My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore

by Ee Lin See

kiasu Hokkien (kja:su:) ADJECTIVE scared to lose, competitive

Armed with a copy of The Fine Art of Flirting, a stash of ’dirty books’ and a precocious attitude, fifteen year old Pei Yi moves from her sheltered life in small town Malaysia to accept an ASEAN scholarship at a secondary school in competitive—some might say ’kiasu’—Singapore. Through a series of letters written over a two-year period back to her best friend in Malaysia, Pei Yi offers readers an insight not only into the hilarious adventures of a teenage girl studying away from home and the agonies of BGR (boy–girl relationships) but also an insight into the Singapore psyche, the nurturing of kiasuism, and Singaporeans’ unrivaled passion for setting up committees!

Not since Adrian Mole have the growing pains of a geeky teenager been so painfully exposed to the rest of us! In My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore, author Ee Lin See weaves a charming tale of teenage angst and exposes the lighter side of Singapore into the bargain. A great read for adults and teens, and a fascinating insight into Asian teenage life.

 
Pub Date: April 2005 | Price: S$16.50 | Paperback (B format) 176pp
Fiction / Humour| ISBN: 978-981-05-3016-7| Territory: World (all languages)
     
Ee Lin See was born in Malaysia, attended secondary school in Singapore, and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1999. She currently lives in New York, where she works on Wall Street by day and runs a teen mentoring program, Chumz, in her spare time.
“The novel uses simple and humorous prose to relate the confusion and trivial preoccupations of youth”
–8DAYS

“ charming and often hilarious”
–Teenage

“you don't have to be a foreigner to appreciate this, Singaporeans will also relate to the tongue in cheek description of our education system”
–Lifestyle (June 2005)

“Documenting in tongue-in-cheek style the trials and tribulations of a small-town girl from Malaysia adjusting to life and school in a big city, My Kiasu Teenage Life in Singapore is an honest, no-holds barred look at the Singapore education system through the scholarly fast track, providing interesting fodder for discussion and hilarious anecdotes about first crushes and competitive classmates … For fans who have taken to Ee Lin’s witty observations and identify with the adolsescent years, rest assured that the first-time writer is not content to set her pen down just yet. There are plans to work on a sequel to the book, further chronicling Pei Yi’s adventures in college through to her adult years.”
–Lifestyle (July 2005)

“The author entertains with her lighthearted style, very conversational style … very much like The Diaries of Adrian Mole”
–Teens