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ONEVOICE
Volume 6, Edition 1: March
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New
Beginnings
ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
CONTENTS
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5
Lifestyle Section
5-6 Dreaded New Year’s “Resolutions”
6-7 New Year New Beginnings
7-8 CNY
8-9 Grade 7 Camp Construct
10 Grade 8 Service Project
10-13 Movies!
14-15 An Original Story: The First Day
16 Bastille Concert: Review
17 Starting IB
18 #SELFIES4SELFEASE
19
Sports Section
19 Sports at SJII
19-20 The Annual ACSIS Football League
20 Safari Zoo Run
21-22 Squash bids for Olympics
23 Current Affairs
23-24 A New Beginning for Saudi Arabia
24-25 Singapore’s New Alcohol Ban
26 Ebola
27 Addictions
28-29 How far will pollution go?
29 It’s Raining Ringpulls!
30 SG50
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Editors-in-Chief
Simren Sekhon & Natasha Vincent
ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
ONEVOICE
EDITORIAL TEAM
Heads of Current Affairs
Dinithi Samaskeran & Pushpin Singh
Heads of Lifestyle
Tessa Rodrigues, Natalie Wong & Theo Chen
Heads of Sports
Daniella Nicole & Sergio Moreno
Head of Photography
Jo-Ann Li
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From the editor
As we celebrate the successes of previous years, it’s amazing to look at
what 2015 has to offer within SJI International, in our local community
and within the international sphere.
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“New Beginnings” has focused on a plethora of facets this year, be it in
Chinese New Year celebrations, the crowning of Saudi Arabia’s new
King or further successes of SJI International’s sports teams. As our
first issue this year, the entire OneVoice team has worked incredibly
hard to culminate the essence of these aspects and we hope that you
enjoy reading this issue as much as we did putting it together for you!
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OneVoice is continuing to develop and we would like to invite you to be
a part of this process! We are starting submissions from the next issue
and look for all students to submit anything they would like to share
with the rest of the school community. In the next issue, we will be
starting an “Aunt Agony” column - to find out more about such
developments, please follow us @onevoice.sjii on Instagram! All queries
or submissions can be sent to [email protected]
We are excited and motivated to keep OneVoice moving and continue
to embrace the diverse and lively community of SJI International and
look to you to come on board with us for this magical ride!
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In the frantic rush of the new year with the many commitments we
plunge ourselves into, I hope you take a little spare time off for yourself,
grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this issue…as we have done here at
OneVoice, it truly is humbling to sit back and embrace the whirlwind
journey that we have kickstarted in 2015.
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Don’t just stop here, subscribe to us and receive our newly published
OneVoice issue on a bimonthly basis!
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Happy Reading!
Simren Sekhon
OneVoice Editor-in-Chief
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
The Dreaded “New Year’s Resolutions”
Theo Chen
Every year, near the beginning of
December, I sit myself down and tell
myself that it’s time to collate, reflect and
change my New Years Resolutions of the
past year and for the New Year. It’s around
this time that my self hatred begins to
slowly rise until I’ve drowned myself in a
sea of empty chocolate wrappers and
crinkly chip bags, and when all I can see
when I look at the floor of my room is
those aforementioned wrappers, that’s
when I realized that I’ve well and truly
messed up once again.
amount of money. That exact moment
where the feeling of despair began to sink
down my throat and inevitably settle in a
deep dark pit of my existence, plaguing me
till the end of the year, that exact moment,
was when I decided that 2015 would be
different.
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I decided in that very second, just as the
feeling of absolute and utter shame were
about to invade all my joy and happiness,
that I would not allow this to happen this
year or the next. I came to the conclusion
that my 86 resolutions for 2013, simply
put, were too damn difficult. And I’m not
saying that as an excuse, they really were
just poorly planned. They were impossible
to do in a year, especially knowing my
constant procrastination. They were too
specific and therefore required many prior
actions that too had to be executed in
perfection in order to work.
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New Years Resolutions are a strange
concept to think about. They have good
intentions, you see, they go about trying to
make people’s lives better but inevitably
they just end up making almost everyone
feel worse about themselves. I mean, they
want to try and make you a better person,
and to reflect on time passing by as well as
to try and see areas for improvement in
your life. In actuality, all they do is make
you feel terrible, unaccomplished, dejected
and downright sad.
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Instead, I decided to change my way of
thinking, in order to combat the threat of
the year disappearing as well as the number
of crosses off my list of resolutions, off of
my worry list. I decided, I actually
physically wrote this down and stuck it on
my wall, that I would “not be so shallow,
not be so specific, think broader and allow
the smaller ideas to pop into your head”,
and to, “procrastinate less!”, the first three
were easy, the fourth was easier said than
done!
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Now why would they even imagine of
doing such a thing? And that’s the catch,
that is the goal of a resolution. A resolution
is a twisted and disgusting way to make a
person feel ten times worse about their
selves than they did in the first place, and
the worst part is, that you set yourself up
only to be disappointed. They know that
you will only cry and tear yourself apart
over not actually acting on any of your
resolutions, but really who does?
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In changing the way that I chose to look at
the resolutions that once plagued me for the
first (and last!) few months of the year, I
started to feel like a different person, like
Cinderella at the ball, like a caterpillar
emerging out of it’s sad little dreary cocoon
as a sparkling, beautiful, butterfly. In
making my resolutions less specific and
reducing them to 12 (two to be completed
every month!), they are actually getting
themselves done! It’s like some freakish
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Those ideas were what completely summed
up my mentality about resolutions and their
disappointing uses. That is, until December
of 2014, where I once again sat down to
reflect on my resolutions for 2013, a long
and pointless list, precariously overflowed
with materialism and pointless goals that
could only be satisfied by an enormous
5
themselves done! Like some freakish
miracle of nature!
ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
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However, I have only tackled the fairly
easy ones so far, such as recycle more, or to
eat more and exercise to become fit. I’ve
yet to battle the monster-of-waking-up-andgoing-to-sleep-on-time, or the terrifying
don’t-do-your-homework-last-minute
resolution. But, I’m sure with dedication,
and a whole lot of caffeine, I’ll battle
through the storm just like everyone else.
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New Year New Beginnings
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Maida Reihanny Mahidi
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Hooray for the new year!! New year means
new beginnings and part of that are new
friendships. So after the long holiday, you
finally come to school and you see your
friends, but your best friends are talking to
other kids that they met over the holidays,
and leave you out unintentionally. You have
no idea how to deal with it. Or you are a new
Grade 7 like me and there is no one in the
school that you know. Well today is your
lucky day because I am going to guide you
on how to make friends at a new school or
just how to make friends in general.
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Firstly, I know change can be a little scary,
but we just need to overcome our fears and
just push through it because there is a light
at the end of a tunnel.
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3. For all the shy people out there, be
more outgoing or at least try to.
Everyone likes an outgoing person, a
person that doesn’t keep their
feelings all to themselves. So if you
are a very shy person, maybe you
could try to be more outspoken and
start talking to other kids in your
tutor groups or just in the school in
general.
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So starting off with some tips and tricks on
how to make friends.
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1. Be active. I know that this might
sound a little cheesy, but seriously,
be active. Join as many ECAs or
clubs as you can because from these
activities you will be able to build
new relationships with not only
people within your tutor groups or
grade, but with other people around
the entire school too.
2. Be yourself. I cannot stress on this
enough. So many people, especially
in high school try to be something
they are not just to make friends
which in the end will not be your true
friends because you never know if
they really like you for who you are
or if they like you because they think
your cool and they just want to fit in.
Trust me, you do not want this to
happen. So please try to be yourself
and I promise you that there will be a
person out there somewhere that will
like you for who you are.
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
4. Be kinder to the people that you see. No one wants to be friends with a person that will
constantly be picking on you or bullying you or just annoying you in general. So just
have a little reflection about ‘what can I do to make myself more approachable?’
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5. Be hygienic. Everyone knows that there will always be that one person that no one is
friends with because he/she does not smell so good, and I know that none of you guys
would want that to happen. So please before you go to school, remember to brush your
teeth, wash your face and take a shower.
6. Be inviting. A smile goes a long way. Just smiling to the people you walk by can make
you seem so much more approachable and nicer.
7. Make the first move. Do not just wait there for someone to come up to you to say hello.
If everyone just waits for someone to say hello or good morning to them, then no one
will be friends with anyone. So do not be afraid to make the first move. Just be brave
and go for it.
So these are some of the tips and tricks I have to help you guys make new friends at this school.
I know it might seem a little scary at first, but after the first month or so, you will get used to it
and if you follow these tips and tricks, you will have an amazing year. Thanks for reading.
CNY
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Michelle Lim
Chinese New Year, this anticipated holiday, has recently passed and is one of the many occasions
to start a new year! Chinese New Year is also called Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival,
taking place on the last day of the Chinese calendar and ending on the 15th day of that same
month. The dates vary between the years but this year, it took place on the 19th on February.
Many have used this opportunity to buy new clothes and wear them to represent the new year.
Even in this day and age, traditions continue to take place - examples include spring cleaning to
sweep out the misfortune out of their homes to make way for good luck, making various visits to
friends, kin and relatives or even adoring houses with red paper cuts with the word fu
(happiness) on it.
One exciting event that never changes is the exchanging of red packets or hong bao as adults
include money in them and the children would exchange mandarin oranges in pairs or fours in
exchange for a red packet. Despite the fact I wasn't told directly, naturally, when receiving a red
packet or any gift, I didn’t open it in front of the giver as it would have painted me as being
greedy and impatient.
In the modern day, traditions are not always followed, with relatives travelling, schedules full
and things may not going as planned. For instance, it is custom for everyone to make their way
to their parents' home to have dinner on the eve of Chinese New Year, this special dinner is
called Reunion Dinner. Even if some people do dine at home, plenty of people, including myself,
made reservations at a restaurant, and this was not limited to that day only, people also had
dinners even after that night had passed.
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Some traditions, however, are just not practical in the modern day. A long time ago it would've
been fine to not wash clothes or use objects to cut items like our fingernails but imagine going
three days without washing clothes! Nowadays people find these sort of things a necessity or
they just can't help it.
In any case, be it occasions like this being celebrated traditionally or not, Chinese New Year
always proves to be a great holiday for families to reunite and be at the same place together that is, honestly, the single most important factor that Chinese New Year brings. I wish
everyone had a great Chinese New year!
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Grade
7 Camp Construct
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Alyssa Khoo
While everyone was chilling at home, the Grade 7s were having their first camp of St
Josephs Institution International. Planned by the student council, the Grade 7 students were
first assembled at the Assembly Hall for a quick briefing. Once there, they were given their
Camp Shirts and sorted into groups.
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After we were all sorted into our groups and wearing our camp shirt, we got into groups
with our Grade 11 facilitators and learnt the group cheer. The group names all had
something to do with construction (E.g. Yellow Boots, Cement, Neon Vests etc.). One of the
group’s facilitators was even wearing yellow boots! After learning the group cheer, we were
then taught the camp cheer. It was fun watching everyone try to do it properly.
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Once we had learnt the cheer, Mr. Z came on stage to give us our first challenge-a challenge
that tested our Geography skills. Each group would be following a different route. There
were clues all around the school; each one was for a certain group with a bearing on it to
lead us to the next clue. Armed with a compass and a map, we set off in separate directions
to get to the sixth clue first! Some groups were shocked that another group had finished and
were already at the Assembly Hall.
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By 6 o clock sharp, all the groups had gathered back at the assembly hall. Some were
overjoyed that they had won, while others were disappointed that they hadn’t even finished
the trail. The first three groups to complete the trail were given a bag of sweets as their
prize for their efforts.
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Having slept in classrooms around school, an air horn resounded throughout the school at 1am
and our facilitators flung open the door yelling at us to wake up as Mr. Brown was in trouble. We
pulled ourselves out of our sleeping bags, rubbing our eyes while trying to get ourselves to wake
up. We were all zombies making our way to the Glass Hall where we were told that Mr. Brown
was stuck on the roof after being kidnapped. We had to play some games to earn newspaper in
order to construct something to rescue Mr. Brown.
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So we all set off. All the facilitators were trying their best to make us more enthusiastic and awake
but it wasn’t really working. We played small games like a rock, paper scissors game-basically
each group sent one person to go through the maze, when the two people meet they have to do
rock paper scissors. Whoever loses has to go back to the beginning-and a game where you had to
make your way through holes in the ropes. After a few games, most of us were more awake. But
once we went back to the Glass Hall, we became zombies again. Seeing how tired we were, Mr.
Brown (who was not stuck on the roof) let us go back to sleep-but we had to wake up at 7:30am
instead of the initial 8am.
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The next morning, we somehow managed to wake up on time to go to the Glass Hall to build our
construction. It was a race against time! All the groups struggled to come up with a way of
making it the tallest and sturdiest in the least amount of time. At the end of the 15 minutes we
were given, two groups had made theirs reach the ceiling. One of the facilitators asked them to
put it in the center. As they were carrying it over, part of Group 1’s tower fell over and part of the
other groups broke off. It was then decided that it was a tie even though the two groups did not
agree.
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After the newspaper game, we brought our bags down to the canteen and had a quick breakfast of
bread and your choice of spread. Once we gathered at the assembly hall, we were told the best
part of the camp-Wet Games!
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We played a game called ‘Who Let the Dogs out’ which was ‘Dog and Bone’ except there was
water surrounding the ‘bone’, which made the ground more slippery. We played a game where we
had to climb up a mat laid on a hill that had water and soap poured over it. Most people ended up
sliding down the mat and getting very muddy. There was also a game, which we had to pass the
sponge when the music was on and whoever had it when the music stopped would have a water
balloon thrown at them. We ended the Games when all the facilitators and some teachers threw
water balloons at us and sprayed us with water guns. Someone threw water balloons at the
facilitators and teachers. Someone even poured water on Mr. Brown! Overall, it was the most fun
activity we did the whole camp.
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After showering and cleaning up, we all gathered back at the Assembly Hall where Michelle told
us about the final part of Camp Construct. We all wrote an appreciation note to someone who
helped us out or made an impact on us during the camp. Many people wrote to our facilitators. To
end off the camp, we did our camp cheer and got a wristband.
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Thank you to the teachers, student council and facilitators for putting together an amazing camp!
Thank you to the Lasallian Youth Group for taking pictures!
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Grade
8 Service Project
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Michelle
! Lim
Grade 8 students either help them with homework and then either play games with them
outdoors or indoors. Some of these children are shy and some are open, some might just pull
you out and ask you to play with them or sometimes you might have to go up to the kids and
ask them if they want to play. All eventually do thoroughly enjoy themselves.
The children are sweet and love to meet new people. My form went and had a good time with
the kids. When it was time for us to leave the kids started to hug us and tell us that come back
soon us again. They seemed so happy that it just got smiles to our faces. They seemed happy
and this got so much positivity in us. The kids are really proud of themselves. I personally feel
that this year Grade 8 students are going to learn a lot from these children.
Movies of 2014 in Retrospect…& what to
expect
in 2015
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Megan Louise Wee
2014 was an amazing year in movies: we had phenomenal cinematic experiment-achievements
like Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” from Wes Anderson, and
other Oscar worthy movies like “The Theory of Everything”, “Selma”, “American Sniper”,
“Birdman”, “The Imitation Game”, “Whiplash”. 2014 was also a good year for comic book
fanatics when “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” happened.
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Bryan Singer undid all of the mistakes that happened in the original X-men trilogy and
dropped “Days of Future Past”, and the entire world got hooked on a feeling and a ragtag
bunch of space avengers declared themselves the “Guardians of the Galaxy”.
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In kid/tween movies, everything was awesome watching “The Lego Movie” (its absence from
the Academy Awards caused outcry from the public in social media everywhere), “How to
trains your Dragon 2” did the original film justice, and “Big Hero 6”, a Marvel and Disney
collaboration, was brilliant and heartfelt. Young Adult literary saw the adaptation of
“Divergent”, “The Maze Runner” and the first part of the last installment of “The Hunger
Games”.
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Let’s not forget the ones that made us cringe, the ones that we loathed and despise. A personal
list of time and effort wasted on these pieces of garbage movies: “Transformers” ,
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
This year Grade 8 has undertaken a service project with a child care centre at Jalan
Kukoh .The children in the a child care centre are children from ages 5-13 are the Grade 8s
go to help these less advantaged kids. These children are from underprivileged backgrounds.
Some of these children come straight from their schools because they have nowhere else to go
or their parents are too busy with their work. These children attend every day and stay there
until their parents arrive to collect them.
ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “The Amazing Spiderman 2”, “Lucy” and so many more.
“Sin City” (2005) directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller was a visual masterpiece
but its sequel lacked the novelty that made the original so interesting. There were a few
movies I couldn’t decipher in terms of whether they were awful or somewhat good: I’m
referring, particularly, to Godzilla, which puzzled me endlessly for days after.
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This year has some hopefuls that I’m personally looking forward to: “The Hateful
Eight” (directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Samuel L. Jackson) is coming out on 13th
November, and Jurassic World (with Parks and Rec star Chris Pratt, who had the lead roles in
two major 2014 blockbusters) is released in theaters on June 11th.
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Marvel Phase 2 ends with it’s final movies like “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Antman”. I’m
thrilled about the introduction of Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch in “Age of Ultron”, portrayed
by Aaron Taylor Johnson (Godzilla, Kickass) and Elizabeth Olsen (also in the aforementioned
Godzilla, Kill Your Darlings), but I’m not too sure if Johnson can pull off Quicksilver’s vibe
the same way Evan Peters (AFX’s American Horror Story) could in “X-Men”. After the 2005
disaster that was the Fantastic 4 movies, no one was sure that this year’s reboot would even be
taken seriously. From the trailers, however, the franchise has taken on a grittier tone and looks
almost identical to last year’s “Interstellar”.
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There’s also a new hope for Stars Wars Episode 7 in December that was directed by JJ “lens
flare” Abrams. We’re returning to that world which is, undoubtedly, timeless and iconic and
I’m excited for a new generation of Star Wars, that will hopefully bring the same magic and
enticing sci-fi feel to the new age of teenagers.
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Disney-Pixar movies coming out this year look promising, such as The Good Dinosaur,
“Inside Out” (Amy Poehler, Bill Hader and Mindy Kalig are amongst my favorites), and
“Tomorrowland” (starring George Clooney).
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To summarize, I’ll be spending more time at the movies this year, and hopefully, I won’t be
complaining about the burn in my pocket.
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Movie Review: The Judge
!Elsa Gemma Chan
The judge is about a successful and cold lawyer, Hank who returns back to his hometown of
Carlinville, Indiana after receiving a message that his mother had passed away. He returns
home to his family; his older brother Glenn, his disabled younger brother, Dale and his
father, Joseph, the town judge. His poor relationship with his father resulted in him wishing
to leave his family and never return to his hometown. However, shortly after the funeral of
his mother, he finds out that his father is a suspect of a recently paroled criminal whom he
sent to jail years ago. Hank stays behind to act as his father's attorney. The story takes on an
interesting turn and we see how the relationship of Hank and his father progress. From the
unspoken words of the past and hurt to finally forgiveness of both father and son, the story
shows how Hank opens up about how upset he felt from the harsh treatment of his father. We
see how the father, an upright judge explains on why he was harsh on his son, only in hope
that his son would become a better person in society. Other important characters would be
Glenn who we see is helpless at what to do at the trial of his own father. The eldest son of
the family who was left to take care of his parents and socially disabled younger brother,
appeals to Hank for help, showing how shattered he is by his father predicment.The younger
brother, Dale, who is socially disabled carries around a Super 8 camera and has a habit of
recording every family moment. He acts as a catalyst in the movie. When he plays a family
event, which shows Hank 's mistake he made as a teen, we see how this brings out the
hidden anger and hurt haunting the Palmer family.
Overall, the movie is a good watch excluding scenes which have a few swear words and
intimate scenes. The movie's main theme about forgiveness in the family is relatable to
people of all ages. We see how Hank opens up about how he feels and through the entire
movie. To the end, we can see both father and son reconciling. This movie received three out
of five stars from commonsensemedia.org (movie review site) and is definitely a movie
worth watching with your family. Robert Dowry Jr acts as the lawyer of this movie and does
a good job of portraying the complicating cold character. The movie is 141 minutes long and
halfway through, viewers might find it a prolix drama. The romance part of the movie shows
no relevance to the plot. Yet, it does add more interest. It is touching to see how his father
does acknowledge his son as the best lawyer and their relationship ends on a good note. Or
does he? Watch the movie to find out.
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
Movie Review: Unbroken
!Richard Lim
Cast: Jack O’Connel, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund
Director: Angelina Jolie
Genre: Biopic, Drama, Action, War
Ratings:7.2/10
Biography of Louis Zamperini (1917-2014)
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Most movies based on wars depict fearless American soldiers charging into enemy lines.
However “Unbroken” puts Americans in a different light as Prisoners Of War
in a Japanese concentration camp.
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This movie is the true story of an ex-Olympic Athlete whose life took a turn for the worst
in the World War II after his plane crashed on the way to a mission. He survived on a
lifeboat for 47 days, never giving up and waiting for the Americans to pick him up. He
ate raw fish and raw seagulls and even caught sharks with his bare hands. His ordeal got
even worse when he was captured by the Japanese and put into a concentration camp for
years, where he suffered in the hands of the Japanese being denied basic requirements
such as food, healthcare and water.
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The ordeal he went through would make any normal man want to commit suicide.
However, Zamperini did not One of the reasons he could survive so long was because of
his brother, one of his brother’s famous quotes was “If you can take it, you can make it”.
This stayed in Zamperini’s mind for his whole time in the concentration camp. At one
point, Zamperini refused to do what the Japanese did and so the officer told all of the
prisoners to punch him in the face. After enduring the pain for years, Zamperini was
released from the concentration camp after the Japanese lost. Zamperini’s life shows us
that we should never give up and there is always hope.
In my opinion, I liked this movie and it is very inspiring to never give up and always try.
This also reflects the virtues taught in our school such as Commitment, Confidence,
Courage, Patience, Perseverance and Tolerance.
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An Original Story: The First Day
!Kimberly Yeo
A tall lanky blonde haired boy stood at the front of his first period English class.
“Hi, my name is Colin Reeves,” he announced with a wide grin.
His announcement was met with utter silence. A yawn was heard from the back of class.
Clearing his throat, Mr. Ford struggled to stand up from his chair, his large stomach
seeming to pull him down like a chain.
“Welcome, welcome Colin. We’re glad to have you here,” he droned in a monotone
voice, taking a swig of coffee in between words.
The silence enveloping the room was deafening.
“Please, take the time to say hi to Colin,” he added in half-heartedly, waving at the class
absent-mindedly to Colin.
Colin’s wide grin finally began to waver. He noticed with interest that three people in the
class were fast asleep on their desks. In fact, a boy in the front row was producing quite
an impressive pool of drool on his copy of Hamlet. He had just moved to Green Glade, and so far this town had been as dead in emotion as
an ant floating in a bucket of disinfectant. Everybody seemed fast asleep most of the time
and when people spoke, it was in monotone.
Colin (discouraged now) was in a daze as he sat down at a seat at the center of the room.
So much in a daze that he didn’t notice that when sitting down Mr. Ford’s shirt had burst
at the seam, causing a button to pop off and speed across the room.
Colin’s eyes widened as the button shot right into his mouth. Starting to choke, he
couldn’t breathe as the button was lodged deep down in his throat. The room started
spinning before him as he gasped and panted, clutching at his neck. Yet nobody seemed
to move to help him. Curiously, from his peripheral vision, he saw somebody throw a paper plane across the
room as he sat there flailing his arms about.
His face turning purple, he heaved himself on the desk, attempting a kind of mutated
Heimlich maneuver to lob the button out of his throat. Dark spots appeared in the corner
of his eyes, and he could taste blood on the roof of his mouth. A high pitched ringing
sound started reverberating in his ears. Then his whole consciousness went dark.
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Am I dead? A grey haze clouded Colin’s vision as he regained consciousness. But
surprisingly, his bones and muscled seem to sing with an energy he had never
experienced before. Popping up from his seat, he saw Mr. Ford writing on the board with an energy he didn’t
know existed in Green Glade. In fact, as he swung his head side from side, he noticed
that all the students were suddenly animated. Some were focused on Mr. Ford, others
were scribbling down notes, and some were whispering to each other, but what shocked
Colin was how alive everybody seemed to look. Did they not just see me choke on a
button in front of them?
Confused, he turned to the person next to him. It was a girl with messy curled hair, wearing a crop top, high waisted skirt and wedges.
He was bewildered to see her drinking from a canister in the middle of class.
“Um, excuse me, but did you see me choke on a button just now?” He asked her, feeling
more stupid with every word spoken.
Raising a thinly drawn on eyebrow, she took another swig of alcohol before answering,
“Uh, yeah,” in a duh kind of voice.
Finished writing on the board, Mr. Ford spun around and pointed to Colin with a wide
grin on his face. “Welcome! Colin has just finished his initiation. Well done, Colin, well done!” Mr. Ford
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
Mr. Ford boomed and the classroom erupted with cheering and applause.
I must be on drugs was the only explanation that came to Colin as his eyes bulged out of
his head at the strangeness of his predicament.
“What is going on?” he hissed to the girl next to him.
Sighing, she turned around in her seat to face him.
“Well you choked on that button, yeah?” she said, waving her canister at him.
“Yeah,” he croaked out, his mouth dry.
“Well that was your death initiation. Now you can take Death 101 like the rest of us,” she
shrugged.
“What are you talking about?” he swallowed, a bad feeling starting to grow in the pit of his
stomach.
“Well, the only reason anyone comes to Green Glade is to get initiated into death.
You were dead already.”
“No I wasn’t!” Colin half yelled in panic. While the girl was talking he had noticed
with shock that the board read Death 101.
“For my initiation I drowned in the bathroom. In my past life, I died of alcohol
poisoning. Looking at the button you just choked out, I’m guessing you died of something
like, hmm… a drug overdose?”
Colin looked down and felt his stomach lurch when he saw the button, which was looking
suspiciously like a round white pill.
“No way, now way! I remember moving to Green Glade,” Colin babbled out
hysterically.
But as the words were coming out his mouth, he knew it was a lie. He realized he
could only remember remembering a vague sense of what happened, not actually what
happened. His parents didn’t come with him, in fact he wasn’t even sure how he got to
Green Glade. In fact, the only thing he could remember was entering the classroom. Before
that, was just an image of flashing lights and loud voices, and somebody handing him a
white pill with a smiley face on it.
15
Bastille
Concert Review
!
Michelle Hui
Bastille, one of the UK’s biggest bands, finally made it to Singapore to give us a spectacular
performance at the Hard Rock Hotel. Despite having a late start, front man Daniel Smith
wowed the crowd with his incredible vocals and the band’s unique blend of electronics and
drums.
!
The set began with ‘Bad Blood’, earning raucous cheers from the waiting audience.
Throughout the show, Dan managed to keep spirits high and energetic by entertaining us with
his dancing. He confessed he was the “worst dancer in the planet”, but his dancing hit a high
note with the crowd as he manoeuvred his way through the melee to interact with the
screaming fans.
!
Their hit songs, 'Laura Palmer,’ 'Things We Lost In The Fire’ and 'Weight of Living', was
welcomed by the throng with great vigour, and they were also encouraged by Dan himself,
during the song ‘Icarus', to “pogo” during the chorus. It was a heartwarming sight to see
singers taking the initiative to interact more with the audience, especially when Dan was
clambering up the poles halfway through the performance, allowing fans to reach past the
barricade to take selfies with him.
!
While things quieted down during ‘Oblivion’, it exemplified Bastille’s ability to go beyond
penning synth-pop songs, and slow it down to a soothing ballad that got the crowd swaying on
their feet. Another key moment during the set was Bastille’s mash up of TLC’s 'No Scrubs' and
The XX’s 'Angels’, which struck another high note with the crowd, and was sung back with
great vigour.
!
Purely because it was a Friday night, the crowd could enjoy an extended concert, as promised
by Dan. The encore set ended off with 'Of The Night', another mash up of two 1990s dance hit
songs, 'The Rhythm Of The Night' by Corona and 'Rhythm Is A Dancer' by Snap! It was a great
song to lead into the song that everyone was anticipating — “Pompeii”. One of Bastille’s most
popular songs; it ended off the night in a memorable way that left us wanting more. It was
definitely a spectacular start to the New Year with a fantastic performance from Bastille.
16
Starting
IB
!
Daniella Nicole
The beginning of something new is always daunting. While we were still in high school, access to
the IB lounge or the polo tee was something most of us vied for. It was the prize for surviving the
IGCSE, that somehow made us seem cooler than the younger grades. This thought was the driving
force behind getting through Grades 9 and 10. Well, at least for me it was. Truth be told, now that I
am actually part of the senior school, or Grade 11, I'm beginning to question why I put being in
this position on such a high pedestal.
!Grade 11 - the first year of a 2-year long process one has to go through in order to graduate with an
International Baccalaureate certificate. The name itself already sounds threatening; probably a
warning signal to all students who are planning to take it. Before starting this course, seniors from
the grades above all provided the same advice: most of them revolved around time management
and not procrastinating. Pre-IB me just laughed it off, thinking nothing of that advice. However,
now that I have started Grade 11, never has that advice been more needed.
!The first few months of Grade 11 are said to be the easiest. However, the change from Grade 10 to
Grade 11 was still a shocking one. The workload had suddenly doubled and the stress had
suddenly increased. That being said, the relationship between teacher and student has also never
been better. With a class of 10 people on average, the bond between everyone remains very close.
!As nice as the teachers are, they still have no choice but to provide us with buckets of homework.
What's humorous though, is the endless number of acronyms used to describe our homework
tasks: IAs, FOAs, FOCs - just to name a few. In my opinion, ranting about how I have an IA due
Monday morning sounds better than having an internal assessment due.
!However, with the endless acronyms comes with the responsibility to be able to cope with all of
them. What is most important is to keep on top of your homework. Trust me, no matter what year
you are in or whatever you are doing in life, leaving your work to the last minute is never a good
idea. The thought of doing homework after spending 7 hours in school (not including extracurricular activities) may not be your main priority however, it is still a necessity. Planning out
your time efficiently, is therefore also very important. Keeping a planner (and actually using it) is a
good start. With the new layout for the school planner, it has never been easier to keep up-to-date
with school holidays, activities and homework, so that is definitely a plus.
!However, as scary or stressful as Grade 11 sounds, there are still many things to look forward to.
For example, challenge week would be one of them. Many people say that challenge week was
definitely one of the highlights of IB and personally, I'm already counting down the days to
challenge week. On the flip side, the sooner challenge week is over, the sooner grade 12 starts,
which is our final year of IB or, the "last stretch”, as some teachers would call it.
!Although two years seems like an adequately long time to be studying, it will pass by sooner than
we know. Literally in the blink of an eye, because with Grade 11 being such a busy year, what with
trying to finish all our homework, acing tests, meeting the minimum CAS requirements (and even
going further, because it is more or less the Lasallian thing to do), Grade 12 will come sooner than
we are all prepared for.
!So to all the other fresh-faced, unsuspecting Grade 11s out there: let's enjoy it while we can. Face
all the work we do with a positive attitude and be happy being 17 years old. Maintain a close
relationship to your teachers, take part in more activities to ease off our CAS stress for next year,
and just have a good year.
!
17
#SELFIES4SELFEASE:
post
a selfie, be a part of the movement
!
!
Natalie Wong
Have you ever wished you could have another face? Another body? Have you ever felt like you’re
stuck in a body you just can’t seem to be comfortable in because you could always be skinnier or
prettier or better-looking? Well if so, then this is the hashtag for you.
!
I know what you’re thinking. “Come on, another hashtag trying to trend on Instagram???” And the
answer is - yes, but here’s why this one should matter. About a year ago, I wrote an article propagating
selfie-culture for this exact newspaper and here I am again, bringing the idea back around and in that
way, completely disregarding this issue’s theme of “New Beginnings”. Though I’m really not, I swear.
See, it may be my recycled idea but it can still be the start of something new - for you.
!
This movement’s focus is on helping you appreciate the person you are, starting with the body you’ve
been blessed with. After all, loving yourself for who you are is quite possibly one of the hardest, yet
strongest thing one could do. Really, what a feat it would be to finally feel good in your own skin! It’s
such a grand achievement to finally win the battle against the societal norms that have convinced us to
mistake confidence for arrogance and self-esteem for conceit!
!
It’s in your best interest to change that mindset of yours to understand that putting yourself on a
pedestal and thinking positively about how you look is doing no one harm and it’ll only ever end up
doing you good (only as long as you're not building your throne out of the people you’ve stepped over
to get up there, for example by calling other people ‘ugly’ to make yourself feel as if you’re not.
Seriously, don’t do that.) Self-confidence is by far one of the most underrated characteristics of
captivating people.
!
Worried that people will judge you for posting a selfie? Or that your face might quite potentially mess
up your feed or your 100-like-average? Well, you shouldn’t. First of all, who cares what other people
think? It’s your account (and your life) and you have the full-reign and right to do whatever it is you
want with it, without caring about what others are going to say. Feeling beautiful? Snap a selfie and
let the whole world see it. Despite what your insecurities scream at you, they’ll probably think you’re
beautiful too. Secondly, I can assure you that there is nothing (read: nothing) more unique and
beautiful than your face that could possibly ever grace your feed. Grant yourself the honour and
pleasure of being a featured photo amongst your other photos of artistically-placed food and
artistically-captured sunsets. You have been just as artistically-created and darn right you should main
it.
!
Lastly, it isn’t about the likes, no. This movement is about seeing yourself as something worth being
proud of sharing, and being able to overcome the obstacle of your own self-doubt. As I said before,
loving yourself is a strength and it’s time to show the world just how strong you really are.
!
Have the courage to revel in the person that you are. "Believe in thy self(ie)", as they say. And for
goodness sake, it’s 2015 - it’s about time you started loving and appreciating yourself as much as you
deserve.
18
Matthew Cheang
As we begin this new crucial year of Singapore’s Golden Jubilee, it is critical that Singapore
sets its goals higher in order for us to make remarkable achievements in sports. This year
Singapore is striving for 50 gold medals in this year’s SEA games. The golden geese and the
likes of bowling, sailing, shooting, swimming and table tennis are once again expected to pull
the weight for Singapore. However, we cannot only rely on these sports to obtain our objective
of 50 gold medals. Singapore has always fallen short of obtaining 50 gold medals, ranging
between 33-43 from 2005-2013. Therefore it will require other sports such as athletics,
canoeing, fencing and cuesports to chip in and share the load.
!
Sheik Alau’ddin, the chief executive of the Singapore Silat Federation has summed up
Singapore’s feelings, as he stated: “Team Singapore must grab this opportunity to shine and
deliver at least 50 goals.” We wish them all the best in achieving this!
Annual ACSIS Football League
!
Grace Yeo
The Athletic Conference of Singapore International Schools, known as ACSIS, held their annual
football league once again in the late months of 2014. The season lasted for for about three months,
ending only in late January of 2015.
!
St Joseph's Institution International sent out four teams of three different age groups for the
matches. The age group for boys Under14 (U14) had two different teams that played in 2 out of 4
divisions with a total of 34 different schools competing. Boys Under 16 (U16) and Under 19 (U19)
both had three divisions and had a total of 23 and 20 schools that participated respectively.
!
Held at Ang Mo Kio Secondary School, the two U14 teams played a total of 11 matches. Grade
7s-9s played in this league although many of the players were new to the team. They had only a
single training together before going out to the battle field. What felt uncoordinated and foreign at
first, quickly waned as the boys bonded through each match and grew closer together.
!
“Even though we lost all of our matches we still played well and we’ve never got angry or hated
each other,” said Zachary Chew from grade 9. “I like my team a lot. They’re like family. Some
Grade 7s are playing in U14 and I’m kind of sad that we’ll never play together again.”
!
In other age groups, many of the players were also very new to the team. Most of them, however,
had prior experience in the sport. The communication amongst players improved over time as they
gradually got more united.
!
"All the members are accommodating and friendly.” Said Cian Sacker from Grade 9. He just joined
the SJII family this year and already got the opportunity to represent the school to play in the U16
team. This just goes to show how much opportunities SJII gives to their students whether it is
competitions or learning opportunities.
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
Sports at SJII
!
Something the team could work on would be stamina; as pointed out by a player. The local
schools our teams had competed with focused a great deal on their sports and typically had
multiple training sessions per week. As compared to our school, whose teams consisted of
many new players, some of which never had any trainings before, they were at a greater
advantage. Hence, looking at things from a greater perspective, SJII did a remarkable job.
!
It is true these obstacles where one would learn the true spirit of being an athlete and
experience sportsmanship. Whilst it is great to win, the camaraderie felt by all is even more
valuable and precious as the whole team collaborates closely. At the end of the day, it is truly
the effort that matters. With a dedicated coach and a whole determined team of boys, it is safe
to say that SJII footballers gave their very best to do us proud. Well done boys!
Safari Zoo Run 2015
!
Rishika Nair
The Safari Zoo run took place on 7th - 8th
February 2015. This was the seventh
installment of this popular and one of a
kind event. This years zoo run had been
said to be the wildest yet, with various
activities spreading over the course of 2
days for the very first time in the Safari
Zoo Run's seven year history.
!
The Safari Zoo run was created to
commemorate Singapore Zoo's icon and
matriarch Ah Meng, the Sumatran
Orangutan. This race is not just for
competitive runners, but also a great way
to bring families together and help people
upkeep their new years resolutions of
staying fit and exercising more ! What
better way to keep fit than go for a run
while exploring the paths, nature and
greenery of the Singapore Zoo and Night
Safari, what makes it unique is that while
running you can stop to look and learn
about the two thousand three hundred and
fifty animals that call the Singapore Zoo
home!
!
This run did not just cater for young
children but also for adults, a 6km and
12km run was available for enthusiastic
runners and younger children can take
their time walking or running through a
6km route. After the run, participants can
enjoyed a carnival, the cherry on the cake
and the perfect end to a fun filled and
adventurous day!
!
This truly was an amazing event & I look
forward to its next installment in 2016!
20
Squash bids for the Olympics despite
Rejections
!
Vivek Palanjappan
SQUASH, a sport that is generally, no matter
where you come from, popular for being
unpopular, is unappreciated by most who regard it
as a boring sport played by very few people. A
reason to why so few people play squash is that it
is a monumentally tiring sport and few other sports
can equal the physical strain and intensity that
squash exerts on its athletes. A sport that pushes
the human body to its limits in terms of agility,
strength, flexibility and endurance certainly deserves more recognition than it is currently getting.
As a relatively new sport, first played in the 1830s in Harrow, England, squash has not become as
successful as tennis, a sport akin to squash; found in 1860s also in England, which has become the
most famous of the racquet sports. One of the reasons why squash is not as popular as other
racquet sports like tennis or even badminton might be because of the actual complexity of the
sport. Squash is a complex to play, let alone watch and understand, because of the players moving
around each other and having to replay points frequently due to playing accidentally blocking the
opponents. This makes it difficult for the non-squash playing community to comprehend what is
actually going on inside the court, as they see players bumping into each other, appealing to replay
points.
Over the years, squash has bided to be included into the Olympic games hoping that the sport
would gain popularity through the extremely prevalent Olympic Games. Squash was rejected
several times to be even considered to be added as one of the sports in the voting. After the drastic
improvements in the media coverage of squash thanks to technology, the squash popularity was
starting to spike in 2013. The Olympic bid was narrowed down to wrestling, a sport that was
excluded after the previous Olympic Games, baseball and squash. Desperate measures were
implemented, as top players went around the globe to promote squash and recognise the
prevalence of squash in countries such as Egypt, England, and Malaysia. The former world no 1
and the 2013 world number 1 Ramy Ashour paid a visit to Singapore as part of the squash
Olympic bid campaign to promote the play of the sport in Singapore, even visiting my former
school St Joseph’s Institution Independent, and having friendlies with the school players.
Hopes were reaching an all-time high as squash was discussed and talked about in many
leading magazines, newspapers and in social media sites. Perhaps the biggest boost for the
sport would have been Hollywood superstar and ‘wolverine’, Hugh Jackman’s photo of
himself after a squash session, with the caption “Bill assure more calories burnt than any other
sport.”
!
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE June
Ramy Ashour (Left) with SJI Independent school coach (Right)
The ever high hopes of every one of the 30 million squash players were crushed by the
International Olympic Committee as the previously excluded wrestling was reinstated into the
Olympic Games for 2020.
Even after such a though blow, the squash sought to fight for recognition as an Olympic sport,
and are still appealing to the IOC for reconsiderations. After being rejected a place in the
Olympic Games, the World Squash Federation chief executive Andrew Shelley told BBC Sport
“It’s not finished yet. We’ll keep trying. We will continue to grow and hope the Olympic door
may open in the future. If there is a desire for additional sports, we hope to be in the mix.”
22
A New Beginning for Saudi Arabia
!
George Garrity
Saudi Arabia is an interesting nation ran
in an unique way. An absolute monarchy,
ruled by one man, its king, and a council
made up of his family who advise upon
his decrees. It is also strictly conservative,
following Sharia Law with a number of
restrictions against women and with a
poor human rights record. Yet many
countries in the western world continue to
rely on and keep good relations with the
kingdom, mainly because of its large deposits of oil that are used for everything from fuelling cars
to keeping our electricity running. With the recent passing of Saudi Arabia’s king, Abdullah bin
Abdulaziz, and the inauguration of his half-brother, Salman, many people ask what this will mean
for the kingdom and how it will affect the outside world?
So, what changes will there be in Saudi Arabia and how big an impact will they have on the
country and the region?
Many of King Abdullah’s supporters claim that he was a progressive king, more liberal than his
predecessors - giving more rights to women, for example, allowing them to compete in the
Olympics and criminalizing domestic abuse. In February 2009, he also elected the first woman
onto the council of ministers, Norah Al Faiz, as the Deputy Minister for Women’s Education.
However, women in Saudi Arabia are still not allowed to leave the house without a male guardian,
drive, and are still considered second-class citizens in Saudi Arabia.
Another area of concern is Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record. Public beheadings are
common place with over 59 beheadings in 2014 alone, there is little opportunity for free speech. In
2012, blogger Raif Badawi was sentenced to seven years in prison and 600 lashes for criticizing
leading clerics. He was then resentenced in 2014 to ten years in prison and 1000 lashes plus a
fine. After his first 50 lashes, the next set had to be postponed due to poor health. The deputy
director of Amnesty International in the Middle East & North Africa commented on the issue by
saying “Not only does this postponement on health grounds expose the utter brutality of this
punishment, it underlines its outrageous inhumanity. The notion that Raif Badawi must be allowed
to heal so that he can suffer this cruel punishment again and again is macabre and outrageous.
Flogging should not be carried out under any circumstances.” Furthermore, in 2014, Saudi Arabia
introduced a new law which defined such things as atheism and criticism of the government as
‘terrorism’, severely limiting free speech further.
So, will Salman change any of this? We can’t say for sure yet. He has promised to continue with
his half-brother’s reforms, but is known for his conservative views on political and social reform.
In a 2007 leaked diplomatic cable between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, Salman is quoted to have
said “The pace and extent of reforms depend on social and cultural factors, ... that
!
!
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
social reasons—not [religious] reasons—reforms cannot be imposed by the [Saudi
government] or there will be negative reactions, ... [and] that changes have to be introduced
in a sensitive and timely manner.” He was also quoted to have said that “Democracy should
be imposed” within the nation, so it is unclear on Salman’s views. The world will simply
have to watch the kingdom as its new king comes to power, and find out what it will mean
for the country, the Middle East, and the world.
Singapore’s new Alcohol Ban
!
Khoo Teng Jui
Drinkers in Singapore might be disappointed to know that more restrictions might be imposed
on drinking in the near future.
!
On the 12th of January 2015, parliament tabled a bill banning the drinking of alcohol in public
places from 10.30 p.m. to 7 a.m. The bill was passed on 30th January 2015, and is expected to
take effect from 1st April 2015.
!
Alcohol consumption in public places, including HDB void decks and corridors and parks,
will be banned from 10.30 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Furthermore, retail shops will also not be allowed to sell take-away alcohol after 10.30 pm as
well. However, pubs, bars and restaurants serving alcoholic beverages will still be allowed to
sell them after hours, provided that their customers drink them within their premises.
!
First time offenders found drinking after 10.30p.m. will be fined S$1000. Repeat offenders
may be fined S$2000 and may face a jail term of up to three months. A licensee who sells
alcohol beyond hours stipulated in its license may be fined up to $10,000.
!
The bill also allows areas where there is a higher risk of public disorder associated with
excessive drinking to be designated as Liquor Control Zones. These zones will have stricter
restrictions and harsher consequences should the rules be broken.
!
The police will be given full authority to identify and reprimand anyone who is thought to be drunk or is being a public nuisance. Failure to comply could land the person in jail for up to six months.
24
!
Do the citizens really want this Bill to be imposed?
!
According to the Straits Times, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) began its review
on alcohol laws in September 2012, after complaints about drunkenness in public
places. It held two public consultation exercises between October 2013 and August
2014, which showed broad support for restrictions on public drinking and the sale of
alcohol. However, a post on The Online Citizen states that only about 1200 people
were consulted and that “it is almost impossible to agree that about 1,200 people get to
determine the fate of alcohol in an island which is home to 5.3 million.”
Although the MHA claims that more than 83% of the 1,200 people it consulted
supported the proposed laws, a Straits Times poll by national broadsheet showed
different results, with more than 78% of the participants against the restrictions.
Citizens themselves have varying opinions on the restrictions. Some support the
restrictions, while some feel that the restrictions will not change anything much, as
drinkers often find ways around the restrictions. Others feel that the government is not
dealing with the excessive drinkers, but inconveniencing normal drinkers instead.
However, many people feel that the drinking ban should take place later, and that
10.30 p.m. is too early.
How do I feel about it? Well, I feel that the main problem is excessive drinkers who
disrupt the public. However, I find that the terms of this bill are targeted at all drinkers
and retailers, despite the fact that only a small percentage of drinkers are causing
problems. I think that this Bill will inconvenience normal drinkers, while excessive
drinkers who really want alcohol can easily get around the new laws. After all, there
aren’t enough police officers in Singapore to keep a constant watch on every location.
I therefore do not support the partial alcohol ban.
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
thought to be drunk or is being a public nuiscance. Failure to comply could land the
person in jail for up to six months.
ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
EBOLA
!
Sabrina Tay
What is Ebola? Ebola is a highly infectious hemorrhagic fever that was first known in
1976 and from then on the world has had outbreaks of this disease, 2014 being the worst
outbreak of all. So far the outbreaks mainly occurred in Central and West African
countries. This year, the Ebola outbreak started in March and since then killing over
1,000 people. The main countries affected by this disease are Guinea, Sierra Leone and
Liberia though there has been a few cases in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia. The World
Health Organization (WHO) describes Ebola to be “one of the most virulent viral
diseases known to humankind”. Animals such as monkeys, chimpanzees and fruit bats
can all carry the virus and can pass to humans.
!
The Ebola outbreak has a fatality rate of 50 to 60% as of 2014. It is spread through
bodily fluids (e.g. sweat, saliva). Developing countries are the ones that suffer from
Ebola the most as these countries do not have advanced technology or facilities to treat
infected people, allowing the virus to spread so quickly. Another reason for its spread is
because transportation is so easy nowadays hence infected people (not knowing that
they have the disease) interact with healthy people, making them sick as well. In Africa,
during burial ceremonies it is part of their culture to touch the body before it is buried.
because Ebola spreads by body fluids, people who touched the body are now likely to
contract the disease.
!
So what are the symptoms of Ebola? The incubation period for the disease can vary
between 2 to 21 days meaning that someone could be infected by it but symptoms do not
show until the 2 to 21 days are over. Once the incubation period is over, the first
symptoms include high fever, muscle pain, general weakness, headache and sore throat,
much like a common flu. Within a day or two symptoms include diarrhea, rashes,
damage to the kidney and liver function. As it is a hemorrhagic fever it can cause
internal and external bleeding. Death can occur as soon as 3 days after symptoms show.
There is currently no vaccine for Ebola but there are many being tested.
!
Zmapp, an untested drug, has been tested on two American missionaries. These two
Americans are said to be improving but it was also given to a Spanish priest who still
died from the disease. Its effectiveness is unknown but will be used depending on the
condition of the patient.
It is only my sincere hope that we find a cure to Ebola and prevent further such pitiful
deaths.
26
Brian Siew
Addictions are caused when a person is exposed to his or her interest for a prolonged
time and excessively does or uses that interest without any stops and does not have the
ability to stop at will easily. Addictions can literally happen to any one. There are many
different types of addictions such as cellphone addictions, smoking or drug addictions. In
serious cases, these addictions may lead to death, diseases and intoxication, brutality and
more.
Mobile addictions- Mobile addictions are very common as many companies such as
Samsung, LG , apple and xiaomi have created and distributed phones of different sizes
and memory. Games on these phones have stimulated many young teenagers into playing
them excessively. As these phones are portable and easy to carry, teenagers are able to
play games anywhere at any time. The excessive use of phones for games may lead to
many consequences such as changes in behavior, having less concentration, degradation
of necessities, violence in addition to being less social. As a result, people surrounding
them will be affected by their changes, mostly leading to negative effects. These are
likely caused by low self esteem, which the user plays his/her mobile games to make
themselves feel secure, bad parenting, whereby parents teach their children the wrong
things or simply the desire to play, resulting in their inclination towards relying on such
addictions. This taught me to lessen the usage of gadgets, especially my phone as I saw a
5 year old repeatedly asking his mother for her phone on the MRT. In this generation, I
feel that we need to reduce the usage of gadgets to children as it can influence them to do
bad things on the internet.
Drugs, gambling and Smoking addiction- These addictions are slightly less common as
there are rules prohibiting smoking under the age 18 and drug use for all ages. This
addiction mostly affects users of 18 years or older, although younger users can get
addicted through illegal smuggling. The harmful consequences have devastating effects
if one does not stop smoking or go to a rehabilitation centre. Some of the many effects of
smoking are lung cancer, fatigue, anaemia, oral cancer, stress, nausea and even death. To
counter this addiction of smoking, one has to go to a rehabilitation centre where they
treat you with therapy and health drugs. If you are found consuming or transporting
illegal drugs, you can be fined and be imprisoned for 5 years or more and have a drug
offense on your working record. Drug addiction is very common among celebrities as it
‘helps’ to reduce stress and depression by making them feel pleasurable. But too much
intake will poison or kill you, which most celebrities die before they know the true harm
it can do. Drugs are passed around through many forms of pressure of pleasure. It can be
used as a anti-depressant,(though it will kill or damage you), taken through peer
pressure, or just out of boredom.
Bearing this in mind, let’s not go down a similar path and provide to be examples for not
only our generation, but future generations as well.
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ONEVOICEMAGAZINE March
Addictions
How far will pollution go?
Hoong Jun Ray
Red lights flashing. Headlights glowing. A cacophony of deafening honks and revving
engines blanketing the entire road. The musty stench of petrol rising upwards, the
rotten-eggs fetor causing bile to rise up throats. Surroundings shrouded by smog, dust
particles and carbon monoxide. Impatient drivers snaking through the uncountable
rows of cars, feet stamping viciously on accelerators and engines roaring as the sleek
machines tear past traffic lights wavering between green and red.
This is modern day Singapore. Every morning and evening cars inch forwards at a
snail’s pace from when the sun is but a hazy orb in the grayish-blue sky to when the
sky is You can hear cars belching sulphurous smoke and feel the grime and harmful
toxic gases settle into the pores of your skin if you stand near Holland Road at exactly
7.10am; you can see the smog rising into the air, trapping heat and choking trees.
Everyday the temperature increases, the sun’s merciless heat trapped by the
atmospheric greenhouse gases. Everyday the polar icecaps are melting. Everyday the
haze is worsening, causing hacking coughs and violent sneezes. This is due to global
warming In Beijing many people walk around with masks on, the buildings in the
distance just faint silhouettes due to the thick smog. We have always enjoyed the clean,
green Singapore, but how long until we are reduced to the pollution levels of places
like Beijing?
People around the world are slowly beginning to recognize the damage of pollution.
Air pollutants are inevitably produced in the process of urbanization, but without
control measures industrialization threatens to degrade our air quality immensely.
PM2.5, fine particles of dust and soot that measure less than 2.5 micrometers in
diameter, are a hazard towards health as they lodge deep into the lungs .
Rumbling lorries in New Delhi are the main cause of Levels of PM2.5 being routinely
15 times above the level considered safe by the World Health Organisation;The
burning of land in Sumatra obscuring Singapore in the infamous “haze” Quoted from
the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources website, “From the planning stage,
such as locating pollutive industries away from residential areas, down to mandating
and enforcing strict emission standards, we have been careful to calibrate our air
pollution control measures to strike a fine balance between supporting economic
development and ensuring a high quality of life.” Electric cars have started gaining
awareness and trees have been planted left, right and centre, but is that really enough
to fight against the swarm of over 974170 cars as recorded in 2013?
St. Joseph's Institution
International
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There are so many “inconvenient” ways to reduce pollution. Pollution can cause
chronic diseases, the death of adorable polar bears…for future generations, who
knows how many new lung and skin diseases might have morphed into being, or if
they’ll forever see the sun as a shrouded speck of dulled brightness in the distance,
hardly able to see beyond 5 feet. How long will it take for mankind to realize the
severity of pollution?
It’s
! Raining Ringpulls!
Antonia Syn
Last year, 8GCr launched a whole school initiative/ competition that would not only help
the environment, but also help families living in garbage dumps in Manila. This
competition has had huge success and is now going to be continued throughout 2015.
!
Ringpulls might seem worthless to us, but to the families on the dumps in Manila they
have enormous value. These ringpulls are used to make handbags, coasters, pouches and
fashion accessories. The women who make these items are paid $10 a day which is
enough to feed a family of 8 and, in total, these items are worth $200,000 in potential
earnings for these families! Profits made from the sale of these items are then used to give
back to the community, building houses, schools and health facilities. Using funds from
this initiative, a new water purification has been built for a village in the Philippines.
!
Now that the members of 8GCr have been spread amongst the classes of Grade 9 a new
Ringpull ECA has been formed under the supervision of Mr. Gary Crumbie. Those
interested in helping out with the running of the competition have joined, and are now in
the process of re-distributing the ringpull collection cans for each tutor group.
!
Last year, SJII set ourselves a target of 50kg of ringpulls for the year. This year, we aim to
collect 100kg! Students are encouraged to simply collect ringpulls that come off the top of
canned food and drinks, then bring them to school to add to their tutor groups
collection.At the end of the year, the tutor group with the most amount of ringpulls wins
the competition (receiving a prize of…) Last year’s winners were 9JIn, who got a pizza
party sponsored by the school!
!
‘It’s really amazing how doing so little as to collect ringpulls can impact so many lives so
much. It’s really a rewarding experience in itself knowing how much we’re helping others.’
– Lucas Lim 9MHa
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SG50
!
Natalie Chow
On the 31st of January 2015 , residents living in Bishan North came together to form the
largest SG50 logo at Ang Mo Kio Park. There was 3,050 participants involved who were led
by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The SG50 Logo was created using our national colours red and white. It was done so using opened red and white umbrellas. This record has been
added into the Singapore Book Of Records in celebration of the 50th year of independence in
Singapore. PM Lee quoted that "There's one record which we have set - which I don't think they have in
the Guinness Book and they don't have such a category - and that is the most successful
nation-building experience and that, we have been doing, not just this afternoon, but these last
50 years - 1965 to where we are today," He also urged residents to work together for
Singapore's future. “So many residents said they wanted to take part so we expanded and grew our capacity,”
added Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport Josephine Teo, who is also MP for
Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC. "We wanted to find a celebration that was both meaningful and also
one in which all families and friends can take part in together, so that was a very tall order.
Want to be in the next OneVoice issue?!
!
With the vibrant & diverse community of SJI International, the OneVoice editors
are looking to premiere student submissions for the next issue. Please feel free to
send us your submissions be it artwork, photography, articles or creative writing
to [email protected] by the 23rd of March & you might just be in our next
issue!
!
We are also starting an Aunt Agony column - post your worries on ask.fm/
onevoicesjii so your troubles can be answered in the next OneVoice issue!
Follow us @onevoice.sjii on Instagram to find out more and keep up to date!
!
Subscribe to us & look out for our next issue following the Easter break on the
15th of April!
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