By Khairillah Irwan (16A01B) and Karen Cuison (16A01D)
Photos by Khairillah Irwan (16A01B)
The café in the process of its renovation.
Ever wondered about that abandoned cafe spot you see when alighting at the pick-up point? Ask your seniors about it and they might mention, not without a tinge of sadness, the mysterious closing of the Manna Cafe early this year. This sense of loss is best captured by Valerie Chee (15S07B): “Manna Cafe was a great alternative to standard canteen fare! Many of us miss the variety of affordable food it provided, as well as its homely atmosphere.”
Loyal fans of Manna Cafe however may have noticed that, very recently, there have been renovations going on at the Manna Cafe. With much excitement and anticipation, Raffles Press is delighted to report that the Manna Cafe will reopen on the 25th of May, next Monday!
Following an interview with Mr Kelvin Wong of the Estate Department, Raffles Press has managed to glean some information about the new Manna Cafe.
Aside from an entirely new look, the cafe will also be employing a new chef, and hence, a new and wider selection of food choices all at affordable prices. Instead of offering set meals like before, the new Manna Cafe will be categorising food into main and side dishes, much like the system employed by Aston’s. And for our Muslim friends, fret not because Manna Cafe is in the midst of obtaining a halal certification too!
The re-opening of Manna brings with it a reinvigoration of Rafflesians’ former love for the Café. Neville Ng (16A01D) enthuses, “I really loved going there to eat and chat with my friends, so it’s great that I can bring my new friends here.”
Indeed, the re-opening of Manna brings it with plenty of opportunity to further enrich your culinary and social experience at Raffles Institution. Looking for an air-conditioned and lively environment for your weekly Orientation Group meeting? Looking to isolate yourself somewhere with nothing but food and your notes for the General Paper Common Test next Wednesday? Then try out a trip to Manna Cafe!
By Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E), and Olivia Tan (16A01E)
photos by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E), and Raffles Photography Society
May 15 saw our Basketball Girls playing a decisive match against National Junior College in their (successful!) quest for third place. The team had fought hard on their way to the finals, facing formidable opponents, such as Hwa Chong Institution in their semifinals. During the intense match, #4 Bernice drew first blood with a clean shot that was met with cheers by the Rafflesians watching. Throughout the first quarter against Hwa Chong Institution, the adept team managed to stay ahead of their opponents with a score of 24-16, leading by an impressive 8-point difference.
#9 Starter Charmaine in tip off.
Together with Captain #12 Woon Wei Jing keeping the team together with a spark of her own, the girls managed to press on with extraordinary three-pointers at the most unexpected moments of pressure. Both spectators and players could feel the intensity of the atmosphere during the third and fourth quarter, it wasn’t a surprise that both sides made a couple of slip-ups in the passes. We changed our line-up periodically to break the flow of Hwa Chong’s play, as #4 Bernice substituted #9 Charmaine, and #9 Charmaine later subbing #12 Wei Jing. Time-outs were called at the most burning moments with the coaches on each side rattling out strategy by strategy, raising their voices at times to get their points across with fierce sternness.
Despite making efforts to resist the mental and physical pressures on them, the girls experienced severe cramps nearing the buzzer, rendering them immobile with pain. It was also unfortunate that out of the eight players that played that day, at least four were fouled or injured. But in the end, it was a moving to watch how each and every one of them got up, stood strong, played on — against pain or pressure, they never once gave up.
#6 Starter Rachel on court looking for a pass.
There were moments when the Rafflesian crowd was slightly miffed, especially when the referee called travelling and pushing; despite protests and the incredulous looks on the team’s faces. With Hwa Chong narrowing the point gap in the game’s last few minutes, tensions climaxed, pressuring both sides’ coaches to call a timeout whenever the opponent had control. The court had an air of cutting distress during overtime, with each side searching desperately for an edge over their opponents. But throughout the process, several accidental fouls were made under pressure—resulting in a constant exchange of free throws. As expected, making two clean shots under such intimidating circumstances with all eyes on you (including the ticking time) is not an easy feat. However, the team’s #10 Lim Jie En who was subbed in at the crucial time managed to make both shots to the roaring cheers of the crowd, upping the team’s morale by a notch.
“Team, we got this.”
If anything at all, it was their teammates’ injuries that caused the most mental pain for each player. #4 Bernice Yeo crashed to the ground with a serious cramp that ran from her toes to her thighs, refusing to subside despite efforts to apply muscle sprays. However, Bernice was not the first to experience the cramps. Due to muscle fatigue from high intensity workout, several of Bernice’s teammates experienced similar pains—yet it was apparent that her cramps were of much higher severity. The girl’s coach, concerned and anxious, went onto the court to carry Bernice on her back to the bench, calling for timeout. It was indeed heart wrenching to see a fellow Rafflesian in such pain, but the sight of the coach’s care and concern was met with a warmly-moved applause from the spectators of both schools.
Coach expressing her concern for #4 Bernice.
With a couple of key players down, it was indeed a rough time for the team, considering that they were already shorthanded due to injuries. Moreover, it was evident that Hwa Chong was not going to back down as they managed to break the draw on the scoreboard by making two consecutive two-point baskets, thus having a lead over Raffles. The atmosphere on the court was taut with concentration and desperation; and despite #4 Bernice’s re-entry into the court, the girls, under pressure and not in their best condition, were having trouble keeping up, thus ending the match with a close 62-58.
Captain Woon Wei Jing was gracious in agreeing to answer our questions, in spite of the team coming so close to winning. She admits that they “could have done better”, and that they should not have “let their guard down” during the first half. However, Wei Jing was clearly proud of her teammates, as she knew that they had “fought really hard” and she was very “impressed” with the team’s “good spirit”.
The Coach’s statements echoed that of the captain’s, agreeing that each and every one of the girls “played their best” and “persevered to the last minute” despite being clearly “shorthanded”. So that afternoon, the girls went home with their hearts heavy, but also determined, as they looked ahead to their third-fourth match against National Junior College on Friday.
62-58. A close match indeed.
The 3rd – 4th match began well, as we gained an early lead, with #4 Bernice scoring the opening points, and the girls managing to win rebounds and constantly pressure their opponents, causing NJ to miss many shots. But midway through the quarter, NJ subbed all 5 players, while our 5 remained. With their fresher players, NJ managed to turn the tide in their favour. Within the last two minutes of the quarter, NJ scored 9 consecutive points, and it didn’t help that their last two baskets were 3-pointers. Our morale took a definite blow, as we ended this quarter down 8 – 12. The pressure was on to catch up.
The second quarter saw a bit of a stalemate, and a subsequent breakthrough by our girls. Initially, it was frustrating to see that whenever we closed in, NJ would score and pull away again, keeping us under constant pressure. Our team held on though, with a notable play being where #4 Bernice made a spectacular move to keep the ball in play by jumping out of the court and knocking it back in before she touched the ground — a testament to the skill level of the players in this match. The pressure escalated further however, when NJ began to score unanswered, till by mid quarter, the score stood at 11 – 20. The tension was palpable. NJ was pulling away, and the girls had to turn the game around. The coach called a timeout, breaking NJ’s momentum, and giving the girls a breather and strategy refresher. It seemed to work, with #9 scoring right after, and again later on, this time with 2 defenders on her. It was clear that we’d regained our momentum. We ended the quarter well, closing the gap to 17 – 22 with some satisfying plays. One which stood out was when #6 Rachel failed to convert her free throws but kept going, intercepting a pass immediately after her throws, and successfully scoring a 2 pointer. So for this quarter, though we were still trailing behind, now we had the momentum, and we were chasing NJ down.
During the half–time break, one of the boys’ basketball players (who declined to be named) mentioned NJ’s strategy of continually substituting their players, while we were, as the coach mentioned in the semi-finals, “shorthanded”. It was thus an uphill battle, with the girls facing more well-rested opponents. As he said, “the only limiting factor is stamina.” But the girls pushed on, with the 3rd quarter seeing them close the gap and really chase down NJ. Captain #12 Wei Jing opened the quarter with a brilliant 3 pointer which closed the gap and ramped up the pressure on NJ, which mounted even further when #9 Charmaine equalized at 22 all, setting off a wave of cheers from our side. What followed was an almost point-for-point exchange for the rest of the quarter, and at one point the score stayed unchanged for three and a half minutesThe atmosphere was charged, with our spontaneous cheers of “Defeeeeeend defend!…” interspersed with shouts of “D-UP!” from the boys’ basketball team. Both teams had fought neck and neck this quarter, with every point being hard fought, and that set the mood as we entered the intense final quarter.
#7 Carisia going for the ball and defending hard despite the exhaustion.
The final quarter started with NJ trying to pull away as they widened the point gap to a 26 – 34. In between the fight for an upperhand, NJ subbed everyone, again trying to wear us out. Perhaps because they were more energized than our players, resulting in a subsequent pair of free throws, bringing the score to 30 – 36. But they couldn’t take away our momentum, as we caught up 35 – 36, with a stunning shot from #4 Bernice from under all three of her defenders, converting one free throw, and #9 subsequently scoring both her free throws to thunderous cheers, an incredible feat considering how exhausted she would have been this late in the game. The comeback was real.
#9 Charmaine sinking that free throw
Perhaps all too real for NJ, as they called a timeout; maybe feeling the need to restrategize and break our flow. During the timeout, there was anticipation in the air. We were a mere point behind, and down to the last minutes. So when a decisive 2-pointer was made our side erupted in cheers, with the score of 37 – 36 putting us in the lead for the first time since the first quarter. The girls were on a roll, and at 1m16s to go, #12 Wei Jing scored a stunning 3 pointer from the right, straight down into the hoop, securing our lead in a truly spectacular fashion. With a minute to go, the girls were able to maintain their cool amidst the cheers, the palpable tension, and their own exhaustion, and it was incredible to watch. When the buzzer finally sounded, all of the supporters on our side simply exploded with mirth, shouting and cheering with wild, total abandon (this writer was hoarse by the end of it all, and had to desperately search for water before doing the interviews). The girls were too worn-out to celebrate, but one could see it on their faces — that mixed in with all the exhaustion, was also joy at having just played an incredible match.
#12 Wei Jing’s incredible 3 pointer, which cemented our lead at 40 – 36.
After the match and their team talk, we again caught up with the captain Wei Jing about the game. As it turns out, they has been training thrice weekly for three hours at a time since the holidays, and she shared that in fact one of the most memorable parts of the season was the trainings, “that [they] were able to endure the trainings as a team” and “never gave up”. Their training clearly paid off, as they managed to overcome “all the cramps, all the injuries, foul trouble” and mental and physical pressure, as Wei Jing shared. For this match, they faced a couple of obstacles in particular, with one being their short-handedness, since as Wei Jing shared, they really had “few that can play such long minutes, up and down” for about an hour, and it was “mentally and physically tiring” for those on the court. Also, nearing the end of the season, many had sustained injuries, and couldn’t continue to come down for training, further exacerbating this issue. This game also saw them facing foul troubles, and Wei Jing provided an insight into this. Apparently, they were taking a “long time to adapt to a new style of defense”, from ‘zone defense’ (which is slower) to ‘full court man’ (which is faster paced). On the whole though, they pushed through and overcame these, and as Wei Jing said to sum up, though it was “not exactly what we expected earlier on, [she] would like to thank the team for putting in so much effort, and that they hope to continue this intensity for next year, and get even better results”. That afternoon, despite the constant pressure, the exhaustion, and the tension as the game wore on, the girls played even harder and eventually ‘bounced’ back. It was incredibly moving to watch, and Press would like to give our most heartfelt congratulations to them on their 3rd place! Through these two games, the girls’ basketball team truly showed us what it means to hang in there, and give your all. They showed us what it meant to be a team — that they didn’t simply support each other because they were a team; they are a team because they support each other.
40 – 36. This match was so much more than just the score – the tense moments, the emotions, and above all, the spirit of the team the girls displayed that day.
By Tag Wan Yi (15S03N), Liu Hong Zhan (15S03O), Shayna Toh (15A01D), Chua Siwei (15S03E), and Yu Xinkai (15S03U)
Additional reporting by Justin Lim (16A01B)
Foreword:
An air of finality marks this year’s Ecoweek. For some, Ecoweek’s the first campaign targeted at the environmental issues that plague our planet amidst all the other worthy causes advocated for in the school; but for Community Advocates’ Glassark, this year’s Ecoweek marks the closure of the the very interest group that had organized this annual affair. Rather than to exist as a singular body to advocate for environmental change, Glassark’s aims will now be a batch-effort. This organisational change could, on a symbolic level, represent a shared burden across all citizens of the planet. But to members of the Glassark, this marks an unfortunate end to a brilliant annual initiative that encapsulated an undying advocacy for environmental change.
Before it effectively disbands in 2016, Glassark was one of CA’s four main student interest groups that aimed to each raise awareness for specific issues. The group has aimed to bring relevance and attention to environmental issues ranging from global warming to the energy crisis – issues that were often neglected in favour of more prominent social issues such as immigration or poverty.
But just as how the Earth is important to us as a home, it is important to raise awareness of the misdeeds to her environment. While this year’s Ecoweek aims to shed greater light on the issue of wildlife conservation– a shift in focus from last year’s advocacy for the recycling of scrap materials– Glassark’s members share with Press that this in no way means that environmental conservation should stop: that we ought to do away with our “backyard syndrome” and begin to acknowledge the fact that the entirety of Planet Earth is our “backyard”.
Whether be it through the conservation of wildlife, or through recycling or energy saving, Glassark sends an important message to us: That the fight against environmental issues never stops, and that it is still on our onus to protect and conserve our planet’s resources.
Ecoweek’15: The What and the Why
Ever heard of sharks having their fins brutally sliced off, only to be thrown back into the ocean for an imminent death? What about snakes and crocodiles bred in captivity to be skinned for the most expensive of purses? Or even the brutal extraction of ivory from the tusks of elephants?
Illegal wildlife trade is one of the main threats causing animal extinction, among other factors such as pollution and climate change. Up to 73 percent of the world’s flora and fauna has been lost. This is not a distant worry found far in the Kenyan forests, or some threat only levelled on the Amazon: wildlife trafficking is a pressing and pertinent issue right in our backyard. Singapore ranks among the world’s top 10 illegal wildlife smuggling hubs, due to, quite ironically, its clean reputation as an efficient port. Our excellent and efficient transportation network has been exploited by criminal organisations to smuggle endangered wildlife species and by-products to fuel the growing appetite for such products in the region. The Southeast Asian region alone is set to lose a fifth of its species by the next century. That’s one in 5 species that our children’s children will never get to see.
Wildlife trafficking has been a widespread and ongoing issue in Southeast Asia. Two weeks ago, more than 24 critically endangered Yellow-crested cockatoos were rescued by police at the Port of tanjung Perak in Surabaya, Indonesia, after being found stuffed in water bottles for illegal trade.
The Yellow-crested cockatoo was listed as a critically endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 2007.
“Illegal ivory estimated at $8 million,” reported the Straits Times’ on 19th May, just a mere two days ago. The shipment, which consists of about 3.7 tonnes of illegal ivory, is the second largest seizure of illegal ivory since 2002, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Singapore Customs said in a joint press release on Tuesday.
1,783 pieces of raw ivory tusks, 4 pieces of rhinoceros horns and 22 pieces of canine teeth believed to be from African big cats were concealed among bags of tea dust.
Despite governmental crackdowns, wildlife trafficking proves to be an enduring profitable enterprise – and you know how it goes. If it makes money, go for it. At least 10,000 species in the wild go extinct each year and we fear more.
Where does Ecoweek come in?
That being said, this year’s Ecoweek aims to raise awareness for the global threat to wildlife, and highlight the importance of wildlife conservation. Wildlife trafficking activities have increased in scale, severity, and pervasiveness in the recent years, and the school population ought to understand the urgency of this issue.
Posters by the World Wide Fund for Nature have been put up around school: ones which we believe have encapsulated the danger and threat of wildlife trafficking with both clarity and poignancy. In addition to that, our booth in the canteen walkway explains the current situation and its implications, as well as how you can play a part to stop the illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade.
Some times to support wildlife conservation efforts.
While we may not have participated directly in the killings of these endangered wildlife animals, nor do we have the capacity to resolve this issue entirely. But, we, as consumers, continue to be the root cause of this issue – we drive the demand for such products. And all it requires of us to take that first step in making the right choices and spreading the message. We hope that with Ecoweek 2015, we can spark an active conversation regarding wildlife conservation and inspire others to join in the movement with us because it’s a matter of: Cherish, or Perish.
By Chew Cheng Yu (16S06L), Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E), Dominique Zhao Yuan An (16S05A), Louisa Li (16A13A), Md Khairillah (16A01B), Stella Soon (16A01C)
Interview by Katrina Jacinto (15A13A), Celine Liu (15A01E)
In yet another instalment of Notes from the Underground, Raffles Press speaks to 2 of our school counsellors Mei Hui and Jeffrey in order to demystify the counselling process, and find out more about the common problems that Rafflesians might face. Click to read previous articles in our series here!
Thinking about which university to apply to, or already a J2 beginning your early admission applications? Raffles Press brings you our Please Mind the Platform Gap (Universities Edition), a series of articles dedicated to providing information on Rafflesian alumni’s experiences at their respective universities.
Yale-NUS College is a liberal arts college located in Singapore, recently established in 2011 as a collaboration between the National University of Singapore, and Yale University in the United States. Notably, it is the first time in 300 years of history that Yale University has developed an institution outside of USA. As new as it may be, it has been making waves among Singaporean students as a premier university for higher learning that offers an all-rounded and holistic educational experience well suited to Liberal Arts students.
In this article, Raffles Press interviews Tan HengYeng, an alumna (Year 2013) who is currently pursuing a liberal arts degree at Yale-NUS College, to find out more about her experiences so far.
