being a pragmatic male, i once confessed to min, incidentally also an english teacher, that i don't see the point in teaching our youth to write narratives as all the firepower should be concentrated on getting them to write coherent argumentative essays. that's how draining i think my job sometimes is. haha.

min instantly pooh-poohed the sentiment. "it evokes imagination," she defended. ok, but really, what good is imagination in the real world anyway?

spent some time during the Nepal trip reading "The Royal Ghosts" and "Tilled Earth" by two different Nepali-descent authors. they craft such beautifully sensitive stories of Nepali people that i feel guilty for my self-indulgent blog posts. the emphasis on Me. Me. Me. bleah. where has my soul gone?

i suddenly remembered that a great part of why i liked the english language in my secondary years, despite being a cheena, is because i enjoyed spinning stories. i can't draw; i don't play musical instruments; i always write on discussion topics for Chinese essays. English writing became the only avenue in which i could explore realities outside my realm of experience. it was something that i relished back then.

along the way, i have forgotten about this. wah pianz. how could i sia?

in a bid to explore realities around me again:

why Nepali men don't smile

he shrugs
his shoulders.

he, the dismissed
trishaw puller
hovering already
before Kathmandu Guest House,
before the city awakens
and blares its horns
to protest its oppressive life.

"Namaste"
"I give you ride round city?"

his plea is lost
in the swerve of bodies;
the tourists have
focused their eye
on colourful souvenirs
to conquer.

only his fellow pullers
hear him.
oftentimes, they
chit-chat to pass time.
are they sighing about
how hard to get money?
are they hopeful about
their new Republic?

perhaps they don't know themselves,
for their life
is as roller-coaster as
the elusive nice tourist
who hands them a fat tip.

"Namaste"
"I give you ride round city?'
another tourist
avoids him.

he shrugs
his shoulders.