Artistic Directions

On June 21st, I and a few boh-liao bioengineering students visited the Peranakan Museum and National Museum. Instead of being inspired to blog about that arty-historical outing, I decided to become arty-farty myself.


So, loosely adapted from Matthew Ngui's Points of View and an eccentric combination of SEM and fluorescence microscopy images...

I present the world-premiere of my maiden series of pseudo-artwork (accompanied by quasi-notes-on-works),

Gelatin-<

Unity/Disunity

This work circles around the most populous country in the world, People's Republic of China. It portrays an unlikely marriage between the Sichuan earthquake and the Beijing National Stadium (Bird's Nest). In an international sporting event which promised to showcase China's powress to the world, it ended up marred in a disarray of protests and boycotts. But in a tragedy that threatened to break the country apart, the opposite happened.

Within disunity, there unites.

Linking Lives

Produced while studying in New Zealand, Linking Lives examines the bonds human beings form in their lifetime. The artist challenges his audience to review the emotional, spiritual and social bonds that we construct for ourselves. Can these bonds restrict us for a liberated life?

Peninsula in Strip

Peninsula in Stripes is one of Kelvin's most complex works of late. Superimposing various cutouts in thoughtful randomness, it compels the audience to make sense in apparent haphazardness. The different layers of cutout delineates the history of time, representing the territorial pursuits of man.

Triumph of Green

A politically inspired work.
The triumph of an entity and the despair of another is depicted by the interplay of two primary colours. At the brink of decimation, an epic struggle continues to inspire the human race to new heights.

Dedicated to oppositional politics in Singapore. Past, Present and Future.

Twisted Lies

Form or shadow?

Twisted Lies expresses the artist's philosophical yet melancholic take on life. The shadow represent the difficulties of life while the central structure celebrates the tangible successes. Sometimes, the shadow seemingly overwhelms the structural success, but without the original form, it is nothing.

Every cloud has a silver lining. And every lining looms another cloud.

Keeping aBreast

The month of July is already round the corner and with the ongoing internship at Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), I still find myself busy busy busy, even to the point of not being able to blog.

As usual, I've been caught up with the most mundane things, such as checking mail, online shopping, reading political discourses.

Checking my IBN mail has always been about navigating through spam. They range from free invitation to endless seminars at Biopolis or NUS, to open requests of various chemicals/cells from fellow staff, to occasional news on autoclave machines catching on fire.

Real Example:

Hello All!

My apologies for the mass email. I am looking for SKBR-3 breast cancer cells, if you have some to spare, please let me know!

Thank you!

Lunging Lunches

It's unbelievable but it's officially over a month since I started my internship at IBN!

At least once a week, lunch would be a long-stretched affair. Compulsorily copious amount of fellowship and gossiping.

Megabites at NUS

Yes. I know it's heresy but we actually took a bus down from Biopolis to Science Fac in NUS.

Well, I'm not complaining though.

Coffee Culture at Biopolis

Surprisingly good and serves teh tarik!

Then last Thursday, to celebrate (can't find a better word... Ha) Kangwen last week, our supervisors treated us to an Indian lunch at Raj!

The cups was arranged in a way to look like a smiley.

Well. At least it's SUPPOSED to...

The curries were great though too mild to water my palate. I particularly loved the one which had a strong nutty (cashew) flavour. That said, I wouldn't recommend the Mango Lassi. It was tasted like commercial mango yoghurt drink.

Of course, after great lunches, the day would not be complete with slacking at a pantry.

Nope, it wasn't just the usual scenic pantry I posted before, but one which came with a coffee machine!

Me happily steaming my milk.

And it's big.

And if lunch was a disappointment, why not throw in more snacks!

Complete with bean bags to sleep in (or camwhore)...

Okay, enough about my internship at IBN.


On 12th June, I dined at one of the most atas place I've ever been in Singapore. (At least without the financial support of my parents...)

North Border Bar & Grill

Located at Rochester Park, opposite Biopolis, it serves American Southwest Cuisine.
While initial plans were to dine at lush One Rochester, it was unfortunately packed... On a Thursday Night!
While the website of North Border looked little clumsy (http://www.northborder.com.sg/), the food served certainly blew me away.

Lamb Chops with Mojito

From the modest-looking vegetables to the mash potatoes to the succulent medium-rare lamb to the sauce... it felt meticulously prepared with the sides complementing the main very well.
My only qualm was that the lamb could be slightly less chewy (read: fatty). Other than that, it was arguably one of the best dinners (and most expensive) I had this year.

Yet, after all the above feasting, people have commented that I looked like I've lost some weight...
Hmmm...

Rantings of an Underperforming Bioengineer

30th May 2008 was a day of dread and hopeful anticipation for NUS students as it marked the release of results. To me, the release of results had traditionally been my pinnacle of distress colluded with cruel curiosity.

In my first semester as a freshman, I received my results in the form of an sms delivered to my handphone. I can recall vividly how I was taking an afternoon snooze, only to be awakened by this "random sms". It took me a while to digest the contents, before realizing that it was my results.

This semester, the day of destructive joy or joyful destruction fell on a Friday, the day I was slogging off in IBN. It was a kind of cheap thrill, but I logged in promptly around noon on the confocal-microscope-connected-computer in the cell culture room.

And indeed, I managed to chalk up more than just a first in checking my results in a new location. If I had to surmise my emotions in two words, it would be "Disturbingly Painful".

Nonetheless, I thought I took the faux calamity in stride. Still, it really got me thinking about the point of my university education. After all, I would be in my final Honours year as a Bioengineering undergraduate in NUS after my 3 month internship in IBN.

A preoccupation with grades

Grades in the form of CAP (in NUS) or GPA (in NTU) is easiest, most convenient and realistic way of segregating the academic prowess of each individual student. Yet whether it's fair and holistic would be contentious.

As an under performing student in NUS, I would vehemently protest against the ritualistic use of CAP as a sole criteria for various programmes such as scholarships and overseas exchange opportunities. However, any other alternative methodology I can think of would probably paralyze the inefficient administrative staff.

So unfortunately, students have been noxiously shelved in a caste-like system:
First-Class, Second-Upper, Second-Lower and God forbid... Third-Class.

With my languishing CAP, I have often asked myself unhelpful questions like:
1. Should I have studied harder?
2. Maybe I shouldn't have gone out on weekends during the semester.
3. Have I been studying stupid (as opposed to studying smart)?
4. Would I have excelled if I chose NTU instead of NUS? (Apologies for being politically incorrect but that is what my narrow-minded brain loves to explore groundless speculations.)

Of course, as soon as I ask myself these questions, my schizophrenic other-half would toss up a counter-argument and rationalizes that I had put in all the effort that I can.

An Epiphany (Okay, maybe epiphany is a bit of a stretch.)

But I've come to conclude that:

Hard work is not a definite guarantee for good results.

I performed worst on the semester when I burnt almost all my Saturdays in NUS doing tutorials and revising my work. The modules which gave me the worst results were also the ones which I invested the most time and effort. On the other hand, my aces came from modules which I hardly tore my head over.

Diligence is a key to success, but it is not the only key.

As such, I can no longer allow the illusive goal of better results to be the key motivation in my last year of study. While I will probably not curtail my inane senseless habit of staying back late at night in NUS to do work, or my religious completion of tutorials, I officially refuse to be led by the endless array of stress.

So what now?

I am a bioengineering undergraduate who can write better than I solve equations; play the piano better than I can tap the calculator; prefer perusing political books to scientific journals.

In a couple of months, I would be the lao-cheow (old bird) in the undergraduate community. As the decision between an academic route and a non-academic one becomes more pressing, I can only pray for light at the end of the tunnel.