echoes 2010/11
DESCRIPTION
NTU Hall 2 Publication 2010/11TRANSCRIPT
Editorial note
Cliché it may sound, but how time flies! In a blink of
an eye, an eventful year in Hall 2 has almost come to
an end! New friends have been found, and
unforgettable memories have been forged. Some of us
may carry on to live the Hall 2 life, but others such as
the graduating seniors would be moving on to achieve
the greater things in life.
Throughout the year, the Publications team has been
busily snapping away as you participated in the
various events of Hall 2. As you enjoyed yourselves,
we have worked hard to try and capture those special
moments of your time. What you hold in your hands
now is the laborious result of 27th JCRC’s effort at a
compilation of your memories – ECHOES.
A heartfelt “Thank You” goes out to all who have
contributed in any way, making ECHOES possible.
Not forgetting all of you who have participated in
each event we have painstakingly planned – without
you the events wouldn’t be a success.
Sit back and enjoy the moment together with us
reminiscing the past year …
Jocelyn & Edward
27th JCRC Publication Secretaries
Editorial
Editors| Edward Liauw, Jocelyn Neo
Contributors| 27th
JCRC, Sports and
Recreational Team Managers/Captains,
Dinner & Dance, Orientation Main
Committee, Hall Productions, Hall Dance,
Cheerleading, JCRC Subcommers
Design
Cover| Sim Boon Long
Layout | Edward Liauw | Jocelyn Neo Tay
Xiang Yi
Photographs
Publications Subcomm, Team
Managers/Captains, Wendy Tan, Wing
Sing
Content
2 Hall Crest & Song
3 Our History
4 27th JCRC
18 Special Committees
21 Events
31 IHG Sports
45 IHRG Recreational
52 Team Photos
53 JCRC Sub-Commers
55 Awards
Page
Hall Two’s spirit living on
It’s living far and far beyond
It’s never gonna die
It’s gonna live in each of us
And we’ll keep it burning, burning
strong
The flame of zest lights in us all along
Always inspiring us to go on
Hall Two’s spirit flying high
It’s flying far and far beyond
It’s never gonna die
It’s gonna live forever more
And we’ll keep it burning, burning strong
The flame of zest lights in us along
Always inspiring us to go on
Spokes supporting the ring
Close link and the spirit of camaraderie forged between the blocks
Lion
Strength and Courage
Leaves
Growth
Colors
White, bright red and navy blue
represents magnanimity, peace and
harmony
Shield-shaped crest
Upholds the virtues of the traditional
Arthurian Knights
Honor, Loyalty and Valor
Hall Crest & Song
Our History,
Our Legacy
Hall of Residence 2 was first established in 1957 on the grounds of Nanyang Technological University, which was previously known as Nantah. It was originally built to host students from NTU as well as NUS. However, as the enrolment increased over the years, the demand for accommodation steadily rose. Hall 2 eventually came to be occupied only by students from Nantah.
Located right at the heart of the school campus, Hall 2 is a mere five minutes’ walk away from North Spine as well as the Sports Recreational Centre (SRC).
It consists of 11 double-story blocks which house a total of 302 double rooms and 48 single rooms. The open, architectural style of the blocks ensures that residents enjoy bright and breezy rooms. Notably, our rooms are one of the most spacious in NTU and they are all furnished with built-in wardrobes, writing desks and shelves.
Hall 2 is one of the two hostels in school to adopt the attached toilets system, where two rooms share a toilet, inclusive of sinks, a shower and a cubicle. This unique feature is highly prized among our residents as it provides additional privacy and convenience.
Laundry rooms, kitchenettes, readings rooms, music and dance rooms, as well as TV lounges are just some of the common facilities hostelites have at their doorstep here at Hall 2.
Food lovers will be delighted to know that the Hall is well served by not one, but two canteens - Can 1 and Can 2. Students all over the campus flock to these exceedingly popular canteens as they offer a wide variety of affordable and delicious food. For sports fanatics, the SRC, boasting a swimming pool, running track, well-equipped gym and other facilities, sits just round the corner.
Residents will also enjoy close proximity to the following amenities:
ATM Machine
Nanyang Supermart
Grocery store
Futsal Court
Volleyball Court
Hairdresser
With its superb central location, spacious rooms and unparalleled amenities, Hall 2 never fails to be heavily oversubscribed year after year. Hall 2 is not just a hall; it is a home away from home.
Teo Yu
Hao
President
Dear Hall Two-ians,
I really hope that you have enjoyed yourself for the past one
year in Hall 2 and I sincerely wish that we have made a
difference and have given you a fulfilling campus experience, an
experience which will bring sweet „echoes‟ to your heart when
you reminisce of your university journey in NTU.
This year has been an amazing year for Hall 2‟s participation in
the Inter-Hall Competitions. Not only did our sports come in
overall 1st runner, our recreational games made a great
improvement since last year by clinching 9th position and we
ended our IHG/IHRG season as overall 5th. Besides the games,
our cheerleaders, the Awesomes, also gave us an exciting
performance during Hall Olympiad Opening Ceremony, while
our dancers, H2D, put up a creative dance which merged a love
story into their delicate dance moves and clinched a
commendable 4th spot in the Hall Olympiad Closing Ceremony.
Though results are important, I strongly believe that at the end
of the day what we can truly remember is the blood, sweat and
tears we sacrificed through the months of trainings and also the
close friendships that we have made through the course of this
Hall Olympiad season. May I salute all of you, sports players,
recreational game players, cheerleaders, dancers, JCRC
subcommers and supporters alike! THREE CHEERS to all of
YOU! HIP HIP HOORAY!
As for those of you who have joined special committees, such as
our Orientation Main Committee, Dinner and Dance
Committee or Verve Productions, I would like to say a big
thank you to all of you for working together hand in hand with
us to make Hall 2 a more vibrant and exciting hall. Now that
Verve Productions had entertained us with their fabulous show,
TEN, at the Jubilee Theatre during the recess break. Lets
JIAYOU together and I look forward to a smooth preparation
for the upcoming Freshmen Orientation Camp and also Dinner
and Dance, and may we be able to give a big warm hall 2
welcome to our incoming freshmen.
Next, I would like to thank our ever supportive Hall officer
Albert Yu and Adeline Aw for always being there for us to offer
their insightful advices and unconditional help. In addition, I
would also like to thank our Senior hall fellow Prof Lam and
hall fellows, Assoc Prof Teh, Assoc Prof Ricky Ang, Dr Tan
and also Ms Li Fang for always taking their time off from their
busy schedule to join us in our activities and also giving us the
support needed to run our events.
Beginning of my term, I talked about the hall 2‟s Kampong
spirit which I admired and also my vision of creating a caring
culture in hall 2. So this year, we took a step of faith and formed
a new Ad-Hoc committee called, Hall 2 Hearts. This
committee will engage in both local and overseas community
involvement projects providing residents the chance to give
back to the society. At the end of this semester, they will be
embarking on their OCIP trip to Laos, and lets hope that this
pioneer batch of Hall 2 Hearts will do us proud in Laos.
What‟s more, this year we have also developed a brand new
website to showcase Hall 2, so check us out
http://webx.ntu.edu.sg/hall2 Last but not the least, I would like to say a big thank you to my
dear 27th JCRC, you guys are just amazing! I know this may
sound cliché, but people talk about adding years to their lives,
but you guys truly add life to my years in Hall 2! Thank you and
thank you to each an every one of you, for listening to my
nagging, laughing to my not-so-funny jokes, and simply just
being the unique individuals you guys are! Keep on rocking and
oh god, I know I‟m gonna to miss you guys!
Cheers,
Yu Hao
My second year in JCRC has been nothing short of
memorable. Hot off the heels of a fantastic orientation
camp, those who were rerunning had to start forming the
27th. After many long nights and hard thought we had the
final 16. I must say I am glad and impressed with the 27th
and what a long journey we have had!
Being in JCRC for a second term allowed me to right the
wrongs of the previous year and prevent any mistakes from
being repeated. It provided me with a platform to mentor
and guide the first years. Besides that I also have to attend
to my own duties; handling internal affairs by taking charge
of the block managers and also making sure the three
Special Committees (OMC, DND and Hall Productions)
are doing well. I am proud to say that each committee is
truly special and has grown so much. I am also very please
that the new initiative of Overseas Community
Involvement Programme has come to fruition. And not to
mention the LLRC who has added much colour and
vibrancy to our Hall!
Seeing the success of each event and the way residents‟
band together to support one another during IHG,
Cheerleading and Dance made me realise what a special
place Hall 2 is.
Through it all, my greatest take away has to be learning
from each and every person that I have come into contact
with. I am forever grateful for having this opportunity to
serve as your Vice President.
To the 27th, thank you for all the fun and laughter. When
there‟s work to be done, you guys are always right at it.
When it‟s time for fun, you guys do not slack off either! I
think each of you has outperformed yourselves and I am
proud to be part of this team.
To 26th and OMC 10/11, thank you for giving me such a
good experience in my first year that it made me want to
go for a second term.
To my Block Managers, thank you for all your help! You
guys did a good job bridging the hall and JCRC. Without
which, we will not have such a strong hall culture and
tradition.
To Albert, Adeline and Hall Office, a big thank you for
always being so helpful and encouraging. Thank you for
being such great friends. It is Hall 2‟s privilege to have you
guys!
To OMC 11/12, thank you for having me as an Ex-Official.
I truly enjoy myself and I look forward to an awesome
experience in Camp Ho-Hii!
To all the residents of Hall 2, I hope you enjoy and
treasure your stay in Hall 2! May the year that has passed
be one of the best and I hope you will continue to make
Hall 2 your choice of hall and your home away from
home.
Thank you.
Cher Jia Hui,
Clement
Vice
President
2010/2011 was another unforgettable year with back-to-back
events right from the start of the academic year. Taking up the role
of Honorary General Secretary in 27th
JCRC was no easy feat.
However, being granted the opportunity to serve the Hall for the
second time was indeed an enriching experience.
The news of me becoming the Honorary General Secretary came as a shock to many as my recent predecessors were all
females. I took up this role because I saw this as a learning experience to organise and manage administrative work.
Administrative work might sound simple but it was really no joke when it comes to handling these duties.
Despite taking up the portfolio, I felt the need and responsibility to guide the fresh junior portfolios in JCRC. This
feeling was totally different as compared to the first year. I felt great being able to impart my knowledge and see
improvement in our hall events and activities. Personally, I had paid much more attention on the Recreational Games
Secretaries (Joshua and Yu Hui) especially. They had proved themselves and the effort they invested was definitely
worth of the results. I was very proud of them, seeing that they had made tremendous progress in the Inter Hall
Recreational Games.
This journey was no easy ride as I struggled with my duties and academic work. I was very thankful to those who had
supported me and assisted me in my duties. I really appreciated the help and concern from my predecessors (Siying and
Canphylia). Both of you were always ready to lend me a helping hand.
Accompanied with the Yu Hao (President), Clement (Vice President), Fawn (Financial Controller) and Eunice (Business
Manager), we set off together on the same page and committed ourselves to build a strong JCRC. Despite the struggles, I
really enjoyed working with you guys and I was very touched by all the patience you guys shown me throughout the year.
To the whole 27th
JCRC, thank you for adding colours in my university and hall life!
I did not regret re-running for 27th
JCRC. I know I never will.
Yours sincerely,
Kong Jian Hao
Honorary General Secretary
27th
JCRC
Kong Jian Hao
Honorary
General
Secretary
The year is almost gone in a blink of eyes.
Rewind. The decision to re-run was not an easy feat. It‟s
always about time, time, and more time. But at the end of
the day, it all boils down to how well one can manage it.
The journey was not as easy as it seems. Juggling studies
and the different commitments at the same time has been
a hell of a ride.
To many, the job of a business manager may seem easy -
to collect items from sponsors and pack them (or so
everyone, myself included, thought). But no, the job scope
encompassed more than that. From the e-mailing of
potential sponsors, to the liaising, and finally the
confirmation of the sponsorship, it definitely was not as
simple as it seemed initially. From the constant e-mails of
rejection received, to the non-responsive recipients, it did
get a little frustrating at times. However, I have learned a
great deal from these little experiences of the corporate
world.
In addition, working with the other 16 business managers
at the joint-hall level was a very refreshing experience for
me, having served in a portfolio that did not require
participation at joint-hall level. Also, being an ex-official to
Hall Productions this year had allowed me to learn much.
From the planning process to the execution and
production of the play, they are experiences that one
would not have been able to go through without being part
of the committee. Finally, I‟m grateful to be given the
chance to be part of the OCIP team, a chance for me to
help the kids in Laos.
The year is almost coming to an end, and before we wrap
it up, I will like to extend my thanks to all who have been
there for me.
Firstly, I would like to thank my predecessor, Charissa, for
her advice and help when I am in doubt. Secondly, a big
thank you to my ever trustworthy sub-commers for your
unconditional help. Thank you for being my „saikang‟
warriors, and for always being just a phone call/sms away.
You have no idea how thankful I am to have each and
every one of you. I could not have packed 600 goodies bag
in a night without you guys, nor moved 4 100-plus board
together with cartons of drinks without your muscles. Most
importantly, all these events would not have been
successful without you guys. In addition, many thanks to
the friends who were there for me, for the help and advice
given when I needed them most, and for being my pillars
of support and strength. Finally, thank you Hall 2
residents, for your unwavering support for every single
event, for they will not be successful without your
presence.
Finally, not forgetting the 27th
JCRC, a big thank you to
each and every one of you. Thanks for being part of this
big family. You guys have been a bunch of energizer
bunnies. Without all of you, late night meetings would
have been real dreadful, and everything will be so different
from how it is now. If given a chance to choose the
committee again, I wouldn‟t have trade you guys for
anyone else. Cause‟ you are special just the way you are,
making the committee whole as it is now.
Serving in JCRC for the past two years has definitely been
one of the most wonderful and memorable experiences
thus far.
Love,
Eunice Ngieng
Business Manager
27th
JCRC
Eunice Ngieng
Business
Manager
My 2nd
term as a Financial Controller with the 27th
is now
coming to an end and this journey was never the least
smooth sailing. Being in charge of a new portfolio and
taking on something completely different from my 1st
year
as a Publication secretary was indeed overwhelming. Last
year I was busy shooting pictures, designing, coming up
with Echoes and this year was looking at accounts (all the
numbers that literally made me $_$ and then X_X) and
trying my best to expand our finances and working around
them.
My term started off with the planning of City Hike during
this year‟s Camp Yeeha. My summer holidays were spent
planning this and I really hope all the freshies did enjoy
themselves during City Hike! Thank you Lawrence for
your guidance and giving me this opportunity to plan this
event as I really did learn a lot and pre-empted me for
what was ahead of me.
Then, I officially took over the role as a financial
controller. Finance matters are always very sensitive and of
course extremely important in making our events
successful. It might not show but much effort is needed
for all the budgeting and constant monitoring of our
finances to ensure everything is in place. At the end of the
day, I try my best to fulfil everything within my means as it
is my duty and responsibility to make sure that everyone
gets their money back efficiently.
My term as a financial controller has indeed taught me a
lot. With my predecessor, Royston away on exchange, it
was hard for me to turn to him and seek help when I faced
difficulties. I had no choice but to bother the people over
at SAO. I made countless trips to SAO and bugged them
when I was unsure and needed help. Also, with new
financial procedures in place, I found myself with a lot of
difficulties during the first few months of my term and
claims for reimbursements were really slow. Nevertheless,
I like to thank the patience and understanding I got from
SAO and my committee members for the inefficiency at
times.
Thank you 27th for being so prompt with the receipts,
working within your budgets and listening to me going on
about “no money already, no money already” and our
subcommittees as well for being so patient when the claims
take a bit of time. Also, the special committees for being so
cooperative with the finance matters as well. Thank you all
for your help and support! :D
The 27th
as well as the special committees have put in
much effort in organising numerous events this whole year.
I thank all the residents for being a part of them and
supporting us in our events. If the 27th
have not performed
up to standard in any ways, I‟m sure we will learn from our
mistakes and come back even better! So, do look out for
our events during the upcoming orientation camp as well.
With that, I‟ll like to thank everyone for making my
journey these 2 years so enjoyable and enriching. These
will be the fond memories I‟ll be taking back with (:
Thank you.
Cher Jia Wei Fawn
27th
JCRC Financial Controller
Fawn Cher
Financial
Controller
From the day we were voted into the 27th
Junior Common Room Committee as Publication Secretaries, we knew that the
1 year journey ahead of us was not going to be an easy one, and it did turn tougher than expected. Although we did not
have events of our own, but in fact, every Hall event held throughout the year was our event, be it Hall Olympiad, Night
Cycling, Ice cream Festivals or Wing supper. This is because not only do we have publicise the events beforehand, take
photographs during the event, we also have to do the follow up of the various events such as uploading of photos. We
can proudly say that we manage to survive the arduous and gruelling journey and bring away with us the wonderful and
precious experiences we had gained throughout our term.
Being the Publication Secretaries, we always had to ensure that each and everyone‟s smile and the success of each and
every event was captured in our photos and videos, freezing the fun and laughter we spent together throughout the year
and keeping them as our memories. Also, during the Hall Olympiad period, planning and updating of the
photographers schedule was tough, but we are glad we managed to overcome the difficulties and problems in between
and everything proceeded smoothly. We believed without the help of the people around us, we would not be able to
capture every single moment of the events so successfully.
First of all, special thanks to our upper study, Fawn, for guiding us along the way and giving us constant advice,
suggestions and reminders throughout our term regarding publications related stuff. Not forgetting the 27th
JCRC, the
help and support was much appreciated and none of that would have been possible without you guys.
Most importantly, we would not have made it through without the help of our dearest subcommers. Being subcommers
of our portfolio, I believe the year was rather tough for you guys too, so really appreciate the time and effort you guys
committed in supporting us in all Publication duties. From lending us your camera, helping us take photos and videos,
helping us to edit and come up with videos, helping us to decorate and update the noticeboards outside Canteen 2, all
these that you guys had done really touched our heart. Especially during the Hall Olympiad period, not only did you
guys sacrificed your weekends and holidays, you all also have to endure the super long messages we sent out and getting
you guys down on a super short notice, without the 15 of you, we would not have been able to accomplished anything.
Really love you guys a lot and we treasure the friendship forged between us!
Thank you!
Edward Liauw &
Jocelyn Neo
Publications
Secs
Daryl Lim
The IHG 10/11 season maybe well be remembered as a
season for redemption. On the back of a sorely disappointing
4th placed finish in sports last year, we were determined to
push ourselves hard in order to regain our reputation as a
traditional sporting powerhouse. Trainings for this year‟s
IHG began in earnest as early as the second week of semester
one as the managers and captains of all the sports were
briefed on Hall 2‟s target for this year, which was to achieve a
top 3 finish. Not only did we achieve that target at the end of
the season, we managed to finish as 1st Runner Up. The
anticipated tight race for the 1st Runner Up spot with Hall 6
had an anticlimactic finish after a flurry of strong results in the
final week of the games secured our place with comfortable
ease. We achieved 4 Golds and 6 Silvers overall, putting us in
a whopping 10 Finals out of 20 sports. These results would
not have been possible had it not been for the efforts of all
the players who came down for the trainings and pushing
themselves to their limits during the games. For that, this
short report would be insufficient to express the amount of
gratitude and respect we have for all of you.
The Hockey girls might just be the most unlucky team in Hall
2 history. To go out on penalties is extremely unfortunate, to
go out on penalties for 2 consecutive seasons is downright
unfair. Our hearts go out to the girls. As we all like to say, 3rd
time lucky! So heads up girls, we will come back stronger and
hopefully luckier next year! The Table tennis team started the
season well enough with a win but were unable to proceed
further than the preliminaries. Our Basketball girls were
unfortunately disqualified as fielded a returning exchange
student which was later deemed to be illegal by the
committee. We would like to apologise both to the girls and
to the Hall for overlooking that rule. Let us put this setback
behind us and bring Hall 2 Basketball girls back to the glory
days next season.
Our Hockey guys managed a slight improve on last year‟s
disappointing prelims exit by qualifying for the quarters.
However, as luck will have it, we were drawn against the
mighty Hall 3. Despite playing with great vigour and team
spirit, the team had no answer to the individual talent that the
opponents possess in their state players. We have extremely
high hopes for our hockey guys next year, with majority of the
team made out of freshies who have just picked up the sport.
Hopefully with one season‟s experience under their belts, we
will go further next year! Our Takraw boys managed to defy
the odds by beating Hall 6‟s gravity-defying, somersaulting
boys to proceed once again to the quarters. And once again,
we met our stumbling block at there. A disappointing
performance from the guys resulted a loss to Hall 5. Soccer
had a disappointing season as well, the high standards set by
our soccer guys means that a quarters exit is extremely
disappointing. The team looked destined for greater things,
scoring 15 goals in the first 2 matches. We then went up
against eventual champions Hall 3 in the quarters and gave
them evidently their hardest match of their season when we
took the lead twice but eventually losing 3-2. Our Softball
guys were next in line to befall the curse of the ballot by
drawing Hall 3 yet again in the quarters. Despite facing
seemingly insurmountable odds against a team that is heads
and shoulders above any other hall in IHG softball, the guys
entered the match determined to give our best and the
defending champions a run for their money. Lost, as we
inevitably did, but the guys ended the game with our heads
held high. Our Netballers started the season strongly with a
trashing of Hall 4. A loss to eventual finalist Hall 12 meant
that the girls were forced to play a third game against Hall 8
for a place in the quarters. The girls proceeded to overrun the
opponents and book their place in the quarters. Alas, we were
drawn against Hall 3 YET AGAIN! And boy did the girls give
last year‟s losing finalist a good run for their money by ending
the first quarter with a commanding lead. However, the
strength in depth of the opposition meant that they could
bring on fresh shooters to capitalise on our fast tiring girls
who were forced to the entire game.
Our tennis team proved this season that miracles really do
happen. We were 2 points away from a preliminary round
exit when our game against Hall 13 was halted due to
unforeseen circumstances. Needing nothing short of a miracle
to qualify, as the game was to be continued from the point of
stoppage. Our male doubles consisting of Yuankai and Yi
Hong managed to come back from being
Alvin Chin
down 5 set to 3 and trailing 30-0 to eventually beating the
opponents. The reality of the miracle that has just occurred
had little time to set in as the team was to play their
quarters match immediately. Up against top seed Hall 11,
things did not look good. However, with sheer
determination and grit, our tennis team managed to
overcome their opponents and within the space of one
night, we went from being 2 points away from a
preliminary exit to a semi-finalist. The miracles do not stop
there. Our hall‟s MVP Si Ying somehow managed to beat
an IVP tennis player at her own game in the semi-finals
against Hall 6. Despite her heroics, the team lost out
narrowly with a score of 3-2. An extremely commendable
effort from the tennis team. Our Softball girls made a
fairytale journey to the semis this season. Proving everyone,
including themselves wrong, they went from whipping dogs
in the previous season to serious title contenders this year.
Beating softball powerhouse Hall 7 en route to the semis,
the girls showed everyone how far a hard work and team
spirit can bring a team. The softball girl‟s fairytale did not
end with the semi-final exit to Hall 12, the journey for Hall
2‟s Softball girls‟ team has only just began.
Hall 2 Rugby made a comeback in IHG this year after a
cameo appearance in the prelims last year. Blitzing our way
pass the prelims with convincing victories over Hall 12 and
Hall 11. An unfortunate walkover meant that we were
given a free ride into the semis. A mouth-watering tie
against arch rivals Hall 6 beckoned. The combination of a
strong forward line and powerful back line meant that we
emerged comfortable winners against Hall 6. The finals
against Hall 3 ended in a heartbreaking defeat but the
rugby team can be extremely proud for restoring Hall 2‟s
reputation as a rugby powerhouse. Volleyball Male
breezed their way into the finals with comfortable victories
in the prelims quarters and semis. Breaking our losing
streak to Hall 3 along the way. GOOD JOB BOYS! The
team lost out in the finals to Hall 5 as they were unable to
recover from a slow start in the first set. The Track team,
boasting the fastest quartet of girls over 4by100 and 4by400
in IHG finished as 1st Runner Up
Overall. Road Relay had a fruitful year as we finished 1st
Runner Up as well. Kudos to Mark and Parthi for the
extreme training schedule that allowed for the runners to
achieve such a good result.
This year, Hall 2 also fared very well in water sports. The
Swimming Team which comprised of the fastest group of
freestylers the IHG has ever seen having led the next team
for the 4by50 event by only about 6 seconds. The strength
of the team was in itself, clearly enough to ensure that the
team obtained at least a 2nd placing, with only Hall 3 strong
enough to be an obstacle to us. The team fought brave and
hard and put up a good fight but were sadly unable to
outdo the defending champions and eventually lost to
them on nerves and technicality. The Water-polo Team
finally broke their 3-year drought of getting knocked-out in
the semi-finals this year when we were drawn against Hall
6. Having breezed through the prelims and quarters, the
game against hall 6 proved to be one of considerable
challenge to the team as we were competing on a whole
new level of skill and playing field. Our team did well to
knock hall 6 out to proceed to the final showdown with our
arch-rivals - Hall 3. The team disregarded the fact that we
were the under-dogs and played the game as if their life
depended on it. The sheer determination and drive of the
team was strong enough to subdue most of their key
players whose individual strength would have easily allowed
them to “devour” us. Sadly, our team lost in the end. We
lost however, not in fighting spirit, not in perseverance, but
only to the experience which the other team had.
The Male Basketball team, dubbed the “Redemption
Team” came into this IHG season with only one thing in
mind, and that is to redeem themselves for the
heartbreaking semi-final defeat to Hall 10 the year before.
Despite being weaker on paper, this year‟s team was more
determined, more bonded and trained a whole lot more
than last year‟s team. These factors came to fore when we
went up against Hall 6 in the semis. Despite being even in
terms of talent, the team displayed extreme discipline and
teamwork and
Sports
Secs
proceed to comfortably brush aside their opponent. A
date with Hall 10 in the finals meant that the date for
redemption was set. The team displayed yet again why
they have the best defence in IHG basketball by
holding the opponents down to a single digit score line
in the first quarter. The momentum carried on to the
rest of the game and with the final whistle, the
redemption was complete. Hall 2 is finally IHG
Basketball Champions. Our Volleyball Girls defended
their title albeit with a few nervous moments along the
way when they took their time to get into the game
and lost the first set for their games in the prelims and
semis. The finals proved to be their toughest match as
they went up against Hall 14, a team made up entirely
of former school team players with immense
experience. Our girls where nonetheless unimpressed
and finished the season strongly with a 3-1 victory and
the title once again. Our ever dependable Squash
team brought us to the Finals once again, providing us
with some great games along the way. The semis was a
match against Hall 1, a team we lost to in the prelims.
However, with a marked improvement in an
extremely short period of time, Huaming was able to
overcome the same adversary convincingly to bring us
to the finals once again. Once again, the decider was
down to Huaming‟s game. With the entire hall‟s
support behind him, Huaming did not disappoint and
smashed his way to victory with a score of 3-0 to bring
the crown back to Hall 2. Our last Gold medal came
from the Badminton team. With half the team made
up of graduating seniors, they were determined to
leave Hall 2 with the best present they could think of
and that is the IHG Badminton crown. Hardly
breaking a sweat en route to the finals, we comfortably
beat great rivals Hall 3 4-1 in the finals.
This is a roundup of the results from all the sports:
Basketball (M) Champions
Badminton Champions
Volleyball (F) Champions
Squash Champions
Rugby 1st Runner Up
Volleyball (M) 1st Runner Up
Swimming 1st Runner Up
Waterpolo 1st Runner Up
Track 1st Runner Up
Road relay 1st Runner Up
Tennis Semi-Finalist
Softball (F) Semi-Finalist
Hockey (M) Quarter-Finalist
Soccer Quarter-Finalist
Sepak Takraw Quarter-Finalist
Softball (M) Quarter-Finalist
Netball Quarter-Finalist
Basketball (F) Preliminary
Hockey (F) Preliminary
Table tennis Preliminary
Last but not least, we would like to thank everyone in Hall 2 for
giving us your support in making IHG a success. The results we have
achieved would not have been possible if not for everyone single one
of you. Let‟s work together and bring Hall 2 to greater heights next
year!!
It was indeed an honour to be trusted
with the responsibilities of the
Recreational Secretaries.
We vividly recollected the scene at the
mass rally when dear Mr Chia Yee Han
asked the question we badly dreaded,
“I‟m sure you have heard about our Rec
position for last year. How can you
assure us that we will not get a perfect
10 again this year? ”. Putting on a
confident front, we replied “There is
only one way and that is UP!”
However frankly, how confident could
we possibly be when both of us were
freshies who were new to hall life and
the intricacies of the recreational
games? While it was an irony that the
Recreational secretaries were lacking in
aptitude and experience, we drew our
strength from our passion for the hall
and our optimism. Slowly, we worked
from
there.
Since then, we head hunted players with
much effort, attempting to uncover the
hidden talents and black diamonds in
Hall 2. We utilized hall 2‟s various
communication channels (coordination
with our Publicity Secretaries) for the
publicity of our recruitment. Other
strategies included events such the Sport
and Recreational Day (a JCRC event)
and our Recreational open house
(painstakingly planned by the seniors).
The collective effort from various
groups of people in the hall facilitated
the challenging recruitment process.
Scouring for players was merely one of
our tasks. There were so much we had
to learn and do, but very quickly, time
was running out against us.
Soon we discovered that IH was
approaching.
The wave of crazy hectic-ness then
starts. Meetings, events and everything
seemed to clash suddenly. Some of the
games, weeks before the competition,
were still looking for players. The
competition quickly came and everyday
in the month of January, our players
competed intensively against players
from other halls.
To be honest, convening Snooker was
definitely a challenge. The success of
convening the game would be
impossible without the help of all the
diligent umpires and chief umpire, Song
Teck. We are more than grateful to
have them around. While they
understood that umpiring for snooker
was not part of their obligations, they
still came selflessly, out of concern and
friendship. Umpiring for snooker
stretched for long hours, dawn to dusk.
The evidence of this demanding
process was exactly when our umpires
umpires transformed from novices to
experts the game play. They are the one
that had made the 4 seemingly
extremely long days manageable.
With a mix of losses and wins, the inter-
hall recreational games ended before we
realized it.
Truthfully, there were more that we
could have done for our recreational
teams. We could have publicized more
strongly for the recreational games, we
could have spent more effort and time
picking up the games, we could have
pushed for more trainings and
organized inter-hall friendly matches
right from the start… the list goes on
with non-exhaustive we could haves. But
we are not repenting here. We hope to
emphasize to the reader that the time
we have in hall each year is short. There
is so much we could have done, but so
little time. Therefore, residents should
do as they wish and not look back in
regret! (Especially as we all understand
the harsh reality of no-guaranteed-stay,
the reason to do so is even more
compelling).
Our inter-hall Recreational games
experience would have been tougher if
not for seniors who patiently guided and
assisted us. They were the ones who
knew the systems, the games and the IH
best. Despite their knowledge, they
never once questioned us or imposed
their seniority upon us. We always had
the freedom to explore and experiment.
Although we sometimes suspect that
they could have thought of more
efficient ways of doing things right from
the start, we believed they had not
pushed for their methods because they
wanted us to have our own learning
experiences. It is always heart-warming
to know that the seniors helped so
passionately even though they had no
obligations to! Also, we are extremely
thankful to have our wonderful upper
studies Jianhao and Shiying. Their
guidance played a crucial part in
allowing us to forge our very own Hall 2
Recreational Team.
We would also like to extend our
utmost gratitude to our dedicated team
managers and captain for their initiative
in strategizing on the games and for
training the players. Motivated and
driven, they put in great efforts in
planning and coordinating the trainings.
Their passions for their games were
truly inspiring. The late night trainings
everyday in the recreational room, the
crazy secret manuals or ten years series
and the weekly go-out-of-school-for-
external-trainings clearly demonstrated
our point. Many thanks also go to the
players, who spent a great deal of their
time training ceaselessly. Sacrificing
their holidays for extra drilling, our
dedicated players
trained into the wee hours of the night
as they strived to perfect their accuracy,
skills and tactics. Without their pure
determination, sheer hard work and
commitment, we would not have
achieved much especially as we did not
have any recreational backgrounds to
begin with.
Our gratitude does not end there! We
cannot thank our favourite JCRC
people enough! The support and
concern shown was AMAZING. Every
little action adds up, and these sincere
gestures are what, in our opinion,
defines the JCRC spirit.
Now as the academic year is coming to
an end, we are proud to have kept our
promise to the residents by not
repeating history. Also, we proudly
made an improvement of 7 spots to be
the 9th position among all 16 halls. We
emerged as semi-finalists for Snooker
and Chinese Chess and quarter-finalists
for Weiqi, Contract Bridge and
International Chess.
We are equally proud of the other
recreational games which have put up a
tough fight and put in commendable
efforts. The experiences gained from
this competition will definitely provide
precious insights for the next inter-hall
games.
It was indeed satisfying to see Hall 2‟s
recreation ranking improve, but we have
to stress that, as the Recreational
Secretaries, we merely facilitated this
process. Success was largely attributed
to the recreational players who trained
tirelessly. Despite the continual
contribution we made to the hall, we
were in fact the biggest beneficiary.
For everyone who was involved in
IHRG this year, we hope that your
passion for the Recreational Games stay
aflame. And for those who have yet to
discover this burning passion, we are
sure you‟ll to find it in the seasons to
come. Thank you everyone!
Joshua and Yuhui
Joshua Lim & Tay Yu Hui
Recreation Secs
Throughout this whole year as the
cultural secretary, people always ask
me why I took up this post.
Although some may find it hard to
belief, amidst the jokes that crack
and the outgoing person that I am, I
am really passionate about cultural
activities such as dance and music.
As such, I was driven by this passion
to help to boost the cultural scene
within Hall 2.
Since the first day that I was
nominated to be the cultural
secretary, I knew that it was going
to be a very tough journey ahead
and it definitely turned out to be
what I expected. Although it was
tough, it has added plenty of
colours to my hall experience as a
cultural secretary. The most
fulfilling experience for me would
be organising events for the
residents.
One of such events would be Hall 2
Got Talent. I would never forget the
hours of preparation churning out
proposals, writing emails, holding
meetings etc. During that week of
the event, I could vividly remember
that I was so worried that I would
just stare at my computer just
running through what are the things
that might turn out wrong on
the day. Fortunately, the event
was much more smooth-sailing than
I expected and I have never felt so
relieved before.
How can I forget about the bonds I
forged with the JCRC family? I have
got to say that this bunch of people
that I have worked with for the past
year has really become great friends.
In times of trouble, they are always
there to lend a helping hand. In
times of sadness, they are always
there to lend a listening ear. In
times of happiness, they are always
there to share the joy. I really feel
honoured to have worked with
them and i foresee we will remain
awesome friends even after our time
in NTU. Cheers!
Fong Yee Hsu
Cultural
Sec
Given the chance to be the 27th welfare sec was probably the best thing that
happened to me in NTU so far. The experiences when organising the ice
cream fests and during IHG as well as the friendships made was what made hall
so wonderful for me.
From helping out with welfare during the events like night cycling to organising
the ice cream fests, I feel that I have really truely grown as a person. I never
Elizabeth Poh
Welfare
It has been a fun experience serving
Hall 2 as Publicity Secretary for the
past year. It always brings me great
fulfillment when the posters or
banners are displayed all around
hall, adding much vigor and life into
the hall. And of course, when a
fellow hall resident walks around
wearing a shirt I designed, the
unspoken bond simply makes me
feel more attached to the hall.
I took up this portfolio with much
hesitation because afterall, I had
near zero experience in this field.
However, throughout the year, I
learnt so much about the job.
Designs, paint, canvas, printing; I
have almost become an expert in
them xP
The process was enjoyable and at
times even therapeutic (especially
for painting), but highly
cumbersome and time consuming.
Apologies go out to the six sports
who attained 1st runners up position
for IHG. After hanging the
championship banners, there was an
urge to add the six other banners to
display the true competency of our
hall. All of you deserved to be
recognized but I am sorry that it
can‟t be in the form of a banner,
due to time constraints.
Nevertheless, you guys will still be
champions in our hearts :D
Throughout this period, I received
so much help from my subcommers
and other helpful souls for coming
down to help me to paint for long
periods and getting paint stains all
over their bodies and clothes.
Special thanks to Alvin Chin and
Potter Peh for erecting the structure
outside Block 1. Everytime you take
the bus and pass by the Hall 2 FOR
Koh Ping Fang
Publicity Sec
I couldn‟t have done it without you all! You guys took time out during your holidays, evenings and weekends to help with
welfare when you could have spent the time going out/home or studying for our many assignments and tests. I really
appreciate it! Especially to Ming Qin, Xiao Hua, Hui Ting, Zi Hao, Huaili, Johnson, Kai Heng, you guys were always there
when I couldn‟t find enough people!
To Mel Lek, thank you so much upperstudy! For always clearing my doubts and giving advice whenever I was not sure about
welfare stuff. To the 27th JCRC, thank you all so much for making JCRC so fun! All the late night meetings, overseas trip,
IHG, events planning and the events themselves! To Yu Hao and Clement, thank you so much for all your advice and for
answering my many questions. I know I really bug you guys a lot! Fawn, thanks for helping me keep track of my money, if not
they would have all disappeared. And sorry when I keep exceeding that $200 limit! Jian Hao, thanks for all the last minute
booking of the JCRC room. Ngieng, thank you for guiding me when JCRC first started! I was so clueless and didn‟t know what
to do. To the Sports and Rec secs, Alvin Chin, Daryl, Joshua and Yu Hui, thank you all so very much for covering my ass
when I couldn‟t settle welfare during IHG! Ping Fang, thank you for the posters! Jocelyn and Edward, thanks for the door tag
and for stressing about IH together when we couldn‟t find subcommers. Alwin, Hann Bin and Yee Hsu, thank you! I think I
learn a lot from you all after helping with welfare for your events.
There were times when I felt maybe I shouldn‟t have joined JCRC. There were so many other things that I could have
invested more time in, like my studies, my family and friends and of course, joining hall dance. However, without JCRC, I
don‟t think hall life would have been as fulfilling for me. All the learning experiences and stressful situations, and also during
exams and the IH period when I see your faces almost every day. You all are literally like my second family, always being
there for me and helping me out. I love you all a lot a lot!
THE WIN banner, take a moment to
remember and appreciate their hard
work for an entire day. Not forgetting my
dearest committee who loves to shoot
arrows at me for work, but whom I love
nonetheless for their constant support
and the crazy personalities.
Looking at the countless unwashable
paint stains on my hands and legs never
made me regret taking up this
opportunity to serve the hall. These
marks are temporary, but the memories
and lessons are eternal. I YOU
HALL 2 (:
Soon, we would all be a year older. A year closer to graduation. A year
closer to the working world. Gone were the days where we had to „just‟ go to
school, take our attendance, blank through the first ¾ of a year and study to
promote. Yes, growing up is a sad reality of life. But boy, when I look back,
I know I would have awesome memories of my first year in varsity.
Being in a committee is never easy. Being in a student committee is even
harder. On one hand, you got to juggle your studies, on the other, you got to
carry out your duties as part of that committee. And on the third hand, you
got to juggle your personal friendships and your own life. Busy is just not the
word for it. But fulfilling? Hell yes.
I would think that running for social secretary is often a non-glamour job.
You go around quietly doing your work, planning your events, and
executing them. At the end of the day, you don‟t get any cash or rewards.
But what really drives me on, is the smiles on the faces of my peers. The
sight of seeing everyone so bonded within their committees and neighbors.
We all come NTU for our own reasons, but I‟m sure one of them would be
to enjoy what no other uni can bring to you, a hall life that is fulfilling, fun
and filled with events. In that aspect, I hope as one 27th JCRC, we have
achieved and reached your expectations, and that we have given you one
whole year‟s worth of satisfaction.
Of course, my passion in being a social sect would never be satisfied without
the help of my faithful subcom. To the Hisdom guys who have always
offered a helping hand in times of need, I thank you. To the dispersed
group of friends that were always there in times of need, I owe you this
shout of thanks. Tireless they worked while everyone was having fun; they
came earlier to set up and later to clear up just to make the event successful.
I could never do without you guys.
Lastly, and most importantly, is of course 27th JCRC. Our time has came
and passed. But it is not the dates that matter, but the dash in-between that
forever holds our story. The memories we share will forever be etched
deeply into my heart, and may our tale stay forever with us. We have set out
to under-promise and over-deliver, and there is no greater measure of that
than compare what we were before and what we are now. No one will know
the stormy seas we fought through, but also, no one will see the rainbow like
we have. Definitely, everything wouldn‟t be possible without the leadership
of Yu Hao and Clement. Without your vision and leadership, we wouldn‟t
be where we are now.
To all residents, I hope you have a fun-filled and fulfilling year in hall 2.
Thank you.
Social Secs
Alwin Tan & Lim Hann
Bin
“Its time for Camp Yeehaa!” Hall 2’s annual bombastic freshmen orientation camp was held this year during late August 2010. As 2010 was the year Youth Olympic Games were held in Singapore/NTU, our legendary FOC has to be held outside of our beloved hall grounds. Nonetheless, Hall 2 OMC, together with the seniors of hall 2, carried out the camp with the same unsurpassed fervor and enthusiasm, and touched each freshie’s heart with the grand spirit of hall 2. I am sure each and every freshies walked away from the camp, with tons of happy memories, and into the big family of hall 2. FOC is the time where freshies and seniors alike, come together and erupt in an unfathomable amount of fun. It is also a time where great memories are created, friendships are forged, and common experiences are shared. One of these great memories would be the sights, smells, and sounds of our Flavours of Camp Yeehaa. Stuck in a confined area, shoulder to shoulder with each other, and constantly being ‘seasoned’ by various food flavourings would definitely be something one cannot easily forget. Another such memory would be the spooky and eerie setting of the now abandoned SAF Keat Hong Camp, which was the site of our ghostwalk. The screams and tears of freshies have certainly made the day for those who dressed up as ghosts.
Amongst all these activities, were our hall 2 traditional games. Being an old hall in NTU, hall 2 is proud of its wonderful traditions, and many of those are carried out in the camp. One such activity would be our traditional field games. Each year, male freshie’s and seniors alike, band together arm in arm like brothers to brave and defy the brutal advances of their female counterpart, who sought to break up our manly bro-hood. It is a special thing that all hall 2 males share, and this year once again, we have proven ourselves worthy of the bro-code, as many of us held on to each other and manage to stay together. For those unfortunate enough to be preyed upon by the hungry females, our sincerest condolences goes out to you and we will not forget you. Another of our traditional activities would be the ‘Catfight’,
held at the Sentosa’s Palawan Beach. Affectionately known as such, it derives its name from being an activity where the female freshies and seniors engage in a battle to the death with each other. Held sturdily on the shoulders by the macho males of hall 2, our girls display their viciousness and ferocity by trying to topple each other and emerge victorious. As with every year, the CGLs of Camp Yeehaa performed 2 electrifying dances (the strip and fire dances). The CGLs have been training up their bodies and polishing up their hot dance moves for most part of the holidays. Seeing how the freshies were charmed and swayed, it is clear that their hard work paid off. Special thanks to Zhengwen and Xingwei, who were Ex-CGLs themselves, for choreographing and training the CGLs for firedance, and also Jocelyn for once again, taking up the mantle and to teach the CGLs for strip dance. Along with firedance which was held on Camp fire night, was the memorable ‘Cheer Fight’. Each and every freshie was screaming and shouting at the top of their voices to clinch the title of cheer fight champion. It was also amusing to hear all the creative cheers that freshies come up with to impress our chairperson, Yeehan, who was the judge of the event. Congratulations to Hisdom for emerging cheerfight champion that night. All good things come to an end, and Camp Yeehaa was no different. After an exciting and exhilarating Amazing Race round Singapore, the camp gathered at the ending point Ayer Rajah Japanese Association Field, for the initiation into Hall 2 conducted by the 26th JCRC. Although freshies are put through a series of physical demanding activities, the seniors were always within reach, always ready to put on an extra t-shirt for those freshies who were feeling cold, and keeping them entertained and not fall asleep. At the end of it, after an explosive and fiery ceremony, the freshies were now proud residents of hall 2. It was a heart-warming sight to see the throngs of seniors turning up for camp, especially those who have already graduated and started working. Your tireless effort can be felt throughout all the aspects of camp, be it the carrying out of games, setting up of various locations and sets, or the showering of welfare foods and drinks to the freshmen. It is all these little gestures that have left a deep mark in all our hearts. I guess, this would be the real spirit of hall 2, no matter where you are or what you become, there’s always a part of you back here in hall. Thank You!
Orientation Main Committee 10/11
VERVE PRODUCTIONSVERVE PRODUCTIONSVERVE PRODUCTIONS
Hall Two's Verve Productions brought Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None to the stage this year. Verve Production's reinterpretation of the classic murder mystery, renamed as Ten, was staged on 19th March 2011 at Jubilee Theatre, Raffles Hotel.
TTen guests trapped on an island and getting killed off one by one. The audience held their breaths in anticipation and speculated who the murderer was. Some suspected the jittery doctor while some were dead set on the lawyer who jittery doctor while some were dead set on the lawyer who almost seemed too calm. Performing to a near full house proved to be no daunting feat for the cast and crew. In fact, they were able to feed of the energy of the crowd and laced the show with excitement, suspense and the occasional humour. A pivotal scene which can hardly be forgotten was when Lawrence (Played by Thaddeus Tsang) mysteriously reappeared and had the last laugh, revealing himself to be a reappeared and had the last laugh, revealing himself to be a psychotic maniac with a murderous streak.
The months leading up to the production was a roller coaster ride of emotions, from the jubilation of accomplishing what seemed impossible to the frustration of bumping into dead ends. Without the concerted effort of the cast and crew, we wouldn't have been able to put the show together. It is without a doubt that we have a committed crew and dedicated cast to thank for in creating yet another milestone for Verve Productions.for Verve Productions.
2010 saw
another successful Dinner
and Dance carried out
successfully by the hall’s
D&D committee!
Another round of
excellent
choreography on the
part of both dance
instructors as well as
catwalk instructors
brought out all the
pizzazz inherent in
each and every
contestant that night!
Preparations and hard work
the contestants put in
sprinkled with fun moments
throughout the month long
journey ensured it was an
experience they would not
soon forget!
Dinner & Dance Committee 10/11
Hall 2 Dance By Fong Yee Hsu
We came to win, to fly, to conquer, to survive…
Those were the lyrics in our opening song and how apt it was as
it chronicled our entire journey from the start of our practice for
HOCC in late-January to the competition day on 10 March
2011.
Although we did not win first, we were all winners in our own
right already. Firstly, we flew way past our own expectations.
This year, we started training intensively only in late January
due to the change in timetable because of YOG. This effectively,
left us only with a month or so before the competition. Besides
the choreography being a lot tougher than last year’s, a lot of
us came in totally new to dance. We were definitely not
confident of maintaining our 4th position last year at first.
However, nearing the end of the competition, everyone showed
tremendous improvement since they started and to get 4th
placing again this year is a feat that we are really proud of.
Hall Overseas
Trip By Alvin Chin
Since many of us are new dancers, we all had to work harder to
remember the choreography, get the timing right and finally
clean and sharpen our moves. It was not easy for some of us to
get the intricate choreography which required a lot of
technique but we did. Many stayed behind even after practice
officially ended to train more on their own or helped others nail
a particular choreography. After the competition, it was an
extremely touching moment to view the final performance on
film together as a crew. Those 6 minutes on stage was not just
a culmination of a month’s plus of hard work but for some of us,
it also signified the conquest of our own personal barriers as
new dancers.
We survived this H2D! I’m really proud of all of us for putting in
so much effort, staying till 2, 3am at HSS just to clean steps
and practice! A lot of us came in as non-dancers but now I can
really say that all of us are.
This year’s overseas trip was a resounding success that almost
did not happen. Due to the delays in the IHG schedule as a
result of YOG, we were unable to go for our overseas trip during
the usual term break in December. Fortunately for everyone of
us, we were able to arrange the trip for the first weekend of
recess week in Sem 2. After going through a few destinations
Bintan was finally decided as the destination of choice. I am
sure the trip came as a much needed respite after the rigorous
IHG season and first half of Sem 2.
21
A senior of mine once told us that a dancer is defined by his
heart and work ethics. You guys truly emerged as dancers at
the end of this because I can see the passion you have for
dance and the amount of hard work you have put into this
competition.
Lastly, I would like to thank the 27th JCRC for their undying
support and coming to support us during the last few and most
difficult nights before the competition. A big, big shoutout
especially to Yee Hsu our Cultural Secretary, Clement our Vice-
President and Elizabeth our Welfare Secretary, for providing us
with tons of welfare (drinks and supper) during our practices.
To all the cultural subcomm members who made that HUGE
mirror which was essential to our routine, you guys are really
dope! And to all Hall 2 residents who told us to jiayou, we love
you!
Keep dancing! =)
3D2Ns of beach games, excessive exposure to the sun and
possibly radioactive smog from Fukushima gave everyone who
attended the trip an excellent chance to bond as a hall and
also to take a break off school. I hope everyone had enjoyed
themselves and I am thoroughly excited at the prospect of
going on the next trip overseas with the Hall. Special thanks to
Eunice Karina, who literally planned everything for the trip on
her own. The trip would not have been possible with you. So
thank you
Ice Cream Fest By Elizabeth Poh
Ice cream fest is an event where free ice cream was given out
to all residents when the exams were coming, to serve as an
exam de-stresser to everyone. The event was naturally a
success as who would reject free ice cream and goody bags?
This year, we continued with the Gobble-like-a-monster
Challenge where 5 groups of 3 competed to see which team
could finish 20 scoops of ice cream the fastest! It was much
fun seeing the different teams shoving the ice cream and
toppings into their mouths and spilling it all over. It definitely
brought a lot of joy to the teams and the audience.
To the teams, thank you for participating even though I know
it wasn’t exactly a very wonderful or delicious experience for
some of you. Too much ice cream can actually be disgusting
for once. Haha!
Also, a big thank you to my subcommers for helping me run
the event if not the residents would have no ice cream! Thank
you for helping with the scooping of ice cream, giving out of
toppings, moving and setting up of tables and also the crowd
control. 27th JCRC, thank you very much also! Yu Hao, for my
endless questions. Clement, for your spotlights and helping
me take note of the small details.
Cheerleading
By Lim Hann Bin Building on last year’s hype, Hall 2 Awesomes Cheerleading
team decided to turn up the heat in this year Hall Olympiad
Opening Ceremony Cheerleading Competition. Packed with
more powerful and impactful stunts, we decided to up our
standards to try for a higher level of stunts. The energy
present in the routine was A-W-E-S-O-M-E. The crowd was
cheering their hearts out for us and we felt the need to just
put on a good show. Even though we came in last, we
thoroughly enjoyed the routine and at the end of the day we
knew we had done our best.
The past few weeks before HOOC was hell for us! Training till
the wee hours, sacrificing time with our loved ones and for
some, less time to study for their tests. Through all these
trainings though we learnt that we have grown stronger as a
team and that the future ahead of us is bright. Special kudos
to Coach Ben and Coach Lynn for coming down to help us for
our routine. The efforts they have put in to train us cannot be
left unseen. They have done a fantastic job in bringing life into
our routine, merging our fun loving culture within our routine.
Jian Hao, for the moving of tables. Alwin, for your awesome
music that helped up the atmosphere and for the 100
scoops of ice cream for the challenge! Yee Hsu, for the
awesome emceeing throughout the event and helping to
control the crowd. Ping Fang, for designing the whiteboard
on the spot and also the pretty pretty poster! Edward and
Jocelyn for the photos! Ngieng, for your goody bags that
helped draw people to the event. And also to everyone else
who helped with the setting up and cleaning up. Not
forgetting the people who turned up for the event, thank you
very much if not it wouldn’t have been a success!
Although we suffered many setbacks in our course to HOOC,
we stood by each other and helped one another up. We are
more inspired to train up for the next HOOC. WE WILL COME
BACK STRONGER, FASTER, BETTER, HALL 2 FTW!
Night Cycling By Alwin Tan
Hall 2 晚 to cycle! This year’s night cycling was distinctively different compared to other years. In terms of both length and route,
this year’s night cycling offered more flexibility to the different abilities of the cyclists. Instead of travelling to the often visited east,
we decided to unravel the mysteries of the North. Travelling through the emergency aeroplane landing point at Old Choa Chu Kang
route, we ventured through Kranji, passing by the only knight in Singapore, Knight Sir Fari(i saw this on twitter don’t kill me) and
Mandai Zoo, before meeting the beautiful sunrise at Khatib Dam.
Of course, along the way, we wouldn’t have moved as efficiently without the constant energy boosts the welfare mama has prepared
for us. A few things that excite those taste buds are ah lian’s bee hoon, ice cream, and of course the gorgeous red bull girls with that
sexy mini cooper.
Of course, this event wouldn’t be possible without the help of a lot of people. Those who offered to drive the lorries, I thank you very
much. This event wouldn’t be possible if not for their dedication, as they had to make 4 trips from the ulu-ness of NTU to the far east
of ECP. To transport the bicycles, the lorries had to be packed to the brim, which required a lot of meticulous arrangement from the
everybody who helped. Even after the whole event, they did not abandon their cause; bit their lips, carried on their work even with
their fatigue. I really have to dedicate this event to my sub-com, for without their help, there wouldn’t be a night cycling to speak off.
Hall 2 Got Talent By Fong Yee Hsu
You might be wondering what 600 odd residents would have much talent to offer. You are in for a treat. Hall 2 Got Talent has
definitely provided one of the most entertaining shows this year.
Auditions were held in the way of American Idol style where contestants had to wait for their turn outside the audition room and had
to go through an interview with our very own Ryan Seacrest, Cedrick. Though the auditions were held at the TV room, the faces of the
panel of judges made it very intimidating for contestants who had to showcase their very best talent. Out of 16 performing groups
that came to audition, only 8 made the cut for the Finals.
Here it comes! The day of the finals of Hall 2 Got Talent! Though it was pouring, it definitely did not dampen the mood of
contestants and audience. After making their final preparations and sound check, the contestant took centre stage of Canteen 2 to
showcase their talents. After which contestants stood still to listen to the judges’ comments. There were loads of variety in the
competition; however there were two performances which stood out.
Firstly, it was Kim, an international student that came for exchange, who melted the ladies hearts with his rendition of a Korean
Song (Nothing Better). Although many of the audience do not understand Korean, they do understand the sentiments of Kim who
sang the song so beautifully.
Along the way, I am sure everyone had tons of fun, be it with your special committees or with your OGs. For the LLRC that came
back, I am sure we definitely miss the time we had in our varsity lives and I wish you the best in your future endeavors. For the
Freshies, this is only but the first of many more years of hall life to come, and thank you once again for being such wonderful
participants!
Secondly, it was the performing group representing the Lao Lang Relac Club (LLRC): The Backside Boys! Being the seniors of Hall 2,
they definitely showed the freshies how to move their bodies with their energetic and dynamic dance moves. Receiving the loudest
applause of the night, they also claimed the 1st prize of the day by being the Hall 2 Got Talent Champions!
Hall 2 Got Talent? YES!
International Night By Fong Yee Hsu
KAM SA HA MI DA! Greetings to all International students! This was an event
which definitely reaped unexpected rewards. At first glance, it was just a night
of food and games; however it turned out to be a night where joy was shared
and friendships were forged.
The night kicked off with an extremely sumptuous buffet-styled dinner with
huge volumes of food; in terms of both quantity and variety. The food served
ranged from local delicacies like Laksa to international food such as Phat Thai
and Kebab. The long queues at the food stations definitely showed the warm
response by our International friends.
There were 4 stations set up to let International students have a feel of
Singapore‟s culture. The most well-received was definitely the Durian stations
which saw some Caucasians trying out a seemingly „smelly‟ fruit. This fruit is
actually reputed as the „King of Fruits‟ in Singapore. The other stations had
people try a hand at making hand-rolled spring rolls, or „Popiah‟, and glutinous
rice balls, also known as „Tang Yuan‟. In addition, people donned various ethnic
costumes such as the „Sari‟ to pose for photos for remembrance.
An international quiz was held as well! People had to rush up to the emcee to
have a go at the questions. 15 questions were asked and people also had to
play side games like „rock, paper, scissors‟ and „oh-ya-bei-ya-som‟ to earn their
right to answer the questions. Many walked away as proud winners of vouchers
given out during the event.
Lastly, it was time for BINGO! As usual, this never fails to hype up the ever-
fervent Hall 2 residents. The Grand Prize saw people punching through their
Bingo cards, which all of the numbers had to be called out. As the numbers
were called out, faces of anticipation, hope, optimism, desire and belief were
seen. Then came the moment where everybody loathed. Someone shouted and
destroyed everyone‟s hopes. And the winner was none other than “Rambu” Tan
which definitely had the biggest smile of the night.
Round Island Eating Trip By Alwin Tan
Round island supper has always been an event to chill, enjoy
the cool night breeze and indulge in your favourite foods. This
year, having the autonomy to vote for each resident’s favourite
supper place, we travelled far and wide to Casuarina for some
sizzling crispy prata, Geylang for some delicious dim sum and
Katong to sing our hearts out at Teo Heng Karaoke. To end
everything off, we enjoyed the smooth savoury tau hway at
Rochor Road.
Along the way, there was attractive prize money to be won. At
Casuarina, we tested our taste buds by trying to identify the
drinks given to us. Knowing that it would come from the menu,
we secretly took photos and read off it one by one. Sadly, even
with this advantage, and a tinge of dumbness (like not
reading the first line of the menu, and saying names in
English), the fastest team that came in took 3 mins.
At Geylang, we moved from more sensitive taste buds to
fastest swallowers. At this station, we had to eat (okay fine,
swallow) a chee cheong fun and drink up all the zhup in the
fastest possible time. Seems easy, and the talk came cheaply
too. Many a time’s guys would come up talking big about how
fast they can finish it, but the latter action was always
humorous. Zhup came flying everywhere, half chewed chee
cheong fun all over their plates, and a dirty messy shirt was
the result. Of course, there was the occasional coward (right,
Vincent?) who wouldn’t dare attempt to eat at all. The results
were hilarious, reputations made (and lost), and it was all a
good night of fun.
At Teo Heng, we sang our hearts out. Some of us even got
carried away and kissed whatever in sight. It was a good break
from all that eating, and the singing provided us an insight to
some we never got to see. While it might go against the idea
of supper, we had lots of joy singing, laughing, shuffling, and
for some, kissing. Kudos to Ervin Lai for the brilliant idea.
At the last station, we met up with our fellow hall mates from
different committees and had a good laugh over the different
experiences that we had. Of course, the most entertaining of
all, knew that the games were not for naught. Prize money was
given out. The full results are as follows:
Taste bud galore:
1) Basketball
2) OMC
3) OCIP
Fastests chee cheong fun:
1) Low Zi Hao - OCIP
2) Justin Teh – Hall Prod
3) Kollin - Rec
Most songs sung:
1) LLRC
2) OMC
3) OCIP
Thank you all for making this such a memorable event!
Wing Supper By Clement Cher
“One Hall. Two Levels. Eleven blocks, which is yours?”
If you do not know yet, Hall 2 consists of 11 blocks and 4
wings. Block 1 and 2 make up the first wing. Block 3,4,5 the
second wing, blocks 6,7,8 the third and 9,10 and 11 the
fourth wing!
Wing Supper took place on 10th Feb, right after everyone had
gorged themselves during Chinese New Year and amidst a
very exhausting IHG period. It provided the perfect backdrop
for residents to know new neighbours who had shifted in,
catch up with old friends after the CNY break and get up to
date on Hall 2’s progress in IHG!
Hall Fellows graced the event and it provided a good
opportunity for them to interact and know the residents on a
deeper level. Food for the night included KFC egg tarts,
CNY Dinner By Lim Hann Bin
Hall Tu CNY dinner was held at hall 8’s function room this
year. A wide array of food spread was available for each
person, inclusive of traditional steamboat staples such as
sausages, chicken slices, golden mushrooms, and our own
delicacies such as cheese tofu and abalone.
The event kicked off with a bang, with a performance from
our very own NTU dragon dance troupe. The guest of honor
was none other than our hall fellow, Prof Lam and his family.
Shortly after that, dinner started and we started feasting.
Selegie beancurd and soya bean milk, Pizza Hut drumlets,
satay and 1A curry puffs just to name a few!
Kudos to the Block Managers for assisting in the set up,
collection of food and distribution of block tee shirts! It was
indeed a memorable and gastronomically satisfying
experience. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and found
the event a rewarding one.
Towards the end, we ended off with a big big lucky draw.
Prizes ranged from monetary vouchers to steamboat sets,
and the biggest of them all, the Nintendo Wii. After the grand
lucky draw, we gathered to the centre where the whole hall
took part in the ceremonial lao-ing of yusheng. With a few
quick words from our emcee, Malcolm, we proceeded with
the traditional customs with a bit of hall 2 flavour in it.
Alumni Night
By Jocelyn Neo
This year’s alumni night chaired by the 26th JCRC president,
Lawrence Teh was a great success. And slightly different from
past years, we invited graduating seniors to the event as well.
This year we held it at the futsal court in hall 2 so as to give
the alumni a homely feel. The event started off with a
sumptuous buffet and fabulous barbeque dinner prepared by
D & D.
Following on was the fantastic performance bought by Alvin
and Yee Hsu (also the mc and vice-chairman of alumni
night’11). The main highlight of the event was the carnival
and casino games, prepared by OMC and Hall Prod
respectively, attracting alumni and graduating seniors to test
their luck and try to earn as many chips as possible to win the
fantastic prizes in hold for them. The night ended with the
well-liked game, Bingo, and with the alumni leaving the
event with souvenirs such as instant print photos and our very
A big thank you to the water polo boys who came down even
though they had just completed a gruelling semi-finals
match with hall 6.
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the help
everyone provided us with. Thank you everyone who helped in
one way or another, especially all those that stayed behind to
Thanks to Lawrence for his guidance, thanks to Yee Hsu for
all the help you have given and special thanks to the 3
special committee and all who had contributed in a way or
another to the success of this event. Thank you.
Basketball (F) By Eunice Pang
Hall 2 Table Tennis team of 2010/2011 consisted of 15 people. Trainings were
conducted on every Thursday for 3hrs at the SRC.
The Inter-Hall Table Tennis Games commenced on the 4th Jan 2011.It was a round
robin between 4 groups, A, B, c and D. Hall 2 was in group C.The first game was against
hall 8. It was lead by the Captain, Keith with his team of 8 players.
It was not an easy game as we were faced with the obstacle of a shortage in the female
players until the day before the match. Despite so, the team started the IHG well,
attaining a victory over Hall 8 with a score of 4:1.
The next 2 matches was against hall 3 who had 2 of the strongest IVP players and hall
15, who had 3 IVP players in their team. In spite of the difference in our standard, we
did not give up and fought our best. The female doubles won a game against hall 3 with
a score of 3:0 while our male doubles put up a tough fight against hall 15, ending up with
a score of 2:3.
Although we lost, it was a great experience for all of us, especially when it was the first
table tennis competition for many in the team. This concludes our IHG for 2010/2011
but it will not be the end of it. With failure comes success.
As we ushered in the new academic year with orientation camp,
the hall 2 basketball girls‟ team received an enthusiastic
response from the fellow hall members. The girls are back in
contention for the title, where they finished runners-up in last
year‟s inter-hall games.
Training started earlier this season, to ensure that we were
equipped and prepared for the games. We trained weekly and
everyone made an effort to turn up for training despite of our
hectic schedule. Having gone through months of rigorous
training, our girls came prepared for this season.
Under the leadership of our captain, Jayne, our girls started the
season strongly, with a convincing win over Hall 10. During the
next match, we faced the strongest contenders of the group,
Hall 13. The game had been very challenging for us given that
Hall 13 had advantage in terms of players. Our girls fought
hard, chasing and going for every ball that they could. However,
Hall 13 proved to be the stronger team, eventually becoming
the winner of the match.
Despite losing the 2nd game, our girls were confident of coming
back stronger in the last game of the preliminary round, where a
win will see us through to the quarters. Unfortunately, we
suffered a blow when we were informed that our team has been
disqualified due to administrative errors.
It was a pity that our fight came to a halt, but our spirits are high
and we will be back the next year to make up for what we have
lost.
Table Tennis By Adelene Tan
31
Basketball (M) By Cedrick Lee and Kenneth Hor
“Swishhh”
The reverberating sound of the last shot
which deafened the eerie silence within
SRC and promptly knocked Hall 2 out of
IHG 09/10 seemed like a haunting
nightmare on self-replay mode flashing
through our minds the past year.
Every training session, every basketball
affair, every post-match debrief, was so
we could make things right again, to erase
this painful memory and in its place,
replaced with sheer joy and pure ecstasy.
Fast forward one year on, we stormed
our way past the initial stages, posting
impressive wins over Halls 7, 16 and 5. A
mere two wins stood between us and the
coveted championship. Next up in the
semi-finals, our neighbours and fierce
competitors both in IHG and for
Canteen 2, Hall 6. Any doubts of
elimination and inability were swiftly
quashed with a resounding 51-43 victory
to set up a date with our old foes,
nemesis and the defending champions,
Hall 10.
A case of déjà vu, or history in the
making?
The confidence and momentum we
gained in our convincing semi-final
triumph were certainly awe-inspiring.
Driven by a shared vision that the team
shall demand redemption for our failure
last year, and that we needed to fight for
it as a team, our desire to claim the
championship was evident right from the
onset. We were men on a mission with a
vengeance, not merely looking for just
another journey, experience or process.
On the contrary, we were focused and
had a clear target in mind – Champions.
Anything less would be deemed as a
failure.
“Talent counts for nothing without hard
work”. The fundamental key to success is
about hard work, determination and
dedication. That was the attitude we
embraced when preparing for the season.
All of us dedicated our heart and soul
into trainings. Everybody‟s presence was
essential to the team‟s progress, and
needless to say, it was gratifying when our
efforts paid off during the matches. I
daresay that our victories were largely
driven by our team effort, rather than
individual talents and skills. It is the trust
and camaraderie we developed along the
way, which will essentially bring us the
championship, completing our validation.
Validation indeed, the road to
redemption was completed with an
emphatic 43-33 victory in the final. We
were finally liberated, we were finally able
to look ourselves into the mirror and
remain accountable. The pride and
honor of being a part of this team, is
priceless. Nonetheless, the unwavering
support from the Hall and our
supporters cannot be underestimated. To
send you guys into raptures of euphoria
and rhapsody was a joy to behold, it was
our way of saying thanks.
As quoted from Pat Riley and Aung San
Suu Kyi, “You have no choices about
how you had lost, but you do have a
choice about how you come back and
prepare to win again. It is his capacity for
self-redemption which most distinguishes
man from the mere brute.”
Hall 2, IHG Basketball Champions
10/11.
The Redemption Team, redeemed.
Hockey (M) By Shawn Tien
Our Hall 2 Male Hockey team has had a
relatively successful run in the 2010 IHG
season with many ups and downs and
exciting moments along the way. The most
memorable match in my view was the first
match against Hall 1. I felt that that match
really exemplified the determination of the
team to achieve greater heights.
The team this year were mostly comprised
of freshmen with little hockey experience
and we had only played a couple of friendly
in the run-up to IHG. As such, the first
match would prove our mettle.
The match was a pretty one sided one, with
us controlling the play in the opposing half
and limiting Hall 1 to only a half decent
chance on target. However, as much as we
tried, we could not convert our many
chances to goals. Thus, the match went to
penalties after regulation time.
Our first penalty was taken by Rabnick, who
shot to the left and put it slightly out of reach
of the opposing goalkeeper's despairing dive.
Hall 1's first penalty was then shot down the
middle, however it was too close to our
goalkeeper Shawn, who saved with his
hands.
As the tall and imposing Hall 1 player
strutted confidently to the penalty spot, you
literally could hear a pin drop. After the
referee blew the whistle, he sent a shot
slightly off-center to the left of the goal,
which Shawn saved with his outstretched leg.
This meant that we had won our first match
1-0 on penalties. We had proven that we did
not let the pressure cooker of penalties get to
us.
Our second penalty was taken by Shaikh,
whose excellent shot to the left was matched
by an equally excellent save by the Hall 1
goalkeeper. Hall 1's second penalty was then
shot high down the middle, however it went
high and well over the bar, not troubling
Shawn.
Our third and last penalty was taken by our
captain Stephen, who dispatched a powerful
shot to the right of the goal which the Hall 1
goalkeeper was lucky to get to, hitting him
somewhere in the midsection which had him
grimacing in pain after that.
The possibly penultimate penalty of the
match was Hall 1's. The equation was
simple, if Hall 1 scored, we would have to
take more penalties. If they failed to score
we would win the first match of our IHG
tournament.
The subsequent results in the preliminaries
were a hard to stomach 1-0 loss to Hall 6
followed by a hard fought 1-0 victory against
Hall 15 which secured us a quarterfinal spot.
I felt that the team really bounced back from
the loss the Hall 6 by taking the game to Hall
15 in which Hall 15 had no shots on our
goal.
Our quarterfinal opponents, Hall 3, had two
skillful players who had the ability to slice
through our defence like a hot knife through
butter. As such, we lost the match to the
future runners-up 2-0 but not without giving
it our best before losing valiantly.
In conclusion, IHG 2010/2011 has been a
good season for the hockey team. The team's
chemistry, determination and mental
strength cannot be faulted. I believe the team
we have is a team for the future. If the core
of the team manages to stay together, I am
pretty sure that we will be able to advance
further in future IHG seasons to come.
Volleyball (M) By Teo Weilun
Hall 2 volleyball team made the hall proud once again by making our way into the finals. We defeated Hall
4 and hall 13 in the preliminary games and advanced into quarter-finals against hall 16 securing a 2-0 win.
Proceeding to the semi-finals, we played against last year runner-up hall 3 in an intense best of 5 sets game.
Despite the stress and fatigue we are facing in battling out with them, our players‟ experiences and supporters
came in right and we won 3-0.
In the finals against volleyball powerhouse hall 5, our players were motivated and determined to win. High-
powered serves and spikes dominated the gameplay for extended periods of time. Balls rocketed out of the
court at times, nearly flying in the faces of spectators. The two teams had identical passing figures and attack
error percentage figures, but hall 5 were a good margin ahead on attack kill percentage and also on serve
proficiency. Our team stood strong and made several spikes in return to disrupt their momentum, which
boasted our morale and the spirit of hall 2 in the supporters.
All in all, hall 5 defeated us as their players possessed greater skills and displayed better teamwork. Despite
the lost, hall 2 volleyball team has forged a strong bond and we thank the hall for the support given to us
during this IHG season. The team will return stronger and retrieve back the title of championship.
Softball (M) By Low Zi Hao
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man
who points out how the strong man
stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could
have done them better. The credit belongs to
the man who is actually in the arena, whose
face is marred by dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly.”
These are words most befitting the softball
team for the spirit they have shown during
the IHG season. We fought hard and played
well, leaving behind our legacy and earning
the respect of our opponents.
This year‟s 10/11 IHG for softball has been
a challenging and tricky one. Hall 2 has been
drawn to play against Halls 14 and 9 in the
group stages, both of which are decent
teams. We got off to a good start with a
victory over Hall 14. Although we lost our
second match to Hall 9, we managed to
come back strong and win our remaining
match to advance into the Quarter-Finals.
In the Quarters, we were up against the
defending champions, Hall 3. The odds
were stacked heavily against us, nevertheless,
our spirits never dampened and we did all
we could in our preparation and went head
on with goliath.
Despite our best efforts, and unyielding
spirit, we have to admit that we lost to a
better team, and there is no shame in that.
Instead, we should be proud of the never-
say-die attitude of the team! So rest assured,
we will be stronger and aiming to topple the
giants next season.
This year‟s softball team is made up of a
balanced mix of devoted seniors and
enthusiastic freshmen. Our team captain,
Wing Sing, and player-coach Bryan Shih
(a.k.a Best Softballer in the World) came up
with a structured and organised training
programme for the team.
With that, the team steadily improved over
the season and was in high morale &
confidence for the IHG. Seniors player like
Zhuo Song and Lawrence also played their
part by sharing their knowledge and
expertise with the team. Si Kuan and Sidney
were also the main reasons why the team had
such fighting spirit and strong mindset. Their
speeches and prep-talks during trainings and
matches were extremely encouraging and
inspiring.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
all the supporters who came down for the
matches. Your presence was definitely felt.
Thank you Welfare, Elizabeth, for all the
100 plus, drinks and food. Big thank you to
the Sports Secs as well, Daryl and Alvin, for
all they have done for the team both upfront
and behind the scenes. You all are the
unsung hero that helped cover all the needs
of the team and for the support not only
during the games but also during trainings.
And lastly, special thanks to all the players
who will be graduating this year. The team
will like to wish them well in their future
endeavours.
All in all, this year‟s softball season was an
enjoyable and memorable one. Let us all
work harder and strive for greater heights
together next year. Finally, I would like to
end off with a quote that I find very
meaningful;
"When I am at my physical limit, these are the people that come into my mind because they are the ones who are in hell with me. I will press on, because they are the ones who will give their all to help me attain my wildest dreams."
Track By Lim Zhihao
The track team has improved from last year‟s overall 3rd to 2nd this year, and it was only made possible by
everyone‟s hard work and effort.
The girls, comprising of Mainisah, Angela, Eunice, Philicia, Ling Juan, Alissa and Sann were amazingly fast.
Despite facing strong or even national runners, the girls emerged triumphant, bringing home 2 gold medals. It
was definitely no mean feat. Besides their glorious accomplishments, the girls had also brought back sweet
memories, as year 1 Mainisah put it,” Winning was great, but running with my friends, especially my touch rugby
seniors was AWESOME!”
Led by team captain Fong Yi, the guys‟ team, Sidney, Yuan Kai, Yen Hao, Yee Han, Wang Peng, Zhi Hao and
Zhi Sheng, Alvin, Alex, finished strong to clinch the 4th and 5
th place. With the guys‟ team fraught with injuries,
they had to constantly practice with new partners for baton passing. However, even in the face of adversities, the
guys team made great improvements within a short period, with even Yee Han managing to trim his 400m timing
from 76sec to 56sec in a night!
Last but not least, the medley team, made up of Alissa, Sann, Alvin and Alex put up a great race to secure a 5th
position. Being the last race, they faced immense pressure, as it will determine our fate. Our hopes were not let
down, as they finished triumphantly to the cheers of the hall 2 supporters.
Finals Results
4x100m Females – 1st
4x400m Females – 1st
4x100m Males – 4th
4x400m Males – 6th
4x800m Medley – 5th
Netball By Wong Sok Peng
It was the day when we were going to fight against one of the strongest hall for netball.
We knew that it was going to be a tough battle but we did have quite a fair chance to
win the match. The crowd that came down to support us on that day was the biggest
out of all our matches. It was a crucial match that determined whether we would be in
the semi-finals. Before the match, many of us were nervous and scared.
When the match finally started, our opponent managed to score the first goal.
However, we were not demoralized and we tried to win back the score. We had a
very close fight with them in the first and second quarter. First quarter was a draw and
by the end of second quarter, we only lost by one goal. We believed even more
strongly that we had an equal chance to win the match. Our morale was high and we
could see that our opponents were getting more worried.
During the third quarter, the opponent team suddenly kept scoring and pulled the
score difference apart. Every score that they put in made our confidence level drop
by a bit. We knew that we were affected by them and the situation was bad.
Eventually, they were leading ahead by eight at the end of third quarter. We took the
break time to reflect on our mistakes and tell ourselves that we were going to win it
back in the last quarter. We went in and fought hard till the very last moment when
the whistle was blown. There were no thoughts of giving up. Although we lost the
match, we knew that we did our best and it was a good play. What many of us looked
forward was to come back stronger next year and do better than this year.
Badminton By Brian Koh
In the spirit of Inter-Hall Games, graciousness, fair-play and fun were the basis of this harmonious event. But it appeared to some as a
serious competition which they would not mind winning by all means and undertaking measures in hope for a „glorious‟ victory.
The quarterfinals, indeed was a memorable and theatrical piece. Starting with several correspondences with the opposing IC but somehow
misinterpreted information which was given weeks before. It was certainly an honour to be able to speak to the higher management of
committees of the oppositions as they were kind enough to clear up the misunderstandings. The truth be told, a couple of decisions were
apparently made on their part and we were pleasantly surprised to see only our team at the time of the game. The spokespersons of the
opposing team were definitely spontaneous in their thoughts as assurances were made instantaneously showing their commitment and
desire for a fair competition. Giving them the benefit of the doubt and several pleas, we were made to believe that it was indeed
miscommunication on their side that led to the confusion. Appearing attenuated and in despair, were probably their metier as it bought
over many of our players‟ as we graciously postponed the game to accommodate them. But after much investigation, it was unveiled that
statements were mere statements, which we really hoped to hold through. The eventual day of the quarterfinals finally arrived and we were
all excited to find out which team would progress to the next round. It was a tough match on the whole with both teams tied at 2-2. It
dragged till the last game of mix-doubles and our players had to perform brilliantly to secure a spot in the semi-finals. Despite all the
unwanted and messy incidences our players held thru to the end and won that epic battle.
Nevertheless, we fought all the way in the Semis and Finals to emerge as gallant champions of 2011.
Our hockey girl’s team this year can be commended for their hard effort and determination displayed during the inter-hall games. This year, our team comprised of slightly more freshies girls as newcomers with no background in hockey made up the majority, while seniors with experience continue to stay in the team with the addition of 2 IVP players. Almost similar to last year’s IHG fixtures, our team continue to face familiar opponents from stronger halls like hall 7 to other relatively weaker halls. Therefore, although our team did not manage to break through the preliminaries, the amount of time and effort the team had seen to put in for the competition is highly worth praising nonetheless. Moreover, just as an overview, our team has done hall 2 proud by securing 1 win, 1 draw and 1 lost in the preliminary rounds. Our first match was against the strong opponent from hall 7. Our girls have had definitely done the hall proud by displaying good defensive skills throughout the match. We had undoubtedly put up a strong fight against hall 7 that is well-known for their dominant attack nature from their IVP players. The game eventually ended with a loss on our side of 0-1. However, our team was honestly quite flattered with the results as other halls which competed with hall 7 later on, ended up with score lines of 3-0 or 5-0 even. In fact, this news boosted our morale and confidence as we geared up for the next match. Next, we competed with hall 1 for the second round of preliminaries. Once again, the girls did hall 2 proud by securing a win of 1-0 against hall 1. We had the upper hand during the game as the possession of ball maintained ours throughout the game. Finally, the deciding and crucial round was against hall 4 as with the previous years too. After a tough fight with hall 4, our team
ended with a draw of 0-0 unfortunately. This was later followed by penalty shots from both teams. Although sok yin managed to score one penalty goal for our team, it was to our disappointment that hall 4 had surpassed us in such penalty goals and the end result was 1-2. In conclusion, it is still evident that all of our girls had put in their utmost best for this competition, from willing to learn hockey from the basics to the taking out of time for numerous trainings, to training as a team together to acquire teamwork skills and finally to the day of competition itself. Although we might not have won the competition and emerge victorious, we have had already won ourselves the true spirit and meaning behind these inter-hall games. Till the next IHG season may we conquer victory!
Hockey (F) By Foo Ming Qin
Waterpolo By Ray Lim and Kenryu Wang
Having finally entering the finals for their first time in 3 years, our
very own hall polo boys gave the defending champions a run for
their money. Though the end result was not to our favour, it was
nonetheless a breath-taking and exciting game with a final score of 5-
2, a score line only seen in the tightest of water polo games.
With a team largely consisting of freshsmen inexperienced in the
techniques of water polo, together with the more seasoned senior
players, we held our own and did well against an opposing team that
consisted of many ex-ivp players. The team‟s strong commitment to
the sport and the hall was shown in the regular training sessions that
were held both within the school and out. Some of our training
highlights would include the friendlies that we played against teams
such as NUS, The National Women‟s Water Polo Team and with
special focus on the SAJC Water Polo team, to which our teammates
can attest to having gained a really good experience in the sport.
From the basics to the higher level tactics that we have used to play
in our various games, our players displayed splendid determination
and team work to help the team reach such a standing in this year‟s
Hall Olympiad. Although the team finished the season as runner-up,
it is still an excellent result and we are ever determined to try and
snatch the championship off hall 3 next year.
The polo team would like to take this opportunity to thank our
seniors who will be graduating. Firstly, to our IVP senior Xian Rong,
for his dedication and commitment to the team in imparting his
knowledge and skills of water polo to us. Rodrick, for his
contribution of the dynamics of the team and guidance towards
coaching and training matters. Ervin, for instilling a sense of identity
and belonging for every member of the water polo team. Yee Han,
for his remedial shooting courses he conducts for the freshies to help
improve their shooting and long passes. And Thai Ee, for his
unmistakable passion for hall two sports. Thank you for sticking with
us through the season.
We would also like to make a special mention to our most improved
players Chia Wang Peng and Harry Peh YuZheng-Potter for their
exceptional performances. And lastly, to all the supporters that came
down to cheer the team on regardless of the score, your support and
encouragement was much appreciated.
To our freshies, be proud of what you have achieved, water polo is
not an easy sport to pick up at all and every one of you has done
really well and has shown lots of spirit. For our seniors, thank you for
being there with the extra encouragement and guidance.
This year was special. I was part of it.
I truly don‟t recall camaraderie like this
other than my army days as a commando.
Everybody learns something. Wang Peng,
the hall king, overcame his greatest fear
and totally knocked someone out with a
move he had learnt in his secondary school
days watching wrestling. Mr Wang
completely ignored that it was the last play
of the game and if there was an MVP
system, he would have been the only
contender.
Rugby By TanWei Qiang
Soccer By Chai Ming Long
Hello people. It has indeed been a long and arduous journey.
I was handed the captaincy of the team almost immediately after last year IHG. The
fact that I was a freshie and notoriously outspoken didn‟t help matters at all. In the
team, I have seniors who have a too much faith in themselves but thank god they either
graduated or couldn‟t get a room. Seniors aside, I have a bunch of freshies reeking with
potential and ready to go.
Gathering whatever resources I have available, I assembled together a team that is
formidable, well at least in the sense of IHG. We played a series of friendly matches in
pre-season, notching up consecutive wins along the way. We remained unbeaten up till
IHG and boy, aren‟t we more than ready for the real deal.
The draw came out. I thought Alvin was kidding me. He handed me the exact same
grouping as last IHG. Oh! And we played our first match against the exact same
opponent as last year. Donned in our H L Lian‟s freshly printed purple stripe, we
looked pretty awesome, much better than the gay boys across the street (Hall 6).
We proved too much for Hall 13 to handle, smashing 7 goals past them without any
mercy. Their reply? The referee is their friend! Oh man, indeed he is my classmate but
hello, it‟s freaking 7 goals! What do you have to say? Never mind that, let‟s move on to
the second match.
We were up against Hall 15 in the scorching sun of Serangoon Stadium. The sun
practically sapped away all our energies, had Parthi played, he will probably get a heat
stroke! The heat was more than detrimental. I was too overwhelmed that I made a
mistake which probably caused us our season. I had forgotten to remove my Fernando
Torres who was already on a yellow card despite us leading comfortably. Before I
realised it, a mistimed tackle by the opposition on Torres saw him taking a fall in the
penalty box which was adjusted to be a dive by the referee! And as they said, the rest is
history.
We were poised to face our greatest nemesis, Hall 3 in the quarter final. Much had
been said, much had been done in preparation for the game but it all boils down to
what we deliver on the pitch. Right from the start, the confidence we had in prior
matches was adversely missing. Our usual fluent passing was non-existence. Despite us
opening the scoring through a cool, calm and composed penalty, we never really look
convincing enough. We toiled, we struggled and we killed ourselves through a series of
mistakes. Mistakes that were pointed out time and time again during friendly matches
and trainings, but were never learnt. We were knocked out.
This is life, you win some and you lose some. This defeat definitely taught us a lesson, a
lesson which is pretty hard to swallow. But we will, and we shall. Perhaps we should
start calling ourselves the „redemption team‟.
Passion can never be expressed in words. Our President Yu Hao; Sports Secretary Alvin, and
Game Shark Zheng Jie came for trainings while sporting sprains and pulls. Sidney, the oldest
player on the team, showed his devotion to the team, coming down after his attachment to
train us on top of his national commitments. The immense commitment my teammates
showed for turning up for trainings was extremely impressive.
We trained for 3 months, breezing through our preliminaries with victories over Hall 11 and
12, and making a statement in our semis with Hall 6 after a walkover by Hall 15 during our
quarters. Hall 3 was our strongest opponent and we faced each other in the finals.
Once the whistle blew, we took them by surprise with our efforts. However, on this occasion,
the better team didn‟t win. We faced dismay for the first time as we walked out of the pitch.
The journey doesn‟t end here.
Sepak Takraw By Alvin Bay
Hall 2 Sepak Takraw team mainly consisted of players who
participated in the previous edition of IHG. Hence, confidence was
high as our boys knew well that competitive takraw games at this level
could be won with sheer grit, composure and sufficient trainings.
Alas, it was not always as easy as making a self-assuring axiomatic
claim. To begin with, our winning formula fell short of the most
important element – trainings. Unlike last year, and most probably
because of last year, training frequencies and intensities had
increased manifold for many other sports. To make matter worse,
many key players had other commitments like IA, part-time job,
involvement in other sports and, at times, PP. Hence, it was a chore
trying to grab players down for trainings. Nevertheless, with the
regular “updates” of the then current IHG preparation from several
sources and help from Toh De Yong, takraw trainings finally kicked
off, albeit, to a slow start.
However, all was not bleak as the majority of the players were
undeterred by their busy schedules and found valuable time to come
down for practices. Special thanks to Zhengjie, De Yong, Jian Hao,
Stephen, Handsome Peh, Hans, Boon, Parthi, Wang Peng, Clement
and Nian for coming down for trainings and friendly matches even
though the majority of you ended up with near to zilch play time
during the tournament.
Hall 2 were oddly drafted into a group consisting of Halls 6, 9 and
12. Our first game was against Hall 6. Tension was high initially at
our camp as they were the seeded team boasting of players who
could well moonlight as novice acrobats. A glimpse of hope befell us
as we claimed the first point. We then realised we might have given
our opponents too much respect. Unfortunately, we lost the next two
sets, handing over to our opponents a 2-1 victory.
Our next match was against Hall 9. We were fired up and
determined to win at all costs. 3-0 to Hall 2. Nuff said.
For the third game, as luck would have it, we were given our chance
at redemption against Hall 6. We knew we had the competence to
beat them even though some of their players might be technically
stronger. Some tactical changes were made to counter every possible
array of ammunitions Hall 6 might hurl at us. It was a tough fight all
night, culminating in an exciting final set where we narrowly beat the
opponents 21-19. Final score: 2-1 to Hall 2. Sweet Revenge, aye! ;)
Having beaten Hall 6, morale got high as we marched into the battle
against Hall 5 in the quarter-finals. Little was known about their
capabilities. Turned out, their only asset lied in their heads. But, boy
were they effective. For every ball that went over the net to their side,
they returned it unostentatiously back to us, hoping we would falter
and implode on ourselves. Unfortunately, it worked in their favour in
the first set. Hall 2 were undeterred. The next team put up a valiant
and heroic fight and won us back a point. Hall 2 were resolute to
make history – to progress to the next available stage that is the semi-
finals. Even with evidently poorer support, our boys braced
themselves for the third set that ultimately also was the last one for
the entire IHG campaign. Hall 5 emerged victorious with a score of
21-19(!).
Once again, a very sincere thank you to everybody (players,
supporters, welfare, coordinator yong) and everyone else i missed.
Let‟s all continue to build upon what we have achieved thus far and
hopefully in the near future, we will be close to smelling victory in
Sepak Takraw once again!
The inaugural hall games have been a heart throbbing and fulfilling experience for me.
Being part of hall 2 volleyball team, I was fortunate enough to have highly skilled and
dedicated teammates to lead me through to the finals. Having said this, competition after
competition, leading to the finals were not all smooth sailing; there were games which
were played badly and served as an instant wake up call for us. The fact that I have
never played volleyball competitively before made me even more insecure about my
position and responsibility in the team. However, the endless motivation that my
teammates and hall supporters gave was all that I needed to sustain through the many
matches before the grand finals. There are several learning points which I managed to
take with away from this experience. Amongst which the one that stood out the most was
the importance of teamwork and communication in team sports and the immense pride
and glory of winning as a team.
Volleyball (F) By Yap Qian Jun
Softball (F) By Michelle Ang
The swing of the bat, the four bases, the
stitched ball, the glove. This is softball, the
game we have come to love.
For many of us, softball started off as a
foreign sport, something very much like a
stranger you befriended and slowly became a
regular feature in your life. For someone
who started off with knowing zilch about
softball except for the once-off PE module
back as a 15 year-old, where foam balls were
used with plastic bats instead, joining Hall 2
Softball was a steep learning curve indeed.
Maybe it was pure obstinacy that made us go
down for every training. We know that after
throwing, blocking and batting ball after ball,
we can get the ball to the next base, into the
glove that was being held out. Innately,
softball was something we wanted to and
knew we could play well in. The word going
around was that Softball is the most
hardworking sport in Hall – who could
forget the memorable training camp we had
during the December holidays.
Taking one step at a time, we grew as a team
and as individuals in terms of skills and
lessons taken away from numerous softball
trainings. First, we learnt the rules of the
game, the techniques of throwing, batting
and catching. But at the matches, it all boiled
down to the crucial moment where it is just
us and the ball. Getting through the
Preliminaries was a first in 4 years for Hall 2
Softball F – an especially proud moment for
many of the graduating seniors. Next came
the Quarterfinals, then the Semifinals.
However, the ball is always round, and at
that point, the ball of victory stopped
spinning for us. Yet, what we took away was
greater than the position of a joint-third.
Friendships and memories from spending
hours together in the Sun and in the mud
formed an integral experience of our stay in
Hall 2. Some memories are even etched
physically as bruises on our bodies.
For bringing the Softball Girls team to where
it is today, everyone played a significant role.
However, the road would have been
significantly tougher without the help of Si
Kuan, Sidney, Wing Sing, Zhuo Song, Bryan
Shih and Lawrence – and most importantly,
the Girls‟ Captain, Shu Lin. They provided
invaluable inspiration and support
throughout the whole Softball journey.
Years down the road, we may forget the
plays, the runs, the mistakes and the scores
but we will never forget this team. This team
with a unique blend of characters, coming
together making mutual sacrifices for group
success. The banter and laughter among the
infielders and outfielders on the pitch, the
covering of each other‟s asses, the manly
over-throwers are what makes this team so
special and unforgettable. It is the feeling of
teamwork with these very people that we will
always remember – a new team next year
would never feel the same again.
Hall 2 Softball Girls is more than just
another sport.
The journey in achieving Top 2 was not a smooth sailing one. However, with 2 incredible squatters, Alex Ong and Png Zhi Sheng, and the
Sports Secretaries worked hard in getting the race fixed on a day where all our runners were free and fit to run, everything became better.
Towards the last few weeks leading towards the race, we had even better luck when last year‟s team captain, Sann decided to help out. This
resulted in having a trio of strong female runners which had a great impact on the race.
On the day itself, 2 balanced teams with Alex and Zhi Sheng started off the race for us. Although at the beginning, the 2 of them looked like
they were in the middle of the pack, they managed to pull away and came in 3rd and 7
th respectively. The race was continued by Philicia Lim and
Tan Yen Hao, running their hearts out, they managed to cut their timings by almost a full minute. They then passed on the race wristbands to
Chia Wang Peng and Sann. The two of them maintained the strong pace of the 2 teams to then handover to Alisa and Alvin Bay. Alisa went on
to run a timing that would put most guys to shame despite being ill on that day. Alvin Bay proved that size was not a factor with an extraordinary
timing of 8.19. Finally, down to our last 2 runners, Aw Si Kuan and Wee Jun Yang, although Si Kuan had just recovered from a bad ankle
sprain, he did not let it get in his way as he ran to a strong finish. Jun Yang, who did not have enough time to train due to IA, made up with his
experience from past road relays to run to a timing of 8.22. Our 2 teams came in 5th and 11
th in placing, leading to an overall placing of 2
nd with a
timing of 1 hr 27 min 45 sec. We hope that this team would not rest on its laurels, but instead continue our endeavours to bring it up a notch.
Road Relay By Mark Lim and Parthiban
Swimming By Eunice Karina Fu and Francis Koh
IHG swimming was a one day affair which started at the
unearthly hour of 9am on the morning of 27th February at the
Sports & Recreation Centre (SRC). A total of five events were
held, the men's 4x50m free style, men's 4x50m breast stroke,
women's 4x50m free style, women's 4x50m breast stroke and
the mixed 4x50m medley. Hall 2 placed second overall for the
IHG swimming competition, obtaining top three positions in all
events, of which the most memorable was the 4x50m men's free
style relay where our boys clinched the gold in style.
By Eugene Tang
All our swimmers swam with great gusto that day, proving that
pure hall bred talent and dedication is always a dependable
solution to producing a title winning team. These are our titles:
Men's 4x50m free style: 1st
Men's 4x50m breast stroke: 2nd
Women's 4x50m free style: 3rd
Women's 4x50m breast stroke: 2nd
Mixed 4x50m medley: 2nd
We would like to express our gratitude to several members of
our graduating swim team: Xian Rong, Roderick and Jia ying.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to our superstar coaches Xian Rong
and Roderick, who prepared our rigorous weekly training
regime while always paying close attention to correcting our
individual strokes. To Jia ying, thank you for your commitment,
your presence at every training and time sacrificed have led to
your undeniable value to this team!
Thank you for the years of dedication, four for Roderick and
Jia ying, three for our Wang xi lookalike, Xian Rong. You guys
have become an essential part of Hall Two and the swim team
could not have achieved as much all these years without the
three of you!
To the rest of our team, work hard for next year's IHG
swimming. Let us always have the desire to better ourselves, for
personal bests are meant to be rewritten and records are meant
to be broken. If you ever feel disheartened, look to the starting
platforms. White, red and blue: the colours we don for Hall II.
Tennis
Odds were stacked high against us right from the beginning.
Yet, despite all difficulties, our tennis team managed an amazing
run, finishing a semi-final placement though we did not have the
advantage of having any seeded players this year.
However, to the amazement of many, our players were able to
brush this adversity aside and make up for the difference by
training even harder instead. Through sheer determination,
resolve and dedication to the sport, we were able to exceed all
expectations and put on a great fight for all to remember.
Those who were privileged enough to watch tennis this year
should know better that it is nothing short of drama. We were
losing 3-5(30/30) in the last preliminary decider before the
courts lights went off on an almost theatrical note. However,
being the champions that we are, our players were able to rise to
the occasion and make a spectacular comeback on the return
game.
Neither was it short of magic nor sheer determination that our
players were able to make something out of nothing when it
mattered the most. That was by far the most epic game of the
season and definitely a match to remember for many years to
come.
All players have shown good commitment, some others have
showed even more. Exemplary players like Mah Si Ying and
Chang Yi Hong are just sensational to watch.An IVP badminton
player, Mah Si Ying, that can beat a tennis IVP player with ease.
That is just how good she is. By winning the most difficult match-
ups with class, confidence and style, on a game that is not her
own, she makes the impossible, possible. In short : “What a total
baller.”
“A true IVP, our M.V.P.” – Lee Chong
“Undisputed racket queen of hall2.” – Eugene Tang
Although we came up short in the semi-finals, it was a close game
and the final result could have gone either way. We did our best
this year and we will come back stronger and better next year.
Squash By Thaddeus Tsang "There is only one thing we should achieve today." "NOTHING... ... but
VICTORY."
Such words were translated into reality not long after, when Huang Hua
Ming, OMC Vice-Chairman wrapped victory for Hall 2 against Hall 1 and
ensured our route to the finals after humiliating his opponent 3-0 without
reply. Fighting all the way from start to finish, Hua Ming took the first 2 sets
without much difficulty. A combination of quick reflexes and smart play
ensured that he had a 2 set advantage over his opponent, who was then
determined to retaliate. In the 3rd set, the attempted retaliation was
imminent. Hua Ming at the same time, got a little tired and found himself
suddenly trailing 6-3.
Then came the turning point. It was the sight of Parthiban, fellow OMC-er
cheering his guts out and wrenching his hair every time Hua Ming made an
unforced error that gave the latter new found strength. And as if by miracle,
Hua Ming crawled back to push the score to 6-6. He then lost a point,
making the score 7-6 in his opponent's favour but eventually squeezed his
way to win the set 9-7 to the squeal and delight of the Hall 2 supporters!
The win for Hua Ming proved to be even sweeter for him than anybody
else, as he lost to the same opponent 3 weeks earlier during the
preliminaries. Despite the loss that fateful day, Hua Ming trained triply
hard, sacrificed some of his chinese new year goodies like his favourite
peanut cake and never looked back. And his efforts paid off handsomely.
Zhi Rui gave his opponent absolutely no chance to even get 1 point off him
as he conquered 9-0, 9-0 ,9-0. Executing exquisite moves that would make
even the reigning world squash champion, Ramy Ashour salivate, Zhi Rui
totally wowed the audience to the point where jaws were dropped and the
cheers stopped as supporters just looked on with awe for 10 minutes.
Ummm...because... the match was won within 10 minutes. ;) Those who
came late regretted later on as they realised they had just missed out on a
world-class, winning performance.
Having a more laid-back approach to the game, Thaddeus' initial lobs and
drops irritated his opponent and it proved to be a good strategy as his
opponent started making many unforced errors. In the 3rd set however,
Thaddeus changed his game plan and started to play a fast-paced game.
Unused to the sudden change in style of play, his opponent was forced to
make even more errors and one error was that he mistook the wall for the
ball and he swung his racket at the wall! And his racket broke! Justin Teh
later commented, "eh wah lao, thrashing him is already bad enough. still
must make him break his own racket!".
Later on, Poh Ying Ting took on the challenge of playing an IVP player. It
was not her skills but rather, her determination that touched the crowd.
Running at ball after ball, Ying Ting gave her opponent every reason to pant
and sweat. The support of her close friends also gave her
encouragement and she fought till the very end. Also having the privilege of
playing another strong IVP player was Mah Si Ying, who was gunning for an
upset. It was honestly a great effort as she managed to steal quite a few
points from her opponent, who also happens to be a badminton-convert.
The two girls' efforts were commendable as they both put up good fights
despite playing much better players.
The girls always seemed to have a knack for playing IVP players. And the
finals against Hall 12 were no exception, where Joella Chua and Mah Si
Ying had to pit their wits against opponents worthy of the
national team. The two girls battled their hearts out. Not to win. But to play
their best. For themselves and for Hall 2. And that was something to be
proud of.
Backed by the unwavering support of the Tan duo, Silin and Regina, who
screamed their lungs out after almost every point, Thaddeus Tsang would
have done himself injustice if he had lost his match. Fortunately, he did not
disappoint and duly won his match after whipping his opponent 9-3, 9-2, 9-
0. Mere triumph however, did not seem to please everyone. Justin Teh was
one of those who publicly voiced out his displeasure. “I came all the way
here to see Thaddeus crush his opponent and there he has to concede 5
points! I‟m not happy. He had better train harder.”
In contrast, Tan Zhi Rui left not a single supporter fuming as he overcame
his opponent 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 in what considered to be a mere 9-minute cameo
appearance. He even caused his opponent‟s racket string to snap during the
5-minute match warm-up! Not once. But twice! Before the match even
started!
Hall 2 Squash somehow has a special skill for causing our opponents‟ things
to be destroyed. Earlier in the semi-finals, our opponent‟s racket cracked. In
the finals, our opponent‟s string snapped. What‟s next? Shatter?
That‟s exactly what happened to Huang Hua Ming‟s opponent‟s confidence
in what must have been one of the most amazing comebacks and conquests
ever. Playing the decider that would make or break the team – determining
the champion of IHG Squash 10/11, Hua Ming stormed to a 2-0 lead after
maintaining his stronghold. His nemesis then managed to wrestle 1 set from
him to keep the championship title open again at 2-1. In the 4th set, sneaky
fatigue began to crawl up with Hua Ming and he suddenly found himself
trailing 7-0! “Is he going to relinquish this set or even the match eventually?”
went through a lot of supporters‟ minds. No prizes for guessing that The
Hall 2 support then had a trick up their sleeves. No it was not the girlfriend.
Neither was it Parthi this time. Unleashing their secret weapon was Priscilla
Ng, whose enthusiastic cheer alone would make a loud hailer useless and
Hall 12‟s entire support contingent embarrassed, who made the difference.
“GO HUAMINGGGG!!!” Hua Ming in response, crept up 1-7. 2-7. 3-7.
Slowly but surely, his opponent‟s confidence shattered like glass as Hua
Ming fought back to 7-7! By then, both players looked like they just had a
dip in the SRC swimming pool 20 metres away. Hua Ming then took full
advantage of his opponents‟ low morale and sealed a spectacular success
with a 9-7 win, right after trailing 7-0 just a while ago!
Once again, it was down to the 3 musketeers to salvage a sweet 3-2 team
final victory. A long-awaited gold medal was finally clinched. This however,
could not have been possible without the support and dedication of Hall 2.
It was not just your presence and cheering. It was the small, little ways, be it
Johnson quietly supporting 100% of our matches, Thai Ee snapping pictures
of us or even Elizabeth preparing refreshments that meant a whole lot to us.
And we appreciate that. Thank you.
We are pleased to declare that the gold, squash medal now belongs to us.
Hall 2.
CHAMPIONS
Badminton Basketball m
Squash volleyball F
RUNNER UPS
Road relay Rugby Swimming
Track Volleyball m Water polo
Bridge By Tan Wen Yuan
This is my fourth and last time writing the team story for Hall 2
bridge team. After three times when we have tried and failed, at
last I have before I graduate got the opportunity to write a
successful debrief report.
The bridge team this year started almost from scratch. All of our
core players are new, while our old hands did not play as they
have other commitments. Yet we qualified for the quarters. Note
that the quarters for bridge were not easy to reach as there are
only four Halls in each group.
The core players are Ariana, Sylvia, Mervyn, Weiji, Zhikai and I.
Edison, Sin Loong, Tony and Sharon are reserve players. Finally,
my peers WenHan, Kai Leong, Weiping, Shifeng and Thai Ee,
though not formally playing, contributed a great deal in helping to
plan and debrief each training.
Bridge, unlike other IH games, is played in pairs and the
partnership plays as one. I paired Ariana and Sylvia, Mervyn and
Weiji, Zhikai and I. I hesitated for a very long time before
deciding to pair Ariana, Sylvia, Zhikai and I this way. For in terms
of playing style compatibility, pairing Zhikai with Sylvia and
Ariana and I actually would have been theoretically better. What
eventually made me decide to pair this way is because Ariana and
Sylvia are roommies and therefore I predicted that they may have
a telepathy-like ability to communicate – a trait characteristic of
roommies – and something that I myself share with two roommies
of my own, WenHan and Kai Leong.
Having decided the partnerships, we proceeded to train hard.
Training was tough – often lasting till late at night into the wee
hours of the day, harder than I have trained in the school team
back then in my freshie year. Here I really must thank my fellow
Year 4’s: my roommies WenHan and Kai Leong, my great
friends Weiping and Shifeng, for coming down to the rec room to
help plan and evaluate the training. We actually role-played the
process, the Year 4’s acting as freshies to see whether the training
was feasible or not for the real freshies. Besides the Year 4’s I
would particularly commend Zhikai for staying beyond even the
extremely long training hours to discuss bridge further. He has
more than once stayed behind after all the others left except my
Year 4 peers, to help give suggestions and plan the next training.
Carrom By Low Zi Hao This year has truly been an extraordinary year for Hall 2 carrom
team. The team went to the Hall Recreational Games and
managed a decent display against teams like Hall 3, which is the
defending champion for Carrom and Hall 9 which is the other
overall champion for recreational games. Despite not being able
to quality for the next round, the team manages to gain some
precious experience and enjoy the atmosphere. I strongly believe
that those who participated this year will be back next year for the
new challenge.
The carom team this year consist of a mixture of freshies and
seniors. Players like Kai Leong and Sin long did their very best in
imparting skill to us in training. Our team Captain, Lawrence also
encourage us a lot and try to make the training interesting and fun.
Female players, Regina also did her best in all the single matches.
Being the only senior female player, she shows great composure
Finally, the efforts of WenHan, Kai Leong, Weiping, Shifeng, Sin
Loong, Tony and Claire, Mervyn and Weiji are not to be
forgotten. Their jovial nature balanced my much more serious
personality, making the freshies feel at home. Otherwise, I fear
some of them would have long been freaked out by the tough
training.
The big day eventually came and the first game of the day proved
that both our training and pairing had paid off. For Hall 2
defeated Hall 3 by 25 points to 3, a very great victory, the
maximum possible gain of points on our side. One of the boards
(board=round) deserved particular mention. Ariana and Sylvia
scored 2000 points (!). (Bridge scores are usually only a few
hundred, rarely more than 1000.) It is safe to say that this board
alone was enough for them to be put on the capping list. I was
told that this board totally demoralized the opponents.
The next game however we faced the powerhouse of the group,
Hall 16. After a long and difficult struggle, we lost 10 points
against 20. While we were disappointed with the result, it was still
an honourable defeat against a much stronger opponent.
The last game against Hall 1 was one where we needed to win as
much as possible. The match was hard fought; one board, one of
our very best, was so brilliant that the opponents thought we
cheated! We won by a healthy margin of 22 points to 8.
Unfortunately, we still could not outdistance Hall 16, and ended
up being second place in the group.
We therefore matched against Hall 15 in the quarters and lost to
them, they being very strong, almost as good as Hall 16. All the
same, we have outdone our expectations given our opponents.
For that, I am grateful and we should be happy about it.
Finally, a special word of thanks to all those who came down to
support us. Your presence acted like a Brilliance Aura and that
has certainly helped improve our morale.
I am sad that I will no longer be around next year. However, I am
happy to know that I have given the rest of the team enough
foundational strength for them to propagate on their own. May
the Spirit of Hall 2 be with all her residents till eternity ends.
and calmness in her battle. Freshies like Valarie Pok a.k.a Carrom
Queen and Vincent also form a formidable pair despite being
relatively new to the game.
I would like to thanks the other team members like Silin, Tony,
Jun Hua, Sheryl and Fion who gave their all in the gruelling games
that last the whole day. Not forgetting their tireless hours in
trainings and the amount of weekend burned because of training.
We couldn’t have done it without you guys (and girls).
Special thanks to our supporters like Hui Xin, Jocelyn, Ping Fang,
Qi Quan and Malcolm for coming down to lent us your support
and for your love of the game. Your presence was definitely felt.
Then, I would like to thanks Elizabeth for the welfare provided.
The Biscuits & Drinks provided is indeed morale boasting after
every match. 45
Othello By Tan Zi Jian
This year, the team was bent on improving upon previous year’s
strong showing and to display the indomitable spirit that
characterizes Hall 2 on the Othello boards. With this sole mission
in mind, the Othello players trained long and hard for the
competition amid their busy schedules. Self-proclaimed Othello
Queen V Pok held the helm in trainings and her presence greatly
benefited the team, proving to be the source of jokes that helped
lighten up the competitive nature of the game.
The core members of the group this year consists of a mix of
experience and brimming youthfulness. In addition to Wen Yuan
and Edison from previous years, we also have new members
including Sheryl, Shang Fei, Heidi and Hui Xin. With the
addition of Thai Ee to the team, it was like the proverbial saying
of “adding wings to the tiger”. With his masterful teachings and
guidance, many of the members improved tremendously over the
training sessions. He also selflessly imparted his trademark silent
move to the players though none could do it the way he did.
Going into the competition, we had high hopes and confidence in
achieving a placed finish with the strong core of players this year.
True to form, our first two rounds were converted to dominating
wins against Hall 6 and Hall 12. The hard work in training
showed as players like Thai Ee and Sheryl mercilessly destroyed
their opponents. However, as only 2 Halls from the group can
proceed to the semi-finals, we had a very narrow margin of error
as any misstep could potentially lead to failure to qualify for the
next round. Alas, it proved not to be as we lost the crucial games
against previous year’s semi-finalists Hall 9 and Hall 14.
While the team narrowly missed out on progressing into the next
round, we are highly encouraged by the improvements we have
made over the past year. For example, Shang Fei showcased her
apparent skills despite only winning one game in the competition.
The new generation of players like Sheryl and Heidi will also
undoubtedly become the cornerstones of next year’s team. Not
mentioning the Othello Queen V Pok’s comedic aura that
brought joy and laughter in all the training sessions. As such, I am
convinced that these seeds that we have sowed will eventually
grow into an Othello tree in the future.
Lastly I would like to thanks the Rec Secs, Joshua, Yuhui and the
help of Jian Hao for all they have done for the team both front
and back stage. You are the unsung heroes that help us cover all
the teams needs and for the support not only during the games
but also during trainings.
All in all, I feel that the team has great potential and given the
right training, Hall 2 carrom team will rise up the ranks. All the
Best for next year’s Recreational Games. Hall 2 Hall 2 Hall 2, OI
OI OI !!!
With the end of this write up, the long journey of the team has
also finally come to an end. While we did not reach the
destination we had intended, it is often the journey we shared
together that matters. I am glad that over this past year, the team
went through an incredible journey together that will stay with us
for years to come.
46
Boggle By John Tan Despite last minute hell trainings and a one-to-two-days-crash-
course schedule, I must say the boggle team put up a good fight.
Although at first we lack members, but as the saying goes: it is the
quality that matters not quantity. If the rules had allowed one
person to challenge five opponents, we would have gladly elected
our newly-enlightened-team-God a.k.a our team captain, Poh Wei
Lun, to send our opponents whimpering to a corner. That was
how much substance we had. Sadly Reality stepped in to crush
our ambition. Though crushed our ambitions were, our Spirits
were never stronger. We decided to fight till our last breath, our
last intellectual moment.
On the first day, we stepped into Hall 8 with an unwavering motto
in our hearts, and that was: „We did not come to play. We came
to win.” The motto was good and aspiring. But unfortunately the
odds were against us. The first few rounds only saw our team God,
Poh Wei Lun, shining in hallowed victory over his pallid
opponents. The rest of us were mired in defeated darkness, but
fortunately the iridescent light emanating out from our team God
gave us renewed hope. We decided to fight on, but alas how our
destinies were never smooth-sailing and easy! We concluded the
first day of the competition with only our Team God basking in
kaleidoscopic valor while the rest of us were close to kowtowing
when suddenly he seemed to say: “Despair not. For no matter
how dark a day it is today, there will always be tomorrow.” Upon
hearing this, tears welled up in our eyes. We decided that we have
to fight on. We must!
The next day, we lost.
Although we did not manage to clinch the championship title as
we had set out to, nevertheless we had an awesome and
enlightening experience. We vowed to our team God that we shall
come back next year with a much stronger conviction to kill, as
compared to this year when we showed too much mercy and
leniency – possibly the chief reason we did not manage to get first.
As the saying goes: “For those who did not die, they will only
come back stronger”. With this motto in our hearts, we shall await
the next IHRG, where we will show the other halls what true
wisdom really is.
The Boggle Team Boggle Team Manager, John Tan Team captain a.k.a Team God
DARTS By Seow Wei Chung and Claire Chin
Darts is all about having fun and challenging yourself. The Darts
team did not make it far this year but we are definitely aiming for
a better result next year. Nevertheless, the journey to IH is an
unforgettable one. Old ties between the seniors were made
stronger while new ties with the new players were established and
strengthened.
We hope this year‟s batch of new players can spread the passion
for darts to the future freshies and always put in mind that the
process is always more important that the result. Never be
contented with what we can do and always try to challenge
ourselves to greater heights.
To seniors: Shi Feng, Kai Leong, Wei Ping, Zhi Kai, Johnny
You guys have given us so much guidance and support. Your
passion towards darts is always a motivation for us to continue to
push on. The nights at the pubs, challenging us. The nights in the
Rec Room, pushing us on to finish our round the board trainings.
The nights in hall and other gatherings, just going crazy with us.
All these have shown us how much darts has brought us together.
Thank you.
To new players: Kollin, Sin Loong, Shaikh, Janelle, Yan Kee
Thanks for the coming down for the trainings and pushing
through IH together. You guys started off as players who have
never played darts before and made the team proud during the
matches. You guys started off as strangers who did not know each
other and ended up being friends through darts. We hope this
passion for darts can continue, even when you are not playing for
IH. To us, that is the ultimate most important thing.
To our supporters, you know who you are, we thank you. For
being there to challenge us during our trainings, for being at the
matches to push us on and for making us laugh when trainings
become irritating.
This is a simple write up that can hopefully show our appreciation
towards our players and supporters and remind them of the fun
they had.
Last but not least, really, thanks to Joshua and Yuhui for their
endless support and encouragement. You guys were there
throughout the trainings and matches and that really meant a lot
to the team.
Chinese Chess By Tony Lim
Semis! Semis! Semis! Among the roars of joy for the C Chess
team was the sweat and tears that everyone shed. Among the
fanfare and joyous screams was the toil and pain that each
member of the Chinese Chess Team underwent. Indeed it was a
win, yet the reasons we were standing with our heads up high had
to be acknowledged.
What makes a winning team? A good captain? A dedicated
manager? Passionate players? Great seniors and friends?
Powerful mentors? A supportive JCRC and Rec Secs? Indeed,
not one of this factors led to the success of our Chinese Chess
team but all of them joined together. Everyone holds this honor
together. We have done it.
Firstly, we would like to thank Sin Loong our captain for his
guidance and tactical play which was discussed with the mentors
which eventually brought us to the semis. His superb skills also
not only served to gain us countless wins but also served as a
benchmark and target to beat for all our players.
The players themselves must be mentioned in kind. Thanks to
Edison, our tanker, for withstanding the blows of the first table
where the competition was likely the most fierce and even
conquering strong players with his steady play. Thai Ee also has to
be mentioned for his passion to the game. Just 5 months prior to
the competition, he was willing to put aside his International
Chess where he did IH he did equally well and try out C Chess.
Through his continual effort, he quickly picked up the game and
became a formidable force to be reckoned with. Another stalwart
we must mention is Chang Quan. He must be mentioned for his
pure passion for the game and also for his excellent skills. He was
a very difficult foe and could easily be reckoned as one of the top
players in our IH field. Zhi Yang is yet another young player who
joined us this year and is another player to be recognised for his
strong grasp of chess knowledge through books. His prior training
served him as a good guide to others in terms of theory and battle
experience. Hong Han another young player who just joined
added to the armada of the C Chess team. His amazingly strong
skills made him a surprise trump card in the competition and
completed our team perfectly. Lastly, credit has to be given to our
stalwart Wen Yuan who as a senior showed a great example to the
juniors with his diligence in the trainings even to the wee hours of
the morning. His continually sharpened sword over the years also
sliced through opponents easily making him one of the unbeaten
in the whole competition.
However, we could never have done it without the support and
friendship of our seniors and other Rec players. Thanks to
seniors like Song Teck and Kai Leong for continually giving us
guidance. Thanks to the other Rec players from the other games
for their love and support. The suppers and talks we had will
never be forgotten.
Yet, before we forget, what is a good team without teachers. What
makes it even more amazing is when the mentors have graduated
long ago. Kudos to our captain for helping us look for such great
mentors. Thanks to Fuming for coming down hard on us and
correcting our skills with such zest. His true passion for the game
was showed as he continually trained the players not just to be
good for IH but also to truly love the game and look beyond the
narrow scope of IH. His passion for the game is especially
testament as he was not even a graduate of NTU let alone Hall 2.
Another mentor which must be thanked was Kirby who guided
with a softer yet firm hand. His slightly warped sense of humor
also often left us rolling on the ground. Being a grand senior of
Hall 2 C Chess team, he strived hard to uphold the traditions that
we were Champions. It was a great experience working with these
two mentors and heartening to see them sacrifice their own leisure
time for the team. It was especially touching when Fuming came
down on the first day. Thank you mentors, we have not let you
down.
We must also give thanks to the JCRC who has continually given
our team all the support we need. Thanks for bearing with our
nonsense all the way to the competition and in all the
coordination necessary to make this dream possible.
However, before we end, there are two very important people
which must be thanked. They are our beloved Rec Secs, Joshua
and Yuhui. They have done so much in the coordination of the
IHRG which eventually made it all possible. Seeing them toil, stay
up late during countless meetings and struggle to attend every
single game during IHRG is testament of their zest and hard work
they have put in. Thank you guys, we couldn’t have done it
without you.
It was a hard battle, a difficult fight. Yet we reached the semis with
our heads held high. Though we eventually lost out to the reigning
champion of many years, Hall 9, we only lost by a margin of 1.5-
3.5. This showed us that even giants could be toppled. It was time
for Hall 2 to rise again and fight for the next IH. It was time to
add another star onto our crest. It was time to WIN.
International Chess By Ng Thai Ee
“Chess is 99 percent tactics.” -- Richard Teichmann
Having only achieved preliminary standings for IHRG last year,
the aim for the team was to improve our rankings. It is a lot to ask
for as Chess is a game that is not easy to teach. In spite of the
odds, I would say that the Chess team of Year 10/11 is
determined to surpass our limits. That determination is shown in
our willingness to train hard every week. And more often than not,
while most people are fast asleep, we are still pushing hard to
improve our game. And believe it, we can train beyond 2 am.
Wen Yuan, our most senior player in Chess, commended us as
he said that the number of times we trained in 1 semester is more
than 3 years put together.
It is also heart-warming to receive support from our alumni,
Andrew Jonathan. An experienced Chess player himself, his
presence and expertise motivated us to be the best we can be.
For this year’s IHRG I Chess, our hard work bore fruit. We
improved our rankings from last year to Quarter-Finalists, with a
decent score of 4 wins out of 7. Our victories over Hall 12, 15 and
16 were relatively calm and peaceful. However, our match against
Hall 11, a hall with strong opponents, was the most heated battle
ever. During the match itself, we were fighting to the very last
minute for the tie-breaker. It was like a reality show that gave its
viewers a lot of tension, suspense and adrenaline rush (except this
was over the chessboard). In the midst of the excitement, we
managed to outsmart the final opponent with some tactical
manoeuvres, thus gaining a 3 ~ 2 victory over them. Alas, our
losses to Halls like 1, 6 and 10 have shown us that there is still
room for improvement. We may have lost 3 of our matches, but
it steels us to fight hard to redeem ourselves next year.
Each member of the team is an asset and I would like to take this
opportunity to thank the following for their enthusiasm and spirit
in making our achievements possible.
Wen Yuan: Though you are in your final year, I am grateful for
your presence during training sessions. Your knowledge and skills
in Chess is indeed an asset to the team. All the best in your future
endeavours after you graduate.
Sin Loong: I see potential in you to raise your standard further, if
you continue to train hard. Your excellent background as a
Chinese Chess player serves you well. Turn it to your advantage.
Zi Yang: Your enthusiasm for Chess is evident in that you ask a
lot of questions regarding openings, tactics, strategies and
endgames. I admire that trait and continue to keep up that spirit
for the coming years.
Mervyn: Although you came in to the team later due to your Wei
Qi commitments, I am thankful for training alongside with us and
catching up as fast as you could within such a short time. Good
job!
Zack: The Chess tanker for IHG (100% win for your matches).
Your prior experience and passion in Chess is immeasurable and
I have much to learn, even as a seasoned player myself. May you
continue to do your best for I Chess in the next few years of
University life.
Sylvia: The only woman of the team. With your background in
bridge, you are able to grasp Chess concepts quite easily. Keep up
the good work. I see some potential to be an excellent Chess
player if given time and proper training.
Budding Chess Players: It is a pity that IHRG allows us to field a
maximum of seven players. (Wish they allowed us to field more)
However, I believe in you guys and given time and consistent
effort, you will shine as chess players eventually.
Rec Secs (Joshua and Yuhui): The moral support given by you
two is more than I can ask for. Thanks for providing the logistics
and also booking the Rec Room for us, so that we can have a
peace of mind when training.
For those whose names are not mentioned, fret not. I
acknowledge your support, in one way or another.
As I am in my final year, I would like to take this opportunity to
write something for the team before I graduate.
To the Hall 2 Chess Team
I am grateful to have crossed paths with the Chess Team of 10/11.
Playing Chess with you all is not just about playing for IHG.
Rather, we were immersed in the spirit of Chess, where we
discussed about strategies and ways to improve our game. It is
because of you all that I truly enjoy Chess more than anything else.
I am grateful for being assigned the role of Captain / Manager for
the Hall 2 Chess team. Most people think of it as just a post with
responsibilities. To me, it is a duty to maintain the team culture
and spirit for the current year and beyond. If time could be
reversed, I will be more than willing to take up the post again.
I am happy for you guys as we have managed to improve our
standings this year. Keep this up for next year and I have absolute
faith and confidence that we will be able to push beyond Quarter-
Finals. How far you want to push lies in how resolute you are for
next year.
For this IHG season, I will never forget the exhilaration and
adrenaline rush that I experienced when we were fighting against
Hall 11. It serves to remind me of my passion towards Chess,
dedication towards the team and more importantly, for Hall 2.
Sadly, I am in my final year. I really will miss saying “Watch out
for that square!”
I am leaving it to you guys to carve the future of Hall 2 Chess and
farewell, my fellow teammates. It is not easy for me to say this,
especially so to a team that gave me memories worth
remembering a lifetime.
Snooker By Jerome Yip
In this year's IHRG, Hall 2 was matched against Hall 13, 15, 16
and 9. On our first day of competition, we did not know what to
expect but we went into the competition with an open mind and a
positive mindset. Our players that made the core of the team were
Dennis, Jerome, Yio Kiang, Royston, Wilson, Tony, Cheryl and
Ray.
Our first opponent was against Hall 13. The team managers
Jerome and Dennis made sure that our players played a tactical
game, going for a swift victory. In the four-ball matches, our player,
Tony managed to take the game with much ease, leaving the rest
to the snooker players. Our players, Dennis and Yio Kiang
managed to win their set, bringing us to the next round.
In our second stage, we were facing Hall 15 as they were the
winner of their set in group B. Hall 15 had good players but we
were determined to win. Winning this match was important, as it
would take us to the quarterfinals. In four-ball, we fought hard but
had lost both matches to their IVP players. In order to make it to
the quarter-finals, our 3 snooker players had to win all of their
games. There was immense pressure on them, but we kept our
composure and fighting spirit. Both Dennis and Wilson had won
their rounds, leaving the victory to the last player, Royston. In the
deciding snooker match, there was a nervousness that both Hall 2
and Hall 15 players and supporters felt that was filling up the
room. Royston played a tactical game, initially gaining the lead
hoping to gain some momentum and dampen the spirits of the
opponent. However, the opponent was not thrown off by
Royston's game and managed to catch-up towards the middle of
the game. During our last 2 cues, Hall 15 had overtaken us and
had given Royston a very bad position on the cue ball, making a
winning shot seemed impossible. Just then, lady luck shined upon
Royston and unexpectedly he had managed to pocket the ball and
scored! We had taken back the lead and managed to finish off on
top of hall 15! The mood in the atmosphere was ecstatic and we
were through to the quarterfinals.
Scrabble by Lim Jia Chang
Our scrabble team this year was made up of mostly freshies.
Despite our lack of experience, we made up for it by working
hard. Two-letter word lists replaced lecture notes. Words like
„faqir‟ and „haoma‟ (?) became part of our vocabulary. We had to
learn fast to prepare for the upcoming IHRG. Our team manager,
Hendrick had prior experience playing for his secondary school
team. He was committed to the weekly trainings and provided us
with valuable strategies and tips.
During the IHRG, we met stiff competition on the form of more
experienced and skilled players. However we put up a tough fight
and made the other teams fight for every point won. Our senior
players also provided much-needed wins in their respective games.
At the end of the day, it is important to remember that Scrabble is
a game that is meant to be enjoyed. We certainly enjoyed
ourselves this past year and look forward to next season. On
behalf of the team, I would like to thank the supporters who came
down during our matches and hope to see you next year.
In the quarterfinals, we were matched up against Hall 16. They
were strong opponents, due to their many IVP players on their
team. Once again, lady luck had it our way and many of their IVP
players had left, except one. After much deliberation and thought,
team manager Jerome decided to go against the only IVP player
for the 4 ball game and to "sacrifice" himself, to pave the way for
the other players. The other players for that day included Ray,
Yio Kiang and Tony, each winning their set, bringing Hall 2 to the
semi-finals! Victory was in sight and it was a day to remember in
Hall 2's history.
In the semi-finals, we had to go head to head with Hall 9, well-
known for their recreational games. We knew we had ourselves, a
formidable opponent and played to the best of our ability. In our
first 2 games, 1 four-ball and 1 snooker match, Tony and Yio
Kiang had decided to pit themselves against the opponents from
Hall 9. The opponents from hall 9 were indeed strong and
although both our players had lost, they managed to put up a
terrific fight. For the last game deciding game, it had come down
to a four-ball match that rested on the shoulders of our player
Jerome. Pushing on to a great start, Jerome managed to take the
lead and giving no chance to the opponent. The match was
intense as towards the middle, both Jerome and the opponent had
made great shots and the score was toe to toe. In the very last cue,
the score was slightly in Hall 8's favour and it was Jerome's turn to
shoot. The shot was difficult and it was looking bleak for us. In a
turn of events, Jerome managed to score the shot and we were
only 1 more pocket shot away from winning Hall 9! However, the
second shot was unsuccessful and Hall 8 was into the finals.
Although Hall 2 did not manage to make it to the finals, we were
grateful for being semi-finalists this year. Every player on the team
gave their best and managed to take Hall 2 all the way from
preliminaries to the semi-finals. This has indeed been a
remarkable journey and we will train harder and come back next
year as the champions!
WeiQi By Mervyn Lim What is Weiqi? Perhaps most people would have heard of such a
strangely named game but only a handful would truly understand
the order amidst the chaos of black and white on the board as two
players twist and turn in their chairs trying to outwit one another
in the most abstract of recreational games known to mankind. It
would have seemed like this particular recreational game has
faded into the background as Hall 2 was recognized instead, for its
expertise in sports. Needless to say, previous records of
performance in this area were almost non-existent.
This year however, marked a change in the history of Hall 2 for I
would dare quote from our dear Recreational Secretary, Yuhui,
she believed that Hall 2‟s recreational games can be equally
“IMBA”, (in which case is a form of e-gaming slang to mean
imbalanced for the clueless). As such, this year‟s Weiqi team
struck out to make history with a vengeance. The team‟s
formation seemed to be pretty haphazard on first impression,
having accepted everyone who had the tiniest bit of knowledge on
the game. But little did the team know that they were gifted
individuals. It took some as little as two weeks to be able to play a
decent game and within a month, even I, the captain, was given a
run for my money by some of the players.
Like any other team, we had our troubles - busy schedules in
school and other commitments; and yet the team still did their
best to train at least once a week. Particular mention goes to two
of the most committed players, Toh Honghan and Sharon Tang
for diligently attending almost every other training session, be it
with the School Weiqi Team, attending classes by external
coaches in and outside of school or even the friendly matches
with Hall 11, you would never fail to see them putting in 100% in
whatever they do. Sure enough, these two talents even made it
into the school‟s junior team after just one semester!
The battle at IHRG was all the more even exciting, to which
spectators present could testify. In the same grouping as the team
were some of the more reputed teams and the team were already
expecting a tough fight on its hands. As this team of underdogs
fought on, we emerged stronger than ever after every round and
left a lasting impression on all its opponents. By the end of day
one, there were already rumors of other halls wanting to “poach”
our players. Day two came and the team continued our relentless
fight to secure a semi-finals placement. The team fought with such
vigor that even our previous opponent, Hall 11 was rooting for us.
However, that placement was to prove elusive still as we lost out to
Halls 1 and 6 in a three-way double tie-breaker when we lost out
by a mere one game point. Nonetheless, we‟ve achieved quarter-
finals scores and the team is definitely hungry for more in the next
IHRG.
All in all, the team had performed spectacularly and all this
couldn‟t have been possible without the passion, perseverance
and dedication of each and everyone in the team. To the team
that made history, Bernard Chng, Pang Sin Loong, Toh Honghan,
Sharon Tang, Edison Lau, Tan Wenyuan, this is for you. Finally,
not forgetting our dear Recreational Secretaries, Joshua and
Yuhui, for being our unsung heroes, working tirelessly in the
background to make sure that everything that we needed would
always be available for us so training and IH could be as smooth
as possible.
Cheers. =)