DC log - time stamp 201006202238

Attending CCIE bootcamp is not a feasible option for me at the moment. Even though the result is a 'pass' in CCIE lab and it may be closely related to my work, the fact that my current job does not require to be a CCIE will be the quite tough to justify attending bootcamp as 'training'.

With the added fact that I am working as field engineer, having to attend bootcamp is close-to-impossible now.

So, what choice do I have?

Here are the pushing force for me about this round of CCIE journey:

• It has been too long since I started blogging about the ups and downs of achieving my dreams as multiple CCIEs, and yet I still owe myself this list to be ticked-off,
• I only have several months left before the last CCIE written expires (again!),
• I am determined to have one more shot at attending the lab, and I planned to have it done right (or better than the last attempts').

There are also other reasons that I would like to see this CCIE ticked off from my list:

• After I decided to focus on this round of lab preparation, I have started to feel the 'loss' of my social life. This is like swallowing my own words of 'everything will be manageable' (yeah right ...). As my schedule packed up day-in-day-out, that 'manageable' things are no longer (if at all), applied to me,
• During the loss of social activity, I felt that I am left behind not just by my circle, but also by my true-self. I am a social person, I can't stand sitting idle in the corner by myself doing ... nothing! Well, lucky enough this CCIE lab preparation occupies my time so that I don't feel that I am lonely (my mind has been accompanied by UniverCD, CCO access, groupstudy read-outs, config guide, you name it all CCIE-lab-related stuff. Oh, also the concern of what will the next lab going to be (ha!),
• I started to miss several opportunity to grow due to this lab preparation. Am I blaming this lab preparation that is holding my life? Yes! But the blame goes to myself as I am the one putting my life on hold (another ha!).

So, in order to push myself more, I am creating the bootcamp a-la DC.

Here are the recipes (nothing special, other than the usual bootcamp-style method):

• Use dynamips if there is no other access. So far, I still have access to remote rack, so I am using remote rack. Costly? yes! ... and it hurts my wallet. So this is one method of me pushing myself -wallet-wise-,
• If during the lab session I made a single mistake, reboot the lab! Meaning to say that I will clear up the config in the rack, re-load the config from the pre-loaded lab config, and start from beginning again. This is similar method when I am preparing my CCNA in the past and pushed me till I got sick with seeing the same page over and over again. The good side is: I learned something, even when I am forcing myself to re-visit the same lab/ page for x-number of times,
• Once done for a 'perfect' round, re-do it again immediately and aim for the same perfect results. Mind you, this is not easy as I already know the correct answer but I will focus more on the 'knowledge' and 'how-to's. LIke it or not, my memory always served me well, so try not to memorize the answer will be tough. But, if this is my way, then so be it!
• I only allocated X-amount of dollars for my lab. If I missed it and not enough lab access, that is my own 'penalty' and start doing my lab using pen-and-paper. Well, not literaly pen and paper but I am loading the config in notepad, openg the diagram in front of me, and start working the 'answer' using just notepad *sigh*. This is the hardest part as I used to call this method the 'poor engineer's CCIE lab preparation' Honestly, I did this method way back before the first attempt
• Once progressed forward to the next lab, repeat the two previous labs. Now the aims are: perfect correct answer and shorter time!

If the 100m-sprint athletes do their training by re-doing the same run over-and-over again with the aim of shorter time, then my method above is the same objective.

However, if you know the little secret of those athletes: they are also trying to make the way they 'run' better and better (if possible 'perfect' run). You don't believe me? Try to search for those videos or online information on how you can prepare to be the fastest 100m-sprint athletes!