Blog

  • Phay Phay

    Phay Phay

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Background

    • ဖေဖေ & အဖေ mean “Father”.
    • Father’s Day is celebrated on the 3rd Sunday in June.

    Three Generation of Fathers

    My beloved father
    My beloved parents

    First Generation

    • My beloved father
    • He had NDE (Near Death Experience) in his teens. The doctors said that he had three months to live, but thanks to Kadok Sayagyi (ကတုတ်ဆရာကြီး၊ Indigenous Medicine Expert) he lived to be a father of seven and grandfather of eleven.
    • He was a Jack of all Trades and Master of Some. He was not an Architect, but he built pagodas and houses (for him and his younger brothers).
    • He passed away in his 80s.
    • He would be 109 in July 2025.
    Three Generations

    Second Generation

    • Yours truly
    • I am a Lifelong Learner.
    • I am a former academic and Software Engineer.
    • I have two sons and two grandchildren.
    My family 1

    Third Generation

    • My elder son
    • He is an Industrial Engineer.
    • He has a daughter & a son. Both are excellent in studies and extra-curricular activities.
    My family 2

    Old Poem

    Be kind to your father
    For when you were young
    Who loved you as fondly as he
    He caught the first accent that fell from your tongue
    And joined in the heavenly glee

    Be kind to your father
    For now he is old
    His hair intermingled with grey
    His footsteps are feeble — Once fearless and bold
    Your father is passing away

    Morals & Manners

    We had to study “Morals & Manners” at St. Paul’s High School. Brother Austin rewarded those who could recite poems in the book.

  • Maths Sayas

    Maths Sayas

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    U Kar

    (5/Apr/1894 to 21/May/1974)

    • Passed away at the age of 81
    • Taught Mathematics at RU
    • Education Minister in the Caretaker Government
    • Rector, RASU
    • Children : Saya Dr. Tin Maung and Sayama Daw Thein.

    U Aung Hla

    (18/Apr/1896 to 13/Dec/1983)

    • Passed away at the age of 88.
    • Professor of Maths, RU
    • Dean of Arts, RU
    • Accomplished musician
    • Annotated 25 Burmese songs.
    • Spouse : Daw May Than was a nationally known singer.
    • Son : U Mya Than played the lead guitar & piano.

    U Po Thon

    (27/Jul/1899 to 23/Nov/1982)

    • Passed away at the age of 84.
    • Pyinnya Mingyi ပညာမင်းကြီး
    • Supervised & published Maths texts for use in schools.

    U Net

    (15/Jan/1918 to 26/Feb/2003)

    • Passed away at the age of 86.
    • Professor of Maths, MASU
    • Feather of Daw Khin Mar Mar (Physics & UCC) & grandfather of Wunna Ko Ko, webmaster of second RIT web site.

    U Ba Toke

    (26/Dec/1920 to 2/Dec/2020)

    Book
    • Phwa Bet Taw ဖွားဘက်တော် of “Rangoon University” and “First RU Student Boycott” (which is celebrated as “Ah Myo Tha Aung Pwe Nay” အမျိုးသားအောင်ပွဲနေ့ )
    • Professor of Maths, RASU
    • Rector, MASU
    • Professor of Maths, RIT
    • Vice Chair of Maths, Assumption University
    • Mandalay University Soccer Selected
    • Chinlon expert
    • Vice chair, RU Sports Council
    • Led the Burmese Olympic team to Tokyo in 1964.
    • Gave interviews (three C-90 tapes) and documents (4 files) to Saya Dr. Khin Maung Swe (Tekkatho Maung Thin Char). The book was published in April 2010 & was distributed on Sayagyi’s 90th birthday.

    Updates

    • Many sayas — including those mentioned in the post are GBNF.
    • Other GBNF sayas include Dr. Chit Swe, Dr. Tin Maung, Dr. Saw Tin, Dr. Khin Maung Win, U Tin Hlaing, U Sein Min, U Ko Lay & U Aung Sein

    Posts

    • GBNF
    • Mathematics
    • RU
    • Sayas
    • Universities & Institutes
  • Poem — Hla Min’s Poems

    Poem — Hla Min’s Poems

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    To the Fallen Warrior

    To the Fallen Warrior
    • Independence Movement & the Warriors
    • “Taw Hlan Yay Nay” (တော်လှန်ရေးနေ့ Resistance Day) is celebrated in March. The resistance officially started on March 27, 1945. Bohmu Ba Htoo had started the resistance earlier, but it was made to look like a random sporadic act of defiance. The town which housed the early military training school was named “Ba Htoo Myo ဗထူးမြို့”
    • “Lut Latt Yay Nay” (လွတ်လပ်ရေးနေ့ Independence Day) is celebrated in January. The Union Jack was lowered and the Union Flag was flown on January 4, 1948. The time 4:20 AM may have been suggested by an astrologer.
    • Many civilians and armed personnel put their lives on the line in their support for a Democratic and Independent Union of Burma.
    • Saying “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

    Forward Magazine

    • My poem “To the fallen warrior” was published in Forward Magazine.
    • Bohmu Ba Thaw (Maung Thaw Ka) was Chief Editor.
    • U Sein Hla was Assistant Editor.
    • I received Fifteen Kyats for my poem.
    • The artist who illustrated my poem received Fifty Kyats.

    The Phaundaw-u Festival

    Phaungdaw-u Festival
    • I wrote a poem “The Phaungdaw-u Festival” for the Thadinkyut Supplement of Working People’s Daily (WPD).
    • I visited Inlay Lake four times.
    • My first visit was in the summer of 1965 as Tekkatho Luyechun for the Inlay Khaung Daing Camp.
    • My second visit was in October, 1965. I accompanied Ko Aung Kyaw (Peter Pe, SPHS, Movie Star) and Ko Maung Maung Aye (SPHS, IM1, GBNF) to Inlay and Taunggyi. Peter’s cousins (including a medical doctor) live in In Paw Khone in Inlay. Peter’s uncle U Maung Maung Latt was Ah Mat Choke (အမတ်ချုပ်) in Taunggyi. We saw first hand the famous Phaungdaw-u Festival.
    • My third visit was in the mid 2010s. We took a tour package (air travel, hotel, car & boat) to Inlay. We stayed at a hotel in Inlay and then visited selected places in a chartered boat. We were sad to see the declining state of Inlay (e.g. water level). We spent some time in Taunggyi and the nearby cave in Ho Pone.
    • My fourth visit was in January 2020 as the final leg of the Professional Speakers Association’s tour.

    The Ngapali Beach

    The Ngapali Beach
    • My poem “The Ngapali Beach” was published in the Forward Magazine on March 2, 1970.
    • I received fifteen kyats for my poem.
    • The illustrator received fifty kyats.
    • Bohmu Ba Thaw (Maung Thaw Kha) was Chief Editor.
    • U Sein Hla was Assistant Editor.

    Visits

    • My first visit was during my student days. My cousin and friends stayed at the Bungalow owned by U Tha Gyaw Wai and managed by my uncle. At a nearby bungalow was a movie crew by Amyotha Yoke Shin အမျိုးသားရုပ်ရှင် with U San Maung (Gerald, RUBC Gold and Coach). Ko Gerald asked me if I would be interested to join them on the way back via Taung Goke. We were hosted by a cinema owner. He offered the movie audience a free show if they could translate the Burmese titles into English. One submission was “Fly away bitter bird” (Pyan Lay dei Nget Khar ပျံလေတဲ့ငှက်ခါး)
    • My second visit was with my beloved spouse and two young sons. We stayed at the Bungalow owned by Amyotha Yoke Shin and managed by U Mya Maung (elder brother of Saya U Tin Htut).
    • My third visit was as Guest Lecturer for the Ngapali Luyechun Camp. I spent some time chatting with other Guest Lecturers including Saya U Kyaw Myint (Director of Higher Education, former Professor of Physics at Mandalay).
    • Hantha Aye Nylon — the parents of Than Than Yee (T71) and Sann Aung (M74) — also owned a Bungalow.
    • The Hotel and Tourist Corporation built the first hotel in Ngapali.
    • I know a few people who have taken almost yearly trips to Ngapali.

    Our Unity

    Our Unity
    • My poem “Our Unity” was published in WPD (Working People’s Daily) for Pyidaung Su Nay (Union Day). It was written as a dream.
    • Hlaing Phyo is one of my pen names.
    • I received fifteen kyats for my poem.
    • G Ko Lay (RUBC Gold) was Chief Editor of WPD. His spouse : Daw Nyunt Nyunt Win (Physics, RASU Registrar)
    • Former Chief Editors of WPD include U Khin Maung Latt (father of Saya Dr. Khin Maung Win, grand father of Maung Yit and Junior Win) and U Than Saw (grand father of KMZ’s spouse).

    Tekkatho Moe War wrote : This is really an amazing verse to read, especially for a poetry lover, be it in any language, so to speak.

    Updates

    • Several are GBNF. They include Bohmu Ba Thaw, U Ko Lay, U Mya Maung, U San Maung, U Khin Maung Latt, U Than Saw, Than Than Yi & Sann Aung

    Posts

    • Kabyar
    • Newsletter
    • Poetry
    • Publications
    • Rhyme
    • Translation
  • Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Trip Plan

    We had frequent flyer miles with United Air Lines.

    Booked round trip flight from SJC (San Jose, California) to DFW (Dallas / Fort Worth in Texas) via DEN (Denver, Colorado) after consulting with Dr. Ba Han (SPHS66, IM1 73, who lives in Fort Worth) and U San Lin (Robert, MEHS67, EC73, UCC, who lives in Dallas).

    There are several twin cities in the USA. They include

    • Dallas & Fort Worth (in Texas)
    • Minneapolis & St. Paul (in Minnesota)
    • Seattle & Tacoma (in Washington)

    DFW is an International air port near Dallas and Fort Worth.

    Dallas also has a local airport named “Love Field” (which is used mainly by Southwest Airlines).

    Robert agreed to pick us up at the DFW air port and host for two nights.

    Dr. Ba Han agreed to host the remainder of the trip, and also show us around selected cities in Texas.

    Break from FB

    I did not take my lap top.

    I did not log in to FB for the duration of the trip.

    May 8, 2019

    We flew from SJC to DEN on the morning of May 8, 2019.

    At the DEN airport, we learned that “due to thunderstorms, only a limited number of inbound flights to DFW were allowed.” The estimated time of departure from DEN was adjusted twice. After more than two hours delay, the plane took off and landed in DFW about two hours later.

    Robert and his spouse Daw Hla Myint (Marina, EC73) picked us up at DFW. They treated us to a Texas BBQ (Barbecue). We learned that Robert had become a vegetarian, but would occasionally order BBQ for his grandson.

    They hosted us for two nights.

    May 9, 2019

    They showed us around Dallas (including the infamous depository used by Oswald, the ranch used in the TV series “Dallas”, and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

    Robert

    Robert studied at RIT & UCC. He worked for TI (Texas Instruments) in Singapore. He was relocated to TI in Houston. He retired in 2018 and moved to Dallas to be near his son Dr. Vincent & two grandsons.

    Vincent and his wife are medical doctors. They hosted a dinner near the swimming club of their elder son.

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    U Boon Pin
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    U Boon Pin and wife

    Robert’s father U Boon Pin is a 1948 – 49 classmate of U Soe Aung (PWD) and U Gyn Kho (PWD, Dr. Ba Han’s uncle). He retired as Deputy Chief Engineer of Railways.

    Robert’s mom passed away in Taiwan in 2020. She has two sisters. One married Albert Teoh (the eldest of 15 Teoh siblings). Another is the mother of Johnson Lim (C7x).

    May 10, 2019

    Dr. Ba Han joined us for lunch at the Dallas Chinese temple that offers excellent vegetarian dishes for a suggested donation of $7.

    He then drove us to Temple to meet our common niece — daughter of his elder brother U Myo Myint (EC67, RUBC Gold) and my elder sister Sayama Daw Tin Tin Win (RIT Chemistry).

    My niece Dr. Khine Zin Oo & her spouse U Myo Tin treated us a dinner at a restaurant which offered dishes from Texas and Louisiana.

    Posts

    • Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
    • Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
    • Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
    • Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
  • Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Places

    We visited

    • Temple
    • Austin
    • Houston
    • San Antonio
    • Fredericksburg

    May 11, 2019

    The weather reports indicated heavy rains and floods in parts of Texas (e.g. Houston) on May 11, 2019.

    So we decided to visit Austin that day. My niece Dr. Khine Zin Oo and her husband U Myo Tin took us to Austin Sitagu and the Austin Capitol.

    Austin Sitagu

    Austin 1

    We offered soon to the resident monks (including an American monk). Several meals were prepared by a former Sushi shop owner from California.

    The visitors included

    • Dr. Doris Maung Oo : spouse of Thura Tin Maung Aye (BAF, GBNF)
    • her daughter (classmate of my elder son at TTC)
    • her son-in-law
    • niece (daughter of Dr. Alice Maung Oo).

    State Capitol

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    Austin Capitol 1
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    Austin Capitol 2

    We joined the tour at the Austin Capitol (which at one time claimed to the tallest among the Capitols in the USA).

    The tour guide explained the six flags of Texas and showed us the two chambers and the Dome.

    May 12, 2019

    Dr. Ba Han took us to Houston to see NASA and to visit our cousin U Oo Thwin (Michael, alumnus of Rutger’s University).

    NASA

    There were two tram rides at NASA.

    One tram took us to the Mission Control room.

    We were not aware that the Mission Control room had been emptied (as part of the renovation for the Golden Jubilee of the Apollo 11 flight in July, 1969). The docent highlighted the importance of Mission Control for the NASA missions in general and the Apollo missions in particular.

    Another tram took us to the Training Facility of the astronauts. There were several interesting items on display.

    Both tram rides stopped at the “Rockets site” with three vintage rockets.

    U Oo Thwin (Michael)

    We paid respect to our cousin Ko Michael (son of my maternal uncle) at his house. He has five children and some grand children. His eldest daughter Capy (who had moved back from Seattle after her mother passed away) and his younger son Nyi Nyi were there that day.

    His friends include Sao Aung Myint (John Khun Kyi).

    May 13, 2019

    Dr. Ba Han took us to San Antonio and Fredericksburg.

    The tourist attractions at San Antonio are the Alamo (which gained fame in the Davy Crockett movie) and the River Walk beside a man-made canal (with a depth of 3 to 5 feet). We took a book ride.

    We visited National Museum of the Pacific War at Fredericksburg, Texas. One exhibit was dedicated to Admiral Nimitz. He and Dwight D. Eisenhower were the two five star generals during Second World War. One exhibit was funded by the George H W Bush foundation. A two-day pass for seniors cost $12.

    We returned to Fort Worth.

    Fort Worth

    Daw Tin Tin Aye (Lillian, T72) is known as a “Ah Phwa” to several Myanmar (Mon, Chin, …) families in Fort Worth. She is happy providing social services especially to the new comers. Due to her busy schedule, she could not join Dr. Ba Han for the trip to Temple, Austin, Houston, …

    During her visit to Yangon, “Good Morning” Kyaw Myint took her to the M72 Reunion.

    Lillian keeps in touch with her close friends from T72, but she cannot recall the names of several sayas and others from the Class of 72.

    Dr. Ba Han’s family

    Dr. Ba Han (SPHS66, IM1 73) is the younger brother of U Win Htein (SPHS56, Purdue, PWD), U Myo Myint (EC67, RUBC Gold) and U Myint Thein (B.Com, cox of our Novice crew) & the elder brother of Daw Myint Myint Thein (Susan, DAC).

    He has a daughter Hester (who is a teacher) and two grand children.
    His younger son Harry is doing internship at a hospital in San Francisco.

    He retired twice (once in New York and once in Texas).

    He has come out of retirement and is now working (some weeks from home and some weeks on-site).

    During our trip, he delegated most tasks to his assistant, but he still had to take phone calls and/or “Telepresence”.

    He belongs to a big extended family. He is a cousin-uncle of U Aung Win (Owen, M71).

    Posts

    • Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
    • Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
    • Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
    • Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
  • Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Slow down & Rest

    After taking long trips, it was time to slow down and take a rest.

    Dr. Ba Han enjoys driving. He has driven from Texas to other states including California and New York.

    Due to the possibility of bad weather (thunderstorms, heavy rains, floods), we decided to play safe.

    Short trips

    Good weather permitting, Dr. Ba Han took us to tourist attractions in his neighborhood.

    May 14, 2019

    Fort Worth Stock Yard

    FW 1
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    FW 2
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    FW 3

    On May 14, 2019, we visited the “Fort Worth Stock Yard”. In the early days, Texas Long Horns were traded at the Exchange. For tourists, two “cow herding” shows were performed daily. There are a few guys who make money by charging $5 to mount a “Long Horn” and take pictures.

    May 15, 2019

    Fort Worth Water Garden

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    FW WG

    On May 15, 2019, we visited the “Fort Worth Water Garden”. It ha four sections. People would come to enjoy the cool environment especially on hot days. The architect incorporated soothing sound effects.

    May 16, 2019

    Oklahoma Border

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    OKB

    Texas does not permit gambling. Some travel to the “Winstar Casino” located in Oklahoma just a few miles from the border of Texas. It has sections named London, Paris, Madrid, Beijing, …

    In several states, Native Americans are allowed to operate casinos. Oklahoma is one of them.

    Spare time

    The trips were short. They allowed Dr. Ba Han to do some urgent work from his home.

    He loves history. He gave me three books to read in my spare time.

    His sisters in Yangon were interviewed for the book “Yangon Echoes”. They received an autographed copy from Virginia (co-author). Except for some inadvertent errors (possibly introduced in the translation of the interviews), the book covers good material.

    “George Washington’s Secret Six” describes how the Culper Ring saved the American Revolution.

    Another book was by a Taiwanese-American researcher who spent two years (2007 and 2008) in Myanmar to study Sino-Burmese culture and practice. The book was bought in Yangon for K5000.

    Side bar : Book presents

    Over the years, I received book presents.

    Some were from authors (e.g. Tekkatho Moe War, Ashin Kesala, Saya Des Rodgers, Junior Win, Htain Lin, Maung Swan Yi, U Ye Sint, Saya U Aung Zaw (UCC), Sayadaw U Jotalankara, U Hla Myint).

    Dr. Thane Oke Kyaw Myint (SPHS60) air mailed me the book (written and published by his former students and colleagues for his 70th birthday present) from Australia. The postage was comparable to the price of the book.

    U Wint Khin Zaw (A79) air mailed me the book (autobiography of his father “K” @ BBS U Khin Zaw) from Australia.

    Some were from “Sar Pay Chit Thu Myar”.

    U Khin Maung Zaw (KMZ, EC76) posted me two books that he brought from Yangon. One covers “U Thant Ah Yay Ah Khin”. The other is a trans-composition of Zawgyi’s poems.

    For some time, I have read and/or listened to book summaries provided by blinkist.com

    Posts

    • Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
    • Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
    • Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
    • Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
  • Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Plan

    • The trip was planned for May 8, 2019 to May 18, 2019
    • There were twists and turns

    Ad hoc mini-gathering

    Bo Nyo

    During a conversation, Lillian mentioned that Khin Mya Nyo (Bo Nyo) & Ronald (classmates of my spouse at IM1) came to her house to see San San Nwe (another IM1 classmate visiting from East Coast). My spouse was surprised and delighted to learn that her friends were living about 45 minutes drive.

    My spouse had met Bo Nyo a couple of times in the SF Bay Area : one for welcoming ASSK and the other at the wedding of the daughter of their classmates. At that time, Bo Nyo was living in New Mexico.

    Bo Nyo invited us (including Dr. Ba Han & Lillian) to enjoy hot pot at “Little Sheep” on the evening of May 17, 2019.

    May 17, 2019

    Bo Nyo

    Bo Nyo brought her aunt Daw Khin Nwe Aye (spouse of Sao Aung Myint @ John Khun Kyi). The small talk which reinforced the concept of “It’s a small world” took place from 6 PM to 9 PM. I learned that Saya Tony (Sao Kan Gyi, RIT English, GBNF) was Ma Nwe’s tutor when she was doing English Honors, and that he was a Best Man at her wedding.

    Sao Aung Myint & U Oo Thwin (Michael) were together in the USA when they came as State Scholars.

    Tet Toe (U Ohn Pe, Chief Editor of News Agency Burma) was Ma Nwe’s mentor at NAB. Min Kyaw Min was Ma Nwe’s colleague and later her boss. Ma Nwe and five others at NAB were forced to retire for their involvement in 8-8-88.

    We had to call it a day, since it was a 45-minute drive back to Dr. Ba Han’s house and we need to pack our belongings for the trip back home on May 18, 2019 (Full Moon day of Kason).

    May 18, 2019

    Despite the warnings of bad weather, we were lucky. Some heavy rains stopped before we visited a place. Others occurred after we left a place.

    To avoid bad weather, Dr. Ba Han decided to drop us early at the airport. But, we were not home free. Alerts sounded on our way to the air port. There was lightning, thunder and heavy rain on the way. It worsened after Dr. Ba Han dropped us at the terminal. He had to take shelter at a friend’s house for half an hour on the way back.

    Some time later, we boarded the plane bound for Denver. We were caught by surprise when the pilot announced that the test for the auto-pilot did not pass. Many passengers (including us) were worried that we might miss the connecting flight at Denver.

    Kan Soe Kan Kaung

    Kan Soe : the plane finally left DFW (Dallas – Fort Worth). The “Fasten seat belt” was on for the most part flying through turbulent weather. The plane arrived at Denver. We had missed the connecting flight. Worse still, there were no more flights that evening/night to SJC (San Jose). We had to stand in a long queue at the Customer Service.

    Kan Kaung : Since we missed our flight due to “mechanical failure”, the airline would provide a coupon for a hotel for the night. It would book us on the next available flight.

    Kan Soe : There were three flights to SJC on May 19, 2019, but they are all sold out. We would be put on a waiting list. In the worst case, we would fly out on May 20.

    Kan Kaung : We suggested flying to SFO instead of SJC (which is nearer to our home). The agent tried several times before she came up with a 6 AM flight to SFO for us.

    Kan Soe : The hotel coupon listed the address but not the name. Fortunately, one driver looked up the name (called “Mainstay Suites”) and told us to catch the appropriate shuttle. We took the shuttle to the hotel which is 9+ miles from the airport. Rain greeted us when we arrived at the compound of several hotels (including “Comfort Inn”, which is a sister hotel of “Mainstay Suites”. We had to walk in the rain to our hotel. Since it was late, the hotel would not accept the food coupon provided by the airline. We asked for a shuttle ride early next morning. To our surprise, most slots for the half-hourly shuttles were full. We booked the 3 AM shuttle.

    May 19, 2019

    Kan Soe : We had a short sleep.

    Kan Kaung : There were only three passengers in the 3 AM shuttle. One was a flight attendant for the Frontier airlines. He showed us the way at the terminal of the Denver airport. We had to wait before the shops opened, but they accepted the food coupons. We also received seats for “Premium Economy” (which required less time to board and unboard the plane).

    We arrived in California safe and sound.

    Miss an Event

    We had to forgo attending an event on May 19, 2019. Tathagata Meditation Center (San Jose) had celebrations for the Buddha’s Day (aka Thrice Blessed Day).

    Posts

    • Texas (May 8 – 10, 2019)
    • Texas (May 11 – 13, 2019)
    • Texas (May 14 – 16, 2019)
    • Texas (May 17 – 19, 2019)
  • Tin Maung Nyunt

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    1960s

    • Graduated with Mechanical Engineering in 1960
    • Worked for JVC (Joint Venture Corporation) formed by some relatives
    • Found an ad in a newspaper & applied for State Scholarship to study Agricultural Engineering in the USA
    • Came back to Burma on the same Ocean Liner with Saya Allen Htay, Saya U Soe Paing, Saya U Ko Ko Lay and U Than Pe. They became close friends on the two-month long journey.

    M/Agri Saya at RIT

    • Upon his return, he was assigned to Agricultural Institute in Yezin. Before reporting, he visited RIT.
    • Sayagyi U Ba Than asked him if he would like to join the Agri Sub-Department of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Sayagyi said that some students were not at ease at following the lectures given by the visiting Soviet lecturers via interpreters.

    Life after RIT

    • Worked in Thailand & USA.
    • Attended RIT Alumni Gatherings
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 1
    • Donated $500 for the training component of the YTU library project.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt’s Donation
    • He is a day older than Saya Allen Htay. Their birthdays are December 30 & 31.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt & Saya Allen
    • Saya U Soe Paing visited him in Milpitas, California.
    U Tin Maung Nyunt 2

    Memories

    • President of RIT Thaing
    • Played on RIT Saya Soccer team
    • Enjoyed Hiking & Tennis, but had to suspend due to Jara (Aging) and Byadi (Declining Health).
    • Volunteer for establishing Taungpulu Kaba Aye Monastery in Northern California
    • Member, Kappiya Karaka
    • Used to meet over Breakfast monthly with Saya Allen (GBNF), U Ko Aye (GBNF), Ko Thein Naing (Patrick) and me.

    Posts

    • Alumni
    • Associations
    • Gatherings
    • RIT Sayas
    • Sports
  • Stamps, Notes & Fees

    Stamps, Notes & Fees

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Stamps

    • For Postal Service
    • For Legal Documents
    • For commemorating Events

    Sample Stamps

    Two Kyat Stamp
    U Thant Stamp
    RU Diamond Jubilee Stamp
    50th Anniversary National Day
    First Day Cover

    Notes

    One Rupee (ကျပ်)
    One Rupee (ကျပ်)
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    Ten Kyat Note
    • After Independence, Burma transitioned from the use of Rupee to Kyat.
    • Before inflation, small value notes — K1, K5 & K10 — were used in daily transactions (e.g shopping).
    • After hyper-inflation, large value notes — K5000, K10000 — are needed in daily transactions.
    • A hospital bill or even a restaurant bill may show several Lakhs .

    Fees

    • During our student days and even in our early working days, we had to sign and affix a fifteen-pya stamp to a receipt.
    • Some legal documents need stamps of Two Kyats (or more).

    School Feed

    • School fees was 15 Kyats or less per month.
    • At RIT, we had to pay 30 Kyats every two months. Since I received Collegiate Scholarship of 75 Kyats per month, I had 60 Kyats pocket money every month.
    • That changed slightly, when we we asked to buy “Thuda Padetha Magazine” for 5 Kyats.Still, it was good enough.

    Cost of Lunch

    • We would collectively order food. Without voracious eaters, each person would pay about one kyat.
    • Lime juice costs 15 – 20 pyas.
    • Butheegyaw 5 – 10 pyas.
    • Banana one for 15 pyas; two for 25 pyas.

    A Decade Ago

    • My elder sister took me on a pilgrimage trip to Upper Burma.
    • There were different kinds of fees : bridge tolls, fees to enter a town.
    • The price depends upon the type of car. In one instance, the fee was K400. We gave a K500 note and got back a “tha-gya-lone” (သကြားလုံး candy supposedly worth K100).

    Decline of Purchasing Power

    • I received 15 to 50 kyats for my writings — poem, article, translation
    • How things have changed.
    • Sad to note the declining worth of money and disappearance of Bogyoke Aung San’s picture (during the Adhamma Era) and signatures of Maung Kaung & San Lin to guarantee the notes.

    Exchange rates

    • When we were young, 1 US$ was exchanged at 5 – 6 kyats. We bought books (text books & magazines) at the rate of 6 Kyats.
    • In the late 80s, one $ was exchanged at 50+ kyats.
    • The exchange rate ballooned to several thousand kyats.
  • Gatherings (Sept 2017)

    Gatherings (Sept 2017)

    by Hla Min

    Updated : June 2025

    Half Moon Bay

    (Sept. 3, 2017)

    HMB Soon Kyway

    Attended Soon kwyay in memory of Uncle U Wah Kyu, father of Maurice Chee (M75).

    U Wah Kyu is the older brother of Saya U Win Kyaing (GBNF).

    Attendees include

    • Daw Mu Mu Kin — spouse of Saya Allen Htay (C58, GBNF)
    • Saya U San Tun (M59) & spouse
    • Saya Kyi Kong Tham (C63)
    • Saya U Maung Maung (George, ChE66)
    • Daw Khin Khin Kyu (Ann, A67)
    • U Hla Min (EC69) & spouse
    • Benny Tan (M70)
    • Saya U Thein Aung (Met72) & Daw San San Nyunt (M77)
    • Maurice Chee (M75)

    Saya U Soe Paing & Ma Alice

    • Visited SF Bay Area several times
    • Saya visited Saya U Tin Maung Nyunt in Milpitas on September 5, 2017. They studied in the USA as State Scholars. They shared the long trip back to Burma with Saya Allen Htay & Saya U Ko Ko Lay. They spent the evenings playing Bridge.
    USP & UTMN 1

    We hosted Lunch for the sayas at a restaurant in Fremont.

    USP & UTMN 2

    Updates

    Retirees

    Before the pandemic, Maurice organized monthly Lunch gatherings for SF Bay Area Retirees.

    NorCal RIT AA

    Several sayas and senior alumni cannot attend Dinner gatherings. NorCal RITAA responded by deciding to have Lunch Gathering at San Bruno on August 16, 2025.