Commentary, Op-Eds

Happiness: An Achievable Feat or a Beautiful Whim?
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Asfar Alim (18S03J) and Chung Sohyun (18A13A)

Scrolling through our social media feeds, most of us, at some point, would have come across various “motivational” quotes on happiness. Framed against aesthetic wallpapers ranging from pastel watercolour splashes to butterflies poised on a delicate flower, these quotes often draw thousands of likes and shares, as they supposedly inspire us with their attractive messages. But often, these quotes are too pretty to be true; in reality, some can be highly misleading.

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Life After Raffles

Preview: How Sharper Than a Serpent’s Tooth: A King Lear Parody
Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Lee Chin Wee (14A01B)

What do Raffles alumni do in their free time after graduation?

Aside from two years of compulsory National Service for the guys, we end up getting involved in all sorts of activities: from studying till 2 am in the university library to fretting about getting the right internships so that Future You can pay rent and feed himself, post-JC life is just so fun.

When I’m not scraping together a living or curating my Instagram feed, I’m rehearsing for an independent production. It’s no Hamilton or Book of Mormon, but it promises to be great fun – it’s titled “How Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth”, and is an irreverent parody of the Shakespearean classic, King Lear.

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Food Reviews

You Got (Soft) Served
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Calista Chong (18A01A), with guest writer Sophie Low (18S07A)

After a laborious week of (and a month studying for) CTs, our real respite came in the form of Youth Day. What better way to spend it than to go food hunting? The reviewers visited two different soft serve places, Brother Bird and Matchaya, which were conveniently located around the same area.

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Op-Eds

Lost in Translation
Reading Time: 6 minutes

By Soh Ying Qi (18A01C)

My mother, a staunch believer in the value of a Chinese education, has all but given up on trying to convert me. A few years ago, she decided everyone in the house needed to speak more Mandarin; the following weeks were a constant clash of cultures, during which I spoke to her only in English and she reciprocated by replying in Mandarin. This kept up for ages, until eventually I must have worn her down: I don’t remember the last time I said something to her in anything other than English.

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Commentary

Distraction Intervention
Reading Time: 8 minutes

By Ianni Tan (18S03C), Clarine See (18S03G), Yeo Kee Hwan (18S03Q), Zhu Xiuhua (18S06A), and Elizabeth Leong (18S06G)

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No social media for 12 hours ??? (Image Credits)

In a valiant but questionably successful attempt to reduce WiFi-related distractions, five members of Raffles Press subjected themselves to a ban on phone use. The rules were straightforward: they were to abstain from the use of social media on all devices for 12 hours. Phone usage was only limited to SMS and calls.

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