By Law May Ning (14S03O); Feng Zhuo (14S03S)

Lim Shao Min (14S03K); Tyronne Toh (14A01A); Ng Wei Chin (14S03D); Lee Yun Wen (14S03R); Lye Han Jun (13A01A)

This article marks the start of a new food column by Raffles Press. We will highlight eating places close to RI, and hope to broaden the food options of Rafflesians.

★ ★ ★ ☆

From mouth-watering, crispy fried bananas to richly flavoured prawn soup, Longhouse Food Centre at 183 Upper Thomson Road was a treat for the taste buds as it offered a variety of traditional Singapore hawker-style foods.

For our journalists, enough was enough – the trips to air-conditioned, fast-food eateries in Junction 8 have just been one too many. Far from the Subways and Pizza Huts of the world, we instead ventured to the foreign territories of Upper Thomson Road, namely the Longhouse food centre, a quaint hawker centre situated in the midst of a busy traffic junction.

The route to Longhouse (Google maps)

If one is familiar with the Prata House, popular as it is amongst the RI crowd with lunch breaks to fill, the trip to Longhouse would not be something completely alien: hop into the 410 from school, and get off the stop after the Shunfu Market (the stop before the Prata House bus stop). We were at first a little apprehensive about the maze-like routes: Longhouse Food Centre was not within sight when we initially got off at the bus stop, but after a little manuveuring, we eventually made our way there.

From the moment we entered, the whiff of the different dishes filled the air, and we could tell that this was a popular eating place – it was crowded with cars coming and going in its carpark, though we managed to get a seat for five fairly quickly. Though the eatery was not air-conditioned, it was well-ventilated with many fans that seemed to blow some sort of water vapour mist, making it quite cooling, and hence the lack of air-conditioning was barely noticeable. However, our visit was at 7pm at night, so we cannot speak for what the blazing lunch time temperatures of Singapore might do for students going there for lunch.

Dinner was a small-scale yet interesting affair, as each member selected a dish of their liking and shared it amongst the group. Our choices ranged from delightful snacks such as popiah to larger meals like chicken chop, and every arrival of a dish brought much delight amongst all members.

Goreng Pisang
However, there was a snack that was on the priority lists for everyone – the famous Boon’s Goreng Pisang.

Goreng pisang (fried banana)

A quick Google search brings up many hits for this famous shop, and we quickly dispatched a member to do the purchasing, given that the only have a limited supply of crisp-fried bananas everyday (there were only about 10-20 left by 7pm). Bananas in hand, the members took their bites. Immediately we were overwhelmed by the blend of the sweetness of the banana and the crispiness of the crust. The softness of the inside complemented the slightly salty crispy coating on the outside.

Though the fried oily pleasure is hardly something recommended for the health-conscious, those concerned about their wallets need not worry, as one costs between $0.80 – $1.20, depending on the size of the banana. It is definitely a treat that keeps you coming back for seconds.

Prawn Mee
We then targeted the next item on the table: Prawn Mee.

This prawn mee is well-known online and has many positive reviews on food websites.

At $5, this dish might appear a little expensive at first glance, but its subsequent arrival changed our opinion immediately. The prawn mee was stocked with an abundant supply of ingredients, including 6 pieces of prawn sliced into half. Taking a sip, the first taster gave a murmur of approval, and soon everyone dipped their spoons in to get a taste of the soup.

There was a delectable layering of flavours in the soup. A hint of garlic contributed to a rich overall texture, and the taste of the prawn blended in to give the soup that was packed with goodness. The noodles and prawns, however, did not stand out in the dish.

One thing worth mentioning is the effort taken by the stall owners in preparing the food: presentation was done with much care, and the prawns were sliced to allow easy removal of the prawn shells without having to use one’s hands.

Duck Rice
Next, we turned our attention to the duck rice, which was a dish that tasted as interesting as it looked.

The fame of this duck rice stall is evident as the food buffs amongst us shared their knowledge of having heard its name at least once online. Carefully spooning some duck rice into our mouths, we were immensely delighted at how flavourful the rice was. There is no need to add chilli or any other sauce.

The other highlight was the duck meat, which was tender, succulent, and well-marinated.

An even greater piece of news is that it is priced at an affordable price of $3.50, which will probably be a relief to students on a budget. The only downside is that there is a lack of vegetables in the dish, and students who take delight in munching on cucumber slices every time they go for chicken rice will probably find this small serving of vegetables inadequate.

Chicken Chop (Western Food stall)
Though not as renowned on the internet or outstanding in terms of taste, the Western food stall is definitely worth a mention because of its large servings and high value for money. At $5.50 for a humongous portion of chicken chop, the price is average and even included tasty soup.

The stall also had many other options to try including Lamb Chop and Sirloin Steak, and offered plenty of delicious prospects for return visits.

Rojak
We also tried the rojak ($3-5), which was something nice to top up the meal, though nothing spectacular. It also took 15-20 minutes to arrive.

Similarly, the popiah, fish soup, and hokkien mee were of average quality.

All in all, we wholeheartedly recommend a trip down to Longhouse – it may be a little out of the way, but it definitely has a whole new variety of foods to try other than the familiar haunts of RI students and the dreary canteen.

It may take a little time finding, but it makes for a fun new trip for the adventurous. We most definitely will be back again to try the Thai food stall, or possibly even the interesting desserts like Dragonfruit Jelly that we were too stuffed to try by the end of this eating expedition.

With two years worth of lunches to fill, Longhouse is definitely a place that RI students can visit quite a few times to get something new each time.

Longhouse Food Centre

183 Upper Thomson Rd, Singapore 574332

★ ★ ★ ☆

Take 410 from canteen bus stop; get off 2/3 stops later and walk to Longhouse.

Notable dishes: prawn mee; goreng pisang; duck rice

Price range: $

By Tan Jun Xiang (14S06C)

It’s a common misconception that teachers lead very drab and boring lives. After all, someone who spends his or her life pontificating about the pleasures of drawing graphs or writing essays cannot possibly be doing anything interesting in his/her spare time, can they?

Ms Lin Run’Er, our very own Year 5 GP tutor, showed us just how wrong we were on 15th April, when she witnessed the scene of the Boston Marathon bombing first-hand. Having taken leave from the school to take part in the marathon, she was barely 200m away from the bombing when it took place.

Ms Lin appearing on the news after the incident.
Photo: Divya Muthiah (14S06C)

In light of her remarkable experience, we sat down with Ms Lin to obtain a first-hand account of what transpired in Boston as well as her personal take on the incident.

ON THE BOSTON MARATHON

Press: Let’s start at the beginning, before you went for the marathon. How did you qualify or get to participate in the Boston Marathon?

Ms Lin: Well the qualifying timing for my age group was 3h 35 mins, so we had to run a marathon in 3h 35 mins or less. I qualified in the 2011 Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon. I ran 3h 33 mins.

What made you decide to go to the Boston Marathon in the middle of your teaching season?

The Boston Marathon is a really big deal for runners. They call it the “Olympics of the Common Man” and I’ve heard a lot about the Boston Marathon. I’ve had friends who’ve went, and they’ve said it’s the oldest marathon in the world. I mean, besides the one that happened in Greece, it’s the oldest “official” marathon in the world so it’s something I wanted to experience.

My qualifying time only lasted for a year or so and I really wasn’t sure if I could qualify again. They recently tightened the qualifying standards; it used to be 3 hours 40 mins but now it’s 3 hours 35 mins. So, before they tighten the qualifying standards again, I thought “I’d better go just once, while I have a chance to go” and I know it’s in the middle of my teaching season, which I why I took a very minimal amount of leave, just enough to fly there and back.

Ms Lin with Meb Keflezighi, Silver Medallist in the Olympic Marathon in 2004

During the marathon itself, how did you find the route? How did you feel while running the marathon?

It’s really, really good. It’s the best marathon I’ve ever run. Because the level of support there is tremendous, all the volunteers are super enthusiastic. I’ve never seen such a level of enthusiasm before. I mean, I’m not putting down Singapore or anything, but you could really see that all the volunteers were really happy to be there.

The residents, they take pride in staying there. They will come out of their houses to watch, it’s a family event. People will drag their sleeping bags out, they will lie on the field and support the runners. They will mix their own drinks and even buy their own ice-cream and offer it to runners. They also make their own signs and posters – some are really creative.

It was a very enjoyable experience. There were supporters along every part of the route, so for the whole 42 kilometres there were supporters.

Any particularly interesting signs or incidents that happened to you?

One of the posters said “You’ve trained for this longer than Kim Kardashian has been married.” Things like that.

Encouraging signs along the marathon route

ON THE BOMBING

Where were you when the bombing took place?

I was after the finish line, roughly about 200m or so past it.

What was your initial reaction to the bombing? What did you see at the site?

My initial reaction was like “What is this? What happened?” Because those of us who finished the marathon, we were all very tired, so our reflexes were a bit slow. It was a new place, and there was a church there so we thought it might be a celebratory cannon or fireworks that went off early. There was no immediate panic. We just went like “Oh my goodness, what was that”.  Everyone was in a very happy mood, you see, so it didn’t really strike us immediately that it was a bomb.

So we just went on as per normal. Some people stopped to take photos. We just thought “There’s nothing we can do, we don’t know what it is.” Just a few moments later, people started running in our direction. They were panicking, saying “Run, there’s a bomb”.

The building circled in red is where one of the bombings took place

Did you actually see the site of the bombing?

We couldn’t go to the site of the bombing. I was about 200m away, but after that the area was cordoned off and we were not allowed into that street.

How did the general public react to the bombing?

On that same day, I saw very distraught people on the streets. It was very heart-wrenching to see that, especially because a few thousand people didn’t finish the marathon; they couldn’t access their phones so they were uncontactable. So, these are the people whose relatives were trying to contact them but to no avail.
After that, people were very kind. The whole city was very nice and people were very nice to one another. In fact I was standing at a junction waiting for a friend and I had at least five people approach me and ask me “Are you okay? Do you need help?”

People were even offering their houses out to people. There were a lot of tourists over there as people had flown in from overseas to participate so people offered their houses for them to stay at. I heard that people immediately went to the hospital to donate blood.

How did the bombing affect you personally? We understand that your hotel was in a cordoned off area.

Personally, there was a lot of inconvenience as I couldn’t get back to my hotel or get a change of clothes. My passport was in my hotel, a lot of my things were there. I had to stay in a separate Bed and Breakfast for the night, and there was a lot of uncertainty because I was supposed to be flying off the next day.

But I mean, to keep things in perspective, it didn’t worry me that much. I knew that it was an emergency, there was a crisis. I can’t get back to my hotel, okay, but that’s a minor problem compared to what had happened.

Were your family and friends worried? Were you?

Well, I was worried that they would be worried. I think it wasn’t that bad, because I managed to contact them and inform them pretty early. It was at 3-4am Singapore time, so most Singaporeans were sleeping at the time. I think they didn’t know about it yet, so I thought I should pre-empt them and tell them what had happened and tell them that I’m alright.

Do you think it’s possible that something like this might happen to Singapore in the future? In Boston, do you think there were sufficient security measures put in place?

If you talk about security measures, frankly speaking in this kind of event I’m not sure if security measures are good for the event. It’s a family event; if we were to start instituting security measures, like checking everybody’s bags or limiting supporters, I think it would be very difficult. Like for example, in Singapore, there was a race on the Thursday after the Boston Marathon. They decided to limit the number of supporters, and they did not allow supporters in the event area.

As to whether it can happen to Singapore or not, I think it can happen to Singapore. There have been bomb plots that have been exposed so it is possible.

On Running

On a lighter note, how many other marathons have you run?

This was my tenth marathon.

How did you first develop your passion for running?

I guess I first picked up running in secondary school. Since then I really liked running, and in Singapore this whole marathon trend is catching on.

Best marathon timing so far?

3 hours 33 minutes.

Any future goals?

Not at the moment. Qualifying for Boston was a major goal. Now that I’ve achieved this goal, in the immediate future I don’t see the need to aim for another better timing.

After this whole incident, are you looking to participate in any future marathons?

Of course! I think a lot of people expect me to say that I’ll never run another marathon again. But of course not, this won’t affect my future decisions in taking part in more marathons.

Any final thoughts about this entire incident?

Well, this wasn’t a smooth trip for me. On the first day my luggage was delayed, on the last day I lost my phone, my IC, my credit card and a sum of money. But this event kind of puts things in perspective for me. At first I was panicking about losing my phone, and then after a while, I realized “It’s really nothing serious. People have lost their limbs, their loved ones and family members and I’ve only lost a phone. It’s no big deal.”

I also saw the importance of a sense of community in a city. People in Boston are really very friendly, they’re very proud to be part of the community. When this happened, it seemed natural that everyone just started helping one another. And I was wondering – if this happened in Singapore, how would Singaporeans respond? I mean, of course, I don’t want to wait until there is an emergency or disaster to find out. It’s just something to think about.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.
Photos courtesy of Ms Lin.

For Appreciation Week 2013, teams of writers looked into the lives of 4 special individuals who contribute to our daily school lives – people we may not always notice. Starting today, we will post the stories of 1 individual or group everyday, for you to understand who they are and their backgrounds. We hope this encourages you to show your appreciation for the perhaps less-noticed staff members around the school; they may not be significant in their own right, but they definitely make a significant impact on our school lives. Today, we feature 45-year old Shahrin Ahmad, the cleaner often seen at the Marymount Gate.

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by Aidan Mock (13A01B), Pang Ly-Shan (14A01C) and Hazirah Mohd Helmy (14A01C)

Every day, “the smiley cleaner at the Marymount gate” greets students passing through the walkway and makes friendly conversation with them. That’s what we now all know him for, with many of us looking forward to his bright smile every day. Last week, we decided to pay Mr Shahrin Ahmad a visit. He is 45 years of age and started working just three months ago but he has already made quite the impression on our students.

Most of us see Mr Shahrin in the mornings as we come to school, and he is still there when we leave in the afternoons. Sometimes, when students are almost late and rushing in to school, he even opens the gate for them so that they would not have to slow down. We asked him how the students usually respond and were delighted to hear that most students would reciprocate and greet him back cheerfully as well. Some even stop to chat with him, something that he says “brightens his day.” However, there are some who don’t seem to hear him or at least pretend not to. He finds this somewhat discouraging, but despite all this, he still puts on a smile and saying a cheery “Good Morning” to everyone he meets. Hopefully, the school makes him feel like his efforts are worth it.

According to him – and this seems sadly to be corroborated by a post on RJ Confessions – someone has complained that he is ‘too friendly’. However, we don’t feel the same way at all. He tries his best to be friendly, but is never too overbearing. He greets us because he wants to be approachable and polite; he feels that is how people should interact. Mr Shahrin did have some reservations after that incident, but we are very happy to report that some of you encouraged him and gave him your earnest support. We don’t know who these students were, but it’s due to you that Mr Shahrin Ahmad continues to brighten up our days with his bright and cheery manner.

The senior Mr Shahrin works over at RI Boarding, keeping this all very much in the family. However, this is also one of Mr Shahrin’s main concerns, as his septuagenarian father has just been discharged from the hospital due to cardiac arrest and also suffers from asthma. We hope that both father and son will keep healthy and well, especially as the work can be physically taxing and the hours quite long.

However, Mr Shahrin keeps himself cheerful and looks forward to your friendly smiles every day. He hopes that students will continue greeting him and responding to the small talk, and wants us to know that he is only trying to be friendly and approachable, as it is simply his disposition. Though his workday is tiring and we students seem very stressed as well, if we take a moment to smile, to respond and be positive, it is very possible to brighten someone else’s day and make a huge difference.

P.S. One thing you might not know about him is that he is a dedicated fan of SNSD. In fact, his music taste is very eclectic, including singers like Jennifer Lopez, 4 minute and Boys like Girls. He’s been to three concerts in the last two years. Now you know! This could be a good conversation starter the next time you pass him.

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Appreciation Week is featuring this story and more at a mini-exhibition in the canteen this week. Come on down and write thank-you notes, or show your appreciation in your own way! :) Look out for our next staff feature tomorrow!

by Rachel Tan (13S06D)

Is eating in darkness all that scary? This writer closes her eyes and fumbles for some insight into the lives of the blind.

Dine in the Dark is an event organised on the 4^th of May by Raffles Interact. It aims to allow participants to gain a glimpse into the experiences of the blind through a meal in darkness.

“There’s none so blind as those who will not listen.” – Neil Gaiman, American Gods

The handicap is not at once apparent. As our guide leads us to our seats, there is little difficulty navigating, no thanks to the dim lights and candles by the side. I start to wonder if I was milking the experience. Isn’t finding your way around supposed to be a challenge for the blind?

Eventually, they immerse us in darkness, save for a small spot on the ceiling. People fade into hazy outlines, more apparition than human. Lights become foreign now, and more often than not, ironically unwelcome. Flashes from people attempting to take photos of themselves (why would you want to do that?) and a screened video invite more headaches than visual clarity.

Appetizer

Voices morph into more than just peripheral noise; conversations swarm at the ear like angry nests of bees. It’s a mutually destructive end as the sounds struggle to drown each other out – the effect is no symphony. I strain to pick out my companion’s voice from the mutiny of sounds. But even then, talking becomes a chore. I’m not sure if she’s looking into my eyes as I speak, or if I am when she does. Or if it is rude not to attempt to orientate my head in her general direction. Or if we both silently acknowledge that eye contact no longer matters.

Insecurity trickles in as I await the little pauses before she replies. Does she know I am talking to her?

—

“Please lead my hand to the centre of your table.”

It’s the waitress. I latch on to her hand and the appetizer (potato salad) descends. The fork dives in but scoops air instead so the first few mouthfuls are empty. My hand becomes more sensitive to the weight of the fork – a heavier one signals food, a lighter one means I have to dig again.

The only kind of photo this writer managed to capture at the event

Main course

Needless to say, taking invisible notes is no easy task. Apart from recalling how far down the page I have already written (so that the lines would not overlap), mid-way through sentences, I catch myself forgetting what has been entrusted to the safety of paper and ink, and what is still lingering in my head.

The voices threaten to smother the music from the live bands. Has my hearing become keener because of the loss of sight? Or are the other diners unconsciously trying to make up for the lack of vision by (over) stimulating other senses?

The main course, like the appetizer, is served in a neat package with a cover. It’s a relief. I don’t have to risk contaminating my food when groping blindly for the pasta. They say that the brain automatically gauges how full one should feel based on how much food is remaining on the plate. But now, eating is a marathon without a clear finishing line.

Dessert

By now, my eyes have grown tired in the futile search for non-existent light, so I close them instead. The darkness – no longer a novelty – is unsettling, accompanied by the chattering voices of uncertain origin. Dessert is chocolate mousse and for the first time in my life, I get annoyed with it. The usual attempt to savour it slowly is replaced by an impatience to ‘get it over and done with’.

But the darkness does present its benefits. I brush my tongue against my braces gingerly, snug in the invisibility cloak that the communal lack of sight bestows; I am shielded from the roving eyes of judgement, the cool, nonchalant glances of uninvited appraisal.

—

The rebirth into light burns. I resort to looking down at my table instead of figures slowly materialising into painful focus. But light promises a recovery, no matter how torturous, back to normalcy.

I’m not sure how much this would change my life or whether it is better to have seen and become blind than not to have seen at all. How close (or far off) is this exercise to the reality of irretrievable vision? Am I now able to empathise with the visually handicapped? How many of the diners have actually reflected over the loss of sight?

Perhaps true blindness lies in those who choose to close off their vision to the lives of people around them. The temporary loss of sight forces us to, at least, think about what it means to live without something so fundamental and yet, so often taken for granted. At best, it is a contemplative journey and at worst, a masochistic activity performed for pure thrill. But for those who resist the call to look inward, then, perhaps, even the darkness can’t save them.

The writer’s tickets were fully paid for. The photo is courtesy of Natalia Chioang and Claudia Koh. 

For Appreciation Week 2013, teams of writers looked into the lives of 4 special individuals or groups who contribute to our daily school lives – people we may not always notice. We hope this encourages you to show your appreciation for the perhaps less-noticed staff members around the school; they may not be significant in their own right, but they definitely make a significant impact on our school lives. Today, we feature the IT department.

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by Kimberly Pah (13A01B), Stephanie Heng (14A01B) and Austin Zheng (14A01B) 

‘We give you the Internet’

Behind an unassuming door, a vanguard of tech wizards protects the school’s intricate computer network from glitches, bugs, hacks, and other mysterious threats. Even as students unknowingly stream past the IT department’s office on their way to the library, the staff are hard at work, sending emails, making calls, replacing defective hardware and fixing problem-plagued software, silently committed to smoothening our school experience. Who are the people behind those screens and walls? Let us shed some light on some of these reclusive figures, namely the Stitch-loving Ms Corinne, the awkwardly endearing Mr Luke and veteran Mr Maurice, all of whom form part of the warm IT department and the family of Raffles.

With less than ten people in the department, each person plays a specific and specialised role in maintaining the IT structure. Mr Luke, for example, plays a role in website design, and takes care of problems that arise with the school applications and websites, even outside of his working hours. Ms Corinne is the administrative officer of the department, handling projects, IT-specific budgets and vendors, and serving as its point of contact. Their colleagues handle the more mechanical side of things, with the small office divided into the hardware and software sections. At times, though, the job scope of the IT department may seem unclear. For instance, the technicians that come to our grateful teachers’ rescue are actually from Estate, while Discovery and Stamford are run by the Education and Technology department. Mr Maurice, the IT department head, clarifies that they are in charge of the underlying infrastructure, while other departments manage the actual content of the school applications and website.

Surprisingly, the IT staff have worked for a relatively short time in RI. Mr Luke has just joined the school this year, while Ms Corinne entered the department in 2012, and even Mr Maurice has worked for only about two years in RI. With us being used to tales of teachers who have taught here for over twenty years, the high turnover rate may come as an intriguing revelation. Mr Maurice noted that the nature of the IT sector means that it is a very competitive arena, with many fresh graduates or university students-to-be looking to gain working experience in school IT departments. Mr Luke has his sights set on the big IT companies, while Ms Corinne is studying marketing. In his case, Mr Maurice decided to settle down in RI after working in corporations such as IBM and Microsoft, burdened by the multitude of performance indicators, the internal politics, the long working hours and the intense pressure. For instance, one of the problems he faced was that his U.S. counterparts and superiors scheduled their deadlines, meetings and plans according to their own time zones, complicating international cooperation and severely affecting his own hours of rest.

Conversely, the working environment at RI is a much more comfortable and friendly one. Mr Luke reflected that the RI IT department was a very warm and family-oriented workplace, while Ms Corinne was very happy withthe supportive atmosphere and job benefits. Mr Maurice laughed as he said that he could leave by 6 p.m., and was thus able to spend more time with his family. Indeed, with the familiarity, friendliness, and teasing between the colleagues, the department itself felt like a family. Consequently, the staff have a considerable amount of time to pursue their own interests, with Ms Corinne playing sports like netball and going out with her friends even as she juggles work and studies. Mr Luke hangs out with his friends and participates in church activities, while Mr Maurice frequently exercises, spends time with his children and helps them prepare for their PSLE looming at the end of the year. With the IT staff clearly leading a much healthier lifestyle than many students, the stereotype of faceless nerds scrabbling over keyboards will hopefully be shattered.

The elusive figures of the IT department have thus been demystified. The next time you go to the library, just remember that behind the walls and doors, a dedicated team of technicians are poring over code, protecting our computers, and poking fun at each other. Every day in school, whether you are scrambling to download your assignments from Google documents and emails, or leisurely catching up with the daily news, be sure to thank the staff for providing that convenient and indispensable tool, the wifi network.

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Appreciation Week is featuring this story and more at a mini-exhibition in the canteen this week. Come on down and write thank-you notes, or show your appreciation in your own way! :) Look out for our next staff feature tomorrow!

For Appreciation Week 2013, teams of writers looked into the lives of 4 special individuals who contribute to our daily school lives – people we may not always notice. We hope this encourages you to show your appreciation for the perhaps less-noticed staff members around the school; they may not be significant in their own right, but they definitely make a significant impact on our school lives. Today, we feature the 54-year old cleaner Maheswari.

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by Ashlynna Ng (13A01A), Carol Yuen (14A01A) and Bryan Chua (14A01A) 

Encounters with Maheswari are memorable because every time she cleared our classroom trash bins, she would knock on the door and call out a friendly ‘Hello!’. Small yet thoughtful gestures like these make our days brighter, amidst the heavy school work load, and we appreciate Maheswari for that!

Just seeing her performing these duties daily, it may never have occurred to us that Maheswari hadn’t always been a cleaner.

Yet, in fact, this is Maheswari’s first stint as a cleaner. Before coming to RI, she was a housewife and subsequently a canteen vendor at a primary school in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, cooking sumptuous dishes to fill the growling stomachs of adorable children whom she loved very much. Last year, she unfortunately failed to obtain the tender to sustain the business and thus decided to move to Singapore in search for work and a change in lifestyle.

Married at 22 to a Singaporean who subsequently migrated to Malaysia, Maheswari has two children, and two grandchildren, whom she works to support. She visits her family who resides in KL monthly and stays in occasional contact via phone calls through her cousin’s sister. She saves her modest salary to spend on her grandchildren whom she loves dearly and missed very much. During her spare time, she enjoys cooking a variety of dishes for dinner at home. Fish is her favourite dish, and she makes a mean curry and sambal.

Maheswari has been working as a cleaner at our school since the beginning of this year. She takes a 20 minute walk to school every day from her place in Toa Payoh, where she lives with her late husband’s relatives. She begins work at 6.30 a.m., cleaning the 3rd floor, the canteen and Block J, and works until 4.30 p.m. in the afternoon, with a lunch break at noon. Although this seemed rather tough, she insists that it is manageable, and that she isn’t given too much work. She even helps out with the dishwashing on occasion, after one of the cleaners left the school.

“We must help one another,” she insists with a smile. While most of us complain of a 5 day work week as it is, Maheswari comes back on Saturdays as well to do her usual cleaning round of the areas allocated to her.

Despite being in her 50s, Maheswari willingly took on this stark transformation in lifestyle.  Working as a cleaner in Singapore seems to be very different from her life in Malaysia; here, she is much busier, with each day so full that it is time for bed once she gets home. It was also difficult to adjust at first because of the new faces all around her. Life is much more fast-paced and she has been unable to get to know the people around her. In Malaysia, however, there were always people she could approach to chat with, with people coming up to her with the intention to chat. Now she only has one friend, her cousin’s sister, to talk to.

On her opinion of the environment at Raffles, she smiles as she tells us of how kind and courteous the students are. She recounts an incident when she fell down, and students automatically came forward to help her up. She also commented on the kindness of her fellow co-workers, including the Lum and Chan Chicken Rice store uncle, who often offers her packets of coffee or meals for free.

Although she is content with her current lifestyle, she notes that cleaning is only a temporary job and, if given the chance, she will definitely head back to the primary school canteen, watching young children grow up in a vibrant school environment. In RI, there just is not the same freedom to play and interact with students or join in their classes. To her, the children she interacted with at the primary school will forever be “babies” who she finds joy in guiding.

Still, despite this deviation from her original “career plan”, her work ethic remains constant. “I don’t feel ashamed or anything, I’m proud I can work, I still have the strength to work, I like to work.” To her, there is completely no stigma associated with being a cleaner – she believes it is better than being “lazy”, saying repeatedly that if you are “always sitting in one place, you will be getting more lazy”. This positive attitude and desire to stay active was very striking to us, especially in her ability to find fulfilment and happiness in the work she undertakes.

Often we are lost in our blind chase for material wellness or glorious accomplishments, in the process failing to acknowledge or comprehend the need to stay contented with what we possess at this very moment.  Maheswari has been a real inspiration to us, and she has helped us to understand how much more meaningful it is to be happy with what we have now. To live with joy, we don’t necessarily have to aim for less, we only have to appreciate the simple things we already have – the friends around us, the facilities available to us, or simply our fine education – and seize the opportunities given to us. Let’s start by recognizing how blessed we are and appreciating those around us for their every contribution.

Thank you Maheswari!

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Appreciation Week is featuring this story and more at a mini-exhibition in the canteen this week. Come on down and write thank-you notes, or show your appreciation in your own way! :) Look out for our next staff feature tomorrow!

For Appreciation Week 2013, teams of writers looked into the lives of 4 special individuals who contribute to our daily school lives – people we may not always notice. We hope this encourages you to show your appreciation for the perhaps less-noticed staff members around the school; they may not be significant in their own right, but they definitely make a significant impact on our school lives. In our final instalment, we feature the 7-11 store uncle, Aung Bo Win.

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by Ashley Wee (13A01A), Leong Yee Ting (14A01C) and Regina Marie Lee (13A01B)

Photos by Wesley Chioh (13A03A)

Anyone who has patronised the 7-11 will remember Mr Aung Bo Win’s warm smile. Since coming to Singapore in 2011, the Burmese national has been working at RI’s 7-11 store, serving up delicious waffles and tirelessly operating the store in the evenings until 9PM.

Recently, we decided to speak with Mr Aung to find out more about his life and his work. “This is my first job in Singapore,” he said. “I am happy to be here.” At 26, Mr Aung arrived from Magway in Burma through an agent, and was employed by his boss, who owns the 7-11 in RI. A typical work day for him begins at 7AM, when he fixes up the machines that dispense mashed potatoes and Slurpees!

“Waffles are the most popular (amongst students),” he told us. Indeed, walking past the store is an experience in itself, because of the delicious smell. “They also come and buy a lot of drinks,” said Mr Aung with a smile. “I like them all.”

Unfortunately, he will be leaving RI’s 7-11 outlet soon. “I’m going to move to an outlet in Novena, because my boss wants to move there,” he told us. “They won’t be closing this down; other people will come and take over.” Mr Aung’s absence will certainly be missed – a school-wide effort to collate farewell messages for him met with much success.

After spending 2 years here, Mr Aung’s feelings about Singaporean food are neutral, but he does miss the food in Myanmar. To satisfy his cravings, he goes to Peninsula Plaza with his friends every weekend. Indeed, Peninsula Plaza has been named ‘Little Burma’ for a reason – not only does it feature a diversity of Burmese curries, stir-fries, soups and noodle dishes at various food stalls and restaurants, but it is also home to Burmese beer shops, convenience stores and even a library. It is thus not hard to see why Mr Aung goes there every weekend – not simply for the food and friends, but also for an environment as reminiscent of home as you can find in Singapore.

Like most other Burmese, Mr Aung is religious, and you may also be able to find him at a temple on his off-days. As for the rest of the time, Mr Aung calls his home in Singapore a rented flat at Toa Payoh.

Mr Aung also enjoys soccer as a hobby and follows the Spanish La Liga. “Spanish clubs have very good players,” he said, laughing. Some of his favourite players include Christiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid FC and Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona.

So, what’s next for Mr Aung?

One of his plans includes getting married back home. “But I don’t have a girlfriend now,” he said, laughing. We asked him what else he would be doing when he returned home in search of his perfect girl.

“Me? I want to open a doughnut shop,” Mr Aung tells us with a wide smile on his face. After 7-11 at Novena, he plans to return to Myanmar at the end of the year to set up a family doughnut shop with his elder brother. He hopes to learn the tricks of the trade from his brother, an “expert in doughnuts”, who currently works at a doughnut shop back home.

With his amazing 7-11 waffles a testament to his skills, our mouths water at the thought of a freshly-glazed doughnut from his shop.

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Appreciation Week featured this story and more at a mini-exhibition in the canteen and ended today. We hope you enjoyed the staff features this week! Appreciation Week may have ended today, but this doesn’t mean the appreciation stops – we hope you take the time to show your appreciation for those around us who contribute to make our school lives so much better.

By Regina Marie Lee (13A01B)
Additional Interviewing by Esna Ong (13S05A) 

“Every time I wanted to make a film, (my parents) said to go and find a real job. ‘Don’t be too selfish, you need to support your family. You cannot just make some funny-funny video and think that this is art.’” – Royston Tan

The trio were casually dressed in pants and T-shirts, with a scarf on Eva and cuffed skinnie on Royston. They did not stand out. Only on second glance did this writer realise they were the speakers for the assembly talk! They did not look like filmmakers, but then again, Singapore has few filmmakers to typify. How then, did these three start out in the industry?

Like Royston Tan, Rafflesians are probably familiar with parental pressure when choosing careers. “I told my parents to give me three years to prove myself. Because to them, filmmaking is not a job,” he recounted. Victric Thng’s family “had no clue of what (he) was doing”, until he won “a big award and was featured in the newspaper”. “Then, they began to embrace what I wanted to do,” he said.

Raffles Press met Royston, Victric, and Eva Tang when they visited RI to speak with students on their documentary-film, Old Romances, as part of the Arts Assembly Programme. Old Romances is the sequel to the much-acclaimed Old Places, which aired on TV on the eve of National Day 2010. Both focus on locations in Singapore which are fast disappearing, with people calling in to talk about the places that mattered to them.

Starting Out

“I only really wanted to be a graphic designer; I really didn’t want to be a film-maker,” confessed Royston. It was only in his Visual Communications course in Temasek Polytechnic that he found that he “could tell what (he) wanted to say (through film)”. School also helped him to be a better filmmaker. “I think school provides the environment for you to learn and grow with others, teaching you about working as a team,” he said. Similarly, Victric calls himself a “filmmaker by accident”. “At 16, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.” While working as a salesperson in HMV, he made a 3-minute short film, Locust (2003), for a competition. When it won the Renault Samsung Prize at the Busan Asian Short Film Festival, that kickstarted his career as a filmmaker, and he attributes his current position to “one thing leading to another”.

On the other hand, Eva’s journey appears more deliberate. “During my secondary school days, I loved (reading) literature and going to the theatre,” she said. At the University of Hong Kong, she studied Comparative Literature, and caught many art house films at the Hong Kong Arts Centre. On her return, she worked as a movie critic for Lian He Zao Bao. “I enjoyed writing critiques (of movies), but I also wanted to (make movies myself),” she admitted. She then studied Directing at the UK National Film and Television School, and her filmmaking started. “This is all very important foundation, because you have to write scripts, and theatre helps you to understand the actors’ performance. I learn filmmaking by watching many films.”

To that end, Royston said: “I hope that RI can organise a film festival for students. I think it’s important not to just watch things on the Internet. We have to bring everybody out together, to be exposed to all kinds of films. We need to have discussions – it’s really when we discuss, then it’s really worth it.”

New Chay Hong Beauty Parlour was one of the places featured in Old Romances

Yet, both were quick to point out that filmmaking was a tough career choice. “There is no short cut,” said Eva. Royston adds: “It’s a lot of hard work, and the only thing that will drive you is whether it makes you happy. Being a filmmaker doesn’t earn a lot of money. We went through a period where we were so poor, but so happy.” Royston admitted that while doing Old Romances, the directors “really wanted to have nervous breakdowns”. “I’m very grateful that I had a team. When I wanted to break down, Victric was the one to give me a scolding, while Eva came and asked us to be logical. When I fell, I realised there were like-minded people around to help me — that is the true spirit of Old Romances.”

“I’m still learning how to make films at this point, and I’m still making mistakes, which I think is a good thing – I’m prepared to keep making films for a long time,” said Victric.

Filmmaking in Singapore
When asked how they derived inspiration for their films, Royston divulged, “I love watching Taiwan music videos, and how they can sell emotions in 3 minutes!” It was Victric’s job that exposed him to musical inspiration. “I was posted to the Classical music sales department at HMV, and the music I listened to day and night infused into my soul in a profound way,” said Victric. “These influences are evident in my short films, which are important to create a certain mood.” For Eva, her inspiration comes from poetry, which challenges her to “create a space of imagination” in the minds of viewers through her films.

The trio started the Old Places project as part of TV Channel Okto’s Special National Day Documentary Feature in 2010. “As filmmakers, our responsibility is to document these fast disappearing places. The film is for Singapore, to let the country know about the beautiful places we have,” said Victric. Both young and old have responded enthusiastically to the project, with youths suggesting locations to film for the directors on a Facebook group. “It’s not the age, but the curiosity (in a person). It’s whether they want to know who they are and where they come from,” said Eva. “During our screenings, the youths brought their elder family members, and these were the people who wept,” Victric recalled. “We’re glad to involve both young and old in this project.”

Indeed, Old Places touched many Singaporeans, prompting the sequel – Old Romances. The directors are glad to have aided Singaporeans in documenting their past. “A lot of people resonate with the films, because these places play a part in forming our cultural identity,” said Victric. “We embrace the future by remembering our past, not discarding it. Making these films is a way of doing that, by remembering places we cherish deeply. These are little pockets in Singapore where we can go and be ourselves, and enjoy that familiar cup of coffee and Teochew cake.” “Memory is a powerful collective thing,” said Eva.

Yet, Singapore’s film industry has only recently been growing, with household names like Jack Neo and his popular Ah Boys to Men dominating the scene. The directors of Old Places hope to see the scene mature.

“A healthy film industry is when you have a mixed group of directors doing different kinds of stuff. If we consistently stick to a certain type of film that promotes coffeeshop humour, eventually people will grow sick and tired,” said Royston, smiling wryly.

Eva feels that it is the audience that must demand more diversity, and “voice out their choices”. “In Singapore, Golden Village, Cathay, Shaw are all showing the same movies. I don’t see a distinctive difference. There are so many films out there that Singaporeans are not able to see (on the big screen). We must have choice as consumers.”

Photo credit: Objectifs (www.objectifs.com.sg)

With the Old Places and Old Romances project coming to a close, we asked the directors about other aspects of Singapore they would like to document. “One of the most immediate things I want to document is food. There is a lot of culture in food,” said Royston. “And the taste of it is changing.” While admitting that it would be hard to film a documentary on, Royston added: “It’s time to bring dialect back. Let’s not silence the older generation.” Meanwhile, Eva hopes to “document an era” such as the ‘60s. “For me, it’s not only about documenting objects. They accumulate to form a memory,” she said.

“There was nothing to celebrate when we did Old Places and Old Romances, it was actually a tragedy. We were crying inside, because we knew that the audience would only be able to enjoy these spaces through the film,” Victric lamented. “I hope that we don’t have to do food, because I hope that it will continue to be as delicious. I hope we will not do a part 3 for Old whatever, and that all these good things continue to exist.”’

Raffles Press would like to thank our interviewees for speaking with us, and Dr Gooi (ADH/Music and Aesthetics) for arranging the interview. Readers can catch the trailer for Old Romances here. A copy of Old Places is available for loan at the Hullett Memorial Library.
Selected photos courtesy of Royston Tan and Objectif Films.

By Jeremy Khoo, Lee Chin Wee and Angelica Chong (14A01B)

“There was once where we wanted to surprise Anty for his birthday, but we didn’t know he had a class camp briefing in the Hodge Lodge. The whole council ended up standing outside really awkwardly holding the cake, so we eventually sang the birthday song extra loud and just ran off!” Ashlynna Ng sheepishly admits that the incident earned her a reprimand from her teacher-in-charge. “But I think it was worth it because Anty was so touched.”

It may be the end of her tenure as President of the Students’ Council, but Ashylnna is not the kind to look back wistfully on anything. She may no longer be the President, but the distinctly Ashlynna look and style contained in her close-cropped hair, affable manner and down-to-earth personality that was at the forefront of her public persona as President has not gone anywhere.

Ashlynna at the 33rd Students’ Council Investiture, looking cheerful as always

She tells us that she wanted to be the Prime Minister when she was ten. Arms crossed, she gazes into the distance when reflecting on her childhood, talking animatedly. She doesn’t just talk, either; memorably, Ashlynna was one of the few girls to shave during Hair for Hope last year [http://rafflespress.com/2012/07/22/your-son-ah/]. Her short hair is a lingering mark of her decision —  before she shaved, she used to wear her hair in a ponytail with a hairband.

“It was to get rid of the notion that for girls, appearances are very important.” she says. “Even for the women leaders in our world today, like Hillary Clinton – even when the media talks about her, the first thing they say is that she’s wearing a very nice pantsuit and I’m like, what has that got to do with anything?”

Ashlynna at last year’s 32nd Students’ Council Investiture, with her hair tied back in a ponytail

It is this sincerity that has marked her term in office, leading her to launch initiatives like the Smile Challenge, an attempt to get people in school to smile more at each other. To Ashlynna, school should be much more than just a glorified gateway to university. In her words, the school culture needs warmth — it can’t just be a place where people only focus on getting their own stuff done.

“The smile is a symbol of people connecting with each other in school …it’s important for us to look outside our own little bubbles and try to connect with people.”

She acknowledges that people may not actively be thinking about the Smile Challenge anymore but she still holds out hope regardless. “If we can get the councillors to continue doing it, it may over time become a more natural part of school life,” she comments optimistically. “Just because (the RI Year 5-6 side) is a bigger place doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make that effort to connect with the people around us.”

It was this personal touch and focus on building a school community which Ashlynna feels distinguished her time in charge from her predecessors’. “Our vision was ‘Family, Connection’. ‘Family’ was to do with things internally — because our batch is relatively large with 79 people, it is a big group of people to get to know and be comfortable working with,” she shares. “Externally it’s also about the personal touch, reaching out and being service-orientated, really trying to think of the people.”

Despite her earnest belief that the Students’ Council plays an integral role in enriching school life in RI, Ashlynna is acutely aware of how the Council may be perceived by some segments of the school population. “We’re not like the Discipline Board, where the first and foremost priority is to be a role model for their peers,” she argues. Ashlynna goes on to explain, “For our batch especially, we focused on a lot of leadership training, in the sense that we highlighted how their actions have larger repercussions on the school and how they themselves are role models.”

The fact that Council is an elected body does give them a popular mandate, but it is easy to overlook Council’s administrative responsibilities. “We strive as much as possible to hit that pinnacle of leadership but the thing is, the nature of the job scope we’re already given is very organizational,” she admits. “I would like to say that we try to make sure that all councillors are role models, but leadership is quite ambiguous, and we all have different notions of what leadership is.”

Her idealist credentials are certainly burnished: she is buoyed by Barack Obama’s charismatic leadership and cites Hillary Clinton as an inspiration for her personable leadership. Thus far, it seems that leadership has treated her well: her experience has only reinforced her convictions. She is no Quixote — she is aware that at some point, the knife blade of the Here and Now will puncture the garment of her Reality – but she holds cynicism at bay. The success or futility of her effort will remain to be seen.

“I think people should participate more. I feel everyone has a stake in what’s going on, and no one should give up that ownership. Everyone can make a difference. This is my idealism, which has yet to be crushed by the cruel world.”

Still, all things must come to an end. With Ashlynna, Antariksh and Arjun’s farewell speech at assembly last Tuesday, the tenure of the 32nd Student’s Council, and its President, has officially ended. (Ashlynna marches onward, looking to the A-Levels and hoping to conquer Math for the last time.)

If she’s not a Councillor anymore, we ask, will she choose to take off the Councillor’s badge? “Some people choose to take it off, to move on,” she says, “but I plan to continue wearing the badge — even though our term may be over. I still think that we have a duty to continue striving to be a positive influence on the school culture even after we step down. I think the journey of leadership never ends.”

Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Not getting any help from RJ Confessions? Try out Raffles Press’ new column, Ask Uncle Stamford, and our resident agony aunt (and uncle) Aunt Sophia and Uncle Stamford will be glad to help you in your Rafflesian troubles! Submit your questions to tinyurl.com/UncleStamford and we’ll give them our best shot.

Dear Aunt Sophia,

I have a PW groupmate who never does any work and it’s driving me nuts! I’m terribly worried that I’m going to fail my PW but I don’t know what to do about it. What advice do you have?

- Angrygirl96

Dear Angrygirl96,

Project Work with a (useless) non-contributive groupmate is the biggest of all Rafflesians nightmares! (other than failing math) We’ve all had that one uncooperative group member who never seems to be around when it’s time to do the work. Unfortunately, the sad truth of the matter is that you’re stuck with him for the rest of the year, and will probably still see him everyday for the following half a year.

So as you read this, here’s some suggestions as to what you can do.

1. Communicate your expectations

With our busy schedules, multiple CCAs, competitions and other commitments, time management is a big issue for some of us. As a group member, perhaps you could resolve this problem amicably by clearly outlining, as a group, each member’s responsibilities. Even with the most recalcitrant of slacker groupmates, a firm but gentle reminder to complete his allotted share of work will surely spur him on to do his fair share (provided he has a heart – and if he doesn’t… we’ll deal with that later). Include clear deadlines in your timelines, so that he’ll have no excuse for “forgetting” or having no time to finish his share.

2. Speak to your other group members

So perhaps you’ve tried everything, but nothing – not even food (oh, the horror!) – seems to motivate that groupmate – perhaps he just doesn’t care at all. Well, nothing helps release pent-up anger better than a good long rant session with your friends, or for the more reticent, your parents, pillow or pet cat! Yet, who better to understand your plight than your other group members? Most of all, after the storm settles, you guys can sit together and think of methods to ensure he… stays cooperative.

3. Speak to your problematic group mate

Face-to-face confrontation is something that most of us tend to eschew but if at some point, the issue gets out of hand, some sort of heart-to-heart talk is inevitable. Do avoid going into the talk hostile – otherwise known as Gordon Ramsay style – and stay calm while conveying your thoughts. Yes, he might look that much more awake compared to the three of you who stayed up till 3am to finish your proposal, but in a broader perspective, three hours more of sleeping or gaming doesn’t condemn him to hell for all eternity. As far as possible, try not to yell at him, as it’s probably not in your interests for him to hate you for the remaining one and a half years – he’s still going to be your groupmate, and ultimately classmate, anyway. The most conducive sort of discussion is one where all parties genuinely want to contribute to a common objective (and let’s face it, who doesn’t want an A?). He might be less inclined to sit down for future group discussions if it’s with three scary group members who just went all Hulk-mode on him. Worse still, he might even get offended and completely avoid associating with the rest of your group.

Always remember, he might not realise that he isn’t pulling his own weight. Before jumping ahead to strangle or him, address the issue with him directly, and sit him down for a good talk. Maybe if he knows how much of a pain he is, he might take some effort to improve.

On a side note – if you’ve read everything so far and thought, “What if I think I’m contributing but nobody responds to me in meetings/everybody hates me?”, you’d do well to read this post. Surprise surprise, if you find that a lot of these reasons are applicable to you – or you’re repeatedly reminded you fall into some of those categories – perhaps it’s time you mended the broken bridge and save yourself from any further (bodily) harm.

4. Speak to your teacher

Yes, your PW teacher does have a heavy influence on your PW grade. Relax, you probably won’t be marked down because you went to him about your group mate. Your teacher is ultimately there to help you (though it may not seem like it at times) and for all you know, he/she could already have noticed the distance (or tension) between your groupmates, possibly making him/her just the right person to consult. After all, our teachers have guided countless PW groups – they probably have tons of experience in dealing with problematic groups. No doubt he/she will be able to give you good advice, and, if he/she feels it appropriate, vindicate your feelings by giving that group mate the new ‘T’ grade while you and your other group mates get A’s. Of course, that’s hardly to say that consulting your teacher will definitely result in such harsh action. If things get bad, just ask your teacher to help you and see where it goes from there.

Do take caution though, for this option should always be a last resort. There have been rumours (the veracity of which are uncertain) that groups who go to PW teachers with complaints such as these may get marked down.

5. Bear with him

Sadly, this is the portion where we tell you that there’s nothing else you can do. Perhaps, if there’s such a thing as karma, it’ll reward you in the long run. With your other group members, we’re sure you can do it!

Because ultimately, group work is something you’re going to have to deal with at every stage of your life, even when you graduate and start work, so you might as well start coping with it sooner rather than later. Don’t kid yourself if you say you love group work – let’s face it, it’s just not true. We’ve all felt your annoyance – there are always co-workers who don’t contribute, co-workers who produce terribly substandard work far from your perfectionist standards, or worse, the self-righteous co-workers who’re never wrong. But those are stories for other times – and other questions. Hope this helps! If not, good luck – you’re in for a long ride.

Best of luck,
Aunt Sophia

NB: Aunt Sophia isn’t normally as sarcastic as you might have just read – Uncle Stamford sometimes weasels his way into our editing room just before we hit post and makes changes we don’t know about until it’s too late. Sneaky guy.

by Angelica Chong (14A01B) and Kylie Wong (14A01B)

*Spoiler Alert*

There came a point in Star Trek: Into Darkness when I realized what I was watching – or rather, what I wasn’t watching. My eyes glazed over as fire and hell reigned on the screen, again and again and again. Where was Starfleet’s grand thesis of exploration, its reverence for space and the unknown? Where were the aliens? (Ten minutes of nameless, random Klingons being destroyed doesn’t count.) Where were the nuanced philosophical undertones which made the original Star Trek series such a hit? At the end of the day, Into Darkness is an overly theatrical space opera – with admittedly stunning visuals and rip-roaring action sequences – with shoddy logic and ham-fisted homages to its predecessors.

The film itself is not bad, per se. It leans towards ‘good’ on the scale of summer blockbusters, because, if nothing else, J. J. Abrams is great at action. He delivers warp-speed entertainment without pause, from the high-octane opening sequence involving Kirk and Bones fleeing a planet on the brink of volcanic annihilation, to the Enterprise’s trials in space against poor internal engineering and Khan, the superhuman killing machine who is back with a vengeance. The film is a smorgasbord of gorgeous alien landscapes, tech-porn, and (regrettably) Abrams’ usual overindulgence of lens-flare.

The sharp humour seen in 2009’s Star Trek definitely continues to be one of the strongest elements of the reboot. The exasperated yet affectionate crankiness of Bones and Spock’s poker-face sarcasm provided much-needed relief after the hackneyed doom and melodrama of the fight against Khan, which ends rather bathetically without even a hint of war with the Klingons despite the threat looming ominously throughout the film. That being said, the crew dynamics are portrayed wonderfully – the heart of the film is the notion of found families, teams and crews and people thrown together by circumstance who come to know and need each other intimately. Abrams delivers on this portrayal of the dysfunctional close-knit families of starships and exploration crews.

What Abrams can’t do, though, is Star Trek. As he admitted himself, he’s never been a Trekkie, nor particularly enjoyed or understood it, actually. It’s hard to be invested, and harder still to have that translated concretely in the film itself, if you feel that its subject matter is merely ‘silly and campy’. It’s not surprising then, that one of Abrams’ biggest missteps is one that  blatantly disregards the progressiveness of the original franchise: the whitewashing of Khan, one of the most iconic villains in the Star Trek canon.

Cumberbatch’s Khan (2013) vs. Montalbán’s Khan (1982)

Without some context, the importance of Khan’s role cannot be understood. With the original TV franchise being premised on the idea that all life is valuable, no matter your appearance, it was progressive of Star Trek, in the 1970s and 80s, to not just rely on the sci-fi trope of using aliens to represent oppressed groups in society, but to actively include people of colour in its narrative, whether as beloved members of the crew (see: Uhura, Sulu) or as multi-faceted villains (see: Khan).

There is no reason for Abrams to deliberately ignore the fact that Khan is most definitely not white (his name is Khan Noonien Singh; this is not difficult!) except that he wants the dollars that a big name like Benedict Cumberbatch can bring in, which is disappointing considering the implications of such a decision. Abrams is undoing what the original franchise fought so hard to do: to present a villain of colour not just as a despotic brute, but as a complex character; someone who was charismatic, intelligent and grudgingly respected by Kirk and his crew.

More alarmingly, though, is the laziness of the film – ironic, given the amount of care that is spent on the sets and making sure everyone looks suitably scruffy but still attractive. The plot, the characters, the themes central to the film are all pushed aside in favour of the flashy. It’s almost as if Abrams thought that he could steal bits and pieces from the original franchise and people wouldn’t notice anything. Kirk will always look out for Spock because that’s what he does. Khan will always be a murderous tyrant because that’s what he is. The characters’ motivations and emotions aren’t shown, they’re told; and the audience is expected to simply accept these premises and enjoy the explosions.

Scruffy and attractive, see?

This is why the penultimate scene in the film, where Kirk sacrifices himself, comes off as cheap and emotionally manipulative – to be fair, I knew I was being manipulated; I just didn’t care.

“I’m scared, help me not to be.” Cue tears and unglamorous bawling.

Abrams does not – and cannot – successfully compress the 79 episodes of friendship and love that made the original scene so impactful into two films. It seems that the depth of Kirk and Spock’s friendship hasn’t transcended the respect and affection Kirk gives to, say, any other member of his crew yet, and the insertion of the scene then seems artificial. It doesn’t help that Khan’s magic superhuman blood acts as a deux ex machina which very helpfully revives Kirk, something that no one saw coming at all.

For the average movie-goer whose only knowledge of Star Trek is limited to the Vulcan salute and Spock’s awful haircut, Into Darkness provides a decent two hours of brisk, dazzlingly futuristic entertainment. For someone who wanted something more, who wanted a film that would boldly go past typically flimsy plots glossed over by CGI and outer-space firefights, perhaps Abrams’ stylish voyage of a film is not nearly enough.

By Kylie Wong (14A01B) and Angelica Chong (14A01B)

Fast cars. Super villains. High-speed car chases.

Fast Six delivers all that is synonymous with the franchise’s brand name, yet still manages to disappoint. The sixth installment of the Fast & Furious series is also the last under the helm of director Justin Lin, and fortunately as well, for in his bid to continuously top each previous film, Lin has chosen to forsake plausible characterization and intricate plots for over-the-top action and soap opera drama.

Part Ocean’s movie, part WWE showdown, Fast Six is nearly identical to its predecessor, except it lacks all the sharpness and ambition Fast Five possessed. Following the successful heist in Rio, the crew is reunited under the direction of federal agent Hobbs to combat the threat of special ops rogue Owen Shaw. In a bid to move away from underground street racing (which the producers felt placed a barrier on audience numbers), Fast Six focuses on vehicular warfare – tanks, planes, flip cars that resemble F1 prototypes…Fast Six has it all. With London as the setting, the movie moves at blinding speed with a drag race through Picadilly Circus and violent subway brawls. The action culminates in a multi-fight highway showdown which involves an army tank, and in a final bid to keep Shaw from escaping, a battle between horsepower and turbine engines as the crew tries to drag down a plane with the use of their cars. If Lin was aiming to awe the audiences with death-defying stunts and grand explosions, he has certainly achieved his goal.

Logic-defying leaps are abound in Fast 6, as are leaps in logic

Throughout the six films, Toretto has steadfastly stuck to his ‘we are family’ ethos – there is little change in his characterization, and even his outfit has made minimal transition: from the white wife beater to the black wife beater and back. Despite this, there is something strangely endearing about his stubborn insistence on loyalty – “We don’t turn our back on family, even when they do”– the very aptly named Vin Diesel was born to play the role, and it is a thrill to watch him banter with Dwayne Johnson’s character Hobbs. The rest of the crew operates like a well-oiled machine with an effortless chemistry amongst the cast – a pity that their roles in this film have been relegated to little more than caricatures with predictable lines and forced comedy that soon grows tiresome.

Despite the shift in focus towards vehicular warfare, Fast Six still offers fans the chance to salivate over the cars used in the film. Most of the cars featured in the franchise have been modified American muscle cars or Japanese tuner cars but with London as the setting of FF6, the spotlight was placed on old- school European muscle cars like the 1971 Jensen Interceptor and 1970 Ford Escort. 400 cars were totaled in the making of the movie – the highest in the 12-year history of the franchise. The highway sequence alone destroyed 250 cars.

The 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona that has become Dom Toretto’s signature ride was the gem of the lot

Fans expecting more from Fast Six may well be disappointed – Lin has been successful in making the movie mainstream (as evidenced by the profits it is raking in as well as rave reviews from film critics), but in doing so he may have cast aside the franchise’s loyal fans. For those simply looking for an enjoyable two hours of visceral thrills and roaring explosions though – this movie is just for you.

By Angelica Chong (14A01B) and Kylie Wong (14A01B)

There is no such thing as a perfect Superman movie. Hell, there’s no such thing as a perfect movie, period. But throw some character archetypes and plot tropes together and something good just might come out of it. It’s a little trickier when you’re dealing with Superman.

To rephrase Sylvia Plath, ‘if you expect nothing, you’re never disappointed’. Well, it’s true – but this is Superman we’re talking about, with the iconic blue spandex and red cape, the righteous arm of justice thrust forward in flight, the disturbingly disproportionate shoulder-to-hip ratio. To say the movie was overhyped would be an understatement.

So perhaps Man of Steel was already crippled from the start, but it could still have been a good movie. Snyder chose to tackle the origin story, which was a brave move on his part – and it paid off for the first half of the movie. The scenes of a dying Krypton were beautifully shot and managed to capture some of the intricacies of its alien technology and culture without being overly expository. Also, there was a cool dragon.

We watch Clark grow up with his human family, slowly learning about his powers and coming to terms with the fact that he’s different. The flashbacks to Clark’s childhood were poignant and the scenes with Jonathan Kent filled with a quiet love. Honestly, I thought we were actually Getting Somewhere.

These moments of quiet were treasured – especially with the ear-splitting fights soon to come.

We weren’t. As the movie progressed, lack of character development, gaping plot-holes, and gratuitous fight scenes weren’t the biggest problems; the movie simply staggered – and collapsed – under the weight of Superman’s legacy, and consequently, it’s very apparent inability to uphold it.

JJ Abrams once said, “I love movies that are big and unabashedly a huge fan of big pop mass appeal movies. I love being in a theatre packed with people and everyone gasping at the same time and having that communal experience. The reason you go to the movies is to feel bigger and stronger and happier.” This rings true not just for all superhero movies, but for Superman in particular – he’s the one to beat. So why was it that when I stumbled out of the movie theatre, 143 minutes later, I felt anything but bigger and stronger and happier? Isn’t that what Superman was supposed to make you feel?

Let’s put aside plot contrivances and ludicrous deus ex machinas–

1. When the Kryptonian high council very short-sightedly sends their political enemies into a black hole, the safest place they can possibly be, right before their planet implodes,
2. Sub-Commander “oops-let-me-just-throw-Lois-Lane-into-a-room-with-a-conveniently-placed-master-control-panel” Faora,
3. And the numerous times Clark Kent somehow manages to get things to go his way (access to a highly secure military site, a job as a reporter even though all his previous jobs were manual labor) because, let’s face it, he’s ridiculously handsome

–and focus instead on the man himself: Kal-el; Clark Kent; Superman.

It’s easy to mischaracterize Superman. He’s not edgy and broody like Batman, he’s not flashy and charismatic like Iron Man, and he’s definitely not a perpetually angry giant green scientist. What he is, as director Zack Snyder of 300 fame so ham-fistedly told us, is a god. He is elevated as a messiah god-king in the movie, not just by his parents, who send him off to Earth with his cells full of Kryptonian genetic material (as if he’s some sort of living breathing Noah’s Ark) but also by his foster parents and those who witness his miracles. This could have been excellently pulled off: the Other, coming to our world because his planet was literally destroyed, protecting humans not because he’s stronger or better, but because he is one of us – and becoming a living myth in the process. It ties in perfectly with Clark Kent’s own existential crisis about his family and his home and what it truly means to be human.

But, alas, this movie was directed by Zack Snyder, who has the subtlety of a wrecking ball.

So instead we get an uncomfortably framed religiously zealous worship on one side, Jesus pose in space and all, and the thick-headed ‘shoot first, questions later’ modus operandi of the American Army on the other. Meanwhile, Henry Cavill looks amazingly sculpted in the skin-tight suit, but unfortunately doesn’t contribute much else to the movie. Lois Lane starts off promising, as a no-nonsense, highly competent journalist – as she should be – and then plummets (literally). Again. And again.

You have to admit, Cavill makes you rethink the attractiveness of spandex.

Character development is hard – fine. But surely Hollywood has action done to a science? Apparently not. I only have two questions: firstly, why is the same fight scene (Superman throws bad guys around, bad guys throw Superman around, buildings and cities are wrecked, etc. etc.) repeated ad nauseam? Secondly, how many times has New York City been ripped to pieces by angry aliens with scary-looking energy beams? The answer to both questions, I’m afraid, is: enough to make me fall asleep during one of what must have been the noisiest battle scenes in movie history. (There were explosions, everything went to pieces; I didn’t miss anything.)

The biggest problem with Man of Steel though, was that it had no heart. And that is what Superman essentially is – heart, the human spirit, humanity. Superman is not Bruce Wayne is not a Spartan warrior. It seems like Snyder and Nolan got so caught up with what they could do that they missed what had to be done. The new Superman movie didn’t need scene after scene of aliens destroying Kansas, it didn’t need a dramatic death-by-hurricane for Clark’s father, and it sure as hell didn’t need this Superman to completely undermine one of his core values by violently snapping Zod’s neck.

There is a tendency these days to over-complicate superhero movies. Superheroes are seen as childish and simple. Directors feel the need to spice things up by throwing more punches around or stylizing characters into the Darkest Timeline versions of themselves. Even the name ‘Superman’ is hardly uttered on the movie; only once significantly by a soldier that shrugs and says ‘that’s what everyone’s calling him’, as if the idea of calling Superman, Superman was something that didn’t fit in with what the New Age superhero should be. So we may get a grittier, ‘cooler’ version of Superman, but it’s not any more authentic. By creating so much spectacle and flash, the essential mythos of Superman has gone missing. Every piece of Superman media has at least attempted to posit the question of what it means to be human, and where Kal-el the alien immigrant fits into Clark Kent, Kansas boy. In the case of Man of Steel, Snyder and Nolan have come up empty.

By Sushma Pai (14S03R) and Divya Muthiah (14S06C)

The canteen may be many things – a place to socialize, relax, and eat, but it is rarely, if ever, a cause for controversy. As of late, though, an interesting phenomenon has come to light. As those of us who frequent RJ Confessions may know, it is a widely held opinion among many students that some stalls charge arbitrary prices or dole out different amounts of food to different people.

While RJ Confessions is certainly not the most authoritative of sources, it is important for us to examine the veracity of these claims. Raffles Press decided to set up an experiment to find out, revealing the truth of the matter once and for all.

Raffles Press carried out an experiment on two stalls – Lum and Chan Chicken Rice and Yuan’s Western Food. Over a time span of 40 minutes, four pairs were sent to buy food from the canteen. Two pairs went to Lum and Chan Chicken Rice, while the other two headed towards Yuan’s Western Food. Each pair was to buy the same dish or the same combination of add-ons. Finally, the prices charged, and the portion sizes provided were then recorded and compared.

From the experiment, it appeared that prices were inconsistent with the amount of food provided in these two stalls but not always so. There was inconsistency in the first three cases, but not the last one. Therefore, it is not possible to generalise that prices in these two stalls are always random. Despite this, it is evident that the prices and portions in these two stalls are not always consistent and is an issue worth looking into.

Of course, no such article would be complete without giving the parties involved a chance to defend themselves. We spoke with Mr. Ricky Seow (the owner of the Yuan Western Food stall), who asserted that his prices were fixed and did not vary for different students. Gesturing towards the menu list on the counter, he pointed out that “what is there is what we charge.” When probed further about rumoured price variations, he said, “The school wants me to sell noodles and rice for $2 and for the past ten years, I’ve kept it at that.”

Interestingly though, Mr. Seow also remarked that for noodles, he charges $1 sometimes and $1.20 at others. Mr Seow claimed the variations in price were deliberate, as he varied the quantity of noodles served. From what we gather, most students do not know about this. This may be a reason for price variations – stall owners changing rates depending on quantity served.

We also spoke with Mr. Lum, the stall owner of Lum and Chan Chicken Rice. He too maintained that his prices were always fixed. As seen from our findings, prices were indeed constant at times. If what the stall owners claimed was indeed true to a certain extent, what could the reasons for fluctuations in prices be?

Perhaps, stall owners vary the prices charged unknowingly. For all we know, the stall owners are simply too busy to calculate the price accurately all the time or to remember the prices of certain dishes, thus ending up estimating prices instead. For instance, stalls like Yuan Western food have a lot of different dishes which they vary from day to day; hence it is easy to make mistakes when quoting the price of a dish especially during rush hours. Combinations of add-ons and quantities also differ from plate to plate, so it is difficult to standardize the price as well.   It is also possible that they occasionally run out of certain add ons, like baked beans and onion rings, so you might still have to pay the same price for the set meal even if one add-on is missing.

One prevailing opinion is that the portion served and price charged might depend on the customer’s appearance. For instance, a well-built student might be served more food as compared to his scrawnier looking companion. We put this hypothesis to the test as well, gathering different groups of people for a repeat of our experiment. Comparing the portion of servings and prices with their physique, we found no clear relationship between appearance and price or quantity of food.

Why would people be offered free soup from the Lum & Chan Chicken Rice stall? As Tessa Lim from 14SO3D suggested, “Maybe it’s because the uncle is in a good mood!”

From our observations, we also found that price and quantity variations are less frequent in the chicken rice stall than the western food stall. The majority of our respondents told us they had never experienced such discrepancies when patronizing the chicken rice stall.

So is there anything that could be done about these variations? Is the school management expected to look into this matter and try to standardize prices? This likely depends on how strongly students feel about this issue. Some students may boycott these stalls due to their food rates, whereas those who frequent these stalls argue that this issue barely bothers them. A student from 14S03R remarked, “I don’t really mind the fact that the prices there (at Lum & Chan Chicken Rice stall) fluctuate a bit because the food there tastes good and how much of a difference does 50 cents make anyway?”

Nevertheless, for those who are still uneasy about the price deviation, here are some tips from your correspondents:

1. If the price quoted seems unreasonably high, appear shocked and ask if you heard it right the first time. The stall owner might then reconsider the price.
2. For the Western Stall, try to get meals like spaghetti bolognese and stewed beef since the prices are already fixed.
3. If you are friends with the stall owner (they are very nice people) then they might treat you well and even give you a discount!
4. If you are ordering a set meal, confirm that all the add-ons are still available so that you will get your due portions. The stall owner can’t help it if there are no mashed potatoes left.
5. Since the stall owners sometimes seem to offer the first price that comes to their mind, it might be good to calculate the price charged based off the printed menu before they can. For instance, asking “So would that be $2, uncle?” might help.

Having said all this, Raffles Press would like to conclude by advising students to not boycott a particular stall based on these small price fluctuations. After all, it is easy to forget that what’s on offer here is still considerably cheaper than anything else available elsewhere. As one student remarked, “some days I pay more, while other days I pay less, so it kind of balances out anyway!”

By Chua Jun Yan (13A01A)

According to statistics released in Parliament earlier this year, Literature is on its deathbed.  Not so in RI – at least, not if the organizers of Words’ Worth Lit Week 2013 have their way. The event will run from 16 to 20 July. In line with the latest H2 A-Level Literature syllabus, this year’s installment is loosely based around Victorian Literature.

While Lit Week has not been held in recent years, it is not a new idea. Ms Lye Su-Lin (Literature Tutor) recalls, ‘In the past, students would come to school dressed up as their favourite characters during Lit Week, and the amphitheatre was converted into a period showroom.’ In fact, Raffles Press learnt that the 37 posters outside the Performing Arts Centre were designed for a previous edition of Lit Week – one for each Shakespearean play. When asked why Lit Week died out, Ms Lye replied, ‘the H1N1 virus killed it.’ She explained, ‘In 2009, various emergency measures made any large gatherings on any scale quite inadvisable, and while the design exhibition went on, the Lit classes lost the habit of coming together for one celebratory, literature-themed event. Lit Night on 19 July this year hopes to put an end to this dry spell.’

Indeed, the organizers have ambitious hopes for the revived Lit Week. Throughout the week, literature-themed merchandise will be sold at the canteen walkway. This correspondent was granted a sneak preview to the limited edition novelty items, which include Sherlock Holmes-themed postcards and quotation notebooks. In addition, a special poetry anthology will be launched, with verses from present students. The gift booth will be accompanied by a research exhibition on life in the Victorian era. Entry is free for all Rafflesians.

Raffles Press also understands that a line-up of illustrious writers will be conducting on-campus workshops on Wednesday, 18 July. Prominent names include Alvin Pang, Aaron Lee, and Daren Shiau, who will speak on their works, as well as Kenny Leck and Adeline Foo, who will discuss the intricacies of local publishing. An anonymous source also revealed at press time that Dave Chua and Koh Hong Teng had just confirmed their session on Singaporean comics and illustrating.

Speaking to the organizers during a rehearsal at the Performing Arts Centre, it is evident that Lit Night on Friday, 20 July*, will be the highlight of the event. According to Anne Ng, who has invested the past 6 months in this project with her committee, ‘We are all really excited about Lit Night. It will feature star cameo appearances by many of our institution’s finest actors, with the Year 5s from Raffles Players putting up a reduced Dickens play.’ At press time, the confirmed programme included tableaus from novels like Dracula, as well as an Open Mic featuring RGS Literature Raffles Academy girls, and long-time teacher Mr Geoffrey Purvis. Raffles Jazz is also putting up a performance.

Indeed, 2013 has enjoyed a good year for Literature in RI, with ‘Great Expectations’ declared the 190^th Founder’s Day theme in January. ‘Our aim is to share our love for language,’ says Stephanie Koay, ‘not just with literature students, but also with the broader community.’ Indeed, Stephanie was the one who initiated the idea with her committee, after learning about the interregnum which Lit Week experienced. While Lit Week directly involves a smaller group than Bio Week or Economics Week, the organizers believe that Literature should belong to every student in the school.

Will this be able to combat the wider national apathy towards literature? One can only say that it is still too early to tell.

The writer is involved in the organizing of Lit Week.  The Literature Week Executive Committee comprises Stephanie Koay, Jacqueline Khor, Cai Xiaohan, Alvin Soh, Sum Xinyi, Sandra Chong, Anne Ng and Deepak Warrier.

For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/litweek2013. Tickets for Lit Week will be sold at the door on Friday at $2 each, and include a door gift. 

*Amendment: Do note that Lit Night has been pushed up to 7.00 pm instead of 7.30 pm as stated on the poster.

Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Not getting any help from RJ Confessions? Try out Raffles Press’ new column, Ask Uncle Stamford, and our resident agony aunt (and uncle) Aunt Sophia and Uncle Stamford will be glad to help you in your Rafflesian troubles! Submit your questions to tinyurl.com/UncleStamford and we’ll give them our best shot.

For this series, the Raffles Art Club has kindly contributed illustrations created by their talented members. The illustrations used in this article were done by Rachel Tay Xi Boon (14A01E) and Sean Chua (14S06O).

“In Year 4 now and terribly afraid of going to JC. First time meeting girls and stuff. Advice?” – Anonymous

Dear Anonymous,

Well for starters, there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. I mean, it’s just Junior College – exams, lots of exams, A levels, relationships, friendships, your entire future hanging in the balance – no pressure right? Nah, didn’t think so.

Of course I’m just kidding. You aren’t alone, anonymous (oh how I wish you sent your actual name with this). If I had 10 cents for every boy who came to me because they were afraid of girls in JC, I wouldn’t be sitting behind this desk responding to your letter right now – I mean, I’d be very rich. So don’t you worry, I’ve got you covered. All you need to do is listen to me!

1. Be a man, for crying out loud.

Come on, you have got to be kidding me. The girls who you’ll meet in JC aren’t going to suddenly pop out of nowhere and eat you alive (although I’ve met my fair share of those, but that’s not relevant right now). Just man up, go up to a girl and talk to her. It’s perfectly fine. Remember that as much as you may dread meeting the opposite gender after 4 years in a male-only school environment, most of the girls you’ll meet feel the exact same way!

For some of you out there who will read this, however, this may be all too much pressure. Even more pressure than those 80% weightage promos that are coming. Yes, I’m talking about you, the one who stands in a corner, hiding behind a pillar smiling awkwardly, hyperventilating, with sweaty palms and the moment you get the courage to say hi to a girl in the canteen you clatter into her and knock her food all over her. Yes, I mean you. Don’t worry though, I can still help you (although part of me doesn’t want to – but since I’m an advice columnist, I’m contractually obligated to do so. You lucky buggers.).

2. Pause, and Breathe.

Sounds simple? I assure you, so many boys I’ve met with fail to remember the basic first rule of talking to girls – you forget to breathe. You get so caught up in envisioning all the different ways in which you can embarrass yourself in front of a girl that you end up doing just that. That’s perfectly understandable, it happens to the best of us whenever we get nervous. (except me of course, I’m too good for that kind of stuff).

So please, breathe. See a girl you would like to know better? Great! Take a deep breath. Take another. And another. Take more deep breaths until you calm your heart rate down (and hopefully she hasn’t walked away yet), and once you’re calm then go over and say hi. Remember to keep breathing, or else you’ll probably just die – figuratively and literally.

3. Don’t be conscious, but still be conscious of what you say.

Confusing? Yeah, that’s the point. But before you start firing off angry complaints to my 6 bosses about how lousy I am at my job (“his advice is confusing!” “I didn’t get anything he said!!”) let me explain.

You don’t want to be thinking too hard about every.single.word.that.comes.out.of.your.mouth. It’s painfully obvious to anyone (not just the girls). Your desperate efforts to hide your nervousness and make sure you don’t colossally mess-up this conversation end up making the girl in front of you want to leave as soon as she can. So don’t over-think what you want to say, carry out the conversation as you normally would with anyone else! Even the topic – don’t labour yourself to understand the inner workings of a female mind and say, her shopping habits, especially if you can’t tell high heels from flats (they’re shoes, if you actually didn’t). It’ll most likely make you look even more dumb anyway. By the same token, some girls may have non-stereotypical interests like sports – so by all means just relax, and go crazy over how Manchester United are dead now that Sir Alex Ferguson has left. In fact, it’s probably great.

That said, that doesn’t mean you go all-out, start pretending she’s a guy. For obvious reasons, she’s A GIRL. Now that doesn’t make her different – she’s still a person – but in the same way that you wouldn’t insist on talking to your best friend right after a traumatic break-up or barge into a -private- conversation between (certain) classmates, be tactful, for crying out loud. Common sense dictates that there are a few things you should NEVER mention in front of her.

A. Her weight – “You look like you need to lose a bit of weight?”

How dumb must you possibly be to say something like that?! (For those of you who have, I’m sorry, I’m judging you already.) One of the cardinal sins of talking to girls is clearly bringing up anything to do with her body fat – never, and I mean never, go anywhere near discussing that she might need to lose a bit of weight (even if she brings it up herself).

Bottom line – unless you want a slap in the face, a kick in the unmentionables or just in general receiving the hatred of a girl, stay well away from this topic.

Some of you might, however, reach the point in your life where you’re close enough to a girl that she asks you for fashion advice (don’t ask me why, especially if you can’t even match your socks in the morning). She asks you, “Do I look fat in this dress?” This might, perhaps, be the best time to tell a little white lie. Honesty isn’t always the best policy, especially if you have no idea how to deal with a girl who may be emotionally scarred upon finding out she’s put on a bit of weight.

Here’s what you could consider as a possible response tactic:
Her: “Do I look fat?”
You: “Hmmm… Why do you ask that?” (this buys you some time to think about what you actually want to say in reply)
Her: “Because I’ve been eating a lot, so I think I put on a bit of weight…”
You: “Is that so?” (still buying you more time.)
Her: “Yea I think so leh…. so how, do I look different?”
You: “No la! I think you still look just as good now.” (and then you’re free to change the topic)

B. That time of the month.

How much of a social outcast must you be to know the most awkward topic you could ever bring up in a conversation with a girl is that time of the month? (Admit it – some of you are out there.) You might overhear conversations between girls discussing this but there is NO reason on this planet Earth – and any of the other 7 planets in the solar system or the billions of other mini-planets – for you to go over and ‘make your presence known’. No, just no.

That said, there are some girls who do feel comfortable enough to openly bring it up around you. Then that’s fine – but tread carefully.

C. Anything that clearly affects her.

Don’t be a blind fool and continue talking when the girl right in front of your face has shown clear discomfort in talking about a subject. Even worse, if she’s said “I don’t wanna talk about it.” You want to continue this conversation and, potentially, friendship (provided she’s not talking to you just out of compassion)? Then make sure you recognise when to change the subject or just stop talking in general.

This also includes insults. I know, we guys have a habit of launching into insult wars on occasion, knowing full well none of us mean it (but actually we do), walking away friends and laughing at how stupid the other guy is. That doesn’t mean girls function the same way! They might, but it’s going to take so much more than a first conversation to reach that level of closeness. So tread lightly – she might laugh off a “omg why are you so stupid” but she could be torn apart on the inside.

4. Physical contact.

Yes, most of you guys out there, we know you usually resolve arguments or joke around by punching another guy in the arm, leg – or other places – and it usually gets the job done. It might hurt, but hey, we’re bros, what’s the big deal? Then you go back to laughing.

People may tell you to see girls as your guy friends too. Yeah sure, takes the pressure off sometimes, but please for the sake of all things good and holy, do not (and I repeat, DO NOT) attempt to punch a girl on the arm – especially if you’re 180cm tall and a member of, say, the rugby team. It’s not a good idea.

In fact, it’s probably still not a good idea even if she (viciously) attacked you first. If she thinks it’s funny, then tell her to stop (and reconsider why you’re even talking to her in the first place). If she doesn’t, she’s either definitely psycho or you might want to wear padded shoulder guards to school. Especially with girls, try not to solve problems with your fists.

However, I do know that not all of you out there are huge and buff, you’re probably more like this:

Even if you aren’t the type to resort to violence in order to build bonds of friendship, it’s important to respect someone else’s personal space. You may have grown used to friendly hugs or casual pats on the back, but that was because you were studying in a single-sex school. Again, unless you’re completely devoid of any social awareness, you should realise she’s a girl and common sense should tell you that putting your arm around a girl (who isn’t your girlfriend) is probably not acceptable. I know some of you out there are desperate and hormonal and touchy but please, keep that to when you know the girl well enough – and she’s comfortable with it – or risk a) hand imprints on your face from getting slapped, b) ostracisation for being creepy and/or c) getting accused of inappropriate touching. Any combination of the 3 is bound to leave you further from where you started. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

What’s worse, this might even send the wrong idea to the girl in question. You don’t want that – unless you’re interested in her – and it doesn’t do anybody much good other than making everything extremely awkward. If you’re interested in her… wait, that wasn’t the question you asked. You really want to know? Send in a question or forever hold your peace. (You’re welcome.)

5. Be natural – just go with the flow.

In case you’ve picked up on nothing I’ve already written here, then all I can say is, just be natural. You’re not meeting or talking to an alien species – girls are but just human beings who are just slightly different biologically. Just let the words fall out of your mouth and eventually you’ll realise how unbelievably easy it is to just strike up a conversation with a girl. Just let it happen. You don’t need to put on a show, be some pompous -censored- or pretentious freak, or anything else for that matter that isn’t you. Smile warmly, relax, and things should be fine.

So yes, Anonymous, don’t fret. I think I’ve helped you plenty, but remember this list of tips is non-exhaustive and most definitely subjective. Those of you with more natural charm may find this easier, others might find everything goes horribly wrong. Don’t blame me or I will hunt you down and k- I mean, it’s normal for things to go wrong and don’t worry about it. Mistakes happen, apologise and get on with life.

On a side note, “and stuff” wasn’t specific enough for me to respond to. What on earth do you mean?! I’m ending this here, anything else, you’re going to have to send in another question for me to respond to.

Bye for now (good riddance),

(not so) Sincerely,

Uncle Stamford

Article by Sihan Huang (14S06D) and Lu Jinyao (14A01D)

Photos by Teo Si-Yan of the Photographic Society

“A name that’s stood the test of time

For a hundred and ninety years of history.”

Raffles Institution’s 190th birthday bash was anything but ordinary. Founders’ Day on Saturday, the 27th of July, represented 190 years of history compacted into a ceremony lasting less than 3 hours.  The morning ceremony set the stage for the rest of the day’s events, such as the Teacher Time Capsule (part of RI’s Oral History Project, led by Mrs. Cheryl Yap) in the afternoon and the highly exclusive Homecoming Dinner which took place later that night. So, did it live up to the “Great Expectations” of this year’s school theme?

For the typical Year 5, attending a 3 hour long prize-presentation ceremony is probably not the best way to start a Saturday morning with rainy weather just perfect for a lazy morning in bed. Yet, a number of students and staff spent last Saturday morning doing just that.

Raffles Jazz performs at the beginning of the Founder’s Day ceremony

Founder’s Day serves to commemorate the milestones made thus far throughout RI’s illustrious history, and remind Rafflesians, past and present, of the school’s rich heritage that we have inherited. The annual event was steeped in ritual and tradition,  with an atmosphere of grandeur and history so resplendent it seemed awfully reminiscent of something out of Hogwarts.

Some highlights of the programme included:

• A staff procession, in recognition of RI’s teaching staff, during which all staff marched into the MPH decked in graduate gowns to an appreciative standing ovation;

• The march-in of the school mace, made from solid wood and embellished with gold foil, carried by the Standard-Bearers;

Ashlynna, President of the 32nd Students’ Council, walks in with the ceremonial mace

• A speech delivered by Mr. Choo Chiau Beng, an former Rafflesian and also the Chairman of Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd

  Mr. Choo addressing the crowd

• The singing of the specially composed Founders Day’s song, “Rafflesians salute your Alma Mater… Our Alma Mater reigned supreme”.

• As well as the delivery of the Institution Report by Principal, Mrs. Lim Lai Cheng:

In 2012, out of the 11 student who achieved 9 ‘A’ Level distinctions in academics, 10 were from RI. In the sports arena, Raffles claimed the top position as well.  The A division (Year 5 and 6) clinched an impressive 20 golds. The B and C division have each bagged 9 and 7 golds respectively (Note: C division’s competitions have not ended as of the time when this was written).

The bulk of the ceremony, however, was taken up by the presentation of a series of school awards with rather posh-sounding names. The Stamford Raffles Award, arguably the most prestigious school-based award one can receive in his/her time in RI, was handed out to Goh Zuo Min (for his all-rounded achievements in RI Year 1-4), and I Naishad Kai-Ren (for his all-rounded achievements in RI Year 5-6). We managed to contact Zuo Min via email after the ceremony, who wished to say that he was “grateful and honoured to have been presented this award, and am mindful and thankful of the immense contributions and sacrifice by others as well – friends, batchmates, juniors, seniors and especially my teachers.” He shared, “this award is a great milestone for me, because from young, I had always been classified as a ‘difficult student’. In primary school, every year, my form teacher would have to call my parents down to school to discipline me. I was irresponsible, lazy and very forgetful. However, entering secondary school, I have become more mature and changed, and strived to become a better person.”

The Wijeysingha Scholarship was awarded to national sailor Jonathan Yeo, who “best manifested the Rafflesian spirit during his first four years in RI”. Jonathan displayed remarkable resilience and fortitude  to recover from a serious cycling accident, winning the Schools National Sailing B Division Byte class just five months after the incident which left him wheelchair-bound for a period of time. Many other important awards were also given out during the ceremony, such as the A K Sigamoney Leadership Award (awarded to a Year 6 student leader in recognition of his/her inspirational leadership), which was won by Seah Ern Xu, and the RI Year 1-4 Dux Award (awarded to the head prefect of each year in recognition of his leadership role in the school) to Soh Kuan Wei. For the full list of award recipients, do refer to the 55-page programme booklet, “Honour Roll”.

As the award recipients streamed in to thunderous applause and recognitions of excellence, it was easy for one sitting amongst the vast audience to feel small and insignificant compared to the numerous recipients and their long litany of achievements.

The grandiose proceedings was a novel experience for some, such as Berenice Low from 14A01D, a JAE student.  Comparing her secondary school award ceremony to one that was a Rafflesian affair, Berenice jokingly recalled how “the programme booklet for [her secondary school’s] Speech Day was always printed with white paper like the Learning Journey worksheets”.

Yet, the archaic and staunchly traditional atmosphere projected might have made it a little less relatable for the average student, compared to say the Founder’s Day in our sister school, RGS. As the outgoing Student Council President, Ashlynna Ng, puts it, “In RGS, Founder’s Day is quite a big thing, and everyone gets really excited about it. For example, when we celebrated 130 years [of history]. Back in RGS, it was really more of an entire school coming together to celebrate Founder’s Day.” One wonders then if the formality and decorum of the ceremony might have alienated some of the crowd it sought to make more bonded to the school.

Does that make the Speech-Day-alike Founder’s Day in RI nothing more than a purposeful show of fanfare? This writer is not so cynical. No doubt, when Mrs Lim took the stage to announce a series of eye-popping facts from the Institution Report, her audience — students, parents, alumni, donors alike — was quietly impressed by the things that Rafflesians were and are capable of doing. It occurred to the writer, at numerous times throughout the ceremony, the loneliness a humble individual could feel within the orbit of over-achievers.

But it is precisely the fact that Founder’s Day instills in every Rafflesian, past and present, a strong sense of pride, a sense of belonging to a wider community, that makes it special. It is worth clapping for the seniors and schoolmates that laid the basis for us to be regarded as the elite population by all. It is worth celebrating the fact that we are the authors who pin down the 191th year of history and beyond. It is worth mouthing the words of the Founder’s Day song, “A name that’s stood the test of time/ For a hundred and ninety years of history”, if just to soak in the brief moment of camaraderie as part of Team Raffles.

Perhaps that is what Founder’s Day serves to do. As characterized by the double-headed eagle, it is a day for us to reconcile with the past, celebrate the triumphs of today, and take on the hurdles of tomorrow to forge the “Hope of a Better Age”

Auspicium Melioris Aevi, Happy Founder’s Day!

by Angelica Chong (14A01B)

It is easy, after walking out of the theatre, to dismiss Pacific Rim as a ‘dumb fun’ kind of movie, what with the almost ludicrous premise that gigantic humanoid machines are going to save the world by literally punching sea monsters in the face – reminiscent, surely, of the cheesy Godzilla franchise that has been around since 1954. It doesn’t help that as of late, it seems the only movies that are worthy of any critical consideration have to be completely – some argue realistically – grim. In these ‘serious’ movies, everyone is an anti-hero, the whole world is painted in drab shades of grey, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending (if you think about it, some of those movies don’t even end, per se). Anything else that fails to achieve this numbing onslaught of gloom and doom is automatically labelled a feel-good summer blockbuster. (What is implied in this is that it’s also a no-brainer, because what makes you feel good after watching it means it’s too dumb to be critically understood, of course.)

Pacific Rim doesn’t hide any other pretensions of complex metaphor, agonized amoral figures or (cue dramatic, soul-shattering music) THE END OF HUMANITY AS WE KNOW IT. It has a simple plot, understandable characters, and really awesome battle scenes. It also has commendable minority representation, symbolic nuances, and world-building on a large enough scale to tempt me into buying the novelization and the official movie guide book – which is more than I can say for any other film I’ve watched recently.

Of course, there were the usual details that can be nit-picked over, like who in the world decided it would be good idea to create giant robots to battle alien creatures in hand-to-hand combat (versus bombarding them with, I don’t know, bombs and stuff), how the dialogue was hardly Oscar-worthy, and the meatloaf blandness of our ‘leading’ man Raleigh Beckett, who, with his straw hair and square jawline, somehow looks like every other white male in the movie. But beyond that, I found myself enjoying everything else it threw at me.

For one thing, it’s so rare to see an Asian woman kicking ass next to your token all-American hero, and it’s even rarer still that she’s not at all sexualized or diminished because of her gender and race. Mako Mori is explicitly and repeatedly shown to be Raleigh’s equal; her character exists not defined by her relation to him, but independently, with her own fleshed-out backstory. The training scene, where Mako deliberately lets Raleigh take the first point, is one that was really enjoyable – she knows she can beat him, and she’s not afraid to let him know it. To his credit, Raleigh doesn’t try to put the moves on her – he respects her as his co-pilot and gradually, his friend, and at the end of the day, their relationship is one that, thankfully, is not miscoloured by a contrived romance. This emphasis placed on developing Mako as her own person is a refreshing change from the navel-gazing exercise in man-pain that usually plagues all of our media.

Mako Mori, resident bad-ass.

The movie had a large ensemble of characters – and simply no time to develop all of them. The Russian and Chinese teams were hardly given any legitimate screen-time, which was a pity, because there were enough hints of realism in their portrayals (body language, outfits) to make them interesting, but I did appreciate the subplot that was Newt and Hermann’s scientific misadventures. For once, the nerdy folk weren’t just played for laughs or used as a convenient deus ex machina; they helped save the world! With illegally harvested alien brains and science!

Speaking of dead monster bits, it’s intriguing, perhaps tangentially, that Pacific Rim begins where most movies of its ilk end – not with the slow collective realization of humanity that Bad Things are coming for them, but seven years into the Kaiju War, where the presence of Kaijus has almost certainly changed the way humanity sees itself and the world. A new black market has sprung up for Kaiju remains, there are newfangled religious movements devoted to them, and there are Kaiju groupies (of which I am unashamedly one). And yet, some things, reliably, never change – despite the fact that Kaijus come from the sea, millions of people still choose to live in coastal cities.

What was key to Pacific Rim, though, was the concept of the Kaiju movie that director Guillermo del Toro had in mind. He wanted to ‘create something new, something madly in love with [the Kaiju genre]; to bring beauty to it, and drama and operatic grandeur.’ Given the sheer magnificence of the battle scenes, with the Kaiju rising from the sea like glowing eldritch monstrosities, and the Jaegers facing them with the city skyline behind them – I’d say he’s succeeded.

Why shoot lasers or even use pointy sticks when you can simply punch the crap out of giant monsters?

Pacific Rim didn’t attempt to impart a deep Moral Message; it didn’t end with our lone hero grimly declaring the end of days or the beginning of a new era over the corpses of his sacrificed comrades; it didn’t take itself too seriously! This is great, because when you have a movie about mechas wielding ships as baseball bats, taking swings and punches at scaly monsters from an alien world through a sea portal, it’s hard not to make it something fun. Del Toro’s movie is a humanist one at heart, without any trite moralizing or nihilistic anarchy that seems to polarize films today. It’s a kids’ movie for grown-ups – the world is literally saved by the teamwork and love of the people in the Shatterdome – but just because it uses themes and ideas that have been familiar to us since childhood, doesn’t mean it’s childish or ‘dumb’ in any way.

Rating: 3.5/5 (Would recommend!)

By Gao Wenxin (14AO3A), Chen Hao Xin (13SO6Q)

Lim Ci Hui (14AO3B), Lu Xinyi (14SO6B) and Cara Leong (13AO1B)

As part of our food column, our journalists review two more eating options near RI for your digestion – Shunfu Mart and Brownice.

SHUNFU MART

★★☆☆

Situated a short two bus-stops away from school, Shunfu Mart is a hawker centre located at Blk 320, Shunfu Road. Even before embarking on this food trail, one will often hear rave reviews of this food centre, well known for its popular baked goods stall, Chocolat N’ Spice. However, when we arrived at around 7pm, many stalls in the complex, including the baked goods stall, were already closed, so for prospective patrons out there, be sure to arrive early so as to enjoy some of their mouthwatering muffins!

We first sampled the char siew and roast pork rice ($3). The meat from this stall was well-prepared and the gravy in particular was the highlight of the dish. This stall offers generous helpings and comforting local food, but due to the dry texture of the rice, you might want to consider a refreshing bowl of soup ($2.50, various flavours including watercress and lotus root) as an excellent complement to the meal.

Another recommendation would be the duck rice ($3). The braised rice that accompanied the duck rice was slightly oily but aromatic and flavourful. The duck meat is tender and delicious accompanied with the stall’s chilli sauce, and has equal shares of fat and lean meat. The meal comes with piping hot soup and the friendly aunty here will also remind you to scoop your bowl of duck & peanut soup on your way out! Other than duck rice, this stall also offers kway chap and mixed rice dishes, which we were unfortunately unable to try.

Taking a quick glance around the market, there are other stalls that sell char kway teow and mixed rice, and top off your meal with a cup of homemade barley or grass jelly at the drinks stall ($0.50-$0.70). Do note, however, that if you do not wish to order the mixed rice dishes, the food centre is rather lacking in vegetarian options.

Overall, Shunfu Mart didn’t live up to its hype (perhaps owing to the fact that we were unable to review a number of stores), but we all enjoyed substantial meals at wallet-friendly prices.

BROWNICE

★★★.5☆

After dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to dessert and headed to Brownice, a short walk away at Sin Ming Centre, 8 Sin Ming Road #01-03. Instead of the indulgent, full cream ice cream most of us were accustomed to, Brownice’s speciality was selling unique brown rice ice cream. It is even in the Singapore Book of Records as the first vegan ice cream store!

The shop is air-conditioned and has plenty of seats as well as power sockets, perfect for sitting down with dessert and having small study groups or discussions. It also has an inviting and warm atmosphere, spacious and decorated in white and pale blue. The staff were friendly and we were allowed to sample as many flavours as we liked before purchase.

We were greeted by a variety of dessert choices to go with our brown rice ice cream, including waffles, brownies, hot pockets, teas, and coffees. Brownice’s specialities include the mudpie (a hazelnut chocolate and french chocolate ice cream confection, $9.80) and of course, various other flavours of these healthy brown rice ice cream. There were many options available, including an array of chocolate flavours for the chocoholics among us. We ordered a three-scoop cup ($7) which was the greatest value-for-money, and also perfect for sharing.

The three flavours we chose were Banana Oat, Strawberry, and French Chocolate. One thing that immediately struck us was the rich flavours of the ice cream despite the lack of artificial flavouring! The taste of fresh fruit and quality chocolate was unmistakable. Out of the three we sampled, the Banana Oat ice cream stood out due to its unique, dulcet flavour. The French Chocolate was soothingly sweet without being overly saccharine, as was the Strawberry flavour, which had a refreshingly zesty, sorbet like taste.

Tired of jostling with the crowd for the queue at Udders or Salted Caramel? Well, we highly recommend Brownice for everyone looking for a guilt (and calorie)-free treat, with their unique brown rice ice cream offering a fun alternative for even the lactose intolerant.