HlaMin

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  • Palindrome

    Palindrome

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    Definition

    • A palindrome reads the same when read forward or backward.
    • There are word palindromes, numerical palindromes and musical palindromes.

    Examples

    • The earliest palindrome supposedly occurred in the Garden of Eden. MADAM I’M ADAM and the reply EVE
    • Napoleon Bonaparte is the first Corsican to attend the French Military Academy. He rose to be an Emperor. He supposedly lamented : ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA .
    • There were two early Canals (Suez and Panama) to shorten the sea routes. The degree of difficulty was not the same. It took meticulous planning to build the Panama Canal. It gave rise to the palindrome :
      A MAN, A PLAN, PANAMA
    • There are palindromes in languages, music and art. The Pulitzer Prize winning book on Escher (Painter), Godel (Mathematician) and Bach (Composer) discusses threads that are common to Maths and Computer Science, Arts and Music. One such thread is a palindrome. For example, a musical composition (which is a palindrome) can be played from the front to back, and vice versa.
    • There are numerical palindromes.

    101

    • It is a numerical palindrome. It reads the same forward and backward.
    • Value of “One hundred and one” in the Decimal Number System.
    • Value of 5 in the Binary number system.
    • Introductory courses are usually named “101” e.g. CS 101 for an introductory course in Computer Science.
    • In California, USA, there is a highway named 101. Several companies in the Silicon Valley along Highway 101.
    • District 4 of Toastmasters International was divided into District 4 and District 101. Most clubs that are located near Highway 101 were assigned to District 101.

    1001

    • It is a numerical palindrome.
      It reads the same forward and backward.
    • Value of “One thousand and one” in the Decimal number system
    • Value of 9. in the Binary number system
    • Read “1001 Nights”.
      Scheherezade outwitted a king who killed his wives after their first night together by telling him a different story every night for 1001 nights (and supposedly gave birth to some children).
    • In early 2018, I started posting “Trivia”. Completed 1001+ posts in time for my birthday in August, 2018

    Feedback

    • U San Lin (“Maung Lu Pay”, M87, USA) wrote :
      Wonderful job. It’s best 1000 trivia I ever read. Thanks Sayar.
      Best Regards,
      San Lin
    • Saya Dr Myo Khin (C70, Japan) wrote :
      Dear Ko Hla Min,
      Your endless selfless towards the RIT is highly appreciated and please do not stop this meritorious deed.
      May Lord Buddha bless and keep you and your beloved family. Sincerely and Best Regards,
      Your childhood friend
      Myo Khin
    • Winston De Penha (SPHS63, Australia) wrote :
      I’ve read all your Trivia posts.
      Hope you remember me.
      I was your classmate.
    • Ashin Pannagavesaka wrote :
      Parent #1: My son’s only four and he can already spell his name backwards.
      Parent #2: Oh? And what’s his name?
      Parent #1: Otto.
  • Methodology

    Methodology

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    Top Down

    • Approach starts with the Design Requirements and then decide on the intermediate and final steps to get the design implemented.
    • Used some software projects.
    • May also be used in the writing of a book. One first decides on the structure and contents.

    Bottom Up

    • Used when one has a set of bases, foundations and libraries.
    • Building blocks are then assembled and refined to develop a desired product.
    • May also be used in the writing of a book. If one has written posts for a long time, they may be used as a basis for further development into an e-book or printed book.

    Middle Out

    • Approach is used to develop several software.
    • Uses a hybrid (part Top Down and part Bottom Up). It is important to make sure that the two parts meet properly.
    • In the context of publishing, a group of writers and editors can come up with a Design for the book, use existing material as much as possible and try to bridge the gap with new material.
  • Album

    Album

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    Photo Album

    • Many years ago I received a photo album as a present.
    • During our younger days, photos were expensive. It costs about 25 – 50 pyas per photo.
      There is a base cost for processing a film roll, and extra cost for printing reasonably good photos.
    • One may waste money due to overexposure, underexposure, blurred photos (for taking moving objects with a low ASA or DIN).
    • I did not take many photos. So, my album was not full. I decided to use it as a Scrap Book.

    Scrap Book

    • I pasted some of my publications (poems and translations) from the newspapers (e.g. Guardian, WPD) and magazines (e.g. Forward). I added some captions.
    • A few years back, I tore off the pages and scanned them. I posted some of them in my Facebook pages and my personal website.
    • As time and energy permitted, I provided details of the photo.

    Memories

    • Ko Benny Tan (M70) told me that his parents brought thousands of photos (taken out of many albums to save weight and space) to the USA. With such wealth of material, it is easy to share memories with the descendants.
    • Thanks to sayas, alumni, friends and readers for sharing rare photos and memories.
    • I now have several digital photo albums in my Facebook pages and in my personal web site.
  • Decline of Trust

    Decline of Trust

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    Younger Days

    We were delighted to know that most doors (e.g in some parts of Yamethin) were left open at night. It was an indication of a high level of trust among people.

    Much later

    We saw guarded windows and doors (with multiple locks) in most places. It might indicate a deterioration of trust among people.

    No Exception for USA

    Trust also eroded in the USA. In addition to the locks, there are security cameras and recording systems to deter vandalism and thefts.

    In some places, car windows are broken to take away valuables in the car. Restaurants place signs “Do not leave valuables in your car”.

    Misplaced or Lost Item

    Back in the days of our parents and grand parents, one is sure to get back a misplaced item.

    My friend Patrick remembered that his father left a hat at Rangoon Turf Club and he found it untouched on his preferred seat the following week.

    Trust worldwide

    Around the world, more people lost trust in banking corporations and investment firms after being hit by Ponzi schemes, scams and variants.

    The use of simple passwords has given way to longer pass phrases that are harder to crack.

    Login to computer systems prefer multi-factor authentication (e.g. bio-metrics). The computer sends back a code to be used for verification. Even then, no system that has a “back door” is safe forever. It may be safe for a specified period of time.

    Companies track the activities of their employees. Essentially, no one is to be trusted fully in the modern age with a gazillion of malicious schemes.

    A different view of trust has evolved. People check feedback (e.g. on Yelp) to decide if a product or service is trustworthy. How much does an average person trust a room-sharing service or a ride-sharing service or a friend on an Internet Chat.

    Zaw Winn wrote :

    When the Trust is directly proprtional to Loyalty ;

    When Loyalty is directly proportional to Contentedness ;

    When Contentedness is directly proportional to Sufficiency ;

    When Sufficiency is directly proportional to Abundance ;

    ….

    Trust is readily available.

  • Which -ist are you?

    Optimist

    • looks at the bright side of things
    • sees a glass as half full
    • treats challenge as an opportunity

    Pessimist

    • looks at the dark side of things
    • sees a glass as half empty
    • does not embrace challenge

    Realist

    • performs Reality Check
    • asks if water has been poured in or out before deciding the degree of fullness or emptiness
    • determines which challenges are worthwhile e.g. give a good Return On Investment (ROI)
    • appreciate the Prayer of Acceptance : Grant me the power to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference

  • Heritage

    Meaning

    • Tradition.
    • Property handed over to an heir.
    • Something that is transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor.

    UNESCO

    UNESCO provides grant for sites that have been designated as “Unesco Heritage Site”.

    Yangon

    Yangon City Heritage has recognized Heritage Sites and presented Blue Plaques.

    • SPHS (St. Paul’s High School)
    • St. John’s College (originally called St. John’s Diocesan [Boys] School)
    • Myoma National School
    • MEHS (Methodist English High School)

    USA

    • Some sites and buildings are deemed to be historic (e.g. 150+ years old).
    • Restrictions are placed on how to upgrade them.
  • Heart

    Heart

    by Hla Min

    Updated : May 2025

    • Heart is a body organ.
    • Heart attacks may result in death.
    • Heart is a suit in a card deck.
      The others are Club, Diamond and Spade.
    • The Heart line is a major line in Palmistry. Others are the Life line, Fate line and Head line.
    • Systems send “Heart Beat” to inform that they are still active.
    • “From the bottom of my heart”,
      “With all my heart”,
      “Heart and soul” and
      “Heart to Heart” are lyrics from the Oldie Songs.
    • We do not like Heart aches and Heart breaks.
    • Heart is a symbol (emoticon) used in Social Media.
    • Hearts is a Card Game.
    • Some Sayas and alumni contact me if they do not receive my “RIT Alumni International News Update” for some time. They worry that I might not be well. I have to send “Heart Beat” saying that my musings can be found in Facebook and my web sites
    • Sacred Heart is a school which is close to St. Paul’s High School. Its alumni include
      Ko Tin Htut (Harry, Mon Yu),
      Ko Tin Aung Win (Oscar)
      Ko Win Boh (Robert) and
      Ko Abdul Rauf (GBNF).

  • Cigarette

    In our younger days

    • In our youth, it was fashionable in the movies and outside to smoke cigars, cheroots and cigarettes.
    • There was no warning that “Smoking could be hazardous to your health”.

    Gold Flake and Ludu

    • Some did not smoke, but they bought used cigarette packs with brands such as Gold Flake and Ludu. Why?
    • There was a campaign from Gold Flake and Ludu that they will give a lottery ticket for the specified number of packs purchased (e.g. 20). The top prize for “Aung Bar Lay Htee” at that time was one Lakh Kyats. If the top winning ticket was bought from Gold Flake or Ludu, the winner received an additional one Lakh Kyats. That was a sizeable amount of money.
    • U Win Thein (M67, GBNF) — the indefatigable organizer — was from the Gold Flake Family.
    • Saya U Hla Myint (Charlie, M65), Ko Michael Lim (C74), Ma Kyu Kyu Lin (“Bawlone”, T75), and Ko San Lwin (EC77) belong to the Ludu Family.
      Ludu had a family band of musicians and vocalists (e.g. Dr. Thynn Thynn Lin) that made public performances at festivals.

    Game

    There was another use of cigarette pack covers. There was a game where players take turns to put up one cover. If the top-most cover matches the cover immediately underneath, the player “wins” the pile of covers. Those who ran out of covers might decide to buy back some covers.

  • Salutation

    • Salutations are context and culture dependent.
    • Many Burmese call older people as “Uncle” and “Auntie” although they are not related to them.
    • At SPHS, we call our sayas without the formal U. e.g. Saya Sein (instead of Saya U Sein)
    • I was reprimanded by a senior alumnus for writing Saya Aung Khin instead of Saya U Aung Khin or Sayagyi U Aung Khin.
    • A visiting Professor from Germany wanted to be addressed as “Professor Doctor” (not just Professor or Doctor).
    • Saya Allen Htay (C58) told us that he could not use “Mr” during his stay in Netherlands. He was asked to use “Ingr” (based on his profession).
    • Early surgeons in the UK were not necessarily doctors, and so they did not force people to address them as Dr.
    • People who have Honorary Doctorates usually put “Honoris Causa” (meaning the degree was awarded for esteem).

  • Vocabulary

    Comfort zone

    • Children are not shy and tend to pick up words — often in multiple languages — quickly and easily.
    • As people grow older, most tend to live within their comfort zone. Such people probably add only 10 – 20 new words a year.

    Necessity and Assimilation

    • My friend’s younger brother and sister are medical doctors from Burma who did not know Chinese. They chose to work in Taiwan. After working there for a year, they felt at ease communicating in Chinese. Assimilation helps improve one’s vocabulary.
    • During the Japanese occupation, several Burmese mastered Japanese quickly.

    Improving one’s vocabulary

    • To expand or refine one’s vocabulary, one could and should take extra effort.
    • In our younger days, we learned from a Reader’s Digest section “It pays to increase your word power” by Wilfred Funk, co-compiler of the Funk and Wagnall’s dictionary.
    • We studied Vocabulary Books which cover a lesson a day for three to six weeks.
    • With the rise of Broadcasting and Internet, it is easy to grow one’s vocabulary. One could subscribe to a program similar to (a) “Word of the Day” by Merriam Webster (b) “Word for the Wise“by National Public Radio (NPR).