It's never boring at Erich's

It was just another ordinary Friday evening at Erich's, a few friends, some familiar faces, some newcomers and as always passers-by. Quite busy at the Wuerstelstand despite the hungry ghost month.However at the food court upstairs many of the stalls were already closed.
So we expected it to be a fun night with fabulous sausages, bread and Erdinger and chatting.
But suddenly things changed, busy guys with trolleys and others carrying cables and lanterns caught our attention. Soon we found out what it was all about: A film crew was preparing to shoot a new advertisement video about Singapore for Singapore Tourism Board (STB).Starring the shoot was Singapore's ambassador, the famous, talented and sexy singer/songwriter Tanya Chua and asked to co-star were some of Erich's frequent customers and photogenic friends ("The Golden Girls"). Even Stanley, the fruit juice dude next door was featured in the shoot.
Man, he knows how to pose already......!!

It took a while and several "cuts" until the director was satisfied with the outcome.
And again "famous" ang moh (Erich)'s Wuerstelstand was the location for another video production!

As I mentioned earlier ....... just another ordinary Friday evening at Erich's.

By the way, talking about Stanley, he has got a blog now as well, featuring his Natural & Healthy Juice Bar with all his fruit juices and soon I guess with some of his recepies

Chinatown Mid-Autumn, Mooncake and Lantern Festival, 29 Aug - 14 Sep

Get ready for another big event in Chinatown coming up soon. The Mid-Autumn festival is just around the corner.

Check out more than 250 festive stalls selling traditional goodies like moon cakes, pomelos, lanterns and more that will be lining the streets of Chinatown to cater for every festive need.

Stop by at Erich's Wuerstelstand or Backstube to boost your energy with his delicious sausages, meatloaf and bread for more walking around Chinatown's Festive Street Bazaar 29 Aug - 14 Sep:

Stalls are open:
11am – 11pm Sun – Thu
11am – 1am Fri, Sat and PH
in Pagoda Street, Trengganu Street and Sago Street.
Expecting a huge crowd of visitors after a month long hiatus, during the hungry ghost festival, the best bet getting there will be taking public transport.

Take MRT to Chinatown (NE4) or Outram Park (EW16) stations or bus services.

The Race Begins September 26

Only 45 more days and these lights will be switched on to brighten the Singapore night.....
for the first training on our new Marina Bay Race Circuit!
Major construction is more or less completed but there is still a lot of work to do.

Let me show you some impressions from the busy course:

The Pit building construction is done, inside work yet to be finished. Pit Grandstand works:

Turn 2 and 3 with grand stand:
The race track is snaking around the Singapore Flyer

The nearly 1km almost straight Raffles Boulevard underpasses 2 overhead bridges at Milenia Walk and Pan Pacific Hotel and will allow top speeds
A sharp right turn at the War Memorial Park
followed by a 200m straight and a 90 deg left turn into high speed St. Andrews Rd. stretch (ca. 500m) with a gorgeous backdrop of business district buildings
At the end of it after the Cricket Club drivers need to engage their brakes to slow down from over 300 km/h to meager 80 km/h for the narrowest and probably most dangerous part of our race track: The Anderson Bridge (built 1909)
then follows a sharp left to another high speed straight "The Esplanade Drive".......
at "The Esplanade: Theatres on the Bay" a 90 deg right turn leads to a short straight and to another critical part of the course. A combination of right-left (passing the Bay Grandstand and the Floating Platform) - and left again cutting underneath the Grandstand and exit with a right..
At this point the racers have almost completed one lap. There is 1 more right and 3 easy left turns until either the pit lane or the start/finish line
After estimated 61 laps the first winner of the 1st Singtel Singapore Grand Prix will be crowned. He will have passed 23 turns and 5.067km per lap, with speed in excess of 300 km/h along Raffles Boulevard and between 250 and 300 km/h on Pit Straight, St. Andrew’s Road and Esplanade Drive. The slowest speed will be measured at about 80-100 km/h.
Furthermore all the drivers will have completed the first ever F1 night race on the second most scenic race course besides Monaco.

There are still some great tickets left although 92% are already sold!
Hope we see you all there or you can also watch live on TV.

THINGS ARE HEATING UP THE CLOSER OUR 1st F1 RACE COMES

National Day celebrations are over, but an even bigger event is approaching fast. A new milestone in Singapore's history: The first ever Formula One night race! Everyone is getting hyped for September.
Companies are having lucky draws or other incentives to win tickets for the race.
Four Chefs of the Royal Plaza on Scott's have created the first life-sized race car made of 31kg white, 45kg milk and 14kg dark chocolate. Value: SGD 25,000
You can check out this sweet display in the hotel's lobby till September 30 and buy a scale model version. Parts of the proceeds got to Community Chest, Autism Children's Centre.
You can also purchase a lucky draw ticket ($5) and stand to win a night stay in an Executive Suite, an I-Pod Touch or Champagne Brunch vouchers.

Erich's Wuerstelstand of course is also gearing up for the big event, don't miss it and check our website regularly.

A SYMPHONY OF LIGHTS

Celebrating the Singapore Spirit, a totality of Singapore’s attitudes, beliefs and dreams.
27,000 lucky ones got the chance through a ballot to watch the National Day Parade from the grand stand at Marina Bay.

The huge floating platform was covered in a cloud of lights, sounds and joy with hundreds of performers to celebrate the Nations 43rd Year of Independence.“The Singapore Spirit” which has brought prosperity, peace and prominence on the international stage for this tiny (in terms of size) city state.

Plurality and the human element played a major role in the conceptualization of this Singapore Spirit. The segments of this National Day Parade showed a mirror image of Singapore’s everyday live. The precision drills of the Military Police Command reflected the discipline of the people they needed getting to where they are today.

The vibrancy and dynamism shown in the performances of the Line Dancers reflected the tendency of Singaporeans to stay young at heart.
Singaporeans from all walks of life took part in the National Day Parade – from the old to the young, from the able-bodied to the physically challenged, all had a part to play, be it participant or spectator. There was perhaps no better tribute to the old Singaporean adage of “unity amidst diversity” than this very fact.

The SAF Red Lions Parachute Display Team was up in the skies once again this year. Besides expanding the number of jumpers to 12, they increased the difficulty of their jumps to live up to expectations of the thousands of spectators. The team executed free fall display from an astonishing 10 000 feet. As a final stunt the Red Lions landed on the narrower promenade instead of the floating platform.

The State Flag fly-past is a long standing tradition at the National Day Parade, a proud and splendid sight when the large Singapore Flag hovered over Marina Bay.

The 12th Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aerobatics team, the Black Knights, after an 8 year hiatus, was performing for the very first time at Marina Bay and made a triumphant return to the National Day Parade celebrations.

With six new red and white F-16C Fighting Falcons the Black Knights performed breathtaking aerobatics whizzing past in symmetrical formations, flying within mere feet of each other, painting patterns in the sky with their billows of white smoke which really has thrilled the crowds.

Putting the performances together, the work involved in piecing together the whole National Day Parade was a gentle reminder for the need of coordination and collaboration as one Singapore to face the challenges ahead of a globalized world, a weaker economy and higher costs of living due to the highest inflation rate since decades.

In the finale of NDP 2008, when all the performers came together, each holding a star, each and everyone shining for Singapore, all of them, tens of thousands of spectators watching from the Merlion Park, the Esplanade Bridge, the Esplanade Promenade and hundreds of thousands on TV might have experienced this transcendence from a multitude of voices to one single unified voice as well, the voice that people here call the Singapore Spirit.

Much anticipated and again spectacular fireworks ended the 43rd National Day Celebrations.

HAPPY NATIONAL DAY, SINGAPORE.

For more photos click here:

Singapore National Day 08

PARIS FOR PRESIDENT

McCain, Obama or Paris that is the question and it's headlining the news since the Primaries started over a year ago. It is important for the world which direction US politics will be heading to, no doubt about that, however sometimes the coverage of most TV News channels is getting to much, if not annoying . There is more going on in the world than these childish 'tit for tat' reactions of the candidates.

You like America or not, but one thing no one can deny is the freedom of press. It is really refreshing and entertaining to watch some of these "Late Night Shows", be it Jay Leno, David Letterman, Brian O Connor or others. They can openly make fun of their President or the candidates without being sued.

I'm not a fan of IT girl Paris Hilton but her reaction after having been featured in McCain's video about Obama's celebrity status is a funny one which I guess no one would have expected her to be able to do. Watch this: If you have trouble watching click this funny video link or below

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Beijing: Bad Air Quality Makes Athletes Suffer Even Before Games Start

Let's hope this dream doesn't turn into a night mare!

The more athletes arrive in Beijing the more intensiv the discussions regarding pollution are getting. More and more blame the International Olymoic Committe (IOC) for false information about environmental conditions.

Most of the time the IOC is referring to official statements from the Chinese Government. Real comparisons of air quality readings with European or American standards are obviously not available or wittingly kept undisclosed! (Chinese practices as usual)
Despite a persistent 'smog-soup' last Tuesday official Beijing reported “slight air pollution” only! And IOC-Chief Physician Arne Ljungqvist doesn’t see “any serious health risk“for athletes. What else can he say? He doesn't compete anyway!

The parties concerned however have a different view. Especially outdoor endurance athletes such as cyclists or long distance runners will suffer most. One team physician: “Heat and high humidity we had in previous Games as well but here with micro pollution a third dimesnion has been added. Endurance athletes will be extremly charged.“ He further elaborates:“ If readings regarding CO2, Micro Pollutants and Ozone are critical we have to think about allowing atheletes to start.“
As one of the cyclists who has been in Beijing since a week puts it after one of his training sessions: “ I am shocked! It’s really bad, lungs and even my eyes burn seriously! I tried to inrease my speed, however the pressure on my lung became almost unbearable. Three hours of training here feel like 6 hours elsewhere.“
I am sure more and more reports about air quality will turn out and the Chinese will again take it personally and blame the unreasonable Westerners in destroying “their“ Olympic Games.

What else to say? We shall see!

Let’s hope the 8.08.2008 at 8:08 will really be a lucky nummer and everything changes to the better! So, let the games begin!

After 4 years of preparation and training for the Beijing Games the athletes deserve great, peaceful and trouble free Games and good luck. That's what we wish them, regardless of colour and race!