so I wanted to experience uh the country in a different way uh this time uh but also because of COVID nineteen but I think still it was more of my family because I I am like thinking should I go or not like I also wonder


ya (ppb), and (um) I just wonder is there a time when (ppb) (uh) you felt that nothing you do is (uh) good enough


yes part two, positive experiences , uh uh uh


what makes me persevere , I actually really wish I can go abroad uh in winter , so I am trying to work hard, every day and hope time passes faster so I reach winter earlier


, uh I mean yes but I hope at that time I can travel easily and not having to worry about being quarantined everywhere I go , uh ya so uh what about you


ya ya,


but I guess at least the situation is getting better not only in singapore and elsewhere as well so I feel like , I mean we just have to try to, be positive and then we still have to live our lives after all I guess , so in the


so uh what are the things you look you most look forward to when this pandemic ends, oh yes oh my god


ya so uh


for me I I mean I'm back in singapore and , uh like, I really wish to listen to live music but , now they are not allowing the uh singing like live singing so I really want to I really look forward to that and yes the mask


as well and also I want to meet many friends at that time or relatives, because of the the restriction now yes, uh


actually I, really the , I I'm really fussy about food so for it to be the best meal, uh , okay one of the best meals that I can remember now that I've ever had was this


uh thai steamboat, but I had it in taiwan, so it's a personal kind of uh steamboat or maybe it is my first time eating a personal kind of steamboat and , the ingredients were really fresh and it's uh I think I had green curry flavour


uh so it was really interesting and it was really cheap, and I was abroad and I really like, uh the food in taiwan anyway although it's thai cuisine but still it's really delicious ya what about you


ya


so it's really just the whole memory that made it even more memorable for you like with every other kind of uh situation as well,


uh I can't decide between big bang or 2NE1 , uh big, ya but that was long ago but, uh I mean I was really crazy over K-pop in the past and I spend so much money and it was uh in the moshpit so I was really excited for that experience because I know many of their songs so I mean I rarely go to concerts I usually go to only those that I really know


so which is why that one I was really looking forward to it and uh I was going with my friends cause sometimes I go to concerts by myself so for that I had to go with my friend so I was looking forward to that, ya, so what about you


it was, but it was free flow beer for everyone, like throughout the, ah okay , so just for you guys


a risk that I took, (hmm) I uh uh, I I was in uh I was in uh korea with my brother and his friends and they we went to the casino and they told me like you should give my brother the money and he will roll it back for us


but but there is no I mean he cannot guarantee that he will win so he was trying to tell me like I cannot guarantee that I will win it for you but, his friends gave him money so I also chose to to give and then I think I got around maybe sixty sing dollars


back like profit so I I think it's a little, small thing but uh yes I was rewarded with extra money so that is good, ya , yes it's a gamble because I I suck at casinos like I think when I was younger uh I went to Genting highlands and my aunt actually gave


me one hundred Ringgit to to play in the casino but I lost everything so I really don't know how to play in the casino so I go there just to be with my relatives or my friends so I don't really , go there uh to try to gamble myself and win anything ya


uh what about you did you have any time when you ha uh had like uh when you had personal growth


but I'm just curious about why you why you had, to knock on doors to get someone to take you in like there isn't any kind of online platforms or other platforms for you to find, uh accommodation


uh oh but then uh I, I have one more just one more question about what you mentioned so you said like you came back and you wanted to be better so, what do you mean by that, did it was after the experience that made you want to


okay, and you had choices


ya I was thinking I was thinking about this this is a really quite funny I was doing like, uh like a internship at a ski resort because uh I didn't really, ski before but I wanted to try it I I mean I did snowboarding before but I wanted to do it in a cheaper way which is so I found a school that allowed me to learn uh while I help them in a way


so there was one time when uh so it was a peak season and when it's a peak season there were so many different people coming in and from actually many of them are from southeast asia so there was this malaysian family, that I really remember until now because they were so funny uh actually just one of them she was complaining so much and sometimes when we look at her uh we want to laugh uh because it's the way she was complaining so apparently they


so the the the itinerary was that uh from Seoul we would go to a place which is my boss' uh ski coats shop so from that shop you are supposed to choose your ski clothes but then uh nobody actually told them what they need to do


uh nobody made announcement or I think people did it in english but they were not that good in english so , uh they didn't understand so they stayed on the bus and they didn't get off so that means they didn't get their ski clothes but once we reached the ski resort they are supposed to go right away to, uh change and get the gear because they have a class so uh so because of that only when we reached the ski resort we realise that they didn't have any ski clothes so that means they still need to go and get the ski clothes first


so she was really angry at that time because she felt like so many time so much time has passed and no guide was with them and they don't know what is going on so when they were in the queue he she was saying in uh malaysian chinese that like , you you guys still even said you are number one but what is this number one and they were still in the queue


and I also had some colleagues that were not very, uh, kind of blur colleagues that they don't know what is going on so that made her even more angry because she was they were being brought back and forth back and forth but, (ppc) okay and the sorry the funniest thing is that uh at the place where if you get the clothes in the ski resort itself they will look at you and they will gauge your size


so the person gauged her size wrongly , so she ask me how do they really gauge my size and I said they are experienced they always do it and she said , what do you mean they are good I can't even zip up my my jacket, so she was so angry the whole day but everybody just kept quiet uh because they said like she's they are used to her being grumpy so it was just me and my colleague who was trying to


solve the issue for them and she was talking bad about us in chinese the whole time but nobody else uh could lead could understand except for me so I was just uh laughing with my colleague who understood chinese ya but so uh, what is the best surprise or gift actually you ever gave someone


yup


how was her reaction how was her reaction, , oh ya


uh now I I like uh, I mean I like ice cream cakes, pizza, uh oh actually my comfort food is uh bubble tea but it's like a it's like a necessity , so I don't think of it as a comfort food uh


, yes but if I'm home these days, uh it's okay that I don't drink it every day because uh I don't feel the need but if I'm outside and it's really hot and humid I really think I need a bubble tea to save my life for that day


ya, okay what about uh , your perfect day I just wonder what's your perfect day perfect day


but what about the heat in singapore, okay oh


, , I think uh someone, to told me that I am the best, seller they ever met, uh cause I sell stuff on carousell and this girl she


is uh kind of sweet but now I don't know if I'm making her kind of uh, she actually, she paid me for some stuff but because the things that she's buying are things that I could sell easily, or uh wear it myself if I really cannot sell it so I'm actually buying more stuff for her and waiting for her to pay me


so but, then I think maybe she because she told me the compliment like I'm the best seller she ever met, so I was being very soft hearted to help her but recently I decided to take a stock uh to put it to a stop uh to put a stop to it so I tell her I really need you to pay some of the other stuff first before I will help you buy again


ya then okay talking about compliments or nicest thing someone told you what is the oddest or most unique compliment you ever received


oh uh, is it a student or a staff or, oh, ah okay okay actually I think it's uh I mean it's


is valid because actually we really need people to tell us like things that are honest but it hurts, so you know if you can say in a way that makes them do not want to give up on life but instead they want to really be encouraged and try more than I think you really did a


a really uh constructive, thing ya, , uh actually I think I I really can relate because I tell some people thank you for scolding


me, you know in this way ya ya ya, okay , so uh


I think it should be the time when I, uh was I I don't know if I ever told you but I went to watch the countdown in new york, uh and it was a really memorable period or uh a memorable


day because I we went in to queue up at four PM and we are supposed to wait until eleven uh we supposed to wait until twelve AM, so I couldn't go to the toilet for, seven hours and I really don't want to do it ever again because


I had to climb over the fence when I couldn't take it anymore and the police came to me and they asked me I thought what they were going to do something to me but actually they said we are here to escort you back to where your friends were because someone said you climb out of the gate yes


I was so scared that I will be caught or something for climbing over the fence but they were here to help me so I was really grateful for them


okay part one financial related topic, okay so I I would start


to ask you the question, okay do you have personal insurance, okay


okay how, I do have uh one from great eastern and then another one from, aviva so, ya uh great eastern one is probably bought by my mum and then aviva is for the critical illness plan that I felt that it is not I mean it's affordable and I decided to buy it lah


ya correct then do you have endowment plan, okay


(mmhmm)


okay, uh I bought it maybe about one year ago


ya so I didn't felt that the coverage was enough lah so I decided to buy a CI plan then for endowment plan eh sorry


uh it was more of a decision that I felt when I reviewed my insurance policy but I didn't want to go with uh the original insurance provider so I decide I make some research and decided on that policy that is suitable for me lah


, for the insurance as in the aviva one ah, , uh I felt aviva is more affordable and I am more keen on the the the concept whereby you know you kind of get term insurance and invest the rest so it's my insurance uh


kind of portfolio is purely like insurance and then invest the rest so I don't have like investment linked plans , so like when when you we are talking about endowment plan I don't have any so do you have endowment plan


investment linked plan ah okay okay okay


I think for insurance agent for myself I like them to be prompt and I like them to be very knowledgeable and when I talk about comparison they actually know their stuff so a lot of agents that I talk to , basically they only know their product so I have even talked to like independent financial advisers so again they are much more concerned with regards to their you know bottom line and profits and all that so it


it doesn't seem to me at this point of time that they are averse with the comparison of different insurance products lah so insurance agent-wise I prefer them to be , very knowledgeable I don't like upselling I like them to really cater to your needs and then propose some insurance plan that is suitable at you know at the life stage or your future plans that you have lah so so that's something that I look out for for agents that you know you know that's my portfolio


ya, I agree I agree I ya I think, insurance is essential lah essential expenditure you know like like I think we all agree but , I I I think agents have a bad rap lah so so with with you know insurance policy at this point of time is really looking at is it adequate


if it's sufficient then I don't want to overinsure and then you know it goes all to the lining of their pockets and all that so that is uh ya that's my thoughts lah you know if it's it's sufficient is good enough, rather than get now you know upsell and then you are locked into a plan that you can't really get out of I think that that leaves a bad taste with either about the agent or about the company as a whole lah


that's my experience that I felt you know there's a lot of cases that I read also of friends that tells me that they are locked into a plan that they cannot get out of and they are just paying premiums that is over and above them so whenever a crisis hits and and they they really cannot get out of paying the premiums


uh I do I usually have a uh I am in the travel trade so uh travel insurance is very necessary lah uh uh the annual travel insurance plans typically so that helps that helps to take care of it


uh you know take takes the worry off me lor, ya


alright, (uh huh) alright, ya


(hmm) I think at this point of time with your increasing responsibility et cetera I think , uh that's why I buy CI you know just in case you know there is a loss of income due to illnesses


I'll be able to sure myself and ensure I'm not a burden to my family as well with all the responsibilities that I have so I think at this life stage when age that is something that I look out for on top of a term insurance lah, uh then also


so what do you think about CPF uh insurance coverage


uh , I think ya lah I mean everybody all agrees that CPF insurance is not enough that's why we we have other you know insurance on top of it but you know to really put in an insurance agent shoes uh what would you you know actually tell your


clients if they would like a insurance, what question would you ask lah


(mmhmm) ya ya ya I agree , ya


I I I totally agree with you like the question that insurance agents typically ask is only geared towards trying to uh sell me a product that ya it does not fit at all and then I'll I have I also even hint to her


I am not interested already but you know it it it just keeps going on and on and on and on so I think the questions that may be the, the insurance agent ask us they should ask themself what are they doing exactly like


like if you ask us what we are you know looking for in the future but then you are not listening, to us at all and want to you know engineer our future for us because to fit your product and then I think it's a little bit weird lah I mean it it it it is all in the name of selling a product that does not fit so again back to what I just mention also


you know really sell something that the client is suitable for and or in agreement rather than you know just trying to sell something that is hot off the press it is the new up and coming coverage that you should have


and and all the plans that has all the bells and whistles but at the end of the day what exactly is that plan you know uh you you even give me all the jargon the technical jargons , then then it you basically lose me at on the first meeting already so ya I mean I do have some good insurance agent friends and you know I know how how they sell and I I trust you know that they are doing a good job


but you know I I don't like to buy from friends that's my own personal uh uh uh kind of like uh principle , so ya ya ya I think there is very good people out there is insurance agents but we meet probably the , the worst of the worst


does not listen to actually what the client wants


uh actually I do process quite a number of track uh I mean travel claims because of the nature of my job uh you know I I mean like I'm not I don't claim to be a travel claims expert but , uh it does makes my job easier if my clients do request such a service for me so uh I mean like we do we do have specific few travel insurance provider that is much more preferred uh ya


uh in our industry lah then for travel insurance typically I'll look for really the kind of activities that they cover like scuba diving or you know , extreme sports if in any case or hiking depending on the activities that trip entails so like you know if it is like a business trip you know is is the coverage enough for loss of personal liabilities or business


you know associated uh you know uh equipment et cetera so so all this is taken into account before I decide on the appropriate insurance to be covered lah so so it it it is more is more very ad hoc basis I I mean I I do tend to prefer certain insurances because of how easy it is to claim


but it is not the the bible lah, so I don't use it all the time it really depends on my clients or what I need, to do during that trip then I I would just adjust accordingly,


ya, (ppc)


okay


I'm not too sure with regards to claim but I'm quite surprised that you actually bought your insurance with a, bank so like I would never associate buying insurance with banks and any any, provider that is not insurance like maybe I'm a little bit clearer like insurance is insurance investment is investment banks is banks so


so I actually was quite curious like eh you buy it with like citibank they have a promotion going on lah, ah okay okay


okay so it comes in a bundle, okay, (hmm) quite smart ah ya


oh okay okay okay, right


ya mostly actually ya I do it myself what I'm getting into ya , I mean I I I mean I'm I don't claim to be knowing everything but I I I I believe like if you if you do not know exactly what you are


you know protected against or you know what your coverage are I think what's the whole point of you buying a insurance that you have no idea, about ya


ya I I but again is another layman term you can't claim to be experts again, so so to to to, to know it for one personal uh knowledge and use but also to sell it is a different story okay you have different agendas already so the agenda is to sell or the agenda is to use I don't know that's a little bit different lah


and I I and I know like insurance agents do have like exams et cetera to to take on and then you know some some other financial topic that I might not be keen on so it's really just for myself knowledge said that you know I will just, DIY on my own ya and I I don't claim to be the best also I just do whatever that suits me you know in the budget that I have


ya unless you are independent IFA or something like that then you be able to know different products but there is like a like a thousand or I don't know hundred thousands product out there I I I don't want to go through every single one with a single tooth comb as well


part three negative experiences


uh I think the moment happened when uh probably in the workplace, when uh I was not uh uh uh, permanent staff I was on contract with three other uh fellow colleague


and then uh because one of the colleague is really very competitive so he always wanted to know what I am doing uh at at work how much there is like a dashboard that we have percentage of work completed et cetera in the scoring that we both


uh we all have you know have personal access to so he always wants to find that out , and then there was a moment in time that uh I was talking to other my other colleague he saw that my computer is switched on he reached out to my mouse to attempt to take a look at what I was what my score is


and then uh everyone is really very shocked by what he did because he was very rude he did not apologise at all he felt like !hey! you know what's there not to look at you know you know why why are you you know caring about it


and then uh I I decided not to bring it up to management but my other colleagues actually felt it it shouldn't it this should not occur because it's really really bad because he is a local and I'm not I'm a foreigner in , in their country and then uh it was brought out to management management called me in to a meeting


but the management was actually asking me to drop drop it and not be affected by what he did , and and and there was no further action being uh administered on this person even though before that he has been using harsh language on me even before the incident as well so he he has been condescending he has been you know saying a lot of uh


mean stuff about me just because he felt like I was competing for the same position that he wants to so I I felt it was a really unfair treatment that I experienced in in in in in what I have been through lah there is of course there's more


instances like uh you know when when I was out you know doing my sales call they would rather say no I I rather, see your manager or you know like see , your other colleague who who who was before you , but I think the incident that I described that one struck out on me because even the management after see hearing feedback from other colleagues they decided not to to actually pursue the matter at all ya


what about you any unfair uh moments that you know you encounter as well


oh !wow! okay


oh right right , ya uh you at least had a choice to pay extra me and my other one of a trip that I went on I was queuing with my friend uh to enter the korean club


they basically when I when we reached the front almost get almost entering they diverted us away and just speak in korean to ask eh don't allow us to enter so we queued for nothing


ya but why do they have only for korean clubs what's the big big deal about it okay so so maybe I I it's a cultural context so then, there then there is no unfairness about it but I just didn't like you could have tell us when we were in the queue we queued for like pretty long ya


ah okay okay


ya ya ya true true true, uh awake at night at, uh disturbing thoughts uh uh do you mean that


usually is I had too much coffee but uh I think disturbing thoughts would rather maybe be thinking of the day's events maybe uh, work that that, does not allow progress because of politic situations you know office politics et cetera that do keep me up at night as well


and of course unfair uh nature of the society sometimes too you know where you hear of your friends who probably encounter some of their mother who had a, surgery and then like she the doctor actually was uh negligent but yet


because uh you know doctors in singapore are pretty much protected by hospital so she had to go through five major surgeries and then the compensation is minimal et cetera so , I I thought I thought that was really horrible because the the mum uh I mean for the rest of her life she would have a stoma you know the the


bag that hangs outside uh she can't actually uh , use her her her her digestion system is basically just screwed lah, so ya , no no it's not a wrong diagnosis it's a surgery that went wrong so it was just a very minor surgery but because of their negligence it cut uh accidentally cut the the intestine so it has infection


so the infection was only detected after a while later so it went to the bloodstream so uh had another five, major surgeries but the thing is ya ya but the thing is they cannot do anything about it the family can't really uh sue the doctor because after consulting with the lawyers it's a it's a losing battle and they are not


uh financially able to actually you know go through with it so the mother has to suffer the consequences of, of of a malpractice lah so I I I it does this stuff keeps me awake at night because it happens uh to people close and dear to you ya ya so I think such stuff would


be uh if if we don't have you know if we are able to to kind of like extend you know help or or or more, justice if you can say that that might be something that uh will put me at sleep a little bit easier rather than you know keep me awake


ya so uh describe a time when you feel awful after helping someone have you ever felt awful after helping someone


(mmhmm), (mmhmm) (mmhmm)


right, right,


(mmhmm),


right, right


ya I a bit ungrateful


!wow! uh the felt I feel it like the world is against me lah it's probably when uh I tried to start my own business venture I think that that you, you really probably are uh pretty much very alone I think if you ask any entrepreneurs like you know sometimes you you even lose family support your friends


thinking like you know uh you you are doing business they they kind of also shun away from you for some reasons that I is still unknown to me it's still unknown to me because maybe I I think possible reason is because I cannot hang out as much anymore because I was financially tight


so so I think friends as you know if you are unable to hang out as much as they will like or go to the places they might want to go you know uh they you kind of got dropped off as well so I think , uh and then when your business are just starting out it does uh takes a toll on you as well and then like you feel like everything is going against you so I think


uh ya ya I I felt that that, moment in my life whereby you know !wah! the whole world is against me and I'm my business is probably running into issues everything wasn't going too well so, so that that's quite a moment that uh I don't want to go go through again


ya all things shall pass ya uh , giving up


oh there was a breaking point once there was this moment that I remember very clearly like oh, I I I just move my whole I mean I move, my I I I packed myself into like a small car drove myself from south island to north island when I was in new zealand


and then I was about to embark on a new job uh quite excited but you know the stumbling block came I couldn't find a place to stay I literally could not find a place to stay so I was sleeping in my car


I was just you know looking for uh places with you know no success zero success , and then like it was so desperate it was, cold it was dangerous cause a lot of times at that point of time I think uh out


outside of auckland and I wasn't familiar with it there is people with guns as well and there's certain region that is pretty dangerous too , so I was scared too and then I called my friend and I I I just say , I don't know what am I doing here like I had a good life in singapore why am I doing this I can't even find a place for me myself to stay because uh it's again supply demand so uh there is uh a very little supply of uh accommodation at that point of time when I was there


so so I even went into like accommodations where it's so, smelly because it's you had uh you had a certain budget that you want to to maintain for your room rental and then you you are being offered a a room that stinks so bad I actually couldn't even step in I run out to actually vomit


cause it was so bad ya so so at that point when I couldn't find a place for me to stay and I called my friend and she then and then I say I don't know what am I doing here that was a point where I really feel like giving up, ya so, so that that that is really quite bad and then my friend was saying like uh you chose this you have to uh to to to get through it lah so so that was that was some almost almost


on the verge of the thought that why don't I just go back to singapore at that point of time so that is the point where I do want to give up then maybe also what is the biggest thing that you feel that's holding back from your goal, I mean for you


(mmhmm)


(mmhmm), (mmhmm)


nothing that I do is good enough it is probably when my mum actually approached me to assist her with her business , uh I think we both have very different characters and business ideal so at that point of time I felt nothing I did


was ever good enough for her with regards to being a daughter or even as a business uh person helping her as well so that was a time where I felt nothing I ever do is good enough , then I I I do want to actually talk about the saddest scene I have ever witness I think the saddest scene I have ever witness is in cambodia uh where I see uh really children younger than you know twelve


and they have to actually go work in very difficult jobs in construction some even uh girls who is really young they had to sell their body just to make ends meet , so it is a reality for them lah so a lot of sad scenes that I do witness of course one of the saddest scene is really the mum is so I heard the mum is actually ill


and then the daughter actually uh did not tell the mom that she is uh selling her body to actually uh raise money for her , so the saddest scene is that she is breaking down in front of me and telling me what she has experienced and she is barely fourteen


(ppb) so so that is really sad so that's something that I witness (ppb) then (um), (ppo) ya done (ppb)


part two positive experiences, , hi how's COVID treating you what makes you persevere


so you kind of have a goal lah , okay


you mean persevere and I, think uh you have a really clear goal at the end and then uh you know that this will pass pretty much makes me persevere if I think it's worth it lah ah


, uh if this pandemic ends I look forward to not wearing the mask


I couldn't breathe each time that I'm out so I really look forward a mask, free world but I mean it takes a while we'll get there then


oh okay okay, ya, true that true that what is the best meal you've ever had I always ask about food


oh !wow! (mmhmm)


(mmhmm), uh best meal I ever had I think it must be you know times where I am super super hungry and and and you know probably like on the road and travelling


probably it it's probably during winter time when I was away on on on a, trip overseas it's probably like you know I finally found a restaurant that uh as speaks english or something and had the best but I I I really can't really pinpoint exactly where it is but I can remember it it it taste good


, ya ya, eh you were talking about like live music where is the time that you can't wait to attend a special event or concert have you ever have a concert or event that you want to attend and how does it feel


, oh !wow! the the K-pop ha ,


(mmhmm),


(mmhmm), okay okay best, me ah any concerts or events uh I don't really I'm not really a concert goer but I think I recall there was like this #mardi gras# event in US that I so happen to to be a part of in universal studios uh when I was in america


so that event was really interesting we had kelly clarkson we had a line up of really good artist and then uh we have like, free flow beer and all that so so it was pretty cool in the in the universal studios itself so that was the event


, because we were we we were staff we were staff so ya ya ya so so so that that was really fun ya that was really fun so that is uh that is a memorable one that I had


and I think there is one more that's like you took a risk and was rewarded with success I think you are risk taker what is the risk that you took and was rewarded with success, and and then you you, are rewarded


oh !wow!,


uh !wow! okay that's a gamble right ,


uh uh uh


right ya ya ya , personal growth is it is probably you know also similar to you you I took I quit my job and and and flew to new zealand and then


uh I think you know being by myself you know I had no job there I I know nobody there like zero nobody and then you I started work you know working in a farm and then you know you just knock on doors trying hope, hoping they take they take you in so that you can pay rent so like you take for granted when you stay with your parents you know in in singapore


so so that was that was a a a a huge personal growth for myself lah and and you know ya when I come back you realise a lot of things that you know, you you you do want to uh to be better, somehow


ya so so that is a big growth for myself


right because of in in during the period that I was there it is their peak season uh for agricultural job so uh because of the visa nature that we had uh for singapore and new zealand you do have to have work at least three months of twelve weeks of agricultural job


before you get your visa extended so I do need to clock , that number of uh uh hours or days or weeks that you know to be eligible for it so uh I was in this location with you know friends that I made when I in my first job so


uh that it was so filled with backpackers and people doing the same uh working holiday visa that I had so , I had to knock on doors lah because uh, there is too many people trying to find the same type of job at the same area so it's like you I'm driving every day out and then just knocking on farms and


hoping that they take me in to pay me an hourly rate wage , and then I I couldn't get a job uh then I had to beg my landlord I say eh landlord I really couldn't get a job could I clean your house and I don't pay rent so I literally cleaned her house and I I


escape paying rent so I don't tax on my income that much so so that that is pretty interesting as well, ya ya ya


you know , , you kind of value what you have more you don't take for granted a lot of stuff anymore and then you ya more thankful and you express gratitude much more than you know what I have was like before


so so I think you know the the push to be better as well you realise a lot of uh people you know especially working out in the fields they have it really hard so so then uh, being given the privilege that I have I would want to use this this privilege to do do more at


and and be better lah rather than you know rather than you know when when someone is in another situation that they cannot get out from whereas I could still come back and then and and get out of the situation ya I had choices so that something that's a different that's very different


as well so what about you you also actually was in korea I want, to hear about a time where you laughed too hard I'm sure you had moments that where you laugh really hard


(mmhmm),


okay, okay


ah oh, oh


oh , the best surprise or gift I've ever given someone I think uh I I I gave quite a few surprises uh to to my friend whereby I appear unannounced and then like you know probably uh I will I I I gave quite a few lah the best one


that I felt was I was overseas, and then I actually entrusted uh my friend to actually deliver a hamper to my mum , for her birthday uh so so she didn't expect that because I was still talking to her on the phone and then I coordinated also on on another side of my laptop with with my friend to actually uh deliver and ask her to open the door and then uh the hamper is there so I think that that's


pretty pretty awesome I was overseas and, manage to engineered that so that that's pretty good uh I, she she is very surprised and then we recorded the whole thing so that that's really very funny,


what is that what's the comfort food ah actually I I was talking about food I like to talk about food what's the comfort food that cheers you up


!wah! necessity


true, my what perfect day uh uh, perfect day would be actually uh going into nature I love nature I love to hike and then uh you know end uh end the hike with a awesome view with a delicious drink a picnic with your loved ones I think that's pretty much a perfect day


ya and and and, no of course not in singapore if you realise that I'm not talking about singapore a perfect day doesn't has to be in singapore, okay uh ya so what's the nicest thing someone has ever told you


right


okay okay okay


, uh most odd compliment that I have


uh , oh oh I have the oddest compliment, thanks for scolding me I like how you scold, me it's like okay okay cool good no no no, it it I think it is a friend I just can't remember what was the occasion then I was like okay thanks no ya you are welcome


but but like you know you you could have said like oh thanks for the feedback but thanks for scolding me okay okay cool good thanks no worries


alright okay, what's the one of your most memorable travel experiences


oh !wow! never


oh my god , oh gosh okay


, so did you get to the toilet in the end congratulations


(ppl) (ppb)


part one financial related topic


ya, oh, I didn't I didn't know he ended, no no as in he ended then after that I don't know whether he wanted to continue or not


oh I didn't hear anything after he said like he said something then after that like it was just quiet so I didn't whether he wanted to continue , okay


okay for me, I have just started out like investing so I just started working last year so I have sort of, some funds to spare when it comes to uh, investing so, for me I am currently investing in ETF as well as


REITs so I understand that for both of them is quite, like low risk cause I actually invest through robo, uh investors uh advisor so, basically it's it's called syfe so basically I just need to key in like like put in a monthly sum into each of my accounts and then after that it will like based on a calculated risk profile that I have it would then like the person would then advise me on how much I should put in


and from there it will shelter my fall if like let's say that in that particular day I would like lose more than for example fifteen per cent then I would probably they probably ask me to they probably uh change all the


like, to convert the whole thing into more like safe things such as like bonds cash equities, so that is also the same for the real estate part so there's you also have uh calculated risk section where you can do a profiling and then after that it will shelter your fall if that day the market is down and you lose quite a bit


so that's a good thing about I would say robo investors because it helps you to shelter your fall as opposed to if you want to go through insurance company to buy unit trust right for unit trust, I feel like, going through robo investor is more


I would say give it gives you more flexibility to invest as opposed to unit trust because unit trust you bear you buying a bag of things right but under unit trust because you buying through insurance you only have a few fund managers to help you to like look through, the different stocks and stuff like that so every one of the fund manager is very subjective so in that sense it's not very flexible so they would advise you but


they also don't shelter your fall as well so for robo investors that's an advantage because it helps you to like calculate your risk and then shelter your fall when it comes to that, I don't have any experience when it comes to like options features commodities and forex because I feel like it's very high risk and as a person who takes lower risk at this point of time I might explore that in the future


ya so , same goes for like brokerage and trading account, I don't have that as well so for my investment strategy I would say it's important to have at least three to six months of emergency funds and then you put you can probably put like every month you can save


fifteen to twenty percent and you can put the rest of it if you're more like high risk to investments so if you are lower risk I mean it's up to you how much you want to put into your investment account et cetera if you're using like a, robo adviser one and then from then on let's say if you have three to six months of salary in your bank account then


you probably have more leeroom uh like room to play around when it comes to funds to invest, so for me I, I put in a certain amount every month both my ETF as well as my real estate accounts and then from there


so I have a couple of, investment horizons when it comes to this so there's a few goals to set myself so firstly I would think of like marriage then followed by honeymoon and then like getting a house et cetera so, in terms of that based on my calculated risk they would actually show me how much I can get in investments in the long run


according to the years that I put in as well, ya, so I think for marriage maybe like I would want the money like more money maybe like five years time or so followed by like honeymoon thereabouts like five five or six years and then maybe like when it comes to like investments like children and stuff like that


maybe like ten years so I have probably like quite uh, a few accounts to look into and see where my money can go in that sense so that I can cash out as well, so when it comes to my risk appetite I think I'm I'm quite a low risk person so I would say that my risk would probably be like take about ten or fifteen percent of how much I put in monthly


ya, and I don't do trading as well and not options cause it's too high of a risk, yup


uh for me like I think one financial advice that I would have like taken like five years ago is that maybe I should have like, taken a bit more risk when it comes to investing like ring up more as well because I think at that point of time five years ago I'm I was probably like eighteen and I think


I didn't have much like money so I think that like it was a quite a quite a subversive option to go and like put, I, my money in like fixed deposit but then again it's really very low and, singapore local banks don't give like much either and only like if you have a big amount than it's worth putting in a fixed D cause


although you can withdraw it like in three to six months there is not much growth in it as well, and even though you don't need to look at it constantly like you basically don't earn like much I think you can earn you're better off earning like more money like in a part time job or like a job


so maybe I would say I would have taken a bit more risk and read up more so that right now I would be steadily growing my income and not just starting like recently, ya


for me I think, I like probably save up to like fifteen to twenty percent of my, uh income but, I don't really like track specifically how much I spend like for each of the different aspects but I do track how much I spend per month so my expenditure per month is track like in total but not the specifics of it


so I feel like when you have the average kind of expenditure you have like cause you ever since you start working you kind of know how much you spend like, once you stabilises your job stabilises after three to four months then you kind of know how much you spend per month, so from there let's say some months like I spend more on certain things then I'll probably try and spend lesser the next month and as per usual I'll try to keep to my fifteen to twenty percent of savings to


have a constant stream of like savings so that I have enough money to invest and also some emergency funds like, , maybe if I would want to like treat my family like a bigger dinner or some sort then I got some some amount to like spare and stuff like that


so , I don't think I spend a lot on, like maybe food cause I do eat out quite a lot when I when I'm working so probably like lunches is mostly out and probably like breakfast as well but dinners I try make an effort to like come home to eat as well


I mean not only can you spend quality time but it can also save money so why not so that is one I feel like travelling, cause of the whole , like they increase the amount like, when whenever you need to buy cause actually now is it it's been increasing for like working adults so I think it's hundred and twenty so that takes up quite a bulk of my spending each month so I would say at least two


are the most, biggest components of my spending other than that I think here and there is like miscellaneous like shopping or like, spending on other people and stuff like that ya


okay


part three negative experience, what makes you stressed


uh I think what made me stressed last time kind of evolved, so from like now so basically last time what make me stressed is probably, , having to like study and do well, in exams because it's very it's like a asian culture kind of thing whereby you need to like do well and like your grades kind of like shows like


where you are and you're being benchmarked against society so that kind of makes me stressed because you have to perform to like, society's expectations of you, and you have to do well so doing well like let's say if you have high,


EQ and like low IQ it doesn't help like I mean ah let's say in like, lower, like when you're in primary and secondary school cause all you have to do is prove that you are, high in IQ to to like being successful in life and stuff like that so what make me stressed is probably like not being able to do well in school and meet


like, everyone's expectations of me, so like, for now I think what makes me stressed is different from last time cause now you don't have exams anymore, it's more of like how fast, like everyone's progressing in their career and how you might be lagging behind let's say when it comes to like not keeping up technologies or not being updated to the recent times like the all these small things doesn't just apply to work


but like communication to your friends stuff like that like let say you not exposed to like politics enough or certain situation it kind of makes you feel very left out, and makes you feel like you are like alone in that situation so, I think that what that's what


keeps me uh I mean makes me stressed I would say not just like, career wise but in terms of like social wise as well,


is there one thing you wish you could change but will never be able to


oh are you going to ask me a question or, the saddest moment of my life was probably losing my grandpa like I was very young at that point of time so only my like father's side like paternal side has passed away my grandpa


so I think it was very sad for me because I vividly remember like the only that's one of the most like vivid memories of my like if you talk about how like how sad things were back then I think that's one of the, saddest moments of my life as a child cause I wasn't of age to actually understand what they were like doing so like I think my my grandpa was like a taoist and stuff so as a christian like


I didn't really understand like what they were doing and I found it very creepy and weird cause they were chanting, during that funeral and like all I remember my grandfather was that he was someone that was really like give like giving he always gave like he always like give me like


treats and stuff like that and he always like laugh with me and everything so I think it's very sad to be to let that go and I was very young at that point of time so I wanted more but I know the state of my grandfather also so like it was very sad because he just, like left and it was very sudden cause he passed away of like cancer so it's very sudden for me


and like there were countless of like nights that I remember I think we actually like sleep there quietly the like uh with the relatives and stuff like that and like they were like chanting and stuff like that so I think, it was so just like


sad but it was kind of scary as well as a child cause I think I was like seven years old at that point of time so a lot of like vivid like details on that day kind of stuck to me especially like when you're going back home from that funeral and like your parents play this song on the car kind of gets stuck in your head lah


so that whole episode of it, it's something that is like very sad and something that I probably would never forget


what are some of the hurtful words someone said to you that you want to forget


I think people, perceive it differently like especially in terms of different genders, I would say that like girls are more sensitive than guys when it comes to this kind of thing so, , there's more impact on the words that people speak to you when it comes to like girls like cause they kind of overthink and


it just spirals down somehow so, I think when I was young like I wasn't I wasn't like big size or whatever but like, my best friend who was a guy at that point of time like we were eating I think with our parents and stuff like that but it was a kid's table they we were sitting at and then


I don't know why but he called me fat then I was so offended by it so I didn't want to be his good friend ever again so until now it stuck to me and I see this person you probably forgot as a guy he probably forgot what he said to me but like his words really impacted me and like I think I didn't want to be fat


cause like it felt like, I don't know I think society's perception of like, being ugly is it equates to being fat so in that sense because you've gone through so much like exposure or on the media and stuff like that about


being uh fat equates to ugly so that's why I, I felt like going up I didn't want to, like like, fat but I mean there's different kinds of like fat and like how we define how how fat you are as the person but I think as long as you're not for me as long as I'm not overweight and or like now in a healthy range I wouldn't say I'm fat ya


but ya kind of like left a impression in my life until now so it's kind of traumatising


, I think I would say uh, uh when you first start, like working in a new job and everything like it's very hard to navigate and it's very hard to see what like, your


superiors' expectations out of you sometimes like you don't mean to offend the person but inevitably because, you're new in your job or you lack of experience that's in the area like you just disappoint the person without the person without you actually knowing how much of an impact it has on the situation so I think that was like the first few months of like maybe the first month of like working gave me a sense of like


the threshold of my boss and my like colleagues and like, like realms that I didn't want to tread to and maybe I accidentally treaded into and stuff like that so I probably learned from my experience from there but I think being in that place where it starts off it's very I feel it's very hopeless


and it feels like you are your own enemy you need to figure things out yourself so ya


so what is like one weakness you you you want to like get rid of, that's been pulling that is probably pulling you down, like recently


part two, positive experiences


uh should I ask you a question, , what is your comfort food that you can always rely on to cheer you up


, for me it's probably okay I like whenever I eat I mean whatever I sad I eat and I feel very happy so I think for me my comfort food is I think, uh, uh like my favourite cuisines are probably like japanese


like korean, oh I like Peranakan food cause I'm Peranakan so ya I think okay I'm not really like a cake kind of person so, so like maybe like ice cream will cheer me up as well and my favourite food which will cheer me up, so like


drinking bubble tea as well I guess, a time when I got appreciated in my life is it, oh for my hard work


okay so I used to intern for a newspaper, back during my poly days so I, I covered quite a lot of , like beats from like healthcare to, community to crime and stuff like that so I think it it really like makes me very happy whenever like you write an article and then


people actually read it and like they comment on it and there's a discussion going on about the particular topic lah so you kind of feel valued in that sense because whatever you're writing has an impact on society so I feel like, I'm someone who likes to give so in that way the internship kind of impacted me because I was I could actually identify my strengths in writing as well as


like doing something to help society as well like making them think about things that they don't not normally think about or like actually like me to trigger the conversation and stuff like that ya, so what about you


so if you mentioned that, you don't have any favourite food to cheer you up then what do you do when you are like sad and like you want to be happy


so would you say that like since people are there for you you can be there for them as well and would you be assured, like will you assure them if they're down as well


is that like one of your language languages of love


are you asking me, uh so I studied overseas in australia and I think, like I really like I don't know why but I have this thing for like white, countries so I guess like being able to go over there and having the privilege to study overseas was actually one of the most memorable like experiences


just traveling but like experiences in my life because you get to like, talk to other cultures and it's actually very different to singapore because like in the class, it like constitutes of people from different race different cultures and stuff like that so you get to see how open people are from australia and when it cut when we start to share if you kind of know like their background how their upbringing is like and it's different from singapore because in singapore we are taught to be very reserved and stuff like that like


everyone's very quiet when it comes to answering in class, but, when you go to australia and study and you experience like how it's like to be like part of them it's very different because they are actually very enthusiastic so I took a module which is called australian media


like it was australian like television and stuff like that, so we have to discuss like what was our favourite like news channel like why was it so kind of magazine and stuff like that so I think in that sense they were very enthusiastic about their country so like I felt like as a singaporean like we needed to like uh step up in our patriotism as well in that that sense because


when you talk to them but something like they really like they are really very passionate about it and you can see that like it really roots in their culture that, like their upbringing and all that in terms of high school and stuff like that it really taught them a lot of things, so I think one positive thing that I took up a bit was that I needed to be patriotic when it comes to like when I come from as well because you're roots really matter it kind of forms you as a person so from there I really like decided to be more informed when it comes to like maybe


politics in singapore or like culture in singapore and stuff like that and actually be proud of where I come from, ya


so what do you think is your language of love and like why, what you like to receive


uh for me I think, uh, on the receiving end I'll probably like, like, like to me because physical touch is like, someone who you are close to normally like hugs you and like


, ya that to me is like you know when you when you come together as a group of friends and stuff like that like you kind of shows like how close you are with the person cause you never hug a stranger right so to me I kind of have like like receiving that cause it kind of gives you like a sense of warmth and assurance, so that's why I kind of like to receive for me giving


I think I am someone who likes to give like acts of service like I would like to go out of my way to like, surprise you or like to do something nice for you so cause I like, like the fulfillment of like, surprising someone or doing something for someone just because like it feels different to like


receive it and when you give it like you kind of feel like a sense of satisfaction lah, so, to me that's kind of like it makes me very happy lah in that sense, ya


wait what do you like most about yourself


what do you love most about yourself can be like, physical or like it can be like a quality that you possess, anything


I mean something that strikes or whether the people would like say about you like give you as a compliment, maybe something you like about yourself cause you kind of emphasise that as well


uh, uh for me I think , what I like, most about myself is uh is that I think I'm quite extroverted in nature, so


I like like probably, influencing and share with you my experiences and stuff like that because sometimes like people just need a boost of confidence so you can be there for the person to like share with the person your experiences as well and hopefully he or she will benefit and stuff like that from it so I'm someone who likes


like, company and I'm someone who can't be alone so I feel like it kind of compliments my extroverted nature cause are being with people kind of, like , allows me to like talk to them share with them and they in turn can share with me so I think that's what kind of


, drives me as a person like conversation that are like positive or even like sharing deep and all that kind, like maybe like growing and building like relationships with your friends and family is really something very important to me ah, ya


what makes me optimistic about, uh I would say I'm very blessed to be in my job cause my job is actually quite stable in that sense like I didn't like get a pay cut or didn't get like retrenched which is a good thing so I think what keeps me going is that sometimes


it's very important to like count your blessings and not take it for granted, so my current job I think with a stable income, I'm able to actually like put aside the worry of like instability of like finances and stuff and actually focus on what I want to do next in terms of like career development or even thinking as a person like during like the circuit breaker period


like how I want to grow, what my strength and weaknesses and how I can like improve on my weaknesses, so ya


part one financial related top oh together okay so we just


okay so


, I think for me, investment products I just know about them so, the prompt that says that share your experience I currently don't have


uh any like trading or like investments currently because uh right now uh I was, I was just reading I mean I was just reading up more on it I just haven't uh found the opportunity to start to invest I know there are different forms of investments such as ETFs and


uh bonds and, there are certain bonds that are whether it be singapore bonds or overseas bonds that there are more safe to a certain extent, and also, for like ETFs that my brother has also like uh delve into so these are like


my experience ya these are my experience like it's not I just read about it and just know about it I don't, really uh, invest in them at at at all


ya then ya so I I don't really have any trading accounts or or any experience with trading I I also like have read about robo investors uh robo advisors, to a certain extent like stashaway and certain other robo investors that


help you calculate the risk and yup help you to, manage your risk, uh at, like quite seamlessly ya so, that's about it


wait hang on sorry I can't read the prompt the the screen just keeps going too small, uh, ya so for me I'm more of like a, risk averse person


so I don't really if I were to trade or if I were to, to to uh buy into a investment product it it should mainly be like a uh, bonds or even ETFs that's like, what I would buy I I wouldn't go for like commodity or even forex which


are really generally more risky than bonds even though the returns are are lower, uh, they are they're more risky so as a as a student myself so, not I'm not having like a lot of income per se so


this part, that I I don't want to because whenever you invest you technically sort of saying in a certain sense lose it but you're willing to risk it all so for me uh putting it more on the safe side of, like bonds and uh bonds and ETFs those are uh safer safer options for me so if I were to go into to trading I wouldn't dare trade I wouldn't like dabble in uh forex or what or similar kind of risk


hello


oh


(mmhmm)


okay so so for, I think for me uh as a student and and her compared to her being a working adult I mean for student we only have like, the allowance or our part time job to fill our


to fill our savings and because we will we will have expenses we will have like general expenses on on the side and stuff like that, so in terms of like while I agree with the point that yes you have to have emergency funds uh at three to six months preferably about about six months and and to start out investing uh because it's it's an emergency fund you will never know uh what life


gives you and to me that that that gives you like a safety net per se to as you as you go on to to invest and you're like assured that you are you have that


the amount of money sitting uh behind so you can't touch it it's just for the emergency so so having having said that I think for a lot of students or for a lot of, students that who don't know how to invest uh uh uh uh and just want to start investing I think that was that is a very strong like thing that you should have first like three to six months of


savings before going into investing and then uh of course we can't we as students we can't throw in like large sums like like hundred two hundred K uh uh we only can go in very small sums so, uh generally I I think a very good way to start up it's it's actually buying bonds I know singapore saving bonds is is


I think has a very I can't remember you have two options either a lump sum so let's say if I have like two thousand dollars I can just put a whole thing in and and and buy the bonds or or, you can can do it in uh ETFs where you like what you get


give like a hundred a month that type of saying that it will slowly compound and grow, uh these two options for students depending on the income and depending on on on your personal income uh uh, then then it it's depends on how it suits you so


yes so one what financial advice that you will give yourself five years I think I I would have started like investing or like reading more about investment five years ago so, five years ago was where I think I was in poly or something yup so I would have started more being more interested in that because


a compound compound interest works in with time so uh let's say if I have saved one thousand and they all put to it in a bonds account they might be like growth right now already because on average it it just grows


if you hold it for a long term like a long run like let's say five to ten years right now the thousand dollars might, might have doubled or might have even tripled, uh but of course it depends on the global economy global market whether uh let's say we talk about COVID ninteen and and or like any other economic crisis


that might affect it but I would say uh but if you still hold it for a long run it would still definitely grow because it it's just how economy works


, how do I spend my money expenditure is justified okay so I I think how I spend my money uh for me it's more of like


every month because right now I'm doing an internship so every month I received sort of like a fixed amount but uh it just go by percentage wise meaning like you save twenty percent and and and you maybe used ten percent for like, travelling and stuff like that that's how I sort of like budget per se so I I record like all my transaction knowing that uh


from what I eat to to what I spend on just knowing that one month uh this is how much I can save so in a certain aspect uh I tracked it I track it like generally in a certain sense like almost, as a whole expenditure wise in terms of like small expenditures


ya it's quite easy quite quite easy and uh, to like spend the money straight away so let's say you going out for a movie or you you you want to treat someone to a certain thing or you want to buy a gift for yourself depending on how much it cost so uh uh if you have that certain budget you always like oh let's say all of these eight hundred I only can


spend like maybe three hundred of it and then uh uh if that purchase goes beyond like what I, think that it's huge maybe like five six hundred dollars in and that is when I I I actually take a long time to deliberate about and think about uh oh should I should I should I spend my money on this and it will take more than than one month to decide on whether I should spend on something like a huge purchase so


just how I sort of justify I'll do research on whatever I'm buying let's say if it's a laptop or, I I don't know some gaming equipment stuff like that than those are are the things that I you I research into even if I am buying


like a let's say if, I am like buying a certain uh product online and and I will just research it because you would want to know you want to know how good or it's my money worth, uh uh trying to justify whatever that is there uh that makes your it's for value for money so so that's that's how I I I do the expenditure what if is spending on too much I would say mainly because I track my expenditure I


know the top two so uh would be food and , travelling as a student I mean I only that those two like I normally generally I I'll eat out sometimes and and uh spending money on food is is really a big chunk uh almost like forty percent and also transport yup so I buy


the concession so uh that's like nineteen dollars something like that one, like so like one almost a hundred goes to to just just on transport right now, ya


part three negative experiences, okay


oh okay I think, well I think doing I think expectations keep me very stressed so either be it expectations from myself or from any other person I think experience uh expectations like keep me really uptight like other people experiences


experiences like like it makes me very uh, uh, like I would say not say fearful lah I just have to keep up with other people's standard or even my own standard so like to me that is like the most stressful thing especially when there's something like or like people expect this


come out by this time you're like oh no I forget the time to me that's really uh, ya very very stressful you can share


ya okay, so


(hmm), I think like one thing, I wish, I was able to change, uh I I wish I was if I would be able to change it I don't know I think it's more of like other people's decisions that affect my life so to keep it like really like not to blurt out any to blurt out any details but basically uh I think a lot of other people like some


basically some people's, uh what you call that some people's decision affected my life eh took me where I was at one point of time so, I think that is like really really hard to like I can't change it


no matter what or like I can do that I can't reverse the decision that they make, uh, but if I had a chance I would, uh, ya so that but you also you never know so I think that was like really like to like it affected me a lot and and it the repercussions of it was


I I can still feel it today and it is like really bad though I can be like salty and like, ya I I I, it's just you just feel salty about it every time like if you if someone brings it up right it just feel salty so so ya it was really bad like I can't I can't change it which is the worst thing


I can ya, I can't, ya so,


okay, oh wait ya I'm trying to find uh did we okay so what is the saddest moment of your life


(mmhmm)


yup so I think, well I think I I can relate to that cause to me uh, I mean all my I mean my both my grandparents or like both side my grandparents has already passed on


I think really really sad one was uh be my mum's and my dad's side my grandma, so that was like to because she was the one the like basically not say very took care of us but she was the one always asking for are always finding ah and always


, telling us to to eh you know uh I want to meet them you can asking my father we can meet stuff like that uh the I think like the saddest part of it all some of the regret is that I can I didn't see her in her last moment


for whatever reason I can't remember there was a huge regret also, so ya I didn't see her for her last moment I think can't remember she went to the hospital for something and and I was busy and and I didn't go down to like find her and stuff like that so that was like really sad and and the next thing you know I received a phone call and like oh no she she passed


but she didn't pass in the hospital she passed at home she passed in her sleep, but that that that that were that last, that when she was in the hospital that was the last time I could have seen her but I didn't, uh, uh that was like really a big regret I can up to this day I don't know what I was doing at the point of time like I don't know


ya it was really it was a big regret and it was a ya by the time the I see her she was already like to to sound very sad she was already in her coffin , which is ya that was the last time I I there was the if you ask me that was a regret ya it that was a huge huge regret


yes yep, (hmm), I don't know what can we speak about


what are the hurtful words to me, I don't know I eh, I generally keep forgetting forget people's words so if people say oh ya you are not good enough and stuff like that I'll just zoom past that like to me


I can't really think of anything right now like if you ask me right now, what about you I I don't know maybe I could pick something up from whatever you said


okay, yup, that especially towards ya


, yup I understand yup so, oh !wow!, ya I don't I don't really have


ya maybe for guys I would say I agree but there's also like guys we don't take words, or guys I mean for me or for me in my case I don't really take words seriously sometimes we call you or like you you ugly or you like this that we just brushed it off as a joke so it generally very


easy to brush it off and for for me per se so I don't think I have any, words that have a lasting impression even if those are words are like curse words and stuff like that doesn't I have nothing in my head that I can


think back to a very bad experience all of them are like, I mean mainly if people shame you yes yes that's what I in a general sense so there's no like particular words but, more of like if people shame you and look down on you that's when you you you feel like oh my gosh you know when that's ya you question yourself especially if you are doing something you are like working on something on like you are working or trying


best to like achieve something and then people say oh your your your your effort is useless or I I think that to me, uh, it's it's really bad like people put you down and and stuff like that and, eh ya it just destroys like it destroys you but you know


it it ya it just destroys you and and like you try, your best to to to go through it but, I mean people's words people sometimes don't even understand how their words were to, affect someone emotionally ya


so this, describe a time that you feel that nothing you do is good enough


(mmhmm)


right, ya so ya I think, something you, with describe a time when you feel nothing you do is good enough, well I think


I honestly can't remember I think that's almost like every time especially when people say that like let's say if you are working on a uh a project and and you you yourself feel like doesn't have to be from people sometimes yourself feel that you've not achieved enough


especially if you see other people like achieving so much and you are just there like trying to move your life forward but, it's not moving forward so I think that is that is negative enough that is enough to bring yourself to thinking negative thoughts about yourself especially you have to look at other took a look at other people's progress I think


to me some people take it as motivators which, is good but uh mainly a lot of people try to like look it and like go !whoa! uh but I can't do that ya I I can't do that like I can't achieve, what he actually so sometimes I feel that way sometimes I feel like oh he did this oh that's why he's like richer or like that's why he successfully and like then I'm like ya okay


I I can't do it to mean that like you yourself sometimes I myself put myself down so it's like a, like seeing people success sometimes pulls me down feel that whatever I do it's not good enough so ya it's


like that guy is like oh you know he has this like he runs that it's like you're supposed to be like good for them but you're not it you inevitably always shoot yourself down like you inevitably say oh he's doing this at your age and you aren't doing you are doing just that


you're like doing you still studying and he's like running his own business per se and then you are like oh shit, uh what am I doing with my life especially if that younger kids you know like younger I don't know, that are like someone who is younger than you and achieve so much more than you and you'll be here like oh what am I doing my life I think that that that is a very natural question people naturally think about like oh


like you read the news and like oh this I don't know eighteen years old did this and he achieve that and you like oh I am twenty whatever or like thirty sometimes and then you are actually have what am I doing with my life and that just kills you just kills everything


that that destroys almost like everything that you have been trying to do or even if you tried like it it makes it makes your efforts seems like, it's not good enough for that or like oh they might have been lucky but no what about me no sometimes it might just because they put like eh eh eh you just like oh shit man


he's way younger than me and what am I doing about that you you naturally think that oh at eighteen oh this guy achieved at eighteen what am I doing at eighteen, just doing nothing you then then that that kills the motivation or that kills your self esteem especially, ya that that is really yes that


that's when you feel like you whatever you did in the past doesn't feel, like it add up to where you are at right now


how, I think, more for like a, like procrastination is really bad for me so like yes , I sometimes leave it to the last minute to the end so I think really procrastination is really bad for me uh it it's something that I I can't seem to possibly change or to get rid of right ya it it it's just like the biggest weakness


in my life is that like it sometimes yes only if I'm motivated lah, I'll do what I want to do or like or leave interests me than I won't do but like some things are really serious and I just like, take my time, you know and that's really bad it all I was still accomplish it but you know that you have to work hard for it or like you know you have to like


be like to finish it early so you can have more time sometimes I just like [oh] sit back relax you know or either we have like another month to do it and then ya that that to me is like the biggest weakness I think procrastination is really


uh part two positive experiences, okay well soon


ya just just just go ahead, uh I, I don't really have a comfort food like to me it's food doesn't really cheer me up I I just eat anything so if I'm sad okay mainly maybe ice cream by the very standard


ice cream you know that uh, that would kind of cheer me up like it's more like oh you have ice cream then you like chill and and stuff like that so it's somewhat of a comforting food, ya so what's your comfort food


(mmhmm), ya


that's interesting so describe a time where you got appreciated for your hard work, uh for your hard work, I I I I guess it can be anything


okay, so for me I think describe a time, appreciated for my hard work I I I think it was uh mainly was in wallaby or we went like so basically in army ah I went overseas and to be uh and I was the I was basically in charge of the whole


like filming and uh like capturing of taking photographs of the full training and stuff like that so I think uh to see, the hard work like that I did for a video basically for the whole training and and and it was basically shown in the whole like to the whole unit there was like fifty odd people and I think that was the time where they they really really appreciated uh even though my work wasn't


was different was just like you know taking photos and I still help them out like to do whatever work that we need to do to get it done I I felt like very uh accomplished I would, say to have people saying that the video was great and and also like because there were juniors there they were like people looking up to us so that was like a very uh interesting time to to see like to feel because I I feel that and I had to work on it for like


uh I filmed it filmed it in two days and I have to work and in like maybe a day or so and I had to like come up with the whole thing and uh post process it so it took quite a while and very little sleep so I think that was the part where I really got appreciated uh and which made it felt which made it feel


good lah I mean it besides the there are there are certain rewards to it so ya that was a very good, experience I would say


well I talk to people I I think, uh talking to people and and them listening up to me I think that could help comfort me to a certain extent like it at least help it it's good to have like a listening ear also to me that that's one of the most important because this type of food perishable stuff you know like


so that I I appreciate like people spending time or even going out with friends like that to me is like no matter how much how much of a shitty day, I have like uh I would I would say that that would be, comfort


ya, ya definitely so I mean it it's like vice versa and to be I I mean to me it's


I feel like if if I feel this way about like uh when I feel sad and hanging out with people makes me feel better lah I think it'll help other people also generally just being a listening ear to to someone would would be able to help them uh throughout their their life and uh ya that that really


, helps people so I I also do that to them, ya okay, yes , yes okay so describe one memorable travel experience


you want to go, ya describe one one of your most memorable travel experience


, ya so okay that's interesting so I mean for me I think one of my most memorable travel experience was actually uh, we went on a mission trip to if I'm not wrong cambodia and I think we went as a bunch of friends so that was when I was eight seventeen eighteen ya so somewhere around there so I think that was really fun because uh I went to go church branch of church


uh friends that we were we went together and it was a really big I think it was really big group and and everyone in the the group was uh, the average age of like maybe eighteen or twenty and we went before I think when our poly started so it's so it was a like uh during a holiday and you know they were like okay you guys want to go and then we like ya let's go I think


it was a very it was very interesting because it I mean there was still kind of adults there but mainly and as a general sense like a lot of like people you can relate to so you it was like going out with your it was like going overseas with your friends but to do good at the same time so that was like a really


uh positive experience to see how you can impact people just by giving them like basic necessities that we always, have and uh uh like food and and shelter and like even going to play games with the orphanage I think that was very interesting so we like really like went there we spent I remember the time when we spent the


whole entire day and and uh just with them and just like, playing uh uh different games and then we even had a like sort of like mini church service so that was like really fulfilling and rewarding to see that


that you know uh you you can bless people you can like give back to the people and uh you can give to the uh I think positive experience always comes when it gives like you hold onto things so you give like you give people


like we went there and we gave like different foods uh different uh uh clothes that was donated to us uh we went there to to, walk around to talk to people and and that was like really uh, thing and the best part is you're doing it with friends they're like people you actually know not like complete strangers and it was like a huge huge like I would say it's a huge group lah are huge clip per se so that was very interesting for me I think


that was one of the most uh memorable travel experience that I have, uh, as in in terms of


I would say in terms of, I would say in terms of giving and receiving should should be the same uh uh like you mentioned like quality time is, really important to me so I think for me that was, that that is always has been uh something so ya I would genuinely grow close to a person


if they spend time with me more like if they give me not say attention but like at least like give me their time and like like quality time is way important so I think to me both giving and receiving is the way of


for like the form of how to express, uh, my gratitude to a person is to spend time with them, so ya so how about you


(mmhmm), (mmhmm)


yup okay, so ya that's that's very interesting like I think different people acts different, like a way of giving and receiving love so yup so uh there's one question that says


despite what why okay fine, uh well, what I love like most about myself, (hmm)


honestly I can't think of anything, uh, ya I don't know


I don't know , I I really don't know , I guess I would say I'm like kind of hardworking


uh to a certain extent, if there's a deadline or like there's something I really am passionate about then I will work for it like I'll try my best I think generally people it's like a


not not say well ya so generally people who work hard for whatever thing they want to accomplish and that to me like to me if if I see someone that is hardworking, ya ya ya at the at the same level as me I think I will also learn to recognise and appreciate that so to me ya maybe I'm hardworking


well when I sy to a certain extent sometimes I procrastinate but if there's a deadline or if there's like I really want to, do a certain thing to set up to accomplish a certain thing then yes maybe uh I mean most likely I would I give my best give my all to like work out for it like to just uh get it done like really achieve


like for example like my O levels I really wanted to go into like a course and like I literally have to uh, uh, work hard for it and see ya and like literally study almost every single day I mean right now also yes I'm doing it


and and and trying to achieve the best results that I can get, for, for my university and so what about you


, (mmhmm)


, ya, okay maybe the last question let's see I've wondered so despite the ongoing global uncertainty what makes you optimistic about the future


the future


yup, okay I think for me like I would say uh this whole COVID nineteen I would also say that my job is I would say my internship has been amazing


uh, ya even extended the like I was able to extend my internship cause schools are going to start later and like I'm able to extend it it's quite rare to have like a company accept extensions and because I've heard of like different people getting


uh retrenched once this whole thing was announced and like the whole circuit breaker thing, uh be even interns were were cut short and the internship was cut short and stuff like that, so I think like being positive or like how I how I look towards the future is always dream I mean just do the thing and and to be to be able to


like to achieve or like to to dream about that that scenario that you always want I think that sets a vision in front of you and and that is very interesting that pushes you forward like and that motivates you also to move forward so uh being


to me that like that type of like as long as you have a goal as long as you have a certain things you want to achieve and and and to get out of whatever what it can be anything you know so you are able to like


put something in front of you to always constantly chase after the thing I think that what that is what keeps me optimistic to always look forward to the future yes we look behind and learn from our past or learn from other people's past mistakes and or like past experiences but yet the same time there's always a


it's always better to look forward like right right now may not be very good, ya or like the whole global situation wise, and depending on the and also the economy and like there are like a lot of other stuff that is affecting personal life and as far as a general public soon to put something I think at to put something in front of you or to put


to look past a certain thing that look past this whole COVID nineteen uh look past whatever you're facing I think then that would help motivate you or keep you optimistic keep you like going forward like keep moving forward like that to me is


what makes me optimistic about the future ya


part one financial related topic, okay so when I'm looking for an insurance agent I look for one that appears not just knowledgeable in the different insurance plans available


but also one that appears to be genuinely interested in my quality of life and my financial security so they can try to sell me their products but I would want them to be interested in products that are more suited for me for my personal needs


so I would ask about which insurance policies are recommended for someone of my age my career, and, suited for my salary and I'll also ask about the differences between each type of insurance like health insurance the difference between term and whole life insurance and insurance of


for critical illnesses or disabilities or personal accidents because they might seem similar and I think they would know the differences better than I would, ya


ya, similarly I would also want to know what's the merits of choosing one insurance company over another because there are, so many and most of them can boast the same benefits like they can say that they have a certain amount of customer base and that they are able to provide you with a certain returns


but for example I've had in the past like they brought up some figures for me to look at and that will make me have more confidence in their company, ya


okay, so, for me if I was an insurance agent I would ask them the basic one would be what insurance policies they already have like more singaporeans already have medisave, and I will need to know if they have anything that that they are lacking so that I can


find any policies that will suit them benefit them the most I think another important thing is asking them about their family and just more information about them so that I can be able to find out anything that they need


and, I can also highlight the importance of insurance policies like for example health insurance goes a long way in lessening the financial burden, if anything happens to you any future health issues and if you have a family to support it will be really important to have health insurance to be able to cover the costs


okay so, when people are saying buy term and invest to rest this is they're comparing the premiums of a term insurance policy compared to the premiums of a whole life insurance policy so for term insurance you're just insured for a specific a fixed period of time


and it's definitely cheaper to get a term insurance policy but for term insurance , I mean I would not like compare it and invest the difference between the amount like of premiums cause I prefer to keep it separately is same as


ya I find that is separate matters and, insurance is for protecting myself in the case of anything that any unfortunate circumstances that may occur in the future but investment is forgoing my wealth so I find it I view it as separate matters and after I have settled bills or anything else if I have


extra money then I would focus it onto investment


okay well, for me you are able to find term term life insurance that covers basically like provides the same benefits as a whole life insurance just that it's for a small shorter period of time


but I find that it's more secure to get whole life insurance because it provides me coverage until I ultimately pass on, (hmm) but I guess one of the cons is that


I'm in one of the cons of term life insurance is that if you happen to cancel the policy before the time periods, has passed you will not be able to get any cash returns back whereas for a whole life insurance I'll be able to get back a surrender value if I cancel the policy and I'll be able to get a death benefit payout if I passed on so that's another reason why I would choose whole life insurance instead


okay, for me I do not have ILP that because I do not like the idea of combining life insurance coverage and investment, so the the concept of having my premiums that I pay for insurance being channelled into investment they don't really have any guaranteed cash values because investment has a very uncertain nature and with all the risks involved I would just rather keep it separate


and, just leave my money in the bank where there's a stable even though it's low, ya, and, I guess I'm more interested in life insurance itself rather than investment so I don't think I would be including ILP in my insurance portfolio


okay so for me, well I think that the CPF insurance coverage is enough for most singaporeans, and personally I am satisfied, with the coverage provided by medisave and the like while insurance agents might argue that


it would be better to have supplementary insurance policies I think that for a basic level the schemes that we have now are already sufficient unless you have, more money to be able to pay for


uh additional insurance policies so for the first one the dependent protection scheme it's a good policy it helps you cover up to forty six thousand for people and their families if


any insured individuals pass away or suffer from terminal illness or go into an accident that leaves them with a permanent disability, so this is good in the case of any really dire circumstances that might happen in the future and you'll never know when it's gonna happen ya so it'll be able to provide you financial protection and it's very affordable so it's very decent


for singaporeans aged between twenty one and sixty which are covered by the DPS , this uh for this scheme you can actually opt out but personally I did I am not planning on opting out because it is quite affordable and I never know what's going to happen


okay then for medishield life is a basic health insurance plan that helps to pay for large hospital bills and certain costly treatments like dialysis and chemotherapy, for me I have not had to use this medishield life yet but I have a friend who has a mother who undergoes dialysis three times a week


and she told me that she's very appreciative of medishield life because it helped to cover the high cost of dialysis which if, she's just relying on her own salary it would be difficult to pay and her mum which is undergoing such a


a costly thing and having such an illness she's not able to work for herself so I think that this is a really good health insurance plan that is provided to singaporeans for eldershield it's a severe disability insurance scheme providing basic


financial protection to those who need long term care this is really important I feel, for the elderly especially they are more prone to illnesses which require long term treatment, any health issues that they might be susceptible to and also eldershield provides monthly payouts for five years I'm if I'm not wrong is three or four hundred dollars per month


to help pay for any expenses so that's definitely good for the elderly and I'm appreciative to be able to have this scheme when I grow older, for medisave it's a national medical savings scheme so any when you have CPF and then you put aside your income it's able to go into this medisave so that you can pay for any hospitalisation expenses in the


future and not just for yourself but for any dependents that you may have like your family any siblings, ya so I think it's really good and it helps me to save up for future hospital expenses and next time if I have anything happen to me I won't have


as much problems paying my hospital bills this compared to like other countries where they do not have such schemes in place did people in some countries they just rely on their salaries which they put on their in their banks and after they pay for their bills


it might not have like spare money put aside to pay for this so I I think it's really good scheme, ya


okay for me ya I agree I think that, I would also approach an agent as compared to just DIY when it comes to insurance planning , they will definitely be more knowledgeable in the areas compared to me they would know all the plans better they will have the sufficient training and they'll be able to answer any queries that I might have which if I just google by myself I I might not have such a wide


uh range of information and, and personally I have uh friends who are in the insurance sector so they are able to advise me better and tell me which ones to stay away from which one is important ya


ya okay for me, I do not have any personal insurance other than the basic medisave and such which are already automatically signed up for (hmm) the reason why is because I don't see the benefit of


paying the monthly premium for additional insurance as of yet but I might be looking into it soon because ya as he said the pandemic is uh has shown how it's not


very stable any income might just be gone and you might not have, the money to pay for medical costs, future and you'll never know what illnesses or any ya you just really unsure of what will happen in the future so I think I would need insurance to at least be more secure about my financial situation


part three negative experiences


okay well for me I guess I I feel , great injustice would be the law even though it's supposed to provide justice for everyone sometimes people are wrongly incarcerated they might be framed or maybe there might be some circumstances which led them to being


uh spending some time in jail and, , on the other side of the coin uh people can also be released because there's not enough evidence against them so they do not get the justice that they deserve like for example any murder or something if


there's not enough evidence, they would just be able to get away with it and I find that's really it makes me really angry because it might be the police might have concluded that this is probably the the culprit but they are not able to charge them because of the different law procedures that are in place


but ya it just makes me angry


okay uh for me one, big thing is my dissertation my final dissertation for university, it was a really big assignment like it took up the credits of two modules so it's very important for me to do well in it however for any meetings with my dissertation mentor she was not very


receptive not very uh supportive or helpful, and, for one of the meetings she also accused me of plagiarism or hiring a ghostwriter to write the dissertation for me and I was just really offended like I had put so much effort into researching and


coming up with a good draft to show her and then she warned me that I would uh have my marks taken off if I'm found of plagiarism and, uh warned me of the offence of paying money for someone to write the assignment for me


so I find that she was treating me very unfairly not giving me a chance not really trying to understand me and getting to know me ya, and, and also because she felt that the terms I used were too precise when they were actually terms that were used regularly throughout our lecture throughout our seminars so I was just using the knowledge that was taught to me but ya that was quite an unpleasant exchange for me


for me I guess a dream of mine would be to make videos to upload online be it about art like maybe painting videos or craft videos of making paper crafts or , and any other crafts that you can find or also food videos like there are little japanese food kits which are very cute and making those videos to upload but with how


how like youtube is or any other video platforms it doesn't seem very easy to be able to make money from that so it's not a dream that I can pursue and, and it's not easy to continue making such content and making content that will appeal to a a wide audience so I've slowly come to terms with it ya


for me what keeps me awake at night will probably be worries about getting a job a stable job what job same similar to you , because especially with the situation now the market is quite small there's not much jobs that are hiring and if they're hiring they would want people with experience people with a more relevant background and


, especially with this situation right now the competition is that much higher there's just more people competing with you for a particular job and they would have more more better qualifications than you would and


I guess worries of what kind of job I want is like I can get a job if I want to in a, like factory or packing or temperature screening but whether that would be good for the future whether that will be good for my resume it's just a lot of worries to think about


, one time I had to change my plans was well I had a grad trip with my friends and we decided to plan an itinerary so that we would not be as lost we would plan uh where we want to go which day we want to go so that it would be more organised


and, and we would be able to make use of the time there better as compared to, just wasting our time or not being able to visit the places we want to because we are limited to just seven days yes so I had prepared itinerary there was shared with them and they also contributed to it


but ultimately they decided not to go with the itinerary they just wanted to plan each day spontaneously so just go see where you want to go for that, day and then maybe plan the next day at night and that was quite upsetting because like this we would not really be able to hit all the points while it's more leisurely but


we will not be able to plan the most efficient way to go to certain places because it would be so last minute the most cost efficient too like if we had to take a taxi instead of taking the the the train ya but I had no choice but to go along with this


(hmm) well for me one time I helped, someone was for their assignment they they wanted another opinion so I thought that their assignment was not


up to par so I recommended some readings some books here and there and some tips for them to improve on their assignment but, they seemed to be very uh receptive like oh ya I would love to have some tips from you yes uh I would love to have some readings if you have it so I went to research for them because I wanted my friend to do well as well


but in the end I found out that they did not use to reading did not read it they did not change make any changes because they, just wanted to use their time in a different way in I felt like I wasted my time and my effort and my feelings caring for them