The Decode Diary

By Ray Low

The Decode Diary isn't just a podcast; it's your passport to the untold stories of the average-looking but extraordinary Joes who try their best to make it in life. I first stumbled upon the idea of p... more

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FAQs about The Decode Diary:

How many episodes does The Decode Diary have?

The podcast currently has 135 episodes available.

The Decode Diary episodes:

February 11, 2024 [FULL] Dr. Bruce Lee: “Gum Disease Is A Silent Killer”, The 2-2-2 Rule About Taking Care Of Your Dental/Oral Hygiene You Need To Know!
I’m going to come clean, literally. When I was young, I wasn’t paying enough attention to dental or oral hygiene as much as I do now, particularly because I never saw a dentist and I never needed one. And so I thought. It wasn’t until I came across this dentist on YouTube who said the bacteria in our mouth is enough to cause a heart attack that I started flossing and brushing with the correct methods.
Meeting Dr. Bruce Lee at the badminton court was probably one of the most important moments in my life. On and off the court, he showed me the right techniques because he is a nice guy! More importantly, he is just like you and me, who in this episode goes the extra mile to share with me everything you need to know to keep your mouth clean.
We talked about:
[00:00] What is dental/oral health?
[05:31] How to maintain dental/oral health for a 9-5 individual
[10:03] Flossing and bleeding gums
[12:41] Biofilm, dental plaque and food traps
[25:08] Does teeth yellowing mean you are not taking enough care of your oral hygiene?
[34:51] Do dentists lie about your teeth being white because it’s a lucrative business?
[43:37] Mouth is the window to your body, oral health and medical health
[53:02] Gingivitis and periodontal disease
[01:02:11] How long can you go on without brushing your teeth?
[01:03:59] How to maintain oral hygiene without a toothpaste
[01:06:19] Should you use a toothpick? Can it be a good alternative to floss?
[01:11:20] Manual or electric toothbrushes
[01:15:30] Soft, medium or hard bristles
[01:17:31] Should we clean our tongue?
[01:20:40] Extra tips on oral hygiene
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
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1h 28min
February 08, 2024 Snippet: Incorporating The Black Mamba Mindset Into His Daily Work And Talking About His Enneagrams
Ever since I saw Edward post about the Black Mamba mindset on his social media, I started looking into this unique mentality. It wasn't until I talked to Edward that I find out his goals about embodying this mindset. You can tell when he's determined to achieve something.

In this snippet, we talked about how he uses this mindset in his daily work as a financial planner as well as the different enneagram personalities he possesses.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/316D6XHPfNjH0CombiPfcW?si=GkQE4c53S4m4BWS8PNx5WA
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10min
February 07, 2024 Snippet: Dollar Cost Averaging And Investing For The Long Term
When one starts investing, the term that he/she might hear a lot is "dollar cost averaging". I didn't know about this term before, but because I wanted to improve my financial situation, and because rule #1 is to improve our financial literacy, understanding the different financial terms is imperative.

In this snippet, we talked about how people are investing for the long term and it is not ideal to interrupt your investment unnecessarily.

Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/316D6XHPfNjH0CombiPfcW?si=GkQE4c53S4m4BWS8PNx5WA
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11min
February 05, 2024 Snippet: First Steps To Financial Planning, Emergency Funds and Understanding Your Risk Tolerance
For anyone who is looking to improve their financial situation, I think this is a good first step - increasing your financial literacy. By knowing everything basic about financial planning, one can then go on and work on emergency funds. Once the fund is ready, I believe it enables a very different world view once blinded by the lack of preparation and planning.
In this snippet, we talked about the different risk tolerance each individual has and how one has to cater their financial planning to this risk tolerance.
Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/316D6XHPfNjH0CombiPfcW?si=J_Ayu4BpSnixwa6spj-ukg
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8min
February 04, 2024 [FULL] Edward Ang: “Everyone Has A Different Risk Level That They Can Take”, Financial Planning For Fresh Graduates And All About Rich Dad Poor Dad
Growing up, I experienced money anxiety where I felt uncomfortable talking about money with anyone. With friends and family, money is all about the things you do behind closed doors that eventually make you wealthy and rich. It turns out in this day and age, a 16-year-old kid knows more about financial knowledge than I did when I was 16.
Having this open conversation with Edward, a financial planner who recently got engaged, is one of the baby steps I want to take this year in order to improve my financial situation. More importantly, he is just like you and me, risk-averse with money since forever. If you are interested in learning about financial planning, at least for a total beginner, this is for you.
We talked about:
[00:00] The first step for young adults like me to start their financial planning
[01:59] What is risk tolerance?
[05:05] How much emergency funds do you need
[06:50] What do I do after obtaining financial literacy?
[10:21] Dollar cost averaging
[13:06] Why isn’t everyone investing if it has only upsides
[17:33] Where do I start?
[20:00] Misconceptions of insurance
[22:27] What if your insurance agent goes missing?
[27:16] What is the first step in buying an insurance plan
[28:22] Are insurance policies from your current company enough?
[34:49] How do savings/investments in insurance policies work?
[37:26] Projecting your savings and budgeting for the foreseeable future
[40:14] One tip in budgeting to know your financial position
[41:54] Gen Z’s financial literacy
[45:27] Doing his part of the job for “persistency”
[47:00] The Black Mamba Mindset
[49:03] Enneagram personalities
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
Disclaimer:
The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. The hosts and guests of this podcast are not licensed financial advisors, and the information shared should not be construed as professional financial guidance.
All investment and financial decisions should be made after thorough research and consultation with a qualified financial advisor or planner. The opinions expressed by the hosts and guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of any financial institution, company, or organization.
Listeners are encouraged to conduct their own due diligence and consider their individual financial situation, risk tolerance, and investment objectives before making any financial decisions. The hosts and guests do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information shared in this podcast.
By accessing and listening to this podcast, you agree that the hosts, guests, and producers are not liable for any financial losses or damages incurred as a result of actions taken based on the content discussed in the episodes.
Always seek professional advice from a qualified financial advisor or planner regarding your specific financial circumstances and goals.
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57min
February 01, 2024 Snippet: Third Culture Kid, Impermanence As Life Is And Detachment
I used to think people who travel a lot around the world and third culture individuals are as detached as they seem. They could be, but being able to detach from experiences, be it from your last Europe trip or the Thanksgiving meal with your family, allow you to enjoy the moment more. It does not preclude you from the delight of the situation.

In this snippet, Johnny shares with me how life is impermanent as it always is, and that we are most likely to suffer if we choose to think otherwise.

Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NlJyy2F2sVFyM89zQKFsr?si=T8oxq8GFRFeeYCcGrU6IUg
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11min
January 31, 2024 Snippet: Training Our Mind To Be Plastic, Positive Habits And The Preconceived Notion Of Who We Are
Habits are reflective of the plasticity of our minds. I learnt very early on that bad habits are easy to stick by. But this is all because we allow our minds to absorb everything around us unfiltered. Practicing mindfulness means being aware of our conduct BEFORE giving it thought. This simple hack can train our mind to become plastic and therefore pick up positive habits easily.

In this snippet, Johnny shared with me how kids these days are constantly given stimulation to keep their minds active. Little do they know their minds are all too distracted at the same time. I believe small hacks like practicing mindfulness can be done by people like you and me.

Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NlJyy2F2sVFyM89zQKFsr?si=T8oxq8GFRFeeYCcGrU6IUg
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17min
January 30, 2024 Snippet: "We Weren't Born This Way", Providing A Conducive Environment For Thoughts To Grow
We were not born with the ability to perceive things in life the way we do today. We were not born with the ability to think a barking dog is annoying. All these happened at some point in our life and our initial thoughts about these events morphed our mindset from then onwards. If only we could filter these thoughts with mindfulness, a lot of the preconceived notions of happenings around us wouldn't exist, no matter right or wrong.

Johnny shared with me how our minds act like a sponge absorbing whatever is thrown at us. More importantly, our environment does not seem to change for a good number of years for most people. This plays an important role in forming our habits and biases. He witnessed this first-hand when he practiced mindfulness and he saw tremendous changes in his behavior towards events in life.

Listen to the full episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2NlJyy2F2sVFyM89zQKFsr?si=T8oxq8GFRFeeYCcGrU6IUg
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7min
January 28, 2024 [FULL] Johnny: “You Are A Drop In The Ocean”, Mindfulness & Finding Out Who You Are Before Finding A Relationship!
If you asked me if I would share my vulnerabilities and insecurities with a random stranger, I would have never thought of an occasion where I would sit down and talk about them for hours on end. But here I am, with Johnny, a fellow badminton player and also someone who recently got married. I sat down with him, with the intention of finding out how a relationship goes into marriage, and it turned into a session of finding out who I really am.
For this episode, I hope you sit in a quiet room all by yourself to listen to this. Johnny shares how practicing this simple hack for 7 straight years has helped him to be free of suffering. More importantly, it has given him the gift of marriage when there are so many obstacles going his way. He is just like you and me, wanting to be free from suffering.
Timeline:
[00:00] Johnny’s married life and how he met his wife
[02:40] Preparation for the wedding, expectations of customs, dealing with both sides of the family
[05:12] Before finding a relationship, do these
[08:47] The relationship between your upbringing and who you are
[11:43] How to step out from a dark place
[25:00] Where do our mindsets come from
[30:34] Positive habits are harder to stick by? We talk plasticity of the mind, stimulation to keep our minds busy
[38:11] The preconceived notion of who you are
[47:11] Third culture kid
[51:09] Life as impermanence
[57:09] Negotiating with yourself
[01:11:33] Being externally mindful
[01:12:46] When do we get to the stage of marriage then?
[01:21:03] Having a wedding in Singapore
[01:25:58] Love is a matter of two person, but marriage is a matter of two families
Sound effects obtained from https://www.zapsplat.com
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1h 41min
January 25, 2024 Snippet: The Highlight Of His Journalism Career
In this snippet, Dilip shares with me the highlight of his journalism career and I truly felt his energy and passion when he told me in person. Think about the chain of events, beginning from the day his parents encouraged him to take on a totally different path, to him hating every single moment of it, and then finally doing something he loves in a way that he deems it the highlight of his career. That, to me, is precious and unbeatable in its relevance.
For most of us, we try to do what we love but are always sidetracked to do something ELSE. Rewind back to the moment and think what you would have done differently. Take it back to this very moment you are listening to this snippet. Make a change, like how Dilip did.
Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3DZKzViCDpnWMPwO1Hhuck?si=oDySSvi1QtSw6x0_iDL2fw
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19min

FAQs about The Decode Diary:

How many episodes does The Decode Diary have?

The podcast currently has 135 episodes available.