Turnabout Keigo

Written By Tan Wen Hui, Joyce 

Interviewed on March 13th 2008

Last edited on March 26th 2008 

 

 A dedicated businessman, a caring husband and a doting father, it is hard to imagine that Mr Keigo Wee was once a problematic youth expelled from school and an ex-offender, too. 

 Yet as the 32-Year-Old stocky and jovial businessman spoke of his past deeds and achievements, a tinge of boorish cadence lingers in his speech, reminiscence of his early days as a ruffian. 

 A witty but rebellious youth who grew up in a dysfunctional family as an only child, Mr Wee’s circle of friends then, were school dropouts and ruffians who enjoyed staying out late and getting involved in violent gang fights. 

“Back then, I was a ‘chao ah beng‘ who didn’t care what I did and whom I mixed around with. I disliked going back home and even rented an apartment above Bugis market, so I could hang out more with my friends around areas nearby clubs and pubs.” 

 A year later, Mr Wee ran afoul with the law. A minor, he was sentenced to a total of three years behind bars – with one year being spent at the Singapore Boys’ Home and another two at reform school. 

 He was only 15-Years-Old. 

 When his grandmother learnt of his sentence, she became distraught by the thought of her only grandson having to live the rest of his life with a criminal record. 

“When she came to visit me after my transfer to reform school, she lost so much weight I couldn’t even recognize her.” Said Mr Wee in fluent Mandarin as he recalled with distress on seeing how much his grandmother has suffered – thanks to his imprudent acts.  

 It was then he realized that he ought to turn over a new leaf. 

A New Lease Of Life 

 Upon his release from reform school, Mr Wee requested for an immediate enlistment into National Service (NS), where he spent another 2 1/2 years kept away from bad influences within a safe proximity, this time, serving the Government as a civil servant. 

 Armed with neither qualifications nor working experiences, a determined Mr Wee took on a variety of challenging sales jobs which allowed him to prove his worth as a salesman, thereby earning as much as $11,000 a month. 

“Initially, it was tough getting a job, especially in the era where a growing number of University grads are vying for a single job. Moreover, I’m just a PSLE cert-holder.” 

 After having worked for a total of eight years coupled with his extensive experience in the sales industry, Mr Wee decided to set up his own baroque – rococo clothing line catered to a niche group of individuals who enjoy dressing up for special events and occasions. 

 In July 2004, Mr Wee successfully opened Sumairu Gothic Lolita fashion at Bugis Village. His shop imports three contemporary brand names – Sumairu, Gothic Lolita and Punk (GLP) fashion and Banana Fish. 

Today, Mr Wee is gainfully employed as his own boss and is also happily married with an adorable 3-year-old daughter named Atsuki Wee.   

 Subsequently, Mr Wee changed his shop’s name in tribute to his daughter. 

  Currently, Atsuki Gothic Lolita is located at My Playground in Suntec City, level 3.  “Seriously, its not worth getting yourself involved in gang fights. Being part of a gang is nothing glamorous, especially once you are caught red handed.”

“Also, it’s both your family and friends who are suffering while you’re placed behind bars.”

Reviving Old Memories

 

Written by Tan Wen Hui 

Tuesday July 22 2008

 

 In an aggressive battle against rising food and pump prices, self-acclaimed chicken rice chili proprietor Mr Derek Chen, who runs The Big Bird Restaurant at Balmoral Plaza, has made substantive plans to reestablish his restaurant business back at Selegie. 

 

 The jovial 60-Year-Old businessman, who has been in the food and beverage (F&B) industry for almost two decades, has finally made his move last month to conquer over two store units on the second floor of Paradiz Centre at Selegie Road since his flopped business partnership venture which eventually forced him to close down his Selegie outlet in 2000. 

 

 Mr Chen was also left heavily in debt and had to be declared a bankrupt as he could not afford to pay the incurred debts accumulated by his partner as a result of poor sales. 

 

“When we first started out with this business which we opened at Selegie, customers frequented us because they found our chicken rice chili sauce good. I was then, preparing the sauces till we decided to expand our business to Balmoral Plaza.” Reminisced Mr Chen with a smile spread across his sun-beatened face as he leaned over the second floor banister at Paradiz Centre outside his future outlet, hands clasped as he reminisced over his days back at Selegie Road. 

 

“After our expansion, which was a year after we started out venture, I decided to move over to run the Balmoral outlet. That’s when business here at Selegie started to take a downturn as the sauces and dishes prepared by my partner differed alot in taste than mine. So while business at Balmoral remained healthy, business at Selegie dropped.” 

 

 After four years of struggling to cope with poor chicken rice and chili sales due to the unmatched quality in dishes and sauces prepared by Mr Chen’s partner, both men decided to end their four years of partnership, which saw the winding down of The Big Bird Restaurant’s Selegie outlet. 

 

 However, Mr Chen decided to continue on with his pursuit in making delectable chicken rice and chili sauces for his customers. 

 

“Since I’ve been in this line for a substantive number of years, I might as well continue running it and push to perfect the quality of my rice, chicken and chili.” Wreathed Mr Chen delightfully. 

 

 Today, business at Balmoral Plaza is bustling with customers, especially during lunch hour. Patrons from all woks of lives, including the young schoolboys from the nearby Anglo Chinese School (ACS) Barker Road campus, would flock down to The Big Bird Restaurant and savor Mr Chen’s delectable chicken rice chili sauce on steamed chicken rice. 

 

 His wife, Besty, would lend him a helping hand by serving as his restaurant manager while he remains busy in his kitchen, coaching his son on how to prepare his daily dishes while he works hard to further improve on his métier courses. 

 

 To date, Mr Chen has whipped up some 30 odd dishes ranging from his savory lemon grass chicken rice down to the coolest yet crispy acres of his cold crab. 

 

 In addition, he has also conjured eight uniquely flavored chili sauces, with his chicken rice chili sauce remaining as his restaurant’s top selling sauce. 

 

 Each bottle is sold for SGD 8 and is only available at The Big Bird Restaurant. 

 

 

Tan:  You seem to enjoy the art of preparing dishes. What was it which got you 

          first interested in F&B? 

 

Mr Chen: Initially, I started preparing chili for my family. That was when I got more 

                engrossed in what I was doing and aim to perfect my chili. Later, I experimented

                my chili out on chicken rice and likewise, aimed to perfect my dishes. Only after

                all these three elements were made perfect, I decided to open up The Big Bird

                with my partner, who at that time, was helping me out with the experiments. 

 

Tan:  How well-known was The Big Bird back then at Selegie? Was it similar to 

         household brands like ‘Ayam Brand’? 

 

Mr Chen: Quite well-known. Business was packed before I took over running the 

                Balmoral outlet. 

 

Tan: When your initial outlet at Selegie Road first folded, what were the challenges

        faced apart from monetary issues and how did you cope with these challenges? 

 

Mr Chen: Business at Balmoral was as usual as most of our regulars would 

                come down to support us. The only inconvenience is that customers are unable

                to locate us at Balmoral when they visit us for the first time there. And it is also

                difficult to travel down to Balmoral as the nearest MRT station is a far walk 

                down to us, so we ended up losing some of our regulars. 

 

Tan:   With your new outlet reopening back at Selegie but at a different location,

           will business be just as good as before? Also, what was it that inspired you to 

           reopen business at Selegie, especially at during this time of the year when 

           inflation rates are soaring, not to mention that petrol imports are increasing? 

 

Mr Chen: We were running The Big Bird back then at Selegie, to improve our current 

                business, my wife and I decided to open back an outlet there so customers within 

                that area could come down to savor our tasty chicken, rice and chili. 

 

Tan: What do you perceive of the future of The Big Bird in another 10 years time? 

 

Mr Chen: (Laughs) Luck! Without luck, no matter how good your business is, you won’t 

                 succeed. That’s why some stores which sell lousy food manages to remain 

                 strong because of luck! So more luck! 

 

Tan: Any last parting words/thoughts to your customers?

 

Mr Chen: We’ll continue making the best chili and dishes because we’re already the best!

The Sad Truth About The Design Industry

Written By Tan Wen Hui, Joyce 

 

 With an increased turnover in design graduates from both the local polytechnics and arts institutions, fresh graduates are finding it harder to secure a stable job in an agency which pays them well. Many of these graduates who do not find employment in agencies which values them will eventually find their pays stagnated for years. Also, economic downturn has a part to play in the decadence of opportunities in the creative industry. 

 While the future in the creative industry may seem bright for fresh design graduate Miss Fiona Ng, she is cynical about the little prospect of success her probable job offers. 

 Miss Ng, who receives an average of 4 phone calls a day from various art agencies seeking her creative services since the start of her graduation show on 8th March 2008, was more than reluctant to answer their calls. 

 Instead, she gave her prospective employers an indefinite response before pressing down the cancel button on her mobile phone. 

 ”Most of these callers are from design and printing houses trying to offer me a position as a graphic designer in their company but I was unwilling to accept their offers because I know these guys are looking for cheap labourers who are also all-rounders.” Said the 22-Year-Old Visual Communications graduate who majored in publication design at the Nanyang Academy Of Fine Arts (NAFA). 

 “I would prefer to work for an agency which values my services alongside providing me with better pay, learning experience and job advancement opportunities. That way, I’ll be motivated to work harder and produce quality work which will do the company good.” 

 Miss Ng previously interned at renowned Asian advertising firm Bates Asia last November, where she spent 1 1/2 months churning out concepts for advertisement campaigns under their creative team. 

 Likewise, there are many talented individuals like Miss Ng who finds it hard to gain valued employment in the design industry as the local market is small and over saturated to house the growing number of professional designers and fresh graduates. 

 As reported by First Media’s CEO Mark Phooi on brandsterindonesia.com, both the design tertiary institutions and polytechnics annually churn out qualified designers by the thousands. 

 These graduates specialize in various design disciplines but are not trained as managers. 

 Career advancement opportunities are therefore – limited, whilst the constant evolution of technology further reduces these graduates to becoming desktop artists who work longer hours compared to administrative staffs. Also, the lack of regard for employee-employer contractual obligations and poor human resource practices in agencies contributed to this nationwide stagnation. 

 Only a handful of these practitioners are able to rise the ranks of managers and directors through years of industry knowledge and experience. 

 A recent salary report found on jobstreet.com showed a list of senior graphic designers on hire for as low as SGD 1,700/month. 

 Vice versa, there are experienced designers who request for low salaries in desperation to secure a job which pays them better than their previous companies. Foreigners and tertiary undergraduates in particular, are willing to take up jobs for any amount of pay given in exchange for their portfolio. 

 These market spoilers pose a huge threat to the creative sector by encouraging clients and employers to further push down the design market rate charges, especially during economic downturns which could lead to stagflation – persistent inflation combined with high unemployment and stagnant demand in a country’s economy. 

 Multimedia graduate Celine Ho, 20, spoke of her experience as a designer for a local firm that clients, too, are also out to cut costs, whilst expecting quality work in return within a limited timeframe. 

 ”Clients do not know how the production process work and how tedious it is to create a flash icon from start. That’s why they think since we’re trained designers; we’re able to solve the problem fast. That’s unreasonable.” 

  To overcome possible stagflation and provide designers with better career advancement opportunities, an integrated Visual Communication with Business Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program was initiated early this year between NAFA and Uni Sim. 

 Upon graduation, graduates are able to find employment as managers in the advertising, media and design sector. Graduates will be well equipped with the functional knowledge required in business, including management, economics, marketing and law aside artistic skills related to communication design. 

  However, Miss Ng begs to differ, following news reports on possible stagflation amid an economic slowdown announced in the Straits Times on 23rd June 2008. 

 ”Whatever the case is, design and employment is largely dependent on our economic situation. There’s no escape.” 

 ”Also, those who wish to study design, please think twice about it. Don’t do it for interest sake.”

BKFK And Pearson International Launches Inaugural Digital Arts Contest To Promote Local Arts Sector

*Assignment, Copyrighted Tan Wen Hui, 2007*

For aspiring animator Miss Alison Goh Li Min, nothing beats more than earning a name in the visual arts scene.
The 18-Year-Old Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts(NAFA) student is currently undertaking her diploma studies in Multimedia with high hopes of becoming the next Mitsuo Fukuda, producer of the popular japanese animation series, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed/Seed Destiny.
To ensure a secured entry greeted with multiple job offers upon her graduation into the multimedia industry, Miss Goh decided to take part in “D-Revolution”, an inaugural Digital Arts Challenge contest launched by both the BKFK and Pearson Foundation Ltd, aimed at drawing local arts enthusiasts’ participation to showcase their works of creativity in conjunction with the government’s bid to promote the visual arts sector in Singapore.
“By participating in the ‘D-Revolution’ arts contest, I hope to see myself achieve the top award so I could earn myself a name in the multimedia scene. Also, getting a job would be much easier for me, too.” Spoke the jovial teenager, smiling from ear to ear during the interview over high tea at the opening ceremony of “D-Revolution”, held at the Pan-Pacific Hotel’s grand phoenix ballroom yesterday noon.
Attended by some 1,600 creative students and personnel, which includes homegrown filmmakers Royston Tan and Eric Khoo, who each bagged numerous creative international awards for their outstanding creativity in filmography, “D-Revoultion” hopes to attract 1,200 participants in its five visual arts categories – digital photography, digital design, digital photo-media, multimedia and fine arts.
The winning entrant of the contest will walk away with SGD 10,000 in cash and an internship opportunity at Saatchi and Saatchi, Singapore, a leading advertising and design multinational corporation.
Entrants are welcomed to submit a maximum of six works under the five different categories, attached with their entry forms which can be obtained either at sponsor schools or the following five locations in town, Suntec City information counter, Ngee Ann City Shoppers’ Mall, The Forum, Plaza Singapura, Scotts Isetan and Tangs’.
An administration fee of SGD 10 per entry is applicable upon submission. Entries are to be submitted at the drop-box at Raffles’ City Shopping Centre’s information counter by 15th December, 4pm.
Judging criteria for each category is based on 60% creativity, 20% execution and the remaining 20% on conceptualization.
Sponsors includes BBDO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, Dreamworks International, Milowerkx Studios, the Ministry of Arts and Foreign Affairs and NAFA.
For more information, please visit:- www.D-Revolution.bkfkpearson.com

TAN WEN HUI
infinitesaviour@gmail.com

Havelock Road Assault Leaves 48-Year-Old Man, Dead

*Copyrighted Tan Wen Hui, 2007*

Six of the nine men who allegedly took part in a deadly gang fight last September 16th, which resulted in the death of their victim along Havelock Road, were sentenced in court yesterday noon for manslaughter.
Four of them, Mr Norezam Bin Moshin, 28, Mr Abdul Shahed, 27, Mr Abdul bin Razak and Mr Mohamad Rizal Mohamed Amin, both 23, received similar sentences of 10 years imprisonment and 12 strokes of the cane.
The fifth man, Mr Mohamed Hishamadi bin Rahmat, 34, was sentenced to 10 years and handed down 18 strokes of the cane for a more deadly role in the attack while the sixth, Mr Khairul Iskandar, 21, was given a lighter sentence of 7 years imprisonment and 6 strokes.
Iskandar willingly surrendered himself after policemen embarked on an island-wide search for the attackers five days later, therefore lightening his sentence.
The victim, 48-Year-Old technician Mr Zainal Nek, was confronted by the nine men gang armed with knives outside a seven-eleven convenience store near Club Momo at Central Square. He was with his girlfriend.
Outnumbered and unarmed, Nek tried to flee his attackers but was chased, stabbed while on his escape route along Havelock Road. He succumbed to his injuries near the Subordinate Courts at 5.15 a.m with a total of 78 stabbed wounds.
All six men, who were part of a motorcycle gang, appeared to be sullen and remorseful at yesterday’s hearing. Four wanted to apologize to Nek’s family, others said the victim himself was ‘no angel’.
They regretted taking part in the attack and had no intention of killing Nek.
A physchatric report showed that the six men, with the exception of Mohamed Hishamadi who suffers from mild depression, were in the right state of mind when the attack was launched. Reports also concluded that they were under heavy alcohol influence, which caused them to react violently during the attack.
Neither of the six attackers knew who Nek was.
Instead, they pointed out they were ployed into the attack by 27-Year-Old Nur Rizah Mohamed Zainul, who planned the attack. All six men received a call from Nur Rizah that fateful night, indicating their help to ’settle some stuffs’.
They were told to initially gather at Kelentan Lane at midnight for a face-off with a rival gang member but were later headed for Central Square, where their rival usually hangs out.
Nur Rizah is currently still at large with two others.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Francis Ng and Shawn Ho pressed Justice Choo Han Teck for a deterrent sentence, citing that Nek did nothing to have angered the gang to pursue his life, despite their defense lawyers attempt to downplay their roles.
All six men were first time offenders. They did not resist arrest and were also cooperative during investigations.
Family members and friends of the six charged men were seen in tears after their sentences was passed.
Each men held a lower secondary education and were led astray by bad influence since young. They were determined to change for the better upon release and aspired to continue with their studies while serving their terms.

TAN WEN HUI
infinitesaviour@gmail.com

Elderly man sighted feeding pigeons at local tourist hotspot raises important healthcare issues

*Copyright Tan Wen Hui, 2007. This article is not meant to be taken for YOUR editing, except for the mentioned writer*

Yesterday afternoon, an investigative team of Matthew Yap correspondents caught sight of an elderly man in his sixties feeding a flock of pigeons outside the Goddess of Mercy temple situated in the heart of Waterloo Street.
In spite of a visual ‘No Feeding Pigeons’ signboard placed 4 metres away from feeding site, the man continued his feed.
“They’re just hungry, so he fed them.” Said another elderly man who was interviewed while resting on a bench nearby.
Approximately on a daily basis between the hours of 8-10 am and 2-5 pm, there would be at least 3 individuals who would purchase a bag of rice from the nearby food centres to feed the birds.
These birds are fast multipliers and begin breeding at the tender age of 6 months. If fed well, breeds faster.
A ban together with a fine of SGD 500 was imposed in 1993 to curb feeding pigeons as the government feared an overpopulation will not only soil our surroundings but also pose greater health risks to the public.
Residents residing in the vicinity faces a higher risk of developing health problems if this issue is not resolved.
The Ministry of Environment and Water Resources(MERW) addressed the above issue over an email sent that they will look into this matter seriously.
If necessary, they will launch public health campaigns specially targeted at elderly citizens to educate them on the dangers of feeding pigeons, which may lead to death due to excessive inhalation or contact with pigeon droppings.
Pigeon droppings contains a type of bacteria which causes hazardous health problems such as:-

Cryptococcosis
This disease attacks both the lungs and brains and is transmitted through inhalation of pigeon droppings contaminated with encapsulated yeast (fungus) Cryptococcus neoformans.
Symptoms include chest pain, dry cough, swelling of abdomen, headache, blurred vision and confusion.

Psittacosis
This disease attacks the lungs, and neurologic complications may occur, possibly leading to severe pneumonia requiring intensive-care.
Also known as ornithosis or Parrot Fever, psittacosis is caused by a bacterium called Chlamydophila psittaci (formerly Chlamydia psittaci).
Symptoms include fever, chills, headaches, muscle aches and dry coughs.

Gastroenteritis
Also commonly known as food poisoning, stomach flu or gastric flu, gastroenteritis is transmitted through contaminated food and water via infected pigeon droppings.
Symptoms include severe stomach pain, diarrhea and/or vomiting.

Elderly residents residing in pigeon infested areas are strongly encourage not to feed these birds. Anyone displaying any of the above healthcare symptoms should seek immediate medical help.

TAN WEN HUI
infinitesaviour@gmail.com

‘We Don’t Need No Education’ Arts Exhibition To Promote Visual Arts In Singapore

*Copyright Tan Wen Hui, 2007. This article is not meant to be taken for YOUR editing, except for the mentioned writer*

A soft-spoken, well-mannared gentleman with a compelling passion for the arts, 22-Year-Old Mr Jason Lee Jia Sheng appears to be a harmless dormouse to any individual.
Yet, what lined the walls of his exhibition space at his first collaborative art exhibition, ‘We Don’t Need No Education’ together with four other art enthusiasts, were intriguing, still works of conceptual photography which strongly revolves around the subject of controversy.
A libertarian activist who strongly embraces the term ‘Freedom Of Expression’ has led Mr Lee on his quest to produce provocative artworks which piques his viewers’ attention in an attempt to spur their notions to dwell on the discourse of his artworks, which has strong messages in relation to social issues.
“Art has to be provocative and is also a good medium to convey your inner-most thoughts and feelings to others in a creative manner.” Commented the youth on his two sets of neatly framed artworks, which was made distinctive for its clean execution.
His two sets of works which are entitled ‘Blood Money’ and ‘Learned Helplessness To The World’, are works in which Mr Lee previously worked on while undertaking his diploma studies in Visual Communications (Photography Design) at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) from July 2003 – 2006.
These works were done as part of his final year project, was once placed on public exhibition during his graduation show last March.
‘We Don’t Need No Education’ marks Mr Lee’s very first art exhibition since his graduation.
Organized by youth entrepreneur Miss Zain Ismail, ‘We Don’t Need No Education’, is an inaugural mini arts exhibition which comprises of five different artists, both locally and internationally, to group together and share their best works of art.
During the exhibition’s opening evening on the 27th October, a total of 200 odd people attended the opening ceremony, coupled with a pair of buskers who displayed a couple of their magic tricks to hike up the sophisticated atmosphere.
Held at the La Libreria Gallery, located above Bugis Village, ‘We Don’t Need No Education’ aims to promote both the Visual Arts and arts appreciation in Singapore and also, showcase the talents of the five young budding artists.
Artworks are grouped into three different Visual Arts categories – Photography, Illustration and Painting and are also set for sale to the public between SGD 110 – 2,000 per artwork.
Mr Lee is currently serving his two years of national service and is also simultaneously working on various art projects to keep himself updated while under government service.
He hopes to either find a well respected job in the visual arts industry or pursue an arts related degree course.
“Meanwhile, I would proceed to advance my quest to produce more artworks based on social issues which impacts us, most. It can arise from anywhere in this vast continent, so as long they don’t pose as a threat to our national ideologies. That’s illegal!”
For those interested to view Mr Lee’s portfolio, please go to :-
www.geocities.com/leejiasheng.

TAN WEN HUI
infinitesaviour@gmail.com