BY ELGIN CHONG AND EMMANUEL PHUA

n important rite of passac•• in a yotlllg person's life is the day A he or sh<' l,>r~duaws. And to <~le brate this milestone, RP pulll'll o ut aU the slops for its eightl1 r,radualion ceremony 011 lhe 2Slh of May. Kicking nff Llw lhn'E-'·Jay p rngrdm llll' was gw:st· of-honor Mr Tan Chuan-Ji n, Acting Minister for M.mpowcr .md Senior Min.isler of Stale, Ministry of Nationa l Dl>velopmtlnt w ho dt~livered a spPPt:h U1al d1allengcd graduates to find tl1cir purpose in life .md to do work th~ l is useful to others in society.

"What determines success, as related to Singapore Idol winner and TOP GI~A DS: Plmebe Yt1t1 ~ IJirngntltr:!h am/ XmJit'r Tau nu slagf.! ou daJ rmt'. "II is fmJH>Y­ the eurliercd wal.h Mr Tan. musical success, teaming goal," ~aid Phoehe w ho was award~d Ht> feels PBL helped ltiJn greatly. of U1inc.•. ll wiU be tht• difft•nmn• U1a t experiences and what It's you make to U1P peoplt! around you. TI1t> the Nanyo~ne Sd10larship hy Nanyanc way U1at you l11Mt people," said Mr Tan Tcdmological Un iversity (NTU). "RP's Problem-Based L.canm1g (P6L) like on the other side of the 111 his dosing ream•r ks. <~ p proach suits me beet~ usc I um ~•ble to judging panel. Mr To~ n ol•o spoke about being n>JevanL nllch up eusit:.r ilnd is irtefore ruHl so the Service Management (DCRStv!) student irrelevant." And this is someUting RP Edumlion (ITE). tension in the mom was pal· gratluatt.>t.l wiU1 a perfect 4.0 p,ratl•• dot>~ r~ally wvll an. N p~ble as the team wailed for Taufik point awrap,e (CPA). H•'r a im i.~ to J,.. A tO t<~ l o f -1,060 1: ruduat<·~ from 35 Balisah, Singapore's most popular "in U1e hospitality indust1y dellvming Xavil')' Tan Khcn Leong, a Diploma in d.ifferent Diploma progrilllmu~s Singapore lt.fol alu mni. 20 minulf1S top4 notch service to c..-·ustome.rs". Aerosp~ce Avionics (DAA) stutle nl grddtwled th.is ye<~.r. R l.lter U1an our scheduled Ume, he sud­ denly appears, with his munager and a Mediacorp staff in tow. Wcdring a hi1~ s mi iP, a simple gn>y t-shirt and CEC launches Media Lab jeans, he greets everyone warmly. BY OSWALD GERARD AND A• Zark, our editor introduced him· rea l-life projctlS. "lt i ~ n platform fo r for Huma nity Bam YourSofc .. Pvc)nl, imd MYSARA AUARU sP.If, TilUJik noti<"es hi.~ skater shoes studrnts to work un inJ ustry proj <'C~~ tlw Publir Servict> D i vL~iun (PSD). "Our a.nd says: "You skate too? I like you l is a size of a classroom tucked undJatioos (PR) ag~ncy w ith had all ah1np, w hal i.q new is U1at it will long meetings M1d crazy dc~dllncs. lic· fn with the web version and social Bu t il is not a job for the faint-hearted. Din.><:lor for Lh ~ Cl'nlre for Ent~rpriw n1.ediu as well. News w ill bt•coa11e more Chi~! ( E..litor, Muhamm<.ts in school. it's clefmitely exdbnt: lo know lh11t TilUs far, U1ey ha VP worked with U1e Mt>dia Lab is J',Oinp, in Lh~ l'ir,ht Ht~ said the main n>ason for U1~ Media exltmMI dienL-; jncluding National d.ire<·Lion. It cives us a ta~te of what Lab Is to expose U1c stttdcnts to m ore Heritage Boaid, the B.-E4.1Lhas becomesomelhiltg o( a second ]tome to us-Juccting several limes a week to Sbrainstorm story ideas, work o ut schedules and update our facilitators on our progress. There were many sacrifices- dates had to be ca ncelled, travel plan.. ~ changed and there were lots of tired days and nights. The wondcrfu Iteam is pictured below.

But looking at this issue of Republican Post, the first revamped edition, makes it all worthwhile. What you have in your haJtds is not just our hard work but a slic~ of history. We hope that Lhi~ team of talented student reporters, -photographers and designers, can produce a paper that will be the nltmber one source of news for every student 01 RP.

We hope to report things that matter to you, in and out of school. We cover a wide range of topics because we know you arc interested in loads of things - we've got news features (orientation hignlights), interviews (ateck out our fea·ture on a trio of musician~), sports (did you 1d1ow thel

Wl' ~re io tl;le process of g~tting our online site l'P and nmnlr11g aod you wj)l be a bl~ to ge.t updates on news and views. Uul none of this would work if we don't have your support- r-ead o ur stuff and teU us what you thillk. If you want to contribute or have an interestillg story to tell, drop us a lille, we willby relic ling these stories. Your stories.

Till the next issue, Muhammad Zailani Bin Ismail

Q)~ 1ceJM 'EcJJ.b.n Emmwrrwl

L

lejl to RrgiJI: llnudlra, Dorr t.Wr, Attre, }oorru~, Slrt•rmtlll C•}oo11 Lei

f>/1(1/c>S by Jffnft Y~~;minl\btlullnh Staff Advisors: David Orin V:fl to Rigltt: Sul111il, Nrllt~>lm, Ht~iqal. Crispina RoberL Ytmto & Oswttltl Sllallida Ariff Clrmr Yen rhrg Emilia ftlris

2 TilE REI'UIJLICAN POST POST NEWS 7-pointer picks RP and wins big BY MUHAMMAD ZAILAINI BIN ISMAIL ith .tn '(Y level <~~J~,>regatc score of just seven, Pir.tgalhcsh s/oS u bmmanian, 20, could have WS

"J did my research about Problem Based learning (PBL) dnd bet~ltne convinced that this was lhe ro u t~ for Ill<~:· s.Jid Pira as h11 is c.J LIPd among his friend~. Nalu rally, hP hod to ronvin<'P hi~ p.u-enL~ .tbout his unconventional dtoice.

Thankfully for him, Utcy were supportive. " I always tell Pir.tgathesh lhal if he were to do someUting, il has to be o ut of passion. Choose sou> cthin ~ that you ('a n be passionnt.t> about, so m ethint~ that you love to do. Only Utcn can you d o somellting outstandingly well," sdid his fitlher, Suhramanian s/o S..ddsiV

Lasl Tuesday Pira's choice pa id off hrutdsome ly; he WdS hit:hlighted by g uesl o f honour 11nd Acting Manpower Minister Mr T,m Otuan Jin in his speech of conduct. &oyf tlw Student Cvu neil ,~n u Vke-f> residenl of vocal group Rhapsody- activities He h,os applied to Yong Luo Lm'sSrhovJ o f Medicine, l.uoking huck em his frl'Shman y~ar;. Pird S•lYS hr• dove'' heo s<•ys l!nabled him to make ma ny 111 \'tlllingful NUS. Although moviJtg o n to '''~w .Jnd inten~tinp, nehl in, erttinJ: invnlvcd in cxtra-rurrlrulararlivitlot; friend,ships ,md le.trn a IQt about l ea ,te~ hip . advcntun~o;, h ~ IMV('<; with fond memories of R'P. lo ma ke sure Utal he expanded his !nlcrcslS ~nd skills." Acadeu>ics is only on!! pt>rl bul nl His involvement was duly recognised, when he Said PiriJ: " I chos.• RP a nd I have neve r n•p,reued it sucn•ss fi'Om a holistic poiltt of view, Utrre al't' va.rious l'l"<:eived the Outstanding All Rotmdc rSludentAw,u'(l one bil. It h,ts been a good home lo me, .>lwilys have components much like Republic Polytechnic's code (OARS) by tlll' NorthwPsl CDC at the notiona l level a nd a lways will." R

BY VALERIE LUA Thousands donned their gowns and graduated with family and friends cheering them on. A select few were medal winners. We caught up with one such graduate.

hen Xavier llm Khcn l..con g was called up fM dn illtl'rview for Llu• Tuy Eny,Socm Gnld W Medal o1ward, given lo top poly technic gradunlcs who com~ through the lr1.~Utute of iedmin ol Ed ttc:,•lion (ITE) route, he w;os sure he would not be shorllisted, mudt l•~s wilt Lilt' awurd.

Medal winners usu.. JJ y have an impressive lisl of leadership po•ilions dnu 11 slew of Co-Curncu lar Arlivilies (CCA) lo show for. Bul Xavi•>r's J'I"S ulll~ was paiJ\fully emp ty. As he explained to lhc panel hefnn~ him~ hi• hc:u..l iJ good n•.ason: ht' ne('tli)d to work lo suppOit himself and he lp oul wilh Ute family's expi'JI.'KlS. MOMENT OF GLORY: Xtmil from Mr Tau Clwnu-fiu, Actfug Mbd~lfr' for MnupoW<'I' mul ~eulor Mluister of.Stnte, Miulstry of Nnllo11nlt )!'tJd"'mreut. 1'110'/'0; VA 1.1'1<111 I UA

"tvfy mum was raising thn'(' t hildnmnlone,lnU that f Th i••!:sstar l..ss of being "left ou I" led him to slip up th11n work nic," he s.tys. 28 aJid lhut was when il duwnPd on him Lhal lt<' wn.~ From lhc lime he came lo RP, Xavier had a fairly stuck. Wiln o nly a llu.rsin g course in poly on offer, he The highlight for him was lo land ,m inlemship wiUt pu n i ~hinp, routjuv,: Right ufLPr ~chool , hi' lwad(•d df!cid(!d lo dt) tmginet.)ring in lhP ITE. Wh i l ~ Llwn~, Ruc.: kwt,~ ll Q,JJins, un Avionks <'olllpany, whcl1! ht' lo Northpoin t Shopping Centre's g.mtc ill·r~dc, Xovier conlinu(~ d lo struggle. Al U1e end of his fiJ'S l did so well Ll tcy extended his stint. Timezonc lo slarl his shift al5.30pm, endinlJ lhc day year, he managed a Ull!asly 1..1 GPA. However, lw ~I J0.30pm . On weekends lw pulled a fuU shift a.nd fomtd a rcasoll to pull up his socks in his second yt>ar. Just as he passes anotlter milestone in h is life, hud ~ sing l e duy off- eith<>r a Saturday or a Sunday. Xavier alrcady has p lans for h is future. "In futun• ''I met someone who m otivated and coadted me, I would like to t,tkc some leadership courses a nd "I hud lo ma.ke SliLTifkes. 1 slepl less ru>d definite ly Sl> lswtletl putting in e(fort, rutd seeinJ: Ute resnll hone u>y ot a n~J.\eOiettl skills, tmtl hopefully 1 c<1 n coul dn't go out with my fri••nds. Bull h.>d no .-hoice. o>.1de me feel good. 1 climbed up to a C PA of3.4, and leoad a tca.ol/' I nw.ded Li t~ mon•~Y for my meal•, lrdnsport, doliii'S, 11'<-eiv,~d .t Gond Progl'(!ss award," hP said, declining everything," said the old est or throe <'hildron. He has to reveal more about l"hc girl who helped him. r hcy 11te bright young man sees some dark clouds on his " orother, 14 and sister. 12 dnd Lheir ruunt is u sales cvcttl1tally pa rted ways. horizon. 1-1 e worrlt'S abou t pa yiJtg for his uniVersity l~Xt"'t"ulive in o jewt"~ lh'! ry compc1ny. r.~es bul ht~ lw~·~n now and lhe n, is working hard Bul onCl' hn ~la rlnd doing wnU, UtP.rc wa.~ no turning to squim' l Jway mon''Y· Bul he l~ ~urr Utal h(' ran Seeing the Light b"ck. "One of the positive trails about me Is Uta t I a m overcome t he odds. After ,ttl, he has been doing il Xavier's 1ourney m lift~ h&~ not been ~~ s rnooth one. very detenllined.. And w hen I started lo 5{'1! resu ltb, most t>f his life. R THE REPU1lLICAN POST 3 POST PHOTO Farewell class of 2013!

8£ST OF fti£ 8£ST: Special atmrd wimrcrs receiving 1/rcir rcc091lliti<)n l'irngnthcsh s/o Subrnmnnian, XatJier Tan, Alexander Cilia, Claudia

GOING FOR GOLD: Tan Hong Boon Nhholus'is aGold Metlai'{I!IVJrde<'oftlttC,-ntrcfor Enterprise and Cormmmicatron for the Diplo11111m Commwucationand /!]formation Design. Standing JI CXIIo him isAmmrda Goh, Mmmging Oire.;(orofCilelmmt. PHOTO: ILl NAOHIRAH MANSOR

WllAT MATTCR S MOST TO YOU? An and t/rouglrt­ pro(}()king spt'e('h gi'ven brt lite gui'St-()f/ronour, Mr Tan Onmn-Jin, Acting Minislt'f fot Manp

A WW SO SWECT: P11rents of Piragallteslt s/o Stt/1ramanian were invited on stage as lte ren•hms his amurd far "Outstanding All Rounder Shtdrnl Awurd". Pirugutlm;ls kissrs Isis mollwr in grutifudt•. Hr grad11uled from Diploma in BiomeJic:u/ Sdrnct'> 1t>illt lvferil. He wtls also lite f>rcstdent of RP's 9tlt Student Council nnd Vicc-prcsidenl for l

( 'J ,,·~ ~ .•l . .,_, AMAZING RENDITION: Fnith Ng from Rcplttg IG - one of RP's best bands- entertaining life audience with her btYlttlifttluoire. PHOTO: fL/ NADHJRAH MANSOR I

nt4r'S WHAT fRffNDS ARE l OR: Kok Zium Xin from the School o{Teclmology for the Arts said: "finally 1/u·lmrdrrtts off and it's rctliiJ .~rca/to gradttalc from Rf>!'' In IItts ptclttrr /u• posas willtlris b.Jsl fricmls wlro lravtl, bet~rllu'Ttfor him all along. PHOTO:JL17'#ADHIRAH MANSOR .__ __POST _ NEWS Poly Foundation Programme kicks off in RP BY LEE JOON LEI

l h•l Par Yi Yun woulc.l h,w~ fa< ~d thP 1rt)Spt)('t of CJnnthPr dtlu nli ng ypar dh.,ad ns ho prcpiU-ed for Lhe O'lcvcl exautiJ1~Lion com pcti11g with a large pool of secondary school students vyint~ fo r places in th~ local polytedmics. But this yr.m~ lhc N' lcvcltopscorer from Assumption English School is stTCss-fn.'C dlld sitting pretty, ha ving ~amed 11 provi~iona l phoce in Republic Polytechnic (RP) U1ank.~ to tht>nt >w Poly PoundJLion Prog.rammP (PFP).

"I entered the prot~r,lln as it gives us the opportu nily of t)Pllinr, into our drPam cou !l;e.~ fust~r. It also removes U1cstresses of having to take the 0' levels," the 17-year-old BiomediClll Sciences student said.

The PFP is a onc-y~ar programme thal is offered to Secondary four Normal (Academic) students who ""' in the lop 10?:, ur th~ir w hort. In lit>u of the conventional O'levcl route, students go through a found

Passing JJJ foundation year modules wowd eJm U1em 11 pluce in their respective courses. The Di'll)(tOr fo r Ri?public Polyterhnics fo undation such as fiPid trips, l ~b session~ ond in t~rurtivt> prot.rramme is offered at aJJ loral polytechnics and progr.lUlDlC. lcctun's; they are all learner centric but do not have,, •ims to giv1! NormiJI (Atddt.>mit') s tuc.l ~nL' mvrP The uniqueness of Lhe PFP ste01s from its pmctke 'one problldl11 d day' dpprmorh. We mny use Vdrious options i11thcir post-se\ondaJ)' education. t1r,irnled .-urriruJum, whid1, U.ke RP's vt>ry own meU10dologies, hut they Jn' aU based on tht> san11! Problem-Based ~arnlng (PBL), fot·uses on cng,,ging lcamlng principles." "This program is a11 initiative by the Ministry of students through various different means. Ed ucation (MOE) to prnvido• mu l tip l ~ pathways fur Rddlel is o•11y too excited to be part of this pioneer N'levcl students. l11ere iU-e mwtiplc paU1ways for "TI1r• k•arning principles ufthe PFP'.st-u rriruJu m dnd batt.·h. 111 an1 lnoking forward Lo \-vorking in groups, U1c PSLE and O'level students, so why not for the PBL arc the same, the difference Ucs i11 its method of teaming new thil1gs and making friends along the N'level students?" ask~'d Dr Soh l11i>ln Pin!} DPputy deUvery. For example, in Lh~ PFP, we huve tottivities wu y,~~ shesdjd wilh a smile. R RP welcomtes new freshmen As we bid farewell to graduating students, we welcome a new batch to fill our ever-growing family. They face an exciting year ahead and what better way to start than with the Freshmen Orientation Camp. SARIYANTO SLAMAT rAiltnl1~c f.reshmcn ntial in making sure Lhe fn.>shman get their questions answered. N1,ruycn Q tLang Matthew u Diplonuo '" Biot<>chnology ~tu­ dt>nl t>xplaint>d how prepamlions started as •~Mi y as Decem her.

11TIU-' C01111111iUt~ hilS bCtJn p~pari n~~ (or th~ lillllp since December. Facilitators would estimate th<> qmtntity of food and drinks needed for th~ entire SAS camp. Medks certifled with a standard first did roursco t't•rliricaLP w~TP also prest•nll() C'nsu n• Llw safely ,md care of the fr<>.s ltmen who am under our respun~ibility dunng the penod of th~e two doy~," said tht> 20-yt>ar-old. Breaking the Ice

CECs ver.;ion of Lhe popula.r Koreun gamt' show "RwutiJ1g Man" was ll1e first of the Une up of won­ derful yet <"arefu.U y crafted series of ganws. designed not only bond llw foT•Shmen but al~o ~vokinB com­ ~puhlit.: Polytethnk (RP) offiddlly OJWII\'U its up wilh two schools who ·work«!d hurd to welcmlll' mwliCJLion between the slill-nwkw,lrd freshmen. Ac; doors in 2lXJ2, and back then it was a small il1- U~t~ir new iJ1t.1ke in the fau1ily - the Sd1ool of Ap­ the frcshr.nen rshmt•n bt•gan tn Jo spirit is all ittakt'!S to n>xt up was U1e individual diploma lime. Six houl's $ln'nBU1. "WiU1 th~ inrn>asinB numbt>r of s tudPnL~, A'i wide-t>yt>J frP.~IHnrn inrhtld U1dr wJy from U1e wc.rc set ,,side for the freshmen to Cil1d out about we have a bieeer lillt>nt pool U1a11 hefon>. There l~ long rorridor of the One Stop Centre (OSC) into lhe their diplomas and what was expected of them. To cc•talnly more CJ•crgy now wJlltiJ1 the ranks - not Allor~ Halls, little did they know they were not the 1-111d LhP pr\lgrum mc, l.hP slu tlents pt>rfonnoJ in 11 Fivt, only the freshmen but also Lhe stud~nt letoders, lhe only OJWS makmg u b.nmd new sb1rt. Minutes of l'au1e''.We Jlne~rlhed a beat boxer, good staff and t' vt>ryone involved," t>xplai11ed Mr Joshua dant"ers, smgcrs a11d a11 accomplished musiCian - Y~o, Acade01ic Staff of Centre for Enterprise r some student leaders like Rachcl Chua, a second CEC had quit(• " fl'w ldlt•nh•c.l individuals! ConUJ1Unication (CEC) dnli Lt.!ad Focilitator for CEC year student of Diplom.o in Mass Couunu niCrprisc Mam•gement said: "The camp From early April, U1c dJffcrcnt schools in RP <:tln­ was BElTER th,ln o>xpt.•ctedl lnitially I Jidn't w•nttu dta:ted l11eir indjvidmo.l camps before tb~ offidal "I mn genel"' it Lc; an overnight 'amp. But poly-wide Orientdtlun Prog.ramnw which wert' l1t-•lt) tlw lt•a d~rship roiP mr•ant that I had to st~p out of now, I look forward to sleep overs with my new from April 12th to l6th.Thc RcpubliCJJ1 Post c<~uglll my comfo1t zone and take Lhe il1iliative- lcadil1g lhc friends and getlo know each other even better." R 6 THE REPUBLICAN POST POST NEWS The other side of SEnLING DOWN SOON? local star Taufik BY LEE JOON LEI (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) 11w atmosphere lightened immediately as 'lilufik broke U1c ice with friendly banter about skateboMding great Rodney MuJlen and how mucl1 he loves skating. Chatty with a boyish charm, it is o>asy to s~ why he has clil'·hard f.ms. In an ind ustry full of nceung successes, ·1~1ufik l),Hisah has remained relevant to fans, the bulk of whom were pre-teens when he won Singapore Idol in 2004. The 31-year­ old ha~ topped local music cl1a rts for weeks and has .a Twitter following of over 56,000 'Flknatics'. Now a judge on Thl' Final I, he reAects on the fulfilml'nt he gets U=ugh being a mentor to U1e contcsl.lnls.

" It's been an eye opener for me. lo wtderst;md how other aspiring artists U1iltk and feel, to be in the position that I was before. It h;L~ been very fulfilling for me, to be able to help and mentor them... " says It took the Republican Post team 'lilufik who gradu,ltcd from Singapore Polytechnic nearly a month to get the Interview with a .Maril1e Engineeri11g Diploma. with Taufik.. When we finally sat down with star, he was happy l n a wide-ranging interview, Taufik spoke about his the music, winding down afto.>r a long day and advice to to give us nearly 4S minutes of his s tudents thinking of droppiJ1g sd1ool to pursue their time. Here are some ofhis answers i11terests. To which he said: "If you ca n afford to go to our questions. to school, you better put your mind into it and really SlTivt> ami do wt:.IJ l'Jt)rausP a.~ clichP a~ lt sounds, you need someUti11g to f,ill back on. i\t,ldemics are Republican l'ost (lU'): Where do you find .import,mt, and so is your passion so you've got to the time to unwind and relax? create that balance for yourself." 1~1UiiJ.. IJatis,l h (Til): I sk,llel>OMd a lot when I c,m, I Nearly 45 minutes into his dldt with us, ltis would like to sk it su mm h. I also hang out w ilh my lrit>nlls, happy tot,.,ke a few more questions and to pose for with 1ny mum. my J,lntily, I just find som<' lim\'' to pictures with the team. He leaves just as he comes 1\'allv lose nw inhillitions ilnd he who 1 am. I think - with a wide smile and a gemtine appreciation for tiML's d l'f'c:tlly lmporlclJlL thing, to llc:\ldnCt,. yours..,U the work he does ,uul for people lw meets. Quite the out. idol we think. R RP: So do you really let r.ourself go when you hang out with your friends? 0 11th tlw full i11 ft'r'llit'lu 011 11itl1'(1 fur Rep TV (lw siugs l c>O!) nml you Cll/1 walc/1 t/1~ Pinal 1 wlticil airs 011 Cilmmcl 5, rB: Yt:'clh! I'm Stl('h an tcliot when I'm with fri ~ n ds. cuery W~t1uf!Sdaya t 8pm. l'ou am nlsc get iu 011 tile action the-y ignort" nw mnst ot tlw limP. But p!ith it erounds Ill&, it hunlb)t;,:-o lllt'. ) t..hinJ... t)l.:l t it is i1npor· PHOTO: FARHAJI/ Sl'AH mul 1101<' for good si11gers. tant d!ld !thoroughly enjoy thdt. I <~lso enjoy l'<'ing at home. lthmk that once ml' doo•· is closed it's li ke m v :-otlJt» hti\'t>n. I <'till dn "';1M lever I wttnt tt1uJ no Dance at Momentum 01;., i~ llww to juc.lgt> nw. ~P : Anv advice for young. aspiring touches hearts smgers?' TB: Don't thinJ.. ,,bout the fam(' or ,1l>out how much BY DURGA ELAMARAN mon~v· you ilftl' going to m that's go­ Lne to !..ill you il it dO\:.sn't turn out Lh e- Wil) )OU The annual dance festival at RP, thought it to be. Also. work on your craft: let your Momentum was back for its sixth frit"ntls IL..;1t•11 Itt it, I ttl..~ •·unslrm tlvt> c ritkism . Ozu t' outing this year. We check out the you IM Vt' t11l tiMI in lint>, find oppnrhanjlit!S IOJ"'N'r· 1o1m. In school or ,11 gigs, cvcn iJ they don't P•'Y· two-day festival in mid-May at The You l' houl.. cllld IWt"'t"l tLhout it, e•>l Llldl huz/. going. his year, RP's signature dance fesllv,J I, Momentum kept its promise to vow audiences RP: What is your biggest fear? T with the lll'<~uty uf da•Ke. Bu t more than tiMI, U1c organisers behind it ;llso added a social clement rB: I WdS going to Sd)' cockroaches hut I'm ~Mst that - a group of students from the Down Syndrome ,tlreatlv! \ •fy biggest fear is prolMhly not being <~hie Association (DSA) took part as well_ wamlli1g tl1e to prnvi(lt• tor mv mum; lhttJ lt"ttr is ttlwo:tys fhl•rP. !warts of rnany who camP to watch tlwm. P/101'0: ~~~All l 'ASMIN AfiOl/U.A/1 standahri bin Ab dance item. Rahun, 20, a student Jrom U1e Scltool of Applied I'H: I St"P myM·II lwiug dh!-tolult•ly tnlllt"nlt->d dml Science and a dancer with MCG Tarian. l~<~ppy with wl1.1t I h,wc. I will hop<'tully see my Mohammed Ha(eez also added that working with kids nmning around; I'd still l"' doing music. DSA cl1ildren WdS indeed a refn..shing experiem-e One of the dancers, Siti RaU1at'li1 6inte Mohammad hoi'Plully still '"'riline l'>Oill~s for other musi' idn~ for Jilin. " I have learned a lot from U1e1n bL>cause Nassiv 19,aSchoolofSportsand Leisure Management dnd helping them a.:hicvc StKCess, in whatc,•er they arc a bw1eh o( big hearted people." /\side student said all Ute hard work paid off: "We were so Wd}' I Cdn. from that highlight, the performance put up by U1e Malav Cultural Group (MCG) Dharma Tarian was a thrilled to be p<~rt of this important festival!" R TilE REI'Ul>LJCAN I'OSI'7 Stringing to a Finding different tune fame with BY DURGA ELAMARAN AND JUUANA BINTE JOHARI manhunt

Tall, handsome and boasting a wall toned physique this 1st runner up winner for Manhunt 2012 definitely stands out when he goes anywhere in Republic Polytechnic.

uhammalytt.>chnic students who tn bad<

Republican Post sat down with the bors to ask them Describe a typical day in your life i!(!er thl' about their music and the brothers sait their dad was ~oat petitiun a huge factor in thcir success. Mr Tru1 Thiam Tcck, 55, said he happened to listen to someone playing the To my surprise, pt'<>ple on the street recognize me as a sitar on the radio one morning. "That day I decided mimhunt contestant ratht'r than an A&F model! But 1 that I was going to learn the sitar and more about was signed by Bean1 Artiste & Cal Carries modelLing indian music from the experts," said Mr'J'an. He soon agency. &> fdr I did » roupl~ of dramas anu magaY.ine got his young sons to start practising. Something shots and cuncntly I'm taking part in a Malay pageant they remember as being tough as yow1g boys itching competition a~ weli. to play regular games and sports like other kids. \o\That were <.orne intere~ting encounters While o ther kids got to enjoy thcir free time after school, Covin aod KT'!tally affect my mood. that is how Flame of the forest stnrtcd. "Krsna and One of their biggest shows was their performance for When I'm stressed, my face l~ ah...ays <>n default moody I were already playing since young and when my Ulc ASEAN summit in India. They had the honour modc. llence, when 1don 't smilcornollce you it doesn't dad realized that Dexter waq playing the violin, he of performing for Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. mt>an I'm arrogant told us to give a shot. It created an opportw'lity for us This performance for PM Lee in India was their first to share our knowl cdg~ in different genres of music and they were exdted and nervous as they were Do you ha' ~any .. d, ic~ f uc students in RP which is Indian and Western. representing Singapore. who are kern to join such competition but don't ha,·e th.e confidence to do so? The first song that we played together was journey FOTF have big plans ahead of Utem. "We plan tog(> by Biddu Orchestra. lt was a simple yet beautiful for more recordings, create more songs, write lyrics I started off shy but I told my~elf that! t:an' t be hiding piece. When we learned that we were able to gel and give lessons and hopefully do at least one or two in a shell forever. So 1 decided il 1 ccaUy wanted to be in <'>ur >1\Lisit t<'>jlt!tl\t!r, wt! d~ided to start tht! band," concerts every year. We are planning to go with the this industry. J have to be confident. Most importantly. ah··~~ said Covin. flUBLlCAN FOST The art behind the cut SANTOSHKUMAR finds out the story behind an unusual barber In the Woodlands area. tarted by the father-son duo of Mr Bulusubrdmanj(llJl, 65, and Mr Rengan, 38, SRomPo H.tir Studio has l>e~Jl m llt>d thc1 fashion hub of U1e north for hairstyle design for the p<~sl three years by teenagers who patronise the plat'l. But they don't just provide the usual trim m int~ S

" I ha w bee,n coming hr.re for Li1l' past two years to gel haircuts and sometimes try the designs lh~t arc avaiJabll! h\•ro" S :;ec•n ~xitinp, tho• shop aft1•r smol)[.h Sailing ror Mr ~vnp,a n wlm raco.>J ricrtl! their stylish haircut while new customers stream u1 competition from anothri barber shop in the .u..-a Uttfortw1ately, L11e building lease where Romeo to haw 11 go ut Lhcsl' sig11utun• hair dl'sip,n:, offered which has been around longer. In order to boostthl! Hai r Studio is ( urrontly situul~d is up and will bl' by Romc>o Hair Studio. salon's businc>Ss, he~ had t11 think of new id ea~ and dc>molished in 2016. that was when he came up with the idea of designing Mr Rcngan ex plain~d that he started the h.tir studio patterns on the hair ra ther L11an U1c basic lines that However, Mr l~e ngan J"easstm!s that he is definitely in 2()()9, just about the lillle when his father was most shops offer. opening a11olhcr brand' in the nearby areHQd opposite Republic his age. I'or 10 years now, Mr Rengan has made ll The new designs avullabJe ln Romeo Hair Studio Polytechnic. " point to s h~ve unique patll.'ms on his heddto be h,t~l ~11<1 rked interest in m.my p!!ople around the oulsldnd in g. ure11 of Woodlands 1md customers started t1• stom1 "Ronwo Hair Studio is not tny W(lrk ulone, thl' in to th<' shop within the• nc1Xt ft~ W months and today support rrom my rather, the skill~ of LhP hairsty UsL~ " My il1tcrest in hair desien made me think oro peninc ClLStomers come from different pMlS or Singapore and <'t'rtailnly, JlJ U1e customers that h ~Jped with a Hair studio with my fa ther and we decided to go to get spcciaUy crafted designs from sty i.L~lS al word-of-mouth recommendation i.ncreased our for it. I had my fathnr's full support .Jnd personal Ll1t~ Romeo Hair Studio. WiU1 just onP spec-iali~•~ d publicity and Lhe ht~ight we l1aw read1ed." R Managing morning madness BY NO MEISI AND REVATHI

Republic Polytechnic students tell us how they deal with the morning rush hour at Woodlands MRT station on their way to school.

tutlenlS, working ak hours. t>wr grmvinJ~ j_)c)pul a lion nfSineapore. as they board the North South line to Woodlands in order to reach l'am pus. ln cu.ldition to dt.ad lint~ w ilh lhl.l mornjng n•sh hours, Most ~tu thmts cheered lh~ recent news of llw new rommuters also havl' to dc>al wilh inronsideratc> Thomson line having a m~w MRT station situatC'd RP is the only polytechnic in the NorL11 zone of cont mutl'fs who do not eiv<' way to alighting right bc'hind R<~public Poly t<~lmic·. Si11gaporc, with an average school population of passengers and even resort to shoving others u1 order 1.,1,500 students and whil~ not a ll lake the lrdin, ~ to get intothcHrain. Praveen Ra vin, 17, Yeilr2student Bu t w1tilthat is nwdy, the sicnplestsolulion is to wake big numlwr do. rPcounted on how she had to dc~al with inconsidc~rate up earlier. Kwone 0Mng Wei, 19 Year 2 s tudt~nt said: commuters, "Somelintcs J let U1cm cutin, other linws "I will try to leave early like around 7am to make sure Siti Muliana, 20, Year 2 student, exprussed her I nudge them out of the w,ty and squccw through 1 have enou gh leeway to nol be l,ttc for school." R fw.o;trutions during lhe rush hon.r. " Morning rush tl1em to p,et into Lhe tnt in."

THE REPUBLICAN POST9 Break time, time to eat! RP has three food courts, three cafes and Subway restaurant- more than enough for the entire student and staff population. We asked 50 students which ate their favourite stalls and here are their top picks. BY EZZATY HAMID AND NURFARAHHIN JUMALI

llus stall "'•'5 voted as the Art Biles ® TRCC LS known The stall has a wide rrvi((• anu y~t c.lis lw~ with prit ~s starting l'd n ~X [H,)Cl lO St!l? d variN y of waffles lhP SdmC" wt~y «t;din RP. With more Lhun 10 di~hes ell the same limtl maintninine from $2 onwarus. The soup snacks. Th•~ holl••sl itPm l~ after try ine out Llw waJOPs f-or you to r hoosc from, your good quality of food. is always served warm and definitely the 3-for-Sl samosas at Lawn. ll1c unique factor ~ vc ry day m edl will not be th~ Lh ~ in gredi~nLS are abundant. that most stude nts buy Lo ~bout this wafnt• is llML they ~ame. Dishes such a~ Samhal Althoueh Lh~.re art' h>-;s than 10 DishPS such as tom yam or m u.nch on durin& lrssons. d o not uSP orlifkial colo u ri.nc . Gorcng and Beef Rcndang dishes In tl1clr menu, you arc seafo od fish soup would be lnstcad U1cy usc pand,,n o.rc the favourites among the allowed to add/change your perfcr t during the rainy days. The crun1blc of the Oaky leaves and blend it with the stude nts. Tlw Nasi Pandun sel sidt• tlish acwnling Lo your p0~11ah skin and curry powto oLher inp,redil!lllS to treate the is also a m usL try ilish ~t this own pn•fcrcncc. It is not only delidous bul it is is definite ly " d e licjous perfect batter. The stall has stall. This stall docs not on.ly also healthy. 5o if you are on combination for a snack. more than 10 fillings such as sorw d••lidous fnod but it is Each mPI'SI' Ball, nuggt•LS milk, m apl~ syrup with buU••r Lo get .t meal that consists of 1 wou.ld !X'commend thelr k ed a11d s~J, dwiches that range or bo1nana and o1 w hole host of ~wal dnd I vegetabl1• a t only milk led th

BY JOSHUA KWOK

BlackBerry, once a major player ln the smartphonc ma rkt•t, has fount! iLSelf slowly fatlinv, into the hcwk}~rou nU Ovt"r tlw yvars. Howevt't; in a hid to rclnvent ltsclf, Lhe company has rcleased its newest utltUtion, The BlackBe rry Z10 whk h is the first to feo~Luro U1e BlackBerry 10 OS (opl'ratine system), wl\fch replaces the outdated BlackBerry OS.

Along with t h ~ ne w OS, BI

At 130mm Utll, 65.6mm wtdc and 9mm Lluck, iL is slig htly bigf:cr than an rPhone 5, but still w!'ll wiUti.L1 the normal r~ n ge forsmartphones. Ironically, B!ACKBI:RRY'S N£\1\f O~£RJNC: Critics lm!Jt!gim•n tltc m ""hl. 'J f {) mi.tt!i.l ,,~;c:w~. BlackBerry, who has been known for having the most buttons on tl1eir smartp hones, now hn multiph~ conversations or mess~gcs, allowing users a lt!vcl of conncctivJLy few With" HD resolul(un o( 1280 x 768, thl' ZlO boasts The BlackBerry 10 OS however, is slill far behind its smartJ)ho~ws .:an provide. on~ of tlw d~dn'\St and 'harpest displiiyS in th1> mon• establislwd Cllmp•ltitors, tht•IOS nnu AnJroiu, smrutphm1e marke t. This is groat for watdling when it com es to lit~ number of apps available for Jessica Dolcoun .1 reviewer (rom CNET. o1 11 videos on the phone, t-spetjalJy for those who have Lo download. Wlu1e BlackBerry App World boasts American tech media websll!' tha t publishes commute long distances to and from s.-hool, or who 100,000 .1pps compatible w ith BlackBerry 10, tlw reviews, ~~ivcs Lh ~ BlackBerry /. IO a 3.5 rating out often find themselves wailing a lot. Apple App Stom for Lhe lOS uml Gooelc Play fo r of 5. Android, house over I!(KJ,O(X) apps each. So do not The came rd function of the Blat·kllerry Z'LO comes be surpris~d when you discover mru1y uf your Atcordin g lo the re viewer, people will love in the fon11 of an 8 mPcapiXI!I ro.tr r<1 mero1 o1nd a 2 favourite's apps missin!), includln giJl.~tar, ram . BI,KkB•' rry 10 for iL~ bir,e•'J"-piclurP int•'rfacl', mega pixel front came ra, prclly much what you keybo.u·d, a nd business and security features. would exp~~ct fTom " snMrtphon~ in 2013, it's p,ood O n e U1inp, Bll for from the mu.ltitaskinc page. 1l1e OlOSLintcrcslin g feature of the camera would be all you.r nol:i(jcdlions, be ll e-ma il, text messages, <111d Timeshift;" fe1s t;everdl shuts at updates from social networks or even yotlr ClllenthLr. In u nutshell: It is a gmat phone but for studt•nls who onn•, dt!ll't"l' all UH• fan•s and L111•n let.• you choose dPIJt'nd Oil LhPir phones for entertainment, Ull' may whir hevPr (aCl' you U1ink look.~ best amone U10SP The huh ca n bf• acn>sscd anytime when using lht~ not he U1e ht>st bet. R shots. The phone a lso lacks a physical camera button, phone by "pcc.klng", a f11n ction U1a1 brings up 10 THE REPUBLLCAN POST A race like no other

PROBLEM SOLVlNG: St1if{ working toiJ!•Liu·r to S

ith previous editions of Avontuur De Repub­ lic held off-campus, Republic Polytechnic's W(RP) signature sport~ event came home this year. 1J1troduccd in 200S, Avontuur Ue RcpubiJc is a multi-disciplinary tl'am advenhne race organised by the polyteclt11ic. Running, biku1g, sports climbing, ab­ sclll.ng, paddling and navigatiJ1g over a distance of 15 to 30km .ue part and parcel of the race.

Open to all Secondary, ITE, PolyiL-chnic and JC stu­ dents along with Alwmu members, Avontuur De Re­ public has grown steadily in number of participants over the years since its inauguration.

Republic Polytechnic's Principal Mr Yeo Li Pheow was very proud of the way the race has evolved. "Tn terms of numbers, it has definitely gone up. '!11is year we have 87 teams compared to 36 teams when we first started out. Hopefully next time when weorgan­ c«e the~, it will be bigger," he said at the event held on May 18.

Mr Yeo felt that hosru1g this race within ami around the campus would offt!r grt!at~ r visibility. "When we had it in Pulau Ubin previously, certain aspects of safety was a concem. By having it inRP, we have that safety part well covered bt.>cause it's in the SinBapo­ rean mainland itself. Of course it also means more students can get involved," added Mr Yeo.

For Lhe participants, it wasn't just ,tbout getting to the finishing line first. Some felt they leamt impor­ tant lessons. "l think what we learnt the most from t hi~ race was teamwork anti tolerann•. At evf:l'ry sta· lion, it is all about trusting ead1 oU1er' s decisions and views," said An Yi Wei, a Secondary 4 studellt. Along with Ta n Pc and narryl Thng, the Maris Stella High School trio won the Youth Boy's category.

Most participants may not have won anything but U1ey were happy to be at the race and were happy to fil\ish. ·rrevor Anthony Jagahlath was among them.

"Wt! trftined a lot. The past week wcond<~ry School.

Avontuur means ' Adventure' u\ Dutch, and Mr Yeo is happy that the name ma a1aged to garner attention.

"We arc veay happy Uta I U1e name somehow atlmct­ ed attention as opposed to just caUing it an adventure n1ce," said Mr Yi:!o who hnpes this ~ve nt lvill lx..:acome a national icon in U1c comu1g years. " By calling It such, r think we can attract more attention and hope­ fully this becomes a natural footpru1t and more and more sch()ols get involved.11 R THE REI'UIJLICi\N POST 11 Playing a wo(man)'s game Republic Polytechnic's Women's Soccer team has not only beaten stereotypes, they have also beat· en the odds to win at major games.

hen you think of soccer, the first i m ~ge that comes to mind is d bunch of boys W g.uJ1ering to support their team, d iscussing offside rules and goal strategies. ln RP however, it is a special group of ~~ir is who 11re ddept nl SCC>ring all the go,lls. RP's Women's Soccer tea m has more than shown their mettle on the pitch. Last year, they were crowned champions in the annual POL-ITE (an •nnual c'(lln p<>tition fo r polytt•('hn irs and TTEs), thP first time in this !G' s history.

One of the tea m members is Nathasha Lope:~:, 19, ,, second yeM IJiploma in Communica tion dnd Information Design student. She remembers the day the team won. "l don't know how to explain the feel ing ... ali i renwmber was running in the middle of the fi eld celebr,uing. Some of the seniors were even crying - because they fina JJy won somcU1ing befol'l' they graduate ... It was very emotional." From hwnble begimtings Republir Polytet·hn ic Women's Soccer Tt>.1m, ,dso known .1s RPWST, stMied out when the school was first established In 2002. However, due to a lack of the field. J am actually glad J d idn' t get into netball, emotional creatures, the d lsappointment in our faces players, th<> team disbanded in 2005 and two years l>e l'l'a li>;<>d my passion was obvious and we started to qul'stion our abilitil's on, in 2007, the te,1m was rev ived and st.uted out (or soccer!" dnd ourselves. But our pre-season trip to KLchanged with nine players. all that. We went against better teams like Slngapol'l' A tight-knit family American School. It really motJvales us (that we can In a sport l.trgely dominat<•d lly mn iPS, it is not II .is clc.u when watching them, U1c te.u11's strength •q•M re off against hetwr opptmt>nls). So thnt trip was surprising that U1is team is largely made up of lies in their tight-knit circle where no one is better my best memory of play ing for RP," noted Mustika, players who just started kicking a baU only when th,m nno l h~ r. with a smile. tht>y joinPd tho> tPacn. "On the tield, we never condemn each other, even For now, the girls <~re busy pl'l'paring to defend tlwir " I was actually from Malay Vane~! I wanted to if somrone makes a mistake that cost us the match. title. They are tr.lining hard but they wish fo r one try sports ... but ultimately it was soccer because We always push t>ad1 ot hPr to hP better," said vice­ thing: more support. These girls have been playing my ddd is a pl.1yer, t:oach .1nd wferee", explained captain, Nur Era Fazira, 18, a third year stud~nt in their home m.nches in d near-empty s1.1d ium. team manager Nur Sarmlra Filzah, 18, a year two Diploma in Sports and Exercise Sciences. "Although only a few spectators turned up - which student from Diploma in Ind ust rial and Operations was quite reason,\blc considering women's soccer Management. Tlw tight bond wds dJ>p.u-ent during thP interview. does not .tltract a lot of attention like our male There was easy banter ,1mong the girls and it is clear counterparts- but the feeling of winning it at home For team captain Mustlka Natasha, 19, a third year they know each other \•ery well. Of the many outings added to the sweetness of the victory. I hope we get stude nt of Oipl onM in Sports Ex!'rc:ise Scien<·e, soccer and ciMiets orr,anized for the purpose of team more supportli'rs thi.s time around," she sa id. 11 waS mOre Of C1 blessing in d iSgUise. \ 1Vl1en f WtlS in bonding, one trip in particular stands out. year one, I actually went for netiMII tryouts. It d idn't Join the g irls ,,s they keep you updated with work out for me. Then a friend suggests trying soccer. "Our pre-sedSon trip to l stMI<'d playing at the street SO<'(t•r c·ou rt reJmembe r. Before this, we only have friend lies. When httv:/ I tea111"' pu bli c-wsoccer.blogspot.r'o onf R (b~ske ll/il ll cou rt in RP) Lht> n gradu<1 lly move onto we st,lrted losing consecutively, and girls being REPORTING BY: NATASHA HAOI CHUA June

- . tl- ~ ' . ~ .. '., \ i ,f_ 21June?OUOpm~ lk.(( ~· ~ . .. Glitz 2013 - Sports Excellence The Republic Run RP An ,mnual evPnt jointly organiSPd by Awards Ceremony Nam J long Welfal'l' Service Society A night to celebrate and I'I'Cognise the am! Republic Polytechnic since 2009, Events achievements of Team Republic Athletes. it ~ims to r~ise fu nds ((Jr Na m Hong The Sports Excellence Awards honour the efforts ,md com mitment of outst,1nd ing Welfare Service Society and Republic Republic Polytechnic sportsmen and Polytechnic's Needy Student Fu nd.

Basketball, NBA Stars like LeBron James, Kobe Bryan t and many more will be on show for wha t sc> L~ Non-RP up to be a te nse finals of 2013. RUGBY Events WORLD CUP SEVENS ~ Cricket, The Ashes 2013 Tennis, Wilmbledon After winning the Ashes in Rugby 7s, Rugby World Cup Is Team Gl'l'at Britain J'l'ad)' to re-join 2009 and l'l'taining lhem in the Sevens the Davis Cup ~ lite? Wan·h as the> 20 10/ lt s~ ries in Austrailia, As the dehut of ll1e Rugby 7s .11 the 2016 dranh1 unfolds at Wimbeldon 2013. Lhis year's blockbuster in Olympic Games, draws ncur, it will be a England, promises to be great. showcase of world's to1J 24 men's and 16 women's h?<•ms/ as tht.:'y compete.