By Lerraine Neo (26A01A) and Koh Shin Robbie (26A01A)
Picture this: It’s the June holidays, and despite being on vacation, you’re staying up to finish some work. You glance up at the window, expecting to be greeted by the blinking lights of streetlamps and billboards, only to see… sunlight?
Oh. It’s probably time to go to sleep.
Continue reading “No Rest for the Press”
By Cherie Khoo (26S03B) and Christian Adriel Tan (26S07B)
Live music is an elusive, hard-to-describe sound. Perhaps it’s less of a sound, and more of a feeling. Many of us have probably heard live music in the Star Theatre, or the National Stadium, jumping along to heavy beats in the humid air. A smaller group of us, however, listen to live music in the Esplanade, or perform it ourselves, usually amidst well-dressed adults and wordless classical movements.
Yet live music doesn’t exist entirely on opposite ends of the spectrum. And there is a spectrum, one that encompasses much more than just pop and classical music. Read on for an introduction to the many different kinds of live music Singapore’s music scene has to offer, and challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone to appreciate the beauty in something new.
Continue reading “Live Music: Pop, Classical, and Everything in Between”
By Keng Yi, Nicole (25S03S)
It’s fifteen minutes away when you need it most. It’s leaving you in its dust as you sprint desperately towards the bus stop. It’s trying to throw you off your feet as you grasp blindly for a handhold.
Yet you keep coming back. Is it simple convenience and comfort, hatred of the MRT, or something more?
In this video, we’ll explore what a bus can mean to us, and how a mode of transport can become more like a way of life. While (fittingly) on the bus, I speak to the bus enthusiasts in my life, and find the points where our lives and bus routes converge.
This video is dedicated to the mundane joys of everyday commutes, and the roads and people that make a home — this video is dedicated to buses.
Continue reading “An Ode to Buses: A Short Film”
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”
By Bertram Wang (26S06H)
“The bird that pokes its neck out gets shot first.”
This Asian proverb warns against standing out as a target in the crowd. It reminds me of a strikingly similar image: a lone raised hand in a full but silent lecture theatre. But compared to the bird’s fear of being shot to death, what are we students really afraid of being “shot” by—metaphorically?
This fear—a tension in the air, a reluctance to seize the moment, a hesitation to speak up—isn’t a phenomenon confined to lecture theatres. It reflects a broader societal characteristic: a “shy culture” embedded in our reserved Singaporean upbringing. Shyness may be natural, but when it becomes cultural and collective, it’s worth asking how it shapes our communities—and whether it should.
Continue reading “___ Culture: Felt but Unspoken”