Tag: english

Starbucks Sumatra Mandheling

May 1, 2010
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After using the last bits of my Sumatra coffee, i rushed off to buy one of the limited ones: first Sumatra Mandheling. It’s really nice. Soft. Kind of reminds me of the spirit made out of paprika that a classmate of mine brought along to one of the highschool class trips. It was damn hot, i could still recall the feeling. Now, in case of the Mandheling, it’s only the flavor. Although the coffee is being sold as extra-bold, it’s nowhere as bold as the “normal” Sumatra coffee or an Italian blend. It’s surely not light, but it’s very soft, and warm. It feels serious, something that you would imagine for a meeting of governments discussing a war situation. It tastes red and hot, but without actually being that spicy hot. Also, it smells very nice, foreshadowing its taste.

I really will be interested to try out the other three new Sumatra coffees as well.

The Lucid Lynx

April 30, 2010
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Today i downloaded and installed the most recent version of Ubuntu. For those unfamiliar with the word, Ubuntu is the linux distribution often labelled as the one easiest to use. Probably it’s right, but still linux is linux. Here you have to sudo to install the mp3 codecs, in exchange you don’t have to worry about security. I still recall how long i looked for a usable firewall for linux, but then rather gave up… I hope the university router will protect me for most of the time now. Also, it only takes typing in the search box to find and install most programs i’d ever want to use–in case they weren’t preinstalled (examples of such: Mozilla’s Thunderbird mailing client, Pidgin, VLC, GIMP, Azureus (still not used to calling it Vuze), SciTE, the Apache server and PHP for it, just to name the most important).

Thus from now on i’ll be mostly hanging on linux instead of Windows. I say “most of the time”, because as you can guess, i’ll still be going under Microsoft’s oft-cursed operating system to edit images (Fireworks) and to play (Warcraft). And, to test my designs on Windows browsers as well (couldn’t find Safari for linux, though i’m not surprised, it’s the Internet Explorer of the next generation).

I’m really happy with this system for now, though there are a bunch of stuff i’ll have to tweak for my own taste–as expected. My drives, although mounted, do not show up in “Computer”, for one, no volume control icon, for two, and i’ll write a quick script with which i’ll be able to ping last.fm about my listening to an internet radio. They don’t support that by default, so i’ll be doing it manually. It’ll be interesting to do shell scripting again, after more than a year…

Also, lynxes and big cats of their kind are simply cool. And this one’s lucid too.

My name

April 30, 2010
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Recently i was asked many times about my names. For a very long time now, online i’ve only used valerauko and its variants. Where does it come from?

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Relief

April 29, 2010
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Tomorrow the scholarship will come, at least it’s supposed to, saving me. I’ll start with buying a pan for making pancakes and a new pack of coffee, because i’m running out of it (again). Saturday i plan to head for Tokyo, meet up with friends during the weekend and come back sunday or monday. One thing sure: i’ll buy myself as much cheese as possible, because nowhere around here could i find cheese in normal price range and amount, and i need a lot. One block of cheese usually lasts 1-2 months, depending on how many times i have dinner, and whether i use it for cooking as well (for pasta, pizza and stuff).

Other than that, going to Tokyo, i have absolutely no plans for this one and a half weeks of break. I will probably go to Osaka once, go on to Kobe, probably Nagoya as well, just to see the surroundings. I’ve already been to Kyoto twice (true, Osaka once as well), but i may go back again for more sightseeing. I really want to spend my time well. Also, with the EEM (Eastern European Method), i can travel by train quite cheap, as long as i don’t need to change lines too much.

I also hope i’ll get my credit card soon, and then… well. We’ll see.

The geek

April 28, 2010
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Tomorrow the new Ubuntu LTS will be released. It’s at L already, this release is called, or will be called, or whatever, Lucid Lynx. (I still remember how “funny” it was when i asked my english teacher at the exam preparation class what the “dapper” of Dapper Drake means… no idea why, though.) I can’t wait to try it out. My laptop is quite old, and it’s really funny how everyone’s surprised that i’m still using XP. At first i didn’t get what’s the problem with it, then i realised that XP was released a decade ago… True, but. In my eyes Vista doesn’t count as an operating system, and i just don’t like the way 7 looks, so i had no temptation to try it out. Also, i tweaked my XP quite well. But truth is, it’s getting slow. Although with Ubuntu i’m confident my machine will still be sufficiently fast, i can foresee the purchase of a new laptop this year. The only problem is i either have to buy it online or when i go home, because i have no intentions to suffer with a japanese language os. Nor their keyboard layout (it’s a nightmare). I will get a laptop, neither a desktop or a netbook, because laptops have what i need: mobility, decent screen size and basic gaming capabilities (i will play StarCraft 2 for sure, if nothing else until WarCraft 4).

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The meaning of Liff

April 28, 2010
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When i happen to be in the mood to think about such matters, i soon end up with wondering about the meaning of life. A while ago a friend took a facebook personality quiz and i dared to say the results use the typical technique of saying big and very general phrases that yet will make anyone feel like it’s about themselves. Actually this matter is discussed on the very first page of the book on persuasion and critical thought i’m reading. (The conversation is really important. I made my comment, was labelled sceptical, went cynic and suggested trying to find out the meaning of life in a facebook quiz, a response with the said person’s “meaning of life”, which i countered as being a way to live, not the meaning, then the friend said it’s the same.)

I’m sceptical, that’s probably true. I don’t consider myself strong or exceptional, so if i can debunk something it’s simply not good enough.

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A Jack of All Trades

April 28, 2010
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In Neil Gaiman’s Graveyard Book the Jacks play a significant role. I’m not a native english speaker so i didn’t know that this “Jack of all trades” is a phrase quite famous, indicating someone who is a jack (man) of all trades, but master of none. I’m wondering if i could actually become master of any. Master, as in top. Or will i, do i have to embrace the fact that i’m just an average human being?

It’s one thing i’m aware of that, and another is that i accept it. I don’t plan to.

I obviously can’t be a master of any trade. There are always people better than me in all fields, people who sacrifice most else to excel in one field—and i’m not one of those. I never liked the idea of specialization, in rpg games i always suffered for every level because i was building warmages, capable of dealing decent damage and also casting powerful spells, instead of a specialized mage or warrior. I don’t really have a special talent in any field either, nor the discipline to do sacrifices to win over those who have talents. Instead of becoming a short-sighted scientist, i want to become someone who can at least see what’s going on in general. I don’t want to be the doctor laureate who doesn’t know where Laos is.

I think, now, totally dazed by sleepiness, that i’d rather be a jack of all trades, than a master of none. (Play on the original phrase, hell yeah.)

Hungry

April 27, 2010
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I did my weekly shopping today, i won’t hopefully need to buy anything for a couple of days now. Well, at least until friday. Friday is when the monthly scholarship comes and will save me from going bankrupt. My account balance is a whole 1200 yen right now, with about the same in my pocket. Really reassuring.

The weather is totally cheerful by the way. My poor umbrella was half-broken by the wind this one day more times than all my previous umbrellas altogether. It’s blowing so hard that sometimes it blows in through the aircon (yet, the weather websites claim there’s no exceptionally strong wind or rain here, nice job guys).

The classes today, or rather classes in general, can be divided into three groups: the classes which are meaningless and/or boring (most are such), the classes where it’s more or less impossible to follow the teacher’s train of thought (information society) let alone take notes (marketing), and the classes which worth something (bookkeeping, japanese).

At least i got home around seven. I had a fascinating (not) math class as last, till way too late. Considering that i only ate my pasta-bento since morn, which means seven hours since my last meal not counting my last cookie from home, i’m kind of starving. Turning into a hobbit or what.

(Very) long walk

March 29, 2010
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After i read the Evangelion manga (after arriving to Hikone and taking a walk around town), i got bored and decided to go for another walk. This time i had some target, i wanted to find the famed Sukiya of the town. I managed to, had a cheese don, but it was quite adventurous. First, i headed out at half past nine, quite dark, and a small town like this, on a rainy sunday night, is totally deserted and silent. I could say i got lost, but let’s just put it like i was discovering a new place. I walked kind of all the way to the next station (Hikone south), though i didn’t realise this that time.

I’ve seen a great bunch of shops (Daikichi instead of Sankichi) and stuff, so i get the feeling i won’t be lacking much other than luxury and computers (both i’d buy elsewhere anyway), once i will have money for anything but life, since i’m already on a quite tight budget, and i will have to manage surviving till the next scholarship while paying all the entrance and books and stuff for the university, which will cost a few Yukichi, i’m afraid.

Friday

March 26, 2010
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Woke up around nine, constantly fell back asleep until noon, managed to get up, and headed off for Asakusa. I’ve been there one before by bike, but that time i didn’t really have time for sightseeing, just bought souvenirs for home people and hurried home. This time i got there in a normal time, and what’s a big difference, by train (after having a good sandwich and a very 薄い (weak?) coffee in a coffee shop the name of which i always read “Outdoor”). I had a bit of trouble finding Kaminarimon, thanks to totally clear road signs, but i got there, rushed past the souvenir stands before i get tempted to buy some useless junk, and headed for the temple. Made a bunch of photos, managed to scare a japanese family by asking them how to read the name of a saint or god or however those things are called, and was asked by a spanish(speaking) family to let the kids take a photo with me. I’ve seen and heard a monk chant a mantra, one that i actually know from a japanese traditional music collection i got from someone.

After that i met up with the others at Shibuya, had thai “lunch”, and went for karaoke until ten. That’s my today. Maybe after shower i’ll play a dota in my room against the computer. Or just go to sleep early and actually go to the Tsukiji fish market tomorrow morning…