By Jerome Tay (20S06Q) and Valerie Tan (20A01E)
Photos courtesy of Squash

The Kallang Squash and Tennis Centre does not seem like a place used for sports at all. It is modest, unnoticeable—a small building in the middle of nowhere, overshadowed by the much grander stadiums surrounding it in the area. One looking at it would hardly imagine that tough battles of brain and brawn had been fought here, within the four-walled glass towers that housed the squash matches of Singapore’s young athletes. Perhaps that could be forgiven; squash, after all, is not a very common sport. But what it lacks in fame and prestige it makes up for in its sheer intensity, as was proven on 2 May: the day of the Squash Boys’ Finals 2019, where Raffles Institution (RI) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) met each other in a fight for third place.

The first match came and went swiftly—captain Tan Izhi (19S06S) defeated his opponent with ease, keeping things relaxed even when he let go of a few points. It was a good start to the tournament for RI and set the tone for the other RI players, giving them a boost for their matches ahead.

The second match, however, did not sail as smoothly, and instead pitted the two strong players against each other for a nerve-wracking four sets that refused to end. Thunderous cheers from both schools echoed outside the glass court, with a passionate “finish it off!” from an RI supporter cutting through the noise. Inside the confines of the court, the players expertly evaded each other in an attempt to hit the ball, ducking towards the corners with every shot. The atmosphere built up impossibly, the stakes getting higher by the second.

Two points—how was a two-point lead so hard to achieve?

It felt like a never-ending game, the two players constantly at war with each other, and every single person sat up straight, eager to see who would triumph. After a long battle, RI’s Tobias Khoo (19S06R) finally managed to pull away with a stunning victory, the set score standing at a close 15-13. Nestled in the shrieks of elation and joy was a tinge of relief, the tension clearing like thunderclouds after a storm.

The tournament was not over yet. The third match was equally nail-biting, sparing no mercy on both the players and the spectators. RI player Benjamin Teo (19S03E) sustained an injury in the second set from a hard hit from the racket, and a timeout was called for him to bandage his bleeding wound. The spectators held their breaths as he stepped out of the court until he re-entered once again to finish what had been started. The tension did not stop there—ACJC pushed their newfound advantage, and closed the gap for a score of 2-2 with RI. It was a deadlock, and everyone nervously anticipated the final set of the match. In the end, both players gave their all, and it was a narrow defeat with ACJC securing the victory with a 4-point lead.

The fourth match saw ACJC throwing their all into the fray. Down 2-1, RI would be declared the winners if ACJC did not manage to pull a miracle and win that game. Vice-captain Justin Goh (19S06J) was up against one of the strongest players in the ACJC team. Pitted against the tenacious playstyle of ACJC, RI relented and the opponents managed to secure another win, pulling them away from the jaws of certain defeat. Both schools were now left with two wins each.

As expected, the tie-breaking last match saw the supporters of both schools at the edge of their seats, all eyes glued on the two boys who had entered the court. Representing RI was Li Chu Wei (19S06J), carrying the passion and drive of all his members; the two consecutive defeats had not dulled his spark and determination to bring victory to RI. The set that played out before everyone was one of great intensity; neither of the players let their guard down for a single moment, constantly darting around each other to make their next shot, and the energy in the court was palpable even beyond its glass walls. Despite playing the decider match, Chu Wei admirably kept his cool, and all his hard work leading up to that point paid off. RI managed to win the fifth round, beating ACJC 3-2 and seizing third place in the overall championships.

When asked about how he felt about the games that had just taken place, captain Tan Izhi (19S06S) explained that this year’s tournament had seen the team trumping physical discomfort and overcoming mental barriers. Everyone had played their best, and the results achieved clearly reflected that. The coach of the team further asserted that the boys never took any game lightly, and even when they seemed to have the upper hand, it was never truly over for them until the referee gave the signal. The most important thing to remember was to always remain focused, and to never be too overconfident or complacent.

Indeed, it was the humility of the players and their desire to achieve a win no matter the cost that led to the victory over ACJC. It may not have been the championship title; it may not have been first place. But the sheer passion and resolve of the boys led them to keep striving for the best they could be. Having spared nothing in fighting for second runners’ up, the team was no short of elation when the referee declared the results of the final game—“Game goes to RI!”

Raffles Press would like to congratulate the Squash Boys for their excellent performance, and wish them all the best in their next interschools.

By Benjamin Lim (19S03I), Ruchira Ramaswamy (20S03A) and V Shivani (20S06R)
Photographs courtesy of Geng Heqin (20S06S), Jia Junran (20S06H) and Syu Rui Ying (20S06M) of Raffles Photographic Society

Electrifying pop hits were blasting through the speakers as friends and family of Raffles Street Dance (RSD) members streamed excitedly into the PAC. It was as if the auditorium was alive—chatter filling the air, and people grooving along to the beats, tingling with anticipation for the showcase to commence. Twinkling yellow fairy lights and helium balloons that spelled out HOMEBOUND adorned the stage, adding to the ethereal and dazzling atmosphere. As the lights dimmed, signalling the start of the show, the audience’s excitement rose into screams and rapidly settled into a hush as the screen flickered to life.

The showcase opened with Homebound’s promotional video, which displayed scenes of the different dance items. The video was nothing short of breathtaking, with the cool costumes and scenery enhancing the captivating effect of the dances. 

In an unconventional turn, a ‘vlog’ of three Y5s (now Y6s) documenting their RSD journey as freshers filled the screen. If you thought the showcase would just be a string of dance items, you’re wrong! In fact, RSD did the exact opposite by interspersing their showcase with skits that added bursts of flavour to the entire recital.

The storyline started off with these main characters’ enthusiasm contrasting starkly with the lethargy and passivity of the rest of the CCA. Dressed in bright hoodies, the members spread listlessly across the stage, with some preening and fangirling over K-pop idols, some sleeping soundly, and some cramming for next year’s SATs (yes, you read that right). After half heartedly strutting it out to the funky and boisterous beat of Lemon by N.E.R.D, Rihanna and Drake, RSD received the terrible blow of the night – their CCA was going to be shut down (before you panic, the writers would like to remind you that this is part of the fictional script).

In response, they threw together a fundraiser as a last ditch attempt to keep the CCA alive, featuring a sinuous routine by glitter-clad girls dancing to the rowdy tune of YES by Louisa and 2 Chainz under strobe lights. This hyped atmosphere was short-lived as the “audience” (played by RSD members on stage) were not only small, but also uncaring. With the girls fighting after the performance, the three original Y5s were left lost and depairing.

Blue lights flooded the stage and a melancholic electric guitar riff echoed as these three characters took center stage. Spotlights were not the only things clinging to each expressive move of the dancers—the audience was fixated, fully immersed in this vivid display of lighting, dance and emotions. Their bodies flowed effortlessly to the sound of Waves by Dean Lewis, and the soul-stirring ensemble pulled at our heartstrings. Soon after followed a piece to Walking The Wire by Imagine Dragons, the soaring chorus expressing regeneration as the members rallied their determination to push forward. This was a turning point in the storyline for our characters; a moment of revelation expressed through dance.

With a surge of vivacity, the rest of the members of RSD joined our main characters for the next song, Coming Home by Sheppard. With a celebratory, upbeat tune, this song had us all exhilarated as the dancers performed with ebullience. Beaming with bright smiles as they all reunited, the dancers had finally set foot on the path home. Home to their family of people who shared a passion for dance; home where they found comfort and joy once again.

To kick off the uproarious celebration of coming together as one family, dancers flooded the stage, clad in army-esque outfits to perform the high-energy routine to Uproar by Lil Wayne and Swizz Beatz. The “Street” in Raffles Street Dance was finally showcased, with one of the members even doing a jump-split.

And what would a RSD showcase be without the classic romantic ballad? This time, the couples danced to Photograph by Ed Sheeran, a timeless and moving piece. With the girls’ gowns billowing gracefully around their legs, the graceful leaps and lifts, this mellow moment was definitely something to savour.

As the stage came alive with pink and purple hues, five silhouettes sashayed on stage. One would expect another feminine routine, but as the slow and racy beat rolled out, the sleek lines of their stilettos and shoulders sent the audience into a frenzy, with hoots and whistles echoing throughout the PAC. The girls completely owned the spotlight as they strutted impressively to High Heels by JoJo, flipping their hair and serving all the sass and self-confidence.  

Just when it seemed like nothing could top the previous item, lights dimmed and Brother by Kodaline began to play. One by one, as the RSD members danced onto the stage, their personal pre-recorded reflections regarding how RSD became less important to each individual was played over the instrumental portion of the song. With the song’s conclusion, they finally understood that RSD had also showed them the path back to each other.

RSD could not survive on the efforts of three people alone. Rather, RSD would only not only survive, but thrive, when like-minded people with an unrelenting passion for dance came together as one. During the final song On Our Way by The Royal Concept, the Y5s and Y6s all donned pastel-blue RSD shirts and danced together, with catchy moves and gestures that soon had the entire audience clapping along. As the final cadence approached, the Y5s jumped off the stage. Together with the Y6s, the RSD family ended off their showcase with a bang!

Through blood, sweat and tears, the RSD members, with assistance from their instructor Ms Steffi and their alumni, managed to perform to a multitude of songs that everyone could relate well to. Whilst their passion for dance may have brought them to RSD, it would be nothing but sheer effort and dedication that would allow them to make RSD bound something so much more—a place they could call home.

Repertoire:

Lemon by N.E.R.D, Rihanna and Drake
(Choreographed by Zhiyi and May)

Yes by Louisa and 2 Chainz
(Choreographed by Amanda and Yu Ning)

Waves by Dean Lewis
(Choreographed by Tasha)

Walking The Wire by Imagine Dragons
(Choreographed by Tasha)

Coming Home by Sheppard
(Choreographed by Amanda and Joey)

Uproar by Lil Wayne, Swizz Beats
(Choreographed by Zhiyi)

Photograph by Ed Sheeran
(Choreographed by Joey)

High Heels by Jojo
(Choreographed by Channe)

Brother by Kodaline
(Choreographed by Channe)

On Our Way by The Royal Concept
(Choreographed by Ms Steffi (Instructor))

By Sophia He (20S03H), Huang Beihua (20A03A), and Kwee Qiao Ying (19S03K)
Photos by Syu Rui Ying (20S06M) and Jensen Huang (20S06T) of the Raffles Photographic Society

It was 5.30pm on the 4th of May, 2019. Outside the Performing Arts Centre (PAC), all was calm. The Gryphon Square lazed under the afternoon sun. Students, one or two, broke their concentration on vector equations to laugh at their friends’ Star Wars puns of questionable quality, and Teddy was being petted (we know it was a Saturday, but let’s face it, when isn’t someone petting Teddy?)

Inside, though, was a wholly different sight: cymbals clanged and the saxophone sang, smartly dressed jazz members shuttled between stagefront and back, and decor team members worked their magic on balloons and duct tape, about to meet the concert that would be the culmination of many months of hard work by Raffles Jazz—Manha de Carnaval.

The tireless effort undertaken—spanning the entire length from late February right to the big day itself—was justifiably a source of pride. Alvan Png (20A03A), the incoming chairperson of Raffles Jazz, enthused, “It was great seeing everybody in top form working together to practise for a great concert, practis[ing] dry runs, decorating this place, putting in their 110% to get everything done… It was fantastic.”

It was understandable, then, that we entered the PAC later that night to an atmosphere of anticipation. Recordings of classics like “Fly Me To The Moon” by Frank Sinatra suffused the hall, whilst the string of blinking fairy lights that draped across the stage lent itself to the carnivalesque atmosphere of the night.

Finally (after four long paragraphs of preamble, no less), 7.40pm rolled around. Under the dimming lights, the show began with an evocative rendition of “Someday My Prince Will Come”. Originally appearing in the 1937 movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, the song carried forward the tender love and gentle nurture so celebrated by the fairy tale. The pellucid voice of Chiew Chern Faye (20S06N) took to the stage, immersing the hall in a lullaby praising a time when dreams could always come true.

Next in line was “Flor de Lis”, a “beautifully tragic” piece written by Brazilian singer Djavan. Where the Portuguese lyrics hindered our appreciation of the song’s pathos, the performers made up with their effusiveness. A resplendent smile on her face, vocalist Rayna Mak (19S03O)’s layered, rich voice, and the flawless coordination of the instrumental accompaniment, drew the audience into the effervescent atmosphere of the catchy tune. When the vocals gave way to piano and drum solos, the notes shined too, dancing from one to another jubilantly.

The professionalism of the Jazz members that put our shower-singing to shame was of little coincidence. Indeed, as Ho Hong Wei (19S02A), described, instructors would be invited to “come down and listen to [their] pieces” in a routine process known as the “quality check”, just so that the CCA could present their very best on this very day. So confident was Jazz in their skill that, in fact, seated among the audience were two of Singapore’s finest Jazz musicians, specially invited to witness the progress of the music scene in schools.

And, as we entered “There Will Never Be Another You”, it was only made clearer that the confidence was by no means unfounded. The mildly sorrowful tune unfurled its brilliance in its contemplative melody as, taking to the microphone once again, Chern Faye transfixed the audience in the song’s sentimental plea to the lover that “there will never be another you”. And how could said lover not listen, when it was made by a voice like hers?

A lighthearted piece was sorely needed at the end of the song—and there “Sway” was. Ushered onto the stage by a regrettably relatable joke on misplaced water bottles, this standard in jazz and pop repertoires was upbeat and lively: its bubbly tunes underlined by drums kept afloat a casual yet expressive spirit that animated every jazz song.

Indeed, the sheer number and variety of subgenres that come together under the nebulous heading of “jazz” necessarily engendered some trepidation in the less informed among us, the writers ourselves included. Could we, with so little knowledge on a genre so vast, really enjoy the music to its fullest? Hong Wei was forthcoming yet reassuring when asked about this: whilst he did not deny that jazz was “something you need to understand to fully appreciate”, he also stressed that even without knowing all its intricacies, “the layman can still enjoy jazz, because it’s so groovy.”

With that knowledge, we entered the next number of the night, “You Stepped out of a Dream”. It was a lively piece starring not one, not two, but three guitarists, featuring impressive, seamless changes between major and minor keys. With the absence of vocals this time round, the audience were able to fully appreciate the harmonious melody embellished with numerous complex trills.

The groovy, jubilant mood continued into “Pretend”, a hopeful, optimistic tune that comforts a melancholic listener to “Remember anyone can dream/And nothing’s bad as it may seem”.  It was an innocent and sweet message delivered immaculately in a lilting, tender soliloquy presented with sincerity and grace. Even as, in times of war, musicians were drafted to the frontlines, the quintessential buoyancy of jazz endured. Songs emerging from ever smaller ensembles remained jovial and cheerful, and “Daahoud”, a tribute to the era, carried the spirit forward effortlessly. The performers swayed to the beats as the song flowed and leaped happily from the stage note by note, mesmerising the audience in its frothing currents.

The swinging melody of the next song hinted at its title—”Manha de Carnaval” (Carnival Morning), the titular song of the night that bathed an audience fresh from the intermission in the idyllic, lighthearted joy of a Brazilian morning. As the ensemble “s[a]ng to the sun in the sky”, the music radiated the hall with the carefree warmth of a morning indulgent in celebration, and in the opportunities day would herald.

The audience members were then showered in passionate love with “It’s Almost Like Being in Love”, a jubilant tune that sailed boldly forward alongside the chords as the three vocalists finally came together to lend their voices to enrapturing jazz harmonies. With soft side-glances and gentle smiles, they snapped along to the virtuosic improvisations of the pianist, ceding their well-deserved spotlights to showcase the talent of their fellow instrumentalists.

Leading the repertoire toward a more emotional direction was “In a Sentimental Mood”, a jazz classic made a radio theme song on no fewer than nine occasions. The music delivered was charged with impressive raw emotion, as powerful vocals—interweaved between pensive strokes of the violin—echoed across the hall in confessional, and ultimately soothing, nostalgia. Such a theme continues into the next number, “It’s Alright with Me”. The intimacy of the tender melody bestows upon the music suffusing the air an almost conversational tone—only with words cushioned afloat by a melody of earnest elegance.

Back before the beginning of the concert, Alvan pointed us unequivocally to “Spain” as the highlight of the night: “It is such a good song by a set of such talented people; good Lord!” was his exclamation. Our expectations were naturally high, then, as the projector announced the next song in line, but Spain (perhaps unsurprisingly, given the talent at play) still exceeded them with ease. Guest performer Lim Shao Yong adorned the instrumental piece generously with long swathes of the flute’s lilting song, pulling the audience into the wandering, reflective solitude of its gentle cadences. Yet, the flute readily joined the other instruments at a moment’s notice, blending seamlessly with them into one joyous, fluent tune that caught the audience in its arms and skipped forward, carefree.

This carefree feeling carried into the next item, “Feel like Makin’ Love”, a song which encompasses diverse dynamics. The performers showed off their polished skills under the spotlight during their respective solos; yet, their teamwork and easy rapport, evident from how they seemingly communicated through music, was a further testament to the effort the Jazz members had put into practicing.

With that, the curtains drew to a close. However, devoted supporters could not get enough of the talented Jazz members and chanted enthusiastic choruses of “Encore! Encore!” Roaring cheers sounded when the departing Y6 batch took to the stage yet again to deliver a final performance. The guitarists showed off their dexterity and passion, contributing to an almost infectious energy on stage echoed by the audience’s applause. Indeed, the flawless hair flip coupled with the exuberant leap into the air (befitting of Raffles Rock) brought the concert to end on an undeniably high note.

Raffles Jazz might have concluded their annual performance, but few were ready to leave just yet. Flowers that had been seen in the hands of eager supporters two hours ago were now in the well-deserving hands of Jazz members. Exhilarated supporters rejoiced with their musician friends below the stage—in conversations, as they posed for photos, or just through an overjoyed embrace. Perhaps the finest symbol of friendship came when one Jazz Year 6, fresh from her performance, found herself serenaded by an entire row of supporters in an exultant “Happy Birthday”—the sweetness of it all was heartwarming even for onlookers, for strangers to their lives.

And so, as we took our leave from the PAC, from the cymbal and the saxophone, from the friendships and the love songs, from Jazz’s toil and the jovial tunes, we could not help but think of what Hong Wei told us earlier in the evening: “just feel the music—[Jazz] is a form of music that touches your soul.” Indeed, there may be still plenty that we have yet to understand but, our brief foray into the realm of jazz has been nothing but pleasurable.

By Caryn Chiah (19A01A) and Shivani (20S06R)
Photos courtesy of Vivien He (20S03N)

It is 7:39am on a Thursday. Some have been in school for a while, and now sit in the parade square, bobbing along to whatever music democracy chose on Instagram the night before. Others join the panicked dash up the stairs, courting time and luck to arrive at their classes before the bell rings. In the mass of over 2000 students, you would hardly notice the absence of 11 girls. Yet, inconspicuously or not, there are 11 empty spaces where 11 tanned girls, 11 large duffle bags, and 22 tennis racquets are decidedly missing.

10 MRT stops away, the girls’ tennis team practise their shots. For many in the team, this will be their final shot at victory on the inter-school level; it will also be their last match together as a team. Be that as it may, if any of them are nervous about their big match, they don’t show it; instead, there is a light smattering of chatter, inside jokes and gentle ribbing, an easy familiarity that comes from spending so much time together. We ask Olivia, the team captain, on how she’s dealing with the pressure of the upcoming games. She shrugs nonchalantly, but is serious in her answers: “We already met HCI in the Quarters and won, but we faced more resistance than anticipated… our team has worked really hard since the start of the year and I think we’re in a good position to face whatever comes our way.”

This determination is mirrored in her teammates. At 7:45am, they gather in their pre-game team huddle one last time before the matches start, where their coach urges them to focus on the process and not the results, while Olivia rallies her team with words of encouragement. Then, at 8:00am, they make their way into the competition courts. It is quiet: supporters from both schools have yet to arrive. Each girl or doubles pair is alone in the court—the five matches take place simultaneously, so there is no moment where the entire tennis team gathers as one to cheer another teammate on. This scene is unexpected at a sports match, where teams would normally spur on their fellow players together, but this is perhaps symbolic of this sport itself.

Team member Tammy effectively counters this with her belief, stating that it is “good to incorporate this individuality into a team so [the players] get to experience team spirit.” How will this team spirit affect the way the girls play? We settle in to find out.

Steeling their nerves, the girls get into their game stance, ready to confront their opponents. The supporters have started to trickle in, and scatter themselves across the different courts, watching eagerly from behind the barrier. Five games are taking place simultaneously: three singles matches and two doubles. For Team Raffles to win, our girls have to win at least 3 out of the 5 matches. When asked for her opinion on how the matches play out side-by-side, Olivia notes, “I think it made every player put a lot of pressure on themselves because you don’t really see how your teammates are doing: you’re just focusing on your own game and you don’t know whether your match ends up being the deciding match that breaks the tie.” However, this adds a team-effort aspect to the very individual-based sport that is tennis. Olivia also acknowledges that there “must be a united effort across the entire team”, for  “one star player definitely will not be able to ‘carry’ the whole team.”

Nicole is the first player to finish her match. She had gotten off to a rocky start, losing the first few points to her opponent. In between serves during her first game, she tosses her racquet into the air, catching it easily as it flips. “Her lucky flip,” Olivia tells us, is something Nicole does when she’s feeling nervous. It seems the lucky flip, or perhaps just Nicole’s perseverance and hard work, must have worked; when we return to her court towards the end of her match, the tide has turned, and Nicole scores the first win for Team Raffles. Afterwards, we catch up with her, and she tells us that she is “feeling good”, and “excited to play with this team next year.”

For the other girls, the matches continue. Into their second or third sets now, the girls have been playing fiercely for almost half an hour. They don’t know how the other matches are going. But despite the inherent insulation of each court, vice-captain Jeovanne carries an awareness of her team into the court. This is not just a mere awareness, but an understanding that the team has her back. Her match isn’t an easy one, not just because she faces off against Hwa Chong’s top player, but because she nurses an injured shoulder—sustained right at the start of the game. Yet,  Jeovanne cites her team as a motivating force, explaining: “Playing for my team pushes me to work harder because I don’t want to let them down”. And she did not let them down, for her beautiful services and rapid shots clinch another win for Team Raffles.

One of the most notable moments of the morning takes place in Tessa and Sarah’s doubles court. It happens right after Tessa smacks the ball right into the net, a move she would later deride as “stupid”.  As she sinks to the floor in half-mocking despair, cries of confusion and shock ring out from the spectators. Despite this, doubles partner Sarah tells her to stand up, and extends a hand to pull her up. Back on her feet, the partners push on. Despite losing their first game, they pick each other up (figuratively and literally) and quickly regain their momentum, eventually culminating in a victory.

Meanwhile, in the other courts the two other matches are heating up: the singles match played by Tammy, and the doubles match played by Su Wen and Manali. Tammy manages to score yet another win for Team Raffles, sending the crowd of Rafflesian supporters up in cheers. After a fierce, long battle against their opponents from HCI on the other court, Su Wen and Manali are eventually defeated. They were both visibly distraught, grimacing as their opponents won the deciding set of the final match of the day. However, having fought valiantly for their team, they still emerged victorious at the end of the day and were met with cheers from all of Team Raffles: their teammates, their coaches and their friends.

The girls may have had different experiences, and played separate games with different outcomes, but they will all win or lose as a team, and this year’s tennis inter-school finals has ended with the RI girls’ team emerging as the champions against HCI. They hail from different secondary schools, different secondary school CCAs, different classes, different subject streams. Their journeys as tennis players are all different. For some, this competition is just a blip in their tennis careers, while others have played almost exclusively for the school. Yet, in this moment, all of them share the same drive to do their team and the school proud. Surrounded by a crowd of rallying Rafflesians, the tennis team goes up as one to receive their medals and the championship trophy.

“It has been tough to balance the conflicts between giving my players the time and space to prepare themselves and the teachers’ or coach’s desires to have good team attendance and foster a stronger team spirit. Personal and team development is something you always have to balance when it comes to sports like tennis.”

Olivia Lee (19S06O)

In her parting words to her juniors, the team captain Olivia delivers one last message. “Treasure the friendships you’ve made and the memories you shared, because when you’re here next year playing your last interschool, holding your medals and smiling for the camera for the last time, I hope you take away more than trophies. I hope you take away amazing memories and laughs, and the comfort in knowing you have a group of solid friends that you can always fall back on and will support you through anything. It has been a pleasure to lead you guys and walk this journey with you.”

Raffles Press would like to applaud the Tennis Girls for their excellent performance, and congratulate them for a well-deserved victory.

Team Members

Year 6s

Jeovanne Canace Poernomo, 19S03F
Tammy Tan Kay Shan, 19S06L
Tessa Wong Jia Yee, 19A01C
Olivia Lee Yu-Yen, 19S06O
Sin Su-Wen, 19A01D

Year 5s

Nicole Ng Yi-Lynn, 20S03P
Sarah Abdul Rahman, 20S06E
Manali Patil, 20S06D
Syarah Zafira, 20S06C
Helen Trenner, 20S02A
Vivien He, 20S03N

By Wong Zi Yang (19A01D) and Tay Jing Xuan (20S03C)

“You’ll be fine!” Chester (19A01C) assured Rachel (19S07C) as she did one last recital of her lines. The hour leading up to the Writers’ Guild Anthology Launch was charged with an atmosphere of anticipation and anxiety. Shuffling around fixing their boards, doing sound tests, and practising their lines one final time, each member was acutely aware of the fact that almost half a year of hard work (and sometimes procrastination) would cumulate in these two hours. The result was one 266-page anthology, themed “Past Perfect”.

A quick Google search of the anthology’s theme—”Past Perfect”—would lead you to websites teaching you about the grammatical tense. Writers’ Guild had revealed in an interview that they were considering continuing the punctuation theme from last year’s anthology (the comma), but “eventually decided that punctuation would get really overdone a few batches down the road”. Keeping in line with the idea of the past, this anthology also gives a nod to previous batches of Writers’ Guild members before them. At the same time,

This anthology goes past the arbitrary front that is “perfection”—rather, it explores what exists prior to a state of perfection, the journey to becoming perfect, and what lies beyond “perfection”, examining the fractured kaleidoscope of possibilities and permutations.

Writers’ Guild, foreword

Writers’ Guild has always been about open, creative expression and synthesising the skills of each member to create one cohesive piece. This year, their openness was taken to new heights: sharing the process of writing, editing and compiling the stories. The event itself began with a skit detailing the struggles of Writers’ Guild in the process of creating the anthology and preparing for the launch which, evidently, was filled with difficulties. Procrastination, disagreements and an overall lack of commitment were just the start of the problems plaguing the development process, impeding progress as infighting ensued.

As stress and other commitments built up, Guild work took even greater steps into the shadows. With time passing and the deadline slowly approaching, indignation, frustration and desperation compounded as members went about their business apathetically. Unable to further tolerate their bad attitude, the Chairperson Tiara Qistina Tho (19S06C) exploded in anger and confronted her batchmates with a flurry of rage and obscenities, shocking them enough into getting their act together (in a later interview, Tiara explained that the actual rant did not contain obscenities and was more of a cry for help than anything: “the resolution bit was almost entirely fabricated”).

The idea of the skit itself was drawn from a point of chaos, branching from the original idea we had of giving the audience a purely behind-the-scenes look through individual exhibitions. This, indeed, was derived from an emergency meeting the Exco conducted with the batch after coming to terms with the fact that the previous idea was already a failure before we had even begun work on it.

Tristan Zen Tan (19S06A)

Exhibitions

What’s an anthology without getting to know the story behind each piece? This may be what Writers’ Guild 2019 considered as they decided to stand out from other batches by introducing booths allowing each writer to showcase their arduous journey of writing. Personalised boards detailing each writer’s experience lined the Mini LT, revealing the hard work they had invested into their stories. A quick glance at them told us the tale of how two members made a grand total of 446 edits on one piece, another of an intense process of mistake mitigation, plot rejection and brainstorming in writing historical fiction, and a rather cleverly hidden uncensored version of a scrapped political piece.

For us, the anthology was a pretty individual effort—our own stories, our own decisions. So I guess the anthology this year is special because of the pieces inside it… everything in launch was designed to be as brutally honest as possible.

Tiara Qistina Tho (19S06C)

Proud members stood by their boards between performances, ready to explain their pieces to anyone interested. Chester, sporting a bright grin on his face, told fascinated attendees of how his piece had been, rather sadly, censored, since it ran afoul of one of the infamous out-of-bounds (OB) markers. Stuck on his board was a clear file filled with drafts of blacked-out words, phrases and even entire sentences. “But,” he said, removing the file to present a QR code to awestruck listeners, “you can read the uncensored one here if you want.”

On the other side of the room, Nicole Chan (19S05A) described how she had struggled with coming up with a story based off writing prompts retrieved online, only to write a story synthesising elements from two separate prompts. Presenting her failed drafts like proud scars of war, Nicole enthusiastically told audience members of ideas that were considered and scrapped. “The quote down there is from my editor”, she laughed as she pointed to a phrase at the bottom of her board that read: ‘godly procrastination is a BIG MOOD’.

Monologue (by Goh Ling Shan Rachel)

After getting to know each writer’s story in crafting their piece, launch-goers were treated to a monologue by Rachel. While everyone is aware of the challenges encountered in the process of writing (something Writers’ Guild has to deal with on a regular basis), what’s less well-known are the inner workings of the interest-group-turned-CCA. She shared about the times their Exco tried to make members arrive punctually by pushing the reporting time half an hour earlier, how they had revised scripts over and over till no one was sure which version they were on, and how a mutiny had unfolded some time over the past year, garnering mirthful laughter from the audience.

However, not everything was joyous and funny. Rachel touched on the more sensitive topics surrounding Writers’ Guild, how it was ridiculous that even its own members looked down upon it. “Because the idea of being last is so ingrained in us, we are so bloody good at being last,” she shared. At the worst of times, members didn’t put in effort, sessions were dry, and people were unmotivated. But banded together as a CCA, they pushed on with the anthology launch as their end goal and managed to make everything work out in the end—with the success of the launch as sound testimony.

Spoken word poetry: I Choose (by Hasanah and Shannon)

The first of the spoken poetry performances was a reading of I Choose by Hasanah d/o Haja Mydin (19S03P) and Shannon Law (19S06G). If personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures, then it could be said that a person is shaped by the choices they make. Do you choose to smile or frown at your reflection in the mirror? Do you find yourself ugly or beautiful? Do your flaws make you feel special or insecure, unique or a loser? Hasanah weighs in on her interpretation of “past perfect” with her poem, I Choose. The poem itself utilises “choices” as a central theme: there are breaks at certain points in the text, and each blank will have one word above and below it. Depending on which word the reader uses to fill in the blanks, the poem takes on an entirely different meaning. As Hasanah began reading the poem, Shannon took over as the reading reached the first blank; Hasanah took over once the reading reached the next blank, and the pattern continued. Reciting in sync with Shannon, the reading demonstrated how the journey to becoming perfect is shaped by choices: the options you take determine whether you are satisfied or frustrated with your life.

Spoken word poetry: Liquid Gold (by Chester Ong)

Next was a performance by Chester Ong, reading Liquid Gold by Shannon Law. The poem chronicles the souring of the relationship between the speaker and a loved one through their daily routine of drinking coffee: the shattering of the ceramic mug represents the cracks in their relationship, slowly morphing what once began as a daily moment of quiet intimacy into something toxic to both parties. As the warmth of the coffee faded, so did their love; a fact that the speaker did not reflect upon until the loved one left. The reading did the poem justice, conveying the raw and poignant feelings hidden underneath the words: a perfect reading of a well-written poem reminiscing about the past.

Performance: In My Mind and Bruise, written and performed by Rachelle Chua (19A01B)

Creative writing isn’t all about ink on notebooks and pixels on the screen—sometimes, manuscript paper and a guitar get roped into the scene too. Rachelle Chua (19A01B) decided to add a little twist to her contribution by writing not one, but two songs to perform during the launch and wow the audience with profound lyrics and smooth, virtuoso guitar playing.

Bruise was performed first, a smooth introduction to the pain of love. The speaker, having had her heart broken in the past, is scared of having it hurt again. Who would risk suffering a second time even if it meant opening up to someone once more? She would. And in Bruise’s quiet offers to let the other into her mind in exchange for them noticing her true self, she begs them over and over to “take [their] time, don’t just skim right through [her]”. Agonising as love might be, she is willing to suffer that all over again, and this song truly conveys the message that love can give one courage to wholeheartedly open up to and trust another person.

In My Mind’s soft pleas for the other to stay and be kept safe with her were sung beautifully, in an almost breathless voice with a firm grip on its raw emotion. If your lover left you while you were drowning under the tide, how would your scrapbook of life ever be completed? No one can bear to think of such a tragedy befalling them, and neither can the speaker. So she chooses to persuade them to stay, talking about all the things—”crowned king and queen in a palace, safely swathed in a cable car, a never ending Ferris wheel ride”—they could have together, only if they stayed in her mind.

The anthology launch ended off successfully with the audience leaving with their “exit fee” (the anthology book) in hand. It was not perfect; nothing ever is. However, as the anthology may reveal to us, we should not be so fixated on the concept of perfection: the journey towards perfection ought to be our main focus.

Repertoire

• I Choose
  • Written by Hasanah d/o Haja Mydin (19S03P)
  • Performed by Hasanah d/o Haja Mydin (19S03P) and Shannon Law (19S06G)
• Liquid Gold
  • Written by Shannon Law and (19S06G) performed by Chester Ong (19A01C)
• In my Mind
  • Written and performed by Rachelle Chua (19A01B)
• Bruise
  • Written and performed by Rachelle Chua (19A01B)

By Huang Beihua (20A03A), Sophia He (20S03H) and Mah Xiao Yu (20A01B)
Photographs courtesy of Lin Yutong (19S06F), Syu Rui Ying (20S06M), Joel Leong (20S03O) and Claire Ngern (20S03N) of Raffles Photographic Society

Love, mystery, and espionage: most would think of James Bond and his many, many Bond girls, (hey, You Only Live Twice! Just kidding, Raffles Press does not approve of polyamory.) but Raffles Players presented us with something new—their very own comedic rendition of the highly acclaimed 1935 film, The 39 Steps.

The adventure began from the moment audience members stepped into the front of house, where they were transported into 1910 England, the world of The 39 Steps. Members of Players handed out copies of The Daily Express (programme booklets) and the tickets, too, added to the allure in their resemblance to train tickets, promising to take the audience on an exciting adventure far away. Furthermore, a board lined in green felt were 38 envelopes marked with Players’ names, some already bursting with fan mail. Pinned on another board were multiple mock posters, including many “Wanted” and “Missing” ones showcasing the cast and crew, even a “Monster spotted” notice featuring our beloved Kuang Shane Qi (Press’ former Vice Chair (Training)).

The play follows largely from the plot of the Hitchcock film—though with ten times the humour and a hundred times the diversity (it passes the Bechdel test and features a multiracial cast). The adventure begins when Richard Hannay (Kevin Chiramal, 19S06S), an ordinary Londoner with not much going on in his life, helps counter-intelligence agent Annabella Schmidt (Naia Nathan, 19A01A) escape from two hitmen (A. Ganeshaa, 19S03G, and Beth Lim, 20S03I). She reveals to him her mission to stop the mysterious “39 Steps” (roll credits) from stealing vital British military intelligence, only to be stabbed to death that very night. The comedic and dramatic take on the source material demonstrates itself in full bloom to the audience from the very beginning. Collapsing on the sofa was not all to Schmidt’s death: as Hannay ventured towards her hand for a map clutched within, she theatrically jerked several times while clasping tightly to the map; it was not until she settled in an exaggerated catatonic state was the affair truly over. The description here may be macabre, but the enacted scene was—as the audience proved with their laughs—more amusing than frightening on stage.

“It is up to us, Mr Hannay! […] They will stop at nothing and there is no turning back.”

— Annabella Schmidt (Naia Nathan, 19A01A)

And so begins a riveting tale of wit and romance. Hannay, now a fugitive accused of Schmidt’s murder and the hitmen’s new target, sets out for “Alt-na-Shellach” in the Scottish Highlands at Schmidt’s direction. Through trains and across mountains, Hannay survives countless threats such as a storm of bullets from a police aircraft (an ingeniously crafted scene indeed) but also the kind help of an Edinburgh crofter’s wife and Pamela (Jannatun Tajrian, 20S03A), who he kisses to distract the police. And at what seems like the very end of it, he arrives at Alt-na-Shellach to find the respectable Professor Jordan (Manish Warrier, 20S03H) and his wife (Shweta Kunaciilan, 19A01D).

Respectable, that is, till he reveals his leadership of the 39 Steps and shoots Hannay. It is a plot twist that some may have seen coming, but what now? It is at this climax that the first act draws to its conclusion, leaving us with bated breath—how would this play continue in its second act, with its protagonist now dead? Would the second act just be a victory lap for the despicable Professor Jordan?

Fret not, right at the beginning of the second act is the welcomed news of Hannay’s surprising (or maybe not so much) survival—all thanks to the hymn book in his borrowed coat. His victory does not last long, however, as he realises the policemen have already been bought over by the Professor to take him down and he is forced to flee for his life yet again. He encounters an old frenemy next: Pamela. At first, she innocently assists the hitmen in capturing Hannay, but after a long day together (including but not limited to: handcuffs, a hotel room with a single bed, stockings, and two hitmen apologising profusely into a telephone) she finally believes his story and agrees to help him. The enemies-to-lovers trope and the hotel room with a single bed, while somewhat cliche, were well-delivered and added to the humour of the play.

It is at the next rendition of Mr Memory’s fantastical display that the strings of fate draw both the duo and the Professor together. It is revealed that the coveted formula of The 39 Steps was in fact in Mr Memory’s mind all along, but Mr Memory is prevented from revealing it in its full glory—by a fatal shot to the chest. In the midst of the chaos that ensues, Hannay wrestles the trigger-happy Professor in the viewing box. Ironically, it is the Professor’s own gun that is his undoing. After an accidental shot to the chest and an unbelievable amount of screaming, the Professor finally submits to death.

In the last moments of the play and Mr Memory’s life, he recites the painfully memorised formula to Hannay, Pamela and the compere. Albeit tragic, Mr Memory’s final act impressed the audience with a last bit of humour as the play reached its conclusion. Watching Su Jean rapidly regurgitate line upon line of physics formulae was an experience all by itself: one could not help but wonder a) how she spoke so fast without a slip and b) the effort she put into memorising more science than a physics teacher could ever hope for. Well, maybe Su Jean is portraying Mr Memory because she is Mr Memory.

Now acquitted of all charges, Hannay resumes his civilian life back in his London apartment. And as a final touching revelation, Pamela takes his side, while the rest of the cast stream in, showering them with flowers as the curtains close—and the applause began, not to fade for a long time.

“It’s really well done,” remarked Ellery Tan (20S06L), “[Players] did a good job despite limitations like budget, and the half-joking aesthetic played to their strengths.” Indeed, what stood out to the enthralled audience was, in the words of Milton Lee (20S06A), “an excellent use of physical humour”, as Players cleverly brought forward a stunning array of otherwise difficult scenes despite restrictions in manpower and in budget. Where Hannay was meant to jump out of a window, Kevin held up a large picture frame and flung it over his body, while passengers on a train rocked back and forth to simulate their movement along uneven tracks.

The greatest testament to Players’ unique style and astounding acting, however, came in the first act, as Hannay’s train out of London was ready to depart: two actresses, (Loh Su Jean, 19A01A, and Liyana Afiqah, 20S03I), each in uniform, alternated between different roles as quickly as a switch of their hats. A friendly station officer could be seen giving directions to a radiantly dressed Mrs Nicola Perry in one instant, yet, upon swapping her white hat with an officer’s cap, Liyana stood before us as a police officer. The creative and unorthodox on-stage portrayal of actions left its mark on the atmosphere of the play: while still a tale of espionage, it is unabashedly one that carries itself with a fresh, invigorating pinch of salt. The opportunity to enjoy a riveting story while laughing in lighthearted amusement instead of hyperventilating in unbearable tension was nothing but appreciated by the audience—as Lim Zheng Wei (20A03A) remarked, “it’s beautiful.”

No play—yes, even one with a cast as talented as this—can make do without its sets team, and here, players shined just as you would expect. Among the many awe-striking gems of their hard work, our favourite had to be those used in the plane scene: as a shadow puppet figure that was Hannay ran across mountains that were the shadow puppet screen, a see-saw set imaginatively illustrated the aircraft in hot pursuit, tipping from side to side as the plane swerved through valleys.

These sets came at no small cost to the team responsible for their design and realisation. As Kuang Shane Qi (19A13A) testified, this production “required the most logistical planning in the history of Raffles Players”; given that it is based off a movie, the intense scene changes commonplace in film were a challenge to translate into a play. Adaptation and innovation were essential: solid blocks used to depict train seats were replaced with rostrums to enable the actors the crawl beneath them during Hannay’s escape, in imitation of the high-stakes chase scene in the original film. Furthermore, the manor at Alt-na-shellach was portrayed through moving platforms, with stagehands dragging them across the stage while Hannay and Mrs Jordan walked in a novel depiction of movement and space. Subtle practicalities also complicated sets’ already arduous task: to conserve precious backstage space in the face of the myriad props used, those moving panels were the same ones as the walls of the McGarrigle hotel, with only detachable wallpapers distinguishing one from another.

With that said, let us not forget the vivid soundscape created by the lights and sounds department, from the original suite from The Thirty Nine Steps to “Scotland the Brave”, a righteous piece by the Scottish Bagpipes Highlight Pipes, painstakingly put together through afternoons of sampling barely distinguishable variations of phone rings and train whistles. You, too, can now sample a piece of Hannay’s world (or relive it, if you watched the play) at this link: https://open.spotify.com/user/ifa.h/playlist/2CaZ0U2Wdd0D7TtSHq50Md?si=3nHhg9qkQne1NnMSBb39-w

Despite what the morning announcements might have told you, this slightly surreal, somewhat farcical, yet thoroughly refreshing take on the story was nothing close to a least of all evils as a school club struggled to weigh its options against a lack of resources. It was, instead, a team of brilliantly innovative talents spellbinding the audience with the coalescence of their unique perspective on theatre and their single-minded dedication to their craft—a concoction that captured hearts, captured minds, and certainly quite a few laughs. As Joel Leong (20S03O) so succinctly put it, “this is definitely worth more than the ticket price.”

And what a small price to pay indeed, to bear witness to the fruition of months and months of hard work, to the product of an ingenious fusion of film and theatre, to Raffles Players: The 39 Steps!

Actors and Actresses

Kevin Chiramal as Richard Hannay

Naia Nathan as Annabella Schmidt and Margaret

Jannatun Tajrian as Pamela

Manish Warrier as Professor Jordan and Crofter

Shweta Kunaciilan as Mrs Jordan and Radio Announcer

Loh Su Jean as Mr Memory and ensemble

Liyana Afiqah as Compere and ensemble

A. Ganeshaa as Mrs McGarrigle and ensemble

Beth Lim as Mr McGarrigle and ensemble

Directors

Mr Jarrod Lee

Charmaine Teo

Production Manager and Publicity

Hannah Chia

Stage Managers

Crystal Lai

Eric Shen

Sets and Stagehands

Mr Gerald Choo

Ada Lum

Kuang Shane Qi

Aidan Ong

Low Jia Yi

Loh Lin

Tay Xi Teng

Fang Yi Hang

Eu Shae-Anne

Liu Kaizhong

Jerell Toh

Sonia Kaur

Fiona Xiao

Michele Pek

Costumes

Audrey Wan

Adina Anis

Naadiah Bte Mohamed Ibrahim

Roshan Kunaciilan

Lights and Sounds

Laura Sim

Yu Ke Dong

Nursyarifah Bte Abdullah

Publicity

Manuella Marie Pereira

Zhao Na

Joanne Sitorus

Zhang Ziru

Dennis Suyanto

By Claire Tan (20S07A) and Val Yeo (20S03O)

The 10th of May started hot. And sticky.

Early morning showers had rendered the tennis courts unusable: not only were matches postponed an hour, we were also hot and sticky. Us reporters, who only ever come into contact with the light from our computers, were absolutely melting under the sun’s unwavering glare.

And so, unable to bear the heat, we T-posed to take up space, argued over cookies, and watched councillors shout into the loudspeaker. Yet, all that time spent fooling around was quickly forgotten when our tennis players appeared, swiftly grabbing everyone’s attention. They strode onto the court with racquet in hand, hard eyes set on their opponent.

Even the warmups were devoid of mercy, the air fraught with tension right from the get go. Hit the ball against the net, and you could hear the crowd sigh; hit an out, and you could see deflated shoulders.

This year Raffles was up against ACS(I), a daunting opponent who had won the last 4 Tennis Championships. The results of today’s finals boiled down to the 5 matches to be played: 2 doubles and 3 singles.

The doubles started off with the blow of the referee’s whistle. The green, fuzzy ball was thrown into the air before making contact with the perfectly timed swing of the racquet, sending it into their opponent’s court.

In the court closer to us, Timothy Lee (20S03R) and Xavier Lien (20S03H) worked in tandem, eyes trained on the ball while still communicating silently with each other. With tension thick in the air, both spectators and competitors were visibly nervous. Spectators looked on with bated breath, intently watching the scores go up. Under the intense pressure of hundreds of eyes, the stress took an obvious toll on some of the competitors, who began to make mistakes in their play.

Even as their confidence wavered, their friends outside the court cheered them on more loudly: they never failed to affirm them whenever a point was scored, or console them with words of encouragement when a point was lost.

Timothy and Xavier put up a good fight, but eventually left the court crestfallen with a game score of 3-6 and 0-6, losing to their ACS(I) opponents. Upon seeing their grim and somber faces, their coaches approached them and clasped each of their hands firmly, saying, “Still proud of you.”

In the other doubles court, Jonathan Teo (19S06E) and Joshua Lee (20S03N) were up. Though they lost the first set 3-6, the pair made a swift comeback in the second set, winning 6-2. Beside us, one of the spectators shouted, “Let’s go Raffles!” as they score a point in their opponent’s court, before saying, “Ah, I think I cracked my jaw just now from cheering.”

The third match, being the tiebreaker, was especially stressful.

Neither of the teams could afford to make a mistake and each ball served was returned readily, the match soon turning into a volley of the green, fuzzy ball bouncing from court to court with both teams unwilling to give up the point.

The two teams are neck and neck before ACS(I) took the set, winning 6-3.

Two hours in, the doubles matches eventually concluded, and it was up to the singles players to lead their way back to victory. But ACS(I) had two singles players win the first set. (You need to win 2 sets out of 3 to win.) The third singles match saw tennis captain Sean Yun (19S03E)  with the ball entirely in his court. With utter ease, he took set one. The second set proved to be a challenge, however, with his opponent, Mark Theng from ACS(I), changing up his play. Still, Sean remained calm and composed, emerging victorious with a scoreline of 6-3, 7-6 (7-2).

Paul Michel (19S06L) fought hard against his competitor, with the supporters at the stands cheering him on every time he won a point with shouts of “Don’t give up!”. However, he ultimately lost to his opponent, 6-1, 6-1.

With ACS(I) ahead, it was now down to Timothy to prevail. At the start of the game, his strokes were hasty, and his opponent often gained points due to Timothy’s mistakes instead of outplaying him. “He’s just nervous,” someone beside me commented. “He’ll come back.” However, he lost his first set 6-0, a debilitating defeat. To lose six points in a row takes a heavy toll on one’s psyche, and now he needed to win the next two sets for RI to clinch first place.

The second set commenced, and most of the supporters came by to cheer him on. Even when the circumstances looked bleak, they never gave up on him, and at no point did we hear anyone whisper “He’s not going to win.”; instead, all we heard was “He just needs to focus,” or “He can do it”. Throughout the games, the deafening cheers from the crowd was proof that they never lost faith in him.

With the spirit of the team behind him, Timothy yelled. He grunted. He sprinted. He took four hard-fought sets off his opponent before eventually losing 6-0, 6-4.

Under the sweltering heat that day, it was this tenacity of the players that shone through and  characterized what it really meant to be a tennis player. Beyond the sport itself, we saw how Raffles Tennis was also about yelling words of encouragement and erupting into cheers whenever a teammate scored, and fighting alongside the players every step of the way no matter the circumstance.

Although the Boys’ Tennis team landed an impressive second place overall, they were visibly disappointed. Still, it does not discredit all the hard work they have put into the sport, including all they had sacrificed to come this far. After all, what we saw that day was merely a small fraction of all the hard work they put in. As team captain Sean put it, “The most trying moments of this past season happened off court rather than on court, with there being numerous instances of conflict, be it involving figures of authority or between teammates. But I am proud that my team managed to put all these behind them to train and fight as hard as they could.”

As the event came to a close, the team took a bow, concluding their competition season and the J2s’ journey with the team. When asked if he had anything to say to his juniors, Sean had these words of advice: “For the remaining months of this year, focus on spending and enjoying time with your batchmates! After all the heavy academic commitments are over with, slowly get back into the tennis grind and work towards next year.”

Though tennis appears to be an individual (or pair at best) sport, the players gathered strength from the rest of the team to face-off their opponents, and it was this camaraderie that saw the players through the season. Raffles Press would like to congratulate the Tennis Boys on their remarkable achievements and is looking forward to seeing them back on court next year!

Scores:

1st Singles
Sean Yun (RI) d. Mark Theng (ACSI) 6-3 7-6(7-2)

2nd Singles
Robin Cheng (ACSI) d. Timothy Lim (RI) 6-0 6-4

3rd Singles
Takeshi Koey (ACSI) d. Paul Michel (RI) 6-1 6-1

1st Doubles
Caleb Tay/Chris Theng (ACSI) d. Xavier Lien/Timothy Lee (RI) 6-3 6-0

2nd Doubles
Jonathan Teo/Joshua Lee (RI) d. Tiah Jeng Ern/Tetsushi Ito (ACSI) 3-6 6-2 6-3

By Claire Tan (20S07A) and Coco Liu (20S06L)
Photographs courtesy of Loh Yih Hang (19S06B) and Cheng Wentuo (20S06L)

The LT2 we walked into on 11th May was a vastly altered place—and it wasn’t just because it was bustling with excited parents and schoolmates. Chamber Ensemble had transformed the space for their annual concert, creating an unearthly ambience. Their banner at the front of the stage was adorned with pink and blue flowers; the lights were dimmed to evoke a sense of intimacy; even the ticketing booth at the entrance was lit with fairy lights. Entering the lecture theatre felt like walking into a fantasy.

Chamber’s theme this year was Fantasia, derived from ‘fantasie’, a now-obsolete variant of ‘fantasy’. From the other-worldly decorations to the repertoire heavily centred around the Romantic/circa 20th-century era, everything was designed to evoke the notion of dreams, and of the magic of imagination coming to life through music.

At 2.30pm, the lights dimmed and the chatter died down. Elizabeth Chew (20S06U) and Amanda Wee (19S06B) then stepped onto stage to act as the emcees of the event, introducing the eager audience to the theme, the repertoire, and their conductor, Ms Marietta Ku. The ensemble then settled down, preparing to play.

The first piece of the day was Marcia and Finale from Carl Reinecke’s Serenade for Strings, Op. 242. The first movement, although initially unsettling, soon transitioned into a lush melody whilst the ensemble grew with gusto. The next movement was fast-paced, with the ensemble playing with quick, energetic bow strokes. Towards the end, Finale featured themes from the opening of Marcia, tying the piece up nicely.

The next piece, Romance in C major, Op.42 by Jean Sibelius, had a darker tone. It began not in the titular major key but in E minor, with the violinists driving the melody, accompanied by the cellists and double bassists playing a pizzicato figure. Leaving us with a twang of melancholy, this was a perfect lead-in for the upcoming video game medley: featuring music from games such as Nascence, Gusty Galaxy and Angry Birds, the medley was more light-hearted, providing a breath of fresh air from the pensive piece from before. We were uplifted by the cheery melodies, and the familiar tunes from Angry Birds even had the audience swaying along.

With that, the curtains closed to rapturous applause. Yet, the concert was far from over—in fact, we were in for a surprise. From the side of the stage, a student ran in and across to the other end, holding up a board lettered with the word ‘FUN’.

And so the fun began.

‘Fun’, in this case, referred to a talent show featuring the talented musicians of Raffles Chamber Ensemble. First up was Fan Yiting (20S06L) hula-hooping while playing the violin, teasing out the widely-acclaimed ‘I Love You’ tune from the children’s show Barney & Friends. This was followed by ‘an elephant-based race’ by the bassists Richmond Lip and Ng Woon Ngee (20S06L), in which they played a few notes on the bass, walked a few steps, and then stopped to play a bit more. Subsequently, Elizabeth Chew, who proclaimed herself a massive fan of cellist Yo-Yo Ma, wore a cutout of a Rolex watch in honour of his endorsements of the company, and then promptly failed to play a full tune on the cello. Last but not least, Jin Zihan (20S06P) played the violin and provided musical accompaniment to a video of Super Mario Bros, eliciting peals of laughter from the audience.

Amongst all the performances by the chamber groups, Beethoven’s Duet mit zwei obligaten Augengläsern, WoO 32 “Eyeglasses Duo” performed by Alvin Lim and Richmond Lip was probably most noteworthy for the synergy displayed. The playful, light-hearted quality of the duet was reflected in the expressions of the performers, who exchanged smiles and eyebrow raises throughout the piece.

Next up was the BASIL Quartet, comprising Basil Ong (19S03G), Amanda Wee, Samuel Tan (19S06C), and Isaac Tah (20S06L), with ‘L taken’, who presented Molto allegro e vivace from Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat major, Op. 12 ). Most of this movement was not centred in the home key of E-flat, creating agitation and anguish, but the mood later evolved to evoke feelings of tranquility. String Quartet in E minor (III. Prestissimo) by Giuseppe Verdi, performed by Fu Xianli (19S03O), Wong Jia Hui (19S03C), Alvin Lim, and Richmond Lip, similarly continued the theme of unsettlement, its operatic undertones brimming with intensity.

Isaac Tah then returned to the stage as the host (and sole judge) of the talent show. Yet, right before he announced the results, the show hit a snag as a question was posed: why were violas not featured in the talent show?

‘Violists only play the viola because they can’t play any other instrument,’ Isaac replied. ‘I bet two cents that you could probably play perfectly well without a violist.’ This was a reference to Twoset Violin, a popular violin Youtube channel which has a running joke of the viola being the inferior instrument.

However, this concert definitely disproved that: Chamber’s own violists, Michael Lee (19S06D) and Samuel Tan, exhibited incredible dexterity with Paul Hindemith’s Viola Sonata Op. 11 No. 4. It was a dazzling piece, and the violists definitely proved their worth, displaying exquisite finger work. ‘I guess you all are fine,’ Isaac reluctantly admitted, and the violists bowed out proudly, concluding the talent show.

Following that, the ensemble returned to the stage for Prelude and Intermezzo from Carl Nielsen’s Suite for Strings, Op. 1. The prelude evoked Scandinavian romanticism, effortlessly alluding to the theme of the concert. The intermezzo that followed took the form of a tilting waltz in triple time, which later developed into a dynamic dance section, prompting the audience to tap their feet along to the beat.

Finally, the concert concluded with a La La Land medley arranged by Richmond, Fabrianne, and Amanda, including tunes such as ‘Another Day of Sun’, ‘Someone in the Crowd’, ‘City of Stars’, and more. It was a fitting end to a concert themed ‘Fantasia’: after all, the movie had ended with a dream sequence of what could have been, of a fantasy never realised.

After the last note was played, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd, who cheered for an encore in unison. Unfortunately—and perhaps ironically—their dreams could not, and would not, be fulfilled. Instead, the emcees mused that “all good things must come to an end”, closing the concert gracefully.

The concert’s end brought out many conflicting emotions: it was a conclusion to the arduous journey the musicians had undertaken, a journey into which they had poured countless hours and unimaginable effort. For the seniors, this was also their last official concert with Chamber Ensemble. As chairperson Fabrianne put it, “I’m so relieved that it is over and glad that everything worked out well […] It’s a little bittersweet too, now that everything has actually ended for good.”

Fantasia, true to its name, was a dream come to life. The music took us away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday, immersing us in a fairytale land. In those precious few hours, we returned once more to our bright-eyed childhood selves, bringing us back to a more carefree, innocent chapter of our lives. The talent show, in particular, was more than just an entertaining surprise: it was a timely reminder of what it feels like to hope, and that though we may begin our endeavours assailed by doubt and wracked by fear, our dreams can still see the light of day.

By Kuang Shane Qi (19A13A) and Loh Lin (19A01D)
Photos courtesy of Brendon Loo (19S03H) from Raffles Photographic Society

It takes 19 minutes for the whistle to blow its most important signal. At the sound, our players drop back and steel themselves for the next round against the backdrop of cheers from the Hwa Chong supporters. The first goal has landed, and it is not ours.

If this rattles our girls, they do not show it. The kick-off is about to start again, so they shrug off their despair from the force of the first goal and surrender their full attention to the ball. It is their turn to pass, and their bodies betray their fervour; they shift their weight and lean forward, prepared to follow the ball no matter where it leads. They need the next goal to be theirs. But they cannot voice this sentiment, so the supporters bellow it for them, loud and hard. The whistle blows once more, and the game resumes.

Our girls are relentless, and it shows in the way they run. What they might lack in speed, they make up for in sheer intensity, never letting up as they race their opponents down and press them into making quick passes. Still, HCI manages to plough past their defence several times, coming heart-stoppingly close to the box to make another goal. So the girls run, harder than before, intercepting passes and doing their utmost to make it as difficult as possible for their opponents to strike. The two sides engage in a persistent back-and-forth, both carrying the burden of what losing means to their team, neither willing to see it become a reality. By half-time, HCI retains their lead of 1-0, and our girls make their way back to the shade, visibly fatigued.

Here in the stands, our supporters are a fever of frustration from the number of close calls from both sides. For a while, they fidget in silence as substitutions are made, searching for their friends on the pitch to relay an affirming gaze or smile. Then the tension breaks with an unorthodox cry of encouragement: “Show your aggression! Just T-pose!”

The attempt at levity from the back row draws exasperated chuckles from the throng of supporters, but fails to reach our girls off pitch, who are still solemn and reflective. Their coach notices when Nooriyah Moochhala (19S03Q) slumps onto the bench, and is quick to approach her. After a pat on the shoulder, he turns his attention to the rest of the team. But the whistle halts whatever he is about to say, as the girls rise to make their last stand.

Barely four minutes into the final half, vice-captain Christie Soo (19A01B) makes a sharp turn past her opponents, sending the ball hurtling towards the goal. The crowd roars, willing it to spear HCI’s defences and level the scoreline. For a moment, it looks like it will. Our supporters are on the edge of their seats, ready to leap up in triumph. Then HCI seize the ball, and surge towards our girls in a renewed clash of blue and green.

Perhaps no other people are more adept at shrugging things off than athletes. In the heat of a match, you pause for a moment to catch your breath, and the next thing you know is the ball being borne away from you on a tide of unfamiliar jerseys. Athletes, then, have nothing left to do but press on. Christie bears testament to this: she is elbowed in the stomach, doubles over for a moment, but forces herself to push through the nausea and remain on the field.

And it is this enduring grit and tenacity that shines through as the clock ticks its way towards the end of the second half. The girls push persistently towards the goal, and at the 54th minute, a ball sent soaring by Milanpreet Kaur Bajwa (19S03K) grazes the goal, missing it narrowly again.

The rest of the match is an exercise in suspense. Even as two writers who knew nothing about soccer prior to this match (and thus cannot be said to know what exactly is going on), we find our eyes anxiously flicking from ball to timer, and our hands drumming nervous rhythms on the bright plastic seats. With every pass that connects, there is a pass that doesn’t, and second by second, the timer counts down. Raffles is anxious, but not disheartened. From the stands, someone screams a reminder: “there’s still time!” And the girls push on, fighting against the inevitable, willing for a miracle.

1 minute 30 seconds left. Raffles is awarded a free kick and they do not hesitate. The ball misses by the barest margin, and they take off after it again.

30 seconds remain. The girls are tired, sluggish. At this point, it seems the match is set, but they will not allow themselves to stop running.

10 seconds. They advance towards the goal. Just as Milan prepares to make the shot, she collides with two HCI players and goes down, to a torrent of yells from the crowd. The girls know it is over.

The whistle blows one last time, and our girls are straggled across the pitch, trying to find each other amidst the burst of blue. Despite the team’s best efforts, Raffles has lost by a margin of 1-0.

A few rows up from where we sit, we see the batch of 2018 stand to applaud as the team comes forward to take a bow. The seniors look somber, but proud. No doubt they know how much this match means to them, and how fiercely the team yearned to win it.

The smell of loss is fresh, even as the girls are immediately enveloped by the warmth of their friends. Christie acknowledges that it will take a while to recover. She pauses, struggling to find the words through the residue of her anguish. “It’s a heartbreak because it’s important to so many of us on the team, and it definitely didn’t end how we wanted it to.”

Loss always seems to elicit a lecture on character, but there is something about pain that gives it a shade of splendour. Christie knows this. “I think the cruel beauty of sports lies in its unpredictability,” she admits, “but I’m proud to be part of a batch that everyone had high expectations for. Even when things on the pitch get rough and we’re not always happy with one another, I know we all try our best and love the game for what it is, and that’s what makes playing with [my team] so enjoyable. I take pride in the fact that we played a good game even for the ones we lost, and that we managed to showcase the beauty of the sport.”

I think the cruel beauty of sports lies in its unpredictability.

Vice-Captain Christie Soo (19A01B)

Captain Catherine Kausikan (19A01B) echoes this sentiment, expressing her pride in her team for “fighting with dignity and playing the kind of game [they’ve] been training to play”. She does not forget the people who have supported them every step of the way, sharing that the team wanted to do well “not just for our own goals, but because of our teachers […] who have invested so much in us”.

High hopes easily become a burden, but the team accepts it, and wears it as a reminder that they have something to fight for in each and every game they play. So they will run against the merciless hands of time, unflinching even in the face of imminent defeat, regal even in the aftermath.  

RI Roster

Michelle Glazov (#2), Jolene Tay (#4), Abigail Tan (#5), Megan Lim (#6), Nooriyah Moochhala (#7), Quek Lin Yuan (#8), Lim Qi Hui (#9), Chen Siyu (#10), Sofea Harris Wong (#11), Milanpreet Kaur Bajwa (#13), Rebecca Ng (#14), Nur Amira (#15), Christie Soo (#16), Nur Syahindah (#17), Seow Si Min (#18), Alyssa Chia (#19), Chua Bing Ya (#20), Catherine Kausikan (#21), Rebecca Tan (#22), Zitin Bali (#25)

By Gabrielle Ng (20A01E), Clara Shen (20A01A) and Mabel Yet (19S03Q)
Photos courtesy of Chong Jay-En (19S06I) from Raffles Interact

Maybe you aren’t scared of the dark—you wouldn’t even flinch if the lights were switched off suddenly, plunging you into all-consuming darkness. But what if this darkness only enveloped you, forcing you to live like this for days and nights on end? What things might you miss? How drastically different would your daily life be? How badly would you long to see light again?

For its 8th year running, Raffles Interact collaborated with the Singapore Association Of The Visually Handicapped (SAVH) to bring us Live In The Dark, an annual event that allowed participants to put themselves in the shoes of the visually impaired and understand the difficulties they go through. “We feel that the visually impaired is a group that many students have misconceptions about,” Chrislyn Ng (19S03J), Overall IC, explained, “and so we want to raise awareness about [this particular group of individuals].”

On the evenings of 3rd and 4th May, students from various JCs gathered excitedly inside LT3, anticipating their three-hour journey from the perspective of the visually impaired. From figuring out how to eat in complete darkness, to shopping for groceries, and even crossing a road at a traffic light, the three hours took us through the struggles the visually impaired might face.

Dining in the Dark

Eating in complete darkness can’t be that huge of a challenge… right? It’s not like you use your eyes to eat.

As we left any trace of light behind us, participants squealed and tightened their grip on their friends, trying to talk over one another as they groped their way around the unfamiliar darkness. Tables were bumped; a few chairs were stumbled over as we clumsily tried to find our seats. Not many of us expected it to be this dark—it was, essentially, floundering about with your eyes closed.

Shouts of “Do you have cutlery yet??” and “Why do I keep scooping air??” erupted from tables all around along with shrieks of laughter, as participants struggled to get used to the darkness. Thankfully, the chaos was penetrated by the the melodic voices of our talented friends from Rock, Chorale and Wild², who did provide some comfort in the dark. Maybe it was the lack of sight that heightened our sense of awareness—every sound seemed louder, closer, every shift in movement felt more acutely. While here we were all grappling with this new experience together, the visually impaired individuals amongst us have to go through these frustrations alone, every single day.

When we eat on a daily basis, we just eat. And talk. And laugh. But here in the dark we were left to fumble for the rice with our fingers and scramble to clean up the food spilled on ourselves (or on the floor). In the dark no one would know if you made a fool out of yourself, but for the visually impaired, everyone but them is in the light—it left us to ponder if the visually impaired feel embarrassed, or self-conscious, about this simple act of eating.

One meal—and such an extravagant one at that—might not completely replicate the struggles faced by the visually impaired. However, it did allow us to slip into their perspective for a moment to experience the frustration, the helplessness, and the discomfort they might be experiencing whenever the next meal came along. It’s funny how we barely think about our sense of sight when we’re devouring a meal, yet when we’re stripped of it everything suddenly becomes disorienting.

Park in the Dark

As we finished up our food and clumsily reconstructed our human chain, we put our blindfolds back on and headed to our next destination—hesitantly feeling for the next stair, holding onto the railing as if our lives depended on it as we went. For a fully immersive Bishan Park experience in our very own Raffles Garden, each of us were given the white cane the visually impaired use.

Without our sense of sight, we were able to engage more actively with our other senses: we listened to the (highly realistic) sounds of birds chirping at 8pm, felt water being sprayed right in our faces (to mimic a waterfall) and fiddled with leaves dotted with dew as we probed around the park with our canes. Participants were also given the opportunity to play an exhilarating game of goalball, one of the many sports at the Paralympics, where our sense of hearing came into play to gauge where the ball was flying towards.

While our other senses were definitely entertained, there were still instances where we had to fight the temptation to peek out from under our blindfolds, which would defeat the entire purpose of the experience. Nonetheless, to see the spotlight increasingly being shone on athletes with disabilities was heartening—and proof that their disability did not limit their capability in any way.

Shopping in the Dark

Shopping is a day-to-day routine for all of us, but shopping in the dark probably isn’t one of the experiences you would be familiar with. After being greeted by the shopping mall announcement, participants were told to wander around the room on their own, following the traces of voices to the stalls. There were four stalls for participants to patronise in our shopping centre simulation—an art lab, a flowers and scents shop, a cookie stall, and a supermarket. Participants were told to carry out different tasks which required an increased dependency on other senses, from picking out vegetables to buying a particular scent.

To make the experience even more realistic, participants were given a wad of “notes”—slips of paper with two holes for $5 or one hole for $2—and were left to fumble for the correct sum of money to give at the various shops.

Amidst all the fun of “shopping in the dark” with our friends, this activity encapsulated more than an enjoyable episode of “comedic relief both the participants and facilitators had a little too much fun tricking others with the anonymity of our voices or accidentally stumbling into other lost sheep, laughing at our clumsiness in the dark. Shopping in a darkened room for less than 30 minutes was merely a small appetiser of what it is like to shop, to live in perpetual darkness.

We did not feel completely alone shopping in the dark because everyone else was struggling under the same circumstances. Even if we were placed outside of our comfort zones, there was much solace found in the camaraderie. But for the visually impaired, it is sometimes a battle they have to fight alone. Although we would never fully comprehend the magnitude of not being able to see, the best we can do is provide a sense of solidarity to the visually impaired people in our community—to muster the courage to offer our help and make their journey a less lonely one.

Crossing in the Dark

As we bumbled on to our next destination, we were led to cross a “road” to simulate one of the major challenges the visually impaired face. For us, we had the privilege of having a facilitator bring us “across”, secure in the knowledge that we weren’t crossing an actual road. We didn’t feel the pressure of tens of cars impatiently waiting for the light to turn green, or the urgency of the green man time ticking down. However, one can scarcely imagine the fear a visually impaired must feel if they didn’t have anyone guiding them to cross the road, relying merely on their sense of hearing to know if there are oncoming vehicles. When should I go? How much time do I have left to cross? Has the traffic light already turned green?

Beyond simulating the daily impediments of the visually impaired, the dangerous uncertainty of ‘crossing the road’ also enlightened us that we should offer our help to the visually impaired in our community. Helping a visually impaired person cross the road, if they do not already have a guide dog or appear to be struggling, can be a small but extremely impactful way of doing so.

Cafe in the Dark

For a unique cafe experience you won’t likely get anywhere else, participants got the chance to speak to a member from SAVH with visual impairment (over small cups of ice cream, of course). The initial silence seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness—many felt hesitant to ask questions for fear of saying the wrong thing or unintentionally offending him, but as the conversation started to flow more naturally, we realised that there was little that set us apart from a visually impaired person and more that we had in common.

The SAVH member who awaited our arrival was Mr Zahir, who lost his sight at 19. There was a collective gasp of fondness when he told us he was married, with a child. “Initially, I was very afraid to hold him,” he shared, “but I managed to overcome this fear with the support of my wife and family.” He added, his voice touched by sheer contentment and love, that “you don’t need [to have] eye contact to make babies laugh.” However, a tinge of regret and longing was evident in his voice as he told us how he used to play video games, but is unable to do so now, and how “audio games are just not the same.”

Nevertheless, the laid-back attitude he had towards life moved us tremendously, and we left the cafe with deep admiration and respect. All around us were many other inspiring stories like Mr Zahir’s being shared, showing that it is possible to overcome even the most debilitating circumstances with the support of the people around us. Many of us avert our gaze when we encounter a visually impaired person, or become unnecessarily wary around them, failing to recognise that they are, first and foremost, people. Though our interaction was short, it could serve as the beginning of more open conversations on how can we engage more actively with the visually impaired in our society.

Concluding Thoughts

As we once again gathered in the LT at the end of the night and finally, eagerly removed our blindfolds with relief, participants shielded their eyes, taking a few moments to adjust to the suddenly intense light. The LT was probably exactly how we had left it, but we seemed to be viewing it in an entirely different light. The atmosphere seemed to have shifted to be more thoughtful and pensive as participants reflected upon their last three hours in the dark.

Of course, to pull off an event set in complete darkness was no mean feat.  Along with coordinating all the various activities, Chrislyn explained that “we had to darken all the relevant venues […] and it [was] extremely tedious and time consuming.”

“Initially, we experienced some difficulties in planning activities that would not be overly challenging for our participants, but at the same time remain as realistic as possible,” Organising Team member Jeeval (19S03N) put in, “[and this] made me recognise that we take many things for granted.”

Granted, three hours spent in the darkness might not be able to fully capture the depth and extent of the struggles the visually impaired have to wrestle with daily. Many of us would regard the loss of eyesight as the worst thing that could possibly befall us, yet speaking to the visually impaired in our society made us realize that their lives don’t have to be constrained by their disability. As Chrislyn told us, “we hope that participants are able to learn something—anything, really—about the visually impaired, to be able to empathise with them and […] be more understanding towards them.”

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Mark Twain

If there was one thing to take away from the event, it would be to not be afraid or hesitant in offering our help to the visually impaired amongst us. After all, it is only coupled with the collective support of our community will they be able to find the light in the darkness.

With that, Raffles Press would like to congratulate Raffles Interact for yet another meaningful and well-executed Live In The Dark experience!

Organising Committee

Inez Chan (19S06T)
Jeeval Mathew (19S03N)
Linus Yuen (19S03M)
Teo Chee Yan (19A01A
Isha Khanna (19S03H)
Dan Yuet Ruh (19S03A)
Camine Yeo (19S06J)
Chrislyn Ng (19S06J) — Overall IC

Performers

Chorale:
Yvswenne Liew (19S03M)
Sandra Joanne Ng (19S03J)
Samantha Toh (19S03Q)
Choy Xin Yun (19S03J)
Rachelle Marie Chua (19A01B)
Xu Yihan (19S06J)
Cavan Koh (19A01D)
Tan Meng Keat Austin (19S06H)
Axell Ong (19S03A)
Sherwin Lam (19S06O)
Ho Thuy Son (19S03C)

Wild²:
Ryan Ng (19S06N)
Theodore Kuah (19A01B)
Evan Choo (19S03B)

Rock:
Kashfy (20S06T)
Lwynn Ng (20S06T)

By Benjamin Lim (19S03I), Kwee Qiao Ying (19S03K), and Yoon Shwe Yee (19S03B)
Photos by Louise Tan (20S06D) and Miki Tan (20S03P) of Raffles Photographic Society

On 16th May, our Boys’ and Girls’ badminton teams headed towards Pasir Ris Sports Centre to fight for the Bronze and Gold medals respectively. With both teams playing against a long-time rival, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI), there was much anticipation for the final matches. To win, both teams would have to secure victory in three out of five consecutive games, each out of 21 points. The high score required to win made each game particularly long and intense, tiring out the players with each drawn-out battle.

Boys’ Team
The high stakes competition started off with a singles match, with Timothy Phang (19S03T) representing the institution. Raffles started off strong with a solid 7-17 lead, both players putting up a good fight with long intervals between scoring. Timothy was adept and quick on his feet, hitting the shuttlecock back with practiced ease, eventually winning the first match with 21 points against Hwa Chong.

Next, the first doubles match was kicked off by Gee Qi Hao (20S07B) and Edward Png Guo Jun (19S06I). They were adept at responding to their opponents’ every move, matching them point to point for the first few minutes of the match, resulting in a tie for the first five minutes of the game. Despite falling behind Hwa Chong in the later part of the game, they never faltered in their efforts. When the score reached 11-5 in favour of Hwa Chong with both teams in a deadlock, a break was announced and both teams huddled close together engaged in tense discussions. It was clear that much was at stake; yet, even in the stressful atmosphere, they still displayed camaraderie for their fellow teammates by giving each other encouraging pats. There was a light-hearted moment when one of the Hwa Chong players fell down in excitement, providing a bit of relief amongst the intensely competitive atmosphere. After the break, the Raffles duo soon caught up to Hwa Chong, eventually winning 21-17.

The subsequent second singles match pitted Nigel Yap Zhe Ming (20S06I) against Hwa Chong once again. He moved quickly and gracefully on the often slippery court, returning the opponent’s shots with light movements that contrasted against the heavier style adopted by Hwa Chong.  Throughout the match, he smiled or pumped his fist in the air when he scored a point, clearly enjoying himself. He scored consistently, never letting the opponent get too far ahead, and his effort won him the match with a score of 21-14, clinching a win for Raffles.

Nigel Yap wholly concentrated on his game.

The second doubles match featured Andy Hu Shuang (20A13A) and Keenan Tan Chuan Hean (19S07C), who showed great teamwork and dedication while playing. It was a fast-paced match with points racking up on both sides till both teams tied at 21-21, meaning that the match would go on until one team scored two consecutive points. Everyone watched the shuttlecock with bated breath to see which side it would land in. Emotions ran high, with one of the players on the sidelines throwing down his racket in frustration at one point. The riveting match ended with a conclusive score of 26-24 to Hwa Chong.

Keenan Tan (Front) and Andy Hu (Back) taking aim.

The next match certainly did not disappoint, with the strong performance by the entire Boys’ Team kept up till the third singles match, played by Bai Yun Xuan (20S06R). Winning this match would mean victory for the entire team—the stakes were high, and he most certainly knew it. Both sides showed great support for the players, taking turns to chant school cheers and waving their flags high in the air to show school pride. The match was well-fought out—whenever Yun Xuan’s opponent scored, he would be quick to retaliate and score another to match. Both schools were locked in a tie for much of the first half of the game, until Yun Xuan quickly gained a lead, starting with 15-9 to Raffles. His perseverance and consistency eventually won Raffles the second singles round, conclusively winning the whole singles competition for the institution.

The Boys’ Team had achieved commendable successes in both the Singles and Doubles Divisions. It was now up to the girls to bring complete victory to the institution.

Girls’ Team

Over at the next court, Ashley Lee (20S03N) kicked off the girls’ first match in a singles game against her Hwa Chong opponent. The two players were seemingly evenly matched, with each player taking turns to score, such that the point difference hardly strayed far from just one point. Indeed, it seemed that it could have been anyone’s game—until the 16-16 tie, when Ashley surged forward and won four consecutive rallies with a few agile returns at the corners of the court, leading to an eventual victory of 21-17. In the second set, Ashley once again pulled through after she received advice and words of encouragement from her coach during the mid-game interval break, triumphing 21-14.

Next, Beatrice Cheng (19S03T) and Ashley Lim (20S03L) were up in the first doubles game of the day. Quick and light on their feet, the two complemented each other’s playing style well and took the first game 21-14. Their second set was arguably the most intense one of the day, reaching a tie of 20-20 and bringing the entire Raffles Team to their feet to cheer their teammates on. Alas, the pair made an unfortunate mistake at a critical moment, and narrowly lost to Hwa Chong 21-23. Nonetheless, Beatrice and Ashley did not let the minor setback discourage them, and bounced back in the third set, securing a second win for the team with their spectacular victory of 21-9.

Representing the Girls’ Team in the next singles match was Arielle Koh (19S03D), who maintained a calm demeanour throughout her games; even when she won a point, she vocalised her joy with only a short and soft cry. Whenever she was a few points behind, she dauntlessly and steadily caught up. However, despite valiant efforts against her formidable opponent, Arielle lost the two sets 18-21 and 16-21 respectively.

The fourth game saw Melissa Chua (19S06K) and Sophia Loo (20S03M) in a doubles game against another pair from Hwa Chong. Although the latter pair fought their hardest, Raffles dominated the playing field and maintained the lead throughout the game, emerging victorious with a score of 21-12. In the second set, Melissa and Sophia displayed their flawless teamwork once more, consistently guarding and covering all sides of the court. After the last smash turned the score 21-8, the Girls’ Team rushed onto the court and enveloped the two players in a big group hug, celebrating and sharing their joy—Melissa and Sophia’s win had secured Raffles the Gold medal.

It was finally time for the last match of the day, where Nicole Ng (20A01D) faced off against her contender in an exciting game, consisting of just two sets. The shuttlecock was seen grazing the net a few times in nail-biting moments, and smashes were executed powerfully by both players. Yet Nicole was markedly more skilful than her opponent, taking the lead from the start and eventually defeating her by an impressive margin of 21-11. In the following set, her opponent slowly narrowed the score difference in resilient attempts to catch up, but was still no match for Nicole, who won 21-16.

After all the matches were concluded, the players shook hands with their Hwa Chong opponents. Some supporters were also seen congratulating their friends and batchmates on their resounding victories by hugging and taking pictures with them. Our Girls’ Team had successfully reclaimed the championship trophy and along with the Boys’ Team, brought honour to the institution.

Our Badminton Boys’ and Girls’ teams most certainly did the school proud by achieving commendable results. The Boys’ Team Captain, Timothy Phang said how “leading this team has been the most incredible journey for (him) here at Raffles and (he was) so glad to have achieved so much with (his teammates) over the last six years.” He also mentioned to his juniors to “keep working hard! Learn from our losses and bounce back stronger next year!”

The Girls’ Team Captain Melissa Chua also wanted to express her gratitude to her team: “Well done team! This season has not been smooth sailing for us but (she was) really thankful that (everyone) all pulled through the tough times together.” Melissa was also “truly proud of (everyone). It is (her) honour to be part of this team whom (she) knows will always be there for one another, no matter what happens.”

And with that, Raffles Press would like to congratulate both badminton teams on their remarkable achievements, and wishes them the very best in their competitions to come!

Boys’ Team Members
Captain: Timothy Phang Li Wern (19S03T)
Vice-Captain: Li Zheng Yu (19S06Q)

Edward Png Guo Jun (19S06I)
Keenan Tan Chun Hean (19S07C)
Andy Hu Shuang (20A13A)
Bai Yun Xuan (20S06R)
Gee Qi Hao (20S07B)
Nigel Yap Zhe Ming (20S06I)

Girls’ Team Members
Captain: Chua Pei En, Melissa (19S06K)
Vice Captain: Cheng Ming Shuen Beatrice (19S03T)

Koh Jin Ann, Arielle (19S03D)
Ashley Lee Shi Hui (20S03N)
Ashley Lim Zhi Yan (20S03L)
Loo Yi Xuan Sophia (20S03M)
Nicole Ng Gin Yi (20A01D)

By Chloe Wong (19S07C), Ina Song (19S07C) and Qiao Ying (19S03K)
Photographs courtesy of Chloe Guai (20A01D), Kevin Lee (20S06T) and Koh Jia Hao (20S06M)

While the performers in the dressing room dolled themselves up with final touches of make-up, a queue had already formed outside the *SCAPE Ground Theatre, snaking all the way out of the venue. After the well-crafted publicity video and highly exciting morning announcement, it was no secret that on 18th May 2019, many were going to go f-f-f-for ROCKOUT: EVERAFTER. The theme, Everafter, was chosen with reference to the Disney movie “Coco”. Its concept was inspired by the Mexican festival, the Day of the Dead.

Just like previous years of Rockout, the sets did not fail to disappoint. Four stunningly painted Sugar Skulls stood across the stage, decorated with striking bright colours of red, blue, pink and orange, and adorned with designs of roses, vines and stars. In the centre, a grand Mayan Pyramid stood. To complete the set, colourful lights were hung across the stage and on the pyramid. It should be noted that the construction of the set was no easy task, which was evident in the making of the pyramid, as a scaffold was necessary to prop up the whole pyramid, which stood at 3m tall. It was worth it though, as the dazzling sets set the ambience well for the night to come.

As concert-goers slowly streamed into the theatre, music was blasted through the speakers while the audience looked for the best spots from which to watch the concert. People were singing along to the music, eagerly anticipating the appearance of the stars of the night. The audience didn’t have to wait long, as Club Soda, the Y5 band, made a grand entrance, prompting screams from the audience. Club Soda began their act with ‘A Head Full Of Dreams’ by Coldplay, with the vocalists Lwynn Ng (20S06T) and Sarah Ooi (20S06F) delivering a wonderful rendition of the song, and effectively engaging the entire audience for the rest of their performance.

The addictive melody of ‘Higher Ground’ by Red Hot Chilli Peppers started playing, and the vocalists effortlessly nailed every note. Before the hype had any chance to dampen, the next song, ‘I Write Sins Not Tragedies’ by Panic! At The Disco kicked off with a familiar jumpy tune played by Goh Ling Yi (20S03A) on the keyboard. The audience went hysterical again when the vocalists began singing the verses of the song in a mysterious tone, just like in the original.

Next was a more sentimental song. ‘Run’ by Snow Patrol got the crowd waving their hands or their phone torchlights in the air. The singers synced well with the emotional flow of the song, a perfect display of what it means to be immersed in music. The sad vibes were short-lived, because immediately after came ‘Thriller’, a classic by Michael Jackson, in which the keyboardist and bassists’ talents really shone as they brought out the electrifying energy of the song. Joining the Y5 band for the piece was Janika Oh (19S05B) from afterhours playing the drum pad, adding yet more depth to the song.

Ending off their segment of Rockout, Club Soda performed ‘Saturday Night’s Alright’ by Elton John. They were certainly making their last piece in Rockout 2019 count, jumping to the beat and doing their best to hype the audience (which wasn’t hard, considering how excited the audience was already at this point). As the lyrics go, “Saturday night’s the night I like”, and indeed, Rock has shown us how we would like to spend our Saturday night each year—at Rockout.

As Club Soda left the stage, the lights dimmed in preparation for the arrival of afterhours, the Y6 band. Despite the technical difficulties, the audience waited for the next performance patiently, and one could feel the anticipation amongst them growing as time passed. afterhours eventually came on stage, and judging by the volume of the cheers which sounded out, the number of friends who came to support the Y6 batch definitely rivalled that of the Y5’s. With white light as the backdrop, afterhours kick-started their opening act, ‘As I Am’ by Dream Theater. Starting off peacefully with the melody played by Kathryn Thong (19S03T) on the keys, she was joined by drummer Janika and guitarists Joash Ho (19S03J) and Xavier Lim (19A13B) with a dynamic rhythm. In perfect unison and with flawless synchronisation, afterhours showcased an intriguing display of rhythmic head-banging, which only served to excite the audience further. With the addition of Manish’s (19S03T) top-notch vocals and stage presence, the Y6 band could not have begun their segment any better.

“This song really slaps,” Manish tells the audience before the band begins their next song, ‘Bring Me Back To Life’ by Evanescence. Sneha Bobba’s (19S06K) and Manish’s vocals, along with the guitar strumming, blended seamlessly throughout the song, while audience members jumped, fist pumped and screamed along to the iconic line “WAKE ME UP INSIDE”. They followed this thrilling piece with the encouraging and cheery ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ by Bon Jovi. The audience sang along to the pre-chorus and chorus of the song, which was very wholesome with encouraging lyrics that matched the lively beat of the song.

The next, well-known piece, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’ by Queen, stirred the crowd even further. Vocalist Manish led the crowd in a notable repeat-after-me singing that went a little like:

“Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust oww
Another one bites the dust hey hey
Another one bites the dust eh eh”

The band then performed their own rendition of a mashup of two iconic Michael Jackson songs, ‘Love Never Felt So Good’ and ‘Pretty Young Thing’. The occasional shouting of “P.Y.T.” and “T.L.C.” from ‘Pretty Young Thing’ added an interesting, fun spin to the love song, ‘Love Never Felt So Good’. Furthermore, another singalong with “Na, na, na” ensued, keeping the audience highly engaged and entertained.

‘Joker and the Thief by Wolfmother’ really allowed Janika and the guitarists’ talents to shine through, as her drumming and their strumming highlighted the upbeat tune of the song while the vocalists delivered the cheeky lyrics. A remarkable piece, the energy of the performers were infectious. This number did not seem like a one-way performance, for the audience gave their full participation once again. Perhaps many were waiting for the next song—‘Demons’ by Imagine Dragons, one of the more well-known songs performed in the concert. With its lyrics known to most, the crowd favourite ‘Demons’ got an outstanding and resounding singalong from the audience. Noticeably, a large part of the audience had their arms around their friends’ shoulders, swaying from side to side as the song progressed.

Following this was ‘Afterlife’ by Avenged Sevenfold, a dynamically exciting song filled with heavy and loud verses, in contrast to the emotional sounding chorus. ‘Afterlife’ also contained an exhilarating display of drumming and guitarwork, dazzling the audience. Towards the end of the song, the band tricked the crowd into thinking the song had ended, but surprisingly screamed, “Are you ready?”, starting up the crazy guitar runs and riffs again. afterhours has undoubtedly grown in their journey in Raffles Rock, from fledgling musicians to seasoned entertainers and performers who know how to keep the audience on their toes.

Up next was yet another popular hit, ‘Sign of the Times’ by Harry Styles, which once again brought out swaying flashlights from the crowd. The emotional piece starts off with the lyric “Welcome to the final show”, synonymous with afterhours’ time on stage coming to an end in just a matter of a few songs. Against the mellifluous piano and guitar accompaniment, the song really showcased Sneha’s all-roundedness, in terms of range, agility and stability.

Before the show came to a close, Raffles Rock took the opportunity to thank their teachers Dr Lena Lui (or Mrs Teo) and Ms Ng Pei San, and their mentor, Sir Ian Toh, by presenting them boards with notes of appreciation. The teachers and mentor were all smiles upon receiving the boards, and seemed to be extremely proud of the performance pulled off by both bands that very night. A few misty eyes were seen as Kathryn and Jonathan Soepadmo (19S06J) played sentimental background music on the keys.

‘Best of You’ by Foo Fighters was the last second song performed by afterhours that night. Personally, we felt that the song was symbolic in showing how the Rock members brought out the best in one another. The mood turned sentimental as Chairperson Joash thanked his batch mates for joining Raffles Rock and being amazing friends, and confessed that he loved coming to school because of Raffles Rock. This elicited many “aws” from the crowd, and although he claimed not to normally have emotions, Joash gave a final heartfelt and teary-eyed “I love you” to his fellow band members.

The audience passionately called for an encore and afterhours delivered with ‘Welcome to the Black Parade’ by My Chemical Romance . It was the one emotional yet pumped up song that was fit to end the night on a high, as the audience sang along with the raw vocals from the vocalists. The song ended with “We’ll carry on”, signifying the end of the Y6s’ time in Raffles Rock, but we have no doubt that Club Soda, the Y5 batch, would continue their amazing legacy and deliver more thrilling rock performances in the months to come. With that, afterhours proceeded to take a group bow to prolonged cheers from the audience. Rockout 2019: Everafter had come to an end.

To quote Janika of afterhours, “I think performing for the last time together on stage was really bittersweet. All our 1.5 years of hard work led us up to having a successful Rockout and having been able to perform in front of such a big crowd was amazing and exhilarating!” She concluded that joining and performing with Rock was a great experience and found it sad that after Rockout, there may never be a chance to perform in such a setting and venue with one another again.

When asked about their feelings after the performance, Y5 band Club Soda said that they were really nervous before the concert even began. They worried about making mistakes and had freaked out backstage, but said it was heartwarming when they huddled together and hugged each other to give encouragement before the performance. After months of practice together, their chemistry as a band had improved, and this gave them the confidence to go on stage to face a crowd they have never interacted with before. Looking ahead, Club Soda closes by saying, “We’ll keep working on creating a better performance as a band and we’re looking forward to Rockout 2020!”

Club Soda
Lwynn Ng, 20S06T
Sarah Ooi, 20S06F
Yu Yiwei, 20S02A
Goh Ling Yi, 20S03A
Jordan Aw, 20S06D
Kashfy Zul, 20S06T
Shiv Dhar, 20S06G
Chester Chan, 20S06Q
Rohan Kulshrestha, 20S06A (Absent for performance)

afterhours
Janika Oh, 19S05B
Sneha Bobba, 19S06K
Manish, 19S03T
Jason, 19S03D
Xavier Lim, 19A13B
Joash Ho, 19S03J
Nurin Hasha Jubir, 19A13B
Kathryn, 19S03T
Jonathan Soepadmo, 19S06J

By Rachel Leong (20A01A), Megan Soh (20A01B), Mah Xiao Yu (20A01B)
Photos courtesy of Jensen Huang (20S06T) of Raffles Photographic Society and the Raffles Rugby Parents Association

On 16 May 2019, busloads of supporters filled Queenstown Stadium. The atmosphere was brimming with excitement and anticipation, yet there was also tension in the air. It was clear that it would be a tough battle ahead. This year would be Raffles’ fourth going against Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACS(I)), an opponent with a daunting five year winning streak. As both teams did their warm-ups on the field, councillors in Team Raffles polo tees handed out inflatable clappers, face paint and stickers, in efforts to hype up the crowd and drum up as much support as possible for the Raffles ruggers.

The players then knelt down on the ground and wrapped their arms around one another’s backs, a show of unity against all odds. It was this motivating force of comradeship that would keep their spirits up and keep them going throughout the game. In intense concentration and focus, the captain gave them a final pep talk and the team psyched themselves up for one of the most important matches of their JC sports career.

Now set to give their all, the Raffles ruggers made their way to the front of the stadium to the warm reception and applause of the audience. With chins held high, exuding auras of utmost confidence, the team captains, along with the teachers-in-charge and competition committee, went around shaking hands with their teams. A councillor raised the Raffles flag high and cheers resounded once more as both teams prepared to start the game. With a final rallying cry, fists pumped up in the air and hearts beating as one, the Raffles ruggers were ready to face their longtime rival once more.

The game started off strong, both teams eager to be the first to score. All the players grappled persistently for the ball, which was constantly kicked and thrown from one side of the field to the other. But with strong defences and forceful tackles, it was clear to see that ACS(I) and Raffles were quite evenly matched and neither was able to break through and score. Both schools amped up their cheering in response to this tug-of-war and ardent roars of encouragement reverberated throughout both sides of the bleachers. Finally, 13 minutes into the game, ACS(I) scored the first try of the game after breaking through a solid line of Raffles defenders, winning them five points. With that try, they went on to score a conversion, earning them another two points. Seeing this, the Raffles supporters’ spirits were slightly dampened, but it did not take long before their feelings of disappointment were also converted into determination and encouragement towards the team.

After a short timeout for the teams to regroup, the game resumed with renewed intensity. Muhammad Wafiq Aqil B W S (19A01C), wielding the ball with tremendous bravery, charged against the incoming horde of ACSI ruggers fearlessly. Later, Gideon Kee (19S03P) tore across almost half the field before being tackled. These bold acts of courage, however, did not come without consequences. Joshua Choy (19S06G) felt the brunt of an especially violent scrimmage, clutching his face while lying on the ground. Eventually, with a great deal of pain, he rose to his feet and left the field with loud applause echoing behind him, remaining all the while proud and undeterred. Dillion Chong (19S06R) had also been unfortunately injured, having to limp off the field as another player took his place on the field. Regardless, both the injured players retained their sense of composure and took the misfortunes in their stride. They listened to the impassioned cheers of the audience members who were commending them for a job well done, and thanking them for the painful sacrifices they had to make.

With the conclusion of the first half, the team was down 7-0 and tensions were soaring; Raffles supporters were on the edge of their seats, anxious for the tables to be turned. They rose to their feet with renewed purpose, cheering their lungs out as the steady beat of the drum continued, like a Rafflesian heart that never falters in faith. “We, the supporters, are part of this match too,” Chew Jay Hong (19A13A), the Student Council President, bellowed during halftime, with a deep sense of conviction. “We need every one of us to step up.” And it was this passion that drove many councillors and supporters to cheer themselves hoarse, to give their all along with the rugby team.

The beginning of the second half matched the first in vigour. All eyes were trained on the ball and the players hurled themselves at it constantly. Their passion and resilience allowed them to push their way into ACS(I)’s defence area within the first ten minutes. And it definitely paid off when Raffles was given a penalty kick and scored three points for the team—the first points for Raffles since the game started.

Almost halfway into the second half, the ball was kicked high into the air, arcing over the players’ heads and towards the opposite end of the field. It seemed like nobody would be there to catch it, but in a flash of green that tore across the field, Muhammad Wafiq Aqil B W S was there in an instant and caught the ball swiftly. Once again, the Raffles ruggers broke into ACS(I)’s defence perimeter, and in a frozen moment of bated breath, Gideon Kee scored a touchdown, winning them yet another five points and a round of exhilarated roars. Finally, Raffles’ score was pulling ahead, leading 8-0 in the second half. The crowd of Rafflesians went into a wild frenzy, leaping off their seats to scream with renewed vigour, cheering energetically for the team. Spurred on, the Raffles ruggers continued their game with reinvigorated hope surging through their veins.

However, it was not long before ACS(I) scored another try, followed by a conversion. This brought them up to eight points, escalating the tensions as both teams were now on equal footing. The councillors, sensing how heated the match was becoming, led the school in the Rafblood cheer, where Rafflesians channelled all their energy and spirit into the hope of a Rafflesian victory. Morale boosted and charged with determination, the Raffles ruggers continued their tough battle for the championship.

Both teams gave their utmost effort, with powerful scrimmages happening often. A particularly memorable one started off with Raffles kicking the ball high and far, only for ACS(I) to get ahold of it and return it to the other side of the court with a strong kick of their own. Audience members watched in anticipation, heads swerving side to side and eyes wide, only to be broken by cries of relief when Raffles regained control of the ball thanks to Bervyn Wong’s (19S02A) quick reflexes and solid catch.

Despite all efforts, however, the game came to an end without any new goals. Even though Raffles put up a tough fight and battled till the end, ACS(I) emerged as champions of the A Division Police Cup. The evident sense of disappointment among all Rafflesians notwithstanding, a new desire arose among the spectators to cheer the team up and thank them for all their effort. And so, the Raffles supporters in the bleachers broke out in applause to convey to the team that regardless of the result, they had done the school proud.

Out on the field, the Raffles ruggers exemplified their strongest virtue that had sustained them from start to end—togetherness in the face of all adversity. United in solace, the team comforted one another with reassuring pats on the back and brotherly hugs, even between the coach and players. Much more heartbreakingly, they helped one another get back on their feet, providing support and holding tightly onto those who were injured and limping. The team had already begun the game with a small squad as they had already lost players to injuries even before the match. One such player was Zhu Hongpeng (19S06I), who “sacrificed his shoulder to save a try […] in March.” Joshua and Dillion had, too, put themselves on the line for the team and a shot at victory, and now the team had become even smaller. “It was emotional to see [one of our teammates subbed out early on during the match and] have his season end early, but it was motivation for fighting the rest of the match,” vice-captain Sek Ray (19S06G) told us.

As the team approached the bleachers with regret and frustration etched on their faces, the school broke out in a final Rafblood cheer in appreciation of their dedication. The team responded by singing the Institution Anthem and were soon joined by the spectators. The familiar melody of the anthem evoked a deep sense of pathos among the spectators, and it was at that moment that the pain of loss was truly felt. After all, the team had trained rigorously for months and shed blood, sweat and tears in hopes of emerging victorious, only to fall short.

And yet, they remained bravely stoic through it all.

The event ended with the Raffles ruggers gathering for a final team huddle, with team captain Gideon Kee standing in the centre giving his teammates one more consolation. He clutched tightly onto the pole of the Raffles flag, letting it soar high and proud, undeterred by the circumstances. “I felt extremely heartbroken after the match,” Gideon admitted. “Most players gave their all in that match. Some weren’t even suppose[d] to play in their condition but they held in their pain for the sake of the team. As captain, I felt that I didn’t bring the result my team deserved.” Despite feelings of regret, however, the strength of their brotherhood shone through as they encouraged one another to hold their heads high through the tears and helped those who were injured off the field.

I’m grateful for my team. It’s not easy to find people who are willing to die for you. My team is my family.

Gideon Kee (19S03P)

And although the J2s would be leaving their found family soon, they were determined that their juniors will carry on their legacy and continue to bring glory for Raffles. “Don’t forget why you are training so hard and always remember: the pain is temporary, but glory is forever,” asserted Ray. In the meantime, Gideon declared resolutely, “Bow to no one.”

Raffles Rugby has displayed comradeship and fervent hope in the midst of all struggle, and ultimately, they have made their mark in courageous pursuit of their passion till the very end. Though it was a hard match, the players’ dedication, passion and immense fighting spirit were evident in the way they went all out from start to finish, never losing hope and never giving up halfway. We sincerely thank the Raffles rugby team for giving it their all in the finals. Raffles Press would like to wish Raffles Rugby all the very best in their upcoming endeavours, and may they continue to keep our colours flying!

Team members

#15 – Gideon Kee An (19S03P) — Captain
#5 – Sek Ray (19S06G) — Vice-captain
#2 – Goh Kai Jen Nicholas (20S03F)
#3 – Aiman Jianhao B Ikram (19S05B)
#4 – Kee Yun Shao (19S06M)
#6 – Chamapun Kongpote (19S03S)
#7 – Izaac Tay Yi Ren (19S05B)
#8 – Chong Dillion (19S06R)
#9 – Jonathan Christopher Lim Shao Hwei (20S06K)
#10 – Wong Wei Feng Bervyn (19S02A)
#11 – Spencer Wee Ye Kai (20S07A)
#12 – Muhammad Wafiq Aqil B W S (19A01C)
#13 – Goh Zheng Hui, Javille (19S07C)
#14 – Murugaiah Jayaprakash (20S06T)
#16 – Ho Kai En (19S03C)
#17 – Joshua Choy Weng Yew (19S06G)
#18 – Jordan Poon (19S05B)
#20 – Joshua Poon (19A01C)
#21 – Ang Ben Yao, Aldrick (20S06T)
#23 – Jordan Teo (19S06K)
#24 – Ho Jun Wei, Matthew (20S06U)
#25 – Lai Jiang Yao, Joshua (19S06T)
#26 – Kollaart Leon Samuel (20S06S)
Zhu Hongpeng (19S06I)

By Huang Beihua (20A03A), Coco Liu (20S06L), Sarah Lok (20A03A), and Emily Ni (20S03C)

Photos courtesy of Nur Insyirah Binte Nasser (20S03K) and Nurin Hasha Binte Jubir (19A13B)

For the more astute, you probably noticed that something was amiss when you clicked on this article: all four authors have distinctly Chinese surnames.

You might be wondering why four Chinese students are writing this article, when we probably don’t know much about the Ramadan experience. To a certain extent, you’re right. Apart from being aware of the fact that our Malay friends go through a month of fasting every year, we never fully understood what exactly Ramadan entailed beyond that.

And so we chose to explore the perspectives of Ramadan from a few individuals, each living an unique version of this holy month.

Enter the Ramadan days of Mirza Bin Abdul Latiff (20S06D), Nur Insyirah Binte Nasser (20S03K), and Nurin Hasha Binte Jubir (19A13B).

4.45–5.00am: Wake up. Yes, when you are racing the sun, it will have to be that early.

5.00–5.35am: Sahur, the pre-dawn meal and the last meal eaten before fasting for the day, needs to be eaten by around 5.35 am—the time varies day-to-day, calculated to the second with mathematical precision based on when sunrise is. The meal will often include a variety of dishes and will almost definitely include dates, said to be one of the Prophet Muhammad’s favourite food. For Nurin, apart from fueling the rest of the day, the Sahur also serves an opportunity to bond with her family: “it’s a rare moment when you [and your family] can sit together at the dining table.”

Make no pretense, however, that such an early meal is for everyone: as Insyirah shares, her Sahur might involve only dates and water when she just has no appetite. But she persists—and so do countless others.

Approximately 5.35am: Prayer bells ring, signalling the start of the Fajr prayer—the first of the five daily prayers a practising Muslim needs to perform. Though Fajr translates to ‘dawn’ in Arabic, this prayer can be performed anytime from the stipulated time to sunrise.

After this, it’s off to school for most of them. Some, such as Nurin, will also find the time to read a few passages of the Quran (the central religious text of Islam) before making her way to school.

7.40am: Once at school, it’s business as usual. Fasting does not stop any of them from participating enthusiastically in school activities (yes, even PE!). “You are meant to carry out activities as per normal, because you are putting yourself in the shoes of people who can’t eat or drink,” Insyirah shares. Fortunately, for most of them, physical activity whilst fasting is something that they have already gotten used to after so many years in school. “It’s also a test of patience,” says Nurin. “Trying to tahan your hunger for the sake of God.”

10.35am: The bell rings, and the lunch many cheerfully indulge in presents yet another challenge. Indeed, as Insyirah confesses, “it was hard,” especially in primary or secondary school, though, “the past few weeks had not been that bad”. She will, in fact, “just accompany her class to lunch”, simply refusing when offered food. A piece of good news for non-Muslims: most Muslims are actually fine with watching their non-fasting peers eat. In fact, Insyirah says that it’s good—“it reminds us of why we are fasting.”

3.30pm: CCA, as compared to PE, is a bit of a problem for those in sports CCAs. Not only is it typically later in the day, but the intensity of competitive training also takes its toll compared to a recreational lesson. A group of dragon boaters we spoke to admitted that it was exhausting to train whilst fasting; however, as they say, it’s “not an excuse not to try.” Here, solidarity and camaraderie help as they tackle the hectic exercises with resolve: “You appreciate having other [Muslims] to it do together [with] and we can motivate each other,” says Denisa Armeilia Tami (20A13A).

Throughout the day, they will also need to perform their other prayers: Zuhr, Asr, and Maghrib (second to fourth of the daily prayers). Since these prayers can be performed at somewhat flexible timings, it is not a big disruptor of their day, as they can simply slip off to prayers during break.

Approximately 7.10pm: As night falls, it is finally time to break fast with iftar, the evening meal. Iftar, like Sahur, is dependent upon the sun.

Again, just like Sahur, iftar is followed by a prayer—Isha’a, the last prayer of the day. Bazaars are often set up to fill the empty stomachs of those who fast, and communal dinners are sometimes held in communities—whilst not a religious practice, it is encouraged that one eats with their family and friends.

Following this tradition, the Malay Literary Drama Cultural Society (MLDCS) organises an evening where all fasting Muslim students are invited to break fast together once every year. Small groups of three to five students gather around one plate of nasi ambeng, sharing well-loved dishes like ayam masak lemak cili padi (chicken in spicy coconut gravy) and beef rendang. Packet drinks like bandung and Milo are also distributed, all interlaced with the lighthearted chatter of friends. Perhaps surprisingly, the meal also includes cookies from Subway and KFC chicken!

Mr Kamal, teacher-in-charge of the Malay Literary Drama Cultural Society (MLDCS), was heartened to see the students coming together: their annual iftar has been a “tradition for many years”, in place since before he was an RI student in 1990. “Since this is a once-in-a year-opportunity,” he enthused, “it’s really nice for them to come and have a meal together.”

To frame the entire day with austere meal timings alone, however, would be to miss the point entirely. As Insyirah and Mirza explain, “[fasting] is not just about abstaining from eating and drinking”.

Instead, Insyirah believes that Ramadan “serves as a [personal] reminder to reconnect to God, and try to be a better person… it gets better every year, with better self-control of emotions and the like. It is a special month where our deeds are amplified.” Similarly, to Mirza, Ramadan is about “abstaining from worldly desires, [reflecting] on yourself as a Muslim… it is a time of self-improvement.” Nurin offered the word sabr—an Arabic word that means patience—in response to this. To her, Ramadan encapsulates “having patience, sacrificing the things you like, [and] suppressing your desires (e.g. hunger)”.

“People may think that when we fast, we can’t function [and] we’ll be lazing around… that ain’t true! We’re meant to carry out our activities as per normal, because we’re putting ourselves in the shoes of people who can’t eat or drink.”

Insyirah (20S03K)

Mirza also mentions that during Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to volunteer at the mosques; Nurin adds that one can donate a portion of their salary to the Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), which will distribute the money accordingly.

On the face of it, Ramadan may seem to just be about abstaining from food and water for a set period of time during the day. However, it is much more than only that: it is an exercise in resilience and empathy, a period of self-reflection, and a timely reminder to help the less fortunate.

We admit that we came into this article a little hesitant, worried that we would be unable to do justice to Nurin, Insyirah and Mirza’s stories. Perhaps the four of us, not being Muslims, can never wholly understand the holy month, but had we chosen to be content with our starkly incomplete comprehension of Ramadan, we could have missed out on this measure of understanding, no matter how slight. We are glad, then, that we took on the challenge—a challenge through which we found ourselves with a deeper appreciation for the tapestry of cultures that surrounds us.

By Huang Beihua (20A03A) and Ng Jing Ting (20A13A)

It took us all of two minutes to locate the Visual Arts Centre. Located just a stone’s throw away from the entrance of Dhoby Ghaut MRT station, the glasshouse exhibition gallery was this year’s venue for Raffles Photographic Society’s (RPS’s) annual photography exhibition, Kalopsia 2019.

‘Kalopsia’, a rather wistful word referring to ‘the delusion of things being more beautiful than they really are’, aptly, if somewhat mawkishly, encapsulated the evocative sentiments of the exhibition. As chairperson Brendon Loo (19S03H) explained, “the state of delusion” the word captured succinctly reflected the vision behind this exhibition: to showcase photography as “more than just taking aesthetic photos”, but also an art form to “conjure a deeper significance and meaning”.

The Year 6 members, bolstered by their year (and often several more) of experience, were at the forefront of this endeavour. What drew our attention as we entered the room was a photo rendered in iridescent technicolour, bearing the distorted reflection of a fashionably dressed woman—a filter, as RPS members on site clarified, rendered by the coloured windows along Orchard Road. More than just an exercise in special effects, however, the surreal colours of “Our Manufactured World” is a stunningly visual expression of Zheng Huijun’s (19A13B) reflection on the meaning of happiness. The photo’s reminiscence of the candy wrappers from an innocent childhood is in fact bestowed by an epitome of commercialism. With this, Huijun makes a powerful statement on the corruption of an “untainted, simple idea of happiness” we could have had by a material, “inane need” to “reach the highest echelon of society”.

That deeper meaning, however, needs not always be profound and mildly terrifying philosophical musing: it might just be “uncovering the simple stories in our everyday lives”, as Ku Cheng Yong (19S06G) told us. His own work, for example, was a duo of pictures shot skyward, a reference to his own love for aviation.

A collection of Polaroids on the same wall stood in further testament to the intimacy and emotions expressed through photography. Bearing the title “67” with little pretense was a candid story of Jynelle Ong (19S03B) and her 67-year-old grandmother, and of them “laughing with each other for the wacky poses and ideas that [they] thought of.” Though unremarkable at first glance, then, the vintage charm of the photos in fact served to witness and immortalise that simple, sweet, sincere, yet priceless love. The cloudiness of the Polaroids only served to further crystallise the meaning behind them—“the inability of these prints to capture the true value and magic of the moment,” as Jynelle concluded her photo caption, “is what makes it so special to us only”.

“I wanted this project to be more than just a set of photos, but something we could both remember.”

—Jynelle Ong, explaining her exhibit in a write-up

Some members chose to take the idea of a collage one step further. Sitting patiently for visitors’ perusal—or, indeed, admiration—were photo books painstakingly collated and curated by photographers. While less noticeable as they rested on their stands, these books, each page carrying a different take on the same theme, and sometimes even decorations like dried flowers, were pieces of art all by themselves.

Of course, they, too, centre themselves around stories. Jiang Jin Liang (19S06N), for example, chose to make the plight migrant workers often face the focal point of his collection. His poignant street photography painted a sombre picture, in cool and unsaturated colours. Themed “Life”, they cast the spotlight on the dire conditions many workers were forced into despite drastically altering their lives to help build a country far from home. The process of creating this book, however, was more than just social commentary. For Jin Liang, it was also “a self-questioning and realising process”. “It made me wonder about my own life and what I should do,” he confessed, reflecting on witnessing the subjects of his photoshoots firsthand.

Meanwhile, the works of the Year 5 batch of RPS took up an entire wall at the far end of the gallery, tinting it with varying shades that made for a vivid, almost garish, effect. Gesturing at the photographs, Fallon Thng (20S03B) quips, “They’re all heavily edited,” before hastily adding that that did not negate the painstaking hours spent on the field capturing the perfect shot. Indeed, her own photo, depicting a man riding a motorbike alongside the Old Hill Street Police Station, took no less than half an hour to shoot, and another three hours to edit. The rest of the works, with their poignant depictions of Singapore’s street life, proved equally prodigious in both finesse and artistry. Fallon adds that “[they] were originally going with [another] theme”, but the batch had unequivocally voted for the alternative option of street photography after their instructor had deemed their work with light painting unsatisfactory. And, as expected, they had come through exceedingly well.

Members of the Year 5 batch were not alone in their experience of serendipity. Their seniors, likewise, had encountered various mishaps during the process of editing their photographs. While the exquisite final products, curated with utmost perfectionism, failed to convince visitors that they were anything but, the flawed outcomes of previous attempts were collated in a book for the sake of posterity. Visitors scribbled down encouraging notes to the creator: comments along the lines of “You go gurlie!” featured heartwarmingly alongside the accidental products of over-saturation and under-exposure.

Despite it being a photography exhibition that promised to engage visitors’ visual senses, enthusiasts of philosophical ideas reflected in deep, introspective prose found themselves delighted as well. Captions accompanied the framed exhibits, ranging from whimsical musings to intimidating, metaphysical arguments. In her accompanying caption, a particular member of the Year 6 batch wrote, “Happiness is a labyrinth, and maybe the only way to win is to look within, as cliché as it may be”.  

Having completed their revolution around the gallery, several visitors milled around, alternatingly refreshing their Instagram feeds and congratulating their RPS friends. Some, however, chose to gravitate towards the photo booth that had been conspicuously set up next to the entrance. Against the backdrop of a large black cloth, friends and family members took it in turns to pose before a camera. The patient few who remained for a little longer received miniature printouts of their photos, free of charge. Even though the printer broke down unceremoniously halfway through the day, RPS members’ professionalism took over as they broke from their scrambling to fix it in time for the next influx of photos, precipitating a warm display of comradeship and fervent hope that was the real highlight of the afternoon.

We left the exhibition, hearts full and minds “shookt” with the satisfaction of an afternoon well-spent hanging over us. Ultimately, the whole motivation behind this exhibition and, indeed, the ethos which underpins the very being of RPS itself was, as Lim Yu Tong (19S06F) puts it, “not… fancy equipment or large aperture, but rather a duplication of truthful emotions”.  Noble aspirations, yet Raffles Photographic Society has managed, once again, to prove that they could achieve it all.

By Kelly Leong (20S07C) and Valerie Tan (20A01E)
Photos courtesy of Joel Leong (20S03O) and Andrew Yu (20S07C) from Raffles Photographic Society

The members of the incumbent 38th Students’ Council sat as a sea of black on stage, donning their formal uniform for what would probably be the last time. Just below them, their successors sat with their blazers folded neatly in their arms, awaiting the investiture that would confer onto each of them the status of a full-fledged councillor. Amidst the hushed conversations that peppered the tense atmosphere, several enthusiastic friends did not hesitate to whip out their phones and photograph their peers in the incoming Council, while providing words of encouragement to calm their surely-pulsing hearts.

The theme of the investiture this year was L39O, or LEGO, that familiar brand of plastic bricks many have heard of. The tagline “Greater than the Sum of our Parts” accompanied it, highlighting the 39ths’ hope to work together to produce something greater than any of them could individually. Just like Lego bricks, though each councillor was colourful and special on their own, they could only make better contributions to the school by working with one another.

When everybody had settled down in their seats, the Guest of Honour—Mr Aaron Goh, President of the 29th Students’ Council—was introduced. Delivering a speech equal parts humorous and inspiring, he reminded the incoming 39ths to stay humble and “make the most of this opportunity to fail productively”. Similarly, the subsequent speech by Chew Jay Hong (19A13A), President of the 38th Students’ Council, echoed these sentiments. The journey in Council “would not be easy”, he warned, and the idea “would grow less and less romantic as the days wore by”; however, he assured the 39ths that all of this would add up to something fruitful at the end.

Following this, the members of the outgoing batch of councillors were awarded their certificates of appreciation. Department by department, every member of the 38th Students’ Council was recognised for their contribution to the school. In stunning synchronisation (undoubtedly the result of tireless rehearsals), they stood onstage before the school, took a dignified bow and proceeded to line the aisles, supported by thunderous applause from their schoolmates. Outgoing BB House Captain Amy Lin (19A01B) later commented that being a councillor had been very fulfilling and fun, despite the many ups and downs. She felt very humbled to have been giving the opportunity to serve—“hopefully we’ve made some sort of difference!”

An appreciation video created by members of the 39th Students’ Council was then screened to acknowledge and thank the outgoing batch of councillors. Accompanied by the orientation song for Batch 2019, the videos highlighted many of the important events that had been planned by the 38ths, with pictures that elicited a sense of warmth and nostalgia. Councillors standing along the aisle were enraptured by the images on-screen, even as the video transitioned to an introduction of the new batch of councillors.

As the music of the video faded away, the long-anticipated blazer ceremony began. The incoming batch of councillors filed into the hall and members of the 38th Students’ Council helped them put on their blazers as a symbol of the handover, passing the baton on to their successors. It was a moment to be remembered as the new councillors beamed with pride, finally donning the full formal uniform. “I felt really proud and thankful donning the blazer officially,” Fong Junyi (20S06A) affirmed, “because that moment was the culmination of plenty of effort from plenty of people.”

Now came the badge presentation, where each department of the 39th Students’ Council came to the front of the stage to receive their councillor’s badges to rapturous applause from their corresponding outgoing seniors. Loud cheers were also heard from the audience in fervent support of their friends, while a series of shutter clicks was heard as parents took photos to commemorate their child’s investiture. More than a symbol of prestige, the badge also served as a symbol of the new responsibilities that were bestowed upon every councillor. No doubt this would cause some measure of nervousness in the 39ths, but it seemed that all of them were prepared to take on this role.

Ma Fanghe (20S06L) then stepped up to give his first address to the school as President of the 39th Students’ Council: he thanked everybody for their support thus far, and promised that every member of the incoming batch would give their best in service to the school. This was inevitably a nerve-wracking experience for him, being his first speech on such a large scale and in such an esteemed role—he admitted afterwards that “[he] wanted to make sure that what [he] said represented not just [himself]”; he also had many inputs from his department, seniors and teachers in trying to put the speech together. Nevertheless, he pulled it off gracefully, boding well for the year to come.

To solidify their commitment to Council, the 63 newly-minted councillors recited the council oath on stage, led by Vice-Presidents Jesper Loo (20S03N) and Lai Kye Sheen (20S03L). Hands raised high in the air with solemn expressions on their faces, it was clear that they understood the seriousness of their duties; their voices rang out loud and clear through the hall in unison, affirming their dedication to the school.

Following a rousing chorus of the Institution Anthem, the 39ths swiftly stepped forward and transitioned to leading the school cheers. Spirit and Unite came and went quickly, with hardly any time to catch one’s breath between the two cheers, but the atmosphere remained bright nonetheless; everyone cheered their heart out in thunderous voices that echoed through the hall. For Junyi, this was a great moment of pride—the energy from the councillors around him was infectious, making the cheer even more impressive than it had ever been. “Probably the third best Unite I’ve heard,” he quipped.

Of course, an investiture only marks the beginning of the 39ths’ road to achieving their shared aspirations. What would the 39ths like to accomplish in their term?

“I hope our batch is able to make school a safe place for expression, as well as make MRians more excited and enthusiastic about House”, remarked Kelsy Koh (20A01C), basking in the afterglow of her successful investiture. Fanghe expressed his hopes to continue the work of his seniors, and that every minute spent doing so could translate to students feeling a bit happier, even through the small and subtle things. “One of my seniors who came back said that the stickers and Star Wars memes put up by the 38ths made the school feel more fun and welcoming,” he said. “Making a difference through the little things is definitely something that we hope to continue and learn from our seniors.”

Just like Lego bricks, the 39th Students’ Council will take over and build on the foundation that their predecessors had laid down, continuing the legacy of leadership and service of the councillors that had come before them. Perhaps the journey would be fraught with obstacles and difficulties, but at the end of the day, it would all be worth it. Raffles Press wishes the 39th Students’ Council a fruitful journey ahead, and looks forward to seeing their achievements in their term.

By Valerie Tan (20A01E)
Photos courtesy of Geng Heqin (20S06S) from Raffles Photographic Society

6:25PM, 23rd May 2019.

For an LT that hardly ever sees students enter its aisles for lectures, LT2 is remarkably alive tonight. Students and parents alike fill its seats, and an unceasing wave of chatter and conversation washes through the entire space, accompanying the almost indiscernible music playing in the background. At the edge of the stage sit cardboard waves, painted deep sea blue and lined with tinsel, while four gold foil balloons spell out NAMI at its bottom.

Nami, or Japanese for “wave”, is the theme of Guitar Ensemble’s showcase this year, representing the journey of ups and downs the ensemble has had thus far. This is the first year the ensemble has both participated in SYF and held a concert, making the showcase even more demanding for them. Emily Ho (19S03I), the outgoing chairperson, comments afterwards that the greatest challenge the ensemble faced while preparing for the showcase was the time constraints, as they only had about one and a half months to prepare and perfect other pieces after SYF. Furthermore, most of the members start off with little to no guitar experience, compounding the challenge of playing some of the more complex pieces.

Nevertheless, the guitarists have kept their head above water: after braving through the tough times together, they are now ready to present the fruits of their efforts in this showcase. Pieces with varying moods and character have been selected to evoke different emotions and parallel the tides of waves, says Emily, and the showcase promises to bring the audience on a ride of stormy seas and calming waters.

6:30PM, 23rd May 2019.

The lights dim, and the journey begins.

The ensemble starts off the concert with  “Allegro” from Antonio Vivaldi’s “Concerto in A Minor”. From the very beginning, it is clear that dynamics are a key feature of this piece—the ensemble alternates between crescendos and decrescendos, creating a rolling effect that mimics the waves of the ocean. The bassline serves as a rich countermelody to the rest of the ensemble, while repeated phrases keep the audience in suspense and on the edge of our seats. Overall, the ensemble’s dextrous finger work and synchronisation does not fail to mesmerise the audience, opening the showcase gracefully. Behind this lay months and months of repetitive practice, the emcees go on to elaborate afterwards, especially as this piece was performed for their SYF that same year—it was more vital than ever to perfect it.

Next comes “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” by Mozart, meaning “a little serenade” in German, which is performed by seven seniors and juniors. Despite the unfamiliar title of the song, the audience soon perks up with surprise as a familiar tune unfolds. As it turns out, this is believed to be Mozart’s most popular work: given that it is recorded and performed everywhere, it is no surprise that the audience recognises it. Liu Enqi (19A01C) explains in a later interview that the song had many ornaments such as slurs and trills, and there was great pressure on the only two melody players.  Nevertheless, the ensemble manages to do full justice to this classic. Vivacious, spirited and enchanting all at once, it is received with much applause from the audience.

The showcase now takes a turn towards the contemporary, with the classical music giving way to a rendition of “Shallow” by Emily and Sarah Wong (19A01C), complete with singing. This song was originally performed by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, and is known for being vocally challenging—it demands that the singer belts at full volume, raw and powerful and loaded with emotion. And yet, the duo manages to pull it off. Though they are visibly nervous, they captivate the audience with their passionate voices, and deliver a spectacular performance.

When the curtains next open, Enqi sits on stage alone, guitar at the ready, and begins to deliver a pop medley consisting of three songs: “Counting Stars” by OneRepublic, “Strawberries and Cigarettes” by Troye Sivan, and “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran. The song rhythms have been adapted slightly for a refreshing touch, and smooth transitions blend the songs together: it is clear that Enqi is a skilful performer. Indeed, her mellifluous voice and lovely playing completely enchant the audience, who sing and clap along enthusiastically. Some even wave their phone flashlights to the music, lighting up the entire LT.

Behind this quality performance, however, is something that the audience may not have expected: instead of having finished preparations early, Enqi faced the challenge of not knowing anything until the last minute. “After fitting in Counting Stars and Photograph, I considered and discarded many songs while looking around for the third song,” she explains. “I only decided to add Strawberries and Cigarettes to the medley maybe a week and a half before.” When asked about her choice of the songs, Enqi says that she was inspired by the Ed Sheeran concert she attended, and also decided to sing Strawberries and Cigarettes after listening to it again after a long while, falling back in love with it.

Following this is “Start”, an upbeat and energetic number performed by Koh Qin Ruo (19S05A) and Andrew Teoh (19S03G). Despite having only two guitars carry the piece, it is still noticeably rich in sound, with a compelling melody that skillfully had tempo rubato employed to add interest to the otherwise fast-paced piece. The two performers display great synergy on stage, exchanging nods and eye contact multiple times; passion is written all over their faces. Andrew even grooves to the song himself by tapping his feet. Syazayuni (20S06H), one of the junior ensemble members, later cites this as her favourite performance after her own batch piece, referring to the duo as being “cool”.

And speaking of the batch piece—here it is! The Year 5s finally make their debut on stage as a batch with a Studio Ghibli medley. Featuring tracks such as “Town with an Ocean View” (from Kiki’s Delivery Service), “Merry-Go-Round of Life” (from Howl’s Moving Castle) and “Carrying You” (from Castle in the Sky), their performance brings back fond childhood memories and evokes a sense of nostalgia. Of the 17 members of the batch, two who had no knowledge of the guitar and had to learn it from scratch are Syazayuni and Tammie Tang (20A01E). “My greatest challenge was learning the songs because I’m a beginner, and having to suddenly play things like Studio Ghibli was tough,” Syazayuni shares. Tammie echoes these sentiments: “I have no guitar experience, so the more advanced parts like fast notes were hard to get right,” she reflects. “But that meant it was more fun, and learning it together with my batchmates was a journey that I liked and appreciated very much.” Thankfully, their hard work pays off, and the batch puts up a stunning show for the audience.

Before the last piece, the emcees return to thank the captains who have steered their ship thus far. Their teachers-in-charge Mdm Shalliet Ng and Mr Winston Cheong, as well as their conductor Mr Eugene Lee, are each presented with a bouquet of flowers, and they return the sentiment with warm hugs and handshakes. And then the last piece makes its appearance: “Variations on the Theme ‘Shabondama’”, composed by Keigo Fujii and performed by the ensemble for their SYF earlier this year. Emily declares this to be her favourite piece of the evening, and it’s not difficult to see why—it truly embodies the theme of “Nami” with five different sections and varying moods, as well as gradual changes in dynamics, bringing the audience through high and low tides gracefully. The piece closes with a decrescendo, concluding the showcase beautifully…

“Encore! Encore!”

…or maybe not.

The CCA returns together with an ensemble rendition of “How Far I’ll Go”, the iconic song from Disney’s Moana, deliberately chosen to match the theme. It features a lovely build-up and pause in the bridge segment, adding flavour to the already-stunning original, and serves as a perfect closure—a real one—to the showcase. Now the lights come on and the audience floods out, waiting outside to take pictures with their friends at the thoughtfully-set up photobooth. After the past hour of magical music, walking out into the school to an almost-dark sky feels like a dream.

7:30PM, 23rd May 2019.

The showcase has come to an end, and so has the Year 6s’ journey in Guitar Ensemble. When two of them are asked about how they feel, they respond with a common word in mind: fulfilled. “It feels kind of surreal that it’s the end of the chapter of something you have been so invested in,” Emily confesses, “but I’m glad we ended the journey on a good note!” Similarly, Enqi feels both sad and grateful at the same time: “I’ve always wanted to be a performer, not just a guitarist, and I’m really thankful to the showcase and RJGE for giving me that opportunity… I know this won’t be the last time I play a guitar, or even perform, but I’ll miss the comfortable and conducive environment, and working towards a common goal.”

What about the Year 5s who have just had their first showcase, and are about to step up? Syazayuni admits that she feels a bit empty, because all the hard work and preparation put into the showcase has passed so quickly. “But I’m glad that was my first performance with Guitar!” she clarifies quickly. Tammie adds to this, saying that she’s “very happy and excited for next year’s concert.” Indeed, the CCA seems to be in good hands, and will definitely live up to the outgoing chairperson’s beliefs: that the batch, being as bonded as they are, will take over with passion and produce a good concert next year.

As the last hint of a sunset fades from the sky, the audience begins to make their way home, only now rising from the entrancing, dreamy waters of song. Guitar Ensemble has truly taken us on an incredible journey, allowing us to ride the waves of life with their music, and our foray into their small part of the universe has been nothing short of memorable.

By Ian Michael Yam (20A01A), Rachael Koh (20S07C), Sarah Lok (20A03A) and Michele Pek (20A01A)
Special thanks to Damien Yau for taking time to let us interview him and share his insights; without him, this story would not have been brought to light.

5km² aims to discover the unexplored places and untold stories of the Bishan community, spoken through words and photographs. Raffles Institution has been rooted here for 29 years, and many of us spend disproportionately more time in school than at home; yet, most of us don’t really explore the places around us past Junction 8, or maybe even S11. This begs the question: as residents, how much do we actually know about Bishan? What hidden gems does the unassuming 5km² area around us hold?

Tucked away in a corner, not far from S11, is a tiny homegrown gelato shop that most wouldn’t expect to be there. The unobservant eye would gleefully glance over one of Bishan’s finest gems: Denzy.

Make no mistake of this store’s minimalist decor for an impersonal frigidity. While a little cold at first glance, the shop’s warmth and fuzziness quickly unfurled themselves as we settled into our seats: a jazzy cafe soundtrack, the slight buzz of regulars, and the graciously welcoming smile Damien wears all embrace us in a cheerful intimacy. Behind the counter, chances are that you will see Damien—and his loved ones, be it mother or girlfriend—whipping out scoops of gelato, evidently mesmerised in the joy of their work as much as we savoured it.

His story is one of a three-decade-old Bishan Boy trying to grow his Bishan Business while tending to his neighbourhood. After opting to study culinary arts in Italy, he boldly decided to venture into this gelato business before he got too much older. Starting a business was tough in the beginning, but Damien quickly learnt the important lessons of being humble, listening to feedback, and understanding his customers’ needs better. Despite the steep learning curve, Damien had this to say:

“If I start a business, I might as well give it the best shot I can.”

Damien sees gelato as a canvas: a creative space for him to freely create refreshingly novel flavours derived from a multitude of cultures. Borne out of his innate desire to bring new combinations to Singapore, he stays away from the flavours that Singaporeans have been accustomed to eating; for example, the flavours “Bondi Beach” and “Persian Prince” were derived from his culinary escapades in Milan whilst “Elderflower Mojito” was inspired by the Balinese.

Each flavour, having its own story, has its own character. When asked to describe his gelatos if they were people, Damien affectionately stated that they were “unafraid to stand out”, and “loved their unique selves”, perhaps reflecting his hopes for the brand and its future creations. As his brand’s three-striped logo signifies his quest for constant progress, Damien aims to continue developing new flavours based on “trends and whatnot”, most recently being the incoming vegan and low sugar trends.

Other than his flavours, another unique feature of Denzy is its role in the neighbourhood. Despite Bishan’s centralised location, we often find ourselves holing up in Junction 8, or travelling away from Bishan to the greener pastures of NEX or The Star Vista; it is often with joy in our hearts and hunger in our stomachs that we see a unique, homegrown cafe. Damien agreed with us on this: as a Bishan resident for the past thirty years, he didn’t understand why people had to travel outside to go to a cafe. His strong connections to the area thus inspired him to create something that made Bishan special.

“The F&B industry in Singapore is quite competitive, and we have only been around for 4 months… for people to tell us that we are on par with established brands is one major milestone for us.”

Damien

Damien prides himself in being the ice-cream parlour in the neighbourhood, and tries to go above and beyond to be a neighbour to everyone: he balances keeping prices competitive with keeping them friendly to customers. It therefore comes as no surprise that Denzy has a strong following—one customer even came all the way from Jurong just to eat his gelato!

When we asked him “why Bishan?”, we expected an answer about Bishan’s prime location, or customer base, or some other dry Economics concept.

Instead, he pointed to the block outside the window, and said: “I live there.”

By Val Yeo (20S03O) and Rachael Koh (20S07C)

Photographs courtesy of Chun Jun Ran (20S06H) from Raffles Photographic Society

Taking our seats on the spectator stand, we see them coming onto the court, bathed in a glow. To people who can barely play basketball, the basketball team seems awe-inspiring. Yet, the road to the finals was not easy. Behind this glamorous appearance is hours of practice and countless injuries—even now, more than half the team are wearing knee guards and ankle guards. Despite losing 3 out of 4 of the quarterfinal matches, the team managed to narrowly squeeze into the top four, beating Nanyang Junior College to get into the finals. Pitted against Hwa Chong once again, they are determined to win the championship back after having lost it to Dunman High School last year.

The match begins with supporters cheering enthusiastically in a show of school spirit. Raffles passes the ball, and the team is off. They immediately settle into their positions, running into open space to support each other with the ease of a well oiled machine. Both teams are trying to score, as this first quarter may set the pace for the rest of the match. Raffles attempts their first layup, only to fail and have the rebound go to Hwa Chong—but they don’t let it faze them for long. The players, determined to score the first goal of the game, run faster and harder to regain possession of the ball. And they do, only a minute and a half into the game. Raffles’ first goal only motivates them to push themselves harder, and they intercept the ball from Hwa Chong several times to attempt to score. The hall is filled with cheers from both sides—on ours, encouragement can be heard as councillors lead the classes in ‘let’s go Raffles, let’s go’, and on theirs, shouts of ‘defend, defend’ ring out. As Raffles scores their third goal, Hwa Chong’s coach calls for a timeout for a quick change in strategy to counter Raffles’ attack.

When the game starts again, both teams go all out. Resolve can be seen in the players’ eyes, determined to widen the score gap. Hwa Chong seems to be rejuvenated, scoring their first goal. But Team Raffles is not to be outdone. They manage to steal the ball, scoring the very first 3-pointer of the game. The game continues, both teams spurred on by the cheers of supporters, and the hopes of their fellow teammates riding on them. Nine seconds before the buzzer sounds, team captain Tan Kang Yi (19S03F) manages to score, putting the scoreboard at 15-9 with Raffles in the lead.

The team is almost haggard in appearance as they walk off the court. Sweat drips from their faces, red with exhaustion. Even from a distance, we can see the heaving of their chests. It is in this moment that we really realise that Basketball isn’t as simple as it is seen to be —the support teammates have to give each other, the split second decisions they have to make, the fast pace of the game are all aspects that players have to be accustomed to. Yet, the players make it seem so effortless, almost as if it is second nature to them.

Hwa Chong begins in the second quarter, set on closing the score gap, but the team’s accurate reading of the game enables a turnover of the ball, and Freda Wee (20S06Q) manages to score. With frustration evident in the faces of some Hwa Chong players, they begin to attack more aggressively to try and take the lead in the game; yet, Raffles is unwilling to give the lead away without a fight. Even after missing a goal, Freda clings onto the rebound with a Hwa Chong player for the chance of possession for our team. With high morale among the spectators, we shout out cheers for her display of passion as the score gap continues to widen, ending the quarter with a final score of 25-14.

Once the ball is thrown, signalling the start of the third quarter, the atmosphere of the court immediately changes, now charged with the players’ intense focus. Raffles’ players’ bodies twist to keep the ball as far away as possible from outstretched hands before going for a fake. Within the first 22 seconds, Raffles gets past the defence of Hwa Chong and scores the first goal of the quarter, putting them at an even bigger lead of 13 points with a score of 27-14.

Not even two minutes into the game, a break is called. Players from both schools trickle off the court and gather in a circle with their respective coaches, who give them tips and suggestions for improving their gameplay. When the players head back on court after talking to their coaches, their faces show their determination to do better than before.

The game continues with Hwa Chong starting the ball. Players constantly maneuver the ball  skillfully and smartly to escape their opponent’s block, never failing to elicit amazed wows from the spectators. However, just as the game grows increasingly intense, two players on the court fall after going after the ball, the loud thud silencing the audience. Barely one minute later, Hwa Chong fouls and Raffles is given a free throw. Kang Yi stands at the free throw line, bouncing the ball a few times before aiming at the hoop. While the first ball doesn’t make it in, the second falls in with a satisfying thwap and the players rush beneath the hoop in a bid to catch the ball and gain possession.

But things take a turn for the worse. In a matter of three minutes, Raffles fouls an additional four times, causing them to have a total of five fouls in the game and giving Hwa Chong a free throw. Both balls make it into the hoop, closing the gap between the scores slightly at 32-18. Raffles can only try harder not to foul by preventing collisions with the Hwa Chong players, not wanting to give Hwa Chong any more free throws. The game progresses cleanly from here, both teams scoring a few points each. When the timer reaches zero, the third quarter ends with the score at 34-21 to Raffles.

As the game enters its fourth and final quarter, expectations run high for the Raffles players to win while Hwa Chong grows tense at the 13-point gap. Raffles starts the ball this time and the two teams attempt to outplay each other on the court, scoring a few more points with well-strategised and well-coordinated shots. With 3 minutes 22 seconds left on the clock, a break is called. As the team discusses their strategy, the Raffles spectators erupt into Raffles Dynamite to show their support for the team.

The game continues after the break and players, no matter how drained, still strive to do their best on the court. Zhu Yezi (19S03R) and player #11 from Hwa Chong grab the rebound simultaneously, unwilling to give up possession of the ball. They fall to the floor together, a mess of tangled limbs and sweat, yet arms still trapping the ball in a vice-like grip. The audience lets out a loud woah at the show of ferocity from both players as the referee approaches them before announcing it to be Raffles’ ball for the game to continue.

Nearing the end of the game, we are all on the edge of our seats, unconsciously finding ourselves chanting along with the countdown,

“Three!

Two!

One!”

As the timer blinks to show 0:00, the spectators burst into cheers and teammates rush onto the court to embrace one another. With a scoreline of 52-33, Raffles has won. The team laughs and cheers in elation, gathering in a circle to celebrate while the coach smiles from the sidelines. The grins on the players’ face stretch widely and as to whether there are some tears of joy mixed with the sweat on their faces, we can only guess.

In a show of sportsmanship, all players from both teams line up and shake hands with their opponents, smiles on their faces. We then get up and do the Unite cheer, as the team heads towards the stand, hand-in-hand, to take a bow. This moment, despite all its chaos, is one where everyone is united in their elation.

Having defied all odds after coming in last among the top four teams in the quarterfinals, Raffles’ win did not come easy. As team captain Kang Yi put it, “Losing to these teams made it harder for us to believe that we could win the next time.” They were not only challenged physically, some suffering from ankle injuries and even a broken nose, but also had to face doubt and take on falling morale. The players pushed themselves to the limit on the court, evident from their drenched backs, taut muscles and determined eyes. From coming in last in the quarterfinals to first in the finals, they had gone against everyone’s expectations to become the overall champions.

And after today’s match, we wholeheartedly agree—they are more than individuals, more than a team. They are a family.

Players:

#3 Aw Han Xi (19S03L)

#4 Bridget Lum Hui Xin (19S03C)

#7 Zhu Ye Zi (19S03R)

#9 Aisling Lum (19S03N)

#10 Ong Xuan Yi Mabel (20S03G)

#11 Aw Zi Yann (20S07A)

#12 Tan Kang Yi (19S03F)

#13 Wee Yi-Ning Freda (20S06Q)

#15 Katrina Lee Liying (19S06J)

#16 Wang Tingyu Kelly (20S06N)

#17 Angela Wang (19S03Q)

#19 Teo Shu’En (20A01A)

By Jerome Tay (20S06Q) and Ng Jing Ting (20A13A)
Photos courtesy of Geng Heqin (20S06S) and Xanelle Tan (20S03M) of Raffles Photographic Society

“When you think of music…the last thing you’d think of is your school band, no name, no glam and zero monies.” This tongue-in-cheek self-introduction by Raffles Symphonic Band (RSB), which featured in this year’s edition of CCA Previews, could not have inspired more incredulity from audience members who were present on the night of A Tempo XXVIII. Held on 24 May 2019 at Victoria Concert Hall, RSB’s annual concert veered away from the typical narrative of mediocre showmanship and esoteric tunes to promise an evening of exceptional musicianship and heart-warming (occasionally heart-wrenching) melodies.

The concert opened with Shared Space by Ivan Trevino: this piece saw members of RSB’s percussion section crowding around a lone glockenspiel, each wielding a set of mallets and striking its silver keys in tandem with one another. Several members of the section then dispersed towards the marimba, its mellow peals soon becoming entwined with the keen tinkling of the glockenspiel. In the semi-darkness of the concert hall, the resulting melody resounded piercingly, almost eerily—it keened and crooned alternatingly to an audience silent with rapt attention. Nigel Heng (19S06G) joined in on the cajón, and the ensemble was complete. The melody persisted with heightened intensity, interspersed with the hypnotic beats of the cajón. All too soon, the piece came to an end with a final, haunting chord struck on the glockenspiel, and the audience, as though awakened from a fever dream, cheered and clapped enthusiastically for their friends onstage.

Next, members from the various brass sections came together to grace the stage with a performance of Victor Ewald’s Brass Quintet No. 3 in D-flat Major. It was immediately apparent from its initial bars that this piece—in all its melodic jauntiness—was to stand in stark contrast with the previous hush of Shared Space.

Extensive banter took centre stage next as emcees Luke Chua and Pan Liyu played for time while the stagehands frantically set up the stage for the appearance of the entire band. Eventually, band members emerged from backstage to commence the performance of Toccata Marziale by Ralph Vaughan Williams, with Mr Lim Yean Hwee helming the role of conductor. As they settled into the rows of chairs under the glaring stage lights, screams of glee could be heard from the audience, with a particularly loud holler of “Let’s go, Bridget!” piercing through the tumult. The toccata refers to “a baroque musical composition with full chords and rapid elaborate runs in a rhythmical freestyle”—true to its name, Toccata Marziale proceeded at lightning pace. To get a sense of the lightning pace at which the piece was moving, one only had to look at the quick-moving fingers of double bassist Joel Yap (19S07B) that flitted almost maniacally up and down the fingerboard of his instrument. Section-mate and tubist Su Yishan (19S07B) admitted that she faced challenges in “playing consecutive quavers at a fast tempo”, adding that “the pieces for this concert were especially difficult”.

Following the toccata was Yiddish Dances by Adam Gore. A rather more lyrical piece that brought in traditional elements of Yiddish music, the exoticism of the culture it celebrated was further emphasised by the hand-drum that the percussion section carried onstage, which was played with the accompaniment of clapping by the rest of the section. Several solos also featured in this piece, including clarinet, trumpet, trombone, saxophone and flute solos. The piece concluded with a fast passage meant to mimic the pace of the raucous dancing it was set to, finally ending with a thunderclap-like boom of the bass drum before the audience was ushered out of the hall for a fifteen-minute intermission.

With just enough time to take a breath, audience members returned to the hall and excitedly waited for the next segment to begin. Starting off the second half of the concert was a performance by RSB’s saxophone section of Quick Motion composed by Rika Ishige. Featuring three short movements, it called for great synergy between the musicians as the melody was passed quickly from one ensemble player to another. The section’s performance proceeded seamlessly (and astonishingly) without the need for a conductor as section members cued in their own entrances with sharp breaths punctuated by assured flicks of their heads. The audience was treated to the exhilarating first and third movements of Ishige’s composition and savoured the heart-wrenching sorrow of the second one that proved a drastic change in mood. As adeptly as they had started, the section ended off in perfect unison and made their way offstage to prepare for the next item.

Next up was Sweet Sunset by Dutch composer Jan De Haan, conducted by student conductor Alex Su (19S06C). Featuring a solo clarinet backed by the calming accompaniment of the band, the wistful tunes of Sweet Sunset called to mind simpler and happier times. One of the two overall members-in-charge of the concert, Sebastian Fok (19S06G) took centre stage as the soloist, dazzling the audience with his confidence and virtuosity. The smooth, mellow sound of the band painted an idyllic picture of a setting sun against the backdrop of a flushed, scarlet sky; the varying moods conveyed by the solo clarinet indicated a corresponding darkening of the sky as dusk eventually sets in—from a bright afternoon fuchsia to a soft cerulean blue, and finally purple and black. Sebastian later revealed that it was during this piece that he experienced his most goosebump-inducing moment. “It was my first time ever playing such a big solo piece and it was nerve-wracking playing for so many people,” he said, “but this was also my best moment of the concert, where I could be proud of my sound and play my heart out.” His passion appeared to have got through to audience members, who applauded and cheered their hearts out in celebration of the talented soloist.

Continuing under the baton of Alex, the following piece was Selections from Starlight Express arranged by Jerry Nowak. With melodies taken from compositions by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, this piece served to delight Broadway fans, especially those acquainted with the composer’s more renowned works such as Phantom of the Opera and Cats. Despite Starlight Express being one of his most obscure works, this piece was an absolute pleasure to listen to. Peppered with thrillingly fast passages and at times even dripping with exaggerated pathos, Selections from Starlight Express told the tale of Rusty, a young but obsolete steam engine that races against modern engines in the hopes of impressing the love of his life—a first-class carriage. (You read that right.) This classic Cinderella story mirrored every romantic comedy that had come before it, paralleling the standard tropes of desire, heartbreak, and finally reconciliation. The band seamlessly combined elements of romance and rock ‘n’ roll together to mimic the sounds of automation, its upbeat tunes prompting audience members to clap along. Before the commencement of their last piece, resident conductor Mr Lim Yean Hwee was invited back onstage and presented with a bouquet of flowers as a symbol of gratitude from his protégés on stage.

Having finished thanking the various groups of people that had made the concert possible, the emcees took to the stage once again to introduce Year of the Dragon as the final piece of their repertoire, a rousing piece with stark variances in mood, tempo and volume. Composed by Philip Sparke, the musical versatility that could be found in Year of the Dragon proved to be truly reflective of RSB’s outstanding musicianship. One for the history books, the three movements of the piece conveyed vastly different moods. Commencing with the grandiose of the first movement, Toccata, RSB “gave literal chills” to the audience. The second and longest movement, Interlude, featured a gloomy start before blooming with tints of optimism. The tension built up till the climax of the song, when, to the surprise of the audience, the band members put their instruments down—and started singing. The concert hall was filled with astonished silence as the band members’ soulful and emotional singing permeated within its walls: the pride of every performer at the months of hard work leading up to that moment could be felt in the pure energy of their voices. Having sent the entire audience into an appreciative daze, the third movement began amidst lingering silence. Entitled Finale (a suiting choice for the denouement passage), the music evolved with a steadily-growing intensity and exploded with a triumphant finish. And the audience cheered—loudly and raucously, for music, the universal language, had spoken to every one of them that evening.

Met with frantic cries of “Encore, encore!”, RSB launched into one last piece for the evening. A familiar set of melodies to anyone who actively listens to the blues, Deep Purple Medley, arranged by Toshihiko Sahashi and frequently played by bands all over Singapore, was met with delighted shouts from the audience. Aisyah Nurul Izza (20S03A) took the stage with her baritone saxophone as the last soloist of the night, to delighted screams from several audience members. With a jovial beat and iconic tunes recurring throughout, this piece sent everyone humming along and grooving to the beat. Later, Aisyah recalled her panic at “[walking] out late and missing [her] first note”, but added that she enjoyed it very much nonetheless.

Eventually, the piece ended and was met with even louder applause from the audience, who evidently had yet to descend from the high of such a funky piece. The emcees came onstage one last time to announce the end of A Tempo XXVIII, bidding the audience goodnight and finally retreating offstage themselves. Afterwards, Aisyah, summarised the entire semester-long preparation process: “the whole concert preparation process was quite [taxing] because our repertoire was quite difficult to begin with…adjusting to the high standards in a short amount of time was quite challenging for most of us.” Sebastian added that he had his batchmates to thank for the smooth-sailing experience in dealing with the administrative side of the concert-planning process, while Yishan recalled with some amusement at the alacrity of her bandmates when it came to removing their painful court shoes at “every given opportunity”.

It had, indeed, been a night to remember. And it was noteworthy that nothing, not even their polished brass instruments, had shone brighter than the 50-odd members of Raffles Symphonic Band all evening.

Repertoire:

1. (Percussion Ensemble) Shared Space by Ivan Trevino
2. (Brass Quintet) Brass Quintet No. 3 in D-flat Major by Victor Ewald
3. (Full Band) Toccata Marziale by Ralph Vaughan Williams
4. (Full Band) Yiddish Dances by Adam Gore
5. (Saxophone Octet) Quick Motion by Rika Ishige
6. (Full Band) Sweet Sunset by Jan De Haan
7. (Full Band) Selections from Starlight Express (arr. Jerry Nowak)
8. (Full Band) The Year of the Dragon by Philip Sparke
9. Encore: Deep Purple Medley