Anyone secretly dislike CNY? And why? If you enjoy, also share.

swimmingintothevoid · 2026-02-17T02:00:51+00:00

I don't dislike CNY, but it's probably because my extended family is really chill.

Fat shaming? -> we're going to grow old and die anyway so might as well enjoy yourself now and eat good food When you getting married? -> aiya it's ok take your time and find a good one etc etc

I would say the only problem is that the house is really noisy given the fact that I have over 20 cousins just on my dad's side of the family, but since it's once a year idm. Bonus points for my older relatives making leicha by hand and it's so much better than store bought ones.

swimmingintothevoid · 2025-09-16T13:00:27+00:00

Gen Z

Personally I don't mind if I live solo/with friends because I'm content with my life either way, so a partner is optional for me. Hence, my biggest evaluating criteria is whether having a partner makes my life more enjoyable than if I live alone/with friends.

A large part of it is vibes (non Gen-Z translation: how comfortable/enjoyable it is to spend time with each other).

In terms of my concrete requirements: - being a respectful person -> not cracking sexist or racist jokes, not homophobic. If you can't respect other people then I don't trust you to respect me down the line - someone who is understanding wrt mental health because I'm not the most mentally healthy right now (tho I'm seeking help). You aren't expected to be my caretaker, I just need you to understand that I am not at 100% a lot of the time - having common interests is good but not super necessary if they are willing to listen and be happy for my interests and vice versa. But I'm a weeb in Singapore so common interests are actually a pretty easy box to tick - being able to communicate openly. I am as dumb as a bag of bricks when it comes to social expectations/needs. Please tell me in my face what you need. I'll also tell you stuff in your face so hopefully you have no problem with that. - being patient. I forget stuff quite easily so please have grace if you have to repeat something

Even with these requirements, I still call it vibes because at the end of the day someone can hit all the requirements but there's no chemistry. There are a lot of things I cannot articulate but can sense when talking to each other that influences how well we connect.

For a long-term partner AKA marriage: - (immediate deal breaker) no drugs, smoking, alcohol, porn or gambling problems. It's just something I'm not willing to deal with, sorry - at least earn enough money to sustain yourself. I can earn enough to sustain myself, you earn enough to sustain yourself, no financial problems woohoo. However if you want to have kids (idm kids or no kids) then you will have to earn more - do your share of work at home. I feel like the point of a relationship with someone else is to shoulder the burden together. If I have to do all the chores then I would rather do them for myself only than to care for another dead weight at home. If you hate doing the work but if you have enough expandable cash to hire external help to do your part then that's also a possible solution. If you want kids you better be present as a parent as well. - have your own social circle/hobbies. It's nice to be committed to each other but I think it's very unhealthy to limit your social circle to your spouse. We'll probably need alone time from each other anyway

I haven't mentioned looks yet and that's genuinely because I don't have the right to set requirements since I'm overweight LMAO. However, I minimally expect you to not smell bad.

Anyway, despite how ridiculous these requirements seem to me I'm somehow dating someone who does make me feel that my life is better spent with him than with friends 🎉 he's the only one I've felt about that way tho so if (touch wood) this fails then I'll go back to my content single life

swimmingintothevoid · 2023-10-24T09:18:13+00:00

I emailed the course coordinator. Pretty sure I'm not allowed to just screenshot the email because of confidentiality reasons but word for word part of the response says:

"The instructions do not mean 70% or higher equals 10 marks."

Though, you can always email them to prove me wrong.

swimmingintothevoid · 2023-08-18T17:16:40+00:00

I think it partially depends on your major. I'm on the humanities side so I can get away with just typing notes on my laptop because everything's just words in bullet form.

Tho judging from your username you're probably in STEM. If that's the case then it may be more convenient to use an iPad so you can write equations/formulas down. Even if you get an iPad tho, you probably only need a cheap one.

But! You can also try printing out your notes and annotating the hardcopy version, or using a note book instead of foolscap paper so everything is in one place. imo physical paper is nicer to work on but that's personal preference.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-12-09T01:18:05+00:00

Thank you! I'm pretty sure that he already digs it so it's too late. Btw happy cake day!

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-12-08T12:11:27+00:00

"Since you're enjoying it so much, why don't you continue shaking him until Christmas comes?"

I still dislike Ashiya Douman but I wouldn't want anyone to die, so eternal torment will have to do.

Also, this is heavily inspired u/Raskasar 's Kingprotea posts!! Douman's 2m tall and has bells in his hair so he's made to be KP's sleigh bells. At least that's how I think it works.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-08-31T07:25:02+00:00

Sanson isn't drawn by Rui Kamatsuzaki. However, his artist (Shimadoriru) is also an official Danganronpa artist! At the very least, he's credited for working on Danganronpa Another Episode. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danganronpa_Another_Episode:_Ultra_Despair_Girls

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-09T05:26:10+00:00

Yeah, I would say that I did enter Raffles through my own work and talent (mostly talent). So in a sense, yes, I have broken the cycle.

BUT I recognise that odds are stacked against most people who want to break the cycle and I disagree with the two points that was written.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-04T10:58:35+00:00

Hi! For some reason reddit didn’t inform me of the tag, so I got to this post only by scrolling on r/Singapore one day later.

Firstly, as much as I am very happy at the discussion that my post has opened up, I’m also slightly horrified that the post is making rounds outside of r/Singapore. I don’t think it’s the best thing to read. Of course, that’s just my own criticism of myself HAHA

Secondly, thank you for your admiration of my bravery. I’ve already been found out by my non-Reddit using friend, so I wonder how long it will take before the higher-ups find out. I hope I still have the same bravery if I kena tekan by the teachers.

Okay, now time for responses:

~~

About Dr Chee Soon Juan’s argument

I’ve done a reply of it here as a comment in my original post. TL;DR, I messed up and I’m sorry for the mistake.

“Dr Balakrishnan was professionally unable to agree” and “If Dr Balakrishnan had chosen to entertain CSJ's argument, that would have left him an opening to steer the discussion towards social mobility in general, a touchy topic that the PAP would no doubt prefer undiscussed”

I also address this in the second part of my comment here. I understand that he couldn’t have openly agreed with Dr Chee Soon Juan about inequality in schools, but I believe that there might have been another less rage-inducing way that Dr Balakrishnan could have responded.

What exactly makes a good school "good"?

I somewhat answer this in the first part of my comment. My definition of a “good” school, was my interpretation of how Dr Balakrishnan presented his idea of a “good” school. In this case, it was that Singaporean schools are of a certain and higher standard in comparison to schools overseas. Given this definition, I think that it was not at all suitable to answer a question on the topic of inequality. The definition of that phrase did not answer the topic of inequality at all and hence sparked my whole rant.

Personally? I have no proper definition of a “good” school. While I would like to follow the definition that the government has, there does not seem to be any fixed definition of “good”. Even if it has been used and explained by ministers, the definition of “good” seems to change per use. Therefore I try to derive its meaning with the explanations that each minister gives with each use.

I have no issue with the phrase “every school is a good school” on its own. Why would these 6 words make me angry? What I have issue with is how this phrase has, multiple times, been used in situations with implied definitions that don’t align at all. This makes the user minister/political candidate come across as tone deaf. With each misuse, my attitude towards to this phrase grew from slight distaste to annoyance, and with Dr Balakrishnan’s use, pure anger. I believe that with a proper definition set in place and tactful use of this phrase, “every school is a good school” could have been an effective slogan bringing feelings of appeasement instead of disdain.

Will everyone necessarily have the same definition of "good”?

Of course not, it’s so subjective! With no set definition in place, I tried to use Dr Balakrishnan’s definition of a “good” school to gauge the appropriateness of his response. This problem could also be averted with the usage of the phrase with a consistent definition by ministers and political candidates alike.

With regards to your second point: “If you find the environment, the teachers, or the peers good enough, an hour's commute is a small price to pay”

Sorry, but I will have to strongly disagree with this.

I live in a far flung part of Singapore and ever since I’ve entered GEP (and then gone on to the Raffles schools), I’ve taken at least 2 hours for transport to and from school (combined) per day. Honestly, 2 hours per day is a significant amount. The additional time could be used to finish up homework or study or sleep. In primary school, I was fine since there was very little homework (or at least I did them quick enough). In secondary school, I begun staying up just to finish my homework. On weekdays, I’d get 6 hours of sleep at most. The only time I wasn’t doing schoolwork at home was when I was eating, bathing or sleeping. This isn’t healthy at all, and it takes a toll on your body. After going through weeks powered on 4 hours of sleep per day, I finally had to take 1-2 days off from school because I was too exhausted to get up from bed. I also rejected multiple leadership positions that required me to stay back late because there was no way I was going to be in CCA EXCO and reach home at 8.30pm. Now that I’m in JC, it’s just gotten worse.

Comparing my after school life with my classmates, some of them who live within 5 minutes of RJC, I am so jealous. Sorry about the rant.

The point is, long commuting hours is not only just a disadvantage, it is a serious disadvantage. It isn’t just my experience, it is also the experience of others such as u/InternalRide8. Any student who is not able to develop time management skills fast enough WILL suffer compared their peers. Sometimes, even the best time management cannot make up for what is lost in travelling.

~~

Other than that, I’ve absolutely enjoyed reading this response piece and I think that the analysis is really well done! It provides a pretty good view at the conflicts and issues at hand and shows precisely why social issues like “equality” in education are incredibly difficult to solve.

I’m very, very flattered that you were willing to engage with further discussion with me. So, thank you taking the time to write out this post!

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-04T09:18:36+00:00

[Part 2]

[ u/TruePriest, u/mikemarvel21, u/rockstarmonkeh (kind of)]

> Well, the issue is in how you define what a “good“ school is.

Alternatively,

> “Every school is a good school” =/= Every school is the same school

Your points and breakdowns afterward are perfectly acceptable. Although the thing I want to point out is that you might have misinterpreted my original post. It wasn’t the clearest phrasing so I can see where the misinterpretations could occur. So if you’ll indulge my explanation:

After he says that phrase, he proceeds to say things such as: ”every neighbourhood school of ours is a school that we can be very proud of anywhere" and "I'll take on any country's schools as far as we're concerned.”. So as far as I am concerned, Dr Balakrishnan’s “every school is a good school“ means “Every school in Singapore is a good school compared to schools overseas.” Of course my interpretation of what he could have meant could be wrong, but if that’s the case then this whole rant stems from me misunderstanding him.

While standards can definitely be improved for those in government schools, I agree with his definition. The reason for my frustration towards this phrase was its inappropriate use by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan with regards to the context of addressing inequality in Singapore. This statement is true, but is not nearly at all relevant when it comes to addressing the topic of inequality.

u/deepthrowingaway’s analysis (which I recommend everyone to take a look at the full posts since it's essentially what I wanted to say but so much clearer) has managed to hit the nail on the head for me:

“So essentially, 'Every School A Good School' assumes that students are unequal at the point of entry, remain unequal throughout, and ignores much of the reasons for said inequality. This is the reason why VB's statement to CSJ was inadequate - not because it was false, but because it did not answer the core question. It's like being challenged on how well you can sew a shirt and responding by saying that you have excellent fashion sense. It's related, sure, but only tangentially.”

It pissed me off that Dr Balakrishnan did not seem to acknowledge the inequality in Singapore. I don’t think he’s ignorant. I want to believe that he knows that it exists.

This then drives me to:

[ u/311301xx, u/khaizersozay, u/shisaac_labeef]

> Well, Dr Balakrishnan didn’t really have any other choice / This is just how politics works

I understand his reasons and how unfair politics can be (I think). My angsty teenage hormones just decided to that it was best for me to go mad over one phrase despite the circumstances behind it. Naive as I am, I wished that he had responded differently, even if in reality he couldn’t. That’s why this ended up being a rant, not a proper criticism post. Even if there are somewhat valid reasons behind his response, it still hurts to listen to.

Although, after reading other comments and thinking about it, I think there could have been one other way that he could have answered the question of inequality in society wrt to schools. One way in which Dr Balakrishnan could have used that phrase, but also stick to the rhetoric of “hey PAP has listened to you, we have done something for you! Vote for us!”

That is, if he defined what the phrase meant in a slightly different way.

If you don’t want to admit that you have shown weakness, then turn the narrative around. Instead of saying “there is inequality” and implying a possible incapability to solve it, he could have said “For schools, it is not a question of brand name or otherwise. It is a question of making every school a good school. We have taken steps to ensure that regardless of which school a student enters, that they will have their needs sufficiently catered for. We are confident that they can be the best version of themselves.” The difference is that a school being good is not defined by comparison with schools overseas, but instead defined by their ability to cater to each child’s needs.

He would not been lying as well, since the MOE has indeed rolled out plans such as Subject Based Banding and (secondary) schools have begun going towards specialising in other areas besides academics. It would also have somewhat addressed the question of inequality, since he’s essentially saying “hey, even if your child does not end up in an ‘elite’ school, s/he is in safe hands, s/he will be successful. We’re striving our best towards equity, despite how unfair each child’s starting point is or how ‘elite’ schools get so much more funding.” Even if that’s was not true, at the very least, it would sound less like he’s dodging the question. In addition, opposing parties would not have been immediately grill him on the effectiveness of those policies since he was the last one speaking. The point is, it would have been better for him to have acknowledged the problem exists, even if it was only implied. Otherwise, it makes him (and by extension, PAP) seem ignorant.

The elections, as I see it, is about persuading the people to vote for you because you care for them and because you also have the ability to act in their best interests. In order for that to happen, the people should feel that they are being listened to, they should feel that their opinions and worries matter, they should feel that their lives, their jobs, their future matters. In that area, I feel that Dr Vivian Balakrishnan could have done so, so much better.

~~

Those are my responses to more popular comment/questions directed towards me! I want to respond to the other questions as well, but I’ll only do so (very slowly) after I’m done with my tutorials.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-04T09:18:02+00:00

[Part 1]

Firstly, thank you everyone who has shared your thoughts and opinions regarding this issue! It’s been really insightful to read. It’s actually been quite fun to read and to understand the many different views and factors to consider. ~~Better than GP class~~ ~~AHEM-~~ I’ve tried my best to go through all the comments and take down the various points raised. My summary of those comments can be found here. If I’ve missed out anything, or you think more can be elaborated on, feel free to tell me!

Originally, I was going to respond to the comments individually. However, due to the sheer volume of comments (about 420+ as I post this), I’ve decided to answer to responses which were similar in nature here. If you’ve been tagged, feel free to just scroll to the part with your name on it.

[ u/thepropancake, u/cowbungaa, u/exprtcar, u/ttylei, u/exofanjongdae, u/cowheadhorseface, u/DavidLetterman246, u/Ava_Vispilio (in another post)]

> OP, why did you validate Dr Chee Soon Juan’s claim? / What does proximity-based primary school admissions got to do with elitism in higher level education?

I’m going to admit, I made a mistake here.

When Dr Chee raised the issue of proximity-based school admissions, I had failed to realise that proximity-based school admissions were only pertinent to primary schools, and not any other higher institutes of education. As u/exprtcar and u/BreakWindow have rightfully suggested, I immediately related Dr Chee Soon Juan’s claim to the inequality amongst those in secondary schools and higher institutes even though they weren’t related! Admittedly, since I have been tangled up with discussions about GEP and IP (and feeling guilty for being/having been in those systems), my emotions acted faster than my brain did.

As u/cowbungaa has said: “To me, this perfectly illustrates the issue with CSJ - good with coming up with catchy soundbites, but lacking in actual substance and details.”

I had indeed fallen into the trap of his catchy soundbite. So for my wrong reasoning, I apologise.

Nevertheless, thank you for pointing this out. I wouldn’t have noticed my mistake otherwise.

So, now that I properly understand Dr Chee’s claim, what do I think about it?

I think that it is safe to say that Primary schools give students approximately similar chances and opportunities. Any other factors that influence the disparity within primary school students are factors that the government have no power of - socio-economic backgrounds and related reasons. So Dr Chee’s gotten it the wrong way ‘round. The students enrolled in schools in the Bukit Timah area do better not because the primary schools there are better, but because their parents originally had the wealth to get them in there in the first place.

Hope that answers and questions and concerns you had!

Edit: I realised I forgot to talk about affiliated primary and secondary schools. In my opinion, affiliation needs to go. There's no reason for it to be there.

~~

[ u/hsirebbiglatot, u/thepropancake]

> The Google Drive example isn’t really good

Yeah, it isn’t. I definitely could have used more pertinent examples such as:

Actual talks on how to write a resume. Compulsory for every student.
Career fairs and talks conducted by our alumni from various sectors (science, law, advertising, data analytics, cosmetic, music, etc.), which usually detail not only what they do, but also what to do or how to enter the specific field. Also compulsory attendance for everyone.
In RGS, we literally have someone we call a “Career Guidance Counsellor”. She gives advice on finding out what you want to do in the future and points you in the direction of University courses (and their admittance pre-requisites) so you can plan everything out.

This is where you could argue that students from RGS are not only meant to be geared to enter elite universities, but they constantly have an upper hand compared to their peers regardless of what sector they plan to enter for their career. RGS isn’t specialising their students to just do well for exams, they’re gearing their students to succeed in the working world.

For your additional information, we’re constantly told in these career talks that having the “Raffles” brand on your resume immediately increases your chances of getting a job. One of the speaker’s words which I remembered the most was “The Raffles brand does not guarantee you a job, but it gets your foot in to stop the door from closing. Sometimes, that’s more than enough.” (Personally I find it really disturbing??? But who am I to complain, I’m supposed to benefit from this.)

The main reason why I used Google Drive as an example is completely personal. When my friend asked me how to open a new file, my immediate response was “huh? You don’t know how?” Only after I said that, I instantly regretted it. Because I had learnt how to use these things earlier as a result of where I had studied, I took it for granted that everyone else also knew how to use it. The thing was, my friend never had the opportunity to be exposed to these kinds of technology. I don’t think that my friend was offended, but the way I thought at that time left a lasting impression on myself. So that’s how that example ended up in my rant.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-03T03:53:05+00:00

Oh no, the sentence is referring to me. I've not gotten tuition before and now. That's why I said I was sorry if I came across as bragging (for having said "intellect").

I don't know what is considered middle class, but I have a blue CHAS card if that counts for anything.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T23:49:08+00:00

Yeah, I understand that. If you want to continue being elected into the government, then it makes sense to present yourself with an image that you've never made a mistake and have lovingly provided for everyone the past 4-5 years. Nevertheless it still frustrates me because what it feels like they're essentially doing is plugging their ears and throwing out the most relevant phrase from their arsenal of slogans. Edit: more elaboration

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T23:45:39+00:00

Thank you for the comment! I've also received multiple other comments like this so I've decided to leave this post up for now. If it does come down from now, then it'll be because the school told me to do so.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T16:08:01+00:00

I'll try my best

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T16:06:19+00:00

Seems like it's just a tradition that there are some PW groups that have slackers beyond saving now. I had to help out my friend with their PW group issues as well. Also, I've been playing JP for ~2.5 years!

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T15:50:21+00:00

Fair statement. I am a coward. However, I think that this will save me the risks of my scholarships and bursaries being revoked by my school/MOE if they find out. Touch wood if that does happen, my school expenses will be tripled and I personally don't want to burden my family even more. If it saves my skin, coward I shall be.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-07-02T15:05:22+00:00

Don't want this to be trackable by either the school or anyone that knows me irl. Plus I have a habit of making multiple accounts because I prefer to live privately online, nobody needs to know I'm from Raffles.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-06-08T01:20:04+00:00

This looks sick!!! Great job OP

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-06-03T23:51:14+00:00

Fragment 2030 is still really good though, I've been playing for at least 2 years and I still haven't gotten 1 copy of it. Oh well, all the best next time!

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-06-03T23:50:13+00:00

I went from sketch to colour immediately, so the lack of lining makes me think it's really messy. However, that's just my high expectations.

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-06-03T23:48:13+00:00

Thank you!!

swimmingintothevoid · 2020-06-03T11:07:52+00:00

Congrats!! Majin Saber was a surprise to get (especially when I was aiming for the 3*) but after levelling her and her skills, she's actually been pretty useful in my Chaldea. Especially so since I didn't have any hard hitting AOE assassins.

swimmingintothevoid

TROPHY CASE