centerpide

Yes its been a while since this space has been updated with new materials, my apologies for that, technically I am still on hiatus considering I am still preparing to write my exam, which will be sometime early next month. It’s been going great though, I have given myself enough time and effort to work on it, and as the days go on to D-Day, I’m still studying and studying, making sure I know my materials and all that. It’s tough though, trying to balance it out between studying and working, because the only time I have is normally after work, and trust me, you don’t want to find yourself concentrating deeply and oozing out every bit of focus and energy to studying, it’s just tiring and it takes alot of motivation and determination, not to mention self-discipline to tell yourself to just spend 90 minutes practicing questions and studying.

Oh and in case you’re wondering what exam is this all about, it’s a job-related exam, something that most people in my profession do, and it’s a very valuable certification to have, so well I am caught in it I guess.

But anyway just to keep you in the loop, I will no longer be blogging on this page anymore. I think the time has come for me to move on to another space. This blog will still be opened however as I still want to preserve the fond memories I have written over the last 2 years! Yes this blog is nearly 2 years old and it would be disheartening to just throw it all into thin air. Therefore I’ve decided to keep this blog open.

As for my new address, it’s not even up yet, you can imagine, I have just bought a piece of “land”, but I have yet to build it or even lay the foundations, let alone move in! I haven’t decided on an official date to move in and make my announcement yet, as I have a couple of things to see to first, but rest assured as soon as I have gotten the site up and running, I’ll let you know

Well this is Centerpide…signing of for the last time on this site…till we meet at my new “home”, take care and god bless!

Yeah, it’s that time of the year. And no it isn’t that I am going through some depression-just-leave-me-alone crap seasion. I have a couple of important things to see to. The problem is, well I have been procastinating it ever since early this year. It’s an exam that I have to take. I have a deadline until the end of this year though to get it done, but I feel enough is enough. I have wallowed away my time doing very little productive work. Besides this exam is like a linggering leach. The problem is I just can’t shrug it off and not be bothered.

I need to get it done and over with. I’ve been telling myself about this for so long now, but I just can’t bring myself to do anything about getting prepared and started with this exam. See that’s why in school there’s something called examination dates. You’re forced to study, and prepare, because the date is fixed. Well, I too have fixed a date to write my exam. I’m planing on writing it sometime the middle of July. But see, this ain’t no easy exam, besides having a full-time job doesn’t help much either. By the time I come home, I’m too tired to concerntrate. But I know I gotta do it, it’s for my own good and I know intrisicly, it will give me a boost of confidence, if I do pass it, which I know I will.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is, I have to get my ass down and started working. I owe this to myself.

A high school teacher once told me on writing an essay : Writing the essay is not the difficult part, it’s starting it that it is.

I need to start somewhere to get my study engines going, no there’ll be no teacher to appraise my work, no grades, no competition, it’s gonna be one hellova different exam preperation, but I gotta do this and it starts tonight.

So my dear readers, till I see u after my exam is over, adios, sit tight, and keep me in your prayers.

I’m sure us Asian folks here would have heard how some of our asian counterparts tend to speak when they’re dealing with a foreigner, notably a westerner. These folks speak with their fellowmen in either manglish, or the 95-5 language. The 95-5 language is my own terminology to group those who speak 95% in their native tongue and 5% in English, (the 5% English I guess is used because there are just some words which has no direct translation to the native tongue). As it is I have issues with people being very inconsiderate using the 95-5% language especially around those who can’t even understand a word of the native tongue.

However the situation is so reserved when these bunch of same bunch of people have a western visitor. All of a sudden, you hear English, and that too coupled with the phonniest of phonies accent! But I guess I understand the logic behind this.

When in rome do what the romans do.

Now my question is who are the Romans and where is Rome? By right, the Romans are supposed to be our western guests, afterall they are in OUR land (Rome!) so technically speaking, shouldn’t the westerner be speaking more like us? What’s wrong with having a British tourist associate “lah” and “wat” in his british vocabulary database? After all, he is in Rome right?

But what do we get instead? Pathetic Asians trying to sound as western as possible so that their western counterparts can understand them? OK fine, maybe Jim Baker is handicapped when it comes to expressing himself with the manglish language. Afterall, given that it’s a multi-racial language I bet it makes it hard for Jim Baker to understand it.

But what about us Asians? I mean just because we’re dealing with a foreigner, does it warrant us to put on phoney cheapskate accents? Speaking good English is one thing, but putting on a fake accent is another. How do you know it’s fake? Well it becomes a fake when it’s only used when dealing with foreigners. It’s fake when that same person who you know can’t speak English very well. Sorry but that’s how I stereotype people, I personally find that if you have a good command of the English Language, there’s a good chance that you wouldn’t need to put on accent.

How do you sniff out one that doesn’t have a good command in English? Well look at the emails he/she sends out, listen to his handling of the past and present tense, and just hear him talk when he does. If you’ve been speaking GOOD english your entire life, you can sniff one out easily.

Anyway coming back to the main topic, I guess there’s just one thing we’ll never hear a westener talking when he’s in an asian county is manglish/singlish/whatever-lish you wanna add to it. But what irks me the most is that, how come when there’s a western visitor, suddenly the whole group is talking in English? Umm, where is the 95-5 language? Wait a minute, all of a sudden everyone is speaking English? Just because of Mr Jim Baker?? Wow, since when was there a  universal rule that states:

When an Englishman is with a social company, one should only be allowed to speak English?

Sacarsm aside, I think you and I both know why we do this? The answer is, yes you got it - Etiquette.  It’s just plain simple courteous when we’re in a group and we find one person doesn’t understand our language to politely switch our language so that he/she too can understand. But sadly, I don’t find that all in this country. People will only switch the language (english) when there is a foreigner.

As an Indian who can’t understand much of my colleague’s native tongue, I find it appalling and demeaning when my colleagues converse in their native language, and I get even more annoyed when they ask me questions in English, or when they look at me and comment something in English?

Oh so now you wanna talk to me in English? What the heck man?

But why is it with  the company of Jim Baker, everyone starts talking in English? Is Jim Baker more important than the locals who cant understand the group’s native language? Why not just continue on with the 95-5 Language, who cares about Jim Baker anyway?

Frankly, this whole phenomena puzzles me and it’s no surprise why this entry also deserves to be in the  “Stupid Asian Culture” category. We Asians are so good at portraying ourselves in front of Westerners (NO WONDER THEY LOVE ASIANS!) but we do a shitty job with dealing with our own people. If we Asians can be etiquette to outsiders, why is it hard to do the same to our own fellow friends?

The latest of this “phenomena” happened

It’s been a while since I updated my blog, I know, but rest assured I’m doing great, I’ve just been tied up with stuff (as usual). I also took a long break from work to spend time with my family so that was really a breather for me. Thought of blogging at home, but nah, I felt I also needed a break from this. Well I’m back! so let the writing continue!

Heh, while I have a half a mind to also lock this post, I feel that letting you know about this just goes to show how falliable I am. Everyone makes a lifetime mistake. This is one of mine, and I feel it’s important to share this with you.

I fucked up okay?!! I fucked up!!!- Trey, from the movie Sunshine after he realizes that his calculations about the ship’s trajectory had been miscalculated which ends up leading the ship straight to disaster

It’s 1.45 in the morning. I have just returned from another work-related activity. Over the last couple of days, I have been busy almost every night attending to some network maintainence work. It’s tough when you are assigned over 100 devices to perform these services and it’s your first time doing them.

Nevertheless I got by most of them successfully until tonight. Actually it was my second last device and everything had already been set up and put into place. All I had to do was enter a command viola, the it would be done.

It was that simple. I was very close to the finish line. I’d even imagine ardently emailing my supervisor to let him know that I succeceed in completing this huge task.

Yes, this is sure something to be proud of young man!

And then the problem began. What was just a slight misconfiguration (I missed it by a different character) caused 2 branches to go down. All because I had overlooked a tiny, almost oblivious error.

I guess what irked and flabbergasted me the most was the fact that I had done this procedures one too many times. I had checked each and every device, diligently, making sure the command configurations were correct and so on. It didn’t strike me at all that I was making an error while preparing for the 2 infamous network devices.

But it had to happen, this just had to come down and weigh me down. In some sense, this whole episode brought me down, it made me realize that I’m still a naive kid with lots to learn. It humbled me above all else. (Ironically I was boasting to a colleague about how privileged I was to be able to handle such devices just an hour before this whole mess occured)

Now what do we do?

How do I pick up the broken pieces now?

How do I continue keeping my head up?

In this world, bad things happen to all people, but there are two responses to bad consequences, one, the pessimistic cynical view that is filled with anger, sorrow, pessimism and fear. The other, humility, courage,  perseverance, tenacity and bravery. We all know by knowledge and virtue which is the right path to follow, but instinctively it’s always easier to follow the former path.

For me, I do admit my mistake and I think this is the first positive step. I was rash and plainly careless with my work which has lead to this consequence. Honestly, I have no one else but my own self to blame for this.

Is this a bad thing? Is this a good thing? It’s hard to say. Because of the unfortunate accident I had earlier this year, I drive much more carefully, I am more alert on the road, I’m double-triple careful when I park my car. I banged my car, as a result I am careful these days.

Like that same experience, I hope to get over this one with a positive thought. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone also has the opportunity to learn, but not everyone takes this opportunity. I hope that this experience stays with me and continues to mold me to be a better person in the future. I definitely need to work more on my calmness, and my composure. I need to learn to take it easy, to be calm, composed and cool.

Books can’t teach one how to be those things, neither can articles. Learning to be calm and composed requires a conscious awareness and an emotional check whenever things get rough. A matured & balanced person isn’t refined in one day.  I’m far from  being that perfect guy I envisioned myself to become, but I know I’m gettting there. Like how silver is refined in hot fire, I believe God uses these experience, although painful and undesirable  to bring out the best of us, to bring out who we really can become of.

To end it all, I’d like to leave you with a short story:

Once upon a time, there was a king. The king liked one of his

followers very much because he was very wise and always gave

very useful advice. Therefore the king took him along wherever he went.

One day, the king was bitten by a dog, the finger was injured and the

wound  was getting worse. He asked the follower if that was a bad sign.

The follower said, ‘Good or bad, hard to say’. In the end, finger of the king

was too bad that had to be cut. The king  asked the follower again if

that was a bad sign. Again, the follower gave the same answer,

‘Good or bad, hard to say’. The king became very angry and

sent the follower to prison.

One day, the king went hunting in the jungle. He got excited when he was

on the chase of a deer. Deeper and deeper he went inside the jungle. In the

end he found himself lost in the jungle. To make things worse, he got

captured by the native people who lived inside the jungle. They wanted to

sacrifice him to their god. But when they noticed that the king had one

finger short, they released him immediately as he was not a perfect man

anymore and not suitable for sacriface. The king managed to get back to

his palace after all.

And he finally understood the follower’s wise quote, ‘Good or bad,

hard to say’. If he hadn’t lost one finger, he could have been killed by

the native people.  He ordered to release the follower, and apologized to him.

But to the king’s amazement, the follower was not mad at him at all. Instead,the

follower said, ‘It wasn’t a bad thing that you locked me up.’

Why? Because if the king hadn’t locked the follower up, he would

have brought the follower along to the jungle. If the native found that

the king was not suitable, they would have used the follower.

Again, the quote ‘Good or bad, hard to say’ stands.

The moral of the story is that everything that happens in this world,

there is no absolute good or bad. Sometimes good things turned out to be bad

things eventually, while bad things become a gain.

Whatever good things that happen to you, enjoy it, but don’t

have to hold too tight to it, treat it as a surprise in your

life. Whatever bad things that happen to you, don’t have to feel too

sad or despair, in the end, it might not be a total bad thing after all.

If one can understand this, he or she will find life much easier.