Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset, School Life

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: Breaking The Ice
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Gladys Koh (26A01B) and Sreya Areekkara Poduvattil (26S03P, Peer Helper)

“I feel unwanted. Whenever I converse with people I want to know better, they aren’t interested in continuing the conversation. What should I do?”

Anxious Andy

Dear Anxious Andy, 

First of all, let me assure you: you are not alone in this matter. Feeling unwanted in conversations can turn into a crippling, unbearable train of thought that is difficult to shake off. 

However, contrary to what you may believe, many who seem to have their lives together—with perfect social circles and friendships that seem to come naturally, have felt exactly what you’re feeling now. 

Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: Breaking The Ice” →
Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset, Commentary, School Life

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: When classmates gatekeep their notes
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Sonia Chang (26A01A) and Shamitrra D/O Aruchunan (26S03P, peer helper)

“I feel that some of my classmates are not willing to share their notes or academic preparation with me, and I know it’s not an obligation but I would find it so much more helpful if they were more generous. What should I do?”

~ Bothered Ben

Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: When classmates gatekeep their notes” →
Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset, School Life

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: 10 Ways to Kill Ew (the Impulse Gremlin) — A Guide to Self-Discipline 
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Tan De Ting Trina (26S03N, Peer Helper) with Jaden Lum Zi Jun (26S05A)

“I can’t control my impulses, especially when it comes to spending time on recreation instead of important work. How do I improve my self-discipline?”

Passionate Pam

Greetings, Passionate Pam!

We get it: JC is a time filled with stress, commitments, exams, stress, worksheets—oh, and did we mention stress? It’s only natural that it becomes harder to say no to the gremlin on your shoulder luring you to your phone, or to that last Netflix episode you were going to save for the weekend. 

This tiny gremlin on your shoulder is a little someone we’ve named Ew. Much like the Serpent in Eden, Ew is the amalgamation of all of one’s temptations, and the reason why you can’t bring yourself to get tasks done. Fret not, because for every Ew, there are 20,000 ways to slaughter it—but for efficiency’s sake, we’ll only cover the most pertinent attack strategies in this article. As with all strategies, you’ll first need to address the root causes.

Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: 10 Ways to Kill Ew (the Impulse Gremlin) — A Guide to Self-Discipline “ →
Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset, Commentary, School Life

Aunt Agony Uncle Upset: Dealing with Self-Deprecating Language
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Elisa Lim (25S07A, 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.

“I’m really sad when my friends use self-deprecating language, especially because it’s not normal in the real world but seems insanely common in JC. What can I do?

– Nervous Nate

Dear Nervous Nate, 

Keeping your spirits up in JC is challenging as it is. Balancing grades with CCA commitments and maintaining a social circle (possibly even with new friends whom you’re not as familiar with) can be overwhelming. Being surrounded by friends talking negatively about themselves can eliminate a potential source of comfort, further exacerbating the stress of JC life. 

Self-deprecating language (SDL) takes many forms in a school environment. I’m sure you’re no stranger to hearing, “Oh, I’m definitely failing this subject” or “I’m so locked out” echoing through the corridor (we’re guilty of this one too), and it has nearly become our primary mode of lamenting about the challenges that plague our everyday lives. However, beyond these more explicit displays of negative self-talk, subtler instances of SDL also permeate our conversations. 

Continue reading “Aunt Agony Uncle Upset: Dealing with Self-Deprecating Language” →
Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset, School Life

Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: When you feel like you’re not learning anything 
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Cherie Khoo (26S03B), Genelle Gan (25S03Q, 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 the 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 dislike the way my teacher conducts lessons, as I don’t feel like I’m learning anything. What do I do?

Troubled Troy

Dear Troubled Troy,

We’ve all had teachers we like and others we don’t like as much. Honestly, it’s perfectly alright to prefer some teachers over others. After all, we’re only human, and the best way for one person to learn may be terrible for someone else. Perhaps the most pressing issue here is how you feel like you are not learning anything – teachers are there to help us learn, and if the way your teacher conducts lessons hinders you from learning effectively, this is a very valid concern.

Even though it may seem like you don’t have a way to improve the situation without affecting your relationship with the teacher (or getting a new teacher altogether), it is imperative that you take action, or risk compromising your learning even further.

Continue reading “Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset: When you feel like you’re not learning anything “ →