Downs and Ups and Ups and Downs

Have been working till 0230 this morning on testing a NY quote meter system. Originally needed to work till 0430 but at 0230 the account I am using was kicked out... It seems my client has logged on. Since I am not sure if he was using the account doing something important, so I have to stopped my test and redo the whole test tonight...

Called the client and made sure he won't logged on again tonight, and after work, hurried home and had a quick dinner. Started up my machine and logged on the test account provided by the client and got an error prompt suggesting that the account is logged due to security reason. I tried again and still got the same message. How come my account was being "DOS" (denial of service) ?

It was already 2015 and my test was scheduled to start at 2120 [0920 NY Time]. I called the client but no one picks the phone. Then I tried to call all of his coworkers’ office number but it seemed everyone has left. (Hey who told me IT people work 9am to 10pm?)

Since I am going to carry out external network scanning this Saturday and have one of their IT personnel's cell no, I did try to ring that guy up though I never meet him before. But he turned off the cell. I even left my client an email…..

This left me with no choice but to call my manager (who was very sick) and see if he got the client's cell no. But he could not be reached too. As my last hope, I even asked my coworker who had worked with this client before but she didn't have the number too. So I tried to ring my manager up again and this time he picked up the phone with a nasty cough. He didn't have the number too so I told him I got to postpone the test tomorrow.

I still felt kind of upset because I postponed a gathering with friends from tonight to tomorrow night but then I got to work tomorrow night again… I decided to phone the IT person cell no. again and luckily this time he could be reached! He was quite nice and helpful and promised to help me to call my client. I tried to logon the account later and found it was unlocked. At the every same moment, my cell rang and my email prompted with the sound meaning “you have got a new mail’. I picked up the phone and the client told me that he had just resetted the account.

And this is the email I got:

7/7/2005 Id/Examination Number = XXXXX

[name and address]

Dear YYY:

Congratulations! It gives me great pleasure to inform you that you passed the certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP) examination……

I can’t help but scream cause this means I don’t have to do the CISSP again! The worst part about this exam is it last for 6 hours continuously with 250 multiple choices. A minute before I was so worried that I need to postpone the test and now I can do the test and yet passed the CISSP. Then within 3 minutes I got a terrible stomachache. I couldn’t even stand up. I lied on the chair and thought I should go to the hospital. But I need to start the testing in 10 minutes so I just bear with the pain.

After the first round of test it was already 2140 and my pain eased a little bit so I just took some medicine. I told my senior manager @ BJ that I have passed the CISSP (cause he encouraged me to take it now instead of 1 year later which I planned). He told me he already knew that. I was so surprised because I just told one other coworker no way the news spread so fast. He said he knew that based on my normal attitude…

Anyway now just left the CISA exam hope it would pass too….

Jacket back!

I got an email from ISC2 that a candidate picked my jacket and after verified that it was my jacket, they courier the jacket back to me… Lucky me!! Haha may be the $4000 included the courier cost. :)

CISSP exam

Got up at 0630 and had a quick breakfast. Arrived at City University at 0800. The exam hall seat was strange and funny. You needed to swing it back in a circular motion and seat on it then it will swing back. The seat was quite small the man sat next to me complaint about it and commented “Are all U students these days so slim?” Later he discovered he was in the wrong seat…..

The exam instruction was business causal and absolutely no electronic device but everyone were in smart causal (lucky I did ask my coworkers) and many people bought along there cell phone or even laptop..... If I knew this earlier I would have brought along my O2 mini.....

The exam last for 6 hours with no breaks in between. I brought along a can of coffee and some bread. After 2 hours I felt dizzy already so I went for a washroom break. The whiteboard shown a male washroom queue and a female washroom queue. Actually the female one is blank (cause as far as I noticed, only 6 female, including the exam supervisor, are in the hall, out of around 100 people) while the male queue was real long. This is the first time I found there is something nice about being a girl…..

After 3 hours and 45 mins I completed the exam. I spent the next 2 hours on revising the answers and then left. I went to Page One for the book 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'. On my way home, I noticed that I forgot my jacket, which I had just brought it and wore 2 times.

I asked NAHEHE for CityU numbers and called the security centre but no one picked my jacket…. Originally I thought I spent $4000 for 2 (ISC)2 pencils, now I spent $4200 for 2 (ISC)2 pencil….. (the jacket cost $200 and the exam cost $4000. All I have got from the CISSP exam are two (ISC)2 pencils. I always prepared for the worst that I might failed the exam.)

I have one last hope that someone in (ISC)2 picked my jacket so that I can get it back later……

Working Holiday

Though I am having annual leave for CISSP, I back office today cause my senior asked me to carry out a network scanning for him today. Actually I felt a bit glad that he asked me out cause I have a good excuse for allowing myself one day off on the boring revision…

CISA exam

Got up at 0530 and had a quick breakfast. Arrived at the exam center at 0755. Started CISA exam at 0905 and finished the CISA exam at 1330. Real exhausted so called my friends that can’t join the Mr and Mrs Simth movie as I don’t feel like watching that after 4 hours of vigorous exercise. (I can’t help thinking about the even longer CISSP exam 2 weeks later.)

Some of the exam questions are very ambiguous and some questions are with all answers looked incorrect and some are with 2 correct answers. Just hope the it end up okay… I have been revising this exam for the whole week and honestly I never studied this hard in my entire University Life…. Gotta give myself a day off before start my revision on the CISSP.

Balsini VS Boleno

I am working concurrently on two engagements: Bossini and Baleno now. This is really harsh for me cause I keep on mixing up, or even making up, names (as titled). Under my influence, my senior started asking me questions about Bossini while she was actually talking about Baleno.
(Luckily I never mis-called them during meeting.....)
My coworker said I should create a new brand "Gorleni"...

The Incredibles

Excellent Movie! I have watched twice already. My favourite character is Jack-Jack. He is so cute! Really Cute!!!!!

The story is very interesting... a man with super power but could not used due to some crazy reasons and got to work like usual man. Even we 'usual' people always complain that our jobs do not provide us satisfaction as our abilities are not fully utilized. Not to mention our super hero. His feeling hurts a lot more when his boss scolded him.

The DVD for the Incredibles will be out soon. Can't wait coz' the DVD would have a part called 'Jack-Jack Attack', which, for sure, featuring Jack-Jack!!!