The Decode Diary

I play badminton and for myself, because I use my right arm and shoulder so much, I start to wonder if it is causing any harm playing badminton. Will it eventually cause a spinal misalignment? The fact that my right arm muscles are heavier and because I usually focus on training my right arm more, this question is actually legitimate. In this snippet, Valerie shares with me the common root causes...

Like any other treatments, there are a ton of different methodologies to go with and let's not even get into the world of traditional and modern medicine. For chiropractic treatments, there is one popular methodology in town and it is called the Gonstead approach. After hearing Valerie explain what it is and the actual benefits of the Gonstead approach, I don't think there is any other methodologi...

I'm pretty sure you have seen some of these videos on TikTok or IG Reels where these so-called chiropractors operate on some young lady who halfway through the video start to moan and you know this catches eyeballs. I took it to Valerie to see if she knows anything about it. The more important question is: Can we trust them? Listen to the full conversation to find out more: https://open.spotify.co...

When we think of chiropractors, I don't know about you but I would start to wonder how and why they would get to this career decision. It's unlike many other professions where people try to become someone because of the perks, or the fame or the satisfaction that the job brings. Being a chiropractor isn't even a popular profession in Southeast Asia, to say the least. But in this snippet, Valerie s...

I think many people have this misconception around chiropractic treatment that it is not evidence-based and it may be dangerous. I am guilty of this too. Whenever I see someone on the pelvic bench getting their spines cracked, I just want to breathe a sigh of relief because I’m not on that bench. Also, ever heard your parents nudging you not to crack your neck and all? Or people saying once you st...

In the movie Annie Hall, Woody Allen describes that there are two groups of people - the miserable and the horrible. I asked Hong Ben what he thought about this and liberating he said. Should have seen this coming. In this snippet, Hong Ben shares with me whether he is happy or not. His response never fails to surprise me. Listen to the full conversation here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3LgJ...

Because I know Hong Ben, because I know he loves movies and cinemas and everything about them, because I know how he loves telling stories and entertaining people, I knew this was coming. Hong Ben wrote a script, directed it and shot it with the hope that one day his own studio would come alive. We talked about this when we were discussing the movie Hugo in which the filmmaker George Melies showed...

I'm pretty sure when we were younger, we used to sit and watch with our parents or grandparents movies or whatever was on TV. The moments we will never be able to revisit but also we had no idea about. When Hong Ben told me everything about his priceless and treasured moments with his grandmother, I felt within me the urge to relive the moments with my parents. Spending more time with them whe...

All this while knowing Hong Ben, he is a fellow cinephile and his taste and choice of movies have always been a point that I bring up whenever we talk. This time around, he sent me two movies that tell everything I need to know about him, and we brought it to the table to discuss them. Sure enough, I could see Hong Ben in the movies he sent. I think when we are growing up, we absorb so much of the...

Renting your unit on Airbnb is probably the hottest method of generating side income these past few years. In fact, I just recently saw that the total earnings coming from female hosts in Malaysia exceeded RM200 million in 2023. So much so that many places are banning Airbnb. Of course, this is only one side of the coin and to find out whether we as the owner of our unit should continue renting it...

I gawked at the idea of buying a new apartment which will supposedly take a few years to complete. For a few reasons of course. New projects are definitely preferable because when it is yours, it will be yours only. I didn't like the idea. The reason is because it takes a few years for you to start generating revenue from it. That is, if you are thinking of renting it out. But come to think of...

When I first started looking at properties, I wished I had known this vital piece of information - location, location, location. It is not that the location demands your entire savings account, but knowing your property sits at a developing township will probably enable better quality of sleep. Ganesha shared with me in this snippet how choosing the right location does not mean it should be right...

As soon as I started working, I was very vigilant about my money and finances. Trying my very best to make more money and think long-term has always been part of me due to the insecurities when I was younger. Therefore, I am exceedingly grateful that this conversation took place. Ganesha, just like anyone else, bought his first property for all the same reasons, but he’s being smart about it. And...

It is easy to detach from your own character and say you are what you say you are. Kindness, being understanding and even being happy, these are just some of the behaviors that truly show who we are, not what we say. When Melissa speaks of writing a letter to her future self, the monologue within me hoped that she would be able to embody the positive traits she found while she was traveling Japan....

Depending on your company setting and culture, the work environment may be toxic and believe it or not, you have no choice but to become someone without compassion, kindness and empathy. We succumb to the demands of our work environment, often prioritizing efficiency over compassion, but once we leave the office, a different persona emerges, one characterized by empathy and kindness. Melissa share...

Many times when we are performing at our best, have we ever stopped and asked why we are doing it? Some of us do it because we find it exhilarating and stimulating to keep pushing our boundaries, but most do it because we want the reassuring look on the faces around us, whether we know them or not. Speaking to Melissa enabled me to go deep into myself to find out the reason why I'm doing thing...

I think we will all have a long list of deathbed regrets even if we are taking the next flight to Bali or Paris. Sure, the list may have gotten lost as well at that very moment. If Melissa knows this, I'm sure you know it too. Living as though today was the last day allows us to clear our list of deathbed regrets. Each new day we start off with a fresh list and at the end of the day, we evalua...

When she told me she quit her job during the meetup, I was dumfounded but also impressed by her courage to do so. You know we all can say things like "She could have found happiness even while working!". True enough, someone close to her said something along the lines of "When you are not working this past 10 months, you are not earning the money you are supposed to be making."...

I couldn’t fathom the idea of quitting a job and saying “I’m doing some reflections in my life”. But Melissa did it and the many realizations can be seen from her thought processes and actions in life ever since she quit her corporate job as a project manager. If I was her biographer, I would say she is in a happier state than ever before. She does not need the acceptance of others, rather her own...

Aside from taking photos as a hobby and a business, Jun Kit loves to go diving as well. I thought it was going to be a fun and uplifting conversation about diving adventures until he told me he got lost once in a night dive. I cannot imagine getting lost in a normal daylight dive, let alone a night dive where your mind might be playing tricks with you. The actions he took might have saved him, but...

When you are running a business, there is a high chance you will meet demanding clients. This is not to say they are in the wrong, but dealing with demanding clients require a set of different skills. Specifically in the photography business, clients have all the rights to be angry about a single photo, and it is up to the photographer to make backup plans when things do not go as planned. In this...

I think anyone with the support of their parents in the journey of pursuing a hobby they love doing, regardless of whether they are going to continue doing for a long time, is lucky. Most do not get to choose what they do, let alone do what they love. In this snippet, Jun Kit shares with me how he turned photography, which is a long-time hobby of his, into business. Of course, this wasn't his pers...

For my entire life knowing Jun Kit, he has been the go-to senior for photos mainly because he’s always seen with the fanciest camera gears ever. When he started getting into the photography gigs and made it quite a name for himself in Singapore, I never doubted him. This is the Jun Kit I know. But the curious cat in me purred and I wondered how he was doing. In fact, I seldom see his photography m...

Being a leader does not mean you have to always be in a commanding position. It simply means you have to serve the team. But how do we put ourselves in a lower position when we know our personality speaks differently? When all alternatives have been exhausted, I think this can bring some benefits to the table. If you know you are one of them who cannot speak calmly and is quick in pointing out mis...

He has started multiple companies. At the age of 25. Surely, some of them failed, some of them are struggling and he is doing his best every single day. But I want the spotlight to land on how he handled the breakup with his previous venture. That, in my opinion, says a lot about his character. Puvan talked to me how there were underlying problems during one of his earliest ventures and eventually...