Produced by Diploma in Mass Communication students Aug - Oct 2014 Centre of Enterprise and Communication www.republicanpost.sg What makes us who we are Singapore celebrates its 49th birthday this year and we ask students around campus what makes them Singaporean. BY CHERIE CHEAH I AM SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE I AM SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE I STUDY AT THE AIRPORT I PLAY FOOTBALL AT THE - Muhammad Ismail bin Abdul Majid, 18, Di- VOID DECK ploma in Sports and Exercise Sciences, SHL - Muhammad Asyraf bin Osman, 18, Diploma in Sports and Science, SHL I AM SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE I GO CHALET AT DOWNTOWN EAST! - Karthik Kahlaichelverm, 19, Diploma in Media Production and Design, STA I AM SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE I AM SINGAPOREAN BECAUSE I LOVE DURIANS! I AM KIASU! - Vanessa Leong, 17, Diploma in Integrated - Carmen Yong, 17, Diploma in Biomedical Events Management, SOH Sciences, SAS The ice-cream man brings joy to RP It is a very Singaporean sight and sound – the colourful umbrella, the sound of the bell as the ice-cream man comes around. We catch up with the seller of delightful cool treats right here on campus. BY KANE RAYNARD GOH meet some nice people which make your day.” s students, we are sometimes unsure of when Mr Teo traded his job as our own Understanding Tests (UT) and holi- a Guest Service Officer at a lo- Adays are. But one man knows it all – and he cal hotel to sell ice-cream for might know it better than us. a more flexible and carefree Mr Teo Kah Beng, 53, knows the academic cal- working lifestyle. He added endar better than some students do as he has been that the stress and pressure in selling ice-cream outside Republic Polytechnic (RP) the hospitality industry was not since the campus moved to Woodlands. RP stu- for him, as people would do dents are greeted by Mr Teo every day after class as whatever it took to get a promo- he stations himself at the prime spot, right next to tion. the zebra crossing. Despite not earning When asked how he knows when to come much from this job (he de- by, he said: “After selling ice-cream here for a long clined to say how much), the time, I could tell when the UT period is,” he ex- father of three sons said that plained. “Usually on normal school days, every- it is what makes him happy. COOL TREATS: The well-loved sight of the motorcycle and the ice-cream cart greets students one would stream out together at 3:30pm. But when “When people compliment after school every day. PHOTO BY: NUR HUMAIRA WAHAB the crowd comes out in a staggered pattern, I know me and tell me that the ice- it’s a UT day.” cream that I sell is nice, that makes me ice-cream, he will remember my favorite order and Mr Teo also added that he occasionally gets up- happy”, he added. have it ready for me.” dates from the students as he often strikes a conversa- One of those singing Mr Teo praises was Deep- Mr Teo doesn’t have plans on retiring soon and tion with them while selling ice-cream. an Raj Valluvan, 19, second year student from the would like to continue selling ice-cream until his age After selling ice-cream for almost 11 years, Mr Teo Diploma in Mass Communication. He said: “He rec- and health forbids him to – so we can still look forward still feels joy and satisfaction in selling a humble piece ognizes me and ask how my day was. His friend- to hearing Mr Teo’s ice-cream bells ringing after school of ice-cream. “You get to meet different types of people liness is what makes him different from other ice- and greeting us with a uniquely Singaporean treat - ice- in this job, people from all walks of life. Sometimes you cream uncles. Also when I approach him to get my cream with bread on a hot sunny afternoon. POST NEWS POST NEWS Editor’s note SEG student beats the odds to win World- irst and foremost, I would like to thank everyone who has continued reading the Republican Post. We are now at our sixth issue! In this issue, we speak to Mr Choo Chiau Beng, former CEO of Keppel Corporation Skills contest F Y ADIA ATASHA APERI on the recent endowment fund he has awarded STA and SEG students. August is also a B N N Z Network Cabling cat- time when we stop and think about what being Singaporean is all about. So we went look- egory. He did it within ing for stories and pictures and we hope it makes you think about what you love about this or many students, school break is the time to re- the three days with little city. We also feature a team of SEG students who have kindly donated their winnings wind and relax. Muhammad Mahmoud Abdullah five tasks ranging from from a competition to RP’s student needy fund as well as a food drive that has inspired FNg however, spent his holiday back at school, at- three to seven hours. many to give back, this Hari Raya season. tending intensive trainings to prepare for the World- The journey to RP’s biggest music festival, IGNITE! is back and we have a sneak peek into what Skills Singapore (WSS). success did not come to expect in this issue but we have lots more stories on the festival online. Our newsroom WSS is a skills competition aimed at encouraging easy. A few days was buzzing with excitement when student reporters got a chance to interview some local youths with technical skills to excel in their skill area before the competi- celebrities - spot them in our pages! For movie lovers, we also have special reviews on the and test themselves against demanding national and tion, Muhammad fell much talked about Fault In Our Stars and sci-fi flick Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. then global standards. It is a biennial event, organised sick. Muhammad also As the semester draws to a close, it is time for my team and I to bid farewell to all by ITE in conjunction with the five Polytechnics. For had to fast because of you as we leave for internship. I hope you enjoy reading this Republican Post as much three days, 142 young talents from 17 skills area rang- the contest days fell as we enjoyed putting it together and continue to write to us your ideas. ing from aircraft maintenance to web design battled it during Ramadan. out at ITE College Central and ITE College West. The But none of these Farewell and happy reading, students’ efforts were judged by industry profession- obstacles fazed him. als, to ensure only the best would be selected to rep- “My only goal resent Singapore at the prestigious 43rd WorldSkills for this competition ALL SMILES: Despite many challenges, Muhammad kept to his goal which was to win the Gold medal Competition, held in Brazil this year. was to get the gold and represent Singapore at the 43rd WorldSkills Competition. PHOTO BY: RP FACEBOOK At the end of the gruelling three days, RP bagged medal and represent “Muhammad is very prominent in terms of apti- Ravethi Jeyakumar a total of three medals despite some tough competition Singapore. It was my only target since I joined. It was tude, he takes a very short time to get the important from the other tertiary institutions. Students Brian Lim very tough at some points when I felt very weak. points and he can accomplish tasks very quickly,” from Diploma in Restaurant and Culinary Operations But I just pushed on and it went well for me,” said said Ms Lim. and Jasper Ang from Diploma in Hotel and Hospitality the 20-year-old. His perseverance eventually paid By claiming the gold medal, Muhammad man- Management took home the bronze award for Cook- off the moment his name was announced as one of aged to book a flight ticket to Sao Paolo, Brazil where ing and Restaurant Service respectively. Muhammad the Gold Medallist. he looks forward to proudly represent Singapore at Former CEO gives RP generous donation from the Diploma in Renewable Energy Engineer- Muhammad’s facilitator, Ms Lim Chiew Yen the WorldSkills competition and hopefully fly the RP Mr Choo Chiau Beng, former CEO of Keppel Corporation lends a helping hand to youths in RP who struggle with juggling work and ing emerged as the Gold Medallist in the Information strongly believes that Muhammad has the X-factor. and the Singapore flag. school work by donating $100,000. SEG students donate $2500 IGNITE! 2014: Back to school’s needy fund and bigger than before BY NICOLE HO MEI-EN t is a must-see music festival – not only on the calendar of every student but also for music lovers across the country. Republic IPolytechnic is set to have its 7th IGNITE! music festival this year, on the 15th and 16th August. Consisting of 17 bands playing over the two evenings, the line-up this year displays a range of different music styles – a wider choice of genre; from never before played alternative-indie band Wyd:Syd to hard rocking Caracal. They have one thing in common – they are all born and bred right here in Singapore. The outdoor, free admission and entirely student-driven event which started out back in 2008 has grown from strength to strength. From settling sponsorships to managing the video crew, the team has seen a big increase; from a mere 20-odd student crew initially to COMPASSIONATE: Students (left to right: Phua Hui Cheng, Nor’s Atikah, Rabi’atul Adawiyah, over 600 student organisers and crew this year.