Opinion

Commentary, Culture, Op-Eds, Opinion, School Life

The Case for Google Apps : Why They Are *Objectively* Better (For School)
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Dara Tan (27A01A)

I nearly screamed aloud on the first day of orientation, in the middle of the lecture hall, with all of the 300-odd new JC students there. 

Why? The new school emails had just been passed out to all of us, and to my abject horror, we would be using Outlook. As a pure Google user, I was miserable. I would have to download all of the Microsoft apps (OneNote, Word, Excel etc.) and get used to an entirely new ecosystem. 

But then I stopped panicking for a while, and thought, Maybe Microsoft is just a JC thing. Maybe it isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Maybe I can like it. (Spoiler alert, the answer was a vehement no.)

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Movie Reviews, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Project Hail Mary: A Ship Full of Grace
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Irene Eva Thomas (26A01B)

Warning: Contains spoilers.

Set in the context of decades of cynical and complex sci-fi films, Project Hail Mary, based on Andy Weir’s novel of the same title, had two choices: to align with or stand in opposition to this canon. The stakes were high for directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller—they were faced with expectations from fans of Weir’s novel and the self-proclaimed ‘sci-fi connoisseurs’, those who hail (pun not intended) the likes of Interstellar and Alien. 

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Commentary, Opinion

Why Study Motivation Content is Failing You
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Tan Yun Jun (27S03M)

“I Lack Motivation to Study”

We have all heard it, or perhaps said it ourselves. It is a universal sentiment amongst students, the frustrating feeling of dread that makes academic tasks feel like ascending Mount Everest. Some would then attempt to inject motivation into their souls wistfully through online study motivation content.

Fortunately, they come in various forms to cater to each pained soul. Studytok, which provides short-form videos of aesthetic notes, mini vlogs and a multitude of study tips. “Study with me” videos and vlogs that motivate students through providing a virtual companion and productive environment. Targeted at the drama enthusiasts, drama-based study motivation videos compile study scenes from various K-dramas and C-dramas.

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Op-Eds, Opinion

The Art of Moving On 
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Georgia Ong (26S03O) 

If you have even the slightest inkling of what K-Pop is, you’ve probably heard the name Mark Lee. And you’ve probably heard the news that after 10 years of idol life, he’s parting ways with both his agency, SM Entertainment, and his group, NCT. 

At the tender age of 26, he is walking away from what defined over half his life—he joined the company in 2012 and debuted in 2016 at the young age of 16. Throughout his career, he established himself as a key member of NCT, juggling activities between his subunits NCT 127 and NCT Dream. 

The overworked golden child, Mark was beloved by both his agency and fans. He was the leader of NCT Dream and face of NCT; many thought that he would be one of the members most likely to re-sign with SM during contract renewals. 

No one expected him to leave his company, let alone the group entirely.

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Commentary, Nationally Speaking, Singapore

Tradition Adrift: Orang Laut Heritage in a Modern Nation
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Gladys Koh (26A01B), Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Lerraine Neo (26A01A)

All images, unless otherwise stated, were taken by the writers.

Before Lee Kuan Yew, the Crown colonies, and Raffles, there were the Orang Laut. Literally translated from Malay as ‘people of the sea’, they are a group of seafaring nomads who resided in the waters around Maritime Southeast Asia, such as the Malay Peninsula, the Riau Islands, Java, and Sumatra. And, they are Singapore’s indigenous people. 

Also known as the Orang Pulau, in Singapore’s quest for modernisation, they have faded into obscurity, confined to a few pages in a Social Studies textbook, if any. One organisation, oranglaut.sg, wishes to change that.

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