We are organizing a milestone birthday (soonkway) and appreciation celebration for our alumni icon U Hla Min at Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA), Half Moon Bay on August 20, 2016 from 9:00AM to 3:00 PM.
I will be sponsoring my signature Indian (Chicken) and Chinese (baby back spare rib ) Dan Pauk, Benny (Mohingar), Saya Maung Maung (samosa), Daw San San Swe (Chin-Paung-Kyaw), Ko Hla Kyi (Bannana Dessert), Ko Gordon Kaung and Lillian Kaung (a tray of desserts).
You are welcome to sponsor, contribute and volunteer to help with the event.
To provide adequate foods, please send in your RSVP to mcmauchee@gmail.com by August 7, 2016.
Please come and join us to celebrate this special day with a mindful and cheerful party and we look forward to seeing you all to show our appreciation to U Hla Min for taking care of RIT newsletter as Chief Editor for the past seventeen years.
Saya U Tin Htut will be flying in from Los Angeles to attend the RIT mini-gathering. Saya was a member of the Organizing Committee for SPZP-2000. He is a co-founder and Past President of BASES.
Event address
Theravada Buddhist Society of America (TBSA) 17450 S. Cabrillo Highway, CA 94019 Half Moon Bay CA 94019 U.S.A Phone: 650-712-9165
I have been asked whether they can bring friends and family members to Ko Hla Min’s birthday celebration at TBSA, Half Moon bay, on August 20, 2016. The answer is Yes, per the Myanmar tradition any ah hlu ah tan is open to all well beings (alumni, non-alumni, friends and dhamma friends of Ko Hla Min).
With metta, Maurice Chee, M75
Appreciation
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 Salim 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 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 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)
From Saya U Tin Htut (M60, Los Angeles)
Yes, I will be glad to join you all in the celebration.
Tin Htut
From Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66) and 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 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 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 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
U Myint Soe (M79)
He emailed me three photos.
U Soe Thu (C98)
He e-mailed me the Group Photo taken in front of U Silananda Hall at Dhammananda Vihara, Half Moon Bay.
U Chan Min, who rowed for the Institute of Economics, became a monk at Dhammananda Vihara after his retirement. His crew members include U Htin Kyaw (Peter) and U Soe Thinn. He also attended the computer classes at UCC in Rangoon.
From U Tha Aung (M79) & Daw Kinsa Maw-Naing (ChE79)
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
Editor’s notes :
Appreciate your work hosting mini reunions in Canada and for volunteering as SPZP2016 representatives. Sayamagyi Daw Tinsa Maw-Naing was my English teacher in I Sc(A).
From Saya U Htun Aung Kyaw (ChE67)
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. The following are examples.
Sayagyi Dr. Aung Gyi & Daw Emma called from Canada to wish my Cutie Pie and me. They also sponsored “Tohu Thoke တို့ဟူးသုတ်” for the attendees. Sayagyi sent 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 & Benny Tan (M 70) came in separate cars so that Benny can have more time with his sayas and colleagues.
Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt (M 60) will celebrate his 80th birthday in December. Saya only drive local short distance, so he asked Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) to give him a ride.
Daw Mu Mu Kin, 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. She shares the birthday on August 18 with my Cutie Pie.
Maurice ordered a genericcake to celebrate Daw Mu Mu Kin, Ko Myint Swe (EP 74) and other August born.
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.
Maurice spent countless days organizing the event. Following the tradition of his late father Uncle U Wah Kyu, he also prepared custom birayani (dan bauk ဒန်ပေါက်).
Charlie Tseng (EC70) and Diana Tseng (ChE71) ordered two large birthday cakes.
The full list of food donors and sponsors is maintained by Maurice.
Johnson Lim (cousin of 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 ကြေးအိုးဆီချက်”. She also gave a ride to two Textile grads: Ko Than Htay (T75) and Ma Bibsu (T76).
Sayama Daw Khin Khin Chit Maung rarely attends gatherings. She made an exception this time. She and Saya U Myo Min fetched Saya U Tin Htut (her elder brother) at the air port and also brought him to the Half Moon Bay monastery.
Gordon Kaung (M 83) and Lillian Kaung (EC 83) drove close to 3 hours from Napa. They also brought a bottle of iNapa Premium wine and desserts.
Saya U Myat Htoo (C68) spent a decade or so as President of TBSA (Theravada Buddhist Society of America) at Half Moon Bay monastery. Today was a sort of “welcome back” for him and Ma Ku (Daw Hnin Maung Maung).
Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE 66) is a Past President of NorCal 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 (M65) and spouse were caught in the traffic.
Saya U Thein Aung (Met72) and Sandra (M76) brought their daughter.
Dr. Myint Thein (M73) talked about his “Htaik Htar ထိပ်ထား” Daw Nyo Nyo Win (T73) and provide examples of “Applied English” (e.g. “air cut” for stroke).
Award
Award
Received appreciation award for helping the sayas and alumni to get connected via the RIT Alumni International Newsletter and Updates since 1999.
It was the second award from the RIT Community.
I received the first award at SPZP-2000 along with Maurice and KMZ.
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).
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)
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
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
VideoBroadcasts 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.”
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.
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.
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 Cashprizes (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
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“.
She encouraged me to pay back to our parents, mentors, alma mater, society and our beloved land.
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
I have two loving sons.
The elder is a Senior Industrial Engineer.
The younger is a Senior Software Engineer.
Fourth Generation
I have two kind, loving and intelligent grandchildren. They excel in Academic, Sports & Social Relations.
မြန် မေ့လွယ် Dementia ဖြစ်လျှင် ပိုမေ့လွယ် Most people see the decline in function of the short term memory.
ခန့်မှန်း 4 Channel အရေးကြီးသောအကြောင်းအရာများ ကို chunking (စုဆည်း) ပြီး ရေရှည်မှတ်ဥာဏ်ထဲမှာသိမ်းပါ။ It is believed that there are about four memory channels. It is advisable to group items in the short term memory into chunks and then save in the long term memory.
ရေရှည် မှတ်ဥာဏ် Long term / Archive Memory
သိပ်မမြန် / နှေး လိုအပ်သလို reorganize လုပ် It may not provide quick access as the short term memory. As needed, the contents in the archive memory may be reorganized.
မေ့ခဲ (လူတယောက်သည် သူထိန်းခဲ့သောမြေးကိုမသိတော့ ။ သူငယ်တန်းက သူငယ်ချင်းများကို အမှတ်တရ တောင့်တ။ အံ့ဩစရာ) Someone could not recognize his grandkid, but he could recall events from his childhood days. He remembers his KG classmates,. It seems like he still have good long term memory, but a flawed short term memory.
ရေတိုမှတ်ဥာဏ် ကို ကူညီဖေးမ
ကင်မရာ မှတ်ဥာဏ်Photographic Memory
ခဏ ကြည့် / ချက်ခြင်းမှတ်မိ
ဆက်စပ် မှတ်ဥာဏ်Associative Memory
အကျိုး အကြာင်း ဆက်စပ် ၍ မှတ်တတ်
Related Topics
မှတ်ဥာဏ် အကူအချို့Memory Aids
Mnemonics
ဥပမာ VIBGYOR (သက်တန့်ရောင်) to remember the Colors of a Rainbow — Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, Red
ဥဩအော်မည် ကုန်းဘောင်တည် Konbaung Dynasty started in the Burmese Era 1115
ဆန်း – မြ – ချို – ခိုင် – ကြီး – ဝင်: – ဇာတ် – အုန်း – ထွေး (အာဇာနည်) The Martyrs : Aung San, Tahkin Mya, Deedok U Ba Cho, Mongpawn Sawbwagyi, U Ba Win, U Razak, U Ohn Maung, Yebaw Maung Htwe
Worked for IBM Burma as System Engineer before moving to USA.
Still has a good memory
Has shared some stories.
Aunt
Younger sister of Dr. Pe Nyun (Pediatric Surgeon)
Taught Psychology at Rangoon University
Studied Library Science in USA
Headed Burmese Section of the Library of Congress
Selected Stories
From March 1, 1929
U Thein Han
It’s been a long journey. I’ve passed the aged barrier of 90. From now on everyday is a bonus for me. My health is the same, no problem. Blood tests results are good. Memory is still sharp. I can drive my car for grocery shopping. I think I will be with you all this year.
I’m living proof that Exercise and Healthy food will keep you in good health and prolong your life. I’ve been doing exercise since I retired in 1994 after I joined HP Senior Center using the Physical Equipment and having lunch at the center. I use light weights (30, 40 lbs) for arm, leg, thigh exercise and walk fast for 1/2 mile (10 minutes) on a Treadmill.
At night before I go to bed, I do Balance exercise 3 times a week given to me by my Physical Therapist.
So Folks, “It’s your life, Exercise, Eat Healthy Food, No Smoking and Drinking, Travel and Enjoy your good life”.
A True Story
When I was working at Montgomery County, Division Of Parking, during my lunch break I took a cab to go to a Chinese Restaurant in Silver Spring [Maryland, USA]. The driver was an African-American from Jamaica. On the way I had a conversation with him and came to know he had a daughter studying at Howard University (African-American University) to be a Lawyer. It happened that my wife was working as a Librarian at Howard University at Washington D.C. so I had a good chat with him. When we arrived at the restaurant I asked him if he had his lunch. He said, “No”. I invited him to have lunch with me. He accepted. I had a long talk with him about Jamaica. After lunch he dropped me at my work.
A few days later while I was walking back from lunch in Silver Spring, it rained heavily. I did not have an umbrella. All of a sudden a car stopped beside me. It was James the Taxi driver that I gave lunch. He told me to hop in and took me to my office. When I asked him, “What is the fare?”, he said, “It’s on the house. No problem”.
When you do a good deed to a person, you will be rewarded back one day with a good deed. This is my true story.
I believe in luck
It was in 1948 during my Rangoon University days I did Nation Newspaper Crossword Puzzle and won 2000 Kyats. At that time the value of Kyat was very good. With the money I won I bought a Jeep costing 3000 Kyats.
My next luck was also during my University days when I went to a movie with my friend Ko Sein Lwin. On the return while I was driving my Jeep with my friend beside me, at the corner of Prome Road and Medical College I, we picked up 800 Kyats which was lying on the Road.
When I arrived in Maryland (USA), I went to Safeway Grocery to buy bread. When I took the bread from the shelf I found $20 on the shelf. It was a great help to me when I was penniless.
Another time was when I was walking on Wheaton Avenue with my son, we found $40 on the street.
During our Burmese Christmas Party I won the door prize which was a Television.
At the Thai King’s Birthday party given by our Thai friend, I won Thai Airways luggage for the door prize.
At our Senior Center I won a Cup as a door prize.
While working at Montgomery County, in 1977, I won 2nd prize of the Maryland Lottery which was $2000, because I hit five numbers out of six numbers. At that time $2000 was a lot of money. The 2nd prize is now one million Dollars.
The 1st prize then was one million Dollars. On 25 August 2018 the 1st prize went up to 522 Million and it was won by 11 employees of a bank because they were lucky.
The 13 Thai Cave Footballers survived because of their luck.
My University friend Billy Wu From Maymyo went back home during a holiday, the UBA Dakota plane crashed due to bad weather, but he was lucky and he survived.
Everyone has luck, but we don’t know when we will be lucky.
My Barber
Ko Aye Pe has been my barber since my University days in 1947 till 1971. He also cut the hair of my two sons. He worked at Varsity Hair Dressing Salon in Bogyoke Aung San Market. We were friends till I left for USA in 1971. He was a kind and obliging person and whenever I travel abroad I brought a shirt for him.
On my first visit back to Myanmar in 2005. I wanted to see him and asked my friend U Hla Soe if he knew Ko Aye Pe’s whereabouts. U Hla Soe told me that he has retired and cuts people hair at his home and gave me his address.
Ko San Aung (Sydney Tin, Ko Pyu) and I took a taxi and went to search for him. We found him living in an apartment near the Old Central Jail behind Medical College 1. He was very happy to see me. He told me he’s retired and he’s working at home and the barber chair that I’m sitting on was given by U Hla Soe. I had a long chat with him and returned back to Winner Inn Hotel.
On my next visit to Myanmar two years later, we went to his apartment but was told by his neighbor that he had moved to Ahlone and gave us the address. We went there and found him living with his niece’s family. When we met him he was BLIND. His niece told him there’s someone to see him but did not tell who we were. I sat down next to him and asked him if he knew who I was. He touched my face with his hand to find out who I was. I then told him that I was Ko Charlie and came back to Myanmar for a visit. When he touched my face with his hand my eyes became wet and I was very sad to see him blind, he must be about 75 years then.
It must have been Cataract which could have been treated and cured, maybe no one told him to see an Eye Doctor or that he may not have the cash for the surgery.
Before we left I gave him Kyats 100,000 for being a good friend who was always willing to cut hair for my kids at home. We then said goodbye to him and returned back to Winner Inn Hotel.
Ko Aye Pe was kind to me when I needed his services and his METTA to me. In return I was able to share what I can with him when he needed it.
My first visit was as RIT Luyechun (Outstanding Student) to the Inlay Khaung Daing Camp in the summer of 1965.
Inlay 1Inlay 2
My second visit was as a guest of Peter Pe (SPHS63), whose cousins (including a medical doctor) live in Inn Paw Khone in Inlay Lake. Ko Maung Maung Aye (SPHS63, GBNF) also joined the trip.We also saw the Phaungdaw-u Festival. I later wrote a poem “Phaungdaw-u Festival”.
Poem
My third trip was via a Tour Company which arranged a Tour Guide, a private boat and a night stay at a hotel in the Lake. The photo shows a rainbow in the background. Sad to note that there were water & drainage issues in the Inlay Lake area.
Third trip to Inlay
My fourth trip was with PSA (Professional Speakers Association). One hotel in the area provided accommodation for the group. A PSA Lecturer conducted a training session for the Hotel manager and selected employees.
Former Head of Movie Production Development at Regional College 2
Father : Director U Chin Sein / Shwe Nyar Maung
He passed away in a traffic accident
Dr. Mya Than
Dr. Mya Than 1Dr. & Mrs. Mya Than, U & Mrs. Thane Myint
Taught at PBRS before going abroad for his doctorate
Taught at the Institute of Economics
Worked in Singapore and Thailand
Spouse : Daw Yee May Kaung
U Thane Myint
Elder son of U Kyaw Zaw (GBNF) and Sayama Daw Khin Khin Aye (GBNF)
Retired from Air Force & MOFA; former member of Myanmar Delegation to UN
Led Myanmar Olympic Team to Seoul Olympics
Spouse : Daw Khin Than Nu (EC70)
Daw Kyi Kyi Tin
Taught Chemistry at Workers’ College and Assumption University
On behalf of PBRS Alumni, she offered Garawa money to Saya Dr. Mya Than
Siblings : U Saw Oo, Daw Tin Tin Aye
Dr. Mya Than and Kyi Kyi Tin
A1 Siblings
Daw Aung Si
A1 Than Htut
A1 Thein Htut
Thamankyar Ko Myint (U Aung Myint)
Sai Wunna (GBNF)
The four brothers were involved in the production of Thamankyar movie. A1 Than Htut was Director. A1 Thein Htut was Cinematographer. Ko Myint and Sai Wunna were Actors. The movie was funded by Sayama Daw Khin Khin Aye.
Some famous people are asked to sign autographs. Athletes sign on sneakers, balls, bats, T-shirts. Keynote speakers sign on the program sheet.
Attended lectures at the Computer History Museum and asked for autographs.
Autograph of Computer Chess Pioneers
During our younger days, we carry small books known as autograph. Some friends just signed their names.
Others wrote or quote verses.
Example (1) I wish to be a China cup in which you drink your tea And every time you take a sip It’ll be a kiss for me
Example (2) Seasons may come. Seasons may go. Flowers will wither in due course, you know. But there is something as fresh as dew. That is the love and affection I’ll always have for you.
