'Meet more people': Ong Ye Kung on advice he'd give his 18-year-old self

If you could tell your 18-year-old self one thing, what would it be?

For Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, the one piece of advice he would give would be to meet more people - especially girls.

He was responding to questions from the public in a TikTok video titled 'Quick-fire questions with the Minister for Health', uploaded to his account on the platform on Friday (March 29).

"Get to meet more people, especially…especially girls," said Ong in his first reply, taking a short pause mid-sentence. He then admitted: "I was very shy."

Responding to a question on how someone would tell if they were done with puberty, however, Ong could only laugh in stunned silence without giving an answer.

In the 90-second clip, the minister also shared some details of his personal life — such as how he keeps fit by exercising daily, waking up at 5.30am to exercise for about 45 minutes to an hour.

You may also have more in common with Ong than you think — turns out, he's a fan of Journey, Guns N' Roses, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and Queen.

Additionally, Ong revealed that he's a fan of the football team Manchester United and fluctuates between being an introvert and extrovert based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

Like many of us, he also has a favourite minced meat noodle stall — for him, this can be found in Kaki Bukit 511 Market & Food Centre.

"When I was serving in Kaki Bukit, there's this soup-based bak chor mee (minced meat noodle)… it's very good, there are two stalls there," he said.

@ongyekung

You asked, I answered.

♬ original sound - Ye Kung Ong

Ong's responses elicited support from netizens, with some praising him for his personal tastes and his sense of humour.

"Oh my gosh, the question (about puberty) got me!" A user said.

"Guns N' Roses and Manchester United... you are my minister," another commented.

Comparing Ong's lifestyle with that of their own, a netizen stated: "He wakes up at 5.30am every day to exercise, meanwhile I go to sleep at 5.30am every day."

Hope for a healthy population

In a couple of responses, Ong also addressed some topics on a larger scale.

Referring to Covid-19, he dismissed the possibility of an "antidote" to cure the pandemic.

"There's no real 'antidote', we learn to live with it," he said. "Have good hygiene habits and also take an annual jab, especially if you're a senior or vulnerable."

The minister expressed his aspiration for the people of Singapore as well: "I hope we become a healthy population — a true Blue Zone 3.0."

Blue Zones are regions in the world where people live longer than average. Current notable locations include Okinawa in Japan, Sardinia in Italy and Icaria in Greece.

ALSO READ: You won't catch tuberculosis just by eating at ABC Brickworks Market: Ong Ye Kung

khooyihang@asiaone.com