Announcements

Use the Feedback page if you have any queries about King Edward VII Hall or if there are any complaints/suggestions! The Hall Blog will have its next update by the end of June 2009. Commenting has been restored to its original status.

Remember to check out the Games page when you’re bored!

Note: This post is a sticky for announcement purposes. Queries or Submissions? Contact us at keviihall[at]gmail.com.

KEVII Orientation Theme 09/10 – VOYAGE

Visit the new webpage for more info!

VOYAGE

Room Draw 09

Writer: Adrian Chia

The highly anticipated Room Draw Exercise finally took place on 15 April 2009. An annual ritual whereby all Hall residents continuing their stay next semester would choose their rooms, it was also a night with plenty of drama and action.

All the way leading up to the finale, there was a great build up of suspense and dilemma among many Hall residents as they made the very important decision. During the mock Room Draw Exercise, it was observed that there were a few clashes between the choices of some individuals. Undoubtedly, much brainstorming, negotiations and intelligence gathering must have taken place over the weeks. Weighing the pros and cons of each location, talking to seniors, or even scouting the rooms personally were just some of the methods employed to shortlist one’s choices. But ultimately, it all depends on the number of Room Draw Points one has – the higher one’s points, the greater priority one has to choose his / her room.

Thus, McVin Cheen, a current year 3 Pharmacy senior in Hall, had the honour to be the first guy to choose his room. The number of points he has? 186! (Try to beat that anyone?) His sense of achievement aside, he did not need to think twice to pick his new room A203. There are several reasons for his decision, but the main one certainly has to be his close relationship with his future neighbour, Eddie Tan, who happened to be the male freshie with the highest points (94). Eddie, the incumbent of room A202, decided to pick the same room again. Besides the obvious reason mentioned above, he found his room special because of its strategic proximity to the dining hall. One begins to wonder if there are more important reasons than this…

McVin & Eddie

On the other hand, Hui Ning, with 161 points, was the first girl to choose her room. She was certainly spoilt for choice as she was still undecided up to the last moment! She finally settled for E705, albeit feeling a bit sad and regretful to leave AB Block. Nonetheless, she would be seeking comfort from the nice sea view of her future room, as well as the long flight of stairs leading to E7, which she claimed would make her fitter. Anyway, she is also looking forward to having her Pharmacy classmates as neighbours. When asked about how she managed to get so many points, she revealed that she took part in 7 IHG Sports this season! Mae Yue, with 141 points, was ranked first among the female freshies, and not-so coincidentally, she took part in 6 IHG sports this year (joining sports certainly must have been very rewarding for them)! Being a staunch F-Block supporter, she showed her unwavering love for F Block by picking F403 as her future room.

Mae Yue & Hui Ning

Checking the latest updates

Real-time update on the projector screen

F Block CLOSED

The final decision

Alumni Comm's booth in front, Flag's booth behind

As the Room Draw proceeded, the process became more and more nail-biting for those who have yet to choose their rooms as their options were diminishing. This year, AB Block was the first to be closed after its quota for seniors was reached. E Block was the next to go as the rooms in E6,7 and 8 were quickly snapped up by seniors. However, it was certainly most puzzling and unbelievable that two double rooms in E7 and 8, traditionally being one of the most sought-after rooms in Hall for their superb view and breezy climate, were vacant by the time E Block’s quota was reached! As the room remained vacant after the first hour, it sparked a scramble among a few interested individuals to look for roommates at the last minute. However, somehow their efforts did not materialise and the rooms would therefore, most amazingly, be reserved for incoming freshies.

Empty rooms in E7 E8??

As more blocks became unavailable towards the end of the process, residents who initially wanted to stay in those blocks but have yet to choose were forced to compromise and many of them had to make the split-second decision of choosing another option. While they might have to cope with a new environment, it would certainly also be a good opportunity for them to know more people and make new friends.

The entire process ended at around 11.30pm. On behalf of KE Press, we hope you have chosen a room that you would be comfortable living in for the next semester!

Hallplay BBQ

Writer: Jonathan Chan
Editor: Janice Fan

Hallplay barbeque finally arrived on Thursday after an extended wait. It had been organized by Yukit to celebrate the successful conclusion of Hallplay in January and was itself funded with some of the profit earned then.

The start of the evening promised rain with a light drizzle as food arrived, sending Louis, Angel, Adrian and I, who were hanging around the BBQ, into some agitation, but the clouds cleared soon after. Zichun then duly arrived to help us start the fire.

Zichun atttempting to blow life into the fire

Some of the food that was prepared - salads, cakes and eclairs

Hallplay members started to arrive soon after, from all departments. It was a good opportunity to interact with friends from the various departments made throughout the course of Hallplay. Also, with the Hallplay 09/10 SC in the process of being formed, it gave the senior SC members a chance to talk to their successors (prospective or otherwise) about the enormity of their upcoming roles. Such juniors included Nick Chai, the upcoming producer, fresh from his birthday celebration (which Angel says she could hear from G5), and not looking any the worst for it

Cast, Costume, Pubs/Ticketing and Stage Screw members, plus Zichun, producer of Hallplay 07/08

Tech and Stage crew members

The members happily ate, talked and complained about upcoming CAs together as night slowly closed in. Out came the marshmallows, that integral part of BBQs, contributed by Angel.

Barbequeing the marshmallows

Even Jackie turned up to join in the fun!

Some of us, of course, ate a bit more than others. It was not easy to manage to catch this on film, but catch it we did !

The subject, together with what used to be a rather large pile of chicken wings =D

All in all, it was a cheerful occasion where, for a while, we re-lived the joy we shared in toiling for hallplay together, a time where we remember this year’s success, and hope for an even greater one in the coming year!

dramafest 2009

Writer: Reuben Lim
Editor: Janice Fan

Once upon a time, there was a happily ever after. But not in the traditional sense.

Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty conspire to get the Fairy God Mother to magically vanish their gambling debts. Prince Charming kills himself after his dream of being a chef is dashed. The Three Little Pigs avenge their mother’s death by murdering the Wolf in the same way. Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio and Goldilocks seek therapy from the Wizard of Oz. Snow White’s cousin, Jill Black, accidentally kills Prince Charming with an apple. Fabletown is in a recession and can only employ a sole Prince Charming for all fairy tales.

Happily? Far from it.

That was a brief overview of the 6 plays that made up the third iteration of Dramafest, and this year’s Dramafest theme was ‘Twisted Fairytales’, featuring the combined efforts of all the halls of residence in NUS at the UCC Theatre on the 31^st of March 2009. KE VII’s English Literary and Drama (ELnD) was involved as well; managing the lights, sounds and stage of all 6 plays. This meant all technical aspects of lighting and sounds, sourcing for props from the different halls and providing the stage crew.

postcard for leon's play, 'Charming'

We also contributed a script for the final play of the day, Charming. Script writer was Leon Choo, a year 4 student who also Acted and Directed the same play (winning the SAD award, in his own words). KE VII shone as the only hall involved in all aspects of the production, from the technical side to directing and acting, from stage and logistics to welfare.

Leon jubilant at the end of dramafest

Months of planning and hard work paid off as the show was a major success, succeeding to get a full house with audience from the various halls and faculties. Rave reviews followed the descent of the curtain, marking the end of an explosive Dramafest.

But it wasn’t always as rosy as it turned out to be. Dramafest was plagued by many problems from the word go. We couldn’t secure a venue for it up till early this year, and UCC gave us the Dance Studio that was more suited to, well, dance. And there was also difficulty in securing actors for each play, and a search for willing actors in KE VII produced nothing, causing Leon as director to take up a role in his own play.

Funding was very much constrained, as we were downsized from a larger budget but still expected to put up a much better show. There were only 4 people as stage crew due to some people pulling out at the last minute. Sounds and lights had less than 2 days to master their cues, and the stage manager had to put up with many alterations to his cue sheet.

tired after a long day at work...

 In spite of the adversity faced, our KEVIIans rose to the occasion and proved that we could do it. Yannick, Alvin, Azura, McVin and Eddie endured sleepless nights to ensure that lights and sounds on that day were excellent. Kelvin, Wendy, Kenny and Dinaesh worked swiftly and tirelessly behind scenes, ascertaining that all props were in place right before the curtains were raised. And not forgetting the people who sourced for the props and readied the actors and props for each scene, Akhilesh and Christina, the ASMs for the night.

The final product: A grand and astounding production!

well done KEVIIians!

GH: The Last Supper

By: Yu Kit

The Last Supper – more famously known as one of Da Vinci’s paintings, in this case it stood for GH block’s last supper of the semester. Being the final supper of the year, it definitely did not let down the hungry GH-blockers as they swarmed the open G4 area in search of the usual good food!

enjoying the yummy laksa

This time, not only was the food prepared by the block comm yummy and delicious, the spread was very special because it deviated from the usual fare of sandwiches and spaghetti – there was laksa, popiah, satay, otah and much more!

roti prata and popiah

Not forgetting desserts like chocolate fondue!

laksa and chocolate fondue!

Take a look at our dear GH block comm members in action, lovingly preparing the savoury supper…

Yue Zhi and Pak Kin busy cooking laksa

Wan Qing and Jun Kiat giving out satays and otahs

We look forward to more delicious GH suppers in the next academic year! Till then, enjoy.

yum

Dance Uncensored – A Dancer’s Feedback

 By: Nicholas Chai
Editor: Janice Fan

 We started training since day one of semester two for this event. It was hard work, and for dancers like me who performed in three out of the four items presented at UCC, it was a gruelling three-month training that nobody could imagine, especially as other hall CCAs had begun to settle in as well.

 Anyway, to spare everyone the nitty-gritty details, let’s fast-forward to the day of the performance itself. There were 3 shows this year- two night- shows and one matinee. Dancers from every hall were to report at UCC latest at 8.30 am for the full dress rehearsals.  It did not all go well. For many dancers, it was the first time our items were actually rehearsed on the theatre’s stage itself, and many pressing issues were to be resolved – blockings, lightings and transition time. Everything had to be quick.

As the hours passed our anxiety mounted; with the audience gradually pouring in and filling up the seats it meant that the show was about to start. Beyond the backstage and changing rooms, it was a warzone. Corridors were lined with dancers doing last minute stretches and twirls, vying for every empty space available to warm-up before stepping on stage. Sheares Hall was the first to appear before the crowd, and we could hear the crowd cheering through the intercoms.

KE VII’s first item was Wushu Dance. “Like Mountains, Like Rivers”.  Albeit having a name which might seem cliché, the dance itself was something not to be messed with. It was the only item I wasn’t involved in, but even if I was, there was no way I could have brought out the majestic aura of Wushu like the Wushu dancers. This dance by them was one where strength, stealth and grace blended into one.

Choreography by Fen was up next. Shooting For Love was a simple, but VERY tiring item. The main dancers all agree d that by the end of every performance of Shooting for Love, we all felt literally breathless.

 

Pink, blue and green – with a clever use of colour combinations and an array of props from umbrellas to toy guns and teddy bears, and adorned with an adorably witty storyline, the item was able to tickle the funny bones of the crowd.

Next up was Lingyi’s contemporary piece, which is far most, my favourite item. I had great satisfaction performing it as it incorporated sleek, beautiful moves with an eerie and disturbing touch to it. You know the itch at your back and the chill running up your spine when you read “Dracula” by Bram Stroker? That’s what you get from this item as it’s all about lusty vampires whose thirst knows no bounds.

Last and not least was a Broadway Jazz by our dance head Yan Ling, whom has given me great honour by choosing me as her partner in the item. The item is an adaptation from Hollywood’s Chicago, were it revolves around a cell-full of female murderers telling their stories of love, grief and animosity towards men.

Dance Uncensored, what a night of breathless performance!
Bravo to KE Dancers!

KE7 wushu @ NUS Open House

KE Press would like to apologize for not covering the Wushu performance in our coverage of the Open House, and would like to thank Jeremy for providing this article

By: Jeremy Ng

When I was asked to choreograph a Wushu performance for the NUS Open House, I accepted with much enthusiasm. The first idea that came to my mind was the “Axe Gang Dance”. In fact, we originally came up with the idea of doing an adaptation of Kung Fu Hustle since last year for ICN.  However we were not able to realize the idea back then. Let me introduce to you the new adapted storyline of the ‘Axe Gang’ Wushu performance that we sent for the Open House.  Names in brackets are the real-life performers’ names.

“A once acclaimed Wushu master (Kan Foong) has fallen into poverty and drinks to forget his misery. He gets recruited by a mafia boss (Jeremy) who is impressed by the skills of the now drunkard. Eager to please the mafia boss, the drunkard Wushu master brings a troupe from China (Sharon Lynn, Wenhao, Wanling, Shan Yu, Wang Lei, Xiao Han, Zhou Xuan, Zhengyu, Sen Foong) to perform in front of him. But the mafia boss is not at all pleased with the performance of the troupe and mistreats his minion. The troupe sides with the drunkard Wushu master, and tries to fight the mafia boss but fails. In the end, the drunkard Wushu master regains confidence in himself and unveils his uncanny Drunken Style to defeat the mafia boss, thus taking his place as the new boss.”

drinking to forget his misery

 

the mafia boss

fighting between the mafia boss and his newly acquired minion :O

once acclaimed wushu master with his troupe... emerging victorious!

 

The plot might sound tremendously cliché, but my main concern was to put up a good show instead of fully transmitting the story.  Many of the performers were new to performing on stage, let alone to Wushu itself.  I was however lucky to have had more experienced performers like Kan Foong and Sharon Lynn, but most importantly, the whole team was very dedicated. The three newest members of the group, Xiao Han, Zhou Xuan and Wang Lei were impressively hardworking.

 We started the preparations in early February. With one month to prepare a 7-minute performance, I was initially optimistic since for the past ICN, we managed to pull it off with only a few days of preparations. But I clearly overestimated the time we had.  Even though we trained for two to three times per week, some parts of the show turned out to be out of sync on the day itself.  Especially for parts where I was involved, some of the movements were rather messy since I did not have enough time to practice my fights, having been too involved in choreographing and teaching the others.  But hopefully, we still managed to put up a good show for the few bystanders who were watching our performance in the MPSH.

 Performing for the Open House is a perfect avenue for new Wushu members to showcase what they can do. It is not a large-scale performance where making mistakes is a big issue. In fact before going onstage, my advice to my fellow Wushu performers was to go there, have fun and not to worry about anything else.  From my previous experience, we do not usually have a large crowd watching our performance during Open House, so I dare say accepting to perform for that event is simply a way to train up our new talents and allow them to broaden their experience so that they can guide other new freshies coming in next year.

 On that note, I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of my performers who worked diligently and persevered throughout the physically taxing training sessions.  This is after all the essence of Wushu: Determination, Perseverance, Patience.

KEVII WUSHU:
<Till the End, We Fight>

 
P.S.  The author would also like to thank KE PRESS for publishing this article.

KE7’s dotA club!

Writer: Akhilesh
Editor: Chia Hui Min

For the unaware, Defense of the Ancients (DotA) is a custom scenario for Warcraft III, based on the “Aeon of Strife” map for StarCraft. The objective of the scenario is to destroy the opponents’ “Ancient”. The two teams’ ancients are heavily guarded structures at opposing corners of the map.

Eddie from Block A describes this game otherwise however. Using 5 words, he describes the game that he has been playing for the past 5 years: “Owning! Imba! KS-er! Leaver! Stunner!”

It is amazing how guys get addicted to a particular game and I am speaking with experience, although Eddie claims that DotA is not an addiction for him. Ah well, we all know that DotA is not an ‘addiction’. (I hope you can catch the sarcasm!) The strategy and tactics involved in the game make it more than just a mindless computer game and that is what he likes most about the game.

Eddie’s fondest memory of the game was when he went to play the game at Coronation Plaza between two ‘A’ Level Examinations, which supports his claim for the game being a stress buster. Nowadays, he does not have time to play other games. (Hmmm…I wonder why?) Spiritbreaker and Lightning Revenant are his favourite characters, as they can run very fast. According to him his weakness lies in his inability to decide when to retreat whereas his strength is his peaceful mannerisms with his teammates. He is very modest in stating that he is quite lousy at the game and is not as hardcore a gamer as other people.

“Battle Fury sucks” is all he wanted to tell his counterparts. (I guess a true gamer does not disclose much information). My final question to him was, “Do you use cheats?”

Eddie answered, “HELL NO! THAT SPOILS THE BEAUTIFUL GAME!”

And with this, we now hope that you have a better idea of what DotA is about. As many of us know by now, there is a DotA club in hall, led by none other than our KEWOC 08/09 head, Chong Kah Hsiung! Here are some interviews conducted by Xiao Shuang, with the chairperson and a member of this club. Read on to see what they have to say!

DotA with Kah Hsiung and Wu Hong
by: Ling Xiao Shuang
Editor: Chia Hui Min

Why do you want to play DotA?

KH: Initially I was forced to, but then later I became the one who forced others and slowly this committee grew to more than 20 people. Some of my members said it is a way to escape from being hooked by your girlfriends.

Playing with humans instead of the computer is more fun. Another reason is more and more people want to escape from similar tragedy.

WH: I play DotA to de-stress, to make friends and to know one’s true self. One will reveal his true colors in a few rounds of DotA.

 

What can you learn from DotA?

KH: This game is highly dependent on EQ. It unveils the innermost part of you without knowing. I do not learn much about the game but I learn more about the behavior of guys through the game and also their girlfriends in reality. I learnt that all guys are envious of me over my truly supportive girlfriend too. Credit has to go to her for the success of this club. No prize for guessing my girlfriend right? Try guessing the girlfriends of the other members!

 

Wu Hong, I heard that you previously stopped playing for a while. Why did that happen?

WH: That was when I first started playing DotA. I found it quite hard to strike a balance between DotA and my love life. After a few rounds of discussion, I finally found a balance between them. If anyone experiences problems in balancing your love life and DotA, please contact the president Kah Hsiung

 So it was Kah Hsiung that influenced you to play the game?

WH: Yes, he forced me to play even when I was sleeping!

  

What is the strategy that you use most frequently in the game?

KH: Some said farming is the best. Some advocate wind walk. But I believe that committing suicide overwhelms the others.

WH: Depends on which hero I am using. I like to use Earthshaker and Naga siren. I will farm then on!

 

 Have you experienced any side effects from the game?

KH: My CAP increases like the ascending KE staircases because I have better time management so that I have time to play DotA. Some of my members suffer mentally though when they realize 2 pairs of eyes are staring on the laptop screen.  

WH: No, it’s just a game. But I have learnt to manage my time because I have to find a balance between studies, love life and DotA. Also sometimes you need to learn how to be flexible and adapt yourself as each time I will play with different teammates.

 

 Do you plan to participate in DotA tournaments?

KH: We did have a plan last time. But we were busy with our studies so we abandoned it.

 

How do you grade your performance in a game?

KH: It depends on your chosen hero and also the capability of your enemy. Just like our participation rate in games depends on the mood of girlfriends.

WH: Below average. B-

 

 What is your overall view on DotA?

KH: NUS life is stressful enough. A DotA a day keeps your girlfriend away. Call 81187675 (editor’s note: Kah Hsiung’s number) to join the club!!

Epilogue (2003) Trailer

From the archives of KE, we present to you the trailer to Epilogue, a King Edward VII Hall Dance & Theatre Fusion. Enjoy!

what our dance head thinks of DU! :)

Writer: Michelle Perera
Editor: Janice Fan

Yan Ling’s thoughts just before the show reflected the ceaseless efforts and undying enthusiasm that went into every moment of preparation…

 You’ve been talking about DU since last year, and the moment has finally come… how does it feel?

YL: Ha-ha! Yea I talk about dance everyday… I am excited! I mean like, it’s finally the day! We have been preparing for it since the start of sem and it’s finally the day to showcase it to the rest of the hall  

 Tell us a little bit about DU itself and the theme for the dance you are choreographing?

YL:  DU is a combined hall dance concert put together by dancers from the 6 halls of residence of NUS.  The theme for my dance… was inspired by the movie Chicago. It’s about 6 (reduced to 4 in my item) murderesses’ stories about how they ended up in the jail cells.

Your take on the KE dancers and co-choreographers?

YL:  This is probably the first time KE Dansdemonz has so many members. It has expanded from a small group to 60 dancers now! Many KE dancers actually had no dance background, but they are willing to learn. I am glad I have the help of my other 4 choreographers to make DU a success for KE hall. We come from different genres of dance background and that helps in making KE’s items diverse in genres.

Tell us about the preparation that went into DU this year?

YL:  We started quite early this year (since the start of sem). Practices of the different items are held separately on different days. Even though we have 60 dancers, many dancers are still involved in 2 items, some even 3!

What did you enjoy most about the process, and what did you hate the most?

YL: I had a lot of fun working with dancers in my item. They were very cooperative and that makes my job easier. The 4 guys in my item definitely play a big role in making my dance sessions lively and entertaining too ha-ha!

Hate the most? Maybe the times when I lacked inspiration and had to conduct a dance prac soon after and that increased my stress level ha-ha.

 Tell us about your experiences with the other halls, especially at the combined hall dance rehearsals.

YL: I am actually not involved in the combined hall item myself. KE sent 2 dancers- Esther Cheng and Lee Jia Ying to represent KE hall in the item. These girls are amazing! There was once a time when the combined hall item practice was held from 1am-4am (just so everyone from all the halls could turn up)! My own experience of working with the other halls is more of on the admin side? There was once when the dance chairs had an online meeting at 1am too (not surprising; hall people likes to work at the wee hours of the night). I enjoyed working with them and got to know more dancers from the other halls.

Your future plans for KE Dansdemonz?

YL:  Ha-ha! Perhaps we can try even more genres! But that also depends on the dance talents that we have. As you know, we do not have a dance instructor, so workshops and choreographies are conducted and done by our own members/ seniors/ alumni. I hope that one day; KE can also have our own dance production, like some of the other halls. Last time it was not possible because we lack members but given the current number of dancers this year, this dream may just come true soon!

Editor’s note: Indeed, we look forward to this dream coming true too!