Pubz Comm wishes to congratulate both Hall Play and XQRJ for the success of their events, held last week.

Some pictures for everyone to enjoy while waiting for our 2nd newsletter Imagine to come out in early March:-

HALL PLAY: Till we have Faces

10th Xing Qing Rong Ji

December holidays is said to be the time when XQRJ committee members work the hardest. To find out what these guys are up to for the 10th edition of Xin Qing Rong Ji, we met up with Koh Yueting, this year’s XQRJ head.

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Guest Profile

Name: Koh Yueting
Faculty/Year: Pharmacy/ Year 2
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• Can you first tell us what XQRJ is about?

XQRJ is one of the largest National Chinese Song Writing Competition organized specially for Singaporean and Malaysian students. Our grand final, which will be held in NUS UCC this year, will compose of live band performances by the finalists and our guest artiste.

• How did you become XQRJ head? How is the experience so far?

I took quite some time to consider about it actually. But I knew it will be a totally new experience leading a fresh batch of people and until now, I have not regretted once. Even though the X-room is always filled with laughter, X10 members still manage to get things done on time nicely. I’m also very glad that they feel a sense of attachment to this committee, even proposing to wear XQRJ shirt on every Monday. I enjoy myself working with all of them.

• Recently XQRJ committee went on a holiday trip? Can you tell us more?

Yup! We went on a 3 days trip to Genting, KL and Malacca. A number of us went to these places before but with a different bunch of people, we get different and new memories. It was a budget trip but we managed to cover many renowned places of the cities and most importantly, tasted their mouth-watery dishes. It was a worthwhile trip. We discovered more things and secrets, and we learnt to look out for one another.

• How are the preparations so far? What is the current schedule?

Currently, we are preparing for our preliminary round, which will be held on 22nd Dec 07, and simultaneously carrying out publicity at a 9-day carnival. A lot of publicity booths and roadshows will be on the way as we start selling tickets and the team begins planning for the Grand Final on 3rd Feb 08. Many activities will be ongoing at the same time but I believe my team can handle multi-tasking very well =).

• What can we expect from XQRJ this year compared to last year?

As everyone is saying, this year is the 10^th XQRJ!! What we wish to achieve is to improve and expand it such that XQRJ can sustain for another 10 years and more. For example, the rebranding of XQRJ, setting up an online submission system and extending the submission to students in Malaysia. Of course we will not forget to celebrate our 10 years of successful journey while we bring to you interesting shows other than the live-band singing.

• XQRJ is a very taxing CCA. How do your members cope with commitment to the committee and other CCAs?

Yes, a lot of people have been saying XQRJ is taxing and crazy, haha. However many examples have shown it is possible to cope with other CCAs and XQRJ. I guess it all boils down to how they manage their time and plan ahead to join only those CCAs that they are able to commit and contribute to.

• Do you have any words for our fellow KEVIIans currently staying in hall this vacation for XQRJ and other CCAs?

Don’t feel so sad that you have to stay in hall during the vacation! No matter what you are working hard for, be it XQRJ, Hallplay or the sports, you will soon realize your efforts are worth it. It is only during university hall life that you can try out and be involved in these exciting events! Best of luck for all KEVIIans!

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Well well, isn’t it exciting that so much is happening in hall even during school vacation? Do drop by this coming Friday to find out how things are going on the Sports side!

Calling all KEVIIans, and non-KEVIIans too!

We took a bit of time off from catching up with the sports captains to ask Eng Seng, the head of XQRJ committee this year, how the mammoth task of organising the national songwriting competition is going. Each year, the heavy workload of maintaining the professional standards of the competition is shared by a small team of dedicated members, a quarter the size of the people that Hall Play has to work with! We are very impressed.

What is your expectation from your team members for this year? Up to now how do you rate their performance? (From 0 to 10, with 10 means ‘perfect’)

10!

Compare this year to last year, which batch do you think is better? In the terms of the bonding among team members? And in terms of the work being done?

In terms of bonding among team members: I dare say this batch is a better
in terms of work done: well, both batches did quite well, but I am sure there are still areas to be explored for improvement.

I heard that this year XQRJ has recruited 2 more members compared to last year, from 24 to 26. Why are you expanding the team? Will you ever consider recruiting even more, like hall play, which has 100 plus people?

We actually recruited 4 more so this year we have expanded from 24 to 28.
We feel that with our members being so active this year as to join so many CCAs besides XQRJ, we don’t want to burn them out, which is why we decided to spread their workload to more people. However, our strong internal bonding is one thing that we as XQRJians are most proud of and it is easiest achieved in a smaller comm.

I heard that you complained to your members that last year when you were only a member, you were “bullied” by your boss, but this year as a head, you are still bullied by your members to do a lot of work~ Is that true? And what is the major difference you think between a member and a leader?

Not really true. If given a chance I would rather do everything together with my members. But as a leader, you need to know when to step out of the circle at times, in order to see the big picture of the whole comm, to set the direction you want and direct your fellow members.

I noticed that every year among all the XQRJ members, female members are always much more than male members? Is it a “tradition”? Or there are some other reasons? Is it because all the three heads are guys?

We too want more guys in the comm. Just that, this year the proportion of male freshmen:female freshmen is unequal. We have more gals than guys, of course we end up with more females in XQRJ.

As we all know, XQRJ has cost you a lot of time. Is your personal life affected? For example, your study, and…dating time?

Ya. Definitely, in one way or another. My social circle is wider, knowing people from NUSSU to OSA, from Publishing House to Artistes. Although my studies might be affected from my busy life, my health deteriorated from countless sessions of burning midnight oil, it is worth it when we all share the fruit of joy after our Grand Final next year 27 Jan 2007. It is precisely the fact that we have been through all these hardships and enjoyment together that makes me treasure XQRJ most.

Can you please name one thing you like best and one thing you hate most in XQRJ.
I would say my members. They are bright, lively and one of my greatest enjoyments is watching them growing up, picking up new skills and making new friends day by day. They have enlivened my life.
Hmm.. there is nothing I hate about XQRJ.

Ok, the last question. What do you want to say to your members? (note from the editor: unfortunately we were only able to publish this inverview after the exams!)
Stay strong. Exam is just around the corner, study hard and study smart. After the exam, we shall “CHIONG” for XQRJ again. You guys have done a great job thus far. XQRJ is not only an arena for the song-writers to showcast their talents, it is also a platform for you all to explore and unleash your hidden talents. Give in your very best and I will ensure you a fruitful XQRJ year. You guys are the best!

- Interview by JZ