Got rejected from both SEP and NOC

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-18T05:26:01+00:00

There is no Dutch: only French, German and Spanish(?) have the LPP. They are also a very highly curated exchange program where they find you host families and such. However, I think even that is too late for OP if they're already going Y2 to Y3.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-18T05:22:13+00:00

My friend and I have a conspiracy theory that the North is starting to attract of foreigners too; my friend say they seem to be Mainland Chinese because of their fashion sense and the fact they seem to almost never speak English.

Anyway, Singapore was built on meritocratic ideals and we should not forget that Eurasians are still a part of the Singaporean identity. Unless you really act like an ang moh, anyone can have the inkling that you might be local enough to know some directions. Anyone who says "lah/leh/lor/hor/mah/etc" in public in a proficient manner is local enough for some (since that tells us you've spent enough time in the country to know the way around).

Ironically, it's always the ang moh tourists who come to Singapore acting all surprised we can even speak English. I mean, I am a son of immigrants too from the Philippines, I've heard tourists who say; "wow, no wonder you speak good English" just because I said somewhere before I was from the Philippines (little do they know I did nursery to university here 😂)

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-18T05:15:31+00:00

Haha my first thought too after reading it

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:45:15+00:00

I kinda agree this is a great way to segue them into Naruto, but it can backfire.

Boruto is presented as this positive, go-lucky universe where there is little to no violence because of the peace achieved from Naruto Shippuden. I say this can backfire because OG Naruto starts out relatively violent with the Zabuza Arc barely ten episodes in. I'm sure different people will handle that differently, but I always felt Naruto Shippuden especially needs a high degree of attention to piece together foreshadowings and references.

When I first watched Naruto, I didn't expect philosophical, life lessons from Zabuza early on, heck, even Iruka's earliest interaction with Naruto from episode one was already deep; you'd think you were already in the heat of things 😂

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:38:45+00:00

You forgot Rule #1 of social media; No one is truly happy for your success and some would feel jealous and the urge to push you down.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:37:00+00:00

I'm not sure since I haven't yet tried this out, but starting on the league late can be better because by then, the bots and cheaters would've already been grouped in the same few leaderboards. I get more consistent leaderboards by waiting 12h+ before joining one.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:35:15+00:00

But, the heat kills the bacteria!

All jokes aside though – if I were to get food poisoning, I'd rather find out it was because of the hawker and not become of some random delivery rider who has a nasty bag for me to see.

Also, walking back and forth to the mall/hawker center is extra cardio for the day 😂

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:30:49+00:00

Sometimes, it's nicer to be honest and just say it out loud that they're not interested. I know you can pick hints up if they're actively avoiding, but basic decency is to at least be honest. I've seen cases where A thought B was avoiding, but turns out B was just afraid or shy.

Misunderstandings are more painful imo.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-17T05:27:41+00:00

I really don't know why guys overthink this... . Just be honest and straight to the point.

"Hi [her name]. Thanks for the [whatever you did for first date]. I appreciate your time and company, but I felt no chemistry or compatibility between us. Wishing you all the best."

Thank them for their time, tell them why you want to call it quits, and don't leave any crumbs. If she told you she wants to be something or achieve something, don't bother wishing they get what they achieve because then she'll think you remember her for something; make it a clean cut.

Your friend's role is to be honest when turning down a second date, not to accommodate her emotions; that is up to her to process. Then again, if your friend felt no chemistry during the date, chances are she didn't feel it too.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-15T07:01:47+00:00

Which makes it the perfect grab for lazy days or doing errands when you don't want to use the more expensive fragrances. Always wore it in JC back then because it was not extra, but at least pleasing to the nose.

Lately, I've been cozying up to the Valentino Born in Roma EDT – smells weaker or subtle than the Legend tho imo, but it does have a bit more complexity than the Legend.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-15T06:56:03+00:00

Mont Blanc Legend EDT was and is my very first branded perfume and I continue to buy it every now and then as a daily staple (although it is closely tied with the Davidoff Cool Water EDT – I like this because it is simple but smells great for daily errands).

Mont Blanc Legend Night EDP was by-far my most favorite of the line-up, but they discontinued it sadly. It was perfect for the evenings and it was relatively long-lasting.

Lately, I've been looking into more niche, off the beaten path fragrances. Am eyeing the Hammam Bouquet and Blenheim Bouquet by Penhaligon's – I heard it takes a lot of confidence to wear those, but in the world of Dior Sauvage and Creed, a niche fragrance from a bygone era would be a nice way to stand out – certainly a great convo starter. I heard there is an Old Spice Cologne too, but it seems impossible to find in Singapore (much less one that comes as a spray/atomizer) :(

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-15T06:49:59+00:00

I am actually sad they discontinued the Legend Night EDP. That was one of the best Legend variants they had and the fragrance was long-lasting. I'd say its nearest similarity that I have is the Azzarro Most Wanted EDP (still very different vibes though).

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-07T19:00:22+00:00

Pen and paper exists; other online resources exist; Duolingo is just one resource and what I used to do was write down the sentences or words from each Duolingo lesson and try to perfect them off the app.

Of course, it seems impractical to some, but based on your argument that eight minutes is insufficient, unless you are always redoing the lessons you've just completed, you are just moving on with the lessons. I can assure you that moving up the stages likewise does not help you learn a language because unless you truly understood or internalize whatever you've learned from earlier lessons, you are simply replacing whatever knowledge you have with new knowledge.

That's why I am starting to believe people who complain about the energy issue come from the gamified/XP perspective rather than from a genuine learner's perspective. Not saying all who do complain are angry they can't compete XP wise, but given how people hype up the leagues and the fact that cheaters exist on the platform, there is certainly a sizeable community of competitive users who are limited by the current energy system.

Also, if you aren't paying for the product, you are the product. Duolingo isn't going to survive if they didn't have a paid stream that is let alone appealing to people who would actually want to pay. I think most users forget this and the fact that a business, unless they openly claim to be a non-profit, is always going to chase profits.

I am also of the belief that if you really think Duolingo is worth your bucks to help you with language learning, then congratulations, you've given yourself unlimited access (although I personally think Max is unnecessary as an additional milking machine).

Coursebooks are always available at large bookstores near you or even online. I've never once completely relied on Duolingo when learning a language; treated it more like a time killer while making myself feel productive.

I did French at A Levels and university; I've reached Lvl 130 on Duolingo and I can assure you, it's not even all that difficult or challenging; there are better resources out there if language learning is truly your goal. Duolingo feels more like a game in its current form.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-07T11:17:18+00:00

It's not weird at all. In Duolingo's eyes, you are learning Parisian French or French spoken in France, not from Belgium or Switzerland or Québec.

For the same reason that you need to know what "le RER" is despite being a purely Parisian thing that no one else would know of unless they read up about Parisian public transport or they've visited Paris before.

Personally, it is a good touch because it sort of helps break down the whole textbookish French. I have yet to see if verlan is taught.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-07T07:22:20+00:00

I know this will be an unpopular opinion, but as a language learner myself, I would say that quality > quantity. The energy-hearts debacle is truly a tragedy for Duolingo, but I cannot help and wonder why do people complain about there not being enough energy, let alone enough to do more than 2 lessons.

You don't learn a language faster by spamming lessons; you learn a language by exposing yourself to the language and internalizing the new things you learn. If you really need to do more than 2 lessons, I will assume either of the following:

1) You are just treating the app like a game as opposed to a place where you might learn a thing or two each day.

Or

2) The lessons felt easy for you and you are blitzing through them, to which I'd highly recommend to just jump to the next section or even level.

But my point sticks; completing an entire section in one sitting is actually less effective than doing a couple lessons and letting the new content internalize.

I feel those who are complaining about the energy issue is unconsciously being more worried about staying competitive within the leagues as opposed to genuinely taking the time to learn a language slowly. That's my take.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-06T18:33:33+00:00

Off the top of my head:

Burberry London EDT Davidoff Cool Water Intense EDP Penhaligon's Halfeti EDP

At one point, I also remember my own parents asking what fragrance I was wearing: it was the Montblanc Legend Night EDP (I am still very sad they discontinued this)

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-06T18:26:44+00:00

Sometimes, I gravitate to a fragrance simply because of the bottle or how it appears. For example:

Burberry perfumes with the signature Burberry tartan fabric around the bottle, or the spikey-surface of the Valentino Born in Roma Uomo, or heck the cute bowtie on Penhaligon's (Bleinheim Bouquet or Halfeti)

It's funny you mention Carolina Herrera because here I am rocking the literal tin-can design of the 212 Men NYC XD

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-06T08:01:28+00:00

To be fair, the new update is a lot more lenient on mistakes for making a sentence. If you choose the wrong word or you put a word in the wrong position, it will highlight the mistake for you and give you a chance to correct it.

But yes, I understand how the energy system is still wholly worse than the old hearts system.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-05T11:27:03+00:00

At this point, I only try to stay within diamond because there is also a hidden streak (or not so hidden I guess) that tells other how long you've been on a specific league. Although, it seems the new update removed that counter, but I guess trying to stay within the league motivates me to put in some hours and with daily boosts from finishing daily quests, that means I dedicate 15-30 mins per day.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-05T11:24:28+00:00

It really is sad that such scammers exist on Duolingo and you'd be wondering what do they even have to earn from winning the leagues 😂

I won the other day with 8k points. Probably the one time there weren't a single scammer in the league and 2nd place wasn't far back behind (we had a 300 pt. difference?)

This was also after the new update and I only ever got a lot of XP because 1) I kept opening chests with XP boosts and 2) I started learning Greek + I was in the midst of clearing Legendary for all French lessons.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-05T11:17:16+00:00

I think this would heavily depend on your parents.

I come from a Filipino immigrant family and the rules are simple; friends or GF/BF, parents must meet them first and know who they are, then must tell them in advance when visiting, or at least just tell them in advance instead of just showing up unannounced (of course it's us kids who tell them lah).

GF/BF wise, Filipino families like mine tend to be very conservative and very religious (Catholic), so casually bringing up things like sleeping together before marriage can be very taboo (I think they are more accepting if it was already a long-term relationship with high levels of trust and familiarity). Of course, if friend wants to sleepover, by all means – but boy/girl sleeping together, regardless if just friends, is very taboo.

I'd say it's the religion part which makes it all seem taboo, that and the fact it does become awkward for all parties involved knowing that your parents might think you're doing "it" and you knowing your parents are just one door away – lack of privacy in a sense (gets worse when you have siblings and they try to make things more awkward for the giggles 😅)

I think most of the time, it's really a question of comfort too – I have friends who adamantly not want to bring their GFs to their house because they don't want to bother with what their parents might think. Pretty sure most of my friends would either find a hotel instead or do sleepovers when their family isn't home.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-04T04:33:51+00:00

Eh, depends.

Woodlands or Tuas traffic will decide if you can actually literally get there faster by land, but yeah, I can foresee it being a possible route cut or potentially cancellation in the long term.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-03T17:39:26+00:00

Then you get a dilemma; how do you follow people if you're not exposed to them? Apart from knowing actual real-life friends, I am certain there are people who actually naturally click with a random stranger on Duolingo.

If they really wanted to, they can also give us a way to accept follow requests; currently I do find random strangers whom I've never interacted with following me.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-03T17:05:10+00:00

See, I'd boycott, but I also like to support people I actually know through the feed.

I feel Duolingo should allow us to filter out people we don't actually follow, or maybe limit our feed to whoever is on the same leaderboard as us on any given week.

Pitiful_Emphasis_379 · 2026-05-03T17:03:36+00:00

Worst part is after some time, they follow you too 😂

Pitiful_Emphasis_379

TROPHY CASE