All the exams are now over. Experience reminded me of the end of high school when I was doing my matriculation examination. Only diffrence was that there was just 2 hours time. I would never work as a professor in NUS.

How to spend last days in Singapore? Cleaning and packing up. Nearby the entrance of PGPR is a box where you can recycle all the things you don`t need. I already found books about geography of Southeast-Asia and economics, what to read during travelling ïn that area. But there was something even more interesting:

It`s like the human relationships here. First you use them a lot and finally through them away for somebody else to pick-up. Just a small minority find their way to your home. On saturday to Zouk-out and next day to new adventures...

Sorry guys, I have been busy recently. For example was travelling to Melaka, Malaysia.

MELAKA- THE FASCINATING HISTORY OF MALAYSIA

If I worked in a local travel agency company, I would combine this two pictures in the same postcard. It gives interesting philosophical insights how buildings look all the same when they are in the beginning or end of their lives. Both human newborns and architectual fetuses keep terrible noise disturbing the neighbourhood. Most of the old buildings again are demolished without any emotions while minority of them are adored and visited by people around the world.

In this world of impersonal bureaucracies and legitimized authorities can be still seen this phenomenon of irrational lifting of some people above the others. Isn´t there really any younger people in Cuba to be offered scholarship for exchange in NUS?

Amoung Fidel Castro also George W. Bush visited Singapore and I was witnessing how he was guarded by more policemen than there were protesters outside UCC where he had a speech. More information about the events here: http://gssq.blogspot.com/2006/11/well.html 

This North-American man, whose identity is kept secred for certain reasons, came one of the fighters of democracy. Local students were too afraid to come at the place because of possible arrest. 

One curious thing about the law of Singapore is that drinking is allowed in the public, unlike in many European cities which find themselves liberal. Smoking is limited in the same level and some features of the prevention campaign could be copied also to Finland.

I can imagine a green party girl who would be devastated by the words written below: "Made in U.S.A."

The role of traditional painting has decreased in the field of arts since camera was invented.

After Olympus FE-190 was designed, also the importance of impressionistic and even more abstract styles in depicting the world has dramatically decreased.

When you try to escape the cultural shock to irish pubs or italian restaurants, something even more strange happens. In oktoberfest I met these two sultans who wanted to be part of my harem:

But still the most exotic thing I have seen by far is the asian hand, which stresses to dimensions which are currently under censorship in Europe.

If we consider the aesthetics, the most beautiful part of Jakarta was the neighbourhood where Ray´s parents live. The house is not traditional indonesian one, but at least there were many details I would have in my dream`s home. Those who have been in my Helsinki luxury apartment maybe notice some similarities to my kitchen table.

Another thing I really adore are the local partyclothes, kabayas (or however you spell them), the Indonesian gift to the world. I didn`t take yet any pictures of the ones I have bought, but here is a photo of wedding suit of part of Sumatra, which tells something about the local beauty-concept which I totally agree with. It`s not uncommon for the bride to wear crown of 7 kilos! 

After I saw this contrast between the worst slums and glory and better neighbourhoods, I will never complain about Finnish tax-rate and how it is limiting the possibilities to get rich. If life feels ascetic, always it`s possible to travel to poorer country and have millions of local currency in your wallet.

I have to also now put one compulsory landscape picture here from Tangkuban Perahu

...combined with my project "photograph the worst sides of southeast Asia"

BANDUNG- THE CITY OF FLOWERS

I heard from my friend that there are lot of ghosts and evil spirits in Asia. I mentioned that there was also one spectre in Europe and that`s why social security was created.

Before traveling my cellphone got broken, so had to by a camera just in case I wouldn`t be able to repair that. It doesn`t possess the same quality as manual camera, but at least fits to the pocket. But despite it´s faults it is at least possible to take artistic pictures like this:

SINGAPORE AT NIGHT

10 days in Indonesia behind. Leaving ladies` nights behind and ready for Ramadhan! First I was planning to fast all the month, but on 5th day got fatal combination of E.Coli-sepsis, Dengue-fever and tourist-diarrhea, so had to quit. Anyway Ramadhan could be worth promoting also to Finland, losing few kilos and every evening breaking the fast with the family and friends. Healthy for the body and soul. At least if you can avoid meeting people between sunrise and dawn...

First days I spent in Jakarta, town which is growing like a malignant tumor without angiogenetic factors. Can you imagine a megacity without any metro or monorail? This was the view I saw practically every day for many hours:

Later I learned that Jakarta is actually quite developed compared to the rest of Indonesia. Highway of Sumatra is a muddy road in the jungle where the bus gets stuck for a day, and this is how the transportation in Bandung, city of 2 million people (like Budapest), is arranged: 

On the other hand it`s a better choice than a half-empty bus. Those who are poor in Jakarta buy a motorbike (it`s not at all uncommon to see the whole family riding a one) and the rich ones get a car. Environment is not the first thing to think about in Indonesia. Of course it`s easy to criticize the local habits when you come from the rich post-materialistic country, but would you yourself use the bus if your sputum got black? Anyway, if we were is S´pore, this would be everybody reality: