Op-Eds

Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion

A Killer Obsession: The Mystery of Mysteries
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Rhea Sharma (25S06A)

From dusty cartoon crypts to glamorous presidential mansions, there is something undeniably magnetic about murder mysteries. They grip us with tension, tease us with clues, and challenge us to think like detectives. Whether you’re giggling at Scooby-Doo’s haunted hijinks, hanging on every scandalous secret in The Residence, or unraveling comedic chaos in Murder Mystery, the genre’s allure remains timeless, thrilling, and deeply satisfying. 

So, what exactly is it about murder mysteries that we love so much? Why do stories involving crime, danger, and deception hold such widespread appeal? I’ll be using my three favorite pieces of media—The Residence, Scooby-Doo, and Murder Mystery—to break this case.  

Let’s go on to solve the biggest mystery of all: the mystery of mysteries. 

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Commentary, Internationally Speaking

“You Need To Know The Truth”: Lim Bo Seng Memorial Lecture 2025
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B)

Cast your mind back to your lower secondary History lessons for a moment. The phrases “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”, “banana money”, and “did not ATQ” may bring back horrific memories of poring over stacks of notes, trying to cram every last detail into your brain, or sacrificing legibility for speed as you raced against the clock to finish the Source-Based Case Study. 

Or, perhaps, the dread that set in as you weighed two conflicting interpretations and wondered which was the “correct” one? Indeed, history is written (and taught and examined) by the victors — so what do the losers have to say? And why are they worth listening to, if at all?

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Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion

On Regret: To Our “Could-Have-Been”s
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Peh Zhi Ning (25A01B)

Last Friday, I was in a Shi Li Fang with a good friend, chatting with each other amidst mala-spiced steam and distant music, when she asked me, “If you could redo your life, what would you change?” 

What sprouted from this relatively random question was an hour-long conversation – we dug up all sorts of memories. Familial arguments, subject combinations, broken-off friendships, failed confessions, wasted time… I remember my friend laughing, a sad and nostalgic peal, as she said, “I could have been an astrophysicist.” 

I had matched her declaration with my own could-have-beens – trials I hadn’t gone for, experiences I didn’t try, risks I feared taking. Despite how little we’ve lived, our laundry list of regrets was surprisingly long and detailed, with innumerable plans of redemption already in our minds. By the time the soup in our pot simmered down to dregs, we had woven together perfect lives, without misstep or mistake – without regret. 

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Commentary, Op-Eds, Opinion

Escaping the Maze: Is Learning an Instrument Worth the Trouble?
Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Kunchur Bharat (26A01B) and Lerraine Neo (26A01A) 

Singaporean parents are one of the most kiasu species on the planet, and this competitive nature often manifests in strange ways. Perhaps strangest of all is the obsession with their child’s musical abilities. 

Music is not seen as a career path in Singaporean society. Informing your parents that you aspire to be a musician will likely gain you a look of poorly-disguised horror, a lecture on how you’re wasting your intellectual potential, and a desperate talk about how you do not have to make a career out of your passions.

At this point, you may pause to wonder: Weren’t you the one who put me in music lessons in the first place? 

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