Op-Eds

Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion

How to Interview: Singapore Writers’ Festival 2023
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Syaura Nashwa (24S03R)

This article is dedicated to future Pressies (Raffles Press members) who are keen to learn about the ethics and the art of interviewing. This piece is heavily inspired by one of Singapore Writers Festival’s events “Lines of Questioning: The Art of the Interview”!

The Journalist’s Voice

I had the honour of attending this year’s SWF, which was held in collaboration with the US Embassy and centred around the theme “Plot Twist”. With 200 events spanned across two weeks, SWF aimed to create space to ponder profound questions about our identities and what legacy we can build during our limited time to aim for a better future by being ameeting point for writers, academics and thinkers. 

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Nationally Speaking, Op-Eds, Opinion

Why is no one listening to local music? Also, here are some good Singaporean artistes
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Syaura Nashwa (24S03R)

Read until the end for artist recommendations!

Do we have culture?

This is a great debate between edgy teenagers and zealous seniors. The older generations would argue that Singapore has its local food and colloquial language. Though, some aren’t sure if hawker food, “shiok”, and love for bubble tea are substantial grounds to grow culture.

Amidst all these different opinions, there is one thing we can agree on. No one listens to Singaporean music.

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Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion, School Life

On Exhaustion, and How it Defines Us
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Jermaine Lee (24A01A)

Fatigue is simply a fact of life in JC. It’s omnipresent—enter any classroom at any time on a school day, and you’ll almost definitely see someone slumped against their desk, fast asleep. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a classroom. Walking through the campus, you’ll probably find someone sleeping in the canteen, windy benches or mirrors. 

As a conversation starter, I like to ask my friends how much sleep they got the previous night. More often than not, the answer hovers around five or six hours. Getting enough sleep is almost an impossible task: students our age should be getting 8-10 hours of sleep, but 80% of us don’t meet this requirement. 

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Commentary, Nationally Speaking, Op-Eds

Nationally Speaking: Rediscovering our Chinese Dialects
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Jermaine Lee (24A01A)

Being Hokkien is a part of my identity I recognise in name, but not form. On my birth certificate, it’s written as my dialect group. However, my sense of belonging to it feels merely superficial—I can technically say I am Hokkien, but I often don’t feel like I am. 

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Humour, Op-Eds, Opinion, School Life

The Art of Soft Launching
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Camillia Anum Mohamad Ashraff (24S03B)

Two plates. Matching bracelets. Mysterious arms and/or elbows.

These are all key characteristics of the practice everyone knows and loves (or hates): soft launching. For the uninitiated, a “soft launch” is essentially an ambiguous post that is meant to hint at a romantic relationship.

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