TJC Open House 2005

Chinese New Year's Celebration 2004

This year, TJC commemorated Chinese New Year (CNY) with a funfair on 20 Jan. Anticipation began mounting right from the morning’s assembly, when the TJCian populace was treated to a view of our irresistible monkey mascot.

The funfair started at around 5pm. The college was a heaving mass of colours, with many students dressed in the traditional red as well as other colours. The noise level, in the cafeteria especially, was probably over 20000 decibels. Those who became ‘hawkers’ for the day were loudly promoting their stalls. From brownies to satays, students were spoiled for choice. “Everything looks so good, I don’t know what to buy!” said an enthusiastic Cassandra (31/04).

Food was not the only thing in abundance on that day. Game stalls were also found littered around the school. There was even a stall that offered to do manicures for its customers! Innovation was indeed the word of the day.

When asked what he thought was the highlight of the event, Walter (33/04) immediately replied “The dunking machine, of course!” And he was spot-on. Though there were many interesting stalls and events taking place at various locations around the school, the highlight of these was, without a doubt, the dunking machine. Countless students queued up for a shot at dunking several prominent members of the student body. The event elicited much laughter from the interested crowd milling around the area.

Students from other junior colleges also turned up in numbers for the funfair. A student from Meridian Junior College voiced the general opinion – “I was invited by an ex-schoolmate, and I’m glad I turned up. The funfair’s been really fun. I think it’s also a good way of promoting the school.”

As day turned to night, students were found wandering all over the school. Music suddenly blared out and it seemed as though everyone was infused with energy as TJCians from all directions ran to the study area below LT1 for mass dance. Moving smoothly to the beat of BSB, Heartsdale and Speedy, the dancing TJCians nearly brought the roof down.

True to the saying, all good things must come to an end. The event soon drew to a close, but not before students rallied together to shout out good old school cheers which definitely impressed the crowd. On this high note, TJC’s CNY funfair ended, and students left feeling exhausted but extremely pleased with the TJCian style of welcoming the Lunar New Year.

Reflection by: Tan Eng Hooi (22/04)

Once the school bell signalled the end of classes, stall managers and their co -workers made a beeline for the cafeteria and busied themselves setting up stalls for the carnival on 20 Jan.

By 5.30 pm, TJC was transformed into a mass of colourful banners, screaming Powerhouse, 23 Bites, Splash Attack and other innovative names. The air in the cafeteria was thick with pungent smells of food emitting from various food stalls, with enterprising students anxious to sell their products. “Fried ice cream for one dollar!” yelled Jasper. “Free music while you eat!” proclaimed Munchiekins, turning up the volume of their stereo. The monkey mascot was let on loose. There were also volunteers giving away white, helium balloons, which were snapped up by TJCians who suddenly regressed into their childhood years, judging by the excitement of getting those balloons.

Meanwhile, under LT1, an array of performances was in store for TJCians and old folks from the near-by homes. It opened with an energetic and well-coordinated lion dance and a beautiful composition played to perfection by the Chinese Orchestra. The Wushu team also put up a great show filled with high kicks and fast punches in all their elegance.

Apparently, TJCians are perceived as having a sweet tooth, or in this case, diabetic tooth; for nearly 90% of the food stalls were selling cookies, konyaku jellies, ice-cream, lollipops and other sugar coated goodies that’s bound to send your dentist reeling in shock. Fortunately Ask Momo (don’t ask about the name, said the advertising pamphlet) provided western food like pizza, popcorn, and hot dogs. Smoke was rising from the Swim Team’s stall as they fanned the coals frantically to keep the fire going to barbecue chicken and beef satay. One stall kept true to the Chinese New Year theme and served ‘authentic’ Chinese delicacies such as dumplings. Thirst quenchers were nothing extraordinary, just your normal iced teas, cincau and canned drinks.

When the dunking machine was in full motion, it was obvious that Yazid, the SC president, was a hot favourite, getting soaked countless times by the crowd. ‘Gladiators’ pounded away furiously at each other, trying to knock each other off their stands. Rest assured, it wasn’t as violent as it sounds. The fighters were mounted on a blown-up ring, with safety helmets and air-filled poles.

Game stalls were few and far between. There were just the usual lucky throws and the ‘steady hands’ test by The Arena. A refreshing change from the norm was a beauty booth set up by CG 32/03 which offered manicuring and tattooing services, apart from the popular spray painting hair job. CG 34/04’s test tubes were creative decorative items on high demand, for even when the stalls were asked to clear up, they were hurriedly putting finishing touches for various last minute orders.

After announcing the winners for the lucky draw and unveiling the monkey mascot (obviously Linus, the Beta House Captain, in the get up), it was time for Mass Dance. The area under LT1 was more than a little cramped but students happily danced the night away to the tunes of Heartsdale, Larger than Life, S Club Party and Speedy Gonzales.

28^th Orientation 2004 - Disorientated orientation

‘Orientation’. The word alone evokes memories of days past. Laughter, cheering, boredom or humiliation, we’ve all been there, and each have our own opinions regarding the subject. This article however, is not going to go through the complicated details of events that we were made (willingly or otherwise) to partake in. Rather, it is bent on exposing the viewpoint of one individual that is rarely considered, yet whose existence founds the very basis of Genesis as we know it: Klael, the Evil One.

Letter sent to the Council of Elders, January 10, 2004.

‘To my dearly detested infiltrators:

It has come to my attention that recent days have heralded the arrival of droves of foreigners into my former land of Temasek. They came trooping to the great halls you have so generously constructed over what was once my domain, their voices and footsteps growing to an echoing din that rings through the depths of my current lair like the incessant murmuring of a stream which simply refuses to be silenced. It crossed my mind that they should be the cavalry that had been summoned in response to my efforts to regain my shattered amulet. Needless to say, I was intrigued and sent out my spies to investigate. They reported that these outsiders come from lands far and wide, swathed in garments of many colours, all slightly lost and confused. They were divided into groups apparently, classified by name, and thus began their transition into their new lives. For the sake of politeness, I will not state outright my belief that they were but unfortunate victims of a conformist society. Nevertheless, I did not think they were much threat, these greenhorns, and I dismissed their presence.

The next two days passed by in a blur of activity and anticipation. My faithful servants discovered that the missing pieces of my amulet had in fact, been recovered from their previous resting grounds. They were close at hand; victory was so close that I could almost taste it

Then came the new week.

Monday came crashing upon me in a flurry of screaming and cheers. I was awakened (rather abruptly) to resounding pronouncements of “Say T! Say TJ!”, and became suitably alarmed, not to mention more than a little annoyed. I discovered that whilst I was sleeping, they had been divided into 4 tribes: the Aquazar, Alastor, Aefrit and Azaron. Worried, I redoubled my watch on these miserable creatures. Games. Interaction, dining together… I did not fully comprehend the relevance of these merger activities but had little doubt that all was done in the hope of rallying the troops against my cause. In addition to this came the spawning of an even more torturous cheer, Thunderation, which promptly dislodged my electric lamp from its socket and had me bouncing in my seat with every clap, stomp, and jump. Yells and random shouts continued throughout the day and, plugging my ears, I worked even more vigilantly at my task. I had to drive these intruders away. Fast.

Tuesday dawned. That dreaded day when I found my beloved bedroom half-flooded. Here it must be stated, in proof of my claim, that my newly-established headquarters does, in fact, consist of a network of intricate tunnels that wind their way beneath your very feet. Ordinarily, they are convenient methods of eavesdropping on various conversations, but in this case, they proved to be nothing more than conductors of that vile, detestable liquid known by you humans as water. According to a spluttering demon, your very inconsiderate warriors had poured excessive amounts of water onto the field during their training which gradually seeped through our very permeable ceiling and gushed their way to my bedroom. Floundering about in icy throes, trying in vain to find that elusive bucket that you lost last millennia is not exactly the ideal actions for a prospective world dominator to undertake, but I did it. More ear-splitting screaming arose in the late afternoon and it was in that moment that I fully understood the capacity of human beings to cause pain and suffering.

Wednesday crawled by with more unbearable shrieks and squeals. My head throbbed with the effort of remaining sane under such conditions. I realized too late, the puzzle of my amulet, and that the previously disregarded rookies had, in fact, managed to seize a sizeable portion of my treasure. As I sat there with my head buried under a still-damp pillow, thinking that things could not possibly get any worse, lo and behold! The Council organizes a mass dance for the new fighters–a lively effort to raise their spirits. Thus came almost two hours of excruciating torture, whereby I was forced to endure that blatantly abominable racket you people refer to as ‘music’. Have you ever tried living in a cave? If you did, you would know that sound is amplified under such conditions. With the extensivenesses of my lair, the clamour generated was enough to force me into a new proposition: I needed a vacation.

So, Thursday was spent relaxing by a particularly dingy swamp somewhere up north. I left an extremely incompetent, but nevertheless expendable minion on the job. The day was spent nursing a now splitting headache with liberal amounts of coconut juice and worrying about my prolonged exposure to wetness, arthritis, of course, being my main concern. One does not go about spending 200 years in slumber without some kind of aging, you know?

On Friday morning, I got wind of Orientation Night. I heard from several reliable sources that it was to be “a night to remember”. Being the incredible strategist that I am, I realized that this was probably a celebration of your apparent conquest over me. Therefore, it would also make sense that the alleged ‘saved’ pieces of the amulet would also be there. I made plans. Good plans, as a matter of fact. But all were overthrown with the first note of those blasted songs! Why humans have such a fondness for loudness and noise, I will never understand, but rest assured that I never will try to pry into the matter.

For this is it! The final straw! I can’t live with all this commotion! Evil One or not, there are limits to my stamina, and these have been breached by your warriors, plain and simple.

Thus leads me to make this offer: if you, wise Council, can ensure that quiet will ensue in the lands above in years to come, I will willingly renounce my quest to reclaim that which was mine, and the piece of amulet which you have long desired. I will even auction off all unclaimed Orientation Packs on your behalf, if you so wish. I’m sure that some of the more curious underlings in my domain would be more than happy to comply.

So ends the letter of Klael. And from it we can draw an important conclusion about this year’s orientation: like it or hate it, it was, and still is, a part of our lives that we are unlikely to forget.

Alumni Songbird

Resplendent in royal purple, she outshone all others to emerge best singer for the evening. Caroline Tong was the toast of the TJC Alumni as she clinched top honours at the All-Schools Alumni Chinese Karaoke Competition on 6 Jun 04. The contest , held over a fortnight and which attracted songsters nationwide, reached a finale at the Kallang Theatre. Representing her alma mater, Caroline¡¯s powerful and accurate rendition of ¡°²»¹ÜÔõÑù¡± (No Matter How) learned her accolades from the judges who pronounced her champion in the Pop Song Category. She won for herself and the college an impressive trophy. The college and the alumni congratulate Caroline on her triumph.

Temasek Talk 2004

The TJC Alumni’s main feature on the College calendar is the annual Temasek Talk, eagerly anticipated by staff, students and alumni. The Temasek Talk series has a proud tradition of hosting luminaries such as Mr Lim Hng Kiang (then Minister for National Development), Ms Claire Chiang (former NMP), Dr YY Wong (CEO WyWy), and in 2003, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan (Senior Minister of State for Community Development, Youth & Sports) who enthralled the Auditorium audience with his frank and fluent take on the issue of censorship in Singapore.

This year, the Alumni tried a different track and came up instead with a “LIVE” radio broadcast. On 20th Aug 04, the Scope was transformed into a recording studio with the talkshow broadcast nationwide at 9am on MediaCorp NewsRadio 98.3FM. The topic “Nurturing the Whole Child – Whose Responsibility” was an engaging theme designed to appeal to all segments of society. Invited to sit on the panel were 4 dynamic individuals with views representing broad social strata – Professor Allan Luke (Dean, Centre of Research in Pedagogy and Practice, National Institute of Education), Ms Helen Choo (Principal, CHIJ St Nicholas), Ms Wendy Chua (Psychologist and Writer) and Miss Velma Teng (PSC Scholar and Undergraduate, Imperial College, UK). Ms Chua and Miss Teng are both ex-students of TJC.

The one-hour programme helmed by Radio Singapore International’s Mr Augustine Anthuvan, was a captivating mix of views expressed by the panel members, students and alumni who candidly shared their honest assessment of a salient issue in our modern, fast-paced society. Some snippets from the programme:

“It is the parent’s responsibility when the child is growing, to nurture the whole child emotionally, physically, socially and spiritually; to develop his cognitive growth” said Ms Chua.

“The family is under stress. The community shares responsibility in bringing up a child” added Professor Luke.

Ms Choo opined that there is personal responsibility on the part of children to “choose what to make of themselves.” Miss Teng, youngest of the panelists, spoke for youths when she said it was presumptuous of society to think that young people “cannot make decisions on their own.”

During the Q&A segment, the students quickly leapt into action and fired questions at the panelists: how to handle the unrealistic expectations of perfectionist parents and teachers; how to deal with conflicting signals from parents; does religion play a role; the impact of divorce on children; the growing problem of teenage suicide etc. It was certainly a lively exchange and raised temperatures in the room.

The discussion gained momentum as it moved towards the hour mark. After all the banter, the million-dollar question – who is ultimately responsible for nurturing the whole child? Quite obviously, there is no simplistic answer. The uniqueness of each child, the complex dynamics of relationships, different environmental situations – all these come together to create a canvas upon which the development of a child is drawn to different effects. However, one thing was pristinely clear to all present, the key to holistic development is communication because “communication is to [relationships] what blood is to life.”

Reliving the Past - History seminar

On 11th of August 2004, TJC organized a seminar for all Year 1 and Year 2 history students. Students from various junior colleges were invited to the seminar as well. As a history student, I was present and it was really something I did not regret staying back for.

The seminar started with the showing of the opening scenes of the movie “Apocalypse Now”. It showed the lush greenery of Vietnam, a picture of serenity. The song playing in the background (“This is the end”), however, prepped us for what was coming up next. In the following scene, the woodlands became ablaze with raging fire, helicopters gliding around frenziedly.

At this point, Associate Professor Ian Gordon, the guest of honour, related his experience about the Vietnam War and how it is man’s selective memory that creates history. He cited his experience to illustrate this point. As a young man, Professor Gordon was going to the cinema when he came upon a group of rioters protesting against the Vietnam War. The police arrived on horses and waved their batons about to chase the rioters away. A big scuffle followed and Professor Gordon was pushed to the ground. Thankfully he escaped unscathed, but in the most unglamorous fashion—he had to crawl. When recounting this experience to friends, Professor Gordon deleted the part about him going on all fours and said instead that he coolly and calmly made his escape. In the same way, moviemakers weave a storyline out of what they want people to watch. War movies are especially effective in conveying the scriptwriter or director’s intention as members of the audience are usually either born after the war or too young to remember the war because as Professor Gordon pointed out, “The movie starts to become your memory about the war, rather than your memory of a movie of the war.”

A good example would be the print-to-screen movie - “The Quiet American”, which was based on a novel written by Graham Greene. Written before the Vietnam War, it bears an uncanny and eerie resemblance to the war. Two movies based on the novel were made, one in 1957 and the other in 2002. The story revolves around 3 characters: Alden Pyle, a young American who works for an American aid mission, Thomas Fowler, a British journalist and Phuong, Fowler’s Vietnamese mistress. According to the novel’s plot, the Vietnamese communists kill Pyle after a bomb attack in Saigon. Fowler, who arranged to meet Pyle, made Pyle’s murder possible by making it easy for the communists tambush Pyle on his way to meet him. In the 1957 version, Pyle was horrified by the outcome of the bombing and seemed to have known that it will happen because he tells Phuong not to go to the scene of the bomb. In the 2002 version, there were 2 pieces of evidence shown in the movie that point to Pyle’s involvement in the bombing: One-Pyle giving instructions to a photographer to take pictures of the dying and wounded; Two- Pyle’s good command of the Vietnamese language were shown in the 1957 version.

Having had no experience of the Vietnam War, I had to rely on secondary information. The movie was so convincingly made that I actually believed the movie, although the movie was based on a novel written before the Vietnam War. Thus, fiction and movies can easily be confused.

An interview with two American soldiers recruited during the Vietnam War further convinced me that history was made by man. Both of them claimed to have enlisted in the air force and navy respectively as they would not do actual ground fighting which was gruesome and bloody, maintaining they were against American involvement in the war although they are patriotic citizens of the United States. However, there is a huge loophole in their claims. How would they know about ground fighting if they were not even in Vietnam before enlistment? Their mentality was obviously shaped by American domestic sentiments and the media. Would such primary information be factual and accurate then?

The seminar wrapped up at about 5pm that day. As I walked out of the auditorium, I thought what would happen if I chose to delete and modify the parts of the seminar I did not like and replace those with sensational events which I was sure readers would enjoy? Would they take everything I said to be true? Or would they ambush me and demand to know if everything I said was factual? Well, dear readers, you decide.