Just stuff......

3 blog entries in the month of June - quite an unusual event these days.

Following on from my recent entry about Spitfire Ale, the local supermarket has started selling a few other traditional British ales from the Shepherds Neame brewery. It is quite remarkable what some cloudy liquid in a cold bottle can do for the mood. The fridge at the supermarket has been completely emptied so the other customers clearly have a taste for the ales as well. Hopefully the supermarket will recognise the strong demand and continue selling the beer indefinitely.

The weekend could not have come any quicker as last week was a bit tedious and I didn't enjoy getting soaked a couple of times (as it is the rainy season here at the moment). On a positive note, the summer has mostly gotten off to a cool start and sleep is still comfortable and easy. The merciless heat and humidity will arrive, but the delay is certainly welcome.

One big event I am looking forward to is a holiday in Vietnam (with perhaps a day and night in Cambodia). It is possible that my time in Japan will come to an end in the not too distant future (this blog will have to be renamed Kane in *******), so I wanted to see some other countries in the local 'neighbourhood' whilst I am still able. I've booked 10 nights at The Majestic Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (still known as Saigon in Vietnam). Plenty of time to relax in the hotel, see the sights in and around Ho Chi Minh, and possibly a night away in Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. Obviously July will be a busy blogging month, so stay tuned.

Earthquake wise, the recent weeks have been very quiet.....too quiet. Got a nasty feeling another large event is in the making, but no-one really knows.

It's Saturday night here, and I'm still recovering from one of the spiciest bowls of noodles I have ever had. Perhaps this evening I'll watch a couple of films with some Spitfire Ale, and then venture to my local bar later on for a brief visit.

2013 MacBook Air

Almost exactly 5 years since I purchased my MacBook Pro, I am now the owner of a new 13 inch MacBook Air. Although initially reluctant to buy an Air due to my perception that they were mostly a compromise solution that failed to excel in any specific area, feedback and recommendations from Facebook friends convinced me to dip my toe in the water.

I would have happily continued with my old Pro had it not started to crash regularly and not sound like a playing card strumming the spokes of a bicycle. As my old Pro started to fail around April, I decided to hold off making a new purchase until the Apple World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC). I was hoping Apple would refresh the current Retina Pro but was left disappointed they only upgraded the Air.

Still, the new energy efficient Haswell processor seems to do a great job, the flash memory makes startup lightening quick, and the Air is a doddle to carry around. Although I'm a little disappointed Apple didn't outwardly change the design of the Air, it seems to be a great new computer which I hope will last as long as my last.

The Bottle of Britain

Seiyu, my local supermarket, has the capacity to pleasantly surprise me on occasions, perhaps because it is part of the rather dark Wal Mart empire, which also includes Asda in the UK.

On the way to the beer fridge on Thursday to pick up my regular summer thirst quenching 6 pack of Sapporo, my attention was drawn to a pleasantly familiar product - Spitfire Ale from the Shepherd Neame brewery in Kent, England. Although almost double the price of a 330ml can of Sapporo, the extra cost is somewhat offset by the fact that the bottle contains 500ml of England's finest.

Today, I made another sortie to the beer fridge with the intention of bagging another Spitfire or two. The mission had a big surprise in store for me as I encountered another friendly sight that goes by the name Whitstable Bay organic ale, another Shepherd Neame product. I am not sure which I like more, the actual beer or the novelty of being able to drink some good old traditional British style ale.

Judging by the near empty beer fridge in the supermarket, the population of Higashimurayama in Tokyo are also rather fond of the new additions.

I wonder what will be in the fridge next week? Tally Ho!!