Review: Return to a Sexy Island

Neil Humphreys' got balls.

Only he could look at Singapore's gleaming Marina Bay waterfront and declare that it has, quite disconcertingly, "the most impressive phallic symbol in Asia" tucked in its midst.

Leave it to Humphreys and his acute observations to conjure up imagery like that. And there are plenty more in this, his latest book.

One of the funniest ang mohs to grace this island, thanks to his Notes From Singapore titles, Humphreys returns with more witty accounts -- this time of "New Singapore".

It has been five years since the Brit left for Australia. And since then, casinos, eco-friendly public housing and heartland waterways have sprouted. Humphreys decided it was time to return and explore what's new; and no beer-swigging gambling auntie, toy gun-toting fisherman or gahmen-fearing security guard was going to stop him.

Beginning at, where else, Marina Bay Sands (MBS), he goes on a clockwise journey around the island to see the sexiest bits of New Singapore. Never mind the heat, mud and rain, Humphreys gamely walks, cycles and takes the bus and MRT.

Dubbed "Neil's Return to Singapore Tour", readers will go on a delightful adventure as he walks through the Rail Corridor, treks through Chek Jawa with his daughter and relives his childhood at Universal Studios. He then muses on "legendary brothel" Goodwood Park Hotel, goes on a hilarious bike ride down East Coast, and gets lost in Tuas.

Then there are the less glittering but equally important places - The Singapore FreePort, Punggol Waterway, the Southern Ridges, and erm, Aljunied GRC. Even a mud-sodden hike through the mangroves could not prevent him from seeing the historic Pier (a crumbling colonial seafront bungalow) in Lim Chu Kang.

Humphreys has visited places many Singaporeans have never been to, have not had the chance to see, or are simply unaware of - and yet he manages to tell stories with a critical eye, affection and warmth. Toilet jokes aside (and there are quite a few), we have an eye-opening account of a country at a crossroads between old (Bukit Brown cemetery) and new (MBS and the like).

With this, Humphreys has produced a guide book, history lesson and a unique perspective of our little dot. If that is not sexy, I'm not sure what is. - Seah Nida