In an article contribution, Associate Professor Thang Leng Leng, Department of Japanese Studies, discussed the rising numbers of Chinese tourists in Japan and other countries around the world.
Assoc Prof Thang opined that it is a welcomed phenomenon as it has brought about economic benefits to host countries and convenience for Mandarin speakers during travels. At the same time, it gives Chinese tourists the opportunity to expand their horizons as well.
Associate Professor Chia Ngee Choon (Department of Economics) and Associate Professor Wong Yunn Chii (NUS School of Design and Environment) will represent NUS at the “Housing, Inclusion and Social Equity: An International and U.S. Perspective” symposium on 30 November 2015.
The symposium, hosted by Brookings Institution, the Next Age Institute (NAI) – a collaboration between NUS and Washington University in St. Louis, as well as Duke University, aims to better understand international policies and practices of housing inclusion by bringing together political leaders, scholars and others with important perspectives to offer.
Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam will be sharing insights on how Singapore uses housing policy and urban planning as levers for stability and social inclusion.
The event will be a live webcast from Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
To register for the webcast, click here.
To find out more about the Symposium, click here.
In an article contribution, Mr Thinesh Kumar, a student from the Department of Geography and Dr Cecilia Tortajada, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Water Policy of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, had opined on Singapore’s food security.
Both authors noted that Singapore is considered as one of the most food-secure countries in the world in spite of its dependence on food imports and miniscule agricultural sector.
They added that with factors such as a robust and changing food demand, global price volatility, fewer exporting countries and more importing ones, there is a need for Singapore to adopt a multilevel perspective when approaching the business of food security.
In an article contribution, Professor Mohan J. Dutta, Provost’s Chair Professor of Communications and New Media and Director of the Centre for Culture-Centred Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) at NUS discussed the rise of the Hindu right in India since last year. As a result, it has brought about an increased pressure on religious freedom of minority groups.
He opined that the secularism that once defined the spirit of India and offered the mainspring for its national imagination is now under threat.
He added that in order to safeguard the polymorphic vision of India as a land of contradictions, differences and multiplicities, the Indians in India and diaspora communities must stay ever vigilant and speak up.
Isaac Lim Jue Hao, a final year Theatre Studies major from the Department of English Language and Literature, has won the top prize at the annual 24-Hour Playwrighting Competition with his play Between Consciousness.
The competition was organised by TheatreWorks Writer’s Laboratory Writing & Community in partnership with the South East Community Development Council. This year’s edition was held from 6 to 7 June at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) which boasts of lush greenery that provided a serene and calm environment for the promising playwrights to develop their plays.
Recently, we caught up with Isaac to congratulate him on his achievement and to find out more about his winning entry Between Consciousness.
1. Congratulations on the achievement! How do you feel about the award?
It came as a surprise! I was not expecting to win anything this year. This is my fifth time participating in the competition. I attempted a different style of writing this time round and am glad the work resonated with the judges. I’m very encouraged by the award as it recognises my effort as well as my craft. It pushes me to want to explore playwrighting and creative writing even more.
2. Why did you decide to join the competition?
I’ve always been interested in playwrighting and have been regularly taking part in the competition. This year, however, the impetus was definitely the unique venue – the IMH at Buangkok Green. It’s a place that I would not have visited if not for this opportunity. I’ve always treated the event itself as less of a competition and more of a writing retreat. I love to write and taking a weekend off to generate new work cannot be a more perfect break from everything.
3. Tell us more about Between Consciousness.
Between Consciousness is itself an exploration of mental illness and society. The play itself is non-sequitur and crazy. It runs as two parallel stories; one tells about a father and his autistic child and another a mental health doctor coming to terms with expectations of his patients, family and the society. I’d like to think people have alter-egos between different consciousness in their minds and one can never can quite tell fantasy from reality.
4. What was the inspiration behind it?
The father and child story was inspired by a teacher-mentor of mine, who regularly shares stories about his autistic child and their adventures. It has made me rethink about children with special needs and how society looks at them.
At IMH, we learnt that there are many “mental illnesses” that are not apparent to the society. I decided to attempt a pastiche of it all which was presented in a madcap way and hopefully is serious enough to shed light on the matter.
I myself have had episodes of epileptic seizures and a distant cousin with a mental illness thus my personal experiences or “adventures” contributed in part to my writing.
5. Describe the 24-hour playwriting competition experience. (The difficulties faced, the memorable bits etcetera)
We were given the – for the lack of a better word – craziest yet creative stimuli at different times throughout the 24-hour period. These items had to be incorporated into the play in chronological order of their appearance. This includes specific lines a character said and non-specific abstract “objects” like Mamee Monster snacks or a black thrash bag filled with air. They say experience makes it easier, but I’ll deny that. You can never quite expect what the game-masters throw at you, so you just have to keep writing.
It is interesting to make friends at such competitions. Everyone is there to indulge in the passion of playwrighting, so chatting and sharing snacks and drinks during the long night is really fun. It’s akin to a big sleepover party with the most diverse bunch of creatives. It’s nice hitting ideas off one another. Writing is not all that mundane and anti-social act.
6. What is your takeaway from the competition?
Everyone is a bit mental but we should never shy away from admitting or recognising that.
With regards to the competition itself, I believe there is no fixed way of writing for a competition but it is definitely best to try different styles. Even if we don’t emerge as winners, we will walk away with a piece of fresh writing and an experience that is unmatched. The accomplishment of finishing a writing under such constrains is in itself pleasurable in many ways.
7. What are your future plans with regard to theatre and the arts?
I’m currently a final year Theatre Studies major, so I will definitely will be involved in theatre and the arts in one way or another. I do hope that upon graduation, should I not find a job in a theatre organisation, I will still find time to play with like-minded peers. I like to write as much as I like to devise works thus hopefully I will continue to push my creativity and generate new works in the near future.
TheatreWorks 24-hour playwrighting competition winners with guest-of-honour Dr Maliki Osman
The Faculty wishes Isaac all the best in his future undertakings!
A/P Konstadina Griva’s book “Caregiving in the Illness Context”, which she co-authored with international colleagues, has just been published by Palgrave Pivot. A description of the book is provided below; click on this link for more details.
With more and more people of all ages living with chronic illnesses, greater numbers of family and friends become caregivers. A major focus of health professionals and scientists is to maximize quality of life among those living with illness and those caring for them. As health care systems around the world become limited in what people can afford, informal supports – primarily family and close friends – are being called on to care for ill people. Yet, the task of providing care takes a toll on caregivers’ health and well-being, including depression, social and family strains, increased physical illness, and diminished quality of life. Caregiving in the Illness Context synthesizes current research and brings attention to how personal, social and structural factors affect caregivers and how the research literature has informed emerging interventions to help caregivers.
Ms He Yingshu, a Chinese Master’s student, was among the two authors featured in an article on this year’s Golden Point Award – Singapore’s biennial creative writing for short stories and poetry by emerging writers. This year, a total of 43 participants were recognised for their literary excellence. Ms He was awarded for her short story entitled “Pregnant Fish” which she had written over a period of two days, developed from a 150-character micro-blog message into a 5000-word short story.
In an article contribution, Associate Professor Wong Sin Kiong, Department of Chinese Studies, had reviewed a recent book that he had edited and authored titled Transregional and Cross-disciplinary Studies on Hakka Culture. The book features cross-disciplinary research on the Hakka culture.
Professor Vineeta Sinha, Head of the Department of Sociology and South Asian Studies Programme and Professor Lily Kong, SMU Provost, had co-edited Food, Foodways and Foodscapes – a book of ten essays that introduce readers to food as a window to the social and cultural history and geography of Singapore. The book was launched at the National Library yesterday.
Theatre Studies Major, Mr Lim Jue Hao Isaac has won won the top prize in this year’s 24-Hour Playwriting Competition with a play titled “Between Consciousness”. The competition was organised by TheatreWorks Writers’ Laboratory Writing & Community, in partnership with the South East Community Development Council.
