FAQs

Some questions commonly asked since I'm back...

Q: What have I been doing these days?
Prepared for Visa application. Went back to JB home. Went for China trip with parents. Attended Landmark Forum. Go gym (irregularly) to work out those fats. Borrowed 5 books from library and only managed to finish reading 1 book. Gatherings with friends and bitching about life. Visited the SITEX exhibition and bought some gadgets, so new toys to play with. Shopping for clothes, toiletries, winter stuff. Spent too much and tried looking for part-time quick cash. Updating my blogs. Emailed to friends in Belgium. Packing stuffs into boxes and luggages. Watching lots of chinese TV dramas and movies...

Q: Why don't you want to stay in Europe?
Indeed, Europe is good for welfare and living, where it has stable job market, good state medical and welfare benefits, romantic places to visit, work life balance, family-oriented...

But I want to back in Asia (somedays) as most of the opportunities are still in the developing Asian countries. Singapore is still a strong economy for busines or career advancement. China is an ideal place to discover and create anything beyond your imagination.

Q: Why don't you have the accent?
Realized something interesting about accents last few weeks in Brussels. First few months in Brussels, I was simply speaking in the Singapore English (just leaving out the lah-leh-loh). Thought it was kind of weird and fake to change my accent and speak with that European flair.

I did not even realize I was speaking in a different accent when Terry imitated the way I spoke and I realized such a difference! The ending tone of Singapore English tends to go downwards, while the European way tends to go up. No wonder those ang-mos always 'pardon' me here and there, at times when I speak to them!

Therefore, I did a small experiment and voila! If I changed my accent slightly without the Singapore accent, they seemed to understand me better, without asking me for a repeat. So conclusion: Do what the Romes do in Rome!

Q: How have you changed during and after your traineeship?
Changes may not be due to the change in environment, but could be due to changes in age (yes as I get older). Only time will tell, friends will tell. At the very least, there are more experiences to share and more culturally-rich. More confident to deal with the ang-mo culture, and adjust to their behaviours and working styles. Image is important now, just to be well-groomed and presentable. Check out for my Case Study.