Life to the very basics- Part 1

While I am an average Singaporean kid, I hit the books when I need to, I "kiasu" and "kiasi" a lot, will "chope" seat with tissue packet, yadda yadda, I'll still say I'm a more than average global citizen.

We, in this island country that flourished in the 1890s and then rapidly urbanized to our garden city-state status, are extremely privileged people. We are given equal opportunity to gain quality education, have a concrete roof over our heads, access to clean water and food to eat.

Sure enough, Singaporeans are lucky in this sense.

My father, whose interactions with me and my siblings though few and far apart, almost always will aim to teach us of humans humblest beginning and values. For someone who rarely travels with the family, the unexpected adventurous trip of 2012 sparked a new milestone of our family relations. Over the course of 8 days, we were immersed in the beauty of one of the simplest ways of life in rural Nepal, on what we call "Tram no. 11", also known as the human limbs.

While it has been two years, I am writing this to the future as a memory keepsake, to pen down my thoughts on this queer trip that has sparked my love for more adrenaline in these few years.

My father encouraged me today, to no longer pen down my thoughts just on my snowflake-decorated diary, but on a blog, where it will not be as easily rid of as a unimpressive clump of paper in the later years. True, my relationship with my father is not the best, but after reading his blog, I realised that this may just be our other way of communication. Yes, it's not the simplest way of living, technology is not the basics of human life, but it is still fundamental for global development. To live life to the simplest in developed states just won't happen, but no one can say one cannot make their life simpler or even learn from those who survive on the bare necessities in their own simple way of life.

My thoughts here will simply
be my thoughts. To check out the 8 days we spent to the fullest in Nepal, do check out my father's posts on the trips at Memoir of a Doctor for Day 1 and onwards, if you are interested to gain a comical, light-hearted insight on trekking in Nepal. I'll say this here, no regrets. And hopefully, this one time will not be my last time in the mountains of Nepal.

Freshly in. I'm on the very left. Day 1

Worn feet with not so fresh yak dung on the soles. Day 8

Singlish dictionary (will come in handy if you come across blogs by Singaporean authors:) )

• Kiasu  --  Hokkien adjective literally meaning, "afraid of losing". A highly pejorative description beloved of Singaporeans. Possibly our defining national characteristic. The nearest English equivalent is "dog in a manger", though even that is pretty mild.
• Kiasi --  Hokkien term literally meaning, "afraid of death". Used to admonish someone for being cowardly.
• Chope --To reserve or hold something for somebody

Letter from the sixteen-year- old me

Dear 20 year-old Amberg132,

I believe by now I'm in my second year of university in the Medical Faculty of National University of Singapore, if not, ending my first year. And even if not, I hope that I have found happiness and stability by then. As I read this, I will recall this rebellious, emotionally curious year that is unusually eventful and actually really crucial. and hopefully, I will not regret that I may not have studied enough for my nine subjects. By now, I guess I will be looking for love, but this naive heart of ours will be easily deceived. While the promise to best friend forever, Qing will be broken as she heads off for Australia on her own, this choice to further my studies locally will not be something I will linger on. Still, as a 20 year-old, please keep in touch with her so that you will not go nuts.

TTYL <3

Love,
The 16 year-old Amberg132