If you like men with long sticks and high socks, you should’ve been at the Floorball match for the inter-faculty games today. Our boys were beyond amazing – they lost none of the matches. (They also won none, but it was a valiant battle anyway.)

LAW 1-1 ENGINEERING

The match was a fast-paced one, with the boys flying across the court at top speed. If you don’t know, floorball is a pretty violent sport, with a lot of hustling and scuffling for the ball – today’s match was so violent that at one point, the goal post was knocked right over. (Also I overheard one of the match officials nonchalantly saying, “hey dude somebody just broke a thumb”; which was fairly disconcerting.) Both teams put up a good effort, sending multiple shots all close to entering the goalpost. However, Team Law’s Hijazi (Y4) put up a solid defence, deflecting attacks from Team Engine.

Engine scored the first goal about 7 minutes into the game. Not be deterred, our boys caught up less than a minute after, with Aniket Top Scorer Pai skillfully scoring the equalizer. (Aniket was the top scorer for the day, with a grand total of one goal.)

Here we have Captain Zaki (with his henchman Aniket) eavesdropping on the other team’s strategy.

LAW 0-0 MEDICINE

For the second match of the day, we were up against our arch-nemesis – Medicine. John (Y4) started off the game with a strong attack, peppering the Medicine goal with multiple shots, which all unfortunately, bounced off the board. (There’s a giant board blocking the goalpost in lieu of a human goalkeeper. I really don’t know how anyone manages to score with that thing in the way.) Medicine fought back, but an impenetrable defence put up by Ben ‘Charming’ Chin (Y2) and Hijazi ensured that Medicine did not score. Tension was high with a lot of flailing sticks, flying balls, and falling humans (based on my calculations, an average of four people fall down in a single floorball match).

Terence “Black Mamba” De Silva refuels on a sandwich before the next match.

LAW 0-0 SCI

The team was nervous for this match – they had to win this one in order to advance to the semi-finals. Motivated by this, the team entered the arena with palpable energy. Our boys had a strong attack, keeping the ball around Science’s goal most of the time. When Science managed to get the ball, Team Law’s resident hotshot Terence (Y2), with his tiny stature, was able to maneuver between the opponent’s legs and casually snatch the ball from them.

While the team made multiple attempts to score, the aforementioned massive board in front of the goalpost literally stood between them and victory. The final score was a tie, which certainly dismayed the boys.

LAW 0-0 YALE NUS

“Guys this is the game that will make or break the Justified article.” – Nigel (Y4), encouraging his team mates to score goals in the match

Despite being unable to advance to the next round, our boys were still sporting and enthusiastic as they faced Yale NUS in the last match of the day. At some point, a penalty was awarded to Yale NUS, earning Law a free hit. Seasoned player John stepped up to take the penalty with a powerful shot – which unfortunately hit the accursed goalpost board and bounced away. The game ended with a tie for the fourth time today. Despite not qualifying for semi-finals, the boys were in good spirits as they cheerfully said “we lost zero matches!”

Overall, it was a wonderful effort put forth by all the Floorball team members today.

Written By: Dana Chang (Year 2)

Photography By: Dana Chang (Year 2)

Go hard or go home – it was hardly a bed of roses for our floorball girls today who were up against swift opponents (who successfully managed to give this writer a headache from following the movements through a tiny screen). Yet, it was an enjoyable and heartening match that moved many (or just my) hearts as Team Law put up a valiant fight with an inner fire that only burned brighter and stronger as the day went on. Our girls went hard, played hard and the final scores serve as a proud testament to their commendable dedication.

LAW 4 – 0 YALE-NUS

Our girls had a slight advantage in this match as a few of the players from Yale-NUS seemed to be new to the sport. Nevertheless, Yale-NUS formed a resilient team and gave their all, down to the last second. Our girls eventually came out tops even though there were a few gaps in their cohesion and teamwork. Lapses in communication at critical intervals in the team would prove detrimental in the following matches against stronger opponents. Even so, the team pulled through admirably with a score of 4 goals in 9 minutes. Xuekun (Year 4) scored the first goal of the day, her record followed shortly by Anmol (Year 1). Xuekun rose to the occasion once more and scored the third goal of the match.

Our girls sharing and reflecting on the game, intently discussing strategy and tactics for the upcoming one.

LAW 0 – 3 SCIENCE

Next up was Science, the strongest contender in the group, having triumphed over all the other faculties thus far. The players from Science were quick on their feet, in terms of both speed and decision-making. Our girls refused to let the game go without giving it their best shot and stepped up their game, playing at Science’s pace and focusing on ramping up the defences. There was, unfortunately, little opportunity for any of our players to seize on openings and attack, which ultimately resulted in our loss. On a more positive and encouraging note, this experience proved to be beneficial and instrumental in sharpening the skills of our newer players, especially the first years, who have never experienced the intensity of the game before. Our defenders Jean (Year 3) and Maria (Year 3) get a special mention for having guarded the goal fiercely and preventing the other team from scoring numerous times. Maria, in particular, was plagued by an injured knee but fulfilled her job as the last man above and beyond expectations.

LAW 1 – 2 ARTS

This was a game for Law because we had to win this game if we were to have a shot at getting into the semi-finals. The game was a close call as with both our girls and the Arts girls going neck to neck for the ball. There was an attempt at a far shot from the center of the court by Sharon (Year 2) and Anmol, as a screener, assisted and hit the ball in. We were leading by one point and the atmosphere was tense with anticipation and adrenaline. The forwards, however, then became confused as to line substitution and in the heat and confusion of the game, our team committed a foul by having 6 players on court. Arts landed the free shot, equalising the score. Maria, once again playing her best as last man, accidentally fell onto both knees as her legs gave in in an attempt to block a shot. Having both knees on the ground was another foul and Arts put in another goal with their free hit. Our defenders played extremely skilfully this game and made sure not to hand the goals over to our opponents readily. It was a match with emotions running high on both sides and despite our loss, the girls did not lose faith and proceeded to give all they had left for the next match.

Xuekun deftly defending the ball.

Sim Hong was aggressive and quick, leaving no room open for her opponents to break her path.

On the left is LIANG FANG LING (‘TRAITOR’) ELISABETH, who happily abandoned the USP faculty and played for Law instead. Kudos to Fang Ling for her true sense of loyalty!

LAW 3 – 2 BIZ

This final game was not an important match as our girls knew they, having accumulated insufficient points, would not make it to the semi-finals. Yet, Maria, or “The Great Wall of Maria”, as the team so affectionately named her, firmly asserted, “We did not fight so hard just to give all this up and lose our drive in the last match.” Xuekun once more displayed her expertise at the game by scoring the first goal. Sim Hong (Year 1) scored another direct shot with an assist from Xuekun, who passed the ball to the center to Sim Hong. Our defender Jean was formidable in defending the goal, especially when Business pressed up high at the end. She also managed to send the ball far away to the other half of the court innumerable times, knocking back and defeating Business’ aggressive attack strategy. It was a game where everyone cheered their hearts out but also held their breaths in anticipation and ultimately, the team certainly stayed true to Maria’s words and ended the day on a sweet note, rising again from their losses and triumphing over Business with a score of 3:2.

Uma (Year 1) skilfully intercepting the ball from a Business player.

Jean blocking one of many goals during the course of the game.

Written by: Germaine Teo (Year 1)

Photography by: Germaine Teo (Year 1)

As Optimus Prime aptly puts it, Fate rarely calls upon us at a time of our choosing. When our hero Simon Poh (Y1) was chosen by the gods to captain the contract bridge team of the faculty of Law, he had originally wanted to spend his remaining days before school playing Dota and Battlefield. Yet, the matrix of leadership charged the national contract bridge player with a heavy responsibility – He now had to assemble and train a team in the short span of a month. He soon found himself amongst 7 other freshies who needed an excuse to play bridge in school. Thankfully for Simon though, the team was bolstered by the additions of Kenji Ong(y2) and Tian Yang(y3), who had prior experience in the game.

For the uninitiated, the following are some essential facts of contract bridge that sets it apart from the conventional floating bridge.

• In contract bridge, your partner is always set, and he sits opposite you throughout the games you play.
• The bidding process is far more complicated, whereby each bid has a specific purpose and implied meaning for your partner.
• You should never ever play against Simon Poh in contract bridge, whereas it is possible to beat him in floating bridge and lord the achievement over him for the rest of your life.

In general, this alternate form of bridge involves much more skill and mental work – little is based on luck.

The Competition

For this year’s IFG, there were a total of 10 faculties that decided to field a team. This year’s edition of the competition required each team to face each of the other 9 teams in a league over the span of 2 days. Against each faculty, we were to send 2 pairs of players. The top 4 teams would henceforth qualify and play in a classic knockout format.

Team Law. From left to right, Ryo Yap, Kenji Ong, Daniel Fong, Xim Tian Yang, Lord Simon Poh, Lim Boon Choon, Lim Sze Wei, Wong Sze Qi, Andres Tobias and Lee Yew Boon. Looking legit after 3 weeks of intensive “Simon Says” sessions

The competition kick started at 9a.m. on Saturday morning, where our team was held to a draw in their opening game against SDE. Tied at Law 22- 22 SDE, Team Law demonstrated that we could hold our own despite fielding one inexperienced pair. Following which, before the highly anticipated Lunch break, Team Law was pit against our arch-nemesis, the overall champions of 2014, team Med. Much was at stake in this match-up. Apart from the reputation of the faculties, more importantly, the winning team would carry with them the bragging rights over lunch. It was under such intense circumstances that Team Law emerged with an astounding Law 24-0 Med victory. The result brought Law up to 4^th place after 2 games.

Boon Choon looking immensely proud of Team Law’s achievements over Lunch.

With their bellies filled and minds dulled from excessive sugar intake, Team Law continued with a string of positive results. After coming up narrowly short against Engineering ( Law 20- Eng 22 ), the team emerged with 3 successive victories. (Law 24 – 17 USP, Law 31 – 14 Biz, Law 13 – 1 Yale NUS). These results allowed Team Law to climb a rank to the 3^rd placing, behind the faculties of Science and Arts with 3 games left on day 2.

Simon and Tian Yang engaged in fierce combat with our opponents from USP. Legendary tales were written and songs of folk were sung about that very battle.

On day 2, Team Law was met with an extremely daunting challenge. After an impressive showing against SOC (Law 38 – 13 SOC), Team Law had to defend its spot in the semi-finals with two games remaining. These games were to be played against the teams sitting at the top and second positions of the league table, Science and Arts.

Against Science, Team Law found themselves against a team of experienced players. Though valiant, Team Law’s resolve and fighting spirit were ultimately overwhelmed by their desire to ditch the semi-finals for an afternoon to do their readings instead. The game ended Law 18 – 42 Sci. As a result of which, Law remained in the 3^rd position with one game remaining, albeit with only a 5 point cushion over the contenders in 4^th and 5^th place.

Team Law marched into the final decisive game with a similarly difficult task. To qualify, it had to avoid defeat to the team currently cemented in 2^nd place. However, team Arts were a team unlike no other in the competition. Its team comprised experienced players and its strategy involved attempts to make highly ambitious contracts. Unfortunately for Team Law, the Arts team’s high-risk high-reward strategy paid off in this instance – Team Law suffered a Law 13 – 29 Arts defeat. In the aftermath, Team Law descended to its final ranking of 5^th out of 10 teams.

Here are a few words from Lord Simon:

“I had high hopes of winning the competition since our team this year consisted of a few experienced players. But competition this year was stiff as many other teams had similarly experienced line-ups as well. Though, I was honestly impressed by the pace at which the newer players picked up the game and I am fairly confident that with a bit more work, we will be able to present a stronger showing next year.”

Written By: Ryo Yap (Year 1)

Photography By: Ryo Yap (Year 1)

Saturday mornings are hardly brisk affairs. Most are spent indulging that vein of inertia deep in our bodies. If the phrase ‘vein of inertia’ proves too pretentious for you, it might be suffice to say that Saturdays are typically lazy days. ‘Lazy’ however, was hardly the appropriate word to describe our girls as they slugged it out at the handball courts that morning.

Handball, depending on who you ask, may be considered a rough, dirty sport. And sure enough, the pre-game proceedings ominously foreshadowed the match to come. Indeed, what I had originally thought of as an innocent nail check, was given a devilish twist by one of the seniors: “they’re checking nails to make sure they won’t scratch each other later in the catfight”.

The senior could not have been more wrong. The match was far from a simple ‘catfight’. The team, comprising mostly first-time handball players, took itself very seriously, soundly holding its defenses and aggressively making advances. If ‘soundly holding its defenses and aggressively making its advances’ does not sound very impressive, let me explain why these words mean a lot more than they suggest.

All hands on deck for defense

Handball is a game of roles and is much like basketball in that regard. At any given time, every team takes on either offense or defense. Unlike soccer, where strikers may perhaps be expected to stay up-field even when their team is being invaded by an offense, handball sees the whole team either on offense or defense. That is to say, your team is one entity. The problem is, when the ball switches possession, the roles radically invert and if you are not quick enough to catch that, your team switches role while one (wo)man short. As fatigue sets in, teams often come apart with members not running back quickly enough during defense or not tagging along swiftly enough to assist in team aggression.

Small court doesn’t mean small distance – handball is a game of running

That is where our girls differed. Though visibly fatigued, our team was also visibly a team. So when I wrote that the team ‘soundly held its defenses and aggressively made its advances’, the emphasis was not so much on their actions, so much as the fact that they could be accurately described by the singular pronoun, ‘it’. They were quite obviously a singular team rather than plural members.

Even a team has moments of individual glory: Valiant goalkeeping for terrifying penalties

Alas, the girls were eliminated from the qualifiers, having lost to School of Computing (1-3), Faculty of Engineering (1-2) and Faculty of Science (1 -7). However, Carmen, the team captain, remarked that she was “very proud of the big improvement everyone had made”, adding on that this was especially so since most of them were first-time handball players.

Funnily enough, when I asked Carmen if she’d like me to include anything additional for the article I was writing, she remarked that it was strange I was doing an article on Women’s Handball. Indeed, women’s handball did not have a feature article last year. This led her to conclude that “Wow justified [is] really taking IFG seriously this year.” Well, judging from what I’ve seen today, I can’t help but think that our coverage speaks more about the team’s merit than anything else.

IFG HANDBALL (WOMEN’S)

Written by: Kim Bumsoo (Year 1)

Photography by: Kim Bumsoo (Year 1)

It’s that time of the year again where a group of sweaty men pound each other’s balls in a stuffy room. Yes, its none other than the exciting Volleyball matches of the IFG! The Volleyball Mens team, comprising of the captain Andre Koh, Norman Aziz, Hyrum Li, Cheah Wen Jie, Chua Cheng Aik, Foo Jyh Howe, Kong Xie Shern, Gan Xian Kai, Foo Chuan Ri, and Aniket Pai, took the UTown sports hall by storm as they fought for a spot to the next round.

The Mens team discussing some top secret strategy that would leave the opponent team in the dust. (Update: Alas! Their top secret strategy unfortunately did not work…)

The team warming up to prepare for the matches ahead, though Foo Chuan Ripped and Cheah (‘Destroyer’) Wen Jie clearly didn’t bother as they were already pretty hot.

The Men’s team preparing to receive a serve. Check out that intense look by Hyrum staring down into the souls of the opponents!

The captain Andre used his cute boyish charms to deceive the opponent, while dishing out serves and spikes that left the opponent defenceless. Jyh Howe and Norman, playing in their favoured centre spiker position, had the ladies in the stands swooning with their agile plays. Ladies, you have may have seen Channing Tatum half-naked and sweaty, but you have never seen Norman half-naked and sweaty. Setter Cheah (‘Destroyer’) Wenjie put so much fear into the hearts of the opponents that some faculties asked not to play against him.

Behold this majestic beast demonstrating his prowess. Sorry ladies, Cheah (‘Destroyer’) Wenjie is taken :(

It is interesting to note that the Mens team climaxed when a mini girlfriend team turned up after lunch and the boys began to rip their opponents apart. They displayed so much aggression that the ladies were completely and utterly charmed.

A team prep during the game to boost their morale. Check out Norman Aziz’s game face (third to the left).

The Mens team truly pressed on in the face of adversity and gave their all till the end. Look at Foo Chuan Ripped on the left werkin’ his smize.

Even though the Mens team displayed much skill and aggression, they unfortunately did not make it to the next round. The Mens team lost to Arts with a score of 0-2, lost to Medicine with a score of 1-2, and lost to SDE with a score of 0-2. On the bright side, the Mens team dominated the game against USP and won with a score of 2-0.

As cautioned by the stud Kong Xie Shern: “We let medicine win so that revenge would be sweeter the next time round”. Indeed, this is not the last you will hear of them and next year they will come back stronger and better. Alternatively, we always have the Law-Med games to own Medicine’s posterior.

The cute and charming Captain Andre displaying his smile that launched a thousand ships (or balls).

“We could have done better but what is more important is that the team had fun (and can now go back to mugging).” The wise words of Andre provides a beautiful closure to the journey of the team at the IFG 2015. It also reinforced the stereotype that law school is all about mugging. Nonetheless, the charming Andre also had the best interests of his members in mind, using the opportunity to find them a soul mate:

“Special shout out to Norman Maswari Aziz Boey, Jyh Howe and Chuan Ri who were great assets to the team and also happen to be single and available #justsaying”.

If any of the ladies are interested, please contact Andre to find out more. Volleyball is not just a sport, it is also a platform to find true love.

Written by: Chen Shilun (Year 2)

Photo Credits: Aniket Pai (Year 2)

IFG 2015: WOMEN’S SOCCER

It was a sunny Sunday – the sky was blue, the grass green, the heat insufferable. It was just like any other Sunday, except it was not. Our legs are spent, our arms sore, our feet exhausted but our spirits, how high they soar.

Our hearts were violently pounding against our ribcages, almost like a tribal drum song, almost like an anthem. Decked in our navy blue shirts, we laced up our boots and straightened our spines as we swaggered onto the field.

The Legal Eagles

We were up against Science, Dentistry, Computing and USP. Despite being grossly under-prepared, overall we put up a fantastic fight and indeed gave the other faculties a tough run for their money. We began with our stretches and also a round of introductions as it so happened that it was the first time the full team was playing together. Having said that, we hit it off quickly and focused on working and supporting each other on field. As the fictional athlete Troy Bolton famously said, “getcha head in the game”.

Prior to the IFG, we had a friendly match with Science. In retrospect, the friendly was essential in giving us a gauge of the level of “game” the other faculties possessed. Today, Science put forth their first bench and we put forth all we had and I am proud to report we managed to have some control of the scoreline. In other words, we weren’t trashed and actually put up a strong fight. Our game tactic was heavily defence-based and though I wished we had more defending functional drill trainings, it was honestly admirable to watch the girls cover each other’s positions when man-marking. It was so fluid and really reflected our team synergy. It was this cohesiveness that made our team a force to be reckoned with despite the dearth of trainings and practice sessions.

Dentistry proved to be an easier match as compared to Science and overall, I would say we played a better game though ultimately conceding one goal. The possession rate was pretty levelled and there were several moments when a goal could have materialised from our side. The rain too decided to spectate the match but we played on. Sweat and rain were on our backs but our eyes were fixed on the ball. This was also the crucial match where we truly recognised each other’s strengths. Trix (Year 2), blessed with long legs, proved to be extremely skillful when she made the bursts of sprints down the opponent’s line.

There were several instances especially during the match against Computing when our girls displayed moments of true genius and talent. The Computing girls, all black from head to toe, looked like jaguars that were ready to pounce at the first sense of fear. Things got personal real quick when one of them hollered, “ are you guys ready to lose?” I would highly recommend a quick Google search on the definition of ‘sportsmanship’. That spurred us on to fight harder. Jamie (Year 2) may seem like a gentle and sweet-tempered girl, and she probably is, but on field she’s like a swift fox deftly tricking defenders. I saw with my own eyes when she managed to manouvre past two defenders – I dare say it was better than any I’ve seen on TV.

During the second half of the match, Computing seemed to focus all their efforts on attack so when we cleared the balls, they were earned several corner attempts. My contribution to the team was in trying to hold down our fort, namely our goalpost. There were some saves and there were some when I could have done better. In this area, I would like to commend the effort of my fellow team mate, Sheiffa (Year 1), who courageously took up my role in the matches where we switched around and I played forward.

Towards the end of the day, the team suffered various injuries though that did not hinder our team spirit as everyone remained optimistic. When our teammate, Anu (Year 4), had her boots threatening to disintegrate, we salvaged the situation and used the sports tape to secure her boots. Crisis averted.

Overall, our girls put up a very strong and laudable fight. Had we started our preparation and trainings a lot sooner, as most faculties did, I strongly believe we could have easily won the matches today and progressed on to the semis and perhaps even finals. Maybe that’s only wishful thinking on my part but what I know for a fact is that the effort put out today rekindled in all of us our passion for football and reminded us of just how much fun it is.

For those who are keen to join us, soccer clinics will be held every Thursday. Do contact our captain, Callie, at 8121 2789 for more details.

Written by: Ermy (Year 1)

Photography by: Ermy (Year 1)

This year, the New Freshman Pro Bono Project was targeted at migrant workers. Titled Project BUILD, we organized a carnival at the NUS main campus’ Sports and Recreation Field, involving an inflatable gladiator pit, and bubble soccer (simply the most hilarious game ever).

Some of the brave and sporting freshmen also took up the challenge of designing and facilitating station games, many of which ended up being strangely reminiscent of the Law Camp 2015 Orientation games. About 40 freshmen and 40 workers were put in small groups of 8 in which to enjoy a morning of fun and laughter – an arrangement that Prof. Sheila ingenuously thought of to best facilitate interaction. As we alighted the bus, the workers were greeted with the inviting sight of a wide-open field with a bouncy gladiator battleground and even-more-bouncy bubbles. It was a day of play, with no work for once.

Hard hats given to the workers, kindly sponsored by 3M! Also featuring FOCC Pro Bono head, Cheryl, who needs to take a module on “How to wear a hardhat”.

Leading up to the carnival, the NUS Law students went down for weekly sessions at Healthserve’s centre at Tai Seng. Usually, the workers would be there for English lessons or to use the computers for recreation. The students spent entire evenings chatting with the workers – its amazing to know that we had so much to exchange with them that some of our conversations went on for more an hour! The students got to know the workers much better – some of them had been working in Singapore for decades, while others had just come over for a few months, and were excited to make their first Singaporean friends. These younger ones would be about our age (or younger!), doing manual labor in a faraway land to support their families back home.

It really struck me when I learnt how frequently the workers phoned back to their families. Many of them would make this long distance call up to three times a day – morning, lunch break and after work! I am sure most of us would not have that much to say to our families! Even for those in a long-distance relationship, a very devoted person I know only Skypes his girlfriend once per day!

But I suppose for the workers, phoning back regularly is all they can do to bridge the thousands of miles. They are not sure what is worse – to never have stayed home with their child, or to have spent a few years with their children only to be wrenched apart by financial necessity.

With a slightly better understanding of their situations and backgrounds, perhaps we could be more inclined to reach out to them in our daily lives. Sometimes all it takes is to smile and greet the workers who we walk by every day at the access point of a worksite. Better still, we may even stop for a little chat and be a friend that can, for a little while, provide respite from the monotony of their labour. We may even be pleasantly surprised to learn about the pride they take in their work, or the gratitude they have to have found work on our island. Cheers to the migrant workers who helped build our nation!

Organised by NUS Law and Healthserve.
Sponsored by 3M, PrintInfinitio and Red Bull

Written by: Leonard Chua, who together with Siow Wei Loong , Yeow Yuet Choong, Kua Choon Searn and Kyle Yew, were the organizing team for Project BUILD.

(L-R: Yong Quan, Jethro, Nicole, Fang Yi, Cassmine, Timothy, De Hong, Jing Fei, Melissa, Alfino, Kai Xin, Michelle, Joel, Natalie, Jamin)

(The fanciest pants on earth can probably be found chasing a flying disc on a grassy field)

Clearly Fancy Pants and Winners go together as the Ultimate Frisbee team achieved 4^th place, the best result of our IFG this year thus far. Playing a total of six matches, the Law Ultimate Frisbee team went against the likes of Dentistry, Medicine, SDE, Biz, FASS and Medicine to clinch the 4^th place, showing the result of their months of hard work and training.

The team in high spirits as they huddled together before their matches

Law v Dentistry (5-6)The Preliminaries (Because they made it further than the prelims)

As captain Timothy (Y2) aptly described it, “This is the match to be relegated in the deepest recesses of our memory, never to be mentioned again.” Law’s first match of the day against Dentistry proved to be a heartbreaking experience for the team. The game proceeded evenly at first, with the O Lines from both teams going back and forth, earning points for their team. The critical point of the game came from a turnover from our side which quickly widened the gap to 4-6, with 1 minute left on the clock. Despite our valiant efforts, we were unable to close the gap and the final score was a depressing defeat of 5-6.

“But they were using Spino discs…” – Jamin (Y1) on their unexpected loss to Dentistry

Jamin (Y1) with a huge sky over Leal of Medicine

Law v Med (5-4)

The highlight of any IFG match is probably always against our doctor friends. Fueled by the Law-Med rivalry, our players were raring to go against the defending IFG Ultimate champions. Boasting a stacked medicine team with the likes of Lih Khuang (sUNIg), Reyor Ko (represented Singapore in 2012), Raga (1.92m), our players had nothing to lose.

Medicine opened with a coordinated play, earning them the first point of the game. Undeterred, our O Line slowly controlled the tempo of the game, equalizing with a series of short passes. The breaking point of the game came when we were down 3-4, with just 3 minutes to go. An opportune turnover led to a ridiculous layout by Jamin (Y1) (one of the many throughout the match), receiving a hail-mary pass from the opposite end of the field, equalizing the score 4-4. With just one minute left on the clock, the medicine guys were obviously unsettled by the tight scoreline (especially since they wrecked us at Law-Med 2014). This anxiety led to an uncharacteristic turnover, allowing Jamin to complete another insane layout from down the field, leading to a dramatic finish of 5-4. This may well be the first time Law has won against Medicine in Ultimate Frisbee (the writer is unsure of the accuracy of this statement)

Jamin on fire

Somebody please put out the fire

Unfortunately, the rest of the preliminary matches were played in arguably poor lighting, and there are no photographs to document the carnage that our players left in their wake. Nonetheless, Law stormed to convincing wins against SDE (7-1) and fellow semi-finalist contender, Business (6-3). The defence line was instrumental to these victories, keeping up an intense defence that forced their opponents to make mistakes.

The Semifinals (How many of our articles even get this header?)

Law began our second day of competition with our last preliminary match against SOC(5-3). Ultimately even though we lost our semi-final match against Arts and our 3rd/4th placing match with Medicine, the writer would like to draw your attention to our single win against Medicine the day before (because how often can we say we beat Medicine on the field?)

Thug Life

Highlights

Happy faces after friendly competition
With the end of IFG Ultimate Frisbee 2015, we would like to thank everyone who had helped and supported us in one way or another. Special shout-outs to Sabrina (Y1), Chuan Ri (Y1), Zhe Fei (Y4), Hao Jin, Kenneth Lim (Y1) and our Grundnorm alumni.

Article by: Natalie Lim (Year 2), Shawn Callen (Year 1)
Photography by: Leung Liwen (Year 3), Shawn Callen (Year 1)

In life, everything has a bell curve. Netball is no exception.

Anyone who has ever played the game of netball (or watched a netball match, for the matter) should know what an intense sport it is. With only six minutes of game play in each half and a short three-minutes break in between, netball is the kind of sport that leaves its players perpetually sprinting, leaping and, with luck, scoring. On court, there is no time to catch your breath.

IFG Netball saw our girls pitted against strong opponents, namely the School of Design & Environment (SDE), Engineering, Computing and Medicine (in order of matches). While they gave their opponents a run for their money, rival teams banked on their extraordinary heights and more experienced players. Nevertheless, our girls worked to keep the score margins low and showed incredible team spirit.

After a few minor incidents involving one of our players crashing into a goal post, a knee injury relapse, a fall and a few near-falls, our team eventually conceded defeat to three faculties and drew against Computing.

As the wise netball team manager Bruce (Year 2) said, “In life, everything has a bell curve.” So does netball. Our girls were amazing, but some rival teams – if we draw an analogy to law school – are the kids who have been buried in their books all day err’day since they matriculated.

A Breakdown of the Matches

SDE (Law 5 – SDE 11)

Wen Qi (Year 1) got her game on in the first match of the day.

This was the first match for both SDE and Law, and all the players were visibly pumped. Our girls started off brilliantly and scored three goals in the first half, which put SDE ahead of them by only two points. They had hopes to overtake SDE in the second half, but SDE slipped into better rhythm as the game went on. Under their possession, the ball crossed the court within seconds. The score margin was widened and the match ended with SDE’s win.

The ball was taken into possession by Ting En (Year 2), wing defence.

Melissa Heng (Year 1) called the match a “wasted opportunity” as the team had been doing well. “We were slower and steadier at the start,” lamented Liting (Year 4).

This was also the match where a mini accident happened. “I hit the pole,” Andrea (Year 1) announced sheepishly after the match. In the last minute before the end of the second half, she had lost her balance and fallen onto the goal post in the most unglamorous way possible.

Andrea as the star scorer (before she hit the pole) #swag

Andrea hitting the pole. (The players asked for this photo after the match so they could use it as their whatsapp group display picture.)

Engineering (Engineering 16 – Law 2)

 In what turned out to be the hardest-hitting loss of the day, our girls went against the Engineering team in a twisted version of David and Goliath – in the literal sense, for the Engineering girls towered over our Law girls. Unfortunately, the netball team’s version did not play out the same way as the biblical version, and the Law team lost by an unprecedented margin.

“They (the Engineering team) were like men,” exclaimed Anni (Exchange student from England) after the match. It was further observed that the Engineering girls were all taller than our Law netball team managers Bruce and Shi Zheng (both Year 2), although admittedly Bruce and Shi Zheng are short for guys.

Despite the obvious height disadvantage, our girls managed to score two goals against Engineering.

Team Captain Siu Ming (Year 2) had earlier expressed hopes of scoring against Engineering and Medicine.

Computing (Computing 4 – Law 4)

 The team had envisioned a win against Computing, but had sadly underestimated the Computing team. Our girls were three points ahead when, in a sudden burst of energy, the Computing girls scored twice within the last minute of the first half and once more immediately after the second half started. Regrettably, the game ended in a draw.

 Joy (Year 3) played centre for most of the matches, and should (in the writer’s opinion) deserve an award for her incredible stamina.

Medicine (Medicine 10 – Law 5)

 It seemed that everything had been building up to this moment. According to Siu Ming, last year’s score had been dismal – more than 40 goals scored by Med, and none by Law. The team was determined to improve this time round.

The team doing a “Go Law!” before the start of the match against Medicine.

 Our girls performed superbly, keeping the score 4:2 to Medicine by the end of the first half. The ratio between the scores was maintained till the end of the match as the team fought to minimize the score difference. The end result was way better than any of them had expected and boosted the girls’ spirits.

To conclude, here are some words from team captain Siu Ming: “We have improved but there is more room for improvement. Stay tuned for Law Frat and LawMed!” The netball team will be back – and this time, they will be on the top of the bell curve.

Top Row, from left: Yi Zhen (Year 4), Liting (Year 4), Ting En (Year 2), Meishuen (Year 2), Yufei (Year 3), Grace (Exchange student), Andrea (Year 1)

Bottom Row, from left: Wen Qi (Year 1), Sarah (Year 1), Vanessa (Year 1), Melissa (Year 1), Siu Ming (Year 2), Joy (Year 3), Anni (Exchange student)

Written by: Audrey Kwok

Photography by: Audrey Kwok

29 Aug – Outside, the weather is bright and sunny. So what brings twelve good men and women, and true, to an indoor sports facility, whose climate control system has been disabled? Well, it’s the NUS Inter-Faculty Games! The Multi-Purpose Sports Hall 5 played host to the group stages of the badminton tournament, and because of the nature of the sport, the air-conditioning was deactivated.

Team photo – L to R – front row: Kyle (team captain), Min Hui, Kai Xin, Valerie, Ee Ning, Sharon; back row – Ivan, Jen Whee, Andre, Emma, Ershad, Luchen

In such a hot and stifling environment, the pressure was truly on for the Law Faculty team. The team is relatively fresh-faced, as of the 2014 team, only two remain, with another four representing NUS as a whole in the Inter-Varsity Games, and two other having graduated.

It was truly an uphill battle as the team faced the powerhouse Engineering team in the morning. In the face of the tough competition put up by 2014’s runners-up, our team put up its best fight, even though they had to concede the five games in the round (men’s singles, women’s singles, men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles) to the worthy opponents.

However, all was not lost, as though they got knocked down by the opposition in the morning, they got up again – nothing could keep our team down in the afternoon match against USP.

With great power, comes great responsibility – Andre HULK SMASHED his way powerfully to victory in the men’s singles, instilling a righteous fear in his opponents, with all of the force of a great typhoon, and the strength of a raging fire.

Andre preparing for the next smash hit

Emma sailed through the women’s singles to yet another win.

All the single ladies…

The men’s doubles were the most hard-fought match in this round, which saw players from all sides lunging towards the shuttlecock with speed (and occasionally, falling down through the crashing sounds), but the opponents were no match for team captain Kyle and Ivan, as they decisively won this one.

Ivan (foreground) and Kyle (behind) geared for battle

5th September saw the Law team pitted against the reigning champions, Medicine. This match was to prove pivotal to the progression of our team. However, despite their best efforts, the team narrowly conceded the matches against them, winning 2 games to the opponent’s 3. In any case though, the shuttlers have redoubled their determination to correct this error at the soonest opportunity.

Nevertheless, with honour and pride, the team soldiered on to play the last match with the School of Computing, and in a mirror-image of the morning’s close fight, came out on top against SOC with a score of 3-2.

Our shuttlers will be back at the Law-Med Games later in the year, and if the IFG games are anything to go by, Badminton will be one of the events that will be closely watched as our team avenges the loss to the Medicine team. As they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall…

(PS – see if you can find all the song references!)

Written by: Eric (Year 1)

Photography by: Eric (Year 1)

1 of 1. 1 of 2. 2 of 3. 2 of 4.

That’s how the day progressed for the Men’s Basketball Team at the IFG. Two wins from four matches is a pretty good result. But these were just the Tip-Off results. The actual results were very different. The team which had almost progressed to the semi-finals at last year’s IFG was much smaller this year, missing players due to them either graduating, going on exchange or not being able to make it. In fact the team only consisted of 11 players when a full roster could contain 15 players. Needless to say the expectations were tempered and the main goal was to try to do our best. Drawn into a group consisting of the Faculty of Engineering, School Of Computing, the Faculty of Medicine and last year’s champions the Faculty of Business, it looked to be a tough road for the team to tread. In a sport where the height of the player was vital; indeed it is said, “you can’t teach height”, we were possibly the smallest team present.

The team starting off feeling good.

Game 1

We won the tip off and You Xiang started off the scoring drawing a foul and splitting the free throws. Initially, the Engineering players were called for travelling so many times, that I wasn’t sure whether it was their players who were on exchange or ours. Our team dared the engineering players to take three pointers and for the most part it worked, as they were unable to score from beyond the arc. Tragedy struck early as veteran player See Tow, playing in his last IFG, was taken down rather roughly landing on his leg and hurting his ankle. As he lay sprawled on the ground in obvious agony I could not help but think of what could have been. Later, when he was icing his injured ankle he blamed his ‘old man legs’.

The saga of Seetow.

Resuming play, the Engineering players took advantage of his absence. Our team played with passion but the Engineering team took the lead early and never looked back .You Xiang played aggressively and drew another foul and once again split the free throws. He then went on to score a layup and then a jumper causing Engineering to call a time out. After their time out they regrouped, started scoring again. The only other player to score in this game was vice captain Kenneth who connected on a jumper off a slick pass from You Xiang. Already fielding a small team, the loss of a veteran player was worrying. The fact that the shots were simply not falling also did not help. It was observed by the players that the hoops at U-Town were different from the ones at CCA B. This was obviously some ploy to stop us from scoring. It obviously worked, as we lost to the engineering team.

You Xiang scored all but 2 of the entire team’s point. MVP!

Game 2

Trying to recover from our first loss, we were more confident against the next team- School of computing (SOC). This feeling was compounded by the arrival of freshman Rashpal who added some much needed size to the team. Once again we won the tip off and started off on a positive note as Kenneth scored a jumper. You Xiang then executed a behind the back dribble and took a jumper but it rattled off the rim. This seemed to be the case throughout. Though we were able to match SOC play for play they were making their shots while we were missing them by the smallest of margins. Freshman Marcel was then subbed in and hustled, improving the toughness of the team. The halftime message was simple- FIGHT FOR THE REBOUNDS! We were giving too many second chances to the other team and if we had the ball, they couldn’t score. It started to show some results as we started fighting for the ball and making shots. You Xiang drove in, drew the foul and split the free throws. Then, Jian Qin, famous for his bank shots, made a jumper, but this time it was all net.

Jian Qin setting up to make a shot.

However disaster struck again as Elias injured his leg due to a rather carelessly thrown knee from a SOC player and we lost another player to injury.

Elias dribbling up the court before he was injured.

We showed our resilience as we didn’t give up and Chester made a jumper, boosting morale. Though by no means a tight game score wise, a win had still been achievable but in the final few minutes, we eased up and SOC racked up the points creating a score line that didn’t really reflect the game. Afterwards, it was clear the team was disappointed with the loss, with the captain remarking that we should have won the game.

Game 3

This game was clearly personal. After the Law-Med games in 2014, where they had lost for the second straight year to our team, the Medicine team was clearly itching to get revenge. No doubt they were exultant seeing our weakened squad, which at this point was down to 10 players as compared to their 15 players.

We won the Tip-Off again.

The tension was palpable as from the start as every ball was fought for and every shot contested. This led to one of the medicine players being injured early on and being carried off the court. You Xiang scored opened the scoring early on in this game with a lay up from a fast break. Medicine then made a three pointer and You Xiang replied with one of his own.

You Xiang dropping a 3 ball.

As one medicine player stopped the game to tie his shoelace the silence was deafening reflecting the seriousness of the game. The game was tied at 7 all after a layup from freshman Jun Chong.

Here he is showing a creative pass.

The team kept pressing though collecting rebounds and sparking fast breaks that unfortunately we couldn’t finish. At one point the ball hit off the backboard, swirled round the middle of the hoop flirting with the net but then bounced out, eliciting screams of “How is that even possible?” At half time Vice-captain Kenneth reiterated the need to box out and not rush through the passes.

Kenneth rising up for the jumper.

As the game progressed it was getting harder for our players to keep their energy level up as Medicine was consistently rotating their team allowing their players to rest while we were forced to make our team play more minutes. This, combined with more of the same insufferable luck we had in the first half, meant that we were unable to score any more points. This loss was a bitter pill to swallow but now, the prospect of beating Medicine in the Law-Med games will be even sweeter.

Game 4

The last game was against the Faculty of Business, last years Champions. This was a classic underdog story. David v Goliath. Rocky v Creed.The champions, facing off against a team that was both fatigued and shorthanded. We had lost all three of our previous games and it seemed inevitable that we were going to lose this one too. But when the chips were down and our backs were against the wall, this group of fighters rose to the challenge admirably. Emboldened by the late arrival of our centre Dillon, and watched by a packed hall, the team decided to go out fighting. We started strong and the business team countered by applying full court pressure. From the second the ball was inbounded the business players were stuck on our team like glue. The addition of Dillon created opportunities to score through the block as well as added shot blocking ability to the team. Expecting a dominant display from the Engineering team I was pleasantly surprised with the grit and toughness shown by our team.

The team showing defensive prowess.

Josiah grabbed rebound after rebound and Eugene dived and tussled with business players for the ball. You Xiang dropped a three pointer and soon after Josiah was fouled and split the free throws.

Josiah attempting a floater before he was fouled.

There was excitement in the air as we were leading and if we held on to this lead we could pull off the upset of the tournament. Soon, Business responded with a three pointer after a rather impressive series of passes. Building on their momentum the business players knocked down two more three pointers and a floater to close out the first half. Exhausted, the team was fighting to get back into the game. Once again the opposing team’s depth forced us to face fresh players with tired legs. In the second half, the team limited the Business players to just 8 points with some impressive defensive plays. HUSTLE was the name of this game. Josiah then drew a foul with a floater and split the resulting free throws. The defence then translated into offense as a steal led to a fast break with Rashpal finishing the layup. In the last few minutes the business players started double teaming whoever had the ball trying to prevent a comeback of any kind because if they beat us they would remain undefeated in the group stages. Trying so hard in fact, that they elbowed Captain You Xiang in the face, possibly twice, in a struggle for the ball. Dazed, he tried to carry on but a medical time out was called and he sat down blood pouring down his face.

The double team that drew blood.

With their leader out, the team tried valiantly to fight back but the business team used their bigger squad and overwhelmed us in the dying minutes to secure a win.

No doubt with a complete squad we could have mounted a stronger challenge but what was achieved with the resources available is commendable and I salute the team for their Never Say Die attitude. Come Law-Med games, the team will be looking to achieve a 3-peat, and I wish them all the best.

From left – Rashpal Singh (Y1), Josiah Tham (Y1), Elias Tiong(Y2), Lai Jian Qin (Y3), See Tow Shiun Yang (Y4), Lim You Xiang (Y2), Chester Yan(Y2), Kenneth Ong (Y2), Ng Jun Chong (Y1), Marcel Wong (Y1), Eugene Lim(Y1), Dillon Tan (Y4)[Not in picture].

Written by: Vedam Rakesh (Year 1)

Photography: Vedam Rakesh (Year 1)

­­­­­­It was a beautiful day on the 6^th of September 2015. Sadly this wasn’t exactly pertinent information for our Law Reversi team, who stayed indoors to play practically nine hours worth of matches against other faculties in NUS.

Despite the air-conditioning (perks of playing indoor games), there was a fiery aura through the room from a mixture of anticipation, excitement, and the desire to win. Players were recalling strategies, worrying about the potential traps and discussing how to bypass them, sharing tips with friends… or catching up on last minute homework. There may not be much physical activity involved in the game, apart from the panicky smacking of timers, but there was certainly a lot of mental exercise at work. In that sense, Reversi is a type of tabletop war, where the survivors aren’t necessarily the fittest, but definitely the brightest.

From left to right: Felix, Guang Yi, Zamiq, (Team Organiser) Erwin, Kuan Yue, and Wei Shee, sporting the signature IFG shirt.

Our Law team, comprised of clever, cheerful guys, managed to hold their own and kept each other’s spirits up with witty jokes throughout the day. While waiting for members of other faculties to arrive (some of them probably hadn’t had their coffee fix yet), there were a few doubts among our team as to the likelihoods of success this year, especially after seeing the competition they had to face. Nonetheless, they came to the unanimous decision to have fun, try their best, and make new friends.

The rules of Reversi are simple. For those unversed in the rules, here is a quick run-down: each round has four players from each faculty verse four opponents from another faculty in individual games. The player with the most squares of their colour (black or white) wins the game. When all games are finished, the wins and losses of each game are combined into a group score. The faculty with most wins got one point. If there was a tie, both teams would get 0.5 points.

After an austere delivery of the basic rules and illegal moves (what is the definition of illegal?) behind Reversi, each round was duly prepared, and the games began. Immediately, our Law team faced the accomplished Yale-NUS team. Maybe it was because of Yale-NUS’s numerous practice sessions, or our team was warming up, we lost the first round of games.

Kuan Yue playing against a Yale-NUS opponent.

Right around the corner however were the matches against the School of Design and Environment, in which our team prevailed with victorious grins and ego boosts all around.

Felix does an unnecessary facepalm – Little does he know the game ends in a tie.

This victory was short lived as Law faced a narrow defeat from Computing, with single digit margins. To be fair, law deals with a lot more grey areas than Computing, who deals largely with black and white… and blue screens.

Wei Shee has managed to grab the attention of not only his Computing opponent, but Guang Yi’s as well.

After a short break and extremely healthy lunch of Domino’s Pizzas, the team was paired against Dentistry. Unlike last year however, Law was victorious, and won against them, adding one point to their overall score. Unfortunately, their next opponents were the friendly, but well versed Art faculty. Law lost the round, and as if to rub salt into their wounds, they had to play against the Engineering department next, a team that had gotten nothing but wins thus far in the competition. Needless to say, they were crushed in the grueling round.

Even during breaks, Guang Yi and Erwin “relax” by playing rounds of Chinese chess.

This losing streak was probably what motivated our team to try harder the next round Against the Business faculty one of our players, Zamiq, managed to win a 64-0 game under two minutes, something he proudly said to be “a record in IFG Reversi history”. The other members also battled fiercely, and the team managed to draw with Business in that round.

Zamiq smiles triumphantly after he wins.

It was around this time where there was a little bit of drama between two of the other faculties involving flying accusations and timers (remember panicky smacking?) Who knew Reversi could be such an emotional sport? Our team wondered if they would finally get to show their years worth of studying law and got ready to start representing clients, but the problem was resolved amicably when the teams realised they had other games to focus on.

Perhaps it was due to the delay from the dispute, and our players were running out of steam after many hours of Reversi matches, the next games’ results weren’t outstanding. Science and USP defeated our team, though we did manage to draw against Medicine, probably out of rivalry’s sake that we managed one last spurt of mental energy. At the end of the day, Law finished ninth place out of eleven, with 3/10 points (2 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses).

Our team this year did not perform as well as they did last year, but the important thing was they stayed true to their goals: they had fun, did their best, and made new friends. It may not have been the best running Law has shown in their years of IFG Reversi, but it was one that ended with laughter, Facebook friend requests, and amazing group photos.

 Law team posing with Dentistry team, promoting interfaculty relations. Who said lawyers were heartless people?

Written by: Yvette Foo (Year 1)

Photography by: Yvette Foo (Year 1)

Sunday evening was spent watching 22 sweaty men eat bananas and chase after balls – it was IFG Soccer! The team, led by Captain Joshua Suwe (Y2), put up a great performance having lost no matches. We also only won 2 out of 5 matches but that’s beside the point. It was certainly no easy feat for our players, with four grueling matches squeezed into one day. Overall, the players played exceptionally well but lost due to unfortunate circumstances.

A break down of the matches

Law – Engineering: 1-1

Our first match pitted us against the defending champions for Soccer Men. Engineering was by far one of the strongest team we played against and they scored first. However, the Law team put up a good defence and managed to equalize thanks to an (somewhat fortuitous) own goal. It was a good result to take to the second week of IFG where they would have to play four matches.

Highlight of the match: A combination of 3 mistakes from the Engineering team which somehow led to us scoring.

Law – Medicine: 0-0

Throw-in from player Marcus Lee (Y1)

Alas, we met our arch nemesis again. They may be familiar with the human anatomy but clearly our men’s team knew how to handle balls just as well. According to Captain Suwe, “We had two very good chances, so we should have won. But Medicine is a strong team so it was a good result.” Special mention goes to Daryl (Y1) for making a magnificent save to push the ball onto the crossbar when 1-on-1 with a Medicine player. In order to qualify for the semis, the team would now have to win all their remaining three matches.

Highlight of the match: Due to an unfortunate injury sustained by Clement (Y3) while climbing an unnamed fence, we had a lack of fullback subs, which led to a clearly exhausted Fang (Y2) taking the shortest route off the pitch when he was finally subbed off.

Law – SDE: 1-0

Captain Suwe gathers the team during half-time.

 This was a relatively easy game for the team despite SDE’s dirty tactics. They spent most of the game pulling, pushing, and trying to kill Tim “Sport God” Oen (Y2). Suwe scored with a header from Josiah’s (Y1) corner, although his celebration (allegedly) “left much to be desired”. (Fang, 2015)

Highlight of the game: On one occasion, an SDE player seemed fully intent on ripping Darren Low’s (Y2) shirt off, leading him to reply with “you want my shirt I give you la”.

Law – Yale-NUS: 2-0

Part-time instagram model Nick Yap manages a photoshoot during the match.

 The Law – Yale-NUS match was relatively manageable as well. We dominated the game and peppered the goal with a lot of shots. While we were playing well for the first two thirds, we lacked the killer touch in the last third of the game.  Nonetheless, players Michael Bin and Prasith earned our team two much needed penalties that landed us the victory. Both penalties were scored by Darren Low, who confidently picked the same spot twice.

Highlight of the game: Marcus Hoh (Y2) “cramping” after 15 minutes into his first game. Meanwhile, the rest of the non-cramping players had already completed two matches prior.

Player Darren Low scoring a penalty

 While they may dominate us in other ways, the Law team dominated the field and fought to victory.

Law – Science: 0-0

The pressure was definitely on for the match against the Science team. Any of the top four teams had a chance of entering the semi-finals based on the last match’s result. This was the make-it or break-it game and our men’s team went all out. Tensions definitely ran high and there was quite a bit of neck-to-neck action (not in the good way). Science was yet another dirty team, resorting to tactics such as spitting and trying to incite fights. Special mention must go to the guy in pink who had a lot to say for someone who was not even playing IFG. We had 3 good opportunities to score but we didn’t manage to get a goal, ending with a disappointing draw.

Highlight of the match: Yet another “cramp” from Marcus Hoh (Y2), albeit this time at a more tactical timing.

The team was clearly dejected by the results. 

Overall, while the odds were not in our favour, our men team fought hard and well and displayed excellent sportsmanship. As Captain Suwe’s mantra before each match goes, “Most importantly, go and have fun.”

L – R (Front) Ahmad Zaki (Y2), Marcus Hoh (Y2), Josiah Tham (Y1), Kenneth Ng (Y1), Joshua Suwe (Y2), Darren Low (Y2), Loo Fang Hui (Y2), Marcus Lee (Y1), Nick Yap (Y1)

L – R (Back) Jayden Chew (Y3), Michael Bin (Y4), Ian Loke (Y3), Clement Lin (Y3), James Kwong (Y3), Gary Tse (Y3), Benjamin Goh (Y4), Daryl Er (Y1), Marc Leung (Y1), Danial Hakim (Y4), Alex Oldland (Exchange), Prasith Nair (Y1)

Had the last match on the field between Engineering and Yale-NUS been a draw, we would have made it to the semi-finals. Unfortunately, Yale-NUS walked over due to their players’ injuries and we did not make the spot.

However, all is okay. What’s important is that we did not lose to Medicine. See y’all at the Law-Med Games.

Written by: Zhou Shiyin (Year 1)

Photography by: Zhou Shiyin (Year 1)

In a gruelling tournament spanning the entire day on 6th September 2015, the training of our Law Touch Rugby team was finally put to the test. Our dedicated team journeyed to Field 3 at the NUS Kent Ridge campus to participate in this event. The preliminary matches started at 9:40am and spanned until 5:10pm. You certainly have to give these guys brownie points for devotion!

Our IFG 2015 Touch Rugby team (From left to right – Front row (kneeling): Syafiq (Y2), Joshua (Y1), Wira (Y1); Middle Row (bending over): Ershad (Y1), Denise (Y4), Yen Jee (Y2), Joy (Y4), Tammie (Y1); Back row (standing): James (Y1), Tim Oen (Y2), Nicole (Y4), Joelle (Y2), Gladys (Y2), Asher (Y2), Mark (Y3); Absent: Mei Yi, team manager (GLB Y2))

The opposition came to touch us, and touch us hard they did. The team, however, brought their A-game to the fore, testing all who stood before us. Furthermore, special mention should be given to certain players. Notable members of our team who went on the offensive were, Tim Oen, Syafiq and team captain Joshua. Wira acted as a most capable defender, who also pressed the attack on occasion. According to Captain Josh: “In the true spirit of altruism and pro-bono, we allowed hot favourites Biz and Arts to savour the victory they had trained so hard for.” We finished a respectable 3rd in our group, narrowly missing out on the knock out rounds.

Asher trying to breach Dentistry’s defences.

Match 1: Law 5 – 0 Dentistry

In their first match at 9:40am, our Law team was pitted against the Dentistry team. If this were a Rugby game (where teeth can go flying) and not a Touch Rugby game, our team might fear slighting the future dentists with a victory. The ferocity of our team was not dampened by this, the score being 5-0 in favour of Law.

Match highlights by Captain Josh: Fueled by bananas and water courtesy of team manager “The Mother” Chan Mei Yi (year 2, GLB), the team strode into battle like gazelles on taurine overdose. Freshman Tammie Khor, in a clear demonstration of girl power, laid the team’s statement of intent by opening the scoring with a try on the right wing after a nervous first 3 minutes. Captain Josh Foo (year 1) added a second to end the first half. South African flyer Wira Hakim Isa (year 1), otherwise known to many as “the buff one”, was unfazed by the increasing heat, clearly well conditioned by the years spent under the Johannesburg sun. He opened the second half by bamboozling the opposition with his fancy footwork before putting his muscular foot to the pedal, finishing in emphatic fashion.

Wira chased and intercepted this Dentistry member who penetrated our team’s defence. “I am like a wisdom tooth, I can really hurt you” – Wira Hakim Isa

The floodgates opened, and Syafiq Poh (year 2) set up beautifully for Nicole Chee (year 4) to score. He struck again with a dazzling individual effort, sprinting down the right wing and leaving 2 defenders in his wake, before prepohsterously adjusting his cap as he strode in elegantly to touch down for what was the last of 5 well worked tries.

Syafiq touching down so far ahead of the opposing team that they cannot even be seen in this shot. “I look like a king, so I play like a king” – Syafiq Poh

Match 2: Law 0-4 Business

Our team’s next match was at 11:50am against the team from Business, under the blistering midday Sun. Ironically, as team captain Joshua pointed out during the debrief after this match, the Business team actually knew the hand signals of the referee better than our team and were able to react faster. While the score was 0-4 in favour of Business, our Law team maintained its morale and resisted the Business team to the very end.

Match highlights by Captain Josh: We were determined to hit back with Mark Tay (year 3) and Tim Oen linking up well and gaining us precious ground, but the final line breaking pass seemed to elude us. Tim admitted to being charitable later on: “I was giving chance. They call me the cheatcode. You can’t use the cheatcode every game”.

Nicole made a good effort to advance the ball but was pushed back! “Nicole with her two handsome buff bodyguards” – Captain Josh

Match 3: Law 2-2 Science

After lunch, our team vied against the Science team at 2:15pm. The Science team’s knowledge of physics and the human body’s chemical reactions availed them somewhat, the outcome being a draw of 2-2.

Match highlights by Captain Josh: The match started brightly with MVP Tim “King” Oen scoring a brilliant individual effort.

Tim Oen speeding past enemy lines. “You can catch me, but not today, nor tomorrow. Maybe on your birthday I give chance.” – Tim Oen

Team science sent one of their players (henceforth Mayweather, since we know not his name and he was a violent snob) flying into the next two touches fist first. Captain Josh took it upon himself to nullify the threat and went straight for the next touch, delivering a gentle yet firm slap to the left cheek of Mayweather who evidently was out to hurt us. In an utter transgression of sportsmanship, appealed to the referee for a penalty. To the crowd and team’s horror, the referee granted the appeal and we were penalized, but the violence and chauvinism did not stop there. Team Mayweather capitalized on the ‘milked’ penalty, making their breakthrough just as the final whistle blew and scored in the corner.

Match 4: Yale-NUS

With as much zeal as ever, our team played against Yale’s team at 4pm. The outcome of the match certainly explained one reason why Yale wanted to tie up with NUS, with the score 3-1 being in favour of Law.

Denise has as much fire in her as the Year 1s, even though she is a Year 4! “Judas (Right, green boots)” – Captain Josh

Match highlights by Captain Josh: Law went into the next match more determined than ever to finish well so we could resume studying. The next fixture was against Yale-NUS, featuring a familiar face in the form of Nick “Judas” Siew, who evidently was torn between his loyalties to both faculties. We went behind early, conceding a try, before immediately replying on both sides of half time with King Tim slipping in for the first after a Hail Mary pass by Captain Josh, before another brilliant team effort put freshman James “Bakes” Quah in for his virgin try in his virgin tournament. When interviewed, James elatedly remarked, “I was untouched”. Josh sealed the deal with an intercept try and team law cruised comfortably to a 3-1 victory.

Match 5: Law 1-3 FASS

In their final match of the preliminaries at 4:45pm, our ardent team faced off against the Arts team. Our team’s performance showed that the Arts should not be underestimated, the score being 3-1 in favour of the Arts’ team. Nevertheless, our team did not lose steam and resisted the Arts’ team till the end.

Match highlights by Captain Josh: The final fixture saw everybody in the squad fielded, and we held valiantly against eventual winners (and overall champions) FASS to keep the scoreline at a respectable 3-1. Syafiq scored the consolation try with a breakaway effort, and as Ershad (year 1) watched from the sideline, he shared his sentiments on Syafiq’s penchant for running away by remarking “someone call the pohlice”.

Mark foiled by Arts’ iron defence. “When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.” – Captain Josh

On the whole, this was a fulfilling tournament for our unified team. Though they did not progress to the semi-finals, their synergy certainly demonstrated their enjoyment. As Captain Josh wisely opined, while we may not have succeeded in touching the winner’s trophy due to our charitable nature, we touched our opponents with respect and played beautifully. More importantly, we were able to touch our hearts and know that we gave of our best. I will conclude with a quote from Assistant Sports Director Timothy: “every year is our year, until day 1 of IFG is over, then next year is our year”. Truly, the touch rugby team will only grow from strength to strength, and as the old adage goes, the best is yet to be.

Cohesion at its finest.

“Team Law will be back as long as no one gets skin cancer” – Captain Josh (Personal group photo courtesy of the Law Touch Rugby Team 2015.)

Written by: Keane (Y1) with special commentaries from Joshua (Y1)

Photography by: Keane (Y1)

For the Law IFG Tchouckballers, Sunday was a day of sweat, blood and tears (okay, there weren’t actually any tears, but there was definitely lots of sweat and blood involved).

Initially, the team, with our three training sessions, had been all psyched up to trounce the other faculties. Well, the other faculties undeniably had months of practices with actual coaches, but hey, our team did have the addition of two Year 1s – Tchoukball Pro Chuan Ri and Yang Xi, whose pageant-worthy face we hoped would help charm some of the female opponents into missing their shots/dropping their balls. But unfortunately, the team was dealt a blow even before the day of the games – our top scorer See Tow had injured himself and was unable to help us in our attempt to meet our Friendly Neighbourhood Sports Director (Asst.)’s target of 20/30 first place finishes. The team was dismayed, but not discouraged – we were even more determined to put up a good show on the day of the games.

(L – R: Tan Phoebe (Y2), Wei Loong (Y2), Yong Quan (Y2), Becky (Y2), Callie (Y2), Issac (Y2), Yang Xi (Y1), Chuan Ri (Y1)Not in picture: Ern Tian (Y2) )

Law – Engineering: 9 -20

Starting the day was our match against Engineering. We didn’t start off too badly, and we just trailing 3 points behind Engineering at half-time (6 – 9). During the half-time break, Chuan Ri observed that the disparity in terms of the teams’ skills isn’t that great, and that we had a chance against Engineering. However, after half-time, Engineering somehow just seemed to charge ahead at full speed, and the game ended with a score of 9 -20 to Engineering.

Law – Yale: 17 – 28

Again, we were trailing behind Yale by 4 points at half-time (7 – 11), but when the second half started, the gap between Law and Yale became bigger and bigger. We tried our best to catch up but the we were probably distracted by the vociferous cheers from their supporters that would erupt periodically throughout the match. Our attempts to catch up proved futile as we eventually lost to them 17 – 28.

Law – Medicine: 20 -31

Our match with Medicine was probably the most intense of the four matches we had that day. As with the previous two matches, we were just behind our opponent by a few points by half-time (2 in case, to be exact). During the second half, one of the Medicine guys made a shot with such power that it ricocheted off the frame with such speed that Becky, even with her valiant attempt, was unable to catch it. Instead, the ball smashed right into her face and we lost a point there. Game continued, but seconds later, the game had to be stopped because Becky actually started bleeding from the nose. The Medicine people helpfully gathered around and gave advice on how to stop the bleeding. Becky, being the brave soul that she is, assured us that she was alright and simply went to the toilet to wash up.

(Throwback to last year’s IFG, a happier distant past before Becky was so cruelly hit by the ball)

We had to continue the game with 6 players since there was nobody else to replace Becky. The game continued, and we were fired up to avenge our fallen comrade, but alas, it was not to be as Medicine did not let up as well. Every time we gained a point, they would too, and this went on, until the game ended with a score of 20 -31.

Law – Science: 13 – 24

By this point, perhaps the team was already worn out and at half-time, the score was 3-17 to Science. Science probably thought that it was a sure-win, judging from how they sent in new players at half-time. However, within the first three minutes of the second-half, Science quickly subbed in their original players. We mustered our energy, but the game eventually ended at 13 – 24 to Science.

(Yong Quan’s powerful leaps and shots were probably the reason why they Science decided they can’t let their guard down)

The team has definitely improved a lot since our inaugural foray into IFG last year, and we are hopeful that with more trainings, we will be able to put up a stronger fight come Law-Med/IFG.

(Happy faces after all the matches)

Photo Credits: Melissa Tham (who came all the way just to watch us play the last match! Thanks Mel!)

Written by: Tan Phoebe (Year 2)

Photography by: Melissa Tham (Year 2)

IFG ROAD RELAY

SO…THE HAZE WONT STOP THE RACE!! (:

Despite the hazy weather conditions, IFG Road Relay 2015 still took place today (Saturday, 12 September) as our 8 representatives from Team Law as well as runners from the other NUS faculties and Yale-NUS College gathered (very, very) early in the morning (HAHA when I say “early”, it is really early – 7am) at NUS Utown.

Just some brief information on IFG Road Relay! Some of us (including myself) would think that Road Relay is somewhat like Track and Field where runners will run about 400m around the track during Sports Day. But in fact, for this IFG Road Relay, the running route consists of a 1.8km route (a rather long distance!) around NUS Utown that is covered 6 times by 3 males and 3 females from each faculty. As with all relays, the team with the fastest overall timing wins.

This year, representing law faculty for IFG Road Relay, we have 8 super, super fit and fast runners and they are: Yip Jian Yang (Y2, Captain, 2nd Runner), Theodore Ang (Y3, 1st Runner), Ryan Lai (Y1, Team Manager 1), Samuel Lee (Y1, 6th Runner), Hijazi (Y4, Team Manager 2), Jordy Kay (Y2, Male Reserve), Kong Qiu Ginj (Y1, 3rd Runner), Chiam Bi Xia Michelle (Y1, Female Reserve), Joy Lee (Y4, 4th Runner) and Nadene Law (Y2, Vice Captain, 5th Runner).

Here are some shots of our “fast and furious” Team Law!

The “all-ready” serious shot!

The calm and smiley shot!

And regarding the route for the road relay, as shown in the image below, runners have to run round the circumference of U-town. Whilst 1.8km may not sound very long, it is in fact really really tough sprinting this entire 1.8km! And indeed, our runners have been training and preparing hard for this sprint!

Route for the road relay!

According to the team captain Jian Yang, who is also the newly elected Sport Director for Law Club, the team had been training regularly at CCAB, usually completing interval trainings of various lengths (400m and/or 800m) as well as long distance runs. Occasionally, the team also runs at other locations such as the scenic Southern Ridges. Sometimes, the team even does high intensity sprint sets of 16 x 80 meter sprints, and not forgetting, static training!!

One really interesting fact about this team is that none of the members actually have running background – but nonetheless this doesn’t hamper the team! Upon training hard and preparing for the competition (training 3 times a week 3 weeks leading up to the race, though slightly hampered by the haze), their timings have improved significantly over the past few weeks! Kudos to the team!!(:

JUST BEFORE THE RACE BEGAN, it’s time for the team to boost the morale and encourage one another!!

Go law school!

Spot the two supporters who are here to support our friends for the race (they are coincidentally both in grey!).

Safety Briefing – PSI was below 100, so the race could proceed! (:

AND THE RACE BEGAN!!! Ah the team must be really anxious right now but nonetheless, nothing beats the confidence that the team actually has.

Check out Theodore’s (our 1st runner) confident and composed face with the baton!

1st Runners from different faculties all ready to start the Road Relay!

Shortly after, the race ended! TEAM LAW CAME IN 8^TH PLACE, with the overall timing of 44 minutes and 14 seconds. The estimated individual timings of the runners from our team are as follows:

• 1^st Runner (Theodore Ang): 6 minutes 45 seconds
• 2^nd Runner (Jian Yang): 6 minutes 23 seconds
• 3^rd Runner (Joy): 8 minutes 02 seconds
• 4^th Runner (Qiu Ginj): 7 minutes 45 seconds
• 5^th Runner (Nadene): 8 minutes 45 seconds
• 6^th Runner (Samuel): 6 minutes 19 seconds

Though our placing out of the 10 faculties may not be the best, there was significant improvement in the timing clocked by the team as compared to the previous years and the team is really proud and relieved of their performance! (: It was a tough and close fight! Efforts placed into training and preparation really, really paid off!!

And lastly, here are some words from Team Captain Jian Yang:

“The team’s morale was quite low 3 months ago when we knew that could not field our best possible line-up due to unforeseen circumstances. However, we weren’t prepared to give up and trained really hard for this race. I reminded them the night before, “When you’re in pain, so is the guy next to you and the guy ahead of you. It comes down to which runners handle the pain best, and the winner is the one who wants it most.” We fought hard and beat our previous timing by 2 full minutes. It was a good race.”

Written by: Jesslyn (Y2) with inputs from Team Captain Jian Yang (Y2)

Photography by: Jesslyn (Y2)

Some basic facts: Dodgeball is played in a best-of-five format, with half-points given for drawn games.

The Law dodgeball team started their campaign against one of the stronger teams in the competition. The Yale-NUS team boasted several players who had the height and experience advantage, and who probably did not stay up to watch the Aljunied vote recount either. Nevertheless, it was a close fight with Yale-NUS edging past with a 3-2 score.

Showing good sportsmanship after the Yale-NUS match

Shi Zheng’s spectacles fall victim

In a game where the objective is to pelt your opponents with foam balls, one expects casualties. Law’s first casualty was a pair of spectacles, which broke in spectacular fashion when Shi Zheng took a direct hit to the face. A roll of tape came to the rescue and Shi Zheng was able to carry on terrorising the opposing teams.

In the second game, Business fought back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.

This is serious, Business

Dual-wielding!

The power trio

Another pair of specs goes flying

The third match saw our team facing off against School of Design and Environment (SDE), who, rumour has it, have regular dodgeball players on their team. Maybe that’s why it was a straight 3-0 victory for the opponents.

Distracted by the antics of the SDE players

By this time, chances of qualifying for the semi-finals were slim to none, but the captain remained buoyant and rallied her team to fight on against the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS).

“LAWWWW!”

The fourth game was very evenly matched in more ways than one. FASS were every bit as vocal and competitive as law students can be, at some point exhorting our team to show “integrity”. Occasional flares of temper aside, the score was a very mild 2.5 for both teams, ending in a draw.

“Gotta grab them all”

Fostering inter-faculty ties

Sadly, our team lost the last match to Science with a score of 1.5 to their 3.5, putting an end to our dreams of dodgeball glory for another year…

Written by:

Lynn Chan (Year 1)

Cheryl Lim (Year 2)

Photography by Lynn Chan

For the uninitiated, DOTA (Defense of the Ancients) is a video game played between two teams of 5 players. Each player controls a hero and the aim of the game is to destroy the other team’s ancient. Warning: From this point on, levels of DOTA jargon and memery increase tenfold.

Day 1

Team Law entered IFG DOTA with the intention of crushing all spirit in the opposing faculties. And we did just that. 9-0. ‘Nuff said.

Law vs SDE (2-0)

Armed with the knowledge that Cleon’s Antimage (AM) basically secures free wins, Captain Marcus drafts it in both games.   SDE has no idea how to deal with the blinkin’ and slammin’ mohawkman. SDE loses.

Law vs Yale-NUS (2-0)

Unfortunately, due to replay errors, the games against Yale-NUS could not be retrieved. All Law knew was that games were so ez that lunch was early.

Law vs Med (2-0)

This series served as a stark reminder to Medicine that doctors should just stick to doing things that doctors do, whatever they do. After losing all their lanes in the early game, Medicine is hemmed within their base. This gives free rein to AM, and he ends the game with a whopping 890 GPM and 1088 XPM. In the second game, Marcus picks Spirit Breaker for Ser Kai to further pound Medicine’s already limp and lifeless spirits. Despite losing all lanes again and being behind substantially in net worth, Medicine refuses to give up. Finally, Marcus buys refresher on his Storm Spirit. He then suicides with bloodstone, refreshes it and suicides again to show Medicine how futile their attempt is. No GG was called however, and it takes a destroying of the ancient to put Medicine down.

The team looks forward to meeting Medicine again in the annual LawMed games. EZ game EZ life.

Law vs Science (2-0)

Like the other teams, Science makes the mistake of giving AM away in the first game. Together with Ser Kai’s space-creating Brewmaster, AM rips through Science’s lineup of heavy magical damage to secure the first win. In the second game, Science picks up the balanced hero Bloodseeker (BS) against Law’s Juggernaut. The game takes longer than expected, as our boys were tired after playing 7 games. However, with some amazing Reverse Polaritys (RPs) by Magical Marcus’ Magnus, the heavily stacked Jugg is too much for BS to handle.

It was a pretty sight, but not for Team Science.

Law vs Computing (1-0)

Law gives away balanced blue disco pony Leshrac, much to the surprise of spectators. Leshrac goes off to a great start, completing a quick bloodstone and getting a killstreak. Meanwhile in the safelane, Cleon’s AM suffers like never before under the pressure of a trilane of Mirana, Ancient Apparition and Shadow Demon. In come Mark’s Bounty Hunter and Ser Kai’s Spirit Breaker to hunt bounties and break spirits, giving AM space to (finally) get his prized Battlefury. Through an amazing manta dodge by AM, AM kills Leshrac to end his streak and momentum. Ah, so that was plan – feed Leshrac to feed AM. All according to keikaku. AM becomes unstoppable and Computing concedes to his greatness. As both teams were tired and already through to the semi-finals, Computing agreed to record the score as 2-0 in our favour, giving us a perfect 15 points in the group stage and allowing us to maintain our honour.

Zheyi dies for Cleon’s sins.

Much precision. Such click. Antimage intensifies.

The teams that made it to the semi-finals were Law, Computing, Engineering and FASS. Elated at their perfect run, the Law team went home to rest in preparation for the next day.

Day 1 TL;DR: AM wins games. Volvo pls nerf.

Day 2

Semi-Finals

Law vs FASS (2-0)

Although FASS was captained by Reddit-star Zenoth-sama, they were still run over in game 1 by the Law train which had no brakes. AM wrecked the game, resulting in a 22 minute GG. Somehow, they didn’t learn their lesson and gave Cleon AM again. (seriously?) Despite them being able to control the AM with a Blood Seeker, FASS was unable to hold their lead as the rest of the team, especially Marcus’ signature Zeus, showed them who’s boss. Team Law went to fight Roshan while AM did AM things, taking top rax. Mistakes were made and BS died back. Gg no re. On to the finals!

Finals

Law vs Engineering (3-2)

Having gone undefeated thus far, Law entered the finals with great confidence and the hope of winning Law’s first gold in three years. However, Engineering proved a tough nut to crack, as their team consisted of high MMR players, one of whom was Cleon’s ex-teammate Seth ‘Desert Tiger’ Low.

Game 1

Having seen the devastation that AM had wrought upon the other teams, Engineering smartly drafted AM for themselves and banned out other carries such as Jugg and Phantom Lancer (PL). After a brief discussion, Law chose Morphling as their carry. Engineering’s Undying and Phoenix tried to shut down Morph in the safe lane but the game drew even as both teams avoided engagements, focusing on split pushing. As late game drew nearer, both Morph and AM were almost 6-slotted. However, Law managed to take all the Roshans and inflict structural damage by taking bottom rax. At a crucial moment however, Morph holds his Replicate for too long and ends up dying. What a noob. Engineering push down mid as 5 determined to end the game. Although Morph buys back to defend, he falls under the combined onslaught of AM and Shadow Fiend (SF). DIEBACK. Law is one game down while Cleon is $322 richer.

The throw is real

Game 2

Team Law is convinced that that was only a throw and Engineering could not possibly be better. However, Game 2 goes even worse and AM is banned out by Engineering this time. Jugg gets first blooded by Seth’s Queen of Pain (QoP) after contesting the bounty rune. Every lane suffers casualties and Marcus’ Lina even gets solo killed by QoP. The enemy witch doctor gets an early killstreak. Meanwhile, Jugg falls to a dual lane of Tusk and Undying because they are balanced heroes. It’s a disaster. Law quickly concedes, unable to stop Engineering’s deathball push.

Team morale is low and Law is one game away from silver. Team Captain Marcus Lim steps up and calls for a tactical discussion. Team Law decides to ban out Undying and take Tusk for themselves, effectively denying Engineering of their two strong offlaners. Manager Rachel Koh also brings chocolate chip cookies and dewberry biscuits to help restore morale. She said, “If anyone has the chance to do a 3-game comeback, it’s you guys.” Such faith.

All powerful cookies, retailing for $1.50 per pack at NTUC. Get yours today!

Game 3

Marcus channels his inner PPD and gives up AM while drafting a counter. With a Lone Druid (LD) clutch pick, Engineering was unprepared for the deathball that ensued. Jugg and SF outfarmed the AM due to the pressure LD and the supports kept on him. Team Law gathered for an early Roshan that Engineering could not contest. They arrived too late and although they took the aegis, Team Law won the teamfight 2-0. After random shenanigans on the map, Engineering quickly called GG when they realised their underfarmed AM didn’t stand a chance.

Team Engineering sacrifices two heroes for an aegis.

Game 4

In Game 4, Engineering picked SF QoP straight off the bat. Facing such midgame strength, Law decides to go for a lineup centered around global mobility and split push, picking up Zeus, Clock and PL as cores, witch doctor and tusk as supports. Although they attempt to trilane PL, the other two lanes do reasonably well. Ser Kai on his Clock makes several key rotations to shut down the SF. As the game progresses, Engineering are unable to deal with the PL split push and are unable to push into Zeus. Zeus gleefully continues picking off supports with ease and although Engineering attempt to gank PL, Doppelganger frustrates their efforts. In an exciting skirmish at top lane, Engineering’s QOP blinks to safety, only to die to one unexpected bounce of Zheyi’s WD’s agha death ward, which only reached her via two wonderfully positioned teammates. With PL grabbing the aegis, the cancer became real and Engineering had to accept defeat.

Mark’s fanclub had many new additions that day.

You can’t run from heaven.

Doppelganger balanced skill Kappa.

The difference between Law supports and Engineering supports.

Game 5

Having pulled the score back to 2-2, morale is high again and Team Law is ready to take the gold. Engineering also replaces their mid with a substitute player. AM is banned out once again and so Law picks up Jugg for the third time. Engineering counter with a Wraith King pick as their carry. From the get-go, Law asserts dominance, with Zheyi’s Dazzle and Cleon’s Jugg zoning out the Phoenix, leaving him at level 2 ten minutes into the game. Marcus’ Storm Spirit dances around the map like a seasoned ballerina, taking objectives and kills. Taking an early aegis again, Team Law manages to push down the middle rax. However, Engineering manages to turtle long enough for Wraith King to pick up a Divine Rapier. Not wanting to throw the last game, Team Law plays safe, patiently chipping away at the rax while waiting for Roshan. All the cores are maxed out, so aegis and cheese go to the supports. Eventually, Team Law fight their way through the double Global Silence and take down SF and WK. Although WK buys back, he can do nothing with the rest of his team dead.

Team Law wins TI6!!!

> Good game, well played!

TEAM LAW VICTORY! FIRST GOLD IN 3 YEARS! We have brought honour to law school and should thus be treated as kings till the next gold.

Standing, from left: Manager Rachel ‘Rachquit’ Koh (Year 4), Marcus ‘麵’ Lim (Year 4), Tian ‘Ardent’ Kuang Kai (Year 4), Eng ‘ShiKai’ Ser Kai (Year 1), Yiu ‘Lucid’ Kai Tai (Year 2)
Seated, from left: Cleon ‘loveh’ Fong (Year 1), Feng ‘PandaEyes’ Zheyi (Year 2), Mark ‘WADDLE WADDLE’ Leong (Year 3)

Day 2 TL;DR: Team Law wins games. Volvo pls nerf.

Written by:

Cleon Fong (Year 1)

Rachel Koh (Year 4)

Photography by:

Rachel Koh (Year 4)

Valve DOTA 2

Greetings law school! The Law School Fashion is back this semester with a bigger and better collection of fashionable styles from the ladies – It’s LAW SCHOOL WOMEN’S FASHION! This time, we bring you five chic and fashionable ladies from Year 2 to share their individual fashion philosophies.

1. Venessa Phoa – High Street Chic

Venessa’s look: Top from ASOS, Pants from Korea and Shoes from Converse.

Venessa’s look: Dress from Topshop and Shoes from ASOS

What is your fashion philosophy?

Whatever I choose to wear, it has got to be something that I feel confident in. I wouldn’t wear anything that doesn’t make me feel comfortable, even if I’ve been told that it looks great.

What is the most important piece of clothing/accessory in an outfit and why?

A set of staple accessories. While I wear different clothes every day, I always wear the same accessories—not only because they hold sentimental value for me but also because they are unique to me. They make any outfit I wear my own.

What is the one piece of clothing/accessory you want in your wardrobe right now and why?

A pantsuit like one worn by Marlene Dietrich in the 1930s. It’s powerful, but also distinctly feminine.

Do you have any fashion advice for the ladies in law school?

Whatever you choose to wear, make it your own. People should notice you, not your outfit—that means your hair, your smile, etc. Your clothes and accessories should be showcasing you and not showcasing themselves. I think it’s always nicer to be remembered for who you are instead of what you wore. If you’re always confident, you will always look good.

Give me one quote on fashion.

“There’s a big difference between being told “That’s a great dress” and “You look great!”” I’d want to be told the latter.

Editor’s note: Venessa’s style is so distinctly her’s, that I have decided to call it ‘The Venessa‘. Well done!

2. Teo Siu Ming – Geek Chic

Siu Ming’s look: Top from H&M, Jeans from Topshop, Sandals from Charles & Keith, Necklace from Pull & Bear, Cardigan from some mountainous village in Australia

Siu Ming’s look: Top from Cotton On, Overalls from MDS, Shoes from Adidas, Necklace from The Editor’s Market and Bracelet from Nepal

What is your fashion philosophy?

Make sure I put on clothes before I leave the house.

I wear whatever makes me feel comfortable and confident! This could mean (if I bothered to make an effort) something that could passably be on a streetstyle tumblr? But usually it means throwing on one of my many Adventure Time/Pokemon/Simpsons/DC/Marvel/Tintin (this is getting embarrassing) tops or band t-shirts and some kind of bottom (which could be plain denim or rainbow Aztec print, depending on my mood).

I know I’m 20 and public opinion probably frowns upon me dressing like an 8-year-old 50% of the time, but I think the way you dress gives people some insight as to your personality, and I think a sense of childlike wonder is not a bad thing in an environment as determined to jade you as law school.

What is the most important piece of clothing/accessory in an outfit and why?

Underwear. You should almost always be wearing underwear.

What is the one piece of clothing/accessory you want in your wardrobe right now and why?

Something with pinstripes, because I don’t own anything like that and I like the clean lines!

Do you have any fashion advice for the ladies in law school?

Wear whatever the heck you want, and never dress just to impress a guy. Do it to make yourself feel like a confident, badass HBIC.

Give me one quote on fashion.

“Florals for Spring? Groundbreaking.” – Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada

3. Trinisha Ann – Bohemian Chic

Trinisha’s look: Dress from Dorothy Perkins and Sandals from Rubi

Trinisha’s look: Top from Pasar Malam, Jeans from Urban Outfitters, Scarf from her mom and Sandals from Rubi

What is your fashion philosophy?

My utmost priority is to wear things that make me look good really (don’t we all?) Uni days have led me to seek comfort over all else as well. After years of trial and error (those awkward puberty years), I have roughly figured out what clothes don’t make me look like a tree stump, and that’s all I can ever hope to be.

What is the most important piece of clothing/accessory in an outfit and why?

I would say never to underestimate the power of hair and makeup in completing an outfit. I don’t mean that you need to spend hours actually doing up your hair and makeup though. Most of the time I think my hair sort of has a life of its own, and I simply wake up and let it do its unruly thing. As for makeup, personally, I feel most excited for life after I ‘put on my face’ in the mornings, but there are so many people whose naturally radiant fresh faces are their best accessories.

What is the one piece of clothing/accessory you want in your wardrobe right now and why?

I’m really into those NUS law shirts right now. Especially the free ones. My favourite one right now is this year’s matric week shirt, it’s my current go to when I have too much on my mind to think about what I want to look like.

Do you have any fashion advice for the ladies in law school?

Work with what your Mama gave you. Don’t treat your body as the obstacle between you and amazing style. At the same time don’t be indifferent to having a personal sense of style. Style is an outward embodiment of how you feel on the inside, and shows the world the side of you that you want to show them today. I would suggest to anyone to really take the time to get to know your own body and the various types of clothes/colours/textures out there that are really going to complement you and portray the version of yourself you want to show the world.

Give me one quote on fashion.

Fashion is an instrument that makes for maximum impact in a minimal period of time. Use it.

4. Bertrice Hsu – Edgy Rock-Girl Chic

Bertrice’s look: Parka from Tobi, Top and Necklace from Urban Outfitters, Skirt from The Editor’s Market, Boots from TBA, and hair colour from Directions Semi-Permanent Dye and poor life decisions made while procrastinating on Company readings at two in the morning.

Bertrice’s look: Top and Shorts bought on Carousell, Necklace from The Editor’s Market, Sneakers from Converse, and Shirt from a Thrift Store

What is your fashion philosophy?

I’m into anything that can withstand an 8 and a half hour school day, but I also like experimenting? What I wear is very context-dependent on what I’m listening to, stuff I read, whether Grace has set a theme for the day or whatever – I like trying the spectrum of styles, as long as it’s comfortable, and lets me at least pretend I’m a functional interesting person who gets enough sleep!

What is the most important piece of clothing/accessory in an outfit and why?

I really like outerwear because it allows me to go quite easily from trekking through Botanics in the middle of the day to the Hoth-level of freezing temperatures of some of the SRs. I guess an additional layer of clothing also gives the opportunity to add another dimension of colour/texture to the outfit.

What is the one piece of clothing/accessory you want in your wardrobe right now and why?

Probably a new backpack because mine is currently held together by Marvel badges and optimism. I’m looking for something quite minimalist, so it looks put-together but also effortless.

Do you have any fashion advice for the ladies in law school?

Not really, beyond just wearing whatever you want! I think women’s fashion is sometimes inhibited by the need to fit a conventional mould of what is currently attractive or what appeals to guys, and that’s honestly very contrived and unnecessary. Wearing clothes is an act that everyone has to participate in (mostly!) so just do whatever makes you happy and YOLO a bit hahahha ☺

Give me one quote on fashion.

I couldn’t decide on just one so:

‘Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.’ – Oscar Wilde

‘Walk like you have three men walking behind you.’ – Oscar de la Renta

5. Claire Yang – Dance/Street Chic

Claire’s look: Top from Factorie and Shoes from Nike

Claire’s look: Top from Brandy Melville, Jacket from Adidas, Shoes from Nike, Necklace as a gift, and Cap from Scape

What is your fashion philosophy?

Not having one.

What is the most important piece of clothing/accessory in an outfit and why?

Shoes you can dance in (most of the time anyway).

What is the one piece of clothing/accessory you want in your wardrobe right now and why?

Flyknits (need I really explain?) (I accept gifts)

Do you have any fashion advice for the ladies in law school?

Not really. Everyone should wear whatever they want/makes them happy.

Give me one quote on fashion.

“True friends are like diamonds – bright, beautiful, valuable, and always in style.” – Nicole Richie

Hope these amazing ladies gave you some insight and inspiration for looks in law school. Stay tuned for more from Justified, and the Law School Fashion series – we will be looking out for Year 1 Fashionable ladies next! If you want to share your style with the rest of the school, or if you want to nominate your fashionable friend, please feel free to contact me. You might just be featured in the next article

Till then, stay fashionable

Written by: Chen Shilun

Photography by: Chen Shilun

Three precious Saturdays.…

Each burnt…

Both figuratively and literally…

As we are all aware, there is only one gold this year and it doesn’t come from Tennis, but we can boast of having the best sporting result this year (because DOTA isn’t exactly a sport, but well done anyway guys ^^).

The challenge: beat biz, engineering and… USP!

The goal: make it to semis for the first time in many many years.

Jess: our future so bright I gotta cover my eyes

I say “many many” because I’ve heard quite a range of numbers from my seniors, ranging from five to twelve (years) since we last made it to semis – evidently no one is really sure when law last made it to the semis.

SO.

Joel’s got his game face on

In our quest for the semis:

Law v Yale-NUS (3-2)

My shoe broke during warm-up, and I had to borrow a pair. Kudos to Ashley “Bashley”, who carried us through our match! We lost in the end, but no points were thrown here despite broken shoes — promise.

When I asked Captain Chris for a quote about this match, he sent me a voice message that said “WE DESTROOOOYYYEEEEEDDDD”, followed by some evil laughter. I guess that summarises how well the rest of the team did

Law v Engin (3-2)

TL;DR: WE DESTROOOOYYYEEEEEDDDD

According to Captain Chris, this was the match that we needed to win to get to the semis. And win we did. Mwahaha.

After the first day

Law v USP (5-0)

TL;DR: WE DESTROOOOYYYEEEEEDDDD

Justin KILLIN IT

The highlight of the match was definitely Ernest and Maverick’s doubles game! There is world class entertainment to be found on their court. Their banter on court is (Y).

Cute picture of our favourite doubles pair

Law v Business (2-3)

TL;DR: we got rekt – but it don’t matter.

At this point, we had already made it to the semis, so this match was just to determine our group placing. Business was going to be a tough fight (duh).

The match was a close fight, and at 2-2 each, it all came down to the women’s doubles match. The final score was a loss of 7-6 (8-6) despite our valiant efforts. But all we remember was the terrible tan from being under the sun for so long.

WE MADE SEMIS, so it didn’t really matter that we lost anyway.

As evident from our big smiles!

And bigger smiles! Pic credit to Callen, who came down to help take photos — thank you!!

Semis

Law v Med (1-4)

Everyone’s favourite rivalry!! We went in with the minimum number of players, and were gunning for the gold as the underdogs. Even our cheers paled in comparison (C: that’s what happens when you have 8 people and the other team has over 20).

Our 8 players. Well, they say that 8’s a lucky number

We lost, but no matter. We’ll be back for LawMed >:)

3rd/4th Placing

Law v FASS (3-2)

This was the match that would determine whether we would have the best sporting result in this IFG, and we pulled through!

Honourable Mention goes to Ernest as the master of lobbing (i.e. using annoying shots to beat opponents who have no patience). He really tested his opponents’ with his beastly high shots (Ultra High Angle Bonus +30G).

Ernest (“Starfish”) receiving one such lob!

The match really came down to the mixed doubles, which saw the law pair come back from behind. Kudos to Chris’ killer serve, which saw the opponents struggling just to get it back (C: thanks la k I know all I got is my serve)! This match really tested our patience though, for our opponents were practically walls. But what does it matter, WE DESTROOOOYYYEEEEEDDDD!!

Captain Chris jumping in joy!

Written by: Elizabeth (Year 1)

Photography by: Elizabeth (Year 1)