WEBVTT

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Today we're taking you to a famous culinary battleground

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in Singapore. I'm talking about the Bedok 85

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Fengshan Food Centre, a boisterous iconic supper

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spot in the east that is known for its wide variety

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of local fare and its famous bak chor mee rivalries.

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This is a place where food isn't just a meal,

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it's a legacy. Stalls that have been dishing

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out quality food since the 1970s and others that

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have been recognised by the Michelin Guide for

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their satay bihun. It's a deeply traditional

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environment, where the competition is not just

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fierce, but well -established. In the midst of

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this tradition, in a small coffee shop next door,

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two young men decided to do something different.

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Zarif and Kevin started a stall called Joy Laksa.

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They didn't have to compete with the bak chor

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mee masters on their own terms. Instead, they

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brought a new flavor to the neighborhood, specializing

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in Thai cuisine, and most notably, a distinct

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Thai laksa nam ngao. A tangy, tomato -based broth

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that is a world away from the rich, creamy Singaporean

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laksa most of us know. This is a story about

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more than just food. It's about leaving the comfort

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and stability of an air -con office job for the

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sweltering heat of a hawker stall. It is a perilous

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journey into an industry known for long hours,

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intense physical strain and a distinct lack of

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a traditional employment safety net. And it begs

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the question. What motivates two young men to

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take on such a demanding challenge? Today, we'll

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dive into their story. We'll explore the lives

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they left behind, the partnership that keeps

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them going, and the hopes and dreams they're

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pouring into every bowl. So let's find out if

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they truly, truly love their job. This herb is

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special because it's only harvested in Thailand

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for only two times a year. The availability of

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it in Singapore is not a lot. So you have to

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directly import from Thailand. This red cotton

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herb previously was used for medicinal purposes.

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But part of it, it helps with erectile dysfunction.

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Oh, it helps with ED. Yeah, correct. It helps

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with ED. So it's good for people who can't pitch

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their tents in the morning anymore. Yeah, correct.

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Before we begin the show, here is an important

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announcement. For 100 years, Shure has set the

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Shure merchandise with your purchases. Now. Let's

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start the show. hi everybody welcome back to

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this episode of the chris hansen conversation

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uh wow we were almost getting there at this time

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of recording Almost getting to 100 ,000 and we're

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going to be 95 ,000 subscribers on YouTube very,

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very soon. And you cannot believe how freaking

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excited Kai and I are. We are and we're looking

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forward to it. And to all our current almost

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93 ,000 subscribers, thank you so very much,

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people. Please stay in this community. Please

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continue to support us. Please continue to like,

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comment and share the Chris Hansen conversation.

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This is the most authentic conversation you can

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get in the land. No bullshit. Really, no bullshit.

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If you've been watching me, you know there's

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no bullshit. And I have with me in studio today

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for our very first episode of our series. We've

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been doing the tribute show so far, but today

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we're starting off and kicking off our series

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of I Love My Job. And with me in studio, I have

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two very young men, two very hardworking men,

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two guys that I keep scratching my head and asking

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myself, why, why, why did they go into probably

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the most grueling industry that anyone could

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actually do or be in? And that would be the food

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business. Oh, wow. And not just that, in a coffee

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shop. Oh, wow. And not just that, any location

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that is really proven, you know, really challenging

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because the people in and around the vicinity,

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they're all kick -ass hawkers, I can tell you.

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Yeah. But these guys are here and we're going

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to find out why. And I have with me the good

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people from this establishment called Joy Laksa.

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And I have with me Zarif. Say hi, Zarif. Hi,

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everyone. And Kelvin, say hi, Kelvin. Hi, everyone.

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Okay. And Zaryf and Kelvin, the messers from

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Joy Laksa. If you want to know where Joy Laksa

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is located, we'll tell you really, really soon.

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And it's not just any kind of laksa. It is not

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our coconut, our usual favorite broth with the

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coconut milk and all that in there. No, no, no,

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no, no, no. And it is not. pinang laksa as well

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nope nope nope not the asam laksa nope nope nope

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nope no it is thai laksa and right now we're

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gonna take a break and show you the video that

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we've just done because i had myself a gastronomist

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time at joy laksa take a look at what happened

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then and there you have it we have uh i told

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you it's gonna be thai laksa but then again you

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know that was the trouble that day I was expecting

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Thai laksa, but no. No, no, no, no, no. These

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two jokers had just to do this to me. And what

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they gave me were chicken wings. And then while

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waiting for the Thai laksa, no, no, no, no, no,

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no. The Thai laksa did not turn up. Because why

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these guys were doing this? And you know what

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those are. And, and, and, and, and, and, and.

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Oh. Those are moopings. He said, oh man, oh man,

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oh man. I'll tell you more about that. We will

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tell you more about this as we go along. We will

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tell you more. And then, and then we have the

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Thai laksa. Here we go. And the vermicelli goes

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in. Kelvin's boiling it in that fantastic broth.

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And the meatballs go in. And there's this thing

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I'd like to talk about more later on. And there

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you go. There you go. And then the garnishes

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go on. If only I can get you guys to smell that

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from off your screens. Okay, everybody. Oh, wow.

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Okay, okay, okay. Don't you worry. I'm going

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to tell you all about this. Let's go one by one.

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Let's start with the chicken wings because I

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was waiting so long for the Thai Laksa, but you

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get to stuff my face first with the appetizers.

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And we've got this, the chicken wings. Can we

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play? Yeah, there you go. There's Zari for you.

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Zari was prepping the marinade and the flour

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and then... setting them to fry, and he had this

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to say. What did you say to me? That once you

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had my chicken wings? Oh, I said that this is

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one of the best in Singapore. We use a special

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mix of flour that I'm not going to share with

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you. And that's why it's so crispy. Yeah, I see.

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He's not going to share with me because he knows,

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he says he has to kill me if he has to tell me

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what he puts into it. But come on, just a bit.

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What do you put into them? I put two different

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types of flour inside and a bit of baking powder.

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So baking powder helps to fluff it up and make

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it very crispy. Right. You know, initially when

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I took a bite of that, it was great. Really,

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it was really great. Really whet the appetite.

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And it tasted like hachong gai, but not hachong

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gai. It tasted like as if there's prawns in them.

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Are there prawns in them? No prawns. Balls. But

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they call it gai tot. It has fish sauce. I would

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say it was gai tot in time. Fried chicken in

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Thai is like gai ton. Okay. So they put fish

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sauce inside, so maybe that's why it tastes similar

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to... Ah, okay, but it's not like prawn paste.

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Yeah, it's not. Ah, well, that's different. But

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it was really, really good, I gotta say. And

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one more thing, guys, I am not being paid for

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this, okay? This is not like a paid promotion

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kind of thing. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. This

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is really because, you know, I hardly do food.

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That didn't sound right. I hardly cover food.

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And when I do, and I have, not that I haven't,

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but when I do, it's because I personally feel

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that, hey, wow, this is great. The food's really,

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really great. And take my word for it. Everything

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that these guys fed me, I mean, it was ooh -la

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-la, freaking amazing. Can we look at the Mu

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Ping now, please? Now, that's Kelvin, and he's

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prepping, and you're glazing it. What are you

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glazing it with, man? You got to lean forward,

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brother. Sorry. You got to lean forward. With

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our special make, the teriyaki sauce. They created

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by Zari. Then after that, I tweaked the recipe

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a bit. So teriyaki sauce got nothing to do with

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Thai, right? Thai -riyaki. Yeah. I'm sorry? It's

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like Thai -riyaki. So it's quite similar to how

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we make teriyaki, but in Thai style. You just

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came up with that shit, didn't you? What? Thai

00:11:06.759 --> 00:11:13.580
-riyaki. Thai -riyaki. Thai -riyaki. But the

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recipe for the meat is his mom's recipe. Okay,

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for the muping, the meat is his mom's recipe.

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Can we play some more of that vid, please? Of

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me munching it, munching the muping? Because

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there's something inside that's so different.

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Yeah, yeah, that's the one. That's the one. Put

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it on. Okay. Right, right. That's the muping.

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And then what we were trying to show you was

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very simple. First of all, yes, they are freaking

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fragrant. One has got all, you can pause there,

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pause there, pause there. One is all meat. It's

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all pork, right? Correct. And then the other

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one, can we go on playing? Or is that the one?

00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:56.899
Yeah, it's this. Okay, that one that I shown

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on the screen, that was mixed with veggies. With

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carrot and what else? Mushroom and? Carrot, mushroom

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and cabbage. Oh, wow. And you know that one,

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I prefer more than the all meat one. And then

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Zari told me, don't waste the garnish, man. So

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yeah, okay, wrapped it in lettuce and down the

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hatch it went. Okay, you can stop showing me

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being so greedy. Thanks so much. Okay, so that

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was really bloody brilliant. The moping was really,

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these things really whet your appetite before

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you go for the granddaddy and the granddaddy's

00:12:27.669 --> 00:12:32.529
coming up. Can we put up the one, the completed

00:12:32.529 --> 00:12:35.309
plating, please? Oh no, no, the balls, the meatballs.

00:12:39.190 --> 00:12:42.799
Yes. This is Kelvin playing with his balls. Yeah.

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He loves the balls. Very small balls they are.

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Small and tasty. Call it Asian size. They're

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pork balls, right? Yeah, it's pork balls. Asian

00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:57.220
size. Get lost. Fuck off. I'm Asian. I'm not

00:12:57.220 --> 00:13:18.000
that small. That thing in the center, the dark

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veggies. Everyone can take a look at that, the

00:13:20.440 --> 00:13:22.179
dark veggies. What are those you were telling

00:13:22.179 --> 00:13:25.460
me the other day? Red cotton herb. Sorry? The

00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:28.360
red cotton herb. Okay. So this herb is special

00:13:28.360 --> 00:13:30.720
because it's only harvested in Thailand for only

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two times a year. Twice a year? Correct me if

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I'm wrong, but it's one or two times a year.

00:13:35.019 --> 00:13:37.960
So the availability of it in Singapore is not

00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:40.080
a lot, so you have to directly import from Thailand.

00:13:40.240 --> 00:13:42.259
Right. Do you have a problem having supplies

00:13:42.259 --> 00:13:44.710
of that? Oh, no, we don't. You don't, huh? Because

00:13:44.710 --> 00:13:47.309
his mom is Thai. Okay. My mom has a lot of connection

00:13:47.309 --> 00:13:50.830
with her friends that always direct order from

00:13:50.830 --> 00:13:53.549
Thailand there. Right. So if we need, then we

00:13:53.549 --> 00:13:55.889
always get it within five working days. Right.

00:13:55.950 --> 00:13:58.269
So it's the red cotton, what again? Red cotton

00:13:58.269 --> 00:14:02.029
herb. Red cotton herb. Right. And there's apparently

00:14:02.029 --> 00:14:07.570
some qualities in those red cotton herbs. So

00:14:07.570 --> 00:14:11.169
what are those qualities? I mean, this red cotton

00:14:11.169 --> 00:14:13.629
herb, Previously, it was used for medicinal purposes.

00:14:14.129 --> 00:14:17.090
But part of it, you can tell that it helps with

00:14:17.090 --> 00:14:19.850
erectile dysfunction. Oh, it helps with ED, yeah?

00:14:19.889 --> 00:14:21.450
Yeah, correct. It helps with ED. So it's good

00:14:21.450 --> 00:14:26.110
for people who can't pitch their tents in the

00:14:26.110 --> 00:14:31.529
morning anymore. Yeah, correct. Leave it to the

00:14:31.529 --> 00:14:36.049
Thais, man. I'm not sure if that itself helps

00:14:36.049 --> 00:14:38.840
with ED, but... It does. It's like a nice replacement

00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:40.360
for Tonka Ali. I don't know. Do you have it every

00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:44.039
day? No. Do you have it every day? If you have

00:14:44.039 --> 00:14:45.399
it every day, then please tell me whether or

00:14:45.399 --> 00:14:46.379
not it works. But it's a healthier replacement

00:14:46.379 --> 00:14:48.220
for Tonka Ali. Oh, it's a healthier replacement

00:14:48.220 --> 00:14:49.120
for Tonka Ali. So if anybody wants to come down,

00:14:49.279 --> 00:14:52.179
you can ask us. We give you like a heaps amount

00:14:52.179 --> 00:14:55.759
of red cotton herb. So, okay. Thai Laksa is really

00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:57.460
going to be really good for those of you who

00:14:57.460 --> 00:15:02.519
are maybe 65 and above or 75 and above. And you

00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.860
want to feel really happy, please head down to

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Joy Laksa. Currently, they're located at Block

00:15:09.179 --> 00:15:12.419
87, Bedok North Street 4. But pretty soon, just

00:15:12.419 --> 00:15:15.379
tell my audience, when will you guys be expanding

00:15:15.379 --> 00:15:18.320
to the... Leave it up, please, Kai. Be expanding

00:15:18.320 --> 00:15:22.259
to the new location. We are moving, hopefully,

00:15:22.360 --> 00:15:24.639
by the first week of November. First week of

00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:28.639
November, okay. And it's going to be at... Please

00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:32.019
tell everyone, where? Bedok North Street 2. Block

00:15:32.019 --> 00:15:35.860
416. Block 416. Okay, great, great, great. So

00:15:35.860 --> 00:15:39.120
make sure that in early November, you go down

00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:41.100
and visit Joy Laksa and have their fantastic

00:15:41.100 --> 00:15:44.340
Thai laksa, their chicken wings, as well as their

00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:51.120
moo ping at Block 1? 416. Sorry, 416 Burut North

00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:54.259
Street 2. Can I add that we are extending our

00:15:54.259 --> 00:15:55.960
menu too? We're doing a lot of stuff. Please,

00:15:55.960 --> 00:15:57.919
go ahead. Tell them, tell them. So we're selling

00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:01.480
bukkata. And we are also doing a new brand inside.

00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:03.799
So that's something that you can look forward

00:16:03.799 --> 00:16:07.460
to. Okay. All right. And one part of the stall

00:16:07.460 --> 00:16:10.019
will be no pork, no lard, right? Correct. Okay.

00:16:10.179 --> 00:16:12.240
And Kelvin will be doing the one with the pork

00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:14.419
and the lard, right? Yeah. All right. But us,

00:16:14.419 --> 00:16:18.879
you more often. Okay. Now, this is That Shook

00:16:18.879 --> 00:16:22.120
One with Joy Laksa. That's the title of our episode

00:16:22.120 --> 00:16:24.159
today. And I want to find out from these two

00:16:24.159 --> 00:16:28.460
young men why, just why, why, why did they venture

00:16:28.460 --> 00:16:31.279
into the food business? So for the both of you,

00:16:31.320 --> 00:16:34.120
I have a couple of questions to ask you. Let's

00:16:34.120 --> 00:16:37.759
start from the beginning. Before Joy Laksa, what

00:16:37.759 --> 00:16:40.700
were you guys doing? I was working for a Korean

00:16:40.700 --> 00:16:44.100
company. Right. So I was taking care of four

00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:47.059
different brands. Right. And I had five different

00:16:47.059 --> 00:16:50.100
bosses. Right. I got the experience. Five different

00:16:50.100 --> 00:16:53.299
bosses, okay. I got the experience. I got stressed

00:16:53.299 --> 00:16:55.840
out. Then I quit. Because I had to take care

00:16:55.840 --> 00:16:58.759
of my mom. Then after that, I knew Kevin for

00:16:58.759 --> 00:17:01.279
almost five years. Right. And we decided to do

00:17:01.279 --> 00:17:04.019
a venture together. Chotomate, can I just find

00:17:04.019 --> 00:17:06.579
out from you, which sector were you in? Were

00:17:06.579 --> 00:17:08.700
you talking about, well, four brands, five bosses,

00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:12.009
dealing in what? F &B. Also F &B? Also F &B.

00:17:12.009 --> 00:17:14.289
Okay, but what kind of F &B we're talking about

00:17:14.289 --> 00:17:18.130
here? They are doing bakeries, then Korean food,

00:17:18.230 --> 00:17:22.430
Korean noodles, and... Supplies, you mean? K

00:17:22.430 --> 00:17:26.289
-BBQ. Supplies? Restaurants. Restaurants, okay,

00:17:26.450 --> 00:17:29.750
okay, alright. And those are your typical retail

00:17:29.750 --> 00:17:32.690
restaurants? Yeah, we also did retail also. Ah,

00:17:32.690 --> 00:17:34.930
okay, alright, okay. And how about you, Kelvin?

00:17:35.470 --> 00:17:40.339
I was working with him. We previously was doing

00:17:40.339 --> 00:17:44.220
coffee industry. Then after that, one year later,

00:17:44.299 --> 00:17:49.099
he come and find me to open a brand together,

00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:52.359
which is for more of bakery, Korean bakery. So

00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:54.839
he hired me to assist him in the operation run.

00:17:54.980 --> 00:17:57.900
In the company he was working for? Yes, for one

00:17:57.900 --> 00:17:59.480
of the brand. Okay, hang on. You're fast forwarding

00:17:59.480 --> 00:18:01.839
too much. Let me just go back a little bit. You

00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:03.579
were saying that you were in a coffee business.

00:18:04.280 --> 00:18:06.640
What were you doing in the coffee business? Not

00:18:06.640 --> 00:18:09.460
really business, but work for people. Yeah, you

00:18:09.460 --> 00:18:10.839
were in a coffee business, though you're a worker,

00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:12.500
but you were in a coffee business. Okay, but

00:18:12.500 --> 00:18:15.440
what were you doing? Barista. You were a barista?

00:18:15.640 --> 00:18:19.619
Yeah. Ah, okay. So you were in coffee, but you

00:18:19.619 --> 00:18:22.680
were not cooking? No. I'm not a cook. You're

00:18:22.680 --> 00:18:25.099
not a cook? I'm more of a coffee... You could

00:18:25.099 --> 00:18:26.819
have fucking fooled me, because look at the video

00:18:26.819 --> 00:18:29.220
we just did, man. I mean, it's like... It's like

00:18:29.220 --> 00:18:31.400
as if you've been in the kitchen forever. Yeah,

00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:34.910
but... Because... Everything all self -taught

00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:37.250
in YouTube lah. So, and then I adapt fast. You're

00:18:37.250 --> 00:18:42.430
not shitting with me. Huh? Yeah, it's all AIs

00:18:42.430 --> 00:18:44.630
and YouTube and then I just self -adapt lah.

00:18:45.509 --> 00:18:47.529
Really? Really. You had no experience with the

00:18:47.529 --> 00:18:50.029
walk? Yeah, totally zero. I had no experience

00:18:50.029 --> 00:18:51.650
with the walk. Who the fuck got a year, man?

00:18:51.730 --> 00:18:53.609
We both had no experience with the walk. Six

00:18:53.609 --> 00:18:56.369
months. So, you learn all this, okay, you learn

00:18:56.369 --> 00:18:59.670
all this on YouTube? Yes. Right. Okay, wait.

00:18:59.769 --> 00:19:03.440
I gotta brag too. I never knew how to do audio

00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:07.799
engineering. I never knew how to do anything

00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:11.140
that's got to do with the creative arts. I never

00:19:11.140 --> 00:19:14.619
knew how to do any video stuff. I learned it

00:19:14.619 --> 00:19:19.500
all from YouTube. We're on the same boat. And

00:19:19.500 --> 00:19:21.859
that's why passion is very important, right?

00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:24.279
Okay, before we get into the passion bit, yeah,

00:19:24.380 --> 00:19:26.220
I want to go back a little bit still. Still want

00:19:26.220 --> 00:19:27.960
to go back, further back, further, further back.

00:19:28.160 --> 00:19:29.859
Okay, now you're telling me about your working

00:19:29.859 --> 00:19:32.420
life so far, how you started off, right? Let

00:19:32.420 --> 00:19:36.400
me find out first, Zarif. Well, talk about your

00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.579
education, your background. Where did you start

00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:45.569
your schooling? From primary? Yeah, sure. I moved

00:19:45.569 --> 00:19:48.049
to two different primary schools. Right. I was

00:19:48.049 --> 00:19:49.950
born in a very poor family. Right. And my mum

00:19:49.950 --> 00:19:53.849
and dad were separated. Right. So I started out

00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:56.750
at Tanjung, sorry, Griffiths Primary School.

00:19:56.890 --> 00:19:59.650
Right. The one near here. Okay. And then after

00:19:59.650 --> 00:20:02.650
that, I moved to Tanjung Katong. Okay. Then in

00:20:02.650 --> 00:20:05.390
secondary school, I went to the most mud -raped

00:20:05.390 --> 00:20:09.769
school in Singapore. What? But it really closed

00:20:09.769 --> 00:20:11.829
down after I graduated. After you graduated,

00:20:11.910 --> 00:20:13.289
they said it closed down? Yeah, correct. Because

00:20:13.289 --> 00:20:18.190
they lost the star. Yeah. Okay. And then? Then,

00:20:18.230 --> 00:20:20.490
that was when I started to pick up a lot of bad

00:20:20.490 --> 00:20:23.049
habits during that time. So, I decided to not

00:20:23.049 --> 00:20:25.430
go to school after that for one year. And I went

00:20:25.430 --> 00:20:27.630
to work in a bar. You went to work in a bar?

00:20:27.690 --> 00:20:29.769
I was 16 years old and I started to work in a

00:20:29.769 --> 00:20:32.089
bar. That's how life starts. Start working in

00:20:32.089 --> 00:20:36.390
a bar. Okay. And then? I didn't know what I wanted

00:20:36.390 --> 00:20:38.769
to do. I just wanted to make some money. I wasn't

00:20:38.769 --> 00:20:41.529
getting pocket money from my parents. Okay. So.

00:20:42.630 --> 00:20:44.690
You're the only child? No, I have two older brothers.

00:20:44.869 --> 00:20:49.349
Okay. Right. And started work there. I had no

00:20:49.349 --> 00:20:52.750
customer service experience. Started as a food

00:20:52.750 --> 00:20:56.009
runner. Went to be one of the fastest food runner.

00:20:56.150 --> 00:20:58.109
I could carry like two big trays and run around.

00:20:58.789 --> 00:21:01.730
What was a food runner? You sell the food to

00:21:01.730 --> 00:21:03.779
the customers. So you're at the kitchen pickup

00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:05.500
area. Yeah. And then they ring the bell, you

00:21:05.500 --> 00:21:06.660
have to pick up the food and send it to them.

00:21:06.740 --> 00:21:08.680
Oh, so it's like me watching Hell's Kitchen.

00:21:09.119 --> 00:21:10.980
Okay, there's a line. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Correct,

00:21:11.099 --> 00:21:13.859
correct, correct. How long to the line? Then

00:21:13.859 --> 00:21:15.359
you pick it up, then you're in front of the house,

00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:18.099
then you go serve. Correct. Okay, and then? Then

00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:21.140
I made my way up to service. Then at 17 years

00:21:21.140 --> 00:21:23.720
old, I started working inside the bar. Okay.

00:21:23.880 --> 00:21:27.240
So I was pumping beer, making cocktails. Pulling

00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:29.640
beer. Yeah. Okay, and then making cocktails.

00:21:29.740 --> 00:21:33.079
You became a bartender. Correct. Okay. And that

00:21:33.079 --> 00:21:35.119
was when my journey of being a bartender started.

00:21:35.539 --> 00:21:37.779
Okay. So I was working in nightlife after that

00:21:37.779 --> 00:21:42.079
for almost seven, eight years. Where? I did Pump

00:21:42.079 --> 00:21:46.460
Room, Highlander. Wow. Then after that, I jumped

00:21:46.460 --> 00:21:49.059
around quite a number of scenes in Clarkie when

00:21:49.059 --> 00:21:52.099
I was working part -time. And then after that,

00:21:52.119 --> 00:21:54.400
I moved to Fine Dining. Life Brands, the Life

00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:57.339
Brands group, huh? Correct. Ah, okay. Nathan's

00:21:57.339 --> 00:22:00.839
Baby. Okay. Yes. Yeah. Then when I moved to Fine

00:22:00.839 --> 00:22:04.740
Dining, Aliyah was in Highlander. Who? Aliyah.

00:22:05.500 --> 00:22:08.700
Aliyah Sharma. She was in charge of the entertainment.

00:22:09.059 --> 00:22:11.460
No, I can't recall. Okay. But that was in 2000.

00:22:11.460 --> 00:22:13.500
Yeah, Nathan was probably your boss. It was Live

00:22:13.500 --> 00:22:16.640
Brands, yeah. No, Nathan was my boss when I was

00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.400
in Fine Dining. Ah. Back then, it was the Big

00:22:19.400 --> 00:22:21.259
Idea Group. Yeah, Big Idea Group. Yeah, that's

00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:23.380
right. Then I was in Fat Cow. So, yeah, this

00:22:23.380 --> 00:22:25.259
brand called Fat Cow. Yeah. That's when I started

00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:27.039
my fine dining experience. You know Nathan's

00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:28.420
episode is happening right now, right? Yeah.

00:22:28.480 --> 00:22:31.160
I saw. Okay. Right. That's why I was shocked

00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:35.319
that you got him in. Okay. So, you're working

00:22:35.319 --> 00:22:39.240
for Life Brands and then in the bar scene. Then

00:22:39.240 --> 00:22:41.339
after that, what happened? I did fine dining

00:22:41.339 --> 00:22:44.900
for a few years. Got myself into customer service.

00:22:45.160 --> 00:22:47.599
Right. Then I left again and went back into the

00:22:47.599 --> 00:22:52.460
bar. Okay. So, I did the setup for Marky. at

00:22:52.460 --> 00:22:55.200
Marina Bay Sands and also Koma, the Japanese

00:22:55.200 --> 00:22:57.180
fine dining restaurant because of my experience.

00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:02.799
Then I left that place. Then I started to take

00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:06.319
on a management role. So I helped open a Japanese

00:23:06.319 --> 00:23:10.940
bar at Fortune Center. It's called Gokoro. Lasted

00:23:10.940 --> 00:23:12.420
there for like six months. I had to argue with

00:23:12.420 --> 00:23:15.900
the chef. Got heated and I just left. Because

00:23:15.900 --> 00:23:18.819
he took out his knife. Okay. It's a butch. It's

00:23:18.819 --> 00:23:21.619
a butch. Yeah. Okay. Whatever it was, took out

00:23:21.619 --> 00:23:24.000
his knife. Okay. And then? And after that, I

00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:27.500
went to, I went to tap. It was a craft beer bar.

00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:30.759
Yeah. Or TAP, right? Yeah. Yeah. Then COVID happened.

00:23:31.079 --> 00:23:34.140
Left. Then I joined my friend company and that's

00:23:34.140 --> 00:23:37.559
when I met Kevin. That was in 2020. Okay. Wait

00:23:37.559 --> 00:23:41.369
a minute. Tell me your story. Hi, sorry. From

00:23:41.369 --> 00:23:44.369
school days. From school days. Used to... Lean

00:23:44.369 --> 00:23:45.390
forward, bro. Lean forward. They're going to

00:23:45.390 --> 00:23:47.450
pick you up. Oh, okay, okay. Sorry. No problem.

00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:50.890
No problem. Okay, so my first primary school

00:23:50.890 --> 00:23:54.910
was in Hougang Primary. And after that, secondary

00:23:54.910 --> 00:23:57.490
school, which last time used to be Abeng School

00:23:57.490 --> 00:24:01.470
one. Punggol Secondary. Real Abeng one. A lot

00:24:01.470 --> 00:24:05.910
of fighting one. And after that, I studied to

00:24:05.910 --> 00:24:10.519
O -Level. So after O -Level, I wanted to go to

00:24:10.519 --> 00:24:15.680
Nitech. And halfway, I dropped out. And that's

00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:19.380
where I decided to just work. Why did you drop

00:24:19.380 --> 00:24:21.960
out, Ray? Oh, I couldn't find what I wanted to

00:24:21.960 --> 00:24:23.720
really do. You know, I picked the wrong course

00:24:23.720 --> 00:24:26.319
and then I signed up for the wrong thing. Yeah,

00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:29.460
so that's where. And then my parents could, you

00:24:29.460 --> 00:24:32.160
know, decide the path for me. They said, no,

00:24:32.180 --> 00:24:34.019
you should do this, you should do that. But I

00:24:34.019 --> 00:24:37.259
want to live life that. you know i don't do any

00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:39.420
wrong so you're saying that your parents picked

00:24:39.420 --> 00:24:43.359
the course that they've insisted me to buy right

00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:46.160
actually i supposed to be until n level then

00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:48.779
go high and high tech which i want to do higher

00:24:48.779 --> 00:24:52.220
chemical technology okay then after that man

00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:54.759
i did not report because i'm not that kind of

00:24:54.759 --> 00:24:57.059
person that like to read you know so i just speak

00:24:57.059 --> 00:24:59.619
on verge of oh i feel this okay but i did not

00:24:59.619 --> 00:25:03.119
check carefully gut feeling yeah i just go on

00:25:03.119 --> 00:25:06.650
it then after i wrong course then after that

00:25:06.650 --> 00:25:09.890
and i like to track and you know don't know what

00:25:09.890 --> 00:25:12.170
to do so basically no no but you were saying

00:25:12.170 --> 00:25:13.630
just now your parents speak for you what do you

00:25:13.630 --> 00:25:17.650
mean by your parents because after and i'm by

00:25:17.650 --> 00:25:20.470
right i'm supposed to go high night tag because

00:25:20.470 --> 00:25:22.769
i really know that i couldn't study further i

00:25:22.769 --> 00:25:26.769
want to pick a skill set to to focus and then

00:25:26.769 --> 00:25:30.569
go and venture out to work but after that they

00:25:30.569 --> 00:25:32.809
insist me to go all that because of their traditional

00:25:32.809 --> 00:25:35.920
mindset of like O -Level ah, must have lah, you

00:25:35.920 --> 00:25:39.759
know. You need to have a proper O -Level then

00:25:39.759 --> 00:25:41.680
you can succeed everywhere. So I said, no, N

00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:44.119
-Level is the same, you see. So if I go high

00:25:44.119 --> 00:25:48.039
Nitec, it's the same, just a shortcut. So I can

00:25:48.039 --> 00:25:51.480
want to work. See, I want to start working. But

00:25:51.480 --> 00:25:53.839
I want to start to have a feeling of how is it

00:25:53.839 --> 00:25:57.180
to have my own money. Right. Yes. Yeah, okay.

00:25:57.799 --> 00:25:59.960
Do you think that at 16 years old to make that

00:25:59.960 --> 00:26:01.839
kind of decision, any parent would worry a bit,

00:26:01.859 --> 00:26:06.299
right? Yeah, but at the time, 16. Because I learnt

00:26:06.299 --> 00:26:08.720
a lot of bad things right? I don't know, you

00:26:08.720 --> 00:26:10.960
didn't tell me about the bad things. Like what?

00:26:11.559 --> 00:26:13.440
Like what? Like what? Like what? Like what? Like

00:26:13.440 --> 00:26:14.900
this fellow also wants to tell you the same thing.

00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.339
Yeah, yeah. But you didn't tell me what. Like

00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:21.099
what? Like 13, smoking. Smoking at the age of

00:26:21.099 --> 00:26:25.259
14. And after that to join some... Sniffing glue.

00:26:25.519 --> 00:26:27.859
No, no, no. Sniffing glue, no. But that was a

00:26:27.859 --> 00:26:29.380
trend back then with a lot of people, you know,

00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:31.460
when they were young. Was it? It was a trend

00:26:31.460 --> 00:26:33.359
when I was in primary school. And I'm a lot older

00:26:33.359 --> 00:26:36.420
than two of you. Our time, because, you know,

00:26:36.420 --> 00:26:38.539
people sniff glue, but not touch it because I'm

00:26:38.539 --> 00:26:40.940
afraid that you'll destroy my health. So I do

00:26:40.940 --> 00:26:42.599
things in a smart way not to get caught, you

00:26:42.599 --> 00:26:44.880
see. Right, right. You do things in a smart way

00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:48.279
not to get caught. I do hope you realise what

00:26:48.279 --> 00:26:51.660
you just said, you know. Okay. But I mean, yeah.

00:26:51.819 --> 00:26:56.880
And then? After that, 16, I pick up the basketball

00:26:56.880 --> 00:26:59.740
habit. So I mix with the correct click and then

00:26:59.740 --> 00:27:03.200
that's where we want to do, I want to come out

00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:07.640
and then, Do a proper of like, you know, study

00:27:07.640 --> 00:27:10.700
well, go to work, study finish. What's basketball

00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:12.559
got to do with that? Because this basketball,

00:27:12.759 --> 00:27:16.119
they... Influenced me in a good way. Okay, okay.

00:27:16.160 --> 00:27:17.980
So you're saying that the guys you got together

00:27:17.980 --> 00:27:20.140
with to play basketball, they were a good influence

00:27:20.140 --> 00:27:22.099
on you. Yes, correct. If you do the right stuff,

00:27:22.200 --> 00:27:23.920
instead of studying and all that. Yes, and then

00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:27.200
I quit smoking. And yeah, I quit smoking because

00:27:27.200 --> 00:27:30.000
of basketball last time. Oh, shit. Really. It

00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.000
really helps a lot. 16 years old. Yeah. Okay.

00:27:34.099 --> 00:27:37.619
Then after that, because of the decision that

00:27:37.619 --> 00:27:41.599
my parents imposed on me, right, so I just, wow,

00:27:41.700 --> 00:27:44.529
I cannot study. I cannot. Then I just, ah, so

00:27:44.529 --> 00:27:48.329
happy lah. Then go and do the bad things. You

00:27:48.329 --> 00:27:51.670
know, you feel more free. And then they couldn't,

00:27:51.670 --> 00:27:53.650
they... You couldn't do the bad things and you

00:27:53.650 --> 00:27:56.130
felt more free. Like play truancy and all lah.

00:27:56.130 --> 00:27:59.150
So I skip school. Then after that, I just go

00:27:59.150 --> 00:28:01.730
home very late. Hang out very late. Like 2am,

00:28:01.809 --> 00:28:04.549
I go home. Go partying lah. Right lah, that time

00:28:04.549 --> 00:28:06.890
no party lah. Go hang out lah. Hang out, yes.

00:28:07.150 --> 00:28:08.849
Hang out under void deck also lah. Void deck,

00:28:08.930 --> 00:28:11.009
basketball court. Basketball court. Same thing.

00:28:12.470 --> 00:28:17.009
Okay. And from there... Okay, two delinquents.

00:28:17.029 --> 00:28:21.849
All right. Ex -delinquent. Ex -delinquent. All

00:28:21.849 --> 00:28:25.390
right. And then what happened? Then you left

00:28:25.390 --> 00:28:28.069
ITE. Then what happened? Then after that, I went

00:28:28.069 --> 00:28:33.289
to work for logistic work. Because I was trying

00:28:33.289 --> 00:28:36.910
out the hard works, you know, when I first started

00:28:36.910 --> 00:28:39.730
the first hard work, I was like, wow. I'm like,

00:28:39.789 --> 00:28:42.329
let's try 12 hours. So I think, eh, I have the

00:28:42.329 --> 00:28:44.529
youth energy leh. Get like 14 hours course called

00:28:44.529 --> 00:28:47.829
OT ma. So just try only. And then I... Heavy

00:28:47.829 --> 00:28:50.170
lifting stuff. Heavy lifting stuff. Basketball

00:28:50.170 --> 00:28:52.609
helped me a lot ma. To go all this push up. So

00:28:52.609 --> 00:28:54.589
I got that physical. So manual labour la. Manual

00:28:54.589 --> 00:28:58.609
labour. Yeah. Okay. Okay. After that, I went

00:28:58.609 --> 00:29:03.049
to try out. My first FNB job was at Bonavista,

00:29:03.069 --> 00:29:06.069
that rap and roll. Okay. FNB is there. So I was

00:29:06.069 --> 00:29:08.579
there to assist as... bartender with no experience.

00:29:08.759 --> 00:29:11.339
Also bartending. Also bartending. But it was

00:29:11.339 --> 00:29:16.460
a short four months. Four months because of relationship.

00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:20.160
Because of relationship. What do you mean by

00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:23.000
relationship? Last time, ex -girlfriend said

00:29:23.000 --> 00:29:26.019
I cannot. Boy -girl relationship. Not with the

00:29:26.019 --> 00:29:28.759
chef or whatever. You want to tell him he used

00:29:28.759 --> 00:29:34.799
to be a big shot player. He used to be a player.

00:29:35.140 --> 00:29:39.640
No, no, no. That was later part. Later part you

00:29:39.640 --> 00:29:43.099
became a player. Army. Right. In the army you

00:29:43.099 --> 00:29:45.220
were a player. Not bad. The army can be a player.

00:29:45.359 --> 00:29:50.920
Can. But. Right, right. My hand getting exposed

00:29:50.920 --> 00:29:56.980
here. Supposed to be. Okay. And then what happened?

00:29:57.059 --> 00:29:59.039
You went to work for Rap and Roll. Rap and Roll.

00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:02.259
You left because you had relationship issues.

00:30:02.660 --> 00:30:06.660
Yes. jealousy and then i have to teach female

00:30:06.660 --> 00:30:09.539
colleagues oh so she was jealous so you quit

00:30:09.539 --> 00:30:11.839
your job because you wanted to continue on with

00:30:11.839 --> 00:30:19.640
her yes otherwise that was one of the bosses

00:30:19.640 --> 00:30:24.160
there used to be in charge of one of the department

00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.859
which i forget where a floating hotel so he offered

00:30:26.859 --> 00:30:29.700
me but he could tell me that you got to prioritize

00:30:29.700 --> 00:30:31.759
something you got to draw a line you know with

00:30:31.759 --> 00:30:35.440
your relationship and and work yeah absolutely

00:30:35.440 --> 00:30:38.160
yeah so but that time you know young ah immature

00:30:38.160 --> 00:30:41.000
first love first and now all you young people

00:30:41.000 --> 00:30:44.460
better listen to this damn story so every so

00:30:44.460 --> 00:30:46.319
back then i was like i love first i don't want

00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:50.740
to disappoint her so and then i yeah i prioritize

00:30:50.740 --> 00:30:55.940
feelings over her so within like six months we're

00:30:55.940 --> 00:30:59.079
over because of some miscommunication so did

00:30:59.079 --> 00:31:02.160
you regret leaving rap and roll I regret, man.

00:31:02.980 --> 00:31:08.720
But also regret a bit, but all this comes to

00:31:08.720 --> 00:31:12.160
a point where, you know, if I did not live there,

00:31:12.240 --> 00:31:14.460
I wouldn't have met him, you see? So along the

00:31:14.460 --> 00:31:16.279
way, it happens. Okay, okay, okay. So we brought

00:31:16.279 --> 00:31:19.140
it down to fate. Yeah. Okay. And then what happened

00:31:19.140 --> 00:31:23.099
after that? After that, I went to serve the army.

00:31:23.099 --> 00:31:26.140
Because after the FNB, I just continued doing

00:31:26.140 --> 00:31:28.180
the logistic introvert. You're right, no? You

00:31:28.180 --> 00:31:31.240
never tell me about NS, no? Yeah. Like, you never

00:31:31.240 --> 00:31:34.920
served there, no? Did you serve? I mean, it's

00:31:34.920 --> 00:31:36.319
not an interesting story, but at the end, I did

00:31:36.319 --> 00:31:38.680
serve. I was from Police Coast Guard. Okay, not

00:31:38.680 --> 00:31:45.920
interesting. And then you joined the army. Yes.

00:31:46.160 --> 00:31:49.960
Because then my parents were saying that you

00:31:49.960 --> 00:31:53.200
purposely work and you purposely quit. Because

00:31:53.200 --> 00:31:57.119
IT, that time, I already withdraw. But it took

00:31:57.119 --> 00:32:00.200
one and a half year. for my army letter to come

00:32:00.200 --> 00:32:03.400
so they're assuming that i use this to actually

00:32:03.400 --> 00:32:06.660
escape army because you know back then everybody

00:32:06.660 --> 00:32:08.859
don't want to serve the army they try to delay

00:32:08.859 --> 00:32:11.740
as as much as they can like the deferment of

00:32:11.740 --> 00:32:14.759
poly until when they reach the point they have

00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:17.960
to study degree they deserve army first so but

00:32:17.960 --> 00:32:19.559
i told my parents that's not the case i'm looking

00:32:19.559 --> 00:32:22.009
forward I'm looking forward to serve because

00:32:22.009 --> 00:32:23.950
I want to clear finish. Do you have any siblings?

00:32:24.250 --> 00:32:27.349
No, I'm single child. Only child? Yes. No wonder

00:32:27.349 --> 00:32:30.990
they're so married. I also have only one child.

00:32:31.509 --> 00:32:37.809
But my parents, they don't know how to take care

00:32:37.809 --> 00:32:42.250
emotionally. Finance may be okay, but more of

00:32:42.250 --> 00:32:45.450
a mutual understanding because I really know

00:32:45.450 --> 00:32:49.369
them that I wanted to do something fair. it's

00:32:49.369 --> 00:32:51.210
going to be good okay i won't do anything wrong

00:32:51.210 --> 00:32:53.269
and i'm not going to do anything illegal that's

00:32:53.269 --> 00:32:56.789
that's one thing and of course stable income

00:32:56.789 --> 00:32:59.450
i want to take care of the house you see and

00:32:59.450 --> 00:33:02.210
but with the mindset that i know you do this

00:33:02.210 --> 00:33:05.589
you do that then yeah so it makes me rebellious

00:33:05.589 --> 00:33:08.190
so i just want to prove a point that i can live

00:33:08.190 --> 00:33:12.670
life in my way by doing the decision i made it's

00:33:12.670 --> 00:33:15.609
going to be okay i love what you just said man

00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:18.700
Because I think it's one of the most honest thing

00:33:18.700 --> 00:33:24.599
anyone can say. Why a young person rebels? It's

00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:28.019
just when two minds cannot meet. That means mom,

00:33:28.160 --> 00:33:31.299
dad, and the kid cannot meet somehow. You know,

00:33:31.299 --> 00:33:36.000
and it seems to the adults that you are rebelling,

00:33:36.079 --> 00:33:37.680
but actually what you're trying to do is to prove

00:33:37.680 --> 00:33:41.220
a point that you can manage things and to have

00:33:41.220 --> 00:33:44.740
them to please inside, a big crying out from

00:33:44.740 --> 00:33:47.579
inside, Please, can you guys trust me enough?

00:33:48.380 --> 00:33:50.759
Right? Just two different perspectives. I really

00:33:50.759 --> 00:33:52.420
like that. I really like what you just said,

00:33:52.440 --> 00:33:55.000
man. I really hope a lot of parents out there

00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:57.000
will be listening to what you just said. Because,

00:33:57.019 --> 00:34:00.000
believe me, a lot of helicopters out there, man.

00:34:00.299 --> 00:34:04.619
You know helicopter parenting, eh? Actually,

00:34:06.319 --> 00:34:10.019
it's getting more common now. Oh, very common.

00:34:10.099 --> 00:34:12.119
Very common. Believe you me. I mean, I know.

00:34:12.960 --> 00:34:15.360
I know, I've been pairing chat rooms for a long

00:34:15.360 --> 00:34:17.679
time and I can tell you, man, it is grating sometimes.

00:34:18.320 --> 00:34:21.099
Yeah, okay. Good to hear that, brah. Okay, then

00:34:21.099 --> 00:34:23.420
what else happened, man? So you broke up with

00:34:23.420 --> 00:34:25.019
that, with that, with that, with that anchor

00:34:25.019 --> 00:34:27.699
weight that you had on you. Yeah, anchor weight,

00:34:27.719 --> 00:34:30.500
but it was, I mean, I can review everything,

00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:32.320
right? Sure, please, borrow me, stop me calling

00:34:32.320 --> 00:34:37.619
it underwear, so please. So, okay, so, so, so

00:34:37.619 --> 00:34:42.139
in the army, so that's where we're, when I entered

00:34:42.139 --> 00:34:44.440
army. So for the first two months, we were still

00:34:44.440 --> 00:34:47.880
together. We were still together. And then, but

00:34:47.880 --> 00:34:53.340
what caused me off was she was pregnant. Oh,

00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:57.599
shucks. She was pregnant. So I just, okay. Oh,

00:34:57.639 --> 00:35:00.800
boy. So back then, at the back of my head, it's

00:35:00.800 --> 00:35:02.460
like, okay, what am I going to do next? I'm not

00:35:02.460 --> 00:35:04.380
thinking of running away from my responsibility

00:35:04.380 --> 00:35:07.599
because I made that, I created that situation

00:35:07.599 --> 00:35:10.150
for myself already, right? so just man up and

00:35:10.150 --> 00:35:12.909
then why not to the point where i say i just

00:35:12.909 --> 00:35:17.809
sign on yes i almost did sign on for and then

00:35:17.809 --> 00:35:19.570
they told me about the package it's not it's

00:35:19.570 --> 00:35:22.289
not as great as what you think like 1 .1 1 .2

00:35:22.289 --> 00:35:25.730
you know because of my education and uh and i

00:35:25.730 --> 00:35:30.570
was a non -combatant ah yeah so because of that

00:35:30.570 --> 00:35:34.349
and then and then i offered to my ex and say

00:35:34.349 --> 00:35:36.909
that you know I just sign on and all. So she

00:35:36.909 --> 00:35:38.389
just gunned me down by saying that, you know,

00:35:38.449 --> 00:35:40.269
being with you doesn't mean there's a future,

00:35:40.929 --> 00:35:43.949
you see. And we are looking in the bigger scene

00:35:43.949 --> 00:35:45.849
of like, I need money. I need to take care of

00:35:45.849 --> 00:35:47.989
this. I say, it's all my salary. I'm just going

00:35:47.989 --> 00:35:50.469
to transfer everything to you. So let's say,

00:35:50.610 --> 00:35:52.670
I'm just army have a cookhouse. So I can eat

00:35:52.670 --> 00:35:54.630
free every time. Even if it's going to get boring,

00:35:54.769 --> 00:35:58.210
I just adapt to it. And then she just, no, you

00:35:58.210 --> 00:36:00.909
just pay me the abortion fee. Like what? Oh,

00:36:00.929 --> 00:36:02.389
am I going to dig that money out? You know, you

00:36:02.389 --> 00:36:06.130
see, it was back then. Army, the fee, the pay

00:36:06.130 --> 00:36:08.989
was like $450. Yeah, $450. Full -time analyst,

00:36:09.170 --> 00:36:11.510
yeah. Yeah, full -time analyst, $450. So, wow,

00:36:11.730 --> 00:36:16.190
I had to think of a way. So I keep borrowing

00:36:16.190 --> 00:36:19.909
from my friend, like $100 and $200. Then they

00:36:19.909 --> 00:36:21.309
were like, oh, how am I going to trust you? I

00:36:21.309 --> 00:36:22.969
barely know you, you know, like two weeks. I

00:36:22.969 --> 00:36:25.050
said, just marks on my work, you know, I try.

00:36:25.650 --> 00:36:29.860
And yeah, I didn't manage to get it. that i didn't

00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:32.360
manage to get it so after that you didn't manage

00:36:32.360 --> 00:36:34.340
to get any loans they didn't okay no one could

00:36:34.340 --> 00:36:36.599
no one trusts yeah it was strangers you see so

00:36:36.599 --> 00:36:38.800
i don't and i was desperate yeah just have that

00:36:38.800 --> 00:36:40.619
thoughts of like no you are good you you will

00:36:40.619 --> 00:36:42.739
help me you know sorry your headphones gonna

00:36:42.739 --> 00:36:44.480
fall off your head oh sorry okay no no it's okay

00:36:44.480 --> 00:36:51.159
okay okay after that uh when i go to units so

00:36:51.159 --> 00:36:53.719
we are kind of like breaking all but i'm trying

00:36:53.719 --> 00:36:56.099
hard to stay afloat you see the relationship

00:36:56.099 --> 00:37:01.420
what happened She managed to find one of my close,

00:37:01.519 --> 00:37:05.119
one of my cliques to get the money. So she says

00:37:05.119 --> 00:37:08.900
she will pay for it first. And then after I...

00:37:08.900 --> 00:37:11.159
Pay for the aborting. Yes. Then after that, she

00:37:11.159 --> 00:37:14.559
will just claim for me. You know, like claim.

00:37:14.699 --> 00:37:18.630
So I'm like, wow. And then what happened? Oh,

00:37:18.769 --> 00:37:21.329
somebody just rode a Harley into the car park.

00:37:21.489 --> 00:37:24.489
Okay. You heard that, huh? Sorry about that,

00:37:24.550 --> 00:37:28.530
people. Yeah, okay. So after that, one of my

00:37:28.530 --> 00:37:32.210
majors, he offered to help me. So he asked me

00:37:32.210 --> 00:37:34.849
how much the payment. So I told him the sum was

00:37:34.849 --> 00:37:37.889
like 1K. So he said, 1K? Okay, so I'm going to

00:37:37.889 --> 00:37:40.110
pay you. I'm going to help you transfer. You

00:37:40.110 --> 00:37:42.369
just pass me her bank account and everything.

00:37:42.530 --> 00:37:43.730
Because back then, it was only bank account.

00:37:44.190 --> 00:37:47.119
So... you just must be a bank account i pay every

00:37:47.119 --> 00:37:49.559
month you just pay me a hundred and then you

00:37:49.559 --> 00:37:52.260
just focus on your you need to be the first time

00:37:52.260 --> 00:37:54.760
i was stormed man so be a best storm man and

00:37:54.760 --> 00:37:57.099
then do your work properly but install you know

00:37:57.099 --> 00:38:01.980
just talking sleep yeah but i don't do work so

00:38:01.980 --> 00:38:06.480
hard then i was also so when once i passed her

00:38:06.480 --> 00:38:08.820
so we cut off the meeting so i told one of my

00:38:08.820 --> 00:38:11.260
friends to actually look after her because i

00:38:11.260 --> 00:38:14.429
want to finish this army And then, you know,

00:38:14.469 --> 00:38:16.250
that kind of thoughts like, you know, after army

00:38:16.250 --> 00:38:18.130
I finish, I will come back and we still be together.

00:38:18.690 --> 00:38:21.469
But within like 10 months, I found out that she

00:38:21.469 --> 00:38:23.650
was together with my friend in relationship.

00:38:23.909 --> 00:38:26.769
So I was like, whoa. So I just literally went

00:38:26.769 --> 00:38:30.010
real dark. Actually, I would say hang. Oh, hang.

00:38:30.250 --> 00:38:33.369
Really is hang. Really is hang. So, but I got

00:38:33.369 --> 00:38:36.190
told my, but after I find out things, I did ask

00:38:36.190 --> 00:38:38.010
my friend about, you know, I'm okay if you tell

00:38:38.010 --> 00:38:40.750
me straight in the face like, like, eh. You know,

00:38:40.809 --> 00:38:43.610
your ex is going with someone else and not. So

00:38:43.610 --> 00:38:48.869
I'm okay. I accept the reality fast enough to

00:38:48.869 --> 00:38:50.469
understand. So I just need to think of what's

00:38:50.469 --> 00:38:52.170
the next step I should do. But they were hiding

00:38:52.170 --> 00:38:53.710
from me because they're scared I have suicidal

00:38:53.710 --> 00:38:55.949
thoughts. Yeah, because I was diagnosed with

00:38:55.949 --> 00:38:58.690
depression, you see. So I told them, no, bro,

00:38:58.829 --> 00:39:02.070
you know, you think too lowly of me. If I want

00:39:02.070 --> 00:39:03.909
to do it, I long ago do it like, what, 10 months

00:39:03.909 --> 00:39:05.750
ago? I wouldn't wait 10 months, man, you see.

00:39:05.909 --> 00:39:08.429
So if you tell me the sooner, it's even better.

00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:11.079
At least I pain for a while. Yes, I'll be emotionally

00:39:11.079 --> 00:39:14.320
pain. But I wouldn't be waiting there like idiot

00:39:14.320 --> 00:39:16.880
ah. Okay, so what happened after NS bro? After

00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:21.599
NS ah? Wah, I went to do Starbucks. Yeah. At

00:39:21.599 --> 00:39:24.260
first, before Starbucks, I do part -time logistic.

00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:26.980
But that area was I used to stay at Redhill with

00:39:26.980 --> 00:39:30.380
my mama. So I worked in Tuas. Right. So after

00:39:30.380 --> 00:39:33.579
Tuas, like wah. That's no longer in the picture

00:39:33.579 --> 00:39:37.139
at the time. Yes, that's... I mean, my dad is

00:39:37.139 --> 00:39:39.320
still around. I mean, we, but they just let me

00:39:39.320 --> 00:39:40.820
do what I want to do. Of course, I still finish

00:39:40.820 --> 00:39:43.380
NS. So, it's like. Because you said you sat in

00:39:43.380 --> 00:39:45.639
Red Hill with your mom. My mom and my, actually

00:39:45.639 --> 00:39:48.360
parents. Your mom and dad. Okay, okay, fine.

00:39:48.599 --> 00:39:52.539
Okay. And after that, I do logistic for like

00:39:52.539 --> 00:39:56.320
three to five months. And after I think, not

00:39:56.320 --> 00:39:58.639
cut for it. Then I want to find something more,

00:39:58.760 --> 00:40:01.539
you know, like kick me, kickstart something.

00:40:01.639 --> 00:40:04.340
So, some new skill. Because logistic is introvert

00:40:04.340 --> 00:40:07.519
job. So it's just like labor work, OT. Yeah,

00:40:07.599 --> 00:40:09.820
really. What the fuck? Yeah. I mean, it's the

00:40:09.820 --> 00:40:11.480
first time I've ever heard anyone say that logistics

00:40:11.480 --> 00:40:14.400
is an introverted job. Yeah, like packers. Because

00:40:14.400 --> 00:40:16.900
I do packers, you see. So you're very introverted

00:40:16.900 --> 00:40:20.260
because I push the box that's inwards so I'm

00:40:20.260 --> 00:40:21.880
introverted. Yeah, so you just look at the list.

00:40:21.960 --> 00:40:24.360
Okay. Okay, then you just pack. So basically,

00:40:24.380 --> 00:40:27.179
it's a lonely job, right? Yeah, it's lonely.

00:40:27.179 --> 00:40:30.280
Okay, fine. Not introverted. Okay, introverts,

00:40:30.340 --> 00:40:31.920
it doesn't mean that you guys go chase after

00:40:31.920 --> 00:40:34.079
a logistics job just because you're introverted.

00:40:34.219 --> 00:40:39.539
yeah oh goodness okay and and then then after

00:40:39.539 --> 00:40:43.300
that i went to search a online on this thing

00:40:43.300 --> 00:40:46.519
called sg streets jobs or i forget sg street

00:40:46.519 --> 00:40:51.440
jobs no no no no no no not street not sg street

00:40:51.440 --> 00:40:56.639
uh gumtree oh gumtree yes i can't remember that's

00:40:56.639 --> 00:40:59.809
very long really like 11 years back Okay. So

00:40:59.809 --> 00:41:03.369
I came across about this Starbucks job paying

00:41:03.369 --> 00:41:07.050
$7 .50. So I was like, oh, Starbucks job. I thought

00:41:07.050 --> 00:41:10.809
of like coffee, just do lah. But it's going to,

00:41:11.070 --> 00:41:13.550
I'm going to be, I'm for sure going to be scared

00:41:13.550 --> 00:41:18.150
because I don't speak to customer. So I picked

00:41:18.150 --> 00:41:21.150
that to be, well, I give myself this challenge.

00:41:21.230 --> 00:41:24.269
If I can pass this customer service thing and

00:41:24.269 --> 00:41:26.809
I have to communicate, socialize with people,

00:41:26.889 --> 00:41:31.860
then yeah. Let's do it. Okay. So you're basically

00:41:31.860 --> 00:41:34.340
a self -proclaimed introvert? Yes. I'm the same

00:41:34.340 --> 00:41:36.119
as him. When I started my first work... Fuck

00:41:36.119 --> 00:41:37.900
off, you're introverted. No, really. I couldn't

00:41:37.900 --> 00:41:41.000
talk to anyone. I couldn't even smile. Okay,

00:41:41.059 --> 00:41:42.639
let's end it right here. I'm introverted too.

00:41:43.400 --> 00:41:47.840
No, really. I had my supervisor give me a mirror,

00:41:47.940 --> 00:41:49.900
ask me to smile at the mirror before I started

00:41:49.900 --> 00:41:56.449
to take tables. That's how bad I was. Every day

00:41:56.449 --> 00:42:01.250
before work. Look at you, look at you. Before

00:42:01.250 --> 00:42:05.650
work, every day, I would do that. Jeez, that's

00:42:05.650 --> 00:42:07.369
the first I've heard. Look at yourself in the

00:42:07.369 --> 00:42:12.710
mirror and smile. Okay, Mr. Introvert. My first

00:42:12.710 --> 00:42:15.659
day was, it went really bad. but did you learn

00:42:15.659 --> 00:42:18.159
i mean the barrister work did you learn how to

00:42:18.159 --> 00:42:20.659
do your coffee brew coffee coffee no nothing

00:42:20.659 --> 00:42:23.980
zero so first day oh right cut marking and i

00:42:23.980 --> 00:42:26.980
cannot memorize the short form so i just write

00:42:26.980 --> 00:42:30.599
the long form like and it was a morning we call

00:42:30.599 --> 00:42:32.920
the slam time so i was panicking i was shaking

00:42:32.920 --> 00:42:36.719
like wow oh my god is this really the job so

00:42:36.719 --> 00:42:40.239
back of my head i wanted to like let's go back

00:42:40.239 --> 00:42:43.630
to logistic but When I tell myself, when I come

00:42:43.630 --> 00:42:45.210
down, I tell myself, no, I have to do this. I

00:42:45.210 --> 00:42:47.889
have to pass this. And yeah, I just do it. Just

00:42:47.889 --> 00:42:49.989
break the limit, you know? Nothing to lose, you

00:42:49.989 --> 00:42:51.469
know? So what? So what? I'm going to embarrass

00:42:51.469 --> 00:42:52.829
myself. So what? I'm going to make mistakes.

00:42:52.969 --> 00:42:55.590
So be it. Just do it. Learn from the mistake.

00:42:55.670 --> 00:42:59.010
Then I learn. I like this guy. Then I notice

00:42:59.010 --> 00:43:02.909
others, how they serve customers, how they speak

00:43:02.909 --> 00:43:04.989
to customers, and how they do things while interacting

00:43:04.989 --> 00:43:07.449
with customers. I pick that. I learn from it.

00:43:07.710 --> 00:43:10.030
It's the first time, awkward. awkward definitely

00:43:10.030 --> 00:43:13.070
because I feel it's not me but eventually it

00:43:13.070 --> 00:43:16.530
becomes as I practice it becomes part of it part

00:43:16.530 --> 00:43:19.889
of the job you do know that all the stories you've

00:43:19.889 --> 00:43:22.130
been telling me so far right you're saying this

00:43:22.130 --> 00:43:24.489
in front of like 2 ,000 people oh I didn't know

00:43:24.489 --> 00:43:28.489
I just want to okay well Mr Introvert say hi

00:43:28.489 --> 00:43:32.429
to everybody hi I used to be introvert maybe

00:43:32.429 --> 00:43:35.809
I'm still introvert we still are introverts I

00:43:35.809 --> 00:43:39.900
don't see that anyway yes Yeah, introverted extroverts

00:43:39.900 --> 00:43:42.820
or extroverted introverts. Everybody. Yeah. Okay.

00:43:43.519 --> 00:43:49.159
After that, I just do with Starbucks for I think

00:43:49.159 --> 00:43:53.760
one year plus. That's where I learned to do multitasking

00:43:53.760 --> 00:43:56.280
or beverage making. At Starbucks first, one -for

00:43:56.280 --> 00:44:00.050
-one launch. Whoa, insane. I almost died. Then

00:44:00.050 --> 00:44:01.949
what happened after that? After that, I went

00:44:01.949 --> 00:44:03.750
to... Wait, sorry, very long. Yeah, after that,

00:44:03.769 --> 00:44:05.250
I went to do... Longer than yours both. I try

00:44:05.250 --> 00:44:09.329
to keep it short. I went to do the salad bar.

00:44:09.469 --> 00:44:13.510
Not salad bar. Salad cafe. Called Hakon. Okay.

00:44:13.690 --> 00:44:17.070
Okay, I... Wait, no. Before Hakon, I was doing

00:44:17.070 --> 00:44:19.389
at New Black. The New Black, the coffee. Because

00:44:19.389 --> 00:44:22.130
I wanted to learn artisan coffee. Because Starbucks

00:44:22.130 --> 00:44:25.010
like, okay. So Starbucks is not considered artisanal

00:44:25.010 --> 00:44:27.130
coffee? No. Because Starbucks is more of like

00:44:27.130 --> 00:44:31.250
frappuccino. I split making frappuccino, coffee

00:44:31.250 --> 00:44:33.769
art, latte art and all. I mean they do, some

00:44:33.769 --> 00:44:36.610
of my ex -colleagues do practice there. But it

00:44:36.610 --> 00:44:39.530
was just, oh. And then I was like, I want to

00:44:39.530 --> 00:44:41.650
learn something like, you know, draw art is cool,

00:44:41.849 --> 00:44:45.590
you know. Just impress some people who want to

00:44:45.590 --> 00:44:47.690
dream, make their day. Then after that, I went

00:44:47.690 --> 00:44:50.690
to the New Black Waste on Red First, which closed

00:44:50.690 --> 00:44:54.280
down because the boss bankrupt. Okay, that's

00:44:54.280 --> 00:44:59.139
good to know. Then after that, I do New Black

00:44:59.139 --> 00:45:03.280
for most a year. And I go to Hakon. So I went

00:45:03.280 --> 00:45:08.340
to do as the salad service line. But this wasn't

00:45:08.340 --> 00:45:12.219
coffee. This was food. Food. And then healthy.

00:45:12.440 --> 00:45:15.219
Healthy superfood. yes healthy superfood like

00:45:15.219 --> 00:45:18.219
they sell acai they sell salad right right yeah

00:45:18.219 --> 00:45:21.539
and also the coffee so i get to know right one

00:45:21.539 --> 00:45:25.119
of my ex barista team the captain there to do

00:45:25.119 --> 00:45:27.440
to learn more advanced about yeah yeah the healthier

00:45:27.440 --> 00:45:30.300
all these salads are expensive like yeah super

00:45:30.300 --> 00:45:33.579
i know you know 15 .90 for four veggies and one

00:45:33.579 --> 00:45:38.260
crazy man rabbit food okay yeah and then and

00:45:38.260 --> 00:45:42.179
after that we went to join the china brand mellow

00:45:42.179 --> 00:45:45.360
coffee what mellow coffee i used to be in singapore

00:45:45.360 --> 00:45:47.019
but after they closed down they pulled up from

00:45:47.019 --> 00:45:50.860
business yeah no but no i don't think so different

00:45:50.860 --> 00:45:53.260
for him so far only one school closed down for

00:45:53.260 --> 00:45:59.539
you two companies okay so that one also i learned

00:45:59.539 --> 00:46:03.780
coffee same advanced uh more up to learn more

00:46:03.780 --> 00:46:06.880
dude you got a guy that you become a partner

00:46:06.880 --> 00:46:09.559
the guy has been just doing coffee coffee coffee

00:46:09.559 --> 00:46:13.349
coffee so far yeah okay Okay, right. Okay, and?

00:46:13.710 --> 00:46:18.449
And then I went to join the 20... After that,

00:46:18.570 --> 00:46:22.230
I left Melowa. So, I went dark. I went dark again.

00:46:22.510 --> 00:46:25.110
Oh, the way he say, went dark, as if he's super

00:46:25.110 --> 00:46:27.210
spy, no? Oh, then this is the best story ever

00:46:27.210 --> 00:46:29.030
when he went dark. That's when I met him, when

00:46:29.030 --> 00:46:32.050
he was dark. You went dark, okay. So, after Melowa,

00:46:32.269 --> 00:46:34.469
same thing, relationship problem again. Because

00:46:34.469 --> 00:46:37.090
I wanted to settle down fast. I see my friend

00:46:37.090 --> 00:46:40.679
married. How old were you then? Wah, 26 ah. 26

00:46:40.679 --> 00:46:42.360
and they settle down and smack you across the

00:46:42.360 --> 00:46:44.199
back of your head again. Then what happened?

00:46:44.440 --> 00:46:49.059
Then after that, when admitted to IMH, then just

00:46:49.059 --> 00:46:52.719
lost. You're kidding me. Yeah. You admitted to

00:46:52.719 --> 00:46:57.059
IMH, why? Due to suicide. Attempt suicide. Did

00:46:57.059 --> 00:47:01.179
you? Yes, I did. And then it was because I was

00:47:01.179 --> 00:47:04.260
drunk. Yeah, I drink this whiskey, then I drunk,

00:47:04.360 --> 00:47:06.599
then I tell, I wanted to ask someone to talk

00:47:06.599 --> 00:47:08.440
to me. You see, like I need someone to hear me

00:47:08.440 --> 00:47:11.719
out. My cliques, they couldn't understand what

00:47:11.719 --> 00:47:13.980
I'm going through, you see. What were you going

00:47:13.980 --> 00:47:18.579
through, Kelvin? If you don't mind sharing. More

00:47:18.579 --> 00:47:21.639
of like, I needed someone to be there, you know,

00:47:21.639 --> 00:47:25.559
to understand of like, stability in terms of

00:47:25.559 --> 00:47:28.260
security, the security feelings, you know. Like,

00:47:28.280 --> 00:47:30.340
you know, I'm going through this, then I want

00:47:30.340 --> 00:47:32.219
someone to empathize with how I feel, you know.

00:47:32.360 --> 00:47:35.460
Just be patient. I can repeat my problems like...

00:47:35.559 --> 00:47:37.400
One day, like 20 times. Someone who could relate,

00:47:37.559 --> 00:47:39.599
you mean? Yes, and relate and also patient to

00:47:39.599 --> 00:47:43.360
listen. Like, you know, it's difficult to handle

00:47:43.360 --> 00:47:46.000
someone that who couldn't control his emotional

00:47:46.000 --> 00:47:49.820
and his mentally not well. How long ago was this?

00:47:50.059 --> 00:47:54.599
It was... Six years? Six years ago. Okay. Yeah.

00:47:54.739 --> 00:48:01.099
And then, after that, I went to IMH. So, I admitted

00:48:01.099 --> 00:48:04.019
for one week. and then i told the doctor about

00:48:04.019 --> 00:48:06.000
my situation but they said you don't need medication

00:48:06.000 --> 00:48:11.780
you'll be doing fine said what like so but back

00:48:11.780 --> 00:48:14.320
then i wanted medicine to numb you know the thoughts

00:48:14.320 --> 00:48:18.579
in my head you saw all the negativity so i was

00:48:18.579 --> 00:48:22.079
the negativity telling me of like the reason

00:48:22.079 --> 00:48:24.239
to leave why am i what's the reason you know

00:48:24.239 --> 00:48:26.000
it's telling me that i got nothing to lose i

00:48:26.000 --> 00:48:31.469
just yes Basically, it was dominant in your head.

00:48:31.510 --> 00:48:35.110
In your head, all these negativities. Yes. And

00:48:35.110 --> 00:48:41.889
then, I just found someone in IMH who is an Islam

00:48:41.889 --> 00:48:45.389
guy. Muslim guy. He's a Muslim guy. And then,

00:48:45.429 --> 00:48:47.510
he told me he admitted because he's scared that

00:48:47.510 --> 00:48:50.309
you'll do something bad to his mom. So, yeah.

00:48:50.829 --> 00:48:53.409
And then, because he said sometimes when he's

00:48:53.409 --> 00:48:55.309
angry, he overwhelms you accidentally hit his

00:48:55.309 --> 00:48:58.210
mom. So, I was like, what? oh bro, you are more

00:48:58.210 --> 00:49:00.889
crazier than me, you know? Like, I thought I

00:49:00.889 --> 00:49:03.769
was like, oh no. I wouldn't use the word crazy

00:49:03.769 --> 00:49:05.750
lah, okay. But I mean, I told him that, then

00:49:05.750 --> 00:49:08.389
he's like, yeah. Then after that, we, you know,

00:49:08.389 --> 00:49:11.570
because inside the IMH, it was open space. Yeah.

00:49:11.570 --> 00:49:13.969
It was really open space. So, we walk like back

00:49:13.969 --> 00:49:16.210
and forth, back and forth, like eight hours.

00:49:16.429 --> 00:49:18.829
Yeah. Like, really eight hours. Because we are

00:49:18.829 --> 00:49:20.369
trying to, I'm trying to distract my thoughts

00:49:20.369 --> 00:49:22.590
of not thinking the bad things. So, at the same

00:49:22.590 --> 00:49:27.039
time, he talked to me about, he's teaching a

00:49:27.039 --> 00:49:30.179
bit of like how to keep cool. You know, if you

00:49:30.179 --> 00:49:33.300
find, if you really feel like attempting again,

00:49:33.380 --> 00:49:35.159
just admit again, you know, just admit again.

00:49:35.320 --> 00:49:37.280
Then he asked me, how do you find so far? So

00:49:37.280 --> 00:49:39.539
I feel okay. I feel peaceful actually. He's a

00:49:39.539 --> 00:49:41.719
patient. He's a patient too. Right, right. Yeah.

00:49:42.280 --> 00:49:46.579
I feel peaceful. And then after, but back then,

00:49:46.719 --> 00:49:50.039
when I was admitted, I was hoping for my parents,

00:49:50.159 --> 00:49:54.559
my family to come and help me, but no one. No

00:49:54.559 --> 00:49:56.340
one helped me. So the one that bailed me out

00:49:56.340 --> 00:50:00.980
was my own close friend since 13 years old. Your

00:50:00.980 --> 00:50:02.980
mom and dad didn't come for you? They don't know

00:50:02.980 --> 00:50:06.019
how to react. So from what I heard from my mom

00:50:06.019 --> 00:50:08.519
was, you know, she couldn't accept. And then

00:50:08.519 --> 00:50:13.460
I roughly remember that she just, like, you know,

00:50:13.480 --> 00:50:14.699
I don't talk to him, I don't talk to him. Like,

00:50:14.699 --> 00:50:16.159
they don't know how to react. Yeah, because I

00:50:16.159 --> 00:50:18.119
was at, first they said that I was video calling,

00:50:18.159 --> 00:50:21.340
that living myself off. I wanted to jump. So

00:50:21.340 --> 00:50:24.340
I went. my uncle house on top 13th floor. So

00:50:24.340 --> 00:50:29.199
I climb. Then after that, my father was saying

00:50:29.199 --> 00:50:31.500
that, you know, son, don't jump. No, come home,

00:50:31.500 --> 00:50:33.039
let's talk. You know, let's be calm. And then

00:50:33.039 --> 00:50:37.099
we talk things out, okay? Just don't do stupid

00:50:37.099 --> 00:50:39.820
thing. Come, come, you know, son, please. But

00:50:39.820 --> 00:50:44.519
drunk, I can't stop until I told the doctor.

00:50:45.760 --> 00:50:48.599
I think one point where my ex tell me say, come

00:50:48.599 --> 00:50:50.139
home, let's, you know, let's talk things out.

00:50:50.179 --> 00:50:52.969
Then we patch back and I just tell the police

00:50:52.969 --> 00:50:55.369
to tighten my hammer in case I do something stupid

00:50:55.369 --> 00:51:00.050
again. Yeah. Then after that, they admitted to

00:51:00.050 --> 00:51:04.869
IMH. Because it could say I'm finding a reason

00:51:04.869 --> 00:51:08.769
to live for. So her words give me the reason

00:51:08.769 --> 00:51:11.289
to, okay, I stopped suiciding. Could say threatened,

00:51:11.429 --> 00:51:15.530
maybe. I don't know. How are you now? I'm okay.

00:51:15.750 --> 00:51:18.429
First, I got a wife. And I'm going to be a father

00:51:18.429 --> 00:51:22.630
soon, so life's good. Yeah, so for people that

00:51:22.630 --> 00:51:25.309
go through this situation, I don't wish it happens

00:51:25.309 --> 00:51:27.949
to them, you see. So sometimes when people are

00:51:27.949 --> 00:51:29.909
overwhelmed with something, I tend to empathize,

00:51:29.909 --> 00:51:31.889
I understand. So I don't have to speak up, you

00:51:31.889 --> 00:51:34.110
know. So, brother, I want to thank you very much,

00:51:34.130 --> 00:51:36.510
really, for being so open and sharing this. It's

00:51:36.510 --> 00:51:38.309
so private, it's so personal, but thank you so

00:51:38.309 --> 00:51:40.710
very much. I'm pretty sure a lot of people out

00:51:40.710 --> 00:51:42.829
there are listening to your story. I mean, it

00:51:42.829 --> 00:51:44.989
would enrich them in some way. Well, thanks very

00:51:44.989 --> 00:51:48.750
much, mate. So tell me, The dark, when you went

00:51:48.750 --> 00:51:53.130
dark, after that, you came out of the dark, right?

00:51:53.230 --> 00:51:56.110
Yes. And you started life again. What did you

00:51:56.110 --> 00:52:02.190
do? Me, I went to, for two weeks, actually three

00:52:02.190 --> 00:52:04.349
weeks, I didn't do anything. Okay. I just sleep

00:52:04.349 --> 00:52:07.710
at home and then watch the certain show of the

00:52:07.710 --> 00:52:10.489
series, The Good Doctor. Okay. Yeah, so I went

00:52:10.489 --> 00:52:15.030
to read to understand of life. how humanity works.

00:52:15.190 --> 00:52:17.550
You know, I just want to understand. And I want

00:52:17.550 --> 00:52:19.510
to learn something. And then just distract myself

00:52:19.510 --> 00:52:21.610
from thoughts. And then my mom back then was

00:52:21.610 --> 00:52:24.469
working for, is that a company? Yeah, a brand

00:52:24.469 --> 00:52:28.150
called Beef Noodle. Oh. Yes. Okay. Yeah, a brand

00:52:28.150 --> 00:52:30.010
called Beef Noodle. That was one of the companies

00:52:30.010 --> 00:52:32.849
that you were representing. Yeah. Okay. So after

00:52:32.849 --> 00:52:36.210
that, my mom, because she was tired, then she

00:52:36.210 --> 00:52:38.230
looked at me like, are you okay? Yeah, I'm okay.

00:52:38.309 --> 00:52:40.469
I'm just going to watch shows. So my routine

00:52:40.469 --> 00:52:43.349
is just, Watch shows, stay at home, babe, eat,

00:52:43.429 --> 00:52:46.190
sleep. You know, it's standard. Till one day,

00:52:46.230 --> 00:52:48.349
she asked me, son, you want to work with me or

00:52:48.349 --> 00:52:52.769
not? Huh? Work? Why? You don't need to do coffee.

00:52:53.010 --> 00:52:54.829
Are you going back coffee? I said, no, I'm not

00:52:54.829 --> 00:52:56.710
going back coffee. I want to take a break from

00:52:56.710 --> 00:53:00.190
everything. So she said, come, help me. Let's

00:53:00.190 --> 00:53:03.269
go and do part -time washbowl. Washbowl? Washbowl.

00:53:03.329 --> 00:53:05.289
Just washbowl. Nothing more. I don't want to

00:53:05.289 --> 00:53:08.199
do any cashiering. I wash bowl, clean table,

00:53:08.280 --> 00:53:09.780
whatever. I tell her, say, I'm not paiseh one.

00:53:09.980 --> 00:53:13.079
Say, okay, can. Need to go interview. Interview?

00:53:13.360 --> 00:53:16.199
Wash bowl need interview one? Then I look at

00:53:16.199 --> 00:53:18.579
her. Check your hand bro, check your hand. Check

00:53:18.579 --> 00:53:23.159
your hand first. So I interview, then I ask my

00:53:23.159 --> 00:53:25.599
mom, so need to wear properly or not? Need lah,

00:53:25.639 --> 00:53:27.840
because there are two bosses there lah. I just,

00:53:27.960 --> 00:53:33.969
okay. I'll see you two this time. HRs, HRs. So,

00:53:34.150 --> 00:53:36.289
when I go down, so I wear, then I just like,

00:53:36.409 --> 00:53:38.269
interview, I just wash both. So, I just wear

00:53:38.269 --> 00:53:41.469
like, Bermuda, t -shirt, my cap, lay back, then

00:53:41.469 --> 00:53:43.809
like, anyhow, sleeper, I just walk down, like,

00:53:43.829 --> 00:53:46.329
like, like, just okay lah. Just go down. So,

00:53:46.429 --> 00:53:48.889
so that's where, when I go down to Imperial Mall,

00:53:49.130 --> 00:53:51.230
it was at Imperial Mall. Ah, okay. Then, when

00:53:51.230 --> 00:53:52.969
I met him, so I was like, two bosses, how come

00:53:52.969 --> 00:53:55.980
become three? Okay. And that's where I met him.

00:53:56.099 --> 00:53:58.780
Because I interviewed him. You were the joker

00:53:58.780 --> 00:54:02.260
that interviewed him. When you saw this fellow

00:54:02.260 --> 00:54:05.119
for the first time, what were you thinking? Wah,

00:54:05.139 --> 00:54:07.699
this guy confirm emo one. His hair was long all

00:54:07.699 --> 00:54:09.780
the way down. Oh, he's got the emo haircut. Emo

00:54:09.780 --> 00:54:11.760
haircut. Then when he come in, his expression,

00:54:11.820 --> 00:54:13.900
you can tell immediately very dark. Oh, is it?

00:54:14.079 --> 00:54:16.559
Yeah, because I'm also like, I'm very familiar

00:54:16.559 --> 00:54:17.980
with all these feelings before, like whatever

00:54:17.980 --> 00:54:19.760
he went through, but I didn't go to the point

00:54:19.760 --> 00:54:22.360
of like, you know, going IMH and all. So at one

00:54:22.360 --> 00:54:25.500
point, I really know that this guy has gone through

00:54:25.500 --> 00:54:28.940
a lot. So I went down to the interview. There

00:54:28.940 --> 00:54:32.320
was this question I asked him. You come here

00:54:32.320 --> 00:54:33.940
to work, right? Have you got any experience?

00:54:34.079 --> 00:54:36.920
He said, no. I just come to help my mom. I said,

00:54:36.960 --> 00:54:38.480
so you don't need any salary? Yeah, I don't need

00:54:38.480 --> 00:54:44.460
any salary. That's what he said to me. He just

00:54:44.460 --> 00:54:46.179
kept repeating, I'm just here to help my mom.

00:54:46.340 --> 00:54:48.980
I'm just here to help my mom. I just asked him,

00:54:49.019 --> 00:54:50.880
what's your experience? Then he shared me that

00:54:50.880 --> 00:54:53.840
he was a barista. then I think actually this

00:54:53.840 --> 00:54:56.980
guy got potential yeah okay lah just hire him

00:54:56.980 --> 00:54:59.579
give him a try because you know I believe I always

00:54:59.579 --> 00:55:01.900
believe that someone with has gone through a

00:55:01.900 --> 00:55:04.400
lot can definitely give something if you are

00:55:04.400 --> 00:55:07.159
able to mentor them properly okay yeah so that's

00:55:07.159 --> 00:55:08.880
when I decided to hire him and then what happened

00:55:08.880 --> 00:55:12.170
after that now I can hear from him What happened

00:55:12.170 --> 00:55:14.630
after that with him? But the thing is, when I

00:55:14.630 --> 00:55:16.369
did the interview, because it's my friend's company,

00:55:16.530 --> 00:55:19.809
I haven't joined his company yet. So, I was working

00:55:19.809 --> 00:55:22.210
somewhere else. Right. So, when he started, he

00:55:22.210 --> 00:55:24.670
was like, eh, where's that bald guy? Back then,

00:55:24.710 --> 00:55:26.670
I was afraid. So, eh, where is he? I said, no,

00:55:26.730 --> 00:55:29.010
he's not working in the company. So, he was working

00:55:29.010 --> 00:55:31.989
without me over there. And I almost, I almost

00:55:31.989 --> 00:55:35.809
want to resign. Why? Because, like, I had to

00:55:35.809 --> 00:55:39.030
face the two bosses. Then, I like, tired lah.

00:55:39.340 --> 00:55:42.440
Just feel very tired easily. Okay, okay. Because

00:55:42.440 --> 00:55:45.440
when I met him, I know I can able to communicate

00:55:45.440 --> 00:55:48.340
in some way. Right. That I need to find someone

00:55:48.340 --> 00:55:49.860
to, you know, like distract my mind. Oh, why

00:55:49.860 --> 00:55:52.599
not? I make him as a friend. Yeah, I needed some

00:55:52.599 --> 00:55:57.420
companion. Then after that, what happened after

00:55:57.420 --> 00:55:59.659
that? After that, the two bosses, but during

00:55:59.659 --> 00:56:01.579
the interview, after he interviewed me, the two

00:56:01.579 --> 00:56:03.920
bosses came out. So they look at me like, if

00:56:03.920 --> 00:56:05.460
I don't pay you salary, everything, are you okay?

00:56:06.369 --> 00:56:08.849
Even if I pay you $12, even if I pay you $5,

00:56:09.110 --> 00:56:12.170
it's so big man. I just come here to help my

00:56:12.170 --> 00:56:13.969
mum only, that's all. So you want to pay me,

00:56:14.090 --> 00:56:16.570
you pass my salary to my mum, I don't care. And

00:56:16.570 --> 00:56:20.349
I was like, doing like this, up to you lah. Up

00:56:20.349 --> 00:56:22.530
to you, up to you. After the interview, I told

00:56:22.530 --> 00:56:24.769
the two bosses, you need to hire him. He has

00:56:24.769 --> 00:56:28.090
potential. To wash dishes. Not wash dishes. I

00:56:28.090 --> 00:56:31.789
think like to groom. To groom. To be able to

00:56:31.789 --> 00:56:36.929
groom as a leader. But the first time when they

00:56:36.929 --> 00:56:39.550
hired me, I was ready to commit to washing dish.

00:56:40.469 --> 00:56:42.530
Easy, freedom, don't need to think of anything.

00:56:42.650 --> 00:56:45.710
Just help my mom. Okay, let's go back. Okay,

00:56:45.829 --> 00:56:48.170
then what happened? Then after that, COVID happened,

00:56:48.309 --> 00:56:51.510
I came in. And I disappeared. Huh? I disappeared.

00:56:51.650 --> 00:56:54.650
So you disappeared from Blanco... Blanco... More

00:56:54.650 --> 00:56:58.630
like... Actually, I want to quit. Blanco Beef

00:56:58.630 --> 00:57:00.210
Ball Noodles, right? Blanco Cod Beef Noodles.

00:57:00.909 --> 00:57:03.989
It was in Blanco Cod, Blanco Cod. Yeah. Right?

00:57:04.329 --> 00:57:06.449
Yeah, you served me before. I think so. Yeah.

00:57:06.650 --> 00:57:13.590
I don't remember. And then? So I joined. Then

00:57:13.590 --> 00:57:15.070
I worked with him for a while. He was still part

00:57:15.070 --> 00:57:17.130
-time. Right. By the time, he was already cooking

00:57:17.130 --> 00:57:19.250
noodles instead of just washing dishes and all.

00:57:19.389 --> 00:57:22.269
Yeah. But he was still that dark person and he

00:57:22.269 --> 00:57:23.949
wanted to quit. You were cooking noodles for

00:57:23.949 --> 00:57:27.389
the beefball, the Blackwood Court beefball noodles.

00:57:27.809 --> 00:57:30.929
Okay. And then what happened? Then after that,

00:57:31.030 --> 00:57:35.150
COVID came. COVID came. But when he came in,

00:57:35.550 --> 00:57:38.650
he was trying to change the structure. Right.

00:57:38.730 --> 00:57:52.869
So me and my mom was like, whatever. But you

00:57:52.869 --> 00:57:55.570
want to know from my point of view? When I came

00:57:55.570 --> 00:57:59.130
in, I wanted to learn everything, correct? So

00:57:59.130 --> 00:58:01.369
I went to his mom, he was making soup. I asked,

00:58:01.429 --> 00:58:03.269
what's the recipe for the soup? Oh, you just

00:58:03.269 --> 00:58:05.090
take the spoon, put like that, then you taste.

00:58:05.289 --> 00:58:08.260
If too salty, then you put more sugar lah. So

00:58:08.260 --> 00:58:10.519
there was no recipe right? So there was no recipe

00:58:10.519 --> 00:58:10.719
right? So there was no recipe right? So there

00:58:10.719 --> 00:58:10.719
was no recipe right? So there was no recipe right?

00:58:10.719 --> 00:58:10.780
So there was no recipe right? So there was no

00:58:10.780 --> 00:58:11.860
recipe right? So there was no recipe right? So

00:58:11.860 --> 00:58:11.920
there was no recipe right? So there was no recipe

00:58:11.920 --> 00:58:11.920
right? So there was no recipe right? So there

00:58:11.920 --> 00:58:11.920
was no recipe right? So there was no recipe right?

00:58:11.920 --> 00:58:12.300
So there was no recipe right? So there was no

00:58:12.300 --> 00:58:12.579
recipe right? So there was no recipe right? So

00:58:12.579 --> 00:58:13.099
there was no recipe right? So there was no recipe

00:58:13.099 --> 00:58:13.699
right? So there was no recipe right? So there

00:58:13.699 --> 00:58:13.800
was no recipe right? So there was no recipe right?

00:58:13.800 --> 00:58:13.980
So there was no recipe right? So there was no

00:58:13.980 --> 00:58:14.559
recipe right? So there was no recipe right? So

00:58:14.559 --> 00:58:15.039
there was no recipe right? So there was no recipe

00:58:15.039 --> 00:58:16.599
right? So there was no recipe right? So there

00:58:16.599 --> 00:58:19.760
was no recipe right? So there was no recipe right?

00:58:20.639 --> 00:58:22.239
So there was no recipe right? So there was no

00:58:22.239 --> 00:58:25.500
recipe right? So there was no recipe right? anything

00:58:25.500 --> 00:58:28.639
my mom recipe is my recipe so it was it was very

00:58:28.639 --> 00:58:30.760
messy over there i wanted to like structure things

00:58:30.760 --> 00:58:33.320
right okay but it was hard to you know go into

00:58:33.320 --> 00:58:36.599
yeah trying to convince all these all these all

00:58:36.599 --> 00:58:38.619
these people in mind theory cannot like once

00:58:38.619 --> 00:58:40.780
one direction you cannot have multiple directions

00:58:40.780 --> 00:58:42.820
that's the reason why the one direction a lot

00:58:42.820 --> 00:58:46.139
of people like the bad luck okay this fellow

00:58:46.139 --> 00:58:48.260
one direction kick in the ocean or something

00:58:48.260 --> 00:58:51.280
really one direction really one direction yeah

00:58:51.280 --> 00:58:54.510
really one direction yeah so I had to keep disturbing

00:58:54.510 --> 00:58:57.190
him because I wanted to know more about him then

00:58:57.190 --> 00:58:59.010
I I was the one who hired him right so I wanted

00:58:59.010 --> 00:59:00.929
to see his potential and all and I could see

00:59:00.929 --> 00:59:03.369
like the way he worked that you know things he

00:59:03.369 --> 00:59:05.250
can be a better person he can be like the manager

00:59:05.250 --> 00:59:09.849
or even push himself to be higher right then

00:59:09.849 --> 00:59:13.110
what happened he wanted to quit then I convinced

00:59:13.110 --> 00:59:15.389
him take a break but when you come back come

00:59:15.389 --> 00:59:17.989
full time that was COVID COVID during COVID COVID,

00:59:18.110 --> 00:59:20.929
you couldn't really open right? No, for takeaway.

00:59:21.769 --> 00:59:24.869
But the takeaway order was a lot. Of course,

00:59:24.869 --> 00:59:27.110
people stay at home right? Stay at home. You're

00:59:27.110 --> 00:59:29.730
lucky you can go out, boss. And you're lucky

00:59:29.730 --> 00:59:31.849
you still got a job, boy. But at that time, the

00:59:31.849 --> 00:59:35.210
job, back then, doesn't really matter. Because

00:59:35.210 --> 00:59:38.150
I see my mum do a lot of heavy stuff, so she

00:59:38.150 --> 00:59:42.230
carry like 30kg or the dry sauce, so I couldn't

00:59:42.230 --> 00:59:44.949
take it. So I just be there. So as long as she's

00:59:44.949 --> 00:59:47.110
working, I'm there. But if she off, I'm off.

00:59:48.019 --> 00:59:50.780
So they were trying to convince me to, you know,

00:59:50.800 --> 00:59:53.179
commit weekend. So this is really a mother and

00:59:53.179 --> 00:59:56.699
son thing, huh? Yeah. So, and then one day he

00:59:56.699 --> 00:59:58.260
called me like, hey bro, you want to help me

00:59:58.260 --> 01:00:01.159
on the weekend? I said, ah, weekend, I let you

01:00:01.159 --> 01:00:03.119
know that I just hang out. I just hang and I

01:00:03.119 --> 01:00:06.019
continue watch my show. And because he was pestering

01:00:06.019 --> 01:00:08.380
me always. Always pestering me. Bugging you ah?

01:00:08.619 --> 01:00:11.019
Bugging me. Like, eh bro, you know, I come, you

01:00:11.019 --> 01:00:12.619
have a minute to talk. Like, what you want to

01:00:12.619 --> 01:00:16.000
talk? So it's like, you know, since we are in

01:00:16.000 --> 01:00:17.960
the company together already, why not I teach

01:00:17.960 --> 01:00:19.980
you how to be a matter manager. I said, give

01:00:19.980 --> 01:00:21.159
me five minutes. That time I call you back. But

01:00:21.159 --> 01:00:22.639
I never call you back. You take by God ah bro.

01:00:23.039 --> 01:00:25.519
Really, really annoying you know. So I, wah.

01:00:25.800 --> 01:00:27.639
Yeah man, I listen to you so I say, fucking annoying.

01:00:27.739 --> 01:00:31.159
Yeah, damn. Wah, like, wah. Then I wanted to

01:00:31.159 --> 01:00:33.400
block him you know. I'm only kidding. I'm only

01:00:33.400 --> 01:00:35.239
blocking him. Then I think, no, I cannot call

01:00:35.239 --> 01:00:39.300
my mom. Yeah, because my mom loved that place

01:00:39.300 --> 01:00:42.219
or near her house. And then she's also good terms

01:00:42.219 --> 01:00:45.460
with the, okay terms with the boss. So I just,

01:00:45.500 --> 01:00:47.659
okay, as long as she's there, I'm there. Yeah,

01:00:47.719 --> 01:00:49.960
like he said, want my dad. So when he tried to

01:00:49.960 --> 01:00:51.900
shift me around, I said, no, I have to be with

01:00:51.900 --> 01:00:55.039
my mom. Yeah. A lot of convincing, I tell you.

01:00:55.219 --> 01:00:57.340
Okay, then what happened? Let's hear it from

01:00:57.340 --> 01:00:59.300
you. What happened to him? So after a while,

01:00:59.320 --> 01:01:00.639
he decided to go full -time. I'm going to change

01:01:00.639 --> 01:01:02.219
the title of this episode. It's all about Kelvin.

01:01:02.519 --> 01:01:05.500
But the thing is, without meeting his mum, I

01:01:05.500 --> 01:01:08.840
wouldn't have got to try the laksa. So during

01:01:08.840 --> 01:01:10.400
my time over there, when I was taking care of

01:01:10.400 --> 01:01:12.079
that outlet, the mum will always cook laksa,

01:01:12.119 --> 01:01:15.099
the Thai laksa. Where? At the beef noodles. Really?

01:01:15.280 --> 01:01:18.599
Yeah. Okay, and then? As a staff meal. Oh, a

01:01:18.599 --> 01:01:20.519
staff meal. Okay. So I've read for me, you know

01:01:20.519 --> 01:01:21.940
what, I'm not familiar with all these ingredients.

01:01:22.199 --> 01:01:24.099
What, the pork skin, pork ball, and then plus

01:01:24.099 --> 01:01:27.059
the cotton flour. So I just try the soup. I try

01:01:27.059 --> 01:01:31.909
the soup. Wow. Haram but damn nice ah. I was

01:01:31.909 --> 01:01:35.469
about to go there. Okay. So after that, I ate

01:01:35.469 --> 01:01:38.829
the whole bowl. Yeah. I think, wah, okay lah,

01:01:38.849 --> 01:01:41.090
I think this is nice. At that point, I was just

01:01:41.090 --> 01:01:42.570
thinking like, back of head, oh, this is just

01:01:42.570 --> 01:01:44.829
nice. Okay. We didn't talk of like, opening a

01:01:44.829 --> 01:01:46.949
business and all. Right. But because of that,

01:01:47.030 --> 01:01:49.610
I got to try and got to, you know, find out that

01:01:49.610 --> 01:01:52.349
this Thai laksa is not in the market. Okay. So

01:01:52.349 --> 01:01:53.789
it's not in the market. It's not in the market.

01:01:53.909 --> 01:01:57.289
Even in a, currently, even in the Thai restaurants

01:01:57.289 --> 01:02:00.760
across Singapore, no one's selling it uh maybe

01:02:00.760 --> 01:02:03.519
one or two but it's not something where they

01:02:03.519 --> 01:02:04.900
will showcase and say like you know what this

01:02:04.900 --> 01:02:07.619
is the most popular dish you have on top basically

01:02:07.619 --> 01:02:09.860
they won't shut that one out too loudly correct

01:02:09.860 --> 01:02:12.860
okay you guys made this as your focal selling

01:02:12.860 --> 01:02:18.360
point now yep okay so you the so so so the idea

01:02:18.360 --> 01:02:23.320
for thai laksa for you guys came from kelvin's

01:02:23.320 --> 01:02:28.280
mom right your mom's thai Okay. And then what

01:02:28.280 --> 01:02:31.940
happened next? What was the aha moment that the

01:02:31.940 --> 01:02:35.019
two of you decided, screw this, we quit our jobs

01:02:35.019 --> 01:02:38.079
and we get this done? So same thing, the company

01:02:38.079 --> 01:02:40.820
we work, he became full -time. You want to cut

01:02:40.820 --> 01:02:42.500
the story short? No, no, no. It doesn't have

01:02:42.500 --> 01:02:44.139
to be that short. Cut it a little bit, but not

01:02:44.139 --> 01:02:46.300
that short. So after he became a manager, I managed

01:02:46.300 --> 01:02:48.940
to convince him. Then I started teaching him

01:02:48.940 --> 01:02:51.139
a lot of things. How to be a manager, how to

01:02:51.139 --> 01:02:53.619
do inventory, you know, food costs, all these

01:02:53.619 --> 01:02:56.099
things to make him more interested into. Trying

01:02:56.099 --> 01:02:58.559
to not work every day. Were you interested? No.

01:02:58.679 --> 01:03:00.639
Even when he was teaching you that? No, I was

01:03:00.639 --> 01:03:04.039
just like, how to say ah, pacify him. Eh, I really

01:03:04.039 --> 01:03:06.659
want to pacify him. Oh, okay. But I never execute.

01:03:07.559 --> 01:03:09.820
But I, of course I do. Yeah, I just like, oh.

01:03:09.920 --> 01:03:11.800
At the beginning, in the beginning. Oh, you teach

01:03:11.800 --> 01:03:14.539
me. Oh, wow. But when I go home, I just, I don't

01:03:14.539 --> 01:03:17.949
care lah. I don't care. And then he said in the

01:03:17.949 --> 01:03:20.369
beginning, eventually, did you really want to

01:03:20.369 --> 01:03:22.809
learn? Yes. After that, I want to be responsible

01:03:22.809 --> 01:03:26.969
a bit. Why? Because of the roles that I was given

01:03:26.969 --> 01:03:29.190
to. Right. And also I want to make the, because

01:03:29.190 --> 01:03:31.829
it's the company, so everyone grow. Because they

01:03:31.829 --> 01:03:35.389
need someone to be doing the right thing. Then

01:03:35.389 --> 01:03:36.710
after that, the rest will follow that example.

01:03:36.869 --> 01:03:39.869
Because I was the pioneer batch. So if I'm rebellious,

01:03:39.949 --> 01:03:41.869
then everybody, oh, this guy don't care, let's

01:03:41.869 --> 01:03:43.170
be rebellious. So suddenly you have this sense

01:03:43.170 --> 01:03:46.389
of responsibility, is it? Yes, because of one

01:03:46.389 --> 01:03:50.349
thing, my mum. It will impact your mother. Yes,

01:03:50.349 --> 01:03:52.590
because I don't make her lau kuih. Like, embarrassed,

01:03:52.829 --> 01:03:55.210
like, wow, your son, that one, wow, you work

01:03:55.210 --> 01:03:57.949
so hard. Actually, you love your folks quite

01:03:57.949 --> 01:04:04.130
a lot. Yes, quite a lot. Okay. Such a human story

01:04:04.130 --> 01:04:07.829
today. Really, such a human story. Salt the earth,

01:04:07.929 --> 01:04:13.480
man. yeah okay and then then after that I just

01:04:13.480 --> 01:04:16.539
by the same time he was convincing me to go other

01:04:16.539 --> 01:04:19.940
shop without my mom yeah then took me a while

01:04:19.940 --> 01:04:22.719
to talk to my mom you know my mom actually at

01:04:22.719 --> 01:04:25.579
first I was not okay after I'm okay but my mom

01:04:25.579 --> 01:04:27.219
still not okay cause it's like wait my son going

01:04:27.219 --> 01:04:28.940
somewhere far you know how can man he here to

01:04:28.940 --> 01:04:32.280
help me and everything how then I told my mom

01:04:32.280 --> 01:04:35.460
I'll be alright just time out you know it's like

01:04:36.280 --> 01:04:40.000
I need to go help the brand better to expand

01:04:40.000 --> 01:04:42.599
it so that we can sustain. And find your own

01:04:42.599 --> 01:04:46.760
wings. Yes. Okay. And then? Then after that,

01:04:46.920 --> 01:04:51.980
what happened? We opened a Tampines Hub. We opened

01:04:51.980 --> 01:04:53.440
one outlet restaurant over there. It was our

01:04:53.440 --> 01:04:55.260
first restaurant and he was the manager. He became

01:04:55.260 --> 01:04:57.760
a manager. Sorry, you opened where? Tampines

01:04:57.760 --> 01:05:01.719
Hub? Yeah. Okay. And what did you open? Blanco

01:05:01.719 --> 01:05:04.849
Cod Beef Noodles. Okay. Oh, that one. That was

01:05:04.849 --> 01:05:09.670
in 2020, 2022. The one on level one. Yes. That's

01:05:09.670 --> 01:05:13.190
no longer there. Okay. Yeah, that one because

01:05:13.190 --> 01:05:16.750
I left. So, it was a manager there taking care

01:05:16.750 --> 01:05:19.369
of everything. It was a manager there, yes. Right.

01:05:21.070 --> 01:05:23.449
So, from being depressed to being a part -time

01:05:23.449 --> 01:05:25.389
manager. I ate there once. Then after I become

01:05:25.389 --> 01:05:28.610
nurse, we got to take care of all the old people

01:05:28.610 --> 01:05:31.889
there. My crew is all old people. Like old folks

01:05:31.889 --> 01:05:33.449
home. Yeah, really old folks home. Yeah, that's

01:05:33.449 --> 01:05:35.230
true, that's true. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember

01:05:35.230 --> 01:05:37.650
that, yeah. A lot of old people working there.

01:05:37.670 --> 01:05:40.469
Yeah, working there. So I have to really, because

01:05:40.469 --> 01:05:43.869
some of them got some issues with their knee,

01:05:43.969 --> 01:05:45.690
so I'm very afraid. So I look, okay, then why

01:05:45.690 --> 01:05:48.369
you put there? So I tend to work more longer

01:05:48.369 --> 01:05:50.289
hours. Because you want to make sure you take

01:05:50.289 --> 01:05:52.769
the burden off them too. Yes. Yeah, but it's

01:05:52.769 --> 01:05:55.760
tiring. Really tiring. and then i so you became

01:05:55.760 --> 01:05:58.800
a manager of an outlet okay yeah let's move on

01:05:58.800 --> 01:06:01.440
then what happened next after that close down

01:06:01.440 --> 01:06:03.920
yeah the one i know but he left during the time

01:06:03.920 --> 01:06:05.539
after 10 minutes after a few months now it's

01:06:05.539 --> 01:06:09.579
fish and cold yeah okay yeah then after that

01:06:09.579 --> 01:06:12.900
i went to generation coffee generation coffee

01:06:12.900 --> 01:06:17.369
so we went back to coffee yeah but but But this

01:06:17.369 --> 01:06:20.230
one, Generation Coffee was my friend. Your mother

01:06:20.230 --> 01:06:22.349
was okay with you leaving Blanco Court? Yeah,

01:06:22.349 --> 01:06:26.269
because she says that she can, because I was

01:06:26.269 --> 01:06:29.170
leading a proper way of living, like in terms

01:06:29.170 --> 01:06:31.650
of like. So she could trust you? Yes. Okay, she

01:06:31.650 --> 01:06:34.929
was confident. Yes. And then I also told her

01:06:34.929 --> 01:06:36.690
about what's my plan next and next and next.

01:06:36.789 --> 01:06:38.349
So I always update her, okay, this one I'm going

01:06:38.349 --> 01:06:39.909
to do next, this one I'm going to do next. So

01:06:39.909 --> 01:06:43.130
she just okay. So you went to Generation Coffee,

01:06:43.269 --> 01:06:46.030
so it says you stayed in Blanco Court. Beef noodles.

01:06:46.309 --> 01:06:50.670
Until you went bankrupt. Did it? Okay. Yeah,

01:06:50.670 --> 01:06:53.469
you went bankrupt. Okay. I've heard it here for

01:06:53.469 --> 01:06:56.989
the first time. Okay, fine. Okay. Let's not go

01:06:56.989 --> 01:07:01.130
further than that. And then you stayed there

01:07:01.130 --> 01:07:04.050
until you went kaput. And then you moved on to

01:07:04.050 --> 01:07:07.969
Generation Coffee Roasters. And tell me what

01:07:07.969 --> 01:07:13.230
happened then. Then who? The one... It was my

01:07:13.230 --> 01:07:16.880
friend, that pooch. me to join him because he

01:07:16.880 --> 01:07:19.239
said it was nearby my house just like two minutes

01:07:19.239 --> 01:07:21.860
walk because we I stayed at 205 and then this

01:07:21.860 --> 01:07:27.000
product was at 216 right so it was a cafe yeah

01:07:27.000 --> 01:07:30.739
eh no hawker oh it was a hawker right so I go

01:07:30.739 --> 01:07:33.460
down to he tell me to come down and try the coffee

01:07:33.460 --> 01:07:35.079
so I like just oh I don't know how to box so

01:07:35.079 --> 01:07:37.099
I just anyhow lah then he look at me hey bro

01:07:37.099 --> 01:07:39.679
come ah join together lah join what together

01:07:39.679 --> 01:07:42.219
say but I was doing grab back then I was doing

01:07:42.219 --> 01:07:47.659
grab so I'm okay then Okay, so after Blanco Cod

01:07:47.659 --> 01:07:50.079
Beef Noodles closed down in OTH and Davenly Shop,

01:07:50.260 --> 01:07:53.360
you started doing grab food delivery. Yeah, but

01:07:53.360 --> 01:07:55.320
during the close down, I wasn't there really.

01:07:55.420 --> 01:07:58.340
I left three to four months before they closed

01:07:58.340 --> 01:08:01.179
down. No, six months. Six months. Why did you

01:08:01.179 --> 01:08:04.039
leave six months prior to that? Oh, due to some

01:08:04.039 --> 01:08:09.570
miscommunication with the management. The management.

01:08:09.809 --> 01:08:13.409
Ah. Yeah. So, eventually, you went south with

01:08:13.409 --> 01:08:15.849
the management there. Yeah. Because back then,

01:08:15.909 --> 01:08:22.329
we expanded a lot. Maybe him. Maybe him. He had

01:08:22.329 --> 01:08:24.829
one area manager that was taking care of him

01:08:24.829 --> 01:08:27.729
but didn't treat him right. Okay. So, you were

01:08:27.729 --> 01:08:32.010
dealing with a dickhead lah? Okay. Fine. Kind

01:08:32.010 --> 01:08:34.670
of a dickhead but wouldn't be a dickhead. He's

01:08:34.670 --> 01:08:37.600
executing according to what the boss need. Okay.

01:08:38.060 --> 01:08:41.699
Not bad, Sif. Not bad. Your diplomacy is better

01:08:41.699 --> 01:08:45.300
than mine. Okay, let's move on. You did grab

01:08:45.300 --> 01:08:47.739
food delivery. Then after that, you went into

01:08:47.739 --> 01:08:51.260
Generation Coffee Roasters. Your friend said,

01:08:51.319 --> 01:08:53.220
hey, come lah, bro. Do together lah. And then

01:08:53.220 --> 01:08:54.819
you went to do together with him lah. Yeah, do

01:08:54.819 --> 01:08:57.140
together. It's a business or what? Or as a worker?

01:08:57.340 --> 01:09:00.699
As a worker. As a worker. But people think that

01:09:00.699 --> 01:09:02.880
we are the boss, you see. So, and then the boss

01:09:02.880 --> 01:09:04.500
like, oh, you just tell the people lah that you

01:09:04.500 --> 01:09:06.479
are the boss and all. So, give you that. freedom

01:09:06.479 --> 01:09:08.199
to say you're the owner. You can F also, you're

01:09:08.199 --> 01:09:09.960
the one who can F. That's why I was like, really?

01:09:10.300 --> 01:09:14.359
He said, yeah, because he entrusts us his brand.

01:09:14.439 --> 01:09:17.609
So I just, ah, okay. Alright. Like, okay. And

01:09:17.609 --> 01:09:20.090
then what happened? After that, I stayed there

01:09:20.090 --> 01:09:24.170
for a year. Before... Why I stayed there for

01:09:24.170 --> 01:09:25.829
a year? So, building up the name, building the

01:09:25.829 --> 01:09:30.229
community, you know, get more... Regulars. Regulars,

01:09:30.390 --> 01:09:32.689
yeah. So, I want to create a family culture there.

01:09:32.829 --> 01:09:34.229
Right. So, when people come, eh, you know, your

01:09:34.229 --> 01:09:36.010
coffee's already there, eh. Not bad, eh? It's

01:09:36.010 --> 01:09:37.630
minority thinking that way, eh? Yeah, and then

01:09:37.630 --> 01:09:39.409
after that, at the same time when they come,

01:09:39.470 --> 01:09:41.310
so if they need help or they want to talk to

01:09:41.310 --> 01:09:44.130
me about their issues, I'm always there to listen.

01:09:44.449 --> 01:09:47.680
So, I just listen, listen. And then why I left

01:09:47.680 --> 01:09:50.340
is because he offered me a higher job. At Korea,

01:09:50.600 --> 01:09:54.800
the cafe there. Yeah, always one there. Because

01:09:54.800 --> 01:10:01.239
I was so peaceful. You zen already. Really zen

01:10:01.239 --> 01:10:03.100
already. They throw a meatball into your soup.

01:10:03.659 --> 01:10:05.319
But actually one of the reasons he joined is

01:10:05.319 --> 01:10:07.420
because he was planning to get a house. So he

01:10:07.420 --> 01:10:09.819
wanted a higher paying job. You were planning

01:10:09.819 --> 01:10:12.939
to get a house because you met someone. Ah, yes.

01:10:13.060 --> 01:10:17.350
Which is my wife. right now and because we want

01:10:17.350 --> 01:10:20.949
to we're going to marry and then i want to get

01:10:20.949 --> 01:10:24.029
a house and then i need higher salary so i got

01:10:24.029 --> 01:10:26.750
some a bit of dispute with my bosses actually

01:10:26.750 --> 01:10:29.470
two of them this one ah yeah this one generation

01:10:29.470 --> 01:10:31.930
coffee yeah then i told him i need the increment

01:10:31.930 --> 01:10:40.869
like just you know you need to do according to

01:10:40.869 --> 01:10:43.779
what the what what the leader had to do that

01:10:43.779 --> 01:10:46.100
huh i've been doing everything all leader i i

01:10:46.100 --> 01:10:48.359
sense talk i do yeah basically they keep tapping

01:10:48.359 --> 01:10:53.399
break so i just okay fine i just then just nice

01:10:53.399 --> 01:10:57.439
when he come yeah so so so he messaged me hey

01:10:57.439 --> 01:11:00.460
bro i didn't know you married that sir of course

01:11:00.460 --> 01:11:03.579
but you got married already yeah but i go i go

01:11:04.380 --> 01:11:06.340
I go silent. I never let anyone know about my

01:11:06.340 --> 01:11:08.659
life. I didn't contact him for one. So undercover

01:11:08.659 --> 01:11:11.180
marriage? Yeah. Undercover marriage, wedding.

01:11:11.279 --> 01:11:15.380
It's just an outram. Legally married? Yeah, legally.

01:11:15.600 --> 01:11:18.060
I don't let anybody know about my life. What

01:11:18.060 --> 01:11:21.659
I'm doing and all. 93 ,000 people now know. Okay.

01:11:25.020 --> 01:11:28.119
Then after that, he approached me and said, hey,

01:11:28.260 --> 01:11:29.979
don't I have a job? You know, I can offer you

01:11:29.979 --> 01:11:31.960
a hire. So I was like, money sounds good. Then

01:11:31.960 --> 01:11:34.579
I asked him the next condition. can my wife work

01:11:34.579 --> 01:11:38.140
together? Ah, that's because I want my wife to,

01:11:38.180 --> 01:11:40.420
you know. This fella lah. Yeah, this fella. Say

01:11:40.420 --> 01:11:43.539
can, but be professional. Wah, everything is

01:11:43.539 --> 01:11:46.659
okay. Wah, so good lah. Okay, then actually submit

01:11:46.659 --> 01:11:52.539
a letter. Hang on a second. When your last employer

01:11:52.539 --> 01:11:56.279
shut down or shutting down or didn't go too well

01:11:56.279 --> 01:11:58.739
and you decide to leave, what happened with you?

01:11:58.779 --> 01:12:01.180
Where did you go? You went to the Korean business.

01:12:01.479 --> 01:12:02.880
Correct, I went to the Korean. I got poached

01:12:02.880 --> 01:12:05.340
actually. what say he gonna tell you they got

01:12:05.340 --> 01:12:08.800
poached oh this is a very interesting story so

01:12:08.800 --> 01:12:13.100
on we actually managed to master franchise one

01:12:13.100 --> 01:12:17.119
brand called Go Pizza then after that the CEO

01:12:17.119 --> 01:12:20.199
of Go Pizza offered me a job with this Korean

01:12:20.199 --> 01:12:23.060
company right and that's why I left okay okay

01:12:23.060 --> 01:12:26.319
okay now let's fast forward a bit okay because

01:12:26.319 --> 01:12:30.600
in the interest of time so now You left, you

01:12:30.600 --> 01:12:32.680
went there, you called him, told him, yay, we're

01:12:32.680 --> 01:12:36.220
back together again. So then you, but initially

01:12:36.220 --> 01:12:39.180
earlier on, when Blanco caught beef bowl noodles,

01:12:39.279 --> 01:12:42.079
you guys have already tried his mom's Thai laksa.

01:12:42.739 --> 01:12:46.979
How did the idea to come into partnership together

01:12:46.979 --> 01:12:50.859
with your laksa, with Thai laksa, come about?

01:12:51.779 --> 01:12:53.579
Actually, initially we wanted to do coffee first.

01:12:54.020 --> 01:12:57.000
Okay. Because, you know, he's interested in coffee.

01:12:58.079 --> 01:13:01.060
But I was against it because of the competitor.

01:13:01.539 --> 01:13:06.939
And also the supplier, they were up the price.

01:13:07.399 --> 01:13:09.819
Because they know that I'm going to open and

01:13:09.819 --> 01:13:12.880
then can say that I have a bit of name in coffee

01:13:12.880 --> 01:13:15.119
industry. Not forgetting coffee beans, commodity.

01:13:15.619 --> 01:13:19.420
Yeah, traded commodity. Up. Of course, of course.

01:13:19.520 --> 01:13:21.760
There's a difficulty about that. Because he left

01:13:21.760 --> 01:13:23.880
the current company. Yeah. Because he was getting

01:13:23.880 --> 01:13:26.760
a bit haywire once we got a lot of new bosses

01:13:26.760 --> 01:13:29.210
coming in. Right. Then after that, I left because

01:13:29.210 --> 01:13:31.550
I had to take care of my mum. Yeah. And then

01:13:31.550 --> 01:13:33.529
I got nothing to do, right? So we thought that

01:13:33.529 --> 01:13:34.949
maybe we can start something together. So you

01:13:34.949 --> 01:13:38.510
left without a job. You left without a job. And

01:13:38.510 --> 01:13:40.069
then what happened? The two of you decided that

01:13:40.069 --> 01:13:43.170
you just can't go on like this? After that, I

01:13:43.170 --> 01:13:46.489
go back to the current company because it's part

01:13:46.489 --> 01:13:49.149
-time. Because they wanted my wife to work. So

01:13:49.149 --> 01:13:52.529
I say, Ken, one condition. My wife work, I work.

01:13:53.320 --> 01:13:56.840
Because I need to look after her in case they

01:13:56.840 --> 01:14:02.840
overwork her or what. Then go back together.

01:14:03.159 --> 01:14:05.680
So I told them, you can put me and her on shift.

01:14:05.779 --> 01:14:08.399
It's okay. I mean, we really manage it already.

01:14:08.600 --> 01:14:12.199
So how you want to arrange the manpower later

01:14:12.199 --> 01:14:16.960
on, that's you guys decide. Okay. Right. And

01:14:16.960 --> 01:14:22.039
after that, that's where we... halfway, we talk

01:14:22.039 --> 01:14:26.600
about opening together. Yeah. Okay. And then

01:14:26.600 --> 01:14:28.960
you all start talking about starting the business.

01:14:29.199 --> 01:14:32.800
How did the Thai Laksa came up to be the dish

01:14:32.800 --> 01:14:36.039
that you guys have decided to be, to use as your

01:14:36.039 --> 01:14:39.439
USP, as your unique selling point? Can I easily

01:14:39.439 --> 01:14:42.279
say that it is your unique selling point? Thai

01:14:42.279 --> 01:14:45.670
Laksa. Correct. That is your main go -to dish,

01:14:45.810 --> 01:14:47.729
correct? Correct. That's what I said earlier

01:14:47.729 --> 01:14:51.250
on. The granddaddy of all in your shop is Thai

01:14:51.250 --> 01:14:55.050
laksa. Nam Ngao. Nam Ngao. Nam Ngao. Correct.

01:14:55.489 --> 01:15:00.670
Nam Ngao. There's this thing in your tongue that

01:15:00.670 --> 01:15:05.770
rolls. Nam Ngao. Okay. So why did you decide

01:15:05.770 --> 01:15:09.090
that that would be the go -to dish? Why? Initially,

01:15:09.090 --> 01:15:13.890
we wanted to franchise out Amy Laksa. Yeah. There's

01:15:13.890 --> 01:15:15.949
this brand called Amy Laksa at Bedok. All right.

01:15:16.109 --> 01:15:18.649
So she actually had plans to close down. This

01:15:18.649 --> 01:15:20.949
is what kind of Laksa? Local Laksa? It's Peranakan.

01:15:21.850 --> 01:15:23.909
Peranakan Laksa. Peranakan, which is Penang Laksa.

01:15:23.930 --> 01:15:26.909
Yeah. Asam Laksa. Correct. Asam Laksa. Asam...

01:15:26.909 --> 01:15:28.989
Don't think so. It's Asam Laksa. No, it's Asam

01:15:28.989 --> 01:15:32.529
Laksa. Peranakan is Asam Laksa. Penang Laksa.

01:15:32.789 --> 01:15:35.869
Because this one is based on our... They got

01:15:35.869 --> 01:15:37.829
fish, right? Got fish, is that right? Yeah, yeah.

01:15:38.010 --> 01:15:40.420
Peranakan. Yeah, Asam Laksa. But I never tried

01:15:40.420 --> 01:15:42.720
before her laksa. So I just thought it's coconut

01:15:42.720 --> 01:15:45.779
milk and... Okay. It's not coconut milk, bro.

01:15:45.859 --> 01:15:48.460
Yeah. Okay. And then what happened? You guys

01:15:48.460 --> 01:15:51.319
wanted to buy the franchise? Wanted to get because

01:15:51.319 --> 01:15:54.100
what made us want to start the business was because

01:15:54.100 --> 01:15:57.500
of his regular customer. Right. So... You got

01:15:57.500 --> 01:15:59.960
regular duty by then? Yes. During coffee time?

01:15:59.979 --> 01:16:02.220
In the coffee... And that guy wanted to invest

01:16:02.220 --> 01:16:05.119
in him. Wow. Okay. Yeah, one of the regulars.

01:16:05.199 --> 01:16:07.960
Wow. He's a lawyer. Right. He used to run his

01:16:07.960 --> 01:16:11.000
own law firm. Right. So that's when we, he introduced

01:16:11.000 --> 01:16:13.600
me to him. And then he said, why not just do

01:16:13.600 --> 01:16:15.239
a business together? He's willing to invest in

01:16:15.239 --> 01:16:18.359
us. Okay. Yeah. And that's when the venture started.

01:16:18.619 --> 01:16:21.920
Right. Wanted to do Amy Laksa because he was

01:16:21.920 --> 01:16:24.500
interested in Amy Laksa. He wanted to sell the

01:16:24.500 --> 01:16:27.500
business and then he wanted to try to grab the

01:16:27.500 --> 01:16:29.560
business. Right. Okay. But it didn't turn out

01:16:29.560 --> 01:16:32.819
well. Then after that, because you know Laksa,

01:16:32.880 --> 01:16:35.119
right? Then came to this mind, what about my

01:16:35.119 --> 01:16:39.930
mum's Laksa? I think, yeah, your mom's laksa,

01:16:40.029 --> 01:16:44.329
long time never try already. So the next day,

01:16:44.390 --> 01:16:46.550
went to go visit his mom. That's what happened.

01:16:46.850 --> 01:16:49.350
Yeah. And then how was your mom's reception to

01:16:49.350 --> 01:16:52.050
you guys deciding to use Thai laksa, her Thai

01:16:52.050 --> 01:16:54.890
laksa recipe? Don't tell me there's no recipe.

01:16:56.289 --> 01:16:58.789
There is, right? There is, there is. Okay. It's

01:16:58.789 --> 01:17:00.409
the same recipe, but we had to like, you know,

01:17:00.430 --> 01:17:04.010
tweak it a bit because she used agar ration.

01:17:04.149 --> 01:17:07.100
No, she just, yeah. And you decided to start

01:17:07.100 --> 01:17:10.760
a stall instead of a restaurant. Yep. Why? Low

01:17:10.760 --> 01:17:13.619
risk. Low risk. Because one, the item was not

01:17:13.619 --> 01:17:16.539
in the market. Okay. So we don't know how it

01:17:16.539 --> 01:17:19.420
will cater to people's palate. Yep. So we started

01:17:19.420 --> 01:17:22.079
with a very small shop at low risk. Bedok 85

01:17:22.079 --> 01:17:24.039
or Feng Chan Market, they're famous for their

01:17:24.039 --> 01:17:27.000
bat chow mein, the barbecue stingray. Do you

01:17:27.000 --> 01:17:29.279
know that even a satay bee hoon there is a Michelin

01:17:29.279 --> 01:17:32.550
star in 2018? Yeah, I know. Yeah. And you guys,

01:17:32.710 --> 01:17:34.890
new kids in the block with a completely different

01:17:34.890 --> 01:17:37.670
cuisine, and you're going to that bloody place

01:17:37.670 --> 01:17:42.069
that everyone is like there for all these, you

01:17:42.069 --> 01:17:44.310
know, super famous in Singapore kind of food.

01:17:45.930 --> 01:17:49.569
Why? Because you wanted the footfall part of

01:17:49.569 --> 01:17:52.909
the footfall? You want to be able to be feeding

01:17:52.909 --> 01:17:56.689
off part of the customer base or what? One, that's

01:17:56.689 --> 01:17:58.590
one reason. Then at second or so, we were quite,

01:17:58.670 --> 01:18:00.489
at that point, we were quite desperate to just

01:18:00.489 --> 01:18:02.630
start something. Because one, the rent was cheap.

01:18:02.810 --> 01:18:04.890
Second, it was the closest to our house. Right.

01:18:05.489 --> 01:18:07.649
Because we both stay at Bedok. We cycle around,

01:18:07.770 --> 01:18:09.229
that cycle like five minutes and we reach the

01:18:09.229 --> 01:18:11.630
shop. So we took the risk and opened the shop.

01:18:11.909 --> 01:18:13.689
I did all the calculations and then thought,

01:18:13.829 --> 01:18:16.050
you know what? It's very hard to lose money over

01:18:16.050 --> 01:18:20.430
here. Let's just do it. Okay. Our hawker culture

01:18:20.430 --> 01:18:25.229
used to be, or I can say it's known to be affordable,

01:18:25.329 --> 01:18:28.359
but it doesn't really happen. Is that way much

01:18:28.359 --> 01:18:31.899
anymore? No more. Do you feel a pressure to keep

01:18:31.899 --> 01:18:34.960
your prices low, even as costs rise? Yeah, definitely.

01:18:35.819 --> 01:18:38.460
Yeah? Because especially at 85 itself, we have

01:18:38.460 --> 01:18:40.420
a lot more older folks, right? Yeah. They're

01:18:40.420 --> 01:18:43.220
all very price sensitive. Mm -hmm. So we decided

01:18:43.220 --> 01:18:44.819
on the price. Initially, we wanted to do like

01:18:44.819 --> 01:18:47.319
$6 .50. But we had to ask around, you know what,

01:18:47.380 --> 01:18:49.260
$6 .50 is a bit too expensive. And then the shop

01:18:49.260 --> 01:18:50.880
beside us is selling like chicken rice for like

01:18:50.880 --> 01:18:54.699
$3. So we decided to keep it at $5 .50. Okay.

01:18:55.340 --> 01:18:59.609
Okay. You're going to be moving soon to, pardon

01:18:59.609 --> 01:19:01.770
me, my brain's getting really bad as I get older

01:19:01.770 --> 01:19:06.090
and older. Block 416. Okay, Biddle North Avenue

01:19:06.090 --> 01:19:10.170
2. Any reason why, particularly reason why you're

01:19:10.170 --> 01:19:15.289
leaving the hotspot, Biddle 85, all the way there?

01:19:15.489 --> 01:19:18.210
We got enough data already. So we have this...

01:19:19.020 --> 01:19:21.939
We have a customer like Chris who comes down

01:19:21.939 --> 01:19:24.199
and said the laksa was good. So it's this kind

01:19:24.199 --> 01:19:25.800
of customers. You're talking about this Chris?

01:19:27.020 --> 01:19:32.279
So it's this kind of customers that tells us

01:19:32.279 --> 01:19:34.520
that, you know what, the laksa is perfect. We

01:19:34.520 --> 01:19:36.359
need to spread it out even more. So that's why

01:19:36.359 --> 01:19:38.180
we decided to move to a bigger store. So it is

01:19:38.180 --> 01:19:42.600
bigger. Correct. Right. How about, you know,

01:19:42.600 --> 01:19:44.579
safety nets, you know, being self -employed,

01:19:44.619 --> 01:19:48.189
right? Like paid sick leave. And all the other

01:19:48.189 --> 01:19:51.670
perks and benefits you get as an employee. How

01:19:51.670 --> 01:19:53.750
do you prepare for the unexpected in this industry?

01:19:53.869 --> 01:19:55.510
Now there's self -employed people, you know,

01:19:55.510 --> 01:19:58.989
the demands that you, the demands you show up

01:19:58.989 --> 01:20:02.289
every day. How do you, how do you? Towards other

01:20:02.289 --> 01:20:03.630
people, they will think like, you know what?

01:20:04.029 --> 01:20:05.670
Opening your own business must be, you know what,

01:20:05.670 --> 01:20:07.289
so nice, you know, you got your own time, you

01:20:07.289 --> 01:20:08.710
get to do anything. But F &B is very different,

01:20:08.810 --> 01:20:11.489
right? Yeah. Because we can spend 12, 14 hours

01:20:11.489 --> 01:20:13.529
in the shop. Yeah. And then after that, if you're

01:20:13.529 --> 01:20:15.369
sick, like you said, you just close the shop.

01:20:16.090 --> 01:20:18.840
Yeah. Then we have to pay for, you know, we have

01:20:18.840 --> 01:20:20.680
to get the losses of the revenue because we're

01:20:20.680 --> 01:20:22.880
not operating a shop. Then on top of it, you

01:20:22.880 --> 01:20:24.060
know, you have to man your own sickness, go to

01:20:24.060 --> 01:20:25.399
the clinic. So all of these are added costs.

01:20:26.880 --> 01:20:30.239
So definitely, the risks that you have to bear,

01:20:30.380 --> 01:20:35.180
and have you guys been bearing it well? How long

01:20:35.180 --> 01:20:37.300
have you guys been in operations? Seven months.

01:20:37.680 --> 01:20:41.100
Wow, it's been a real short time. How's business

01:20:41.100 --> 01:20:44.579
been? Okay, we are able to survive, thankfully.

01:20:45.930 --> 01:20:48.470
but it's not enough for us. Yeah. So that's why

01:20:48.470 --> 01:20:50.010
we're moving to the bigger shop to take a big,

01:20:50.029 --> 01:20:52.449
slightly bigger risk. Slightly bigger risk, but

01:20:52.449 --> 01:20:54.869
you're expecting a slightly higher return. Correct.

01:20:55.050 --> 01:20:56.909
Do you think it's going to work? Definitely because

01:20:56.909 --> 01:20:58.810
we're expanding our menu. Instead of four items,

01:20:58.909 --> 01:21:00.810
we have like 15 items. Wow, ballsy man. Your

01:21:00.810 --> 01:21:02.810
friend, your partner just said definitely, you

01:21:02.810 --> 01:21:07.390
know. Can you tell me why besides the expanded

01:21:07.390 --> 01:21:10.689
menu? I mean, we have to look at footfall and

01:21:10.689 --> 01:21:12.750
all that, don't you think? Correct. Yeah. Okay,

01:21:12.810 --> 01:21:15.750
and so why do you tell me that it's definitely

01:21:15.750 --> 01:21:18.210
going to work? So the landlord that we're working

01:21:18.210 --> 01:21:21.130
with has been really nice to us. He just took

01:21:21.130 --> 01:21:23.649
over the coffee shop. Yeah. He gave us a really

01:21:23.649 --> 01:21:26.949
good price on the rent. Yeah. And on top of it,

01:21:26.989 --> 01:21:29.569
he's revamping the whole coffee shop. So when

01:21:29.569 --> 01:21:31.750
we are joining him, we are the so -called pioneers

01:21:31.750 --> 01:21:33.529
of the new coffee shop. Right. So we'll be doing

01:21:33.529 --> 01:21:35.430
a lot of marketing together. Okay, new fresh

01:21:35.430 --> 01:21:38.069
marketing. Correct. So you're expecting all that

01:21:38.069 --> 01:21:40.430
to happen? Yes. Okay, Kelvin, how about you?

01:21:40.470 --> 01:21:42.729
What do you think? How confident are you, man?

01:21:44.449 --> 01:21:49.109
50 -50. 50 -50. Just do it according to the flow.

01:21:49.930 --> 01:21:53.210
Because what happens, what happens, I just have

01:21:53.210 --> 01:21:56.569
to... When bad thing... My mindset was already

01:21:56.569 --> 01:21:58.670
is that bad thing is going to come, right? We

01:21:58.670 --> 01:22:00.949
find to figure out a way how to make things better.

01:22:01.350 --> 01:22:04.369
But this one also, Zaryf taught me that. Like,

01:22:04.390 --> 01:22:06.750
things can happen. We can't control, but we can

01:22:06.750 --> 01:22:09.890
minimize. Yeah, we can minimize damage and all,

01:22:09.970 --> 01:22:16.659
and then... see what solution we can do to save

01:22:16.659 --> 01:22:18.920
it. Okay, but you two guys learned how to cook

01:22:18.920 --> 01:22:21.220
eventually, right? Oh yeah, actually we both

01:22:21.220 --> 01:22:23.579
didn't have any walk experience. You went to

01:22:23.579 --> 01:22:26.579
YouTube, huh? You went on YouTube and then you

01:22:26.579 --> 01:22:28.659
started watching YouTube grandfathers, bloody

01:22:28.659 --> 01:22:30.619
hell. Then how did you all end up doing all this?

01:22:30.800 --> 01:22:31.800
Do you want to know the best thing about the

01:22:31.800 --> 01:22:34.300
laksa? Yeah. The mom was supposed to come and

01:22:34.300 --> 01:22:36.500
teach us. It was two days before opening. Yeah.

01:22:37.380 --> 01:22:41.140
We learned through video call. Really? Yes. Because

01:22:41.140 --> 01:22:45.060
my mom got into a car accident. She got banged

01:22:45.060 --> 01:22:48.800
by a car. So, hospitalized for 10 days. And it's

01:22:48.800 --> 01:22:51.619
charged against medical advice. So, there was

01:22:51.619 --> 01:22:55.159
a lot of... But she was injured, you see. So,

01:22:55.220 --> 01:22:58.539
she tried to recall what the recipe inside, what

01:22:58.539 --> 01:23:01.020
is the aggravation she put. She must feel so

01:23:01.020 --> 01:23:07.140
bad about that. And he... Honest, the first step,

01:23:07.180 --> 01:23:11.430
right? I lost. I was completely lost. So he said,

01:23:11.510 --> 01:23:13.069
don't worry, bro. I got your back. You know,

01:23:13.210 --> 01:23:15.949
you know, you have faith in me. You just tell

01:23:15.949 --> 01:23:18.529
your mom to write down the things. We use the

01:23:18.529 --> 01:23:21.810
archive. So he used his best experience in BC

01:23:21.810 --> 01:23:23.850
Pranko call, everything, all the knowledge and

01:23:23.850 --> 01:23:26.130
put inside. And then he create the broth for

01:23:26.130 --> 01:23:30.430
me. Yeah. So he helped me. How do you do that?

01:23:30.489 --> 01:23:32.890
You don't even know. You don't even cook. At

01:23:32.890 --> 01:23:36.180
that time. I cook a lot at home. Oh, okay. And

01:23:36.180 --> 01:23:37.979
then also because of the beef noodles, because

01:23:37.979 --> 01:23:40.159
it's soup also. I understand the whole process

01:23:40.159 --> 01:23:42.579
of soup making. So that's why I just told the

01:23:42.579 --> 01:23:44.020
mum, you know what, just give me the ingredients.

01:23:44.800 --> 01:23:46.340
Roughly tell me how much you put inside your

01:23:46.340 --> 01:23:48.739
spoon and I'll estimate. Then we'll taste it

01:23:48.739 --> 01:23:51.560
along the way. Okay. Then he was the best person

01:23:51.560 --> 01:23:53.699
to taste, right? So after adjusting, adjusting,

01:23:53.720 --> 01:23:55.260
adjusting. Why is he the best person to taste?

01:23:55.500 --> 01:23:57.460
Because he eats his mum since young. Okay, okay.

01:23:57.800 --> 01:23:59.479
That's fair, that's fair, that's fair. It was

01:23:59.479 --> 01:24:01.859
a dumbass question. That was a dumbass question.

01:24:02.079 --> 01:24:05.220
My fault. Right. So after adjusting so much,

01:24:05.340 --> 01:24:07.659
then we got that bowl and he tried and he said,

01:24:07.720 --> 01:24:11.020
wow, tastes exactly like my mom. Then we knew

01:24:11.020 --> 01:24:16.579
we got it already. Okay. That's cool. What advice

01:24:16.579 --> 01:24:19.479
would you give to someone who wants to follow

01:24:19.479 --> 01:24:23.680
in your footsteps? One, you have to be mentally

01:24:23.680 --> 01:24:28.619
prepared. Second, don't take risks without calculating.

01:24:28.680 --> 01:24:31.439
Everything has to be calculated in terms of like,

01:24:31.560 --> 01:24:33.689
when you want to start a shop, How much money

01:24:33.689 --> 01:24:34.989
you're going to put in? How much money do you

01:24:34.989 --> 01:24:37.850
potentially lose? Everything has to be calculated,

01:24:38.149 --> 01:24:39.909
right? You need to have backup funds too, right?

01:24:39.989 --> 01:24:42.569
Correct. And you have to weigh your risk and

01:24:42.569 --> 01:24:44.069
whether you're able to accept it. If you're able

01:24:44.069 --> 01:24:47.369
to accept it, then you can go ahead. Okay. And

01:24:47.369 --> 01:24:50.149
also the hard work you have to put in. Because

01:24:50.149 --> 01:24:52.369
some people do like, you know, they're expecting

01:24:52.369 --> 01:24:54.270
of like, if I work these hours, I'm expecting

01:24:54.270 --> 01:24:58.750
salary or... this much but sometimes you know

01:24:58.750 --> 01:25:02.090
the customer is a come and go thing so some days

01:25:02.090 --> 01:25:04.770
can be bad some days can be good but the bad

01:25:04.770 --> 01:25:07.350
days like raining days right it can be demoralizing

01:25:07.350 --> 01:25:10.630
yeah so you have like he said to be mentally

01:25:10.630 --> 01:25:14.810
prepared and don't be disheartened by it to the

01:25:14.810 --> 01:25:16.810
people out there the viewers don't be disheartened

01:25:16.810 --> 01:25:18.289
when you start a business always going to be

01:25:18.289 --> 01:25:22.430
good and bad just be And most importantly, you

01:25:22.430 --> 01:25:24.590
have to always ask yourself what can be improved.

01:25:25.210 --> 01:25:27.590
You can't remain stagnant, right? You can't always

01:25:27.590 --> 01:25:29.069
be at the shop thinking like, you know, I'm just

01:25:29.069 --> 01:25:30.390
going to cook and sell, cook and sell, cook and

01:25:30.390 --> 01:25:31.649
sell. You have to keep asking yourself what should

01:25:31.649 --> 01:25:34.670
be improved. Are you two guys still excited about

01:25:34.670 --> 01:25:37.409
your venture? Yeah, of course. At this stage?

01:25:38.289 --> 01:25:40.689
Okay. Despite, I'm pretty sure you went through,

01:25:40.710 --> 01:25:42.989
ran into some walls over the last seven months,

01:25:43.050 --> 01:25:45.710
right? We didn't take salary for the first four

01:25:45.710 --> 01:25:49.489
months. Okay. Yeah. Are you guys still excited?

01:25:49.880 --> 01:25:51.619
Tell me the truth. Yeah, of course, of course.

01:25:52.119 --> 01:25:57.260
Are you still excited? It's 80 % excited. What's

01:25:57.260 --> 01:26:00.819
the 30 % about? 20 % is, how do I say? Uncertainty?

01:26:01.779 --> 01:26:05.140
It's not uncertainty. It's just, it became part

01:26:05.140 --> 01:26:07.220
of the life already. Like just, okay, just do

01:26:07.220 --> 01:26:09.979
it. You know, like I'm excited, but it's like,

01:26:10.020 --> 01:26:12.659
it will just eventually happen along the way.

01:26:12.699 --> 01:26:15.890
So just. I think the most important because the

01:26:15.890 --> 01:26:17.229
main reason is that he's going to be a father

01:26:17.229 --> 01:26:19.609
right so yeah sometimes you need security which

01:26:19.609 --> 01:26:23.609
congratulations my friend thank you yeah okay

01:26:23.609 --> 01:26:26.510
that security is still definitely you want to

01:26:26.510 --> 01:26:29.890
have that security okay he's a pragmatist this

01:26:29.890 --> 01:26:37.859
guy uh okay all right what's your end game for

01:26:37.859 --> 01:26:39.939
your business? Is there an end game? Some people,

01:26:39.960 --> 01:26:41.720
you know, they tell me, Chris, I eventually have

01:26:41.720 --> 01:26:44.039
built a brand and then end up selling the business

01:26:44.039 --> 01:26:47.020
to someone else for a bundle, you know? So some

01:26:47.020 --> 01:26:49.380
people is like that. For some people, they want

01:26:49.380 --> 01:26:50.960
to turn it into a legacy business where they

01:26:50.960 --> 01:26:53.319
hand down to the next, to the next, to the next,

01:26:53.359 --> 01:26:56.520
you know? Or I want to eventually one day license

01:26:56.520 --> 01:26:59.359
it or franchise it out. What's your end game?

01:26:59.739 --> 01:27:02.199
Is there an end game? Yes, definitely. What's

01:27:02.199 --> 01:27:05.439
the end game? Sell the business. Of course, if

01:27:05.439 --> 01:27:07.020
you have the opportunity to expand, of course,

01:27:07.020 --> 01:27:08.260
you have the opportunity to franchise, we'll

01:27:08.260 --> 01:27:10.960
do it. And if somebody wants to buy over, just

01:27:10.960 --> 01:27:14.279
buy over at the right valuation. Okay. Last question

01:27:14.279 --> 01:27:17.779
for the both of you. Do not hesitate in your

01:27:17.779 --> 01:27:20.340
answer. Yeah? If you hesitate, I know you're

01:27:20.340 --> 01:27:25.000
lying. Because this is our series signature question

01:27:25.000 --> 01:27:27.399
for this series, okay? For the I Love My Job

01:27:27.399 --> 01:27:32.399
series. Ready? Yeah. Do you truly love your job?

01:27:33.560 --> 01:27:41.779
Yes, definitely. Okay. Why? I grew up with it.

01:27:42.520 --> 01:27:45.460
Initially, at the start, I was a bit lost because

01:27:45.460 --> 01:27:46.880
I didn't know what to do, right, in the beginning.

01:27:47.220 --> 01:27:50.979
Started working in a bar, customer service. Then

01:27:50.979 --> 01:27:52.760
when I was like 25 years old, I went to backpack

01:27:52.760 --> 01:27:56.840
by myself. to find out more about myself. Yeah,

01:27:56.840 --> 01:27:59.899
this part you left out earlier on. There's a

01:27:59.899 --> 01:28:04.479
lot of gaps. I don't want to interrupt and say

01:28:04.479 --> 01:28:10.380
that your backpack experience. I was going through

01:28:10.380 --> 01:28:13.279
that quarter life crisis. I even studied psychology

01:28:13.279 --> 01:28:14.779
before that. Can I please kick you real hard

01:28:14.779 --> 01:28:18.779
in the ass with quarter life crisis? Okay, and

01:28:18.779 --> 01:28:21.239
then... So I just wanted to explore the world.

01:28:21.300 --> 01:28:23.340
Yeah, all right. Where did you go? I went to,

01:28:23.359 --> 01:28:26.579
I started from Nepal, then to Yunnan, to Laos,

01:28:26.779 --> 01:28:30.199
then to Vietnam and Thailand. Okay. Basically,

01:28:30.380 --> 01:28:32.159
you're still in Asia, within the Asian region.

01:28:32.220 --> 01:28:35.060
Okay. And then? Then after that, I came back

01:28:35.060 --> 01:28:38.560
to Singapore. I didn't know what to do. So I

01:28:38.560 --> 01:28:43.220
went back to FNP. But what really, drove me to

01:28:43.220 --> 01:28:45.619
get that passion in F &B was because of when

01:28:45.619 --> 01:28:48.659
I worked in Beef Noodles and also the Korean

01:28:48.659 --> 01:28:51.520
company because I found out my true skill sets

01:28:51.520 --> 01:28:55.319
or what I could offer. And that's where my passion

01:28:55.319 --> 01:28:58.699
of F &B grew even more. Okay. So that's your

01:28:58.699 --> 01:29:02.960
why. Correct. How about you? For me, it's like

01:29:02.960 --> 01:29:06.979
because when I first started F &B, it's difficult.

01:29:07.220 --> 01:29:10.500
But along the way, you know, some customers I

01:29:10.500 --> 01:29:13.069
met, right? i became part of their life we became

01:29:13.069 --> 01:29:15.890
friends you see and then it allows me to connect

01:29:15.890 --> 01:29:20.489
to people more understanding more and so so because

01:29:20.489 --> 01:29:22.949
of me being there part of their life right it

01:29:22.949 --> 01:29:24.850
gave me the sense of fulfillment you know i able

01:29:24.850 --> 01:29:28.149
to make a good coffee starting and now i can

01:29:28.149 --> 01:29:31.069
give you a good food said and then this gives

01:29:31.069 --> 01:29:32.890
me the satisfaction that hey you know i can't

01:29:32.890 --> 01:29:34.850
support you coming you cook even though at the

01:29:34.850 --> 01:29:37.130
back of my head i said my cook is not not nice

01:29:37.130 --> 01:29:39.670
not nice but when they say nice i feel thank

01:29:39.670 --> 01:29:42.390
god you love it You know, I always keep finding

01:29:42.390 --> 01:29:46.350
ways to tweak the dish to become better. Basically,

01:29:46.449 --> 01:29:50.970
for you, it's the people. Yes. The people that

01:29:50.970 --> 01:29:54.829
support and then, so, and then I want to connect,

01:29:54.909 --> 01:29:58.510
you know, with them. And so, if in the case,

01:29:58.729 --> 01:30:00.529
sometimes may be awkward, like when they want

01:30:00.529 --> 01:30:02.149
to share something, I just, no, no, just cool

01:30:02.149 --> 01:30:03.829
down. Tell me slowly what happened, you know.

01:30:04.189 --> 01:30:08.250
But I can understand. I do not want, maybe some

01:30:08.250 --> 01:30:11.100
part of, like, what I'm going through. They may

01:30:11.100 --> 01:30:13.319
be going through, but I want to be there to assure

01:30:13.319 --> 01:30:14.380
that, hey, you know, everything's going to be

01:30:14.380 --> 01:30:17.220
all right. No, we will run through walls, you

01:30:17.220 --> 01:30:21.039
know, like obstacles. Anything, you know, what

01:30:21.039 --> 01:30:23.720
I cook also can be part to be your friend. But

01:30:23.720 --> 01:30:25.739
of course, there's a line to draw. There's a

01:30:25.739 --> 01:30:27.260
line to draw to be your friends. And then we

01:30:27.260 --> 01:30:32.239
go through this thing together. So basically,

01:30:32.420 --> 01:30:39.060
Kelvin is no longer the introvert. Yeah. Could

01:30:39.060 --> 01:30:43.399
say, yeah, no, no longer. And my, yeah. I have

01:30:43.399 --> 01:30:45.760
no doubt in his customer service. No, no, no,

01:30:45.779 --> 01:30:48.260
no doubt about it. I mean, I've experienced that

01:30:48.260 --> 01:30:51.539
even before, you know, before this shoot and

01:30:51.539 --> 01:30:54.640
before the time we went over to yours for that

01:30:54.640 --> 01:30:57.199
shoot as well. I recognize that. But anyway,

01:30:57.260 --> 01:30:59.760
guys, I really am very grateful that you're here.

01:30:59.819 --> 01:31:03.640
And more importantly, being so open. in sharing,

01:31:03.739 --> 01:31:06.279
you know, things are so private and so personal.

01:31:07.319 --> 01:31:12.500
And I'm pretty sure that my viewers and my listeners

01:31:12.500 --> 01:31:14.720
and these guys are going to gain something just

01:31:14.720 --> 01:31:17.079
listening to your stories. I mean, that's really

01:31:17.079 --> 01:31:19.159
great. And my job is about getting people to

01:31:19.159 --> 01:31:24.189
tell their story. And it's been great, man, having

01:31:24.189 --> 01:31:27.850
you guys here. And yeah, it is a very fact, people,

01:31:27.989 --> 01:31:33.369
that Joy Luxa, the Thai Luxa, is to die for.

01:31:34.689 --> 01:31:38.609
Right? Go pay them a visit. Watch Kelvin knead

01:31:38.609 --> 01:31:43.449
his balls. They're very nice balls, by the way.

01:31:44.300 --> 01:31:50.960
And the Boyd Bowls. Kelvin's Boyd Bowls. For

01:31:50.960 --> 01:31:53.520
without which, Thai Laksa would not taste so

01:31:53.520 --> 01:31:57.100
good. So again, we're going to flash up the address

01:31:57.100 --> 01:32:02.939
on screen for you guys to take a look at. Pay

01:32:02.939 --> 01:32:06.539
them a visit, please. Yeah, there you go. There

01:32:06.539 --> 01:32:09.000
you go. And remember that from the first week

01:32:09.000 --> 01:32:12.220
of November this year onwards, do pay them a

01:32:12.220 --> 01:32:17.020
visit, not at 87 Bedok North, but at 416 Bedok

01:32:17.020 --> 01:32:21.359
North Street 2. Okay? At what we call a place

01:32:21.359 --> 01:32:26.850
called Lao Ka. Lau Ka. Yes. Lau Ka Kopitiam.

01:32:28.489 --> 01:32:32.329
Downstairs. Lau Ka. Okay. And yeah, I've had

01:32:32.329 --> 01:32:36.529
the guys from Joy Lux with me in studio. Zarif

01:32:36.529 --> 01:32:38.930
and Kelvin. Thank you very much once again, guys,

01:32:38.970 --> 01:32:40.989
for spending your time here with me today on

01:32:40.989 --> 01:32:42.470
the Chris Hansen Conversation. Thank you for

01:32:42.470 --> 01:32:44.829
having us, Chris. My pleasure. My absolute pleasure.

01:32:45.250 --> 01:32:49.560
Okay, people. we've got uh one more we've got

01:32:49.560 --> 01:32:51.680
some more episodes coming up yeah as i said earlier

01:32:51.680 --> 01:32:54.439
earlier on when we started the season that this

01:32:54.439 --> 01:32:57.439
is going to be one hell of a long season and

01:32:57.439 --> 01:33:00.420
yeah it is going to be long okay and we're going

01:33:00.420 --> 01:33:03.939
to stretch on all the way and into into way through

01:33:03.939 --> 01:33:06.819
december so everyone thank you for for tuning

01:33:06.819 --> 01:33:09.279
in and keep watching keep liking keep commenting

01:33:09.279 --> 01:33:12.859
keep sharing please until next time people stay

01:33:12.859 --> 01:33:18.300
safe catch us again Friday, 8pm. Same place.

01:33:18.399 --> 01:33:20.600
CCB TV Podcasts. Bye -bye.