describe a time when I was helped by someone uh I would say that uh is my ex boss because uh ya because uh like I say like uh I I don't really have the time and uh the energy to go and run for my sales at the moment


so uh I actually uh uh, uh when to find my ex boss uh for for some uh admin jobs lah, yeah, so uh he actually provided me some like uh work from home admin job


then uh to earn some income lah which I feel uh at least better than nothing ya but of course, ya and at the same time ah I'm really thankful and glad that you know like we are still in in contact and because he knows of my situation right he also supported me by uh buying uh policy from me


ah which I feel like oh okay then like no I very thankful ah I mean that you provide me with job and at the same time you provide me with commission ya ya so, ya go where to find right ya like so I I feel like uh uh maintaining relationship is very important ah


(uh) like (uh) I'm glad that you know like (uh) I know him, ya, if if I don't know him I I don't know where can I get this kind of safety net [lah], ya he's really my safety net


oh okay


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


let's see five years ago so I'm twenty seven right now twenty two so the little I just started uni so I will tell myself actually not to spend too much


on modifying my car I guess because I think I spend quite a lot on that , and maybe instead of doing that I should, take the money, invest exchange not invest cause not, put in investing five years ago and not now lah but maybe buy some endowment plans from some financial guy ya


okay maybe, I will just start but I will just start first (ppc)


err, I believe as long as you have done enough research or talked to enough people you can actually plan your own finances like in term of life, insurance term insurance how much you need to buy why you need to buy but the thing is


having a financial adviser is good to, uh make claims for you let's say those claims that you're unable to do it yourself like there like because if I buy or life insurance or term insurance per se and without going through a financial adviser and unfortunately if I passed no one is able to help me make my claim but right now there's this uh


insurance by FWD which has totally no agents in the middle and everyday so I would get for my early critical illness those type of insurance I will get from there because I mean if I, touch wood lah Suay Suay Kena cancer I'm still eh I'm still you know I can still use my finger make the claim myself and at a cheaper premium so ya why not so how about you


so, how do you manage your cash flow how much of your income is allocated to savings expenses, and insurance or investment


actually for me, I think that, you can you can save up to six months of your monthly income and for you know emergency cash and everything six months is good enough


the rest you can start to do some investment or maybe put it put into some savings plans endowment or if you're, bold enough you can try investing it yourself there's multiple platform nowadays and the transaction fee is actually quite low


that's what I wanted to do, ya when after I saved enough money lah I guess, so, so, expenses wise I don't expenses mainly, back to my first point oh I spend


quite, I would say ya quite a lot on car lah so ya that's a bad thing about my finance I guess, so


ya ya you can say that you can say that, so, let's see so what can you do to earn extra income or to improve your income level


I think


last time like, one year back, when I'm earning way lesser, I'll use my free time to to drive grab, so, and ya that's how I earn the extra income ah I guess so to improve my income level I would say the best


is to change job after I mean , you jump from one job to another, your pay will definitely increase so, for me I have a, fair


not fair lah with very good increment, so, I guess and then after after the increment I stop doing grab so right now I'm just doing hitch from point A to point B and, ya I guess that's just try to Siam ah if you can


I mean ya you you you do need to stay for a few years and after that you can start planning your your route up ya, or you can just, I know now grab food is kind of hot right you can just you know after work just take your bicycle you just do some grab food is quite good as as well lah one month I mean you work part time I guess you got like one thousand extra maybe


right, I guess you can hit that easily lah I guess I guess I haven't tried grab food yet but maybe sounds kind of fun lah, ya


!wow! how do you how how do I spend my money open my wallet ah know ah , I mean how okay I will just try to try my best to use cash back credit card I guess


credit card like amex, through cash back you know they don't care online, install, or, whatever bills and everything it just Pah straight flat one point five percent cash back so ya not bad for me till now


but, sadly to say, a lot of places doesn't accept amex yet, but there's a trick to it so you can just integrate into samsung pay and use your samsung pay and pay that's how I guess, ya so and what have you been spending too much on ya you already know the answer so how about you


sorry ah but I didn't tap on my phone just now I missed out that part and the recording is paused so what should I do I shouldn't press the middle I shouldn't press play I shouldn't press submit


okay, uh I I click submit now


ya, debate topic two, I mean I mean two out of four debate part two debate topic two, so sorry about that


I never tap on my phone, no I never see that oh please gently tap your phone so sorry, no it just the screen went off and try to open the screen and it just stop


yup, yup, correct


okay we continue first okay


how about games


games


okay okay cool, so, what strategies would you recommend to someone planning for their big ticket expenditure


starting a family buying a car or house


personally I guess, I guess it's good to just, like okay let's, trying by one by one starting a family ah I mean too soon for me okay let's say house so I guess you will just, you need to download the correct application actually first is to get the mortgage calculator so we can plan out what type of flat they want to buy uh four room or five room or three room mature estate non mature estate so depending on the amount


across amount of the flat you can actually calculate, how much is your monthly installment, and through the installment are you able to pay through full hundred percent CPF or do you need to fork out cash if you need to fork out cash how much so I guess


a lot people tends to be over confident I guess or they didn't do their homework carefully that's why you see you can see there's a lot of like sales of balance or people just give up their house at the last minute when they are trying to , take loan because they realize oh my loan I can't my their loan can't go through or whatsoever so in the end they just wasted a perfectly good neighborhood


so I guess it's good to really pen down everything like, how much is your house, how much down payment you think you can pay and is the money installment affordable for you, and


questions like should you wipe your CPF or keep a twenty thousand dollars in your OA, those kind of questions actually, you should discuss it with, your partner, and of course with those experience worker I guess


yup, actually I kind of like CPF contribution leh like I would say, most of the singapore young singaporeans wouldn't be able to afford BTO your down pay your first down payment


if it wasn't, for, the CPF contribution, they will spend all their money and that's it, like, a pretty good example people will only say keep six months of your monthly salary for example so imagine you just keep let's say you are earning four thousand six months twenty four thousands so when your BTO come


do you want to, put all twenty four thousand on your down payment, I believe a lot, people, wouldn't do that and, according to a business survey not a lot of people have, six months of monthly salary, in their savings account so so I guess


so, so, I guess, CPF is really good to control our saving lah, for young people but for older, generation


it's the retirement part, which is, kind of sucky because, they plan out, the age, that, you, they want you to retire, and E, even let's say, touch wood uh old people got a young oh a old guy at the age of seventy he got some terminal illness then he can't live I I don't know more than a year he also cannot take everything out I believe cause I I don't know if I'm right but


I think that's the way lah so it's kind of suck you know in this kind of, situation but in normal situation I would say it's okay is pretty good so what do you think


!wow! uh


I haven't married yet lah so maybe we can just skip on that maybe in the next question I guess in a post COVID world what changes are you making in terms of your spending or saving habits, do you want to go first


I'd say, uh maybe not post, COVID, maybe during this period lah


my spending habit, actually my spending actually went up because of, then you stay at home tend to, pay more I guess like bills, suddenly your parents will come make because I'm still living with my parents so


my parents will complain !wah! you stay at home the bill so high everything you know so you need to start paying for this kind of things, then, in normal situation I believe I wouldn't, and to pay it so fast I guess


so ya, but good thing is you go out lesser you save for your transport, you eat at home more you save from your food, ya, food is actually


up to individual like, uh sometimes you will spend more on food because you will, buy back for your whole family, so in the end you, end up spending more lah I guess


so, ya and so give and take lah I would say give and take give and take, so I would say, I I'll still hope for a better life ah, the COVID lah ya


so, do you want to go to the next question, okay


what frustrates me, I'll guess


animal abuse, like, whenever I see people trying to torture animal or pet, I feel very agitated feel uh angry and


one more thing will be my mom, nagging you know like , whenever she start nagging you go a'ah, ya, that's how I feel lah so how about you


ya double standard or double oh okay double standard or double face which is worst, double standard or double face which is worst, ya


is it, oh okay sorry


okay, I don't think I have witnessed, anything and kept quiet about and I seriously doubt that you will too because you are the kind that you will just when you see something is wrong you will just go for it right


I would say ya most of the time you do that so I don't think you can answer question two, I don't think you can answer question two right


not that I can recall I guess ya currently, think we skip the next question as well do you habit till, do you have a movie that you're too angry to watch


ya watch it and scold at the same time right


ya I think, not for me not for me


do you have any encounter


ya I guess is for me maybe when people start to cry, uh I always feel that, I am unable to help, and it makes me feel helpless at the same time as well like they they are helpless that's why they're crying but I can't help them it makes me like ah


so bad like, what can I do I always I will keep think of things that I can do to, help the person feel better but usually I I will come up with nothing that's the thing I can't really handle


my greatest fear ah, !wah! you crying, is my greatest fear, okay lah maybe uh I wouldn't say fear I would say phobia maybe let's talk about phobia maybe


so, I'll have phobia of heights, I can't, sit roller coaster like I mean I tried to I tried my best like but I really scared of that


height and like I don't know how to do it ya how about you


(hmm) maybe I got fear of singing in front of #pei feng# as well, right, series of unfortunate events, describe a time when everything that could possibly go wrong did go wrong


I would say, during my secondary school days when I was in east coast park, then I was, with all my friends and we went to the shower all our bags we put together our bags bags were together and everything then we just went to shower and after we shower I realized my bag is gone


like, really gone, so, even my wet cross I need I I'm only wearing a underwear to shower so only I left with literally, my underwear nothing else not even my clothes my pants my slipper my slipper is still there lucky for me and that's only two things that I'm left with I think that's a very very sad day


and, I don't even know how to go home without any, pants or shirt so my friend just pass me their wet tops and wet bottoms so I just wear them over sit under the sun wait for it to dry


borrow fifty dollars from my friend to take a cab back, it's like !wah! whole day is totally, you know, I mean what what other than I think nothing can make can make my day better already lah that that time lah ya I think that's the most unfortunate event


ya, !wow! I think it's just, when you watch those dramas at the end and things doesn't go like (hmm) in standard type of you know series then you like !wow! then goosebumps lor


for me lah I guess


ya, ya I can't recall


!wah! this one like nearly can go to jail that kind of feeling right, nah I don't I don't recall actually


make me very angry ah, you go first you go first let me let me think


I think same those are appreciative people really, get on our nerve right like, we helped but, is good that we help but it's not our responsibility to help so you should be


you should be grateful instead if I have you one percent ya, if, ya, to have the right to be so you know ungrateful


disgusting ya I same eh same this type, make me stress ah


my work recently very stressful, and, the stressful part is, I also can't share, my work about uh


I can't share my work with other people as well other than my colleagues because it's all sensitive information so sometimes is just kind of suck because I got no one to really explain what problem I'm facing


and, I can't google my solution because, like I said sensitive information you can't google it it's not on the net so ya I think, that kind of thing makes me stress because I really want to do it well do it good but


a lot of things is actually stopping me from doing that ya, how about you what what thing makes you stress


the fear of failure is really very stressful like cause


true, so


actually very hard to explain I guess maybe you want you you want to talk about it or can we just skip this question I guess, is like very hard to say right ya


ya so maybe let's talk about in a post COVID world, what are some of the worries and anxiety that you face


I think my biggest worry would be, economy as well cause really don't know how long will it take for the economy could bounce back so like, my father business is not doing that well not not as well as before everything is affected


and, what I'm afraid is also retrenchment because like our big ticket purchase are coming soon so retrench or pay cut is


it's gonna be a huge impact on our life these few years ya so, it's really kind of stress me out ah what stress me out that as well because it's really a big commitment


but, I would say it's a good type of stress for this, ya, because stress this kind of stress will make you want to work harder and that's why we, came out with a few


ya came out with a few ideas, but, hopefully, ya but, that's slight chance that, COVID is like aids, you know they will never be able to


find a vaccine for it yes there's a cure but not a vaccine or even in aids there's only cure medicine for those lower stage I guess not for those like you know like cancer so imagine COVID


never ends and right now, !hey! then stare statistic is ten million people infected five hundred thousand death, five thousand death out of ten million that's what five percent is it


five percent death is actually quite high right for a normal, cough or flu, so, it's really quite worry looking at the numbers is really quite worrying sometimes lah and


ya because, ya, that's right I think you can just see how it goes lah slowly it's really slowly


okay, hi so, let me start first, what makes you want to be alive, it's a very interesting question


what makes me want to be alive ah, I would say life itself I guess is actually quite wonderful right you get to meet so many type of people you get like each perfect encounter is actually


very special and ah makes me like you know, let's see today who am I going to meet, and, what's gonna happen to me you know like what you say uncertainty uncertainty is fun right, like you don't know will I you know be richer today suddenly first price from four D or toto you know those kind of expectations if you already know it it's not fun ya


ya start a family is good right


!wah! secretly proud of having ah, maybe I don't think it's a skill but, situational awareness I guess


you know like, you're aware, you know, went to say the right thing or maybe know to give their face, these kind of small little things I guess it really helps me, in life a lot


I tend to offend lesser people, and, ya you can call me fake lah but, you know , ya, so I guess ya that's all so how about you


do you want to go first, okay okay


uh blush the most ah, actually, also don't know leh, maybe, when I, think about our future together you know make me nervous


very cringe of, I I can't, think of anything else actually or what do you think will make me blush since you will know me right, so you see like you know me for so many years


I don't know eh, I think my skin quite thick ah, ya my skin quite ya so


ya maybe it's embarrassing for others but not for me I guess, okay, unwind and relax, smoking drinking


err I think talk to people lah talking drinking actually drinking is quite relaxing for me but too much is not very good lah but chill drinking is good for me to unwind myself to release stress


uh talk to you about, work ya, have a good meal I guess sometimes you know you need to have a good meal to


feel relax ya, how about you


ya actually watch show or play games actually help you to relax sometimes right, ya or listen to music sometimes


when you make a comeback and shut everyone up, this a very good moment to have in your life actually like imagine they can make a comeback and make everyone shut up


!ee! so you are trying to say you never fail in life lah


I also don't like to fail but I failed quite lot of subjects also, okay so, what's your best surprise, I think


you receive


for me I guess, biggest surprise ah, ya I managed to get into uni actually, ya I mean, throughout all those secondary school life and everything


suddenly eh, I'm able to get to uni I think even my mother is surprise for me lah, not only myself lah so ya


actually right now it's like everything is uncertain right, not only, (ppc) not only COVID let's say south china sea south china sea tension china india tension china US tension lah everything is you know


all very uncertain lah, so what makes me optimistic about the future a bit hard to say though, actually I I'm there's only one thing that I'm looking forward to which is, getting a place like the our BTO


that's the only thing I'm looking forward to right now, like, although although it's like two zero two three but you know three years later you'll get your own house !wah! ah that's the only thing I'm looking forward to actually what about you


or is or or, actually


why not you go first, ya


ya actually same for me leh like (hmm) at first I thought six of us living together will be you know kind of intense like everyone be one day waiting for someone to, break and, someone will just ah shut up but


but okay lah for us, think everyone everything goes well, and, no one really quarrel with each other right , except for one time you're angry with me lah but


I think ya I think that is a, very very very good trip, (hmm) so let's move on to the next, question first, what's


biggest reward ah, I want to say I don't recall because I don't do any good deed


ya I think it's hard because, people like you you won't really go notice right, ya then reward, ya then reward also very


if the person tell me thank you uh I also can say is the biggest reward you know that kind of thing ah maybe maybe I would say in korea, we managed to find the lady phone number remember


ya then we didn't told her then she she asked to the very famous coffee place what's that called, ya can can feel can feel her kindness right like, she really like


ya, kind the, ya I I think I think the that is, that is the biggest reward actually like just sit down talk to her then she explain to us everything she still tells us what her husband job and everything is lah ya it's really very nice


so let's move on, how's really, let's move on, describe an experience when your faith in the mankind was renewed


ya do have agreed, I don't have a faith in mankind renewed but I got the the other feeling opposite feeling but I don't think it's good to discuss here maybe not positive experience maybe the negative experience portion


so, the don't really experience a !wah! faith in mankind, although like got some mean moment lah but, not a real life experience I guess, what leads you to experience an adrenaline rush


gamble, I mean, it's the kind of feeling the you know, your heartbeat pa pa pa pa, like non stop and everything


ya, I think that's the only experience I can think of right now lah right now maybe there's a lot but that's the most exciting I say no matter is two dollar five dollars fifty dollars hundred dollars it as long as I gamble or play poker I will have


that kind of feeling somehow ah actually it's not about the amount is about the experience ah I would say, quit


so, you, I think I think we we can I want to know one thing so


uh what do you love most about yourself


uh what I love most about myself ah, my looks lor, no lah uh I would say, what I love most about myself is


my attitude I guess when I want to do something I, really try my best to do it and do it good lah, that's another bad thing as well like if I don't like it


I won't even move like, I need that motivation, yup


!wah!, ya I would say uh something soupy ah or noodle of I think got quite a few leh jack fruit, Wanton-Mee the soup place


no leh the soup place I think is comfort comfort ya comfort soup lah soup the one at Sin Ming right, how about you


double mac spicy is your comfort food, what amazes me ah


is like, something I encountered then I have to go wild, is it, or what what what what amaze you


for me I think I'll amaze by, fast car, sports car, like, you know, on people how they modify their cars I guess like the creativity ya


okay okay can , so we can go by point like pointers by pointers also right, okay then uh


I guess for me uh last time I used to, you know I used to get my paycheck


from part time jobs and like I'll just, spend spend it on clothes on the unnecessary things , but uh, if I were to give an advice it will be , to really plan plan out your savings and then , don't spend


maybe more than like twenty percent of your, your whole income I guess for that month , uh ya so what about you


ya, ya


true true I I guess I should also like look into, some uh financial plans lah because right now I only have those basic plans and only is like recent years that I have these kind of policies so I should have started earlier


I think ya, okay uh next uh should you DIY or get a financial adviser to plan your finances


ya, correct, ya, for me I think it depends on what kind of financial aspect we're talking about like let's say maybe investment oh that I really have no clue I probably should get


a financial adviser to better plan out, what I should invest in and, and you know what, assets do I have blah blah blah but then uh if let's say for savings I think this can be easily done through you know careful planning and make sure you allocate enough uh like your income


to certain banks or savings saving plans I think this kind you can actually plan it out yourself ya so it depends, okay next question


uh okay to be honest I don't really have like a proper, cash flow system for myself mainly I just save whatever I can on a monthly basis and I try not to spend you know on net unnecessary stuff


as for insurance I only have the basic like hospitalization plan and then I don't invest in anything yet just because I don't think that I am stable in my financial position I guess so I don't really uh I have not really look into


that, that uh path per se ya, what about you


excuse me


okay


okay, ya, not exactly bad lah different priorities and allocation [loh], ya


okay, for me I look for part time jobs, so I actually take up you know uh a part time during weekend to improve my income because my I'd say is quite average in my industry and


ya what I that's what I do and then I try to really save on things, so I don't really dine now I don't uh I don't buy clothes, unnecessary clothes


ya things like that, I hope to in increase my you know income level and then, I tried to start, planning now my, financial my financial things so


yup, that's all I do actually ya what about you


ya, okay okay


okay okay, ya, okay so how do you spend your money and , what expenditure is justified and what have you been spending too much on


uh for me I okay I recently been spending on things like household items that I bought vacuum a handheld vacuum and then I bought like uh a chair for my house , ya other than that it's just mainly those basic food I don't really spend


much ah which uh expenditure is justified ah I guess when you really need the things, uh you when your loved one really needs a things, then ya


he should submit first right


the title


I think once you


okay can can, okay, uh okay just now I've I think I was saying like what expenditure is justified, so I guess when you really need things like let's say ya you need work clothes and those kind I guess is justifiable for me and then if you need a new desk table or like uh I know home essentials and


then things that'll improve your like comfort level I think is important those kind what about what, games ah I think once in a while I mean not too expensive things like uh maybe you spend fifty dollars once in six months for a game I think is I think is totally justifiable lah it depends on how much you can save also let's say you already saved a lot that month


then maybe you can buy another game , ya


I, I think right uh before all that they should, have plan out their finances lah I mean you you really need uh


ya why your chat there's okay that's not important right, okay uh I guess you really need uh a whole plan maybe a five year plan because, it's a big ticket and, most of the young people may not have that much yet


so ya my suggestion is to start, planning and then make sure you have, enough to cover for the next, err few years to go, ya what about you, what's your advice


correct correct, what're your thoughts on CPF contribution


may not


I think uh to okay like let's say to poorer families, like my parents right they don't really like it because, err, okay is it's like they have to spend most of their income so for them to actually take a part of their income to give it to to put it in CPF and then they cannot spend uh that they don't have a liquid cash to spend it now it's


it can be a challenge sometimes time but I still believe is good for their, like let's say I mean I beg to differ I think it's good for people like them when they're going to retire because they may able to take up some cash right because if they didn't you know put some they didn't have this CPF account they wouldn't


I believe they wouldn't have any savings lah to take out for their retirement and for them to have this like lump sum that they can read use in no when they're a bit older so uh, I guess it's mainly beneficial to many


it's just err if you are tight on cash then is not a good thing lah, ya but it of course it's good for you know paying for houses and, uh or the it's like a investment plan actually because you still get interests, so to me it's still sort of your money it's just being stored at the government side


ya okay next question I guess uh, how do you manage your financial commitments before and after marriage , we haven't got married


ya, so, ya, !wah!, I haven't really thought about it because I I think the cold post COVID world is


is still quite long like, in the future like maybe need maybe one one or two more years for it to completely disappear or maybe even longer so I guess I would


I wouldn't change much actually I, I don't know I I saved quite a lot mah now so, I don't think I would have any changes other than maybe at slightly saving more in case you know there is any


kind of uh new pandemic going on in case lah, ya, what about you


correct, ya


ya correct, but save on travel lah, travel expenses, correct


ya, okay, I think there just now she say forty five more seconds I think already over is it, ya


okay, okay, uh what frustrates you


I guess uh when, people don't appreciate like uh, others going , you're putting extra effort in to help them or


ya people who are very double standard I guess like they judges people very quickly and then, they are not doing the same themselves, ya, that frustrates me irritates ah more like


sorry, double standard or double face, double, double stand , I guess is similar right, eh no ah


I don't know okay lah okay double face means is their, quite kind of fake right uh ya, your your speaker sometimes I cannot hear you, ya, double face is like sometimes kind of fake I I I don't know I I don't like when people


I mean I get irritated when people say something and then they are not, they don't realize they're doing that themselves , yeah I guess that's, ya my pet peeves lah , okay what's the worst thing you have witnessed and kept quiet about


ya lah most of the time, !huh! I cannot hear you


uh actually can lah I mean I, is like I I saw you know people running over a cat using their car right but I think it's a he he's already dead so I didn't , do anything about it lor I mean and I felt bad


I mean I should have called you know some animal center right I think or, or ah I know like, got one time uh, a guy on the train didn't you know let, give give in their seat to an elderly


which really makes you want to stand up for him the elderly lah but I couldn't I don't know why I I don't dare to speak up, in front of so many people, ya I feel a bit ashamed but ya, you eh you have anything


that you witness then step okay [loh] ya ya so describe a time when you !huh! uh


I I don't recall leh, I, normally angry I'll just watch it through through out still, ya, so I don't think I, have been very angry about the movie that I couldn't stand watch to anymore ya you also or


okay describe a time when you are unable to help someone in need


okay, maybe when my, you know when a friend uh close family member passed on and then I I I felt helpless lah I I like I couldn't do anything other than, you know


giving them words of encouragement, or some positive words and, just listening to them like I I don't think I can do anything to help them , in terms of, there's situation ya ya I guess that's one time that


I'm able to think about one situation


okay ya alright me too , what is your greatest fear


greatest eh greatest


my greatest fear is, probably failing at something because I I I tend to not take, very big risk because I I really scared that I cannot, uh, I I'm not able to do it well or what so I I will tend to


I'll try to prepare myself hundred percent before I step into something so that's my greatest fear if even talk about phobia then fear of heights too I think I'm worse than you in terms of you know taking, roller coaster and stuff I can't do it


uh I can only take kids ride, and then uh , other than that oh I also fear public speaking, but I have been trying to improve, on that you know, uh last time when I was young I used to , cry whenever I have to step out on the stage to speak to everybody but now at least I'm just uh shaking a little bit


ya, you too , okay


ya do you recalled


for me ah I I don't know I'm general generally a very, lucky person so uh you have talked about a series, okay I guess err, last year when I was going for like an interview right I think that interview went super badly


and then uh you know I it feels like I I'm being lectured in during that whole interview, uh, (ppc) and then I felt very disrespected lah so on the way home I it was like !wah! uh pouring you know the whole was raining super heavily and then my I remember my shoes still tore into pieces like crumbling into pieces because it was made of I think the


like, like fabric that kind of thing, ya so , so I have to like drag my feet home you know through through the shopping malls , and then and then I have to, call people for help


uh ya so, and then oh and then I still lost my ezlink card, that day , so yeah that's kind of a series of unfortunate events ya


okay describe something you watched or read that gave you goosebumps, let me tap my


for me whenever I watch those thai commercials or or like, insurance commercials, those give me goosebumps because very touching or like either someone die or


or something is either very sad or very touching ya so those give me goosebumps, ya, I can't re recall the ex the exact uh plot, like ya (hmm)


the next question, described a time that you feel feel that you have committed something gravely wrong and there's no way you can get back up and start over is there any for you


ya I don't think I, ya same okay then we skip this uh described an events that make you very angry


any I go first (ppc), (hmm) I, think maybe when it when it comes to work then I have to cover for other departments and they're not even appreciative of


you know me trying to help them, like eighty five percent instead of hundred percent there will still blame me for not helping them so that made me very angry because I don't feel appreciated, even though I step out of what I'm supposed I go beyond of my work scope to help people


but they don't appreciate it so that made me very angry, ya, ya


ya, ya you don't have to say thank you but you don't really have to, still like blame you for not helping more I think , ya


ya correct, ya what about you, okay , (hmm) maybe we can say what makes you stress


I guess you already know like a interview like test like driving test all this gives me anxiety and a lot of stress I don't know what I think, is just I think it's just anxieties and then I I if I don't meet my expectations I'll I'll be


very very stress about it like if every time after I fail I I failed once and then, I'll be even more stressed out the next time, because I already know the feeling of failure then I ya then I'll get very stress stress out lah


ya it and it's especially I don't know is especially more for me that average people I would say that ya


have you gone through any loss in your life if if you have describe your emotions at that time point of time and how did you deal with that loss


very hard to say hor okay lor very is very sensitive lah right okay


okay I worry about the economy not being, like back to, how it was last time and then the standard of living I mean the cost of living is going to get higher and higher


and people are still going to get retrench some times so these are the, anxieties that I face, because my parents may be in those you know blue collar industry and then they are the ones who might get


retrench or be jobless, like they have a higher risk lah of facing all these, yup, so that's my that's one of my biggest worry I think, what about you


yup, like mine right now , ya


ya I must also stressed up, very worrying ya, just hopefully lah it will get back on I hope economy


like continuous, ya


ya, ya


ya same I also think, I also think so I scared lah there will be wave two wave three wave four it will always be this and then my parents are always out there working I mean we us too so ya and you never know when someone is infected


so I that is the constant worrying [lah] in my back at the back of my head ya correct (mm)


K, okay, uh you mean you mean you start asking ah


!wah! I guess is like the uncertainty you don't know what's you know coming or what's in store for you in the near future or in the far future so I'm kind of looking forward


or even though it's it can be pretty scary but I just kind of know what life will bring me I guess ya you


ya, ya, true and then


kind of looking forward to starting a family having my own, kids or that lah ya okay, so what is something like a skill or ability that you're, secretly proud of having


is it a skill right ya


fake, then mine sounds very lame now, uh I guess I am, proud of , you know kept able to sort of draw a realistic protrait


by myself like self learn it so I'm kind of proud, of my skill so far hopefully I can improve further, yup, ya, so when did you blush the most describe the experience


I okay can , when I have to speak publicly as speak in public because I, I have this anxiety so I tend to blush and flush you know


so I I think that's, ya that's the, most likely scenario that I will blushed the most lah, you


okay, ya, ya, because you don't blush, I don't know


like talking about your, your most embarrassing things lah you can say things like that what, true oh


I don't know, okay honestly maybe you don't really have a, blushing moment ah ya, okay describe favorite activity to unwind is unwind right unwind and relax


sure


morning first, ya, for me if I'm with people I like to also talk, talk cock talk a


talk about things [loh] talk about life then you know eat dine out, have a simple meal uh talk to people about problems listen to their, problems also and then if I'm alone maybe playing games and watching shows


ya and then, watching youtube [loh], ya, ya, because it distracts me like from the reality ya


that one okay lah normal, for me, ya okay , !wah! the next question can we don't do that I really don't, have a answer for that


I don't think I have that moment, I don't you know, this must be like something big happened until you really like face a very big failure and then you make a comeback but I don't I don't think I've


face a super big failure because I'm, quit a safe person, , no but I also never like succeed what like succeed succeed you know but I don't I very scared of failure so I don't really


I I won't like land myself into that kind of situation lah, that one , ya, that that one Bo Pian


ya so, as in the surprise I receive or surprise we give, I guess is when I do something like small and then people appreciate it a lot or like it makes them very happy


I guess, sometimes I'm surprised by all these, you


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


ya, actually they're same lor because right now, career leh not very


I mean I receive a pay cut all that so I'm not very optimistic about that maybe uh hopefully I can be, eh you know out there hunting for new job soon and then, that would make me more optimistic about the future


and uh probably people, are starting to be kinder to each other, ya that's , maybe another thing that I'm optimistic about like people ah you know raising their, err their, opinions on like


important issues right now, so hopefully we can really make a change lah everybody can play the part also, in this world


let me tap on my phone first , do you want answer the next one describe a travel experience had left you in awe, or like like, like amazed like oh like you're !wow! !wow! by this


experience uh, problem I hardly travel, maybe like our summer exchange together


uh, ya during university , uh we went to korea and then, we travel you know all over japan and all over korea and then it was, sort of the longest uh like one month plus that I've been overseas for so uh I


experience a lot of things lah so I like, I am in all that you know all of us all six of us can uh live together so well you know planning to each other's lifestyle for such a long period, ya


I forgot what , ya


biggest reward we receive ah, uh you go first


it's very hard hor, it it's also subjective what is a good deed like is it they donate things or you just


because every little thing can be a good deed (hmm) and I don't, I I guess ya ya, correct correct is


ya and return right to her, ya, ya ya I guess is the , appreciation lah and you know we we get to, ya with you and we get to meet a new stranger and then


ya talk to them because, they sort of had a good impression of us, ya like make new friends lah I guess the biggest reward, ya


ya, I can I cannot really hear you sometimes eh you very soft ya sometimes okay I tap my phone first


can I don't answer this this one is like the same thing because I I don't ever feel that, I lost you know all hope in mankind or faith so I don't really have a time where I was like oh


uh yes my my faith in mankind was renewed, I think, I don't really have that moment


ya, adrenaline rush uh, adrenaline rush okay I guess uh like ya when I'm trying to talk about


when I'm trying to start my thing that, I really want to get my hands on too like recently we are trying to start this new business right and then it gets me pumped up gets me going like I feel like quickly getting everything done I guess


uh ya, exploring new things that I like, what about you


okay, okay that's not wrong that's okay, okay let's try what is your biggest blessing in disguise


blessing in disguise, I guess I like to


stick to my own like moral principles I guess that's one thing I'm kind of proud and then uh like I don't like to do things that uh like I don't like boot lick people just for the sake of like


knowing that I'll I'll put myself in this better state at work or what ya I like to to stick to what's right, and ya I'm quite opinionated ya so what about you


!ee!


okay, let me think okay what is the comfort food that you always can rely on to cheer you up is it Wanton-Mee


ya, ya, ya


I also I I look forward to your dad's cooking no lah I I also like things like sushi or like a hot bowl of soup like herbal soup


or even I don't know (hmm) I like mcdonald's ya and like, filet O fish oh nuggets ya ya ya, okay okay


what amazes you


I also don't know leh I I I'm quite amazed by every small thing, maybe, I I amazed by people who can draw who can sing very well who is very uh like act I I'm amazed by like entrepreneurs


who are so motivated in nearer doing starting a business and then err trying to change something like in their life, and, ya, I'm amazed by people who are


hardworking, ya, you


okay (ppb) very different answers (ppo) [ah], [eh] ya okay


financial related


ok uh (ppc) basically I I would say personal finance will be uh organising your daily


your monthly uh finance your monetary or your marriage how you how you can survive within a month or, how you plan to do your savings and from from in terms of your daily needs to your housing and


and uh the aspects of that so I guess there will be one or two topics which is a with the main features ah I guess one of them will be a, uh your housing how you how you organise your your finance and and and like in singapore mainly I think the main the main uh problem people face would be how they managed their their


or how they go about uh to choose which which which banks or, or, the types of financial help that they can get for their housing loans ah so uh how do you think what what do you think is the are the ways that they they can go about it


the back (ppc) ya very true Faizal so as you put it like that uh planning and and and and and for those young young people lah and they want to get married some of them they rather not ah


because why because of the financial, uh, planning lah you know basically you know how much money they have to get married to get a house and so on ah so I guess they their their some some kind some some help lah that they get from the government right uh or or I guess some organised health lah


and they have a certain plans that they can do taking loans either from the bank or based on their salaries based on let's say they are go lah they get a certain salary and how much you can actually take, a loan on uh whether they either they go through their HDB uh loan or they go through the uh uh


private banks and some differ I guess which is better but my my personal take on my personal, experience ya I I for me I choose HDB loan lah you know uh


I don't know about you uh maybe how about you which which loan you did on your for your home did you take the HDB loan or you, took the the banking loan the private banks


ya ya cause uh what what happened was like uh like what you mention ah it all depends also on your on your personal status ah which is uh whether you are self employed or whether you are working, uh I guess like let's say for example if you are working you get a certain standard salary you can just walk into the bank they calculate uh what's your salary they minus off your credit


uh how much credit that you have let's say uh loans or any uh or any other loans that you may have taken from your credit cards and so on and then they come up with a figure you know and then they can tell you how much you, ya allowed to to loan up so but based on self employed (ppc) usually


it's a little bit more tricky than that ah, they will based on how much the PIP put in you know how much you you volunteer to put in consistently and from there they can gauge sharply how much loans that you can actually take out so based on that based on that what I did uh


but this was in way back lah fifty over years ago ah I personally I took the HDB loan lah because uh I I kind of like a, figure that maybe I do face any kind of uh uh problems ah in the payment you are actually dealing directly with the source lah you know where as if you are taking with the sorry


I actually I already finish the payment lah for the house (ppc) ya but but the but, but like what you say the the the trick was the using of the the CPF so I use my wife's CPF my CPF and then we we cleared the the HDB thing once that thing is cleared is like hallelujah


the so the


part of it , right


yes yes definitely, right right


that's why that's why you when you mention about fixed rate yes if let's say you begin like say for example two point five percent you know, and then the banks will offer you floating rates where you start with a smaller amount you know maybe zero point eight percent or something and then ah that second year it increases and then the third year increases so some people like uh they're more


uh, uh influenced by that or they are more uh attracted by that ah so they will go for the floating rate rather than the fixed rate, and then after maybe the third year or the fourth year or something like that you know they they will they will like do refinancing and then they they start all over again you know from a very uh


uh, uh small small interest rate you know and then from that from there he looks uh a little bit more more uh financially more attractive lah then then the fixed rates you know so they kind of like more attracted to to the private banks for their loans ah


so but of course likely say like they have the pros and cons, and uh, but in the end I still choose the HDB lah, ya that's done


no no actually private actually it was a private property that one uh it wasn't wasn't a HDB but was a was a private property what happened was uh ya uh like for that what happened was the he sold he sold uh


uh, like let's say put it like an example that is you have property A which you are staying on, and then you decide to sell it and then uh, , uh, and as while while you are trying to sell it you are looking around for another place


uh which is auh property B for example and what happens is uh, is how you will you will receive the payment from from the property that you sold ah that means property A that you sold they are like steps where before you get the full payment you know uh they usually have the one percent and than the four percent you know and then comes to the


the the remaining payment you know uh it's actually is one percent four percent and then fifteen percent and then finally we're at the last payment, err the one one percent is like you know like the intent you know intent on buying so after one month or so if you decide if the the the buyer if the buyer decide not to buy than you keep the money you know that kind of of of of but usually


usually you would when you want to sell if you rather want to sell rather than you know gain this one percent thing you know, so what happen is when you when you buy a second property uh you you will face this thing again you got to make a one percent payment and then after that after a period of time you got to make the four percent payment


and then it will come a time, uh from the maybe three months or what you have to pay the fifteen percent so these are some of the things that that that uh the the the the the the buyer of a new property


he he's gets he gets taken aback you know he he he's not he's not actually prompted or it's actually not clear uh when the payment is is is, is is due then they have that hidden post thing also you know sometimes ah and then then you can take them back


so, ah correct correct


correct that but uh if let's say I go I go back to that that that that that part ah on on when buying the second buying the you


sell it we talk about the selling of the first property and then buying the second buying buying another property sell the sell one and then buy another one what happen is sometimes in, between they they will get into a problem whereby uh they need to use their CPF to buy the second property but from the first property


the money is there's a sum it it is is not sync ah that means there's it takes a longer time from the first property to the second property so from the first property when you get the money you know you need to, engage a lawyer and the lawyer will collect a one percent the four percent and then the fifteen percent and then the final payment and then the the money need to go back to the CPF it needs to go back to the banks that you take the loan from and then finally the money comes


to you but sometimes before the money comes to you or the money goes back to your CPF to purchase your second your new property not your second property your new property, before you can receive this money yet payment is already due so they they they they


suddenly they come up to you and say eh you got to pay your fifteen percent let's say fifteen percent of the million like that that comes to like what uh a hundred fifty thousand or something like that where where you going to come up with this money you see so so, then they introduce you something else they introduce you this uh thing called the bridging loan okay which the interest rate is very high like eight percent nine percent like that and then you


you have you are left with no choice you got to take this loan otherwise you cannot complete the payment, while you're waiting for your the sale of your of your original property so these are some of the things that that that people uh face ah while while selling one property and buying another one and then your question on the part where uh on on on


the idea that you know properties is is a good investment yes used to be I guess it used to be, very good ah uh until they came up with this thing uh, uh what you call it ah additional buyer stamp duty okay ya that one is when when you have one property and then you buy another property


so that's the the the additional buyer's stamp duty we call it the A ABSD the it's uh something like like uh twelve percent if I'm not mistaken lah so if the property is like


a million dollars for example so you'll be paying a hundred and twenty thousand dollars, for your second property to the authorities uh so it's like you you are left with the question which uh just now you ask you know is it worth buying a second property you know when you have to pay


ya so tell me Faizal I didn't I didn't quite catch, the


the lawyers, ya correct correct, I think that's that that that is the main and that's the main thing you see because people are they're they're balancing you see because now it's so easy actually to purchase


uh uh apple for apple lah let's say land ah overseas you see so people will be wanting people be thinking if I want to pay a hundred thousand, stamp duty which is actually like almost like it doesn't make sense technically I may as well use


the money to purchase their property let's say in malaysia let's say in indonesia or in any or or or in any part of the world for for that matter you know, so so it's not like those days ah where where even before the first brick is being laid people places are sold out sold out you know fifteen maybe twenty years ago


and then they they actually resell the the property like let's say like like a condo for example like even a bit when when when the building is not even up yet it has already change hands you know but I to guess there is a ABSD thing put a stop to that


negative experiences part three


yes you are right you are right because having a blanket rule ah, is uh is actually one of the most ridiculous thing, to do lah you know like what you mentioned about


uh, uh going to the old folks and issuing summons and all that lah it's actually it's unthinkable uh, hopefully though lah you know my faith is still with the with the lord that that ultimately the whatever summons that they faced will be waived you know uh


because where and how they come from what background they are from, plays a part ah (ppc) like what you say they may have when when you have an an elderly person who so used to certain things you know and suddenly they just have to be locked up


and not understand the the the the the the depth of the dangers that they have outside and then they are doing it yes they they are breaking the law but, there need to be some uh empathy you know between between the authorities and them but hopefully


hopefully lah you know they they uh common sense prevail lah you know at the end of the day, and it's good lah that that you you are in discussion with the grassroots and all that ah because they need to listen to to what is happening uh on the ground because sometimes they they do kind of


ya uh get they're off off touch a little bit lah sometimes you know but it's good to have you you being there to or with a group of of you guys continuously uh


giving them feedback and so on ah they'll that that's actually good lah but similarly across the globe ah uh you we see all these things that's happening what what's your opinion


sorry Faizal I couldn't get the last part with it maybe you not not very clear you can you just repeat


I see ya you're you're you're right ah but with with, with this COVID thing ah with this COVID virus thing making it more difficult but like uh what you say going beyond it or even prior to it ah there's uh a lot of injustice ah that is happening around the world and this this


sometimes you you can sit down and try and think about it like like for example, you have uh let's say you go you go into hunger for example you go into hunger we look at the logic on hunger in the world


the places the places that has uh hunger as a as a problem lah or facing hunger in the world today you know in the in the so called modern times are actually the places that


grow food so how how do you, how do you figure the logic you know I'm producing food I'm producing rice I'm producing corn you know, I'm producing all the the the the the food of the world where you go to the restaurant and you order plate plate of rice where you think the rice come from you know and yet these are the places


these are the places where hunger prevails ya so if you sit down and think because where where where is the logic there you know, of course we go into detail you go and see the injustice


there you know where the the the the steps that that that that, the world today takes the farmers the cost of them doing their farming how much you have to pay you know


taken up by sorry ah okay


but sorry what what ah, I see already okay ya, sorry just now because at at that times the the the the the some of the words ah not not very clear that's why


I have to ask you to repeat them sorry so so like what you said now now that now that that now that the, phases are opening up and so on and then you are trying to move on uh back to the


to the uh overseas contacts and so on what what what what's your expectation you you you you feel that that that that the economy will open up again the the travel will will be there soon


you do you see do you see uh logically happening you know because why I'm saying that is because you have countries that that makes, a lot of effort you know a lot of effort, to control the situation you know and I I I believe places like vietnam and all that they're they have very low taiwan and and I guess even up to australia maybe you know uh maybe new zealand they they


and I think a few other countries, that that that seems to be making a lot of a uh a lot of oh yes progress and and pain you know a lot of painful painful, efforts in in in in trying to control and and and at times by doing this at times by doing this they they make people angry you know but I guess they have the good at heart ah to to to save you know


but


ya ya, that's why you don't want a new normal ah especially if it's a, I I I cannot see a new norm to be to be anything positive you know but I guess at the end of the day we need to go around everything that is negative and try to make the best


the best of it and and and and to be uh encouraged lah you know rather than we sit back and and moan the the situation uh I think it's best to, to to look forward uh positively and as we go along you you try and uh you know try and and figure out what is


the best approach and I guess we have to learn as we go along uh Faizal ah


actually you actually you you mentioned about (ppc) about these places of worship being open and all like that that I guess uh that that's one of those uh actually I I I'm one of those, volunteers who are there to what you call it to uh to support the uh the opening uh where now they they they they they they allowing different group they run bigger groups (ppc) but they need to do booking to enter


and then they face this kind of problems you know uh they book but then it didn't appear you know and then a thousand and one problems lah you know so, actually I'm also wondering whether you on your side you encounter helping people uh to facilitate them but at the same time they are angry with you


because that's how I face ah when when I'm there uh like they come as in they're they're angry you know I did my booking know why you cannot let me into you know so we try to you know, help them check for their booking and or rebook so that they can enter but you know prayer time there's a limited before it's all over you know


and then they get frustrated they get angry you know so what, ya


yes yes , yes yes, you know really you know is is is quite that one ah when you mention about you entering one door and then you exiting another door and you know


their the building can be quite big you know that it takes a a full five minutes you know to reach the other side because because that's where you put your bicycle, or or your car you know when when when you enter and when you talk about, place of worship usually the ones that goes are the older people lah rather than the young


once and then you see them with a walking stick, going around you know maybe it will take you five minutes but you will take them and like double the time you know and and all they need to do is just to exit, go exit where they enter you know but because of the system so they ended up cursing you you know actually but that's how it goes lah you know the the real of it and the schools and the schools ah uh uh


are also strange eh you know where they control they take care of the students and so on and like just for them to when the moment they exit they're all together at the bus stop or the seven eleven, so so these are the the


positive experiences part two, okay Faizal uh now you uh (ppc)


kind of uh move on from the all this, financial uh experiences that we we were speaking about lah (ppc) into something more I guess uh interesting at least for me ah when it comes to uh what do you call it ah speaking about things that is positive


having a a better outlook where this taking everything in a positive sense rather than you know than than than than feeling bad about yourself or about the situation you are in, uh it's always good to have positive thinking you know so


especially I mean I think I guess this thing is is, perfect lah considering the time that we are having now ah because of the virus coronavirus thing uh I guess, the how how how how I would


I would place the my question to you in the positive sense ah ah how how much do you enjoy your experience, of okay ah of the COVID and and ah not not the not of the COVID, uh the


directly meaning meaning your your daily your your experience truly you know it's been already like three four months right, so how do you enjoy your the the change in your activity


to uh, actually see a lot of people ah uh actually actually I may be wrong uh but I kind of, uh uh notice that a lot of people uh uh like getting used to it I mean for those who are those who are


financially okay ah or or at least are able to survive lah let's put it as, as long as those that are able to survive day to day ah so we go right today today to the end of the spectrum ah those that can survive day to day we not even talking about well I mean I'm not going into the part where those who are


who cannot survive day to day lah but let's say we take it from those who can survive day to day right up to those that that ah, has savings ah has savings for a year for example so of course those who have savings for a year they they kind of uh enjoy this period ah whereby they they learn or not say learn ah they experience this


is a uh, the non the non rushing way of life lah like the way, like for me personally I I I many times ah I I I get the feeling of you know like in those days when we were we were kids ah uh from from simple things like what we see ah on the roads


ya less cars, more people walking around so nowadays you see a lot of people exercising, rather than going to work (ppc) which I find which I find to be, very pleasant lah then very pleasant to to look at ah uh rather than I see people rushing uh to go to work in the trains in the buses but of course now these are starting again these are starting again and but


I did enjoy a lot of this uh uh, uh what I see around people walking with their families you know rather than alone uh in casual outfits you know uh doing exercising these are the cycling leisure lah basically leisure


so there are more more people doing leisure things than than than uh the opposite uh I don't know do you do you do you have that same feeling


you have have actually either either you are you are right you know the the the family thing eh it's you know what I I I I like to describe it as like uh you know like uh


uh the behaviour between uh family member, because is like uh like this autism thing you know where where you see a child who has autism and they say that the child can be playing with other children but they he's actually not playing with them he's playing on his own you know


you know he's not playing with that that that's the difference between a a normal child and a child who has who has autism he can be together with the toys and all that, but he's actually playing by himself he's not playing together you know so the what what happens with families nowadays is like they can be


go even if they go for dinner there are all on their handphones lah so yet their their interest is somewhere else so they will take a photo they will send it to other people so their interest is with other people not with the people in front of them, so it's like an autism thing lah you know so but because they are now they are now uh forced


to be within uh the roof ah under the roof, uh even for myself suddenly not not suddenly it took time ah before I I can see conversation starting to build up between everybody you know after a while they cannot hide in their cave in their rooms they need to come out


and they because they cannot stay there forever so once they can start come out then they start to talk and then, suddenly became became the another nice thing to see lah you know so


(ppc) yes so so of course of course that is is is not even autistic anymore you see, so it it it became it became it became uh it became uh, how it should be ah you know you should be able to to sit down and have a conversation ah you know so the whole house becomes like a coffee shop lah you know you sit down and have conversation ya so


yes yes, correct


right right but actually we we we did play some board games also you know we we we had we had a few monopoly games and all that lah which is uh which which which was, was fantastic lah you know why or do you know the monopoly game ah they it's like different people have different rules for it you know so it


you have the same game or we we have uh you know like the free parking you can put money there you can collect when you land but then somebody else doesn't have that ruled circle it was it was it, it was it was it was nice lah when when when even when they argue about the game rules ah and then he says you look at the rule book lah it's not there you know that kind of thing so different different generations have different rules ah for monopoly imagine right


push you towards it ah


serious ah


right right, actually ya and the fact that you mentioned sleep around like I I should have I should have mentioned uh sleeping as part of the my my hobby also


forgot ya and then and then anyway


uh we, ya we we we we had a lot of laughs ah, during those days ah ya I I I don't know whether you you can think of uh, err, uh but you still can think of of uh or something that was, funny you know during those days that that that that you can you can


that but make sure the is the one that you can share ah not the one that you cannot share, uh up on air ah , Siglap okay


oh ya


oh but those days those days those days uh way back way back in the I think early nineties or it can be, uh that, uh but those kind those kind of vehicles as are considered still acceptable you see like many many around


you know so it but nowadays I think if you drive like that I think I think the the the the police will stop you already


ya , by the way I I remembered I remembered one one one uh


so I'm thinking of a of a joke lah actually it's not a joke lah it was like something actually maybe, more on the embarrassing side ah that I can share ah actually there are a lot ah, there there plenty uh I think in the hundreds ah but I think this one all those we we cannot


you cannot say it on air you know so I I I was thinking about it like that I remembered one particular one which I think I can share but I don't know I guess it it may be the least of the funniest ones because, because is uh is the is the what uh is the ones that we can share so it has to be the least funniest lah I guess (uh huh) it was uh you remember those days we used


go to ten pin ah bowling okay I don't know whether you were there or not, so as usual when we go there we we we are not pros lah so we we will have to rent the shoes and and so on lah, you know uh and then after the game finish and we went back we used to take the bus you know we go back we we head back home or to our next destination to take the bus


so as usual lah I think four or five of us I don't know whether you were there, and then , I remember the bus we were I was standing I was standing because the bus was full and then when I look down uh I saw I was still wearing, the shoe ya I didn't return it ah


which means my shoe is actually still there ah and then you know the colour of the shoe is green is is red and yellow ya so after that I was thinking oh no we are in the bus already so I signal to, one of our one of our gang ah and then


pointing to the look at pointing the shoe he looked down and then he burst out laughing and he started point and he informed everybody next thing you know I tell you the section of the bus everybody was looking at my shoe I just got off at the next bus stop I never forgot that


anyway ya, so so so how now that now that uh, this pandemic thing has has kind of uh how to say ah get used to it ah you know yes the danger is still there the the the there're still people getting sick and


they they check around the world some people are still dying you know maybe not here uh or if it even if it's here it's like in trickles ah if we talked about that , whether or not it's is the type of virus that we have here or whether it's because of the good measurements that has been


that's being that is being taken place I I I I won't know, but uh but, now that this thing it's like most people here if you look out of the window for example you you look at everything is like everything is like calm like there's no danger you know that sometimes it's hard to believe that this thing is


is around you know and it's been four months and most people are like either getting tired of it ah or or just, uh, uh because if they get tired of it so they they let their guard down they they find it like you know how long you know do we have to go on


yeah


I guess I guess there's no wrong or right lah whether you're whether you are afraid or a little bit Kiasu I guess that everybody individually will have their own, own fear fear level about these things ah but basically what you look forward to to this to this opening phases and all like you are you going to do the same thing you go


okay


ya ya, bro


hi, ok ya uh Azad


our topic of conversation today the first part is about personal finance the we've been given some guidelines to to help us uh through but we don't have to actually address all of the, issue that they raise so if we can start it off uh personal finance is is


is wide topic ah it covers so many things what would you say can be understood by the term personal finance


ya I think personal finance it can be taken on a very wide spectrum Azad because if you talk to individuals right I think that if someone comes to to me if somebody ask me eh what do you think of personal finance I think first of all like what you said, I would think that uh it's how I manage my my my income and my expenses lah ah it can it can be from as basic as uh how do I manage my uh


uh uh income by paying the bills, by how do I spend for myself how do I spend for my family ah the kind of spending uh uh patterns that are of of of the individual and, or what it goes towards what kind of a a finance uh tools and mechanism that you use for your daily life from savings plan


to investment to paying for your house and paying for your for your utilities uh uh holds a a spectrum of that, over and above that then of course I think there are issues like there's uh or those with extra those who are salaried workers and those who are self employed it may differ what personal finance is all about


and also it will differ in terms of people who take it one step further in terms of how do they chart strategise and they so called like a plan for extra expenditure lah with investments and so I think but personal finance can be taken along those lines lah


experience


ya for the ya for for me I'm still on the on the HDB loan I I I would consider myself fortunate enough, I will talk about it why later that I'm still on on on on on on a HDB loan and this is my second property lah and my second HDB


uh property but just to go and step back you you mentioned something about uh government uh uh it's true the government, assessment ah of personal finance uh they have a kind of think called a means test and the they see how much you spend for uh for your house how much you spend for your utilities how much you spend for education if you have kids and you're a wife how much you spend


for them and how much do you spend uh to go out uh on weekends and all that all these determine uh uh that individuals personal finance capacity lah and like you said lah it's what qualifies you for certain facilities certain loans and this and that


for housing being the main thing for every individual I think lah ah everybody would like would need to apply for HDB flat of and property or place to stay becomes a prime uh expenditure in everybody's life in especially in in singapore


so ya so I am on HDB loan is that your your preference or or you think that the bank loan now with the new system the bank loan is something that's uh that is uh advisable because the interest rates are lower


do you still do you still use do you still use CPF to pay for your house, !wah! that is good man


(uh huh), ya ya, I still got I I still got this thing on my head but like I said you know uh I don't know whether I mean there there there're pros and cons are uh on one hand


uh you know uh when I uh when I when I started to when I switch to self employment and you know I wasn't contributing enough to the CPF, and then uh I had enough balance my CPF to pay off for the house loan right so ya then when I went to do some checks on on house and all that in terms of the value and all that I found that the banks loan the interest is lower and you know it seems to be more


attractive but in building my my mitigation work with some people along there right to find that if you are using a bank loan especially now with the COVID thing right, the people are not able to uh some people may have trouble paying up for their for their housing so if you are on a bank loan is more volatile because the bank can be strict technically come and take over your house if you you do not pay


right whereas I think HDB has got a bit more uh I'm not sure whether HDB has got more compassion or not in it in it's policies but I think you can appeal and you can you know talk to MP and all that so I think, ya charting their pros and cons there and generally if a layman I think they would rather go for HDB thing than a bank loan


unless you've got a steady job and you're paying consistently lah like you said ah husband and wife working


I see


I mean ya I mean, as in I mean you you you may have some you may have some some experience recently right uh in terms of of uh, uh helping and facilitating the sale of a of a of a HDB property or private property


like that ah, okay


ya I mean they they they they they have this thing that you can't, uh you can't uh avoid which is the highest stamp duty for for every kind of transaction isn't it ya and then when you went to buy another property than you got, additional buyer's stamp duty and all that I remember having to go through all this when I was representing my uh my CEO in terms of his personal


investments and the company investments but in terms on on the private side also I mean , would it be something that is uh that will will turn will turn uh people off in terms of wanting to get uh, uh to invest in another property although I I I have to say


that one of the thing I learn from my CEO is that you know in in singapore money is in properties and you know uh ya and in singapore the value of properties usually escalate over time if you have the uh sustaining power lah


right right


ya this AB ya then this ABSD I think you got uh, staggered right depending on the on the value of the property how much you pay I think five percent fifteen percent twenty five percent all this right, I mean you know I'm I'm uh although we understand these things I personally you know I find all these financial err jargon there's a lot of fine print and all that you know for the


ya I mean although people who really want to indulge in it they really got to go into it and and have the stamina to be able to kind of read and discover all of these this things, at the end of the day there is a lot like you said a lot of hidden cost a lot of administrative uh fees uh here and there uh whether it's conveyancing or agent fees or and plus all the other financial tools that the banks seem to introduce from time to time


uh no I was I was just saying that I said, when when when it comes to dealing with a uh property investment or anything to do with banks and the financial tools and the and the mechanisms there are so many financial jargons and uh what you call it fine prints and all that ya


that if those who are you must have the stamina to be able to go through it and be able to understand it and uh so that you wouldn't wouldn't be taken by surprise by all of the like what you said some of the cost that , uh that prevail lah ah from agency to conveyancing to banks and to cost and fees and all that ya


!yay! we can help to enrich others while we invest


next week students is part okay, Azad I want to follow up on what we spoke about in terms of the the positive experiences we've had uh in terms of uh


uh a lifestyle and all that with COVID and the circuit breaker and these kind of things right so on one hand I think although it has different names between circuit breaker and lockdown and all that, I I I I actually appreciate the fact that


we are in a circuit breaker mode, rather than a complete lock down if people really understand the fine difference between the two lah uh but but one of the negativity that you'd find across is that, in trying to in trying to what you call it enforce ah some of the the guidelines and the in in terms of uh


ya it's about how we manage ourselves there has been some negative uh experiences lah, and I raise this also again to some of the, of our community but I asked them I said that the duty of the offices ah on the ground is to ensure that we provide good advice to the people especially the older generation they may not understand


and uh, the purpose is not to go out there and to summon or to issue summons to the people it's important to have good mannerisms and all that, and we do not know you know people some people enjoy their time at home but some people come from broken families and some people come from ah you know and you have got uh


problems or stress when living in living in a three room flat where you got ten persons there these are some of the harsh realities of life that maybe you know is not so uh balance among the haves and have nots and I think a lot more needed to be, in because on the enforcement side I found some inconsistencies ah at that time


ya I mean uh first of all before I proceed just wanted to say, to recording uh sent a message to the app , ya so going back to what you said ya there's a lot of things going globally in terms of the what we see in the media and all that which is actually


who to most people and uh and also something I think that affects the younger generation uh how do they how they make up what's what's going on in their world even beyond COVID you know


uh there're many things going on in the world in terms of uh uh uh what you call it in terms of violence in terms of uh humanitarian struggles in different parts of of of of the world and all that


ya and and of course uh back home with terms of all of the, difficulties people are are facing with COVID with uh loss of jobs and these kind of thing , ya I think it's a it's a


it's a big ask for the authorities in terms of how can they come up with policies that be fit everyone which you can't and at the same time you know how do you solve the immediate uh problem of people who basically looking for work or taken out of it


lifestyle that they used to, uh no I said what's what's happening in the world I said uh especially it affects


uh what and what's in the media would really affect uh youngsters and even uh people in general in terms of what's going on in the world even it uh before uh COVID or beyond COVID you can say in terms of uh what's going on in the world


the orange bus struggles the humanitarian uh challenges , uh the violence or the natural uh uh catalyst, are being uh affected in terms of what they see and what they read at the same time


uh locally they're trying uh to uh make sense of how do they you know adjust to this new challenges that they are actually facing


ya art uh ya I mean I I, I hear that you have uh travelled quite a bit in terms of doing some work for your foundation and giving , uh what you call it uh uh providing assistance to some of the communities in different parts of the world


you mean for me I've done some humanitarian work in terms of some uh refugee camps here and there and and all that you know you start to think and when you are sitting down with them and you know you know you start to think back about we have and all that , and uh but you also start to think about look look at the amount of love there is uh available around the world there shouldn't be poverty you know


based on the on on on on a a logical sense but then again you know we are living in a world where uh historically ya, there's a lot of struggle between people and and the wealth and and how how in terms of the distribution of wealth among around the world in terms of communities and


by going back uh to what you talked about uh injustices again it's a very subjective thing uh but I would like to bring it back to something local lah, as to maybe what we have experience uh locally and all that (ppc), given my my field of work doing uh uh consultancy work and all that


on of the biggest challenges I face is that you put in a lot of uh work into doing presentations and this and that right and then at the end of the day you will find that your ideas can just be taken up by the by the by the bigger players and they can make their own


taken up by the bigger players and uh a proper on their own I mean I come from a corporate uh uh uh uh background myself so I understand all that how how it works and all that but it's something that you have to face with on a daily basis as a in in terms of consultancy work lah


you know there was a time when of course uh people are out there to get, uh external uh uh a a professional help to do their uh to develop their company you know in terms of marketing business development and all that but the day they called for a lot of meetings and and ideas but I think they will uh


to be cost effective they end up uh just basically thinking ideas and doing it on their own lah so one of the biggest, and yes you get talking about uh, back home


ya I heard and that one of that's one of the personal uh challenge that that that I faced in terms of my consultancy work uh back home


uh no worries no worries


progress


I mean what what what ya what what I think what was the intentions of the of the people who're who're in charge ah maybe good like what you said, sometimes you know is there is no rule that that fits all and you know sometimes it just falls hard and all that and


you just need to put in a bit more effort in terms of looking at how the people who are really affected are affected ah like we said before those who have shored up enough uh, finances and and facilities for themselves they're not so affected and uh and also from from the start I I gave feedback also uh to the uh community leader to say that uh to try to look at the best practices you know from taiwan south south korea and new zealand and all that ya


and even some of the uh restrictions like you know uh two person or five person or twenty person and all that and give examples of what's going on in the UK , uh through my contacts there and and even uh some other countries but I suppose you know the the long distance and all that sometimes is not uh I don't envy their their uh position but I think uh and people in general


are apprehensive if we take out a particular idea or suggestion and all that and it's something uh negative were to come out of it or you know, uh then who is going to take all for it and this kind of things so , uh it's a natural kind of uh apprehension that people would would would


uh I can feel in the travel industry I was told it's going to take some time really a long time for it to to recover you know, one country may say okay the other country may say we're not ready to receive people from your uh country it's a lot of a bilateral and lot of uh interactive kind of uh uh assurances that need to prevail before things can even normalised lah


or if you want to call it the new norm or whatever uh I hope it goes back to the old norm rather than the new norm


ya lah you suppose to take it either a day at a time or a week at a time and see uh, what's happening and you know now they starting the reopening of uh the malls and the MRTs and this and that so again you'll find a struggle in terms of the consistency of enforcement number of people in let's say MRT and school and all that


and malls may not be uh congruent to the number of people let's say, at at uh places of worship at uh or maybe in terms of we were allowed to visit homes and and and family so I think I I think it's still a formula


ah in in progress and uh and and all that , uh but uh certainly you'll find that there's a need also to address some of the frustrations and distress that people are also feeling after a lot a long time and all that


ya ya, I bet it was it it was a surreal experience for me as well you know uh going there , uh uh uh uh fifty persons only allowed in and you ya is no point trying to trying to make sense out of uh all the process of having to you know uh register bringing your own shoes and coming out the other end


and uh whereas you know at the same time you'll find that the same thing is it's not happening in schools and in and in and in and in buses basically just go there, do what you need to do and and go back in this uh


ya, yeah yeah, ya ya


ya, from the


ya, ya on the ground ya on the ground you know from from the grassroots side I've had to help people who are trying to apply for the grant and all so for them sometimes you know those are not so IT savvy so we need to find a way for us to still inspire them and help them along the way lah


positive experiences okay


ya, of the COVID


in general ah, ya, lifestyle ya


I mean again like you correctly said and like how we started off ah positive experience is uh again a very huge and wide topic, uh highly subjective and what can be positive to us some people may see it as something that is you know apprehensive and something that is a bit uh negative in their life but I agree with you in terms of of a lifestyle mindset one of the things that uh


uh was asked to us is that what makes us uh continue and what makes us persevere I think it's in the in the mantra and in, the uh what you call it in education that we've ya our life education we had from our teachers from our elders from our peers and our friends and all that that we should always not lose hope always have faith in what we do


and he used that positive spirit to also inspire others that people can also jump on to this positivity and, bandwagon the past uh to answer your question, the past four uh four months the past six months had been of course a completely different experience


I think we are poached to be to to review and and to relook at our lives ourselves eh our our consciousness towards hygiene how we manage our relationships at home for those who have to really stay at home (ppc)


our mannerisms with each other not only at home but with the with the people we meet outside it makes us a bit more uh conscious and aware of , of health and and public health at the same time uh but it has been but it has not been too much of a of a different experience for me because uh as you know I started working from home for already four and a half years or almost five years uh


so this is an extension of that work home dream


ya I uh on on I I mean I I see people having different kind of of experiences and for me also I I've I've noticed , for example some of the positive things like I said you know it's heightened awareness in terms of hygiene and cleanliness and people are a bit more laid back let me tell you it's a throwback in


time when it uh even when I drive you know it's a good leisurely drive here and there eh and uh ya definitely a lot more positive and you get to spend a bit more time at home, for those who have got a good healthy relationship with the family ya and and also ya


ya, ya


positively autistic ah ya, ya lah


I didn't uh uh those are among the more uh positive things lah eh and that are coming out of this thing the people you you you tend to get to uh, to engage in a bit more uh conversation or maybe even positive arguments ah eh among uh uh yourself and you have to discover also things like if you have children especially children who are like yours and mine and I think uh those who are who are teenage


we I think we compete for their time eh uh on normal days, they're all going out either in school or with their friends and I think that quality time has been missing from our rat race and all that , and people you see people on social media taking up cooking people taking out some kind of uh hobby and I used to tease some of some of our friends Azad


I used to tease them are you all playing hide and seek at home or are you all playing uh touching a musical chairs are you playing the old you know uh old maid or donkey game or something like that so


actually I wanted to pick up something we spoke about before and also now in terms of like we said at you know in on the finance side all that you know people who have already shored up in their finances and all that uh, when they go through this uh COVID thing and all that they can basically sit back at at home and order grab food and order all kinds of things that they want or


uh online or even shop online and this and that however we have those who are monthly rated people and I raised this in a zoom meeting lah in the grassroots uh zoom meeting one of the things that I'm concerned about and all that ya, like how do you uh for the people who are daily rated and all that and they suddenly don't have work and all that so this can be a time of


of of uh of a great uh challenge for them and I and I empathise with them and I and I and and I can , and I can relate to to them so they need to come up with with creative ways on my side Azad I I mean although it was been waiting on the sideline for so long


the COVID thing was actually the uh uh I mean it basically was uh , pushed us towards being more creative in terms of how can we do the home uh business so although


uh me and my wife we were doing it on on an ad hoc uh basis then you know just like how you remember how, you started off and all that uh know and so the so all those lesson that I have from before with you and all that came in good set because now I started during the home based uh uh cooking classes and at ya


catering and we have to find new creative ways and, the for my boys as well when you know, uh when the flight stopped at the airport you all have to do things like uh grab food so it's good see the kids actually also , trying to think out of the box at trying to see how they can contribute to family finance instead if just you know trying to to uh to just uh sleep around or just you know ya wallow in in negativity so I thought that was something that's uh


that's an interesting development lah through all of this


ya ya ya


ya I recall , ya ya you know don't you call uh you you recall when I was doing up uh uh relief teaching at a C at a at a school


uh at Siglap uh uh pre U at uh secondary school, and then when the guys came with the with the with your catering van it was all painted in black and fire red and the van was creaking from the start of the lane to the school and the you know everybody could hear and the students were actually uh uh uh


asking me what is that sound and and began horning sounding the horn and people are asking me is that yours, the guys look to the window to ask them to keep quiet, but but that old but that old creaking van actually has done wonders


nineteen eighty nine nineteen


I think uh in in in today's age is that when you got a handphone and people are recording everything back then we don't have that right so people are probably going to record it and report you to LTA or something like that for noise pollution or something like that


ya ya


yes yes


ya the bowling shoes


that was good it's you know uh


I mean we are we are we are we are we although we are we're progressing through, phase two I think it has been help but then it's a I think psychologically and also technically a big, relief for most uh and for a lot of people whilst we enjoyed uh and we have to still enjoy the more laidback uh you know


like uh lifestyle I think let's say we need to be uh to take some precautions and all that not only for ourselves and but for our family or any family members that we think are at risk kind of category and all that, and I think it's a balancing act uh because you know maybe maybe different experiences in different uh countries and you know things may msy differ here and


you know it's a balancing act between some people are really really afraid and a bit more if you want to say Kiasu about it or something like that you know, (ppc) but on the other hand


but for me I mean because my work I have to look forward to basically uh trying to resume what I what I do overseas lah because that's my main sale uh and some of my consultancy work lah


uh, okay uh iris what is your investment strategy


, oh oh okay


for me even though I have not invested and is my investment strategy is not very how do you say , is not very specific like like yours but mine is to be like a long term investor with like emphasis on like value so I look at different


factors uh that could contribute to the let's say a security's value ah ya and I would like I would choose to like, spread out my investment risks rather than just focusing on like security, I would like choose to like


uh diversify and and just like invest in other things like real estate and stuff ah ya, , I think is I I'll I will prefer like uh having a investment horizon of a pretty long duration


because uh like especially for I feel ah like for in the long term it will be, like uh like the risk is lesser and especially I'm more inclined towards investment such as uh investing in real estate and stuff because I believe that


I'll be able to get like money out of, it more rather than like short term, tradings and and cause things like real estate is like the price of a


a house is usually on a increasings increasing uh pattern ah ya so I think my investment horizon would be horizon would be, longer ah ya like around ten years probably ya


how about you


ya, ya, ya


ah I see okay how do you plan your investment portfolio


for me uh similar ah I will just consider uh like how much, my current finances are and like where I am in life, but uh probably when I'm like have a stable income with like money to spare I would probably diversify my investment portfolio ah so I would like probably uh invest in security twenty percent and like twenty percent into bonds and real estate ah


if it's possible ya , and like I think is also good if I invest like in different regions ya so like so that it just like lowers my risk ya


have oh, I would say I'm both a risk taker and uh uh risk adverse ah so I wouldn't like like I wouldn't just I I wouldn't consider myself as risk averse like I do not just


I feel like in the future I would not just uh invest in like fixed fixed deposit like bank like just put my savings into fixed deposit accounts or like just uh rely on like, owning a HDB putting my money in CPF but I think I would probably be a risk taker in the sense that I will also invest in things like security ya so that


I mean I mean, you some would consider this as a gamble but I think that uh I'll I will just I'll I'll prefer like going into and exploring more into these uh investments ah in order to increase my uh finances ya what about you


okay yup, uh, do you invest in the stock market or plan to do in the future


ya


uh I don't invest in stock market right now but ya similar to you I would I will consider doing so ya uh what do you look out for when you pick a when picking a stock market for investment


ya what like what would you look out for,


ya kay, well for me uh it's about the same as you like I look I think I look towards stability of the , not really stability but like the outcome that I can get for investing in that particular stock or share ah ya


so I would look for like quality of management like whether the in charge or the management is honest capable ya so I mean this type of thing will like determine how good, like I feel like how good the stock like the company can manage their their wealth ah ya and then I think I will look at the net assets and the value of the company as well not just like the price of the the stock and I will look at the cash flow


and the profit generating ability so that ya I mean it's pretty obvious and like the prospect of certain, industries like let's say like like, the I mean now with technology and all they are always coming like industries that are coming and going like uh there are always sunrise and sunset industries ya so


I'll probably look into like uh like in a more macroeconomic aspect ah ya when I consider picking out a stock, uh, what do you think about automating your investment and investing passively


yup


, honestly I for what I've I I have done all my research and uh gather opinions I I found out that automating investment actually involves a much deeper analysis of the of the stock lah ya so


and at the same time investing passively is like, is for the long haul so I think I would prefer investing passively ya because uh you don't have to always buy and sell and like you don't have to always trade


uh because I don't have the technicalities ah the knowledge, to have to create a more deeper analysis of a stock even though automatic investment could lead to, flexibility like you can always like, get uh buy and sell but like


and like you can use it as like a hedging technique right but I feel like investing passively is, a more like like it does not require me to uh, be so active in the market like trading ya I think it's a bit risky for me and


even though like investing passively is has its like, cons like ya it like some will like say it like small returns but I think is a safer to go ya, uh