you know it's something that I will, ya, ya I bought a lot, I bought a lot but yeah yeah I want backup my document I like !whoa! okay I cannot go and buy yeah you know in the past when I went for like before I go interviews and I need to copy things I can like just walk down you know the night before the interview go and buy and then just go home but


things just change uh things just change and oh what's more stress is that uh coming out into employ unemployment, I think, !wah!, I think unemployment you know you look at


something that is projected at three point five percent not sure that if you know how bad is the situation of three point five percent in the singapore it is, not bad if you compare to the world economy situation lah, uh


three point five in a small or even in a big country is actually not a lot but but singapore has a record of keeping it at under three percent


uh ya so we are like one of the we are one of the five countries in the or less than five countries in the world that is able to, sustain such a number but I think when it comes up to boils down to such a steep increase stresses everyone out right uh you can't get your day to day life going about you cant go down go out meeting can't can't even uh


I mean, you can even get caught for standing cling too close to each other, uh, there a there a constant stress around that, uh you know when we, go out you know you you I think the stress comes from the uncertainty I'm not sure about you but to me is the uncertainty that makes us stress


and if you look, ahead maybe one or two months from now you look you look ahead again and then you you cannot predict what the next month is going to be like that's what stresses a lot of us out I think I feel that's what what's the situation like ya


that's true that's true, I was like so desperate uh uh emailing a lot of parties uh and asking eh can uh can the can the government do something about the situation you know are we being not look after for you know I was writing emails in to ministries and


uh appealing cases that uh I'm like you know I I was I was taking you know it was so stress that you start looking at charts and facebook and things like !whoa! how can I even get money how can I even get pass through this year how do I even you know if lets say somewhere would to offer me to work for free ah


or even you know is not for for free but to hire me at a at a rate that will they will never pay you know on a normal day is something that I would take because is so uncertain right and, come unemployment is uh one of the big stresses you know you you look at


uh if you if you don't listen to the uh , the what what I the ministerial broadcast you know with the various ministers giving their address I think one of the very very big concern that they have now not just the economy but securing jobs and


maintaining the unemployment low ah to keep workers, in their job areas this is unlike a situation that you see, in uh the global financial crisis you see companies whining down but you still see people flying around you still see people uh spending people that there is still economical activity in a way that there are still things like travels there are


people are still spending on thing but just that it is being cut back right but even such economic activities it do generate a form of income and it do generate income so that jobs can be created but in such a situation everyone is stress because there's no way to create a job when there nothing can be done


right, ya you I mean if you lets say you have a you know in the pass that, if is a situation that uh you know uh, that allows the economic to move freely in a sense that uh people are able to come out and set shops


now is impossible I mean, !wah! now now even during the period you want ask someone to come and service the air con that is that is like illegal so it brings a lot about a lot of stress uh to the people around, yeah so I think that being a stress er


I think uncertainties bring a lot of stress ah that is one thing that we are preferable we love things to move in the way that it suppose to move we love things that are very very predictable right because


when it comes uh, it it it really scares the daylight of many of us when, we do not know what's the next step ya


yup is recording, positive experiences okay so okay ah let me begin for this segment so I think the positive experience that I have till today I think what came blessing in disguise was getting into a school lah okay getting into uni ya I think that was one of the concern that I have over the pass three years and especially


yeah, ya you okay because I think uh we are err err I cannot stop emphasizing these but we are in a situation that something that perhaps is a, is a experience of our generation lah right something that we go through and what uh prime minister had said we don't want we do not want a COVID generation but I think getting a school would prevent is uh drastic change of our COVID generation right so


uh when personally I feel like uh is it actually solves a lot of problem right looking at currently the biggest problem that we have is just it's not just the economy but the health care system but what the impact are small uh what they always call the life and livelihood was the is definitely the livelihood part


right uh so I think getting into school was a blessing in disguise and uh it actually so solve a lot of the problem because I had , !wah! a lot of stress in terms of employment in terms of, ya I think you can see right


oh you got tell me before ya ya correct correct


oh so they offered you ah did they offer you the job, okay


okay but I mean now they are they aren't they aren't dress in


no ah I


ya but ya but I think, I think yeah I I don't know is it good or bad but uh ya there are those stewardess aren't jobless now they are at the MRT station and at hospital right as you see on videos but I think uh ya currently I think is a is a blessing dear in disguise for you you know uh going back to school I think I hope


I will enjoy my my uni education as much as you, ya I mean


yup, okay that sounds that's good that sounds good because ya I haven't started school and I think poly was really like what you said uh, a mini nightmare everyday ya ah


ya ya okay oh my god I think that one we will spill a lot of tea okay but I think ya okay serious serious serious serious I think we will spill a lot of tea on that but uh for this I think ya apart from that I think uh you know best experience lah


I feel that uh I was quite lucky last year to go on this uh exercise wallaby so I think you know ah when we went I've flew there for a good, ya its its yes it's australia but I think it's a different part of going to australia you know people go australia to see sydney and uh the opera house


oh nice yup and then going there but it is for a very work purpose and one thing that I don't get to see you will never get to experience is that you are in australia but you feel is like singapore


, I think it's a big city lah and I think maybe that there's allure, ya, yeah but I think it's a good experience and I I think perhaps you know there is a lot of singaporeans there you know my situation was fair was quite different because I was in a australian land but then everyone working there is from singapore


so even the support CREST from singapore the contractors are from singapore everyone is singaporean there but we are just living australian grown so if it felt like singapore for like a good three weeks so, it was a three work week but I it's a three weeks uh of work there but then it was a it was work basically every single day including uh weekends


and even we spend Deepavali there but it doesn't so seems like Deepavali there uh very very late it was still a working day and then we were we were still joking you know whether will they serve indian food or something but then it didn't happen and uh, it was it was a great time lah I mean uh you would will not get to experience uh that kind of australian weather that kind of uh the weather is great it's just dry yeah but it's good lah uh you will you never get to work because you we went there in


I think september eh october october so late of mid october is going to be quite cooling in the evening and the nights so it was quite a nice uh period of time and you know uh is something that uh looking back you know when we will regret


the question is that uh will I regret uh going on for going there for like three weeks or so I won't lah ya


oh okay great minds think alike I also thought of that question I think I right I'm very thankful for the people who, take an effort to grow me you know uh you know you always say I sell my life lah but I mean I sell my life to someone to


ya I do sell my, okay lah but I'm trying to uh to, uh I I don't want to say to leave them but I'm trying to pull myself up with but uh I think sell selling my life is not is not no ah don't put like sell sell life lah sell life sounds like I'm I'm selling my soul to them not yet not yet right uh maybe it will not come


maybe it might come but uh depends whether they want give me a job but, uh I think one thing I'm very thankful for them is that they are very open to give me opportunities to grow myself and to really create an a environment that is safe for me to grow and develop myself uh that's what I'm very thankful for


what about yourself, ya


!wow!


ya, I really saw lah I think we we live in a very fortunate environment that we are all able to


make it through this period in a way that it disrupt our lives least but even uh and and also create as much comport as possible during this period uh we do see that the situation in singapore are fairly


controlled right uh and this being a country that has a gold standard in combating the virus I think it is something that we are we should be better very thankful for especially, if you look at the number of infection per million we are actually on par with


uh cities that were actually very forefront for example italy who which actually has massive spread so we are at about six thousand cases per million uh perhaps uh it might go a little bit higher as uh the day goes


but one thing that, we are very thankful for and we do not see this as a result uh that you know we we turn a blind eye to is the circuit breaker major that was able to bring down community transmission case down right


so it brought down the community transmission cases down uh you know we try to end the good thing was that phase two came earlier than what we expected it to uh limited social yes yes yes yes


lets talk about it then next week ah next week more free lah but next week I got orientation eh okay ah, ya


oh


ya ya


yes, yeah true true true


ya, ya, ya, correct correct correct cause my my overseas trip I also don't know whether successful or not ya because they are waiting for ministry's approval to see whether we are is possible to do it because for like SCSH right ya orientation is not the like you know you see like NUS and stuff they have like the camps an


is that right for SCSS they go overseas yup this a this a good thing for us for a very very small university because they have the ability to do so, ya but I think ya one thing that lets all be thankful for is latest payment that the government has just gave


yes yes, actually by right is today lah is today but, ya but my came like two days earlier so ya is good ya things are are moving great ya the government is taking care of people


ya, ya so , I think that is that's something to be thankful for that


we had we are that the people is involve in democratic process lah right I have I have friends who whine that they don't like to go to the poll actually as if it's just a hassle know why are we even doing this right uh well we make a difference


as a person but I think be thankful because this is what the general population has has voted for has chosen for to hold on the mandate for the next term and I think uh one thing that we can be thankful for in our system is that


everyone has the best interest of the nation and, uh in a country where the system doesn't have major flaws and doesn't corrupt I think that is something that to be thankful for and be can be very proud to say that this country would still exist and this country will be


not and what our leaders are doing is not they what they always say for the here and now but is for the future and forever and


ya I think


uh possibly but I think it's uh enough for us I guess okay


ya, financial related topic, okay so err what is one financial advice that I would give to the five year ago of me I would say that err


I'll tell myself five years ago to to don't spend so much money ya do not do not spend so much money on unnecessary stuff I I I believe that I can still spend money to buy things that I like what I mean by unnecessary stuff is like I don't think I should spend so much money


on like uh clothes and like on alcohol on going out so much so that I can actually save up more and and save out more and actually have like have more income ah so this is the financial advice that I would like to give to the


seventeen eighteen year old me yes


two hundred yeah


err for me uh to plan my finance currently currently as a student I don't think I have so much of like my finances to to get a personal financial adviser to to plan my finance how I plan my finance is just to just download some


apps in my phone to track how much I spend every month so like every time I have some expenses or I have income coming in so I just key it in so I have a clear sense of every month how much is coming in and coming out but perhaps in the future if I if the income is like much higher


perhaps I'll I might hire a financial adviser to plan my finance for for the fact it's it's more beneficial to me and and for someone who is like more professional in this aspect also yes


yeah,


, , yes


that's right, ya but whether do we take the second opinion the decision still lies between ourself because is our money our decision so we I think that we know the best what is like best for us also but is always good to have like more opinions also


ya, , ya


uh, which one the question three or question four question, oh ya sure sure sure okay so for me how do I manage my cash flow so as just now I I got briefly say I'm say that is like I actually have uh


uh I download an app so I actually every every income and every expenses I have I actually key it in and it is actually categorised under categories like whether is food transport, uh shopping groceries or like yeah or like bills like my phone bills so so it actually give me a clear sense of like where my money is coming out from and most of the time is just like for giving my parents and for my food for myself


and how much of my income is allocated to savings expenses and, err quite a big chunk is like giving to my parents ya I'm giving to my parents and transportation and food take up take up quite a big amount also and also my own school fees and insurance insurance I pay by per annum so like every month every year during the the period that I have to pay insurance that like the huge chunk of money will be gone


investment not really I don't really I don't invest because I feel that at this moment like I have too much on my plate like so I I I don't really have too much my extra money to invest, so I don't really go into investing yet but perhaps I guess when I graduated or when I hold when I have a higher income then I will look into that also how can you earn extra income or to improve your income level err I will just say that uh currently as students you just have to be hardworking like really just


head out and go ahead and like just step into the working world and work whether is it like part time job full time job but if someone have the financial capability and able able to afford that afford that the fact that they might lose their money in the stock market or by investing then


by all means I think they can go into the investing like the stock market world the investing world but they have to understand the risk, that they are they are taking is like they have to understand the risk so they might be a chance that they might not be able to grow their income in in return even losing their income but I think for me


how I earn extra income is to just just work as much as you can yes then how about you


yes,


ya is, , no as in like is is normal that like I actually saw a report before that saying that actually most cafes actually close within like a year or they they can't really last after five years so is is pretty normal that businesses fail also lah yes


yes


, (hmm)


ya speaking about the SQ right the stock market crash right my my friend actually got her hands burn because like just within one night she lost quite a bit of money because the the stock just went down but I think after that they were being backed by temasek holdings if I'm not wrong so the the stock actually went back up a bit


which is good for her ya because she she chose not to let it go because she's like she feels that there might be a chance she's she like her logic was like since I already lose quite a bit of money then why not just leave it there and see how it goes, which I I don't know I mean I'm not too sure whether will I do the same thing if I was in her position but


apparently it worked out pretty okay for her so good for her yes but I I I I cannot take that risk I think my heart will just like be gone so yeah okay so okay ya continue


, , yes how do I hit my saving goals err so it's like kind of like the question five do I have the habit of saving yes I do have the habit of saving so err every every month depending how much I earn and I will I will have like a a target for me to hit the savings


because I do have I do have multiple accounts in terms of like my bank accounts so there is one that I just use for my daily expenses the other one is like for like just purely savings the standard chartered one the one for for me to like run the two percent interest so every month like I do have a target


for myself to to actually put how much aside into the savings account depending how much I I earn that month because as as you know that like my income is not very stable it it really depends on especially when this pandemic hit like my income took a huge dip but now since phase two is open I can go out and like teach


because I I'm a private tutor so I can go out and teach tuition again so my income will go back up and perhaps it will it will alter a bit like how much I'm going to save per month but err I'll every time I try to set thirty to forty percent or even half like fifty percent if it's possible towards my savings


so so that like so that I I know that I'm saving for a for a for the rainy day because I never know what will happen to me if I don't have savings and I just like to have the sense of security knowing that even if something happens to me I still have the money to


to tide me over the period so that's why I think ya savings is very important how do I ensure that I meet my saving goals I just, ensure that because if I know that I can't really meet it I will I will find another job to to to earn more money ya that's why then how about you how would you how would you do it


ya,


(mmhmm),


correct


okay uh big purchaser is question six or question seven question six is it, seven right okay what strategy what uh planning for their big ticket okay buying a house okay maybe not so fast ah but is more of like for mine now the big ticket is not big ticket expenditures is like going overseas as example I want to save up for a trip overseas of course I know that I have the


I have the money to just like go go overseas but of course is not advisable to just take out from what my savings my reserve is so whenever there's something like that happen I I guess I will just like every month I will just uh keep every month I will just save up more


money and a part a portion of it is going to put aside for the big ticket expenditures but for next time if I ever to I don't know starting a family or buy a house or something that that will be different that will be that will require a lot more


commitment to it that uh example buying a car then I will have to have to look into buying a car like which is more more affordable and like which trend is it like when when do I which month do I buy so the COE will be cheaper


so this is this will be some of the strategies that I will use also and like perhaps buying a car will like first hand or second hand be better or like is it really worth it so you I think that someone who want to buy this kind of big ticket expenditures they have to do their research properly like thorough thorough research


cause without if you don't really research too much right you won't know that what are you getting yourself into and most likely you will end up spending money that you you should have saved up instead and how about you do you have any like strategies or like


tricks up your sleeve, yes actively compare, ya that's what I do all the time online shops


ya correct, yes


okay so


negative experiences, okay so okay err let's see okay okay you cannot laugh okay uh have you gone through any loss in your life if you have describe your emotions at that point and how do you deal with the loss


okay do you want to start first or do you want me to start first, (mmhmm)


quite, (mmhmm),


, , yes yeah, you never know what will happen


, ya correct


i, , ya


but are are you very close with her or still okay, oh okay


, , that kind of questions


, ya I have gone through quite a bit of loss in my life regardless is it being someone who passed away or like you know but sometimes loss in your life doesn't mean that someone passed away is just that loss of like how to say like


someone who is like who someone who is who might be like very very close to you and some and as time goes by you kind of lost the person they they didn't they didn't passed away they they are still living in this world but they're just not in your world anymore I think that also classified as a loss ah


but for me for me I'm not going to touch on that part of the loss I'm talk I'm touching on like loss of life so basically someone who like passed away I do I do went through a bit I think during my internship that one you know so I'm not going to touch on that also for me I'm going to touch on like


my aunt I have I had a I had I have quite a lot of aunts but okay this aunt of mine actually lived with us uh since young so when I was young I like she lived with us because she work in singapore and


she went back to malaysia when I was like around eight like that it wasn't because she she that she's my she's the sister she's my mum's sister lah they don't end in good terms so when she went back to malaysia there is a lot of , there's a lot of disagreement unhappiness why she went back to malaysia the reason is because she actually she work in a factory lah when she came down of the company bus right she actually she actually fell and she broke broke the ninth the ninth segment of her spine


so she actually actually have to undergo a surgery that insert that had to insert a screw up her spine so basically that makes her like unfit for work already ya ya lah b~basically that's it and on top of that before that incident happened right she actually she actually have lupus


ya okay she actually have lupus so I will say that her life is like we always like me and my sister always say that her life is actually quite sad then after when she went back malaysia she actually cut ties with my grandmother and like my mum and stuff she actually went to live with my second aunt


and and just one day one of my cousin receive a call from my second aunt saying that !hey! she died do you want to come something along that line lah basically and, so at first because uh after that they they went by five six years without contacting with each other my mum have no idea what happened to this


sister of hers which was once so close to her like she lived with us for eight years leh like my my childhood I saw her like that so so when she died how to say ah, is a loss lah of course when I was I was still I was fairly young like when I was thirteen fourteen I was fairly young or what is a loss or what but the most I would say that the most


the most heart wrenching thing for her right is that right like me and my sister we grew up with her or what right is a loss of life yes like we lost her and stuff but we don't we've surprisingly we feel very calm


you know when you lost someone right you will feel you will feel a lot of emotions and what surprisingly both of us like are very calm and like we didn't laugh of course like not know and as nothing such is just that we feel very calm and stuff is like as if we saw it coming because maybe she is, she is constantly ill when we are young we always like to see her at the table eating all range of medicines because is for her is for her lupus to keep her lupus in control and we saw her like being hospitalised because she broke her spine


and like when she went back malaysia and like I we don't know what happened to her so when we we heard that she passed away that like of course there's a tingling feeling oh like oh someone that we are close to passed away but we are surprisingly calm and ya because she was not a nice person to


to deal with as a kid right is very easy to like someone right but as a kid both of us hated her , we we we hated her because she she she will just like scold us or like she would rather put her food in the fridge until it it's expired rather than give it to us to eat and eat


she's that kind of person she's just like a weird person but then again I cannot help but feel very very sorry for for, her like for her whole life because when she passed away she was like thirty six or thirty seven only she was fairly fairly young that is very very young and she's very young and like throughout her early years uh she got she was scammed by someone that she really loved like


during her lupus relapse right on her younger days right her boyfriend instead of helping her or what helping her or what she her her boyfriend at that time actually took out all the money of their joint account and ran away, ya so that's like eh her life is just like a a story of like a a a a uh a series of uh of like unlucky events and stuff is not unlucky I feel that her personality also


also maybe contributed to that also, ya ya it's that's just ya but that that loss actually makes me feel sad like it makes me reflect every every time I I think back both me and my sister think back and that's just like that loss actually make us realise that not every loss is the same


you get what I mean not every loss is the same for her loss is just that uh sometimes we we like to think that you know is actually a a a relief for her also because she she don't need to like eat so much medicine anymore and like ya lor but every loss is different so describe my emotion at that time which is very calm and like we kind of saw it coming


a bit how do we deal with the loss life goes on as normal but my mum was was never the same again I would say lah honestly speaking my I can tell that my mum a part of her died of course ah this is for sure lah for the sister that you live to they live together in singapore for like more than ten years


and they are very close in age they are like three four years apart ya they, ya I cannot imagine if I lost my sister like that that's the thing lah so I think ya I think a part of my mum died she was hysterical during that that moment like she was like because I didn't I didn't go the funeral because that was back in malaysia and then we still have to study but she went and


she was so mad she was like crying and I saw being and like she was even and she was even more like sadder compared to my grandma which is like my grandma felt nothing you know and that is the saddest part my grandma felt nothing cause like my grandma


my my grandma have nine children she only care about one which is her son all the daughters are just like, you can have them or you cannot have them and if is just that they are replaceable lah in a sense ya lor so my grandma felt nothing leh which is like very very upsetting lah okay lah okay let's change another topic


okay do you want to choose a topic, which one, what makes you stress is it that one, okay


yes it is like for the for the past, few months, very stressful


ya that's it right ya


ya you bought so much, you bought like three right you sent me a photo


ah, that sucks man, it is bad


ya ya ya of course of course but it's like for such a small country it's it's quite a amount lah that need to be, (mmhmm)


correct


that's why, ya


(mmhmm), ya I mean for me like ya I'm stressed out during that period also because is the first time since quite a long time that


I had a break I don't know why but constantly apart from poly still okay but after poly I I don't really have a break anymore so I'm constantly on the grind keep working keep working and stuff and suddenly when


the sense of like the normal life is gone right the sense of like I have to go out and work everyday like the the schedule as packed as possible suddenly that when you when you take that part away from me right it makes me incredibly stressful, despite I have more time for myself I have more time to clear my assignments I still have some jobs on hand because I still can teach


tuition online but it just makes me stressed out because I as you said I don't know what is coming next when you have the uncertainty ahead of you that makes me stressed because, I don't like to do things without a script I I I I prefer things that are planned out and stuff so when when when things don't go according to plan or when things can't cannot go according to plan plan because thanks to the current situation or what it just makes me stress out because I don't know what is coming next


but good thing is like stress being stress ah but we do know how to counter it also because now that I think phase two is opening and like for you is like you get into school because that time I feel that ya when when you are waiting for the for the school to reply to you you are actually very stress out also isn't it


cause you do you don't want you do not want to step into unemployment at this climate also and I mean no one wants to ya , ya I know


ya,


(mmhmm), lower rate


(mmhmm),


yes because everyone you just you just stay at home you can't really create a job out of that


, ya,


, ya it it it it happen ya it it scares it scares me also despite I do know that like I do save up and like is okay that that to just take a break during this period but is just the uncertainty it was like oh my god so after this corona


thing when will life go back to normal you know ya okay, ya, okay


ya, positive experience, okay, yes


, ya you have been keep asking me about opinions also


(hmm)


ya I I understand you are under so much stress for the previous ya I know from the from how you tell me also and like my what is my biggest blessing in disguise okay this a little bit different but I think is it last year


I think is last year I actually tried actively for to to become a air steward for SQ I think I I did told you right ya then can you imagine if if I last year right eh I think is last year start eh last year imagine I got in


I mean nothing lah I I guess I will still enjoy the job a lot and I think that it will fits me also but it's just that like if if I got in and, I if I got in then I start working that job instead of going back to school because in the end I I've choose to went back to school also what I I choose that job I I go for that job then and if this pandemic hit I will be out of a job I will be out of a education also so I think blessing in disguise is for them to


to reject me not that for them to reject me I actually had passed everything it's like ya but is like is just like not taking up the job and actually choosing to went back to go back to school because it, know I passed everything they they just say that they they are not happy with my physical appearance and that is something that I cannot change so ya and I'm serious I I passed the interviews and stuff but during the Kebaya fitting session it was like


they seem something odd about me and like and and I just like you know what nah ya ya ya this is like I mean that this is like interviews and stuff that's something that you can work on and honestly their interviews are not that hard to pass lah but


for the fitting session I I cannot help it is something that I think they are not I don't know ah something maybe an aspect of me they don't like it maybe they don't like how how I look like in a Kebaya that is possible I have some of the people who actually went for it they have this issue also


so this something I cannot change and I'm not I'm not gonna change like drastically about my physical appearance just to fit into their Kebaya no right and like ya and I don't really want to stretch myself because I'm I just I'm just barely their minimum height requirement so


I think that that is a factor also but I don't really want to care about that that much because since after that I choose to went back to school and and different from what we studied in poly I actually I wouldn't say I enjoyed a lot but I actually, enjoyed much more compared to what I'd studied in poly it's kind of similar chinese studies and translation but I don't know why I actually valued my education more and I'm one year into it already and I I think that is going pretty well pretty decently compared to poly which is like a


which is like a mini nightmare every day I don't know about you ah but last time in chinese studies it was a mini nightmare and in comparison to what I'm studying now I'm enjoying so much b~better and I think this is one of my one of my biggest blessing in disguise I don't know will it be my biggest but is one of the biggest blessing in disguise


okay do you have anything to add on , ya correct like


, ya is for me, yes I think I think you will enjoy yours also it's , it's not as bad as people say ya lor people will just say that okay okay do big three that kind of thing just just just ignore them enjoy the education enjoy the ride because


I is something you cannot get back lah I I mean if you start you NS also right in comparison when you start you will start to work and you you compare to school, both have pros and cons but really schooling has like the stress level is a bit lower unless it's like assignment period which is like annoying lah that one cannot be escape but in general uh I think the the joy of like keep learning keep


keep having like new knowledge it's actually quite exciting I don't know why lah why I didn't I didn't I didn't notice it throughout my younger days but I think when I get a bit older I kind of realise that the effort those lecturers put in and stuff for for for us to get a decent education for like they really have our best interest in heart


at least for my lecturers lah that I meet in in university yes, ya, , that okay the poly one let's leave it for the negative experience now is just the positive experience


ya ya ya you got told me, australia right, ya I went Sydney and Melbourne yeah correct


ya I have this issue with australia in general like when I went to both the cities is nice don't get me wrong is nice to get out of the country or what but I have the feeling that I never left singapore I don't know why especially at near the opera house where I walking down it seems like I walking down the


singapore river and when I'm at their royal gardens right it seems like I'm at botanic gardens I have the I have the same like vibe that kind of parallel feeling that I cannot shake it off perhaps I've guess is the issue lies with like it's a big city ya lor


ya but but is a good experience I I I enjoy my trip there but it just that will I go there again not anytime soon, ya,


ya, ya the weather is great then


, , ya ya ya I think you you told me I I know that is at the later part of them of the year that you went ya before my thailand trip you went so I guess is like early november at or like late october


oh no, okay then I just say first okay so, ah okay and okay let me see what other questions should we tackle uh, I don't know what are you thankful for ya


okay , you do sell your life excuse me you sell your soul and life


ya I know I know


(mmhmm), okay ya


, K for me is a bit different lah I'm very thankful that I'm actually here in singapore ya I mean for you know you do know right I mean that if I'm back in malaysia things would be so much different yet I grew up here I grew up in singapore so


all is well but is always have there is a chance that I look at my like my cousins my relative of course not all of them are are are living badly in in malaysia I mean but uh uh most of the majority of them


are like okay struggling not really struggling but in comparison with my life and their life right obviously mine is so much better yes there are like things that I'm unhappy with lah I'm I'm I'm stuck if like I don't really have space in my house that me and my sister constantly have to


fight for the table to study or like because now that's I'm doing this assignment she's actually outside in my in my in my parent's room uh sitting on the floor and stuff there is like this kind of thing supposed like some people would not they will say that eh like nothing much and stuff but I'm very thankful that I'm here and I have a shelter over my head and


and I'm just like doing a lot better compared to some of my cousins and my relative in in malaysia because some of them right because due to this pandemic they actually you know they close the borders right so I have some of my cousins who are actually like living here for like


uh three four months already because they cannot go back and one of them right he might he have not been he hasn't he hasn't seen his children for like these past three four months and because when the pandemic hit right his youngest daughter was only like five months old six months old


so basically he was telling me that like by the time he went he go back right his daughter will not be able to recognise him although there's video chat and what but like, he miss out the the I would say the critical period if this if this thing drags on ah he miss out the period that like to be able to bond with his daughter and every time I see this kind of thing I will like tell myself very thankful for like


to able to have a job have like uh have family support have like good friends like you and and like have a good education system and ya there's nothing for me not to be thankful lor, I will still rant I will still rant like sometimes ah things don't go and get my way or I I have a assignment that is due next monday that I don't know how am I going to write it but


but in general I'm I'm very thankful for for everything I had lah yes ya, (mmhmm), yes we do


, ya


ya ya ya, ya


yes, ya we need to meet up okay we next week are you free , more free, then then maybe because like all the tuition come back I have I actually thankful for I actually like this morning right because I you know last night I work the warehouse again right so so I actually end up sleeping right then it's like I woke up at around at one o'clock then my sister throw my phone to me said


say that !hey! someone calling you so you know I picked up my phone right you know what's the first thing that happened, is like is someone saying saying in chinese lah but I cannot say in chinese lah so I will just say will say in english so is basically how it went it's just like hello teacher can you come and come and teach my kids chinese then I was like so shock I just woke up then the first thing this happen and I was like did I over slept my my tuition classes for later is four thirty which I later I need to go off lah


so I just like what but its just that some parents actually intro their friend, they are like friends or like other other kids to me to teach so like business is booming like business is coming back so I'm actually like very thankful for all this lah like for good parents also ah ya like in this tuition industry I always like I always join a lot of group saying that a lot of people complain about


bad a a lot of like bad parents or bad kids or what for me there are parents who are a bit tricky but I won't I really won't say that any parents are are out there to harm you you get what I mean I I really don't know how they get that kind of like vicious parents because most of the kids parents towards me they are


very very nice people and even if sometimes their words might be a bit harsh because they have the best interest of their kids lah they just want their kid to do well which I understand that lah but but teaching chinese, and like I also got teach english and math lah but some of the kids I think some of the parents know that like their kids cannot make it lah but that's for another time I they are I have a kid I have a


like I have a kid who told me uh the parents told me that hi #pei xuan# can you just increase the tuition lesson to twice a week until his PSLE because his chinese really cannot make it he really needs your help, then I'm just like okay so ya that's why like I say business is booming so I also need to see whether I can like I confirm got time can squeeze out one lah to to meet you and to make friends also is just that like ya very thankful that now phase two opens and like jobs start to kick back and like I don't need to like cry or whine at home anymore


ah I don't know about you lah but orientation is a bit is a bit of a pity that you you cannot attend the physical orientation because that is the essence of like university life right for full time university life at least lah for part time can't be bothered lah ya because every one is busy that's why


ya, correct, yes


oh my god yes I for me for me because I got register my uh my IC for the paynow thing so I actually got like a week earlier so that is great, by right is today but but I got it like last week eighteenth eighteenth or seventeenth I got it already so yeah


(mmhmm), ya ya ya lor that's why it and like now election is coming but that is for another time and we are not suppose to that's not suppose to ya ya lor we are we are first time voters right ya lor that's the thing


is yeah looking forward to it I don't know , ya correct


(mmhmm),


ya did I I do believe that and and I mean actions speaks louder than words lah they I feel like they show us through their actions that, they they really care for us it's it's not it's not because they want to like get elected or what they they really have the best interest of everyone's heart lah so


another story for another time maybe that will be classified under negative experience of your life yes, yes ya times up I guess


okay


financial related topic


okay so uh for myself I think five years ago I think what your point about spending on uh so so and so called unnecessary can be accepted but I think one advice that I will give myself five years ago is about planning


so planning doesn't mean non uh spending on non essentials so even now there is a debate on what is essential what is not but the most important thing is that uh having a good sense of how the money is flowing so you may think that uh buying clothes might be something that is wasteful but


uh having a good plan and a sound plan on how much you can spend on it might just work so for example uh if you would like to spend uh have on a budget on buying clothes let's say ten percent of your income alright, so at ten percent you are looking at uh let's say of a two thousand dollars ten percent you look at two hundred dollars and then how you spend that


two hundred right it will be personally up to you so if you think that spending two hundred on a piece of clothes verses two hundred uh buying ten piece of clothes uh is wasteful then uh I think i~it ought to t~tweak the mindset uh personally I feel that uh it doesn't matter


uh how much how many clothes you buy but on how much you spend on it right that's how I view it as myself at uh for myself so I think planning is very important and it flows to the next uh prompter that was being given which is, should I DIY or get a financial adviser uh yeah I think for myself should I DIY or financial definitely financial adviser what about you


yeah so I think for in terms of finances uh financial adviser I think uh it doesn't have to be something that is very personal but uh you know banks can offer financial advice lah the uh insurance agents to offer financial advice in terms of


uh planning uh planning for either uh either big or small amount so I think is always good to have a a second opinion and it might not come as a professional but it might be a case of uh someone who has the


expert knowledge of uh, for for finances which I believe can be beneficial but ultimately decision has to be made by one person right by yourself uh I think trust is something that is very important and I believe that uh you wouldn't want someone to make decision on your behalf but you would want someone to facilitate the thought of it right


yeah so ya definitely I believe that uh is good to hear a second opinion ya


ya that's uh something that is, true ah I I believe that is supposed to be done that way and decision should be made by ourselves yeah so I think uh in terms of actually cash flow I think that is something very very uh pertinent to us something that we ourself uh can relate to


about managing of finances uh so yeah maybe I would like to hear from you how how do you usually manage your income, in terms of I think the yeah, I think you can lump it together lah yeah


yeah


okay so I think managing cash flow uh one is to uh I practice this thing is to uh is to save before I spend so uh when income come in uh when the salary comes in the majority would uh first be distributed out to savings this would


actually guarantee a saving on my end so is to enforced that this amount is being saved alright uh apart from that I think major day to day expenses things like transportation food uh even uh purchasing of


day to day items these are these these are the expenses and then on better days you know spending on uh heading out to dine uh something that we can't do during this period uh ya these are all


part and parcel of, the expenses and uh definitely insurance in terms of savings for a future but I think investment is something that like I think I can look into but uh it requires, a certain level of courage alright uh this being a form of passive income uh which can be the fourth point that we are looking at uh


passive income can come two ways one is it it goes the way that everyone desires where you know we make the kind of profits and gains that it's suppose or we expect it to perform but the other way as what you can see now how the economy


looks like, is just going down crashing and perhaps you might see you are looking at companies closing you are looking at more and more restaurants closing today, then uh more and more restaurants opening you know you are looking at the facebook today looking at food blogs today ah not seeing restaurants open but instead you know food blogs would usually uh publicise new opening of restaurants are actually publicise pub~publishing about


restaurants closing down and the list just gets longer by the day ya so, yeah sure, you have something to add on that


uh yup that is true because I believe that uh hypes do die down and, trends do die uh but I think what has this uh pandemic been bought brought about is that we see uh a lifestyle change right you know uh it is not it is not a trend that you know one food trend rise and the other trend dies down but


the whole economy is at standstill so I think uh if we are looking at passive income ah uh there are key sectors to look at err said or saying on that I think key sectors also do have to look at uh how prone are these sectors are alright you look at uh passive income in terms of


share and stock market you see today uh they all are in this period of the pandemic you are looking at major uh big players uh having shares falling you know you look at things like, singapore airlines right the shares drop drastically uh I was looking at another one which is sembcorp marine uh they are actually pretty much hit because of the situation that they could not resume work because they do hire quite a number of


migrant workers and these are the core backbone of their workforce alright so because of this we are seeing uh the shares dipping as much as twenty five percent on a single day yes


I think there is always ya, ya so uh there is always a saying that uh with risk come with reward right so you cannot be expecting not taking any risk for any huge reward right so if you look at the


the issue is now actually some people would say that is a good time to go into some would not some would disagree and uh perhaps some would just abstain from it perhaps yourself would abstain for from uh getting your hands into it right but I personally feel is a good time


to buy uh but buying it uh and getting your hands on it requires prior knowledge on how the economy works and you know you talk about banking by temasek perhaps that is one way that they uh have their debt facility but


if you are looking at getting uh how fast will it recover it will then depend on how fast do they get their planes on the uh into the air alright so ya is very very uh dependant on the situation


alright so uh I think we you know passive income aside you know how can we actively have the habit of saving and you know enforcing it so that you could hit your saving goals


because you do say you so save right


I think I would uh describe your way of saving as something very similar to the singapore story right you hear us


uh the country dipping into reserve looking at somewhere about if I'm not wrong the accurate figure is at ninety two point six uh billion dollars and nineteen point two percent of the GDP, that's a huge amount uh and I think rains uh at least you know that you are somewhat protected but


I think as what I've mention previously is to save before you spend uh that is one way that I make sure that I save uh yes uh meeting a saving goals I think having a constant amount to save every month is


is as good as having a final target is more difficult I believe is uh harder to sustain than to attain alright is harder to sustain the kind of hitting a target rather than attaining a final goal right


uh yes uh savings savings are good but I think making good use of savings, are more important in a way that uh if you do realise SIBOR has been uh, lowering their interest rates and plus you see uh banks constantly revising the rates uh dropping as much as one percent for some of the accounts for their paid out interests


so savings is good but we are looking at how can we ensure that these savings can, maintain its value as uh so that this, uh amount doesn't depreciate as inflation goes about


yup so I think spending money can justify I think, oh why why not let me hear from you how would you uh strategise when you are planning for a big ticket purchase


uh let's jump to seven [bah] ya seven yup


correct, I think the first thing that we as uh singaporeans should per do is to firstly compare the prices right even even if you buy something that cost a dollar you compare with three different shop right


so, so uh, be online shops or physical shops we do compare secondly is to really uh strategise how the the s~saving would be and how the financing would be so uh if you talk about house definitely would finance it through loan right uh how the loan would look work


how much are you planning for the loan so the key here is not about uh attaining it but affording it that is what I feel ya


okay, negative experiences, !wah! okay uh let's not


right I think loss in life definitely uh, ya I think one of the more, ya !whoa! this one is quite okay so what what happened was that uh back two years ago two three years ago uh actually what happened is that my grandmother passed away and then be it it was a difficult time for me because I was uh in BMT


right uh I was in the army uh and that was like the week of of what is known as a high key event lah so high key events basically are usually field trainings out in the field so we go out in the field for a few days, the sad part come here is that it was lucky it was on the weekends that the thing happen so I was able to


go down and take a look uh it was something that happen so quickly so I just ended a like a, six day outfield and then just out of camp you know everyone is just wanting to have a good rested weekend because six days in the field you know out without uh without bathing without eating proper food eating meals out of a bag


uh and then there you go you have a loss of family member and you know uh you are out for two days and then back in for another five and then you know that throughout the five days you don't have much so I think it at some point you feel very I feel very uh helpless for the situation because of what I'm


going through but then I think the way to accept it is that this is a cycle of life right one day, uh, ya you will never know what will happen and know, having to and then the chinese there is the saying that you know from birth you grow old you get sick and then you die eventually and this is the cycle of life so you


uh I think is about accepting it err that helps one person overcome I think ya uh no matter how big our uh of a loss it is ya I think it will be


uh ya I think accepting the fact would be something that will help greatly yes how about yourself, honestly we don't really see each other but I think uh a loss in is the first time that I experience such a thing


ya so so, uh first time that, it it it was because it was the first time that I participated in such a, uh like funeral processions and you know it it it was like totally blur I'm like err what is gonna happen you know they they tell me oh okay passed away then I'm like !huh! so where's the body now that kind of question will come out err so where do I go now what's going happen how do I apply my


ya they even like how to apply compassionate leave was another question so that was like all over the place


ya definitely


, (mmhmm)


!whoa!, (mmhmm)


(mmhmm)


ya, !whoa! okay


!whoa! that's young that's young


, !wow!


possibly lah I think possibly but I think


ya, ya


k, (mmhmm)


that's true lah that's true


yeah


okay, ya I think


I think second point is !whoa!, second point was like linked to my previous, !whoa! you stress, ya I think what makes us stressed the current situation , the current s~s~situation is a stressor I I I think you would agree with that lah basically


I think , keeping your sanity during the circuit breaker was, was just a was just a challenge ah it was just a challenge that's what there was this a joke there that people were saying that you know uh when women have after they have children they have confinement so this is like the experience of confinement before having children


yes so that was something that that was a joke that was circulating, but I think uh assurance might come from we start to, sense that our lives start to get less normal alright we don't see the normality in life you don't feel that it is normal to what if you if you push a new normals lah you don't feel like is normal to even wear a mask outside your house like


you know in the past when you are sick and then people still go go to work and then they are who cares man two panadol and then that's, that's problem solved lah uh so that was like but then now it's like !whoa! the law requires you to stay at home and it's unnecessary stress to I I mean is not unnecessary but is a added on stress especially uh I feel for people who are working and requires to be physically at


location or there are certain jobs that can't be working from home uh you don't see cashiers and and uh doctors working from home that is near impossible but, I think staying at home for that like that fifty six day of circuit breaker was quite quite it puts quite a number of stress to people you know it was trying to when your mood of life change you when you want to go and buy something and then shop closes you can't buy it you know


people are buying some as simple as, uh, you know you put things like bubble tea aside but uh even wanting to get some uh, look like okay for example in the past you can just walk into uh IT shop and then get buy thumb drive you know I had to buy thumb drives off the internet


you know is something that I will, yeah, yeah I bought a lot, I bought a lot but ya ya I want to back up my document and !whoa! okay I cannot go and buy ya you know in the past when I went for like before I go to interviews right I need to copies things I can like just walk down you know the night before the interview go and buy and then just go home but


things just change lah things just change and uh what's more stress is that uh coming out into unemployment, I think, !whoa!, I think unemployment you know you look at


something that is projected at three point five percent not sure that if you know how bad is the situation of three point five percent in the singapore it is, not bad if you compare to the world economic situation lah, uh


three point five in a small or even in a big country is actually not a lot alright but singapore has a record of keeping at under three percent uh ya so we are at one of the we are one of the five countries in the or less than five countries in the world that is able to


sustain such a number but I think when it comes up to boils down to such a steep increase stresses everyone up right uh you can't get your day to day life going about you can't go down go out meeting you can't you can't even uh


I mean, you can even get caught for standing queuing too close to each other, , there's a there's a constant stress around that, uh you know when we, go out you know you you I think that stress come from the uncertainty I'm not sure about you but to me is the uncertainty that makes us stressed


and if you look, ahead maybe one or two months from now you look you look ahead again and you you cannot predict what the next month is going to be like that's what stresses a lot of us out lah I think I feel that's what what the situation like ya


that's true that's true, I was so like desperate you know I was I was emailing a lot of parties uh I asking eh can uh can the can the government do something about this situation you know are we being not looked after for you know I was writing emails into ministries leh and


appealing cases that uh I'm like you know I I was I was thinking you know it was so stress that you start looking at charts and facebook and things like !whoa! how can I ever get money how can I even get pass through this year how do I even you know you know if let's say somewhere were to offer me to work for free ah


or even you know is not work for free but to hire me at a at a rate that will they will never pay you know on a normal day is something that I will take because is so uncertain right and, come unemployment is uh one of the big stresses you know you you look at


uh if you if you if you do listen to the uh, the what about the the ministerial broadcast you know with the various ministers giving their address I think one of the very very big concern that they have now not just the economy but securing jobs and


maintaining the unemployment law ah to keep workers, in their job because this is unlike a situation that you see, in uh the global financial crisis you see companies winding down but you still see people flying around you still see people uh spending people that there is still economic activity in a way that there are still things like travels there are


people are still spending on things but just that it is being cut back right but even such economic activities it do generate a form of income and it do generate income so that jobs can be created but in such a situation everyone is stressed because there's no way to create a job when there nothing can be done


alright, ya you I mean if you let's say you have a in the past that, if is a situation that uh you know uh, that allows the economic to move freely in the sense that uh people are able to come out and set up shops


now is impossible I mean, !wah! now now even during the period you want ask someone to come and service the air con that is that is like illegal so it bring a lot about a lot of stress uh to the people around, yeah so I think that being a stressor


!wah! I think uncertainties bring about stress ah that is one thing that we are very definite we love things to move in the way that it's supposed to move we love things that are very very predictable alright because


when it comes uh, it it really scares the day light out of many of us when, we do not know what is the next step ya


yeah


ya which recording, positive experiences, okay so okay lah let me begin for this segment so I think the positive experience that I have till today I think what came blessing is in disguise was getting into a school lah okay getting into uni ya I think that was one of the concerns that I have over the past three years and especially


yeah, yeah okay because I think uh we are I cannot stop emphasising this but we are in a situation that something that perhaps is a, is a experience our generation lah right something that we go through and what uh prime minister have said we don't want we do not want a COVID generation but I think getting a school would prevent this uh drastic change of COVID generation right so


uh when to personally I feel like uh is it actually solves a lot of problem right looking at currently the biggest problem that we have is just is not just the economy but uh the healthcare system but what the impacts us more uh what they always call the life and livelihood was is definitely the livelihood part


right uh so I think getting into school was a blessing in disguise and uh it actually solve solves a lot of our problem because I had, !wah! a lot of stress in terms of employment in terms of, ya I think you can see right


(mmhmm)


oh you got tell me before ya ya correct correct


oh so they offered you ah did they offer you the job


okay , okay but I mean now they are they are they are dressed in


ya but yeah but I think, I think ya I I don't know is it good or bad but uh ya they are those stewardess are jobless now they are at the MRT station and uh hospitals right as you see on videos but I think uh ya currently I think is a is a blessing in in disguise for you you know going back to school I think I hope


I will enjoy my my uni education as much as you, yeah I mean


ya, okay that's sound that's good that's sounds good because ya I haven't started school and I think poly was really like what you said uh, a mini nightmare everyday ya


ya ya ya okay oh my god I think that one will spill a lot of tea okay but I think ya eh serious serious serious serious I think will spill a lot of tea on that but uh for this I think yeah apart from that I think uh new best experience ah


I feel that I was quite lucky last year to go on this uh exercise wallaby so I think you know lah when we when I flew there for a good, ya is is yes is australia but I think is a different part of going to australia you know people go australia you see Sydney and uh the opera house


I think is a big city lah and I think maybe there there is a loss, ya, ya but I think is a good experience and I I think perhaps you know there is a lot of singaporeans there you know my situation was was quite different because I was in a australian land but then everyone working there is from singapore so even the support crew is from singapore the contractors are from singapore everyone is singaporean there but we are just living australian grounds


so it felt like singapore for like a good three weeks so, it was a three work week but I is a three weeks uh of work there but then it was a it was work basically every single day including uh


weekends and even we spend deepavali there but it doesn't sound seems like deepavali there uh really really really it was still a working day and then we were we were still joking you know whether will they serve indian food or something but then it didn't happen and uh


it was it was a great time lah I mean uh you would will not get to experience uh that kind of australian weather that kind of uh the weather is great is just dry ah but is good ah uh you will you never get to we went there in


I think september eh october october so late of mid october is going to be quite cooling in the evening and the night so it was quite a nice uh period of time and you know uh it is something that err looking back you know will we regret


the question is that uh will I regret uh going on for going there for like you know three weeks or so I won't lah yeah


oh okay great minds think alike I like I also thought of that question I mean is like I'm very thankful for the people who, take an effort to groom me you know uh you know you always say I sell my life lah but I mean I sell out my life to someone to


ya I do sell my, okay lah but I'm trying to uh to, uh I I don't want to say to leave them but I'm trying pull myself out of it but uh I think suddenly my life is not is not no lah don't put like sell sell lives lah sell lives sounds like I'm I'm selling my soul to them not yet not yet alright uh maybe it will not come


maybe it might come but uh depends on whether they want give me a job but, uh I think one thing I'm very thankful for them is that they are very open to give me opportunities to groom myself and to really create an environment that is safe for me to grow and develop myself that's what I'm very thankful for


ya what about yourself, yeah


!wow!


yeah , I believe so lah I think uh we we live in a very fortunate environment that we are all able to, make it through this period in a way that it disrupts our lives least but it will uh and also creates as much comfort as possible during this period uh we do see that the situation in singapore are fairly


controlled right uh and this being a country that has a gold standard in combating the virus I think it is something that we are we should be very thankful for especially uh, if you look at the number of infection per million we are actually on par with


uh, uh cities that were actually very forefront for example Italy who which actually has massive spread so we are at about six thousand cases per million uh perhaps uh it might go a little bit higher as uh the day goes


but one thing that, we are very thankful for and uh we do not see this as a result uh that you know we we turn a blind eye to is the circuit breaker measure that was able to bring down community transmission case down right


so it brought down the community transmission cases down uh you know we try to and the good thing was that phase two came earlier than what we expected it to err limited social yes yes yes yes


let's talk about it then next week lah next week more free lah but next week our orientation leh okay ah, , ya


oh


ya ya


yes, !wow!, , yeah true true true


yeah


yeah, yeah, correct correct correct because my my overseas trip I also don't know whether successful or not yeah because they are waiting for ministries approval to see whether we are is possible to do it because for like NCSS right their orientation is not the like you know you see like NUS and stuff they have like the camps and stuff right


for NCSS they go overseas ya this a this a good thing for us for a very very small university because they have the ability to do so, yeah but I think yeah one thing that let's all be thankful for is the latest payment that the government has just gave


yes yes, actually by right is today lah is today but, yeah but mine came like two days earlier so ah is good ya things are are moving great ya the government is taking care of people


(ppc) ya err, ya so , I think is that's something to be thankful for that


we had we are that the people is involved in democratic process lah right I h~i have friends who whine that they don't like to go to the polls they feel is just a hassle know why are we even doing this right uh will we make a difference


as a person but I think be thankful because this is what the general population has uh has voted for has chosen for to hold on the mandate for the next term and I think uh one thing that we can be thankful for in our system is that


everyone has the best interest of the nation and, we, err in a country where the system doesn't have major flows and doesn't corrupt I think that is something to be thankful for and be can be very proud to say that this country would still exist and this country will be


not and what our leaders are doing is not they what they always say for the here and now but is for the future and forever and


yeah one thing


, err possibly but I think that's enough for us I guess okay


so what's one financial advice that you will give to the you five years ago


I think I would the same cause I remember in five years ago I was still in secondary school and I would spend, every single cent on my pocket money on food, and I will I will overspend like for example if I were to get ten dollars a day


I would spend fifteen dollars on food, and extra five dollars maybe from like #hari raya# money or like extra extra pocket money, so I never really had savings growing up, from like primary to secondary


JC because I keep spending like if I were to advise myself five years ago is to, start inculcating a good saving habit, cause, now I realise how important it is to save especially in uni


ya so


okay so like right now I don't really have like cash flow in as in I don't have, a job but I still receive pocket money from my parents, so for example if I were to get thirty a day, so I will just, maybe save ten and then


twenty dollars I can spend on my food so everyday if I save ten it will just accumulate and accumulate and then, in the end like in a month I can save three hundred like that, ya


, but when you say spent on food right do you have like a budget you want to you want you want to put aside for a month of spending on food,


fifty per meal no fifty for per day right, actually I think around the same so like I try, I try my best not to eat out so much like if I need three meals a day, I will eat out twice and I eat one one meal at home


personally I don't think uh credit card is, necessary, so like cause with credit card you you're spending money that you don't really have, because you're going to pay later right so people have like this mentality to overspend


so they think like oh I have I have money now I can just spend now, and then like they for example if they're earning for example five hundred a month and then they decide to spend like five hundred all the five hundred during that month but they don't see like unforeseen unforeseen circumstances like who knows you have to fork out like another two hundred so you technically overspending


but as of now like, student wise if we were to have a credit card it wouldn't be that great because our income is also like very, inconsistent , so like our credit score won't be that high also, so I guess like if you were to have a credit card it'll be like when you have a stable income


or like and a stable job, not at like this age, ya, so like right now what I'm planning to save for is mostly for my exchange program and that requires a a really large


sum of money and I'm trying my best not to ask extra money from my parents yeah I'm trying to, maybe like invest the money I already have, but it's also a struggle because I'm not really that well versed in like stocks market and stuff and I know the returns might be quite long


so I'm still researching on that, (mmhmm)


ya,


especially if like COVID right now right, , ya


so it's scary for us cause especially we don't really have that much money to play with, so it's,


it was true, and then I think to make a loss it'll be like really really painful, I don't think that ya,


and especially if we want to work so much harder we can't really do that because we have to juggle school and like working, for you like


that's true, so you said you have like a part time job while schooling right so how do you delegate your time, (mmhmm)


so like I said I receive around thirty a day, , ya regardless of whether I'm schooling or not, so I try, my best like at least to set aside ten dollars every day if I can set like set aside more it's fine if I can't then yeah because I still have like a strong propensity to spend


cause I'm, and actually I'm a spendthrift and I'm still trying to change that, but it's hard but that's why, I try to start small with baby steps by saving at least ten dollars a day, ya so ya


but for the investing thing I'm not so sure I still have to do like a bit more research and I know some uni friends they, they all like already started investing, so I might ask for like some advice


I think investing it's, you can study it but like, for example like you study investing, but then if you can't really walk the talk it's like no point for example you need the experience so I rather like seek advice from someone who has experience and like someone who has you know made like tons of profits from investing


so I actually have like a group mate who has been investing for quite long I think she has been investing for, I think not okay for a student it's like three years is kind of long, and, when she invests she really invests in large sums like we're talking about twenty thousand ten thousand here ya she is our age


so and she's quite successful and she looks, like she's living comfortably so I might ask her for advice,


so driven and sort of ya, , ya,


but I don't know how I will take the fail that's the thing, like I rather spend it on something else than to the than to lose the money you know, something good right ya


oh yes yes, I was actually looking into taking up like a temporary job, during the the break but it was pretty hard with all the COVID and stuff like


cause there were tons of applicants, and it was really a lot of competition so I didn't get any job and like my commitment period was quite, short because I still have school, like in august so, ya like not many employers were


, contemplating whether they should hire me because of my short commitment period, ya


ya and then they want someone with experience right


ya , ya so it's quite hard to save actually and I'm planning to go in, another next year actually eh next year ya next year, so I still have that time to think of how I'm suppose like how I'm going to raise the money to actually go


oh I actually did the calculations cause my sister went for student exchange, during her time when she was in uni and she had to spend around fifteen K fifteen thousand, so ya I'm playing to save fifteen thousand, right now I'm uh


uh right now I'm at the halfway mark so, still working on it , ya, so about you ya, oh


that's true oh are you sure not on, ya grab food grab , I spent a lot on grab food cause you know you feel really bored at home and then you feel like you still craving your like your favourite food and you went you just add up like pick up the phone press a few buttons and then you just order


right , uh no some of them are like really a lot more for delivery


I actually wanted ya the island wide one, we can go up to like eighteen dollars for delivery, ya ya, ya


but do you find yourself , so what's your spending habit like now during COVID and then your spending habit like, before like prior COVID, so is it like you save more like way more,


but what oh really ,


like the biographs right


cause you have school ya think so too, on like school food , ya ya, like I mean COVID has taught me that like it's possible to save like it actually quite easy to save and you can like if all the grabfood right I K when at the start of COVID around


I was ordering like three meals a day, on grabfood but then I realised I really don't need to be spending that much especially if I'm at home I'm not even burning my energy, so like might as so might as well I just like


if I want to spend like one or two meals, so just like cut back my spending like, try to, you know curb the temptation to spend , ya


ya, ya , grab food oh yeah


so have you gone through any loss in your life


actually it's like very similar to yours, as it's also my grandfather and it was around twenty fifteen, so my family is quite, I have four siblings, but like I'm the middle child and you know middle child is like


the most neglected right so , the only person that really like doted on me was my grandfather, so , but I really took him for granted cause, we were close growing up but then you know as I get older and older you don't really hang with your like grandfather that much


and, also he lives in the west which is really far away from me, so , so one day he actually called my house phone and I picked it up and I was in I was in a really bad mood, so he actually like


asked me something and I was, uh really talked to him like quite rudely and I hung up, then , two hours later we got a call from my grandmother saying that he got cardiac arrest


so , then he was sent to the hospital and his heart stopped beating for I think twenty minutes until they managed to revive him but it was, quite, it was too late so he was declared brain dead


but so he was on I think life support, so he was in the ICU for, quite long if I'm not wrong it's, a week or two, and we visited him every day and then


so, they gave us a choice do you wanna keep putting him on the life support machine or do you want to just take it out because there's really no chance of him, getting getting back like conscious and then,


it was hard for like the whole family so because , my, mum and her siblings decided to pull the plug, so they set a time for everyone to gather, and then when they did it it was it was really slow


you can see like the, the machine going like flat lining, and it was really hard because, and the and reality didn't really sunk in then, but after you really like hear the flat lines


a really hard feeling I I can't really explain it but, ya and then I cried over it for around like, a week after cause, I felt so bad about how like


the last thing I said to him was actually like to shout at him you know, so ya it was really hard on me,


ya definitely one of my greatest regrets, and then it thought me to like uh really treasure everyone because, life is short and you really don't know who's going to go when and where, so you really have to treasure everyone


ya, and if you have like something to say to someone you might as well just say it now, cause there's no point like, holding back showing affection or like holding back telling someone how much you love them, because you don't know when you when you'll be able to say


before like they go


ya because, I'm the type of person who really like set a really high expectation for myself and then until like reality sinks in and I realise that I cannot really it's not really that easy to, actually achieve that so like


not being able to achieve my goals really stresses me out, and like, sometimes I really don't know how to handle so it comes out as tears or, you know just, and then the worst part is for example if I really don't know how to generate like my my stress and my anger I I would take it out on people like for example like my family members which is unfair to them because they really don't deserve it


so ya, that's true


that's true


then they leave right then you lose them, losing people


I guess one of my biggest worry also is like bouncing back from failure, or like bouncing back from, negative experiences like for example , in


so you know how I been playing sports my whole life right and then in teams usually it's I get appointed as a captain, but, so in JC I actually ran and for the first time I didn't get the position


and to me it's, for someone like who has spent her whole life being captain it's like very, daunting for me it's a really different, I was really disappointed mostly and it really like shattered my confidence


and I really like didn't want to try like, I started developing a bit of anxiety also, so , it took a while for me to get over it around like maybe a few months


I still like held a bit of grudge, but, you know it's give and take so like, it's also a blessing in disguise I guess, but in the long run uh, like that experience has really taught me how to, cope with failure but even though it was just a one time thing doesn't mean like I'm


I'm a, professional with like coping with failure I still like struggle but like at least, I know how to cope better


ya ya


just feel like you failed right like you're a failure, I I do know how you feel because for I, going up to JC I was playing netball and then in JC I decided to change a sport


try something new, and usually I have like the flair for sports and you know playing in PE and playing like competitively is really different, so when I was in actually uh when I was in the CCA, I wasn't progressing as fast as I thought I was


like as I thought like I'd I'd be able to, like for example in soccer we have this thing called the long kicks, so, I was a defender so I was supposed to be able to do the long kicks and, ideally you have to cross like the the middle of the field


but it, such a kick takes like very very long to master like some of them take like months or like years, and, you know for someone who has like a flair for sports I thought I could like master in like a few days or few weeks, so I kept trying and trying and trying I'd stay back after training and training ends really late like eight PM


and I, I still tried till like ten, and I still can't get it and it really demoralises me and on top of the fact that I didn't get the captaincy position, the fact it all like really rained down on me, and, JC was also one of the hardest


points of my life because it's, the studies were also very , intense, ya so I was trying to juggle like training five times a week, and with my studies it was really like hard


ya ya, especially like chemistry and physics, H two ya,


I remember like really breaking down like my lowest point was I actually had to go to my counsellor was it which was actually my malay teacher, and like I confided in her and it it was just like one hour breaking down, so it was hard like I'm usually like someone who bottles up


things inside, but to like let it all out was really like it wasn't it was a really different experience and I couldn't, I wouldn't say I like it but, it's, it was what I had to do to like process everything, ya


and like for example, I think especially in like our country mental health has like a bad connotation to it like, people think like oh when you're there's something wrong with you if you have like mental health issues, so it's like very hard to like seek help


or like uh for example if you tell someone you're like I'm struggling or for example depressed, people will just look at you different like, why are you so weak that kind of thing


it's not enough it's really not enough ya


and I feel like people they, a lot of people they just judge they don't know if someone is struggling or not, like mentally or anything so they just pass on judgments and it's really hard because you don't know what they've been through or you don't know what they're going through and then like which causes them even more distress


and like, judging someone so hard like makes them not want to like seek help more, so it's like a vicious cycle, so like and they they feel like they're trapped, and they don't they don't know what to do so they have no other choice but to like resort to


things like self harming or you know trying to take their own life, so it's really sad,


because they think it's easier that way, and because they don't see, ya and they don't see like people like them, so they don't really feel like, like the sense of community, I guess they don't feel like they belong


so they feel like struggling alone is like an option like the best option for them


oh yes, (mmhmm)


I think my best birthday present was actually getting to spend time with my mum, ya, cause usually previous years I would be spending my birthdays with friends, but then cause my mum would be busy and usually she'd take like off days for my siblings since birthdays but just not mine I don't know why probably is because it's early in the year


but like specifically last year she took an off day for my birthday and we actually went overseas for my birthday, so it was really nice to be spending time with like my mum and like getting to bond with her, and just ya to bond with her


ya we went on like , we actually went to, have like a mother daughter massage and then we went shopping, ya it was a really nice day just getting to bond my my mum, so what about you


oh yes I remember, (mmhmm)


ya, and you got to have fun right, remember your your your crown your mcdonald's crown, , then they had


oh ya the cake, no I think my favourite part was the, was it the treasure hunting or something they had to find something, the clips ya


remember we had to like clip on like the person and we have to shake it off or something


ya the dance right, , I know I was one of them I was the first person who did the speech


you said it because I took the speech the speech mod public speaking mod, it was over by then


it was true that's true, but were you touched by my speech, oh !wow! do you replay it often ,


okay when you miss me you can play it, what


so the whole COVID situation is like your perfect your ideal situation, really,


do you think video chatting is the same as meeting them face to face


ya, that's true, and then on top of that you can do like activities together like bowling rock climb it's like it's a different feeling from like playing actual like games


and video games is really different, it's very different, ya


oh it's very hard like usually when I'm not playing sports I'm I go to the gym and when I go to the gym it's around three times a week


so having to be like sedentary or like lying down everywhere at home all the time is just so, hard for me, so like I try to, you know set up challenges, like you know these youtube challenges like for example <P2>chloe ting</P2> challenges and stuff


so like the two week challenge one week challenge I just keep myself busy and just follow along these like workouts is like because you get to, move and, do cardio and stuff without actually thinking about the cardio cause it's very interactive and very engaging


ya, it's better than like running, cause running personally I really hate running, like it's I find it I find it, I find it so boring because you just run and, it's so I I just find it repetitive like if you play sports is like you know the change of direction you get the adrenaline but I don't get that from running


but I know I have to because to keep up like with my stamina and fitness so I'm forced to but if I'm doing all these like videos I'm distracted I'm like having fun like doing for example like zumba, so I don't really think of it as like boring or like repetitive


so it's way more, like engaging for me and like ya, ya,


twelve hours really, nine seasons,


the only show I've been watching for this COVID is uh ninety day fiance, yes but I haven't, ya I mean I I haven't really like watched that season cause there are season four for the before the ninety days but I only watch season three of before the ninety days and season seven which is ongoing right now so there was actually one couple which really like


dumfounded me like cause it's so okay so this guy, so this girl cause , they have been dating for five years online, and they have never met, and, throughout this five years this guy has been sending her a little over fifty thousand dollars


fifty thousand dollars and she's still like hasn't met him like come up with excuses like one of it was, okay so he's like eh can we met she's from ukraine and he's from america, and then she said can we meet in mexico cause I think the sun there is so nice and stuff like that


and then, so she told him to send her, money so she can buy a plane ticket to mexico, so he send her over like, two thousand or three three thousand dollars, and then she never showed she said that if I buy the plane ticket I'll have no money for my manicure my make up


and then, ya and so she never showed in mexico so he went alone, , and he was yeah, no I forgot his name but I know the girl's name is maria, ya it was crazy like he


like towards, at the end right she actually broke up with him, and then she broke up with him like in mexico, like over the phone, and then when he got back to the when he got back to the US, and then she started texting him again !hey! I'm sorry I'm sorry I broke up with you I need nine hundred dollars for my rent


, he sent he sent her the money, ya and the thing is he still, he's still like


it's it's crazy, no he's, he he's basically a manicurist is it a manicurist ya, ya and you know


and it was quite bad because like remember how we were talking about personal finance this this guy he really does not have, like any, form of knowledge because for the mexico trip he really had no money cause he's been sending her a lot of money right


he actually like took a loan from his boss, to pay for the trip , and he maxed out all his credit cards trying to buy like the the flights the expensive dinner and everything


no I mean like there's there's a limit you know, like you should be able to get the hint, , like you should know when someone is not interested or like when someone is interested


like you cannot be that delusional for your own good, so have you met like anyone in real life like that,


I mean for I would say the same for my secondary school teacher that one particular like one teacher in particular she was my, form teacher actually, and we were pretty close because she was also my chemistry teacher, so


I would stay for cause I had training right and my training would be until like seven, so then, she will actually she's also my netball teacher coincidentally like one of the teacher in charge, so she will actually stay a little like after netball training for to for me to clarify some chemistry doubts


and it was really nice of her like for her to like spend the time even after training it was really after hours, and then sometimes like, cause, I will have supplementary before training right so I wouldn't have time to eat


so she'll be like are you hungry do you need food so she will offer to buy food and stuff for me, ya it was really nice of her ya, really caring teachers right it's really hard especially in, there I don't think there's such thing a like of such caring teachers in uni


definitely not ya, do you find it hard to like , to adapt to uni life, like at the start


that's true, like for me I guess ya


ah thanks I know


it's true because like for example in like new secondary school or JC you can always like ask your teachers if we don't know but like in uni it's quite hard to ask like the profs, so you have to really depend on your friends too, and like, thankfully in uni I met people like you also and like the others so we like we really help each other like in for example in terms of like coding or math or anything


so it's like a team teamwork effort, ya like you


ya , like you really appreciate like the friendships you forge, now right


ya it's about like the how strong the, connection is you have with someone, and how much you can trust them, like I know like even if you have like a lot of friends and then like but they're not there for you when you're in need so what's the point


you know, that's true ya


ya, so , so how would you compare like, the friendships you forge in uni to the friendships you forged in secondary school, or like in previous,


ya, I feel it's the same thing for me like in secondary school it was mostly oh for like my teammates it was just mostly to like play like futsal for example or like just to have a fun time


but then in uni cause you have, people who are like struggling with you like going through the stuff you're going through also, so like they can relate more to you so that you can really confide confide in them like if you have problems or you're struggling with school that kind of thing


and at the same time it's I'm lucky enough to like have friends that I can also have fun with in uni, and at the same time confide in them, ya


ya, there wasn't there weren't really much struggles in secondary school (ppl), what we thought was struggles


financial related topic, I think because the me five years ago was like fifteen years old so I didn't really care much about like saving money so one like advice I'll give to myself is that you should save more money instead of like


, instead of like uh spending all your money on food, so like what what about you


(mmhmm)


that's true so like cause now now we realise that we have to save right so what's your current like way of like saving money like how do you categorise what you earn


that's true for me is because currently, while studying also I'm like working like different jobs right so because my jobs are like tutoring so I get paid by the hour or like let's say training I think like the uh the amount of income that I receive is also very unstable


so like is like super hard for me to like actually allocate leh so, like my strategy is just to like spend on food that's all and like not spend on like redundant things like shopping


no leh usually when I spend right I just spend as much as I like but obviously I I won't spend like hundred dollars per meal lah maybe like fifty because like you know the food that we eat usually maybe the maximum that it will cost is like twenty bucks


no no lah ya per day, (mmhmm) oh


so like for example like when you go out to like sort sort of like spend money right do you think it will be better to use like a credit card like to own a credit card, (mmhmm)


(mmhmm) that's true


(mmhmm), but then right because like credit cards right is like sort of like it will accumulate your credit score so like the more you use your credit card then it although you have to like pay back like a higher interest rate


you will also have to like the more that you spend the more credit scores you have and then like it's sort of give like like people who you want to take loans from like banks right like a rough gauge of how like, consistent you are with like paying like your bills leh so like let's say next time right you want to go out you want to buy something like I don't know like a house


and then you want to take a loan from bank like what if you don't have like a credit card to like tell them that oh actually I can pay the bills like very well and then they don't want to give you the loan then how


, (mmhmm)


that's true maybe like when we start working,


oh ya about investing right so like recently a lot of like people like young people are really into investing like wherever I go people are talking to me about like buying stocks or like bitcoin or like crypto currency and all that then I realise


that actually like investing right there's like so many different types of investing which makes me so confused because like you know some of the invest like investment that you make right it is for like a long term thing like if you invest for a long time then you will profit but some of it is like


you just like throw your luck around you know and I think it's like so scary because like as a student like you don't have much money and then like to put like this like lump sum of money into something that you're not so sure about and fluctuates so much with like the global economy right


it's like super super scary ya the COVID like makes everything so much harder is like the the markets crash and people are like frantically buying the stocks and then later the next moment they are selling it all away, ya


ya I feel like like investing, right is is like gambling is a bit like gambling sometimes I feel


super painful like imagine if it like you put in so much money and you lose so much more money and you will have to like work so much harder to earn back the money


ya, and it's like uh like let's say right, if like we want to earn like a bit of extra money like during the weekends or whatever it'll be so hard for us because we will have to then push like all our academic like problems like during the weekdays


and then we will never ever have like, a time of rest, (mmhmm) ya, I think for me because like my part time jobs are very like


uh, very flexible hours so because I do, tutoring so is like two to three hours so I can easily schedule it like in the late evening when all my lessons are done, so like the the money that I received from like these weekly tutoring sessions are actually also like my allowances in a way


so if like let say in that week I don't get to tutor as much means I wouldn't have to spend that much because I definitely need to save everything like something instead of spending everything so ya


but how about you like because your parents still give you a bit of like allowance right so how do you like ration it out like how much, do you like, spend on like food or like going out, (mmhmm)


(mmhmm)


actually like speaking of like investing and all the advice thing right do you think like it's better like if you were like get to learn from like your friends or like the internet or do you think it's better to get someone who actually like is experienced and like has a degree like a financial adviser to come and help you


that's true,


actually like for someone to be like so young and so like uh affluent right ya it's really it takes a lot of like studying leh like studying the market studying like what is good and a lot of risk taking actually if you think about it


because when she first started out, like she definitely doesn't know like what what is she doing and then like I also heard like the way to learn more about investing is to also fail a bit when you invest, which is ya


that's true at least like it goes to something that you will benefit out, ya , so like you talk about like saving for overseas uh exchange right


so like do you do you take like different measures to like save up more, (mmhmm)