12 hours of sun light in a month

I am not really exaggerating the lack of light, am I: November was miserably gloomy month...

Finnish cultural imperialism pt V

I seem to have made a lasting impression on the people of Singapore. They have apparently now named one of the condos after my nationality! (Even if I failed miserably on my epic quest to teach the Singaporeans to stick to either left or right side of the pedestrian paths -- now they just cannot seem to decide which side of the road to walk).

Picture taken and shared with kind permission from either mr. Laurel or Hardy of the 9minnon blog fame.

Final Relocation Summary (part 3 of 3) - What I wont miss

Now that I am firmly back in the place the Sun doesn't shine into -- ie. Finland, it is time to look back one more time. This entry would be the final in the summary series and potentially the very last topic into this blog. It has been one wonderful ride -- not only the excursion itself, but also this reflection bit through the blogging exercise. Check out also the first and the second entry to this series.

What I wont miss

• Some particularly blur (*) Singaporeans in various service professions. "Can not, lah!" Especially the lady "helping" residents in the management office of our Condominium. Good riddance! (See also this long winding article describing various forms of Singaporean retardation)
• Getting stuck somewhere because no taxis are available. Why on earth would they change shifts at 5 PM on Friday afternoon?! Also many taxis stop driving when it rains because drivers are worried about ending in an accident and being responsible to cover the expenses. Thus when the demand is the highest, the supply is the lowest
• Being separated from my dog
• Obnoxious amounts of bureaucracy and seemingly inherent inability to think outside the process even when it makes perfect sense (need to add that the process typically works if you just bite the bullet and go by the norm)
• Occasionally the feeling of being suffocated by the crowds of people
• I will get so crucified over this and I will regret ever uttering the words, but sometimes it can get just a little bit too hot. I received no condolences when making the mistake and saying so in a chat discussion with a friend from Germany.
• Hordes of animals attacking any little food crumbs left on the table. Within few hours any bread or fruit left on the kitchen counter starts attracting at least ants. Before long also house geckos.
• Just before I left Singapore it turned out that there was a nest of snakes sharing the condominium yard with me. One had apparently slithered its way into our very doorsteps as well. Apparently not the most venomous type but nevertheless very aggressive.
• Occasional haze coming from Sumatra when they are burning rain forests. I don't think I could survive living in Beijing if that's what they have to go through every day.



This was the day haze started to creep on us back in June 2013.
Houses both sides on Marine Parade Road got lost in the mist.

• Being stingy when it comes to providing paper tissues in restaurants. Some of the spicy food still makes my nose run and there is never enough (if any at all) tissues available at many eateries.
• Freezing myself to death when going to movies and forgetting my winter gear. One weird experience was to go see a movie in an exclusive cinema which provided blankets to tuck into.
• Having to cope with measly 42 inch tv and mediocre soundbar for sounds. Feels good to be once again listening to music from my substantial speaker setup and watching movies on 106" projection screen.

*) blur = It is most commonly used by Singaporeans as an adjective to describe people who never seem to know what’s going on! An example would be the question: “Eh, why are you so blur?”
1 Ignorant, stupid, slow to catch on.  2 Confused, muddle-headed.
Source: Singlish Dictionary