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I was mingling around with Linux Ubuntu where I had to do a VPN / VTUN connections to a certain host. So there was this problem where after I did all the settings in vtund.conf (the vtund config file) which was given to my by one of the support tech guys (I trust them..)

So now if I start the vtun connection manually, by typing this in the shell eg.

/home/user# vtund MYVPN1 192.168.100.1

This would create a task called vtund running after I ran ps -ef for the process list. A check with the ipconfig stats my connection up and connection were great.

Now the problem is…

I did a crontab job with /etc/init.d/vtun restart, or even /etc/init.d/vtun start, which I thought the vtun daemon would be able to start with init.d call, instead of running manually.

In the case of the manual vtund crashing or stopping for whatever reason, the /etc/init.d/vtun restart will help to “reset” the connection and help to re-connection, and keep the tunnel alive. But it didn’t work at all! For some reasons all efforts in starting the daemon with /etc/init.d/vtun couldn’t work, but only when I am at my shell connecting it manually.

The solution…

After poking around (for 2 hours) and verifying alot of stuff, I’ll just list down my findings… By the way, I’m using vtun 3.0x, so do upgrade yours if its still 2.x. To check, run “man vtund”

The vtund uses these files:
/etc/vtund.conf - client vtund configurations
/etc/vtund-start.conf - Server vtund configurations (I wasn’t dealing with this)
/etc/default/vtun - The file to modify if you have this /etc/init.d/vtun problem

So after you tried your vtun connection manually, add those fields into the /etc/default/vtun, where your /etc/init.d/vtun will work! In this /etc/default/vtun file, theres only a few fields to fill in, where it simulates you running the manual task. Just fill in your tunnel name and host IP and it should work fine.

This is a fuzzy interpretation of the famous Ibbotson-Sinquefield stock market study, research that showed the stocks deliver an annualized average return of 10%. The problem is that Roger Ibbotson, the guy behind the study, now says that he expects the next 25 years to be different from the past 75, with returns closer to 8%.

Moreover, the 10% number includes several assumptions, such as a long time horizon, no active trading, no taxes and no transaction costs. That’s hardly the real world.

Also, many people forget that the historical returns are an average, not an annual total. When people live by this rule and make it their expectation, they tend to be disappointed, which makes it tough to stick to an investment strategy.

This month, Great Singapore Sale happens, (I guess it happens every country too), and I had gotten a good deal. Since I am very tall at 186 cm or 6 foot 2, I need proper office shirt that has long sleeves, not too big at the sides and waist, and something not expensive. So I have only 2 choices here locally, Marks & Spencers and G2000 apparels.

So this month, I’ve gotten 2 very good deals, buying 5 shirts priced at $69.90 for only about $31.xx (can’t remember how much), and a wallet priced at $90 for $65.

This was G2000 going at a 40% discount, and on top of that a Citibank Credit card 25% discount, so in total, I had a 65% discount ! We, luckily I waited and waited and finally I gotten in and got all. Since their shirts are all cut the same for all shirts, it’s easy for me to go back, buy and not worry about any misfits.

The wallet, was from a 2 day special by Tangs, a 20% + 10 % discount, so not a bad deal, and too was provided by Citibank’s Credit Card. I guess I found good value in keeping this card!

As for trading, I stopped, because freaked out like what other books had written. A single large failure will cause small investors like us to quit the market, lose moral and confident, and this is so true. I am still human afterall.

Here’s this month’s breakdown:
Savings and Earnings

$500/month Citibank Step up Account

Expenses
5 x $31.xx = $150 - G2000 shirts x 5
$65 - Pierre Cardin wallet

OTA meant Over The Air, which was quite cool because it is not common for phone updates to be done that way. Remember the times where we had to “flash” our firmware for our phone to the latest version in order to gain better performance etc…

Finally Singtel (singapore telco) pushes Android Cupcake 1.5 down to Singapore users OTA. It was an exciting process, downloading the new patch for around 30-60 minutes, and then installing it. I already knew what the patch does and the new stuff it comes along with, but just didn’t know it took so long for us to got hold of it.

And it really feels like a new phone now, because with the video recording and on-screen keyboard, phone usage changed alittle. Additionally, the battery life got better, and browsing sites came much easier. Now instead of recharging it daily, I now do it… once every 2 days.

It also proves that the 3G broadband plan rocks, with 44MB worth of data downloaded over the air, means giving me more convenient.

Now let me wait for more good stuff… Android Donut ?

I know cats don’t catch rats and mice, they just love to “play” with them. but this is interesting. By the way I am a rat (the first animal) on the 12 Chinese animals horoscope.