Out of Luck...

Well, in the recent months I've been super duper busy executing infovista project in Excelcomm. This year project is divided into 3 phase. And I'm in the middle of the third a.k.a last phase now :). The previous two has been done, but not without some hurdle and obstacles. Btw, it's rare anyway to have a 100% smooth project anyway :).

Sometimes this project requires me to work more than 14 hours. So I was down several times. Well, every human has it's limit ;). I know my company will be more than please seeing me work like that, since they never pay for my off-office hours work anyway.

And then came up news that there will be an employee gathering held in Borobudur Hotel. One of the main event is employee award of the year event. Well, in a moment came a thought maybe I would be recognized because of my hardwork this year and receive it. But after seeing how they determine the winner, i.e. through employee polls, I knew that I wouldn't be a winner anyway.

It's rare people in my office know me anyway since I spend most of the time in Excelcomm. So the event is more suitable called as popularity contest rather than achievement contest :). Even I could guess the winner before the event held. And in the end, I wasn't there anyway. There is no use to attend such an event. It will waste my time and make my spirit lower and it will impact to the project I'm working on...

Well, this is misfortune number one this year.

The second misfortune has just happened. It upset me for a while, but anyway, I'll have a nice bagpack as relieving present from Juniper. Well, honestly I should not complain about this. Juniper has been really nice for offering many gift to network engineer who pass their certification.

But since this is the second time I fail to have the gift I'm hoping maybe I have the right to call it misfortune :P. The first incident happens a few months ago when I request for BOSE headphone because I passed JNCIS-ER. At that time, I email Juniper, asking to change my gift from Casio watch to BOSE and they replied me that they still have BOSE and will ship it to my company address. So I was waiting for my BOSE but it seemed that they mistakenly sent me the Casio. Well, in the end, I sent an email to Juniper informed them about my situation but I said thanks anyway since Juniper has already been too kind for giving their Casio to me freely :).

The second incident is when Juniper announce that there will be a mysterious gift for anyone who has already passed both JNCIA-EX and JNCIS-ES. Well, as a very lucky man, I passed both with "remarkable mark". Why I said that? Because the score is so close to the passing grade that in the end of the test I stopped and said thanks to God, something I rarely do :P. Anyway, I'm more proud have that score because that was pure my understanding, not come from some cheat dump test easily found on the internet :D.

So I hurriedly email them and claim the present. It would be nice to have a recognition from Juniper of my hardwork. Well, it's really hard for me in the recent months of learning things out of infovista since my infovista projects itself has already occupied almost of my time so I deserve to call it as hardwork!

In the first email, I only be able to send them my claim along with certification pass notification from Juniper since I'm out of office. (All of my certification are kept in my office. It's my company policy) Juniper replied me and asked me to sent them scanned result slips or certification. I was very happy since the claim number is JN2-001. Wow, 001! So I was the first man ever to claim that prize :D

So in the next day, I reserve my time specially for visiting my office and asking for my certifications being scanned. After it I emailed them at the first place. Somehow my email are returned and there is a message that my email address has been blocked because of excessive spam. Well, it's really weird since I never spam anyone anyway. But maybe this is the sign of my inability to capture the great prize :).

Later I decide to sent them through my gmail. And here is the thread for you to read:

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Hi,

It seems that my company email has been blocked so I send this through my gmail account.
Thanks..





This is the Postfix program at host dtcmail.datacomm.co.id.

I'm sorry to have to inform you that your message could not
be delivered to one or more recipients. It's attached below.



For further assistance, please send mail to 

If you do so, please include this problem report. You can
delete your own text from the attached returned message.

   The Postfix program



: host
  smtp.where.secureserver.net[64.202.166.12] said: 553 124.195.5.* mail


  rejected due to excessive spam (in reply to RCPT TO command)

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Hi Stevenus

Your certificate is not in full (the "En___" got truncated). Appreciate if you can resend it in full, alternatively, you can email us your result slip.

Rgds

Juniper Networks Campaign (ASIN) - AROM

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Hi Juniper Team,

Wow, it seems that the lady in my office scanned it wrongly. I must ask her to scan it again since I'm totally out of office in this week.
It may take sometime so that I send you screenshot from my certification progress. Maybe this can be used as a temporary proof before I'm able to get my new scanned certification. Just don't wanna lose my chance of getting "mystery" gift :D.

Thanks..

Regards,

Stevanus

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Hi Stevanus



I apologise but the first 30 had already submitted and closed even before

your submission. Due to overwhelming response for this project (we have

approx 100+ submissions so far).



* But what I will do is issue a new bag pack to you (it is the new range

from Juniper and it looks better than the previous one). It will arrive in

approx 1 weeks time and that should be just nice for the next round of

dispatch after your office lady had scanned the complete certification.



Will look out for your certification then, thks.



Rgds

Juniper Networks Campaign (ASIN) - AROM

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Hi Juniper Team,

Actually I'm really upset receiving your
notification. I thought I was the first one submit the request because
my claim number is JN2-001.
But nevermind. Attached is the certification sent once again. This time she did it correctly :).

Anyway, what is the "mystery gift" you offered previously? J-Series router :P?
Or maybe a job opportunity in silicon valley :P? Just still curious ;).
Thanks..

Regards,


Stevanus

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Anyway, everything has passed. This year is really not a good year for me. Out of luck here and there. But yeah, as I said in the email, nevermind :).

Maybe next year I'll get my prize I deserve to have. I still aim for JNCIP-M today. I failed the test twice and that make me feel like in hell. The failure is in me, which cannot allocate enough time for practising juniper because of my business with infovista. But next year would be different, I have determine to change that.

Beside, I have come to my boss explaining of my situation and he said that he cannot appreciate my work since my company is network-hardware based. So there is no use for being stubborn and risking all of my future with something like this. It's really pity because I've got used to infovista by implementing many projects in Excelcomm and Telkomsel this year. And I have met and worked together with several nice infovista people like Nguyen Vinh, Nitin A., my mentor Philip Brown, M. Zamri, and others.

But if this is something I must throw to garbage can for more promising career, well, I have no choice. Every big thing always needs sacrifice :).

It reminds me that once in the past I shocked everyone because of my anger. Well, at that time I cannot stop it. Well, I think everyone will be like that if they know they are being paid like one hundreth of other people payment. Hmm, I exaggerate it a little bit, but that's a sad true fact in indonesia. I can still remember my first salary as system engineer in my first company. At that time, I receive less than $150/month! Can you imagine that? As an employee we can do nothing here except struggle, struggle and struggle since there are approximately more than 40% unemployee in indonesia and the number keeps increasing each year.

That's life.

Actually I don't know what will happen in next year. Maybe the worst case is I have to resign from my company in pursuing for higher career. Or maybe a more serious company will hire me for doing infovista for their projects? Or maybe....I don't know...

All for all, I have to prepare my all for next year!

Living in North Korea...

A few days ago I watch national geographic channel about living in North Korea. Surprisingly, the picture I saw is not what I expected to be. National Geography shot many places in North Korea, from Pyongyang to small village there. So I can see the reality of living there.

People in North Korea are mostly thin. And poor too (but they are seemed happy with their life). This is caused by long embargo by United Nations because of America suspicion about weapon of mass destruction (WMD) whereabouts in North Korea..Hmm, this is if I'm not mistaken..well someone please CMIIW :).

Most people in North Korea hate American because of this. A few years ago, there was famine widespread in North Korea and there were many victims - innocent ones - died. But it seems that United Nations closed their eyes and refused to help those people because of North Korea political status. Well, so the situation there can be easily understood. Politics is always used as an excuse for powerful people to justify their cruel acts. It's happened everywhere.

I still cannot accept the fact that people in North Korea are still using their bare hands for farming. And yet..there are no gas station in villages..wow. This depicts how underdeveloped North Korea is compared to South Korea. Another contrast scene can be seen at the border between North Korea and South Korea. North Korean army are really thin, yet they have full of nationalism and pride of being Korean, keeping guard of their borderline. While South Korean army are accompanied by American army there, looking in much better shape.

It's easy to see why South Korea is much more advanced than North Korea. They ally with USA and then get enormous benefits. Maybe in the eyes of North Korean nationalism, that maybe a disgusting act, selling their soul to the another country. That's why, tension between North Korea and South Korea is always high.

If you want to reach something higher, there always be something to be sacrificed for. At least that what I learned from watching this. And the other lesson I learned is even in the communism country there exists people who are more equal than others. This is the word I keep into mind deeply.

There are always unfair situations everywhere in the world and we cannot expect to receive same treatments as others who have higher level of society than us. In order to do so, it would require limitless efforts, efforts we do from our eyes opened in the morning until we go to the bed at night - exhausted....

But this is what makes life is more interesting....:)