Care Bear Stare!

Anyone still remember those cute care bears with "tattoos" on their tummy? They certainly belongs to my generation and was certainly a hit in the 1980s. Remember how they can cheer up any situations and fight off villains like No Heart, Professor Cold Heart, Shrieky, and Beastly with their united Care Bear Stare!

Anyway, anyone still remember the leader of the care bear as well as the 10 original bears? At Pitstop cafe we got a unique set of UNO card based on Care Bears!!! I think it is unavailable in Singapore (got the set at Chicago).



Cute aren't they? For this version there is a card called "Care-a-lot" (it is also name of the place where all the care bears live) and by playing this card, everyone gets to discard a card they do not want. Sweet and heart warming right!

If you want to relive those nostalgic care bear moments, drop in at Pitstop Cafe and check it out!

Eve

Important new year's eve announcement

Chinese New Year

Happy Happy chinese New Year

Hey Happy Happy Chinese New Year!!! To all loyal Pitstoppers and all folks who are on your way to becoming a fellow Pitstopper, this is an announcement. Listen Carefully!!!

As Chinese New Year is round the corner, we thought that profit margin for collecting Ang Pows is higher and therefore, we are not going to open Pitstopcafe on 29th-30th January.

For those folks, who think that we are nothing but money grubbing scrouge, let us explained further. The Pitstop crew have been working so hard that parents and relatives complained that we lack kin ties. So, we would like to make use of this opportunity to visit our friends and relatives as well as to take a break.

Pitstop cafe will resume operations on the 31st January. We will be looking forward to your continued support.


Kai Xing? wo qu ni de!!!!

In addition, as many folks (the pitstop crew as well) will be busy preparing new year stuffs and rushing back for reunion dinner. We would also like to inform you that Pitstop cafe is likely to be closed on Chinese New Year's Eve because we do not think most people will be out that night.

However,

This is Important, please take note...

In order for fellow folks to still continue having fun in Pitstop cafe, we decided to try a different 'bottom-up' approach to allow fellow friends and folks (yes including all you readers of the blog!) to still have a place to gather after reunion dinner and perhaps catch the fireworks from our balcony (hopefully), etc.

if you want.


He just hurled 'Mandarin' at you

Therefore, on the eve of Chinese New Year, 28th January, Pitstop cafe will only be opened by reservation.

Wait, how does this work?

Simple.

If you have a group of friends who wanna chill over, have a jolly fun time, or watch the fireworks,just email us at Pitstopcafe@gmail.com to reserve a place. Alternatively, you can call or sms Tim at 94306979 and make a reservation as well.

Just leave us your name, contact number, number of pax and time and we will open Pitstop cafe just for you!****


**** subjected to availability and response

To bean or not to bean...

Due to the popularity and extensive 'malhandling' of the Bohanza card game, the beans begin to take its toll and began emanating an aura so overwhelmingly distinctive of sweaty palms.

Some pushes the blame to the 'stinky beans' in the deck of the cards,

while some proposed a scientific perpective of the beans oxidising into soy sauce,

others say it stinks and continue putting the cards near their nose then give a face of disgust and say it really stinks... uuhh?

Well, the Pitstop crew was totally shamed by such rotting organism that we decided to disinfect the whole lot.


bean soup anyone?

We emptied the whole load of cards and soaked them with lemon and detergent. Careful handling was essential in ensuring that water does not soak into the cards.


This is a popular and fun game! Come to Pitstop Cafe and try it!

we stirred and turn them every 30 sec ensuring that the leaning agent permeates the entire card.

Lastly, the cards were hand dried and then dried by the hand dryer to maintain the crisp and 'fresh from oven' feel.

Seriously why does it stink so much?

timo

Important new year's eve announcement

What is Pitstop Cafe?

Some say it's a board games cafe copy cat,

some say it's a cafe selling western food,

Some say it's trying to compete with tcc,

Some say it's some ice cream franchisee.

some thought it's a place for cheong bikers,

and some don't even bother.'

Let me try to explain again what we are........

The name 'Pitstop' derives from the concept of the reality TV 'Amazing Race' and it is used to associate our cafe as a stopover, a place for you to relax and have fun amidst the mundane ratrace and stressful school work.

In short, Pitstop cafe is a place for you to have fun. Its the cafe of fun!

Set in the middle of the Central Business District and strategically located in the interchange of the Raffles PLace MRT station. Pitstop cafe has made it easy and accessible for anyone who wants a place where they can just indulge in fun and joy.

Deliberately designed as a home, Pitstop cafe also hopes to create a homey feel that welcomes and make people feel comfortable. the three coloured stripes which consist of bright orange, green and red exudes vibrancy and associates with joy and happiness. The Al fresco balcony also provides excellent view of Circular road and its vicinity buildings which accentuates the cosmopolitan skyline as well as the old world charm of the conservation shophouses.


so homey that I see these bunch of folks more often than I see my parents!

The food, specially marinated and 'recipied' by mum's extensive years of experience in the kitchen ensures that the food is delicious, sincere and yet value for money.


Mum says she means it.....

Other beverages and dessert, like our gourmet coffee and ice cream are individually sourced to maintain high quality to please every part of your gastronomical desires.


hello, this one is not cut and paste from internet one hor. You know waste how many packet of milk and coffee beans just to get this or not?

The staffs are the bosses. This ensures meticulous care and top notch service to make sure that your experience with us is fun and friendly.


such a friendly boss

In short, it is an excellent place for folks to have gatherings, birthday parties, workshop and whatever. It is even a place where friends happen to meet each other! where strangers become friends!


This group came and coincidentally met fig.2 at the cafe

No elaborate manners, in fact casual and out-of-the-box behaviour is encouraged. Take for example, a group of 30 polo canoeist stomped our place for an after-tournament celebration. They moved their crouches (oh i mean the couches) and the tables, rearranged themselves and started playing cranium on the floor.


'it's like one time in band camp, where we all felt like home...'

They screech like Hyenas, they Jumped like monkeys and they also look like monkeys (refer to fig.1), but no one cares, because Pitstop is a place for you to have fun.


(fig. 1)

Just have fun and we will even cheer you on.

Take for example again, our birthday folks are specially treated with a special sundae and have the entire Pitstop crew switching off the lights and crooning in their famous out of tuned 'birthday ode' to you.



The staff will even make fun of you, tease you, laugh at you and even freaked you out with our famous 'hailing welcome'. My goodness, what sort of cafe is this?


beware of this folk, he shouts 'welcome' in your face the moment you stepped into the shop. And I really mean S-H-O-U-T!

This is a cafe of fun, our boardgames are there to facilitate your interaction, but if you have more fun games, just like this group (fig 2), who spent half an hour playing some polar bear and hunter game, we welcome you! in fact, we will also play with you!!!


(fig.2)

This is a cafe of fun. Fun is limitless, think of it when you sleep, dream of it when you eat. Everything is fun... this is Pitstop cafe......

the cafe of Fun

timo


oi! Sia la! what is this doing here?!?! eek.... so scary..is this some virus?

New Kid on the Block

Joining our existing kids, vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut and boysen berry, we have a new kid on the block. Introducing Rum and Berry from New Zealand Natural. So drop by and give it a try!

Be friends of Pitstop Cafe

Yes, we have both a friendster account as well as a hi5 account. Do be our friends and add us ok! Our email is pitstopcafe@gmail.com

We also have contacts of people who had came to our cafe and subsequently leave their emails. We will try to add them as well. So if you have left an email and recieve our request, do accept ok!

We are planning to think of something to thanks you all folks out there who has given us your support. I don't think we can afford anything fantastic but rather it is more of a token of appreciation to you guys...

So Add Us, Be Friends of Pitstop Cafe!

Speaking of the Devil

Warning, this is a long boring entry, just need to do some mindless ranting to vent out the fustrations, so read at your own risk!

I was mentioning to a friend of mine that i have not got the time to exercise recently and my only concern was that i may become too unfit and hence my ICT will definitely be tough for me. At this moment, the phone ring...

Phone: Ring, ring, ring...
Me: Hello...
Phone: This is a Mindef call up, you have 1 message...

Completely spoil the rest of my day...

It has been a tough day, lots of fustrations over various issues. Trying to understand different people perspectives, trying to get my point across, etc. It is indeed draining. There are some other bad news, etc. Really lots on my mind...

Went for a jog to vent the fustrations as well as to get a clearer head. Anyway I was jogging on the street aimlessly with lots on my mind till i saw an interesting sight. A pickup is dropping off the construction workers and on the back of that tiny pickup, it manage to sit 16 construction workers! I wonder why is it so hard to get a taxi driver just to accept 5 passengers (with children and small size folk) and i get fine if i don't buckle my seat, etc.

The jog did not help me vent the fustration, but it kinda of clear my thoughts though. Back at home, i got an update that there might be hope in one of those bad news...

I was tired. I normally pride myself for been able to get thing done even at the expense of people disliking me, to be able to push new ideas across, to continue to drive myself with more and more stuff. But today, I miss doing simple things like walking my dog, playing with my PS2, having a simple meal at home...

Today i feel small, insignificant and non-existant...a blog entry among billions, who will bother who actually wrote this, but i know tomorrow will be better...

Pitstop Customers in NUS!!!!

Oh well, school has started this week!!! As I mentioned earlier, I am bedridden. However, regardless my illness, I decided to give a shot and attend one lecture today!!!! Guess what, before I could complete the 2hrs lecture, I was out of the lecture hall, heading home to sleep again coz I was feeling extremely drowsy...( know this has no relation to the cafe but somehow, thought it will be more interesting to update some personal info here)...That's besides the pt lah...

Just wanna say, like timons, I saw a few people who have patronized the cafe in School today!!! It is so exciting to see them again, except that the setting has changed, it's school now!!! For timons, he is seeing hot chicks again...( don't wander k)...but for me, somehow I gained different perspectives. Perhaps it is due to the medicine, however, for the past hour or so in school, somehow, I just do not see these students the same way anymore. Instead of just seeing them as hunks and babes, geeks and nerds.....I just see them as "preys" , all are my potential customers who I can target to go to the cafe!!!! It must be the medicine or either that I am going nuts, trying to boost the sales!!!!!!

Indeed, this business has changed me, physically and mentally. It has changed my perspectives on how I view this world and even the people. This is bad.......Help!!!!

no school....no cafe...."fever, fever, go away..."

Seems that the weather in Singapore has been bad for the past few weeks. Not only has our business been affected. My immune system has been "destroyed" adversely too!!! I've been bedridden for the past 2 days and finally I am able to get off my bed to post a blog...Due to my illness, according to the doc, " you have overworked. Must rest", I've been barred from school and the cafe. It feels so miserable, being trapped in my room, strapped to the bed while imagining all the rest of my partners slogging their way, missing all my lectures!!!!Can anyone understand the agony? Now, it feels weird too, somehow I feel as if I have been plucked out of my routinized life, distanced from the cafe, from my partners,from my sweet customers...

Seems that I can't do much now,but pray that I will recover soon so that I can return to the cafe and help out......Pix...pray for my recovery yea?

All I can do now is to stare out of the condensed windows and sigh, " Fever, Fever, go away....do not come again...MuMu wants to go out and work!!!!!"

ID and EGO

ahhh...my alter ego finally surfaced.

Timothy is finally in school and weeks of fatigue finally caught up with me.

I attended my first morning lecture at 0800 hrs on the 'Sociology of Food' followed by a 1000-1200 lecture on 'Animal Behaviour'. Ironically, it's when Im in school that I am able to take a rest.

Now I've got a 2 hr break and I shall take this time to update the blog.

Anyway, anyone taking these modules? wanna do project together? Call us for reservation!!! hahaha

It's really refreshing to step back into school, going back to arts canteen to taste the chicken chop again. (somehow, it tasted different now) Even the coffee from the canteen tasted awkward having being used to the aromatic coffee in Pitstop cafe.

It's also refreshing to step into school seeing the hotties and the freshies, ahh..Im so freaking deprived of these cute chicks as Ive been locked up in Pitstop cafe for ages.

It's also refreshing to see people giving flyers and selling bash tix. They seemed to be so passionate and enthusiatic in their active uni life. I look back at myself, so tired and worn.

So different from the Timothy one semester ago. Everything seemed to take on a new perspective. (shit, another chick just walked past again). Back then, during free hours I would be at Holland V eating Nasi Lemak, now I have to go to the library to complete as much work and print as much readings as possible.

This semester would be even more exciting for me as not only do I have to handle Pitstop cafe, I have to work extremely hard to achieve my second upper class honours. (Im just that bit away only).

Everything seemed to have reorientate itself and I guess in order to survive, I have to adapt to these new changes. Sacrifice is inevitable and I hope that ultimately, these sacrifice is worthwhile. Perhaps not in financial sense (though having that would be better), but rather the lessons that I've learned in the process. Lessons about managing time, managing people and managing my emotions, are really important stuffs that Ive learned far beyond earning the dollar and cents in Pitstop cafe per se.


Timon

p.s anyway, when I was referring to the awkward tasting coffee and the different chicken chop in arts canteen, Im not not putting myself on the pedestal neither am I sucking sour grapes ok? Im just saying that things take on a new perspective.

So in case, I get bombarded again... relac lah brudder!

still Timo

Bad Service at Pitstop Cafe

At Pitstop Cafe, i think we pride ourselves on is the service we provide. I think this does not means that we are well trained or whatsoever, but rather because of our passion in what we are doing as well as the sense of ownership, we like to go the extra mile if possible.

I think the sense of ownership can sometimes feel weird as it make us feel even attached to non-arousable stuff like the egg pillow, the little green stools, the coffee machine, and even little things like our cups, glasses, etc. In fact i kinda of feel upset when i accidentally chip off a soup bowl while washing it. Not willing to discard it, i was trying to find alternative uses for it.

Anyway this evening, a group came and one of them accidentally broke a glass. We were kinda of upset but kinda of accept it as accidents do happen (this is not the first time. It was kinda of our own oversight to have choosen that glass anyway). The customer offered to pay us fifty cents for the broken glass (we were planning to forget about it) but eve was in a rather bad mood today and the mentioning of an offer of fifty cent kinda of agitated her. Before we know it, she say "I will charge you for the glass and its around $5!"

I guess the group must have felt awkward by her outburst, so i just kinda of mention to forget about it and leave us some tips will do which the group was kinda of nice enough to do it.

Anyway i feel strange about eve response cos normally she rather nice to everyone and yet she blew up over a broken glass and sometime later that night, i get to talk to her and here is a something she say...

"You know these tall glasses are hard to wash because you just can't reach in with your hands. We have to use a long scrub to clean the inside. Then we have to wipe dry them with towels so that there will not be any water stains. I don't know why but somehow when he mention paying fifty cents for the glasses, I kinda of burst out. The glasses though not cheap, it was not really a big deal too. I just don't understand why i do that even though i know that i should not have done it..."

I thought about it and it kinda of feel weird that unknowingly somehow we have kinda of attached to even the little bits and pieces inside the cafe. Anyway that was her side of story. Considered the fact that it has been a long day coupled with feeling unwell, she could easily have misunderstood the situation and hence mishandled it.

Anyway that was no excuse. We really like to apologise to the group for our display of unprofessional service and we will definitely work on it!

We will continue to learn from our mistakes and thanks you guys for all the support that you have given us

Kitchen Helper

Mum's Special Strike Back

Despite the initial poor response for mum's special, mum decided to strike back. Arm with a basket, she went to the market to get some stingray, spices and chilli planning to prepare curry stingray. I guess due to the initial setback, she decided to get only a small quantity so that even if no one likes it, the fantastic four can finish it.

But to our surprise the groups we have today is quite receptive about mum's special and decided to try it. Mum was caught off guard as her initial intention was just to prepare our standard fare and leave the stingray to later in the day when she got the time. After confirming that the group is willing to wait for 30 minutes, mum took out her barang barang and start whipping up a pot of spicy chilli stingray. There was enough for only 10 sets of it. Hope that you guys that tried out Mum's Special have liked it.

Awaiting for the return of Mum's special...

Kitchen Helper

Kena Featured

Yea!!!! first time kena featured...all thanks to some NUS folks who don't mind writing about us. Not Bad sia, write until like maciam very nice like that....

The picture also like quite nice..clap clap clap..

hey hey..check it out check it out..

Hooked

Anyway, today someone ask me to be more lame in the blog..

I was nearly crippled by that statement...

and I always thought that I don't use my legs in the blog?

a new himbo arises...

Rules of Enagment

Speaking of internship project, this remind me of an incident. There was this group of guys that happened to stumble across our cafe. As they were smoking, they were seated at the balcony area. Anyway we were just chatting and they mention how they got friends who need to do an internship project in which they will do some graphic designs for us and asked if we could participate. Since it doesn't cost us we kinda agree. Similary HaoJun has a group of friends doing the same project and ask for our participation the previous time he was here.

Back to the group at the balcony. I do not understand why, this group or perhaps one of them has a fancy for fire and was playing with matches, burning paper in our tea light holder. By the time they left. we realise that one of the tea light holder was actually broken! Few of us were rather piss off. It was not that something got broken, rather it was the lack of courtesy to just let us kow about it and apologise for it.

A few days later, one of guys in the group brought back 2 friends saying they were keen to do the internship. Since we did not know exactly who broke the stuff, we just let the matter past. On top of that, what the group does has nothing to do with this 2 students that like to work on their project. So I have a talk with them, trying to figure out how I can help them. So they started asking us like what do we need, why we start up the cafe, etc. So I pass them the namecard as say the blog has more information. They say they will be back again with a proposal.

Now lets look at another group introduce by Haojun. This group called and make an appointment to check that we had the time for them. From what I heard, this group had beforehand read our blog and hence during the discussion, they were already suggesting all sort of stuff that they can help us with. The other crew at Pitstop Cafe were impressed.

Yes, I may be old school. But i believe every little things make a different. Perhaps the first group are so good at whatever they can produce, but compared to the 2nd group, they lack that consideration as well as professionalism.

Yes at Pitstop Cafe, we too have our flaws but believe us, we will get better with your feedback and support...

Kitchen Helper

The Menu

After weeks and weeks of revision and re-revision, our menu is finally done.

and I thought that doing a menu just requires you to put the price on it.

nah, seems like more work needs to be done. Everything needs to be consistent, all the pricing must be in sync with the other products and certain calculations must be enforced to ensure we don't lose money.

We went thru many rounds of testing and editing, fortunately the crowd was forgiving enough to accept our hapharzardly done menu.


The menu went through much changes, from the initial black and white menu to the the now full colored 'full of shit' board.

Why 'full of shit'? I guess its better to come down to Pitstop to see for yourself! Every word and sentence has been carefully thought through, every references and allusions have double meanings and underlying connotations. Every joke has been carefully crafted to ensure it remains lame and corny.

In short, though it's 'full of shit', much effort has been taken to allow you to have a great time choosing your food and reading its descriptions.

It might be going through another round of revamp as a group of students have kindly offered to design our menu as an internship project. We hope that their creative input can make our menu even more user friendly and yet innovative and refreshing.

Many changes are coming along the way, we hope that fellow folks will follow us through this journey. Sustainence requires support, and in order for Pitstop cafe to thrive and provide you with a more pleasurable experience, your continuous support is much needed to motivate us.

Pitstop cafe, (well, this time I'll use something close to racing)

East.Timo

We are the racing cars, you are the drivers.

Its a honest mistake!

I was indeed surprise by the comments we recieved over one of the "unfortunate" entry. But it was an interesting experience for us for are new to this blogging thing. At first i thought that on top of using it as a blog for our cafe, we could also inject some personal rants. However things just got confusing during the expression. Anyway base on kind advices from our friends, i have remove the name of the entity because it was not appropriate and we like to apologise as we are still new to the blog medium.

The entry has been deleted but we have also been advice that it is not how things should be done, so we apologise for that as well. Timo has deleted it because of this confusion link up between individuals and the cafe itself, unaware of this is not the way to do it.

We also will start signing off our entry as we have calls from psychiatrist that we might be suffering from multiple personality disorder...

Yeah time to move on...

Kitchen Helper

Advertising vs Expression

I think blogging has indeed been a new experience for us. It has meant to be a way for us to express our thoughts and share the process of setting up the business. It also have been a way in which others has find out about us.

So when are we advertising our place and when are we describing a personal experience or our thoughts??? I guess only we will know it. As for the rest, feel free to interpret it and use your own judgment on it. It is not possible to mark each entry with things like advertorial or talking cock or having a bad day, etc.

I am surprise to see Timo having to write an entry to explain again even though i told him not to bothered with it. We are really glad to have friends who support us, strangers who came up and actually get to know us. We also have our share of people who do not like us. Some don't even know us and just dislike us cos we are copycats. Of course we also have people whom we dislike as well. :)

It will be good to please everyone, to be politcally correct, to stop making foolish statements...but i guess that is not what we are all about. We want to make money (lots of them if possible, but then again it could be me only), we want to follow our dreams, we want to make mistakes and learn from it. We want to experience the whole process...

We are foolish, in fact even implusive. Some of us even do things and say things without giving one thought. I have always commented them on that and now on retrospect, i think it is because of all this we are able to actually forget the restrain and make that first step to embark the journey that we are on now! If we have mind about been copycats, mind about people telling us that we are wasting our time, i guess we will still be drinking coffee, talking about the next big thing.

Cheers to Pitstop cafe and all the folks who has visited us and like us! Ya by the way this is advertorial

Kitchen Helper

Piss Off Cafe part 2

oops....judging by my previous post, seems like Ive angered some folks who have probably misunderstood me.

Its great to see people partaking in active conversation and displaying various views and perspective on a single issue. However, this time round Im afraid I might be a bit insensitive though.

Firstly, let me apologise by the blatant remark that I made (Ive deleted the entry to prevent infuriating more folks). Really, my greatest apologies. This got nothing to do with Pitstop cafe, but a personal experience and after thought.

Secondly, I have no intention of defaming or even putting ourselves on the pedestal. It's just a very bad day I had that day. Just imagine happily strolling down to chill after a busy afternoon, trying to bid on my modules. Having only 7 bucks in my wallet. Naturally, Ill be piss when i know Ive to pay for wireless service, when I could have just walk a few steps more to macs to get my free wireless.

Well, so folks I hope you understand! no hard feelings k?

have a nice holiday!

Timo

Another fun filled Saturday

The saturday starts off slow. We are really glad to have a group to join us in the afternoon to start things off and some of them has read our blog and hence decided to drop by. Thanks guys!

The game master was out to take part in a glamour quest. It is definitely great if he gets to win it, but it will definitely going to affect the operation of the cafe.
The radio is playing "Don't worry, be happy" while i am typing this...

So i hope i was able to explain the games of Cranium and Taboo well enough to you guys.



I believe Jac left us a comment. Which one is Jac? Care to introduce your group of friends? Hope to see you guys again!





Special thanks to Jeffery for helping faciliate the game Settlers of Catan!



You just can't go wrong with the game of Taboo!





Hope you guys like Phase 10!



Yes we can see fireworks from our balcony? Any reservation for firework viewing on New Years Eve???

Yeah, it was a busy evening and the atmosphere is definitely great. Thanks to you guys for coming. We can play music, there are sounds from the coffee machine, sounds of fries sizzling in the hot oil...but it is your laughter that makes all the difference! Happy holidays ahead!

Kitchen Helper

Who's the Boss?

I do not really join in the groups in games as compared to our game master, my knowledge of games is limited, furthermore kitchen is normally where i belong.

anyway this particular evening, the place was kinda of pack and after settling the stuff in the kitchen with mum, kinda of have the time to facilitate this group in the game of "i'm the boss"



Really fearsome group of negotiators!

Basically "I'm the boss" is a negotiating games. Players hold resources in which allows a deal to be made. The key is to negotiate and get hold the resources so the deal can be close and the money from deal is shared among the various parties.

We used to have a session of this game at Settlers prior to opening pitstop cafe. Anyway the way we play the game was rather "friendly", offers were made and deals were close rather peacefully. But with this group, the game dynamics were totally different. Deals are cut throat, people shouting all over the place trying to make offers, friendships were swayed in different directions. Its total chaos!

There is this girl who made 8 million out of a deal, and she so estastic, laughing and giggling away and couldnt contain her excitment. She keep repeating I got $8 million....really funny.

Really glad to join you guys awhile in your game and hope you guys have a great time!

Kitchen Helper