Commentary

Bienvenue à Paris! A Week Well Spent in the City of Love
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Angelica Chong (14A01B) and Bryan Chua (14A01A)(1)

Bienvenue à Paris. Welcome to Paris, France. For many of the 50 of us who went on this trip, it was our first time there, and for some, even their first time in Europe. When we think of Paris, we see romance (whatever that looks like) and the Eiffel Tower in its skeletal glory. This trip, though, gave us an opportunity to venture beyond the safe waters of Singapore and enter a city known for its deep-rooted cultural heritage, and discover that Paris is more than just the city of love (although for some… well, let’s leave it at that). Continue reading “Bienvenue à Paris! A Week Well Spent in the City of Love” →

Commentary, Nationally Speaking, Op-Eds

On Being an Ever-Reluctant Patriot
Reading Time: 5 minutes

By Lee Chin Wee (14A01B)

Cover Photograph by Wang Ziren of the Photographic Society

Vibrant

To borrow the words of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Grace Fu, Singapore is a ‘city full of paradoxes’. The more I mulled over this quote, the more appropriate it seemed. We are one of only three Chinese-majority nations in the entire world, yet we still take pride in singing a national anthem penned in Malay. We were a castaway Malaysian state that now economically outpaces the whole of the Malaysian peninsula. We are a nation that once rose on the back of immigrants, but now turns its back on migrants seeking a brighter future. As citizens of this complex and often contradictory city-state, we constantly face a struggle to define what “being Singaporean” truly entails. Today, as you sit back with friends and family to celebrate Singapore’s 48th year of independence, do ask yourself a very simple question – Why am I proud to be Singaporean?

Continue reading “On Being an Ever-Reluctant Patriot” →

Commentary, Movie Reviews, Raffles Reviews

Raffles Reviews – Pacific Rim: Great Movie with an Unfortunate Name
Reading Time: 4 minutes

By Angelica Chong (14A01B)

3

It is easy, after walking out of the theatre, to dismiss Pacific Rim as a ‘dumb fun’ kind of movie, what with the almost ludicrous premise that gigantic humanoid machines are going to save the world by literally punching sea monsters in the face – reminiscent, surely, of the cheesy Godzilla franchise that has been around since 1954. It doesn’t help that as of late, it seems the only movies that are worthy of any critical consideration have to be completely – some argue realistically – grim. In these ‘serious’ movies, everyone is an anti-hero, the whole world is painted in drab shades of grey, and there’s no such thing as a happy ending (if you think about it, some of those movies don’t even end, per se). Anything else that fails to achieve this numbing onslaught of gloom and doom is automatically labelled a feel-good summer blockbuster. (What is implied in this is that it’s also a no-brainer, because what makes you feel good after watching it means it’s too dumb to be critically understood, of course.)

Continue reading “Raffles Reviews – Pacific Rim: Great Movie with an Unfortunate Name” →

Clubs, Commentary

No Small Matter: RI Wins The Big Quiz 2013
Reading Time: 7 minutes

By Austin Zheng (14A01B)

Which international diplomat was recently awarded an honorary 10th Dan black belt? What is the percentage of women in Singaporean corporate boards?

These were some of the questions asked in the finals of the Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz, more popularly known as the Big Quiz, which saw Raffles Institution, Hwa Chong Junior College, River Valley High School and Nanyang Junior College engage in a gruelling contest of speed, knowledge and argumentative ability. The intense competition was reflected by the supporters from the four schools, who had turned out in force. A contingent of Nanyang supporters even arrived with a flotilla of multi-coloured helium balloons, awing everyone in the conference room. While the RI supporters were less well prepared, they nevertheless made two personalised banners in a display of solidarity. Continue reading “No Small Matter: RI Wins The Big Quiz 2013” →