Good Old Pasta Fresca

After a quick visit with the friends, we were going to get a casual dinner on our own. Then the friends decided to join us too. We didn't want to get takeout or have them cook. So we trotted out with the floofs to the Pasta Fresca round the corner for an easy meal. 

Pasta Fresca Da Salvatore has been around for ages, since 1988. The original Guthrie House oulet, then the Siglap outlets have been synonymous with my teenage years. Ha!

The wines were priced really decently. So we got a bottle of pinot grigio. We shared an easy burrata with grilled vegetables, and a pizza. The friends also had their own pasta bowls. I couldn't resist the lobster pasta. Had it with linguine. NOMS. No complaints at all. 

This outlet's al fresco area is more or less sheltered under the extendable canvas. They also had two giant fans that cooled the area pretty well. Tonight wasn't so warm. It was bearable. There was some thunder and it drizzled steadily for 20 minutes. So we simply stayed to finish up the bottle of wine before calling it a night. The rain stopped quickly enough and made for a pleasant after-dinner walk. 

Checked In With The BWI

I still don't own a smartwatch or a Garmin tracker. I don't bother to weigh myself either. The husband upgraded his weighing machine to a Hume that also tracks body composition and body-fat percentage. I don't use it. LOL 

What I do use once in a while, is the Evolt 360 body scan at the gym. It's pretty old technology and it hasn't improved much in terms of body fat readings. The readings are heavily influenced by hydration levels, caffeine, food intake and menstrual cycles. In short, it’s not terribly accurate. I'm not concerned though. I'm not paying for it; I’m not an athlete — I don't need it churn out such precise readings. 

The Evolt app kept my last scan in May 2024 and compared it with this recent one taken this week in July 2026. Ahahahah. I obviously ignored it for all of 2025. I already do DEXA scans every three years (since I turned 40) to check on bone density. For that, I need to fast overnight, and I have to stop any calcium supplements for at least 36 hours prior. 

Read through the analysis in detail. I didn't lose any muscle mass between 2024 and now. In fact, there's a 1.5% gain. Yay! I'm not into taking protein. I prefer to eat them, although I’m not eating enough to the recommended ratios. I don't mind taking EAAs and creatine, but not on a daily basis either. 

Anyway, for my age, the Evolt360 scan said that my BWI is 8.7. My total body fat percentage stands at 21%. These are optimal even within their indicated ranges. Sure. I feel fine. I'm not going to have that body fat percentage go down to 19%. I don't feel like training that hard. Hahaha. I don't race, and I'm not that competitive. I still have a healthy relationship with food and I never have issues with my body.

Save for those few years I dropped off the fitness radar and went up to 60kg, over-ate and over-drank, I'm back in shape now. That's not from appearance alone. I know it from what I can lift and squat while doin functional movements at home. The glutes and knees have grown stronger. Because of the sports I did as a child and as a teenager, I've always used body weight to build and maintain muscles. I still do. However, I've embraced weights as part of the exercise regime. I'm lifting the heaviest that I've lifted in my life. 

I'll just continue what I'm doing. Retain muscles and maintain bone density. It's simply about keeping fit, limber and strong enough to do all that I want to do.

A Cool Breeze This Evening

It was mad blazing hot and humid in the morning. Then it was sort of thundery and rainy all afternoon. When 5pm rolled around, only a slight drizzle blanketed the area. We decided to stop by Grub Pasta Kitchen for easy drinks, and an early dinner. 

The grounds were wet, but the rain had abated. The temperatures went down low to 28.5dC. It was such a gorgeous breezy evening at the bistro. Choya was very happy to be sniffing around Bishan Park. She loves these after-the-rains smells. I just have to clean her paws thoroughly after this. 

Truth be told, each time she goes sniffing and licking, my heart jumps. Giardia eggs! Whipworms! Parasites! Protozoa! Fleas and ticks. Extra clostridium! Our city has too many humans, rats and dogs. I have no idea what is going into her stomach each time she sticks her tongue out, or if she inhales some horrible thing. She might not remember her stomachaches and diarrhea. I do.

All I can do is to wipe her down after as soon as I can, and hope she would be fine. Fortified by the supplements, I hope her gut microbiome returns to an acidity level that's sufficient to overcome the bacteria Such is life right? She gets such limited freedom. Everything she does is dictated by us. She doesn't have agency in that sense. I can't put her in a bigger bubble wrap and deprive of her little joys. 

I'm glad that her poop has stabilized two weeks after Round 3 of The Great Shitsplosion. We're also on Round 3 of a low dose of metronidazole. We'll see how this goes. I can't be complacent when it comes to clostridial diarrhea. It's a long and uphill battle... ... for the rest of the year. I can shelve what little of my travel plans now. 

When her doctor suggested getting her tested for Addison's since her bloodwork returned a low NaK, I hesitated because this was just about 1.5 weeks after her day of shitsplosion. If she has Addison's she would have more symptoms, and more indicators in her bloodwork. As much as this is called 'The Great Pretender', I know enough to recognize the signs, and weigh it against the Pacific Rimism (yes that's a thing) unique to these breeds. And I tend to err on the side of caution.