Category: Concept

by Hla Min

Updated : 6th October 2026

• Chief Librarian, Rangoon University Library ရန်ကုန်တက္ကသိုလ်စာကြည့်တိုက်
• Founder & Director, Burma Broadcasting Service မြန်မာ့အသံ
• Author : Pen name “K” ကလောင်
• Book — Burma in my Lifetime; စာအုပ် For the Reprint, the Censor Board demanded the Title Change

• Collaboration : For Maung Khwe (Burmese Nursery Rhymes)

by Hla Min

Updated : 6th October 2026

Analog Photos

• Before the advent of digital cameras and smart phones, it was not simple and cheap to take photos (let alone process them).

Black & White Photos

• In my younger days, I had a Box Camera, and later Yashica Mat.
• Unlike my uncle and a cousin brother who are experts in developing films (in a dark room), I had to pay 25 to 50 pyas per print at a Studio (e.g. Ahuja).

Photographers

• Later, there emerged freelance & professional photographers (e.g. Maung Maung Nhyat & his brothers, Dat Pone San Aung, Dhatu Kyaw Lynn, Maung Maung Soe).
• Only those who won contracts had permission to take official photos at the Convocations. It was not compulsory to take and pay for the photos. Some, who did not order the photos, found their photos being displayed as examples of “Do not walk like this” and similar fun messages.

Captions

• During our younger days, SPHS had Annual Photo Shoots.
• A Group Photo cost One Kyat (without Captions) and K 1.50 (with Captions).
• It is not easy to identify people in photos without captions.
• In most FB Groups, there are individual photos and group photos (e.g. fresher welcome, farewell, graduation, newspaper clippings). Only a fraction has captions and dates.
• Some photos serve as a reminder of those that are Gone But Not Forgotten (GBNF).

Color Photos

• In the early days, Color photos had to be sent abroad for processing.
• Our wedding photos in 1973 were taken with the color film bought by my elder brother during his trip overseas. The film was sent (for processing ) to a friend who was studying in Australia.
• The color photos fade over time.

Advances in Technology

• Kodak (an Industry Leader in Film Technology) went bankrupt.
• Most phones have one or more cameras. Even children can take reasonably good photos. The photos can be edited (e.g. crop, color-adjusted).
• Warning : Some unscrupulous people have doctored photos and presented them as evidence of news.

Htein Win

It took a long time for him to publish books about the Dark Moments in Burma.

First Book

• Took photos of the U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin mostly from a saya’s house in the Main Campus. Gave photos to some friends and to an organization overseas (for storage).
• With the Pwint Linn era, he was able to get back the archived photos from overseas. Managed to get articles from some of the participants in the Ah Yay Ah Khin. He published the book about the Ah Yay Ah Khin.
• Ko Khin Maung Zaw bought a copy of the book from Myanmar and then mailed it to me.

Second Book

• In November 2019. I was invited to attend the 5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay. Met Ko Htein Win who had a book stall at the Festival. He gave me an autographed copy of the book about 8-8-88.

by Hla Min

Updated : 6th October 2026

RUBC

• Rangoon University Boat Club (RUBC) used to maintain logs.
• Every crew lists the boat used, time in & out, the name of the members, and message (e.g. leak).
• The Color Award Team meets after the Monsoon Regatta and Annual Regatta to consider candidates for Half Green and Full Green based on the results at the Regatta and the entries in the Log.
• Winners and Runner Up of events such as Senior Novice and Junior Novice are prime candidates, but persistent members are also rewarded.

Maths

• In Mathematics, log stands for logarithm.
• In our high school days, we had to buy books containing logarithms, anti-logarithms, and trigonometric functions.
  The standard version provides 4 digits. The advanced version provides 5 – 7 digits.
• For the Matriculation exam, logarithm books were provided.
• In Lighter vein :
  At one school, the invigilator ordered to take the logarithm books back. Asked why, she replied, “We had to learn them by heart”.

Slide Rule

• It used the logarithmic scale.
• The multiplication of two numbers is done by adding their logarithms.

• Cartoon Aung Myint has a joke about Slide Rule.

RIT student : Aba, I have bought a slide rule.
Aba : Son, can you add two numbers with it?
Son : Sorry, I can’t.
Aba: Throw away your useless ruler.

Usage

• Some use wooden logs for fire.
• Some fire places simulate wooden logs using electricity & electronics.

by Hla Min

Update : 5th October 2026

Traffic accidents often result in injury and death.

Types of accidents

• Fender bender
• Multi-car crash
• Head-on collision
• Tumble & roll-over
• Car hitting pedestrians

Causes

Accidents can be caused by

• Roads which are not designed properly
• Roads which are not maintained
• Inclement weather
• Drivers not obeying traffic rules (e.g. texting while driving)
• Sleep deprived drivers
• DUI : Driving under the influence of alcohol
• Road rage
• Engine and mechanical failure
• Vehicles that are not land-worthy
• Unsafe tires
• Medical emergency to the driver (e.g. heart attack)
• Tail gating

Practice

• Many countries employ the “STOP” sign and the letters “STOP” printed on the road. The majority of drivers obey them. The minority are cautioned with citations.
• Automobile associations and the volunteers for Public Safety give refresher courses for “Safe Driving”.
• U Thein Tun Aung (Dennis) gave a seminar in Yangon on “Traffic control (e.g. how to design monitor and synchronize traffic lights).”

by Hla Min

Updated : 5th October 2026

Analog Photos

• Before the advent of digital cameras and smart phones, it was not simple and cheap to take photos (let alone process them).

Black & White Photos

• In my younger days, I had a Box Camera, and later Yashica Mat.
• Unlike my uncle and a cousin brother who are experts in developing films (in a dark room), I had to pay 25 to 50 pyas per print at a Studio (e.g. Ahuja).

Photographers

• Later, there emerged freelance & professional photographers (e.g. Maung Maung Nhyat & his brothers, Dat Pone San Aung, Dhatu Kyaw Lynn, Maung Maung Soe).
• Only those who won contracts had permission to take official photos at the Convocations. It was not compulsory to take and pay for the photos. Some, who did not order the photos, found their photos being displayed as examples of “Do not walk like this” and similar fun messages.

Captions

• During our younger days, SPHS had Annual Photo Shoots.
• A Group Photo cost One Kyat (without Captions) and K 1.50 (with Captions).
• It is not easy to identify people in photos without captions.
• In most FB Groups, there are individual photos and group photos (e.g. fresher welcome, farewell, graduation, newspaper clippings). Only a fraction has captions and dates.
• Some photos serve as a reminder of those that are Gone But Not Forgotten (GBNF).

Color Photos

• In the early days, Color photos had to be sent abroad for processing.
• Our wedding photos in 1973 were taken with the color film bought by my elder brother during his trip overseas. The film was sent (for processing ) to a friend who was studying in Australia.
• The color photos fade over time.

Advances in Technology

• Kodak (an Industry Leader in Film Technology) went bankrupt.
• Most phones have one or more cameras. Even children can take reasonably good photos. The photos can be edited (e.g. crop, color-adjusted).
• Warning : Some unscrupulous people have doctored photos and presented them as evidence of news.

Htein Win

It took a long time for him to publish books about the Dark Moments in Burma.

First Book

• Took photos of the U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin mostly from a saya’s house in the Main Campus. Gave photos to some friends and to an organization overseas (for storage).
• With the Pwint Linn era, he was able to get back the archived photos from overseas. Managed to get articles from some of the participants in the Ah Yay Ah Khin. He published the book about the Ah Yay Ah Khin.
• Ko Khin Maung Zaw bought a copy of the book from Myanmar and then mailed it to me.

Second Book

• In November 2019. I was invited to attend the 5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay. Met Ko Htein Win who had a book stall at the Festival. He gave me an autographed copy of the book about 8-8-88.

by Hla Min

Update : September 2026

Alumni

• In Latin, there are four terms :
  alumnus for “male student”
  almuna for “female student”
  alumni for “male students”
  alumnae for “female students”.
• In modern usage, the term “alumni” applies to all students.

Days of Month

• According to “Ripley’s Believe it or not”, a graveyard inscription has February 30th.
• Grapevine says that Followers of two Carsars took away a day each from February to make July (named after Julius Caesar) and August (named after Augustus Caesar) to have 31 days instead of 30.

February became the shortest month of the calendar year with 28 days. It was given back an extra day on a leap year.

The earth takes about 365.2422 days to revolve round the sun, so the discrepancy became 0.9688 day every four years (or 97 days in 4 centuries).

In Gregorian calendar, a leap year is defined as a non-century year that is divisible by 4, and a century year that is divisible by 400.

by Hla Min

Updated : September 2026

Top Paulian Matriculates

Peter Wun

SPHS63

IM (2) Students

Half Moon Bay

by Hla Min

Updated : September 2026

Grandma

February

• According to “Ripley’s Believe it or not”, a graveyard inscription had February 30th.
• Julius Caesar’s followers took a day from February to make July (named in his honor) have 31 days instead of 30.
• Augustus Caesar’s followers took a day from February to make August (named in his honor) to have 31 days instead of 30.
• February became the shortest month of the calendar year with 28 days. It was given back an extra day on a leap year.
• The earth takes about 365.2422 days to revolve round the sun, so the discrepancy between a solar year and the calendar year became 0.9688 day every four years (or 97 days in 4 centuries). The first correction was to designate a year divisible by 4 as a Leap Year.
• In Gregorian calendar, a leap year is defined as a non-century year that is divisible by 4, and a century year that is divisible by 400. This is more accurate than the first correction.

Latin terms for student

• Alumnus : male student
• Almuna : female student
• Alumni : male students
• Alumnae : female students

• In modern usage, “alumni” applies to all students.
• We sometimes use alum as a short form for alumni.

Synonym

• Synonyms are words which have almost the same meaning for the given context.
• Since some words have multiple meanings, one must specify the meaning associated with a synonym.
• For example, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Lexicon and Vocabulary are synonyms.
  Their usage depends on the context. In general, Lexicon is a body of knowledge (or dictionary) of Latin and Greek.
  At one time, Lexicon is a card game where players create words and score points. It was superseded by Scrabble.

Antonym

• Antonyms are words which have almost the opposite meaning for the given context.
• Since some words have multiple meanings, one must specify the meaning associated with an antonym.
• For example, Love and Hate are antonyms.
• In Pali, the antonyms of Lobha (Greed), Dosa (Anger or Hatred) and Moha (Ignorance of Delusion) are Alobha (Non-greed), Adosa (Non-hatred) and Amoha (Non-ignorance or Wisdom).

Homonym

• Homonyms are words which sound the same.
• Examples
  rain, rein, reign
  air, heir
  throne, thrown
• A puzzle based on homonyms :
  “What is the difference between the Prince of Wales and a cricket ball?” The Prince of Wales is HEIR to the THRONE. A cricket ball is THROWN to the AIR.

by Hla Min

Updated : September 2026

Alphabet

Burmese Alphabet

• Ka, Kha, Ga …

English Alphabet

• Upper case; A to Z
• Lower case : a to z

Greek Alphabet

• Alpha to Omega
• Used in Science texts

Pali

• Spoken language
• Written in various scripts including Burmese, Thai and Sinhalese.
• PTS (Pali Text Society) uses Romanized Pali.

Pyu Alphabet

Bhamaso Taya

• Metta
  Loving Kindness, Unbounded Love
• Karuna
  Compassion
• Mudita
  Altruistic Joy, Sympathetic Joy
• Uppekkha
  Equanimity

Buddhism

Buddha

• The Blessed One, the Worthy One, and the Fully Enlightened One
• Nine Qualities of the Buddha

Dhamma

• Teachings of the Buddha
• Tipitaka (Three Baskets) ; Vinaya, Sutta, Abhidhamma
• Five Nikayas
• Six Qualities of the Dhamma

Sangha

• Monastic Order of the Buddha
• Nine Qualities of the Sangha

Vinaya

• Monastic Rules of Conduct

Sutta

• Discourses

Abhidhamma

• Ultimate Reality

Pali Texts

• Canon
• Commentary
• Sub-commentary

Buddhist Councils

• Six — According to the Theravada tradition
• First, Second and Third — Oral tradition (held in India)
• Fourth — Written texts (Compiled in Ceylon / Sri Lanka)
• Fifth — Mandalay (to celebrate 2400th Sasana Era)
• Sixth — Kaba Aye, Rangoon (to celebrate 2500th Sasana Era)

Books

• What the Buddha Taught
  by Dr. Rahula Walpole
  Translation by U Kelasa
• In His Own Words
  by Bikkhu Bodhi
  Course / book by U Silananda

Burmese

• Burmese Language
  Spoken Burmese (Myanmar Sagar)
  Written Burmese (Myanmar Sar)
• Burmese Department
  Myanmar (Burma)
  Overseas
• Burmese Sayas
  U Pe Maung Tin,
  U E Maung,
  U Wun
  U Thein Han
  U Chan Mya
• Khit San Sar Pa
  ICS U Sein Tin (Theikpan Maung Wa)
  U Thein Han (Zawgyi)
  U Wun (Minthuwun)
• Burmese Language Commission
  Bohmu Ba Thaung
  U San Lwin
• Text books
  Kindergarten
  Primary School
  Middle School
  High School
  University
• References
  Dictionary (Abhidan)
  Encyclopedia (Swel Sone Kyan)
  Grammar (Thadda)
  Proverbs (Sagar Pone)
  Spelling (Thutt Pone)
• Publications –
  Cartoons
  Comics
  Journals
  Magazines
  Newspapers
  Novels
  Sar Saungs

Calendar

• Old Roman Calendar
  Ten “working” months (from March to December)
• Later Roman Calendars
  Twelve months (from January to December)
• Julian Calendar
• Gregorian Calendar

Child

• Khalay
• Khalay Ah Thinn (Association)
• Child Psychology
• Piaget

Fun

• Fun with Learning
  Facebook group
• Fun with English
  Definitions
  Palindrome
  Tongue Twister
  Word Games (Crossword puzzle, Lexicon, Scrabble, Anagram, Jumbled phrase)
• Fun with Mathematics
  Paradox
  Puzzles
• Fun with Physics
  Online course

Maths

• Saya U Aung Hla
  In 1950 – 52, Saya U Aung Hla was Dean of Arts. He was also Professor of Maths. He is an expert in music, and wrote notes for selected Burmese songs. His spouse Daw May Than is a vocalist. His son U Mya Than is a Guitarist and Pianist.
• Maths Department
  In the early days, the Maths Department was under the Faculty of Arts. Later, Maths Department was under the Faculty of Science.
• Options (offered in different periods) at Rangoon University
  Pure Maths
  Applied Maths
  Double Maths : Pure & Applied
  Triple Maths : Pure, Applied & Statistics

My Contributions

• Five decades as Volunteer of various organizations and projects
• 26 years as Founder & Chief Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter
  Silver Jubilee in 2024
• Member, HMEE (History of Myanmar Engineering Education). U Ohn Khine and I compiled the CD Supplement for the HMEE Book in 2012
• 220+ Videos (on selected topics) : Broadcast in 2019 and 2020
• 3000+ Articles
  in my web site hlamin.com
• Former Moderator of RU Centennial Facebook Group
  Overview of RU Centennial Group (Posts)
  Countdown to RU Centennial (Posts)
  Photo Essays and Photo Albums
• Memories
  Memories of PPBRS (Private Primary Boundary Road School)
  Memories of SPHS (St. Paul’s High School)
  Memories of RIT (Rangoon Institute of Technology)
  Memories of UCC (Universities’ Computer Center)
• Contributor
  Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
• Language Expert
  Burmese Language Project, NFLC, University of Maryland at College Park
• Contributing Editor, Dhammanda Newsletter
• Contributing Editor, “Homage to U Silananda”
• Contributing Editor, Souvenir Magazine for RUBC 90th Anniversary
• Contributing Editor, BAPS Newsletter
• Bilingual Author
• Wrote and translated Poems and Articles
• Interpreter, Meditation Retreats
• Edited books of Sayadaws and colleagues

New Year

• Gregorian Calendar
  January 1st
• Lunar New Year
  aka “Chinese New Year” and “Tet”
  January or February
• Persian New Year
  aka “First day of Spring”
  around March 21
• Myanmar New Year
  aka “Thingyan”
  Mid April
  cf : Songkran in Thailand
• Karen New Year
• Bringing in the New Year
  Celebrations of New Year’s Eve (December 31)
  e.g. Dropping the ball at Times Square in New York

Olympics

• Ancient Games
  Mount Olympus, Greece
• Modern Olympic Games
  proposed by Pierre de Coubertin
  Early period : amateurs only
  Later : commercialized (sponsors, hosts, professional athletes …)
• Summer Olympics
  Breaks during the World War
  Postponed during the Pandemic
• 1936 Berlin
• 1948 London
• 1952 Helsinki
• 1956 Melbourne
• 1960 Rome
• 1964 Tokyo
• 1968 Montreal
• 1972 Munich
• 1976 Montreal
• 1980 Moscow
• 1984 Los Angeles
• 1988 Seoul
• 1992 Barcelona
• 1996 Atlanta
• 2000 Sydney
• 2004 Athens
• 2008 Beijing
• 2012 London
• 2016 Rio de Janerio
• 2020 Scheduled for Tokyo
  Postponed to 2021 due to pandemic
• 2024 Paris
• Winter Olympics

Sleep

• Conventional
  8 hours (for adults)
  more (for infants)
• Could/ should vary with person
  e.g. my uncle slept 4 hours, but he had power naps in the day
• Rationale for sleep
  Rest
  “Clean up garbage” in the brain
  Activities by the Subconscious (e.g. problem solving)
• Sleep studies
  Dream
  Sleep Apnea (Breathing difficulties)
  Monitor brain (for a specified period)
  Effect of duration (too little, too much)
  Effect of rhythm (specified time to go to sleep)
• Miscellaneous
  Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise
  The story of Pauk Kyaing
  

Thet Kyee Sayas and Alumni

• Sayagyi U Ba Toke
  Phwa Bet Taw of Rangoon University in December 1920
  Book about his life and achievements by Dr. Khin Maung Swe (Maung Thin Char, GBNF)
  Saya of our sayas
  Passed away on December 2, 2020 (the day after the RU Centennial Celebrations) but a few days short of his Centennial on December 26.

• U Thein Han (96 years)
  Worked as Systems Engineer for IBM Burma
  Active doing exercises and sharing memories / posts
  

• U Tin U (96 years)
  Joined Rangoon University in 1946 along with Dr. Pe Nyun, Dr. Pe Thein and U Sein Hlaing.
  Former part time Lecturer at Civil Engineering Department;
  Oldest and Most senior among Past Captains of Rangoon University Boat Club that are still alive;
  Opened the RUBC Centennial Ceremony in December 2023,
  Past Captain of Rangoon Golf Club;
  Lost his beloved spouse Dr. Daw Khin Nyunt, his eldest son Dr. Khin Tun (Peter, MRCP, Former Associate Dean of Oxford University) and his son-in-law U Tin Tun within a few months (late 2019 to May 2020)

• U Ba Than (94 years)
  Won Collegiate Scholarship in 1947;
  Gold Medalist for highest score in Intermediate Examinations for 1948 and 1949;
  Retired as Professor and Head of Mechanical Engineering;
  Early supporter of HMEE-2012 (History of Myanmar Engineering Education)
  Now GBNF

• Other Thet Kyees
  Several of my sayas, sayamas, relatives and friends are 90+ years young.

Time

• Clock / Watch
  Mechanical, Electro-mechanical, Electrical, Atomic
• Calendar
  Various types
• Time and Motion Study
  Kenneth and Lillian Gilbraith
• Time Management
• Five minute biographies
• One minute manager
• Early responder
  within 4 or 5 minutes
• Gettysburg Address
  less than 2 minutes
• TED Talk
  less than 18 minutes
• Toastmaster Speech
  typically 5 to 7 minutes
• Sports
  Timing
  Records

To Err Is Human

• “To err is human, but to make blunders use a computer indiscriminately.”
• Some software “auto-corrects” words incorrectly.
• In our younger days, there was a good Scrabble player named James Thet Wai (Proof Reader for the Guardian newspaper).
• Burmese publications have language experts (Burmese, English, Pali).
• Before the Internet, the production of a good book requires the expertise of editors and reviewers. Even then, some typos and discrepancies can appear.
  e.g A reference book described Rajiv Gandhi as the “younger” son of Indira Gandhi.
• Note that articles on the Internet / Social Media — with lax reviews — can have typos and errors.
  An entry on Dr. Ba Than lists Dr. Aung Than as his son.
  Another article claimed that Prof. U E Maung was “Bagyi Aung”.
  One author did not know the time line / order of Arzani Nay and the assassination of ICS U Tin Tut.
• It is important to check facts (especially historical dates & events) and provide correction.

YMBA

• Young Men’s Buddhist Association
• Illustrated History of Buddhism
  Mahagandayone Sayadaw Ashin Janakabhivamsa (Author);
  Saya U Ba Kyi (Artist)
  First edition : Myanmar text
  Supplement : English text
  Reprint: Theravada Buddhist Society of America

YMCA

• Young Men’s Christian Association
• N. Smith — Invented Basketball
• Dale Carnegie — How to win friends and influence people; How to stop worrying and start living;
  How to improve your diction
• Dr. Ralph Smedley — Public Speaking and Leadership; Precursor to Toastmasters International

Zero

Numerals

• Hindu-Arabic numeral : 0
• No such Roman numeral

Miscellaneous

• The Dawn of Nothing
• Positional number system
• 0-based numbering
• Nil; Null; Nothing
• Often used to represent “False” in two-valued logic.
• Absolute Zero (temperature)
• Ground Zero
• Zero in

Zoom

Lens

• Photographers and Videographers often use Zoom lens for special effect.
• The more we grow older the more we have to avoid “zoom camera” to our face.

Zoom In and Zoom Out

• We zoom in when we want to see things in detail.
• We zoom out when we need to see things in the bigger picture.

Teleconferencing

• Zoom is a system for teleconferencing.
• Usage grew dramatically during the pandemic
• Free version; Deluxe version