Opinion

“Past Lives”: Reminiscences on being human–in motion, and in love (Part 2)

Reading Time: 10 minutes

By Chandrasekaran Shreya (24S06A)

Missed Part 1 of this series? Access it here!

Confronting one’s past, twenty-four years later

Twelve years pass. 

Nora–twelve years older, pin-straight hair now a mess of waves–is an accomplished writer. She’s married to Arthur, a fellow creative she’d met at an artists’ residency. He is presumably born and raised in America, and in a tender gaze he casts at Nora from across the street, we know from the get-go that he adores her.

As per an earlier request to meet Nora during his vacation in NYC, Hae Sung finds himself in a public park in the city: backpack securely strapped to his shoulders, pacing back and forth, brushing his hair back as he waits. He waits, footing faltering in this foreign land, till a familiar voice–one he’d been anticipating–calls out his name. 

It’s Nora, smiling, as she walks forward and embraces him. 

In this moment, for the second time, the present and past collide.

Continue reading ““Past Lives”: Reminiscences on being human–in motion, and in love (Part 2)”

“Past Lives”: Reminiscences on being human–in motion, and in love (Part 1)

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Chandrasekaran Shreya (24S06A)

But let’s not talk of love or chains and things we can’t untie

Your eyes are soft with sorrow

Hey, that’s no way to say goodbye.

Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye, Leonard Cohen

When I first stumbled upon this film’s premise, I immediately bought a ticket for its next screening. That led me to Level 5 of Golden Mile Tower on a Tuesday evening, right after my last lesson for Term 3, still donning my school uniform.

Two childhood sweethearts–who’d grown up in South Korea–meet each other in person in New York City twenty-four years later. 

Continue reading ““Past Lives”: Reminiscences on being human–in motion, and in love (Part 1)”

Finding the Small Joys: An Ode to Poetry 

Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Jermaine Lee (24A01A)

I’ll readily admit: my love for poetry makes me a walking Literature student stereotype. In my free time, I enjoy scrolling through poetry websites (because poetry books are really expensive) and reading poems that I feel suit my mood. 

You’re probably thinking: another crazy Arts student trying to convince me of the merits of her pretentious and niche hobby—what a waste of my time. But wait, before you click away from this article, please hear me out for just a minute more. 

Continue reading “Finding the Small Joys: An Ode to Poetry “

Alone, but Never Lonely: The Tiger’s Nest 

Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Syaura Nashwa (24S03R)
This story is the third of a 3-part series focusing on films featured during the Family Film Festival, which focused on family-centered themes and stories.

Abandoned

Balmani, the main protagonist, stays in the orphanage in Chitwan, South Nepal. He lost his mom to an earthquake back in his hometown, Kathmandu. Despite similar circumstances, Balmani wasn’t attached to the other orphans. 

Often, he’d be seen in solitude, watching the others at a substantial distance. In fact, he didn’t seem to like them much at all — they made fun of his aloofness.  

Balmani with the other children learning in a classroom.

Continue reading “Alone, but Never Lonely: The Tiger’s Nest “

‘Guang’: A gem on what it means to hurt and heal

Reading Time: 9 minutes

By Arissa Binte Kamaruzaman (24A01A)
This story is the second of a 3-part series focusing on films featured during the Family Film Festival, which focused on family-centered themes and stories.

Guang’’s opening scenes encapsulates the visceral, inner world of its main character: notice the sharp, creaking sound of wheels in a hospital; the restless bouncing of his feet as he waits outside his mother’s ward. Wei Guang, an autistic young man, is still navigating the world around him and all the complexities it has to offer. Be it a shift in energy, in pace, or motion, the film never shies away from dissecting Guang’s sensitivities, and embracing what it means to love and hurt the way he does. 

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