About Me
I remember Dad threw a question at me once …
“Would you rather get a million dollars today, or start with just one cent that doubles every day?
I went for the quick win and picked the million dollars — who wouldn’t, right? But today I’m seeing that the long game often wins in the end.
By the way, I’m V — thanks for stopping by! I’m Malaysian-born and now living in Australia. I’m in my mid twenties and am a huge foodie! On weekdays, I cook at home, which makes weekend cafe hopping (despite the dreaded weekend surcharges) something I always look forward to, especially since it lets me immerse myself in Melbourne’s multicultural food scene. I also try to stay active, prioritising my health through regular pilates and strength training.
In my career, I’ve been working in tech for about four years. While I occasionally enjoy what I do at work, I’m also realising there’s more to life than just work. Like most twenty-somethings, somewhere in the back of my mind, I sometimes wonder if I’m adulting correctly. I’ve had plenty of moments where I wanted to hit pause, take a sabbatical, travel, and find my purpose. But the classic voice in my head says, “Don’t be silly, you’re in your prime years for career growth.” And honestly, with the economy being what it is — and, well, needing to pay rent — I’ve had to build my safety net before taking bold leaps.
So here I am, regularly crunching my own numbers for FIRE, knowing each paycheck gets me one step closer to taking that break, whenever it finally happens.
Why I Started This Blog
FIRE is a long game, but it doesn’t have to be lonely. I needed a space to track the journey, hold myself accountable, and maybe inspire others along the way. It’s more like a 10+ year marathon, I get a kick updating my net worth spreadsheet every month even though the progress bar barely moves. It’s like running the last kilometre of a marathon that feels like it’ll never end. Still, I’m in it for the long haul, and I want to look back in a decade and remember all the wins, the “oops” moments, and those random life detours. Besides, as an introvert, this blog is my safe place to dump my thoughts and share real talk. Plus, I get to connect with people who really relate to this journey.
Why I chose FIRE
For me, FIRE isn’t about the “millionaire” label. It’s about:
(1) chasing the freedom to work because I want to, not because I have to.
Fancy job titles or prestige no longer appeal to me. Honestly, work hasn’t been giving me the same thrill these days, yet I’m sticking with it because building wealth takes time and patience. It’s not about loving every minute, but playing the long game. Plus, with AI taking jobs faster than recruiters get back to me, I’m making sure I’ve got my ducks in a row and building my own safety bubble just in case redundancy strikes.
That got me thinking about freedom — and how Morgan Housel explains it brilliantly in The Psychology of Money:
“The ability to do what you want, when you want, with who you want, for as long as you want, is priceless. It is the highest dividend money pays.”
This idea strongly resonates with me and truly captures what I strive for in both life and work.
(2) living intentionally, and embracing a minimalist mindset that’s grown inside me.
I’ve become way more thoughtful with my spending — every purchase needs a good reason. It’s wild thinking back on how I used to splurge on luxury bags and clothes just to keep up appearances. These days, what really gets me buzzed now is waking up to a news headline like ‘ASX set to rise as Wall Street rallies overnight.’
How I’m Getting There
I was lucky to grow up in a household where talking about money wasn’t taboo. Even though I’m grateful for the chance to study overseas, it still pains me to see how much my parents sacrificed to pay for it.
To them, education and health came before everything else — and that made me deeply value money.
Dad taught me personal finance and mental maths from an early age. Back then, when I was still in high school, maths was just a subject, and percentages were simply another formula we had to learn. It was hard to appreciate the beauty of compounding interest and make money work for you because the rewards take time — it’s all about delayed gratification, something that’s difficult to fully grasp when you’re young and eager for quick results.
But then I whipped out my trusty old friend—Excel spreadsheet—and started running the numbers. Seeing how small amounts grow exponentially made the magic of compounding concrete and tangible. It’s a slow process, but that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.
So here’s how I focus my money mindset to build wealth:
(1) Budgeting and saving:
We often underestimate the importance of budgeting. From what I’ve seen, many people skip it — not because they don’t have the money, but because they haven’t figured out what they really want or built the habit of staying aligned with their goals. It’s also interesting that society loves to talk about how much we earn, but hardly ever about how much we save. The real flex isn’t in how much you make — it’s in how much you keep. Earning a high income is impressive, but mastering the art of saving and growing it? That’s the real power move.
For me, I like to think that tracking and budgeting isn’t about restricting myself. It’s about knowing every dollar saved today can be better invested to cover future groceries, travel, or cheeky bubble tea runs. I treat my money like a team of tiny, overachieving minions — each hustling hard to pull its weight and get me closer to my goal. No slackers allowed.
(2) Investing:
I started investing in 2020, right in the middle of global chaos, blindly dumping money based on Motley Fool recommendations, basically ended up becoming the fool myself haha (but hey, at least I made the first move to start investing!). But since landing my first full-time job in 2023, I’ve been aggressively saving and regularly dollar-cost averaging (DCA) my monthly salary into ETFs. And now, after three years, the compounding magic is finally kicking in.
(3) Growing my income:
There’s only so much you can save by cutting expenses, but income growth has no upper limit. That’s why I’m focused on adding new income streams, including building passion projects that can generate passive income over the long run — a concept that really resonates with me at my core. By doing this, I hope to build my snowball and watch it roll on its own sooner.
My FIRE Goal
After running the numbers (and obsessing over my trusty spreadsheet), I’ve set up monthly projections and targets to keep my spending on a tight leash and make sure I stay disciplined. Watching the numbers grow — even slowly — keeps me motivated and on track.
- Barista FIRE: $1.1M (by 2031) — enough to live simply and do part-time or passion work.
- Fat FIRE: $2.4M (by 2039) — enough to live comfortably and travel
I don’t expect to completely stop working — there are plenty of ideas and that I want to bring to life once I reach that comfort zone. These numbers are just my starting point, based on where I’m at right now. Naturally, I’ll adjust them as life unfolds — especially once my partner and I tie the knot and start planning for a family.
Final Thoughts
As I reflect on my journey and work towards these goals, I keep coming back to that question my dad asked me years ago — the one about choosing between a million dollars right now or one cent that doubles every day. If my dad asked me today, I’d pick the one cent that doubles every day. Because with compounding, that penny turns into over $5 million in a month — that kind of patience and steady growth is what really pays off.
If you’re keen to see how this slow and steady game plays out, stick around and join me on this journey — let’s learn, grow, and celebrate the wins together.
Cheers,
V – Aug 2025