An account of the National Schools Cross Country Championships 2013. The writer is a member of Cross Country and Press.
Photos from Today Online and Jolene Quek (13A01C).
27 March 2013 has long been on the calendar for many of us not because of the Maths CT1 paper, but because it was the day which would mark the culmination of all the time, energy and effort we had invested into the gruelling trainings – the National Schools Cross Country Championships 2013 to be held at Bedok Reservoir. It has been no secret that our aim was nothing short of the double Gold, and both our A boys’ and girls’ teams had been quietly confident going into this penultimate race of the season, having established ourselves as the school to beat in the 3 previous races. But we were not about to let the danger of complacency set in. The focus was on maintaining our position and working on getting enough sleep, nutrition, and hydration, especially with the horrible weather in the weeks leading up to the race.
It was 7am and the previously quiet and tranquil environment of the reservoir gradually grew in activity as competitors and supporters alike began to stream into the area and teams began to head off in different directions for customary warm-up routines – the whole place was abuzz with excitement as everyone eagerly anticipated the start of proceedings.
The A Boys kicked off the day with the first race scheduled at 9am, a distance of 4.3km that was exactly one round of the reservoir.
RI runners forming the leading pack from the start of the race – just like another training run (from left to right: Yu Jie, Jonathan (partially hidden), Jia De, Bryan)
While the pre-race favourite Karthic from Hwa Chong quickly established a sizeable lead, no one was willing to follow his punishing pace as he was clearly a class above the rest. Barring him, the lead pack consisted of our top 4 RI runners in Yu Jie, Bryan, Jia De and Jonathan and an ACJC runner as the pace quickly settled down. We did not have an actual race plan, but if there was one, it was to run together and that was exactly what we did. This “running formation” of sorts was sustained for most of the race and it was only possible because we had practiced running together at such a pace in training so many times that it felt almost natural to do that in the race.
In the end, Yu Jie finished 2nd, Bryan 3rd, Jonathan 4th and Jia De 6th to secure a commanding victory of 15 points over our nearest competitors Hwa Chong Institution. Our 5th and 6th runners also performed commendably, with Everest coming in 10th and Joshua coming in 11th. (Cross Country team scores are calculated based on the positions of the top 4 runners in the team.)
A Boys’ team with the champions’ trophy and Overall Challenge trophy (back, L to R: Everest Yeow, Heng Yu Jie, Lim Jia De, Joshua Nga, Darrion Mohan, Goy Shen; front: Jonathan Tan, Bryan Yong)
When we finished our race, the A Girls were there to congratulate us before they reported as their race was the last race of the day, starting at 9.50am. Having the A Boys team championship in the bag, we were rooting for our girls’ team and hoping that they could wrest the team championship back from bitter rivals Hwa Chong Institution who had won it in 2012.
Our girls’ team had displayed ruthless dominance in the previous race by sweeping the top 4 individual positions to record a perfect score of 10, and they repeated their sheer superiority led by Jolene Quek, who stopped the clock as A Division Girls’ Champion in 14.11.79 for the 3.6km route. She was followed closely by Janielle Lim in 2nd, Tan Wan Xin in 3rd and Adeline Bee rounded off the legendary finish in 4th. Mary-Lisa Chua and Daphne Chia finished 8th and 9th respectively to ensure that all 6 girls finished within the top 10 places. This is the first time in recent memory that any team has swept the top 4 positions and perhaps possibly the incredible unlikelihood of this occurrence means that our A Girls could probably have just walked themselves into the history books of Inter-School Cross Country with a performance that deservedly stole the limelight.
Jolene Quek, Tan Wan Xin, and Janielle Lim complete the podium – tired after the race, but who says you can’t smile?
With RI also taking home the A Division Boys’ and B Division Boys’ team championships, National Cross Country Championships 2013 was a good day for RI who dominated it with 3 out of the 6 team titles, winning 3 out of a possible 4 on offer.
Victory has never tasted so sweet – our victorious A Girls’ Team! (L to R: Daphne Chia, Mary-Lisa Chua, Adeline Bee, Tan Wan Xin, Janielle Lim, Jolene Quek, Victoria Tan)
RI Cross Country thanks our coach, Mr Steven Quek, our teacher-in-charge Mr Tay Meng Kiat, Mr Vincent Quek and Mrs Ramesh from the Year 1-4 side, Madam Or, the RV Cross Country teacher-in-charge, and the many alumni who come back to help us with training, as well as the seniors and student supporters.
The RI contingent at National Schools Cross Country 2013 – bringing home 3 titles
“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” – C.S. Lewis
The year 2012 was mired by a multitude of scandals involving high-profile figures and public officials. This, along with the Ministry of Education’s plan to place more emphasis on values and character, could explain the sudden spike in assembly talks and reminders centred on morals and discipline.
Watch out, everyone – you may be issued a white slip for forgetting your exam register number!
As RI’s no-nonsense discipline master, Mr Tan Boon Poh is known for the poker face expression that accompanies his interactions with students, from doling out lame jokes and white slips to reciting the infamous THINK. But if “Hurry up, come in!” or “Eh, where’s your badge?” is all you remember of him, you might have to tweak that opinion soon. In today’s Teacher Feature, we find out more about our stoic DM’s mysterious life as RI’s head rule enforcer and his marathon pursuits.
THINK is Mr Tan’s much-loved mantra
All his working life, Mr Tan has faithfully lectured batches after batches of Physics students in RI. Yet. why teaching in the first place? “As part of my mechanical engineering degree, I was on an industrial attachment for 6 months. I found it quite boring to do a 9 to 5 job, so I decided to do something more interesting and less regimental,” Mr Tan explained. But regiment eventually caught up – since 2008, he has been our second official Discipline Master.
BEING DM Press: How exactly is a DM appointed and how did you feel when you first heard of your appointment? Any reservations?
Mr Tan: How ah? I don’t know leh. RJC only has only had two DMs, which are Mr Leong Yew Wah (Deputy Principal, Special Projects) and me. I was quite surprised when Mr Winston Hodge first asked me and I was wondering, “Why me?” Of course I had some reservations as I had totally no idea of what to do as a discipline master. The DM’s job is not just dealing with students. Part of it is also about working with teachers – how to get them to support the rules, how to enforce them and so on.
Fun fact: Mr Tan’s rule-enforcing days actually date back to primary school, where he was a prefect!
What is the best and worst thing about being DM?
Well, they are somewhat the same thing. When nothing happens and there are no cases to handle, I have more time for myself and I can be assured that the students are self-regulating. However, the worst thing would be when a lot of serious offences happen back to back and I will be busy with investigations, counselling the students and meeting parents.
Mr Tan at CCAL Camp
What are some of the most absurd excuses you have heard from students?
Hmm, most absurd excuses… There was one during Take 5 just recently where two girls and one boy were trying to climb over the fence into the Port of Lost Wonder (the water play area for children with the pirate ship). So I stopped them and when I asked them why they were climbing over the fence – the boy had already climbed over, they responded saying they were going to the toilet, but there was no toilet in sight.
Also, I once came across this boy who was sitting in the canteen in slippers and he said it was because he was going for swimming training. And so I asked him why wasn’t he in his swimming trunks too.
What is the most annoying thing students do which you wish you could issue a warning slip for?
Students who write the wrong number on their OMR (Optical Mark Reader) answer sheet during exams. Because the marking is done automatically by computer, once someone shades the wrong number, I have to take out the piece and re-shade his number correctly for him. Actually, it is even worse when he shades in his classmate’s instead. This results in the machine computing his marks as his classmate’s. What is the worst is when his goes in before his classmates and the machine jams as there is a repetition of the same number. Then I’ll have to go and readjust and it takes a lot of time.
Also, students who don’t remember their register number and sit at the wrong tables in the examination hall. The whole class ends up sitting in the wrong place and they all have to shift, which can disrupt the concentration of the rest in the hall.
RUNNING
If you’ve caught Mr Tan running around the track, you might be immediately drawn to his attention-catching barefoot shoes. Interestingly enough, his interest in running was founded on more practical concerns rather than love for the activity itself. As he puts it, “The running was because I was preparing for my 2.4km run a few years ago. Since I take a bath after I run, I thought ‘Why not run further?’ And as I ran farther and farther I found it more enjoyable”.
As for the barefoot shoes, he discovered them in a book on running entitled “Born to Run”. And for the Physics behind it? Let’s just say that it’s somewhere along the lines of reaction forces, centre of gravity and acceleration.
So the barefoot shoes help you run farther?
It is not so much that the barefoot shoes help me in running farther. I find that it helps me have a more natural style of running and reduce the impact on my knee. You try to land on the ground first with the middle of your foot or your forefoot below your center of gravity (CG). To me, it’s a new style of running. Most people who wear barefoot shoes run in this style, because it’s very painful to strike the ground first with your heel as barefoot shoes do not offer any cushioning. So the more technical part is that you try to take shorter strides to prevent overextending your leg. You make up for the shorter strides by taking more frequent steps.
Have you gone for any marathons?
I’ve run two marathons and more than ten half marathons. Which is why I say you need to set a target. Because if you just run, you’ll just get bored. So usually I will sign up for a race, like my upcoming one is the RUN350. Once I paid to sign up, must go right? Then go already, should come in with some good timing, right. So every race, I’ll set a target, like 2 h 15 min for a half marathon. Then I’ll follow a training programme – run how many times a week, what type of run to run and timing for each run.
Best timing?
2 h 15 min. For a half marathon.
Any ultimate goal?
No I’m not the competitive type, so as long as I enjoy running that’s fine.
Mr Tan was the first one shaved at Hair For Hope 2012
—
It’s not just about issuing white slips and applying Physics concepts to running – Mr Tan also shared with us how being DM has prepared him for the nobler task of parenthood.
So do you have any other hobbies?
Hmm not really, I think it’s just running, and taking care of my kids. I don’t have much time for anything else.
May we ask if you discipline your children in the same way as you do in school?
It depends. When I talk to most of the students in RI, they do understand and change their behaviour. But for kids, they can be too young to understand what you are talking about, so that’s where a cane comes in useful.
Do you think being DM has prepared you for disciplining your children?
Yes, sad to say, from the cases I handle I’ve learnt what not to do when bringing up children.
So to end off, any advice for someone who would like to start exercising regularly?
Begin with the end in mind. You need to set up a target, what you want to do. Then come up with a plan and have the discipline to stick to the plan.
We would like to convey our sincerest thanks to Mr Tan for so graciously agreeing to this candid interview and hope that none of you will forget your register numbers this upcoming CTs!
By Jeremy Yew (13A01B) Additional Reporting by Allison Choong (14S05B) and Bryan Chua (14A01A)
“I confess…that I check the RJ Confessions Page everyday without fail!”
On Feb 10th (strategically timed before Valentine’s Day), the RJ Confessions Facebook page was created, and has garnered more than 3500 likes and 7000 people talking about it. For those who have been living under their Math tutorial booklet, this is the RI Y5 and 6 equivalent of an online anonymous confessions trend that has been all over everyone’s news feed. The first page that sparked it all off was probably the NUS Confessions Page, which spawned a slew of pages for both undergrad and tertiary student communities such as NTU, SMU, and ACSI, with even a little-sibling Raffles Confessions meant for the Y1-4 side and RGS students.
“All dat BGRs”, indeed…90% of all posts on the RJ Confessions page are related to infatuation, relationships or love. The longest ever post was a 741-word essay (word count included) on BGR in JC.
Trivial, shocking, or funny; encouraging, honest, or thought-provoking. The wide range of ‘confessions’ that appear on the constantly updated RJ Confessions page could be seen as testament to a unique Rafflesian creativity, humor, and expression (or perhaps repression). They include everything from actual confessions and anecdotes on school life to rants, moralistic policing and even original poetry!
Not to forget the bread and butter of any confession page: the romantic confessions, and their counterfeit counterparts: the ‘troll’ confessions. These probably number as many as the genuine ones, and are done for laughs or to embarrass friends.
A site that sees such heavy traffic and volume cannot be single-handedly maintained. But who are the genii behind this source of entertainment (or disdain) for thousands of Rafflesians and non-Rafflesians alike? Admins 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of course! You know them by their comments, now here’s a chance to find out more about how they operate, and what they think of the phenomenon itself. Raffles Press presents our exclusive interview with the RJ Confessions Page admins.
Which batch(es) are you from? Tell us more about yourselves!
We will reveal it when the time is right. Admin 1 is a guy, Admins 2 and 5 are girls, Admins 3 and 4 are currently in NS.
Do any of your friends know who you are, or do you keep your identity as secret as super-heroes?
Only a few of Admin1’s friends know.
How has the frequency of confession submissions been since the page’s opening? Do you think this phenomenon will die down?
We don’t really measure the frequency, but yes the frequency has been decreasing, but barely. Admin 2 thinks this phenomenon is just a fad that will die down as everyone starts mugging, but Admin 1 thinks then, this page will still be used but to rant about different matters such as PW.
What inspired you to create this page? What motivates you to keep it running?
Well Admin 1 does this page really just to give other Rafflesians an avenue to voice out concerns they’re afraid of voicing out usually, because Admin 1 has been hoping for something like this for a long time but since no one did it, he got inspired by the recent confessions trend in local universities and decided to create such a page. We keep it running because we are sure there will be other Rafflesians like Admin 1 out there who want this page.
How long do you plan to do this?
We’ll do it for as long as people continue to support us and use this page.
How often do you check/post stuff? How much time do you spend sifting through submissions? How do you find the time?!
We do it any time and all the time – we use time turners.
You sometimes add in snide, humorous or corrective comments at the end of some posts; for example, pointing out the other side of an extreme opinion. Do you see yourselves as neutral facilitators, or moralistic arbiters of the RJ confessions community?
Nope, not at all, we’re just adding our own comments because sometimes we just feel that something needs to be said about the confession; it’s quite entertaining too.
What is your censorship policy? How many submissions do you reject daily?
Well we reject all posts containing obvious names and posts containing vulgarities or highly defamatory ones, especially if they are ungrounded accusations. Different admins have different criteria. Admin 2 generally does not like posts about love whereas Admin 1 favors those posts. Generally nowadays we hardly reject submissions because people are starting to learn what is acceptable and what is not.
How do you feel about bearing the burden of responsibility to maintain the institution’s reputation? (Do you even consider that your duty?)
Yes, many people reminded Admin 1 of that at the start, and yes we do bear that in mind.
A wet blanket or a prudent warning? We’ll find out eventually.
Is it…True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, Kind? What do you think is the risk of ‘offensive’ or ‘disagreeable’ content being posted? What if the school requests that the page be shut down?
Honestly, I think THINK isn’t really Necessary, because if all those conditions had to be met, then 90% of RJ Confessions posts would never have existed. I think only the T aspect of THINK is important. I think the risk of such acts is already amply covered in newspapers/GP lessons, but I still think it would only have, at most, a short term impact on our school’s reputation. I don’t think I will agree with the school if they asked me to shut this page down; there is little they can do to force me into doing it too.
What are some examples of the “ugliest” confessions you receive?
Well, basically there were vivid descriptions of sexual fantasies. I certainly hope those were trolls.
In your opinion, do you think RJ Confessions has debunked or reinforced Rafflesian stereotypes in the public eye?
I doubt so. Some things are too ingrained for a few comments on the Internet. To change such stereotypes requires the long-term co-operation of all Rafflesians – past, present and future.
Wouldn’t a Twitter feed be well-suited to posting confessions? We think the Facebook page is enough on our plates as it is.
Indeed, they do have a lot on their plates – these admins have filtered and posted a whopping 2400 entries to date, excluding those that are not aligned with their censorship policy, as well as many romantic confessions they deemed not interesting enough.
And Raffles Press has slogged through every one of those 2400 posts (okay, confession: that’s just Jeremy…who needs to get a life) to come up with some of our favorite posts, based on a range of criteria such as originality, humor, and memorability. Presenting, in no order of merit:
Raffles Press’ Top 10 Favorite RJ Confessions
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
And of course, the most famous one of all, the “payphone” confession! Too long to be posted here, it has garnered more than 3300 likes and has even been featured on 9GAG Singapore!
RJ Confessions is not just about infatuated declarations and unrequited crushes. It’s about freedom of speech (though some might disagree, given the unchecked moderating power of the Admins), and the boundaries our community is willing to challenge. It’s about Rafflesian creativity and humor at its best (and worst) – for many students this may be a new opportunity to try their hand at creative writing, something they may not get the chance to do in the daily grind of academic life. It’s about Rafflesians helping each other out – either by sharing inspiration or dispensing experienced advice; a support network of individuals united by common experiences.
The staff of RI are not to be left out of the fun, of course; quite a number of them do follow the page closely, including Mr. Dominic Chua (Head of Creative Direction of the Communications, Alumni Relations and Advancement Department), who has himself responded to a post by a senior complaining about the corporatization of RI’s image. He muses: ‘From a sociological and communications point of view, it’s a listening post, gossip centre and rantboard all rolled into one!”
While naysayers might claim that anonymity can breed irresponsibility, and that such an uncontrolled media platform could lead to disastrous PR situations, Mr Chua thinks otherwise: “I think [such confession pages] make people in positions of authority nervous because salacious or even hateful material could in theory get posted, but with the RI pages at least we’re trusting in the two checks that do exist – first, the intelligence and good sense of the various admins, and second, the ability of the community of readers to step in and moderate what’s been said – to keep the pages working in the best interests of the Rafflesian community.’
RJ Confessions also plays a crucial role as a space for Rafflesians to talk about and deal with stereotypes within our community (albeit in an open platform). Since its inception, the page has seen more than 20 posts that denounce, qualify, reinforce or discuss Rafflesian stereotypes, including contributions from non-Rafflesians or members of the public. It can also be an avenue for socially marginalized groups to speak up; for example, there have been numerous sexual-minority confessions that talk about the challenges they face being ‘open’ or ‘closed’ amongst peers about their sexual identities, calling for greater tolerance and acceptance.
It is easy to dismiss this page as frivolous or trivial, a passing phenomenon that will eventually fade. Yet, more than one month on, it is still going relatively strong; perhaps its enduring appeal lies beyond the anonymity it grants and the audience response it guarantees. As the quote on the pillar in the library says, the Rafflesian Spirit is “…that which transcends generations to bind Rafflesians to work as one to strive towards a better age”. RJ Confessions’ continued relevance may be in the niche that it fulfills – allowing Rafflesians across batches and from all facets of the rich RI(JC) experience to connect. Ultimately, beyond functioning as the sole cross-experiential and cross-generational platform of discourse for Rafflesians to engage in, the roles that RJ Confessions can embody will be defined by the discernment and ingenuity of individual Rafflesians.
A teacher feature on Mr Edmund Kwok has been in the pipeline at Press for almost a year now, but until a while ago, no one was willing to take it up. In a moment of impulsivity, I decided it would be something different.
Mr Kwok is an International History tutor who has been with RI for decades. The Minister for Education called him a ‘role-model’, ‘well-regarded among the JC History teaching fraternity’. In his youth he was among the first batch of junior college students in RJC, and did well enough to go on to do a double degree in NUS.
Yet his achievements are but a fraction of Mr Kwok’s person. Students describe him as ‘interesting’, ‘hilarious’, and even ‘self-absorbed’, but Mr Kwok seems to defy external judgment. He is, really, best understood in his own words, as when he is teaching. We conduct an extensive interview with him about his career, ‘intellectual people-watching’, and fashion.
Press: Can you give us a brief history of your teaching career?
Mr Kwok: Oh, okay. I can give you a handout, actually. But I can verbalise it now. Okay, I started teaching in 1991, that means from 1991 to 2013, most of the time I was with Raffles, but I was away for three years with the Ministry of Education, okay, as the curriculum planning officer. That was from 2000 to 2002. Okay, this is my twenty-second year in teaching. So, what else would you like to know, other than the time period? Oh, I started teaching Southeast Asian History for the first two years, and because of manpower requirements, I switched to do International History. In the early years I was teaching General Paper as well, but when I returned from MOE, I specialised in just doing International History.
I heard that you have a double degree in Geography and History from NUS.
Oh, because during my time in university, it was even more broad-based. You need to choose three subjects. So I chose History, Geography, and Political Science. Political Science was my minor. After my third year, I was offered to do Honours, actually both subjects offered me to do Honours. But at that time I don’t think there’s a double Honours, so I chose one, and I chose History, even though I felt it was a more challenging subject. But somehow or other, I was drawn to decide to take History for my fourth year.
How come?
I think it’s more than just the grades. I was scoring better for Geography, and Geography is more practical, especially human geography, I can see it happening all around me. For history you need to actually go back in time. Okay, you need to have this sense of empathy, and putting yourself in the shoes of other people. Otherwise you find that you will be very detached from the past, because you can’t feel how other people make decisions. Despite the challenges, I think it’s the passion, and the nature of history is such that we study historical personalities, okay, and the intentions behind their actions, and their actions, and most important is the significance of their actions.
‘For history you need to have empathy, and put yourself in the shoes of other people.’
Would you say that this passion for history is your most important reason for teaching?
I think my passion for teaching comes before my passion for the subject. Even before I got a chance to take History, at a very young age, I had already set my mind on teaching. So when I chose my subjects in university, I chose teaching subjects – History and Geography.
Speaking of your teaching, what do you think are some hallmarks of your teaching style?
Hallmarks? Oh, okay, hallmarks ah. I prepared something. I need to reflect first. Okay, wait, let me see. [Mr Kwok scans through a few sheets of paper he has prepared for the interview.] Okay, I think I use [my image and life story in my lecture notes] because it’s a matter of preference. I don’t want to be put in a situation in which I’m just introducing the subject. I think it’s one means to enthuse the students as well.
I don’t know whether this is typical or not for a History teacher, but I feel that in order to appreciate other historical personalities, you need to appreciate the teacher first. It’s no use knowing so much about Gorbachev, if you don’t even know a bit about me. Of course, whatever I want to share with the students is within my comfort level, but I talk about my career and things like that. Basically, I don’t want to be someone who is an inanimate entity, you know – like ‘Who’s the lecturer?’ ‘This guy, you know, is my History lecturer.’ It’s just like before a student actually does Middle Eastern history, the most important thing is the visual map. It’s no use knowing about Middle Eastern history if you can’t even visualise where the Middle East is. It’s the same thing, you see. You know the lecturer first, then you know the other historical personalities. But of course, in order to share about yourself, you must enjoy it. If you have a very narrow personal space, and everything is secret, of course it won’t work lah. You must enjoy it. And it’s not sharing about yourself as an end in itself, it’s for some more intellectual purpose lah – to enthuse the students about the subject as well.
I always talk about morning dews, which is actually encouraging students to give more insightful and refreshing perspectives. Above what I say. So I believe in giving the base – it’s like kueh lapis approach, you know? Okay, the students will add on to different layers of evaluation, perspectives, to the base.
Every time I see a new group of students I will [share about myself]. But of course, as I move along, it is done with more finesse. Basically it’s a way to market myself also lah, a shortcut to knowing who the person is, whether you’ve got the credentials, and, yeah…
‘It’s no use knowing so much about Gorbachev, if you don’t even know a bit about me.’
What are the subjects that you share with students about? And, what’s out of bounds?
Oh, okay. Wah. Maybe you give me some examples and I’ll tell you whether it’s out of bounds or not.
Your personal life, like family?
Oh that’s fine, yeah. I do share about that, given the opportunity lah. Because I don’t force-fit all this, just because I want to share; I must have the opportunity. I mean, I feel that there’s nothing to hide about family. I’ve got a sister, myself, and my parents. That’s fine, I mean nothing to hide. I’m willing to share about my age, my birthday, and my career, uh, my pastimes…
What about your romantic endeavours?
Ah, that one, okay, maybe that is a bit out of bounds lah.
Could you share about your activities outside school, like your star-chasing hobby?
Okay, can. Okay, just in case you’re misunderstood, I don’t chase stars. Okay. I don’t chase stars only, I would rather call it ‘people-watching’. A more generic term. Because the connotation that’s associated with star-chasing is a bit strange…
A bit too enthusiastic.
Yeah, yeah. It’s like obsession or whatever. So I’d rather call it people-watching. Okay. Intellectually it’s called people-watching, or people appreciation lah. I know it’s a very grand term.
So the thing is not about who you watch. It could be people, it could be animals, it could be birds. The concept is ‘watching’. Okay. It’s like watching who’s who in politics. You know, watching politicians, in the entertainment world…and it’s not just watching per se, it’s the contributions. For me, of course I’m interested in knowing the politicians and the stars, whatever you call it. I like to watch people, I think it sharpens my observation skills, and I don’t just watch people for the sake of it. It’s a reflection – it’s about after watching people, what you do. It’s the whole process, you see. The concept is about observation. It’s about watching. And I think it introduces another aspect of life. Life is not about work only, it’s not about socialising. Life is more than just that, alright? As long as it’s healthy.
So it’s not what you watch, it’s reflection. I think as an intellectual person, I move beyond just watching. I actually reflect on how the situation was like there, you see, like all those people who were so obsessive with chasing stars or whatever, okay, what is the psyche of these people; what makes them so obsessive, compulsive, you know? Chase them all the way, everywhere. And I was thinking, if for whatever reason I have the chance to write my memoir, this will be one of the chapters.
But it goes beyond watching, right? For example, there is a photo of you with Romeo Tan…
Yes, yes, but of course when you watch, you take picture also lah. But in terms of obsession and compulsion I wouldn’t go that far lah.
As seen in Today: left, Romeo Tan; right, Mr Edmund Kwok
Now the final topic for today: fashion. Who do you think is your number one style inspiration?
Oh my goodness. I’m not a professional fashion admirer, okay. One thing is that I don’t go for brands, per se, I go for what the brand offers. In fact I feel that those middle-range ones are the most innovative. In fact, the high-range ones, you pay for the brand. Whereas the cut and the texture may be slightly better, but the design is very normal. Very normal. You go Hugo Boss, the shirts are all very normal one.
It’s only when you go for the middle-range one, it’s not too high-end, and it’s still quite affordable, that they are more stylishly innovative. Ah. So I don’t go for one designer, neither do I go for one brand. So I…brand-hop. I go for the design and the fit.
And which shopping destinations do you frequent?
Actually, I go where I can find the shirts that appeal to me. But most of the time, I will tend to gravitate towards Orchard Road, and it’s not surprising, because it’s the most accessible. Although I don’t mind travelling out, if there’s something I really want. Anyway, I’m a very mobile person. I travel around Singapore using public transport, which takes me everywhere…I don’t need a car. In fact I have two cars – which is the dialect name for two legs. Kah. Kah is legs right?
Neng kah.
Yes. So I’ve got two cars actually. When people ask me, ‘Do you have a car?’ I say, ‘Yeah, I got two cars.’
