Go Where?

Commentary, Compilations, Culture, Features, Go Where?, Prexcursion

Joo Chiat Road: Sign of the Times
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Huang Han Cheng (26S05B) and Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)

Taking a walk in Joo Chiat, one might form a rather simplistic image of the area. Rows of mixed-use shophouses inhabited by chic cafes, a mishmash of restaurant options and inoffensive street art make for a pleasant weekend itinerary. Behind this quaint facade, however, is a neighbourhood which plays a larger role in Singapore’s history than many expect. 

Joo Chiat might be best described as an architectural palimpsest. Like a parchment scroll that has been consistently scraped and washed for reuse, the neighbourhood has assumed many identities throughout history.

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Compilations, Culture, Features, Go Where?, Prexcursion

Where Past Meets the Present — Gentrification in Joo Chiat 
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Georgia Ong (26S03O), Lerraine Neo (26A01A), Looi Ee Xin (26S03M) 

What comes to mind when you hear “Joo Chiat”? Perhaps it’s the many cafes adorning the streets, or the Peranakan shophouses that are abuzz with tourists. Or maybe, you’re more familiar with Joo Chiat’s sisters, the neighbouring Katong and Marine Parade estates, with malls like i12 Katong or Parkway Parade. 

Regardless, there’s one common thing that all these things share—the vitality they bring to the neighbourhood. When one thinks of mature, culturally significant estates, characteristics like TCM shops, playgrounds, worn-down buildings, wet markets and places of worship may arise, but that’s not the case for Joo Chiat. 

Joo Chiat, Singapore’s residential Peranakan neighbourhood, has managed to pull off the unthinkable—effortlessly weaving culture with culture, past with present, allowing for a cohesive identity that remains culturally relevant even with the evolving times. 

This is gentrification in Joo Chiat. 

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Features, Multimedia, Nature Features, Videos

Pulau Ubin: The Living Time Capsule
Reading Time: < 1 minute

By Tu Meiyi Mary (27S06O) and Tan Yun Jun (27S03M)

“Pulau Ubin” is a name every Singaporean is familiar with, yet not all have visited the island, which is packed with history, traditions, and biodiversity. 

In June this year, we visited this small but meaningful island to see what it’s all about—and whether it would make a suitable travel destination for students. From bloodthirsty mosquitoes to friendly locals, watch on to see the wonders of Pulau Ubin!

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Compilations, Features, Go Where?, Humans of RI, Nature Features, Special Editions, Student Features

Wading Through the Wetlands with Project Naturalia (CE01 Spotlight Special Edition 2026)
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Cherie Khoo (26S03B) and Tara Sim (26A01C)

$3.50 might only be able to get you one meat + two veg at the Caifan stall in the RI canteen, but for 50 cents less, you could spend your Saturday morning on an insightful guided tour to Sungei Buloh led by our very own Rafflesians from Project Naturalia. 

After discovering his newfound love for nature walks and cataloguing wildlife from attending an international course on ecological research in Malaysia during GAP Semester in Year 4, this VIA project was founded last year by Koshik Basak (26S03J) and heartily supported by many of his friends from Y14. 

Some of the Project Naturalia members with their tour’s attendees

Since then, their love for animal discovery and nature has shone through the development of Project Naturalia and its team’s dedication to providing guided tours to the community. This project sets itself apart from typical nature walks by teaching participants how to truly appreciate the world around them—going beyond a jog through your neighbourhood park or the obligatory school learning journey to the Botanic Gardens to learn about sustainability that most of us would rather sleep through.

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Commentary, Features, Nature Features, School Life

Murder at the Biodiversity Pond
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Sophie Sim (27S05A)

The Visitor: An Adventure Log

24 FEB 3:23PM: An unexpected guest had made a splashy entrance at our Biodiversity Pond: An otter. 

A real, whiskered, fish-in-mouth otter.

Nothing stood between it and an evening buffet of all the fattest koi our school had to offer. It was otter-ly villainous, chasing the fish playfully before grabbing an unfortunate koi in its paws and, rather unceremoniously, tearing off its head.

Otter after tearing off the head of a fish (Photo by Yap Uistean (27S03K))
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