Different Prices for a Lagavulin 16 y.o at a Diner and at A Bar

I like burgers and steaks at the casual and fuss-free The Feather Blade. We were here for its Jett Barbecue X The Feather Blade smoked beef cheek burger and the wagyu hanging tender from Hancock Agriculture, and of course its dependable 200-g feather blade steak.

The kitchen is ridiculously fast here. Our meats and sides came out within 15 minutes of putting in our orders. I didn't dare to do most of the sides because they're flavored heavier than I would have liked them. And no creamed spinach ever, thanks — that's an immediate laosai dish. I did take a spoonful of mac and cheese though. Hehhh.

We had whisky and cocktails. My nice dram of Lagavulin 16 y.o with a proper square of ice (made with distilled water) was S$21++. That's a super decent price. The right price for the distillery and year, so to speak. It's not difficult to want to return to this diner at all.

The friends wanted to end the night with a cocktail at Last Word. Okaay. Owned by the same people of Nutmeg & Clove downstairs, it's just much quieter. Last Word is a decent bar,  except that it's all about cocktails. And I really don't fancy cocktails. Zzzzz. 

Now, most cocktail bars priced their cocktails reasonably. Even a bespoke cocktail is between S$27 - S$32++. But they tend to charge a premium for a dram of whisky. I'm like, whyyyy. It's not as if you'll use good single malts for mixes in cocktails. So If we're at a cocktail bar, it's usually two glasses of cocktails for the friends, and just one whisky for me. Nothing more. 

During happy hour, Last Word seems to offer welcome drinks and complimentary oden. At 9pm, of course everything on the menu is on regular prices. I'm sure the prices included the price of my cold towel and random nuts. Tonight, my regular dram of Lagavulin 16 y.o is S$42++. 

My mistake was in not asking for the prices of the whisky I wanted. Come on, your ambience is an extra S$20++?!!! Okaaaaaay. Last Word completely overpriced their whisky. This square of ice wasn't superior to The Feather Blade's. I was quite disgruntled, tbh. Not coming back here if I can help it.

The BFF Turned 46 Too!

Celebrated the BFF's 46th birthday with a dinner at Shunjuu Izakaya. She just begun a temporary role, so we didn't want to fix a gym workout since it's impossible for me to get there at 6.30am. Well, I can get there, but I'd be sooo not awake. LOLOL.

Ordered a bunch of items. Shunjuu's food isn't mind-blowing, but it would do, and the food is kind to sensitive stomachs. Some cooked items are honestly much better than their grilled skewers. I couldn't really complain about the quail eggs or shiitake and gingko nuts. But the ribeye and beef shortrib left much to be desired. I'd recommend everyone to skip the skewers here since there's another restaurant that does yakitori better just a hundred meters away. 

I was honestly glad that they forgot about my two portions of chicken hearts. They tried to give me the 'The order is on the way, just a while more', and I was like 'Naaaah, cancel it please. It hasn't turned up for the past hour, it's not turning up now.' Ha! I was too full and wouldn't be able to quaff four sticks of that. The BFF doesn't do innards. The one portion of two sticks of ox tongue were overly salted and burnt. It was pretty much inedible, so I didn't have hopes for the grilled hearts either.

The BFF asked for garlic fried rice. Shunjuu does that well. I couldn't finish all of my rice. Realized that my stomach has really really shrunk. I was pretty happy with raw cabbage and the miso dip. And two glasses of highball which were surprisingly balanced. 

Happy Birthday BFF! Here's to an uneventful year where bones, muscles, nerves and overall health are concerned! To ageing gracefully. 🩶 

Set The Weekly Gym Routine

I'm a bit zonked these few days, no thanks to the weird deep rumbles of thunder at 3.30am, 4.30am and 6am. OMG. Thunder terrifies the dog. Her new thing is to rip up all the yoga mats at home. Luckily they're cheap. I wasn't so pleased when she ripped up the Parklon kitchen mat.

The weather can be crazy hot, I don't care. But it also brings with it thunderstorms and thunder during the transition to neutral. What is up with El Nino! Regardless, I simply sleep earlier and try to garner enough energy to power through the day even if I'm up at 5am. I would really prefer it to be at least 6am though. 

I now have a comfortable rhythm of crunching paperwork, fielding work calls, getting to and fro meetings and conferences as and when necessary, and making time to get out to the gym. I need to get fit. Heh. Getting sufficient sleep means that I'd get the most out of the classes at the gym, and stay focused in order to stay injury-free. 

I've got no issues working out six times a week. I balance Pump (strength and cardio) classes with Grid (cardio) or Reformer Athletic (also cardio), and personal training (mostly weights/strength), and also even them out with the gym's Reformer Align or Recovery classes, my own Pilates and Gyrotonic sessions. 

I've streamlined my diet. It's not a chore at all. Like I said, my biggest issues are carbs and alcohol. The moment I decrease the intake, I'm always in a calorie deficit. Heh! I'm not starving, of course. Nobody needs to eat this much, honestly. It's just unhealthy.

Does my body take a beating with all these? Nope. I'm not crazy or over-doing it. I eased into this new routine. It's not as if I haven't 'exercised' in my life. I'm just getting pudgy and losing muscles, so I want them all lean muscles back. Working out is fun! It needs to be incorporated into daily living. Also, nobody needs to exercise for more than 45 minutes a day in that sense. The joints are well oiled and strengthened, and the kneecaps are not popping as badly anymore. I just need to be careful about my right elbow extensors. I feel it in my squats and when I mop or vacuum. LOL