Irrawaddy

We can’t survive without water. Therefore, water is essential for our daily lives. We can get water from natural water resources such as ground waters, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers and seas. We never use sea water for drinking because of its salty taste. In order to solve our daily water consumption, we move to the nearest places to the natural water resources to get the portable water. That is why the numerous villages, towns and cities are established beside the lakes, streams, rivers and seas. Besides that, Myanmar is an agricultural country. Therefore, water is elemental for growing plants and crops.
There are four main rivers flowing across the country. The biggest and famous river is called the “Irrawaddy River”.
How much Irrawaddy means to people of Myanmar?
Irrawaddy is a remarkable landmark in Myanmar. It is a very useful main waterway for trading the goods from North to South in the country. Many people are utilizing the Irrawaddy River for their various livelihood activities such as fishing, swimming, sailing, trading, and daily water consumption and so on. Not many think about paying back to her.
Whenever I am thinking about Irrawaddy, I frequently recognize that “Things are to be used. People are to be loved.” Randy Pausch said. These two statements remind us to think what we should prioritize in our lives. We have many various priorities. Most of them are stemmed from our egos and self-center thinking. We always fail to think for those who are always with us in good times and bad times.
Irrawaddy is not a normal river. By the courtesy of the mighty Irrawaddy, crops have flourished, fortunes have been made, glistening palaces and Temples built, courageous and heroic souls are kept at peace in the course of Myanmar’s history.
If there is no Irrawaddy in near future, for sure, millions of Myanmar people will suffer. In a way, we have to survive as if we all are in the desert.

Uncertainty of Life

The title of the painting is “The Scream”. Yes. I also screamed when I saw it. Why did I scream?
I am not interested in painting: not only to paint by myself but also to look up the others’ paintings. I never ever think that I will be asked for my views over a painting. Now, it will be a part of my learning chain. That is why I screamed with surprise.
I made my first sight to the painting with my ego; getting to know faster its meaning by myself before speaks out itself. I looked it up several times and was searching for its meaning why the painting was called - “The Scream”. The more I concentrated in trying to get the point, the more I got digressed from its true meaning. Another important aspect I've noticed is the use of color in the painting which really irritated my vision and made me uncomfortable. The painter used plenty of colors in it. I lost my control. To calm down, I took a deep breath and counted from 1 to 10. And then I looked up the painting again. I did not try to literally translate the painting the way I wanted but wen with the flow.
The painter illustrated his whole painting with a lot of colors. I think he chose the wavy painting to reflect the situation of the location and also used the different colors to clearly know about the conditions happening in his painting. He well shaped emotional statement and response of human being when he saw the horrible situation approaching towards him to be killed.
It is just a painting but it can say a thousand words to us. We can touch it and feel it. The message I got from his painting is the uncertainty of life. Nobody knows when, where and how we will die in near future.