IF you're ever at Toast Box in Katong 112, you might spot local author Felix Cheong sitting in the corner by the window, hunched over a few sheets of paper and possibly giggling to himself.

It's his favourite writing haunt, reveals the 48-year-old. And if he isn't busy writing, then he's probably there to get inspiration the old-fashioned way: by observing people around him and eavesdropping on their conversations.

That's exactly what he did last year while working on his latest book: Singapore Siu Dai: The SG Conversation in a Cup. The book is a collection of 50 short stories satirising daily life in Singapore, like the woes of taking public transport, our kiasu behaviour, and obsession with Hello Kitty plushies, peppered with single-page cartoons by a graphic artist who wants to be known only as PMan.