Learn Java from Scratch

Yesterday I talked with a freshman from one of the local (Singapore) private university. Now he starts learning Java language. The curriculum required him to learn Java very fast with the small amount of introductory material. It translate to he has to do considerable amount of individual unsupervised work.

It good though that the university requires him to learn the Java language the hard way. Use text editor only and command line.

Next after they learn Object Oriented Application Development, they will be allowed to use sophisticated commercial development tools, such as IntelliJ IDEA which is available at his campus.

I still believe and support the idea that a better fundamental will be shaped when students learn Java the hard way, that is start from the command line compiler and the command line JVM invocation.

Java User Group Singapore Meeting Up

This is the photo of the last Java User Group Meeting Up at Singapore. The event was around February 18th, 2008.
The host is Ivan Petrov, which provided us with nice place and facilities, even a very nice food. What a great hospitality he had shown to us.
Ben Alex, Principal Software Engineer (3rd from the right), spoke on the to-be-released-soon version of Spring Security (formerly known as AcegiSecurity).
Ben showed us how much easier it is to use the SpringSecurity framework in your JEE web application.

End of Unemployed Period and How To Work in Singapore

Today I collected my Singapore EP (employment pass), so right now I officially end up my unemployed period. Next week I will start working right away.
If you want to work at Singapore, you need to have a company that wants to hire you. After the interview and you have been admitted, than you will need to prepare at least these things:

• Your passport.


• A passport size photo, black and white.


• Your university certificate, preferably in English, or translated to English.


• Your academic transcript, in English or translated to English.

Send the softcopy of the document (scanned) to your employer. They will make application for your EP.
If your document is not in English, then you need to translate it by translator attested by your country's embassy in Singapore, or you may as well go translate it to sworn translator in your country.
When the time your EP has been approved, or before, they might be asking you to show the original documents submitted. This is not always the case, but be prepared for it. Then you will need to collect your EP at Ministry of Manpowers (MOM) . This time you need to be physically present in Singapore.
If you want to go to the MOM office, take an MRT to the Clarke Quay station. Probably this is the most convenient way to get there. Right at the MRT station, you will find a lot of sign board showing where to go to the "Ministry of Manpower". Follow the board, cross the road and you will get to the MOM office. It will be better if you get there before 11am, Singapore time (GMT+8), so that you could be able to collect the EP document within the same day. Don't forget to bring:

• Your passport


• Your immigration card attached to your passport


• Passport size photo (you can take it for SGD 10 beside the MOM office)


• Declaration and forms from your employer

Free and Unemployed

After admitted for work in Singapore, I resigned immediately because the employer asked me to start working ASAP. Singapore is a nice country to earn money, but I have a personal matters that pretty much the main reason to relocate there. The employer has been taken care of the EP application for me.
Yesterday I was called, suddenly the asked me to provide the translated academic transcript for the EP application. They said that this is not usually the case. Probably some kind of random sampling happened and it happened to be me that was chosen for the random checking. They already have some foreigners in the company, the procedure is a bit unusual.
I called to my campus. They told me that probably there is a delay in providing the translation of my academic transcript, due to the change of the rector of the University of Indonesia. Again, I lost my booked flight for the second time. What a waste of money.
Meanwhile, I'm free and unemployed now. Free zone..
Only for a while though...
This event also provides me with enough free time to explore, and accomplish things otherwise I couldn't do. Now I could read some old WebLogic texts, learn more the difference between type 3 and type 4 JDBC driver, and those kind of thingy... This time is a kind of retreat time, where you could do things you wouldn't have time to when you are engaged in an employment. I missed those time when I was as free as bird, when you become the business owner. But become an employee isn't a bad thing at all. You don't have to take just about everything, instead you could focus on things that you are best at.