It's SingTime

TAG Paintball Singapore

This weekend all of us were looking forward to play paintball or “Gotcha” as we say in Germany. We all became very flustered that Saturday morning. We booked the openfield paintball court for 2 hours. It is located near the OCC or Orchid Country Club.

The address of the playing field is: Orchid Country Club, 1 Orchid Club Road Singapore 769162. Contact number 6324-0038 / 9662-0038

We took the MRT from Bugis station to city hall and switched to the North-South-line to NS 14 which is Khabib. Once arrived there we took a cab to the OCC. It was only about 4 SGD. The paintball area is not that easy to find. You need to enter the OCC club and it will appear on the right hand side. You need to look very carefully because it’s all covered with a green net to keep the paintballs inside.

Initially we ordered 2000 paintballs for 11 people. The game started with a security instruction and a whole set of strict rules. This was a bit annoying but if you got hit by a paintball the first time you will know why those rules are so important.

We built 2 teams (5 against 6 but with one Dutch guy … ) and started the game. It was really exciting; everybody was wearing a breastplate and a mask to cover the face. There were many barrels and other items to hide behind. 2 tactical objects that were very important were the bridge and the tower. From those points you had a very good overview of the whole combat field and a perfect position to sniper “the enemy:

Why did I mention the Dutch guy earlier?? Ok, as I saw him the first time this morning coming out of the plaza he already looked a little pale. I asked him if he was alright an he said: “Just a normal hangover, I came home at 6 am“. After the first round of the combat this “normal hangover” literally knocked him out. He was totally pale and the referees decided to take him out of the game. This was a very wise decision as you can see on some of the pictures.

Apart from that “incident” the game was just perfect. We even decided to get another 2000 paintballs to extend the game to 2 hours.

TAG paintball is really fun to play and I would recommend it to everybody that is not afraid of bruises. Those small spherical balls made of a thin gelatin can really hurt and sometimes give you red and blue bruises. Did I mention that not a single paintball hit my breastplate … instead I got hit at the arm, at the legs etc etc …

Oh another thing … don’t play against the Canadians as the media always wants you to believe that they are harmless. This Canadian guy playing with/against us, turned out to be the number one assassin.

For more information just visit their website at www.paintball.com.sg

Trip – Vietnam – Hanoi

We just came back from a 3 day weekend trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. That was an amazing experience, the most interesting & exciting, I think, that we have made so far since we started our internship in Singapore. Actually there are so many things that I would like to mention about that I do not know where to start

I hope, that even if I do not manage to give you the whole picture of the places in Vietnam that we saw, the great pictures will do the rest!

We flew with Vietnam Airlines, not the typical “tourist” airline like Tiger Airways. I mention this because of the food they served. We expected something very Asiatic and got a dish that was very much like we are used to eat in Poland or Germany: a beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes and salad. Well, anyway, the flight was ok, and this was not the first time we had the chance to enjoy the local Vietnamese cuisine.

Vietnam is one of the few remaining relicts of socialism in this world. And of course the landscape, the culture and the people themselves are influenced by the system they live in. When booking the flight, we did not know that the weekend we chose for our trip was when the Vienamese people celebrate the reunification after the Vietnamese war (or as they say the american war) and a long time of French colonialism. So during this weekend not only the traffic was extremely heavy, but also the propaganda posters and the government flags were everywhere!! I couldn’t stay indifferent to that…since the system change in Poland I haven’t seen it “live” anymore and even in my country I was too little to really remember how the daily life in socialistic reality looks like.

During our 2 day stay in Hanoi, we saw many things typical for a country with socialist regime. Apart from red flags hanging everywhere during the national holiday weekend, one can easily notice the very low life standard of the countries citizens and the legal rules which often seem to be irrational:[ good example for a not very rational legal solution is (or used to be) the habitation tax based on the facade width which has made the Vietnamese people building their houses make up for it in height. It caused the houses look really funny with their extremely "skinny" facades (look at our pictures), On the other hand, however it has also a practical explanation: Vietnam doesn't have much land and its population is increasing unbelievably fast. This causes the property in the cities to have very high value and space to be occupied very carefully].

Another characteristic element is that there are no western brands to be found in shops. Actually there are no shops in a normal sense (:)) just simple, “market type” stalls selling literally everything, but mainly goods of very poor quality. The only exceptions are: local art and paintings specifically as well as the local craft (e.g. crockery or the beautiful hand made chop sticks) which are very popular among tourists visiting Hanoi. A communistic country also has limited contacts to other countries: The visa cost us 100 SGD (about 50 Euros)! The prices we paid for things bought in Hanoi were at least 10 times the price paid by local customers. And last but not least, there are Lenin statues to be met in the streets…something that is slowly pushed into past even in Lenin’s father land – Russia.

We spent two days in Hanoi in the city’s Old French Quarter, in the Sunshine Hotel (recommended by the lonely planet) and felt like we were overflooded by the cities unique, typical Vietnamese atmosphere. We were amazed to see the narrow streets invaded by scooters and bicycles. You have to picture streets crammed with a multitude of two-wheelers that outnumber cars by 100 to 1, extremely buzzing and honking; they make the air so polluted that it is almost impossible to breathe – that’s why many of the people wear very characteristic, special face covers-air filters.

You also have to picture us crossing the street, when what you have to worry about is not two lanes of cars but a dozen lanes of mopeds with no sense of traffic regulations. THERE ARE NO traffic regulations on Hanoi streets as it seems: the bigger vehicle is always right and while crossing the street just let the cars/mopeds pass you. DO NOT STOP is the primary rule stressful enough for us to get a slight headache at the end of tiring but very exciting day in Vietnam’s capital city!

There are not many typical sightseeing spots to recommend in Hanoi. The places special atmosphere, its noises, its smiling people and its great food are the things you just cannot miss!
There are however two things that are a “must” while visiting Hanoi:

• the Water Puppet Show at the Mua Roi Nuoc theatre at the northeast corner of Hoan Kiem Lake

• a local food court named (“Quan an Ngon“) and located in 18 Phan Boi Chau street

At the foodcourt we enjoyed a truelly amazing dinner! The food was fantastic, you just must love the Vietnamese people favorite – the famous spring rolls. The food court looks actually like an outdoor restaurant with beautiful wooden furnishing and variety of very local, authentic food. You can eat a la carte, or simply go to single stalls with a waitress and order whatever looks or smells good to you you won’t be disappointed, we promise!
And of course do not miss the whole Old Quarter district – with its narrow, crowded and loud streets, old houses and tiny market stalls it is the real heart of the city. It’s the best to book a hotel somewhere nearby or directly in that part of Hanoi, and live in the heart of the bustling Vietnamese capital!
There is a very nice, beautifully lit up alley: Bao Khanh, on the north edge of the lake, where small cafes and bars (often placed on the houses’ roofs) are inviting you for a glass of beer (Bia Hoi as the local brewed beer is called), Vietnamese snacks or tasty deserts. If you are a beer fan, it is certainly worth dropping by to the local pub/small brewery where local “red beer” is served (Ma May street), a few meters away from the hotel we stayed at. Last but not least, if one feels they have a spare hour or two, try out the local massage offers. For 10 US$ you get an hour of pleasure for your body and soul! And if this is not sufficient, the ladies can always get a manicure or a pedicure (4 US$/each). If you are staying in the Sunshine Hotel we can recommend the SF Spa (16 Hàng Buồm – Hoàn Kiếm – Hà Nội)

On the second day we decided to do a one day trip to Halong Bay which we booked at one of the many travel agencies in the old quarter. The trip cost us 18 US$, including the transportation in a minivan to the harbor, the entrance for the Halong Bay area, the boat trip, lunch on the boat and the entrance to the caves.
The bay consists of 1,969 limestone monolithic islands, each topped with thick jungle vegetation, which rise spectacularly from the ocean. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Hang Ä�ầu Gổ (Wooden stakes Cave) is the largest grotto in the Halong area.[wikipedia]

The bay was World Heritage listed by UNESCO at the 18th meeting of the Committee of the World Heritages of UNESCO (in Thailand on December 17th, 1994).
The trip was one of the most impressive tours we have been so far. Even the 3 hours ride from Ha Noi to Halong Bay harbor, wasn’t boring at all. This country offer such a diversified landscape, in a million different colours dependent on the sunlight, that no one should miss. The trip itself was relaxing, well organized and due to the beautiful weather simply glorious.

Since we did that tour to Halong Bay on April, 30, which is reunification day in Vietnam, the place was packed with tourists (see photo). However it did not spoil the special allure and charm of the bay!

Volkswagen Golf R32 launch in Singapore

On Friday last weekend we got the honour to attend the launch of the brand new Volkswagen Golf R32 here in Singapore. One of the interns that was with us on Pulau Besar, invited us to this launch party. She is doing an intership at the Volkswagen Singapore Group.
The event was really nice, very small however, with just about 150 people right in the middle of the financial district. Drinks and food were provided and we really enjoyed the chance to eat a lot of chocolate covered strawberries. You should really taste them, fantastic!

The event was a reuse of the German marketing campaign, I believe. You could see the “Volkswagen, aus Liebe zum Automobil” slogan all over the place.
The show was pretty short, Dr Olaf Duebel, Director of Volkswagon Division for South Asia and Pacific, held a short speech and they released (from the “lair of the beast” as they say) the car with a short movie. Watch the movie if you are interested. After that the cars remained there for all the media, interested customers and us – the competitor’s spies .
All the time a local DJ from Velvet Underground club was spinning the records, very nice trance and house music.
All in all it was a felicitous event with a very pleasant atmosphere. It’s only the car that didn’t look like a real BEAST ….;)

The blood of a genuine top athlete flows in the veins of the Golf R32. The 6-cylinder engine achieves its power output of 250 hp (fuel consumption: 9.7 – 10.8 l/100 km; CO2 emissions: 233 – 259 g/km**) from a swept volume of 3.2 litres with an overwhelming 320 Newton-metres of torque. Its acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.5 seconds. With the optional dual clutch gearbox DSG, it needs just 6.2 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h and ensures supreme pulling power in all situations. The engine cover features a powerful “V6” – an unmistakeable sign of uncompromising power.[Volkswagen.com]

Click here to watch the movie : –> Continue reading Volkswagen Golf R32 launch in Singapore…

“School Trip” – Malaysia Pulau Besar – D’Coconut Island Resort

During this year’s Easter we visited Malaysia again. This time we did not go that far as a couple weeks earlier when we went on Pehentian Island…Our destination: Pulau Besar, is an island on the south east malaysian coast, close to the Tioman Island, and it takes about 3 hours car and 1/2 hour boat drive. Our escapade was actually much like a “school trip”…with 16 interns from the Plaza travelling in a minibus I’m afraid we reallly looked like kids on a school excursion . The ”KIDS’ were interns from Volkswagen, BMW, Lufhansa, DaimlerChrysler and others.

Our weekend started early Friday morning, since this was a holiday here in Singapore (differently than in Europe where there is Easter Monday free..whereas Good Friday is still a working day). The mini-van that was supposed to pick us up was half an hour late, so we left the Plaza at quarter to 7. Crossing the border was very tiresome as always. There was a lot of traffic due to the holiday and it took us quite a while to cross it. The ride to Mersing Jetty was nothing special, all of us in this tiny mini-van packed like sardines in a can and Simon trying to talk to the Malaysian driver in mandarin … guess how funny that was? very good entertainment indeed !!!

The speed boat ride from Mersing Jetty to Pulau Besar was included in our package bought at the D’Coconut Island Resort and took about 30 minutes. The rooms at Coconut Island resort are all with AirCon, really nice and clean. The hotel has a nice pool with a waterfall and a lot of nice flowers smiling at you. Staff is friendly and most of them understand at least some English. The food which was also included in the package was OK, just OK…actually a slight dissapointment as we felt. There was a buffet 3 times a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. The bar could not make up for the rather poor cuisine. It almost offered nothing except from some can beer, gin and rum. Looks like they haven’t had a lot of German&Polish guest previously – worldwide known demanding and experienced alcohol enthusiasts ….
The island doesn’t offer a lot of recreational options. There is a beach-volleyball field that we obviously intensivle used …. considering lack of alternatives Apart from that not much to write about. The 2 days we spent there were therefore extremely relaxing. No diving unfortunately, although the website tempts with diving trips descriptions. As it turned out, last diving school on the island closed over a year ago. And next closest diving spot is Tioman. As we found out, the corrals in this region are distroyed in big part, so if any diver has a chance to go further north the Malesyian coast, it is defenitely a good choice.

Besar is undoubtedly a beautiful, virgin, clean island, optimal for 2-3 days beach relaxing. But defenitely not a good choice for a longer holiday, especially for sports enthusiasts. Since the spot is relatively close to the mainland, the water is neither as clean, nor as transparent & wavy as on Perhentian Island.
However we made 2 interesting discoveries:

There are beautiful shells on the beach brought everyday with the tide. This makes every walk really exciting, you never know what you can find ! And the sand is sooo soft and white…your feet will be delighted
The reality show : ”Expedition Robinson” was shot on the island. So TV teams from different countries came for a couple weeks each, inclusive the Polish one my astonishment was enormous as one of the hotel guys spoke to me in my mother tounge…whereas most people there do not even know where Poland is a really sweet surprise I must say !

Here are some photos from the school trip to Pulau Besar [see all photos]

East Coast Park – Seafood Center

This weekend we stayed in Singapore so it was very relaxing …no hurry, no stress. On Saturday we went to Tanjong Beach on Sentosa Island to catch a little bit of the nowadays very rare sun. It seems like the rainy season is back again…or at least the sunny season took a break…really hard to get a sunny day recently. So, since it was cloudy again, just a few of us used sunscreen … guess what? Right! All the others got heavily sun burnt… The equator sun, even if it is not there…it is still there, believe us, STRONG and DANGEROUS, even behind thick clouds
On Saturday night we checked out the “club momo” . The music was really fine R’n'B and HipHop style. Not to forget the very good live music in the small momo – live club.

Sunday: After two months, finally the time came to say goodbye to Christian, also known as JUAN. We decided to go to the Seafood Center at the East Coast Park to have the farewell dinner. After heavy discussion, we picked the No Signboard Seafood restaurant and it turned out to be an excellent choice! Although a little bit costlier than others, we highly recommend it! The food was DELICIOUS. We had an over 2 kg black pepper crab, 2 different kinds of prawns, vegetables and some spicy fried squid. The whole experience of eating seafood there is a MUST if you are in Singapore!

No Signboard Seafood, outlets at East Coast Park and Kallang Oasis. Known for its butter crabs.

East Coast Seafood Centre
The East Coast Park is a beach park located on the southeastern coast of Singapore. It was opened in the 1970s, when the government completed reclaiming land off the coast at Katong which extends from Changi to Tanjong Rhu.

The 185-hectare East Coast Park is the largest park in Singapore, and is built entirely on reclaimed land with a man-made beach. The beach is protected by breakwaters, with no other natural features. The park is easily accessible by East Coast Park Service Road with numerous exits along the East Coast Parkway. The place has ample parking space with many carparks near the park. The park is also accessible via public transport in the form of bus services, available on East Coast Park Service Road. Underpasses link the park to the nearby Marine Parade housing estate.

The park is a popular place for families and friends to relax and enjoy themselves. The park has barbecue pits, entertainment facilities, chalets, food and beverage, and amenities for sports activities. A cycling and rollerblading track runs along the perimeter of the park, which measures at least 20 km long.

East Coast Seafood Centre
The East Coast Seafood Centre was opened at the same time as the East Coast Park, with eight restaurants serving seafood. Its initial name was known as UDMC Seafood Centre, which was later changed in 2000 to its current name. Local favourites such as chilli crab, black pepper crab and mee goreng can be found there. In 2005, the Seafood Centre was upgraded to give it a modernised look, and better facilities. Many of the features were revamped, and a number of old tenants vacated for new tenants to take their place.[wikipedia.org]

Here are some photos from Christian’s farewell [see all photos]