personal upate aug 2010 – “where’s home?”
its been ages since ive posted. surgexperiences has not yet a proper ending. i have to chase up life in a fast lane dr mike cadogan who has agreed to give it a final bang; he actually emailed me to ask if i needed help so that is very heartening given he is a senior consultant in emergency medicine in australia and a great student educator (in fact im reading one of his textbooks at the moment – on call) these are the moments in blogging life that you actually grasp the reality that behind these online profiles and avatars are real people, good hearted and friends in real life. the blogging expo brought together the prominent medical bloggers and im sure they were really happy to finally meet one another. i will finally meet my online boss dr adam kushner from surgeons overseas later on in the year at the ACS. this is exciting.
meanwhile, i am back in singapore enjoying the tropical climate and trying to absorb what has changed and what hasn’t. singapore is undergoing a revolution-transformation. we recently had 2 casino / resorts open, the Youth Olympics just concluded yesterday, the F1 night city circuit (one of its kind) will come soon, OK no i do not work for the Singapore Tourism Board.singapore definitely has much more buzz about it compared to just 45 years ago when it was merely a sleepy fishing town … we have come far in 45 years to become one of the richest cities / countries in the world. we are not in the OECD countries however (not sure why so). we are open and welcoming to all foreigners and in fact sometimes the citizens feel that the government does not exhibit enough protectionist policies.
on a personal level, time back in singapore is always great because i think i feel back home. the concept of where home is has been in my mind recently. What’s home? Familiar sights, smells, food, language, people? Or wherever your loved ones are? or is it wherever you were born and spent the majority of your life in? i spent 20 years of my life in Singapore – completing my pre-tertiary education and serving a 2-year conscript requirement. i spent 5 years in melbourne pursuing my medical degree. it is no wonder i feel more home in singapore. however, if i spend the next 30 years in another country, will that place be my new home? what about people who spend time in multiple countries multiple years? is home where your citizenship lies?
(by the way, singapore does not allow dual citizenship, though you are welcome to be a permanent resident of as many as countries as you wish.. but did you know also that the ministers are not allowed to have a PR-ship elsewhere?? perhaps as a show of patriotism )
i guess what im saying is, i am not sure where my future lies. neither does my significant other. we just know we should be together. the big day isnt far away n i do not anticipate it exceeds 2013. i wonder to myself, if i send invites to my blogger “friends”, would they come to visit this tiny island and share in my joy? 
