Tag: english

Starbucks Komodo Dragon blend

February 13, 2011
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I bought the Komodo Dragon blend after the Finca el Faro ran out. Since back then i was about to face off with a bunch of tough exams, i bought a full package of the Komodo Dragon as a precaution–it would run out fast anyway, with daily three or so cups during the exam season… I’m having one of the last brews i could get out of it today, so…

While brewing, it filled my room with a really strong coffeey aroma, which had something flowery to it (in look for a better word). It has a soft yet characteristic bold body, and a taste i could only describe as being “black”: it tastes black, with the good roasting, warm tastes just a bit stingy that kind of remind me of some hot spice like pepper.

This black gold from Indonesia is really refreshing, especially on a cold winter morning with its warmness, but as a bold blend expect that it has a good weight to it as well.

Happenings

February 13, 2011
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I’ve been feeling the urge to blog for days, but somehow i could never find the right time to start writing. Now i forced myself, but that means you shouldn’t have high expectations.

My daily activities have not been all that varied lately. Considering it’s spring break, it’s not surprising at all, but still…

Wake up sometime, try translating something, then go to gym and running before the sun goes down and it gets too cold, then do more translations. Trying to catch up to Star Driver and finish Shiki as soon as possible, while doing timely on the weeklies of Digimon, Yumekui and Gosick. Actually, just yesterday i saw that [gg] is recruiting translators, so i applied. It’d be great if i got that post…

Also, i bought the cheapest possible tv tuner that i could get for my computer, which ended up a usb Buffalo one, but i guess i’ll have to get a decent antenna for it, because now it can hardly get any signal not to mention HD broadcast… And here i had high hopes…

And yesterday we went to karaoke with the club, it was fun. (We were many, so i only sang (sic), Daydream Syndrome (with girls’ help, i couldn’t make it to that pitch by myself) and I fought the law.) Next week’s already practice, so i should get ready for that as well.

Heat up

February 8, 2011
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Today we had a club meeting after long, and beside the Rancid it seems i’ll be taking part in a Iron Maiden copy as well. This doubled my total song count. (Up to no good, Fall back down and Out of control from Rancid and Mother Russia, Wildest Dreams and The Fallen Angel from Iron Maiden).

And after countless times of fruitless asking, i finally managed to get the date of the ski trip out of the office people: 14-17th this month. It’s a bit troublesome because for 14th we planned the farewell party of the korean girl in the club (who also lives in the dorm), and i have plenty to do there, so i only hope it’s like late night departure and i’ll be able to be there at the party. If not, now that’s not going to be nice i’m afraid.

Also, with this decided, i have all that i need to know about my spring break—now the only thing left is to figure out how i’ll be able to pay moving to the new apartment, especially considering it’ll be bare empty, so i’ll have to buy everything for myself (from something to sleep on to something to cook on). I’ll have two concerts to enjoy and one to also perform, i’ll have a ski trip, i’ll have to go to renew my visa, i’ll have to move… And i still have heaps of anime to translate.

Wanna fansub more

February 8, 2011
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I’m doing plenty of translations for a bunch of groups, but i still don’t feel satisfied. I want to be the first, which is of course a naive idea with Crunchy rip groups like Horrible out there, ruining the fun for the nice people like us. It works with Xros Wars, even though i don’t have a raw to work from, thanks to the chinese releasing their subs pretty fast. It works with Yumekui that i do for WoF because with next-day translations the hungarian market can be satisfied.

We were talking with iMon about what should we be doing next season, since i’m already occupied now with Gosick for Tokimeki, Xros Wars, and the rest for WoF, but it still turns out that if i want my translations to be the first out there for people to download and use, that needs hell of a team. I can do translation well enough (being immodest, because who cares), iMon can do typesetting and encoding, but that still leaves us short of at least a timer and if possible an editor. In case of Xros Wars, i’m doing timing myself, but i’m not good at it, neither am i fast, so it’s not really what you’d call ideal.

For the next season we were planning to do Ao no Exorcist and Steins;Gate. If you feel like joining our fun as timer or editor, and you can work fast yet good, please contact me. Or iMon.

Logic

January 31, 2011
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Every now and then i buy stuff from Amazon, and because of that every now and then i get offer emails from them, related to stuff i bought lately. But it’s strange.

If i just bought a not-so-cheap, big and well rated monitor, why would i buy another one right after? Wouldn’t it be better to offer me dunno, media boxes, remote controls, speakers, stuff that i would want to buy to make my media and/or gaming experience better. Or a high precision laser mouse which would come handy if i were buying that monitor for graphic design purposes (or for playing fps games all the time).

Offering me dozens of other screens, it just doesn’t make much sense to me.

Someone give them a cold shower

January 28, 2011
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Seriously. Considering a tiny plastic toy gun of a GI Joe figure a real threat, it seriously makes me wonder who’s the bigger threat – actually dangerous people (see Moscow suicide bomber) or the zeal of these security personnel who think they can do whatever they want just because they are airport security personnel.

Following the tweets of ioerror, Boing Boing and Cory Doctorow gives me plenty of such stories every day, though usually it’s nothing so obviously hilarious. I mean, anyone with just a bit of common sense could see that a plastic toy poses no threat. And the airport people X-rayed the package to see if they had bullets for it. Come on.

It’s again different (though not better in any way, on the contrary), when airport security are messing around with people just for the heck of it. Most of the people don’t know their rights, so they rather comply than go through a long and troublesome procedure. Also it’s a problem that usually it’s not even simple to get to know your rights. For US people, having websites as the one i linked above it might be, but i really have no patience to look up what rights i have as a hungarian in Japan. I know i should have.

A place

January 25, 2011
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Oh by the way, yesterday i think i secured an apartment for myself. It’s not as cheap as i wanted, but it’s comfortably big and is very close to the university. Now i only have to go through tremendous amounts of paperwork and it shall be all settled.

On music pirates

January 25, 2011
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Reading an article on the topic on Ars made me think. The graphs there show that the overwhelming percentage of music pirates are teens—which can be either because they are the new generation that grew up on the net, or because they don’t have enough money to buy all the music they want. Yet.

More or less still kids i guess at first they just start downloading music because they can and they will of course try it, since it’s free, and it gets you good music. It’s obvious that free samples to good to sales: all online music stores have previews. Just consider teen piracy as a preview. They get what they want, check it out, love it or hate it, and probably when they have money they’ll go to the live performances of the artists, and buy the albums. Usually first the lives, and then the records: it takes a lot more enthusiasm (and/or maturity) to give out money for something you already have, but as for me, i consider downloaded music something bought but not yet paid.

Just as how i’ll start collecting books on the grand scale once i have a place to put them and the money to buy them, i will start collecting music just the same fashion. (Actually i already started with music since that takes up much less space. I’m expecting a cd tomorrow from CDJapan.)

Starbucks Guatemala Finca el Faro

January 24, 2011
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Those guatemalans know something.

Finca el Faro is also a limited edition coffee produced on one certain farm in Guatemala for Starbucks (though it’s strange i can’t find anything about it on their or any related website), but in general it’s a different sensation than Casi Cielo was.

While making the coffee i tasted a bit of the ground beans, and it reminded me of two things at the same time: nuts and popcorn. The aroma of the fresh brew is first of all lively and fresh. It’s like an autumn campfire, not all so soft but an overall warm feeling. Also a touch of cocoa.

With just a bit of sourness (most of which comes back after finishing the coffee) and a really nice, soft and full, i would even say buttery if i dared to. Its sweetness is really well counterbalanced by the boldness, so it matches my preferences (though not as much as Casi Cielo). This coffee also leaves a cover of pure coffee taste on the tongue, so its taste lingers around for a long time.

Like.

Best anime openings?

January 23, 2011
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What are the best anime openings ever? The first few that came to my mind were…

Any suggestions?