Commentary

Commentary, Sports 24 May 201324 May 2013

Champions at Heart: Soccer Boys Edged out in 5-goal Thriller

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Lee Wei Hern (14S03T) and Nguyen Hoang Nhan (14S03K)
Photos by: Andrew Chua and Geoffrey Lim

Having progressed to the finals after winning 4-1 on penalties in the semi-finals against Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) last week, our soccer boys were determined to carry on their winning streak by beating Victoria Junior College (VJC) to clinch the National A Division Boys’ Football Championship title, which they last won in 2007.

A great number of supporters turned up to root for our soccer boys, as they prepared to fight for glory. Technical problems before the match prompted supporters to sing the Institutional Anthem without background music, which seemed to herald a tough match ahead, against a strong rival who has already obtained three championships in the last 10 years.

And it was, indeed. Our soccer boys started off shakily and did not seem very focused on their attack, often giving up possession in the first five minutes due to careless tackles and fouls. On the other hand, the opposition was more composed, pressuring our soccer boys with practiced one-two passing. Raffles made few attempts to steal the ball and move forward, clearly overwhelmed by the opposing team as they launched attack after attack.

Slightly before six minutes into the game, Deferdauz (VJC #7) put his team ahead by maneuvering the ball past two of our defenders on the left wing of the VJC side before calmly slotting the ball past RI goalkeeper Samuel Soo (#1), nestling it in the bottom left corner. VJC continued attacking, thoroughly testing Raffles’ defence that crumbled far-too-easily as our soccer boys applied little pressure, giving VJC much room to send the ball forward.

Deferdauz (#7) continued to edge out our defenders with his agility and superb control of the ball. After cleanly receiving a through pass from midfield, he skillfully turned and launched a powerful shot from outside the penalty box without any challenge from the RI defenders. The ball flew past the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Samuel Soo (#1) and landed into the top left corner of the net, leading Raffles to concede their second goal merely six minutes after the first.

The early goals mounted greater pressure on our soccer boys, who were playing with visibly low morale, if not with fear. They were hardly able to establish a proper attacking setup, with subpar control of the ball. VJC used numerous short and concise passes towards the goal to maintain possession, compared to the unpredictable long passing adopted by our soccer boys.

Two minutes before the end of the first half, Dominic Ho (VJC #19) extended the lead for his team by one more goal as he swiftly sneaked behind defenders Damian (RI #13) and Abdul Hannan (RI #6), and aimed a shot towards the goal, which saw the ball glide into the bottom right corner of the net, denying any effort from Samuel Soo (#1) to save the ball. This marked the end of a nightmarish first half, one that our soccer boys will find hard to forget. “The boys were playing with fear,” said RI Coach Philippe Aw.

Nonetheless, a resounding 3-0 lead by VJC in the first half did not extinguish the fire in our soccer boys nor affect the RI supporters in the second half. The RI contingent continued to cheer fiercely, their undying optimism giving our soccer boys a tremendous morale boost in the uphill battle of making a comeback. The 15-minute halftime break enabled our soccer boys to recover their composure as Coach Philippe requested the boys to simply “forget the scoreline, go out there, enjoy yourself, play the football that you know how to play and reward the huge turnout of fans”.

The start of the second half saw our soccer boys play with even more determination and fighting zeal. Despite the seemingly impossible feat of coming back, Raffles showed their indomitable will to break even by playing more fiercely, and finally challenging the VJC defence, who appeared to be intimidated, even surprised by a sudden surge of energy in our soccer boys. The most compelling evidence was the drastic increase in ball possession that Raffles earned by switching from the inefficient long balls in the first half to more precise short passes. This time, Raffles adopted a more offensive stance while VJC chose to go defensive, so as to defend their strong lead.

It became increasingly obvious that the VJC team was losing hold on the game as Raffles progressed quickly down the flanks, preventing the opposition from seizing the ball. The mounting pressure from our soccer boys finally took its toll on the VJC team as they started to make mistakes in their defending, causing them to let in two goals within two minutes of madness, destroying their 3-0 lead to make the scoreline 3-2.

Flustered, VJC players began to lose focus, fouling our soccer boys with weakly conceived tackles, in which Muhammad Firdaus bin Asri (VJC #3) obtained a yellow card after a hard foul. The resultant free kick by Captain Jesse Chang (RI #8) indirectly led to the first goal, when defender Koh Jin Kai (VJC #12) attempted to head the ball away, but landed the ball into his own goal just as the clock ticked past the 67th minute.

Merely a minute later, VJC conceded their second goal from another free kick by Jesse (RI #8) some ten meters outside the penalty box on the left flank. This time, goalkeeper Horatio Ho (VJC #13) fumbled and was unable to get his hands on the ball, allowing it to fall nicely inside the goal without any intervention, prompting an eruption of cheers from the RI contingent.

As the match approached its final moments, Raffles continued to pound VJC shot after shot, and they were finding it more difficult to keep their previously solid defence strong. Raffles played on furiously, with renewed hopes of a tie in the scoreline, as the RI supporters roared in unity “One more goal! One more goal!” Despite being pressed, VJC had rare opportunities to threaten our side. In one instance, keeper Samuel Soo (RI #1) made a brilliant double save, denying a strike by Dominic Ho (VJC #19) and a follow-up shot by Deferdauz (VJC #7) just seconds later.

In the end, however, that was not enough to stop VJC from achieving their fourth championship, as the referee blew the final whistle minutes later. Our soccer boys could hardly contain their emotions, slumping onto the pitch and breaking into tears, hugging each other for consolation. Later, striker Zhi Rong (RI #15) shared his thoughts on the game, stating he felt that the team played ‘like champions’. He added, “They are all great players, and we are all champions in our hearts. It was an honour to have played alongside them.”

Our soccer boys might have lost in their final against VJC, but their sheer grit and resilience through the entire season is undeniable. Raffles Press wishes our soccer boys all the best in doing the school proud in their future endeavors.

“To all the supporters who came down yesterday to support us: you gave us something we will never forget. We truly felt you guys behind us, spurring us on, cheering for every block, every good pass, and every challenge won. We felt what it was like to play both for and yet at the same time with the school, to fight for the badge on our shirts, urged on by our fellow Rafflesians and friends. It’s truly been an amazing journey for us and despite the result, to end our season like how we did yesterday was gold, pure gold.” – Raffles Soccer Boys

Although our soccer boys lost the game, they are not beaten.

Arts, Commentary 19 May 201319 May 2013

“Like a Boss” – All Jazzed Up

Reading Time: 5 minutes

by Alison Olivia Lewis (14S03S), with additional reporting by Muhammad Garda Ramadhito (14S05B)
Photos by: Wang Ziren and Edwin Chow (Photographic Society)

Widely regarded as one of the most prominent events on the ARTSeason Calendar, Raffles Jazz’s concert “Like A Boss” certainly lived up to the hype surrounding it. Hosting a fully packed crowd to the point many were forced to sit on the steps, Raffles Jazz opened the show with the curtains closed, a string of sweet, lone notes trailing behind them. As the curtains parted, Raffles Jazz’s first band opened the show with the upbeat “Spain”, setting a relaxed atmosphere that would last the rest of the night.

After the opening song, the emcees, Andrew Chia and Victoria Yeo, stepped out to formally welcome the audience. Decked out in well-coordinated outfits, the emcees further lightened the mood with their cheerfulness and lame (and sometimes painful) puns, which only promised a chill, laid-back evening.

The concert segment displayed the incredible talents of the Raffles Jazz members, performing passionate and expressive renditions of songs such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, written by Cole Porter and became a signature Frank Sinatra song, and “The Chicken”, originally made famous by Jaco Pastorius. Most of the songs also featured solos by each instrumentalist, their abilities on stage also matching their enthusiasm. Many of the performers clearly held those sharing the stage with them in high regard – saxophonist Andrew Chia commented of how anxious he was “playing beside a great trumpeter (Quek Qian Yi)”, and how “pressurizing (it was) to play at her standard.” Despite the nerves, it was clear every performer had a unique ability that provided an added edge to each performance, with the various instruments complementing each other in perfect harmony.

However, the highlight of the show’s initial segment was its finale, a cover of “Virtual Insanity”, originally by Jamiroquai. Lead singer Brillia was, simply put, brilliant – her bright voice coupled with her cheeriness and powerful stage presence lit up the stage. The complementing instrumentals further enhanced the performance. For example, the violin and viola brought depth and character to the piece, while the keyboard added a modern touch to a song now 17 years old. Raffles Jazz’s rendition of this funky tune was well received, and was indeed a great end to the first half of the evening.

Traditionally, Raffles Jazz has always “jazzed up” a usually standard concert format with a ‘musical’ segment featuring scripted staging and acting, and Like A Boss was no different. After a fifteen minute intermission, as Raffles Jazz returned to kick off their with a song entitled “Zoot Suit Riot”, they emerged onto the stage in masks and bearing guns, only to be “shot down” by the end, quite literally starting this segment with a bang. Featuring a witty script coupled with more cringe-worthy puns, this stray off the usual concert course proved to be a pleasant surprise, the highlight being the effeminate boss of the main character’s rival agency Hunter Skywalker, portrayed by Lin Qi, who not only stood out with his convincing display, but also brought much laughter to the crowd.

The finale piece, For Once In My Life, featured various characters getting together with their love interests from the musical, including main characters Jack and Jill Doe, who performed a short Broadway-style dance. Though clichéd, the “happily ever after” fairy tale ending never gets old and got the approval of the audience, who cheered for the rather cute (yet sadly fictional) couples.

Despite being a tradition, opting to go with a musical raised several eyebrows, including some from its own members. Lin Qi mentions, “I was uncertain of how it was going to go and how we would manage the technical challenges involved, and as much as it is a short visual show itself, the music is a large part of it – so I didn’t know how we would do it.” One of the other key challenges which came up during the rehearsal process was balancing acting and playing music. This was worked around by the organisation of the concert – Andrew tells us that “those who had major acting roles had few (1-2) songs, while those who didn’t got a few more tunes (3-4).” Beyond that, it also came down to the sheer hard work of the actors, as Lin Qi adds, “We tried hard for all the aspects of our performance. Acting a role just means that you have to put in time to learn your lines and know what to show people. We worked at it from rehearsal to rehearsal, and it’s just a bit of extra effort that you put in alongside playing music, which is the main thing.”

Not forgetting the people who worked so hard behind-the scenes, Raffles Jazz ended the evening making sure to thank everyone who played a role in their performance, most notably teacher-in-charge Ms Jina Foo. When spoken to about how she viewed the experience as a whole, she mentions how she finds working with the Jazz musicians a joy. “They are humble and willing to improve,” praised Ms. Foo, who willingly stayed back almost every day to let the musicians practise until perfection is achieved. “I look forward to work with them again for future concerts”, she declared, hopefully a sign of more to come.

After the lights dimmed, the audience clearly couldn’t get enough of the catchy jazz tunes as they chanted for an encore. After some time, Jazz members returned to the stage to perform September by Earth, Wind and Fire, while the other non-performing members danced along to a performance that summed up the sheer quality and talent on offer for the night.

Unbelievably, some of the performers on stage that night had little experience performing on stage. Pianist Jennifer Ho admitted that she was very nervous before the concert, as this was the first time she had played music and acted in front of a live audience for quite a while. Likewise, drummer Timothy Tan found the experience incredibly rewarding, adding that while “the rehearsal process was really sapping and trying at times, I had a lot of fun preparing with my CCA mates”. Incredibly, some of the performers were playing parts outside of their comfort zone – when we spoke with her, Jennifer also humbly admitted, “I am not very classically trained like the typical pianist. I stopped attending piano lessons once I had my Grade 5 exam.” That said, any deficiency went well unnoticed, the top-notch performances still full of emotion and stunning quality.

Looking ahead, many of the performers on stage were Year 5s, and their ability to match up with their experienced seniors promises an even better show next year. On the whole, Like A Boss was a great showing from Raffles Jazz, and certainly entertained all in the audience who wished to unwind after a hectic week at school. Like A Boss was definitely worth catching, and certainly was a highlight of ARTSeason 2013 thus far.

You can watch Raffles Jazz’s performance of “Virtual Insanity” here:

Setlist:

First half:

1.     Spain
2.     I’ve Got You Under My Skin
3.     Girl from Ipanema
4.     Nature Boy
5.     Moanin’
6.     Lullaby of Birdland
7.     The Chicken
8.     Virtual Insanity

Second half:

1.     Zoot Suit Riot
2.     Close to You
3.     Cold Cold Heart
4.     Power Rangers
5.     For Once in My Life

Commentary 11 May 201316 November 2017

Royston Tan: To Them, Filmmaking is Not a Job – An Interview with Royston Tan, Eva Tang and Victric Thng

Reading Time: 6 minutes

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?

Continue reading “Royston Tan: To Them, Filmmaking is Not a Job – An Interview with Royston Tan, Eva Tang and Victric Thng” →

Commentary 9 May 201313 May 2013

R-Rated: Exploring the music tastes of Rafflesians (Part 1)

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Lim Shaomin (14S03K)
Additional reporting by Jayne Chan (14S03D)

Picture this: it has been yet another draining day in school. You’re glad to be heading home. However, there’s a niggling suspicion at the back of your mind that there is “something to do”. What follows is the tedious thought process of going through all the undone tasks piling up at a corner of your desk or crushed somewhere in your bag. It could be that dreaded tutorial you have been putting off. Or, it could be the lecture notes you have yet to review, probably because your lecturer turned what you thought to be simple English, into a pile of mumbo-jumbo. Eventually, your thoughts become too much for you to take. That’s when you finally decide to plug in and crank up the volume. Be it soothing harmonies, rocking riffs or twanging guitar strings, music never fails to draw you into a whole other world. Even a short five minutes of pure aural pleasure leaves you feeling refreshed.

So what kind of musical magic goes on in the mini speakers of our earphones? How many Rafflesians take to the likes of Mariah Carey and Beyonce, the unrefuted divas in American pop culture? How about staunch followers of rock music, who seek soul-invigoration and societal awareness through the lyrics of AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses? Or perhaps most of us fall into the ‘rojak’ category- we listen to anything and everything, as long as it appeal to us.

Raffles Press presents to you R-Rated Part 1 (stay tuned for part 2!), an analysis of survey results from the Raffles Press Music Survey. It was conducted online via a link to our survey webhost posted on the Raffles 2014 Batch Facebook page. Questions asked include ‘What are your favourite songs from your favourite genre of music?’ and ‘What are 3 songs you listen to when you’re feeling sad?’. Through the survey, we have collected a myriad of interesting and insightful answers. However, the data collected may not be conclusive and representative of the entire student body due to the limited survey responding time period and the limited J2 input.

The Popularity of Pop

Through the survey, “Pop Music” emerged as the clear winner of Rafflesian hearts. Pop music is relatively easy to identify. Aurally, it is the fun and catchy melodies you find yourself humming to most of the time, simply because they stick in your head. Visually, they are packaged to the nines, complete with slick dance moves and fashionable outfits. This makes the main draw of pop music the ability to appeal to the masses. Of course, for some, the draw of listening to pop music might just be an easy way to discover new music, since the “best” tunes have already been identified for you on radio charts and Billboard charts. According to an anonymous respondent on our survey, “Pop music is not a genre, but more like a trait. When you talk about different genres of music, it signifies a difference in the type of music. Pop music has all types of music but it all has one trait, it is widely recognised, therefore the term “popular music”.”

However, more recently, pop music has received much backlash for being overly-commercialised and having a lack of lyrical substance (e.g. “Now you get to watch her leave out the window / Guess that’s why they call it window pane” – Love the Way You Lie).

Apart from Western pop music, Korean pop music has also been slammed for repetitive, superficial lyrics. Accusations such as Korean pop bands and singers making use of their looks and not their voices to gain popularity seem to be rampant. However, one cannot deny that the influence of K-pop has spread far and wide. PSY’s Gangnam Style is the most-watched music video on YouTube with a whopping current viewership number of over 1 billion. The influence of his music shows in the thousands of Gangnam Style parodies that have emerged on YouTube. His latest single, Gentleman, is also enjoying its immediate popularity by riding on the coat tails of Gangnam Style success, racking in 44 million views in just a day of its release. The prospering of such pop music seem to bank quite heavily on the popularity and influence of the singer, rather than the quality of the song.

However, are we giving pop music too little credit? What about all the times you needed a good beat to dance to (Dancefest, anyone)? How about mass singing sessions with your friends? Not everyone can appreciate Metallica or Avenged Sevenfold. Pop songs, with their insanely catchy beats, easily memorized lyrics and wide-spread audience, will probably be the genre of music we turn to for its familiarity, thus facilitating interpersonal bonding.

“Some people find pop music a little too generic but there are actually quite a lot of good pop stars out there like Beyonce and Lady Gaga, or even Britney Spears and Madonna (circa 2008). I guess it’s not really the music but about the artistry that captures me – the shows that cost millions of dollars in its production, the stage, the costumes etc. makes it more than just “singing” but “entertaining” and “performing”. That being said, the performers are really talented as well, it isn’t all about the packaging either, it’s the combination of the talent and the production that makes the pop industry so intriguing and entertaining.” –Anonymous

Raffles Recommends: Pop

This playlist is a compilation of several pop songs mentioned when the question ‘What are your top 3 favourite songs from your favourite genre of music?’ was asked.

Rock ‘n’ Rolling Rafflesians

Rock rocks! That seems to be the opinion of many Rafflesians, as Rock comes in a close second to the most popular genre among those surveyed. Stereotypes of the Rock genre tend to include it being ‘loud and noisy’ and that it promotes rebellion. However, this is simply not the case and a good number of Rafflesians beg to differ.

According to an anonymous survey respondent, “The lyrics of old rock (and a few of modern rock) songs are really deep and well thought [out], not just some repetition of stupid words or phrases.” This holds true for rock bands such as Linkin Park, who have won multiple accolades for their stellar songs and albums. For example, their song ‘Numb/Encore’ has won the band both a Grammy and a MTV Video Music Award.

Rock also puts across powerful messages that very often relates to the troubles many people are facing. For example, ‘The Animal I Have Become’ by Three Days Grace speaks about how the tenebrous, self-consuming side of a person is taking over. Many draw parallels from the song to drug addiction as the song accurately describes the aggressive nature and destructive effects of it. Songs like ‘Let The Flames Begin’ by Paramore seek to empower and encourage- to stay strong, even in the most dismal and darkest of times.

“I prefer rock because generally, rock musicians don’t feel a need to cater their music to the tastes of the people and that’s where music can change and be differentiated. Say for example, music isn’t going anywhere with Nicki Minaj, will.i.am, Taylor Swift etc right now, and the songs that they make are made exactly to fit what the people want. But rock musicians didn’t know/didn’t care to suit the people’s tastes, and went against the norm, making whole new sub-genres on their own that proved to be popular anyways. Such as David Bowie, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Nirvana, etc. Also rock lyrics tend to be a lot more meaningful than generic pop lyrics.”- Anonymous

Raffles Recommends: Rock

All in all, music, though intangible, plays a significant role in our lives. The music we listen to affects the way we think, feel and work- subtly shaping our attitudes and mind sets. It also connects individuals, through the shared appreciation of the messages behind certain songs. One cannot deny the incomparable, rapturous feeling of discovering a song on YouTube that perfectly complements your emotions and situation, or the unadulterated joy one derived from passionately belting out heartfelt songs in the shower. Even singing the Institution Anthem as a school has the ability to fill our hearts with a sense of camaraderie and pride for our school (hopefully). Personally, the experience of singing- or rather shouting with much passion- during the bus ride to class camp (sorry, bus uncle!) is a dear memory as one simply cannot forget the hysterical laughter and sense of community that came out of singing (out of tune) together as a class. There are so many different ways that music can influence and impact our lives, enriching our minds and invigorating the soul- it is little wonder that music is so much appreciated among us Rafflesians and everyone else alike.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”

― Victor Hugo

Commentary, Staff Features 9 May 201312 May 2019

Appreciation Week 2013: ‘I don’t feel ashamed…I’m proud I can work’

Reading Time: 4 minutes

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.

Continue reading “Appreciation Week 2013: ‘I don’t feel ashamed…I’m proud I can work’” →

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