Neil's Note - November 2008

Hello there,

It’s all been happening. Since I last updated this thing, I became a dad which was the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me, I wrote a book about it, made some progress on the Notes From An Expat movie and West Ham United changed their manager again.

It’s bloody marvellous to know that some things will never change. When I update this site again, I’m hoping Zola is still West Ham boss. If nothing else, it’s great to have a manager who is still more skilful than anyone actually playing for the club currently.

In the meantime, I’ll be plugging my new book – Be My Baby (On the Road to Fatherhood) – which chronicles my topsy-turvy life of the past year, trying to prepare for parenthood in a foreign country and dealing with my constant, disturbingly effeminate, panic attacks.

It’s out now in Singapore and South-East Asia (it had to be launched in Singapore first, of course) and will be launched in Australia in early 2009. All the details are on the website under the book section. Be My Baby is easily my favourite book, but then I would say that, wouldn’t I?

The best bit about this book promoting lark is I get to come back to Singapore for a week to do it. I arrive in Singapore late on Thursday Nov 13, then go straight on to GOLD FM with Hamish and the gang at 9am Friday morning and then it’s pretty full on for the next week. These are the basic book launch/talk/signing details at this stage:

15 Nov, 2.30pm – Kinokuniya, Ngee Ann City
15 Nov, 5.00pm – Borders Bookstore, Wheelock Place
16 Nov, 1.00pm – Popular Bookstore, HDB Toa Payoh
16 Nov, 4.00pm – MPH Bookstore, Raffles City
17 Nov, 7.00pm – Popular Book Fair at Suntec City

So if anyone wants to pop along so I’m not talking to myself, then that’d be great. With a bit of luck, I’ll meet up with some old mates in Singapore, eat at my old haunts in Toa Payoh, watch a bit of EPL with the lads and basically have a few laughs. I can’t wait.

Until then, thanks to everyone who emailed me at the website. I’m pretty sure I replied to everyone, but do let know if I didn’t. Thanks for the photos, too. Loved ‘em. Keep ‘em coming to admin@neilhumphreys.net. I’m using the photos both on the website and on the Facebook site as well (come and find me). You can get me at either place and I’ll continue to update both when there is anything worth updating.

Still getting the emails from Straits Time Life! and Sports readers and, yes, I’m still writing regularly for the Straits Times, Arena Magazine, Young Parents, Tiger Airways’ in-flight magazine and a few other bits and bobs, particularly in the next few months with Be My Baby popping up here, there and everywhere.

As for the movie, Notes From An Expat, well, it is not a good time to be pitching movie budgets when greedy banking, mortgage and insurance institutions are going through the floor. We’ve got about half the budget in place; we’re just looking around for a rich, idealistic sugar daddy or mummy to come up with the rest. So if that’s you, you know where to call. Once we get the green light for the movie, we’ll invite the entire country down to appear in it.

See you in Singapore very soon

Neil the Daddy
November 2008