Before the BIG event taken place , we normally have some time allocated for preparation.

Same goes to project implementation or on-site installation.
Normally not much time we have or rather some got immediate notice.
Nevertheless we got to be mentally prepared.

Some of the item I normally prepared before on-site installation work,
provided there are “unknown” thing like : whether there is reliable internet connectivity there?
I would need to access some crucial data online.
So what I would did is are :

1. I made a offline copy of my own domain gmail’s email (namran.net)
– because I have forwarded a copy of my work email there until recently company opted to Gmail services.
– at that time got GoogleGears which only work with earlier version of Firefox.

2. A whole set of repository from rpmforge , office , centos and whatever dependencies packages that I have known.
– this is to reduce on-site download.
– there are set of ISOs file that I would loop-mounted.

3. a set of working environment under VMware images.
– which I could possible simulate the thing to the closest possible scenario.

4. a lot of PDF file on manual, “how to” that I feel related that I could find.

5. .. the wiki pages , the blog and facebook content (Notes) that I feel useful !
– at which I made a local hosted copy to my laptop .. password protected , sit under different partition

6. sometime having some modification on laptop, BIOS password at one time I’d enabled.

7. Have faith !

8. Other thing beyond the technical part which I would ask my wife/someone else to prepare..
– i.e toileteries , clothing , and everything else.. 8-)
– ticketing / hotel / visa normally my admin would prepare.. just need a quick check on all item.

9. inform the most important person in your life about your trip.
– leave the un-necessary ones out of the list.
– also worth including the credit card/bank to the notification list


Then, I would just sailing as it goes.

Hope for the best,Prepare for the worst..

Regardless on how informative it could get before the event, most of the time a lot of “surprise” everywhere.

Enjoy most of it while riding the waves..

Good Luck.

p/s : Hmm.. normally on the last night , would be a sleepless.
Either preparing thing into the bag or been thinking what else is missing.
Remembering the time when going to umrah.. although was prepared earlier.
still the very last night, still can’t sleep and next morning still running errant settling thing.

Alhamdulillah..

Images From :
1. http://www.studentlinc.net/studentlinc/2006/03/prepare_to_perf.html
2. http://www.anirudhsethireport.com/2009/11/04/