As an international student with a college visa and a work permit, you can only work up to 8 hours a day during vacation or 28 hours a week at any other time (that's 4 hours a day). If you're like me, a graduate student who works from 9.30am to 7pm in a laboratory (usually interpreted as 9am to 7.30pm), you won't be able to take up normal part time jobs available to most people living in Japan. So, that sorts of narrows down your options to midnight jobs, online jobs, or tutoring jobs. Now, I can't work as a tutor in Japan since I have no knowledge of Japanese schools or their education system. (I can't teach English very well unless people don't mind me drilling the language into their heads.) Midnight jobs are quite acceptable actually but I have reached a point in life when I can't seem to go without sleep anymore. So! That leaves me with online jobs. I managed to snag one and I hope it'll pay well. I've also considered other jobs but have not started on them. (Perhaps the lack of motivation is what's driving me to the point of 'cashlessness'.)
These are some sites that may be of interest to you (whether you're living in or outside of Japan). They're online jobs so you can do them as long as you own a computer (and since you're reading this blog, I'm assuming you own one).
Translation jobs
The following sites are for translators. They're mostly Japanese-English jobs but there's quite a few other language pairs. (Chinese-English for starters, something I'm considering if there aren't enough Japanese-English jobs to do.)
+ Minna no Hon'yaku +
You start off as a Level 1 translator paid 0.9 yen per character translated but after 2500 characters you get evaluated to see if you're qualified to level up. Prices and bonuses paid increases with each level. The type of translations you will be doing are mainly product descriptions but as you level up and are more confident with your skills there are news articles, blog entries, and other more challenging texts.
+ Gengo +
Basic pay begins at USD0.03 per character so it pays rather well. But the tests you have to pass are quite difficult. The articles you have to translate on this site are usually of a certain level of difficulty so you need to be confident in your skills to work here.
+ Translator Base +
A paid, out-sourcing website for freelancing translators. Not exactly a steady source of income. You have to bid for jobs here and you actually pay for a subscription to this website to get better jobs.
Freelancers: Online Projects
Project based work paid hourly or per project for freelancers.
+ oDesk +
+ elance +
Tutoring
Yeah, I know I said I can't tutor but I decided to try anyway.
+ A Power Academy +
Long term teachers only.
Teacher-Student Matching Service
These sites are basically for teachers to advertise themselves and for students to look for teachers. They're mostly promoting language tutors so... who knows.
+ Hello Sensei! +
+ Find Students +
+ My Sensei +
+ International Language Academy +
Jobs for Foreigners
Now these sites are mostly for full time jobs but they also have contract, part-time and freelance jobs on occasion.
+ GaijinPot +
The good thing about this site is that it's in English so you know they're looking for people who knows English.
+ A Power Now +
Jobs aimed at foreigners in Japan. There's also a link for international students who wish to work part time.
+ Baitoru Dot Com +
As the name suggests in Japanese, it's a job site for part-timers.
+ Job Sense +
Another job site that has a special foreigner category.
+ Town Work +
Mostly actual work but you can search for part-time jobs aimed at foreigners too.
+ Baito College +
Part time jobs for the college student.
+ Work in Japan +
A free site for employers to post jobs.
+ Craigslist: Tokyo Classifieds +
Not sure if this is a reliable source but like any other online site, just be careful and wary. Don't give out your personal information or anything compromising and you should be fine. This site doesn't just advertise jobs but it's basically for people to buy and sell stuff too.
Monday, February 10, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
Sushi Shops I want to Visit
10 Ramen Shops in Tokyo Worth Visting
Just read an article with this title. Was quite impressed with the list. Then I realized, they're all nearby! I can hop on one train and stop at all the stations where these shops are.
Yay!
::2014-02-06 Thursday: 1.21 PM::
+ found a comprehensive site:Ramen Adventures +
+ trip advisor came up with this +
Yay!
::2014-02-06 Thursday: 1.21 PM::
+ found a comprehensive site:Ramen Adventures +
+ trip advisor came up with this +
Feature Request: Automatically Save Web Content
Maybe it already exists, maybe it's just a worthless dream, but I really hope that there's an app or software for this.
I'm an amateur translator who can only translate Japanese to English or Mandarin to English. Because I'm an amateur I often have to look up words in dictionaries to check if my translation was correct. While this isn't difficult, with many awesome online dictionaries available, I would like to actually be able to save the results I found. For future reference.
Why would that be important?
Well, I love learning new languages and increasing my vocabulary would be a lot easier if I can just remember the words I just learnt. The problem is, in order to do that, I have to constantly copy and paste words from the dictionary result into another document before I can process the words. (I create CSV and TXT files to import into flashcard programs such as AnyMemo or Mnemosyne.)
So I would love it if there's a program out there that would help me download the dictionary results I found into a text file or something.
That reminds me, if there's a software that can automatically insert the exact date and time when I open a file or start typing or start... something, that would be great! (Even if I have to click a button or list the actions to trigger this function I would still want it.)
Haven't found anything useful online but maybe I will. (I forgot I used to use this blog to track good websites.)
I'm an amateur translator who can only translate Japanese to English or Mandarin to English. Because I'm an amateur I often have to look up words in dictionaries to check if my translation was correct. While this isn't difficult, with many awesome online dictionaries available, I would like to actually be able to save the results I found. For future reference.
Why would that be important?
Well, I love learning new languages and increasing my vocabulary would be a lot easier if I can just remember the words I just learnt. The problem is, in order to do that, I have to constantly copy and paste words from the dictionary result into another document before I can process the words. (I create CSV and TXT files to import into flashcard programs such as AnyMemo or Mnemosyne.)
So I would love it if there's a program out there that would help me download the dictionary results I found into a text file or something.
That reminds me, if there's a software that can automatically insert the exact date and time when I open a file or start typing or start... something, that would be great! (Even if I have to click a button or list the actions to trigger this function I would still want it.)
Haven't found anything useful online but maybe I will. (I forgot I used to use this blog to track good websites.)
Sunday, February 2, 2014
1 Corinthians 2:9
“However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him—” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
The very reason why I love research so much. ;)
The very reason why I love research so much. ;)
Friday, January 24, 2014
Galations 6:1
“ Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)
Something to think about huh...
Something to think about huh...
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Japan in Autumn
In April this year, I'd have been to Japan twice now. Two vacations that resulted from unexpected events. My interest in anime and all things Japan were not exactly deep. But I did spend a fair amount of time gawking at 2D drawings and falling in love with 2D characters. In fact, it was only last year that I started liking dramas and such. When the opportunity came to visit a country where everything I've read about can be found, I had to take that chance. (Europe and America will have to wait, hahaha.)
What started as a mere pastime became a dream that turned into an obsession, and finally, a reality. I had always wanted to pursue a PhD but it wasn't an option at the time I graduated. Then, inspired by a Japanese TV show, I started looking up this university. Turns out there was a private scholarship open for application. The likelihood of me looking this up and watching that TV show was close to zero before last year. So I was convinced to some extent that something else was at work here.
I prayed about it and decided to apply for the scholarship and the university at the same time. I didn't get the scholarship but the university accepted me and nominated me for an even better scholarship! How could I not be convinced that this was something meant for me? And now... after months of waiting and filling of forms...
I'm going to Japan this September!
It'll be a different experience. Something very different for me. I'll be all on my own for the first time in my whole life. I don't know if I'll like it or if I can cope, but I know I'll enjoy every moment of it.
I've never been entirely on my own before. I've never gotten the opportunity and I regret never fighting for it. Now that I know I will be on my own, I can't say I'm not worried or anxious or scared out of my wits. But I know I want to do this. Perhaps this post is about me trying to convince myself I want to.
All I know though is that this is something I must do. I'll regret it if I don't.
Random Musings
Just found out I have a webwiki dedicated to this site: http://www.webwiki.com/jezarinn.blogspot.com.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Realizing That Living Alone is Not Easy!
Many times I tell myself that I'm better off alone. That I don't need to be judged by the people around me. That I'd do great if I have my own place to mess up on my own and no one to tell me I did not do it right.
It's my life and I should determine what makes me happy, right?
Well, I always hear that cheesy old phrase "no man's an island" every time I want to be alone. Sure, we need people to communicate with, to enrich our lives, blah blah blah. But! More importantly, it's because we just can't do everything by ourselves. We're just not that capable.
For example, I speak okay-ish Japanese. People understand me most of the time and I understand them half the time. It's enough to get me through the day. But when it comes to telling the dentist I've got a cavity that needs a better filling that that white stuff you keep shoving into it and it drops out right after having porridge for dinner (4 hours after you've had it fixed) is just not doing me a favour. Every visit to your clinic is costing me money a student with loans cannot spend.
And I can't convey myself well enough to tell the dentist that! What's worse, I can't understand if the dentist is telling me what I need to know. They're always in a hurry and I always feel rushed but when I want to ask them something they answer me so fast I don't understand and they keep sending me on my way more confused than before I asked my question. It's like they want me to keep coming back over and over until I've paid them sufficiently for a holiday they had planned next month. (Fine, that sounds unfair. But I'm still paying too much for what seems like nothing.)
Okay, I digressed. A lot. (These thoughts have been brewing for a long while I didn't realize I had all these pent up feelings.)
The point of mentioning the dentist was actually because there are things that we are just not capable of doing. Like, speaking fluently enough to communicate your thoughts and having your teeth fixed the way you want them to be. (Properly.)
That said, I need a new dentist in Japan! Any recommendations welcome!
It's my life and I should determine what makes me happy, right?
Well, I always hear that cheesy old phrase "no man's an island" every time I want to be alone. Sure, we need people to communicate with, to enrich our lives, blah blah blah. But! More importantly, it's because we just can't do everything by ourselves. We're just not that capable.
For example, I speak okay-ish Japanese. People understand me most of the time and I understand them half the time. It's enough to get me through the day. But when it comes to telling the dentist I've got a cavity that needs a better filling that that white stuff you keep shoving into it and it drops out right after having porridge for dinner (4 hours after you've had it fixed) is just not doing me a favour. Every visit to your clinic is costing me money a student with loans cannot spend.
And I can't convey myself well enough to tell the dentist that! What's worse, I can't understand if the dentist is telling me what I need to know. They're always in a hurry and I always feel rushed but when I want to ask them something they answer me so fast I don't understand and they keep sending me on my way more confused than before I asked my question. It's like they want me to keep coming back over and over until I've paid them sufficiently for a holiday they had planned next month. (Fine, that sounds unfair. But I'm still paying too much for what seems like nothing.)
Okay, I digressed. A lot. (These thoughts have been brewing for a long while I didn't realize I had all these pent up feelings.)
The point of mentioning the dentist was actually because there are things that we are just not capable of doing. Like, speaking fluently enough to communicate your thoughts and having your teeth fixed the way you want them to be. (Properly.)
That said, I need a new dentist in Japan! Any recommendations welcome!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Mendeley Desktop
I've been a loyal user of EndNote in my uni years and it was a program that was easy enough to manipulate. However, the biggest problem I had with it was portability. I could not transfer libraries easily between machines or share my documents such that the references will not change in a different PC.
I've long since graduated and no longer have access to a free source of EndNote so I started looking for alternatives.
Mendeley Desktop solved all my problems. Not only could I work on my paper from the office and my home, I did not have to worry about transferring the references, annotations or changes to the citation style that I have made. I can work on any PC and my citations would still be safe.
Pros
+ I don't have to download citations from webpages, it grabs it from the PDF or loads it from the web importer.
+ It manages my PDF database.
+ I can choose to export only PDFs with notations thus making writing a lot easier.
+ It allows tagging and sort by folder.
+ I don't have to manually enter citation terms. Just edit when necessary (which isn't frequent).
+ Formatting editions made in Word stays in Word. I don't have to change it from the citation manager.
Cons
+ Editing the citation style can be difficult to learn initially but once you know how, the program is perfect.
+ It is unable to recognise uncommon document types like news articles or webpages.
+ It cannot list entries with no tags automatically. I have to go through the whole list which isn't practical.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Phone Issues
It has been awhile since I considered buying a phone. Even when it cracked late last year I simply taped over it and tried not to cry when I see it. Now, I've done it again. Dropped it on concrete for no good reason and cracked the entire top portion of the phone. There are long lines of cracks right down the middle of the screen. I have to be very careful with how I slide my fingers over the screen or I'd get slightly cut. Yes, my screen, my phone, still works. It's cracked and everything but it still functions normally.
The question is, should I buy a phone now or not?
I'm going to Japan next month. Maybe I should buy a phone there instead. Will my phone last till then? I have cash for like... a really cheap phone right now. Or I could get someone over at Aussie to help me purchase one.
Oh well... I'll leave the thinking to another day when I'm not so emotionally impaired.
On another note, I'm seated at a corner in the Coffee Club at Kinokuniya, KLCC. Can't say much about the coffee or microwaved waffles with blueberry jam but sitting here, I realized how comfortable I am just being here. Being vaguely aware of the turning of fan blades somewhere above my head, the not-too-bright but well-lit area, comfortable seats, and quiet; they're all good. While I thought about how bad my phone is, I can't help but feel calm and at peace.
I may have just found another favourite place.
The question is, should I buy a phone now or not?
I'm going to Japan next month. Maybe I should buy a phone there instead. Will my phone last till then? I have cash for like... a really cheap phone right now. Or I could get someone over at Aussie to help me purchase one.
Oh well... I'll leave the thinking to another day when I'm not so emotionally impaired.
On another note, I'm seated at a corner in the Coffee Club at Kinokuniya, KLCC. Can't say much about the coffee or microwaved waffles with blueberry jam but sitting here, I realized how comfortable I am just being here. Being vaguely aware of the turning of fan blades somewhere above my head, the not-too-bright but well-lit area, comfortable seats, and quiet; they're all good. While I thought about how bad my phone is, I can't help but feel calm and at peace.
I may have just found another favourite place.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Back and Going Again
I didn't think about it then but perhaps I should have posted about my last trip to Japan. :D I thought it would be my first and last trip there since I don't print money but that trip taught me one thing... I can afford a trip to Japan!
It lasted 9 days. Costed me RM4500. That included my airfare, JR pass, hostel, phone rental, food, etc. Everything. I kept hearing from friends that I'd need at least RM8k to be there so I saved about that much and found out, I only needed half of it! It was a pretty good deal. All because Air Asia exists!
So, I went to Osaka, visited Kyoto, Tokyo and came back. Now, I'm ready to visit again :D
It lasted 9 days. Costed me RM4500. That included my airfare, JR pass, hostel, phone rental, food, etc. Everything. I kept hearing from friends that I'd need at least RM8k to be there so I saved about that much and found out, I only needed half of it! It was a pretty good deal. All because Air Asia exists!
So, I went to Osaka, visited Kyoto, Tokyo and came back. Now, I'm ready to visit again :D
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Useful Japanese Sites
It's been a long time. Two whole years! I haven't seen this site for TWO whole years!
Anyway :)
Found a list of useful Japanese sites and thought I could share should anyone wish to find them:
Yamasa Institute - Online Kanji Dictionary for Kanji Stroke Order
You may search for the desired kanji either by:
+ typing in the kanji / copy + pasting the kanji into the search box +
+ searching for the Japanese word and clicking on the kanji in question +
+ searching for the Japanese translation of the English word and clicking on the desired kanji +
+ refer to the JLPT kanji list (old list) +
Jim Breen's WWWJDIC
Site for text glossing. It translates a sentence or a paragraph to the most likely meaning (usually accurate, some discretion may be necessary).
Space ALC
An English-Japanese translator. Best used with Jim Breen's WWWJDIC - Text/Word Glossing site. Actually, a lot of Japanese-related sites are best used with Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.
Weblio Honyaku
+ Japanese-English dictionary +
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