The Last Time I Laughed and Cried

Eh, si Gita Gutawa sekarang pacaran ama Derby Romero loh...

Hah, kok bisa, kan dah tua banget gitu...

??

Iya, bukannya udah nikah juga?

Engga kali, masi muda orangnya...

Udah tuaaa... Bebi Romeo kan??

Derby Romerooooo...

Thoroughly Inspired

This week has been an eventful one. Such that I think I need to sit down for a while and process everything. Firstly, I went to Paris for OKTI II (Olimpiade Karya Tulis Ilimah/Scientific Writing Competition) and met so many students aspiring to be the expert in what they do. It makes me proud and optimistic to see these young people who work hard and are really good in their fields. If this is a glimpse of what the future of Indonesia is like, I do not worry at all. Secondly, I went to TEDxWWF event in Geneva. I was super excited when I heard that they are holding the event and it's free of charge. So excited that I asked my supervisor, on my first day of work, if I could take a day off :) I did not care... Luckily he was pretty nonchalant about it and was supportive of me exploring these kinds of events. Thus, in this course of just 1 week, my mind has been fed with lots of new inspirations and information. I am still so excited!!!

I'm sorry that I can't provide a summary of the things I hear; I haven't organized it myself. But, maybe pictures highlighting some of my personal favorites would help.

Thank you for the handwork, dedication, and vision from Mas Ade Kadarisman dan Mbak Aprilia Firmonasari in realizing this event. The kind of friendly leadership that was shown by both throughout the event was apparent and I was glad to be part of this positive and energizing movement. As Mas Ade said, students abroad are the "knowledge diplomats" of Indonesia and it is our image that shapes the image of Indonesia, our persistence in life and studies is the persistence of the nation.

My roommate of the weekend, Ester, a psychology student working on emotional abuse in families. She does counseling and consult legal actions according to the newly acknowledged Indonesian law on such cases. Her team tries to define what actions are considered abuse and what are the ways to address them in a court or legal arena. One of the most friendly and sociable person I know. My first time meeting her was at 12.30 am, she was half asleep, I was half alive from the journey. The next morning the intimate session started when we realized that the bathroom door is pretty much transparent. The night that followed involved some personal pillow talk, discussing girls stuff :) There's something about being sleepy yet wanting to talk all night that imitates the effect of having too much beer; you seriously spill lots of things. Thanks Ester for the friendship.

This is Dimas, the youngest contestant and voted the most favorite of the bunch. With his thick Surabaya accent and firing passion, he presented his idea about implementing smart car system to reduce traffic jam in Indonesia. I will never forget his answer to one of the judge's questions about the complexity of implementation and low prospect of it being successful: Sir, if Indonesian people keep thinking that way, we will never move from where we are right now. Such innocence and drive. We need more of that not just in Indonesia but in the world.

The whole crowd: the contestant, judges, and some of the organizing committee members. I feel very strongly that it really is not about the content of what we heard in the presentations that day, but more about the spirit of sharing and motivation for research and education. It was about inspiring each other, learning more about presentation skills and frame of thinking towards your research. It's about the connection within Indonesian students and our aspirations for the country.

Of course winning is the cherry on top of everything else. I was chatting with my mom the night before and I said that this was such a happy event and I was so very thankful that I came. I did not care if I win or not, I was so so happy meeting all these people that I could sleep smiling :) But, I got my cherry on top the day after and everything became even sweeter than before. I had to suddenly learn about public speaking as I was asked for interviews, and it was kind of a weird thing remembering I used to really hate it. Mas Awang snatched the 1st price with his research on chili and genetic modification, Irma got the 2nd price with her work on functional drink to better your digestion system using yams as feedstock, and myself getting the 3rd place. The guy with the tie is Aldy, the radio host for the event.

And then there was Eiffel. The piece of steel everyone adore. Walking around Paris with the whole gang of contestant was a lot of fun. It was such a typical Indonesian crowd with our slow walk and lots of picture taking and cam-whoring. Eiffel was beautiful, as it always is.

And then there was the TEDxWWF event. There were 2 particular talks that jumped out at me, one is by the chief park ranger of Virunga National Park in Rwanda, Emmanuel De Merode. He is heading the efforts for protecting the national park, especially for its mountain gorrillas, but more important than that, for the communities that live in it. His talk was placed in the second session, which focused on the struggles and perseverence in doing environmental protection.

Unfortunately, there are three militia groups residing within the national park. Wars between them often happened. A center issue is the charcoal that the national park hold that had become the commodity to fight for. The rangers often find themselves in the middle of these fights or become the target due to the work they have done in the park. But all of them wanted to do their job despite of the risks that they knew. Emmanuel said that one of the hardest things to do was to bury his colleagues when such tragedy happened.

Another hard thing was when the gorrilas became another victims. I wasn't understanding fully from his talk why were the gorrilas killed, because it seemed that there's no particular financial benefits. It was by determination that Emmanuel and his rangers kept fighting for conservation as well as peace for the region.

The second inspiring talk for me was by a young guy named Dawa Sherpa who had climbed Everest twice and has been a pioneer in raising awareness on climate change. As a mountaineer, he has witnessed that climbing has become more difficult as the ice melted at a higher rate recently. He started small projects like cleaning up the mountain, having meals with fellow climbers to reduce the competitive atmosphere, and he said as he finished these small projects, he had the drive to do more and more. It reminds me that I really don't have to do something grand. As long as I am faithful to the small things in front of me, they will grow by themselves.

And you know, a lot of the times, I myself sneer at how people become so concerned about the planet and the word 'green' has actually become commercialized. But, unless I hear and see, unless I touch the reality of what is happening, I don't think I would completely understand it. TEDxWWF has shown me glimpses of what the world is going through, how the world is barely making it. There is no plan B. My million dollar question now is: what am I going to do?

To My Role Model

It's my dad's birthday today and I just want to give a quick shout out to the best dad anyone can ask for... Happy birthday papi!!! Wishing you health and happiness, blessings and peace, passion and spirit! I love you always, thank you so much for loving me the way you do. Hope you are having a wonderful day! Hugs and kisses.. muah muah!

Generation Z: Zeal or Zombie?

Moving to Geneva reminds me of how young I am. Not just by age, but by the spirit, passion, and motivation to actually explore and do something. Here I have met many interns in the United Nations, just like myself: excited to part of the civil servants of the world. In the office, I am obviously the youngest, but I am very thankful at the way that my colleagues treat me. I don't feel like they talk to me as their junior, putting a spotlight on the inexperienced nature of a fresh graduate, but as an equal whose opinions are heard. This was also what I felt as a graduate student in the USA. My professor gave me the liberty to direct my own work and would question me not because he wanted to remind me of my lack of knowledge, but to help correct any misjudgements and propel the project further. I feel very lucky to have met people who appreciate youth as an unpolished gem and never as a useless piece of black rock to be trampled.

Unfortunately, the youth of my generation is sometimes correlated with laziness, unawareness, apathy, and shallowness. We have grown up in the age where comfort is an easy and a necessary commodity. We cannot imagine what writing an essay would be like without Wikipedia and Google search. We laughed at our teachers saying that they had to do engineering calculations with slide ruler back in the days. Facebook has become our closest friend. Thus, the lack of eagerness to find solutions by ourself and less awareness to our surroundings. There is sort of a 'chicken and egg' debate on this generalization that has been stamped on Generation Z (which could be loosely defined as those born since around 1985, but especially after 1990). Did the world where we were born into spoilt us so much and taught us to grow up with apathy, or did we as a generation misuse the comfort and privileges to become a spoilt cohort? Either way, despite this perception of the current youth, we have to remember that generalization is the root of suspicion and conflict. It is good as a prediction model and a step to be cautious of the trend that we have heard, but almost every issue in this world have to be seen in a case by case point of view.

If I were to point to some optimism, I could actually come up with a very long list. From Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, the 22 years old Burmese activist, to Alanda Kariza the 21 years old Indonesian youth champion, to Dimas Okky the 20 years old student from Surabaya who wowed the crowd in the second Indonesian scientific writing competition in Paris recently. I could also mention the whole attendees of the One Young World 2011, hold in Zurich a couple of months ago. Such example of young people and youth movements clearly show that we are not lazy, nor are we careless and inattentive. But, at this critical and awkward phase of life, we are just a ball of excited nerves full of untapped energy. The people I mention above are lucky enough to have found an outlet of that energy in a positive way and found adults who are nice enough to let them fill up their thirst and discharge some stupidity. Many other youth are not as fortunate. Eaten up by peer pressure, confusion about life and hormone imbalances, they directed their energy to daily clubbing, excessive spending, gossiping, or other unproductive and shallow activities. The point is, in either case, youth needs an outlet. We have too much energy.

In a poem entitled "Not Just Another Math Problem", young poet Sarah Kay expresses what she thought to be the representation of the current youth. She said, "It's not that we're shallow. No, it's that the surface of a lake won't move unless provoked. But throw in a stone, and you will see how deep these waters are." We are a generation desperate for guidance from the one before us. Without any intention of blaming, maybe, it is exactly the lack of positive provocation that is the root of the problem. The generation MTV was not shaped by the anxious teenagers rocking out some music, rapping, or cursing in songs; it was shaped by the older ones in their 40s and 50s who made decisions on what kinds of music should be broadcasted and what video clip concepts would draw teenagers. The love for celebrity gossips in Indonesia and spending money on branded clothes; isn't that just a product of what is largely available to the Indonesian youth: junk TV and mushrooming malls. And those are not in the hands of teens to decide what should be available to them. It is the giant corporations filled with the more mature individuals who worry about profit and loss. But, no, we are not shallow, we just haven't been provoked right.

As young people, rebelling is the one thing we all are good at. But in each rebel, lies the analysis of making an independent decision and discernment of thoughts. Believe me, with every "no way" that we say, we learn to think for ourselves, shaping an identity that would later bring us to a more mature state. Hopefully, we can also bring that rebellious spirit to causes that are really close to our heart, like what Wael Ghonim did for Egypt. And once a while, we meet somebody like Chris Jeon, the 21 years old UCLA student who decided to use his summer break to join the Lybian rebel fighters. Yes, youth with all the energy and fearless mind, at times do foolish things. For that I would blame Steve Jobs for his advise to students: stay hungry, stay foolish.

Whether you are young or old, nobody wants to be useless in this world. We want to have a purpose for our existence. We crave to make a mark and legacy that last until after we die, to show that we did not live for nothing. When the world says that the generation Z is lazy or full of apathy, you are confirming the confusion of the young people about what they should do and be in this world. Let's not make that confirm that confusion, let's affirm that nudging feeling of wanting to be of importance and wanting to make a difference. Nobody wants to live like a zombie, we all want a life full of zeal. As Sarah Kay continues further in her poem:

We do not want to be another annoyance

We do not want to be in the way

We are not just another math problem adults have to work around

We want to be the ones to solve them

Satu: Ketuhanan Yang Maha Esa

Kalau kita ditanya, ada berapa agama yang diakui di Indonesia? Sepertinya kebanyakan orang akan menjawab: lima, Islam, Protestan, Katolik, Hindu, dan Buddha. Kita sering lupa, atau bahkan tidak tahu bahwa ketika Gus Dur menjabat menjadi presiden RI, beliau mengukuhkan agama Konghucu sebagai agama ke-6. Saya ingat waktu masih di SD dan SMP, saya harus hafal nama dari kitab suci dan tempat beribadah masing-masing agama. Tapi sekarang, kalau tanpa mencari di Google, saya tidak tahu apa nama kitab suci atau tempat beribadah Konghucu. Saya juga tidak tahu berapa persen dari orang Indonesia yang menganut agama tersebut. Di saat penganutnya mulai berkurang dan sedikit karena banyak dari mereka yang pindah ke salah satu dari lima agama yang pertama kali ditetapkan, mereka mencapai titik terang. Pengakuan secara resmi ini datang sedikit terlambat, namun pada saat yang tepat, karena ini menunjukkan fleksibilitas pemerintahan dan melatih keterbukaan masyarakat. Bahwa pluralisme adalah Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, sesuatu yang membuat Indonesia pernah menjadi hebat, bukan momok yang mengganggu individualitas kita dalam pilihan-pilihan pribadi.

Sangat disayangkan ketika kita lihat banyak sekali pertempuran antar agama di Indonesia. Sesuatu yang ironis. Bukan kah agama seharusnya mendekatkan kita pada Sang Pencipta, siapa pun dia? Dan bukan kah kedekatan kita pada-Nya seharusnya membawa ketenangan luar biasa dalam kehidupan kita? Pandji Pragiwaksono, salah satu pelopor stand up comedy di Indonesia baru-baru ini mengangkat agama Islam di dalam bahan lawakannya. Dia bilang, dulu kalau orang bilang "Allahuakbar", kita jawab dengan "Alhamdulillah" rasanya damai sekali, seperti tidur di bawah pohon. Kalau sekarang kita denger "Allahuakbar" semua orang pada lari, takut rombongan motor akan datang sebentar lagi. Lawakannya disambut tepuk tangan dan tawa riuh pada penonton tanda setuju. Sayang sekali, citra Islam jadi rusak dan identik dengan rusuh seperti itu. Agama menjadi sesuatu yang ditakuti di Indonesia. Bukan hanya dalam bentuk kerusuhan beramai-ramai, tapi juga dalam kepercayaan kita pribadi. Sepertinya ia menjadi sesuatu yang kita tidak boleh sentuh dan pertanyakan sama sekali, dengan alasan, nanti masuk neraka, nanti menganut ajaran sesat, nanti durhaka pada pemimpin agama, dan lain-lain. Sehingga sering kali orang melaksanakan agama tanpa mengerti mengapa, juga tanpa ada kemauan untuk mengerti mengapa, karena bertanya itu tabu. Tapi parahnya, orang-orang yang sama dapat menjadi sangat sensitif serta posesif terhadap agamanya. Dan ketika ruang personalnya tersenggol sedikit, dia akan marah. Agama tidak seharusnya menjadi sesuatu yang kita takuti, baik secara ramai-ramai maupun secara pribadi. Seharusnya ia menjadi sesuatu yang kita cintai dari hati, karena kita manusia, bukan robot.

Agama sebagai sesuatu yang personal, saya dapat mengerti. Sehingga ketika kepercayaan kita diserang atau dipertanyakan, tentu sedikit banyak kita akan defensif dan tersinggung. Tapi ketika kita mempertahankan kepercayaan dengan menghancurkan dan meniadakan kepercayaan orang lain, itu sesuatu yang tidak masuk akal di kepala saya. Isu Ahmadiyyah yang tidak kunjung habis adalah salah satunya. Banyak dari kita yang sudah menonton adegan pemukulan terhadap warga Ahmadiyyah. Suatu tindak kriminal yang di depan mata, yang entah kenapa tidak mampu dilerai oleh aparat polisi. Atau pengeboman yang baru-baru ini terjadi di Gereja Kepunton, Solo dan pemngeboman malam-malam Natal sebelumnya. Apa mereka pikir dengan begitu masyarakat agama lain akan jadi berpindah keyakinan setelah "diperingatkan"? Atau apakah tujuannya untuk membunuh penganut agama lain satu per satu sampai orang yang tertinggal di dunia ini hanyalah agama mereka?

Sebuah kasus yang sedang terjadi yang tidak mendapat banyak antensi media saat ini adalah dibredelnya Gereja Yasmin di Bogor. Mereka diusir dari sana dengan berbagai alasan, mulai dari lokasinya yang terletak di jalan bernama tokoh Islam, ijin lokasinya yang dikatakan tidak jelas, sampai ke alasan bisik-bisik yaitu tempatnya yang strategis yang ingin dibeli orang dan gosip intensi walikota Bogor untuk lebih mengislamkan kotanya. Saya pikir dikasus-kasus seperti ini, masyarakat yang memiliki suara dan pengaruh terkuat adalah mereka yang beragama Islam yang percaya bahwa ini sebenarnya adalah suatu ketidakadilan. Kalau bisa ada masyarakat Muslim yang ikut membela mati-matian Gereja Yasmin ini, akan ada pergerakan besar awal dari persatuan Indonesia kembali. Seperti ketua umum NU yang waktu itu menjenguk korban bom Solo, seolah-olah mengatakan bahwa kami minta maaf atas dipakainya nama Islam untuk teror ini dan kami berada di kubu Anda yang mengecam perbuatan ini. Sama seperti ketika bom dan penembakan di Norwegia oleh seorang Kristen Anders Breivik yang menyebut dirinya "Crusader for Christendom" terjadi. Suara terkuat dan paling berpengaruh seharusnya adalah orang-orang Kristen yang mengecam perbuatannya dan ikut bersimpati dengan para korban.

Entah mengapa masalah agama menjadi sesuatu yang sangat-sangat sensitif sehingga kita lupa bahwa masih ada yang menyatukan kita umat beragama: bahwa kita percaya akan adanya kekuatan besar diluar kemampuan kita sendiri, yang kita sembah dan kita cintai, yang mencintai kita luar biasa. Tidak cukupkah itu bagi kita? Indonesia sebenarnya sudah berada di jalan yang benar. Sila pertama kita adalah: Satu, Ketuhanan yang maha Esa. Kita sering lupa. Masyarakat Konghucu sangat beruntung akan pengakuan negara bagi kepercayaan mereka. Perjalanan panjang menuju pengakuan tersebut. Kita juga harus ingat bahwa sebenarnya masih banyak lagi rakyat Indonesia yang butuh pengakuan itu. Kenalkah kita pada penganut Yahudi di Indonesia? Atau penganut Bahai, atau Kristen Ortodoks, dan lain sebagainya. Haruskah mereka berpura-pura hanya untuk sebuah status di KTP dan untuk mendapat pelayanan masyarakat lainnya seperti pendidikan dan kesehatan?

Ketuhanan yang maha Esa. Agama tidak bisa dipaksa.

Growing Out

In one of our conversations, my friend Resya and I once talked about the importance of your family background and connections. In the US, if your parent(s) is a professor in a university, you'll get free tuition to go to that university, given that you are capable to be admitted. Having professors as parents don't make you instantly smart, but it does set you up to be in that path. They will encourage you to read and explore. They know where the good schools are. And they have the money to send you there. So why the free tuition? Isn't that supposed to be directed to those with financial difficulties, those who haven't gotten such great moral support? But I understand that many times US universities are not purely about education; it's also about family tradition and networking. If you are the child of a president (of any country), for example, you'll get immediate admission to some Ivy Leagues. It doesn't matter if you can't count backwards or something like that, they need the relation to your daddy.

I wonder if we take a closer look at the current Indonesia's cabinet line-up, for example. How many ministers have parents who were diplomats/ex ministers/ex member of the parliement? That would be a good mini research project. I've always kind of hesitant and apprehensive when I meet somebody with famous high-ranked parents. My mind always thinks, "You are here by an easy route. Show me what you can do, only then would I appreciate you." Which is harsh, and at the same time very judgemental on my part. But, all my generalizations really melt when I know the person better. At Cornell, I met the grandson of Indonesia's ex president and also the son of one of the current ministers. No names mentioned :) but just in case they stumble upon this (hi guys!), I want to say for the records that they are great: smart, kind, friendly, kinda silly at times, and they work hard. So, lots of kudos for them!!! When I meet someone with a high rank or has parents in a high position, I will remember them and hope silently that he/she would be as good as them.

It's a little hard though, given the stereotypes that I have stamped on such people for a long time: connections get you to where you are, expensive stylish cars, average school grades, switching girl/boyfriends like clothes. How do I get that out of my mind when I do witness that generalization actually manifested with my own eyes? Just recently, actually. I just feel that as I grow up, I learn to grow out at the same time. Out of clear directed path that my parents have provided me, into one that I weed out myself. I may not be entirely successful at that even until when I'm a lot older later. But as a young person in an awkward phase trying to be an adult, I try to make my choices and take the consequences. I try to figure out what I really want instead of merely complying with what others want me to do. When you have such powerful rich parents, I understand that it would be somewhat harder to grow out of that comfortable and pruned path. But, connections could only take you so far. It would take you really far at times, but never all the way.

So, I don't know. I mean Resya and I were wondering that time, how on earth are we, the ones with 'regular' parents, are ever going to clear out this web of connectivity that hinders us from reaching any position (if we ever want to)? Could the tortoise really outpace the hare?

How to Not Be a Tourist

I have been on vacation these past 4 days. It started off with a long line of people in Newark airport before anyone could get to the Jet Air counter. Don't be fooled by the name, it's not a European carrier, it's Indian, which explains well the mass of Indians I was seeing around me. I thought, wow all these Indians going to Europe, they must be getting richer! Nope, they are going to Bombay. My check-in baggage was 27 kilos, 4 kilos overweight, but the lady was kind enough to let me go without and extra charge. No wonder my boyfriend was complaining when he was carrying the baggage, "Vid.. aku mau modar...(I'm dying)" :) The flight was good, except that the food was not. I got to watch Kungfu Panda 2! Sooo funny! Oh, Po, I'm sorry you are adopted. The connecting flight was from Brussels, which unfortunately I missed. But, it gave me time to sort of look around the airport stores and got a fridge magnet. I had to get an internet connection since I had to tell the person who was picking me up about the later flight. The whole airport section was supposed to have free wifi, which I could see being picked up by my laptop, but somehow it was not working. There was an HP work stations to use on a paid internet connection, which is confusing; if you have a free wifi, why would you have paid connection at the same time? But, the wifi was not working, so there's my answer. I paid 4 freaking Euros for a 20 minute internet access. That's like Rp. 65.000? That could get you a month subscription or something in Indo! I got to Geneva shortly after that. Sweet, that's all that matters.

Yay! Green stuff and mountains!

Mbak Rian picked me up and the plan was to stay at the extra room in her apartment. I had lunch in the apartment. She had kikil soup!!! I was eating kikil in Geneva!! If that is not surreal, I don't know what is. After settling in, I decided to see the city and travel by foot. I wanted to see how it took to walk from the apartment to the work place (45 minutes, Google said 30, but I'm tiny). I did not have the bus pass yet and did not know of any numbers to take. But I was told that 22 runs in front of the house. Depending myself on google maps and praying that I won't get lost, I went on to explore. Forty five minutes later, and after asking for some directions, I got to the UN headquarters.

This "Broken Chair" is right in front of the UN headquarters. It was installed by the Handicap International to support for the land mines ban.

Proof that I was there :) This is the UN headquarters in Geneva. I learnt that from now on, I have to develop the shameless social skill of asking help from strangers to take a picture of me. The skill would have to include picking up the right person who would understand that background that I want. The first person that I asked for help, took only left side of the whole UN writing (??). After that, I went on to business: finding my office. It was about 10 minutes walk from the headquarters. The office is inside WMO (World Meteorological Organization). I'll be working for IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). I better be used to acronyms now.

That's where I'll be going everyday starting Monday. Wish me luck! I had to Google what OMM was and it turns out to be Organisation Meteorologique Mondiale (I had to slow down typing that). After that, I went to the park right in front of the building and met a nanny from the Phillipines who was resting on the bench with me. She was with this 4 year old boy from England who flirted with me. She said he likes girls, how cute. She told me that the famous fountain and flower clock were just across the road from the park, so I went on search for these sights based on her directions. It turns out that that was NOT true!!! It was SO not true. They were on the other side of the LAKE, I kid you not. So, lesson number two, is not to trust people so much. Trust Google instead! But across the street I did see the lake, although it looks a lot like Cayuga lake in Ithaca from that side. After around 7 pm, I called it a day and went home.

The next day wasn't as exciting. I got a new number. The number is: 0123-456-789 (you seriously did not think I would put it up, did you?) But, it does start with a 0. Got my monthly bus pass, which costs CHF70. Transportation is expensive, but when you have a super efficient one like in Geneva, it's worth it. It's design so that you just can't really get lost. I also got my train ticket to Paris for next weekend!! Yay, excited!! Although that reminds me, I have not done the presentation yet. I got a little groceries, too, just for survival stuff when I'm hungry at night or something. After all that, I got home and apparently was jet lagged so I slept for 3 hours.

When I woke up, I randomly decided to contact Cindy, a person that was introduced to me through Vicky in Facebook and asked if the Catholic Youth group was gathering some time soon. Half an hour later I was told that they were indeed meeting up that afternoon! It was a fun gathering, there were 6 people and we discussed the reading for this weekend mass and went for dinner afterwards. I was initiated to the 3 times kiss that Europeans do. Apparently you have to make the kissing sound or else you are impolite. A little awkward, but I can brush on my skills soon.

And today, I continued the exploration to the Old Town side of Geneva, which looked a lot more European than all the UN side of the city. It had narrow streets with cobble stone buildings and stone pathways. Cute! The biggest attraction is St. Pierre Cathedral which was there since the 4th century. The building we see now it the more "modern" church and there is excavation work to obtain the remnants of the original church below it. I went to the archeological museum where they explain the possible theory and predictions on how that early church was. It was... a bit boring. But I was there and I tried to stick with the audio explanation.

St. Pierre Tower

There was also a huuuuuge flea market there which opens every Wednesday and Saturday. Seriously, my mom would have died happy there. They have EVERYTHING. From bikes, to clothes, to dolls, books, bags, etc. It took me more than an hour to just walk around it. There is stuff and stuff on your left and right. I made me feel like I wanted a pair of eyes like that of chicken, one eye on each side of the head, so I won't miss out anything.

Asterix figurines

Angry birds!!!

Then, finally I'm off to see the Jet d'Eau, the high spurts of water. That's some pumping power right there. It looks quite amazing but to think again, any country with enough money could have such attraction. Just like the giant ferris wheel in Singapore. If you have money, you get giant ferris wheel. I would appreciate natural things better than this, but I respect the effort.

Jet d'Eau

Me with pretty background :)

It took a lot of time and nyasar-nyasar to get to this flower clock. This is a symbol for how on time everything is in Switzerland.

Okay, that's it for now. I will leave you with this random attraction I stumble upon when walking around the Old Town of Geneva. Ah, how I love randomness :)