12th Malaysia Festival of the Mind

The final leg of the 12^th Malaysia Festival of the Mind was held in conjunction with the Kuala Lumpur Engineering Science Fair (KLESF) from 4 to 6 November 2016 at the Mines International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC).

Themed ‘Great Mind, Great Future’, the festival aimed to raise awareness on the importance of mental literacy among Malaysians. It also introduced various techniques and skills such as critical thinking, mind mapping, emotional intelligence, brainpower, mind power and other memory management tools.

Tun Ling speaking on the potential of the human brain

“The human brain has boundless potential to enable us to create, innovate, advance, develop and transform. Hence, the key element to activating the potential of the human brain is to educate society about the significance of mind literacy and the techniques to optimise the human brain,” said Malaysia Mental Literacy Movement (MMLM) and UTAR Council Chairman Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Mahamad giving tips to improve mental literacy

“Mental literacy can be achieved through various means, much like how athletes improve their physical endurance through practice. Activities such as solving puzzles and crosswords, or reading material that stimulates the imagination, are one of the best ways to train your mind,” said Mahamad Amran bin Kamsi, Senior Assistant Director from the Co-curriculum and Arts Division, Management and Operations Sector in the Ministry of Education.

Over 12,000 visitors at the festival

Participants trying out sport stacking

Students solving Sudoku 

Children testing their memory skills

With a total of 19 workshops, 19 talks and 22 exhibitors, the festival managed to attract over 12,000 visitors including children, students, families, educators and many others.

From left: Jeyaraman, Elanggovan and Ng conducting mental literacy workshops and talks

Among the other mind-related talks and workshops that were delivered during the festival were “Mind Map Your Way to Success” by S Jeyaraman, “Rewiring the Brain via the 7 Secret Rhythms” by T Elanggovan, “Enhance your Memory by more than 500%” by Teo Kim Foo, “Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills in Mathematics the Fun and Magical Way” by Teoh Poh Yew and “Peak Performance Through the Subconscious” by Ng Thian Watt.

In addition, cash prizes worth RM55,000 were awarded to the Mind Competitions 2016’s First, Second, Third, and Consolation prize winners. Also awarded were the Best School Prize and Special Prize for Children. The competitions consisted of the Memory Competition, Mind Mapping Competition and Mental Calculation.

 

Group photo of Mind Competitions winners

“The competition helped me to better remember facts and figures, especially for subjects such as mathematics and history,” said 14-year-old Teng Sew Yik, winner of the Random Words category of the Memory Competition.

Winner of the Random Alphabet category of the Memory Competition Nik Adib bin Nik Muhammad from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) said the competition helped him to realise the potential of his brain. He also said the skills he acquired were very useful for theory-based subjects.

North Korean Ri Ji Hyon, Third Prize winner of the Random Numbers category of the Memory Competition and Consolation Prize winner of the Mental Calculations, said he’s looking forward to participating in next year’s competition.

Also present at the festival were MMLM Deputy Chairman Dr Milton Lum Siew Wah, Toh Puan Ena Ling, ASEAN Academy of Engineering and Technology (AAET) President Ir Academician Datuk Hong Lee Pee, Country Heights Holdings Bhd Chairman Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew, Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Science to Action (S2A) Agenda Programme Director Norhasrizam Hashim, and UTAR Vice President for R&D and Commercialisation Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei.

The 12^th Malaysia Festival of the Mind was jointly organised by the Malaysia Mental Literacy Movement (MMLM), UTAR and Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC), and supported by The Star, Campus Plus, Grand Kampar Hotel, Berocca, Delfi, Dilmah, Milo and Julie’s.