Cavalock and The Beer and Tea Mingling

After a spell, I managed to drop by Meidi-Ya supermarket again just in time for their 13th Anniversary Fair, that's till Monday. They got tubs of Japanese ice-cream at 20% off which was mighty irresistible until I remembered I'm the bus back in this crazy hot weather. As always, it's the booze that caught my eye.

Now I must have written half a dozen posts bout how much I really like Japanese tea in a can. Like them better if it comes out of a damn machine in Tokyo. Lots here in Meidi-Ya, for only S$2 a can. And there are chicken wings too. They got soy, sea-salt, garlic shoyu and buncha other flavours. Go knock yourself out.

So in my last post I mentioned bout one of my stories got picked up in an e-book fantasy/horror anthology. I just wanna say 'thank you' if you bought a copy of it, you all know who you are. Strange and cool thing is I got another email from another publisher saying how much that person liked the same story and also wanted to publish it. Unfortunately they couldn't cos it was already picked up the first publisher. I guess it's one them good news, bad news situation. Good news they loved it, bad news they can't print it. Hah!

By the way, as I'm writing this, I'm watching The Hateful Eight on me iPad. Great show.

Cavalock and The Book Sales Pitch Bravado

Never thought I'd be doing this but here's a sales pitch! If you like fantasy stories written by South-East Asian writers and own a Kindle, do support this little e-book anthology Insignia: Southeast Asian Fantasy. My story The Island is in there and I hope you all like it. It's a little horror fantasy set in Singapore back in the 70s although you might not be able to guess that. It was edited out due to space. Oh, but you can get it through Smashwords here too. And a huge thank you in advance!

I know it has been awhile since I posted any wildlife shots by me Dad. Thing is, he had a bypass surgery just before Chinese New Year. But after a month of rest, he was back on his feet and criss-crossing the island almost every morning. He's over 80 years-old and still lugging his camera equipment in this sweltering heat. Of cos, some things had to change. He had to sell off his old heavy Canon camera for a lighter Nikon one. If anyone's keeping track, he's now using the Nikon D750 and lens af-s 300mm, teleconverter 1.7 and the 200 - 300 lens. It's all Greek to me. Well, no not exactly, sometimes I just pretend to know less bout stuff than I do.

Cavalock and The Forbidden Coconut Compendium

Ah, the things I find in Bangkok that I wish we had more of back home. Knorr Pork Cubes is something you won't find in our supermarkets here for obvious reasons, so naturally we had to grab a pack when we saw them on sale. Haven't used them yet!

I lost count of the number of the things I wanted to buy but didn't.  Coconut oil and cream! They had all kinds of coconut oil for a multitude of uses. You put them in your food, spread them on your body, slap them on your face, it's all supposed to be good for you. I don't know if they all work but I do know that the baker in the house stopped me from buying any.

Believe it or not, one of my favorite desserts or snacks there wasn't a Thai delicacy but a treat that I had before, in Tokyo. Found the Bake outlet in Bangkok and immediately wolfed down one them heavenly cheese tarts. Now just waiting for their outlet here to open at ION basement.

Cavalock and The Obligatory Thai Food College

Still continuing my long overdue Thai vacation and of cos it's time for the traditional obligatory overseas food college. To be honest, we didn't try a lot of the street food as even my Thai cousin advised us not to. Absolutely enjoyed every meal we had in Bangkok.

Spotted this at a local supermarket in Bangkok and couldn't resist grabbing a pack. Fried chrysalis, not something you see everyday back home so why not? Yah, I know. No street food but ok with sampling some slightly questionable fried bugs or insect pupas.

Well, the pupas were definitely larger than what I expected. Not the tastiest things I ever tasted out of a big. Texture-wise it's kinda like eating paper, as in little pieces of paper. Tastes a little eggy too. Maybe I should have picked the green seaweed flavour pack instead.

Cavalock and The Street Life Disposition

When in Bangkok, we tried their most famous detox programme. Within minutes, we were sweating out toxins from our pores like crazy. That's right, we attended the cleansing ritual that is Chatuchak Market on a blazing Saturday morning. The last time I was here was over a decade ago and it has definitely changed a lot since then. Less chaotic, more organised stalls but still almost just as hot. I believe they still sell livestock although I didn't see any but we never walked the entire place so maybe. I could hardly find any more bootleg or counterfeit items for sale and I was gonna give up hope when I stumbled onto this and everything is right in the world again.

If you are looking for food in Chatuchak, forget it. I strongly recommend the famous Or Tor Kor market just across the road for all kinds of fresh and cooked Thai food.

And now this. Sometimes I wish we can experience a kind of old school lawlessness back in our streets. Don't you feel that when the sun goes down and you are walking down Orchard Road or the CBD, it's just people rushing from point A to B. It's incredibly boring. There's often nothing else to see or experience on the way. I mean I been to and seen the nightlife along the streets of Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. In the evening, the streets come alive with a sprinkling of unruliness, a hint of chaos, a tinge of temptation but without a sense of danger to anyone. The street hawkers, peddlers and other colorful night denizens are all genuinely there to make a living. I knew they were folks breaking the law just a couple feet away from me but I didn't unsafe at all. I'm not asking for looters or mad bombers roaming the streets at night. And I'm definitely not asking for government sanctioned 'Pedestrian Night' or organised sports events along Orchard Road and Shenton Way. I want something different from the current boring street nightlife, something to stir my senses, something that'll make me pause and do a double take at what that guy is selling from his little makeshift stall. I suppose the closest we have here are the Geylang back alleys but nah, that ain't working for me. I want something more brazen with the chance to be shocked or surprised by what I see on sale. I also believe that's what tourists would like too. Is that too much to ask?