2 done, 1 more to go

I have submitted the two assignments, out of three. Those were the programming and "theory" assignments.  I have one more to go, it is for Photoshop website assignment, actually, I'm already done with it, just waiting for the weekend to come to submit it.

From this week till end of Dec, it's the vacation period, but, I was told that the second programming assignment will be out and I have to do it during this break. Anyway, four months to go, and hopefully I can do well to score good GPA.

Assignments

So far, the semester 2's assignments are pretty ok, not overload with many questions to do. The school is trying to push us to clear all the subjects and graduate, since come next year, there wouldn't be another opening of this course anymore. So, if you were to do badly, there will not be a repeat course.

I have almost completed the Web design (using Photoshop) and JSTL programming assignments, well, not so difficult, but, I think the challenge will come next term, as the weightage of the assignments and exams would be much higher, i.e. tougher questions. I have one more essay assignment to do, hope I can finish by the due date.

I definitely have to work harder next term. Good luck to me!

Changes to come

How things have changed for the past few months and more to come.

I heard a couple of days ago, two of the heavenly kings will be leaving the system team by end of this month, these guys are really the pillar of the support team, the pioneers who know things in and out. So sad that the company is not really making an effort to keep them.

There had been a re-org, my boss will soon not be my boss anymore, well, he's moving on to a new portfolio. I can see that he fighting hard (struggling?) in his new post, and I don't think he bothers about us anymore. He asked me whether I would like to take up the PM for the project that he's currently leading, where I'm helping him, I said, I will think about it. Really, I don't have much choice, my guys are telling me to take it up, else it will go to another guy, which I will have to report to, and whom I'm just not comfortable to work with.

To me, a PM role is a very dynamic one, you will not know what you will get next. For one moment, your boss comes asking to see you, and tell you that he has a new project for you to lead, and you can't say no, or the next moment, your subordinate comes to tell you that she wants to quit. Not easy, man, really...

Going to South Korea

Tomorrow, I will be flying off to Seoul. I will be spending about 10 days travelling in South Korea and Jeju island.

For the last few weeks, typhoons have been troubling the area in northern asia, according to the news, there were quite a number of damages to buildings and places. The last I heard, the typhoons had already shifted, hopefully, they will dissipate soon.

I'm looking forward to the trip, so happy that I'm getting a break now from work.

Last Paper of Semester 1

Today, I'm going to take the last test paper for this semester. It's on the internet security subject, basically, CIA or Confidentiality, Integrity and Available, actually, two more, Authentication and Access control.

The cryptography topics are the toughest to understand, the hash, symmetric and asymmetric encryption. Terms like DES, 3DES, AES, ECB, CBC, OFB, and other definitions and concepts that I need to understand.

I just hope that the test is not difficult, because I really can't understand and digest all that I read.

Prep for tests

It has been quite a while since I took a test, and for the next 2 week, I will be taking 3 tests.

I hope to study enough to understand, so that I will be able to pass the tests with good results. One of the tests is on e-commerce concepts, heaps of memory work to do. Next, a web programming paper, open book, I don't know whether I can survive this one. The last one  is on security, this one is really tough, private key, public key, DES, 3DES, AES, OFB, etc. I have got to understand them and drill it in my miniature brain. The tutor taught the subject like so easy, but, it is not that so to people like me.

Well, good luck to me, probably I wouldn't be able to write here for the next 2 weeks, let me clear my tests first.

5 more months to go!

Yes, yes, yes....! Count down to 5 more months to the special event!

Two days back, I got the most expensive shirt I have even bought! Trust me, if you are a stingy dude like me, you won't want to know how much it costs! But really...it's nice, I just don't know how to describe it, with a silvery color blazer worn, wow, looks fantastic on me, man!

I haven't got the shoes, the last pair of the size I wanted was sold just before I went to the shop, maybe I will try my luck at its other branch.

Hello people, Cheers!!! Ha...ha...

Oh my! Someone go panic and that is the Boss!

Ha Ha Ha...that guy panic today, when he can't find me, when he can't find my colleague, when he's at a lost...he panics!

How can you work for a superior who panics? Remain calm is the key. He's the one who gave me a bad appraisal grade, I have seen how's he is like now, no wonder his other subordinates can't even bother about him.

It's time to go, no point staying with the team, he's the one who needs me and the other guy, not the other way round, forget it, there's an opportunity, I want to transfer out.

1st 5 months of 2012 over...

Oh yes, it's official, 5 months gone, 7 more months to go!

I'm looking forward to the end of the year, yes...yes...yes..., it's the big event coming, ha...ha...ha...I'm not going to tell you now, let's keep it a secret, when the time comes, I will tell.

The last 5 months had been a fast moving, but kinda of bored sometimes also, but, come the next few months, things will accelerate, for sure.

Today, I realised that I forgot to sign up for the priority registration of the half marathon race in Sep, yesterday was the last day to register, it was supposed to shave-off $10 from the normal fee. oh gosh...what a mistake! Should I sign up and pay the additional 10 bucks?

About 2.5 months later...

It's almost 2.5 months since you left, I see that you just uploaded a new cover page on your facebook yesterday.

How's life for the past months? I heard of alot of changes in your country, is you family business doing well, or should I ask, doing bigger?

I can't tell whether the cover photo you uploaded is your recent one, if it is, well, I think you still look the same, just that you are without make up, no dark glasses, and no fanciful pose or wear something very different, as if your usual self.

I hope you are doing well, I'm fine too.

Growing old and feeling old

I get tired easily these days, maybe because I'm growing old, and my body just don't function as well as it used to be.The feeling of old just doesn't make sense at all. I still can run, maybe even faster than someone 10 years younger, I had completed a couple of half and full marathons, didn't I?

But yeah, I'm getting old by the day, like the rest of the people around me. I have kept a picture of me taken years ago in my wallet, whenever I feel old, I will look at it. I may not have the looks of a handsome chap, or able to attract the attention of pretty gals, but I was once young and strong like everybody else!

Maybe I should accept that I'm growing old, but I just don't want to feel old. There are still many things I want to do. Many, many interesting things...

How many things, so little time

I have so many, many things in mind that I want to do, and time for me seems so short.

At the start of every month, I will always write down a list of tasks that I want to accomplish in the next 30 days. As it nears to the end of the month, my 'to do' list gets longer and longer, and it looks like it will never end.

I have work tasks, personal tasks, etc, I just wish I could have someone to help, but it's just so difficult to find help these days. Everybody else is doing their own things, who is going to help you? What benefits do they get if they help you?

Welcome to the real world, you are on your own, at least most of the time, to survive, you must work smart, never give up, never, ever!

After you left...

It has been 2 weeks since you left, not hearing from you or seeing any updates on your Facebook, I wonder how are you now? Have you already got used to the life back home?

Life for me is still very much the same, except that I have got to do more than I used to after my Boss left for another team.

Last week, I had asked my new Boss to let me go for the PMP course, he said ok. Perhaps, this is a new start for me into the world of project management, which I have always dreaded most, but, I feel that I have to face it now, if not, even with my current capabilities, they will not help me to move ahead or up.

Wish me luck and all the best, likewise same to you too. Until we meet again, perhaps, when I get to visit you at your hometown soon, I'm looking forward to that time...

How to setup email for Netbackup online catalog backup notification

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Time to say farewell

When I was told that you want to meet us for a farewell lunch, I'm neither surprise or calm about it. I guess it's time for you to go, after almost 3 years and 9 months with this company. Your last day with the company is 29-Feb, leaving on 2-March. Thanks for sharing the fun with the pre-sales team, e.g. vendor sponsored free visit to Bintan, meal treats... 

You said you wanted to go back to your hometown to help your parents with their home rice business. Being the eldest child in the family bears heaps of responsibilities, isn't it? Your other younger sister and brother are in overseas, working and studying, so you don't get much choice, right? You said you want to get married next year, even though your bf wants to do it this year. You said you will "force" him to come back to your home country, is he doing well in Oz? Any work opportunities when he go back? You said your bf don't like this place, which has people living in prison-liked blocks of flats.

Do eat more and get fatten up. Do remember me and add me to your facebook to keep in touch. If you ever come back here again, do look for me, and perhaps, I can meet you when I visit your country in future.

I'll miss you. Take care, dear.

To do list

I have completed the setup of that Windows 2008 servers and setup the alert notifications, the system was rolled out to the users last week. What a relief! I still have to do something about setting up the backup, because Wins2008 is not supported by the current netbackup software.

Next on the list would be the McAfee VirusScan client upgrade for the development servers, the ePO for the server and Netbackup server upgrade. The new Netbackup server software needs to be tested and if fine, I will have to deploy it in the PRD environment. Also, need to work on the SMTP alert using SNMP for that BMC monitoring.

That's all for the major 'to do' tasks for the next 3 months.

Sleepless nights...

I can't sleep, not just tonight, but since weeks ago, and it's getting worst.

I just cannot sleep, simply lying on the bed, close my eyes couldn't get me to sleep. Counting sheeps? Nope, doesn't work at all.

There seems to be heaps of things going on in my mind, my relationship, family matters, work, etc. they just go round and round in there. I'm getting headaches sometimes, what's going on???

I came back from work yesterday, and was not in a good mood because my boss was leaving the team to work on another project, and she wanted me to take over some of the stuff she had been doing. Really, I don't like the things that I have to do, I feel that she should hand them over to her boss! Not ME!

All these years at work, I have been helping people, my bosses, peers, etc, while they got to advance upwards, I don't get it! Not fair. Maybe I should ask for a transfer, I have my own career goals, I want to advance up too!

My heart melting...

The last I saw you was on the 4th Oct, 2011, you were with your friends. You were dressed up with a light beige-colour biz suit, you look somehow different.

When I saw u, I felt hungry, it was like there was a ounce of fat on your body that I wanted to eat! :-p

Really...how r u? I haven't seen you or have a chance to talk to u for a very long time. The last I heard from our common friend that you are thinking of quitting your job and return to your hometown to help run your family's rice business. Our friend said that you look much 'older' now, I think more correctly, 'femininely matured'.

When I miss you, I would be just happy to take out a self-pic of you to see. My heart melts when I see you in the pic.

Your will always smile in photos. Your long, straight hair, and not forgetting the eye shadow make-ups. You really know how to pose with a bouquet of flowers, I have nothing to say. Seeing the photo, I reckon you actually took it in your room? I guess so because you were wearing a spaghetti strip tank top, I have never seen you with just that, you would wear an external coat  to cover up (conservative, kind of?).

Back from China

Hey, I'm back from my holiday trip to China!

It's really an eye opener having to travel around the most north-eastern 3 provinces of China, namely, the Helongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning, and not forgetting, a short shopping strip in Shanghai.

It's really cold in the northeast, esp. Haerbin, the temperature ranging from -20 to -28 degrees celsius. With cold winds, at least you should wear 3 layers of clothes, so, other than wearing a inner long john, you will need to wear at least a jacket with duck feather (down) filled, and of course, water-proofed gloves. You wear shoes that don't get you wet when walking on snow too. I actually bought my shoes there, it's cheap, but not so cheap if you compare buying it at other local shops, instead of the one that we were brought to as tourists.

It was much warmer in Shanghai, around 8 to 10 degrees celsius, you will still need to wear warm clothings though. Shanghai is a place for shopping, we went to a place called Qipu lu, a mass distribution centre, there were tons of things to buy there, so cheap, but you must bargain hard with the sellers, sometimes you could even get things at a bargain price of less than 50% of the originally quoted!