Palace of Ghosts: Singapore's Untold History

 Think Again! The Craft of Inquiry (Part 2) Istana Woodneuk (circa late 1940s), is the younger "sister" palace of Istana Tyersall. Its ruin still stands on the land which used to be known as Tyersall Park In my previous post I wrote about the manuscript submission process and the questions literary agents ask, in particular the question “why does this book need to be published?” The questioning and answering involved in the submissions process led me to think about the art of questioning in other contexts, such as in business and management, where it is an extremely valuable technique when deployed by masterful questioner. I also presented a couple of examples of the answers I came up with in repose to the question "why does this book need to be be published?" However, the most comprehensive answer to this e question of can be found in the Introduction to Palace of Ghosts : in other words, in the book itself. Here is an excerpt from the book’s Introduction. (3) Th...

  Think Again! The Craft of Inquiry (Part 1) It is a challenging question to be asked why the book you have worked on for the last couple of years needs to be published. Many of us have experienced that moment of an epiphany or, alternatively, perhaps anxiety when being asked a question which cuts to the bone and challenges some of your most basic beliefs or assumptions. It’s a sobering moment but also one that can open your eyes to unexpected currents of thought or avenues of inquiry. It is also a useful technique that can be utilised in management or even in navigating personal relationships. It plays a critical role in helping to develop people to think differently or creatively. In an earlier post I wrote about why I decided to write Palace of Ghosts ( See here ), but the new question of why the book needs to be published, did indeed succeed in making me think differently about my own ideas and assumptions, as well as about the art of masterful questioning more generally. An Ag...

Part of the story behind the writing of Palace of Ghosts is my own journey from life in the top rung of corporate executives running Western companies in Asia to going it alone as a full-time writer. Familiarity is a beautiful thing. Comfortable, stable and secure. Stepping out of this comfort zone is daunting but it tempts us with new horizons, new experiences, and opportunities to explore ourselves and our world. Growth and development are, of course, unique to each individual, so there is no one-size-fits-all manual on this. As I reinvent myself and work on making a success out of my new career as a writer, several people have asked me what I have learned from making such major career transitions, what qualities are required to make such a transition a successful one and what skill sets are transferable. After graduating, I started my career as a researcher in a London based business consultancy, a role in which I continued for about 6 years. Since then, I have made three major car...