My keyboard controls for FPS

Back in early 1997, I used to sneak with a couple of friends to a school's computer lab during nighttime to play some multiplayer first person shooters like Quake and Duke Nukem 3D (this was actually strictly forbidden; not "using the lab" per se but using it to play games). At that time, it was still quite customary to play using only the keyboard, because "mouse-look" still hadn't really caught wind. You would use the right hand on arrow keys to control the character whereas left hand generally was used for crouching, jumping, switching between weapons and stuff like that. Needless to say, this wasn't too efficient control method.

Fast forward to 1999 and the release of Unreal Tournament. By this time, mouse-look was already a standard feature in FPS-type of games. Some people still used the arrow keys for character control (which I find strange, because that way your whole body was shifted to the right of the keyboard - assuming of course you use mouse with your right hand ... then again, many of those persons had also moved their monitor to better suit their way of playing - to each their own, I guess). Most however were already using the "quite standard" A/S/W/D control keys which, granted, was a lot more sensible.

At this time, I found a control mapping that suited me a lot better than any of the alternatives I tried. It was (and still is) controversial and not too widely known. Frankly, most of my friends never learned to use it. I personally opt for a pose of hand which requires minimum movement of fingers. In practice, I use the following keys:

A - Strafe left
S - Strafe right
D - Move forward
C - Move backward
SPACE - Jumping
CTRL - Crouching

While this may at first look like a strange layout, once you've familiarised yourself with it, you will notice that, it can give some benefit in games, because you are able to move around easier and - frankly - without effort because your hand does not "move" ... in fact, under normal circumstances your fingers are never supposed to leave their assigned keys (CTRL is pressed with the palm of your hand - the palm is already positioned over it).

Also, I know that I'm definetly not the first person to use these keyboard controls. I just thought I'd post this - things that are not often used by others may just give "the next generation of gamers" the bit of edge they're graving for. Not to mention, this is a great way of stopping others and make them think twice before they attempt to play on my computer ... after all, you don't modify mappings on anyone elses computer, do you? ;)

My Internet Roadwarrior experiences in Asia 2011

Travellers on a holiday generally use Internet for checking their email, possibly reading the local and home news. Such things can easily be done on the occasional internet cafe. If the connection is slow or cuts out, that is usually not the end of the world for those people.

Internet Road warriors, people travelling and doing work at the same time however have quite different kinds of needs for network connectivity. They may be transmitting large amounts of data (pictures, videos), having long staff meetings over Skype (with voice-communication), constantly reading their eMail and accessing all sorts of other resources over the Internet. For Internet Road Warriors, having "better than average" connectivity is a must and a link dying for even one minute may actually become a life and death situation. Still interested in becoming one? Read on...

The following is based on my most recent experiences around Asia. I've covered getting connected in Bali (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand), Singapore and Dubai (United Arab Emirates). While it is true that you can often get connections for a fraction of the prices quoted here, these things have been chosen based on the needs of a working person. For everyday traveller they may well be overkill. However, on many occasions, the prices quoted are not the most overwhelming ones either. Yes, granted, you could go for a "leased line" in all of these locations and pay "only" 1.000-10.000 US$ worth for it monthly, but more often than not, nearly the same can be achieved for lot less - of course, if that is your cup of tea, just go for it :)

Indonesia / Bali

While connections in Java (especially around Jakarta, but other parts also) are generally speedy and quite cheap, Bali is quite a different animal. Most locals (including over 90% of the internet cafes I've tested) are still connected using ancient dialup modems, and anyone who can remember how those things perform (or rather, don't) when surfing the net can attest to the fact that the experience is far from enjoyable.

There are some broadband providers, but generally they are not worth the trouble; unless you're on a longer visa, it is quite impossible to have line connected - at least during your stay ... and even if you get connected, the speeds are far from those advertised (in Bali, 256k and even 128k are considered "broadband"). For example, the place I was staying had a 1M ADSL but in practice the speed hardly ever was more than 0.13M at any given time - and they paid an arm and a leg for it.

In Bali (and actually in most of Asia) you're best off subscribing to a mobile broadband connection (3G). I personally took quite some time testing different providers and finally settled with Telkomsel. You can't throw a rock in populated areas of Bali without hitting a stall selling their Simpati-cards. Since the card is prepaid, you need to load enough "pulsa" (credit) on the card in order to register for a 3G-plan. There are different plans, but if you wish to get most bang for your buck, pick the "Flash Volume Based 1.5GB" like I did. It requires 400.000rp worth of pulsa on your account. In addition to "Volume Based" plans, Telkomsel offers so-called "Unlimited" plans, but frankly these are not worth considering. In reality, they also have a maximum quota (determined by the amount of pulsa you're willing to sacrifice for Internet) - and the speeds you get are lower than in the Volume Based plans.

You register for the plan by sending SMS to number 3636 with message "FLASH ON 400k" (without quotes). You get a response stating that in order to accept the plan, you still need to send SMS to number 3636 with message "FLASH YA". After you've done this, the plan is activated and you have 30 days access with 1.5GB quota (maximum sum total of your download and upload during the validity period of your plan) at speeds of 2Mbps maximum (in reality, I often got speeds far exceeding 1Mbps).

At any time, you can check the amount of pulsa and the remaining plan quota. Just call number *888# for the pulsa (amount is returned to you in text) or *889# for the quota (also in text, displayed in kilobytes remaining). If you happen to run out of quota, your data transfer will be charged on your pulsa (quickly depleting it if you fail to top it up) and the speed drops to something like 64kbps maximum ... if this happens to you, discontinue the existing useless plan by sending messages "FLASH OFF" and "FLASH YA" (after confirmation request) to number 3636 and resubscribe (at the time I had to do this, it was not possible to top the quota, only resubscribing did the trick).

For connecting with a computer, you can purchase a cheap USB-3G -modem (Rimo Computer in Jalan Diponegoro is a good place for such purchases in Denpasar). APN for Telkomsel's Flash is either "internet", "telkomsel" or "flash" (this depended on the day; on other days all worked, on others only some - go figure:) You could use anything (except empty values?) for username/password. The telephone number to dial with modem is *99# (like with most 3G providers).

While the speed using the above plan is good, Telkomsel has often problems with DNS-servers (meaning that even though you are connected to the Internet, you are unable to access any websites). For this, registering for a secure VPN-tunnel provider (I personally use vpntunnel.se) can greatly enhance your websurfing experience (tunnels usually provide their own DNS). Also, using a secure VPN-tunnel will enable you to bypass any access limitations the ISP may have set up (not that I ever noticed any).

Also, it is worth noting that the whole island is not under 3G coverage. However, if you spend most of your time in main tourist attractions of Denpasar Selatan, Sanur and Kuta, you'll be just fine. Also parts of Ubud have good coverage. At the time of writing, there are nearly no areas outside those mentioned that are yet covered (outside 3G coverage area you only get GPRS or EDGE speeds - if you're lucky).

Thailand / Phuket

When I decided to go to Thailand, I was initially pretty uncertain how I would be setting up my communication needs there - seeing that the country has been a rather late adopter of any new communications technologies in the recent years. Last time I had visited the kingdom (in 2005) there were no 3G providers in the whole country - at least that was the official story at the time. Of course, if you're in the country for at least a month, you do have the option of subscribing for ADSL during your visit. Some villas, condos and hotels already have broadband connections available. Also there are many internet cafes that have relatively speedy connections.

Thankfully, during last few years, mobile broadband has entered many parts of the country. Most providers in Phuket only offer 2.5G (EDGE) connections, but Truemove has 3G coverage in some parts of the island. Same as in Bali, there are a number of access plans to choose from - prepaid naturally, for the benefit of travellers. Personally, I chose their highest "Volume Based"-package that gives me 1GB worth of traffic in 3G network and - interestingly - unlimited access to Truemove's WiFi-hotspots. Registering for the plan required me to have 699 baht credit on my SIM, and was as simple as sending SMS message "V3" to number 9789.

For using the connection with a computer and USB-3G -modem, APN for Truemove is "internet" and both username and password are "TRUE". The telephone number to dial with modem is *99# (again, as with most 3G providers).

As said, the 3G is only covered on some parts of the island (namely they promise coverage only in Patong & around the Airport, but Kata and some other places here and there work too - and don't forget about the unlimited WiFi-hotspot access). It is worth noting however that Truemove's 3G uses the 850MHz band (instead of the more common 900MHz) so not all USB-3G -modems are able to connect. I personally have at my disposal Huawei's E220 which is unable to use the 850MHz while my older BandLuxe C179 connects without any trouble.

For sake of completedness, it needs to be told that CAT offers CDMA EVDO connections in Phuket area. However, don't be fooled by the "3G" they have plasered around their advertisements; EVDO is an entirely different system (works on different bandwidth, etc.) than what people normally associate with 3G (HSUPA/HSDPA). Unless you know for a fact that you have a suitable modem, don't bother going this path :)

Singapore

Singapore is an Internet Road Warrior's wet dream come true :) Not as cheap as most other countries in Asia (however, still quite affordable), and you can do just about anything in here. Internet cafes have faster connections than in most western countries and if you choose to purchase a 3G card, you can get 7.2Mbps download (theoretical, I've never managed to actually achieve more than little over 5Mbps) and nearly 2Mbps upload speed.

In Singapore, my choice for data carrier has always been StarHub's MaxMobile prepaid. You do have a "fair use quota", but since the quota is as high as 2GB daily, it is essentially "unlimited" (in most other countries I've visited, the quotas on prepaid 3G are often way lower in allowed amount of data transfer ... on a monthly basis). The SIM-card itself costs 12 Singapore Dollars whereas a 5 day unlimited data plan of 7.2Mbps shells off 25 Singapore Dollars more. Easiest way to get started is to simply go to a StarHub outlet (these can be found on most shopping centers or - if you're a die hard roadwarrior - already at Changi airport) and purchase SIM as well as a top-up card there and have them set it up for you (after all, you need to provide your passport details in order to purchase a prepaid card). However, if you already have the SIM-card and you have added 25 Singapore Dollars worth of credit on it, you can also activate the plan by sending SMS message "7M5D" to number 6782.

For using the connection with a computer and USB-3G -modem, APN for MaxMobile is "shppd" and the telephone number to dial is *99# ... no username/password is necessary (however, some software dialers refuse to call out if they have not been set, so I assume anything is allowed?).

United Arab Emirates / Dubai

I must admit that on my most recent visit (that also being my first visit, actually) I spent so little time in the U.A.E. that I didn't bother setting up a local 3G account. WiFi hotspots were available everywhere, using them is cheap (when not entirely free) and the connection generally was quite pleasantly speedy. It must be noted though that at most places, services like Facebook and Skype are often blocked, so if you're into those kinds of services, I'd suggest registering for a secure VPN-tunnel provider (I personally have an account at vpntunnel.se) ... using one of those you can bypass almost all kinds of blocks they've attempted to raise.

So what *are* "Pioneer-species"?

The dictionaries define "pioneer species" as those that colonize previously uncolonized land, usually leading to ecological succession. Quite often this means some kind of bacteria, moss and algae of some sort.

Now it just so happens that the Japanese electronics manufacturer Pioneer, "DJ's bestest friend ever", is intending to launch "something new" - presumably a new DJ player or a media controller - on september 17th. This in and of itself is by far not "uncolonized land", but it seems apparent that Pioneer is heading to achieve yet another economical succession (if not ecological per se) ... just to keep the definition satisfied.

Thus far they've been pretty quiet about it, but during the last few days there have been multiple sightings of the emerging creatures in the form of a teaser video as well as an advertisement on (at least) MixMag - and propably other sources also.

Because of all these tidbits have been falling in, I decided to stir the mud even more and extrapolate what the newborn might look like - based on what Pioneer has on their range thus far and by taking a close look into what would actually make sense. So - without further ado, here's what I've come up with:



What do you think?

Addendum: What do we know for certain?

Well... not very much, frankly. Here is the best picture I've been able to come up with based on the quite dark teaser advertisement:



Based on this - and note: only on this - we can determine and conjecture the following:

• The thing seems to have a jogwheel - apparently of the same size as on today's CDJ-800, CDJ-1000 and DVJ-1000. Not very farfetched, to be honest.
  
• It has a colour display with a similar user interface to that of the MEP-7000 with the four buttons on top and (at least) two to the left of the display. Well, actually we can only see one of the top buttons, but I'd say it is safe to assume that there are four of them; "Browse", "Mix" (as I believe this is a single deck player, I'm not certain if this label is correct), "Effect" and "Utility".
• It has a front-loading slot for CD (possibly DVD... though I'd bet my money on CD-format) -media, so it definetly is not simply a controller like the SEP-C1, but more like MEP-7000 with "traditional player functionality". The fact that there is a media browser suggests an internal harddrive and/or a USB-connection for attaching external drives.

Addendum2: Let's make it 3D

Ok. As it so happens that so far anything we've seen (after the original posting, there have been two more teaser videos published, and on the last one, we saw a tiny portion of the player on screen for a short while) doesn't appear to be contradicting my theory of the player's appearance, I decided to spend about an hour with Google Sketchup and a little while in Paintshop Pro (I've honestly never learned to use Photoshop, so I stick with PSP) and came up with this 3D representation...

The reason it is so bloody dark is to hide the imperfections in the image. Still - remember folks...

I have no hidden information. This is nothing more than my personal view of what the new player might possibly turn out to look like.

Debugging ain't rocket science, they say...

Well, apparently, sometimes it is. On other times, it just feels like that.

Many software developers are - for the most of their time - tasked with debugging their software; just in order to make it absolutely impossible for the program to make mistakes that could (in the worst case, for example in case of the above linked lunar module example) cost lives... or - lead "the people in charge" to wrong conclusions.

Why am I blogging about this? Well, perhaps it's easier to tell what it is that I "do" for living... I am a software developer; if I had any family, after work I'd go home and my children might ask me "daddy, what you do today?"... to which I couldn't do anything but simply answer that "I performed my duties as a software developer" - and leave it at that. Anyway, for the past 10+ years, I've worked on a project that supposedly is used to follow who works on a company and does exactly what. Furthermore, the system is designed to keep track of what the said workforce actually can do - and what it is supposed to do.

Even though it is not designed for this, I do know - without a shadow of a doubt - that the system I've designed is sometimes used to "create the unemployed". Granted, the software is not designed with that goal; instead, it is meant to measure what each and every worker within a company should be capable of - and what they indeed are capable of. Unfortunately, these days it very often means that the workers that aren't capable of what is expected from them... are "let go". They are the ones who should be able to do a given thing, but - for one reason or another - arent't capable of doing it.

So... why would I be interested in this? Well, to put it in simple terms - because I think it's necessary. I personally would feel like shit if I learned that someone - even one person - were to be "gotten the boot" because of a program I made told his/her supervisor that s/he ain't fit for the job.

How does this influence my work? For one thing, I want to make it absolutely certain that whatever I code meets the criteria set for it - at least. Also, I want to be able to understand what is actually expected of the code. This helps me point it out for the people who are in charge of determining what it is that is being designed when something it is supposed to do is illegal, or - to a lesser effect - not something it should be able to tell about people. Even though everyone says they want to know everything... honestly - they don't. They want to know what they need to know - and that is usually very far from "everything".

Anyway - to get back to the subject... sometimes debugging software honestly does seem like rocket science. When you work with a given software for a number of years, it tends to "bloat". New features are (often) added, old features are (more often than not) redesigned to work differently. Sometimes, due to all these new things and possibly some old things not working like they've originally been designed... or some old things not working as originally designed because of the new things - well... things just tend to break up. Something that was designed for one thing gets used for entirely different thing. Something that was never supposed to be used at all is brought in as an indispensable new feature. When all these redesigns occur, it is possible that something that (at the time it was designed) was very much something users couldn't live without - becomes the source of multiple problems. A piece of code - that originally did a very distinct work - now does many things... and some of those things manage to mess things other pieces of code are supposed to handle...

Those are the days that make software developers very sad. Unfortunately - all they do is code based on what is needed. When they see their "child" becoming corrupted... what can they do - but weep... and hope for a better tomorrow. And do their bloody best to keep the thing they originally lovingly brought into being from becoming a monster. Well... I think that is something every parent might face at one point or another.

Kotomaani onpi Sohjola

Nyt on meikäläinen saapunut kotimaahan erinäisten käänteiden kautta. Paria päivää ennen kuin lähtö Balilta tuli ajankohtaiseksi aloin tarkistelemaan paluulentojen aikatauluja. Ensinnäkin sain tietää että suora lentoni Denpasarista Singaporeen oli siirretty paria tuntia aiemmaksi ja reitille oli lisätty koneenvaihto Jakartassa - lopputuloksena noin paria tuntia pidempi reissu... perillä oltaisiin samaan aikaan kuin alkuperäisen lennon oli tarkoitus laskeutua.

Edellä mainitun johdosta ilmaannuin siis tiistaina Ngurah Rain lentokentälle jo neljää tuntia aiemmin kuin alunperin oli tarkoitus, jottei tulisi turhaa kiirettä - ja sain törmätä seuraavaan hupaisaan käänteeseen; lentoa oli taas ruuvattu Garuda Indonesian toimesta (ja allekirjoittaneelle turhia ilmoittelematta) siten, että käytännössä jouduin suoraan check-in -muodollisuuksien jälkeen juoksemaan portille, jotta olisin ehtinyt lennolleni. Ainut hyvä puoli asiassa oli, että kyseessä oli kuin olikin suora lento, joten turha liikesarjojen suorittaminen Jakartassa jäi kokonaan väliin. Pieni voitto, mutta voitto joka tapauksessa.

Asiasta neljänteen... Singaporessa paikallinen MRT-järjestelmä (Mass Rapid Transport, käytännössä siis metro) yllätti minut avuliaisuudellaan. Olin muuten vain ottanut mukaan edellisellä reissullani vuonna 2006 ostamani matkakortin, jota ei tässä muutamana välivuotena ole käytetty kertaakaan. Hyvin tuo tuntui edelleen toimivan, sisälsi vielä hieman päälle 3 Singaporen Dollarin edestä käyttöarvoakin. Sivumennen sanoen - Singapore on hupaisa maa. Jengiä pirusti, mutta maapinta-alaa valtiolla on niin vähän, että päivässä saaren ympäri pystyisi helpostikin pyöräilemään ... jos siis sellaisia hullutuksia haluaisi harrastaa. Lähes kaikki paikalliset myös puhuvat melkoisen sujuvaa englantia, joka on periaatteessa sangen helpottavaa. "Periaatteessa" mainittu siksi, että paikallinen kieli/murre, "Singlanti", Singlish, on mielenkiintoinen sekoitus Englantia, Mandariinikiinaa, Malesiaa (joka käytännössä on liki sama asia kuin Indonesiassa puhuttu kieli, jota jonkin verran osaan) sekä muutamia muita satunnaisia kieliä. Jokunen hämmennys asiasta tietenkin aiheutuu; lentokentällä etsiessäni "Luggage Depositia", matkatavarasäilytystä, minulle selvisi, että kyseisen toimipisteen nimi on "Left Luggage"... siis what; jätetyt tavarat... no, kai se jotenkin järkeenkäypä nimitys on. Pientä hymyilyä aiheuttaa myös MRT:ssä kilvet, jotka kehottavat varomaan "alighting" matkustajia - muualla maailmassa käytetään yleisemmin "debarking/disembarking"-nimitystä poistuville matkustajille. No, maassa maan tavalla.

Vaihdettuani mannerta alkoivat "ongelmat" Amsterdamissa heti koneesta noustessa. Tavallisesta oppimastani rutiinista poiketen passeja pyydettiin näyttämään heti portilla (siis todellakin lentokoneesta poistuttaessa). Meikäläisen pärstävärkki on hieman passikuvan ajoista muuttunut - kuvassa olen nimittäin piilolasit päässäni ja karvaisena kuin kananmuna... tästä seurasi lyhyt pyyntö "siirryttekö tuonne sivuun hetkeksi odottamaan" ja noin kymmenen minuutin periodi, jossa varmaan viisi eri rajavartijaa kävi tutkailemassa uljaita piirteitäni kukin vuorollaan. Tämän jälkeen pääsin jatkamaan matkaani, kunnes sama episodi toistettiin Schengen-alueen passintarkastuksessa. Pitää varmaan ensi reissulle lähtiessä muistaa käydä parturissa tai opetella syömään banaaneja. Puoliruskettuneella (ilta-aikaan ravintolan katetulla terassilla istuessa ei nimittäin hirveän helposti rusketu) karvanaamalla ei ole näemmä helppoa.

Kotimaassa ensimmäinen kosketus siihen kuinka hyvin asiat toimivat oli se, kun ostin junalipun ja sain odottella parikymmentä minuuttia myöhässä ollutta junaa. Mainitsemisen arvoista on, että vaikka Aasiassa usein puhutaan aikataulujen kusevan milloin mistäkin syystä, tämä oli ensimmäinen myöhästynyt yhteys koko matkani aikana. Ei ollut kiva seisoskella asemalaiturilla hädintuskin nollan yli olevassa kelissä... mutta: "Sohjola Sohjola, sellane o Pohjola"... kai tätä nyt taas hetken kestää - varsinkin kun pikkuhiljaa ilmeisesti se kesäkin on jo tulossa... mukamas.

Uuden vuoden odotusta (eli "Joulu on taas"...)

Olin tähdännyt reissuni siten, että Balin Hindukalenterin mukainen uuden vuoden juhla, Hari Raya Nyepi, osuu matkani varrelle. Kyseessä on sangen mielenkiintoinen päivä, sillä muutamaa poikkeusta lukuun ottamatta koko saari pysähtyy vuorokauden ajaksi. Lentokenttä suljetaan, valot sammutetaan (suurten turistihotellien sisätiloja lukuunottamatta) ja kukaan ei saa liikkua ulkotiloissa, ei syödä eikä juoda tahi tehdä töitä. Hulluista suomalaisista koostunut poppoo vetäytyi saaren pohjoisosaan, jossa ei ollut ihan yhtä tiukkapipoista (olen nimittäin yhden kerran viettänyt Nyepin Denpasarissa neljän seinän sisällä, ja siinä mökkihöperöityy alta aikayksikön...) vaan meidän oli mahdollista liikkua hotellin alueella - ranta mukaanlukien - ja hiljainen musiikinsoittokin oli illan aikana sallittua... tai ainakaan kukaan ei käynyt kieltämässä.

Kuten sanottua, päivä merkkaa myös vuoden vaihdetta paikallisessa kalenterissa. Nyt olemme jo siirtyneet armollisesti vuoteen 1931 täkäläisen ajanlaskun mukaan (olen joskus funtsinut, että mistä tätä oikein lasketaan kun on kerran näinkin lähellä "meikäläistä" kalenteria, mutta mitään selvyyttä asiaan ei ole vielä tullut). Hauskaa uutta vuotta siis kaikille näin yhteisesti.

Jutun pointti oli kuitenkin siinä, että en ollut tullut ottaneeksi huomioon uuden vuoden mukanaan tuomia sivuvaikutuksia; "jouluviikkoa" yms. juhlapyhiä. Paikalliseen kalenteriin on nimittäin saatu tungettua about plusmiinus viikko Nyepistä, ensin Galungan, jolloin kaikki hindut ovat temppeliseremonioissaan ja kaikki muut vapaalla koska hindutkaan eivät ole töissä. Eli lyhyesti sanottuna; yhtään mikään ei toimi kun paikat eivät ole auki - edes ruokaa ei saa kuin kaikkein kalleimmista ravintoloista, jotka ovat onnistuneet pitämään ovensa auki. Nyepin jälkeen puolestaan oli Kuningan, jolloin tilanne oli lähes yhtä heikko kuin Galunganina, mutta ei onneksi ihan... tällä kertaa sentään sai sapuskaa.

Jasso ja pari muuta rahapeliä... vielä on muutama päivä lomaa jäljellä. Kyllä tää tästä. Täältä siis jälleen tähän ja tättärää?

Vieroitusoireiden hoitoa ynnä muuta

Niille, jotka allekirjoittanutta eivät paremmin tunne, saattaa tulla pienoisena yllätyksenä se, eiimeiset vuodet olen onnistunut pitämään itseni hengissä liki pelkästään Kotipizza-ketjun tuotteilla. Nyt perjantaina huomasin, että on kyllä jo pahat vieroitusoireet; ahistaa ja puhistaa - en ole nimittäin koko reissun aikana popsinut pizzaa ja lähimpään Kotipizza-ravintolaankin on linnuntietä (tai tässä tapauksessa varmaankin olisi parempi pistää myyrä asialle) karvan verran yli 12000 kilometriä. Asian laita oli siis korjattava mitä pikimmiten. Täkäläinen käsitys pizzojen täyttämisestä on oikein mukavissa kantimissa, joskin pientä miinusta on annettava käytetyistä pizzapohjista - ne nimittäin muistuttavat niin ulkonäkönsä kuin makunsakin puolesta pakastealtaista kaivettavia roiskeläppiä. No... eiköhän tällä hoidolla nyt pärjää reissun loppuun asti.

Mitähän muuta? Kulttuurishokki pääsi itseni yllättämään kuluneella viikolla. Tai hitot se mikään kulttuurishokki ollu; pikemminkin ihan semmoista normaalia matkaväsymystä, joka ennen pitkää käy jokaisen pitempään matkassa olevan kimppuun aina yhtä arvaamattomasti takaa päin salaa hiipien. Olin jo ihan valmis laittamaan koko reissulle pisteen tähän paikkaan, vaihtamaan lentojen päiviä, poistumaan paikalta kuin rasvattu ananas ja allekirjoittamaan kirjallisen tunnustuksen, etten tästä lähtien käy kuin vain Tjäreborgin viikon reissuilla Kanarian saarilla. Järki tuli kuitenkin väliin... sama juttu nimittäin käy about joka reissulla - oireiden hoitoon riittää kun chillailee pari päivää ihan vaan itsekseen.

Lääkityksen tarpeesta tulikin mieleeni, että täytyy käydä paikallisessa apteekissa jossain kohtaa... olen ilmeisesti pitänyt huoneessa ilmastointia hiukan liian viileällä viime päivinä; kurkku on nimittäin hiukan kipeänä. Täällä on kuitenkin se hyvä puoli, että apteekista löytyy hoito liki vaivaan kuin vaivaan ilman, että asiasta pitäisi ensin konsultoida kiireisen lääkärin kanssa - joka sitten määrää juuri sitä troppia, jota alun perinkin olit ajatellut tarvitsevasi.

Näihin sanoihin, näihin tunnelmiin, päätän tällä erää raporttini täältä tähän.