Inspired by the example of eleventh-century Japanese author and court lady Sei Shōnagon, Jee Leong Koh collects his miscellaneous jottings in his own pillow book. Written in the genre called zuihitsu, which compromises both prose and poetry, these observations, lists and anedotes on life in Singapore and New York are, in turn, humorous, reflective, satirical, nostalgic and outrageous. They were penned for the author's own amusement. Perhaps they will amuse you as well. "I was sure that when people saw my book they would say, 'It's even worse than I expected. Now one can really tell what she is like.' "