by Gao Wenxin 14A03A and Allison Choong 14S05B
Additional reporting by Valerie Chee 15S07A and Kang Yi Xi 15S03N

Anticipation ran high as the 1,239 students from the Class of 2013 awaited the release of the 2013 ‘A’ Level Examinations results today. Overall, the cohort turned in excellent grades, with 97.6% of the cohort achieving 3 H2 passes with a pass in GP or KI. This is above the national average of 91.1%, and an improvement from last year’s 97%. Roughly 68% of the cohort also scored at least 3 H2 distinctions, and 170 students achieved distinctions in all subjects offered (including H3), compared to 129 from last year.

Today also marks the first time that Mr Chan Poh Meng delivered the ‘A’ Level results as Principal, and he congratulated the batch on their personal and community achievements. His presentation featured students who were talented in areas of sports, arts, leadership, community service, as well as all-rounder JAE students. One memorable aspect was the emphasis on some “noteworthy tough cookies”, or students who had juggled their school life alongside personal challenges or difficult circumstances.

Our reporters with Mr Chan

Mr Chan also highlighted that 339 students (27%) have achieved a perfect University Admission Score, with the mean score in RI being 85 out of a total possible of 90. In an interview with Raffles Press, Mr Chan reiterated that such “quality grades will put [students] on a good stead” with local university applications, even in competitive faculties, and hopes today’s outcome will help the 2013 batch “achieve their personal aspirations”. He also urged students to broaden their horizons no matter their results, and be open to options beyond traditionally prestigious courses and universities.

Those who were former RGS girls were also surely encouraged by the presence of Mrs Shirley Tan and Ms Chin Jen Fu, who were in attendance today. When approached for comment, Mrs Tan told our reporters that she was very proud of the girls, and that the results were “a great affirmation of all that they have done in all the 6 years, and an affirmation for the RP” as it is “testimony that they are laid very strong foundations.”

Subjects-wise, Biology maintained a 80% distinction rate, as did Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and History at 70%. Economics has shown an encouraging improvement with a 70% distinction rate as well, and one Economics tutor enthused that the results “couldn’t be better” and that this year saw “highest distinction rate ever”. The percentage of those scoring distinctions in General Paper, Knowledge & Inquiry, English Literature, and Geography have dipped slightly from the previous year; however, it should be noted that the 2013 ‘A’ Levels featured a revised Literature syllabus as well as the removal of the “Vocabulary” section from the GP paper.

Mrs Lim Lai Cheng, surprisingly, also had some final words for the batch via a slide in Mr Chan’s presentation. She asks the students to “always believe in yourself, and through small acts, work towards changing the world.” On that note, we will like to congratulate the Class of 2013 on their achievements and we wish all J3s the very best for their future endeavours!

Class of 2012

9 Distinctions: 10 students (i.e. 0.81%)
At least 8 Distinctions: 88 students (i.e. 78 with 8 Distinctions, i.e. 6.29%)
At least 7 Distinctions: 282 students (i.e. 194 with 7 Distinctions, i.e. 15.65%)
At least 6 Distinctions: 543 students (i.e. 261 with 6 Distinctions, i.e. 21.05%)

There were 1,240 candidates.

Class of 2013

9 Distinctions: 4 students (i.e. 0.32%)
At least 8 Distinctions: 80 students (i.e. 76 with 8 Distinctions, i.e. 6.13%)
At least 7 Distinctions: 277 students (i.e. 197 with 7 Distinctions, i.e. 15.90%)
At least 6 Distinctions 533 students (i.e. 256 with 6 Distinctions, i.e. 20.16%)

There were 1,239 candidates.

By Ching Ann Hui 15S03A and Michelle Choy 15S05A
Photographs by The Raffles Photographic Society

The GCE A-Level results were released on Monday, 3rd March 2014. Even though many envisioned it to be a nerve-wracking day with life-changing repercussions, the atmosphere at the Multi-Purpose Hall was rather light-hearted, with all the J3s excited to see their schoolmates again. Deputy Principal Mr Magendiran was equally pleased to meet the batch of 2013 once again, and commented that “they are spirited, full of energy, and they live up to the traditions of all the previous batches. They have done us proud.”

Before the address began, the batch of 2013 sang the Institution Anthem for the very last time. It was also Mr. Chan Poh Meng’s first time delivering the Principal’s Address to the awaiting J3s, since joining the school in January. He jokingly promised to not dwell very long on the slides, so that they could receive their much awaited results as soon as possible.

Mr Chan addressed the school with the overall statistics of the batch of 2013, and featured some noteworthy students (more can be read here). It seemed as though it was barely after Mr Chan began his speech, when it was time for students to file into their respective venues to collect their results. And when the moment for students finally came, there were varied reactions – some bore glad smiles, others squealed out in joy, ineluctably, there were also tears, and somber silence.

To some, the results came as a pleasant surprise. Benjamin Wong of 13S06D said, “I didn’t really expect this. I expected worse!”, as he clutched his results slip – straight As! When asked about his future plans, he expressed interest in studying in Singapore Management University (SMU).

While speaking to some of the civics and subject tutors, they were pleased with how their form classes had performed. Mrs. Lim, civics tutor of 13S06K, commented that her form class “generally did well”, as did most of the other civics tutors. Mrs. Shirley Tan, deputy principal of Academic Studies in RGS who was there to provide moral support for her ex-students, was “very very proud of all the girls”. When asked about possible tips and suggestions for the current batch of Year Sixes, Mr Edward Ng advised, “as long as the students try their best, I’m sure that the results will come automatically.”

Parents were also very impressed with this year’s results, with many saying that the school performed very well. Mrs. Ang, a parent, expressed appreciation that the school has placed its focus on providing a holistic education for Rafflesians. She was also pleased that by featuring the all-rounders and focusing less on just those that did performed exceptionally academically, less emphasis was placed on results this year.

When asked about their stellar results, many commented that it was ultimately the support from friends and family that helped them over the finishing line. Adam Rafey of 13S06K, the former BW house captain of 2013, expressed that it was from “a lot of love from my friends and family. Especially my mum and my dad.” Similarly, Lee Zi Xin said, “Definitely my parents, and friends. We’ll gather all the physics definitions, and really help each other out.”

As for students who were unable to achieve their desired results, Ms Avadhani, a GP tutor, commented that “it’s an opportunity to look at alternative careers and subjects. There isn’t only one way to achieve something or do something, so this is the time to get creative. If they are willing to push themselves, they should be alright.” She also noted that the people who did well are people who’ve been working very consistently, as compared to those who often liked to do last-minute work. For the Year Sixes reading this article, it’s probably time to start reading up on materials outside the syllabus for GP!

Other students also expressed great gratitude for their teachers, both school teachers and CCA teachers. Bryan Yong, captain of the cross country team, expressed thanks to his CCA teacher in-charge Mr. Tay, and his coach Mr. Steven, for really “helping him out through these two years”. Similarly, another student (who wishes to remain anonymous) commented, “my economics teacher Miss Amelia Heng is awesome! She stayed back with me until 6pm for consultations.”

To all those going to take their A-Levels this year, we found this advice by Ang Tiong Han of 13S03A particularly apt:

“Just study hard, and make sure that you don’t have regrets when you actually get your results – even if you don’t do well, you’ll know that you’ve at least put in your very best.”

Vocation: TK OPR (Tank Operator)

I am a member of the Singapore Armed Forces, an enlisted soldier in the 48th Battalion, Singapore Armoured Regiment. I drive a Leopard 2 tank. I was posted here after Basic Military Training at Pulau Tekong. I got that vocation because I chose not to/are ineligible for commander training. When I am not training, life is boring. That is all I have to report.

This seems a typical scenario: of the man at the bottom of the rank ladder. Often, we idealise and romanticize the military and conscription (we wouldn’t really affectionately call it National Service, would we?), and place undue emphasis on the glamour and glitz that is our Officer Corps. They deserve the attention – they are after all the hand that wields the sword (pun intended) in battle.

Ironically this means that the sword, the backbone of the Armed Forces, the enlisted soldier, invariably gets neglected. We make up the SAF in their numbers. Many of the idealistic recruits/enlistees may aspire to be commanders, be it specialists or officers. But the bulk will end up as the soldier who stands in the trenches with a rifle. Unfortunately for the most of us, drones and giant death robots neither exist, nor are cheap enough to replace us, so most of us will have to be content with snivelling in the trenches.

Since enlistment season is upon us once more, I thought it’d be more relevant to talk more about the life of an enlisted soldier – in all its aspects.

The Life

Being in a combat unit is tough. The proverbial maxim goes – “When these guys aren’t fighting, they’re training to fight.”. Contrary to popular belief, life doesn’t end after basic training. The 2 years you spend completing a ‘syllabus’ (can you believe it?!) only allows you to be certified as operationally ready (hence the term Operationally Ready Date, ORD).

There are the so-called ‘high key periods’ where you die of exhaustion, and the lull periods, where you die of boredom. The reason why people say your brain rots during these two years is simply because the training schedule doesn’t exactly allow you to use your mental faculties (as many will find out). Usually, a training calendar would be interspersed with both, and the occasional overseas exercise.

The High Key Periods

Usually, such periods are spaced with preparation, and a week or so of ‘outfield’ training. That means going out in the jungle and staying up in the middle of the night (combat scenarios, anyone?). Running around with rifles, digging shellscrapes, or driving tanks, you name it. And don’t forget about cleaning when you come back! Dirty rifles are a no-go in any Sergeant’s book.

The Lull Periods

Everyone loves lull periods. You get to sleep in your bunk every day (okay not really, but it’s a figure of speech). People usually bring things to help them burn time in here. Life without computers in this digital age can get really boring.

The list of bizarre things includes:

• A violin/guitar/random musical instrument. Including electric keyboards (don’t ask me how people bring them in)

• A radio/Bluetooth speaker.

• A portable air conditioner. The bunk can be quite hot, despite the number of fans…

• A mini-fridge. And beer, believe it or not.

• A Bluetooth keyboard. My friend insists on bringing his work to camp. Ironically, I wrote drafts of this in camp; that didn’t really tur out well.

The list goes on and on. People also take this time to pick up something new – personally I’m trying to learn some French (but it isn’t really turning out well). Some choose to pick up advanced science in preparation for their future academic careers.

If you haven’t thought up of something crazy to do, now’s the time – you’d probably be wasting time anyway.

The People

For reasons not discussed here, your fellow soldiers tend to be your cushion of support. There isn’t any competition for promotions or anything. Some people don’t even want to get promoted (as sometimes that gives you opportunities to get more work in recognition of your ‘capability’). There’s this spirit of working together since you guys are forced to anyway. You get to learn each other’s quirks and make fun of it (often to their chagrin).

There are also the superiors. For some, it’s a love-hate relationship with the commanders. For others, it’s analogue to absolute hell on earth. Good commanders are, sad to say, quite rare. Usually it’s them who you’d die willingly alongside in combat, as clichéd as it sounds. They take care of the ranks – and they are accorded the respect and obedience that they expect.

Bad commanders are, also equally unfortunately, more common than not. They range from the strict (who just want to get things done), to some who choose to service their inadequacies, be it imaginary or real. You learn to deal with them, sooner or later, even though you may not be able to understand their idiosyncrasies.

The Experience

It’s honestly hard to really describe what meaning this has, especially since life can actually be quite mundane. But it’s a phase where most people grow in the most unexpected of areas. Other than the usual independence thing – there are some important lessons that can be taken away.

1. Being reliable isn’t always enough.

I can choose to do things to the best of my ability, but in a team, not everyone’s like you. You have to put up with all sorts of things (including Murphy’s law) that dooms you to getting butchered by your Sergeant. Imagine being considered ‘late’ just because one person forgot to bring his water canteen down!

2. There will always be unpleasant people.

Or slackers, as you would say. Work needs to get done – and the next thing you know these guys are scurrying somewhere. Most people, including myself, would hate them, since their inactivity decrees punishment for all.

3. Think of the future.

Like the above, I find this a very good salve for a troubled soul. Thinking about what can be is invigorating. It can give direction and purpose where there is none, especially in situations like a mundane life.

4. People are important.

In fact, they’re the most important thing. Being with people keeps you safe, keeps you sane, and keeps you happy. To share joy where there is mirth, to share the pain when you’re down. Friendships formed can last forever, and the people you know can shape your life and your future in ways you can never imagine.

To those who have just enlisted – I can only say that it’ll be a journey that you won’t forget. Whether it makes you a better person, is of course, debatable. This experience, as they say, is up to you to make it what it will be. To wannabe commanders – I hope this piece tells you more about the struggles of an individual soldier – and how important they are.

We rely on our armed forces to actually give us strength and weight in our foreign policy. In light of the recent diplomatic row over the naming of a ship – it is the individual soldier’s presence that gives us the courage to stand up in protest in protection of the pride of our country and the protection of our people from harm, be it psychological or physical.

To make an unpleasant experience a positive one – soldiers should not only rely on the camaraderie between them, but encouragement and support from people around them. People need recognition for their contribution beyond material ‘compensation’. As citizens of our country, the least we can do is to show appreciation for the common soldier and his burden.

by Lu Jinyao (14A01D) and Joyce Er (15A01A)
Photos by: Isaac Siaw (15S03Q)
Cover photo by: Matthew Yeo – Raffles Photographic Society

Last Friday night, IHC Remix kicked off with Musicfest, a three-hour music extravaganza featuring various interpretations of pop, classical and rock pieces. Whether students were there to support their friends, their house, or even to relax after a long week, Musicfest proved to be enjoyable for all.

Throwing together a performance in two weeks is no mean feat, and the criteria for this year’s competition, organised by Chamber Ensemble, did not make things any easier for participants. In 10 to 15 minutes, each house was to put up one classical re-arrangement of a pop song, and the reverse: one re-arrangement of a classical piece in any other form. Judging that night’s performances were Ms Michelle Kwok (our GP teacher), Mr Jarrod Lee (an ex-teacher with Broadway-style vocal experience) and Mr Hazli (our very own sound technician).

What makes a good performance? Houses were rewarded for audience engagement, technical proficiency and diversity of instruments onstage. An additional, unspoken criteria which affected audience engagement was song choice. Although many Rafflesians have some form of musical background, those who don’t tend to be able to identify with and appreciate more mainstream pop/rock tunes, while obscure songs let the audience’s minds wander.

BB’s Nicholas Quek’s guzheng rendition of a pop song entertained and enthralled the audience.

As a whole, houses fared well in terms of technical proficiency. Many of the Musicfest participants are H2 Music students or members of various performing arts CCAs, which heightened the baseline standard. The performers taking the stage were individually capable and many were well rehearsed, which showed in their confident performances and the fact that few needed to refer to their score sheets. Individual highlights included Nicholas Quek of BB with his invigorating guzheng take on If I Lose Myself, and MR’s drummer, Shaun Mak, who provided the perfect rhythm for MR’s power vocalists Jonathan Boey and Esther Chan’s with their rendition of Where Have You Been. HH vocalist Melissa Tang’s sultry vocals shone during her jazzy performance of her house cheer in song form, drawing audible gasps from the audience, while HH’s piano rendition of Erlkonig, especially the sustained ostinato in the bass, was technically stunning.

Of course, the performances were not judged on the basis of individual competency – Mavis Tan, who helped with arranging MT’s set list, said, “The important thing about a performance is that it must be put together, on time, and in tune.” The challenge of including a diversity of instruments and unifying each instrument’s distinctive sound added a new dimension of complexity to the competition. Over the course of the night’s performance, an eclectic mix of instruments from the suona to the egg shaker made their appearance onstage. As Mr Lee said, while all performers were individually proficient, it was working together to produce a cohesive set piece that truly tested each house’s abilities.

BB took the stage as one team and impressed the audience with their fluid arrangement which also left room for showcasing individual talent.

Ultimately, Musicfest had as much to do with good arrangements and capable performers as it did with good teamwork. BB’s strategy in the competition was inclusive and got everyone on board while letting each individual shine. As Daniel Ang, BB’s double bassist and co-composer puts it, they were able to come up with “a seamless and complete package, where each of the segments were closely linked to each other,” despite the changes in genre from pop to classical. He added, “Also, we felt that the space created by transitions could be used to showcase the solo abilities of our performers, giving them room to creatively express themselves while still being part of the team concept!” Their performance was also punctuated by percussion instruments for comedic effect, which kept audience members entertained and enhanced the atmosphere of their performance.

It goes without saying that the amount of effort put into the process was integral to determining each house’s outcome. BB on decided their repertoire the very day competition requirements were released. This enabled them to finish composing and begin rehearsals more than a week before the actual event. Practicing up to five hours a day in the leadup to Musicfest took serious dedication from each member of the team. Indeed, BB’s unbroken melody seemed well-rehearsed, and while there were minor slip ups in the otherwise powerful vocal performances by Emma Lau and Lorraine Fong, the overall reception to their performance was positive.

The level of preparedness each house had made a huge impact on the chemistry of performers on stage. Houses that fared better in engaging the crowd, featured performances that were more cohesive and overall allowed for a strong performance. One such combination was MR’s pairing of Jonathan Boey and Esther Chan on vocals. When asked about the chemistry between him and Esther, Jonathan said, “Her skill level and confidence also made it easier for both of us to communicate and understand where the other was going during the performance itself. It also helped that we got along in general, which is an important thing when you’re making music with other people.”

HH’s team was prepared enough that sheet music was unnecessary.

Those in attendance that night might also remember that HH was the only house that didn’t use sheet music onstage – again a testament to their confidence. Said Casey Chan, HH’s violinist, “I think that intuition, creativity and the ability to improvise, rather than the following of a fixed music score, are core traits of true musicians that the HH team have emulated well in Musicfest.” Another benefit of not needing scores was that the stage looked less cluttered, and the HH team, more cohesive.

BW’s Gordon Kang on the drums during a piano/drums duet with Dean Fu (not pictured).

Determined to impress, BW decided to take a chance with a self-composed song, titled Mimblegrimble. BW’s Gordon Kang said that his original song performed during Musicfest was not a last-minute composition, but something he composed a while ago and dusted off for this competition: “I hate forcing out music so I thought it’ll be more interesting to start with sometimes refreshing and original.” In a stroke of creative genius, they also performed a memorable, fast-paced piano/drums duet rendition of Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement, which, again, distinguished them from the rest.

However, it wasn’t smooth sailing for all houses. Over the course of Musicfest preparation, each house inevitably met with their fair share of difficulties, which contributed to the quality of their final performance. As with any team effort, coordination is necessary, and for HH, their biggest challenges during rehearsals originated from technical difficulties, and the difficulty of coordinating rhythm and tempo.

Despite a relative lack of preparation, MT’s team put up a commendable performance.

Prior to the big day, rumours that MT had only started rehearsals on Wednesday were circulating. These were confirmed by Ace Tay, who played the French horn during their performance. Said Ace, “There were only three or four practices. We only decided on the songs in the first practice, and decided to play This Is War two hours before Musicfest.” This was perhaps because, according to Stefanus, their vocalist, no Musicfest IC was officially appointed for MT, and preparations only began in earnest the Saturday before. More remarkable is the fact that Shawn Chan, their drummer, was in fact recruited as a pianist and learned to play the drums a day before Musicfest to compensate for their a general lack of diverse instruments, including the drums. That said, it is a testament to these performers’ grit and their dedication to their craft that these houses managed to pull through and put up a commendable performance.

At the end of the night’s performances, and after a brief segment by Rock to tide over the audience while the judges were deliberating, the results were released:

1st: BB

2nd (tied): BW and MR

3rd: HH

4th: MT

The judges specifically pointed out that sound imbalance was a recurring leitmotif among all the houses – that the loudness of the electric guitar and drums, for instance, drowned out the rest of the ensemble. Also, occasionally, in the attempt to max the number of instruments, the outcome was more of a dissonant. Consequently, BB’s win was probably due to their seamless arrangement, evident in Ms Kwok’s parting comments, ‘Think of music as a soundscape: you can design the sounds that you want to create… but [an instrument] has to either cut through or blend, not stick out like a sore thumb’. From the looks of it, BB managed to achieve that precise blend. Mr. Jarrod Lee pointed out that many singers tried too hard to emulate an American style, and advised the performers to ‘find your own voice, your own beat, your own style’.

Ultimately, one needs to accept that a one-time performance always leaves as many regrets for the performers as awe it gives to the audience. Due to nervousness, or the lack of time to pursue perfection, stage performances rarely reflect the hundred percent ability of individuals. Beyond the music technicalities, we are even more impressed by the amount of effort and dedication each house invested to see a performance from its start to the end.

For first-time participants especially, Musicfest was a valuable learning opportunity, allowing BB’s Emma Lau to “learn and develop the technical skills of the pop/rock genre”, while seeing firsthand “how instruments come together”.

More than that, we are certain that what participants took away from Musicfest was not the final judging, but the seeds of friendship sown. Indeed, as HH’s Casey Chan said, “The Musicfest experience was definitely a great one for me – through overcoming challenges and making music with the HH Musicfest team, I’m glad to say that I’ve made many new friends and had lots of fun. What was also heartening was what happened right after Musicfest – Regardless of result, musicians from different houses came together in the amphitheatre to jam, revelling in the music that they enjoyed in common.” Or, in the words of Koh Kai Jie, chairperson of Chamber Ensemble, “The final results are meaningless numbers as long as the houses outdo themselves and enjoy the process.”

by Wahid Al Mamun (15A01A) and Maasha (15A03A)
Photos by: Isaac Siaw (15S03Q)

On the 5th of March, students filled the RI auditorium, waiting for Dancefest 2014 to begin. As a highlight of the IHC Remix calendar, it was no surprise that the auditorium was packed to the brim, with many students having to resort to sitting on the steps or the floor. Expectations were high, with the five houses giving two performances each. With their recently made friends performing, the energy from the audience was really high too. However, things started off slowly as the emcees, Charlotte and Jingyi, tried in vain to keep the boisterous crowd under control. Despite the sluggish start, the J2 team from Buckle-Buckley kicked off what turned out to be a great two hours.

“One of the dancers of the Buckle-Buckley J2 team pulling off an acrobatic stunt which dazzles the audience.”

The dances definitely did not disappoint. To the loud cheers of the audience, the dancers pulled off each choreographed move effortlessly. All ten teams put up stunning displays of team cohesion and stamina to pull off their respective segments. This year’s Dancefest also saw several houses maximising their creativity to come up with really memorable segments. Of particular note was Moor-Tarbet’s usage of a mystery box placed centre stage, from which they would draw random items and dance accordingly. There was a part where they took out a crown from the box and immediately started dancing to Fantastic Baby by Big Bang, eliciting a wild response from the people present.

Additionally, the Bayley-Waddle J2 team ended off their dance segment with a tableau of the iconic “The Circle of Life” scene from the Lion King, to the amazement of the audience. They also included a tap dancing segment in their performance, which went well with the judges who noted that “tap dancing was something new, something never seen in previous Dancefests”. Likewise, the audience were visibly impressed by the prowess of the two dancers who performed the tapdance, with the segment receiving amongst the loudest cheers of the night.

Some of the houses also made use of humour to make their performances stand out – Hadley-Hullett’s J2 team choreographed a literal tree-cutting segment to the song “Timber” which was met with applause and laughter from the audience. Similarly, Moor-Tarbet’s J2 team mixed pop culture into their dance by choreographing the popular app “Flappy Bird” into their dance, with Moor-Tarbet’s phoenix mascot making a guest appearance as Flappy Bird.

“Moor-Tarbet’s J2 team’s final pose, featuring a very special guest appearance.”

Other houses made use of their ten minutes on stage to tell stories to the audience through the art of dance. Buckle-Buckley’s J1 crew, for instance, told a story of how toys came to life in a child’s bedroom after dark. The crew made clever use of costumes and props to depict themselves as toy soldiers, clowns, dolls and the like. All in all, this performance was an interesting one focused on the concept of dreams. The J1 BW team, on the other hand, decided to translate a common-day sibling squabble into dance. The crew made the most of their skewed gender ratio – the crew consisted of two guys and eight girls – to put up a whimsical yet creative interpretive dance of a fight between two siblings over who should watch TV.

To round off an excellent night of dancing prowess, five members from the Modern Dance exco put up a well-choreographed dance item. This was then followed by an impromptu dance-off where individual dancers showed off their arsenal of dance moves despite being exhausted from their prepared pieces.

“All five houses did really well and we honestly think that Dancefest this year was damn good,” said Saaradha Muthunatarajan (15S03T). “We can see how everyone put in tons of effort into making this work too. It was generally very nice to watch,” added Natalie Ann Chan (15S03B). Many of the dance crews customized t-shirts and caps just for the performance that day even when it wasn’t a necessity, showing just how much dedication they had to the cause. “MR’s usage of the umbrellas was really cool too! Very innovative,” added Faith Ng (15A01E). Many of the other members of the audience shared the same sentiment for the first segment of the MR J2 dance crew’s piece where they made use of umbrellas and danced to Con te partirò (Time To Say Goodbye) by Paolo Bernardi as if in an orchestra as well.

“The Morrison-Richardson J2 team’s choreography with the umbrellas was definitely one of the more creative dances of the night.”

Among the talented crew of dancers who put up the scintillating show was Ang Deng Seng (14S03J), a member of Raffles Street Dance. He, like many other J2s, decided to take part in Dancefest 2014 due to this being their very last year in RI(JC). “It’s fun and something I enjoy doing, so why not?” was what he said right before Dancefest began. Simon Tang (14S06O) of Morrison-Richardson and Raffles Street Dance, added that he joined Dancefest despite it being so close to the CT period because he wanted to help people connect to dance. “I have so many friends who want to dance but don’t know how to start because they aren’t in dance CCAs, so I wanted to join to help spread the culture, to share the little bit that I know and see more people come to enjoy it as I have!”. With his experience as a Street Dancer, Simon was also involved in the conceptualisation and choreography of his team’s dance, including the innovative umbrella dancing segment.

And yet, the dancers do not only consist of the so-called ‘veterans’ of the game. Indeed, a lot of eager participants joined their Dancefest crews with little or no experience in dancing. Participants such as Moor-Tarbet’s Francis Tan (15S06D) decided to join Dancefest after realising that he had a passion for dancing having taken part in the Orientation Night dance-off. Since he only had two years in RJ, he wanted to step out of his comfort zone and do something that he had never done before.

However, a natural concern for many of these new dancers would have been stage fright, with Dancefest being their first dance event in front of a huge crowd of people, mostly consisting of new friends or complete strangers, for that matter. Having said that, Buckle-Buckley’s Ellson Chow (15S06P) said that he didn’t really have any stage fright. “I just felt really prepared and the huge support i had from my friends made me realise that I had no right to be afraid, but instead put on my best show to show my appreciation towards them and to not disappoint them.” What pushed most of these dancers though, was the passion and love that they had for this art form. “There were many tiring nights but my amazing dance crew and my love and passion for dancing were what helped me get through all the intense trainings,” said Pearl Ding (15S03L) of Hadley-Hullett.

“Bayley-Waddle’s J1 team fighting over the TV remote through dance”

Nonetheless, preparation for Dancefest definitely entailed a lot of hard work, usually at great personal sacrifice. David Wang (15S05A) of Morrison-Richardson lamented on how “[he] didn’t touch a single lecture note or tutorial for the last week” because of how the rehearsals dragged on until well past 9pm every day. Another Buckle-Buckley dancer said that he was “initially shocked at the amount of practice [they] had to do”.

While the dancers did have to stay back in school over the span of just over a week to undergo intense preparation, none of them were complaining. “All the dumb stuff we did was amazing,” said a dancer from the MR J1 dance crew. They also proudly proclaimed that they were now best friends, despite not knowing each other before Dancefest itself.

After ten amazing performances and the spectacular dance-off, the judges, all alumni of RI(JC), took their time to deliberate and finally announce the winners of Dancefest 2014 – Morrison-Richardson. Most of the judges’ comments revolved around maintaining energy throughout the entire performance and showmanship and how performing with a smile no matter how drained one is feeling is of utmost importance in a good performance.

Still reeling from the high, almost everyone testified that what mattered the most to them was the friends they had made and the journey that they had been through and not the results in it’s entirety. “We had the best team ever!” exclaimed many of the dancers after their performances.

“Ultimately, Dancefest was more of a collaborative group effort than it was a competition.”

In the meanwhile, as noted by David, Dancefest could be utilised as a platform to create a dance community within Raffles. “At the moment, only a few people get into dance CCAs, but there are actually a lot of people with a passion for dance, especially after watching events such as Dancefest.” As seen in the sheer breadth and quality of dances presented by all the crews despite having only about a week to prepare for the event, it is pretty evident that there is a hotbed of promising young dancers in Raffles despite their lack of experience. For them, Dancefest seems to be the only outlet to express their knack for the stage. Hence, in creating a dance community, there will be a chance for such hidden gems to explore and discover their innate passion for dance.

In conclusion, Dancefest was definitely a success for both dancers and the audience who came down to watch the performances. One can only wait in eager anticipation for the next instalment of Dancefest in 2015.

by Celine Liu (15A01E) and Bryan Chua (14A01A)
Photos by: Samuel Tan (15S03K) and Nigel Gomes (15S06R)

Two short weeks of late nights, grueling rehearsals and hard work came together on the 6th and 7th of March for Dramafeste 2014. As evening fell, a steady stream of theatregoers made their way into the PAC foyer, which was abuzz with energy and chatter. Dramafeste has developed a solid reputation for delivering entertaining amateur productions, and the theatre was crowded with students keen on showcasing their house spirit and wanting to support their friends.

Rumours of rooftop rehearsals, production teams getting locked in school and houses that rehearsed in the dark had only heightened the sense of apprehension around campus, yet those fears prove to be unfounded. Despite the ever-shortening rehearsal time, low budgets and lack of rehearsal space, Dramafeste 2014 definitely did live up to its hype. The sheer amount of dedication required to undertake such a task cannot be understated; nevertheless the friendships and experiences gained more than made up for the undone homework and sleepless nights.

As one actress fittingly put it, ‘When I’m busy rushing tutorials before rehearsals it’s easy to think that I’ll be so relieved when Dramafest ends, but now that it’s over, I just wish we could have another one all over again!’

Hadley Hullet: Payday

Synopsis:

Hadley- Hullett’s Payday takes place in an alternate reality where time and life itself lies in the hands of a corporation led by two characters of questionable morality. When Angie is hired into the corporation under mysterious circumstances, she finds the fate of a young boy’s life under her charge and, after deeming him a ‘waste of time’, takes it into her power to end it. Yet this action comes with dire consequences as Angie realizes that each life comes intertwined with so many others, and struggles to come to terms with her decision and her humanity.

A rather abstract piece that dealt with heavy themes of love, life and man’s inability to play God, Payday showed great potential to develop into an inspired, thought-provoking play that perhaps fell short due to a lack of polish. Putting an interesting perspective on a dystopian theme, the play proved itself to be both touching yet humorous with witty dialogue, larger than life characters and sound acting.

The play started off promisingly, with a dramatic entrance by the ensemble introducing the theme of time with a clear yet wordless bit of physical theatre. Katrina Jacinto’s portrayal of Angie as a robotic, subservient employee showed remarkable stage and vocal presence throughout the play, although her initial exaggerated walk and laughter did sometimes become distracting, instead of illustrating her character’s seemingly inhuman nature. The rest of the cast fared just as well with their exceptional acting. Myko Philip’s loud character as the fraudulent surgeon shone with great attempts at humour, drawing uproarious laughter from the crowd.

A main weakness with this play, however, lay in its lack of a consistent flow. Perhaps due to the time constraints, parts of the play tended to be too hurried to allow for sufficient emotional engagement with the audience. The conclusion in particular ended with a whimper instead of a bang. The incongruous moral awakening and the awkwardness of the transition between the conclusion and the previous left audiences with a lingering taste of incompleteness. This was compounded by a seemingly random introduction of the ‘stakeholder’ who has control over all time and a rather abrupt ending where everybody, literally, runs out of time.

As for the judges, they added, “We felt that the whole play had a really strong and consistent vision and the sets really complemented it; special mention to the surgeon, Myko, and Angie, Katrina. However, we felt that the pacing could’ve been improved, especially at the end, which we felt was a bit rushed.”

Payday was very much a work in progress with great ideas that could have been better executed, though its attempts at staging a profound yet entertaining piece should be acknowledged. Its ambition and impressive acting too, should be applauded, given the short span of time in which it was put together.

Buckle- Buckley: Mona Lisa

Synopsis: Buckle-Buckley’s Mona Lisa follows the life of Steve, a disturbed child from a broken family. After witnessing the decline of his parent’s abusive relationship, Steve grows up in an unstable environment with his domineering father, never completely coming to terms with his mother’s abandonment. As a surgeon, he believes that any heart that has stopped beating more than 30 seconds is dead, yet he soon realizes that 30 seconds could be all he needs to make the decisions that will change his life.

Mona Lisa was an emotional play that stood out in its relatability. With strong, identifiable characters and impressive staging, BB managed to pull off an eloquent piece with weighty yet everyday themes dealing with the question that we have all asked ourselves at some point in time: what if?

Naresh Manoj’s portrayal as Steve’s father set the play off to a brilliant start; the chilling encounter between husband and wife was shocking and all too real, and despite limited stage time Naresh managed to play a difficult role with impassioned mastery. One cannot deny the talent in the cast, especially Joel Seow’s performance of the protagonist Steve being both adorably awkward and lacking in confidence, while soberingly realistic in his insecurities and struggles. His character’s likeability shone in particular when he attempted to stop a suicidal man, played by Teo Weilong, in a poignant scene that highlighted greatly his character’s imperfections and with it, his humanity. Weilong’s character too was both well-written and well-executed, his quiet melancholy was effective in conveying his despair without resorting to melodrama, again adding to the play’s relatability.

Another great moment in the play was when the two storylines of Steve reuniting with Lisa, and his mother respectively were presented side-by-side on stage, culminating in both Lisa and the mother calling out, “Please, it’s nothing! Don’t worry, Steve” in unison. Credit must indeed go to the actresses for the execution of this scene, as coordinating their timing was certainly no mean feat.

The play manages to deal with some heavy themes without being off-putting, coupled with fantastic sets that were simultaneously aesthetic and functional. The backdrop of constellations present throughout the play stood out in particular with both its breathtaking beauty and significance, illustrating the idea of lucky stars aligning. The ensemble’s countdown every time Steve gave up the chance to make a life-changing decision was a laudable attempt at physically presenting the gravity of life’s everyday choices, yet it could have been much better executed; at times, the significance of the countdown was not made very clear or obvious and may have been lost to much of the audience, who did not understand what it meant. Scripting was not all perfect either, as the secondary storyline of Steve’s reunion with a girl from the past was, although not entirely irrelevant, rather cliche in its execution and even a cause for some laughter amongst the audience. Its conclusion too seemingly left the Lisa plotline unresolved, as the last we saw of Lisa and her daughter was when they abruptly left Steve to go look at childrens’ books together, never to return. Although this may have been necessary in creating the intimate reunion between Steve and his mother, it left audiences feeling dissatisfied, as if Lisa’s story was unfinished.

The judges added, “We felt that the set was gorgeous and that Dad, played by Naresh, and older Steve played by Joel had really good emotional acting. However, we weren’t really clear on the significance of the 30 seconds, as well as the – we didn’t really like the blackouts because there were too many.”

Overall, a great play from BB with professional sets and great casting, which stood out in its simplistic nature and down-to-earth tones.

Bayley-Waddle: That Place

Synopsis: Danny and his girlfriend Lena, who are facing relationship problems, have joined a gang of ruffians intent on overthrowing the government, greatly worrying his parents. But does the revolution really matter? As they imprison a dissident, die in war and wait in the afterlife, it seems that nothing does.

That Place started off with a revolution that took a heavy toll on the protagonist’s relationships, touching upon themes ranging from race to religion to bureaucratic inefficiency. Yet it soon gravitated away from that and ultimately focused on Danny’s estrangement from his parents and girlfriend, with the revolution providing the context for this plot line. While the flurry of disparate themes was rather confusing at times, That Place’s unique approach provided a breath of fresh air.

The play featured solid acting from a strong cast. Gary Huang was proficient as Danny, being realistically irritable and awkward when confronting his parents and girlfriend, while sorrowfully nostalgic when recalling better times. Jovi Tan and Rachel Koh, in addition, shone as the revolutionaries Alex and Emma, with their careless, unabashed manner and occasional wit helping to lighten the depressing mood. The sets were also crafted well, with the incongruous, brightly-coloured doors in the afterlife showing the ending’s otherworldly character. Perhaps the only issue with That Place’s sets was the bar in the corner of the stage, which never seemed to leave even when clearly irrelevant.

That Place also featured several impressive scenes. For example, in the elevator scene, the revolutionaries imprisoned a dissident, Adam, for challenging their goal by pointing out that his people had been in the country from the beginning, and that they, the established racial majority, had no moral authority to start a revolution. Mudassar Ahmad then delivered a quivering, powerful soliloquy filled with fear and despair as Adam while the revolutionaries towered over him on chairs, creating an image of a helpless prisoner in a claustrophobic jail. The breakup scene between Danny and Lena was both unique and beautifully poetic, as they made their way down the aisles of the theatre delivering lines entirely in verse, every word steeped in grief and heartbreak. In another instance, the absolute silence that met a messenger’s pronouncement of Danny’s death was incredibly poignant, conveying shock and sorrow more movingly than any tears could.

However, while the play stood out at particular moments, it became slightly confusing when it deviated from the central theme of the revolution to tangentially related topics. Furthermore, by portraying the afterlife as an eternal limbo suffering from an ‘earthly’ bureaucracy, the entire significance of the plot seems to be compromised; what, after all, was the point of all that suffering given that the whole point of the play was “in the end, nothing matters.”

The judges added, “We felt there were really good physical theatre movements, and that a shining moment in the play was by Adam, played by Mudassar with a really memorable soliloquy. However, there were many big ideas in the play that we felt were too many to fit into the 20 minutes given. But, still, it was wonderful.”

Perhaps the manner through which the overall play went from script to stage unfortunately overshadowed the crisp acting and brilliant individual scenes, making That Place good in moments, but lost in its entirety. In the end, as Alex said in the play’s final scene, we were just waiting – for something more .

Moor-Tarbet: The Bigness of Small Things

Synopsis: Tom and Mary are completely different – one’s a clumsy romantic, while the other’s a tomboyish, cynical pragmatist. Each engages in brief romantic relationships with other people – Tom with an obsessive stalker against his will, and Mary with a shy, weak boy – only to break up with them. In their adulthood, Tom meets a childhood friend, the Broomstick Girl, and asks her out, only for her to go with a former schoolmate later. Broomstick Girl does, however, introduce Mary to Tom, finally bringing the two protagonists together.

‘Just remember two things for our play: one, metaphors are dangerous things. Two, when you wish upon a star, you are a few million light years late. The stars are dead.’

With this depressing synopsis from the MT Dramafest team, we expected a disheartening play about the futility of hope. To our surprise and delight, we were absolutely wrong. The Bigness of Small Things distinguished itself from the other Dramafest plays by dismissing complex themes or dark psychological discussions for a simple romantic comedy that brought the house down.

The actors were simply brilliant, with the supporting characters being the stars of the show. Rahul Jayaprabha in particular was uproariously funny as the boorish bully, while Anthea Chua was similarly hilarious as a creepy stalker who fell in love with the most absurd of things –  Tom’s sneeze. As for the protagonists, their little imperfections aided the message that even awkward and apparently incompatible characters could find true love. The scenes themselves were executed excellently; even as the play maintained its light-hearted nature, we felt the pang of heartbreak as Mary was rejected by her first boyfriend and bittersweet emotion as the reformed bully shyly confessed to the Broomstick Girl with tender awkwardness. The final scene, whereby Tom and Mary sat eye to eye in love after all their failed relationships, moved the audience to a standing ovation. In that moment we were genuinely happy for the characters, with The Bigness of Small Things successfully engaging us emotionally.

Yet the most impressive aspect of the show was undoubtedly the exquisite sets, being divided into four parts that acted as Tom’s bedroom, the broom cupboard in which he and the Broomstick Girl hid, Mary’s bedroom, and a classroom respectively. Each part had unique designs, such as the detergent bottles in the cupboard and the blackboard in the classroom, allowing the cast to act continuously through different scenes without changing sets, facilitating the play’s smooth flow. The set’s true value, however, was only revealed during the final scene, when it was rotated to reveal a breathtaking, hand-painted picture of a starry night sky above forests and mountains, providing a perfect, romantic background to Tom and Mary’s union. This final touch awed the audience to thunderous applause, bringing many more to their feet.

No performance, however, can be perfect, and The Bigness of Small Things could perhaps be criticised for its pacing. The play in fact ran overtime on both nights and had to be cut off, and while the crew managed to shorten the scene to a few seconds to provide conclusion, it is a pity when one wonders what may have been lost in those final moments under the starry starry night.

The judges commented, “MT had a really good sense of pacing and we felt that not a moment was wasted. (commented that thursday’s performance was more energetic, friday’s was slightly slower) Still, the cast had really lovely presence and energy and Mary and Tom were lovely too. However, we felt that they still could have been given more lines so they could flex more of their acting muscle and show us some stuff. So, good job to MT.”

Nevertheless, the play’s merits superseded its trifling flaws, and despite the cumulative effect of three consecutive gloomy plays, The Bigness of Small Things gave us renewed faith in love and human nature.  If we had no idea what was happening now and then, we were too busy laughing to care.

Morrison-Richardson: Anna

Synopsis: Morrison-Richardson’s Anna follows the investigation involving a mysterious and shocking murder- that of the circus’s psychic, Madame Cassandra. To add to the riddle an ominous note had been painted on the wall, claiming “five can walk away unscarred / one lies dead in pooling blood”. Now the whole circus troupe is under suspicion; each defends their innocence introducing us to a colourful cast of characters as the mystery slowly unveils itself to its bone-chilling conclusion…

The preamble to MR’s plan, Anna, reminded audience members to constantly pay attention to the stage, because “nothing is ever as it seems”. Investigating the murder of a psychic fortune teller, the play takes several twists and turns on its way to a revelation that, while not leaving audience members in the dark, still felt somewhat unsatisfying.

One of the bright points of the play was definitely the performance by a reasonably strong cast, in particular Syafiqah, playing a rather aggressive, independent telekinetic who led most of the play’s central plotline – of finding out who killed the psychic. The rest of the cast did a great job in willingly playing their rather comical roles at times, from the Xu Yanling’s portrayal of a bearded lady to Low Ker Yang’s portrayal of a rather amusing monkey trainer. In addition, we must also mention the mime, played by Brian Au Yong, who despite (clearly) not having any lines, became a great source of comic relief throughout the play, for example hiding behind a rather flimsy leaf in a bid to retrieve a sword from the stage, while the other characters continued speaking around him. In the end, Brian continued to do a brilliant job when he portrays being taken over by the spirit found in the doll, ending in a very well executed suicide scene that concluded the play.

However, while the ending was well acted, it didn’t appear to make too much sense when first watched. With the numerous characters on stage, and the multiple theories as to who killed Madame Cassandra, the ending was not immediately clear. With more thought, one realises that the doll Anna was indeed the mastermind behind the murders and the deception, but with the mime dying in the final scene and the ringmaster seemingly murdering Madame Cassandra, one perhaps could be forgiven for not really being sure of what happened by the play’s conclusion.

This wasn’t helped by a rather misleading secondary plotline, through which the audience is shown how each character meets the fortune teller, and subsequently why they could – or couldn’t have – killed the fortune teller. Inevitably, thinking back, one realises that this was all a plot by Anna to have everyone come in contact with the fortune teller and accuse each other of murder. Yet, this again is not made immediately clear – in fact, one (again) could be forgiven for thinking the case of the stolen hair removal cream was a separate plotline altogether. With a bit more time, perhaps, the idea of everything be linked together could’ve been made more obvious, and definitely would’ve made the play far more effective.

On balance, of course, the sets and lighting were done decently. Despite slight mishaps with the sets on occasion, all the sets were very beautifully designed and presented effectively, with the background painting and writing on the world definitely creating the dramatic horror effect the play presumably sought to bring across. Yet, horror is an incredibly difficult genre to pull off on stage, and while Anna definitely tried its best, the idea of horror did not carry itself across the entire play, and was left to bursts of scarier moments that made the horror more sporadic than effective in leaving its impression on the audience.

The judges added, “The whole crew of circus freaks were really enjoyable to watch – Syafiqah as the telekinetic had really good stage presence, and Xu Yanling was able to emote very well despite her hair (fake beard). However we felt that the script had a lot of potential that was not fully realised, and so we encourage you to continue working on the script, we felt it was good.”

As a whole, we agree with the judges comments, who said that MR gave the play a good go, but unfortunately could have done a lot more with a script that showed great promise but failed to deliver on stage.

EXCO Spoof

As is a regular tradition at Dramafeste, the EXCO of Raffles Players puts up a spoof of some key or standout moments in the 5 houses plays, combining them effectively in a manner that was incredibly light-hearted, and very well executed.

Consisting of Jo-Ann Heng, Eugenia Tang, Seah Beiying, Natalie Ng and Rachel Quek (and missing Won Xue Li due to injury), the Players EXCO spoof tackled scenes such as actually pretending to swallow a sword, the renaming of the psychic from Madame Cassandra to Madame Lasagna, and blaming the originally eerie voice of the doll on a ‘sore throat’, all of which are from MR’s Anna. This goes on to even satirise parts of real life – such as the school’s recent decision to lock all other gates by 10pm.

Another highlight of the spoof comes from Seah Beiying, who spoofs a scene from BW’s That Place, emerging from the back door of the PAC before arriving on stage, combining scenes from Anna and HH’s Payday as she brutally murders each of the other EXCO members (bar Rachel Quek, who was asleep in a set from MT’s The Bigness of Small Things), blaming them for making her do announcements, starting the EXCO spoof without her and, finally, for wasting time, a line from Payday.

The EXCO spoof soon concluded with a spoof of the final scene from That Place, as the curtains draw to a close and the EXCO frantically fights over a lone chair, before finally looking up and echoing the line, “Do I at least get a chair?”

In the end, the EXCO spoof drew uproarious laughter from everyone in attendance on Results night (Friday night), and was a magnificent way to round off the performances for the night.

Judging

Both the judges and Players’ teacher-in-charge Mr Peter Booth shared the sentiment that the performances at Dramafeste 2014 were impressive, particularly for the short 2 to 3 week span each house had to put together a 20 minute production. Mr Booth added, “After the judging, one of the judges who’s not been to RI before to see Dramafeste said to me that what impressed him was the great amount of energy and commitment that had gone into every single play, and he also said that I should tell the students that whether they win something or not tonight, they can all leave the PAC with a great sense of achievement, and I would echo that sentiment entirely. In fact this really is just the glossy ending to 2, 3 weeks of really hard work and I think that’s what you will take away with you that’s more important than a golden statue or a vase.”

As for the actual results:

Best Script – The Bigness of Small Things

Best Set Design – The Bigness of Small Things

Best Actor – Mudassar, That Place

Best Actress – Swan Yee, The Bigness of Small Things

Best Ensemble – The Bigness of Small Things

Best Direction – The Bigness of Small Things

Best Overall Play – The Bigness of Small Things

As was the general sentiment of the night, MT’s play was definitely the strongest of all 5 houses, but it must be said that all houses did put up incredible performances across the 2 days, in spite of a few errors and unfortunate situations in the build up the performances – or, as Mr Booth called them, “bumps along the way.”

We would like to congratulate all the winners, but also all the cast and crew members involved in Dramafeste 2014, for what was an incredibly effort in creating theatre that was truly enjoyable to watch, and we definitely look forward to what Dramafeste 2015 has in store for us.

By Valerie Chee 15S07B, Nicole Foo 15S06A, Benedict Koh Yen Hin 14S06N, and Kang Yi Xi 15S03N
Additional reporting by Ching Ann Hui 15S03A, Michelle Choy 15S05A, Gao Wenxin 14A03A
Photographs by Natalia Chioang and Nicholas Koh 14S06E of the The Raffles Photographic Society

In the second instalment of this feature, we introduce more inspiring Rafflesians from the graduating batch of 2013.

Loh Jia Wei

At first glance, Loh Jia Wei (13S03C) already looks to be someone who has to overcome all odds to become who she is today. Despite her muscular dystrophy and having to use a wheelchair in her daily life, she has worked consistently in order to achieve a set of results that would make her parents and teachers proud. However, there is so much more to Jia Wei than her academic proficiency and the pain she has withstood over the years from a previous operation. An avid reader of non-fiction, as well as a learned member of the Astronomy Club, she has spent her time in RI exploring her academic interests, leading her to discover her true calling as a law student after one particularly thought-provoking civics lesson. Since the A levels, Jia Wei has been taking up law internships to gain experience in this new field of work, as she plans to study law abroad in the near future.

When requested for some words of wisdom regarding the arduous road to this year’s A levels, Jia Wei advises that current Year Sixes, “really just work consistently, (and) don’t leave everything to the end.” In her experience, life after JC is drastically different, and so enjoying JC life while you can is an important factor as well!

Herman Lin Yao Ahmad

A proficient marksman, Herman Lin Yao Ahmad (13A01C) was a member of the 2012 National Youth Team and captained the school shooting team. Athletic passions aside, Herman was also an active member of the Community Advocates and was involved in flagship campaigns such as No Shoes Day and Hair for Hope. He also engaged in ground-level work by spending a few months to provide tuition to those in Girls’ Homes. When asked about how he managed to cope with what must surely have been a daunting workload, Herman said that “Freedom is doing what you love, and happiness is loving what you do.” He felt that by having chosen to join CCAs that he felt passionate about and enjoyed participating in, his JC life was rendered more manageable.

As for his future plans, Herman hopes to gain an opportunity to pursue his education in the United States. He feels that American universities provide a more conducive environment for one to engage in self-reflection about themselves and their future.

Josiah Tan Yi Teng

Extremely passionate about serving the community, Josiah (13S07A) received the pinnacle award in Boys’ Brigade known as the President’s Award despite being hearing impaired. In addition, Josiah earned a distinction in the Community and Citizenship Domain of the Raffles Diploma, and was also a member of the Raffles Entrepreneur’s Network (REN).

When asked about how he manages his academics, Josiah replies that it’s all about setting realistic expectations for yourself. “You don’t need to get straight As right away but make sure you are putting in the consistent hard work.” Extremely self-motivated, Josiah also shares that he doesn’t believe in tuition. “Throughout JC, I told myself that if I’m going to get the result, I want it to be by my own effort,” he says. When asked about advice for his juniors, Josiah wishes that the Year 5s will “have fun and make friends. Focus on your CCA and find a passion. There must be something that makes you want to go to school everyday and that’s not going to be work.” To the Year 6s he suggests focus and discipline, “For now, you can still finish up your CCA commitments. Finish them well, and don’t neglect your work – but by June, you have to really drop everything and focus.”

Gerald Lim Jie Rui

Gerald Lim (13S06O) doesn’t fit a typical high-achiever mold – he’s a self-declared ‘disorganized mess’ who doesn’t plan his time or own a calendar of any kind. His results, however, tell a different story. A member of Community Advocates (CA) and a participant in the Chemistry Olympiad, Gerald has managed to achieve a Merit in both the Cognitive and Leadership domains of the Raffles Diploma.

Gerald tells us that he studied during any free time he could get, earnestly sharing that even a short 10 minutes of studying is useful. Additionally, Gerald attributes his academic success to his good friends, who encouraged him by giving him moral support, as well as his teachers, who were ever-helpful during consultation periods. He feeds off the energy and encouragement of the people around him, citing his parents and friends as sources of inspiration for him and his studies.

Loo Jun Da

Joining RI at Y5 from Bukit Panjang Government High, HP student Loo Jun Da (13A03A) maximized his 2 years in JC with both academic and non-academic endeavours. He participated in canoeing, and served in the Grassroots committee as an external commitment. Jun Da cited his supportive, close-knit classmates as the key to coping with his immense workload, which involved taking H3 Geopolitics. While he managed to relax in his spare time by running at MacRitchie and watching movies, Jun Da remained driven to continue bettering himself academically. One inspirational quote he derives meaning from is “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run down if you don’t move forward.” Despite being blessed with a quality educational environment here in RI, neglecting the importance of constant self-improvement can be a fatal mistake. To those currently studying in RI, Jun Da recommends progressing by taking things one step at a time rather than mulling over a whole array of responsibilities, which could eventually result in unproductive procrastination.

Lim Min

Lim Min (13A01B) willed herself to continuously stretch her potential through the support she received from teachers, friends and fellow classmates, as well as her own determination to excel in her studies. While in JC, Lim Min benefitted from the many cultural activities and overseas trips organized by the Humanities Programme, and had the invaluable opportunity to connect with other “like-minded people who were up for intellectual discourse”. She joined RI as a JAE student from Crescent Girls’ School, and in her two years here became an active member of both HISSOC and Community Advocates. In one particular collaboration with a group of Hwa Chong students, Lim Min helped to pioneer Project Feedback, which involved fundraising to raise awareness for world hunger.

Meanwhile, post A-levels life has seen Lim Min picking up Malay as an additional language and even making plans to open her own graphic design business – heartening evidence that she will continue to grow and learn even after leaving RI. To the current Year 5s and 6s, she leaves the advice of pacing yourself rather than rushing your studies at the last minute, as well as making full use of the plentiful resources available in RI.

Chua Jun Yan

Jun Yan (13A01A) served as Chairman of Raffles Debaters in RI (Year 1-4) and President of Raffles Press in RI (Year 5-6), and has further made use of his abilities to aid others around him. With a team of friends, Jun Yan organized a “Singapore Conversation” at Northlight School to help other students gain a greater sense of awareness of our national issues, and was also a member of the team which interviewed former drug addicts to help produce a book for SANA.

Looking back on his 6 years as a Rafflesian, Jun Yan reflected that Raffles taught him to start something new, to make and learn from mistakes, and to manage people’s expectations and demands, as well as the meaning of camaraderie and friendship, especially during the final phase of A-level preparation. Comparing life in Raffles to that in the army, he says that it was initially tough as he “missed the lack of freedom”, but went on to say that life is not as bad as people make it out to be, as everyone has a different, unique experience.

When probed for a piece of advice to the current Year Sixes, Jun Yan confidently replied, “The key thing is that every subject has a code, a method, so try to crack that code as soon as you can so that you can get used to it earlier.”

Koh Han Jie

Han Jie (13S03D) was a passionate sportsman, having captained the RI softball team to Gold at the 2013 National Inter-School Softball Championships and represented Singapore at the World Junior Men’s Softball Championships in Argentina in 2012. Not only that, Han Jie actively served both the local and international community, having volunteered at the AMK Child Care Centre, and rendered aid to needy Cambodian citizens as part of ISLE 2012 by collecting rainwater to alleviate the sanitation problems there, among other things.

When further asked about how he was able to handle so many commitments, Han Jie had this to say: ”The key to succeeding is to know how to prioritize your commitments. When it is time to study, you study hard. When it is time to play and train, you play hard and train hard. When you do something, do your best, or don’t do it at all.” Evidently, this mantra has helped Han Jie succeed, as seen from his South Zone and National Colours Awards in 2012 and 2013, as well as his Raffles Diploma with Distinction in Sports.

BREAKING NEWS – RI is planning to charge students for the use of non-essential shared school facilities, in an effort to cut costs. The changes are expected to affect both Year 1-4 and Year 5-6 students and are effective from the 2nd of April. We have been assured that the changes have been made “after due consideration … with the best interests of students in mind.”

Raffles Press has been informed that the school WLAN network, the gyms, the Hong Leong Swimming Pool, the Library and the Open Labs will all come under the umbrella of chargeable facilities. Internet rates are expected to be competitive, with the school planning to charge $2 per hour of use. The library entrance fee will be 20 cents, and is going to be deducted from student ez-link cards upon entry. Charges for pool and gym usage will also be lower than that of existing alternatives, with a flat $4 weekly fee for unlimited entry into both facilities. We understand that this scheme will be integrated with the goto.ri portal, providing students an easy way to track the amount which they owe the school on a weekly basis.  Specific to Internet usage, we have been told that upon trying to log in, students will be met with a pop-up warning them of the new payment model.

Current goto.ri login page

To ensure that CCAs will still have access to crucial facilities, we also understand that group rates have already been calculated and deducted from their respective budgets. Shooting team captain, Magdalene Teo (14A01B), shared, “It’s really unfortunate that we now have to pay for using the Internet or the school gym. I’ve had to keep all our rifles at the back of my class to avoid paying the storage charges. But what can we do?” Daniel Boey, the captain of the track team told us that “(the track team) has resorted to bench-pressing old car tyres and sneaking into condominium gyms in an effort to save on club funds.”

Student response to this pay-per-use scheme has, understandably, been mixed. Lim Buff Boey (14S04A) argues, “The school could have cut costs in other ways – like shutting off the air-con. Why charge for the gym and the swimming pool?” Concerned parent Mrs. Ong Kay Poh added: “We already pay for these facilities through school fees! Why charge extra?” On the flip side, Anthony Slacker (15S06C) pointed out that “students who rarely use these shared facilities and have 3G access have little to worry about.”

Based on such feedback from students and Council, the school intends to roll out package plans in the near future, bundling certain services based on student preferences – the Study Package, for instance, will grant students unlimited Internet access, weekly use of the Open Labs and the school library. Download this document for more information on these packages: Package Information (Student Only). For the school announcement in PDF format, click here: Facility Charges Announcement (Student)

By Nguyen Hoang Nhan 14S03K and Chu Phuong Anh 15S06C

Today, Raffles Press features Mr. Alfred Chan and Ms. Eva Hor – two freshly-inducted Year Heads just starting out on their new roles – to further explore their interests, passions and impressions on the batch of 2015. 

General Information

Could you guys give us a brief overview of your teaching career so far?

Mr. Chan: I have been teaching Chemistry since 2003, so I’ve been here for quite a while.

Ms. Hor: I’ve been teaching since the year of 2000 actually. So, it has been a long time. I teach Biology and I am still excited about the subject.

 What schools were you from?

Mr. Chan: I was from Hwa Chong.

Ms. Hor: I was from NJ and before that, I was from a Convent, CHIJ Secondary.

 Do you guys have any personal interests or hobbies outside of school?

Ms. Hor: I am currently trying to learn how to play the ukulele but I am not very good at it. So, if anybody wants to teach me, that would be great. It’s not working out with my instructor – not because the instructor is not good, but because I am not very musical. Perhaps I will change to drums, I hope that would be easier.

Mr. Chan: I am quite involved in church. I am in the choir for church actually and listen to a lot of music.

How about guitar?

Ms. Hor: I think it’s harder because I think you need longer fingers. So I think starting with something smaller would be easier.

 Any first thoughts on being a Year Head?

Mr. Chan: It was a bit more difficult when we started with the Year 6′s last year. This year, we enjoy the fact that we start with a fresh batch.

Ms. Hor: Because the Year Head system only started last year, we started with the Y6′s. So it was neither here nor there. This year I think we are very excited to get to know the new batch of students and we are very serious about this. So we really appreciate it when students come up to say hi and introduce themselves.  We look forward to hearing more about areas of interest of the batch.

Any obstacles/feelings that stand out when you have to conduct a ‘mass civics lesson’ during assembly?

Ms. Hor: If they are small-group lessons, we are perfectly comfortable. We are less comfortable speaking to a large group of students. In fact, every time there is assembly we will sweat buckets.

Mr. Chan: Actually we prefer small group interactions, so it is easier to talk to people personally. But when it comes to a whole mass of people, it becomes more difficult to express what we want to say.

What are some impressions so far on this batch?

Ms. Hor: Ok, we must start historically. We met the students during the January Induction Program (JIP). The boys were a more excitable lot, but the girls were, to me, well behaved. Correct me if I’m wrong, they were more polite and were less shy to say hello. It’s not that the boys didn’t, but fewer did so. They were more exuberant and a lot noisier I think. Now that the lessons have started I have enjoyed going to my classes. The classes that I have interacted with have a very good mix of people. They are very enthusiastic about school. They want to learn and seem very serious about their works actually. They are not quiet or overly noisy. It is a very pleasant and enjoyable experience. I don’t know whether my classes would be representative of the cohort but the synergy from the boys and girls seems to be a lot better than when they were in separate groups during JIP.

Mr. Chan: Orientation really did a good job in mixing everybody up and getting everyone to know more about one another better. It has been a pleasant experience and we have enjoyed the interactions so far.

I heard Ms. Hor graduated from University of Sydney. Would you recommend your students to go there? If so, which course should they take?

Ms. Hor: Ok, what do I like about Sydney? I did my Masters there. I had a very good time because my class was a really an international group with people from many parts of the world.

Would I recommend it? I would recommend it because I learnt a lot from the Aussies. They play hard and they also work very hard. People take the time to do other things to enrich themselves. Desire to learn beyond the curriculum seems to be an integral part of life in USyd. As a nation, a lot of Aussies I interacted with were truly knowledgeable about the world. So would I encourage it? Yes, it was a very good learning place without being overly stressful. The lovely blue skies and gorgeous bays made doing field work very attractive.

And Mr. Chan, could you share with us your educational experience?

Mr. Chan: Oh, I did Chemical Engineering at NUS. Then I became a teacher and subsequently I did a Masters in Education with NIE. I enjoyed doing my Masters because it got me out of the school, and got me thinking more of how to be a better teacher, and how different things are run.

Teaching and beyond

What sort of difficulties do you think new Y5 students might face in adapting to JC life?

Ms. Hor: I think one of the most difficult things to adapt to would be the independence that is expected of the students. Help is always available but they need to take the first step to ask for it. Another difficulty they may have would be the fast pace at which things are happening inside and outside the classroom. In the lecture system, information is meant to be disseminated very quickly to a large group, with discussions following up during tutorials. This is slightly different from secondary school whereby there are many opportunities to clarify on the spot.

Mr. Chan: The pace as well as the style of delivery is new, and they should not be afraid to ask when they are not sure. Otherwise, it is difficult to catch up once they are lost.

So do you have any general advice on life in JC?

Ms. Hor: The students need to experience it to understand what we are saying, but if I were to give any advice, I would say that they need to know their limits and to take the initiative to step forward to ask when they need help. If there is one thing they can remember, I hope that would be it.

Mr. Chan: Maybe think about the reasons they are doing certain things and don’t just overcommit, like are they taking part because they are passionate about these activities or because they are going to learn new things? They should figure out what they really like to do and why and not just go through the motions.

Have there been special moments in your teaching career in RI that have made it worthwhile to you?

 Mr. Chan: The most enjoyable class I’ve ever had was one of my form classes many years back (batch of 2008). I still keep in contact with them; many of them are overseas while some of them have graduated and are coming back. They were involved in many things: some were active in sports and some were student leaders, but they are also very ordinary and real people. They were not shy or afraid about interacting with teachers yet were very sensible. When their classmates were down, they really made the effort to take care of one another. They have left a deep impression on me and I feel that I really like being a teacher because I get to meet people like them. This is a class that I enjoyed taking and I really appreciate having them in my life.

Ms. Hor: At the end of the day, it is the interactions and relationships with the students that I have developed that are worthwhile. You know that these relationships matter when you meet 5 years or 10 years down the road, and are still able to pick up where you left off.

How has the experience been working with Mr. Chan/Ms. Hor?

Ms. Hor: I think it’s been a good one because we are very different. (Mr. Chan: And very similar too!) In terms of important things, the student outcomes that we hope for and the values that we hold dear are the same. But I think I am a lot less practical. For example, when we have an idea; I just want to go forth it immediately and may not think about how exactly it is going to be done or the implications. Mr. Chan is a lot more meticulous about thinking through the exact plan to make the idea happen. Mr. Chan, that’s true right?

Mr. Chan: I find that when Ms. Hor comes up with her ideas, they always come from a very good heart. She really wants the best for the students, so when she says she’s not very practical, it’s only because she wants to think of different ways to engage the students better or make them feel more loved and cared for in this environment. Whatever idea that she thinks of comes from that bottom line, so I always try to support that with what I can do. However, as she said, sometimes there are constraints that we face as teachers and as a school in general, so things may or may not work out for what we hope to achieve. It’s a good working relationship and we enjoy working with each other because we seem to fill in each other’s weaknesses.

Ms. Hor: Mr. Chan has been working in student development and civics for a long time, which is an area that is still relatively new to me. He has generously shared his experience and expertise, which I really appreciate.

Do you have any job arrangement to match each working style?

Mr. Chan: We generally don’t. Mostly when a task needs to be done, whoever has the time to address it first will just go ahead and do it.

Ms. Hor: We complement each other’s style quite well actually. Do we disagree, yes, a lot (laughs) but we are friends and it’s all for the students. So it the end everything does work out.

Mr. Chan: We are similar as well since the outcomes and values that we base our thinking on are the same: making sure that the support structure is given and students are well looked after. We also think of ways to support our Civics Tutors whenever we can because they play a heavy role in taking care of our students. These are the common grounds we share and thus in a way we are similar. We really hope that the students appreciate their Civics Tutors because they really don’t know the amount of things the tutors have to help them with.

Trivia: Up Close and Personal

1. What’s your favourite song at the moment?

Mr. Chan: Counting Stars – OneRepublic

Ms. Hor: The Story – Brandi Carlie

2. What is your favourite canteen stall in RI?

Mr. Chan: Haw’s Kitchen because I like Tom Yum.

Ms. Hor: The drink store. I patronise it the most.

3. Favourite spot in school?

Mr. Chan: Staff room

Ms. Hor: Bio Lab

4. Favourite TV shows?

Mr. Chan: US drama series such as CSI and Castle.

Ms. Hor:  Law and Order

5. Favourite drink/food?

Mr. Chan: Coffee and any meat.

Ms. Hor:  Tea and fish balls

6. What’s one secret, irrational fear you have in life?

Mr. Chan: Heights

Ms. Hor: Lizards

7. Your ideal classroom?

Mr. Chan: It must be clean. I also like kids who are talking and chitchatting. Not kind of noisy but lively. There should be a lot of interactions.

Ms. Hor: My ideal classroom needs to have trees and plants. It should have flowers. Everybody should be happy and people can sit on the floor if they want to.

8. 3 words to describe yourself (and the other teacher)?

Mr. Chan: Reserved, organised, (takes the) initiative

Ms. Hor: Spontaneous, forgetful, disorganised.

9. 1 thing students might be surprised to know about you?

Mr. Chan: I am a Samsung fan.

Ms. Hor: My best friend from secondary school is also my colleague!

By Anonymous Y6

One year ago, along with many of my fellow batch mates in the class of 2014, I went one day without shoes around campus, perceiving that we were doing something good for the world. While I didn’t actually donate any of my shoes to the donation drive, I thought that the entire project was a worthy and noble act that would save the unfortunate communities who had no access to good shoes.

One year later, I realised that I was sorely mistaken. What we were doing was not benefitting communities – it was potentially destroying them instead.

True, many in these unfortunate parts of the world have a lack of access to good shoes and this creates real problems for the people in that part of the world. However, the excess influx of foreign-made shoes may lead to even bigger problems.

While I recognise that while going barefoot may carry great symbolic value and help raise awareness of this issue, we must remember that action speaks louder than words. As much as it alerts people to the problem at hand, going barefoot for a day is not going to create any tangible benefit for the communities in the area. In fact, it may create a culture of “slacktivism” among the participants, as the feel good factor may convince them that they have already made a difference and they need not take any further action. We must guard against this attitude and highlight that while baring one’s soles for a day may be significant, it is not enough – to truly make a difference, a statement must be backed with concrete action.

There also exist many detriments to donating shoes to these communities. According to NYU researcher Laura Freschi, there are in fact many local shoemakers within these communities who are part of “vibrant local economies”. These shoemakers attempt to make a living by selling shoes on a small scale. While the shoes they produce are often crude and potentially poor in quality, this is typically a result of a lack of capital and funding with which to produce more efficiently. It is this trade by which these shoemakers earn just enough with which to put food on the table for their families.

The influx of foreign-made shoes may hence in fact threaten the local cottage industries in these countries. As many of these shoes are given to the communities for free and are often of a higher quality than locally made shoes, consumers within these communities have no incentive to patronise local shoemakers. When this happens, local shoemakers lose business and find themselves out of a job. Considering the high rate of unemployment within these countries, with the International Labour Organisation estimating Ethiopia’s unemployment rate to be 20.6 -27.2%, it is likely that many of these shoemakers will suffer greatly from the loss of income as there are simply too few jobs to go around.

The loss of local shoe production has further detriments for local communities. As the number of local shoemakers steadily decreases, the community grows ever more reliant on free foreign aid for shoes, resulting in a false sense of security. Rather than attempt to develop their local industrial capacity and generate economic growth and development, they may well become over-reliant on foreign aid for their footwear. The only beneficiaries are the large donating companies, who will be able to use such drives to sell their shoes to customers while many local communities lose the motivation to produce better goods.  This not only makes communities all the more dependent on foreign help, but promotes economic stagnation as a result of a loss of economic activity, resulting in these communities becoming more and more stuck in the cycle of poverty.

What we should do instead is try to improve the local industries and human capital within these regions by donating to causes that seek to make communities economically viable. By improving the productivity and skills of the local labour force as well as exposing them to new forms of capital and techniques, we can not only promote economic growth but also improve access to shoes as they become cheaper to produce and better in quality. It also serves to not only preserve the jobs of the local workers but in fact make them more prosperous, as with shoemakers making more money, they will be able to hire more workers and spend more money, triggering the multiplier effect we are all familiar with from H2 Economics. All this can be done with minimal dependence on foreign aid as all that are needed are experts and volunteers to guide the local populace. In fact, merely taking a holiday in such areas may be more beneficial to such underprivileged communities as it at least creates jobs and economic growth by stimulating the tourism industry in those areas.

So this year, while I certainly will take interest in the plight of the barefoot in these countries, make a donation to an international development NGO, I will not be donating of my shoes to the donation drive. And while we stand in solidarity with the barefoot poor in some of the most poverty-stricken areas of the world, let us remember the latin proverb acta non verba – deeds not word. Let us realise that if we truly desire to make a difference, shedding our footwear marks not the end of guilt but the beginning of real action.

Back when Mrs Lim was still the Principal and I was a lanky boy of dubious athleticism (still am actually) in Secondary Two, there was an assembly talk Mrs Lim gave that I dwell on every now and then. I didn’t expect it to stick with me, given that my attention was divided between her (in retrospect, very wise) words and a particularly riveting Math worksheet of a topic I cannot quite recall.

She told us a story about Prometheus. In mythology, Prometheus was a Titan – a race of powerful immortal beings that was at the time, subservient to the Olympian gods. Rather than share in the latter’s company, Prometheus bade his time among men. He saw that they lived like animals for they ate their meat raw. They shivered in the night, getting no sleep as the wind robbed them of any warmth they could muster. Their suffering made them piteous, and this was a great pity because Prometheus saw the immense potential Mankind held. They needed heat. They needed light. They needed fire. And Prometheus was determined to get hold of some.

He took a reed and went to the edge of the earth that he might touch the sun as it rose at the dawn of a new day. The dry pith caught fire and with this precious spark, he hurried back to the men in the caves and taught them the art of firemaking from wood and how they might use this flame to cook their food and to stay warm in the coldest nights. The men and women gathered round the fire and they were warm and happy. Before long, they mastered the art of firemaking and smithing. Life began anew for them. All this Prometheus did against the wishes of Zeus, and for his trickery, he was bound with the chains of Vulcan to a rock at the topmost peak of the Caucasus Mountains, where eagles ripped apart and feasted upon his liver daily. Being immortal, he did not die.

The iconic image of Promethus being attacked by Eagles

I recount this story to make two points. Firstly, that Prometheus of Promethean flame fame (duh) was a trickster – someone who disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. And secondly, that his crucial act of giving knowledge to Mankind so raised them that the Olympian gods feared the heights they might reach. Zeus himself remarked, “No, indeed! Why, if men had fire they might become strong and wise like ourselves, and after a while they would drive us out of our kingdom. Let them shiver with cold, and let them live like the beasts. It is best for them to be poor and ignorant, that so we Mighty Ones may thrive and be happy.”

Now why is this important? Is the second point an allegory for fighting against the government? Is the first a call for us to grow our hair out, leave our tutorials undone, and paint the sky red? No…and yes. It’s not about going against the government per se, but that’s a topic for another article. But leave our tutorials undone? Wholeheartedly yes – but only if you have better things to do. Bear with me here, this will take a while.

Think about the entire enterprise of school. It really is marvelous in some ways, isn’t it? The bringing of like-minded individuals of the same age group together. The intensity of back-and-forth discourse between teacher and student, peer and peer as they brave the current and search the murky river for nuggets of truth. The sportsman in the arena, perhaps imbued with the peculiar force known as the Rafflesian Spirit – described by E. Wijeysingha to be ‘a powerful force that takes control of a person, inspires him and instils courage and determination’. Lovely.

…except that probably isn’t how you conceive of school, is it now? I confess this is an idealisation of the current state of affairs, albeit one grounded in reality because there are times when I truly do feel these things and am so grateful for such opportunities and for this mess called life and- right. As I was saying, it is not quite what we see on a daily basis. Students are bored. Apathetic. We go in a lecture and the same battle plays out as Morpheus, the God of Sleep, wars against the Sugar Rush Monster. The number of victims claimed by the former increase throughout the week. And when we are not valiantly nodding our heads to some unearthly rhythm or bowing reverently arms crossed, our attentions are divided between “if I wasn’t sitting here, I would be _______.” (the irony is that when we are somewhere else, we wish we could be back home mugging) and “I wonder if they’re selling Tom Yam today”. We receive news of upcoming tests and tutorial deadlines with indifference (“oh here we go again”) or shock (“did you hear that? Not only do they make us attend school and pick subjects we would like to study, but they actually want us to spend time doing homework on said subjects? The nerve of some people.”), but the result is the same: we grit our teeth and slog through it, slowly, methodically. Can’t get this fact to stick in my head, but I’ll bite my tongue because if I curse and swear, I’ll never stop. Get it done, you can sleep when you’re dead, surely it will pay off in the A-levels. Surely….

Depressing much. Don’t you wish it could be so much more? Isn’t it, you say. Look at the bright banners. Look at our sportsmen. Look at our artist(e)s. Look at our councillors. We aren’t muggers (not all of us anyway), we are Thinkers, Leaders, Pioneers.

I hear you. And you are right. I have immense respect for the artists and musicians because they make good art. It’s such a steal that we can watch for $10 what a group of talented individuals have spent tens of hours creating. They labour at their craft to add a little beauty and meaning to the rest of our lives, and they do it for the sake of the craft itself. Wonderful.

And yes I am also grateful for the councillors for the work and amount of saikang they have to do. They fill a need because no way would we be getting school event after event if we only had teachers to run the show. And even if some may be doing it for the curriculum vitae, my personal experience has shown me that they are often simply delightful individuals who have undertaken the role of slave with no pay, which is pretty selfless. That being said, they are custodians, they do not lead.

Towards sports, I have mixed feelings because the nature of such activities is that they are always competitive. (The wind rushes past, and I hear the disembodied words of Mrs Lim: ‘stop competing, start excelling.’) But I acknowledge there is beauty in teamwork, camaraderie, in the friendly rivalry between schools, though I don’t think very much about school pride, because it seems small and petty. (Go all out for Raffles. What does that even mean?) The question is not so much who won as it is “Was this a game to be remembered for the ages?” Better yet if sportsmen do it for the sheer beauty of the sport. I only hope that those who do the morning announcements will not have to think twice about praising the team for a spectacular showing if they come in 2nd, or god forbid, fail to break in to the top 3 placings. They gave themselves up for a sport. Is that not worthy of our admiration?

This passion we see is nothing short of breathtaking. But step into a classroom, and you may see these vibrant individuals with now-lifeless eyes and faces drained of colour. They stare back at you unblinking, with dull incomprehension written all over their faces. Where is the passion? Where is the joy? Where is the joie de vivre?

Face it, you’re bored. And the reason for that boredom is simple. You are not seeing any beauty in these subjects. No beauty, no purpose. You can tell yourself to muscle through and that you don’t have to love what you study, just do well in it, but that is the surest way to stifle the soul and to be unhappy. It is primarily this idea that distinguishes work that is hard, and play that is fun. Difficulty in itself is not a bad thing, it is only when that difficulty arises from a lack of gumption. Because it is hard to kill your soul little by little by doing what you do not care about. Along this same idea, Gandhi offered this nugget of wisdom: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.

If you are bored, take a hike, eat a crepe, sit on the toilet. Boredom means the activity has ceased to be meaningful. Boredom means that you are not seeing things with fresh eyes, you have lost that initial curiosity. You are not in the state to appreciate beauty, and if you keep at it, you will become cynical, frustrated, and you will want to simply abandon the entire enterprise – which you should (don’t do that tutorial! Do anything else as long as it’s interesting. See, I linked it back), to refill that gumption tank. Or you can force it on yourself to mechanically complete your work, and in doing so, cut away another piece of yourself.

If you are wondering what beauty there could possibly be in our subjects, it is the beauty of knowledge. Remember that when Prometheus imparted knowledge to mankind, he so lifted them that they lived their lives anew. The knowledge we gain in school has the capacity to do that for us. Knowledge gives us new ways of seeing the world such that the world we perceive is wholly different. They add a new dimension to our reality, giving our experiences more colour, flavour, and depth. Math is admirable for its rigorous certainty. Literature for enabling us to feel more expansively and to grasp the human condition. Physics for the stories it tells us about the world in motion. All fields of knowledge have theoretical beauty. The mathematician, scientist, and literary critic engage in an act of creation as much as any artist. Ultimately, all learning is about the appreciation of beauty. The act of which raises us out of ignorance, baseness, selfishness. Remember Prometheus who gave us knowledge that we might lead better lives.

Taken from zenpencils.com

Maybe I am naive in refusing to acknowledge that we are just here for the grades so that we can move on to the next part of our lives. Maybe it is a hypocrisy I would be happier not to expose. But I will stubbornly believe that school can and ought to be so much more. And I sincerely believe that we are only Auspicium Melioris Aevi when we are tricksters like Prometheus. The ones who will change the world are not those who willingly kill their souls, but those who have come alive.

Prometheus had to defy Zeus to give man fire. Mrs Lim asked, “Who is the enemy? Who are we overcoming?” There were some murmurs of hwa and chong. No, she said, the enemy is within. The one to overcome is ourselves. The side of us that thinks small, breathes small, lives small. The side of us that kills the soul when it cries no in the smirking face of pragmatism and success. For all the times that your head said no but your heart screamed yes. But to be bigger than that?

Now that is excellence.

Written by Caleb Chiam 14S06O

By William Hoo 15A01E

A few weeks back, RI’s Judo A Division team headed down to Hougang Seconday school for the National Schools Judo Championship. After defeating Nanyang Junior College in the semi-finals, our Judo boys and girls were set to face off against one of our fiercest rivals, Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) in the team finals. Despite having faced HCI in previous years of the competition, the team was well-prepared and confident for this encounter in the finals, having trained extensively in the months leading up to the National Schools Championship. This year’s team finals indeed showed that the Gentle Way did not necessarily mean a gentle fight.

The atmosphere as both schools got ready for the team final was tense and fierce, with both judo teams performing their club cheers with pride. The format of the team event consists of five bouts played between opponents, with one member from each weight category. Each bouts lasts for three minutes, during which players aim to score an ippon. The victor of the event is determined by winning three out of five bouts. This did indeed set the stage for a suspenseful and exciting match for both the A Div boys and girls teams.

GIRLS

The first match was between the A Division girls of RI and HCI.

The line-up for RI’s A Division girls by weight category consisted of Cheong Hui Shyuan (-48kg), Amanda Chia (-52kg), Tania Forichon (-57kg), Joey low (-63kg) and Joyce lee (+63kg).

The opening match was easily won by Huishyuan, catching her opponent off guard while they were fighting for control over each other and ending the bout with several nicely-timed foot sweeps.

The second bout witnessed Amanda fighting valiantly, with her best effort. Both players were locked down gripping each other, but her opponent attempted a throw and managed to bring Amanda down to the floor. Her opponent pinned her down, and in spite of her best efforts at trying to bridge her opponent over, Amanda lost the second bout through groundwork.

With the current score even at 1-1, the third bout started with both Tania and her opponent playing aggressively, vying for a hold on each other. While there were a few close calls where Tania was almost thrown by her opponent, or pinned down after being brought to the floor, she remained composed and was able to parry each attempt. After a stalemate in groundwork, the referee resumed the bout anew at the centre of the arena. Tania seized the opportunity as her opponent went into defensive play, and threw her swiftly with a back throw, winning the bout for the team.

The fourth bout saw Joey putting up a strong fight against her opponent, with plenty of attempts by both parties to throw each other. Scores were awarded to both of them as the bout progressed. However, as the bout dragged on, Joey and her opponent engaged in a lot of intensive groundwork, each trying to pin down the other. Despite some considerable effort and spirit on her part, Joey narrowly lost to her opponent by points at the end of the bout.

The last bout of the A Div girls team event was a nail-biting one as it was the last deciding bout for both schools in order to clinch the championship. Supporters from both Judo clubs rallied in support of their judokas.

The match started in a flurry of aggression, with both Joyce and her opponent engaged in heavy groundwork – resisting each other while simultaneously seeking to pin the other down. However, Joyce was unfortunately caught off guard at a key moment, resulting in her getting pinned down by her opponent. Although Joyce tried her best to break free of the hold and bridge her opponent over, she was unable to do so and lost the bout.

RI’s A-Division Judo Girls Team

Hence, with a score line of 2-3, RI’s A Div judo girls conceded victory to HCI for the team finals, coming in second and winning the Silver title for the school. Regardless, their effort was no less laudable and their team spirit really showed through with the immense support their batchmates provided throughout all their trainings together.

BOYS

The next match for the day was the A Division boys’ team finals, which showcased a spectacular display of skill from both schools.

The line-up for RI’s A DIv boys by weight category consisted of Davis Yep Swee Kiat (-60kg), Ong Jia Xiang (-66kg), Julius Sander Nugroho (-73kg), Henry Neo Jin Hong (-81kg) and Wei Yong Ji (+81kg).

The first bout for the A Div boys saw Davis being pitted against his counterpart in the Feather weight category. Catching his opponent off guard, Davis managed to counter his opponent and was awarded a score. His opponent eventually went on to concede two fouls through defensive play. Davis won his bout by points at the end of three minutes.

Jia Xiang played the second bout, with both players fighting each other for dominion over the other and grappling to throw each other. Unfortunately, while Jia Xiang played really well, he was brought down to the ground and subsequently pinned down, losing the bout.

With the score at an equal 1-1, Julius entered the third bout, facing up against HCI’s captain. The first point was awarded to Julius as his opponent conceded a foul for overly-defensive play. However, Julius was penalised shortly after for the same reason. The next point of the bout was awarded to Julius for a small throw, but the score was quickly equalised when his opponent threw him for the same score later on in the bout. With time running out, Julius caught his opponent off guard with a massive throw, scoring a major point. The bout was thought to have been won by Julius when in the final five seconds of the bout, HCI’s captain threw Julius for a major point that sealed a win for HCI.

The fourth bout featured RI’s Judo team captain, Henry who took an early lead with a foot sweep early on in the bout. He then went on to secure a win for the team by throwing his opponent, getting a full ippon.

Once again, the A DIv boys’ team finals proved to be exciting and nerve-wracking as well, with the score being equalised at 2-2 for both RI and HCI. The last bout would again be the deciding factor for the championship.

The last bout of the A Div boys’ team finals was nail biting from start to finish, as supporters from both RI and HCI yelled words of encouragement to both players. The early start of the bout saw Yongji conceding a small point. This was slightly demoralizing, but Yongji rose to the occasion, turning the bout around by throwing his opponent and following up with a pin. The hall of Hougang Secondary School was filled by cheers all around as Yongji secured the win and the championship title.

RI’s A-Division Judo Boys Team

Hence, with a score line of 3-2, and after an intense showing by both RI and HCI, our A Divison judo boys brought home the championship title for RI.

The Raffles Judo family

The good showing of RI’s Judo A Div team was the result of months of training and encouragement from their coaches, Mr Tan and Mr Low, as well as the teachers, Mr Kok, Mr Eng and others.

Raffles Press would like to congratulate the A Div boys and girls judo team for their stellar performance in the National Schools Judo Championships. Here’s wishing all sports CCAs the best of luck in the upcoming 2014 season.

by Maasha 15A03A, Valerie Yap 15S07D and William Hoo 15A01E

Counselling; a word associated with various problems, and inviting curious reactions. Yet, there is often more than meets the eye. In a bid to dispel the stigma surrounding this word, the three of us got the opportunity to meet up with the 7 friendly members of the Raffles Guidance Centre (RGC) team, to find out more about themselves and what they do.

RGC, or more affectionately referred to asThe Underground, is located in a deceivingly empty corner next to the Innovation Centre, near the Marymount gate. The place itself is inviting, with comfy sofas around a table for students to sit and relax. The emphasis on comfort can be further observed with the generous amount of snacks that are placed out for students to enjoy while waiting for a counselling session to begin or just chilling. Encouraging messages and posters also frame the walls, for anyone who needs that little boost to get through the day.

Upon entering the underground, one is first greeted with sofas that create a very relaxed atmosphere.

Encouraging notes can be found throughout the Underground.

The hierarchy of the RGC team is rather simple. All of them are answerable to the Senior Deputy Principal (Planning and Resources), Mr Tan Nam Seng, with Mr Gary Koh being the Head of Department. Their work is mostly contained to the side of the campus that they’re assigned to, though they may straddle both sides on occasion.

Walking into the centre, we were greeted by the animated and lively counsellors who were nothing but amiable throughout the entire session. The three of us clearly enjoyed the charm and wit that was round the table.

More often than not, the line between a counsellor and a friend is blurred, and we find ourselves questioning just how much of a peer a counsellor can be, or if the counsellor is merely a professional. ”We can be friendly? But we’re definitely not friends,” says Liren. As much as they want to help you and provide a listening ear, there are ethical boundaries that all counsellors need to respect and adhere to. Their main goal is to aid their clients in overcoming a particular road block that they are facing. Unlike a doctor, there is no pre-prescribed method of cure and unlike a friend, the counsellor cannot simply empathise and provide comfort.

We might wonder why it is that a counsellor seems to be more appropriate to talk to than, for instance, a close friend. The response is that while someone you trust may provide you with the comfort and momentary relief, you may not actually be any closer to identifying the root of the problem, much less solving it. Counsellors, on the other hand, are equipped with the skills to work with you in going deeper past the surface issues and hopefully be able to help you discover other aspects and sides of yourself that you might not be able to do alone or with a friend. The counsellors in the Underground are professionally trained to handle your needs and concerns. With a panoply of counselling techniques and years of experience in the field, they offer qualified advice pertaining to your situation and an objective opinion on your issues.

Yet at the same time, counselling is and should be mostly a collaborative process between the counsellor and the client. If the client is resistant to change, there is really not much that can be done. Fellow Rafflesians are encouraged to go for counselling with an open mind. That being said, our counsellors are not the kind who easily give up. “It’s just another obstacle to overcome,” said Zull when asked if counselling was really effective for everyone.

Another issue that many of us are probably concerned about is that of confidentiality. Will what we talk to the counsellors about be reported to our parents or the school administration? Will our friends know about our deepest, darkest worries? To a counsellor, however, their number one priority is the safety of the people around their client, and that of the client itself. If the person they are trying to help poses a threat to self or others, the counsellors may need to mobilise more resources to help the client. However, things like scholarship applications or running for a leadership position should not be affected simply due to one having received counselling. To quote Jeffrey, “Counselling is not black and white. People aren’t black and white. It really really depends. It’s always a tug of war between the desire to care and protect.” As a counsellor, everything has to be considered on a case-by-case basis. There is no one-size-fits-all method of looking at the students who go to them with their problems. Apart from the above exception, counsellors do in fact keep issues discussed during counseling sessions confidential. However, if you still have concerns, there are always external counselling services that one can seek help from, as Mei Hui kindly reminded us. You can be rest assured though, that the counsellors care deeply for the students they work with, and their safety and well-being will always be of the utmost priority.

Yet, one often forgets that counselling can be a rather difficult job due to its abundance of grey areas. It can even be assumed to be rather depressing and solitary. After all, if put bluntly, it would seem that they bear the daunting burden of sitting in a room and listening to other people’s problems day in and day out with the responsibility of helping their clients feel better as well. The strain on them must be quite overwhelming at times and almost unimaginable. The counsellors unanimously agreed that their job can be rather trying at times, but when asked what the driving factor that helped them stay on was, they commented that it was the love and passion they had for helping people through the many hiccups in their lives. That being said, the counsellors are still very much human. “We go through doubt too! But we’re always reassured by tiny gestures like cards, emails, and stuff like that. It’s good to know that we help in little ways, you know?” said Gary.

This sentiment is reaffirmed by the multitude of cards and notes of appreciation and thanks present in the counsellors’ rooms. Little post-it notes, or even food, go a long way in making them feel what we all desire: love, care and concern. On top of that, the strong bond and rapport between the little Underground family helps them get through hardships as well. As Mei Hui puts it, “We’re counsellors. We have each other for support.” So don’t worry; the counsellors have each other’s backs and will have yours!

The counsellors in the Underground will always welcome each and every of us with open arms, and they are more than willing to help you out with anything and everything, from as something as simple as whether you should have lunch in RI, to other heavier and more personal issues.

You can reach the RGC team at  6354 9105, or simply email  them at  rgc@ri.edu.sg. Students can also come by the Underground for a chat with the counsellors without prior appointment (or leave a note at the little mailbox outside and the team will get back to you as soon as possible.)

by Maasha 15A03A, Valerie Yap 15S07D and William Hoo 15A01E

Yesterday, we explored the counsellors’ responses to some of the tough questions about going for counselling, stigmas related to counselling and even counselling as a profession. Today, we bring you the ‘lighter’ side to the counsellors!

MEET THE COUNSELLORS

(from L to R) Gary (Head, Y1-6), Mei Hui (Resident Psychologist, Y1-6), Jeffrey (RI, Y1-4)

(From L to R) Zull (RI Y1-4), Kah Hwee (RI Y5-6)

(From L to R) Aggie (Art Therapist, Y5-6), Liren (RI Y5-6)

Q: Who’s your favourite music artiste/What’s your favourite song?

ZULL (Z):  ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams

JEFFREY (J): Almost all of Andrea Bocelli’s songs. Italians are cool.

MEI HUI (MH): Autumn Leaves. By Ella Fitzgerald.

LIREN (L): John Mayer. His songs have pretty awesome lyrics. Like ‘Slow Dancing In A Burning Room’. Love it.

AGGIE (A): I thought of one! ‘甜蜜蜜 (Tian Mi Mi)’ by 邓丽君 (Teresa Teng)! I’m old so it is a Chinese song.

KAH HWEE (KH): ‘Blessing’ by Laura Story? Air Supply too!!

GARY (G): All things Frozen. Oh, and ‘Everything Is Awesome’. My kid listens to them a lot so I’ve taken a liking to them.

Q: What’s your favourite movie?

G: ‘Brave Heart’

J: ‘One Age’

A: ‘After Shock’

KH: ‘Dead Poets Society’! Oh oh oh, and ‘Lord of the Rings’!

Z: ‘Twelve Years A Slave’

MH: ‘Up’! I cried (laughs).

L: Les Mis! The recent one. But, you know right, Russell Crowe can’t sing for nuts (laughs).

Q: What’s your most unusual habit?

G: Don’t have any… Nope.

KH: Every time I take a flight, I need to drink coke with a slice of lime, lemon or salt. It’s a soothing drink for me.

L: I sleep talk and have recently found out that I also sleep walk. My wife told me that I stood up in the middle of the room and… flagged a taxi. She also says that she can have normal conversations with me when I’m sleep[talking].

MH: I always bring a bottle wherever I go. I’m quite fussy when it comes to this ‘cause I don’t want to just drink tap water.

Z: I always put my shoes on before my shirt.

G: Ya, before you put your pants on also right?

J: ALL THE MENTAL IMAGES! (laughs) But yes, I don’t think I have any either!

A: I don’t think I have any also but let me tell you something else. My kids always used to say this to me, “Muuuuum. You so clever, you always undo the computer!”

Q: What’s your pet peeve?

Z: Pet peeve? What pet? I don’t have any pets.

A: The lizard in my office.

J: You better get rid of it! Later no one comes for counselling how?

A: Yes yes. Recently cleared so tell everyone to come! (laughs)

KH: People who cut queues. Hate them. It gets so annoying sometimes!

J: I’ve got a few actually. Cars that cut in front of other cars, rude drivers, people with punctuality issues.

Z: People who spend more than two minutes at the ATM!

MH: My pet peeves? Drivers who take up unnecessary space or drivers who drive slowly in the wrong lane. I mean, there are a few lanes for a reason right! I hate it when they drive slowly in the fastest lane. Like, hello, people who’re trying to get somewhere are right behind you waiting for you to move? Oh, also people who drive irresponsibly and cause one lane to be closed down. Like this morning’s jam. Annoying.

G: For me? People who are late.

L: Same here. Huge issue with punctuality. Just a bit back my wife was late for thirty minutes and I was just like, stares at watch. Hmmmm. Don’t really appreciate people who come late.

Q: Would you rather be attacked by 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck? Why?

J: I’D FIGHT THE HORSE SIZED DUCK. MORE PEKING DUCK SKIN OUT OF IT!

Z: 100 duck sized horses. I would rather die of cuteness.

G: You sure a-not? They’ll nibble you to death.

J: More like they’ll tenderize you!!

MH: 100 duck sized horses of course! It’ll be easier to defend myself.

L: I’ll help Jeff wrestle the horse sized duck. We can share the meat.

A: Horse sized duck. Because I can run faster and there’s only one (laughs).

J: Later it stomps on you how?

A: I can run faster!

KH: 100 duck sized horses. Why? Quite simple for me. I just don’t like birds.

G: Looking at it from a different perspective right, horses are symbols of freedom. They’re hard to be controlled. On the other hand, ducks are friendly. So I’d go with the horse sized duck.

You can reach the RGC team at  6354 9105, or simply email them at  rgc@ri.edu.sg. Students can also come by the Underground for a chat with the counsellors without prior appointment (or leave a note at the little mailbox outside and they will get back to you as soon as possible).

By Lu Xin Yi 14S06B, Sushma Pai 14S03R and Jayne Chan 14S03D

Ever walked past the space 7-11 used to occupy and wondered what would be coming next? Well, most of you would have noticed the telltale sign board “Chill@RI”.

Chill@RI will be opening its new outlet on May 2 2014. Rapid renovation works and store cleaning are currently occurring at the space which used to house 7-11, to prepare for the new Chill@RI outlet. This new shop not only shares the same name as the minimart over at the Hong Leong Swimming Pool/RI boarding complex, but is also managed by the same couple, Aaron and Joanna. Aaron and Joanna have had plenty of experience serving RI (Year 1-4) students at the minimart but with the new shop at the heart of the Year 5-6 campus, they hope that they can reach out to the Year 5-6 students more. Interestingly, Aaron and Joanna also run a convenience store and a cafe at Hwa Chong Institution!

The sudden disappearance of 7-11 caused quite some buzz among students. When we interviewed Mr. Kevin Wong from Estate house, he shared with us 3 main reasons why 7-11 chose not to renew their lease. One was that their contract with the school ended last December. Coupled with “poor business” and a lack of manpower, the franchise finally decided to leave the school. Prior to 7-11’s departure, a SUBWAY outlet also withdrew from RI in 2012 due to similar reasons, leading to the school calling for an open tender – we even published an advertisement in the newspapers. Eventually, the panel selected Aaron and Joanna and granted them the license to open a store here.

Now, on to the much anticipated food items to be served in Chill@RI. Most of the foodstuff will be similar in price as well as range as the ones sold at RIB. There will be waffles and pastries to cater to those with a sweet tooth, ‘Healthier Choice’ products for the more health-conscious, and even shampoo and other toiletries for the boarders. The store will also stock items from the popular bakery Delifrance, such as cakes, donuts and muffins, all at a discounted price!

Aunty Joanna flipping through Delifrance pastry menu.

However, due to limited space and restrictions imposed by food licenses, the new minimart will not be able to serve made-on-the-spot waffles that have been a hit at Chill@RIB. Nevertheless, pre-made waffles and pastries will be served, along with other trademark minimart food items.

Quite a number of students are looking forward to the new store. “Finally I don’t have to walk all the way to the RI boarding side!” remarked Mahina Azeem of 14S03R. Indeed, opening the store at the Year 5-6 side has made the shop more accessible for Year 5-6 students who frequent the minimart.  Since the shop only closes around 7pm on weekdays some students have also mentioned that they can get themselves something to eat in the evening after the canteen closes.

The number of days to the opening of the store is not far away. As remedial lessons, competition periods and late night trainings ramp up, this convenience would surely come in useful. So start looking forward to Chill@RI Year 5-6 branch!

Written by Lu Jinyao 14A01D, Wilson Chan 15A01C, Sharvani Kim 15A01D and Kang Yi Xi 15S03N

Having racked up a laudable medal tally of two golds last year, the A Division table tennis team faced much pressure to match their track record. Despite formidable competition from traditional opponents Hwa Chong Institution and Nanyang Junior College, our Raffles paddlers succeeded in living up to expectations and walked away once again with a hard-earned haul of two gold medals.

A Division Girls

The contest between our girls’ team and its counterpart from Hwa Chong Institution was a veritable clash of two titans, with tensions running high between supporters from both schools seated right next to each other in the stands. The first game was arguably the most nerve-racking game for the girls as it was far from an one-sided affair, featuring impressive manoeuvres from both paddlers that neutralized each other’s temporary leads straight till the fifth set. Raffles player Lam Teng Si started strong, taking down the first set by a clear margin with a score of 11-3. However, a series of inadvertent errors by Teng Si gave her Hwa Chong opponent the opportunity to triumph the second set with a score of 11-4. The third and fourth sets continued to be tight races that plunged the match’s outcome into uncertain waters. Having been bested in the third set, Teng Si came back from the time-out invigorated and denied Hwa Chong a premature win in the fourth set. Eventually, Teng Si’s adroit control of the ball played a major role in the opponent’s fatal misfire that sent the ball flying past the table in the fifth set, securing the first crucial victory for Raffles.

Teng Si putting up a strong fight against her opponent from Hwa Chong

The triumphant first game was a compelling morale boost for Raffles, as our paddlers continued to edge out their rivals. The second game was filled with close calls, with neither the Raffles duo of Cheryl Tang and Charlene Koh nor their counterparts being able to take the lead.

In contrast, the third game was characterised by Lim Yi Xuan’s aggressive play, which dominated the table and left her opponent little space for retaliation. Yi Xuan won the first set with a decisive victory of 11-5. The second round was a close call, with the two neck and neck with a score of 11-11 when her opponent’s ball missed the table to bring the score to 12-11. With one more point necessary to win the set, Yi Xuan sent the ball expertly over the net, where it deflected off the opponent’s bat and flew into the fence next to the table. The third set was an overwhelming victory for her, concluding with a score of 11-1. This spectacularly-executed third game eventually completed the third straight victory of the Raffles team, bringing back the much-coveted gold medal amidst thunderous applause from the Rafflesian crowd.

A Division Boys

Compared to the girls, the boys’ contest was much of a safe course. Rafflesian Xiao Peng declared Raffles domination from the first set onwards, leading 8-0 within five minutes into the first set. His quick reflexes were the determining factor that enabled him to gain significant leads over his opponent, who made multiple slip-ups as the increasingly widening score divide caused his confidence to gradually falter.

Perhaps having been galvanised by Xiao Peng’s excellent performance, Tsai Ren Jie and Alphonse Ang dealt rapid and successive attacks during the doubles game, enabling them to swiftly trounce their opponents in the first two sets. Despite making several inaccurate shots in the third set, our paddlers rose from those mistakes to take the second game.

The third match played by Oscar Chau was evidently the highlight of the boys’ contest. Unlike the previous smooth-sailing games, Oscar faced stiff competition from his NYJC opponent. The game was fraught with intense, fast-paced ball play, and the many high shots pulled off by both sides made for a breathtaking experience for spectators. Regrettably, Raffles ceded the game to NYJC by a slim margin as the Nanyang player took the last set. This defeat was a clear disruption to the plans of the boys’ team, who had expected a clean straight-three victory. When asked about his opinions on the game, Oscar expressed that the intensity of the game made it a dynamic and rewarding experience for both sides, and team captain Benjamin Ban acknowledged that “(the NYJC) team does have their strengths as well. Ultimately it was a good learning point for both.”

Fortunately, Raffles made a comeback during the final game as our Year 5 paddlers Chua Shao Shxuan and Liu Tian prevailed over their two opponents to obtain the crucial victory required for Raffles to win yet another gold medal. In the third and fourth sets, the NYJC players seemed to lose their resolve – having been disoriented by the repeated volleys of rapid shots and smashes sent by the Rafflesians, they were unable to put up a strong defence and consequently failed to obtain more than 3 points for both rounds.

The Table-Tennis team with their haul of medals

Throughout the game, our Rafflesian supporters constantly tried to outdo our rival schools in the volume and enthusiasm of cheers, creating the an ear-ringing cacophony of hollers as our paddlers took the challenge head-on. The authors felt especially heartened upon hearing the spirited rendition of the Unite cheer after the championship. As player Cheryl Tang expressed her sincere thanks to all the supporters, the authors’ greatest takeaway was that no great sportsman can exist solely on his or her own. Mr Chan Joo Kiat, the teacher-in-charge of Table Tennis, evidently agreed with these sentiments, for he stated, “I think this has been a collective effort; the teachers, the coaches and the school have provided all the support.”

For the paddlers, the National Finals were a bittersweet experience indeed, for the competition’s end also marked the end of their journey in fighting for Raffles. ‘I’d trade all my tomorrows for just one yesterday,’ shared Lam Teng Si. However, the authors are certain that the memories she carved with the team will never fade into the background of her life. On this note, the authors would like to extend our heartiest congratulations to the two victorious teams — for the drive, determination and passion with which they played for Raffles.

Written by: Joyce Er (15A01A), Marcus Tan (15A01A), Christine Saw (15A01A) and Martin Lim (15A13A) Additional Photos by: Hugo Tay (15A01A) and Raffles Community Advocates From the 15-17th of April, Raffles Community Advocates (CA) rolled out the inaugural Heartware, in their bid to raise awareness on the serious issue of poverty in our society and around the world. Instead of merely having No Shoes Day as per tradition, this year the graduating batch of CA decided to address the issue of poverty more holistically, starting with the individual before branching out to the community and to the world. With the aim of cultivating empathy and inspiring Rafflesians to reflect on the privileged lives we take for granted, the Organising Team organised a series of events from the 15-17 of April, in the hopes that students could experience poverty for themselves.

Day 1: Try It! The $3 Challenge

Heartware 2014 commenced with Try It!: $3 Food Challenge. Participants were encouraged to limit their food spending money for the day to $3, an initiative which bore similarities to the ‘$5 challenge’ that gained popularity and attention in Singapore late last year. In the $5 challenge, Singaporeans pledged to cap their spending on food and transportation to a mere $5 a day so as to be able to better empathise with Singaporeans who face such impediments living on a $1500 income. Similarly, the $3 challenge aimed to encourage fellow Rafflesians to get a taste of the constraints and discomforts of food poverty.

The $3 Challenge pledge board featuring pictures of students holding up placards

When asked about the purpose of the challenge, Daniel Hakim (14S06F), the head of the Organising Team for Heartware 2014 remarked, “It’s not about going hungry [...] it’s about appreciating the value of $3 such that you will be able to spend wisely on your food.” Students were encouraged to pledge their commitment to the challenge by writing their reasons for doing so on placards. Pictures of students holding up the placards were displayed on a board along the canteen walkway and featured in a video screened in the canteen.

One of our writers decided to take part in the challenge as well.

Many students took part in this event with enthusiasm, citing reasons such as wanting to empathise with those who regularly face financial constraints, and recognising that we should not take our food for granted. Students felt that even though the challenge was on too small a scale to really feel the experience of being impoverished, it still helped to make the student population more sensitive to the plight of the less privileged. Eugene Lee from 15S07D commented, “I think that it’s important to know that we are in a very comfortable and blessed environment, and we shouldn’t take what we have now for granted… $3 may seem small to us but in other people’s eyes, its a lot of money…I did it because I wanted to empathize with others from all around the world and to just keep in mind that we have a lot in our current age, and we shouldn’t take all these privileges for granted by being spendthrift and spending excessively.”

The challenge was labelled by many as a difficult one. While many students excitedly pledged to commit to the challenge, a number found themselves unable to complete it and eventually succumbed to the persistent growls of their stomachs. Not only did students find it tough to last the day on the significantly smaller amount of food that $3 could get them, they also faced the inconvenience of having to consider the value of food items down to the very cent.

Phionna Teo from 15A01A said, “I found it rather difficult because I’m not the type to consider the food I want to buy by its price, but more of how it would satisfy me. Putting a monetary limit to the food I could buy was thus a great stretch for me and I eventually gave in. I think the challenge is really a sacrifice that makes you take a step back and consider the plight of the less fortunate.”

However, some students refrained from taking part in the challenge entirely. Reasons for desisting included having a long day in school or failing to see the value in such an initiative. This was especially so for those who had to stay back that day and needed their money to cover the cost of more than one meal. The more common replies when interviewed were “I’m staying in school till ____/ I have CCA and I need energy” or “I’ll probably exceed it anyway”. When asked why she thought this was the case, a CA member who declined to be named replied, “I think many people don’t really take events like these seriously and simply dismiss it because they already feel that they have the sort of awareness the event aims to promote. Taking part in this challenges don’t seem to be able to improve the lives of the less fortunate in any way. But what many people fail to realise is the challenge is meant to be a starting point for fostering greater empathy which will hopefully translate into greater action taken.”

What also possibly limited the success of the event was the fact that some brought home cooked food to school in order to remain below the $3 budget, which many claimed defeated the purpose of feeling the discomfort and curtailment of $3 in the first place. On the other hand, many other students found meaning in the challenge and persisted in completing it despite the long school hours. When asked why she still participated in the challenge despite having to stay back till 5pm, Liu Lijia from 15A01A quipped, “Well, poor people don’t have a choice.”

Day 2: See It! Behind Closed Doors One-Room-Flat Exhibition Heartware continued on the second day with “See It! Behind Closed Doors”, where a one-room flat exhibition was conspicuously set up in the canteen walkway. The intention was to bring the struggles of the poor right to our doorstep, while concurrently publicising REACH Singapore’s home refurbishment volunteer activities. Singapore’s shiny facade belies its income inequality, currently the highest amongst OEDCs, such that, as Daniel Hakim explained, “poverty in Singapore may not be obviously seen”. Although it was not to scale, the exhibition clearly demonstrated the cramped living conditions which the underprivileged have to face on a daily basis, even in a country at the pinnacle of economic prosperity.

A table displaying an assortment of cheap but unhealthy foodstuffs, which can typically be found in a one-room flat.

The not-to-scale mini-exhibition served its function by creating an illusory sense of claustrophobia even in the wide canteen walkway, which undoubtedly proved to be a novel experience for Rafflesians. A table piled with cheap foodstuffs like milo packets and biscuits took up about a third of the space. In addition to this table, the tiny space was further crammed with a study desk and a blanket meant to indicate a sleeping area.

Photos of one-room flats which CA helped to clean up were displayed on the walls to show visitors the reality of living in such flats in Singapore, and students who wished to view those on the far end of the exhibit were forced to squeeze in. The rest of the wall space was covered in infographic posters about poverty in Singapore. Students who visited the exhibition were encouraged to pen down their thoughts on Post-It notes which were then put up on a cork board inside the exhibit, as well as on its exterior.

The majority of post-its expressed approval of the exhibit, such as one that said the exhibition was “very meaningful and insightful in showing us the living conditions of our fellow Singaporeans [which] we otherwise would not know about”. Similarly, another said the exhibition “opened my eyes to the harsh reality in Singapore and inspired me again to remember to be grateful and stand up for the needy”. For such individuals, the exhibition clearly confronted them with the stark reality of poverty and inspired them to reconsider their own privilege, fulfilling CA’s intended outcomes.

At the same time, the exhibition had its detractors, with one post-it arguing that the exhibition was an “unrealistic representation of a one-room flat” and an “exaggeration”. Admittedly, the exhibition had its limitations; one could hardly expect CA to reconstruct an entire flat in the canteen, and stepping into a small space for a couple of minutes makes a mockery of the experience of the poor. However, the intention of the exhibition was not to replicate, but to simulate, and in doing so provide an opportunity to step into the shoes of someone less fortunate.

However, ‘See It’ appeared to be limited in its attempt to inspire students to sign up if they were interested in future home refurbishment activities. When we last checked on Saturday, there were only four signups expressing interest in future home refurbishment activities. When asked if she noticed the signup sheet, Sandra Faith Tan  from 15S05A highlighted, “If it was on the table outside the exhibition, the table was strewn with loose papers and post-it pads,” which may have obscured the signup sheet. The exhibition had unrealised potential to engage and inspire students and perhaps there could have been better organization and more conspicuous positioning.

For an inaugural run, the one-room flat simulation appears to have been well-intentioned, but to increase its effectiveness, it could have been executed more thoroughly, with greater attention paid to detail. A Y5 who has requested to remain anonymous praised the visual component of the exhibition, but felt that ‘it could be much more improved through other senses like taste, smell and touch’ for a more comprehensive and convincing sensory experience.

Tana River Life Foundation Talk 

That same day, a talk was also held to help establish the right attitude towards the final instalment of Heartware, Feel It! No Shoes Day. Over the past two years, this has been held alongside the Shoe Collection Drive that CA holds in partnership with the Tana River Life Foundation (TRLF). This is a charitable organisation situated in Kenya, which aims to provide dignified aid to marginalised locals. The talk was conducted by Rafflesian alumnus and TRLF founder, Mr Gabriel Teo, about his organisation’s schemes and the ethics he believes should underpin any acts of social service. He was accompanied by three Kenyan youth beneficiaries of TRLF’s programmes, including the Mitumba Project which the Heartware shoe collection drive is contributing towards.

Mr Gabriel Teo spoke about TRLF’s aid schemes and the principles underlying TRLF’s work.

Mr Teo began with a preamble on the principles underpinning his work. He warned against heroism and ‘creating dependency’ or a culture of slacktivism, which he characterised as ‘playing with people’s lives for your own ego’. Passionately decrying shortsighted, one-off welfare projects that fail to prioritise human lives, he said, “Community is understanding that it is not about output or numbers you generate, it’s about outcomes, and how are lives changed for the better.”

After touching on schemes geared towards subsidizing education for Delta students, Mr Teo provided detailed information about the Mitumba Project, which is behind Heartware’s Shoe Collection Drive. Mitumba, or ‘recycled goods’ in Swahili, is a microfinance scheme set up in 2004 and one of TRLF’s entrepreneurship courses. In addition to shoes, Mitumba also collects clothes and bags, which are then sorted and either sold or used for the course.

The microloan scheme, essentially a form of repackaged financial assistance, operates over 4-5 months. In the first month, 100 pieces of clothing and 20-30 pairs of shoes are loaned on good faith to interview-selected applicants, mostly women with dependents such as children studying in secondary school or with chronic disease. Participants market and sell their wares to locals for about 400-500% profit. The sale of all their shoe stock, with a pair going for approximately $4.20, can pay for about a term’s school fees. In the subsequent months, they repay their loans and purchase more stock to sell. Participants must remain accountable, presenting monthly receipts accounting for their income and expenditure.

Eddie, a Kenyan youth beneficiary of the Mitumba Project, is proof that TRLF aid can be effective.

In response to a question about the sustainability of a scheme in which TRLF still provided the shoe stock, Mr Teo clarified that Mitumba ‘is not intended to be a major source of assistance’, and practically only ‘gives them a boost’. The real intention, Mr Teo stressed, was to ‘preserve dignity as you assist, through dignified giving and dignified receiving’, as opposed to a condescending ‘beggars can’t be choosers’ attitude on this end, or a sense of passive dependence on the other.

Since the overwhelming majority of students in attendance were CA members or Councillors, the outreach for this talk was admittedly seriously limited. This was unfortunate, as the talk did have important messages to share. Especially in light of Acta Non Verba, those in attendance found the talk useful in clarifying exactly how the Mitumba project works, and understood TRLF’s guiding mindsets of aid with dignity in relation to No Shoes Day. Lum Qian Wei, a Y5 member of CA, succinctly summed up her takeaways, “I found it useful. The TRLF emphasises self-reliance and preserves the dignity of the beneficiaries as ultimately, beneficiaries have to put in their own effort to run the businesses. I think No Shoes Day serves to remind us how fortunate we are, and helps us empathise with the poor; this ties in nicely with the TRLF’s principle of treating everyone with respect regardless of his background or status, and not slipping into condescension.”

Day 3: Feel It! No Shoes Day 

Heartware 2014 rounded off with Feel it!: No Shoes Day as the popular poverty awareness event returned for the third year running. Organized in collaboration with the aforementioned Tana River Life Foundation, the event aimed to raise awareness for the poor living conditions of the children in Kenya.

A sample of the 905 and counting pairs of shoes collected in this year’s Shoe Collection Drive, which have far surpassed previous years in number.

There, millions of children are forced to go barefoot across treacherous terrain and risk painful abrasions, cuts and infections with every step they take – all this because they cannot afford a pair of shoes. While walking around without shoes in a clean, safe school compound is in no way an accurate simulation of their daily ordeal, this small act of sacrifice on our parts was intended to encourage participants to empathise with less fortunate children. No Shoes Day was also meant to encourage participation in the Shoe Collection Drive so as to raise funds for these Kenyan communities through the Mitumba Project, which encouraged students to donate their pre-loved shoes to the Tana River Life Foundation.

Across the three days of advocacy, No Shoes Day appears to have sparked the most criticism of all, with students levelling the typical accusations of ineffectiveness and slacktivism at it. For instance, a Y5 student who declined to be named demurred, “No Shoes Day is rather gimmicky as it doesn’t raise awareness enough to make a difference. It’s merely a bandwagon thing and people just jump onto it without understanding why. Everyone will just forget about it in a week so I don’t see how it’s useful at all.”

Some students also pointed out the stark contrast in going barefoot in RI compared to going barefoot in Kenya, again a case of simulation becoming ineffective simplification. Participating Rafflesians had to navigate mere puddles of water and the occasional ledge, to the extent that a Y6 student said, “It was a great experience and by the end of the day I got used to it. I really enjoyed myself.”

In contrast, the children in Kenya have to negotiate much harsher terrain and the profundity of their difficulties may well be beyond our imagining. Those who willingly participated and grasped the risible contrast between conditions here and there are perhaps the ones who benefited most from the challenge. One such individual would be Natalie Chan from 15S03B, who reflected: “The grossest part was the toilets and the canteen floor, but even that is nothing compared to what the Kenyan children have to go through because they risk stepping on dangerous objects such as broken glass”. Some other students, like Ding YuChen, took the challenge several steps further by running their 2.4km item for NAPFA sans footwear.

Two J1s resolutely running their 2.4km for NAPFA without shoes.

While many people were seen walking around school barefoot or instagramming themselves with their friends that day, it can be hard to distinguish between successful advocacy and mere slacktivism, as the difference lies in the mentality behind the action. For those who participated by walking around school barefoot, their good intentions are to be commended,though it is important that they realise how much worse going shoe-less is for those in Kenya for the entire exercise to have been fruitful. As with the $3 challenge, the fact that we had a choice to participate only underscores our own privilege. Moreover, going around shoe-less for a school day was a small sacrifice to make. Indeed, No Shoes Day seemed to be a success because of the number of students who enthusiastically participated; yet, it remains to be seen how many took away the true meaning behind their dirty soles that day.

As a whole, Heartware’s thoughtfully planned, holistic experiencewas a welcome evolution from past years, where there was only ‘No Shoes Day’, and those who attempted each day’s challenges and experiences generally came away with a better appreciation of poverty. This year, however, controversy arose over the various events organised and numerous questions were raised over the kind of aid being provided and whether it would reach the very people we are trying to help. And perhaps that recognition  and depth of thought is something encouraging for the Rafflesian community – after all, advocacy can only progress when we truly take ownership of it. While it is up to the reader to assess the impact of this year’s Heartware, credit has to be given to the Organizing Team, who began planning Heartware last October, for their hard work in conceptualizing and putting together the different events over the three days. For these dedicated organisers, their parting message to all participants is, “All in all we hope that everyone who participated in Heartware 2014 can better appreciate the little things we have around us and are more aware about poverty that exist both on local and global scale.”  Hopefully, regardless of which side students take in the conundrum of slacktivism and spreading awareness, every student has grown at least a little more cognizant of the privileges they are fortunate to have.

by Bryan Chua (14A01A)
Photo credit: http://blogs.greekpod101.com/blog/2011/06/11/greek-word-of-the-day-short-adjective/

I hate taking the class photo. There, I said it. The annual ritual of gathering together as a class, with photographers and everything set up at a central location with the big screens and flash umbrellas to take a series of photos to be put in the yearbook (and on your bedroom wall, if you love your class that much).

The thing is, I don’t hate the awkward smiling, or being uncomfortable with who I’m standing next to in the photo, or having to look somewhat presentable for the camera or anything like that. No, what I’m really bothered about is this incredibly annoying ritual that revives an unnecessary obsession with height. No other time will you not only stand in a line in ascending order of height, but also stand back-to-back asking the question “Who’s taller?” On no other occasion do we find a reason to arrogantly stand with our backs as straight as possible, lift our heads up as high as we can just to say, “Ha! I’m taller than you.”

In fact, nobody ever tries to compete to be the shortest in the row. What does happen, instead, is that the second shortest guy turns to you and says, “I was actually really depressed (about being shorter), but then I realised you’re there,” followed by an apology even Karen from Mean Girls would know was completely insincere (in case you didn’t know, Karen’s the ‘dumb blonde’ in the film). Did you really mean to apologise for asserting your height over me? We all know this is a competition, and being taller than just one person is often enough to feel slightly better about ourselves.

We forget though, that there has to be someone who stands at the front of that line, and is shoved out to the unimportant edges of the photo by virtue of simply being shorter than everyone else. The one person who stands at the front of every row, can never sit in the back row just so he/she can see the board and is the target of every single short joke known to man. Oh, the humiliation.

Thing is, despite the constant barrage of reminders that I’m just simply shorter than everyone else, I don’t really care anymore. Why is it such a big deal, being shorter or taller? Does it really say anything about you? I’m reasonably certain this is just a thing to make ourselves feel better when we know that at least we’re better than someone else at something, even if it is just a matter of genetics and biology that grants us that.

But we cherish height, don’t we? It’s constantly about trying to grow taller, trying to gain that extra few centimetres of height and move into that bracket of “tall” to “taller”. Sure, there are benefits of being tall, like being able to reach that book you accidentally left on the top shelf while packing your room, or being able to see your teacher eye-to-eye to help reduce the trembling fear that strikes when you’re looking up at your Civics Tutor who’s telling you off for falling asleep in his class.

Being short is cool though. Someone on Thought Catalog wrote a piece on 20 reasons why “being short is the best”. Probably a massive overstatement, but there are at least some benefits to being short. For starters, it’s so much easier to slot in and out of crowded MRT stations, or fit on the train at peak hour since you take up (in general) so much less space – plus, it’s more comfortable, since you don’t have to crane your neck and contort your body just to fit in that little gap in the train. Also, it’s far easier to get a cheaper lunch when you smile widely and lie through your teeth when trying to convince a waiter you’re young enough for the child discount, when you’re really not. Fine, maybe that’s a little unethical – but that’s besides the point.

Sure, we’d all like to be taller because it not only gives us a sense of superiority over the next person, but perhaps also a representation of what we all are – just trying to be better than the next guy. We’ll jump at any chance we get to assert ourselves over the next person just to boost our own sense of self-worth, forgetting that really, sometimes it really doesn’t matter.

All that aside, that’s why I really hate this annual, laboured ritual of photo-taking, and having to line up in a row in order of height just to make the photo look symmetrical. I hate it, but I’ll still proudly take my place at the front of the line, while everyone battles with one another trying to measure that additional 0.1cm to warrant moving further down the line. It’s so much easier.