Hi everybody,

Me doodles :

Last few months, we have had a bit more electricity for fans and AC’s in Mandalay. And was that welcome because the heat this year was simply too much. Well, except for 2 nights of heavy rain and a few light showers we have not had a rainy season at all. Hence, it seemed like an un-ending summer.
A real drought it was. But as I write this, the cool north winds have started to blow, the nights much more conducive for rest and in the daytime, if you stay in the shade, its quite agreeable. I agree quite much that the climate has changed as the cool season which used to set in around Thadingyut or beginning of October, now appears about 15 days to a month late.

Went to the “Nat” spirit festival in Taungbyone about 12 miles from MDY and found it as noisy ,crowded and cool ( “in the cool,man sense” ) as those adjectives can be . Put together with the heat and humidity, and hordes of people pushing forward to get to a little palace that houses the figures of the Nat spirits, it was certainly an experience.
Strangely though, I liked it, even though I was drenched in sweat and crying for a Coke! I tried to take a pic of a spirit medium by standing on a high ledge nearby while two strangers helpfully held me steady but sadly the photos turned out very poor. Seems my hands were shaking while the ear-splitting music of the traditional band played,joss-stick smoke whirled and people pushed forward for a closer look at the wild dancing and statues of the flower bedecked deities. Lots of villagers came in ox-drawn carts and filled the fair-grounds and pagodas nearby. I even saw a puppet show which advertised a dancing and singing Michael Jackson puppet. Alas, I forget whether I went to this festival before or after the demise of the man-child popstar. So although he may have gone to the afterlife, he still is well and kicking at the Taungbyone spirit festival.

The Maymyo/ Pyinn Oo Lwin flying lantern /hot air balloon festival attracted lots of people this year.
Not many village folk but about half the population of Mandalay was up there, tearing up the streets and blasting away at the usual serenity with their motorbikes. At the fair grounds, there was pushing,shoving and plenty of banter. Actually all that was quite enjoyable. So different it is it from our mundane daily lives whoever,whatever or wherever we are. They say all hotels were full in POL but I guess you could still get a room somewhere if you looked real hard and quick. As usual the San Francisco Restaurant was excellent especially their roast chicken.

Now if you got kids and thinking of visiting any of these festivals, hold on to them tight. You see, if they get separated from you ….. TROUBLE… WORRY … TERROR……… . And the police won’t be much of a help even if you find a few. Or better still carry thekids on your shoulders. But then you gotta watch out for them pickpockets…. Just joking !
And don’t get angry if you get your bottom pinched either. I didn’t .. I even welcomed the fact that someone scratched my itching behind which was impossible to access in that mass of surging people. … Just joking again ! How dare they pinch my bottom !

I have been trying to learn to take acceptable photographs and I hope I have some presentable enough to show you soon. It’s a steep learning curve. There’s a lot of technical stuff which I fear I will never learn but I keep snapping away.
I went shooting pics in Amarapura ( “City of Immortals” as translated by some ) with an English friend of mine who held my stuff for me while I was trying to get pics etc. Many people here probably thought it was crazy because it is usually the foreigner with the big camera and the Burmese guide carrying the stuff.

On the news websites, it says the world’s economy is getting better blah blah… but so many people still are unemployed or unable to get jobs. Maybe they mean that the financial portfolios of the wealthy are recovering but businesses will run now with the number of people they have after letting go of most.

My wife organized a “Katein” which is a donation of supplies of what the monks need throughout the year apart from their daily alms. Toothpaste, brooms , robes, plastic containers etc. All the students chipped in and we had a merry procession to the monastery with all the stuff on trucks. The monk, then gave an hour-long sermon! Arghhh ! Just try to envision me fiddling and squirming in front of the monk while he was giving his endless repetitive and frankly speaking boring sermon.For an hour it was ! Arghhh. Funny sight it must have been.

Lots of “kateins” are organized around the full-moon day of TazaungDaing which falls in the first week of November and the shopkeepers of Zaycho usually have their mass donations at the monasteries of the Sagaing Hills. It is said they take offertories there in the afternoon,spend the evenings cooking alms for the monks’ breakfast and have high-stake card games all night. They probably snooze through the sermons given the next morning too. Ha ha ha .

Other news is that my expat staff’s elder son got dengue and had to be treated at the SOS Myanmar clinic in YGN. He’s OK now. Before that ,as I was taking them in my van to the airport so they could go on a visa run, I hit a large bump and the same son who was without a seat belt, lurched forward and up and hit my windscreen. The kid was OK but my wind screen cracked. Well it seems he is made of stern stuff and has a skull of steel. I have encouraged his father that his son join the New Zealand rugby team.

Now all you Myanmar / Burmese students out there, for scholarship info write to soelay>sssmyamnar@gmail.com. He has a wealth of knowledge on that subject and can provide assistance concerning taking language tests etc.

Well that’s all for now
USL

Hi everyone , I have been busy lately and been around too.

Well to keep you informed of what goes on here in MDY , the environs and with us ….

The whole family was off to Bagan for a few days , pretty devoid of tourists that place was… pizza was good though…

I went to Monywa .. was nearly run off the street by a truck.. a friend Georg from Germany went up the Chindwin River by boat..

We also went to Lashio last week , idyllic valleys , cold weather , misty mornings , tiny hamlets and buffaloes and kids lolling in the midday sun….it’s orange season and had a few pints with me friends….

The school get-together was on the 24th and 300 people came , songs ,dance, refreshments, a general knowledge competition and a singing contest……

My wife is ping-ponging back and forth between MDY and Spore….My personal holiday has started ( 25 dec to Jan 4 )and that means I am preparing for teacher training and the summer English classes for young learners….watching football games and playing games on my computer ….

The weather here in MDY is perfect at the moment….

Nothing has changed much here in this country but a very Merry X’mas and a smashing New Year to you all !

Pics of my travels coming soon !

I feel a bit dizzy and sad with all the going ons here .
The general uncertainty and head in the ground mentality of you know who is getting on the nerves.
What is should be more though can’t say which way fate will take us

Vegetable and flower shops at pinsa on the Mandalay-Pyin-Oo-Lwin Road

In the Pyin Oo Lwin gardens

Nonsense or rubbish translations on TV

37th street

Mandalay on a rainy/overcast day

 USL                                                                                            

Real Nice Trees

Well as the title says it’s been 3 months since I started up this blog. Thank you all for visiting and come again whenever possible.

In the past 3 months  :  3195  hits and counting…………. 

USL

Cigarette = A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool on the other.

 Father = A bank provided by nature.

 Etc = A sign to make other believe that you know more than you actually do.

Opportunist = A person who starts taking a bath if he accidentally falls into a river.

Optimist = A person who while falling from Eiffel tower says in midway “See , I’m not injured yet”.

 Compromise = The art of dividing the cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

 Conference room = A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagree later on.

 Office = A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Experience = The name, men give to their mistakes.

 Doctor = A person who kills your ills by pills , and kills you with his bills.

Divorce = A future tense of marriage.

 Criminal = A guy no different from the rest, except that he got caught.

 Diplomat = A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.

 Committee = Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Conference = The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

A friend of mine sent me this ……… 

Why Ladies Today Are Still Single

1. The nice men are ugly.
2. The handsome men are not nice.
3. The handsome and nice men are gay.
4. The handsome, nice and heterosexual men are married.
5. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men, have no money.
6. The men who are not so handsome, but are nice men with money think we are only after their money.
7. The handsome men without money are after our money.
8. The handsome men, who are not so nice and somewhat heterosexual, don’t think we are
     beautiful enough.
9. The men who think we are beautiful, that are heterosexual, somewhat nice and have
     money, are cowards.
10. The men who are somewhat handsome, somewhat nice and have some
     money and thank God are heterosexual, are shy and NEVER MAKE THE FIRST MOVE!!!! 11. The men who never make the first move ,automatically lose interest in us when we take the initiative.
NOW, WHO THE HELL UNDERSTANDS MEN?

Why do students come to English Language classes ?

I think I can come up with lots of answers

1. To improve their English language skills ( That’s what they all say but …)

2. To please their parents

3. Because it’s the cool thing to do

4. Because their friends are attending

5. Because its  what everyone does

6. To  learn enough to  pass an exam or just get through  a personal interview for work etc.

7. To get be with or to get a   boy/girl friend

8. To get out of the house

9. To get to go on picnics

10. Because someone told them that they need to learn a bit if they go abroad to study or work

Probably there are lots more reasons .

But what I say is that : YOU ARE ALL WELCOME

Let’ s learn as much as possible while you’re at class.

 I’ll do my best to make classes interesting and useful for you too.

USL

( My next post will be on how coming to language classes can benefit you ,other than the points given above )

Although I wouldn’t put it this way in class but I believe the  words above to be pretty good common sense and very practical. 

( Students: it means that unexpected and negative things happen in life and we have to face and take care of them the best we can. They cannot be avoided)

Doesn’t it  look like a Burmese guy chewing betel nut ( kun ) ?