Category: Memory

  • Fond Memories

    Fond Memories

    by Hla Min

    Update : Oct 29, 2025

    Saya U Aung Khin

    2015

    Saya U Aung Khin
    Windsor
    • In July 2015, Ivan Lee (M69) provided car & gas for the trip to Canada and East Coast of USA.
    • Fred Thetgyi (M69) drove most of the way. Also took photos.
    • Visited Saya U Aung Khin (Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
    • Saya not only prepared breakfast for us but also gave us mementos.
    • Saya stays fit by playing Tennis and Golf

    Saya Allen Htay

    Donations by Ma Ma Mu

    Saya Allen & Daw Mu Mu Kin
    • Founder and President of RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000. See posts : Saya’s articles
    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated saya’s books to YTU Library. She also provided financial assistance to eligible YTU students.
    Donation by Daw Mu Mu Kin

    Saya U Aung Hla Tun

    U Aung Hla Tun
    • Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine
    • Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering
    • Resident Elder of the Church of Holy Christ
    • Leader of HMEE project
    U Aung Hla Tun donating HMEE books to RU Central Library
    • Published two books. He won National Literature Award for the first book.
    • Despite failing health, he completed the second book and most of his three-year plan.
    • In his memory, Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) & team published a book.

    My Souvenirs

    • Some are displayed on my desk
    • Birthday Greetings in Aug 2016
    • Collegiate Scholarship Winners from St. Paul’s High School in 1963
    • Awards from Toastmasters International
    • Alumni Appreciation Awards
    • Photo Mug from my Life Savers
    Souvenirs

    Alumni Appreciation Awards

    Award 1
    • Misplaced the award received at SPZP-2000
    • Second award received in August 2026 from Alumni Worldwide
    • Third award received in September 2016 from NorCal RIT Alumni Association
    Award 2

    SPHS63

    SPHS63
    Hla Min
    • Scholarship Winners
    • Award ceremony at SPHS
    • Invited to attend OPA (Old Paulians’ Association) Annual Dinner
    Invitation from OPA

    Toastmasters International

    • DTM Award & Triple Crown received in 2017
    DTM 1
    DTM 2

    Electronic Greeting Card

    • Printed by Maurice Chee
    • Given to me at the Soon Kwyay gathering at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California

    Gifts from my Myees

    Myee 1
    Myee 2
    • Photo Mug
    • Hand printed cards
    • Father’s Day Gifts

    Present from KMZ

    • for Golden Jubilee in 2023
    KMZ’s present

    Uncle U Thein Han & Auntie Daw Khin Khin Htwe

    U Thein Han
  • Fond Memories

    Fond Memories

    by Hla Min

    Update : Oct 2025

    Saya U Aung Khin

    2015

    Saya U Aung Khin
    Windsor
    • In July 2015, Ivan Lee (M69) provided car & gas for the trip to Canada and East Coast of USA.
    • Fred Thetgyi (M69) drove most of the way. Also took photos.
    • Visited Saya U Aung Khin (Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
    • Saya not only prepared breakfast for us but also gave us mementos.
    • Saya stays fit by playing Tennis and Golf

    Saya Allen Htay

    Donations by Ma Ma Mu

    Saya Allen & Daw Mu Mu Kin
    • Founder and President of RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000. See posts : Saya’s articles
    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated saya’s books to YTU Library. She also provided financial assistance to eligible YTU students.
    Donation by Daw Mu Mu Kin

    Saya U Aung Hla Tun

    U Aung Hla Tun
    • Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine
    • Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering
    • Resident Elder of the Church of Holy Christ
    • Leader of HMEE project
    U Aung Hla Tun donating HMEE books to RU Central Library
    • Published two books. He won National Literature Award for the first book.
    • Despite failing health, he completed the second book and most of his three-year plan.
    • In his memory, Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) & team published a book.

    My Souvenirs

    • Some are displayed on my desk
    • Birthday Greetings in Aug 2016
    • Collegiate Scholarship Winners from St. Paul’s High School in 1963
    • Awards from Toastmasters International
    • Alumni Appreciation Awards
    • Photo Mug from my Life Savers
    Souvenirs

    Alumni Appreciation Awards

    Award 1
    • Misplaced the award received at SPZP-2000
    • Second award received in August 2026 from Alumni Worldwide
    • Third award received in September 2016 from NorCal RIT Alumni Association
    Award 2

    SPHS63

    SPHS63
    Hla Min
    • Scholarship Winners
    • Award ceremony at SPHS
    • Invited to attend OPA (Old Paulians’ Association) Annual Dinner
    Invitation from OPA

    Toastmasters International

    • DTM Award & Triple Crown received in 2017
    DTM 1
    DTM 2

    Electronic Greeting Card

    • Printed by Maurice Chee
    • Given to me at the Soon Kwyay gathering at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California

    Gifts from my Myees

    Myee 1
    Myee 2
    • Photo Mug
    • Hand printed cards
    • Father’s Day Gifts

    Present from KMZ

    • for Golden Jubilee in 2023
    KMZ’s present

    Uncle U Thein Han & Auntie Daw Khin Khin Htwe

    U Thein Han
  • Celebration in August 2016

    Celebration in August 2016

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Alumni Appreciation Award

    Award
    U Myat Htoo & U Hla Min

    U Chan Min

    • Rowed for the Institute of Economics,
      His crew members include U Htin Kyaw (Peter) and U Soe Thinn.
    • Attended the computer classes at UCC in Rangoon.
    • Became a monk at Dhammananda Vihara (Half Moon Bay) after his retirement.

    U Tha Aung (M79) and Daw Kinsa Maw-Naing (ChE79)

    • Hosted mini reunions in Canada
    • Volunteer as SPZP2016 representatives.
    • Sayamagyi Daw Tinsa Maw-Naing was my English teacher in I Sc(A).

    Dear Ko Hla Min,

    Happy Birthday and to say thank you for all your efforts in keeping RIT alumni connected globally. Even though we don’t have much to say, we always follow your updates.

    May you have a happy healthy long life and lots of ku-tho.

    with metta from Tha Aung & Kinsa

    Saya U Htun Aung Kyaw (ChE67, SPHS61)

    Happy Birthday Ko Hla Min and cutie pie!
    I appreciate all you hard work and dedication to RIT Alumni newsletter.
    Sorry I cannot attend the event.

    Thanks for your appreciation

    Dear Sayas and Colleagues,

    It is truly amazing to be appreciated by sayas and alumni. he following are some examples.

    • Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi and Daw Emma called from Canada to wish my Cutie Pie and me. They also sponsored “Tohu Thoke” for the attendees.
      Sayagyi sent Ko Maurice his congratulatory message for me to be read at the soon kyway gathering. See the following section for details.
    • Saya U Tin Htut flew in from Southern California.
    • Ko San Lin (M 87, “Maung Lu Pay”) took “time off” from work to attend the soon kyway.
    • Ko Kyaw Myint (M 83) delegated his “Flower shop” to his assistant to attend the soon kyway.
    • Ko Myint Soe (M79), who recently had knee surgery, requested Ko Aung Myint Oo (EC 84) to give him and his spouse a ride to the soon kyway.
    • Due to tight multiple schedules, Angelina and Ko Benny Tan (M 70) came in separate cars so that Ko Benny can have more time with his sayas and colleagues
    • Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M 60) will celebrate his 80th birthday in December, 2016. Saya only drive local short distance, so he asked Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) to give him a ride.
    • Daw Mu Mu Khin, spouse of Saya Allen Htay, had tears in her eyes. She said that Saya would wish to be at the RIT mini-gatherings. She gave me silk neck ties that were bought (but never worn) by Saya Allen. She shares the birthday on August 18 with my grand daughter.
    • Ko Maurice ordered a cake to celebrate August Born including Daw Mu Mu Kin and Ko Myint Swe (EP 74).
    • Ko Maurice hand crafted a custom “birthday greetings” card with extracts from the birthday greetings from the RIT updates. The messages from Saya Dr. San Hla Aung, Ko Tha Aung, Ma Kinsa Maw-Naing came in too late to be incorporated into the gigantic card.
    • Ko Maurice spent countless days organizing the event. Following the tradition of his late father Uncle U Wah Kyu, Ko Maurice also prepared custom birayani (dan bauk).
    • Ko Charlie Tseng (EC 70) and Ma Diana Tseng (ChE 71) ordered two large birthday cakes for me.
    • The full list of food donors and sponsors are maintained by Ko Maurice.
    • Ko Johnson Lim (cousin of Ko Robert San Lin) needs a human walking “cane” (his beloved spouse). They are regular food donors at most events.
    • Daw Kyu Kyu Lin (T75) rarely attends gatherings. She made an exception this time. She brought “Kyee Oh See Kyet”.
      She also gave a ride to two Textile grads: Ko Than Htay (T75) and Ma Bibsu (T76).
    • Saya Daw Khin Khin Chit Maung also rarely attends gatherings. She made an exception this time. She and Saya U Myo Min fetched Saya U Tin Htut (Daw KKCM’s elder brother) at the air port and also brought him to the Half Moon Bay monastery.
    • Ko Gordon Kaung (M 83) and Ma Lillian Kaung (EC 83) drove 2+ hours from Napa. They also brought a bottle of iNapa Premium wine and also some desserts.
    • Saya U Myat Htoo (C 68) spent a decade or so as President of TBSA (Theravada Buddhist Society of America) at half Moon Bay monastery. It was a sort of “welcome back” for Saya and Ma Ku (Daw Hnin Maung Maung).
    • Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE 66) is a Past President of Northern California RIT Alumni Association and a founding member of RIT Alumni International.
      He and Daw Eng Eng (sister of Saya U Myat Thwin, ChE 66) brought samoosa.
    • There were a few young and not so young alumni at the event. They include Ko Soe Thu (C98) and Ma Thandar.
    • Saya U Nyo Win (M 65) and spouse were caught in the traffic.
    • Saya U Thein Aung (Met 72) and Sandra (M 76) brought their daughter.
    • Dr. Myint Thein (M 73) talked about his “Htaik Htar” Daw Nyo Nyo Win (T 73) and provide examples of “Applied English” (e.g. “air cut” for stroke).
  • Benefactors

    Benefactors

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Sayas ဆရာများ

    • I pay respect to သင်ဆရာThin Saya, မြင်ဆရာMyin Saya and ကြားဆရာ Kyar Saya.They taught me all I knew.
    • I would like to thank my mentors who directly or indirectly taught me Communication (Oral and Written) and Languages (English, Burmese, …)
    • Last but not the least, a million thanks to my “လက်ဦးဆရာများ Let Oo Sayas” (my beloved parents).
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is parents-1.jpg
    My Parents

    Learning English

    I fondly remember the days that I had to study

    • Tom Thumb’s Essays
    • A Student’s Companion
    • Oxford English Dictionary (OED — various sizes and editions),
    • Chamber’s Dictionary (used in Scrabble tournaments)
    • Rhyming Dictionary
    • Word Power/Vocabulary in six weeks, 21 days, …
    • Idioms (present from my uncle)
    • They helped me improve my writing and communication skills.
    • Thanks to all the authors, who are my implicit teachers.
    • Still learning (especially during the “Shelter at Home” due to the COVID-19 Pandemic)
    • Listen to the daily offering by Blinkist.com
    • Listen to selected podcasts

    Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF) ဒေါက်တာချစ်ဆွေ

    • Sayagyi was my mentor at UCC.
    • He invited over renowned computer scientists led by Professor Harry D. Huskey, Pioneer in Computer Hardware, Software and Teaching and mathematicians (e.g. Professor Frank Harary, Expert in Graph Theory) to Rangoon to hold seminars and to design courses in computer science and applications.
      Michael Stonebraker (then at UC Berkeley) gave a short course on Ingres (an early Relational Data Base Management System) at UCC. A few years back, he won the prestigious “ACM Turing Award” (which is considered as the equivalent of Nobel Prize in Computing).
    • He taught us to use CPM/PERT (Critical Path Method / Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) for the various projects.
    • Saya asked me to assist in several of his projects : translator/ reviewer for CTK (Children’s Treasury of Knowledge), editor for “High School Mathematics”, and
      TOSS (Team Of System Specialists).
    • Saya passed away in November 2019, but his Legacy as Pioneer for Computer Systems, Application and Education in Burma will last forever.
    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is sydney-2006-1.jpg
    Sydney 2006

    U Soe Paing (EE, UCC) ဦးစိုးပိုင်

    U Soe Paing
    • My mentor at RIT and UCC
    • He, Saya U Myo Min and Saya U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF) taught degree and diploma courses in computer science. They also conducted courses in computer programming, computer orientation, to name a few.
    • The sayas asked me to be their assistant.
    • Saya also allowed Saya U Aung Zaw (GBNF) and me to co-author texts, guides and manuals used at UCC.

    Publications

    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    • Guardian
      Thanks to U Soe Myint (Chief Editor)
    • Working People’s Daily (WPD)
      Thanks to U Ko Lay (Chief Editor) and Daw Khin Swe Hla (Editor)
    • Forward magazine
      Thanks to Bohmu Ba Thaw (Maung Thaw Ka, Chief Editor) and U Sein Hla (Editor)
    • Pan magazine
      Burmese publication
    • Veda magazine
      Published by BARB
    • Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung
      Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 and SPZP-2010 in Singapore
      Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
    • Swel Daw Yeik Magazine
      Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2012 and Shwe YaDu (2014)
      Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
    • RUBC magazine
      Commemorate issue for 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC
    RUBC
    • BAPS Newsletter
      Contributing Editor
    • Dhammananda Newsletter
      Contributing Editor
    • Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silananda
      Contributing Editor
    • Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
      Contributor to the Burmese American section of the 3-volume encyclopedia
    Encyclopedia
    • National Foreign Languages Center
      Language Expert for the Burmese Language Project (Reading and Listening Comprehension)
    • RIT Alumni International Newsletter
      Contributing Editor for 26 years
    • hlamin.com
      3000+ articles
    • Facebook
      Owner, Admin or Moderator of selected Facebook Groups
    • Video Broadcasts
      Archived in Facebook and my You Tube Channel

    Volunteering

    I gained experience by volunteering as

    • Several organizations in Myanmar and USA
    • EC, Joint Secretary and Secretary of RIT EE Association
    RIT EE Association
    • Contributing Editor of RIT English Newsletter
    • Treasurer and Vice Captain of RUBC
    • Translator / Interpreter at Meditation Retreats
    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    SPZP-2000
    • Coordinator, World wide SPZPs in Singapore and Myanmar
    • Docent at the Computer History Museum (at Mountain View, California
    • Contributing Editor of the materials taught at the Summer Dhamma Camp at Dhammananda Vihara (at Half Moon Bay
    • Area Governor, Club Coach, Contest Chair, Test Speaker, Club Ambassador at Toastmasters International
    • Editor of several publications by Sayadaws (e.g. U Jotalankara) and friends (e.g. U Aung Zaw)
    • Language expert at National Language Center
    • Administrator and/or Moderator of selected Facebook Pages
    • Owner and content creator of selected web sites (e.g. hlamin.com)

    Parents and Ancestors

    Parents

    Last but not the least, my heartfelt thanks to my beloved parents and their philanthropic forebears for instilling me the passion to help humanity in general and to my alma mater. They believed that “Any thing that’s worth doing is worth doing well.”

    Pay Back ကျေးဇူးဆပ်

    • My beloved spouse told me that I should pay back to my alma mater, mentors and my beloved land.
    • She reminded me that I should take care of my health to enjoy quality time with our Life Savers : Chit Sa Noe and Po Lone.
    • I had paid back to my alma mater RIT where I studied from 1964 – 1969 by volunteering as Messenger and Organizer for 26 years.
      e.g. For SPZP-2000, I wrote 64 “Countdown to the Reunion” and 36 “Post_Reunion”.
    • In 2018, I wrote “Memories of UCC”.
      I wrote a Summary for the magazine to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ICST.
    • To commemorate the 19th anniversary (in April 2018) for “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” and the 45th wedding anniversary (in June 2018), I wrote several hundred posts covering a variety of topics.
    • Since then, I have completed 2600+ posts.
      Revised most of them with feedback provided by my readers including Dr. Khin Maung U, Dr. Nyunt Wai (Victor), Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint & U Khin Maung Zaw.
    • In April/May 2019, I celebrated 20th Anniversary as Founder-Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter
    • In November 2019, I was invited as a Panelist to the 5th ILF (Irrawaddy Literary Festival) held in Mandalay.
    • In December 2019, I attended the SPZP and Reunion Dinner of RIT 69er’s Golden Jubilee of graduation.
    • I was invited to attend the 6th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST / UCSY and the Annual mini-gathering of UCC Alumni.
    • In January 2020, I was invited as a Special Guest for the 2020 PSA (Public Speakers’ Association) Tour to six cities in Upper Myanmar.
    • I am continuing with adding / revising posts for hlamin.com and share some of them via Facebook pages (e.g. Life Long Learning, RIT Updates, RU Centennial) and my You Tube Channel.
    • I am a Dreamer.
      I believe, “If one can dream, others will fulfill.”

    Updates

    • Several of those mentioned in the post are GBNF.
    • In 2024, NorCal RITAA celebrated the 60th Anniversary of RIT and the Centennial of Myanmar Engineering Education.
    69er Cap
    69er Mug
  • Memory is fallible

    Memory is fallible

    by Hla Min

    Updated : July 2025

    အထင်မှား / အမှတ်မှား

    Short Story by Minthuwun

    Minthuwun

    “ဘကြီးအောင် ညာတယ်” ဝတ္ထု (မြန်မာ နှင့် အင်္ဂလိပ်ဘာသာပြန်) ကို ငယ်စဉ်က ဖတ်ခဲ့ရပါသည်။

    ဆရာ မင်းသုဝဏ် ၏ ကဗျာ / ဝတ္ထု တို့ ကို သူငယ်ချင်း စာပေပညာ ရှင်များ က အင်္ဂလိပ် ဘာသာ ဖြင့် ပြန်ဆိုဂုဏ်ပြုကြပါသည်။

    Dr. Htin Aung is

    NOT Bagyi Aung

    ယနေ့ တိုင် ဘကြီးအောင် ကို ပါမောက္ခချုပ်ဒေါက်တာထင် အောင် ဟု အထင်မှား အမှတ်မှားသူများ ရှိနေပါသည်။

    Prof. U E Maung is

    NOT Bagyi Aung

    blogger တဦးက စိတ်ကူးဖြင့် ဘကြီးအောင် ကို မြန်မာစာပါမောက္ခ ဦးဧမောင် ဟု ရေးသားခဲ့ပါသည်။ ထို blog ကို like/ share လုပ်သော စာ ဖတ်သူများ မနည်းပါ။ Internet တွင် misinformation, disinformation, hoax, unchecked facts များ တွေ့မြင်နေရပါသည်။

    U Nay Oke (St. Paul)’s named the Four Main Characters

    ဦးနေအုပ် (စိန်ပေါလ်) က TEDx talk တွင် ခေတ်စမ်းစာပေ ကဗျာ ဆရာ နှစ်ဦး ၏ မေတ္တာ အကြောင်း ကို ကဗျာများနှင့်အတူ ရှင်းလင်းပြခဲ့ပါသည်။

    U Nay Oke’s Talk about Two Poets

    အဓိကဇာတ်ဆောင် များမှာ

    • ဆရာ မင်းသုဝဏ် Minthuwun
    • ဒေါ်ခင်စောမူ (ဦးနေအုပ်၏မိခင်) Daw Khin Saw Mu (U Nay Oke’s Mother)
    • ICS ဦးတင်ထွဋ် (ဦးနေအုပ်၏ဘကြီး) ICS U Tin Tut (U Nay Oke’s Bagyi)
    • ICSဦးဘတင့် (ဦးနေအုပ်၏ဖခင်) ICS U Ba Tint (U Nay Oke’s Father)

    ICS U Tin Tut

    is Bagyi Aung

    ကာယကံရှင်များ ကွယ်လွန်ကြပြီးဖြစ်သဖြင့် “ဘကြီးအောင်” အဖြစ်မှန်ကို ဦးနေအုပ်က စေတနာဖြင့် တင်ပြခဲ့ပါသည်။

    To err is human

    To minimize or eliminate misinformation is desirable

    Thanks to all those who pointed out inadvertent errors and inconsistencies in my posts / writings

  • Fond Memories

    Fond Memories

    by Hla Min

    Update : July 2025

    Saya U Aung Khin

    2015

    Saya U Aung Khin
    Windsor
    • In July 2015, Ivan Lee (M69) provided car & gas for the trip to Canada and East Coast of USA.
    • Fred Thetgyi (M69) drove most of the way. Also took photos.
    • Visited Saya U Aung Khin (Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering)
    • Saya not only prepared breakfast for us but also gave us mementos.
    • Saya stays fit by playing Tennis and Golf

    Saya Allen Htay

    Donations by Ma Ma Mu

    Saya Allen & Daw Mu Mu Kin
    • Founder and President of RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000. See posts : Saya’s articles
    • In memory of Saya Allen, Daw Mu Mu Kin donated saya’s books to YTU Library. She also provided financial assistance to eligible YTU students.

    Saya U Aung Hla Tun

    U Aung Hla Tun
    • Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine
    • Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering
    • Resident Elder of the Church of Holy Christ
    • Leader of HMEE project
    U Aung Hla Tun donating HMEE books to RU Central Library
    • Published two books. He won National Literature Award for the first book.
    • Despite failing health, he completed the second book and most of his three-year plan.
    • In his memory, Saya U Nyunt Htay (Met73) & team published a book.

    My Souvenirs

    • Some displayed on my desk
    Souvenirs

    Alumni Appreciation Awards

    Award 1
    • Misplaced the award received at SPZP-2000
    • Second award received in August 2026 from Alumni Worldwide
    • Third award received in September 2016 from NorCal RIT Alumni Association
    Award 2

    SPHS63

    SPHS63
    Hla Min
    • Scholarship Winners
    • Award ceremony at SPHS
    • Invited to attend OPA (Old Paulians’ Association) Annual Dinner
    Invitation from OPA

    Toastmasters International

    • DTM Award & Triple Crown received in 2017
    DTM 1
    DTM 2

    Electronic Greeting Card

    • Printed by Maurice Chee
    • Given to me at the Soon Kwyay gathering at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California

    Gifts from my Myees

    Myee 1
    Myee 2
    • Photo Mug
    • Hand printed cards
    • Father’s Day Gifts

    Present from KMZ

    • for GJ
  • Heart-felt Thanks

    Heart-felt Thanks

    by Hla Min

    Updated : July 2025

    Parents

    My beloved parents

    Thanks to my beloved parents (“Let Oo Sayas လက်ဦးဆရာများ”) for their unconditional love and support.

    Dad

    • Told us stories from the “University of Life”
    • Shared his experience as a volunteer for social and religious work.
    • He built & renovated pagodas. He built houses for him and two younger brothers.
    • His advice : “Anything that is worth doing should be done well.”

    Mom

    • Even though she had house maids, she got up early to prepare breakfast and lunch box
    • Supervised my homework in Primary school & Middle school
    • Loving Kindness Meditation & Sharing Merits — Daily
    • Her gentle exhortation: “Eyes have you and you see not. Ears have you and you hear not.”

    Ancestors

    Thanks to my philanthropic ancestors

    • Donated in cash and kind for building and/or restoring pagodas, schools, hospitals & monasteries
    • Offered food, e.g Sa Tu Ditha at Shwe Dagon Tabaung Festival
    • Provided medicine, e.g for burns)
    • Gave stipend, e.g to bright but needy students

    I am following their footsteps by giving back to my beloved land, mentors, benefactors & alma mater

    Family Members

    My spouse

    Thanks to my family members

    • They supported my volunteer work for several decades.
    • My beloved spouse wrote articles for Dhammanda Newsletter with the pen name “Neikban Zaw”.
    • My niece Dr. Khine Zin Oo gave me a surprise gift: tripod with remote control.

    Poets & Artists

    Thanks to the contributors of “Poetic Art”.

    • Tekkatho Moe War : Saya U Moe Aung
    Saya Moe
    • Okpo Maung Yin Maung : Saya U Aung Myaing
    Okpo & Bagyee
    • Maung Nyunt Htay (Ah Htet Min Hla) : Saya U Nyunt Htay
    Nyunt Htay
    • Win Myint (M72) : U Win Myint
    • Bagyee Myat Myo Myint : U Myo Myint

    Miscellaneous

    Thanks to Dr. Khin Maung U, Dr. Nyunt Wai, Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint, several sayas, colleagues, friends and literary lovers for contributing and/or reviewing my posts.

    Saya U Htun Aung Kyaw (ChE67, SPHS61) posted the list of videos with the links. He also commented on optimization of the talks.

    U Tin Aung Win (Oscar, M69, Sacred Heart63) gave me rides to the Golden Jubilee celebrations — Saya Pu Zaw Pwe in the morning and Reuinion Dinner in the evening — in 2019. See my posts for a more comprehensive list of those who provided me transportation,

    U Htun Aung (EP70) and spouse Daw Pwint Than (EP71, High school Luyechun in 1964 and 1965) gave me a dhamma book at SPZP-2016.

    Saya Dr. Kyaw Tint (Physics, Author) was a Science Scholar, Past President of BADA, and is an entrepreneur. He provided info on Science Scholars and selected topics.

    U Ye Sint taught Physics in Myanmar before moving to USA. He was Vice President, Board of Director, Contributing Editor of “Dhammananda Newsletter” and “Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silandabhivsmsa” book at TBSA. He gave book presents to me.

    Eddie Shein (U Aung Kyaw Myint) matriculated from SPHS and graduated from RIT. His hobbies include Palmistry & Astrology. He invited us to the wedding reception of his daughter (specialist medical doctor in Australia). It was a mini-reunion of alumni from SPHS and RIT.

    U Maung Maung Kyi (my classmate at SPHS & Leik Khone, my crew mate at RUBC and Best Man at my wedding) and his spouse Daw Khin May Than (ChE72) hosted us at Ogmore-by-the-sea in Wales, UK.

    U Win Latt authored WinHoro at UCC under my supervision. He has a Master in Computer Science. He runs a software company named SysMagic. He worked in Myanmar, Singapore & Thailand. He hosted me during my first visit to Singapore and treated us during my visit to Bangkok in 2024.

    Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC, CSO, Author) gave me two of his books : “Bawa and Dhamma”, and “Cetana Thi Thar Kan”. He studied M.Sc. (Computer Science) at Southampton University, UK. He taught CS at UCC, Assumption University in Bangkok and at a college in Sydney, Australia.

    U Aung Myint (UCC, SPHS64, Physics) transferred from RIT EE Lab to UCC Systems Division. He was Maintenance Engineer and a victim of the 33 question survey following 8-8-88. He taught Courses (e.g Programmable Logic Controllers). He and his son took us to Tanyin / Syriac to visit the Yay Le Phaya and Thabawa Dhamma Yeik Tha. His hobbies include Palmistry and Astrology. He wrote Bedin programs on the ICL 1902S computer at UCC.

    U Ngwe Soe (Silver, UCC, AGTI, Japanese Diploma, Physics) was among the young UCC employees. He did sea faring briefly before working for projects around the world. He showed us around Singapore. He and his spouse Daw Nu Nu Yee hosted us for two nights at their home in Jahore, Malaysia. Ma Nu is the sister of U Khin Maung Thwe (RIT69er, GBNF).

    U Hlaing Myint (UCC, CS) is the nephew of Saya Dr. San Tint (retired Professor of EC / Electronics, YTU). He helped with the maintenance of my car in the early days at UCC. He gave me rides in his newest car during my previous trip to Yangon. He was an eligible bachelor for a long time. He is now a proud father.

    Saya U Aung Myaing (ChE72, Poet) is contributor and coordinator of “Poetic Art”. He recorded several songs (including “Till the end of the world”). His son gave him software for video editing. He and his spouse Daw Gyn Yu (ChE72) hosted sayas and alumni visiting Bangkok (especially for medical checkup).

    Sayar Khin Maung Oo (Master Mariner) taught in Myanmar and Malaysia. He and his spouse Daw Tin Tin Win provide volunteer service (e.g shopping, cooking) for Myanmar crew members (notably those who do not have visas to get off their ships at the Port of Houston, Texas).

    U Win Thein (Padamyar Winhtein) stood first in his Mathematics Major class in 1966. He wrote for magazines and journals (pen name : Maung Nyo). He is a Moderator for “Fun with Learning” FB Group.

    U Sann Tun Ni (Las Vegas) owns a sushi business. He worked for Heavy Industries, and as a Tourist Guide (for Japanese) before moving to USA. He is a Gawpaka at the Las Vegas monastery.

    Dr. Myint Tun (Henry Cho Tun, SPHS60) scored the highest marks in I.Sc(A) and I.Sc(B) Combined. He urged me to “Carry On”.

    Saya U Min Wun (GBNF) was Professor and Head of Civil Engineering at RIT and Member of the Myanmar Pyetkadein Ah Kyan Pay Ah Phwe. Saya retired from Caltans at the tender age of 80 to have time for meditation. He was interviewed by the newspaper and Internet TV in Southern California. Saya wrote several articles for RIT Alumni International Newsletter.

    U Khin Maung Myint (M71) rowed for RIT. He stays active by running and mountaineering.

    SMART Group of Companies (U Kyaw Kyaw Hlaing and team) for hosting me twice during my visit to Myanmar from November 2019 to January 2020.

    Admin and Moderator

    • Sagar Pariye
      Dr. Nyunt Wai (SPHS63, Fourth in Burma)
    • MARB
      U Kyaw Myint, Dr. Aung Myin Bo
    • Team Old School IT
      U Kyaw Zeya
    • YUBC Old Members
      U Zeyar Linn
    • Swel Daw Yeik
      U Khin Maung Lwin
    • Gangaw Taw Yar Pyie (RU Centennial)
      Dr. Nyi Thet Lwin, U Aung Mon
    • P.B.R.S Group
      U Aye Maung Than, U Mya Hlaing
    • Friends of Sayar Khin Maung Oo
      U Khin Maung Oo
    • SF Bay Area Myanmar Community and Cultural Center
      U Cho Oo, U Kyaw Kyaw Soe
    • Fun with Learning
      Padamyar Winhtein, U Khin Maung Zaw
    • 1964 – 1988 Luyechun
      U Win Aung
  • Fond Memories

    Fond Memories

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    (1) Saya U Aung Khin

    Highlights

    U Aung Khin
    • First native Professor of Mechanical Engineering at RIT.
    • Studied at Lehigh University and a Canadian University.
    • Moved to Canada.
    • Gave the go-ahead signal for SPZP-2000
    • Wrote articles for RIT Updates & HMEE

    Trip to Windsor, Canada

    • In July 2015, Ivan Lee (M69) provided his car & gas for a whirlwind trip to Canada and East Coast of USA.
    • Fred Thetgyi (M69) drove most of the trip & also took photos.
    With Saya & Ivan
    Souvenir
    • Visited Saya U Aung Khin (Former Professor of Mechanical Engineering) in Windsor, Canada
    • Saya not only prepared breakfast for us but also gave us mementos.

    (2) Saya Allen Htay

    Highlights

    SPZP-2000
    • Leader, SF Bay Area Alumni
    • Founder & President of RIT Alumni International, which hosted SPZP-2000
    • Wrote, “Brother, can you afford $500 and more?” — resulted in Golden Sponsors for SPZP-2000

    In Saya’s Memory

    Donation
    • Daw Mu Mu Kin donated saya’s books to YTU Library.
    • She also provided financial assistance to eligible YTU students

    (3) Saya U Aung Hla Tun

    Highlights

    U Aung Hla Tun
    • Chief Editor of RIT Annual Magazine
    • Associate Professor of Metallurgical Engineering
    • Resident Elder of the Church of Holy Christ
    • Leader, HMEE Project & Book
    • Published two books. He won National Literature Award for the first book.

    In Saya’s Memory

    • U Nyunt Htay (Met73) & team published a book honoring Saya.
    • A former student later published a book for Centennial of Engg Edu.

    (4) My Souvenirs

    Awards

    Award in Aug 2016
    • Received Alumni Appreciation Award three times : at SPZP-2000; at Half Moon Bay Soon Kyway & Gathering in Aug 2016; at Annual Dinner of
      NorCal RIT AA in Sept 2016
    Award in Sept 2016
    • Collegiate Scholarship in 1963
    SPHS63
    • Luyechun in Summer of 1965
    LYC in 1965
    • DTM Award received in 2017
    DTM

    Greeting Card

    Card
    • Electronic greeting card was printed by Maurice Chee
      and given to me at the Soon Kwyay gathering at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay, California

    Gifts

    • Photo Mug from my Myees
    • Dhamma Dana (CD player, Books)
    Souvenirs

    Posts

    • Books
    • Memories of PBRS
    • Memories of RIT
    • Memories of UCC
    • Visits
  • Benefactors

    Benefactors

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Sayas

    • I pay respect to Thin Saya (သင်ဆရာ), Myin Saya (မြင်ဆရရာ) and Kyar Saya (ကြားဆရာ). They taught me all I knew.
    • I would like to thank my mentors who directly or indirectly taught me Communication (Oral and Written) and Languages (English, Burmese, …)
    • Last but not the least, a million thanks to my “Let Oo Sayas” (လက်ဦးဆရာများ my beloved parents).
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    My Parents

    Learning English

    I had to read / study

    • Tom Thumb’s Essays
    • A Student’s Companion
    • Oxford English Dictionary” (OED — various sizes and editions),
    • Chamber’s Dictionary (used in Scrabble tournaments)
    • Rhyming Dictionary
    • Word Power/Vocabulary in [six weeks, 21 days, …]
    • Idioms (book present from my cousin uncle)
    • They helped me improve my writing and communication skills.
    • Thanks to all the authors, who are my implicit teachers.
    • Learning new things daily
    • Listen to the daily offering by Blinkist.com
    • Listen to selected podcasts

    Dr. Chit Swe (GBNF)

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    Sydney 2006
    • My mentor at UCC
    • Invited renowned computer scientists led by Harry D. Huskey, Pioneer in Computer Hardware, Software & Teaching, and Mathematicians (e.g. Frank Harary, Expert in Graph Theory) to Rangoon to hold seminars and to design courses in computer science and applications. Michael Stonebraker (then at UC Berkeley) gave a short course on Ingres (early Relational Data Base Management System). He laterwon the prestigious “ACM Turing Award” (equivalent of Nobel Prize in Computing).
    • Taught us to use CPM/PERT (Critical Path Method/Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) for the projects.
    • Asked me to assist his projects : translator / reviewer for CTK (Children’s Treasury of Knowledge), editor for “High School Mathematics”, and
      TOSS (Team Of System Specialists).
    • Passed away in November 2019, but his Legacy as Pioneer for Computer Systems, Application and Education in Burma will last forever.

    U Soe Paing (EE, UCC)

    U Soe Paing
    • My mentor at RIT & UCC
    • Together with U Myo Min and U Ko Ko Lay (GBNF), they taught degree and diploma courses in computer science, and also conducted courses in computer programming, computer orientation, to name a few.
    • Saya U Soe Paing allowed U Aung Zaw (GBNF) and me to co-author texts, guides and manuals used at UCC.

    Publications

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    SPZP-2000 Organizers
    • Guardian
      Thanks to U Soe Myint (Chief Editor)
    • Working People’s Daily (WPD)
      Thanks to U Ko Lay (Chief Editor) and Daw Khin Swe Hla (Editor)
    • Forward magazine
      Thanks to Bohmu Ba Thaw (Maung Thaw Ka, Chief Editor) and U Sein Hla (Editor)
    • Pan magazine
      Burmese publication
    • Veda magazine
      Published by BARB
    • Swel Daw Yeik Sar Saung
      Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2002, SPZP-2007 and SPZP-2010 in Singapore
      Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
    • Swel Daw Yeik Magazine
      Commemorative Issues for SPZP-2012 and Shwe YaDu (2014)
      Thanks to Saya U Moe Aung (Tekkatho Moe War)
    • RUBC magazine
      Commemorate issue for 90th Anniversary of the founding of RUBC
    RUBC
    • BAPS Newsletter
      Contributing Editor
    • Dhammananda Newsletter
      Contributing Editor
    • Paying Homage to Sayadaw U Silananda
      Contributing Editor
    Book
    • Encyclopedia of Asian American Folklore and Folklife
      Contributor to the Burmese American section of the 3-volume encyclopedia
    Encyclopedia
    • National Foreign Languages Center
      Language Expert for the Burmese Language Project (Reading and Listening Comprehension)
    • RIT Alumni International Newsletter
      Contributing Editor for 26 years
    • hlamin.com
      2500+ articles
    • Facebook
      Owner, Admin or Moderator of selected Facebook Groups
    • Video Broadcasts
      Archived in Facebook and my You Tube Channel

    Volunteer

    I gained experience by volunteering

    • Several organizations in Myanmar and USA
    • EC, Joint Secretary and Secretary of RIT EE Association
    RIT EE Association
    • Contributing Editor of RIT English Newsletter
    • Treasurer & Vice Captain of RUBC
    • Translator & Interpreter at Meditation Retreats
    • Organizer, SPZP-2000
    SPZP-2000
    • Coordinator, World wide SPZPs in Singapore & Myanmar
    • Docent at the Computer History Museum (at Mountain View, California)
    • Contributing Editor of the materials taught at the Summer Dhamma Camp at Dhammananda Vihara (at Half Moon Bay)
    • Area Governor, Club Coach, Contest Chair, Test Speaker & Club Ambassador at Toastmasters International
    • Editor of publications by Sayadaws (e.g. U Jotalankara) and friends (e.g. U Aung Zaw)
    • Language expert at National Foreign Language Center
    • Administrator and/or Moderator of selected Facebook Groups
    • Owner & content creator of selected web sites (e.g. hlamin.com)

    Parents and Ancestors

    My Parents

    Last but not the least, my heartfelt thanks to my beloved parents and their philanthropic forebears for instilling me the passion to help humanity in general and to my alma mater. They believed that “Any thing that’s worth doing is worth doing well.”

    Pay Back

    • My beloved spouse told me that I should pay back to my alma mater, mentors and my beloved land.
    • She reminded me that I should take care of my health to enjoy quality time with our Life Savers.
    • I had paid back to my alma mater RIT where I studied from 1964 – 1969 by serving as Messenger & Organizer for 26 years. e.g. For SPZP-2000, I wrote 64 “Countdown to the Reunion” & 36 “Post_Reunion”.
    • In 2018, I wrote “Memories of UCC”. I wrote a Summary for the magazine to commemorate the 30th anniversary of ICST.
    • To commemorate the 19th anniversary (in April 2018) for “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” and the 45th wedding anniversary (in June 2018), I wrote several hundred posts covering a variety of topics.
    • Since then, I have completed 2500+ posts. I have revised most of them with feedback provided by my readers.
    • In April 2019, I celebrated 20th Anniversary as Founder-Editor of RIT Alumni International Newsletter.
    • In November 2019, I was invited as a Panelist to the 5th ILF (Irrawaddy Literary Festival) held in Mandalay.
    • In December 2019, I attended the SPZP and Reunion Dinner of RIT 69er’s Golden Jubilee of graduation.
    • I was invited to attend the 6th Acariya Pu Zaw Pwe of ICST / UCSY and the Annual mini-gathering of UCC Alumni.
    • In January 2020, I was invited as a Special Guest for the 2020 Public Speakers’ Association (PSA) Tour to six cities in Upper Myanmar.
    • I am adding / revising posts for hlamin.com and share some of them via Facebook groups (e.g. Life Long Learning, RIT Updates) and my YouTube Channel (@hmin3664)
    YouTube Channel to access my videos
    • I am a Dreamer. I believe, “If one can dream, others will fulfill.”

    Posts

    • Father’s Day
    • Let Oo Saya
    • Mother’s Day
    • Noble Tradition
    • Paying back to my alma mater
  • Four Generations

    Four Generations

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    First Generation

    Dad
    • My beloved parents. For us, every day is “Father’s Day” and “Mother’s Day“.
    • Raised seven children & several grand children.
    • Passed away in their 80s.
    • For a long time, I was among the lucky ones to have both parents. Now, I am among the unlucky ones to have lost both parents.
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    • Took care of my two sons when they were young
    • Sad to say, they did not live long enough to see my grand children.

    Let Oo Saya

    During my school days, my parents gave me 25 pyas as pocket money. They wanted to make sure that I study hard.

    In Standard VI(D) and Standard VII(D), Ms. Amelia Kyi (“Miss Hong Kong“, mother of U Win Kyi (RUBC Gold)) taught us English. We had to take weekly tests. She would fine 25 pyas to those who fail in a test. She would give 50 pyas to those who do well in a test.

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    My parents would give bonus prizes only when I did well in the final examinations.

    They would buy us typewriters : Remington for English and Olympia for Burmese.

    They also gave me a Raleigh bicycle, a Yashika Mat camera, and Cash prizes (100 Kyats for passing a Government examinations and 100 Kyats for each Distinction).

    They would also provide us books : several types of dictionaries, Myanmar Swel Sone Kyan, Reader’s Digest, Student’s Companion, A book for Idioms, Grammar (e.g. Wren and Martin), the King’s English (by Fowler and Fowler), “How and Why”, Fun with Mathematics, Classics Illustrated, …, Saya Mauk (Bedin), Cheiro (Palmistry), …, Second World War.

    Uncles and Aunts

    My uncles & aunts were my adopted Parents.

    They had private libraries. There was a set of Encyclopedia Britannica, books by Dale Carnegie (“How to win friends and influence people”, “Five minute biographies”) and more.

    They aallowed me to play their piano and games (Badminton, Table Tennis, Carrom, Bridge).

    One uncle would take us to Inya Lake for swimming followed by a feast of Buthee Gyaw.

    Another uncle would take me to the Recreation Center in the Main Campus (e.g. to meet Saya Dr. Than Tun) and to the Faculty of Social Science & Library (e.g. to meet Saya U Khin Maung Kyawe (Jimmy) and Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khin (Hazel)).

    A Zillion Thanks

    Dear beloved parents, uncles, aunts and teachers, “I’m sure you will be in the good abodes. I want to thank you for your unbounded love and for your exhortation that “Every thing that’s worth doing is worth doing well” “.

    Second Generation

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    My beloved spouse and I tied the knot in June 1973 in front of our parents (my father, my mother and her mother) and elders including Sayagyi Dr. Chit Swe (Founder and Director of Universities’ Computer Center).

    All my siblings are alive and well.

    My spouse had lost five family members.

    • Her father passed away in his mid 50s.
    • Her mother passed away in her late 80s.
    • Her elder brother passed away in his early 50s.
    • Her younger brother passed away in his early 60s.
    • Her nephew passed away in his late 30s.

    She volunteered for social and religious events. She wrote several articles for Dhammananda Newsletter with the pen name “Neik Ban Zaw“.

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    She encouraged me to pay back to our parents, mentors, alma mater, society and our beloved land.

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    Ah Phwa and Hmyee Ma

    With her support, I served for 26 years as Chief Editor of “RIT Alumni International Newsletter” and as an organizer of activities (including RIT Grand Reunion and Saya Pu Zaw Pwe).

    I have written 2500+ posts in my Facebook pages and hlamin.com

    Third Generation

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    • I have two loving sons.
    • The elder is a Senior Industrial Engineer.
    • The younger is a Senior Software Engineer.

    Fourth Generation

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    • I have two kind, loving and intelligent grandchildren. They excel in Academic, Sports & Social Relations.
    • They are our life savers.
    • The elder will attend Sixth Grade.
    • The younger will attend Third Grade.
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