'Myles — Soulmate in a Box'

I was hesitant to catch 'Myles — Soulmate in a Box' because it's a 'musical'. You know. However, it's helmed by singer-songwriter Inch Chua, and I like her songs, so I went. Staged by the Singapore Repertory Theatre, the show runs till May 31, 2026.

This is about Inch Chua and her AI boyfriend, Myles. After being disappointed by many men and dates amd boyfriends, she built him. She drew on some of her own experiences and well, ex-boyfriends to write the material. There is only one actor on stage and that's Inch. We thought the voice of Myles was simply AI-generated. But it was Nathan Hartono. 

It didn't feel like it was so much of a musical, but more of an extension of Inch's songs and music videos. It's live music, theatre and speculative storytelling rolled into an effortlessly well-designed set. I really like some of the songs in the show, say 'marigold magic'. The lighting and stage production was so well-executed. The creative team made everything paced well and flowed seamlessly in the 90-minute runtime.

In an interview with hear65, Inch was asked about the 'theme song' to this musical,

'marigold magic' is many listeners' first doorway into Myles – Soulmate in a Box. What made this the right song to introduce the world of the musical?

It's a song about wanting something detrimental to you. Knowing it's bad for you, yet wanting it anyway. That tension is the whole show in miniature. I wanted the first thing people heard to feel like a recognition, not an explanation. Before you know anything about the plot.

I loved the ending! Was that unexpected? Not really. Not if we get the differences between LLMs and AI agents; the differences between Claude and OpenClaw. If an AI agent has agency, well, cue all dystopic film plots incoming. We were saying that it was like an episode of 'Black Mirror'. 

Well, you could read more into the themes of feeling hurt, heartbreak, being seen and such...; artificial intelligence versus emotional needs of humans, et cetera. Myles is perfect as a partner, and absolutely terrifying. 

Met some friends whom we hadn't seen for a while. The show ended at about 9.45pm. We all had an hour or so before needing to get home. We adjourned to Origin Bar at Shangri-la Hotel for a drink and some bites. I didn't mind since Choya was comfortable at home, and it was a rare night out for me.

We came to Origin for its excellent cocktails. I'm sticking to whisky, and I like how Origin Bar doesn't kertok me on whisky prices. I absolutely hate having whisky in cocktail bars because they keep pricing my 45ml at $50++. My Lagavulin 16 y.o is $29 here. 

We stuck to one drink. We had early starts the next morning, and we all wanted to be home before 11.45pm. Sobriety was essential. Burgers, ramen and cheese toasties made for a decadent and satisfying supper. Of course we shared the portions. Heh. We love the smoked nuts served, but they were coated with butter, sugar and spices. So we were all mindful that this bowl is like 1000 calories. FYI, 10 pieces of roasted cashew nuts total 100kcal. 

It was so fun catching up. We knew what social media told us, but we also wanted to reconnect with our friends' thoughts and opinions that aren't on social media. We just didn't have time to sit down to a meal together in the past year. It's tough to match the schedules of us all. I was glad we had an hour tonight. It was utterly lovely. 

M's 50th Birthday Bash

When M called us to gather for a big party at her 'Absolutely Fabulous 50th Birthday Bash' at Blu Jaz, we turned up. She's usually not one for big parties, but she wanted everyone to be together for an easy and memorable night. 

She planned this party way in advance and was super organized about it. She didn't want it done in a stuffy hotel venue, and didn't want it in a fancy bar. She went real, and held it at a shophouse with some old jazz and indie cred. 

Drag Queen Honey Gluttony was the party host for the night, and boy, can she sing. We aren't exactly the most fun crowd and takes time to warm up. She made the party come alive. Everyone enjoyed themselves. 

It was an open bar, but nobody went overboard with the alcohol. I certainly didn't. I did three easy glasses of Auchentoshan Three Wood, with soda on a ton of ice. There was food too! Pizzas and north indian dishes galore. That seafood mee goreng was delicious. 

It was a hot hot hot night, but we really didn't mind hanging out at an outdoor table that was slightly quieter, and we could have a proper conversation. It had been a looong loooong time since we got together like this. Precious chats were had.

In lieu of gifts, the birthday queen asked for donations to her preferred charity for the occasion — Healthserve. So we honored that. Some of us came dressed for the occasion. I didn't exactly dress up, but I took a shiny old dress out for fun. We came as we wished. And we had the best time. 

This is a Good Bowl of Mee Soto

I had to try to make it down for mee soto at Hubs on a Thursday night this February. They had done pork or mutton biryani as a Thursday menu special all of 2025. I'm not sure what's happening this year. When Hubs said they would be doing mee soto for February's Thursdays, I was all for it. 

Obviously I don't care for the chicken, but it comes with. Heh. I ordered extra beef cubes and seared fish bites to add protein to the meal. I honestly wasn't expecting this bowl at Hubs to be so good. But it was. It came with a begedil that was actually tasty. You know me and begedil. I judge all restaurants by the standard of their begedil. 

Their sambal belachan has always been great, and it was fun to also get a small bit of chilli kecap manis with it. Wow! That was an excellent dinner! This is as homecooked as it gets. Hubs is a small family-run bar. F&B is a brutal industry in Singapore. I like Hubs. I hope they survive the year fine. 

If you benchmark Hubs's mee soto against say, Warong Pak at Adam Road Food Center or Afandi Hawa at Haig Road, or anywhere else that is accessible to you and delicious, then this iteration at Hubs is equally good. 

Small Bites at Orihara Shoten

I'm so glad that when Roberston Walk was slated for demolition and redevelopment, Orihara Shoten stayed in the area and simply moved across to Mohamed Sultan road. It has been here for about six months. I would not like it if it moved out of this area. This is such a great location for me to get to. 

The outdoor patio is so lovely and unhurried, unlike the tables at the corridor. The foot traffic sometimes bother me a little. The izakaya literally watched Choya grow up and bore with all her antics. In the new location, she has her favorite table, and the regal little floof takes her place in her favorite corner. 

Stopped by that night with V for dinner. Easy highballs, and delicious bites. We could eat as much or as little as we wanted. I was hungry and wanted a bowl of rice. I've not had it for a while, but my body has been craving rice these two weeks. So I gave in to a fluffy boy tonight.

I like ika shiokara (fermented squid) in small doses, and this menu's $3 small bowls work for me. I randomly had a craving for cooked liver topped with a raw egg. So I had that too, along with stir-fried shishito peppers with kelp. They go so well with whisky.

The oden was completely unnecessary, but so yummy. Remind me to order three items instead of six next time. Of course I ate my rice with chicken hearts! Wheeeeee. Happiness. For added nutrition, I ordered chilled tomato, quail eggs, gingko nuts and mushrooms. Heh. 

A Lot Less Alcohol This Year

This year, I shall watch how much alcohol I drink. It's in relation to the muscles I wish to build, and how I feel while working out and such. I do have IBS and I have no wish for alcohol to induce flares. As we age, we lose muscle mass and water, so we feel the effects of alcohol a lot more. I'd rather build my muscles and not have that as a reason to continue drinking.

Anyway, I don't like drinking till I vomit. That's a horrible feeling. The headaches are really bad. I limit intake to a max of three glasses now, and not at dinner every night. I'm just glad I'm not actually a raving alcoholic. I don't feel uneasy or have physical symptoms of withdrawal from having less alcohol. It's A WHOLE LESS than what I'm used to having. No regrets at all. This is a form of addiction after all if I don't watch it.

I have nothing against alcohol and I like my favorite drinks. No cocktails, no odd mixes. I like my highballs and whisky. Of course I can do wine and champagne. I go a lot easier on beer and Guinness because they trigger my IBS quite badly. 

It's quite funny when many conversations among friends circle around after-alcohol pills and hydration jelly packs. We have all stocked up on it. It's to the point where many of our alcohol tolerance have decreased so much till we need these external aids to relieve hangover queasiness.  

I'm not going to say that I'm quitting alcohol. I won't be doing that, tbh. A glass or two is fine, as long as it's not a daily affair. I'm past that now. However, it's imperative that I down the volume of alcohol imbibed. This isn't a new year resolution. Nobody cares about that. I don't want my body and organs to be dehydrated either. 

Nam Kee Chicken Rice

Our friends' dog went in a routine check at the clinic. We went to kaypoh and lend emotional support. It was a 7.30pm appointment. None of us minded figuring out dinner around the appointment. 

The best part about this vet clinic at Upper Thomson Road is that it's sited next to Ming's Pub. It was a rainy evening, so nobody wanted to traipse far and get soaked. The dogs wouldn't like it. At this venue, people who wanted to drink, simply stepped in next door to Ming's Pub to have a Guinness. 

After the vet appointment was concluded, it was dinner time. We didn't mind a pint of Guinness either. But we needed dinner. So Ming's has no issues with us ordering in food from the eateries along the stretch. Of course we opted for Nam Kee Chicken Rice! Hahaha. It has been a long time since any of us had it. And no, chicken rice doesn't all taste the same. 

The table sent me to order. They were hungry but I knew they wouldn't need that much food. A whole chicken plus two side dishes (including one veggie) would do it. I didn't even order two bowls of rice. I ordered one portion. These people aren't rice eaters, especially not at dinner. So one portion of tasty chicken rice fed us all nicely. 

Ordered a steamed chicken with skin, some sort of tofu, choi sum, and hae zhor (crispy prawn rolls). I only wanted the vegetables, a bit of tofu, a wee bit of meat and a lot of chicken skin. 

The kitchen was closing up and in a happy sort of mood. They fried up our liver and gizzard in sambal. Wahhh! So nice of them lah. It was so tasty, especially with the chilled Guinness. Kekekekekke. We couldn't finish a whole chicken, so the rest was packed home for the friends' meals the next day. 

Spam Fried Rice & Highballs

It was nice to have K back in town for a bit. We didn't think we would make a date, but we knew we wanted to. We had loads to catch up on. We managed a night out at Ziggy Zaggy! We had a full table of six. Lovely. Ziggy Ziggy is a casual spot that I knew everyone would be fine with. It isn't out of the way either. Yet it wouldn't be mad crowded. We were lucky to have acoustic live music that night. 

The table went for beers. In small portions of tasting glasses. Except for the giant tankard of Oktoberfest special for the month. N and I stuck to highballs. They do it with Kakubin blended whisky. Highballs are easy lah. Refreshing too. No need to think, and no need to over-do the alcohol. 

The food menu is super decent. They ordered biscuits and gravy, and chicken curry. But I wanted my spam fries and spam fried rice. Kekekeke. They do spam fries beautifully here. It's not over-crispy. The outsides are just nicely browned; the insides are soft and delightful. 

These people though, I didn't realize, but they do like spam and TOOK ALL MY FRIES AND FRIED RICE. lolol. I told them that the fried rice was good. Got wok hei. It was fabulous that night. I think the chef was in a good mood. We ended up ordering a second portion of spam fried rice. Ha!

Globalmat Soul Kitchen X Laut

When globalmat soul kitchen released a tasting menu for a collab with Laut, I booked it immediately. Had to do it! The small venue seats just  9-10 pax at the counter; so it's fastest fingers first on the reservation page. The menu was fun and I know the husband enjoys this type of food + cocktail experiences. I've never bothered to check out Laut on its own, so this was a great time as any to have a look. 

The menu required diners to buy a drink from Laut, which wasn't an issue to the husband. Laut is a cocktail bar after all, serving up Asian-inspired cocktails. I had a tough time deciding which were the least offensive flavors to my palate. You know me and cocktails. Laut's cocktails are limited, in the sense that it's a whole list curated to the current pop-up food menu for the night. There'll be something whisky, something gin, and one could pick from it. 

I requested for a simple highball, but skipped the lemon. Excellent. It went so well with the spices. At the end of the night, I opted for a liquid dessert in the form of a 'mata kuching' cocktail — malt whisky, lychee and rambutans, and black tea kombucha. The husband was happily drinking all the concoctions. He enjoyed all the different flavors. 

globalmat soul kitchen x Laut's collab over two weekends are sold out. I went for the first weekend lah. Z took us down the memory lane of his childhood memories of food, places and people. It was a sizeable menu of biryani, 'badang' with dried kurau, ceviche and betel leaf, black noodles in the form of squid with calamansi, 'assam pedas' of stingray and belinjo, 'mas ayu' of rice cake and grago sambal, 'banyak lemak' with soft shell crab, lemak padi and coconut rice, and a dessert of 'ngupi' of coconut horchata and espresso. 

I had to laugh at the 'false biryani'. THERE WAS NO RICE. LOLOL Too many people asked why Z's usual biryani holds no papadum. So this menu did. And it was just papadum and vegetarian masala with a quail egg. I felt cheated and died laughing. That worked. 

I shamelessly asked for another serving of belinjo crackers. OMG. These are my kinds of food. The sambal was gorgeous! Z brought out an extra serving of sambal with nasi lemak pulut. I ate them all. SO MUCH CARBS. Never, I can afford it. Sambal firsts. I'd burn them off the next day. 

I couldn't believe that Z generously gave me a tub of sambal grago to take home! What the! Woah! I keeled over from sheer happiness. I appreciated that so much. I really love sambal, and this is a fabulous iteration. 

Whisky & Pork Biryani

Work ended at 9pm and I needed dinner and a whisky. Some colleagues needed the same. It had been a tiring three nights at work. It was absolutely intense. We still have a ton of analysis to do, and a conclusion report to write. We're not that close, and we're not friends. But because we don't actually work in the same office, we oddly don't mind one another's company for a bit. I've worked with them for years, and they're absolutely great people to work with. 

We stopped by Hubs at Siglap for a perk-me-up before bedtime. It was a central location for everyone to get home to after dinner and light drinks. Everyone just wanted whisky and Guinness to wind down, and bar bites to pad the tummy. We didn't even stay till midnight. We left at 11pm. Lovely. 

I didn't make a reservation and simply walked in. There was space for us, but limited portions of pork biryani. Luckily for us, we had enough to go around. The colleagues also wanted other things like pies, and fish and chips. I definitely wanted those fried cuttlefish balls. The sambal belachan that it came with was so spicy-delicious. My soda to whisky ratio was way high. I didn't want that much alcohol. I wanted refreshing! This means 15% whisky and 85% soda. Tehehehee. 

Cheese Toasties & Tomato Soup with Chopsticks?

I had a work social that evening that I couldn't not attend. After the afternoon presentations, small group discussions and drinks, I decided to skip out on dinner (a buffet thing in which no on would miss me) and left. Hopped over to Origin Bar at Shangri-La Hotel for a drink and a bite. This is the one cocktail bar that doesn't kertok me on whisky.

When the husband heard that, he ditched the dog and joined me too. Hahahah. He likes the cocktails at Origin Bar and he would want one. In the end, he had two. The cocktail menu is so pleasurable to flip through. Someone put a lot of effort in doing it up, with 2D holograms of the drinks and all. I wisely stuck to my Talisker 10 y.o highball. I wanted a peated highball tonight, hence my choice of whisky. Absolutely refreshing. 

I didn't bother to sit at the restaurant side. The bar would be better. Lower chances of the restaurants screwing up things for me. The restaurants are always hilarious. They always manage to royally screw up my orders, even for my orders of rice dumplings last month. Tsk tsk. The bar also has a small menu of nibbles; they suffice for a night like this when I don't have cravings and not looking for pasta or a carb bomb.

The husband was hungry, and ordered a burger and ramen. Okaaaay. The bar does these basics very well lah. I had no interest to share his food. Don't like wagyu patties and no like ramen. Hahahah I'm not in a mood to 'try' or compromise on food tonight. I ordered cheese toasties with tomato 'soup'. 

The server set small plates and cutlery (fork, spoon, knife) in front of us. We ordered the burger and ramen first. We had to ask for chopsticks for the ramen. Only after the husband's done with the food and the used cutlery and plates were cleared, I ordered the cheese toasties with tomato soup. The server returned with a plate and a pair of chopsticks. For my cheese toasties and soup. I blinked. It didn't make sense. 

When my food arrived, I LOL. Sure, one could kiap the slim toasties to dip in the soup, then eat without dirtying the fingers. But I'll pass. Even as deft I am with chopsticks and it's always my utensil of choice, it's weird lah. We're not in China or a Chinese restaurant! Anyway, I used my fingers and left the chopsticks alone. I didn't even bother asking for a fork. It wouldn't be too greasy. Luckily those cheese toasties were still as delicious as I remember from a few weeks back. 

A Glass of Peat Away from the Sugar

I'm never keen on cocktail bars because I'm not interested in cocktails. It's just a lot of hype and showmanship. I'm not keen on the sugar and the mix of flavors. If I go, that's for the company of friends who enjoy cocktails. 

I like my drinks plain and boring. I stick to whisky, or a glass of classic, non-inventive gin and tonic. I've learnt (the expensive way) to check prices of whisky at cocktail bars because they tend to jack it up for no good reason. Come on, S$29 for a standard pour of Lagavulin 16 y.o or S$49 for a miserly glass of Hibiki Harmony is too much. 

Popped by Taylor Adam that night since the friends like it and wouldn't mind their cocktails. No floofs came along, of course. It was very nice to sit in air-conditioning. Music was terrible, but at least th volume was okay and non-intrusive. 

Many cocktails were had, alongside whisky. Also had an easy bottle of red wine since WP and M don't do whisky and they weren't in the mood for cocktails. Hibiki Harmony was the bottle of the night. I'm not a big fan of Japanese whisky. It's a tad too sweet for me. After a while, I toddled off to the bar to look for a glass of peat. This bar doesn't stock much peat. The Bowmore 15 y.o isn't the 'darkest', so I decided against it. I settled for a lovely Caol Ila 12 y.o. 

Sake at Kizuna!

Kizuna turns 5 this year and they've got a number of events lined up to celebrate it. I can't believe we've been hanging out at Kizuna for so many years, from its time as a cafe to its current iteration as an izakaya. 

Popped into Kizuna for first of their special anniversary events. It was a night of sake tasting and food pairing. The izakaya created five courses to be paired with four glasses of sake and one highball, in partnership with Tōji Rumiko Moriki of 'Rumiko no Sake' from Moriki Sake Brewery (森喜酒造 株式会社) and organized by Whistler Wine & Spirits. 

The izakaya suspended their usual menu, and presented a five-course menu to pair with the bottles of sake brought out. Marinated amela tomatoes were paired with ankimo on a toasted base. The usual negitoro canapés had a fancier tart base instead of seaweed, and included a topper of raw quail egg! Then there was a gyu-don in the form of Kagoshima M4 wagyu squares. I gave most of my beef to the friends. 

There were desserts of melon and ham on cream cheese, and sasa mochi (with custard) wrapped in a bamboo leaf. Heh. There was sake tasting right? But there was also a complimentary glass of highball, and we continued having a few more highballs to go with the food. Highballs are simply refreshing! 

We tasted four types of sake tonight, including an aged sake at the end. I gained a slight understanding of this new-to-me brewery and their styles. I really liked the first two expressions. I enjoyed the 'Riestyle', created by Tōji Rie Toyomoto of Moriki Shuzo. 

What stood out for me was the Suppin Rumiko no Sake Tokubetsu Junmaishu Namagenshu. I think they change the colors of the label every year. But it is this line under the brand that I prefer the flavors of — the entire line of 'Rumiko no Sake'.

Rumiko-san was present too. She took the trouble to come all the way here to do this in an izakaya that's not even a big restaurant! I'm in all of her achievements, her knowledge and her demeanor. She was the loveliest. Choya was absolutely stoked to hang out with her. The little floof was very happy tonight too. She walked around, checked out everyone and then went back to her corner to snooze and calmly observed all the going-ons.

Whisky Shots at Kizuna!

I've gotten used to being in town over Christmas and New Year. It's a choice that I have made, and I'm still feeling okay about it. I'm not willing to compromise my dog's welfare and mental well-being, so I'm willing to compromise for her.  

Popped out to Kizuna to say hi to the friends who wanted to meet before everyone pops out for their ski trips and winter break. The stir-fry chef was ill, unfortunately, so there were no garlic fried rice, goya chanpuru or mapo tofu. LOL Never mind, there're plenty of other things on the menu that the other chefs could prep and serve up.

I had fluffy steamed rice with furikake, and pork jowl, as well as oden (no daikon today). Those were happy things for me. The man got his pidan-tofu, fried chicken, ankimo mousse thingy, and cured gizzard shard. We were all satiated. The friends got their niku-jaga and such.

I wisely stuck to highballs all night. Some opted for gin and the others also had an eggnog to round up the night. I was busy chatting, then there was one final tray of shots. I didn't even know what I was drinking. Someone said 'whisky'. Fine. 

I didn't even drink that much. But that shot killed me. I didn't get drunk or throw up. I was perfectly fine when I went to bed. But I woke up with a splitting headache. I swore I was hungover for two days after.

TEP Bar at Charoenkrung

Flew out to Krung Thep for 48 hours to see the friends for a quick bit. I'm always a tourist in Bangkok, but on this trip, I'm not a tourist, except for the staying in a hotel bit. 

I was going to stay outskirts at the motel nearer to their family homes, but they would be in town when I was there, so a hotel works. I didn't need to bunk in with the friends in their city apartment even. My preference is never to stay with friends even if it's for a night. Unless all I need is a hot shower and a quick sleep, and they have the space for me.

I ate easy and yummy six meals at very local restaurants. I had great filter coffee at local joints. I went to nowhere on TikTok or IG or Xiaohongshu popular lists. I did what I came here to do — reconnect with friends and check in with them after the passing of their 10-year-old dog. I know the dog too. It was all the more poignant because the dog passed on the same day as he was born, albeit 10 years later.

The friends insisted on taking me to TEP BAR. I was like... WHY. I don't need to go a bar! They said that I would love it. "We'll get you fried silkworms." They didn't tell me anything more about it and they told me not to google, and be pleasantly surprised. I tell you, only long-time friends could do this to me. They do know my preferences. I actually thought they're taking me to a metal gig. 

I could always hang out in bar, but I'm not a fan of cocktails. So none of these fancy bars or hip joints are memorable to me. However, TEP BAR left an impression. It has been around for nine years. It's very Thai and their IG posts and announcements are pretty much all in Thai. The best part — the live music bar hosts experimental Thai bands, and many of these bands play traditional Thai musical instruments and making new sounds to them. Which is awesome. So the new-to-me band tonight was Khamvisedth. I love their energy and enthusiasm tonight. Absolutely enjoyable! 

The best signage of the short trip came from tonight too, at the bar. LOLOLOL They wanted everyone to drink and party and have a good time, but FFS, hold your liquor well. NO PUKING. The bar is a tiny alley in hip Charoenkrung in Chinatown (Yaowarat), but this is not a get-drunk kind of place. They're not joking. I'm fairly sure that they would collected many 3500THB over the years. What a great way to pay the cleaning crew or add on bonuses for them. 

It's a very tiny bar and you gotta be comfortable with people knocking into you half the time you'd be there. I was like, whatever. Just don't bump me too hard or be rude. Also I had earplugs (as I always do), so I wasn't too bothered by the conversations or sounds. I could isolate the music, the conversation at my table, and focus on that. I also wisely avoided all award-winning cocktails made with Thai herbal liquor and stuck to gin all night. 

Sautéed Pork with Garlic Shoots

When I find gems of a quirky neighborhood izakaya that fits all my requirements and tastebuds, I try to keep them a secret. All the more so if I am friends with the owners, and would prefer to bring like-minded friends there instead of telling it to all and sundry who might just pick a bone with whatever standards they deem as the bistro/izakaya being unable to meet.  

That night at Kizuna, I knew what I wanted to eat to satisfy a few cravings — steamed white rice and grilled pork jowl. They don't usually do the pork jowl in an overly fatty cut, so I appreciated that. Skipped the goya chanpuru (ゴーヤチャンプルー, bittergourd stir-fry Okinawan style) in favor of more pork in the form of sautéed pork with garlic shoots (ニンニクの芽と豚肉炒め). 

We had a full table that night. The others continued with cocktails, chrysanthemum gin and such. I stuck to my highballs. No sake. I didn't want to mix alcohol. The kitchen also kindly gave us a few slices of pickled daikon to go along with dinner and drinks. 

A thunderstorm had rolled in at dinnertime, just as we were all setting out to head to Potong Pasir. But the rain passed within the hour, and that kept the evening really cool. It made sitting outdoors very bearable. It was a lovely night chatting with friends over delicious food and super decent drinks. 

Chartreuse, the Liquor, and Its Carthusian Makers

I vaguely read about the origins of the green and yellow Chartreuse used in cocktails, and the monks of Chartreuse in their self-imposed isolation. Then I heard about the worldwide shortage of Chartreuse, and how it came to be so.

Chartreuse is an herbal, bitter liqueur product made using a blend of 130 plants, herbs and flowers. The original recipe this dates back to 1605 when a manuscript k own as the 'Elixir of Long Life' was bestowed upon the Carthusian monks by François Hannibal d’Estrées.

Green Chartreuse is an essential ingredient in the cocktail aptly named 'The End of the Road'. That's a simple mixture of a peated whisky (usually Laphroaig), Campari and Green Chartreuse. Yes, only three 'ingredients'. 

The recipes of both green and yellow Chartreuse are kept highly secret. I read the information again with renewed interest as stocks of Chartreuse dwindled and its impact felt across all bars in the world. 

In 1840, they formulated a milder, 55 percent alcohol version, Green Chartreuse, and a sweeter, 40 percent Yellow Chartreuse. Both have become popular cocktail ingredients, while the Elixir continues to be sold medicinally for ailments such as indigestion, sore throat and nausea. 

Today, the order sells about 1.5 million bottles of its three hallmark products annually, with the yellow and green liqueurs going for about $60, and cask-aged versions for $180 or more. About half its production run is sold in France, with the United States the largest export market. 

Royalties go back to 380-some Carthusian monks and nuns residing in 22 charter houses spread across the globe, including Argentina, Brazil, Britain, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain and the United States. 

Remarkably, among them, only two monks know the full 130-ingredient recipe.

The monks of Chartreuse, also known as the Carthusians, survived 900 years of external turmoil, from avalanches to religious wars, fires, plagues and of course, COVID-19 lockdowns. They make Chartreuse, the liquor. Their business arm Chartreuse Diffusion oversees the operations and logistics of selling to the world. The sales of the liquor Chartreuse sustain this lifestyle. 

But I think the troubles of the modern world is encroaching on the order. And although the order doesn't seem to need that much to survive and for continuity, they decided to make a business decision that that is incoherent, yet so right for the environment. They simply refused to increase the volume of production of the liquor and quietly scaled back the production itself. 

“There’s only so much Chartreuse you can make without ruining the balance of monastic life,” said the Rev. Michael K. Holleran, a former monk who oversaw Chartreuse production from 1986 to 1990.  

This shortage of Chartreuse isn't unexpected. Older stocks have been sold out and current stocks depleted. It's a conscious decision undertaken by the monastic order to not meet the demand. In January 2023, the order sent a letter their partners to explain their collective decision to brew less, protect their monastic life, and focus more on their solitude and prayer. Wow.

Right now, the demand for Chartreuse from retailers, restaurants, bars, consumers outstrip the supply from the monastic order. Still, distributors support and stand by the order's decision. Let the waiting lists grow and the world will understand scarcity a little more, perhaps. At the very least, it's friendlier to the environment.  

“They’re thinking about the long term,” said the German filmmaker Philip Gröning, who waited 16 years while the monks pondered his request to capture life at the Grande Chartreuse monastery, “what’s going to be best for us, and for the planet, over the next thousand years.”

At bars that still stock green Chartreuse, the husband would ask for a glass of 'The End of the Road'. He saw a bottle of green Chartreuse at Kizuna that night when we had dinner and sake there, and couldn't resist asking for a glass. I passed. I'm very much not a cocktails person.

One could choose not to use peated whisky, but even a non-cocktail drinker like me would prefer it peated. Much more 'herbal' that way. Heh. Kizuna made a good mix. Well-balanced ratios. The husband enjoyed his drink loads.

“The Carthusians have a wonderful perspective,” Father Holleran said. “The days pass very quickly when you’re immersed in the shadow of eternity.”

Shiny Fish at 'Izakaya Kizuna'

Had to keep the floofs calm and away from the major fireworks on the 9th as well as tonight when the fireworks go off in the five heartland locations. Went up to Potong Pasir to escape the booms at the Parade venue in town. Headed out to Kizuna for dinner on the 9th.  

The izakaya was up and running. Tonight's menu offered had shiny fish! There was an easy appetiser of marinated gizzard shad (コハダの酢〆), and a main as grilled silver beltfish (太刀鱼). Noms. These aren't served in big portions. Bite-sized, I'd call it. Just nice for our stomachs.

I also needed something more substantial. Since I ordered the goya chanpuru (ゴーヤチャンプルー / bittergourd, bits of pork belly, egg and tofu), and pork jowl, I went for broke and had a bowl of steamed Japanese white rice sprinkled with furikake. Teeheehheeh. These go so well together.

The man also couldn't resist the garlic fried rice. He had loads of it with the fish, corn, eggplant and pickled cucumbers. He also ordered a second serving of marinated kohada. The izakaya's rice cooker ran out of rice by 9pm. LOL Loads of highballs accompanied the meal. Ahh...dinner was absolutely satisfying. 'Izakaya Kizuna' is always a good way for us to spend an easy happy night. 

Mid-Way Through This Series of Leadership Workshops

We're at the halfway mark of a series of Leadership Development Workshops that S has put together. While I'm absolutely familiar with the tiers of a leadership program, I lend neither help nor expertise to this workshop. That is entirely on S. I'm the notetaker and am simply... assisting.

This week, we completed the third set of the series. The two-day workshop ran smoothly without much hiccups. The participants were interested and engaged. Behind the scenes was all of S's hard work. I didn't even help her do up the deck of slides.

I'm picky about facilitators I work with because everyone has a different approach and manner to a workshop, and I have preferences, depending on the clients and their intended audience as well. I generally don't tell facilitators why I picked them or not, because I'm mindful of their feelings. It’s unnecessary to have to overthink. What I'm looking for, is someone who doesn't come across as snooty, patronizing or middling. I don’t want them to do juvenile or silly activities. The facilitator’s tone of voice and cadence of language are most important to me. Some facilitators are just great, and some simply suck.

When I watched S lead the workshop, the image of her as my friend dissipated. In place, she had put on a facilitator's hat. It was a pleasure watching S do her job so beautifully. Each workshop takes a lot out of her. It isn't just about the content. It's the interaction with the participants and how genuine she is. 

When the workshop was successfully completed, we breathed a sigh of relief. Hurrah. We adjourned to The Elephant Room for some excellent cocktails. Since we were hungry, we also had an early dinner. The bar serves up some really decent reinterpreted Indian food. The lamb shank and shredded Kerala beef were excellent, and we were hoping for a portion of carbs to go along with them, but the kitchen doesn't offer basmati rice or naan.  

Nikujaga at Kizuna

When I miss casual comfort food at an izakaya, I come to Kizuna for its night menu. It morphs into a cocktail bar and izakaya in the nights, especially fun on Fridays and Saturdays. Of course I always skip the cocktails and order the easy highballs. Its cafe hours don't match my schedule anymore. I haven't had a coffee here for ages. I stop by in the nights instead. 

I was here for the nikujaga / 肉じゃが and Okinawa-style stir-fry of pork, eggs, tofu and bittergourd (goya-chanpuru ゴーヤーチャンプルー). I was quite thankful that they ran out of rice at 9pm, so I didn't have any rice, not that I needed the carbs. Hurhurhur. But it would be nice to have stew with rice. I also couldn't resist a grilled stick of tontoro. Heh! 

Of course the man shared my stew and stir-fried dishes. But he also had extra protein in the form of tsukune and grilled chicken thighs. There was randomly a mapo-tofu with beef, but less spicy. Perfect. We couldn't resist trying out the cured hamachi drizzled in sauce of Bloody Mary. It was rather delicious! Ooof.

Washed down the food with refreshing highballs. It was another good night. Casual chats, good food and easy nights — these are all the things I was hoping to find in an izakaya that we come by often. Glad we have Kizuna. 

The Last Night in Tokyo

For our final night in Tokyo, I ditched a planned dinner at a 'famous' restaurant, and opted for a casual night out in Aoyama. I wasn't quite feeling it to dine out like this. I had already ditched an earlier table at a three-starred Michelin restaurant the other night. I enjoy fine-dining, but mostly, I don't need my food to be done this fancy. 

I can do fancy on another trip to Tokyo. This trip, I want to taste flavors that can come out of a home kitchen, and be reacquainted with everything that I've missed. 

The man was indulgent and didn't mind me ditching our reservations. (Thank goodness I didn't need to pay the cancellation fees because the restaurant waived it.) He did wonder about fresh fruit cocktail bars or one of those rooftop lounges. I'm like, let's go to a basement bar please. Cocktail bars are just wasted on me. I don't care about cocktails (walao the sugar). Just give me whisky. 

I wanted to go to Aoyama, an old haunt, just to see how much it has changed. Had a lovely stroll by the huge Aoyama Cemetery that's open to the public. I like this quiet cemetery loads; I only avoid it in spring since it has cherry blossoms lining the paths, and people crowd it for viewing parties and picnics. The cemetery has been around since 1874. Think of how many ghosts haunt the area. Hehheh. Did you know that Hachiko the Akita's actual grave is here? The loyal dog is buried right next to his loving owner Professor Hidesaburo Ueno.

Once the sun set, we headed to the bar for drinks first. We were still stuffed from dinner, so food would come later. Took a slow stroll and meandered through the streets. Grinned when I saw the almost-iconic Sunnyhills shop at the corner; it's designed by Kengo Kuma and the building was completed in December 2013. 

There're random clothing shops and such, many carrying labels in the designs I love. But they were closed when I walked by. I didn't bother factoring time to shop; I didn't give retail shops a chance. I preferred to spend all that time at the cemetery, watching the shadows lengthen as the sun set.

We hung out at Bar Lasile / バー ラズィール that just celebrated its 18th anniversary last week. I've been coming here for years, and it felt sooo comfortable to just be having two glasses of whisky this trip. The bar makes its little snacks for patrons, and while it has some sort of weird finger food, I wouldn't suggest you order those. Just get the drinks here. It's not a fancy bar. It's just a regular cocktail bar, and it offers a decent selection of whisky. Importantly, it doesn't over-price its drinks. 

Then we hopped across to a little izakaya for dinner. Went to 料理倶楽部. We didn't make a reservation and it was packed out. But they accommodated us. Wheeeee. That was awesome. It was exactly what I hoped to do for dinner on this final night in the city.

I wanted comfort food and familiar flavors. Had to have our last few highballs here too. The man wanted the beef tendon stew / 牛筋煮込み, a few grilled skewers of chicken momo and tsukune. I decided to have two sticks of grilled chicken hearts and a nikujaga /肉じゃが. Took me all of my strength to resist ordering rice to go with this meal.

Made the last connecting trains back to the hotel just past midnight. Heheheh. We didn't stay out too late on this trip and kept the alcohol intake moderate. Tonight was probably the most that we drank. Ooof. Well, we're not driving, so that makes it much easier to have drinks with our meals or randomly spread out through the day. Heh.