Edward Chia, the co-founder of the popular music bar shares the secret behind the sustainability of his business.

Contributed By Raymond Tan

Edward Chia (right) with U@live host Viswa Sadasivan. PHOTO COURTESY OF U@LIVE .

Edward Chia—a youthful 27—is the co-founder and manager of the well-known Timbre live music bar franchise. But as he revealed during his speech at the U@live forum, held at the Shaw Alumni House, National University of Singapore on June 29, it was not business genius which led to Timbre’s expansion from a humble bar-cum-bistro to a strong entertainment brand with a music academy to boot, but a grounded approach toward education and a clear-cut business mission.

When Chia first started the business back in 2005 with his friend, he was still an undergraduate at the National University of Singapore, studying Economics and Political Science. The business took off after two years, but Chia stayed the course and completed his studies. When asked why he did not drop out of school to focus on his business, Chia mentioned candidly that he had made a promise with his parents—in return for their support, he assured them he would stay in school to finish his degree.

Chia also does not believe in deliberately going the school-dropout route, a choice that has, in recent years, been made popular by the likes of Bill Gates. To him, the essence of school—a sturdy education—has allowed him to be much better at his business. “What I learned in school really helped in my business. The economic and political theories I have learned have been really applicable to my business, and just learning to analyze things so much better has helped me out a lot,” he shared.

Besides embracing education, Chia exhibits a down-to-earth approach towards his business. “Money is important; without any profit or revenue, people will not be willing to invest in your company, and that will hinder your company from accomplishing what it wants to do,” he said.

He then proceeded to clarify that Timbre is not a social enterprise. The company does not use a part of its profits for any charitable cause. Despite his very measured approach to his business, it is ultimately idealism that drives Chia: he believes unequivocally that companies do not need to give a part of its profits to a charitable cause in order to create social impact. At the same time, giving back to society should not be constrained merely to social enterprises.

While Timbre does not contribute monetarily to altruistic causes, Chia stated that at the core, it is the desire to nurture talents and develop the local music scene that steers the company. He aspires to play a part in the founding and nurturing of the Singaporean soul through the company’s contributions to the local music industry. It was with this vision of helping musicians that Timbre was started.

This belief in encouraging home talent has become Timbre’s trump card. Chia explains that because business in Singapore is so competitive, every company must have a very clear niche in order to survive. As an extension of its vision, Timbre has started a music academy to groom musicians. When young musicians rise through the ranks with the right combination of talent and attitude—and Chia is a stickler for good attitude—they are eventually given a chance to perform on Timbre’s stage.

U@live (pronounced “U-alive”) is a monthly forum showcasing members of the NUS community who are championing causes for the betterment of society. Log on to www.nus.edu.sg/ualive for video recaps and other information.

Contributed By Raymond Tan

The Lost Bladesman is based on Luo Guanzhong’s historical novel The Romance Of The Three Kingdoms, one of China’s greatest literary works. The film focuses on themes of honor and integrity through the story of Guan Yu, portrayed with panache by Donnie Yen (of Ip Man fame).

Set during the Eastern Han Dynasty, the story opens with Prime Minister Cao Cao (Jiang Wen) plotting to dispose of his political enemies and destroy rival warlord Liu Bei’s (Alex Fong) army. He then takes Liu’s two wives, future concubine and other members of his family hostage, as well as Liu’s sworn brother, Guan Yu (Yen). Cao greatly admires Guan and wishes to retain him, but Guan’s loyalty is with Liu. When Cao finds out that Guan was once in love with Liu’s future concubine, Qilan (Betty Sun), he sets a trap to lure Guan into temptation. Guan escapes with Qilan, but to get to Liu, they must cross five passes and fend off many obstacles along the way.

That writers-directors Felix Chong and Alan Mak chose to focus on the story of Guan Yu is a nimble move to present a different vantage point from John Woo’s martial arts/war extravaganza Red Cliff, also based on the same book. Though smaller in scale, this film is not lacking in heart. The visual poetry is stunning; the grace with which Guan fights is symbolic of his honor and integrity, and the set is never outlandish but visually arresting, fluid and coherent. A must-watch, especially for fans of ancient Chinese history.

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Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), a decorated army captain recently deployed in Afghanistan, awakes with a startle on a Chicago commuter train, only to be completely confused when a fellow passenger (Michelle Monaghan) mumbles something about taking his advice—he has no idea who she is or why he is on the train. A few minutes later, a bomb goes off and he is jolted awake—and finds himself, for no apparent reason, in a cramped capsule.

A mysterious officer named Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) starts giving him orders on a video screen. She tells Colter that he is part of an experimental program that uses a “source code” to send subjects back to replay the last eight minutes of another person’s life. Colter’s assignment is to find the man who sets off the bomb on the train in order to stop the next big scale attack on Chicago.

The pop-science premise here may come across as implausible, but everything that happens in the realm of the “source code” is so realistic that the audience will not find any of it ridiculous.

There is a sense of gripping urgency that director Duncan Jones imbues into the film, quickly accelerating the tempo of the action midway through but still keeping it tight and coherent.

An impressive performance by Gyllenhaal, Monaghan and Farmiga also helps add heart and tenderness to the thriller. Suspend your disbelief, sit back and enjoy the riveting ride that is Source Code.

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Renowned architect advocates the rethinking of rural and urban spaces to alleviate poverty.

Contributed By Raymond Tan

Tay Kheng Soon delivers a talk about social change through urban planning. PHOTO COURTESY OF U@LIVE

At the monthly U@live event, at the Shaw Foundation Alumni House on March 30, Tay Kheng Soon, a principal architect at Akitek Tenggara and adjunct professor at NUS, presented his thoughts on Rubanisation—the title of his talk, and also a term referring to the reconceptualization of rural and urban spaces as one same space. He purports that this change in mindset is necessary in the effort to eradicate poverty.

U@live showcases members of the NUS faculties who champion causes for the betterment of society.

To make his point, Tay said that people living in rural areas will want to go to the urban areas in search of a better life. Because many will wind up jobless due to being unskilled, they will land themselves in the slums of the cities, where crime thrives and poverty is rampant.

He further suggested that when cities improve the living conditions of the city slums, it will only act as incentive for more unskilled residents in rural areas to move over to the cities, and the problem of poverty is perpetuated. The only way to stop this vicious cycle is to improve conditions in the countryside, and to do that, Tay believes that it is necessary to stop viewing rural areas as a separate space from urban areas.

Tay’s controversial thinking raised some eyebrows, but his track record gives weight to this idea. One of five first locally-trained architecture graduates and post-colonial architects in Singapore in the 1960s, Tay has built himself a reputation as one of Singapore’s foremost thinkers, particularly in the area of urban spaces. He has been a member of independent think-tank Singapore Planning and Urban Research Group since 1964, which influenced decisions such as moving Singapore’s international airport from Paya Lebar to Changi.

Tay’s rubanisation theory proposes the building of new landscapes which bring four key attractions of urbanisation to the rural areas of a country: medical research and treatment, academic research and teaching, media, arts, content development and entertainment, and finally, material culture and shopping.

Tay’s vision is for a “living web spread over valleys and waterways, co-existing with farms and plantation forests. The web will be punctuated by clusters for education, entertainment and manufacturing.” Ultimately, his call is for a conscious global effort towards rebalancing the urban and the rural, the wealthy and the poor areas.

Rubanisation may be a long way off but already, some countries are beginning to think along these lines (see How To Build A Sustainable Social Enterprise, above).

Even for those who disagree with Tay’s vision, it’s impossible to miss his underlying desire for people to broaden their thinking capacity, to use the right brain as much as the left.

Contributed By Raymond Tan

This past year has seen enough of Chinese films featuring a heavy-handed treatment of political themes—the Ip Man franchise and recent martial arts blockbusters like Detective Dee and Shaolin, while entertaining with their well choreographed fight scenes, are also suffocating with their overwrought directing and nationalistic elements.

So, it’s timely that a wacky film like Let The Bullets Fly comes along. Jiang Wen, who wears three hats here as director, writer and actor, gives the Western an Oriental twist.

A rip-roaring, dizzyingly exciting sequence opens the film, where a train carrying new county governor Ma Bangde (Feng Xiaogang), his wife (Carina Lau) and personal advisor/professional swindler Tang (Ge You) is hijacked by notorious bandit Pocky Zhang (Jiang). Tang ends up dead in the aftermath and Ma, who bought the position of mayor of Goose town, steals Tang’s identity to avoid being killed. Zhang himself takes over as mayor and cheats the townsfolk to make a quick buck. Needless to say, his arrival is not welcomed by ruthless local mobster Huang (Chow Yun-fat). The two try to outwit each other, resulting in much action and hilarity.

One might think the hallmarks of the Western film genre—the blazing gunfights, rapid-fire dialogue, hard-boiled protagonist with a heart of gold—might have nothing to do with the sprawling land and history of China, but Jiang successfully transposes those elements into an Oriental setting. That said, some of the political metaphors and jokes might be difficult to grasp if one is not familiar with the mainland culture. Overall, the film is wildly hilarious but not senseless, filled with anarchic energy while staying coherent, and is both an entertaining and a smart watch.

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The drama team uploads a 21st century Easter story.

Over the years, City Harvest’s Easter production has gained a reputation for its original storylines that underscore the significance of the season in contemporary yet relevant ways.

This year’s drama is titled Life-book and director Jaslynn Khoo, promises that the churchgoers will not be disappointed. She refuses to reveal much except that while Easter plays are typically period dramas, Life-book takes place in modern times.

The publicity postcard provides a hint: Both the title and graphic interface bear close resemblance to Facebook. Khoo reveals that “[social networking] will be a tool in the drama and will be instrumental in whatever happens in the plot.”

CHC’s creative director, KC Gan is even more cryptic. “What price are we willing to pay to ‘win’? If we have to win at all cost, have we already lost? The drama will explore these issues and struggles, through the gospel story presented from a new angle.”

Cast member Timothy Wan says, “I think people will enjoy seeing the story of Jesus being told in a relatable and modern manner.”
Despite the contemporary setting, Khoo says that there will be “parallel scenes” in the story to help the audience relate to the story of Jesus. “It will almost feel as if Jesus is walking among us in the 21st century.”

Life-book will be performed at seven services next weekend, starting from Good Friday.

PHOTO: POH YANGZHENG

Chinese New Year gets members off to a prosperous start with a timely message on how to sow and reap a great harvest.

Chinese New Year came early on Feb. 12. At City Harvest, two services were held on Friday evening in lieu of the weekend services, as the weekend marked the start of the festivities.

Both services kicked off with praise and worship that included Chinese New Year tunes with Christian lyrics. Each congregant received a small gift pack containing two mandarin oranges and a pack of specially-designed CHC red packets.

Senior pastor Kong Hee shared a message on the 10 “laws of the harvest”, which was particularly apt as it emphasized the principle of prosperity during this auspicious season.

Contrary to what some think, “harvest is not a natural phenomenon,” he said, explaining that some rules must be followed in order to get a harvest of thirty-fold, sixty-fold or a hundredfold.

These rules constitute the 10 laws, including basics such as the simple fact thatyour seed must be planted. “God moves by faith, not by need,” said the senior pastor, hence it is not biblical to think that if one had a need, one should expect a harvest. As written in Genesis 8:22, without seedtime, there is no harvest. Also, one has to render his seed useless to him. “You can’t sow a seed and keep digging it up to look at whether it’s growing,” he describes. “When you give, don’t have strings attached to your giving.”

Kong expounded on some key points on sowing which were an eye-opener for the church. “Your harvest size is decided when your seed is sown,” said Kong. “When you don’t know how big a harvest you’ll need, always sow extra to get more than enough!” It is important to sow in bad times, so that when the harvest comes, it spells the end of bad times.

He also explained the importance of sowing in good ground. “Farmers look for good ground to sow seeds to get a harvest,”he described. “Would you put your money in a small bank that’s on the verge of going under? Be harvest-minded. Don’t go for the need of the ground; go for the harvest it can bring!”

Finally, Kong drove home the most important two points: Part of every harvest is for sowing again, so that one enters into a continual cycle of sowing and reaping; and never forget that God is part of every harvest. “Pray and bathe your giving in prayer,” was his timely reminder. It was a great word to help church members start the year auspiciously and on the right foot for prosperity.

Kong Hee’s sermon will be available on CD soon at Attributes bookstore or at www.attributes.com.sg.

1. Your seed must be planted.
2. You must render your seed useless  to you.
3. You must plant what you expect to harvest.
4. Your harvest size is decided when your seed is sown.
5. Your seed must be planted in good ground.
6. The harvest always takes time.
7. Maintain your crops for a proper harvest.
8. Always sow to your harvest size.
9. A part of every harvest is for sowing again.
10. God is a part of every harvest.

The adage “actions speak louder than words” is personified in Talking Hands not just because it is a mere belief but because it is their way of life.

Talking Hands is an extended arm of City Harvest Social Services Association, providing support and other outreach services to the hearing impaired community. Talking Hands currently serves up to 120 clients from all around Singapore.

On December 13, 2009, in conjunction with the festive season, Talking Hands threw a Christmas party for close to 100 guests including clients, volunteers and staff of Talking Hands at Roland Seafood Restaurant, a popular dining locale nestled in the heart of Marine Parade. The theme of the party was “Celebrating Christmas in Style” to which, attendees came dressed up for the occasion.

Talking Hands organizes seven to eight events in a year for its clients and volunteers. Sign language courses and training are held regularly for volunteers to aid communication with the hearing impaired.

The event kicked off with icebreakers — games to help “break the ice” among the attendees and facilitate communication. In the first game, everyone had move around with a sheet of paper containing names of people present at the party. The goal was to seek those people out and list out two to three fun-facts about them. The second game was a test of memory where attendees had to work together as a team to remember and list out as many items as possible from a picture that was flashed to them.

The games, although seemingly elementary, was evidence to show that barriers in communication are not impossible to overcome when all parties are willing to interact and work together.

PHOTOS: Lee Boon Bee

The program for the night continued with a Best Dressed competition. Here, many of the hearing impaired defied the stereotype of being dull and outmoded as they showed up in their sharp and snazzy outfits. The night would not be complete without Christmas carols, albeit a little different from the norm. Volunteers displayed nothing short of sheer dedication as they signed to the lyrics of popular Christmas tunes such as ‘Last Christmas.’ Some of these volunteers had only taken up sign language a couple of months ago, but have been practicing daily in the weeks leading up to the Christmas party.

The night ended with prizes given out to the winners of the ice-breaker games, the best dressed and the lucky draw. Prizes included house

Many prizes were distributed in the course of the event. The 3 winners of the ice breaker games were rewarded with prizes, and at the end of the event, many prizes were also given out during a lucky draw, some of which included a rice cooker and a juice blender.

The hearing impaired community present for the event proved that real handicap is always in the mind. No matter what obstacles one may face, if there is a will, there will surely be a way.

Held over two consecutive Saturdays on 14 and 21 March at a park near Tampines Sports Hall, the Sports Fest was an event organized by a zone led by Audrey Ng, a Zone Pastor of City Harvest Church.

It saw a turnout of more than a hundred people, with a large portion of the participants being new friends. The objective was to have fun and form teams to compete in a popular games like basketball, street soccer, and captain’s ball. There were also two novelty games, dodge ball and frisbee.

Wesley Chan, 16, a member in the organizing committee said, “I thought having frisbee available as a filler game in between waiting for matches was really cool. It helped me to relax and have fun with my friends.” He went on to explain that for those who are less inclined towards sports like basketball or soccer can try their hand at dodgeball and frisbee, which are considerably less physical and competitive.

Another interesting feature was the mixed-gender Captain’s Ball teams as teams consisted of representative from each gender. Hah Zeng Min, a referee at the event, was impressed that the “girls gave the guys a run for their money” and put up a good fight.

At the end of the day, regardless of whether they won or lost, all the teams enjoyed themselves tremendously and not even the rain could dampen the spirits of the participants, as many were seen smiling as they made their exit.

Chan believes that the day of playing sports together with his friends helped him to bond with them. He applauds the zone for organizing such an event, and hopes similar ones will be organized in the future. “It gave us the opportunity to bring our friends to join us to have fun, bond with our churchmates as well as let people know that we Christians are capable of having fun.” Judging by the show of solidarity in the shared hugs and warm pats on the backs at the end of the event, he must have been right.

On 21 December 2008, adults under Audrey Ng’s (AN) zone came together to sing their way to the hearts of many elderly and needy people. The event, Singcerely Yours, was a community service project that sought to bring joy to the elderly and the needy through practical gifts and songs.

Volunteers comprising mainly of working adults and young families visited homes to sing a few popular tunes, give away food hampers and offer their helping hands to the less-privileged families. Many of the volunteers were not trained singers, yet they worked hard to put up a good performance. Judging by the many smiles that day, it seems their efforts definitely paid off.

There were two main objectives for Singcerely Yours. The first was to foster a sense of community spirit among the young adults and working professionals to participate actively in such community efforts. Many participants were first-time volunteers and the organizers hope that through the exposure from this event, they will develop a passion to be a positive influence in the community.

The second objective was to reach out to the needy and to bring about some festive cheer during this Christmas season. Despite the gloom due to the impending economic recession, the organizers believe such an event will bring some joy to the hearts of the elderly and needy.

PHOTOS: Lindy Yeo

The event took place at the Dakota and Chai Chee estates and the volunteers were divided into small groups to visit homes in both locations. The home visits started with a song item, which included carols, retro hits and even Cantonese and Hokkien songs. After the song item, the volunteers spent some time interacting with the families and also handed them a thoughtful gift hamper.

The event was a highly successful one. The elderly and needy had a healthy dose of Christmas cheer spread to them that day and the organizers believe the event has not just been a blessing to the residents of the estate but the participants as well.