Most of us spent our teenage years wishing for adult life. We grew up wanting the freedom, the monthly kaching, and to not have to cram for exams. But when adult life finally hits us in our faces along with the many adult responsibilities, we wonder why we were so stupid to wish for time to have passed faster. Of the many responsibilities, one of the biggest headaches is insurance. Let’s face it, most of us hate dealing with insurance even though it’s supposed to be good for us. I’m not sure about you, but when it was finally (or dreadfully) time to buy a policy to insure myself, I wondered how other people did it. I had no idea what I needed, what was good for me, and whether I’d be ripped off with a crappy plan. I’m pretty sure many other millennials feel the same way about insurance. And who has the time to read through the entire policy and T&Cs anyway? How much do you really know about your policies then? I spoke to four millennials to see how much they know about their own insurance.

Shaan, 20

“I’ve never bought insurance for myself before but I know I’m still under a plan that my parents bought for me. I intend to get one myself once I start working. I get the general idea that it’s to protect my life but I don’t really know what kinds of insurance are there and what I need.”

Pro-tip on what to look out for as beginners:

There are several things to know before buying a plan: the policy term, sum assured, and hospital preferences. You can also ‘customise’ your policy by adding riders – which are additional options to cover you in more areas on top of the ‘default’ plans offered. If you’re concerned about your finances, there are also different ways you can pay your policy premiums. Opt to pay your premiums at one go (lump sum payment), or break them up into annual or monthly instalments if you need to ‘spread out the damage’. Above all, don’t be afraid to ask insurance agents questions. It’s more important for you to know what you’re buying than be worried about them getting annoyed. Still not sure what you need exactly? Set up an appointment with FRANK by OCBC here!

Marc, 25

“My parents bought some sort of family package for us so I believe I’m covered under that package in terms of life insurance or any accidents. So instead of buying any other insurance for myself, I spend that amount investing instead.”

Pro-tip on knowing the different types of insurance coverage:

In case anything happens to you, you’d want to find out how much you are covered for under policies your parents bought, and to review the sum based on life stages. Also, did you know that it takes more than one layer of insurance for you to be fully protected? The four main layers of protection are Hospital, Life Insurance, Critical Illness, and Endowment.

The closer the layer is to you, the more important it is. It doesn’t mean that you have to buy every type of insurance either. You just need to know what each type of insurance does for you, and get what you need. In Marc’s case, he should check on how much hospitalisation coverage he has in his existing policy for a start, as it’s the most important layer of protection. The other basic coverage to look out for is Personal Accident, which will cover Marc’s hospital bills if he happens to meet with an accident. For more details on each layer, head over to FRANK by OCBC’s website here. They’ve broken it down to very simple terms for the beginners!

Brenda, 26

“I’m not very sure what I got. I just know that I’m covered for certain terminal or critical illnesses and death. Also, I’ll get a lump sum when my policy matures at 55 years old. This is the only plan I bought as I think it’s good enough – it covers my health and also gives me some money back when I’m old.”

Pro-tip on Endowment VS Savings VS Life Insurance Plans:

What Brenda described is an Endowment Insurance Plan, which helps to grow your wealth while providing you basic insurance coverage. The returns you get may not be as high as stocks and shares, but Endowment Insurance Plans are less risky and give you better returns than a deposit account with a bank. There’s a difference between a Savings Plan and an Endowment Insurance Plan too. Where Endowment Plans give you coverage on certain things like critical illnesses or death, Savings Plan don’t. Then there are Life Insurance plans, which are designed to not just help you, but also your family. Should you happen to pass away, get diagnosed with a terminal illness, or have a total permanent disability, a Life Insurance Plan will grant you (or your beneficiary) a sum of money that will help greatly in that time of need. You can find more information here.

Esther, 25

“I have three insurance plans: Life Insurance, Hospitalisation, and Endowment. The Life Insurance Plan is to help "protect" my loved ones (children, spouse) financially should anything happen to me. Like if I die, they get a sum of money.  I got the Hospitalisation Plan to cover me up to A Class government hospital. And for Endowment, it's more of a savings plan that my husband and I bought so that we can get a certain percentage of return after 18 years.”

Pro-tip on Life Insurance VS Hospitalisation VS Endowment Plans:

You can never be too sure when it comes to health, so it’s important to be fully aware of what kind of coverage you get under different insurance plans. Hospital bills can add up to a hefty amount and a Hospitalisation Plan helps cover the expenses for treatments and staying in hospital wards. Note that there are limitations though. Treatments for certain critical illnesses may not be covered under the Hospitalisation Plans, which is where Critical Illness Plans come in. A Critical Illness Plan will cover the expensive treatments for illnesses like stroke and cancer. Learn more about the differences in Hospitalisation, Life Insurance, and Critical Illness plans here.

Plan Your Future Wisely

As a millennial, I fully understand the pain of paying a few hundred dollars a month on something that doesn’t give you immediate gratification. But from another perspective, you’re actually diligently saving this amount in a bank every month – a bank that will actually help you in times of need in the future. Learn more about the different types of insurance and how it covers you differently at FRANK by OCBC.

Enjoy Special Promotions (Till 31 Dec)

Whether you’re a first time insurance buyer, or looking to get another layer of protection for your life, here are three promotions FRANK by OCBC is running till 31 December 2017:

1. Enjoy S$60 Cash Rebate when you purchase the Regular Premium Endowment Insurance –Annual Premium <S$4,999
2. Enjoy S$30 Cash Rebate when you purchase the Regular Premium Endowment Insurance –Annual Premium, S$300 – S$799,
3. Get S$100 cash credit when you buy 2 out of the 3 insurance below
   • Hospital: Supreme Health
   • Term Insurance: MaxTermValue CI
   • Personal Accident: PA plan (PA Protect, PA Supreme, PA Cashback Plus, Great Protector)

For more details, head over to FRANK by OCBC here. Or set up an appointment with OCBC here. This post is written in partnership with FRANK by OCBC. Also read, Don’t Know What The Heck To Do After You Graduate? That’s Okay, We Didn’t Either.

If you're lucky, you'll meet the guy or girl of your dreams, fall in love with each other and settle down happily ever after without a hitch. But in reality, you will probably fall in love with a couple of ‘wrong people’ before you meet "The One" - at least for most of us. And the journey there will be a perilous one filled with heartbreak and regrets. Whether you're healing from a breakup, single and searching, or in a relationship, here are 8 advice on love and relationships. These millennials made these mistakes in their previous relationships, we hope you don't have to go through what they did. * Some names have been changed for privacy reasons.

“Love Someone For Who They Are”

In my first relationship, I had a whole fantasy of an ideal mate and a version of her in my mind that wasn't her. Because of that, there were expectations, which led to plenty of disappointments. I've learnt that who you envision her to be or what she is in your head isn’t necessarily who she really is in person. I've come to accept and love a person for who they really are. – Andrew, 25

“Don’t Force Yourself To Like What You Don’t Like”

Think for yourself and consider what’s best for you. You don’t have to like a certain thing just because your partner likes it. If your partner loves to game and spends a lot of time gaming but you don’t enjoy it, then don’t do it. Don’t waste time forcing yourself to grow an interest in something you obviously know you have none in. You do you and let him do his. – Mary, 26

“Keep Your Communication Between Each Other Strong”

I was in Poly Year 1 while she was in Sec 4. It was exams period and we assumed that we were both busy so we didn’t text each other as much. On hindsight, we actually had time to talk even if it’s just for awhile. From then on, we talked lesser and lesser and her feelings slowly faded away. I think that to keep a relationship alive, it’s important to keep the communication strong and make an effort to update each other on what's going on in our lives. – Neil, 20

“Don't Lose Yourself”

I always believed in giving my best or not giving at all. I wanted to make her the happiest person in the world so I gave her my all, even at my own expense. She didn't like my secondary school friends so I left them. I learnt that before you be with someone who makes you happy, you should be contented with yourself first. Remember to also love yourself. – Jun Shen, 24

“Fate plays a part”

I've learnt that soulmates are not meant to complete us but to complement us. These relationships are intended to teach lessons so that we evolve and be the catalyst for change in life. You may have met your soul mate or someone you feel a deep connection with but you have to accept that it doesn't necessarily mean you're meant to be together. Sometimes, it's who you meet that has their goals, dreams, and timings aligned with yours. – Chantel, 25

“Pay Attention To Their Actions, Not Their Words”

Someone can say they love you, but if they don't show it or if they physically, mentally or emotionally bully and harm you, that's not love. Also, how a guy talks about their mother is how they're going to treat you in their relationship. If all he has to say about his mother are negative things, you can bet that it's how he's going to talk about you to others. – Natasha, 24

“Forgive Yourself”

I have been cheated on before, cheated on someone before, and got played before. One thing I've learnt from it all is to forgive yourself because everyone makes mistakes. It's hard to say what's right or wrong in relationships, there's always a grey area. Only when you’ve forgiven yourself can you start to let go of any anger or hatred you have, and move on. Move on. There's no point replaying things in your mind wishing you had done this or that because you can't undo anything anymore. When things have already happened, move forward and learn from it. – Ling, 26

“Don’t Let Words Break You”

My ex played the blame game on me and would always guilt trip me into thinking that I was the one who hindered him in things like opportunities to study overseas or enjoying outdoor activities. On the contrary, I had never stopped him from doing what he wanted. His words really affected me, until I found out that he cheated on me and had used all these hurtful comments as excuses to break up with me. If your relationship ended badly, don’t let the words your ex said get to you. Don’t let your ex or other people guilt trip you, and don’t let your insecurities stop you from healing and moving on. – Lydia, 27

Be A Stronger You

Just like how you take away a learning point from a good book or movie, you take a piece of your experience with you as you close a chapter in your (romantic) life. A piece that forms who you are in time to come. Just like these millennials who shared the lessons they’ve learnt from their past relationships, you will grow wiser and stronger. From millennial to millennial, we hope this advice help. And when you’ve grown stronger as a person, you’ll be ready to meet your other half over here. Also read, 8 Confession Stories That Are Like RL Versions Of Taiwanese High School Dramas.

When we were kids, we were like a sponge soaking up everything we hear and see. We copied what our parents said and pretended to be our favourite cartoon characters. Above all, we were cheeky little buggers who’d get ourselves into facepalm-worthy incidents. We asked Singapore millennials about the ‘stupid’ things they had done when they were primary school kids or younger. Here are 10 of the funniest incidents.

Shaver As Comb

I remember playing Pretend with my cousins and we were using a real shaver as a comb. I used the shaver to comb my hair then freaked out when I saw my hair falling off. – Anmol, 24

Playing With Fire

I was playing with fire and candles with some friends during mid-autumn festival. One of them started swiping their finger across the candle flame and before you know it, all of us were doing it because it was cool to us, kids. I wanted to be cooler, so after doing the same a few times, I tried to hold my finger in the flame longer. I got burnt. – Betty, 26

A Sticky Situation

I got bubble gum stuck in my hair because I wanted to see if I could ‘balance’ the gum on my head. It got stuck so badly and became a badly tangled lump of hair. My mum had to rub it off bit by bit with olive oil. – Bling, 26

A Tic Tac Addiction

I was so addicted to Tic Tacs and the sound from shaking it that when I finished the candy, I put in a five cent coin so I could continue shaking the box. When I shook it, I tilted the box above my head and ended up swallowing the five cent coin and had to go to the hospital. – Sammie, 25

Brow Game

My primary five classmate shaved his eyebrows off to prove that eyebrows served no purpose. He looked ridiculous after that. He kept quiet when everyone started poking fun at him. Poor boy. – Shi Ling, 26

Pet Rock

My friend and I picked out a random rock at the garden near our place and kept it as our pet rock. We even gave it a name and brought it with us everywhere in school. One day, we hid the rock in some part of the garden and we couldn’t find it when we went back the next day. We felt so sad after that, it was as if we really lost a real pet. – Marie, 23

Pretending To Be Wrestlers

The boys watched a lot of WWE back then. Once, I went to a friend’s house and a group of us were trying out some wrestling moves. I tried to mimic the wrestlers and jumped down from the top of a ladder and broke my arm. That was the first and last of our ‘wrestling session’. – Neo, 30

Raining Barbie Heads

My sister and I had a lot of Barbie dolls. At one point, I realised that I could pull the dolls’ heads off and fix it back so I started removing the heads quite often. We have this small window at the top of the toilet facing the shower area and once when my sister was bathing, I threw in the dolls’ heads through that window, for fun. She freaked out. – Jennifer, 21

Marksman

I was staying on the 9^th floor and whenever I see kids playing at the playground downstairs, I'd take my water gun and shoot water at them from my window. And when their parents come up, I’d close all the doors and pretend no one was home. – Fabian, 24

Exploding Shit

I spent my childhood in Philippines and it was around New Year so my friends and I were playing with fire crackers. We stuck a fire cracker in a pile of dog shit and lit it up. The firecracker exploded along with the shit. It went all over the road and the cars around. We saw the car owners horrified as they came out to check their shit-stained cars but they never found out it was us. – Raymond, 20

Were You A Cheeky Child Too?

Childhood has got to be the best years of our lives. When else can you do and say darndest things like these and get away with it? And if you’re looking for someone to share all your embarrassing childhood tales with, try here. We’re pretty sure these have brought back some childhood memories of yours too. What are some of the stupidest things you’ve done as a kid? Share them with us in the comments! Also read, Meet 14-Year-Old Riddhi And Her 77-Year-Old Best Friend, Aunt Louise.

You may have forgotten everything you've studied, but some things will always stick with you even after you've graduated and gone on to adulthood. The memorable chill out sessions with your buddies, the delicious yet cheap food from the canteens, and the many student discounts. Ah, fun times. Something else you'll never forget: the infamous ghost stories in your school. The ones that have been passed down through generations. Those that seniors love sharing at orientation camps, because nothing helps the freshies bond a little faster than instilling some fear in them before a night walk right? With Halloween around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of ghost stories in Singapore’s polytechnics and universities, as told by students and alumnus, so you can 'relive' your poly or uni experience through these legendary tales.

Republic Polytechnic

Eerie Presence/Sally at E2 Building

Most RP students will agree that there’s just something about the E2 building that makes it very eerie. Maybe it’s the lack of natural light or the maze of dimly lit corridors, but people have always felt like someone or something was watching them when they walk along the corridors there. In one of the most popular tales, there's supposedly a little girl called Sally who haunts the E2 building. They say that Sally's a lonely child and if you say her name three times at Level 3, she will appear and ask you to play with her.

Haunted Toilets

There have been multiple accounts of ghostly sightings at the W6 and W3 toilets (just to name a few). Some say that there is always one cubicle that’s locked from the inside even though it’s empty, and it cannot be unlocked. Others say you can hear weird noises like the running of the tap or even a girl crying from inside the cubicle even though there’s no one.

Grandmother and Grandson

It’s against the rules for students to stay overnight in the Club Rooms but a group of students decided to spend the night in their club room after finishing up some work. At night, they locked the room and turned off the lights so that the security guards wouldn't see them. In the middle of the night, they heard a knock on the door but they just hid because they thought it was the security guard going on his rounds. After awhile, they heard another knock. This time, it was louder. Then, they heard the voice of an old woman asking, "did you see my grandchild?" Legend has it that it was the grandmother who had lost her grandson there and that till this day, the grandson is still lurking around the RP Fountain.

Singapore Polytechnic

The Red Bridge

As the oldest poly in Singapore, you’re sure find many terrifying tales of it, each with its own variations. The most infamous story is of The Red Bridge at the School of Business and CASS. They say that back then, a girl had jumped off the bridge and when she landed on the ground, her blood splattered up onto the bridge. The blood stains could never be washed off completely and would always reappear even after being painted over, so the school decided to paint the whole bridge red to mask the stains. Some people have also warned against walking at the sides of the bridge as the girl’s spirit will attempt to pull you off the bridge and join her in her realm.

The U-Shape Toilets

There are some U-shape toilets around the main library and many students have felt strange vibes whenever they use those toilets. It’s said that in one of the orientation camps, a freshie got possessed in one of the U-shape toilets when he stopped there as part of their night walk route. Despite his small build, he had the strength of almost 10 persons and even the biggest guy in the camp couldn't restrain him. They only managed to chase the spirit away when they called a medium down to help. Rumour has it that this incident is also the reason why SP ‘banned’ night walks.

Temasek Polytechnic

Design School Toilet

There’s one toilet in the design school that’s said to be haunted. Once, a girl went to shower in that toilet alone late at night. While showering, she heard someone kicking open the first cubical door. The person, or ghost, then kicked open the second cubical door, and as it did each door, it counted down in Malay. When it was reaching the girl’s cubicle, which was the last one, the ghost went, “Satu Laaagi”, which translates to mean “one more”. Some sources said the girl fainted, others say she hightailed out before the ghost reached her.

The Little Boy at School of Engineering

It’s normal for orientation camp leaders to patrol the camp area at night, but in one particular night, two camp leaders experienced something not so normal. They saw a small boy running in the distance on their patrol and decided to chase the boy to find out why he was there. They kept chasing the boy and shouted at him to stop but the boy didn’t. When the camp leaders were climbing up the stairs at the engineering block, the boy started playing hide-and-seek with them. Eventually, the boy disappeared. Sensing that that was odd, the camp leaders reported the sighting to the security guard. The security guard then came with a guard dog to comb the building but they didn’t find the boy. However, the dog kept barking at one particular corner. All of them felt that something wasn’t right so they quickly left the area and pretended nothing happened.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic

As the second oldest poly and rumoured to be built atop a cemetery, Ngee Ann Polytechnic is also known to have many paranormal hotspots.

Freak Accident at the Engineering Workshop

Rumour has it that a girl got her hair stuck in a machine, had her scalp ripped off, and died in one of the engineering workshops. Some people claim that you can still hear her screams when you walk pass the workshop at night.

Blocks 50 to 53

They say that beneath the hilly terrain of blocks 50 to 53 lie the bunkers that were used back in the day, and it’s the reason behind the countless stories of hauntings at these blocks. For one, the railings at block 52 or 53 are said to be painted red for the same reason as SP’s Red Bridge – someone had committed suicide there and the blood stains could never be removed. As for the notorious block 50, you’ll notice that the lift only brings you to the sixth floor even though the block actually had seven floors. The staircase to the seventh floor is blocked too, so it’s believed that if you do get to the seventh floor, you’ll start seeing things like people burning incense, and bad luck will follow you. The female toilet on the third floor of block 50 is also known to be extremely haunted. In one scary tale, five Student Union members visited that toilet late at night only to anger the ‘residents’ there.

They were there to recce the place for the upcoming camp’s night walk. Four of them had the third eye and sensed a very strong presence the moment they were at the door, so they went in while the one guy who didn’t have the third eye waited outside for safety reasons. The foursome initially saw just one spirit and tried to ask for its permission to use the toilet as part of their night walk, but it didn’t go well and one by one, more spirits appeared in front of them. Time passed as the students tried to appease them, but the situation got worse. It was only when the one guy who waited outside came in to check when they grabbed the opportunity to run out. During the debrief session, the one guy said that he couldn’t see the foursome in the toilet mirrors at all even though they were directly across the mirrors. It was then that they realised, instead of the 7 or 8 spirits that they thought they saw, there were actually so many other spirits surrounding them that their reflections were completely blocked from the mirrors. The next morning, they made offerings to the spirits and placed them outside the toilet to pacify them.

School of Business and Accountancy’s Camps

According to a BA alumnus, the BA camp committee is known to be very ‘siao on’ with their night walks, even using real obituary photos as décor and splashing animal blood on them, which led to many unexplainable incidents on their night walks. One such is the use of this very old photo of an ah ma (grandmother), which has been passed down from batch to batch to use as a night walk tradition. Seniors have reported incidents where people have fainted when they walked past or saw the photo. One guy even bled when he fainted and hit his head after seeing this photo. In another night walk incident, one of the committee members, a girl, was dressed up as a mannequin and campers had to brush her hair to pass the station. As the girl was wearing a used wig, it made her itch and she felt uncomfortable. During the debriefing, she thanked the team for assigning someone to be there behind her all night to help comb her hair, scratch the itch, and ask if she was alright. But there was no one there with her the whole night.

National University of Singapore

Headless Ghost (Bukit Timah Campus)

Not only were there signs put up warning students about the ghost of a headless woman roaming the campus, it was even reported in a Singapore newspaper, Sin Chew Daily. It’s said that the headless woman is dressed in all white and would wander the upper quadrant of Federal building. Other spirits have also been known to haunt the building corridors, making lights flicker and chairs and tables to move by themselves at night.

South Buona Vista Road (Kent Ridge Campus)

Those in the Kent Ridge Campus would know of the female ghost haunting South Buona Vista Road. In one particular story, three friends were driving back to NUS along South Buona Vista Road late at night. All three friends (who were in three separate cars) and their girlfriends saw a young woman running out of the forest onto the road. They slammed on the brakes, then all of them heard a loud bang. They all thought the first car had hit the woman, so they got out to check. But they couldn’t find anyone. They even looked under the car and at the surrounding forest area but couldn't find anything. When the first driver was reporting the incident, the policeman froze at the mention of ‘South Buona Vista Road’. He warned them, "if I were you, I'd go to the nearest temple or church or whatever you believe in, and go cleanse your cars and wash your hands and faces. This is not the first or second time this was reported."

Wailings at Kent Ridge Halls (Kent Ridge Campus)

Some say that you’ll hear the cries of a female spirit searching for her lost child in the old Kent Ridge Halls building. It’s believed that the hall office even got a Chinese shaman in to stop these wailings, who then instructed a door to be built to open up to the place of this spirit’s lost child.

Urban Legends or True Stories of Misadventures?

We may not have Pennywise or Chucky in Singapore, but we do have plenty of ghost stories in schools to go around. Are the rumours true, or are they just tales created out of paranoia? We will never know, but one thing's for sure: you should never ‘clown around’ when it comes to such paranormal matters. Do you have other horror stories of your school? Share them with us in the comments! Also read, 8 Confession Stories That Are Like RL Versions Of Taiwanese High School Dramas. (Top Image Credit: <a href="

Is it possible to have a friend 60 years older than you? In today’s digital era where Instagram, Snapchat, and Facebook are the average millennial’s best friend, you’ll be hard pressed to find millennials connecting with their family members ‘offline’. As millennials ourselves, we know how hard it is to feel and be close with our parents, much less our grandparents. And as our folks age, we do too. We start living our own lives and they start to lose touch with our generation. The many commitments and distractions don’t help either, and most of us are skeptical at the thought of bonding or being friends with our parents and grandparents. However, a very unlikely pair has proved us wrong. Meet 14-year-old student, Riddhi Rai and her best friend, 77-year-old retiree, Louise Bell.

When Riddhi Met Louise

Riddhi and Louise were complete strangers when they met at a social experiment Channel NewsAsia ran. Titled “Back to School”, this four-part series followed Riddhi, Louise, and 4 other pairs of strangers as they spent 10 weeks together.

Watch Episode 1 of Channel NewsAsia's Back to School <a href=" The experiment gave invaluable insights into 10 average Singaporeans' lives and proved that despite the huge age gaps, friendship is possible. While the episodes presented very interesting and endearing interactions between the Secondary school teenagers and their elderly partners, we wanted to find out more about what went on behind the scenes. We spoke to Riddhi, Louise, and the production team. Here’s how they succeeded in making friends out of strangers who are generations apart.

Breaking The Barriers

Like most teens, Riddhi has no clear direction in life yet. She doesn’t fit in with peers in her school either, and prefers her world of fan fiction and indie music.

As for ex-headhunter Louise, most of her time is spent on church activities and picking up different interests like crochet (to help with her Parkinson’s) and acro-aerobics (to keep herself fit).

Naturally, it took a bit of time to warm up to each other over the palpable age barrier. “She was shy, tall, and thin,” Louise recalled, “she reminded me of myself when I was younger, and I knew that I’ll need to be patient if I want her to open up.” Similarly, Riddhi felt nervous and a little bit awkward to be meeting someone she knew nothing about. Then, things got a lot easier when the pair found out that they’re both bookworms. Speaking to Louise over the phone, I could picture Louise smiling as she shared a fond memory of when they were getting to know each other, “Riddhi even brought me around her school library and we picked out books together.”

Becoming Friends

Despite the challenges in accommodating to each other’s needs, Riddhi and Louise grew to not only embrace, but help each other in their weaknesses.

In an Escape Room game, Riddhi went out of her way to lift Louise up as Louise was having a bit of trouble with her weak legs. It was there that Louise saw a different side of Riddhi: that she isn’t that shy after all.

As for Riddhi’s lack of confidence, Louise managed to break down the walls and got her to be more vocal about her inner thoughts and feelings.

As the pair did more activities together, producers saw how they started to inspire each other. “There’s still a bit to work on and I really hope to help her be more confident about herself,” Louise shared about her wish for Riddhi.

More Than Just Companionship

Having set out to test the success of intergenerational friendship researches done in US and Japan, the producers were “quite apprehensive about whether a simple friendship could make a difference, but the results showed a definite improvement.”

Not just for Riddhi and Louise, but the seniors from the other pairs also showed significant improvements in fitness, memory and mood, while the teenagers got a massive boost in self-esteem and a better attitude towards life. The pairs also formed real friendships and saw the other generation in a significantly better light. “She taught me to be more responsible and punctual,” Riddhi said. “(And) she opened up my eyes to how teenage girls today are like,” Louise added. Now, besides writing stories, reading books, or going for piano lessons, Riddhi would hang out with Louise. And Louise is more than happy to spend quality time with Riddhi, “Riddhi would actually call me and ask me if she can spend the day with me. I’d cook for her and we’d just talk about anything under the sun as we ate.”

Best Friends Forever?

Now that the 10-week ‘project’ has ended, how do Riddhi and Louise see each other? While Riddhi sees Louise as a good friend whom she can share problems with, Louise thinks of herself as Riddhi’s surrogate mother without the parental control, “I think Riddhi trusted me as an outsider, that’s why she shared her worries with me. It’s easier to share your problems to outsiders than to your own parents.” What is the secret to their surprising bond? “Listen, listen, and listen,” Louise emphasised, “seniors must take the first step to reach out, and don’t rush to impose or impart your knowledge until the young ones are ready to listen. Be patient.” And for the young ones, “Don’t judge someone just because of their age,” Riddhi shared. Watch the 10-week journey of Riddhi, Louise, and the other senior-teenager pairs on Channel NewsAsia’s Back to School <a href=" This story is written in collaboration with Channel NewsAsia. Also read, These 14 Heartwarming Stories Show That A Mother’s Love Is Like No Other.