Alvin is a former drug abuser and "recovering addict". 

He was incarcerated 4 times for drug abuse. As a kid, he watched his Father abuse opium and later heroin. His Father passed away at the hospital, with opium in his bedside drawer. His Mother left the family. His wife divorced him because of his drug habits, but they later remarried again after he kicked the habit (what a great story!) 

In this episode, we talk about his experience and journey with drugs. Why he believes he is just a "recovering addict". His journey accepting Christ, and why asking for help is the most important and powerful thing anyone can do. 

Follow Alvin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100076420544641

Timestamps 0:00 The F&B Industry 3:48 Career vs. Job 4:37 Serving as a Prison Volunteer 6:15 Remarrying his Wife 7:00 Incarceration because of Drugs 8:02 What is a Halfway House? 9:08 Getting a Second Chance at a Halfway House 10:56 3 Kind of People at the Halfway House 14:45 Seeking Help at Halfway House 16:02 Detox at IMH 16:33 Withdrawal Symptoms of Drugs/Addiction 18:13 Worrying Trend of Youngsters Abusing Drugs 19:51 Drug Sources/Drug Dealers' Lifestyle 21:00 Evolving Demographics of Drug Abusers 22:03 Maintaining a Drug Free Singapore 22:39 First Exposure to Drug/Father's Drug Addiction & Vices 25:04 Elder Brother/The Importance of People you Mix With 26:32 Only Regret 26:54 "Triad Trial" by Architect of Life 30:53 Rituals of Secret Societies 31:33 Involvement in Secret Societies 32:17 The Drug Rehabilitation Center (DRC) 33:40 Continuing Rehabilitation at a Halfway House/Cannot Prove Anything While Inside 35:36 Aftercare Services 37:11 Challenges Inmates Face after Release 40:44 Support Network for Inmates 42:08 Repeat Drug Abusers/"We are just Recovering Addicts" 44:38 New "Normal" for Drug Abusers 47:34 CNB Operations 49:12 Who Runs the Drug Syndicates? 52:02 Quitting his Job to Become a Full Time Volunteer 55:38 Accepting Christ & Becoming a Christian 58:20 Understanding Love 1:00:03 Being Able to Share our Problems 1:01:23 Experience with God/Attempting Suicide 1:04:22 Applying Lessons from the Bible/Relationship with God 1:08:32 Suicidal Thoughts Mentality 1:09:16 What Happened to his Father? 1:12:20 Relationship with Wife & 2 Sons 1:14:03 Thoughts of the Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers 1:19:09 The Right Mindset to Quit Drugs 1:21:18 YOLO & FOMO/Thailand's Legalisation of Cannabis 1:25:54 Philosophy to Living Life/What is a Good Life? 1:28:47 Dealing with Negative Comments 1:29:36 Advice to Drug Abusers 1:31:48 Importance of Education/Life Long Learning 1:34:36 Biggest Wish 1:35:32 Plans for the Future/His Concerns 1:36:48 Message for Wife 1:37:33 JJ's Sharing about his Mother 1:39:10 Christianity is about your Relationship with God/On Filial Piety 1:42:01 His Mother 1:43:26 On Building a Relationship with God 1:46:22 Outro 

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Ken is the 3rd Generation family member of Nanyang Sauce. Nanyang Sauce was founded in 1959 by his grandfather, Mr Tan Tiong How and is a premium artisan sauce maker operating in Singapore. Since joining the family business, he has transformed and rejuvenated the aging business through innovation and cultivating an intrapreneurial culture. 

Ken has a strong belief in transforming lives. Prior to joining the family business, Ken was involved in starting his own training business which he ran for 13 years. 

In this episode, we talk about why Nanyang Sauce is special, his thoughts on taking over the family business, the modern food industry, the first Web 3.0 Sauce he is concocting, and more! 

Nanyang Sauce's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nanyangsauce 

Sauce Legend's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saucelegend 

Ken's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenkoh/ 

Timestamps 0:00 Brand New Boutique Shop at Changi Jewel: Sauce Legend 6:04 Why Changi Jewel? 7:38 Vision Behind Sauce Legend 11:09 Why Is Nanyang Sauce Not Available in All Supermarkets? 15:19 Taking over the Family Business 18:11 The Food Industry/Nanyang's Manufacturing Process 20:49 A Sunset Industry 25:32 The Origins of Soya Sauce 27:34 Being Honest with Customers 28:37 Why did the Family Not Call It a Day and Wind Up the Business? 32:50 Remembering his Grandfather, Founder of Nanyang Sauce 35:44 Upholding Traditions in the Business 38:36 Fermenting Nanyang Soya Sauce at Home 40:47 On Family Business & Business Succession 49:33 Going on a Sauce Brewery Tour in the Region/Discovering What's Most Valuable 55:05 Cancer Inducing Food/Researching the Content of our Food 1:06:03 JJ's Tasting! 1:13:07 The Magic of Nanyang Sauce 1:15:55 The Pros & Cons of Running a Family Business 1:18:23 Preserving Food Heritage via Sauce Legend 1:27:56 Business Strategy for Nanyang Sauce 1:29:52 Customer Driven Innovation 1:35:30 Philosophy Towards Marketing 1:43:38 What is a Web 3.0 Sauce? 1:55:25 Preserving Memories of our Loved Ones 1:57:07 What's the Future of Nanyang Sauce? 2:00:49 Make All Sauces Safe Again 2:03:50 Outro Follow Us on our Social Media! JJ & The Mr. Tok Show Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrtokshow Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tokjiajie Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mrtokshow Twitter: https://twitter.com/mrtokshow 

JJ's Post Production Notes 

"Soy sauce, the condiment that surely must be present in all Asian households that cook. I honestly never thought too much about the manufacturing process of something as common as soy sauce. I would have thought that machines and technology would help in fermenting our soy sauce, but never imagined most of the soy sauce we buy today are essentially chemically produced. There is a Chinese saying 病从口入, it means "illnesses enter through our mouth", I guess referring to the food we eat. Is it then any wonder that cancer continues to be the leading principal cause of death in many modern and developed societies? Is this an inevitable tradeoff for convenience? I am glad there are food manufacturers like Ken who continue to espouse the belief that they would not feed their customers what they would not feed their own children. Meeting a businessman who is a romantic at heart is always refreshing. When dollars and cents, and commercial success is not the only end goal. When preserving a priceless family heritage is as important as making a living. I wish Ken and Nanyang Sauce all the best for generations to come. One thing for sure after this episode, they have got another loyal customer in me who will swear by their products. To umami and good health!“ -JJ

Dr. Alvona Loh is a young doctor from Singapore. She studied Medicine at National University of Singapore and is currently practising at the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID). She also writes and review medical research papers to promote academia. 

She has also been writing and contributing articles to media outlets such as Lianhe Zaobao and TODAY over the years. She is also known for being effectively bilingual, with a strong command of both English and Mandarin. 

In this episode, we discuss life as a junior doctor working in a Singapore public hospital, her advice for aspiring doctors, her family background, how she became effectively bilingual and adulting issues. 

Connect with Dr. Alvona on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvona-loh/ 

Timestamps 

0:00 Introduction 1:02 Working as a Medical Officer at the National Center for Infectious Disease 4:40 Most & Least Enjoyable Aspects of Job 10:36 The Roster Monster 12:25 The Night Calls 13:39 The Healthcare Great Resignation 14:57 Dr. Alvona's Career Path 16:18 JJ's Experience as a Caregiver/Learning Lessons from the Hospitals 20:54 Palliative Medicine 24:51 Experience with Death Growing Up/Grandfather's Passing Away 26:15 Lessons from Being a Doctor 28:15 Mayor of Taipei City: Professor Ko Wen-je 30:08 Advice for Aspiring Doctor33:01 Has She Always Wanted to be a Doctor?/Attachment Experiences 35:17 Family Background 37:05 Our Experiences in Kebun Bahru 39:45 JJ's Memory of his Paternal Grandmother 41:46 On Community Service 47:07 On Living as a Millennial 49:57 Issues on Dr. Alvona's Mind 52:18 On Singapore Politics/Joining Business China 55:40 China's Variety Shows (最强大脑&奇葩说) 1:02:13 JJ on Distributing Mandarin Content in China 1:04:22 On Bilingualism, Chinese Culture and Learning Mandarin 1:10:55 On Other Cultures 1:12:08 Making an Effort to Learn Mandarin/Writing for Lianhe Zaobao 1:14:58 On Writing 1:18:22 Learning from a Film Production Set 1:19:26 Plans for Upcoming Community Work in Thailand/Lifelong Learning 1:23:36 On Relationships (Does Dr. Alvona have a Boyfriend?) 1:28:37 Dr. Alvona's Ideal Partner 1:31:20 On Adulting/Adult Money 1:34:54 Dealing with People's Perceptions 1:36:44 On Recognizing Own Strengths & Weaknesses 1:38:22 People's Judgement & Assumption 1:42:04 Wanting to Learn Tiktok 1:44:50 On Gender Stereotypes 1:50:10 Our Views on Toxic Masculinity 1:55:18 On Raising Boys & Girls 1:56:30 Outro 

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