20 Jun, 2022 | Events
BY TANG LENG ZE
Moving on to our penultimate Brown Bag Session for the semester, Kaixuan is back to raise awareness about CPR and AED. If you recall, Kaixuan (who was an Emergency Medical Technician in National Service) held the first Brown Bag Session, which was about First Aid, months back.
Starting with CPR, which stands for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Kaixuan emphasised the importance of CPR in saving cardiac arrest victims. Did you know that COVID-19 has increased the incidence of cardiac arrests? COVID-19 has caused heart inflammation in youths and also affects the respiratory system due to excessive mucus production, both of which are risk factors for cardiac arrests.
How do we identify cardiac arrest victims? Kaixuan explained that cardiac arrest victims are people who collapse a few minutes before they are found, and have no pulse and no breathing. For those who are worried about getting sued by victims or their families for performing CPR, Kaixuan explained that despite the lack of the Good Samaritan Law in Singapore, there has been no lawsuit thus far. As long as CPR is performed in accordance with the procedure, we need not worry about any liability. Hence, Kaixuan’s advice was to get CPR training, as we would never know when we need to save a person’s life.
Moving on to the topic of AED, which stands for Automatic External Defibrillator, it is a device that functions to reset the rhythm of the heart to normal sinus rhythm by delivering a shock. Interestingly, Kaixuan said that TV scenes on defibrillation tend to be inaccurate, as it is meaningless to shock a flatline asystole rhythm (the constant beep sound kind of heart rate). AED is to be used in conjunction with CPR on cardiac arrest patients, and when they are practised in a timely manner, the chances of resuscitation rises from less than 1% to 30%.
Last but not least, we managed to borrow a CPR manikin and training AED kits from OHSE NTU, allowing Kaixuan to conduct hands-on training with the participants. Participants practised how to locate the correct position to perform CPR (2 fingers above the sternum notch), performing chest compressions at a rhythm of 100-120 bpm (apparently, singing songs like Stayin’ Alive while performing chest compressions help!) and how to properly paste the AED pads. Overall, the participants enjoyed the process.
As you can see, Kaixuan covered a lot of content in this 1-hour sharing (the full content can be found in the slides attached). However, a typical CPR+AED training and certification take at least half a day. Readers who are interested may take up formal training from recognised organisations. For those who are currently studying at NTU, they may also take up lessons from Red Cross Youth NTU Chapter or NTU LionHearters.
Check out the slides shared here.
20 Jun, 2022 | Events
BY TANG LENG ZE
On to our sixth Brown Bag session, we have Ong Hai Xiang sharing his hobby of fermenting and making cocktails. Just like how every superhero has their origin story, Hai Xiang’s story began when he bought a bottle of poor-tasting Bacardi Carta Blanca rum at the age of 18 – his first alcoholic drink in fact. To tune the flavour into something more edible, he endeavoured to create a cocktail. He added 23ml of lime and 23ml of sugar syrup to 60 ml of rum; the end result was a daiquiri.
On his first sip, Hai Xiang felt an epiphany; he could not believe that he managed to transform something so rancid into a concoction of complex but balanced flavours. Down the rabbit hole he went, as his passion for alcohol and cocktails ignited (simply put, he has become an alcoholic who makes his own alcohol).
Hai Xiang immediately went geek mode and started reading books on fermentation. After reading the “Cocktail Codex”, he learned that there are 6 different base drinks and every single cocktail is a variation of these bases. Starting from the bases, Hai Xiang started substituting the ingredients with other food of similar taste. For example, the flip cocktail is one of those bases. By substituting the egg with another fat, coconut cream and the cane sugar with pineapple, one would get the pina colada. Additionally, Hai Xiang created his own rendition of the pina colada, adding Italian amaro and Italian bitters.
Looking for a challenge, Hai Xiang started preparing cocktails that required longer and more meticulous preparation. He also started visiting bars to learn preparation tricks and even worked as a waiter in one of those bars. As a waiter, he learned about the ingredients behind every cocktail on the menu and the story of the inspiration behind each cocktail. Eventually, he had the opportunity to prepare cocktails for the bar. His time in the bar greatly sharpened his skills. Having access to high-end machines like the dehydrator iSi whipper and rotovap, Hai Xiang learnt how to prepare cocktail ingredients in a culinary manner. Some of the cocktails he created even entered the menu!
To this day, Hai Xiang continues to make his own alcohol and experiment with new cocktail ingredients. One of his latest creations, inspired by tide pods, leans towards the avant-garde. The result is a cocktail sealed within an edible casing made of calcium or alginate salts, such that, upon biting, would burst into our mouths.
Capping off his sharing, Hai Xiang shared reasons why one should try out fermenting – it is surprisingly healthy, provides flexibility in controlling the desired taste and some drinks are even rich in probiotics. After reading this, if you feel inspired to try fermenting drinks, do take a look at the slides. Hai Xiang has shared a simple recipe for making 2 drinks: Kombucha and Mead. Do keep a lookout for our next Brown Bag Session!
Check out the slides shared here.
10 Jun, 2022 | Events, Feature
BY CLARISSA JOANNA LIM AND FLORETTA SETIA PRADANA
As you stand at the crossroads of life, Reverie calls out to you to come and indulge one last time.
CNYSP Convocation Dinner is one of the last few events every CNYSP batch will have before officially leaving NTU. Traditionally, the event is held physically, where the graduating batch can mingle around with their batchmates and professors while reminiscing their four-year-long journey in NTU. However, this year, faced with the prevailing COVID-19 restrictions, CNYSP Convocation Dinner is held online once again. Despite the limitation, the graduating batch had a great time during the event on the evening of 21 May 2022.
This year’s Convocation Dinner’s theme is Reverie — being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts. Drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland, the organising committee has meticulously designed a space within Gather Town embellished with whimsical elements.
The night began when the graduating batch slipped into reverie and wound up in the enchanted forest. Falling down the rabbit hole, they finally entered the main event area. There, they were greeted by the lovely emcees, Zi Wei and Jin Hong (who were also the emcees for DnD 2022).
As more people gathered, the event commenced with an opening address delivered by the CNYSP Director, Prof Fan Hongjin. He imparted his wisdom to the graduating batch before they embarked on a new chapter of their lives. Sharing the values that they have gained from going through the rigorous curriculum of CNYSP, he had high hopes that they would continue to thrive in these difficult times.
” 常存善意，莫悔於心。积思顿释，三省吾身。”
~ Prof Fan
For those curious to know what he said in Chinese, here’s a rough translation (by our batchmate, Li Siyuan!): “Always be kind. Go with your intuition. Don’t give up and a breakthrough will come to you. Reflect on yourself constantly.”
Following that, the graduating batch looked back on their memories and enjoyed a photo montage proudly presented by the publicity team. As they watched the video, they recalled the joyful moments they spent with one another, from FOP 2018 and DnD 2019 to the numerous CNYSC events, MnT and CY1101 group project. Some of their batchmates even specially created a vlog video that encapsulated the unforgettable experiences they shared during their time in Stockholm, Sweden in 2019.
During the first activity, “The First Chapter”, the graduating batch was graced by Dr Koh’s presence. Everyone was thrilled to see him and his cute avatar and started throwing confetti at him to welcome him.
The night continued with more bittersweet feelings as the committee streamed more videos of interviews with the CNYSP professors, as well as touching performances presented by the Y1 scholars, Junius Pun and Ryan Tan. Their melodious tunes serenaded everyone whilst the graduating batch enjoyed their dinner.
What is a convocation dinner without hanging around with their batchmates for one final time as undergraduates? During Free and Easy, the graduating batch had a great time chatting and playing games with one another. Dr Koh also got to interact with them through games and short conversations. Unfortunately, he had to cut his visit short due to external circumstances. Taking his leave, he left a few heartwarming parting words for the graduating batch.
“It was my pleasure to teach all of you. I had a great time and I wish you all the best for your future endeavours.”
~ Dr Koh
The event continued with a series of videos made by the graduating batch for the graduating batch. They reflected on their time in NTU and expressed their hopes and dreams for their batch. Eightysix Choco, consisting of Jing Xuan, Reuben, Aaron, Damien and Wei Xin then blessed their ears with their beautiful voices and euphonious harmonies.
Prior to the lucky draw, the organising committee brought the graduating batch on a trip down memory lane once more through the egg hunt, “Searching for the Queen of Hearts”. In the game, various cards were hidden throughout the map with pictures displaying the various moments they spent together in CNYSP.
Through the activity, the graduating batch cracked the code required to progress onto the next segment, which is the long-awaited lucky draw!
Unlike typical lucky draws, this event’s Mad Hatter’s draw consisted of two parts. There was a chaos draw, which sparked excitement amongst the graduating batch as they got to increase (or decrease) the probability of winning the actual lucky draw prizes. Moving on to the actual lucky draw, there were numerous prizes to be won. There was a Nintendo Switch, a pair of GV Gold Class All-Day tickets, several tickets to different Sentosa attractions, and many more. (The website is specially coded by our talented programmer, Junius Pun!)
As they inched closer to the end of the event, Seet Ynn gave a heartening speech to her batchmates.
“Equipped with your new knowledge from your degree and CN Yang, I hope you be bold, test limits, take risks, and strive to do what you are passionate about… And everything is gonna be fine.”
~ Seet Ynn
The night finally came to an end and the graduating batch said their goodbyes. One by one, they took their leave. As you close out a momentous chapter of your lives, you begin another, a little older, a little wiser. May you look back benignly on the journey you’ve completed, and work towards your future endeavours with renewed resolve.
We hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did planning it.
Happy Graduation, Class of 2022.
8 Apr, 2022 | Events
BY KOK XIN RU & POON CHIEN EE, RYAN
Oh no… It’s that time of the year AGAIN?? 🙁
But guess what, that means we’re back too, and with MORE exciting stuff awaiting our scholars! 7 April 2022 definitely screamed “welfare day”, because the Business Management and Social & Welfare Portfolios joined forces to spoil our scholars with amazing exam welfare!
With bento, bubble tea and dessert provided by SnW,
and the huge welfare pack from BizMag,
who’s going to say no to it!
#notsponsoredbyikea
Held at the CresPion Seminar Rooms, it provided great ease and convenience to our scholars as they could enjoy their dinner in the comfort of their rooms (and with their friends too)!
We hope that our scholars enjoyed the welfare just as much as we did preparing for it, and once again, all the best for your final exams! You got this!
30 Mar, 2022 | Events, Feature
BY DANISH UZAIR
CN Yang Scholars study very hard. But, did you know that they can play very hard too? Just ask them to sign up for a fun event!
The annual CN Yang Scholar’s Club Dinner & Dance (DnD) was the first large-scale social event of the academic year. DnD 2022 was held on the Thursday of recess week to enable scholars to destress from their various commitments in a night full of fun and excitement. Due to the ongoing pandemic, the event was held online via Zoom. Nonetheless, the scholars had a ton of fun.
The evening started with the collection of the dinner bento. Usually, DnD would be held at fancy ballrooms where the food served would be really atas. This time around, scholars flocked to the CresPion Seminar Rooms to collect their Premium 4-Course Bento Box by Rasel Catering. What was so appealing was the self-heating main course which made the food way better.
After collection, the magical night began. The event started with an insightful pre-recorded opening address by the Director of CNYSP Prof Fan Hongjin. He gave words of encouragement to spur scholars on to achieve greater heights during their time in NTU. Then, the trailer for the event was played, introducing the theme of the event, ‘Carpe Noctem’, which means “Seize the Night”. ‘Carpe Noctem’ told the story of a time traveller who was trapped in unfamiliar eras and had only a single night to fix his time machine. After the conclusion of the trailer, the emcees, Leong Zi Wei and Chew Jin Hong, introduced themselves and got the ball rolling.
Check out the trailer here:
The next segment was the CN Yang Got Talent 2022 Segment 1. CN Yang Got Talent 2022 is a talent competition the Dinner & Dance 2022 Organising Committee organized to encourage scholars to showcase their talents. The first performance was a dance piece by Megan Lim. She danced to “Sanctuary” by Joji. Describing her performance, Megan said, “A sanctuary is a place or person which makes one feel safe, but our lives are temporary, so hold tight to your sanctuary.”
After her mesmerizing performance, scholars were treated to “Nothing Changes” performed by Floretta Setia Pradana. Her harmony melted the hearts of scholars.
Next came the first game, Codenames. Scholars had to work together in their pre-assigned teams to choose the correct words from a given set of words. Scholars really had fun, both by figuring out the words they had to choose and by trying to confuse the other team.
After playing Codenames, scholars were treated to Segment 2 of CN Yang Got Talent 2022. Before the event, scholars took part in a popularity vote to determine the winner of the Song (Group) Category. First up was a performance by the second runners-up, “We only sing sad songs”, comprising of Leong Zi Wei and Leoh Khai Ken, of “Little do you know” by Alex & Sierra (check out their performance here). The runners-up, Ballad Boys comprising Junius Pun and Ryan Tan, then serenaded the audience with the song “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele (check out their performance here). Lastly, the winners, the eightysixchoco, consisting of Siow Jing Xuan and Reuben Foo, made us feel valued by singing 你最珍贵 (You’re the Most Precious) by Zhang Xue You and Gao Hui Jun (check out their performance here).
After a short break, scholars were split into different breakout rooms to play the next game, Skribbl.io. Although it seemed like a simple game, the game was intensified by pitting scholars from different teams against each other in the different Skribbl.io rooms. With points seemingly hard to get, scholars did their best to describe drawings or sketches based on given words.
After an exhilarating round of Skribbl.io, scholars were treated to a whimsical TikTok performance by the emcees. After experiencing some laughter, scholars then played the final game of the night, Dialogue Improv. Back in their teams, scholars had to come up with a conversation that had to include a few words given. The night was then filled with conversations and laughter.
At the end of the game, the lucky draw commenced. As the draw ensued, the zoom meeting was filled with noises of joy, agony, despair and anticipation. In the end, lucky scholars won prizes such as Starbucks GiftCards and Foldable Tables. The top prize was a Lumos Ray Home Projector, won by Koh Shao Ming.
The winning team, the team with the greatest number of points from the games, was revealed. That was Repair Team A, consisting of Year 3 scholars that included Zann Teo and Wong Zhen Xuan, the former president and vice-president of the 13th Management Committee. With many Year 3s winning prizes, it was a really enjoyable experience for them, especially when they could not enjoy their first DnD due to the onset of the pandemic back in early 2020.
To end the night, the chairperson of the organizing committee, Danish Uzair, and the vice-chairperson, Ryan Poon, gave heartwarming farewell speeches, thanking participants for their attendance and committee members and emcees for their hard work.
CNYSP Dinner & Dance 2022 was a fun event for scholars to celebrate their friendships and the fruits of their labour. By letting loose and immersing themselves in the myriad of games the event had to offer, they truly Seize(d) the Night.
20 Mar, 2022 | Events
BY GOH KAIXUAN
Yarn over, hook, pull through, yarn over, hook, pull through.
As the second part of our post-mid-terms Brown Bag Sessions, we had Leong Zi Wei sharing about crocheting! Having been a self-taught crochet expert for the past year and making ornaments and items for her friends and family alike, Zi Wei thought that spreading her love for crocheting could help to find a new hobby in others.
To introduce everyone to the basics of crocheting, Zi Wei first explained the materials used which included the crochet hooks and the yarn. She proceeded to demonstrate basic crocheting steps such as forming slip knots, yarn overs and chaining.
Zi Wei spared no effort in her demonstrations, showing the avid new crocheters step-by-step crocheting techniques and even touching on the double crocheting technique.
The most important step in crocheting was to perform repetitions and close the chains. And with all the new knowledge gained, the participants now embarked on their task to create a circular coaster. Whenever the participants needed help in their creation, Zi Wei would come over and patiently help to guide them along and correct their mistakes.
All in all, the participants enjoyed the short yet informative session for beginners to pick up a new skill, and they all loved how interactive and fun Zi Wei made the session. Many looked ready to embark on a new hobby. Perhaps we could look forward to having a crocheting interest group soon? Do look out for our next Brown Bag Session which might interest alcohol and fermentation enthusiasts!
Check out the slides shared here.
