Neil Humphreys
Encyclopedia
Neil Humphreys is a British humour columnist and author of three best-selling humorous 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 - his latest book to date - was on Singapore's bestsellers list for several consecutive weeks, proving the popularity of his writings among Singaporeans.
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.
Humphreys has since migrated to Australia
and resides in Geelong, a seaside town in the state of Victoria
. He now works as a freelance writer, and writes regular columns in the sports and Life! sections of the Straits Times in Singapore. He has also written for The Age and his local paper in Geelong.
He recently said in a Straits Times column and on his website that he may be adapting his books into a Singapore movie, called Notes From An Expat and was working on the screenplay.
, England
. He often recounts with humour his childhood relationship with her.
, a month after arriving in Singapore. He subsequently taught at various primary and secondary schools.
. He contributed to its sports section, mostly with news related to the English Premier League
, and its entertainment section, with regular movie reviews. He later wrote for the Straits Times.
He is best known for his humorous columns poking fun at various facets of life in Singapore, and revealing aspects of his childhood in working-class London
. He once said that he speaks with a Cockney
accent.
Many people have written to Today after news of Humphreys's migration was announced, expressing their dismay at his decision to migrate to Australia. Many readers expressed heartfelt appreciation for his contributions to Today over the past few years. Sales of his books also jumped due to the publicity of his impending departure. In 2007, he started writing for the Straits Times. He writes a sports column on Thursdays and a Life! column on Saturdays and they both remain popular. He also writes columns for ARENA Singapore and Tiger Airways' in-flight magazine. After the release of his new book Be My Baby, he started writing for Young Parents in late 2008. his latest book:"Match Fixer" was written in Australia.
as that was where he had lived for the entire ten years that he spent in Singapore.
After the book was published, some readers used it as a guidebook and followed the route Humphreys took around Singapore. Humphreys has said this is his favourite book in the Singapore series.
Will Chris be able to survive this unfamiliar world? Will Raffles Rangers win the S-League again?
From the moment his doctor tells him to book an obstetrician’s appointment, he knows he is out of his depth — he does not know what an obstetrician is.
Humphreys deals with parents who mock his sex drive, midwives who question his usefulness, friends who share only horrific birth stories, strangers who rub his wife’s belly and folks who seem to know everything there is to know about pregnancy (but often do not have kids of their own). And there’s that troubling dream about her giving birth to a plastic toy lizard made in China. Both funny and poignant, Be My Baby is a frank account of Humphreys’ quest to be a good father.
The book was a success with Humphreys' established readers, as well as prospective parents.
Premier Leech
Premier Leech: A Story of Greed, Sleaze and Corruption is a book written by Neil Humphreys, the author of Match Fixer and Be My Baby, published in December 2010. It is about behind-the-scenes story of famous footballers' dark side of life. This book is a fictional book that touches on the ills of modern football. It gives an insight to the reality that happens inside the Premier League.
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
- 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 - his latest book to date - was on Singapore's bestsellers list for several consecutive weeks, proving the popularity of his writings among Singaporeans.
Brought up in Dagenham
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 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
Toa Payoh
Toa Payoh is a district located in the Central Region of Singapore. It commonly refers to the Housing and Development Board housing estate of Toa Payoh New Town, one of the earliest satellite public housing estates in Singapore....
, 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
Culture of Singapore
Singapore was a part of British Malaya for many centuries. It was ruled by the Sultanate of Johor. In 1819, the British came to the Island and set up a port and colony. During British rule, the port of Singapore flourished and attracted many migrants...
through living in HDB flats, eating at local kopitiams
Kopi tiam
咖啡店A kopitiam or kopi tiam is a traditional breakfast and coffee shop found in Southeast Asia. The word is a portmanteau of the Malay word for coffee and the Hokkien dialect word for shop...
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.
Humphreys has since migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and resides in Geelong, a seaside town in the state of Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. He now works as a freelance writer, and writes regular columns in the sports and Life! sections of the Straits Times in Singapore. He has also written for The Age and his local paper in Geelong.
He recently said in a Straits Times column and on his website that he may be adapting his books into a Singapore movie, called Notes From An Expat and was working on the screenplay.
Family life
Humphreys is married to Tracy, who keeps a low profile. He writes about her quite frequently in his columns and books. They have a daughter. Humphreys' mother lives in KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He often recounts with humour his childhood relationship with her.
Early career
Humphreys began as a speech and drama teacher at Victoria SchoolVictoria School
Victoria School in Singapore is a government secondary school for boys, founded in 1876, at Siglap Link, about one kilometre from affiliated Victoria Junior College....
, a month after arriving in Singapore. He subsequently taught at various primary and secondary schools.
Career with Today
Humphreys was a columnist with local newspaper TodayToday (Singapore newspaper)
Today is a free English-language compact in Singapore published by government-owned MediaCorp print media arm. It is distributed from Monday to Sunday....
. He contributed to its sports section, mostly with news related to the English Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, and its entertainment section, with regular movie reviews. He later wrote for the Straits Times.
He is best known for his humorous columns poking fun at various facets of life in Singapore, and revealing aspects of his childhood in working-class London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He once said that he speaks with a Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
accent.
Migration
When Final Notes from a Great Island was released in 2006, it became obvious that Neil Humphreys had decided on leaving Singapore. It was later revealed that he has decided to migrate to Australia with his wife. Humphreys explained the reason for his migration as having the 'travelling itch'. However, he has stated that he does not currently have any plans regarding what he would do in Australia.Many people have written to Today after news of Humphreys's migration was announced, expressing their dismay at his decision to migrate to Australia. Many readers expressed heartfelt appreciation for his contributions to Today over the past few years. Sales of his books also jumped due to the publicity of his impending departure. In 2007, he started writing for the Straits Times. He writes a sports column on Thursdays and a Life! column on Saturdays and they both remain popular. He also writes columns for ARENA Singapore and Tiger Airways' in-flight magazine. After the release of his new book Be My Baby, he started writing for Young Parents in late 2008. his latest book:"Match Fixer" was written in Australia.
Scribbles from the Same Island
Scribbles from the Same Island http://www.neilhumphreys.net/book2.html is the second book published by Neil Humphreys. It is actually a collection of his weekly columns published while he was at Today. As the book was published in 2003, it only includes columns written by him before that. After the book was released under high expectations from the public, there was criticism that the material of the book was unoriginal as it was merely a compilation of his past columns. There were claims that this book was published to 'milk' the popularity gained from the publication of his first book. Nevertheless, the second book quickly rose up Singapore's bestsellers list as well.Final Notes from a Great Island
Final Notes from a Great Island http://www.neilhumphreys.net/book3.html is the final of the three books published by Neil Humphreys about Singapore before he migrated to Australia. In the book, which was meant to be a final, affectionate look at Singapore before he left, Humphreys takes an island-wide tour of Singapore where he explores the lesser-known side of Singapore. He started his tour from the HDB estate of Toa PayohToa Payoh
Toa Payoh is a district located in the Central Region of Singapore. It commonly refers to the Housing and Development Board housing estate of Toa Payoh New Town, one of the earliest satellite public housing estates in Singapore....
as that was where he had lived for the entire ten years that he spent in Singapore.
After the book was published, some readers used it as a guidebook and followed the route Humphreys took around Singapore. Humphreys has said this is his favourite book in the Singapore series.
Complete Notes From Singapore The Omnibus Edition
Complete Notes From Singapore The Omnibus Edition http://www.neilhumphreys.net/book4.html brings together all three previous books with some updates. There is also a chapter on his life and experiences in Australia. The new edition was relaunched in late 2008 with a new cover and is a proving to be the most popular of Humphreys' books, probably because it contains "Singapore" in the title and is being used as a travel guide for Singapore visitors.Match Fixer
"Match Fixer" is Humphreys' first foray into writing fiction.It was released in late 2009. The book recounts the misadventures of young ex-West Ham striker Chris Osbourne as he arrives in Singapore to salvage a footballing career gone wrong at S-league Club Raffles Rangers. Chris foreys into a world where football is only seen as a cash cow and a Singapore that is kept under wraps. It also shows Singapore's darker side: a world of vice.Will Chris be able to survive this unfamiliar world? Will Raffles Rangers win the S-League again?
Be My Baby: on the Road to Fatherhood
In November 2008, Neil Humphreys released his new book Be My Baby: On the Road to Fatherhood. It was launched in Singapore and the region and will be launched in Australia in early 2009. Set in Geelong, Australia, it is about his journey to becoming a father. The back cover reads, “When two lines appear on the pregnancy test kit, Humphreys’ world is turned upside down. He is excited but clueless and urgently needs some directions. After all, his biggest responsibility to this point had been a pet hamster and he lost that twice.From the moment his doctor tells him to book an obstetrician’s appointment, he knows he is out of his depth — he does not know what an obstetrician is.
Humphreys deals with parents who mock his sex drive, midwives who question his usefulness, friends who share only horrific birth stories, strangers who rub his wife’s belly and folks who seem to know everything there is to know about pregnancy (but often do not have kids of their own). And there’s that troubling dream about her giving birth to a plastic toy lizard made in China. Both funny and poignant, Be My Baby is a frank account of Humphreys’ quest to be a good father.
The book was a success with Humphreys' established readers, as well as prospective parents.