ya I remember there's one year I went to japan we need to do a transit so there was actually a miscommunication of the uh what's this the, uh timing that need to landed the that we need to uh land at the what's that at the uh Taipei airport to to


pick up some more passenger and also add in fuels ah something like that they there was actually a a miscomm on there so they can't land because traffic is very high, so we was actually loitering around in the air so we can't land and they was actually told that uh you know they're run out of fuel so they had to fly to Kaohsiung to land to top up the fuel first so then after that finish Kaohsiung filled already then they have a slot already


then they fly back to #taipei land again to pick up the passenger then we fly back to singapore then we claimed the because it's you know the the period time is very long we were in the aircraft very long yes I can I can claim six hundred dollars for that thing happened yes


that was under Prudential ya, because is because the time frame was really very long and you know we were actually quite scared, ya


and it's and and was in when was in #taipei to Kaohsiung was also heavy rain the traveling at the air is also heavy rain so you know is actually you know moving, moving we were quite scared ya that's that's where you know uh the insurance comes in in a piece ya although no is si~six hundred ah it's it's not the six hundred dollars matters is actually you know uh at least I buy insurance already you know I'm safe


yes correct yes correct


okay


part three and uh part three negative experiences, yep (ppc)


that raise there's actually my previous workplace that was beginning that time I just joined not long ago and uh this, particular superior supervisor ah I'd say


he actually give us he gave me a very uh tedious task that the I have to catch up, the pace with the what their companies running, and uh for there I was new so quite a lot of things I do not know and there's not much of training was provided


so I have to everyday I have to catch up on myself lah to to to learn and follow what is their you know way of doing things lah , so , I was quite slow lah I would say and uh end up


this uh supervisor actually was not quite uh happy with me so uh after sometimes you know he he was start to say a very harmful words like you know scolding me you are very stupid


yes so that was quite hurt lah I would say start the first time when I used she used this word on me and uh I was not doing any wrong nothing the things that I've done was no no wrong at all it's only that I'm a bit slow


uh the minute I I did explain to her that uh you know uh I do not know about this company well and uh I do not know much and there's no people to guide me and train, ya so that's why I have to pick up everything by myself so things that I do now is like I try to pick and while I'm doing so that's why I'm going slow that's why I have not done anything wrong


so you should not be you know using this type of word to me but the she, yes I did explain to her on my reason why that uh you know I'm not at the pace lah so she still don't take it that


was was was this thing happen ah so and I received, two more times later part that uh she still you know using the word that I'm stupid, ya that's why


ya that's why I never forget this word that people you know scolding me stupid, but but after that you know , from there onward I work very hard to to achieve whatever the boss wanted not her lah okay she's only a supervisor and uh my boss noticed my hard work so that's why


I was promoted end up I was promoted higher than her, yes yes, I really pay off but I this word that she scold me stupid I will never forget that in the way that uh she really you know look people down because I'm not the only


person that you know uh get it from her even the yes, she like to use harsh word to on people so that's, why I cried you know never that's that's quite bad lah I would say even that


that's why even there's one time that uh already above her already at the that time so I have a time actually I called her out for coffee and I actually talked to her about her attitude and her mouth that words that come out from her mouth lah but uh she's not happy with whatever I explained to


her I try to correct her or maybe to tell her lah not correct her to tell her uh , why you are like that maybe some sometimes people do things by not knowing that uh her own self what she's doing, so that's why I'm the second person so I I have to explain to her uh you know how how you behave do you know that you are behaving like that that's why I share with her but she was not happy after a while then she really quit the company already


ya, yes correct that's the whole team the whole team was actually okay one, uh is


but this word is still in my mind that you know even my parents never scold me stupid before , even even I did wrong or really that I'm really bad, uh in my schoolwork or whatever but my mom my parents will never use this word to me so that's why till now this this this this person is still in my mind that now she she she always scold me stupid as I don't like to use this word


, yes yes, is within two years only it within two years I already overwrite her so this is how I want to achieve myself to show her that I'm


not no I'm not yes yes correct, then a whole team actually also disagree her also that's why I think she has no area to stand so that's why I think she give up herself


wait you got a dog what ya how come it's the same what animal mah small animal


oh you want to feed her uh


oh no run


(mmhmm) chase you again


lift up your legs,


(mmhmm) okay, no like I love all animals I'm okay it's only lizard I don't like lizard will scare me


sadness things ah I think I lost my dad, , it was actually one of the day he cycle to parkway parade and I think he fainted at the roadside then someone at the at the roadside


called the ambulance and he was sent to changi hospital then until the someone called my mom then uh we realised that uh my dad was actually admitted to hospital, so I rushed to the hospital after all the check everything I thought is only like you know that is diabetes I came back and uh the the the the the numbers went up so that's why he fainted


but it was not uh they they do all the tests and noticed that uh he has the last stage of cancer, so that was quite bad lah I'd say was last stage that's why I was after talking to the doctor doctor already told me that his uh maybe you still can be around one to one and a half months I say what is like you know


is so short yes it's very short so I was blank that time, so that I was thinking that you know I only left one month to see my dad


sad and I also quite curious that you know all the while I've been every month I would actually bring him to the hospital the same hospital to check on his diabetes , every month and ya every month I bring him go


check his blood and uh urine everything how come no one tell me that he has cancer there was passed about one year plus I was bringing him to the doctor every month doing all the check controlling his food and everything


and there with there's there's a there's a improve on his the diabetic but then you know and the doctor never realised that he had other symptoms, until he fainted ya until he fainted then we realize it but that was that was already too late so yes so that's why he was in admitted hospital for about a month


so my you know fear that every day after work I have to go and see him I tell myself that's all I can do


every night ya every night I I after work and knock off at six the dot ah I have to go from harbourfront my office to Changi hospital, sometime I'm late so I'll stay a bit late so the nurse also never chase me because I every night I'm there so the nurse all know me well


so that's why


oh those are those are many bakes one around


oh, I believe she want to go faster is it


love to eat ya, hungry ghosts


this is not what she wants lah


but it's not but it's not not raining lah,


part two positive experiences


yes hi joanne , okay


(hmm), yes I do actually uh in my previous company, that I uh that I work and uh I have a, actually always a very tight schedule and uh because of headquarter also


give us our sales number very high that we need to hit uh every month and the, particular month actually we already, schedule everything like you know advanced like three months and four months you know in a in advance where you know the the product of the shipments that kept coming on time we can launch the ship uh promotion but this particular month I remember that I


actually the product, uh sales don't turn out well so actually my boss actually actually have also very stress from the HQ say how come our sales as you know away from that far from the particular week so we have a meeting that we turned out to be we have to boost up the things lah we have to boost up the numbers


so was a very last minute and uh I was actually under a logistic and operation team, so I also have to go and create uh something that actually can push up the sales so in that time uh the boss only gave us like less than one week so we have to prepare everything and launch out so you know a lot of or marketing things that we need to prepare


so the time is really very short so I the just uh yes so I have to look through my inventory what are the stocks that I can do for this part~particular promotion at a special price


so, that that moment you know I had nothing much actually so because we don't keep our stock level very high , so I just yes that's why I'm quite worry that once we're launched this thing and the thing don't turn out well though I also very scared then I'll be questioned by HQ also


so that's why that moment in time that uh uh I create something that is is a a part of a, gift set that's quite nearby coming mother's day there's there's that period and uh that particular extra set that I created I just like a bit of a rush and a bit Cincai lah that's why no


choice uh never expected that you know the sales boost up by one and one and a half week's time, the thing really gone up and and and really can see something is moving and and but then the numbers have gone up but my stock level went down so I have not much uh item actually I can replenish to to to repack and uh sell off the shelf


so this is a very big yes I do, ya yes correct , it's also very challenging so that's why and and normally our promotion is actually last month whole month and that was actually a launching on the second second second that third week and I have another one more week to go for the end end of the month to to really boost so really really


have to go to the warehouse and really go and dig up all the products that I have although I have like inventory , yes that's something that I done it is ya this is something that I done uh never expected that you know they turn out to be so


good lah yes ya that the company will bless lah , yes but to to to me is like cold sweat


ya correct


!wah!


, (uh huh)


so you have to move them up to another place to to work lah


so is actually the termite is come from the what from the wall or what, wood ah oh okay oh, mine one office actually uh Kena also my my old my old office also like that because in harbourfront is also sea sea wind sea wind and and plus sun also you see so our office also uh affected the the the last round that will happen


but we get the a pest control to come over the weekend to do the spraying, oh is a house lah I would say like if you like


happiest moment in my life ah that will be when I gave birth my son the first moment ya, because uh I request for a natural birth I not uh because that time uh when I came to about around six to seven months and uh the baby was very big the doctor was quite worry so she tell me all the


uh negative things lah or or a positive plus negative already lah so he have to call me to standby in case, uh no I can't do my natural birth because he also actually suggest to you know me to do natural birth for the beginning but never expected the baby turned out to be so big in case cannot come out naturally so I have to go for cesarean


so the so I still insist to go for natural, so so that so I so, a full full term ya full term but then was very huge but I try my very best to actually tolerate everything and uh go through the whole process once the doctor actually you know ready to actually to deliver once the thing comes out and the doctor put on top of my chest


I see my baby boy's out ah I tell you, everything is gone , six to six to seven six to seven was very big yes


!huh! !huh! but not, !wah! why


yes twins mah (mmhmm)


oh , the matter tray I think and the tools


oh you take the you take the jab is it oh okay okay


#wei #crying already


ah ah


yes, cannot we cannot touch cannot touch , but when when they when they come out is very ugly


for me I cried is because you know uh through so many hours of labour pain so then you know at last the thing comes out and you know he was putting resting on my chest before they had to cut the the the thing what the belly thing ya


ah, so they they release you know the baby it's just like you know lying on my chest and before they had to do the cutting !wah! the moment ah I see already everything like melt already all the pain all the pain all gone already, yes yes


!huh! so you had to keep on sleep stright


ah, , so you can't eat at all your daily meal


!wow! (mmhmm), !huh! or before the operation is it oh


come back reality


okay (hmm), happy moment then happy moment leh how about your travel travelling any any any happy moments in the travelling


uh, my travel experience ah I my most memorable uh play country actually is taiwan so actually I repeated the uh going to taiwan for few times already because I really love taiwan ya


so uh, almost cover already because most of my time actually is uh mountain mountain trekking so I love mountain trekking in Taiwan, it's actually uh it's actually near Taichung where where the the in the middle part when going over to Alishan there there's actually a quite a few mountains there so


uh we actually engage a a a a a a travel uh trekker there they spin this guy who actually do tracking one so he will actually go with us together for like you know uh two uh three days one night uh three days two night something like that


beautiful because and and and also the the the the scenery and the what's that the fresh air all the stuff because most of our time we are in a jungle , ya it's really beautiful and uh we also go through the mountains where we walk and the the what's this the the guide actually actually tell us a lot of stories about that also so it's quite good experience yes is beautiful


(ppl) okay


part one financial related topic, hi hi mary


(mmhmm) ya actually ya , I'm a quite a Kiasu person I bought a quite a lot of policy since ever since I, I started working, I think the very first policy I bought was uh endowment policy, uh from OAC them and uh and uh subsequently it was uh


uh change the name to OCBC ya re-purchase by OCBC ya so that was, uh initially it was called O OAC and then after that they change to OCBC, that was endowment plan I think have to pay twenty five years so recently has been uh twenty or twenty five years and ah recently has been matured already so uh I kind of and cash it at the end


ya so , I I thought it was pretty good because it helps me to do a lot of small amount savings, every year yearly then at the end of the the duration you know kind of uh get back uh quite a quite a sum


uh with uh extra bonuses this and that you know they declared extra bonuses so, kind of, it became like a !wah! extra surprise to me at the end of the of the maturity period ya so I thought that endowment plan is pretty good


uh they call it endowment plan lah so usually come with a fixed uh duration ya so besides that uh also bought quite a few policies ah but you I heard you also bought quite a few right what what do what do you have then we can exchange notes lah


I see where which which ah which company do you buy from the retirement plan, Prudential oh when do you started buying it, like many is that, so does it come with like a the is is there a like a maturity period like there's end date or you have to keep paying throughout


ah then after that you don't have to pay but you still uh covered is it, ah okay, like, I see that's what that's what I like you know ah because after buying so many


policies ya, I kind of learned from there, that ya I mean I bought quite a few like we bought a life insurance plan, from a a Great Eastern initially ah when we first started working we also bought the Prudential the uh investment linked a policy uh ya investment linked policy the ILP


and I also bought a hospitalisation especially for myself and my two children because , uh not working so you know that means the company do not have do not provide the medical hospitalisation plan so therefore you know we have to buy extra I mean husband working there okay lah is covered by the company


then other than that , , also have life insurance ya so, uh so I I I need also for my children we bought educational plan also education plan that means ya so that means, when come to twenty twenty one or twenty


there's two lah one is twenty one the other is twenty two years old that one is from AIA , oh the the their policy will end and then they will have a kind of lump sum, lump sum uh value for them ya, but, but like I said just now ah I like policy whereby after pays


after purchasing so many insurances policies I kind of uh figured out that, I prefer those policy whereby you can pay like a a period for example five years or ten years period after that you can stop paying stop paying and then you just continue the policy will just continue to protect you and again you you kind of gained uh bonuses out of it uh the reason why I say so is because


you know initially when we were younger ah we just keep buying because we financially we're able to capable , I mean able to ya able to fund the uh you know finance the premiums, then, you know when we come to mid mid year you find that !wow!


you know this this become, uh, at every year we have to pay out quite a lot in terms of the premium or find that's uh sometimes is become a a burden, so so we figured out that uh, it's good to buys a policy whereby you just have to pay a x number of years whereby you know during the period you are able to finance it and then after that you can just continue let it lapse and uh


and nothing would, uh I mean it'll just continue to to to, ya, you will just continue and then they're you you you don't have to worry about uh premium anymore ya, so what do you think oh okay okay


so what do you do look out for, ya so what do you think ah mary so what what I said do you agree or not


ah so it's an active so it's, right that's why you from young when we're still young we can pay so you I think it is advisable to buy and the and then let the policy continue to be active but yet the best is we do not need to pay any premium


or or otherwise let them take over, !huh! (uh huh) (uh huh) (mmhmm) ya, so so you probably some kind of


ya that's right some kind of education plan also lah I suppose like, so besides besides Prudential the other one you you said you purchase was from which company


ah ah I see


!wah! I I truly support buying hospitalisation plan if you are not covered by the company , ya because, I I remember I remember when I first delivered my my boys my children right , I it was at parkway parade there I met a AIA insurance agent so she she was quite young then so she approached me but that time I told her no need lah no need like you know ya but uh I really stopped working then so you know what happen


after that uh we in what what a month, , I I was uh I contracted dengue fever because opposite my house the the condo was uh constructing then so I I, so I Kena dengue fever you know so I was I had to hospi~be hospitalized right but at that time I had to pay by myself my own uh MediSave ah I mean I deduct from my own MediSave because I wasn't covered


so it was from that experience immediately after I discharge ah I call her up and buy from her and bought from her quite a few things I bought from her hospitalisation plan for myself and my two children , ya, uh and then and also you know the educa~educational plan the one that pay up


to twenty one twenty four years old respectively ah for my for my twins ya, uh and and also the other one was uh some kind of endowment plan also for one of my boys so so !wah! she was very happy ah, but, but she was very friendly also very gentle so ya so quite a fair bit of things from her


ya so , correct be hospitalised ya, correct you have to be warded ya


oh A&E without warded also covered, ah usually the insurance hosp~hospitalization plan is you have to be , at least at the day surgery for I mean not that not that serious do the day surgery but in the day surgery ward for minimum six hours then is covered


ya I think, I think if I'm not wrong that was my plan, but but I don't have to pay a single cent lah because I but we you know we you know the change in the policy right if you buy after certain, certain month of I think two two o one nine is it is it april two o one nine something like that anyway that you that is only covered uh up to ninety five or ninety percent you have to pay the the balance that means no no more rider


but for for for ours we bought the rider we bought way many ya more than ten years ago, so have the rider so therefore we don't have to pay a single cent which is good but at the same time, uh, I don't know some people actually abuse it ah they you know spend a lot


in in you know that's why, ya okay, so ya, but I really find I really encourage people even my siblings ah my family siblings I also encouraged them es~especially you know my sister-in-law all housewife not working one I'll tell them to you know better buy no matter what you can don't have these or that life insurance but hospitalisation insurance you really must have it


because ya, ya so that you you know you don't have that you don't you don't need to worry about the hospitalisation bill which is on the escalating all the time right getting more and more expensive ya


yes right, right so you give it a peace of mind right ya


right


right, ya that's true that's very true really give us peace of mind ya so beside all these ah beside all these insurance do you have like


uh a travel insurance also we buy like give us peace of mind right so you travel you really , can feel you know at ease that even lose a handphone like our friend molly the other day also lost handphone it was you know it's covered so that's why every time when I when we travel we make sure that we buy


you know the family package of travel you know just for just during for the period instead of annual lah, but uh I think margaret can buy annual because he always she always travel so many ya she ya but for for me I only buy buy per trip which is I think you work up to be quite reasonable


you know family package ah AIA I know that the, uh the last time I bought through AIA, you know you you can actually include other children that not necessary by that means okay you uh two adults ah, two adults can be siblings you know not necessarily husband and wife especially if you for example husband doesn't travel with me so it can be myself and my sister that time my sister also that that other the children oh it can be my children plus her children you know other one family unit oh which is so good right so we can we can


, uh okay ya children is up to uh either up to twenty one, but, or if the if it's above twenty one if the children still studying is considered children so they're quite quite fair ya so I I I don't know whether is there any change but now but at that time we bought that we we really get so many people covered under


quite a very reasonable uh premium the travel travel uh insurance premium ya so I I kind of like that, but other than that ya, travelling, oh actually depends ah but AIA is quite common to us to buy from AIA other than that I think we bought income also


income income uh premium is quite reasonable but, income, may have slightly different restriction like the future I mentioned to you just now about AIA I think income doesn't really allow that we still under same it has to be under same family unit if I'm not wrong but the premium might be cheaper when you look at uh this within the family unit


and other than that we also bought from some offshore ones lah, like uh, uh usually usually AIA or income, ya, ya I haven't tried I haven't tried uh pre, Prudential uh travel insurance yet I don't know about you have you


oh which others do you buy


okay


usually NTUC also have this such coverage right the the you know, but maybe ah I see, I see the value covered the the the amount covered is, is, okay so anyway you make a comparison it at that time but usually you know when we travel is during for me lah because my children still still so called young at that time


, we usually buy during school holidays during school holidays usually a lot of this agency they, provide a lot of uh discount good discount sometime can be up to fifty percent ya, or or or or usually we will buy from the travel fair you know the NATAS


so we buy the package together at the at that place you know you AIA or I think rudential may be there though NTUC I have not see them in NATAS so far usually AIA and , Prudential and ya AIA is always there AIG AIG also ya will be there I I will usually buy there whereby they provide better discount


ya , or sometimes they even give you the discount if you together with the package and I mean the the travel package that you purchase there ya so pretty good lah


ya okay ya transit (mmhmm), a delay oh


(uh huh) oh dear, !aiyo! , (mmhmm) I see, so you cover insurance, so you oh so you claimed


so you can claim lah so oh you you going to claim !wow! which is, as, !wow! each person, !wow! which is which which insurance policy was that which agency, Prudential oh I see really good pretty good ya


ya, you know is is is this, ya correct I think it's the fear more than more than the time must pay must pay !aiyo! I've if, if I were in in in your shoe, okay right ya (mmhmm) (mmhmm) right okay ya so right ya insurance is


yes it will give you a piece of mind eh ya and and and ya, ya (mmhmm) , ya ya they are you know that someone will take care of your loved ones if you're you know taken away right oh I see


ya that's why that's why even even car also I buy make sure that I buy insurance anyway without insurance the the income tax will not , not income tax road tax will not allow you to renew too so ya so currently my car is under AIG which is the first time I take on AIG because they come with a car you know about their new card it come with it so I have no so called no choice to get get with AIG but was okay the the premise is quite reasonable and the cover is pretty good too


(ppb) but usually in the past I always buy from income, N_T_U_C income (ppl) ya so it's a change for me and (uh) but I find it pretty good too [lah]


part three negative, experiences, !hey! mary is there anyone


what are some of the hurtful words someone has said to you that you will not forget


oh very bad of her ya


oh you did tell her that I see


I see so until now you could not forget ah


!wow! that is so wonderful !wow! that's good so your hard work really pay off


I see so the problem really the problem lies on her ya, I see (mmhmm) right, so I'm glad I'm glad ya


oh I see I guess she realized that the, you know she she she's the one that need need to change ah, so ya I and ya ya I see, so ya glad that you have spoken with her and then try to reconcile you know


so (hmm) okay (mmhmm) (mmhmm) I see (mmhmm) I see okay but


okay you cannot forget but then yet you have proven that you are not a ya because you got your promotion so hard hard would really pay off you show you have proven you have proven that ya, yes I see right then right (mmhmm) (mmhmm)


and not what she claim ah the stupid right she you not what she claim as stupid, that's good very good ah I see (uh huh), I see good


then , anything phobia maybe I tell you what I have phobia ah, , !wah! I I'm very scared of cat right I think I think you you know that, and uh, do you need do you want to know why I scare of cat I have phobia of cats, because I I


I I'm not I'm not afraid of dog but I'm very scared of cat, you know , no it's different it's different you know why because, , uh I like animals but then you know because I when when I was young, uh


I I there was a cat meowing at outside my house so I felt that the somehow I felt that the cat was hungry, so so I was searching for milk from the fridge but then I couldn't find milk okay so I I so okay maybe , ya so I thought maybe water is because I was so young mah I think I was like five six years or seven years old so I thought maybe water is okay like milk ah because you so so I pour a a poured a glass of water then so I wanted to go near to the cat to feed but that I I I you know


not not that near so I I say okay how do I do that I was like okay maybe I pour the water next to her next to the cat and then so then she can drink from there so I poured out, I didn't know that that is the way the people chase cat away , so at the end at the end the cat meow and then


you know uh uh then I ran off and then , and that that actually very scare me out of my scare me out you know, !wah!, and not only just that so I quickly ran back home and I was so afraid, but after that I I thought was okay but then because of


that that incident , that night that night ah I have bad dream a nightmare I dreamed that it was a black cat I dreamed that the black I dreamed the black the black cat came to to my house and look for me , I had that bad


I I remember I yelled I yelled and woke woke up from my nightmare, so from that point, you know it was so young then so at that at the end I was so afraid of of that black cat, and I carry on and didn't tell my parents so nobody can kind of uh


counsel me nobody change my my my wrong impression so I have have a feeling that at that at that age I have the feeling that the cat will come back to me to to revenge and not only just that ya the following night the cat really meow and came to the house, maybe looking for food again but yet at that time I in my mind is the cat came back to look revenge find revenge revenge on me that was the impression I had


so it was from that point onwards I was very I'm very scared of cat, even till now ya even till now I don't really, I, even till now I kind of overcome the fear a little , okay uh in a in the past ah when I walk past I heard a meow only I'll really jump eh and I say where where the cat is or when when I see cat nearby


I will start to lift up my leg and and and or or walk out for example go food centre I see cat loitering around I'll leave and #tabao#and go back, ya I, and I dare not I dare not uh, I dare not I dare not eat there anymore but, but I have overcome a little bit I overcome a little bit by by now I'm not so scared not so scared already still scared but not so scared at least I see the cat around the food centre I will still eat but I'll look out you know on the lookout making sure that it doesn't come near me


ya, but this movie is really episode is really, !wah! really , ya it's a is a is a is a is really a nightmare to me lah, so what, cat is not cat is not what I I I won't really love ya, ya ya I see ya ya


so besides phobia ya beside phobia I suppose negative experiences also involve sad moments right, I I what what what what kind of saddest scene you will ever witness before, (mmhmm)


what what about ya how how do you feel then


so it really very sad moment, right ya


then how how did this thing happen right, (mmhmm) I see I see (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) I see


but but I must say that, ya it was too late but it's very sad and (mmhmm) (mmhmm) ya so


at least you you spend the his last moment with him at his bedside and, you know, seeing that ya, (mmhmm) (mmhmm) ya (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) right


I understand ya I understand how you feel lah because, , I also lost my mom when she was when when I was young, ya I also lost her, , ya my mom is also a very uh to me is she such a kind and a gentle person really


in my life I in my life I have never see her angry before she's always you know giggle and uh smiling all the time, , I must say that uh she she's a very sacrificial person you know she will always bring out the the best food


and the that that that the whole family the rest of us eat and she was she was always, munching the balance of the food you know, , and I we I was so young we were so I mean we I was so young then I didn't know that uh because of all this hard, work and all these sacrificial love that she have that she she did not


provide herself enough nutrient , that the she ended up having kidney problem her kidney was failing, and , and in fact at that time my mom and dad were planning to run a a chicken rice stall at the nearby hawker center they were planning they already bought the pots and pans all these so so the plan was already you know and then suddenly one day


she was she she ya she was, going back for her normal check at the you know at that time those, hospital the the this ya, , polyclinic lah ya and she was then told that she had the kidney failure problem and then she immediately then warded and then her health deteriorated so fast


I remember that time because we were not from well to do family we had to travel so far to go and, visit her in the hospital and, and my dad didn't have the, the the you know the financial means to put her in the good, , good uh ward so she has to stay in the


you know the open air C class , I remember ya, ya correct so I remember I was so young I walk in and I see such a big open space a lot of patients all groaning in pain !wah! all groaning in pain you know ah ah there


, ah you know that that moment I walked in is you know it's so burden then you know when I saw when I saw my mom she was, !wah! her her, she was so different look, , so pale and so frail and so thin and and you know the the care at that time nurses were so


so, manpower so so so limited, the care wasn't that much, she really suffered a lot, , and uh I remember in one of those visits, her both hands were tied to the the bed really, ya because


ya that's why we the my dad asked why why you all tie her she could not even turn her back and nothing , whole day how many uh we because I don't know how many day she has been put on like that , , then she say because she kept wanting to pull, they claim ah she kept wanting to pull out her, the plug


the plug that the the IP drip, from, her hand that's why so you see she got so much suffer, , and I really felt that, no idea no idea because at that time she she was so she couldn't eat so much she couldn't eat, she keep on throwing up


and, and all these so a lot of suffering, so, I I I I only remember that one there was it was I think maybe at that time it was close to her last days already that they already discharge her I was too young that I didn't know that they discharged her for what reason so to me is very happy right to that discharge but then she came home she was lying on the bed


I I I remember I was at the bedside, , I was stroking her hand, I was really stroking hand but she she turned her back she that means I was facing her back she turned her back, to me , and maybe she didn't want to see to let me see her, her sad face or suffering face


but I was there stroking her hand, I feel that her whole body you know the skin was all all dry ya, and then you know the skin of freaking you know the freak you know the the, the skin was all tearing tearing you know , so dry cumpled so it you know it's like highly dehydrated


, I just keep on stroking stroking and uh, I, there was no worse exchange, so I I actually ya, so her back her back was I was facing her back so I I think she I don't know how was she maybe she was tearing I I I don't know I can't remember whether I was crying maybe I was crying


because I felt so painful that she has gone through all these suffering, , I think not long after that she passed on lah I remember when she passed on my dad really make a statement but then I say that, if she knew if he knew that she is going to pass on this way and so soon after she got discharged she will come she he could he should have give feed her a lot of good food and a lot of that food that he she missed


so that ya and then and then just die off like that you know become a a full ghost instead of, hungry spirit you know what I mean, so, I mean what's important is let her experience the food that she she love because she came back but dad still cook you know all those


so called healthy food but so blanded she she knows she just eats for the sake of eating so that she wouldn't be hungry usually just eat a few mouthful and then so bland, , ya so I mean at that statement until now I still remember what my dad said


, if if I knew that she's going to pass on so should I should have just give her all the good nice nutritional food that she never had, before she passed on so that moment, that was so like I


I shared to some of her friends at her wake, , I remember on that last day that we suppose to send her off, it was so bright and so hot day, but, the moment that after the chanting on this day supposed to send the coffin up to the wake right no the the car right


ah, suddenly the whole sky turn black and raining raining, clouds heavy dark clouds as if it's going to pour but it didn't rain just heavy dark cloud so a lot of crying lah definitely but after that when the the coffin go up and then when the car starts you know the what do we call this the the car just to just to move off


it turn it turn it turn, bright again you know seriously it turn bright again so many of the relatives said, no it wasn't raining so it was just a deep, dark, cloud that just came, you know it just


cover and comfort the whole sky for that moment that moment of crying and leave, sending her off into the car and then after that turn bright again, just that, few what to few minutes so everybody said that even this even heaven


cry for her loss, (uh) the the loss of her


part two positive experiences


do you have a, can you describe a moment when things turn out better than expected, any moment (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (uh huh) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (uh huh) a bit rush ya (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (hmm) ah I see right !wow! very challenging ya (hmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (uh huh) (mmhmm) (uh huh) (uh huh) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (uh huh) (uh huh) !wow! I see I see (mmhmm) (uh huh) I see


so you will you you had a good sales lah you had a good sales but yet you don't have the stock to replenish, this is a is a happy problem lah , , , right right okay ya right right (uh huh) I see right (mmhmm) I see


so you salvage whatever you have you salvage whatever you have to make up the the hampers or something like that and push up push up to sales and bring up the sales okay, yes (uh huh), ya they turn out to be good so it was a blessing in disguise in that in a way ya


ya that's good, ya so I I I suppose at that time your company appreciated your hard work lah at the end right so I also have a time lah ya, , right that's true is true but then is all you know all all you know ya whatever effort is is all pay off lah ya


so I also have a time lah seriously I also have a time when the , when I got the appreciated for my hard work so because I remember at the time ah I was working you know I work in the IT company so I'm supposed to do IT related work right but somehow we have a something like when you call CCA meaning now because at that time my


company the you know the we we were in a in a in a, old place whereby the roof is , infested by termites you know, it's wooden wooden uh all the wooden beams was infected by termites so then we need to vacate need to reconstruct


the the whole office roof and the and et cetera so my bosses took the opportunity to ask, to to give me because I was quite new then the extra work CCA I called it to to do this the this this work this piece of renovation work


uh so we also took the opportunity to renovate the whole office so what happened was at at that time, eh it was also from this this uh assignment ah this extra assignment on top of my IT work ah my projects that I supposed to do that then I learned that I realized that eh actually I'm quite capable ya so you know what I did was I got to vacate move this


fifty plus uh people of us ah out of this office to a temporary place no sorry before we move the temporary place I must renovate the, temporary place a bit ah, move them uh temporary to this place, a bit ya I mean I I renovate a bit and then move them out to the place after vacate them everybody you know move the near the office office all the computer everything moved to the temporary location


I mean arrange ah ya arrange all the all the all arrange your renovation at that temporary place arrange all the mover you know , to to the temporary place then renovate this whole office, renovate the whole office to really you know uh overhaul the place at the same time change all the beams you know the structure the always structure of the building of the of of this office


then finally move them back, you know this moving here and there , and and then the time, it was the like one and half year to two years job, okay and okay, and uh yes ya so at that time ya so


I mean I was so young a lot of them were so uh senior so everybody thought !aiya! you know they did not feel anything you know , , but by my bosses know that is a lot of work because I I have to keep updating you know the progress so they know the a~amount of scope that actually involved


so, so during the the the on the new office after renovation ah during the opening ceremony ah !wah! my bosses my boss call me out, okay joanne come pop the champagne right you know you know the opening suddenly they want to pop the champagne then <mandarin>剪:jian</mandarin> like you know cut cut the ribbon ah they actually call my name out with all the big big bosses there


ask me to be with them take photo and then pop the champagne together with them so !wah! at that moment is like everybody look at me you know all my colleague look at me it's like !wah!, !wah!, blue eye girl now blue eye girl means you know ya I say !wah! something now by you know the uh being captured the eye


eyeballs by by the bosses like , so, ya so I pop the champagne together then not only just that, ya not, no the wood lah because the structure would it it is a very old building at that time so so it was I don't know where the termites come from


so it's not just that you know you know ya, ya I see okay right (mmhmm) ah I see okay so right right I see (mmhmm)


oh that that one is more skilled ours is the whole structure is the beam is going to collapse and the whole , whole roof will get is going to collapse if we don't vacate ya so , ya uh, I I can't describe is a very big one storey with uh you know we're old structure basically


what, you know the you know other than this my bosses at that time appreciate me ah you know you know how I feel I am even I feel that even more appreciated is , after one year or so my this colleague that colleague started you know they get married they they want to renovate their their house HDB house or their their private house


finally they one day suddenly this and that person last time used to like look down on me so to speak lah came to me and said joanne thumbs up to yours I say why I say , !wah! I renovate my my my room oh our kitchen only ah, so much detail to coordinate leh , how could how did you coordinate for the whole office move here move that so many of us


at, you know computer all the networking everything the line the cable everything how did you do that you were amazing you know it's so, young you know, your time's up to you not just one two or three men okay not women will come to me ah men came to me and give me thumbs up and another one also lah also after like a few years then told me thumbs up to you man then I say after I move house then I realise


it's not easy at all how did you do that anyway so that is my hard work being appreciated at the end so my flag, raised high ya, , so anything else you are very happy about your happiest moment do you have any happiest moment in your life


yes that is also a happiest moment in my life okay you describe first


so so that so there are moments so your so your son was uh delivered at how many months at the end, full full term full term ah, okay I'm ya, I see I see right (mmhmm) (mmhmm) (mmhmm) yes yes


worth it right ya, but I'm and I'm the reverse of you you know why you say you're seven eight months your baby was your baby was your boy was already big my I'm the reverse six to seven already big, I am a reverse you know because you know that I carry a a pair of twins right so


so you know what happened was uh, my my my tummy was very small even up to seven month my tummy up to five months my tummy are small it will only started to grow big in sixth seventh month okay then one day at the seven months ah that means uh twenty eight or twenty nine weeks I went it for gynae normal gynae check the told me you are going to deliver soon it means it's going to come out


I say, how can so immediately asked me to be warded leh refused to let me go so I have to bed ya I had to be bedridden for five weeks lie down to make sure that you don't come out you know why because it's so small , because, yours is big mine is the reverse I said mine is too small


mine, mine have to was like less than one point five each ah ha each so I have to lie on bed bedridden for five weeks until pull until what thirty weeks, ah then cesarean cesarean cesarean and then remove them uh as in at the ya give birth to them through cesarean and they were less than


I think uh one one was about two point five the other one is one point nine so mine is so small the reverse of you but like you say ah the happiest moment is , ya because because I suffer so much lah so much at lying on the bed for five weeks ah,


so when the the moment because I'm I'm I was the only uh is only the half half uh anesthesia right so that means I'm awake one lah , I can hear the #king king kong kong# you know I can hear I really can hear the gynae knocking #gong gong gong# like I don't know what they do because you don't feel the pain but you can feel


no no no I, no I think they're cutting and then they're don't know what #king king kong kong# on me I can feel it's, I know I can't feel the pain but I can feel the the I can hear the sound it's quite scary you hear all the sound, uh, that means half body is uh anesthesia i don't know what you call that I think is half body anesthesia so I can I can see what's happening all the nurses walk here walk there I can hear all the sound


okay then finally when I hear, they know the by the baby whining whining sound oh eh oh eh ya so then I realize oh you mean I gave birth already then the first one they brought to me is julius ya they brought to me, you know like you say bring it to me this way I can still remember they brought to me say I can hear I can I I can see the julius


open the eye very you know usually baby close eye one eh his eyes is open big wide and the mouth also !wah! then lah, then I see the face you know what happened, the happiest moment I really cried you know I tears eh I really tears eh, was, I don't know whether I can touch ah maybe I did touch is it because my hand can lah I forgot


I say so I really but I say, oh so something that I feel that so how this is how you look like I mean, I say uh, was !wah! really cried, ya, uh but I can see her eye his eyes were big open ah not close ah then the second one second one justin came the reverse ah that one justin is also !wah! but eye closed type one so it's another one


!wah! I tell you I really cried really tears and then the nurses have to use tissue or what to clean off my tears so that was a happiest


uh the caught lah uh what you call err epical epical cord ah ya


correct all the pain all the pain all worth it yes all my five weeks lying down ah my my spine ah almost crack ah because the the width is so heavy all on my chest, I cannot turn here turn there you know I could not because they want to, measure my tummy and that heartbeat all this I could not I tell you cannot so I'm always


strapping me ya, because every night there they need to measure my the you know the heart, beat in there you make sure that they don't deliver it means uh without me knowing because they are too small ya they want my gynae want to make sure that they are not too too early to to to to get out of my womb because if uh this one you have to understand if they are in my womb


the mother is is old is fit enough to feed them but once they're out of my womb they're going they my gynae said they will be on their own so when on their own they had to fight for their own life so if they're too small, you really have to fight for your own life no one can help them they had only help themselves so you say that please keep it in your womb you feed them and at that time most of time I cannot eat ah so I'm on drip so it pump me a lot of vitamins this to feed my boys ya so


uh okay, I I don't can't eat because I I have this gestational uh diabetic, you know what I mean that means during the the term carry the baby that term I have a bit of diabetic so they, they control my eating uh most of time I very hungry because I think you feed two and then and myself and then


not enough to eat so to speak I cannot eat this then the carbo very low so , but then I also don't exercise much ah so most of time I'm quite hungry lah so but then they pumped me uh the vitamin but before I before I get warded for five weeks ah I have I'm in and out of hospital many many time because I couldn't eat whatever I take in I throw out even water also cannot you know


so that ya so that lead it to what is thankful, okay what is thank that I feel thankful about, , uh you know at that, !huh! so !huh!, so it's at at that time ah, at that time during my first four five months ah I actually lost uh eight KG okay because I could not eat I could not drink


, ah and it was only at five AM in the morning that I could uh that I could take a few sip of water, so, ya very very bad, before I got warded for five weeks ah, so so for my first five, I lost eight KG people put on weight I lost eight KG that's why that's why my six months every months my tummy still very small and the whole term only put on very few KG at the net ah that okay so so what I was thankful about so it was during that moment ah that I take a few sip of water then I could smell water you know


so after I deliver ah sorry not the the after I after five months so I could start eating a bit ah, so I ya


so I'm very thankful I'm very thankful I always very thankful the besides being provided in term of financial provision that I I am able to buy, able to buy something I'm very thankful that I'm able to, eat, which is some of us may take for granted !aiya! who cannot eat


I'm very thankful that I'm able to eat, ya because ya so happy moment ah, everything is worth it, ya, uh travel ah also happy lah , , you say so lah you say first you share first your travelling experience which one ya


so is it the you you tour the whole country or just certain part Taipei or, so which mountain which mountain do you go


I see ah, you go alone to trek so is it dangerous


ah I see, I see I see, I'm sure the I'm sure the the scenery is very beautiful lah how about sunsets sun~sunrises


(mmhmm) (mm), (uh huh) [oh] the air, [ah] [oh] really


actually I I don't see the prompt number oh I mean what I I know no no no sorry I mean one out of four ya one out of four


okay no worries you all can just start the conversation so you just can ask each other questions and answer ya, hello so we just start on number one


ya okay, okay so, I just started on this actually


uh not too long ago uh with a bit of money , I invested a bit of money in I mean I, did a research on the


index funds it's kind of like the the top few more stable companies in singapore and , ya so I'm so around ya I is invested quite a bit on that to on these index funds because they're stable


and also with the help of uh manager with some advice uh with from my brother as well, and ya, I mean I'm just started so I cannot uh share too much about that but ya this is how I'm getting started and hopefully will go down well over the years but we'll see how it goes


yeap, and uh how do you invest your money to accumulate wealth or plan for your whole retirement


okay


(hmm) I actually use , to be honest I'm a very minimalist person I don't need a car because singapore is very easy to get around uh and I actually uh family well I honestly don't plan start very soon but anyway my point is


I use a website called QuickBooks to manage all my finances and I keep track of that and I think and I agree with you that is really important to start early uh so I've been doing that uh especially since I was


overseas over the past seven years so , yup and and and I , ya and I also use QuickBooks to actually uh manage my


my expenses not just for my daily expenses but also for investments and all that, ya, and also for travel and all that stuff okay anyway part one, so how do you manage your finance your commitments uh I guess I'll start first


okay well I'm not married yet but ya as I mentioned earlier on I will use QuickBooks and I also have several bank accounts oh ya I have like three savings account while in canada we called it current


accounts but here we call it savings I had one in canada and had two in singapore so, I tried to make sure that whatever I spent on for the daily needs is only from one bank account and I don't touch the other two and ya


so so and different cards are for different purposes so so for example the one that I'm using most ah frequently singapore is for daily needs and then the one in canada is for expenses in canada uh for receiving funds in canada and also


let's say if I need to travel back there and then the other bank account I have savings account I have for singapore is uh for my travels and also for my investments so yup


uh ya and what about you, ya same as uh what, not really sure but from what I know from my previous


(hmm)


ya actually uh, I mean, I is similar for me as well uh I think will be more strategic in the way I spend uh and but of course also make sure that uh


I mean yes stood uh strategic in terms of especially investments, and also uh trips like for example I used to travel a bit but right now with current situation is not impossible to travel


but even if travel is reopening I might also be a bit more cautious so I'll make strategic decisions, in terms of that in terms of travel and but I I do think that you know maybe I will save a bit uh in terms of food because I do spend quite a bit on food because my


uh like my friend hang out friends and know that but these days ah I think I will be a bit less picky food with eating out with dining options and ya, so I think that's how one way how the COVID nineteen actually change my spending habits uh and also I think I will shop less because


uh like I said I'm a minimalist so I don't need the best stuff I don't need many stuff in my closet and just, need uh, a roof over my head and enough clothes to wear on it so ya


okay next one so fire , so I think that it is very important, to be, well read of course not everyone oh okay


done ya for firearm I think that's very important for people to be well read in terms of especially investment because I think that every one almost everyone who have a full time job or


some savings if they have enough of course should consider a invest, learning how to invest whether is, ah index funds or whether is uh in the stocks but of course baby steps uh because is really to actually keep working for life in a full nine to five is


of course you can save a lot but if you want to start a family, it can be really taxing on your funds and imagine like you have to work nine to five even beyond your uh beyond your sixties


you know that's gonna be very tiring I don't think you want that okay so I think financial independence or maybe you can also people can also, think of starting an online business you know like for to gain passive income so ya I think that that's how they connect through you


achieve uh financial independence


(hmm) I would say that is very important to, uh to separate between your wants and needs like uh I mean is it necessary to get that latest iphone that is a want like is are you


really able to not function with your current smartphone that these are the little things that you want to consider so I think maybe a good start would be actually jotting down in the notebook, or somewhere actually writing down what are your list of needs what are your wants and reassess your wants do you do you can can you afford it and uh if let's say you


if you can't really cannot afford it and maybe some good idea to strike them off and postpone until I mean postpone your want until you can really really afford it , ya and like and of course uh like I said always try to track your expenses your savings make sure that you don't


go out of budget for your for that month or for that week ya , and then next, do you think what should ya I think uh everyone who


own , full time job at least or like a stable long term part-time job should try to aim for a credit card, because it helps build up their credit history and


ya especially and specially if they want to they need to splurge I mean not splurge to spend on big ticket items like buy house and all that you know it's it it it is really comes in handy in the future


and ya and also of course not to mention that if you go overseas uh it also comes in very handy because from my experiences not all debit cards are accepted in overseas but credit card most of the time yes


ya uh so ya I think that is really useful ya, okay


I think that very important is, yes like spend don't spend unnecessarily, uh have a good, savings plan I mean I may have a good plan in terms of like how much on the save for the first few years


uh give yourself uh vision a goal , and research on how much you need to actually retire comfortably I think is very important as secondly I would also say try to get life insurance for example while you are young because the older you get the more expensive gonna be and


uh, because you never know what's gonna happen, ya like, you know while you're young anything could happen so let's say if in the next year you suddenly got uh illness come out of a sudden and


and if you really have life insurance or health insurance and your comfort and you know like and then maybe you can stop the illness from getting worse and could potentially spiral out of control in when you get older we should have


really eat into your savings so ya I think that that's very important too, , (hmm) okay the next one okay okay I just tap on my handphone, uh the next one so is what are your thoughts on CPF


I think is a good way to help to force us, to, , is a good way to help us with our retirement so at least we have something to fall back on some savings to fall back on


uh if we don't have a job and also if we not just for retirement but also if we want to buy a house or invest in something before retirement ya but at the same time I will also think that


the the age the minimum age requirement to withdraw CPF should be, a bit more lenient like instead of, uh


only be able to access our CPF I mean withdraw CPF funds from I think age sixty plus, sixty five ya right, uh maybe they can lower it to fifty or forty plus


because, ya I think sixty plus is too harsh it is too long already is too far away ya


uh three out of four, uh hold on ah hold on let me, me uh turn on and off the wifi


okay described something you watch that would you give you, goosebumps , (hmm) watch actually I can't remember so maybe


uh I can't really remember but maybe haresh you will start first


uh


actually I have no comments for this one , so, uh okay the next one so describe if you feel that you have committed


actually I wouldn't say it's wrong but, briefly wrong there's no way to get back uh


sorry I've no recollection maybe haresh start again


describe an event to be honest uh one of the biggest thing that make me angry right now I'm not even angry person but it kind of is is uh I'm not sure how true is it but I read news that the current


director of WHO Tedros, he's actually kind of responsible for, the spread of the pandemic because,


like he was, okay so I read that he was voted he won the leadership at WHO because of china, and then when


news on the pandemic broke out in china, china not only silence the critics that or doctors that tried to warn about this disease but, but


china wasn't being very forthcoming about it lah, and Tedros kind of knew about it but then he still didn't declare COVID nineteen as a pandemic back in january I think he did it only in like february or march and by then you know like it just got worse and


almost a whole world was affected and this is making me very angry right now, ya, because I feel because I, feel that if let's say he actually declared the pandemic as early as january the moment any signs of uh keep or any cases were known


in whether in china or somewhere else in the world then maybe we could have avoided, rid this disease won't be a global phenomenon maybe it would just be in certain country or certain region and not be so severe and not have affected it like


on uh all the economies, ya


hello ya okay


I will say the biggest thing is that racism, and double standards and and, by racism I don't mean just like calling people out to based on or singling people out based on their race or their skin color but also in


the professional world so for example, , the entertainment industry or even a travel blogging industry where I'm currently in is a very predominantly white world and I'm kind of angry in a way not angry but you know like disappointed in a way that


it's still skewed towards white people so, you always see only like, white people travel or bloggers and being mentioned on the media but you don't really see right like a diversity of


uh bloggers or travellers of other colour so I feel that this really need to needs to change, so ya, and okay so what is an issue that you feel upset over


, racism for for sure racism uh double standards , established standards like for example white people versus other people of colour


and, ya and also of course and, uh recognising that , coronavirus is not a chinese virus so ya is uh it knows no boundaries so


sorry actually sorry actually can I go to the toilet for a while, hello, hello


can I go to the toilet for a while, hello can you hear me, okay hold on ah, uh can I go to toilet for a while


maybe maybe, ya, okay okay you know what it's okay let let's just continue I will continue okay never mind uh anyway , uh what


in the post COVID world ya sure sure, a post COVID world what are some of the worries anxieties even though I'm optimistic about the rebound travel but I still think that most people will stick to domestic travel rather than international so


it it it can be a good thing but of course uh it can also affect me because you know I , I do, promote international travel so but anyway but I do think it's just a matter of time before it


fully rebound ah and, and also I think because uh COVID nineteen more technology will become contactless and more uh automation so that means there will be more higher uh higher unemployment rate so this is actually what I think is very worrisome ah


(hmm) , what's frustrates me good question


, so okay, one of the pet peeve that I have is when I'm in the, shopping mall for example and I was walking I was rushing get somewhere and then suddenly people walking and then they suddenly stopped in the middle of the pathway then that means I they suddenly uh block me and then I had to like walk a roundabout way I think that's one of my pet peeve and also


uh people who blast like music in public areas I mean like come on nobody want to hear what you're listening to just keep it to yourself, so ya oh and one more pet thing that frustrates me really is the fact that I understand that in the MRT and in the buses we cannot eat or drink right okay if you cannot eat perfectly understandable but I think we should at least be able to drink


like okay water I am sure they allow but like drink at least like, even like non, like anything that's not water just but just put a sign there that if you litter in the train or in the bus you'll be fined this amount but I don't


think that they should stop people from drinking really is very frustrating, to be honest I'm even frustrated by the fact that we cannot eat because sometime I don't have the time to simply sit down somewhere to eat and all that I really in a rush like for example in the morning if I last time in the morning when I need to get back


get to work I don't have time so I'm really frustrated but anyway , so what's the worst thing you witnessed and kept quiet about , good question as well


I kept quiet (hmm), (hmm) , okay so I was on a, bus and there was this auntie who


weren't she wasn't wearing her mask the whole time okay and she was even coughing coughing, , and I maybe some people will have reacted by taking a photo and reporting about it lah but then although I think that what she did was not right but then I think again okay well she is


old citizen so she's a senior citizen so maybe she's having trouble breathing or something like that I don't know so I decided to just keep quiet about it you know and not make it a big issue a big deal out of it ya


yup I'm finished


uh two out of four


, ya I I would say the best is probably when I went to south africa last year the reason I, say that is because it's one of the few dangerous uh so called dangerous places that I've been to liked people like before I went there uh people was telling me that uh is dangerous especially you go to the city


and you know it's, carjacking is very common, and, ya and then those petty theft uh pickpocketing, violent mugging uh violent attacks uh quite common uh especially on tourists


but, ya I didn't think much about it actually but I just booked a flight, there and I really enjoyed my time and that I think the and I managed, to have a overall a safe experience traveling there I think because


I didn't rent a car there but then I just rely on uber because I didn't okay unfortunately I didn't get to do much road trip but I use uber there most throughout my time there and it was perfectly safe


uh because over there uh uber drivers are vetted very or very strictly like anyone with any criminal record can not be a uber driver in south africa and I guess this is


uh partly why I have a smooth experience there ya, so I would that is what that was really awesome uh the next one was uh the biggest reward okay so


the biggest reward, okay nevermind haresh nevermind haresh no no haresh you can start first ya


, okay well no because there were quite a few I cannot think of the biggest one


anyway is it okay if we skip to the next question okay, uh describe an experience,


describe experience okay so I was living in canada right and it's quite different from singapore I mean is similar in the sense that it's very multicultural very multiracial , but uh it's also a bit


different like because I'm living in a majority white man's world you know so and there was I actually witness an incident on a train when, a girl


was chatting with her friend in english and then uh a middle aged white man was like don't speak english don't speak english like he was being very racist lah like from the way he talk that girl and then the white


middle aged white woman sitting next to the girl was like who are you to tell her that you should be ashamed of yourself so I feel like like the fact that they're white the middle aged white woman standout stood up, for the girl was oh I mean by the way the girl was uh was chinese so the fact that the middle aged white woman stood up for her was uh really awesome was because


I, used to think that white people many white people are very blinded by their own white privilege and they don't actually speak out, for situations like that but that was actually one of the few rare incidents when I actually saw a white person stood up for uh


non white person so yup, okay yup already done


, oh for me I would say , is, experiencing something that was, different that I haven't done like uh for example when I move to canada several years ago


or whether whether is something thrilling like something that I've an activity that I haven't done before like bungee jumping and, and ya so


okay the next one is uh the moment I felt luckiest , I would say is uh


okay so I actually had my passport stolen twice lah, so uh after the second time when I applied for new passport it was actually overseas lah I was travelling in europe ya I applied at the singapore embassy and then uh


they almost denied my application lah because when I applied then for the new passport was, not even a year after not in not even after a year


not even a year, after my last passport was stolen so, they were questioning why did I lose my passport but it was just unlucky, but then (hmm) at that moment, I just say wrote a appeal letter to them explained the urgent the sense of urgency that I really need and also because because I travel the next I was on


traveling then but then I told them I need to get back to canada, uh to work , so and then luckily they manage they accepted my appeal so they let me apply for my second passport so ya


so I felt very lucky


(mmhmm)


I would say for mine is, starting my own website and my own side business almost two years ago, uh it was a travel blog, I was doing it on even actually even now I'm doing it on a part time basis but uh is something that I plan to transition to full time full time career in the future so now right now I'm using this time while I'm not able to


travel to upscale to learn skills that are necessary for my blog to grow it and skill it further so that hopefully it will , it will gain attraction start to gain attraction by the time the traveler restrictions are for singaporeans are fully lifted so


ya and uh what, makes amazes you I think I will say that being able to see the world experience different cultures, ya so


be able understand different perspective that amazes me


yup yup yup


I think uh, the biggest reason right now is of course there are several reasons but the biggest one of the main reasons is uh to see


uh how far my online business can go because it something new for me that I actually started this business and all those travel related but and even though right now the pandemic is uh,


it affecting hitting the tourism industry really high and affecting everyone in the travel sector but I do think that it will rebound and the ya I I definitely want to work even harder


to, to make it like a real thing to be able to work online from this business and ideally make passive income from there ya


the next one is skill or ability to I would say I'm very, (hmm)


resourceful and organize like for example every time , like over like for example when I ya, travel I find all kinds of way to save money so there was one time when I actually


I was like monitoring flights every single day every single week for like six weeks and ya I think I booked a flight from the US to


Bali indonesia and I it only cost me like four hundred forty dollars that's in sing dollars by the way so ya I'm very proud that yup but of course that's one way lah ya


prompt one of four


okay (ppc) so we just start from number one so how do you invest your money


ya I've been doing this for a few years now I've put some money, in a, uh uh bonds such as the Singapore Savings Bonds and government bonds uh for for balancing


the risk and for, (mmhmm) uh are you aware of that the Singapore Savings Bonds you might, you might want to consider that ya uh but I took the interest rates and so every month so uh relative in a week, uh


because nowadays the quite low and, I also invest in some stocks uh you know uh in some stocks which I think, there's some, capital gains capability or they have the strong dividend history and I will kind of uh well I'm not really planning for my retirement at the moment but uh I think that's a good action plan you know in the future if you start planning


yup for number two , I would say uh it is best to start early and, and uh save, consistently without any uh distractions on using the money for


other uh you know uh trivial purposes uh when I was overseas I used an app called Monzo uh it's a it's a fintech, uh app like based in the UK and they has


this like a saving spot feature so you can just put your money from the savings according to the filling spot, and you are you won't be allowed to take money out of the pot until the time that you set and it will have a good interest rate I think uh you know you can do something like that to save for big ticket expenditure


ya same as me I'm not married or committed at the moment, so I I'm not really sure but uh from what I know from my experience, I think clear communication is


key uh whereas your partner I think best way uh you know be clear about what your uh financial commitments are what's your uh preferences are before uh you can make any big decision because it affects both of you


ya for number four the post uh COVID world, what changes and what uh would I make in terms of spending or saving uh I wouldn't I think a lot of people would expect that people would start spending less and saving more but for myself I don't think I would necessarily spend


less it's just, but I would be more strategic, and uh think before what am I spending on is it really a want or really so it's not that I want to you know uh save money because it's a dangerous time or whatever it's just that the default mode would be saving and


and uh, if need arises then you can't really you know uh uh save money if if you if it's really important so you just have, and ya so so the basic point you really have to consider


uh whether it's a want or a need yup


ya uh think uh this might as in it's definitely uh what some people want to retire early uh to the who for some people but maybe it's not suitable for everybody because some people uh


I don't think they would like to retire and uh you know just do nothing at home they maybe they like what they do they like their job and they, want to keep doing something, then they can and so they don't like to like retire early they don't have to focus so much on rapidly accumulating uh cash capital to gain independence


ya so it's not necessarily the best idea but of course it can be good idea for a lot of people yup next, uh, uh what advice would I give to someone to get uh them out of debt I would say first to remove any unnecessary spending uh


and to have some kind of discipline and uh in a budget uh uh to plan a budget and basically for uh have some discipline in following it and, and only focus on needs and, uh you can pay off the debt uh as soon as possible to reduce


interest costs


ya a credit card I think uh people should only as long as the benefits, outweigh the costs uh because of course credit cards have their own you know like uh annual fee or something


that, so as long as you spend enough and the benefits outweigh the costs and, you can, and uh monitor and pay the bills regularly uh there's no harm in having a credit card uh especially you know given that you can get


cashback or, and miles or uh insurance, yup next uh, uh, uh what advice would you give to someone in order to retire comfortably well at this point we are still quite early in our career so


so, you know rethinking will be tiring but if the was to be sound advice I would say live within your means uh don't, spend too much on uh, you know outrageous purchases and uh follow some regular savings plan


and invest invest as much as possible


, I'm not uh I'm not very sure about the age and which is the most appropriate to, start accessing it


but ya C_P_F is a good, (uh) to to force people to save (uh) for their H_D_B mortgage, ya


uh prompt three of four


okay uh ya I I think I will go first, yup, I recently watched a movie called get out uh and that was really


kind of uh suddenly uh when you know when you understood the message of the film uh it's, well I don't know if it give me goosebumps or anything but it really kind of shook me and I I couldn't like get back to real life for awhile uh it really knocked me into that mindset of you know this is how much how bad situation is


in many countries uh, and how you know uh racism had, uh yes it's so pervasive in the cultural and, uh, it's sometimes it's even hard to think about how uh how it affects your decision


or actions, it may not be that uh violent or obvious as it was in the movie but it really showed shed some light on how we can affect every single action that we take every day, yup


ya can go to the next person


ya so I think I would say about the time when I was uh I was kind of rude to my friend uh during a group discussion uh I didn't mean it but he kind of came me he kind of came off as


rude uh at the time and I kind of uh, I felt bad you know like after uh when I went back to my room and I, I was like, and I thought about what happen that I kind, kind of, very long because I don't really do something like that uh as in like for a moment you know that I did feel like I couldn't do anything


and, have to make it better but of course you can always you know talk to your friend uh make them understand, and that you know it's, you don't you don't really mean uh when you're when you're angry you will just say words that uh that that's not really what you want to say ya


I wouldn't place you know the entire blame on china or WHO, even even after they you know made uh made everybody know how serious the issue is a lot of countries didn't uh


uh do much to prevent the pandemic from spreading in their country uh, and you know it's still going on the pandemic is still accelerating and people are still you know not doing the right thing but uh you can see what could have been done better by looking at certain countries like uh new zealand or south korea


and you can you can see that I mean they knew at the same time as everybody else but but they they perform so much better than, the other countries are even though they have some advantages in terms of their culture or their land being far away or something like that but still you can really see that


uh it's easily, I will take majority of the fault uh like on the country themselves on the country leaders not so much on china or the WHO because they are, I mean yes china did something I don't think they did the right right thing all the time but I guess the country uh at the end of the day people if if people die they are going to blame the government the people are going to blame the party in charge


and not, you know some random uh, uh, uh association or some random uh uh or some some other country uh so it's the government that's, uh blame that is to blame, (uh huh) so I would say you know countries like uh USA or uh european countries I think a month ago it will be the european countries but now it's a lot of countries like


india or south american countries, (ppc) they, they are not they are letting the pandemic accelerate a lot in the country uh and they're not doing the right thing by locking down the uh economy


I think I think that partly answer the next question as well you know it's a what disgusts you is that people are trying to uh put uh their economic interests before people's lives uh I think that's that's not a good uh uh way to go


, I think uh I would answer the next two questions


on the same, topic I think global warming is really an issue and especially in a post COVID world uh you know people are worried about the the pandemic and they might uh you know not really care about global warming which you wouldn't be the first priority but


uh we have to understand that global warming it doesn't stop because there's a pandemic going on in fact it's it's getting worse and worse every year so it's really something uh, the world needs to do more about even though you know a pandemic is going on uh it's really a double challenge that uh the human race has to deal with because they both


can, spell the end of the, uh the world as human human beings might, ya (ppc), do you have any worries or anxieties in a post COVID world


describe a time when you hurt someone's feelings I think I already introduced that for another question so if you do you have anything or you can go to the next question


you have an answer to the describe a time when you hurt someone's feelings


okay let me just go to the next question first so what frustrates me I think I would say


from the news in recent days is really about you know some people refusing to wear mask some people refusing to follow the uh procedures, and, and the guidelines that many governments around the world kind of prescribed to their citizens uh


uh, it really kind of uh it's irritating because people need to do their part so that the pandemic can slow down and they see like their freedom is being infringed upon they feel like ya, their livelihood or their jobs or whatever is being infringed upon but they don't understand that nobody is doing this for you know their own personal uh interests uh they have to understand that it's a really a life or death issue so


you know even though it's uh not the most comfortable thing to wear a mask, uh even though it may be tempting to go outside and, and you can do shopping you can go, uh when that's a huge crowd people should uh should not given to the temptation people should kind of you know uh understand that even uh there needs to be some kind of personal cost so that there can be some kind of public benefit


and uh that kind of maybe their thinking it's more prevalent in the east the asian countries and its not so, uh it's not so prevalent in the western nations uh and that is kind of uh frustrating yup


are you are you finished okay


prompt two of four, okay describe a farewell experience that left you in awe I think I would uh shall go first uh uh I would say uh the best travel experience I had was uh skiing I


I went to europe uh in france and I went to ski resort with uh few friends and I think skiing was, the best experience I've ever had in my life because it's very different from anything else that we can do in singapore uh


and it almost feels, like flying because uh you you are going so fast, and, and you can control your movement, uh very quickly, and it's just the wind the wind just makes you feel like you're flying and uh


and you know watching people in a fall down is like funny, and stuff like that uh and, and even if you fall down it's it's not like painful or anything uh so I think that's, uh, it's one of my best travel experiences what about yourself


I guess we can come back to ya uh I can't really think of uh such moments in my life maybe we can just, fine maybe we can can come back to it later


okay, so uh for myself uh I would say when I was in


in , I think it was Vienna, I was in a butterfly house uh it was a very touristy place, I was just going around taking pictures and there was a sign that said uh you know don't touch the butterflies or don't handle the butterfly so don't feed them or anything


that I was like uh then I saw uh few children you know they were they were quite like there were trying to catch the butterflies and they holding it, uh, which kind of annoyed me at first and then I saw what they were doing and they were like trying to


untangle it from, some plant and they were handling it very softly and the very tenderly which I felt was you know a good thing because they understand that, they need to, to alter their behavior when they are dealing with something that is so uh different from themselves and they understand the seriousness of the actions which I thought was a you know uh heartwarming thing for me and


and uh, ya that would be my, and still, the next one what led you to experience an adrenaline rush, I would say anything that kind of place


outside the normal and, and uh something I've never done, before , for example uh I used to be a pilot trainee, and I, I was training to be a pilot and the first time I took off uh first time I landed by myself uh


uh, and first time I was you know looking at singapore from a different vantage point, uh really a, fantastic experience that kind of, uh didn't you know that feeling didn't stop even after you landed because of that the adrenaline rush uh


uh you know you, and can touch clouds and stuff like that uh it's really about, uh, this kind of pushes uh the adrenaline level all the way to the top and you can never forget that uh moments in your life


uh sorry I just I want to say my screen blackout, ya yup


yup ya this still recording


for me when I felt the luckiest was I was born in india, and I lived in india for, for ten years and, and uh then I, then I came to singapore I've been staying here ever since and, and uh


I think I feel lucky, uh luckiest every time I, I will go to india and come back here because I mean it's not that india is bad right I think it's just that when I came to singapore singapore gave me a lot of uh opportunities


and uh lot of uh chances to do lots of different things, uh if not I wouldn't have been able to go to europe or I wouldn't have been able to fly or I wouldn't have been able to be a soldier and you know fight real firearms and stuff like that you know my life would have been a lot I think a lot less exciting if I stayed in india so I think every time I


uh come back to singapore and I you know I'll have some time to think about it it really puts me on how lucky I am uh, to you know uh experience among a much more exciting life yup


what was the proudest moment in your life uh I would say when I got when I entered my university I got, the admission , and I got a scholarship and I think that would be


you know, like the crowning moment for all the hard work that we put in for your twelve years of school uh I think I you know you know every year every every time I get some kind of opportunity to do something I always took it too


to, you know to show my ability so you know the volunteering the to take initiative all that kind of paid off when I got a scholarship to university and now I didn't have to pay a thing which is kind of you know awesome for myself and uh I think when I got it uh I think that was probably the proudest moment


at the point in time, yup


I think that's a pretty vague question but uh uh I'm aerospace student


and I, uh, so I'm an aerospace student and uh chose that because I'm always amazed by you know I watch planes fly and uh it's just even though I know how it works even though I understand the physics behind


how like a five hundred ton metal uh box, can fly thirty thousand feet in the sky it still amazes me every time I see happening no matter you know in your laptop or in real life yup


what makes me, want to be alive, uh I think it's really just about having the possibility of uh having a better day uh like each day can be better than, the last day uh it really depends on what you do to make it better and I think that that freedom uh it's really what makes it uh you know worth it to be alive because if you know that


if things are going gonna be downhill from now on then, then that's where you know you lose a reason to be alive you know that things can get better it everyday uh I guess that would be a good reason to stay alive, !wah!


ya I think I I can also, agree with the same logic uh when I was in europe I also you know uh extensively plan my holidays I would like try to come up with different configurations and you know go this city and then that city and that city you will change


find different ways of (uh) for finding the cheap of the most cheapest option (uh) that that is a good (uh) ability to have, (uh) especially you know when you have to be resourceful and organised


I'll start asking the question first and then you answer first okay, so do you think investing or trading is similar to gambling


ya I also correct so I you want to continue first


okay ya so I was gonna say that I do investments and I know a little bit about trading and I think investments and trading could ya like what you said is correct like if you don't know or you don't research well on the topic or the companies that


the companies or like the fund uh that you are, investing or trading on then yes it will be like a gambling uh, uh, gambling thing so, correct correct ya and it's very dangerous lah because like if you don't do it right you can lose like a lot


of money from it ya, so , so will you will you are you someone who rather invest or would you rather trade


, yup but I do think that uh the up and down, in trading right actually can give a lot of opportunities for you to earn a lot of money ya because in trading you can you can you can buy the ups and you can buy the downs also right


ya so, that actually gives you a lot of quick money but again you need to know the different uh pointers is it the different ways to detect that up and down because if not then ya you will lose lose you will either lose a lot of money or like because trading is also something like you have to have a lot of patience


ya it so if someone for example someone uh, uh, trade at a low cost and then uh that person wants to sell at a higher cost but because he the the market suddenly went down and then the price goes goes south very quickly right then they might become


like uh, mentally unstable so like they will panic attack right so when they panic correct correct correct so, ya so as long as you know and you're you know not to what's that rush into buying and selling then it's actually a good way to earn an extra income ya ya yes


that's very true (mmhmm)


ya


ya so I would I mean okay I mean for myself I will also do a little bit of both if I am well educated or like I'm informed as in I know how to do both so like is like putting your eggs in different baskets, ya but what do you think about let's say investing on your own versus investing with insurance companies will you rather put money to somewhere that where to someone who can do that work for you


or would you rather invest uh like learn go learn quickly not cannot quickly learn but like learn and then do the investments yourselves


investing ah whichever, (mmhmm) yup


yup, correct


so which one do you would you prefer to do


understand , for myself I guess the I I'm a little bit more impatient so I think I'll be someone who would rather try to do it myself uh but I'm also not say very high risk


uh high , okay I mean I'm moderate I'm a moderate risk-taker so maybe I will still put a bit of money in a broker or an insurance company ya so I'll still do a bit of both like just to , divide my risk to different instruments ya


okay , okay so what do you think about the recent market, ya, because of like the COVID situation right


I think that was twenty zero eight is it, something around, there,


ya , or you prefer to keep the money first and save uh


, rather than invest is it, interesting ya so what did you said about the buying and selling thing I heard from uh, my in my financial agent also so for you to even buy or sell at a certain price right you need to wait for someone to buy or sell at that that price so ya so your gain is kind of somebody's loss in a sad way


so so so far from now from, I mean at the current moment right how is your investment journey like what what do you invest on or, like it could be, investment products or like finance financially related products or it can be other products also so what are you investing on


, (hmm) (mmhmm)


, ya I do


uh kind of use FSM one to invest in ya but that that's doing it on my own and I am still learning so I'm not investing large volumes, uh but I'm learning to do it bit by bit so ya that ya I will see how I can get there


which account again, oh ya ya okay so I tried using a demo account on uh


CS financial, oh no I can't remember what is it exactly what what the the app is exactly but I use that product uh I mean I'm doing that demo but I haven't check since to be honest, ya


uh so that's a trading account and I'm trying I'm still trying to learn more about trading through that demo account lah but it's very useful because then it's not real money right so you can, test the waters in that sense, and


and like learn from that experience ya, you should try you should try something like that also


okay here's an interesting question if you have a sudden windfall of one million dollars, will you invest your money and how would you allocate your assets for investment,


I know you are kidding, oh


yup, (mmhmm)


yup, (mmhmm) that's a that's a good


I was saying that's a good way of investing cause I property is something that I'm very interested in also but because it's something that you need to be careful about when you invest in property I mean physical is a good thing but


uh, I think we're not there yet in terms of the knowledge in this arena right like even the rules and regulations and the risks, and all that like even ya so I would and I mean at the current point in time right if I have that one million dollar I will put some money in the ritz


, ya cause it's also property and you'll get some dividends in the end also, ya, ya correct correct but other than properties what what else are you interested in like what industry


there uh actually talking about technology uh stocks right the recent performance I saw was like it was skyrocketing kind of I think more than ten or more than fifteen percent if you invest in the right stock so like, ya and it's not only I think


health also health is also doing well, ya, especially I think during this COVID situation a lot of people are doing like research, around the health uh topics right health related stuff ya


yup, correct, okay okay maybe one more question about CPF money will you invest in your CPF money, so you wouldn't invest in it


yup, (mmhmm), yup


correct, okay is it okay


I mean if can if can I will but uh at the same time now I have to save up for, maybe like housing things like housing first so maybe after I get a house, then I can invest in the CPF in my CPF money ya so focus on things that are risk are more important now first then later on ya invest in other things


ya okay, so what else, okay maybe one more question


how about financial advisors do you trust financial advisors, ya


why ,


ya correct and like you don't know what their real intentions are like, are they actually selling you for the sake of it or do they want, to ya, ya correct and I've I've met agents that sell me for the sake of selling it and I regret buying their products and ya it's very sad because like you put


sometimes you put a lot of money with them right but then, they still, don't sell you like maybe like the best products or that they misunderstand your needs so ya it gets very confusing at that point and especially since now in in the market there's so many different products and you don't even know like what really is the best product


that suit your needs and you are you are like depending on these people but they don't have a , the correct heart I would say or like the correct intention but I mean there are people who there are agents who are doing, great because uh they do share honestly about the different products and I guess these agents are the ones that will benefit later on because they will continue to have more referrals to these agents from what I see lah ya cause I almost joined the financial agent market also


and ya that's that's where I learned that there are there are ya there's pros and cons correct, correct, correct ya


okay so maybe I think maybe, what uh five or less ya ya, yup


okay so I guess that's all for the financial related topic, like we have different ya, okay


okay okay I, I'll start, I'll I'll start asking what are some of the hurtful words someone said to you that you wish to forget


yup, it's a very deep question , (mmhmm)


(hmm), (mmhmm)


(mmhmm)


yup, but at least it help you, to become a better, student in the end right, yup that's good that's good, hurtful


words someone said to me that I wish I forget uh, let's see uh, uh I guess, it's something very minor to others but it's something to do with my voice okay so like it when I was in primary school someone asked another person in front of me asking why is my voice like a guy ya and it kind of


uh, uh it's kind of something that is at the back of, my head every now and then even until now because like it it kind of affect my confidence ya and especially when uh I speak to the opposite gender ya it will make me feel conscious about


it ya so uh it kind of affect my confidence lah in that sense ya, correct, cause until now when I have


like if so if I have to do public speaking kind, kind of stuff uh, uh uh, , I will face a lot of anxieties about it ya so if I I was just thinking if that person never ever said such a thing right then I wouldn't uh


uh, be so not, confident about myself ya, especially because I think before that I was someone who's, more outspoken and I had, I I love leadership roles and all that but after, that I keep thinking about, what the person said even though it was just a few words it ya it's something that impacted me for the rest of my life I mean until now up till now


ya, ya that's true it was really a literally a stranger, ya


what do I often worry about ha this is a, serious question okay I worry about all things in my life, I honestly, from, financial matters to family matters to uh even like career matters I guess we're just at a point in life especially since we are in singapore right like there's a lot of pressure from every part of


life like even if it's just family or friends or like we just keep comparing ourselves to other people so like you just want to try to do better but sometimes circumstances don't allow you to do that and it makes you feel worse about yourself and you just keep worrying about