JapanesePod101 - The Good and Not-So-Good
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I'm a major slacker when it comes to studying Japanese, so my New Year's resolution was to seriously up my game when it came to my language studies. I waded through a lengthy internal debate--should I go with an online language learning service or traditional classroom study? Online is generally considered more cost-effective, but classroom can boost motivation with its consistent face-to-face human interaction (aka social pressure, aka a kick in the rear-end). My fear with the online thing was like that of a gym membership. Would I sign up and never go? That would be a damn shame...
A long-time free member of JapanesePod101.com, I decided to pull the trigger and try their premium plus subscription. Why did I go with this? Because it seemed to offer a bit of the best of both worlds--their entire online learning library along with access to a real Japanese teacher. My hope was that the human teacher would give me a solid kick in the pants once in a while to keep me on a righteous academic path.
In true "Mondaiji" style, I summarize the good and not-so-good of my experience below.
Xoom.com Review - Is This a Joke?
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As an American guy living abroad in Japan, sending money between the USA and Japan is something I'm used to dealing with. In fact I documented the various international money transfer methods I've used over the years here: How I Send Money Between my Japan and USA Bank Accounts - Life Abroad
Always on the hunt for what's new, I came across Xoom.com, a site operated by Paypal that appears very similar to my current favorite money transfer service Transferwise. What the hell...let's give it a shot. At the very least it would be beneficial to have an alternative on hand in case Transferwise ever fails me.
How I Send Money Between my Japan and USA Bank Accounts - Life Abroad
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Despite living abroad in Japan for quite some time now, I of course still maintain a USA presence of sorts in the form of bank accounts and credit cards. Therefore, a common scenario is sending money between my Japan bank account and my USA one. While the options used to be fairly limited to international money orders and wire transfers, a couple of newly-discovered and extremely convenient solutions have proved their weight in yen to me. For the sake of completeness, I document all the solutions I've utilized.
Read more: How I Send Money Between my Japan and USA Bank Accounts - Life Abroad
The Hunt for the Ultimate Dietary Supplements for Anxiety, Stress, and Insomnia
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I've always known myself to be a nervous person, but unfortunately as I've gotten older my relationship with anxiety, stress, and insomnia has worsened. What used to be sweaty palms or minor pre-presentation tension is now a borderline panic attack. I have sought and tried professional medical help, but I hesitate to start regularly medicating myself for fear my waking life will become that of a loopy automaton. Sleeping pills were nice, but soon got addictive. I didn't like the direction this was going.
Instead I sought a more holistic approach, which includes mental and meditative exercises coupled with stress-fighting dietary supplements. Below I document my hunt for the ultimate dietary supplements to combat anxiety, stress, and insomnia.
Notes
- The links I included are to the products I myself have tried and (in the case of favorites & honorable mentions) personally recommend.
- In general I like the NOW brand, as I find it consistently potent. Nature's Way is also good.
- I don't like Japanese brand DHC. Their supplements seem very weak and do next to nothing for me. I gave up on that brand.
- Japanese brand Nichie is awesome. This is the one I use for Maca. Unfortunately, they don't offer my other favorites.
Read more: The Hunt for the Ultimate Dietary Supplements for Anxiety, Stress, and Insomnia
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