July 25, 2007
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
July 22, 2007
Today we have a movie show at school , the first of many more to come .
I’ve been wanting to do them for some time but couldn’t afford the projector and didn’t have the space . Now that I have both ,it’s SHOWTIME
The kids wanted something that had ” action” in it . I wanted somethng that would include a bit of history and geography . So we settled on ” Gladiator” with Russell Crowe .
I give a little lecture with a a slide show on Romans blah blah blah …..before it begins and there will be a quiz afterwards with the winners getting little prizes i.e. chocolate chip cookies.
USL
July 21, 2007
Hi there everyone ! BEST is a language school here in Mandalay and we’ve got lots of students with big hearts , learning and speaking English quite well. Drop in if you can !
Mandalay , at the moment, after no rain and searing heat for the past two months is now cool because of a persistant drizzle. The roads are in their usual state of disrepair. Electricity is supplied a litle bit more than usual, flickering on and off all through the day and night.
For any info about Mandalay do not hesistate to ask in the comments section. I read/update my blog about every two days .
And you can drop in to our school at Rms 433/435/437 RayWorld Complex, 4th Fl , Yadanarbon Market ,78th st Bet: 33rd &34th Mandalay , Tel: 02-89550 Ext: 437, 09-5165388.
Ask for U Soe Lwin
Cheers
June 7, 2007
First few drops of rain out side just now.
June 6, 2007
To all the students or young readers ,
Today’s changing world can certainly be a bewildering(very confusing place). There are so many things to do, to buy and think about. So many things to study, know about and discuss.
At the same time you have to learn about yourself i.e. come to know your own talents, likes and dislikes and preferences etc. .It can be confusing
We older people had to go through the same too .
On top of that we all have our has dreams and hopes ,things we want to have happen to us . And most of us will work hard to succeed. But working hard is not enough .How you work and live is important too.
What I mean is you need good habits to make something of yourself in life. Here’s a poem about “Habit “ that I came across on the internet .
Who Am I ?
I am your constant companion
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden
I will push you forward or drag you down to failure
I am completely at your command
Half the things you do you might as well turn over to me
And I will be able to them quickly and correctly
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me
Show exactly how you want things done
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically
I am the servant of all great men
Those who are failures I have made failures
I am not a machine, though
I work with all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a man
You may run me for profit or run me for ruin
It makes no difference to me
Take me, train me, be firm with me
And I will put the world at your feet
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you
Who am I ?
I am habit !
I wish you all success and fun
USL
May 27, 2007
Hello everyone out there . Now (the last week of May and maybe for the next 2 months ) is definitely not the time to visit MDY. Why ? cause it’ll rain and MDY is depressing when it rains while when it stops raining, the sun will stew you ,boil you ,bake you and bludgeon you so much you can’t go out or do anything then either.
Horrid is the term I would use to describe this weather.
THE SUN’S SO BRIGHT
AND WE’RE WITHOUT LIGHTS
I WISH I HAD NO NERVOUS SYSTEM NOW
OR HAD THE CONSTITUTION OF A COW
I WISH I WAS A TREE
HAVE MY OWN SHADE AND COOL AT LEAST I’D BE
BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS BUNGLE
WHEN IT COMES TO CONCRETE JUNGLES
SO RETREAT THEY DID TO INNER SPACE
BEFORE BEING KICKED RIGHT IN THE FACE
May 23, 2007
Hi everyone, I have been a little busy lately with getting the new school premises ready for opening on the 2nd of June. Also I had a trip to Yangon to see my mum which was nice but was the weather, really hot and humid. I was soaked in perspiration (sweat) nearly all the time I was there. I know Mandalay can be hot too but the hot muggy heat and humidity in Yangon really got to me. The new school premises are on the 4th floor of the
Yadanarbon Market. We have 2 big classrooms, an office and a fine view from there, drop by if you can.Also seminars this month. There was Inswold School from Singapore which specializes in “O” and “A: level prep and also Kaplan APMI which runs CAT and ACCA courses and Business diplomas and degrees. At Best Language School we are introducing a new course, Diploma in Hospitality Management [F& B ] or Restaurant Management in conjunction [ together with] AEC or Asia Education Consortium.It is a great course and I hope we get at least about ten students for the first batch. They study for 3 months in Mandalay ,then 3 months in Singapore, after that it is paid job attachments.When I was young we never had opportunities or even heard of things like that.
Different times ,I guess. I also gave a talk on studying abroad. Lots of kids want to do that and I don’t blame them if they want to either In the next 2 months I am also thinking of teaching the Cambridge GSCE“O” Levels.I will have some of the young and best teaching talent in Upper Myanmar working together with me. It’s going to be a lot of work but I know I’ll enjoy it.
Although we are much busier than usual, it does not mean we do not have time for students or visitors .It is just that we have to manage our time better .And I think when the new school stuff settles down , I’ll have lots more time to write in my blog and talk to visitors. Here in Mandalay it’s been raining a bit everyday. Not seasonal the rains that we’re having at the moment. The roads are in a horrible state though.
Mandalay people are going to have to change their habit of not going out or to school if this pattern of regular rainy weather goes on.
And thank you readers from in Myanmar and all over the world for all your comments .For all visitors from abroad, the best months to visit Mandalay are middle of October to the end of February. Pagoda festivals ,cool nights and days of perfect weather.I can’t wait ! By the way , all you football fans out there ,who do you think is going to win the Champions League final this Thursday ?
Liverpool or AC Milan ? I’m going to spend half the night in front of the telly watching that match. Well, that’s all for now.
USL
April 23, 2007
The best places for chow ( a slang word for food ) etc , in my own and my friends’ opinion and as of April 2007 are as follows :
1. Best Yunnan-Chinese style Barbeque :
Shwe Pan Saing Restaurant 30th X 66th corner
Shwe Khaing Restaurant 33thX 82nd corner
Yunnan Restaurant 39th st Btw 78th & 79th
Kaung Kaung 35th st Btw 68th & 70th
2 . Internet Cafes :
Imagine 38th BTW 78th &79t
Acme.net 26th BTW 78th & 79th
CityNet 80th BTW 30th & 31st
3. Cafes & Tea shops :
Minthiha 28th X 72nd corner
Friends 73rd BTW 39thX 40th
Cafe City 66th st , Near National theater
There’s one near the Nylon Hotel 83rd X 24th I think ( forgot the name )
4. Food Courts :
At Sky Walk Shopping Center, 2nd Fl. Yadanarbon Market , 78th st BTW 33rd & 34th
At 4th fl of 78 Shopping Mall 78th Btw 37th & 38th
5. Best places to buy computer parts and accessories :
Innwa computer 73rd st BTW 30th&31st
DCD 82nd st BTW 34th X 35th
I-net computer Yadanarbon Cyber Corporation ,Yadanarbon
Market 78th BTW 33th& 34th
6. Southern Indian Cuisine ( Chittee food )
Lachimi 28th BTW 80th&81
Pan Cherry 81st BTW 27th & 28th
7. Muslim food and Biryani ( Danbauk )
Karaweik 35th Btw 74th & 75th
26th & 83 rd corner
Tin Win 35th Btw 75th & 76 th
8. Myanmar/ Burmese Food :
Tu Tu Lay 27th St Btw 74th & 75th
Daw Lay May 73rd btw 29th & 30th
Unison 78th Btw 39th & 40th
Daw Yee 80th X 81st and 18th X19th compound
9. Shan Cuisine / Food :
Shan Yin Yin 62nd Btw 34th a& 35th
Maw Kam Noon 31st Btw 80th & 81st
Shan Yoe Yar 23rd & 84th corner
10. Cold Drinks & ice-cream
Nylon 83rd & 25th corner
Paung Taw Thi 80th Btw 34th & 35th
Easy Ray 78th St Btw 32nd 33rd
Ko Ju 22nd & 83rd corner ( Drinking Yoghurt )
10:45 - 11:45 am ( Runs out very quickly )
11. Bakeries :
Dumbo 80th Btw 28th & 29th
KK 32nd Btw 81st & 82nd
Seasons 1st fl. 78 Shopping Mall , 78th st Btw , 37th & 38th sts
12. Bookshops
Nagar 83rd st Btw 30th & 29th
Tun Oo 84th st Btw 28th & 29th
13. Libraries :
British Council Library SY compound, Btw 30st & 31st , 78th & 79th
14. Night open-air markets/ Bazzar
Night market Btw 34th &35th , 77th & 78th
Night market 84th st Btw 27th & 29th
15. Playing Billards / Pool :
Relax 3rd Fl. Yadanarbon Market 78th Btw 33rd & 34th
Fantasy World 78th st Near the railway Station Btw 31st & 32nd ( I think )
16. All kinds of Restaurants
Golden Duck 17th st & 80th corner ( Chinese )
No. 12 Kandawgyi Lake Rd ( Shan Chinese )
Ko’s Kitchen 19th & 80th corner ( Thai )
Kaung Kaung Kandawgyi Lake Rd ( Barbeque & Chinese)
JJ’s Corner of 78th & 38th ( Western & Chinese)
J34 Corner of 34th & 73rd ( Beer & Barbeque )
MD 2nd Fl Skywalk shopping mall 78th st Btw 33rd & 34th
17. Hotels
Hotel Mandalay 78th st Btw 37th & 38th
Power Hotel 80th st Btw 39th & 40th
Tain Phyu ( White Cloud) 29thst & 73 rd corner
Mandalay View Inn 66th Btw 26th & 27th
Mandalay City Hotel 26 th Btw 82nd & 83rd
Sein Sein 81st Btw 32nd & 33rd
Hongta 82nd st Btw 26th&27th ( Big rooms under reno but should be good soon )
( more to come )
Please look in the Lonely Planet and other guide books too ,they list a lot of convenient and inexpensive places for backpackers.
18. Supermarkets :
City Mart Supermarket : 1st fl , 78 Shopping Mall 78th st Btw
37th & 38th
Blazon Supermarket : 80th st Btw 28th & 29th sts
Orange Supermarket : Skywalk shopping center , Yadanarbon
Market 78th st Btw 33rd & 34th sts
April 18, 2007
Hi everyone ,
The internet cafes have been closed for the last couple of days here so I couldn’t post anything . I think I had a good Water Festival .Thoroughly wet and a bit tired I was too.Will give you some links to some good photos of the fun in a few days .
I hope everyone had a good time too
and
Best Wishes for the coming year.
Cheers
USL
April 11, 2007
Some people have said that my blog is a bit soft , rosy or doesn’t give the hard facts/ details about life in this part of the world .Thank you for the feedback but I’d like to explain a few things.
Well, I don’t write certain things in this blog becauses I see no use in getting into hot water for for things written in thousands of other pages . It would just keep me out of the classroom. And that would be a real bore .
So those wanting critical commentary of this country I suggest they go to the inumerable pages devoted to that.
But I happen to believe that most of what has happened here in the last 50 years is because of the levels of education or more precisely , the deterioration and glossing over of such ,which in my opinion , sadly, leads to lowered levels of decency to one another and the dignity of all and much more.
But , I see one way of overcoming the challenges that we face everyday here, in education.What do I mean by education ? I guess a lot but overcoming those challenges through education will surely be a slow , unflashy and tedious endeavour but I’m in it for the long run .
Join me and the students in this journey by dropping in here every now and then.
I wish my blog and the links in it to serve as a portal or a starting point through which students can discover the world , more importantly, the country they live in , and most importantly : themselves.
And anyone who is not a student I hope they get some ideas and info about Mandalay that will be useful.
I hope I don’t sound popish or preachy in some ways /places in this blog but bide with me as I try to start discussions , give advice , information and sometimes a bit of guidance and also try to get more kids to read / be curious /submit comments and formulate views on their lives , futures and etc.
Best Regards,
USL
