Game in the Brain

Learning Network and System Administration, especially as it relates to the web, is quite challenging when my primary role is as a Project Manager. My main tasks involve following up with people on their assignments, problem-solving within constraints, and creating alternative solutions when one of our planned actions doesn’t work out. Time and schedule limitations also play a role—once I’ve completed my primary responsibilities, I shift my focus to Game in the Brain, where I prototype everything that eventually gets used in my work. For me, games are where I rehearse for real life.

The next challenge is the environment here in the Philippines. Web and network infrastructure isn’t easily accessible, and getting a Public IP is expensive. At home, I’m paying nearly $40 a month for my “lab ISP” through Sky, which is significantly more problematic than Globe ISP. I can’t use Globe for this purpose because I need to isolate an ISP for experiments. The PCs connected to this network have no passwords or vital personal information in case they get compromised. I’ve created an air gap—the machines used for this are separate from my other devices. The Sky modem is difficult to manage; I’ve set up port forwarding, which only works intermittently. I was able to reserve the IP, so it doesn’t change anymore, but this is not a long-term solution. Using an old laptop as a proxy manager isn’t sustainable for the next few years. I need to invest in a more powerful microdesktop in the 8-10k PHP ($200) range that I can rely on for at least the next four years. Additionally, I need to upgrade my UPS to a 1kVA unit.

Dealing with Sky is a constant headache. I wish I could cancel my Sky service, but it’s likely locked in for two years—I’ll need to verify that. I’m also considering trying Google Cloud Platform by using a VM with an IP, then having my domain’s A-record direct traffic to that IP, which would, in turn, forward traffic to my WordPress server on the VPN.

So I’m shifting domains Registars at the moment. OMG its so tricky.