Monday, May 28, 2012

Cavalock and The Avacyn Restored Game Day Victory

Been awhile since I been back to Freshness Burger and it looks like they got something new on their menu. Vegetable soup! Yah, I know it doesn't sound like the most exciting thing on the menu but I was nursing a cough back then and figured this was better than a side order of fries.


Now that's what I call a 'vegetable soup'! That's a heck lotsa vegetables in that S$2.80 little cup, you got chucks of potatoes, carrots, cucumbers and onions. I felt it was a heavier and filling soup than the chowder or minestrone at Mos Burger. For that price and at a fast food joint, it's a tasty enough veggie soup with lots of flavor.



WARNING! 

You are now entering the geek zone!!! Most of you will have no idea what I'm talking about below! It's not too late to turn back! ;)

I started this blog to talk bout stuff that makes me happy and boy, was I ever on seventh heaven when I made it to the Top 4 on Magic's Avacyn Restored Game Day. I played my usual white weenie rush deck with some new cards from Avacyn Restored thrown in, like Divine Deflection and Angel of Jubilation.

There were six rounds of swiss to play before cutting the list of about 50 players to the Top 8. The first two decks I faced were red green ramp but my mainboard Elite Inquisitor with its protection against a Huntsmaster/werewolves onslaught plus a last minute Divine Deflection draw against a Wurmcoil Engine saved the day. And then I crashed to a devastating Planeswalker deck that I had no answer to. So at the halfway point of the tourney, I was leading at 2 - 1.

For my fourth match, I was paired against a black zombie deck, it was the perfect match-up for my white guys, especially since I got 4 Miriam Crusaders and 4 Celestial Purges in my sideboard. Hah! Then after whopping his candy ass, guess who or what was my fifth match? Another black zombie deck! Yup, clean wins for my fourth and fifth matches!

Next came my sixth match or final round of swiss. By then the standings were up and at 4 - 1, I was seated at a steady and sturdy third position. My sixth opponent (playing blue black control) asked if I wanted to do an ID (intentional draw) as we were both already assured a place in the Top 8 playoffs later. No point in risking one of us losing, getting less points and not making it. Of course I agreed. Then I dashed down the old shophouse steps, and crossed the busy road for a quick solo Teohew porridge dinner (my friends were still playing). :P

The Top 8 playoffs! Met up against a white green deck, came bloody close to losing until my Terminus saved the day by clearing the board. Nope, I didn't use its Miracle ability as I had it in my first hand draw. Goodbye to all you pesky Strangleroot Geist, Blade Splicer and Restoration Angel!

So me and my friend both made it to the Top 4!!! So the Top 4 guys (Delver, Planeswalker, white token and white weenie), we were mentally exhausted by then, it was like over 8pm and we had been playing since 2pm. Do the math. We all decided to just spilt the Top 4 prize boosters equally 4 ways, that's 7 boosters each. There's also a single playmat prize that we decided to play for, just for fun, I didn't want it anyway since I already have 4 other playmats at home. So guess who I had to play against? The one and only guy I lost to that day, the guy with the Planeswalker deck! It's a great deck, naturally he would be in the Top 8 or 4. It was actually a pretty close fight, closer than our first encounter but I still lost when his Sun Titan came out to play.


All in all, it was fantastic afternoon and evening especially if you count the fact that it was a free event! Plus every player I met was especially nice and gracious. Besides taking home 7 Avacyn Restored boosters, I got 2 special promo cards too. MVP of the day goes to Elite Inquisitor for taking care of the werewolves as well as zombies from 4 different opponents, and Divine Deflection coming in as a close second MVP.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Cavalock and The Japanese Steak House Visitation

To celebrate the smartest decision I ever made in my freakin' life, dinner on Wednesday nite was a fancy little deal at Angus Steak House at Takashimaya. I have been hitting the Japanese steak joints like Ma Maison recently and its been awhile since I tried Angus so here I am again.


I was told that they had renovated the place but it kinda looks the same to me, bright but still kinda cozy, the piano is still near the entrance and what I like is the tables are nicely spaced out and it don't feel too cramped. "Damn it, woman! I need my space!" ;P

Add a mere S$10 to your main and you'll get a (fish) starter like the one above, soup of the day (pumpkin), salad and dessert. Not a bad deal at all.




As for the piece de resistance, my medium ribeye was thick, juicy and pretty much just the way I wanted it. But the slice of lime kinda left a tangy after taste I wasn't all that crazy bout ... so I gotta say I still prefer the steak at Ma Maison over at Bugis.


Now I know there's more that I wanna write bout the dinner and all but like most guys around the world right now, I'm waaaay too busy hacking my way through Diablo III.  Will I have time for anything else? <^;^>

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Cavalock and The Fruit Cocktail Concoctions

So with a new kitchen comes (at least) one new gizmo, and that's the Hurom Juicer. You might have seen it at Takashimaya some time back but anyway, there's one sitting on my kitchen shelf right now and I'm really enjoying every last drop from it.


I'm not a spokesman for it but you can see it in action with Martha Stewart in the driver's seat. What I really like is how easy it is to clean. No sharp blades just this big heavy grinding 'screwdriver block' that crushes the fruits, veggies, nuts or whatever. The juice goes into the right container while the pulp goes into the left one. Definitely no regrets getting it.


Not bad from three apples and a carrot, that's one and a half cup of really pure 'thick' juice.


But if fruit juice ain't your thing, maybe this kinda 'fruit' cocktail is more your type? Bwahahah! Yup, cocktail hour now comes in a can at where else but ... Meidi-ya supermart!


And then I saw this! Cadbury Biscuit Bites! They look so damn tempting, there's mint, honeycomb, rocky road and orange crunch.  If not for this nasty cough I'm having, I would have gotten mint or honeycomb pack. Still don't get it why the other supermarts don't bring in stuff like this.





Oh, and if anyone out there who knows my past and who's wondering about a certain computer game. Hell yeah, I'm in it for sure! And right now as I'm typing this, I'm a level 14 Witchdoctor with three very large zombie dogs by my side. <^;^>


Wednesday, May 09, 2012

Cavalock and The Westbound Treats

As a guy who was born and raised around town, moving a little to the eastern part of the island was really a big deal for me. Took me awhile to get used to all that sea breeze and also, them KTV lounges, that's right folks, the east definitely has way more KTV action. ;)


So what do I on a lazy afternoon? Head out west of course! Tiong Bahru to be exact. A sleepy little neighborhood where lunch was an extremely satisfying yong tau foo at a quaint kopi tiam at the junction of Tiong Poh Road and Eng Hoon Street. Very clear and cleansing soup, not thick and oily at all.


I'm sure there are a lot of little hidden treasures around here but I'm here for something else. And if you have been reading the local papers, you'll know what it is.




I was there to check the newest and most talked-about bakery in town, Tiong Bahru Bakery by Gontran Cherrier. It wasn't as crowded as I expected it to be, even during a weekday lunch. Service was prompt and the queue moved along pretty fast.


From top clockwise, picked the chocolate croissant, vanilla flan and sugared brioche. Sweet creamy goodness all the through. Best ever dessert on a blazing hot afternoon.


A little geek speak again! Check out my new iPhone Lego case! Was never a Lego fan but I couldn't resist this when I saw my friend's iPhone case. Took me awhile but I finally found it, the same hard plastic case and the possibilities were endless as to how I could 'mod' it.


It's like a blank canvas to attach all kinds of bricks and other Lego accessories to it. For the moment, I thought I'll just stick an antenna or two to it. Spent S$2.60 at the local Lego shop that sold loose parts. So there you go, an antenna iPhone! Pretty neat eh?


Or you can stick a cute little Lego figure on it too! <^;^>


Monday, May 07, 2012

Cavalock and The East India Community

A new supermarket shows up on my radar and you know what that means, yup, time to see if there's anything about this place that sets it apart from the others. The supermarket is the new Cold Storage store at Changi Point. And guess what, seems like there is something different about the place after all. Almost an entire aisle dedicated to food items from India!


I sure don't remember any other Cold Storage outlets having anything like this. It's kinda like Mustafa if you know what I mean. You got rows of Indian dessert packs (I really like the super sweet ones!) and sacks of different basmati rice. I thought it was pretty neat.


And in the fresh foods area, there's even a little section dedicated to veggies from India. I mean, I think they are from India cos the sign says "authentic".  I guess the folks at the supermarket chain did their research and ...er... there are a lot more Indians working or living here in Changi???

Anyway, look what else I found. Caffeine Free Coke! They are available at their other outlets so no rush in getting them right there and then. They are also 40 cents more than your usual Coke. Apparently it costs more to be healthy. Well, hope you can taste the difference! <^;^>


Geek speak time again! The last week has been packed with all kinds of crazy geek activities, from catching The Avengers movie to playing the new Magic set Avacyn Restored to having a blast at Free Comic Book Day.



To the uninitiated, that was Thanos at the end of The Avengers movie credits. Watching him onscreen was akin to every comic book fans' wet dream. And here's a brief account of how my Free Comic Book Day went on Saturday. :P