Singapore Slingshot: Adventures of an American Expat in Asia

Author: Mark Nickerson

Language: English

Summary: In the summer of 2006, author Mark Nickerson was in his midthirties, still fresh-eyed and unchanged by life as a foreigner when he and his wife, Gwen, were granted an opportunity to relocate to Singapore. It was to be a two-year assignment. They stayed for five.

In Singapore Slingshot, he presents a collection of anecdotes on living as an expat in Singapore and his travels through nineteen countries over three job changes. Brutally honest in his opinions, he managed to keep a sense of humor as he often struggled and occasionally succeeded in establishing his life as an expat. Nickerson offers a glimpse not only beyond what can be taught in books about conducting business in high-growth Asian economies but also at a level much different than what is shown in the often sugarcoated and tourist-centric travel guides.

Singapore Slingshot paints a vivid picture of what it’s like living and learning on the fly in one of the most dynamic and diverse regions of the world. Both humorous and poignant, Nickerson’s tales of living in Asia are ultimately a reflection of a much more personal internal journey every expat eventually takes. He saw his life change in ways he couldn’t have imagined while the experience gave him a much different view of the world and his place in it. Source: amazon.com

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Travails of a trailing spouse

Author: Stephanie Suga Chen 

Language: English

Summary: From the author: “A Straits Times fiction bestselling novel, Travails of a Trailing Spouse begins with Sarah, a lawyer in the US, quitting her job and moving to Singapore with her husband and children. They become part of a close-knit group of expatriates and enjoy evenings filled with Trivia Nights and drinks. When cracks appear in this seemingly perfect world, Sarah and her friends discover how complicated and varied life can be.”

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Olivia & Sophia

Author: Rosie Milne 

Language: English

Summary: Set in London, Java, Sumatra, Penang, Malacca and Singapore, this historical novel takes the form of two diaries of Sir Stamford Raffles’ two wives: Olivia and Sophia. When Raffles sets sail from the cold, damp confines of Georgian London to make his name and fortune in the tropics, he takes with him his new wife, Olivia, a raffish beauty with a scandalous past. She infatuates both his closest friend, a poet, and one of his bitterest rivals, a soldier. Raffles sees what is going on, but he turns a blind eye – or so hopes Olivia. After Olivia’s death, and back on leave in London, Raffles, a man once again in need of a wife, makes a practical marriage. Sophia, no beauty, but curious and intelligent, embraces the opportunity of an exciting life abroad. Marriage brings her great joy but also great sadness. Her life with Raffles becomes a catalogue of loss: of their children, of their possessions, of their savings. And all the while, Raffles, driven and talented, manoeuvres at the centre of global networks of power, trade, politics and diplomacy. His scheming culminates, to his eventual glory, with the founding of a new trading post: Singapore.

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Olivia & Sophia, a novel by Rosie Milne

Olivia & Sophia, The adventures of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, the remarkable founder of Singapore as seen through the eyes of his two wives – a novel by Rosie Milne. A while ago I visited the botanic gardens in Bogor, Indonesia, with a group of friends. At one point we came across a monument that Raffles (the founder of modern Singapore) had built upon the … Continue reading Olivia & Sophia, a novel by Rosie Milne

Sarong Party Girls: a novel

Author: Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan

Language: English

Summary: A brilliant and utterly engaging novel—Emma set in modern Asia—about a young woman’s rise in the glitzy, moneyed city of Singapore, where old traditions clash with heady modern materialism.

On the edge of twenty-seven, Jazzy hatches a plan for her and her best girlfriends: Sher, Imo, and Fann. Before the year is out, these Sarong Party Girls will all have spectacular weddings to rich ang moh—Western expat—husbands, with Chanel babies (the cutest status symbols of all) quickly to follow. Razor-sharp, spunky, and vulgarly brand-obsessed, Jazzy is a determined woman who doesn’t lose.

As she fervently pursues her quest to find a white husband, this bombastic yet tenderly vulnerable gold-digger reveals the contentious gender politics and class tensions thrumming beneath the shiny exterior of Singapore’s glamorous nightclubs and busy streets, its grubby wet markets and seedy hawker centers. Moving through her colorful, stratified world, she realizes she cannot ignore the troubling incongruity of new money and old-world attitudes which threaten to crush her dreams. Desperate to move up in Asia’s financial and international capital, will Jazzy and her friends succeed?

Vividly told in Singlish—colorful Singaporean English with its distinctive cadence and slang—Sarong Party Girls brilliantly captures the unique voice of this young, striving woman caught between worlds. With remarkable vibrancy and empathy, Cheryl Tan brings not only Jazzy, but her city of Singapore, to dazzling, dizzying life. Source: amazon.com

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Master the art of life: a 21-day journey from zero to hero

Author: Anh Thu Nguyen and Simone Micheletti

Language: English

Summary: What makes a hero? Is it superpowers? Is it super strength or superior intellect? Or is it the ability to be unafraid in the face of impending danger? Can someone who is scared of failing ever be a hero? There’s a hero inside every one of us, just waiting to break free from the shackles of self-doubt, with the courage to face our fears head-on. Master The Art Of Life will take you on a 21-day journey of personal growth and transformation to become the hero of your own life. Make your dreams into reality and learn how to overcome the hurdles that are stopping you from believing in yourself and achieving the success you’ve always wanted. Find effective strategies for staying motivated and remaining faithful to your Mission and Vision. Make the most of your skills, knowledge and potential. You will find success stories and advice by entrepreneurs from Singapore, Switzerland and Italy: Cayden Chang, Claudia Landini, Royal Frenz, Jia En Teo and Federico Folcia, Lucia Giovannini, Cecilia Sardeo and Ryan Vannin. The difference between a zero and a hero is just one letter. Be that difference! ABOUT THE AUTHORS Anh Thu Nguyen is a trainer, coach (ACC) certified by the International Federation of Coaching and founder of ThreeSixtySkills Pte. Ltd. Anh connects with people all over the world, helping them make changes in their lives and achieve their desired success. Simone Micheletti is an internal audit manager, with a passion for personal growth, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and hypnosis. His goals are to excel in both his personal and professional environments, and to help others to access their fullest potential. – Source: Amazon.com

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