The Decode Diary

I first met Daren at Google Singapore back in 2019 and he was already a great storyteller. Never would I have imagined that he would become a creator on the sister company of Google, YouTube and I was one of the early audiences watching his videos for investment advice and car reviews. Not that I would buy a car in Singapore.

He has since posted consistently for 3 years and has grown a substantial number on his platform. The amazing thing about this conversation? Having sat down in his Tesla Model 3 for the conversation in camp mode which no other internal combustion engine vehicles could do! Though a short one, the conversation goes directly into the space of social media and content creation and why he does what he does. Fun fact: Since we are both in the automotive industry, we talked a little about the industry!

Timeline:

[00:00] The transition from a Googler to a YouTuber

[01:49] When did he start YouTube?

[02:53] The transferable skills from Google

[03:39] Managing the business side and creative side of his YouTube channel

[06:48] Advice to someone starting a YouTube channel

[10:06] How he handles negative feedback

[13:29] Was there someone for him to look up to when he started out?

[14:41] The rise of BYD

[16:38] The lessons he learnt after reviewing so many cars

[20:50] EV sales have slowed down

[23:42] What do his viewers say about his content?

[25:16] Teslacon

[26:20] What he loves about his Tesla Model 3

[29:22] This is what he would do if he were to enter the social media game again

When we first met, Ashvin was telling me about his recent trip to Alaska on a cruise. Little did I know he runs a bar business and more shockingly, he was kicked out of school multiple times when he was younger. The days of being in school for him were more for entertainment. To him, some rules are never meant to be followed and he stood by his own opinions.

Today, he runs his family business, picking up the necessary skills needed to engage with customers because school didn’t teach him those. To me, it is not a message of skipping school and playing truant, but a message of knowing how to get to your goals. If schools don’t teach you great communication skills, you’d better find out by whatever means.

Timeline:

[00:00] The reason he switched many schools when he was younger

[02:44] He went to this boarding school in Johor Bahru

[03:58] He didn’t think a boarding school would have these

[06:54] He switched school at 16, again

[09:44] He needed to get his education sorted, or else…

[13:03] Rules are not for him obviously

[18:17] He did follow one rule though

[23:31] Kids should have fun

[27:37] What is the best system for him then?

[29:02] On how kids these days only want to be a YouTuber

[30:32] Unless you have a running business, go get a college degree

[33:14] He doesn’t need a degree to run the business he’s running

[37:51] You need to know what you don’t like

[40:29] He was a funny fat boy

[43:13] He ate fries to cut weight

[47:32] The beginning wasn’t the hardest point in his weight loss journey

[49:49] The first bite of eating fast food

[54:45] The support system throughout his weight loss journey

[01:00:03] Proof he commits to his goal 100%

[01:02:15] Juggling between his family business and school

[01:06:25] What happens between 7pm and 1am

[01:09:45] Smelling salts

[01:10:45] Handling his bar staff

[01:12:59] To anyone who wants to open a bar

The more I dive into how other people keep to a fitness routine, the more interesting insights I uncover. A simple conversation with Noel revealed how I am lacking a proper program for essential strength training that will actually help me get bigger. As simple as a 4-week program, it includes a deload week to ensure we don’t drive ourselves to the point of fatigue. 

Listen on as I discuss the unhealthy beauty standards for men and how all of us should listen to our body when we hit the gym. Concepts like autoregulation tend to help our body adjust our load based on how we are performing during a workout, but how does it affect our ultimate goal of getting stronger and bigger?

Timeline:

[00:00] Why Noel started working out

[06:56] Is it healthy to chase after a good look by weightlifting?

[12:09] This is why you should listen to your body more often

[16:29] Unhealthy beauty standards for men

[23:34] Measuring one’s progress in strength training is not what you think is like

[29:08] His 4-week strength training program

[35:01] Principles or framework weightlifters follow to get big

[38:34] Autoregulation of our body

[43:32] Recovery techniques you should know

[45:24] The importance of stretching before lifting

[48:17] Strength training for a person with a 9-5 job

[50:16] What about cardio?

[53:06] Has he reached his peak in terms of body shape and size?

Shen Yi and Ameerul are both brilliant dieticians who clearly know what they are doing. If there is one thing that I learnt from them, it is that healthy means differently to everyone. However, outside of that definition, they are strict that one should consume food with the right portion. I'm not sure how other dieticians would advise their clients, but I'm glad to have learnt dieting the right way.

If you didn't know about them, check out their website here to see what service they provide!

https://myfindiet.com/

Or head to the full conversation to learn what I learnt: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1J4fcrjwCIeDIWc7LdqoCc?si=IV_Il7XdQVO8shqVTexDJQ

Aside from keto diet, many women practice intermittent fasting because they want to get into the "best" shape of their body. To fully grasp the idea of intermittent fasting, it does not mean we can eat anything or everything when it comes time to feast. The 16-8 fasting framework is still one of the popular frameworks for guiding how to fast, but managing your portion of food intake is equally as important.

Listen to the full conversation to find out how: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1J4fcrjwCIeDIWc7LdqoCc?si=IV_Il7XdQVO8shqVTexDJQ

Did you know ketogenic diets were originally designed mainly for children with epilepsy? Keto diets are also now for people with diabetes and heart diseases but not for people having problems with their pancreas, liver or thyroid.

I've heard many around me practicing keto diet not fully grasping the benefits and impacts to their health, both mentally and physically. It will only invoke a push factor for them to lay back on to their previous unhealthy diet.

If we are to create a healthy diet, start by analyzing and tracking our food intake.

Listen to the full episode on how: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1J4fcrjwCIeDIWc7LdqoCc?si=IV_Il7XdQVO8shqVTexDJQ

Our diet these days seems to rely on whether we have time in our busy daily schedule for a proper meal plan. Cheap food and quick service restaurants make it almost impossible for us to follow a strict and healthy diet. With family members having health issues, I can’t help but want to understand the definition of a healthy diet and how we can achieve it, for my family and myself. In this episode, I speak to two dieticians about my daily meals and see if there’s anything I should fix.

On top of that, diet buzzwords like keto diet and intermittent fasting seem to have taken the world of gym-goers by storm. But do we really know what they are and what they do to our body? It is almost not an option to choose health and fitness but a mandatory one if we want to live and perform our best, and the only way to do that is to talk about it, at least to health professionals and experts.

Join me as I speak with Shen Yi and Ameerul from MyFindiet from Malaysia on the topics above. If you are interested in getting a diet program, definitely check them out!

MyFindiet

Website: https://myfindiet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myfindiet/

Timeline:

[00:00] The MyFindiet program

[07:55] Is it okay to consult young and inexperienced dieticians

[10:43] What about the diet of a dietician?

[16:30] Is a ketogenic (keto) diet actually healthy?

[21:12] What happens to our body when carbohydrates are replaced with fats?

[23:29] Effects on insulin sensitivity

[25:14] LDL and HDL cholesterol

[30:21] Different versions of keto diet

[31:09] Are keto diets suitable for a person with a 9-5 job?

[32:28] Gym-goers with their keto diet addiction

[33:42] Exposing my diet and gym routine

[42:03] Can you gain muscle and lose fat at the same time?

[46:14] How should one track their health and food intake

[49:31] If there is one thing I should change about my diet

[53:59] What about intermittent fasting?

[57:53] The 16-8 fasting framework

[59:19] What happens to our body when we fast?

[01:02:03] These people should not practice intermittent fasting

[01:04:41] The way to measure calorie loss

[01:06:57] What can diabetic patients eat?

[01:16:43] Side effects of diabetic pills

[01:09:10] Jenis, Jumlah dan Jadual in diabetes management

[01:22:14] What about fatty foods for diabetes patients?

[01:24:28]  The all-around meal everyone should be eating

After touring a few of the properties in KL, we sat down in a cafe and Ganesha told me to look up this apartment called Kudalari Apartment. Full of curiosity, I typed in the name and hit enter. On the map, this apartment sits right smack in the middle of KL, right next to KLCC, the iconic twin towers in the city.

When it was built, KLCC did not exist. Today, we can imagine the rent or even sale price of the apartment. This is the type of property we want to go for - the type where the development is coming towards.

Listen to the entire conversation to understand better: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XuWWUeqNcUMAc6tnLFXlh?si=zv8lhtikTcKObwhJ1pQoMA

Ganesha was supposed to take me to a property he think is non-investable. For many reasons, that property is a bad purchase if one is aiming to invest for profit. Long story short, we didn't make it to the property.

But we have Ganesha on the podcast to tell us what it means to invest in a non-investable property. When I heard it, though short and simple, the advice applies to many other areas in life when it comes to money.

Listen to the full conversation if you are looking to invest in properties: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3XuWWUeqNcUMAc6tnLFXlh?si=zv8lhtikTcKObwhJ1pQoMA

When Ganesha first told me about the different tier areas in Kuala Lumpur, a city so close to me and a city I grew up in, I wanted to know what the different tier areas mean. Trust me, you have to see it for yourself because if you are in the market for a new home or a rental property, this is the prime piece of information you cannot afford to miss. Knowing the different tiers means you have the upper hand to select the right investment and cash in within your capability. Doing this also means you will be able to cash out with a big fat satisfiable sum later on.

Follow along the journey with me and Ganesha as we discuss what we saw when Ganesha took me on a tour around KL.

Timeline:

[00:00] Is buying a property in Tier 2 areas the key to a successful purchase?

[03:40] The direction of development in KL

[05:29] An example of non-investable property

[12:03] The story of Kudalari Apartment

[15:27] How to find the median price of properties in an area?

[19:03] Can you assess the property based on the residents/tenants ratio?

[21:21] Segambut - Scrap Yards around a new development

[25:35] Negotiating prices on sub sale properties

[29:15] The actual steps to purchasing a home

[33:07] Legal processes of the purchase

[34:55] Fees you should be aware of 

[38:23] First Home Buyers’ Scheme

[40:14] Development of Tuan 3 Heritage 

[42:02] Checking for defects and damages

[43:25] Don’t bulk book the same defect checker

[44:29] The insane selling rate of Tuan 3 Heritage development