Inspirations for small spaces...

A blog belonging to a 23 year old skinny hotelier turned soldier with a big appetite for food, alcohol, outdoors and photography.


Who moved my Natto?

What on earth is Natto? According to Wikipedia, Nattō (納豆, Nattō?) is a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans, popular especially at breakfast. For some, nattō can be an acquired taste due to its powerful smell, strong flavor, and sticky consistency something like blue cheese. Stirring the nattō produces lots of spiderweb-like strings. The nattō itself has a nutty, savory, somewhat salty flavor that belies its odor.



Nattō is supposed to be a healthy food as well and is indeed backed by medical research. One example is Pyrazine contained within nattō. Pyrazine is a compound which in addition to giving nattō its distinct smell, also reduces the likelihood of blood clotting. This may help to avoid thrombosis, as for example in heart attacks, pulmonary embolism or strokes. Nattō also contains large amounts of Vitamin K, which is involved in the formation of calcium-binding groups in proteins, assisting the formation of bone, and preventing osteoporosis. More medical benefits include antibiotic capabilities and it's effects on cancer prevention.

Alright, enough of all that Wiki-crap, today I'm gonna eat nattō. I can't remember when was the first time I ate it but my dad made me so was the first time I ate Uni (Raw sea urchin).... it was in some sushi shop and I was forced to try. It really smelt like wet socks but after trying it, it was a different experience just like eating durians and smelly tofu. Now I've grown to like it and I must say it's quite tasty. So here we go, I'm gonna show you how the Japanese eat it as part of their breakfast and you most likely will get this if you stayed in Ryokans when travelling around in Japan.

Nattō comes in 2 ways that I know, in styrofoam containers or in small little cups. Check out The Marketplace at Raffles City or Isetan at The Lido if you intend to buy some. You'll need some really hot rice, an egg, bowl, chopsticks and your nattō.





When you open it up, you'll see a packet of tsuyu (soy sauce) and a small packet of karashi (mustard). Remove the film on top of the nattō and then empty all the condiments onto the nattō.





Stir vigrously to combine all the ingredients and get your bowl of rice ready.





Pour your nattō onto the hot rice and crack an egg. At this point, you can choose to add finely chopped scallions in but I have non today so I'll give it a miss.



Stir everything well and enjoy~!



Best enjoyed with some fresh tuna, bowl of miso soup :)

Couch Potato

Here's a thanks to those of you who've offered words of encouragement, thanks, really appreciate it. Somehow I've realised that I'm speedily turning into a Couch Potato well a skinny one. Here's how my day goes about:

0600 Reveille, stoned out
0645 Sleep on board the train (Tampines MRT)
0750 Sleep on board the bus (Boon Lay Interchange)
0800 Agonising walk from the main gate to Wingline
0815 Change, check and reply email, jab at the keyboard
0900 Read the day's papers, laugh at Durai, Scream at rising GST
1000 Breakfast @ the canteen, cracking egg shells, burping
1030 Check and reply email again, chewing on pens
1100 Find work to do, or giving work to others
1200 If there is work, do if not, sleep
1300 Still sleeping, irritated by the occasional group of cadets singing
1400 Could still be sleeping
1430 Wake up, look for lunch
1500 Surf the net, blast some music in the office
1600 Feed the fishes, attempt to catch and release using the net
1630 Talk cock, laugh, fart at each other
1700 Bathe, prepare to book out
1730 Walking or running towards the bus-stop
1800 Sleep on board the train (Boon Lay MRT)
1855 Boring walk back home (Tampines MRT)
1900 Bathe, disturb the dog
1930 Facing the tv, munching on snacks
2000 Still munching on snacks, eyes closing
2030 Asleep, tv still on, main characters still shooting each other on screen
2045 Rude awakening, dinner
2100 Staring at tv, dumb characters still attempting to shoot one another
2200 Can't believe it, the haven't ran out of bullets yet
2300 Online, no idea why, not surfing, staring at the screen
2345 Give up, shut down, sleep
0600 Here we go again, same old shit again......

Closer

Random rants...

72 days remaining before I'm leaving Singapore. How do I feel now as my ORD date is approaching at the same time? I don't know how to put it, bittersweet I guess. Many consider me to be somewhat lucky being able to get the chance to head to somewhere nice to study and experience how life's like beyond the sunny shores of Sillypore. Well, true to a certain extend, but there are many question marks ahead that I can't seem to answer for now. Yes, it's a degree but how much will it help me I wouldn't know, I can't tell the future thats for sure so all I know it's just like a ticket to opportunities. What kind and how much nobody knows. All I know is that it costs quite abit and I've gotta pay off the bank loan when I'm back. I also know that in order to have my name printed on that paper, I will need to work my arse off given the fact that I've not even taken an exam for like 2 years ever since I'm in the army?

It's always easy to say screw it, just go, nobody else has the chance, you have so what the hell are you complaining about? It's not that easy, yeah I should have thought of all these before I set out on enrolment. Yeah I did but it's one of those things like even after you tell yourself you should, you're still worrying about the what if.

The only bloody answer to all that crap above is simple. I have too much fxxxing time on my hands so I start worrying too much. Lately, everyone around's me talking about money and it suddenly dawn on me that at this age, I don't have an income yet. No bloody asset or passive income and yet down with liabilities already.

Unbelievable



Don't hate me after you've watched this. It's FUNNY yet TERRIBLE. If you feel sick or screwed after this, don't blame me. Watch at your own risk. I will take no responsibility in whatsoever that happens to you.

Algorithm March



Good GAWD! The next cadet that pisses me off, I'll get all the instructors to watch while I make the cadets do the march.



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