PHOTOS: Denis Wee

Think you’re good at Scrabble? Wait till you meet 21-year-old Hubert Wee Ming Hui. This “average Singaporean” is anything but — he is a finalist at the upcoming Biennial Scrabble Tournament, organized by toy company Mattel. His fait accompli? Scoring 98 points during the qualifying tournament with the word “Zygosity”!

He is so good at Scrabble that friends and family refuse to play with him any longer after suffering consecutive defeats.

Along with three other Scrabble players, Wee will be traveling to Johor Bahru for the grand finals of the tournament which will be held from 26 to 29 November. The coveted top prize is US$30,500 (S$42,750).

Wee tells City News: “I started playing since I was 15. I came across [Scrabble] tournaments online and also through the Scrabble Association in Singapore. At the moment, I’m in university and quite busy, but I practise at least once a week.

“For my practice sessions, I would usually go to online Scrabble websites to hone my skills against the others as well as study the Scrabble dictionary,” Wee shares. “Currently, I am ranked #7 in the world, and I hope that through the upcoming tournament, I can raise my ranking to the top five.”

For the beginners in this game of intellect and quick wit, here are two tips from the Scrabble:

“Tip #1: Practise often — as many times as possible, and if necessary take it online and compete with other Scrabble players.”

Tip #2: Read the Scrabble dictionary on a regular basis.”

Stay tuned for the results of Wee’s performance at the championships at the end of November.

Lego’s popular toy building bricks became the perfect piece of nostalgia for connecting 227 beneficiaries and 66 volunteers from City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA).  This event was organized by CapitaLand, LEGO Singapore and Mediacorp’s ‘We Are One’ corporate social responsibility project on 7 November at ION Orchard.

As an organization that aims to inspire and care for the community, CHCSA encouraged the beneficiaries, which included the elderly, intellectually disadvantaged, hearing impaired and low-income families,  to donate a minimum of S$2 to purchase 2-by-2 stud Lego bricks. Darryl Loh, Executive Director of CHCSA, said that the charity event “mobilized Singaporeans” and presented an opportunity in “getting the beneficiaries who receive help to give back.”

The Lego bricks purchased were then used to create a 5m by 8m Singapore island and familiar national icons like City Hall, Changi Airport Control Tower, Cable Car, Port of Singapore Authority, Housing Development Board flats and the Merlion statue. These six iconic Lego models together with the Lego island of Singapore were the creations of Nicholas Foo, the only LEGO Certified Professional in Asia. Foo, owner of Blackbulb Creations, worked through 810 hours in 45 days on the design. Despite the challenge, he felt the time was well spent as all efforts had gone into raising funds for the needy.

With a goal of raising one million dollars for charity, the inspiring day-to-day progress of the Singapore Island model, which can be viewed live via webcast, had already stirred excitement amongst a group of children at the event. Rachael Yeo, 10, Jia Rong, 9, Jesse Ngo, 11, Winny See, 10 and Safinaz Bte, 8, who rose up early in the morning, were simply “happy and excited” over their individual involvement. As each laid between 50 and 100 pieces of Lego bricks, the layers of the blue sea surrounding the island model became evident.

PHOTOS: Kenneth Tan

Bernard Lau, 20, a student volunteer, who served as an usher and facilitator in giving building instructions, was impressed with the meaning behind this charity event. He said that unlike the usual donation drive where beneficiaries were often seen as takers, this event enabled everyone to participate and be a part of a building project. Although the Lego bricks were priced at two dollar apiece, the beneficiaries sacrificed and gave to lay the foundation and make a difference.

Like our forefathers who toiled in the building of Singapore, the selfless giving of the beneficiaries to put together more than 500,000 pieces of bricks with the rest of the donors have filled Singaporean hearts with hope and compassion.

Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is a traditional celebration that signifies the triumph of good over evil. Yesu Oli, which means Jesus is the Light, brings victory to Hindu families in City Harvest Tamil Service, strengthening them with the light of Christ.

The Tamil Service members were encouraged to focus largely on families in the weeks leading up to Deepavali. They befriended them, met their needs, prayed for them and ultimately invited them to the Deepavali celebrations this year. Yesu Oli took place at City Harvest Church premises at 1, Jurong West Street 91, on 24 October 2009. 276 people, consisting of mostly families, gathered at Rooms 4 to 6 and had the time of their lives. Every attendee was given a Christian DVD as a welcome gift and the congregation had a joyous time with song and dance. The most unique highlight of this year’s celebration was the lighting of lamps by each individual, symbolizing their commitment to shine for Christ in the Indian community.

The Indian Fellowship took this year’s celebration a step further and ministered God’s love to entire families through healing; as a result, 7 families were prayed for and 43 people gave their hearts to Jesus Christ. “The presence of God truly brought about the harvest,” said Gideon Hari, the leader of the Indian Fellowship, “it is indeed a great success!”

PHOTOS: Peter Yue

The vision of this feisty congregation is to grow to 300 members by the end of this year and 1,000 by the end of 2011. Their vision is to touch the entire community, one family at a time.

Contributed by Jonathan Tay

There was a certain energy in the air as volunteers and patients alike arrayed in a myriad of colours and dressed with elaborate masks took their seats in K-Box Cineleisure and anxiously waited for the afternoon line-up of performances. It was the MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Care 6th Anniversary celebration on 31 October 2009 and the volunteers and patients alike have invested many hours of preparation in anticipation of this event. That afternoon, many MS patients and volunteers gathered together to showcase their singing prowess and to share testimonials of how MS Care has benefitted their lives.

Multiple Sclerosis occurs when the body’s immune response attacks a person’s central nervous system leading to varying stages of physical and cognitive disability. Indeed, while some patients arrived in wheelchairs, others had virtually imperceptible symptoms. MS Care was founded to provide patients with accessibility to aid like medication and services like counseling and physiotherapy. The organization also aims to ameliorate the psychological trauma caused by the disease by establishing a support network for the patients. Events such as this one were construed precisely to boost morale and build rapport within this support network. The celebration also serves to shed light on a disease often regarded with insouciance from the public.

PHOTOS: Gabriel Seow

The program consisted of an interesting mix of performances ranging from magical sleight of hand to modern renditions of popular old songs. However, it was a multi segment line dancing performance by volunteers decked in orange jumpsuits that stole the show. The event was summed up by a patient named Alvin who conveyed his thanks to the volunteers through a poignant allegory, likening them to “diamonds in my backyard”.

Ultimately, everyone went home a winner that afternoon as the event concluded with each patient being awarded a 50 dollar NTUC voucher. Ms Amelia Mok, the organizer for the event called the celebration a “huge success due to the enthusiastic response of the participants.” She cited the celebration as a prominent milestone for the organization which has grown from serving just 8 patients to serving over a hundred today. The recent establishment of a partnership with National University Hospital (NUH) has given birth to the MS assistance fund and the organization now receives a steady stream of patients referred from hospitals. With this in mind, Mok has also laid down future plans for the building of a facility to house all the patients under one roof.

Named after the famous beloved wife of India’s Prince Khurran, who tragically died before the completion of the Taj Mahal, a palace her husband commissioned for her, the Mumtaz Mahal restaurant is a great place to fall in love with Indian cuisine. Possibly the only unfortunate thing about this place is that it’s tucked away in a corner on the fifth floor of Far East Plaza, which makes stumbling upon this great eatery an unlikely situation. However, you’ll find it is “vaut le detour” (worth seeking out, to quote the Michelin guide).

In fact, everything we ordered at the place was incredibly satisfying, from the crunchy poppadums to the stuffed-to-the-edge samosas.

Crunchy poppadums	Chicken tandoori

The chicken tandoori was a great starter, grilled to a nice smokiness without losing the juiciness of the meat. The prawn vindaloo was scorchingly spicy, but well worth the burn. The chicken korma came in a nice smooth gravy that went great with the accompanying fluffy garlic and cheese naans. In any case, wash down the burn of the spicy dishes with the fantastic fruit lassis available on the menu. (We liked the strawberry and mango ones.)

Fruit lassis	Paneer spinach

Eating your veggies isn’t very much of a chore here either. The paneer spinach was a creamy and comforting concoction, it went down very easily. The only danger at this place is over ordering as the dishes are pretty filling. A likely thing to do, considering everything tastes so good. If you’re on a budget, the mid-to-high prices may keep you in check. Be prepared to pay S$20 and above per person.

Overall Rating:

Who would have thought that the swansong of the greatest performer on earth would be delivered posthumously? Shot by concert promoter AEG Live, with direction by his show producer Kenny Ortega, and condensed from more than 100 hours of rehearsal footage for the series of concerts Michael Jackson was preparing just before his death in June, This Is It — at times funny, surprising, even painful to watch, but ultimately inspirational — gives us a glimpse of the show that should have been.

As with every famous death, conspiracy theories abound and in Michael Jackson’s case, it was rumoured that he was being over-worked and exploited to his eventual collapse. But while he did indeed look painfully thin, the 50-year-old seemed to be anything but dragging his feet to work. He did not sing to full ability for preservation purposes, but he moonwalked, jumped and danced with the energy of one without a care in the world. And his face, while not the best advertisement for his plastic surgeon, seemed full of life and determination. He corrected, encouraged and reassured his co-workers, an elite team of hand-picked dancers, musicians and technicians as they worked through his hits such as ‘Smooth Criminal’, ‘Beat It’, ‘Human Nature’ and ‘Earth Song’.

At the risk of sounding distasteful, perhaps it is best that the world saw This Is It in its making after all. Because the real show would not have captured the backbreaking diligence and earnestness with which Jackson worked in order to put on the perfect show for his fans. It would not have captured the consummate team-player he was, ever unrelenting in achieving the perfect pitch, yet never given to pomposity. Most of all, it’s a morbidly perfect exit strategy for someone who otherwise would have to contend with the brickbats no matter how well he did.

While questions about his personal life and morality will never be answered in this lifetime, neither will we soon seen another talent as singular as his, and that’s primarily what This Is It wants to show the world. What a concert it would have been. Rest in peace, MJ.

Rating:

It was a modest beginning, but many historical movements were started with a simple gathering of a few like minds.

Global Dignity Day was founded by John Hope Bryant, CEO of Operation HOPE, together with Prince Haakon Magnus, the crown prince of Norway, and philosophy professor Pekka Himanen. All three belong to the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGL) under the World Economic Forum.

Why dignity? The official Global Dignity website explains: “A dignifying society dignifies everyone’s life regardless of the cards that fate has dealt you. In a dignifying world, one’s fate does not depend on one’s ‘reproductive luck’, that is, on the stars under which you happened to be born, the economic and social status of one’s parents.

 A dignifying world provides everyone with equal opportunities in life, thus leveling out haphazard circumstances.
”

20 October 2009 saw over 50 countries all over the world celebrating Global Dignity Day in a myriad of ways, all involving students from across the globe. The idea was to share the five core principles of a dignified life, and to get youth to internalize the power of these principles.

The five principles are:

1. Every human being has a right to lead a dignified life.

2. A dignified life means an opportunity to fulfill one’s potential, which is based on having a human level of health care, education, income and security.

3. Dignity means having the freedom to make decisions on one’s life and to be met with respect for this right.

4. Dignity should be the basic guiding principle for all actions.

5. Ultimately, our own dignity is interdependent with the dignity of others.

In Singapore, some 30 Year Three students from School Of The Arts (SOTA) at Goodman Road gathered to discuss and ponder passionately about what it means to have and to give dignity. The session began with a beautiful song on respecting other’s dreams, sung by Judy Ho and signed by Catherine, an interpreter for the hearing-impaired.

“Remember, today you are going to be ambassadors for Dignity Day!” announced Elim Chew, the YGL heading up Global Dignity Day (GDD09) in Singapore. Chew is also a board member of SOTA.

“When you have dignity,” said Chew, “nothing someone says can affect you. Remember today you are ambassadors for Dignity Day!”

Darryl Loh, President of CHCSA, was the perfect facilitator for the event, being honest, charming, funny, dignified and dignifying of all the young people in the room. Loh’s ability to direct the flow of discussion yielded some great results, and an authentic discussion among the 15-year-olds about what dignity is and how to practise it.

“Is there something you believe in that you are willing to die for?” asked Loh, as she shared about a recent trip to India where she met some “railway children” (kids who sleep in cardboard boxes at the railway station). She offered to send one of the railway children something, and when she asked for the girl’s address, she was given the exact railway platform as an address. Instead of feeling sorry for the girl, Loh found herself respecting her for “having an address”.

“Look beyond someone’s disability,” she exhorted. “Dignity is asking ‘you don’t ignore me, you acknowledge me for what I am.’”

The group broke out into subgroups and were all given a sheet to discuss what dignity was, from A to Z. Then Loh ran down the list in alphabetical order and the group that had the most to contribute would win.

It was heartening to see that these young people were able not just to explain what dignity was but to explain the nuances that came with it — the difference between sympathy and respect, for example.

The winning team won S$100 vouchers from youthwear chain 77th Street, while everyone else got S$50 vouchers.

Rebecca Chew, the principal of SOTA, explained that “part of our school curriculum is social, action, change”. Being socially conscious is very much of the syllabus, not just the green message but a message for a dignified world. The school was given 48 hours notice about Global Dignity Day, but Chew was happy to take it on because “we believe in it.”

PHOTOS: Ng Xueqi

Of the many insightful observations and comments from this group of 15-year-olds, dance student Lu Yi left the deepest impression.

“My sister has Down’s syndrome but she wants to be Hannah Montana. Even though it will never happen in reality, I support her — she has the dignity to believe she can be Hannah Montana.”

It was a privilege to watch the seeds of a powerful campaign being sown at SOTA. These young people participated heart and soul in Global Dignity Day 2009 — the future is already looking brighter.

Click here to find out more about Global Dignity Day.

For nine days from 24 October to 5 November, Singapore played host to 114 authors and moderators of the Singapore Writers’ Festival. Wordsmiths like Neil Gaiman, Taichi Yamada, Qiu Xiaolong and John Ajvide Lindqvist converged in Singapore from over 20 countries around the globe.

Organized by the National Arts Council and The Arts House, the 13th annual Writers’ Festival featured a number of fresh initiatives, namely outreach programs, the inclusion of children’s literature, and a strong focus on Malaysian writers. In nine days, 157 programs, from meet-the-author sessions to poetry open mikes were held.

Asked about the remarkable scale of this year’s festival, Phan Ming Yen, Assistant General Manager of The Arts House replied, “We certainly wanted to have a festival that puts Singapore on the map, and to make people aware that there is a lot of good literature that comes from the South East Asian region. There’s a lot of literature in this region that deserves to be known all around the world.”

This year, the theme of the festival was “UNderCovers”. “We initially had many different suggestions, but the theme, UNderCovers, got the most votes. It’s quite playful: it could mean going undercover — the thriller and the crime novel — or the idea of reading to a child — the focus on children’s literature — and finally, playing on the word, you have un-cover-writers who have yet to emerge, or histories and narratives that are one-sided.”

City News spoke to three leading authors: Qiu Xiaolong, who wrote the Inspector Chen series of novels; John Boyne, author of the children’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and Miguel Syjuco, winner of the Man Asia Literary Prize 2008.

Qiu Xiaolong
Originally born in Shanghai, Qiu was studying at Washington University in the United States of America when the incident at Tiananmen Square unfolded in 1989. Because of his previous fundraising efforts for the protestors, Qiu decided to stay in America, and now lives in St Louis, Missouri with his wife and daughter.

His Inspector Chen series won the Anthony Award for best first novel in 2001 and has been translated into 20 languages with more than a million books sold. Qiu also has a strong following in France, where his collection of linked stories, Years Of Red Dust, has been serialized in national newspaper Le Monde.

When asked why he started to write detective fiction, Qiu says, “I love detective stories, but the reason I started writing detective stories myself was because I wanted to write a story about modern China. But I had a hard time putting my things together, so I thought that I could use the detective story genre as a framework for what I have to tell.

“My main character, Inspector Chen, he has a lot of questions, but he does not have easy answers, and sometimes, he has no answers at all. In that sense, my books do not provide an answer. They are trying to look into the whole situation, so the writer and the reader come together and try to find an answer, an understanding of what’s happening now.”

The beauty of Qiu’s books lies in their cultural richness. “My books focus a lot on the Cultural Revolution, because you have to understand the past before you can understand the present. They try to capture part of the dialogue between past and present.”

John Boyne
Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1971, John Boyne is the author of seven novels, including The Boy in Striped Pyjamas — a World War II tale of Bruno, the son of a high-ranking Nazi official, and his life next to the death camps. The book was an international bestseller, with more than five million copies sold worldwide. Miramax Studios has made a movie based on the book.

City News spoke to Boyne about the reception of Striped Pyjamas. “I don’t mind the fact that reception is mixed. Any good work of literature should aspire to have passionate advocates for it — and just as passionate detractors. When I set out to write the novel, one of the reasons why I called it a fable was because it wasn’t my intention that people, particularly younger readers, would read the story and think that this was exactly how the Holocaust was. It’s not really written with that in mind — it’s trying to engage readers in the subject matter, particularly younger readers. I think if they are moved by the story and by the characters, that they would actually educate themselves about it.

“[Striped Pyjamas] is my most successful book, and it’s changed my life in the sense that though it wasn’t my first book — I’ve now published seven — but it was the book that broke me through to a readership and an audience. The opportunities that it’s brought me on the international level — the fact that I get to travel a lot, that my books are read — are simply amazing.” Boyne is now writing a second children’s book.

“I love the storytelling; I love actually writing the books. I’m lucky that I can write full time.”

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

Miguel Syjuco
Don’t be embarrassed if you have yet to hear of Miguel Syjuco. The recipient of the Man Asia Literary Prize 2008 and the 2008 Palanca Award, the highest literary honor in the Philippines, will be the first to reassure you.

Miguel explains, “The Man Asia Literary Prize is a really special award because it’s for unpublished manuscripts. For many years I was working on this novel and working on short stories and getting rejected and trying to find an agent … just trying to get my foot in the door. Suddenly I won the prize, and people started to take a closer look at my work, which is unconventional. The prize is set up to be that way, and it’s great that it’s successful in being exactly that.

“The hard fact is that Asian writers don’t have all the opportunities that Western writers have — because of proximity, and also attention, and the world’s knowledge of that particular culture of writing. The Prize really tries to connect Asian writers with Western readers.”

Miguel’s novel, Illustrado, will come out in May 2010, in 12 languages and 16 countries.

“This isn’t supposed to happen to a writer like me who’s just so used to rejection. It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of as a young boy, reading and wanting to be a writer; as somebody trying so very hard to be a writer and working odd jobs just to be able to make that happen. I’d work night shifts and work in the day; day shifts and write in the night. Now that the book is out, I can just focus on writing, which is a dream come true.”

To sustain his writing, Miguel has been a medical guinea pig, movie extra, eBay seller of ladies handbags, and a journalist, among other things. What words of encouragement does he have for aspiring writers?

“Fight your parents, fight your own self doubt, fight anything if it’s really what you want to do, and you feel you’re good at it, just keep at it!”

It was an experiential show where culinary delights and stylish wedding themes took centre stage. More than 200 couples turned up at the MEGU Event Hall, located at the second level of the Singapore Retail Terminal held on 24 October for a glimpse of their dream weddings. As one of the Singapore’s leading food catering companies, Kriston Food and Beverage Pte Ltd, embraced innovation to bring together a show, which aimed to create your fantasy wedding.

The wedding fair included six booths from local vendors providing services ranging from flower arrangements such as designer bridal bouquets and stunning floral centerpieces, wedding card designing and printing, to supply of unique wedding favors. All in bid to make planning a breeze and to help couples plan that dream wedding reception. California based celebrity-wedding planner, Pauline Parry of Good Gracious! Events Inc., who flew halfway across the globe to this wedding fair, was another major attraction.

With 25 years of experience and a network of industry professionals in event planning, she keenly shared about the latest trends in theme weddings to perennial favorites, which she believes will “complement the perfect weather” in sunny Singapore. Meanwhile, guests were pampered with a series of gastronomic indulgences created by Joanne Purnell, a Los Angeles-based Chef de Cuisine.

Purnell, who is also Pauline’s daughter, prepared Grilled Chicken with Lime Scallion and Carrot Souffle amongst other in-house creations. She continued to expand their palates to enjoy little Couture Cup Cakes decorated with delicate little hearts that were simply too pretty to be eaten. Undoubtedly, the mother-and-daughter team brought refreshing elements and displayed their flair in style and taste. Whether it’s a theme of “modern vintage” or “sophisticated glamour of the 50s and 60s”, both were passionate in “bringing personalities” to them all.

Lawrence Ong, 32 and his fiancé, Purlynn Heng, 27 were pleasantly surprised at the professionalism and the wedding planning services rendered on-site. From current wedding trends to ideas for modern brides, the pair found the highly recommended caterer to be their ideal partner in bringing them a “banquet with a twist.” The creative use of decorative lighting and floral centerpieces also brought out a “fussy clean and casual” ambience that was loved by the couple.

Kenny Lim, 29 and his wife to-be, Shermaine Cheong, 30, on the other hand, were drawn to Kriston’s unconventional wedding fare. If wedding is likened to love that is not just about “big grand gestures”, but communicating with “sincerity and truthfulness” even over little things, then the myriad of stylish ideas conveyed by Parry, hit a home run with the couple. Thus, allowing them to “buck the trend and showcase a wedding called their own” set for December.

PHOTOS: Annette Heitmann

With strengths like identifying iconic, outdoor, off-site locations and converting them to ideal wedding venues, Charles Tan, managing director of Kriston and his team, have a sure-win formula in bringing a national brand-name to the wedding markets on the global front.

For more information of Kriston Catering Concepts, please contact:

Serene Phang Senior Sales & Marketing Manager
Tel: 6488 8115
Email: [email protected]

Contributed by Nicolette Ng

An hour before the interview — as I walked across the studio in Yvonne’s Creative Showroom, Miss Singapore World 2009 Pilar Arlando flashed me a million-dollar smile, without any idea that I was going to interview her. I have to admit that won me over immediately. Clearly, there was more to this beauty queen than met the eye.

City News spoke to Arlando as she was being fitted for her competition outfits. She donned a gorgeous red V-neck evening gown detailed with silver sequins and diamante beads for the first round of her photo shoot. Next, she changed to an elegant yellow Peranakan-inspired gown — the outfit that represents Singapore’s “national costume”. Each time the photographer asked her to pose this way and that, Arlando obliged with a smile and a quick reply “sure. There were no airs about this young lady. During the sportswear photo shoot, she gamely posed for the photographers and even did a split, wowing everyone with her flexibility.

Arlando in an elegant yellow    Peranakan-inspired gown

By day, Pilar Carmelita Anastasia Arlando is a 20-year-old student studying in MDIS. She majors in travel, tourism and hospitality management. Her exotic and good-looking features come from her Portuguese-Dutch mother and Indian-Chinese descent father.

“My first love is dance,” said the Roman Catholic, in explanation for her acrobatic poses. Well-versed in contemporary jazz, ballet, hip hop and modern dance, Arlando has been dancing since the age of 5. Amidst her busy schedule, dance is the one thing she makes time for — it’s her platform for self-expression. It’s no surprise then, dance would be her display during the talent segment of the Miss Singapore World Pageant in Africa this coming December.

Arlando has two upcoming pageants and school examinations all happening over the next six months.

Arlando with her acrobatic poses

“I just have to take it in my stride, these are my responsibilities,” said Arlando. “I take it a day at a time, plan my time wisely. This season has taught me a lot of time management and to treasure my time.”

PHOTOS: Gary Sim

As if she doesn’t have enough on her plate, Arlando has a deep passion for community work and projects. Get her started on the topic and she’s not likely to stop soon. As she reminisced about her involvement at the Down Syndrome Tea Party, Action of Singapore dogs Tea Party and Bowling Session with the Down Syndrome Association, she is filled with giggles and wistful looks. What sparked her passion was a 16-year-old girl she met at one of the Down’s Syndrome events. “Arassi was what really drew me closer to [the Down’s Syndrome Association] and wanting to help them more”

It’s obvious that Pilar Arlando isn’t your average Singaporean girl. This beauty with a purpose chose to celebrate her recent birthday at a children’s home. “I told my Mom, I wanted to do something different and meaningful for my birthday this year.”