Author: Faith Wan (23S02B)

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: Reigniting The Flame

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Faith Wan (23S02B) and Thia Jiayun (24S03P, Peer Helper)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/RIAAUU and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month.

How can I recover from study burnout? I am really unmotivated to study now

Burnedout Brendon

Dear Burnedout Brendon,

Amidst the hectic life of a JC student, it’s all too easy to get swept up in the unhealthy cycle of working relentlessly. Think studying til the wee hours of the morning, guzzling down yet another cup of double shot espresso, and forcing yourself to make every moment of your day ‘productive’.

While everyone’s threshold for stress varies, it’s safe to say that such a work ethic is simply unsustainable in the long run. It is precisely this gnawing desire to do more, more, more (and often, the accompanying fear of failure) that triggers the avalanche of a burnout.

Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: Reigniting The Flame”

7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days: Rafflesian Wheelchair Racer Makes History

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Faith Wan (23S02B)

On February 6 this year, Dr William Tan, a neuroscientist and Paralympian, added another record to his lengthy list of achievements: being the first person to complete seven marathons across seven continents in seven days, in a wheelchair. 

After 50 years of wheelchair racing, this challenge was his swansong. In addition to raising funds for seven charities, the 66-year-old Rafflesian also graciously dedicated the last leg of his race to RI200, Raffles Institution’s bicentenary. 

Continue reading “7 Marathons, 7 Continents, 7 Days: Rafflesian Wheelchair Racer Makes History”

Raffles Reads: The House Of Little Sisters

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Faith Wan (23S02B)

Raffles Reads is a collaboration between Raffles Press and Times Reads which aims to promote a reading culture among Singaporean students.

Rating: 4/5

Don’t let them get away with it.”

Set in 1930s British Malaya, award-winning children’s novelist Eva Wong Nava’s The House of Little Sisters is an immersive work of historical fiction. It centres on our protagonist, Ah Mei, a 16 year-old girl who has been sold to the wealthy Lee family as a mui tsai, or unpaid domestic servant, and is tasked with taking care of Precious Jade, the family’s youngest daughter.

From the first chapter, Wong Nava establishes palpable unease and tension. The Lee family seems to be hiding a secret so grievous even Ah Wan Jie, the head mui tsai of the family, skirts cagily around any mention of  it. In addition, Ah Mei starts to see visions of a certain spirit, who pleads with her to “take action”—though against what exactly is a revelation only uncovered later in the book.

Continue reading “Raffles Reads: The House Of Little Sisters”

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: ‘Jack of all trades’—Jibe or Jest?  

Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Jolene Yee (23S03A) and Faith Wan (23S02B)
Cover image by Johnathan Lim (23S03M)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/RIAAUU and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month.

I have a lot of interests but I’m not that good at anything… someone made an offhand comment saying I’m a jack of all trades but master of none and that kind of stung a little – any advice? 

Interested Isaac
Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: ‘Jack of all trades’—Jibe or Jest?  “

Please Mind The Platform Gap: Taking H2 Computing

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Faith Wan (23S02B)

2022 marks the year Raffles Institution welcomed its first batch of 25 H2 Computing students since 2005. While Computing may sound like a niche subject that caters to only the wildly talented—think hackers in black hoods as portrayed on the big screen, the subject is open to all (yes, even those with no programming experience!). 

H2 Computing is modelled after computer science courses in universities, and is designed to cover foundational areas of knowledge usually taught in the first year. 

Continue reading “Please Mind The Platform Gap: Taking H2 Computing”