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[email protected] SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 • www.thepeninsulaqatar.comsul a q a t ar.com • 44554 55 7777414 1 TOP DESIGNERS THET RESURRECTION SHOWCASE WORK OOF ARNOLD: TWITTER HAS A HUGE IN MERCEDES-BENZ SSCHWARZENEGGER’S PROBLEM, AND IT’S ALL PAKISTAN FASHION TTHIRD ACT IN YOUR HEAD WEEK DOHA P | 6 P | 8 P | 100 The curtains came down on the first Asean Festival at the Katara Esplanade, which provided visitors a window into the cultural identity of each of the seven participating Southeast Asian countries via a blend of performances, cuisine and handicraft. ASEAN CULTURE ON SHOW AT KATARA P | 2-3 | SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 | 02 CULTURE Asean Festival wows thousands with cultural fiesta BY RAYNALD C RIVERA ultural diplomacy at its finest. The first-ever Association of Southeast Asian Nations C(Asean) Festival drew its curtains to a marvelous close yesterday at the Katara Esplanade providing visitors a window into the cultural identity of each of the seven participating Asean countries via a blend of performances, cuisine, handicraft and tourism products. From the elegant ‘Singkil’ of the Philippines to the lively ‘Serng Kratip’ of Thailand to the spectacular ‘Pakarena’ of Indonesia, the dances captivated thousands in the audience comprising citizens and expatriates who applauded them for their distinct character repre- senting the uniqueness of each of the neighbouring nations. The Kaloob Philippine Music and Dance Ministry, a research-based folk dance troupe, provided a glimpse of the diversity of the 7,107-island nation of the Philippines rendering a number of Filipino dances. Among the dance items Kaloob performed were the ‘Singkil’, an ancient dance based on a popular Philippine epic from the southern region of the country and the ‘La Jota Moncadeña,’ a Filipino adaptation of an old Spanish dance. Accompanied by live music played using indigenous percussion and stringed instruments, the performers | SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 | 03 danced using scarves, fans, bamboo who played classical music displaying out- sticks and castanets further enhancing standing skills in playing violin and piano their already vibrant movements. even at a tender age. The Doha-based sis- The Thai troupe wowed crowds with a ters, who are under the tutelage of promi- medley of stunning items including ‘Dance nent musicians, headlined the show as of the Four Regions,’ ‘Srivijaya’ and ‘Serng they rendered a number of striking tunes Kratip.’ to the delight of the crowd. In the ‘Dance of the Four Regions,’ Artistes from Brunei Darussalam and they provided a vista into the cultural Vietnam also unveiled aspects of their rich nuances of northern, southern, northeast heritage through their presentations at the and central regions of Thailand through a three-day show organised by the Asean fusion of short dances corresponding to Committee in Doha (ACD) and hosted by each geographical region. Performing the Katara. Donning elaborate traditional cos- ‘Serng Kratip,’ the troupe projected the tumes, the troupes depicted the solidarity jovial mood of the harvest season in the among the Asean countries in Doha telling rural region of Isaan. In their performance their own cultural narratives through songs of ‘Srivijaya,’ they showcased the way of and dances. life of the ancient kingdom which extended Apart from the performances, the festi- from the eighth to the 13th centuries. val provided visitors a culinary journey into Highlights of the performance of the authentic cuisines of the seven coun- the 28-member dance troupe from tries. The visitors also had the opportunity Indonesia included the ‘Bajidor Kahot’ to purchase quality handicrafts produced and ‘Pakarena,’ the former a new dance in each country as well as see various tour- from Western Java while the latter a dance ist attractions and products in store for of royalty in Gowa Regency in South travelers. Solawesi, Indonesia. Using fans, the danc- Judging from the attendance and the ers mesmerized the audience with their audience’s reaction, the three-day cultural delicate hand and foot movements reflect- event was deemed a success not merely ing deep emotions and aesthetic beauty in providing a truly unique show by pro- as well as spectacular formations. fessional troupes but in enabling cultural A 22-member troupe from the dialogue among Asean countries, host Department of Culture and Arts of country Qatar and other nations. Malaysia performed a medley of dances More than its entertainment value, the that showed the Malay culture with traces event derives its significance from the fact of Chinese and Indian influences ranging that cultural exchange has proved effective from ancient to modern. in the promotion of respect and recognition The two-hour long show also featured of cultural diversity and heritage which ulti- musical performances of Singaporean mately leads to global peace and stability. child prodigies Tricia, 10, and Nicole, 9, The Peninsula | SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 | 04 CAMPUS French Olympiad As part of French language activity, the French department of MES Indian School in collaboration with Silver Zone Foundation, New Delhi recently conducted the French Olympiad 2015. A number of students studying French language participated in the examination and won gold, silver and bronze medals. Mohammed Shafi Shariff, HOD French, coordinated the examination. ‘Demolition Man’ helps students demolish stereotypes at BPS lphonse Kannamthanam, who earned a sobriquet as the ‘Demolition Man’ of India for having razed to the ground 14,310 illegal Astructures in Delhi metropolis and saved the exchequer Rs100bn while he was the commissioner of Delhi Development Authority, visited Birla Public School recently. In a talk sprinkled with inspiring snippets from per- sonal anecdotes, Alphonse told the students that ‘there is genius within you. You need to recognise it and then work towards fulfilling the realisation of that genius. Genius lies in serving the world and by serving the world, you can change the world.’ The author of the book Make a Difference urged the students to start dreaming for a change. Lukose Chacko, Chairman, School Board of Directors, received Alphonse in the presence of school Principal A K Shrivastava and senior school officials. Alphonse Kannamthanam interacting with students of Birla Public School. The Peninsula Math O’ Fun at SIS CBSE-i division of Shantiniketan Indian School (SIS) celebrated Math O’ Fun Day by presenting various creative projects on mathematical topics. Principal, Dr Subhash Nair and Vice- Principal CBSE-i, Dudley O’Connor, appreciated the efforts of the students. | SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 | COMMUNITY / MARKETPLACE 05 ue to the longstanding partner- “We are happy to contribute by ship between Total and Institut increasing the awareness of students DFrançais du Pétrole (IFP), Total in Qatar’s role in the global energy sup- recently hosted a cohort of 23 students ply. This will hopefully inspire more stu- pursuing engineering master degrees dents to consider a future in the oil and in France. The three-day programme gas business,” said Guillaume Chalmin, included visits to Total’s offices and Managing Director of Total E&P Qatar research centre, and industrial cities in and Group Representative. Raslaffan and Dukhan. Yousef Al Jaber, Head of CSR and The students met with Total’s top Institutional Relations at Total E&P managers, and engaged in discussions Qatar added: “The state of the art facili- on topics ranging from Total’s opera- ties present in Qatar, and their history tions and assets, to the geosciences Total hosts students as a top player in the world energy projects, research and development market has become driving factors for and importance of HSE (health, safety from France more and more industrial visits by stu- and environment).They were given dents studying abroad. Our strategy is presentations showcasing Total’s vari- to partner with such leading instutions ous initiatives in the field of scientific such as IFP, and host them so that stu- research and sustainability. They also work in Total’s research facility (TRC- LNG facilities in Ras laffan, and Qatar dents may benefit for our experience interacted with research teams who Q). Their visit ended with a tour of the Petroleum’s Dukhan facility. and technical expertise”. The Peninsula Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Maliki, Chairman and Managing Director of Al Maliki group, Mohammed bin Jauhar Al Mohammed, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Retaj, and other officials from both companies at the signing ceremony for the new hotel Retaj Inn Marina held at Retaj Al Rayyan Hotel recently. Retaj Inn Marina is located at Pearl-Qatar and has 250 apartments of various sizes. St Regis Doha integrates Al Gassar function space into its offerings he St. Regis Doha is expanding its meeting and events offerings Twith the integration Al Gassar’s ballroom and meeting rooms starting from the first of May. With this new integration, the St Regis Doha Hotel will bring its experience and resources to Al Gassar’s From Left: Al Safa Polyclinic officials Franz Jossef, Process Quality Manager, Hussam Ahmed, Medical Director, Ravi large 1,300 sq. meters ballroom and Shekhar, General Manager, Ajeesh Nair, Joint Operation Manager and Rajesh P R, Business Development Manager, at six meeting rooms. This will expand the the 5th Annual International Labour Day Press conference held at Doha Down Town hotel. total conference facility space up oper- ated by the St Regis Doha to 5,300 sq. meters. The Peninsula A seminar on plastic weld- ing technology was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel recently. Matteo Brunori, Technical Sales Manager, Khalid Al Mahamoud, Chairman of EKRON Enterprises, Heinz Ladstatter, Managing Director of Hurner, Shamsheer Rehiman, General Manager, and other senior officials attended the seminar. | SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 | 06 TECHNOLOGY Twitter has a huge problem, and it’s all in your head BY CAITLIN DEWEY energy sifting for, and processing, the lies: A recent study by researchers at been the raw, unfiltered information important stuff.

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