All Gemma Young remembers of her childhood are her regular visits to the idyllic, imaginary Neverland before her mother fell sick.
When Gemma meets Cole, a disenchanted boy who stirs up more than just memories of her adventures in Neverland, she begins to piece together her half-forgotten childhood: her mother sick with longing for Neverland, the accident that ripped her family apart, and her father who abandoned her when she was a child.
But now, Gemma’s near-obsessive quest to find her father sends her spiralling deeper into Neverland just like her mother had. As the boundaries blur between the real world and Neverland, Gemma must sift through fact and fiction, discern between truth and make-belief, to find out what happened to her mother and rebuild a new life with her father.
In this collection of poignant and uplifting essays, seasoned international journalist Marga Ortigas shares what she’s learned from over two decades of covering conflict, humanitarian crises, and political turmoil. Each chapter explores a different assignment location, taking you up-close as the author reflects on what endures after life’s triumphs and tragedies.
Ortigas’ engaging writing style and wealth of experience will transport you from the war-torn Iraqi desert to the snow-covered steppes of Mongolia, bustling Brazilian beaches, rugged Irish cliffs, and even a pop concert in South Korea, leaving you with a newfound understanding of the human condition.
Heartfelt and humorous, There Are No Falling Stars in China is a must-read for anyone interested in storytelling, global affairs, or simply gaining a richer appreciation of the world we live in. It’s a true gem you won’t want to put down, filled with insight and inspiration that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
If you have enjoyed and learned from the snippets of my life as a ‘Wais Na Misis’, through my Instagram and Facebook posts, you’ll most certainly get a kick out of the untold stories you’ll find in the pages of this book.
It wasn’t always easy for me, but when life threw me lemons I didn’t dodge or flinch. Instinctively, I caught every piece and turned the bunch into lemonade, lemon meringue pie, lemon-scented hand soap, and home deodorizer, and sold them all! Sometimes, I’d wonder when another lemon would come my way just so I can use it to my advantage again.
You get the picture.
As a mompreneur, I was never given any manual on how to effectively navigate through life. But it somehow knew what it needed to teach me, through experiences and the people around me, at the right moment.
So, here I am paying it forward to you, my fellow wais na misis.
Being wise takes time. It takes a lot of experience and a load of crushing and pruning in order to reach the stage of becoming fine wine that everyone can enjoy.
May this book serve as your bestie; the handy dandy survival guide you’re looking for as you journey into the intimidating yet marvelous world of motherhood and entrepreneurship. Each page is brimming with meaty tips and tricks that I have learned from the best mentor l’ve ever had–LIFE.
The Koro Riots is a satire regarding the political struggle in an imaginary country called Hujung Manani, a former French colony in South East Asia. Its leader, Priapus, is a dictator. His wife Datin Lotis, uses black magic, namely the power of a weretiger. The narrative revolves around the Koro epidemic which occurs in this republic. It is a mental illness which affects men who believe that their penis shrinks into their body and disappears. The koro epidemic causes several small incidents, which later turn into riots. Eventually, the rebellion becomes a revolution, and the population of Hujung Manani overthrows the Dictator and his wife. These incidents are told from a variety of perspectives while adding background stories about politics in Hujung Manani. For this, the novel introduce several ‘disposable’ characters such as Kadir Mohamed, the former Editor in Chief of the Hujung Manani Tribune; Ashraf Wahidi, a celebrity preacher; and Psychiatrist Dr Cakravantin. The Dictator also has to face his political enemy who is the protagonist, named Pertiwi. She is a feminist, and in her nineties still succeeds in overthrowing Priapus, assisted by a Scientist (Badang) and Shulamit, his Jewish wife. At the end Pertiwi is killed by a suicide bomber named Zikir Baik while delivering a speech in the style of Martin Luther King. The struggle for democracy is carried on by Badang. However, Hujung Manani still faces threats posed by traitors like the Tycoon who is involved in a deep state.
Beneath the sheen of its orderly streets and obedient populace, all is not well in the port city of Kobe. Business is as brisk as the Haru-ichiban spring breeze for Mami Suzuki, hotel clerk by day, private investigator by night.
Who’s stealing from Japan’s biggest pearl trader? Where’s the master sushi chef and why are his knives missing? How did the tea ceremony teacher’s brother really die? And what does an island of cats have to do with a pregnant Shinto shrine maiden?
From the Kobe wharfs to the rugged Japan Sea coast, the subtropics of Okinawa, and a remote island community in the Seto Inland Sea, each new adventure ends with a universal truth – that there are two sides to every story of misfortune.
When Mollie Rogers Jean De Dieu founded Emotional Inclusion® in the workforce three years ago, she was on a mission to rid emotional unwellness shame and stigma in companies. She realized that companies with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion platforms spoke of all kinds of inclusion but neglected to tackle emotional inclusion or the act of caring for the emotional realms of individuals in a measurable and sustainable manner. The robotic, productivity-driven, and bustling work culture cultivated over the years morphed what it meant to be ‘human’ and ’emotionally inclusive’ at work. The pandemic has turned the corporate landscape upside down and shed more light on the significance of emotional wellbeing. It has become more apparent now than ever that there is a need for new, evidence-backed, confidential, and medical-based workplace solutions that are more compassionate and considerate of employee wellbeing and welfare.
Part treatise and part deliberation, Emotional Inclusion® takes readers through the core of Mollie’s advocacy. The book, as she writes, seeks to ‘lift the stigma around talking about emotional wellness at work, and make Emotional inclusion the powerful new status quo’ in workplaces present and future. It discusses emotional inclusion’s organizational definition, shares personal stories on the subject, and offers steps that companies and organizations can and should take to create more emotionally inclusive workplaces that have a transformative impact on employees’ emotional wellness and productivity. In doing so, the book looks to champion courage and create an emotional inclusion movement revolution of change-together.
Are maestros born or made?
By making ideas mate, can you create new ones?
How do you develop a mindset that helps you thrive?
Can you nudge yourself into being more productive at work?
Is it possible for you to debunk bullshit from the clutter all around?
…
Find the answers to these questions and several more in Leapfrog
Leapfrog-in the context of thriving at work-is a scenario when a new entrant outperforms others. How do they achieve this? Are high performers born or made? Is there a way to nudge yourself into being more successful at work and also in life? With its six evidence-based insights, this book is poised to help you to advance your career at an incredible pace.
To begin with, the first step is to develop grit along with the ability to embrace boredom. The second practice, leaning on behavioral economics, focusses on nudging yourself to make better choices. The third practice is about being intellectually humble by accepting limits to what you know. The chapter on dancing with disciplines celebrates the magic of ideas colliding to create new ones. In a world full of noise and bullshit, you will need to curate choices to maintain a focus on what is relevant to you. The last practice helps you think like an entrepreneur and develop the ability to ask for what you want.
Based on their extensive experience of teaching and mentoring students, the authors have developed a framework called the Personal Journey Map (PJM), which will help you imbibe and implement the six practices by capturing your current repertoire, scanning the landscape ahead, and curating a path to a career in which you can prosper.
Are you tired of struggling to connect with the largest and most influential generation of consumers? Do you want to learn how to capture the attention of millennials and build lasting brand loyalty? The business world is changing, and it’s all thanks to the impact of millennials-the fastest-growing generation of consumers and trendsetters. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and thrive in this evolving landscape, you need to understand and engage with them. That’s where Marketing to Millennials comes in.
This book is the urgently needed survival guide on how to comprehend and engage with millennials. It’s based on the author’s research, presentations, and consulting work, providing you with the most current and practical insights.
Marketing to Millennials covers everything you need to know about this critical demographic, including who they are, what they value, and how they make purchasing decisions. With this knowledge, you can update your marketing methods to appeal to millennials, the most impactful group of consumer trendsetters.
This is the critical moment for businesses to understand and adapt or become irrelevant to millennials. As this generation reaches management positions, this change is only going to accelerate. You need to be prepared to unlock the powerful potential of this emerging generation, and this book is the definitive manual to help you do just that.
Don’t let the fast-paced and ever-changing marketing landscape intimidate you. This book equips you with the knowledge and tools you need to survive and thrive in the new age of business.
The Library of No Return brings back Julian Kee, Mia Pendrago and Ryan Chowdhury in yet another hilarious and adventure-filled jaunt to the Underworld. Once again, their help is required to deal with a crisis: Tago the Ef-frock has announced that he is tired of his powers being constantly exploited. He has now gone rogue, and is threatening to unleash his magic to destroy all who oppose him if he is not given world dominance.
The wise old man, Wuchiwark, believes that the Underworlders’ only hope is an ancient parchment rumoured to contain a formula which will help them find a balance to the Effrock’s hitherto unchallenged powers. This parchment is stored in the Library of No Return, a mysterious place from which no one who entered has ever emerged. The children agree to undertake this quest in secret, as their old nemesis the CATTSS (the ruling council of the Underworld) has forbidden anyone to enter the library, and will go all out to stop the children from obtaining this sacred relic. As the children embark on their new adventure, they soon realise that all is not as it seems, and they begin to wonder if there is more to the parchment than Wuchiwark has revealed to them, and, more crucially, if their enemy this time is not the CATTSS, but really Wuchiwark himself.
This instalment continues the series’ witty banter on fantasy and adventure tropes while being a delightful spoof on bookish habits and all things writerly!
Lexi Lee thinks she’s found her soulmate. The problem is, she has never met Night, the elusive street artist who leaves his paintings in the nooks and crannies of the city. Still, that doesn’t stop her from penning letters to him and dreaming about living in his paintings.
After a car accident lands her in a coma, she finds herself wandering through Night’s paintings and her childhood memories. Her only companion in dreamland is a boy who doesn’t understand why he is trapped there with her and wants to leave.
Christopher Fang is trying to make sense of the recent dreams he has been having, dreams in which he meets the irreverent, free-spirited Lexi, a girl unlike anyone else he has met in his world of mercenary businessmen. Soon, he finds himself seeking escape from his life in those dreams. But when he finds out that his father’s latest property development project involves taking over the inn that Lexi’s father owns, Chris must choose between his loyalties to his father and helping Lexi return to the life she left behind.
But as Lexi and Chris grow closer, the truth about Lexi’s accident comes to light, threatening to tear them apart and making them question the people they believe in, their love for each other, and what it is they are really awake for.
