HlaMin

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  • January 1st

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Mar 2026

    New Year

    In most parts of the world, December 31st is celebrated as New Year’s Eve. In the Times Square in New York, many tourists wait for the count down to the New Year.

    January 1st is celebrated as the start of the New Year. For many, it is a holiday.

    Peasants’ Day

    In the early days, Burma celebrated January 1st as Peasants’ Day. It was a holiday.

    The Revolutionary Council staged a Coup D’etat on March 2, 1962. The BSPP government moved Peasants’ Day to March 2nd.

    Birthdays

    Saya U Than Lwin (Eric Lwin, my cousin uncle, GBNF) celebrated his birthday on January 1st.

    Ye Than

    For several years, U Ye Than (Winner Inn, son of my cousin brother Sayagyi U Ba Than) has celebrated his birthday on January 1st with a Soon Kyway.

  • Dhamma Books

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Mar 2026

    စွန်းလွန်း ဝိပဿနာ
    Sunlun Vipassana

    • မြင်းခြံစွန်းလွန်းဆရာတော် ဦးကဝိ
      Myingyan Sunlun Sayadaw U Kavi
    • ကမ္ဘာအေးစွန်းလွန်းဆရာတော် ဦးဝိနယ
      Kaba Aye Sunlun Sayadaw U Vinaya

    လယ်တီ ဆရာတော်
    Dhamma Lineage of Ledi Sayadaw

    • ဆရာ သက်
      Saya Thet
    • ဆရာ ဦးဘခင်
      Saya U Ba Khin
    • S N ဂိုအင်ဂါ
      S N Goenka

    ပဏ္ဍိတရာမ ဆရာတော်
    Dhamma Lineage of Panditarama Sayadaw

    • Sayadaw U Pandita
    • ဦးပညာဒီပ (ဘီးလင်း) — နာယက ဆရာတော်
      U Pannadipa (Beelin) – – Patron

    ဓမ္မဘေရီ အရှင်ဝီရိယ (တောင်စွန်း)
    Dhammaberi Ashin Viriya (Taung Soon)

    ရုပ်စုံ ဗုဒ္ဓ သာသနာဝင်
    The Illustrated History of Buddhism

    • မဟာဂန္ဓာရုံဆရာတော် ဦးဇနကာဘိဝံသ
      Author : Mahagandayone Sayadaw U Janakabhivamsa
    • ပန်းချီဆရာ ဦးဗကြည်
      Illustrator : Saya U Ba Kyi
    • Reprint : ဦးသီလာနန္ဒာဘိဝံသ နဲ့ အလှူရှင်များ
      Reprint : Sayadaw U Silanandabhivamsa and Devotees / Donors

    Mahagandayone Sayadaw

    U Silananda

    U Silananda

  • Burmese in Cambodia

    U Soe Aung (M/Auto 70) visited Kampuchea (Cambodia) for a conference.

    He was surprised and delighted to see a Burmese Inscription at a temple in Ankor Wat.

  • U Tin U 2

    by Hla Min

    Update : Feb 2026

    Highlights

    U Tin U at SPZP-2012
    • Matriculated from St. John’s Dio in 1946.
    • Attended Rangoon University before going for studies in the USA.
    • Represented RUBC (Rangoon University Boat Club) in the Independence Day Regatta at Kandawgyi in 1948. His crew mates were Pe Nyun (Dick San Pe, later Orthopedic Surgeon & Lead for operating Ma Nan Soe & Ma Nan San); Pe Thein (Tom San Pe, later Minister of Health & Education) and Khin Maung Wint (Bobby Tin, later Commander of Artillery).
    1948 Independence Day Regatta
    • Received BSCE (Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering) from Oregon State University.
    • Received MSCE (Master of Science in Civil Engineering) from Yale University.
    • Upon his return to Burma, he joined Clark & Greig (well-known Construction Company) and became a Director.
    • He taught part-time at the Civil Engineering department.
    • He later served as Advisor for Inter-kiln and PWD Architecture (2) Group.
    • Past Captain of Rangoon Golf Club
    • Oldest & Most Senior Past Captain of RUBC; He was invited to open the Centennial Celebrations of RUBC in 2023

    Family

    • He is the oldest child of U Chan Sein and Daw Cheng Kim.

    Nine Siblings

    • U Tin U, U Ba Than, Dr. Daw Win Hlaing (Ruby), Daw Myint Thwe (Betty), Dr. Myo Tint, U Tin Htoon, U Myo Min, U Thaung Lwin, Daw Cho Cho Hlaing

    Spouse

    • Dr. Daw Khin Kyi Nyunt (Cherry Tin Gyi) — worked for Medical College and BMRI (Burma Medical Research Institute); passed away in November 2019

    Elder son

    • Dr. Khin Tun (Peter) — MRCP; former Associate Dean of Oxford University); succumbed to Covid on April 13, 2020
    • Spouse : Daw Win Mar —survived Covid; was hospitalized for 2 weeks
    • Children : Min Ko (Michael), Ye Aung (William)
    • See : Chronicles of Peter Tun (Apr – May 2020)

    Daughter

    • Daw Aye Aye Khin — B.Com, CPA; took care of her father till the final day
    • Spouse : U Tin Tun — passed away in May 2020
    • Children : Thin Thiri Tun, Dr. Khin Sandy Tun

    Younger son

    • Dr. Ye Myint — Specialist in Intensive Care & ; flew to Yangon to take care of his ailing father
    • Spouse : Daw San San Aye
    • Child : Dr. Aye Sandar
    U Tin U & Family
    U Tin U 3

    Interviews

    HMEE

    • Gave an Interview for HMEE Project about BSCE (Burma Society of Civil Engineers)
    • Recorded by Saya U Ba Than
    • The Association was re-instituted about 1955-56.
    • President :
      Sayagyi U Ba Hli (Dean of Engineering, University of Rangoon, GBNF)
    • Honorary Secretary :
      Saya U Soon Sein (Professor, Mining, GBNF)
    • Honorary Treasurer :
      Saya U Tin U (Part time Lecturer, Civil)

    Rangoon Golf Club

    • As Past Captain of RGC, he gave an interview to the media (newspaper / magazine)

    90+ Club

    • Four of the nine siblings are members of the 90+ Club like their mother.
    • U Tin U (eldest) passed away on Aug 19, 2025 — a few weeks after his 96th birthday. He was the most senior Past Captain of RUBC. He was also the oldest Yale University alumni from Burma.
    • U Ba Than (2nd oldest) passed away after his 94th birthday.
    • Dr. Daw Win Hlaing (Ruby, 3rd) celebrated her 93rd birthday on Aug 31, 2025.
    • Daw Myint Thwe (Betty, 4th) passed away two months before her 91st birthday.

    Photo Albums

    U Tin Htoon has compiled several photo albums for

    • his mother Daw Cheng Kim
    • U Tin U’s 90th birthday
    • U Ba Than’s 90th birthday
    • Dr. Daw “Ruby” Win Hlaing’s 90th birthday
    • Dr. “Peter” Khin Tun’s untimely demise

    He sent out Photo Cards for the birthdays of older siblings and U Thein Han (Uncle Charlie).

  • Three Refuges

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    For the First time

    I take Refuge in the Buddha (the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    I take Refuge in the Dhamma (Teachings of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    I take Refuge in the Sangha (Monastic Order of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Second time

    For the Second time, I take Refuge in the Buddha (the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Second time, I take Refuge in the Dhamma (Teachings of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Second time, I take Refuge in the Sangha (Monastic Order of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Third time

    For the Third time, I take Refuge in the Buddha (the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Third time, I take Refuge in the Dhamma (Teachings of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

    For the Third time, I take Refuge in the Sangha (Monastic Order of the Buddha — the Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One).

  • Three

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    Numeral

    • Hindu-Arabic numeral : 3
    • Roman numeral : III
    • သုံး (Three in Burmese)
    • တတိယ (Third in Burmese)

    Triple Gems

    ရတနာ သုံးပါး

    • Buddha ဗုဒ္ဓ The Blessed One, the Worthy One, the Fully Enlightened One
    • Dhamma ဓမ္မ Teachings of the Buddha
    • Sangha သံဃာ Monastic Order of the Buddha

    Tipitaka တိပိဋက

    • Vinaya ဝိနည်း Monastic rules of conduct
    • Sutta သုတ္တန် Discourses
    • Abhidhamma အဘိဓမ္မာ Ultimate Reality

    Trinity

    • Father
    • Son
    • Holy Spirit

    Three valued logic

    • True
    • False
    • Don’t know

    Musical note

    • Ascent / Rise
    • Sustain
    • Descent / Decay

    Apollo Modules

    • Command Module
    • Lunar Module
    • Service Module

    Apollo 11

    • Neil Armstrong : Mission Commander
    • Michael Collins : Command Module Pilot
    • Buzz Aldrin : Lunar Module Pilot
    Men on the Moon

    Positive Color Model / RGB

    • Red
    • Green
    • Blue

    Traffic Light

    • Red
    • Amber
    • Green

    Speech / Writing

    • Introduction
    • Body
    • Conclusion

    Education

    • Primary
    • Secondary
    • Tertiary

    Khit San Sarpay ခေတ်စမ်းစာပေ

    • သိပ္ပံမောင်ဝ ICS U Sein Tin
    • ဇော်ဂျီ (ဦးသိန်းဟန် U Thein Han)
    • မင်းသုဝဏ် (ဦးဝန် U Wun)

    Early Schools in Burma

    • English School
    • Vernacular School
    • Anglo-Vernacular School

    Miscellaneous

    • Three Hindu Deities
    • Triangle : Three-sided figure
    • Triangulation : Surveying technique
    • Three Seasons in Myanmar : Hot, Rainy, Cold
    • Tricycle : Cycle with three wheels
    • Tripod : Camera stand with three legs
    • Trio : Group of three (e.g Kingston Trio)
    • Trilogy : e.g Three books about WWII by Cornelius Ryan
    • Trine : e.g Sign in Palmistry
    • Trigonometry : Branch of Mathematics
    • Triple Jump : Hop, step & jump
    • Transistor : Base, Emitter, Collector
    • March : Third month in the Gregorian Calendar

  • November

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    Background

    • 9th month of the old Roman calendar. Nov means nine.
    • 11th month of the Gregorian calendar.
    • It has 30 days.

    Events

    November 1

    • It is “All Saints Day”. It is preceded by Halloween (which falls on October 31st).

    Sunday following Halloween

    • DST (Daylight Savings Time) requires resetting the clock according to “Spring forward. Fall back.” Currently, DST is set back in Fall (Autumn) on the Sunday following Halloween.

    November 8

    • It is the Anniversary of my beloved parents.
    My beloved parents

    November 11

    • Three generations chose November 11 for their Wedding or Reception
    • Dr. and Mrs. Chan Taik
    • Daughter Margaret Chan Taik and Dr. Myo Tint
    • Granddaughter Ma Kay and Soe Min Oo (both EC 93)

    November 22

    • John F Kennedy (President of the United States) was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
    • Conspiracy Theory about his assassination survives.
    • A few days earlier, President Kennedy gave his speech in Hoston, Texas : “Before this decade is out, we will send men on the moon and bring them safely back to earth.”

    Tazaungdaing

    • It often falls around November.
    • Kathein robe offering often take place in early November.
      It must be held during one month following the Full Moon Day of Thadinkyut (which usually falls in October).

    Veterans Day

    • November 11 is celebrated as Veterans Day in the USA.
    • It is celebrated as Armistice Day in the UK and France.
    • A hundred years ago, Truce was called between the Allied Forces and Germany. The Truce occurred at 11 AM, marking the event with three 11s.
    • WWI (First World War) ended a year later with the Versailles Treaty.

    US Elections

    • The second Tuesday of November is scheduled for US Elections at the various levels.
    • The Presidential Elections occur every four years.
    • The mid-term elections occur every two years. The House of Representatives serve two year terms. One third of Senators are elected every two years.
    • Local races for Elections and Resolutions are held every year.
    • Senators serve six year terms.
      To ensure continuity in the Senate, the election of the Senators is staggered into three groups.

    Commercialization of Thanksgiving

    • Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
    • Black Friday & Cyber Monday following Thanksgiving have massive sales. Some start their Black Friday early.
    • Several English words (e.g. November, Black Friday) have lost their original meaning.

  • March

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    Background

    • 3rd month of the Gregorian Calendar and has 31 days.
    • First month of the old Roman Calendar.

    Events

    Taw Hlan Yay Nay

    • The resistance against the Fascist regime started on March 27, 1945. March 27 is celebrated as Taw Hlan Yay Nay (Resistance Day).

    Coup d’etat

    • The Union of Burma lost Democracy on March 2, 1962.
      The 17-man Revolutionary Council led by General Ne Win staged Coup D’etat. Many were detained. They include Mahn Win Maung, President of the Union of Burma; U Nu, Prime Minister; Shan Sawbwas / Saophalongs

    Phone Maw & Soe Naing

    • Ko Phone Maw (5th year RIT student and Lanzin Lu Nge) was hit by a stray bullet on March 13, 1988.
    Phone Maw 1
    Phone Maw 2
    • Ko Soe Naing and Ko Myint Oo were also hit and hospitalized in not-so-humane conditions.
      Ko Soe Naing succumbed to the gun shot wounds. Ko Myint Oo survived.
    • March 13 was declared as “Burma Human Rights Day” and “Phone Maw and Soe Naing Nay”.
    • During the Pwint Linn Era, requisites were offered in memory of Ko Phone Maw and Ko Soe Naing.

    Saying

    • Mad as a March hare

  • Fatal Pony Ride

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    Peter Pe (64 Intake)

    He was among the Top students — along side Zaw Min, Tommy Shwe (GBNF) and Cho Aye (GBNF) — that were admitted to 1st BE in November 1965.

    He is the younger brother of Saya U Nita Pe (Min / Geol).

    He represented RIT in Swimming and Water Polo.

    He fell from a horse and was taken to the hospital. He passed away.

    Ko Zaw Min posted an article about him.

    Emma Myint wrote : He was our classmate. I attended his funeral.

  • Non-believer of Palmistry

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Feb 2026

    U Hla Moe (Dawei) was Cox of the Senior Novices Winning Crew : U Than Soe (M63, RUBC Gold), U Yin Maung, U Chit Swe and Dr. Byron Law Yone (GBNF).

    U Ba Than (Fitness Teacher, Palmistry Expert) warned him (who was planning a trip home before coming back to Rangoon to become a temporary monk) of an impending danger.

    He replied, “I had an accident that left scars on my face. It is safe to go on the Schooner owned by my father”.

    The Schooner sunk at sea. A rescue ship eventually saved three crew members, who reported that U Hla Moe was helping others before they lost sight of him.