Author: Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)

  • Nigara Falls, Inlay & Ngapali

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Niagara Falls

    • Visited Nigara Falls twice
    • First : from the US side
    • Second : photos taken on the trip in 2015 from the Canada side
    Niagara 1
    Niagara 2
    Niagara 3
    Niagara 4

    Ngapali

    • Visited Ngapali three times
    • First : with cousin & friends
    • Second : with my family
    • Third : Guest Lecturer at the Luyechun Camp
    • My poem was published in the Forward Magazine
    Ngapali

    Inlay

    • Visited Inlay four times
    • First : as RIT Luyechun
    • Second : with Peter Pe & Mg Mg Aye (SPHS classmates)
    • Third : with a Tour Company
    • Fourth : with PSA
    • My poem was published in the Thadinkyut Supplement.
    Inlay 1
    Inlay 2
    Inlay 3
    Inlay 4
    Inlay 5
    Poem
  • Dr. Freddie Ba Hli

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Highlights

    Dr. F Ba Hli
    • Only son of Sayagyi U Ba Hli, first native Dean of Engineering & Proponent of Twinning Program between Faculty of Engineering and prestigious US universities.
    U Ba Hli
    • Sc. D (Doctorate of Science) from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
    • Helped Dr. Aung Gyi & U Min Wun, who were doing undergraduate studies at MIT under “Twinning Program”.
    • Spouse : Daw Myint Thwe (sister of U Tin U & U Ba Than)
    • Children : Tin Tin Hlaing (ex-UCC, Tha Hlaing (EC 83) & Min Thet Tun (GBNF)
    Daw Myint Thwe and children
    • Per request from Saya U Aung Khin, he wrote an article about his beloved father in the RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-02000,

    Service in Burma

    • Part-time Lecturer, Electrical Engineering Department
    • Acting Director, Burma Atomic Energy Commission
    • Director General, Union Of Burma Applied Research Institute (UBARI)
    • National Advisor, Ministry of National Planning
    • Member, UCC Board of Management
    • External Examiner, UCC

    Post-retirement in Australia

    • After retirement, he moved to Australia
    • Celebrated his 93rd birthday on June 28, 2015
    • Had a heart attack on June 30,2015 and was taken to West Mead Hospital.
    • Passed away at 3 AM (Australian Standard Time) On July 1, 2015.

    Messages of Condolence

    From Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi

    Ko Hla Min,

    I am very sad to know that Dr F. Ba Hli has passed away recently.

    As I have mentioned before in my contributing article to the History of Engineering Education in Myanmar, Dr Ba Hli was one of the nicest persons that I had the privilege of knowing in my life. He was helpful in every way to me and U Min Wun so that we were able to adapt successfully to our studies at MIT.

    I send my heartfelt condolences to his family.

    From Saya U Soe Paing

    Please convey our condolences to Daw Myint Thwe, Htay Aung, Tin Tin Hlaing and the family of Saya Freddie Ba Hli.

    Dr. Ba Hli was an active member of the UCC Board of Management

    From Association of Myanmar Engineers in Australia

    Funeral program details of Dr. F Ba Hli are as follow:

    • 6 July 2015 Monday
    • 3:00 pm
    • Castlebrook Memorial Park Cemetery, Windsor Rd, Rouse Hill NSW 2155, (02) 9629 1477

    As per family’s request: it would be greatly appreciated if you wish to contribute donations toward ‘Heart Foundation’ instead of memorial/sympathy flowers.

    Memories

    • Engg Dean U Ba Hli
    U Ba Hli 2
    U Ba Hli 3
    • Yahan Khan, Shin Pyu
    U Ba Hli & Dr. F Ba Hli
    • Family Gathering
    Dr. F Ba Hli
    • UCC Gathering
    Dr. F Ba Hli, Dr. Chit Swe
    • Daw Myint Thwe
    Daw Myint Thwe

    Posts

    • Deans & Rectors
    • RIT Alumni Newsletter (2000)
    • Sydney Gatherings (2006)
    • Three Generation of Engineers
    • UCC
  • Thanks for your appreciation

    by RIT Alumni

    Updated : May 2026

    • Dr. Soe Thein (C75) wrote :

    ကျွန်တော် တို့ မမှီ လိုက်တဲ့ အင်ဂျင်နီယာ တွေနဲ့ ပါတ်သက် ခဲ့တဲ့လိပ်ခုံး BIT RIT အကြောင်း အရာ တွေကို နှစ်ပေါင်း ဆယ်စု များစွာ စံနစ် တကျ စဉ်ဆက် မပြတ် ရေးသား ပေးတဲ့ ရာသက်ပန် RIT သတင်း ပြန်ကြားရေး မှူး ဦးလှမင်း ကို အထူး ဂုဏ်ပြု အပ်ပါတယ်။

    ဒီလို ထူးချွန် ​ပြောင် မြောက် တဲ့ သတင်း ပြန်ကြားရေး မှူး နောက် တယောက် ဘယ်တော့မှ ပေါ်ထွန်း နှိုင်တော့ မည် မဟုတ်ပါ။

    Big big congratulations ပါ

    ဦးလှမင်း

    • Khin Aye Myint wrote :

    Congrats to U Hla Min for his informative RIT, BIT history ..

    • Aung Min wrote :

    Junior များ

    လက်ဆင့်ကမ်းကြလော့

    • Aung Myaing wrote :

    An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

    A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away making you healthy and happy.

    • Zaw Winn wrote :

    My Appreciations Dear Senior,

    Your affection for our Alma Mater is unparalleled and will be in our memories for ever.

    • Mg Mar Ga wrote :

    အကို့ကြောင့်သာဒိလိုမှတ်တမ်းမှတ်ရာတွေအသေအချာကျန်ခဲ့တာပါအကို့ခြေရာနင်းနိုင်ဖို့နောက်တယောက်ထပ်ရှိဖို့မလွယ်ပါတကယ်ပြောတာပါမှတ်ညဏ်ရယ်စေတနာရယ်အချိန်ပေးနိုင်မှုရယ်ဆောင်ရွက်တတ်မှုဆိုတာသာမန်လူလုပ်နိုင်ခဲလွန်းလှတယ်RIT Archive လုပ်ဖို့အကိုတအားတိုက်တွန်းခဲ့တာမှတ်မိတယ်ကြိုးစားစခဲ့ပေမဲ့တကယ်ကအကိုလုပ်ပြီးသားထက်ရေှ့မတိုးနိုင်ခဲ့ တကယ်ကိုရင်ထဲကချီးကျူးပါရ စေကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်လိုရာပြည့်ပါစေအကို

    • U Myo Myint wrote :

    Mg Mar Ga

    ဆရာ U Hla Min စုဆောင်းပြုစုမှတ်တမ်းတင်နေတဲ့‌အားထုတ်လုပ်ဆောင်ချက်များကို

    ဦးဝင်းထိန်ဦးရဲ့မှတ်ချက်နဲ့ထပ်တူကျနော့်ရင်ထဲမှာလေးစားတန်ဖိုးထားချီးကျူးရပါကြောင်းနှင့်

    ဆရာကိုယ်စိတ်နှစ်ပါးကျန်းမာ ချမ်းသာပါစေကြောင်း ထပ်ဆင့်ဆုတောင်းပါတယ်ခင်ဗျာ။

    • Wai Lu wrote :

    These are extraordinary records. Maybe superman @ genius @ techniques.

    • San Lin wrote :

    ပြီးခဲ့သမျှကို အရမ်းမှတ်မိသလို လုပ်လဲလုပ်နိုင်တဲ့ ဆရာဦးလှမင်း ကျန်းမာသက်ရှည်ပါစေ။

    • U Hla Myint Rit wrote :

    Thanks to all. VV Nice. Be mindful

    Photos

    At Ko Benny’s house
    Soon Kyway on August 20, 2016
    Award & Birthday Greetings
    Saya U Myat Htoo presented the Award
    Birthday card (from sayas & alumni)
    & two cakes (by Charlie & Diana Tseng)
    Birthday Card
    Welcoming Saya U Soe Paing to SF Bay Area
    At Half Moon Bay monastery
    SF Bay Area Retirees
    Retirees
    Welcoming Sayas Dr. San Hla Aung and U Tin Htut
    With Ko Tun Shwe & Ko Myint Thein (Soon Hoe)
    Saya Dr. Aung Gyi received Pon Tu (by Bagyee Myat Myo Myat)
    carried by Saya Ko Nyunt Htay
    SF Bay Area alumni
    Gathering hosted by Steeve Kay
    40th anniversary of arrival in USA
    With Steeve Kay (Multiple Golden Sponsor of SPZPs)
    With Class of 71 at Indian restaurant
    SPZP-2012 at Gyogone Campus
    At SPZP-2012
    with Sayas George & U Myat Htoo
    At Feel restaurant
    hosted by Ko Saw Lin (GBNF)
  • New Jersey Reunion

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Hosted by Ivan Lee

    • Ivan Lee (Khin Maung Oo, M69, New Jersey) hosted an annual get-together for RIT and UCC alumni for more than a decade.
    • The date is chosen so that Saya Dr. Aung Gyi (Former Rector) and Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC) can attend.

    Reunion in 2015

    69ers

    69ers in New Jersey
    • Fred Thetgyi (M69)
    • Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69)
    • Hla Min (EC69)
    • Saw Yu Tint (Alice, T69)
    • Mg Toung (Tom, EC69)
    • Ivan Lee (Khin Maung Oo, M69)
    Reunion in 2015
    • Sayas Dr. Aung Gyi & U Soe Paing
    Ivan, DAG & HM
    • RIT Alumni — U Than Se (Richard, ChE62), U Sein Myint (EC76)
    • UCC Alumni — U Tun Aung Gyaw, U Hla Min, U Sein Myint, Daw Sao Mon Sint, U Soe Myint
    • Spouses & Relatives

    Reunion in 2018

    • In June 2018, seven RIT sayas attended the NJ Reunion.
    1. Dr. Aung Gyi (Former Rector)
    2. Dr. San Hla Aung (C58)
    3. Saya U Soe Paing (EE, UCC)
    4. Dr. Tin Win (M62)
    5. Dr. Ohn Myint (C64)
    6. U Htun Aung Kyaw (ChE67)
    7. U Aung Myint (M69)

    MASTAA

    • At a later Reunion, some sayas and alumni suggested to form MASTAA (Myanmar American Science and Technology Alumni Association).
    • Ivan served as the inaugural CEO. U Soe Myint (UCC) served as President. U Sein Myint (EC76, UCC) served as Vice President.

    Posts

    • Associations
    • Gatherings
    • Memories of RIT
    • Memories of UCC
    • Visits
  • Messages, Wishes & Dishes

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    From Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi (Canada)

    Dr. Aung Gyi
    • Sayagyi hosted us for two days during our trip to Canada in July 2015.
    • He enjoys talking about the RIT days. His account “Coconut Episode” was published in the Swel Daw Yeik Sar saung for SPZP-2002.
    • Due to schedule conflicts, he could not make it to the soon kyway on August 20, 2016, but he asked Maurice to order Tohu Thoke. He sent a message to Maurice to be read at the gathering.

    Ko Hla Min & family, & Friends,

    First of all I would like to mention that I am sorry I was not able to be there for Happy Birthday celebration for Ko Hla Min with all of you. I miss the opportunity of sharing the good time, laughter and the good food with my friends. Although I am not there in person for this joyful occasion, I want you to know that my heart and thoughts are with all of you.

    Having said all of the above, I would like to express my deep appreciation and thanks to Ko Hla Min for his years of dedicated and selfless service to keep us informed and connected; and at the same time for keeping the “RIT SPIRIT” alive. I am quite sure all of the RIT Alumni also appreciate and are grateful for this excellent service like me. In recognition of this outstanding community service, I understand that Northern California RIT Alumni is giving Ko Hla Min some kind of an award for which he deserves. I hope that Ko Hla Min will be able to continue this service for years to come, as I feel that no other person may be able to carry out this task better than he does.

    I really do not know how old Ko Hla Min is now. The number is irrelevant; what’s important is that he is still healthy and active and he still looks young. With this happy thought my wife and I wish Ko Hla Min “Happy Birthday”.

    May you all be happy, healthy, prosperous and free from all harm. Please enjoy your joyful get-together.

    With abundant Metta
    Aung Gyi

    From Saya Dr. San Hla Aung (C58)

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    Here’s wishing you all the happiness and the best of everything on your Birthday and praying for many many more returns of the Day.

    Thanks also for your tireless effort and devotion towards keeping the website alive and flourishing, and letting all of us alumni stay connected. Kudos for a great job so well done!

    With boundless metta,
    San Hla Aung

    From Saya U San Tun (Sain Fone Wong, M59)

    Dear U Hla Min,

    We regret that we will not be able to join the celebration of your birthday at the Theravada Buddhist Society of America on August 20, 2016.

    There is no doubt that the attendance will be large and all the Burmese foods will be mouth-watering and delicious. We are sure all the attendees will have a good time and leave the celebration venue with a fond memory.

    We admire you for all the good deeds and sacrifices you have been doing over the past decade for the benefits to oversea Burmese immigrants not only in the bay area, Southern California, the United States and over various parts of the world. Keep up the good work!

    We expect to meet you at the annual Nor Cal RITAA dinner on September 17,2016. We wish you a happy birthday and our best regards to your beloved Daw Sein Yee.

    Sain Fone & Sylvia

    From Saya Dr. Chris Lee (L Tin Htun, EE59)

    Dear Ko Hla Min:

    From reading the recent emails in your “Update”, tomorrow will be a great “Happy Birthday Bonanza Party” for you. It will surely be a fun, exciting and memorable event for all attendees.

    We wish you a wonderful Happy Birthday and many many more returns.

    Best regards,
    Chris and Pam Lee

    From Saya U Tin Htut (M60)

    • Founder & Past President of BASES
    • Organizer for SPZP-2000
    • Saya will attend the soon kyway on August 20, 2016 and the Annual Dinner of Northern California RIT Alumni Association on September 17, 2016. Thanks.

    Yes, I will be glad to join you all in the celebration.
    Tin Htut

    From Saya U Soe Paing (my mentor at RIT and UCC)

    Happy 70th Birthday and best wishes for many more birthdays to come.

    SP

    From Saya Dr. Tin Win (M62) and Daw Lily Win (T72)

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    We wish you a very happy Birthday and many more years with good health, prosperity and contentment.

    Best regards,
    Tin Win and Lily

    From Saya KC Chiu (Dr. Tin Aung, ChE63)

    Ko Hla Min,

    Happy birthday to you. Your voluntary service in keeping RIT alumni connected is unprecedented and commendable. You deserve the honorable commendation party to be held on 8/20/2016 at Half Moon Bay. If I didn’t move to Southern California last year, I would not miss it for the world. Happy birthday again and many more to come.

    Regards,
    KC Chiu

    From Saya Dr. Nyo Win (M65)

    • Past President of BAPS
    • Founding member of RIT Alumni International
    • Founding member & BOD for NorCal RIT AA
    • Saya Allen Htay’s article, “Brother, can you afford US $500?” refers to “U Nyo Win Act” for SPZP-2000. The Act did not need to be implemented thanks to the Golden Sponsors : U Thaung Sein (Steeve Kay, EC70), U Yu Beng (Benny Tan, M70), U Khin Maung oo (Ivan Lee, M69), U Tin Myint (David Ko, M67) and U Maung Maung Than (M79) and the numerous sponsors.

    Hello Ko Hla Min,

    We all are expecting and waiting for the up coming celebration of your birthday at Half Moon Bay Monastery this Saturday [August 20, 2016]. It’s going to be one of its kind in our RIT alumni community, and surely on the day of the celebration you will be overwhelmed by all the alums, sayas, sayamas, friends and well wishers. I’d like to wish you beforehand a very happy birthday and looking forward to seeing you at the celebration party.

    Warmest regards,
    [Saya Dr.] Nyo Win (ME 65)

    From Saya Dr. Kyaw Sein (M65)

    Dear U Hla Min,

    Best wishes for your Birthday and many happy returns of the day from this day onwards and far beyond.May good health, happiness, prosperity and success be always with your whole family.

    With warm and sincere regards
    Kyaw Sein. Prof. Dr.
    University of Malaysia
    Mechatronics

    From Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66) & spouse

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    See you at the Half Moon Bay Monastery this Saturday.

    Thanks for your dedication and untiring effort in keeping us all in touch with alumni all around the world.

    Also wishing you the very best on your Birthday and many more to come.

    Best regards.
    George & Eng Eng Chan

    From King Wong (Victor, C66)

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    All good and kind words are spoken by others.

    My tongue is tied and twisted.
    All I can say ” Happy Birthday to You “

    BTW, also Happy Birthday to adorable Grace.

    Best Regards
    King Wong (Victor)

    From Daw Khin Khin Kyu (Ann, A67)

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    Thank you so much for keeping RIT spirit well and healthy all the time.

    Appreciate all your hard work and time well spent. I regret that I can’t come to your BD celebration since I will be out of town that day.

    Wishing you many many more returns. Enjoy yourself and be healthy every day.

    Best regards
    Ann K K Kyu

    Editor’s Note:
    Daw KKK sent a birthday gift with Maurice.

    From U Saim Mayet (M67)

    Dear U Hla Min,

    Wish you a very happy birthday. I admire you for all the hard work you have been doing for more than a decade to keep us informed about RIT sayagyis, sayamas and other members. Thank you.

    Salim Mayet (M 67)

    From Saya U Myat Htoo (C 68)

    Dear U Hla Min,

    I would like to thank you for your dedication towards our alma mater by sacrificing your precious time and your tireless work over a decade and a half to connect all alumni around the world. Your work is unbelievably amazing and you are the inspiration for all of us.

    I am very happy that I will be joining you to celebrate your birthday at Half Moon Bay Monastery where you and I among other Board of Directors helped Sayadaw U Silananda successfully develop TBSA Meditation Center to propagate Theravada Buddhism in the western world and beyond.

    With ananda metta,
    [Saya U] Myat Htoo

    Editor’s notes:
    Saya served for a decade or so as President of TBSA. He supervised the Last Journey for Sayadaw U Silananda. He scattered Sayadaw’s ashes into the San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge.
    He plays the ukelele well. He enjoys golf & tennis. He is a Past President of BADA.

    Sayadaw U Okkantha (C69)

    Happy happy birthday.

    Ashin Oakkantha (Victor Aung Chaw).

    Editor’s notes:
    Sayadaw was my classmate at SPHS and RIT.

    From Benny Tan (Yu Beng, M70) and Angelina

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    You’ve spent years sharing your amazing memories and wonderful writing ability with all of us from RIT, YIT, etc.

    I like to thank you for sharing your wonderful RIT spirit and making a positive difference for so many people. Time is the most precious thing and you have generously shared your time and talents with all of us year after amazing year.

    Congratulations and all the best to you on your milestone birthday. May you live long, happy and healthy and may all your dreams and wishes come true.

    All the best,
    Benny and Angelina Tan

    From Daw Mai Khin Nyunt (Rosie, ChE71)

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    (a) May I wish to your beloved grand daughter “Grace”. HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY AND MANY MORE TO COME

    No doubt that she will become a smart little adorable girl. My grandson will be two years in coming Sept. He gives us hope and happiness. Each and every movement is interesting and adorable for us. I’m sure you and Ma Sein feel the same.

    (b) Many Happy Returns of the Day. Wish you could spend your life per your wish with Dhamma, family and friends.

    Have a nice and memorable gathering.

    With Metta,
    Rosie

    From U San Lin (Robert, EC73, Texas)

    Grace is brilliant.

    I can imagine how proud and happy you are.

    Wishing you a happy birthday too.

    Robert [San Lin]

    From Maurice Chee (M75)

    • Past President of BAPS
    • Founding member & Treasurer of RIT Alumni International
    • Chaired Working Committee (with Benny) for SPZP-2000
    • Financial Controller & Publisher of RIT Alumni Newsletter for SPZP-2000
    • Great organizer.

    The following is an update [as of August 12, 2016] on alumni members attending and bringing yummy authentic Burmese cuisines:

    • Ko Hla Min and family of 5
    • Dhamma friends of Ko Hla Min 10 to 15
    • Dr Aung Gyi – Tohu Toke (Sayegyi cannot make it but he will send me his speech to be read on his behalf).
    • Saya U Tin Htut & Mrs
    • U Myo Min & Daw Khin Khin Chit Maung
    • U Tin Maung Nyunt
    • Saya Myat Htoo & spouse – Ohn-no Kyauk Chau
    • Benny & Angelina Tan – Monhinga
    • Saya Nyo Win & spouse – Si Tha min
    • Saya Maung Maung & Eng Eng- samosa
    • Sayalay U Thein Aung & 3 – mango pickle to compliment the Dan Pauk plus curry dishes
    • Maurice & Mary Chee – Dan Pauk
    • Gordon & Lillian Kaung – Dessert
    • Ko Myint Swe & Daw San San Swe – Chin Baung Gyaw to compliment the Dan Pauk
    • Walter Tan & Angela – Naan-Gyi-Toke
    • Charlie & Diana Tseng – Birthday Cake
    • Edward Saw – Chinese egg custard
    • Alex Khoo – Sa-nwin-ma-kin and “Mont-Kywe-thee
    • Ko Kyaw Myint & 1 – falooda
    • Daw Khin Mya Yee – Pe Pyoke (Salad or Fry TBD and maybe Thee Song Hin)
    • Ko Hla Kyi & 3 – Nga Pyaw Baung (Banana dessert) ;
    • Ko Hla Kyi & company is kind enough to sponsor forks, spoons, napkins, plates and bowls as well as volunteering for erecting the tents, tables, chairs and cleanup.
    • Ko Thaung Nyunt
    • Daw Mu Mu Kin Htay – Let Phet Toke
    • Patrick Naing & Mimi
    • Ko Mya Thwin & spouse – fried small dried shrimp sesame noodle
    • Ma Thandar Aye & spouse
    • Dr Myint Thein aka Maung Ba Thein, nickname: Insein Zay Kaung
    • Daw Khin Khin Win & spouse
    • Ko Myint Soe
    • U Yu Ket (Edward Saw)
    • Stan & Lu Lu Liou
    • Ko Soe Thu & spouse
    • Ko San Lin & family

    Daw Kyu Kyu Lin (T75)

    Her nickname is “Baw Lone”. She represented RIT in volleyball. She will bring Si Kyet (may be Kyee Oh Si Kyet). Thanks.

    From U Myint Soe (M79)

    Three photos

    From Gordon Kaung (M83) and Lillian Kaung (EC83)

    Hello Saya Hla Min:

    We wish you the happiest of B-days, and many many more to come!

    We will bring a bottle of premium iNapaWine for you and ama to enjoy at your B-day (we know ama will definitely enjoy our premium wine to stay healthy, and take good care of you).

    With lots of metta,
    Gordon and Lillian Kaung
    Wine Maker

    From Saya U Khin (Lucien Chen, RIT English, Taipei)

    Dear Hla Min,

    I have been an ardent “fan” of your RIT Newsletter updates ever since you included me in your mailing list at the suggestion of Des Rodgers many many years ago.

    You have made a great contribution to the RIT community by bringing the RIT alumni, sayas and sayamas together through your reports, messages, photos, etc. in the RIT Newsletter and also through your persistent efforts in carrying on the good work against all odds. Who is going to fill your shoes after you retire?

    I spent the best years of my life (1964 ~ 1968) at the RIT and I cherish the good old days I had at the RIT with my former colleagues at the English Department such as Saya Desmond Rodgers, Saya U Win Mra, Saya U Joe Ba Maung, Saya Sao Kangyi (deceased), Saya U Kyaw Lwin Hla, Sayama Daw Yin Yin Mya (Terry), Sayama Daw Charity Sein U, Sayama Daw Khin May Lwin (Muriel), Sayama Daw Tin Tin Oo (Toni), Sayama Daw Khin Saw Tint (Anne), among others; my former colleagues at other engineering departments and non-engineering departments such as Saya U Tin Maung (Civil), Saya U Christopher Maung (Civil), Saya Allen Htay (civil), Saya Dr K.C. Khoo (Chemical), among others; and my former students Tin Tin Myint (Emma), Khin Phyu Latt (Christine), Tin Tin Hla (Su Tin), Sai Kham Sang, Pamela Myo Min, George Lim, among others.

    I hope you will have a great time at the birthday party that will be hosted in your honor on August 20th at Half Moon Bay, California, by your former classmates, colleagues, sayas and sayamas.

    I shall also be wishing you a happy birthday in absentia from this part of the world, and hope you will have many happy and healthy returns of the day in the years to come.

    Sincerely yours,
    Lucian Chen (Saya U Khin)

  • February (Talk)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Video Broadcast on February 1, 2021

    Background

    • 2nd month of Gregorian Calendar
    • Shortest month
    • 28 days in a Common Year and 29 days in a Leap Year

    Dark Moment in 2021

    • Many high ranking Government officials were detained by the military in the wee hours of February 1, 2021.

    Union Day in Myanmar

    • Pyidaungsu Nay (Union Day) is a public holiday in the Union of Burma.
    • Commemorates the signing of the Pinlong Sar Choke (Panglong Agreement) on February 12, 1947.
    • Wrote a poem “Our Unity” with the pen name Maung Hlaing Phyo for publication in Working People’s Daily (WPD).
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is our-unity.jpg

    Bogyoke Aung San’s Birthday

    • Bogyoke was born on February 13, 1915
    • Zartar name was Htain Lin.
    • Formal name is Aung San, rhymes with Aung Than (his elder brother). Arzani U Ba Win is their eldest brother.
    • Centennial celebrations for Bogyoke were held in 2015.

    Children’s Day in Myanmar

    • February 13 is also as Khalay Myar Nay (Children’s Day).

    Tabodwe Festival

    Full Moon of Tabodwe often falls in February. Two celebrations are held.

    • Htamane Pwe (Sticky Rice Festival)
    • Ovada Partimauk Day (Exhortation)

    Events in USA

    February 14

    • Valentine’s Day (Chit Thu Myar Nay) is not a public holiday
    • Many people send greeting cards and presents.

    Presidents’ Day

    • In the early days, there were two holidays. One to celebrate George Washington‘s birthday. Another to celebrate Abraham Lincoln‘s birthday.
    • Later a single holiday in February to honor all US Presidents was proposed.
    • Some states continue to celebrate the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln.

    Events in Canada

    • “Family Day” (holiday) is observed on the 2nd Monday of February in Ontario.
    • Family Day is observed on the 3rd Monday of February in British Columbia.

    Lunar New Year

    • Some countries (e.g China and Vietnam) observe the Lunar Year.
    • Lunar Calendar is based on the Chinese Zodiac consisting of Twelve signs starting with the Rat and ending with the Pig.
    • Lunar New Year occurs at the end of January or the beginning of February (e.g. in 2021). The date is not fixed in the Gregorian Calendar.

    @hmin3664

    YouTube channel for my videos
  • July 2015

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Invitation

    Ivan Lee (M69) invited several 69ers to get together at his house in New Jersey around June-July of 2015. U Aung Myint & U Sein Tin (who had visited Ivan previously) could not make it to the 2015 mini-reunion.

    Fred Thetgyi (M69)

    • Lives in Philadelphia
    • Joined the 2015 mini-reunion
    • Drove most of the 1800+ mile trip in Ivan’s Mercedes
    • Except when his batteries went out (and had to be replaced), he took pictures at the mini-reunion and the trip. He would appear only in a fraction of the photos, when someone else (Ivan, a waiter, or a complete stranger) would offer to take the photo.

    Photos

    Grouped by location

    • New Jersey — Main Host : Ivan; Other hosts : Saya U Soe Paing & Daw Saw Yu Tint
    New Jersey
    • Niagara Falls on the way to Canada — Photos from the US side & the Canada side
    Niagara Fall
    • Windsor, Canada — Host : Sayagyi U Aung Khin
    U Aung Khin
    • Toronto (brief sight seeing)
    • Ottawa, Canada — Host: Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma
    Dr. Aung Gyi
    • Thousand Islands — quick trip
    Thousand Islands
    • Massachusetts — Hosts : Dr. Tun Aung Gyaw (EC69) & Daw Khin Maw Maw; visit MIT & Harvard University
    U TAG
    • Connecticut — Hosts : U Toung (Tom, EC69) and Daw Khin Myint; visit Yale University; visit Pizza place frequented by the young Bill Clinton
    Ko Toung
    • Philadelphia — Hosts : Fred Thetgyi (M69) & Eunice; visit Pake Forge and Liberty Bell; visit my last remaining uncle U Thein Han in Maryland

    Posts

    • 69er
    • Alumni
    • Reunion
    • Sayas
    • Visits
  • Sydney 2006

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Gatherings

    In 2006, I visited Sydney, Australia to attend

    • RIT Alumni Gathering
    • UCC Alumni Gathering
    • BOB (Brothers’ Old Boys) Gathering.

    RIT Gathering

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is oz-2006-b.jpg
    RIT Gathering
    • Saya U Hla Myint (Charlie, M65) and Saya U Myo Win (M/Ag65) co-chaired the RIT Alumni Gathering.
    • Organizers include U Thet Tun (Henry, M75), U Wint Khin Zaw (A79), and U Sein Win (C80).
    • Attendees include Saya Dr. Freddie Ba Hli, RIT Alumni & family members, U Aung Zaw (UCC) and some Doctors
    • Ko Htay Aung (EC80) provided tickets to attend the Gathering.

    UCC Gathering

    UCC Gathering
    • Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC) hosted the UCC Alumni Gathering at his house.
    • Ma Kyawt cooked Mohinga.
    • We paid respect to Sayagyi Dr. Freddie Ba Hli and Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe

    BOB Gathering

    • Dr. Than Naing (Bonnie Kywe, SPHS66, Geology Professor) hosted the BOB Gathering at the Olympic Park built for 2000 Summer Olympics.
    • Attendees include Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (from Canberra), U Win Boh (Robert from Queensland), U Htay Aung (Victor), Stanley Saw (from New Zealand) and Philip Smythe (Burma Selected in Swimming & Diving).
    • Ko Bonnie invited U Pantra.

    Updates

    • Several are now GBNF. They include Dr. Freddie Ba Hli & Daw Myint Thwe, Dr. Chit Swe, U Aung Zaw and U Myo Win.
    • Most RIT alumni were from Sydney. A few from Perth & Auckland (New Zealand) attended the Alumni Gathering.
  • Phay Phay

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Background

    • ဖေဖေ & အဖေ mean “Father”.
    • Father’s Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in June.

    Three Generation of Fathers

    My beloved father
    My beloved parents

    First Generation

    • My beloved father
    • He had NDE (Near Death Experience) in his teens. The doctors said that he had three months to live, but thanks to Kadok Sayagyi (ကတုတ်ဆရာကြီး၊ Indigenous Medicine Expert) he lived to be a father of seven and grandfather of eleven.
    • He was a Jack of all Trades and Master of Some. He was not an Architect, but he built pagodas and houses (for him and his younger brothers).
    • He passed away in his 80s.
    • He would be 109 in July 2025.
    Three Generations

    Second Generation

    • Yours truly
    • I am a Lifelong Learner.
    • I am a former academic and Software Engineer.
    • I have two sons and two grandchildren.
    My family 1

    Third Generation

    • My elder son
    • He is an Industrial Engineer.
    • He has a daughter & a son. Both are excellent in studies and extra-curricular activities.
    My family 2

    Old Poem

    Be kind to your father
    For when you were young
    Who loved you as fondly as he
    He caught the first accent that fell from your tongue
    And joined in the heavenly glee

    Be kind to your father
    For now he is old
    His hair intermingled with grey
    His footsteps are feeble — Once fearless and bold
    Your father is passing away

    Morals & Manners

    We had to study “Morals & Manners” at St. Paul’s High School. Brother Austin rewarded those who could recite poems in the book.

  • Album H

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2026

    Hall of Fame

    • In 2017, I was listed in the “Hall of Fame” of Toastmasters International District 101 for (a) Distinguished Toastmaster (b) Triple Crown (c) Leadership Excellence (d) Advanced Leader Silver
    Hall of Fame 1
    • Joined District 4 (an early District) of Toastmasters International. It grew too big and was reorganized as District 4 and District 101 (for clubs that are mostly located near Highway 101).
    Hall of Fame
    • Received the Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) award.
    DTM 1
    DTM 2
    • Won the “Triple Crown” for completing three awards between May and November of 2017.

    Halin

    Halin
    • Visited Halin (inhabited by the Pyu) near Shwe Bo.
    • Halin was declared as UN Heritage Site.
    • Not easy to go to Halin by the supposedly “short cut route” especially with ongoing repairs to the narrow road.
    • The Museum provided pamphlets with Pyu alphabet & Halin Pyu Stone Inscription

    Hell-Hound At Large

    Hell Hound At Large
    • Ko Aung San (Editor of Oway Magazine) was expelled for not disclosing the author of the satirical article “The Hell-Hound At Large”.
    Ko Aung San
    • The authorities knew that Oway U Mya was the author, but they wanted to take action against Ko Aung San.

    HMEE

    HMEE Book
    • The History of Myanmar Engineering Education book was published in 2012.
    • Saya U Aung Hla Tun (National Literary Award Winner) was the Lead Author of the Project.
    HMEE Team
    • The early supporters of the Project include U Ba Than (Retired Professor of Mechanical Engineering), U Soe Paing (My mentor at RIT and UCC) and U Thaw Kaung (Retired Chief Librarian of Universities’ Central Library).
    U Ba Than
    U Soe Paing
    U Thaw Kaung
    • U Ohn Khine (M70) and I compiled the CD Supplement for the Book.
    U Ohn Khine
    U Hla Min
    CD Supplement
    • U Soe Paing & U Ohn Khine translated Section One and summarized Section Two of the Book.

    Htee Yein

    Htee 1
    Htee 2
    Htee 3
    • In 1970, RIT took part in the “Entertainment Program” for the Rangoon University Shwe YaDu (ရွှေရတု Golden Jubilee).
    • Htee Yein ထီးယိမ်း was a hit at the Shwe YaDu Celebrations.
    • Swel Daw Yeik Ah Nyeint စွယ်တော်ရိပ်အငြိမ့် was also a feature.
    • The terms “Swel Daw” and “Swel Daw Yeik” became known as synonyms for RIT in general and the Engineering Institutions in Burma in particular.

    Htay Aung (M69)

    Htay Aung & Than Than
    Htay Aung 1
    Htay Aung 2
    Htay Aung 3
    • Won most of Free Style events (100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m) and Cross Lake at RIT and All Institute Competitions
    • Was Secretary of the RIT Swimming Association
    • Represented Burma in Water Polo at the Fifth SEAP Games in 1969
    • Spouse : Than Than (Burma, SEAP & Asian Games Champion Sprinter)
    • Regular attendee at RIT 69er Monthly Breakfast Gatherings at Taw Win Hnin Si (Royal Rose) Restaurant.
    • Aging (notably hard of hearing) has caught up with the former Swimming Champ.

    Htin Aung, Dr. (C69)

    Htin Aung 1
    Htin Aung 2
    • Retired as Professor of Civil Engineering from YIT / YTU.
    • Represented RIT in Chinlon.
    • Badminton & Soccer player.
    • Several Dr. Htin Aung including the first native Rector of Rangoon University, and a Physics Professor (Sacred Heart 1957).

    Htin Lin

    Htin Lin
    • Pen name of U Thein Maung.
    • National Literary Award Winner
    • Gave English Tuition with U Khin Maung Latt
    • Eldest son : Soe Myint (GBNF) graduated with Triple Maths, but chose journalism. He was Chief Editor of the Guardian. He published my poems and Computer articles.
    • Younger sons : Soe Win (EC70, UCC, PTC), Kyaw Zaw (EC72, High School Luyechun, DCA, GBNF) and Khin Zaw (UCC).
    • His great grand son (son of U Khin Maung Zaw & Dr. Daw Khin Khin Latt) is named Htin Lin.

    Posts

    Starting with H

    • H (Names)
    • Han Sein
    • Handbook
    • Harmony
    • Health Care Fund (HCF)
    • Heart Felt Thanks
    • Heritage
    • High Concentration. Activity (HCA)
    • High School Final (HSF)
    • High Jump
    • History
    • Hla Min (Lifelong Learner)
    • HMEE
    • Holidays
    • How Time Flies
    • Hunger Eradication