Mind Festival in KL

Tun Ling (second from right) presenting a fruit basket to Tan Sri Yong while Prof Ewe (left) and Datuk Tan look on.

The Ninth Malaysia Festival of the Mind (Kuala Lumpur) was held at Tunku Abdul Rahman (TAR) University College Kuala Lumpur main campus in Setapak on 22 and 23 June 2013 after holding it at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) Perak Campus in Kampar a week earlier.

Tan Sri Datuk Yong Poh Kon, the managing director of Royal Selangor International Sdn Bhd, was invited as guest-of-honour for the festival in Kuala Lumpur.  The two-day event featured an exhibition, public talks, and workshops on mental literacy.

Crowd thronging the exhibition hall

Tan Sri Yong's arrival with his wife Puan Sri Yong, and that of MMLM Chairman Tun Dr Ling and Toh Puan Ena Ling were welcomed by TAR University College President Datuk Dr Tan Chik Heok  and UTAR Vice President (Internationalisation and Academic Development) Prof Dr Ewe Hong Tat, and greeted by a lion dance performance.

Toh Puan Ena Ling (left) and Tun Ling welcomed by Datuk Tan and Prof Ewe

"The Festival of the Mind is held every year to create greater awareness among the public about the fullest potential of our minds. Through all the interesting and fun activities during the festival, we aim to impart the importance of taking care of our mind, in other words, minding our minds." said Tun Dr Ling in his address during the opening ceremony before an audience of more than 700.

Attentive audience at the ceremony

"The brain is only two percent of the human body's weight, yet it consumes 20 percent of the total resting oxygen, it is something that is very powerful and here at the Festival of the Mind, we will learn to stretch the mind's potential," said Tan Sri Yong at the ceremony.  He continued to talk about the importance of body and mind development.

Tan Sri Yong giving his address

West Wong, a UTAR alumnus and bronze medallist in the Mental Arithmetic Flash Anzan in the World Mental Olympics 2012, who is dubbed as 'the human calculator, gave live demonstrations on stage of his mental arithmetic capabilities.  In a demonstration, his mental computation beat volunteers with calculators. 

West Wong - the human calculator

Prizes for the Mind Competitions 2013 held on 20 April and the MMLM Photo Contest were given out at the ceremony.  Some 30 winners received their prizes.

RMC Cadet Chong before the ceremony

"I had participated in the Mind Competitions in 2012, but it was not until this year that I won a prize. This is my first time at the festival and I am excited, I will be attending a number of talks this afternoon," said Chong Jie Han, the Champion of the Random Numbers Category of the Memory Competition segment of the Mind Competitions 2013.  He received a certificate of achievement and cash prize of RM5,000 and said, "I plan to get presents for my teachers." Chong, a Royal Military College (RMC) cadet, was accompanied by eight fellow cadets.  RMC Commandant Colonel Wan Ghazali and English Department Head Mr Hafizul Ong was also present at the prize giving ceremony.

MMLM Deputy Chairman Dr Milton Lum (second from left) and Prof Dr Ewe with visitors from RMC (from left) Ong, Col Ghazali and the cadets

"I came here to learn what I can and to interact with people," said Ann Lu, who came with her husband Vincent Teoh. They, both retirees, came to the festival full of anticipation.  "The festival is fantastic," said UTAR student Tiffany Seow, adding the demonstration by Wong was awesome.  Igen Mak, a volunteer during Wong's demonstration, agreed, "I was shocked by the speed and accuracy of the human calculator."

A total of 1,400 visitors attended the 9th Malaysia Festival of the Mind (Kuala Lumpur).  The festival is jointly organised annually by the Malaysia Mental Literacy Movement, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College.