6 Months Evaluation

It's about 6 months since I have been in Belgium. Fast, that's my conclusion! Time just passed like that...scary though...

In addition to 3-months evaluation posted previously, here again I'm taking stock of my experience (so far) and sharing with my pretty friends out there... ;)

Career Achievement:
It's like a holiday year for me, I played more than I worked, good & bad though. My learning curve was stagnant, but I was given lots of trainings, though not much chance of application. Partly because of the nature of audit industry, with high and low seasons and also language barrier, I was not given lots of opportunities. Not challenging enough...

It's ok, nevertheless, there are always things to be done, so took on some internal projects and did lots of research and lots of presentations, and still work in progress now. Also took this time to obtain my certification, and still in the midst of preparation for the exam in June...good luck to me :D

Comparatively in Singapore, I think I maybe still working till late in the night, as well as burning my weekends for work...no time for friends, for family, for sport, for myself...but here I can now invest my time in other areas, and improve the quality of life...

Personal Development:
Lots of cultural exchange!!! With Belgian colleagues, it's easy to understand the local culture, festivals or traditions. With lots of other international colleagues and friends, I learnt about other countries' cultures and way of life, and also shared our perspectives about Belgium. In exchange, I introduced about Singapore, about major festival eg. CNY, and shared the Asian way of lifestyle to whoever who cares...

It was a subtle realization that, everyday during lunch time, as long as I'm dining with friends or colleagues, it was an exchange of cultural conversations. I thought it was normal, until a Singaporean friend told me the difference between lunching in Singapore and here...I mean, topics of discussion are so different...

Lifestyle:
Did lots of travellings, explored many places, got use to getting lost, enjoyed awesome scenaries, met up with old friends and make new friends, stocked up more memories, learnt more about myself, found new inspirations...

Got a blog now, a way to consolidate my own learning experience, and to share with friends about those cultural experience. Learnt a new language Dutch; learnt cooking, still gathering more recipes and still in the experimenting stage...

Happy that I can still continue with badminton, found a club and make it a point to go for regular exercise, need to tone up!!! Also able to read more books now...books that keep me companied while waiting for trams/bus/metro...Also in search of more excitement, new hobbies, and more parties, hope to do some horse-riding very soon after Easter holidays ;)

Family & Friends:
Think the homesickness kicked in at this period, just missed my friends, those stupid jokes we cracked, my parents and siblings, the food, the way of speaking singlishly...but afraid if I go back home now, I'll be unwilling to return to Belgium then, so I must 忍忍忍 endure!!!

Whatever it is, I should be living in the present, enjoying the present, and be happy with who I am, what I am doing, and where I am... 加油 :D

At random:
° Got to know who are the true friends, those who help and treat you in the genuine and truthful way...
° Got use to working with uncertainties, when things are so unpredictable and random...
° Got to seize the opportunities, they come and go away fast...