308: Captain Sam's Airborne Panache
Sam Evers-Swindell
EPISODE SUMMARY:
"What's the point in making things difficult or hard, or there's no need for it? You just want to move forward in the best way possible because we don't need stress in our life. We don't need anger. We don't need all of these, the anxiety that goes with everything." - Sam.
In this podcast episode, Sam Evers-Swindell, an international airline pilot, joins the conversation to share his journey from PanAm to Botswana, Myanmar, and, finally, a known Asian airline carrier.
Known for his unique career path and candid nature, Sam highlights his love for aviation, the challenges and pressures he faced, and his passion for personal growth. The episode dives into the nuances of language, societal taboos, and even fast food cravings.
Above all, Sam and I share our personal experiences and insights on relationships, self-belief, and the highly sarcastic support group, 'Daily Life'. As the conversation moves from high skies to everyday life, you are promised a blend of laughter, learning, and inspiration.
Listen to the Episode
MAIN TOPICS:
0:00:00 - Episode intro
0:00:02 - Exploring Queues and Musical Experiences
0:12:48 - Pursuing a Career in Aviation
0:21:09 - Flying Adventures in Africa and Myanmar
0:29:12 - Relationships and Belief in Career Success
0:37:20 - Navigate Life Changes With Grace
0:47:49 - Friendship and Support
0:55:30 - Hope and Cat Stories
1:07:48 - Discussion on Language and Taboos
1:16:00 - Fast Food Cravings and Culinary Evolutions
1:29:49 - Wish's important words to share
1:31:56 - Outro - season finale
FEATURED WORDS:
Sam's synonyms to self: not saying
Sam's word : Likes: all words! Dislikes: queue (n., v.)
Wish's synonyms for Sam: sailboat (n.), discovering (v.), candid (adj.)
An essential word from this episode: introspection (n.)
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
QUOTABLE QUOTES
"And I look down and at them going: would I do that again? And it's only with age and experience that you say, No way. No way would I do that again."
"Pay it forward. You're in a position and help somebody else along the way. It's easier said than done, but it really is that way."
"People that are fearful of the youth of people that are younger than them and smarter than them, that drives me insane because I see a lot of people in my career younger than me, but they're brilliant, absolutely brilliant. And I would go out of my way to put them on a pedestal higher than I am because they deserve it."
"It's that period of time when you're defending yourself or your job or your life because somebody else is a threat; that's ridiculous. That person's better at it. Let them do it."
"And if someone is a threat to you, that means you have to look inwards, right? You have to look inwards. Why are you threatened? Are you having imposter syndrome, or are you really crap at it? But if you're crap at it, you should not be there anyway. Someone who should deserve it should be there instead of pulling someone down."
"But then you realise that my tactic is that I'm going to put myself down, and I'm going to put you up because it makes the situation a lot sort of better, but sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."
"It's just the idea that you can do your best for your children, and they will see that."
"They will grow up to be the people that you've sort of framed them for. And some children eschew everything they've learned from their family because they just don't like it. And some people will learn everything from their parents, you expose them to as much as you possibly can and in a controlled, responsible framework where they're safe to make their own decisions and make mistakes."
"There is a lot out there in this world. And there's a lot of good people. There is a future. And sometimes, it feels like there is nothing left that you can do. But really, really, there is. If you believe in yourself, your dream, and you persevere, you'll get there. It's not easy. It's really not easy,"
"Failure holds the seeds for greatness. So long as you water those seeds with introspection, they can be the root of your success". - Daniel Lubetzky
REFERENCES FROM TODAY'S CONVERSATION
(As Sam stated, he's got no social media presence)
Paradise City on YouTube
My Octopus Friend (erratum: My Octopus Teacher)
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0:00:02 - Wish
Hello, dear humanity, welcome to season 3 of Human Thesaurus. Human Thesaurus is an engaging podcast where I invite a diverse range of friends and acquaintances to have a conversation with me, your host, Wish Ronquillo Peacocke. Each episode takes you on a wild ride through personal journeys, profound experiences, relatable rants, hilarious moments and insightful opinions within different industries, with a focus on individuals who are defined by multiple words synonymous with who they are. My podcast explores various perspectives and personalities, resembling words with several meanings. Through these conversations, you are invited to eavesdrop and enjoy a captivating exploration of the human experience. While you're at it, you can rate and subscribe and you can check out my show notes at humanthesaurus.co.
Sam was born in Guilford, surrey in the UK. He's Kiwi by blood. Yet he grew up in America until the tender age of 8, then moved back to New Zealand, then Singapore in 1989. He went to school in the US, New Zealand and Singapore. Sam is an international airline pilot. See, I have a pilot friend. He started flying at 16 and then he went on to flying college as a pilot training. He moved to Botswana to fly from 1997 to 1999, then to Myanmar from 1999 to 2003. He presently flies for an Asian airline carrier and is loving his career there for the past 20 years. He also has an adorable, adorable black cat named Frankie.
I met Sam through my husband, Luke, 15 years ago. Wow, it's 15 years. Sam has always been this guy who's like, welcoming and crazy happy all the time, like I will always remember his laughter. I appreciate always the parties that's always happening at their place before. So that's how I got to know the boys and, of course, with Sam, even though he's so busy flying and he doesn't know his roster sometimes. But he always tries to find a way to meet with his friends, like me. So it's just a wonderful thing that after a year he finally obliged to appear on my podcast. My synonyms for Sam are sailboat as a noun, discovering as a verb and candid as an adjective. Within this conversation, you'll further understand why I describe him as such. So here he is, Sam Evers-Swindell.
0:03:17 - Sam
What a lovely introduction. Thank you very much. That is very polite, probably the nicest thing that anyone said about me. Thank you, wish. Hey, my name is Sam and, same as the fact that I've dedicated my life not to knowing what a noun, a verb or an adjective is, I like all the words that I can't actually spell. I dislike the word cue, as in when you're lining up, I think the cue is ridiculous. They had such a fantastic chance. They could have just used one letter. Yeah.
They had to go on with the ridiculously long-winded Q-U-E-U-E why?
0:04:12 - Wish
Yeah, because it kind of embodies the word right. If it's just letter Q, then it doesn't really vibe with what the meaning is.
0:04:22 - Sam
So they're like cue it's a painful word and also queuing up is painful. So, yes, maybe they thought it through, Maybe they did. They're sure some of your listeners will be able to correct me and say it comes from some sort of Latin word that meant pain.
0:04:41 - Wish
But is there anything, anything in this world that will make you queue up?
0:04:47 - Sam
That's a great question. I'm not a queuing person. I know in certain cultures queuing is great because you don't know what's at the end of the line and it could be a free packet of Milo or it could be a house, you're not sure yet.
I have seen people that will get into a queue not knowing literally what they're queuing for. It's just because there are other people in a line, so presumably there must be something great at the end. So I'm not a great queuing person. I would queue for certain things. I'm pretty sure if I was hungry I would queue for food. You know the basic necessities. I'm not going to queue for much. Let's put it that way.
0:05:25 - Wish
Yeah, I don't like queuing either, but it's worth it sometimes when you're overseas and you really just needed to queue because you wanted to really really try something, Not for the gram, not for the gram, but for the experience, or trying to taste something.
0:05:41 - Sam
I don't mind a queue when I've already got a ticket for something.
0:05:45 - Wish
Yes.
0:05:46 - Sam
If you're going to watch a performance of some sort play or a concert or whatnot then of course you have to queue. But you know the end result, what it is.
0:05:55 - Wish
Yes.
0:05:56 - Sam
It's just the idea of queuing Even for food, if you're hungry at lunch and you see a restaurant and there's a queue in it. I will not queue up.
0:06:05 - Wish
No way.
0:06:07 - Sam
I'll move on. Just move on, it's not an issue. I mean yeah.
0:06:11 - Wish
Yeah, that's right. So you say queuing for plays and stuff. Do you like musicals at all? I don't know. Like do you watch? I do.
0:06:21 - Sam
And it's not something that I search out. It's a great question. I do like going. I remember the last great musical I watched was the Rocky Horror Picture. That was just absolutely blew my mind. And so I've watched all of the other sort of Broadway ones and they're fantastic. And you've got to put a lot of sort of like gratitude into what the performers are doing, because stage performance versus acting in a set is a lot different. So I do enjoy it, and orchestras as well, I like that.
Concerts great. Again, I'm lazy Getting to a concert. They're always far away and you've got to get there and then you've got to deal with hundreds of thousands of people and then you've got to get home again and you're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, I could have just listened to it on Spotify.
0:07:13 - Wish
That's right, but do you think that it's more let's say it's more entertaining to do these things with friends?
0:07:22 - Sam
So much more immersive. I mean, the whole experience is great. You get excited about it and you spend a lot of money on the ticket and you're really, really excited. I mean I think that I went to a Guns N' Roses concert and they were old. Those guys are getting old. They are.
And they did a three hour set and I remember, at the end. Even before like sort of Paradise City came on. I'm sitting there with thousands of people and I'm in the background just like doing. That neck thing was like you guys can stop now, just stop, just because I'm tired, you guys. I mean you didn't stop.
0:08:00 - Wish
Wow, and I've heard that when GNR has been touring, I think, these past few months. I've heard that sometimes you get lucky that they make a good performance and apparently there are some performances that are not at par, I guess because of you know they're worn out or something. So, in your experience, apart from being long, but did you enjoy, at least like the tunes that you love Of?
0:08:28 - Sam
course I mean like. I mean you've got cities, iconic bands, and I'm not going to say you're getting older, but I'm getting older.
0:08:36 - Wish
We are.
0:08:37 - Sam
And most of the most of the bands that we listen to. You know they're not around for various reasons and and you know it's hard to find a concert that draws you into it, but when you do see a name that comes up and you and all of your stars align, that you could actually go to that concert. Yeah, yeah, it's fantastic, it's absolutely amazing, right? Because you're now a part of something that you said in front of a, a Sony tape deck with two cheap speakers in your bedroom as a sort of 12 or 13 year old, and you're now seeing those people.
It's their old and decrepit, but still.
0:09:15 - Wish
You can afford to see them now. It's a special.
0:09:19 - Sam
Yeah, yeah, yeah. The good thing with this whole streaming industry is that it's forced bands to come out and play a game. Really, you think that's. I mean you remember going, remember going and buying a tape or buying a CD? I'll be honest, I don't. I don't remember buying a record. I wrote playing records but mom and dad's place, but I don't remember buying one. But a tape or a CD, yeah, and, and there was a lot of money.
It was a lot of money and you saved your pennies, yeah, and you, you went into Tower Records or H&M you went into those places and you looked at that sleeve that was on there and you read every and you're like this much money and I'm going to I'm really and you, you raced home right and you put the tape in or you put the CD and you just sat in front of that speaker and listened to every single word, right. Yeah. It was so important to you and I think they made a lot of money on on on that sort of meeting, but with with this new streaming world, they're not making as much money.
0:10:22 - Wish
Yes.
0:10:23 - Sam
I don't want to talk about the finances of those sort of people, but I think they obviously would like to have more. So they come to concerts and concerts are big. I mean, goodness me. I mean look at, look at what's happening with this Taylor Swift business going on and seeing what's insane, I know right, it's insane.
0:10:39 - Wish
At first I was planning to get Luke some tickets, but I thought better and I think my life would be better not really getting into that ticket dramas.
0:10:53 - Sam
Do you honestly think that Luke would be very impressed that you got Taylor Swift tickets?
0:10:57 - Wish
Yeah, look it's a Tete fan, not me. Look it's a Tete fan. Do you know that I will have words?
0:11:03 - Sam
with him I am going to have. He's not a Tete, he's not a T-Squiz fan, isn't it? I think, okay, now you said it. It's really. No, it doesn't surprise me, because your husband loves Yacht Rock, yeah, so I mean he doesn't have grotesque music.
0:11:22 - Wish
I think he's just highly knowledgeable of what's going on in different sense of culture, current events, all the time. I didn't even know that he calls. At some point he just called Taylor Tete and I didn't know that, I didn't know that she's got that kind of a nickname before, and then at some point he's liking some of her songs and I was like okay, so yeah, he's.
0:11:50 - Sam
Look, I'm not going to say anything because I'm sure you've got many, many fans out there that like Taylor Swift and, yeah, that's great that Luke likes it. It's great that you like it. It's great that many people in the world like Tete Swizz.
0:12:04 - Wish
It's not my cup of tea, but I recognize that she's brilliant. She's a brilliant entrepreneur, brilliant musician, but it's not my cup of tea. So, having said that, we're going to move on to something else, because I think it's not something that we would really like to talk about. I've been meaning to ask you all this time how did you start flying? You said you started flying at 16, but how did it come about?
0:12:34 - Sam
It's a really good question and most people that ask pilots. You know why, how. What did you get into? And it's for me, it was my parents. They're in the traveling industry. They were back in those days.
And so Like, being born in England was purely by chance, because my parents were just there at the time and in those days in the 70s, you could hand out passports as you pleased and then so very quickly I was uprooted to America. But we traveled a lot because of them and I just had the most fond memories of being a tiny, tiny little boy on Pan Am and TWA. Oh, wow.
You know, and when the 747s were introduced, and then climbing up to that upper deck I'm not saying we were traveling in first class, but I just did it and I would go up there and I would sit in that lounge and I remember sitting there my little feet couldn't touch the floor, there was no bulletproof cock, but you could just amble in Everyone's smoking and drinking and having a great time. I think my mother was happy because she could finally get some rest, and I was. It must have put something in my mind.
I didn't think about it at such a young age, but I recall from about the age of eight, nine, just saying, hey, that is damn cool, those guys, it's a great life. And so it was just my singular focus, my entire, which was a detriment to me in a sense education-wise, because throughout school all I wanted to do was be a pilot and I wasn't bothered with anything.
Wow I thought they were trying to teach me because unless that meant I could be a pilot, I wasn't interested in what's that, and it wasn't great, it really wasn't great. I mean I knew I needed to have maths and physics and I mean I'm lucky that English is my first language. But for many, many people in the world, english is not your first language. But in aviation we all have to use English. So I'm sure there are other people out there like me that, but they also have to pick up English. But I didn't. So I just that was my goal.
And so even when I was in my sort of later years of high school, I spent every weekend at the Aero Club and I would go down there, I'd take the public bus and I would get down there and I would go around and do circuits. And I was 16, 16 when I sort of started flying. I didn't even have my driver's license. I went solo before I had my driver's license, and so that was my goal. And then, of course, once you get serious and you have to start learning to fly for a career, then you can't do that while you're at school. So very fortunate that my parents were 100% supportive of me so they were able to in flying this car cheap. It's really not cheap. It doesn't matter what area you're in. It's really expensive. But I was lucky.
0:15:31 - Wish
Were you a star student then? Because you were so passionate about being a pilot that when you went to flying college how did that?
0:15:40 - Sam
I've never been a star student in anything I've done, but I think my passion and my drive got me through. I struggled with as many subjects as not just learn to fly an airplane and go. Once you get through the system, you have to do your commercial pilot's license, obviously private commercial. Then you have a separate one called an ATPL, which is an airline transport pilot's license, and that's really the Zenith study wise, and that's not easy. You've got many different subjects. There's a lot, so that was hard. I mean ATPLs are tough.
0:16:14 - Wish
It should be hard, right, I mean, so that not everybody can become.
0:16:20 - Sam
No, no, no. And that's also a really sad thing though, which is because a lot of people wanted to, but maybe scholastically or the drive they wanted that. But I suppose the system is there to weed out those that will just not be able to do it. But there were people there and again I'll go back to financially they just couldn't afford to keep going always through it.
It really is an incredible burden, because the sad thing with aviation is to get a job, you need experience. To get an experience, you need a job. So you end up doing terrible jobs in your career. I mean, when I started off, I was working for this little tiny tiny it was literally one of those trailer homes that was put on the side of an airfield.
0:17:12 - Wish
Is that the one in?
0:17:12 - Sam
Botswana? No, this is in New Zealand.
I finished my training and I would walk down to these guys and they said, look, if you become an instructor, we'll pay you. And it was $15 an hour and that to me was a lot of money, but that's how you start. The things you have to do for that money are horrific, and it's sad because if you can't get through that phase where you're just eating rice every day and just your dream is still there, you'll do whatever it takes, and the sad thing is you might do things that you shouldn't even do, but it's just to get it there. And so I realized very early on that I needed to get out of New Zealand especially, and just go and find my own way, and that's why I ended up in Botswana.
0:18:10 - Wish
That is quite random to me. So when you were in Botswana it just you were just searching to get out and still fly somewhere, and then how did that land?
0:18:27 - Sam
I want to say I think my dad and I were watching something on television way back in like 97 or 96. And we were looking at and Africa came on on a documentary. I was saying they're going, this video footage must have been taken from an airplane and so there must be pilots that are flying there doing that. And this is pre-internet right, so you can just Google. There was no internet, so it was one of those weird sort of things, and so my dad bought me a ticket from New Zealand to Botswana via Johannesburg by myself.
0:19:02 - Wish
That's amazing.
0:19:04 - Sam
So I ended up on the sort of doorstep of this airport in Maln, which is where the Okavango Delta and all the game camps are. We knew that this was where things were happening, like there was lots of game lodges, so we sort of like angled it down, but it was terrifying. I just got off this airplane. I remember standing there with like two rucksacks and there's literally, like in those movies, dust balls flying past.
Oh my gosh, you know, I was expecting Clint Eastwood or somebody to come out of the corner and go hey, you know, like tip your hat to somebody as you walk past. It was like that, wow, and I just walked from there and I didn't have anywhere to stay, I didn't have anything to do, I was just like, oh, okay, yeah.
0:19:47 - Wish
There's no Airbnb at that time.
0:19:52 - Sam
There is. You just go, okay, and you ask somebody hey, is there a hotel or a motel and where would people fly airplanes here? And I was just lucky I got there. It turns out there's lots of airplanes there and you just walk, I walk down the street. I mean, I call the street, maybe it's the street, maybe it's a road, okay. Yeah, it's a surface of vehicles. Driver the condition of it.
0:20:23 - Wish
It's a surface where something with wheels would come. Yeah.
0:20:28 - Sam
Yeah, and I did a few flights with these guys and the funny thing was, you know, I got on with these guys and they said, all right, and I remember going into the interview and it's when I say interview, we're not talking about the most possible, wait, wait, wait.
0:20:45 - Wish
You just walk across the airport and just say I'm looking for a pilot job.
0:20:54 - Sam
Hey, my name is Sam Same as. And.
I'm looking for a job and here it is, and most people would sort of turn their noses and say, now we've got enough pilots, we've got enough pilots. And a few of them would turn around and say, okay, let's go into a test flight and see what you're worth. And I was just this one outfit that I was with and they, they sat me down in this little room and I was just sitting at the table talking to one guy. I could hear this buzzing noise behind my head.
I thought nothing of it. You know, this is Africa. It could be anything, it could be, you know whatever. Light light blowing and all of a sudden all my hair fell on my chest. What. Huh, and what the other guy, the other pilot, had done was got a electric shaver. Yeah.
Like a clipper and from the back of my head forward down the middle, had just shaved it bald Right down, right down the middle. And I remember just sitting there going what's just happened right now and the other pilot looking at me he was just laughing and goes well, you've got the job. You can take it and we'll shave the rest of your hair off, or you can say no and you can walk out of here with like a haircut like that. Wow. It was my first job.
0:22:13 - Wish
Oh my gosh Only if you have selfies at that time.
0:22:21 - Sam
I had an old DSLR camera that was, you know, when there's film that you had to take to a photo man. Yes. Like that, but I don't have a photo of that. I mean, I'm sure somebody does somewhere. I mean it would be interesting to see. But a reverse Mohawk, basically that's your job.
0:22:38 - Wish
Oh, my goodness, so they were multitasking while talking to you. They're already doing that, wow, and you lasted two years there. What have you learned? Three years, three years? What have you learned so much from there? Because that's pretty much your first professional job.
0:22:59 - Sam
You really made me think about that. That's a great question. It's a really good question. I think that you learn survivability. You also learn that and it sounds bad thinking about it, but you learn that the smallest thing you do could cause death.
Like you're working in an environment where it's really, really difficult, it's challenging, it's hard. That's the reason why there's not many people in those environments. It's hard, hard work. You're not there for the money, you're there for the experience. But the experience you get while you're there teaches you, as a pilot, survivability. You're really on your own and if you make a mistake it's catastrophic. In those environments there is no health and safety. The regulations were at those times very lack. You're really operating in margins, which taught you hey, look, you can play around, but it's going to bite you. I think that taught me. I remember it's so funny right now because I remember when I was flying there and we spent most of our life at 500 feet, maybe 1,000 feet, which is the size of a skyscraper. It's nothing right, it's really low. I remember, looking up, I could see the contrails, which are definitely not some government conspiracy to poison the world. Contrails are not a conspiracy theory. If anyone's listening, they're not. I would look up to the contrails and I would imagine what they're doing.
I could see them so high up there, just a little sliver of like glint of light coming off the airplane. Now I'm the guy who's up there and I fly over the same area sometimes. I look down and I look at them going. Would I do that again? Would I do that again? It's only with age and experience that you say no way.
0:25:13 - Wish
No way In the sense of bliss, you know.
0:25:18 - Sam
When you're 19 years old, you're made of rubber and magic. You're out.
0:25:22 - Wish
It's just, we're daredevils when we were younger, but I bet it made you who you are and you're still here. Yeah, that's great. That's a good reasoning sometimes, like, okay, we did a lot of crazy stuff when we were younger, but we're not dead, we're here, so it should be okay. It should be okay, hopefully.
0:25:46 - Sam
I've got a couple more years left. Just get through it, yeah.
0:25:52 - Wish
Okay, then how did you say okay, I've had enough of this. It's such a mind-opening, life-altering experience flying in Botswana, and then you move to Myanmar Again, another place that I actually didn't know any of these about you, I'm just learning about this. So yeah, all places. Again. Why Myanmar? I love your choices because it's not typical.
0:26:21 - Sam
They're obscure. Again comes back to that experience thing. So what I was, the airplane I was flying in Botswana, was a small single-engine airplane and it's piston-driven, right, so it's just a big, big, big car, giant car engine in the front. But if you want to fly jets you've got to get a turbine time turbine engine. It's not easy to get a jet job, but turboprops like ATRs and things like you being on New Zealand when you fly around in there or even in the Philippines and whatnot, they have a lot, so you've got to get that job. It's really hard to step up. And so Myanmar had an opportunity. They were flying turboprop aeroplanes, atrs. I applied for this company because, again, no one wants to go to these places, nobody wants to be in Myanmar, especially in the 90s or early, like a sort of it was perceived as something that's terrible. And I applied and got this job and it was actually fantastic. Some of the best years of my life, oh, wow. But to answer your question, it's progression.
You just need to get those hours that every pilot has a logbook. You've got to get those hours and once you get those hours, the bigger the aircraft. All those sort of things make a difference to airlines and throughout all this time I'm applying to all of the major airlines around the world. But you just get rejection letters almost by default because you're just a little guy who's flying a small airplane in Africa and nobody's going to pay attention to you.
So you eventually get the hours up and you move on. And so Myanmar was that stepping stone for me. I think it was still Burma back then.
0:28:08 - Wish
Oh yeah, it was still Burma. Yeah, it was still Burma. I think it was still Burma, it was still.
0:28:13 - Sam
Rangoon and Burma. I think we all still addressed it while we were there as Rangoon and Burma. But, that's not a political thing. We didn't do it politically, but I think it just took a while for it to move on.
0:28:24 - Wish
Yeah, yeah, wow, oh, my goodness. And then, after all of these, how did you land back to Singapore, where your parents still here at that time?
0:28:36 - Sam
They were. Yes, my parents were still there, and so Singapore was always the hub and just finding a way back, and then, obviously, throughout all this stuff, you meet people along the way, right, and so much in life is not what you know, it's who you know.
0:28:53 - Wish
Yeah, Unfortunately it is what it is.
0:28:57 - Sam
Yeah, it's sort of a double-edged sword, isn't it really? But, I mean, yeah, if you don't have exposure to people, you don't have the opportunity to meet people, and maybe that's part of youth as well. You don't have that as you get on. I didn't imagine the amount of people we've met in the last 15 years, that we know each other and all of the industries that we've been in. Yeah.
I mean fascinating, right? I mean you could. If you were in that field, those would all be openings. Just because you've had a great dinner party with somebody or you've met them and you've gone on, that changes. That can change the trajectory of your life quickly.
0:29:35 - Wish
Absolutely. I agree with that. I was talking to another friend of mine when I was in London recently. She just said something to me because she's in TV production. So I said is there anything for my brother to do in London? How easy it is to enter the industry. And then she said you know, it's always about if just there's one person who would believe in you, who would really trust and believe in you, then you get in. And I completely believe that. That some of the breaks that we've got after all the hardships of course you work hard for it to where you are in life, but it does matter that there's this one glimmer of hope which is a person who just thoroughly believes in you, who's in that industry and pulls you in, and I'm always forever grateful with those people who do that. So I paid that forward too. It's that sense. Do you think that there are people in your career life that is so formative of your entire career, of where you are right now?
0:30:44 - Sam
I would 100% put it down to my parents, without a doubt. Without them, I wouldn't be in this position. Without what they've given me and the opportunities that they've exposed me to, it's entirely damn. They're definitely once you start your career and once you're inside a career. I think that there are people that you are an aura of, and mentors and people that you look at with a lot of respect, and there's many of those in my life, and it goes back to what you said. You know, like someone that believes in you. I think that's a lovely thing to say someone that believes in you and that they are taking a personal risk by assuming their belief is correct.
0:31:25 - Wish
Yes.
0:31:26 - Sam
It actually makes my hair stand up, because it's so heartwarming to think that there are people that do that.
0:31:31 - Wish
Yeah.
0:31:32 - Sam
You know it's so easy to ignore people because you've got your own problems in life. You don't need to worry about that and let that person just fight for himself. I did that so that other person should do that. But there are people that, to this day still with me will go out of their way to help and I really respect that and I'm an aura of those people.
0:31:52 - Wish
Because you're the same. You're the same to other people, just for you to be aware of that.
0:31:58 - Sam
You pay it forward right, you're in a position and help somebody else along the way. It's easier said than done, but it really is that way and I think that's what makes good leaders and good. You know, your co-ford is really important for them to understand that you're not in this for yourself. Let's build everybody else up and people that are fearful, you know, of the youth, of people that are younger than them and smarter than them.
That drives me insane, because I see a lot of people in my career that are younger than me but, they're brilliant, absolutely brilliant, and I would go out of my way to put them on a pedestal higher than I am, because they deserve it. They should be there because they're more capable. That period of time when you're defending yourself or your job or your life because somebody else is a threat, that's ridiculous. That person's better at it. Let them do it.
0:32:56 - Wish
Yes, if someone is a threat to you, that means you have to look inwards. You have to look inwards. Why are you threatened? Are you having an imposter syndrome or are you really crap at it?
0:33:09 - Sam
Exactly.
0:33:10 - Wish
But if you're crap at it, then you should not be there anymore. Anyway, someone who should deserve it should be there instead of pulling someone down.
0:33:20 - Sam
Couldn't agree more. They should be there. And then, because they have the aptitude, they have the capability, and it's great, just as long as it's not your husband.
0:33:29 - Wish
Another thing that I appreciate about you is that you're a very good cheerleader to everyone. You know some people may find you obnoxious, and I don't In a negative light, but I feel it's valid, yeah, but when I say you're ob but for me when I say you're obnoxious it's a positive thing. It's like you're so fun up to the point that it's obnoxious. But I like that kind of humor right. But what I really like about you is that really I always see that you do listen to all of us and then just absorb it. And then you, in your own funny way, you would always exalt other people. You always pull them up what they've done, if they've done a good job or if they're good at something. You always pick up on that.
0:34:17 - Sam
Well, you know, I think that maybe my arrogance or my obnoxiousness, right, or my perceived, that sort of intolerable behavior that I do have sometimes have you have. If you're going to take that approach with people, you also have to be self-depreciating.
0:34:35 - Wish
Oh, absolutely.
0:34:38 - Sam
And so that's how. I try and disarm a situation where you'll go in and it comes across as a little bit oh my gosh, what's going on. But then you realize that my tactic is that I'm going to put myself down and I'm going to put you up, because it makes the situation a lot sort of better. But sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but it's not a conscious decision, wish. No, I appreciate it.
My take on this is that but everybody is and I don't think a lot of people get a lot of support and feel their self-worth. You don't want to be facetious is the right word. You don't want to be too glowing about somebody because it looks ridiculous, right, but you want to make that person feel good about themselves and feel special and feel good and go home happy, but also sort of with a twist.
0:35:37 - Wish
With a twist. Yes, yeah, that's very you and I appreciate that so much. So also recently. I don't know how to broach this topic, so I'm just going to go gently, because you can stop me. There are big changes happening in your life right now as a person. So I told you about this. Go ahead, jump in.
So I just wanted to say I think, because you married early, you know about Sam yourself being a dad, like a good father, a pilot and a husband, and now you're breaching into learning about you as an individual, like as Sam, as an individual in our 40s, and I just wanted to check in what are you learning about yourself so far with your journey on this new chapter of your life?
0:36:39 - Sam
Well, I really don't have an answer. As you were questioning, I was genuinely trying to figure out where I was going to go or how I'm going to answer this question. I don't know, wish. I really don't know, because your singular focus when you have a big life changing moment is you've got to come back to sort of the base of what you are, who you are and what you've got at the time, right? Yes, so I have two boys and they are my singular focus. They are my life.
I'm just trying to focus on them and giving them the best future for what we've got going ahead. It's not a life changing experience. I think a life changing experience would be something catastrophic or something that you didn't see coming or were taken unaware of. That would be harder to deal with. But when you see something coming along the way, you're better able to deal with that, and I think that taking things slowly is really important, right? Yes, I'm not rushing into things.
Absolutely. Again, I'm a communicator, so if something is getting difficult or uncomfortable, just talk about it. Yeah, and say to yourself especially and to where we're involved.
0:38:05 - Wish
Have you already understood the situation right now? Because I know that your focus is always the kids they're beautiful, by the way, growing up like very beautiful little men and I'm just really wondering sorry, it's just my curiosity as well have you absorbed about how everything unfolded for you, or are you hurt by the situation? Let's say it's not a common reason to have something like this. It's not even unique as well, but it's something. Knowing you, I would assume that it would not affect you stereotypically of others, that it will hurt just their ego. But yeah, like 100%, I see what you're asking.
0:38:54 - Sam
And maybe it's just me that it's not. I comprehend 100% what's going on. To be honest with you. It's such a sense of relief and happiness for all parties. It genuinely is. It's not stressful.
There's no grief, there's no looking back. I mean, you can look back. I think looking back is important and seeing where things went wrong or how things developed to this situation and I do do that. I'm a very introspective person. I spend a lot of time with myself just thinking about how and why things have progressed. But it's a very different thing. Things have progressed, but it's actually more of a happy moment to be honest with you, because it's a relief, I think, for both parties and just being so supportive too. So there's no animosity or anger or Exactly.
There isn't any hatred. There's nothing there. It's almost like a weight or a cloud was lifted off you and you're now free to do what it is you'd like to do. It has its moments, it's tough and there's a lot of things to sort out along the way. But no, I really don't.
0:40:16 - Wish
I think the biggest factor here is that it's not in spite, it's the love all over. So in the respect that both of you have shown the kids and everybody around you, you're in loss, and even for us seeing that swell I always have, I mean, my position in here when I learned about it is really to protect both of you, it's not just one or the other, it's protecting the both of you. And then ultimately, of course, it rolls down to the kids, who are really growing up too fast.
0:40:57 - Sam
And you've been fantastic with that. I mean just managing and looking at things from a standpoint that is neutral, and that's been wonderful to have your support throughout all of this, and your advice too, and I really appreciate. Our friend network is brutally honest, right, we don't beat around the bush. If something needs to be said, it'll be said, and I think that's been quite astounding for me throughout all this is how people have just been really honest about how they feel about everything. Yeah, I think it's more a shock for others.
0:41:35 - Wish
For others who are sheltered.
0:41:37 - Sam
yes, yes, sheltered is the correct one.
0:41:39 - Wish
It's not bad, but they're just.
0:41:42 - Sam
They're just like how can this happen? This is beyond, this is not possible, and there's so many facets to it as well. So you've got this. But once that initial dust cloud settles and everyone goes back to their bunker and they sit there and they think about it, and then they come back out again and they Well, everybody emerges and they take their nuclear goggles off.
I don't know why I have a nuclear image in my head and they come out and it's hugs and handshakes and let's go and find some water and move on, that's. But I've just seen that from the start, so I've known that from the start. So I've been confident and both of us have been confident in that position about where we're going with this. Yes.
It's just about the boys and protecting everybody and making sure that everything's done in an immeasurable manner, and that's the key there. But I understand these are. The situations are so dynamic. It is Like it's just the situation that we are in right now. Is we're able to do this?
0:42:45 - Wish
Yes.
0:42:46 - Sam
In this manner and make it work this way.
0:42:49 - Wish
It's so graceful, I'm telling you now. It's so graceful because the biggest chunk of it is you, how you've been really handling it very gracefully that it just cascades throughout everybody around you, and I respect that very, very much because it's again. It's rare to find a situation in this world that's not making drama out of it. Everybody's trying to escalate it into something, but you have been very graceful with all of these and do you think that this grace that you have is coming from your humble experience all throughout your life so far? I don't know.
0:43:40 - Sam
I don't think anyone's ever prepared for an experience like this, but I think that yes, of course, it's just who you are as a person. Do you want to be malicious? Do you want to be angry? Do you want to be upset with the whole situation or do you see a future? Do you see the long game? And where it goes.
What's the point in making things difficult or hard? There's no need for it. You just want to move forward in the best way possible, because we don't need stress in our life, we don't need anger, we don't need all of the anxiety that goes with everything.
There's enough going on in our lives, that we don't need stress in our life. That's the moment. So my point is let's just make this as easy as possible. There will be difficult moments. There will be. There's no denying that. You can't say to yourself this is all going to be fine, Things will come up and but when they come up, you deal with them. Yes, Maybe just that's my aviation background, how we're taught to deal with things. You're looking at a bigger picture. You're not myopic. You're looking at how things will play out in the long term and get to that safe point and then you can have. But this is slightly different. But yeah, I just want to go through happily for everybody.
0:45:03 - Wish
Yeah. So why would you like your boys to pick up from life right now, for example, if they listen to this or if they hear this, probably, let's say, not even now, maybe like five, 10 years from now. What do you want them to pick up from this? What is there?
0:45:23 - Sam
What is there to learn from this? I mean you, you.
0:45:26 - Wish
Not just about this. The life so far Like. What would you like? What's your short love letter for them 10 years from now?
0:45:34 - Sam
Oh, I just love my boys, my boys. I love them. Oh, that's that's. They just know that you give them the best life you can possibly give your children. Anybody out there in the world loves their children, and there are people in very difficult situations, there are people that don't have and are struggling so hard, and it's just the idea that you can do your best for your children and they will see that. I think the children do see that.
0:46:06 - Wish
They do, they do.
0:46:08 - Sam
They pick up on that and they will be who they are. Yes, they, they will grow up to be the people that you sort of frame them for. And some children Escue everything they've learned from their family because they just didn't like it. And some people will learn everything from their parents.
I think you expose them to as much as you possibly can and in a controlled, Responsible framework where they're safe to make their own decisions and make mistakes. And in those mistakes you do judge the mistakes right and you say, well, can you do better? Yeah, I take a bit of a cliche, but I mean it is how it works, I mean it's, I mean parenting's, parenting's awful, it's really hot, it's really really hot. So yeah they will be who they are and I trust them. Wow, coming from a father's heart.
0:47:02 - Wish
Oh, just love. It's just love? Yes, I think so too. So, speaking of love, who do you love best among a group of friends? Nice try, I've got enough of my play.
0:47:20 - Sam
There's no way. I just like all of my friends, I'm putting you on the spot.
0:47:25 - Wish
I just like them all equally Wow so diplomatic. And none of them.
0:47:32 - Sam
None of them. No, none of them, they're just it is. It is probably one of the oddest groups of friends ever collected together. Okay, Okay.
0:47:44 - Wish
If you're going to tell someone how eclectic this group is. How would you describe this group in a short form that doesn't involve three hours?
0:47:57 - Sam
Okay, we have a WhatsApp group called Daily Life, yep.
On that Daily Life. All of our friends are on that check group. Daily Life is not a support network. What If you have a problem and you want to err it on Daily Life? Be prepared, that is what it is. That is how I would sum up what we have. We absolutely adore and love each other and we will go out of our way for anybody else, but we're not going to show it or in any way, in any way announce that there's any genuine friendship. It's just hey, you're on your own, but we're going to make it worse.
0:48:39 - Wish
Daily Life. It's like piranhas, and then the messages is equivalent to like a piece of meat.
0:48:48 - Sam
You throw it in the water with the piranhas and then you're on your own the meat's just going to be, and that's the stupid thing about the group is that people keep throwing themselves in the river, right, yeah. They do it constantly and everyone's waiting and baiting, and baiting, and baiting and then it's just like we got it there's a hook, there's a hook in the mouth and we're on. But the odd thing is, nobody takes serious offence to this. I mean, we're not mean. That's the difference.
0:49:20 - Wish
You're not bitches.
0:49:22 - Sam
Well, sometimes yeah, but we're not someone who's sort of like that, but every time you send a message you have to be very careful about how you craft it and how it's going to be received. Because, for sure, and people, it's an amazing group of friends. Because it's also an interesting dichotomy when you look at it where should you see?
us all. There's such a broad spectrum of people. Yes, it's not like this is a friend group that grew up together and went to school. Yes, fewer of the group all went to school together, but most of us are all just people that met here in Singapore and then just evolved, and from all backgrounds and all industries, which I love the most, because you don't go into a setting where you're sitting on the sofa or in a bar and you talk about work, because none of us do the same thing.
0:50:19 - Wish
Yes, we'd rather talk about other things.
0:50:23 - Sam
We just talk about the worst things you could possibly imagine.
0:50:24 - Wish
Exactly.
0:50:28 - Sam
Yes.
0:50:29 - Wish
I love that.
0:50:30 - Sam
Mostly your husband. He's the worst.
0:50:32 - Wish
He's the best, he's the best of the worst. No, it's not.
0:50:38 - Sam
I don't think that's really Delusional.
0:50:44 - Wish
No, Sam, you're the best. And then I laughed.
0:50:51 - Sam
Sorry.
0:50:53 - Wish
No, sorry, who's your favorite friend?
0:50:57 - Sam
You can't have a favorite friend. Everyone's a friend. You're not going to get a bite into this, because I, you know, most of our friends don't have technology, they don't have electricity, so they probably won't be able to listen to this at all?
0:51:12 - Wish
No, they won't.
0:51:13 - Sam
I doubt it.
0:51:15 - Wish
Well, some of your friends are not supportive. Yeah, I love them, but they're not supportive. None of them are. None of them are supportive. They're the worst. I don't know why. I love them. It's like a. What do you call that Stockholm? So probably I still love them, even though they're not supportive. It's not like I'm a captive, like I'm a captive of this group who's so obnoxious, who tears everyone apart. But, for the love of it.
0:51:47 - Sam
That's the thing.
0:51:47 - Wish
It's for the love of it, it's not. Yeah, I think it's so. All of us, I think, are so self deprecating. So that's what I love about it. And then when you put a few drops of alcohol, then that that's party Right.
0:52:05 - Sam
Well, lucky, none of us, none of us, none of us drink.
0:52:08 - Wish
So that's why I said just like a couple of drops of alcohol.
0:52:13 - Sam
We already party Because we love cooking, so we cook with alcohol.
0:52:17 - Wish
Yes, flumbey everything.
0:52:23 - Sam
Don't touch the devil's juice, no way.
0:52:28 - Wish
Oh goodness, we ended up in there. So what do you? Feel.
0:52:33 - Sam
Yeah.
0:52:35 - Wish
So what are you feeling now? Are you still nervous? Are you more comfortable now? What's going on with this podcast?
0:52:42 - Sam
The podcast is fantastic. It's great. I think you have done a great job running it and I think your questions are fantastic. And you know, it's funny for maybe the listeners that are listening to this. We didn't plan any of this. This is completely unscripted, or we're friends, but there's no behind the scenes. I'm going to ask you this. I didn't know what I was going to be asked or what sort of direction this podcast would take, but I enjoy it. It's fun to do. You must enjoy doing these podcasts.
0:53:12 - Wish
Absolutely, it's really. It's me recording my conversation with friends and acquaintances and things come up. I don't completely research as well, because I have like a few sets of questions only to guide me, but it's more of if you're vibing with someone, right that the conversation is just going to flow, of course, yeah.
0:53:41 - Sam
I mean, it's just meanders down a random path, which is good, and then you sort of I love that, I, you know, there's always those moments when you're at a dinner party or something, where it stops and you, you're in that sort of awkward moment of.
0:53:56 - Wish
Okay, tumbleweed.
0:53:59 - Sam
Tumbleweed and you're looking across at the. You're looking across at the person sitting next to you Like oh, I'm not that person. I don't want to talk to them either.
0:54:06 - Wish
Yeah.
0:54:07 - Sam
And also it's it's.
0:54:09 - Wish
It's good to have this one on one with people, because sometimes I know that, for example, we're very close but we don't deep dive into into things because we're always in a big group. It's never one on one.
0:54:27 - Sam
We don't have a lot of time. We don't have a lot of time to.
0:54:29 - Wish
Exactly Because you're piloting all the time. You're piloting and fathering all the time. So, and I was away for a while.
0:54:38 - Sam
Yeah, yeah, and it's much better to have this private conversation on a podcast so that hundreds of millions I'm imagining there's, there's hundreds of millions maybe billions of listeners out there, and so it's much better to have a private conversation where everybody's listening to it.
0:54:58 - Wish
Exactly.
0:54:59 - Sam
That's the best.
0:55:00 - Wish
That's the best.
0:55:00 - Sam
So they can ridicule me, not you, yeah.
0:55:05 - Wish
I love highlighting friends. So yeah, sam. So, in closing, what's the word that you can impart to our listeners, and why, out of all of this?
0:55:17 - Sam
Hope. Have some hope.
0:55:19 - Wish
Mm, hmm. Why.
0:55:21 - Sam
Really believe in yourself. I mean, I know it sounds so cliched and I and now I'm saying it I sort of I don't regret it, but I really, really just have hope there is. There is a lot out there in this world. Yes. There is, and there's, a lot of good people.
0:55:36 - Wish
Yes.
0:55:37 - Sam
There is a future, and sometimes it feels like there is nothing left that you can do, but really, really there is. If you believe in you and you believe in your dream and you persevere, you'll get there. I mean it's, it's not easy, it's really not easy, wow, beautiful.
0:55:58 - Wish
It's not even a cliche, it's just some of the simplest things that we forget sometimes. A simplest hope, that word I think we get inundated with life right, the daily life.
0:56:11 - Sam
We get inundated in the stress and the anxiety that comes with it and I think that really listening to yourself and finding that that time, to say what is causing me all of this anxiety or stress, and just look at it introspectively and go, hmm, okay, what could I do?
What? What can I do to stop this and change this? And that's why it comes with hope, because there really is. There really is a future, there really is many good things out there. I sound afraid, sort of what's the word for this. It sounds very depressing, but it's not. I'm speaking from a happy tone.
0:56:48 - Wish
It's actually very genuinely wonderful to have something like that Again. We're inundated with so many things that we forget about the simplest things. It may be difficult, but you're speaking the truth not your truth, but the truth Because we're yeah, everybody's just have their own truths, but I think this is a universal truth about hope.
0:57:14 - Sam
Yeah it's because your listeners are global and you know, sometimes it's just nice to hear conversations and whatnot.
0:57:21 - Wish
Yes.
0:57:22 - Sam
But to also know that the people that, like you and I talking right now, we're just real people just talking, we're just. We are like everybody else out there in the world, exactly the same. We're not different in any form or fashion.
0:57:36 - Wish
That's true, we all struggle, we all have our victories, we all have our moods ups and downs, but I think the biggest difference between each person is how much hope they believe in their hearts. Yeah, beautiful, beautiful.
0:57:59 - Sam
Wish. But now I have a question for you. Okay, okay. What are your cats doing right now?
0:58:05 - Wish
My cats are my executive producers. I kind of reveal that on social media. They're actually behind me. Sagrada is behind me. Every time I record, every time I produce, every time I edit, they're always right beside me. So they're my bosses, they're the executive producers of the show.
0:58:26 - Sam
Where's Sergio?
0:58:27 - Wish
Sergio was behind me earlier. Oh yes, they're both behind me. They're both behind me sleeping. They support me 100%. So they know when I'm about to record, they come up with me here in my studio and they sleep behind me.
0:58:47 - Sam
Have they been well fed?
0:58:48 - Wish
Ready for bed now or?
0:58:49 - Sam
is it cat based questions? And again, sorry for your viewers that hate cats In the morning time four, three o'clock, four o'clock, five o'clock. Do they wake you up?
0:58:59 - Wish
No, I have a trick when it comes to them not waking us up annoyingly in the middle of the night. They're like kids. You have to be consistent and give them a routine, because cats got time clocks like body clocks and they know routine. So I tire them before we go to bed. They know when I go up I do my ablutions and then I go to bed. And then when I sit on the bed they know it's playtime. So a chase and cat teasers and all of these. They go nuts right. They run after each other, they fight, they go crazy with the toys and then they're tired. So the entire night they're going to sleep with us. It's either they sleep in our bed or they sleep somewhere else, but they're asleep. They will only wake us up after seven or something. How about you? Is Frankie causing a disturbance?
1:00:02 - Sam
He's awful At about four or five he'll start howling and just howling non-stop. But I mean also, like living in the tropics, you have to have air conditioning, and so if you close the door, of course it's better for everything, right, but cats hate closed doors.
1:00:23 - Wish
Oh yes.
1:00:24 - Sam
If you just close a random door, they never go into. They get upset, so you have to leave a crack in the door, of course, which lets all the mosquitoes in and all of the heat and everything like that. But if I close the door, it's game over. For the rest of the night I'll be up and down at least 15 times because they go out and then they get bored and they come straight back. Hey, that door's closed. What the hell is going on here.
And so then I usually would crack, but then about five I'll get really like it doesn't stop, it's incessant and you know how painful it is. Because they have a chain, they can change their tone. Yeah, oh, totally so he climbs over my head and then climbs in the bed and sits next to me. And also there's a creepy thing where you're half asleep and you wake up and there's sort of like Egyptian cat. He's staring at you, staring at you.
And if you reach your hand out the pet, you get bitten because they're not interested in love or anything else. But you wake your ass up, you get out of bed because I'm awake because, this is the stupid thing with cats is that they sleep all day long and nighttime they're like hey you guys, let's get this party. You're like no, no, no, no, no. It doesn't look like that way. You've seen this your entire life how I sleep at night.
1:01:44 - Wish
Yeah.
1:01:44 - Sam
Right Absolutely frustrating.
1:01:46 - Wish
Yeah, I think my advantage is that I'm mostly at home, so I could tire them during daytime. They're in the backyard. I could tire them during daytime. They're not asleep during the day and then before going to bed I tire them a little bit extra so they sleep because, yeah, I'm at home. But for people who are working, especially for you, your hours are crazy. Sometimes it's just there's no pattern, so it's hard for the cat to do.
1:02:20 - Sam
I don't know what he does when I'm not here. I mean, does he just meow by himself? Does he just annoy himself?
1:02:25 - Wish
You get him another one.
1:02:27 - Sam
You've seen the size of my cat.
1:02:29 - Wish
Yeah, you get him a kitten.
1:02:31 - Sam
He'll eat it.
1:02:33 - Wish
No, he'll be gentle with it, but get probably a female or not, another male.
1:02:39 - Sam
I tell you what I would like to get, and I'm being genuinely serious with this I would like a pot bellied pig.
1:02:45 - Wish
Oh my gosh, that won't be so cute. But is it allowed in Singapore to have a tiny like a miniature pot bellied pig?
1:02:53 - Sam
I've never looked at the regulations, but I'm fairly sure that you couldn't have one, but I would. They're so cute because pigs are so intelligent. This is my horrible dilemma I have to deal with is because I love bacon. It's it is literally. If you asked me who I last meal is, it's a bacon sandwich. Right, that is it. It just because it's the most amazing product in the world and you're a pig eater, but pigs are so intelligent and they're the most wonderful animals, right?
They're incredible. My sons show me videos on TikTok of like little pigs running around and they're so cute.
1:03:28 - Wish
They're so lovable.
1:03:30 - Sam
I really want a pig and I imagine walking down the street with a little pig.
1:03:34 - Wish
Oh my gosh, I don't think that's going to fly in Singapore I know it's not going to work. I don't think it'll work in many countries, but you know, society says things, you know there are miniature piglets or pigs and they're adorable and they're all on social media too People who own them they're so adorable.
1:03:53 - Sam
This is also another thing you don't know about me. I have no social media.
1:03:57 - Wish
Yeah.
1:03:58 - Sam
I respect that. Well, I mean, it's just, you know. I just don't want to be contacted.
1:04:02 - Wish
Yeah, I respect that.
1:04:04 - Sam
We're talking about eating food. It just came out of my mind Octopuses.
1:04:08 - Wish
Yeah.
1:04:10 - Sam
Did you watch that Netflix documentary about that man that swam down? Because now I realize we've all been talking about are there aliens? If you look at an octopus, damn right, there's an alien. It's right there. It's in our backyard.
1:04:24 - Wish
And it's intelligent too.
1:04:26 - Sam
It's intelligent and incredible, and I was watching some other game, my son showed me a TikTok video of this man, different man than the other one in the Netflix one. But you know, just they do know, but they're so delicious.
1:04:39 - Wish
Oh my gosh.
1:04:41 - Sam
I don't know what to do. It's a horrible, because when you have a Spanish octopus it is so good.
1:04:48 - Wish
Yes, it's like smoky charred, it's fat.
1:04:50 - Sam
But then you think about how intelligent they are. It's a male animal, I mean.
I've got to give respect to Ricky Gervais, right. Why? Because he's an animal activist, he loves animals and he just stopped eating meat, not because he didn't like it he loves it but because he's proclaimed his entire career that he needs to protect animals. So I'm not going to eat him. I mean, hats off to him for doing that. I mean I wish I had, like you take. Okay, removing octopus from my menu wouldn't be hard, it wouldn't be difficult. It's not like it's a daily you know. Hey, what are you having for breakfast? Octopus. All the time.
Octopus and champagne.
1:05:32 - Wish
Wow, well, I you know, I think, my view when it comes to this again just my personal point of view. Nobody needs to be canceled. Of course there are different people of different levels of tolerance, different levels of belief, different levels of really what they could do with the environment that they want to have. So it's still banks on free will. I cannot say I'm against this group versus that group, or eating this or who are not eating. That I respect that. I agree. At the end of the day, I agree we just needed to respect each other's choices. Unless it's really going too far, like criminals and people who are hurting other people, then that's a different thing altogether. But it's really hard, right, Like, how are you going to choose and why are you choosing? That it's up to you. I don't need to question that. Nobody can question that.
1:06:39 - Sam
It's your choice and that needs to be respected, I agree, but it's just one of those sort of wow, it's just tough. I mean, I don't know how we got to this point, but it's just.
1:06:50 - Wish
I suppose coming to this point is really everybody's lives are unfolded in front of the entire world through social media, right, because these things, these ideals, these choices have always been there. It's more elevated nowadays because we've got all of our lives are in media, so everybody gets influenced by that, or everybody thinks that they're entitled to have a say on somebody else's choices.
1:07:22 - Sam
Right. I mean this is a huge issue that I think we're dealing with globally right now. With this, it's the idea of sort of moderation and if you look at all the debacle with different social media sites and whatnot, you want to have an open, free, sort of like discussion on things. But I mean, as you said, look, people can sit and say what they like. They can, and it's good and bad. But again, I don't know how we got to this point. After the food, but that also. I just want to. One last comment. So you said after I do my ablutions, are you from the 14th century?
1:08:00 - Wish
I would like to think so sometimes.
1:08:03 - Sam
When nobody says ablutions.
1:08:06 - Wish
Excuse me, look, and I say ablutions every time, like at night, when I go up, it's like I need to go up now and do my ablutions.
1:08:17 - Sam
You go to the bathroom. You know I'm not a big fan of the word toilet. In fact I was debating Q versus toilet is my is my most disliked Q and toilet.
1:08:30 - Wish
You can just say toilet, I just hate the word toilet.
1:08:32 - Sam
I don't like it. It's just to me. I don't understand why I don't like it. There's nothing wrong with the word, so what do you say? Bathroom. Bathroom but also bathroom is also 18th century.
1:08:44 - Wish
Yeah, but not all bathrooms are bathrooms, it's just a loo.
1:08:51 - Sam
A loo is fine, a loo works well. I'm going to the loo, or, you know, I'm going to freshen up, which also has connotations like hey, I've just farted and I need to go and have a cleanup, but ablutions Nobody uses that we use that regularly here at home. Yeah, but there's two of you and both of you are not normal.
1:09:13 - Wish
Thank you very much. I really appreciate that.
1:09:17 - Sam
Everybody should know this. I mean I'm sure there are many people listening that going right. Ablutions, like if you were at a dinner party and imagine you're saying that, do you push your chair back and say excuse me, for a moment, I need to go and do my ablutions.
1:09:36 - Wish
Not necessarily, because when I say ablutions it's mostly in the context of I'm doing not just to poo, it's all about me preparing for bed. So I do get rid of my makeup, I wash my face or I have a little shower, a little tinkle. You know it's an entire myriad of what you do getting ready for bed or getting ready for the day.
1:10:03 - Sam
So in that context You're a tinkle.
1:10:05 - Wish
Yeah, Like kids Again do you ever say I have to go potty. No, no, I mean I use that for toddlers if I talk to toddlers. But you know the normal thing for me that I'm not even ashamed of whenever I say, for example, if I need to go to the toilet, I always say I need to poo or I need to pee, even with my in-laws. You're honest about it.
1:10:36 - Sam
Yeah, you don't just say I've got to excuse me.
1:10:39 - Wish
I've got to go to the bathroom Because why?
1:10:41 - Sam
You're specific, I'm specific because you tell everybody that's listening which number you're doing.
1:10:47 - Wish
Yeah, you know why? Because I'm done with a bullshit. It's just poo and pee, and we all do it too. It's just being poo, is a normal fact of life. We poo, and I'd rather do that, because sometimes, especially for close friends, it's like I got to go poo, because that means, for example, when we're at a restaurant, they know that I'm not going to emerge for a longer period of time.
1:11:16 - Sam
You know that's brave. I'm going to give you a tip of the hat. You're getting a full tip of the hat for that. Because I'm not that brave. I don't have that level of confidence because I'm just worried about the judgment. Like well, he's been there for a long time. Yeah. What? Also, there's a judgment when you come back. Yeah, exactly.
Everyone's watching you and they're like I know you just did yeah, Now you can't. I don't know how I could face people with they knew what I did If I was away for a period of time and most people would guess he's done number two Right Because of the period of time he's been away.
That's okay, because they still have to guess. I didn't tell them what I was doing. I you know they don't need to. So when they come back they're like, if people are looking, you're like did you wash your hands? Did you get a good cleanup on there? Was there enough toilet paper? What sort of situation are you dealing with in there? I mean like if it was Okay, if it was in Japan, you know, you're coming back fresh because they have those most amazing toys in the world, right.
So you're coming back? You smell like Sakura and Mount Fuji. You are literally perfect when you come out. But if you know, it's kind of like oh no, man, I don't know, I'm not sharing that bread with you anymore. We're done with that.
1:12:43 - Wish
No, but that's the, I think, my approach nowadays. I'm not saying that I need to pull to everyone. It's mostly for friends that I could trust, but most of the time I have no shame about these things because my approach now is so different. My overview about my view about life now is like if you present a fact that is a fact in this world but makes other people uncomfortable, they're not ever going to talk about it. They're going to be in denial. They would just forget about it because it's uncomfortable.
1:13:22 - Sam
You're right, there are still subjects which are taboo. Right, there are still elements which we perceive, as I don't know. Nothing taboo, but I mean there are still. You're not in a bank and then get up and yell at everybody in the bank. I'm going to poo Everybody. My Q number is 1003. Look, I've got to go Really. I had McDonald's for breakfast and then you know that cheese it gets you.
1:13:56 - Wish
Yes, it does, and I'm on my way out For real.
1:14:03 - Sam
But I commend you for being that brave. There's no way. It's confidence.
1:14:08 - Wish
I think there are some things that I am doing now in my life versus before. It's only because of perspectives, right? There are some things that we are ashamed about that everybody does. So why are we even ashamed about it? Yeah, because it's a taboo. So I'm untabooing some of the things that we should not be ashamed about.
1:14:31 - Sam
So, for example, like you know, I think let's be, honest. I think most, men I'm speaking for most men in the world think that women don't poo.
1:14:42 - Wish
Or fart, we don't fart.
1:14:45 - Sam
Either of the two.
1:14:46 - Wish
It doesn't exist. Yeah, it doesn't exist.
1:14:50 - Sam
It just makes our life slightly. I'm just bluffing you.
1:14:54 - Wish
I knew it all along.
1:14:55 - Sam
It was a farce, See. This is what. I got to at the end it was just complete fabrication.
1:15:01 - Wish
Yeah, I just wanted to know your reaction to it.
1:15:05 - Sam
Disbelief. Was what my reaction?
1:15:07 - Wish
was Sorry, I wrecked you.
1:15:10 - Sam
It's alright. I mean now I won't take you any longer because you have to go and do your ablution.
1:15:15 - Wish
No, not yet. My ablutions will start probably in an hour.
1:15:19 - Sam
Oh, great Good.
1:15:21 - Wish
Bention it to Luke. We do that, Like before he went out to see you for lunch, he told me okay, I'm going to go up now and do my ablutions and then have lunch with Sam, so it's a normal occurrence in our abode. Dude, I love words.
1:15:43 - Sam
Nothing in your abode is normal, nothing in your abode is normal. That's true too. I heard. One day your viewers get an opportunity to see it Maybe a live streamcast of just the abnormality that goes on in your world.
1:16:00 - Wish
Oh, speaking of no normality in my abode, luke told me this morning hey, I bought new copper. It's like, oh okay, what copper, what type, what pot? It's like you have to guess. I was like I can't guess, I don't know what I don't have. I always like saucing pans. And then so he said oh, I bought you a milk boiler. Of course you did.
1:16:24 - Sam
Of course you bought your milk.
1:16:28 - Wish
And then I was like why? It's like, you know, when you boil milk. Oh, okay, Thank you. Why aren't you happy? Well, because I needed to now think of what I'm going to do, what I'm going to cook with it, you know. So, my head, was spinning.
1:16:48 - Sam
You can't cook with it, you can only boil milk in it. He bought you a specific copper milk boiler. Right, it was handcrafted in the Viking age and lifted off a shipwreck. You know 2000 years old. I'm sorry for the history buffs out there, I know that it's not 2000 years, but he's found that obscure milk copper milk boiler which you couldn't use any other device in the kitchen to boil milk with it at all, apart from the one he's just now bought you. And God help you if you were to use that to boil, let's say you made megi noodles. I know you guys would never do that in your abode, but if you did I think he would curl over completely. He'd put himself in his Komodo dragon Bobby doing something.
1:17:36 - Wish
No, I you know it's a good opportunity to make a lot of caramel.
1:17:41 - Sam
Because I mean every day. I'm constantly bewildered by man. I need to make it caramel.
1:17:49 - Wish
When I see it, I will always boil milk in it, because I'm sure he knows that I'm not that excited yet, but when I see it I'm sure I'm going to friggin use it all the time. How?
1:18:01 - Sam
much milk boiling are you doing? I mean, like, what do you need to boil milk for?
1:18:05 - Wish
I love milk. I just put it on tea and coffee and oatmeal. You know, when I cook my oatmeal, it's full. There's no water, it's full milk when I boil it.
1:18:19 - Sam
I lactose intolerant so oh no. This is going nowhere in this. There is I do not have milk in my fridge. If anyone wants to come over who's, listening to this. You eat cheese. Bring your own milk. You eat cheese. I do eat good cheese, not processed cheese.
1:18:34 - Wish
Oh, that's true, but that's good that you still eat cheese.
1:18:39 - Sam
So Well, I don't look for cheese. If it's on a product, or as long as it melts, I'll eat it. If it's hard, ain't no way, it's going in no way.
1:18:49 - Wish
You're so picky? How did you become a picky eater when you lived in places that are atypical?
1:18:58 - Sam
Because most of those places have basic substance Rice potatoes. Which are things that make meat. Rice potatoes were on. Oh, that's how it is, but you don't need a vegetable.
1:19:13 - Wish
Come on, but how I think you're evolving these past few years that you're trying other things.
1:19:22 - Sam
I can now eat vegetables. I eat seafood now, certain types of seafood. As long as it doesn't taste like seafood, I'll eat it. If it doesn't taste like a vegetable, it's great Like so. It's barbecued vegetable or seasoned. I've been getting into asparagus recently, but it has to be like if you just put a plain asparagus and use boiled one and put it on my plate.
1:19:44 - Wish
No way.
1:19:45 - Sam
I mean, I could eat it. I'm not going to be impressed.
1:19:47 - Wish
So asparagus wrapped in bacon, you would eat.
1:19:50 - Sam
You know, what. It kind of seems grotesque. It's awesome, but it is wrapped in bacon, so and I'm pretty stupid about how I'm putting my stance on bacon here. But yeah, I think you do evolve. I think you do evolve with these sort of things.
1:20:06 - Wish
What gives you just woke up and say, oh yeah, I've got to try. I'm going to try more things.
1:20:16 - Sam
Yeah, people over my mind to these things and said just try it. You trust people and you say all right, you're not setting me up for something that's terrible, and they know your taste and they're like see, it wasn't that bad. Then you're like you know what. You are right. That is delicious I like that.
1:20:37 - Wish
Oh, that's good.
1:20:39 - Sam
I mean, you're married to somebody who hasn't had McDonald's since 1997.
1:20:44 - Wish
Yeah, I haven't had McDonald's since like 2008. Something like that. We don't eat McDonald's, but oh sorry, Actually that's not completely. Look, yes, 100%, but I would still eat the French fries apple pie. Yeah, you're great, Do you eat McDonald's? Of course, Like. And of course, what's your favorite burger there?
1:21:08 - Sam
Double cheeseburger plain, no vegetables, no sauce, just the meat and the cheese and the bread. That's it.
1:21:15 - Wish
But do they serve it really with vegetables?
1:21:19 - Sam
I think it's got a pickle in it.
1:21:21 - Wish
Oh, I love pickles.
1:21:23 - Sam
Works, just works.
1:21:25 - Wish
Oh, my God.
1:21:26 - Sam
There's a lot of regret after fast food. Yes. I mean, you crave for it, you want it. I think KFC is one of those things you crave for at a certain time and within about sort of 10 to 15 minutes, the regret hits you.
1:21:42 - Wish
That's true.
1:21:45 - Sam
And it's just, I feel, so terrible, where you could sit down and have sushi or Vietnamese pho and you can eat all of it and you come out sprightly and happy. You're physically full but you feel great Like you're full of, like sort of. But there's certain foods like I mean I don't want a lawsuit, but I mean there are certain foods where you come away going good Lord, I really feel bad.
1:22:14 - Wish
Yeah, like, why did I even put that in my mouth? Yeah, but you know, like KFC, I would eat it at least once a year, that's good, it is good, you get that little, you get that shit.
1:22:29 - Sam
And you're like mm.
1:22:30 - Wish
And then. So I don't really regret it because I know that I have an expectation that I will have that craving. I'm going to eat it at least once a year. If I'm weak, that will be twice a year. It's not like I'm dissing on other people who would eat it more, it's just, again, personal choice. It's really something that is. Most of these crap food that I eat still is only stems from, not of the satisfaction. It's because of memory. It evokes childhood memories for me, like eating a lot of like Filipino fast food or some of these like the KFCs. It's because when I was growing up in the 80s, these things are inaccessible.
You have to go to Manila to get that, and we can only get that when my uncle, who is a US Navy, would have a car. The ship is in the Philippines from the US and then he will visit us, make us a shop in Manila in a car and then we would eat in McDonald's or KFC. That's a special time for me. It's always special because it's once in a year or twice in a year that you will always get, so it evokes that. So I would still eat them only because of that, like it's a part of me. I'm not ashamed of eating fast food, it's just because it's attached to my entire self. So yeah, but there are things that, for example, you have no choice. You have to eat it because you're in the middle of nowhere, because that's the only thing you can eat. And then after that you're like, why did I even eat that? I could have been just hungry. So that's on my side.
1:24:18 - Sam
Yeah yeah, I agree with you 100%. I think everything should be. You know, moderation is the key.
1:24:26 - Wish
Yes, that's right.
1:24:27 - Sam
But also enjoy the best things, because life is short, enjoy what you can. It's really short.
1:24:37 - Wish
So seriously with health and stuff we have to really be yeah we do, we really do. Because you really just don't know. And even if you don't know, it's best to be proactive, because at least, if it goes down not in the best way, you're like okay, I've done my best, you know, I've looked after myself more bit.
1:25:00 - Sam
I think I've noticed the thinking of a lunch that your husband and I had today, which is probably not the healthiest lunch. I mean, you know, wagyu is good.
1:25:09 - Wish
Oh, yes, yes.
1:25:11 - Sam
Wagyu is good, decisions, decisions.
1:25:14 - Wish
He's very good. So I asked Luke. I asked Luke preparing for this episode Do you have any questions for Sam that you would like me to ask? He's like why Grief? He said why no. I was like okay, I'm on my own, do not do not, do not.
1:25:36 - Sam
That would be, that would be an unsuccessful podcast.
1:25:41 - Wish
No, that's the funny thing, because I'm trying to trap you to telling me who's your favorite friend. So I trapped him to ask if he's got any questions for you, and both of you did not fall in my traps. No way we know what you're up to.
1:25:59 - Sam
And also we know the ramifications of either of us saying something about each other. I was talking about looking long in the future and see everything.
1:26:09 - Wish
You will carry it forever.
1:26:11 - Sam
It would be a life of pain, it would never end. Yeah, on daily life.
1:26:16 - Wish
It will be like a cross that you have to carry forever with the daily life.
1:26:21 - Sam
Hey, that's okay, because we all, we've all carried that cross and we are all carrying a cross of some sort like this, so that's not a problem. But there's no way you're going to do that. Throw that at me, that's game over. And if Luke was allowed to ask me a question, I mean it's going to end so badly, but he's really nice.
1:26:45 - Wish
He said nope, it's your show, it's your show, it's not my show. So he's very good what?
1:26:52 - Sam
do you say he's really nice?
1:26:54 - Wish
He's nice when he wants to be. That's what he say every time. I say you're so nice, and then he's like yeah, when I want to be. I was like yeah. He's not nice, oh you know yesterday he went to a boutique team building session.
1:27:10 - Sam
I saw it. Did you see his painting? It's fantastic.
1:27:12 - Wish
I'm so proud of him, it's so beautiful. So I said you better bring that home. He brought it home and then I've got this one red, beautiful, chromey envelope and he said this is for you. So I opened it up. It's like a nice boutique, like a vessel, it's like a wallet of some sort and it's really really pretty. And I was kind of shocked, really. Yeah, I was like what's this? Is this for free that you got from the team building? It's like no, I bought it. I bought it. Why do you buy me this? I have a lot of vessels. And then he's like, yeah, but it's beautiful. I was like, okay, thank you so much, it's so nice of you. It's like I just don't understand why you have to buy me this. And then he said but I like you.
1:28:01 - Sam
That might not have been Luke you were talking to. He's got doppelgangers and whatnot. There was a glitch in the system.
1:28:11 - Wish
Dude. I mean, look, as a husband is really one of the best things ever out there in life, Because really he's got those moments when he tells me he likes me. He's a good husband, and so are you. Do you think you are a good husband?
1:28:33 - Sam
I'm a great husband you are you? Know it's, it's, it's.
1:28:37 - Wish
You are, and you are a very good dad.
1:28:41 - Sam
You're actually a very good person, you are, you are which which leads me on, because one of my children is starving.
1:28:50 - Wish
Okay, so now I would like to say thank you so much for your time to hang out with me. It's super nice to catch up with you this way, and thank you so much for indulging me to be my finale guest finale yes, Just for this season, my season three finale.
1:29:11 - Sam
That is fantastic.
1:29:14 - Wish
I'm ending up on a high note.
1:29:15 - Sam
Thank you very much, and thank you very much for inviting me and thank you very much for making this a warm, happy podcast. I really appreciate it, thank you.
1:29:24 - Wish
Thank you so much, and.
1:29:25 - Sam
I had a really good time. This is. This has been absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed it.
1:29:29 - Wish
Thanks, sam, take care All right, love you lots. Love you.
1:29:35 - Sam
Bye.
1:29:49 - Wish
From this episode. One of the most important words about life is introspection. It is the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes. It's similar to words brooding, self-analysis, contemplation, thoughtfulness, meditation, pondering, cogitation, reflection. Danielle Lubetzky, a Mexican-American billionaire businessman, philanthropist, author and founder and executive chairman of a snack company, Kind LLC, quoted: "Failure holds the seeds for greatness. So long as you water those seeds with introspection, they can be the root of your success". End quote.
Looking inwards to ourselves is a powerful and brave thing to do, for there will be a lot of negating thoughts, feelings and fears that may come along facing oneself. It is not easy to be introspective, but it is something that we have to practice in our lives so that we could kind of reflect back, think about what we've done, what choices we made and how it impacts other people for the better or for the worse. When we look inside ourselves, we get to know and become friends with who we are, and then we can fix things and we can change things, because it's your own right and it's your own self-care for you to be able to be aware that this is your right to love yourself by being introspective, by being careful and thoughtful enough to know who you really are.
Wow, can you believe we've reached the end of another fantastic episode of Human Thesaurus. I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had together, from heart-to-heart conversations with amazing guests like Asela, Ray, Jeroen, Mama Margaux, JC, Coco, Mike, Manda, Reuben and Sam, to deep diving into the ocean of words and emotions. It's been an absolute joy sharing this journey with you.
I want to give a huge shout out to each and every one of you for tuning in, engaging and being part of my growing Human Thesaurus community. Your support and enthusiasm fuel this podcast and I couldn't be more grateful. As we wrap up this season, I invite you to continue spreading the word about Human Thesaurus, share it with your friends, families, colleagues and yes, even your friendly frenemies. Your reviews, comments and subscriptions mean the world to me. Trust. And also, don't forget to hop onto our website, humanthesaurus.co, for exclusive updates.
While I'm taking a short breather before diving into the next season, keep an eye out for a special monologue episode dropping next week and to stay in the loop about all things Human Thesaurus, follow me on Instagram threads and X I'm about to say Twitter, but it's X now. So here's to embracing words, feelings and the incredible connections they create. This is Wish Ronquillo Peacocke signing off for now, but not for long, until we meet again in a few months. Remember to keep those word conversations going. Have a splendid day and, as always, thanks from the bottom of my heart for being a part of Human Thesaurus journey.
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