It's year end time!

Oh yes, it's already into December, the last month of 2013! Just image that in less than 20 days time, it's Christmas, and in 25 days time, it's a new year. hehe hoho...

Hey, back to the real world, there are tons of work to do now, people are on leaves and you have to cover their duties. Some more, there are new project implementations to follow-up, how sad, this year end, most probably I will not get much rest. Even if I have to apply for leaves, I still have to work from home.

Never mind, for now, just enjoy any free time I have, hope that next year would be better one. Cheers...

Trust no one

Over the past months, I learnt something that is so valuable, and so important that I will always keep reminding myself again and again, never to forget!

I have always been the trusting kind, that means I trust almost anyone, especially, people close to me, e.g. my colleagues, friends. At times, I need to entrust someone to do something, well, you may think that it's easy, because they will know what to do, not quite.

Let me share one of the many bad experiences about work delegation. I have this SA that I'm always proud of, but now, I just don't feel comfortable with the ways he does things. There was once, I told him to do up a documentation, he confidently said he will finish it by Friday (that day was Wednesday). When Friday came, nothing happens! And till now, still no results. Hey, that Friday was more than a month ago! This was not the first case.

I told him that if you cannot do something right, don't promise. Don't say "sorry" once, twice, third time, it wouldn't work anymore. I even have to watch his back, so, whenever he finished doing something, or should I say when he told me he had completed something, I got to secretly double-check just to make sure things are really done proper!

I thought I can go back early

I packed my bag, I thought I could go home early today, but, OH NO...

One of our Sys Admins said he needed to go for RT, so he had to leave office early. The worst thing that could happen is that I have to do a last min. follow-up task for him. He is supposed to install the Symantec netbackup client on one of the development WIN2008R2 server, but maybe he forgot, now, I have to stay back in the data centre and do it, so that the backup guy can run the backup tonight. It's so cold in the DC, and I don't have my warm jacket with me. I'm having a headache too!

Problem now, I inserted the CD, it just won't install, then after trying for more that an hour, then I realised that the CD had bad blocks! The Windows event log says so. I'm waiting for my client installer download from Symantec, 300+MB, hopefully, it works later.

Yet another chance wasted!

Last week, I thought I will get a chance to go Sydney for a business trip, but again, a dream that didn't come true.

There's already a group of people there, and I'm supposed to be on standby to assist from remote if they need help. There's also a guy who was HPUX-trained, and supposed to go there too, but again, didn't happen.

I know that a DBA colleague of mine is having a lot of fun there, other than work, he get to visit places too. How nice, isn't it?

What can I do about it?

The other day, I was asked whether I'm interested to go for a overseas working trip for 2-3 months, best of all, it was to Sydney! I was elated, I remembered I said 'yes'.

But, later in the week, I saw any email forwarded to me, it said that my boss was against it, because I'm much needed in the project, I'm too important to leave the team at this time. I know then, my boss' boss tried to persuade him, so that I can move on and go on the trip, after that, there was no news. So disappointed!

I have always wanted to go overseas to work on sometime different from what I'm doing now, but when the opportunity comes knocking, I just don't have the luck to get it!

MSCA 2012 finally!

Oh yes! I have cleared my third and last paper for the MCSA 2012 exams.

I'm so relief now after months and months of hard work studying for the exams. I have cleared this target just as I predicted. Next, I'm going to prepare for the Solaris 11 exams, 2 papers to take, hope to clear it by September.

Wish me luck...all...the...way!!! ;)

Late night, can't sleep

It's already way past midnight, and I'm still awake.

For the past week, the haze was unbearable, my eyes was watering, my nose was sniffing and my throat was crying in pain. Earlier in the week, I was feeling so giddy and almost couldn't get up to work.

Lucky it rained and the haze was clear, cooler weather came back for awhile. It rained hailstones in some part of this region, I saw some trees were fallen, one driver even claimed that his car windscreen was smashed by the hailstones. I have never seen hailstones before, too bad I missed it, but I was sure glad that I wasn't standing out in the open when the hailstones came.

I have completed 2 out of the 3 papers for the Windows 2012 Server admin certification, now, I have to study hard for the last one, hope that I can clear it soon.

The change

Recently, the company roll-out a no. of new systems, a vendor quotation system that tracks emails of how you get the quotes from external parties, they claimed this is for governance. There's another system that is supposed to help people raise purchases, but, we already have a SAP finance system, I don't quite understand why there's a need for another one...oh, for governance! With so many systems, it lengthens the process flow, and make it more difficult for people to work efficiently. I found that I'm actually spending more time doing all these "paper work".

Finally, my boss told me that I will have to report to another boss. I guess it's time for me to re-look at my career path, whether what I have done is worth it. One thing I found was that my ex-bosses don't really appreciate my help. Those bosses that I helped before had move up, and I don't get even a pat on the back or promotion for my good work. I just hope that, under the new boss, he's going to treat me better, and really appreciate my efforts spent, perhaps, put me up for a promotion soon.

Cleared first Windows exams

I have recently taken my first Windows server 2012 paper, and managed to pass. This is just the first of the three papers that I have to clear. Come this end of the month, I will have to attend the second course of the certification program, then study and try to pass the second paper. The third one is in June.

Other than these Windows exams, I also have two more papers for the Solaris 11 exams, yes, it's pretty new, so far, not many people has taken the exams. In fact, the second of the two is still beta, which you have to take 150 questions, quite tough, I heard.

So now, I have four more papers to go, work hard la...

Windows Server 2012

I have finally completed my 1-year course, but sadly, I couldn't attend the graduation ceremony scheduled at the end of the month, because I have to attend a course. I have also received news that I had won a award for good academic performance in the 1-year course, well, not bad for someone who hasn't been attending school for more than 10 years!

The new course I talked about is the new windows Server 2012, this is a certification course, I have to go through 3 classes, and take 3 papers. I think this is tough one, since I haven't been touching on the Windows OS very often for quite sometime. However, I hope that I can clear the exams, and not disappoint anyone, including my boss.

Finally, hard work pays off!

I received the results last month, it was too good to be true, but I believe that there are other students who did better than me!

One whole year of hard work, many nights spending working on the assignments, it's time to celebrate...haha.

The graduation is scheduled to be in mid May, but I know I can't make it because I have a Windows Admin course to attend. Two of my classmates also did not want to attend, I guess I have to miss this event as well.

Next, I will be embarking on my Windows and Solaris admin certifications, it's going to be tough, but I don't have a choice, as in IT, the job is so competitive, and if you don't upgrade your knowledge, you will become obsolete. Being always technically knowledgeable and hard working are the only ways to go to keep ahead of your peers.

Post no. 300

If I'm not wrong, this is post no. 300! Oh yeah!!!

I have been writing this blog since 2006, that's more than 6 years. How time flies, I remember my first post was about my trip to Australia, and I uploaded some photos from that trip. I have since travelled to other cities, e.g. South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and even north-east China. All these trips have opened up my eyes, there are simply so many interesting things to see, and not forgetting the food too.

Today, one of my colleagues asked where is best place to travel to where you can get to see things, well, I recommended him to South Korea. Seoul is a very busy and unique place, it's unlike this place that I live in, most obviously, the people, they are an united single race, speaking a single language, so modern, a technological advance city. I have been there a couple of times, and even drove (car) in Cheju island, I feel that I like the place so much that I wanted to go again after I come back!

I hope to save enough money to be able to travel again, maybe Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam soon...

Happy Lunar New Year

In a day's time, it's Chinese New year!

Today, Saturday, 9th Feb, is the CNY's eve, this is a time where all our family members will gather and have a reunion dinner. This year we are going to have steamboat and barbecue! Oh yeah!!!

Our fridge is already stuffed up with lots of seafood and vegetables. Other than that, we will also have red wines and juices to drink.

CNY is the time when we will eat and eat, drink and drink, talk and talk, till you fall sick...no, just kidding!

Have a blessed 2013

Hello everybody! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

How did you spend your Christmas and New year?

I went on an overseas tour to Taiwan last December, it was a fun trip round the island. I have gone to the night markets, ate nice food such as the stinky tou fu, oyster mee sua, fried chicken cutlets, etc. I guess most of you who have been there had enjoyed the trip too, right? And not forget to bring back boxes of pineapple tarts.

Oh well, I hope for many good changes for this new year, a better career advancement opportunity and good money making opportunities. Be optimistic, cheers!