Oxmas dinner this year was slightly controversial when the details were released – because of the increase in expected turnout, we broke from tradition by choosing to cater at an external venue instead of cooking. In retrospect it was a good call – Wig and Pen was packed to the brim and then some (there were more people than chairs) and the food turned out pretty good too!

For the uninitiated, Oxmas is Oxford's way of celebrating Christmas: because term ends for the Christmas season, Christmas is celebrated a month before the actual event – 25 November. Oxmas dinner was held in the same week along with many other college and society Oxmas events.

Food was served buffet-style and it was a spread – sandwiches, chicken, profiteroles...longs queues naturally formed and devoured the food in due course. Some even went for second and thirds! After getting their food people sat together in the long tables (a la college halls, haha) and caught up with each other.

The comm directed our energies for cooking up a storm into putting up a good programme for everyone instead. We decked out in Christmas dress, decorated the function room and set up a rockin' sound system for the performances. About halfway into the night Du Xuan and Elaine kickstarted the performances with beautiful renditions of “Baby, It's Cold Outside” and “Last Christmas”. It was followed by Theophi who regaled us with his own poetic compositions, one about Singapore and one about a certain girl with whom he spent a night cooking and chatting (hehe). Next was Linus with the unbelievable rope trick which may have inspired a few would-be magicians. Becks and Sarah followed with “The Only Exception”. Yifan embarrassed himself by belting out Eason Chan's 圣诞节 having just learnt it the night before. Torsten was the showstopper, both literally and figuratively – his was the final act and he sang wonderfully. There was loud applause all round for our brave performers!

Then it was time to unveil the secret santas! Liki and Eewei, dressed as Santa and Rudolph respectively, enlisted the help of their elves (i.e. the rest of the comm) to deliver the gifts to everyone, who were pleasantly surprised. Following that the comm came out for a final performance to cap off the night, dancing to a cute Christmas jingle. It was so well received that we did an encore! (or it was mostly a chance for people to laugh at the comm haha)

The night was still young and the bar was still open, so many stayed back after the performances and dinner for drinks, to chat, take pictures, and dance to the groovy club music that had been turned on.

On the whole it was a good night. A learning point was maybe to do away with tables and just have chairs instead to allow people to mingle more freely. No matter what, it seems like Oxmas dinners in the future will be equally well-attended (: Thanks guys!

p.s.: In the spirit of Oxmas, we'd like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (: here's to a great 2014!

In keeping with what might be OUMSSA’s most sacred tradition, the committee kicked off the Michaelmas calendar with the ever-popular Welcome Back Drinks. Returning to the stately halls of Harris Manchester for a second time, the event as an opportune time for everyone to meet up after a long vacation, amidst an array of delectable snacks. With no end in sight to the supply of good food and drink (that most hallowed of Singaporean obsessions), conversation went on well into the night as everyone took the chance to catch up with friends old and new.

On display was an even wider selection of drinks than before, catered for both the discerning connosieur and the casual drinker. A whole range of mixers was available for the more daring and experimental, complemented by Singaporean tidbits brought back by generous society members. So whether you were a fan of bagua or Bacardi – there was something for everyone to reminisce over. And making its triumphant return was the now-familiar sight of the kaya toast stand, with our tireless Secretary Yu-Jia resuming her post to dish out lavish servings of kaya and butter (now flanked by helpful committee members to meet the inevitable demand).

But perhaps the main attraction, as always, was the people. With frenzied finalists and wide-eyed freshers both making the rounds, the stage was set for fantastic conversations. Old friends caught up and lamented the horrors of collections, while the newbies exchanged Fresher Week stories of terrifying tutors and nights out on the town. Summer vacation stories were swapped, with the more adventurous regaling others of their sojourns through Europe, while others rattled off an envy-inducing checklist of Singaporean foods they feasted on while back home. OUMSSA families got the chance to reunite too, with ‘kids’ already seeking advice on how to survive the dreaming spires from their battle-hardened ‘parents’.

It was a fantastic start to what will undoubtedly be another exciting year in Oxford – so check out some of our photos below, and look forward to more to come as your Committee enters its next term!

Nicholas Tan

Following on the heels of our Freshers’ Tea 2013, OUMSSA members got together once again for the annual chalet at Pasir Ris Home Team. While the chalet has traditionally been for incoming freshers to get to know one another better, this year’s event saw an impressive turn-out from the second and third years.

The chalet featured a game show theme where participants were randomly thrown into groups (named lovingly after ‘English’ food- Eton Mess, Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Hassan’s Kebab, Mushy Peas and the world-renowned Tesco Meal Deal) and pitted against one another in epic battles of wit/creativity/dance moves/thickskinness.

The grand finale of the chalet took after popular Chinese dating show 非诚勿扰 (which literally means “not sincere don’t bother” though a quick entry into Google translate gives us “You Are The One”..), where groups sent forth one male human sacrifice each who had to display their various talents (cartwheels and calf-flexing were very well received) and had to be subjected to the grueling questions of a panel of 9 ‘single ladies’ (half of whom were not in fact single). While this might or might not have been a discreet attempt to get sponsorship from SDU, we gladly conclude that no hearts were broken in the process.

All in all, the chalet was a huge success, and all of us walked away with many stories to tell and many new friendships forged! Look out for the complete collection of photos coming soon on Facebook (:

Freshers’ Tea, our first OUMSSA event of the summer, was a boisterous affair held on 17 August at The Florida’s function room. The 75-strong turnout proved a tad too crowded for the room’s official capacity of 50 people, so some resorted to socializing outdoors, notwithstanding the heavy showers that afternoon.

Botanical Gardens. Punts. Water-guns. Bubbles. Barley. Pimm's. What's not to love?

No matter, an inauspicious start to the day did not dampen the spirits of determined lepak-ers. Lepak in Le Park was eventful and full of twists and turns, literally (when our sports types were catching frisbees or dribbling the football) and figuratively.

Trinity Term kicked off with a bang as OUMSSA welcomed everybody back with drinks and nibbles galore. Magners cider, Stella Artois beer, and a host of spirits made short work of some and got them happily inebriated. The quintessentially British drink, Pimm's, also made a mandatory showing to signify the beautiful spring term. Delightful tidbits from Singapore made the event that much more endearing, with prawn crackers, 大白兔, Hello Panda, tau sar piah, and that coloured cream biscuit thing.

Photo credit: Wan Ting

A new term has begun in earnest, with the weather working hard to make up for March, and the work of the new OUMSSA committee has, too. We warmly welcome you to Trinity Term in Oxford and to the slew of activities we have in store!

You may already know that the OUMSSA website has been given a face lift, thanks to the hard work of Vice President Ee Wei. The spiffy new layout makes it easier to find what you're looking for - whether you're a fresher, a graduate, a (potential) sponsor, a prospective student or a current one, we have made it easy to access the relevant information. Along with that we have also rolled out new channels for outreach, with a Facebook page and a LinkedIn group allowing you to reach and connect with us more easily.

Tomorrow we begin the term's activities with a bang - Welcome Back Drinks at Harris Manchester College. Stay with us for Lepak in Le Pak (with a special surprise), Punts & Pints, the Finalist Barbeque and Yard Sale, and more! Look out for event photos coming up soon on the blog.

Here's to a fantastic Trinity Term 2013!

p.s.: It seems that Oxford has decided to permanently shift the dates of term back by one week, as Michaelmas Term 2013 begins on 13 October. So you get an extra week of summer to enjoy. (yay!)