We were looking forward to meeting all of our friends at the venue and having a great laugh with his signature humour.

But fret not, for we thankfully live in the age of the internet, where almost all comedies, from recent live stand up shows to TV shows of the past, are stored for our viewing pleasure.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy our selection of funny moments. After all, there’s nothing like a good laugh to help us clear our mind, right?

What are YOUR favourite comedy videos? Let us know in the comments section below, or better yet, send us the links on Facebook or Twitter!

Spending the whole recess week in Thailand sounds like a nice treat for any NUS student, doesn’t it?

But when you realize this break in the semester could be very useful to catch up on assignments and study for tests, you start thinking maybe such a trip could be a risky ordeal!

That’s what I, along with other students who signed up for the Thai Painting and Drawing course (Module Code: SE3224), committed to when I chose to take this course.

Many NUS Students have never heard of this module before and are surprised to hear that it even exists in our curriculum! Most modules are theory-based, and seldom involve such hands-on work.

It consists of a weekly lecture and a tutorial once every fortnight. We spend lessons either learning about Thai Art History, or learning to draw traditional Thai art elements.

Getting the basics is essential for Thai art, and the whole two-hour lesson can be spent on practising a particular pattern, painting it with Chinese ink, and having our lecturer Dr. Johnson critique it.

Even though I do some design modules, like Game Design or Publications Graphics, this is the only class where I spend most of my lesson and preparatory time doing actual drawings.

It brings back fond memories of my time in Secondary School when we all had to go through compulsory art classes as part of our curriculum. I miss those times, and these Thai art classes are reminiscent of those lessons. The two-hour lessons pass so quickly; sometimes I feel like just staying back in class to continue to draw and paint!

Another unique part of the module requires all students to go on a compulsory trip during the recess week to visit temples with traditional murals and immerse ourselves in authentic Thai culture.

This might seem like a lovely holiday to most, but to NUS students the recess week is a precious time for us to catch up on schoolwork that we were lagging behind in.

Hence, I was initially very reluctant to go on this trip, especially because of the number of commitments I had to give up. Furthermore, before the trip, I hardly knew any of my classmates as I had taken the module on my own.

I only started packing for the trip the night before, and even overslept and arrived half an hour later than the appointed meeting time (thank God for budget terminal delays)!

I changed my mind when we touched down in Bangkok and got to our hotel room, though.

What awaited us was a lavish hotel room with an attached kitchen and 2 huge beds for my roomie and I. This really surprised me, as the trip was heavily subsidised and made very affordable to us.

I thought that maybe this trip wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

What we did on the trip was mostly to visit temples to take a look at the murals painted by amazing Thai artists of the past.

Mastering traditional Thai art is a lot about copying, and it is these classical works which we are trying to emulate when we draw and paint during class. Getting to see the authentic hand-painted murals was really quite an experience — it’s hard to believe that people were actually capable of painting such intricate and beautiful designs!

Dr. Johnson educated us about the origins of the temples, and more Thai art history as we visited temple after temple. It was tough, sometimes, to keep up with so much information, but we had to (the post-Bangkok quiz he planned for us after the trip ensured this)!

My favourite day of the itinerary was when our class got to visit the Pok Chang School of Fine Art in Bangkok, a university renowned for its outstanding art students.

This university teaches all kinds of art, including contemporary and even digital art, but Dr. Johnson specifically brought us to visit the Traditional Thai art section of the university.

There, we were allowed to view exhibits done by the students themselves. There were sculptures, paintings, and many different kinds of artwork, and to us, every single one of them was a masterpiece. I think all of us felt a little demoralised after seeing such magnificent work.

We also had the chance to talk to one of the lecturers at the university, who was so kind and patient as to draw and demonstrate his skills on the spot for us!

He told us that he is one of only 3-4 artists in Thailand who is an expert at charcoal drawings. What an honour it was for us to meet him and have him draw for us!

After looking around the students’ work, we were allowed to sit in during a traditional Thai art lesson and watch how the students work! This was a really fun experience for all of us, especially since the students were very friendly and helpful! They showed us their work, and demonstrated how to draw basic Thai Art elements like krajangs and kenoks. Though they are young, they’re so talented, and it was inspiring just watching them draw.

The lecturer even gave us a crash course on basic Thai art, and demonstrated how to draw with TWO hands at a time!

Aside from the daily planned itinerary, we were given quite a bit of free time to do whatever we wanted. So aside from immersing ourselves in Thai culture in the day, we continued to immerse ourselves in the rich culture of Thai night markets at night!

Every night was a journey to a new night market, filled with all kinds of affordable merchandise and interesting buys! We were lucky enough that our hotel was in a perfect location, within a close distance to many night markets and shopping centres!

On one night, one of the research assistants even kindly brought us to a night market near her house! To get there, we had to take a boat, to avoid the terrible road traffic jams famous in Bangkok. The boat functioned like an MRT train (except on water), complete with “boat stops” that resemble “train stops”!

After returning to our hotel rooms from a full day, complete with a fruitful shopping trip, we often spent the night relaxing and working on our drawing homework! It was a lovely week indeed, a perfect getaway in the middle of the semester.

Upon coming back to Singapore, we realised that we really burnt a whole week away. There was so much to catch up on! I immediately felt the weight of my responsibilities and commitments back home the moment I touched down.

It was as if we were temporarily transported to a world where we could forget our responsibilities as students for a while.

On this trip, I really got to know my classmates better, most of whom I have never talked to at all before the trip. Spending a week with strangers can really do wonders to cultivate new relationships and friendships.

Many of these new friends reading the module with me come from totally non-art-related majors such as Life Science or Material Engineering, but we all have a common love to draw. Some of them tell me that this is the only module that they truly enjoy in school.

We all lead hectic and busy lives, and many of us, being third and fourth year students, had to drop a lot of commitments to take this one-week “break” for the trip. But when so many colourful and interesting people get to spend a week together in an interesting foreign place, the experience is always rewarding.

Want to share your own unique experience? Write them in the comments section below or send them to us on Facebook or Twitter!

Singaporeans today are becoming more conscious of what they’re eating and why they’re eating it.

As such, many young people are turning to vegetables to balance their nutrition.

But eating out is quite difficult for suburban Singaporeans looking to increase their fresh vegetable consumption; hawker centres and food courts serve a lot of rice, noodles, meat, and fish, and most vegetables are cooked as a side dish, not as a main dish.

There are of course stalls offering vegetarian options, but as good as their signature dishes may be, they lack “oomph!” and variety.

There are basically no fresh vegetables offered in fast food outlets, and many restaurants will serve them oily.

So where can one go to enjoy an affordable and varied plate of veggies?

There’s actually quite a number of niche cafes and restaurants that have slowly become hot new spots for Singaporeans to enjoy veggies with fellow vegetarian and non-vegetarian friends!

Places like Vegan Burger (44 Jalan Eunos) are popping up all over the island, and their signature soya or mushroom patties make for a great burger experience!

Even the most extreme meat-lovers will approve of their fries sprinkled with seaweed instead of salt and the use of ingredients such as fresh pineapple and organic leafy vegetables!

The great al-fresco dining area and funky interior design of this café also make it a must-visit for anyone looking to spend a nice breezy evening out with friends!

Most Singaporeans know about the many Indian restaurants that dot Serangoon Road in Little India, but there’s a new fusion restaurant that stands out amongst the many others.

Café Salivation (75 Syed Alwi Road) is a small café that sells Western-Indian appetizers and main courses such as Paneer pizza (fresh paneer cheese, tomatoes, pine nuts, raisins and fresh herbs) and enchilada remo (fresh tortillas stuffed with stir-fried vegetables, tomato sauce, and white cheese sauce).

The casual ambience of this comfortable café contributes to people salivating even before they’ve completed their order of tasty delights!

For some classic Chinese vegetarian fare, Ling Zhi Restaurant (Novena Velocity Mall) have some traditional vegetarian buffets that use mock meat, seasonings, and fresh vegetables to create light meals that are both nutritious and tasty!

This restaurant is known for its calm interior, tasty food, and exquisite flavours!

As you can see, eating out is not necessarily an obstacle to balancing one’s diet with lots of vegetables!

There are plenty of choices out there, and worst-case scenario you can always ask the staff to recommend a healthy option of a dish!

Enjoy!

Got a favourite place or dish to recommend? Leave us a comment in the section below or contact us on Facebook or Twitter!

Fan boys (and girls) rejoice! The seemingly impossible task of assembling the mightiest of superheroes from the Marvel universe into one movie turns out to be a spectacular, rip-roaring success!

Ever since the first hints of an Avengers movie surfaced after the enormous success of ‘Iron Man’, the online buzz has been nothing less than deafening. With the gradual sign-on of other cast members such as Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), audiences’ expectations have been pushed to a fever pitch.

One of the main themes throughout the movie seems to be the challenge of getting an ensemble of damaged people with their own serious issues to band together for the greater good.

This means getting the infamously self-centered and narcissistic Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) to rub shoulders with the patriotic and systematic Captain America (Chris Evans), while the hot-headed and bulky Thor (Chris Hemsworth) will have to accommodate Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo as the new Hulk), who has obvious anger management problems.

And sure enough, this colossal clash of egos becomes an important plot point here, as the friction between the powerful heroes provides a glaring weak spot for main villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to take advantage of.

Loki – adoptive brother to Thor – has a master plan that involves the invasion and colonisation of Earth by creatures from another world, and it is up to S.H.I.E.L.D’s Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to put together the dream team that will help stop the destruction of the planet.

Joss Whedon – creator of the beloved ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ series and this year’s mind-twister ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ – should take full credit for writing, directing and bringing to life one of the most ambitious films in the genre of superhero flicks.

The strong plot carefully constructs the motivations and involvement of every character, allowing the audience to marvel (pun intended) at their favourite Avenger in action. Screen time is shared fairly, and every hero has his or her moment to shine.

Of course, Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark gets some of the best lines and audience reactions, as his character acts like a constant cocky rockstar. But Ruffalo’s Hulk deserves a mention; filling in for previous ‘Hulks’ Eric Bana and Edward Norton, Ruffalo’s brooding turn as the genius physicist battling with his inner (green) demon effectively depicts the painful struggle he goes through to suppress a very dangerous wrath.

The movie should also be applauded for piling on the large-scale showdowns that showcase every hero’s strengths and powers. Captain America leaps and zips with agility, while Thor wields his hammer with thunderous results. Iron Man also thrills with his rocket flights and gadgetry while the Hulk has a (literally) smashing good time.

Even Hawkeye and Black Widow – being the only two ‘mortals’ among gods and super-humans – get highlighted in a particularly nail-biting hand-to-hand combat sequence, proving once again that sometimes a good old fight can still be real exciting to watch.

Rarely has a wildly anticipated blockbuster lived up to its hype, but ‘The Avengers’ does exactly that. We will just have to wait and see if the summer’s next big movie, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, can achieve that feat.

Till then, have a great time at the movies!

Being a great listener has helped her work as counsellor and she’s been able to help many young people surpass their emotional obstacles.

She was very happy to meet us to discuss her experiences, which she also shares on her blog, on her Twitter, and on her Facebook.

1. How did you become a counsellor?

Actually, I started out my career as an engineer. After spending 6 years as an engineer, I felt that I preferred working with people than with machines. I pursued a post-graduate degree in Master of Social Science (Counselling) which allowed me to switch fields to counselling. During my first job as a counsellor in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Counselling Centre, my clients were mainly young men serving their National Service and both male and female SAF regulars. Last July, I made a dramatic switch from working in a military setting to working with adolescent girls in a school setting when I joined Raffles Girls School.

2. What are some of your day-to-day activities?

Since RGS is a school, my day-to-day activities vary according to the school schedule. What is nice about working here is that we are like a family and I interact with the students and teachers during assembly, in the canteen, along the corridor and just about anywhere around the school.

During the normal school term, girls may walk-in to talk to me about their issues or I may see them based on their scheduled appointments. Sometimes, groups of girls will have conversations with me about ideas and opinions concerning some research assignments or community projects in which they are involved. Of course, teachers also drop by from time-to-time to discuss their students’ issues.

3. What does your job consist of exactly?

My job mainly consists of listening and talking to the girls and working through their issues. The girls who see me may be troubled or overwhelmed with various types of stresses: academic, relationships with friends and family, personal struggles and so on.

4. How would you define your role as counsellor?

I call myself a fellow traveller because I journey alongside the people I work with. I don’t see myself as an expert, as someone who knows everything about life. In a way, I’m sort of a facilitator, I don’t lead or follow, but I help them in their journey so that during the process, they can build their own strengths and eventually be on their own.

5. What part of the job do you find most rewarding?

The most rewarding part of my job is to be able to connect with people at a very deep level. My job is very interesting and enriching and there is never a dull moment because no one person is the same – each story is unique and different. In fact, my job does not feel like work and I look forward to learning something new about others and myself every day.

6. Do you have any memorable anecdotes to share?

One of the students was referred for counselling because of a disciplinary case in school. She was extremely distressed because her friends and teachers lost trust in her. It was difficult for her to reach out to her parents for support because she felt ignored and unloved by her parents. She felt that her parents paid more attention to her younger brother who was not doing well in school and was often showered with gifts and rewards if he made any progress or had any academic achievements. She studied very hard and did very well in school but she did not get the recognition and affirmation she hoped for from her parents. For a long period of time, she felt very isolated from her peers as well as her family and that made her very unhappy.

Over time, she slowly re-built the trust and friendship with her peers. In fact, she realised that her friends had already forgiven her and what she needed to do was to forgive herself and stop berating herself for what she did. At the end of last year, she decided to try to improve the relationship with her parents so she took the courage to initiate a conversation with them. She shared with her parents how she had been feeling and the difficulties she was experiencing. What was remarkable was that her parents did not brush her off and negate her experiences. Instead, they listened intently and were open to what she had to say. Her parents made efforts to spend more time with her and engage in various bonding activities together. I remember how happy she was during Chinese New Year, when she gave me some of the pineapple tarts which she and her mother had baked together.

7. How can youngsters channel their sadness, angst, anger, frustrations?

Youngsters can do so through creative expressions of art, music, and the body. The following are some examples: sketching, drawing, painting, sculpting, sewing, knitting, crochet, origami, scrapbooking, digital art, interior design, architectural design, singing, playing musical instruments, composing music, poetry, story-telling, writing, drama, floral arrangement, baking, cooking, dancing, yoga, Pilates, individual sports (eg. swimming, running), group sports (eg. badminton, soccer, tennis).

8. How do you define resilience?

The interesting thing about resilience is that it is very closely linked to failure. I feel that one has to experience failure or setbacks in order to develop resilience. Resilience is how one deals with failures, being able to face oneself and others, and learning and growing positively from that experience.

9. How can youth attain such resilience?

Creating awareness among parents would be a good start. Asian parents tend to set very high expectations of their children and are demanding and critical towards them. The children grow up and become fearful of failure and not meeting their parents’ expectations. Parents will have to create a more nurturing environment, which helps children develop and grow rather than a harsh environment, which does not allow room for mistakes. Youth will need to learn self-acceptance, self-care, and how to recognise their own strengths. It is also helpful for people around them to encourage and affirm them for their self-worth.

10. How could someone interested in what you do get a start in counselling?

Well, if they have some interest in helping people, but don’t know if that’s what they want to do, they can get a sense of it by volunteering. They can work with children, teenagers, the elderly and so on. One good place to source for volunteering opportunities is the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre website.

A related point on resilience is that these sorts of activities can actually help them find out just how resilient they are. Because not everyone is cut out for this sort of job. They have to be able to deal with strong and difficult emotions and not become overwhelmed by them.

Is there anything else you’d like to ask Michelle? Send your queries to us in the comments below, or send us a message on Facebook or Twitter!

Here's the Dejan Tubic video interview we filmed with the international dancer during the Live It Up Without Lighting Up Global Movement!

He talked to us about dancing, living smoke-free, and contributing to the Global Movement!

Enjoy!

Hi there!

The other day I saw this news item about President Obama replying to a deaf student in sign language, and it reminded me of my own recent experience!

This year I’m 18 and it’s also my last year with my friends in school, which is why we decided to do something fun and different together: learn sign language!

It was mainly my friend Clara’s idea – Clara has this very long bucket list and a very intelligent and creative mind, which results in many ideas and many adventures for all of us!

So one day Clara found this sign language course, and we thought it’d be cool to learn the language for various reasons:

First, to be able to communicate with the hearing impaired, whose handicap is not always visible, and who may struggle with some everyday activities. Second, to get a unique skill that may come in handy in unexpected situations. And third, to learn something fun and unusual with friends! Just imagine, being able to talk secretly anywhere we want!

So how does sign language work?

Just some basic signs used to spell out names and numbers.

Each of us paid $65 for 6 lessons (Beginner Stage 1) over one and a half months, at the Singapore Association for the Deaf (SADeaf).

Our instructors were all deaf; we had an interpreter for the introductory course, where we learnt basic terms and things about deaf culture.

There are about a million deaf people here in Singapore, and those who sign usually use Signing Exact English (SEE2), where you sign every single word just as you say it, following the exact grammar and vocabulary used in the English language. This helps deaf children learn English better.

Other sign languages include the American Sign Language (ASL), which doesn’t use normal grammar, and other Asian sign languages like Chinese and Japanese.

Learning sign language was a totally new experience. In class, we mostly worked on basic terms like the days of the week, grammatical rules, and objects’ names, in neatly structured and themed lessons. The lessons were about two hours long, with a half-hour break.

Given how compact the lessons were, it was very important for us to practice on our own to apply what we learnt in class!

At first, it was a bit weird. Not because the teacher is deaf or because it’s a sign language class, but because at first it’s weird to sign everything we say and shake our heads every time we sign a negative term like “no”, “not”, “never” or “shouldn’t”.

It’s when you can’t use words to express yourself that you realize just how important talking really is in your everyday life!

The universal sign for I Love You. It’s a combination of the signs for i, l and y.

We quickly got used to it, though, and warmed up to each other. Our classmates were a good mix of people of different backgrounds and ages; we had an older taxi-driver/tour guide, a young architect and an engineer in their early 30s, two nineteen-year-old friends, and many others.

Good thing that Jimmy and Elaine, our instructors for the introductory and intermediate courses, were patient and funny with us!

They had us play many games with each other!

In one of them we exchanged sign names (a particular sign you adapt to your name; it could be your favourite hobby combined with your initials, for example) and played a couple of rounds of Uno with a twist – everyone drew a card, and if two people drew the same card, each had to sign the other person’s sign name first. With everyone having to swop names with one another to add another level of difficulty, we had a good time getting confused and laughing at ourselves!

We were also taught the importance of gestures – gesturing is basically miming or somehow showing what you’re trying to say.

Not all deaf people have been educated in SEE2, for personal or for financial reasons. As such, we would need to learn to gesture and clearly express ourselves physically.

This was a lot more difficult than it seems, especially when our minds kept telling us the proper sign instead of an actual gesture, falling back on our foundation in sign language.

That’s when we found out just how physically and facially expressive deaf people have to be every single day! Not only does their language demand it, it can make the difference between being understood by someone and being completely ignored!

There was one game where we stood in a circle and each had to gesture a fruit – any fruit used in any context, so long as it’s recognisable – and the next person had to gesture the previous players’ fruits and come up with one of their own. We went two complete rounds; most of us had a lot of trouble thinking of new fruits!

Our lessons just wrapped up a week or so ago. Clara and I weren’t able to continue to Beginner Stage 2, so this is the close of our chapter on sign language, for now.

Clara plans to volunteer at the SADeaf, so hopefully she’ll get to learn more of the language by interacting with new friends.

Bye for now, and

Thanks, and see you soon!

Enjoyed the article? Want to get involved or find out more? Let us know in the comments below, or on Facebook and Twitter!

We know most people keep their eyes locked on the calorie burn indicator of their workout machines.

But how much do we really know about calories?

What are they made of? How are they counted? Why are they useful? Do we really need them?

These are some of the questions we’ll answer for you so that you can make informed nutritional decisions and impart your knowledge to your friends!

1. What are calories and where do they come from?

Calories are actually really simple things!

They’re basically a measure of energy of food, just like a volt is a measure of electricity, a kilogram is a measure of weight, and a kilometre is a measure of distance.

2. Why are they useful / necessary?

Basically, without calories, you wouldn’t have the energy to do anything; not rollerblade, not watch TV, not even lie around surfing this website!

Every single day, your body is also working hard to do some very complicated tasks: your heart pumps blood, your lungs fill with oxygen, your body regulates its temperature, your hair grows, your stomach digests food, and many other things we’re hardly aware of!

Of course, taking too many calories isn’t good for you either. Consuming more calories than your body burns each day can result in weight gain, which can then lead to severe health problems.

3. How many does my body need?

Age, gender, physical activity level, body size, and physiological state can have an impact on the amount of calories your body needs to keep going!

Hence, a small child needs a great deal less than a full grown adult, and a construction worker needs more than someone working a desk job, mainly because the amount of energy each of them uses over the day is different.

In general, you’ll need anywhere between:

2 200 kcal for boys 10-<12 yr old
2 400 kcal for boys 12-<14 yr old
2 650 kcal for boys 14-<16 yr old
2 850kcal for boys 16 - <18 yr old

1 950kcal for girls 10-<12 yr old
2 100 kcal for girls 12-<14 yr old
2 150 kcal for girls 14-<16 yr old
2 150kcal for girls 16-<18 yr old

Of course these amounts vary from person to person and day to day!

4. How are they counted?

The energy that fuels your body mainly comes from fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

For those of you who are pretty good at maths, here’s a simple way to estimate a product’s calorie count:

1 gram of fat = 9 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates = 4 calories
1 gram of protein = 4 calories

Easy, right?

5. Which foods should I go for?

Some of us don’t want to go into all that calculating calories stuff.

That’s OK!

An alternative way of tracking your food intake and calculating your calorie balance is to have a useful calorie-tracking app on your smartphone.

Another option is to combine various nutrition-related tools available online to get to know the foods that are most likely to be safe bets for your body.

If you don’t have any of these tools handy, then the best is to go with your common sense! If, for example, you’re not sure of the caloric content of the chicken you’re having for lunch, the cooking method (steamed, grilled, or deep fried?) can help you roughly estimate it!

Now you know a little bit more about calories, but maybe you still have some questions? Share them with us in the comments below or send them to us on Facebook and Twitter!

Chances are, your textbook or lecture notes are filled with doodles, sketches and other flights of ink-filled fancy.

If so, you’re not alone!

The motivation to draw actually comes naturally to human beings. Give a toddler a crayon and he or she will naturally start to scribble!

As we grow up, this act of art-making progresses from a flurry of ‘meaningless’ scribbles to images and words that make order of our world.

In short, drawing and other forms of art are simply part of the human instinct to communicate and express ourselves.

In fact, the creative arts – drawing, painting, sculpture, drama, dance, music, and so on – are not only a great way to create something beautiful, they’re also fantastic for relieving stress, enhancing creativity, developing problem-solving abilities, and building leadership, negotiation, and social skills!

Here are a few ways in which expressing yourself through the arts can elevate your life.

1. SAY IT WITH ART
Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed and at a loss for words? Try letting it all out on a piece of paper, playing music or creating a sculpture!

Focussing on an art project has a number of benefits: chiefly, it takes your mind off your negative emotions and in addition, it allows you to express these feelings via other more productive channels.

Rather than brooding and letting stress, sadness, or anger get the better of you, transform it into something else.

Go on, hit some drums, create a collage, paint with abandon, or sing to your heart’s content!

2. GET A GREAT WORKOUT
If you think that art is a rather static and sedentary affair – think again!

The act of creating sparks off brain activity, which in turn catalyses a multitude of benefits. Most obviously, the artistic process triggers those creative juices essential to help you think beyond boundaries and gain new perspectives.

But there’re also physical benefits such as improved hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.

More physically demanding forms of the art such as theatre, dance, and music also call for stamina, flexibility, and bodily awareness.

Apart from these, participating in an art form also develops mental discipline, concentration, patience, and problem-solving skills.

3. ART AS YOU LIKE IT
Who says you’ve got to have bucket loads of artistic talent to do anything arts-related?

The simple act of participating in an art project – however simple – can bring lots of enjoyment. And it may even uncover your hidden talent.

In any case, there’re plenty of ways in which you can make art work for you. Can’t find your way around a sketchpad? Try making a collage. If paints are too intimidating, how about trying your hand at photography? And if none of these tickle your fancy, think about dancing, singing, playing an instrument, or sculpting!

If participation is not your cup of tea, take part as an audience member. Wander through a museum, watch a play, or take in a symphony. Make the experience more meaningful by reflecting on what you liked best, why and how the pieces made you feel.

4. A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS
One of the most important – and enjoyable – aspects of taking part in anything related to the arts is the social connections you make.

Enjoying the process of art-making with others in a shared project or coming together even as you work on individual pieces engenders not only friendship, but the invaluable experience of teaching others and learning from them!

After all, art is not purely meant to be made in isolation, but shared with people!

Join an arts interest group or take part in a forum. Ask questions and seek other people’s opinions and perspectives.

More than a meeting of like-minds, the act of being involved in a community of art lovers can also be a way of learning about new art forms or artists to expand your horizons and enrich your mind.

Not sure where to find such artistic activities? You can start by surfing the NAC website, where you’ll find cool and popular initiatives such as the Noise Singapore initiative.

This year-round platform showcases the creative talents of young people under 35 in art forms such as art, design, photography, and music. The recent Noise Singapore festival showcased hundreds of young people’s creative works at venues like ION Orchard, the Esplanade, and Goodman Arts Centre while scores of budding artists had the rare chance to learn from established arts professionals in mentoring programmes and workshops.

Are you more the bookworm type? Then Ceriph is for you! Refine your literary skill and find the right avenue for the words to flow. Ceriph not only offers mentorship from established writers, but hones your writing and publishes it in one of Singapore’s most well-regarded journals.

Feel like bringing your friends along? Then you’ll love the Originals Only Open Mike night! Take to the stage with your own musical creations, cover versions, or even poetry. This is the place to celebrate music, words, friendship, and creativity!

Are you into photography? If so, then Junior Shooting Home is the place for you! Connect with others who share the same love for photography and learn from professional photographers in this annual mentorship programme.

Remember art is simply a way of expressing yourself, so choose a form of expression that you feel comfortable with!

Got some other suggestions? Want to share your experience? You can leave a comment below or contact us on Facebook and Twitter!

Back in 2010, ‘Clash of the Titans’ (itself a remake of the 1981 original) earned over S$500 million in ticket sales worldwide.

It’s no wonder then that Hollywood pushed out a sequel for it, heralding the return of the action-packed adventure of Greek Gods and mythological creatures to make another killing at the box-office.

There’s no doubt that the audience will once again fill the cinemas, as ‘Wrath of the Titans’ is bigger and louder than its predecessor in terms of graphics and scale.

The storyline and characterization, however, remain simple as substance inevitably gives way to style.

The film follows Perseus (a more mature Sam Worthington), the half-man half-God son of Zeus (Liam Neeson), who is being forced to save his father when his brother Ares (Edgar Ramirez) joined forces with Hades (Ralph Fiennes) to release Kronos, the ferocious leader of the imprisoned Titans.

The Gods’ powers are depleting as mankind has neglected their faith and prayers, making them more vulnerable to the impending attack of the deadly Titans.

In this potentially apocalyptic situation, Perseus leaves behind his 10-year-old son Helius and joins Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) and Agenor (Toby Kebbell), son of Poseidon, as they search for a passage to the underworld to free Zeus and ultimately stop Kronos’ destruction of the Gods and… humanity!

To the delight of fans, it is worthy to note that every monster and creature in this movie seems to be dialed up two to three times as compared to the first, with double the amount of ferocity and fire.

Giant Cyclops trudge through dangerous forests collecting humans in traps, while fearsome dual-bodied Makhais unleash havoc on a Greek army.

Although the half-human half-creature Minotaur only makes a very brief appearance, its powerful horns and ghoulish features is enough to send shivers down the spine and cause significant harm to Perseus.

Also similar to the first movie’s enormous Kraken, the aforementioned Kronos extends taller than an erupting volcano, his one wave of an arm sending gallons of scorching lava raining down and burning villages thoroughly.

Besides the effects-laden finale, another highlight of the film would be the Labyrinth that Perseus and gang navigate to reach Tartarus, the prison of the underworld.

While the vision of the winding and collapsing mazes is impressive, the same cannot be said for the cinematography, as it is often spoiled by shoddy lighting and choppy editing – a similar problem in the first movie – that wastes the chance to deliver genuine thrills.

Missed opportunities also include a messy script that fails to develop new characters into something other than caricatures, resulting in rather silly subplots for Queen Andromeda and comic relief, Agenor.

It is a pity, since English actress Rosamund Pike who plays Andromeda possesses a unique combination of classic beauty and strength that would definitely do her strong-willed character justice.

Veterans Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes (most famously known as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series) also do their best to add gravitas to their roles given the rather cheesy dialogue.

That being said, audiences who love a good sword and sandal blockbuster would still most likely enjoy this rollicking Greek tale that rarely has any dull moments.

Let the battle begin!

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After a certain boy-wizard franchise bade goodbye to audiences in 2011 - and with a teenage vampire series coming to an end this year - the world needs another young adult phenomenon to sweep the screens.

The answer? The Hunger Games trilogy - a bestselling series by author Suzanne Collins centering on heroine Katniss Everdeen and her fight against oppressive rule.

The story is set in the not too distant future, in the city of Panem (previously North America). Made up of 12 districts governed by a totalitarian Capitol, Panem is the result of a bitter uprising that angered the Government.

To punish the citizens for the rebellion, it was decreed that each year a boy and a girl aged between 12 to 18 would be randomly chosen from each district to take part in a televised show where the 24 contestants have to battle to the death.

The winner? The sole boy or girl to survive the game!

From one of the poorest districts emerge female Tribute Katniss (class-act Jennifer Lawrence), who bravely volunteers to replace her little sister when her name is chosen from the lot, and her male counterpart, Tribute Peeta Mellark (rising star Josh Hutcherson).

Both Tributes are quickly whisked away to the Capitol for the Hunger Games, its preparation rituals starkly similar to the Olympics, except the game play mirrors that of reality TV show 'Survivor' with a dystopian 'Lord of the Flies' twist.

Critically praised for tackling provocative issues in a grim setting, the source novel translates extremely well to the screen, the tight pace keeping audiences on edge as the game progresses.

Fan-boy favourite Jennifer Lawrence – an Oscar Best Actress nominee for the 2010 film ‘Winter’s Bone’ – convincingly portrays Katniss’ initial vulnerability of being included in the deadly games, before transforming into a full-fledged warrior of survival later on.

The supporting cast features a brilliant mix of notable actors, from the one and only Stanley Tucci as gregarious game show host Caesar Flickerman, to the stroke-of-genius casting of scruffy Woody Harrelson as Katniss and Peeta’s drunkard mentor. Elizabeth Banks is a hoot as the prim and proper and outrageously dressed Effie Trinket, while rock singer Lenny Kravitz rounds up the roles as Cinna, Katniss’ warm and trusted designer.

While it’s fortunate to note that the film remains largely faithful to the book in terms of plot (author Collins herself served as executive producer), one of the other issues that worried fans the most was the look of the movie.

It would certainly be a feat to visually bring to life the insanely colourful and opulent dressing of the citizens of the Capitol, as well as the handsome costumes for the Tributes’ opening parade.

But suffice to say, the film – under the confident direction of Gary Ross (2003’s ‘Seabiscuit’) – succeeded in replicating Collins’ vivid vision for the novel, including his deft treatment of the tense countdown to the beginning of the Hunger Games, with the whole nation of Panem watching with bated breath, as with the audiences across cinemas screening the film.

The hint of the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale (Katniss’ childhood confidante, portrayed by ‘Thor’ actor Chris Hemsworth’s brother, Liam Hemsworth) might have been too subtle for fans’ liking, but the infatuation between Katniss and Peeta was played up believably during the games, possibly leaving the audience wanting more towards the end of the movie.

Various loose strings towards the end of the movie leave both characters and audience in uncertainty and anticipation, as the events that will unfold in the trilogy’s other two instalments, ‘Catching Fire’ and ‘Mocking Jay’, seem quite promising.

We will just have to wait patiently and hope that the odds will be forever in their favour!

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