Happy New Year Resolution

In 2009, I made the following resolutions:
(1) Free Alcohol in January, February, March and April of 2009.

(2) I will try to be more a doer, rather than a sayer.

(3) I will post some Arakanese pages in this blog.

For the resolution 1, because of one of my mistakes, I had to be free alcohol from January to June (two months longer than original resolution plan).
For the 3rd, I did.
For the 2nd resolution, I do not feel I did enough.

Alright. For 2010, I will have only One Resolution, which is – I will fight Oo Thein Maung of 2009, till I win!

Thank you!

Meanings of the Given Names (X, Y, Z)

Yates = Gate

People often ask me about - what does my name mean. Sometimes, I also ask other peoples if his or her name means something. These are not important but it is good to know about each other in our cultures of mankind. For my friends who want to know, the meanings of (Western) given names:

Men’s Names (X,Y,Z)

Xavier: (Spanish-Arabic) New house; brilliant
Xerxes: (Greek-Persian) King
Yates: (Old English) Gate
Zaccheus: (Hebrew) The righteous one; pure
Zebulun: (Hebrew) Habitation
Zenas: (Greek) Gift of Zeus, the chief Greek god.

Women’s Names (X,Y,Z)

Xenia: (Greek) Hospitable
Yolande: (Latin-French) Violet
Yvette, Yvonne: (Hebrew-French) Gracious gift of God
Zena: (Persian) Woman
Zoe: (Greek) Life

Source: Smith, Elsdon C. “Vocabulary of Given Names.” The World Book Dictionary.1968.

Note: All these pages were copied. Nevertheless, at least, I finished the job from A to Z of meanings of the given (western) names today, exactly on the last day of the year of 2009. Whatever it is, I take personal appreciation from this. Thanks everybody!

After Fall, Spring will be coming!

Today, I finish my official studying for this semester as a college student. In this semester, I take three classes those are Tennis, Introduction to Education, and English Composition (two).

Tennis class was done earlier than the other two. It was great that at least, I could play tennis much better than before.

Introduction to education class was also finished on last Monday. I feel I did well in that class. Our instructor was also very kind and enthusiastic in teaching since she taught in high school and at college as well. I took that class because of my interest in teaching. I was a teacher in Burma. I taught English, Math and History to 6th, 7th and 8th graders. I had a successful history in teaching. Till I was in Thailand, I was receiving more than 50 letters from my students and almost all letters described that my students wanted to come back and teach them. I miss my students and I deeply and honestly wish them to be successful in their lives.

I took English composition class intently in order to improve my English writing. It was also a great class. Our instructor was a teacher and also a writer. Her explanations are always very good and her hand writing is among one of the most beautiful kinds. At least I learned in this class the strategies of writing and evaluating on the sources, and how to research systematically.

Well, life is full with struggling and learning itself, after this semester, there will be many other semesters are waiting for me to give more challenges, different touches and lessons. The most important thing is to be honest by myself and to try my best in any field, any time for any reason.

Special thanks to my instructors / teachers!

I also give my thanks to all my friends and foes. Thanks all!

Religious Study: The Middle Path

Recently, I visited to Wheaton Warrenville Sough High School in order to educationally observe. The following is my brief experience from one of the classrooms.

In a religious class, students learned and discussed the concepts, ideas and terms of the five major world religions. On the day that I observed, students were very interestingly learning about the terms of The Ka’aba, Ramadan, Hajj, Kosher Laws, Jehovah / Yahweh, Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah, Diwali, Ahimsa, The Middle Way, Book of Revelation and Gospels. I saw many critical questions, which students made on the board and their discussions were really high and standardize.

I was asked by the teacher to introduce by myself with the class and also to contribute something in the class about the religions. I said that I was a Buddhist monk about one year. Then, teacher asked me to make an explanation about the “Middle Path” of the Buddhism. “Middle Path” is one of the prime concepts, which the Buddha taught. Probably it was theme of Buddhism.

The key meaning of middle path was ‘to avoid the extremism’ in any part of our lives and conditions; even to love, hate, like or dislike on anything, any person, any opinion, any fact, and so on, because no man or nothing is perfect. No body or nothing is perfect to be extremely loved or hated or liked or disliked. Besides, nothing is permanent; everything was changing; is changing; and will be changing. As soon as we extremely love or hate or like or dislike on something or somebody, it makes us to not to see the truth. We could be seeing, thinking and pointing unfairly because of that extremism, which we are having. Reversely, as soon as we avoid that extremism, we are able to see things, cases, problems, persons clearly. Therefore, it makes us to see the truth and it also always makes the appropriate way. Moreover, the ‘middle path’ also reminds us to not to be extremely sad because of very poor conditions in our lives and at the same time, to not to be extremely happy because of very good conditions in our lives. Nothing will be everlasting. In time, it will be changed or erased. Hence, that middle-path approach also makes us to be appropriate living in our daily lives.

It was my contribution about the Buddha’s middle path in that religious class.
Picture: http://adreampuppet.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/buddha-3.JPG

Expectation Theory

In this semester, I am taking the classes of Introduction to Education, and English Composition. Both classes are very interesting.
One of vocabularies those we have to learn in Education class is ‘expectation theory.’ After I read about this theory, I would like to tell or discuss with you as the followings:

Natural Matters

In one of the Buddha’s teaching verses, it said that:

There are four kinds of rats –
Some kinds of rats dig the tunnels, but they do not live in the tunnels.
Some kinds of rats do not dig the tunnels, but they live in the tunnels.
Some kinds of rats dig the tunnels, and they also live in the tunnels.
Some kinds of rats do not dig the tunnels, and they also do not live in the tunnels.

So, what will be or which kind will be your expectation when you see a rat?

According to that verse, there are also four kinds of rains –
Some kinds of rains could make thunders, but they do not actually rain.
Some kinds of rains could not make thunders, but they actually rain.
Some kinds of rains could make thunders, and they rain as well.
Some kinds of rains could not make thunders, and they do not rain as well.

So, what will be your expectation when you hear or see a thunder or cloud?

In that verse, it is also expressed about four kinds of fruits –
Some kinds of fruits have the color of green, but they are actually ripe.
Some kinds of fruits have the color of ripe, but they are actually green; which are unripe.
Some kinds of fruits have the color of green, and they are really green.
Some kinds of fruits have the color of ripe, and they are really ripe.

So, what will be your expectation when you see or get a fruit?

All these rats, rains and fruits are truly natures. What can we truly expect from nature? The above examples show that we can expect from nature, almost nothing. In other words, we can expect something from nature, but carefully because whichever you expect, literally, there is only 25 percent of chance with you.

Manmade Matters

After an excerpt of sharing about natural matter, let’s continue the manmade things.

Firstly, let us read the prime definition of expectation theory.
Expectation theory: First made popular by Rosenthal and Jacobson, this theory holds that a student’s academic performance can be improved if a teacher’s attitudes and beliefs about that student’s academic potential are modified.
Inversely, if a teacher have lower expectation about a student’s academic potential for any reason, such as background of certain student’s, that can make academically suffering in student’s performance.

Alright. One thing that theory did not discuss was, how about if a teacher has extreme highly expectation on a student’s academic potential (for any reason), and the student does not perform well, even at the averaged level? Could the consequences make suffering for student or for teacher or for both? Thinkable matters. Similarly, it happened between Chicagoans or people of the United States and the result of hosting city for 2016 games.

Nowadays, the other matter that I would like to discuss with my readers is, about the color of the clothes. What do you or what can you expect or what do you believe in a person who is wearing a red shirt, or a blue shirt, or a black shirt, or a green shirt or a yellow shirt? It might be important with the color of shirt for some reason for some situation. Nevertheless, in my very own opinion, and especially for the person like me, the color of shirt is not important almost at all. The key is - where I stand for? What I believe in? What is inside of me? Not the color of my shirt. I am talking here how America has freedom to the other world and if I, by myself do not have freedom to wear whatever color shirt I have or I want, what is that freedom? I am not that much clever person. I cannot or I do not want to sell ‘medicine of freedom’ with deep disease inside me. I might be a foolish man indeed. I do not want any kind of position or money for it. But it is me. Let me die poorly, early and simply. I am not talking here about some kind of color and suit I have to wear for specific reason or for job nature or for a ceremony and so on. It is culture and in certain condition. I will be there at that time. But in daily life, I must have my freedom choice. Nobody can control me to wear this kind of color or that kind of suit. But at the same time, what color ever I am wearing, I will be standing for what I believe in, such as ‘Freedom’ and ‘Democracy.’ Any person, any nationality, any skin color, any gender, any religious person, wherever they may live, who stand for ‘freedom’ and ‘democracy,’ is/are my friend/s.

As our former president, JFK said in his speech in Berlin, “Freedom has difficulty, democracy is not perfect,” but we have more freedom than many other societies in the world, with empathy, sympathy, support and respect among human beings. How long it may take us, let us expect for more freedom world, with democracy and dignity.

Thank you!

Picture: http://stanleyinternational.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/mounteverest3.jpg

Meanings of the Given Names (W)

Wilbur = Resolution

People often ask me about - what does my name mean. Sometimes, I also ask other peoples if his or her name means something. These are not important but it is good to know about each other in our cultures of mankind. For my friends who want to know, the meanings of (Western) given names:

Men’s Names (W)

Wallace: (Old English-Scottish) A Welshman
Walter: (Germanic) Rule, army
Ward: (Germanic) Guardian
Washington: (Old English) Homestead of Wassa’s people; manor of the Wessyngs
Wayne: (Old English) Wagon
Wendell: (Germanic) Wanderer
Wesley: (Old English) West meadow
Whitney: (Old English) White island
Wilbur: (Germanic) Resolution, bright
Willard: (Germanic) Resolution, hard
William, Willis: (Germanic) Resolution, helmet
Winston, Winstan: (Old English) Winec’s homestead; friend, stone
Woodrow: (Old English) Row of trees

Women’s Names (W)
Wanda: (Germanic) Stem; a wanderer
Wendy: (Welsh) White-browed
Wilhelmina, Wilma: (Germanic) Resolution, helmet
Winifred: (Germanic-Celtic) Friend, peace; reconciliation

Source: Smith, Elsdon C. “Vocabulary of Given Names.” The World Book Dictionary. 1968.
Picture: http://www.cev.be/data/Image/Hands.jpg

Quote of the day

“We stand by the people of Afghanistan today, and we will do so tomorrow!”

Ban Ki-moon
General Secretary of the United Nations

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8329543.stm

Picture: http://www.judiciaryreport.com/images/Ban%20Ki-moon.gif

Today, I turn 5.

On October 26, 2004, my feet touched American soil that the greatnesses were existed; I breathed American air, which carried freedom and freshness; I drank American water, which had coldness and belief; I ate American food, which supplied power and energy; I read books in an American library those gave new light and new hopes; (in a little park), I laughed with American children who will make great contributions in the world’s community; for the first time. In other words, I was born in America on that day, and today, I have become a five year old boy in the United States. My life has meaningfully begun!

I am really happy here. There are many things I love and like in the United States. The top three things I like the most in the U.S. are:

(1) Freedom: The most valuable abstract noun to posses in a human’s life is FREEDOM. We can do everything whatever we want here as long as it is not an unlawful matter. We can create anything whatever we want. We have freedom to read; freedom to write; freedom to agree and disagree (with any person, any group, (president or government or any authority), any belief, any opinion, any mean); freedom to speech; freedom to travel; freedom to explore; and many others. (I will share with my readers later about freedom of the Buddha.)

(2) Democratic Government: From a school to a village, from a city to congress, from senate to white house, any level of it, we elect our own authority/s by ourselves, here. This means - WE OWN THEM. This is a country that the government is fully elected by the people.

(3) Sources: In the United States, what do you want to do? Just you exactly need to know what you want (to do). We have broadest sources in the world here. What language do you want to speak? Any nationality of any corner of the world is living here. This is the most colorful country in the world. What kind of religious building do you want to go or visit? There are many churches, temples, mosques and many others, here. What kind of books do you want to read? There are enormous libraries in any community of the country, with hundreds of thousands, or millions of books, tapes, videos, DVDs and many other learnable materials, here.

This is America! It is a free land! I am five year old, here now and I believe that as a human being, my life has truly, energetically and meaningfully begun!

God bless America!!!

Happy Birthday Your Honor!

Today is Mohandas K Gandhi's birthday. He was born on October 2, 1869. Died? Never. He will be alive all the time through out mankind's history.

He was one of the greatest human beings in 20th century who made his country and people independence with non-violent movements.

I will say he was also one of the luckiest persons because though he made non-violent movements in 20th century, he did not have to deal with non-violent (and some violent) games in 21st century's world history.

He will be smiling from the heaven.

Happy Birthday Your Honor!

Picture: http://ambassadors.net/archives/images/gandhi_hero.jpg

Chicago is not selected for 2016 Olympics Games: It does not mean we lose Everything!

We are still a Great City!

Congratulations!!

Every bid or every competition has only one of two choices: Win or Lose. We are not selected for 2016 Olympics Games but it does not mean we lost everything. Till we keep our good spirit, we can regain anything back.

As we expected too much from this as well as we are human beings, we may be disappointed from this defeat but not to give up; not to lose our whole future; not to lose our hope. Almost all the top and great winnings in the mankind’s history, based upon several lose.

We are still a beautiful and great city of a powerful country. Do not forget that we were in one of the last four cities for the bid.

Instead of we are feeling the ‘lose and shock,’ we should be satisfied for our standing as one of the biggest and greatest cities in the world; and we should take lessons from this event that Americans need to rethink all about by ourselves and our role Internationally. We cannot expect the other world is just like Americans. We need to rethink in both or inside and outside; reshape our image in the international stage and reconnect in appropriate way with the outside world.

Congratulations for Rio de Janeiro's great win and we will be back!!!

Picture: http://toursonline.org/wp-includes/images/rio_de%20janeiro.jpg
http://api.ning.com/files/8HUkhIJdYB*5onvI354TPtG9CLuDPFVCgN5RbtOoPQdCd9MBv7FuRn3wHPUuyiLreDkhR08o1yuygw9NZuNUxXEzPW06XueH/ChicagoSkyline1.jpg