1) mentors who will give advices whenever the apprentice asked for it.
i guess this is more like a cultural thing esp in the western culture.
and esp in the US, people don't simply give opinions from their
point of review or even from how they feel about things, unless u really
know them very well. why? it's just the American thing.

the question is, what to ask and how to ask to get the right and fruitful
response that u can consider and possibly hard-coded it into your brains.

2) mentors who will just simply give comments and opinions.
this is probably gear towards the eastern culture and most parts of europe.
whatever u are doing, when people see u doing it the wrong way, they will
simply let u know. i.e. Hey mate, that is the wrong way to drink a beer.


before i moved to the States, i went to college, i worked in a pharmacy and
i also worked in a hi-tech company. i must say that throughout those years,
i met many mentors from #2. each of them shaped me in a very unique way.
mentors are like road signs on the highway. without them, u will take the
wrong exit and ended up somewhere.

when i am in the States, things are different. it was after my 2nd year that
this gentleman shared with me the bad news. i meant, the good news.
people in america don't usually give their comments about your stuff unless
u asked for it. later, i began to realize that i am hearing tons of

what do u think about this/that?
i need your opinion about this/that?
do u think my way is going to work?
etc etc etc

here is the thing. when i need advice about aggresive real estate, i call up AB.
when i need advice about automobiles, i call up CD. when i need advice about
catholicism, i call up EF. when i need advice about marathons, i call up GH.
when i need advice about religion, i call up MN. when i need advice about my
work stuff, i call up KL. the list goes on.

i want to continue to ask the right question at the right time and at the right
circumstances. most of all, i want to always remind myself to:
what u ask is not as important as how u ask.

and of course, i always try to remind myself to listen and not to hear and to
be silent cum attentive in a right manner when listening.

i do discover that some mentors are bad listeners. some folks just like to
share about what they know. yes, it is as simple as that.

finding the right mentor? have u heard of, charity begins at home? yes, it still
points directly to us; who am i? who are u? what do i need? what do i want?