Cavalock and The Book Club Revisitation

After months of being lost in the abyss of illiteracy, I'm finally back to reading my stack of books I purchased last year. Picked up this collection of whimsical Japanese short stories during my last trip to Tokyo. Written in the later part of the 19th century by Lafcadio Hearn, these stories are all about the supernatural, fairy tale-like tales of old Japan, complete with samurais and lost ghosts. They are mostly short and rather straightforward stories reminiscent of the fairy tales that I used to read when young. But there's a certain poise and innocence in those works that just draws me in, know what I mean.

Anyway I have always liked fiction writers from the late 19th to early 20th centuries like Tolkien, Lovecraft, Tanizaki and now Hearn. If anyone has recommendations for short stories from that era, fiction of cos, let me know. Hah!

And speaking of Japanese, a friend treated me to this little bubble tea joint at Vivo City recently. It's called Nayuki and the surprising thing, well at least surprising to me, is that it's from China. I mean, I just thought it's strange that such a high profile Chinese shop would have the Japanese character 'no' in its name, considering their history and all that. I know copying designs, trademarks etc. are common there but kinda weird I thought to be coming up with one that's so ...er... Japanese.