I I think certain certain experiences in life uh I think it helps build us but yours turned out awesome buddy okay I wouldn't trade you for another another indian to work with me, okay


uh it's not racist ah I'm also indian ah so ah not racist, yeah uh, name one yeah name one thing that you did in your past you wish you could undo, oh shit yup so the


I always like this kind of questions because why in in DC in DC they like to do this where it is a multiverse and it's something that you didn't do in the other verse you did it and as a result of it it was a different timeline, so, there are times that I wished I didn't marry my first wife


like shit if I didn't marry my first time I'll be safe now and and if I didn't marry you know things will be different I would have had a better house all my kids will be you know with me, and I don't know I could have been I I could still be with uh with with with my old workplace but


one, part of me made me realise was, if I undo it, it would have been a alternate different timeline and it could have been worse, and I wouldn't be the person that I am, but if I did it


I could have been even better, so in my opinion, , I wouldn't undo anything, because it was a mistake for me to learn, and mistakes are are are meant to be there so that you will learn you'll be an idiot if you make a mistake but then still do it again but


learning from it that makes us human lah, you are human at the end already so I wouldn't undo anything, because I think the lessons that I learnt from my ex wife has made me stronger in certain aspects so I wouldn't change anything that I wouldn't undo


I will leave it as it is


don't change anything bro I think all these has happened for a reason


positive experience, okay lah buddy


(hmm), small things that make me smile ah the small things that make me smile is ,


uh basically uh my kids lah first thing would be my kids, there's my kids and , you know we we we spend a lot of time at work, and when you go home, and your kids tell you you know how their day was


uh these these are the little things that make me smile and most recently my second one now started giving me letters so he will put there yeah yeah so I I don't know where he is learning about this either from student care or, or from school also, he will write on a letter or write a note uh I love you Aba you know that kind of thing then you know


it's not the most perfect art but, you know it's just the thought that he wants to put it and he wants to give uh I know he has an agenda at times where he wants to go and get his beyblade I fully understand that but, uh it's good that he knows that


you are supposed to uh show some form of gratitude, and that's the most first most important thing I'm trying to install to him now lah, I I think these are the small things that that, really make me smile after you know your whole day of being at work you know you wake up early in the morning and and and that would be one of the best things lah


uh, sacrifices you have made that worth everything buddy


uh


(mmhmm)


yeah awesome buddy that was good buddy it's it's good to hear that and it's also good to hear a very different perspective coming from from you ah most kids would have either being Lepaking with some friends you know where they spend time outside uh spending time with their peers


uh the sacrifices that made worth uh, first I can share with you is uh sacrificing, uh I think this one you can relate too ah sacrificing your your evenings to go to classes uh sacrificing your weekends to do your assignments


uh sacrificing uh I I know I sacrificed some time for my kids where I was doing assignments I was chasing a lot of stuff uh doing a lot of papers and stuff, and at the end at the end of the day uh at the age of forty one getting my degree was something


I didn't foresee I I really didn't, foresee and and and it was yeah it was like a buck load there was a lot of questions where you were going to pay you know how are we gonna pay off the loan you still got kids and stuff so it's one of the sacrifice that is worth everything although now uh pay has not increased I hope that they do but


uh it's something to prove that, something for my kids to prove lah it was more more towards for my kids to show that at the end despite whatever background that you came from and even at the age of forty plus you can still get a degree you can still do something you can still


uh show that you know you you are still able to achieve it it is a longer route but it's still there another sacrifice was leaving, my old company for seventeen years and and making that big jump to


to come to a new working environment in a totally new field uh I think it was worth the sacrifice ah because now I have my weekends I got my public holidays in my old workplace it was shift work no public holiday no weekends no nothing so it's definitely worth the sacrifice ah


, buddy we move , three common things you have with your best friend or partner, this will be a very interesting yeah this will be interesting topic yeah,


that level is different bro our level different


dude see looks good man


mine is exactly the same bro, but, I'm just gonna add on one thing good that, we have was definitely the chemistry is a different level, and if they are gonna like split us up or one of us going to leave this place right they will never have this level of commitment and and and and and chemistry to to really do for the kids and stuff one thing I'm really thankful is


I've always uh looked out for you and you've always looked out for me uh we can disagree on certain things and it's a bit open where there are certain times where uh mistakes are made, and it's good that you know as a buddy we point out eh no these are the some of the things and how we do so this is a bit more transparency


despite there is a small age gap, but uh we're we're still there and I think, the the most important thing is because of that respect level that we have for each other despite of age despite of race and whatever you say things so but that there is still that level of respect and communication that is built on a very solid platform and


that, looking out for each other is is one of the strongest things that uh, has made our department the two of us very strong and unique uh I think that is add add on all the on to that, uh, I'm going to skip this let's make a good one best movie TV show bro


awesome, , best movie for me is star wars, star wars is the bomb bro, star wars is the bomb mandolorian two is coming out, so uh I think star wars was was was uh it's just a sci fi movie lah


so it is just a sci fi movie but uh I think star wars was was was something uh creative and imaginative for you to figure out, uh and, and to me star wars was something to bring us to our inner child


that's the most important thing because as you grow older, your inner child, uh needs to grow as well but there are certain parts where you need to remain there because why once you take out the inner child out of you right you are just a grumpy old person to me lah, just a grumpy old person yeah


yeah so I I think star wars is one of the one of the best uh, stories that came out I hope they come up with more shit uh, , there was this movie by the by disney I can't remember it was this girl that had like, her personality in her head one was anger one was sad one was happy I can't remember what's the title of this one uh but


to me that was a very good, , movie because , it it showed us that, it will you you don't need that, uh happy part uh, uh joy I I didn't know there was one joy then there was blue there was anger


so so to share, with kids and students eh and share even to adults ah you need all characters in your brain to take turns, and one thing I also understand from my good buddy was sad, doesn't have to be a negative thing it can also be a positive thing and you need that balance because you need that memories and I think it was a very good uh psychological explanation of a movie where all the memories goes to one part


and then you stop you it get flushed away and where the good memories are is actually in one kind of like golden ball and is actually there which it is true totally relate to us we need the anger we need that curiosity we need everything in our brain and


I I hope I I have a chance to go and talk to all four or five fellers inside my brain because I know all of them would be funny, and it uh ah inside out yeah so it it it's good it's quite interesting because, individually it's actually you, it's you actually but it's just that it's separated


uh individually but when you put it all together, you have that unique person which is you and individually per person is very is very is very different so that movie, was kind of good ah best TV show south park that one beats all bro south park beats everything south part is like


yeah, uh it will match our humour lah yeah so hoops is the next one I'm kind of hoping that we do have that, oh, it's damn funny bro


I feel like crying ah bro I got tissue already I got handkerchief yeah okay I'm gonna share this with you and, uh this is the few things that I really admire for you about you ah bro , I admire the bond that you have with your mum


uh I admire that that communication level with with your mum because not not many uh adults uh your age ah and even before that when you were in national service that really look out for your mum and


you have this protective figure, especially uh under your wing that you really trust and your circle is very small bro and your circle that you have ah, and you keep it ah you really, protect them bro and knowing you right bro right you will freaking jump in front of a bullet bro knowing your your your character that's number one uh


and I like that about you bro because why it's, you have your own clan your own group and you are really one of those that really protect them , two, I stand I I I really admire your belief and your ethics bro


your ethics where uh, this has helped me personally lah, and looking out especially when how we deal with uh our colleagues you know no no is no you don't jump on this don't put it on us and this is your job get your job done don't push it to us


uh standing firm on your ethics in terms of practices that they do uh has helped, me as well lah, and I respect and I really really respect and I admire that coming from you because like what you mentioned I am freaking sociable bro so one day when I become a freaking MP ah for woodlands ah bro ah


you would be one of those that will be on my back bro so MP level lah bro, ah MP level lah bro so I I know that I'm sociable and I know that I'm I'm I'm helpfully at where my heart is and I also know that sometimes people tend take advantage and it's like a ying and yang bro you get there's that balance that I have not because you you dark ah bro ah but it's just the ying and yang ah so that balance ah bro ah


you need both bro like what I said bro inside out you need that happiness but you need that sadness as well so it completes you it balanced it out there's no way in in order for you to have that darkness you need that light as well, so it you need that kind of both and I and I really like you and thirdly bro your your level


of determination ah bro ah and belief ah bro ah it's high bro, and regardless of standing alone ah in terms of your self efficacy ah you don't, worry, if I need to walk alone I'll walk alone ah


I don't care I'm going to walk alone and that's one thing that I admire about you bro, because for knowing our uh uh and I I I knowing our, err, community ah it's a very human humanistic ah it it tends to gather and they tend to be in a pool and even if it goes against their belief ah okay lah can lah Boleh but you know


bro you stood strong if I need to I need to I give you a classic example if I need to eat my fish and my food at this time I will eat my food and my fish at this time I will not compromise shit for any other thing so that's why I said I respect you for that, and it takes the level a certain level of determination bro how many times have I persuaded you with bread and nutella


how many times have I licked the cookie in front of you but that level ah it's a different level you know bro it's like a it's like a naked woman oh sorry can I use the word naked woman okay it's like it's like a very sexy lady lying down on a bed ah, but you said no no no no no no touching touching you know that kind of level where you you have it it's a very different thing so


it's that's where I respect you for it bro you are you and you are individually you are unique, cannot be another eric bro totally different, uh describe a time you got appreciated for your hard work bro


can lah can can can bro for you can bro shit


okay so you got thirty seconds so I share with you ah so apparently we got this like film very thin film you know it comes like in a box so if you don't have a soap ah you take that piece of paper you put water it becomes a soap okay, so knowing that


we will always be idiots lah so, I thought it was like a freaking listerine piece of paper oh take it in the mouth bro put in the mouth after that oh shit it's actually soap and no matter how you rinse your mouth right the soap sticks on your palate on top, and like shit it's not listerine the whole office laughed and the story went on it's still ongoing you know yeah shit


okay same I I I've two savings account one is with POSB the other the other is with uh UOB, so my my UOB account is for my school fees as you know lah ah I'm schooling also so, one of it is to make sure that I don't touch a certain amount of money every month


uh and I can save up to pay for my school fees or any other emergency that comes up and the other is for my, , bank crediting of my pay paying my bills


you'd I I think you might want to touch on the next question already since you already spoke about it a bit on whether couples should have combined finances, yeah, so so maybe you you speak about that then I'll join in for the two


I I think you already know this lah I don't believe in credit cards never have never will I I I believe in uh, uh using what we have and and and and that's it I I mean spend towards your limit I think credit card it it develops a lot of bad habits and and an unnecessary uh problem that you invite lah uh in in my view


so, never have I or never will I, uh see a need for credit card, , in the aspect of combined finances joint account so I I share your sentiments I think


I think uh one should be cautious in in, who they are, opening an account with right, beginning part honeymoon phase everything is rosy everyone wants to share everything I think when when people decide to go their separate ways and then things get messy I think that also then opens up another can of worms


people get nasty so I I'm I'm all for opening a joint account when when you're committed when you know you're in for the long haul of course nothing is guaranteed but with a certain amount of certainty that you see in your future and then you open it that's fine other than that I would still think that


every individual accounts is fine even in a marriage as long as both of you know


yeah as as as long as long as, uh both individuals know what they are bringing to the table what they're committed in with their financial uh aspect and financial, ah part that they bring in the relationship, ah for example okay, wife this month will take care of uh


how, groceries household products uh kid's stuff while husband takes care of bills or or vice versa and, I think individual bank accounts in that aspect will work wonderfully, , you know so for me


it's it's pros and cons and it's very subjective to each individual and and uh, , dependent on their relationship and how they see it lah


ah no fixed deposit for me or no high yield account nothing like that I, I've I've got things to do too, , !woo! yes this will be interesting


so for me err you perspective of a parent for me, whether I've uh I've kids in the future lah so for me the thing is the the the word that I'll use is financial education, so for me it depends on on whether the child knows


to to, to take care of his money his account, and to spend wisely other than that if you want to set uh set an age I would go around the poly age about eighteen eighteen and above I think anything below that I think parents I think we still have a right to hold on to the card and also


uh know of their expenses and what they are spending on and and what they need, the amount of money that we have invested for them for their future because up until that point I think a certain a very big amount of it would be parent's investment of putting aside for them


other than that I I think if they are financially able to think and all that another criteria that, that, is a must to hit for me for them to have the card is, when they get their butts into a industry and start working, I think when when you start contributing to your bank account and you have some ownership of eh you know what I'm making my money I I want a certain amount of ownership I think that also gives them a sense of responsibility and and


and and also like like like like what you mentioned buddy, moving away from the uh safety net of parenthood uh learning to be adult themselves and and then in that aspect also they can get to come to to to to grasp or in terms with uh consequence or logical consequence oh man I've used up my finances this month I got I got no more left


or mom and dad is not going to be around forever so so so what you gonna do now you you need to plan, so financial education is the is the key thing that that that I would refer to in, in aspects to when I would think of giving my kid an ATM card and and and what not lah


(ppc)


yeah that's all you bro I I haven't bought a house on my own yet


I do not believe in loans from the bank zero believe exactly my point yup


negative experiences


(oo) ah, but you're too far away from me bro you have to throw I have to catch I don't have, in my life


okay most heartbreaking moment I would ah, I don't like the word heartbreaking, uh but okay for me, disappointment lah ah, I would put it to I would put it to


when I was when I was about sixteen seventeen, uh, I was playing for the uh I was playing for home united under seventeenth we just finished a trip in malaysia we came back, I scored the only goal for the senior side, uh but but we lost ah we we got whooped we got whooped


and and back then I also had a bit of an attitude just just a little bit you know I was upset that my coach didn't play me made me a substitute so when he asked me to play I didn't want to play, uh , but, right so you know young blood lah ah so


I , I I chose a different route I went to social services like you like you know I didn't just go the route with my friends like I just want to get into poly I I don't care if it's not the course of my choice I'll go do whatever right I didn't want to do that I wanted to do something that interests me the physical fitness social service so during that time


, the under twenty one singapore national team was looking out for people, and I was shortlisted, so I wrote in but their shortlist was very specific you have to be a poly graduate or you have to be in poly uh they had that requirement yeah so I wrote into the person I I told them that eh look


I can be in poly but I chose this route if you have to interview me interview me but I'm willing to fight for what I had so ah, that that day, I I still went for my home united practices and whatnot uh and I was also doing basketball I was part of my school team basketball right and I was playing for club and I had ankle ankle injury so the person called me they said eh


eric look can you come down for for trial with us uh, and at six right so me thinking that [orh] it's professional sports how other countries have professional sports I went to #jalan besar# stadium at six AM in the morning bro


and I got laughed at because apparently it's six PM and they did not specify, I took leave on that day I did everything so I went back home it's okay big had a big laugh about it, in the evening I went to


to play uh I went I was sitting down opposite the coach I didn't know at the time it was an indian lad lah so uh he he asked me do you know who I am I said uh I do not know ah then he said oh I am one of the former players I'm the coach now I said okay sir nice to meet you and I went about my business ah I I had the ankle injury I did not say it


because I did not want to come off as sounding too coming up with excuses and whatnot I wanted to grasp the opportunity so I went ahead I played, so at the end of it , when he called me aside the the same indian lad


Sundramoorthy was there but Sundramoorthy was more, I I think was monitoring in in a sense uh he looked out for me he spoke to me uh, he he mentioned these words that stuck with me [orh] just because you think you played with the under seventeen home united and all that you think you're good enough to come and play with the boys so that word good enough so for for me it was


because he is in the position where he is, is supposed to cultivate character build students and build youngsters up but right here you do not even know the background of my story and you immediately just judging me just like that, you know what I mean so


I I put a stop on that day, uh, uh on expected issues and whatnot so for me that that that was that that was pretty disappointing lah


(ppc), (ppc)


(ppc)


oh sweet lord where you want me to begin, okay, the biggest thing okay the biggest, issue I have with the popular trend that is coming up now, it's the boys man, with this Kpop shit


and applying make up, eyeliner lipstick and and, I'm I'm I'm not being racist by I see indian boys malay boys, I I want to slap bro


, , that's that's the trend that I can't no bro no bro


okay , now , uh I don't know whether I want to go into this lah what are some hurtful words someone said to you that you wish you forget bro


(ppc), I wish I could forget them all but that's not how I'm built I remember every single word, every single word, and I've been called every single word


you can think of under the sky uh the one thing that sticks uh since young ah, uh, and these are people that you're supposed to have nurturing you lah relatives and what not, uh I was called a jinx, yeah because uh my I don't know if you know this whether I've told you this before my dad passed away uh the day I was born


yeah yeah bike accident, so a very big, part of people uh blamed me for his death, uh because I I born he passed away ah, you know what I mean so


yeah so so I was , yeah so that, that was that lah yeah so and and I had, to learn that at a very young age, uh it's a very big pill it's a it's a very uh


tough thing to learn when you're that young but, like like I said uh I'm always thankful for where I am mentally, with with with what god blessed me so I I I could process that and understand that and


yeah I have I have I have no idea why, I'm clicking on the camera, yes it is, okay bro you want to shoot us the next question


, yeah I don't I don't say a lot


we are both fake indians, oh son of a bitch okay oh shit I cursed


I share your same sentiments I think you have heard me say this before I believe everything happens for good reason, even if we don't see it immediately, things that I could undo, uh there's always things that I reflect on that maybe I shouldn't I should have because you keep mentioning that I'm someone who keep a small group yes I keep a small group


but even in the small group there are those who push me away and and what not I still get crucified, and and I know that it's it's like I can never do anything right, so in that aspect I will always kill myself in thinking that eh I should have done that I should have done this but it's a no win situation


either way it doesn't look good in their eyes and I know that I accept that on a lighter note something that I could undo I was about fifteen right and I was pissed off at my coach because I came into the game we were losing I managed to bring us to a very closed ball game she subbed me out


I didn't play the rest of the game but I was blamed for the lost at the end of the day so I walked off very pissed I walked off very pissed, and I was stopped by this girl, and she said I was very handsome you know, but I was so pissed at that time I just walked off I just said my name and I walked off


I think I would have liked to have had that experience of, it it it's a case of what could have been, I think there are lessons there I'm not saying that she could have been my high school sweetheart we could've been married what not but I think that was still lessons some there that I could have learnt, or or taken into account


that I missed out on uh yeah, that's about it lah for for yeah I yeah everything happens for good reason alright


positive experiences, okay so what are the small things that make you smile, I think uh


for me it's very small lah it's very basic every time I see uh harmony, in society, small acts of kindness smiles on children's faces, for me that is the smallest things, yet sometimes it's the hardest and biggest thing that you can ask for


I think those things immediately bring a smile to my face yes I try to hide it most of the time because I don't usually smile, uh but that that but, but that but that usually brings a smile to my face lah yeah, uh what what about you buddy


okay so I, I think I'm too young to have , to to have major sacrifices I think you would have more to speak on that but, one aspect I I think mom always speaks of that , people always speak of but I don't think it's a big deal I think uh from a young age uh


coming from a single parent also I I understood the need yeah yes yes I was I was mischievous I was naughty uh I would I would uh, play truant sometimes I think that that comes with it but I think learning from my mistakes and also sacrificing time where it was hanging out with friends that was very important going out with your peers even national service time


you know hanging out the whole bunch and all that I I I refrained from that I rather chose to stay at home, uh spend more time with mom and all that because I know part of her is also because knowing my character and how quick I was to anger last time I know there's always that worry eh what's he doing outside is he has he got in


uh got into another fight uh is he safe uh and that and that to me is the biggest thing where, money can't buy right it's a peace of mind so for me, not going out and not spending too much time outside and my mom knowing where am where am I spending time with her watching movies with her I think that gave her peace of mind


and I would take that any day that that that is worth worth it for me as opposed to hanging out with my friends uh talking cock and and what not lah


this one okay so first off I want to start with humour, our level is different so sometimes, uh I think when when people say humour I think a lot of people


they they they relate humour with uh what people say, and and do but for us is, even when it's not related to us it's something that we catch other people doing we both have the same thought and we know exactly what's going on, and


and we both just have a laugh and people look at us like we are crazy but we know exactly what's running through our mind so I I I don't think that can be, bought what it's very hard to you know fabricate that kind of uh, I want to say shit but fabricate that kind of thing, so another


thing uh I I would say that we have in common is uh I think family is number one to us, I think that always comes first and we understand that, and and that's why uh when when he asked also are you all friends uh first response is we are brothers uh we treat each other that way also so family is number one with us I think that's


I I don't think that would change uh number three was a tossed up bro it was a tossed up between uh being supportive and also our love for, hair products bro with the pomade and stuff so those are things those are things that I find common and to share with you ah I don't know if you know this I never had


a friend or brother yes my friend is the one who introduced me to pomade uh uh and and a nest mate of mine uh introduced me to pomade and all that but I never had a buddy where, I went to a barber shop to sit down with, just talk cock for half an hour one hour and and just talk about products eh bro eh this product is out let let's go get that eh yes bro I heard about that let's get it let's do this you know we're on par with that so


for me those will be the three things or rather four things that I would highlight lah


old school wise I'll go to friends that's that's the most memorable one that I got why because, I saw a group of individuals with very different characters get along, uh they were supportive of each other regardless of how different they were regardless of how unique some characters were regardless of how unique some characters were and how they can be ostracized by public


and and people usually but they stuck together and they were always supportive but if you want to bring back to a movie that is more relevant I'll go back to trolls two, so trolls two is something that , I would always encourage anyone to watch because it shows us a level of acceptance that is needed everyone talks about change everyone talks about a need to


to move on to affect change to do this to do that but none of it comes along without acceptance, we all need a certain level of acceptance whether it's our down falls whether it's ah like you mention ah a wreath can speak to each other any kind of way


I I think because deep down inside we accepted that eh my brother is coming from a from a caring point of view he is not here to uh put me down but is here to like eh he's looking out for me and not everyone can have that mindset we have that because we have accepted that we know each other's uh personality


uh character uh so I I think acceptance lah so that that the movie is very big on that so that is something that I would point to


yes right there with you buddy


inside out bro inside out


hoops I I finished that I finished it already, bro uh we I I, I feel in touch on this okay what are three things you admire about your best friend and or partner, okay because I think I've said said this stuff to you but just put it out there


three things that I admire, alright about you number one you're sociable very sociable bro, okay and usually we admire things that, we don't see in ourselves lah, right so you're very sociable so


I don't know how you do it, my number two is you know how to speak to everyone in a certain way where you can just appease them navigate, and then #siam siam# just Layan them for a little while and then leave you know how to do that


number two number ah, very well the third one is my most important one, , what I admire most about you uh I will never say this about myself lah so that's why I'm saying it also, , I think you are generally a good person and


the thing that I admire about you is where your heart is at, and also you're committed to all your kids, uh whether it's it's your eldest to your youngest I think you are still a dedicated father, and you do your best for all of them


whether they see it now or not lah


you you you you have my vote bro you have my vote bro,


(ppc)


oh man I wanted to do the last two hard because I would bring up your soap eating thing , , the best time where I laughed too hard when my buddy he thought


a soap , was a breath freshener and he put it in his mouth to eat it , and he had soapy mouth,


financial related topics


okay alright so uh let's let's just start this off than uh first question do you have the habit of saving and how do you ensure you meet your saving, goals uh first they want to starting off first or


yeah so uh I have uh, few multiples uh oh not say multiple like a lot but I got a a couple of sources of incomes so for


my main occupation my main job uh which forms the bulk of my income, uh I try my best to save at least you know a majority of of that income and I try my best to make sure my expenditure comes from my other side gigs or something like freelance part time gigs which gives me like a couple of hundred every month or so


so uh what what I know is that I will try to use up the money from all my side income first before going into, my uh my main incomes in my main jobs income


uh and also uh at the sort of a month I make sure all my debts are paid all the bills are paid firstly that's number one priority actually make sure I pay everything else to make sure I stay out of, debt and then whatever is balanced I try to I keep


a portion immediately and then whatever is remaining that's for the rest of the expenditure be it groceries or whatever and then at the end of the month if there's still more carryover money that is uh left untouch, again back into my savings and back into uh investments that I also have basically yeah


so that's what uh, I do ya do you have any like investments that you that you are a part of or anything like that or is it just pure bank account savings accounts


so now you have you set a you basically have a planned budget at the start of the month is it that you that you make sure that you follow or something


ya ya ya okay for for for myself for me and my wife uh we we don't follow like a a strict budget


uh like I I I don't have like a planned budget like okay five hundred for groceries two hundred for transport uh I know a lot of people do that uh but for me I don't plan out a budget but what I do is that at the end of the month or something like that I look back at the month and I see what kind uh the trends the expenditure trends that I have


cause uh I actually use uh an an app basically uh where it where basically whenever I do any sort of expenditure , I input into this app and it keeps a recording of what kind of uh how much, money I'm putting into this uh type of expenditure for example you say groceries uh I've been spending maybe like three hundred dollars for the past month and then insurance another two hundred dollars so on and so for so it gives a breakdown


so I don't have a plan budget but I look back, and I see that okay there's a certain trend like for the past five months my groceries has always been below two hundred two hundred fifty something like that as an example, so if one month suddenly I see !wow! my my expenditure for taking grab or taking taxis for example you know normally is below hundred and then suddenly !wow! three hundred dollars so I know that okay this next coming monday I got to really take uh take care of uh this certain


a a type of expenditure and not to over blow on things uh which has happened for quite a lot uh with regards to things like food and entertainment in the past so we would coming to the next month uh so at at the end of the month I look back and say okay we've been spending a lot on entertainment like


this this month you've been uh going out uh too many times and all that this one that's, let's uh let's just stay at home you know and uh try to vegan some sort of food thing so that's how I've been doing it but uh normally for me like I I have a lot more uh I feel a big sense of relief whenever at the start of the month when the when my income comes in right when my pay comes in


pay off every single thing every single bill that I can think of first uh for me that has always been uh the best, way of managing my finances because then I know that okay everything's taken care off already I have this amount remaining that I can spend with uh and and what and that only includes like all the the savings so I know that my bare minimum I have set aside a bare minimum for savings


that is I consider that personally as a bill, to pay as well some uh I I put it at the same ranking as uh you know my electricity bill it's a must to pay off so I keep that as a bill, as an expense that have to pay technical is savings but it's actually I treat that as an expense so


uh only with whatever's remaining that is what, I uh will spend for uh my own personal stuff uh, which includes groceries maybe I got to rethink that part as well but I think of I don't have a specific budget for groceries because to me every


month there'll be slight changes here and there, like not every month we need to buy diapers not every month uh I need to buy like uh tissue paper for example so it kind it kind of fluctuates a little bit for me so sometimes I will spend less some other months I'll spend more


so I didn't feel a need to have a fixed budget like I know some other people do but again it goes back to my original strategy of making sure that, a a certain trend flexible to some extent goes on it doesn't exceed like !wah! this month's suddenly three times more than a normal that's when I realised there's when I know that something goes wrong


ya so that's my way of uh budgeting things basically make sure I pay everything off first and then the day to day expenses, we will keep if with whatever's remaining ya but at that, end of the month it doesn't mean oh at end of the month I still got like five hundred dollars okay that that means uh we can all go to casual buffet for the next five days days of course it doesn't mean


that lah we still you know like we need to have the uh the discipline not to overspend and for me I prefer whatever is remaining right just put it back into my savings or into investments and so on


yeah yeah yeah


I I think I know what you mean because uh yeah uh it's it's the money that you you saved because now you're working from


home so things like transportation and even the time that you save just going to and from your workplace uh it should have been money saved but instead it it it it makes us feel like would uh I got more money for


enjoyment purposes basically isn't it it's like a bonus income suddenly, right right right if it, it's talking about like uh savings and all that are you investing your money outside of CPF or do you just keep uh trust like totally the CPF savings system


yeah yeah no I totally agree with you for for me my my viewpoint on CPF is that the, the philosophy the idea behind CPF is good it's something that should


uh be ignited but again like exactly what like what you said I uh I I don't think that it's actually financially wise to totally rely on, just the CPF scheme


uh without making your own investments outside uh firstly same like yourself I use the CPF scheme to or rather the CPF accounts to make payments on house on housing on medical expenditure with medisave and all that


uh I actually that like a secondary savings account uh that you can lean on, in some aspects that normally would require a large amount of money, so it's more like another expense account for me


uh and because like, the CPF interest rates is let's, consistently beats the CPF scheme


though on the one hand it's uh it's good in the sense that it is constantly at uh is not very high but also it's it's much better than your regular savings account bank savings account cause bank's savings account is zero point zero five percent, that's nothing at all it's it's no way even near inflation so you're technically losing money over the long run losing the value of money over the long run so it's still better that way uh but when you add into account you're paying your HDB


loans with your CPF and it's always zero point uh the interest rate on payment for the HB loan is always zero point one percent higher than whatever interest your CPF is gaining like I think our CPF gains a rate of what two point one percent or is it two point four percent something like that


but the in but to pay your HDB loan is always point one percent higher so you're constantly losing money until you pay off your HDB, you know so it technically it's it's a losing scheme as long as you have a HDB you need to pay off so you know for for me I don't see it as anywhere near


uh I won't even call it profitable it because it's you're you're losing against uh inflation until you fully pay off your HDB so for me, while until pay on my HDB loan I've been yeah I've been investing outside of the CPF uh so you said you're using a retirement insurance plan or what plan what's that again


yup yup right


yeah there's always what people always see right


in a way you're saying like uh the way these uh, banks earn money is that the companies use your money to do like all sorts of trading or whatever business they have, in the background but the thing is you can't see exactly what they're spending on


right yeah I guess yeah because uh people always when they uh normally when they buy insurance plan they see that okay so over ten years I put in a total like let's say twenty K and if I live until sixty or whatever I can, with all like let's say two hundred K and people like what over forty years as ten times the amount uh but there's always what they don't know is that of that two hundred K there's a guaranteed aspect


and a non guaranteed aspect the guaranteed aspect is like a tiny amount and then the non guaranteed aspect also it depends on market fluctuations market uh movements as well it's just like uh the plan that they give you has an assumption that every year year upon year for the next forty years


you know you'll be earning like at least five percents in interest and, if that happens if really every year we earn five per cent at the end here is your two hundred thousand but the thing about the non-guaranteed thing is that yeah sometimes you will beat five per cent


or whatever amount that they tell you this is the assumption is but a lot of years also you won't hit five percent like this year for example nobody's earning five percent everything's uh, uh most likely get things going down unless you really knew what you were doing and you were buying at the low selling in the highs and all that ya so uh for me personally again yeah I I don't see


I don't have those sort those sort of , what we call uh managed, uh funds or manage investments where I pay another person to manage my funds because the fees they charge, would be taken out from whatever profits and then it will be like like like what's what's the point


ya so like yourself I rather have like my own input uh I know where my money's going and I can't blame some else whatever I earn is fully mine whatever I lost again also mine as well, ya so same thing like uh maybe we have slightly different aims and uh philosophies on how we do it yeah but again like yourself with me being in control of my investments I know exactly where my money is going so I know like like I said hello right so definitely I'm not going to invest in like


companies like carlsberg or whatever like that all the beer companies but I'll be investing more in the tech companies saw on and so forth yeah so it yeah so it's it's good in in a way like we have, can't a similar approaches to finance I'll put it that way


negative experience in your life


okay I mean on on on one hand again lah like I mentioned before we’ve known each other eighteen years uh again very blessed that, uh more many more times than normal


uh more positive than negative but also at the same time ya there were a lot of I'm sure there were negative uh things uh that happen to us maybe not, between us ah but for our own uh in our own personal lives uh is uh is that anything that you want to share the comes to mind or whatever firstly on your side


yeah it's very pitiful yeah and and, they don't allow you to work outside ya correct


ya so at least you leave that burden away from your parents yeah


yeah I mean like and and also also the fact that you were the eldest uh eldest child, and you know like yeah people might be expecting of you to do something but ya like what you said you're you you you on you are not allowed to do anything even if you want to you're not allowed to really do uh you know to like earn anything extra for your your family and then your younger siblings


they're still schooling you know then uh, of course I would who who will want to know parent will want to, pull their children out of school and especially yeah lah as such a as such a young age lah so it's it's I can only imagine how tough you must have been for for you


yeah, ya for me like kay lah in a way again, uh I'm blessed to to to be in a situation where I didn't uh have to like err how do I say this ah that err where where my parents were unable to support me in what uh in in anything and I'm not able to help them


uh so but, there was a a point in time uh when I was much younger actually uh I think I was in primary school but I still remember it for very very long time so basically my uh in a way to me I to for for


me and as a as a muslim we consider this a very big thing lah I don't even think I've even ever revealed this to a non family, member at all I don't think I've even revealed this to you uh but uh I


believe that whatever I'm going to say will just stay in this conversation when I was very very young when, I'm talking like primary school and all that my dad uh was err my mom I don't know so he my mum found that my dad was actually cheating on her it was a one-off episode


uh and yeah at that time our family dynamics was uh when that happened family dynamics was torn apart was really torn apart uh so and I was too young to understand what happened, I remember on that day itself actually me and my brother will literally


playing Xbox uh is it Xbox I think so I think yeah Xbox one eh, no no not we're playing something else not Xbox because there happen when we're primary school and Xbox was released when we were in secondary school we're we're doing something else I think so lah all watching TV I can't remember exactly but I what I do remember is that


I was in the living room with my younger brother and then there was a this big queue just fight no idea what's happening I only know they were fighting with each other and then uh this uh my uh, like half an hour later two of my uncles on my mum's side my mum’s siblings basically like suddenly came into my house and I was like oh okay are we having supper gathering or I'm not so sure what's happening I knew something serious was happening I just didn't understand it cause they were both fighting inside their own rooms and all that yeah it


was only uh and then there was a time uh my after that day my dad actually, moved out for for for while I can't remember how long it's not very long like two years whatever not nothing at about a couple of weeks I guess there was one time where he actually came back when my mom was not around and I was at home


uh and then uh, he actually ask me eh do you want to go with me you know hang out at KL or something cause at that time he was uh going back and for uh malaysia singapore malaysia singapore on business he was a businessman and he had a lot of dealings uh in malaysia as well so


and then I was just sitting there like I I felt very like how do I say it uh me and my dad we didn't have a good relationship already at that point because when we were young uh my dad was extremely, gone to out like anger uh she had no anger management whatsoever back then I


now as an adult I knew I now realize that he was extremely busy with work back then, extremely busy work and it took a toll on him mentally, and I as a kid at that time I didn't understand obviously I didn't understand on one hand my parents were hiding that from us I understand why now they did that I told them I said why they wanted to hide the troubles from me from my brothers so that we stay shielded away from whatever troubles


for that I high in a way in a way I highly respected them, but , ya but our our family dynamics was thrown into disarray for the next like until I reached the age of twenty nine


I was on zero talking terms with my father but we lived in the same house didn't talk to him at all you know, so the again like the the if a a person from the outside viewing in see that okay at home my dad's always at home mom is always at home


you know like I live at home peacefully we were at peace but it's more like a truce with each other and I mean this is a truce and agreement a a hidden agreement not to like fight publicly with each other but there wasn't any real like family bonding other than okay like


me and my mom no problem me and my grandmother was living with with us at that time also even until now no issues whatever love them to bits no problems opening up to them talking to them no problem whatsoever but my father, zero contact because by that time I ah it's it's been drilled into me you know like


whenever I interact with him there's always some sort of trouble, I'll be like I'll be like he'll be angry with me I will be like disturbing him, I remember I remember time where I, I got like very good score for composition writing in like uh think a primary six or something was very proud of it I send you my gave my father you know eh uh that you want to take a vid in this I got top in class you know and he replied ah okay okay and then put down the paper on the table and then continue his computer thing


uh I was very disappointed lah affair as a kid as a kid I was very disappointed as an adult now I knew that he was very busy work so but it, took me fifteen years plus you know to make to make that realization you know again I don't want to blame them because they in their logic


was to shield all the troubles away from me but in a way I so resented the fact that they hid all these so well to the set to the point where I knew it was happening but I don't have an explanation and they didn't want, to explain what's happening so I felt very left out so again yeah so uh my uh


it's only until literally a year or two years a year I'll say before I, they got married and I think you know like we kind uh sense uh without saying anything we kind of sense like okay like when I get married I'm going to move out cause I know our home it's a five room flat but there were already six people living inside


one bedroom for my parents one bedroom for my grandmother and one bedroom for, me and my two brothers three three boys, in one room so if I were to get married and ask my wife to move in to my place there's just no space


so no matter what, I think my parents and myself know that the moment I get married I'm going to be gone it not not say gone from their life but I'm not going to be that at that home anymore so that's going to be distance in on one hand that's something that I wanted for very long but on the other hand you know like I think we kind of knew that


un uh without saying a word we kind uh understood that, I think if there's any point of time where we should just forgive each other eh it's very difficult forget but at least forgive each other and, try to start a new it should be it should be at this point where the


literally a year before marriage while we already knew that I'm will getting married I did propose to my now wife and and all that I got to uh I got to like commend my my my wife for that also cause she also told me you know like you're going to leave the house soon sooner or later you got to make amends you know and I kind I kind of did lah so now we are on


uh good terms Duila uh you know I, conceive again I conceive myself very blessed like it could have gone totally wrong it could have gone far far worse you know but, uh yeah


yeah, yup


yes yup yup


yes yes precisely


!chey!


ah yeah no no I definitely agree with you on that because uh I know that my dad okay like recently like I said, he's been opening up recently especially I realise especially after the birth of the the third kid in a household my youngest brother lah basically so I I think he realize that you know uh basically okay


like when my when my youngest brother was, born the third child was born I was twelve years old, the the second child was eleven years old and the third child was just one so there's like a twelve year gap I think my dad realised that you know like


we going up he did he did not like unlike other families Dan perfect family circle, like he was he realised that eh man I am very distant from my two boys I need to change something with my third kid this is my second chances my last chance already maybe I believe my mom had a had a part to play in that lah you know so


uh that is when it all started to change are slowly but surely I saw there was a there was a change from there but also when you uh I also agree the part where you said that you parents have a part to play in how you become was


my dad he the way he learnt from his dad, you know like uh so called my paternal grandfather not he was a real discipline master like like really totally old school you know like hard or I think if if we talk about twenty twenty terms in america this is concern I will like abuse already


very very physical very very stern you know it will make like those Encik in army ah feel like !wah! they are angels, in comparison you know so he let his his father figure was like that he can't he tried and at least he based his


uh method of panting off that and that's why it affected us very bad uh in a negative way so for me I am now you know I'm set I'm dead set on okay this is the example that I have gone up with all my life


I don't want my my child to go that way, at the same time I don't want to mollycoddle her and then you know and make her feel very entitled what of course not they're still needs to be some level of disipline but there should be a balance so it is not up to us to find that balance so like like for example like back then when I got good marks at school which are quite rare


the on the times you're finally got good marks at school and I'll be like very happy you know eh you are you know I got like third in class you know for this test or whatever and then my parents would be like, you are not first why you celebrating there's still why why aren't you as good as these two people you know


and then all this on days on test where it was so difficult like the whole class suffered you know and like the even the top scorer got like seventy five marks and I got like sixty marks you know I passed but it's not that great but not as bad because like half the class failed and that was the thing my parents say half the class failed I


got sixty like that also you happy ah you know you are this ah why couldn't you get like eighty or something, like that be like the best in class so it you know that goes back to what you said about the imposter syndrome, you know and it's it's it's seemingly innocuous things like this uh that it happens in like five seconds but stays with you through life and affects you through life you know and these are the things that I hope I don't have with my daughter lah I hope that I don't make one mistake that


my daughter like you know like sticks refer throughout life so that's one thing I guess is the biggest tests for me as an as a as a parent and even even if that happens I hope that the amount of positivity that I try to push on her will washed away whatever negativity that I did ah


positive experience in your life,


okay uh Hafis we've uh literally been, very good friends I think can consider I consider years one of my best friend since secondary school there was when what what you okay we enter secondary school when we were thirteen years old now we're thirty one years old


which is eighteen years almost twenty, years already and I I very happy to say we have a lot of uh positive memorable moments lah a lot more than negative ones


oh man yeah so I mean in secondary school literally I know school starts at like seven excuse me sorry I had to burp but uh school starts at seven classes end like what one thirty before just before two o'clock around there yeah but still like


monday to friday Jiu like going back home we were like literally go all the way until like six PM, ya so for like from lunch !wah! I remember a lot of times we didn't even eat lunch we just went straight to the football field straight to playing floorball at that time we call it street bandy because we didn't know any better but now we know it's called floorball yeah we play like


five hours how what what I wanted now uh when I where like I'm like thirty one I'm very fat the fattest I've been in my life how did we every single day without stop five hours minimum, you know we just kept running run like nonstop you running and you know playing football playing sports all types of sports


and like and that's just the period after school or even during school itself recess within it we barely had time to eat you know so


yeah it's it's not even in the next town and it's like two three times because we were we were living basically like three uh MRT stations away


ya and it, yeah , I think I think that play the part uh this leading up to NS because like we were already used to walking


uh that long and even back then I mean because of uh of our shared uh ex uh how do I say this ah our shared time like we had like so much to talk about as well it it really didn't feel like a very long walk because we will be chatting and discussing all the way back yeah and it's


it I I think what the distance should at least be like eight to ten kilometers one way right from our school uh in sec three and sec four all the way to our homes yeah because yeah


but at that time there wasn't yeah , ya that I, I ya I remember that, the the the big canal uh the #long kang# lah basically ya and there wasn't you all right there wasn't a road it only open like near the


end of our stint there and I think like what for the last half year or something but for the first year and a half when we shifted !wah! that that was really that was really something ya some ya some days we, will literally walk all the way home like it at least ten kilometers ah because it was literally three towns away


it's not even in the same town as river


, I I don't even think we'll be taking like the the bus or whatever I think we just take grab


and then like yeah we, we'll share a Grab or something because I'm I think like after dividing it it's uh not that expensive lah if you divide among, the people because because we we all of us we live like a few blocks from each other me yourself and a few other mutual friends of ours that even until now we are still in heavy contact with you know


and that's one thing I liked about our our group I mean ya lah last time our group, was a lot bigger and now our circle of friends is smaller but even within that small group of like friends we're in this uh five people there's a group of five of us, you know like literally almost every single day we'll be talking about something and that's eighteen years


of just rehashing old jokes yeah of like old memorable moments, eighteen years every single day and personally for me I don't feel tired about it at all


, yeah and even eh even if we eat will just take like five ten minutes quick quick and then straightaway go to the football field


, ya I'll mean like ya and everyday will wait it's not like we are, competing with other people you know it's just us and it was like


yeah yeah correct correct I still remember yeah uh uh you know like and it's very motivational there is not just like people wasting oh the malays will hang out with each other and all that , that then we will really it's really we have people playing football from every single race even until now I can still name them by name fully and you know yeah there's there's uh and it's not like


we the malays are like the overwhelming majority it's literally equally thirty three percent wanted wanted wanted english chinese uh sorry malay chinese and indian guys and we don't play you know like we don't play race or whatever, I think the only way we divided ourselves if there was any saw the division is among


class uh I mean like the uh the the classrooms lah whether you're you know class one classroom two or whatever, yeah and a lot of times also even we transcend uh streaming streams like express normal acad normal tech no problem whatsoever


, !aiya! you use this uh is very decent uh basketball is very decent ya


, yeah


ya playing ability like pure technical ability only ya


yeah exactly exactly exactly


I think in a way we I don't know if we were like guided by teachers unknowingly or something or the environment that we kept ourselves in uh it because I we were from uh, uh I would say uh typical neighbourhood school not like uh I mean like we were we were decent for a neighbourhood school


uh you're decent in terms of like academic results we are not like #bukit panjang# high or any of the uh the top schools SAP is what we're not not well academically we're not that level, at the same time also academically we were not at the bottom ones ah still remember the time our school said oh we are the top forty one for the for the whole year and we were making fun why not just say like we're number forty one


who says who'd nobody there got was hit top forty one or top fifty two in the world the or in the , ya unless you are that precise numbers so why not you just say your number forty one yeah it was yeah that was that was really really funny but uh yeah I I really like that in in a sense


we curated ourselves to not really care, about yeah about about class about status uh class as in the status hub high SES low SES uh when I mentioned, when I mentioned earlier that we separate the only if there were any separation


when I then when I said class I literally meant your class number one in express class number two class number that sort of class not like the status type of class yeah, so I eh I I feel like we have we at that time we successfully create curated ourselves and manage


ourselves and we didn't uh we we were thoughts meet maybe by our uh, our our families or our teachers and our peers or maybe a mixture of all three not to see things by your skin colour not to see things via what stream they're in


or what backgrounds they're in cause I remember some of our classmates were rich as hell, gary if you remember gary son of a NUS professor lives in you know like landed property very down to earth guy very funny guys also and he and he then it appeared as a snob or whatever and the rest of us also said we came from all sorts of backgrounds so there was one


really positive thing I I'm very happy that I went to this school that we the secondary school that we came from because when I went to university it was like I can sense as as not just university in in working life I don't know what happened, and you know it feels like it went uh a little bit more negatively but back then in secondary school


we all had the same mindset you know like the and uh this the only way we are this uh we like segregated ourselves if there were any in the first place was purely on technical ability and even then there was to balance things out like okay we know this person a


very good striker, uh he goes on one team and then the other team has got to be balanced as well we can't we make sure that no one team is like, super team or whatever like that you know there's always a a balance ah I see member like uh we were on the football field that we're like I think like about fifteen twenty of us we selected like two captains and you'll be like okay I want you than the next captain I want you and then we take turn take turn take turn so every both teams have like


balance you know ability wise and even then we still like don't blame each other we just, played for for fun you really just played for fun


your teammates uh right , , !huh!


right right, right


yup that I mean yeah exactly it's and it's I also consider of my ourself myself blessed or that in that uh in the years that we were there


ah okay I didn't really mix, with those are who are older or younger than me okay younger maybe a few of them lah, but I I'm happy to say that our batch our cohort you know like uh we literally were willing, to you know to go to


battle with each other you know they were they were so few fights like real even if there were any misunderstandings uh the next day all okay already uh no issues already and we will continue to work hard for each other cause I remember like, every at the end of every year there's this uh inter-class tournaments and stuff and all that


what would the we were really you know like really battle hard for each other, you know like and it's not it's not like uh to the point where we start scolding each other if you make mistakes, you know we will we will keep our heads up you know and and and try to encourage each other to fight on because there's a goal there and I want to achieve things together with my classmates so I learned I actually learned


that uh a a lot of uh house sia in a way a lot of uh leadership skills not because I want to say I'm a captain I mean I was never the captain I was never a star player or whatever but it is from learning from each other on how to


motivate your team mates you know and and how to motivate each uh each other, it it's I didn't even learn that from an outside class or some Guru in self had uh some Guru in self had or whatever like that


I learnt from secondary school and it's not like we had some teacher to teach us you know we never had, that we I cannot remember any teacher who taught us at uh this is how leadership is supposed be like oh we kind of taught ourselves how to do that and


you know I've been through university and I I learned psychology as a major in university and I realise that oh my god like some of the things we we did unknowingly in school are actual uh, strategies that works you know in adults


and we didn't even like at that time when we were young is not like we had books on you know like uh psychology or how to bump up your team or you know make an efficient team or, we just like we just did it I I have no idea how we did but we just did I I find that extremely fascinating going up when when I look back like what how how did we achieve that


yeah exactly we had to be chased out yeah yeah


yeah I I on that yeah on that topic I also like agree there were uh it was like those light touches by the teachers they were actually encouraged us to


go play sports instead of you know stopping us so I think that's a really you know positive uh thing based on the teachers lah what they did for us lah so it's it's not like they were actively teaching us what to do in terms of all these sporting achievements or whatever but they they built an environment around it


stew you to enable us you know to find our own feet (uh) own footing ourselves [lah]


financial related topics


okay like in in in my case I mean how do you in terms of savings I do set aside a certain amount, every month and try not to touch that on once at the end of the month and let's say I still have that money it will be transferred to another account that me and my wife shares


so that account we can we can withdraw but it's hard so we don't touch it unless it's an emergency or something like that or in really need it then we will we will touch it otherwise is there and it stays there lah how about yourself


yes I I I do have , uh retirement savings plan but that is not considered as part of the extra money that is saved that is every month there is really be set aside for that so I wouldn't consider it as, uh my monthly expenditure for it for example it's really been set aside every month that this this amount goes to uh my savings plan


ya and and then another way I I do this is uh planning of what I'm going to get like example like you you mentioned about groceries and long take right I have a set amount of set amount of money set aside for for groceries all these has been these are like return


listed down and for like so called big purchases example you have you have you have a kid so things like diapers and all that those are also plan for based on based on consumption in a week


so we planned okay this this amount will be, uh we use it let's say uh the one delivery one box you can use it for two months so we set as they will be money set aside for every two months to order a new box whether or not he has been uh finished


so there is always a bit of surplus in terms of that supply first I mean we have kid right so every , uh the uh things like diapers are are always needed yeah so all that it's been it's it's it's plan it's not like oh today finish then we go and by tomorrow ah we we do as we we would have it like plan ahead ahead of time so that we don't we never uh


have shortage or we don't or last minute then go and go and run and buy it yeah so that helps in making sure that, everything is accounted for before the rest of money consider our savings otherwise we got today this one finish okay we go and buy tomorrow this another things finished then we go and buy so


I think that also contributes to not having savings that was what happened previously like a few years back we don't plan then this happen lah in the end we don't have saving, in a way somehow we don't have savings plus the work yeah


yeah we have a plan budget that that this this planned budget is like for throughout the year so if there's anything that we need to add then we will review the the plan that that we only have ya so, this this I think we did this like three years already three years so it kind of helps with our planning and our savings


like you're right about the treating it as like a bill like like uh like for me I don't own a car so and I bring my children out so


the I treat the cab rides like a bill so I put aside this amount every months, for for cab for example and try to work within uh that amount and not go go over yeah but


but in this in this case like like right like right now what happened previously was I always spend too much on transport like Grab or taxis right because I used to work, I used to work in office but now save that since I've been spending time at home that that uh that money as is not being spent but somehow I spend not somehow lah there's I mean I spend too much on like food


because like ya so it tend to spend that that that whatever what supposed to be for the cab is become something that I used to order Foodpanda, or or get some food uh deliveries in terms of like you know those read more rare foods like rare foods that you don't actually everyday uh


that the money tends to go what should I eat what should I eat for fun this week it happens that money that I use for cab is being spent there so ya so I'm trying to not to continue this and actually save up that that cab money that I don't actually spend


, ya it's like a it's like a bonuses


eh in this in the current CPF scheme right I don't see like a point having so much money in the, CPF you don't previously our probably our grandparents or our even our parents if their old old enough they probably get the full amount


when they retire but in our case I I I doubt this scheme connect scheme I I doubt new year we be be getting all the full amount back so in terms of the uh, the savings wise I do have a retirement savings outside of the CPF I'm just treating the CPF as a way to pay for for my house


that that there's no other to to me there's no other purpose worried because I'm not going to see the money anyway in the future so I have my own uh savings time timer savings plan yeah that that also includes


for my kids like for their education yeah so I don't really did I don't really like I don't really I'm not really depending on this CPF as my own for my retirement and all that yeah


I got really just a retirement uh plan where actually I had uh you know there's the usual uh invest uh practical the insurance company's investment companies like like what you see they are on the streets and all that like


I I you know those companies ah but I took actually I had that when I first started working then I took everything out, uh, reason being I was looking for


uh uh for uh, investment plan that I know inside out, meaning that is halal, so most of these companies they don't have that they cannot guarantee you where the money goes


ya I want to know where the money goes for me to to see whether is halal in or not


okay


negative experience in your life


okay where do we begin


I think the the, things that uh to me than where something that negative happens right most of the time I'm okay as long as I can do something about it something bad happens okay I have steps to take to help the situation what there are times where


nothing that can be done ya so I think that was the part that I really don't like like like for like for for myself, and this was in and this things negative itself I mean is is the is the is the we are a conscript


because scripted to be in ended right so there was no choice oh I don't want to go there's no such thing right so what, I think at that time I think my family was having a hard uh time financially that uh they have to sell the house and we were somewhat homeless we weren't really homeless homeless sleeping on the streets


but we had to stay at , uh and relatives place for example like I was staying with my aunt and my sister was in staying with another aunt and my parents was in another aunt's place right so at that time it was uh why I said I was I couldn't do anything because I was in NS there was nothing that I can do I couldn't work


and and it's the the the salary given or the allowance given, what can I do uh what can I do with it there was, yeah we are not allowed allowed to work understand all that that that that part we totally understand why they don't want us to moonlight and all that because in every day if you are a conscript uh uh armed soldier or ah or an armed uh conscript army you're you are recruit for example yeah so there was nothing that I can do so that that made that


that bad situation even worse when couldn't do anything you have nothing that I can can to help there's only I fully that much allowance, and when you look at whatever held that was offered there was totally


like it was it was nothing nothing could be held unless some somehow some money fell from the sky and able to catch it lah there was nothing that I can do so that was a really like for that two years was really bad because , I'm sure you know I've been working seems like a teenager since secondary school sec three onwards I've been working like my weekends I'm I'm working so that I can you know


I cannot help my parents but I'm self sustaining I don't depend ya, ya I take that that burden away of of you know giving having to give me pocket money I take that burden away so that I have I can support myself and like maybe give my sister my sisters also going to school at that time giving them some like you know pay for their transport and all that but when I was in


during that really bad time it was even worse made worse when there was nothing there was nothing I can do it was like uh your sapless lah basically ya so that was like the worst the worst thing to to to go through lah


Sigar yes


that's why that's why think like parents like what parents do whatever parents uh as as as parents whatever you do you have an effect


on your your your your your, your child right like like I I think I I'm not, maybe the maybe the sebatery or something like uh parents of, our parents generation or earlier the father maybe the so called


an enforcer the breadwinner the enforcer of rules and and all that right and sometimes the approach taken does not kind of affect you for a long time the child for a long time, like like like like like my my father was the typical strict strict strict that that like nothing is ever good enough so like uh growing up I growing up I I had like a really really low


self esteem yes right I’m I’m I'm sure a lot a lot of people will will will feel the same if they're if if they're being like scolded all the time right so it's like it's so low self esteem and and I grew up with having this I just learned about it, like uh when I started uh working which is uh in in imposter syndrome


like like like I'd like I you, you did something good but you feel that oh uh I don't deserve it and that oh is not good enough uh what what what what can you matter that you would think that oh someone else could have done it before so mine is like just invalid uh you I I had that


for a long time even even though I think of it in the in the in the in that way yeah so it's like oh like if there's something or is it or maybe not good you know what other other people will be like !whoa! this is a fantastic this is good but to me uh I think I don't think is good so it's like it let


to like when when being critic it feel like people look down on on me in a way but at sometimes is not doesn't isn't critic but this this mentality that I scared


since young like cannot give me that that perception so it's like, is something that that that I do not want, to to, to to give to my to my kids lah so it's like, to to me is like it's something that I always worry and we're doing enough as a parent always like am I do enough am I doing the right thing as a as as a as a as a as a parents like constantly I have this


I have uh this question about myself like am I doing enough am I doing the right thing is this correct it this not what can it be done better so it's like, I know there are some parts that can be improved but doesn't mean doesn't make me a bad parent but that that that mentality I've carried through since since since young is uh always like kind of


like uh it becomes like, unbearable or impossible to to to overcome is like we I've I've seen a security source executives like one for for this, but I mean if it help uh it help to realign the


the uh mindset a bit but I I think I don't know I don't know when I might have I might be having this talk all the time so I think parents have a lot of impact on their


on their kids


yeah it's true


balance uh


positive experience in your life


ya I have to say like you think the the best times the best days are probably school school days I think that's where most of us will look back and and I think that it was a good uh we had good times and good experiences there


yeah so what do you remember about like uh secondary school what what is it that you miss in in in that time during that time


yeah just before two o'clock


yeah we we hardly, we hardly like uh stop, in a way we we'd the only time we stop after school was like to get a drink and then everyone is back in like within ten ten minutes back to the football field and got to continue playing yeah and then and then I also remember like after school we don't actually take the bus


we walked with I think that time our school was, we err, he was moved to canberra Sembawang Sembawang for a for of be due to the renovations on the from the actual ground so we moved to canberra even from canberra we were living in woodlands we walk home


it yeah, yeah exactly exactly it was a half an hour bus ride if you were to take the bus is half an hour if you were to walk is like and we walked after playing football and all that with our backpacks so that was like a route march on its own on an almost daily basis


correct before that there was the now there's a like a shortcut from Sembawang street to admiralty as a road there was be there was open there wasn't you have to go to long way the long way around ya so there was yeah there was, this we had yeah yes yes


yes


yes like I say like to take the bus is like thirty thirty minutes to take the bus but we had we walked at least twice three times a week walked home, from there with our backpacks like but that was uh


that was when I think about is you actually crazy if I if I were to do it now I walk that distance one day I'll probably fled out the the until the next the next day


ya we will take take Grab home uh


ya that's that's that's uh that's true then like I think in terms of like you were talking about not taking lunch not eating we probably eat during recess and then skip lines and then straight to the straight to football


yeah that there was uh I there was one store that sells uh packed sandwiches where I so we used to to run there get there and and then eat at the football field quickly eat at the football field take a drink and then straight away play


and and whoever was available on the field on that on that particularly, yeah


ya correct correct, correct yes


yeah there there was everyone from every stream and, yeah if you talking about risk if you we had, uh friend who was uh this is this is most people think that you said most people think oh malays will be good at football and then or the indians will be playing football also and then uh the chinese guys would want to play basketball but but but that wasn't true yet a very good basketball player who's a malay guy in our school


if you if he yeah treatment worth, Shaq his his nickname is SHAQ he called himself Shaq hikers, ya ya so he he he


he ya that's why is it it is not is that that time I think I think I I don't know what's happening now but I mean at that time it was like nobody talks about I don't remember like being, ya so ya so that was that was a good a good thing that in that eh in our time we don't even also even a discussion I I I don't know what's I don't know what was what we did right at that time that they it wasn't a discussion where we stream you're from


which class are you in the better class or are you in the so called weaker or lower class that there was no sex division although we were we were segregated according to ability, at that point, yeah even if in terms of in terms of academic group it we were segregated but we don't look oh you are from the lower class oh you you must you must be like in this kind you are from the upper class you must be a snob


you we we we didn't we really didn't have all that in our school which was I think that was uh that that was it was a very good environment I I believe in terms of like growing up it was a good environment only I think


, right now is is a bit I I don't know but at that time it was it was really good time that there was no such segregation or there's no looking down on others or there's no everyone is we all friends let's just get up and play that that that was the


uh environment that we were in I think I think there was uh it was a very good environment to be in in the school yeah,


SAP yup


unless your number forty one


two three ya correct correct


actually, actually that was that was uh that was something I I I learned that that when you to talking about picking your teams, that was something your teammates yeah picking your teammates right there was something that was something I learn after secondary school on how to pick teammates I mean is is I don't know it's just a personal thing it's just personally I feel


I would I wouldn't I would take, I wouldn't take someone, I would what who I who I would take is someone who I can trust on top I will put the trust ahead of his, ability when it comes to after you think about after after after after secondary school right we went to poly and then we went to whatever institution you went to so


we from from that experience in uh secondary school I actually when I after that I actually pick people whether whether or not I trust them, rather than their ability is like I can I can trust that this guy will have my back should anything something goes goes down the drain something something goes wrong and I want someone who has my back instead of someone who's very good


but then he I do not trust him because he's born he he won't back you so that was something I learned in in in secondary school if I were to be a team I would pick someone who will run like hell so that everyone get I don't I wouldn't pick a like a


guy who was a task striker but woundn't run and and wait for the ball eh wait for us to give him the ball I wouldn't want that kind of, of person in my team I wouldn't someone's oh he know someone who lost the ball and then he runs for it makes an effort to actually, put in the effort made the numbers when something when something bad happens it’s better than someone who’s very good but when when when when something bad happens to the team he would he's he's he won't be there


yeah it was it was like it makes you look at other people that looking at their strength like like we have let's say you have a guy who


who stall or who runs like hell we will we will put them in places, that that that can benefit from their abilities like, you wouldn't put we wouldn't want to put a guy a guy who runs like hell as a goalkeeper there's just wasting his you're just wasting his talent standing


at at at at in in goll but you would put someone who's agile can jump and brave to be a goalkeeper for example so like we we somehow that that that after school experience that yes we went for the academic when we went to school to study and all that but the after school experience


was like uh more of like a character building and if you if you realize no no teacher will tell you to stop play football lah until the school needs to close, no what's to eh come out nobody tell you eh come out don't play , ya they never stop us from from actually playing except when is the exam periods but other than that we are free to to borrow take a ball from the from the be teacher sign sign sign it out and then we we get to play it so it turns out


financial literacy


cool so so let's get started just wanna understand you know on based on your trick what is your current investment strategy or how would you generally plan your investment portfolio


yup so so that that's a rather interesting uh point that you made Vilaiming investment, strategy at the end of the day would really depend on a multitude of factors uh for example you could talk about the kind of funds that you would like to invest in whether you're looking at something long term fairly uh something short term


uh it also depends on your risk appetite because different individuals, have uh different uh risk averseness some of them like to take risky decisions some of them not, ah so move move for my my case I'm probably somewhere in the middle of the two so I'd like to plan out my investment game based on the amount of funds that I'm looking to invest


uh sometimes it could be long term sometimes it could be into property as you had shared or it could be ETFs or it could be mutual funds uh it could be options as well or some derivatives financial instruments which are a bit more risky in that sense (ppc) uh but speaking of all of this one of the other elements of


risky investments comes to trading you know be it forex or be it exchange funds uh or be it stock trading uh what would be your thoughts on this Vila you know in terms of foreign exchange forex or ETFs or even even stock trading


I I think you've hit the nail on the head uh Vila you know in terms of mentioning about information, because at the end of the day trading the buying and selling of commodities derivatives stocks uh foreign exchange instruments does ball down to information at the end of the day how much information you have about that so be it news like you mentioned uh be the current global pandemic


or be it any other inside information that you have on the purpose particular company or commodity would really affect that particular stock or or that particular instrument that you are trading so it is a a sort of a volatile strategy I have


delved into trading before more into the uh stock trading side of things wherein we talk about blue chip stocks, or we talk about stocks where you feel you have a potential but as you as you rightly mentioned it did take a lot of reading it did take a lot of time


uh and depending on which stock market you are trading in it could mean that you'll spending hours and hours because the US stock market means there's nighttime for us in singapore so they could be quite a number of things over there now having said that of course everyone knows that without spending in the time without investing that resources


it is almost impossible to generate that kind of side income or passive income but in terms of having some of these things automated what would be some of your thoughts over there Villa in terms of automating an investment strategy or automating a sort of a passive income model


yup so automation of course is basically what everyone is talking about when it comes to trading right because everyone wants, a software that can predict and let you know that this is the right time to enter the market ah this is the time to exit uh but at the end of the day a software orient AI for that matter artificial intelligence uh it can only suggest to you a certain thing so my opinion on


automating investments are automating a passive income would boil down to digital assets and what do I mean by digital assets are things like your Amazon FBA your YouTube uh you know sort of business model or even your Instagram page uh many of these various sources of


digital assets can, generate that type of, passive income and it is an automated fashion because it is proven that Amazon FB and YouTube over the course of the couple of years does get you that that sort of scheme of income now while automating make sense and it is a bit of a long term game where you invest a lot of


time and money on things like YouTube and Instagram they would be the sort of people that, would like to get rich quick in that sense or have a short term scheme which is where more riskier strategies or more riskier instruments come into play like derivatives or options and things like that


what would be your thoughts on on options uh Vella in terms of investing or what would be your option strategy in that sense


yup uh the the options are endless as you mentioned Vella especially during this uh particular time of of of of of global situation in that sense many of us have resorted to working from home at the circuit breaker has taught us about being at home for extended periods of time a new platforms have started taking off


uh ridiculously platforms like tick tock uh which people are making a a good living on in that sense so the the the the idea of financial investment does not really traditionally have to belong with things like stocks or options or investment strategies or insurance


there are many other ways to make your passive income, uh you know you've talked about property at the beginning as well that is a fantastic point as well you invested property you have a passive income so these are investment strategies that not many people are talking about probably because it's much more of a long term strategy ah and there's a lot more than you actually have to uh you know uh uh get yourself involved uh but


there are some people that talk about a different sort of investing you know where you go out to buy TOTO or four D for example or you go to the casino at marina bay sands hoping that on the slot machine you make a couple of hundred thousand dollars and you come out richer so what would your thought to be vella would you think investing


or trading for that matter is in that term similar to gambling or is there something different over there


yup uh no I mean definitely it it really would depend on the individual itself once again, many of those digital platforms that you mentioned for passive income is more of a long term game ah but if you're coming to something about short term then drawing back the attention to the to the gambling thing right I just wanted to share a little bit over there where uh gambling to a certain extent is a game of luck


but at the same time to a certain extent there's some skill involved depending on the type of gambling you are talking about uh if it's a slot machine that of course it it boils down to luck ah but if a game if it's games like black jack or poker uh or Mahjong for that matter there is a certain element of skill involved where you


play a game and that sense you get better adapt skill adapt sport there's a lot of, uh uh poker shows that happened on TV texas holdem poker competitions that happen worldwide so does take a lot of skill in that sense but at the same time investing or trading as you mentioned right up front


uh it's all about information it's all about doing that calculations it's all about making sure you are cognisant of where you're putting your money on what information so it is a bit calculated as well but at the same time there is an element of, uncertainty which is risk uh as you mentioned natural calamities global pandemics can affect the investment and the trading world but at the same time it's inevitable because in the gambling spaces well there is an element of luck so it's kind of two different


scenarios in that sense uh but having said all of this and you know all the discussions we've been having around digital assets passive income ah investments long term short term what would, your advice vivid lah let's say you have a a five year old or a student that has just graduated just starting and embarking on their career what would be your advice to them in terms of


how they should start their financial journey or the investment journey what would be your your two cents word or your advice in that sense to this to this uh uh budding student or or to this fresh graduate


yup uh so my take will be very simple right students are are coming out or they're starting fresh they would be very excited and very keen to get their hand dirty so my take would be to gain as much knowledge and as much information as possible start up, anything that you want to do with paper money so that you don't get your hands burned and along the lines of what you mentioned get them to start saving


their money as soon as possible so that they build up that sum of savings and after they've sort of got their hands dirty or played around with uh fake money or paper money first then they start investing the real money, now some students or rather many students will start off on different red some of them would have uh funds from their parents some of them would have inherited property so this is always


the what I would like to call the singaporean dream right imagine you win a four d or a toto and you win the next million dollars how would you actually allocate that funds or what would you do if you had a million dollar check signed to you


yup so it is of course this singaporean dream and I think many of us inevitably uh has some time to you know think about this so I would uh uh in in a nutshell do what the the the average joe would sort of advice in terms of diversifying the assets so making sure there's some assets that are being


pumped into uh short term high risk instruments like derivatives are options uh futures swap and things like that uh and probably some of it into long term investments like you mentioned real estate uh property uh potentially into some of these digital assets but the end goal of course


would be to spread that million dollars or many ever million dollars into various, baskets so that in the unlikely event either one of the markets or industries does crash, ah that could be a counter effect on something else otherwise parking all the money into one space like real estate or even uh short term uh goals may not really be handy but I think one of the last things that I did what I mention over there is as you mentioned


uh there's nothing safer than parking your money in the bank that is having liquid cash there is no added advantage or goal of interest for that but that is as safe as your money can get you go to an ATM you withdraw the money comes out


any one of these financial instruments that we talked about is risky at their own way so maybe in in one word vella how would you describe your investment strategy or maybe in one sentence just to sum things up


(mmhmm) mine would, mine would probably be a risk averse diversified investor so making sure you take calculated risks making sure you are diversifying your investments into various bucket so that there is sort of a stream of income coming in it is sort of a calculated risk


uh so that if any one thing goes down then you know you should be sort of fine in the long run so that would be how I would kind of uh wrap things up


negative experiences, cool ah as as we as we discuss about many things Vella there is uh uh I mean as as we started off the previous discussion life is a a roller coaster of of you know emotions there are the ups there are the downs


ah but when we talk about the downs when we start a little bit about uh you know the the biggest thing that annoys you the most I mean what is something that you think that gets to your nerves or you know get you irritated or annoys you in that sense what would be that one thing that uh uh you know really tickled to you and that's it


so one of my pet peeves or something that gets to me is when people try to smoke their way through ah or basically try to to say something when put something that they're not confident about so it is more of like I'm just going to try my luck in that sense


uh so that is something that that gets to me uh in that sense where in terms of I'm just going to fly by wire, uh but speaking of pet peeves and speaking of of things that uh get to you in that sense what is what would you ah ah talk about in terms of uh uh one of the embarrassing moments or one of the moments that you felt you you cringe a lot in that sense what would be one of those


yup I think I think your experience was very nice Vella in terms of a story and you know how everything was brought up I think mine is a very, standard singaporean embarrassing moment you carrying a bowl of Laksa at your table and then you drop it


and that's the look when everyone looks at you laksa splattered everywhere and everyone's just like oh my god how how can you, you know sort of fumble so so butterfingers uh is one of my most embarrassing moments in that sense it is it is one of those cringe worthy moments it is that moment where it really attracts the attention uh but moving away from embarrassing moments and and when we spoke a little bit about travel earlier we spoke about some of the best travel experience


uh taking the the the the, conversation to the opposite of that in terms of, worst travel experiences sort of nightmares uh in terms of inflight experiences or turbulence what would be one of those uh uh memories for the bad or for the worse that has been edged with you vella


looks like a fish market lah


sounds like chaos


yup one of my , worst experiences has has just been like everything could go wrong, right so your your flight to been delayed uh it's been reschedule you've got a seat change the flight is full so you've got no space beside you