Op-Eds

Commentary, Humour, Op-Eds, Opinion, Student Issues

An Official Decree From the King of Procrasti-nation
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Isaac Tay (25S06L)

This article didn’t go quite as planned.

It was supposed to be a feel-good, inspirational, motivational article about productivity hacks and routines I tried out during the June holidays.

For myself, this was going to be the push I needed to save my holiday from what it seemed destined to be. I’m talking about that kind of June holiday, where you’re feeling super pumped to grind your studies before the holiday starts, before three weeks go by and you realise nothing’s been done.

But this isn’t a story about productivity hacks, or routines. 

This is a story about a boy who wanted to be a king.

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Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion

Life after Death: The Mythos of the Tortured Artist
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Ng Dawin (25A01D)

It’s been 30 years since Kurt Cobain sold the world at his feet.

Just who could have seen it coming? The frontman of the biggest band in the world in 1994, with 3 hit albums. A father to a newborn daughter and role model to legions of young fans who couldn’t help but headbang every time “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came up in the mall.

Yet pathetically he lay, sprawled out on a bathroom floor, high on heroin with a shotgun shell through his head. Like Morrison. Like Winehouse. Like Hendrix. They all lived fast and died young.

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Movie Reviews, Op-Eds, Opinion, Raffles Reviews

Disney Doesn’t Feel The Same Anymore.
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Kavya Thirunavukkarasan (25S03I)

Sitting on a couch in the centre of my living room, four-year-old me was awestruck by the Disney film Tangled. It was a pivotal moment in my young life: magic flower, magic hair, magic powers. 

That was the start of it all. Toy Story, Cinderella, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Sleeping Beauty—the list goes on. It was truly incredible when the shoe fit Cinderella, when Ariel reunited with Prince Eric, and when Prince Philip kissed Princess Aurora to break the curse. They all lived happily ever after.

Until they didn’t. The magic seemed to fade, perhaps because the pixie dust wore off, or maybe because I was no longer the four-year-old kid sitting on that couch in the centre of my living room. The wonder of a new world in Toy Story, the breathtaking underwater scenes in Finding Nemo, and the unforgettable taste of dreams in Ratatouille—they don’t evoke the same feelings now. 

Disney doesn’t feel the same anymore. 

So, what changed? And whose fault is it? Mine? Or Disney’s?

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Op-Eds, Opinion

Gen Alpha: Navigating the New Norms of Growing Up
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Choo Zi Xuan (25S03E)

I’m sure we have all seen the occasional video circulating online—girls aged 10 or younger swarming Sephora stores, pushing and fighting to buy the latest skincare products. When denied by store managers (much for their own good), they kick up a fuss and their parents immediately go to their rescue, staunchly demanding that their kids be allowed to purchase whatever they desire. You may also have noticed a sudden increase of younger users on social media, posting short videos online publicly and actively engaging with more mature content. 

Such scenarios, while somewhat amusing, raises a deeper question about the pace at which today’s youngest generation, Generation Alpha, are navigating their growth from childhood to adolescence. As children are living their lives through a screen at an increasingly younger age, the normalisation of social media in their day-to-day routine is something that previous generations did not encounter until much later in life.

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Commentary, Humour, Op-Eds, Opinion

Gym: A simpler existence
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Ng Dawin (25A01D)

The best thing about the gym is also its worst thing: Its addictiveness. When you get that pump started, the whole world can go to hell for those few extra reps.

This is the most difficult feeling to convey to non-gym goers. A lot of people don’t understand why we would make the conscious decision to push our bodies to the limit, especially amidst our hectic schedules. In truth, neither did I. 

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