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By Benita Aw Yeong
When this personal assistant tells his friends what he does for a living, he typically gets asked two questions.
"Are you gay?" and "Are you sleeping with the mistress of the home?"
The answers to both questions are a straight "no", says Randy, who is in his mid-20s.
He asked to keep his real name a secret, as that might lead to the identity of the family he works for.
Randy's job as a personal assistant mainly involves catering to the whims and fancies of an ultra-rich family in Singapore.
From 9am to 6pm on weekdays, he works from a study room within a luxurious multi-storey bungalow in the town area where the family lives.
From the booking of air tickets to the buying of organic milk powder, he does it all - just so the family does not have to lift a finger.
And for his services, he pockets $3,000 a month.
Randy's employers are a married couple who run a business. They have kids, but to protect the identity of the family, we are not naming them or revealing their ages or how many there are.
The university graduate says he took up the job because he was curious about the lives of the super-rich, and wanted to see if working for them would open doors for him.
"I wanted to gain access into a different kind of world: To see at first-hand their successes, weak points and how I can learn from them," he says.
So far, it has gone pretty smoothly.
"I have no formal key performance indicators (KPIs) or deadlines and on the whole, it's not stressful.
"My job is really to serve them and fulfil their needs, whatever they may be," he says.
But he maintains the job is not as easy as people think.
"You've got to be able to multi-task, communicate well and understand the preferences of people."
He adds that he often receives multiple sets of instructions and feedback from various members serving the household, including the family's maids, chauffeurs, caretakers and security guard.
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