Category: Concept

Senior

A few years back, I felt uncomfortable to be addressed as “Ah Ba”, “Pho Pho” and to be offered assistance (e.g. wheelchair).

Now I feel okay to have wheelchair rides at air ports and to have people assist me when I climb up and down hill slopes. I recently had a couple of bike rides on the dirt roads.

As a senior, I enjoy discounts on trains, buses and selected restaurants.

I simply hope that my mental faculties will remain sharp and strong.

Jara (old age) catches even the sport stars like Sayagyi U Ba Toke.

Sayagyi U Ba Toke

Saya is a Phwa Bet Taw of Rangoon University and the first Rangoon University Students’ Strike in December 1920.

In 2000, Theingi (Saya’s youngest daughter) conveyed us Saya’s wishes to attend SPZP-2000. U Maung Maung Than (M79, Texas) had donated a round trip ticket. Several sayas and alumni donated expenses. Details can be found in “Count down to the Reunion” articles.

He celebrated his 96th birthday in December 2016 with his children, grand children and great grand children.

Saya gave a speech in SPZP-2007 about “Longevity”. Saya visited a house in USSR where the 80+ year old host explained about the noise up stairs. “Don’t worry. It’s my 100+ year old uncle quartering with his fourth wife. They will make amends.”

During my visits to Yangon, I paid respect to Saya.

U Ohn Khine (M70) gave me a ride in 2012. Saya gave us autographed book. We enjoyed Sayagyi’s accounts. He was a football star, a leader of the Burma Olympic Delegation, and an excellent teacher. Up to his early 80s, Sayagyi could walk to the Shwe Dagon pagoda with his friends. In his 90s, Sayagyi lost some mobility, eye sight and hearing, but he was determined to attend SPZPs.

In 2016, Saya’s son U Ye Myint and daughter Daw Thynn Thynn (Pansy) made arrangements to give us rides to and back from Saya’s house.

In early 2018, I called Ma Theingi, Sayagyi’s youngest daughter and asked about Sayagyi. She mentioned that Sayagyi is healthy but because he had lost most teeth, they have to listen carefully to grasp his message.

Saya passed away on December 2, 2020. It was the day after RI U Centennial. It was a few days short of his Centennial Birthday on December 26.

I received both compliments and doubts.

First example

A1 : Compliment

• Thanks Sayagyi (Member of Generation Zero) for attending the 5th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST/UCSY.
• Thanks Sayagyi for sharing “UCC Memories” and for your Guest Lecture “Computer Chin, Ngan, Sutt”.

A2 : Doubt

• Why do people address U Hla Min as Saya?
• Where did he teach?

A3 : Reality

• I was a saya at UCC (Universities’ Computer Center), DCS (Department of Computer Science) and ICST (Institute of Computer Science and Technology).

• Aye Aye Kyaw Zin, younger daughter of U Kyaw Zin (EP69), was one of my students at ICST.

Second example

B1 : Compliment

He is a “Hin Lay Oh Gyi”.

B2 : Doubt

Have you read George Orwell?

B3 : Reality

• I am a life long learner.
• I have a decent memory.
• I have read books (but the number is far less than those of bibliophiles like Saya U Thein Han (Zawgyi, former Chief Librarian of Rangoon University Central Library).

Third example

C1 : Compliments

• Thanks for beautifully translating my poems and articles.
• You should send your poem “Men on the Moon” to NASA.

C2 : Doubt

• Why is he speaking at the Centennial of UNSG U Thant?
• Is he a writer?

C3 : Reality

• I am a “Sar Pay Myat Noe Thu”.
• I have written articles, poems, translations, study guides, and blogs.
• I have edited several books (mostly to commemorate events).
• Nine of my articles appear in the Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife.
• I co-authored a book, but the sales were not that great.

Hope

With the help of volunteers, my posts can be turned into a set of e-books and even printed books.

Ivan Lee (M69)

• Ivan was the youngest in the family.
• His father passed away when he was a few years old.
• His mother raised the family, and also lived long to have great grand children.
• Ivan e-mailed us when his mother turned 100. It showed the birthday card sent to his mother from the 43rd US President George W. Bush.
• Ivan e-mailed again when his mother turned 101. It showed the birthday card sent to his mother from the 44th US President Barack Obama.
• His mother passed away at the tender age of 102. She was alert until the final days. It could be because she played two hours of Mah Jong daily.

Timothy Hla’s Post on June 21, 2020

Tribute to his parents Dr. PR Mohan and Dr. Daw Hnin Yee

Today is a special day for me and my family. First and foremost, we celebrate my Mom’s birthday. Even though we cannot be with her physically in Seattle, she enjoys the company and excellent care by my sister Mona T. Han and is showered by love from all family members and her friends and former students in the Institute of Medicine 1, University of Rangoon. In addition to raising four children, taking care of her husband and running a busy household, she was a career woman who was able to balance a successful career (she became the Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine) and a busy life with grace and charm.

Second, today is father’s day. I am enjoying my family (wife Jeanne Wadsworth-Hla, and grown children Hilary May, Jon Matthew and Audrey Hla who will be here to have dinner. Very grateful for them to be here to celebrate my fatherhood. It is one of the happiest aspects of my life and I am most grateful. I also remember and honor the memory of my Dad (PR Mohan) who passed away over 15 years ago. He was an orphan who grew up in poverty with 9 siblings in Burma, overcame lots of obstacles to get an MBBS degree in 1939, worked as a military doctor during the WW2 with the allied forces for which received many medals and citations, used his pension from the army to get trained as a Cardiologist in London (Royal Brompton Hospital and National Heart Institute) with the famous Cardiologist Paul Wood, returned to Burma to give back to his native land despite various lucrative job offers in the UK, and served honorably by establishing the first Cardiac Department at the Rangoon General Hospital, established the first coronary care unit and brought cutting edge cardiology care to Burma. He also trained a cadre of younger physicians. I even came across an article he wrote about congenital heart diseases in the local medical journal in 1955 in PubMed. Many of his colleagues and students remember him as a no-nonsense Physician with a rough exterior but with a kind heart. My fondest memories of him were his love and dedication to his family and friends. He also introduced me to his love of various music genres of the world, and appreciation of fine food and libations.

Me

• I am fortunate to have parents who lived beyond 80.
• I am not fortunate enough to have them around to see my Hmees, who are excellent in their studies and in their hobbies.
• They would have smiled to hear my grand daughter say, “Are you at home? Who’s your doctor? What happened?” after I returned from the colonoscopy screening. She added, “I’ll take care of you. I love you.” She must have inherited the loving kindness of her great grand parents.
• They would be delighted to see her awards including “Super Reader” and a top student of her class.
• They would be impressed to see my grand son dribbling a standard basketball for 30+ seconds, scoring goals in a competitive tournament and learn that he is also a top student of his class.

• There are 100+ varieties of apples. Most are eaten fresh. Some are eaten as salad. Some are cooked or made into pie or sauce.
• Grannie Smith was chosen by the Beatles for the logo of their company “Apple Records”.
• Steve Wozniak (“Woz”) and Steve Jobs formed “Apple” Company to market their Apple computers.
• “Apple” Company was sued by “Apple Records” for copyright infringement. The judge said that it was okay to use the name Apple for two different domains : computers and music. The judge might be surprised to learn that several decades later, Apple computers are playing Beatles albums on iTunes.
• Steve Jobs named another product as “Macintosh”. In British English, Macintosh is a rain coat. McIntosh is an apple.
• There used to be a grocery chain called “Apple Tree” and a restaurant chain called “Apple Bee”.
• There are words and phrases like Adam’s apple, the apple of my eye, and apple pie order.
• It is probable that Adam and Eve ate apple in the Garden of Eden. The Hebrew scriptures simply mention the “forbidden fruit”.
• Sir Isaac Newton was in an apple orchard when he discovered the law of gravity. It is not sure if an apple fell on his head. He noticed that apples fall vertically to the ground. He asked himself why the moon did not fall to the earth.
• Both men and women have Adam’s apple, but men have larger, distinctive ones.

Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
e.g. Social media is good for getting contact with lost friends, but not good for use in research papers.

Some newspapers have Op-Ed (Opinion and Editorial).
e.g. There may be two competing opinions of DST (Daylight Savings Time) : one for and one against.

An opinion may not be true. It may have biases and unintentional errors.

One should not react to an unfavorable opinion.
e.g. Names may not be a hobby for everyone.

One should take whatever is relevant in the opinion.
Then, optionally, one should respond (e.g. which parts are relevant, and which parts are not).

The following are examples of incorrect assessments by experts.

“Joe Montana cannot be an efficient Quarterback, because he does not have the structure, strength and finesse.”
Joe went on to win four Superbowl, and entered the Football Hall of Fame.

“Apple Music and Apple Computers are two different fields. There need not be confusion with Apple in their names and products.”
The judge for the Trade Mark suit could not see deep into the future. The Beatles songs (owned by Apple Music) are played in iPod (owned by Apple Computers).

“The Long Jump record at 1968 Mexico City Olympics will not be broken at other places (with lower altitudes).”
Bob Beamon’s leap beat the existing Olympic and World Records by a wide margin, and was considered a “fluke” (partly aided by the rarefied atmosphere). The record was broken by Carl Lewis (who won the Long Jump at four Olympics).

by Hla Min

Updated : May 2035

Sayings

• Age is just a number.
• There is a Physical Age and a Mental Age.
• Aging may be accompanied by loss of memory.
• Exercise, Music and Games help one to age gracefully.
• Life begins at forty.
• Ronald Reagan jokingly said: “I am celebrating my 35th birthday after my 40th”.

Thoughts

• I felt uncomfortable to be called “Ah Ba”, “Pho Pho” … and to be offered assistance (e.g. wheelchair).
• Now I feel OK to take wheelchair at airports and to have assistance when I climb up and down hill slopes. I had a couple of bike rides on the dirt roads in Upper Myanmar.
• As a senior, I enjoy discounts on trains, buses.
• I simply hope that my mental faculties will be strong.

Sayagyi U Ba Toke

• Sayagyi is a Phwa Bet Taw of Rangoon University. He celebrated his 99th birthday in December 2019 with his children, grand children and great grand children.
• During my visits to Yangon, I paid homage to Sayagyi. In the early visits, Sayagyi recounted his experiences. He was a football star, a leader of the Burma Olympic Delegation, Commandant of the Luyechun Camp, an outstanding teacher and an excellent speaker. Until his mid 80s, he used to walk to Shwe Dagon Pagado with his younger dhamma friends. Then, Sayagyi gradually lost his mobility, his sight and his teeth. He had to skip some minor PZPs, but still attended SPZPs with a wheel chair.
• Ma Theingi, Sayagyi’s youngest daughter, mentioned that Sayagyi is healthy but because he had lost most teeth, they have to listen carefully to grasp his message. Jara (old age) catches even the sport stars.
• Sadly, he passed away on December 2, 2020 — a few days shy of his Centennial.

• A coach is a vehicle to “carry” someone to a destination.
• The first use of coach described a teacher who “carried” a student over a tough examination.
• Later use of coach was in Athletic Development (e.g. coaching an individual or a team in a sports).
• There are Professional Coaches, Certified Coaches and Club Coaches.

• A therapist focuses on the past.
  A coach focuses on the future.

• A consultant helps to solve a problem (of a company or a client).
  A coach provides suggestions and frameworks (that can be used by the client, who is accountable for solving the problem).

• A mentor may advise, counsel and coach.
  A coach focuses on coaching (and may not advise or counsel).

• A trainer sets objectives for the trainee.
  A coach does not set objectives for the client/individual. The client/individual sets objectives for himself/herself.

• An athletic developer directs behavior of individuals and teams based on the developer’s experience and knowledge.
  A coach focuses on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.

Definitions

• Weighing machine / Scale
  
• Zodiac sign for Libra
  
• Difference between income and expenditure, dues and payment
  e.g. Balance Sheet,
  Balance of a back account
  
• Control
  
• Moderation / Avoiding extremes

Aerial Artists

• Aerial artists usually employ safety nets.
• The Flying Wallendas (seven family members) performing the Human Pyramid were the exception. One fateful night, a member lost balance causing tragedy.

Dhammacakkapavatna Sutta

Buddha’s First Sermon mentioned the avoidance of two extremes :

• Indulgence of pleasures
• Self-mortification.

Moderation

• With mental lapse, middle aged and elderly can lose balance easily.
  e.g. slip beside the bed
• Moderation is the key to health and happiness.

• Blood thinner helped a friend get back his health.
• Overuse of blood thinner sent another to the hospital.

The following may be detrimental to one’s health

• Over-exercise
• Lack of exercise
• Extreme diet
• Over-eating
• Over-sitting
  In some meditation retreats, the practitioners alternate sitting meditation and walking meditation
• Not much sleep
• Over-sleeping

It is important to maintain a balance for most things (especially work and family).

• Several astronauts had success with the flights, but had family problems.
• Some entrepreneurs had success with the business, but had family issues.

Classic Vitamins

They include

• Vitamin A
• a range of Vitamin B’s
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin K

Dosage

• Taking unnecessary type and amount of vitamins may cause harm.
• We can take the “recommended” dosage of vitamin supplements.
• Deficiency of some vitamins can be minimized or avoided by balanced diet, exercise and work.

New Vitamins

• It is safe to take Vitamin F and Vitamin M.
• Vitamin F is provided by good Friends. 
• Vitamin M is provided by Myees (grand children) and Myits (great grand children).

• Do not forget to celebrate
  Happy Friendship Day,
  Happy Fathers’ Day, Mothers’ Day and Grandparents’ Day