[.ca] Singapore (ISBN 174059309X)

I Liked the Way s In Which It Was Unexpectedly Helpful:
While this guide was useful in all the mundane ways (accomodation, eating), I'm grateful to for the way it got me thinking about some of the less understandable aspects of Singapore. After a couple of days of walking around S'pore I began to wonder at the odd sense of artificiality about the place, and the strange way my hosts and others talked of the city-state. I was glad to be reffered to Stan Sesser's book *The Lands of Charm and Cruelty*, which told me of "the fear that even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." I am also grateful to this guide for steering me towards Ian Buruma's essay "The Nanny State of Asia," in his book *The Missionary and the Libertine*, which went into a lot of detail about the police state behind the facade of Singapore's clean toilets, etc. The guide was useful in all practical matters, but by dealing with some of the unpleasantness that is the reality of Singapore, I came away with a better understanding of the place which grew increasingly creepy the longer I stayed. Lonely Planet Singapore is an excellent, thoughtful guide that did what it was supposed to do, yet also led me to other books which helped enrich my business trip. For understanding some aspects of Chinese behaviour in a business setting, I also recommend Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture*. Paul Theroux's *Saint Jack* is a novel set in Singapore - though written in the 70's, I found the attitudes and actions of many of the characters still relevant to locals and expats of Singapore today.

all the details, mostly up to date:
However, note that the Chinese Opera Circle is not necessarily done every Friday and Saturday night. Some nights they have not bookings. Call ahead to make sure that they are going to perform.