Nadia Siu Van / en Big screen gangster: taking on the Triads in film /news/big-screen-gangster-taking-triads-film <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Big screen gangster: taking on the Triads in film</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2013-11-08T04:13:31-05:00" title="Friday, November 8, 2013 - 04:13" class="datetime">Fri, 11/08/2013 - 04:13</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Alumnus Derek Tsang (photo by Mike Tjioe, courtesy of Reel Asian International Film Festival)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/nadia-siu-van" hreflang="en">Nadia Siu Van</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Nadia Siu Van</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">ÇŃ×ÓÖ±˛Ą</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utsc" hreflang="en">UTSC</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto alumnus<strong> Derek Tsang</strong> may be a popular Hong Kong actor known for his gangster roles, but his first love is filmmaking.</p> <p>Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada since the age of 10, Tsang had aspirations of becoming a screenwriter and director yet pursued a degree in sociology from ÇŃ×ÓÖ±˛Ą Scarborough, graduating in 2001.</p> <p>“To become a good scriptwriter, you have to approach a story from various angles,” says Tsang, 33. “Sociology broadens your understanding of the world by offering different perspectives on how people and society function.”</p> <p>Following his studies at ÇŃ×ÓÖ±˛Ą, Tsang returned to Hong Kong and made his acting debut in <em>Men Suddenly in Black</em>, a parody of Triad films (crime flicks featuring Chinese secret societies). He’s since played several roles in Triad movies, including <em>The Thieves </em>– an action-comedy that is the second highest-grossing movie in Korean film history.</p> <p>“People tend to romanticize the Triad way of life, which is why I like acting in dark comedy gangster films,” says Tsang. “They highlight some of the menial, and even ridiculous, things that Triad members do.”</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6O6e5tr4hEQ" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Tsang’s filmmaking takes on a different tone. He co-wrote the script for his directorial debut, <em>Lover’s Discourse</em>, which depicts relationships about love and affliction – and for his next feature, he hopes to shoot a film revolving around a dysfunctional family.</p> <p>Tsang also hasn’t stopped striving to become a better actor. “It’s easy to be a mediocre actor in this industry – but to become a top-notch, respected actor? That is the hard part.”</p> <p><em>The Thieves</em> can be purchased on Blu-ray or DVD at Amazon.ca, or viewed on Netflix.</p> <p><em>Nadia Siu Van is a writer with <a href="http://www.magazine.utoronto.ca/">ÇŃ×ÓÖ±˛Ą Magazine</a> where this article originally appeared.</em></p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/derek-tsang-13-11-07.jpg</div> </div> Fri, 08 Nov 2013 09:13:31 +0000 sgupta 5706 at String theory: a yo-yo master unwinds /news/string-theory-yo-yo-master-unwinds <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">String theory: a yo-yo master unwinds</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sgupta</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2013-01-08T03:24:04-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 8, 2013 - 03:24" class="datetime">Tue, 01/08/2013 - 03:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Wayne Ngan, president of the University of Toronto Yo-Yo Club, practises outside the Bahen Centre for Information Technology (photo by Mark Balson)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/nadia-siu-van" hreflang="en">Nadia Siu Van</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Nadia Siu Van</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/features" hreflang="en">Features</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/students" hreflang="en">Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/student-life" hreflang="en">Student Life</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/astronomy" hreflang="en">Astronomy</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Wayne Ngan</strong> has yet to complete his PhD in astronomy and astrophysics – but he has managed to discover inner cosmic balance while studying galactic mysteries.</p> <p>His secret? Mastering the art of the yo-yo.</p> <p>Last August, the University of Toronto graduate student travelled to Calgary for the 2012 Canadian Yo-Yo Nationals. Ngan manipulated both butterfly-shaped yo-yos (pictured at right)&nbsp;and imperial-shaped yo-yos to create intricate looping tricks, bouncing the yo-yo off the string and, unusually, mixing four yo-yoing styles.</p> <p>“Combining all styles into a single routine was probably shocking for some viewers,” says Ngan, 27. “But I think bringing something fresh to the table worked to my advantage.”</p> <p>It did – he finished third in the open freestyle division.</p> <p>Despite his success, Ngan plans to return his yo-yoing to its roots – as an activity that relieves stress, rather than creates it.</p> <p>“I don’t want to associate it with the pressures and anxieties of a competition,” he says.</p> <p><iframe allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nmcVBKkTmDU" width="560"></iframe></p> <p>Like video gaming, the art of yo-yoing requires hands-on skills and lots of practice. But Ngan’s game doesn’t cause carpal tunnel or confine him to the house.</p> <p>“It’s relaxing, fun and rewarding,”&nbsp;Ngan says.</p> <p>When the current president of the University of Toronto<a href="http://yoyo.sa.utoronto.ca/"> Yo-Yo Club</a> isn’t researching dark matter in galaxy halos, you can probably find him effortlessly swinging a yo-yo around his head in horizontal circles (without getting a concussion) at the Bahen Centre for Information Technology every other Sunday afternoon.</p> <p>“There’s a steep learning curve, but you can’t be afraid to stray from the rules,” he says. “That’s how some of the most amazing tricks are invented.”</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-picpath field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">picpath</div> <div class="field__item">sites/default/files/Ngan-yo-yo_01_08_09.jpg</div> </div> Tue, 08 Jan 2013 08:24:04 +0000 sgupta 4988 at