In the midst of competing for the best float, or dance, or best overall, the true essence of rag has been lost, either in parts or in whole. To rag is to receive and give, and giving needs to be done in a whole hearted way. It is about putting everybody's talents and expertise into making one big float. It is about showcasing the hard work all the dancers and cheerleaders have put in for the last month. It is about making friends, but most importantly, it is about having fun.

But where is the fun when rag becomes more of a moral obligation, when you decide to help your friend because she was dragged into it due to her kind nature in the first place, or that you decide to help out of empathy when the float is still in shambles even though there is only two days to the dateline. Where is the joy when people are screaming and swearing at each other over small mindless issues? Where is the fun when people start bitching at certain OGs when the turn up rate is low for rag rushes and stuff? Isn't this turning something voluntary to something that is compulsory in nature, in that you get judged when you do not do something you do not feel like doing?

Yet, it can be fun, with a catch to it.

Yesterday was a day of highs and lows.

We were so pumped up and eager to show the crowd after weeks and weeks of numerous rehearsals, trainings, shifting of cardboards, blocking in the hot noon sun, and many times with dirty feet and sticky body. The mood was high and everybody was waiting for our turn on the stage. Then there was a flurry among the dance ICs and the rag head and their faces turned black and gloomy. My heart dipped, as I knew that the music issue from yesterday has clearly not been solved yet, and its like only fifteen minutes to our performance. It was double confirmed when they came up to us and said that if the music was to stop (it really did), we were to sing and dance till the very end. Though there were cheers, I felt sad and helpless, that our efforts for the past month will just not be complete. As we entered the stage, we gave it our very best, and everything went as per planned until the music stopped. We stopped and froze, but my heart literally dropped. They tried to re-loop the music back but it just stopped at that moment. But we knew that we were still performing and we decided to carry on without the music, and we sang the song out and danced the finale together in unison. The crowd was cheering, but I was unsure if that was out of encouragement or if they were impressed, or just out of sympathy. We left the stage, but unsure if the performance was a flop due to the glitch. After the performance, the profs and the seniors came and told us that it was perfect (which we totally can tell that it is out of bias). Then, friends and others came up to us and said (or messaged) that we were in complete unity and all despite the lack of music. That was when we felt very proud of ourselves, proud that we managed to pull it off despite on some errors, and did it with style.

This is when I realise that hey, rag can be fun after all, if we did not have to compete for the best performance, or the best float or what not, having experienced both USP and Pharmacy rag personally. I really had fun making friends and fooling around with all the awesome people, and cared nothing but to perform my heart out on the stage without the need to worry about anything else. People need to realise that rag is not about winning for your own faculty. Its about showcasing your faculty, what you have and to embrace all your shortcomings. There are bound to be other faculties with more people and money, but what matters most is that we do it for the process, not for some stupid cold challenge shield cum dust collector. That said, I don't think any of the floats would be up on time should the competition be cancelled, because competition brings about motivation and drive to complete something, which is kind of an irony in this case, cause competition and charity can hardly go well together.

Having participated both sides of rag (lesser for USP I guess), if you ask me if I would join rag again next year, I will gladly say I will. Its not for the glory for the faculty, or just-to-do-it-cause-everyone-else-is-doing-it, but more for the opportunities to meet new people, the chance to better understand peers and the delicate structure of teamwork, to appreciate each and every other individual well, and in the midst of doing it , be it dance, or engineer work, or to paint egg cartons, or to shift crates around, have fun. I think only when we find joy in rag can we then truly embody what rag is all about.

And after having gone through rag, my 'exciting' freshmen days are over, and I can say I am proud to be in pharmacy, USP and ultimately NUS. (in order though :p).