. “There
is an increasing amount of support
available, as well as Sony simplifying
the submission process,” he said.
Dark Potato Studios is working on
a second PlayStation game, but no
details are available yet.
Mr Hoong is not averse to looking
beyond Sony. He knows developing
games for mobile devices and
other platforms will create more
opportunities for the game studio.
Mr Daniel Tan, director of
Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of
Interactive & Digital Media, describes
Phase Shift as the “result of a system
we have put in place to encourage,
motivate and mentor students to go
all the way with their game ideas”.
He reckons that the polytechnic’s
Games Resource Centre can develop
two potential game projects a year
for the PlayStation Store. Whether
these games follow Phase Shift to
the PlayStation Store will depend on
their passing stringent tests required
by Sony Computer Entertainment.
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
I’m Innovative 25
THE NEW PAPER Saturday, 21 September 2013
F1 trophy shows
S’pore skyline
REPORT: BEN NADARAJAN
[email protected]
AST cars have never been her
thing.
So for Miss Wang Khek Yin
(right), Formula One races have never really captured her attention.
But this year, she will be paying
close attention to the night race,
which is into its sixth edition here,
especially when the winning driver
lifts the trophy on Sunday.
The one that Miss Wang, 28, designed.
“It will be a very proud moment
for me and my company,” said Miss
Wang, an assistant products manager at local jewellery and gifts company Risis.
The Nanyang Polytechnic graduate
in industrial design has been with
Risis for eight years and has designed
jewellery pieces as well as corporate
gifts.
For her design, she studied previous F1 race trophies.
“I wanted a fresh look, one that is
unique to Singapore and also signalled that F1 is an event for everyone.”
What she came up with was a design that shows off Singapore’s city
skyline.
A gold swirl, made from 24K gold
plating, runs through the trophy to
symbolise the unique feature of the
Singapore leg – a lit-up race track.
Miss Wang drew three designs,
which were submitted to main race
sponsor SingTel, and the one that was
eventually picked was her favourite.
“The other designs were more
Westernised and not really related
to Singapore. I felt that this design’s
overall look and spirit symbolised the
country the best,” she said.
Miss Wang and her team completed the design and product in two
months when the process typically
takes up to six months.
The weight of the trophy had to be
kept within 6 to 7kg so that it is not
TNP PICTURE: BENJAMIN SEETOR too heavy for the driver to hoist. The
final design weighs 6.8kg.
“Trophies of this size are usually
around 10kg. So we had to use lightweight material such as aluminium. The
base is also hollow,” said Miss Wang.
This is the third version of the trophy for the Singapore Grand Prix, with
the first two made by leading pewter
brand Royal Selangor.
Miss Wang is the first woman here to
design the F1 trophy.
When asked how she thought the
male drivers would take to a feminine
touch, she quipped: “There’s a famous
saying –‘Behind every successful man
is a woman’. That says it all.”
She plans to watch the race with
her colleagues, especially those who
helped with producing the trophy.
“My colleagues who were involved
in this project have worked very hard
too, and this is the time for us to celebrate!”
I’m the Boss 25
THE STRAITS TIMES Wednesday, 3 September 2014
The seventh Singapore Toy, Game &
Comic Convention this weekend will
showcase the best of pop and geek
cultures. This is the first of a four-part
series on local small and medium-sized
enterprises making it big on the comic
and gaming scenes.
Comics fan
builds model
business
By MOK FEI FEI
SUPERHERO Green Lantern
has performed wonders in
his many fictional escapades
but the real-world inspiration
he gave Singaporean Jackson
Aw might be his most enduring achievement.
The masked hero’s ability
to conjure things through a
special ring left an indelible
mark on Mr Aw when he began devouring the comics in
secondary school.
That interest sparked his
creative urges and helped set
him on the path towards entrepreneurship and his firm
Mighty Jaxx, which makes
collectible art figurines based
on fictional and real characters.
“Green Lantern has the
power to create something
out of nothing by sheer willpower and to me, that is, like,
crazy... imagine what you
could do with that,” said Mr
Aw.
The self-described serial entrepreneur is now chief
toymaker at Mighty Jaxx,
which he founded a couple of
years ago.
It followed his first taste
of business when he started
importing vintage cameras
that he jazzed up afterwards
by making funky sleeves or
leather bodies.
Mr Aw, who was doing national service at the time,
took the dolled-up cameras
and started peddling them,
first at flea markets for about
US$200 (about S$250) each,
before setting up an online
store, as well as placing them
with retailers.
The vintage camera venture, Dark Room Army, did
so well that it was eventually
sold to a local camera retailer
for an undisclosed six-figure
sum.
Mr Aw is the founder of Mighty Jaxx, which makes collectible art figurines. The firm, which was established in 2012 at a start-up cost of
$20,000, recorded sales of $400,000 in the last financial year. His business and life partner, Ms Mesenas, helps with events promotion,
sales and marketing.
ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
By then, Mr Aw was bitten
by the entrepreneurship bug
and never regretted bypassing the conventional route of
being a salaried employee after he graduated with a diploma in interactive media from
Nanyang Polytechnic.
“I think it is because I didn’t
know what to do,” said the
24-year-old with a laugh,
when asked why he chose to
go straight into setting up his
own business.
“My No. 1 passion is to find
out how things are made, mix
it up with something new and
merge it with my interest in
urban art.”
Many people his age are
probably green with envy at
what he has achieved so far
in combining adult responsibilities with childhood fancies.
His current venture, Mighty
Jaxx, works with contemporary, street and graffiti artists
to transform their two-dimensional artworks into three-dimensional figures. The firm
employs five full-time staff in
design, marketing and sales
jobs.
The figurines, which are
manufactured in countries
such as China and the Philippines where production costs
are lower, include irreverent
statuettes showing Chinese
communist leader Mao Zedong with Mickey Mouse ears
and one where demure character Snow White wields a
grenade.
They are sold online and
through designer toy stores
and galleries at prices ranging
from $17 to $480.
About 65 per cent of customers are from the United
States, while the Singapore
market makes up just 15 per
cent of the clientele. The rest
are from Asia and places as
far apart as Israel, Canada
and Russia.
Turning that fantasy job into
reality would not have been
possible without Mr Aw’s business and life partner, Ms Ella
Mesenas, whom he met while
they were studying at Nanyang Polytechnic.
Ms Mesenas, 24, has been
with him every step of the way
in his entrepreneurship endeavours, helping with events
promotion, sales and marketing.
She even lugs heavy stock
to the company’s warehouse
every now and then.
She is also an urban art enthusiast and contemplated
working for an animation studio, but gave that up after an
internship stint.
“It is very depressing being
an animator. It is very magical
when you watch cartoons, but
when you see how it is done,
where you are there countless
hours drawing it out, it just
kind of spoils the magic,”
said Ms Mesenas.
Working in close proximity with each other has some
level of stress, Mr Aw and Ms
Mesenas confessed, but it
has not strained their relationship.
Both are now focused on
expanding business opportunities.
The company recorded
sales of $400,000 in the last
financial year, not bad for a
firm that was established in
2012 at a start-up cost of
$20,000.
Mr Aw is targeting a 50
per cent increase in revenue
to $600,000, as he considers opening in Shanghai.
“Everything is so much bigger there – the market, the
population, the potential,
the willingness to invest
more in staging exhibitions.”
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
26 I’m the Boss
THE BUSINESS TIMES Tuesday, 19 August 2014
THE STRAITS TIMES
Singaporean IT whiz
kid aims high in
Silicon Valley
Tuesday, 5 February 2013
Pixelapse founder says ‘our competitor is email,
shared folders, Google Drive’, reports CHAN YI WEN
N 2004, he graduated top
of his class at Nanyang
Polytechnic, with a diploma
in information technology.
His GPA was 3.97 out of four,
and he was awarded the gold
award as top graduate.
The following year, he won
the gold medal at the World
Skills Competition in Helsinki
– a biennial competition that
draws world-class talent from
all over the world to pit their
vocational skills against each
other. In the same year, he was
conferred the IT Youth Award by
the Singapore Computer Society
for his contributions to the local
IT field.
Lo Min Ming was making his
mark in Singapore, but in 2007
he decided to move to California
to pursue his bachelor’s and
master’s in computer science
at Stanford University, which
often ranks as one of the top
computer science programmes
in the world.
Today, he is co-founder of
Pixelapse, a Y Combinatorbacked startup based in Palo
Alto, the heart of Silicon Valley.
Every summer that he was at
Stanford, Mr Lo did different
things. The first year, he was
hired as an engineering intern at
the now-defunct startup, Buzzeo.
It was there that he got his first
taste of entrepreneurship.
T h e n e x t s u m m e r, h e
interned as a UX (user
experience) designer at Google’s
headquarters in Mountain View,
California, working on the
Google Maps project. At Google,
he gained an entirely different
experience of working in a large
corporation versus a startup.
“At Google, we used different
things (to support our design
projects). We used a shared
folder and we emailed back and
forth. When you left feedback,
you left it in text form; you
couldn’t draw or leave a proper
review. There (was) no proper
way to compare things or flip
things through in a coherent
manner . . . it was very frustrating
for designers,” he says.
Following his experience with
Google California, Mr Lo got
into the Stanford programme in
Beijing and went on to intern at
Google Beijing. In the summer
of his junior year at Stanford,
he interned at Microsoft’s
headquarters in Seattle. One
of the reasons he did that
internship was to discover life
outside the Bay Area.
Mr Lo started Pixelapse partly
because he wanted to work
faster and get products out there
quicker.
“At a big company, you are paid
well with good benefits. There
are fewer risks, and everything
is taken care of; you can sleep
at night,” he says. “But I think
what prevented me from joining
a big firm right after graduation
was that you tend to get bogged
down by company politics and
things don’t move so fast.”
Beyond internships
Even after his internship at
Google, his managers still pinged
him to tell him that they’d
finally got a chance to present to
the higher-ups.
“They haven’t changed Google
Maps in the last three years.
This is their core business. You
can’t go in and change things
immediately; things drag out –
there are too many stakeholders.
If you want to change anything,
you have to talk to 20-30 people
and at the end of the day, they
are afraid of the risks.”
Mr Lo co-founded Pixelapse in
January 2012 to eliminate the
inefficiencies he experienced
during his stint at Google.
The startup creates a versioncontrol platform for designers
(think Github for programmers),
based in Palo Alto. Pixelapse’s
goal is to provide a platform
that allows designers to share
their works and to collaborate
on projects. It also simplifies the
version-control process, which
backs up multiple changes to
design work as it happens.
“Designers have always been
part of (the development)
product cycle, but designers
don’t understand Github,” Mr
Lo says of Pixelapse’s design
focus. “(Github’s) workflow and
technology are not suitable for
designers.”
When he started Pixelapse, Mr
Lo did not receive any support
from
Singapore
agencies.
Instead, the startup sought out
other support means. In 2012, it
went through two programmes:
Y Combinator, which has funded
over 700 start-ups including
Dropbox, Scribd, CodeAcademy,
and Airbnb since 2005; and
StartX, which is a non-profit
business incubator associated
with Stanford University.
Mr Lo: ‘Silicon Valley is at the
technological forefront. It’s always the first
in the cycle. You have great companies and
universities like Stanford and Berkeley’.
FILE PHOTO
StartX was more of a handholding
experience, while Y Combinator is
really a lot more about the network and
peers than anything else, says Mr Lo.
“The truth is that there are hundreds
and thousands of start-ups (coming up)
every other day. Most of the time, they
fail. (At Y Combinator), you meet the
same group of people who are very,
very passionate about their own ideas.
That’s very powerful because it’s never
easy to make something on your own.”
Pixelapse is frequently compared to
its direct competitor based in the East
Coast, LayerVault. According to Mr Lo,
the two companies started out around
the same time but with different
features. As they expanded, those
features began to merge.
Eyes on the Valley
But LayerVault’s performance is not
Mr Lo’s primary concern. “What is
most important is what users are using
when they are not using Pixelapse for
what Pixelapse is supposed to do,” he
says. “Our competitor is email, shared
folders and Google Drive.”
Based on his varied experiences with
business technology, Mr Lo chose to set
up his operation in the Valley.
“Silicon Valley is at the technological
forefront,” he says. “It’s always the first
in the cycle. You have great companies
and universities like Stanford and
Berkeley here.
“E v e r y t i m e t h e r e ’s t h e n e x t
Facebook or Twitter created here, you
see a lot of wealth, and this wealth is
channelled back to the Valley to create
the following Facebook or Twitter; it
keeps going on. The cycle creates this
wealth of innovation.”
But, according to Mr Lo, a lot
of companies in the Valley are
experiencing difficulties in finding
relevant talent: the most talented
individuals are most likely working on
their own startups, and when you settle
for the next best person, he has an ideal
company in mind.
And that’s why there are so many
good companies in the Valley, he says
– a paradoxical situation producing
a continuous cycle of exhilarating
innovation.
Brothers Cai Weili (left) and Cai Weisheng developed a passion for cooking
when they tried to lose weight following a weight-lifting regime.
ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
Weighty problem led to
brothers’ own ramen recipe
OBESITY made Mr Cai Weili
and Mr Cai Weisheng enter the
hawker trade.
The brothers were overweight
after taking in too many calories
while on a weight-lifting regime.
“We looked at one of our pictures and got a shock after finding out what we looked like,”
said 28-year-old Weili.
To watch their intake, the duo
started to research recipes online and experimented with different dishes.
Then, on March 15, 2010, came
an opening at the Teck Kee Coffeeshop in Tanjong Pagar Plaza.
The brothers, who share a passion for baking and cooking, received monetary support from
their mother to open “Homebakeddough”. But they could
not just sell cookies in their coffee shop.
To cater to a larger crowd, the
two Nanyang Polytechnic graduates wanted to serve their fa-
vourite dish – ramen. For more
than six months they used different ingredients to come up
with a unique soup base.
“We tried everything – pork
bones, chicken bones, even bacon. It came out so oily at first,
I don’t even think it was edible,” said Weisheng.
After countless changes to the
recipe, their friends and relatives finally gave the brothers’
project the green light. “The secret actually lies in the shoyu,”
said 25-year-old Weisheng, referring to the soya sauce used
to make the flavoured ramen
soup.
Although they have been running the stall for two years, the
brothers are still trying to improve the taste every day.
They hope to expand or set up
their stall in a shophouse in the
future.
SABRINA TIONG
Awesome
Facilities
Whether it is for study or play, NYP is
the place to be with a wide range of
state-of-the-art leisure, recreational
and educational facilities available.
2015 - Volume 1
I’m the Boss 27
THE SUNDAY TIMES Sunday, 29 July 2012
He takes a gamble in
business of death
Fourth-generation
undertaker’s bid to
offer bright and modern
facilities pays off
THERESA TAN
hen Mr Ang Ziqian, 31, says the
business of death
is in his blood, he
means it.
The fourth-generation undertaker started learning the
ropes at 13, and was 22 when
he took the reins of Ang Chin
Moh Casket from his father.
Since then, the 100-year-old
business has become an even
bigger player in the industry.
Mr Ang’s most ambitious
undertaking was to rent, refurbish and rebrand the old
Mount Vernon columbarium
into Mount Vernon Sanctuary,
a funeral parlour, in 2010.
The project was a huge
gamble, given the short lease
(maximum of five years),
$30,000 monthly rent and
run-down state of the columbarium. The renovation alone
cost Mr Ang about $700,000.
He added: “When I started
Mount Vernon Sanctuary,
naysayers said I would close
down within six months.”
But he saw a demand for a
“bright and modern” funeral
sanctuary over dark and de-
pressing funeral halls.
Now not only has he recouped his investment, the
project was also one of seven winners in the first Asia
Funeral Expo Awards held in
Hong Kong in May.
His was also the only Singapore firm to be recognised
for its know-how and management. Companies from
11 countries vied for the
awards, organised by trade
events firm Vertical Expo
Services.
Mr Ang broke with industry
practice by allowing clients
to rent a hall at the sanctuary without having to use
Ang Chin Moh as the undertaker as well. He pointed out
that some parlour operators
insist people who want to
use their premises also buy
a funeral package from them.
Mr Roland Tay, vice-president of the Singapore Association of Funeral Directors,
described Mr Ang’s practice
as “very fair”.
Mr Tay, 66, who runs Tong
Aik Undertaker and Direct
Singapore Funeral Services,
said there are more than 50
undertakers here. The bigger
players include Singapore
Casket, Ang Chin Moh, Ang
Yew Seng Funeral Parlour
(not run by Mr Ang’s family),
Casket Fairprice and Trinity
Casket.
Mr Ang, who graduated
Mr Ang Ziqian, 31, saw a demand for a “bright and modern” funeral sanctuary over dark and depressing funeral halls. So he went on
to rent, refurbish and rebrand the old Mount Vernon columbarium into Mount Vernon Sanctuary, spending more than $700,000 on the
renovations alone. ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
The stigma
“Ten years ago, when I told people I was an undertaker, some
would not even shake my hand. They were afraid I would transfer
bad luck to them... People are scared as there are many taboos
and superstitions surrounding death. But now it is not so bad.”
MR ANG ZIQIAN
with a diploma in mechatronics engineering from
Nanyang Polytechnic, said
he was never pressured into
joining the family business.
The eldest of three sons
did so to ease his father’s
workload. He knew what he
was in for: long, irregular
hours and social stigma.
“Te n y e a r s a g o , w h e n
I told people I was an undertaker, some would not
even shake my hand. They
were afraid I would transfer
bad luck to them,” he said.
“People are scared as there
are many taboos and superstitions surrounding death.
But now it is not so bad.”
His great-grandfather, Ang
See Kah, started Ang Chin
Moh and Ang Chin Huat Casket in 1912 to cater to Buddhist and Taoist funerals. Mr
Ang’s father added Western
Casket in 2000, for Christians.
Mr Ang strove to make the
family business professional
and modern.
For example, his father
Hong Hin, 62, ran a “one-man
show”, handling all the financial and administrative matters himself, for fear of letting
out trade secrets.
But his son sought out people trained in finance, human
resources and marketing. Recruitment was a challenge – to
say the least. No one wanted
to join a trade widely considered to be inauspicious and
spooky.
To get around this hurdle,
he started a new company,
located in an office where
staff saw neither coffins nor
grieving relatives, to handle
the administrative aspects of
the business. He now has 13
people, out of a total of 30,
doing such work. His wife,
Nicole Yeo, 31, is in charge of
marketing. They have no children.
He placed non-family members in key posts and created
career paths for staff.
He re-branded the repatriation services of Western
Casket International into the
friendlier-sounding
Flying
Home. In 2009, he partnered
Swiss firm Algordanza to market memorial diamonds containing a loved one’s ashes.
Mr Ang declined to reveal
THE STRAITS TIMES Monday, 1 September 2014
By WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA
INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT
A BOWL of mee bakso – beefball noodles – at Indonesian
food chain Es Teler 77 in Singapore 10 years ago inspired
Mr Edy Ongkowijaya, a Nanyang Polytechnic graduate, to
start his own food business in
the Lion City.
“It was so hard to find any
food that reminded me of
home back then. It took me
one hour by bus to get to a
bowl of mee bakso at Es Teler
77 in Joo Chiat Road. This is
a business opportunity, I told
myself,” Mr Edy, an Indonesian who has been living in
Singapore since he was 16,
told The Straits Times.
A year later, he and a business
partner bought a franchise
from Batam’s Ayam Penyet Ria
and opened an outlet in Lucky
Plaza, where many Indonesians gather on weekends, to
sell ayam penyet, or flattened
fried chicken. It was a priceless experience: They learnt
that there were many locals
who also visited their outlet.
Three years later, Mr Edy
broke up with his partner and
pulled out of the franchise
contract to go it alone.
Indonesian food chains setting up shop in S’pore
Republic is a stepping stone for expansion in the region
Mr Edy at one of his food outlets in Singapore. He now has 11 Dapur Penyet outlets in places like Clementi and Tiong Bahru.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF EDY ONGKOWIJAYA
He set up a new chain of
foodcourt stalls called Dapur
Penyet in 2008, opening outlets in heartland areas to target Singaporeans. Its first outlet was in Jurong Point, and
there are now 10 others in
places such as Clementi Mall
and Tiong Bahru.
He is considered by many as
the first person to introduce
ayam penyet to Singapore.
“I don’t want to rely on just
Indonesian customers,” said
the 37-year-old. “Indonesian
and Singaporean customers
have things in common –
they love spicy food and they
love chicken.”
Singapore is also a step-
ping stone for the chain to
the region: Dapur Penyet
entered Malaysia in 2009
and Brunei earlier this year.
The success of ventures
like Mr Edy’s has inspired
other Indonesian chains to
follow suit over the years.
It represents the other
side of a trend that began a
decade ago when Singapore
bakery chain BreadTalk set
foot in Indonesia in 2003
and rapidly expanded, with
more than 90 outlets today.
Old Chang Kee and others
followed suit, tapping growing demand and the familiarity that Indonesians – who
make up the largest group of
visitors to the city state – have
with Singapore food.
And more Indonesian food
outlets have expanded into or
plan to enter the Singapore
market.
“Compared to Indonesia,
competition in the food business is very tight in Singapore,
but local residents have been
receiving Indonesian food quite
well,” said Mr Simon Soekarno,
a counsellor at the Indonesian
Embassy in Singapore.
In recent years, a wider range
of Indonesian food chains has
started branches or franchises in Singapore, among them
Ny Nita pressure-cooked fried
chicken, Sari Ratu nasi padang,
Java Kitchen, Indonesian Delight and J.Co Donuts.
While many are well known
among Singaporeans, they also
count among their customers
the 200,000 Indonesians living in Singapore and the more
than three million who visit
each year.
Indonesia’s largest kebab
chain Baba Rafi is gearing up
for its Singapore opening, slated for the middle of next year.
It now has 1,200 outlets in Indonesia, 29 in Malaysia, 14 in
the Philippines and one in China, and employs 1,500 staff.
“Now, we see opportunity
in opening up in Singapore and
we don’t want to miss it,” Baba
his firms’ revenue, except to
say it is in the millions.
About three years ago, he
handed the running of Ang
Chin Moh to his youngest
brother, 25-year-old Zisheng,
while he concentrated on
Mount Vernon Sanctuary.
Both his parents are still
involved but not his second
brother, 29-year-old property agent Ziqiang.
Mr Ang has his eyes set
on a larger target. He wants
to take his business – and
Singapore’s funeral trade –
into the “First World”, after
visiting the industry in other
places such as Australia, Taiwan and the United States.
He said: “I’m very willing
to try. I don’t know if I will
succeed, but if you never try,
you never know.”
[email protected]
Rafi owner Hendy Setiono
told invesment portal Bareksa.com.
Baba Rafi might be a latecomer, but doughnuts and
coffee chain J.Co is not. It
has been using Singapore as
a test bed for overseas expansion, opening its first outlet
here in 2007 before going
to Malaysia in 2008 and the
Philippines in 2012.
J.Co is opening its fourth
outlet in Singapore, at Suntec City mall, this Friday.
“J.Co seeks to be an international brand and Singapore is the perfect gateway to
achieve that,” said spokeman
Gita Herdi Hastarani.
She laments that doing
business in Singapore can be
challenging, with hig rents
and labour cost.
But she sees an upside
to doing business in the city
state.
“We really appreciate the
Singapore Government being business-friendly, with
transparent, systematic and
responsive regulations,” she
said.
[email protected]
2015 - Volume 1
28 I’m the Boss
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 15 January 2014
THE NEW PAPER Thursday, 26 December 2013
梁善儿希望能够成为全职漫画家，目前
正打算集结作品，在本地出版英文漫
画。
We are making a living from what we love. Ideas
are our currency.
— Mr Jed Tay, 23, managing director of Anomalyst, a post
production company started by him and his fellow Nanyang
Polytechnic coursemates — Mr Mustapha Zainal, Mr Benjamin
Kee and Mr Chad Tay.
爆
动
漫
（李白娟／摄影）
陈宇昕 / 文
新加坡本土插
画家梁善儿最
近以新加坡、
日本与美国三
地的文化差异
为题材，创
作了趣味盎
然的小品画
Evacomics
系列，在网络
世界冒起，深
受欢迎。
CHEERS: (From left) Anomalyst’s Mr Jed Tay, Mr Chad Tay,
Mr Mustapha Zainal and Mr Benjamin Kee at their office at Short Street.
漫画三国文化差异
ST PHOTO: CHAD TAY
本地插画家网络受落
网上日记式漫画爱吐槽爱搞笑，尤其
在台湾、韩国非常火红，插画家弯
弯、Cherng’s、人2的插画世界都备
受网民追捧，新加坡本土最近也有一
位插画家在网络世界冒起，以新加
坡、日本与美国三国的文化差异为题
材，创作了趣味盎然的小品漫画，深
受欢迎。
梁善儿（Evangeline
Neo，33
岁）的Evacomics系列漫画，以新加
坡、日本与美国三国的文化差异为题
材，每星期一晚上定时更新，2010年
开设网站至今，面簿页面已有超过1
万9600人按赞。
她的画风走可爱路线，并为自
己创造了Eva这个角色，漫画记录了
Eva的生活琐事，并从这些小事中比
较三个国度的不同文化表现，比如
在漫画“卧虎藏龙”里，Eva 呈
现了三国柜台服务员和顾客间的关
系。
在题为“卧虎藏龙”的漫画里，Eva
呈现了三地柜台服务员和顾客间的关
系：在日本，永远顾客至上；在美
国，只有当柜台人员喊“下一位”，
顾客才能上前；而新加坡，则是各自
为王，僵持不下，多有摩擦。
这样的小插曲用文字表达实在累
赘（如上），但一经漫画并列对比，
便能很鲜明地看出差异，让人会心一
笑，无怪乎这么多人对Evacomics有
所共鸣。
深刻感受到文化冲击
从小就梦想成为漫画家，梁善儿
因疯迷日本动漫而开始画画，模仿日
本漫画的笔触，还曾经花了一年时间
准备一篇30页长的故事漫画投稿日本
讲谈社漫画比赛，通过初选，可惜最
终没得奖。
2004年她获奖学金到美国旧金山
攻读美术，期间弯弯等插画家在网络
爆红，她身边的台湾朋友鼓励她到无
名小站开设博客，创造了“Eva的闪
亮亮世界”，以繁体中文为媒介展开
她的生活漫画之旅。
2010年她到日本早稻田大学修读
企业管理硕士，深刻感受到文化冲
击，偶然画了一幅关于日本和新加坡
文化差异的漫画发到网志，获得网民
热烈反响，梁善儿便萌起系列漫画的
念头，一直延续至今。
“无论语言上、生活态度上，日
本对我的文化冲击，比旧金山大得
多。”
要处理好这种题材并不容易，梁
善儿坦言，有时漫画内容不小心便
会得罪人，有人说不该把新加坡画得
太坏，也有人说不该把新加坡画得太
好，的确很烦恼。
梁善儿的系列漫画以美国、日本与
新加坡三国的文化差异为题材。
糅合的画风？
梁善儿年轻时喜欢《乱马》的作
者高桥留美子，后来也喜欢上《花
生漫画》的作者Charles Schulz，这
些漫画对她的画风都颇有影响。
她说，现在的可爱风格就受日
本漫画影响，不过当她拿给日本朋
友看时，日本朋友却认为较像西洋
漫画，而当她拿给美国朋友看时，
美国朋友又说这是日本风的漫画，
颇感无奈。
“或许这是一种糅合的画风
吧。这就是我的风格。”
去年10月回返新加坡，梁善儿
希望能够成为全职漫画家，目前正
打算集结作品，在本地出版英文漫
画，同时寻找日本企业合作，通过
网络漫画推广日本文化与商品。
梁善儿也是南洋理工学院毕业
生，前往美国日本升学之前，她也
曾在工院教导美术。她说，漫画出
版后，她仍想从事漫画教学，培养
年轻一代对画漫画的兴趣。
The School of Interactive and Digital Media graduate and local comic artist of Evacomics, Evangeline Neo, uses her comics
to depict the cultures of Singapore, Japan and The United States. Her web comics, which were established since 2010, are
well-received.
He receives offers to
buy over company
At the age of 23, Jed Tay is
the managing director of
Anomalyst, a design-based
post production company.
And in just three years, the
company, which provides
motion media design for film,
advertising campaigns and
broadcasts, has received four
buyout offers.
The most recent offer was
“very, very, very tempting,”
said Mr Tay, who declined to
mention how much money
he was offered.
“But we think the company
can probably expand further
in the future,” he added.
“We are making a living
from what we love. Ideas are
our currency.”
The company was
started by him and his
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP)
coursemates — Mr Mustapha
Zainal, Mr Benjamin Kee and
Mr Chad Tay — while they
were still students.
Each put $500 into the
company and contributed
their own equipment, such
as laptops and cameras. They
worked out of a room in Mr
Jed Tay’s brother’s home.
Th e y g r a d u a t e d w i th
diplomas in Motion Graphics
& Broadcast Design from
the School of Interactive &
Digital Media in 2010.
When they first started out,
they were handling projects
When we were
students, we had
opportunities to work
for real clients, which
trained us for the
industry.
with budgets as low as $150,
such as wedding videos.
Today, Anomalyst counts
Resorts World Sentosa, Marina
Bay Sands and Universal Studios
among its clients, and the value
of the projects it handles is now
worth between $60,000 and
$300,000.
Last year, they set up a small
office in Short Street, in the
Rochor area.
The company has a staff
strength of 15, and the team is
thinking of expanding next year.
Mr Jed Tay credits his
experience in NYP as being an
integral part of his company’s
success.
“When we were students, we
had opportunities to work for
real clients, which trained us for
the industry,” he said.
“The key to survival anywhere
is adaptability. We were trained
in more than one field, and the
skills were interchangeable. We
learnt to be not just executors,
but thinkers and problemsolvers.”
2015 - Volume 1
I’m the Boss 29
THE SUNDAY TIMES Sunday, 3 November 2013
NET WORTH OF
YOUTH
Company: Happy Fish Swim School,
an online platform that links more
than 250 freelance swimming
instructors with 10,000 students. It is
based in a 1,400 sq ft office in Jurong
East and employs four full-time staff
TAN JIAN YONG
26
YEARS OLD
Start-up cost: About $200 from
personal savings for the website
Start-up date: October 2007
At 18, Mr Tan spent his free days at the pool coaching youngsters
for a fee.
But last-minute changes and students who defaulted on
payment would disrupt his schedule and halve his monthly
earnings. It was also a hassle travelling to various locations.
So in 2007, at age 20, he started an online platform linking
swimming instructors with students. He takes a cut of up to 25
per cent for each successful match, depending on the duration
of the class.
Happy Fish Swim School handles duties such as hiring
instructors, verifying their training credentials, setting class
prices, collecting payment and rescheduling postponed classes.
It also matches instructors who prefer a certain location with
students.
“As I was a freelance instructor, I know how these problems
can affect the joy of teaching people how to swim,” says Mr Tan.
His company branched out in 2008 to conduct classes for
infants and special needs children. It also holds women-only
sessions and triathlon swimming in open water, says Mr Tan,
who was born in Johor Baru and is now a permanent resident
here.
He came to Singapore in 2005 to do an electronics, computer
and communications diploma at Nanyang Polytechnic.
Along the way, he met his wife Jacqueline Seow, 26, at an
external finance course and she now helps with the business.
Mr Tan Jian Yong says his first love will always be the swim business.
Mr Tan’s father, 57, is a shipping parts businessman and his
mother, 56, helps in his dad’s business.
The couple decline to reveal the business’ monthly revenue.
They live with Ms Seow’s parents in an executive Housing
Board flat in Jurong East. They bought two condominium
units, one in Bedok in 2011 and one in Bukit Timah last
year. Both projects are under construction.
The couple, who have no children, are now looking to
move offline: They plan to buy a site for a private school and
install a heated, non-chlorinated pool that is safe for infants.
Their expansion plan is motivated by a desire to ensure
that everyone can swim, says Mr Tan.
“I also find out that many parents who take their children
for classes cannot swim,” he says.
Besides the online platform, he manages another business.
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Last year, he bought an 800 sq ft unit on the second floor
of a shophouse in Tan Quee Lan Street in Bugis for $1.2
million, which he converted into a seminar room for rental.
He paid for it with his earnings and an investment from a
partner.
Being young has had no impact on his business, as
partners do not usually ask for his age, he says. “It is about
my business model and the value I can bring to people.
After all, people who want to engage our services look at our
brand, rather than the owner.”
The swim business remains his first love.
Asked if he would give up his business for a corporate
job, he says: “If I ever sell the company, I would want to at
least retain a small stake as I would like to see it grow and
transform from what I’ve started.”
THE NEW PAPER Friday, 25 April 2014
I see workshops as a form of sharing knowledge with people and
raising awareness for creativity.
— Mr Poh Wenxiang
Exploring his interest in making products
While his peers spent their afternoons playing
computer games, he was usually found in hardware
shops in the vicinity of his parents’ bakery at Upper
Aljunied Lane.
That was how Mr Poh Wenxiang, founder of Make Your Own,
found his passion in combining mechanics and art and
started making furniture and lights.
The 29-year-old said: “Looking at the different bolts and
gears in the shops inspired me. It made me think about how
the different components could and fit together to perform
a function.
“I would also talk to people in the shops to find out what
the different parts were used for.”
Make Your Own, a company which holds workshops teaching
people how to make furniture, was founded in June last year
after Mr Poh left his job as a visual merchandising designer.
The company is next to his parents’ bakery.
The former Nanyang Polytechnic industrial design student
now conducts workshops teaching people to make products
such as lamps and tables using industrial materials like
copper pipes and wooden blocks.
Make Your Own also makes customised furniture and lighting.
The workshops are usually held twice a week on
weekends, and they take place at various locations,
depending on the companies Mr Poh is working with.
There are five to eight people in each class.
Mr Poh said: “I see workshops as a form of sharing
knowledge with people and raising awareness for creativity.
“It’s also a good way to teach people to find alternatives to
products, instead of having them buy items off the shelf.”
D&T LESSONS
Mr Poh was also able to explore his interest in making his
own furniture and products during design and technology
lessons during secondary school.
He said: “The process of turning something raw into a
product fascinated me.”
He started making and modifying his own furniture
when he renovated his new home in 2010.
One of his first creations was a customised coffee
counter made out of a children’s cabinet from Ikea.
He assembled the cabinet according to instructions,
but added some switches and lighting to it.
Mr Poh gets a thrill out of mixing and matching different
CREATIVE: Make Your Own founder Poh Wenxiang.
TNP PHOTO: BENJAMIN SEETOR
hardware components to suit their different functions.
He believes that the practice of learning to make your own
products is catching on in Singapore.
He said: “When people go hands-on, they’ll understand the
effort needed to make such a product and this makes them
appreciate things. If we keep buying, we take these things
for granted.”
2015 - Volume 1
30 I’m the Boss
MY PAPER Monday, 19 November 2012
Still in school but they’re already their own bosses
BY ANDRE C. NEVILLE
IKE many others around
his age, Mr Nathanael Tan,
19, spends much of his time
on school assignments and
projects.
But apart from his academic life,
the third-year Information Security
student from Nanyang Polytechnic goes
through the rigours of managing his
own entrepreneurial venture.
He runs a technology start-up that
does information-technology work as
well as sound engineering, which he cofounded with a friend last year.
Mr Tan said: “If I fail, or have to
accept failure, I’ll pick myself up and
try again.”
Tertiary-level students such as Mr
Tan have turned to starting their own
businesses, which require low levels of
capital and technical expertise, such as
online portals or blogshops.
There is also a range of governmentfunding options available, such as those
offered by Spring Singapore.
While the actual number of tertiary
students who are entrepreneurs is
small, interest in entrepreneurship
appears to be strong.
According to the Global University
Entrepreneurial Spirit Students survey,
carried out online last year, 1.1 per
cent of the 3,133 students surveyed
from the three public universities and
five polytechnics across Singapore were
entrepreneurs.
This is an increase from the survey’s
figure in 2008. In that year, 1.2 per cent
of the 2,319 students surveyed were
entrepreneurs.
About 90 students also enrolled in the
Master of Science in Technopreneurship
and Innovation Programme this year,
up from 64 last year. The course aims
to develop promising entrepreneurs
and leaders.
In addition, NTU’s Minor in
Entrepreneurship programme attracts
about 200 students annually. Nanyang
Polytechnic also told My Paper that it
has seen a 20 to 30 per cent increase
in the number of start-ups set up by its
students since 2009.
Professor Wong Poh Kam, director of
the National University of Singapore’s
(NUS’)
Entrepreneurship
Centre,
YOUNG BOSS: Mr Nathanael Tan, seen here holding a screwdriver and a computer part, is a third-year student at Nanyang Polytechnic. The 19-year-old cofounded AudioTech and IT Solutions, a technology start-up that does information-technology work as well as sound engineering.
PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN
POLY course-mates tur ned business partners
WHO: Mr Nathanael Tan, 19, a thirdyear Information Security student from
Nanyang Polytechnic
COMPANY: AudioTech and IT Solutions,a
technology start-up that carries out
website and logo design, and computer
repair, and provides security services as
well as sound-engineering work.
HOW IT STARTED: Mr Tan put together
his first computer when he was in
Primary 5, and decided to take his
passion further.
He honed his craft by learning how
to repair computers as well. When he
entered polytechnic, he met fellow
course-mate Frederick Choo, now 19.
said that it is easier for tertiary
students today to become
entrepreneurs because of online
platforms, low opportunity costs,
and the availability of financial
support.
“Students now face lower
barriers when starting their own
businesses as they do not require
a lot of capital, technical expertise
or industry knowledge,” said Prof
Wong.
He added that the majority of
students now have access to ample
family savings to help fund their
The pair decided to work together and
co-founded AudioTech and IT Solutions
last year.
They registered their business and set
up a website on which they offered their
services, along with accepting personal
requests form clients.
In addition, they wanted to explore
other areas beside the IT field, such
as in aspects of the sound and music
industries.
The pair came into the business
with their own individual areas of
specialisation,
which
helped
to
complement their skill sets.
Mr Tan’s area of expertise lay in
business ventures as compared to
before, when students often had
to contribute to their household
incomes.
Prof Wong added that people
from Gen-Y – those born between
1981 and 2000 – prefer to start
their own businesses because
they want to have a say in what
they are passionate in doing.
Still, becoming an entrepreneur
is not without challenges.
Mr Zhao Dexin, a third-year
Electrical Engineering student
currently at NUS, said that it
computer hardware while Mr Choo’s
interest was in soft-ware programming.
“Starting a company for me was more
about what we as a team could do for the
community,” said Mr Tan. He added that
along with his business partner, he aims to
hire freelancers in order to provide working
experience and training.
But for Mr Tan, schoolwork always comes
first as he sets about completing his
education.
He said, “For me, the need to work was
never about the money to begin with.
“It was always about the people and the
problems they had with their computers.”
was challenging to manage his
business venture and school
assignments concurrently in the
first two years of university.
The 23-year-old started his
own
apparel,
corporate-gift
manufacturing
and
printing
business in 2010.
“I had to answer calls for
quotations, meet clients, and
fulfil deliveries in between lesson
times,” Mr Zhao said.
He added that he had to skip
lectures and attend make-up
lessons or catch up with his
schoolmates’ help whenever his
business faced emergencies.
On such challenges, Mr Rick Tay,
deputy director of NTU’s Nanyang
Technopreneurship Centre, said:
“(Entrepreneurship) is a form of
training that builds character and
develops (students’) soft skills,
which will give them an edge over
their peers and stand them in good
stead in the future.”
[email protected]
新 om
鲜 y
事
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 20 February 2013
创业圆梦也回馈社会
yzone.omy.sg
年轻人创业圆梦，若也能把社会企业
的元素融进生意理念中来回馈社会，可真
是两全其美。
三名20岁的年轻人林怡君、Siti
Khairunissa和吴国华，合伙在武吉士村开
一家复古糖果店，推广复古糖果，要勾起
90后们的童年回忆。
最特别的是，他们还聘请失聪雇员帮
忙打理业务，把社会企业的元素融进生意
经。
林怡君说：“我们希望弱势群体获得
公平对待，帮助他们建立信心，日后能以平
常心投入社会生活。”
这三名年轻人有何创业理念？聘请失聪
雇员帮忙打理业务，沟通有何难度？年轻人
创业有何挑战和难题？请扫描看视频。
（**如果你还不到30岁，已经自己创
业，想不想跟大家分享你的创业故事与心得
呢？你是否有认识年轻企业家，可以介绍给
我们？欢迎电邮至[email protected]与我们联
络。标题请注明“年轻企业家系列”。）
Three alumni from the School of Business Management set up the 90s Candy Studio, a social
enterprise selling old-school confectionery. The store sells confectionery familiar to those who
grew up in the 90s, and the owners hope to provide opportunities for the hearing-impaired to
郑宝炜 / 文（omy网络记者） gain employment and build their confidence.
2015 - Volume 1
I’m the Boss 31
THE NEW PAPER Monday, 10 February 2014
TIME TO GIVE BACK, SAYS RIDHWAN
Report by SAZALI ABDUL AZIZ
[email protected]
Ridhwan Ahmad has done Singapore
boxing proud over the last four
years, winning bronze medals at the
South-east Asia (SEA) Games in 2011
and 2013.
He wants to do more.
Together with his business partner
Fairuz Mohamed, the 26-year-old
decided to open a boxing gym.
He did not dream it up, although the
idea did come in an unusual fashion.
“I remember waking up one morning
last September and just thinking: ‘Let’s
open a boxing gym’,” he told The New
Paper, slightly sheepishly.
“I called Fairuz and he was also game.
“We started making calls, checking out
locations, all those kinds of things, and
here we are.”
Ridhwan and Fairuz, who met three
years ago while at Nanyang Polytechnic,
decided to study the feasibility of
opening a gym.
They pooled their savings and with
some money from a sports event
company they had formed together in
2012 called Sport Frontiers, came up
with enough capital to start the venture.
The result: A boxing gym called
Legends Fight Sport located along North
Canal Road, opposite Hong Lim Park.
Costing around $50,000 to set up,
the gym currently only has several
punching bags.
But the two friends and business
partners have big plans.
“We’re focusing on coaching
boxing now, but we’ll be looking to
include more fight disciplines in the
future, and also at the possibility
of expanding the gym itself,” said
Ridhwan.
“There’s always this idea that MMA
(mixed martial arts) will take over
boxing.
“I personally don’t think so, but
it just goes to show the amount of
interest there is in fight sports here.
“We want to be a platform for people
to learn the proper skills in the sport.”
QUALITY COACHING
Ridhwan is engaging the Singapore
Amateur Boxing Association (SABA)
in a bid to acquire quality coaching
for the gym.
While the gym officially opens on
Friday, they already have about 20
students taking up boxing lessons.
There are plans to introduce classes
for children as young as seven.
Fairuz, an arts undergraduate at
the National University of Singapore,
said: “We want to promote boxing
to the community and hope people
embrace it as a sport.
“A lot of people simply view it as a
violent sport.
“We want to show that it’s about
sacrifice, self-discipline, and that it can
better you as a person.”
Ridhwan says he is an example.
As a 17-year-old, he quit his
mechatronics engineering course at
Temasek Polytechnic after just one
month because he was “lazy”.
He worked as a cook for three years
and picked up boxing after watching
late night classic matches on the
restaurant’s television.
He began training with Syed Abdul
Kadir, Singapore’s Sportsman of the
Year in 1974 who won a gold medal at
the 1971 South-east Asian Peninsular
Games and a bronze at the 1974
Commonwealth Games.
Ridhwan found his way again.
Last April, he graduated from Nanyang
Polytechnic with a diploma in Sport and
Wellness.
“Boxing has given me so many
opportunities, I just feel I should give
back to the sport,” he said.
“It gave me belief and character.
“It made me realise how important
education is, and that’s why I decided to
go back to school to finish my studies.
“I think boxing can help others realise
their own potential, too.”
BOXING
PARTNERS: National boxer Ridhwan Ahmad, who bagged bronze
medals at the last two SEA Games (left) and his business partner
Fairuz Mohamed (right) will open a boxing gym this week.
PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN GOH
Sporting Talents 31
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Sunday, 28 September 2014
Sibling power
Relatively Speaking
Venessa Lee
ational distance runner Mok Ying
Rong, 20, does not feel overshadowed
by her more famous brother, Mok Ying
Ren, 26, who last December became the first
Singaporean man to win the marathon at the
South-east Asian Games.
That was his second SEA Games gold, after
his 2007 triumph in the triathlon event in
Thailand.
His sister is self-assured about her own
sporting path.
“I don’t feel like I live in his shadow. I have
travelled a different journey and have my own
achievements which I’m proud of,” says Ying
Rong, who won the women’s 21km Sundown
halfmarathon in June and will be running in
an invitation-only category for elite athletes
in the Great Eastern Women’s Run, Asia’s
largest half-marathon for women, on Nov 9.
Ying Ren, a doctor who is doing his national
service as a medical officer at Nee Soon Camp
and wants to be a sports orthopaedic surgeon,
adds: “We’re both independent people and we
feel happy when the other does well. We’re
not competitive with each other.”
He and Ying Rong, who studies physiotherapy
at Nanyang Polytechnic, are both self-coached
and occasionally train together.
As children, they each took up competitive
swimming while at Red Swastika School, and
later took part in triathlons in their teens
while he studied at Raffles Institution and she,
Raffles Girls’ School.
They live with their parents, Mr Mok Yew
Cheong, 57, an engineer at HDB, and housewife
Tan Chwee Hoon, 52, in a five-room HDB flat
in Tampines.
How would you describe your sibling
relationship?
Ying Rong: We have always been pretty close.
Most of the time, we don’t talk about running,
which can be quite stressful. Sometimes we
destress by going to the movies together.
Ying Ren: Once in a while, we’ll also share
running tips and advice.
Would you say you have taken similar life
paths?
Ying Rong: Our interests were similar, but
I wasn’t affected by what he was doing – it’s
what I wanted to do myself.
I want to be a top-notch physiotherapist.
In my running career, I feel like I’m still
young. I have not maximised my aerobic
development yet.
Both of you learnt to play the guzheng and,
Ying Ren, you also took piano lessons. What
was your parents’ child-raising style?
Ying Ren: Our parents encouraged us to lead
a well-balanced lifestyle, including music
and sport. They gave us space to explore our
options.
They have always been very supportive,
for example, ferrying my sister and me to
and from swimming training sessions, which
started at 5.30am.
What are some of your childhood memories?
Ying Ren: Swimming at the Singapore
Swimming Club, going for breakfast, having
laksa in Katong, playing at Pasir Ris Park and
playing badminton at the void deck.
Who was more strict – your father or your
mother?
Ying Ren: My dad. He was the disciplinarian.
Ying Rong: We’re strict with ourselves. We
want to achieve our goals for ourselves. We
don’t see it as our parents being strict with us.
How were you disciplined as children?
Ying Ren: With a cane during my primary
school days, for the usual stuff.
Ying Rong: I remember the experience of
going for my regular training more than being
caned. I remember being busy throughout
those years, doing music and sport.
What are your family values?
Ying Ren: Perseverance. We did competitive
swimming from Primary 4 to 6. As for running,
we don’t see ourselves stopping.
Ying Rong: Being more focused. You can’t be
in a competitive sport and not have a goal.
This applies to studies and training.
How do you support each other?
Ying Rong: I am inspired and motivated by my
brother. He’s very determined when he sets a
goal. He is aiming to qualify for the marathon
at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Ying Ren: I posted a big shout-out on Facebook
shortly after Ying Rong ran a personal best of
1 hour, 25 minutes and 33 seconds in a halfmarathon in Sydney last weekend: “So proud
of her! #siblingpower.”
[email protected]
“I don’t feel like I live in his
shadow. I have travelled a
different journey and have my
own achievements which I’m
proud of.”
MOK YING RONG, on not being stressed
out over the achievements of her brother
Ying Ren (both left), which include winning
a gold medal for the marathon event at last
December’s South-east Asian Games. She
won the women’s 21km Sundown halfmarathon in June
2015 - Volume 1
32 Sporting Talents
THE NEW PAPER Thursday, 5 December 2013
IRON
CHEF
Whatever match I fight
or tournament I take
part in, I aim for the
highest achievement.
In fact, I don’t just
want to win. I want to
be remembered.
— Ridhwan Ahmad (below)
Former cook-turned-boxer
hopes to serve a gold-medal
winning dish in Myanmar
Report by SAZALI ABDUL AZIZ at the 1974 Commonwealth
[email protected]
Games.
His job is to dish out
beatings in the ring.
So perhaps it isn’t a surprise
boxer Ridhwan Ahmad is
as adept with a spatula and
wok in his hands, as he is
with a pair of gloves over
them.
Ridhwan, 26 next week,
who is gunning for the men’s
lightweight (60kg) gold at
next week’s South-east Asia
(SEA) Games in Myanmar,
spent three years as a cook
at popular eatery Spize at
Simpang Bedok.
“I’m ok as a cook lah, not
bad,” he said with a sheepish
smile. “I liked cooking pasta
dishes most back then, but
now I prefer to do pastries.”
Ridhwan fondly remembers
his time working in the
kitchen, and reveals that it
even indirectly led him into
boxing.
“There was a television at
Spize that usually screened
football matches for the
customers,” he explained.
“Sometimes,
after
midnight, there would be
classic boxing matches on
the sports channels instead
– those from the black-andwhite era – and they caught
my interest a bit.
“At the same time, all the
uncles hanging out there
watching
those
classic
matches, always brought up
coach Kadir’s name.
“I went on the Internet
and found his boxing school,
and that’s how I got started.”
The “coach Kadir”
Ridhwan refers to is Syed
Abdul Kadir, the 1974
Sportsman of the Year who
won a gold medal at the 1971
SEAP Games and a bronze
Kadir, who is the team
manager for the Singapore
boxing
contingent
in
Naypyidaw, says very little
has changed in his protege
from when he first walked
into his boxing school.
“I started working with him
when he was about 18 and he’s
still the same now,” said the
65-year-old, who is also the
president of the Singapore
Amateur Boxing Association.
“He keeps to himself and
doesn’t talk too much, and
he’s very, very hardworking.
“The other fighters here are
no slouches when it comes to
training too, but they can’t
match him.”
Ridhwan won his first SEA
Games medal two years ago
when he bagged a bronze in
Palembang, Indonesia.
Kadir reckons the boxer can
do one better in Myanmar.
“The difference between
him now and two years ago is
confidence,” said the former
featherweight.
“You can see it just from the
way he walks.
“He’s now stronger, more
matured... The way he’s
shaping up, he should be able
to improve on the bronze.”
Ridhwan attributes this
new-found confidence to
overseas exposure.
This year, he won a bronze
medal at the Taipei City Cup
in August, and then won the
top prize at an invitational
boxing
tournament
in
Adelaide last month.
The tournament in Adelaide
took place during a monthlong camp in Melbourne for all
five of the Singapore boxers
competing at the SEA Games.
SPARRING
Said Ridhwan: “The highlight
TNP PHOTOS: CHOO CHWEE HUA
of the Australian camp was
the sparring.
“I did almost 100 rounds
in total with more than 20
sparring partners, and these
guys were not just average
fighters.”
In peak physical condition,
Ridhwan believes he is also
mentally tougher now.
“Having that self-belief and
ability to deal with pressure
is the biggest difference in
me, I think,” he said.
“It’s something I learnt
from coach Kadir, and also
from reading biographies of
different fighters.”
Throughout the interview,
Ridhwan was articulate and
thoughtful with his answers.
You wouldn’t have been
able to tell that as an 17-yearold, he quit his mechatronics
engineering
course
in
Temasek Polytechnic after
just one month.
“I was simply lazy... Very
clever right?” he said, with a
wry smile.
But that’s all in the past
now.
In April, he graduated
from Nanyang Polytechnic
with a diploma in Sport and
Wellness.
And he wants to cap off the
year with glory in Myanmar.
“Whatever match I fight
or tournament I take part
in, I aim for the highest
achievement,” he said.
“In fact, I don’t just
want to win. I want to be
remembered.
“Sometimes, you win gold
and a year or two later,
nobody remembers.
“I want to create an
impact. Leave a mark. I want
to show what Singapore
boxing is all about.”
FACTFILE
Name: Muhd Ridhwan
Ahmad
Date of Birth: Dec 14,
1987
Height: 1.69m
Weight: 60kg
Favourite athlete: Sugar
Ray Leonard
Favourite food: KFC
chicken
Pet peeve: Hypocrites
Did you know?
For the first time since
the 1980s, the boxers
at the Naypyidaw
SEA Games will not
be wearing helmets.
The rule change was
handed down in June
from international body
Aiba in light of scientific
research which showed
not wearing helmets
actually reduces risk of
concussions.
2015 - Volume 1
HOCKEY
CHANGED
ENRICO
FOREVER
Sporting Talents 33
THE NEW PAPER Saturday, 7 December 2013
FACTFILE
NAME: Enrico Elifh Marican
DATE OF BIRTH: Oct 24, 1991
HEIGHT: 1.77m
WEIGHT: 73kg
FAVOURITE ATHLETE:
Michael Jordan
FAVOURITE FOOD:
Nasi ayam penyet
PET PEEVE: Egotists
After a tough road, the
Singapore captain is primed to
inspire his men in Myanmar
Report by GREGORY LOO
[email protected]
Hockey set Enrico Marican
on the straight and narrow.
Looked after primarily by
his grandmother after his
parents divorced when he
was seven, the youngster
began to spend much of his
time away from home.
It could well have got him
into trouble, he says today,
because, in his own words,
he was “hanging with the
wrong crowd”.
When he started playing
hockey in Primary 4 at Peixin
Primary School, however,
Enrico found peace, and a
proper avenue to channel his
energy.
It also helped that he was
good at it.
Next week, Enrico will
captain
the
Singapore
hockey team at the Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in
Naypyidaw, Myanmar.
The team have targeted
the silver medal, and also aim
to push perennial favourites
Malaysia hard.
It has been quite a journey
for the 22-year-old Enrico,
who is grateful to hockey.
Speaking candidly to The
New Paper recently, he said:
“When I’m on the pitch, I
don’t think about what
goes on outside of it, so it’s
a good form of relaxation
for me from my problems.
“My problems at home
made me try to find
attention by spending
more time with my
friends, but I also realised
it could lead to bad
company.
“So, I tried to spend
more time in my sport
and I slowly managed
to influence a few of
my mates to join up,
instead of hanging around
outside, which had no real
benefits.”
Channelling his energy
into hockey has certainly
paid off.
After a spell at ITE
(Institute of Technical
Education) College East,
Enrico moved on to
Nanyang
Polytechnic
where
he
recently
graduated from with a
diploma
in
chemical
and
pharmaceutical
technology.
He will enlist for National
Service in March, and
is hoping to further his
education by pursuing a
degree in a sports-related
field.
Said Enrico: “Hockey
Scholarship
programmes
TNP PHOTO: JEREMY LONG
has taught me to be very
disciplined with every
aspect of my life.
“I can manage my time
better and it acts a kind of
therapy for me — after I
zone out from everything
else while I’m on the
pitch, I can focus 100 per
cent on my studies when
I’m back.”
GROWTH
While hockey has helped
him grow up off the
field, Enrico has also
experienced growth in the
national set-up.
He made his debut
for the men’s national
team at 17, when hockey
last featured at the SEA
Games in 2007 in Korat,
Thailand.
The team clinched
silver.
Previously deployed as
a striker, this time Enrico
will drive his team forward
from the heart of the engine
room.
Having handed him the
captain’s armband last year,
national coach Solomon
Casoojee believes he could
not have asked for a better
leader.
“Enrico’s a great talent
— he’s got good stick
work, great balance and an
excellent engine,” said the
South African.
“Shifting him into
midfield has brought him
into the game a lot more
as he’s working harder and
being a lot more effective
for us.
“One thing our group
lacked for a long time was
quality leadership and
the one thing I noticed
about Rico was that he
commanded a lot of respect
from his peers.
“I want each of the players to
have an opinion about the game
and be able to debate things —
Rico has really risen to that.”
As the Singapore hockey
team count down to their
opening match against Vietnam
next Friday, they will head to
Myanmar knowing Malaysia
are the team to beat in the
competition.
Enrico is hoping the team can
rise above expectations and
break Singapore’s gold medal
hoodoo in men’s hockey.
The Republic last won gold in
1973.
“This SEA Games is a big
tournament for myself and
the whole team. We are very
confident of getting a silver
and a gold would definitely be a
bonus,” he said.
“We want to end that 40-year
spell very badly and to get that
gold would be unbelievable.”
As a captain, I’m just
going to remind the
team and tell them
why we are here
and the reason we
have been training
so hard. As boys, we
always want to have
fun and sometimes
drift a bit from what
we want to achieve,
so I’m there to get
the players mentally
prepared before the
game.
– Enrico Marican (above)
NYP has more than a hundred prestigious scholarships which you can apply
for. These scholarships allow you to develop your talents and help you
reach your fullest potential.
2015 - Volume 1
34 Staff: Experts
$42m boost for cyber security research
“Enterprises and government agencies are increasingly looking towards migrating data to the cloud to take
advantage of its cost benefits and massive scale,”said
Mr Mar Kheng Kok, project leader and senior lecturer
at NYP. “Due to the open nature of the clouds, there
is an increased risk of them being attacked,” he said.
Mr Mar Kheng Kok
Senior Lecturer
Senior of Information Technology
LIANHE ZAOBAO Wednesday, 26 March 2014
亚洲千禧世代旅客崛起
南洋理工学院工商管理系高级讲师戴媺琳受访时指出，许多
业者也意识到建立网上业务的重要性，例如航空公司就非常
积极的推行网上促销，酒店的订房引擎也追上了，但是，传
统旅行社则刚刚开始加入这个行列。戴媺琳说，虽然亚洲千
禧世代旅客喜欢自由行，但旅行团未必因此就不合时宜。
“旅行团需要以新的形式推出。我们以后或许不会见到一名
导游带领着一大群旅客，因为较精明的旅客会偏好自己探索
景点，到现场后用手机下载相关资料。旅行团若能带旅客多
接触本地文化，推出以活动为主的旅行团或许更具吸引力。
不过，以活动为主的旅行团成本较高，这会是旅行社要面对
的新挑战。”
Ms Shirley Tee
Manager
School of Business Management
THE NEW PAPER Monday, 7 October 2013
Mix & Match: A recipe for survival
This trend is not born out of the “pure opportunistic
behaviour of business owners,” said Ms Esther Ho,
Nanyang Polytechnic’s manager of diploma of retail
studies. Instead, some retailers have identified the
“need to engage their customers by creating a social
space within their physical stores”, she said. “The key
is turning this social space into an income-generating
avenue for the retailers,” Ms Ho explained. She also
highlighted the need to shift from product-based to
lifestyle retailing. “Retailers are not merely selling a
product for its functional benefits. Retail brands have
now become an expression of the customer’s lifestyle,
his values and identity,” Ms Ho said.
Ms Esther Ho
Assistant Director
School of Business Management
THE SUNDAY LIFE Sunday, 21 September 2014
Creative technologies
At Nanyang Polytechnic, registrar T. Thambyrajah
says, “We actively foster the spirit of innovation and
enterprise among our students, guided by staff who
are constantly encouraged to break new ground in
research, pedagogy and inventions.”
Mr T. Thambyrajah
Registrar
Nanyang Polytechnic
THE BUSINESS TIMES Saturday, 23 March 2013
Eye-catching moves in visual effects space
It’s only right for us to let everyone showcase their work to the industry,” said the School’s director, Daniel Tan,
standing among rows of student booths milling with industry players at FUSION 2013. “When you walk around,
do you see talent? I believe they will see talent. Mr Tan cited Singapore’s business environment as key draw for
production companies. “We have a very good infrastructure, and we are trusted in terms of protecting intellectual
property,” he said. “People trust us to work with them. This is our strength.” Many industry players see the influx
of foreign studios and foreign work as a good thing for Singapore. “It creates an environment for more students and
more Singaporeans to be employed and work on such projects,” said Mr Tan.
Mr Daniel Tan
Director
School of Interactive & Digital Media
2015 - Volume 1
Staff: Community Service 35
BERITA HARIAN Thursday, 23 October 2014
Seni tembikar?
Saya seniman baru belajar
Pencapaian seniman berkat bimbingan dua mentor yang berdisiplin dan tidak lokek ilmu
Kagum pada
Iskandar Jalil
ADLI YASHIR KUCHIT
[email protected]
SEWAKTU kecil, Encik Ayob Ismail gemar
bermain dengan tanah liat – terpesona dengan bahan yang lunak dan mudah dibentuk
itu.
Semasa menuntut di Institut Vokasional
Baharudin pada lewat 1980-an, Encik Ayob
berpeluang mengenali Encik Iskandar Jalil
(pakar tembikar) yang ketika itu mengajar di
institut tersebut.
“Biarpun beliau tidak mengajar kelas saya,
Cikgu Iskandar tidak lokek ilmu dan gemar
memberi panduan dan nasihat bagi memperbaiki apa yang saya laksanakan,” kata Encik
Ayob 48 tahun.
Hasil interaksi dengan Cikgu Iskandar,
Encik Ayob diperkenalkan kepada seni tembikar dan mula berjinak-jinak dengan seni
yang menggunakan tanah liat itu.
“Cikgu Iskandar mempunyai falsafah yang
tersendiri dalam seni tembikar dengan sikapnya yang begitu menekankan soal disiplin
dan percaya pada diri sendiri dalam melestarikan seni ke atas tanah liat.
“Penghasilan tembikar beliau dapat dilihat daripada reka bentuknya yang ringkas
dan unik, kerana beliau percaya bahawa setiap tembikar itu mempunyai keunikan yang
tersendiri dan ia melambangkan alam semula
jadi dan hubungan antara manusia dan Tuhan,” kata Encik Ayob.
Selepas menerima sijil NTC 2 dan 3 daripada Institut Vokasional Baharudin beliau bekerja seketika sebagai instruktor bengkel dan
kemudiannya ditawar bekerja di Maktab Seni
LaSalle-SIA.
Biarpun demikian beliau masih terus berhubungan dengan Encik Iskandar untuk
mendapatkan nasihat dan panduan.
“Saya anggap Cikgu Iskandar sebagai mentor saya.
“Beliau turut memberi nasihat kepada saya
ketika saya hendak melanjutkan pengajian ke
Australia pada 1995,” kata Encik Ayob.
Beliau juga menyifatkan dirinya bertuah
kerana dapat mengenali pengasas maktab Lasalle, Brother Joseph McNally.
“Mendiang Brother McNally juga tidak
lokek ilmu dan kebijaksanaan beliau juga
menggalak saya agar mengejar impian,” katanya.
Atas dorongan Brother McNally, beliau
melanjutkan pengajian sarjana muda di Institut Teknologi Royal Melbourne (RMIT) pada
1995 dan selanjutnya ditawarkan biasiswa
untuk pelajar antarabangsa yang cemerlang.
Selepas meraih ijazah, Encik Ayob pulang
ke tanah air dan kembali bertugas sebagai
pensyarah sambilan di Maktab Seni LaSalle-SIA.
Pada 1999 beliau dilantik menjadi pensyarah di Politeknik Nanyang, jawatan yang beliau pegang hingga hari ini.
Sebagai pensyarah, pengaruh dan nilai yang
beliau raih daripada dua mentornya, Encik
Iskandar, dan Brother McNally, disalurkan
semula kepada para pelajarnya.
“Saya mahu pelajar saya terus mencari
jawapan, memeluk inovasi dan mencari cara
yang kreatif untuk menghasilkan sesuatu.
“Semoga dengan cara itu mereka dapat
maju,” kata beliau.
“Cikgu Iskandar
(gambar kanan)
mempunyai falsafah
yang tersendiri dalam
seni tembikar dengan
sikapnya yang begitu
menekankan soal
disiplin dan percaya
pada diri sendiri
dalam melestarikan
LARIS: Kesemua tembikar buatan Encik Ayob seni ke atas tanah
liat.”
dalam pameran pada tahun 2008 habis dijual.
- Foto fail
Turut belarja dan teroka seni
arca dan pemasangan
SUMBER ILHAM: Encik Ayob kerap menggunakan bahan terpakai seperti tin kopi gayung sebagai
sumber ilham seni pemasangannya. - Foto-fotoTAUFIK A KADER
Bakat
kian
mendapat
tempat
BAKAT yang dipamerkan Encik Ayob Ismail, 48 tahun, semakin mendapat perhatian.
Dari masa ke masa, beliau sering
diminta menghasilkan lukisan, hasil
kerja tangan untuk badan-badan korporat ataupun pertubuhan kemasyarakatan.
Beliau yang juga pensyarah Politeknik Nanyang merupakan antara
seniman yang mula mengukir nama
dalam arena seni setempat.
Karya beliau dalam seni media campuran semakin mendapat perhatian.
Misalnya, pada 2000, beliau mengadakan pameran solo yang memaparkan karya yang diilhamkan daripada
tin kopi gayung yang terpakai.
Dalam satu pameran seni tembikar
pada 2008, semua tembikar yang dihasilkannya habis dijual.
Semasa ditemui baru-baru ini, Encik Ayob berkata beliau baru sahaja
selesai menyiapkan sebuah mural
atau lukisan tembok yang menghiasi
kolong dua blok di Toa Payoh North.
“Ia merupakan sebahagian daripada
projek kemasyarakatan yang melibatkan usaha pelajar Politeknik Nanyang.
“Pelajar kami meluangkan masa
untuk melaksanakan kerja kemasyarakatan yang boleh dimanfaat penduduk setempat,” kata beliau.
Tentang projek yang sedang dilaksanakan, Encik Ayob sekadar berkata
ia satu projek besar-besaran sempena
ulang tahun Singapura ke-50 tahun
depan.
“Saya mahu pelajar saya terus
mencari jawapan, memeluk
inovasi dan mencari cara yang
kreatif untuk menghasilkan
sesuatu. Semoga dengan cara
itu mereka dapat maju.”
– Encik Ayob Ismail.
KARYA: Antara projek yang diusahakan Encik Ayob ialah pameran kopi gayung (kiri) dan hiasan tembok
di Toa Payoh North (kanan).
Mr Ayob Ismail, 48 years old, is now getting
more attention on his artistic talent. From
time to time, he has been asked to create
art for corporate bodies or community
initiatives. The School of Design lecturer
is currently working on painting the walls
for two void decks at Toa Payoh North for
a community project - an initiative by NYP
students to give back to the residents. The
project is part of the SG50 celebration.
2015 - Volume 1
36 Staff: Features
THE NEW PAPER Tuesday, 8 July 2014
Many mothers
For her PhD, she
focused on firsttime mums as
she understood
how they felt
suffer
in silence
Report & photo by GOH YAN HAN
[email protected]
THE NEW PAPER Tuesday, 18 November 2014
From young, I’ve always wanted to be a
teacher and educate the next generation.
My friends and I would even role play as
teachers during our school holidays.
— Dr Lee Tong Nge (right)
Poly pays tribute to pioneer staff who attains
PhD in education at 65. He says...
Lifelong learning
helps you
differently
Report by LEE JOON LEI
[email protected]
Having already amassed degrees in fields from
engineering to business to law by the age of 48, it
seemed like a good time for Dr Lee Tong Nge, 66,
to call it a day on his academic pursuits.
But he went one step further and attained his PhD
in education at 65.
He said: “I’ve always believed in lifelong learning
as it improves your knowledge, your skill set and
most importantly, your ability to see things in
different perspectives.”
Dr Lee’s thirst for self-improvement is something
that has benefited an institution that is close to his
heart — Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).
He was one of the more than 50 pioneer staff that
NYP paid tribute to last Thursday during its pioneer
celebration event. It celebrated staff members
who have contributed greatly to the school’s
development, and established a legacy of innovation
and enterprise for NYP.
Dr Lee, who is currently the chief operating
officer at the Singapore Productivity Centre, joined
NYP in 1995 after two decades of working in the
private sector.
He left his job as a general manager in a technology
company and joined NYP so that he could realise his
childhood dream of being a teacher.
He said: “From young, I’ve always wanted to be a
teacher and educate the next generation. My friends
and I would even role play as teachers during our
school holidays.”
He started out as a lecturer in NYP’s School of
Business Management, and rose up the ranks to
eventually become the school’s director in 2012.
Dr Lee said NYP’s infancy at the time was what
attracted him to it.
He said: “Some people say it is better to go to a
more established institution. But there are fewer
opportunities for growth there.”
During his time at NYP, Dr Lee pioneered several
projects, from the launching of new
courses and internship programmes, to
the adaptation of NYP’s trademarked
Teaching Factory pedagogy to the Teaching
Enterprise concept, a teaching method
that centres on students getting real-world
experience in school through practisebased training.
Dr Lee said he was able to implement the
many projects over the years because of
the constant support he received from his
colleagues.
“The staff and management all worked
together to improve the school. We not only
conceptualised ideas but also made them
happen,” he said.
TRUST, EMPOWERMENT
“We all breathed and lived the same
culture, and I was given a lot of trust and
empowerment by the principal and director
at the time.”
Ms Sharon Lhu, a manager at NYP’s
School of Business Management who has
worked with Dr Lee for more than 15 years,
said she looks up to him as a source of
inspiration in the workplace.
She said: “I admire his continuous quest
for knowledge, his optimistic outlook on life
and his deep passion for his work.”
But of all his endeavours, the thing that
gives Dr Lee the most fulfilment is the
students who pass through NYP’s gates
yearly.
“Every year, my proudest moment would
be seeing the students go on stage to
receive their diplomas,” said Dr Lee, who
was seconded to the Singapore Productivity
Centre in January.
“This is especially so when students, who
were at first struggling, graduate as one of
the top students.”
Some new mothers hated their
babies and wanted to harm them.
Others wanted to commit suicide.
This is not how a new mother
should feel, and Dr Shefaly Shorey
was determined to help them
through this.
So when she had a chance to do
her PhD, she designed a post-natal
psychoeducation programme for
first-time mothers so they could
enjoy this momentous period in
their lives.
Dr Shorey, 35, is a student
from the Alice Lee Centre for
Nursing Studies (ALCNS), a
department under the Yong Loo
Lin School of Medicine at the
National University of Singapore
(NUS). It offers academic nursing
degree programmes ranging from
baccalaureate to doctoral levels.
Yesterday, she graduated from
NUS with a Doctor of Philosophy
in Nursing at their commencement
ceremony, after 2½ years — a
record at ALCNS. The course
usually takes three to five years.
FELLOWSHIP
Now a lecturer in Nursing at
Nanyang Polytechnic, she was
also the only one from ALCNS
to receive the NUS President’s
Graduate Fellowship.
Before starting her PhD work in
August 2011, Dr Shorey spent six
years as a nurse at the National
University Hospital (NUH).
During her stint at the post-natal
ward, she met mothers suffering
from post-natal depression, with
some feeling like crying all the time
or hating their babies.
Some even had suicidal thoughts
or wanted to harm their babies.
Dr Shorey said: “Many mothers
needed help, but suffered in
silence. They didn’t want to go
home, citing reasons like their
employed help had not yet arrived,
or their mothers-in-law were not
free to help yet.”
She realised that the clinical
need for continued care after
delivery was a pressing one.
For her PhD, she focused on
first-time mothers because she
understood how they felt.
She has an 11-year-old son, Rohin.
She studied and interviewed 122 firsttime mothers at NUH for her programme.
It had three steps: A 90-minute home
visit, an educational booklet and followup phone calls from Dr Shorey weekly
for up to six weeks, during which they
could ask her extra questions while she
checked on their progress.
Dr Shorey’s close relationship with her
son helped her work well with the firsttime mothers, who trusted her easily.
She said: “There were a few mothers
who cried after I finished the programme.
One even told me she envied me because
I was so helpful. She wished she could go
out and help as well.”
Her programme aimed to reduce
or eliminate chances of post-natal
depression,
increase
help-seeking
behaviour and confidence in taking care
of their child.
Dr Shorey has big plans for her
programme. She said: “We (Dr Shorey
and her three supervisors) hope to
extend to web-based learning, with all
the information from my book.
“We are also working with the hospital
to publish the (educational) booklet.”
The team of four is applying for grants
to further the study.
One of her supervisors, Assistant
Professor He Hong-Gu from Alice Lee,
said: “This post-natal psychoeducation
programme has been shown to be
effective
in
improving
maternal
outcomes, which may also indirectly
improve the infants’ well-being.
“It is appropriate to Singapore because,
based on the mothers’ point of view,
they enjoyed it.”
2015 - Volume 1
Staff: Research 37
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 17 March 2012
Red yeast rice
may interfere
with drugs
S’pore team finds
that untreated rice
extract can hinder
liver function
BY GRACE CHUA
RED yeast rice (hong qu mi),used
widely in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and food, has often been
praised for helping to lower cholesterol, as it contains compounds called
monacolins.
A low dose of red yeast rice extract
has roughly the same effect on cholesterol levels as a higher dose of lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug.
But a team of
researchers from
Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and TCM
firm Eu Yan Sang
has discovered that
this bright reddish
fermented rice can
also interfere with
Western drugs.
Their research
was published earlier this month in
the journal Nature
Scientific Reports,
a newer, smaller offshoot of the
prestigious Nature
journal.
Under Eu Yan
Sang’s
threeyear-old collaboration with NYP,
researchers
had
previously noticed
that red yeast rice
contains a portion
of
water-soluble
compounds, which
they called Fraction X, whereas the
cholesterol-lowering monacolins are
not water-soluble.
Dr Henry Leung, a lecturer at the
polytechnic and the lead researcher,
said the team then found that untreated red yeast rice extract interfered
with liver cells’ ability to break down
drugs after they are absorbed by the
body, while extract treated to remove
Fraction X did not.
And it found that untreated extract caused
a spike in drug levels in the blood of rats,
whereas treated extract did not.
One of the next steps is to find out what
exactly is in Fraction X that allows it to affect
drug metabolism.
Another is to test its effect on humans,
said Dr Joel Lee, director of life sciences
at NYP’s school of chemical and life sciences.
But could ordinary consumers accidentally overdose on Western drugs by consuming
red yeast rice – commonly used as a food colouring in dishes such as char siu and red rice
wine mee sua – since it interferes with the
drugs being cleared from the body?
Dr Leung said the possibility existed. “The
effect can vary from individual to individual,
so it’s hard to gauge the amount at which red
yeast rice would have that effect.”
Singapore College of Traditional Chinese
Medicine vice-principal Clement Ng,
who was not involved in the research, explained
that in general,
TCM
practitioners advise clients
to time their consumption of Western
medications
and TCM preparations at least two
hours apart.
“It’s a case-bycase
basis...
It
depends on the
constitution
of
the patient, and
whether the patient is taking any
conflicting medication. For instance,
if the patient is
taking blood- thinning medication,
we don’t prescribe
something similar,”
he said.
The work was
funded by Spring
Singapore’s Innovation Development Scheme.
The research has led to a patented way
to extract Fraction X from red yeast rice to
leave just the monacolins, and Eu Yan Sang
Singapore managing director Vincent Lim
said the firm will launch a commercial red
yeast rice product this year.
[email protected]
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 13 November 2010
Nanyang Polytechnic scientist and biology lecturer Mark Richards discovered that a chemical
derived from capsaicin, the substance which gives chilli its heat, could induce stem cells to
differentiate into one type of cell or another.
ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
Stem cell differentiation
made easier and cheaper
BY GRACE CHUA
WHEN Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) scientist Mark Richards noticed dead cells in
his petri dishes, it turned out to be a lucky
discovery.
The biology lecturer had been studying
chemicals that induce stem cells to develop into different types of cells. But one
chemical, when added to petri dishes full
of stem cells, kept killing them off. Derived from capsaicin, the substance
which gives chilli its heat, it caused embryonic stem cells to die. Only the “feeder” cells, used as scaffolds for stem-cell
growth, were left in each petri dish.
The 35-year-old biologist, who earned
his undergraduate and doctoral degrees
from the National University of Singapore,
knew he was on to something. Human embryonic stem cells, derived
from embryos, are the “blank-slate” cells
which can become any cell type – spinal
cord neurons and insulin-producing pancreatic cells, among others.
Coaxing them to differentiate into one
type of cell or another is valuable for research and potential therapies.
Undifferentiated stem cells can turn
into tumours called teratomas. This presents an obstacle to stem cell therapies
which aim to treat ailments like diabetes
and spinal cord injuries, as a tiny number
of undifferentiated cells mixed in with differentiated cells can give rise to a tumour.
Most work that uses cells derived from
stem cells will need some way of filtering
out the undifferentiated ones.
Tests showed that Dr Richards’ chemical molecule, synthesised in the laboratory
by his colleague Phoon Chee Wee, killed off
only undifferentiated stem cells – which in
research or clinical applications would prevent teratomas from forming. The researchers believe that the molecule targets a particular signalling pathway
unique to embryonic stem cells. For their
discovery, Dr Richards and his colleagues
filed a patent last year, and have submitted
a report to a scientific journal.
Currently, those who want to separate
differentiated from undifferentiated stem
cells must use antibodies to sort the cell
types. But such antibodies are many times
more expensive to produce as they have
to be grown in living things, explained Dr
Joel Lee, director of NYP’s School of Chemical and Life Sciences where Dr Richards is
based. Besides preventing teratomas, Dr Richards’ work offers another glimmer of hope
for some cancer patients who suffer from
cancers containing stem cells that give rise
to cell types found in tumours.
Even if other cancer cells are destroyed,
these cancer stem cells can generate new
tumours. A chemical which kills off undifferentiated stem cells could thus potentially help
destroy these cells.
Cancer stem cells are a “very sexy” area
of research, NYP’s Dr Lee noted, as hunting
down this type of cells is essential to eradicating a tumour. The next step: The polytechnic will start looking for a company
to work with, to develop applications and
commercialise the chemical for research or
clinical use.
2015 - Volume 1
38 Staff: Projects
THE STRAITS TIMES Saturday, 31 August 2013
Play video games at home for limb therapy
Poly’s mini-PC system lets
patients do basic exercises without
aid of therapists
By JOANNA SEOW
PATIENTS recovering from strokes or injuries may soon be able to
relearn limb movements by playing video games in the comfort of
their homes.
A team from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has developed a
semi-portable rehabilitation system that can fit into a box the size
of a briefcase.
It is essentially a mini-PC loaded with games, a Microsoft Kinect sensor and two inertia measurement units. The four video
games, including computer mahjong, allow patients with limited
upper-limb mobility to practise simple movements without the aid
of a therapist.
The system tracks the angles, rates, accuracy and paths of
movement, and provides positive feedback, such as when the user
picks up the virtual mahjong tile needed to achieve a “gang”, or
set of four.
Dr Edwin Foo, a lecturer at NYP’s School of Engineering who
headed the five-person team,
said that therapists can oversee
several patients using these sets
at the same time. “This will not
replace conventional therapy
but will provide extra time for
patients to practise,” he said.
The idea behind the project
was to ease the burden on rehabilitation centres as Singapore’s
population ages, as well as to provide more quantitative measures
on progress during treatment.
“The current equipment that
patients use is not very engaging,
and assessment is very subjective,” Dr Foo said.
For example, patients often
need to do repetitive exercises
where they may practise moving
a cup on a table top. Dr Foo said
he hopes the games will make
therapy more enjoyable. The
project was completed in May
through a two-year National Research Foundation grant of about
$240,000.
Next up will be engaging community hospitals for long-term
trials with patients.
Within the next five years, Dr Foo hopes to have sets available for
public rental from hospitals so that patients can use them at home.
Innovations like this could help to alleviate the shortage of
therapists in medical centres here as our population ages, said Dr
Tjan Soon Yin, consultant and deputy head of the department of
rehabilitation medicine at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
“Hopefully we can build more customised games to suit the
local context,” he said, as many commercially available games are
only in English.
Dr Tjan also said that there are only anecdotal success stories
so far but TTSH is carrying out two randomised controlled trials
on how effective Nintendo Wii games can be in physical rehabilitation.
Dr Tjan and others were speaking about their research at the
Serious Games and Social Connect Conference earlier this week
at the Singapore Management University.
Some 360 delegates from 19 different countries took part in
the event, which aims to provide a platform for networking among
game developers, vendors and end users. Topics covered included
the use of games and virtual reality in education, and health care.
[email protected]
Project engineer Edwin Lu, who is part of Dr Edwin Foo’s team that developed the semi-portable rehabilitation system,
demonstrating how a patient can use the mahjong game as a form of rehabilitation exercise.
THE STRAITS TIMES Monday, 10 February 2014
SMEs making waves in
med-tech field
Reinventing the wheelchair
Lifeline Corp’s managing director michael Pang with the new
wheelchair that allows easier
transfers of users from one seat
to another.
ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI
MEDICAL technology does not always have to be
about complex devices – Lifeline Corp’s latest
product simply involves reinventing the wheel. The wheels on a wheelchair often get in the
way of someone trying to move between it and
the bed, car, toilet or any other seat. To make transfers easier for wheelchair users,
researchers at Nanyang Polytechnic developed a
wheelchair with a retractable wheel – “a simple
innovation, but no one had done it before”, said
Lifeline’s managing director, Mr Michael Pang. The company, which has four stores here carry-
ing products catering to the elderly and the handicapped, decided to commercialise the product.
It is expected to be available here by April, with
the first shipments abroad going to Norway and
Mexico. A regular wheelchair costs about $500, while the
transfer type will cost an additional $300. “This is the first made-in-Singapore product we
will be selling,” said Mr Pang. “I am proud that a local institution was able to do something like that.”
2015 - Volume 1
Reaching Out 39
THE SUNDAY TIMES Sunday, 12 January 2014
Ikan bilis in ice cream? Cool
Who would have thought sweet potato
and ikan bilis would taste good together
as ice cream?
Three students from NUS High
School of Mathematics and Science
did and apparently so did the judges
of a contest to create an ice cream
with the best contrasting flavours.
N U S H i g h ’s B e l l e S o w a n d h e r
friends beat nine other school teams
yesterday to win this year’s Ice cream
Innovation Competition organised
by Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and
Swensen’s.
Belle, 14, said their winning recipe
was a result of 14 hours of trial- anderror and taste tests in the laboratory
and ice cream shops.
“It’s fun and quite fulfilling to make
your own ice cream,” she said. “We
even thought of using ginseng and red
dates but they were too expensive.”
All teams had to work within a
$ 2 0 b u d g e t f o r their ingredients.
Coming in second in the competition
that began last November was
Assumption Pathway School’s “Warm
Harmony”, a sweet and spicy mix of
ginger and sesame.
Other entries included Bedok South
Secondary’s wasabi with caramel ice
cream and New Town Secondary’s
“Cheesy ala Thai”, a salty-sourspicy combination of cream cheese,
mandarin orange and candied ginger.
NYP School of Chemical and Life
Sciences director, Dr Joel Lee, said the
contest aimed to raise awareness and
get students interested in food science.
But it is not just “masak-masak”
or for play, said Dr Lee. “Some of the
innovations may be tested and rolled
out at Swensen’s outlets as part of their
new products.”
Mr Andrew Khoo, a director at ABR
Holdings which manages Swensen’s,
said the ice cream chain had previously
launched mushroom and asparagus
flavours as monthly specials. Those
flavours came from previous editions of
the competition.
ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
Mayflower Secondary students Nurul Huda
(left) and Mindy Chan, both 14, were among
the 10 school teams that took part in the
ice cream contest yesterday. The pair used
marmalade and yuzu for their creation.
Jermyn Chow
THE STRAITS TIMES .DL Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Students score big with game creation
Quartet from Tanjong
Katong Secondary emerge
tops in this year’s Singapore
Games Creation Competition
By Brandon Neo
hey do not consider themselves
hardcore gamers or even experts
at creating computer games.
Still, Shawn Lee and Shawn
Lim, both 16, together with Wan Ding
Yang and Cassandra Lim, both 15,
topped this year’s Singapore Games
Creation Competition (SGCC).
Calling themselves CDS2, the quartet
from Tanjong Katong Secondary
School created City In Peril, a topdown shooter game in which a city is
corrupted by the evil influence of a
gangster called Crow.
Players cleanse the city of the
corruption with weapons that come in
the form of “Contraptions of Charity”.
Their winning effort won them $1,000,
a trophy, a PlayStation 3 console to
PHOTOS: NANYANG POLYTECHNIC
This year’s winners of the Singapore Games
Creation Competition are (from left) Wan Ding
Yang, Shawn Lim, Shawn Lee and Cassandra Lim.
share, as well as a gold medal each.
Prize sponsors included StarHub and
Sony Computer Entertainment.
Aside from developing their game,
both Shawns being Secondary 4
students, were also preparing for
their O levels. But this did not
adversely affect their studies as the
pair still managed to score As and Bs
FACEBOOK: The Straits Times IN & ST Media Club
in their preliminary exams.
Shawn Lee was delighted with the win.
He said: “We worked hard for the game
and we are proud of our product.”
The annual SGCC is organised by
Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Interactive
and Digital Media and supported by the
Infocomm Development Authority.
It started in 2006 and is aimed at
students aged between 13 and 16. It
requires teams of up to four members
to design and create their own game.
This year, 306 students from 29 schools
forming 86 teams competed.
The competition was held in
collaboration with software makers
YoYoGames and the People’s Association
Youth Movement, and students used the
GameMaker: Studio software to develop
their games.
Participants were taught how to use the
software during a two-day workshop in
June before going on to create one level of
a game on their own. Then, 20 teams were
selected to progress to the finals. The
teams took part in a five-day workshop
during the September holidays. Over the
course of the week, they turned their
single level game into full-fledged games
with 13 levels each.
All 20 finalists’ games can be played
online at gdev.nyp.edu.sg/sgcc/final2012/.
[email protected]
Friday, 17 October 2014
More than 900 secondary students gathered today at Nanyang Polytechnic for the
Science and Technology Challenge. They competed in teams across 11 categories,
building prototypes to solve science and engineering challenges. Pictured: Teams
watching their robotic cars fight to hook the most number of rubber rings.
40 Testimony
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST Friday, 9 August 2013
NYP lives up to its brand
promise
Chan Lee Mun, principal and CEO
nly 21 years old, Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) has
trained more than 13,000 top government officials,
CEOs and academic leaders from the mainland alone.
Its presence on the world stage is just as impressive
with more than 900 courses conducted for participants from
70 countries including Mongolia, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Sri
Lanka and Oman since 1993.This polytechnic from Singapore
is indeed in demand.
NYP’s brand of education – where innovation and enterprise
underline an industry-based pedagogy – sets it apart. With
more than 190 patents filed to date, NYP ranks among the
top 10 patent producers in Singapore and way ahead of its
academic peers.
A f f i r m i n g i t s m o t t o “ T h e I n n o v a t i v e Polytechnic”, NYP
was recognised in 2009 with the Innovation Excellence Award,
a major category under the Singaporean government’s annual
Business Excellence Awards. NYP remains the only education
institution bestowed such honour.
For principal and CEO Chan Lee Mun, the award pays tribute
to the dedication and commitment of NYP
staff and students, and to the institution’s core
values. “Our brand promise is that we will
nurture students into innovative and enterprising
individuals, capable of succeeding anywhere,” he
says.
NYP’s industry-relevant and real world-based
training equip students to become employmentready upon graduation. The industry experience
of NYP’s lecturers from all seven schools, and
their efforts to stay ahead of the curve make this
possible.
An example is the HK$24.9-million Games
Resource Centre jointly set up with Sony
Computer Entertainment Asia in the School of
Interactive & Digital Media. This led to NYP’s
appointment as developer and manager of the
Games Solution Centre, a national initiative to
help grow Singapore’s gaming sector.
The School of C hem i cal & Li fe Sciences
hosts the school-based laboratory for traditional
Chinese Medicine in Singapore. A project with
the Eu Yan Sang group, the collaboration has
yielded a patented purification process and
commercialised red yeast rice extract.
Working with local and international partners,
the
School
of
Engineering
has
opened
30 specialist centres including the NYPMicrosoft Entrepreneurship Centre for budding
entrepreneurs and NYP Centre for Digital and
Precision Engineering, which is supported by
the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Such facilities keep students abreast of new and
emerging technologies.
Similarly, the School of Information Technology’s
Centre for IT Innovation (CITI) trains students
to create IT solutions for industry. CITI’s Pocket
OneMap became the top travel application of
Apple App Store in 2011, winning the Design of
the Year award from Asia’s Top 50 Apps.
In partnership with United States- b a s e d
Healthcare
Information
and
Management
Systems Society (HIMSS), the School of Health
Sciences launched the NYP-HIMSS Centre of
Excellence last year. Its innovations on the
keeping of e-medical records and e-medication
administration record systems ultimately benefit
society.
By developing a network of strong
connections with industry on local and
international fronts, NYP gives students a taste
of the workplace environment and places them
in demand by employers even before graduation.
“Relevance to industry is the reason for
our being,” Chan says. “We will build on our
established strengths by working more closely
with industry. We will continue to make our
graduates immediately productive employees
and university-ready.”
With numerous accolades – including the
Singapore Quality Award, People Excellence
Award and Public Service Premier Award, the
NYP brand is gaining traction overseas.
N Y P ’s S c h o o l o f B u s i n e s s M a n a g e m e n t
s e n d s 60 per cent of its students on exchange
programmes with 28 partner universities from as far
away as Germany and Switzerland, and internships
with industries based in the Americas, Australia and
Asia. The School of Design also works closely with
the Technological and Higher Education Institute of
Hong Kong on similar exchanges.
Living up to its brand promise of innovation
and enterprise, NYP constantly seeks to partner
with best-in-class organisations.
“We have to remain nimble to respond to
the economic transformation of Singapore
and the world,” Chan says. “We hope that our
innovation and enterprise philosophy will inspire
our graduates to excel in a knowledge-based,
innovation driven global economy, and help fulfil
our vision of a premier polytechnic of global
distinction.”
Sponsored Article Produced by Discovery Reports Group and Published in The South China Morning Post
Selfie
Simply take creative selfies with #NYPAwesome and post them on either
your Facebook or Instagram account and hashtag #NYPAwesome.
Please leave your name, email address and name of secondary school.
Our favourite three entries will win the movie passes.
The results will be announced on NYP Facebook at the end of February 2015.
Prizes to be won are:
Nanyang Polytechnic
Admissions Hotline: 6455 0500
180 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 Email: [email protected]
Singapore 569830
Website: www.nyp.edu.sg
4
2nd Prize
Movie Passes
................
Movie Passes
................
6
1st Prize
2
Like Us On Our Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nanyangpoly
3rd Prize
Movie Passes
Check Out Our Blog
http://discover-nyp.blogspot.sg/
Published By Communications & Outreach Department Copyright © 2015 Nanyang Polytechnic

I`m the Boss - Nanyang Polytechnic

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