KEEP

by: Max Yam, a prominent alumnus of King Edward VII Hall

It has come to this time of the year again for KE, a new leader is going to be chosen by the residents. I applaud the change of the election system to just have formal election for the President and Vice-President. In the past we had to get all the positions of the JCRC to go through election. Since this change has taken place we have seen (probably) unprecedented level of active participation of hall residents, both as candidates and voters.

Changes do happen in the long history of KE, which is still in making. However certain things are so essential that they become the essence of KE. Say the JCRC. The new going-to-be-chosen leader will lead the 54th JCRC. From the title you know this system has existed for 53 years. Actually I’m not very sure about the number, but what is sure is that the hall was officially formed iin 1957, since then the system of JCRC has been in placed. (The fact that KE is over 90 years old is because we normally add in the pre-KE years i.e. when KE was not called KE, just like NUS is over 100 years old, but the current name and structure of the university are formed in the 1980s.)

Ya, KE is this old. During this period of considering the options and making decision, many residents would think what KE is all about, what is important to KE, what KE need, “KE is so old… so what?”… etc etc.

When KE celebrated her 90th birthday a few years ago, I am honoured to be given a chance to be involved in a team to produce a book for this special occasion. It is not a yearbook. It does not feature the events, activities, accomplishments and every residents’ passport-size photos. This book is called “KEEP”.

The editorial team which is made up of alumni did not have a format for this book. The only requirement given by Master is, it must contain a lot of photos. That’s it. We started by digging out photos (literally digging out the hardcopies! and there wasn’t a systematic way to store the digital photos as well!), approaching the previous masters, looking for prominent ex-Keviians and office staffs… hoping to tell a story of KE that is special, complete and interesting.

During the research process, we had lunch with alumni who sabo-ed the ex-Prime Minister of Malaysia when he was studying medicine here; we tasted the same breakfast that Keviians had 30 years ago, using the same cutlery, prepared by the same canteen uncle who served for almost 40 years; we saw residence of previous Masters that is so far away from the residents’ rooms which explains why they were a lot naughtier back then… All these experiences lead us to structuring the book into seven chapters, namely Places, People, Activities, Life, Moments, Emotions, and The Past & The Present. This is how we see KE, in a systematic way.

Yes, originally KE is merely a hostel, that had been destroyed during World War II, rebuilt at the same place, renamed to King Edward VII Hall, moved from SGH campus to the current slope on Kent Ridge, with unrivaled sea view. Going through all these changes, including the diminishing sea view because of PGP, KE still stands still on this slope. But without the people, KE is just an empty hostel.

Over the years, there has been drastic changes in the proportions of the people’s nationalities, field of study and even gender. KE started as an all-male hall solely for medicine students. Now, we all know how the mix is like. Freshmen, KEWOCs, Floaters, seniors, blockmates, heads, vice-heads, JCRCs of both genders, from all kinds of background form a big chunk of the people in KE. Each possesses different talents and skills and plays different roles. Together, with the office staff, RFs and Master, form an integrated community of people, that work with each other, play with each other, rely on each other, learn from each other, grow with each other. There is always ONLY ONE people of KE.

The people of KE join many different kinds of activities. Almost everyone started off with the orientation, a must-have event which in the past, features endless ‘sabo’s served by the seniors, specially for the freshmen; and now handled by a group of friendly and dedicated seniors with only one aim in heart: to make sure the freshmen bond with the rest of the people and become ONE people as fast as possible, in a way that is as fun, exciting, and memorable as possible. With a group of juniors with a strong sense of belonging and spirit in KE, a variety of activities starts with careful planning and passionate execution. From a 36-year old Hall Play to a baby KE Titans, each has its own history, aim, agenda and style, together they contribute to a vibrant hall life that is filled with ideas, creativity, determination, knowledge, experience, sweat and blood of the KE people from year one to the alumni. Some activities just fade away, such as bodybuilding and fencing, but new ones are also born to fill in the space to continue uplifting the name and status of KE among the six halls and in the campus.

The life in hall has also gone through changes. In the past Keviians could enjoy alcohol openly in the canteen (not sure if it’s legal..); now there is always reasons for suppers: ROCKE supper, welcoming supper, Hall Play supper, block suppers, East Wing supper, West Wing supper, welfare supper, exam supper……….. (whew..). Personally I couldn’t forget walking down to NUH at 1am to have a bowl of nice mango sunrise after debriefing, and witness the latest couples cultivating their relationships there. Hall life is everything about fun. Fun with a big group of people, the people of KE.

There are moments that hugely affects KE and her people in various ways. Some say the new University Town will hugely affect KE’s status. But KE has been through events that are no less significant. World War II killed 11 residents, the hall was given a new name and a new governing system, admission of females and non-medical students, a big move of the hall to Kent Ridge, physically joining the university community, the introduction of PGP that instantly increased number of students staying in campus by 100 percent… All of these are tsunamis at their times of existence. But none has effectively affected KE and her people’s belief in themselves and determination to strive forward in making a history that continuously becomes more glorious than ever.

Activities, hall life and moments bring emotions to the people. Being Keviians is not just about having fun. When our badminton players won a long-awaited gold medal in IHG, all of us smiled and felt proud. The next year we couldn’t as we lost again. When we lost in Rag Day, freshmen, floaters, seniors and alumni cried together. A few years later we fought back and got the biggest award. When the stage curtain closed after a show has ended, the whole Hall Play family shouted and hugged with joy of satisfaction. There is certainly a lot more different emotions that occur in Keviians’ experience. And it’s this unique mix of emotions that makes KE so special and even irreplaceable, and every Keviian’s experience has got to be so memorable and unforgettable.

The last chapter of the book is “The Past & The Present”. I’m not going to talk much about this chapter. Everyone who are reading this now will become the past in a few years time. Everyone is making the history of KE in one way or another. There is alumnus who was JCRC President in the past and became SCRC member now. There is couple who met in KE, got married, and sent their children to KE. You are going to decide for yourself how you want to be included in KE’s history.

You might wonder why this book is called KEEP. Certainly we want everyone who got the book will KEEP it nicely. But the more important reason is: It is made up of KE and EP. I don’t think there’s a need to explain KE. And EP means extended play, which is a record or CD that contains more music than a single but shorter than an LP/full album. It symbolizes the quite-long-but-not-long-enough period of 90 years of KE, which further brings out the significance of the current and future generations of Keviians in forever writing the history. On one side, KE is an old hall with rich heritage; on the other side, EP is the spirit of ‘still-not-enough’ that drives Keviians to strive, to seek, to serve.

I thank you for reading until this part. And with this long explanation of KEEP, I urge you to choose a leader who can live up to the expectations. The expectations of KE and EP.

Thank you.

*If you are interested to read KEEP, there are some copies in the JCRC room, you may ask for it from the JCRC to have a look. Or you may view the digital version here: http://k-e-e-p.blogspot.com/.

Suggestions for the Upcoming 54th JCRC

Please share your views on our Hall Forum (partially under construction) here: http://kevii.nus.edu.sg/forum/viewforum.php?f=4&st=0&sk=t&sd=d&start=0

You will need to create an account before posting :)

The Love-Hate relationship

Written by: Jeremy Auw & Sarah Lah

In this feature, we wanted to find out what KEVIIans think of our hall. To get a representative opinion, we approached one of the “grassroots leaders “of KE7 – none other than Hui Min, CD block head! Let’s hear what she has to say:

All ready to be interviewed!

Interview with Chia Hui Min, CD Block Head

1) How did you feel about KE7 when you first came in?

The first thought I had was – “so many stairs!” Especially since I stayed in D block in year 1, the walk to the dining hall was long and arduous. But the rooms in KE7 are spacious so I guess that makes up for the stairs!

2) How is it like being the block head for CD block after a semester?

Fun and tiring. It’s heartwarming to see blockers have fun and enjoy themselves during block events! It’s great getting to know most of the blockers too. Organising block events and having to do admin stuff can be quite tiring, but all’s fine with my fantastic block committee!

3) Have your perspectives of KE7 changed? If so, how?

In year 1, I used to think East Wing was a very quiet place but I think East Wing is a lot more happening this year! The freshies are quite crazy and noisy (in a good way of course) so that adds a lot of life here. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear random shouts and laughter in the middle of the night anymore (laughs)!

4) What do you like about KE7?

It’s near to Science so even if I oversleep (which unfortunately happens quite often), I’d only be a few minutes late for lessons. I also look forward to dinnertime because it’s a time to de-stress and chat with my friends. I guess that makes the food more bearable (laughs)!

5) What do you dislike about KE7?

Probably still the stairs, but my room is near the bus stop so I can’t complain much!

With the noticeboard!

The 53rd JCRC: Who Do You Think Will Win?

Forum #5: Chinese Drama – Passer-By

What Do You Think Of It?

Opinions: What does KE mean to you?

By Dominic Chen. The aim of the article is not to get people to agree with what he says but to get people to think about it and to generate discussion.

As a person who has stayed in KE for four years, it is time to reflect on what KE means to me and the hopes I have of KE and KEVIIans in the future.

To better understand KE, we must first define what a hall is. Firstly, KE is a hall of residence. It is the second home for the Singaporean and non-Singaporean NUS students living in it.

Secondly, KE hall is a place of communal living. It is not just a few blocks of buildings resembling condominiums in the forest. It is a place where people live and interact with one another.

Thirdly, KE hall is a community. It is about a collection of people working and playing together for greater purposes, learning new things in the process and forming genuine friendships (some deeper than others) that lasts beyond the transient time spent in NUS.

I guess everyone would have a different answer to the question above. But in this article, this would be my answer.

KE is a place where people become better people. KEVIIans get to try new things without undue pressure or blame; in fact, it is one of the only places that I know of that people are so willing and patient to teach and impart from scratch and push individuals to their potential. KE has never been blessed with the best of talent or even the necessary resources. However, KEVIIans have always strove to work with what they have and are always thankful for the resources and the time given by various KEVIIans for the endeavour, regardless of the result. It is a community of people that always wants to learn things that an NUS education would never provide through activities like XQRJ, Hall Play, sports, block comm., and many other worthy hall pursuits. Finally, KE holds many memories of a vibrant and diverse hall life for KEVIIans and the many friendships forged through much time spent doing things together and the countless suppers with friends.

KE is an evolving creature. The KE I know of when I entered is different from the KE that I live in now. KE is much more dynamic and hall is progressing thanks to the efforts of many KEVIIans past and present. It is the ardent hope of yours truly that KE continues to be a place of learning, character building, to make great friends and a place that KEVIIans call HOME.

Forum #1

Forum is a new column where readers of this blog are invited to give their opinions regarding issues that will be posted up from time to time. KE Press would like to promote intellectual, critical thinking and bring out the writer in everyone who reads this blog. Opinions can be in English or Chinese (preferably with an English translation). The use of abbreviations and slang are not recommended :)

For our first topic:

“Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open and connected.

Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.”

Facebook. Is it essential in your life? How has it influenced you? Has it enhanced your social circle or has your stalking abilities grown? Discuss.

Opinions: Of Toilets

Opinions is a new column where KEVIIans of all generations put their thoughts into words. KE Press welcomes submissions of any kind, including writeups that have no connections with KEVII at all. Just send them to keviihall[at]gmail.com (only accessible to the 2 heads of KE Press). Should you choose to remain anonymous, your anonymity will be protected. The article is subject to editing.

For our first opinion this year, BIPOLAR picks on toilets in general. Touchy issue? You decide.

Human beings have been educating each other about courtesy for centuries now. Perhaps having evolved from lesser animals we are instinctually somewhat barbaric, often times we do not know what is good for ourselves, and we do not know how to commiserate with others. Still, c’est la vie, and life must move on, eh?

To err is human. Once a while, accidents happen. You annoyed your neighbor so much that he/she went postal, you stole somebody’s supply of fruit from the refrigerator, or maybe, you had a real accident.

The porcelain bowl is a receptacle for many things. It’s almost pure magic, just dump something in there, apply some weight on a metallic button or tug on a handle and it swirls out of your sight, with a hearty roar that pleases the heart. Still, it isn’t foolproof, apparently, judging by how certain things that were supposed to disappear into the dark corners of time failed to do so. The toilet bowl suffers no fools; if it even feels the slightest loss of respect it spews all your crap out and doesn’t give a care if it gets dirty in the process. After all, it is a receptacle for many things, much like a magician’s hat.

Remember how we were talking about courtesy and it being a virtue too hard to be taught? Looking at the states of some of our dear friends the magic bowl, can you not help but feel ashamed or the slightest bit guilty? If you don’t, and perhaps many of you really don’t, then something is really inadequate with the way they teach you courtesy (AND HYGIENE) in your mother-ship. A few things that you must have seen include these:

1. The spectacular crap-fest. There is a ginormous hole in the bowl, which is why it is called the bowl. That hole is large enough for a person’s head to fit in there so why can’t your rear end balance nicely on the seat? On occasion, you are left gaping at the sight before you, scratching your head wondering if the person who had used it previously had explosive diarrhea, really loose rectal sphincters or used a fan to spin the matter onto every surface possible, fresh upon leaving the body. Why, people, why do we have to deal with chocolate coated toilet bowls, and not the inside, mind you.

2. The alabaster marred by treacle. Ladies, you are supposed to sit on the toilet bowl. Not levitate above them or cause other people to desire to leave a clear one inch gap between their skin and the seat. If you girls all sit on the bowl, feeling the warmth of the plastic seat cover pressed against your flesh, and micturating into the huge hole beneath, there, by right, should be no accidents. Urine should not be leaving yellowish stains on the seat, and even if they do, why are they still there when the next person enters?

3. The fountain of gold. Boys spray. Their anatomy allows them to spray, glorious jets of urine. They really shouldn’t abuse that power though, and start practicing their aim. Is there really a need to spell every single thing out? Seriously, dudes. It’s obvious that the big, gaping hole is where the pee goes too, not all over the place.

4. Inanimate non-living things bleed now. Need I say more? Well, if you accidentally-purposely left a stain of hemoglobin on the seat, you really shouldn’t be leaving it there, waiting for oxidation to take place. Do you really care if it turns brown or not? It really isn’t very hard to pick up a piece of toilet paper and wiping the stain away. Not everybody wants to know when you are menstruating and when you are not.

5. The choker. You choke when you enter because the stench is strong enough to get 10 men high. (refer to malaysian’s sniffing cowdung thing) The acrid mixture of stale urine and percolating feces is awesome, which is why many people don’t seem to grasp the concept of flushing. Or maybe they secretly use their own excrements as a substitute for marijuana. Some things in life you use in moderation, the toilet bowl is not one of them. The flush is there for a reason. While there is no need to double or triple flush when everything that needs to be out of sight is out of sight, exercise the courtesy that you have been taught and flush the darned load away. Please. For the sake of everyone who needs to use the cubicle after you.

6. WTH moments. Why are they strange things looking back at me from within the bowl, sadly soaking in the shallow pool of water? Strange things like vegetables, flower-infusion tea, an assortment of pubic hair, etc. Life is odd enough, and we really wonder why you leave your private hair collection in plain sight, for the world to see. Yes, if you choose to trim your pubic hair, for whatever reason (there is no judgment here), it is only polite to dispose of them neatly. Or better yet, Without A Trace.

Civilization has progressed from Man leaving their business in sidewalks or near shrubbery. At least most of our mother-ships have progressed, some ostensibly more than others. Catch up with the times, defecate neatly, micturate with elegance, leave the avant-garde art pieces for your own mother-ship, or the wilderness. Let’s all enable ourselves to use the bathrooms with peace of mind, and not perch on the seat precariously, mind jumbling and fumbling with the various horrendous possibilities that the toilet bowl could be a disgusting fomite.

Malaysian Night 2008: The audience’s perspective

Author: Nicholas Ng

Food. Dance. Laughter. Just a typical night in KEVII? Not so. Malaysia Night 2008 Identiti, unlike ordinary nights in KE, cost $6, whereas an ordinary night in KE would cost you $10.71 to $7.14, the latter if you were one of those in the double rooms. The food, though, proved to be much nicer than the usual fare. Nasi Bryani, Mee Goreng, Yam Cake, Spring Rolls and other foods that seemed vaguely Malaysian added spice to the monotony of KE palates, though we can ignore the authenticity of the fare, since, in this day and age, who cares where food is from anymore? Malaysian, Singaporean, Chinese, Timbuktu-an, from Sheares, from KE… It’s whose stomach it ends up in that matters.

And what a variety of stomachs it went into. The Chinese, the Malaysian seniors, the Vietnamese, the exchange students from all over. And I, in the lone Singaporean cluster, feeling truly, like a little red dot. Ironic, that in my homeland, I would feel like a foreigner among foreigners. As I watched the Malay dance performance, though, I could not help but feel that this was not so different from what I was used to, back in school, where Malay, Chinese, and Indian cultural performances were a guarantee at every Teacher’s Day, Racial Harmony Day, and whatever other day that the dancers could rehearse for. The cat calls and wolf whistles, the sabo-ing, even the going back for more food, was more than just Malaysian. This was a night meant for everybody to enjoy.

Everybody had fun watching the participants do the Bamboo Dance, but I felt that the Teh Tarik game was more rewarding to watch. And it wasn’t about how funny it was seeing the participants try to entertain us without spilling the tea. Rather, the best part came when we saw teamwork between the participants, helping each other execute the moves. It was touching, to see Malaysian, Vietnamese, and Chinese alike, interlocking arms, or holding cups, even if the tea did spill. Although, in this competition, there was only one winner declared, the real winner that night was the KEVIIan spirit.

Nicholas Chai in Action

And as the entire Malaysian Night Committee came onstage to sing the song that was self-composed, I was nearly moved to tears. The lyrics and melody were nicely arranged, but it was the combined voices of the 24 freshmen, singing as one, for all the world to hear, that touched me. Here was a group of young students, far away from their family, and their homes, but they’d managed to find their own family down here, and in presenting to us a successful Malaysian Night, showed that they could work together and accomplish goals together, as a cohesive unit.

But, as a senior rightly put later that night, as photographs were taken and joy was spread all around, the idea is not to be a single unit. Whatever our nation, faculty, or year, being part of this community in KEVII, we should not become an exclusive micelle that chases “different” people away. Instead, we should make use of our versatility to help the minorities feel welcome, and loved, and give them a family that they can enjoy, as much as we would like one, if we ourselves were in a foreign land. Even a simple “How are you?” or a nod and a smile, can go a long way. Let us show kindness and care to our neighbours, friends, brothers and sisters, in this place we call home.

We came to watch a performance. What we experienced, was a celebration, not just of all things Malaysian, but of love, cohesiveness, and spirit.

The Committee with Dr. Seow

Edited by: Jonathan Chan
Photography by: Kok Pun & Weiqin 

Malaysian Night 2008: A participant’s perspective

Author: Reuben Lim and Nicholas Chai

Debriefing

In the run up to the actual event on 6^th September, many loose ends had to be tied up. From the number of people attending, and the variety of food that would be provided, to sponsorships, the hall decorations, arrangements and also the programmes scheduled.

 

Ticketing proved to be a main concern. Due to low sales of tickets initially till the last week before Malaysian night, barely 50 tickets were sold! The original estimate was to sell 200 tickets.

Rehearsing the Theme Song

 

Then there was the question of conducting practices. As there were many parts of the programme that needed to be practised, the very first dry run took well over 5 hours, lasting into the early morning. From the grand entrance of the guest of honour to the finale, everything needed to be repeated several times in order to perfect the transitions and special effects like the background music, and lighting.

 

Fine details like how people stood during the fashion show, sketch dialogue, microphone passing, dance synchronisation and MC coordination took a lot of time to iron out. Changing in and out of several costumes and props placement also proved to be a challenge.

Debriefing

 

The second dry run just on the night before Saturday took till 4 a.m. It was after that where everyone pulled themselves together and, with an avid audience of 120 with 144 tickets sold, produced a beautiful and fabulous Malaysian Night!

As the realization that Malaysian Night 2008 has come to its end seeps in. We remember that the road to our success for the night hadn’t always been smooth journey, for myriad reasons,  yet we remember the different personalities that had a hand in making the journey so memorable. It clear that nothing would have been achieved if not for the tolerance and magnanimity of the chairman – Mr Lim Ken Juin.

He is, what I would call, a diamond in the rough. He may not be the best dancer or singer, nor is he a showman, adept to impressing the crowd that was present on Saturday night, but he is, undeniably, one of the most inspirational leaders one would ever come across. Although inexperienced, even uncertain at the start, he earned the respect of each and every Malaysian with his ability to rise to challenges, of which literally forced him to bend forward and back and shake some ass (he was in Indian dance, in case you haven’t noticed). It is an understatement to say that we owed the night to dear old Ken Juin, because without him everything would have evaporated to nothingness.

And who can depict “nothingness” more than Gavin Cheah, who stripped down to nothingness for the sake of art. Clothed only in traditional Malaysian aborigines’ costume (this included a piece of cawat that covered his ‘essential’ body parts). When asked about what ran through his mind during those few seconds of strutting down the aisle au-naturale, our mascot of the night suddenly lost his penchant for words. I guess those few minutes of public display was probably the most daring act ever done by him.

Finally, let us not forget the silent workforce that had slogged till wee hours of the night. Credit especially to Hui Wen and her team for sacrificing not only their beauty sleep but also for exhausting their minds in designing the banner which hung over the common hall stage.

“As Malaysians, you are versatile, but being versatile doesn’t necessarily mean excellence. Excellence can only be obtained through grit and hard work, and if each and every one of you worked together as one. And I saw the excellence unfold before my very eyes, tonight.”

-An unnamed Malaysian senior to the participants

Edited by: Jonathan Chan
Photography by: Kok Pun & Weiqin