Despite a full day of drizzling rain, the Karaoke Night held on 9 December 2023 at KBox Melbourne was an absolute hit, leaving attendees with memories of a night filled with music, laughter, and camaraderie.

The event, organised by the NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Melbourne, aimed to provide a platform for members to showcase their singing talents, foster community spirit, and create an enjoyable and entertaining atmosphere. The event featured a diverse range of songs spanning various genres and decades. Participants enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to sing their favourite tunes, creating an inclusive and engaging musical experience for everyone.

We witnessed a myriad of energetic and passionate performances throughout the night. From soulful ballads to upbeat pop hits, participants showcased their vocal prowess and entertained the audience with their unique styles. Veteran professional Singer Dr Raymond Wong (Architecture ‘81) easily blew us away with his pitch perfect voice in different languages. The interactive nature of the event contributed to its success. We enjoyed the performances and welcomed new members Ms Cynthia Chua (Engineering ‘12) and Ms Sharon Seah (Engineering ‘94) . They have been in Australia for several years and but this was their first time joining an NUS Alumni event in Melbourne.

Never too shy to sing, we took turns with the microphone while nibbling on finger food, dim sums and mini-pizzas with beverages, creating an electric atmosphere of support and encouragement. The highlight of the event would have to be group sing-along songs with YMCA when everyone stood in unison and danced to the rhythm.

Attendee feedback was overwhelmingly positive. The Karaoke Night was a resounding success, bringing people together for a night of music, fun, and camaraderie. The event successfully achieved its goal of fostering members’ spirit and providing a platform for musical expression.

“This event was great fun and interactive, something different from the usual sit-down dinners we have,” said Ms Audrey Sim (Arts and Social Science ’96).

“I never knew there was an NUS Alumni chapter in Melbourne; I [would] like to attend more of these events to get to know more like-minded people,” said Ms Sharon Seah (Engineering ‘94)

“What a rare opportunity to get time off from my kids; thank you for organising this event!” added Ms Cynthia Chua (Engineering ’12).

The NUS Alumni Overseas Chapter Manila held its annual Christmas gathering, NUSparkle, on Saturday, 2 December 2023, at the Atencio-Libunao Hall, located at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila. The event venue was generously donated to the University of the Philippines by Mr JJ Atencio and Atty Rod Libunao in 2019. Atty Libunao (Law ’13) graciously sponsored this last major gathering of the chapter in 2023.

Sixty alumni attended this year’s NUSparkle. The alumni in attendance represented nine  faculties and schools, including those from the Arts and Social Sciences, Business, Computing, Design & Environment, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Public Policy, and Science.

The programme started around 6:30 pm. The Chapter Chairman, Mr Richard Tan (Public Policy '13), provided a review of the chapter activities for the past year as well as an overview of the activities next year, including a general membership meeting in Q1 of 2024. He reiterated the importance of NUS Cares as a way of giving back to the community and showing gratitude to NUS. Each alumnus or alumna present contributed a minimum token of Php500 (~SGD12) at the point of registration, proceeds of which will all go to the chapter’s NUS Cares activities.

The short programme ended with the formal recognition of Atty Libunao as the Chapter Adviser with a letter from the NUS Office of Alumni Relations.

Dinner was served after the end of Mr Tan’s speech, which included a sumptuous buffet spread and open bar that everyone enjoyed.