Final Notes from a Great Island: A Farewell Tour of Singapore by Neil Humphreys

by Neil Humphreys

The country's best-selling author is back. After a decade in Singapore, Neil Humphreys has decide to move on to the land Down Under because he really wanted to spend time living among the world s most poisonous snakes and roo poo. But the British writer didn t want to leave the island he fell in love with 10 years ago without taking one final, 'kaypoh' look around the place. Embarking on a farewell tour from his Toa Payoh home, Humphreys vowed to explore Singapore as he did when he first arrived, on foot and unaware, taking in his favourite places, the 'ulu' haunts, the green spots, the clean parts and the dirty bits; the nation's underbelly and its belly dancers. From Sentosa to Sembawang, Choa Chu Kang to Changi, St John's Island to Johor (he got a bit carried away), Humphreys treks, cycles and even hitchhikes his way across this great island, encountering murderous dogs, dead cats, wild crocodiles, mad cyclists, terrifying transvestites, persistent prostitutes and half-naked ice cream vendors. Humphreys' unique tour take in the glorious countryside of Lim Chu Kang, the serene beaches of Kusu Island, the history of Changi, the pristine public toilets of Raffles Hotel and the mating couples of Mount Faber to prove, once and for all, that there is so much more to Singapore than shopping malls. Honest, insightful and always funny, "Final Notes From a Great Island" is a warm, uplifting tribute to Singapore and every Singaporean (and tourist, employment pass holder and permanent resident for that matter) should read it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Humor

Paperback

First published June 29, 2006

About the author

Neil Humphreys is a British humour columnist and author of three best-selling books about Singapore - Notes From an Even Smaller Island (2001), Scribbles from the Same Island (2003) and Final Notes from a Great Island (2006). The last of these was on Singapore's bestsellers list for several consecutive weeks, proving the popularity of his writings among Singaporeans. His latest book in this series - Return to a Sexy Island - was released in June 2012.

Brought up in Dagenham, London, England, Humphreys arrived in Singapore in 1996 and had initially planned on staying in Singapore for only 3 months. However, he instantly fell in love with the island-state and decided to settle there. Humphreys has always lived in Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats in Toa Payoh, a public housing estate in central Singapore, despite moving twice. Although he is a foreigner, he has chosen to assimilate himself into the Singapore culture through living in HDB flats, eating at local kopitiams and trying out many things that the locals do. He often pokes fun at Western expatriates working in Singapore by comparing their living habits with his own, criticising them for their aloofness from the local society and their extravagant lifestyles.

Reviews

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank Christ I'm finished with this author. Great to read a travelogue of Singapore but the author does my head in. I can't recommend the second and third of the trilogy to anyone but they have given me a few hidden bits of Singapore to check out. But basically the author has a massive chip on his shoulder about being working class. Good to know he's back in Singapore with a kid at an international school. Does that sit well with his Toa Payoh Singaporean upbringing??

[Xin Ru Toh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a humorous travelogue in which the author went on a tour around Singapore at the end of his 10 years' stay as an expat in the country. It was very interesting to see the parallels drawn between his childhood in Dagenham, London, England, 1996 Singapore, and 2006 Singapore. Similar to what he had done in his first book "Notes From An Even Smaller Island" (and unlike the second book "Scribbles From The Same Island" which was a more half-hearted compilation of newspaper columns), the author made many witty remarks and meaningful observations. In particular, he highlighted the nation's obsession with development and modernisation, often at the expense of our heritage and nature. This point was made all the more poignant given that, as a Singaporean reading this book in 2020, I could no longer recognise the 2006 version of Singapore that he described. In that sense, I would say that this travelogue is a precious and nostalgic snapshot of a Singapore that will never return (a farewell indeed). I only wish he had inserted photographs in an appendix.

[Lulu Rahman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ask any foreigner on the street for their opinion on Singapore and you’ll always get the same answers – it’s a good place for investment, it’s clean, orderly and safe but extremely boring. So it was refreshing to come across Neil Humphreys’ Final Notes. Here is your typical English bloke (read: someone you can easily find at Harry’s Bar off Boat Quay) who writes sentimentally about Singapore, marvelling at its uniqueness and efficiency.

Final Notes is the third in a trilogy of Humphreys’ books on Singapore. This time, he decided to go on foot so he can explore every tiny nooks and crannies in parts of Singapore that even the most patriotic locals are not aware of. He travelled 27 km and vowed to never leave out a single forest, park or nature trail. Along the way, he met up with interesting characters that readers can straightaway identify with. You may not know these people personally but as you read his description of them, you will chuckle as you realise it could have well been your nosy neighbour or the eccentric uncle in your family. He wrote about the environment, our heritage and history that you may have read in school textbooks or newspaper but never would have the time to experience first-hand.

Living in affluent Singapore, I sometimes tend to take things for granted. Though most may be in good working order but being the typical Singaporean that I am, I tend to obsess over the miniscule of things that go wrong. Believe me, after reading this book, I was so ashamed for not being appreciative of my own country. While one may dismiss this as light humour writing, it is actually insightful and deep. Every time he visited another interesting ulu site, I cowered even more in shame for not knowing it even existed. It’s like he’s chiding us for not taking time-off from our hectic schedule to really look around and appreciate what we have yet there won’t be any ill-feeling as Humphreys is smart enough to stray from being too preachy.

Formerly a reporter with Today newspaper with his own column, Humphreys have since left Singapore to seek greener pastures down under bringing with him his beloved wife and his unique brand of humour. Nonetheless, it’s heart-warming to find a foreigner that sees and loves Singapore for what she really is and beyond what she can offer economically. So thank you, Mr Humphreys, for nudging us off from our highchair and goodbye. You’re welcome back any time!

[Iva Tarle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it...

I have been living in South East Asia for 4 years, in Indonesia. I travel to Singapore for work a lot.
This book showed me a real Singapore, the flesh and blood behind the expats condos, Orchard Road glamour and business mask the city loves to wear. I love his humor too, very sarcastic and trough his humor he speaks a lot about attitudes of expats towards behavior of locals and vice versa. Those are real issues and stereotypes, which are very present in every day life in these regions. The fact that he openly discusses it and bluntly puts it out there with humor, just makes it easier for us expats to bear and acknowledge that cultural differences do exist and shouldn't be put under the rug, but openly discussed.

Also, i enjoyed that Humphreys discussed the history of each place and socio political momentum.
It is extremely hard to access knowledge about South East Asian history, people's behavior. Information about it is not accessible as in Europe, where i come from. In Europe we live surrounded by history and learn in schools and are constantly reminded in the newspapers. In SE Asia, as an expat its hard to get to the cultural heart of things and understand motivation behind people's behavior. Especially, because the region is a melting pot of various religions, languages and ethnicities which have intermixed throughout history. From Hindu and Buddhist ancient traditions, trough Arab influences trough middle ages, to colonial influences and second world war. This region is an economic marvel, but also a wonderful cultural melange to explore where religious practices and mysticism are deeply imbedded in every day life....

Now i am inspired to write an entire article about this :)

[Kathy Chung · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reviewed Link : Final Notes From A Great Island

Reviewed on :25 March 2011

I find that this book is a bit bland at certain parts. Nothing much that holds my interest. Jokes seems to fell flat. For example the part where he was threaten by a vicious dog. A Police man who is smaller size than him stands between him and the dog. Then the bus came and he ran to the bus with the dog close to his heels. All this while he was shouting for the police to shoot the dog before it bites him. Maybe that part was intended to be funny but I find it's nothing to laugh about.

[Frank Cardenas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I can't think how the book can be a bestseller, it offers a useful gateway for those intereste in Singapore. My problem with these books is that sometimes it is far too difficult to buy the author's own experiences or other people's tales, it is like being there at the right moment for everything and this is not supposed to be fiction. But, he describes the most interesting places of the city in a hilarious sort of way.

[Fariza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honest

It is interesting to see Singapore from Humphreys's point of view. He honestly write everything in his head. From over praising the toilet till excessive condemn of certain places. He reveals the good and the bad side of Singapore through his writings. I appreciated his honesty and this value made the book is one of a kind.




http://farizahrin.blogspot.com/2011/0...

[Crystal Riley Koenig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely better than his second book. By the time he wrote his third book, his writing had improved dramatically, but he still made harsh over-generalizations about Singapore. Overall, it was a fine read for someone living in Singapore. More of my opinions about the book here: http://cbsingapore.blogspot.com/2011/...

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess you have to live in Singapore to enjoy this book. In my opinion, it's humor is sometimes a bit harsh. I haven't read the first and second book but I was quite disappointed despite being a big best-seller in Singapore.

[Kerissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartfelt-especially so because he's describing my home country. But the author sticks to the same formula for humour, and it gets a little painful to read after the 1st half of the book.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave me a few ideas where to go and what to do. Those ideas are nearly exhausted, though.