Recognized for his hilarious yet often accurate depictions of local idiosyncrasies that often hit a nerve with Singaporeans, funny or otherwise, celebrity director Jack Neo delivers once again with his latest offering, the genre-bending Where Got Ghost?. At the movie premiere, which took place at Golden Village VivoCity on 4 August 2009, Neo shared, “We wanted to do something different, which was why we decided to mix the two popular genres of horror and comedy, resulting in Where Got Ghost?. We always aim to be innovative in our productions and hopefully, audiences will like our new film!” Local film stalwarts such as Mark Lee, Henry Thia and Liu Qianyi star in Where Got Ghost?. The film garnered laughs aplenty from the audience with its usual dose of Hokkien jokes and puns, classics that audiences have come to expect from Neo’s offerings. The movie comprises three separate tales on supernatural encounters in everyday settings such as housing estates and temples, as well as in the forest where national servicemen train. These everyday locations help to flesh out familiar themes in local culture, such as the popularity of 4D, superstitions during the 7th month, urban legends recounted to national servicemen and even how late ancestors are worshipped in the hope of getting material blessings. If audiences are expecting a horror movie along the lines of The Ring, they will be sorely disappointed. Where Got Ghost? is a horror-comedy which combines elements from both genres, although it is more funny than it is scary. Shock tactics like sudden appearances and loud sound effects fell flat and even the special effects were found wanting in some scenes. Despite these shortcomings, Neo has remained faithful to his blockbuster recipe of using popular local comedians; familiar settings that heartlanders can relate to and Hokkien puns, to deliver a local flick that is funny, heartwarming and insightful. Think of it as a spooky version of Money No Enough. Where Got Ghost? will be released islandwide on 13 August 2009.

Rating:

The Strikeforce will be sounding their way into our homes this Sunday at the National Day Parade (NDP) 2009.

All across the island nation of Singapore, televisions and computer screens in almost every household will be tuned in to the NDP 2009 which promises a parade like no other.

Ian Lim, 24, leader-in-charge of the smashing percussion performance for the NDP, reveals that the Strikeforce will be “reenacting a ‘terrorist attack’ and the start of victory” as part of their performance. Tan tells City News that this year’s NDP will be very heartfelt and contemporary, with the promise of leaving every Singaporeans a sense of “home and belonging”.

PHOTOS: Michael Chan and Elvis Chiu

Founded by local entrepreneur, Tan Boon, the Strikeforce ensemble held their first performance on 1 May 2005 at an NTUC dinner. They have come a long way ever since then, performing for past NDPs, MediaCorp’s Marina Bay Countdown 2008, the annual Chingay Parade, as well as other overseas stints in Japan, Taipei and China.

Be sure to catch The Strikeforce at the NDP this Sunday on 9 August 2009, as Lim confidently assures “a performance that won’t disappoint!”

On 31 July to 2 August, Christians from all over Singapore gathered for Festival of Praise (FOP) 2009. From as early as 6pm in the evening, long queues had already begun forming outside the four main entrances of the Singapore Indoor Stadium, eagerly waiting for the doors to open. They were not waiting to attend another rock concert, but rather, to gather for a time of worship, prayer and fellowship.

FOP was founded by Rev. Dr. Canon James Wong, 70, and held for the very first time in the year 1983. Then, there were only about 500 people in attendance. Fast-forward 26 years, to the year 2009, FOP today has an expected attendance of no less than 12,000 thousand devotees from about 113 local churches each night, over the 3-night event.

The first night kicked off with a rousing time of praise and worship led by Sidney Mohede and the True Worshippers, a popular, contemporary worship band from Indonesia. Renowned songwriter and legendary worship leader, Bob Fitts, took the stage right after, much to the delight of many older generation Christians who remember Fitts when he used to lead praise and worship in FOP during the early 90s. Throughout the entire session of praise and worship, the crowd lost all sense of time as they were captivated by the presence of God felt so strongly in every corner of the Indoor Stadium. While True Worshippers and Fitts, anointed worship leaders of two different generations, endorse diametrically different styles in their respective music-making, they were united in the purpose of bringing Christians closer to God in worship, truly a remarkable sight to behold.

PHOTOS: Aaron Low, Gary Sim & Michael Chan

Following the praise and worship, a dance crew made up of Emmanuel Assembly of God church members showcased their energetic dance and rap items. The dance and rap items were distinct examples of how youth today can use their diverse talents and abilities to glorify God.

A video produced by Heart of God Production Team was then screened. The video, clearly targeted at Singaporean youth, was a message on how Christians can boldly engage the community with the gifts and talents that God has bestowed upon them. A prayer was said for the young believers of the nation, for God to raise up a new generation of Timothys and Joshuas — individuals who, despite their young age, would be willing to make a difference for the Kingdom of God and be the hands and feet of Jesus in their schools and community.

The guest speaker for FOP this year was Mark Conner, senior pastor of City Life Church in Melbourne. Conner, a gifted communicator of the Word of God, pastors a congregation represented by 105 nationalities. Conner shared a power-packed message of how the many things we worry about could become a prison in our lives, in which many of us are actually entrapped, sometimes even unknowingly. Conner cited a study by psychologists which has proven that up to 96% of our worries concern things not worth worrying about, or things that are out of our control; and emphasized that excessive worrying is simply a waste of time and energy that could be better channeled to problem solving. He went on to share about how we can deal with the remaining 4% of our worries. The STOP framework (which stands for Specifying your worries, Taking action on your worries, Offering up a prayer to God, and Placing your trust in God) provided practical, in addition to spiritual, advice on conquering worries. The message equipped all who attended with essential tools for dealing with the slew of worries in present times.

Opening Address by Guest-of-Honor Mrs Lim Hwee Hua Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport

This year’s Miss Singapore World 2009 Grand Finals held on 31 July 2009 was a pageant with a difference.

Held at the Island Ballroom at the prestigious Shangri-La Hotel, it was a unique collaboration; in conjunction with the Down Syndrome Association of Singapore’s (DSA) annual charity gala dinner — “Mystique III”. Gracing the event was Guest-of-Honor, Lim Hwee Hua, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and Transport.

During the pre-event cocktail, City News spoke to Faraliza Tan, winner of Miss Singapore World 2008, who had the following words of wisdom for the upcoming winner, ‘Never let fame get to your head; when you are not wearing the crown, that’s when it is the true you. There needs to be a level of sincerity and humility in the way we carry our title.’

A recent graduate with a Bachelor Degree in Mass Communications from Nanyang Technological University, she shares that her experiences as a pageant winner has helped her to be more confident and to be a promoter of charitable causes as the ambassador for Action for AIDS.

Melissa Teo, Valentane Huang and Genecia Luo (from left to right)

Making an appearance at the gala was Genecia Luo, winner of Miss Singapore International 2006/2007; Valentane Huang, winner of Miss Singapore Tourism Queen 2009, Miss Singapore Chinatown 2008/2009 and Miss Singapore Global Beauty Queen 2008; and Melissa Teo, winner of Mrs. Singapore Global Beauty 2010. Teo is currently very active in charity work, chairing an online forum that helps single mums.

Beyond the usual pageant segments such as the swim wear and evening gown segments, each section of the competition was interspersed with performances from past pageant winners, as well as fundraising activities for DSA.

The DSA Dance Ensemble put up a rousing dance number to the Bollywood hit “Jai-Ho”, which got the crowd grooving. Decked in psychedelic costumes, members of the DSA Dance Ensemble synchronized dance movements with precision and rhythm, which is a testament that persons with Down Syndrome are not with gifting and talent.

Past pageant winners of children beauty contests made their appearance on stage as well. Carrying confidence beyond their age, past Miniature Miss World winners entertained the crowd with angelic voices.

All proceeds of “Mystique III” will go to DSA, including table sales, auctions of Persian carpets and paintings by persons with Down Syndrome.

In the final moments of the gala dinner, the entire ballroom was charged up with anticipation as the Top 8 grand finalists selected sashayed on stage in their evening wear. The announcement of the Top 3 winners took place just a few moments after with tensed silence as the envelope containing the name of the winner was opened.

Pilar Arlando, a 19 year old student came in second runner-up; Claire Lee, a 22 year old graduate won the first runner-up position and Ris Low, a 19 year old student won the title of Miss Singapore World 2009.

Ris Low, currently pursuing a double diploma in travel & tourism as well as nursing, won a total of five awards — Best Dressed, Dazzling Eyes, Best Catwalk and Most Photogenic. With one of the largest cohort of supporters, Low also bagged the award for highest charitable donations via table sales and advertisements at the gala.

Claire Lee, Ris Low and Pilar Arlando (from left to right)

In an exclusive closed-door interview with the pageant winners, City News got up close and personal with Oxy Ong, 20 year old student and winner of the Miss Singapore Model of the World Award. “I have gained valuable experience from this pageant in terms of learning to give back to society.”

Ris Low	Pilar Arlando	Claire Lee	Oxy Ong	Sonia Sawlani
Daniel Poh

On her future plans, second runner-up, Pilar Arlando commented, “I am going to continue volunteering with DSA and be more active in helping to raise funds for individuals with Down Syndrome, to help them better integrate into mainstream society.”

Claire Lee, first runner-up, shared with City News that she wants to break the stereotyped notion that people have of beauty queens. “I want to personally embody a person who possesses both beauty and intelligence, who is actively engaging different people from many different cultures.” Lee herself is a multi-linguist, fluent in languages such as Thai, French and German.

“I have a heart for needy children, especially in the slums in India. I do hope to be able to travel to countries like these such as Nigeria and South Africa, so that I can help to bring about sustainable change to young lives,” said Sonia Sawlani, winner of Miss Community Ambassador, Miss Lifestyle and Miss Singapore Globe Award.

Speaking to the newly crowned Miss Singapore World 2009, City News finds out what is Low’s most valuable lesson learned throughout the pageant. “Winning this title has helped me realized that one can always fulfill one’s dreams and be confident. I am excited to represent Singapore at the Miss World Finals in South Africa and I want to do our nation proud.”