Commentary, Culture, Humour, School Life

Beyond the Rot: How Brainrot Divides (and Unites) Us All
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Gregory Ng (27S05A), Mary Tu (27S06O) and Ong Tsz Xiang (27S06M)

How did you react to this image? Either the frightful howl of children screaming “SIX SEVEN” manifested in your mind and sent shivers down your spine, or you joined in the hype. Either way, you probably would not have been able to escape the vicious claws (or rather, palms) of the 6 7 trend. And you’re not alone in this.

For the boomers out there, 6 7 is part of the wider phenomenon of “brainrot”: absurd internet trends whose reach extends far beyond our social media feeds and into everyday conversation. Yet, as we find ourselves unable to look at a banana or a strawberry the same ever again, we should challenge ourselves to consider: can this low-effort content offer more than just an assault on our attention spans?

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Op-Eds, Opinion

The Art of Moving On 
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Georgia Ong (26S03O) 

If you have even the slightest inkling of what K-Pop is, you’ve probably heard the name Mark Lee. And you’ve probably heard the news that after 10 years of idol life, he’s parting ways with both his agency, SM Entertainment, and his group, NCT. 

At the tender age of 26, he is walking away from what defined over half his life—he joined the company in 2012 and debuted in 2016 at the young age of 16. Throughout his career, he established himself as a key member of NCT, juggling activities between his subunits NCT 127 and NCT Dream. 

The overworked golden child, Mark was beloved by both his agency and fans. He was the leader of NCT Dream and face of NCT; many thought that he would be one of the members most likely to re-sign with SM during contract renewals. 

No one expected him to leave his company, let alone the group entirely.

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CCA Events, Features, School Life, Sports

NSG 2026 Features: Taekwondo
Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Tan Yan Qi (26S06M)

Ever wondered what a training session at Raffles Taekwondo looks like? Behind the perfectly rehearsed Taekwondo patterns, known as poomsaes, and satisfying high kicks lies months and months of hard work and discipline. Watch on to find out more about RITKD’s rigorous training routines — and the little joys that they find beyond the patterns.

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CCA Events, Features, School Life, Sports

NSG 2026 Features: Swimming x Waterpolo
Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Lerraine Neo (26A01A)

For many students, the RI pool is a forbidden area, only seen through the fences that separates it from Y14 Chill. But for two CCAs, it’s more like a second home. As the 2026 National School Games draw near, find out what Water Polo and Swimming have been doing in their practices!

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Commentary, Nationally Speaking, Singapore

Tradition Adrift: Orang Laut Heritage in a Modern Nation
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Gladys Koh (26A01B), Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Lerraine Neo (26A01A)

All images, unless otherwise stated, were taken by the writers.

Before Lee Kuan Yew, the Crown colonies, and Raffles, there were the Orang Laut. Literally translated from Malay as ‘people of the sea’, they are a group of seafaring nomads who resided in the waters around Maritime Southeast Asia, such as the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands, Java, and Sumatra. And, they are Singapore’s indigenous people. 

Also known as the Orang Pulau, in Singapore’s quest for modernisation, they have faded into obscurity, confined to a few pages in a Social Studies textbook, if any. One organisation, oranglaut.sg, wishes to change that.

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