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Jul 31st, 2008: DNS exploit writer tastes his own medicine
Never do unto others what you don’t want others to do to you.
Jul 27th, 2008: PHP On Racks Preview
Returned to focus on PHP On Racks. Trying to finish it by end August. Everything seems to be on track.
Take a look at this fascinating work I’m doing.
Jul 22nd, 2008: First Singaporean Certified MySQL Associate
Apparently, I realised I’m the first CMA in Singapore! The Certified MySQL Associate is an entry level certification for MySQL professionals. It’s particularly useful for programmers and developers that work primarily with the XAMP Stack (X Operating System, Apache, MySQL, PHP).
Now that I’m a CMA, this will help me stand out from the crowd. I scored a 90% and got only 5 questions wrong. I scored 100% for 3 component chapters, 85% on 2 of them and 75% on one of them. But I won’t stop here. I’m retaking the CMDEV (Certified MySQL Developer) next year which consists of 2 very long exams. I missed the pass grade by 7 points on Paper 1 and 2 points on Paper 2 a year and a half back. Pass grades are very high. In the case of Certification Exams, a pass grade would mean I have to at least get 75% of the questions right. So noting how close I got to passing the more difficult certifications, I am now going to prepare myself better by spacing out the 2 papers, so I can study the material more thoroughly.
I intend to take the Zend Certified Engineer which certifies me as a competent PHP developer. But the only barrier is the high costs that come with it. I’d have to spend at least $1,380 just for the exam and study material. The A-Dev pack which will get me a 90-day track would set me back $3,795. It’s unfortunate that the government doesn’t seem to consider this a critical certification. My MySQL certification costs are borne out of my own pocket as I can’t use the CITREP grant for this.
I feel that the government should be fair to people who are subscribers of the Open Source movement instead of over-emphasising the Microsoft certifications.
Feb 21st, 2008: A comparison between a sinking mid-sized firm, and a growing small enterprise
I gave my hellos to an ex-colleague of mine over MSN. After serving years at our former workplace, my friend moved to greener pastures. Never regretted it. And for me, leaving that !@#!@$ place was the best thing to ever happen to me. more »
Feb 10th, 2008: Wealth from Adam Khoo and Me
I’ve been reading Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires by Singapore’s own Adam Khoo for the past week. I must say that this is so far the most interesting entrepreneurship books I’ve read. Perhaps it’s because that he has a similar writing style to mine. His anecdotal style makes me glued to the book and learn more about these so called secrets. more »
Dec 27th, 2007: the in your face guide to start a business - part 2
This is a continuation of the in your face guide to start a business tutorial meant to help people start up without making the mistakes I’ve made.
Think Big, Start Somewhere
I don’t believe in starting a business small. If you’re going to do something, be great at it. Don’t be a run of the mill IT company. Don’t just be a kedai masak. Think BIG! All my business plans were huge undertakings. I do not believe in playing for 2nd place. I won’t be a small business person. No. more »
While Singapore may be a country which supposedly guarantees equality of race, the mood on the ground may be different. Singaporeans still do discriminate according to race. There are still people who cannot leave Malays alone. Like when we have our void deck weddings, or when we rush to the mosque every Friday, or when we’re required to wear the veil or when we try to have a nice, decent, halal meal. Racial and religious subscriptions still do determine your social status in Singapore. more »
Jul 27th, 2008: HSBC different races ad reflects lack of successful Malay businesses?
Click the picture to reveal the other family
I was walking around Ang Mo Kio yesterday, when I chanced upon this wall ad on HSBC’s Ang Mo Kio Branch. It’s trying to brand itself as a global local bank that knows and understands the different cultures here. But the thing that struck me was the use of generalisations in this ad. For example, on one side, there is a picture of a Chinese family who runs a jewellry shop in where else but Chinatown. It reflects a sense of upper class that seems to suggest that the Chinese are rich. Very rich. Using a jewellry shop as an exemplary Chinese business seem to mean that the Chinese could afford them. more »
Jun 6th, 2008: Even the Muslims are afraid of Islam
In breaking news today, the Turkish Constitutional Court has annulled a parliamentary reform to lax the ban on wearing headscarves for female students attending university, on the basis that the reformation was against the nature of the secular state. Turkey is 98% Muslim, yet the observance of the religion, or the lack of it, doesn’t bring justice to the enormous Islamic heritage which the former capital of the Ottoman Empire upheld for hundreds of years. more »
