#RoadTripperMonday – a weekly feature of our very own Road Tripper.
Hooray for Monday! It’s time again for #RoadTripperMonday! Today, we will feature Kevin Cheung. Kevin joined us in our Singles Road Trip in Polilio. It is one of those trips that you are blessed with the amazing view of the Milky Way. And we are even luckier because Kevin happens to be an amazing photographer who was able to capture the stars and emotions of those who traveled with him. Although he is quiet and reserved guy, his photos speak a lot about him and his personality.
To know more about Kevin, read more about him here —
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1. What do you do for a living?
Well, at the moment I have no source of income to be completely honest. While I am a serial entrepreneur, my last venture was unsuccessful and now I am back to square one. Travelling is a way for me to find that spark of life again, literally.
When I was 18, I started a company that was ripping off Gamefly’s business model of charging people for subscriptions to rent out console games. That ended badly and I eventually scrapped the business while taking a personal loss of PHP300K.
At 22, I created Alpha Investments, a website involved in providing free in-depth equity research to investors. It was never profitable but it really was more like a social project of mine.
At 25, I lost over PHP17M in a span of two years over a failed venture where we tried taking a crack at the retail market in the Philippines. Not only was I broke but I was also in debt. It was a huge blow to one’s confidence.
If the last amount seems like a huge amount to you, trust me it took a lot of time before I contemplated on not making a scene and jumping out of a skyscrapper. Studies were not kidding when they said 1 out of 3 entrepreneurs suffers from depression. Being an entrepreneur is definitely not all glitz and glamour many people think it is.
2. What is one of your guilty pleasures?
This question is easy: Reading and not giving a fuck. There are several days where I just get so absorbed into reading and pour over books, novels, financial reports, and other reading materials that days pass by. Take note that I said days and not hours. Heck, I am sometimes embarassed deep down on how I wake up at 8AM and read all the way to 11PM only pausing to eat and check a few messages here. I could imagine hear my mother screaming at me to get my ass out of the room in my head whenever this happens.
3. If you could go back in time what would you tell your 16 year old self?
I would tell him that family is everything and for him to treasure it more. I made very bad decisions in the past that strained my ties with my family which I regret.
4. If you can be teleported anywhere around the world, where would it be and why?
This would be on the fifth floor of a certain hotel in the Philippines. I would tell the person inside that I loved her so dearly and more deeply than she realizes.
5. Which celebrity would you go on a “one-night-only-date” with?
I would want a dinner out with Elon Musk. That way I have all night that I can pepper him with questions about his vision for the future of the world and of humanity. It is a one night date, not a one night stand. The answer to the latter would definitely be different.
6. You, unfortunately have been condemned to die, but fortunately, you get to have any meal in the world before you go. What is your menu?
A 12-course meal with each item of the menu being the specialties of the world’s best restaurants. What better way to go than to taste twelve creations of the peak of what the world’s best chefs have to offer. Might as well throw in Gordon Ramsey’s kitchen swearing into the meal itself as entertainment.
7. If you could trade places with anyone right now, for a week, who would it be and why?
Bill Gates. I always wanted to raid his personal library. Hell, I could purchase a well-known library if I was him.
8. What is the best present you ever received?
A bracelet. It had an anchor on one end to signify how I was the rock that kept another person’s life steady. That meaning of it and responsibility it brings is so profound that it far eclipses any other gift given to me and I treasure it deeply.
9. If you could meet a famous or not so famous person, who would that be and why?
Qin Shi Huang, also known as the First Emperor of China. Who wouldn’t want to meet the person who unified China then built the Great Wall and the Terracotta Army which provided China so much tourist income even after a millenia has passed?
10. How old should a person start traveling?
I do not think there is a specific age to it. Some people would start early, some would start out late. But I do believe that earlier is better as travelling expands a person’s perception of the world and you will come to realize that the world is so much bigger than you originally thought it was.
11. What is your best experience in traveling/living in the Philippines?
The first time I went to Palawan, we fortunately managed to stay at one of El Nido Resorts’ Lagen Island and we got to tour around El Nido in first-class luxury. The white sand beaches, limestone cliffs, and stars at night were absolutely breathtaking and it was that time that I realized how beautiful the Philippines was.
12. In one sentence, how would you like people to remember you?
I would want to be remembered as that guy whose dream since fifth grade was to drive around in a white Lamborghini while wearing a sando, shorts, and slippers.
