A passionate designer with a heart for the environment comes up with a brilliant concept of an eco-friendly, stylish tote.

Forget the It bag; there’s a new bag in town that’s taking a step toward environmental-consciousness and making a fashion statement at the same time.

Inspired by the global “Bring Your Own Bag” campaign, TARPA is the brainchild of Peter Noah Sam, a designer who runs his own design firm.

Marrying his love for designing with a passion for conservation, Sam decided to create bags made from recycled materials; hence, the birth of TARPA, which Sam calls “communication art.”

Taken from the phrase—Totes Are Real People Accessories—the TARPA totes are meant to match the characteristics of the carriers’ personality.

Each and every bag from TARPA goes through a unique production process and is made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), recycled from items like PVC banners or banner mesh that have been taken down from display on various commercial buildings. The banners are cut, washed and sewn together, to form the one-of-a-kind bags that characterize TARPA.

A limited edition series of TARPA totes known as the Cordura Army Camouflage Series is manufactured using hardy, abrasion-resistant and water-repellent army-approved material obtained from the German, Swedish, Danish and Middle-Eastern armies. The prints are obtained from a reputable supplier who shares Sam’s recycling vision. They are controlled and extremely hard to obtain (released only when the armies have them in excess and even then, only to certain vendors). Hence, this limited edition is subject to seasonal availability.

TARPA, which prides itself on its quality, uniqueness and functionality, has plans in the pipeline to expand its range to include smaller bags, utility bags, and wallets in the near future. Having established its niche in the market for tote bags, TARPA is also looking to progress with a new range of the humble yet much-loved tote. “Like the evolution of a chair,” Sam says, “a chair will always be a chair, but look at the numerous designs that came out (of) that fixed shape.”

TARPA’s task will be to creatively apply that same concept to the creation of a tote, and cater to the ever-changing tastes and preferences of the market.

Keeping its design simple, the totes TARPA offers has one big pocket to hold everything one may wish to put inside, instead of numerous smaller compartments. “(It) may be chaotic inside … but so often, a good idea comes out from that randomness. Think Apple, the Macintosh, Herman Miller, Charles Eames and so on,” urges Sam.

According to Sam, the designers at TARPA inject time and effort into the ideation process of the tote, thereby producing unique and top-notch products. “When you buy a unique item, you’re investing in its uniqueness,” Sam states, “No two bags are alike as every print is taken in segments from a single piece of a printed banner.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TARPA

Located in the hot new mall 313@Somerset, Flying Chillies looks like it’s ready to deliver good food and service. As you enter this Indo-Chinese-Thai restaurant, you walk into what looks like a London pub-restaurant. Modern and chic, it envelops you in its cool setting. The original Flying Chillies started in Malaysia, and has garnered positive reviews since its inception.

Our experience at the Singapore branch was no less pleasing. Flying Chillies has developed quite a reputation for its spicy Thai food. The green curry chicken was very spicy and sweet all at the same time, leaving a most distinct and consuming flavor in the mouth. When downed with rice, it makes an unbeatable combination—it undoubtedly makes its way to the top of my list of favorites, being the best in Thai curries I have tasted so far.

The other chicken dish we ordered—pandan leaf chicken—was not as winning. Although it was rather tasty, the chicken could have been seasoned longer for the pandan taste to seep in. We also ordered baked honey pork ribs, which were cooked to perfection. Sweet and tender, it practically melted in our mouths. This is definitely one of the must-tries here.

The only vegetable dish we ordered tasted decidedly home-cooked. Wholesome and simple, the stir-fried bean curd with minced pork and mushroom was tasty and authentically Chinese.

For those who don’t like spicy food, your choices are, sadly, limited. The restaurant isn’t called “Flying Chillies” for nothing—expect to be drinking lots of water if you order dishes with the sign of two chillies.

The food is affordable and prices are comparable to other eateries like Thai Express. The average for each person ranges from S$20 to S$30.

Overall Rating:

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Flying Chillies
313@Somerset #01-29/29a/30/30a
313 Orchard Road Singapore 238895
Tel: 9654-6389
Sun-Thu: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Fri-Sat and eve of Public Holidays: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The Far East Gemological Institute trains jewelers of all levels.

Contributed by Chng Shi Jie

CN PHOTO: Geoffery Chow

It was a sparkling ceremony with a dual purpose on April 15 as Far East Gemological Institute launched its shiny new premises at International Building, and graduated its latest cohort of gemology students. The institute exists to educate and empower both consumers and retailers in the jewelry industry.

Gemology is the science of natural and artificial gemstones.

Among the crowd of 40 were Ho Nai Chuen, President of the Singapore Jewellers Association, Yee Hen Chiong, President of the Diamond exchange of Singapore and Suresh Hathiramani, Vice President of the Diamond Exchange of Singapore.

Tay Thye Sun, founder of Far East Gemological Institute is renowned and respected in the jewelry industry. He started in the trade as a gem dealer, and his interest in gems drove him to study gems, ultimately graduating as a gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America. He started the Institute at the urging of fellow industry professionals.

More than 1,000 students have graduated with certification which is recognized by the Workforce Skills Qualification

“Although you do not need a license or certificate to sell jewelry, many top companies send their employees to me to be trained,” says Tay. Clients include Tiffany & Co., Montblanc, Poh Heng and Lee Hwa. These companies and others like it recognize that today, jewelry buyers are much better-informed than before. The course covers product knowledge and customer service skills—in the sale of jewelry, it is imperative to be able to communicate knowledge effectively to the consumer.

The Workforce Development Agency recognizes the potential for growth in this industry, and is employing Tay’s expertise to help train up workers to fill this gap.

His students span professionals to interested individuals. Michael Koh, founder of jewelry brand Caratell and a graduate says that the knowledge he gained from the institute has been a tremendous help in the selection of materials he uses to create the one-of-a-kind jewelry he is famous for. Barbara, an expatriate working in a local bank and a recent graduate from Tay’s basic course says: “I chanced upon this course online. It has nothing to do with my line of work, but I have learned so much about gems and will definitely be more discerning in my future purchases.”

It is such positive reviews that drives Tay to keep on teaching, researching and contributing to international gemological journals.

Far East Gemological Institute has tied up with PACE academy at Singapore Polytechnic to conduct basic courses in gemology. The institute is also organizing a diploma course by HRDAntwerp, (which represents the Belgian diamond industry). It has also been appointed an official training center for the Gemological Association of Great Britain.

“My research is published in journals all over the world and I am often the only Asian to be at prestigious by invitation only gemological events,” says Tay. “The thing about this industry is that there is room for anyone who has the passion and the right attitude, to go very far.”

Visit www.gem.com.sg or www.cet.sp.sg for more information.

City News traces the exciting journey of Shekinah Harvest Church through the eyes of its senior pastor, Sim Chee Teck, and his wife Serene Lo, who built this ministry from scratch.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHEKINAH HARVEST CHURCH

Shekinah Harvest Church, led by senior pastor Sim Chee Teck and his wife Serene Lo, consists mainly of a group of creative and artistic youth. The church has gone through many challenges in order to get to where they are today; considering that both Sim and Lo have no prior pastoral experience or church-planting training.

Sim says, “It started in December 2000 when I felt the Lord was speaking to me through a pastor-friend to spearhead a ministry. Since then, I started to pray and seek the Lord for His direction.”

Meanwhile, a few friends who had left the faith turned to Sim and he began to minister to these lives through regular counseling and encouragement. Several months later, as Sim was praying one day, the word Shekinah flashed through his mind.

“I knew instantly that the ministry I would be pioneering was one that would minister to the down and out, all for the Shekinah glory of God. I knew that whatever we would do in this new ministry needed to have the presence of God because Shekinah in Hebrew means the indwelling presence of God’,” he says.

On June 3, 2001, Sim took a step of faith and birthed a house ministry under the name, Shekinah Place.

The early years were challenging as the congregation was young and growing in their walk with God. Sim had to strengthen the spiritual lives of his flock. Sim explains, “As most of my pioneering members had ‘broken wings,’ I had to counsel frequently. Financially, it was also very challenging as all of us were ordinary working folk.”

Thankfully, the couple received spiritual support in the early years of their ministry from the senior pastor of City Harvest Church, Kong Hee. Sim remembers how Kong would avail himself to help the church and advise him on many areas of building the church. Sim also received constant encouragement from Tan Ye Peng, the deputy senior pastor of CHC, who ministered to Sim and Lo during the challenging seasons of their ministry.

Apart from pastoral backing, CHC helped to develop the sound and music ministries in SHC. Through the years, the training and assistance proved to be fruitful as SHC saw growth in the creative aspects of their church.

In September 2001, they held their service at Singapore Christian Conference Centre, and here, God began to expand their vision, to reach out to people beyond the four walls of the church. SHC saw the need to be relevant in reaching out to the masses, especially the youth. As a result, through their evangelistic and outreach efforts, SHC saw many young people give their hearts to God and get planted in church.

Two years later in July 2003, SHC was officially registered as a society and became an affiliate of CHC under the name Shekinah Harvest Church.

Although the ministry was now officially a church, both Sim and Lo understood that there was still a need for them to be properly trained and equipped to build a church that would house the Shekinah glory of God. The couple enrolled themselves in the School of Theology in 2004. At SOT, Sim and Lo went through many important lessons and experiences that helped to shape SHC into what it is today.

Sim reveals, “SOT taught me many precious lessons. It was not just the knowledge that impacted my life; it was the atmosphere and the ministry as a whole. I have learned that building one’s spirituality is of much importance, and excellence is required of us whenever we serve God.”

After his graduation from SOT, Sim returned to his church and began teaching and emphasizing the need to build a strong spiritual atmosphere in every aspect of the church, from Bible study to cell group meetings and prayer meetings. At the same time, Sim also shared with his members on the importance of discipleship and the need to shape lives according to the ways of God. He then taught his members to embrace a spirit of excellence and shine for God, “Do everything to the best of your ability,” he told them.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SIM CHEE TECK

What is their key to balancing ministry and home life?

“There is a time for everything. Ministry and church work should never be an ‘idol.’ At the end of the day, it’s the family that matters most—no one else can replace the responsibility of the man in the house. I take my family very seriously, especially raising my two kids, Joshua and David, whom God has entrusted to me and Serene,” says Sim.
The future looks bright for SHC as the church works to attain their five-year goal of reaching 2,000 people for Christ.

For more information on Shekinah Harvest Church, log on to www.shcsg.org.

Art meets psychology in this social enterprise.

Contributed by Wayne Chan
Science + Art = Utopia?
This is the equation that Adeline Yeo, co-founder and creative director of social enterprise Living Experience, uses to help individuals discover their inner selves and realize their full potential via art.

LE provides organizational consultancy for the public, private and social sectors, as well as one-on-one personal development. Yeo and LE’s managing director, psychologist Frieda Loh, have started a positive movement to empower individuals seeking self-actualization, via positive living experiences.

Launching this movement through an event, Le Phoenix, last Thursday evening (which coincided with her 33rd birthday on April 15), Yeo was a bubbling pool of emotion and gratitude, as she addressed a well-dressed crowd at the event at 308 Phoenix Park, a venue belonging to her god-sister, Jasmine Chan. The building was torn down the following day to be rebuilt into an art therapy wellness center for LE.

Elim Chew, Founder-President of 77th Street and Director of Social Innovation Park was the special guest of the evening. A long-time friend, Chew expressed how proud she was of Yeo’s new venture.

The enterprise also channels a portion of its profits toward selected not-for-profit organizations.

Forty-three works of art were up for sale. The art, mostly phoenix paintings by Yeo and photographs of street scenes in Saigon, taken by Albert Tan of Olive Tree Studio, went on sale from S$600 to S$4,200 a piece. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds go to social enterprise PaTH.

One of Tan’s most powerful photos captured a severely deformed boy playing in blissful oblivion with a pretty little girl of about the same age. Tan immortalized the girl laughing with the boy as he leaned his misshapen mug over her shoulder playfully.

It is this kind of psychological well-being amidst painful circumstances that Yeo hopes to achieve through her movement. This exhibition was a cathartic expression for the artist, and through it, she demonstrates the work LE wants to do.

Yeo’s own experience in the grueling world of public relations taught her about the pain of putting up appearances and dealing with stress in silence.

CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan

“It’s really not easy being in the PR industry,” she said. “Managing people’s expectations can be very overwhelming. Many times I felt like giving up but I decided to hang in there.” Now, Yeo has a new purpose for her public relations skills with LE. The former fine arts student decided last year to scale back on her PR work and pick up her paintbrush again. Her first work was a phoenix painting so striking that it was silkscreened onto a gown that was auctioned during a Fuchsia Lane fashion show early this year.

Guests were spoilt with an array of desserts, fine wines from Peng Wines, and a variety of Schnapps from Deeb. Some were eager to snap up the pieces of art.

One of the buyers, who identified herself only as Angela, bought a painting of a colorful pattern of hearts with the word “Love” written repeatedly across the canvas. “It’s a very happy color, and I can share this with little children, especially with my son,” she smiled.

On LE’s psychological aspect, Yeo explains: “Our work is about finding out people’s strengths, finding out what they want through our scientific method for self-actualization. Next, we introduce art as a way to reach out to them. When they communicate back to us, we’ll know how to manage them from there. The entire journey will culminate in a piece of artwork, the visual result of their experiences.”

Through LE, Yeo hopes to help individuals to attain the achievements they envisage for themselves and to think richly. “It’s not just about championing a happy movement, but it’s about building psychological wealth inside and out.”

Visit www.le.com.sg for more details.

Students organize a song and dance concert to raise funds for youth at risk.

At age 15 and 16, most students are usually seen after school, scouring Orchard Road and Far East Plaza, for deep discounts, non-stop shopping and catching the latest movie in town. Then there are some youths who are different—who choose to believe that they have what it takes to improve the lives of other young people.

A two hour-long song and dance concert entitled “Pizzazz” was held on March 13 in the concert hall of Anglo-Chinese School at Barker Road to raise funds for Beyond Social Services, a welfare group for youth at risk.

The event, which was professionally conducted and organized, was birthed when a group of four Secondary 4 girls from Nanyang Girl’s High School— Crystal Wong, Simone Lim, Zheng Xiao Han and Jessy Zhang—came together in August last year and made the decision to do good in society and have fun while at it. Hence, out of this creative initiative, Team Beyond ’10 was started.

Apart from organizing the entire concert from scratch, these young and resourceful volunteers went the extra mile by street-busking and selling stress balls, badges, T-shirts and other knick-knacks. They also stationed themselves at various points along Orchard Road with donation tin cans, filling up more than 100 within a day.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TEAM BEYOND ‘10

To put this project together, the four of them persuaded and roped in 11 other friends from Hwa Chong Institution (High School), River Valley High School and Anglo-Chinese School (Barker). As with all great dreams and visions, success comes with a price—time, hard work and sacrifice. The girls had to meet up after school hours almost daily in order to organize the concert and street sales. For their charity cause, they had to set aside “luxuries” such as shopping sprees and movies, so that they could make this project a success.

It all paid off in the end. The concert was attended by over 300 people and approximately S$3,000 was raised.

Wong, the project leader of the team shared with City News about how Project Beyond ’10 came about. “One of my friends approached me to organize the ‘Pizzazz’ concert to help raise funds to fight delinquency among disadvantaged children and youths. I thought to myself, ‘What a meaningful project!’

“We faced many challenges as we lacked experience in most of the aspects involved in the fundraiser. We had to be creative with the resources we had and think of ways to raise funds, gather sponsors, coordinate volunteers and source for merchandise.”

She added, “We felt this sense of achievement when we poured out and counted the money raised from the donation tins. We also achieved our aim, which was to promote community-mindedness and inspiring other young people to start their own charity project.”

This group of young people prove that with enough heart, a fundraiser of such a scale can be entirely organized by youth, supported by youth, to reach out to youth—looking beyond their own needs and spreading love for others in their community.

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About Team Beyond ’10

Team Beyond ’10 is currently working on its fundraising project under National Young Council’s Young ChangeMakers scheme.

Their beneficiary is Beyond Social Services, an organization that runs a range of preventive, restorative and developmental programs and services designed to fight delinquency among children and youths. Their objective is to help disadvantaged young people to move beyond their problems to become youths that value education and seek to become responsible persons.

Team Beyond ’10 endeavors to raise a total of S$16,000 for Beyond Social Services, to serve more than 11,000 young people and 5,500 of their caregivers.

City Harvest Church’s donation to the Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board will enable more needy students to receive bursaries and scholarships for their education.

Contributed by Daphne Lee

By the end of 2010, close to 17,000 students across various walks of life would have benefited from the bursaries given out by Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud (Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board), amounting to a total of over S$12 million.

Playing a part in this worthy cause is City Harvest Church, which recently donated S$20,000 to LBKM. Founded in 1965, the scholarship fund board helps needy Singaporeans in the area of education, regardless of their race or religion. CHC was recognized as a donor to LBKM’s fundraising efforts on its 45th Anniversary Dinner Celebration, held at Mandarin Orchard Hotel on April 16.

Tan Ye Peng, vice-president of the church’s management board, says: “This is the first time that CHC is donating to LBKM but it is not our first time making a donation to non-Christian organizations. CHC has been giving to non-Christian organizations that are doing a good work in our community, and we will continue to do so as part of our commitment to inter-faith collaborations and unity.”

At the celebrations, guest-of-honor President S. R. Nathan presented Tan with a coffee-table cookbook titled Lazatnya … Recipes Of Love. The 150-page book, which was officially launched by the President, is in Malay and English, and contains culinary recipes contributed by the Istana and various embassies and ethnic associations. Fifteen thousand copies of the book will be sold to fund LBKM’s bursaries.

LBKM awards bursaries to students pursuing religious and secular education starting from primary up to post-graduate level. The value of each bursary ranges from S$200 to S$3,000. This year, it aims to step up its efforts to provide more quality-based and prestigious scholarships, alongside its bursaries to needy students.

CHC also hopes to support the new LBKM Fellowship, which was announced at the celebrations. The Fellowship is a tie-up with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy to offer a master’s degree.

This is the first time that LBKM has received funds from Christian organizations. Its president, Haji Wan Hussin Zoohri says, “I am very happy that we have a mutual respect for each other, and hopefully you will continue to support us in all our scholarships.”

Tan says that the move is a welcomed one as different religions in Singapore are actively involved in serving the needs of those less fortunate and underprivileged in the community.

“This is a common space between all the religions in which we can further grow and work together,” he adds. “We believe these community service partnerships will further enhance inter-racial and inter-religious understanding and reduce the risk of misunderstandings.”

CN PHOTOS: Michael Chan

CHC has been involved in several such partnerships, collaborating with Buddhist welfare organizations and mosques on blood donation drives, and making financial donations to non-Christian charities since 2004.

Over 800 people were present at the dinner celebration. There were representatives from various faiths who also helped LBKM raise funds, including Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society and New Creation Church. The evening was marked by musical performances, a cake-cutting ceremony, a slideshow depicting LBKM’s history and live music by the Singapore-Malay Orchestra.

The finals of Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 1 yielded great performances and a happy team of champs.

Musicality. Technique. Groove. Passion. These are traits uniformly found in the street dance champions who congregated at Singapore’s inaugural Dance Delight Vol. 1 finals last weekend at *SCAPE The Warehouse.

A total of 19 teams battled for the coveted prizes. There was cash to be won, but for these teams, their eyes were on the grand title, which would let the winner compete at Dance Delight Vol. 17 in Osaka, Japan this August. The S$15,000 prize includes flight and accommodation.

Since its inception in 1994, Dance Delight has been a hallmark event for the crème de le crème of street dancers around the world. Up to 10,000 global spectators turn up for this finale event each year in Japan. Over the years, the best street dance teams have been sifted out of China, South Korea, United States and France to join in the final league of competition—a tremendous feat for any Dance Delight street dance hopeful.

It is the first time Singapore will be sending a team to compete in Dance Delight.

Set to become a permanent fixture in the street dance scene in Singapore, the event finals had stirred up so much hype and buzz among the youth and dance enthusiasts that long queues formed at the venue as early as 3 p.m. in the afternoon though the event commenced at 7:30 p.m.

The sold-out competition had a dynamic audience of more than 500 street dance fans, fashionistas, family supporters and loved ones coming together to witness electrifying performances by the contestants, who impressed the judges with their cool stunts and gravity-defying floor work.

“More than 20 of our friends are here to support ‘Look Behind!,’ one of the participating groups. This is my first time seeing such a crowd in a street dance competition. What a surprise!’ said Khairul Nizam, 20, an ardent supporter cum street dancer.
Topped with special performances and a wicked sense of humor from the emcees, the audience was kept entertained throughout the show. It was a refreshing experience for most street dance novices as they were amazed by the level of professionalism put up by the 19 teams. Justin Ong, 20, was thrilled by what he saw. “The dance moves are very fresh, original and very synchronized.”

CN PHOTOS: Nigel Tan

Time passed quickly and after much deliberation from the judges, the winners for Singapore Dance Delight Vol. 1 were finally announced: Joyce & The Boys won the grand title and will be the first local team to represent Singapore in Japan’s upcoming Dance Delight Vol. 17. The first runner-up was The Basic Fives, and in third place, Elecoldxhot.

Though The Basic Fives and Elecoldxhot did not win the ultimate award, they were elated and feeling good when interviewed. Elecoldxhot’s member Dennis Yin told City News: “It was very competitive and we are happy to get recognition from the panel of judges.”

Mr. Machine, the legendary figure and pioneer of Dance Delight, also one of the judges for the night, told City News that the overall performance of winning team Joyce & The Boys was “really amazing and extraordinary.” He added that the winning team can expect to be stretched to its fullest potential when the dancers perform their item on a bigger stage for 10,000 people in Japan.

When City News spoke to Joyce & The Boys team leader Terence Then, he said the team was still “very shocked” by the results and feeling extremely thankful for this opportunity.

“We came for the competition without any expectations. We just wanted to see the other groups and get inspired by them. In fact, the teams are so strong in their dance sequences … it’s unexpected that we won.”

Moving forward, Joyce & The Boys will still find time to hone their skills daily, and to do their homework on Dance Delight. Beaming with confidence, Then said, “It is definitely not impossible for us to win in Dance Delight Vol. 17. We do stand a chance.”

The Presence Conference in Sydney inspires and edifies a group of Singapore delegates.

CN PHOTO: Michael Chan

From April 6 to 9 this year, the Darling Harbour Convention Centre in Sydney, Australia, was home to Christian City Church’s annual Presence Conference. Each day, the venue was packed with people from different parts of the world, who had gathered with the sole purpose of receiving a fresh touch from God.

The conference featured four speakers: Phil and Christine Pringle, senior ministers of Christian City Church, Sydney; J. John from the United Kingdom; and Kong Hee from City Harvest Church, Singapore. Attending the conference were 12 members from CHC.

The Presence Conference is about encountering and experiencing God, and most importantly empowering Christians to make an impact in their cities through the impartation of a fresh anointing.

Over three sessions, Kong shared the Word of God to more than 9,000 people, injecting faith and passion into the hearts of the congregation and strengthening them with the Word of God.

Kong started his first session by laying the foundation of Christian ministry, emphasizing the need for believers to return to their first love in Christ once again. In the second session, Kong shared a message on the Fourth Dimension and living in the realm of faith, because that is where believers learn how to believe, visualize and experience breakthrough. At the final session, Kong preached on the last trumpet, using powerful examples in the Bible to illustrate how God establishes His purposes through different individuals in each generation.

For CHC member, Lim Wee Lee, it was his first time attending the conference. He was impacted by the various sermons that allowed his faith to grow stronger. Said Lim, “The Presence Conference is definitely not just about entering into the presence of God, but also about leaving in the power of God to change the world.”

For Kenny Low, founder and principal of City College, this conference was a memorable experience. On the second day, conference speaker, J. John called Low up on stage and declared a prophetic message over his life: “Your time has come to handle greater things.” John added that God knew the desires of Low’s heart and would be enlarging his capacity to serve Him in a different way. Before praying for Low, John gave a gift to him—his favorite wristwatch, saying that he felt led by God to do so.

Sitting in the audience was Dean Sweetman, pastor of a C3 branch church in California, U.S.A. Sweetman had brought along to the conference a particular watch he had kept for five years, not knowing what would happen by the end of the week. When he witnessed the prophecy on stage that day, Sweetman instantly knew that his watch was meant for John.

Such workings of the Holy Spirit made this an eventful trip for the Singapore team, who returned home refreshed and inspired.

Contributed by Lim Chia Huey

This suspenseful, film noir mystery movie teams Leonardo DiCaprio once again with director Martin Scorsese. This dynamic duo worked together in Gangs Of New York, The Departed and The Aviator.

Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) are two U.S. marshals assigned to the remote and barren Shutter Island, home to the Ashecliff Hospital for the criminally insane. They set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a female patient from the hospital, but as the story progresses, they begin to discover there is more to Ashecliff than the professional and sanitized insitution it appears to be.

As Teddy converses with the staff, mysteries begin to unravel, along with his own sanity. He experiences constant flashbacks from his time in a Nazi death camp, and gets visitations from his dead wife.

What seems to be the truth may not be the truth, as every character is a mystery in this psychologically-complex movie. It is hard to tell who is good or evil; who is telling the truth, or who is the illusion. The breathtaking plot plays with the viewer’s mind, challenging him to second-guess what will happen next and what the ending could possibly be.

The astounding twist at the end of the movie will not fail to satisfy your questions, as order is brought to every detail of the chaos.

To tell you more would be forcing a big spoiler on you, but trust me when I say, Shutter Island is one of the year’s must-see movies!

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