The atmosphere was positively electric as Kentridgeans streamed into the MPSH for the defining K6 performance of the year, Culture Night on 28th October 2009. Touted by some as controversial, this year’s production, “My World”, was a critique on social norms and the pressures upon us to follow them, as well as a celebration of the joy that can be found through exploring that which is considered unorthodox. Leaked information about passionate scenes from the production, as well as snippets of the performance had all of KR chomping at the bait to see the production get going.

Inspire were up first, with the eponymous theme song penned by Weldon Sng from D Block. “My World” was a decidedly darker and sad song than one would expect a production to begin with, and as the chords progressed, tension in the MPSH was building. The first scene from KRX, however, seemed to change the tone completely, as we were introduced to the main characters of the night. As the play progressed, we learnt of the relationship between the male and female leads, and the scene switched to the KR Choir, performing “You Can’t Stop The Beat” from the musical “Hairspray”. Though the audience had to maintain complete and utter silence to be able to hear the actors, none of whom were using microphones, there were few complaints.

KR Inspire performing the prelude 'My World' with lead singer Benjamin Kwan.

KRX then continued on, and Elle and Sarah’s unconventional story unfolded before a captivated audience. Inspire then returned, with Tan Wei Sheng’s “Being With You”, a happy and upbeat love song, leading into the next KRX scene, depicting male protagonist Ethan’s suspicions regarding Sarah. A displeased and distraught Ethan gave way to the first of two KR Dance performances. The mix of contemporary dance and ballet, combined with the warm lighting seemed to weave a tale of passion and love, and set the tone for the upcoming scenes, as Ethan confronted Sarah. The angry scene led in to KR Rockers performing “Numb” by Linkin Park, and the heavy combination of drums and guitars combined well with the lyrics to portray the distress felt by both Sarah and Ethan.

The next scene involved Sarah and Elle’s exposure to Sarah’s cohorts, and also marked the night’s entrance by KR Acapella, performing Janice Vidal’s “Love Me”. This led into an emotional scene, where Elle and Sarah come to realize that as long as they believe that they live in “their world”, they need not be accountable to society. KR Choir entered next with their second performance, “Wu Ding”, with a beautiful duet by Cheryl Margarita Korintus and Tan Jiing Jiunn halfway through, meshing perfectly with Sarah and Elle’s newfound strength to continue on their journey together.

The romantic duet by Cheryl and Jiing Jiunn is mirrored by Elle (Jocelyn Low) and Sarah's (Mandy Leung) embrace.

The audience were treated to Ethan’s transition through the stages of grieving, from denial to anger to depression to acceptance of the end of his relationship with Sarah. KR Acapella returned, performing Janet Jackson’s “Runaway”, and the show was stolen by beat boxer Abhishek’s solo performance. This lead into the second performance by KR Dance, based more in Hip Hop and modern dance, and far more upbeat.

An energetic dance item by KR Dance.

KR Aca presenting Runaway - L - R: Yuting, Clara, Jay, Daryl, Amelia, Anthony and Abhishek.

Finally, Sarah gets her chance to confront society, here represented by her friends, and proudly takes control of her own life. Ethan and Sarah then reconcile their differences, and as the final scene closed, the KR Rockers returned with Cyndi Lauper’s classic “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, celebrating acceptance and appreciation of the minority cultures whose exclusion by society “My World” is a metaphor for. The end of the song saw the return of Inspire, who combined talents with the Rockers to perform a reprise of the original theme song “My World”, and as the song progressed, the remaining members of K6 came up on stage, ending together and bowing to tumultuous applause. Also on stage were the team making the whole production possible, the all-important Technical Support Crew, without whom the entire production may well have not been realized at all.

L-R: Sean on guitar, Kenneth on bass, Stephanie and Britney on vocals.

It was certainly a magical night, filled with unbelievable performances by freshmen and seniors alike, and the Kentridgeans I spoke to were unanimous in praising the production. It’s clear that we indeed have things to look forward to as Culture Month next semester nears, but for now, KR has been truly and thoroughly entertained by an awesome Culture Night.

A rousing finale presented by the K6!

By Mohamed Hussain
KR Reporters

Photo credit: KR Photocomm

It isn’t everyday that one comes back home from a dreary school day to a sight of hundreds (literally, count ‘em) of bicycles stuffed onto the front porch. Despite it being the weekend of All Hallows’ Eve (30th October 2009), Kentridgeans were revving up for something much bigger than some ordinary ol’ Halloween party.
Preparations went underway as early as 3pm, as a convoy of lorries stacked with block comms, SRU members and willing volunteers, headed in the direction of East Coast Park to pick up the bikes. There, the block comms performed rigorous testing on each and every single bicycle to ensure that only the best, most functional ones made it back to KR, worthy enough for the gruelling task ahead.

By nightfall, some 206 bikes were out on parade in the front porch and Biz car park, eagerly awaiting the KR residents, who were equally eagerly waiting to mount them. After a quick safety brief and checking of bikes, at approximately 10.30pm a grand procession of some 206 bicycles moved off from Heng Mui Keng Terrace, headed by none other than SRU’s Clara and Shermaine, followed by A Block. Following the initial bout of confusion about how to coordinate with the CISCO outriders, Kentridgeans soon got the hang of things as they made their way out of the wading pool, and into the wide open sea that was Clementi Road.

E Blockers in action!

Now to the average Kentridgean (who already scowls at the thought of walking up all the stairs to Biz canteen), cycling along Clementi Road seemed to give a whole new meaning to the definition of an ‘uphill task’. The undulating slopes proved to be quite a workout for most residents, who soon began to appreciate the gears on their mountain bikes. The tandem bikes, a new feature to Night Cycling this year, seemed to struggle along as their riders sought to coordinate amongst themselves. Sighs of relief abounded at the ‘summit’ of the hill near Ngee Ann Polytechnic, afterwhich followed a leisurely downhill glide to the first stop, Al-Azhar, a popular supper spot.

Delighted B Blockers settling down for supper at Al-Azhar.

Being Halloween Eve, both Al-Azhar and Al-Ameen were understandably especially crowded, and with the rest of the blocks arriving earlier than expected, vacant tables soon became scarce in commodity, let alone food. E Block – which brought up the rearguard – soon found itself seatless save the saddles that they arrived on. Not a block to sit around and wait, the Eguanas gamely voted to press on towards the second stop, Adam Road Hawker Centre, located a fair distance down Bukit Timah Road.

All seemed to be going well until the ominous clouds that had been brewing overhead all evening started to overboil, and at around 1am torrents upon torrents of icy cold rain began pouring down on all parts of our not-so-sunny island. E-Block encountered the angry thundercloud halfway down Bukit Timah Road, and the Eguanas wisely took shelter under the modest cover of a bus stop. In the meantime the other four blocks kicked back at Al-Azhar, waiting out the storm. The C Blockers in particular broke out the Halloween festivities with facepaint, stick-on tattoos, trick-or-treating and bubble-blowing, while the rest simply chillax-ed (chilled out, relaxed, get it?) in the prata houses, stretching their weary legs and putting whatever calories they had burnt off right back on again.

Everyone pushed off again as Mother Nature’s fury seemed to abate somewhat, and the Eguanas made it safely to Adam Road Food Centre and a well-deserved supper. The A and B Blockers made it out to the main road, but soon after yet another mini-thunderstorm ensued, marooning the two remaining blocks at Al-Azhar. The intermittent downpours made Bukit Timah Road a long, difficult (and cold) road indeed, with the various blocks having to duck under bus stops and petrol kiosks for shelter along the way. Slowly but surely, everyone made headway and arrived intact at the next rest point, none other than the Singapore Flyer!

Despite being boringly closed, the Singapore Flyer gave Kentridgeans a much-needed rest from all the furious pedalling in the rain, a place to take a leak if needed, and most importantly – a place to sit down and eat the Rochor beancurd and youtiao that SRU had arranged to be delivered, still warm and crispy! The overly-hyper ones took their bikes down for a spin at the F1-track, the FYFs filmed their Command video (bad singing included), while the rest found time to admire the scenery, to have intimate heart-to-heart-talks...and of course to take photos excessively.

L-R: Laura, Xinyi and Hui Lin posing with the majestic Singapore Flyer in the background.

Well-rested and raring to go, the grand KR convoy moved off again at 4.30am for a relaxing ride down wide empty streets towards Kallang Indoor Stadium. Safely away from any residential area, merry singing ensued all the way up Nicoll Highway, with greatest hits ranging from Backstreet Boys to army songs. Time indeed flies when you’re having fun, and before long the Indoor Stadium and the oh-so-pretty Tanjong Rhu Bridge came into view. A photo-taking stop, each block paused for a couple of block photos before pushing their bikes over, while the blocks-in-waiting entertained themselves with some good old-fashioned horsing around.

A Block at the Tanjong Rhu Bridge.

The skies rumbled overhead again, giving the cue for Kentridgeans to get cracking. A few short minutes of pedalling later, the familiar Fort Road roundabout popped up over the horizon, signalling the start of East Coast Park itself. Bidding the CISCO outriders farewell, everyone finished off the final leg of Night Cycling 2009 comfortably at East Coast McDonalds, with plenty of time to spare for photo-taking, sunrise watching, a hearty Macs breakfast and a nice long snooze before the buses arrived.

By Kelvin Chew
KR Reporters

Photo credits: KR Photocomm

The centuries-old tradition of wine, women and song might not fit the bill exactly, but it was certainly close enough.

Jointly organized by Eusoff Hall Bands and Kent Ridge Hall Rockers, an Oktoberfest event was held at the KR50 Restaurant and bar on 16th October 2009, right next to the University Cultural Centre. Oktoberfest is a festival characterised by merrymaking and beer, and the event certainly brought such revelrous spirit to campus!

At unbelievably affordable prices of $25 for a buffet spread, or $38 for the buffet and free flow beer, it was no wonder that patrons packed the restaurant to the brim. The mouth-watering buffet menu included authentic german dishes such as roasted pork knuckle & sauerkraut, baked salmon, and German sausages, as well as a mix of local food like grilled satay and deep fried belacan chicken. The free-flow of renowned beers Erdinger and Archipelago also contributed to the atmosphere, with snaking queues forming at the taps.

The beer might have been a major draw for some, but the main attractions for the night were the bands up for performance. It is only the first time that Eusoff Hall Bands and the KR Rockers have collaborated, and one wonders why they have not tried such an arrangement earlier. With soulful vocals and upbeat music, the bands kept the crowd clapping, cheering and singing along.

Representing KR were the bands Six on A Couch, fronted by newcomer Stephanie Phang and bassist-turned-vocalist Daniel Lean, as well as the band TYK, led by KR’s very own Ms Personality Britney and B Blockhead Khadijah. (A little trivia note: The band name TYK is inspired by former Rockers chairperson and accomplished guitarist, Tan Yee Kiat). Between them, they delivered a great mix of crowd favourites like Drops of Jupiter (Train) and No Surprise (Daughtry), alongside classics like Come Together (The Beatles) and Signed, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie Wonder).

Not to be outperformed, the Eusoff Bands Ten Minutes Late and Sober delivered a varied repertoire that included Use Somebody (Kings of Leon), Zombie (The Cranberries) as well as an intended surprise medley of What’s Up(4 Non-Blondes)/Don’t Worry Be Happy (Bobby McFerrin).

Ending off the acoustic sets was a combined band between the halls, aptly named Kentsoff. Vocalists Vanessa and Wei Nian brought the night to a euphoric end with songs like Hallelujah (Jeff Buckley) and Bright Lights (Matchbox Twenty), prompting the high-spirited (pun intended) crowd to dance freely and bellow along in song.
The “chillax” atmosphere that night was marked by much joyous laughter and excited chatters, with many Kent Ridgeans taking a break from their hectic schedules to embrace the Oktoberfest ambience.

Food. Beer. Live Music. Really, what more can one ask for? Well, try topping that up with fantastic company. It was a perfect night indeed.

By Toh Wei Kit
KR Rockers

The annual Kent Ridge Hall Dinner and Dance (D&D) was held on the 4th of September at the Bukit Batok CSC with much anticipation from the participants. This year’s theme is “Lights, Camera & Action!” and participants were expected to dress up as their favourite movie characters. The theme also allowed much creative expression from the participants, as evidenced from the many colourful and interesting costumes that were on display. Participants dressed up from a range of movie genres, from cartoons (think full-fledged painted Blue Smurfs!) to thrillers (intricate ambigrams painted on the characters’ costumes from Angels and Demons) to romance (like Step-Up, 27 Dresses) to popular dramas (like Harry Potter, Rambo, Prison Break and 300), old-time classics (like Singing in the Rain, with the table of people all fitted with umbrellas and wearing ponchos) and even movie treats (popcorn, nachos, and need I say more?). Indeed, the colourful and exciting themes thrilled many who were present.

However, the spotlight of this year’s D&D is on none other than the pageant contestants. D&D traditionally marks the crowning and the end of the pageant journey for the contestants, who are representatives of their blocks. After the exciting display of catwalks and dances during Hall Bash earlier this academic year, the pageant contestants are given the ultimate test on their hard work that they have contributed to pageant for the past few months. The contestants had to do the standard pageant routine, with a dance routine, casual wear and formal wear catwalk, Talentime and the all time favourite question and answer segment. The contestants dazzled the audience with their poise and their creative juices, and also their willingness to learn new items such as singing, acting, playing instruments, salsa dancing and even Bollywood-style Bhangra. Although people were supportive of their blocks, there was a huge display of sportsmanship as many people cheered on for others that were not representing their blocks.

Within the hustle and bustle of costume displays, pageant routines and lucky draw games, Kent Ridge Hall also showcased their talented alumni, including the legendary Suraf and his band, Reverie (consisting of also other Kent Ridge alumni) and also Shili and Adi, who mesmerized the audience with their unique mix of Michael Jackson’s favourites, including Man in the Mirror and Black or White.

The night ended on a high with prize presentations. The Best Dressed and The Most Creative Table went to the “Huan Zhu Ge Ge” (The Swallow Princess) from A Block and Disney-Pixar’s “UP” from D Block respectively. The pageant results were also finally revealed, with the crowning of Gerald Sim (Mr. E Block) and Khaw Chun Ting (Ms. C Block) as the 09/10 Mr and Ms. Kent Ridge. Mr. and Ms. Personality went to both Mr. and Ms. D Block (Hafiz and Britney) and Mr. and Ms. Popularity went to Mr. C Block Sean Liew and Ms. A Block Amelia Aziz.

Kudos to D&D Committee, Table Participants and also all pageant contestants for creating such a wonderful and fun night for Kent Ridgeans.

Reported by KR Reporters