am dRE
An RP Alumni Newsletter Issue 4 Sept 2007
Everything starts from a dream
RP Official Opening Ceremony PM Lee graces visits and launches the woodlands campus
What’s H@ppening Keep fit with a Biathlon and Campus Relay Graduate Spotlight Little Miss Sunshine keeps us warm and fuzzy Watchout!! What does it take to make it to the runway?
+ Find out what you should really be snacking on!
Attention, attention! Dear readers, the RP woodlands campus is now official opened! In the recent quarter, RP saw her Official Opening Ceremony, where our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was invited to view the lovely campus and learn more about RP culture. It was an event witnessed by as many as 3000 students, which ended off with a wild dance party at the lawn – The RP J.U.M.P. (Jammin’ @ the United Music Party). Read all about these exciting events in What’s H@ppening(pg 2)! In addition, Republicans have been keeping healthy by taking part in sporting events organized by OSG’s Sports Development division. This includes the Round de Campus Relay (pg 7) and the RP Biathlon (pg 5), which saw RP staff and students come together in the spirit of healthy living. In addition, RP also graciously extended the invitation to neighbouring secondary schools and other polytechnics which saw their warm response and enthusiastic participation. Does your favourite reality TV show happen to be “Project Runway”? Well then, perhaps you should consider a career in Fashion Design! This issue’s career feature (pg 9) will dish you the highs and lows of being in the fashion industry, and exactly what it takes to get there. If you find yourself experiencing discomfort in your eyes and blurred vision, you may suffer from dry eyes. Not to fear, dREam’s Lifestyle Titbits will address any queries and worries you have about your protecting your eyes. Read All Dried Up (pg 10) to find out what is the root to your dry eye syndrome. In addition, for the health and weight conscious, we have an article contributed by our very own OSG staff, Michael Lim. He advises on what makes a health snack and why they are good for you. Want to get to know Michael better? Or, simply want to achieve a healthier, more radiant you? Check out Snack That! (pg 11) to find out more. Last but not least, we feature one of our very own graduates who returned to RP in an effort to contribute to one of our admin departments, Student Wellness (OSG). Find out more about Sarah-Ann in Graduate Spotlight (pg 16) and why she wanted to spend her vacation working in RP. In addition, if you know anyone you wish to recommend for the next Graduate Spotlight, please do not hesitate – email us at dream@rp.sg, now! From all at Graduate Services, we wish you another fantastic quarter, and we’ll catch you again in our next installment. Stay healthy, everyone! Graduate Services – Adding mileage to your bright future. Vanessa Choo Editor
Fiona Ong
PUBLISHER Office of Student and Graduate Affairs 9, Woodlands Avenue 9, Singapore 738964 EDITORIAL Editor Art work Advertising
Vanessa Choo dream@rp.sg Tay Ling tay_ling@rp.sg Vanessa Choo dream@rp.sg
Contributors Michael Lim Lim Kien Mau Tiffany Chan Fiona Ong Chua Si Min Stephanie Xanthe Gary Su General Enquiries dream@rp.sg or enquiry_grad@rp.sg URL www.myrp.sg/grad/ dREam. An RP Alumni Newsletter. Everything starts from a dream. dREam is a quarterly newsletter which will keep Graduates informed about the tools available for then, continual education, information, networking sessions and more, to achieve their aspirations. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed or implied in dREam are those os the authors or contributors and do no necessarily reflect those of the publisher.
Quiet by Nature!
Being a quiet person by nature, Fiona enjoys sitting in her balcony immersed in a good read and the company of her two-year old miniature pinscher. About 3 years ago, Fiona took up sport diving with a PADI dive centre out of curiousity for the underwater realm and also a self challenge to overcome the fear of the open sea. Getting comfortable with the idea of being 100 feet below and that your life depends on the scuba equipment that you don, surely did not sit very well initially. Diving turned into a passion, and most recently she became a PADI divemaster, leading fun diving trips in the Malaysian waters on weekends. Fiona believes that what stops us from trying lies in the being of oneself. As the lastest addition to the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs team, she certainly wants to provide support to all graduates, to prepare them for their new life after Republic Polytechnic! “Unless a man undertakes more than he possibly can do, he will never do all that he can.” - Henry Drummond
It was gloomy and raining for the longest time here, in Woodlands, but for the Woodlands Campus Official Opening Ceremony, the skies finally relented. Thankfully, after days of earnest prayers for good weather, the event went smoothly without a grey cloud in sight. It was warm and full of sunshine on the 31st of July 2007, where the Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong graced this much anticipated event. Staff and students of RP went through grueling planning in the past few months just for this special occasion, where PM Lee makes his first tour of our beautiful campus, and gets to understand more about our unique learning culture here in RP. The Official Opening Ceremony started with PM’s arrival at TRCC, where he was greeted by the lively Lion Dance and Dragon Dance troop, and received by over 600 enthusiastic students. PM Lee was received by P and an entourage of ministers and directors. The Prime Minister enjoyed some cultural performances in the Auditorium, before launching the Official Opening of the RP campus with Prof Low. Afterwhich, PM was led to the conference room to understand more about the RP campus from the award-winning Japanese architect himself, Mr. Fumihiko Maki. The PM was later led to the Agora for a tour of the exhibits put up by the various schools, centers and departments. He was introduced to various interesting projects which our students took part in, which really showed off their innovative minds and PBL skills. After the informative tour, the PM rounded off his trip to RP by launching the RP J.U.M.P. at the lawn.
RP official opening ceremony BY VANESSA CHOO
Around 3000 students and guests turned up for the RP J.U.M.P., which saw a myriad of captivating performances. The pre-party performances saw Rexaz, RP’s very own cheerleading squad, deal out some high-powered and acrobatic moves which got the crowd really excited. There were also bands performing, such as QED and Montage, who sang the crowd wild with rock tunes of all kinds. During the course of the performances, the crowd was also enjoying a free flow of buffet food and drinks. Not only so, in anticipation of the Guest-of-Honor, PM Lee Hsien Loong, who was to grace the event, Beats Encore helped get the crowd going with their rhythmic beats. Together with the War Cry contingent, the percussions IG worked the crowd to a high as groups of students lined up the lawn area to await PM Lee’s arrival. PM Lee finally arrives at the lawn area, and was greeted by our enthusiastic and excited students. They waved clappers in the air and reached out in hopes of receiving a handshake from our Prime Minister. PM Lee smiled widely at the huge response he received from the crowd as he made his way on stage. Joining him were other important guests – Chairman, Board of Governors, Mr Lee Hsien Yang; Minister for Education, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, and Principal/CEO for RP Prof Low Teck Seng. Together, our five VIPs officially launched the lawn party celebrations, kicking off the RP J.U.M.P. to a resounding start. Accompanying the launch were impressive light shows and confetti which thoroughly thrilled the crowd. After PM Lee and other important guests proceeded to the VIP area, performances for the RP J.U.M.P. began. These included performances by the Malay Cultural Group in the form of Dikir Barat, sizzling salsa by the Social Dance IG, and groovy moves by Style Methodz – RP’s renown Hip Hop group. However, the real jamming started after all the dance performances, where Jammers Arena band Himitsu and DJs from EMP rocked the house. The crowd really enjoyed themselves, and even when the emcees announced the end of the event at 11pm, there were still party enthusiasts who continued to dance the night away in their own groups. The first RP J.U.M.P. was a great success, thanks to the good collaboration between OSG and our event partners. Now that RP has experienced what the J.U.M.P. is like, the student population is sure to look forward to the next RP J.U.M.P. with lots of jammin’ and dancing.
Students from SIT and their bumbblebee mascot.
The Gamelan IG putting up a soothing performance.
17th August, 2007 marked a milestone for Republic Polytechnic as the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs (OSG) presented the very first RP biathlon. Though organized for the first time, with sponsors such as the Triathlon Association of Singapore as well as Arena and Powerbar, the event was recognized throughout Singapore’s biathlete community and was one not to be overlooked. The categories opened were the Bi-Lite category which consisted of 300m swim and 1.5km run. As well as a challenging Sprint category of 600m swim and 3km run. For those who were just out to have fun, there was also the Fun Swim and Run category where participants had to complete a 50m swim as well as a 400m run. The sprint category saw not only students from RP but representatives from institutions throughout Singapore including the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Polytechnic (SP), Nanyang Polytechnic (NP), Temasek Polytechnic (TP), ITE West, etc. who took part for the IVP wave. While many were new to participating in a biathlon and came with the goal of completing the biathlon to their personal best, seasoned biathletes ran and swam with the vision of a medal in mind. To add to the already professionally organized event, the Championchip which is used at events such as the OSIM Triathlon and Singapore Biathlon was introduced at the RP biathlon to record the swim and run timings providing accurate and comprehensive timings. Goodie bags which included a finisher singlet and products from Arena and Powerbar were given to all participants as well.
Colours at TRCC.
Minister for Health, Mr Khaw Boon Wan (center), makes his mark.
Though taking part in the biathlon exhausted many, mixed with the sweat and aches of each finisher was pride and a sense of achievement. The smiles on their faces proved the biathlon to be a s mashing success! Kudos to the OSG team for their efforts in helping us Embrace the Experience.
Chairman, Board of Governors, Mr Lee Hsien Yang (L) viewing a model of the RP campus. A unique Lion Dance performance with the setting sun as backdrop. Gone shopping! PM Lee Hsien Loong (center) is greeted by his brother (L) as he arrives in RP.
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Our VIPs about to launch the lawn celebrations
OSG st
Sharing a light moment with PM Lee.
Learning more about RP through exhibits at the Agora.
By Chua Si Min Stephanie Xanthe and Gary Su
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Rou n MAU
A total of 83 teams comprising 320 runners took to the road in the inaugural RP Round de Campus relay on Friday, 13 July 2007.
Let your ambitions fly high
www.educationuk.org.sg
lay
BY LIM KIEN
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Present to grace the event were Deputy Principal, Mr. Eden Liew, and Senior Director (Student Affairs) Mr. Ang Keng Loo, who helped flag off the race. The event, organised by OSG, aims to raise awareness and promote a healthy lifestyle among RP students and staff. It also serves to create an opportunity for all competitive interest groups in RP to test their fitness levels and to compete as a team. Participants from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Nanyang Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and Institute-Technical-Education (ITE) also competed in the race and put up a strong challenge against our RP runners to vie for the position as champion of the Open category. ITE proved to be the strongest contender and came in first. However, RP’s very own running teams swept 3 out of 5 trophies in the Open category, outperforming the rest of the institutions.
This event not only helps to foster goodwill and friendships through active participation in sports activities among the education institutions but also serves as a good bonding session for RP staff and students. Let’s work towards reaching greater heights for RP’s sporting culture and activities. One of the highlights of the event was also the lucky draw. We were very fortunate to have generous sponsors donate prizes to us. The crowd was both excited and tickled with anticipation as the prizes were given out. Prizes included Nike Products, MP3 players and a food hamper! Although the relay is over, participants enjoyed themselves thoroughly. However, there is still an important and fundamental message to be remembered while striving to lead a healthy lifestyle - Runs end but running doesn’t.
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Look Good in 10 Minutes Workshop (Club Republic) It is often said that it is a woman’s right to want to look good and people should not need a reason to put on make up just to look and feel good. Seven enthusiastic female members from RP’s Club Republic, participated in the Look Good in 10 Mins Workshop held on the 18th of May 2007 held at the professional make up academy, Make Up Forever.
The girls were briefed by instructor Liza and her two assistants, through the step-by-step procedure on how to put on make up in just 10 minutes. The 2 hour workshop also introduced the girls to the various make up apparatus and their different uses. Armed with an instructional card and the necessary equipment decked out in front of them, the girls tried their hand at applying their own make up, and soon find it easy and fun. by SEAN LIN Having given a chance to attend a make-up course thrills me a lot. The course provided a very clear and detailed explanation of the different parts of a face that we should know and take care of. This leads us to the basic foundation of make-up. Throughout the course, I learn a lot of different aspects of make-ups and this helps prepare me for future functions.
Although the participants took more than 10 minutes to perfect their make up, considering it was their first time, Liza was sure that they would be able to breeze through the procedure in just 10 minutes with ample practice. After completing their make up, the girls engaged in some good ole retail therapy by shopping for Make Up Forever products. There was a wide selection available for them to choose from and they were all grinning with glee. Some participants saw it as a good opportunity to invest in quality basic make up products, especially since they were able to redeem $15 worth of products from the $20 course fee. One thing is for certain - the girls had a fun and enriching time at the workshop, and left the academy feeling more confident than before. Armed with new make up knowledge, they now know how to look good in just 10 minutes!
FA S
There’s so much to fashion design: You could either carry your own label, or be supervising a design team at a sports wear company – both involving very different stress levels, of course. Many young designers start off their career wanting to make it big in the fashion industry by producing their own labels. But what they fail to realize is that it takes a lot of time, dedication and hard work before they can enjoy all the glamour. However, a career in this line can be both very stimulating and rewarding for those who manage to persevere.
HI O
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- Alice Ng, year 2 student and student member of Club Republic
Think you are destined to be a fashion designer? Well, then it’s more than likely that (a) your favourite past time as a child was dressing up Barbie, or (b) you’ve read more fashion magazines than textbooks in your lifetime. One thing is for sure, if you want to emerge as the next Michael Kors or Donna Karen, you have to be utterly obsessed with fashion and everything to do with it.
For the first time, the National Day observance was organised by students with music performances by our very own Beats Encore (Percussion IG) and the Wind Symphony who entertained the audience with percussion beats and national songs. In conjunction to the use of the world’s largest floating stage as the centerpiece of the birthday celebrations at Marina Bay, we had our own “Mini Float Design” contest, where students work in a team of four to design a mini float. Three of the 15 floats submitted were selected by Professor Low as the winning floats. The winning floats were selected based on their creativity of the use of materials and how it reflects Singapore as “a city of possibilities”. Each member from the winning teams walked away with IT gadgets, sponsored by CCC. The National Day observance ended with a solemn national anthem, reminding us how we are proud to be made in Singapore!
Whichever route, it is agreed in industry that the foundation for a design career is to obtain a degree in fashion design from a good school. Although we may not have the Parsons School of Design or Royal College of Art (Kensington Gore) in Singapore, but we do have good schools such as Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), which holds degrees in collaboration with foreign universities. NAFA has facilities such as design studios and workplaces for budding designers to nurture their creative flair and designing abilities. The courses offered focuses strongly on developing creative solutions for a variety of design projects, with strong emphasis on innovative and exciting design, pattern cutting and garment construction. Fashion design is a very dynamic and challenging career which serves as a great launch pad for many inspired youths to make it on a global platform. If you love fashion, have a creative flair, and do not mind hard work, then the fashion industry is the right place for you!
Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore! Singapore has turned 42! On 7 August 2007, students and staff celebrated our nation’s birthday in a one-hour celebration at the South Agora. The Republic Polytechnic National Day Observance 2007, organised by the Student Council Executive Committee in collaboration with the Centre for Culture and Communication (CCC), was graced by our guest-of-honour, Principal and CEO of Republic Polytechnic, Professor Low Teck Seng.
There are many ways to embark on the path of a fashion designer. Such as Ralph Lauren, who started off his empire by selling a small selection of ties to a local American departmental store, or like Michael Kors kicked off his fashion line by selling a collection at a small, trendy store in New York City, thereby building a whole network of customers.
by vanessa choo
Design schools in Singapore 1) Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) 2) Lasalle-SIA 3) Raffles Design Institute 4) Cavalry Italian Design School 5 Career Opportunities in the Fashion Industry 1) Costume Designer/ Coordinator (for Television, Film or Theatre) 2) Fashion Entrepreneur 3) Fashion Merchandiser/ Buyer 4) Fashion Stylist 5) Pattern Designer/ Maker
5 Questions to ask before enrolling 1) Does the course have links with industry? 2) Does it focus on the “right” technical skills? 3) Are there specialist modules to choose from in your preferred area i.e. Menswear? 4) Have tutors previously worked in the fashion industry? 5) Have those who previously studied on the course secured employment in the fashion industry?
Who is this famous designer?
Ans : Michael Kors
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SNACK THAT
ALL DRIED UP!
Are you experiencing blurred vision and irritation to your eyes? You may be suffering from dry eyes. What happens when your eyes do no receive enough moisture? Are there any solutions? Read on as Vanessa Choo reports.
By michael Lim
In order to maintain vision and comfort, our eyes depend on the amount of tears being released. Tears are secreted by special glands around our eyes. However, when a tear happens at these glands, we may experience dry eyes.
Signs of Dry Eyes Redness
Pain
At this day and age, we’ve all heard nutrition experts and dieticians recommend a “healthy balance” of proteins, carbohydrates and dietary fats based on an entire reservoir of good reasons. If they haven’t convinced you by then, they’d throw in all sorts of numbers to confuse you and ironically suggest that you should decide on an “adequate variety” to suit your personal needs.
Itching
A gritty sensation Blurring of vision Light sensitivity A feeling of a foreign body or sand in the eye
Let’s face it, we don’t know our bodies well enough to determine that we need 20% of our diets to be proteins, 65% of carbohydrates and 15% of fats. And we’re not sure if we’d be better off raising or lowering the various components of our diet. For that matter, we don’t even know if we’ll look and feel better if we chose one of those popular commercial diets.
Sometimes, a person with a dry eye will have excess tears running down the cheeks, which may seem confusing. The reason for this is that the eye isn’t getting enough lubrication and sends a distress signal through the nervous system for more lubrication. In response, the eye is flooded with tears to try to compensate for the underlying dryness. However, these tears are mostly water and lack the lubricating qualities of normal tears. In other words, they will wash debris away, but they will not coat the eye surface properly. In addition, because these emergency tears tend to arrive too late, the eye needs to regenerate and treatment is necessary.
Here at dREam, we like to keep things simple. We understand that life as a student and a graduate can be pretty hectic. Whether you’re at work or in class, those break times are precious and you’d want to pack them not only with food that keep you happy but also food that keeps you healthy. We would like to recommend 3 fuss-free foods that would certainly help to fill your palate with real tastes and your tummy with real goodness. Try them out with light meals or as snacks throughout the day to minimise overeating during main meal times or packing in the junk food, thereby also reducing the overloading of unnecessary nutrients and fats. 1. Bananas: These yellow fingers of goodness pack a valuable punch by providing one of the richest natural sources of carbohydrates, Vitamins A and B, and Potassium. These convenient foods are good to eat once out of the skin: that’s always good news for anyone who wants to save time or minimise on the unhealthy additions with processed foods.
Causes A more common cause for dry eyes the drying out of the tear film. This can be due to dry air created by air conditioning, heat, or other environmental conditions. Other conditions that may cause dry eyes are: • The natural aging process, especially during menopause. • Side effects of using certain medications such as antihistamines and birth control pills • Diseases that affect the ability to make tears, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and collagen vascular diseases. • Structural problems with the eyes that don’t allow them to close properly or a problem with the tear ducts. Treatment Though dry eyes cannot be cured, there are a number of steps that can be taken to treat them. 1) Artificial tear drops and ointments The most common treatment for dry eye is the use of artificial teardrops. Although artificial teardrops are available over the counter, no one type or brand works for everyone, so you might have to experiment to find the drop that works best for you. For those with chronic dry eye, it is important to use the drops even when your eyes feel fine, to keep them lubricated. If your eyes dry out while you sleep, you can use a thicker lubricant, such as an ointment, at night. 2) Temporary punctal occlusion This means to close the ducts that drain tears out of the eye. This involves a painless procedure where a plug that dissolves easily is inserted into the tear drain of the lower eyelid. This is a temporary procedure, done to determine whether permanent plugs can provide an adequate supply of tears.
Bananas can also give you give you that needed energy boost, albeit subtly through their naturally high content of Vitamin B3. Ditch that coffee-cup; use bananas to save your stomach and liver from the abrasive rush of caffine 3) Permanent punctal occlusion If temporary plugging of the tear drains works well, then silicone plugs (punctal occlusion) may be used. The plugs will hold tears around the eyes as long as they are in place. The process of inserting the silicone plugs is reversible. In rare occassions, the plugs may come out spontaneously or migrate down the tear drain. The response to this treatment has been positive, where many patients find that the plugs improve comfort and reduce the need for artificial tears.
2. Berries: Specifically, the blackberry, blueberry and cranberry. These little fleshy fruits can be likened to anti-oxidant grenades. Small but mighty, they contain concentrated plant pigments and complex organic compounds (polyphenols) in their peel and seeds, giving them one of the highest oxygen radical absorbance capacities among plant foods. To make them invaluable to our fast-paced generation, they’re easy to clean, light and always great to eat.
4) Restasis The FDA approved the prescription eye drop Restasis for the treatment of chronic dry eye in 2002. It is currently the only prescription eye drop that helps eyes increase their own tear production with continued use.
3. Nuts: Nuts make a great meal replacement, supplement or even snack. We don’t mean those evil salted packs here; go natural! Pick and mix a range of these dried delights – they’re an ideal source of protein and cost less than their equivalents on the meat shelf. Besides, epidemiological studies in recent years have highlighted that consumption of almonds and walnuts have a direct influence on reducing blood level cholesterol concentrations and the chances of developing coronary heart diseases. Purchase them fresh off the supermarket shelves or in ready-mixed snack packs with other goodies like muesli, granola and dried fruits.
5) Surgery If needed, the ducts that drain tears into the nose can be permanently closed to allow more tears to remain around the eye. This is done with local anesthetic on an outpatient basis. There are no limitations in activity after having this surgery.
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It’s time to keep fit - take part in the Singapore Iron Man 70.3 Triathlon today! Time of Event : 7.30 a.m. Venue: East Coast Park & Marina Floating Platform 09
Bring out those lanterns gather for an evening stroll to celebrate the Mid Autumn Festival
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Don’t forget! It’s International Alzeimer’s Day.
Love the fast and challenging game of Frisbee? Join a Frisbee workshop and learn to play like a Pro! Visit MDIS for details.
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Craving for some evergreen tunes? Catch “4 Asian Divas Live in Singapore” for Mandarin, English and Cantonese oldies. Tickets from $68. Visit Sistic for more details. 16
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The 14th Singapore Cricket Club International Hockey Sixes Tournament 2007 happens as The Padang, admission is free.
Catch the HSBC World Cup Wakeboarding Finals at Bedok Reservoir! 30 Have a little heart, today is World Heart Day.
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Puzzled about what woman want, or just curious about how to have a lasting relationship? Join the ‘Enhancing Relationships Workshop-The Dating Game!’ Visit MDIS for more info
da:ns festival is Esplanade’s annual dance festival, a rich celebration of movement that embraces all dance forms, from ballet to hiphop. Visit www.esplanade.com.sg now to learn more.
It’s time to commemorate the end of Ramadhan. Let’s celebrate Hari Raya Puasa!
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Take part in the FINA 10-km World Cup Singapore, which selects participants who will make it to the 2008 Olympic Games. Visit www.fina.org for more. 14
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Singapore Sun Festival occurs from 18 – 30 October 2007, featuring exciting concerts, visual arts, film and food. For more info, visit www. singaporesunfestival.com 21
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Take time off to relax after a long day’s work. Join MDIS Yoga class! Fees: $45. Visit MDIS for more info 28
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RP J.U.M.P. Our war cry champions.
NATIONAL DAY OBSERVANCE Beats Encore members looking pretty in red.
Wow, that’s huge! The directors from various schools, centres, and offices enjoyed themselves with Prof Low.
Style Methodz got the crowd wild and groovin’!
Crowds and crowds of students!
Repulicans saw the new banner to the Students’ Lounge area. Wind Symphony enchated us all.
Beats Encore had a smashin’ good time.
The National Day Observance saw RP decked out in red and white. JCG did an alternative performance.
ROUND DE CAMPUS
RP BIATHALON Colours of Team Republic high in the skies.
Excited students awaiting the party! PM Lee (center) immersed deep in conversation.
Participants enjoyed the lovely voices of our Dikir Barat singers.
First leg runners getting ready to go! Benjamin Seow from OSG makes his way Round de Campus. SDSA Mr. Ang Keng Loo (R) was present to grace the event. This award winner is Xanthe (L), the author for the article written on page 5!
Participants from neighbouring secondary schools.
The swimmers competed fiercely. CED brings a message across.
Freebies, anyone? “On your mark!”
We love OSG!
The enthusiastic supporters.
A competitor finishing his run.
Talented RP staff perform on stage.
The lovely decorations around campus.
Feeling sexy? It msut be our salsa dancers at work.
FILE INFORMATION Name: Tan Liang Ling Sarah-Ann Age: 20 Dip: Diploma in Biomedical Science Current Job: Singapore General Hospital attachment Backgrd: AY06/07 Honorary General Secretary 4th Student Council EXCO representative of Adventure Learning Club
Little Miss Sunshine!
Her brilliant smile won her the title of Little Miss Sunshine in our hearts – Sarah-Ann Tan hooks up with dREam and shares her experiences working in her alma matar, in the Office of Student and Graduate Affairs. By Vanessa Choo
Why did you decide to come back to RP to work as a temp staff? I was hesitant in committing to a permanent job as I was still involved in some Student Council matters. I was approached and asked whether I wanted to work in Office of Student and Graduate affairs (OSG), I thought to myself, “Why not get paid whilst doing fulfilling my responsibility with the Student Council?” So now, here I am working in OSG. Tell us the craziest thing that’s happened to you in your time as a temp staff. There haven’t been any crazy encounters, per say; however there was this really funny incident where there was an electrical shutdown in RP on a weekday and I had forgotten to bring my staff pass. Thus I had to climb three floors to transport some equipment only to realize that the electronic doors weren’t working. What a waste of my energy, haha! How does it feel to transit from student to staff in RP? Smooth, I guess. Except that there were quite a few people who actually mistook me for a student. What really puzzles me is that friends told me I look even more like a student now then when I was still studying in RP! Any plans for the future? I plan to further my studies, hopefully as a dietician. Your dream job I don’t believe in dream jobs. What I DO believe in, is in a short term goal and long term goal. For now, my short term goal is to complete my internship at Singapore General Hospital (SGH) that I will be undertaking after my temporary assignment here at RP. Most memorable moment in OSG/RP It’s the time that I spend with colleagues a.k.a friends in RP/OSG that make life here memorable! I would store and cherish all these memories of them in my memory bank! A word of advise for fellow RP grads Live your life right. A quote that remains with me is the following, “The future lies before you Like a field of driven snow, Be careful how you tread it, For every step will show.” ~Author Unknown