Sloppyjoe-Yeah, that was what I was thinking too, which would seem odd he had to decide between SQ or CX. I suspect my friend is actually going for a management position, which would make more sense. But he isn't forthcoming with the details, I suppose he isn't willing to diverge mangement job details to a pilot like me, some friend eh? hehehe.
Lathika-Mandarin is actually easier to learn then Cantonese. Singaporeans tend to speak Hokkien, which is another Chinese dialect spoken mostly in Fujian and parts of Taiwan. Of course, the Cantonese profanities are the easiest to learn, as you will hear them alot on a daily basis in Hong Kong (i.e. pok gai, diu lay low mou).