Munich to Singapore

I am finally here. I am in Singapore. I am officially a legal alien.

I am set up in temporary housing in Chinatown, in what is called a serviced apartment (fully furnished, with maid service twice a week). The apartment is small but nice. There is a great outdoor shopping area across the street. It has everything from potted orchids (about $4.00 USD), to tailor made suits, to duck rice and other interesting edible delights. The entire area is a shopping mecca. The local brewpub (Brewerkz) is only a few blocks away.

As with any new town I spend a good portion of my time exploring - trying to figure out how to get around and where everything is. My commute to work is about 70 minutes each way. I am out the door by 06:30 and walking to the train station (a warm 10 minute walk). It is still dark out at 06:030, the sun coming up about 07:00, yet it is still rather warm, about 27 C (or 80 F). The train ride to its most western terminus (Boon Lay) is about 30 -35 minutes. The train is usually rather full and thankfully has great air conditioning. Most of the trip is above ground so there is a lot to look at - it’s a very pleasant ride. Then I transfer to a bus for another 20 – 30 minute ride. The trip home is about the same except I usually have stopped off in the company tap room for a few cold Tiger beers. It makes the ride home just that much nicer. Next month I plan on getting a permanent apartment closer to work, thus reduce my commute to about 30 – 40 minutes.

We are on the last phase of the brewery planning the equipment is all spec’ed out. We are hoping to place the order early next week. The building construction should start soon after that. Some how I have been designated the project manager (even for the building). All very exciting.

The people here at APB could not be nicer. Everyone goes out of their way to make me feel at home (and I am not just saying that because they might one day read this - really). My biggest problem is trying to remember all the new names.

I would also like to report what a great time I had in Germany. It’s all a bit blurred by the packing and move that followed (and yes, by the beer consumption at the time), but it was really a great time. We drank Wheat beer from a wood fired brewery. We partied with a German hard rock band (Boogie Stuff). Our friend Eric Toft from the Shonrammer brewery took us hiking in the Alps, stopping along the way at these little “cabins” where they served beer and schnapps. I met several colleagues from APB at the Drinktech event and we all went out to the Hoffbrau Haus for plates of meat and beers. We made a pilgrimage to Andecks. We braved opening day at the Oktoberfest (and were nearly crushed in the crowd), we met many nice people, had our large meat plate and 5 liters of beer. We danced on the table, we stumbled to the U bahn, and got lost on the way home. A near perfect Oktoberfest.

The picture is (from left to right): Fal Christopher, Layton, Garrett, Dan & John - at the .... where were we ? Oh yeah, Augustiner