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  • Memories (8)

    Memories (8)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Hla Min

    Historian

    Oral and Written Historian of my alma mater with the help of sayas, sayamas, and alums who shared their walks down memory lane and precious photos to be published in the “RIT Alumni International Newsletter Updates” (1999 – present).

    Class of 69

    Our Class is unique in the following sense.

    Four Government Examinations

    • Took the last ever 7th Std Government exam in 1960.
    • Took the first ever 9th Std — High School Final Only Exam — in March 1962. Except for English, we had to answer all subjects in Burmese. Under the tight security imposed by the 17-man Revolutionary Council, we completed the exam.
    • To our surprise and dismay, the HSF examination for Rangoon Division was annulled. Had given my text books. Had to re-take the HSF exam in August 1962.
    • Took the 10th Std — Matric (only) Exam — in May 1963.
      1263 students from Rangoon.
      Khin Maung U (SPHS) stood first in the whole of Burma.
      He was followed by Min Oo (SPHS, 2nd), Myo San (Freddie, SPHS, 3rd, GBNF), Nyunt Wai (Victor, SPHS, 4th), Thein Wai (SPHS, 5th), Kenny Wong (MEHS, 6th) and Hla Min (SPHS, 7th).
    SPHS63
    • SPHS had five in the Top Five, seven in the Top Ten, and ten in the Top Twenty. They were awarded Collegiate Scholarship for 75 Kyats a month.

    Guinea Pig of Education Systems

    • The education system wanted us to spend one more year in school before attending the university.
    • Is it our fate or destiny to serve as guinea pigs of Educators?

    I.Sc. (A) at Leik Khone

    • Attended the last ever I. Sc.(A) classes at “Leik Khone လိပ်ခုံး” on Prome Road. Leik Khone was used by Faculty of Engineering before it moved to Gyogone.
    Leik Khone
    • Willie Soe Maung (Myint Soe, GBNF), Kyaw Wynn, Maung Maung Kyi (GBNF) and I — joined RUBC. Our crew was Senior Novices Runner-up at the Monsoon Regatta. Earned Full Greens at the end of the season.
    • Due to security reasons (following the Anniversary protests of 7th July), the Annual Regatta was cancelled, but Sithu U Tin (President, RUBC) decided to hold the Dinner gathering for the 40th Anniversary at Orient Club in Kandawgyi. Souvenir Magazine was compiled by Sithu U Tin (GBNF), U Po Zon (GBNF) and U Tin Htoon.
    RUBC 40th Anniversary
    • Took the last ever I. Sc.(A) exam at the designated high schools.
    • Most of Rangoon University (except Medical and Engineering Colleges) were suspended following the fateful anniversary celebration of “7th July and the demolition of the historic Rangoon University Students’ Union”.
    • Those who were a year senior to us in High School graduated 2.5 years ahead of us. We lost 1.5 precious years.

    School Closure

    • Before the universities reopened, scholarship bids (mostly to Soviet Union and East Bloc nations) were opened to students who are 18+ years old. I did not qualify. Maung Maung Kyi (GBNF) and Kyaw Wynn received scholarship to study Engineering at Dresden University in GDR.

    New Education System

    • The then new “University Education System” replaced the “old” model of Rangoon University with several Faculties : Arts, Science, Social Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law.
    • The system created institutes such as Rangoon Institute of Technology, Institute of Medicine, Institute of Economics, and Institute of Education.
    • RASU (Rangoon Arts and Science University) and MASU (Manadalay Arts and Science University) were the core left from the Rangoon University and Mandalay University.
    • In November 1964, three batches of students were admitted to the first ever 1st B.E., 2nd B.E., and 3rd B.E. classes.
    RIT Grads (1969 & 1987)
    • Ma Than Yi (Maubin Ma Shwe Than, EP70) has blogged about her reminiscences of 1st B.E.
    • Ko Zaw Min Nawaday (EP70) and Ko Ohn Khine (M70) have described the academic and extra-curricular activities for ’64 to ’70.
    Zaw Min (Standing 2nd from Right)
    • The list of 400+ students who entered 1st BE has been compiled by Ko Ohn Khine and team. Notable alumni from that class have also been portrayed in their Golden Jubilee Magazine published in November, 2014.
    Ohn Khine
    • The list of 300+ students who entered 2nd BE has been compiled by Ko Aung Min (M69) and team. 69ers had major reunions for 30th Anniversary (in 1999), 40th Anniversary (in 2009), SPZP-2012, Pseudo-Golden Jubilee (for the admission to RIT) in 2014, True Golden Jubilee (for graduation) z& SPZP in December, 2019. Sad to note that more than 40% from the class are GBNF.
    Aung Min (Right)
    • The authorities used I.Sc (A) results to admit students to 2nd B.E. I was at the top of the list followed by Taing Oke and Kenny Wong.
    • I was selected Luyechun (Outstanding Student) along with Ko Sein Shwe (4th BE), Ko Zaw Min (1st BE), and Ma Khin Than Myint Tin (Margaret, 2nd BE, RIT selected in track and Field). In the summer of 1965, we attended the Inlay Khaung Daing Camp with Luyechuns from other universities and institutes, and high school.
    Luyechun
    • Several high school Luyechuns (e.g. Ma Pwint Than, Uttam Singh, Ko Aung Win, Ko Win Myint) joined RIT two years later.

    Difficult Choices

    EE69
    • Had to decide Major before attending 3rd BE. Civil and Mechanical were the top choices. Many joined RIT faculty after graduation.
    • 80+ students — Ko Thein Swe (GBNF), Ko Khin Maung Win (GBNF), Ko Aung Kyaw Pe, Ko Tun Aung Gyaw, Ko Toung and I — chose to major in Electrical. Joined by some seniors. Some took sabbatical or were hit by the infamous 75% attendance rule, or by the strict moderation (failing a minor subject even though the average was 2.5+)
    • Had to decide before attending 5th BE. Ratio of EP (Power) to EC (Communication) was 3:1.
      Rationale was that EP had a reasonably good market with EPC being the chief employer of EP graduates. EC had a limited market with PTC, BBS, DCA, and MOC/MOGE.
    • Many top students such as Ko Thein Swe, Ko Khin Maung Win and Ko Aung Kyaw Pe chose to major in EP. After graduation, most joined EPC and other corporations.
    • 13 or so students such as Ko Tun Aung Gyaw, Ko Toung and I chose to major in EC. Ma Tin Tin (Ann), the lone female EE student, chose EC. Ko Than Lwin (Henry) joined the faculty. Some worked for DCA, MOC and Schlumberger. A couple migrated to the US.

    Universities’ Computer Center

    • At one Burma Research Conference, Saya U Soe Paing presented a paper on digital computers zand logic. Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF) requested Saya U Soe Paing to help him with the UCC project to be submitted to UNDP).
    • Saya U Soe Paing requested top EC students to join his project. The proposal, vetting, and approval of UNDP projects took a long time; so many students took available jobs.
    • When the project was finally approved by UNDP, UCC was established at Thamaing College Campus. Dr. Chit Swe became the founder/director.
      U Soe Paing, U Myo Min, and U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF), became co-founders and Managers. After volunteering for a considerable time, Ko Tun Aung Gyaw and I joined UCC as the first batch of employees.
    UCC
    • For details, read “Computer Ah Sa UCC Ga” by U Soe Paing, my interview with Mandalay Gazette and my series of articles “Memories of UCC”.
    Mandalay Gazette

    Activities

    • In my Newsletter Updates, I mentioned some of my extra-curricular activities.
    • Class Representative, Magazine Committee member, Joint Secretary and Secretary of RIT Electrical Engineering Association.
    • Last ever elected Treasurer and Vice Captain of Rangoon University Boat Club. Due to the changes in policy, I was denied to become Captain (as originally stipulated by RUBC rules). Higher authorities installed a committee of sayas to oversee RUBC.
    • As a member of the RIT Rowing team, I attended the “Appreciation” Ceremony by the RIT Sports Council, then chaired by Saya U Maung Maung Than. Applauded the accomplishments of multi-sports athletes such as Ko Aung Khin (M 67), Saw Maung Maung Htwe (Class of 70), Ko Khin Maung Lay (Henry, T 68), and Inter Institute Champions (Badminton, Chinlon, Soccer, Table Tennis, Tennis, Weight lifting & Body Building).
    • Served as EC & editor of RIT English Association. Represented 2nd BE in a debate along with Ko Myo Tun (Bobby), and Ko Khin Maung Win (Roland Thein). The 1st BE team led by Ahmed Soorma won. Received “Rhyming Dictionary” as a prize. Gave my dictionary to Ashin Ananda (Rev. F. Lutvig, Poet Laureate).
    • Founding member of RIT Chess Association along with the accomplished players like Ko Aung Than, Ko Maung Maung, Ko Thet Lwin (Henry) and visiting Soviet lecturers.
    • Joined Universities’ Training Corps (UTC) for a while before the schedule conflicts with rowing.
    • Sai Kyaw Aye (part-time BBS) invited us to learn and sing “Auld Lang Syne” in Shan.
    • Wrote short notes for “Hset Hmu Thadin Zin” and articles for “Hlyat Sit Sar Saung” & “RIT English Bulletin”.
    • In July 1969, I wrote a poem “Men on the Moon” to honor the Apollo 11 mission. It was published in the Guardian daily newspaper. A copy was sent by Mr. Hall (USIS) to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
    • In December 1969, Daw Khin Swe Hla asked me to translate a short story “Nge Thay Loe” by Sayagyi U Thu Kha for publishing as the Sunday Supplement for Working People’s Daily (WPD). My translation “Still So Young” earned me 50 kyats. U Thu Ka was given an honorarium of 50 kyats. In those days, 1 US dollar was worth 5 to 6 kyats.
    • In my Newsletter Updates, I mentioned about my dreams — to get the sayas and alums reconnected electronically and physically, and to repay the metta and cetana of my mentors. U Soe Paing was a driving force, and Ko Khin Maung Zaw worked long weekends to set up http://www.ex-rit.org
    • Was a saya at UCC, DCS and ICST. Attended the 5th and 6th Arcariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST and UCSY.
    • I am not a saya at RIT. I was not eligible for the world wide SPZPs.
    • I was deeply moved when Saya U Moe Aung visited Ko Tin Aung Win’s house after SPZP-2007 and accompanied us to the air port. Before SPZP-2012, Saya gave me two vintage RIT Annual Magazines from his private collection and other gifts.
    • Dr. Soe Thein (C75), web master & videographer of SPZP-2007, invited me to the Civil Reunion & SPZP. He invited me to the C75 gathering before SPZP-2012.
    • I had contact with Ko Wynn Htain Oo (M72) via Facebook.
      M72 group (WHO, Ko Myint Pe, …) invited me to join the M72 gathering and mini-SPZP.
      Event was solemn, because Ko Khin Maung Toe had passed away. “Thamudaya Kyaung” DVD is among my souvenirs.
    • Smiles from my mentors, and “random acts of kindness” help me burn midnight oil and keep on going the extra mile.
    • I would like to end by paying tribute to the countless sayas, sayamas, and alums who have kept the RIT Spirit alive and well.

    Tribute

    The following provide different perspectives of our beloved alma mater.

    • RIT Annual Magazines
      Chief Editors include Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi, Saya U Aung Hla Tun (GBNF) and Saya U Moe Aung. Publishers include U Hla and Saya U Thet Lwin. Limited edition of 23 (or so) RIT Annual Magazines was reprinted for SPZP-2012
    • Discipline-wide magazines such as “Hlat Sit Sar Saung” (published by the RIT Electrical Engineering Association with Saya U Moe Aung as Chief Editor and Publisher)
    • Weekly “Hset Hmu Thadin Zin” founded by Ko Win Thein (M 67, GBNF) and associates
      An alum couple archived several years worth of Hset Hmu Thadin Zin
    • “Cartoon Box” founded by Ko Myint Pe (M 72) with the patronage of Saya U Khin Maung Phone Ko (“Phone Ko”, C64, cartoonist for Kye Mon newspaper and several magazines) and Saya U Aung Myint (Pet 69, creator of “Kyant Ba Hone”, GBNF)
    • Ko Myint Pe & team compiled cartoons from Cartoon Box, Hset Hmu Thadin Zin, and RIT Annual Magazines for the commemorative issue of “RIT Cartoons” for SPZP-2012.
      Three (or so) generations of Cartoon Box authors set up a booth at SPZP-2012 and autographed books for sale.
    • HMEE — History of Myanmar Engineering Education
      by Saya U Aung Hla Tun (GBNF) and team. Sayagyi U Ba Than, U Thaw Kaung (Chief Librarian, Rangoon University Central Library), and U Soe Paing (EE, UCC) provided historical photos & documents
    • The companion CD to the HMEE-2012 Book was compiled by Ko Ohn Khine (M 70) and me
    • RIT web sites
      http://www.ex-rit.org designed by Ko Khin Maung Zaw & http://www.rit-alumni.info designed by Ko Wunna Ko Ko
    • Commemorative web pages for SPZP-2000 include 64 “Count down to the Reunion”, 36 “Post-Reunion” articles, & “SAYA PU ZAW PWE” poem
    • Early “RIT Alumni International Newsletter Updates” by me were posted in http://www.ex-rit.org (now dormant)
    • Subsequent “RIT Alumni International Newsletter Updates” by Ko Hla Min (EC 69) were posted in http://www.rit-alumni.info (now dormant)
    • RIT-related Facebook Pages
      Saya U Moe Aung,
      Saya U Kyaw Sein (M65, GBNF)
      Ma Than Yi (EP70),
      Ko Ohn Khine (M70),
      Ko Saw Lin (C71, GBNF),
      Ko Myint Pe (M72),
      Ko Wynn Htain Oo (M72),
      Ko Khin Maung Lwin (M87)
    • Commemorative issue of “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” for SPZP-2000″ edited by me & team
    • Commemorative issues of “Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung” for SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 and SPZP-2010 edited & published by Saya U Moe Aung and team
    • Commemorative issue of “Swel Daw Yeik Magazine” for SPZP-2012, Shwe YaDu in 2014 and SPZP-2016
    • “Shwe YaDu Magazine” edited by Ko Khin Maung Lay (M70) & team was published in conjunction with the Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of the combined 1st BE intake of ’64 and ’65
    • “Thamudaya Kyaung (Parts One and Two)” DVD : Based on the poems by Maung Sein Win (Padeegone); Played and sung by Ko Khin Maung Toe (GBNF)
    • Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint
      According to Saya U Moe Aung, the term “Swel Daw Yeik” became an official synonym for RIT, its predecessors and successors at the Rangoon University Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1970. Ma Mya Than Win (Minthamee) and Ko Myint Pe (Lu Shwin Daw) were members of the Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint.
    • Gee Ta See Sar (Musical evening) : Ko Kyaw Oo (pianist, GBNF), Ko Yu Swan (Don min), Sayama “Emma” Tin Tin Myint, Ko Kyaw Htin (“Chee Hte Nu Nu Kyaw”), Ko Than Myaing, Ko Tin Maung Aye, Ko Soe Aung and Ko La Min are some of the performers at the early Gee Ta See Sar’s
    • Saya U Moe Aung, Saya U Thet Lwin, Saya U Saw Tun (“Saw Lu”), Saya Dr. Taing Oke (“Yin Maung”), U Toee Maung, U Than Po (GBNF) are some of the “Zat Saya” and/or composers.
    • U Thet Lwin‘s compositions include “Mya Kyun Nyo Nyo Kun Yeik Kho” (granted a “Dat Pyar” by Burma Broadcasting Service). The song has been sung at the various RIT-related gatherings such as Singapore Thingyan and world-wide SPZPs.The song was sung in the ceremony (on December 1, 2019) to kick off the Rangoon University Centennial Celebration.

    Thoughts

    Hla Min
    • To paraphrase the Curator of Smithsonian Museum, “There is no unique history. It is not uncommon to have parallel competing and often contradictory histories of an event.”
    • Feel free to revise my recollections of my RIT days and my contributions as an informal historian.

  • Memories (7)

    Memories (7)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Sayadaws

    Myingyan Sunlun Gu Kyaung Sayadaw
    Mahasi Sayadaw 1
    Mahasi Sayadaw 2
    Mahasi Sayadaw 3
    Mahasi Sayadaw 4
    Mahasi Sayadaw 5
    Mahasi Sayadaw 6

    Webu Sayadaw
    Saddhammaransi Sayadaw
    U Thilawuntha
    Beelin Sayadaw

    Sayas

    SPHS Sayas
    Bro Anslem
    Daw Nyein
    Daw Khin Khin Gyi & Dr. Kyaw Thet
    U Lin
    Saw Christopher Sein

    UCC Alumni in Singapore

    UCC 1
    UCC 2

    Garawa by 69ers

    U Tun Shwe
    U Win
    U Kyi
    U Lay Aung
    U Lin

    Htee Yein ထီးယိမ်း

    • 1970 Rangoon University Golden Jubilee
    • Performers from Rangoon Institute of Technology
    • With colorful umbrellas
    Htee 1
    Htee 2
    Htee 3

    Award in memory of U Ba Toke

    • Saya U Ba Toke was Professor of Mathematics at RASU and RIT
    • He was Associate Dean at Assumption University in Bangkok
    Daughters of Saya U Ba Toke; Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khone

    SF Bay Area Retirees

    • Saya U San Tun / Sain Fone Wong (M59)
    • Saya U Maung Maung / George Chan (ChE66
    SF 1
    SF 2

    New Jersey

    NJ

    Lyn Swe Aye

    Hosted by Lyn

    Win Latt

    Win Latt 1
    Win Latt 2

    RIT

    With U & Mrs. Sein Myint
    Meeting 1
    Meeting 2
    SPZP
    69er
    Intake of 1966
    Intake of 64 and 65

    Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay

    With Sayadaw U Osadha & Dr. Lyn Swe Aye
    With Uzin Chan Min & Dr. Lyn Swe Aye

    RIT Elec Engg

    EC / EP 68

    Singapore

    Reception for Andrew Khoo

    Reading, UK

    Win Mar’s Birthday

    SPHS63

    Kyaw Win’s Birthday
    Victor Nyunt Wai

    Paulian Mountaineers

    Sydney Kyant & Aung Thwin are GBNF

    Old Paulians’ Association

    OPA

    RIT69ers

    69er A
    69er B
  • Day

    Day

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    YouTube Channel

    Solar Day

    • A solar day consists of 24 hours
    • 7 days in a week
    • 28 – 31 days in a month
    • 365 days in a Common Year
    • 366 days in a Leap Year

    Days in a month

    • February has 28 days in a common year, and 29 days in a leap year.
    • April, June, September and November have 30 days.
    • January, March, July, August, October and December have 31 days.
    • January : 31
    • February : 28 (or 29)
      February is the shortest month in the year with 28 days in a Common Year and 29 days in a Leap Year.
    • March : 31
    • April : 30
    • May : 31
    • June : 30
    • July : 31
    • August : 31
    • September : 30
    • October : 31
    • November : 30
    • December : 31

    Days in a year

    • A common year has 365 days, while a Solar year has 365.2422 days.
    • A year which is not a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 4. The discrepancy of .9688 days is rounded up to a day.
    • A year which is a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 400. This ensures that there are 97 leap years in four centuries.

    Grapevine

    • February initially had 30 days, but one day each was transferred to July (honoring Julius Caesar) and August (honoring Augustus Caesar) to have 31 days in those months (worthy of Roman Emperors).
    • February was left with 28 days.
    • Ripley’s “Believe it or not” illustrated a grave stone which had February 30.

    Special Days

    We were aware of

    • Father’s Day
    • Mother’s Day
    • Labor Day
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • Independence Day
    • Presidents’ Day
    • Valentine’s Day

    Differences

    For a long time, we were not aware that some special events are celebrated on different days (depending on the country and religious order).

    • Most Christian denominations celebrate according to the Gregorian Calendar.
    • The Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas and Easter according to the old calendars (e.g. Julian).
    • The Theravada Buddhists celebrate the Full Moon Day of Kason as the “Thrice Blessed Day”.
    • The Mahayana celebrate the events (Birth, Enlightenment, Maha Parinibbana) on dates different from those of Theravada Buddhists.

    Some Thoughts

    We later learn about

    • Kabyar (Poem) Nay
    • Myat Saya (Teacher) Nay
    • Secretary Day
    • Friend Day
    • Pi Day

    Some wonder why there is no Grandfather’s Day, Grandmother’s Day or Grandparent’s Day.

    Holidays

    • Not all special days and events are holidays.
    • Even among holidays, there are Public Holidays, State Holidays, and Bank Holidays.
    • There may be good reasons (social, commercial) for having the designated days.

    Thanksgiving

    For us, every day is Thanksgiving (time to repay to our parents and mentors for their unbounded love and care).

    Adeline Hpyu Hpyu Aung wrote :

    Yes Saya. We should be thanking God, Parents and teachers everyday, without them we will not be who we are.

    KMZ wrote :

    • My left brain at times over-analyzed many of these days.
    • Many of these holidays are the work of “Holiday Industrial Complex”.
    • As Ma Adelyne Hpyu Hpyu Aung posted, some of these days like Mothers’ Day/Fathers’ Day should be 365 days a year, not necessarily just the designated day a year.
    • Believe it nor not there also is a ‘National Splurge Day’ which is June 18th.
      US Congress eventually passed a law to stop creating those days.

  • Calendar & Era

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    YouTube Channel

    AD / CE

    • AD stands for Anno Domini / “In the year of our Lord”
    • Also known as CE (Common Era)
    • Usually differs from the Burmese Era by 638
      Note : Burmese New Year falls in mid-April.
      So, the Gregorian year will span two Burmese years.

    BC

    • BC stands for “Before Christ“

    BE / ME

    • Burmese / Myanmar Era
    • Started off with Sasana Era
    • Now differs by 1182 due to “Thet ka rit phyo” (adjustment by two Kings who believed in the astrological “kain khan” sayings)

    SE

    • SE stands for Sasana Era
      Sasana is usually rendered as “Dispensation of Buddha”
    • SE is reckoned from Maha Parinibbana (Death of Lord Buddha)
    • In the mid 1950s, the Sixth Buddhist Council was held at the Kaba Aye (World Peace) Pagoda to celebrate the 2500 year of the Sasana Era.

    Sample Conversions

    Suppose the Burmese Era is 1382 BE,
    then Sasana Era = 1382 + 1182 = 2564
    and Common Era = 1382 + 638 = 2020

    Note:
    January, February, March and early April of 2020 AD will correspond to 1381 BE. The latter part of April, and May to December of 2020 AD will correspond to 1382 BE.

  • Smart / SMART

    Smart / SMART

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    YouTube Channel
    • Smart is an adjective.
    • Smarter and Smartest are the comparative and superlative forms.

    Conventional and Unconventional Wisdom

    • Thomas Edison said, “Success is due to 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration”.
    • Newer thinking : “Work smarter. Not harder.”

    General

    ဝတ်စား နေထိုင် လုပ်ကိုင် ဆောင်ရွက် ရာတွင် သေသပ် / သေချာ လျှင် Smart စမတ်ကျသည် ဟုဖေါ်ပြတတ်ပါသည်။

    SMART Goals

    SMART is an acronym for setting Objectives.

    • S : Specific တိကျ
    • M : Measurable တိုင်းနိုင်
    • A : Achievable / Achievable ပြီးမြောက်နိုင် / ရနိုင်
    • R : Realistic / Relevant အမှန်မြင် / အသုံးတဲ့
    • T : Time-bounded / Timely အချိန်ကန့်သတ် / အချိန်မီ

    SMARTER (which extends SMART) is a lesser used acronym.

    Smart Card and Devices

    • I worked for a Defense Contractor.
      My assignment was at DMDC (Defense Manpower Data Center).
      Every employee and contractor was issued a Smart Card, which has a processor and memory to hold Biometrics (e.g. fingerprint), Photo ID, and Cryptographic Keys.
      One has to use a Smart Card to (a) enter specified areas of the building (b) logging on to a computer system.
      Smart cards were not cheap at that time, and there were limitations in the resources (e.g. memory on the card)
    • Smart devices (e.g. smart phones) are ubiquitous.
    • Smart cars (e.g. driver-less) are available.
    • Smart Car / Autonomous vehicles
    • Smart Monitors

    SMART Group of Companies

    • Founded by KK (Kyaw Kyaw Hlaing) about 25 years ago
    • Started with Technical Services
    • Currently 7 companies in the group

    SMART Sar Pay / Publishing

    • published several award winning books
    • latest : reprint of Maung Aung Mon (U Win Aung Gyi)’s collection of short stories from the 1950s : to celebrate RU Centennial

    SMART Media

    • Talk shows
    • Interviews
    • Documentary
    • Sponsor for 5th ILF (Irrawaddy Literary Festival) in November 2019
    • Diamond Sponsor for PSA 2020 Tour to six (or so) cities in Upper Myanmar in January 2020

    U Aung Myaing added:

    Work smarter. Not harder. ဆိုတာနဲ့ပတ်သက်ပြီး ကျနော့်အမြင်ကို လက်တွေ့ ဥပမာနဲ့ ပြောချင်ပါတယ်။

    လုပ်ဖေါ်ကိုင်ဘက် ၂ ယောက်။
    တစ်ယောက်က တချိန်လုံး အလုပ်ရှုပ်နေတယ်။ သူ့ KPI ( Key Performance indicators) ထဲမှာ ပါတဲ့ အလုပ်တွေကို အဓိကပြီးမြောက်အောင်မလုပ်ဘဲ ကိုယ်စိတ်ဝင်စားရင်ဖိလုပ် မဝင်စားရင် တော်ရုံတန်ရုံလုပ်။ နှစ်ကုန်လို့ KPI ကို assess လုပ်တဲ့အခါကျတော့ ပြီးတာပြီး လိုတာလိုနဲ့ score ကောင်းကောင်းမရဘူး။

    ကျန်တစ်ယောက်ကတော့ KPI ကို အကျအနပြင်တယ်။ အပေါ်က approval ရပြီဆိုတော့ အဲဒီ KPI ထဲက အလုပ်တွေကို ပီပီပြင်ပြင်လုပ်တယ်။ both hard and smart, but not as hard as the first one.
    နှစ်ကုန်တော့ scores ကောင်းကောင်းရတယ်။

    သူတို့နှစ်ယောက်က
    hard က မတိမ်းမယိမ်းဘဲ။
    Smart ကတော်တော်ကွာသွားတယ်။

  • Date Formats

    Date Formats

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    YouTube Channel

    Day, Month, Year

    This is the format used in Myanmar.

    For example, August 22, 2018 can be displayed in various flavors.

    • DD-MM-YYYY (The day, month and year are displayed as numbers. e.g. 22-08-2018)
    • A different delimiter/separator may be used. Using the forward slash as a delimiter, the format becomes DD/MM/YYYY (e.g. 22/08/2018)
    • DD-MMM-YYYY (The month is represented by three letters. (e.g. 22-AUG-2019)

    Y2K Problem

    In the early days of computing, some people tried to save space, time and money by using only two digits for the Year.
    As the Millennium approach, the news media ran stories of possible errors, ambiguities and accidents due to computers using two-digit year format.

    To represent the dates of very old people and events may be tricky using the two-digit format.

    It can be ambiguous for some dates.
    22-08-18 could mean 22-08-2018, 22-08-1918 or even earlier dates.

    Month, Day, Year

    This is the format used in the USA

    • MM-DD-YYYY (e.g. 08-22-2018)
    • MM/DD/YYYY (e.g. 08/22/12018)
    • MMM-DD-YYYY (e.g. AUG-22-2018)
    • In the early days, only two digits were used for the Year. It was the cause of the infamous Y2K Problem.

    Year, Month, Day

    • YYYY-MM-DD (e.g. 2018-08-22)
    • YYYY/MM/DD (e.g. 2018/08/22)
    • YYYYMMDD (e.g. 20180822). One advantage of this representation is that the dates can be sorted easily.

    Number of days from a specified base date

    The representation uses the interval between the two dates.

    Number of days in a year (instead of Month and Day)

    In this system, 1st January is represented as 001.

    1st February is represented as 032.

    The interval between two dates in the same year is easily calculated.

  • RIT Class of 1974

    RIT Class of 1974

    by Hla Min

    Update : September 2026

    M74

    U Myo Myint

    U Myo Myint
    • Distinguished artist
    • Designed the Cover of several RIT Annual Magazines & Commemorative Swel Daw Yeik Magazines
    • Drew Pon Tu of sayas & sayamas. Offered them as gifts
    • Drew paintings and exhibited them at SPZPs and Shwe YaDu.
    • Donated proceeds of the sales of his paintings for RIT-related activities.
    • Donated K3 Lakhs to Swel Daw Yeik Foundation
    • Donated K2 Lakhs for YTU Library Modernization Project
    Donation for SDYF by Bagyee Myo Myint

    Maung Maung Thant

    • Younger brother of Maung Maung Kyi
    • Ye Kyaung Lu Nge

    Sann Aung (GBNF)

    Sann Aung
    • Han Tha Aye Nylon
    • RUBC Gold
    • RIT Shay Saung Co-op
    • Dat Pone (U.S.A Lab)

    EP74

    Dr. Htay Lwin Nyo (GBNF)

    Luyechun
    • RIT Luyechun
    • M.Sc (CS)
    • Ph.D (EE), Syracuse University
    • Passed away in San Jose, California
    News about HLN

    U Myint Swe

    U Myint Swe
    • Founding member, NorCal RITAA
    • Past Secretary, NorCal RITAA
    • Vice President, NorCal RITAA

    EC74

    Daw San San Swe (San San Nwe)

    San San Swe
    • Founding member, NorCal RITAA
    • Has a large Class Photo

    Sai Aung Thu Rein (GBNF)

    • M.Sc (CS)
    • Worked in Singapore & Australia
    • Passed away in Sydney, Australia

    EE74 Gathering

    • Sample photo from the gathering
    EE74

    ChE74

    • Class photo provided by Saya U Htun Aung Kyaw
  • GBNF 2014

    GBNF 2014

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    February 2014

    • Daw Helen Lim, 88+ years young passed away. She is the mother of Margaret Lim and Daisy Lim. She is the aunt of Saya U “Charlie” Hla Myint (M 65), U Michael Lim (C74), Daw Kyu Kyu Lin (T75) and Dr. San Lwin Lin (EC77).
    • Daw Kyin Shwe, 98+ years young, passed away at 7 am on February 8, 2014. She is the mother of U Nyunt Tin (M 70, RIT table tennis), Daw May Win Kyi (my primary school classmate), the late Daw Khin Pa Pa (Mrs. Sein Yaung, M 67), and U Nyunt Tun (Khamee khamet of Daw Kyu Kyu Lin).
    • U Soe Win Thaw Mechanical 1987 ( 1991 ) passed away on 7th Feb, 2014

    June 2014

    U Kyaw Zaw and Daw Khin Khin Aye
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is daw-khin-khin-aye.jpg
    Daw Khin Khin Aye
    • Daw Khin Khin Aye
      Her elder sister Daw Tin Tin Aye founded Private Primary Boundary Road School (PPBRS). She taught at PPBRS and later became the Principal.
      She extended the school to teach Middle School and High School. The school was renamed PBRS. After nationalization, she worked as Township Education Officer for Bahan.

    August 2014

    • U Maung Maung (T) : 31st Aug 2014
  • Donor of $200000+ to RIT-related Activities

    Donor of $200000+ to RIT-related Activities

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    Steeve Kay (Thaung Sein, EC70, GBNF)

    Steeve 1

    Education

    • Studied at Hwa Kyone School in Rangoon, Burma.
    • Briefly attended GTI (Government Technical Institute).
    • Matriculated with Distinctions in Maths, Physics and Chemistry.
    • In November 1964, he was admitted as a top Student to RIT (Rangoon Institute of Technology) along with Zaw Min, Tommy Shwe (GBNF), Peter Pe (GBNF) and Cho Aye (GBNF).
    • Graduated in 1970 with BE (Bachelor of Engineering) with specialization in EC (Electrical Communications).
    • Moved to California, USA.
    • MSEE (Master of Science in Electrical Engineering) from Stanford University
    • MBA (Master in Business Administration) from Pepperdine University
    Steeve 2

    Experience

    • Worked in the Electronics Industry as IC (Integrated Circuit) Designer.
    • Per request from his younger sister Dr. Kay, he co-founded QTC and served as CEO (Chief Executive Officer). See Souvenir book for the Silver Jubilee of QTC.
    • QTC was acquired for a sizable sum. Became a Serial Entrepreneur & Philanthropist. Founded Eleok, Teehub & Kay Family Foundation.
    • Traveled to the Holy Places of Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism & Islam to study Comparative Religion.
    • Visited prominent historic sites. Tried to trace his roots dating back ten or more generations.

    Philanthropist

    • Founded CABA (Charitable Alliance of Burmese Associations). A notable CABA donation was to Disaster Relief Fund help the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Burma. Details can be found in the reports prepared by Benny Tan (M70) who served as a CABA administrator.
    • Established KFF (Kay Family Foundation) to support a wide range of support. KFF donated to Universities (Stanford, Harvard, UC Irvine …), Research Institutes and Libraries. KFF sponsored the visit of Myanmar Education Delegation to California. KFF provided a Matching Donation of $30000 for the 2015 RIT Alumni Reunion in Los Angeles.
    • He never forgot his roots. He wanted to show his appreciation for his schools, mentors, classmates and schoolmates.
    • KFF sponsored the publication of the “Centennial of Hwa Kyone School” and its Sequel.
    • He has donated $200000+ (via CABA and KFF) to RIT-related activities.
    • In October 2000, he donated $3000 to the First RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe and became the first Golden Sponsor. He also sponsored the subsequent SPZPs (Saya Pu Zaw Pwes) at Singapore in December 2002, April 2007 and December 2010; at Yangon in December 2004, December 2012 and 2016.
    • In 2004, he set up the “Steeve and Helen Kay Health Care Fund for RIT Sayas” with a pledge of $50000.

    Final Years

    • In 2018, he was diagnosed with a medical problem. His doctors recommended to work from home and avoid long travels.
    • He requested Benny and me to organize a special Reunion and Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe on his behalf. For details, see my post about that event.
    • Started writing books to share his expertise and memories.
    • Succumbed to Jara, Byadi & Marana.

    Memories

    Steeve 3
    Steeve 5
    Steeve 6
  • UCC Sayas

    UCC Sayas

    by Hla Min

    Updated : September 2026

    UCC

    • First Computer Center in Burma
    • Offered Academic & Professional Courses in Computer Science, Computer Technology and Computer Applications

    UCC Founders

    • Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF)
    • U Soe Paing
    • U Myo Min
    • U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF)

    Saya Dr. Chit Swe

    Saya Chit in 2006
    • He founded UCC with the help of U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay.
    U Soe Paing

    U Soe Paing

    • He was my mentor at RIT and UCC. He contributed news and articles to “RIT Alumni International Newsletter”.
    • He also wrote the draft for the HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education) book.
    U Myo Min

    U Myo Min

    • He was working as Systems Analyst for IBM in UK when Saya Dr. Chit Swe requested him (via Saya Myo’s mother) to help co-found UCC
    U Ko Ko Lay

    U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF)

    • He served as Operations Manager and Scientific Applications Manager at UCC, Professor at the Department of Computer Science and at the Institute of Computer Science and Technology.

    Still So Young And Passionate: Saya Chit (Dr. Chit Swe)

    Even in his late 80’s, Saya had an active mind and a burning desire to payback to Myanmar.

    He supervised Burmese students in Australia with their research and theses.

    He studied Mathematics at Mandalay University. His contemporaries include Dr. Maung Di and U Khin Maung Tint (Tekkatho Phone Naing).

    He did graduate studies at Imperial College (University of London) , Glasgow University and the University of Liverpool in the UK.

    During his studies at Imperial College, Saya U Ba Than (Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering, RIT, GBNF) was his room mate.

    Saya was Head of Mathematics Department at the Institute of Economics when he proposed to the Ministry of Education to acquire a computer for research and teaching. Dr. Nyi Nyi requested saya to extend the scope of his proposal to cover selected universities and institutes. The UCC project was born.

    It would take several years before UNDP would approve to fund the UCC project. UNESCO would act as the Executing Agency.

    Mandalay Hall

    Dr. Chit Swe succeeded U Ba Toke as Professor of Mathematics Department at RASU. He recruited volunteers to help plan for the implementation of UCC. He received permission to use Mandalay Hall as the temporary home for UCC.

    Sayas — Dr. Chit Swe, U Soe Paing, U Myo Min, U Ko Ko Lay and several others — conducted courses on Computer Fundamentals & Programming, Systems Analysis and Design, and Numerical Methods.

    Thamaing College Campus

    UCC moved over to Thamaing College Campus as a neighbor to RC2 (Regional College Two). Dr. Chit Swe became the Founder and Director of UCC. U Soe Paing, U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay became Managers in charge of Systems Division, Applications Division, and Operations Division.

    After reorganization, Applications Division was split into Business Applications Division and Scientific Applications Division.

    Saya’s Vision

    Saya was a pioneer and an advocate of “Technology Transfer”, “Leapfrogging Technology”, “Knowledge Sharing”, and TOSS (Team of System Specialists).

    Saya is modest. During a trip to Chauk Htat Yone (Six Storey Office), the admin would “ignore” him and would pay respect to Ko Myint Oo (his student and volunteer assistant), who was well dressed and was carrying a suitcase.

    Saya insisted a Component in the UCC Project Plan to invite the elite Computer Scientists and Practitioners including

    (a) two Past Presidents of the prestigious ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) : Professor Harry Huskey (UCSC) and Professor Anthony Ralston (SUNY Buffalo),

    (b) a future ACM Turing Award Winner (considered as the Nobel Prize for Computing) : Professor Michael Stonebraker (UCB) to UCC and jump start courses in Computer Science and Applications.

    Misconception

    Saya thought that I had served as an Editor for a newspaper. I had written articles, poems and translations for Guardian, WPD (Working People’s Daily) newspapers and Forward Magazine.

    Upon learning that I was an RIT graduate volunteering for the UCC Project Maung Thaw Ka (Bohmu Ba Thaw, Chief Editor of Forward Magazine, GBNF) suggested that I should join his staff.

    In my 3rd BE, editors from NAB (News Agency Burma) headed by Tet Toe (U Ohn Pe, Chief Editor) invited me to join their staff.

    My parents supported my hobbies, but they wanted to make sure that I have a good education and a decent job.

    I became a writer for Saya’s projects:

    • High School Mathematics Curriculum Development
    • Children’s Treasury of Knowledge (CTK)
    • Planning for computerization of Government Departments
    • Team of System Specialists (TOSS).

    Saya believed in me and gave the opportunity to take challenges.

    Life After UCC

    After UCC, Saya served as Rector of RASU, but his passion for his “Dream Child” and his care for his former students never diminished.

    After retirement, Saya taught at Assumption University — formerly known as ABAC (Assumption Business and Accounting College) — in Bangkok, Thailand.

    Saya later relocated to Sydney, Australia and served as Visiting Professor of Macquarie University. Several Burmese completed their doctorates under his supervision.

    Reunion With Saya In Australia

    In June 2006, I visited Sydney, Australia to attend several gatherings:

    • RIT alumni gathering headed by Saya U Hla Myint (Charlie, M65) and Saya U Myo Win (Melvin, M65, GBNF)
    • UCC alumni gathering at Saya U Aung Zaw’s house where we paid homage to Saya Dr. Chit Swe and Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (National Planning Adviser & Board Member of UCC)
    • Old Paulians gathering at Olympic Park organized by Dr. Thann Naing (Bonnie Kywe, SPHS66, Geology70)

    Saya’s Present

    Saya asked me to give a lecture or seminar to interested young people in Sydney. He then presented me with his hat. I hope that Saya’s hat can “transfer” his brilliant thinking into my head.

    Visits

    In the past years, Saya visited Singapore and Myanmar and shared his wisdom, knowledge and experience.

    He has minor health problems, but his mind is sharp as ever.

    Saya Dr. Tin Maung (GBNF)

    Dr. Tin Maung
    • His father Saya Kar was Minister of Education in the Caretaker Government and Rector of Rangoon University.
    • Saya joined the Department of Mathematics as Tutor. He went for further studies in UK. Upon his return, he was promoted to Lecturer.
    • He succeeded Saya Dr. Chit Swe as Director of UCC. During his tenure, DCS (Department of Computer Science) was established with U Ko Ko Lay as Professor and U Tun Aung Gyaw as Associate Professor.
    • In 1987, ICST (Institute of Computer Science and Technology) with Saya as Rector. There were four Departments : (a) Hardware Technology (b) Software Technology (c) Information Systems (d) Computational Mathematics. U Ko Ko Lay was Professor of Information Systems. U Tun Aung Gyaw was Associate Professor for Hardware Technology. I was Associative Professor of Software Technology. Bachelor degree courses in Computer Science (CS) and Computer Technology (CT) were given. In the first batch, there were 30 CS and 15 CT students.
    • Saya Dr. Tin Maung continued to implement the Vision and Mission set by the UCC Founders, and managed to go further.
    • He did not live long enough to see 26 batches (from ICST and UCSY) host the 5th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe on January 14, 2018. San Yin Myint (Samanta, cousin of Ko Maurice Chee) and her friends posted a “Live” Facebook session of the Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe. Dr. Kyaw Thein (GBNF), Dr. Maung Maung Htay, U Myint Swe, Daw Nwe Nwe Win (Judy) and I gave short speeches at the Pu Zaw Pwe.

    Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF)

    • He matriculated from SPHS in 1956 along with Saya U Soe Paing), U Win Htein (GBNF), Bohmu Percy Maung Maung (GBNF), Saya U Ba Min and U Than Se (Richard, ChE62).
    • He is the elder brother of U Than Htut (M67, RUBC Gold), Maw (BDS) and Zaw (RUBC Gold, GBNF).
    • He studied BSCE and MSCE at Stanford University in the US.
    • He joined PWD as Assistant Engineer.
    • He was recruited by his friend U Soe Paing to help with the UCC Project in general and the design and implementation of UCC Building in particular.
    • He transferred to UCC as Operations Division Manager.
    • He served as Scientific Applications Division Manager.
    • He received Masters in Systems Engineering from the University of Lancaster, UK.
    • Professor at the Department of Computer Science (DCS)
    • Professor of Information Systems (IS) at the Institute of Computer Science and Technology (ICST)
    • He enjoyed playing tennis, soccer and volleyball.
    • He has an excellent command of English
    • He passed away in the early 1990s.

    Dr. San Tint and U Shein Soe Myint (both GBNF)

    Dr. San Tint (EE61) was my saya at RIT. He served as External Examiner for Computer Science students at UCC and DCS.

    U Shein Soe Myint (EC83) is a classmate of U Thaung Tin (KMD, former Minister) and my cousin nephew U Thar Hlaing. He joined UCC, DCS and ICST as a graduate student, engineer and later saya. He was studying for his doctorate at NUS when he unexpectedly passed away.

    The picture was taken at a mini-reunion of RIT & UCC alumni during my visit to Singapore.

    DST and SSM
    Standing : Dr. San Tint (3rd from left), U Shein Soe Myint (5th from left)

    Dr. Freddie Ba Hli (GBNF)

    He received Sc.D. (Doctor of Science) from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). At MIT, Saya helped “fresh” scholars including Saya Dr. Aung Gyi and Saya U Min Wun acclimatize with the environment and studies.

    He served as DG (Director General) of UBARI (Union of Burma Applied Research Institute) and Advisor for the Ministry of National Planning. He was a supporter of UCC Project and served as a member of the Board of Directors and as an External Examiner for the Computer Science graduates.

    Daw Myint Thwe (Saya’s spouse) is the sister of Saya U Tin U (C), Saya U Ba Than (M, GBND), Dr. Daw Win Hlaing, Dr Myo Tint (GBNF), U Tin Htoon (A60), Saya U Myo Min (UCC), U Thaung Lwin (EC66) and Daw Cho Cho Hlaing.

    Saya’s children — Ma Tin Tin Hlaing and Ko Tha Hlaing (EC83) — are UCC alumni.

    During my visit to Sydney (Australia) in 2006, Saya U Aung Zaw hosted a UCC reunion and mini-PZP (Pu Zaw Pwe) for Saya Dr. F Ba Hli and Saya Dr. Chit Swe. Saya Chit gave me his hat. Ko Tha Hlaing gave me a book “This is Sydney”.

    Ko Htay Aung (Victor, EC80) is a nephew of Saya U Sein Hlaing. He is the spouse of Ma Tin Tin Hlaing (Saya FBH’s daughter). Ko Htay Aung and team “programmed” a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory) to print Burmese characters on the Cromemco System Three micro-computer. He worked on Burmese Word Processing for Wang Computers. He migrated to Australia. For the past few years, he came back to Yangon to volunteer as an interpreter for the “10-day Mediation Retreat for Foreign Yogis” at the Mahasi Sasana Yeik Tha.