2015

It just occurred to me that it's the end of 2015. Today is the last day of the year 2015. 

All I knew about today was that it is the only day I planned nothing on my itinerary and it's the only day rain was expected all day. It didn't occur to me that this was the last day of the year. 

Perhaps I thought I would be washed over by a wave of nostalgia or that I would be reflecting on my year this very day. But nope. I'm too preoccupied with my winter trip to notice. 

Overall it was an okay year. It was more of a roller coaster ride. I've been to more places this year than any other year. I keep forgetting that I've now been to at least 4 countries instead of 3. In 2016, I hope to visit one more country. 

This year I forgot myself. Forgot who I was and what I can do. Forgot why I am who I am. I sought to appease an inner conscience that had no care for my future or my life. An inner conscience that could take over my entire being without difficulty and wreck my life. 

In 2016, I hope to remember how to be myself again. To find joy in the pleasures I enjoyed. To find peace in the comforts I seek. To find stability in the rolling waves that come my way. 

I wish that remembering was a choice I could make instead of something I can only hope for. 

Freelance Jobs

This post is for those wishing to make extra pocket money for themselves. If you have a full-time job but want to moonlight,and if you want to do this all in the comfort of your own home, you may want to consider becoming a freelancer.

Many years ago, as a teenager, my impression of a freelancer was someone who took random pictures for newspapers and magazines. I had no idea what does it mean to be a freelancer until I came across this option as a young working adult. It turns out that the Internet houses a network of people who wishes to hire anyone who can do some of the most menial tasks to complicated tasks that require certain expertise and experience. These are the people who want you to build websites for them, write articles, design logos or even be their virtual assistant.

You could land a full-time free-lance job as a virtual assistant. I am reiterating this because I had no idea you could have a full-time job being someone else's personal assistant without actually being there with them. All you need to do is be available to them by phone or email and be sure to do your job.

Everything, however, comes down to how well you sell yourself and how cheap is your labor. Look around at other proposals by your peers to find out what sort of skills or requirements that those you intend to work for are looking for. While providing cheap labor may be a good way of starting out, you still want to make sure you are getting your dues. If you sell yourself short, the quality of your work may come into question.

Anyway, if you are interested in becoming a freelancer, these are the two sites I have been using that I think are great. Both websites are up-to-date and jobs are constantly being added by the minute. Both sites provide a desktop app that tracks your working hours. This lets potential employers to know how much freelance work you have been doing.


Upwork (formerly Elance or oDesk)

Formerly known as Elance or oDesk, the two freelancing websites have merged to give us Upwork. You could still login through the old oDesk or Elance site but I recommend going through the oDesk platform for new freelancers. People hiring on oDesk are more forgiving of newcomers and they are generally more likely to hire you if you do not have any experience.

I like that the website allows you to indicate your availability, your previous freelancing experience (even if it was accepted on another site), and your average rate per hour. You are given 60 connect points as a free or basic user. These connect points are used to make bids or submit proposals for jobs; each proposal uses between 1 to 5 points. This means you do not have an unlimited amount of bids to make. The points however are renewed at the start of every billing cycle (monthly); so you will get 60 connect points per month. If you wish to pay for their services, you will be able to bid for more projects. It is not a bad idea if you plan to be a full-time freelancer.

They also have free tests you can take to let people know the level of your skill. You can upload other certifications you may have gotten in order to indicate your level of proficiency at your said skill.


Freelancer

Freelancer literally has new job postings every other minute. They have a pop-up notification at the bottom left of the window to tell you when new jobs are posted. You are allowed to make up to 100 bids per month with the Plus membership. Otherwise, the free membership allows only 8 bids per month.

The way Freelancer works is basically the same as Upwork with the exception that you need to be able to link a payment account (usually PayPal) in order to start using it. The tests they provide cost USD 5 per test. So if you want to use this website, you might have to consider investing in it to get more jobs. It will cost you nothing to use their bare minimum services. However, if you are serious about freelancing, you might want to invest a little in their services to be able to promote or sell yourself better.


Happy job-hunting. :)

The Japanese and Debates

I've noticed that ever since I came to Japan, the Japanese have been very accommodating and polite when it came to differences in opinions. They rarely say what they dislike or like openly without being sure they're not insulting anyone by just saying their preferences. In Malaysia or Australia, a difference in opinion often results in a lively debate that I miss so much. My conversations in Japan have mellowed down to mostly explanations, descriptions, and asking about current events. There are no debates here. Lively, healthy or otherwise. I miss having to reason out my opinions.

A healthy discussion helps work your brain. It keeps the cogs and wheels turning when you have to keep thinking of reasons to back up your opinion. I like open discussions because of that. It's rare to find people who are not stubborn about their opinion and is open to challenge or is accepting of differences in opinions.

It doesn't even matter if something isn't well thought out. When you start talking about it, you start reasoning it out and it helps you see their perspectives and your own. It's how you get to know if a person is just shallow or if they know what they're on about. It lets you know more about the person you're talking to.

I think I just figured out why I'm so irritated. The people I don't understand have no opinions of their own or are simply too shallow to have a conversation with. They won't argue with you or persuade you. They won't try to see your perspective or even think that there may be more than one way to do something.

Facets. It's what's so fascinating about our 3D world. There is always a side we can't see. It's something you can only see with the help of someone else. Or a mirror. But still, you need help to see every side of an object. Much more a person. If you can't hold a conversation with someone, how are you going to see them for who they are?

That is why I think it's very important to be with someone you can hold a conversation with. If you can't even talk to each other, what's the point?

Streaks of Blue

There are only certain periods in your life when certain behaviors are acceptable. Wailing and fussing in public as a babe. Throwing tantrums as a toddler. Being friends with anyone and everyone as a child.

When is it ever acceptable to dye your hair blue? 

The way we dress is somewhat dictated by our age group in that we try to be as appropriate as possible while being unique.

Workplace ethics would require a working adult to appear conventional, trustworthy and conforming to the social norm. Blue hair does not portray such a person.

The most logical time of your life to have blue hair would therefore be in college. Right? That and when you're retired.

Whatsapp Web

Why does whatsapp only work when my phone is connected to the Internet? What's the point?

Should I start a tour company?

Planning holidays is kinda fun. Should I help people plan their holidays?

Running out of storage

It's been a little more than 2 years since I got my iPhone. It's been 5 since I got my Nexus.

I've had to clear up space in my iPhone every 5-6 months. I have almost 300 apps in my Android and I've never had to clear up storage space. I even have friggin music in my android and no other media in my iPhone! They're both 16gb. They both do not support external storage devices.

That just added one more reason I can't understand why do people want to insist that iPhone is the best. It's so frustrating to use! I keep going back to my Android just to breathe better. Just so I know I have a better option here.

iPhone. You may have a longer battery life, but you're not all that.

Do you keep a journal?

There are many benefits to keeping a journal; from expressing emotions to logging daily events, the reasons are plenty.

What are your reasons for keeping a journal?

I am a sporadic journal-keeper. I had diaries during my pre-teen years. Then I kept online blogs and took to typing my thoughts as opposed to penning them down. It wasn't something I did every single day but I knew I had to do it. It was in my soul. There was a yearning that kept me looking for empty pages to fill with my handwriting. I just had to write.

Granted my musings may not always been inspirational or amusing or in any way interesting to the general public, I did have a sense of satisfaction in simply writing things down. Be it making a list of things to do or a list of things I am thinking about to organize my thoughts. It helped create a sense of fulfillment. A sense of accomplishment in my otherwise quotidian life.

Mostly, I had to write because I was afraid of forgetting. I have this fear that I'll forget everything one day and I won't even recognize myself. I am afraid of forgetting who I am, what I stand for, what I believe in, or simply forget what makes me, me.

So I write, to remember. To remember what I want to do. My aspirations. My inspirations. My opinions. I write so that I will be able to remember that this was who I used to be. However embarrassing my past self was. (I know I am embarrassed of my past self; I've read my old diaries.)

Even so, I don't think I will ever stop.

Boingo Free WiFi

It turns out, Boingo is a great service for using free WiFi near train stations and other public places with lots of WiFi services.

I couldn't use it at school because there were no public WiFi services nearby. We have a private school WiFi that's free to students anyway so that's not a problem.

I couldn't use the service at home for the same reason.

In my last trip to Beijing, there was no need to use the service at all in the hotel considering free WiFi was provided by the hotel.  McDonald's also provides free WiFi but you can only use it if you have a working mobile contact number. That works in Beijing.

In Japan, Boingo provides me online access as long as my phone can connect to any of the public WiFi hotspot provided by Japanese network providers (DoCoMo, Softbank, etc). These public WiFi services often require you to register with a working Japanese mobile phone or phone mail (not the same as email). Or they require that you own a password that you have to pay for first. But with Boingo, you can connect to them for free as long as Boingo recognizes them as a Boingo affiliated service.

Just register for an account with Boingo and you're good to go. They also provide a premium service if you're willing to pay for it. It's probably worth it if you're going to be travelling every month or at least frequently enough to need it. It's cheaper than getting a portable WiFi device but be reminded that it only works best in public places.

Portable WiFi devices on the other hand works like a mobile phone that lets you connect multiple devices to that one WiFi service. Kind of like a portable router. Its versatility is worth the money you pay for it.

Halcyon

An old man watching his grandchildren play might look back fondly on his halcyon days, remembering the peaceful, happy time of his youth.

The word halcyon comes from a story in Greek mythology about the halcyon bird, which had the power to calm the rough ocean waves every December so she could nest. Like those calm waters, halcyon has come to mean a sense of peace or tranquility. People often use the phrase halcyon days to refer idyllically to a calmer, more peaceful time in their past.

Brought to you by vocabulary.com

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You know you're procrastinating when you publish multiple blog-posts in half a day!

I need to finish writing my thesis or I can't move forward. I need to get this done!

Mendeley Desktop now has a "Recently Read" tab!

This very short post is a few weeks late. Maybe months. Anyway.

I am very happy that Mendeley has a "recently read" tab now. At least I can track my reading history per session. If they kept a history log of when I read each article last that would be great too.

Quotidian

Quotidian is a fancy way of saying "daily" or "ordinary." Quotidian events are the everyday details of life.

When you talk about the quotidian, you're talking about the little things in life: everyday events that are normal and not that exciting. Going to the store, doing chores, working or going to school, and brushing your teeth are all quotidian. If you take a spaceship to Mars, that would be unusual and extraordinary: the opposite of quotidian.

FireChat

This app will be so useful for your next trip with your buddies! It lets you stay connected without having to be online. 

The app utilizes your Bluetooth and wifi connections to send messages to people within 200 feet from your phone, without using the Internet or cell reception. 

It's available on both android and iOS platforms. Go check it out! 

FireChat by Open Garden Inc

https://appsto.re/jp/OL75Q.i

File request by Dropbox

I just found out that Dropbox has introduced file requests.

You can now get people to drop off files in your Dropbox folder even if they are not members of Dropbox. This is definitely the kind of versatility I like in any service I use. It gives room for expansion, improvement and most of all, it has a sense of freedom.

Google Inbox

So Google made a new email app. Inbox. You can either download the new app from the AppStore or you can access the PC version through inbox.google.com. Provided you're invited to try it out. 

I'm assuming it's not available for everyone yet. 

The great thing about Inbox is that it allows you to sort your mail based on importance. And by importance, I don't mean just by labeling an email important. 

Inbox lets you add a reminder to your emails and have the emails reappear in your inbox at the time you will be ready to deal with it. It lets you deal with important tasks first (tasks, not emails) and you can either snooze or set reminders on the rest for a later date. Once you're done with the task you can simply archive the email by selecting "done". 

Inbox allows you to handle emails as a to-do list. Which is great because I am sure most emails are just that. Something you have to deal with when you have the time. 

What I don't quite like about this system is the way it handles labels and incoming messages. On my mobile app, I no longer know which account has the new email. A notification will be apparent on the app icon but once you've opened the app, you can't tell which account that notification is for without checking everything. 

Next, I label all my emails because it's just easier to browse through them when I'm looking for information or things I need to do. I do not enjoy having to double check if every email is labelled. This is important to me because I have people coming to me asking about when certain emails were sent or received or if certain documents have been sent out. 

If these two issues can be fixed I'll be very happy with the new changes (that may replace gmail). 

Point of View

As it turns out, no two persons can ever share a perfectly identical point of view. You may be able to get what someone else is saying but you'll never truly understand why. 

Everyone leads a different life no matter how similar their upbringing. No two siblings are 100% alike, despite growing up in the same environment. 

If that's true, is it worth arguing or wondering why people don't get what you're saying or is it worth trying to make people see things your way? 

Is my way always the right way? Is your way always better? 

Was the last argument you had worth it? 

Everyone sees things the way they want to anyway. Would what I say change the way they think? Would my words enlighten them or belittle them? How are my words perceived? 

I write in awe and wonder and I wonder if some might find me bitter or sad. Or simply unsatisfied with an imaginary situation. 

Sometimes I don't understand what you're saying or why you do what you do. But I have learned to accept that people being people are different and I know I shouldn't be bothered if I don't understand. 

Yet, when I see the look of confusion in your face and that twinge in your expression that says you can't accept that I don't understand, I'm equally as confused as you are. There are many things you may believe to be common sense, but I may not know what is common sense to you. 

So I smile an empty smile. I let out a breath or two to simply let go. It's okay. I'm me and you're you. If I like you just alright, I hope you'll like me enough to hang around long enough to be okay with what I am. 

Anime Schedule

Where to watch anime online in Japan?
無料動画GYAO!|アニメ：配信スケジュール

Activating a Dormant Malaysian CIMB Savings Account whilst Overseas

This issue has been resolved!

I got an e-mail today from my customer service representative. She had been giving me weekly updates about the status of my account.

Today, she e-mailed to inform me that my account is now active. Thank God!

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What I did:

1. Posted my problem on CIMB Malaysia's facebook wall, explaining my circumstances and why their solution is unavailable to me.

2. Wait for a customer service representative to contact me.

3. Sent my contact details to the customer service representative to formally submit a complaint. (A reference number or case number will be assigned to you. Use it for further correspondences.)

4. Sent a formal letter (physical and electronic PDF copy) addressed to my home branch.

5. Wait for news.

6. Receive good/bad news. (In this case, it was good news for me.) ^^

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Initially, I had asked my brother and another friend to ask the people at CIMB (face-to-face inquiry) on my behalf but they were both told I had to be physically in Malaysia to activate my account and that there was no other way. But, deciding not to give up or to resort to other... err... ways to "be" in Malaysia without actually being there, facebook turned out to be another reliable channel for customer service complaints.

SNS, people! If they are properly manned, they should be a good channel to submit your complaints and have the right people deal with your problem.

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Previous Posts: [1] [2]

Grammarly

Have you ever heard of Grammarly?

It's an online grammar checker that does more than just look for strange grammar. It points out grammatical and spelling errors; it gives suggestions for what it thinks is correct. Highlighting words also brings up a list of synonyms. Of course, if the human thinks they are correct, they may override that correction. It's not obnoxious like Microsoft's autocorrect, which insists it is right regardless of what you say.

Anyway, I recently found out about their chrome extension and decided to give it a go. It's fairly accurate and mostly free. If you are not confident in your choice of words or sentence structures, it is a great free app.

However, for more advanced users, if you have advanced issues (such as choice of words, colloquialism, or other less common grammatical errors secondary language learners rarely have the chance to make, having not learned them) they require an upgrade which you have to purchase.

While I say why waste money on a free service, I feel that this particular service is worthwhile. It's like having an English teacher watching over your shoulder, telling you where you're wrong and why.

It's a fairly straightforward app and I think most people could benefit from its free services. Do check it out at grammarly.com.

Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas is now an author on Goodreads and I am truly inspired by her success. I have followed her work on fictionpress from high school and to finally see her published and a successful author is nothing but inspiring and amazing. I am in awe!

The story she initially posted as "Queen of Glass" is now published as "Throne of Glass". I still remembered the what she wrote at the end before it was taken down (I suppose in preparation for her book). The story was inspired from the scene when Cinderella was running out of the castle at the stroke of midnight. She asked the question "what if Cinderella was running away because of something she did". Her list of what ifs led to the thrilling adventure that is Queen of Glass.

Activating a dormant CIMB account overseas (Part 2)

:: Updated! Issue Resolved! See Latest Post! ::

So the Internet had no answers for me. I opted therefore to look for a Facebook page. Yes, I turned to Facebook.

Turns out, CIMB did have a facebook page and people do post their problems on their wall. I decided to post my problem and it turns out this Facebook page was properly manned and a customer service representative was assigned to me almost immediately.

They requested for my contact particulars, which I happily gave. Since then we've exchanged two e-mails, requiring a formal request letter from me to my CIMB home branch. I have sent both a PDF and the actual physical letter to CIMB.

I now await news of its arrival and the resolution of this problem.

Until then.

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Latest post

Anime I just found out about

I was browsing Gyao on Yahoo Japan last night when I clicked on one of its free episodes without thinking. The title seemed interesting. Unfortunately, the scene I saw was almost horror-like with protective charms, stuck all over a creepy wooden door, suddenly moving from a passing wind that disturbed nothing else. I had to finish the episode if I wanted to go back to bed.

The anime was Seraph of the End (Owari no Seraph, 終わりのセラフ). And it was good! I haven't been hooked on anime for awhile now. It's nice to have something to follow.

Another series I ended up getting hooked on was The Heroic Legend of Arslan (アルスラーン戦記).

Understanding Light Scattering

Been using a SEC-MALS system lately for my protein analysis. Have to brush up on that MALS theory if I'm going to understand what I'm doing.

Links:
Equations and data analysis
SEC MALS model

Box-Plot with R

Just trying to remember where I got all my tutorials for R.

Box-plot:
http://www.r-bloggers.com/box-plot-with-r-tutorial/
ecosensing.org

Strip Chart
Basic Plots - R Tutorial

Software Tutorial Compilations
Software at StatLab, Monash University
R Manual by Murray Logan

Statistics Tutorial
Interpreting p values
Significance level and p values

Activating a Dormant Malaysian CIMB Savings Account whilst Overseas

:: Updated! Issue Resolved! See Latest Post! ::

Googling this title might not bring up a lot of information for people who need to know but many people are certainly familiar with getting notices about inactive accounts and steps to take to activate dormant accounts within the country.

But what if you weren't in the country when the bank notifies you?

I recently found out that my CIMB savings account became dormant (just two days ago) and not only did I not know it was about to become dormant, I had money transferred to that dormant account to pay some bills. Now I can't use that money.

What should I do?

Situation:
1. Bank probably sent notification to my address in Malaysia (but I wouldn't be able to get it anyway because I'm not in Malaysia).

2. 1.5 years ago, I informed the bank that I won't be in the country and would like to be able to access my accounts from overseas. Was told this was possible and that I won't have anything to worry about. Yet, they fail to inform me directly of my account becoming dormant.

3. Online sites suggest that I make withdrawals from my bank account to activate it... at any branch in Malaysia. (I'm not coming home just to make a bank withdrawal.)

Solution:
1. Call CIMB International and tell them about my current situation. (Problem: No one is ever available at the customer service center and it's freaking expensive to make phone calls from Japan just to wait for an hour for no one to pick up.)

2. Make a withdrawal myself.


I mean, I don't really have much choice here. Where am I going to go for help? CIMB won't pick up my calls. I can't get my family to do anything for me. I've tried with the Maybank account but no luck. They say that I need to be there in person. Which is bull.

Banks these days have to consider people who need to travel for their jobs. I think, I may never want to come back to Malaysia.


+ Updated +
Part 2
Latest Post

Old English Books

On one Sunday evening I found myself meandering through the streets of a quaint shopping district in Kawasaki. The weekend crowd was nowhere to be seen, which was strange. But it gave me courage and peace enough to walk through streets at my own pace. My walk brought me to a Book Off bookstore that sells second-hand books.

This was a very fortunate find for me, for I have been dying for a good English book to read. Modern literature can be interesting at times but I needed a proper English book that wouldn't be finished within hours. Second hand books would mean books written in proper old English that hasn't yet known the changes introduced by modern English. It would mean words written to be savored and experienced and not sped through just to past time. (I still can't believe it took me less than 8 hours to finish Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. For the record, I hated all the characters in that book.)

English books in Japan are relatively expensive for me. Although, it'll probably cost the same in Malaysia, variety in Japan is to be desired. I've started a small collection of Japanese books but my reading speed is still too slow for me to truly enjoy them. So, for the price of one new foreign book in Japan, I bought three old English books. One is a whodunnit and the other two are series to a fantasy.

The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon proved to be just what I needed. It took me three nights to get through the prologue because the characters were so colorful and there were too many to remember. Just the way books were to me when I was 10. It took me three nights to gain momentum because it's been so long since I've read a well-researched book! Each character was carefully thought out, the semblance of historically accurate details set the scene for each unfolding event. The characters were alive!

The one thing I found annoying though was the way Sidney Sheldon tells you of a crime in trial but then he takes an entire book to tell you how it happened (or who were actually involved) before delivering justice in the end. It was a long, drawn-out suspenseful book. I don't think I can go through that again any time soon. (Matthew Reilly has ruined slow-paced books for me.)

I've just started on the other books and if they bring out the need to write in me, I'll blog again.

For those interested in the book: goodreads.com.

Irony or Not?

Does this count as irony?

Last week I went all the way to the research center to use the mass spec and realized I didn't have a USB to transfer all my results.

Today, I made sure I had my USB but when I was ready to transfer my mass spec results, the room was locked!

T^T

If this is not irony, it's still a very unfortunate circumstance.

Most Viewed

I just found out my most viewed page is "How to split tables in Google Docs".

Apparently there are no good tutorials out there to teach you how.