New Toys

So I finally got a proper internet connection going. Having a fast connection for the first time in forever is nice and all, but it's another sizable chunk out of my bank account that I'm going to have to deal with at the end of every month. On the plus side of things, Yamada Denki gives you a pretty hefty ２万 in credit to use as you see fit once you sign your contract with OCN. My new toys:　



I still intend to get my SLR one of these days, but the DSC-W380 gives me a nice, compact alternative to hold me over for the time being. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea how my P200 is still alive and functioning after 4 years of abuse.

Earthquake

Listening to:
東京事変
スポーツ

Woke up this morning at 5:30 thanks to a pretty big earthquake. It was reportedly a magnitude 6.9 quake that lasted for about 30 seconds. Although 30 seconds probably doesn't seem like a long time in print, it honestly feels like an eternity when you're waiting for the roof to cave in on you. My girlfriend's cell phone apparently has some sort of a natural disaster warning system function, because it started sounding this ridiculous "your space station will imminently explode" type alarm when the quake hit. That's all good and well, but the thing went off in the midst of the earthquake while the world was ending, so the whole time that the alarm was sounding, I was just like, "F***, I know, I know!" For the most part, the quake felt a lot worse than it actually turned out to be, but tsunami warnings were issued, a point of concern since the beach is right across the street from my apartment. We decided to play it safe and move to higher ground (more for fear for our cars than for our personal well-being) and made the trek to her place in our pajamas at the break of dawn. A Tsunami Bomb track is the second song that comes on when I shuffle through my music on the drive over, which is ironic but not at all funny.

In the end, it sounded like everyone on the island it made it through the ordeal unscathed. We watched the news for a bit, went to sleep again and woke up a few hours later with the world back to normal. Not exactly my definition of an ideal Saturday morning, but hey, you can always make up sleep.

Still A Sun

Despite weeks of trade speculation, the trade deadline comes and goes with Amare Stoudemire still in Phoenix. STAT had been absolutely beasting amid all the trade rumors, averaging 26 and 11 over a stretch that saw the Suns go 6-2. The Suns now run the risk of letting Amare walk away for nothing should he opt out of his contract this summer, but given his play of late when paired with Robin Lopez in the starting lineup, I can understand why Phoenix would be willing to roll the dice here.



Woke up this morning with nothing to do, so I made myself a proper breakfast and watched the second half of the Knicks/Thunder game. I gotta say, T-Mac in a Knicks jersey is pretty cool. He and Eddie House looked right at home in New York, combining for 50 points in their Garden debut. But how scary is Oklahoma? I'm convinced that Kevin Durant is the best player in the league not named LeBron or Kobe, and Russell Westbrook is like a pit bull out there. Kind of reminds me of a young Baron Davis.

SFIII Characters Confirmed For SSFIV

The latest issue of Famitsu has revealed that Makoto, Ibuki and Dudley will indeed be playable in the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV. I mentioned back in October that the inclusion of Alex, Makoto and Ibuki would make me very happy, so although the omission of Alex is a bit disappointing, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.





Kind of interesting how the first set of new characters were from Super Street Fighter II (Dee Jay, T. Hawk), the second batch from Street Fighter Alpha/Zero (Adon, Guy, Cody), and now this third group being from Street Fighter III. Another original character or two should round out the roster quite nicely.

Engine Issues

Just kidding.

Tire Issues

Woke up this morning to a flat tire. I guess I managed to run over a screw in the midst of putting in 160 kilometers the other day. The guys at the gas station patched it up real quick and I ended up being only about 5 minutes late for work, but I suspect that I may be reprimanded should another automobile-related mishap hinder my punctuality come Tuesday morning.



I was secretly looking for an excuse to get new rims, but I suppose that it can wait.

Battery Issues

Woke up the other morning to a dead car battery. I managed to get the thing replaced pretty quickly and was only about a half an hour late for work, but it turns out that I had a 4-year old Kei unit under the hood. It's a wonder that the thing lasted for as long as it did, especially considering all the juice that I'd been running to my speakers.



Much better. Might have actually been a blessing in disguise since I'd been planning on driving around the island on Sunday.



Unfortunately, dead batteries generally mean that your audio settings get shot straight to hell.

The Most Ridiculous Man In The World

He can speak 22 languages...



...at a 1st grade level.

Seriously, Steve Nash is the man.

Copper Foams...??? 2010

Looks like Nike's much anticipated release of the Copper Foamposite One has been delayed indefinitely. Originally slated to drop this month, the "Dirty Copper" would have likely been one of the year's biggest releases, and for good reason:



Beautiful. But to be perfectly honest, the delay doesn't bother me all that much. They could officially drop in December for all I care, just as long as I get a pair eventually.

5years

Listening to:
木村カエラ
5years

See, now that's how you do a proper compilation album. Disc 1: singles, Disc 2: rarities, B-sides, remixes. Hey, I love PV DVDs just as much as the next person, but the best way to get someone to buy an album of songs that he/she already owns, is to - gasp! - include a second disc full of songs he/she doesn't already own. What a concept! In all seriousness, I would have probably bought the thing anyway, but getting a clean recording of ミラクル☆BANZAI does my heart good. Too bad the catchy little tune that she did for that Hot Pepper commercial wasn't included.

Disc 1
1. You bet!! [新曲]
2. Butterfly
3. BANZAI
4. どこ
5. マスタッシュ
6. memories(original version)
7. Jasper
8. Yellow
9. Samantha
10. Snowdome
11. TREE CLIMBERS
12. Magic Music
13. You
14. BEAT
15. リルラリルハ
16. happiness!!!
17. Level 42

Disc 2
1. カメレオン2世 [未発表]
2. Hey! Hey! Alright (スチャダラパー+木村カエラ)
3. OH PRETTY WOMAN
4. 言葉はさんかくこころは四角
5. リリアン [未発表]
6. Cloudy
7. ミラクル☆BANZAI (木村カエラfeat.ILMARI)
8. Forbidden Fruits (feat.KAELA KIMURA / Curly Giraffe)
9. darling [未発表]
10. おどるポンポコリン
11. マシマロ
12. Happy?