MEXT Scholarship for Postgraduate 2009: Post Application

[kouki]

>ooilingfan
I would suggest we bring some local delicacies, such as 'bak gua' (dried meat), 'tow sah peah' (biscuits with green beans fillings - Penang delicacies) or our white coffee.

For a small present, it is a bit difficult. But try look at the tourist spots like Petaling Street or Central Market. Then you should get an idea on what represents Malaysia.

>Nall-ohki
It is great to hear that!

 

[menrui]

nall-ohki,
sounds like your sponsor pulled some strings. awesome.

ooilingfan,
wow, nice list you have there... If I ever need anything, I will go to you dorm room

ah, I didn't even think about omiyage yet... I guess I should bring something related to my university or city. If we're talking about cultural food... do you think anyone would like a bottle of ranch dressing?

 

[kouki]

The scholarship application re-opens again... Ms Yin will be very busy again...

Oh, I saw a term
The applicant who has already enrolled in a Japanese university is not eligible to apply for admission. So we can't apply if we get a place in the university. I am not sure whether it is the same in other countries.

 

[c0ok1e]

Ooilingfan, i think u r exaggerating..haha.. some items we can buy here and bring it over...and some items are not necessary..

bring bak gua and u will be quarantine together witht he bak gua.. haha

i actually do not know what to bring.. maybenot bringing anthing until the next trip when i go back to malaysia and back to japan.. before that i thought of bringing tau sar peah but then feels awkward when i dunno them yet... any suggestion for better gifts?? maybe tau sar peah will leave for next trip when i get to know the people in the lab better

 

[kouki]

before that i thought of bringing tau sar peah but then feels awkward when i dunno them yet... any suggestion for better gifts?? maybe tau sar peah will leave for next trip when i get to know the people in the lab better

But the Japanese students which came here brought their foods here also... I suppose it won't be a big problem, right? Who knows, it might be a good chance to introduce Malaysia, and make friends with them?

 

[c0ok1e]

sounds cool.. i will think about it.. other than food any other suggestions as souvenir?

for october intake, clockworkorange is the only person from malaysia?? like never hear of anyone for october intake

 

[jim84]

Ooilingfan, i think u r exaggerating..haha.. some items we can buy here and bring it over...and some items are not necessary..
bring bak gua and u will be quarantine together witht he bak gua.. haha
i actually do not know what to bring.. maybenot bringing anthing until the next trip when i go back to malaysia and back to japan.. before that i thought of bringing tau sar peah but then feels awkward when i dunno them yet... any suggestion for better gifts?? maybe tau sar peah will leave for next trip when i get to know the people in the lab better

Well, it's only a guide, certain things are not necessary but it'll make your life more comfortable by having it. Subjective to individuals. You can always run over to the students' center to ask for help.

Tau sar peah is not really suitable for long distance travel, by the time you reach there, your biscuits will become powder... the box will be out of shape etc. unless you hand carry it with you.

Bak kua will very likely be quarantined. Certain countries doesn't allow you to bring in Egg products, including cakes. I'm not sure about Japan, if someone has the list of banned items kindly share with us if you don't mind.

 

[kouki]

>c0ok1e

Sorry if I sounded like I am going in April... I am going in October as well. Haha

 

[DaiUso]

Hi everyone!

I've finally received the final answer from the embassy (though the departure date is not clear and haven't received all the documents yet) - but now i can be a part of this thread for sure ^_^

about the previously spoken power network - i checked on the power block of my laptop and it supports from 110V to 240V, so i think most manufacturers have thought about this kind of thing and we shouldn't worry too much

 

[oronen]

Hi everyone!

I've finally received the final answer from the embassy (though the departure date is not clear and haven't received all the documents yet) - but now i can be a part of this thread for sure ^_^

So did I (although, as I said here before, Nanako and Oded told me on Friday that everything is okay when I was at the embassy. Still, nice to get the official email.)

 

[DaiUso]

oronen:
i say nothing's final, not 'till i'm holding the plane tickets in my hand

 

[jim84]

Hi everyone!

I've finally received the final answer from the embassy (though the departure date is not clear and haven't received all the documents yet) - but now i can be a part of this thread for sure ^_^

about the previously spoken power network - i checked on the power block of my laptop and it supports from 110V to 240V, so i think most manufacturers have thought about this kind of thing and we shouldn't worry too much

Oh, so does it mean if the adapter says it supports 100V-240V, we can just plug it into a 2pin adaptor without the need of a power converter?
Sorry, i'm a noob in this. =p

oronen:
i say nothing's final, not 'till i'm holding the plane tickets in my hand

Haha, even if the emails from your University keep coming in, updating you on your courses and dorms, that doesn't assure you?

 

[Leeming]

It seems that 'tow sah peah' has a special place in your heart hahaa...
I've been thinking to bring our kopitiam white coffee too.

 

[Leeming]

Forgot to say , I just resigned yesterday. Now, I can concentrate in preparing my shopping list .hehe

Any advice for me to buy a laptop? people suggested to buy computer that made in Japan is better like Fujitsu, sony or Toshiba.What if I buy Acer or Hp ?

 

[jim84]

Forgot to say , I just resigned yesterday. Now, I can concentrate in preparing my shopping list .hehe
Any advice for me to buy a laptop? people suggested to buy computer that made in Japan is better like Fujitsu, sony or Toshiba.What if I buy Acer or Hp ?

Depends on your preference. For budget, Dell. For performance, Toshiba, Fujitsu, HP. For durability, IBM. For elegance, Sony, damn pricey. =p
Coolest? Mac Book.
If you don't mind small, go for netbook, far cheaper, lighter, many new cool designs to choose from.
The specs can be customized, it's whether you like the design.
I preferred to get in M'sia so i can do my setup here, plus i prefer an English system and OS. Warranties are international for most brands nowadays.
Also i checked the language schedule, jam packed since orientation. Perhaps no time to go shopping for laptops, more so with language barrier =p

 

[menrui]

um, I don't think a Japanese made laptop is necessarily better. Especially sony, they are way too expensive.

anyways, what kind of laptop are you interesting in? I myself went for a small and cheap netbook, the asus eee 1000he. I got it for 280 USD (steal~~)

Also, in japan, if you don't know how to find deals and such, you might end up paying for the full retail price. That's one of my concerns, so I'm trying to buy alot of things in the US before I leave. Like, I think the eee 1000he cost around 500 USD in japan...

 

[jim84]

Yea, good point. Hence i got most of my electronics back here. The fact is, there are places which sell at lower price, especially Japan made goods, only thing is we don't know how to hunt for them, YET. =)
So we can hold back on certain things, and get those essentials back in our countries.
Laptop is kinda essential i think. Can't imagine life without google, msn or email =p

 

[DaiUso]

ooilingfan:
I was exaggerating a bit - i've already quit my job and told everyone i'm going in april. still, i'd like to see the official papers asap

about the electronics - does anyone know where is it better to get an electronic dictionary? has anyone compared prices yet?
and there was a scan-pen that translated kanji (if i'm not wrong it was discussed on the previous forum) - i think it could be a life saver. Did anyone try it out?

 

[menrui]

scan pen sounds cool, but really expensive.
We also mentioned getting a PDA and loading it with Japanese language programs.
Or, you can get a Nintendo DS, and get a kanji program(I don't know what it is called.)

 

[Nall-ohki]

So... huh.

We just had layoffs at my work - they moved up my end date by a week.

I guess going was the right decision this time.

 

[abeeyo_q8]

You can also download apps on your iPhone or itouch
They have some pretty good ones

 

[silverPenciled]

Hi everyone ! sorry for not posting in like ages! it's been crazy for me , I didn't even have time to tell the people at work that I am leaving at the end of the month , ... oh and didn 't inform my family either ...
.... I was waiting for some sort of confirmation from the Embassy, and I have received it today ... They asked me to pass by to pick up the letter from MEXT that simply stats my selected language school (Tokyo Gakugei University) and Tama art University for my research study afterward ....
The date of the departure is still not known till now , but am assuming it 's okay as I read your posts and nobody got a confirmation regarding that matter yet, so I was kind of relieved a bit....

What worried me the most is the accommodation ; the Embassy was not informed from MEXT where I 'd be staying ... that baffled me a bit, they told me to contact Gakugei and they in return would prob help me out to find an accommodation... I am kinda frustrated here , as I have asked my consulate way earlier about that matter and was told not to worry about it as MEXT will handle it ... Anyhow I was wondering if anyone of you is going through the same situation or still has no idea whatsoever where they'd end up living ?

Also , ooiling fan , Thank you so much for this thread , I went through all posts and must tell you that every one of them helped immensely ,Thanks everyone ... Thank you also for the list of candidates and their designated Universities ....
Congrats to everyone who made it , I know we all came a long way and hopefully things will work out for everyone .... c ya there hopefully ...

 

[emreduman]

I also consider buying a new laptop to use in Japan, i asked where i can look at laptop prices to some of my japanese friends. One of them gave me a link, it may help you to compare prices. You can just select price ranges or different brands. It is easy to use even if you do not know any japanese. If you know any other sites, please share.

For Notebooks : h**p://kakaku.com/pc/note-pc/
MAC : h**p://kakaku.com/pc/mac-note-pc/
PDA : h**p://kakaku.com/pc/pda/

 

[c0ok1e]

Hey,
im worried about bringing our stuff over.. There seems to be so mmany things to bring over cuz we will be staying there for a long time and not just a holiday but the things we can bring on board seems to be so limited.. I only plan to bring my laptop bag and try to fit everything in then another luggage bag to put my clothes and try to fit everything it..

how about u guys?

 

[kouki]

>ooilingfan
How about the warranty of the computer? Can we fix our notebook there in Japan? It costs a lot when we have to repair them.
Akihabara in Tokyo would be a nice place to shop for electronic devices, though I heard nowadays more and more otaku (comic geeks) are going there as well. A good electronic dictionary would cost about 30,000 to 50,000 yen. (I think the 'stylus' (the pen-like pointer) ones would be around 40,000 - 50,000 yen)
Yes, it is confirmed that Japan uses two pins (square pins)... ooilingfan, you have to buy a traveller powerpoint if you are going to use the power adapter of your laptop bought in Malaysia. Anyway, I suppose most computers fit into the voltage range of 110V-240V.
Electricity
Another way, you can try buying the power cord later in Japan.
>DaiUso and silverPenciled
Congratulations! I think Malaysians would only know their date of departure after 13 March, since that's the deadline we have to submit our photocopies of passport to our embassy for ticketing purpose.
>Leeming
So now we have two choices: tau sah peah and white coffee. Would you like to consider dodol (durian flavoured, since we cannot bring durian on board) and keropok (but it would be too bulky if we are bringing keropok).