Gold Medal for SASEM : Fully Residential Schools International Symposium (FRSIS) 2012

Date: 26-31 March 2012
Venue: Mozac, Melaka

SASEM won a gold medal in FRSIS 2nd conference!  23 schools were awarded gold medals and SASEM is in the pool. The conference showcased 63 local and 32 international presentations in line with the theme "Global Culture Generates World Unity". Foreign participants came from Indonesia, Laos, Portugal, the Netherlands, Singapore, Czech Republic, Italy, Thailand and Brunei. The host for this year is SM Sains Muzaffar Syah @MOZAC in Air Keroh, Melaka. Congrats to Bindiya (4 Bukhari) and not forgetting her teammates, Azwan, Tarmizi and Izzati for winning the gold medal. We are proud of you!  Congrats to Rozila and Azhar and thanks for all your help. This was a classic example of teamwork amongst teachers in the panel.

To be honest, I wasn't confident that we would win anything. This was because 95% of the other presenters touched on very serious matters such as 'Culture through history', 'Breaking barriers, widening horizons' and being a newbie, I only wanted the students to be exposed to SBP programmes and take this as their training ground so we will come back stronger next year :) I must say though, that in comparison, our presentation was different in that we touched on how food unites Malaysians besides sports and how we can promote our food globally. I felt that some of the presenters sounded older than they were...talking about 'xenophobia' and the likes. I'm glad ours was simple. Although Bindiya was a little nervous (lacking sleep), she did well. Will upload photo of team as soon as it's available :) Well-done! Sleeping on the double-decker in the dorm seems worth it now albeit for one night :) Congrats to MOZAC for a well-organised symposium. And oh! meeting and listening Tun Mahathir Mohamad (our former prime minister) was more than a bonus- it was a gift from God...

This was our abstract: 

 

Great Food Great Nation:

Celebrating Diversity

Bindiya a/p Arasu

SM Sains Sembrong, 86000 Kluang, Johor, Malaysia

 rahmahs@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Food is the other thing besides sports that unite people. We are proud of our food, which is part of our diverse culture. It is more than a commodity that we consume every day. It has a role of uniting people instead of differentiating people. In a culturally rich country such as Malaysia, food is something that all of us enjoy, although in different ways.  It reflects the unique ‘faces’ and culture of the races associated with the food. Globalisation also means that the world has become smaller and information spreads at the push of a button. Because of this, people around the world have become more adventurous with food. Hence promoting local delicacies to the international arena can be made faster and simpler. This is not only profitable for businesses but also instils a sense of pride among Malaysians when our own delightful delicacies go global. In this paper I will talk about the variety of food that reflects the diverse races in Malaysia and how food can play a role in uniting people from all walks of life. I will also recommend ways in which local delicacies can be promoted worldwide as a way of promoting Malaysia’s ethnic and diverse cultures.

Keywords: food, local, unity, globalisation, culture

the delegates from 63 residential schools

Wang Dan (a teacher from Nanyang Girls' High School, S'pore) and I

Our dear Tun Mahathir delivering his keynote address..

Tun Mahathir fielding some questions from students...

School reps from left: izzati, tarmizi, bindiya and norazwan

one for the album :)

The Thinking Teacher