CRON

I wasn't able to sleep last night, trying to make my script work. Actually, it works manually but if ran through cron it doesn't work. It was a very painful, and yawning, debugging. My only clue is, that cron can only run commands with complete path. But to simplify my job I was using other existing tools and utilities. And debugging means going inside every one of them, making sure every command was called using their complete path. In the end, I decided to give up the tools/utilities and write them myself.

Finally, IP forwarding works.

It's hard to find a good tutorial for IP forwarding even using my favorite search-engine google. No tutorial to discuss the intricacies of IP forwarding, just do this or do that. I think I found one good site, http://www.faqs.org/docs/iptables/, authored by Oskar Andreasson. It's a good read. I also found a more application-type tutorial but I forgot the site. Anyway, to give credit to the site owner, I'll try to llok it up and post it here later. Again.
Up next for me is Double NATing.

IP Forwarding

Having a hard time making my IP forwrding work. The problem actually lies in determining to what extent we should expect IP forwarding to work. Is it stand-alone or do we need to set routing.
We need to discuss about this tomorrow.
I am very thankful to the online IP forwarding tutorial which I will gladly post here on my next blog.

High IQ, Low EQ

For someone who is trying very hard to be career-oriented, I am too attached to people. Honestly I don't think I can be career-oriented if I can't detach myself to others. I need to plan things and make actions by considering only myself and my wants. So, I decided to list down what I really want to do with my career, and set the course of my life in achieving everyone of them. Some of them I need to reach within the year. And I think it means closing my heart and going back to my old "rock" self. Among the list, the most important thing I want to do, hopefully before the year ends, is to go back to japan either as a student (MS) or as a professional.

Madwifi Channel Association Bug

My first ever patch for my first (technically second, but that's another story) open source project. Madwifi is the opensource project for the Atheros Wifi Chip driver. Recently I managed to send a patch -- if it has no side effects. Anyway, it works for me.

http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.drivers.madwifi.user/5955

There is a Lot of Very Good Technical People in the World

It is really disheartening. Finally I get to experience still how far my skills are compared to the world. Let me see now. If I want to catch up to them, I really need to be in front of a computer almost TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY! And being in front of the computer doesn't mean booting up in Windows, watching Naruto, updating blogs, reading mails, chatting and reading NBA.com. It means doing something worthwhile -- tinkering with Linux, visiting different technical sites, joining different open source projects and mailing lists, and participating in different technical discussions. Or if you want a short cut, find a new technology. Gamble on that technology. Study it and hopefully be a master of that technology before anyone else has a chance to get a glimpse of that technology.
Hey. I'm not implying that "gurus" don't have a life. What I am just saying is that, for me to reach their levels, I practically have to give up my "life".

That Little Chance

Seriously, I had qualms in going here in Singapore because I really think I am still "raw". If that "event"* didn't happen, I wouldn't be forced to leave my country, considering how "nationalistic" and "idealistic" I seemed. Of course the only way I will be able to leave the company is if I will be able to find a job with a salary big enough to pay my bond. And my bond is really a HUGE amount. Fortunately for me, my friend Richard is already here in Singapore. He helped me get hired in my current company. Also, it helped that I am a Mensan because it paved the way for him and Grace to decide to hire me without undergoing interviews. One of our colleagues here, a senior engineer, is also a Mensan. When he learned that I am a Mensan, he gave Grace the full authority to hire me.
And that's all I need. That one chance. I know I really messed up my college big time so now I need to grab every little opportunities I can to, hopefully, prove my real worth.

*That event as the main trigger for my decision not at all contradicts my reason in my first post. As I said in that post, the reason I gave there is just one of the main motivations I have. And I'll get the chance to write on most of them as I go through my journey.

The Journey Begins

One of my main motivations in working here in Singapore is to measure up my skills with that of the world. I know I had a good career ahead of me back in my previous company but I won't be happy being very good there, not really knowing what awaits me in the global battle field. So, arm with a great determination, and fully knowing the risks accompanying such decisions, I decided to hand in my resignation and explore the opportunities outside my "comfort zone" -- my country. I am determined to succeed in a bigger arena and to ultimately be included among the ranks of "gurus".
I know I have the talents but I still lack the skills, experience and maturity. The main purpose of this blog is to document my journey towards improving my skills, gaining more experience and maturity and, hopefully, reaching the zenith in any of my chosen fields. I intend to document here my plans, actions, failures and successes in my journey to become a guru. I purposely abstracted my goal as mere "guru", because I really have no clear idea right now what kind of "guru" I want to be.