entirely new life lah I would say like for example like buying a house for the homeless man or like doing very, extreme yet very extreme and insane and yet very heartwarming deeds, I I feel I feel very I feel very very inspired like in a sense that like when


but he's so rich he did not use the money to spend on himself instead he actually like uh spend on helping people spend on helping like actual people who , then like he film the reaction and puts it on YouTube I think thing like that's like very very amazing ya


ya, faith in mankind I mean I will I will say that there are more and more good people like that like people always think that like rich people are very arrogant or like very uh very self centre very , uh unkind and what not but mister beast like just literally destroy all of that uh stereotypes of the rich people and I feel that like rich people are actually very kind and actually they have the power because they are rich they have the power to do something that actually significantly change someone's


else life, and this is something that, this is something that really make me feel that, ya, the mankind there are still very kind hearted people out there , yup what about you


ah okay okay, he didn't lose faith right you


okay


, ya because like you made that much in that single day right, I think that's more of like euphoric like you feel that very joy like that huge amount ya


dollars ya correct (ppc), I think that it's very impressive yup uh as for me adrenaline rush only comes to me when when I'm


I I don't know like when I'm rushing for the bus or something I don't know like you know like that kind of adrenaline is like I like you, you you feel like your heart is going to come out that kind of feeling, ya then like when I run for the bus I really thought that I can't make it but then I actually made it like that moment


ya something like that but it's like like inside in your brain like that you really want to make make something happen and then , you you thought that you can't make it but then like like you finally make it then like that that that point that moment like you just feel the adrenaline ya beats ya


ya , , , oh ya ya ya but it's very nice what to sit on a roller I mean I mean I also feel very scared and and but then ya it's very fun


oh I remember one of the experience that I have was like when I went to this water theme park kind of thing then I then I uh there was, this there was this very tall I mean they they have this like very tall thing then and you basically stand inside then you'll like fold your eyes then you like drop down in like three seconds so they will count down to you three seconds okay one like three two one that kind of thing that you are down like all the way down


ya that was I think I do not know at where I think malaysia or something ya but that was the one of the biggest adrenaline rush because !wah! really very scary like but then, at the same time like I was like , I'm going to conquer it then then that that feeling is just amazing ya


so that was that was great ya, describe the moment when you felt the luckiest


I don't have any moments that I really feel very lucky leh honestly, okay okay , I think I have one okay okay uh I have one when I okay when I was in secondary four then you know we were going through O levels and stuff right, then then like the luckiest is probably like that moment that I open the history paper then I saw that eh no


that moment that I open I think, history or SS ya then then I felt very lucky cause like the the the topics that I actually memorise memorise and you know and we have selective topics ya we have selected topics to memorise what right so that topic that I memorise so fully to the point that I can


ya write it down and just vomit out ya that topic came out then I felt very very lucky cause !wah! like, like god is on my side but then on the other hand right the reason why why is, not very lucky as well is because the other question is something that I have close to zero things to write about


but so it's just that one question that is very very lucky lah but then the other one didn't really help me very well ya, so ya


do you want to answer that question first,


agree , as for me I will say that is that period of time that that uh I went on extreme dieting and uh exercising regime


like, that was my most uh self discipline period of my time uh of my entire life I feel, like I actually kept to something I actually kept to doing something so consistently and and I managed to lose like twenty KG over that time yeah so it's actually one of my very biggest


uh biggest achievement I will say because personally like as in is because, is really something that I really want and at that point I was very motivated and and and very ya just just kept to it like go go on like my diet is like one day one day uh one meal a day uh like keeping to cooking every single day yeah like cooking clean meals lah


not eating out uh not cheating on like ice cream or like cake or like potato chip, all those stuff ya like, but keeping to all of them is actually really really very tough but then yet at the same time I managed to do it so that actually made me feel very very proud


ya,


impossible ya


it it will happen it's just like how right now like we feel that we feel that teleporting is impossible but I really feel that !wah! that is something that


could be made possible like be it hundred years later two hundred years later thousand years later ya, stuff like that, really it's very insane, yeah, (hmm), other stuff that amazes me I think is


uh, the world lor just just in generally the world the world amazes me because like like in general like how how the world like how people work and everything like they


like like how, there's always a certain group of people who will, who'll be very talented or very very inclined to doing a certain industry a certain thing then they really make the impossible happen like I feel that people in general like are very amazing like the brains ah the human brains like things that people do


you know like I watched a show then previously I watched a show like this show like is uh called like #zui qiang da nao# lah basically is a show that uh showcases like humans talents but human's capabilities to to the next level is like you can never imagine is like


they do many many different things that that caused me to feel like !wow! human like actually the capability of humans right never ends like the sky is the limit kind of thing ya we what we once thought that was impossible could be achieved


ya that that is that is something just really amazing ya what makes you want to be alive, , ya agree


freedom ah ya the freedom the freedom of choice of choosing what you want to do every single day not being restrained by money not being restrained by anything ya I feel that that makes me want to be alive


what is a skill or ability that you are secretly proud of having, oh , ah, secretly proud of having I mean I'm not secretly proud of having anything ah, but then


no lah like this the secretly word is just funny but then , uh anyway I mean, skill or ability, actually nothing much because I I don't think that I have very extraordinary uh ability that, someone else do not have or uh I have something that acceded someone else capability so that's why I don't think I really have ah


when do you blush the most, , do you want to answer the question first, okay describe your favorite activity to unwind and relax


oh go and eat ah okay, sleep ah eat and sleep sounds like a pig


, okay uh I think, I think for me it will be catching up on shows or like like basically doing things that I really want to do I mean really want to do to relax like like just to watch a movie or like watch anime or like editing lah yeah like I want to eat my favourite food ya whatever


describe a time when you made a comeback that shut everyone up, okay I also I also don't really have this okay what is your best surprise


someone surprise us I guess


what are you talking about someone did, I want to roll my eyes but


okay despite the ongoing global uncertainty what makes you optimistic about the future


aren't you aren't you aren't you optimistic to begin with , but then someone could actually be be uh pessimistic about the future right


I mean in every case in any point in time actually the world is uncertain what there's no such thing as being certain anyway, uh of this topic !yay!


part one financial related topic


do you have a savings , ya I do as well , I have


so formally and informally I guess I have one which is like an actual savings account uh under one of my banks so cause I have two bank accounts separately and then another one is more of informal one where through, the features of the bank account because they have like saving goals and stuff that they allow uh you to have


where so I set the amount I set the time frame and then every month at the set day pretty pretty much like kind of like the day of after my salary comes in then it auto just pulls in pulls out the money uh from my main pool into the separate goals lah


so that's one and then my other one is just more of a normal standard e-savings where every month the certain amount just goes in that's it ya


ya so I mean, for mine both of mine have, automation functions lah and I find it a bit tedious to sit down and do it uh so that's why I decide to, just let it do it by itself lah err ya


so ya , ya I think naturally yeah, I think we can skip that lah uh so okay second one do you have a credit card or debit card so I think and we talked about this before I have a debit cards uh I do not have a credit card on me


uh, so I think with my debit card it's just getting certain cashbacks or certain discounts at some places I think, and, yeah uh I don't have a credit card because previously I did not want to hold one uh for fear of unnecessarily spending or anything of the sorts uh but I am considering one


in the future lah uh nearer future I guess


(ppc), , ya, sure actually when you talked about that I realised one of my friend mentioned as well in terms of keeping track of his spending a bit more accurately instead of


either credit or debit he actually I mean through the debit card lah he does uh he deducts straight from ATM with meaning he never uses like paywave or swiping rather he uses oh no sorry I mean NETS all the time yeah


ya which is interesting, ya at least a day or two


ya I agree, ya


I think I I think I think for me it'll be the same uh also, I think some considerations being the term, for the investment that will be required I don't have anything particularly in terms of uh having investments uh specifically I mean I don't know whether insurance kind of counts but uh other than that like specific


the like investing investing I don't have anything set up the bulk of my cash is all set in actual just like money safe in the bank kind of stuff lah and yeah I think for me it wasn't so much of the interest rate being an issue


uh or rather that's not a big consideration had or has not been a big consideration and is more that, fact that , when the when you put it in interest or when you earn or when you put it to invest it's definitely going to be locked in uh for a certain period of time before it grows and then you can take it out or whatever so that was my only


consideration back then when I needed to make sure that I, I think in terms of early career I needed to make sure I was a bit more fluid, uh cash fluid or liquid yeah cash fluid ya


cash liquid ya clash ya cash liquid ya sorry sorry I forgot the term yeah uh ya ya ya cool, uh what is your in for experience of getting a loan from a bank if so share details of your bank loan okay so


for me I actually to be honest for myself I have not gotten any, loans uh before uh so I think ya you might be better to answer this question I guess ya


meaning to say from what I'm hearing from you cause I I actually did not know this so car at least at least taking the two three examples there so car and student loan


normally when you get it they give you and they will say this is the interest rate we can offer you are you okay you agree and then that's the fixed interest rate for the entire loan but then for home loans it fluctuates and just follows the interest I mean the markets lah right


okay


okay uh next question two, oh yes


uh ya I guess I think cause I mean I know couples including one that we know uh uh I think you know which one I'm talking about and uh ya ya so they they have a joint account as


well I cannot remember if it's more of a joint account for spending or a joint account for saving or maybe a bit of both but yeah I mean if if there's a specific purpose in terms of, uh having the joint account as don't see why not especially if it's like combined expenditures for your life like marriage and like buying stuff for your new house and whatever whatever lah kind of make sense I guess ya I mean personally I'm single so I have no idea so


ya I mean I guess on your point if it's uh what do you call that uh savings account of course


two people putting their money pulling their money together to save will definitely reap better like interest rates and stuff lah uh in terms of returns over time even if it's just a normal bank savings, account or whatever right uh so ya I guess that makes sense


at what age should a child be given an ATM card to manage their own bank account uh I think this would have to be just from our own experiences I got my first one when ah NS lah


ya we're about there ya


I mean that makes sense uh but what age do you think uh ya a a child should be given assuming the rules don't apply


ya for sure I think it would have been a lot more easier to I think, understand uh the whole concept of financial I mean managing your own finances and like savings spending whatever or whatever uh yeah that makes sense that makes sense


, I mean ya it it it's a plus and minus lah cause I do know that during my NS days when I finally had allowance like proper like not just pocket money but like NS allowance I ya I was a bit I was a bit stupid with it at times


I I think you definitely were as well but uh I think it's also a good way to learn lah at a younger, age because if you have a lesser if your if your pocket money is obviously a smaller volume and then you burn it it's not so much of a loss, at least your parents ya uh and it makes sense ya ya ya cool


ya ya ya


so a younger age uh ya teens would be good lah early teens then right I mean pretty much in secondary school, ya ya somewhere within thirteen yeah fourteen fifteen thereabouts ya cool, cashback points or miles that's the next question a type of credit cards uh do you think people should be using


I think for me what I'm realising now when I'm doing my financial planning in general is that, I would go with miles then cashback because point seems to be a very rigged system nowadays like even


freaking like Grab right you the last time you can get points quite easily and then because of that you can just like redeem and then get good stuff but then nowadays it's like damn stupid in like it's very hard to get the points, uh ya so I'll say miles cashback yeah


ya exactly so they they and they can always fluctuate it right I mean of course you can do it for miles as well but at least with miles there is definitely something that I want which is to get a discount a big discount off my tickets and, stuff lah and travel plans and that's something that I think is important for both of us in terms of travelling right


, (mmhmm)


ya care obviously yeah yeah yeah that makes sense, okay cool


I think I I I don't think that required to go through all the, question the thing just going through the questions right


, not directly from a bank so mine was always I mean not from a bank mine was always either through a direct agent or through a financial intermediary intermediary, uh those middle men guys uh so


I actually have I mean I always see it coming up popping up either as email notifications or whenever I logged into , my banking apps and stuff they tell me oh do you want to get this do you want to get this kind of insurance blah blah blah but I never use it uh I mean, I think to me it's like I rather just get it directly from the insurance ah


I don't know what do you think,


I mean now they do a bit more uh like recently I think over this year at least but I don't think previously the never did lah they were more on like do you want to get the savings account do you want to get this whatever card and this and that lah


, okay, uh I used to have a fixed deposit account that was uh shared with my mother


uh and then I think the term and that and then I now I don't but I think that was for, kind of like a specific purpose I'm in I I details of, are not so clear because it was quite a while back uh but ya I had to go down with my mom and then go and do the papers and signing or whatever whatever and then uh the fixed deposit doesn't exist in one


I mean and and I guess I think for my parents at least who are a bit more older they are more towards, the generation of , how to say they don't want to go and put into like futures and bonds and stuff and they want a bit more secured interest like a fixed interest rate essentially ya uh a bit more risk-averse lah


essentially ya ya cool, uh the last one what is your experience purchasing, investment products in a trust ETFs what is ETFs ah


okay so if you have such such experience explain or do you


part three negative experiences, K, (ppc)


, let's see when I was forced to change my plans against my field, , yes interesting


right make sense ya I mean I guess ya I would have the same as you I had uh kind of a road, map where I intended to leave my previous job and then go and do masters and stuff like some time this year and then


partly because of uh situations at my previous workplace as well as uh of course this new COVID thing uh I had to shift my plans and set it to switch uh careers instead, of pursuing my studies lah uh so that was


something that uh was not in my plans at all uh to be very frank I guess ya but I just rode with it lah I guess (hmm), describe a moment when you feel like the world is against you


the moment, (ppc), I mean for me I guess sometimes I get a bit of like, reverse karma moments when, I feel like I've not been doing anything wrong per se or anything uh to


inflict any pain or any horror to anybody else but then somehow I just get a brunt of bad luck or some bad things happen uh some in some aspect of life lah and then for me it's like confused and just like annoyed lah and I feel like what is happening in like


there's nothing that I could have done that made me responsible made me get this , and that's a bit shitty I guess ya ya


ya


makes sense , K describe a time when you was heartbroken, !huh! ah ah I


think it was uh and obviously you know this, uh when I broke up with my first girlfriend lah, yeah I think that being uh obviously a first girlfriend and also being a breakup I think was uh something that


came to me unexpected especially I guess because I don't think (ppc) at that point I'd been doing anything wrong or, anything that would have caused the breakup and so that really broke me quite a bit never mind okay lah I wouldn't say break but I was really in a bit of a wreck and quite a bit of a wreck


lah uh ya ya I think that was probably the time yup


it makes sense , describe a time when you were looked down by a friend or relative


, ya makes sense interesting, uh ya I think for me it was


, the one I can remember was my first uh the first time I shifted jobs so that was when I intentionally, left uh my first job and then wanted to pursue something that was a bit


more meaningful purposeful and it's not going to be a corporate job it was going to be something totally different and uh I think I had a lot of, uh my friends who , gave a lot of judgments to say that uh or I don't think this is this make sense I think you should uh when you think you want to go back to the corporate world and this and that and


a lot of uh negative comments I guess in summary which was uh pretty crappy lah ya, and I think that was uh what it was but I guess the interesting thing was also that I mean after a while a bunch of them once I had gotten that new job and then I had uh they could see that I was doing pretty well and I was pretty happy at the job as well uh they were I guess how to say


, feeling uh happy for me lah I guess ya , obviously eventual turning of perceptions lah ya ya ya


I get that , okay, describe a time when you've felt betrayed, (hmm)


!wow! I think you just bite it off lah obviously not ya


cool, that's good I guess for you , at least you got uh to decided to move on ya uh oh I think for me it was uh


during a relationship that I had in between , I found out that I mean it wasn't not like cheat case of cheating per se but , uh I found out that there were parts of that person's uh this girlfriend of mine uh history that she did not share with me


and uh that involved uh a lot of, different complications that I feel like I should have been aware of before I had gotten involved uh or gotten invested in that, relationship lah uh so that made me feel pretty


betrayed and for me I guess at that point in general especially with friendships or relationships uh, once you, betray my trust I feel very much uh different towards that person uh yeah I think naturally yup yup okay


if you're going to die tomorrow what are your last words to your loved ones, ya, I think for me I would


say a bit more I guess I mean it's also, trying not to live to with too much fear uh try not to live with too much grudges, just and just do what you can to keep yourself and the people around you happy lah


ya, ya


ya for sure that makes sense , describe a time when you felt like giving up, so I think it was


during that same period when I had left uh my that first job of mine because I think on one side I was going through some personal stuff in life and then on another side I had come out


of a bad situation from work plus a lot of different , pressures and negative comments coming from friends so everything coming together made me just feel very crappy and uh


that made me feel like giving up I guess but fortunately I had friends who supported me lah uh some friends who are still like very much supportive of me yes so that helped


playing field lah ya


uh ya that's cool that makes sense definitely , felt like giving up ya so that was there what are the injustices of the world that make you angry, oh so many !huh!


I mean I think one of the things that always pops up for me is when there are bigger, powers or bigger organisations at play and in their pursuit of profit or in their pursuit of whatever other self interests that they have uh they tend to either (ppc) exploit or misuse or cheat


uh people in general whether it's within their own like, countries or other countries and stuff I mean there've been cases where like all these big brands uh go and set up factories in some places and like sweatshops essentially I tell you the whole concept of sweatshops right that kind of stuff


ya and uh I think for me it's really messed up because it also not just about depleting the resources and potential of that person but you are really also, that person or that community could have been so much more could have been a happy place uh even within their own means but you went in there and then I mean you as that organisation basically went in there and totally messed it all up lah ya


ya, , ya and then that that country in itself ends up suffering but then you take the sources resources from that country which is the irony of it lah right ya


(ppc)


ya I mean it's really just looking at how practical it is in modern society and in the essence of bringing out whatever its equity equality and making sure everybody across the board and some level has a good standard or quality of life right


uh ya ya ya ya definitely agree on that, uh whatever way, what is your most embarrassing, ah


and can imagine ah, embarrassing embarrassing


I mean I have had uh, quite a lot but, I mean I wouldn't say it's most embarrassing but I mean stuff I mean there've been days when I mean I guess uh we have gone out partying and stuff and then like came back and I really regretted it


not just because it's like the, after effects for me uh but I guess also because like let's say for example if my parents were worried that time that night or whatever like back in the very very young days lah I think then that made me feel a bit embarrassed and a bit guilty as well


ya I guess ya that makes sense ya happens right ,


I think it was probably , and one of my previous jobs uh so I think for me it was quite straightforward lah basically along the lines of found one of the first few, people there and uh


I mean one of the main people there and then I didn't get a good bonus at the end of the year even though I worked like my butt off ya, yes it is


part two positive experiences


could you hold for it a bit ya


all the time I meet okay, so describe a type time when you were helped by someone in your time of need


actually what, oh ya ya ya ya ya ya, oh ya I remember that ya ya


that was valid yes I remember that there was a funny thing, I was not even part of the group project not even part of the module but because you knew that I knew the stuff you asked me to join your, project and then your people also thanked me which was funny uh well I was like okay ya sure why not


ya uh okay, uh when was I at time when I was helped by someone in my time of need uh, (hmm) I mean it was not really a help help per se but more of providing support which to me I also consider as help lah


I think there were there was one incident uh last year or the year before somewhere around last year I think maybe uh when uh there was a really bad uh, situation that happened at work and I was left a bit uh


kind of shaken lah and then I straight away went over to one of my friend's places uh social and then he was just there to help me talk through it lah and kind of feel a bit better ya just moral support and and also kind of like a sound board uh ya


cause I think that was a case that I had not , experienced before and that was really a kind of out of the blue kind of a scenario not just a normal work scenario, uh ya so that happened and that was cool yup


what was your best meal, so I yes it was, just think of one lah


I'm trying to think as well uh, ya ya


that makes sense ya uh I just remembered one of the best meals I've had I think I mean I don't know whether it's the best but ya


it was when I went to japan and I went to, the Ichiran uh Ichiran Ramen uh at uh, Osaka and then ya ya and I had the Ichiran uh Ramen at Osaka


and I think it was because we we queued up for it it wasn't a big queue but we just queued up and we were a bit I think my friend and I who was there uh they do a research for travelling at that time uh we had a few drinks the night before and then the next day cause we were so hungry and


one day I ordered and it was really really good like one of the best Ramen set I've had uh and that and my face really just like became light up, uh when I had it lah so it was really cool uh ya and the weather and everything was also perfect so felt like a fucking movie sorry I swore uh but yes uh


yes ya that was the best meal I guess one of the best meals yeah , ya, next question uh


can't think of surprise gift ah gift gift


, actually I think if I were to go along the same lines think my best surprise slash gift, that I gave uh also that same couples we know uh was that I was helping to be the kind of uh coordinator for their wedding because they


didn't uh they chose not to hire like official planner or whatever whatever and then because they did most of the planning themselves it's just that on the days that we're there we just kind of like two back to back days they needed someone to manage the, whole thing and run it and help run it with whoever else was involved with those the dinner uh I mean uh venue staff or the restaurant staff and blah blah blah so that was something that I think was quite special that I managed to help


do and it when it turned out really well I mean you were there yes obviously uh so ya that was really cool uh I think that was one of the best ya for sure, cool describe a time when you can't wait to attend a special event or concert I think


uh last year that was us uh, when we were ya , ya cause we were pretty psyched uh to that muse was coming to singapore for the F one event


and then we were trying to figure out how to go when to go uh how to get, the thing yeah , so there was a lot of planning that was going on for a simple just attending a concert at the end of it ya but we were really hyped about it for yeah I guess cause I mean good uh rock bands uh don't come to singapore that often


ya so you were really pumped for that I remember that ya uh firework ya


uh ya


ya err


I think I had a I I mean ya I remember when uh the first linkin park concert that I was going to go to as well it was pretty psyched, ya that that was fun uh, oh ya right right right I remember


I think you told me yup K describe a time when you laughed too hard, uh


, , you know and I I remember I remember ya that that was really epic because know the thing you know cause it oh okay first of all he was he was playing the game and we were watching him play the game and he had his lights


off uh and, we were sitting behind him so it was I mean obviously because it was a zombie game they were all coming at him and he was trying really hard and then I think as he was coming closer I I was the one who did it I was like it's coming it's coming it's coming then I went to shake him and say it's coming then he really flipped out and he


uh that was that was really bad and I remember he was very he was very pissed at us as well ,


ya that that was really good , uh cool , K next question describe a time when you took a risk and was rewarded with success


uh


I mean I think it's the same for me but err not on school stuff I think I mean the one thing that I can, think about is maybe just relationships so I think there was at least one case where


I think I was friends with the girl and then , it was going well but then there was no clear indication of whether I had a chance or not and decided to just take a risk and then fortunately she was like ya sure and then we started dating lah uh and uh so I would say that was I guess rewarded


good success ya, so ya I guess that was uh taking a leap of faith kind of thing yup


right, I think for me it's the whole aspect of, whether or not there was the entire intention or whether or not it was the hundred percent objective


and , it's kind of like if how to say, ya so I mean if I want to try to help people and then they feel that they really appreciate that help that I did or whatever that is and also even though it might have been a hard task like like for example the the case where I was doing the planning and the running for the wedding


uh that was really tiring and stressful but at the end of the day uh because I know it's for people that I really care about and, also that I really want to do this for them cause I really want them to have a good wedding and also of course at the end of it seeing that it came out well I think that is what made me persevere lah so seeing people happy


particularly I guess my friends and family lah yup


, , ya I think I agree but uh I think for me, it's also the broader group uh of migrant workers who end up becoming either some kind of healthcare some kind of cleaning as well as construction and a lot of maintenance staff as well because I remember


in that initial onset of the COVID and everything and then when , we were asked to stay at home mostly or work from home and stuff like that but then uh these guys were still out there doing the regular work cause someone has to do it right and some and they were the ones who despite leaving their families like abroad and


coming here and working for those families they were the ones that were still taking that additional risk uh to make sure that, uh we as a country are safe and clean and what not lah so ya


ya for sure cause I mean it's someone has to do and these are the guys who are deciding in choosing to do it they can always just say like no I don't want and then like this too much risk for me and just leave and go and do some other work right but they are doing it ya, (hmm)


cool , I think and the the one that I was thinking about is I remember reading this in the email


was the round cake story lah, (ppc) ya, and I I I remember that that round cake story in particular is I think because it has all the element, is of a drama emotion


comedy uh , and that climax conclusion tension uh actually I I could make it into a short film you know in fact ya ya, and so I think I think and the thing is it's always very uh it's it's like a classic story that we would tell people


go whenever uh (ppc) and they get they start to like meet uh enough, cause uh you thought you I mean cause the the the thing is this story starts out with one key role and one villain and it totally other way


although the actual villain in the background is Shafiq cause he just ran away


uh okay describe a fond memory you share with your loved ones


right right cool, and that was when you were six is it you said, oh uh


maybe that's what made you want to go to japan back then also eventually subconsciously interesting, ah uh fond memory from with my loved ones are, I think err the most recent one that I just keep to my mind was my brother's wedding so I think it was naturally also a bit stressful but I think overall it was really a pleasant ah occasion and uh


think what was also interesting for me at least was also that he decided to have a reception with his uh own friends like just for his friends but he also invited me for it uh and that made made me feel nice and a bit more special lah I guess uh so that was cool ya


financial related topic


okay so do you have a saving account so share your experience and details of your accounts uh if not why do you not okay ya I do have I mean I'm sure you have right Arvind


very similar to you I also have two bank accounts one is like exactly like what you've mentioned is meant for the goals like one is just purely for saving while the other I use it just for spending so ya like what he said like every month when the salary comes in then that's when I


I I do it manually so I don't really do it like in uh automated manner which is quite interesting when you mentioned it because I actually never explored that part or cause I can start actually looking into


I'm in the next part of the question if not why do you choose not to put your money the bank I guess in singapore no one does that right like are there such people are , okay ya, okay


ya for me I mean as as you know I have both our credit and debit debit is more for, actually I am thinking of moving away from using debit card but, in singapore like both your debit card and your cash card they are the same card so


ya might as well just keep it whereas for credit card as in yeah it's pretty goodness of the cashback and at the same time we get mileage points and all the so the benefits are pretty much there, other than that ya there's it's just convenience to have one of each lah so that's is that that's all for me


ya cause I guess NETS immediate right whereas for, if if you use your debit card and that's it for miles or Visa it'll be a day later that you'll see the deduction so ya, , cool let's go next some may argue the bank


gotcha ya, the next uh some may argue that bank's interest rates are unattractive whereas others feel that the money is still inaccessible in banks


for me it's a mixture of both lah I mean I would like to have immediate cash in the bank investments of course I'll leave aside to invest elsewhere, and I mean if there's I mean if despite interest rates being unattractive or not it's not like I'm to hide my cash underneath my bed so


ya so having a bank is still important, it's just that if you want to invest it then firstly for me do do a bit of investment outside but not heavily still a bulk of my cash is in cash lah which is in the bank


liquid , yes , ya well I get your point ya


ya for my end because of the home loan right so but the home loan, and my one in in terms of details yeah got it from OCBC features of it is that unlike where unlike uh some loans like say for example car loans where you can have a fixed interest rates


for home loans there is no fixed interest rates interest rates especially when it's going to be for thirty years, cause they wanna like tag it to the floating rates of the market so in that sense like , at first it's a bit odd where because I I would I would initially uh prefer fixed interest rate but there when they mentioned that it can't be fixed because it's going to be a long term thing and there can be like a lot of like risk involved especially when you fix it


so I mean looking at how the interest are right now I'm not complaining anymore, so ya it's it's pretty good uh current interest rates


correct correct correct I'm not sure about student loans but for car loans that's what it it is but for home loans ya, cause usually it's going to be average of the average singaporean I guess takes it for twenty to thirty years somewhat kind of a long period they would prefer it to be a floating rate


then do you think couples should combine their finances and open a joint account, what actually what do you think because for me I I am it doesn't really matter I'll think that either or it's still the same if it's depends on the couple as well right


ya for me I mean like I will I'm not married yet so I don't really know how this what's the benefit or not or the uh, like the all the cost or losses on having a combined joint account I mean, the only benefit I see is that maybe you open up a savings joint account which is good because you see the money grow bigger there was you just looking at your own savings account but beyond that yeah I guess it's a personal choice this this kind of things depends on how you and your partner discuss it out


same same actually mine as well I I got it just before NS, not really just before NS yeah but around that seventeen eighteen that that range, but because in singapore I think is sixteen that you can legally get the uh ATM card, if not if not you have as in bank right I wanted to withdraw money


and I was like below I was like before sixteen and they mentioned that before sixteen have to bring the bank book and you have to keep whereas ATM card is, unless your parents actually give it to you means they signed it up for you and they they uh get it for you, if not legally you you alone is uh sixteen I believe so


I would say uh I don't know I mean let's say


so early teens lah for me I would say early teens let them as in like child should understand if like for for example for myself, if I have a bank bank and there is a finite amount of cash in it, I would would I would have learnt like love to learn at a early age how to allocate such expense assets ya costs and such cash


because especially when I think of receiving pocket money daily right then I'll I'll see the cash in my wallet and just spend it but if I see a certain amount in my bank I'll think it then I'll withdraw this much uh this much for the weekend I'm going to manage my finances for this entire week, and uh ya


earnings ya , ya the same


well that that that's exactly which brings on to my point why is it early because like exactly at both of us right we we made the same mistakes like what you said and that's because we didn't have experience of how to you know manage our finances at that age so when you saw a uh uh uh a relatively large sum of cash in our bank account we're like oh yeah let's just spend it


ya so, so as which is now I feel, correct correct correct correct say thirteen or fourteen lah one of those age


K next point, hard question lah this is tough lah


same same, correct correct correct correct


and they've also increased the number of points to actually redeem stuff


correct same point same logic as you lah for me it's miles and cashback, cashback because I mean just cuts off a a little bit of my expenses whereas of for miles it's it's I mean especially for us right when we travel


a bulk of our expense will go to air tickets I mean except this year I do see but I have more savings this year compared to last year ya, correct so in that sense ya these two are uh are the better cards to have lah that sort of thing


, this year we we have four more minutes ah ya what is the experience of using the, what is your experience in choosing


actually ya what's here ah I'm quite interested ah I've never purchased insurance products from, as in the I remember long term about but I can't remember what what was it but did you purchase an insurance product from banks


understand ya same same as you I also get it directly from the insurance agents whose representative of the either a bank or either the financial, complaint which is usually insurance companies, so from entirely for a bank I guess not so much from here


ya cause the funny thing is that here in banks they don't promote so much of insurance products compared to insurance agents who are on the streets


correct correct correct correct, correct, let's just go next do you have a bla bla bla I have neither man do you


, correct correct agree, interesting actually interesting


what's it called tracking for forgot and and diners basically are a small uh a small part of us of and oh as in it's basically a a product that tracks and index, and it takes a small part of that it isn't like a tracker that tracks the index but a small part of it so you're not you're not investing in the entire index you're just investing a very small minuscule part of


an index which is ya, for me for ETFs yes so I I mean if that's the name of the product that's basically the Nikko AM


unit trusts uh which is the ETFs attracts uh singapore STI and it's amongst it's a RSP product which which I would recommend you to try as well lah because you just put in passively like hundred dollars a month you just buy as much as uh you just buy as much as you can with the hundred dollars as it goes like monthly


so it's not too bad and beyond that unit trust I used to do build until I pulled out from through an insurance package led through an insurance agent they used couldn't care for (uh) for towards towards mutual funds ya


negative experiences, okay recall a situation where you're forced to change a plans against your will there's so many times man


, ya so many times too many times that, I mean the most pissed off one was uh, what was the most pissed off one ah, I I mean every time I change plans I always get pissed off so anyway


off my head I would say is my recent job change so I'd I do jobs to to go for and my plan was actually for one particular one just aiming for the longest time and, things plans change because thanks to this virus and uh ya


and because of that yeah didn't work out , and I'll think the the next other plan so which is plan B


also the same as you like uh, also do you still like me especially when the initial part of the year I was like uh terminated from my preferred place place cause this this virus thing the whole the whole like wall street like wall street like thingy, and then from that period until I got my new job uh for that period of like two and a half months


it felt like uh the whole I'll like uh is the world against me because anything I touched bit even a machine I touched it was spoiled that period of time anything I said would always come out like ya the the period period of two and a half months or anything I said


will come out wrongly so it just didn't uh it just felt like it's a couple of days right I used to feel just like how you mentioned like everything is is like the world and versus me me against the world kind of thing, and things that aren't going right and, I was is reflect like what should I do to avoid it and I came to the conclusion that the best thing to do is this kind of situation is don't do anything


ya and then just let things just die out on its own and eventually I did feel like things did die out I mean the that period of where I felt the world is against me ya so ya


ya for for me was also the same similar situation like you ah was the most recent definitely so, truly heartbroken and ya I was like couple of times I will just think like what what what could have been better as then as in not just what could have been better if the entire situation is completely different


then things would have never come down to what it what it was and always so ya it was heartbreaking


this one ah a bit easy for me to say because how to put this ah back in, JC I mean you are from ACSI as well I was from SR so SR back then uh two thousand seven eight it wasn't one of the better performing uh JC until after my batch because uh that's when the grades are improving in terms of graduates


so back back then I had a couple of friends who were from NJ and better junior colleges and I did notice like when it came down to actually talk talking about subjects and also about academics, I used to be looked down upon by some of them and ironically after in outside I actually did better than some of them couple of those subjects they used to look down on me which was quite funny !wah! ironic


but ya I mean there was a time where I I did feel that I was being looked down, by friends so ya


ya that's good man ya I mean not the part where you're looked down upon lah the the good part is the eventual eventually things, ya, so ya


for me it's easier I'll I'll take one off the bat because there was there was the most significant ones so basically I used to have this one uh secondary school friend sec four friend I knew him since that we're young because we were from the same kinder school, we became closer in sec four


dude dude used to like ask for cash as in he used to ask to like borrow cash and all these and I lent him because he said that he uh that he had legit reasons for the cash but eventually I found out that actually there was not any , legit reasons for borrowing the cash it was just purely to show you like go out with other


other uh friends such as girls and all and just throw money around, and show it like he's a rich kid but actually he's not but he's just borrowing money to do such things so I mean oh he borrowed money for those reasons is one thing but when it came down to returning those cash, he never returned it and I felt betrayed because I was like dude like I lent him because of a legitimate reason but you did your your you had your own fun but when it came on returning back the cash he didn't do it so


felt completely betrayed I mean till date he has not returned the cash and that it's been like close to more than ten years back, correct correct correct I just beat it off like I I just told him please consider this to be a donation for for your behaviour I just told him off the last the last uh contact we had that was like years back


, I will just say simply uh value time


I would say value time and uh during uh school days when you're studying don't study too hard just enjoy only study just enough to make it to to the next stage in life that's all because after that working life is longer than actually uh the school life so ya


ya for me I would say the one point of time that ah, that I mean the other question about why persevere and so there was one point of time I felt really like like giving up was actually during the A levels period that time was running out and there's so much to study everyday I used to be like like what's the purpose behind this why am I doing this for should I just give up and you know like uh


like to this like just give up studying and you know like like accept that I'm not going to do well, in in for A levels and there's you know find a way to move on to to the next stage instead of going to university as in to like the like NTU or NUS or SMU whichever


but ya so I just perceive it perceive it on telling myself like just just to go go for it and just finish it, and uh one of them that spur me on also is like I mention because in that point of time I was also being looked down by a couple of friends from elite JCs I was like nah nah nah I can't I can't lose out on this because at the end of the day the the the good thing about A levels is that when you sit for the exam everyone is on the same


is on the same type of platform there is no different there's no like if someone's smarter yeah is isn't there is no such thing as someone's smarter means he's going to get extra materials during the exam or something at all it it was actually quite good uh at the end because in the end I managed to make it through and


ya move on to the next stage of life and ya to till till date it's I still feel it is the most, crazy time because it was like there was no end to it it's not like work work if you have ongoing project there will come a point of time, couple of times where you can relax you know you have the whole weekend for yourselves to just to just chill but A levels and studying especially during the studying period of your life there is no there's no such thing as relax weekends especially when exams are coming there's no such thing as that


ya so yup ya so many


interesting ya that that's true, especially will exploit resources of the other country at the expense as in for for the sake of profit and not giving back to their to their own countries' society and all those


for me I would say is more about , the lack of progress of certain, cultural flaws or dogmatic dogmatic practice flaws, such as uh especially pretty strong in our patriarchal societies


such as uh couple of countries where if a rapist does what he did what he did and he can he doesn't get a heavy punishment say like what they mete out such punishment in singapore, so that's something that I I would I would find is is is is really makes me angry because


, it it it's because of such uh cultural, cultural flaws or or things uh things that are refused to be progressed, that such issues exists to persist because if the if there's progression and in in the cultural uh having its people start looking at at certain cultural practices in today's perspective in the modern perspective


then they will they will actually try to revise it and even look to amending the current laws I mean that's why in the states you call it the first amendment right as it is amended, so certain certain certain countries I feel that need to look inwards at the cultural issues and, try to like be more progressive with that and try to like improve on it and amend certain laws to to meet the modern days' requirement


so that is funny in at this, , for me is tearing my pants in in in the public sphere, so ya it's embarrassing I had to walk super awkwardly back, , just to get it fixed yes super embarrassing


ya (ppl) describe a moment when you felt that you're treated unfairly


positive experiences, okay let's see what's this


, describe a time when you were helped by someone in in your time of need, , angel you you you you see the timing bar there it's sort of like blocking ya


oh okay then sure it's fine, in your time of need, it it's so apt that you are the partner and can think of one lah back at NTU


especially for that lah the project meeting remember uh I asked you to drop by, , I asked you to drop by to be in my meeting when you're not part of my groupmate


because I had no clue of what to do for the meeting especially at the accounting level kind of questions you came you came with rachel and then ya you guys uh you guys going and solve the problem and basically did the project for on behalf of the


so there was one time I can think that I've been helped by someone in my time of need cause I I absolutely had nothing to no idea what to do


ya it was funny man


what was the best meal you had man I can't really answer this when there's so many good meals I had that I cannot answer what's the best amongst them, ya one of the bad ah that's easier ya when it's can be something recent right like ever I mean ever since the lockdown happened it's all either I get delivery or either I eat at home so


when the best meal I ever had was after the lockdown was just getting out of the house going to Shake Shack, and eating a burger there it was not the burger that was the one in our where was it the the one in our, not the other one the one near #keong saik# ya #keong saik# correct correct so


is literally just having a burger there and is just the idea of sitting down in a restaurant and knowing that, that I'm in a restaurant and not being stuck at home, and having the burger freshly cooked and eating it freshly cooked so ya it's good


what is the best surprise or gift you've ever given someone


couple of surprise I've done but the best was, interesting lah, I would say it's something that I did for my old ex-girlfriend then when I was sixteen and she turned her sixteenth birthday


basically got a couple of friends and uh , like organise a birthday party for her at a restaurant which she never expected it to happen because she was kept in the dark and she kept asking like oh what what shall we do on her birthday and blah blah back then


and I kept dodging the question and finally when she actually saw what's gonna happen she was like so, uh happy about it so I think yeah that's probably one of the best surprise or a gift I've probably given to someone, as in it's not so much of the value or the monetary value or the product that I give someone it's more about the end result that I saw the person was happy so there was something I give make me feel like oh okay I made this person really happy so ya ya that's probably the best I can think of


ya we also right


, what to do what to prove what to do before that


correct correct correct correct, for me similar not last year's F one was actually two thousand eleven's F one so I received a surprise birthday gifts to attend for linkin park and and and and I was I was a huge fan of linkin park until


unfortunately chester had to leave as in leave as in leave the world, so when I found out I actually received that as a birthday present I was like I just went nuts, and the entire night because cause my birthday was around F one period so the next day was actually supposed to be linkin park's concert the entire night just couldn't sleep I just kept I just kept like scream on a mic and just go crazy you know let's say ah yes still today is the most memorable concert I ever went for so ya


unfortunate the second one like he was supposed to go to japan he passed away that year, I was like what ya, sadly


I think this is something that we both have a shared memory remember once at uh during MIE so Prashant was uh playing this uh game and is one zombies started chasing him in the game and he threw the whole controller out and we're both on the floor laughing, like who doesn't who throws the controller in the air and he also because he was pissed he is because he was so shocked six zombie appear he threw the controller


ya ya ya ya ya ya, , he threw the controller , , ya ya ya that was, ya the that was bad man


, , I will still laugh so nevertheless it's a shared memory and we both probably laugh too hard on that,


this one is something ah risk in my life, I guess for me it's more towards academics lah like during exam I spot chose a question that everyone believe will not come I just stuck by it and that's a risk I took and ya I guess I got a good grade for the exams lah


that's how I got it with success but the sort of I mean yeah that's all ah that's the biggest risk probably I took, in terms of other financial risks and all this nah I I didn't take in heavy financial risk till date so ya


, for me it's just the idea of nah


of failing or not, like fear of failure and at the same time uh, harder to dislike the idea of not having to see things through like even if I persevere and something doesn't work out well like like that that the plan failed


at least I see it through so I don't know it's just the idea of and I would say the idea of seeing it seeing things through, so that makes me persevere


post-COVID world who or what are you need to thankful of, or appreciative towards, for me it's cleaners leh, I mean uh cleaners and uh and ya cleaners and hospital workers lah basically


especially cleaners because, they're doing everything with they're doing all the cleaning up and every all this stuff so and while all of us can work from home and a couple of us can, I do I don't know like like they just work from home which is technically slightly more relaxing in terms of waking up the cleaners still have to the cleaners still have to do their job


there's no work from home for that, so ya that's for me lah


and I guess ya that's that's something that you all have to appreciate because, if if, there's no cleaners what's who working at this point of time then, ya, who's going to sanitise the the handrails and everything else you know


share a funny inside joke that you and your group friends still laugh about it till today, what is it ah I know we have a lot of inside jokes lah


anticlimax conclusion , it is funny it is funny


, ya,


the monkey took the pie and ran away


for me I would say is uh a thousand, ya for me is, actually the first time when I went japan so I was only six years old it was my sixth birthday my mom was like you know what your dad is on a business trip so let's just go and visit him, and before that I was only visiting like countries in asia like say uh thailand or uh india so the first time I arrived in japan I've never back then I've never been in a country that's more modernised than singapore so !wow! where's this country man


, so then when I saw my dad there and also mom felt like a good holiday and good like uh, it's a good trip lah so that's what actually one of my most vivid fond memory


yes two six, (mm), ya maybe [leh] subconsciously (ppl)


part one financial related topic, so


anyway ya daven since you mentioned you attended some courses on finance right like uh financial investment related courses right maybe you can share with me like what what you actually learn or what they teach you in the courses


okay okay, but but what about the recent more recent one is is it also about uh dividend uh like, earning dividends to so that you can retire early is it is it the same thing


right <B>, so so so far have you applied the like the knowledge, you learn into your uh own investing because recently the markets also came down right so I think a lot of people they are using this chance to go into the market


ya ya ya I think I think so also lah I mean uh the as part of my work because my


colleagues also they talk about a lot they talk a lot about this , these things as well mah so ya same even even since march they have always been like saying oh uh they still think is bearish its still bearish right


april there were also bearish may there were also bearish june they were still bearish ya ya so


ya ya, oh okay okay ya ya sure


ya ya


I mean uh is uh, is kind of normal in that sense mah because so far, until now uh the US side the markets in the US they have, always been so called leading the other markets like uh


singapore or maybe asian asia markets also so, uh like maybe the last twenty thirty years US markets maybe went up maybe double also already but then


is uh leading the leading leading the singapore market lah ya and then I think mostly also because the US they are printing a lot of money so I guess the money first first find their way into the US market first


before uh flowing around to other markets also ya


I mean uh historically because US is the uh biggest, capitalist country and then is the you know so far ya so far is the most successful


economically also so uh, I guess that will continue until the day when the US, uh is being overtaken lah or they stopped being uh the the number one capitalist country in the world ya


one day china might be leading as compared to the US ya if lets say one day the US and the economy slows down they are no longer they are more protectionist ya they are no longer as


welcoming of capital and people ya


I mean


ya so, ya so that's the downside of uh investing in the US lor so uh


personally I and I sometimes I also tell my clients uh I, I invest in the US for growth then I invest in singapore for dividends so because singapore dividends are not tax so and and the dividend rates are also quite high in singapore also


so but the stocks the capital gains uh are quite, slow in singapore because the stocks move quite slow also so if you want to look for capital growth then I will look to the US ya, so so depends on uh what what


what's your goal from the market like maybe for me is a mixture of both so I will put a portion in the US and a portion in uh in the local market, I mean I mean uh lot of people they also they are what they're they are more they they have a tendency to


to invest in the local market also mah because is is what they are more familiar with and then the names they are also more familiar with maybe and they feel more safe you know but nowadays there's a lot of brokerage even local brokerages


ya ya ya singapore's volume is definitely smaller lah so uh most of the volumes are in the I mean ah, highest volume definitely is US lah then #hong kong# is also higher than singapore so I don't know about london but eh I don't see a lot of uh singaporeans investing in UK lah mostly in uh hong kong and US for foreign markets ya


ya I think, ya lor volume definitely is a big issue a big problem lah because it's only when you have volume like uh institutional big institutional volume then the market then they can discover the market uh volume


uh market value that's that's when your price share price tend to move closer to the, fair price lah ya so if you don't mind can I uh close my window for awhile, you hold on ah


ah sorry sorry, ya ya


okay ya so so ya as I was saying ya it's it's only when you have big volume uh institutional players then they can then there's there's more possibility that the value in the shares can be discovered lah ya


ah ha, ya I I mean the volume is small for when when it comes to investment in the local market so but it is not small when


encourage people to sign up with them ya


ya ya I will I will say I will think so for the foreign brokers yeah because a lot of them they also they are focus is also mainly on the the derivatives on the stock market or on the eh individual


derivatives on the individual equity so it's not so much is encouraging people to buy on the price is not so much encouraging people to invest for the long term ya


so so I think they have a different approach lah coming into singapore market ya


ya ya ya ya ya I mean uh


it it can be good or bad because uh when they come in with those derivatives then it allows the, people to go either long or short so uh it it gives investors more choices and when you have more participant in the market then that's that's when so called


the market can discover prices better lah like uh ya they get like when there's people who are shorting and people who are buying you know then there's when the, the equilibrium can be found


ya I mean derivatives ah number one they are not uh they are a bit dangerous because of because they allow the use of margin or leverage so uh that means you can be


buying with buying or selling with money that you do not have you are borrowing from the broker thats the first thing then secondly because , they are encouraging you to speculate but then uh I mean not a lot of people


can be successful speculators lah consistently for the long term although most people, they they want to think that they can so that's another danger also ya eh but of course if


people who can do so uh then they are then they are definitely more profitable than just uh buying and holding and investing long term in the market lah but the question is how many of them can be that way and then


if you are looking for maybe uh long term growth in your capital then maybe what he says is uh you can follow what he says


provided again that uh like what I mentioned just now uh the US continues its uh leadership position as the most, free freest market almost free market , in the world then otherwise if you are looking for dividends then maybe the SNP ETF is not so suitable because


first of first of all they don't pay out the dividends and secondly because your dividends are taxable so maybe its more if that's the case maybe its more uh advantages to invest in the local market uh look for high yielding


uh stocks in the local market ya


ya I mean I


I remember reading uh finance theory where the, optimum , diversification is like uh only uh I think twenty to thirty stocks and then beyond that I think is too much already, so ya so a lot of uh


investors they also actually some some of the professional investors like warren buffet uh and some of the billionaires they also say that you know its only people who don't know what they are doing they diversify ya then people who know what they are doing then they concentrate their best ya


ya


ya ya I I mean I agree lah also experience the same


thing especially, oh uh I cannot say bad things right but uh especially certain countries lah but, uh uh, ya like when they they bring you around to to different people to get scam then


uh ya I I don't enjoy that ah so that's why I don't have a good eh good good impression on package first but I also made some, uh okay that wasn't a package tour but more like you go there and then you join a local tour but and some of them are


really nice uh they they they do what they promise, ya but uh I ya the tour, the tour guide or the tour the local tour they do what they promise but those where you book the tour in singapore and they fly you there uh


generally I don't have a good impression on those lah ya, uh because of the same reason ya


ya ya the convenience is not worth it lah I feel ya, right right ya


ya ya ya so


so what about your work like what what what what is uh so called negative thing that you encounter at work


ya ya, ya


ya ya I mean I understand lah because over here now is also like , I I mean because during the COVID period our workload jumped by a lot so uh


we we kept complaining we kept talking about it in meetings but then our boss our manager lah team manager like uh, I think ya uh even the even the bigger boss I think they all heard things were bad but then nothing really move like not really any action was taken like when we say we needed more headcount


they say that uh we can it it's only when you can , finish the it's only when you can just show that you are productive by finishing the work then we can justify additional headcount which defeats the purpose because if you can finish the work then you don't need a headcount right so ya so


ya so it is quite stupid but uh because of that, I think they also saw like a lot of us during the work from home period a lot of us were working uh into the night maybe like ten eleven and it's not just one two people is like generally people in a team sometimes doing together or taking turns doing


ya although either whether person is really doing we also can't you can't also can't tell for sure lah but


so so on top of two people who left they have to they now hiring four people so they increase two headcount , but then I, ya but then it's a bit too late because now the work volume drop and then technically you don't really need that headcount anymore but the the


I feel the problem with people leaving is always the, the team dynamics ah so uh, ya ya ya I mean


and during the work week uh it although is long hours every day but uh generally you you


you can tide through it because of the people around you lah like everything everyone is in this thing together, so like uh, ya so I think coming into this role like new role


although the pay was lower people complain about it all the time but I know I treasure I like that kind of environment where people , can work well together so although they complain a lot about the pay and then the work load but for me I just listen and I just forget about it because


I know that's not my uh determining factor at least for now ya but uh I I treasure that team dynamics lah ya until someone leave left then that's when


they arrange a meeting lah with, each one of us the staff but there were like


three people three so called are higher management in the team like asking us uh so what what do you think can be improve what what's wrong so, ya in my current job so I told them lah like , ya ya ya so I told them lah like uh you know people leave already that's so they ask me what's the problem any


problems you see now I told them morale you know maybe because too much work too little people but also maybe because now someone has left then ya then then they they still can tell me that you know uh you I've I've been through a few jobs you know you should know that


people leaving is part and parcel of it ya of course I know but then , they they also have to know that because everybody is, unhappy with it so , usually what it takes is the first person to step up then then then then


ya then that's when everybody will start to follow I mean that that's, how I see in my past roles lah I I seen it a few roles is always that whole bunch of people holding it together but once one one of the


group goes out then people start to feel that eh now I don't feel that same sense of togetherness anymore and then you know someone prove that we can get out of here so then that's when people will start following out one by one then


ya lah you have somewhere to go to lah but I think from what I see last time uh, that that's always somewhere to go to lah it's just whether or not you you you you want to, ya ya so ya lor I mean that that's what I that's what I that's what I see lah so ya that that's just


also the sad but ya because initially I thought I I came into this uh ya I I can, enjoy the the the that kind of dynamics for maybe like a one year period at least, but then ya within six months I and it's gone already lah so ya


I think is a mixture of everything ya like they first of all they don't understand the ground lah definitely from the way they during the zoom meetings uh during work from home uh


you can hear for me like when people say when, when the people on the ground said uh voice out a problem and then they shoot it down, because they don't understand what what what it takes to do the job on the ground ya then also you know you have management that


uh thinks that everything is going well you know like nothing nothing uh , we just we just wait wait for wait for things to go to turn better, ya then then ya this is what happens lah


ya I mean I guess depends on the what what management you are dealing with also right like


open they are to suggestions how willing they are to change uh how how generous they are like I mean right now here, the general perception is that the management is very stingy so when you are stingy and you expect people to do


for more work you know people people don't get people are not happy lah ya, ya and then they try to motivate you by saying you know uh, we


in in this day and age nobody buys these kind of things lah I mean we are we are all adults we are all working adults so uh ya


I mean , ya ya ya so I think


here the they they they they act like a training ground for the industry because people come in here uh get the experience on their resume learn some skills and then they go out to somewhere else already to learn to earn, more money to yeah basically to earn more money lah so uh


and then people who stay back there are those who are they they just want to, they just want their stability you know uh get a stable paycheck although it's not a lot then , I get to go home more or less on time uh every day uh most of the time lah before COVID ya so uh ya then you are left with uh this kind of people lah ya so I I mean it's


their call right uh it's not my business their pocket is not my issue so if they are happy with retaining these kind of people then uh ya by all means ah, ya I I mean the sad thing is because I'm I'm willing to stay because


of a good team but, the problem is not everyone in the team is willing to stay for it people stay, work some people work for money some people work for work life balance some people work for, uh some people work for experience some people they they just want good colleagues uh ya so different people have different uh uh things they are looking for so the the the I think the


the downside for me is that I I one of my higher priorities is good teammates lah so, when you put that as your high priority then you go in go there into the team you are happy but then, you have to understand that other your other teammates have other priorities so to them if let's say going out elsewhere


they earn more money or uh like more prestige uh is is their higher priority then they are just going to leave then once someone leaves then then your then you are not going to achieve that priority of yours ya


control ah, ya ya


ya ya so that's why I I treasure lah when I find when I find, one like that ya


eh overall, eh overall the whole company people are leaving left and right right because, they are they are they are stingy lah basically ya so so, definitely you get a lot of people leaving because of


that ya , so some some teams they have it slightly better, because their workload is lower like much lower than what we handle and that's what my colleague always complains about but we are all paid more or less the same


which is uh low so so my colleague is always unhappy because he always complains that we work so, much harder but we earn basically the same paid like uh just just for example you know that we always see a colleague sitting outside uh


complaining on his phone and then complaining he is bored with his job because he there has not there's nothing to do then there are some then there's some group of people playing table tennis at the table during working hours, uh then then my team is like , even when there's a town hall there's like food being served we


we are still working and then by the time we go out there it's only the Bihun left ya so ya so the people who


they get the same pay as you but then you you work the same you work the same you work for the same pay but uh you you only eat Bihun you know then you you you work, like a dog during the working hours you know that kind of stuff so that's why my colleagues are unhappy lah like


ya but initially I I I didn't let it affect me too much because ya ya the colleagues were nice lah but then like if one ah one by one they start leaving then ya and and you can feel when the morale is low also lah definitely so


uh I think this kind of, things rub rub off on you also ya, ya ya ya


in between and definitely there's an in between lah but whether you are high workload low workload or in between your pay is low also, definitely the people with the high workload are not happy right so ya, ah


I mean ya


they sustain well since that uh, twenty years ago I'm I'm not sure how long more they can sustain lah so I mean that's not my pocket so I don't I don't really bother with that ya


I didn't really think much about travel lah until I went overseas for six months and then , uh ya once you see, once you experience the beauty and the freedom in


some of these other places maybe because when I was younger those places I went to was always on a with a tour group and then everything is structured uh you are rushing from place to place and then it is not really those uh kind of glamorous countries but , ya when you when you spend uh maybe six months in a in a place with four seasons with uh nice scenery nice nature uh


ya ya ya I mean I mean


groups last time because the the problem with doing your own is you don't know what to do mah like ya but then so last time the internet wasn't that uh wasn't that uh popular or wasn't that prevalent so


it is very hard to find or search for information you can't book tickets online you can't book hotels online but nowadays everything, can be found online everything can be plan even before you fly so I think that makes things easier also and then definitely when you plan your own trips you


have a sense of uh you can pace yourself ya in fact I think sometimes because I don't plan actually I, I'm just following around on the trip so maybe that's one of the reasons I don't enjoy that trip maybe ya ya like I I mean for example


more like I don't, I don't know like sometimes when you plan the trip then you because you read you read before you go so then you have a sense of before you go you are wondering like how is going to be like you have a sense of uh maybe anticipation but then uh


if you don't plan then you are just going and it's it's just you go there and then you see and then ah that's it ya and then you also don't have a sense of like what what you are seeing also ya


ya ya ya ya ya, ya ya ah ya ya


I mean I agree so that's why when I previously when I plan trips I always plan with someone else so that uh there's someone to ya not not just spread the work but also someone to like make sure you don't make any mistakes especially when you're connecting from one place to another and things like that


uh so uh it's always one one person do one person check ya so, like I mean previously when I was planning I that's that's how I did it lah ya then also more more also to spread the work lah because it's very ya it is a lot of work also ya


ya ya ya


ya ya I mean ask the the the thing about, that time during , like when travel on exchange with friends uh friends is more uh a bit more have to take a bit more care lor because ya some some people they travel cheap but some people cannot stand cheap then some people they want to shop but some people want to


go into nature like hiking and things like that so then is very important to choose uh which group of friends you go with yeah so I I think I was lucky lah I managed to find, a few groups that have the same interest and also the same uh habits also so ya then then that's that's when you have fun lah and then uh you feel that sense of


independence I think ya because singapore a lot of times you are we we stay we stay with our parents until I don't know when when you get married ya so that that's your that's your first taste of freedom and then for once you are out of the cage you don't want you don't want to go back into the cage anymore


ya and and ya ya and if yeah, in fact singapore then feels like a cage after that ya so


ya ya, ya I mean I mean singapore will still have their


greenery or uh nature parks also lah but then the problem comes with the the heat lor ya I mean like when you when you you can walk for four hours in uh another country ya you feel , physically tired but you are not like sweating and sticky and everything ya but singapore I think you you you can't walk for more than two hours before you are tired of it ya


also I think the the heat is also another problem ya


I mean of course after you've seen those overseas you don't think much of those you can get here lah but ya I I ya but of course if you, want to like just for a for a breather or just


for a short hike to get away from your work then I, think there's still places like


so ya it it's a different kind of experience lah ya


if you are going with uh people you enjoy having around then maybe it doesn't really matter that much ya


ya ya I I get what you mean I get what you mean ya ya so I mean ya I I, I think it also plays a part as well but ultimately like


I I don't know like sometimes if let's say you are hiking uh with your, family or with your friends , if let's say you are you are climbing to the onto the top of a mountain lah if you do it together then


you still feel that sense of achievement lah but of course uh is still cannot beat like if you climb to the top of #bukit timah# hill and then you you take a train ride up to some mountain in uh switzerland that the view is different lah the air is also different


lah ya ya ya ya ya so , I mean you you you can't really compare lah I mean you make do with what you have in singapore right so ya


uh, yeah yeah yeah I mean I I I that's what because of their purpose I actually went once to coney island but that uh it was disappointing lah , yeah yeah it is just very near like just Punggol and then you just cross you just you can just literally walk across to that island


ah I didn't see any cow but I yeah it is it's just a, piece of land with trees and uh yeah I


uh is connected by a bridge I think is a a man made ya is a is a concrete bridge they they built a concrete bridge connecting the mainland to the island ya, and I don't I don't even remember whether I'm I have been to #pulau ubin# before so maybe that might be something more interesting but uh yeah I I haven't been to ya I don't think I been to #pulau ubin# also ya


ya ya, ya , ya maybe I guess I guess ya


oh okay oh okay okay


oh !wah!, that's sad uh but then anyway, ya like like like I mention lor uh


ya ya, ya but but I mean I think the those homestay you really get in like I uh places like taiwan or I I uh australia also I think


ya I think I think the condition is very different from those you get in #pulau ubin# lah so so I think we all are sit ya I I think so so I don't know about you lah but then like uh we are we are city kids lah so born born


and bred in the city ah so I think a bit hard to adapt to the conditions on Ubin I don't know I haven't been to Ubin before ya , uh taiwan once yes uh it


uh it is quite commercialise so is almost like a snip small little resort uh ya uh


oh no not really uh you are near the farm but you are not on the farm so ya it is not uh really uh very, uh lowdown kind of condition ya


ya ya I I think it's a bit almost a bit like a resort already ya called commercialised, so ya lor, but I mean given given a given a choice I would want to go back to like


uh europe that kind of places again lah ya if if I have the chance ya and the money ya , , uh ya ya for the nature for the, for the


greenery for the it it's just a different pace of life ah when you go there you just feel relax I think partially because of the weather also but ya you you just feel more relax over there like, ya I do I cannot I cannot pin down a particular reason but


when I went to spain and it was very hot and it didn't feel really like a holiday lah, ya ya, ya I think so also


ya I think so but I never thought of going to africa lah I mean haven't even been uh I mean there are there are already so many, places to see in uh the northern, part of the world also , I don't think


I never say never but I don't think like uh this life I might ever step foot on africa lah, ya


ya ya ya ya, ya ya uh definitely ya but also I haven't step foot in the american continent also so I think most people they start by going to the US or canada right so uh from there then they slowly explore other places ya


uh but then it comes down to the time and the money again lah ya, so ya, ya ya I think they always say right uh


you you, when you are young you you have time but you don't have money eh uh middle age you have you don't have money and you you don't you don't have time but you have a little money but then at at old age you have time but then the question is whether you have the money or not ya


ya ya ya ya, so I I feel old anyway so , ya so that's why do more surveys so


so maybe we should ask cheryl to (uh) intro us more surveys if there are surveys next time, ya (ppl)


part one financial related topic


okay I think actually, courses there are a lot of courses around all different kind of different training material sign up lah even even you don't say courses sometimes I think even just the web alone there's already a lot of information available ah so different I I presume different of the different


uh different different type of products like stocks of risk or unit trust whatever I think probably different stuff different product will have different strategy ah, I think it also depends on the person itself lah like how


whether they uh what is their risk profile and how much they have so I think this one is dependent on a lot of different factors but the courses that I mentioned one that one is more specifically to get uh dividends so so that one is mainly


on specifically for stocks wise and then they also mention a big part on the, risk so essentially they are identifying how, what are the different various factors to look at on on different stocks and different risks before you decide whether to go in or not and also like even before even when you go in uh they also talk about


when to go in when when is a good time to go in or also when is the good time to exit so I think that one is quite comprehensive also but this one yeah


ya so so I think basically they would be telling eh uh giving you information on how, how to identify the the type of, stocks that will give you reasonable dividends


then I think as to how how what was the purpose if if if the group is really to like, for retirement or to have uh gain a large sum of money then I think nowadays will factor into like how much capital you really need to to put in the market lor so if you feel if let let's say you only want


you you don't mind to have a minimal lifestyle and have just a minimal monthly, monthly uh payout then of course your capital will be lower lor


ya actually I think the market my personal feel lah I think the market is quite volatile at the moment also ah so even then I'm not sure whether now is a good time to go in or not


but, but I think there's like uh discrepancy between like the different markets is it cause like if not wrong for singapore wise I think uh


ya okay so I think I I I was mentioning like I think for like different even now like for different market I think the performance or the the direction is also quite different lah cause like for for singapore wise if you look at the


index the STI index I think now is still quite low as in it is not back to the pre -, you see the US indexes those main benchmark indexes like the SNP or the dow jones all that their index has risen quite a fair bit already I think I think it's even like close to like last year level already ya


so how how how come you know how come there's such discrepancy a lot for this like even though the general situation should be the same but the market sentiments in different country are also like not not not consistent or not in line


so is it always like US would be uh a leading indicator as to what will happen to markets in other country ya or other sector


so in that sense is it like uh, uh, always or usually the general public customer uh preference over like the stocks in the US as compared to other other country ah or other exchanges


cause I understand like uh if not wrong the I think US wise uh they have, they they do incur like dividend taxes also or I'm not sure what the are the taxes they have but for dividends I think they have dividend taxes whereas for like I think SGX one singapore they don't have this dividend tax ah


so in terms of volume wise I think I presume so singapore's volume will also be smaller


so I think for volume wise it will affect like the price right so for the price volatility so like if you want to really like try to capture the


the difference in the prices whether it go up or go down then you will want the market to be as volatile as possible right so it is like maybe this is one of the reason why uh volume can be also quite important lah so is it is it was


but uh if if looking at the kind of small volume that uh the singapore market uh has what do you think like for now there are still like so many


brokerages like coming up like other than the traditional one like all those banks there also a lot of new new players coming into the market lah cause I thought like if I I thought like if the volume is quite small then it makes lesser sense for brokerages to come into the singapore market


oh so so is like for those brokerage I presume like bulk of their earnings or commissions would be from non non non singapore market ah rather than a singapore market concentrated one


so in that sense like ya sometimes the brokerage here brokerage are, all the direction the brokerage wants do like they they are encouraging like, to have more transactions because this is how they earn money but having more transactions may not be good for the consumer in in a sense right and sometimes if they trade too much they also incur a lot of like transaction costs and then they


risk uh should be a lot higher than if you were to just like try to like buy and hold different stocks and then wait for the organic growth and also wait for their dividends


!wah! so would it be safer if you were very risk risk averse to just don't don't bother about getting different or don't go research all different stocks then just go for the ETF ah or those exchange traded fund


then what about like diversifying by buying, a lot of stocks cause I think there's always like a dilemma between or or a trade off like between having


a lot of different stocks in your portfolio so that you are diversified but then it's also very hard to find good stocks that are giving you good quality dividends so yeah I don't know is it like maybe preferable to just identify maybe only a few


like uh two or three or four to maybe five very good dividend stocks and then just buy and hold on them or is it better to like diversify your portfolio and then get more more number of stocks so that you're like risk is spread out


twenty to thirty ya


part three negative experiences, okay , I think maybe we just like


continue where we left off ah so just now you were talking about like the different, experiences overseas right so one thing I don't really like about the, like package tour ah, so I think when we were when we were young that time there're there's


like like you mention there are less options and also there's like higher preference for like for this uh structure uh package tour I think my own sense is that all this are quite commercialise in a sense that sometimes they will just try to like


and their their main goal lah in in the, host country is actually to like have you made more purchases ask you buy stuff and they get more commissions like from the different, companies all that I think for me that one I don't really like this kind of like experience in in those tour lah as as in for me that one is the most outstanding pain of most notable


stuff I feel I will think about when I'm in package tour so don't know if you experiences such stuff or not that's that's why why why why I'm like why my preference why there is a preference over like own self plan trips rather than


package tour is also because of this reason


as in the tour guide


so it's not the convenience is not worth it lah I presume that the convenience of like not planning, it spoils the experience somehow you already spend quite a fair bit of money on the package itself


so it's like you have the you have the, thinking that actually you already spend for the spend most of your money off for the package already but you end up spending more in the trip itself like spending on stuff that you don't have intention to get or not really plan for


I think for work wise its always usually the same uh as in for most people also should regarding tight timeline, very heavy demands from your from your user from your clients all that so it's always about trying to balance between the different needs from your bosses and your clients and also different stakeholders


but sometimes I think you just need to prioritise lor like you only have twenty four hours a day so there is no point over promising something ah or even if you promise something they mean you mean they may not get what you promised sometimes if


for example if you're if you have a very, if you have a leader or superior who is , always trying to over promise the senior management and staff and then but it is not your superior who does the work or or not your superior who is the only one that does the work so the work is done by a lot of


employees under him or her then if if then if the over promise is there then the burden always falls onto those employees who are at the lowest level, and becomes like no choice oh Bobian


so after you justify then you they won't give you your headcount


so the that's like two more headcount


is it mainly the team dynamics so so if like the workload is really crazy but you have a fantastic team people will still stay on


oh so you are okay with this such environment lah


so they are trying to like firefight now


everybody follows ,


provided you have somewhere to go to


so do you think like the negativity uh stems, from like usually from like the management like either they are unwilling to change or


like they they they just want to do stuff their own way or they don't really understand the real


so it's like no matter how much feedback there is if it's not accepted up there then it's no use


for for them


but it's not sustainable right, or or does the culture sustain itself because of the high turnover like after people go there will be new newcomers who come into the same environment again and then the whole thing repeats itself


ya but the but the sad thing is that its hard to it's it can be it it can be quite hard to uh have a sense of the team dynamics like before you join the job when you were in in the interview and what's your working relationship are is with them


oh so another issue is it systemic in the whole company itself or the specific to like certain


division lah if you change your division or change ah different section or different team would it help


some people they either complain about too much work or complain about too little work, there's no in middle


my feel feels very unsustainable at at least to me lah that uh company to operate like that but if if if if this culture has been sustained for over a long period of time and then it still manage this company is still managed to sustain itself I think it's quite


to to me it is quite marvelous in a sense


part two positive experiences


okay can, so I think maybe I think one of the biggest motivation to have to to invest all those trade is to have a dividend so that you can have a


passive pay passive income and then have a retirement lifestyle ah and after that you can go and travel the world without any need to like continue on your daytime job, so I think that the the thing about, living in urban city life is like maybe it's always most of the stuff that people see is all the


urban facilities like all the big tall buildings or the different infrastructure or the country roads so I think sometimes nature or being in nature actually very, very gives you a very positive feeling uh


so I always like to go to places whereby there is always a lot of nature and and it also maybe even a lot of like wildlife cause I think this is those something that people don't usually get to see on a day to day basis in the urban city


so I presume you don't so I presume like you don't don't like to follow like a groups one ah prefer like plan your own or or those like, backpacking trips


as in you don't get to do what you really want to do or


okay I think ya maybe it's like different like taste or preferences lah know sometimes I found myself I also quite lazy to plan stuff also I I can if if you want to plan stuff for uh tour I think is quite


it's a very comprehensive job ah so you want to make sure all the timing is correct and all the all the opening timings for the different locations hotels locate so I think it's a lot of stuff to bother about ah so I think maybe that's why some people prefer to a group


uh I think it's also troubled uh also complicated in the sense that you need to take into account, a lot of different people's opinion like different people may want to see different things or do different stuff before the trip so they may have different opinions or different purpose or what the trip may want to be


!wah! this is also sometimes can be very hard to reconcile ah unless of course time how the people that are going with you uh are all like very have no strong opinions and can just follow everyone around so then I I presume that one would be he will follow planner lah


so which is like you are free to do what you want to do at anytime of the day


I think it it is probably because of the environment also lah so if the country is like has big and wide open space then you probably feel less


being in a cage but like if, if, if its like a very urban city then presume, what you see is all those concrete stuff all around which just all around, also, makes you feel, that you are also more constricted like like even if if you are in a small country then


I think even your houses all also be very small unlike if you are in a, in uh a, very rural village then even even though you may be in a rural rural village, but I think the houses there maybe, few times bigger than what people would have


in in the urban city ya ya and then the prices may also be a lot much cheaper also ah cheaper also,


so it's not the availability of greenery uh do you think like there's enough or sufficient natural places in singapore to explore


is still is cannot compare ah


but do you think like for stuff in singapore lah it's a bit quite it can get quite like overcrowded ah because the if if there's too many people in going to the same location then, it defeats the purpose of like you engaging in the environment or engaging in nature and then just truly enjoying the scenery or the greenery


if if people you know then maybe ya but I think if there's crowded as in like the general public too many people going there and then not not you're not like non not not your friends all that and it comes too crowded also like even if you look at the macritchie all those or different the different


nature locations that we have sometimes the path that they develop is also quite narrow then it defeated I think it defeats the purpose that you just enjoying the nature right, with with a little people and then just is it it is like just you and the nature yourselves ah or just you and wildlife


the mountain is already different uh the mountain here too small too low