I'm provisional...!

Today we got the results from our third test. And yes, I passed again! This means that I took the first obstacle. I'm now considered a "provisional" exchange architect.... But next week will be very hard. Test number 4, the Qual Lab and finally the Review Board. Well, all I can say is: stay tuned!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

For the past four weeks, there's wasn't a single day without rain. My body already startet to form webs... :-P But since monday, things have changed! No more rain. Now it's snowing! And temperatures are below the freezing point, which means we have lots of fun driving our car in the seattle area, because people are not used to it. For example, MS campus is closed today, because of the weather conditions... For an austrian guy like me, this is very strange. We don't close companies because it is snowing or slippery... An interssting experience...

Vancouver trip & some “fun” with US customs…

Yipeeh! One week off… My brain is "toasted" and I need a few days without exchange stuff… So…

Saykhem, one of my Ranger colleagues from Australia joined me on a trip to Vancouver from Monday to Wednesday. Vancouver is one of the cities I wanted to visit for my whole life… And I enjoyed the trip!

We walked from tip-to-tip of downtown Vancouver and were somewhat at the top of the city centre… One of my favorite places is Granville Island with its public food market, art schools, shops, etc. Vancouver Aquarium, which is located at Stanley Park, is also a nice place. I enjoyed the dolphin show… J

Heading back to Seattle, we had some "fun" with US customs… I didn't want to get in trouble at the border and decided to declare all of the stuff we bought in Vancouver: Cashew nuts, Thai Basil and two Mangosteen Fruits($ 3/each). So, when the officer at the border asked me, I told him about all the things…

And, of course (!), he told me "Sorry Sir, you can't bring your Mangosteen fruits…". We had to stop at the border, see the customs officer and hand out the fruits. Because these fruits were so expensive, my colleague asked if we're allowed to eat them at the border… The answer was: "No. You can take your fruits, drive back to Canada, eat them there and then return to the US…" What the hell…! You can by weapons, but you are not allowed to bring some exotic fruits? Bureaucracy and it's strange excresents…

One step further…

In my last Blog Post I told you that I'm on my way to become a "Microsoft Certified Architect – Messaging". Well, today we got the Results from our second test and guess what? I passed! 98 out of 100 Points. Wow - I'm proud! Two more to pass though… not speaking of the Qual Lab and the Review Board! Unfortunately I can't tell more details, etc because I'm under NDA.

On the way to Exchange Ranger

It's been two weeks since I started my Exchange Ranger Training in Redmond/WA/USA. For anyone who doesn't know what Exchange Ranger is, plenty of information can be found here:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/architect/messaging/default.mspx
BTW: The new name for the Program is "Microsoft Certfied Architect - Messaging". And I'm on the way... But you know what? It's hard! 5 Weeks of in depth training on the inner workings of exchange. Tests during the training, a qual lab at the end and if you pass this you get in front of a review board(scary hum?). No easy going. No weekend without learning. Only a one week break between training week 3 and 4... So, for those of you who are interessted, my current status is: 2 weeks training completed, 1 test passed(yes!), 3 more to come(next one on monday) - not including qual lab and review board. And I'm writing this blog entry during a break(Weekend is for group learning). I'll post another entry after the next test... Stay tuned!