New year. New hopes. New dreams. New goals. New friends. New purposes. New challenges. New adventures.
Nah.
New year. New team. New home base. New mobile number. New apartment to find. New car to buy. New bank. New credit cards*
Happy new year 2009.
*nope, they are not my new year wishes ;) those are some of the challenges and issues I have to deal with due to my relocation
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Write From Heart
A friend of mine asked me a question: how come it's possible for me to write my blog in between my busy schedule? He wants to follow my path in blogging so he needs to know how to start and to maintain consistency in writing. He claimed it was just a simple question that requires a simple answer. Yet it took me few days to reply.
First, I thought it's because the nature of my job requires me to always write to make documentation, to communicate via emails, to propose plan and so on. So I have to keep writing even outside my work to maintain the flow. Remember Newton's first law of motion: the object that is in motion will be in the same state with the same velocity until a force acts upon it.
Then I was thinking perhaps it's because I write to release the tension. Every time I feel under pressure from my work, I try to divert my mind by writing about something else. Something completely different with what I'm currently doing.
It always works, at least for me.
I also like to utilize my time, for example during the transit between flights, to write. I prefer to do this instead of sitting in the airport watching the people moving around, even I have to admit it is fun to do as well especially in big airport like Dubai or Singapore. I almost missed my flights few times because I was so focus with my writing.
Or perhaps I still can maintain my blog because I don't write that much. In average I write only 4 or 5 entries per month, and most of them are not technical.
And I only write what I see, what I know, what I have done. Even when I write something technical, I usually don't spend much time to check with the references. I write only as I understand, as I have experienced, and I use my own words to describe something that may have been described differently in the references.
My only issue with writing something technical in blog is I need to be careful not to disclose confidential information from my company. Whatever topic I want to write, I always have to honor my company's non-disclosure agreement.
Last but not least, maybe I can keep writing because I never worry if anyone will read it or not. I will continue to write in this blog even if I'm the only one on earth who reads it. I really use this blog as my life journal. Something to review my life and decisions I made in the past. I read the blog to evaluate myself and to make me always remember what I have been through to reach my current state. Freedom in writing. I think this is the most important.
Finally I found the ultimate answer. Probably it's just because I always write from the heart. I don't feel any pressure to write. I can write whenever I feel it, and whatever I feel inside my heart.
So, want to write a blog? Just do it. Start writing. Move the object. Then we don't even need to put additional force to maintain the flow, unless we want to change the velocity or make it stop.
Write for ourselves, and write from the heart.
First, I thought it's because the nature of my job requires me to always write to make documentation, to communicate via emails, to propose plan and so on. So I have to keep writing even outside my work to maintain the flow. Remember Newton's first law of motion: the object that is in motion will be in the same state with the same velocity until a force acts upon it.
Then I was thinking perhaps it's because I write to release the tension. Every time I feel under pressure from my work, I try to divert my mind by writing about something else. Something completely different with what I'm currently doing.
It always works, at least for me.
I also like to utilize my time, for example during the transit between flights, to write. I prefer to do this instead of sitting in the airport watching the people moving around, even I have to admit it is fun to do as well especially in big airport like Dubai or Singapore. I almost missed my flights few times because I was so focus with my writing.
Or perhaps I still can maintain my blog because I don't write that much. In average I write only 4 or 5 entries per month, and most of them are not technical.
And I only write what I see, what I know, what I have done. Even when I write something technical, I usually don't spend much time to check with the references. I write only as I understand, as I have experienced, and I use my own words to describe something that may have been described differently in the references.
My only issue with writing something technical in blog is I need to be careful not to disclose confidential information from my company. Whatever topic I want to write, I always have to honor my company's non-disclosure agreement.
Last but not least, maybe I can keep writing because I never worry if anyone will read it or not. I will continue to write in this blog even if I'm the only one on earth who reads it. I really use this blog as my life journal. Something to review my life and decisions I made in the past. I read the blog to evaluate myself and to make me always remember what I have been through to reach my current state. Freedom in writing. I think this is the most important.
Finally I found the ultimate answer. Probably it's just because I always write from the heart. I don't feel any pressure to write. I can write whenever I feel it, and whatever I feel inside my heart.
So, want to write a blog? Just do it. Start writing. Move the object. Then we don't even need to put additional force to maintain the flow, unless we want to change the velocity or make it stop.
Write for ourselves, and write from the heart.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
I Don't Want To See My Future
I believe I can see the future, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails said. Not because he is a psychic or something, but 'cause I repeat the same routine'. I think I used to have a purpose. But then again, that might have been a dream.
When we are trapped in the same routine everyday, we get bored. We are bored because we know how this will end. Looking at the future is just like looking at the mirror. Everything keeps get repeated and no changes.
Even for someone who travel 80% to do work can still feel bored. Because everything is becoming the same routine. Project, meeting over web, fly to the destination country, lead a workshop, do presentation in front of the customer, make documentation, conference call, replying emails, testing in the lab, onsite implementation, project hand over, move on to the next country.
For those who have not done this before may find it looks compelling and challenging. But for those who always live with that, different projects, customers even new countries can form the same pattern. Repetitive tasks, that can bring boredom. First it requires skills that we need to learn, but eventually it has become second nature.
That's the reason I like to break the rules. Do the unexpected.
I don't want to use the provided template or follow a defined business flow. I always make my own template.
The purpose is to kill the boredom. To escape the pattern.
What have you done lately to break your routine?
When we are trapped in the same routine everyday, we get bored. We are bored because we know how this will end. Looking at the future is just like looking at the mirror. Everything keeps get repeated and no changes.
Even for someone who travel 80% to do work can still feel bored. Because everything is becoming the same routine. Project, meeting over web, fly to the destination country, lead a workshop, do presentation in front of the customer, make documentation, conference call, replying emails, testing in the lab, onsite implementation, project hand over, move on to the next country.
For those who have not done this before may find it looks compelling and challenging. But for those who always live with that, different projects, customers even new countries can form the same pattern. Repetitive tasks, that can bring boredom. First it requires skills that we need to learn, but eventually it has become second nature.
That's the reason I like to break the rules. Do the unexpected.
I don't want to use the provided template or follow a defined business flow. I always make my own template.
The purpose is to kill the boredom. To escape the pattern.
What have you done lately to break your routine?
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
When We Move
Today is my second day in Dubai. I landed yesterday morning without any hotel reservation at all. Thanks God, I still have my UAE driving license so I can book a rental car online and it has been waiting for me in the airport the moment I arrived. I guess in Dubai having a car is more important then having a hotel room :) I reached Dubai a bit too early, 4 am in the morning, so I spent time to drive around the city and beyond. I even drove a bit too far I almost reached the capital city, then I decided to go back and went to Cisco office directly. We need to do this some time. It's good to remember the old days when I used to drive 180 km/h in Sheik Zayed Road, and to enjoy the sun rise while listening to my favorite radio channel. It’s good for my mojo, and to start a brand new day in Dubai.
My mission during my short visit to Dubai this time is simple: to try to get my working visa. Then it becomes expanded since I must continue with the visa for my family. And then the kid school issue comes up. O yes, I have to find a temporary apartment that I can pay monthly until everything is settled down. I also need to open a bank account otherwise I would not be able to get my first month salary on time. And last but not least, when I was in my country on my way to the airport I received a message from my team that I need to work on some project while I'm in Dubai.
Anyway, it will be interesting to meet old friends and my former customers when I used to work here. It gives kind of funny feeling to come back to Cisco office as employee compare to when I was still working for a partner company. To meet the guys that I used to worship ;) because hey, at that time they were Cisco and I was outsider, so they're always right!
When we move, it's just our trail we left behind. It's just our name and reputation we left behind. The impression in others' memory on how good or bad we are. When we move we leave a story.
Let's see how is my trail that I left in here couple of years ago.
Welcome home, my best friend greet me.
My mission during my short visit to Dubai this time is simple: to try to get my working visa. Then it becomes expanded since I must continue with the visa for my family. And then the kid school issue comes up. O yes, I have to find a temporary apartment that I can pay monthly until everything is settled down. I also need to open a bank account otherwise I would not be able to get my first month salary on time. And last but not least, when I was in my country on my way to the airport I received a message from my team that I need to work on some project while I'm in Dubai.
Anyway, it will be interesting to meet old friends and my former customers when I used to work here. It gives kind of funny feeling to come back to Cisco office as employee compare to when I was still working for a partner company. To meet the guys that I used to worship ;) because hey, at that time they were Cisco and I was outsider, so they're always right!
When we move, it's just our trail we left behind. It's just our name and reputation we left behind. The impression in others' memory on how good or bad we are. When we move we leave a story.
Let's see how is my trail that I left in here couple of years ago.
Welcome home, my best friend greet me.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The Better Traveler Continuous
The world's economy is still sinking, and I believe we all must take part to be more efficient and help reducing unnecessary expense. Again, I can't cut the number of my travels since nowadays I only travel to deliver onsite work and to meet the customers. But as I mentioned in my previous post I should be able to minimize my expense during any travel using all the 10 Points from the Himawan's Way to a Better (and cheaper) Business Traveler.
Currently I'm counting my expense that I spent in my last trip to Bratislava from Nov 2 to Nov 13 and for total 11 days travel in average I spent 20.41 Euros per day for food, taxi and so on (exclude the hotel and flight fare). It's still higher than the last time which is 18.6 Euros per day. Most probably it's because this time my flight reached only up to Vienna and I must use taxi from Vienna airport to Bratislava. But even thought the taxi from Vienna to Bratislava costs me 90 Euros, the flight fare from Singapore to Vienna via Dubai is much cheaper compared to a flight from Singapore to Bratislava via Munich. The flight via Dubai took longer time due to 4 hours in transit but this is something that I'm willing to take to save about 500 Euros different in flight fare.
Unfortunately I can't use any other hotels other than the one listed in my company's preferred hotels. Otherwise I may really go to the extreme just to cut my expense. Well, I guess we have to start from something first. The amount that we can save today may look small, but it may make the difference eventually. And we should always have this frugality in our mind as part of the culture, and not because it is forced by company policy.
Will try to do better in my next travel.
Currently I'm counting my expense that I spent in my last trip to Bratislava from Nov 2 to Nov 13 and for total 11 days travel in average I spent 20.41 Euros per day for food, taxi and so on (exclude the hotel and flight fare). It's still higher than the last time which is 18.6 Euros per day. Most probably it's because this time my flight reached only up to Vienna and I must use taxi from Vienna airport to Bratislava. But even thought the taxi from Vienna to Bratislava costs me 90 Euros, the flight fare from Singapore to Vienna via Dubai is much cheaper compared to a flight from Singapore to Bratislava via Munich. The flight via Dubai took longer time due to 4 hours in transit but this is something that I'm willing to take to save about 500 Euros different in flight fare.
Unfortunately I can't use any other hotels other than the one listed in my company's preferred hotels. Otherwise I may really go to the extreme just to cut my expense. Well, I guess we have to start from something first. The amount that we can save today may look small, but it may make the difference eventually. And we should always have this frugality in our mind as part of the culture, and not because it is forced by company policy.
Will try to do better in my next travel.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Six Times As Fast Lane
6.4 Terabits per second,
400 Gbps per slot,
Power as you grow,
Reduce your carbon footprint,
99.999% reliability with IOS XR,
Designed to deliver Video content,
6 slots and 10 slots.
Beautifully engineered for whatever may lie ahead.
It's finally released to public. This is not the product to replace the current Cisco 7600 or GSR. More information to come later. For now, please just enjoy the video first.
Welcome to life in the six-times-as fast lane.
400 Gbps per slot,
Power as you grow,
Reduce your carbon footprint,
99.999% reliability with IOS XR,
Designed to deliver Video content,
6 slots and 10 slots.
Beautifully engineered for whatever may lie ahead.
It's finally released to public. This is not the product to replace the current Cisco 7600 or GSR. More information to come later. For now, please just enjoy the video first.
Welcome to life in the six-times-as fast lane.
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