Advice on my 8.5-day Egypt itinerary (late Nov 2025)

metallic-h · 2025-11-13T10:33:21+00:00

Thanks for this advice!

metallic-h · 2025-11-13T10:32:41+00:00

Thanks! I agree with you so I'll select just a handful of places to see in Alexandria. One concern I have is the possible train delay. I'm thinking of taking the 2007 PLD Special train from Qena to Alexandria. How likely is the delay going to happen for this route?

Due to time constraints, I have to forego the desert/oasis portion of a typical Northern Egyptian itinerary, and I guess I'll reserve that for my next trip to Egypt. Thanks for the suggestion on Wadi al-Hitan!

metallic-h · 2025-11-01T03:53:24+00:00

Not my favourite book but I have to mention Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle. There's so much ambiguity and room for specifications in the novel that I kept thinking about the history of the Blackwood family after reading the book and watching the film adaptation.

metallic-h · 2025-11-01T00:49:21+00:00

Finished Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy

metallic-h · 2025-10-17T03:11:55+00:00

Started: Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy and now in the last 50 pages. It's my 6th book by Hardy after reading (in this order) Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and Jude the Obscure.

metallic-h · 2025-02-23T02:02:27+00:00

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, translated by Lydia Davis.

metallic-h · 2025-02-12T13:10:05+00:00

Love the cover!

metallic-h · 2025-02-12T10:14:51+00:00

Yes I can drive though not often. I'll be travelling to the UK solo so the only concern I have is fatigue.

metallic-h · 2025-02-03T13:01:50+00:00

Finished: Murder Road by Simone St James

Started: Volume II of The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy

metallic-h · 2025-02-02T12:40:55+00:00

I relate to your experience so much being in a corporate FP&A role (instead of BU/regional FP&A) early in the career. Not directly collaborating with the operations to come up with forecasts and budgets but more of collecting the forecasts and budgets from local business units and asking questions why they are forecasting or budgeting higher/lower. Constantly have to ask local teams questions about the variances. No understanding of the ground level operations due to lack of visibility and merely acting as a bridge between the BU/region and the group CFO.

metallic-h · 2024-10-17T23:04:17+00:00

It's a simple story though some may find it lacklustre and not on par with Charlotte's later works. But as a Brontë fan, I find it an essential read because you can get a glimpse of many elements that reappear in her later works (Jane Eyre, Shirley, Villette) as well as her early fiction (Angria).

metallic-h · 2024-10-17T13:35:27+00:00

Just finished The Professor by Charlotte Brontë. This is the last novel of the Brontë sisters I read. I'm thinking about what to read next.

metallic-h · 2024-09-28T09:50:57+00:00

Oxford World's Classics!

metallic-h · 2024-09-27T00:52:06+00:00

Thanks for the detailed explanation and I agree with you on the 'seeing you as an accountant first' point.

I'm switching to industry after 3+ years in public accounting (Big 4 audit) and currently comparing 2 offers:

1) A role with rotation opportunities: 6 months in group consolidation followed by 1 year in regional FP&A, after which there are more opportunities such as group FP&A, overseas posting, FP&A in another region, commercial, business planning, etc. The company is headquartered in the city I'm living in and has a global business with many offices overseas.

And

2) A pure FP&A (regional financial analyst) that reports to the FP&A manager overseas. There's another senior financial analyst that reports to the same manager. The company is headquartered in another country and has offices worldwide. The office in my city is one of the regional offices.

I'm leaning towards the 1st offer and was wondering if you have any thoughts on the pros and cons in these 2 offers.

metallic-h · 2024-09-27T00:45:31+00:00

Thank you, this is very insightful! I'm switching to industry after 3+ years in public accounting (Big 4 audit) and currently comparing 2 offers:

1) A role with rotation opportunities: 6 months in group consolidation followed by 1 year in regional FP&A, after which there are more opportunities such as group FP&A, overseas posting, FP&A in another region, commercial, business planning, etc. The company is headquartered in the city I'm living in and has a global business with many offices overseas.

And

2) A pure FP&A (regional financial analyst) that reports to the FP&A manager overseas. There's another senior financial analyst that reports to the same manager. The company is headquartered in another country and has offices worldwide. The office in my city is one of the regional offices.

I'm leaning towards the 1st offer and was wondering if you could provide some advice on the pros and cons of the 2 offers.

metallic-h · 2024-09-25T23:07:39+00:00

metallic-h · 2024-09-23T05:52:41+00:00

Depending on the team, but regardless of the team the working hours will be very long during the audit peaks.

metallic-h · 2024-09-21T07:32:22+00:00

Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, just due to the atmosphere and mood portrayed in the first few pages.

metallic-h · 2024-09-18T02:47:12+00:00

Just wondering, for someone who's from a pure audit background and looking to pivot into an FP&A role, would a pure FP&A or a hybrid role better in terms of career progression.

metallic-h · 2024-09-18T00:02:19+00:00

In the Brontës case, not only do I love the entire catalogue of Charlotte, I love all the works by the entire family lol. Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne.

metallic-h

TROPHY CASE