11th Malaysia Festival of the Mind in Kampar

With vision of each and every Malaysian unleashing their mind’s unlimited potential and developing their brainpower, the Malaysia Mental Literacy Movement (MMLM), Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC) jointly organised the 11th Malaysia Festival of the Mind which was launched by the Guest of Honour UTAR Council Member Hew Fen Yee on 8 August 2015 at Dewan Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, UTAR Kampar Campus.

The official opening ceremony of the two-day festival was attended by UTAR Council and MMLM Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and spouse Toh Puan Ena Ling, UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Associate Dean of Department of Social Sciences and Management of TAR UC, Perak Campus Dr Lim Kuang Long, UTAR Planning and Development Committee Advisor Tan Sri Hew See Tong and MMLM committee members.

UTAR Wushu Club performing the 24-Festive Seasons Drum

The 11th Malaysia Festival of the Mind in Kampar which featured as many as 14 talks and seven workshops and an exhibition with 22 booths attracted over 2,300 visitors which comprised students, families, teachers, staff and many others.

Among the mind-related talks that were delivered by experts and professionals during the festival were ‘Memory Power and The Major System’ & ‘Encoding Information and the Method of Loci’ by Melik Duyar, ‘Developing Emotional Excellence for Future Career Success’ (Mandarin) by Choong Hoon Guan, ‘How Mindfulness Benefits Learning and Concentration’ by Lily Kong, ‘3 Reasons Why Knowing Your IQ Can Transform Your Life and Career’ by Nic Sim, ‘The MOSTI Funded Brain-Computer Interface Wheelchair Project’ by Prof Dato’ Ir Dr Goh Sing Yau, ‘Dream the Impossible Dream’ by Wong Chooi Yee, ‘Rewiring the Brain via the 7 Secrets Rhythm’ by T. Elanggovan, ‘Leave Your Fingers Out of the Equation’ by West Wong, ‘How to Become an Inventor in 60 Minutes’ by Dr Yew Kam Keong, ‘Mind You Mind, Find Your Mine’ by Khooi Chu Boon, ‘The Strongest Brain Memory Techniques’ (Mandarin) by Teo Kim Foo, ‘Mind Map for Success’ by S. Jeyaraman, and ‘Living the Law of Attraction’ by SK Tan.

Visitors thronging the exhibition hall

Admission to talks, workshops and exhibition of the festival which ran from 8 to 9 August 2015, was free. Goodie bags and a special lucky draw with attractive prizes such as Samsung Galaxy V Plus Smartphones were given to visitors.

Apart from talks and workshops the exhibition also showcased mind games, magic of science, MENSA admission test, Leonard Personality Inventory test and other mental literacy related products.

The highlight at the launch was the demonstration of amazing mental feats by Melik Duyar. The Turkey-born Duyar who is an author and mental athlete fondly known as ‘The man who forgot to forget’ and ‘Mr Memory’ by the Turkish media wowed the audience with his exceptional memory skills which were basically covered the ability to recall numbers and memorise a deck of playing cards.

Duyar inspired the crowds with his amazing memory skills

Tun Ling delivering his welcome speech

Hew giving his address

In his welcome speech Tun Ling expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the committee members of MMLM who have dedicated much effort in sharing the knowledge and importance about mental literacy to the community. Tun Ling proceeded to talk about the importance of memory in life. He said, “If you want to remember more, pictorialise as much as you can to get a clearer picture. The human brain has boundless potential to enable us for creation, innovation, advancement, development and transformation. Hence, the key element to activate the potential of the human brain is to educate society about the significance of mind literacy and techniques to optimise the human brainpower.”

Hew, who attended the inaugural launch of the Festival in 2007, shared with the audience how his family members have benefitted from the memory boosting tips taught by speakers. “Our minds are so powerful that if used positively, it can heal and create,” he said, drawing a parallel between the impact of a positive mind full of great ideas and the reinvigorated Kampar town. “What seemed to be a mission impossible to transform a buffalo town into an education hub became a dream come true following the establishment of UTAR Kampar Campus. The influx of students transformed Kampar into a young, vibrant and international education hub, which also encouraged the growth of business and start-ups. And the mastermind behind these possibilities is none other than Tun Ling, whose idea was transformed into an impact.”

Tun Ling presenting a fruit basket to Hew while (from left) Dr Lim, Prof Chuah and Tan Sri Hew look on

The annual Festival of the Mind aims to imprint the importance of mental literacy among the general public and to create greater awareness about the human mind and ways of tapping into and developing one’s brain power. It also aims to introduce and to promote various techniques and skills pertaining to the improvement of mental literacy, such as memory skill, thinking skills, creativity, personality profiling, mind mapping, emotional intelligence, brainpower, mind power and other memory management tools.

Supported by The Star, Grand Kampar Hotel, MBA Edge, Berroca, Redoxon, Delfi, Dilmah and Hosen Group, the 11th MFotM will also be held at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College Main Campus, Setapak from 3 to 4 October 2015.

A group of students at the science exhibition

“Hand-fire” demonstration

A workshop on memorising a deck of playing cards by Duyar