Cavalock and The Home-Cooked Goodness Post

Stuck at home and looking though all my vacation stuff I acquired over the years, these certainly stood out. Free fans from all our trips to Japan. Free fans that are handled out at street corners in Japan during summer. There's even one that we got from a fancy restaurant that we had lunch at. We were extremely fortunate to have vacationed in Japan twice last year but this year fingers crossed, depending on when I can walk again, we'll see if we get to return to Tokyo or not.

Still no restaurant food or anything that requires a waiter taking my order, or even a millennial in a costume delivering food to me. So every few weeks, the Baker-at-Home goes to this Japanese lady's apartment with a buncha Japanese housewives for a home cooking class. They'll have lunch there and I'll have whatever leftovers for dinner later that evening when she gets home. No fancy sushi or ramen dishes, just some home-cooked goodness, the kind most housewives prepare for their salarymen, I guess. That there pix below is one me leftover dinners. Mouth-watering spread of Japanese bagadil, simmered fish and salad.

Cavalock and The TV Finale Checklist

No, that ain't a burger from Jewel's Shake Shack or A&W. That's an honest to goodness wagyu burger with chili and cheese from MOS Burger, me first burger in over a month since the operation. Taste so good. Still don't get the fuss over the Jewel burger joints. Had them Shake Shack burgers in Tokyo and New York, it's good but not that good till you wanna queue over an hour for them. Know what ah mean?

And Japanese strawberries from Medi-Ya! Could never say 'no' to them. So Star Trek Discovery Season 2 is over and like I suspected, it's another confusing time travel story. A ton of things don't make sense. Spoilers ahead, if Micheal is now the Red Angel, what happened to her mother, the first Red Angel? Since Michelle Yeoh killed the baddie, why did they still need to escape to the future? If the al the data has been transferred from the ship to the Red Angel's suit, why must Discovery still make the jump to the future? Not the best season ender. On the other hand, True Detective Season 3 was a winner. Great suspense and acting. A murder mystery that actually makes sense despite the many plot twists.

Friend dropped by for games this week. Sometimes I think I forgot how to talk to folks since I been cooped up at home alone. Friends dropped by and games played while stuck at home for the month of April include Warhammer: Underworlds, 7 Wonders Duel, Keyforge and Magic: The Gathering. 

Cavalock and The Annual Kickstarter Delivery

Only one Kickstarter project at a time, that's how I limit myself. I try not to be Kickstarting two projects at a time is what I mean. Once I got the delivery for that then it's ok for me to start eyeing other Kickstarter projects again. And at any one time there's at least a half dozen tempting new boardgames on Kickstarter. Anyway this came in the mail yesterday. Not something I would normally buy but it was $28 for two and I got a buddy to offload the second one. It sticks to the bottom of your laptop so I can ditch this laptop stand that I been using.

No food posts for now. There ain't much a guy who has been bedridden for almost a month can write about but I heard it's therapeutic so has anyone seen season 3 of True Detective yet? I'm picking this over the final season of Game of Thrones which I'll still watch once I'm done with True Detective.

So with almost everyone heading off to the latest attraction that is known as the Jewel at the airport and forming long queues at A&W restaurant, it got me thinking bout how my Dad would drive us to the ol' drive-in joint over at Bukit Timah decades ago. Good times. Kids today don't get to do stuff like that no more. Eating outta old-fashioned drive-in, I mean. I guess I'm more emotionally invested in it but really feel no need to be there (even if I could walk) just for a bite of nostalgia.

Well, speaking of me Dad, he's been pretty busy. Thousands of shots over the last few weeks. These were taken just last week. 

Cavalock and The Almost Easter Post

Hot-crossed buns! The Baker-at-Home bought these from Baker & Cook earlier this week, just in time for Easter. Yah, when I was growing up in the old family home eons ago, having a hot-crossed bun around this time of year is or was a thing when I was a wee lad.

Not bad but a little too much cinnamon for my liking. It seems like after moving out of the old family home back when I was still in primary school, we hardly celebrated Easter anymore. I remember one time me Dad brought me to a kids' party at Mandarin Hotel in Orchard cos it was down the road from the old family home, and I freaked out and started wailing when the giant costumed animals came out. I can say stuff like this cos only two people read this blog, you know who you are. ;) And thanks for dropping by.

Am hooked on this sci-fi horror novel The Wicked and The Damned right now. Two-thirds through and I'm loving it. Set in the popular Warhammer 40K universe although you don't need any prior knowledge of that setting, it started with three strangers meeting on a cemetery planet. Each has no memory of why he or she is there but they all have a story to tell and well, hopefully the ending makes sense. Fingers crossed.

A little sunset shot in the west side of the island by me 85-year-old Dad.

Cavalock and The Jello Leg Transmogrification

I never thought I would say this but I miss going to the gym. Been bedridden for bout 2 weeks now and my activities are pretty much restricted to reading, napping and watching Netflix and YouTube. Whatever little muscle I gained from the gym is now reduced to mush. Me leg muscles are now jello. More than a year of gym work gone.

I just realised if there's a fire and the Baker-at-Home is at work, I'm toast. And speaking of toast, I did managed to drop by Creamier's Tiong Bahru outlet for a waffle (close enough) and ice-cream treat couple days before me op. That's their blue vanilla ice-cream, not sure if it's limited or still available. Good stuff. Yah, really glad I got a bit of pigging out done last month.

I finished watching Punisher season 2 which is basically Punisher versus the Joker and Harley Quinn. Just done with Umbrella Academy too, kinda slow and did not live up to the hype IMHO. And I do miss my boardgame sessions although a couple of the guys have dropped by. Problem is I can't stay seated for too long which makes playing them boardgames a wee bit difficult.

Cavalock and The Rehab Coffee Lowdown

A little pre-op lunch treat at Summer Pavilion couple weeks ago with the Baker-at-Home. The meat platter was excellent and there were more than couple of things on the menu that we really wanna try. Will we visit the place again? Maybe, it ain't cheap but worth every cent.

Shades of Rear Window, being bedridden and immobile now means I got time to read (and re-read) a buncha books as well as catch up on tons of Netflix shows (already done with Love, Death and Robots and Polar, now on to Punisher season 2). If you are into award-winning black and white Japanese movies, check out the surreal Woman in the Dunes from 1964 on YouTube. I had to remind myself that this here blog is bout the 'good', 'happy' stuff in my life hence none of that self pity crap.

I had to keep myself busy and I figured taking notes on this book Coffee that I'm reading ought to do it. Now I only read the first couple chapters so far and it's about the global history of coffee. More or less everything you wanted to bout bout the beverage, like some monstrous Wiki page or some thing.

Anyway, it's like the book on Egg that I absolutely enjoyed reading so I went and got myself another book in the series. Some interesting facts I wanted to share from the first two chapters of Coffee.

"The Arabica coffee plant is grown commercially throughout the topics and was the first species of coffee grown for human consumption. Currently it accounts for around two-thirds of world coffee production. 

Robusta suffers from a major defect as it produces poorer quality coffee then Arabica. Robusta also contains twice the caffeine levels of Arabica.

When caffeine is removed from coffee beans, that caffeine extract is actually sold off to third parties.

The two main factors in determining a coffee's flavour are the degree of roast and the speed of roasting. During coffee bean roasting, a 'first crack' is heard as the beans break open under pressure from the gases building up inside them. The beans continue to brown until a second crack occurs as the cell walls collapse and oils are exuded unto the bean's surface. Lighter roasts, developed to a point somewhere between the first and second crack, are believed to bring out the best in most specialty coffees.

After the second crack, the flavours from the roast overpower those from the beans, which is why dark roasts are often used for lesser-quality coffees such as Robusta."

Cavalock and The Ovaries Oddity Order

Not our first time at yakitori joint Tori-Tama over at Robertson Quay, we liked it so much it has become our de facto yakitori restaurant and we were there again last weekend with friends. Now a Japanese friend of the Baker-at-Home reminded her of the off-menu item that one has to specially  request for, preferably in hushed tones, as we soon found out. The reason for the waitress subtlety turning to the one of the chefs was soon revealed when he leaned over our table and whispered, "Ovaries."

Well, it took awhile for the ovaries to arrive. During which the Baker-at-Home did asked me, "where are my ovaries?" True story. She and her friend shared the ovaries while I silently waited for my chicken liver and heart. Them two orange balls dangling the end of the stick are egg yolks that pretty much taste like ... well, egg yolks according to the Baker-at-Home.

What a difference three days make! That's six cans of 500ml Kirin going for a mere $19.90 (that's kinda like duty free price!) last week and three days later, it became $24. It ain't the stock market but that's some freaky price jump.

Cavalock and The Tulang Pineapple Cinder Combo

Here's something you don't see everyday. A Tulang or bone marrow beef pie, all part of last week's special Pie Week menu at Bread Street Kitchen. Let's just say that a Tulang meal isn't exactly me go-to order whenever I'm at Golden Mile Food Complex but this here pie is pretty good. Sizeable chucks of beef soaking in delicious gravy, buttery crust and more than a couple of spoonfuls of juicy bone marrow.

I believe that Pie Week is over. Anyway I also had the Pineapple Cider again. My go-to drink at Bread Street. It's something that tastes a whole lot better than it sounds. Really. 

Managed to do more miniatures painting last week too. One whole Warhammer Underworlds Skaven team. They turned out better than I expected. Extremely detailed figures. The little rats on the figure, on the base and under the base. Enjoyed taking them out for a spin the other night for a game.

Cavalock and The Second Oden Visitation

Guess we liked the food so much, we had to go back for seconds at Yama-Ya. It was dinner this time and I headed first to grab a table as the Baker-at-Home made her way there from work. We had a good spread and got to enjoy the uni-ikura don that wasn't available the last time we were there. Looking forward to trying more oden dishes next time. I heard of another joint at Cuppage Plaza that does pretty oden as well.

So much cool shows to watch on Netflix right now. Watching the second season of Star Trek right now but I'm saving Titans, Punisher Season 2, Umbrella Academy, Polar, yah you can see a patten here, and couple others for later this month when I'll be bed bound. More on that in another post I suppose. Oh yah, am I the only one who feels old every time I spot some millennial or teenager watching Netflix Friends on their phones?

Anyway I got books and ebooks lined up as well. And I downloaded a food delivery app so I hopefully won't starve to death whilst I soak to death in me own urine. Which reminds me, this would an excellent time to start me writing again. Nope, can't paint cos that would require me to be in a siting position for too many hours.

Cavalock and The Home Alone Report

The Baker-at-Home is finally home after almost a week away on an all-girls trip to Taiwan. One of the first lunches we managed to have together this week was at Yama-Ya, a little Japanese joint over at Fortune Centre. It's set by the same Japanese folks behind two other izakayas in the same building. Too bad the ikura don was off the menu that afternoon but we couldn't resist the oden and it was pretty good. The place is cozy and they had that soft jazzy saxophone music on, kinda reminded me of the music almost every cafe we been to in Japan was playing.

Dessert was a short walk away at Kurasu, a Japanese coffee joint. First time there too. Decent coffee but damn crowded during lunchtime. Probably drop by again at a more suitable time. And then again, maybe not.

Anyway, while the Baker-at-Home was away and me home alone, I found the time to finish painting me Warhammer Underworlds team, Magore's Fiends. Just four figures, it's a short skirmish game played over a board and uses cards from a deck to determine your actions. I actually bought the game over a year ago, played a few times then stopped. But got back into the game last month. There were several new figures and expansions released for the game recently and that sort of made the gameplay a little more interesting.

Cavalock and The Lazy Sunday Post

It's like that oldie by the Commodores, Easy like Sunday morning. The Baker-at-Home and me taking it nice and easy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. She (b)aked sure that breakfast for the next couple days was taken care. And that's our homemade kombucha fermenting in the living room.

We still got the coffee beans from Omotesando Japan and grinding, brewing them has kinda been our weekend afternoon thing for awhile now. And then I continue with my Warhammer miniatures painting. 

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.

Cavalock and The Sagrada Ice Cream Night

Always fun to introduce folks to the wonderful world of boardgames. Been ages since I had the opportunity to do a boardgames session and dinner at me friend's apartment. And the best thing to go together with boardgames is a good serving of premium ice-cream.  Having one of the brains behind local ice-cream parlour chain Creamier at the dinner party, means we were certainly spoilt for dessert choices that night. There were tubs of Longan and Goji Berries, Roasted Pistachio, Chestnut Rum, Mandarin and Carrot Sorbet and maybe one or two more that I missed out.

Had the Roasted Pistachio and Longan Goji Berries, and I much preferred the latter. Not too sweet and the berries weren't too overpowering which for some strange reason, I was kinda afraid they would be. Not sure if they are already out on sale, but I'll likely drop by Creamier for more scoops in the near future.

So one of the games we played that evening was Sagrada, a game I picked up in London last year. In this boardgame, we are artisans designing stained glass windows. We pick or draft dice to put in our individual window boards, following specific placement rules. Everyone loved how colourful and eye-catching the boards were when the game ended. Wish I had a picture of that! It's fun but a bit of brain burner and when you have five players like we had, it can take awhile to get to your turn as we are all staring at our boards and dice, and trying to figure out which dice to draft into our boards. Like I said earlier, I really enjoy bringing my games out and introducing them to new as well as old friends. My offer still stands.

Cavalock and The Doped Up Post

Since the authorities here have acknowledged that the rum in a tub of rum and raisins ice-cream isn't going to turn anyone into a drunken lout, how about the poppy seed in them bakes like lemon poppy seed bread. I mean, has anyone ever gotten high after eating them? Just like there aren't people getting drunk on rum and raisins ice-cream, I sure doubt if you can get stoned on a poppy seed bagel. :)

Me and the guys took a short break from gaming last week to indulge in a little makan session at Pasir Panjang food centre, the one right next to the train station. The guys didn't want any carbs so no carbs at all. So there's all this talk about injuries in the army. When I was a teenager and doing my stint, I woke up one morning in camp with a sharp pain around me pelvic area. I couldn't even lift me leg to put on me army trousers. No idea what caused it, I mean I didn't fall or anything like that. Visited the camp doc and got me first taste of painkillers. Headed back to training and everything was fine till bout a week later I ran out of painkillers. Of cos, that familiar piercing pain wasn't far behind and then came another supply of painkillers. At this point, I wound't be surprised if the army doc thought I was faking it when he was prescribing me all them painkillers (again).

Well, I think it was after me third or was it me fourth visit that he finally thought, "maybe this guy ain't faking it after all." Cos that's when he decided to send me for an x-ray. And guess what it revealed, I had a freakin' fracture! Which was very likely aggravated by all the constant workouts that I did while doped up on painkillers! Hah!

Back to the present, one of this year's first few paints, I rather enjoyed painting this guy. It's a single unit or a single model when you are playing it on the battlefield, a Knight Incantor so I didn't really have to worry bout painting a bunch of them in similar colours. I did a bit of deco with the base as well, like adding little twigs to it.