Valentine's Day

This is one of my favorite Valentine Poem...

Here among the lovers I wait willing,
Alone because I cannot be with you,
Pensive in the press of people filling
Promenades with passions spent and due.
Yet I am happy in my melancholy,
Vested in a love that like the night
Arrays itself in dreams that veil me wholly,
Leaving me contented till the light.
Even were I with you, I would wander
Near the things that would, but cannot be,
Taking you with me towards that inner wonder
In which we find the truest ecstasy.
Nor would our love be greater not apart,
Each with each together in the heart.

Innwa

Innwa was also known as Ava in the ancient times. It is a city in the Mandalay Division of Myanmar, situated just to the south of Amarapura on the Ayeyarwady River. It is also called Ratnapura meaning "City of Gems".Innwa was the capital of Myanamr from 1364-1841. Prior to this, Sagaing had been the capital, but after Sagaing fell to the Shan, the court moved across the river to Innwa. The kings of Innwa set about restoring Burmese supremacy, which had disintegrated after the fall of Bagan.In 1555, Innwa fell to the southern Burmese Kingdom of Taungoo, but in 1636, the king of Taungoo relocated his own capital to Innwa. In 1752, the Mon revolted against Burmese rule and sacked Innwa. A couple of years later, the founder of the new Konbaung Dynasty, Alaungpaya, crushed the Mon revolt, and after a period with Shwebo as his capital, re-established the court in Innwa.After the British conquered Lower Myanmar, after the Second Anglo-Burmese War, Upper Myanmar was commonly called the Kingdom of Innwa. During the reign of King Bodawpaya (1781-1819), the capital was moved to nearby Amarapura. However, his successor, King Bagyidaw (1819-1837), moved the Court back to Innwa in 1823. When a tremendous earthquake caused extensive damage in 1841, Innwa was finally abandoned for Amarapura. Little remains of the ancient capital today.

For more information, visit: http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-travel/myanmar-mandalay/innwa.htm

Thanatkha

Thanatkha, the fragrant liquid powder of the bark of Muraya Exotica, induced by rubbing it round and round with a little water on a circular flat stone is a unique Myanmar traditional beautifier worn by Myanmar ladies, young and old alike. One hardly finds a Myanmar lady who does not like thanatkha. No matter how much modern cosmetics and make-up are in abundant use today, the thanatkha is still a favourite beautifier of Myanmar ladies from all walks of life. This tradition of wearing thanatkha is an outstanding and priceless inheritance, passed down through generations, found only in Myanmar. Thanatkha agrees with Myanmar natural environs, especially with the weather. It is recognized to be of great help to bear the heat of the sun and thus an ideal cosmetic for those who have to work under direct sunshine. Women who work in paddy fields always wear thick layers of thanatkha to help themselves tolerate the intense heat of the sun.

Fiat Mefistofele

It is the most beautiful racing car in the world, written in

the short story, A Riddle, by Antonio Tabucchi. It has a six cylinder 23.706l aeroplane engine, 4 valves and spark plugs per cylinder. It was used for speed records at Brooklands.The kit is multimedia. Lots of metal. The plastic wood was replaced by real wood and the fabric hood straps by leather ones.

Bugatti Royale

In the short story, A Riddle, by Antonio Tabucchi, there is a story about the missing elephant at the front of a Bugatti Royale. The informations are referred from Google and Wikipedia.

The Bugatti Type 41, better known as the Royale, is one of the most extreme luxury cars ever built. It was enormous, with a 4300 mm (169.3 in) wheelbase and 6.4 m (21 ft) overall length. It weighed approximately 3175 kg (7000 lb) and used a massive 12.7 L (12763 cc/778 in³) straight-8.

Everything about the Royale was magnificent. Its cast "Roue Royale" wheels measured 610 mm (24 inches) in diameter and were works of art in their own right. All six production Royales still exist (the prototype was sadly destroyed in an accident in 1931), and each wears a different body, some having been rebodied several times.
The massive engine (apx. 4.5 ft long x 3.5 ft high), one of the largest fully-realized automobile engines ever made, produced 205 to 223 kW (275 to 300 hp). Its cylinders, bored to 125 by 130 mm, each displaced more than the entire engine of the contemporary Type 40 touring car. It was a high-tech design, as well, with 3 valves per cylinder driven by a single overhead camshaft. Nine bearings were specified for reliability, but only a single custom carburettor was needed. A derivation of the Royale engine was also used in railcars.

For more information, Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Royale

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American Jazz Age author of novels and short stories. He is regarded as one of the greatest twentieth century writers. Fitzgerald was of the self-styled "Lost Generation," Americans born in the 1890s who came of age during World War I. He finished four novels, left a fifth unfinished, and wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth, despair, and age.

In the short story, A Riddle, by Antonio Tabucchi, Fitzgerald is used as an expression to people who want to live on an "American Dream." It is because one of his most famous novels, The Great Gatsby.

The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age." Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the 1920s as the economy soared. At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers and encouraged organized crime. Although Fitzgerald, like Nick Carraway in his novel, idolized the riches and glamour of the age, he was uncomfortable with the unrestrained materialism and lack of morality that went with it.

Vist http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Gatsby for more information.

What The Bleep Do We Know?, the movie

It is one of the best movies shown in our English class. It is about the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what we consider to be our normal, waking reality.
Originally released in February 2004 in one theater in Yelm, Washington, What the BLEEP Do We Know!? went on to become the fifth highest grossing documentary in the United States, with ticket sales of $12 Million.
Shunned by all movie distributors, the producers set about distributing and marketing the movie themselves in a “proof of concept” strategy to show theater owners there was indeed a market for spiritually oriented films that catered to audiences’ intelligence, not their lowest common denominator.
Although rejected by every major film festival (Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, Cannes, etc...), What the BLEEP did get entered in five smaller festivals, and won in every one.
Here is one of my favorite quotes in the movie.
To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.- Copernicus

Visit their official website: http://www.whatthebleep.com/whatthebleep/

Weeping Camel, the movie

Cast
Janchiv Ayurzana
Chimed Ohin
Amgaabazar Gonson
Zeveljamz Nyam
Ikhbayar Amgaabazar
Odgerel Ayusch
Enkhbulgan Ikhbayar
Uuganbaatar Ikhbayar
Guntbaatar Ikhbayar

The Story of the Weeping Camel is a 2003 Mongolian documentary distributed by ThinkFilm. It was released internationally in 2004. The movie was directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni. The plot is about a family of nomadic shepherds in the Gobi desert trying to save the life of a rare white bactrian camel (Camelus bactrianus) calf after it was rejected by its mother. The documentary was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Documentary at the 77th Academy Awards.

Hanfu

Chinese movie films are very popular in Myanmar(Burma), especially the movie series about Han people who reigned over China before the conquest of Manchu. I love their traditional clothing, Hanfu, so I put this information on my blog.
Han Chinese clothing or Hanfu (Traditional Chinese: 漢服; Simplified Chinese: 汉服; pinyin: hànfú) refers to the historical clothing of the Han Chinese people, especially before conquest by the Manchus and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty in 1644. Some costumes commonly thought of as typically Chinese, such as the qipao, are the result of Manchu influence and are regarded by purist advocates as not being "traditionally" Han. Today, most Han Chinese wear western-style clothing in everyday life.
Han Chinese clothing is presently worn only as a part of historical reenactment, hobby, or cultural exercise, and can be frequently seen on Chinese television series, films and other forms of media entertainment. However, there is a movement in China and overseas Chinese communities to revive Han Chinese clothing in everyday life and incorporate in Chinese festivals or celebration.

For more information, Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanfu

G-string

I don't really want to put this on my blog but honestly I didn't know what a G-string is, until the short story "G-string" was read in the class. So I don't want this to happen to anyone and I decided to put this on the blog.
The G-string or thong is probably the earliest form of clothing known to mankind; having originated in the warmer climates of sub-Saharan Africa where clothing was first worn nearly 75,000 years ago. Many tribal peoples, such as some of the Khoisan people of southern Africa, wore thongs for many centuries. Much like the 2000-plus-year-old Japanese fundoshi, these early garments were made with the male genitalia in mind.
Although developed for the male anatomy by primitive peoples, in the modern West thongs are more often worn by females. They first gained mainstream popularity as swimwear in South America, particularly in Brazil in the 1970s. In Brazil, where the buttocks ("bunda" in Brazilian Portuguese slang) are especially admired and emphasized; it was originally a style of swimsuit whose rear area became so narrow that it would disappear between the wearer's buttocks. Female strippers and erotic dancers in the west have been wearing G-strings and thongs during their routines since the mid-1970s.

For more information, Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-string

Betel Nuts

I put this information on the blog because I had experience with betel nuts. Betel nut wraps are very popular in Myanmar (Burma). It is like a Myanmar traditional chewing gum which is mixed with betel nuts, lime and other ingredients. Once you chew it, betel juice comes out but u don't swallow it. You leave it in your mouth until you want to spit it out. It is as addictive as smoking cigarettes although it takes a very long time to prepare.

Betel nut, also known as Pinang or Areca nut, is the seed of the Betel Palm (Areca catechu). Betel nuts can be chewed for their effects as a mildly euphoric stimulant, attributed to the presence of relatively high levels of psychoactive alkaloids. Chewing betel nuts is an important and popular cultural activity in many Asian countries. It is also used as an offering in Hinduism.

In India (the largest consumer of betel nut), the betel nut is cut into small pieces using a special instrument called sarota, and the husk is wrapped in a "betel leaf" along with lime and may include clove, cardamom, catechu (kattha), etc. for extra flavouring. Betel leaf has a fresh, peppery taste, but, depending on the variety of betel pepper from which it comes, it can be very bitter. Experienced chewers might mix the betel nut with tobacco (the drug effect of the nicotine in tobacco resembles that of betel nut). This preparation of betel leaf with or without betel nut is commonly referred as paan in India and Pakistan, and is available everywhere.
Betel nut is also sold in ready-to-eat pouches called Pan Masala. It is a mixture of many spices whose primary base is betel nut crushed into very small pieces. Sometimes Pan Masala also includes a small quantity of tobacco, in this case, the product is called gutka.
Betel leaf is a different species of plant than the betel nut, and not in the areca family, but the Piper family (same as pepper and Kava).

For More Information, Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betel-Nut

Sticky rice cakes

In the short story "Reflection of Spring" by Duong Thu Huong
Sticky rice, known as xôi (cooked) or gao nep (uncooked) in Vietnamese, is most typically eaten during each full moon as offerings. It is also common during Tết, the Vietnamese New Year. It is often colored with food dye or cooked with mung beans. Vietnamese also prepare sticky rice cake (Banh Chung) and brew red sticky rice, resulting in an alcoholic beverage called "ruou nep than".
Go to this website for more details about other countries' traditions on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutinous_rice

Ogaden

Ogaden (pronounced and often spelled Ogadēn, Somali: Ogaaden) is a part of the Somali Region in Ethiopia. Sometimes known as "Abyssinian Somaliland," some locals refer to it as Ogadenia (Somali: Ogaadeeniya). The inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Somali and Muslim; The fact that the entire Somali region of Ethiopia is called "Ogadenia" by some is a cause of much friction in the region. As it is an area with a multi clan population. For this reason the titles "Somali Galbeed" and Somali State are the preferred terms.
The region, which is around 150,000 to 200,000 square kilometres, borders Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia, and has a population of 2,500,000 people. Important settlements include Degehabur, Gode, Jijiga, Kebri Dahar, Shilavo and Werder. The region is at the center of the volatile Horn of Africa.

Link for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogaden

Pygmy

Pygmies (singular: Pygmy) refers to various peoples of central Africa whose adults have an average height less than 5 feet (152 centimeters). The term is also sometimes applied to the so-called Negrito peoples of Asia.[1][2][3], and occasionally indiscriminately to individuals of unusually short stature.

Origin

A commonly held view is that the Pygmies are the original inhabitants of the central African rainforest, where they lived for millennia as hunters and gatherers before the arrival of Central Sudanic, Adamawa-Ubangian and Bantu-speaking agriculturists. This view is increasingly coming under challenge as there is no archaeological or biological evidence to directly link modern day Pygmies with the Late Stone Age peoples who lived in central Africa before the agriculturists arrived.[7] [8]
Some scientists assert that it is plausible that Pygmies are simply the descendants of Bantu or Adamawa-Ubangi speakers who took up forest dwelling at some point in the past, considering that genetically there is no evidence that Pygmies are distinct from other Africans. Similarly – linguistically and culturally, Pygmies cannot be considered more distinctive from other central Africans.

Check out this link for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy

Canadian Club

Brand of Canadian whisky made since 1858 by Hiram Walker and Sons. Canadian Club is a brand of whisky from Canada. Better known as C.C., Canadian Club began production in 1858 when it was established by Mr. Hiram Walker, back then it was known as Walker’s Club Whiskey. 150 years on it is the best selling Canadian whisky brand outside of North America and is sold in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Visit this website: http://www.canadianclubwhisky.com

Peyton Place

This expression is used in the short story "My Mother's Memoirs, My Father's Lie, and Other True Stories" - Russell Banks. It is a novel by Grace Metalious.
Selling sixty thousand copies within the first ten days of its release, it was publishing's second "blockbuster," (following Gone with the Wind in 1936) and remained on the New York Times best seller list for fifty-nine weeks. The main plot follows the lives of three women - lonely and repressed Constance Mackenzie, her illegitimate daughter Allison, and her employee Selena Cross, a girl from "across the tracks" - and how they come to terms with their identity as women and sexual beings in a small New England town. Hypocrisy, social inequities, and class privilege are recurring themes in a tale that includes incest, abortion, adultery, lust, and murder. Peyton Place has become an expression used to describe any place with sordid secrets. It was referenced in the 1968 song "Harper Valley PTA" by Tom T. Hall and Billy Joel's 1989 song "We Didn't Start the Fire."
Link for more details: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peyton_Place_%28novel%29

Sushi

Although it is very common for everyone, I think sushi is something good to put on the blog.

In Japanese cuisine, sushi (寿司, sushi?) is a food made of vinegared rice combined with various toppings or fillings, especially seafood, but also vegetables, mushrooms, eggs, or meat. Most, but not all, fish used in sushi is raw; other ingredients may be cooked, blanched, sauteed, or marinated.
Sushi as an English word has come to refer to the complete dish (rice together with toppings); this is the sense used in this article. The original term Japanese: 寿司 sushi (-zushi in some compounds such as makizushi), written with kanji (Chinese characters) means snack and refers to the rice, not the fish or other toppings.

History

Sushi originates from the practice of preserving fish by fermenting it in rice for months, a tradition which can be traced back to Southeast Asia, specifically the Mekong River section of Indochina. The fermented fish and rice dish still exists today as Pla Som in Thailand, Som Pa in Laos and Ngachin in Burma, all meaning "sour tasting fish". There are no known names for this dish in Chinese or Korean, indicating a likely southeast Asian route of introduction into Japan along with Southeast Asian rice.

Modern Japanese-adopted sushi evolved to have little resemblance to this original Southeast Asian cuisine. When the fermented fish was taken out to be eaten, only the fish was eaten - the rice was discarded. The strong-tasting narezushi which is made near Lake Biwa resembles the traditional fermented dish. Starting in the Muromachi Period (1336–1573) in Japan, rice vinegar was added to the mixture. This accentuated the sourness of the dish and increased its life span, while allowing the fermentation process to be shortened and eventually abandoned.

URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi

Kimono

Kimono (着物, Kimono? literally "something worn", i.e., "clothes") are the traditional garments of Japan. Originally kimono indicated all types of clothing, but it has come to mean specifically the full-length traditional garment worn by women, men, and children. Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and full-length sleeves. The sleeves are commonly very wide at the wrist, as much as a half meter. Traditionally, on special occasions unmarried women wear kimono (furisode) with extremely long sleeves that extend almost to the floor. The robe is wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (it is only wrapped with the right side over the left when dressing the deceased for burial[1]) and secured by a wide belt (obi) tied in the back. Kimono are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially geta, thonged wood-platform footwear; and zori, a type of thong-like footwear) and split-toe socks (tabi). Beneath the outer kimono, another shorter kimono (nagajuban) is worn next to the skin.

URL:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono

Osama, the movie

This is the movie about the era of Taliban Regime in Afganistan. It is the first entirely shot in Afghan film shot since the rise and fall of the Taliban.
The Cast:
Marina Golbarhari
Khwaja Nader
Arif Herati
Zubaida Sahar
Hamida Rafah
Gol Rahman Ghorbandi
Presented by: MGM Home Entertainment

The movie is based on a true story. It has many symbolic expressions in the movie. One scene is that when the wedding changed into a funeral. It symbolizes the conditions the people have been suffering which actually could turn a wedding into a funeral because the Talibans. Another good symbolic expression is the jump-roping scene that comes into while she was imprisoned. That shows that the only thing she has for fun is jump-roping. Everything she can think about her life experience is jump-roping.
This movie is a great movie to learn to appreciate our lives. It doesn't have a happy ending but it does not matter because not everything is garanteed to have a happy ending.

Fugu

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Tetraodontiformes
Family: Tetraodontidae
Genus: TakifuguAbe, 1949

Takifugu is a genus of pufferfish, often better known by the Japanese name fugu (Japanese: 河豚, literally "river pig"). There are 25 species belonging to the genus Takifugu, which can be found worldwide from about 45° latitude north to 45° latitude south, mostly in salt water, but sometimes also in fresh water or brackish water. Their diet consists mostly of algae, mollusks, invertebrates and sometimes crustaceans. The fish defend themselves by inflating their bodies to several times normal size and by poisoning their predators. These defenses allow the fish to actively explore their environment without much fear of being attacked.
The fish is highly toxic, but despite this — or perhaps because of it — it is considered a delicacy in Japan. The fish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the internal organs, especially the liver and the ovaries, but also in the skin and the testicles. Therefore, only specially licensed chefs can prepare and sell fugu to the public, and the consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. But because small amounts of the poison give a special desired sensation on the tongue, these parts are considered the most delicious by some gourmets. Every year a number of people die because they underestimate the amount of poison in the consumed fish parts.
The poison paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. There is currently no antidote, and the standard medical approach is to try to support the respiratory and circulatory system until the effect of the poison wears off. The fish is also featured prominently in Japanese art and culture.

Hello everyone...

I am one of the comrades in the international class (Eng 017). Our Leader of the comrades is Ms. Diane Sweet. Long Live our leader!!!!! Long Live our English class!!!!!

The army of Wentworth.....

Sg. Aung P. Soe

Just messing around... :)