HOLD IT! I'm not talking about myself. This is about the job I took last week, the one which involves migrating an e-commerce site to a new host. The story starts like this.

I was at my workplace doing my usual stuff when suddenly an ex-colleague of mine called me up and asks if I know PHP and stuff. I said, "Yes, of course" cos I've been using WordPress some time ago, and that probably covered the basics of PHP related websites.

"GREAT! Can you help me with something? I need a website moved to a new host, maybe you can help me. I'll pay you of course." I agreed because it sounded simple enough.

So after a while, she and her boyfriend came to me and he asked me to quote a price. I said, "RM 50!" His first response was a LAUGH, "HAHA! 50? I couldn't do that. I'll give you RM200 ok?".

Ah, I don't like to charge people for helping and stuff so I just said, "HA HA, since your GF my friend ma. So I thought cincai la!". Anyway, I felt quite stupid. Sometimes being nice requires a price, I'll try to act more like an almighty technical guy next time.

He went on and explained that he doesn't know anything about websites, and it was his ex-partner that took care of everything; but now his partner wants out, and he's on his own.

I thought it was simple, just move one site with all their files, dump the database, and upload it to a new server! I could do it in 1/2 a day! That RM200 was really easy money... until...

"You see, my ex-partner owns his own hosting company and provide services. So you can't go in and download the stuff yourself. Can you make some kind of arrangement with him?"

I thought, "Well OK, since this guy owns a company and shit, he should know what to give me. So I guess that problem is solved."

"No problem, just let him send me all the files required. I'll take care of everything else". That proved to be my mistake, I wasn't expecting things to get complicated.

2 days later, that guy W sent me an SMS and asked for my E-mail so I gave him, and told him to just dump me everything. 

"This is supposed to be straight-forward right? Just upload everything and it should work right? Are there any thing or settings I should be aware of?"

"LOL, what else is there? Have you done websites before? Mind if I ask if you're doing freelancing or part-time?"

"Does it matter? I'm freelance I think"

"Nothing, just checking if you can do the things I do". Now that was weird, I somehow felt ... (cold wind blows) "angin sepoi-sepoi" 

WELL, I waited for another 2 days to have him let me know that the files are too big to sent over E-mail; and then he asked me for an FTP instead. Setting up a FTP user for him to troublesome, so I then asked him to upload the files to his server, then let me download them. That would work, he just need to give me the url with all the files zipped.

But no response, I don't know what he was thinking so I configured an FTP server and sent him the address. Finally it's in, about a day late!

OK la nevermind la! So I just do my thing blindly, hoping it would work; expecting it would work. But after 2 days... 

Hey... nothing's there. How come the ZenCart is not showing? I thought everything is straightforward, I even went on and reinstalled everything; wasting my weekends on fruitless attempts to revive the site.

Then, on Sunday night I decided to compare the source code and the database that guy sent me with default ZenCart installation.

... -_- They don't match. The database provided doesn't even match. I called him and asked if he did any customization with the page and he said, "yah a little" 

I was pissed of course and felt totally stupid, trying 101 ways to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong; but all my attempts were futile.

Finally on Monday morning I decided to call him again and explain to him that,

"Which version of ZenCart are you using?" 

"Latest one"

"How come the tables count are wrong? there are supposed to be 93 tables but you have only 88"

"Are you sure? Did you try running it on your own PC?"

"WHA...? Are you sure you sent me the right database?"

"I don't know, everything should be inside. Why didn't you try it on your own PC first?

"NO, but I already tried and compared, and I think the database is wrong. And by the way, this thing is straightforward. It should just work when I put everything in place." 

"That's quite impossible. I sent you everything."

"I'll check again and call you later, OK? Thanks for the help". I hung up and went on to investigate more, and told my client about the story. He didn't sound surprised.

Eventually I ended up quite pissed and sent him an SMS saying, "The database you sent me is for an Accounting System named XXX. Please send me the correct ZenCart Database as soon as possible"

Man, WTF man, I wasted so much of my time and my credibility is on stake. I can't help but feel that this guy is playing me. Days passed, 4 days to be exact and he uploaded another file.

This one seemed OK, but further trial reveals that the file is actually truncated... So I had to message him again and ask for the complete version.... and Voila! Everything works like a charm and the site is alive. That was really a 1/2 day job, If it wasn't for the almighty computerer.

On the day I went to collect my money from my client, he said he wanted someone to maintain his site full-time, and he's not planning to pay me just RM50 (quite a joke, I felt jahdou'ed). We discussed the details and after when we're done, I can't help but laughed out suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about W. Was it a money problem?"

"Yeah, you know when it comes to money..."

"I know, technical people are usually cockier. They think they should have a bigger share."

"Exactly, he thinks that without his efforts, the site wouldn't even be there. Therefore he should get more than us." 

"Of course, haha I have friends like that too. It's very normal for technical guys to think that they know everything. But seriously, he should grow up. The world doesn't run without sales people, he should've known that by now."

"Yeah, that's why he's hosting his own site now. It's not that he was never involved in sales, just not as much as us. We run everywhere, and we get suppliers. All he did was setup this site, he didn't even do the maintenance. He didn't even want to be involved in catalog updating, he say that it's our job."

"Ha Ha, then what does he do?"

"Nothing, I have to even do accounting, and supplier filing and stuff."

"You have an accounting system?"

"Yeah, we're using MYOB"

"Wait a minute, that means he doesn't even have to do anything right?"

"haha, I think so"

"LOL, this is exactly the type of person who graduates from college and expect to get rich from not doing anything" 

-End Story-

As you can see, maybe you yourself are involved in such a situation, or maybe you're the computerer yourself. But just let me get this straight, just let a honest (if you believe that I am) person tell you. That IT guy who did the setup for you and charge you and arm and a leg is overcharging you. I couldn't charge people so much because it feels like cheating, and it feels bad to cheat. 

I think maybe that's why I'm still a poor shit who will forever stay poor and broke. HAHAHA. 

I was supposed to drive to Kedah next sunrise to attend a wedding dinner. But that did not stop me from driving back to Bentong after my dinner to return a set of keys to my mom and dad; and to ask them "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED".

Well at first I thought my dad would be pissed or screaming or some shit, because I clearly heard his pissed off voice while talking to my mom over the phone. I thought it's bad.

But hey, when I reached home. Things aren't as bad as it seems. He had been holding it in pretty well, so I asked what happened.

He said that the lady had been visiting our house very ofen lately and on her last visit, my parents were already putting our stuff in box waiting to shift. My dad told her that we would at least need another week to move EVERYTHING out, and she said she will decide with her husband later; because she rented the house out and the future tenants wants to move in immediately or they will look for another house elsewhere.

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I know I'm not supposed to be angsty but I can't help it.

What do you think of *****s? Personally, I hate them. Generally. If I liked one *****, s/he must be someone special, you know there's always a rare case or two with nature.

OK, what happened? Besides having a bitch that decided to give me a hard time in my Degree, having an ex-colleague that likes to point to others when something happens and oh whatevershit a boss from India that likes to disappear when shit happens. That was too long, I haven't even went to the main point.

The thing is this, my parents sold our house back in Bentong to a secondary school teacher, more than 6 months ago. That BITCH FAILED to get her loans in the 1st 3 months so legally, we could forfeit her deposit. She took all the trouble of inviting my mom to a lawyer and asked my mom to extend that stupid period for her so she could get her fucking loans approved.

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The situation goes like this.

I've been offered a job who would pay me RM300 more than what I'm earning monthly now. Other than that, they agreed to pay half the bond that I signed with my current company.

Wow, good offer. This means that now I have to pay RM 2310 to my current company, and miss out on the RM3,00 bonus they promised to pay me when I joined this company (It's in black and white). Besides that, there would be a performance bonus but I'd rather not talk about that.

So the calculation goes like this. I've gotta give up RM5,310 in order to get a job that's gonna pay me RM300 extra.
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:D Sorry for the lack of Update :D

The Genie freed me from my assignment, so I thought I'd take a few days rest. I haven't switch on my PC for the past 2 days, that was FUN :D

(been working on my Gundam Strike Freedom, life without PC ain't that bad)

Well, friends. Let me count them now, currently I have a few, and if you're reading this blog, you're one of them :D

WHAT? No, seriously... you're my friend currently; because I have somehow lost contact with all the others. I haven't met a real life friend for more than 2 months now, I have not been having a "GOOD" friend for almost 1 year now, and a "BEST" friend for almost 5 years now.

Hey... before you start to think I'm emo or something please hold that judgment for a while.

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Well... due to the incident that happened almost a month ago. I decided to try my luck out there; in getting another job.

My sis introduced me to a job near my house. But the interview failed, cos I'm asking for too much, according to them I'm inexperienced in their field. I'm more of an end-user type programmer who specializes in inventory system while they are a software provider that specializes in Accounting and HR.

I didn't mind, I had a great time in the interview cos... I didn't really want that job. Nothing beats being yourself in an interview, you won't have to fake being an expert in everything the interviewer mentions.
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Yeah, Penthouse. I was shocked when my Dad told me he paid the deposits for a Penthouse is Wangsa Maju.

We signed all the documents and it's supposed to be ready in End of November 2007. But... yesterday my Dad called me and asked me to sell if off.

... They're not moving to KL anymore. Maybe, probably they will move up to Kota Bahru... Where my younger brother is operating a plastic recycling center.

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