Nightmares..Nightmares..

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night because of my nightmare. It was horrible but I could not recall it again this morning..Usually, nightmare comes when I feel sick or get sick. On the other hand, superstitiously, i believe it happens when my power weakens.

Sometimes in my nightmares, I was attacked by water-leeches or mountain-leeches, and they suck my blood lavishly or often I was being chased by scary dogs. Yeah, in my bad dreams, I fell down from the top of the mountain but sometimes I drowned in the middle of the river while I was swimming for my dear life.

I believe dreams which are giving me an alarm or a sign. It might happen soon. When I was a kid, it was true and it happened as the dream did but indirectly. I needed to have some sorts of interpretation for them. For example, when I dreamed about snakes, I had a trouble with my friends.

But the interpretation of the dreams will be different. people have different ways of interpretation based on their believes, cultures and customs. When I say snakes, "la-pu" in Kachin, its meaning refers to heat or worry. It is a bad dream But Burmese people accept snake in dreams as good signs.

Anyway, I tried to sleep again. I had a glass of cold water. Then, I checked myself whether I prayed before I went to bed. After all I said a short prayer. I believe that praying is very powerful to protect myself from frightening nightmares...

Learning From My Previous mistakes..

When I was in the middle school (elementary school) days, I had hard time with maths. I got a lot of problems. I repeated correcting them till I got correct answers.. Inevitably, I had already memorized all those steps and formula. They were helpful for another similar problems. Finally, they helped me to become good in maths and not to be afraid of it. And I gained confidence and joy doing maths in my whole school days.

Sometimes, I took quite easily about my work because I just wanted to go with the flow, relaxing and ignoring the mistakes that I would make. But these mistakes did not go away. If I did not take seriously first, they would come back to me again. So, I tried to correct them. That moment was hard and difficult but made me excited. why? I learned new things.

Of course, there are endless challenges in my life.

I admit that it is quite painful to learn lessons in a hard way but I use to get through them. Now, I am always ready to accept my mistakes and correct them. I am not afraid to make mistakes nor afraid to correct them.

Future Filipino Leader....?

Last Sunday (Saturday night in the US) on May 3, Manny Paccquiao knocked out the British champion boxer Ricky Hatton within the second round in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Throughout the Philippines, I believe, all citizens watched that fight, an unbelievable fight! A knock out just within two rounds after about 15 minutes.

I watched a video clip from the Youtube. In Davao city, the entrance fee per head in the malls was 350 pesos (USD 7). It was not quite expensive for Paccquiao's big fans in the country since his fight comes twice a year. Imagine every single citizen watched the fight. Large audiences watched the fight not only as their hobby but mainly for their national spirit in support of their boxing hero. Of course, Paccquiao is their hero indeed. If I were a Filipino, I would be truly proud of his victory against the Briton Ricky Hatton.

I heard that Manny Paccquiao earned USD 12 millions (kyates 12,000 millions) only for this fight excluding payments of the TV shows, ads and other commercial personal ads. Imagine how much money Paccquiao has earned for this time alone!

Until now, people in Davao city talk about Paccquiao's fight. Every Filipino is proud of him. Everywhere people gather and talk about him. What an amazing blessing for the Philippines!

In the national newspapers, all pictures were very powerful. In those shots especially in the front pages, I could imagine Paccquiao like David who defeated Goliaiah in the Old Testament. I had a goose bump!

However, Paccquiao still wants to run for congress in 2010 election. According to the CNN, Paccquiao said, "My dream is to become a congressman." That statement signaled to his mass audience an electric shock. I noticed that few journalists in the papers agrees about his dream. Probably, they dislike his idea because of his poor education background. Paccquiao has not yet graduated. He is taking a special distance study in Nortre Dame University of Gen Santo. According to a local source, he takes a course in business management.

Of course, there is no right for anyone to interfere in one's personal dream. Many political experts in the newspapers do not want their beloved national hero to be involved in the political field which they have allegedly called a corrupt institution. Simply they do not want to see Paccquiao to be manipulated by the corrupt politicians. It was a major concern.

Honestly I do not know much about boxing. With this match, I watched two boxing matches. In Myanmar, there is a boxing which was known as the Myanmar traditional boxing. It was quite similar to the Moy Thai boxing from Thailand. From time to time, I watched Paccquiao's old fight video clips again and again.

I realize that Paccquiao is very different from other famous celebrities. He always prays before and after his fights. He never looks angry nor aggressive in the fights. He waits patiently for his opportunity to throw his powerful fists. Unbelievably, his punches are too fast for his opponents but those punches are very precise and accurate.

According to the papers, he has already won five world titles in different weight divisions. Inevitably, he has become a multi-millionaire from the Philippines. I assume that he can buy his dream as a congressman with his money and fame. I do not think that he will stop as a congressman but go for the presidency of the Philippines.

During these days, I imagine if I were Paccquiao, would I have the same dream? I would not have. Of course, I am not Paccquiao. But Paccquiao deserves to achieve his dream. Anyway, I believe that he will learn a lesson from his first political loss in the regional election of Gen San city last year

I believe Paccquiao will be a president of the Philippines because it is not just he is a legend of the boxing arena but because he has a certain capability which makes him different from other celebrities. He has won the fight against his own poverty. Before, when he was a young boy, he was a very poor vendor in Gen San city. His life itself proves that he is just not a normal boxer.

He is now a source of power and inspiration for the Filipinos who are badly needed to have a man like Manny Paccquiao. As he has a dream to become a politician who wants to change his country's future, I believe that Paccquia will be a good leader in the Philippines. Who knows? I believe, if there was a actor president in the Philippines before, why not Paccquiao, a legend and the boxing champion of the world become a president of his own country? Why not Paccquiao, a hero for his country, can fight back against his country's corrupt Politicians? Why can not Paccquiao learn the tricks in his new political world since he is only thirty years old?

With these questions, I fully support Paccquiao to try his luck again in this coming election 2010. With prayer, I like to yell, "Go, go, Paccman! But do not get caught with the tricky and deceitful politicians”

Escapism Through Books.

Luckily, after my high school, I got a job as a tutorial teacher in my free time. Traditionally, the students in Myanmar who had passed the previous high school year exam, must wait for two years to enroll at the college.

I got plenty of time. I remembered I really wanted to read English books. I dreamed that I could read them very well. From the first time, it was not easy to start with the English books but with determination and confidence, I could begin to read them.

I still remember that the next morning I asked my uncle to borrow his English books and sought his suggestions about reading them. Happily my uncle let me borrow some of his books and encourage me how to find the words I did not understand in the dictionary. It was very tiresome and boring for every single word which I had to look at up the dictionary. I remember on one page I did not know how many times I looked up at the dictionary.

Once a classmate brought me to the Kachin National Culture and Museum on the way home. I found many books. The Museum had two departments such as the exhibition arts and the library. Every Friday and Monday, I went to borrow and return books in the Museum. Later the Librarian who was a very kind, hospitable and warm lady, explained to me that all those books were donated by individuals. They collected those donated books into a library. The library was very small compared to other libraries in the country. In all, there were about five hundred books.

Leisurely, from time to time I visited the Young Men Christian Association in Myitkyina, Myanmar. In the YMCA, there was a library where I found many English books and cassettes for the English beginners. There were at different levels.. For membership, each one must pay 500 Kyates a year. (50cents). It was quite expensive for me. But with that membership, a student could have 15 hours to listen to the English stationary tapes. In the library, there was a cable TV where I watched the BBC. The time was awesomely joyful.

I used to have a morning class in the school. Sometimes I did not have a class. Deliberately I enjoyed reading books with my limited vocabularies and became quite isolated from my classmates.

Firstly, I was very interested to explore and learn about other people in different countries, about their thoughts and their lifestyles. Normally, I would not understand everything in the books in detail. But I tried to grasp the story.

In my home, I tried to listen to the VOA special English program on my radio. I liked the program very much. But, I worked at night so I did not then have time for listening.

Once, my younger brother asked me if I understood all the English words in the news. I told him I did not. It was a simple and honest answer. I explained to him the reason I liked to listen to the English program.

The reason I wanted to study English was to enable me to read English books. I did not have any plans for going abroad and study in another country. With a dream I could read the English books from the different countries' literatures and works which were normally written and translated in English

.

First and foremost, my background education was inadequate in helping me for a better preparation. Inevitably, I did have great difficulty in the beginning. Without surrendering these challenges I worked hard to better my English.

Among my friends, memorizing the slang words or idioms by heart or the dialogue was the norm. I believe that that practice would still be popular among the young English learners in my country. It was very funny for me to see those people practicing their English. Of course, it could be a technique or shortcut for learning English. Until now, I like to use simple English. I accept that English is like a tool which can be used differently by people. With English I always remind myself to express my thoughts but not to impress.

As a worker in the computer stores I was busy but I found time to continue my English. Studying English was not a job but a hobby for me. I used to buy the used English books at very low prices. I walked around the bookstalls along the Seik Kan Thar street and the Ban-do-la street (Bar-lan) before going back to my dormitory. Of course, I spent time going to the Christian library which was founded by the Chin youths. It was free for everyone. But one condition, for those who wanted to borrow books, you must be a member in the library. It would cost 600kyates (60 cents) for membership.

During stressful times, I could enjoy myself with books. Maybe it was my recreation after the whole day in the miserable hours of work. I found reading fulfilling. You might wonder what I received from reading books.

Simply I have received countless benefits. I encourage you to read and read. It will be your refuge for your whole life and a great treasure for your future.

Shooting A Short Film in Samal Island

Last night I came back from the Samal Island to my place in Santa Ana, Davao city. I was rather depressed and upset. Also I felt exhausted and homesick.

Presently I involved in a six week summer production workshop. The subject "the basic movie production workshop" is a requirement for those who are graduating this coming year. After two weeks in this class, we were arranged into groups of seven by our professor and sent to the production fields for short films.

Each member of the group has a specific role; director, producer, editor, cinematographer, writer, makeup artist or key grip. I was assigned the key grip position, which mainly handles the various equipments.

As I did not have a video camera it was not appropriate for me for the director and cinematographer posts. I am not keen on editing, and as far as producing is concerned, it requires a knowledge of the shooting sites' location and this I don't know. I like writing but unfortunately my group had already selected a writer and anyway I probably wouldn't have wanted to write about a hot-bloody film. Naturally the make-up artist is out of the question for me, so the key grip job was my only choice. How pitiful is this!

We went to Samal Island for two nights and three days to do the shooting. The short film was about a psycho killer. He killed four students who were having on summer vocation on the island. The film was in Tagalog, the Philippine national language.

The production process was long and depressing for me because I did not understand their Bisayan or Tagalog language except when they spoke on a rare occasion in English. Inevitably I was always out of tune with their conversations. However I had to drag myself through these long painful hours for the sake of my grades in the exam.

Apart from the language barrier, it is not really easy to work with these people. The actual shooting of the film would be only six hours and as a result we had a lot of free time because we were there for three days and two nights. During these times of doing nothing I felt alone and bored because the other group members invited their girlfriends, man friends, transsexuals, etc.... over to the island and spent their time with them. Of course, by our group doing this they were violating the rules. What was worse, these friends and lovers were brought into the film as so called actors in the film. Worst, we as a group had to contribute towards their return bus and boat fares. What lucky days for them!

Anyway for me I wanted to finish the shooting as soon as possible and go back to my place. However I was marooned out on this island and could not do anything about it except to be patient. Being in this kind of situation I learnt to control my emotions and practice that word patience. Fortunately, I brought a book "The Old Man and The Sea" by Hemingway. It was my good friend as I lost myself in its reading as my group members preoccupied themselves with their lovers. You know, this stupid idiotic film will only be screened for fifteen-minutes and probably nobody will watch it except ourselves.

Naturally we cooked food by ourselves during these days. One of my group members was a good cook. I liked Kinilau, a local food which is raw fish with quite heavy (vinegar) Calamanse.

It was the first morning on the island. I cooked noodles I bought them with my own money the previous day. My other friends were still asleep. I used coconut oil in cooking. That oil was supposed to use as blood in the shooting scenes. Definitely I did not know about it. Some of the members complained to me because of using the coconut oil.

Time by time, I noticed it was quite uncomfortable to work with the group if I kept differences and isolated from the rest. I had to do chores while other friends did not want to do. I had to be humble enough for them.

After all, we were done with shooting. Then, we prepared to go home. Inevitably when I heard the word home, it was the most romantic moment for me. It almost made me cry because my other friends would go home but mine was going back to my room.

However the Samal Island gave me pretty much similar atmosphere to me at dusk because I sensed like the places I grew up in Myanmar. As dusk fell, birds flew back to their nests. I was shivered with the cold evening breeze which passed across my face. The evening was very silent except for the sound of the birds and trembling sound of the trees. They were awfully beautiful while the swirl of the evening breeze rose close to the surface of the ground with dry leaves on the ways. They drove me into the clean evening smell of the Samal Island's forest. However I could not stop having homesickness and loneliness.

Thankfully, I said prayers to God. Somehow, I came back safely to my place in Davao city in the late evening.

Happy Easter!

Yesterday was Easter Sunday. I attended the Mass in the Sta Ana Church near my place in the evening.

After Mass, I bought two bottles of red wine in the store and came home.

My other housemates were surprised to see me with red wine.

I invited them to celebrate the Christ's resurrection.

"Happy Easter".

Most of us still do not know the most important part of being a Christian. Let's just ask ourselves. (I am not expert on this.)

Of course, maybe we have inherited Christian faith from our parents. We maintain it as a family tradition.

Generally, most of the Christians love to celebrate Christmas, Jesus Christ's birthday in December. Some of them spend thousands of Kyates (pesos) for the celebration. Today, it becomes one of the most popular celebrations in the world.

It is sad to say that many Christians even forget about the day of Christ's resurrection. It says that Jesus was born and he lived like us and then died. The question is how he died? Just died and then end..? Let's ask ourselves.

It is the day we, all Christians, should be proud and happy for becoming His chosen people. It should be more popular and important than Christmas.

Some of us will be very uncomfortable or even awkward to say "Happy Easter" with each other like we do at Christmas. Of course, I realize people are very excited to greet with each other during Christmas. Probably it is because we don't have enough courage and strength to confess as Christians or still doubt about His resurrection. Let's ask ourselves.

According to the Bible historians, on the day after Jesus had risen from the tomb, the chief priests of the Temple bribed the Roman guards to tell the people that the body of Jesus Christ was stolen by His disciples while they were asleep. What a funny stupidity...!

Look at the real fact. Obviously, during those days, the Roman soldiers were the most discipline and the best fighters in the world. They followed orders with their lives It is not easy to steal the body. Imagine this kind of accident could happen.

Hello !!!!!

Of course, later, the true story of that Resurrection came out from the lips of those soldiers themselves. Christ had truly risen!

Let's have a party during this week. It is not late to witness by celebrating His Resurrection and greeting with each other.

Happy Easter...!

Thank You, Lord..For Being With Me..

In the next morning, I heard the morning prayer coming through my half-open door. At the same time, I smelled something like rotten eggs from the fishery factory near the house. Honestly it was the very first morning I woke up with hope and peace.

"Wow! Here's a snake!" I said with a surprise.

I thought the snake was Ronald's pet. I saw it in a big jar in front of the house while I looked around the place.

In a hurry, Ronald was by my side with a stone and asked me where the snake was. My first thought was wrong. It was not Ronald's pet at all. ( Also I myself killed a snake before I went to the Philippines)

In Ranong, most of the local people were Burmese coming from the southern part of Myanmar, mainly the Mon tribe. Unfortunately, I did not understand their Burmese. Our neighbors were Burmese too. They called the Thais "Shans". At first, I was confused with the Shans in Ranong and those in Myanmar. I still remembered a Burmese fellow gave a comment about the Thais that the "Shans" were very rude.

Next morning, I heard Fr. John talking to Ronald. I was so excited that I jumped out of my bed and ran to the kitchen. Of course, I was so happy to see him again. We did not talk much that morning.

After two-day stay in Ranong, Fr. John and I travelled to Bangkok for my enrollment in St. John's University. Fr. John worked very hard for me with that scholarship.

We arrived in Bangkok very early morning. We went to the Redeemptorist Church where we had accommodation. We had very early breakfast there and took some rest for a few minutes. Then, we set off to St. John's University.

In the school office, we found two Thai ladies. Supposedly they were secretaries but did not speak English well. Finally, One of them went out and brought a Burmese stuff who spoke Thai and Burmese. I was so disappointed and dismayed about that. I could not imagine how I could study in the school like that.

I learned through the Burmese stuff there was no program in English except a Marketing course. Of course, I had no choice because I did not come to choose but I came there to take whatever they could offer.

On the other hand, Fr. John worked it for many weeks. I should appreciate it. I should not come home empty-handed.

In my mind, I asked God if it was really for me. I prayed hard to thank Him and tried to accept the gift.

Suddenly, I got a second thought and I suggested Fr. John if we could go to see Assumption University. Fr. John sensed that I was not happy about the school. But I assured him that I was very much grateful to have a scholarship.

He honestly told me that he did not know about the Assumption University and he did not have any friends there. Surprisingly he agreed to go and see. I still remembered his common word," Let's see, Paul." On the other hand, he was also not sure.

On the way to Assumption University, I felt guilty and unfair to propose him with such an unprepared visit.

Honestly I just heard about the name of Assumption University from a friend.

When we arrived at the principle's office, we learned that the principle went out for his lunch but we could see him at 1:00 pm. So, we looked around the school to kill time.

When we came back to the office again, one of the secretaries came out and told Fr. John to go inside the office. Before he entered into the office, he told me to pray for him.

After about 30 minutes, Fr. John came out but his whole face turned red. I thought it was not a good sign. Then slowly, he smiled at me. We both went into the office to see the principle Bro. Bancha Saenghiran.

It was amazing. It left both of us speechless and overwhelmingly happy. Of course, I would have a full scholarship for my four years undergraduate. ( but later, I had an inconvenient problem with the registrar about my scholarship).

Later in that evening, I was in a deep thinking about that day. It would be impossible for us. Also I did not expect it. Truly, I felt guilty because I was very bold to ask Fr. John with such an idea and I seemed to take an advantage on his kindness and selfishness.

I did not know what to say to Fr. John, but I said a Rosary for him and said prayer thanking to God.

Thailand And Me

How can I easily forget the things that make me rather uncontrollably laugh than cry with my previously awkward experiences in Bangkok? Of course I cannot.

On March 8, 2006, I came to Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand. It was my first foreign trip and also my first flight in my whole life. In Thailand, probably, everything was totally different from my own country. Of course, I could say that it was like black and white colors if I tried to put these two countries together.

I heard some of my friends who went to Thailand, mentioned about the Bangkok airport which was one of the most complicated airports in the world.

Rev. Fr John, a New Zealander Marist missionary who arranged everything for my study in Thailand, had already mentioned in his early mail where to find Ronald, a Filipino Marist lay who works with the Marist mission in Ranong. He would wait for me somewhere in the waiting area. He instructed me to turn left and I would easily spot Ronald in the airport.

I met three Shan girls from my country who did not know how to fill the entrance registration at the counter. Irrevocably, I went to them and offered my assistance. They spoke Thais and Burmese but they did not seem to know how to write Burmese nor English. I was surprised. I was like a hero for them at the moment. It took 20 minutes.

Then, I lined up for my turn at the counter. The officers were checking my passport carefully and I wonder they seemed to check it word by word. It took for minutes. I noticed in other counters, the officers let other foreigners pass quickly but mine was different. I did not know why. Strange!

Finally, one of the custom officers signaled me to stand in front of the camera and they took a picture. I understood that it was a special treatment for a Burmese citizen.

Oh gosh! I realized that I forgot to claim my luggage. I was almost in the waiting area. I was overwhelmed and worried because I put all my money in the luggage. In a hurry, I turned back and I heard a staff shouting and waving her hands to go back. I did not mind her. I did not know where to get my luggage. I saw a lady carrying her luggage near the elevator and I asked her where she got it. With a big smile she pointed at the place where I saw my big red luggage.

Now, I could at least relieve and relax to get my luggage but I totally forgot to turn left. So, I came to the waiting area where people were holding postcards and shouting names, and I looked for Ronald who would be there. I did not know that I was in the wrong area. Again, I was deeply disappointed. I kept on looking for him. Instead I saw one of the girl I helped at the counter and she was busy with calling. I was happy to see her at least. I asked her to use her cell phone. Or else, I had no idea how to find Ronald.

Ronald sounded to surprisingly answer me and he asked me to go outside from the place where I was in the moment. Of course, I was very happy to see him. I tried not to think about my accidents inside the airport. I noticed he looked quite frustrated. Of course, I could understand because I had let him wait for almost an hour.

When I got into a taxi, I was amazed to see the giant buildings, artistically carved roads and bridges in the city, the underground and sky trains, countless cabs and buses, and private small and big vehicles. I was shocked and speechless to see these things. I just shut up my mouth and gazed at those strange and new things.

Ronald brought me to the restaurant. He gave me some money to buy food for my own. At first, I did not know why he let me buy food for myself. Honestly, I was quite upset because I did not know what to buy. The foods were also different. Later, I found out that he showed his respect for my own choice. I understood that I was no longer in Myanmar.

Then we proceeded to the southern bus terminal to go to Ranong where Fr. John would be waiting for me. Ronald had already bought the tickets for me too. It was a nine-hour trip and I found the bus was so nice and luxurious that I fell asleep. We arrived to Ranong in the next early morning.

Fr. Joel and Bro Gil were still in their beds at that time. But when we arrived, they woke up. I was so happy to see the two Filipino Marist missionaries because I met them in Yangon before. I just wanted to say thanks but I could not say a word because I was so overwhelmed and traumatized at my fresh experiences in the airport and on the ways to Ranong. I learned that Fr. John was not there waiting for me. It made me a little disappointed. Finally, I felt that I was home again. Of course, the Marist community is my second home.

TRY YOUR BEST TO GET AN EDUCATION..

In my country, when someone asks the nationality, it means that he/she asks about the tribe name. For me, I am belonging to a Kachin tribe ( a pure Kachin). But when I come to the Philippines, instead of saying a Kachin, I identify myself as a Myanmar (Burmese).

Here, most of my time, I enjoy listening to the Kachin songs. When I listen to the Kachin songs, I miss a lot about my places and people. Sometimes, I feel very lonely and homesick but at least I have some Kachin songs which give me remedy for my loneliness and homesickness. Going with the songs' flow, sometimes, I do feel that I am in my place. What a powerful inspiration!

I realize that our Kachin songs are not only for entertaining people but also reminding us with actual facts in the Kachin society which are reflecting our daily life. Even though the songs may not describe poverty and hardship in detail, they give listeners for good pictures how people struggle for survival and how they help each other and share their suffering. Sometimes, they are messengers for the Kachins.

Mostly the Kachin songs are own tunes. Of course, there are some copied songs but very few. Mostly, those songs are produced with the "self-suicide mission" which means probably the producers do not expect profits. Exactly, these musicians are non-profit advocates for the people. For their sacrifice, people still have the opportunity to listen to the Kachin own-tune songs. Bravo!

Recently, I have many Kachin songs given by a friend who visited me last month. I enjoy listening. Now, one of my favorite song is "Ngai Jawng Sara"(I am a teacher) by Ah Tang. Ah Tang is very popular in the Kachin music field because normally his songs are pragmatically reflective and sincerely descriptive about people living in the deep poverty.

I like this song because I can easily relate to it. Probably, I was a teacher once. Precisely, the song gives a lot of inspiration and real pictures about the Kachins who mostly live in highland areas. I heard about this song a lot but I did not have a chance to buy it.

The song give me a good picture about poor education in the highland areas. It is simple but deeply moved for me. In the first verse, I notice that the composer tries to gives a good picture about the students in the school who are waiting for their teacher in the class. In the second verse, the song pictures a glimpse of the students. Those students do not have enough warm clothes to protect themselves from the mist in the cold season. This nature climax seems to torture the poor children in the classroom.

The song reflects reality about people who live in cities and enjoy more chances than those in the mountain. They do not want to go there. This description makes me heartbreaking. The song tries to appeal them to share their joy with the least people in the mountain areas.

Of course, this song reminds me a lot about my old experiences and memories in the mountain areas. As the song goes into the end, it says that "Hpaji chye hkra shakut mu yaw!"(Try your best to get an education.) This line echoes me and it is deeply shaking my heart. It is a message for me.

Keep On Hoping But Do The Best...

And so….
Silently, they flow from the nib,
Those little words and lines
to quake the head, quench the heart,
to mould and move the minds,
And awesome too, is that hand;
which sets the pen to work
come what may rain or shine
From duty, will not shirk
Moe Hein (son Journal Kyaw) -Ref; internet source.

In Yangon, I met Saya Moe Hein, a writer and poet whose mother, Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, was one of the most prominent figures in the Burmese literature history. A friend, Lu Lu, introduced me to Saya Than Thaik, a writer and poet, who was one of Saya Moe Hein's close friends. (The word "saya" means teacher) Next day, Saya Than Htaik gave me Saya Moe Hein's phone number. When I called Saya Moe Hein whether I could join his English class, he knew me already.

In those days, I could not think to attend a English class. Simply, I could not effford to pay for it and my salary was around USD10 a month. Normally I survived hoping to do the best for my future. With Saya Moe Hein, I found some techniques of translating Burmese to English and how to choose the right words in Burmese. Actually, Saya was a very busy man but he made a special schedule for that weekly class. It was free for all students. All the students were employees in the government offices and other organizations. Some of them were journalists.

The more I learned about Saya Moe Hein, the more I admired the way of his thinking and his social work especially for those who wanted to proceed learning English. We had one and half hour for every section and it was once a week. Even I attended eight meetings with him because he moved the class to another place, I found him as a very interesting person because few Burmese educated teachers were doing that kind of solo-charity work. He was very simple and gentle. Even though he was highly paid in his job and busy, he tried to find time and shared his knowledge and experience with those who wanted to learn English more.

Before I left from my country, I heard that he was working for a school to train the orphans. I sensed that he would teach the children to know how to cherish the Buddhism because he himself was a very devout Buddhist that I have ever met before. I still remembered his story which even he never killed ants hanging around his windows but he used to feed them with food every morning.

He always reminded his students to stand on their own feet and studying hard. I was surprised that he used to call by my name. I was very happy to attend his class. It was not because he taught us English for free but because he had a sincere and honest personality.

Pieces Of My Memories II.

For over two years I was a computer technician in the Quick computer service centre, the Nawarat computer centre, the Biznet computer store and the Surf n Surf internet cafe in Yangon, Myanmar. Generally those computer centres and stores were not very big but they dealt mainly with sales and rental services. All the owners were young and they worked outside the country before they established their own businesses.

I moved from one centre to another to search for practical experience and knowledge about computers. Mostly I met different people who came from different backgrounds. I worked as a junior and then a senior technician in those centres. Gradually I adapted to their ways and I was quite influenced by their lifestyles and the ways of thinking especially how to approach the seniors and the bosses in the workplace.

As an inexperienced worker in the computer field, I did not receive any salary in my first two months because my boss thought that I needed more practical experience. I worked from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm everyday but I often came home late. Of course I graduated in the Government Computer College before I applied for the job. In fact, nobody cared about my degree because I had to scrub the floors and clean the computer monitors every day. Sometimes, my boss would ask me to run errands for his family.

After almost four months, I had the privileges of going with the senior technicians who worked for the outdoor services. But, it was not simple. I was obliged to carry their bags and sometimes their shoes to show them that I was a good apprentice. Sometimes I had to treat them with snacks or drinks. Of course, when I did make mistakes, they would not spare me. They would insult me with various swear words, complain to the boss and shout at me even in front of the customers. That was the worst experience in my life.

Later, when I became supervisor in the same store, I tried to change the relationships and attitude with my juniors because I did not want to act as those seniors did to me. So, my boss was angry with me because he wanted me to oppress the juniors with extra manual works like I was oppressed before. Instead, I quit the job and looked for another store which offered lower salaries but more works.

In the working experience, I encountered people who thought that they knew everything but they were easily offended when someone pointed at their mistake. They were selfish people who did not want to share their skills but only keep their skills for themselves exclusively. In fact, they wanted to be treated with great respect by their juniors. Sometimes they were actually dangerous the ways they took revenge on others who made them uncomfortable. They would try to find faults and mercilessly and verbally or even physically attack. Normally they would wait for their rivals to fail in their "weak points" so that they could easily trap them.

Strangely, I learned one of the most common expression in the working place which was "let just the bosses know what you do but don't get caught." It was a witty metaphor for the relationship between the bosses and their employees. Sometimes, I wondered if those bosses cared for their business or tried to find out what was going on with their employees. I doubted they would like to disturb them because their understanding seemed to be like the game of hide-and-seek.

During those days, I struggled to adjust to the people who came from different lifestyles. Of course, I met good people who helped me to withstand those challenges. They guided me to become a stronger and more vigilant man. I also observed and gained pragmatic lessons from those who oppressed and bullied me with their aggressive ways. They witnessed in themselves that they could not advance in their careers into better lifestyles because they lost their jobs due to their corrupt morality. Those were priceless lessons for me after all.

Joe Is Back....

Yesterday, in the early morning, on Feb 26, Fr. Joseph Mclauglin, an American Marist missionary, ( my English teacher) came back home to the Sta Ana community in Davao city of the Philippines. Last November 2008, he went back to his own country for vocation.

During his three months vocation, most of the days, he stayed with his beloved 92-year-old mother who had recently been hospitalized in New Jersey, and his younger brother who has been suffering from down syndrome since his childhood. He visited his brothers and sisters who are living in different cities in the States. Besides, Fr. Joe had a talk with the students in the Marist high school in Atlanta Georgia. There, he shared about the mission in the Philippine Marist district.

Fr. Joe has choices to stay in the States and he can have the opportunity to stay closely with his ailing mother and brother, his close friends, and relatives. But, as a devotedly committed missionary, he came back to his Sta Ana community in the Philippine district and he dedicated his life to missions where he has been assigned and he lives with the poor people.

In fact, Fr. Joe, Joe for his friends and those who know him, came to the Philippines on January 1, 1998. Now, he has lived for eleven years in Mindanao especially Davao city.

His first ministry was in the gold mining areas in Diwalwal which is northern part of Davao city. There, he lived with the poor mining workers and their families for months. Then, he came back to Agdao in Davao city as his second assignment. Normally, he lived the people who lived by the sea and they were extremely poor. He worked there for three and half years. After that, he was assigned to Digos which takes an hour by bus from Davao city. He was then a chaplain there in the public high school for two years. Then, he was assigned to the Sta Ana community.

He is now in charge of finances for the five Marist communities in the Philippine district. Also, he is in charge of the formation program for those who want to become Marists.

Pieces Of My Memories

After passing my high school with three distinctions at No (1) BEHS, I got a job as a tutorial teacher in Myitkyina city, the northern part of Myanmar(Burma). Normally all my students were high school students but some were not. Some of my students in my sections would know me as a very terrible and forceful teacher. Sometimes I hit them with a stick as a punishment if they did not study the lessons properly or talked in the study time.

Did I have a choice for the punishment? Of course, I did have. But, I wished them to pass their exam. I wished them to do their tasks properly. I really did not like to hit others especially those who were still very young. Honestly, I did not have any intention or desire to hurt them. But I wanted my students to pass the exam and realize that studying for the exams was not easy. Of course, all my students were very sensitive and gentle but they needed to be forced.

As a tutorial teacher, I often discouraged to go to those sections every day because I did not want to push my students to do against their will. But it was my task to make sure that all my students would pass their final exams.

During those days, I encountered most of my students who needed encouragement and support especially from their parents and family members. They hungered care and attention at the right time with the right manners. I supposed to help their lessons alone but most of the time, I solved their emotional conflicts. I always prepared for my students who had just quarreled with their parents. I helped them to soften their temper by making open conversations with them as a big brother and made them see their parents' concern.

Honestly, I would not fix their lives nor change their future but I helped them to pass their exams. It was my goal and intention even though I hit them with a stick or I argued them with strong words which would hurt their feeling. I expected that they would not like me after all, but I was very happy to know that they passed their exams.

Final Exam Project....

With former vice-major and businessmen

On Feb 21, I had a class exposure to Samal Island which is about 15 minutes away from Davao city by bus. It is known as the Island Garden City of Samal. The name Samal is derived from the word Sama, a tribal group in the island. But people used the word Samal because of the Bisaya who miscalled the word Sama. In the Philippines, they have many tribes as we do in our country. Normally, in the Mindanao, there are many Bisaya speakers living with the Muslims and other tribes. My teacher explained the word Samal that means ”partnership" or" staying together".

Vice-major with some of my classmates

It was a school trip for our magazine production in this final exam. For our final exam project, we have to go out and look for materials and experiences. Of course, studying inside the class is not enough for a student. Obviously, our final exam is coming and all students in each group are very excited and eager to have good pictures for the magazine.

We went to Hagimit waterfall, bat cave and then we had two press conferences with Vice major, former vice major, the senior city councillors and businessmen in Samal city.

Strangely, those politicians and businessmen were very friendly and hospitable to us. They welcomed and accommodated us with lunch. Besides, they provided two tour guides for us. During the conferences, the speakers were very open and patient with our questions. They shared their childhood stories and experiences.

Sunny Side of a Coin

The Burmese women take greatly care of their beauty like the Filipino women do. But there is a big difference between these women in the two countries on how they maintain their beauty. In the Philippines, people can easily buy the international and national branded cosmetics with affordable prices such as Baby power and Maybelline products. However, the Burmese women still keep on practicing natural ways of beautifying their bodies especially their faces.

For the Burmese people especially for the women, Tha-na-hka is the most affordable and popular cosmetics. Its botanical term is Limonia Acidissma Linn, which mainly grows in tropical areas of Burma. The central part of the country is very hot which gives an amazing blessing ,Tha-na-hka out of the horrible heat.

Of course, most of the outsiders are very curious to find these Burmese women, girls and young boys with the Tha-na-hka on their faces. It seems to put yellow mud on the faces!

The Burmese people cherish the Tha-na-hka very much as it is a natural product out of the local tree and it can grow only in a certain region of Burma. A Tha-na-kha tree is used from 3 years old until 35 years old. There are two types of the Tha-na-hka plants, the male plant and the female one. The male plant is better than the female and very popular but quite expensive. Among them, the Shin-ma-dawng Tha-na-hka is the best and most popular among the Burmese.

The Tha-na-hka means a lot for every age of the Burmese people. Since they are born into the world, their mother puts the Tha-na-hka on their babies' faces as well as whole bodies. It is deeply rooted in the Burmese society. People also apply it as a medicine to cure different kinds of the skin diseases.

Normally, the Burmese people use the Tha-na-hka to protect their skin from the sun and to control coolness on their faces. They believe that it helps whitening and smoothing to their skins. The younger ladies use the Tha-na-kha not only for foundation but also for powder. They believe that its fragrance of sweet-smelling constantly arises sexual attraction to opposite sex. Generally, every woman applies it in the morning after they take a bath. It gives their satisfactory sensation and fresh perfume for the whole day.

Most of the Burmese still use the old way of applying the Tha-na-hka on their faces and bodies. They chop the Tha-na-hka as a moderate size of joss stick and put a little amount of water for grinding it with two hands on the Kyawk-pyin which is a round and smooth surface with 3 legs of flat rock। After a while They put a little water again and grind it until a certain jolly-juice paste. Then, they put it on their faces with different styles and limitation of density. Besides, its daily activity contributes physical exercises for arms as well.


The Tha-na-hka is cheap and affordable for everyone in Burma. Today, the western cosmetics are strongly influenced in the cities, but all of the Burmese women still stick on the Tha-na-hka as a source of maintaining their beauty. The most significant effect of the Tha-na-hka is that it has a certain vitamin which enables to fight against the aging for the old women and it gives youthful and smooth skins constantly.

For the Burmese, the Tha-na-hka is inseparable from their lives and daily activities. Traditionally, they heritage it from the past generations. Today it becomes a custom and norm in the Burmese society. Hopefully, the Burmese women can easily have the Tha-na-hka like the Baby power which is widely and largely used among the ordinary Filipinas.

ref// pictures are from internet sources.