Beijing Olympics: Lost in Translation (Part II)

I wouldn't dare...

One lump or two?

Thank you for open!

Translation: "no parking on bicyclists at any time"

How do you do?

Butt talks?

The pool man is gonna freak

Yeah, cheated out of breathing...

Stylist Ben Dover at your service...

Operators standing by....

Damn, these fireworks reek....

Press it because you want to....

I'll keep a look out....

New in this section: 'Bowling with Bilbo'

I give my life and my company, but they just keep demanding more...

Bejing Olympics: Lost in Translation (Part I)

No worries guys I'm not going into the troubles accompanying the world wide torch relay or the terrible air quality there. However I'm really tempted because a lot of happenings drive me crazy, especially when I read how China is trying to show the world that air quality is better then the evil Western media are constantly reporting.

They want to close most of the power plants, cement factories, construction work, etc. the most polluters obviously. Plus some car owners will also have to leave their vehicles at home ordered by the government! And all that should happen at least a month before the official opening to improve air quality. They are cheating again, as always, with fake goods, DVDs, poisoned toys, etc, etc, etc. TV cameras have to broadcast beautiful pictures to the viewers worldwide.............

Oh, see just got into the issues I wanted to stay out of. Sorry folks!

However some you guys might still want to go there. I just received a very funny email and I really want to share this with you. It's hilarious!
Check it out:

First rule: don't smile........... or at least not in public

......and if you're dead, please get to a hospital...

A difficult meal...

For children from other countries its OK...

I think it was that "screw you" comment...

Start with the big toe...

Well, it is free...

That would explain the beer cubs outside...

Flavor with heart...

Falling should be planned...

I told grandma to use protection...

Plenty of meat for everybody...



Got too many kids?



Ouch!



Oh really! Wouldn't have guessed that...


To be continued.............

5000 Visitors and Counting

Today we have a reason to celebrate we reached the 5000 mark! A visitor from Salzburg University was our fifth thousand's! Thank you very much to everyone who's checking out our Wuerstelstand site. I know there will be some bloggers out there laughing because what's 5000 compared to other blogsites getting this every day or even more and it took us almost one year

Never mind we are just a niche blog on the WWW and therefore never expected being so succesful, so it still makes us very proud!

Thank you very much again and keep visiting not only our blog but for the local visitors keep patronizing also erich's ventures, Wuerstelstand, Backstube and Imbiss.

For friends or tourists who unfortunately had to leave Singapore check out the blog and stay informed what's going at the Wuerstelstand, Chinatown Nightmarket, Singapore and the region.

Drinking Kills Driving Skills

We are a 1000% percent supporter of Mika Häkkinen's and Johnny Walker's campain: Don't drink and drive. See here some statistics why it makes sense:

48% of all accidents are alcohol related. 52% of all accidents are caused by sober drivers.
Alcohol is responsible almost a quarter of the people killed on our roads. With a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05 the risk of being involved in a crash doubles, with a BAC of 0.08, you are seven times more likely to crash and 25 times more likely with a BAC of 0.15.
Alcohol-related fatal crashes cost the world community billions of dollars a year.
The hospital and rehabilitation costs of alcohol-related crashes where people are seriously injured are even higher.
Alcohol is a major factor in 26 per cent of road deaths.
It doesn't take much to put drivers over the legal alcohol limit of 0.05 and it is well known that drinking before driving increases your chances of crashing.
Intoxicated drivers involved in fatal crashes are three times more likely to have been speeding than sober drivers.
Alcohol affects decision-making, reaction times, speed and distance judgments, concentration and perception, balance and alertness.
It can also give a driver a false sense of confidence which may encourage him or her to take more risks.
Becoming a more global city Singapore is also seeing a growing drinking culture – market intelligence surveys indicate that alcohol consumption in Singapore is on the rise. There is nothing against moderate (!!) drinking per se - it is the irresponsible patrons who choose to take the risk of driving after drinking that calls for tougher action on the part of Traffic Police.
The significant rise in drink-driving arrests is a worrying trend – recording a 7% rise from 3,733 cases in 2006, to 4,009 cases in 2007. The total number of drink-driving cases in 2007 has also been the highest for the last 10 years. This is largely contributed by a 9% increase in the number of drivers who were detected for drink-driving in non-accident cases.
The message is simple - if you are going to drink, plan not to drive. Designate a non-drinking driver, ask someone to collect you, call a cab, take public transport or stay overnight.

First taste of F1 in Singapore

We finally got the first real peek what to expect from the F1 race in September and it turned out to be a real magnet to the Singaporeans. Over 10,000 showed up Sunday afternoon to get their guaranteed adrenaline rush when two-time Formula One Champion Mika Häkkinen took to the streets in a Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 car to launch Johnnie Walker’s latest responsible drinking campaign.
Hosted by celebrity sports presenter Jaime Yeo, Mika Häkkinen, the Global Responsible Drinking Ambassador, officially launched ‘Join the Pact’ an initiative by Johnnie Walker to remind members of the public to

‘Never Drink and Drive’.
The Finn thrilled the crowds with a series of stunts at the Padang, along St. Andrew Road, demonstrating the clear need to be in complete control when competing in world’s most-watched automotive race. Some of the audience might have already been in Malaysia for the Grand Prix but I’m sure the soon found out that there will be no comparison to the Singapore Grand Prix, since the F1 cars have to negotiate their way between high rise buildings, sharp bends and a very narrow Anderson Bridge which will extremely challenge the drivers.
Reporters and TV teams following every step Mika made.
After some sprints and turns in an AMG tuned Mercedes the McLaren pit crew finally pushed out the F1 car
Waiting for the "GO"
and off he zoomedEveryone had his camera or mobile ready to shoot.......
but sorry....... just missed it, maybe a little tooo fast. He already passed!
Coming back to the pit pushed in by the crew they finally got their shots
Another big difference to race track races will be the noise level when the roaring sound of the engines is reflected echo like by the buildings. This time it was only one car racing a short distance; imagine 20 of them for at least 90 minutes. At full throttle, each car's noise level could go up to 130 decibels (dB) - just shy of the 150 dB produced by a jumbo jet.

But back to the main purpose of this event: Häkkinen and Sponsor Johnny Walker tried to show consumers the importance of staying in control when you’re behind the wheel and to highlight the most important thing not only for yourself but also your family and all the other road users to NOT DRINK AND DRIVE. So be responsible leave your car behind and take public transport.

The aftermath of this spectacular event was another problem we all and especially the responsible government agencies have to be aware of is to fence off everything which should not be touched by the public. Some “ugly” Singaporean displayed the other side of such mass events: No explanation needed I assume...........
When we asked to use the walkways the reply was: “No lah cannot, so jammed, don’t want to wait!! None of your business!
But there were only some thousand and for the race in September about 90,000 are expected!

Volkswagen Radio Ad

I've been a frequent listener of Class 95's morning show with Glenn and FD since ever. I like the fresh humor of these most popular DJ's. However it I cannot always agree with some of Glenn's, let's put it this way, "interesting" comments.

But lately I'm getting irritated by this particular Volkswagen Ad, where a guy with a very Germanized ;-) English accent is complaining that it is impossible to get his favorite German sausage in Singapore but (thank god) his VW!!??
What a nonsense, isn't it?

Have these Volkswagen guys really never heard of Erich? Never watched Channel News Asia or Discovery Travel & Living? Or read Straits Times or Today? Or, if they've got a problem with the English language, the Singapore Japanese Community News? Or, at least the German Magazine "Impulse"??

Even President Nathan knows about Erich and awards him with the Enterprise of the Year Award.

Do I really need to continue how often Erich's Wuerstelstand and his Backstube have been featured in TV, News Papers or Magazines, etc since he opened his ventures?

It is really frustrating that the usually smart Germans don't know about Singapore's most famous Wuerstelstand.

Volkswagen Guys: Give us a call and we will introduce you to the best German-Austrian sausages and bread in town and probably in the region!

I hope you do a better research when developing your cars and don't forget to include Erich as a pit-stop in your car navigation systems.

Oh, and by the way the next edition of Lonely Planet will also recommend Erich's sausages and bread. He had a photo shooting yesterday.

Aiyoh, writing this post, just now, the ad came on air again!

HAPPY EASTER - FROHE OSTERN

Whether you celebrate Easter or not, you can't get away from the fact that the minute the fairy is removed from the Christmas tree and the last baubles packed away in the attic, the supermarket shelves, at least in the Western world, start to fill with fluffy bunnies, chocolate chicks and extravagantly wrapped eggs.
The giving of decorative eggs at Easter as symbols of rebirth and fertility dates back hundreds of years.
However Easter is not only about bunnies and eggs.
It is the most sacred of all the Christian holidays or celebrations: Jesus Christs death and resurrection.
It is also a family festival, a time for love!
We want to wish you all very Happy Easter - Frohe Ostern.

Backstube and Imbiss Menu update

Please check out the latest promotions at Erich's ventures: If you want to have a delicious and inexpensive lunch remember Imbiss & Backstube (the corner shop next to the Thai drink shop) open from 10am to 8pm whereas the Wuerstelstand only starts at about 3pm but is open till midnight or longer.
At the Backstube you will get the best and most inexpensive Austrian bread, Pretzels, Onion Buns and Muffins in town.