City Harvest Church: New Co-owners of Suntec Singapore

By Ron Chua

City Harvest Church has paid $310 million to be the co-owner of Suntec Singapore. This purchase was disclosed by senior pastor and founder Dr. Kong Hee during the Mar. 6 service at the Singapore Expo.

Reading from a legal statement, Dr. Kong said, “City Harvest Church has acquired a substantial stake in a consortium company that owns 80 per cent of the JV (joint-venture) fund that holds Suntec Singapore.”

Dr. Kong first told his congregation six weeks before that the church had acquired a prime piece of downtown real estate land for their new building. However, he could not reveal the exact details then due to non-disclosure agreements.

City Harvest Church revealed that 25 other plots of land were considered but 19 were unsuitable and six unsuccessful. In choosing the land, Dr. Kong said that the main consideration was it had to be “able to house 12-15,000 people”, “be centrally located and easily accessible via public transport” and “have facilities for everyone”. He added that Suntec Singapore is also near its corporate office at Suntec Tower Three, and its co-office at Riverwalk.

The sum of $310 million includes rental costs, renovation costs and the cost of share acquisition in the consortium.

The Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre has 78 years left in its lease. As co-owners, City Harvest Church will have exclusive use of levels six and seven, where the convention hall is located. Levels four and five, which are regularly used for exhibitions and conferences, will continue to be available for public lease.

The church will carry out all its services in this new location as well as its current building at Jurong West. They will move in on Mar. 2011 when their current contract with Singapore Expo expires.

Churchgoers were excited upon this new revelation. Cindy Chung, a student from the National University of Singapore, said, “Finally we can go to church and shop and eat all in one place.”

Others were delighted with the location. 56-year-old retiree Peter Lee, who stays in Clementi, said, “This is great. Going to Suntec for service will cut my travelling time by almost half.”

Coinciding with the announcement was the launch of the Arise & Build campaign, which aims to raise $17.3 million over the next four months to fund the fifth installment in a series of 13.

Citing a confidentiality agreement, City Harvest Church could not reveal the full details of how the $310 million would be spent, nor the number and price of the shares the church had bought.

However, “all material details” have been disclosed to the Commissioner of Charities and the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

Cyclists challenge longest biking route in Singapore

By Gloria Lee

As Singapore gets set to host the Youth Olympic Games in August, cyclists here geared up for a challenging race of their own – one that holds the record as the longest round island cycling route in Singapore.

A major national event organized annually by the Nanyang Technological University Sports Club, the Bike Rally 2010 offered participants the choice of the regular 128-kilometre route or an extended 168-kilometre route for endurance cyclists.

In landlocked Singapore, the extended route was warmly welcomed by the burgeoning cycling community. In fact, registration had to be closed early due to overwhelming responses.

“This is by far the longest cycling distance offered in Singapore, and we pride ourselves on being able to offer this unique feature,” said Colin Kwek, chairperson of the organizing committee.

The organizers had to limit the number of participants due to safety and operational concerns. A total of 673 avid and leisure cyclists turned up for the event. Among the participating cyclists were two former members of the Singapore Paralympics contingent.

The Guest-of-Honour for the event was Hri Kumar Nair, member of parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. A cycling enthusiast himself, Nair noted that cycling as a sport had recently picked up local momentum, especially since Tampines New Town opened up its footways to cyclists in December last year.

Cyclists engaged a route that started and ended at East Coast Park, with six checkpoints in between. Cyclists had to negotiate terrain in both the city and heartlands of Singapore, passing by famous landmarks such as the Esplanade and the Singapore Flyer.

Citing safety considerations and physical ability, the organizing committee determined the minimum requirement for participation to be 17 years of age. As the Bike Rally was originally organized to promote cycling as a healthy way of living, participants came from all age groups. In fact, the oldest participant was 64 years old.

A 17-year-old student from Temasek Polytechnic, Teh Jin Yu, was inspired to join the event because of the attractive lucky draw prizes that included hybrid bicycles, Nike products and Crumpler bags.

“I initially signed up because the prizes were good. But the experience turned out to be a fantastic one,” said Teh, who finished the race in eight hours.

The non-competitive race flagged off at 7:00 a.m., and the average cyclist took about seven hours to complete the race. The first cyclist came in at 1:30 p.m. while the last cyclist crossed the finishing point at 7:00 p.m.

NUS Students Clear Up the Struggle Within

By Nadya Huang

In an bid to correct the slant in which mainstream media has framed the concept of ‘Jihad’, the National University of Singapore’s Muslim society organised the Islamic Awareness Week 2010.

Themed “Embracing Jihad: the Struggle Within”, the event was held in the National University of Singapore on Feb. 22.

One of the organizers, Sofia Jasmani, said, “People will only remember the war and killings from the news, but Jihad simply means ‘a struggle within’. We practice it in our everyday lives like if we have difficulty in our homework or chores. That’s a struggle within too.”

The student organizers started the project to foster better public understanding of Islam. To the students, it is an important event as it is one of few that reaches out to beyond the Muslim community.

“We want to help people to differentiate the teachings of Islam and being Muslim from the picture that has been formed in the media,” said Jasmani.

Leonard Tham, a third year Economics student from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, said, “I think it is important for people to understand Islam, especially with the recent burning of several churches in Malaysia.”

The week-long event had many different activities to engage the public. Jasmani said, “We wanted to choose different, more engaging programmes other than just talks to attract the audience.”

This included a debate on Monday evening about “Terrorism: Is Islam Against it?” Two students took opposing stands to debate the issue in front of an audience of 60, some of whom are from other universities such as the Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore Management University.

An interactive exhibition was held at the Central Library foyer, with posters explaining Islamic concepts such as ‘jihad’ and ‘halal’.

The response to the event has been positive, according to Jasmani.

She said, “People have been reading our posters and joining in the activities we have organized. They’re asking us questions to clarify their doubts.”

Tan Ju Ling, a fourth year student who was at the exhibit said, “I think the exhibition in the library foyer has been good – very interesting and informational.”

“The week has been a success so far in the sense we managed to reach our target audience, but we know we can only really reach people who are interested to know more,” said Jasmani.

Singapore’s top triathlete proves himself once again

By Gloria Lee

In the wake of his record‐breaking performance at the recent Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, national triathlete Mok Ying Ren was the crowd favourite to win this year’s Singapore Biathlon.

On Saturday, he did not disappoint as he breasted the tape four minutes ahead of closest rival Lim Zhi Ming to defend his title in the Men’s Open category.

With a finishing time of 55 minutes 38 seconds, Mok not only broke his previous year’s race record by a half minute, but also achieved a personal best in the 10‐kilometer run segment. His timings for the 1.5‐kilometre swim and the 10‐kilometre run were 21:45 and 33:54 respectively.

The win was rendered all the more exceptional by the fact that an ankle injury sustained two months earlier had forced Mok to adopt an alternative training plan that did not include his usual 100‐kilometre weekly run mileage.

“Mok Ying Ren was in top form. Those who didn’t know about his injury wouldn’t have been able to tell from his performance, “ said 21-year-old Benjamin Yap, a recreational biathlete who also competed in the Singapore Biathlon.

Jointly organized by SAFRA and the Republic of Singapore Navy, the annual Singapore Biathlon is widely regarded as the largest and most competitive event of its type in Southeast Asia.

Mok first entered the local sporting limelight when he won the triathlon gold at the 2007 SEA Games. He turned to the 5,000‐metre athletics event when his core sport was excluded from the 2009 SEA Games, but unfortunately missed the cut.

A third-year undergraduate from the National University of Singapore Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the aspiring doctor believes that his course of study aids his training because it allows him to be more aware of the way his body works.

“Those who have seen Ying Ren train are all in awe of his discipline and ability to balance both studies and training,” said 25-year-old Samson Han, who stays in the same hall of residence as Mok.

When asked for his formula for success, the 21-year-old athlete said, “Be patient in whatever sport you do. Do not find short cuts.”

This philosophy is reflected in his rigorous training regime. On a typical day, he wakes up at 6 a.m. for a morning run, attends school for seven hours from 8 a.m., before resuming training at 5 p.m.

“My goal is to be the fastest that I can be,” said Mok, who has been the National University of Singapore’s “Sportsman of the Year” for the last two years.

Big Losses Make a Winner

By Nadya Huang

Asia’s first Biggest Loser is David Gurnani, who produced staggering numbers in the finale to trump three other finalists.

The 25-year-old Indonesian shed 83 kilograms off his original frame in six months.  His sum of weight and fat loss at 53 per cent and 45 per cent respectively gave Gurnani his victorious 98-point score during the finale on Mar. 9, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The finale video showed how each of the four finalists prepared for the final weigh-in after graduating from the show’s 13-week long boot camp.

In contrast to the other contestants who had resumed their regular lives, Gurnani had chosen to continue a similarly – if not more – rigorous routine as that during boot camp.

Foo Peiwen, a second-year Japanese Studies major at the National University of Singapore, was impressed with Gurnani’s achievement.

She said, “I think it’s quite inspiring to people who have had similar problems; they can follow by example and shed the weight with exercise and a good diet.”

However, many others carry reservations. 54-year-old Wong Fook Nyen is among them.

“It’s ridiculous to lose so much weight in five or six months. At first when you look at him you think he’s skinny, but his face looks so haggard,” said Wong, who is a loyal fan of the show.

His opinion appears to be shared by many others on the internet. Shemah, a blogger, wrote, “I just can’t help but feel sorry for him because he looks so sickly. He looks really haggard. He’s only 25 years old and he looks scary ill.”

The forum on the official site has also been abuzz with such comments. One user, BoyStar, said, “He may have won but he sure made a mockery of the show contradicting the very purpose of the show.”

In the finale video, Gurnani said, “I exercise eight to ten hours a day,” adding that he kept to “the strict diet” and “had no trouble resisting temptation.”

However, in the post-show press conference, he said, “Eight to ten hours a day is extreme. I did that because it was part of a competition. I would suggest that eight to ten hours a week of exercise would be enough.”

Gurnani’s closest contender was 32 year-old Carlo Miguel from the Philippines, who lost 49 kg in six months to emerge as first runner-up.

Gurnani walked away with US$100,000 and a brand new Renault car.

Huge Turnout at Biggest Street Party in Singapore

By Clara Huang

The overwhelming 8,000 strong turnout at City Alive! 2010 turned Singapore’s largest street party into a dance and music extravaganza.

During the event, the 360-metre long F1 race track was used as a dance floor. This move drew more young street revelers to party their night away in front of the F1 Pit Building on Saturday, Feb. 20.

“It’s much more enjoyable this year as we have more standing room to dance our hearts out. I am already looking forward to the next year’s party,” said Calvin Liu, 23, a national serviceman, who always keeps a lookout for nightlife events in Singapore.

28-year-old Leong Jing Yun, one of the organisers of City Alive!, said, “The Hippo Open-Deck Bus is definitely the winning formula to draw people to come back again. In fact, DJs hyped up the crowd by spinning rapturous music on the Hippo Bus is unusual in Singapore street-part.”

Organised by the People’s Association and People’s Association Youth Movement, City Alive! was held at City Hall area for the last two years, in conjunction with the annual Chingay Parade.

“City Alive! took place for the third time in three consecutive years as it is certainly the ideal platform to engage more youths from diverse backgrounds to come together to enjoy themselves,” Leong added.

As the party lasts from dusk to dawn, access to the new party location was one of the concerns expressed by this year’s event organisers.

According to Leong, complimentary shuttle-bus services were catered for the public as the F1 pit building is not as accessible as City Hall.

Jacqueline Cheok, a fourth-year undergraduate at the National University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, participated in City Alive! for the first time.

“I think the location is slightly out-of-the-way. But this shouldn’t be a problem for most people, with a bus-stop at Singapore Flyer and a car park nearby,” Cheok said.

Come next year, City Alive! will return with more exciting concepts and performances for the young energetic partygoers.

“We always believe there is a huge demand for outdoor party among the young,” Leong said.

Record sales at IT Show 2010

By Clara Huang

The four-day IT Show 2010 generated a record $67.5 million in sales over the weekend, an increase of $10 million over last year’s taking.

With more than 807,000 visitors, the show also recorded its highest turnout in its eight-year history.

Ho Wei Xuan, sales director of Starhub, said, “The crowd has been fantastic so far. It is a good sign that consumers are receptive in spending now since the economy is picking up.”

Regarded as the largest electronic fair in Singapore, the fair occupied five levels of Suntec Singapore. This exhibition space exceeded last year’s by 1,500 square feet.

The 820 exhibitors had reserved some of their best deals for this annual fair.

27-year-old marketing executive Huang Youde was one of the satisfied shoppers. He carted away a Fujitsu laptop and a free 19” LCD Monitor.

“The freebie makes this my best buy today. I believe the shops out there are not able to offer this attractive deal,” Huang said, referring to complimentary gifts offered by retailers.

In the exhibition halls, the aisles along the booths were flooded with people making enquiries and purchases of popular products such as high-definition televisions, laptops, digital cameras and printers.

Goh Wan Ling, a third-year NTU undergraduate, who visited the IT Show for the first time, said, “Singaporeans are surely very tempted by the special offers here.”

The showcase of cutting-edge technological innovations also drew many interested visitors. There were long queues at the Sony 3D pavilion to watch 3D-content screened on a 270-inch screen.

IT Show 2010 ran from Thursday to Sunday.

Just for Laughs Now in Asia

By Ron Chua

Since the cessation of broadcast operations by TVMobile early this year, disappointed viewers have been petitioning for the return of popular hidden-camera comedy show Just for Laughs Gags.

This accounted for the large crowd at the mobile road show organised by MediaCorp that marked the launch of the newly-minted Asian edition of Just for Laughs Gags and highlighted the first time the show was produced in Asia.

Held at the open space between ION Orchard and Ngee Ann City on Saturday, the event allowed the eager audience a preview of the candid scenes caught on local camera. Scenes such as a victim walking along Clarke Quay being ambushed by a group of screaming girls wanting his autograph had the audiences in fits of laughter.

Singapore had been chosen as the inaugural filming location and there are plans in the pipeline to produce the series in other Asian countries as well.

Just for Laughs Gags Asia crew member Eugene Lim, 18, said, “The public is very enthusiastic and many came to take pictures with us. They did not need prompting.I

Kevin Chum, marketing promoter for MediaCorp Channel 5, believes that Just for Laughs Gags Asia will be well-received as “it is a first for Asia and Singapore.”

To simulate the responses of unsuspecting subjects à la the popular hidden-camera comedy show, a creative photo moment contest was held in conjunction with the road show.

Ai Tong Primary School student Gerald Lim, 12, was one of the winners. A loyal follower of the series since Primary One, he had specially attended the event with his mother and sister.

“I am very happy and excited that Just for Laughs is in Singapore and I prefer Singapore’s version,” he said.

Fans who missed the road show can catch the crew at Raffles City or Vivo City today at 2.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. respectively.