PaintBall aka "PainBall!!"

Date: 9th June 2007
Time: 9:00 AM
Place: TT Sports Park, Subang Jaya
Why?: Company team building event


I guess it was sooner or later that PaintBall would be in our list of team events to do. It finally happened last saturday and I guess it will be a first and last for our team as the company has decided to discourage PaintBall due to health and safety reasons...hehe Nevertheless PaintBall is actually a very good event for team building, you really have to work together if you wanna win. Working in an island will just get you killed in a spatter of paint in no time...hehe

There are several ways to play paintball and should not be too alien for you guys and girls that play multiplayer games...hehe. Capture the flag and last man standing are the 2 common games paint ballers play. In our case, we played Last man standing which basically means, "killed everyone" hehe that is get all the opposing team off the playing field to win.

I'm a complete noob when it comes to paintball. We get to use a gas-powered rifle which can fire the paint ball at 280ft per sec. That can really hurt if you shoot someone at close range. But for most of the time it just feels like getting hit by tiny stones from far range. They use CO2 gas to power the rifle. The rifle or "marker" has a hopper (bullet catridge) with a small fan to suck in the paint ball to the gun barrel. Body armour is basically a jump suit or just a plastic body vest with compulsory head mask. Here is a pic:

Once you know how to operate the Marker, next is just how you position yourself on the terrain. On the field I played, it was a mix of old tyres and plank obstacles called "bunkers" that you can hide behind and snipe your opponents. The bunkers mostly have gaps in between so you can slot in your marker and take pot shots. But beware, you could get hit from there as well. All it takes is 1 lucky shot and your're out.

However, what really happens most of the time is that you most likely run out of pellets and have to leave the field. No in-game reloads were allowed...sigh. Also, the markers do not have exactly the number of pellets you'ed expect. This is because they are loaded using rough estimation (poured from a jar/canister filled with pellets to a certain level) instead of counting pellets. The game generally lasts 5mins per round and are watched closely by marshalls. They will ensure the rules are adhered to, ordering you out when you ran out of pellets or even when some pain spatter "killed" you without you knowing. No use arguing with the marshall as their decision is final.

Here are some more pics of the action. Bottomline, paint ball (or pain ball depends how you look at it) is a must try for all you sniper wannabes! I've tried Laser Tag game before, paintballing beats that hands down in terms of thrill factor. Although running out of bullets is a real drag! Oh well can't have it all!

Dinner at Rahsia Restaurant

Date: 8th June 2007
Time: 7.30 PM
Why ar? : Company dinner and farewell

Now this place was called Rahsia (secret) really because it is a secret! Not many knew about it's existence, not even me until recently. I attended a company dinner there and it was quite a good experience actually. The ambience was ok, and food was not too bad. Although some of the drinking glasses were not very clean ( i suspect coz there was so many of us they had to bring out the wares from storage to serve us). I guess the price was kinda pricey but then again you pay for good service, ambience and privacy right in the middle of KL city.

Located just behind Empire Tower near Ampang Park shopping mall, a 10 minute walk will take you to this place. Its actually a big bungalow that was converted into a restaurant. Here is a pic of the frontage:
Dinner tables are arranged inside and outside the house, so its up to your fancy where to eat. Beware of mosquitoes though if you're sitting outside. Your date in a hot/short dress might not take it too nicely...heheh. Ok on to the food!!

I went for the lamb shank, which in my opinion fulfilled the basic "shank" requirements. It's sauce is tasty, the meat soft and tender, slides off the bone with ease. However it didnt make me go "Wow!", I think i've had better shanks...hehe Don't take me wrong though, its quite good! Here is a shank shot, forgive the low quality camera phone pics!
Some of my friends attacked the beef tenderloin pictured below. It was a medium rare event but glad to note that it wasnt so bloody this time. However the cow did won in the end as some could not finish the portion and was "chewed out of breath"..hehe. Oh yea it was good they say ;) To call it a night, I settled for the Tira-mitsu which was alcoholic. I think it one of the best tira-mitsu I've had so far, not bad indeed. Here is a pic:
So, would I pay Rahsia a visit again? Hmmm, not in the very near future due to wallet constraints but I do recommend it if you want a private and cosy place to eat espeacially if you're in the KLCC or Ampang area and don't want to put up with traffic or parking woes. Cheers!