by Moses Tan
Edited by Priyanka V
Published 10 Nov 2006
Web Exclusive

Accents are a curious phenomenon. Even within a single language, variations in which a word can be pronounced are so different that they may come out sounding like an alien tongue altogether. Think of an English Cockney cab driver and a Singaporean hawker. Both speak basically the same language. But the odds are that if one attempted to converse with the other, sign language might prove to be more effective than their supposedly common language.

In fact, examples need not be gotten from far off lands. Simply look right here in our hostel (some might call it home) where accents are already so diverse due to the melting pot demographics of our beloved Singapore. Coupled with the fact that a myriad of foreign students and scholars from countries as far flung as India and China study here adds to the diversity.

Traditionally, the Singaporean stereotypical accents can be categorised into several pigeonholes- the Singlish accent, the accent-less “educated-Singaporean” accent, and the “Matt” (Malay) accent. Curiously the Gen-X Singaporean Indians either have a very slight accent or almost no noticeably unique accent. Perhaps this is because they have found favour with the laisser-faire Singlish intonation which is oh-so-pleasurable to the tongue. Our government possibly takes pride in this fact as evidence of their incredibly successful racial integration policy during the late 1960s.

Ostensibly the Chinese scholars from the P.R.C have the most interesting accent. They speak with a vibrant lilt that keeps ones’ ears begging for more after each break in conversation. Presumably, this endearing accent is carried over from their native tongue which also boasts of a broad vernacular that demands for verbal gymnastics in their enunciation. The Indian scholars from India have the most distinctive accent of all. Their pronunciations allow inference of their extremely agile tongues and through their speed of speech of their evidently agile mind as well.

And thus with the aforesaid introduction, I would like to delve into my true purpose for this exposition. It is to take up my pet peeve of stigmatising home grown Singaporeans who use fake English accents in order to sound upper crust. This pretentious behaviour is annoying to just about everyone they interact with. Incredibly, these persons have either escaped condemnation throughout their twelve or more years of education in local schools or they have grown accustomed to the criticisms. More plausibly perhaps is that they are still delusional in their belief that their false accent is “cool”.

It is necessary to explore the psychology of these poseurs to understand why they adopt such a ridiculous persona. Thus this author has spent time in front of a mirror practising enunciation with a thick British accent, copied mostly from Austin Power movie dialogue. I then re-watched Golden Eye and The Philosopher’s Stone and I must say that it was oddly fun to play the International Man of Mystery, Double-O-Seven and Harry Potter in front of the mirror. But at the end of it, I stared at my jet black Asian hair and small squinty eyes and realised that my home grown accent still fitted me best. It would be foolish and unbecoming to wish to be of a different ethnicity. I concluded that these people must have started play-acting British persons and have forgotten to stop. Either that or they are simply bloody dotty in their minds.

Could it be that many of them had actually lived abroad when they were young and picked up their linguistic peculiarity there? But does a person’s accent solidify at a certain age? Does a person who had lived his first ten years in Ulster and speaks Irish-type English change his accent naturally upon resettling in Singapore? Does the number of years spent in whichever country matter? What happens if he had spent ten years in Ireland but the next twenty in Singapore? Being a true blue Singaporean, born and bred entirely locally (notwithstanding vacations abroad), I am wholly incapable of answering these questions. Of course this special class of accented Singaporeans are forgivable; but what about that class of persons who are as true blue Singaporean as I am but strangely still speak Brit English?

Obviously there is in truth nothing to forgive. Even if there was, I would not presume to be the one to give it. But perhaps it is because nobody had ever been presumptuous enough to undertake the forgiving hence the poor poseurs have no one to turn to, to seek forgiveness from, to re-enter into the fold of normalcy. They are possibly too embarrassed to cease their false persona, having carried on with their lie for so long. And so having recognised this need for an arbitrary forgiver, I humbly offer myself as such; to give re-entry into the fold of normalcy for these poor linguistic heathens. Come! Seek forgiveness for your linguistic deformity. Return and repent!

by Teo Wei Han
Edited by Priyanka V
Published 10 Nov 2006
Web Exclusive

Answers: 1-T, 2-F, 3-T, 4-T, 4-T, 5-F, 6-F, 7-T

How many of you out there brush your teeth first thing in the morning before breakfast? Which is better, brushing before you eat or after you eat? What’s the logic of brushing before you eat? I have heard people saying their mouths are not clean when they wake up hence they do not want to swallow food with an “unclean” mouth. Honestly, aren’t they swallowing saliva from the same “unclean” mouth? Unless they brush again after they eat, their teeth would be more susceptible to bacteria attacks. It seems that many of us lack correct oral hygiene knowledge.

It is advisable to brush your teeth twice a day, once in the morning and another before going to sleep. Why brush our teeth in the first place?

It is to remove plaque, the soft yellowish film, the waste produced when bacteria in our mouth reacts with food and saliva. Even in the absence of food, plaque will still form. That means even if you don’t put anything in your mouth, plaque will still form, so no point starving yourself to keep your mouth clean!

Failure to remove plaque by regular brushing means that a thick layer is allowed to build up. Those microorganisms nearest to the tooth surface convert to anaerobic respiration, during which state they start to produce acids which leads to demineralization of the tooth surfaces. Saliva is unable to penetrate the build up of plaque and thus cannot act to neutralize the acid produced by the bacteria and remineralize the tooth surface. Teeth decay or are knocked out easily when demineralized. Fluorine found in toothpaste and our water helps to restore the minerals in our teeth, making it stronger.

Plaque formed hardens to become tartar, aka calculus, which causes swelling, bleeding and weakening of gums, and can lead to gum recession. Calculus can even extend into pockets created between the tooth and gums.

Improper dental care will lead to various problems, such as gingivitis, gum recession and dental cavities resulting in tooth decays. Not only is proper dental care detrimental to health, it causes smelly breath and also decreases the watts of your smile!

The best way to prevent the build up of such deposits is through consistent brushing, flossing and cleaning visits based on a schedule recommended by your dentist.

By Tasha Perera
Edited by Priyanka V
Date Published: 10 Nov 2006
Web exclusive

Unexpected showers, muddy roads and of course the gloomy days, sound familiar? Ah yes, it’s the rainy season yet again. I for one love a gloomy rainy day, it gives me an excuse to get under the blankets and sleep all day long. However, to some, a rainy day can mean so much more.

Rain has always tagged along with the more somber emotions. Like rain, tears can be stormy or just a light sprinkle, and feel angry, cold, dreary and sad, or even come through the sunshine. Rain often follows a change of weather pressure, and tears can be the result of release of inner tension. People frequently cry from relief that they’ve been heard or that they can see a solution where there appeared to be a problem.

Rain first carries with it the dust suspended in the air, and then washes everything clean as it continues. Emotional rain, too, can first be painful, and then begin to bring release and clarity. A “good cry” like a heavy downpour is one that really lets go of the held feelings and continues until relief sets in. Rain does not always bring sadness, as the saying goes, every cloud has its silver lining, rain too has its more cheerful side. Peacocks unfurl all their feathers in delight due to the onset of rain.

Rain has also been associated with “love in the rain”, for those of you who have watched any Bollywood movie, its not surprising for the main actors to break out in song and dance expressing their love in the rain. In fact, rain also marks the beginning of the mating season for animals.

Human attributes, we are taught, include five senses: sight, sound, taste, touch and smell. Only in science fiction do we read about a sixth sense, which is usually depicted as a psychic sense. If you think about it, however, your emotions are your real “sixth sense.” Just like your other five senses, your emotions register data about the external world. With your sight, your eyes take in data about colors, shapes and relative sizes of the things in the world around us. Touch tells us how things feel, how warm, cold, soft, hard, sharp or smooth they are. Similarly, your emotions tell you what others’ feelings are. We can sense, in an almost psychic way, how someone feels at a distance, without being told. So the next time it starts to pour, look around you and try figure out what your neighbours are feeling.

By Ho Yi Jian

Edited by Priyanka V

Published 10 Nov 2006
Web Exclusive

O’ gather round to hear a saddening tale,
O’ listen ye well and learn as ye might;
Take lessons to heart if ye are a male.

For once a boy lived in B-Four,
A young freshman with bright shining eyes,
On a trip to the johns and what he saw,
A chocolate streak on the toilet floor.

A chocolate streak on the washroom floor!
Whose backside too early took flight?
An ugly smell, an ugly sight;
Three days to bear since Friday night.

To level D-four thus he moved away far,
far away for relieving trauma and pain,
While at rest he suddenly found another–
Somebody redid it in the showering drain.

Who took a dump in the shower drain?
Whose ass seems to contain his brains?
Toilet and shower are different, so plain.
On a friday night, three days to wait.

Three days to wait for the cleaner to clean,
And the log was singing “Life is but a dream,”
Floating on the drain, every stall it has seen,
Until it jammed on the drain cover plate.

The shower alone did not suffer such fate,
A poor bowl was choking on piles of paper,
With marks of brown, layer on layer of white paper,
It’s as though a log was hiding under the covers.

How could we flush if there was so much mush?
Even if we tried the water would gush,
To flood the washroom with its stuff,
Its high time to say enough is enough!

A travesty, a tragedy, some really bad luck,
Together we suffer ’cause some idiot that sucks,
His mother taught not how to aim,
For where we get clean is now full of muck.

O listen ye well and learn as ye think;
Now you have learnt from a saddening thing.

by Ong Weide
Edited by Ho Yi Jian
Published October 18, 2006

With a long list of posts under her name, it’s not surprising that CHARMAINE ONG took up the JCRC President role this year. It’s like she’s been training for this post since she was a freshman. Today, she wants to bring TH to victory and greater unity. Normally wearing a straight face with drooping eyelids, she may seem too cold to many people. What I didn’t know is that she is actually an easy person to talk to.

Have you ever thought of running for the JCRC president post when you just arrived in TH in Yr1?

There was an interest to join the JCRC but I didn’t expect to in year one. I found that it represented something important and furthermore I’m ambitious by nature.

Okay, now that you are president. How are you coping so far?

Still coping fine till now. This semester is still alright compared to previous semesters study-wise.

What are the problems you are facing in the JCRC now?

Maybe I have to guide them [new JCRC members] a bit more. A lot of them are new and inexperienced but I’ve quite a bit of faith in them.

17th JCRC Special Projects Director, Rag vice-head, 18th JCRC Honorary General Secretary and now the president. That’s an incredible feat. What drives you to take up these posts?

I’m the kind of person who will attach loyalty to a certain body or organization which I think it’s worth my time and it impresses me. For example, the orientation and rag in my freshmen year was so impressive and I saw how the seniors sacrifice time and effort for the hall and this was a major motivation. Beside, taking all these positions was a personal challenge and I have always liked to push myself to the limits!

Just wondering, how much sleep did you get on average a day?

I manage 5 to 6hrs of sleep. It’s not a health of doing it. By the way, I am nocturnal.

You mentioned in your rally that the hall spirit is fading. What’s your plan to bring back the Temasek Spirit?

There are various ways going about it. One of the approaches is to intensify block day activities because bonding people who live together first is very important and this will lead to greater participation in hall activities as people tend to join anything together with their friends. The second approach is to encourage bonding within comms and sports teams. Basically, doing various things in hall so it’ll be a step towards bonding hall as a whole.

You also emphasized on winning back the Interhall Games (IHG) title. What are your strategies then?

In TH, there are people whoare highly skilled national and IVP players but at the end of the day, the most important thing is to fight as a team. However, we lacked team chemistry because everyone wants to score individually rather than team-wise. I would rather have 10 mediocre players who understand the requirements of the team. Past IHGs victories have testified the fact games can be won through a lot of determination.

So how you are going to inculcate team spirit?

To inculcate team spirit, seniors should go down for trainings because our defeat can be attributed to a certain level of elitism and seniors’ complacency. It may serve well for a few years but after which, defeat is almost certain. Therefore, senior should necessarily interact with freshmen and play a role in inculcating team spirit.

What do you think is lacking in TH now?

We lacked in making breakthroughs and lack in creativity. TH has strong traditions like any other hall and some are worth upholding but we let traditions hold us back instead of taking advantage of them. For exmaple, Rag and also the way in which some committees are being run. We have become too traditional in committees. In Rag, structure and design process and the whole package basically. To remedy [this], we can lay foundation and re-examine ourselves which means more meetings and thrashing-out sessions (laughs). Gathering feedback from residents is a good approach. I can safely say that this year’s JCRC recognizes great potential in the freshmen batch this year and will look towards bringing fresh blood and seek to find a mid-point between our traditional and radical ideas.

What kind of welfare can we expect from the 19th JCRC?

You can look forward to better TV lounges and reading rooms before the end of this year. I’m not a very welfare person to begin with. (Chuckles)

Honestly, how do you feel that all the JCRC members were being elected in an “uncontested” manner? (That is, without any opposing candidates)

No contest raises legitimacy issues of the JCRC people. To those who question it: if you don’t think that they deserve the position, I propose you stand up and run yourself.

Why do you think many people don’t want to run for JCRC?

JCRC entails heavy responsibilities. That’s why it attracts very few candidates. If people apply for JCRC only because of sure stay-back, they will not do the job properly and will also gain bad reputation towards the end of the term. It’s all about sacrifice. The JCRC themselves must be more approachable to residents. We should talent spot early and try to impart certain values in the juniors. Hopefully there’ll be more contests of the good kind next year.

What’s your next project?

Fundraising and intensified canvassing. After 2 yrs of being in the JCRC, sadly to say, money buys almost everything that makes our hall stand out and other halls envious of us. Fundraising has been sort of an ambition for me from last year.

You are undisputedly one of the most experienced Temasekians now. Any advice for the freshmen on how to cope with both hall and studies?

Proper time management and efficiency are important. Do not ever procrastinate or be complacent. These two things will ruin your plans. Stay focused. Also, make friends in hall. Friends are people who will pull you through hard times, share your happy times and be there when you discover the meaning of “desperate”.

Tell us something that not many pple know abt you.

I am a Chao Ah Lian! (pauses for a while) I am actually very nice. I’m not scary! Please talk to me!

by Justin Ong
Edited by Ho Yi Jian
Published October 18, 2006

It was an unceremonious Friday the 13th in the month of October and in sight was yet another haze-afflicted skyline. However, that wasn’t going to faze the 160 Temasekians on our annual night cycling outing organized by the Outdoor Activites Club (OAC).

Attracting an overwhelming number of participants yet again, the OAC had to limit the number of cyclists. As the first group earliest group assembled at 2145 hrs for the safety briefing, all the cyclists were all set and ready to embark on the twenty-odd kilometre route. As the first group set off at 2230 hrs, the remaining groups departed at ten-minute intervals each. Amongst the majority of our residents who cycled with rented ones, it was heartening to see an increasingly supportive number of the participants who were enthusiastic enough to bring along their own bikes.

The journey began and the cyclists started out by heading down to Labrador Park where they played a few Social Development Unit (SDU) sponsored games. The stop-over lasted about half-an-hour and the games served as an exciting and interactive break where everybody had the opportunity to participate in games with one another.

After the stop-over, the cyclists then took a route along Pasir Panjang Road and journeyed down to the Central Business District area where they hit their first food point. The groups feasted on supper delights such as Hokkien Mee, Fried Oysters and Fried Carrot Cake at Lau Pa Sat and some even stayed for over an hour and a half to catch up with one another.

Following that, the cyclists took a route that took them along a picturesque Kallang River via a pathway under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge. Under a bright moon, the cyclists emerged along Nicoll Highway and then headed down to Geylang. It was certainly an eye-opener for some of the residents to partake in the sight which singularly encapsulated the seedy underbelly of Singapore. Although the venue was unsettling for some, everyone enjoyed the late-night session of soya bean curd. As they revitalised with their soya milk and dough fritters, some even had sudden impulsive cravings for durian.

The final part of the journey was followed by a trip over to East Coast Park, where each and every resident felt a sense of joy and pride at having made it to their final destination, and their joy was made even more complete at having done it with their best buddies within Temasek Hall. As everyone basked in their glory, they took the time to enjoy the emerging sunrise at the Park. Armed with just bicycles and a lot of heart, the glow of the morning sun and the soothing shoreline was reason enough for everybody to participate in the journey. As their tiredness had the better of them, the bus ride back to Temasek Hall meant one thing; a lazy Saturday to sleep in.

by Tasha Perera
Edited by Ho Yi Jian
Published October 18, 2006

“FUN and ENTERTAINING..loved the block C skit” - Rebecca; block C. “Very veryyy entertaining and crazy fun!!!” - Faye; block E.

These were but some of the enthusiastic reviews by the audience during Temasek Hall’s annual mid autumn festival. Thursday the 5th of October was a perfect night to celebrate the event which proceeded flawlessly. The night’s emcees Tim and Nolan broke the ice with a friendly cheering competition to find the most enthusiastic block in TH, block D was the obvious winner in the game as no other block could beat their screaming enthusiasm. The events of the night then followed.

Jerry and Wenyi kickstarted the evening’s programme by rendering a couple of soulful Chinese songs. Both singers were cheerily applauded and loved by the audience. Next on the cards, was a fun game organized by Block B, where volunteers from each block were asked to come forward and they were given props which were to be put to use by the rest of the members in the block to dress up a volunteer as something which represented the mid autumn festival. It was most certainly a crazy game with much laughter. The participants, although not all dressed according to the theme, were a sight to be seen! the clear winner was Block D’s volunteer who was dressed as a mooncake.

Following the fancy dress contest, was a duet by Clara and Jacinth. This too was widely applauded. However, what was unanimously voted the highlight of the evening was the skit by block C. It was a hilarious piece involving volunteers from all the blocks because each individual was asked to take on a certain role and was given a “catch phrase” to say every time his/her character’s name was called out. It was most entertaining and the crowd’s incessant cheers stood testimony to this.

The night was brought to a fine end with some delicious grub, mooncakes being top on the menu of course! Everyone who attended was given a colourful lantern as a parting present and the event wound down after a mass walk around the Hall. The air was throbbing with festival cheer as well as the well-known Temasekian solidarity. All in all, kudos to the Block Comms who have done an amazing job organising this year’s mid autumn festival. Good job guys!!

by Priyanka V.
Edited by Ho Yi Jian
Published October 18, 2006

I am obsessed with the gym. I started gymming a while ago; it is responsible for driving away my morning blues as well as those stubborn kilos! As I work out in the cardio section everyday, I think about a lot of things. Things which make me look into the deeper meaning of life. It is but of course natural to introspect on life when you are not giving somebody else discourses about how to handle theirs. The little voice in the head starts jabbering away, while you keep your big mouth shut. And while I was at this introspection I started equating life’s secrets or its philosophies to the various equipments in the gym.

Who would have ever thought that the treadmill could teach you a lesson? I say it does! It teaches you so much about stagnancy. The belt of the treadmill represents the pace of life and the person using it represents a human being on a stagnant and stationary spot in his/her life. The scenario suggests some form of wanting or longing which is not being accomplished for the simple fact that life is stagnant at that point. There is also a positive lesson to be learnt. That if you increase the speed of that conveyor belt, life is exhilarating! You will have no time to breathe!

Ever thought about what a stationary cycle can mean? Here is a thought. A cycle is a clichéd symbol of life, good and bad happen at every revolution of the wheel. I view it something like this- one leg goes up and another leg goes down, bringing to life the proverb- every cloud has a silver lining.

Lastly we have the cross trainer. Here one leg and one hand go in front and the other leg and hand go back. This is similar to the times, which are sometimes good sometimes bad. But the important thing here is, when one hand goes back it has to come in front, there cant be bad times always or seeing it the other way there cant always be good times.

The gym is a place one can learn a lot from. If you need to lose that flab or be fit you have got to sweat it out. Same with life, if there is a goal to achieve, you have got to give it your blood and sweat. KEEP GYMMING!!!!

by Timothy Chen
Edited by Ho Yi Jian
Published: October 18, 2006

I was terribly excited about coming to NUS, having built up an image of what on campus living would be like in my mind. I imagined a lot of wild partying, hooking up with random people, and various other scandalous activities. The lack of parental supervision was another thing I was definitely looking forward to. I haven’t quite experienced all that in TH yet but there have been several events worth mentioning.

The first thing that struck me was that I actually enjoyed orientation. I thought it was well organized, the activities were fun but most importantly there was something about the whole thing that made you genuinely want to get involved. I was one of those guys hiding in the back at the mass dance session in JC. I never was one of those, crazy-about-mass-dance, cheer-till-I’m-hoarse, play games-till-I-pop-a-shoulder kinda guy. Still… I enjoyed it. Immensely.

Speaking of spirit, another significant event I experience as a freshman would be RAG day. I had heard about this somewhat mythical event that seemed so steeped in tradition it was actually somewhat frightening. Like how my mum, having met my dad in another hall some 20 odd years ago, gets this glazed look in her eye when she tells me about how she acted in her hall rag float on recycling cans. This is in painful detail by the way. Quite unnerving.

Actually being there this year, I finally got a good sense of what all the fuss was about: the floats; the costumes; the panicky sweaty rag team members cursing and swearing, who look at onlookers with murderous intent. It really is quite overwhelming to be in the presence of something that has established itself as a grand tradition, something bigger than the individuals and the thousands of recycled sprite cans. Being there, I could understand how this one calendar event can become an institution capable of sweeping typically mellow people into screaming, crying fanatics.

Obviously the most substantial part of my hall life so far would have to be the actual hall living aspect. The proximity to classes is definitely a plus, despite the fact that I seem to have started selective attendance lately. But the sense of ‘neighborhood’ is something I appreciate more. I’m enjoying the fact that I now have friends literally living right next door. In contrast, I’ve lived in my house for as long as I can remember and I have never spoken to my neighbors. Not even when Mark Richmond was living next door. There’s also the attachment you develop to a room that you’ve furnished somewhat from scratch. Granted, there’s not a lot you can do with that tiny hole in the wall, but at the end of the day its my own little hole in the wall and I’m loving it.

Looking back at the past two months I realize that there have been a few milestone events like Orientation and Rag, which were great in themselves, but I realize the day to day living is really significant too. So much so that I feel as if I’ve known my friends here for a lot longer than just two months, and it’s the fact that I’m surrounded by all these great people leaves me optimistic about living here. My university life might turn out to be quite fulfilling after all.