Block B Divas

by Tan Cheong Hwa

Unfortunately, these GUYS are straight. This just happens to be the main theme of this year’s Blk B initiation night. It’s the time of the year again where freshmen are welcomed into the block by their seniors. This year’s Blk B initiation kicked off with the customary exchange of clothes between the guys and girls.

The theme at the TV lounge was physical contact and the initiation started with couples sharing rather suggestive strawberry Glico Pocky sticks. The main objective of the game was to finish the Pocky stick by simultaneously biting on both ends till it umm… ends. Naturally, our participants chose the glorious and faithful-to-spouse path and decided not to take advantage of the excellent and timely opportunity to taste the lips of several of our hottest young female freshmen residing in Block B.

Our hall king, Karthik, and budding side-kick Hwasan decided to cheat and were duly punished by the seniors. Their respective partners, Eileen and Heon, were supposed to put a banana in through one leg opening of their male partners’ shorts and out through the other. Ulterior objectives of this game are left out of this article for censorship reasons. The two sporting girls obliged with exclusive footage only available via Stacy Yu’s camera and storage facilities.

With Eileen having problems stuffing the banana through Karthik’s shorts(reasons left unknown and possibly incomprehensible), Heon slipped the banana through Hwasan’s shorts in 0.8 milliseconds, to which the explanation is still being debated in the toilets of B1 to this very day. Possible theories include sentences punctuated with the adjectives “puny” and “non-existent”. Overall, we conclude that this year’s hall king sure comes in a complete all-in-one package – charm, cleverness and c**k. It looks like Hopeful Hwasan the side-kick has a lot more “hand-work” to do to catch up with Kocky Pocky Karthik.

Good clean fun was followed by blindfolded musical chairs with a twist. A nasty concoction was poured over the chairs. According to Roy Chen, 23, honorary Block B Committee Member and organizer of the successful event, some ingredients were revealed to include soy and teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise and bananas. What’s an initiation without getting dirty?

The freshmen had some share of the fun too, with the female freshmen shampooing the male freshmen’s hair with a mixture of sauces and shampoo and styling the hair of their partners. Three contenders for worst hair were chosen and they did an imitation of dry swimming on the B4 balcony.

Edmund, Hwasan and Roy swam the “swim” of their lives and everyone had a good laugh. After observing the magnificent efforts of the 3 brave freshmen, we obligingly passed their contacts to the swimming captain for IHG 07/08 to make his scouting job in the months to come easier. The seniors were not spared too as after the whole initiation session, the freshmen sought their revenge by letting them have a taste of their own medicine.

Gabriel Ho, self-proclaimed B4 discipline master and honorable guardian of the B4 toilet, was well and duly tortured in his Spartan costume by the grossly over-muscled freshmen. However, all was done in the name of fun and it was back to normal hall life as everybody went down to B1 after the initiation to finally have their block supper.

A wonderful and memorable event in the annals of block history for Temasek Hall indeed.

Further coverage on Hwasan’s nether regions, or apparent lack thereof, will be featured in subsequent publications of this newsletter.

TH Takraw Team Training Hard

By Jackson Ho

Our TH takraw team has started training since the start of the semester. From regular playing session during IBG period until formal training recently, our takraw team has attracted some new faces into the game. One of the year 1s, Kenneth, have been joining the seniors in this game early in the semester commented, “It is very fun! I love it” The new IHG takraw captain for IHG 2008 has been selected rather early, therefore formal training can be conducted even before IHG training session starts in December holidays. Yongbin, who is the captain this year, said, “We need to train early so that talent can be scouted. This is because most of the players here started playing only when they enter university. I can say that it is quite a promising year.” when asked about the chances in winning the title this year, the former captain, Yongkiat replied, “Although our rival is strong, can lah can lah as long as we are committed. The ball is round, although takraw ball is not exactly round!”

ALKA’s Sentosa Outing!

by Justin Lim

2 months since Hall Orientation. The fun and laughter and cheers that rang so exuberantly in the communal hall and various parts of Temasek Hall have deteriorated into creepy silence which can only be broken by residents flipping of textbooks as they mug their backsides off for the mid-terms. This ominous aura is occasionally punctuated by over-zealous sportsmen and women who sometimes deem it necessary to ‘practice’ and ‘hone’ their various skills, albeit batting (ahem), throwing and kicking… at 3am in the morning.

A single entity, bearing the proud name of ALKA, has risen to destroy that deeply disturbing vision. As similar to the effervescent cold remedy Alka-Seltzer for headaches, indigestion, hangover and gas, the orientation group Alka has been making conscious efforts to remedy the stagnating fog of gloom around Temasek Hall.

During the much anticipated recess break, ALKA took this precious revision time to enjoy a sun and sand-filled day at sunny Sentosa. From beach games to swimming in the sea to being buried alive in sand, everyone enjoyed themselves in the company of their OG mates as well as their OGLs and councilors. Much applause and kudos to such a vibrant and active bunch that have finally got their priorities right for once.

Justin Lim, 21, a proud ALKA member and member of Insight, he remarks, “It’s always easy to make new friends, but hard to maintain those friendship which you have forged. We do not want to take these precious bonds for granted nor do we want them as memories only. Instead, we want them to last as long as we can help it and all it requires is a little effort on everyone’s part!”

Truly well said, Justin. Spoken like a true Temasekian, though some sentences seem rather similar to previous Temasek Hall JCRC Vice-President’s rally speech. We have passed your contacts to the current Vice-Presidents for follow-ups for the next work year.
In conclusion, more of such activities are sorely needed in Temasek Hall to foster and promote closer ties among the orientation groups, many of which have already segmented into minor studying groups or lone warriors bravely facing the challenging NUS life alone. So in the words of Mr Lim, prospective 21st JCRC member, start planning your next (or first) OG outing and see how it brings everyone bonded again just like during the orientation!

AUNT AGONY 1

Dear Auntie Agony,

I am a student from _______ (omitted for private reasons) who come to Singapore to study in NUS, currently staying in Temasek Hall.
I think the Singapore people are very funny people. My good friends are teaching me local talk or dialect. Now I can say c*** b** and k**n**n** in a nice local accent. I think will greet the nice and friendly professors the next time I get the words correct.
However, I have big problem during my most memorable night which is the Block Supper Night.
All of us were change clothes with the girls. I became really excite. I wear a dark blue Nike shirt from the pageant girl. But I think the shirt a bit too small for me, although the chest part is just nice. Hehe.
However, I don’t know why nobody wear my favourite grey polo tee. All the guys were lie on the floor while the girls squeeze milk at us.
All the senior people shout at me and laugh and say “YOU LIKE IT RIGHT”. I was very embarrass. But I want to show I am very sport and friendly so I open my mouth to try to lick the milk. It is not very sweet like my country’s milk. There the girls don’t squeeze milk on face. They let you drink when you want to drink.
Auntie Agony, can you help teach me to clean powder milk shirt? Can you help me with this shirt?
Troubled & confused boi

* * *
Dear Troubled & Confused Boi,

The hygiene-loving ladies of Block B might just feel a tad uncomfortable if they were forced to put on your “fragrant” shirt, lest the smell bacteria decide to reside in their pores and reproduce there in the meantime.

Bromhidrosis or body odor (also called bromidrosis, osmidrosis and ozochrotia) is the smell of bacteria growing on the body. These bacteria multiply considerably in the presence of sweat, but sweat itself is almost totally odourless. Body odor is largely influenced by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. These are genetically determined and play an important role in immunity of the organism. Hence, body odour is but a genetic defect so no one can actually fault you for having such a smell at all.

To get rid of the milk smell, you should soak the shirt in anti-bacterial detergent and then wash it with a nice-smelling detergent. Repeat this process at least twice. You might want to consider apologising to her about it. You might be surprised at her magnanimous nature and she might even decide to let you keep the shirt as a souvenir. I am sure she understands that it is not your fault the shirt smells like sour milk left in a bacteria colonizing cupboard.

Aunt Agony

Minor changes have been made to control the content in this letter. However no grammatical errors have been corrected and you are viewing this letter in 99% originality.

DELIGHTFUL DENIM

by Yong Zhihao

It is said that the recurrence of fashion styles comes in 10-year cycles. Entering into the whimsical world of denim, one can’t help but be amazed at denim’s endurance in the fashion world. Skinnies of the 1980s, Bell Bottoms of the 1990s, the allure of the diagonally woven cotton is there for all to see. If that is anything to intrigue the fashion whore in us, let us take a glimpse into the current trends of denim in fashion today.

Denim couture of today has reiteratively seen the reoccurrence of the Skinny Jeans, once hailed as the fashion of the 80’s. Coming in low-rise, high-waisted, or normal cuts, Skinny Jeans have readily made a comeback in today’s fashion world. Popular Jeans makers such as Nudie Jeans, Yen Jeans, April 77, Cheap Monday, Edwin, Dr. Denim Jeansmaker, Ksubi etc. showcase their latest seasons that brim with various Skinny Jeans.

Unsure of what sort of denim is best suited for you? Perhaps a little background knowledge will fulfill your inquiring mind. Invariably, Denim comes in different varieties of Selvage Denim, “Raw” Denim, and Washed denim.

Selvage Denim forms a clean natural edge that does not unravel and are usually associated with the usage of higher quality denim. The selvage edges will be located along the outseam of the pants and is especially desirable because the material will fade in the creases and folds of the jeans.

“Raw” Denim is a made of fabric that is not washed after being dyed. The appeal of such denim is that the fading and appearance of the denim would be affected by the body and daily activities of the wearer. Thus, many denim enthusiasts regard “raw” denim as more natural. However, care has to be taken with the choice of jeans sizes as “raw” denim have never “touched” water and hence, as all 100% cotton fabric behave, will shrink by 1-5% after wash. A tip on “raw” denim: wash the denim less frequently as you would wash other types of denim and hand wash them inside out.

Washed Denim is Denim that is washed after being crafted into an article of clothing in order to make it softer and eliminate shrinkages. Hence, they are often termed “pre-shrunk” Denim and are often artificially dyed to achieve a “seasoned” look.

Still uncertain what denim is best for you? Most importance should be placed on choosing a pair of jeans that you feel comfortable in. Fashion styles may change all the time, but a good pair of jeans can last you forever. After all, since we cannot change our genes, it’s up to us to choose our jeans.

HOUSE GOT ONE OLD, LIKE GOT ONE GOLD

by Tan Junhong

In recent years, senior residents are finding it increasingly hard to join commitees in hall. Some committees have actually voiced out that they do not want too many seniors in the committee.

Further investigations by Dr Tan, a subject matter expert, have revealed a few reasons behind this trend.

• Committee heads are afraid that they cannot find a successor to carry on the “sai gang” when it is time to step down.

• Senior residents are believed to be slower in efficiency, and have lower productivity, due to their age.

• There is a generation gap between the senior residents and the younger generation, leading to different working habits and miscommunication.

This is a growing issue indeed. Fortunately, there are many methods to ensure YOU, as a senior resident, can still find a committee place in your later years.

First of all, senior residents need to engage in retraining. The Workforce Development Agency (WDA) is responsible for expanding our training infrastructure. In dire times, senior residents may approach them for help. Most importantly, the older generation must be able to keep an open-mind and not fear adapting to committees which they have never joined before.

Also, seniors need to be active even in the last few years of life in hall. They cannot choose to sit back and relax in one corner, and still expect to earn points. They need to understand that times are changing. Gone are the days of magic points. Now, do not be surprised if you see some old men participating actively in many committees.

Definitely, the experience of the senior residents, play an important role during decision making for many committees. But of course, to ensure continuity, committees still need to have a large pool of freshmen in them. However do not forget, house got one old, like got one gold, befriend the older people, leech their experience, and try not to let them do much labour.

BABE WATCH HUNK TALK

By Caleb Ng

Name : Wee Huiyi
Age : 19
Academic background : TKGS, TJC
Fac : NUS Biz Yr1
Rm : A401
Status : Attached
Interest : Dance, Playing the guitar and piano, Clubbing
Activities in TH : Dance, Touch Rugby, Basketball, Softball
Can be seen with : Yiqun, Cindy, Cassandra, Ben & Jerry
Usual Supper Hangout : Eusoff Hall Dim Sum

Describe your ideal guy : must be 195cm tall, studying in SP and his name must be ****** (think u get the idea =p)
Favourite Quote: ‘I live life as it is.’

Divulged by her good friend: She cannot live without original Pringles because she simply has no ORIGINALITY

It was a rather last minute decision for Huiyi to stay in TH but it was one of her best decisions in life. Apart from always missing deadlines and sleeping like there’s no tomorrow, this babe has recently tied *** to a tree! Good food and sharing a light hearted moment with the A4 girls definitely makes her day. Also, interesting people like Jerry rocks her socks!

Name : Lokender Singh aka Low Can Deer Sing

Age : 21
Academic background : SGTS, CJC
Fac : NUS Sci Yr1
Rm : C108
Status : Single and DEFINITELY available
Interest : Plays the saxophone and is learning the violin. Enjoys singing, running and doing chin-ups.
Activities in TH : Dance, Productions, Block Comm, X-Campus and OAC
Can be seen with : James, Bernice, Michelle and his Airforce buddies
Usual Supper Hangout : Fong Seng
Describe your ideal gal : Caring, understanding and sporty. No requirements to know how to sing as he can sing to her. Loves exploring “multi-racial” relationship.
Favourite Quote : ‘Mind over matter’

Divulged by his good friend: His favourite pick-up line is “Wo she mo dou mei you, zhi shi you qian. Ni yao bu yao zuo wo de nu peng you?” (Direct English Translation: I everything also don’t have, only got money. Do you want to be my girlfriend?)

This hunk is Bollywood’s trump-card and definitely a musical prodigy wannabe. He is also a SAF Officer, so for those who have a uniform fetish, you can find him in his room. Other than that, he knows four languages and his favourite Chinese song is “An Jing”. Oozing with creativity, Loke is also the scriptwriter for our very own TH Productions this year~

Accents

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It’s all about keeping your teeth clean

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

It’s advisable to brush your teeth at least twice a day The soft yellowish deposit on the surface of teeth is also known as tartar (calculus) Plaque forms on the surface of teeth within hours after thorough brushing. The water supply in Singapore is fluoridated 0.6parts per million. Stains are detrimental to the health of teeth and gums. Mouth rinsing removes plaque accumulation on surface of teeth. There is a special kind of toothpaste which you can use for sensitive teeth.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

Rainy Days Are Here Again

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

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

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

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

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

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