Tag: english

Starbucks Sumatra drip

January 11, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

Yesterday while waiting on the (wrong) station, i sat in for a coffee, because why not, and i could sit down to read for a while comfortably. So at Starbucks 大船 (Oofuna), i got myself a mug of hot drip coffee (though i usually only drink espresso), made out of Sumatra blend. (Later the day i had another, that time from House blend, but i can’t write about that.) Actually i forgot what was its name so i had to look up the store and call them asking, which i could do, so i’m proud of myself right now. I don’t know what my next pack will be after Gold Coast, but i’m considering Sumatra as well. I must’ve looked strange, a big foreigner guy with dreadlocks, reading Twilight in japanese and taking notes about the coffee on the back of the receipt.

Sumatra was a really nice coffee to drink. It’s well roasted, as expected from an extra bold coffee. First, it has a taste like popcorns. I guess that’s the “buttery” they’re always talking about. Also a lemon-like sour taste, which makes a really nice contrast. It might’ve been just because of the drip, but felt really soft, and a bit of unexpected acidity. Every mouthful tasted somewhat different–i don’t know how that’s possible, but it really did, almost felt like some spell on it. It had the same or at least very similar aftertaste as the coffee my parents are drinking all the time. It had a very thick body, leaving a mark lasting for a surprisingly long time, but not unpleasant at all. Even though, again probably because of the drip, it felt somewhat thin. Nice choice it was for a day’s hot coffee for sure.

Starbucks Gold Coast blend

January 11, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

Again a Starbucks coffee, and probably not the last. Note that i can hardly feel any smell because my nose is as dry as the nose of a dying cat, because the air in my room, although i’m humidifying it with boiling water, is as dry as i haven’t felt even in desert (been to one). I chose Gold Coast as “next one” when i bought Kenya.

Gold Coast’s steam has just the same smell as it’s main taste, strong and somewhat bitter. The dark roasting is very clear. If someone had to find something bad in it, that would be an interesting bit in the smell, which one could say is the same as the idea of children’s hated medicine.

Upon tasting it, it’s just as coffee-bitter as expected from the smell, and although its body leaves a nice feel, it’s not as thick as i would’ve thought. It doesn’t have any extreme flavours, it’s a really nice mix of coffees from all around the world, and tastes just like a coffee should. The taste itself is cold, and because of the dark roast somewhat burnt, which along with the official description mentioning Chicago, brings out the image of a burning oil barrel under a bridge. Although this sounds quite negative, the warmth of coffee and the thought that it’s all from around the equator makes it a coffee i’ll like to drink for the coming few weeks until it runs out.

What to sing?

January 11, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

It’s not an easy question for me when we’re going to karaoke. There are very few people who listen to or just at least appreciate the music i listen to mostly, the usual favourite being the “recently” emerged country, indie or “myspace” pop, call it however you want. And there i go, with unlimited amounts of rock, metal, punk, alternative and all the progressive versions of these, with some electronic, a few indie songs and even those are either of a totally unknown past Chicago indie band or from the selection i got from my exchange partner there. There are a few “must do” songs, the two sure being Hot dog by Limp Bizkit and Nellie the elephant by the Toy Dolls. And there i am, with two whole songs for a whole night. Usually i start going all over my “mixed” playlist, which has songs that i love though the music’s not my favourite kind, simply because these songs tend to be more popular.

And then, a few times ago i realised one more thing. I just have to go back six years, and i can find songs that people know, or at least can sing along: six years ago was the season of blink-182, Sum 41, the Offspring or Green Day, just to mention a few. I still sometimes listen to blink, and occasionally look up a few songs of Offspring on Youtube, but it’s no more in my usual (although in the case of Offspring i’ll try to make it again so). But these are easy to sing, popular, catchy, and i don’t care if someone joins and messes it all up (i do mind that in case of my favourites, like Fear of the dark, which still i try to put on every time), and noone will hate me for singing “songs that no one knows or cares about” (even if that’s unproved by millions of plays on last.fm). Interesting to note, that although the style is quite similar, Rancid is already “underground”, no one sang along when i had Red Hot Moon last time, though that’s pretty catchy too…

Karaoke made easier.

The day

January 11, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

The relief to my panic came when my senpai texted me that our games will be much later, hers being first at earliest two pm. So i luckily got there on time, roughly one hour after the agreed time… Still i had much much time to sit and watch people playing, the whole sports hall was full of pingpong tables—at least the main floor.

I was still reading Twilight (except when i could no longer concentrate enough) when the announcer called my name for the game, which lasted way shorter than i wanted it to. Apparently i wasn’t in any appropriate mental state for a table tennis game, and that showed in the three-four missed serves each set, the stupid mistakes and the scores of course.

It was around four that we finished, and with Sasaki senpai we set off together. Kobayashi senpai was going some other way, but i was going to Kamakura (though the sun was already setting, i wanted to give it a try), and Sasaki senpai lives that way. I tried to make many photos in Kamakura, though i couldn’t get to the big Buddha statue of our spring term memorised silly conversations, because the temple it’s at was already closed that time. Still i walked around, made many photos with the built-in camera of my phone (just so you don’t expect any special quality), had one more coffee in the local Starbucks, because it was only 100 yen (second one the day, this time home blend), some really bad tasting nuts (ginnan or something like that) (the reason why i’m not going to write about the coffee, i couldn’t really feel its taste properly) from a stand near a temple, and set off home.

The morning

January 11, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

I woke up at half past six in the morning. Anyone who knows my sleeping habits, probably also knows that this kind of early “morning” is not my style. I brew myself a coffee, of my new one, Gold coast (i’ll write about it later), had cereal for breakfast and left a bit early. I had to pick up a few stuff Sasaki senpai forgot in the club lockers, also to take some money from an atm, but i was still well in time. At least until Oofuna. Fujisawa open (japanese pdf), as the name suggests, was one more station further, in Fujisawa. But i was reading (still Twilight), and got off at the wrong station. Of course the name of the station was written nowhere where i could see it in time, so i was already twenty minutes late when i realised my mistake thanks to the senpais looking for me—one station away, where i thought i’d be. But it got worse. I rushed to the platform and got on the first train—which happened to be a special express (just my luck), meaning the next station it stopped was not Fujisawa, but Odawara. I was kind of in a panic, then lethargy, especially when i saw Mt Fuji nearing closer and closer from the windows—that meant i’m getting very far from where i should be. Lucky me, trains in Japan go faster, than at home. (Check on a map, where these stations are, Google or Yahoo, and you’ll get the idea.)

Shopping

January 8, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

Today i went shopping. Originally i only wanted to buy myself coffee (Starbucks again, i’m being globalised), bread and maybe cornflakes, but ended up with so much stuff that it took quite an effort to carry them all home. I went to Sengawa, because i found out there’s a Starbucks there, so i checked—will write about my experiences later. Of course got my coffee, and then i went for the food (i saw a Seiyu on the way, there). I stumbled upon a place where they were selling everything under the cheapest price i’ve seen so far, so i got loads of fruit and a few veggies, meat and fish. But the bread was double the Seiyu price, so i went over there too—and ended up with bread, cornflakes, curry. And a heater. It was so cheap (under 1500 yen) that i couldn’t leave it there. It’s just perfect for my feet under the table as i’m sitting at my computer. I’ve also checked a phone shop, the iPhone offers are way more tempting than they ever were, and i’ve also seen a shoe store where they were selling my kind of shoes for 3-4000 yen (Vans, Converse, Adidas, Nike). Will have to go there back once. Somehow Sengawa seemed very lively and young to me, although it’s definitely suburbia just one street behind the station. The prices show that too. But ah, i so understand the old japanese farts stalking high-school girls. They are hot. (Of course, it means that there are plenty hot ones, but it sounds better this way.)

A little soul

January 7, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

A little soul by ~Mis-shaped is the second in The Series, and not the last for sure. To look at the picture, and sure it’s worth looking at, for innumerably many reasons, among which are a cute pose, a beautiful girl, big headphones, blonde, the eyes, the legs, and of course the socks, i have to add, different colored, one huge plus point, but both are… well, just see.

Jetlag

January 6, 2010
valeblog
0 Comment

I’m here. I just woke up. It would be normal for home, but there’s eight hours of time difference, meaning it’s way past 3 pm already. And i can’t say i’m all cheery about that, becaue i wanted to study now. I have roughly three chapters of kanji homework to do, which is not all that difficult, but i want to take my time and review at least some of the last trimester. I also wanted to go shopping for food, because naturally after this much of ingredients, except for meat (frozen), lettuce (didn’t rot, to my greatest surprise) and olives (unopened) and the tons of various spices i had or brought from home. (Now that i wrote it down, this seems to be enough for one or two lunch.) Naturally i also have a reason, other than being jetlagged and hardly have slept any for the past three days, for waking up so late, that is that i went to bed at three (ante meridiem). We were talking, chatting, jabbering, catching up and stuff. And of course today, when i’m finally here, the sun’s not shining, and i managed not to wake up on my phone alarm (it’s still the same from the home freshmen camp, shouted by Vestator), which is quite loud, so to say. I don’t know if i woke up, walked across my luggages to my phone in the other end of the room (that would be the point, so that i couldn’t stop it quick enough and i’d wake up), or just my sleep was so deep that i didn’t bother. Whatever, now’s the time to activate myself with a coffee (it smells so similar to my mom’s) and “breakfast”. And study. Really.

Rainbows

December 30, 2009
valeblog
0 Comment

It’s been a while since i last posted, sorry, reblogged (i’ve to keep up with trends) a deviantArt picture, but when else, if not the start of my sockseries would be a better time? So here goes the first one (selected as first by the php random function), rainbow legs by ~missbecca. The colours are intense, the lines and forms are intense, the position is as perfect as could be…

But do i really need to write all this? Just watch and see and love.

Stripes and legs and stockings and girls

December 29, 2009
valeblog
0 Comment

I had a note in my phone for a very long time, to remind me to write about a topic. I was reminded of it again, when someone commented on my favourite Maximum the Hormone song‘s Guitar Hero video, saying it’s “the best thing since women’s striped stockings”. Others say “striped socks turn me on”. I can’t help but agree… (I guess everyone has these “knacks”, and here i go coming out.) I browsed around deviantArt, and made a little collection of “instant love” pictures of the kind. For others interested in these most very delightful of women-wear, there is a specialised club on dA with a really nice (though naturally incomplete) collection. My collection is a bit in contrast with what i wrote about in the previous post–these pictures include most (probably all) of the possible positions to take photos of legs, and all are great. All. Period. I’m seriously considering posting each and every one of them on the blog just for the sake of it. At least then i would have the proper space and time to detail them, which of course i would love to do. Also, while browsing, i stumbled upon two more photos, which caught me. I guess way too many people would debate about one of them (and you know which one), to what i could only say that it has all needed. Who knows, maybe you’ll see more about those too later on. じゃね～