Third time's the charm with TP Men's Soccer

TP Men's Soccer retained the S R Nathan Trophy Challenge title for the third time in a row this year. They were faced with tough opposition from ITE, but managed to emerge victorious with a thumping score line of 4-0.

Ex-president Mr S R Nathan arriving at TP for the match

On 7 Feb, the S R Nathan challenge trophy soccer tournament final was held in Temasek Polytechnic (TP), with TP defeating opponents ITE 4-0. The match was held at TP’s Sports Complex and was attended by ex-president S R Nathan.

This was TP’s third consecutive trophy of the competition, having won it in 2011, 2012, and now, 2013. The first-half of the game showed equal attacking opportunities from both sides, but an own goal from ITE at the 49^th minute opened the floodgates for TP.

Second-half goals from Sufianto Salleh, Lions XII defender Faris Azienuddin and Fuad Ramli brought the score line to 4-0.

TP boys celebrating their win at the trophy presentation

Head Coach Steven Tan was very happy with the result, and said: “We never expected it to be 4-0. The guys were focused and did very well, so congrats to them. It was a team effort and they worked very hard all year round.”

But the journey was not easy, as he explained: “We lost to ITE 4-1 earlier, and we had to motivate the boys and tell them to believe in themselves. And they did so and kept the team together. They showed their hunger in the game.”

He believes that teamwork was what brought them thus far, giving credit for the result to all those involved with the team. The team will take a well-deserved break, and continue competitions in May and June, the time around which they will also be seeing some new players coming into the squad.

The TP team celebrating their first goal of the match

Faris Azienuddin, central defender and TP’s number 15, found the first-half most challenging. “The first-half, I thought we were struggling a bit, but in the second-half, after the coach told us what to do and motivated us, then we progressed,” said the Lions XII defender.

“There were ups and downs during the journey. We lost a few, we won a few. Some teams were very hard to beat,” he reflected.

New 'Green Man +' crossing scheme to help elderly and PWDs

The LTA is in the process of rolling out a 'Green Man +' scheme, which is aimed at helping the elderly and Pedestrians with Disabilities (PWD), by increasing the time given at crossings.

In the first quarter of 2013, LTA will be installing 235 ‘Green Man +’ readers across selected areas, allowing elderly pedestrians, as well as PWDs extra time to cross the road. By 2014, it is estimated that 500 readers will be installed all over the island.

Mr Oh Kok Wee, Senior Engineer at the Intelligent Transport Systems Development Division of the LTA, stated: "The reader at the traffic light junction on which the senior citizens can tap their concession cards is called the Green Man +. It is a scheme by LTA to provide elderly pedestrians and Pedestrians With Disabilities (PWD) more time to cross the road when they activate its function.”

The crossing time is extended by 3-12 seconds, depending on the crossing. Mr Oh explained how the scheme works: “This is done by tapping the CEPAS-compliant senior citizen concession card or the Green Man + card on the reader mounted above the standard push button at the traffic light pole. There is no charge for using the scheme.”

He believes that this scheme is positive, and said that: “The elderly pedestrians felt that the Green Man + had provided more assurance and instilled a higher confidence level in them when they crossed the roads.”

But this scheme is not very well known. Mdm Nanda, 62, has not seen or heard of this scheme. She said: "No, never seen it actually. But it sounds like a good scheme for all the people in Singapore to walk.”

Mr Haji Othman, 78, said: “I’ve never seen before, but looks very good. You just tap your card and get free crossing time.”

Mr Poh Leong, 44, has heard about the scheme, but never seen it around. “I think it’s good for the elderly and disabled. But I don’t know where they (crossings) are, so maybe they should increase their publicity.”

On the other hand, Mr Lancelot Fernandes, 69, has seen the crossings being used near Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and finds it a very useful scheme. He suggests: “ Maybe they could have an amber flashing light, as well as an auditory alarm for when the crossing time is about to finish. They should also have more publicity about the scheme, because I hadn’t known about it till I saw it.”

Elderly pedestrians (aged 60 and above) can obtain the senior citizen concession card at TransitLink Ticket Offices, and PWDs can obtain their ‘Green Man +’ cards from the following organisations: Handicaps Welfare Association (HWA), Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC), Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and Spastic Children's Association of Singapore (SCAS).

The areas that will see these readers coming up soon are: Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Merah, Chinatown, Geylang, Hougang, Kallang, Marine Parade, Outram, Queenstown, Rochor, Tampines and Toa Payoh.

Here is what some members of the public think about the scheme:

LTA's promotional video for the 'Green Man +' scheme

Commentary & Analysis: Smartphone Stockholm Syndrome

Taken from skotgat.com

Have you ever sat down to lunch with a couple of friends, hoping to have a conversation, only to be greeted with stony silence by zombies with illuminated faces, whose heads are tilted downwards at a 45 degree angle?

For those of you who have, I feel your pain. If you have not noticed this, then you are probably guilty of inflicting the pain. The pain of what I call “Smartphone Stockholm Syndrome”. This may sound a little over the top, but I assure you, it is a very serious condition.

Smartphone Stockholm Syndrome put simply is when you have been made captive by the Smartphone, but love it because it treats you well, not dissimilar to the actual Stockholm Syndrome. This condition affects several youth in Singapore, and is spreading like wildfire to other age groups (I know this from personal experience, even my mother has it). Those who have not been made captive by a Smartphone are indirectly affected by the condition, because like me, they have been neglected because of the Smartphones.

As someone whose phone is affectionately labelled ‘the brick’, you may say I am a technological fuddy-duddy. What I look for in a handphone is the ability to call, text, and store some basic media such as music and pictures. I do not like using the Internet on my handphone, the same way I do not like drying the clothes in the microwave.

Buying smartphones has become a domino effect. A couple of your friends buy them, then more and more until you are peer pressured into buying one because all your friends are on What’s App. To the brave ones who have resisted, I salute you, as I know this is not an easy task.

My main issue with Smartphones is not the device itself, but what it does to us. Face-to-face communication is something that bonds us and keeps us sane with all the stress around us. Being able to rant to your friends about all the homework you have or debate about insignificant movie trivia is what help us form relationships.

But when you are met with silence or when your debate is cut short with a quick Google search from your opposer’s smartphone, our ability to communicate with each other and form relationships is impeded.

It is ironic that one of our greatest strengths has become one of our greatest weaknesses. The human thirst for knowledge has gotten us this far, made us able to advance so fast technologically, making it easy for us to access information. But this has also made us dependant on the Internet, and we have become impatient.

I am not totally against Smartphones. They can be rather useful. There are a wealth of apps that can help guide you when you are lost or let you make long-distance phone calls for free. But everything is good in moderation.

So to those who are suffering from Smartphone Stockholm Syndrome I beseech you to put down that phone and have a conversation with those around you. Humans are very influenced by the community around them, and it would be a shame to lose our desire to communicate with one another face to face. It would make us robotic, and we still have time to change. 

Group Blog Critique

Blog being critiqued: newsqueeze.wordpress.com

The blog mostly uses their own first hand stories, which has plus and minus points. On the positive, you can see the editorial style of the writers, but on the minus side, 'big' news is not covered.

It is constantly updated, the last article being posted only a couple of days ago, which is a good thing. The presentation is very clean, suitable for the internet. Most article lengths are also internet appropriate, however there are some that are too long.

Navigation around the blog is easy and simple, and the loading speed is rather fast. However, there is a lot of scrolling required, which might put off online readers. The blog is clearly youth-centric.

There is a good use of online features, especially in the area of social media. There is a facebook widget and a twitter prompt, and is strategically placed. However, the multimedia page has articles which are unrelated to multimedia. There should be just videos rather than the article with the video. Also, the comment box requires a lot of scrolling, which readers may miss.

It would be good if the 'About Us' section has the roles of the group, as it is currently empty. But the blog seems to be running well and would be easy to take over.

Overall, the blog is well presented, and has a good professional look. However, some features require tweaking to make it more suitable for online audiences.

Poly students have mixed reactions to results of annual polytechnic graduate survey

There has been an article recently in the Straits Times about Polytechnic graduates earning more money than previous years. Over the Coffee Mug hits the streets of Temasek Polytechnic to find out how the current students react to this piece of news.

The annual polytechnic graduate survey last year revealed that polytechnic graduates earn $2007 per month on average. However, about 65.4 per cent of graduates landed full-time jobs, down from 67 per cent in 2011. So how do polytechnic students feel about this?

Au Wei Shan, an 18-year-old second year student studying the Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition at TP, was unaware of the results of the graduate survey, but believed that the increase in salary was a “very good thing” because “it’s difficult for us to cope with expenses”.

When asked what her plans after graduation are, she said: “I will try to work with my SIP company for 3-5 years, and then further my studies outside Singapore.” Despite the fact that there is an expected downturn in the employment market, Wei Shan does not think that this will affect her industry, since it is about food, something that is needed everyday.

Au Wei Shan, an 18-year-old student Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition from TP

Nurul Amalina, 19-year-old junior studying in the Diploma in Financial Business Informatics, feels that the added income is “a great improvement and a source of motivation for us poly grads”.

“Now seeing that the pay for poly grads is approximately $2000, more people may choose to go to work first before continuing their further studies,” she added. Her plans for the future however are dependent on her results, as she has deduced that a diploma is not good enough to sustain a full-time job in the long run.

She believes that her industry, IT and Finance, has great growth potential in Singapore, due to the way the country is progressing. She is concerned that the reduction in percentage of graduates being hired for full-time jobs will affect her, and muses that “you never know what the future holds for you anyway”.

Nurul Amalina, a 19-year-old Diploma in Financial Business Informatics student from TP

Another TP student, Deli Tan, a 21-year-old senior from the Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism, agrees that just having a diploma will be tough to sustain a full-time job because “in Singapore society, there is a lot of looking at paper qualification, so it may be difficult to sustain in the long run”.

When discussing how to deal with the tough job market, he sees the effect on Singapore as inevitable, since “currently in Europe, the market is collapsing”. He deems it sensible to “work smart, rather than just working for the money”.

Deli Tan, 21-year-old Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism student from TP

Commentary & Analysis - Print Journalism vs Digital Journalism

It should come as no surprise that journalism is a field that is time-dependant. News is happening all around us all the time, and whoever gets the most interesting news first and presents it in a pleasing manner gets our attention.

The battle of print journalism vs online journalism is one that has been ongoing ever since news companies started online news portals, and citizens were given a voice through blogs such as this one. So what’s the difference between the two forms? To put it simply, print journalism is viewed in hard copy, while digital journalism is viewed in soft copy. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Taken from postnetfarwest.wordpress.com

The print industry has survived the competition posed by magazines, radio and television over the years. But the advent of great volumes of digital journalism, in the form of blogs, is posing a serious threat to their survival. Not just that, but the timeliness of digital journalism in unbeatable. With the widespread use of smartphones, it is easier for a journalist to spot something as it happens and post it onto their blogs. Digital journalism is also markedly more convenient, and cheaper than their print competitors. This is why most print publications have gone digital.

But having print publications is also vital. Newspapers have a certain feel of credibility and a longer shelf life that just cannot be achieved when viewed online. Some people also tend to, excuse my language, digitally defecate all over the internet, making it hard for readers to know what is true and what is false. It is also a great vehicle for advertisements. When reading a publication online, we rarely take notice of the advertisements scattered around the page, but when reading a newspaper, advertisements are more prominent and we tend to take more notice of them.

Taken from www.americandebtproject.com

Fundamentally however, there are similarities. Taken from http://journalism.about.com/od/ethicsprofessionalism/a/printhistory.htm: “The first newspaper in the American colonies - Benjamin Harris's Publick Occurrences both Foreighn and Domestick - was published in 1690 but immediately shut down for not having a required license. Interestingly, Harris' newspaper employed an early form of reader participation. The paper was printed on three sheets of stationery-size paper and the fourth page was left blank so that readers could add their own news, then pass it on to someone else.”

I found this particular extract to be rather interesting as it shows early signs of the citizen journalism attitude within the news industry. The “add your own news, then pass it on to someone else” method is a clear indication that the newspaper was encouraging citizens to pen down their observations and pass them on, albeit in what we now consider to be a primitive fashion. This would in today’s generation, be blogs or comment boxes on news sites.

Personally, I prefer reading print publications. It’s not just for the tangible product that has is neatly divided into sections and presented professionally, but also for the intangible feeling towards it. What are your opinions? Comment below!

Taken from seekersportal.wordpress.com

PBL Reflection 2

My group has been working on our Problem-Based Learning assignment 2, which is to create and post our articles onto our group blog. This has been a major challenge, as it has been difficult to get the site up and running. 
Designing the site took a rather long time, and it was difficult to get all the sections up and running. We have also had to come up with a schedule for people to take charge of writing the articles each week. But after much planning, I think the blog finally looks ready for public viewing, and hope that our concept of "Then & Now" is popular with readers. 

Commentary & Analysis - The Green Bonnet

In the battle between petrol-heads and environmentalists, is it possible to be on both sides? Petrol-heads are essentially people who love cars and environmentalists obviously believe in saving the environment. The dogma of these ideologies would seem to contradict each other, but with scientific advancement, will it ever be possible to unite these two groups? I would like to believe so.

Personally, I am a petrol-head first, and an environmentalist second. I believe not only in the practicality of cars, but in the beauty of them as well. If you have to travel from one place to another, you might as well do it in style and comfort. It is amazing how far we’ve come since the first petrol powered car, the Motorwagen created by Karl Benz in 1886. 

According to conceptcarz.com, this car had less than one horsepower, and had a top speed of eight miles per hour, laughable by today’s standards. Needless to say, a car like this was no gas guzzler. Fast forward to 2012 and things start to get more complicated. The supply of petrol will soon struggle to meet the demand, unless we can find an alternative. But not just any alternative, not something you settle for, but the right alternative.

Karl Benz (front) with Friedrich von Fischer on the Motorwagen courtesy of  www.autowallpaper.de

One option we have is the electric car, a car that works similar to a laptop. Charge its battery to its full power and move it around wherever you like until the battery runs out. No petrol is necessary. This may sound great in theory, but in practice, most fully electric cars are heavy, slow and inconvenient. When they run out of battery, they require long hours of charging, which can be rather annoying, especially in an emergency. Therefore, electricity powered cars are may not be the right alternative.

The Toyota Prius, taken from www.carrostunadosbrasil.com

Another option we have is the hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The “Toyota Prius” is a great example of this. According to hybrid.co.uk, hybrids have two engines, one petrol and one electric. The electric engine is used for short, slow journeys, and the petrol engine kicks in for longer journeys and when travelling at higher speeds. They also use a clever system called regenerative braking, which charges the batteries with energy used when the car brakes, instead of wasting it, which is what non-hybrid cars do. However, though this method has great fuel efficiency, it still uses petrol, making this a good short-term solution, but not one that completely eradicates our dependency on petrol.

Another alternative is Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) cars. There is evidence of some usage of these cars in Singapore. The combustion of this gas, which is mostly methane, produce less pollutants, making it a ‘greener’ gas compared to petrol. However, the fuel storage poses a problem for car makers. CNG storage requires more storage space than petrol in a car, and therefore, cars have to be specially designed to as to incorporate the fuel tank, as well as provide sufficient space in the car boot. Another problem this poses is inconvenience. There are barely any CNG pumps in Singapore, making it inconvenient to fill up the fuel tank when necessary.

Last but not least, we have Hydrogen fuel. This fuel is the answer to all environmental concerns, the perfect green fuel. The only by-product of hydrogen fuel upon combustion is water, thereby causing no harm to the environment whatsoever. Being a fuel, cars powered by hydrogen would not require any charging. So why do we not use hydrogen? One simple yet paramount reason: money. The cost of manufacturing hydrogen as a fuel is very expensive, and therefore, not commercially viable. Yet.

Sources of Hydrogen, taken from hho-hydrogen-energy.com

So to all future scientists and engineers who may be reading this, I beseech you to find a commercially viable solution to produce hydrogen fuel. This solution satisfies both the petrol-heads and environmentalists concerns, making it the perfect alternative to petrol. In the meantime, we’ll just have to make do with the Prius.

Apathy towards ‘green’ activities in Tampines visible from “Clean & Green” carnival turnout

As global warming is on the rise, some find it important to adopt the 'green' lifestyle. Events are organised to promote such a lifestyle, but is the message being received?

Stage area at the North East Clean & Green carnival

From the 17^th to the 18^th of November, the “North East Clean & Green Singapore Carnival” took place at Tampines Community Plaza. The carnival was organised by the National Environment Agency (NEA), North East Community Development Council (NECDC) and Tampines Grassroots Organisations (GROs).

The carnival was organised as part of the Clean & Green Singapore (CGS) 2013 campaign, a nationwide initiative organised by NEA for the community. At the North East CGS carnival in 2013, the first ever Environmental Watch Group (E.W.G) will be launched, and volunteers were able to sign up for this programme at this year’s carnival.

The carnival consisted of several stalls set up from different organisations, some of which include the Tampines West YEC Eco Interest Group, Chongzheng Primary School, Tampines West Craft Club, Tampines North Primary School, Homespun, Soap Ministry, Tampines Town Council and NEA.

"Captain Green", NEA's mascot

Despite the fact that NEA expected a turnout of 10,000 people, some of the stall managers have not seen a very satisfactory turnout. One such person is the stall manager for the Eco Interest Group from Tampines West YEC (Youth Executive Committee), 23-year-old Ms Eisha Dadlani.

Ms Eisha Dadlani at the Tampines West YEC Eco Interest Group stall

“The turnout could have been better, it’s been rather quiet. We wanted to encourage youths to join because we feel that the youth of today don’t know much about conservation,” said Ms Dadlani.

Their Eco Interest Group was invited to take part in this carnival through their CC. They participate in activities such as Earth Day, and have workshops where they teach attendees to make arts and craft from recycled products.

However, they would still like to take part in this carnival in the future. “We don’t have that many members right now, and hope to spread awareness about our group and the activities we do,” commented Ms Dadlani.

Ms Samihah (far right) with her students and co-stall manager

Ms Samihah Bte Abdul Kader, stall manager and teacher for Tampines North Primary School’s Eco-club, also believes that the turnout could be better. She said: “I think people take it (the environment) for granted. We need to send out more information and messages. There need to be a sense of urgency to start now.”

When asked what activities the Eco-club conducts to do their part for the environment, she mentioned: “We come up with activities and strategise on how to be more environmentally friendly.”

Ms Trina (right) with her colleague at the Homespun booth

Ms Trina from Homespun, who was there to demonstrate how to make flowers from pandan leaves, also faced a similar situation. “The turnout was ok, but not many people take part. I think they like they to do, but they observe or walk away,” she said.

From left to right, Ms Sherry Han, Ms Afrina and Ms Sih-Zau Leong

Chongzheng Primary also had a stall at the carnival, which was manned by three students and one teacher. Ms Sih-Zau Leong, one of the 10-year-old students has observed this lack of participation and interest in green activities. She said: “We have a rooftop garden in school, but quite a lot of students from our school haven’t been there yet.”

Ms Peggy Ong (left) with Ms Elaine, co-owners of Soap Ministry

On the other hand Ms Peggy Ong’s views differ from the others’. “We’ve had a very good turnout, people who come to our stall have been very enthusiastic to learn about how they can make their own soap with natural ingredients,” commented the co-owner from Soap Ministry.

The E.W.G was first initiated by Punggol North in February this year. The focus of that event was to educate dog owners on the importance of cleaning up after their dogs. Punggol Oceanus RC has won the CGS award for Best Team Effort in the North East district.

                                          A band performing at the North East Clean & Green Carnival 2012  

Check out my photo gallery for more pictures from the event.

PBL Reflection

PBL Reflection 1

On the first week of school, we were introduced to this alien concept of PBL. Honestly, it seems like a tedious process of going back and forth to solve a problem. After doing the mouldy bread tutorial, I could understand it a bit more. It's about identifying a problem, doing research, and coming up with a solution. The FILA chart thought complicated at first, takes time to get used to. It is basically what we would already do for a report, but in a different format.

Cheers
Dhaneesha

Individual Assignment 1 - Books & Beer promotes "R & R" - Refreshing & Recycling

Entrance of Switch by Timbre on 3rd November

Books & Beer promotes "R & R" - Refreshing & Recycling

On the 3^rd of November, “Books & Beer” was conducted at Switch by Timbre from 5pm-7pm. This travelling book swap was part of the Singapore Writers’ Festival 2012, and promotes recycling old books while enjoying beers at a discounted price.

The Singapore' Writers' Festival (SWF) is an annual literary event that features writer's from not just Singapore but other parts of the world. It is a multilingual event organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) Singapore, and was conducted from the 2nd to the 11th of November 2012. This year's theme for the event was "Origins". "Books & Beer" was one of the free events in conjunction with SWF this year. 

The event was organised by Melissa Low, a 25-year-old Energy Analyst at the Energy Studies Institute with the National University of Singapore and Eileen Lee, a 24-year-old Communications Executive with the Singapore Business Federation.

“We wanted to bring about a revival in the reading culture amongst busy young working adults, which we feel is lacking today. I think that there aren’t many pro-bono event planners out there because it’s time consuming and unless you have an interest in doing it. Whether it’s to meet new people, get a weekend beer, or create a platform to catch up with old friends or family, most people shy away,” said Melissa.

Eileen added: “I think the best part of this is that it’s open to everyone and anyone. As long as you read, and you’ve books you would like to share, we welcome you. Having books as a common topic also helps strangers interact; you get far less of the awkwardness and contrived statements.”

Bar at Switch - here's where you order your discounted drinks

Participants are supposed to bring a maximum of 10 old books, place them where there is space, and take some of the books that are already there. Books left over from the book swap are carried forward to the next book swap or donated to charity. Those who registered for the book swap got the drinks at 10 per cent discount.

People surrounding the book section - place your books here and browse the titles

Nelissa Hernandez, an In-Flight Magazine writer who participated in the event for the first time, said: “I read about this event from the Singapore Writers’ Festival. I like it so far because the organizers don’t hover around you, they give you time to look around.”

When asked about the variety of the books, she commented: “I read a lot, so I’ve read most of the books here. There are so many different people here with different tastes, so you can’t really expect to find mainstream books. I’m looking for travel related books, and I managed to find a couple.”

Nelissa Hernandez (left) with friends at Switch

Amanda Ng, student and first time participant also heard about the book swap online. “I think it’s really cool to have this sort of event in Singapore. There aren't many books around, maybe because not many people are here, but I would definitely come again,” she mentioned.

Joey Dawson, secondary school teacher and first time participant said: “I heard about this from a friend and I thought it was a brilliant idea. You can bring it your old books that you don’t use anymore and exchange it for new ones instead of getting rid of it.” She found the variety limited, but mentioned that she would like to attend again.

Now, the swap is usually conducted at cafes, bars, concept stores and restaurants. The locations that agree for the event allow it to be held there for free for the duration of the book swap, which usually lasts for a couple of hours. Finding a location has been a challenge for the organisers, but they have “managed to work with some very understanding and helpful hosts so far.”

Other free to attend events by SWF this year were the "Rare books tour", which is a tour that allows attendees to view rare materials otherwise not open to the public, "The Ukulele Girls", a musical performance at the Singapore Management University (SMU), and "Suara Dari Muara", which is Malay for "Voices from the Bay", a malay poetry performance.

Organisers Eileen Lee (left) and Melissa Low at the Post-Museum Books & Beer Event

For more information, check out the following links:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/booksandbeersingapore
Tumblr – www.booksandbeersingapore.tumblr.com
Or drop them an email at booksandbeersingapore@gmail.com

Some of the old books

Bar area for participants to order their drinks

Books & Beer logo