shadowandy – my life stories

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LifeTech
Andy

My OSCP Experience in 2023

I got my OSCP at my first attempt in June 2023. I started at 10.30am and had the exam portion wrapped up by 11pm. Washed up, caught some winks and submitted the report at 2.30pm the following day.

I started with PEN-200 back in October 2022. Procrastinated and Offensive Security rolled out PEN-200-2023. I did the 2023 challenge labs and with the module exercises from the pre-2023, I’ve 10 bonus points in my pocket.

An email arrived two days after submitting the report, informing me that I passed the exam. I had managed to get proofs on all six machines.

I am grateful to my colleagues who tanked urgent project work during this period. Also to those that shared their methodologies, tips and tricks with me.

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LifeTech
Andy

My experience of attempting OSCP and PEN-200 on M1 MacBook Pro

I took the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam on 21st June 2023 10am and managed to finish the boxes and verify them before requesting the exam to end at around 11pm. The OSCP exam is 23 hours 45 minutes long but you can end it earlier as long as you are comfortable.

My body was asking me to sleep but the adrenaline rush refused to let me so I worked on the report until 4am before hitting the bed. Cleaned up the report and submitted it at 2.30pm. I managed to clear all boxes and have the 10 bonus points from the PEN-200-2023 challenges.

Offensive Security emailed me on 24th June 2023 5:23pm to inform me that I passed! Phew!

I did the PEN-200 and OSCP with a MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020) with 8GB RAM so I thought that I should document the ups and downs of using a MacOS machine, particularly one with ARM architecture, for it.

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LifeReviewsTech
Andy

Amazon Kindle Scribe – Remarkable E-Reader & Digital Notebook

As a Kindle Oasis 3 user myself, I would say the Kindle Scribe is a perfect large Kindle for reading and note-taking. Text and images appear sharp on its 10.2-inch, 300 PPI display with evenly distributed adjustable warm backlight. Writing feels smooth and natural with no noticeable lag. It is definitely heavier than the Oasis 3 but lighter than a similarly sized tablet like the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. I bought the Amazon Kindle Scribe 64GB with premium pen, leather folio cover with magnetic attach and 9W power adapter for US$325.97 back in March 2023. Shipping and GST added another S$30 and S$49.70 respectively.

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LifeReviewsTech
Andy

BroadLink RM4 Mini Universal Remote for your Smart Home

The BroadLink RM4 Mini is an affordable means to add IR capabilities to your smart home setup. With more than 50,000 IR codes on Cloud, chances are high that you can find a suitable one to control your IR devices like TV, set-top box, fan, radio, air conditioner, etc. I already had a BroadLink RM4 Mini in my living room for the TV and set-top box and I got another one for the bedroom to make the KDK fan and Mitsubishi Electric air conditioner smarter by allowing me to control them over the Internet. To maintain a consistent bedroom temperature, I got the HTS2 temperature and humidity sensor cable to go along with the RM4 Mini.

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LifeTech
Andy

#MajulahGCP Season 3 Swags

Google occasionally offers self-learning opportunities on how Google Cloud Platform’s infrastructure and application development tools work together. They held the third season of the #MajulahGCP learning event in my region recently. In my honest opinion, it is a good opportunity to understand how some of the new technologies work amidst your busy schedule. If you have been procrastinating about picking up that new skillset, the #MajulahGCP event is probably a great learning opportunity. At the end of the event, you might qualify for their swag packs! Thanks #MajulahGCP for the learning opportunity, smart LED display thermos flask, apron, polo t-shirt and a hipster backpack!

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