Dixit

Useless Gaming News:
Thursday is Gaming Lunch day at work.  We started with "Village in a Box".  It's a quick and simple starter game that lasts 15 minutes.  Or would have if Andrew played faster :).  Then we played Dixit.  This is a right-brain type game.  Each player has 6 picture cards.  One player gives a clue about a picture and all players have to give a card that has something similar to that clue.  Then all the cards are shuffled and the players secretly vote on which card matches the clue best.  Depending on the vote outcome, points are awarded.  It's a really fun game that lasts 30 minutes.  I'll probably need to pick up a copy and all the expansions.

Useless Idol News:
Got a package from Japan with some AKB48 stuff.  I got a Kitahara Rie Calendar, 2 Magazines with a Kashiwagi clear folder, and the new AKB48 Album.

Latest AKB Stuff.

Munchkin #1 Comic

Lunch today -> Ox Head Vermicelli.
Ed, Steve, and I went to Ox Head for lunch.  We each got the same dish, V17 Ox Head Special Vermicelli.  I destroyed my bowl and probably could have had some more.  Steve and Ed both didn't finish... pitiful... :)

Ox Head Vermicelli.

Snack today -> Hot Chocolate.
A small Hot Chocolate Bar at work with marshmallows and chocolate chips.  I drank a Rolo hot chocolate 1st.  It was really sweet with a hint of caramel.  Those packs disappeared fast.  I then had a regular Carnation hot chocolate with marshmallows and chocolate chips.  I think the chocolate chips made it abit bitter.  I was on a sugar high in the afternoon.

Hot Chocolate Bar.

Useless Gaming News:
Picked up the newly released Munchkin #1 comic today.  I got 2 copies, as in the back of each comic, includes and exclusive Munchkin Card.  The first card is just a "Go Up A Level" card.

Munchkin #1.

Useless Toy News:
Went to Toys R Us right before it closed tonight.  It was good timing.  They had just restocked the Transformers: Combiner Wars.  I picked up the 4 mini Legends figures I was missing: Powerglide, Thundercracker, Bombshell, and Windcharger; and got a couple figures for Gordon's collection. 
I also found the new Marvel Legends: AllFather - Scarlet Witch and Captain Marvel figures.

Tonight's TRU Haul.

Fate Reforged

Dinner today -> Spinach and Bacon Omelette.
I made a 3 egg omelette for dinner and stuffed it with cooked spinach and bacon.  Ate it with buttered toast.  Tasty, quick, and easy.

Useless M:tG News:
Picked up the new "Fate Reforged" Magic cards last Friday: 2 Booster boxes and a Fat Pack.  Miraj gave me the pre-order bonus card too.  Still haven't opened any packs yet, but I will soon.  I don't really know much about the set, as the Magic site has been blocked at work. 

Been busy sleeving my board games.  Still need another 600 sleeves for "Legendary: Villians", and probably about 300 sleeves for "The Agents".  Just backed a bunch of new Kick Starter games too.

The Agents

Dinner today -> Bacon and Spinach Pasta.
Made some spaghetti for dinner.  When the spaghetti was done, I mixed it into 3 raw scrambled eggs, Parmesan cheese and herbs.  Then I added chopped bacon and spinach.  It was pretty good.  The recipe was on the back of the bacon package.

Bacony Dinner.

Useless Gaming News:
I got my Kickstarted copy of "The Agents" in the mail today.  It's a great game with simple rules, but alot of strategy.  I got the big box with all the expansions too.

The Agents.

Weekend Report: Dumplings

Food this weekend ->
Got the 12 piece dark meat special bucket from KFC for $12.99.  I can't get enough of this deal :)

12 piece dark meat KFC.

Saturday morning, Susanna and I went to DQ and got some 50% off treats.  I got 2 boxes of Dilly Bars and 1 Peanut Butter Fudge Pizza.

50% off DQ Treats.

Sunday night, my mom made dumplings with chinese sausage, dried shrimp, daikon, pork, shitake mushrooms, and fish cake.

Lots-a-Dumplings.

It was really good.  I ate 3 bowls and took some home.

2nd bowl.

Ben also wanted BK chicken nuggets, as it was "out of his way" for him to get it normally.  So I got 30 pieces.

30 Nuggets.

Useless Gaming News:
Did some gaming on at Brian's on Saturday night.  We played Fresco, Subdivision, and Laser Cats Attack.  Fresco is a pretty good art themed game with some resource management.  I like it.  Laser cats is an OK short game too.

Fresco.

Useless Idol News:
The AKB48 Request Hour Set List Best 1035 concerts ended this weekend.  Maeda and Yuko appeared and performed too.  The top 3 songs were:
#3 Jane Doe
#2 Tomodachi
#1 Suzuake Nanchara
Also announce was the 39th AKB48 Single is called "Green Flash" and released March 4th.  It'll have double center of Kojima Haruna and Kashiwagi Yuki :)

New AKB48 Centers: Kojiharu and Yukirin.

The other big news is the formation of another 48 sister group in Niigata (NGT48).

48 Group Locations.

Game Over Comic

Lori showed me this new comic her kids are into reading.  It's called "Game Over".  Each story is a 1 page speechless panel comic about an arcade hero adventuring to rescue the princess, but it always goes wrong and he (or the princess) dies in the last panel through some creative/funny deaths.  It's hilarious.  Now I want to get the series too.

Game Over Comic.

Breakfast today -> Krispy Kreme and Fried Squid.
Power breakfast consisting of sweet Krispy Kreme donuts and savoury fried squid.  Strange combo, but tasty.

Breakfast.

Lunch today -> Dagwoods
Susanna's company had a "lunch and learn" catered by Dagwoods.  I asked her to get me some, so I didn't have to eat leftover pizza.  Free Dagwoods is always extra tasty :)

Free Dagwoods.

Useless M:tG News:
"Fate Reforged" is released Friday.  Took Friday off to get some (plus I had an appointment in the afternoon).

Useless Gaming News:
I think I want to pick up "Love Letter: Batman" sometime too!  Love Letter: Munchkin is really fun.

Useless Idol News:
2 days of AKB48 Request Hour Setlist Best 1035 2015 have been completed (that's right.  They ranked all 1035 songs).  On Day 1, graduated member Maeda Atsuko showed up and performed "Yume no Kawa" at #200.

Maeda with AKB again.

Today on Day 2, Oshima Yuko appeared to perform with sub-group Not Yet!

Yuko!

Concerts end Sunday, and no big announcements yet.  Candy at #407.

Shopkins Series 2

Useless Toy News:
No new Transformers Combiner Wars at Kanata Toys R Us today at lunchtime.  But I did find the brand new Shopkins Series 2 packs there.  I bought 1/3rd of the box for Steve/Isabella (10 packs).  I had the urge to buy some for myself just to see what the hype was, but I didn't want to get sucked into the collectability of these things.

Super Hot Shopkins Series 2.

Lunch today -> Canadian Pizza
Got Little Caesar's Pizza for lunch.  I prefer the Canadian Hot & Ready.

Canadian Pizza.

Dinner today -> Pork Shank
Went to parent's house for an impromptu dinner, because I was meeting Susanna there to go shopping after.  I brought my Costco Pork Shank.  Microwaved both shanks.  It was just as good as oven cooked.  This batch was abit sweeter than last time and less peppery.

Pork Shank.

Useless Food News:
Susanna and I went to Costco and found lots of asian stuff for sale (soy sauce, hoisen sauce, etc) in preparation for Chinese New Year.  Krispy Creme Donuts was also there this week.  At T&T, they were setting up for Chinese New Year too, but I only got some popcorn chicken and deep fried tentacles.

Popcorn Chicken and Tentacles.

We went to Bayshore after (I still hate the parking lot there) and at 8:45pm the sushi place had "Buy any 2 sets for $12".  I wasn't hungry but I had to get in on this great deal!  Probably my lunch Thursday.

2 for $12 Sushi.

Dairy Queen Customer Appreciation Day Jan 24, 2015

Useless Toy News:
Checked Kanata Toys R Us for more Transformers Combiner Wars for Gordon and myself at lunchtime.  Nothing restocked.  Might check again on Wednesday.  Steve also wants "Shopkins".  I didn't know they were the "in" toy.  I got a random pack of these for Emi for her birthday.  Maybe she got a rare? 
Anyways, Superion looks cool.  Or more accurately: 4/5ths of Superion and 1/5th of Menasor looks cool.

Mostly Superion.

Lunch today -> Sushi
Picked up sushi at Sushi House.  I wonder if they will survive once Target leaves Hazeldean Mall?  BTW: Nothing new at Target.  Most of the toy shelves are empty too.

Sushi Lunch

Useless Food News:
This Saturday Jan 24, 2015 is Customer Appreciation Day at Dairy Queen (the search doesn't work).  It should be 50% off most items.  There is a big billboard outside the Kanata Hazeldean store stating it and a Red Flag message board.  I've started eating stuff from my freezer to make room :)  I'll probably get some boxes of the Dilly Bar, Ice Cream Sandwiches, and maybe Ice Cream Pizza.  I don't like their cakes.  They have this weird layer of a frozen fudge thing that doesn't taste good and doesn't melt.  (Basken Robin's are the place to go for ice cream cake; especially the Gold Metal Ribbon cake.)

TF: Combiner Wars Wave 1

Useless Transformers News:
Gordon informed me that the new Transformers Combiner Wars was out at Toys R Us Kanata.  I hustled over there and pick up the 1st wave: Optimus Prime, Silverbolt, Alpha Bravo, Dragstrip, Skydive, and Firefly.  Another collector was there and he took the last set and the last 3 mini figs (Bombshell, Thundercracker, and ?forgot?).  Also saw the new Transformers Animated figures.  I'm probably not going to get that series.

Transformers Combiner Wars, Wave 1.

Opened up all the figs.  I'm really impressed with these Transformers.  They all look just like their G1 cartoon versions and have lots of details.  Some of the weapons are slotted so they fit in universally or in a certain configuration.  They all also have a good flowing transform especially the combiner arms and legs, as they all have the same base transform but with slight differences.  Superion looks really cool.  Need Air Raid now.
The only draw back is that Ultra Prime looks stupid.  That means Menasor will look stupid too? (because Motor Master will use the same mold?)  Not sure why they made Prime a combiner?

Weekend Report: Lobster Sauce

Food this weekend ->
Picked up some ice cold and thick smoothies on Friday for a snack.  Strawberry Banana for me and chocolate milkshake for Dave.

Frozen Drinks.

I made lobster in lobster sauce on Saturday.  I got a bag of lobster claws from Costco for $20 and a bag of shrimps & scallops from Walmart for $5.  Prepped the onion, garlic, green onion in a few minutes.

Preparing to Cook.

Mixed everything in a pan with ground pork, eggs, and black bean sauce.

Lobster in Lobster Sauce.

Topped it on rice.  It was really good :)

Lobster Sauce over Rice.

Re-heated the left over lobster sauce on Sunday.  I added sliced oyster mushrooms and Korean oysters to fill up the dish.

Lobster Sauce with Oysters and Mushrooms.

Lobster Sauce Version 2 on Rice.

Useless Gaming News:
The Green Bay Packers are into Settlers of Catan.

30 Chicken Nuggets

Dinner today -> Burger King Chicken Nuggets.
I couldn't decide what to eat tonight, so I started cooking rice and went out to get some groceries and check out Toys R Us.  Costco is pretty dead when there is a Sens game going on.  After I finished shopping, I still had nothing to eat, so I hit Burger King and ordered 30 chicken nuggets.  Right after I ordered, the BK turned off the lights and closed at 9pm.  I'm not sure why they were closing early, but the cashier said she was so sick of the non-stop chicken nugget orders, LOL.  They were also out of all the sauces, so she gave me Marinara sauce.  It was OK with the chicken nuggets.

30 Chicken Nuggets with Rice.

40 Chicken Nuggets

Lunch today -> Burger King Chicken Nuggets.
Found out about a new deal at Burger King: 10 chicken nuggets for $1.79.  Since I had to go out at lunchtime today, I decided to get some on the way back.  I ordered 40 chicken nuggets for only $8.15.  I had to wait a few minutes, so they were hot and fresh :). 

40 Chicken Nuggets.

I think I like these more than the McDonald's McNuggets.  These are more crispy.  The BBQ dipping sauce is good too.  Anyways, I was satisfied with 20 nuggets.  I could have eaten all 40, but I gave 10 away to Ed and 10 to Susanna instead.

Sailor Moon Chips

Useless Japan Info:
I got a package from Japan today.  I had a bunch of little things I ordered before December last year, but the order got delayed because the Sailor Moon chips weren't released yet.  But it's finally here.

Stuff from Japan.

I got the full set of Sailor Moon chips, some Super Mario sound banks (put a coin in and it makes a mario game sound), an RPG chunk of meat phone strap (the bone pulls out too), and a mini coffee chocolate gashpon machine.  Susanna wants my Sailor Jupiter chips...

MP UltraMagnus

Breakfast today -> Chicken Noodle Soup.
Made some instant chicken noodle soup this morning for breakfast.  I haven't had this in years and was really good.  It hit the spot as I was hungry this morning.  Not alot of chicken in it, maybe 1 large piece, but lots of chicken flavour.

Instant Soup.

Useless Transformers News:
I got my Masterpiece UltraMagnus in the mail today.  He's huge and looks awesome!

MP UltraMagnus.

Weekend Report: KFC x2

Food this weekend ->
I brought this snack into work on Friday.  It a good crunchy Indian snack.  It was fairly cheap too at Food Basics ($3.50).  The spicy version is better, but it was sold out.  What's surprising to me is that the expiry date is July 2015.  I don't think there are preservatives in it, so how does it last that long?  Not to worry.  It got destroyed in 1 day.

Spicy Version is Better.

Got KFC on Friday night.  I got the new 12 Piece Dark Meat Special for $12.99 (all thighs and drums).  I split it with Ben before going to Brian's for gaming.  But I wasn't satisfied.  I got a second bucket on Sunday afternoon.  Ate it with some fresh rice and washed it down with a strawberry-banana smoothie.

Smoothie and KFC.

Saturday, I made the pork shank from Costco.  There was actually 2 shanks in the container!  I made 1 shank with some red potatoes. 

Pork Shank and Potatoes.

The falls off the bone like pulled pork.  And the sauce was a nice savoury-sweet sauce.  Very good.  I recommend it.  The only bad point is that the marrow was hard to get to.

Meat Falls Off the Bone.

Useless Gaming News:
Friday night at Brian's we played NHL Power Play.  I really simple and fun deck building game.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick it up, if I can still get it on sale at The Calendar Store for 25% off.  It was sold out at Hazeldean Mall.  Need to Check Bayshore or Tanger.

NHL Power Play.

We also played the new Star Wars Imperial Assult minitures game.  It was pretty good.  I played Imperial and everyone else was Rebels.  I won game 1 easily as I over ran Brian's character.  I could have won game 2 if I rolled slightly better.

Game 2 Loss.

We also played Tiny Epic Kingdoms.  It's a simple short game about building your race up and getting victory points.  There is alot of variance as there are many races and many different maps to use.  An OK game.

Tiny Epic Kingdoms.

Useless Idol News:
I got my Kitahara Rie 2015 calendar and some Itano Tomomi CDs.  Calendar isn't that great.  Debating weither to order a different Rie one.

Rie Calendar and Itano CDs.

Christmas Haul

Time to reveal my Christmas Haul.

Fonpay's Christmas Haul.

I got 3 Shirts, 2 Transformers (Tankor and Rattrap), Magic Cards, (hard to find) Black Widow figure, Water Purifier, Dryer Buddies, TMNT Playset, King of New York game, Noble Treachery game, Neck Warmer, Corner Gas Movie, Japanese Cookies, and Transformers Kinder Eggs.

Ben, Susanna, and I got our parents some Swarovski figures.  We got them zodiac crystals of their kids.  Snake (me), Monkey (Ben), and Pig (Susanna).  I think they look cute and neat.

Zodiac Swarovski Crystals: Snake, Monkey, Pig.

On Boxing Day, I picked up a couple of cheap DVDs.  I got Lego Movie, new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and Sailor Moon Season 1 Volume 1.

Sailor Moon DVD Season 1 Volume 1.

I watched the 1st episode of Sailor Moon, and I think the whole episode was re-dubbed!  I don't think they used the same version they showed on YTV.  It's almost like watching a new anime.