small business or something like that like I refuse to like stop until I actually achieve something, same with like working for companies even if like the company is like a really, toxic environment you know there's like no role models for you to look up to many people would just choose to like job hop or like leave the place to you know find somewhere better like really fast


but for me even if it's like a it's not a not a very good environment I would actually force myself to actually achieve something first before leaving the place so that I can leave the, so that I can leave a place that wasn't good for me achieving something


for myself, if that makes sense to you, the empathy part was like connecting with people


thank you


yes so uh okay so how about you what do you love, most about yourself, like, your strength uh ya I think it's quite similar right so what do you love most about yourself


empathetic okay, ya like empathy right


ya like you enjoy yourselves every moment , , what is the nicest thing someone has ever told you


okay ya go on describe your most memorable, travel experiences, are you there , okay maybe I will share about my most memorable travel experience so my most travel memorable travel experience was uh actually traveling to


malaysia on my own, so I have a friend that's living in malaysia and I actually, uh met her through friends of friends so


she's living in malaysia with her kids and then, and on my birthday last year on my birthday last year I wanted to do something uh that I have never done before for myself because I think before my birthday last year I was like a


a girl I was like a quite quite a different person I always depended on people for , for my trips I wanted people to plan itineraries for me uh I wanted to have someone to depend on to travel with to talk to during my uh travelling time you know on the plane and things like that so uh I wanted to do something different to


I wanted to do I wanted to do something different to make myself feel like, I grew, I to make myself feel like I I I have grown up and matured you know on my birthday so that's why I chose to travel alone so it's not that far but I went to malaysia I took the plane on my own I took the plane on my own and after reaching the airport I was actually quite lost


uh and then I took a bus to her house on my own and it was in like #kuala lumpur#, so uh it was my first time in malaysia actually it was the first time in malaysia but uh I was on my own and I felt kind of, proud of it and because my friend she's older than me she's in her thirties and uh she has a car so she literally provided me like the accommodation for free and you know everyday I was just eating like home cooked malaysian food and uh also travelling was free for me because she had a car so she just like ferried me around like everywhere


tourist attractions and uh things like that so it was really safe as well up until the point that I I went to her house it was like really safe uh it was no wait, after reaching her house it was really safe and uh I had nothing to worry about


ya so I think that's one of my most memorable travel experience so how about you


oh ya when I was really young uh but I don't really have any memory of it or like recollection of it except for like a a soft toy a kiwi soft toy that I still have in my room


I no shopping, ya it depends on who I go with ya, ya shopping is my hiking, , okay should we go on to the, ya , should we go on to the


oh uh what is the oddest, compliment, you have ever received what is the most unique compliment you have ever received, I actually have it so maybe I'll go first so uh I met a


like there was a guy that I met at an event, uh when I was working part time, and uh that guy tried to talk to me and I think he was trying to uh praise me compliment me but he said oh did anyone tell you that you have a face that that would definitely


no what did he say he said something along the lines of did anyone tell you, that you have a face that suits a hotel receptionist, I, I guess so like he was smiling and saying that to me , so I was like oh no I've never heard that before and he was like uh yeah uh you know I mean well like uh


I'm trying to say that yeah you your face you look good like you can be a hotel receptionist and I'm like, okay ya , thank you I guess ya so I think that was like one of the, weirdest compliments that I received from someone


yes yes yes he had literally he said that so I think he asked me what was my job and then I just like briefly described uh some of the things that I was I was doing back then and then he said like oh ya did anyone tell you that you you look like you would make a good like hotel receptionist


what ya ya hotel, ya it was no I just like didn't really want to talk to him after that because, I don't I just felt weird weird like even if you want to praise someone for for their looks you don't compare someone to a to like uh a job right like a position it's weird


I guess so , , okay thank you so much , what do you used to hate as a kid but now love as an adult just list them in words


garlic maybe for me is vegetables so when I was young kinda like hated vegetables especially like things that, are like, I mean like bitter gourd and like slimy things like


lady fingers, but now I think I kind of, like appreciate the taste and maybe exercising I used to hate it a lot I hate like PE classes physical education classes but like now I actually take I actually you know go out and exercise on my own ya so ya maybe these things for me yup can we stop


oh uh financial related topic


so we just begin from anywhere, oh okay oh oh


ah okay how about you start first shanice I have


okay !wow! uh for me I think uh I mean insurance is a is a form of investment then I because the the first time I bought insurance was when I was twenty twenty six years old so


it was at a roadshow uh I wasn't very familiar with insurance at at that moment so the insurance adviser told me like he he went through with me what are the uh the plans and then what are the things that I should be getting at my age so I think I have like three to four plans with him I have one savings


one for health and insurance, it's oh sorry health and hospitalisation and uh what else do I have oh uh, maybe something to in in what is it called in


integrated for example like there is the compulsory insurance from government the MediShield so if you want to be MediShield is only for those who are for the basic, let's see, but basic uh health needs


but then if you want the upgraded version like you are able to choose your ward and then which hospital you want to go then you have to pay extra premium for that so I pay for that so ya then I think that's the, the number of insurance I number of insurance policy that I have with that adviser but I don't know whether is it oh ya I think it's a sort of a something for investment for for what retirement because at the end of the the day it's


something that I should maybe that's something that I do to to plan for my retirement yup, ya


I think the same for me my my dad for bought the first one for me when I was six years old but now I'm the one paying for it because the the insurance ya, so now that I've reached a certain age I'm the one paying for the premium so I think plus my dad's the the one that the insurance that my dad


uh pass over to me maybe high four four to five so uh a month maybe I paid like a thousand dollars for insurance premiums, ya, yes okay and then let's go to the next question which one are you oh ah okay this one do you think one should own a credit card number seven


I personally think it's a yes and no, yes for those people who are disciplined because uh credit card is dangerous I feel like if you are not a disciplined person you spend money uh without thinking too much then you should not have a credit card because you will incur debt but then if you are very disciplined then it's a good thing because


the benefit of credit card means you are able to enjoy rebates like you if you use a certain credit card you will enjoy like discounts, uh at certain at like certain brands restaurant shops so it I think it's a yes and no depends on how that individual uh takes care of their finances but I don't have a credit card myself ya and and shanice do you have one


but are you a disciplined person,


okay true true


oh so it's a good thing that you terminated isn't it ah , oh oh !wow! okay but I have a


bad experience with credit card I think uh I didn't apply for that credit card but it was like a free credit card for student that time I was still in university so I think CitiBank came over to my campus and they promoted that because , that term we were going to las vegas because my school uh yup so we we we were given this what is it like a free credit card by CitiBank


so uh I think I brought it over to ya I brought it over to, overseas I bought it overseas and uh I don't know from where there was a transaction happened like uh there was a, I I incurred some transaction on that credit card when I've never use it not even once so


uh I I called CitiBank and then clarify what's going on and and the person eventually waived it for me because I told the person that I would I I brought the card oversea and uh I didn't use it not even once so why is there like a transaction so I think it was a bad experience when it comes to credit card for me because it's scary because I I didn't even use it but


there was a transaction on that like a unauthorised transaction so I didn't have a good impression of credit card so I I think I would never apply for credit card


okay should we move on to the next question which one do you want answer, uh uh, number two what is it what strategy would you recommend to someone planning for their big ticket


expenditure (oo) do you have any idea


oh okay


okay but yup sorry you you go on, are you done


okay, what strategy honestly I can't even uh I I don't have that, plan right now in my mind it's not an immediate goal so I don't have a a strategy I can recommend to anybody but uh


let's let's say do you do you have a habit of saving, do you and how much do you save a month


oh okay so the uh did your advisor advise you to pay per annum or like what are the pros and cons if you pay per annum like is there a difference


ah, oh okay well I by mine is every month


monthly ya, , ya my my saving habit is I always when people ask me like how much I save from my salary I always tell them it's fifty percent but then ah recently I I think yesterday I was uh on TikTok and then I saw like somebody advised and I mean maybe that person is a financial guru but he advised like


maybe you should do uh you should follow the rule fifty thirty twenty so , fifty is on your needs like the things that you have to spend necessities and then thirty percent for the the salary that you should be saving and then twenty percent on investment


but for me uh twenty percent oh ya sorry twenty percent is on the things that you want to spend like your wants something that so it could be anything that you want but for me I don't think I can follow this rule I feel more secure if I would've paid if I would've saved fifty percent a month instead of just thirty percent but do you agree with this investment guru


uh like a financial guru would you follow the rule fifty thirty twenty, it depends


cannot hear, ah so you think this rule is not applicable for everybody


oh okay ah okay should we move on to the next question, ah I see uh !wah! do you have answer for every single question


okay lah number three we can try that how do you manage your financial commitments before before and after marriage, oh uh


before marriage is whatever I'm doing right now I I think I'm I'm okay with this, and then after marriage uh of course I have to include my husband, and uh I, I think it also depends on how much each of us earn like if if the income if he is earning more than me then of course it makes more sense for him to contribute more


but if we if we are earning around the same then I I guess we can, go on dutch ya at the moment that's what I can think of it it that's how the financial, commitments going to change and and for you shanice do you have any idea


have you thought of like who is going to be the one taking care of the finance in the in your house like are you the one doing taking care of the finance or you think your husband will do a better job


but in the situation that your husband doesn't you know like not somebody who is capable of handling his own finance very well do you still think you will be entrusting him to do all those finance management on himself or or are you gonna be the one taking over


okay but what what if you really love the person just because he cannot handle like uh finance you you're not gonna marry that person


, ah, because I know there are people like uh not not really a friend but they are like a YouTuber that I know that she doesn't really manage her own finance because she say she's bad with numbers so she gave all the uh the that part that finance part all to the husband to to handle because the husband is very very good at investment


so I was thinking oh okay so there are couples who really like, the that's that's maybe for that particular couple that's how they work, in in their family for for the husband to take care of the investment and the finance and maybe the allowance okay and then


okay before yes yeah ya ya do you prefer to go cashless or use cash when paying for goods and services, ah oh I think if I'm out in like a physical store I I well I think, these days most people go cashless right most most of them don't really have cash in their wallet anymore


, ah, ya true true ya every time we go out most of the time you just tell me you're going to PayNow me right


ah I think it, depends for me like for example if we go to some shop they don't have the uh cashless payment method then of course you have to go cash but if there is cashless payment then usually I'll go I'll I'll just use pay PayNow for the convenience but then when I read some newspaper like


uh there are people like a cashier he uh no I think it's a she she she was the one she took down the credit card details of the customers and then after that she uh, what is it called duplicate their their uh their credit cards so it's scary though like you are you are just at Sheng Siong or NTUC making a normal grocery shopping and then your credit card details get copied by somebody else so is scared ah it's uh okay ya it's scary though but ya


okay and, ya , ah true


okay ya I think the the same thing, okay


oh !wow! okay I'll be honest with you that this topic is not something I really like to discuss because when I went through the question none of, them really I don't know I don't really know how to answer any of the questions here, okay


ya ya I agree with that


but , okay ya that's hard that's hard ya I heard that story from you and I do agree that that guy is very immature I feel like guys like them should never you know should never even date someone in the first place because they need to mature first before they date someone else to take care of the other person


ya what else do


!wow! I feel like sometimes you know like it's not easy to open up even to your friends or, err I I feel like sometimes it's not easy to open up to your friends even no matter how long you have been with that person because even though I have a clique my secondary school clique we have been together since how it's like uh fifteen years


and then the first time we had a heart-to-heart talk was maybe uh five years ago when it's like a our one like our tenth, anniversary you know what we we know each other since secondary one but we have never really had a heart-to-heart talk with the whole group


so I felt like !wow! even though you could have spent so much time with this bunch of people you literally grew up with them but you you never really let people see like even the I I feel like I I tell shanice more, things than I share with those friends from secondary school I I did it makes me realise that it's not really the time how long you have been with this person but more like in terms of how how you are able to connect with someone emotionally even though I have only known shanice for this year maybe like one and a half year


I can't really I can't really recall the the the exact time but I felt like I share more emotional things, with shanice than I shared with those secondary school friends so but I've never I I feel like when I hang out with the uh secondary school friends we don't really tell each other how we feel we don't really share our daily life we just do like a very customary like oh how how's your day going


what are you doing CB something like that very on you know like quite shallow on the surface nothing too deep , ya so I I do wish that we have more opportunity that we open up to each other but I feel some of them are not very uh willing to share some people are very closed up they they prefer to listen than to share their own things and maybe the the friends that I hang out with from secondary school most of them are like that they prefer to be the listener than


the speaker so uh it's hard for me to just , you know keep throwing my things out and then sometimes it makes me feel like maybe they don't trust me it makes me feel like maybe they don't feel uh they they can't tell me their secrets so, and then I'm only be always the one telling them uh my my feelings it it makes me feel a bit sad that there was once I told this friend uh


are there anything you want to tell me like I I feel like she's always a listener she she's very introverted and then she she's always the one listening to my my ranting and all that so one day I decided to ask her do you not have anything you want to share with me like, uh you don't feel safe that your you you mean you don't feel safe telling me your secrets and then she told me it's not like that it's it's it's just like I I don't have the habit of doing that and then


I really don't have much thing to share with you it's not I am hiding from you but if I had but usually I go to my mom like maybe she she feel like her mom is the one who's and uh she feel safer with the mom, but then now that I understand that she's not keeping anything from me I feel better because back then I always felt like uh I'm always the one telling her my my feelings and my ranting it makes me feel very it's like a one sided communication it doesn't feel good


but now that I understand how she feels and I feel like ya we we are able to communicate better now be because sometime she ah like out of nowhere randomly she will tell she will rant to me like her office stuff and all that I feel better I I feel like oh she's, starting to open up to me after a few years but uh ya I it makes me feel good that she's ranting to me now back then she's always the one listening so now it feels better that it's like a two way communication ya


ya ya true because I I feel like shanice and I we have this common trait we are we open up to people easily like we are very transparent we


we don't care whether we meet you for the first time or not we just tell you everything, and I used to be like that but now I try to be more discreet about my personal life because my friend the one who used to hide like not to hide but used to not rant to me and then always, listen to me she she told me this out of nowhere one day to say doris do you know or do you realize that not everybody deserve that intimate side of you not everybody thinks that like it's not everyone


truly care about your feelings they don't really care they just want to listen and then they will pass time kill time so you don't have to be so transparent and then tell them everything like you met this person for the first time why are you telling them your life story and then, I thought about it and then I thought ya it makes sense yeah some people just don't really care they just listen for fun and then after that they forget about it they don't really care about how you truly feel


and then it makes me think ya ya this is true you you should select the friends that you share your things with especially something that is not to be shared with uh acquaintances ya, are you still like that are you still very transparent


yup okay and then yes yes yes , , ya (hmm) okay that's me


what makes you stressed, , what makes you stressed there's no (hmm)


oh


, is that the reason why you like to go out more often, ya


, I think for me what makes me stressed at the moment maybe


ya because my job is pretty much uh affected by the pandemic so but, uh ya it's oh it's hard ya because when you're when your job is affected by the pandemic it affects your income and all that but then uh I am I I should be I should count myself fortunate that I'm able to apply for the self-employed like for example


every month I get paid one thousand dollars so it's still that that part of it makes me feel like uh secure makes me feel safe but it's only gonna last me like nine months so, ya the word job the job is what is making me stressed right now other than that I feel like I'm doing quite well in and in other aspect of my life like my family my friends they are still I feel like my friends are doing okay


ya but my yeah family yes I'm not a very and I felt like compared to shanice's family my family is not so close-knitted we are not we don't really discuss much about our own lives, we don't sit together on a dining table for dinner or breakfast we we always eat individually separately


so we don't have the moment even though my dad do my my dad does appreciate like if we can sit together uh on the dining table but we no longer do that I think we've stopped doing that like ten years ago or something or even longer so we don't have the same kind of I don't have that that stress that shanice is going through at home


uh ya so at the moment it's just the job my job is affected by the pandemic so I'm hoping that COVID-nineteen can end you know as soon as possible and then let us resume up, our normal life yup, oh ya can I ask you what are your pet peeves


you don't have I felt like I have many , I I uh okay okay I will share one because we're


biggest pet peeve oh !wow! okay let me think about it uh, I feel like it's when you don't put yourself ya we're back to this again I feel like when you're not able to put yourself in other people's point of view I you you just come off very selfish from from how I see you I I feel like you are very selfish very self-centered everything revolves around you so that is something that I don't like I


uh it's like I I want some you know like if I do something for you I I hope that I can also get something back from you it's I I want equality so if I do something for example uh something that pissed me off a lot at home is when from my my sister my elder sister she doesn't do a lot of housework and then sometimes she's just at


home watching TV playing her phone and then there is uh laundry to to laundry to do dishes to wash but she just leave it there and then wait for somebody else to do it, I hate that part so I usually do it before my moms come back because I know that she has a long day at work so before she comes home I try to make sure that there's no dish uh no no dishes to wash no laundry to for her to hang so


so it's it's small things like that that pissed me off a lot like I always tell my mom like why can't she put herself in your your shoe you know like for example if you come back, uh working for eight hours and then you you have to you still have a lot of dishes to wash and clothes to hang it makes you very tired right very stressed when you come home so if you come back to a clean house isn't it better so


that's how I felt so I I try to see from my mum's angle right if she comes home to a clean house she will feel better so that's why I do the dishes and then wash the laundry hang up them but my sister doesn't do it so it makes me very angry that she doesn't do that, for for my mom ya that's something that that the recent pet peeve that I just realized that I have


okay


, , I I felt like I have a similar pet peeves ya is is it your only, pet peeve or is that your major pet peeve


, I think that's me isn't it , yes I I don't eat a lot of them I see ya but I I have the


similar I I think the same thing too like when somebody I I wouldn't say singlish but, uh whenever I watch a YouTube video right if it's a singaporean based uh YouTube and then the person speak excessively in accented english, it makes me not want to watch that video but I still continue watch it for the other person but it makes you feel like this person cannot speak proper english but it it some people cannot do it because they don't come from the english speaking family so it cannot be helped all like they they they always hang around the same few people so ya


I feel like it cannot be helped the


the smart local ya


positive experiences, oh okay !woo! !wow! okay


so do you want to do the same thing as well go down the sequence, okay describe a moment when things turn out better than expected, uh oh let's see


oh okay the recent one was maybe my Carousell with the Carousell, uh recently I sold a Lego set and I didn't expect it to go I I didn't expect it to be so hot I I put it for I mean I posted the item for less than I am not even kidding right less than one minute and then I I got six to seven offers instantly I I really didn't expect it because the original price was seventy five dollars


so I thought usually on Carousell you have to lower your price to attract the customers right so I I lowered it to forty five dollars and immediately like four to five six may maybe before the six people offered to buy at forty five dollars don't bargain and then there was another guy he offered forty five initially but after that he uh automatically sent off


offer me seventy five dollars the original price so I was very shocked, but pleasantly surprised that somebody is willing to pay so much for a Lego set, and uh, apparent apparently I heard from my, friends that Lego are very very popular especially during special occasion like christmas so when I told her that I put it at forty five dollars she was telling me that are you crazy forty five dollars for a Lego set is too too cheap so I I think that's one of the experience like


oh it turns out better than I expected I didn't really think that somebody is willing to pay seventy five dollars when I put it at forty five dollars ya, so do you do you have any similar experience on Carousell because I know that you are you you have been on Carousell for a while


oh dear you see


okay but I have a, question that I want to ask about because my friend recently she she asked me this question like are you able to list some of your strengths and then she told me that


uh she was in a she was in a moment like she couldn't think of any strength of herself so she asked me this question she said like doris are you able to do some of your strength if somebody were to ask you this question so I gave her like four to five of of my own strength and then I asked her like are you not able to list your own strength she said no


then so there's there's a similar question over here what do you love most about yourself so if somebody were to ask you this question shanice are you able to answer this


okay , (mmhmm)


now it makes uh like a hundred percent sense ah I do understand where you're coming from and then if you were to ask me that question I don't know if you are you're sorry, oh this one I agree very much ya I agree that you are very empathetic


ah ya I I think it's important to put yourself yeah it's important to put yourself in people's uh in in others' shoes to understand it their, point of view you might not be able to resonate with them most of the time like, ah I mean it's might not be easy to put yourself in other people's shoes but I think it's essential it's important so that you know that you you are not always looking from just one point of view but uh


it's it's easier to connect with the other person too if you are able to understand how they feel so uh being able being empathetic is very important to me, so I am very thankful that you are a very empathetic person otherwise I don't think we can be friends for a long time ya


oh ya okay that that one because I told you earlier right that I list, ya, I I the other time like the other time like my friend she asked me like what are some of your strengths and then I told her that I think I usually put myself in other people's shoes I try to see from the other people's perspective to understand them better so in in the other word ya I'm I'm just


another empathetic person that's something that I love about myself (mmhmm) uh and the other one that I love about empathy ya ya ya, and the other thing that I love about myself is how I try to make people laugh I feel like, uh it's easier when it's life is easier when you try to make when when you laugh like uh it's I I I read this somewhere before like you know like if you if you are you know the day is going to pass by even if you if you cry if you laugh so might as well you know if


the day is just going to pass by right might might as well you spend it happily so I I like that I am able to make my friend laughed sometime through uh sarcasm , sometimes through humour but uh ya that's something that I love about myself like making people laugh, (mmhmm) and ya


that that's about it and, the yup ah, what about this one the describe one of your most memorable travel experiences I I have one in mind right now it's the latest one to


oh !wow! what's it again


my my latest one is uh my most memorable travel experiences is definitely, uh the the one the latest trip I went to new zealand for the first time with my friend last november and then we conquered this one of the most popular day hikes in new zealand in auckland it's called uh what is it call again Tongariro alpine crossing


so it's because we did the before we went my friend was the one who suggested she wanted to try and conquer this because, uh on Google it says that it's doable even for children and then even for amateur even if you have never had the uh hiking experience so we thought oh ya we we can try so uh it wasn't my first time hiking but


hikings hike that was a legit first time like a first hike it it's so legit right it's like twelve hours it took me twelve hours to, uh to conquer and then reach the the bottom from beginning until end was like twelve hours it it was terrible it was memorable because it was terrible I got so tanned I got uh


I my friend was asking me before the uh before we set off for the ride she asked me this question doris we're going hiking why do you have to why do you think there is a need for you to put on make up and then after the trip I realise what she said uh I I I realised the meaning like why why is there a need for me to put on makeup when my face is all


it's all covered with mud and sand and dirt, it's it's useless makeup is just useless at that that moment ah but I don't know I just maybe put on some sunscreen and that's about it so it was memorable because of it was scary but then again I met some really good people I think they could tell that we are not uh experienced hikers so they


one of the uh ladies even though we're strangers she was very very nice to me she she lend me a helping hand she was like you know what you when you're going down you shouldn't be uh your your feet should be pointing up so that it's not so stressful for your for your ankle you you don't get hurt by that


so I will I I followed her method and then I realised it's really more like it's easier for you to go down so my friend she was still on top I I told her to use the same method and it works for her as well so even though it was very terrible it was, uh my friend wanted to give up most of the time she wanted to give up ah we hiked for the total distance was like almost twenty KM and she wanted to give up after one KM


and then I was like are you kidding me you were the one who suggested coming here and then now you're telling me you are going to give up after one KM this is not even like half an hour and then every time she asked for a rest stop and uh uh apparently there's a lot of asian there there was a lot of asian hikers, so I I realised there's something about asian hikers they like to take pictures everywhere every stop anywhere they go they take pictures


and then my friend was like oh they she she'll be like oh you know what we should take a rest now because you know they're taking pictures we might as well you know follow them and then take take some pictures ya I say no I I just want to continue walk and then finish this hike as soon as possible so uh and


before we go right we we saw this article it was very scary she my friend sent me this article of this chinese woman she died on the way, like she died while hiking at the Tongariro alpine crossing it's scary right and then I asked her are you are we still going when we saw this article you still want to go and then she say well we will try our best not to die and then we try our best not to leave each other we will always stick together


then I said okay let's let's not let's just follow this principle no matter what happens we have to finish this hike uh but then but the thing is , uh as we hiked we she got very tired she's not a very her stamina is not as good as mine after like one KM you wanted to skip give up right so she said can we just stop here and then I said no we came here we have to finish this hike


so uh there were many time she told me I want to give up I want maybe you just leave without me doris you just go go ahead yourself like leave me here I I can, I think may be I'll just get a helicopter and then go back I said no way we we told each other right we have this principle we made this pact that we are we're supposed to finish this hike together so no matter what I will wait for you even though I was getting really frustrated and annoyed at her like how many time she


she she was I think she was pissed off at herself but then she also pissed me off a lot every time she wanted to take a rest and then every time she started she take a rest and then she talked to other hikers and then I was thinking if you have the energy might as well you save the energy and walk so that we can finish this hike as soon as possible so inside my head


uh I wanted to kill her maybe she was dead a lot of times inside my head but I but I have to uh finish this hike with her so it was really one of the most memorable travel experiences that I have, but I will still go back to new zealand but not auckland I I want to explore the other part of uh new zealand next time


oh !wow! but do you usually when you go overseas for travel do you hike do you do any sports


oh oh !wow! well well ya retail therapy right, ah shopping is a hiking , okay ya which one do you want to answer


oh !wow! it's an interesting question ya go ahead


oh because you will never expect someone to look to to come to you and then say no and out of nowhere and say you look like someone who can pull off a hotel receptionist face right it's weird


, oh but afterward after all he meant well so it's it's all good, ah


but then again you think about it hotel receptionists usually they are the face right the visual of the uh the hotel they represent the company the image so if uh it's a good complement ya after all what I meant you you are ya I think what he's trying to say that you have the face you are good-looking so that you can represent this company so I think ya it's a good thing it's a you have


aesthetically pleasing, yes okays but we are only left like forty seconds what should we do should we move on to another question or do we do we go on about, I don't uh


I don't know have I I think ah I don't love this but then uh I just hate garlic I think ah when I was younger I don't have any, feelings for garlic but now I hate it like absolutely uh detest it so I don't eat it even my friends ask me what happened to you like, like you never had this strong uh feelings for garlic when we are in secondary school now that we are adults and then you say no garlics in every dish so every time we go out together I told them we cannot order anything that has garlic inside


and then they will like but you are the only one who doesn't like garlic then I said ya we we cannot eat that because I don't like it okay but ya


financial related, topic


hi #tan bien# you just recently retired so how do you accumulate wealth or how do you plan for your retirement


oh that's good oh so good


never thought about it ya should think about endowment do you, find that the endowment has been uh benefiting you right now are you getting your returns back from your endowment


(uh huh) ya I think ya, I guess we have some of those people that never really think about uh more like living by faith rather than than anything else you know so that endowment is a good idea maybe it's never too late to consider endowment right now ya


what do you think about the fact of people getting into debts to you do you advocate the fact that the person should uh, accumulate debt like for housing cars and holiday tickets and stuff of that sort


ya yes it is


ya, I think I'm grateful to have a house right now because rental can be so expensive, and uh with such high rental you don't have to come up with it ya paying off the conservancy charges and stuff of that sort can still be expensive but at least you don't come up with so much of it ya and uh


I I do agree when I was in uh having stayed in cities before like Tokyo where I don't need to where cars are expensive, I never see a need for cars uh I think the public transportation is so much more convenient


uh though in here, you think about it that when it rains you are inconvenient but other than that, I think our public transport is so good you don't need to worry about, at owning a car ya and that's really ya I


thinking about retiring and wondering what shall I do about it maybe how much money can survive and ya that will be a concern and, what if the person in debt what would you advise a person to do


I guess that's true because I think some of the people think that as long as you pay the minimum amount for the credit card that sufficient uh I really do not agree with that that's why I really uh


recently I threw away all my credit card I use to throw away that means I I discontinued on my credit card except the debit card as given by th com, by the bank and I think I'm trying to survive on that alone now when I wanted to


POSB everyday pay credit card they say I'm not eligible at all I'm no longer valid uh that's unfortunate but never mind yeah I think the other thing which I felt that if I would have to advise


anybody go to, tell uh uh, a young person to to say that , work by having a budget if you keep a budget to me to me I find that it helped me was when I started to keep not having a budget but record what I spent on on the daily basis and


then you can use so many apps so many different apps that you could use to just record what is your spending, what category is your spending and having that, that revealed at the end of the mind to


it allows me to see that what I'm spending which is not necessary, ya and, and when is not necessary I will therefore stop to spending all, cutting back ya moderate and I


think there has allow me to have a discipline in my spending, approach totally, ya , it has helped me to not get into debt and to not get into into to any form of it ya


one of the things is that how can you justify what, expenditure is justifiable what should you spent on what should you not spend


I think what happened to me so I find that I start to spend a lot of money


at one stage on coffees and snacks I think I'm a snacker, and uh when I get as I do snack I do snack and when I snack I find that, uh ya


what happened is that I spent quite a lot along the way the afternoon but I get a little bit hungry I might buy a curry puff I might by a dim sum I, might have a cake and, that can add up quite a fair, bit you know


so that can add up quite a fair bit of money to me, into what I spent I find that, that becomes of what you called junk food not necessary amount of money ya so I have tried to cut that down tremendously


that helps my savings a lot ya and so, how about you managing your cash flow right now that you have retired I'm not retired right now yet but I need to think about it say maybe a year two years I may think about retiring uh stop working and do more I don't know


(uh huh)


but if you use paywave uh digital payment won't that be also be a tendency to overspend you might land up spending all the money that you have in the paywave and that's it you know


but it is like like a credit card you know you just spend on it without thinking about it while I have a tendency to like hard cash then I know !oops! that's a fifty dollar note that I took out you know how do you feel about paywave with


yeah I think the COVID has helped us I think the COVID has kind of taken away the desire to, shop the desire to go out do you think so


I agree I agree I used to find that I you know my my expenditure can come up with quite a fair bit every month and I and I realise that


!oops! I don't go out, I don't buy stuff I don't buy ya little things and uh, and that kind of cut down my savings and there are days you which I don't spend money at, all and that was like oh I didn't spend a cent today uh that was kind of good


that was kind of good to feel that we can be become a more mindful of our savings ya


uh the, paywave is quite useful because, people can pay you money uh in a very short time uh people immediately without having know your oh PayLah! ya so PayLah! ya PayLah! PayNow they can pay to you without having to worry about uh


uh without worrying about having to give away your bank account numbers or whatever ya so that's been good that has been good now one hand I'm also very cautious, you see PayLah! or paywave, any other form so I'm still a cash person fiscal cash


oh well you should come and stay at my place my place has no #pasar malam# store or so so the temptation of going out for #pasar malam# and hawkers and stuff like, that uh would really be cut off and to that


ya , uh must think about alternative income sources I got to build up my counselling ya alternative career to see whether at this age I can build up alternative career and at this age whether I can


uh have another source of income, ya, once my ya once my teaching career kind of tone down a little bit more any suggestions


oh you're quite savvy ya, you know you are quite savvy that so you have been doing that you have been topping up your CPF amount each time and you have been consistently doing that for all the years the recent years


uh can I still do it at this time is there a value in it


oh alright okay I'll wait till next january to do it , and uh next january to do it and some money to that cause sometimes just sit in the bank ya and uh the owning earning less than anything that you could even


think about ya I think , but I do think that sometimes we do need to give ourself a treat uh, may need to give ourselves some uh, ability to enjoy ourself now and then


and not be frugal all the time counting our pennies all the time, I think we do tend to do that ya , fine so I think sometimes I do have to remind myself not to be penny counting every single moment of the time ya any last advice for anyone


, ya I think I think all of us will be that ya


ya (uh) stop


negative experience in my life,


I guess so I think there's many cases I teach too and maybe I teach in the in a tertiary, uh education level what happen is that we do have to give comments we do have to grade the children the students on daily basis


uh you you do find that there are some people they can said yup I can give personal comments and I can get I can write, thirty comments within two hours, at the same time reviewing their work and everything and I tried and I said you cannot do that unless you are typing out two or three lines you are maybe cut and paste every two or three lines the same comment you cannot be personalised


and if you want to be helping a child to grow a student to grow you've got to be a little bit more specific not just looking at how well they've done but also how what is their attitude a more holistic aspects of their of their assessment uh


their behavior their attitude their learning uh, and that is something which I feel that it is , people will tend to take shortcuts that I feel is very unfair to the students on the other hand another thing which I find that is happening right now in in this world where the


customer is always right in their educational field the customer is always right the students are always right the parents are always right so if you don't give them a high daily grade


the parents and the students may come up to you and say how come iI did not get an A uh it's like , do you do this and this and this and this well they may not have done that so but they expect still that you should give them an A


one of my very bad experience was when, I had a a a child a student went back and was questioned by the parents and the parents asked them why what happen, the reasons that she gave was that I was picking on her all the time and the parent was a little bit


paranoia I think she was the issue she came to school and I was pulled out to find out why was I picking on the child, uh what was fortunate was in my daily feedback to the child to the student I was quite specific about what she has done and what she has not done what she could improve upon so I submitted


that as evidence uh the other lecturers


accusation came up to me everybody was jumping on me the the head of department was jumping on me before they heard, what I got to say without getting feedback and they also went out to the students to check whether I was picking on them on this particular


child and it came back all negative uh I can remember the the department head coming up to me and make making apology that they have jumped too fast ahead uh


and that was when I make a point to them that you do not, you got to trust your lecturers you do not make a judgment before you ask us what happen and when you hear our side of the story hear the other side


then make a judgment do not make a judgment before where you hear, only one side uh to me I think that's that's that's that's quite a quite worrying when parents when the authorities listen to the other party


thinking that customers are always right without listening to the other side your own staff, that is not to me not good management and I will be quite upset with that ya it was quite upsetting


(mmhmm)


my own habit is to go uh my have a tendency to go round the class the at beginning at the class at the start of the class and give uh immediate


feedback and some of the immediate feedback uh because he's private because he may not be so good I would, kind of have a small word with them or


the others cannot hear or if they are done well and the walk round I just give a tap on the shoulders to and said well done ya keep at it well done I think with some of some students may not be comfortable with touch so I had


a a a, comment be made that I of on touch and uh someone come in to observe me to see where there was uh doing appropriate, touch not without telling me there was picked out and uh that there was a there was a comment be made about that and the person was picking out on


crazy things like do you realise you bump a chair when you bump into that chair do you realise it, and I go like no because the chair was the classroom was very tight so I have to walk around the chairs I could bumped a chair but it was not intentional and then it was like


uh you spoke to that child why do you have to speak so quietly why can't you make it loud I said because the comment was not positive and it's only meant for that person, do you want me to be saying the whole thing so and so your work is terror your work can be improve you should do this and that do not watch TV


pay attention no I don't do that, so for touch I said well there's something called good touch and bad touch where do I touched the person if it is like you a tap on the shoulder, it's a real tap is not a not a hard tap a tap well done and I could move on and says pay attention by give a tap and say pay attention so I said you've got to ask the question was it a good touch or bad touch where the I


touch the person how long I touch the person and how do I touch the person, bearing those things in mind then we will be looking to see whether it was okay


don't judge don't hear what every student says and uh and don't trust in that sense you do not trust your own lecturers and I think thats very unfair to lecturers ya, uh there's something which ya so I can't empathise with you you could say he could do it so you gave him a tap on the shoulder to say do it but it could be seen as a bad hitting the students abusing them you know


and I think that's very unfair, I think her


ya, I think that's very much of a work ethic ya we are brought out to be so conscious about our ethics and that comes back in the post COVID I think we're gonna have a lot of situation where people are without jobs


are they therefore uh useless uh, I mean I I think uh people without jobs in the coming days and if they have that kind of a work attitude they ethics they may feel that there are of no worth anymore


you know what I mean you lose your job you lose earning power, and you are no longer useful anymore you know you you lose purpose in your life you think that's going to be very very difficult where


we put so much emphasis on my work is who am I ha I am who my work is I am what I have, ya and uh without all these things is happening right now if they don't have work they lose their wealth uh


their sense of there's no meaning in life could also happen, ya and I think uh ya, very mindful of that as a counsellor to say that how do we help a person see there's more meaning to life the who they are is is much more than their work much more than with their wealth much more than


their cars or whatever that could be


it's not matter be IT savvy alone you could be but you just get a little bit more cautious I mean uh we started thinking that we're not IT savvy we cannot manage with technology we kind of, panic we panic at the first instance of what I have to try all this app


but uh once we try it it was not so bad, once we go through it but the fear that's within us the fear that makes us feel that I cannot, do it ya or, I may get it wrong and that limits us so much so very much ya trying to get to be sure that our sound recording goes off of you know


oh we feel that it takes us five seconds ya if you feel as if it takes us five seconds and then we get we get more anxious and we get more anxious we can't do it well


ya, ya okay alright


positive experience in my life


tell me do you have any positive travel experience


so do they still stay in a farm


I should think so ya, the dry season there's no rain for some years ya


I'm sure (mmhmm)


and so what was this what was good about catching up there any others that you caught up with was a good


could be ya it is but she seems to enjoy that's important ya, ya uh


per hour is not worth it


oh okay right


my ya, I well I guess if you're in a small town there is uh a good distraction good uh good activity for you


and both for for you as a cook and for you to meet up with people ya ya that was good, #tan biyun# you always when you go overseas you you always make connect so much you make your trip so meaningful ya I think I make my case last year was in australia too and what actually did was that I think it was a little bit apprehensive initially


about travelling on my own after so many years I mean I used to travel on my own in a much younger but uh started to travel with people , and this time I was kind of travelling on my own and joining a tour but it came out good I was so glad to join a tour in tasmania


and uh that was quite a marvel that I was able to join a tour and uh, uh climb a mountain the cradle mountain and I think for me that was, say quite experience you never knew on one hand I sometimes I feel that I'm quite brave on the other hand I can be quite timid and in this area can be quite timid


and to think again that I am travelling on my own and having to hang around with people in a small tour which have not very pro tour but happen to join the tour it was quite an experience I kind of, enjoy it and uh managed to go and see my brother and family and my grand nephews and nieces or the grand nephews no nieces so that itself was a good experience for me last year in my travel ya did all ya what else did you (uh huh)


I do agree I mean actually what happened was that uh wanted to be a little bit uh frugal or thrifty so what I actually did was that I decided that when I join up for tour as a single that I might have to share a room and it was told that we have to share with a


uh stay in a camp or motel and whether I would like to stay in a dorm or whether I said like to say twin room or single room uh decided to be frugal and said yup I don't mind staying a dorm


it means I share I could lend out mindful from my student days that it might be six persons to a dorm eight persons to a dorm and, I think, I was really bless what actually happened was that there was one place that we were staying and that was the backpackers place there were five ladies


I mean there were other couples uh the guy looked at me and says oh ah what I'll do is that I'll put the two younger couple two younger ladies into their own room and I'll give you a single room


so, that's really nice I mean you have uh a single room for the price of a dorm and uh, uh we we had it I had it for two nights because we stayed in the same backpackers dorm I think that was a real blessing I'm not too sure


if all five of us have to stay in the same dorm same room uh whether I would have enjoyed it as much as that uh but because it was me to a room and the other two girls in their own room I had my own privacy I have my own


capacity to spread up my things and there was a really nice really nice experience, and uh, what else climbing I can walk long distance but I do not like climbing, and when I do not like climbing to go out to cradle mountain I was quite apprehensive


but I have two young girls that were two young ladies that were quite helpful what they actually did was that the hang around hang around at the back uh with me when we when we were climbing


uh and they didn't leave me behind I will climb I will climb five steps or ten steps and I take a stop, to breathe but they were the ones which kind of stood around they waited for me encouraged me so I called them my angels


they help me to carry me up it's almost like helping me carry me up the mountain uh so I reached the top of cradle mountain so that was quite an achievement I was glad, for that ya ya there was there's a blessing ya then


ya what about you were there any other things that you felt was really great in your life last year or even this year


yes (uh huh)


(uh huh) the fancy food coffee


and and at that age to make the adjustments ya, I don't know whether I can make the adjustments to another environment and totally uh to be a farmer's wife forever


you know , I think it will I have really would think about it whether it's ever possible ya and


it is it is yes yes, yeah talking about driving I mean I I like I said I stayed in big cities I never see the need to have a driver's license and I did I think you know that at one stage I was thinking about going back to uh


to malaysia and you do need to have a driver's license to take driver's license and also a motorbike licence because it's very common, and uh when I was going for the testing a young girl about


sixteen years old because at the age of sixteen years old you can take motorbike licence in malaysia and she looked at me and she turned around and says auntie, why are you taking license at this age it really made me feel old why I think there's


ten about six seven years ago why, are you or maybe older than that why are you taking license now and not earlier, uh that I I I do agree telling people that they should take up driving licence as a life skill ya it's a life skill we we do need a driver's license it's a life skill ya and that's


but it was good to get a driver's license it's good to get the motorbike licence uh, uh there were quite a few, no motorbike I do motorbike I do not my car I think my car I will not I think I have to admit that my car license was a little bit what we call Kopi O money Kopi O license uh


in places like malaysia they have tendency to uh, uh the, the the instructor will the driving company will give the the tests of some uh coffee money and then to pass you so to get you out of their having to keep on training you so I think my


driving licence is a Kopi O license coffee coffee licence, I don't think I can were there to have the, confidence to be able to drive in a busy place, but motorbike I pass it


fair and square uh there's a part of the motorbike that you have to run on the very narrow bridge of wooden bridge, just about maybe six inches you know, small wooden bridge and you cannot drop off the bridge not a bridge but a plank you had to be on top of that I pass that and that shows that you can navigate the motorbike well uh a lot of people will fail that


i think so ya, not too bad not too bad, that's not too bad it was quite a quite a advance quite something that I pass my motorbike licence


are you sure


oh


okay so it was a case of you trying to you have a a fine ya penalty yes


financial related topic


oh for me I am a very conservative person and I have a good friend who is uh, uh financial planner or you know insurance agent so many years ago I bought uh insurance from her so uh couple of years ago you know ya so that was I think twenty twenty


is for twenty year twenty five years oh maybe thirty years uh endowment plan so I basically drew out from there, ya ya ya ya yes ya


because I'm you know I'm I I'm not, uh investment savvy so I don't have to once I'm busy with something I don't bother to, , uh read the stock market I did try to invest but the thing is with


when you invest something you have to you have to monitor otherwise you know you end up losing more ya, so ya so that's that's good


no I I as I said I'm , you know uh I'm conservative you know uh parents have always brought brought us up to to save save save so always think of housing first so if if I have to uh advise anybody I would always ask them to put aside it must have enough


for housing then uh then after that you know your for your food expenses you must save at least ten to twenty percent then you can think of others then you can think, of uh think of holiday then you can think of owning a car uh


you know especially I think in singapore so expensive I used to own a car it's like oh it's like, at least a thousand dollars this a thousand dollars is not not even factoring in the uh you know the depreciation of the car just the running cost itself with the car tax you know


road tax road tax, no it's it's it's it's a thousand dollars you know so you know I have downgraded my job last time was in IT then later on in a teaching I earn a lot less sometimes I look at my colleagues who uh you know I don't think their salary is that fantastic you know


and and they came they are driving a car so I I I in my heart I must be thinking these people must be really, you know not having much savings in their bank you know I'm just wondering how they're break into, cope when they grow old, ya I ya ya I would ask


if the person is in debt is uh is is a high chance that the person must have uh, use you know had to pay off, credit card interest you know, so so that's that's the first thing that I'll ask if the person has any loan an outstanding loan if it's a credit card you know ask the person to stop using the credit card


and and and oh ya credit card loan uh credit card interest can be so high it can be like uh twenty percent you know that's how they make money so I think by hook or by crook maybe you borrow money from your family members or your friends just to pay off that credit card


loan ya, because ya it it's it's really you know there was one time that I forgot to pay because, it it's just that you know uh in those days that that you don't have giro you know


then uh ya you forgot to pay then suddenly you you see !whoa! one is just for one day only then the the interest is like something like one hundred dollars so you can imagine you know for for these people must be a thousands of dollars just interest alone you know if you let it running


like for me uh before I retired I had I had a car then after that because I knew I was going to retire so, I sold off the car, and then I


because in singapore it's , so convenient relatively speaking you know uh getting uh, cab to work going to, work by cab is is quite inexpensive in singapore that's what I I I did you know like uh think about twenty dollars back and forth from my place to the school you know I I did that cause it would save me time so in the morning I would not have to


uh I would not have to uh rush so I can take my time and then when I arrived at school I still have time to get ready to talk to people so I don't have to be in a rush ya so ya I


save you know so people may think that you know it's it's uh it's being spendthrift to to take uh taxi instead of taking public transport but I think that was that was justifiable for me ya


but but later part when I ya now that I have retired so I don't use taxi anymore because I have the time, but when I was working I had less time so now I don't have to worry about uh rushing to anyway so I I have my time so I don't I I take public transport I would say ya


I would say ninety nine percent of time unless I am in a, hurry to meet uh appointment then I would uh take a cab but otherwise, ya, I will rely on public transport


I I I don't know I don't I'm not uh so diligent like you so I I try that at, uh for a few months last year but uh ya it's I find it too troublesome for to use it so but I ya since I have


uh, I used to have a few savings account so I simplify it I closed some of the savings account so basically I have one or two savings account so I just go by the you know how much money I have in the savings account so roughly I will know how much I spent you know for that month


so and then and then everything, paywave you know like NTUC most places accept paywave so, with that ya and then ya and and and then ya, then you you you you basically earn points from from credit card as well so ya so


that's how I managed I roughly know how much I spent just by looking at my uh savings account and my credit card


ya that that that


oh that's it's it's it's alright with me , I I didn't ya I used to use cash more but now you know most shops accept paywave so I quite disciplined in spending so, I would not you know uh because it's credit card because it's easy to use paywave of just just do it because


ya, ya I I I am not tempted to buy things in the first place ya


ya definitely because I eat in most of the time and then !wow! I was thinking no I can save so much more you know it's like eh how come I still get so much money


ya because I had I have I have this friend she she hates technology no it's just it's just dislike, technology so she would always ask me to pay you know if something requires credit card payment she will asked me to pay and then she will pay me cash


so I did that for her and then you work it amounted to one thousand slightly more than a thousand dollars so I kept that money in my drawer while it took more than a month to use that money about ya nearly two months, ya so I thought oh !whoa! it takes me so long to to even use the cash


oh oh that's PayLah! that's PayLah! PayLah! ya PayLah!


then you should you should come and stay at my place near my place because uh, near my place there a lot of stores, you know like #pasar malam# stores, so uh for those stores you don't use credit card you have to use cash ya


no ah because CP F pays, you know two point five percent you know the interest rate outside is like ya zero point one, so I usually ma out my CPF, in the last five five years or so because of my age my contribution is a lot lower


so so I have some spare cash so I my spare cash I I contributed you know, to to the ordinary account, so that gives me two point five percent I I just treated like uh, like bank account


my ordinary account, ya ya, I've been I've been topping up CPF but there is a max of course every year there's a max ya, ya


yes ya recent years ya, ya, ya you can still do it, ya that that is that is that is a valid a maximum is thirty thousand a year


I think thirty something thousand a year are the maximum contribution to CPF uh ordinary account, is thirty thirty something, a year and uh do it in january so you earn the interest for twelve months


(uh huh), yeah yeah


penny, ya I agree yes ya ya so ya so


no , ya I live later on I have to talk to western about my, my recording is showing low is showing low uh, ya, said strange low okay low okay ah


net negative experiences


okay I will just I will just talk about my some of my colleagues that I I I find irritating even you know sometimes I feel oh you know they they they should be fired you know ah, I I think maybe ya maybe I'm a little bit judgmental but I was look at myself ya you know I am you know sixty sixty sixty two sixty three years old


uh past retirement and and and and I hardly take any MC and ya there are some people at work they just, and I know that they uh they they take MC quite quite I wouldn't say regularly but you know but it's like


once in a month and that's long because I work in a school, when when you are not there to teach the children suffer because , ya that that children they they


my school we don't have a policy of uh engaging a relief teacher but I think even with a relief teacher the relief teacher doesn't know uh that that much you know so so actually what what happens is when the teacher is not there so all the children will be


distributed to the other classes, ya, so basically they're not learning for that day ya, so I find ya and then and then the, not this school another school would there was one one principle he he was she was very sharp she said you know certain teacher they will only always take uh MC on a certain day for example wednesday at that wednesday is always the heaviest day for that person and sure enough is always wednesday you know


ya so how how come that can be so coincidental you know so he always fall sick on the wednesday you know so you do you have you come across uh, colleagues like that


something similar so because uh, this group of children that I teach they are slow learners they are slow learners but there was one time I asked them all to stay back and this particular one I felt she was he was he could do the sums that I gave him you know but he was


getting lazy and and getting it wrong all the time and at and and sometimes I have a habit of you know hitting somebody on the shoulder you know it's just to me it's just out of, just you know it's just uh pat, but I guess at that time was getting too hard I didn't realise it and may I I may have done it one too often and and and ya there was an email from the


the the the father but other my but my colleagues did say that this this particular for this particular father uh it's quite , uh quite picky you know he's quite not not easy person to deal with so he actually email or actually came to the school and tell the school what happen so like for me I I I okay I just


I admitted it because I knew I I did that so whether it's you know uh my but I just I just admitted it so so the the principal was nice so ya okay ya, so ya but in other cases that you have if you have children now you have students that complain you know but my group of children they are slow learners


so I feel most of the time because they don't know how to complain so, because of that some of not maybe, I would say should be the minority of a few of my colleagues are not really not really diligent in their work you know they they they they just come into the class


and then they they you know you know when you write when you prepare the SOW or scheme of work every week you do when you prepare your supposed to, think or you have to imagine that when you go to the class this is what you would do you know you have to imagine and you because you know your students well then you know that eh if they don't understand this then I will have to do something else I'll have to do something else


and this group of children because you have to repeat so many times and then each time you repeat you have to make it interesting so that's why sometimes is up, ya ya my my my colleagues actually tell me it's it's, it's it's it's harder to teach uh children than to teach


you know those who are older because those who are older they can understand those who are young they don't understand and when you repeat they get restless so somehow you have to, uh make the it up, lesson interesting and you you even have to


what do you call that you you know that they are restless so if you know they are restless you have to ask them to stretch maybe sing a song do that kind of thing but but you they have to learn see so so because uh I had classroom teaching then the last couple of years I did curriculum


so I prepared prepare the resources and I will, go in to observe so there are some teachers I know they they they they did not prepare you know that it's the way that they teach, you know they didn't prepare it's like it's like as if is the first time they are looking at the worksheets that I prepared you know so without because you have to read look at what I'm doing so you know how to go about doing it so ya you you you know that is is as if first time they just print and and go to the class


and and just give the uh worksheets to their children, ya, so so there's no learning, and sometimes I will go to another class, you know when you after you have taught when you asked the children to do the worksheets you cannot just sit in front there you know some of them they sit in front at their teacher's table and do their own work


you know maybe mark some some admin work that you do because I always believe that when when students are doing their worksheets when they're doing you have to walk around you have to walk around and see what they are doing because when you when you walk around you will see, uh that they uh you know they find it difficult uh for a certain


uh you know you know uh that, they are the areas of weakness so you that's how you you you you you you can you know change your teaching style, ya so that is a feedback to you so when they find it difficult then you have to ask yourself or maybe I wasn't clear just now in the way I deliver you know then you have to change your style but you cannot just little let them do their work you know ya ya this is what I find know some


some teachers are not, ya, ah mind, ya ya (uh huh) ya uh ya


but but I I must say they they teach us to be a better person uh I'm not not talking about other colleagues, uh my my my uh, my students because when I first started I was very conscious about delivering I was very conscious about finishing my what I have to do


so any time my students you know they want to play they want to what they then I I will say don't waste time you know don't do this don't do that you know, so so they were times later on when they have to put up a skit they said don't waste time I know it's from me they they say certain things you know I know it's from me so then I realise oh ya


you know they pick up all this uh wrong things from me so to me it's just don't waste time you know I wasn't thinking so much, whether they're learning it as long as they're doing something I was happy you know, ya so, ethic ya ya ya


ya for those who have just started out I suppose after one year two years of working and they you know uh they lose their job is easier for them to switch, but for those people who have been in the same thing especially in the same area you know


uh it will be very difficult and when they are in their fifties even forties even late forties you know it's it's it's so hard it's so hard to to switch to something else and everything is like uh you know er requires you to have


you know like IT savvy you know some people are just not IT savvy


what takes him one seconds takes me five seconds ya we fear seconds


positive experiences


yes ya, uh I plan this it was last year ya I knew I was going to retire so I, plan, this holiday a few months before I actually travel and my main objective is to connect with people connect with friends and classmates so I did that a couple of months before I travel I


uh some friends, that I had lost touch, so I contacted the school the university and it took a while, but it pay off I I I you know wrote to this person then I said oh I we don't have the uh alumni list


and then I said oh can you just so finally ya to cut a long story short eh finally there was one person and then from that one person I connected with two or three other people ya, so I wrote to them so was quite nice but uh ya one of them had married


uh australian uh a farmer, ya and she has four boys you know she married a farmer and the eldest are thirty something the youngest was like, twenty eight years old !whoa! she has four boys, oh the young the they are still staying but she's helping her husband husband is a farmer then the eldest son is also a farmer so three of them stay stay in that farm so


so I got in touch then I I went to stay with them it's was quite uh quite an experience you know it was, ya it was it was uh drought you know drought then I mean drought meaning uh uh uh not much, dry season dry season dry season I think it's really you know it's it's


yeah you can hear about dry seasons on the news you can see on uh TV but it's another thing to experience you know to to see really hard how difficult uh farmer's life is you know helps you


to appreciate you know what you get oh on the table you know the the meat you know the lamb you know the ya the wheat you know so that they really have a hard life


oh so with this one then uh there is another wait we were classmates so this other one, she this one the first one has he's married with uh four sons the second is one single she was teaching for a while a number of years then after that now she is uh more like semi in in semi retirement and she gives tuition


and because she loves she loves cooking and she has gone back she loves, , a country life you know like she's not a city person so she bought a place in a small town and uh, and and she loves cooking so she has this she call she she it's called pop up restaurant you know


uh so so what she does is , uh she'll go to uh a place she rent a place from the community centre then the community centre would have to have uh like at least minimum chairs and tables


then she will go in there she will set up the place you know set up nicely then uh she'll plan for the menu but uh a few weeks before that she will advertise but because it's a it's a small town it's not like uh in a big town in a big town you can


you know like in singapore you can have japanese food greek food indonesian food all sorts you know but in a small town is just western food so is really , opportunity for the local people to try uh food from other culture you know when we were there she she had uh indonesian cuisine at like five course indonesian cuisine ya


but this hard work though this other friend this this the friend whose husband is a farmer both of us went to her pop up restaurant she invited us there so both of us we were saying oh ya we don't we don't see ourselves doing that kind of thing it's it's it's too much uh too much work


ya, ya, because because she enjoys talking to people you know like all people there it's seven O'clock you know we had our meal by by eight we we're done we were just talking to ourselves then this other people this other table you know uh they had wine and they stay on until


you know twelve O'clock and then my friend my friend jenny will uh talk to them you know ya so ya to me, I am very money minded I was thinking oh you night you are talking about five hours per hour ah and then and then I was thinking you know she gets that she enjoy


talking to the conversation but she had two helpers, you know I I don't know how how whether the helpers, had to stay back with her but ya then you will have to pay them as well you know until twelve O'clock you know but anyway so that the next day because I stay on for another day so the next day I help her we went to the community


centre we have to uh you know it was already more or less cleaned up but we had to sweep the floor we have to bring back the glasses the uh the cutlery that tablecloth !whoa! I was thinking hard work again don't bring back we have to wash


ya, ya


people ya ya


when you were on a group tour ya did you like oh how did you share did you have to share a room with other people because this has always been you know like sometimes if you get a good person to share with it can be, so nice experience but if you share with somebody that is fussy you know they can really spoil your holiday


oh that's ya that's nice,


no is it not or this year ya not not really uh I'm can cannot remember ya but maybe, because my holiday was long it's like five five weeks kind of ya so the same holiday again but in another town


ya in another town I went to stay with this couple, , ya peter and irene you know they are originally from singapore and uh now they have settled in in this small town in uh in perth and because it's a small town and ya


uh the the peter is is pastoring a church and it's not the church is kind of, small so uh the wife has to has to help out ya the the wife was actually holding quite a good job in singapore but ya she she you know she followed the husband and you know uh they they were very nice they took me around and then


you know like in singapore it's so expensive to own a car so so this irene never had a license but at, I think at fifty seven years old you know she learned to drive so so I felt oh this amazing you know at a fifty seven years old you learn to drive so because in that small town if you don't have a car you can't go anyway so she learned to drive and she uh got herself a job in a cafe


and then she learned to make you know all sorts of things like sausage roll chicken pie you know make coffee she could even make what what you call it barista is it, is it barista you know uh the the coffee with nice design at the top ya ya ya she uh ya ya ya


she she uh she learned to do that and and she never complain ya, you know I I I just feel that is it's such a positive uh, positive attitude, ya someone ya isn't it ya, ya ya so ya


whatever ya, , I think I think there's a problem with with us asians you know because we are always working working working not much hobby so when you retire


then you ya you you you don't ya life is kind of boring you know because if you even even if you travel uh how much can you travel you know how much can you travel you you will get sick one day you know you must have hobby nice I mean good hobby good good I mean uh circle of friends you know ya


so ya ya yes uh


, oh ya ya ya


but you you you don't use your licence though ya you have a license (uh huh) ya to uh


ya talking about license you know, uh just now I I said I sold my car actually it was it was it was because it was it wasn't because I've one to save money but partly is also I want what I wanted to it turned out to be a a blessing in disguise


what happened was I I accumulated twenty four points can you believe it, twenty four points twelve points, twelve points for beating the red light, you know , for beating a red light I wasn't I I am not a reckless driver but I guess


I I guess I guess uh I there must be you know something on my mind that I I was thinking about something so, ya it must be like yellow going to read so ya there there wasn't any cars in front of me so I when I received the letter from the traffic police I was shocked that I you know I had twelve points but anyway there was twelve points so I said oh twelve points oh I just wait for another year so


it will all reset but, then another time when I was uh driving quite slowly then I wasn't even texting I was holding my phone and and uh you know talking to someone then uh traffic police


uh drove past and asked me to stop, and and said I shouldn't be driving and talking on the phone, so ya so that that that goes another twelve points, so it's twenty four points so so my colleague actually laughed at me say oh you must be you know ya you you only happen to people like you a slow driver


because he said he does that all the time you know he will be like driving and he's a good driver you drive fast so when you drive fast and when you are talking on the phone I think it's hard for the traffic police to pick pick that up see so see it only happens to you so uh it was twenty four points


so twenty four points means that you lose your licence but , you actually can go uh and do some sort of training for one one day then you get back your license but I didn't want to and and I said oh okay might as well let let me see whether I can go without car for three months so I sold off my car so I found it comfortable to just


go use grab to go to work so that was nice so thats the beginning of uh, my you know just going on uh grab ya


ya fine so stop


financial related topic


ya same here I think we are from the same era I have my saving account when I was in primary school also started with the stamp system so therefore from there we are able to get our saving in the into the POSB account


ya ah same here uh


I have credit card credit card uh, I also have debit cards but I hardly use the debit card , I prefer to use the credit card uh it's very useful especially we don't have to carry cash around for debit card is that I find


it's something like, NETS NETS so you just have to deduct directly so I find that uh, uh is not that useful


for credit card I, find that like what you say we can accumulate points we get cashback I prefer the cashback, whereby when we purchase item we can deduct directly for point system is good as


well but however certain times I may overlook uh to use up the points therefore it's been expired


ya that's right especially right now they go paperless we really have to check, our account uh periodically so that we will not be charged for late payment charges


yes agree so in our younger days we only know about saving account so diligently we save our sum in the account only when we become more mature and we risk read up especially lately uh different banks like you say offer different kinds of account like POSB they have multiplier account


then we also have three six five we have uh also, uh UOB so they have they offer different kinds of gimmick but at same times we also have to compare and look into it and see which is uh offering us more attractive interest rate


uh yes so is all depends of your uh


practices and your needs if you are ones of those who like to use credit card to make payments and uh make purchases I believe that this is also very useful uh but most of us uh will like to use it for maybe GIRO


make payments uh using that account for GIRO that is also good but for investment wise they also offer this in this account, , so do you think that you should start a joint account with your uh husband


if let's say for for ones who is able to, to, keep track of their account is good to have, a separate account, but if let's say ones who do not want to take care of, anything related to bills is good to have a combined account so that


the other party can solely take take care of it yes, uh I do not have any loans because uh


I already paid up for my house so I don't need to have any loan


so currently I find that , the fixed deposit account that offer by the bank previously before the circuit breaker this pandemic, they are the banks are offering quite good interest rate but due to yes but due to this pandemic most of them have reduced and even sent even sent me letter to


inform me that the rate is uh decreasing or even, close the account in in premature date so therefore it's quite difficult for me to continue to keep my sum in the fixed deposit so we have to look for elsewhere to uh park my my my fund in order to multiply it


uh yes I have a a an account that tag on together with uh insurance


with this bank so I have to, place my sum, in this bank for X numbers of years together with the insurance so therefore, for not not it's not for deduction purpose


in the event ah in the midst of saving my sums in the account I also insured I also insured so yes so if that it can be a life insurance it can be a medical insurance so it's tie together


with the account yes


for me is that for fixed deposit I enjoy shorter term of fixed deposit like for example six months one year , or even three years is the longest for me I I'm quite reluctant to I quite reluctant to put in for five years or ten years even though the interest rate no ya


ya even though they have higher interest rate but I find that uh maybe I may need the sums on certain days or for rainy days or even for some other purposes or maybe somewhere down the road other bank may be offering a higher interest rate so I am quite reluctant to place my sum in the bank for too long


I I I have one, experience that I went to this bank just happened that they have these so called promotion to place the sum in the fixed deposit uh guess what, uh if I put my sum in the bank for six month the interest rate is higher than one year


so so so to me is that it's better to put in for six months rather than one year right, ya that's right so uh we find it very funny but of course uh they also certain to the bank is that they're even though they says that the expiry date or the dates as open for fixed deposit on maybe end of the month but once they reach the target they may close earlier


ya so therefore when I told my friends that !hey! you put six six months fixed deposit is better than one year the next day she went down she say oh there's no more that offer because uh it's a ya that's right so once


ah , ah I'm not sure so once uh next time when you hear uh any good promotion you better head down straight and don't wait to the date that they say okay last day of the month of things like that otherwise you may be disappointed when you go down


uh yes they my nephew and nieces they have bank account especially uh you know that we have baby bonus right


so once we have the baby bonus is start their first account so they have this account until now I've, find that is uh quite uh user friendly as well so


they can use their ATM, card when they grow older of course uh the best age to manage their ATM cards I find that is maybe sixteen years old yes sixteen years old but nowadays you know that, the kids they said transfer me the fund transfer me the


pocket money into my account they do not want to have any cash with them so therefore ATM card is, useful as same times those uh PayLah! and uh paynow ya it's very useful, especially where they like to go online to purchase right so from there they can straight away deduct even when they go for Grab go for panda they also use that bank account


ah yes so since that right now is the best time to introduce to them to let them know so that they can start young when they come out to work so their sum can be multiply easily


with the interest uh rate come in, ah to me that share is quite risky I'm someone who's very lazy and hardly go and monitor uh the rate


especially even though they have the app even though they have the app, to help us know uh is it going up or down but I find that is too risky , I have the app I have the app but I find that, I have no time to go and look into the app


uh so I dropped the idea I dropped the idea for having the the the app, and to buy shares so I find the safetiest is still the unit trust, whereby you just have to uh play certain sums in the account


and after certain years they will deposit the uh interest to you uh at same time where is mature they will return the sum to me so I find that is quite safe and uh certain


insurance product they also tie together, with it so uh we have an agent right we have agent to help us to look into that, I I also use CPF to invest there was once my my agent uh


introduce the wrong share uh wrong wrong products to me yes yes therefore uh I've lost quite uh some uh sums so therefore it's very important to get a good agent


who is who who is helpful too, yes, ya yes


ya agree so is quite risky to have the have your sum in the wrong hand, so, ah but sometimes it's good to uh mix around with people who are knowledgeable


so how about you do you have any uh investment products, okay ya so ah


so I think we we both of us are very uh, careful, ah investor, so we rather go on uh saving, account ah fixed deposit rather than uh taking risk on all these products unless we have some uh


inside or information from people who you know who can monitor for us otherwise we will drop the ideas


ya this ya, these are uh hard earned money unless unless you are able to do so so do you think that uh is good to uh hold many credit cards


but certain but certain credit cards they offer different uh perch like for instance certain cards it says that if you go to a restaurant they give you better discount and certain cards when you go to uh


top up your tank of your car you will have certain discount as well , yes NTUC yes accumulate points yes that's right


ya, so therefore it's good to read up as well to hear from friends uh which cards as able to serve us better so when is times to come we are able to fish up our uh cards from our wallet sometimes there's so many cards in the wallet wondering which one to use


okay


I really appreciate that the bank really hire someone who monitor our spending uh even for my sisters that there's there was once that we did not uh make any booking uh in japan we travel we travel there


there ah on that year but we did not make booking uh to this hotel but they they make a deduction so the bank immediately call us uh to check it out so it's good that the bank is monitoring this


negative experience


I most of the time I can say that, there's someone always there for me but, helpless in a way is only for a short, period of time maybe, a night


that I can know one to talk to uh uh, where especially where's uh I have experience bad experience in at work, having some negative remarks passes by


uh people around me, uh we're try to call uh someone but, cannot reach out to them to share so I find that, was quite devastated ya but after my sleep I should be fine how about you


that's good I'm I'm a people person I need a listening ears so for you is that you just need to pen it out so that your emotion can let it out out on the paper uh that's good a lots of times I tell myself I want to write but


I'm too lazy to write it down


yeah that's the time that I will I will I will cry I will cry it out


, yes


I was offended when my friend said that why are you always like that when I was a teenager so I told I told my friend , what do you mean by always like that I'm not always like that is only this time so it's not always


so I was I was offended and of course hurtful cause that was the only, time I did that how can the comment be you're always like that so therefore when we said something to somebody we have to use the right choice of word ya to describe not not usual conversation


uh sadness in my heart is the death of my parents uh, my my my dad passed away when he was uh driving outside so really uh do not have a chance to bye goodbye to him uh the time that we can only see him uh is in the coffin


so many of times that are, are, I I dreamt of him, in my dream is always very happy incidents play with uh, with him yes I miss him, so uh but at the end of my dream


uh it's always end up that he has to go somewhere very far way uh will not be uh around anymore, so almost every time when I dreamt of him is the same uh story I very happy with him but in the end uh he have to go to somewhere far away so when I woke up most of the time I feel very sad


another saddest moment of my life will be the death of my mom so same thing, again I couldn't see to couldn't say goodbye to her because uh both my sister and I we were traveling we were away so when uh


when I received the call from my sister my sister still uh says that mom uh was critically ill in a hospital we have to shorten the trip and return to visit her in the hospital, but somehow rather I know that something was fishy but anyway I shorten my trip I rush back so truly now when I reached the airport they told me that uh mom have passed on so it's very sad cause I stay with her so the moment is that


someone so close to you and you couldn't say goodbye to her the saddest moment is not the time that she was cremated is the time that I returned home, I have to stay in the house alone especially when I saw all the things that were decorated by her


I feel the sadness so I will cry even when I look at the broom I I recall that this is the broom that she always use to sweep uh sweep the floor when I see a piece of cloth I remember that this is the cloth that she always use


so I told myself that I had to put it to a stop I cannot cry I cannot uh let this prolong it will affect my life so I gave myself uh some time some, move out of the house for months so I told I I told myself that once I come back to this house I cannot cry anymore I must uh have the mourning period to myself know to put a stop at certain date


, of course I wish I I was there


yes yes the many times I thought that actually just two days ago, my brother just uh talked about mom he said that actually uh, I was in the hospital when uh mom was on the sick bed he he told us that


ya, so he was the one with with her ya, so at least someone was with her, and she was not alone


actually is not the the only thing that made me sad is that now I'm able to , have enough so I should able to provide more for them so uh I feels sad because that I couldn't provide for them when they were uh


alive so it's a kind of blessings that uh they are not around, know nowadays when we have many elderlies uh we have to take care of their medical medical is not cheap nowadays so yes we also have to ah take turns to make appointments uh doctor appointment sometimes your


siblings may not be available and you have to bring them, them to the doctor so this can be some stressful moments if both of your parents are still around and your siblings are very busy or your siblings, have their families have their financial uh difficulties and end up you have to be the one to come up with all the medical bill so this should be quite stressful uh even right now


uh many singaporeans we can say that they live, till ninety plus years old, ya so my my sister in law's uh mother just pass on she is ninety two years old so at the wake we are talking about


how old ah our aunty so ask my brother how old is second aunty he says that ninety five no ninety six another one ninety three I say oh they are really, ya that's right but they says that uh because right now uh


of COVID they have to stay home, they stay at home so I believe they are stress, so if lets say imagine if my mom around I'll feel stressful if she cannot go out of the house to go and meet up with her friends go and talk in the end they will stress us up


but of course is a regret is really a regret, to to unable to provide for them especially right now that, uh we are, we are, we are able to afford to bring them to travel to bring them out for for good food that they're not around yes ya especially when


I will have some make some achievement I'm unable to uh come before them and share with them cause will they were so worry about me when I was


ya we will we will meet we will meet her one day


so your children have been uh the one who hold you back from from


so so far have have they, been uh not meeting your expectations


to me is that I do not have children but uh the time that I ever seen my sister that uh the children have not met her, expectation she really went devastated


uh she was so upset she cry when they, uh couldn't achieve uh, uh the, aggregate to go to the schools that's you wish that uh they can go to, is something like ya it's something like mummy would like to go to this school so just put all the hope on the children that they can go to this school yes


especially the ones that, uh so called is the most intelligent that's can score score the best in school but it turned out to be uh, unable to so call uh reach, mom's expectation so that's the times that really sad is that she one after another the first one couldn't make it alright fine maybe put a hope on a second one but the second one also couldn't make it and the third one


(ugh) so, all failed her so there's the time that she was so sad and to me I will feel sad for her as well I have to be there to comfort her had to be there to talk to her uh is not


one day or one month time that, you can overcome these feelings is (ppc) yes it took months, yes


especially ya, where they have to they have to always keep comparing during chinese new year time


but I think parents also have to learn have to learn to be in parenthood as well cause uh primary school PSLE is is important but is not that important yes so when they go to uh secondary school


and there are more to come is never ending secondary school poly A levels uni


so just hope that uh whatever that we have provided for them is good enough for them to uh be independent one of these days otherwise, even when they get married they are given birth if if they cannot meet your expectation we upset again


even though next time yours your daughter in law your son in law is not up to your expectation that's worse more years to go ya


okay, positive experience


I ah , I will not say nicest day it should be one of the nicest things uh to me is uh just yesterday somebody told me that uh I'm very understanding so to