(Alert: contained spoilers of “Flight to You”.)

If you’ve read my Certified in Cybersecurity Exam Experience post, you might've noticed that during the study sessions, I watched a Chinese drama in between. So what kind of drama had made me couldn’t wait until I took the exam to watch? *insert dramatic drumroll *hihi. I shall blame iQIYI for dropping an enticing summary of a drama with a poster of Wang Kai in pilot uniforms! (the caption: “Nick Wang (Wang Kai’s international name), please always wear your uniform”. YES please!).

Previously watched a drama where he transformed into a stern team leader of the Violent Crime Unit, I can totally portray him being a strict flight instructor. In my biased opinion (yes, here I am unapologetically biased), I couldn’t imagine any Chinese actor can exceed his performance in portraying a calm and charismatic super-strict-almost-annoying yet soft-hearted man. He is built for this kind of role. Also, his beautiful translation of “how a man’s icy heart gradually melts” was just mesmerizing. In addition, the talented Tan Songyun will showcase how a female pilot navigates the male-dominated profession. Those two actors are synonymous with good dramas so there I was couldn’t put my priority right. Argh, I just studied then watched it then studied for a bit then watched it again as if I was so ready to risk the exam *can you hear my dumb sobs?

I love her character. Cheng Xiao, you are awesome!

Now, I am gonna talk about the drama because so many thoughts flooded me while watching it. “Flight to You”( 向风而行) revolved around the lives of the flight crew of Luzhou Airlines, largely inspired by 12 real-life aviation cases. Cheng Xiao (Tan Songyun), a pilot in the cargo flight department had to move to the passenger flight department due to the company's restructuring. After 8 good years of serving, becoming a captain should be just a matter of time for her until Gu Nanting (Wang Kai), the Deputy Director of the Passenger Flight Department became her direct supervisor and instructor. He mentioned several times that what she lacked as a passenger pilot couldn’t be overcome by hard work and she should just quit (even wrote a resignation letter on behalf of her. LoL). As if her journey as a woman in the piloting field wasn’t nerve-racking enough, she had to go through a hamster wheel of mistreatments from several parties including the devil instructor.

(Before moving forward with the romance side of the drama, I would like to applaud the show for spotlighting the obstacles that women go through in the workplace. For example, there were episodes where she was involved in a rumor and it did bigger damage to her compared to her male counterparts. The fact that a woman can be talented, hardworking, and have credentials yet be easily knocked down by a false accusation while the men involved weren’t affected as much showed the double standard society has against women).

Let's go back to the track of romance. As someone who closely saw her determination and persistence, eventually, Gu Nanting's opinions about her slowly shifted. We can find him in the later part of the drama defending, supporting, and protecting her behind her back. Therefore, it was understandable that Cheng Xiao developed a special feeling for him as he was there assisting her growth. A straightforward and fearless woman she was, she openly admitted her secret to him--in hope that the feeling would reciprocate. She pursued him with the attitude of “even if I have to take 99 steps to close the 100 steps between us, it doesn’t matter as long as he is the one taking the final step”.

The problem is, it became frustrating that she already threw herself at him yet he was battling with his own demons: denials (for 34 episodes like seriously the man being a turtle in front of his feeling), avoidances, trauma, “you’re just a student to me” (a.k.a the C-drama's most heartbreaking statement of early 2023) reason, “not with you, not without you” attitude, and “one hand holding the past, one hand holding her” manner. He did everything but be honest with his feeling. Yet at the same time, he’d drop everything just for her, in rescue mode whenever she was in danger, and was the most panicked one when it comes to her. Imagine the confusion you get from a man whose acts and words were perfect contradictions. Should you give up? What if his actions were truer than his words? Should you stay? But isn’t it disheartening to see him keep pushing you away?

Should be an interesting watch, the drama became draggy and plain infuriating because of several things including his inability to have an honest conversation with himself. I skipped the middle part of it to the part where Gu Nanting started to realize that he was wrong in putting the walls against Cheng Xiao. I'll be honest: I must say Gu Nanting is one gorgeous man I can’t deny. He is ridiculously attractive and his soft calming smile cured the hard days of a stressful job. On top of that, his actions signaled that he saw her as more than just a colleague, so as a woman who has initially developed a special liking toward him, it’s hard for Cheng Xiao to ignore and get past her feeling.

Ni Zhan, a man you are.

Dear iQIYI, shouldn't you also say: "Liu Chang, please always wear your uniform"? :)

I know the writer tried to convince the viewers that Gu Nanting is worth all the pain but still for me, Ni Zhan is the man. I’m sold at how he was selflessly there for Cheng Xiao, helped her, cheered upon her, treasured her, and thoroughly thought about her happiness above anything. Ni Zhan simply won my heart with his firm decision and sure steps toward Cheng Xiao. But then I realized that choice stemmed from my cowardice while in reality, my heart would probably belong to Gu Nanting for all my life. 

So under what circumstance can someone be trapped in the middle of this beautiful friendship? *cough *only Cheng Xiao's circumstance

As I progressed towards the end of the drama, I can sense my heart little by little changed as Gu Nanting became more humane. On top of that, I must admit that Nanting's small detail of softness all over the episode is what makes him worth the long wait. I am also glad that the writer gave him chance to redeem himself which made the decision to choose him well-justified. Then I understood that maybe if I was Cheng Xiao, I wouldn’t be able to turn my head away from him as well. In this world, there is a magical feeling which makes someone’s smile greatly powerful for us. Perhaps if I was Cheng Xiao, I don’t care how long shall I wait or whether I would end up with him or not, but seeing him standing there, all the hardships the world throws at me would be less excruciating. Maybe if someone like Gu Nanting himself appears in my life, I would do exactly the same. I would also work my best to be the woman he’d run to every day.  

Therefore, who I am to give her advice? Because when the heart says seeing someone even from faraway calms the stormy day, then perhaps it's enough. :)

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When Cheng Xiao finally got promoted and Gu Nanting said, “Captain Cheng, please have a safe flight”, I smiled widely. Some people just couldn’t express their thoughts well. For them, “I hope you’re okay” translates as “You mean the world to me”. 

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All photos belong to iQIYI. All right reserved.

Halo, teman-teman. Bagaimana kabarnya? Saya berharap teman-teman memulai tahun 2023 dengan baik. Oh ya, pernahkah teman-teman mendengar bahwa (ISC)2 memberikan pelatihan dan ujian keamanan siber (cybersecurity) gratis untuk 1 juta orang? Jika belum, silakan kunjungi: One Million FREE (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity Courses and Exams. 

Saya baru-baru ini mendapat kesempatan untuk mengikuti pelatihan dan ujiannya dan setelah mengalaminya secara langsung, saya ingin mendorong teman-teman untuk mengambilnya. Saya tahu teman-teman mungkin atau mungkin tidak melihat diri kalian di salah satu bidang yang paling banyak dibicarakan di bidang TI itu. Namun, terlepas teman-teman ingin berkarier di bidang keamanan siber atau tidak, saya sarankan untuk mempelajarinya (terutama jika ia datang tanpa label harga) karena melindungi informasi adalah bagian penting dari kehidupan kita di era digital. Mempelajari dasar-dasarnya tidak akan merugikan dan saya yakin kita akan berterima kasih kepada diri sendiri nanti karena memilih untuk melakukannya. Oke--cukup bagi saya mempromosikan keamanan siber atau saya bisa menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam membicarakannya--maafkan saya, saya tidak dapat menahannya. Sekarang mari kita langsung ke intinya. Hihi. Saya membagi cerita ini menjadi tiga bagian: sebelum, selama, dan setelah ujian.

 

Sebelum Ujian

Setelah mendengar tentang pelatihan online dan ujian gratis itu, saya langsung membuka situs web (ISC)2 untuk mendapatkan informasi lebih lanjut tentangnya. Setelah membaca semua informasi yang diberikan, saya memutuskan untuk mencobanya. Saya membuat akun dan mengisi formulir aplikasi kandidat (ISC)2 dengan  certified in cybersecurity sebagai sertifikasi pilihan saya. Tak lama setelah itu, saya mendapatkan akses ke pelatihan dan pendaftaran ujian. Saya memilih test center di dekat UNSW karena saya cukup familiar dengan lokasinya dan untuk waktunya, saya memilih setelah tahun baru karena saya ingin istirahat penuh selama liburan akhir tahun.

Ketika hampir menyelesaikan pelatihan, saya penasaran dengan apa yang dikatakan orang lain tentang ujian tersebut. Apakah itu sulit? Apakah materi yang diberikan dalam pelatihan sudah cukup? Saya beruntung karena mencoba mencari informasi lebih lanjut atau saya akan berpikir bahwa persiapan sederhana saja sudah cukup. Kecuali teman-teman memiliki pengalaman yang cukup intensif di bidang itu, silakan untuk mempelajari lebih dari materi pelatihan yang disediakan. Berdasar pengalaman, saya membaca Eleventh Hour CISSP®: Study Guide (Conrad dkk, 2016--saya menemukan bahwa ada edisi yang lebih baru tetapi karena saya hanya memiliki versi ini, saya menggunakannya). Secara total, persiapan saya memakan waktu 5 hari selama libur universitas ketika saya tidak memiliki agenda lain selain belajar (tapi tentu saja, saya tidak belajar selama 10 jam sehari--saya menonton drama Cina dan melakukan hal-hal lain di sela-selanya).

Di hari terakhir persiapan, saya memastikan bahwa saya memahami semua yang perlu diketahui (termasuk membawa 2 kartu identitas dan cara menuju tempat ujian) lalu tidur lebih awal.

 

Selama Ujian

saya tiba di tempat ujian sangat awal (saya menyukai cara ini untuk setiap ujian yang saya ikuti) kemudian mengabari administrator ujian bahwa saya ingin mengikuti ujian. Beliau meminta kartu identitas, men-scan telapak tangan, dan mengambil foto saya. Beliau kemudian menunjukkan saya ruang tunggu dan mengatakan bahwa saya dapat mengikuti ujian ketika saya siap. Setelah membaca cepat ringkasan tentang hal-hal yang menurut saya penting (seperti port numbers sebab selama saya bekerja sebagai auditor TI, saya tidak menghafal semuanya), saya memasuki ruang ujian dan menghadapi 100 pertanyaan.

Jika teman-teman pernah membaca tulisan pengalaman ujian saya sebelumnya, teman-teman akan menyadari bahwa saya adalah penggemar gaya mengerjakan ujian do-it-quickly-then-review-it. Namun, ternyata untuk ujian kali ini, hal tersebut tidak berlaku. Saya keras kepala bahkan setelah melihat ketiadaan tombol "kembali" (back) di halaman ujian untuk menuju ke pertanyaan sebelumnya. Saya terus mengerjakan dengan cepat sambil berpikir mungkin ada opsi "tinjau semua" (review all) setelah saya menyelesaikan semua pertanyaan. Di luar dugaan, setelah saya menyelesaikan soal ke-100,, satu-satunya tombol yang tersisa adalah “akhiri ujian” (end exam). Haha. Saya diam-diam tertawa panik karena bagaimana mungkin saya bisa begitu keras kepala dengan mengabaikan kecurigaan bahwa saya tidak akan bisa meninjau jawabannya. Saya menyelesaikan ujian dalam waktu 64 menit dari 120 menit yang disediakan karena sikap keras kepala saya terhadap pertanda yang ada. Ketika teman-teman mengikuti ujian nanti, tolong belajar dari kesalahan saya dan gunakan waktu dengan bijak.

Saya meninggalkan ruang ujian mendengar administrator ujian bertanya tentang pengalaman ujian saya. Saya menyampaikan ketidaktahuan bahwa ujian ini tidak mengizinkan saya meninjau jawaban. Beliau menuturkan bahwa lazimnya ujian memiliki fitur itu, mencoba menghibur saya. Saya pikir saya gagal sehingga tidak memiliki keberanian untuk bertanya tentang hasil ujian. Meskipun ujiannya gratis, setelah semua upaya yang saya lakukan selama liburan musim panas ketika mahasiswa umumnya sama sekali tidak belajar, saya merasa sedikit kecewa.

"Tidak apa. Saya mendapat pelajaran bahwa saya tidak boleh memperlakukan semuan hal hanya berdasarkan pengalaman saya. Setiap situasi bisa berbeda.” Saya tersenyum padanya setelah mendapatkan kembali ketenangan batin.

"Tapi kamu lulus," Beliau menyodorkan secarik kertas. Itu adalah hasil ujian sementara dengan kata pembuka 'congratulations'.

"Serius?" Saya tidak bisa menyembunyikan ekspresi kaget.

"Ya. Selamat,” Beliau melempar senyum meyakinkan seolah-olah dia tahu saya tidak akan mempercayai kertas itu bahkan ketika saya membacanya sendiri.

"Terima kasih banyak. Saya sangat menghargai bantuan Bapak hari ini,” saya membalas senyumnya.

Wajah bingung itu secara kebetulan mencerminkan ekspresi saya saat menerima kertas ini :)

Setelah Ujian

Sehari setelah ujian, saya menerima email yang menyatakan bahwa saya secara resmi lulus ujian. Langkah selanjutnya adalah melengkapi aplikasi online, yang harus dilakukan kandidat dalam waktu sembilan bulan sejak tanggal ujian. Dalam waktu 24 jam setelah aplikasi selesai, kandidat dapat melakukan langkah terakhir dalam prosesnya yaitu membayar Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF). Setelah pembayaran AMF dilakukan, kandidat akan mendapatkan sertifikasi.

Teman-teman mungkin bertanya, “jadi sebenarnya tidak gratis ya?”. Jawabannya: gratis jika yang teman-teman inginkan adalah pengetahuan yang diberikan dalam pelatihan dan ujian. Adalah sepenuhnya keputusan teman-teman apakah ingin mendapatkan sertifikasi atau tidak. Dalam kasus saya, sebagai hadiah kecil untuk diri saya sendiri, saya bersedia membayar $50 untuk mendapatkan sertifikasi ini. Namun, adalah sepenuhnya pilihan teman-teman untuk membayarnya atau tidak, jadi jangan khawatir. Mendapat ilmu dan pengalaman ujian saja sebenarnya sangat berharga meski tanpa sertifikasi.

Tips

Saya ingin menutup post ini dengan membagikan beberapa tips berdasarkan pengalaman saya. Pertama dan terpenting, pahami mengapa teman-teman membutuhkannya. Hanya ketika mengetahui alasannya, kita akan memiliki tekad yang kuat untuk menjalani perjalanan tersebut. Kemudian, pastikan untuk menyisihkan waktu yang cukup untuk belajar. Tip penting lainnya adalah memanfaatkan semua sumber daya yang tersedia. Jangan takut untuk meminta bantuan jika teman-teman kesulitan dan bertanyalah kepada seseorang saat teman-teman ragu. Pastikan untuk istirahat yang cukup dan menjaga kesehatan di hari-hari menjelang ujian. Pikiran yang jernih dan tubuh yang sehat akan membantu teman-teman melakukan yang terbaik pada hari ujian. Terakhir, karena teman-teman tidak dapat kembali ke pertanyaan sebelumnya, luangkan waktu untuk benar-benar memahami pertanyaan dan jawabannya.

Oke. Sebelum post ini terlalu panjang, saya akan mengakhirinya di sini. Saya akan senang menjawab pertanyaan teman-teman dan jika teman-teman memerlukan bantuan, jangan ragu untuk menghubungi saya. Saya berharap yang terbaik untuk teman-teman semua.

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English Version: My Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) Exam Experience

Hello, friends. How have you been? I wish you all a great start to 2023. Anyway, have you by any chance heard that (ISC)2 provided free cybersecurity training and exam for 1 million people? If you haven’t then please check it out: One Million FREE (ISC)² Certified in Cybersecurity Courses and Exams. 

I recently had the opportunity to take the training and exam and after experiencing it first-hand, I encourage you to do so. I know you may or may not see yourself in that one of the most talked-about fields in IT. However, whether you want to have a career in cybersecurity or not, I suggest that you learn it (especially when it comes with no price tag) since protecting information is a significant part of our life in the digital era. Learning the fundamental of it wouldn’t hurt you and I believe that you’ll thank yourself later for doing that. Okay--enough for me promoting cybersecurity or I could spend hours talking about it--pardon me I can’t help it. Now let’s get to the point. Hihi. I divided the story into three parts: before, during, and after the exam.

Before the Exam

After I heard about the free online self-paced training and exam, I directly visited the website to get more information about it. After going through all the provided information, I decided to give it a go. I created an account and then completed the (ISC)2 candidate application form with certified in cybersecurity as my certification of interest. Shortly after that, I gained access to the training and exam registration. I picked the test center near UNSW as I am quite familiar with the location and for the date, I choose to have it after the new year since I wanted to have a full break during the year-end holiday.

When I almost finished the training, I was curious about what other people said regarding the exam. Was it difficult? Were the materials provided in the training enough? I was lucky that I tried to find the information or I would think that my simple preparation was enough. Unless you have quite intensive experience in the field, please go beyond the training materials. In my case, I read the Eleventh Hour CISSP®: Study Guide (Conrad et al, 2016--I found out that there is a newer edition of it but since I only had the third version, I used it). In total, the preparation took me 5 days during my university term break when I have no other agenda but studying (but of course, I didn’t study for 10 hours a day--I watched Chinese drama and did random things in between).

On the last day of preparation, I ensured that I understood everything I need to know (including bringing 2 personal IDs and how to get to the test center) then sleep early.

During the Exam

I arrived at the test center very early (I liked it this way for every exam I took) and then told the test administrator (TA) that I wanted to take an exam. He asked for my ID, had me submit my palm vein scan, and took my exam candidate's photo. He then guided me to the waiting room and said that I can take the exam whenever I am ready. After a quick review of the summary I wrote about the things I found challenging (such as the port numbers as during my time as an IT auditor, I didn't memorize them all), I entered the exam room and faced the 100 questions.

If you have read my previous exam experience posts, you would notice that I am a big fan of do-it-quickly-then-review-it. However, turned out that for this exam, this doesn’t apply. I was stubborn even after I saw there was no "back" button on the exam page to go to the previous question. I kept doing it quickly thinking that it might have a “review all” option after I finished all the questions. To my surprise, after I completed the 100^th questions, the only button left is “end exam”. Haha. I quietly had my panicky laugh because how can I be that stubborn to ignore the suspicion that I wouldn’t be able to review the answers. I finished the exam in 64 minutes out of the 120 minutes provided due to my obstinate attitude toward the sign. When you take the exam later, please learn from my mistake and use your time wisely.

I left the exam room hearing the TA ask me how was my exam experience. I told him that I was clueless that this exam didn’t let me go back to review my answers. He then told me usually exams have that feature, tried to console me. I thought I failed so I didn't have the courage to ask him about my results paper. While the exam was free, after all the effort I took during the supposed summer break when students usually don’t study at all, I found myself a bit disappointed.

“It’s okay. I learned my lesson that I shouldn’t treat everything solely based on my experience. Every case could be different.” I smiled at him eventually after regaining my balance.

“But you passed,” he handed me a piece of paper. It was the exam provisional results with the opening word 'congratulations'.

“Are you serious?” I couldn’t hide my shocked expression.

“Yes. Congratulations,” he threw me a reassuring smile as if he knew I wouldn’t believe the paper even when I read it by myself.

“Thank you so much. I really appreciate your help today,” I smiled at him back.

That confused face coincidentally reflected my actual expression upon receiving this paper :)

After the Exam

The day after the exam, I received an email stating that I officially passed the exam. The next step is to complete the online application, which the candidate must do within nine months of the exam date.  Within 24 hours after the application is completed, the candidate can perform the final step in the process which is paying the first Annual Maintenance Fee (AMF). Once the AMF payment is made, we will earn the certification.

You might ask, “so it is not actually free?”. It is free if all you want is knowledge provided in the training and the exam. It is still up to you whether you want to get the certification or not. In my case, as a little treat to myself, I don't mind spending $50 to get the certification. However, it is totally your choice to pay for it or not so don’t worry. Gaining knowledge and exam experience is valuable for us even without the certification.

The Tips

I wanted to close this post by sharing some tips based on my experience. First and foremost, understand why you need it. Only when you know the reason, do you have a strong determination to embrace the journey. Then, be sure to set aside enough time to study. Another important tip is to take advantage of all of the resources that are available to you. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you're struggling and ask someone when you are confused. Be sure to get plenty of rest and stay healthy in the days leading up to the exam. A clear mind and a healthy body will help you perform your best on exam day. Lastly, as you can't go back to the previous question, take your time to choose the answer before moving to the next question.

Okay. Before this post goes too long, I will end it here. I am happy to take your questions if you have any and if you need help, don’t hesitate to reach out. I wish you all the best.

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Indonesian Version: Pengalaman Mengikuti Ujian Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)

Ada kerinduan menulis dalam bahasa ibu, seperti kehendak menyimak sepasang bola hitam di wajahmu tatkala aku tenggelam dalam kerumunan bola biru dan abu-abu. Terdapat keinginan kembali menyusuri jalanan kota di mana kau berada--walau berdebu, walau kelabu. Aku tersenyum meski menghabiskan waktu mencuri pandang sedang jarak pandangmu ke arahku sesak oleh debu. Aku masih akan menatapmu seolah ikan yang kaujerat dengan bubu lalu kausimpan dalam kumbu. Apakah ini yang Sapardi sebut sebagai “Aku ingin mencintaimu dengan sederhana dengan kata yang tak sempat diucapkan kayu kepada api yang menjadikannya abu”?

Apa kabar, pria yang tersenyum bak sari tebu? Kalender menunjukkan hari Rabu di mana umumnya beban pekerjaan tengah sibuk-sibuknya menyerbu. Kuharap di hari seperti itu, hatimu masih sekokoh terumbu. Semoga di sana langitmu tak mengabu di tengah hentak lari di sekeliling nan menggebu. Kudoakan agar kegaduhan yang beriak dari klakson kendaraan di ibukota tidak mengusik sudut kalbu.

Apakah kau sudi mendengar kabarku, lelaki berpipi merah jambu? Hari-hariku menjemukan seperti masakan di kota ini yang miskin bumbu. Aku kemudian teringat bagaimana pagi harimu kerap diwarnai semangkuk lontong sayur labu. Kadangkala aku iri bagaimana matamu berbinar menceritakan makanan berkuah seharga lima ribu.

Kau pasti luput menyadari bahwa jiwa ini, terpaut benua denganmu, bak air di atas lumbu. Seperti sumbu yang berusaha ditegakkan dalam lampu minyak tetapi ia tetaplah sumbu. Maka aku menulis dengan bahasa ibu agar kerinduan memiliki keberanian berpindah kubu. Barangkali kau tidak sengaja membacanya lalu mengerti perasaan yang kubawa lelap di balik kelambu.

Sedari mula aku tahu bahwa berperang dengan perasaan tentangmu ibarat menghadapi pasukan bersenjata lengkap dengan hanya bermodal sebilah bambu. Hanya saja aku tetap menulis dengan bahasa ibu agar kau menyadari makna tatapan yang tersembunyi di balik debu.

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image source: adriansart

(Belum lama ini, saya menjuri lomba cipta puisi Hakordia 2022 dan kala menyelami bait-bait indah, saya tersenyum sembari berujar, "bahasa Indonesia sungguh cantik". Maka saya pun rindu menulis dalam bahasa ibu, bahasa yang meski saya mencoba memasuki gelanggang bahasa mana pun, akan tetap menjadi bahasa paling cantik karena kekayaan kosakatanya. Raga saya dapat berada di benua mana pun, jiwa saya dapat mempelajari bahasa mana pun, tetapi bahasa ini akan selalu menjadi yang tercantik. Lalu, saya mempersonifikasikan bahasa ibu itu sebagai seseorang. Kerinduan akan sesuatu yang kita sangat familiar dengannya bukankah selalu terdengar dramatis?)