that at the hospital when my friend was just crying throughout like , ya I think it's the saddest scene because, I myself personally haven't lost okay touch wood haven't lost anyone


any family member close to me at this point of time yet so when I witnessed the whole scene like there was nothing that can help her or nothing that can help her dad or her family, it really made me break down in too


yup yourself, do you have any saddest scene that you have witnessed


is there one thing you wish you could change but will never be able to


(hmm) actually pretty similar to yours but, (ppc), oh mine is I wish, that I could change how people look at me I guess, because


because like I say I'm not someone very who's very very good with my words so some people may get hurt, while interacting with me or like, and they and it might take a toll on like their image of me or what


so which, maybe isn't who I really am so I wish that I could change that part of me, yup


what do you often worry about


I think I'll agree with you on that, like, worry about not being able to attain my goal in the future and also, on a daily basis I guess, I'll be worried that


maybe I'm a I'll bring disappointment to like people around me, (hmm), or maybe I'll hurt someone


around me , that's on a daily basis


I don't remember leh like, , couldn't really think of any right now, cause I'm a positive person and I don't really


ya, you do you have any


, ya during the traumatic incident I had, in the past ya, I I felt that like I was unfairly treated, yup


we haven't go into details but ya is that kind of time, do you have any


greatest fear


!huh! this is tough (hmm), why not you go first let me have some time to think about it


oh


(hmm) if, if that's your greatest fear than I guess mine is anything that flies, any living thing that flies ya I really cannot stand it , I'll just like avoid it no matter how small it is


try uh , do you have any point of time when you feel like giving up


every time when I try to, explain something but I'm not able to I guess, then I'll just , let it go I give up that kind of feeling ya,


describe a time where you are unable to help someone in need


ya similarly that that point of time where I witnessed the whole friend's family situation, but, I told myself that I should always be there whenever she needs, it's difficult for me to help financially as well because


we are not, blood related and knowing them they will definitely turn down so, I'll just be there whenever they need me other than that on a daily basis


a time when I'm unable to help someone is when when me and my boyfriend was in japan and one of the locals got injured but we don't speak their language so she was just lying on the floor and like we both tried to help but none of the locals stepped up to help


ya so that at that point of time is, I felt very why like why is this like even happening ya


positive experience, my best birthday present was on


last year when my boyfriend surprised me to a trip to Bali because it was my first time going to Bali, and I've always wanted to go to Bali, yup for yourself


I love that I am low maintenance I feel yeah I I think that we're low maintenance, as a friend as a girlfriend I guess, ya because


I'm a very good listener so my friends, or even my relatives like my cousins they come to me when they need, help, they need someone to listen to them ya and they know that I'm always here that's why I get a lot from them actually


you what do you love about yourself


okay as a kid I hate to be alone but sometimes I really have no choice because I'm a single child, but, as an adult now I love it like I I feel that I really need some time for myself


ya, maybe because I'm used to it since young or maybe because, of how , I am now but ya I really enjoy time alone, and I'm totally okay with like dining out alone going going anywhere alone yup yourself


okay, comfort food definitely cakes or anything sweet ya I really love cakes, ya


only cakes cannot think of anything else you, do you have any comfort food because I know like maybe you'd most guys are very okay with like whatever they eat


can you describe your perfect day, like what you will do or like how a perfect day will look like to you


for me is waking up in the afternoon as well and then, put on some makeup next just dress up make myself feel good and go out, to a cafe, and just people watch all day


ya with a cup of coffee and a cake , who do I look up most ah uh


I haven't really thought about it yet leh


respectful (hmm), this is a tough question, who do I respect the most in my life definitely my parents ya okay if I have to choose one then


I would say my, mother I guess, my mother cause she really have to handle a lot of things by herself, like (ppc) housework, like house house chores when my dad don't really help she is also a full time worker she goes


she have to work office during office hours other than that she don't seem to have any hobbies or like anything that she likes to do so, ya I really respect her like how strong she for how strong she is


because to me I always feel that a person should always have their own time but for my mum it seems like she don't have any, for yourself do you have anyone that you really look up to


I look (ppc) , I look forward to travelling again I actually miss it ya travelling a lot, cause when I travel I'll make I make it a point to like visit their cafes there and the the cafe game there is like really so much better than singapore so I miss the time


overseas other than that , I look forward to seeing everybody's faces again not behind a mask like strangers because I really enjoy people watch right ya so you do you have anything that you really look forward to


what's the best surprise or gift that you have given someone


it was when I surprised, my boyfriend to a staycation because I recorded the video and I saw his, whole expression expression so, ya, whenever I need I will go and look back I'll go and look at the video again


so I think it's like really the best thing that I've done to spend this vacation as far as I've videoed it down


happiest moment of my life I don't think so maybe, happiest moment of he his life, is like is that it's just that I feel that it's something meaningful at least like, ya (hmm)


most memorable travel experience, I would say uh the long trip


to japan with my boyfriend because I've never done a really long trip before like we went japan for , ten days was it ten days or close to ten to fourteen days ten to twelve days if I never remember wrongly is it ya it was really long and we managed to cover


quite a bit of japan not all but just the basic things that I believe both of us wanted to cover up of course we didn't get to see mount Fuji which we made we specially made a trip down to see mount Fuji but we didn't but


ya, for now I think that's like the most memorable one and I'm not someone who likes europe european countries a lot I I prefer asian countries with their own culture and japan has a very strong culture, yourself


okay firstly, personally I feel that it's not as safe as, anywhere else in the world, of course we cannot compare to singapore but and


and there aren't any, language barrier there like because we we all can speak english but it's just the people there and the way they make me feel I guess but don't get me wrong it is still a very beautiful place like they have a lot of scenic sights and like they have the best cafes actually


like their cafes are very, different from what we have here so ya I still like the country a lot but for long travels I don't think I don't think european countries will have an impact as strong as


me as strong on me when I go to asian countries, (hmm), you do you have any like, travel experience , enjoyable ones like


proudest moment of my life, getting into a dream getting into my dream job, I guess (hmm), the point of time where I realised when I received the news that I got into my dream job and


furthermore at that point of time I was still studying so it was really, ya , I I think you guys can imagine how I would have helped so yourself do you have any


I'm thankful that, I have a roof to live under like a really comfortable one and, I'm thankful that, I really know that the people around me, purely love me for who I who I am


yup yourself, what do what are you thankful for


what makes me persevere, what makes me persevere , I think it's just in me, there's nothing that makes me


how do I put it I, I'm a goal achiever so once I've set my mind to something I'll really achieve it and I think that's like enough to make me persevere throughout, ya, so I don't I don't know how to really answer this because I'll just


try to achieve my goal no matter what and no matter how long it takes, for you


so what's the nicest thing someone has ever said to you


, for mine is when someone told me that, I'm overly kind like I'm way too nice and like way too kind to people I don't know if I think he meant it as like not a good thing but to me is like


when people can see your kindness and like is when they can tell you in your face that you're way too nice it's, it kind of make me feel good somehow


financial related topic, ah so jolene do you have any personal insurance ah if you have can you please share the details


ah currently I have a plan from prudential hospital plan with a private with a, private, with a rider for the private hospital, (hmm) I, how's your experience with uh aviva


yes, I see I see uh personally I haven't experienced uh claiming for myself before but uh just a few months back I did a claim for my mother, ah who was hospitalised, so that was for NTUC income uh in terms of claiming process I would say it was uh pretty smooth


so everything went on uh, uh, very smoothly so I was able to get back, uh, what I paid first very quickly, anyways uh do you have any whole life insurance or term policies or anything like that


uh personally I don't have any of those policies right now, (hmm), in terms of uh these two right I personally would prefer term policies because I'm a person who


who uh that likes to invest uh, I I do not I I mean uh, I feel like I can, save up on expenses for term and I I mean I can save on expenses from purchasing a whole life policy and use that money for better use ah


yourself what are your views on, these two products


uh why is that so


I I kind of agree with you because at this age uh, we will probably have ah large expense moving on, ah, moving on a few years later they'll be large sum so in terms when you commit to a whole life you will need to


uh, pay a substantial amount every year so you may not have enough emergency funds for your own needs ah


(hmm), if a person is savvy in investing I would say the, things, the most important plans they will need to get are mainly protection plans, mainly uh hospital plans as well as ah


life insurance, in terms of endowment it really depends on, uh, how you are going to plan your future like are you going to use your, money for to uh, constant investment or are you just going to keep it in the bank if you are if you are going to just keep it in the bank I think you might you might as well just get an endowment


if you are going to constantly invest I would say our, for myself I will try to avoid, uh, uh endowment plans and just go for full coverage plans, like term or hospital and then use this spare additional cash for other investments


and yourself


ILPs are are, great products in general but there it comes with a lot of scepticism from consumers based on what I know so uh, because, people believe that ILPs is going to earn you a guaranteed return amount so you are going to get your principal back no matter what


uh that's the misconception here which is which does not happen, uh which does not happen hundred a hundred percent so basically, there's, in any investment there's a chance that you will lose money, so I I believe some of the not so savvy financial savvy people realise uh does not realise this point


so they they keep on emphasising on the fact that they will get on they'll get whatever they paid for, and plus additional return so, personally I feel that, uh is uh, it's not a must to have but it's a great to have so


yup, I I believe it really uh varies on opinion lah, anyways sorry


in terms of insurance planning I'm a person that likes to


analyse carefully each company's product first before committing to it as you know some of the plans are pretty expensive, to have, so I want to make sure that I'm getting the best deal out of it so I want to research each company's policy first, and then uh then after I'll decide on what is best for me and then once once I've done that I'll I will look out look for my group of friends who are insurance agent and who generally serve that product ah so ya now I hit them up yourself


I see then if so what what will you look out for in your insurance agent friends or whatsoever


so basically I think, for me I understand that, ah, insurance agents I mean ultimately right it's just another job to them so they have uh they don't have an commitment, to, to their clients like myself to stay in the industry so I I willl understand if they leave halfway


but uh at the very least when I purchase the product from them I will expect them to have a substantial knowledge lah like uh on what they're selling how does it relate to me in that sense ah, cause different people have different needs you see so I'll I would like them to have perfect knowledge and see how they how how how their product can cater to my needs


and back to what what we were talking about what, , what what happens if one of your one of your uh agent friends like uh after you purchase the product from them then uh they leave the industry, so what are your thoughts on that


okay okay then , uh do you do you think your current uh CPF insurance coverage is enough for your insurance coverage right now


uh actually ah, for CPF I'm I'm not sure about the insurance coverage but but based on returns uh CPF returns I would say it's not that bad uh, is enough for me for my current


uh needs current protection needs ya, and for yourself do you will will you actually get insurance when you're buying a car getting a property travelling overseas et cetera


I see I see yup, uh I'll definitely get an insurance when I, buy a car or a property uh in, because uh, I would say car and property are substantial cost so the insurance that I'm paying for I'm paying to protect this


assets, uh I would say is, a must have ah I'm I'm not very sure why anyone would not do it ah because they are after all very huge amount, of uh, assets very very expensive assets that's a part of me so if I I don't know what I would do if I lose them and cannot get anything back suddenly


other than that uh will you when when you're let's let's talk about uh when you are paying for goods or something would would you prefer to go cash or cashless when you're when you are purchasing something


uh I will prefer to go cashless as well I I agree with you on that sense ah I I would like some cash on me but uh ultimately I will not prefer to pay with cash but the problem nowadays is that uh not all not every


vendors have a cashless payments I've a few encounters with I I probably think that's why because I I feel so insecure and I need to have some cash with me because some of them do not accept cashless payment, so I I would need to go somewhere maybe I need to walk a further distance down to withdraw cash which is a hassle which is why I I feel like I need to have some cash on me for security yup


for CPF contribution I think the government has has come up with, for a pretty solid plan for us to secure our retirement funds ah I think is uh


it's a safety net because not everyone will have a tendency to save so with CPF contribution, uh we we can, we we can have a safety net when we retire so we know there's a sum of money awaiting us when we retire and not like if if if you were to do it on our own without a CPF contribution there's


, a huge risk that some people might not set aside enough money for retirement so, ya which is ultimately going to lead to a lot of problems ah, and yourself what do you think about it


so you're not a person you're you're person that likes to diversify don't like to throw all your eggs in one basket you're a low risk person then I assume you don't like to take a lot of risks is it, okay okay ah


then then how do you manage your income when when you're working or whatsoever, like what what percentage of your income will go to savings or spending somewhere


and that's a pretty interesting thing can can you elaborate more on that, that that feature where you you are able to lock in money


so what is, it is locked meaning to say you you cannot spend it at all you can't withdraw how how do you unlock it like what you said just now how how do you get the money out from the locked part


negative experience, ah, what what makes you stressed


I I think I'll feel stressed when I realised that, uh the something that I'm doing is not within my capability so, no matter how hard I try I can't do it I think that would give me pretty stressed out, ya


what is the biggest thing that's holding you back from your goal


yes I think the greatest thing that is holding me back from my goal is the pandemic , I initially thought I'd attained my goal but due to the, pandemic everything was ah, ruined yes so


yup I guess I just have to wait, can you describe a, oh sorry it's okay you can go ahead


, I think my most traumatic incident was when I broke my arm uh about I think that was pretty long time ago about ten years back at that time I wonder I, I I broke my arm so


uh the bone was actually protruding out so at that point of time I was wanting !whoa! !whoa!, would I ever be able to use this arm like normal again, ya I think that dog that thought, scare me quite a bit, how about you


trapped or helpless, uh I can't really think of any right now but, I would tell you, later if I think of one how about you


is there a time where where things did not turn out, things turn out not meeting your expectations


I would say in terms of academic, expectations, uh there was uh, I think it was O levels, it was during my O levels where uh one of the subjects that I thought I will do well in did not quite meet


my expectations and that was a pretty disappointing thing to me, ya, other than that I got to agree with you uh based on what you said uh where, I I try not to focus on, uh the specific incidents so after a while I will kind of forget about it so I'll not dwell on it further


and, so so right now I can't really think of a specific incident that, that I can think of ya, is there any describe any saddest you do you have any saddest scene that you have ever witnessed


ah I, I think my saddest, ah saddest scene, will be on the contrary of yours whereby, uh, similar to yours I mean uh whereby I witnessed a similar thing that happened to my


uncle that passed okay I I witnessed something I've uh, my uncle passed away, ya a few years back so I rushed down to, to get a last glimpse of him ah so at that point I saw my aunt and my cousin


sobbing very horribly, for the whole night so, ya I think that kind of, left an impact on me, on uh


anyone can see he was a pretty healthy man he was uh pretty healthy and, middle aged man so he had he never had any issues in his life so that that that incident kind of made me realise that, uh


anyone can leave, from your life at any moment in time


I think that will be in terms of my personality, because uh, sometimes I think I might appear as too confident to some people which might come across as cockiness, so I I try


not to portray that image of myself uh, but I suppose people different just feel differently so, uh, uh I don't think I will be able to change that part, and now that I realise it I don't think I will ever change it


because that that will take away uh, a core part of myself how about you


what do you (hmm), I often worry about things I often worry about uh situations where


I will not be able to meet my own expectations, like what I foresee myself in ten years ten twenty years' time I often think about, like what if I I can't attain that goal ya I think that's my main concerns yourself


so if that so how I found the hurtful words someone you said to someone or someone said to you


okay uh


no and not that I can think of at the moment as well, ya, is there a time where you felt uh unfairly treated or betrayed or anything


okay, uh , there was a time where uh I felt like I did not get the reward that I deserve


uh for something that I did, but over time I guess, uh, I didn't dwell okay I think I dwelled on it for a while, but thereafter, uh one of the person that I looked up to told me that uh


told me to do what I need to do, uh the reward will just come naturally, so ya I think, that was the pivotal moment of my life


what's your what's your greatest fear


okay, uh I think I'm most afraid of uh snakes in my life, greatest fear yeah I I I I don't like snakes, uh I I can't say I true I I


the first thing that I can think of when seeing a snake is escaping, yup , not not to the point of trembling and stuff but, the first thought I'd have is, run ya, do you have any if not it's fine


oh okay


when I felt like giving up uh, I would say for a guy, it's uh every IPPT that they need to take, ya


every single moment during the two point four KM run I think I'll I felt like giving up, yourself


okay (hmm)


I think that will be, ah what I said previously on uh my uncle passing away like I couldn't seem to do anything to help his family, at this current point in time, although I'd wish to help them financially but I still


have not attained that goal yet, I want to help them in some way financially or whatsoever but in terms of financial wise I don't think I'm able to support them, at this moment in my life, do you have a time like that


anyways back to a time where I felt trapped or helpless I think there was a point somewhere in my life ah during army, uh I felt, trapped in a sense that I can't satisfy both, uh


my superiors' expectations as well as uh, people who work with me ya, I think that was uh, a point where I felt like uh I couldn't, I felt like I wasn't working ah I felt I wasn't working to my expectations I wasn't working to the best that I could


positive experience, so uh what was your best birthday present and why


my best birthday present I would say is uh, uh, it's a passport cover with a passport cover for my passport oh I've always wanted to own one of it but uh I I do not know what what kind that I want to get so basically uh


someone got got it for me lah so and it's exactly what I wanted for very very long time, okay yup, uh anyways what do you love most about yourself


I I haven't really thought about this leh actually , I think I like that uh, I'm, I'm a confident individual I'm not easily stressed out, (hmm) I'm able to handle stressful situations uh


I'm able to keep stressful situations under control uh easily, and what are you what what do you use to hate as a kid but now you love as an adult


used to hate and as a kid ah, I'd say I think I used to hate my brother as a kid lah, I used to hate my brother as a kid ya and then now I I love him a lot lah so basically as a kid me and my brother were, would fight often


ya my elder brother we'll fight often so over very petty stuff as you know lah brother stuff so but now growing up I understand how much that, I understand how much we love each other so, so, ya


eh, what's your comfort food that you can always rely on to cheer you up


uh comfort food, uh I'm, I'm quite a picky picky eater so uh


comfort food I would say fried chicken I I love fried chicken ya, ya I it it seems to cheer me up in whatever occasion whether I'm feeling happy or sad or whatever ya


perfect day (hmm), a perfect day will start with me waking up in the afternoon, and, thereafter uh, I'll I'll get my lunch have my ah waking up in the afternoon


past twelve PM have my first coffee and then I'll start work until maybe five or six p six PM, and then go for my uh, stress relieving routines like uh exercising or whatsoever how about yourself


okay , okay and then, who do you look up to most in your life and why


there's no one in your life that that gives you an, that you are most okay maybe who you're most respectful to you or something


who do you respect the most in your life


I've a few actually uh one, I've, in fact two one that I know personally one that I do not know personally, so the one that I know personally was uh one of my OC from, army so he basically motivated me and showed me the ropes along the way uh like how


he he motivated me as a leader like how I should go about, uh leading someone or a group of people, ya so he guide me on the ropes when I was still fresh and green ah and in terms of it and the person that I don't know will have to be uh jay Chou I look up to him as a person like what he does in his life how how he strive from nothing to a successful person


ya eh, what what are the things you and we are now in a pandemic world what are the things you are you will be looking forward to when when it ends, what all of you look forward to the most, once COVID nineteen ends


oh I see, I think I just look forward to getting my life back and a job


and my job yup


can't think of much at the moment right now I've done a lot of I I'm not sure what ranks at the top leh, ya I really not sure what ranks at the top of my, my list of surprises and gifts how about yourself


okay, oh it's so I that is that the happiest moment of your life


okay, I see I see okay uh


you you you talk I I mean I noticed that I think you travel a lot, ya based on what you you you've told me, what what is your most memorable travel experience


why why don't you like european countries


travel experience I would say uh, I I I'm a person that enjoys hiking so there was a hike trip that I went to I I think it really gave me a, eye opening view of


uh what I thought hiking was supposed to be so, I went to this place called ah mount Rinjani a few years back so it took me about three two two three days to hike up to the summit, so uh when I reached the top it was worth every single step


that I took ya, I I got to say that was one of the best, view I had in my entire life, what what was the proudest moment of your life


uh I think, the, ya I think I got to say the same as you I I got my dream job while studying as well, uh so, yup I think that was the proudest moment of my life


and but, ah due to the COVID situation it was it was put on hold lah so I I hope that it will recover soon


what what, yup I think that was the happiest moment of my life when I received the news, that I'll get I'll get I'll be that I was recruited for my for the job that I want to ah so far


what are you thankful for in your life


I I'm pretty thankful for whatever that I have right now in my life I come from a I have a complete family I have a I have a job that I want to I have a job that I want to have I


I basically have what most people some some people will not, have in their entire life ya so I'll consider that a gift ah, ya, things like a complete family and stuff like that and jobs and whatever so there's stability in my like okay yes I think I I I'm thankful for stability in my life


uh what what makes you persevere for, in in something, a goal or whatever it's something that you are actually doing


okay, I think I'm a pretty, like what you said I am a pretty, for for yourself I'm a pretty focus oriented, person so when I start on something that I really want to achieve I'll


I'll do it no matter what ya so what what what what what motivates me to do that I would say is mainly on the, uh results that I will get, so, what I imagine myself to be at the end state for whatever I'm doing it it kind of motivates me to strive harder to achieve that


uh, I think the nicest thing someone had said to me is that, in terms of uh, work, or whatsoever I'll be I'll be appreciated in any organisation which that I will get into eventually


part one financial related topic okay, and let's talk about credit cards and debit cards felicia do you have a debit or credit card


what benefits does it have besides being besides sentimental value


oh


that's not bad, oh, oh that's quite cool


ya I use the I I have a few cards but I I have the constant issue of not knowing which card to use because some some provide cashback and then some gives out points and some


gives out mileage so I can have this issue of not knowing which one to use , at the round like it's a struggle sometimes, ya I try to


ya so I use different cards I mean if there's a clear card promotion for a a particular card, then I will use that card but if not then then it's kind of tough then then I just rotate then then try to use them somehow


ya, I try to pull out uh, american express but the problem is not everywhere accepts american express then I have to decide on their next card


that's a tough one so, currently I think it's a stanchart cashback card, I think that's the, ya so so you get a direct cashback I don't even know how much but I don't remember but you get a cashback


you know so so you get money back you don't have to worry about points because points expire, so that's the scary thing about points because then they expire, ya


oh with the points ya ya that's true


that's true, ah


so I have this american express card that they gives out miles, so I think that's so, that's right and it accumulates the miles, I think it's not bad, we went on a trip remember for with the miles , but


how how how ya, so, no it's a combination of flights and cards because it just, you you you accumulate miles from, there are two different areas, so they fly you will buy air ticket you will accumulate miles as well


so that gives you miles, and and what about debit card what do you when do you pull out a debit card, (ppc)


that's true, I bring it out when I travel, so


!oh!, ya, ah ya that's true


that's true I don't I don't I don't have that, ya, no I don't use use but I I just bring it around as a


as a, ya as a backup and and if someone tries to rob me I'll give him the debit card, , and then there's like you know less money on it and then five hundred dollars on it


so it's okay, take it take all my money, ya


, ya well ya


I think, in my opinion I think couples should have uh joint account, well not only couples I think most people if you have family or close, people around you I think is a good thing to have a joint account I mean people you trust with money in that sense


but don't know it's very important for to to have a joint account with someone you trust with money, so I have quite a few uh joint accounts myself, with my family and all but uh, I, think it works easy because


uh, so when something happens you know when someone that has COVID or something and need or in need of surgery or stuck somewhere and you kind of need to access to some money there's this easy access because someone else has the access to the money


uh or or someone passed away suddenly, uh as as much as that is dreadful to talk about but I think it is a uh it makes it easier, uh to have that joint account, uh, ya so same for couples because you you have that joint access


so if I were to have to access somebody else's uh personal account it mean if it doesn't have a lot of money that's not so bad no one really cares so what if it has a lot of money then it becomes a sensitive issue, so, having a joint account will help


to ease this awkward situations I think, so I think that everyone tell you so I think couples should have joint accounts and they should also have their own personal accounts in that sense so they can use money the way they want


no I don't think it's for, ya but I don't think


so I wasn't thinking about to pay for funeral but, to you know when someone dies there's a after after paying for funeral and there's these assets and you know, assets like money left over in the bank account you have to close account you have to and then it takes time to access your money if I if you don't take the money that's fine but if is a joint account and both person have access to that then it's so simple so for example I got this idea for my dad of course


he he thought about these things then he said, so he's having joint accounts with everybody, he's I think he stopped I I think I not sure I think he stopped uh, uh, having personal accounts, whatever he has he has I think but do you know he he tries to put


shift his money into joint account, so he has joint accounts with everybody, so and everybody has everybody and all kind of have joint account with everybody so if anyone has an issue or or you know ah just a a I you, you


you're you're paralysed or stuck in a hospital or something like that and you know someone has access to that money, so I thought that is I mean as soon as it is of course thinking of about the worst but the worst do happen right


, ya ya I think, we are older now so so my dad finds it easier to


you know give us their access to money as well, ya so we can we can, anyone it do do we have I think the different kind of joint account so we don't we we can have a single signature to


do stuff in the bank, to make it easier, so I think ya so I think people should have joint account in general, if you have, you know people you can trust with money with and I've I totally agree that ya ya I totally agree that not everyone is trustworthy with money


I will of course I can open a joint account with you, ya I have like


, ah


ya I'm sure, jackpot


oh yes


ya, that's good oh you don't have a joint account with your husband, oh


ya that kind of makes sense and makes it easier, we're talking about your kids, you think you will give them an ATM card, soon, maybe not soon how old do you think you will have you considered that


eighteen !wow!


no but this ATM card will you open a personal bank account for them, and you don't do it you don't go to the bank at twelve yourself right, what is older


fourteen I think fourteen ya


how, how old did you were you when you have your, own ATM card, what and you and you go to the ATM at primary two or three


oh


no I don't think so so, and how old did you think you use, you start using ATM card, at what age


oh, okay !wah! but that's a very long journey so you started having it at, eight years old and then you, and then you started using it at sixteen right, ya


ah okay, that's true you were , ya


(uh huh) (uh huh) okay


part three negative experiences, !hais! I gotta tell you I think there is still some injustice in the world that makes me angry


this is hard to swallow, I think for one, the inequality in its different forms, so like income inequality


access to, uh services for different people, uh ya, I don't know so !hey! did you see that the I think it was a report on a newspaper the the least


uh what is that call, essential services right what what are the top, non-essential services, like the most essential services and the the the the most non-essential services


so I, ya but I I mean it it makes sense and it doesn't right you are why, ya I don't know we spend so much money on art museums like the state, the state you know that every state in the world not every but many state it states in the world spend


everybody's money because they're paid from taxes, on art and in many many places in the world spend uh, you know they have uh probably uh, a guideline within their


their building act that you must include a certain amount of art within buildings so I mean there are cities like that, so then why are the artists non-essential I mean in in that sense by publishing a a report like that


uh, into into mainstream media might might be quite misleading but I think that causes in a way a certain inequalities I that might perpetuate, you know inequality in itself


so it I think that or or how people treat people how different people treat people class inequality and such, does it ever come to you like, class inequality or, inequality in income wealth inequality


but isn't it the same here, the the government does not, take money off the rich or get give it to the poor in that sense, that's only progressive uh that's only because there's a progressive tax system


in that


(mmhmm)


what, what lead gender okay yes, (ppc), really


there there been like I don't see it I mean I don't notice it on the news, I didn't caught catch my attention, trying to recall something that is with gender inequality, I don't know


oh (uh huh)


oh, (mmhmm) oh okay ya


that's true, ya, ya, (uh huh)


ya oh no, ya but the way they ask, I mean like shows that


there is some form of, perception already, right the way they ask a question the way they phrase to phrase the question, !wow! that's quite, tough okay I never thought of that


I have no kids so no one ask me about, who is gonna take care of my kids, okay ya but you know I don't I cannot


I think I've met I I think luckily I've met like quite, good people along the way, uh ya so, I don't think so no, not not that I can think of, not that I can think of nothing comes to mind


, oh, ya


so in fact you were more efficient than the others ya, ya


, ya , it's over


!wow! !wow! !wow! I can ya


ya, I think so I mean like the environment and the culture and plays a very big part I I get what you mean, ya I think so that's tough that is so unfair


is there anything that keeps you, ya, is there anything that keeps you awake at night,


the news the news keeps you up at night


ya, ya


ya, !wow!,


ya, uh I don't know sometimes work keeps me up, at night uh sometimes, sometimes uh


I don't know I cannot well that I think there are nights that are, tougher to when most of the time I sleep, all the time , but uh ya there there are some things like uh work


I think at the moment, uh but the thing is I've never I I've never met most of my grandparents so I I cannot, I I have met only one uh the rest are the rest are


they passed on before I was born or when I was two or three that I so I don't remember them, you know they don't they did not register in my brain so I I have no feelings for them, I've seen ten thousand photos but that's about it


so only one that I know so ya I either I wonder what, how the world will become, oh but I think about


how, things could change just, you know how how things might change with with a, how do I put it with just a little change a very small change by effect a very huge


uh consequences, ya so like for example it in like, in like things like, uh government you know a very little change in the government might effect in


like a country being very different, ya so so things like that so I think about it and I think what is that the so I I consider right but I have no answers I consider what's the balance to


uh of change that that, you know that that we can tolerate, and still most people would be happy,


no then I then I will come up I was I will I will, kind of, turn around and I will sit up and start googling and and try to see if there's any answers out there, , I'm googling nonstop where I google for everything ya and then I google like okay what do you know is there a balance has someone thought about that someone must have you know all these


people must have these experts or these , not me I have not this a new question to me someone must have, thought for it their whole life, you know some philosophers must have come up with something smart not me this is a new question to


me ya but I read like stupid things like that, (hmm)


not so much but I I have, okay but the I have this issue that I have, ten thousand open tabs on my computer, on my browser and on my phones, like can you imagine I mean like


I to me I can imagine because I do it right but sometimes I look at the number I think it's a bit crazy so on my phone I have sixty tabs on my browser, or fifty have fifty plus is the average anyway so I try to close them once in a while


one or two once in a while so these are things that I'm not done with and I still need to look at them, and they have fifty plus on my phone and those I have on my phone are different from what I have on a computer that are work that they just not done


, ya so when friends see that I had and they feel like what do you have how can anyone have like fifty I like I did you just forget to close and then like no I, I go through that I say okay I'm still not done,


I still have to read and and look at these and consider that so once in a while if I look at data diagram no no, no no no, no no no so the safeentry ones are not counted because those I keep it in another browser that I close them all the time


no that's so these are the fifty plus is is a running it's not running number in that sense of every time it goes up to sixty plus then I thought okay lah I should close some stuff, , my life is not done with all the other fifty yet not done with that ya so sometimes


those the some something like I, continue thinking about them when I, look at these browsers when they come back to me, or when the situation calls for, ya but maybe not all the


although they when you open them you will see them what, ya, but the phone is micro in itself the the phone is micro in itself


ya , so !hey! but you have been a stay-at-home mum for quite a while, quite a few years, almost ten ah coming to ten, do you do you think you know do you think your do you do you think anyone ever look down on you on on this


status of being a stay-at-home mum, you know what I mean, do do they come more from friends or like, I don't know, are like what kind of people


okay,


(mmhmm), !wow!


ya, lecture (ppl)


part two, positive experiences, alright, we are now in unprecedented times, would


do you say something that you are looking forward to after COVID, that you really really look forward to


I stop checking that I think it's I think it's not important anymore, I mean like how can you avoid like I I can never avoid so, forget it


so maybe that's what it, so maybe that's what you're looking forward to the most you're looking forward to not not, uh not, having to cook much


I think ya to also looking forward to, to, I think I look forward to going out, and not worrying, you know ya, but I like I say I'm not looking at the list of places that


patients have sort of, ya COVID patients have, recently been to, it's more because I think, uh now that people are out there's almost no, no it's tough to avoid certain places


so I thought !aiya!, uh and it seems like community cases are, uh not so high you see so I think okay maybe, uh just by touching an item and the person touches an item is not a high risk


it's a lower risk it's not no risk but the, but since the start of COVID I think that if if I if I, contract, if I'm infected than I'm infected anyway, it's hard to avoid it's a it's a game of chance in a way


ya, (uh huh)


ya, ya I think so ya, ya that mean there are so many diseases


that anyone could contract there is not just COVID right, dengue you know you don't even need to go out to get get dengue


is it the season for, is it the season for, oh okay, I have a friend's I have a friend's kid who just got scarlet fever


like of all like COVID scare and all and then a scarlet fever like okay, how how did that happen you know like ah okay life happens


no, no it's a different type of virus, up to maybe ya


, you manage !wow!


!wow! roses I thought they are not of our climate, oh


uh how ya, just wondering how that happened because you have to cook five meals a day how can you slow down, once you are done, eating you have to start chopping for the next meal, I thought, oh


oh but I ya okay ya


oh that's a, great idea oh, ya that's great idea I cook sometimes, but I I realise that maybe I'm not the


best cook in the world, so I try not to do that, too often ya but I have a a (mmhmm), I think I am thankful for a lot of time on my hand


it's ridiculous because you realise that I mean I realise that, uh it in non-COVID times we running from places to places and, meetings to meetings, but, you know like a lot of time spent on ah well good things also like socialising


but since it's, a lockdown in that sense there is no way to meet anyone so I have a lot of time for all other things, and I don't have to go from places to places, so I find that I have more time on my hands


to do nothing or something, ya I mean it's both you know it's I think it's important to do nothing sometimes, uh and ya because, it's about thinking and, you you stop and you think and you


you know kind of allow thoughts to, flow and and read and like I like a lot of books I have a lot of books I have a queue of books where I will never finish them but, but at least I I read four books okay that's not a lot


but still I would never have read them, if it's not for COVID, you know I would have not have finished them by july if that happens ya so so I think those are things I'm thankful for and phase one started, a while ago and we're now in phase two but they allowed people to visit their parents in phase one


so I've been visiting them a lot because that's, and then it it I feel that it gives my mum some, something you look forward to also and all the both of my parents, uh so I just sometimes I just tell her all you know why don't you cook this why don't you cook that we look at some recipes together look at some youtube videos and then you know cook something different and because she's bored also right I mean you cook you know what should I cook today !aiya! so Sian again and again the same thing


ya so she would ask you know what do you want to eat uh okay let's try this you know we look at youtube videos and then we decide, and then she will do it somehow the next day or day after , but I ya so I I've been spending more time


with them when that sense, and that that is, I think that is something good because in the non-COVID times, that will never happen, oh tonight I'm meeting my friend there's a meeting at six o'clock so you know dinner is at nine not going to happen it thinks and ya so with this I I think I'm thankful for that


push to, stop socialising , in a way in a way in a different way you know that then I spend my time on differently because you can only visit your parents you cannot visit anyone else


and now it's phase two you can do more things but I really feel I have not really met a lot of people yet but I feel that it's going to come, you know the the schedule book is going to fill up soon the diary


I think ya, ya


I think that different right I mean this is, life I think it's not right to not socialise too much so, like for me I think I have to relearn how to socialise, uh eh eh and ya, like people are telling me that you better go and relearn how to oh it's phase two well if someone calls to meet you better go because


there's a need to relearn that because if not you lose it and and well it's just not good in life in general if I if I live till the average uh age lifespan, as if so I have another forty years to go but I cannot go alone you know


ya I need to somehow survive that well if I die earlier that's okay but you know we never know so we have to prepare for the worst, well what is the worst die now or die later okay well, let's not discuss but you get what I mean so so I think it's important so socialising is important so for example in I work in a school so I I hang out with students a lot and


but, during times of COVID so I I would meet them for lunch and dinner before COVID you know normally we would hang out for lunch oh you don't have class on this day let's do lunch we'll do dinner we'll do lunch so every weekday, I have breakfast lunch dinner meeting then I try to avoid breakfast


but you know we have this, so, I've got constantly just meeting, people for breakfast lunch or dinner if not it's a work, lunch or or something like that, so now there's nothing there's no the lunch meeting even if there is you know the computer and you kind of could


still turn on your emails and do some other things, while you're meeting, people ya so I think that don't, no no because the school is still out for us so we will not doing that we I'm not seeing them


ya, so ya, that's right, ya so I think it's tough, (hmm)


oh ya


ya, ya, ya


oh that's nice


till the next pandemic


part one financial related topic


I have uh credit cards of course I have been holding the citibank clear card and that was actually my first card when I started working so a lot of sentimental value to it but however I meant recently when I called their hotline I realised that services has been lacking


okay I meant of course is the best dining card I feel with discount so far like for example if I actually dine at Ajisen I get a five dollars voucher


for every fifty dollars spent ya and and then uh depends on a different timing lah they have different seasonal kind of promotions and in the past they have some promotion with sheng siong as well it was during a chinese new year I think two years back, you spend sixty dollars they give you a five dollars voucher so it's not bad it's almost like almost eight percent discount


and of course you know I love online shopping and they have quite good promotions at shopee and lazada every week and I shop every week of course and they gave up to twelve dollars off with minimum spending of sixty dollars, ya


so how about you do you use any cards


you don't know ya which one is the best so you when you go to different places you use different cards, like if you, what


, do you have a go to card like is there one card that you I mean often pull it out of your wallet


, what's your next card then, oh okay what's good about it


, , actually the citibank card that I have right I when I started it


holding like a decade ago right they were only giving out, points so I have to like regularly go and redeem it lah, and, every every year they will expire right so I have to go and redeem it but actually I think in recent years they have been hearing feedback so I can kind of like offset my purchases with the


points that I gathered, ya so I think is, I mean not a bad thing that I mean that's is is like cashback in a way except that you are using the points to actually offset it so I mean I see as a cashback lah so to me cashback or points it doesn't really matter in that sense ya


for this particular citibank clear card ya, how about how about miles I often hear people using certain like credit cards then uh they preferred to actually exchange for miles I mean I don't really travel so miles is not something that I look out for in a credit card but how about you


oh that's why you use the card okay , oh okay


oh ya so that was from the card okay


okay, okay and, debit card ah I I mean I, I think everyone has a NETS card right so they only debit, I use is the nets function but technically is not called a debit function but very very seldom I'll pull out a debit card I mean like if the card card can give me points from a credit card why would want to pull out a debit card ya


ya, I don't leh I think how about you, oh, wait I suddenly remembered that I actually have this card, uh the youtrip card yes ya I think


ya I I don't really use it I've only used it once when I went perth last year oh that was really useful because I don't have to exchange a lot of money and the currency rate is quite good that's the only debit card that I've used I think, ya


oh, so what, sort of debit card do you use, when you are overseas, oh okay in case you need to withdraw money and things like that


okay, ya I've never thought about that I mean I don't travel with a lot of cash I don't feel safe travelling with a lot of cash so I think uh the youtrip card really help me a bit lah, ya I mean I don't bring a lot of money but ya because I love shopping and sometimes if I use too uh much of credit cards right there's charges and why not the especially the exchange rate


that can adds up to be quite a lot so ya I'm happy with the youtrip card I mean I forgotten about that totally because I haven't I haven't been travelling obviously so I only use that once last year , hopefully I can get to use it soon, yup ya what


, I was thinking right uh what's your view on like joint accounts with I mean couples, uh actually I have a joint account with my husband so I'm just, thinking is that the norm like for couples who actually have a joint account and what is the joint account used for is it paying for big ticket items or why not


for me right this actually good to have this joint account because it's a common goal to work towards and big ticket items like cars and why not can be actually paid from there, currently our joint account is maybank passbook savings account the interest is very pathetic is only like zero point one eight seven five percent but I mean it gives the flexibility lah that I can actually withdraw money anytime so I'm wondering if you have any recommendations or what do you use or what do you have have you heard from your friends


true, that's a, that's a very morbid thought like to have a joint account for funeral expenses I mean it is indeed a very big ticket items but I mean I have never thought about it like I'm in uh having a joint account


for big ticket expenses like funeral expenses , , oh


eh ya eh actually that's true I mean I also have, uh joint accounts with my two children so I I think it's important lah to have this account whereby they can actually access the money easily if they actually need it,


, like me


you can trust me with your money, , ya actually my uh joint account with my children right is I, never ever thought about it I meant pregnancy and all right I've never even think about bank accounts but because I had to open a CDA account to get the baby bonus right so I mean of course right it's free money of course I wanted that so I was given like a ton of brochures and what not when I was in the hospital


so my only aim at that time was okay I needed to get the money from the government which is the baby bonus I had to open the CDA account, so there was only, POSB and OCBC at that time so OCBC was nearer lah so I actually went to OCBC the branch to open up the CDA account so after opening the CDA account they actually suggested a savings account


and then I thought eh why not then I will just take it, and, and ya so that's how my joint account came in it's not like a plan for it it's kind of like came by chance so we, took the savings account ya it's quite good you know I mean if in the future you can consider there is a no minimum balance to maintain and there's free coin deposit ya


you know how my son always like to keep ten cents twenty cents fifty cents one dollar all the coins lah he don't like notes right kids so he likes to keep all the little little coins at his recess and see how he was, keep it in his piggy bank and how am I going to bank in all that coins because if I actually it to a bank right they charge like I I can't remember like every


fifty pieces or whatnot they will charge like one dollar so it becomes quite a lot of money lah to a small kid you see if he's just gonna bank in five dollars you gonna take it one dollar from him that kind so with this free coin deposit right it's quite cool I what I actually do is we pour out all the coins


then we get him to sort out ten cents twenty cents fifty cents one dollar then after sorting out all the coins then we will go over to the counter and because, uh we are holding the mighty savers passbook right we actually have priority queue so I don't have to like fight with


with twenty people in the queue I just have to bring up the passbook and then I'll get like zoom to the first few lah and then he will just uh be very cute lah just pass the coins over the counter and he enjoys it when he sees the coins trickling down the coin counting machine


have you have you I mean have you heard of ya it's quite fun lah like it's quite cute in that sense also and depending on, ya ya it sounds like the jackpot sound but this is uh different lah to a kid it's like oh my money my money and they have different


promotions at different times so at, sometimes uh we actually got like a a free coin box or in fact I have a pencil case here can you see it's OCBC mighty saver it's quite cool so, they actually have things like this you can ya I mean this kind of uh


uh, smiggle lookalike pencil cases whereby when you deposit, a minimum of like one thousand, or something ya, so I kind of top up lah in a way to the coins that he has then quite fun quite fun I mean I enjoy that account now that you talk about joint account ya I have two with my two kids


okay, I I I have I have we ya actually we when we were dating we already set up the joint account, I think ya , and ah the wedding expenses and all comes from there


and of course the super big ticket right the HDB flat, uh ya renovation and all all I guess ya we draw for the more big ticket items lah,


yup, uh oh uh , well


I mean I am holding the ATM card now uh I, think I will only give them this ATM card when they turn eighteen, , okay but I mean uh I don't know like how what's the


they can do it when they are older right I mean why do I have to do it for them ya ya ya, sixteen sixteen I think when they are between sixteen because I said that I'm gonna give them the ATM card only at like eighteen right between sixteen to eighteen I feel that if


they have already started working because sixteen is the legal age to work right so if they have uh started working, ha, fourteen is it fourteen, okay uh anyway ya so between fourteen I feel it's too young it's only secondary two so uh my allowance uh my limit is probably


sixteen so when he when they started working at sixteen between sixteen and eighteen I mean they can always open their own savings account, and manage their own bank account ya


quite young actually I got it when I was in like primary two or three, ya the peer, I don't I because it was the passbook as well right so the ATM card was always they have this plastic cover so my ATM card was always in front I've never touch it like never it's like so precious


but I know that I can take money from there I just I know the PIN as well but I've never done it like I'm a super saver so I've been saving saving saving saving every time my Angbao money christmas presents birthday presents that comes in the , like uh format of like money right I will just keep saving lor


so I'll just go to the bank excitedly with the passbook and the ATM card I I, I can't remember like, at that time was there like cash deposit machines I don't remember, ya, so I actually we had to queue up to deposit the money


I think uh actually when I started working so that was like sixteen when I started working at sixteen then I had salary coming in to that account which I have to withdraw right because I need to give my dad an allowance I started giving allowance at sixteen not bad right so ya


so I started working at sixteen part time after O levels and that's when I get my first pay cheque, so with the first pay cheque I had to withdraw because previously they were all savings savings savings from like presents so I never had a need to withdraw money, ya


so at sixteen I started withdrawing money for the first time, , how about you, ya I never hor how come ya ya I


whenever I've never even been tempted to use it I mean I always look at it like it's some kind of like, I mean at that age okay I've always looked at it at some kind of like prestigious card, that, I can only use when I grow up, ya I always walk past the ATM machine and I'm like okay I have this like membership card


that, I'm a member of this bank or something like that, prestigious ah I mean I see it as prestigious ya I mean at seven year old I see it as a prestigious status, so I've always told myself that I'm gonna save save save I'm not going to withdraw money and I did that all the way until sixteen so I expect this of my kids as well


that they are not going to withdraw money anytime before that anything they want they can tell me and we'll have a discussion lah they don't need the they don't need to withdraw the money per se, ya and at eighteen years, old once they are older more mature and they


probably like doing , higher education uh they have started working possibly a part time then they know how hard to earn money right all the hard earned money they can withdraw all they want lor I mean by then right with they have their own account


there's not much we can control them of as well ya but I will still keep the age to eighteen lah or even maybe twenty one depending on the character of the children as well, so my boy is more playful ya my boy is more playful so maybe twenty one my girl is a little bit more sensible so maybe eighteen


I I don't know I mean it really depends on how they grow up and, ya their character and how they view money when they grow up


part three negative experiences


okay what are they


, ya I saw that


, ya, I'm I'm more, I'm more angry with, wealth inequality ah I mean I I guess it's not so much in singapore I mean I trust that the government is doing a very good job here so uh not so much in singapore but other countries yes I do see that the richer ones are always getting richer and the poorer ones are always getting poorer I I I don't


uh but I guess they get it, like they cup


ya correct there's a progressive tax system and that's all it's not like corporate taxes some more ya but I guess I mean comparing singapore to like other countries right singapore's gap is not that huge, there's always a net at the bottom of singapore to catch I wouldn't say they are able to catch hundred percent of those at the bottom but


I I don't have a percentage for you but I I guess they will be able to catch most of them at the bottom there are a lot of uh grants and schemes are like the straits times school pocket money fund for example actually provides children, uh I think is per capita income, below five hundred dollars the family right they actually get like uh textbook rebates uh recess money pocket money and so on for the kids for the kids that are that are going to school so I mean with this kind of schemes in place I think singapore is not as bad


but uh I mean looking at, other countries definitely look at, india for example during their COVID times, ya, people because it's a lockdown right they cannot even travel back, to their own town, ya, because of income inequality the richer ones


do not do anything to even like, protect or help, ya the ones that are on the streets, I mean so many people died in the streets and a lot of this news, I mean it it makes me sad and, I don't really feel angry lah because it's not in


my bad luck you see but I I feel sad at this kind of news that talk about this kind of things and definitely right to me a very big thing is gender inequality, ya so I mean, gender of gender


gender inequality I mean that's a bigger injustice that I feel that every time I read news on gender inequality right I'll be like , no not again ya that really makes me angry, (hmm)


in the workplace I mean, okay I mean, growing up right my dad has always favoured my brother, like my older brother he has always, favoured him he always get the best food best whatever and whenever he does something wrong right okay okay uh sorry you're forgiven alright alright and whenever I does something wrong right because I'm a girl right I get like double the punishment


just because I'm a girl I have to behave better you see, so I mean that's gender inequality already what I mean why are you doing this, we are we should be equal right and in the workplace I mean for example the boys get paid more after NS, ya


I mean that's a huge thing already and uh just because I'm a mum right I'm assumed to be responsible for my kids totally so uh I've gone to like a few interviews that they actually ask, how are you going to look after your kids if you are working overtime


like, I'm so angry like how why are they asking me how are you going to look after your kids and not asking who is looking after, you you know what I mean like how are you going to look after as a mum you should look after your kids you know how can you like work overtime and who's going to pick them up from schools is going to cook for them I get the kind of like stereotype like because I'm a mum I've to do this type of things


ya you should I mean the interviewers will actually ask in a way that like, who is looking after them when you're working and not how right I mean this kind of things really make me boil, ya


ya like, correct lor correct correct definitely, so this is one thing that make me angry, you have never thought of that you have never like seen it, or like face it in life


, and maybe you get the other one because you have no kids you can work overtime, right I mean I don't know


, ya I think my ex


my old workplace was exactly like this I had a I had a boss who was very not understanding she's not local but I mean uh she manages the singapore team lah so it was I was treated very very unfairly ya


just because I had to go on my maternity leave in august twenty twelve right, I got a poor rating, ya you know like how they do your KPI rating and so on right the appraisals , so I got a very poor rating and I I despite me hitting my KPI before I left for maternity


so imagine the my maternity leave was from august so from january to august I have already hit my KPI I made sure I hit my KPI before I even gone for my maternity leave so when I came back, yes you see my point right I mean I don't


I don't see her point at all she said that I've been like , ya, only for four months so that's why uh they couldn't judge me based on that forma and therefore they had to give me a poor, it's not even a poor rating it's like poor poor because it's a minus minus rating so I actually had a minus minus rating when I go back in january ya the bonus announcement was in march rating was always done like year end


right, so year end I was not around so january I went back I didn't even had a time had a time to appeal because, ya lah I only have it's it's not over yet they just needed me to sign off then then because I'm probably like the last one to sign because I got back in january everyone sign off in december so you have to sign this now in like one minute you I can't even like appeal there's no way to appeal it's decided ya so that was


very unfair lah so must find the correct boss to work for


, ya it's a, sorry what you saying, oh a lot of things like online shopping


, besides (uh huh) no lah no lah I'm , I'm just kidding I'm just kidding I mean okay when it's quiet at night right when the kids are sleeping then I have a time to myself I call it my me time and that's when I


really think about things lah like I always plan timetables for my children in my mind so I'm thinking like okay what am I gonna do for them like, I don't think about tomorrow no I actually think about like five years later, do I have to like


enroll them in any like tuition centres or whatever, right, uh four years later my son will be taking his PSLE so I I kind of like, draft out the road, uh in my mind lah okay what are the possible uh routes that he can take after PSLE and so on ya and even like beyond that lah if I if I'm still not asleep yet


so it's this kind of things so, beyond that right after secondary school then , ya what what are the possible things that he can do, based on his strength and so on so that's one thing that keep me awake and, and of course uh my parents, my dad passed away four years ago and my mum twenty five years ago so I often like wonder


uh how will they interact with my children only my dad has seen my two kids my mum never right so I always wonder like, , how will my mum interact with my kid I I will have no idea at all I was so young then like will will she be a very doting grandmother


ya will she will she cook for them will she look after them will she be looking after them so that I will be going to the returning to the workforce full time because now I'm a stay-at-home mum right because I cannot entrust anyone with my kids, so


ya I mean is she going to look after them so that I can return to work are we gonna stay together, and a lot of things lah ya so, ya sometimes I think think think then it's like oh okay it's four AM I have to get up in two hours to prepare the kids for school


so I just force myself to sleep, , how about you


oh oh okay one


, oh,


!wah!, you think of very big issues you know like what sorts of change are you


okay


that's a that's a very intense question to think about no at night you probably spend a lot of hours and you'll be thinking all the what if what if what if I have no answer for that


that's worse you are keeping yourself up for hours on ends like


do you continue your, do you continue your thought night after night so let's say you sleep right tonight you thought about this topic and then do you continue that tomorrow, because you fall asleep right so when you wake up, do you remember what you were thinking the night before do you continue that night when you are sleeping


you are crazy


you probably have seventy now, you probably have seventy now twenty from safe entry


oh !wah!, how do you find it through the links so many of them fifty how how do you know where is where, you browse through all you have to


ya but they are on the phone like fifty of them on your phone they're all like micro size, you got to slowly look through, ya, , !wah!


ya, a decade about there


of course of course ya of course ya I mean, fair share I suppose I mean when I kind of like announce I mean these days everybody have to do an announcement on social media right so I kind of did a


, a post I mean post announcement on social media saying that okay goodbye I am now a stay-at-home mum people are like so shocked I mean other than all the messages that I receive right my friends messages message me and, uh my cousin as well my cousin is like thirteen years older and she kind of tell me that that's the worst decision I've ever made in life like that I have to depend on my husband ya for like


for food and everything then I say no I mean I I'm a stay-at-home mum doesn't mean I have to depend on him right we work as a team right it's not about me depending on him, for anything or him depending on me for anything we work as a team I mean I stay at home and look after everything at home he puts the


food on the table I mean we are a team I don't see it as he providing the food uh for the family, so ya she goes into this uh one hour long uh, nag on a, lecture ya one hour long lecture on how I shouldn't be a stay-at-home mum given that


I, am so young and I have a bright future ahead of me I mean I was in a, not high flyer job lah I would say ya so having giving up all those is impossible for me to regain that position, when I go back to the workforce in ten years twenty thirty years time then I say I'm fine lah I mean kids


I mean what what (ppb) okay [lah] simply put why do I want so much money if I can't even spend time with my kids right, so I guess I tend to block out on this, (um), I tend to block on this negative sayings [lor] ya


part two positive experiences


I don't know man the , the whole home based learning has kind of like kill off all my enthusiasm and like my brain cells , so


I I guess , I really look forward to a get together a normal get together, I I wouldn't even say a new normal I actually want back the old normal whereby uh we can actually go out and have a meal together without worrying about social distancing rules without uh worrying about whether like there are lingering viruses around without even checking through the list of like


places that positive COVID patients has been to ya and now you even have, you stop checking that , ya I, I


I mean I try to not go lah to high traffic places like shopping malls and why not, ya but I mean something that we really look forward to is just to actually in fact ah I mean since phase two right and many people has dine out but not me but not uh me and my family I still prefer to like Dabao home or I will just cook I've been cooking every day like


five meals a day kids right big appetite, ya, so I really look forward to the old normal


actually not true lah I mean I I enjoy cooking but uh not like five meals a day so I just want back the old normal you see like whereby you just cook like two meals a day and then we'll dine out for one meal I think that's good enough lah for now how about you


I I was speaking to some friends right and they mentioned that because now the ICU there's only one case in the ICU, right in the past there were like I mean in previous months there were like so many that they actually mentioned that they may be overcrowded and so on right so everyone was really worried that our healthcare will not be able to


maintain ya or sustain that kind of numbers every day, but I mean people were joking that now that there's only one in the ICU they can actually afford to look after a few more even if myself is infected and like touch wood right you get into the ICU I mean the way that people look at things now is pretty negative


but there's positivity out of it lah in a way that people will joke about it and whatnot, , but I guess uh,


ya, true true ya and and it's the HFMD peak period again HFMD is, this hand foot mouth disease which is prevalent in like childcare centres because it's a childhood disease right so I mean all the childcare teachers are so worried like so many things


to worry about dengue HoneNone even and then HFMD and then this COVID so I mean we're just trying ya it is it's a peak HFMD ya it's a peak season for HFMD now that's why they were , like so worried about everything and add to this they have COVID ya so I I really have to be (hmm)


sorry, , okay


it's not linked to COVID or anything, no, ya because I was reading some news and they mentioned that there are a lot of different kinds of like diagnosis that's related to COVID


but it's not in a scientific paper, ya so you know like how they link, ya, I I don't know I mean , ya but with this COVID right I think I'm really thankful that I actually have the time to slow down knowing me right I'm always on


the rush every day the moment I open my eyes I'm rushing I'm rushing to pick the kids I'm sending the kids for lessons I never had the time to slow down and rest even when I'm showering right I'm actually planning the timetable in my head


so I mean with this COVID situation and with my husband and the two kids at home right I have no choice but to just slow down my pace totally, and think about, I mean just one step at a time one day at a time lah


ya and ya and ya and ya I I'm thankful that I'm actually able to slow myself down and literally smell the roses, as I picked up gardening as well during this COVID period and I planted some roses


ya you can come over and take a look at them when you are here, , uh ya I bought the I mean I don't I didn't plant them per se I bought like uh the pots lah ya #sheng siong# still sell them so I


they are still alive so, I'm I'm growing them growing ya I didn't plant them to begin with ya but, okay I mean it's a very hard thing for me to slow down lah but to slow down and do things that I really enjoy I mean I am appreciate of that now that uh I mean it's not really post-COVID yet but it's in phase two right


and then the kids are back in school I mean although I've been complaining every single day about home based learning how tedious it is for the parent to do home based learning right I kind of miss the kids when they're in school like, eh how come there's no one bugging me how come I can actually write a full email without like stopping so many times to get snacks


to get drinks ya and with the kids at home right during the , circuit breaker period actually have very regular meals because I, I make sure my kids get regular meals and I lead by example so uh they eat like breakfast at eight and then lunch at twelve and then dinner is five thirty this is our everyday routine so with with them at home I should follow their routine but now that they are not at home I tend to


ya go still still of course lah like I can have my, brunch at like twelve before I pick them up, ya so, something different and ya something that we have to get used to in this uh, new normal ya


oh I meal prep I meal prep I didn't go to the supermarkets at all during this period I actually did a lot of uh online grocery shopping and I don't


watch like facebook live because it's a total waste of my time you know some people watch facebook live they spend three hours just watching to order food that they want right I don't it's a total waste of time , so I just uh, ya, ya just order whatever I can lah and uh ya the food supplies actually ran out quite a bit like the usual stuff that we


get right uh they ran out like pasta sauces and so on so have to try different things lor and then just look at youtube lah for more recipes or videos, so how do I slow I didn't really slowdown in the in the pace of cooking for example in the kitchen but I do meal prep so if I like have a one pot meal I try to cook


two meals out of it ya if if I have a soup right for lunch I add in more ingredients for dinner, so that becomes two meals already ya shortcut shortcut, , ya so that's what I do lah for that, how about you do you cook


, are there, any incidents that you feel like I mean you are really thankful for in this period of time


so what's the, true I need to learn to do nothing


ya, with all the gatherings going on right ya, I so, so do you think you will be which period of time do you more prefer like the more the the socialising period or the non-socialising one as you mention


true


, , so have you resumed those meals with them like uh breakfast lunch and dinner have you resumed or planning to


so you come okay, for me right I mean staying at home


for so long right it's, it's quite hard to socialise in a sense that because I only socialiSe with the kids and the husband right so I I get you when you say you need to relearn socialising as well so , because I'm again in a rush now picking kids uh from school sending them to schools and so on so I the only way that I socialise now is really to speak to the other mummies who are on school pickup runs as well


ya, so I guess I some sometimes I just because now it's very easy right we are all wearing masks so it's very easy just to wear a mask stand aside and social distancing as well so it's very easy to just wear a mask stand aside and, pretend that you you do not know anyone and no one knows you but I ya I I took the step lah and I mean I have to talk to people right cannot be talking to like kids all the time so I tend to ya try to socialise in a sense that I'll go and talk to other mummies lah who are around this school pickup


run , I mean that's my way of socialising ya I I don't think I'll be meeting on people for a meal anytime soon but I am equally thankful that we have a lot of uh zoom mealtimes, ya, we even have uh zoom play dates


even now even in phase two we have zoom play dates so my kids will be like okay introducing all the toys in the room and the kids at the other end were be introducing their toys and we will have like storytelling sessions puppet sessions or, or singalong lah singalong is always the easiest so I guess we will continue to have that ya that that's quite fun I mean it's a different thing and I think it's only kids of this generation


will ever get to do it I think I think I'm not sure of the future but I think so lah I mean if you could have a play date face to face right who actually want a virtual play date ya when you can't really play with each other toys, right I mean the point of a play date is I want to play with your toy right your toy always looks better than mine so


ya I think, if uh the in the post-COVID world right I think ya not there will no longer be any virtual play dates, ya so ya we are, !choy! , !choy!


ya lah through the next pandemic so for now we are still enjoying like virtual play dates , and quite thankful that there are a lot of free programmes around that they have watch like #cirque du soleil# that's always like my favourite favourite uh circus so


I wouldn't pay for the kids to watch right it's hundred per ticket four of us will cost like four hundred dollars so no way I'm gonna pay that amount of money ya so we are so lucky to be able to catch, them on TV youtube so we've been watching that every weekend every weekend they will release a new series of videos


ya until now they have been releasing every weekend although they have just gone bankrupt but they have been releasing videos every weekend, I don't I don't know whether they release on a weekend but we watch it as on the weekend as a brand new video, ya, so we kind of watch that and there are a lot of other like shows as well lah they they they actually uh offer for free like uh mister egg magic show I'm not sure if you know about mister egg he's this uh famous cute little magician that wears a red hat


kids love him kids love him he has a, a, cute little soft toy puppet that he calls honey bunny so there he goes on, youtube live since COVID started uh I mean the circuit breaker started so every saturday at eleven o'clock he will do a live for forty minutes absolutely free so


quite cute lah I mean to watch a magic show like on screen but the kids still have, fun ya, so very very different very different but the kids are still enjoy and I I realise something kids are actually very adaptable, like


I I don't know but adults were like !wah! viruses lingering around what's going to happen to me and things like that right but kids are like so adaptable, tell them that okay today you can't go to the playground because it's closed right and it will be closed uh for indefinite period of time because we don't know when it's opening and they are like okay lor we'll just stay


at home ya (ppl), and we manage to find a lot of things (um) to do at home like (uh) we created toys from cardboard boxes, and many other recycled materials


okay, part one financial-related topic


okay, okay great, uh yes I have, an accident uh policy and a hospitalisation policy with, uh great eastern


ah no ah sorry my my hospitalisation plan is with prudential and my uh , accident plan is with great eastern, I am very happy that I had the accident because I hurt my back when I was abroad and I could claim the expenses that I paid


uh when I went to ER overseas, ya uh what about you,


oh, but so your mum bought that one like when you were really young kind of thing right, okay uh


uh I have a IPL plan , so it's more for insurance and not so much for the investment , ya because I mean I I mean I didn't think that it was that important to have uh other kinds of insurance in the savings way because I was uh I mean I wanted to travel more and not


worry about having fixed income so I only decided to get the IPL last year, because I felt like uh I'm thirty one already so I should start planning in case uh I mean anything happen to me and I cannot uh work or anything at least I have some coverage ya but uh when did you buy the critical illness uh plan actually


, did did something oh, , I know I just wonder like did something happen


around you to make you think of suddenly getting more coverage or it was really random,


oh why didn't you want to uh do that with your insurance agent your existing, ya ya


okay uh oh, , uh I would say I have none then also because mine is the , IPL


so I don't think is is considered like ya, it's not considered I think, so what do you look out for in an insurance agent actually


okay , for me I also think like I want them to be prompt and they need to know really well what they are doing , and I think I actually was with, prudential but I change to great eastern because of my brother's insurance agent he was really how to say like he could put everything into layman terms


so he came to our house and he talked with me my mum my dad and my brother altogether we all decided to just have a meeting in that way and we did it for three hours and he my parents could also understand whatever he was trying to say, so it was uh really good but I felt like my previous uh prudential uh adviser I mean the current the last one the current one I didn't feel that kind of uh clear explanation and sometimes she was trying to


uh upsell me to ask me to buy more or even ask me to join her to sell insurance so I think they need to really listen to what I'm saying and what I want at my current stage uh ya so I cared about that quite a bit


, okay uh


okay so I guess uh ya I think, we really need to know our own abilities or be you know be able to just cater uh to what we can do so I feel like the insurance agent really has important part to play in this so actually err


oh when you go abroad do you buy travel insurance as well,


, okay for me I always bought travel insurance because I was abroad for just less than three months but then uh I was abroad I was living abroad for maybe one and a half years and at that time I didn't buy any insurance


uh I mean I only have my hospitalisation and accident insurance so I think I was covered but because it's too ex, because it's too hard for me to really , have because I have to come back to singapore first before , uh it will be another how do I say this like if I were to buy it for uh


more than three months , I have to come back to singapore and then buy a new policy because you cannot just extend for hundred eighty days or even longer even if I'm willing to pay , so and I know like online they have those for those travelling for over a year uh but it's too expensive so I didn't buy it


uh so I was just telling myself I have to be really careful uh when I'm you know in terms of when I take any uh maybe more dangerous kind of activities okay so uh what kind of insurance are essential for people of your age that you think


, uh actually I feel that, , it is not enough actually that's why I decided to buy the private rider and the accident plan uh


because I think, the the hospitalisation costs are really very high in singapore , and you know if I have any kind of illness I really need more money than what can be given to me by my CPF insurance coverage uh what about you


oh , because I really, ah okay I think I really need to know uh what do they think of what they want in life because their expenditure and what and their income and what they need for daily livings expenses as well as uh


leisure or travel if they do we really have to be sure what they can afford before we try to sell them any products that we think is not uh suitable I mean maybe they think like, but I mean I ha I've also had some insurance agents tell me like oh you should really


plan for your future now like start now you have to start now and she just ignored what I said about like oh I still prefer to try to do things that I can uh instead of you know having a stable career or something so, I felt that she wasn't like listening to me so I really want to ask my uh client like what do they want actually that's the most important thing and really listened instead of you know trying to just tell her what I think is suitable for her


you know because then she will make me feel like she's not listening to me I don't want to talk to her ya so uh what about you


sell me more ya


sells first okay uh


, ya oh


ya , this one yes , okay then I also just wonder uh when you bought travel insurance do how do you choose, uh who to buy from or like how the


did you have any experience with making claims and anything like that


okay, uh, uh for me I usually I mean if I'm making just short trips , uh when I go abroad I really just find what which of my credit cards have uh discounts actually , uh ya ya and actually I was really happy when I went abroad for


the more than three months because the citibank they actually cover my if my air ticket was bought with the credit card they actually gave me basic coverage so actually I would just wanted to make sure that if my luggage gets lost I don't have to worry about it so I just chose that and I didn't buy any extra uh insurance coverage from that


and so I was lucky with that in a way I guess because I realised that my card has that uh has that uh insurance covered , ya for me because like I mean of course when we buy travel insurance we really don't hope to claim , so when we think oh ya we really need to buy uh travel insurance so if you are going for a family trip like me and my family uh sometimes meeting lah or maybe we really shouldn't buy the cheaper one but I think uh when we think about the fact that we really don't wish to claim it and this is just additional expenses


so we just try to go with the cheaper one and I think after I make one claim with one company I actually, choose to switch to another company because I think some companies I heard they would not give you the claim or let you claim if you claim too many times before if it's the same type of insurance


ya, [orh]


oh but because, uh no but actually because for that I didn't even have to buy it's like if I bought my air ticket using that card they would already gave me the three months complimentary insurance of course they cover really ya it comes it with it so I might as well just use that credit card to buy then I don't have to worry about


uh you know spending more for and having to source another one , and then it was just like a good deal in this way uh because I kind of like to read the terms and conditions so I , always read and then I realise this thing, ya but of course they have some criteria uh like you know the things you can claim I think they said like it only includes if you are if you go if you come back from abroad so if you are if you go and then you lose your stuff there uh they cover it but if I come back they won't cover it


ya so ya that but at least it's something ya and then so actually about the do you actually think of DIY actually you are sort of doing DIY for your insurance right in a way


because you really feel like you want to know exactly what, it is and


uh yes but then did you think like actually with your knowledge you could think of, really selling it in a way because actually you you really know the products or different products on the market right in a way


oh because I don't , true , okay I guess true because ya like you mentioned like you would have to also learn about many different things in that if you really want to sell it to people so you can cross-reference and be able to convince them that you really have knowledge right in a way


(ppl) (ppb)


okay part three, negative experiences, , okay uh, oh is there a moment when you felt that you were treated unfairly


well I think, there was one time when I was trying to enter a club with my friend in korea when because she was taiwanese and I'm uh not korean I'm singaporean so they actually charged us uh double the price for the cover


so they wrote it there and then I was like, , I was uh, ya actually there's nothing to be argued about but it's just, uh, because not every place is like them some other places they would just take the same price uh the same cover charge but for them they actually put it there the notice that for foreigners you have to pay extra


for that so I just don't know what is the basis on , ya like they couldn't give a basis then I asked him like why why do we have to pay extra and then he just said it's the rule of the club


oh I think I know what you went to you could go you have could have went to one that is only for koreans, ah ya , ya it's a cultural thing yes


but still, I guess but I guess the unfair part is like like I mean they didn't tell us the reason


I guess like ya I mean if you tell us like okay because you want to protect the interests of koreans so you give it cheaper to them I would accept it but because they just said I cannot say anything I cannot tell you anything you can just decide if you want it or leave it , ya , is there anything that keeps you awake at night


or just uh any incident whereby you couldn't sleep at night and like is there any cause for it


so you said it was because of a wrong uh diagnosis by the doctor, the wrong thing


because of that ah


fight oh no


I actually recently because of my work I felt awful a few times because I helped some people they felt entitled, and they didn't appreciate it they it seems like they appreciated it at first but then when I wasn't giving them


well actually something like this happen today , because uh , I I sort of run this wait I sort of work in this thing whereby we have to take we have to take charge of some people and they have to help us find referrals so


I and we pay them for their time as well if their referrals did uh some things so basically I was helping him uh and I was in charge of him for maybe the past two months, but today he suddenly told me to send him the information of like the payments made to that referral I didn't want to help him do it because I've been sending him the info all the time


I sent him the screenshots I paid and everything so I don't think it's wrong of me to tell him for those uh transfers that I did by bank transfer you could actually check it in our chat history because like if I give it to you but I mean then why do I give it to you all the time if I if you it's if it's not for you to make a record


so he got angry and he said if I if uh if we want to search this information and we have to do it by ourselves then why do we need you, so I got really upset about it because I feel like every time the things he submit is so messy and I try my best to help him solve every query and check everything for him thoroughly and he said I'm not serious


so I was really angry and I told my manager right after then he said he wants to change the person in charge of him to someone else, and he is just so rude and we actually meet a lot of this rude people uh quite often but just some of them really make my blood boil because if I didn't talk to him for so much and try to help him so much in the past


I wouldn't feel this upset like if I just uh you know didn't care so much about him but I felt like I put in effort and he is saying that I'm not treating him seriously so I just felt like why did I care so much and sometimes uh if they submit certain things late or if they send some things that were were unclear we actually don't have to pay them we can just tell them that there was no such record but


I still tried to tell him and put in more time to tell him like oh you actually this person you didn't give me the right thing so we couldn't pay you and then he could check right away and then he could get paid but if I didn't tell him this , he wouldn't know and he couldn't get extra for his uh efforts


so it's like uh ya, okay so, yes and just rude just really rude, ya oh uh just to add one last thing he actually wrote in the group chat , because I didn't reply him right away uh and then he just went into the group chat and said like we are trying our best but there are these people here who don't take us seriously


but luckily my but I already told my manager about this so he just she just said okay uh ya she knows that we meet a lot of annoying people so she just try to talk to him and say that oh you can look for someone else but , it just makes people see how , I mean he has low EQ and he just uh really rude anyway


okay was there a time when you felt like the world was against you


!huh! ya


I guess for me is uh I think it was really hard for me during uh my teenage years especially being really emotional and you just feel like uh you don't have freedom you can't do the things that I want, I felt so stifled by being in singapore or by the education system and having to follow everything uh and then we also have a lot of uh


uh influences from overseas that make me think that they are living a much freer life that I felt like I couldn't do anything because I had no ability , , so it was uh but I felt bad because it was like a, I used to have a lot of emotional times and


it didn't help that my entire family is not as emotional as me so they couldn't really understand and they were just trying to wonder why am I like this they just keep wondering why am I like this but I'm just happy I didn't go crazy or go mad at that time , ya uh ya okay


is there a time you ever felt like uh , giving up, or like on something that was if there was a experience that you felt like giving up


actually right now uh I think it's, uh my family, well, I think I thought like I had many goals or I wanted to make sure I live abroad but, uh as I get older and after living abroad for a while I realise that


, I don't know maybe uh whatever I'm searching for uh I don't know I'm I'm still not sure what exactly I want but at least now , , I still just want to go , and leave for a little bit longer uh because I found a remote job


but, now that I came home and I didn't uh in the past two years I I only came home for, maybe one one month , uh so I really didn't spend time with my family and my parents they are they actually got married and had kids really late so they are already in their mid-sixties


uh so, I mean every time I see them, I mean when I hear their voice I actually miss home but if I don't I am I'm I'm actually okay , uh so sometimes I try to refrain myself from calling them too much also because


I hear like their from their voice I felt like they became older , so , ya like and my brother tells me like he feels like actually because I just left like this uh, she felt like my mum had to take a lot of my relatives saying stuff like


oh like your daughter she's away uh you know like uh why is she there what is she doing there and like you know she just it's not like I'm really doing really well there so uh but I was just enjoying being free and being away from singapore , uh but she, my brother felt like I didn't care or think about her


but it all comes down to like really do we have to really care or worry so much about what other people say because after all it's not them who is living my life I'm the one living my life and uh if I don't, just go I felt like I was going crazy at that time because I had a really stressful job and I just was so tired and sick of singapore after uh I had a full time job


, so finally I did what I wanted to do so I went away but then now if I if I could I actually wanted to stay a bit longer there because I made uh new contacts and and uh you know, was finally having more free time instead of having to work a lot like what I was doing in the past