InDepth No 8, June 2015
The SoundS of
Iron CroSS chit san maung
more more more more
art fashioN travel lifestyle
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
CoNteNts 3
teaM andreas sigurdsson
edITor Bob Percival
ConTrIBuTorS
CoVer PhoTo Gerhard Joren www.gerhardjoren.com
PhoToGrAPhY & ArTWorK the Pictureman Gerhard Joren Bob Percival hong sar sandra Win tun salai suanpi
ArT & ProduCTIon Kyaw Kyaw tun
6
Chef's
ye'Nanda Khin, a force to be reckoned with – tattoos and all
streets of yaNGoN
41st street – markets and demolition signs
8 Cover story
Chit san Maung, lead singer of iron Coss – a man dedicated to his music
10
art
the art of ice carving with art hongpong
12
iMPressioNs
a day in the life of famed journalist and teacher, ludu sein Win
21 throUGh the
looKiNG Glass Chit Chan Cho looks at taxi travails
23
fashioN
24
eDGe
30
BistroNoMy
33
iN foCUs
horosCoPe
yoma Beer, sectret recipe, Wa cuisine, and Jamacain rum
su Wai yee creates something new in the local fashion industry
samsung's new generation of ultra-high definition TVs
14 aDveNtUre Crossing borders with Georgia Graham
PrInTer shwe Naing Ngan Press Permit No: 05745 No.90(C), Kabar aye Pagoda rd., Bahan tsp., yangon.
28
Profile
PuBLISher U Myo aung (Permanent No.00315) inDepth MyaNMore Magazine 1st floor, annex Building, strand hotel, 92 strand road, yangon
BUsiNess
Pomelo breathes a new llease of life and hope into people's lives
mAnAGInG dIreCTor
san lin tun tet Ka tho soe Moe Naing Mimi Wu Bob Percival aimee lawrence Max toomey yuko Maskay Georgia Graham Chit Chan Cho Jessica Mudditt Win lei lei tun y.M.v. han
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16
sPorts
skating hard with the Myanmar skate association
y.M.v.'s amazing tale of her grandmother, tinsa Maw Naing
20
traNslatioN
34
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ABouT mYAnmore
san shar, the Burmese sherlock holmes, continues with a strange Murder Case
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dISTrIBuTIon
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our very own astrologer on the fortunes that lay ahead in June 2015 dISCLAImer
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MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
4 What’s oN eveNts
13th JUNe YAnGon runnerS | SPorT Their weekly runs will now start from Balance Fitness 2 at 6:15 AM on Thursdays and 7:15 AM on Saturdays. Please ‘check in’ when you arrive so they can track runners more efficiently. There will be a pre-run warm up as well as a warm down in the yoga studio. All levels of runners are welcome! Balance Fitness 2 - No 103, the corner of University Ave Rd & Thanlwin St, Bahan Tsp | From 7:15 AM
SALSA nIGhT | ACTIVITIeS
8th JUNe - 14th JUNe mYAnmAr muSIC feSTIVAL 2015 | STAGe This second edition of the Myanmar Classical Music Festival celebrates the 70th anniversary of the United Nations through music and education. Students from the Pacific American School in Taiwan will join Myanmar artists for an innovative arts entrepreneurship training program in various places in Yangon. The opening concert will be held at the American Center on June 8th and the final concert at the National Theater on June 14. All over town - events start at 6pm
11th JUNe - 13th JUNe CoSmoBeAuTe mYAnmAr 2015 | BuSIneSS Cosmobeauté is supported by one of Myanmar’s leading organisation in the beauty industry, Myanmar Hair Professionals Association (MHPA). MHPA will be the medium between Cosmobeauté and Myanmar’s own local entrepreneurs in the beauty industry in search of business opportunities and international networking. If you are interested to attend the show, RSVP via these telephone numbers: 01 652995, 01 657757, 01 662636. Myanmar Convention Center - Mindhamma Rd, Mayangone Tsp 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Union Bar’s famous Salsa night is back with Riccardo from Latino's Bangkok. Join the other dancers for dinner,a drink (or two) and to dance the night away! Union Bar and Grill - 42 Strand Road, Botahtaung Tsp FROM 7:00 PM
13th JUNe - 14th JUNe VoICe of The YouTh muSIC feSTIVAL 2015 | ArT & STAGe Voice of the Youth Festival is the biggest youth music festival in Myanmar to date! The fierce line of smashingly talented young musicians is ready to give it up for the crowd. The mix of Myanmar, Danish and French bands will give a voice to the dreams and wishes of the young generation of Myanmar. French Institute - 340, Pyay Road, Sanchaung Tsp (Close to Hanthar Waddy Bus stop) 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM
13th JUNe - 19th JUNe “GASAr mA LAr nAr mA LAr?" GrouP ArT eXhIBITIon | ArT Gallery 65 presents a new art event "GASAR MA LAR NAR MA LAR?" featuring the works of 5 progressive Myanmar women artists. Literally translated, "Gasar Ma Lar, Nar Ma Lar?" means "Should we play or should we rest?" This is a children's rhyming chant that kids of bygone days would sing to call their friends in their neighborhood. When this invitation to play
used to be sounded by someone, all the children would come out of their homes and meet up with their friends. Gallery 65 - 65 Yaw Min Gyi Rd (Behind Parkroyal Hotel) 9:00 AM 5:00 PM
15th JUNe - 19th JUNe humAn rIGhTS humAn dIGnITY InTernATIonAL fILm feSTIVAL | ArT & STAGe This is the third edition of the Human Rights - Human Dignity International Film Festival. The Nay Pyi Taw cinema will screen Short films, Documentary films as well as Animated Short films from both International and National Competition sections. Nay Pyi Taw Cinema, 224/228, Sule Pagoda Rd (Opposite to Traders Hotel) | 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
16th JUNe
tional schools, local vocational schools, educational services, educational devices companies, educational services and so on. This is an opportunity for those interested to meet each other and advertise effectively to the public at large. Tatmadaw Hall - U Wisara Rd (Next to Minder Ground), Dagon Tsp 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
21st JUNe Ah nGe: LIVe 90 one mAn ShoW | ArT & STAGe Ah Nge - aslo known as Iron Cross - is putting on a live 90 Minutes Solo Live show! Only one thousand tickets will be sold for this event, organised by 5 Plus channel. Tickets cost 50,000 Kyats and sales start on 1st June 2015 .Tickets are available for purchase at 5 NETWORK Showroom, 4 Digital Showroom (near Hantharwaddy round on 46th Street), The Sun Music Production as well as by phone: 1876 Call Center.
2015 K-PoP ConCerT LIVe In YAnGon | ArT & STAGe
Myanmar Event Park - Shin Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung Tsp (near Myay Ni Gone City Mart) FROM 8:30 PM
In celebration of the 40th year Anniversary of Korea-Myanmar diplomatic relations, Yangon is hosting an exclusive LIVE K-POP CONCERT. The most popular K-POP bands are flying straight from Korea to come together on stage for the first time in Yangon! Artists include: Ailee, BTS, N-Sonic, Halo and A.Kor. Tickets prices are 50,000/100,000/200,000 Ks and can be purchased at the MYANMORE office in Strand Hotel, contact info@myanmore. com or 01-375680 to book your tickets.
InTernATIonAL dAY of YoGA | ACTIVITIeS
Myanmar Event Park - Shin Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung Tsp (near Myay Ni Gone City Mart) | From 6:30 PM
19th JUNe - 21st JUNe mYAnmAr InTernATIonAL eduCATIon And CAreer fAIr 2015 | eduCATIonAL This exhibition brings together all the players in the education scene: interna-
The United Nations approved the resolution to establish 21st of June as “International Day of Yoga”. The UN recognizes that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being and that wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practicing Yoga can enhance the health of the world population. Free entry. Thuwanna Stadium - Wai Za Yan Tar Rd, Thingangyun Tsp | From 8:00 AM
25th JUNe mYAnmAr BreWerY Tour | ACTIVITIeS Remember those good old Thursday uni night outs where beer overflowed? Well they’re on again ‘cause we’re renting a bus and going on a brewery tour! Bus departs at 3pm from the Central Train Station. (A stop further up town can be arranged if required). Then, from 4 7 PM: brewery tour, obligatory promo
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
video, food and unlimited free beer! Cost: 15-20,000 Ks, including food and bus. Will depend on final numbers. RSVP: to thefightingcocks@bigroosterfooty.com ASAP.
Strand Hotel - 92 Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp (Next to the British Embassy)
Myanmar Brewery, Pyinmapin Mingalardon - Mingalardon Tsp From 3:00 PM
GoLden Pho VIeTnAmeSe reSTAurAnT
26th JUNe - 29th JUNe 2015 mYAnmAr InTernATIonAL TeXTILe & GArmenT InduSTrY eXhIBITIon | BuSIneSS This expo is organized by Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service Co. and co-organized by the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA) as well as officially supported by the Republic of Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (U.M.F.C.C.I.). Pre-register via http://www.myanmar-expo.com/MTG/ preReg.asp Myanmar Event Park - Shin Saw Pu Rd, Sanchaung Tsp (near Myay Ni Gone City Mart) 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
27th JUNe WIne doWn WITh mo-ToWn | nIGhTLIfe Union Bar & Grill presents Wine Down with Mo-Town : live music from Soul Union every Saturday. Union Bar - 42 Strand Rd (Same building as Red Cross by Strand Road) 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
28th JUNe - 3rD JUly mYAnmAr/BurmA food Tour | ACTIVITIeS After a half-century hibernation from the world, Burma emerges as Asia’s most exciting destination. And few know this country better than Robert & Morrison –- they’ve hosted tours here for 10 years, and they’ve written about the country’s food and arts widely. Cruise with them along the mighty Irrawaddy, and discover a world unlike any other. More info at http://globetrottinggourmet.com/burma/june-july-2015/tour-1/
NeW oPeNiNGs
Golden Pho means golden noodle. As any very recently opened Vietnamese restaurant in town, they are still working on getting up and running but the food is already very good and the restaurant is becoming quite popular. Fresh spring rolls, beef pho and baguettes : another good addition to the Yaw Min Gyi area! No.62 (A-4), Yaw Min Gyi Street, Dagon Township 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
What’s oN 5 PromoTIonS
12th JUNe “SToP & Go” BBQ | dInInG As long as you don’t say stop, they will serve continuously French BBQ! USD $20 Net per person including French fries, side salads, dessert as well as one bottle of Myanmar Beer! Just for YOU, by the Alchemist! L'Alchimiste - No 5, U Tun Nyein Street, Mayangone Tsp (not far from L’Opera) | All Day
mIX reSTAurAnT And BAr mYAnmAr This award-winning restaurant from Thailand is now in Myanmar! This bold restaurant takes cuisine by the horns and mixes up food from different cultures, countries and sometimes even from different dishes to create a unique fusion menu that is hard to classify. Seafood is their speciality. No.68, Tawwin Street, 9 Miles, Mayangone Township 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM
PIAno BAr & GrILL YAnGon Located on the 9th floor of Hotel Parami, this bar is one of the only rooftop bars with a swimming pool in Yangon. The jaw-dropping views of the city are best enjoyed with one of their fruity cocktails. The beverage menu features selections of creative Signature Cocktails, Champagne and Premium liquor. Lounge music till 9 PM, electro after that. The pool closes at 5pm so unfortunately no drink-swimming allowed. No.2, Parami Road, Mayangone Township 5:00 PM – 1:00 AM
ShABu BoY mYAnmAr
Technically, this is not a Thai restaurant. It is a Shabu, BBQ buffet and Tom Yum soup restaurant! However, the owners are Thai and you will soon notice their influence on the overall menu. The Thai sauces and seafood sauces accompany
fATher’S dAY | dInInG
Chatrium Hotel has a promotion for all fathers and families out there: Dine FIVE Get ONE Complimentary for lunch or dinner at 3 of their restaurants. Tiger Hill Chinese Restaurant: Dim Sum Lunch or Chinese A La Carte Buffet Dinner – US$30 nett per person. Kohaku Japanese Restaurant: Set Lunch – US$25 nett per person. The Emporia Restaurant: BBQ Buffet Dinner – US$35 nett per person.
21st JUNe
Chatrium Hotel - 40, Natmauk Rd, Tamwe Tsp | All Day
dAd’S dAY ouT | dInInG
24th JUNe
Calling all dads out there! Test your skills in our beer drinking and arm wrestling contests. Savour the famous Sunday buffet at Sule Shangri-La Hotel with your family : it includes free flow of wine, draft beer and soft drinks. US$38.00 net per person for adults and US$ 19.00 net per person for kids ages 6 to 12. Prizes, giveaways and entertainment await our #1 hero! Sule Shangri-La Hotel - 223 Sule Pagoda Rd (opposite Sakura Tower) | All Day
the Shabu and the barbecue very well. It is located on the 2nd floor of Adamas Restaurant and to celebrate their grand opening, they have a promotional offer : Come 4, pay for 3 people only and the unlimited buffet costs only 9,900Ks! No.154, Kanbawza Road, Mayangone Township 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM
dAIQuIrI CoCKTAILS nIGhT | nIGhTLIfe The Lab hosts a Daiquiri cocktails night every last Wednesday of the month : It’s buy one get one free all night long from 5:30 PM onwards… Maybe now’s the time to try out their new seasonal fruit Daiquiri! The Lab Bar - 70A Shwegondaing Rd, Bahan Tsp (Shwegondaing Junction) | From 5:30 PM
For more up-to-date happenings, check out the MYANMORE Weekly Guide that comes out every Friday and can be found all over Yangon. For daily updates and complete listings go to www.myanmore.com
6 streets of yaNGoN
41 STreeT ST
41st is famed for its morning market, stretching down from Merchant Street to Strand Road. There’s is an amazing variety of goods here, selling brightly coloured plastic kitchenware, stainless steel utensils, and stall overflowing with lengths of material, linen, shirts and dresses. There are fresh vegetables, an abundance of fresh fish and chicken, and fruits of all kinds, including the new seasonal grapes and mangos. This market is especially good for freshly salted fish and dried fish. By lunchtime the street is totally abandoned with just the crows and pigeons left, picking though the scraps. 41st is a raggedy market. This street is under threat of demolition. The red signs have been posted, indicating unsafe buildings where permission has been given for them to be pulled down. The quarter between the Secretariat and the Rangoon river is especially vulnerable to redevelopment. Hopefully with the support and assistance of the Yangon Heritage Trust and the Yangon City Development Committee, this area will be revitalised in a way that the cultural and architectural heritage will be preserved. Come to 41st Street and do some early morning shopping. Meet the locals. If you are lucky you can buy an ice-block from a portable cart, complete with raffle wheel to spin the lucky number. Three small handmade ice-blocks on thin wooden sticks will cost you 50 Kyat. Eat one and give the other two away! Sharing is something to be valued.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
streets of yaNGoN 7
Photos by Bob Percival
8 Cover story
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
Photo by Gerhard Jörén
The SoundS of Iron CroSS Yuko Maskay spends time with Chit San Maung, the lead singer of Iron Cross, a band totally dedicated to its music.
O
n a rainy, lazy afternoon Chit San Maung welcomes me to his studio at Insein Road. I walk up a long flight of stairs into a doorway that leads to a narrow snake-like staircase until I reach a tiny room with a mixing board and a wall from which was hanging about 50 guitars of all colors and shapes. “I collected them for many years,” Chit says, his eyes lighting up. As a lead guitarist of Iron Cross – also called IC – one of the most popular Myanmar bands spanning two decades, Chit is considered the best guitarist in all of Myanmar. He started playing at the tender age of four and moved to Yangon from his village of Hinthada, northwest of Yangon on the Irrawaddy River, to study guitar when he was only thirteen. Now 43, he learned from the best – famous guitar player Saw Bwe Hmu, and co-founder and former band leader of Iron Cross, who died in 1993. “He was my mentor and idol,” says Chit. He met Saw when he was studying guitar at the Myanmar Young Crusaders, a Christian organisation started by his father-in-law that provides guitar lessons and
other charitable services. Saw was undergoing drug rehabilitation there. “He loved me like his son,” says Chit, and when he was only fifteen, with Swe’s persuasion, he started playing guitar professionally in different bands. Together they also played weekly at the Myanmar Young Crusaders, performing with Christian gospel choirs, similar to how many Western musicians like Elvis Presley and BB King got their start. They originally named the band Holy Cross, but decided to change it because the name didn’t appeal to the mainstream audience. Consisting of four permanent members in bass, guitar, drums and keyboard, there are four singers who alternate during concerts. Like Western rock bands from the 80s and early 90s, they wear long hair, casual t-shirts and jeans with bandana and black leather jackets. The lead singer, Lay Phyu, is a well-known lyricist and boasts a husky, high-pitched vocals reminding me of Creed, Metallica, Aerosmith and the likes, and next to him, Chit plays the guitar like a top-notch pro, his fingers making twists and turns, sometimes in positions that I have never seen before.
Locals tell me they love Iron Cross because of their undeniable skills, incomparable to any other Myanmar band. Iron Cross got their start playing cover songs of Western rock bands like Black Sabbath, Bon Jovi and Metallica by changing the lyrics to Burmese, which doesn’t seem to bother the locals. Chit says he prefers original songs, but they play cover songs sometimes because concert managers require them to. However, over the years, Lay Phyu has been instrumental in creating original songs, allowing the band to become less dependent on cover songs. Chit tells me his favorite Iron Cross song is A Phay (Father), written by Maung Maung Zaw Latt, a famous songwriter. Song by Lay Phyu, it is about a son yearning for his father who passed away. The melody, like most rock songs starts out melancholic then progresses to a high tempo. In some of their live concerts, pictures of Burmese revolutionary Aung San and his family are depicted in a large projections behind the band. The lyrics are deep: “I’m totally grown up and on my own, but I still need your advice. I wish I was brave to face all the problems in this cruel world.” The crowd
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
Cover story 9
sings along and it’s obvious that the intention is to arouse some kind of sentiment, but when I ask Chit about that, he says that they’re all about the music and not politics. Perhaps their fans adore them because they dare to defy the norm. What makes them unique is that their four singers have remained consistent and intact. They don’t perform with any other bands, unlike most Myanmar singers who jump from one band to another to make ends meet. Their manager was the one who convinced them to stick together and play in one band even though it may be difficult financially. “We wanted to be different and unique. We didn’t really care about the money,” says Chit. It took the band only two to three months after debuting to become a phenomenon. Chit adds that they are open to new and upcoming singers performing with their band, and in the past, they have performed with other musicians other than the loyal four. In a profession where one-hit wonders are common, I ask Chit why Iron Cross, besides their obvious talent, managed to retain their popularity. Perhaps the band, like many rock/heavy metal genre with rage and rebellion at their core, appeals to the frustrated Burmese youth? He says that maybe the band “touches their soul,” but from their heyday, their sole purpose was total devotion to their music, and maybe their fans can see that. They haven’t been without controversy, though. In the past, Iron Cross came under scrutiny, mainly from the international community, because of the band’s iron cross symbol with its eagle and medals that often represent Nazism. When I ask Chit if he knew that the iron cross was associated with Nazism, he says that they had no idea that it was a social taboo or that it would be offensive. In the early 1990s, a solo album by Lay Phyu called Power 54 stirred up the government when they realized that 54 is opposition leaders Aung San Suu Kyi’s
We wanted to be different and unique. We didn’t really care about the money
Singapore to perform for the Burmese diaspora there. Chit says they always get a warm welcome abroad and it’s a privilege to be able to perform for them. The most memorable event was flying to Japan in 2008 and performing with bands from every ASEAN country. “It was fun meeting different people and hearing different languages,” he says.
street address. Iron Cross has denied this fact in the media and Chit laughs it off, “It was all a misunderstand(ing),” claiming that it stood for the 54 songs they have played so far. There is no denying that Lay Phyu has been under the government’s radar and it is public knowledge that in the past, he has been banned from performing and recording, but perhaps that is one of the reasons for the band’s continued popularity.
They know how to draw a crowd. In 2008, Iron Cross performed in front of an audience of 50,000 – the largest number ever by a Myanmar band – for the victims of Cyclone Nargis, the worst natural disaster in Myanmar’s history, raising $100,000 for the cause. Just this past January, they fundraised for Aung San Suu Kyi’s Education Foundation with a crowd of 10,000.
Iron Cross’s influence is far reaching with an international following among the Burmese diaspora. Thus far, they have toured to the US – New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Los Angeles – Europe, Japan, and South Korea, performing for charities and fundraisers.
In 2010, they celebrated their 20th anniversary with a live concert at the Thuwana Indoor Stadium in Yangon with a performance by the notorious IC singers Lay Phyu, Ah Nge, Myo Gyi and Wyne Wine. They have also recently released an album with a compilation of their greatest hits of the last two decades.
Most recently in January of this year, they travelled to
As a veteran musician who has survived the many changes of Myanmar, I ask Chit if he has any advice for aspiring musicians. “It’s not enough to have talent. It’s important to study the music theoretically if you want to be recognized internationally,” he says, stressing that all their band members self-studied the theory of music. Their next project is a one-man performance every month or so by each Iron Cross singer. Just last week, Lay Phyu performed solo. On September 21, Ah Nge is slated to perform at the Myanmar Event Park, then few months after that Myo Gyi and then Wyne Wine. As the interview comes to a close, I notice up on the wall a pink guitar with a Hello Kitty print. When I ask him if it is his, he laughs and says that it’s his fifteen-year-old daughter’s, who is an avid guitar player. Would he want his children – he has three teenagers – to follow his path? “They can do whatever they want to,” he says, perhaps something he learned from his parents who encouraged him to pursue his passion, then adds, “as long as they do their best.” g
Photo by Tharr Zaw
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
10 art
Photos by Hong Sar
The ArT of ICe CArVInG Mimi Wu talks to Art Hongpong about his ice carving apprenticeship, tea sandwiches, and making a name for himself in Yangon.
A
rt Hongpong is every bit as spunky as his name sounds. He is the kind of guy who folds himself up onto a chair and greets you by waving excitedly. He has a palpable hyperactivity and quirky sense of humor that brings levity to a room. Art is a rock star in the small niche art of ice sculpting, one-half of the team that took gold in the 2002 Olympic Arts Festival for ice sculpting. From that point until 2012, he sculpted for high-end hotels and celebrity bashes, and he was selected as a member of Team USA in the prestigious World Pastry Cup (Coupe du Monde Patisserie) in 2007. After nearly nine years in Washington, D.C., he moved to Yangon in 2012 with his wife Andrea, who spent much of her childhood here. Art’s talent was honed at home, but not just sitting at his desk sketching. Art was lucky to have proximity to “a world champion many times over” – his father, the other half of the Olympic gold team. Yet rather than organically coming into sculpting, he was forced into an apprenticeship. He recalled his father saying, “‘Your friends are hanging out this summer, and you’re going to sweep ice with me.’ For the first three
years, from age 12 to 14, I wasn’t allowed to touch any tools. Little by little, he let me carve. When I was 15, he put me in a competition against professionals just to see Art’s skills. And I won.”
er.” Unfortunately, ice sculptures are now made with machines quite like a stamp, which can be hard to compete against, as machine-made sculptures can be made quicker and cheaper.
Art slowly escalated from there and continued winning awards. At 17, he started his own company (“I was doing ice luges for college kids. It was quick cash, and I was getting invited to cool parties”), then took a break for college where he studied graphic design. Working at an advertising agency was boring and “people telling you what to do” was not his style, so he quit to move back to New Jersey and work with his dad.
Yet, they fail to evoke the creativity and emotion that Art’s pieces do. This is partly why he considered moving himself and his company, Cold Fusion Ice Designs, to Yangon.
“I needed to pay off tuition, so I worked for him for a year. I didn’t think he was paying me enough, so I left, but I should’ve just stayed,” he laughed because what followed was making 500 tea sandwiches per day. “That’s why I can’t eat tea sandwiches anymore. They’re this small,” pushing his hands together mere inches apart. “I work with a chain saw, so my fingers aren’t made for intricate, small things.” Like many ice carvers, Art worked in hotel kitchens “because it’s an easy way to get ice and insurance…hotels didn’t want to employ just an ice carv-
Another reason was to mitigate risk, including the cost of working with dangerous tools, like a chain saw. “My father still carves ice place to place. It’s still hard in the States to open an ice factory. You have to pay for your own health insurance, fire safety insurance, health insurance for workers, and liability insurance.” When Art and Andrea moved to Myanmar, he thought, “I can come here to an untouched market. How difficult it can be?” Though he put many challenges behind him, he came face-to-face with unforeseen realities. “I found out that I had to build my own machine to make clear ice, because nobody has clear ice. Our water goes through seven filters to get rid of the minerals, and we have
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
to change the filter every week. It was a lot of trial and error, and it took a lot of convincing for a lot of people that what we were doing was the right thing because when I have an output of two blocks of ice, they’re not really for it. A lot of people tried to talk us out of it.” Andrea chipped in, laughing, “They suggested we make ice cubes instead,” which has the potential to be more economically successful, “but that’s not really what we’re doing here.” Art’s company “is not a big money making thing; it takes a lot of time, space, money, and electricity to keep ice cold. We use a generator to keep the ice factory running. Before I got here, I had no idea what a generator was!” Yet the rewards have fueled his drive. Having his own studio allows “more time to put my all into each piece because in the US, I would carve at the hotel but here, I can carve in my studio. I have music, proper lighting, and a cold room where I can carve for hours.” “After 30 years in the US, it’s swans, hearts, and birds,” Art lamented. “Here, people are willing to take risks. In the US, it’s, ‘See this picture? I want it exactly like that.’ Here, they say, ‘Make me something awesome.’ It’s still new for me.” Art’s excitement has not waned in his three years living in Yangon. “The size of the orders is ten to 30 times more than in the US. They have so many events here, and weddings are nuts! It’s great because everything is opening every week. Watch stores, restaurants. Socially, it’s very different [than the US]. And people don’t plan here, so they’ll give you a week.” “I carved for the opening of the New York Yankees stadium four years ago. When we got [to the stadium], the executive chef heard ‘Hongpong’ and thought it was my dad. Back at home, it’s ‘so and so’s son’. In Yangon, it’s my own name.” Andrea, who takes on a much-needed managerial and administrative role (Art has hilariously neglected his emails for the last three years), summarised, “Here, the big picture is to have his own factory where we can supply quality ice blocks to ice sculptors and to train people.” “Yeah, I need to find a team. I’m training somebody now. We’re really close with his father who works with Andrea’s family. Maybe if I find another guy, too … Apprenticeships are five to ten years long and after that time, you have a skill that nobody can take away from you. We try to educate him in organisation and commitment. He has to be there everyday.” At the same time, Art’s more laidback nature and memory of having to answer to somebody else (and not enjoying that) crops up. “I tell him, ‘I’m not your boss. We’re going to make this business better together.” He gives me an example of how his worker needed better shoes to prevent slipping in the studio but failed to mention it for months. “I was like, ‘I wish you had told me, I would have gotten you shoes right away!’ I tell him, ‘If you need something, you don’t have to be shady about it. Just tell me.’” Ice carving has really been as much a blessing to the Hongpong’s as it is an art that requires resourcefulness. “You have to figure out things on your own, and sometimes you just need to get creative because you need something done in a certain way. Every ice carver makes his own tools, and every ice carver only has one set of tools for his life.” It is also an art form that requires resilience. “I lose four pounds in the freezer everyday because it takes energy to keep yourself warm.” He makes sure his apprentice is equipped with proper clothes, shoes, and even vitamins to stay healthy. “When it’s all said and done, it’s been worth it,” Andrea said. Constantly exercising his creativity and crafting ice art keeps him in the game. “People always ask if I’m sad when the ice melts, and I’m like ‘no’ because you have to order more. It’s like cake!” g
art 11
12 iMPressioNs
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
fLY fLY uP To The SKY Ludu Sein Win (13 August 1940 – 17 June 2012), was a famed journalist, translator and critical commentator. He loved writing and his country, and always fought for freedom of speech for its citizens. Bob Percival gives a brief glimpse into a day in his life.
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ANGON, Myanmar, 13 August 1989 — Ludu Sein Win sits at his desk on the first floor of his apartment in Merchant Street. Overflowing bookcases surround him, as do piles of newspapers, assorted archives, and all manner of paraphernalia that’s accumulated over the years. He’s risen early and is sipping the day’s first cup of green tea that he’s so fond of. The room is quiet, the first light streams through the north-facing casement windows. He knows the day is sure to be hot. He thinks – I will
be a goner one day – and smiles to himself. The monsoon rain will come soon enough. Behind him, high up on the timber-lined wall, in large capital letters, is his motto: FLY FLY UP TO THE SKY. The metal fan circles and beats cool waves of air across the room. He lifts himself up and reaches for his walking stick, four legs of solid wood; his best friend. He has lost use of his right side, left behind in the prisons of Cocos Island and Insein (courtesy of Ne Win) – stinking, rotten
Insein – twenty thousand steps a day, every day. All those years, playing chess, teaching English, games of football with crumpled up bits of paper – hung upside-down and beaten with a stick. He moves towards the door, into the kitchen, and then to the landing … and the steps, the twenty-three labors. Once on 39th Street, he turns right, swinging the heavy walking frame with his left hand, his writing hand. He moves past the teashop, The SB man is there as usual – Special Branch – must be so bored, I know that he thinks
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
I’m too done-in to be any danger now. The Special Investigation Branch office is just around the corner from his home. Ludu Sein Win can see the bleak grey building from his kitchen window. He knows that there is no soul there. He makes his way across downtown to Sule Pagoda Road, to the Let Ywe Sin teashop; ‘good to the last drop’, carved in wood across the walls. The SB man sits in the corner, sipping sweet tea, taking notes. Ludu Sein Win talks quietly to his friends and comrades. The remains of last year scatter the conversation. Can Burma be a more moral society? Can there be a sense of fear or shame?
iMPressioNs 13 students. This kind of bond is so pure and so rare. We all feel so lucky to be part of this. We are so happy in our home classroom. It is our second home, where we have spent many hours, many days and many months. You have given us warmth and security, and many memorable moments. Thank you.” Everyone in the room claps and shouts, “Happy Birthday!”
He needs to get back to his office before the students arrive. On the way home he picks up copies of Newsweek and Time, and some fresh flowers to place on his writing desk. Each step is a labour. He thinks of those easy strolls he would take with his wife around the Secretariat in the early ‘60s, full of love and passion for politics and life. So much hope dashed by those who knew only power and subjugation. At the foot of his apartment’s steps he is greeted by one of his students. A young girl who would have been in her last year of high school education, but now the schools are shut. The girl wants to be a doctor. Ludu Sein Win has opened his own place of learning, the Feeling, Mood and Action School, open to all – university undergraduates, nuns, monks, children of the junta, architects, drug addicts, embassy staff. All are welcome. From 9.00am till 5.00pm, they argue and debate, discuss politics and business, share ideas, socialise with the opposite gender without being teased, laugh and cry, and of course learn English; no Burmese is allowed to be spoken during class. Sometimes there are a dozen people, at other times over fifty, spread across the central room, sitting on the floor on Pandanaw mats, when full, overflowing into the kitchen – all this for a lifetime fee of 300 kyats … FLY FLY UP TO THE SKY. Ludu Sein Win takes his seat at the writing desk; he looks up at the Citizen clock, it’s 8.35. There was a time when he could hear the sound of the presses in the next room, printing the next issue of the Ludu newspaper … The People. There was a time when he sat here and did his first translation, twenty-five years ago, Taung Vietnam mah nga ye khan myar - From Mainland Hell to Island Hell, and then Chang Lin & Shu Yang’s Better To Stand And Die. Only last year, there were those that did. The students start to arrive. Sitting down on the chairs and tables that fill the room, they take out their books, and pen and paper. They laugh at each other’s awkward English pronunciation. The boys retie their longyis. Today is a special day; it is Ludu Sein Win’s birthday. Today will be the beginning of his fiftieth year in his beloved country. Thirteen of those years have been spent in gaol. The room fills to capacity. Flowers are presented and snacks shared. The air is full of talk and passion. One of the students, Julie Hann, stands up on a chair and calls for silence. She wants to honour Ludu Sein Win, “You have built a special bond between you and your
Artwork by Sandra Wint Tun
Ludu Sein Win pushes up on his walking stick and rises to the occasion. He speaks gently and respectfully, “I have no such thing as wealth, fame or power. But I am not sorry for that. I have a very special thing … the love, a very platonic love, which you have all poured down on me – ceaselessly. I am so happy with it. I am so contented with it.” g
14 aDveNtUre
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
BIKInG ThAILAnd To
mYAnmAr
Georgia Graham takes us on a bicycle ride across the Thai border and into Myanmar. Crossing borders is never easy. “
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ou’ll never get past the immigration office,” said the young Burmese man in Ranong, the border town in Thailand that sits across the estuary from Myanmar. As we skirted the gulf coast of Thailand on our bicycles, everyone told us we would never make it across the border. This was gutting, as Jesse, my boyfriend and partner in cycling crime of the last three months, and I, had just paid what felt like a small fortune on a single entry visa from the Embassy in Bangkok. We had planned to cycle the one road north from Kawthaung to Yangon, which our map had lead us to believe followed the Andaman coast. We envisaged sleeping on beaches and fishing for our dinner on route. The last three months had seen us touring by bike through Europe, but as winter approached, and we began to wake with ice on our water bottles, we decided to follow the sun and flew with our bicycles to Bangkok. We believed we were tough enough to take on anything. We were told that the border we wanted to cross was just a stamping post for foreigners on a ‘visa run’ from Thailand. Conflicting views on internet forums said otherwise. We had read that four major crossings had been opened to tourists coming into Myanmar since August 2013 and that parties had been thrown all over the country in celebration. It was now November, and seeing as we were nearing the border we thought we’d risk it.. Early that morning we lugged our bicycles, loaded with panniers and camping equipment, onto a longtail boat and headed for Kawthaung. When we landed, a man at the immigration office took one glance at us, stamped our passports and waved on the next person. Jesse and I looked at each other, not sure if he understood. I began to explain that we planned to cycle the 800-kilometre road from Kawthaung to Yangon. The man looked bemused and beckoned over a young boy to translate. They exchanged words and the boy looked at me and said, “’He does not care what you do.” Okay then. With no one taking much notice of us, we mounted our bikes and cycled on the only road out of town, waiting for someone to stop us. After twenty minutes it was clear that it was unusual, to the point of terrifying, for locals to witness us peddling along on our shiny bicycles. Children looked on in horror, as if two ghosts were floating past them. Twenty kilometres later, the tarmac road disappeared. It became much harder to cycle, even with our chunky
Photos by Georgia Graham
tyres made for any terrain. Civilisation petered out and then, nothing. No houses, no people, no places to eat or shops to stock up. Our provisions were enough to get us through the day but in the heat we needed constant drinking water. The scenery along the sides of the roads was also less than picturesque. Endless palm oil plantations were interrupted only by deforested scrubland.
shocked ladies and an army official inside spoke absolutely no English. Eventually, the internationally recognised sign language for eating struck a chord and the two women kindly obliged to cook us some noodles. Children appeared at the windows, intrigued and confused, and the army man showed us off as if we were his guests.
After a couple of hours of gruelling cycling we decided to stop and camp for the night and eat the rice, biscuits and fruit we were carrying. The only place that looked remotely hospitable for pitching our tent was the cleared ground under the biggest palm oil trees. We cycled deep into one of the plantations so no one would be able to view us from the road (not that there was any passing traffic!). We set up camp, boiled water for cooking and fell asleep exhausted at the experience of the day.
After eating, we stocked up on water and snacks, thanked our chefs, and cycled off into the sun along the dirt road. After a while it dawned on us just how isolated we were. There was not that liberated feeling we had experienced when cycling in Thailand or Europe. I felt trapped by the lack of available provisions and the hostile environment. Our mood sank as the kilometres went by and there was little to see apart from cleared forest. That night, with our spirits and drinking water running low, we found a rubber plantation to set up camp, .
Waking up at the crack of dawn to avoid detection, we set off north on the hunt for some breakfast. We eventually found a small shop amidst a cluster of bamboo huts by the side of the road. We went in and asked if there was any food and it was clear the two
We woke in the middle of the night to see lights all around us. We didn’t dare turn on our torches for fear of being seen. Jesse slowly unzipped the door of the tent to see a number of lights in the distance. Terrified of being found in a prohibited place, we kept quiet.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
Eventually the lights moved away and we realised we were safe. We found out later that workers tapped the rubber trees at night therefore it was not the best of camping grounds. The next morning we got up early once again. The last two days had been crippling and we weren’t sure whether to keep going on this dismal road, or turn back. To go back the way we came would be cruel on both mind and body. We decided to press on in the hope the road might improve or a town appear. Everything our map had led us to believe was wrong. After 20km with no food for breakfast, little water, and blistering heat, the road got worse. In fact there was no road, just a gouge in the landscape. Going up and down the rocky ‘paths’, our back tyres constantly kicked out behind us; patience was wearing thin. We stopped, propped our bikes against a tree and consulted our increasingly useless map. We were exhausted and stressed. Profanities were exchanged, not necessarily at each other but at the situation. We were two days deep into cycling this road of which we had no idea what lay ahead. It could go on like this for weeks before we reached Yangon. Mid-argument we noticed women and children running towards us from some buildings in the distance. Almost immediately we were surrounded, and our angry moods evaporated to greet them. We tried to ask if there was a bus or truck that went north along the road. After some confusion, and lots of hand gestures, we came to understand that a bus would be coming through at 11pm. Seeing how hot we were, they lead us through the trees to a nearby stream and beckoned for us to wash. One lady, a particularly vocal character, Maythu, ran back to her house to get two pieces of material, what we now know as longyi. With the longyi each around us, we managed to change out of our sticky cycling shorts and t-shirts in a respectful manner. As we splashed and ducked under the water our audience roared with laughter. We were then led towards the village for something to eat, followed by skipping children who were beyond delighted at our presence. The village was bigger than any we had come across. There were around thirty houses surrounding a football pitch; some made of wood and others on the periphery made of bamboo. We were taken to our host’s home, and we sat on the stoop. She sat in her chair, chewing her betel nut ferociously and barking orders to bring us food and water. We were given two huge plates of rice, a small bowl of a long green vegetable, a curried meat dish in a lot of oil, and frogs legs. The frog legs were delicious, though in our state, anything would be. We had an audience in excess of forty people by now, watching us eat. We kept trying to offer them food and make them eat but they sweetly declined. Some time later a girl came back to the village and hurried in to speak to us. Her name was Ei Shwe Sin, and she could speak a little English. We discovered that she, nor any of her villagers, had ever seen
aDveNtUre 15 a ‘white foreigner’ before. This would probably explain why our skin was being pinched and prodded so much! I didn’t imagine in this age of globalisation it would be so easy to stumble into an area, not so far from the Thai border, where they had never seen a white person. Ei Shwe Sin asked us many questions and translated our hosts’ curiosities. They seemed fascinated by money, pointing to things and asking how much they would cost in England. We tried to explain that people in England did have more money but that didn't always result in more happiness, a hard thing to try and explain in what was clearly an incredibly impoverished corner of the world. When it neared time for the bus’ arrival, the whole village came and waited with us and many photographs were taken. Our hosts insisted on lighting a fire while we waited, so as to fend off the cold. The idea of being cold was perhaps one of the most bewildering parts of it all! Eventually lights could be seen in the distance as the bus approached. Our situation was explained to the driver, and all passengers looked out the windows in fascination. We lifted our bicycles to the back door of the bus where luggage was kept, and paid 10,000Ks each and then 5,000Ks extra for the bicycles. After being ushered onto the bus in rather a panic we hardly had time to say
goodbye. We waved and shouted out the window, as the bus pulled away, leaving them in a cloud of dust. We settled into our dilapidated seats, with boxes under our feet, and our knees pushed up to our face. All eyes were on us. The two young boys next to us grinned from ear to ear and offered us a sip of their whisky. They smiled a knowing smile as we drank, as if to say, ‘your gonna need this.’ We took a few swigs and returned the bottle. As the bus sped up, recklessly driving over tiny wooden bridges and skirting huge ravines, we grabbed the handles above our heads. Rally-car bus driving was the only way to describe how we travelled along those roads. We didn’t know exactly where we were going but we didn’t really care. We felt safer on this bus than we had at any time out on the harsh and lonely roads we’d left behind. Our adventure north towards Yangon still had a long way to go. The bus stopped eighteen hours later and the cycling re-commenced. Looking back, this experience was one of the most difficult but also one of the best I’d ever endured. We have both pledged to one-day return to this wonderful village, which saved us from our impossible journey, and perhaps each other. g
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
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SKATe LIfe AIn’T eASY, eSPeCIALLY In YAnGon Max Toomey meets the Myanmar Skate Association and wonders – can rules set you free?
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nder the overpass at the Hledan junction – notorious for the traffic that builds up there – three nights a week you’ll find Pius Nassee, the best skater in Myanmar. It’s not a title he proclaims but one bestowed upon him by his friends and those he teaches, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that disagrees. He didn’t compete at a recent competition held in Mandalay. Instead, alongside two international skaters, he was a judge. Pius, who’s absurdly muscular, started skateboarding when he was a teenager, his first skateboard was “more like a surfboard” than the freestyle boards the skaters use today and had five wheels. The men he refers to as the ‘senior skaters’ – the ones who taught him – have mostly stopped skating. “They all got jobs, they don’t skate anymore,” he says, “Now I have to learn by myself.” Instead Pius learns new tricks from watching YouTube. When he’s not skating at Hledan he can be found at the much smaller skate park he built himself near his house. On any given night the skate park at Hledan is filled with people on wheels performing tricks. Skateboarders grind along poles alongside inline roller bladers jumping ramps. On the odd occasion BMX bikers join in also. Neon blue strip lights glow from the ceiling, providing much needed illumination at night. White light would have been preferable, Pius says but they’re paid for by the advertisers who use the billboards along the pillars to associate themselves with extreme sport. Fiz Cola have that privilege at the moment, until recently it was Red Bull. The skaters though have no actual association with either company; they welded the metal ramps and boxes themselves, paying for the materials out of their own pockets. It’s the only thing in Yangon that even resembles a skate park. “We can only skate here,” Pius tells me. Photos by Max Toomey
“We had to set it up by ourselves so we’re slow to improve,” The halfpipe, made of metal sheets is slightly warped
at the line where two sheets meet, the whole structure clangs and shakes as skaters shift from one side to the other. It’s far from an ideal to practice on.
Last year Pius had his first taste of international competition: a tournament in Thailand. For Pius the trip to Thailand was “amazing”, the skaters “very nice”.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
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The Myanmar skaters however were outclassed, they came home empty handed but happy. Ko Lwin, the founder of the Myanmar Skate Association – or MSA for short – joined the trip to Thailand last year along with the competitors. He didn’t expect anyone from Myanmar to win but believes the experience was valuable. “We’d never seen a professional skate park before,” he says. He didn’t compete but wanted to learn how such competitions were organised and judged, how they were marketed. In the last few years inline rollerblading and skateboarding have begun to spread across the country. The Myanmar Skate Association, now two years old, has divisions in Ayarwaddy, Saigang, Bago, Mandalay, Dawei and Yangon and represents all forms of extreme skate sports: skateboarding, BMX and inline. Membership, and use of Yangon’s skate park, is free of charge but it comes with rules. Smoking and drinking are not allowed in the skate park’s confines, Ko Lwin says. “If I see anyone smoking, I charge them 2000 kyat,” he tells me proudly. On Friday nights the MSA holds a meeting at Hledan. At the meeting I attended future plans are discussed and everyone’s treated to two separate lectures: the first on the dangers of drinking, the second on the dangers of smoking. On my second visit Ko Lwin hands me a list of the official rules, in English. “Avoid bad activities which promote a negative image of our association” reads rule number four of seven. Both rules five and seven emphasise respecting and acting within the law.
If we don’t have rules we’ll get a negative reflection “Here they’re close, they all clap when someone does a good trick.” It’s not only the way different styles interact that distinguishes Yangon’s skate scene to anywhere else in the world, the age range is huge. Men in their thirties can be seen launching themselves off ramps next to five and six year olds who take turns jumping over a pole a foot high. A two year old sporting a baseball cap doesn’t skate but poses as if on a skateboard whenever an obstacle is free. His father, wearing a longyi, explains that it’s his son who brings him, not the other way around. Unlike some of the younger skaters thirteen year old Te Myn Naing’s parents don’t come to keep an eye on him as he skates.
To those who’ve skated elsewhere the strictness is a bit alien. Alex, a foreigner comes to the park to skate a few times a week.
“First they were worried,” he says of his parents, “Now they’re not. My Grandma is still though.” His dream is to become a pro-skater.
“It’s not in the spirit of skateboarding,” he declares when I ask him about the strict guidelines, “Skateboarding is much more like ‘F... the rules’.”
Te Myn Naing took second place in the competition the Myanmar Skate Association organised in Mandalay – sponsored by German plaster company Hanserplast. His prize: a new set of bearings for his board’s wheels. Organising competitions is one of the ways Ko Lwin believes skaters can be pushed to achieve more.
“When I was growing up it was much more about beers and joints and skate boarding.” While Pius chooses not to smoke or drink, he was drawn to skateboarding for similar reasons. “It’s free, I like free, no rules.” Another novelty, to the stranger’s eye, is the way the different styles of skater can be found in the same spot, without getting into fights (talking problems out, not fighting is rule number two on Ko Lwin’s list). “In other countries you don’t see inline skaters and boarders hanging out together,” Alex points out.
‘They think: ‘I want to get a real deck so I’ll try hard.’” Despite the increasing popularity of all forms of skating, Ko Lwin and the Myanmar Skate Association have struggled to achieve some of their ambitions (also handed to me on a typed sheet of paper). For starters, they’re not recognised as an official association by the government – a major goal of Ko Lwin’s. In 2013 he sent his first request to the Ministry of Sport to be recognised as an official association. He’s still waiting for a reply.
“They’re probably busy” he suggests, shrugging. The rules he’s set in place for the MSA are partly to do with achieving this coveted official status. “If we don’t have rules we’ll get a negative reflection,” he explains. His end-goal though is to not only develop skating in Myanmar but to develop the civic mindedness of the MSA’s members. All Myanmar people should do good things, he believes. During Thingan, Myanmar’s New Year’s festival of water, the MSA got together, cooked and handed out food to passers-by. On the MSA’s second anniversary a troupe of skaters went to a school for the deaf and donated food and supplies, getting some of the kids skating. To Ko Lwin serving the wider community is as important as developing the skate community, something that’s emphasises in each of our conversations. “I am teaching more than skating, I’m teaching it’s important to do good things” Ko Lwin he tells me at one point. “Most young people drink, they go to clubs and they fight. This association is about changing that.” The second and arguably greater problem is the lack of a proper place to skate. There are five real skate parks in Mandalay but only the DIY endeavour at Hledan in Yangon and that was only built not too long ago. “When I was thirteen I used to skate on the road,” Pius says “I’d have to wake up very early, before the cars. Nowadays I don’t want to skate on the road.” The answer to the MSA’s prayers may have come in the form of the lanky, curly haired Ali Drummond, a Burmese translator and avid skater. Back in 2009 Ali, who studied Burmese language at SOAS in the UK, made a documentary about the nascent skateboarding scene in Yangon, following up with a second in 2013. Now living in Yangon, he’s seen big changes in how skating’s perceived.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
18 sPorts “A couple of years ago you woudn’t have dreamed of parents here letting their kids skate.” “The reason they can get that trust is because of the way Ko Lwin promotes a clean image.” He sees the biggest setback to the development of skateboarders in Yangon is the lack of a skate park and has been working with an organisation called Make Life Skate Life to create a professionally constructed skate park in Yangon. With the Yangon City District Council on board and Mayor having agreed to Make Life Skate Life’s proposal, the park seems set to go ahead. The only obstacles left ahead are getting the YCDC to agree to donate a space and raising the required funds. A similar park in Jordan cost US$25,000 and Ali’s confident all the money can be raised through crowdfunding. “The more we get the bigger the skate park can be.” Ko Lwin, however, isn’t entirely on board. He sees the skateboard first focus of Make Life Skate Life as trying to split up the skaters in Myanmar. “We all believe in extreme sport” Ko Lwin tells me, explaining why he’s so adamantly trying to keep all skaters under one umbrella, in one place. “We share sadness, happiness, food. It’s Myanmar custom. It’s better for Myanmar skaters to be united. “I don’t like the way they want to help. I feel like they don’t respect our culture. This isn’t Europe or America, you can’t export that culture.” Photo by Max Toomey
Ali readily admits that the park is designed primarily for skateboarders but is insistent that it’s going to be open to all who want to use it. “It’s not really got rollerbladers in mind but that doesn’t mean they can’t skate there.” To him the park in Hledan is far from the ideal set-up. “I find the space quite claustrophobic” he says “The skating population has outgrown that space. I want to skate without bumping into small kids.” Whilst he’s quick to praise Ko Lwin’s work – “What he’s doing, the competitions and the prizes, is amazing” – he finds the rules set up by the MSA as claustrophobic as the space they skate in. “The reason I started skating is because it’s anti-establishment. I grew up where people looked down on skaters and you kind of relish that.” Ko Lwin disagrees. Having rules, he believes, like no drinking and no smoking, is good for the Myanmar community.
“If they build a skate park for boarders then I’ll stay here, with my kids.”
to avoid a boarder and boarders do the same to avoid crashing into an inline skater.
Make Life Skate Life are hoping to break ground in November this year. Once the skate park has been finished it’ll be placed in the public hands, under the protection of the YCDC. Make Life Skate Life, Ali says, aren’t in the business of exporting culture.
“We don’t fight, but we don’t think alike.” Pius explains.
The organisation, he argues, builds professionally designed skate parks where skate cultures already exist, they don’t influence anything, just provide an opportunity.
“I know what he’s going to do and he knows how I move.”
“The younger generation are really good. They’ve got a lot of potential” Not everyone inside MSA is sure that united is the way forward. When I ask Pius’s opinion he doesn’t answer straight away. “As skateboarding is growing we’ll soon have to separate. I think it’s better to split up – have two skate parks” he says slowly.
“Myanmar culture is totally different,” he argues. “If we’re not united and don’t obey rules we can’t get anything from the government: the right to compete internationally, the right to talk freely about extreme sport.”
“Skateboarders have the same mind,” he points at a border grinding his way over a rail.
Pius’s dream trip would be to the United Status to meet Torey Pudwill the professional street skater also known as "T-Puds". “I practice his tricks, they’re awesome.” But for now he’s set on competing regionally, though he’s not setting his sights at the top right yet “I want to go back to Bangkok and win prizes, maybe 4th place or 7th or 8th. They’re a lot better than we are, we’re just beginners.” In the long run though his place is in Yangon.
It’s not that inline roller bladers and skateboarders don’t get on but they often can get in the way of each other. On more than one occasion I watched as an inline skater taking a run up for a jump had to swerve
“I want to open up Myanmar, open Myanmar’s first skate shop, I don’t want another job, that’s my dream.” G
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MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
A STrAnGe murder CASe
SAn ShAr - The BurmeSe SherLoCK hoLmeS Episode Two: San Lin Tun, takes us into the world of famous detective San Shar in 1930s Rangoon, with his translation of Shwe U-Daung’s Htuzandhaw Luthathmu (A Strange Murder Case), an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes story, The Crooked man.
T
he retired District Superintendent, U Tin Pe, and his wife Daw Mya Hnit, had been living peacefully in Syriam (Thanlyin). The couple had built a big fine house, kept two servants, and lived peacefully. Then one night, the usually quiet house turned into a boisterous one, like a thunderstrike in an unfavourable season. The servant, taking a lamp, climbed in the window of the locked back room of the house, and checking, found that Daw Mya Hnit was alive, but not U Tin Pe.
that entered the room through the window. To find their tracks a scrupulous search was conducted in the compound. Maung San Shar found the footprint of a person in four or five places. That person climbed over the fence from the road. A footprint was near the fence, three footprints in the clearing and a footprint near the window. altogether five footprints were found. That person had a companion. It was a puzzle. I : "Why is it so difficult to think about?" Shar: " The difficulty is like this. Look for yourself." Maung San Shar took out a large piece of paper from the bag and laid it on the table, and pointed at four tiny footprints.
San Shar is called in to investigate … The servant tried to open the door for the woman servant to come in. But the door was locked and there was no key dangling from it's lock, and it could not be found in any pockets of U Tin Pe and Daw Mya Hnit. The servant climbed out of the window again and brought a constable and a doctor into the room. They carried up Daw Mya Hnit to the bedroom upstairs. Then, the body of U Tin Pe was placed on the bench and the doctor checked it while the constable was examining the room. Finding a two-inch wide cut behind this protuberance of his occiput, the doctor confessed that it was the result of being seriously hit by a weapon without a blade. To confirm the doctor's hypothesis, a walking stick was found lying near the body. U Tin Pe had about twenty walking sticks so that the servants could not tell whether it was U Tin Pe's or not. The police officer could not find anything special except that the room key was not found in any pockets of U Tin Pe and Daw Mya Hnit. Maung San Shar was called on the wireless by his friend, a station officer at Thanlyin, and went to assist them. On examining the crime scene, he thought it was a simple case at first, but he soon found it to be a bit strange. When Maung San Shar investigated the servants he found that when the woman servant first reached the room where Daw Mya Hnit was, she had not heard the voice of U Tin Pe, but Daw Mya Hnit calling out, "Ko Bai Sat," two or three times angrily. Remarks by servants and officers were that when the body of U Tin Pe was examined under light, it showed that he died of extreme fear and distorted face with protruding eyes. It was as though he was afraid that he knew he was going to die, or discovered something that he did not want to see in his lifetime. This is what Maung San Shar had deducted.
Then… I : " Oh! That's a small dog footprint." Shar : " Have you ever heard of a dog that can climb over curtains? I found them on the curtains too." I : " Then, it must be a monkey's." Shar: "It cannot be a monkey's."
Cover of 'the Memoirs and records of shwe U-Daung'.
At the present time, Daw Mya Hnit, was semi-conscious, talked out of trauma and was very sick, so she could not be summoned for questioning. The police officer believed that Daw Mya Hnit had beaten her husband to death. So, when recovered, they were ready to arrest her. Moreover, Maung San Shar interrogated the police officers whether Ma Than Yin, the neighbour who Daw Mya Hnit had been to a meeting with that night, had anything unpleasant happened. She said no. When Maung San Shar had found out these things, he tried to classify the facts relating to the case. He thought that the most important one was that the key had not been found in the room. Someone must have taken it. Daw Mya Hnit had not taken it, and neither had U Tin Pe. There must have been a third person
I: "Then, what is it?" Shar: "Look. This is the footprint I found near the window. I have copied them. Their size is equal; the front hand and the rear footprint. It is 15 inches away. Including neck and head it will be not less than two feet. Not including the tail. If the tail is included, it will be longer. This is its footprint that I took. Look, each step takes three inches. So, a tailless, two-foot length creature with a three inch stride. It must be a short legged creature that does not fit with its size." I: " Of course." Shar: " And, it can climb up the curtains and it is a carnivore." I: " How do you know it is a carnivore?" .......... continued next month.
Shwe U-Daung (1889-1973) was a prolific Burmese writer and translator, who in the 1930s adapted many of the original Sherlock Holes stories, placing them in the setting of the author’s Rangoon, in a time of nationalist fervour, high crime rate and social unrest.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
throUGh the looKiNG Glass 21
TAXI TrAVAILS By Chit Chan Cho
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he smog over Downtown Yangon could not hide the stream of vehicles that closely resemble a stampede, with the fits of honking and aimless veering. The general air of the traffic in Myanmar could only be described as chaotic confusion. Honking has been outlawed for a number of years, however, is largely translated by drivers to mean that short bursts of horn blowing are allowed. Drivers are wired to be short-fused. It is understandable when they have to grapple with fearless pedestrians, self-righteous peddlers, ungainly trishaws, drivers obeying different sets of road rules and the occasional suicidal dogs, goats and cows. It could be deemed a blessing that motorcycles are not allowed in Yangon. The swarming of scooters might just snap many overstretched nerves. At the heart of Myanmar’s riotous traffic are the taxis. It is no denying that out of five vehicles in Yangon, three would be taxis. These cars (usually station wagons) sport red number plates, and the customary mode of doing business is touting. Taxis are known to manoeuvre the traffic in a more reckless fashion than private vehicles, save for the city buses. The drivers of these vehicles have stomached the suffocating traffic under the roasting summer heat, heavy monsoon floods, and the short bouts of misty winter days. Needless to say, such a stressful working environment would breed peculiarities, as everyone has a tale to tell in regards to taxi rides, be it harrowing or hilarious. Taxi drivers are very willing to hold a conversation with the customers whilst chewing on their betel quids. More often than not, one would have a fairly good grasp of their family relations by the end of the trip. Most simply need to curb their urge to ring up their extramarital lovers at a very busy crossroad whist making a James Bond turn, in a right-had drive car, in right-hand traffic. Compounding their hand phone offence, when the fancy strikes (which one never knows when), they are willing to give up entire control of the steering wheel to undertake tasks that require the use of both hands, the pressure on the gas pedal mindfully kept. The itch to solicit more customers must also be scratched every now and then. The only effective cure being hysterical outbursts by the customer(s) already in the car. One noteworthy anecdote was of a lady friend who has a lively fear of appearing ridiculous. The taxi driver, a rather volatile chap, was bringing her around a very congested traffic point by way of a small residential street. The hassle not being avoided, albeit slightly delayed, as more waiting ensued when the car needed to emerge from the mouth of the street to
join the main road. Drivers of the same mind were trying to enter the street, and some were trying to take the chance to move forward, only adding to the melee. Roadside hawkers and pedestrians looked on in languorous frustration; nothing to be done but wait. After a few fruitless attempts to join the main road, the taxi driver whipped out a small black receiver and bellowed into it. The loudspeaker attached to the car body, screeched and rudely shook the people in the immediate vicinity out of their warm reverie.
of his orders, left the car to better instruct. The onlookers by now have adopted suppressed smiles and a few ladies, selling knickknacks by the roadside, commented on his suaveness. Funnily enough, the jam at the mouth of the street did clear, either by the sheer force of his efforts or from the traffic light turning green. His passenger arrived at her destination in one piece, notwithstanding a virulent dread of another loudspeaker encounter. Barring these inconceivable acts of eccentricity, the life of a taxi driver is not a comfortable one. Especially so when one does not own the vehicle in question and it runs on diesel or worse, octane. The daily owner fees care not for sickness, weather conditions or extraneous circumstances, bringing about a whole new meaning to force majeure. It is startling to note that these young men (and a few women) are the main breadwinners of their households with more than just a spouse to support. The jaundiced perception of the profession by the public, that they no doubt encouraged through their acts, makes one forget that they too have children to send to school, parents to provide healthcare for, and friends to booze with. A few queries would unearth that a number of them have previously held proper positions in corporations before deciding that wages differed little from a taxi driver’s income, and the freedom in comparison was incomparable. With the recent drop in the vehicle prices, lower level office workers (and some higher level ones) shell out their savings to buy a car. The next foreseeable step being, quitting their 6-day workweek jobs to be a taxi driver; their fearless entrepreneurship possibly rivaling that of the Silicon Valley start-ups.
Verbatim, “You! You! You over there! I can see you. Yes, you with the arm on the car window. Move to your left!” Nota bene: The ‘You’ used here being a more impolite term in Myanmar, ‘Ho Kaung’ translating directly to mean ‘You Animal’. From his seat, he then proceeded to command the other drivers, while onlookers stared, maws ajar. The other drivers followed his instructions, not out of slavishness but from a self-preserving fear of being the centre of his attention. The dear lady, much distressed but still seated in his car, was seriously contemplating leaving the vehicle when the driver, not entirely too happy with the reception
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Disabuse yourself of the notion that these drivers are uneducated and descend from the cradle of nowhere. Venture to ask the taxi driver whether they hold a college degree and the response would astound. One bellicose looking fellow of few words had thrown a disgusted glance at the question and muttered condescendingly, “I finished with Botany.”
22 fashioN
www.facebook.com/samsungmyanmar
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
Samsung Customer Contact Center - 01 2399 888 Mon-Sun : 8AM to 6PM (အစိုးရရုုံးပိတ္ရက္မ်ားအပါအ၀င္)
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
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dreSSInG The modern mYAnmAr WomAn Su Wai Yee (also known as Hillary) is the CEO and founder of Cici Fashion, which opened in Myaynigone township in March. She talks to Jessica Mudditt about her drive to create something new in the local fashion industry. Why did you decide to open a clothing store? I returned from studying in Pennsylvania in January last year and initially I wasn’t sure what to do, so I helped out with the retail side of my parents’ garments business. I’d been an avid shopper in the United States [laughs] and even though I lived in the suburbs, it was so easy for me to purchase clothes online. But when I was back in Yangon, I found it hard to find clothes that I actually liked. So I thought maybe I could do something of my own, as I already have background knowledge of the industry. A few months later I started a sixmonth incubation project with Project Hub. I was one of nine businesswomen who took part. We were provided with skills to start own businesses, as well as brainstorming lots of ideas and getting some practical training on the financial side of things. The goal of the project was to be able to turn an idea into a business plan that was at the stage of being ready to show potential investors. Did you study fashion design in the United States? No, I actually did a double major of Economics and Chinese. But fashion is an industry I’ve always been familiar with because my parents operate a garment factory. Since I was young they’ve been manufacturing and exporting garments from Myanmar. How would you describe Cici’s fashion style and what’s the price range? It’s clothing for the modern Myanmar woman; women who are young and starting to earn their own money. It can be quite hard to find clothes that are functional enough to wear to work, as opposed to having something tailored for a special event, which is very easy to do. In terms of Myanmar’s ready-to-wear clothes, there are two categories: traditional or Western. The Myanmar woman needs both. Sometimes it’s appropriate to dress traditionally, while at other times we want a professional or smart casual look. What Cici does is offer ready-to-wear clothes, with some outfits that fuse the traditional with Western, such as a Western style top with a matching longyi. An outfit at Cici’s costs 30,000Ks on average. Why did you choose the name Cici’s? I get asked that question a lot. When I was brainstorming the qualities I wanted my range to possess, the things I thought of were chic, comfortable, creating a
ly high in Yangon and it’s one of our biggest costs. You look very young – does running your own business stress you out? I just turned 22 but the good thing about me is that I don’t have that much of a problem in terms of getting overloaded with stress – I don’t have sleepless nights! But of course there are things that do stress me – raising capital is a challenge that I have to overcome because it’s not like I can just get a loan from the bank in Myanmar.
look that makes a woman feel confident, and a company that always places the customer at the centre of what we do: that’s a lot of values that start with the letter C! I wanted a feminine name that is easy to pronounce – and Cici sounds French and elegant. With so many imports, do you actively market Cici as a clothing line that is locally made and designed? I haven’t tried doing that – it’s just a start-up business and we don’t have enough of a budget to promote the store other than through social media. But being made in Myanmar is something I hope to distinguish in the future. I think it’s also pretty obvious when our customers come into the store that Cici is a local clothing range because there are a lot of styles that fuse Myanmar and Western looks. There are actually quite a lot of local brands, but they’re not targeting young urban crowds per se – they are mostly distributing to other regions in Myanmar, such as Mandalay. There are a lot of local brands at Yuzana Plaza, but that’s mostly a wholesale distribution centre. Local brands tend to be more successful in other regions of Myanmar – I don’t think there are enough brands that meet the standards of a young professional businesswoman. The colours used are often a bit bright and gawdy and the trimming and cutting isn’t always as it should be. Do you have plans to expand Cici to other parts of Myanmar? I am still considering the best way to do that. However the aim is to establish a strong presence in Yangon before we even think of expanding outside the city. At the moment we have just the one store in Yangon, but we’re hoping to open a second soon. We haven’t decided on a location yet – as you know, rent is real-
What’s your main frustration on a day-to-day basis? We’re in the process of setting up an office behind the store but we can’t get an internet connection for it. We applied quite a while ago but we are told that we can’t have a connection because all the lines have run out. We have to wait – but I don’t know for how long. So I have to go to my parent’s office to send emails and do paperwork. What are your favourite international fashion labels? When I was younger I used to really like H&M, but nowadays I prefer labels such as J. Crew and Banana Republic. Most of my clothes from abroad are from Uniqlo – I think their clothes are very relevant and functional. Even the most basic things can be worn very creatively – that’s why styling is important. I also want to educate local people about different ways of dressing up and purchasing clothes. I want to show them that simplicity can be unique if you add a touch of style. What is the most satisfying thing about owning a business? I feel really happy and excited when I see people wearing Cici outfits – it’s about making that little change in other women’s lives. And making clothes that make women feel good about themselves. It’s still early days, but I’m very thankful to be receiving support and attention from the community. I totally encourage young people to follow their dreams: the most important thing is just to do it. Even though it can be hard when it comes to things like rent, you just persevere and hope that your business will really kick off. Cici’s is located on Shin Saw Pu Road, next to Myaynigone City Mart. For more information, visit ciciclothingmm.com or Cici’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ CiciMyanmar
24 eDGe
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
SAmSunG’S Suhd ShIneS BrIGhT Rainy season is on the way and that very probably means you’re going to be spending a lot more time at home in front of your TV. You will be pleased to hear that Samsung has just announced that its next generation of ultra-high definition TVs are now available in Myanmar.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
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ed by the flagship 78-inch SUHD JS9000 TV, Samsung reckon they’re changing the game when it comes to how we watch TV. From here on in it’s all about SUHD. The ‘S’ in front of UHD doesn’t really stand for anything, kind of like the ‘T’ in Model-T Ford or the ‘X’ in X-Men. Instead, we’re told, “Samsung reserves the ‘S’ identification for its most premium flagship products that signify a true leap forward in technology.” It’s the UHD part that’s actually important. Standing for Ultra-High definition, UHD basically means increasing the contrast and quality to levels you’ve never seen before. Up until this year the highest quality reached was 1080p, UHD televisions offer about four times as much detail as that and this means things look a hell of a lot nicer on a UHD TV. The German magazine “Digital Tested” conducted a comparative test between SUHD TV and OLED, titled as ‘Who Provides the Best Picture Quality? As the first direct one on one comparison between SUHD TV and OLED TV, SUHD TV wins with the overall satisfaction level of 90% over OLED with 85%. Contrast is arguably the most important factor when it comes to what you see on screen (unless you’re one of those ‘narrative’ fans) and Samsung’s SUHD TVs promise deeper blacks and brighter colours. All this definition appears on the screen through what Samsung are calling ‘nano-crystal display technology’. Behind the screen are millions of tiny crystals that glow at different wavelengths depending on the colour that they’re showing at that exact time. The greater the range of colours that can be reproduced on your TV the more life-like it seems and, according to the guys at Samsung; their SUHD TV’s do this 64 times better compared to traditional TVs. Put another way, if your average TV is a 10 crayon box then Samsung is promising you the 640 crayon box: there’s a lot more variation in colours and that produces a better image. Take away the crayon analogy and it all sounds very high-tech, and that’s because it is. I maybe wouldn’t go quite as far as Samsung (“you see more, you feel more”) but the contrast and colour their SUHD line
produces is pretty amazing: you are watching television like you’ve never seen it before. Another thing that makes the JS9000 TV so interesting is that the screen isn’t flat but curved. This doesn’t just look stylish but also has a practical purpose: a curved screen makes TV more immersive. The world, as we agreed a while ago, isn’t flat but your ordinary screen is. A curve mimics real life that little bit more, making movements in your peripheral vision all the more significant. It’s also a way to increase the sharpness around the edge of the screen. Curved screens track the natural shape of your eyes better than flat ones, their images look slightly sharper at their edges. This is the reason cinema screens are curved. Most importantly they increase contrast: a TV is giving out light, with a curve the light is ever more concentrated towards the people watching it – rather than lighting up your living room – this factor probably doubles the contrast of flat TVs. The only thing to consider is how to best experience all this technology in Myanmar. Those magical nano-sized crystals give a fuller gamut of colour than anyone’s ever been able to take in on a screen but without any content that has that amount of colour we’re a bit stuck. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon offer ultra-high definition streams and Samsung’s new Tizen operating system lets you download movies directly thanks to a partnership with M-GO, an on-demand download service operated by Technicolour and DreamWorks. This all sounds great but if you are stuck with basic Yangon-speed internet it’s likely to take a full month to download anything feature length in 4K. The better option is ultra-high definition Blu-ray Disc. Both player and discs can now be bought in Yangon so you are no longer limited to buy them while visiting Bangkok or Singapore. If you long to get home, dry off, and plonk yourself down in front of a really big, slightly curved TV, then Samsung’s SUHD TV is perfect for you, and if you’re a film buff and you like being ahead of the curve when it comes to viewing experience, then go and check it out at the nearest electronics store.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
26 BUsiNess
ConSCIenTIouS
CrAfTS By Mimi Wu
Photos by Hong Sar
Pomelo store, through its partners Pann Hann Ein and Kyut Kyut, give marginalized communities and recycled waste new leases on life.
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achel Storaas is a woman ‘mad about crafts’ and dedicated to buying responsibly, according to Ulla Kroeber. Upon relocating to Yangon in 2011, Rachel was determined in her quest, weathering flooded Yangon streets, heat, and dead ends aplenty to find interesting handicrafts. Most of us – residents and tourists alike – lack Rachel’s patience or physical time to simply search for crafts, leading her to an a-ha moment. On January 17, 2012, Rachel opened what is now called Pomelo: a rainbow-splashed store selling arts and crafts locally made by over 30 disadvantaged groups. Now in its second location, Pomelo sits on the second floor overlooking Thein Phyu Road. Its clean white built-in shelves and earthy wooden furniture and tables display Myanmar crafts ‘with a twist’. Rachel initially launched the not-for-profit social enterprise with three groups, that refurbish wooden furniture; design children’s clothing, bags, and cushion covers; and make the ever-popular paper mache animals. She hired Deborah, whose bright smile is still
seen at the store, who was quickly joined by Ulla on the store’s third opening day. Ulla quickly realised that, “what we do for three groups, we can also do for more groups. I talked to NGOs and asked people to bring forward their products.” The response was overwhelming and the products so diverse – from tea to wedding invitation suppliers – that Ulla told her husband, “I don’t know how we are ever going to do that.” But we started working with those groups, we changed the packaging of tea, we worked on the wedding invitations and showed them a new technique, laying cutouts with local longyis.” More groups began approaching Pomelo. “Our policy is to look at everybody’s product. If we find that the product isn’t sellable, we offer to work with them. During that time, we pay a small fee. Once the product is ready, we order.” With this growing community, the store needed a name. It was Ulla who suggested Pomelo after the na-
tive, juicy fruit. “Pomelo is a segmented citrus fruit. We have many segments and facets that represent each group, coming together to form one fruit.” Over their three years, Pomelo has nurtured many groups and has been internationally recognised for it. They will represent Myanmar in the Craft Trends in ASEAN Talk 2015, and regularly have business school students visiting over school breaks. “Our concept is one which we have carried and developed, and we think that we should grow because we need to give more people the possibility to have an income. We also feel that in a country like Myanmar where changes are so rapid, where so many things are coming in from surrounding countries, it easily loses its identity. I have been visiting craft stores and souvenir shops and all that I found were crafts from Thailand and China. I think that is tragic because Myanmar people can be proud of what they are able to produce and that’s also what we want to showcase here.” Ulla believes crafts must be adapted to the needs and the times, such as making laptop covers and using man-made material, such as plastic. One group, Kyut Kyut, is using just that. Kyut Kyut, which is the sound made when scrunching plastic bags, is a two-year pilot project initiated by Italian humanitarian organization Cesvi. The project collects and washes dirty plas-
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
tic bags, then sews them into patterns for pencil cases, trashcans, and over fifteen other products before finally ironing it all together. Products are made by family members of the project’s main Myanmar lead, Wendy, as well as parents of handicapped children. The pilot project will close in March 2016, and Cesvi’s consultant who developed the project, Friedor Jeske, is exploring ways to make the project sustainable. “Ultimately, from the NGO perspective, the project raises awareness of recycling. The idea is not reducing plastic waste but showing that it is possible.” Pomelo awarded them the Most Innovative Thinking and Creativity Award this year. Pomelo’s other segments include groups of people living with HIV, the blind, small family businesses, and student groups. “Most of our producers are from disadvantaged backgrounds. Some of those groups depend heavily or completely on us for their income. Some others supplement their income from Pomelo.” Kyut Kyut is one that relies on the store. “Pomelo is our main market, and the most helpful market, because when we have ideas, they are always willing to try it.” Pomelo considers itself a social business, “because we put all the money back into the business and product development.” Reinvesting in product development particularly has helped evolve the store’s relationships with producers. “It brings you closer when you work together and find solutions together,” said Ulla. It also helps ensure that products sold are of high quality, which can be challenged by inconsistent availability of materials. This year, Pomelo presented the award for Fantastic Quality to the group Pann Nann Ein, which was founded in November 2012 by several friends, including Hnin Phyu Kaung, whom I interviewed. The foundation supports individuals with disabilities,
BUsiNess 27
while simultaneously raising awareness of neglected disability issues, including physical disabilities, mental health problems, learning disabilities, and language and speech impediments. Pann Nann Ein trains those interested in handicrafts for three to six months, on how to produce the popular cutout longyi greeting cards.
Our policy is to look at everybody’s product. If we find that the product isn’t sellable, we offer to work with them. During that time, we pay a small fee. Once the product is ready, we order.
“In Myanmar culture, people always pity the people who are disabled, so if you sell something that’s not good quality, people still buy it but as a pity donation. They don’t really want the product. We don’t want that. People with disabilities are able to work and have dignity and can make quality products. iNGOs depend on donations and when projects end, the workers don’t have anything to do. I don’t want to do like that because it’s not sustainable.” To aid their longevity, Pomelo provides “a little bit of business training but we are limited on space and time. Our producers are also busy; they don’t just have time to do something else.” That is sometimes because groups like Pann Nann Ein are invested in their own programs. In addition to teaching basic skills for product development, such as how to use a measuring ruler, Hnin Phyu Kaung “teaches them not just how to get money but how
to live in their surroundings. We give awareness on health topics, how to manage money, hygiene. We hired a sign language teacher from the Department of Social Welfare. All group members must learn together because we have a lot of hearing impairment members and need to communicate. Every week, we have a lesson on sign language. Pann Nann Ein is not just about money but also their life.” Pann Nann Ein has also been teaching ‘craft therapy’ at the mental health hospital twice a month for the last nine months. Patients are now producing crafts and selling them throughout their ward to other patients and visitors. “At first, they were afraid of me, and I was also afraid of them, but now they seem very happy and wait for the day we will meet.” “Once groups have a little security through income… once they feel safe, that’s when they start becoming creative,” remarked Ulla. Hnin Phyu Kaung has born witness to that at Pann Nann Ein. “Before members join, they never go outside their house. Now they become very confident. They can talk freely because they have money, and they have business. Some of the group members can save money, and they have dream to build a house in their village and go on holiday around the whole country for pilgrimage. One of the deaf girls planned to have a baby but she didn’t have a job and her husband did not have good health. When we met, she worked very hard and saved money. Now she has a son and is very happy.” Pann Hann Ein has equipped members to provide for their families and realise their dreams, whether that is financial stability, familial happiness, or good health. That impact is what drives Pomelo to support their groups through product development and to provide a market place that empowers its producers and connects them to customers searching for local, high quality goods. g
28 Chef’s Profile
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
InKInG The modern Chef Aimee Lawrence sits down with Ye’Nanda Khin to hear how in the face of adversity he became a force to be reckoned with.
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ising from the eastern shore of Kandawgyi Lake, Karaweik Hall is spectacular, even under the overcast skies marking the arrival of the monsoon season. Its majestic form, which sits fronted by the two gilded bodies of the mythical karavika bird, is a view Ye’Nanda Khin indulges in daily. The 29-year-old’s ‘edgy’ appearance, by Burmese standards, can be said to be as noteworthy as this famous landmark that the Executive Chef has claimed as his work place for one year. The large earlobe flesh tunnel and the dynamic sleeve tattoo he wears with unapologetic pride are centric to his story that began a decade ago. The stereotypes and prejudice he battled on account of the stigma attached to modern body modifications, became the driving force behind his rapid progress, which has seen him cook for, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and clinch the highest position in the industry in just ten years. “I was written off as a ‘gypsy’ because of the way I looked,” Ye’Nanda recalls. “Ten years ago, tattoos were a taboo, and the older, more traditional generation believed it must mean you are a gangster or something like that. “I wanted to become a chef after briefly following in my father’s footsteps as a seaman. I travelled to Malaysia, Singapore and China and found that you couldn’t get Burmese cuisine abroad. I wanted to specialise in Myanmar traditional cuisine and modernise the dishes so that one day our food could be as popular as Thai food is in other countries. “I had a strong goal and ambition, but in the chef community I wasn’t at first accepted. I saw it as a challenge to prove myself and show my work colleagues that I was even more serious than they were. I wanted to change out-dated attitudes and create a modern chef personality, like the chefs I saw on TV who had tattoos.” It was a challenge he capped in his first placement at the Sedona Hotel, where he closed the ranks from cook to Commis 1 in just under three years. “I applied myself and it paid off. People took me seriously then, but some weren’t so happy with my fast-track promotion. It came quicker to me than most, so the standard of the work of my peers looked slow. I raised the bar and it caused some resentment.”
Photo by Hong Sar
The pull of the Andaman Sea beckoned, with Ye’Nanda being promoted to Demi Chef of a kitchen on board a naval training vessel in Malaysia. His finesse in this role of responsibility was quickly recognised, and after three months he was promoted to the Bella Vista Hotel in Langkawi – an archipelago in Malaysia – where he would specialise in Western cuisine. As quickly as the depths of the ocean lured him overseas, he was drawn to return to his homeland in the advent of Myanmar’s momentous New Year water festival celebration, Thingyan.
“I couldn’t miss Thingyan. I’m really proud of my country and the water festival is the most important celebration of the year for us. Many other Burmese people do the same. We all rush to get home and be back with our families and friends to celebrate.” Since his brief, yet valuable stint overseas, Ye’Nanda has chosen to remain in Myanmar, working toward his goal of modernising Burmese national dishes. This natural ease he displays in the kitchen, feeds flu-
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
Chef’s Profile 29
ently into his fragrant dishes. It is an attribute savoured by the woman who spearheaded the nation’s laboured ongoing fight for democracy, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. “We have a saying in Myanmar that once you have a piece of your own life history, you can die peacefully happy,” he reflects. It was during her fifteen years of house arrest that Ye’Nanda was first selected, as head chef at the Sedona Hotel, to prepare a prawn curry for the muchloved Nobel Peace Prize winner. It was a request he honoured on five occasions.
I had a strong goal and ambition, but in the chef community I wasn’t at first accepted. I saw it as a challenge to prove myself and show my work colleagues that I was even more serious than they were.
“When I found out I was cooking for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, for sure I put extra love and care into the dish. She got a generous helping. Her father, Bogyoke Aung San, is the father of our country and she is continuing on fighting for democracy and the rights of her people. She sacrificed many years of her life for us by choosing not to leave Myanmar and to stay here under house arrest. “I never dreamed that I would be cooking for such a heroine. I now have a piece of history so I can die happy.” He is quick to state that his life experience, which is pivotal to his personal and private life, isn’t something he reels off in the company of others. It’s a source of great pride, but pride he wears with humility. A box full of medals and a folder’s worth of certificates, vouch for his abilities in the fast-paced hectic arena of the kitchen. As a valuable member of Myanmar Chefs, he helped bring home the bronze medal, and win most popular national food in the recent Third Thailand Culinary World Challenge in Bangkok. “The flavours of Myanmar won that day. Ten other countries took part so this is such a proud moment for our team. It goes back to why I wanted to become a chef. Our national food couldn’t really be found elsewhere in Southeast Asia. To be able to show off our culinary skills in Bangkok will put us on the map.” When he isn’t found in the underbelly of Karaweik Hall, carving up an evening’s feast, as a member of the Myanmar Chef association he is very much involved in working with the local community. He is involved in various charitable causes, including working with the Yangon School for the Blind, the Free Funeral Service Society and travelling to the conflict affected Rakhine state.
YOUR SOURCING PARTNER FOR MYANMAR We also provide FACTORY PRE-AUDITS, PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT & INSPECTION SERVICES
He may well have satisfied the taste buds of Myanmar’s political heroine, but what lies in wait for the 29-year-old Executive Chef at the top of his game? “I’d love to have my own restaurant in five years’ time,” He confesses. “It would be traditional Burmese dishes but with a twist here and there. And I’ll definitely be covered with more tattoos.” The inked-up, punk music loving ‘gypsy’ from Mayangone Township has surprised his nearest and dearest with his fireball career. His success is a just dessert for the persistent doggedness he has applied since he first set foot in the heat of the kitchen. g
www.myanmar-garments.com | info@myanmar-garments.com +95 (0)99 75702400
30 BistroNoMy
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
eAST meeTS WeST WITh
YomA Beer
D
o you ever sit down at a beer station, think about what kind of beer you’d like and then remember that you’re in Myanmar and it’s very likely all they’ll have is Myanmar Beer? Sometimes you’ll get ‘lucky’ and have the option of Dagon beer but that’s still pretty rare. Fear not! The Danes and they’re most famous export – Carlsberg – have landed and are intent on making a splash.
Carlsberg, makers of ‘Probably the best beer in the World’ are determined to make inroads into the Myanmar beer market. Carlsberg are pulling out all the stops, bringing their already established Tuborg and Carlsberg brands over and establishing a beer specifically for Myanmar: Yoma Beer. Myanmar Beer currently dominates the domestic market, with a 64% share according to Euromonitor International. Carlsberg started exporting beer to Chi-
na in 1876 – and are hoping to use that experience to their advantage. All three brands Carlsberg are introducing are intended to break that tight grip Myanmar Beer holds but Yoma looks the most likely to do so: it’s designed especially for Myanmar taste buds.
The recipe – created by an international brewmaster, David Bidau, in collaboration with Myanmar consumers – make Yoma a fusion of East and West. Made from the highest quality imported hops, a little taste of Myanmar is given to Yoma with the addition of locally sourced rice – from Bago, where Carlsberg has built an ultra-modern brewery to the tune of US$75 million. The brewery itself will be able to produce 60 million litres of beer a year, so there’s no need to go out and panic buy. Yoma means mountain in Burmese. Carlsberg, famous for using iconic and clever imagery in its marketing, are leveraging this image throughout its branding activities. "We asked the Myanmar consumer what they wanted and they got it," said Carlsberg Myanmar marketing director Birgitte Weeke. “We developed Yoma through extensive research and name and concept resonated well with the consumers because
like one respondent told us: ‘Yoma gives you a feeling of leaving luggage behind and just sit on a mountain top. And it's refreshing ... The whole concept is that everything is changing quite fast, and you kind of need a bit of a chill out sometimes.’” The beer’s strength stands very specifically at 5.4%. This is not by chance. Five plus four is a lucky number according to Carlsberg. Just like the three mountain ranges and number 7 in the icon were highlighted by respondents as giving a good balance in the packaging design. The number of outlets selling Yoma currently stands in the double digits but expect that to grow rapidly. A Yoma draught currently sells at 6-700 kyat. Yoma is crisp and malty with refreshing citrus notes. This makes for a pleasant alternative in a dynamic and changing city. g
SeCreT reCIPe Go for CAKeS By MiMi WU
WHAT IT IS Secret Recipe is a café chain hailing from Malaysia with over 100 franchises in ten countries. It specializes in cakes, cheesecakes, and fusion food. Myanmar patrons have generally favoured Secret Recipe’s savory choices over sweets. These include Asian classics such as Singaporean laksa, Thai tom yum, and Japanese soba; and Western classics, such as chicken Parmesan, fish and chips, and their award winning lamb shank. ATMOSPHERE Found on the second floor of Ocean Super Center in Tamwe, the café stretches along the window for a bright view of the street below. Servers are pleasant and trained to say, “enjoy your meal”. Ordering and delivery was efficient.
RECOMMENDATION Start with the juicy chicken satay marinated in a gingery sauce that becomes sweet and sticky when grilled on the chicken. Dip the skewered meat in sweet peanut sauce made with fresh nuts. For mains, the Caribbean style fish fillet was battered and fried, then immersed in butter and a creamy herb sauce. The flavours and type of fish were decent. Their award winning Australian lamb shank came in a curry-like brown sauce composed of garlic, onion, carrots, and spring onion with baked mashed potatoes and a homemade roll, which I liked for its soft, chewy texture. The leg was quite large and meaty. Finish off your meal with Secret Reci-
pe’s popular cakes. It was hard deciding between the 12 choices on display, including chocolate mud pie, chocolate and banana cake, carrot cake, and berry cheesecake. I liked even more their yogurt cake of a dense, almost cake-like cheesecake under a gelatinized yogurt layer, all topped off with a raspberry preserve.
FINAL THOUGHTS If you’re in the Tamwe area – specifically at Ocean – take a break from your day with a slice of cake. 2nd Fl, Ocean Super Center, Shwe Gone Daing, Bahan Tsp Tel: 01 860 4618, 0925 066 2871 Daily, 9 AM – 10 PM
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
32 BistroNoMy
hA TAI WA By Win lei lei tun WHAT IT IS If you're looking for a unique dining experience in Yangon, look no further than Ha Tai Wa. Not only is this the only restaurant that serves Wa cuisine, it’s also famous for its zagaw wine, and its Wa dining style where the food is served on a round rattan tray. The Wa people are an ethnic group living along the border between Myanmar and China. ATMOSPHERE Ha Tai Wa has a rustic atmosphere which includes outdoor bamboo hut booths. Customers can sit on chairs or cross-legged on the floor at low tables (an authentic Myanmar dining style!). There is also indoor seating. In keeping with the Wa theme, the restaurant is decorated with Wa ornaments, giving it a homey feel.
RECOMMENDATIONS The rice set is a must-try at Ha Tai Wa. The set changes weekly, so you'll get to try something new every time you visit. The food is simply delicious. The set for our table of four, included a heap of Shan rice and sticky rice, and fiery dishes like mala prawns, chicken curry, spicy pork, stir-fried vegetables, and eggplant salsa, all served on a zagaw lined with banana leaves. The pork was a special highlight; the blend of spices really brought the dish together. We used the plastic gloves provided and ate with our fingers, the traditional Myanmar way, slightly adapted. Though the rice set is more than enough for a satisfying meal, definitely try other dishes. Our favorites were the ‘Wa’ Style Porridge (2,800 Kyats) and the
Bamboo Bucket of Fish (7,800 Kyats). The porridge resembled a rice salad, but it was a peppery delight nonetheless. The bamboo bucket of fish was seasoned to perfection; this is one dish you cannot miss when you go to Ha Tai Wa. PRICES 2,000 Kyats to 7,800 Kyats
FINAL THOUGHTS Ha Tai Wa will appeal to both locals and visitors alike. Just beware of mosquitoes, especially if you're going in the evening! No. 10 Aung Thukha Street, 5 Quarter, 9 Miles, Mayangone Township, Yangon. Ph: 01-660376, 09-250389120, 09-253245076 Open Daily 11:00 am. to 9:00 pm.
7Th JoInT BAr & GrILL JAmAICAn no mISTAKe
such a fan there’s bourbon, tequila and whiskey (with or without coconut water) in sufficient supply
By MaX tooMey WHAT IT IS A Jamaican bar in Yangon that’s not trying to be anything other than it is. A wall covered in images of Bob Marley, high tables with barstools and very large speakers down one end of the room. 7th Joint is very much somewhere that is ‘fun’ rather than polished and it’s all the better for it.
The food fills you up but it’s not a reason to visit the bar. The squid tempura was actually pretty good, the batter fluffy. The jerked chicken was tender but lacked much flavour while the burger was pretty tasty but let down by the rather banal bun. All this said I’m not sure food was ever mean to be the point of this place.
ATMOSPHERE Talk to any of the seven owners – you can pretty much guarantee that at least one of them will be there any night of the week – and you get two senses of 7th Joint: it’s a reggae bar where you happen to be able to eat Jamaican food and it’s a bar that they’d want their friends drinking in.
now and then a lady wanders around with free shots on a tray, because that seems like a nice idea.
None of them have owned a bar before and to be honest, this shows and oddly, I think it’s a good thing. There’s a sort of joyous optimism to everything. Every
Replacing regular Jamaican rum is whiskey with coconut water, inspired by Trinidad and named a ‘CPD’ after three friends of the bar – Craig, Paul and
RECOMMENDATION Proper Jamaican rum is hard to come by apparently so it’s best to ask at the bar to see if any has been recently brought in.
Danica. I’ve never thought of mixing the two together and whilst I’m not going to start doing it at home it did work (and has the added advantage of being hydrating at the same time as alcoholic). The green grass ice tea – tequila, gin, vodka, rum and melon liqueur – was fruity and sweet – like a lot of the cocktails on offer (we also tried the Melon Crush or the mysterious Yellow Bird). If you like sweet cocktails you’re in luck, the drinks menu is catered towards your taste buds. If you’re not
FINAL THOUGHTS 7th Joint is not slick and the bar stools definitely prioritise function over comfort. The guys have built a bar because they wanted somewhere they would enjoy drinking with their friends and that sense is suffused into the place. If you walk in you’re now a friend. G-A10, Shwe Asia Building, Corner of 48th street and Mahabandula Road, Botataung Township Tel: 09260600552 5pm onwards daily
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
iN foCUs 33
A BurmeSe heArT Chasing the ghosts of the past, Y.M.V. Han uncovers the rare and fantastic account of her grandmother, Tinsa Maw-Naing; a history that has been silenced until now.
M
yanmar is a place steeped in stories. Walk into any teashop and its patrons will regale you with tales of life and survival in this country, from gossip to politics and everything in between. Take a taxi at night in Yangon and the drivers will tell you stories of the streets. Talk to those in the countryside and they’ll tell you about their land, their mountains, and the history of their soil.
ti-immigrant riots of the 1930s, in an episode in which she barely escapes from a band of ultra-nationalist thugs. Her mother imparts a lesson and reveals the origins of the Burmese people’s fiery temperament: She [my mother] grabbed me by my shoulders, pulling me so close that the coolness of her silk clothing made my hot skin shiver. “I’m not going to tell your father, he has enough to worry about. But I am concerned for this Burmese heart of yours, Tinsa. Do you know that saying?” I shook my head no and she released her grip, leaving a dull ache where her hands had been.
Her tale begins in Rangoon at the height of the colonial era when a fortuneteller warns my grandmother that she will live a life of extremes, never destined to settle for the middle path. Born into privilege to Dr. Ba Maw and Daw Kinmama Maw, a successful barrister and his heiress wife, she grows up in a leafy enclave beside Kandawgyi Lake dotted with hand-carved teak homes and bougainvillea vines crawling in between wrought-iron gates. Her childhood is marked with memories of Chaplin films, eating fresh Turkish Delight straight from the docks, and surviving Catholic school as a Burmese Buddhist girl under the tutelage of an army of nuns imported from Europe. The Rangoon of her youth is a Dickensian cauldron of wildeyed traders, city suits, striking dockworkers, warring ethnic groups, and irascible politicians all living tenuously under the watchful eyes of an empire. The title of the book is derived from a long-forgotten fable that is told to her by her mother during the an-
The fortuneteller’s warning comes true when her father becomes Prime Minister and initiates the independence movement with likeminded nationalists such as Bogyoke Aung San, U Nu, Thakin Than Tun, and the Thirty Comrades. Forced to confront war and mortality, my grandmother’s fate and mettle are tested amidst the backdrop of World War II and the Burmese independence war. She often goes quiet during the interviews when speaking of the war years, painfully reliving every bomb blast, holding her breath every time she heard soldiers’ bootsteps in the distance, and living in exile as a young mother in Cambodia. The gilded age of democracy is much kinder to her as she becomes one of the first female English Literature university lecturers, but her bliss is short-lived when the military dictatorship takes power in 1962. Her husband (my grandfather), Bo Yan Naing, ignites a pro-democracy insurgency on the Thai-Burma border. In May 1966, soldiers ransack her home and she is taken to the notorious Ye Kyi Aing Prison in the outskirts of Rangoon, where she is imprisoned for years as punishment for her husband’s insurrection. Ye Kyi Aing is teeming with Communist sympathisers, socialites, intellectuals, and others who are detained without being charged of any crime whatsoever, to be a theme for the country for the next five decades.
I returned to Myanmar in 2012 to chase one story in particular, that of my grandmother, Tinsa Maw-Naing. Born in 1927, she was of the generation that witnessed the colonial, independence, democratic, and dictatorship eras firsthand, a history that has largely been rewritten or erased from textbooks. She was also the eldest daughter of Dr. Ba Maw, the first Burmese Prime Minister of the colonial era, the wife of Bo Yan Naing of the Thirty Comrades, and a former political prisoner herself, making her one of the last remaining links to the giants of the past. It’s not easy chasing the ghosts of the past. I relied solely on personal interviews and my grandmother was a formidable subject: unforgivingly witty, possessing an iron upper lip, and having perfected the art of graceful stoicism, tried and true characteristics of Burmese women of a certain age. After three years, thousands of cups of coffee, sleepless nights, and hundreds of hours of interviews, the result is A Burmese Heart, her story and a rare account of surviving history as told through the eyes of one woman.
You must be sure to use it wisely and sparingly,” May May cautioned. She left me alone with this knowledge, the room silent except for my jumping pulse.
“There is a fable going back before the time of the Buddha, when the first kings ruled this country. We were a poor people then and there were other kings desiring to fight us for our land, so the Burmese prayed to the gods for a favor. They answered our prayers and granted us not swords, but the hearts of gods to conquer our enemies. The young king who ruled during that time decided to use his power in his first battle, his heart beating so loudly and fiercely that the earth split and mountains shattered, trapping the invading armies. He continued to conquer his wars but he also grew weaker each time, his young man’s body no match for the strength of a god’s heart. The king collapsed on the eve of his most important battle, not dying from an enemy’s blade but from exhaustion and misunderstanding his own power. Now what do you think this phrase means, a Burmese heart?” “That the hearts of gods are not meant for mortals,” I whispered. “Right. It also means that we as a people, and especially you, are blessed and cursed with great strength.
“My memories are not meant to invoke old wounds or to garner sympathy. This book is simply intended to record the things that I witnessed, for my children and grandchildren, because all of these things will die with me if I don’t … I am not a hero in any form, but merely a passenger through history who saw incredible things and lived to tell about it, when so many did not,” my grandmother said about her life. A Burmese Heart is ultimately one of many fantastic tales that inhabit Myanmar, that for too long have been told in hushed tones and behind closed doors. It is also the story of a country and its people - revolutionaries, intellectuals, martyrs, and innocent bystanders – who are perpetually caught in the violent cycles of politics, a history that has been silenced until now. Y.M.V. Han is the co-author of A Burmese Heart. She has spoken on Myanmar country issues on a variety of platforms. Her grandmother, Daw Tinsa Maw-Naing, passed away on November 2014, before the publication of this book. g
A Burmese Heart is available on 6 June, 2015 in paperback and digital formats on Amazon. The paperback can be purchased in Yangon at the Myanmar Book Centre. For more information, please contact info@aburmeseheart.com or visit facebook.com/aburmeseheart.
34 horosCoPe
mYAnmAr
horoSCoPe Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has a Science Degree Major in Mathematics from Yangon University. Currently, he is writing articles and horoscopes for monthly magazines and weekly journals in Myanmar. Astrologer, philosopher, traditional medicine practitioner and author Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing looks to the celestial bodies to predict what lies ahead in arch, this month focusing on love and business. In Myanmar astrology, star signs are determined by which day you were born. Each sign represents its own day, cardinal direction (utmost importance), planet (celestial body) and animal.
SundAY
improve time An elder person will advise you to improve your life. If you will take this advise, your life will be more pleasant and pleasure. You will have success in plan to go to beach. You will eat wonderful food during this month. If you want healthy life, you should take relaxation with fresh air. Love – You will present awful love story. You will pretend in front of your lover. Business – You will sign monetary paper and contract. You will benefit from motor vehicle in buying and selling. You will satisfy present business conditions. Lucky numbers – 1.2.4.7 Lucky colours – Bright Colour, Orange.
mondAY
serious time You will forget serious matter during this month. During this month, you should avoid hot temper to health and wealth. You will gain good chance from well educated. You will get knowledge from local and international. You will move to new home or prepare your home decoration. Love – Your love story will be strange. Your lover will be adventurous and well dressed person. Business – You will prepare new business project. You will notice great chance to be well off. You will be confident in your action. You will be master at your work.
Lucky numbers – 2.5.8.0 Lucky colours – Purple, Green.
MYANMORE InDepth Magazine / June 2015
of smart style. You will be proud in present condition. You will discuss to family member about serious matter. You will get fancy present from friends. If you obey your parents' advice, you will get more and more healthy and wealthy life. Love – You will meet intelligent lover. You will enjoy your love story. You will choose right lover. Business – You will be success in your market because of attractive method. You will work hard in business. You have to make business speech in front of people. Lucky numbers – 9.6.2.5 Lucky colours – Ivory, Khaki, Brown.
TueSdAY
active time Your quiet life will be active because you will meet a talkative friend. You will get advantage to promote your life style from elegant person. You will feel happy to travel with family members. You will be proud and delighted to pay homage to famous pagodas. Take good care of yourself for healthy and wealthy life. Love – You will hear good news for lovers. You will wonder on your lover's success. You will marry coming soon. Business – Fortune will favour you in business matter. You will get the chance that you hope. You will approach step by step your goal. Lucky numbers – 3.6.9.0 Lucky colours – White, Maroon, Reddish Brown.
WedneSdAY
Comfortable time Everybody will admire your comfortable life style. If you are well contented, everything will be okay. You will visit local places. During this moment, you will attend IT education to get more knowledge. You will sacrifice for your family member. You will manage to get elegant position for family members. You should eat fresh vegetables and milk for health. Love –You love story will be innocent. Well-educated lover will propose to you to marry. You will be fond of pretty lover. Business – You will wait nervously a business opportunity. You will promise partner monetary gain. You will rush up in front of business opponent. Lucky number – 1.4.7.9 Lucky colours – Indigo, Red, Black.
frIdAY
Cheerful time You can do better for everything. Your heart will fill with joy and cheer. You will make lively friend. You will be hero for your family and relatives. You will show interest in dangerous and adventurous journey and trip. You should avoid smoking and drinking beer to be healthy. Love - Your love story will be important for you. Your lover will be opposite type for you. Business – You will get new idea for business. Your partner will believe you for monetary game. You will improve profit for business. You will travel again and again because of local trade and international trade. Lucky numbers – 5.8.1.7 Lucky colours – Dark, Violet, Yellow.
SATurdAY
astonished time You will understand and astonish people's mind, some will be envious, some will be curious and some will be of pure mind. You will attend your friend's wedding. Your family will be the joy of your life. You will sign law agreement for land and building. You should take exercises for healthy life. Love – You have plenty of lovers, but you have never met the right lover. Your love story will be romantic and very funny. Business – You will worry for a big business problem. The trouble is, you can't decide quickly enough. You have a few surprises at business environment. Lucky numbers – 4.2.5.8 Lucky colours – Green, Orange.
Tetkatho Soe Moe Naing has practiced astrology and Burmese traditional medicine for forty years. Contact: 095012767
ThurSdAY
Popular time You will be popular in your environment because
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PHOENIX ESTHETIC BEAUTY CENTRE
10% off facial treatments for one person. 20% off facial treatments when two people Valid Wednesdays and Thursdasy from 10: 30 a.m to 6: 30 p.m, advance booking required.
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Monday through Saturday (Sunday is closed), 1 person per card, advance booking required.
MONSOON RESTAURANT AND BAR
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15% off Cooking Classes Valid everyday except Tuesdays, valid for up to 4 people, 2 days advance booking required.
SPA ELEMENTS
15 % off - JAMU pre- and post-natal care packages 10% off - Face, body and foot spa // Mani-Pedis // Hair // Waxing and scrub Valid on Wednesday & Monday, 1 person per card.
THAYA DAY SPA
15% off Spa Services 10% off Full Thai Body Massage. Monday to Friday, 1 person per card
VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL 10% off all SPA treatments Valid everyday, for up to 10 people!, Advanced booking recommended.
WTC - World Training Center
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10% off Barista & Bakery classes Valid everyday, 1 person per class.
HOTEL BUSINESS ALLIANCE HOTEL
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15% off on any room type. Valid everyday, 1 person per card
HOTEL 51
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15% off on all room types. Valid everyday, 1 person per card
ORCHID HOTEL
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15% off on all published room rates Valid Sunday to Thursday, 1 person per card, advance booking required
BALANCE FITNESS
15% off 6 months or 1 year membership contract 15% off monthly package for classes ($120 for 10 classes) Discount cannot be used with other promotions Valid for Silver, Gold or Platinum memberships, 2 people per card.
THAHARA (www.thahara.com)
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5% off on the published rates for all package booking from Oct to April 10% off on the published rates for all package booking from May to September Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advance booking required.
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CHATRIUM HEALTH CLUB
10% off on daily rate from Mon to Sun. Valid everyday, 2 people per card, advance booking required.
VINTAGE LUXURY YACHT HOTEL
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5% on rooms Valid everyday, for 10 people!
SERVICES
DAILY MART
Free delivery for total bills between 10,000 and 29,900 Kyats 5% off for total bills of 30,000 Kyats and above Valid everyday, 1 person per card
ELEGANT GEMS JEWELLERY & SOUVENIR at Culture Valley
HINTHA BUSINESS CENTRES
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One hour free wifi + a cup of coffee once a month. Valid everyday, once a month, 1 person per card.
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K & H TRAVELS CO.,LTD
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10$ off for the second guest on any mini getaway tour Valid on weekends, advance booking required.
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15% off on selected items. (Excluding Pearl, Jade, Loose gems and 18 K Gold) Valid everyday, no max limit of people!
BUY YOUR MYANMORE CARD HERE!
MONUMENT BOOKS
10% off any purchase superior to 50,000 ks, Valid from Monday to Friday ,1 person per card
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PATRICK ROBERT THE GALLERY 10% off total bill Valid Monday to Saturday, 1 person per card, Advance booking required.
SELECT BOUTIQUE THE THIRIPYITSAYA
10% off all Jewelry Valid everyday (closed on Tuesdays
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HOLA Dance Club
15 minutes Free private lesson 1 hour Free beginners group lesson
Balance Fitness (Avenue 64 Hotel) 64 (G), Kyaik Wine Pagoda Road,Yangon 01 656 916
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Inya Day Spa 16/2, Inya Rd, Yangon | 01537907
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VESTIGE MERCANTILE & RELICS
10% off total bill. Valid everyday at: Vestige Flagship Store, Yangon Vestige Flagship Store, Nay Pyi Taw Vestige Kiosk, Avenue 64 Hotel.
50TH STREET BAR 9/13, 50th Street, Botahtaung Township 01-397 060
Monument Bookstore 150, Dhamazedi Road, Bahan Township
SEVEN FRIDAY SWISS WATCHES Free Food voucher worth 20,000 ks to be used at House of Singapura, Pepperoni and Ya Kun Cafe. Valid everyday, on purchase of a watch.
MYANMORE Office 1st Floor, Annex Bld, Strand Hotel, 92 Strand Rd, Kyauktada Tsp | 01-375680
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ACTIVITY
SENSE SPA
20% off all spa treatments Valid everyday,1 person per card, advanced booking recommended
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SHOPPING
15% off Spa treatments 10% off Thai full body massage Valid from Monday to Friday.1 person per card
10% off spa treatments, except Happy Hours. Valid Monday to Friday, booking required.
10% off for 1 person 15% off when 2 people Valid from Monday to Thursday, from 11am to 3pm. 5% discount for 1 person 10% off when 2 people Valid from Friday to Sunday, Advance Booking required.
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CALIFORNIA SKIN SPA
20% off on any treatment and services. Valid everyday, up to 3 people per card, advanced booking recommended.
SPA D’LAX
GYM
DESSERT
20% off Pasta, from Monday to Friday 20% Off Large Pizza, on the weekend Valid for 1 person per card The deals are applicable to 3 outlets Dagon Centre 1- Myaynigone Ocean Shwe Gon Daing- Tamwe Junction Junction Maw Tin
free dessert with your meal: Gulab Jamun, Kulfi and Halwa. Valid everyday, 1 person per card.
cocktails) Valid everyday,1 person per card.
CAFE
SUMMIT PARKVIEW HOTEL
BAR & CLUB
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SKY BISTRO
LA MAISON 20
PORTICO RESTAURANT @ ROSE GARDEN HOTEL
HOUSE OF SINGAPURA
10% off total bill for dinner (5 p.m onwards) Valid Monday to Friday, 1 person per card 20% off on food bill on Saturday and Sunday Valid on weekends all day long, 1 person per card
1 free cocktail or long drink when ordering one European main dish Valid everyday. 1 person per card
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GEKKO
20% off lunch (from 11 a.m to 4 p.m) Everyday, up to 6 people per card
KOKINE BAR & RESTAURANT
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Padonmar Restaurant No.105/107, Kha-Yae-Bin Road, Dagon Township, Yangon Between Pyi Daung Su Yeik Tha (Halpin Road) and Manawhari Road/Ahlone Road. Tel/Fax : +95 1 538895, +95 9 73029973, 73108606 Orchid Hotel 91, Anawrahta Road, Pazundaung Township, Yangon | 01-399930, 01-704740 Happy Footprints No.498, Thein Phyu Road, Mingalar Taung Nyunt Township, Yangon 01 381862