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Holi Festival of Colours – Splash the fun!

On Saturday, March 26th, the Beer, Wine and Liquor Appreciation Club and the Culture Club co-hosted an event to celebrate all things Indian!

The MBA students, ready to get their hands dirty and bath in a cloud of color dust, started off by convening on campus to prepare for the day. It is customary in India to drink during this day, which is why beer, wine, and liquor was providing beverages. Afterwards, the crowd joined the traditional Indian festival hosted by the Wave House on Sentosa.

Once the guys and ladies in old clothes, which they were ready to dispose after the event, made their way to the Wave House, they first faced a patience challenge while waiting in several long queues. The venue was packed with excited people from all over the world. The wait was worth it, however, as there was a DJ and a festive, colorful atmosphere all around that involved much dancing, mostly to Bollywood hits from the 90s.

The games began when the group of NBS MBAs finally started to smear each other with the colours purchased, and occasionally people in other groups would do the same to the students. At this point, everyone in the Warehouse was all messy, ready to move on to the fountain where the party guests were spraying each other with hoses. It was a good way to get clean, only to have someone smear paint on you all over again!

The fun even reminded the graduate student of their business lectures when they started trading their orange colours for other ones, such as pink and green to make the event even more colourful – such a rewarding day of fun and networking! 🙂

After 2 hours of playing with colour powders, everyone was exhausted and tried to get the paint off for good to embark on the journey back to campus, but some where more successful than others in this regard.

Finally making their way back to the NTU Graduate Hall, the Holi group agreed that this was surely a high point for the Culture Club this year!

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BEFORE….

holi 3

…and AFTER!

Campus Living, Clubs, International Exposure, Life at Nanyang, Sports

Cricket World Cup – Go India!

Though cricket is the sport most followed by Indian sports-lovers, the encounter between India and Pakistan is a special occasion for each and every Indian and Pakistani. Once the match schedule is released, Indians and Pakistani alike will try to avoid agreeing to any important appointment on the  day when India and Pakistan meet on the field. This is the time when a sense of unity is felt among all Indians and everyone has only one thing on their mind: their country team must win the match!

To allow all MBA students from other countries to share the joy and excitement, the Sports club organized a Live telecast of the India -Pakistan world cup match at a big screen on campus on March 19 . The event did not only allow the multinational bunch to spend fun times togethers, but was also platform used by many Indians to teach other students the basics of cricket.

While spectators from all around the world enjoyed learning about a  sport previously unknown to them and joined the excitement of watching their first cricket match, the Indian students especially enjoyed the win of the Indian team.

Both, teams and supporters, certainly gave 100%  and watching the cricketers, and their fans, helped the cohort to not only understand each others national pride but also made everyone relate to the competitive strategies discussed in the MBA classes.

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                       Students watching cricket on campus – a breath-taking match!

Campus Living, Clubs, Cultural Events

Happy St Patrick´s Day – keep calm and go green!

On Sunday, March 20th, the beer, wine and liquor appreciation club and the cultural club co-hosted an event to celebrate all things Irish!

The day started off with a get-together at the Nanyang MBA campus, where beer was dyed green, in keeping with the festive spirit. All those who attended either wore green, or as close to green as they could find.

Soon after the green beverages were finished, and all hands were covered in color too, a bus delivered the even participants to a spot just outside of the Fullerton Hotel in downtown Singapore. Taking a left from the hotel, and crossing the Cavenagh Bridge, the dressed-up crowd saw, and heard from far, bag pipe players wearing what appeared to be Scottish kilts. But lacking an Irish participant, the MBAs were not familiar with Irish culture, and were happy to explore a new culture while decorating themselves with the free give aways: balloons, shamrocks, hats, rattles,  – all in green.

Equipped with all kinds of Irish paraphernalia, the student group was on time to watch Singapore´s very own St Patrick´s Day parade – but the parade was not! Waiting for thirty long minutes in SG´s hot and humid weather,  the exhausted MBAs ended up finding shade under a tree, determined to not leave before the fun started. Of course, as soon as one of the group members decided to go and get water for the thirsty bunch, the parade started! Having missed the start of the parade, the newly found St. Patrick fans hurried to follow the musicians in the parade back across the Cavenagh Bridge, dancing to the many playing bag pipes, and an assortment of drums.

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After a short fun march through downtown Singapore, it was decided to move on to the open air festival at the Battery Rd, stopping at a burger place.  There, the hungry folks were not only gifted some festive green hats from the wait staff, but also  treated to “Seven Nation Army,” among many songs, including a few Cranberries hits, by the band playing on one of the many stages. Only after the band stopped playing, it was time to return to NTU campus. What a fun St. Patrick’s Day event!

 

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Cultural Events, International Exposure, NANYANG-WASEDA, Programme, The NANYANG MBA

Waseda Double MBA students learn Japanese at Nanyang

by Rondel Apelo, Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA student

日本語 (Nihongo, Japanese) has always been an alluring language, so much so that I’ve never heard anyone say that they didn’t want to at least try to learn Japanese. So when the opportunity came about that we can learn some basic Japanese, I was more than delighted to pick up the chance! Little did I know that aside from the learning the fundamentals of Japanese, I would be learning more about its culture and gaining friends along the way.

As part of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA cohort, I enrolled into the Japanese Language course. From all walks of life – India, Philippines, China, and of course from Singapore, a diverse bunch of students went into class, two times per week from November ‘15 to February ‘16.

練習しましょう (Renshū shimashou, Let us practice) was always the starting phrase! And ちいさい テスト (Chiisai Tesuto, Small test) was always something to watch out for. As anyone can imagine, it was very dynamic, sometimes very confusing, but definitely 100% fun and worth the time!

From Hiragana to Katakana, from おはようございます (Ohayou) to こんにちは (Konnichiwa), we learned the very basics of Japanese Language from our Sense Akiko Ito (伊藤). Challenging as it was, our instructor made it a point to always ensure that we would be able to follow the lectures and even provided us with some additional learnings while even outside of class. The dynamics of the class also played a key role in the overall learning.
Occasionally, the class even had “local” visitors, our Japaneseclassmates, extending a hand to help us learn the “How to’s” and “what not’s” in Japanese. Though I still have a long way to go (and I would still probably get lost in translation when I do start my last trimester in 早稲田 Waseda Tokyo), I felt it was truly a wonderful experience. More than just the basics of Japanese, I got a deeper appreciation of the culture and a desire to know more about the Language. Something that I believe I will last even outside the four walls of the classroom.

 

Campus Living, Happenings, International Exposure, Life at Nanyang, Networking

CUHK Networking event

On January the 27th 2016, a four school networking event was organized for the CUHK students visiting Singapore from their home in Hongkong.

Nanyang Business School has always shared a cordial relationship with regional schools. When Megan from the NBS admin staff found out that CUHK students were going to be in town in January, she promptly asked Deep Dabholkar, the President of the Nanyang Students Executive Committee, to plan an event.

What started off as a small get together snowballed into a four school networking event. Students from the National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and Nanyang Business School got together to organize a fun filled evening at the Hood Bar and Café for the Chinese University of Hong Kong students.

With a total attendance of 73, the event turned out to be a huge success. Live music and pre-negotiated drink and snacks made the evening an exciting one. Moreover Nanyang Business School students were part of an effort to show the visiting students grand Singapore hospitality.

The twenty tired, but excited CUHK students had a fabulous evening networking with the Singapore Business Schools. Once the event wound to a close, the hawk-eyed NBS students noticed that the CUHK students had left behind their school banner! They unanimously decided to take a hike to the hotel where the students were living and return the goods.

The picture below shows the enthusiasm of the NBS students to perform a good deed at the end of a tiring evening. Needless to say, the CUHK students were thankful and thrilled at our commitment to return their banner.

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NBS Students with the CUHK banner – inter-school friendships are formed!

Campus Living, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Living in Singapore, Networking, Student Leader

NUS – NBS Networking event

On November the 14th 2015, the NUS-NBS Mixer, a social event for Singapore´s MBS students, took place in downtown Singapore.

In order to facilitate inter-school networking, Deep Dabholkar, the President of the student Executive Committee at Nanyang Business School liaised with Sean McNulty, President of the National University of Singapore student body. The two school representatives met over a coffee at Holland Village along with a few members of their respective student groups and organized one of the most highly attended events of the semester.

With twenty two students from Nanyang Business School (including part time students) and over 28 from the National University of Singapore, the NBS Bistro at Marina Square was booked and catering was ordered for the event.

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event catering – a truly delicious feast!

A vibrant event with multiple games such as darts, billiards and some exciting foosball matches, students from both schools wasted no time in getting comfortable and “networking” with each other. By the end of the evening, a strong bond had been formed between the attending students that would laid the platform for great friendships.

The success of this event promises to lead to many more such inter-school activities, both on and off the field, that will foster better relations among the schools and the student cohorts.

 

Campus Living, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Programme

Farewell to Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA Students

The eight participants of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA Program take their first two trimesters on the NTU campus together with the  full-time Nanyang batch.  Upon completing trimester two, the Waseda students head off to complete the third trimester in Tokyo, Japan, at Waseda University while the rest of the full-time cohort will complete their coursework at Nanyang.

This year, Double MBA participants come from a number of countries including Japan, South Korea, America, the Philippines, and Singapore. Many Double MBA students wanted to return home to see their families before the start of the Waseda coursework, so an early farewell party was set for February 17th.

As an exhausting Ultimate frisbee game has been a staple of stress relief for many, everyone started off the day with a quick match in the intense Singapore heat.

In the evening, a huge barbecue with plenty of drinks and food to go around was hosted on the ground floor just outside of the Graduate Hall buildings. Most of the MBA students and staff were in attendance and spent time reminiscing over the past eight months. After everyone had plenty of food, Professor Nilanjan Sen, the Associate Dean of Nanyang Business School, and Sancho Causay, a member of the Nanyang-Waseda Double MBA cohort, gave speeches and cut the various farewell cakes to close out the night.

Many chose to stay around for an afterparty, the last chance to be together as a single student body before the Double MBAs begin to head off for Tokyo.

Having made enough memories to last a lifetime in just the past eight months, it’s safe to say that the Double MBA students will be missed. The cohort has become like family through fun  times, the academic rigor and stress, and the mere time spent together, so everyone is sure to meet again in the future.

group photo

students at the farewell party

Campus Living, Clubs, Happenings, Life at Nanyang, Sports

Spare me a Strike!: The MBA Olympics After Party

On February 12th, the Nanyang MBA team gathered to celebrate their victory for the huge success of the 6th Nanyang MBA Olympics – both as hosts and players.

In the spirit of sports, the MBA Olympics Organising Committee decided to have a bowling party. The event was organised by the Sports and CSR Clubs – the same two clubs that collaborated for the MBA Olympics – and sponsored by the EXCO and MBA Office. Everyone stormed Orchid Bowl @ the Chevrons on the Friday night for an evening of bowling, food, and fun.

The entire cohort – Fulltime, Parttime, and some of the Trimester 2 exchange students – not only celebrated the MBA Olympics’ success, but also the end of the second Trimester. As it was the last Friday night before the exams and probably the last night when the entire cohort is complete before the exchange students and Nanyang-Waseda Double MBAs leave for the last trimester of the program, everyone took the opportunity to have fun, celebrate, and take photos with everyone.

At 10pm, the lights at Orchid Bowl were turned off and the black lights were turned on. Also, party music was played, for a night of cosmic bowling and laughter.

There were exactly 36 bowlers who registered for the event – which was perfect for 6 teams of 6 each.  After 2 games, the student Exco president, Deep Dabholkar, member of the powerful bowling team Johnnie M won the “Highest Individual Bowler” award for scoring the highest total score with 288 pins. He was followed closely by Kevin Tay from team Rocky J who scored the highest score for the first game but finished with a total of 286 pins.

The most successful Team KRISP, composed of Koichi, Rinky, Isaac, Steven, Prashant, and Marcel, won the “Top Team” award after scoring the highest total score with 1,113 pins.

We congratulate all winners – well done – and thank all participants for a truly enjoyable event which sparked great memories of the recent MBA Olympics, and provided a great opportunity to celebrate two wonderful trimesters at the NTU campus.

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bowling 3

Campus Living, Clubs, Cultural Events, Life at Nanyang

Chinese New Year – Gong Xi Fa Cai

Ready to ring in the Year of the Monkey?

First, some important information about Chinese New Year in 2016:

According to Chinese Five Elements Horoscopes, this is the year of the red monkey, which contains 2 elements: Metal and Water.

  • Metal is associated with gold.
  • Water is associated with wisdom and danger.

This forecasts more financial events in the year of the Monkey, according to the wise predictions of Economics Professor Lee. And, if one wants to have good returns on financial investments, one will need to outsmart the Monkey.

Metal is also connected to the Wind. That implies the status of events will be changing very quickly. So think twice before making changes for your finances and career!

On the 31st of January, the MBA cohort of 2016 celebrated the year of the red monkey with a unique cultural experience for all foreign Nanyang MBA classmates.

The event was initiated by one of the Singaporean MBA students, Kevin Tay, who volunteered to share the festive mood and atmosphere of the lunar New Year. Along with the fellow Chinese and Singaporean students Isaac, Wenduo, Veronica, Steven, Darren and Sheng Jie, he put together an entertaining and educational event program – in just 10 short days!

In order to have an authentic experience of how Chinese New Year is celebrated in its own unique way in Singapore and China, the team planned were 3 highlights to the event:

The evening started with a wonderful presentation which explained the mythical origins of “Nian”, the Chinese word for “Year”, and how Chinese New year got its traditions.

A long time ago, a mythical monster has terrorized the peace of villages every year; however one day, a wise old man prepared fireworks and red decorations. When the mythical monster Nian came, the loud noises and bright decoration managed to scare the monster away. This was how the Chinese New Year came about and ever since, the people love to gather with loud noises and red, the colour that symbolizes luck.

Next, the event´s MC, Shen Jie, started the celebration with Yusheng (Chinese Salmon Salad). This is a tradition unique to Singapore and Malaysia. Everyone gathered around platters containing the mixture of grated carrots, radish, pomelo salmon slices, and garnishes it with sweet plum sauce, spices and crunchy ‘pok chui’ crackers. Each ingredient represented blessing, fortune and good luck.

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an introduction to CNY traditions in Singapore

The MBA students then equipped themselves with chopsticks, and started tossing the salad as high as possible while shouting, “Prosper”, “MBA”, and all the wishes for the New Year. It was definitely a vibrant & joyous atmosphere, just like how Singaporean families & friends do it. Huat ah!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOPW-wjBhcY

To kick off the last activity,  the most exciting highlight of the night,  Kevin instructed all participant on THE game to play for Chinese New Year – Mahjong 101.

From the basics to the complex, advanced rules, Kevin explained the art of tile building to bring all students up to speed for a series of gambling. It was quickly evident that the gambling module involved a high level of strategic planning, patience, keen observation skills and critical decision making – and certainly invigorated the competitive spirit of the MBAs.

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students at the gambling tables

The topics covered in the quick Mahjong lecture included superstitions and quirky practices, such as wearing red undergarments to maximize luck. At the end of the evening, the top scorer in class was Ms. Aki Narita, sweeping a staggering 7 out of 8 games. Then, Anshul, Gauri and Aditiya also topped their respective tables.

All in all, the event organisers hope that  everyone who attended not only learnt more about Chinese traditions, but really got to experience the full atmosphere, activities, food and liveliness of this festival.

Special thanks to everyone who attended, and the organizing committee for a job well done. Indeed, we strongly believe that in many years from now, the highly diverse MBA cohort of 2016 will still gather and practice the skills learnt from this cultural module, Mahjong 101.

Campus Living, Happenings, Life at Nanyang

Happy Birthday, Mr President!

In January, the MBA 2016 cohort found yet another reason to celebrate: the very own Student Exco President’s birthday.

Exhausted and tired after running around while competing in the Nanyang MBA Olympics, hours of cheering for the cohort´s contesting teams and combatting the burning heart, the cohort decided to extent a long, but successful day to an unofficial midnight celebration of the  president´s birthday.

The next morning started early: as usual, a sore but happy class gathered at 9:30 AM for a lecture in the lecture hall. Yet, during the break, the class got together at the MBA lounge with a box of surprise for Deep, Student Exco president.

Excited, he opened the box to reveal the lip-smacking black forest cake. With 8 candles (editor´s note: number of candles is purely notional and was kept small to fit the size of the cake..) we officially wished Deep a very happy birthday.

While the delicious cake with big red cherries did not last long, the memories of yet another tasty birthday celebration are here to stay forever.

deep bday cake

Nanyang Technological University