Year in Review: 2013

Wow. As much of a cliché as it may already sound, yet another year is on the brink of passing us by tonight. Another one, full of hopes, promises and hastily made resolutions awaits at the gates, ready to take us on another adventure.

Many news sites have been doing their year-in-review posts, showing off their many feature articles and stories (the New York Times is a fantastic example), and this year, we thought we'd debut our own. Our 4th anniversary post already does a great job of summing up our milestones to date, so check that out for those; here, we'd instead like to look back on our favourite articles, handpicked by each team member - save Gregory, who's away on holiday.

Right then, here you go, in no particular order: Suburban KID's top five of 2013.

I See the Future: The Rise of Virtual Reality

Words by Gregory Goh and Matthew Chiam

Additional writing by Terence Wang

We've heard of it before, the staple in so many sci-fi movies, books, comics, games. It simulates one's physical presence in virtual worlds; worlds that mirror our own, worlds of fantasy, anything you can dream of. The reality of virtual reality (VR) today is that, well, it's no longer virtual. I won’t deny that VR has been around for awhile, way back in time, even before I was born. Projecting a virtual world right in front of your eyes definitely sounds exciting, but having to put on a bulky, cumbersome helmet that threatened to snap your neck was not. That’s why VR remained as a dream, floating in man’s imagination. Virtual. 

Until now.

Now You See It (Reader Contribution)

#shortstories is an ongoing series of articles recounting some of our interesting real life experiences.

Words by Jolene Siew

“It's a locked room murder!”

“How did the suspect escape?”

“The key's right beside the deceased.”

My eyes lit up in excitement as I glued them onto the screen, paying special attention to the crime scene trying my best to source out clues. As usual, the police force is utterly useless and the case can only be cracked by the lead – or in this case (pun unintentional), leads.

Four Years!

The Last Ferry Ride

#shortstories is an ongoing series of articles recounting some of our interesting real life experiences.

A ferry is never silent. At any point of time, there will be the shuffling of footsteps, the exchange of chatter, the sudden screaming of children enjoying the cold sea breeze. Even in the absence of all these, there would still be the monotone chime of the monstrous ship engines, chugging, turning, toiling, bringing the vessel from one jetty to another. That evening, however, all this noise was dead to me.

Slowly, reluctantly, I opened my eyes.

Gliding Over All: Singapore, A Two Year Journey

Words by Terence Wang
Picture editing by Lh Isurgranddad

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; 
It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; 
It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; 
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; 
It was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.

On 21 November, 2013, I departed Singapore for home, closing the first half of the four-year-long chapter that began from the moment I received the fateful email informing me of my successful entry into the ASEAN scholarship. That journey has been fruitful, surprising, heartbreaking, mind-blowing, and life-changing.

This article is a final summary chronicling this two-year journey, and the people that have been part of it.

Fire Meets Snow - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review

Words by Terence Wang
Additional writing by Siangling Tan

When the train carrying three Hunger Games victors and one poodle-like woman exited the tunnel to reveal a panoramic view of Panem, I felt certain that I was in for a treat. And I was right.

Taking place soon after the events in The Hunger Games, Catching Fire brings viewers behind the cameras and into the lives of Katniss and Peeta, victors of the earlier 74th Hunger Games. Without spoiling too much for people who haven't watched the series at all - honestly though, you should hitting Back, Close, Ctrl+W or whatever you fancy right now - they managed to break the tradition of one-winner-per-game in a spontaneous, last-minute move of desperation, but by doing so have forced the powerful hand of the secretive, authoritarian government led by President Snow (played by Jonathan Sutherland).

A little disclaimer beforehand: You can say I'm a fan of the novel trilogy. It was more accidental than anything else, really - a couple of years ago, I selected the first book at a lazy session in my local bookstore and started a read. Before I knew it, several hours had passed, I was walking out of the store in a mockingjay-induced daze and a desire to catch up with the rest of the series. As such, if you're not enamored by the books, you may want to take my review with a bit of salt, or take the comparison of the movie with its book counterpart out of the equation. On the other hand, if you, too, enjoyed the novels and the themes associated with them, then this overview will be for you.

Falling

#shortstories is an ongoing series of articles recounting some of our interesting real life experiences.

My mind was starting to lose its sanity as I climbed up the gate in front of my house, trying to get out of the house silently. I picked up my worn-out basketball, jumped down from the gate and started to saunter to the nearby basketball court. Basketball has always been a stress reliever, momentarily taking me away into a paradise where every predicament loses its grip on my weary soul. That was just what I needed that evening. Exams were coming up and I had studied scarcely, what's more, there was only little time to spare before facing the big hurdle that was presented before me.