MEHS – Class of 64 | |
| by Carol (Clift) Nelson with assistance from June (Rajh) Larden | |
| Wow 44 years have passed Will our education last? Time will tell? So far we are all doing well Some memories fade But now all brought to the fore Lest ye forget, never more Wherever we are whatever we be MEHS we will remember thee We are, we are, the class of 64 Maths was Myat San, Henderson & Crane There were the “swots” Once a banana was eaten under the table When you were sick or full of woe Christmas plays were performed in season Some took work very seriously After 50 years, all these lessons learnt MEHS, MEHS | |
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Category: Blogs
THE LADIES TAKE AWAY 2011 REUNION BY STORM
| By Tommy Htay |
| For the first time in history, the ladies of the MEHSA took over the wheel and fielded the Fifth International Reunion with such feminine flair and aplomb that the menfolk there soaked in the tender loving care of the sisterhood of pantsuits, skirts and htameins like the veritable kids that they all became in spite of their greying and receding hairlines. What a crowning achievement for the principal players Lily Chen, Sally Joseph, Sheila Patail and, of course, our “Honorable” Mr. Treasurer William Chen! First, the ladies steered us to a hotbed of fairyland called ‘the Strip’ and turned it into a New York New York wielding their magic wand of charm, grace and ingenuity. The heat indices in Las Vegas during the two days of sultry July (18 and 19) seemed to have melted cooperatively as well, along with the willing hearts of some 140 alumni and 60 some guests, mostly spouses or significant others who were in attendance. Come to think of it, this success of the ladies is a no brainer. After all, the whole idea of MEHSA was hatched and brought to fruition by an illustrious alumna the late Juliet Teoh who was longingly given a fitting tribute for her exemplary dedication and drive at the opening ceremony. And, talk about tributes! The word tribute, in terms of the alumni of the Methodist English High School, is synonymous with the Teohs, a family of consummate civility and civic-mindedness from its dean and doyen Cecil Teoh, our President Emeritus of both Methodist English Old Students’ Association (MEOSA) and Methodist English High School Alumni Association (MEHSA), and Kenny, our unique Webmaster, down the line … to what alphabet? So loving and charming were the Teohs in our exclusive world of the MEHS alumni that everybody who spoke even for a minute in Vegas would glorify the clan by claiming himself to be a Teoh as well. The ladies of the Organizing Committee of 2011 had also seen to it that no stone was left unturned as far as giving thanks and tribute: Our alma mater, the volunteers, our teachers, Edwin Tut (who, for the last five years, true to his profession as a maritime captain, took us on a symbolic cruise of our school reunions’ fun and frolic), Harry Taw (who headed the Third and Fourth reunions in Thailand with a flourish), the MEHS Foundation, and the entire alumni that kept it going and who also made our international reunions enjoyable, meaningful and, at least momentarily, to be kids once more again – to go through “a rejuvenation process” – as one comely alumna put it, in an elevator on our way out. We all have heard about what is disparagingly said by menfolk such as “the wily ways of women”, right? Well, here I want to use it in the context of a tribute to our lady organizers of the 2011 reunion. They made this same expression good, I mean in a good sense, in making the 2011 venue “the Strip” somewhat realistically true by staging Mra Tun as an Elvis Impersonator. There was Mra, standing tall in a white embroidered outfit with an Elvis hairdo, slightly open-chested baring all that he could – sans chest hair and drooping male “boobs” – belting out staple Elvis songs making everyone feel and enjoy as if Elvis himself was there performing live. Bravo, Mra, with boobs and all! And, as if they sensed that we might conservatively feel that Mra was a bit on a sultry, saucy and seamy side (although we knew it was not even close, experienced as we all are), the ladies next attempted to “soft-soap” us with a beautiful rendition of traditional Burmese dance by one of them – a lovely Sheila Patail. How did we take it? Like suckers, we fell to their “wily ways” with a beaming smile by everyone present, of course! No offence, Sheila, my childhood friend Marianne’s little sister, you simply did great! “Reunion Experience” 1 minute talk by the alumni. That was what was to follow after Sheila’s cultural performance, according to the program printout. And, what did we get? Stuff like “when Mrs. Logie stood tall, a cup of tea could sit well on her behinds”; “a Chinese worker’s sexcapade with his boss’s wife to relieve himself of stress”; and “how a stolen kiss from a boy to a girl in a class in MEHS landed her with a punishment of standing up on a chair and how his indiscreet act of trying to look up her skirt from below again landed her with a double punishment” and “how an alumna tried to pull a ‘take that’ stunt on an uppity-up female foreign student by teaching her a dirty Burmese word when all that she wanted to tell her male teacher who she so admired was ‘I love you'”. It was a most enjoyable moment of “kids going wild”! Programs moved seamlessly thanks to the beautiful and articulate May Tha-Hla as MC, Marina Gaudoin and Roland Liu as Game Masters and their very fair and upright team and Bo Zaw-Win as an up to the mark professional auctioneer for the goodies that fetched a tidy sum for the MEHS Foundation. The traditional fare of MEHS School song and the Assembly Hall favorites Viva La Compagnie, The Happy Wanderer, Kookaburra, Kuckoo and Sarasponda floated the air of New York New York’s Staten Island Room. And Bingo (won by Jon Twe Maung and Betty Teoh), Pinata Competition (won by the Judson House) and Hula Hoop (won by Michael Lim and Co.) and performances, either singing or dancing, by each class – new features – were icings on the cake for the 2011 reunion. Class pictures (1947 through 1972), group picture, dancing, singing, games, jokes, and heart-to-heart chit-chat and reminiscences among classmates and schoolmates despite all manners and sizes of waistlines, hairlines and facial lines – the whole package — made the two-day event in the Casino-land a memorable experience. A memorable experience? Surely, all of our alumni must have many a memorable moment throughout their school career at MEHS. And, our wise President Emeritus Cecil Teoh broached this matter and requested all attendees, both teachers and old students and MEHS alumni the world over who could not make it to the Las Vegas reunion to write down all about their memorable experiences and send them over to me (Tommy Htay) by e-mail (km****@co*****.net) for editing and compilation with an idea of putting them out in book form for posterity. I feel honored to serve as the Project Manager, as Cecil anointed me there and then. The funny lyrics, forwarded by Sally Joseph to Lily Chen, lauding the beauty and frailities of our advancing age, rendered beautifully by our band’s ace singer to the tune of “Are You Lonesome Tonight” still lingering in my mind and silently savoring it …, I venture to think that if the 2011 MEHSA International Reunion in Las Vegas has left all of us with an indelible message this is what it is: when it comes to food (Pan Asian Pacific and Hampton Beach buffets), pure fun and admirable finesse, just leave it to the ladies and they will take us on a grand, grand ride – Viva La Compagnie! (With due apologies to Edwin Tin Tut, Cecil Wagstaff and William Chen (who kept the accounts balanced, worked on the slide presentation with May Tha-Hla (the MC), songs for juke box and other miscellaneous too many to mention) for my somewhat biased appreciation of the ladies’ efforts although, by admission of Cecil, they all “worked their butts off” as well.) |
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5th MEHSA Reunion in Las Vegas
| By Myat (Phyllis) Khaing |
| It’s here, it’s here, it’s here at last!!! The 5th MEHSA International Reunion is here at last! This is the much awaited, long anticipated reunion, which is held in Las Vegas, in the heart of all the bright lights and casinos. What a better way to celebrate the celebrities of dear old MEHS! We came in droves, some of us came all the way from the UK, and some from Burma, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Germany, Greece , Italy and Canada and some of us came as far away as Australia. Those of us in the United States came from all over the states such as New York, Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Texas and Arizona. Those of us from California, who are close to Las Vegas, took the road and drove for 3 – 4 hours in the Nevada desert, braving the hot burning sun of 108 degrees heat and higher, just to be with our classmates, just to be back in the time of our lives, when we are at the happiest time of all, together with our teachers, friends, class mates and admirers. We could not ask for more. Hence the crowd totaled about 137 alumni and about 60 guests. Most of us stayed at the New York New York Hotel, where the Reunion is going to be held. Most of us arrived on the 17th, just to get ready and be prepared for the 2 big days, the 18th and the 19th. As we registered at the New York, New York, you could hear screams of friends seeing friends after a long time, shouts of recognition, and peals of laughter when best friends get together and joked around while waiting in line to register. It was just like being back in high school, with guys eyeing gals, who are older now, but still very attractive, and best of all, getting acquainted together once again. I met my old friend Cleo who sat with me in my 4th standard class, and also Brian Sein Tun, who sat with me in my 2nd Standard classroom. After registration, we looked around to see what we could do for the next two days. I was very tired so I went off with my good friend Cleo and her husband to Maggiono’s. The food was cooked to perfection, so it was great, and there was musicians going around playing your requested music. Cleo asked for some Hungarian music and the musicians played three songs beautifully. After dinner, we thought we would walk around, but the Nevada heat was too much, like a blast from the boiler, so we went back to our hotel to rest for the next day. On the morning of the 18th, we all trickled down to the Staten Island room where registration was taking place. Again, we had a lovely time with friends meeting friends, and classmates who haven’t seen each other for a long time, shaking hands and talking non-stop. Lunch was supposed to be at 12:00noon, so I joined my friend Winsome and Brian to check out a few shops for souvenirs as well as find out about the numerous shows that Las Vegas has. Even in the morning time, the sun is burning hot , so after a couple of shops and a few souvenirs later, we were sweating and exhausted, so went back to our rooms to shower and prepare to go downstairs for our lunch. We were already late coming into the Staten Island room, as most people were already seated and I found some more friends, Gerald Tin Maung, Michael Lim, Peter Kyaw Tun, Zan Tha and their families. I was so happy to see my long lost friend Pamela Aung. It has been a very long time that I have seen or talked to Pamela, but as soon as we saw each other, the years fell apart and it was just like yesterday and soon we were chit chatting away just like before. The ceremony was opened by Mrs. E. Quinn and the organizers marched into the hall bearing the Flags of our Houses, Judson, Carey, Livingstone and Wesley, with the school flag carried by the President of the Alumni Association, Gloria Hengshoon (WinThein). Next we all sang the MEHS School song, lead by Gloria and Mra Tun. We also sang those popular songs such as “Viva La Compangnie”, “The Happy Wanderer,” “kookaburra,” “Kuckoo” and “Sarasponda”, songs that nobody can sing like the true alumni, as we had sung these songs day in and day out, in our morning assembly time. Then the introductions were made by Lily Chen, and with May Tha Hla performing the MC duties, the whole event started. Marina Gaudoin spoke about the MEHS Foundation, then a Tribute of Silence was paid to our dear friend Juliet Teoh, who founded and planned the first Reunion, and who had passed away, as well as those alumni who passed away. After that, recognition was paid to the Teoh family and to Kenny Teoh, our Webmaster, who has done such an excellent job of putting up the website, updating and keeping all the alumni together from all over the world. The Alumni awarded Kenny with an Amazon gift card. Then recognition was given to the teachers who attended. Teacher Daw Aye Than, Daw Khin Khin Thein, Daw Gloria Hengshoon, Dr. Robert Fuller, Mrs. Quinn, Ms. Johnson, & Mrs. Lonsdale. Lunch came and we had a lovely array of Pan Asian Pacific Buffet. Later, after lunch, we had a series of games competed by different Houses, games of Bingo, Pinata Competition and the Hula Hoop. My friend Winsome and I stole away to get some tickets for the show that afternoon. Out we went into the searing hot sun again to get our tickets for the show that night. By the time, we got our tickets and came back to the New York, New York, we are soaking in sweat and tired, so we went for a quick shower and joined the others for the afternoon tea. High Tea was offered as “Death by Chocolate,” with tons of chocolate cake and a selection of tea, coffee and an assortment of soft drinks. We stayed for a short while, then went back to our rooms to get some rest and get ready for the evening activities. Earlier during the day, Pamela Aung was so excited to see friends from our class of ’66, so we decided that we would have a private dinner with our class of ’66. We decided to go to a Chinese Restaurant called Emperor’s Garden which has spicy food, in Chinatown to chill out and chat with our friends. Michael and family, Pamela and husband, Winsome and husband, as well as Peter and Brian joined our group. We ate, laughed and talked till late into the night, then decided to go back to the hotel. But not before we had ye-ge-thoke, which I hadn’t had for a long, long, time so we were all very happy, tired and went back to our hotel, but Brian, Winsome and I to went and saw our show so onward we went to Bally’s for our show, then went back to our hotel, tired, but very happy. The next day, we had the morning and the whole afternoon free, so after breakfast, I did some last piece of shopping for souvenirs, then went off with my friends to the Hoover Dam, which is majestic and a wondrous piece of engineering work. Then we went back to New York, New York again to shower and dress up for the evening. I was very tired so rested a few minutes and thus missed the fabulous show put on by Mra Tun in his Elvis look alike costume. Later on, our alumni from DC, Bo Zaw Win, and Michael Tin Hla put on a few songs of their own, although our DJ, Ko Khin Maung Win of the “Gatuq Band” put on a fabulous show with hit songs from the oldies, which we all knew. Later on, we took pictures of the class of ’41, 51, and so on and so forth. Our class, the Class of ’66 has the highest turnout with 16 classmates altogether. Then came karaoke time and all our fabulous singers went on the stage and belted out their hearts. Then each of the classes sang a few songs of their choice. This went on for a while and later on, Sheila Patail gave us a marvelous performance of Burmese dancing, Hta-ma-thein and all. She also performed an Indian dance by herself. Sheila is such a talented person and a beautiful one as well. Then May Tha Hla said she wanted to do an auction to get some contributions to the small school that they were building in the outskirts of Rangoon. Ms. Johnson gave a Thai silk shawl for auction, and it went up from the first offering of $50 all the way to $200. Then a jade bead necklace, which was paraded around by Winsome Sein Tun, was also auctioned off and reached a sum of $125. After that jokes about the school and some other jokes about Mrs. Logie and the classmates were told and we were cracking our sides with laughter. Tommy Htay said he will collect our experiences of funny jokes or anecdotes and will put it up on the website for all to enjoy, so please send in your articles to Ko Tommy Htay. Cecil said, if there are 150 alumni, we should send in 150 jokes, so I do hope all of us can take some time to send it in. Only alumni who had experienced time and attendance at MEHS could do this. Those of us who wanted to dance went on the dance floor after that. Then some alumni wanted to do the line dance and they practiced and did it well on the dance floor. Then, much later, the lights were dimmed and alumni all got together, held hands and with the lights blazing on our hands, we all waved to each other and sang the “Auld Lang Syne.” We sang it over and over and over again, with such a sense of deep feeling and emotion and a sense of togetherness, to be together once again, back in the time of dear old MEHS, where the sense of friendship, brotherhood and that feeling of being together once more, can never be compared with anything else in life. This was the time that we felt happiest, we had our dreams and aspirations and I felt that the memories we’ll cherish deep within our hearts will never cease to fade. It was a great feeling that the event went very well, with no disturbances nor intrusions of any kind. My grateful thanks to the organizers of the 5th Reunion event and the President of the Alumni Association, Kenny, the webmaster and the performers who entertained like no other, as well as all the friends and classmates who took the time and made the effort. We will all look forward to our next Reunion in January of 2013, which will be held, back in our MEHS in Rangoon, Burma. |
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THREE’S AN AWESOME COMPANY OR HAIL TO THE M.E.H.S. | |
by Tommy Htay“We used to rule the airwaves, didn’t we?”, she chirped demurely, her glassy eyes dancing with glee longingly wandering deep into the past. She gave me a questioning look, her smile sweet and captivating. And, without much moving away from her focus on my impending response, with a suaveness like that of a Hollywood movie star, she sipped the coffee from a cup she held in one hand and with the other handed me another cup of coffee as if I needed to perk myself up to come up with the answer she so wanted to hear. I looked at Hazel Kyaw Zaw aka Daw Kyi Kyi May intently and slowly soaked in the dream world she had elected to be in at that moment. Her girlish charm and demeanor certainly betrayed her stature as a retired head of a premier broadcaster in Burmese, the British Broadcasting Corporation in London, United Kingdom. She was the first among the three of us to have enjoyed this exalted position. As I was toying with the cup of coffee she handed me, a tall, dark and handsome hunk of a man ambled towards us. She looked him up and, in a heartbeat, beamed a hearty smile and greeted with all alacrity: “Hi, U Soe Thin, I was gloating over our former roles in three different world-class broadcasting institutions and sharing my thoughts with U Khin Maung Htay. Just imagine, all the three of us, at one time, were heading those departments and we happen to be, wonder of wonders, products of the same school — the great MEHS!” Her boundless enthusiasm ostensibly caught U Soe Thin aka Po Soe Nyunt by surprise and he could only eke out a sheepish smile, almost a neutral response. The former head of the Burmese Service of Radio Free Asia in Washington D.C, USA, instantly tried to balance his composure by throwing a quick smile in my direction before he sipped coffee from his cup. A one-time diplomat U Soe Thin was the second alumnus of MEHS, among the three of us, to captain the ship of RFA Burmese programs. We were all at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand – the venue of the Third Methodist English High School Alumni International Reunion in 2008 — when this conversation took place. In the midst of old friends, classmates and schoolmates, the atmosphere was one of fun and salubriousness.
I looked around and what I saw among the revelers — the once-upon-a-time school kids of the best school in the nation of our time and, perhaps, in the whole of Southeast Asia – a certain bond of lineage and pride that derived from the quality of education they had had at the Methodist English High School of Rangoon, Burma — made me understand peerlessly the girlish burst of enthusiasm from Daw Kyi Kyi May of the BBC and the sheepish smile from U Soe Thin of RFA. Between sips of coffee, I gave a fitting unspoken salute to these two stalwarts of broadcast journalism with a humbling acceptance of the obvious as someone who took their “mantle”, so to speak, as the last alumnus of MEHS to take over the helm of Burmese Service at the Voice of America. In due defiance to the hackneyed saying, I’m sure my professional partners will agree with me that “Three’s An Awesome Company” for Hazel, Po Soe and Tommy, what with all that we have amply achieved. Hail to thee, good old MEHS! | |
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| ESSENCE RIDES HIGH AT THE SIXTH | |
| by Tommy Htay |
| The proof of the pudding is in the eating of it. The essence of the 6th International Reunion of the Methodist English High School Alumni in Yangon, Myanmar (January 5-6, 2013) was history unchained. Back again in the womb of our alma mater, MEHS, where we had had our wonderful formative years, elation was one of a seismic proportion with every heartbeat as we sang our school song and other songs in the Assembly Hall, our old habitat. As Julia Win and Nyunt Nyunt, our comely Masters of Ceremonies, steered us through the January 5th morning programs, I looked around and the faces of the alumni in attendance spoke volubly that Life is Good. The theme song of the Reunion “Let the Lamp Keep Burning” written by Salwyn Saw Wynn to the melody of Pola Bali, set the tone for the day. The words “Remember the days we stayed hand in hand. We played the games together, Methodist spirit will be in our hearts, Let’s keep our lamp burn eternal” resonated in to.to with the heart-strings of the entire assembly. Traditional and contemporary dances by the boys and girls of the Dagon State High School (1) in colorful dresses thrilled us all. It was good to know that the Reunion Organizing Committee had a big hand in providing those dresses of the dancers as well as a cash donation of Kyat One Million handed to Dr. Aung Ko Ko, the school’s principal. Trustee Johnny Saing showcased the academically deserving and needy students, children of the alumni, who are pursuing higher education thanks to the scholarship funds they received from the Methodist English High School Memorial Foundation. It was a noble undertaking and the students looked promising too. Then came a virtual bomb blast. Combative but joyous House Cheering by old students of the Wesley, Carey, Judson and Livingstone houses on the stage was at once raucous and riveting with a hearty participation of the audience below. It was all déjà vu once again to every alumnus in the crowd. Group photo sessions by class and year – another big must for everyone to participate and to cherish and hold dear – were a humbling but clear reminder that we are all getting on in years but still enjoying life in the company of old friends. And the Church Service at Methodist Church was solemn and soulful as well. Refreshments served at the School Canteen, all Burmese delicacies, were plentiful and tasty and enough for everyone who partook of them to give a rousing cheering at the Htoke See Htoe game, a new feature in the programs. It was a truly traditional Burmese game that requires both tact and energy for the participants to make the edge. The evening of the 6th of January, 2013 – the second day of our historic homecoming Reunion festivities in Yangon – began with all the symbolism that entails reflecting the new dawn of the on-going reforms in the country. Sparks flew, cheers and applause went through the roof and cameras flashed like lightning when the evening’s guest of honor and the most distinguished alumnus of MEHS Daw Aung San Suu Kyi slowly walked into the Royal Garden Restaurant at Kandawgyi Park. The serene atmosphere of the lake surroundings simply glowed with sanctified splendor. The Masters of Ceremonies for the evening Cyril Ba Than and Sheila Lao flexed every ounce of their diplomatic and intellectual muscles to keep the house in order. But the sheer volume of monumental welcome and expression of jubilation of the 700-strong alumni and guests was beyond human control and comprehension. Perhaps, Cyril’s eloquent introduction of the guest of honor when she was finally seated at the VIP table vocalized the sentiment of the one and all. And, I quote, inter alia: “To her friends she is known as “Suu Suu”; her admirers “Amay Suu”, “Aunty Suu”, “Daw Suu” or “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”. But, to the international community she is a democratic icon, a symbol of freedom, human rights, justice and the rule of law. To us here in this country, a national leader, President of the National League for Democracy and a member of Parliament – Pyithu Hluttaw. “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has all the accolades to her credit. She is internationally renowned for her sacrifice, singularity and sterling leadership – the first national of our beloved country to have received the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, 2008 US Congressional Gold Medal, 2012 Global Citizenship Award and 2012 Global Vision Award, to name a few. “Recently, I am proud to share with all of you that the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine of the United States of America has ranked Daw Aung San Suu Kyi as NUMBER ONE along with President U Thein Sein in its selection of the 100 Top Global Thinkers for 2012. What an honor! What an incredible achievement! “What more could I add to this except the fact that she is one of us – the most distinguished alumnus of our beloved educational institution – the best in the country of the period, I might add, my Fellow Alumni and Ladies and Gentlemen – the great Methodist English High School!”. Harry Taw, President of the Methodist English High School Memorial Foundation, on behalf of the alumni of MEHS, then presented the “Most Distinguished MEHS Alumnus Award” plaque to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Whistles, cheers and applause erupted ranting the air with abandon.
In her acceptance speech, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi extolled the greatness of the Methodist English High School which she said might have been “the best school in the whole of Southeast Asia region” at the time. And, as the privileged community that had received first class education from MEHS, she exhorted the alumni to try to help as much as possible to the underprivileged many in the country because education alone is the viable driving force for the country to move forward politically, socially and economically. Her oratory was unique and the inspiration was universal. Edwin Tin Tut, Secretary of the Foundation, while endorsing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s concept of the importance of education postulated the challenges that we could face citing his experience in trying to raise funding for the Foundation’s noble work. Dance performances by the school girls, Burmese and Western oldies by Victor Khin Nyo and his band and a lively performance in tribute to teachers of MEHS by our late beloved teacher Mrs. Hein Tin’s second and third generation kith and kin headed by Delphine lent an air of joy and relaxation for the evening along with good food, good cheer and good company. If auctioneering is an art, then art and artifacts that are mostly related to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in terms of theme and import, changed hands with a good inflow of funding for the Foundation. The highest bidders Kyi Kyi Han and her husband Byron Law Yone (On the right with a Shan bag in photo) took away a lovely painting of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for US$600.
The Htoke See Htoe game winners and the golf tournament winners also had their fair share of kudos and prizes. And, Dr. U Thaw Kaung, former President of the Methodist English Old Students’ Association (MEOSA) and the Yangon Organizing Committee of the 6th MEHSA International Reunion each received a prestigious Juliet Teoh Memorial Award plaque for their illustrious efforts to keep the MEHSA movement alive. The award is named, for the first time by the Foundation, in honor of the late Juliet Teoh, founder and organizer extraordinaire of MEHSA. More distinguished alumni will receive this award in the forthcoming Reunion. As a movement, MEHSA has made great strides and notched many an achievement thanks solely to the MEHS spirit of camaraderie we embrace and cherish. After all, for us MEHS alumni, “Quality is our terra firma and Capability is our forte”, as I always say. We also believe in the concept of Unity in Diversity. Let us move ahead with the undying will of unity and continuity to keep the lamp burning ad infinitum. And, as for the next Reunions, in terms of location, unity in diversity reigns supreme. Cheer on, folks! Hello HONOLULU for 2014!!! Hello YANGON for 2015!!! |
Savoir-Faire and Savoir-Vivre!
Who would have imagined that, one day, members of this elite community called the Methodist English High School Alumni (MEHSA) would be celebrating their international reunion event in Lani-ku-ho-nua (“where heaven meets the earth”) with waves roaring passionately towards the beautiful white sandy beach with a kiss of aloha, swaying palms dancing with the soothing breeze coming across the expanse of the Pacific Ocean and the mountain peak jutting in all its majesty towards the azure sky?
Balmy weather, serene settings, consummate natural beauty, Hawaiian welcome chant and dances, prancing verve and wriggling moves of the Tahitian dancers and the energy and will of the alumni to have the most fun and our own band with Mra Tun as our maestro set the tone and tenor and the sights and sounds of the Seventh International Reunion of MEHSA (September 6-7, 2014) in blue Hawaii.
Whenever people ask me about my alma mater, I always say with chin up and chest out that the products of our school have a distinctive DNA which I spell out with these words: “Quality is our terra firma and Capability is our forte”. From now on, after all the reunion events that have taken place so far, I would add this third ingredient: “Camaraderie is our life blood”. In technical language, MEHSA DNA would be QCC1. In plain English we are topnotch on every count.
For starters, look at this beautiful program cover that depicts a Hawaiian designer shirt. Open it and you will find the two-day programs printed on paper in purple and the words of the songs alumni will sing printed on paper in yellow. It’s so very relevant and everyone showered praises on Lily Chen, the prime mover.
The Program a la Hawaii
The curtain raiser for the festivities on the Hawaiian island of Oahu was the Hawaiian welcome chant and dances. It was very local, cultural and traditional. Feeling blessed with the best wishes for the success of the reunion event, we all sat down in the big tent to watch the beautiful and alluring moves of male and female Tahitian dancers to the beat of their exotic Polynesian music.
Hawaiian dancers swaying in concert with the palms
Gloria Win Thein, president of the Reunion Planning Committee, went through the rituals of carrying the MEHS flag followed by a parade of House Flag carriers: Sheila Patail (Carey), Phyllis Khaing (Judson), Hazel Kyaw Zaw (Livingston) and Beauty Swe (Wesley). The MC for this two-day event was the eloquent Lucy Chen (Lin Herbert), Chief Financial Officer of the MEHS Memorial Foundation. How she smoothly segued from one program to the next was a delight to all and a tough act to follow for the up and coming MCs of our alumni community.
Following her welcoming speech, Gloria Win Thein, led one and all with the MEHS School song and the usual school Assembly Hall fare of The Happy Wanderer and My Banjo to the accompaniment of Mra Tun, the maestro, with his bandmates Michael Myo Thant, Kwai Lum Fong, John Green and Roy Kusardy going full swing. Lin, Lily and Mra then sang the MEHS Hawaii Reunion Song, written by David Law (class of ’69) and Lily Chen (class of ’65), with the assembly joining them. The song, intrinsically, would mean Noblesse Oblige, which defines the Hawaiian Reunion of 2014. Musically, it goes by the strains of Elvis Presley’s Blue Hawaii.
“This is the moment
we’ve waited for
where “heaven meets the earth”
at Lani-ku-ho-nua” ….
…. “Luau and Aloha
we will dance the hula
Blue Skies of Hawaii smile
On our Reunion Day
We do – love you – M E H S !”
After enjoying the performance of the Te Ori Tahiti dancers, we all had a sumptuous dinner catered by the Pacific Gateway Center Organization headed by our very own Faith Tin (Dr. Tin Myaing Thein).
A human Wikipedia of sorts, Lucy Chen, then tossed at us trivia questions on anything and everything MEHS. The raucous alumni crowd scored more misses than hits. Advantage Lucy with loads of fun all the way.
A special feature of Competition for Best Aloha Shirt Parade was the highlight of the evening of September 6 and it was a wonderful performance of male alumni and spouses of the female alumni, donned in fancy Hawaiian shirts of all designs and colors, letting their vanity out for the prize. At the awards ceremony on the 7th evening, the alumni’s choice of the best looking Aloha Shirt with all the swagger the wearer exhibited the night before went to Lyn Aung Thet, who is universally acknowledged as the brainiest, bar none. The second prize winners were Mra Tun, Ted Chen and Tommy Htay.
On the second day, September 7, alumna Faith Tin (Dr. Tin Myaing Thein) talked about the Pacific Gateway Center of which she is the Executive Director. The Center “through innovation and creativity empowers immigrants and refugees, most of them survivors of human trafficking, to become self-sufficient and economically independent. Most of them are Burmese and Thai farmers.” Now in its 40th year, it is expanding into many areas like job training and catering start-up companies to translation and interpretation services in close to 35 languages. The Pacific Gateway Center Organization was the caterer for the 7th MEHSA Reunion in Hawaii providing us with Burmese soul food that “we have loved since childhood”, to quote my friend Cleo Kyin Oo Appleton in her article, MEHS Hawaii “Five Oh”.
Then tributes and recognition followed, to the awe and delight of everyone present.
Games and Competition of Houses, commandeered by the bubbly and bouncy Beauty Myo Min (Beauty Swe), summoning what the “Maharani” Lily Chen wanted and all the members of Wesley, Carey, Judson and Livingston Houses clamored to provide amidst all the hustle and bustle that was part of the joy in the game engineered by the “Maharani” herself, next took the stage. The Judson House, headed by Phyllis Khaing, came out tops and, in accordance with the rules of the game, all members of the other houses had to oblige what the winner asked them to do, awkward and embarrassing notwithstanding. But, all in all, everyone agreed that Michael Lim, who is the “Commander-in-Chief” of this fun session, was the real winner, although he belongs to the Livingston House. He very calmly and energetically took the liberty of giving passionate smooches to all the ladies from all the Houses who participated in the game, much to the delight of the ladies themselves, I might add. Another game was won by Wesley, thanks to Roland Liu’s ability and adroitness.
Group dancing, auction of items, “1 minute talk” and group pictures went smoothly in sequence in the able hands of MC Lucy. And, vocalists Winsome Aye Maung, Mra Tun and Michael Myo Thant and the band gave their all to complete the entertainment phase of the evening.
Group Dancing
Te Ori Thiti Dance Troupe Striking a Pose
Tommy Htay, President of the MEHS Memorial Foundation, then presented Cecil Teoh and Gloria Win Thein with the prestigious Juliet Teoh Memorial Award for 2013 for their outstanding achievements in both MEOSA and MEHSA years. Tommy Htay himself accepted the same award from Cecil Teoh, the first President of Methodist English Old Students’ Association (MEOSA) in Rangoon, Burma. They now joined the other distinguished recipients of this 2013 award: Dr. Thaw Kaung, former MEOSA president and Harry Taw, President of MEHS Memorial Foundation (2008-2012) and the Yangon Working Committee (YWC) of the MEHS Memorial Foundation.
Lucy Chen (Lin Herbert), Chief Financial Officer of the MEHS Memorial Foundation, next talked about the work and what she had in mind about the future growth and sustenance of the Foundation.
After a delicious feast of an Asian cuisine dinner of the Pacific Gateway Center, the attendees of the Hawaii Reunion savored the charm and grace of Hawaiian culture as enunciated by our own Faith Tin (Dr. Tin Myaing Thein), Executive Director of PGC, through “Aloha ‘Oe” Lyrics (By Queen Liliuokalani) and expressed in beautiful dance moves she so naturally led the way for all to participate and enjoy and to close our Reunion meet, steeped in local culture and tradition.
Faith Leading Aloha ‘Oe
Come September, we will always remember and muse over the fun, joy and MEHS spirit of camaraderie that we had embraced in 2014 at Lanikuhonua “where heaven meets the earth”, thanks to the MEHSA 7th International Reunion planners and core workers Lily Chen, Sally Joseph and Sheila Patail of the Las Vegas Reunion fame and Gloria Win Thein, Faith Tin, Michael Myo Thant, Michael and Linda Lim, William Chen, Kenny Teoh, Cecil Wagstaff and, last but not the least our ace MC Lucy Chen (Lin Herbert).
As we brought the curtain down on our Seventh Heaven in Aloha Land with the usual fare of Auld Lang Syne, wonder of wonders, close by our venue, fireworks lit up the sky with the thunderous whoosh and booms and bangs and colorful sparks flying and sputtering all over as if to join our joyous celebration with gusto. Michael Lim shouted, “We ended our Reunion with a bang!”. Perhaps, not to let Michael outdo them, the others chimed in “Hey, Lily, we didn’t know that you could pull this kind of rabbit out of your hat”. To which the Reunion planner extraordinaire Lily Chen demurely looked around with a big grin, totally noncommittal.
Revelers Huddle Under MEHS Banner
Aloha, in Hawaiian, means hello, goodbye and love. Mahalo, on the other hand, means thank you.
ALOHA September 2014 Hawaiian 7th MEHS International Reunion and MAHALO to our wonderful planners!
ALOHA January 2015 8th MEHS International Reunion in Yangon, Myanmar!
7th MEHS International Alumni Reunion in Hawaii
What a spectacular ending to our reunion on the weekend of Sept 6 and 7, 2014. We could not have wished for a more pleasant surprise ending when we saw the fireworks light up the sky after we sang “Aloha ‘Oe” (until we meet again) written by the last Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, and Auld Lang Syne.
YES! That was our 7th MEHS Alumni reunion. The venue was at Lanikuhonua, “(where heaven meets the earth”), an open grassy flat area dotted with tall, “swaying” palm trees next to the beach and the Pacific ocean. When we first decided to have the 7th reunion in Hawaii, the thought of having it in a hotel conference room was absolutely inconceivable. When in Hawaii, we expect open air, beach, sun, balmy breeze, beautiful sunset, palm trees and lots of fun and camaraderie.
We want to share with our alumni the extensive planning spanned over 1.5 years, brainstorming possibilities to ensure a successful event. The hours and expense invested in this process were a challenge to our planners who, due to distance, lack of economy of scale, and the high cost of our venue, worked tirelessly to negotiate with all our vendors in order to keep our costs down. Initial out-of-pocket expenses were contributed by the planners since we did not have any working capital. Hawaii is one of the most expensive states in the US so costs and quality of our event were our main concern. We strove hard to keep the costs down but at the same time, refused to sacrifice quality.
Venue: Lily flew to Oahu on 2 separate occasions (April 2013 and Feb 2014) to inspect three different venues that might be most suitable for our event. None fit the requirements. Then Dr. Tin Myaing Thein (Faith Tin) suggested that Lily look into Lanikuhonua (a privately owned property) in Ko’Olina. This was her last option and she wanted to find a “perfect” venue for our perfect reunion. Ma Ma Faith promised that when Lily walked into the grounds, she would gasp at the sheer beauty of the place. It was truly a beautiful and magnificent piece of land.
Our next gasp was the cost of leasing the property for our event! It was exorbitant for 1.5 days and full of conditions and we would have to pay the out-of-state rate. Lily knew she had found THEplace to hold our event and reached out to Ma Ma Faith who suggested that by using her organization, Pacific Gateway Center, we might get the “kama’aina” (resident) rate. Then Lily’s brother, Ted, told her that he knew the GM of this property and offered to write him. The GM gave us a further 15% discount.
Hotels: Lily visited several hotels and decided on the Ala Moana Hotel due to its location, which is at the gateway to Waikiki and is centrally located to sites and shops. The hotel’s Sales Manager offered a group rate for our attendees.
Tent/tables/chairs: We then looked into 3 tent rental agencies and decided on Accel Party Rental who turned out to be very amiable and helpful and also gave us a 15% discount because of our association with Pacific Gateway Center.
Food. Pacific Gateway caters Asian/Ethnic food. They were absolutely agreeable to our suggestions and Lily worked with Ma Ma Faith on the menu that would be compatible to different diets and finally 2 weeks before the event, a menu was set up. We thank them for the scrumptious food and cordial helpers. There was enough food to feed an army. One of the popular drinks was “pwau yee” (tamarind/jackary drink) and there were no stomach repercussions! Bottled water, “Hawaii2O”, was donated by Ted for our event.
Our Band: Mra Tun (and his crew, Myo Thant [our treasurer], John Green, Kwai Lam Fong, Roy Kusardy and singer, Winsome Aye Mg) took care of renting musical equipment from several vendors in order to save money. Mra spent countless hours calling musical equipment shops in Honolulu to get the best possible rate. The team practiced several times to put on a well-rehearsed show. After the equipment was picked up, where do we store them as the venue would not be responsible if left on the premises. Lily’s brother, Ted, who has a place ½ mile from the venue offered to have the carload of musical equipment stored in his garage both Saturday, and Sunday evening after the event.
Transportation: Some of our attendees wished to be transported from hotel to venue and Sally worked tirelessly on transportation with two organizations that provided van and/or bus services. Hiring a 12- or 25-seater bus was out of the question as the committee could not afford it and we would have to charge the attendees too much money which would be ludicrous. Finally, after some maneuvering and help from attending alumni, Sally was able to arrange rides for everyone (almost). Thank you Sally.
Flowers: Sheila’s talent in floral arrangement further reduced the cost of using outside services. She took over the floral arrangements for each table and adorned each table fabulously. She spent the whole afternoon and evening before the event to arrange 11 centerpieces all by herself. Sheila also donated the flowers for our hair. She cut each orchid bloom from the stem and attached the hair clip and pin to the back of flower. Thank you Sheila.
Funds: We had a few attendees from the UK, the Netherlands and Australia. May Tha Hla offered to collect the registration fees and through her connection with Forex, was able to wire the money to our account without incurring any fees. Thanks to May.
Auction: Many of our attendees donated items of value to be auctioned in order to raise funds for the memorial foundation. Thanks to all of you for your donations.
After the major vendors were contracted, we moved to the small details, like, setting our agenda, what to include in our program, competition of house games, the fresh leis, flowers for our tables, programs, prizes, balloons, table cloths, table cloth clips, grass skirts for the house flag bearers, tiki torches, flag poles, small gifts for the women and the men, MC, volunteers, flags of our houses, and more. The concept of “the devil is in the details” was important to our planning. Fresh leis and flowers and last minute details were done 2 days prior our event in order to keep our flowers fresh in the warm weather.
Lily had the idea of using Hawaiian print fabric to represent our houses. The color of the background that has a predominant color would represent the color of our house, to keep in line with the Hawaiian spirit. The idea of the Aloha Shirt Card to be used as our program cover surfaced after hours of searching on the net.
To achieve great deals and constantly mindful of keeping our costs to a minimum, we spent countless hours at the computer to research and compare prices.
The tradition of Hawaii before an event is to have Kumu (“the Source”) does the welcome chant to welcome the guests and bless our event. Ma Ma Faith’s son, Robert (Aukai), is a Kumu and he was accompanied by 2 Kumus who performed dances after the chant. We were truly blessed as the “stars were in total alignment” that weekend and we could not have picked a more perfect weekend.
MC: Lucy flew in to HI on the morning of our event. She was delayed 2 days but made it in the nick of time. Thanks for a fine MC job.
William, Lily’s brother, knew his niece was a Tahitian dancer and he contacted her organization, Te Ori Tahiti Here, to see if they would perform for us on a small budget. The group was very gracious and performed for us both days. Lucy (Lin) collected tips from our attendees who appreciated and enjoyed the performance put on by the dancers. She collected $350 for the performers. The head of the group was very much touched and very glad to be a part of our reunion. They even got to taste the Burmese food.
Photographers: Lilian Wu, Alfred Patail and William. The 3 of them took over 1,000 pictures and William is editing the pictures to make a “story in pictures”.
Wine/Beer: Michael and Linda Lim, 2 of our committee members, donated the wine and beer for our occasion and also served as our “driver” to transport some of our alumni from hotel to venue. Thanks to them.
As you all know, we worked on a shoestring budget but we managed to get what we wanted for the reunion without having to cut back to achieve the results we wished for the reunion. Our goal was to maintain the quality of our event and we achieved the goal. The success of the event was our attendees’ participation.
“Methodist Hawaii Reunion” song: Lily thought a Hawaii reunion song would be appropriate for our event and solicited David Law (class ’69) to write lyrics to melody of “Hawaiian Wedding Song”. Lily edited and refined the lyrics and the words to the song, sung to the tune of Elvis Presley’s “Blue Hawaii”, appear below.
As Beauty Swe put it quite aptly, “it is the quality and not the quantity” that made the difference. How true!
We thank all the volunteers who cheerfully and willingly helped when called upon.
Last but not least, our profound thanks to our webmaster, Kenny Teoh, who has over the years maintained, updated our website which is a priceless resource to our alumni, Thank you Kenny.
Our reunion committee consisted of: Gloria Winthein (Pres. of Alumni Assoc), Dr. Tin Myaing Thein (Pacific Gateway Center), Cecil Wagstaff, Michael Lim, Linda Lim, William Chen (Photographer), Michael Myo Thant (Treasurer), Kenny Teoh (Webmaster), Sally Joseph, and Lily Chen. Thank you for your support throughout our planning, at times very challenging, and your constructive input.
As we said to our attendees, we started the chain of events and you continued and ended the reunion on a perfect note.
Aloha ‘Oe, Until we meet again.
MEHS ReUnion Song
Words by David Law (class ’69) and Lily Chen (class’65)
(Sung to the tune of Hawaiian Wedding Song)
This is the moment
we’ve waited for
where “heaven meets the earth”
at Lani-ku-ho-nuaThis is the moment
Our School ReUnion
When we meet and spend our time with classmates
What a special day for us to celebrateCome Sep-tem-ber
Ha-waii beckons you here
Ca-ma-ra-de-rie and picture taking
This will be the history in the makingLuau and Aloha
we will dance the hula
Blue Skies of Hawaii smile
On our ReUnion Day
We do – love you – M E H S !
Now you know why I proudly, but humbly state, that MEHS, its Teachers & Staff, shaped and moulded my Life, and helped and guided me into my Future as an adult
My Late Mum for loving me and giving me her Love of Travel
Mrs. Doreen.A.Logie: For accepting me as a Student at MEHS.
Mrs. Elsie A. Evans: For Her mentoring, and instilling in me a Love of Literature & Poetry, also including encouraging me to Follow My Dreams
Daw Lily Hein Tin: To see and appreciate Our Wonderful World, and e.n.j.o.y. its awesome Natural wonders
Daw Dahlia Myat San: For instilling in me an appreciation of the World of Mathematics
Mr. N. Craen: For instilling in me an appreciation of the World of Mathematics, and instilling in me the fact that to be Honest is always the best and highest degree to hold
Mrs. May Rogers: For forgiving me for NOT taking up History and telling me that one Day I would appreciate its True Value. Her Quote: You cannot know where you are going if you do not know where you came from?..so true and I really only understood what this meant when I was Project Director for the many WW1 & WW2 Pilgrimages to many Theatres of War.
Miss Rita Johnson (now Mrs. Lonsdale) for her warm and engaging Science lessons, which taught us so much…..and with whom I am still in contact
Dr. Ms. Rhoda Linton: For instilling in me a love of Theatre and Acting
Mrs. Constance Medd: For teaching me French, which ultimately got me my job in Air France,?.and also giving me the opportunity to actually t.e.a.c.h. French, albeit for three months only, at M.E.H.S., when Mr. Bachoe took ill, thereby welcoming this Reprobate into the Respected Ranks of an M.E.H.S. Teacher
Nurse Daw Julie: For literally,?. and NOT just figuratively, saving me Life after a Softball Accident?..if she had not I would not be writing this
Dr. Mr. Robert Fuller: For teaching me German, which ultimately got me my job in Lufthansa German Airlines.
Mr. Kan Goon: For instilling in me, a Lifelong Love of Sport
……… and all my other MEHS Teachers …… too numerous to mention ……… FOR EVERYTHING ……… THANK YOU.
May God Bless You All
Now you will know and understand how T.r.u.l.y. Grateful I am to our Dear Ole MEHS. Where would I have been without this?
Sincerely
Cecil L.W. Wagstaff
G.C.E. Class of 1961/2
I live in the northern part of Yangon in an area under the name of Parami; It is a reasonably well to do district, however not in the same league as Golden Valley or Inya Road. Being in my golden years, every few months, it entails me to drive to downtown and draw my pension at Commercial Bank no.3, situated on the top of Sule Pagoda Road near the Port area. The drive used to be under half an hour from my house, however regretfully, with the high or more correctly ultra extensive congestion, making it in about an hour must fall in the category of ‘lucky’. To be fair, the drive downtown has always been reasonably congested as far as I can recall. However, today it is even worst: heavy build up of vehicles commencing from the old War Office for about half a mile in the direction of downtown. Should the four wheelers be moving or trying to crawl, I could reluctantly forgive and understand; Much to my dismay, cars are unceremoniously parked not only on both side of the road, but worst they are stationed at times three abreast starting from the old ENT Hospital (Eyes, Nose and Throat) or the once renowned The American Hospital, right up to the President Cinema: while a single file of cars sat idly by on the opposite side also. Traffic snails to a single or where possible maximum double files, but only in a few places with the poor traffic policemen sweating it out, trying to direct the onslaught of traffic come rain or shine in vain. This uncontrollable mayhem of vehicles is due to the Basic Education High School no.1 Dagon Township, BEHS no.1 Dagon for short, being situated on the one-way Southbound Sule Pagoda Road; there, the hurdle and bubble of picking up and sending of pupils and students to the school on time congregate: at times their portable meals, lunches or dinners on laptops, galore. This school today is arguably the best educational establishment for children from Kindergarten up to the Matriculation standards in Yangon (Rangoon): thus the rush by parents to ensure their siblings secure a sound foundation and jump the threshold of Matriculation Examination with flying colours, to make the grade for entry to the top universities in the country. This is of course in keeping with the old tradition of the previous school management, which they religiously followed. The BEHS no.1 (Dagon) was born on 14th April, 1965 when it was nationalized by then, New Burmese Government. Prior that, it was known as the Methodist English High School (MEHS) and the Principal was Mrs. Logie, who nurtured all her charge to be well groomed educational wise and no need bother to enquire which school stood first in the country. It’s students securing the prestigious first position in Burma (Myanmar) in the fearlessly contested yearly Matriculation Examination, and the pass rates were second to none also for General Certificate of Education ‘O Level’ set by the University of London: Some years we did stood second, but a rarity to be sure. Since those bygone-era our school was a beacon of stellar education, gestetnering top nosh students in Burma (Myanmar) who also turned out to be a member of a very selective well-refined brigade, a cut above the rest, one might say. Most of its alumni holding positions of prominence in business and Governmental bureaucracies: also doing well for those who are abroad too, believe it or not, till this very day, of which I am rather proud to admit. Our MEHS had excellent well-qualified teachers, they were renowned for being well versed in respective subjects they taught and be able to put across the educational message to their pupils and students in classes: The teachers and the prefects were fine tooth combed selected and high degree of discipline ruled over the school, maintaining motivation, discipline, calm and order. Even till this very day, should one enquire which school we attended, the mention of MEHS was worth its weight in gold: no doubt about that. The school excelled not only in educational results but also in sports such as football and basketball plus the parents and teachers dialogs were complimentary to the hilt. We also had a small medical clinic run by a very professional doctor and a well trained and kind nurse; however, there were a few ‘over ripened apples’ and I was regretfully one, a few of the times only mind you: this will become abundantly clear at the end of this article. There are numerous entries into town, but as the distance, petrol consumption and time would roughly be the same or a wee bit more, thus no alternative but to take the well-trodden route and satisfy my reminiscences at the same time. When I was younger during those vintage years, the Sule Pagoda Road was known as Alanpya Payar Road and it was two-way: our school stood herald, mighty and proud, as it is up till this very day. Each time I passes-by, I cannot but steal a glance and admire our old MEHS building; still holding its granular prominence, dominance, charm and attraction. The Methodist English Church is still there on the left of the school building and according to my best friend Peter Mo Kyaw, who with his brother Marcus also attended the same school, though a few years junior to me: believe the old parsonage is still standing there between the school and the church, which their family attended way back since sixty years ago. I can still see the tennis courts in front, as it is nearest to the road. The gymnasium, (cum) sheltered playground is still standing tall annexed to the main building on the right, entry by way of Sandwich Road (Nawaday Road) and understand the football pitch behind the school is still very solid there. I also do recall the old Indian Bayar Kyaw (fried chick peas fritters) peddler by the platform, selling his wares sitting in front of the tennis courts railings come rain or shine, with his make-shift small stove, frying pan, cut fresh green onions and chilies with small pieces of lime, which we were forbidden to buy and consume by the school, being a health hazard. My pocket money was too minimal to indulge in such culinary pleasures after school, while waiting for my ride back home in the afternoons. To let you into my little secret, I did support the old Indian man once in a blue moon when I could spare a few pyas. Not too often though. Mervyn Shwe Tha (Myo Thant) Posted: 3/7/2015