By Raphael Niu (23A01A) and Sabrina Tong (23S03Q, Peer Helper)

Cover image by Johnathan Lim (23S03M)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/RIAAUU and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month. 

I HATE MYSELF
— Stuck In My Own Skin

Dear Stuck In My Own Skin, 

All of us in RI have probably experienced some degree of self-loathing from time to time. It’s hard not to, especially when you’re rushing tutorials late into the night, berating yourself for not having started earlier, or when you’ve gotten a less-than-satisfactory result on your Economics paper after you’ve spent hours poring over lecture notes and essays on IVY. It doesn’t help that your classmates seem to be breezing through their schoolwork while simultaneously juggling multiple commitments, while you feel like you’re floundering under the sheer volume of expectations placed upon you.

By Nor Akmal (23S03A) and Venkatesan Ranjana (23A01D)

Cover image by Johnathan Lim (23S03M)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/RIAAUU and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month.

I feel like people have become so fake in JC, becoming hyper aware of universities, competitions, scholarships etc, it makes me feel very uncomfortable.

— Frustrated Felix

Dear Frustrated Felix, 

We understand where you’re coming from. We’re nearing the end of the penultimate stage of our education journey and many of us are very worried for the next chapter of our lives. Sometimes, this anxiety manifests as discussions about the future—your peers may be talking non-stop about the prestigious universities they’re interested in, the scholarships that are available for them, and other instances of humble bragging that you may find rather pretentious. In any case, we agree that it can be very uncomfortable to listen to such conversations, but we feel that there is more to this phenomenon than meets the eye.

By Jolene Yee (23S03A) and Faith Wan (23S02B)
Cover image by Johnathan Lim (23S03M)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/RIAAUU and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month.

I have a lot of interests but I’m not that good at anything… someone made an offhand comment saying I’m a jack of all trades but master of none and that kind of stung a little – any advice? 

Interested Isaac

By Jolene Yee Xin Yi (23S03A) and Liu Yong Zhe (23S03H, Peer Helper)

Your resident Aunties and Uncles are back with our Ask Aunt Agony and Uncle Upset column, this time as a collaboration between Raffles Press and Peer Helpers’ Programme (PHP)! Ever wanted to rant about that someone you just can’t stand? Overwhelmed with too many feelings? Submit your confessions to https://tinyurl.com/riadvice and we’ll give them our best shot. This column will be published at the end of every month.

I failed my promos 😭

Disappointed David

By Tay Yu Ning (23S06E) and Wang Yujie (23S06H, Peer Helper)
Cover image by Johnathan Lim (23S03M)

“I’m normal-sized and my parents won’t stop fat-shaming me. I know logically that I’m not fat, but yet I can’t drown out their voices purely based on the fact that they’re my parents. Their words are hurtful and make me feel bad about myself even when I know these words shouldn’t matter to me. What can I do to ignore them?”

Adorable Annie