that's true I I also tried to like apply for a job and like !wow! is like it's so hard for us to find a job especially like we're not qualified enough like even part time jobs are, like, really hard to like get a spot in because like


ya and especially our commitment period like maybe if our commitment period wasn't like so short we might able we might be able to get the job but like since like we were not able to do that so we just have to like make do,


(mmhmm)


but have you like thought of like which country because like you know like different countries they actually like their cost of living is different so like the amount of money that you have to plan for that trip will also be different other than the like school fees and everything, (mmhmm)


in one year, oh nice nice, for me for me I I don't think I will do exchange I'm not so sure about exchange part but I definitely want to go for like winter or summer schools for like one month two month like somewhere near asia so for me previously when I went to winter school it was paid by my mum


so now I'm working on trying to save money to pay her back and also pay for the next round of going to winter school which is quite a huge like sum of money especially like since the last winter school I actually went all the way to europe and like the cost of living there was like so high


so ya so I'm like juggling like part time jobs and I'm doing like, odd jobs that you can do to like save money but it's also like really really hard but like I think like COVID sort of helped me like in a sense there's like it's a double edge sword because like when I stay at home I don't really


spend money at all maybe like the occasional grabfood, but ya but other than that


so convenient it spoils us leh but it's really so convenient and it's relatively cheap just that you have to pay like a little bit more for delivery, uh those island wide


oh, really eighteen dollars !wow! that's so not worth it that's like two meals


prior to uh, before COVID I spend a lot more because I'm, actually quite uh like a party girl, so I spend a lot of money outside like like playing because we knew that like something is going to happen so we better play now


so I actually spent like so much more like every day I was spending like a good like hundred bucks going out go to like playing going to the zoo doing all that but right now like during COVID I actually like don't do anything at all like I don't even leave the house


so I don't spend at all which is quite drastic like, drastic change in my spending that even like you know the banking statement they will give you like how much you spend it like dropped all the way, ya so like I think like it's COVID is good lah but like I I can't like guarantee that I won't like go back to my old habits of like spending so much money after COVID but like


after this like phase thing and like maybe like school reopening I'll definitely be more busy and I don't think I'll spend that much, ya ya so I I'll be spending all like my time in school I'll be ya school food is so cheap is all like subsidised so ya I don't mind


, (mmhmm),


, that's true


but actually like, it's good I think like both of us right, we actually like save a lot more, and we realised our like frivolous spending habits was like not that like great but I think like the only thing that is like holding us back is grab


grabfood ya because like both of us like we like eating a lot so, and we are lazy people so we rely a lot on grabfood which sort of also like eats up our money


negative experiences, there was only one time where I faced like like true loss in in the form of like death like because my family is really small and I don't really hang out with like my relatives such as like my grandparents


or my cousins mostly I just spend most of my time with like my mother, but like the first time that like my grandfather died it was actually like super like traumatising in a way because at that point I was only like


fifteen and I was still unsure like of the concept of how to handle death because I view like death as a very like scary thing like I can't imagine like somebody like living a whole life like going through so many things and then suddenly like your life just ends there


so the first time that I like felt it I was, super upset like super super upset I was like in a mess and I I couldn't gather myself together and furthermore I was having exams at that point of time so I think like


that was a moment that I really like truly experience the first loss of my life what about you like did you go through to like the same thing, (mmhmm)


then like would you consider that like to be like one of your greatest regrets like in your life like not being a,


ya I think like, is really sad like can you imagine like, if you were to speak to someone like you love and then this was the last moment they ask like said anything to them like people always say like last last words are very important so like I think like it really makes us


cherish our time and be more mindful of like the things that we say, ya


, that's true, so like for me right I think like, there are many things in my like life that makes me so like stressed out


like just now we talked about like university that is stressed out I think like the one thing that really like stresses me out is when like people keep, like you know sometimes when you tell people like your plans like okay like I'm going to be like fit this year and then I think what stresses me out is when people like keep asking more about your plans


like they keep like eh I thought you want to be fit or like I thought you want to like be the highest scorer, I think like whenever I get stressed I also get anxious and start to overthink a lot it's sort of like a slippery slope like at first it's like not that serious like maybe jokingly then suddenly it just like goes downhill


and like have you like ever experienced something like that like being so stressed out that you just like lose control


(mmhmm)


ya I think for me also like I think like we have never really like learnt how to cope with stress properly like even though everybody have like their own coping mechanism let's say crying or like shopping I think like


nobody really ever taught us what like they taught us stress management definitely but they never really taught us how to identify ways to release stress as an emotion without hurting other people, I think like a lot of us lived in like regret or like sorrows because like of things that we did to hurt other people are just purely out of stress and our inability to control these negative emotions


so like sometimes I worry about that like what if like one day I just like lash out at somebody and that will be like like somebody that I've taken for granted and I keep lashing out and then so what if ya what if that's like the last straw ya


for me like I think like that's really one of my greatest worries like it's not about being successful but it's about like these people around me are they still gonna be with me


I think for sports like athletes right like they really learn a lot and for them to learn so much and to have such resilience they also fail a lot like for me like I used to also play like volleyball for good like six years


and I think it was like the most like disheartening like part of my life because like even though I was like such a tall, player and I was sort of considered like a gift to the team, I think like I could never really like perform as well as the other skilled players and I couldn't pick up like the skills


as quickly as they could and it it just wasn't like something that I enjoyed so I got scolded a lot like you know like coaches are usually merciless on you because of like the competitions and I felt really really bad about myself like I felt


that like I wasn't putting enough efforts even though I train like almost eighteen hours per week after school I stay until ten PM to train and it just, it was like so demoralising for like, to have like


that feeling of like never being able to accomplish what people expect of you I think when people expect something from your you naturally expect higher than what they expect of you and when you can't meet both of that it just sucks lah


ya I think nothing has ever made me felt as demoralised as sport


ya for like JC right so many people like struggle with their lives I like I get like how you feel especially like athletes like they train so much and, like you know like the content that we learn in JC especially for like the science stream is really really heavy and


ya chemistry and physics especially if you take H two, ya like for me like even though I was like I was also doing sports but I wasn't like training that hard, but !wow! like the content alone was just like enough to make me feel like my energy has been drained every single day and especially cause like JC we start school at like seven and then we end at like six and after that we still have to train


and then like when I think back like to that time period of time I I really don't know like how like any of us coped with it, because your whole life just revolves around study trying to cram content into your head trying to revise for exam trying to juggle in sports and like your academics and it was just really like hell


I think a lot of us have this like defense mechanism when we like face like difficulties we choose to bottle up thing


I think like is really like never good for us like for me like I was also like you but I didn't really like go and talk to anybody I just sort of like exploded at home and I just like started crying and like


I couldn't sleep for like three days even with like like medication and everything I think it's just like really scary how like there are so many like other people who are going through this but


it's really like up to you whether you want to go and seek help or not but also like I feel that there's not enough like awareness being spread about like people struggling and there's not enough like support being given to like all these people,


ya right like for example in like the US or like UK they they like actively spread like mental health awareness and all that and I understand that like some of like, the schools and tertiary institutions are trying their best to also like advocate mental health awareness


but it just seems that like people take it so negatively, ya like people are just going through hard times and they need help so like I don't get like what is the problem would be it is really sad like sometimes like I have like friends who like actually like


passed on like moved on because of like not getting the help that any or like people keep pushing them down deeper and deeper I think it's really sad like to see people go just because there wasn't they they weren't being helped enough


I think like like, people being judgmental and like also like saying like bad things and spreading rumors especially like sometimes you know somebody can be really happy they can look really happy and seemed like they have it like altogether


but they are also struggling and I think like, it's like super hard to tell like if somebody is like really not doing well mentally, and I feel that, like nowadays a lot of people are actually like that like is because of the culture that we have here in this country that's why people start to


become more like put on like just a mask, ya rather than to face their problems, (mmhmm)


many of them are also like in self denial like they just say like oh no is okay I'll like try to get through it all no it's just a phase but it's never really just a phase is just what you are really feeling


and like people don't learn how to embrace their feelings


positive experiences, uh so for like, because your birthday was so early in the year right is like the first week of january what do you think like was like your best birthday present


(mmhmm), oh that's so cute


oh, for me my best birthday present was having a birthday party in mcdonald's , cause like ya you were there so it was like it was


a passing joke honestly because like, as you know I love mcdonald's a lot and especially like the nuggets and spicy and like I was like joking to like my friends there oh ya what if like I hold my birthday party at like mcdonald's and they really


did it like they actually did it so even though it was a bit like shocking and like surprising I think it was really cute because like all my friends from like different like points of my life were there and we were all just like fooling around and like talking like nonsense


and I think like that was very very meaningful, ya so much fun, oh my god yes I wore the, crown and she forced me to like dance and I was like oh my god and they even had cake


it was not bad, oh is it the one that she hide something then after that we all were like confused


oh the oh oh my god I remember and then two of my friends were like, the the like they lost right and then they had to like do a forfeit


ya the the chicken dance and then like I forced like everyone to like do a speech for me like write a speech I was like, ya I was telling like you and another friend to like oh ya you all have to write a speech for me for my birthday


oh ya but you see it was good practice, it was utilising what you've learned and putting it into real life application


(mmhmm), super touched I still have the video of your speech, uh no it's just like sitting in my gallery


uh we'll see but I think like that was really like, one of like the most like, fulfilling days like I wouldn't say it's a


perfect day like a perfect day would be like me lying at home doing nothing which is like which has been happening for like the past like two months ya but for, yes


except for the part where I couldn't go out to see my friends for like you know it's not like I want to see them everyday but I would like to see them once every two weeks


I think like uh video chatting has its own like strong points for example like you can like do your own things on your own computer you can play like games together which is definitely like, more like fun and engaging but I feel that like essentially face to face like


uh physical like engagement is still like the most important because essentially like in the long run like all these games will like be boring and then like you know just staring at a screen is not the same as having like the physical intimacy with somebody who is close to you


ya, mini golf, (mmhmm)


it's like sports versus online soccer, , but like you know cause you are like sort of like a very sporty person right how are you like coping like how do you cope with not being


able to go out and like have a netball match or like have a soccer match or whatever, (mmhmm)


don't we all


(mmhmm),


but luckily you have been like active like doing all this like home workouts and everything has been like trending but I have never like gotten onto like the bandwagon or anything cause like I'm just so lazy


like literally all I do is lie down like I'll be like watching shows for like twelve hours lying down yes yes I finished like nine seasons of a recent like sitcom how I met your mother in like a week


yes, it's a good show I recommend you watch that show, oh my god big ed and rose right how is it so far like are there like other outstanding couples


(mmhmm)


, (mmhmm) (mmhmm)


!wow!


oh my god oh is it david, but that's so sad


oh my god he is so he is so like simple minded how can he like


is he super rich


!huh! then he should have like told her like oh you don't don't need to pay to get your your manicure done you can just come to me I'll do it for you, (mmhmm)


, that is so like oh my god, like imagine if somebody does that for you like you'll be swayed by kind of like, ridiculous, (mmhmm)


but he didn't get it, oh ya that's true


so like, in real life uh I guess I have met a lot of people who actually make me feel like quite happy but like somebody who like I look up to the most who like give me like the most like


like joy and like most encouragement and motivation is actually one of my teachers in secondary school, cause like I was never really like a good student in a sense like because I was kind of slow and I didn't really like like understand concepts that quickly as compared to my classmates so when I went into secondary school I was really like inferior and I wasn't really like hopeful towards like the future


but then this teacher she's actually uh like a chemistry teacher she actually like takes the time and effort to like go to you and understand how do you feel like about this lesson how do you feel about like your future do you know what you want and I think like is like


really nice that actually like somebody cares because most teachers they they don't really care about how you feel or how you coping they they mostly like, ask out of courtesy but they never really bother to like take up your emotions so for her like she talked to me a lot and she gave me a lot of guidance


and I think like because of her like she was the main reason why I worked so hard to go into uni, ya so like for you what about you like do you do you meet anybody like that


(mmhmm) (mmhmm)


oh that's so cute


is like super hard to find teachers like this like ya, definitely because like in university is such a cultural shock


but like, at first not really but then like as like time goes by like ya like I I really miss like those moments where I was like carefree and like complaining about like everything in life but actually having it really good but like in university is really like


oh like oh, we're gonna be adults soon and like we better like like we have to like control everything like everything that is under us is our responsibility, and and like uh


it's hard to adjust to ya I feel, ya, but I think like I think like one thing that I'm thankful for in university right is that actually I meet like very nice people like you and like the the rest of the gang like I think like


these are the people who actually make things much easier to handle because like whenever like we have quiz or test and then we are like, guys please help us and then like we will help each other and I think that's really cute


(mmhmm), (mmhmm),


ya I think like when you come like to uni right you actually understand like, more of the concept of friendship because like ya when you're in like secondary school or primary school it's more like those like oh let's hang out together like you all you guys like never really go through like real hardship together or like really like cry over things together so I think like


I really like understand a lot more about like my friends around me, ya like it's not about like how many friends you have or like how popular you are in school is


ya like, like everybody likes you just because like you are pretty but are they going to help you when you like you are struggling like that's that's the problem like with like universities like everybody wants to be popular everybody wants to have many friends but like nobody really like understand that like right in university and you're going to struggle a lot and you need


people who actually like support you, ya, I would say like the friendships that I have in university is more like uh


is more serious in a sense like let say like my group of friends from secondary school like, all we do is play, or like go and party so we you don't really like see each other as friends that we will like go to if like we're struggling or we have a hard time like doing something or we don't go to each other for help


but uh for university I think I go to my friends more when I need help or I'm like really struggling with some something and I think like that's a very big difference is sort of like play versus work you know in a sense so what about you


(mmhmm)


I think like uh for secondary school right like all our friends, are just like purely like even though like we say we sort of like struggled together like it's not like we grow up together, but we never really struggle through like going into the phase of adulthood


ya it's just like struggles like I, ya like we used to complain like oh O levels is so hard and then we come to uni and we are like oh, ya


I think O level like O levels for me, turned out like better than expected like considering like the friends, I hung out with like even though like we loved to like, go out and then uh


my result just came out better even though I didn't spend so much time studying


part one financial related topic, okay so uh I start first ah so for me I have a bit of financial related uh financial related uh background I was actually a insurance agent before so I actually have a bit of knowledge on insurance investments and some saving plans


so for me uh I think I learnt most about financial stuffs uh when I was an insurance agent like before that I was quite clueless err and then I had to go for like courses to actually be legible to be a financial agent so that's when I learnt most of my financial knowledge from uh


I think the most interesting thing that I learnt from there is actually like savings plan cause before that I haven't really been saving uh but like through the courses that I went for I actually learnt the importance of like saving uh and starting early because like


like money grows over time as well so there's gonna be inflation rate or so is best to start early and plan for your future so when uh the time actually comes you will be ready for it lah instead of just uh pushing back your plans and then when the time come you'll just be stuck with not enough money


so I think saving early is uh one of the important things that people need to take note of and another thing is also like insurance like so, people always shun away from insurance agents because there's always this stigma that's always ah stick with like insurance agents so when they see insurance agent on the street they tend to always shun away from them because they always think that they are hard selling them


which is technically not true lah many insurance agents are there to honestly uh uh try to make your life easier and more secure so actually insurance is very important in your life so in case of any emergencies like


uh I can get into hospital and at least I have a a peace of mind because I know that I have insurance to cover most of the uh money that has to be paid for for my hospitalisation bills and stuff so that is important as well, ya so that is my financial background


okay, , actually like for now, uh, as you are schooling right actually how do you like manage your cash flow cause like for me like I actually get like allowance from my parents


so what I do is like uh I set aside some money to save but is not a lot lah then uh I still have my own savings plan to pay for because I actually bought a savings plan before entering uni and then is more like a commitment thing, so for like savings plan is a long time commitment so


so now like I try my best to save as much as I can but most of it is going to the savings plan then like for money outside of that I usually don't have much to spend on also so I rarely spend on buying things for myself ya that's for me lah ya


ya,


ya, ya


good, okay so for mine uh I was actually approached by an insurance agent when I after army when I was working uh before the start of uni lah so uh I was introduced to a savings plan and it was uh one of the the one with a lower premium so meaning like I don't have to pay that much every month


uh which is uh manageable for me uh actually as I'm schooling I also have a part time job working at one of the shops in SMU, so from there I pay my savings plan and also have that extra money for my spending lah but most of it is going into saving as well because like it's important to start saving early also


so uh ya so the savings plan is pretty good is a twenty year, plan and I have to pay pretty low every month lah is not that much so uh its a its a good plan in the sense that uh I don't have to pay that much and I and I won't have to worry as much whether I am able to sustain it


because the the premium is too high you know is something that's manageable for me and I know that my money will grow over time because the saving plan is not a high risk plan, ya is is pretty low risk so uh ya I I still have that peace of mind when I save with that plan so ya that that's pretty good lah ya


uh at that point of time we actually sat down and go through like what I spend on and like how much I should save cause at that point of time I didn't really start saving yet but that's when I got introduced a saving and that's when I really started saving so I guess the insurance agent helped me at first but after that I do plan some of my saving by myself


ya, ya, ya,


okay so for me I don't really uh buy things for myself like I don't do online shopping and I don't go out and shop so most of my money is actually spent like food or like hang out with my friends so when I do uh


go out with my friends we try to find places that are not too expensive and within our means that's one thing uh another thing is , uh try to not buy things that I don't really need like for example bubble tea those kind I can cut down on those are just things to those are wants lah in a sense to cut down on your wants uh those


like you can enjoy them every once in a while but not every day in the sense like if you save a cup of bubble tea every day you can save about hundred dollars a month those kind of things so, is those very little steps that help you save uh like you can take small steps every day and then it'll accumulate up so in a month you can actually save quite a lot by taking these small steps every day ya so those those little steps are the the one that I started off with


uh and it helps saving uh become easier lah so I don't have to think of it as I have to save maybe like two hundred a month I have I can think of it as I just need to save on a cup of bubble tea every day you know those kind of things so think of it on a smaller scale helps you achieve things


that is bigger in a sense ya,


, yup


okay so ya so for me err I think it's important to always cover your uh health insurance and your health insurance first that's the most important so I know that you are covered for that so yes ya like you said there should always have a safety net so


after health insurance you can go to looking into savings because actually savings is uh is a lot safer than investment so uh what we classify them is uh low risk, so when we do a background check on our clients we actually ask them some financial questions to check whether they are low risk or high risk so if you're high risk and have some financial knowledge then investment is okay for you because you know of the risk you are getting into


but if you have no knowledge of finance actually savings plan is good thing to start on because it's similar to a uh bank uh the concept of putting your money in a bank you are just letting the money roll in there and getting bigger and bigger but the only big difference that you have is that you have a commitment to an insurance uh sorry to a saving plan because


it's over a period of time and yet you have to commit to it like every month or every year so that's the difference between a bank you need to put in money every time but the bank is just there for you to like you don't have to continue contribute to the the bank it's not a requirement in a sense so


should always like that's the difference lah I feel between the bank and the savings plan so once you are covered for the savings right then you can move on to starting investment like like you said like you can start investing in stocks or uh like, property or whatever but investment is more of those people they are covered on the basis like the the first few like for example health insurance or like saving plan are already covered and they still want to grow their money even more then they can look into investments because investments give you more returns but also at a higher risk


so, that's when you know like as you said you are sustainable you are uh financially capable to support yourself then maybe you can start looking into that, but for now just uh insurance health insurance and maybe savings if you do have the means for it ya


okay so I I know about the actually I'm not very sure about the BTO but I heard of grants giving to fresh grads and even to uh schooling students so like for example us lah like we have like some uh


some discount or something I'm not very sure about that but I think uh planning for your future you all just have to start setting aside money to for your house for a car or like the expenses you gonna need you all need to start planning on what you all have to


uh you have to anticipate what's going to come lah in a sense so, obviously starting early which is it is very good which is what you're doing now ah you all at least you all have a few years to start building up your income start building up a pile of money so that when the time comes you don't have to worry so much as do like if you buy this house you would would you have enough money to


you know survive everyday ya so I think starting early is good which is what you're doing and then after that really setting aside money really sitting down and planning how much you need maybe in like ten years you need twenty K so how much are you gonna save up in these ten years like maybe every year


set a goal every month set a goal so start working towards that ya


, ya correct, ya ya


, ya


uh I think uh it is quite difficult in Singapore lah because of we actually have a very high standard of living and and our cost of living is actually very very high compared to other countries but I honestly think is meant is is something that's achievable if you start early


if you start too late I think is a bit tough because you can't rely on just you know like graduating from uni and then working and then aiming for a goal to hit hundred K by the time we graduate will be probably I think twenty six twenty seven and you only have like three to four years to earn that hundred k which is


honestly quite tough so starting early is is important [lah] ya


part three negative experiences, uh okay so for personally for me I think err


twenty two years of living right it it might not sound very long but actually like you do you do experience negative stuff over the years lah so, for me actually recently uh my friend one of my best friends I would say uh actually was diagnosed with uh cancer so it was lymphoma lah so I mean it was it was very tough uh had knowing about that


uh and you feel very very helpless because you don't know what to do and, I had no at the point of time lah when he told us I had no knowledge of what lymphoma was or what it actually is lah so uh it actually happened when uh one day he was actually feeling some chest pain so he couldn't go to (ppc) he couldn't go to sleep so


he went to the doctor lah so they did a scan and then they found uh a black mass in his lungs so uh at that point of time it was it was why why he told me it already covered about quarter of his lungs so, uh thankfully is was only stage two so I mean at that point of time to see my friend my very very close friend to actually go though something so tough and


like being told that he has cancer especially at the only the age of twenty two which is which is a very very rare case lah I would say, and to see him go through like uh he just finished his chemo so to see him go through chemo and being so tired and being so like frail and his body like his body you can see is actually very very weak lah like from the way he talks he walk sand stuff


so I guess is very very tough to see someone you loved and someone you care for so much to go through something so painful, like to me like I I cannot take my friends going through pain like whenever I see my friends sad right it is something that really affects me a lot and for him to go through that is something that will always stick for me lah ya it it was tough lah it was tough


ya,


, ya I guess I agree with you lah in the sense that , like you don't really need a very strong connection with someone to experience the sadness that you know everyone is feeling so actually one incident for me that is that that actually made me feel that way was I was actually very very young at that point of time I think I was in


either kindergarten or primary school I can't really remember I was very young and my grandfather had passed away so like uh uh like, we had to I remembered that day was of his I can't remember like we were going to cremate him so like uh we were at the viewing gallery to watch


then after that like uh you can really feel like the whole emotion of the room being very very sad lah like uh my aunt and my uncle all over there and then they were watching the whole thing go


and like I guess as a child I I didn't really have any interaction with my grandfather but, like to see my parents to see my aunt and uncle go through that it was a very tough scene to see and that scene will always be there in my mind like


you don't really need a very strong connection to have with someone ya so ya lor I guess that's that's one of the tougher scene that I've seen through my twenty two years of living yeah


ya, I ya, so for me actually uh uh my negative experiences are also uh in the sense shaped around these people around like shaped with the people around me in the sense not that they are negativity around my life but


I think I feel very very very helpless when I'm unable to, help my friend when they are in need so for example I have this friend that uh is actually going through uh mild depression so she and and the thing is she is not studying in Singapore she is actually studying in Australia so that makes it even tougher for me lah so


like being a social science student and uh actually going learning a bit more on depression right I actually know more about it and like how tough it actually is you know to go through it all alone especially she's studying there alone without her family without her friends and


going into a new uh environment uh feeling that way is is pretty bad lah is pretty tough so I felt super helpless because, I had very little knowledge on depression I don't know how to cope or help her cope with it and she is at Australia which mean I can't meet her to help her also so like


I think that made me feel very very helpless in the sense that like knowing that your friend is suffering and not being able to help, to me that's like I don't think like I can like I feel very very very sad when I think about that like to have my friend suffering there and then me just standing aside and not be able do anything I I cannot get myself that so


like I guess like I really want like I really need to be able to help someone that I really care about lah and if I can't that's one of the most negative things that I can experience also,


, ya ya I agree with you ya


I guess in a certain sense like sometimes you would also feel like not like being there physically and then being there emotionally you would just feel that it's not enough lah, like for someone that you really care so much for like as much as you want to share the pain with them you know that you can't so that's like one of the most like


helpless thing you can do lah like you try your best but you know that is not enough ya ya, , ya


, ya correct,


part two positive experiences


, uh K so for me I actually agree with you lah one of the very positive experience that I actually get in my life is to achieve the things that I actually work for so for me uh as a person right I actually work very hard very hard for things that uh I love doing


so for example in my case is playing basketball lah so I actually been playing basketball since sec one and I have been very very passionate about it ever since I started, bouncing the ball lah ya so I remember I used to play err every single day in secondary school and even on days uh even on weekends I actually do go over down with my friends to school and start training


cause uh I wanted to get better in the game lah and I do remember that uh there was this very specific incident in sec 2 where, uh there's actually competitions in uh C div and B div so B div is for upper sec and C div is for lower sec but then there's a chance for the lower sec to play in the B div if they're if the if they're chosen in the team lah so for me I wanted to get chosen because is something that is you know good lah


but the thing is I didn't get so at that point of time uh I was uh I was sad at first but then I realised that you know that means I am just not good enough yet so from then on uh I've actually been working very very very hard to a point when I actually go into the team and then uh from there I haven't stopped so


uh working hard for me in things that I'm passionate about is something that is part of me and will always be part of me uh and one of the the more uh high notes of my basketball experience is actually getting into uh division one of uh the league in Singapore


so it is it is actually the highest league in Singapore that you can actually get to, uh so I was previously from division two uh last year so I was playing division two last year and then uh we managed to climb our way to division one with my team uh then we are playing for who factory now so uh I guess over time like


in the sense for you your your studies was what you saw at when you got your O level results for me uh is is when I held that trophy uh on the finals day uh after we uh got announced to go into division one and holding that trophy and medal really is like like !wah! like sec one is


four five six is like eight years of hard work and then you just see in one medal it actually feels very very very good lah ya so I guess that's a very positive experience ya, ya actually like for me I think what I really shapes my positive experience uh also is the people around me because like I to me friends are super important to me they are like one of the I would I would die for my friends those kind of things like


I would always stand up for them so friends are my life essentially and having very very good friends that support you around you is is it's make me very very happy lah so, ya so I think that those are the key factors to have when I think when I think of positive things I always think of these few things lah that's that's for me ya


correct


correct ya, ya


yeah, , ya is like you don't have to you don't have to tell them things for them to know it you know ya ya


, yes


so actually what your thoughts on like travelling do you like travelling, yeah


yeah


oh


, ya


, K so for me ya so for me I I actually quite like travelling as well


so actually one of the most memorable travel experience I ever had was actually last year when I went uh Phuket with my friends, so uh it wasn't a very like uh, I would say uh life changing trip it was more like a party trip like I didn't really have a new life inside or something but it was more of like really going there and like uh cause we just ORDed so


we planned a trip to go over and just enjoyed ourselves so we it was six days of err partying it was quite messy and stuff lah so but I mean in midst of all that the the the


partying I guess we actually did do things like hiking and stuff, and it's heartwarming to see like uh the difference in the lifestyle of like people from overseas and as compared to singapore and


how lucky we are to actually stay here like the living conditions there is very very different from what we have in Singapore I remember that the first day we went there we were finding out airbnb it was in an alley way and we couldn't find it because it was actually on top of this massage


parlour so it was actually inside the massage parlour but we didn't know what cause like we were finding an airbnb but then we walked into a massage parlour so but then ya it was it was a cool experience I guess cause you get to see the the like the difference, err living in singapore and having a house overseas and the life that people lead and uh how uh respectful they are in the sense that uh they are always like very friendly


uh not being cranky and stuff and they they really appreciate the smaller things in life uh and I feel that a lot of people in singapore like overlook that fact lah they are I I would say that in the sense that we are a bit spoilt living in singapore as well


ya so this I guess that's the most memorable because I get to enjoy uh time with my friends and also I get to learn new things and like have a bigger like outlook on life lah ya that was probably ya ,


ya, I guess I guess what you what what what I try what I got from you was that uh I actually didn't really think about this lah actually but like what you said was I I guess


an experience will be more positive if you actually sacrifice more in a sense, ya so if you are actually willing to put in the work and to see the fruits of your labour I mean the process is what would give you that positive experience to know that you actually endured so much by actually worked towards your goal and actually attained it I guess that's that's what will


what would make an experience positive lah so for me like uh army was actually a positive experience for me also as uh you know to the contrary where guys always complain about army I actually kinda liked my army experience because


I actually went to one of the tougher courses uh I was actually a recce ya I was a scout lah ya so, my course is one of the toughest course that uh NSFs can go to so before going into it I was quite negative okay before that BMT I was quite negative I hated army actually I was like damn tired and I wanted to quit I wanted army to end ya


ya but I guess like going through the tough course is like people around you with, everyone working towards the same goal and like forging you know even stronger friendships after what you endured right is actually like something that I don't think I I can trade anything for, like me and my army friends are are pretty good friends now and you know going through hell and coming back together stronger is something that you know you can never get anywhere else so that is the positive experience for me lah


ya (ppo) ya


part one financial related topics


okay so uh I agree with uh Melvin on the part of uh insurance and also savings so basically for myself I didn't really had any uh investment knowledge or background back then but uh I started to have a savings plan uh pretty much early during my polytechnic days


so uh there was these famous uh investment err savings plan that were written online everywhere it says that even before you start uh your investment you should always have your savings uh backed up first


so they always have this uh have this saying of fifty thirty twenty so basically the fifty thirty twenty is the percentage split of how much you save how much you spend and how much you invest


so personally for myself I have been using that technique for my savings especially but instead of uh investing in uh products or insurance or what so ever I have decided to choose uh, I have decided to invest uh directly into the savings err saving banks account instead because I find that it's more secure in a way and furthermore being a full time student without any err primary source of income it will be very difficult to sustain uh


an interest plan over the years because for example if you want to invest in uh forced savings plan meaning to say that every month you need to chip in a certain amount of money into that plan and when the bond matures and you get back the principal amount with the interest


I find that for that for that kind of investment it will be pretty useful but without having a primary source of income will be very difficult and the risk the risk is very high in a way, so currently for myself I'm currently taking up part time jobs also and then uh saving up uh that uh saving up for now


uh roughly probably after few more years before I'm more sustainable then I'll start investing also but I also agree on uh melvin's point that uh investing is definitely very important because that's the primary source of growing your income because


having a fixed salary every month is never gonna work out in a way if you're not intending to uh find ways to improve your income so, I also agree that uh insurance is one of the best methods to increase because the assurance is there in a way even though there are mild risks as well so personally for myself I have uh signed up for health insurance


uh as as the first insurance that I that I signed up for because I find that health insurance is the most sustainable and is it also gives you a safety net in a way that in the event where err something happens to you


and you need to be hospitalised in a way you wouldn't uh you wouldn't need to err source out a large amount of money just to go for maybe surgery or operation whatsoever so ya that's my take on investments and also insurance as well


okay okay so err I think if I'm in your situation right err, I think the most important thing is to uh figure out how to get that money to pay for your savings plan


so personally for myself I I didn't sign up for any savings plan or whatsoever because the risk of not being able to pay is there so for myself what I've done is that I've uh taken up part time jobs ah so basically err, I'm currently a freelance err instructor for international schools so I'll use that that income that I gained from that err from the job and then I put it into banks that generate the high uh interest in my in my point of view


so I think in your situation what I will do is to first definitely get a part time job because I think having err having uh pocket money is definitely not sustainable to pay off your savings and also for expenses as well so err


I think the primary objective in a way is definitely to get the to get the money to be able to pay out the savings as well so uh in my point of view ya definitely I'll get I'll get a job I'll get the job uh that's sustainable enough to uh pay for my savings first and then after that


for me I will split uh my needs and wants so basically my needs for example food transport err bills I'll definitely err set aside the money to err pay them first because they uh those are the priority, and then for the once maybe over time when we generate enough savings then if uh you can start to splurge on them so I would say that in this kind of uh in this kind of situation is more about discipline as well


because it really err for a savings plan you really need to have the discipline to be able to err uh save save enough money to pay off whatever that you need first and then whatever whatever wants that you have err


ya you you'll definitely need discipline to be able to control and not uh indulge in like, uh splurging on all those all those types of wants lah ya so that's my point of view, so uh in terms of savings right because you said you have a savings plan and you're also getting pocket money so uh from what you mentioned just now you have actually done that ever since before uni begin right


ya so how so how uh has it been so far like it has been almost a year already but seems like you're still uh coping quite well with it right


so uh for your finances uh you actually plan out everything on your own or at the point of time did your insurance agent help you to plan out everything


okay, okay okay sure


so normally uh you said that because you're having a part time job as well and then you are also paying for your savings also so how how do you actually uh control your expenditure,


okay (mmhmm)


sure sure okay because personally for myself I don't really have much err investment knowledge in the way that I don't I don't really invest a lot or should I say that I don't invest at all, so basically for myself I would rather trust my money in the bank because the bank is being backed by the uh MAS singapore government whatsoever so


it'll be pretty safe in a way so uh I definitely I definitely thought of investing and doing err doing err buying stocks or whatsoever in the future I mean that's that's definitely one of the best ways to earn passive income


but err what you do think err should I look into first I mean for you having err knowledge in uh investments and insurance or what so ever what what do you ya


okay,


true that's true


so uh because personally for myself uh my girlfriend and I had thought about uh purchasing a BTO probably in the next three to four years because because currently now she is already graduated


and she is working for PWC so uh we thought of uh applying early for a BTO because uh there are many grants, in a way especially for fresh grads because their income range is uh slightly is currently at the lowest in a way because they are being fresh grads and having their first job their take home pay isn't as high as what will be in the next three to four years


so uh what what do you think uh you can do to maybe manage uh any financial commitment in future like at this point of stage


okay, I know err recently I had read this article I think on facebook I can't really remember where is it from err the the article uh stated that uh is very hard in Singapore especially to earn your first hundred thousand before thirty that's what that was a hot topic back then


so basically there's this person who uh actually introduced investing into CPF because uh CPF actually generates higher interest as compared to certain banks if I'm not if I'm not wrong, uh especially like uh maybe especially kid's account yeah all those generate low interest so one of the few ways they recommended was to pump in the money to CPF or or or changing your your savings plan


so basically like for example for mine I changed mine from the POSB kids account to the UOB one, or even maybe the standard chartered err jump start account that generates a lot I think now they changed it to one percent ya so uh what what what do you think of the statement that


err it's difficult to achieve hundred thousand in uh before thirty in in terms of being a insurance agent yourself as well


ya okay right


part three negative experiences


, okay


, ya I I feel that ya if ya I actually agree with you that if your friends are actually going anything that's severe I mean you yourself will definitely feel it so I have this incident also err was back in I think twenty eleven


ya nine years ago so what happened was that err one of my friends he went for jog with his uh younger brother so while he was jogging on the road uh he got into a car accident, so uh he got he got rushed down to the hospital and then after that the doctor uh the doctor told uh his family that he went he got into coma so he got into a coma for about a month


and then uh after that he woke up, uh the after that he woke up but uh the doctor said that he couldn't recognise or he couldn't move because the impact was so huge that his nerves and certain parts of his body uh will not uh will not function anymore so he had to go through physiotherapy


all those other uh physical checks that they need and also uh psychological checks so initially err they had they called it uh they called it a stage one to ten so uh in term of err conscientiousness ya so


basically he was the moment he woke up he was only has one but subsequently after physiotherapy and what so ever he got slightly better so he was wheelchair bound but he was able to err show his emotions like


he wants it like yes or no whatsoever he can he can just by his facial expression he can show, but err apparently the doctor said that he was not going to fully recover because the impact uh the impact in the accident was very serious because


he fell uh the moment the car hit on him from the back his the back of the head landed on the the windshield the screen and then after that he said fell the front the tip of the head fell on the floor so uh it was pretty bad because uh I think part of his skull was broken and they had to do a major surgery for that as well


so err what happened uh after that even though he was recovering six months later after that he committed suicide, so the reason being was because uh he knew that he was gonna be a burden to his family he wrote that in his suicide note that uh he felt uh he felt useless because he couldn't recover and not just that he felt that he is gonna be a burden in the future also


so he said uh that he didn't have any point living anymore because he don't see he don't see he don't see any hope even though there are friends around to really support him like to bring him everywhere or anywhere he needs to go he finds he finds that over


a long period of time uh all of this all of these things that we are doing for him will err it will be too tiring for us and then because of that he uh jumped out of his house window and even up even up to today if I'm not wrong lah uh I feel that his family


is still grieving over him, ya so that's one of the one of the toughest loss I've felt over the years because , the err with the like knowing knowing the family personally I also feel that I also I I I can feel the pain because as a parent to lose your child at such a young age I think it's one of the most painful things because you only had such little time with them


ya so that was in terms of my err friend so for family definitely I also had err uh certain negative experiences, so one of it was that recently just err yesterday err I received uh a news from my mum that err my grandmother got diagnosed with uh skin cancer


so apparently at this stage err she was I'm not sure I'm not too sure what stage it is because uh even up to today uh the doctors ban visiting due to the current virus is going on, so uh if I not wrong I only can visit in the next in the next couple of days but uh what happened was that uh


the the doctor diagnosed her with skin cancer so there is this very big lump growing on the skin on on the on her face right here so I was quite surprised because it was just yesterday only and then err my mum suddenly mentioned to me that


my grandma was diagnosed with it so I was so for me I was was pretty shocking at first but then after that err I looked at the photo that they took of my grandmother with the face I didn't I didn't expect it to be that serious because the lump was almost uh


covering her whole cheek already so uh apparently she uh there's no chemotherapy or there's no any other solution available for her because she's already she is currently in her nineties already and she is currently hospitalised also so


I felt that ya in a way is uh very shocking for me because I didn't expect this to happen at such like at this point of time also uh and then not just that because back in twenty O seven


uh back in twenty O seven she was she was pretty healthy back then but then I'm not too sure what happened err during that point of time but she got uh wheelchair bound from that moment onwards and then shortly after that my grandfather passed away


because of pneumonia so ever since then my grandmother has been suffering for the next thirteen years so her body has deteriorated over time ever since my grandfather's passing and then err from wheelchair bound to being bed bound I think is one of the one of the most


err painful experiences that you can ever had because suffering for more than a decade I think is really is really impossible like for me personally if I have to be bed bound and wheelchair bound for ten years I mean not even one year I think I'll I'll get very


I'll get emotionally drained off already but my grandmother pull through like she she took up she managed to survive it for the next thirteen years through all the pain and all whatever that she is uh suffering from and then


err suddenly having uh having received this news yesterday that she is diagnosed with skin cancer it's, err pretty shocking to see how things are going to end up because the uh apparently at this point of time in her nineties the doctor has already mentioned that there's nothing that they can do about it already so in other words it's just waiting for D day


ya so being a grandchild sitting at the side even though there's no there's not much connection uh like as compared to a parent child because this is a grandparent grandchild situation and uh with our family being so big


even though we are not close but ultimately you can see feel the pain inside, because not just it's not just her that's suffering but is everyone around her that's suffering as well, so in a way you can see the pain in everybody's eyes as well, and having to pull through that over the next coming weeks or months I think it will be very difficult as well


ya so that's my that's my one of the negative experiences I had on in terms of my family as well ya


ya,


true true ya I know I know how that feels also ya like err, I mean even though like uh, how to say after experiencing through all these also I felt I feel that err there's also a learning point as well lah


like you get to in a way even though err whatever that's going on right now in my current situation I also feel that, in a way err the children of my grandmother like the bonds are getting stronger in a way because they they have a very big family as well so in a way they're more united in the sense as well


but uh personally for myself uh what I worry in this situation is what if I'm the person that is going through this so for example if my grandmother is in such situation what happens if I'm her children instead


so this that's one of the thing I always like worry about like what if one day your parents are no longer here then what's gonna happen like how how how you gonna cope with it like because ever since uh ever since you're born you already see your parents all the way is like for is like is like almost throughout your lifetime you have been seeing them everyday


but what if one day snap they're they just disappear from here how how you going to pull through how you going to go like how you going to go about it how you going to live life without them ya so that's one of the things I always think about like over time because as scary as it sounds I feel that


as as uh personally for myself because I have quite a close bond with my parents also so, the worry is like you get more worrying because everyday you see that time passes very fast like from primary school boom suddenly you finish army then after that you are already in university time is going like way too fast already


so I feel that one of the things ya I worry the most is definitely what if this the day the day comes the day that err your parents are gone the day that your siblings are gone I feel that that is one of the day that I hope that will never come


in a way even though is inevitable that when there's life there's definitely death, ya that's what I feel like but once in a while you you even though you don't really think of it now but like every time when your mind wanders off somewhere like once in a while you you start to think of all this kind of things and it starts to get like worrying everyday as well


ya so that's for myself like one thing I'm worried ya


okay,


(hmm),


(mmhmm) true true, so err like personally like for yourself you also said that it's quite tough if you have friends that's in trouble and then you can't help them like especially with in your case that your friend is having mild depression so


I also feel that way because I have a friend that err who is born without err one kidney so because he's uh his birth had some uh complications back then so he needs to go for some kidney uh dialysis I think every month


and then uh throughout throughout secondary school every time when I with him and then we are having our PE class right you can see that he's having a lot of difficulty because having going through a a such a major operation at such a young age and then having to live on without one kidney for the rest of his life


you can see that in his physical appearances he is he he looks fine but over time when you can you notice that his life is err his health is actually deteriorating every day and then he actually needs kidney dialysis to help him go through the pain and whatsoever


I also ya so I so I I also agree with that in a way like if your friends you can see your you're like even though you can see your friend suffering or whatsoever even though you can be physically there but you can't ultimately you still can't help them err you can't you can't really share the pain the physical pain with them


all you can do is just to be like to be either be physically present or just emotionally present but ultimately they themselves need to feel the pain, like as much as you want to share the pain with them like take take the pain away from them but ultimately they're they're the ones that needs to suffer and I feel that like personally for myself I feel very bad in a way because as as much as that friend is close to me I wouldn't want to see my close friends suffer as well


and then not only that like he is having he is having such a condition for a lifetime is not a condition that uh can be recovered instantly so having such uh a lifetime medical condition I I myself feel that


it's quite tough even though he is very hopeful about it I myself feel very tough because that uh even though like we can accommodate to him whatever it's fine but ultimately seeing him in pain makes the surroundings like makes


uh the friends the friends around him and I quite pain as well lah in a way, ya


ya that's why, ya, ya


ya is a pretty is pretty lah is like you you as much as you want to do everything you can to help them right but you know that you can't, ya is that's the most messed up thing I feel lah, ya ya is like you you like you yourself know that no matter what you will do whatever it will takes to help but


the like the truth is that you you know that you can't but yet you still want to yet you still want to help is ya it it puts us in such a tough spot lah I feel, ya that's why, okay


eh, part two positive experiences, okay so personally for myself uh what do I feel about positive experiences in my life uh I'll say one of the uh key factor is definitely be achieving your dreams


or your goals so uh for myself I came from uh normal academic background uh in secondary school so at the point of time I felt very devastated because uh I had to split from my primary school clique because


most of us uh most of them went to the express stream while I was the one uh I was one of the only one in the normal academic stream so at that point of time it was very saddening to see that everybody is splitting because uh uh my primary school clique has been together ever since primary one


so basically it was just the seven of us uh from primary one all the way up to primary six together so splitting err splitting from each other was a very uh difficult decision in the point of time and then err that turned out to be a blessing in disguise actually because


from that moment it was a wake up call for me because I used to be a very playful child back in primary school so always getting into uh fights ah always having some nonsense uh going around it was a uh pretty uh hectic primary school


but err it started to be a blessing in disguise because uh it it help me it help and motivated me to work harder in secondary school and then so everyday I will just err in school I just studying at home just study all the way and throughout the whole year I manage to climb back up to express stream


in secondary school and then after that uh surprisingly I I I got posted into the same class as my primary school clique, and then uh after that it was a uh happy ending for the rest of my secondary school days yeah it was just basically just fun laughter and games all the way but other than that I think it serves as a very good uh wake up call and I felt that that journey was very fruitful


because err all the hard work that I've err I've given back throughout that one whole year was literally paid off on the day when I received the result so I so I feel that err ya definitely achieving your your goals is the most uh heart warming thing


and it definitely will shape your life in a very positive manner that's what I feel about it


, , ya correct


, oh


, !wah!, true true that's quite true, K


that's true that's true I also feel the same way because I find that err having a circle around you is pretty good because it not only protects you it helps it helps to push you further to what you can become in the future and then another thing I also found out was that uh


having a circle is important but you don't need to have a very big circle that's that's what I feel because uh is is good to have friends that you know but then I think having too many might not necessarily be a good thing


because you get to know a lot of people that's one but over time if there's anything that uh happens right then they can literally turn against you, so I have learnt I have actually uh took the positive out of it because uh that happened to me before and then uh I have this now I have this currently I have this uh


uh group of friends so basically they are all from my uh primary school clique as what I've mentioned before and also uh my secondary school clique, so even up to today I think is more than I think fourteen years ya we are still we are still keeping in touch and also you know talking to each other everyday just casually talking you know you don't you don't need you don't need to have a you don't need to have a certain hot topic to start off a conversation


so ya from what I also agree with you that having friends is also important ya because I think as guys we understand that having like bros around is pretty ya is just this certain bond inside that you know that no matter what


your up's and down's they're there for you, and ya that, ya exactly ya so ya that's that's the point where I I I also knew that uh that they're very important because like when there are times that you are down they actually they are really there like they you don't need to say anything they just there there like physically there like


they will say that they will be there for you and they are really there for you like this kind of thing that that's what I feel that is also help they also help me to shape my life in a way like I would say ya one of the one of the positive experience I have is definitely having friends like that lah it's very important as well


ya, travelling !wah! definitely I feel that uh having having a life with all your uh travelling dreams and whatsoever I think is a pretty good feeling because personally for myself I have a I have a goal of uh travelling to every part of asia before I reach twenty five


so currently now ya so currently now I'm already twenty three but I'm left with like I think four or five countries left so basically I cleared I think I'd been from Singapore to Malaysia to Thailand all the way up so now I think I only left with


Philippines and Philippines Laos Myanmar I think ya if I remember correctly ya so I feel that uh travelling brings you gives you a different perspective of life because uh


living in Singapore for so long I mean ever since ever since we are born we've been staying here all the way er already know uh what the culture like here what's what's the standard of living here but if you hop on to another country to really take a look at the surroundings take a look at the people


you will you will actually you will really feel a very big difference you can see that uh they're not as uh rich or not as wealthy as us in term of uh in term of monetary wise but in term of camaraderie and also other factors I feel that they beat us like


in a mile lah in a way and not only that they've also there are also a lot of uh uh eye catching experiences like personally for myself I'd been to Cambodia I think that was back uh I think six years ago if I if I remember correctly


so uh I've been to this place uh called Angkor-Wat so it was one of the seven wonders back then lah, ya so uh I I saw this guy he was handicapped he was uh he had his legs cut off if I remember correctly it was due to an operation or something like that or he had he met an accident I can't really remember what happened


but, all I saw was him smiling and playing with his children, so in a way that that actually gave me a very different perspective of life like for them having having err to play with their children or having a simple life is already good enough for them but for us living in uh country like singapore there's a lot of standards to meet


there's a lot of things that we need to do especially in our culture so ya I felt that this this uh all my travelling experiences really gave me a different perspective of life, because it make it it makes uh it makes me feel that simplifying life is definitely one of the is definitely better in a way that it makes me it makes me happier I don't need I don't need I don't really need to chase for things that I really want


but maybe I should chase for things that I really need instead, ya so that's that's ya so I find that travelling is fun in a way that you get to play a lot ya that's that's one thing you definitely get to play a lot but other than that if you actually take a look closer uh to the people or the surroundings or


whatever that's going on in another country you can see the their the types of difficulties they have but you also can see the type of uh the types of happiness that they also uh they also pray for and they uh and also


the the way of life that they have lah is definitely very different but it also gives it also uh gives me another perspective of life ya, so ya


ya, ya


, true true


oh okay, , , okay,


, , true


, true true okay so like from what is from what they say positive experiences in life I mean definitely it comes from the individual itself so definitely in order to have a positive experience


something must come from yourself as well so uh personally for myself I feel that one thing one thing that I love about myself is that uh I'm very determined so if I want uh I want certain things to get done right


I'll be I'll just go all of for it I wouldn't stop, so ya that's partly I think that's partly the reason why I I love it so much when I get to achieve my dreams in a way is interconnected because uh me being determined to get what I want and then after that at the end when I actually get it I feel that I feel that


that sense of uh joy and also you know like the fact that you've committed to something and you actually got it is really definitely a wonderful experience, so personally for myself ya I think determined being determined is one of the factors that actually shape me to who who I am today


but , other than that uh how how do I put in this case I find that in terms of my in terms of uh an individual scale itself, I'll say that uh it's definitely quite important for us to figure out what we actually want to have a positive experience


so I feel that at as every as as uh any individual they definitely want they definitely want something in their life they definitely have a goal, like even though even though there're some people who always say that oh I don't know what I don't know what I want to be in five years time I don't know what I want to be in ten years time I don't know what's going to happen next but ultimately they always have a purpose I feel and that is and that in a way even though they don't they don't really feel that


uh they don't really feel that something big is going to happen or whatsoever but I think ultimately the all these kind of positive experiences comes from the journey, I feel ya so is is is not is not uh sometimes it doesn't necessary need to be at the end of every outcome but also during the process itself I feel ya


true ya that's very true,


, ya,


oh okay ya, , ya, , ya ya is a norm ah is a norm ya


that's true yeah make sense, okay


right, they suppose to stop the thing right, okay (ppl)


financial related topic so charlotte do you have a savings account


uh so for me I have the POSB savings account and uh it's actually the kids account which like have been I've been using since I was like young where my parents like set it up for me


so it's like the basically like the first account of every like kid I guess ya


uh so usually what I'll do is that like for the salary that I get everything would go inside the bank and then , uh like for the past few years whenever I want to make a purchase I would do it via like my debit card instead of uh withdrawing money because I find that it is like a hassle


and like if I use my if I use it if I make like cashless payment I feel like it'll be easier to keep track like how much I spend for my salary and like, how much I save as well what about you


so is that so you have another account for spending oh okay under DBS (uh huh) okay okay


so do you own a credit or debit card


oh so uh I do not have a credit card yet cause I feel like uh I'm not ready to have one and I'm afraid of making many like impulsive purchases so for now I do not own any credit card but I do own like a debit card


which uh I feel it's like very very convenient because when you have a debit card it's very easy for you to do uh online shopping and also especially like, apple pay you can just like double tap your phone your home screen then you can already like make a payment so personally I use my debit card as an EZ link card as well to like take public transport which I feel like is super convenient


ya but for now I do not have like a credit card yet


yeah, ya so uh what what type of credit card do you have the one on the the the cashback one or like the points or the miles type


oh okay so which type of


credit card do you think is like the best suited one for you


ya that's true but uh I feel like if I were to have a credit card I would more be more more inclined to get the one the credit the type of credit card that has the cashback features because uh


like with cashback we can receive and enjoy our cashback uh regardless of like how much we, spend lah cause err like for every category like food groceries and all we can like get back money for spending which I feel like is very good cause like


we are still students so it is like a good way for us to it's like I feel yeah and like more suited for, students like for miles I feel like it is not very relevant for us cause like we do not travel so much and


we and personally I feel like I do not need like those luxurious lifestyle when I travel which miles can like afford to give us like, all the exclusive lounge and oh the upgrades and stuff like that yeah so I feel cashback is or points is more suitable for me at least


ya, err insurance product I think I have the health insurance which is like, super important cause it can cover your medical bill and whenever you're like hospitalised and so that you don't have to fork out a single cent lah which I feel like is very important cause in singapore healthcare is like super expensive so ya it's very like


it is very err important to be covered by health insurance even if like you don't even if like you're young and still healthy I think it's still like very important yeah I think that it's the only insurance I have for now what about you


yeah I agree with you


so have you ever gotten a loan from the bank


okay so uh currently I have a student loan under OCBC it's called the frank tuition fee loan so uh, for that loan I for that loan it gives like zero per cent interest rate when you're studying and you only like and interest rate will only build up after graduation so


ya I think it can help to pay at least like ninety per cent of the tuition fee loan which I feel like is very uh it's a very good way because like, err my parents will not need to work so hard now to like pay off the university fee which is like very expensive I can like slowly pay back when I graduate next time ya and I feel like that loan is quite flexible also because


they have like the repayment schemes which they have those repayment scheme that like allows you to pay with instalment and you can pay like as low as hundred dollar if I'm not wrong, ya so if ya and like pay up till you when you finish paying up so I've think it's like super flexible and it's like a very good loan for students that don't


like that do not their parents to like err ya or like if they don't want to use their parents' like CPF to pay off the loan


ya, for me personally I think that a joint account is good because it is like a good way for couples married couple okay I feel okay personally I feel that


a joint account should be like when you trust someone so like maybe after you marry that person then I think that joint account is suitable because it allows like the couples to set aside money for like, for like their future and like all the important milestones like when they have a child and like their child has a and their child pay off their child's education and also maybe like for the couple's retirement I think like


a joint account would be very suitable, (ppc)


(mmhmm) yeah I (mmhmm) I get what you mean but for me I feel that err having a joint account is like a good a good way for couples to like work through how to pay the bills and how to like control the budget and stuff so


for example if like there's a couple and one is like one like is able to spend a lot of money but the other is like save a lot of money so I think by them having a joint account together it can sort of like


balance out between the two and err , like to help each other like have a better like spending and saving habits in a sense ya but I can see how some couples might feel like a joint account is like not necessary and it can also like lead to disagreements and stuff


yeah yeah but also I think there's like pros and cons to it lah so I think couples must


really talk it out before going into it because if not like it can like money is a very sensitive issue and it can cause like a lot of relationship strain yeah


I think that for the ATM card uh I think a good age would be like, when they reaches secondary school so maybe about secondary two or three which is about uh fifteen to sixteen years old yeah because I mean now like everywhere is like being more cashless and stuff like that


and uh I I feel that it can be once once like parents educate their children about saving about spending and about the whole financial thing and they feel that it's confident for their their kids to have it


then I think that then I think that uh they can be given the their ATM card to like better control their finances and I think that it's good to give at the age age at about fifteen to sixteen because like at that time then they can start to


ya they can start to learn how to manage their own finances yeah like it's better to start from young yeah what about you


ya okay so how how do you like manage your


personal finances


yeah for me is it'll be almost the same like to see whether I'm working or not then err


I would if I'm working then I would like as a like as I say earlier I would first uh deposit all my salary and then after that err try to monitor my spendings and then if I exceed by like what I feel is too much or like maybe I'll set a target


then after that I would try to cut the next month's spending by like a certain amount of percentage so that it goes in so that it's like a more reasonable spending yeah


err in when before like the whole COVID period I think what I will spent a lot on would be on food cause cause err like


when there was school every day I'll be having lunch outside and then that would like incur money and sometimes I would like enjoy and have like a good dinner or like, indulge in like supper sessions and stuff like that and all this like was although it's like a little amount of money it builds up and like it accumulates to quite a lot which I feel like it was a bit too much so ya I would plan to err spend lesser on that


ya uh, ya


ya I think ya I think it's like at this age I think it's very important to like


uh manage your personal finances better and like I've been trying to find ways that is like the best method for me to save for me to spend and for me to like err invest maybe in the future yeah


for now I feel like putting it in the bank is like the safer option cause err at this age I feel like I'm not very risk averse like I do not really err I don't


I don't really like risky situations cause like I'm still a student after all so I feel like the bank is like the safer option and it's like accessible for me, and like I get to see it and I get to like and I know that it will like remain there lah but then if I were to go and invest it elsewhere


it would I will have the fear of like losing it or and as a student it's like a very scary thing so I wouldn't really want that but maybe in the future when I have a more stable income, then I wouldn't mind like spending a uh having a a bit of money prepared for investment ya what about you


ya high risk high reward, yes


negative experiences okay so what are some injustice of the world that makes you angry


for me ya I think the black lives movement is like like the biggest topic now and ya it make it's kind of sad like how even up till now like people are still


people are still being judged based on like their skin colour and it's like still and it's still like one one of the requirements when you find a job like, it is still so important to people that you have to be of a certain colour to be get to get into a certain job which is quite upsetting cause like is cause it's like


already twenty twenty ya and I feel like like the like racism topic also like extends to singapore like, err many people also like share about black lives movement they also talk about it to raise awareness but like singapore itself has also a lot of like err


a lot of this whole racism going on which is like super casual and people just say it like just say it like so easily and they think like it's okay so I feel that it's quite sad in that sense cause you are like advocating for


other countries like rights about the about racism and stuff like that but yet in our own country you are doing it yourself like through like your casual remarks thinking that like people will find that it's okay ya


that's why I think for that it's quite err upsetting, ya and also I feel maybe for singapore now like the whole COVID leading to like the migrant worker workers issue, is like it's like quite sad lah cause people are saying like how they don't belong to singapore and stuff like that and they should just err return back to their country and all that stuff like in like in like this dark times with like COVID I feel that


these remarks are like not are like unnecessary cause it's only creating more flames and like not helping out at all and like I feel what the world needs now is like more positivity and like stuff like that ya


uh treated unfairly I would say treated unfairly uh


like in in err in school there would like there's hall and all that stuff so I think that err when you join certain things in hall or like


any sports or stuff like that biasness is like biasness tends to always uh be present lah like people will choose you ya because you have connection or like they they know you prior so like


they would you would be more likely to be chosen and stuff like that so I think that uh being treated unfairly in a sense like even though I put in like the same amount or like even more hard work than one person but, in the end like it doesn't matter cause that person gets more credit for what he or she did ya because just because


uh just because like they have they know each other and they have connections so I think ya that's one that's one of a moment where I felt that I wasn't being treated fairly just because I didn't know anyone and I was like starting on like


zero starting with zero experience while others like had like more experience just like not say more experienced but like they are one step ahead of I am just because they had connections ya how about you


ya I agree like like also at home like there's always times where like err treated unfairly in a way that like my brother gets like more freedom in what he does like compared to me because like I'm a girl and then he's a guy so


like guys would be more like they'll know better of what to do than us and that ya and I like in those times I never really understood like what, why my parents would feel that way but I guess it is just like a old thinking that's still like present in the modern world that we live in now and it's like something I feel is like inevitable and


it's just gonna go on like for long ya uh what dreams ah, I guess uh sometimes like uh I just wish uh like maybe is when I was young and stuff I just like want to have like a carefree lifestyle and


to just do nothing and like be like being happy would be like the most something that's like makes me the most contented like ya having just enough and like being able to start a family that is and like all these simple things like uh something that


I look forward to in the future but I would say that like with singapore being like super fast paced and everyone and being so competitive then it's like you really have to be like up there to, you really need to be like up there to achieve what you want and like to get a good pay and stuff like that so it's like I realise I don't I cannot have the I don't have the ability to just be carefree and happy like that being my goal in life cause if that happens then of course like


I will not have enough money to like uh I will not have enough money to take care of myself my my family so ya it's like in it's like, so realistic that we all have to like get a degree and like work hard in life that this dream of like being carefree and happy


is like insufficient and like I guess that would uh make me and I guess that dream of mine dies a little yeah,


ya and also I feel like many people always have like uh like the conflict about whether they should do something that they like with lesser pay or something that they do not like with like more pay and


I feel that it's of course everyone's dream to do something like they're passionate in but like with how fast everything is going I think that everyone have to give up their dream of like doing something they like with lesser pay, because like of course money is like super important and I feel like but people say that doing what you are passionate is does not pay the bill and stuff so I think it's like quite sad lor but it's like the realistic of life I guess yeah


uh what keeps me awake at night like I guess sometimes when I can't sleep like when my mind tends to go everywhere and then like I'll think about the future and like how it is like really uncertain and like with this pandemic as well


if we we won't even know like when the economy recover, so I think that is something that is really like kinda haunting in a sense cause like uh cause like, what if like next time I graduate but like I cannot get a job that pays enough or like I cannot even find a job like that kind of thing is like worrying yeah


how about you, (mmhmm)


ya I agree with you is there any moment that you feel like the world is against you


for me I guess


the world is against me I guess like one of the time would be where I was I had like this module that I needed to complete and the passing rate had to be like ninety per cent I think


so like I did it the first time and I got about eighty plus so I kept redoing it and like I did it for about six times and it was all like missing the mark by one so like that really made me super annoyed and frustrated because


because like I really just wanted to get it over and done with but I just kept failing by one so it made me feel kind of like demoralised although it like in might it sound like quite stupid now that I say but I feel like at that time it was like


super frustrating yeah but I finally got it like over and done with I think on like the seventh try, yeah so I guess that was one of the times where I felt like the world was kind of against me ya and also when like many bad things happen at once then I will feel like uh like everything when everything is going wrong I'll feel like


uh yeah the world is like against me , yeah, I think I would say tell everyone that like


like thank you for being a part of my life and uh like I really appreciate every single one of you be it like you're my friend you're my family you are an acquaintance or stuff like that


like because I believe that every single people every everybody like made me like who I am today and made definitely there are people that made me a better person than I am last time like be it friends that like you know pull you through like all the tough times or family that all like always supporting you like


yeah so I just want to thank everyone lah for uh shaping me into like who I am today and, for like just taking the time to know me and ya and for those that supported me like for their and also for those who like guided me I guess the main thing I just wanted to say is like thank you I guess


yeah what about you


yeah


yeah, ya I guess we have to like cherish people yeah okay describe a time where you felt like giving up


, for me feeling like giving up I guess uh like when I joined like the sport in university then uh


like cause I'm not very good at it so everyone was like better so obviously I always felt like at the back of my head was like just to give up and like not go for it anymore because like I just felt like I was like not good enough lah so


ya like the thought was always like at the back of my head and ya I just always like really really really wanted to give up cause it it wasn't it was like quite I would say I do not , it was like quite toxic I would say ya but then eventually like I just continued going for it and like I eventually enjoyed it


yeah but (ppo) I guess throughout that time like I really like always wanted to give up cause I just felt like I was not good enough for like the team ya


positive experiences okay so err what makes you persevere


, I agree with you and I think it's good that like you are seeing results ya so for me err what makes me persevere I would say depend on like what I'm doing cause like I feel like for different things


for different things like there are different reason that would make me want to persevere so for example if it's like, studies then what would make me want to persevere would be like my future which is ya and then if it's like maybe err


I think ya mostly results as well lah like my future is like a result of how hard I've worked and stuff like that and sometimes like if I'm working with people then cause I'm I think I'm more of like a people's person and I work like in a


I prefer working in a team and stuff like that so I think like the people will make me want to persevere because like since everyone is putting like the same amount of hard work I shouldn't be slacking and I should like, and I should be doing like the same amount of work yeah so that's mostly what I'll say makes me persevere


err I think during this COVID period what who I am appreciative towards would be like my parents cause


I've never really like understood how hard they have worked every day because like mostly I'm always at in school and staying in school so I don't really get to come home often unless like the weekend and like during the weekend I'll also like be out and stuff or like working so


I never really had the time to err like talk to them and help them so with COVID and everyone staying at home due to like circuit breaker I got to understand about like how hard they work everyday to like make ends meet and uh like


how how much they are doing lah to how much they are doing to help us like all have a better life have a better future and stuff like that so for that I think I'm very like appreciative towards ya what about you


, ya agree and also I feel like another group of people that I was like really more appreciative towards were like many people err stepping up


when they heard about the migrant worker situation so like be it be it like baking stuff to earn like profit and donating their profit to, the migrant worker like or like for the different groups or like even something as simple as like doing like digital art for them for for them to


earn a profit and also donate it I think it's like the little efforts that really count and, ya I would it's like uh I think it's like super it's like ya to see many people stepping up to help them after like the whole situation yeah (ppc)


uh there's like many like different inside jokes that I have with like different groups of people


but I would say that the like I would I would say that the funniest inside joke would be


when when my friend like sees like the person that they like and then like and then just like uh, converse ya and like I mean no one will think that it's funny and no one will know like what is going on but then


at that moment and like at that point in time it will just all seem very like, silly and like funny I guess, ya what about you ,


, I see I see so what do you look forward to the most when like the pandemic ends


for me err what I can't wait for the most when the pandemic end is to like really lead like a normal life being able to like err meet as many people as I want


and also like very importantly I guess the travel ya because in like this like the current situation like do no allow us to travel and we are also very restricted in our own country so I guess


yeah and that's that like that's what I really look forward to and also like spending more time with my loved ones be it friends or family ya


I guess, a fond memory would be like maybe during like this circuit breaker period, I I would like uh I talk to my mother like a lot more and then we would always like sit at the dinner table and talk and stuff like that which we never really got the chance to because


I was always like occupied with school and she was always like busy with work so like having that little time to chit chat for the past past like two three months have been like a really I feel like it's quite a fond memory cause like I feel closer to my mum especially since like school started last time and I never really had the chance to


uh like converse with her as much so yeah what about you


ya I agree like close err being closer to like family and stuff ya so when do you like when was like a time where you experienced like personal growth


for me I would say like personal growth in a sense of like maybe stepping out of my comfort zone, like so err I started like with this job last year and I work there for like a year so before that like when I first started out at that company I was like


very I would say very shy and like I would not I will never know like what to do like had to wait for like my boss to like give me instructions or what to do and then I will do it and I would never, really be too sure whether what I'm doing is right and like need like validation err from like either my colleagues or my


boss about what I'm doing lah so I never really know what I was doing is wrong or right but like as I worked longer, I felt that there's actually like nothing wrong or right lah as long as you are like willing to step out of your comfort zone and try like different things then like try different ways to increase sales and stuff like that and then it's fine because


err if you get to a point whereby if you get to the point that helps you to boost like your sales the most and it's not like the recommended way of doing things I think that it's still fine cause ultimately like your sales is like the most important so


ya so I think that I I experienced personal growth in the sense that I was willing to step up and, like grow out of that whole like shy period yeah and then


ya and then like I guess the results shows lah cause err like my bosses would often like compliment me and stuff like that and it made me like, think that oh actually I did step out of my comfort zone and like what I'm doing is okay I do not to be like afraid to err I don't have to be afraid to like


do what's not the norm ya , err the best meal I've ever had


err I think like the best meal I've ever had maybe not okay the best okay the best meal I've ever had err okay like err okay so when like school started then


of course I don't know like where to eat and all that stuff then like the seniors always show where like all the good Lobang and all that stuff is then after a while, I think that there's like this particular thing that really made me like enjoy eating a lot more and that would be


the Mala store at my school cause it's super nice and it's like just perfect and, ya I ate it like I'll eat it like three to four times a week cause like I really really love it so I think that might be the best best meal I've ever had because it was like a super good discovery ya and then at the start it was like super spicy for me but as I ate it more I I could like tolerate it so it was like quite an accomplishment


what about you


ya , yes I really like I really like genki the Mentaiko is really really good I would say ya so so what's the best surprise or gift you've given someone


ya, ya, err I think like the best surprise would probably be like one time for my friend's birthday and then err we were trying to like surprise her at her house


but but like we weren't sure like which block she lived in and it was like a condo so security was obviously like quite tight so uh ya we like faced a lot of problems getting to her house it's like quite a chaos cause we don't know where like


which block she live at and we had to lie to her to like find out, and like when we got the block and floor the worst the worst part was that you have to


you have too like use the condo card to tap on the floor which we didn't have so I we I obviously don't know how we made it up to her house but we somehow did, and I think that was a it was like a wild journey so I guess that was like one of the best surprise ever cause she of course didn't expect it and like we went through a lot of trouble to get to her place


ya we even went through the stairs but the door couldn't open from the outside inside I don't know why but yeah but I guess the condo security is good