2018, December, Honeymoon Trip
Hpa-An City
Oo and Pan Che stayed at Parami motel in Hpa-An because one of their local friends suggested it. Last night, they slept well after having dinner. This morning they woke up early. Actually, Pan Che woke Oo up to see the beauty of the morning.
They both walked up to the veranda of the motel and from it, the panoramic view of Hpa-An was rather striking, with the rising rays of the Sun. They did not speak to others while they were enjoying the scenery.
The rays were spreading gradually across the sky and painting it with many beautiful colors while the Zwel Ka Bin Mountain stood against the colorful sky so that viewers seemed lost in its beauty and attraction.
Both of them inhaled cool wind across the mountain. They noticed the main road called Bogyoke Road was crossing the city from north to south on which photoshops, vinyl shops, handset shops, and restaurants lied. But, few
2018, December, Cloud Art Gallery, Chinatown, YangonLin called Oo and he said that they would come back to Yangon in two days. Lin was sure that Oo must be very happy on his honeymoon trip because he sensed much felicity in Oo’s voice when he talked to Lin.At that time, a call came in and Lin picked it up. In fact, it was Eli who called Lin said that she would need some favor from Lin. One of her friends who came back from Singapore wanted to open a new art gallery in the downtown area. She wanted Lin to cover the opening ceremony of the gallery.Eli said, “Lin, do me a favor. I want you to write a review on a new art gallery of my friend. He is looking for a freelance writer to write for his gallery. Can you do it for me?”Lin thought for a while and he replied, “Sure, Eli. I will. When should I meet him at his gallery?”Eli said, “He will open his gallery coming Tuesday morning at 9:30. You c
2018, December, Yangon Book Plaza, Chinatown, YangonLin hurriedly went up the stairs to the fifth floor of Than Zay (Iron Bazaar) to reach Yangon Book Plaza. The bazaar was situated in Chinatown. The plaza housed book shops, publishing houses, recreation areas, and coffee shops.Actually, the plaza had a playground for children, souvenir shops, a restaurant, two big book shops, bookstalls, an entertainment platform, vintage bookstalls, an English-language bookshop, and other public spaces. It opened daily from 10 am to 9 pm.The plaza was the first of its kind, not only in Myanmar but also in Southeast Asia. It served as a place not only to sell books but to provide other services, including recreation areas where books could be read free of charge.The idea was initiated by late writer Min Lu, who wanted to open a book supermarket. His dream had now come true. They also held literary talks and invited schoolchildren.. .
2018, December, Lokanat Gallery, YangonOn Monday of the third week of December, the new editor John called Lin to attend and cover the art exhibition at Lokanat Gallery on Pansodan Street. When the call came in, Lin was about to leave his home for the office.Lin was supposed to meet Oo and Pan Che but their trip had not finished because they continued their trip to Dawei. So, Lin would meet them in a few days.He heard the editor’s voice and he noted down what he had to carry out for the day. Apart from covering the art exhibition, he also needed to go to write a review on the photo exhibition at National Museum.His adrenaline was surging because of the job’s assignment. Instead of taking a bus, Lin hailed a cab and told the cab driver to take him to Lokanat Gallery at the corner of Pansodan Street and Merchant Road.When he arrived at the gallery, he paid the fare and the taxi left him. Lin easily walked up the crea
2018, December, Dawei City, Thanintharyi DivisionOn the last night of their honeymoon trip, Pan Che was nagging and so, Oo was vexed. They stopped talking to each other, carrying sullen faces. Oo sensed that if he persisted in vexation, it was wrong, and he could settle the problem. So, Oo yielded and asked her the cause of being sour-minded.Then, she explained with pouted lips that she did not want to go back to Yangon. Instead, Pan Che insisted that she wanted to go down to Dawei to visit the famous Maung Ma Kan Beach in Dawei, and so, Oo had to agree with her plan.On the next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, both of them went to the Mawlamyine bus terminal to wait for an express bus for Dawei. When they reached the bus terminal compound, they found several people waiting for their respective buses while vendors were shouting out their local products to them. Some passengers were going back to Yangon and some were continuing their tri
2018, December, Chatrium Hotel, YangonLin was longing to meet his friend Oo and Pan Che who would be back on the morning of Christmas Day. When he called them, they said that they were now in Dawei and they would take tomorrow’s morning flight to fly back to Yangon.These days he had several assignments and appointments because the editor John told him that their media company would publish a weekly journal soon. He was happy for being busy but he thought that he would have less time to meet friends.At that time, a phone call came in and he picked up to hear Eli’s voice. Eli said, “Lin, it’s Eli. Are you free this evening around 7 p.m? I would like to go to a classical music concert at Chatrium Hotel. Can you accompany me there?”When Eli called, Lin was sitting at his writing desk and he was about to finish his last article on contemporary Myanmar art. He quickly replied, “Sure, Eli. I am free this e
2018, December, downtown YangonLast night, when he came back from the classical music concert at Chatrium Hotel, Lin could not sleep well because he was thinking about Eli. He thought that he had fallen in love with her. But, he could not reveal his real feelings to her because he thought that their friendship could be ruined if he disclosed his feeling towards her.He was rolling over the bed, sighing several times. He thought that he should talk it with Oo who would be back in Yangon tomorrow after their honeymoon trip. He wondered what Oo would say about that. He felt a little bit worried because if things went wrong, he could lose friends.Finally, an idea entered his head and he sat upon his bed before he went over to his table. He picked up a pen and wrote a poem. He felt that his feelings were dripping into the tip of the pen. It took nearly half an hour to finish the poem that he intended to give Eli.He felt satisfied now. At ab
2018, December, New Year’s Eve, YangonOn the cab, Eli was thinking about Lin who gave her a poem on Christmas Night. She looked around to see Lin who was standing and waving at her at the corner. On the way home, she was so excited that she did not remember the time when she got home.On that night, she could not sleep well after reading the poem. It was so well-written and it could express the real feeling of Lin towards her. She was reflecting when she got firstly met Lin. Pan Che introduced her to Lin who was energetic and hard-working.She also liked his style and his relentless endeavor. She read the poem again and again until her eyes seemed droopy and finally, she slept. In the dream, she saw Lin who smiled down at him while he was extending his hand that she grasped.Soon, they were in a park, all beautiful flowers around them with butterflies flapping their colorful wings while both of them were enjoying the sceneries. At
2019, January, A Trip to MandalayIn the first week of January, Lin’s uncle U Thein Lwin told Lin that he would go to Mandalay and he would like Lin to accompany him. They would go there by train. Lin called Eli and Oo that he would go on a trip to Mandalay on the second week of January and he would be back in three or four days.He told them that he would bring Htoe Mote (a kind of Myanmar delicacy) and Lapet (picked tea leaves) for them as souvenirs. Eli said Lin should take care of his health and she would come to see him off at the train station. Later, Lin called his editor John and explained to him that he would also visit some interesting places in Mandalay and he would contribute some stories of them to the journal after his trip. His editor agreed and so, Lin felt quite happy.. . .On the day when Lin left for Mandalay, at the train station, Eli arrived and saw him off. His uncle U Thein Lwin asked him wh