The actress appeared as guest on the latest episode of the Kunversations podcast, where she spoke about stepping out of her comfort zone, and the life changes she has made since becoming a freelance artiste.
“I was really out of my comfort zone. I’m not someone who dares to bungee jump, because I find it terrifying to jump. So it was very difficult to take that step [to leave Mediacorp],” said Ya Hui.
The actress revealed that she’s someone who is “not good with numbers at all”. However, she said her maths skills have become “super good” since she left Mediacorp, which makes sense, since she needs to pay more attention to her earnings and expenditure.With a laugh, Ya Hui admitted: “I never had to send out any invoices. As a freelance artiste, I now need to draw up my own invoice. I struggled for two hours yesterday, attempting to create a more formal-looking invoice but it was all in vain.
“I was thinking about it for quite a long time, on and off. But I couldn’t decide what to do if I just stopped acting. When I suddenly had a feeling [that it was time to leave the company], it wasn’t an easy decision to make either. I cried and I struggled, but I had to bite the bullet and make the decision,” she said.
“At least I have the control to try [these alternative solutions]. When [I] was in the company, everything was decided for me. I had to first get the company’s approval before starting on any new jobs,” she said. Prior to leaving the company, Ya Hui spent a lot of time thinking about her next move. “I even went to a cafe to ask about their monthly salary,” she revealed.“No, no, I really [considered] being just a normal staff member. I even went to ask around about the current job market, because it is really too unstable, [being a freelancer]. Thankfully I’m not the kind of person who feels like I need to remain at a certain ‘status’. I’m okay with working at a cafe,” explained Ya Hui.