Toilet oh Toilet
I was sitting in the loo at the office this morning minding my own business when suddenly, my feet were splashed by some water by the person at the next stall! It very well pissed me off, especially since I had to walk back to my office with the bottom part of my pants all wet with god-knows-what-water.
This was not the first time. I often find our toilet stalls wet from wall to wall with water. Hey, I know, accidents happen..but not everyday!! While I understand and practise cleansing myself with water after my daily business in the loo, I just cannot fathom why we can't keep our toilets clean, dry and smelling fresh like others. If I had my way, I'd be standing there with my arms crossed and a big frown on my face, telling people to wipe the toilets dry after use and flush and pick up scattered toilet paper and ....ohhh..the list is endless!!! But I don't want to appear to be so busybody lah, so not cool, isn't it? Plus, I have a job to go to!
While I note that generally there is a large improvement in the cleanliness of our public toilets, we Malaysians still have a long way to go. In some places, you know you are near a toilet just by breathing in the stench-ridden air in the area. In many others, toilets do not flush properly or do not have water supply and do not have toilet paper, resulting in too-disgusting-to-even-step-in-although-desperate toilets. When faced with these toilets, I just tahan, hold it in and pray I don't sneeze, or else......
I also note that many of us do not have the habit of washing our hands after using the toilet. According to Oprah Winfrey, a good way to know whether your hands have been properly cleansed after using the loo is to sing Happy Birthday while washing your hands. So friends, sing away! Apparently, the time taken to sing Happy Birthday is just about the right amount of time you need to spend washing your hands to make sure it is really clean. Oh, and did you know that wiping the toilet seats (especially wet ones) will only spread the bacteria all over the seat? Its just as bad as taking the toilet water and splashing it all over the seats? The solution - disinfectant wipes. And why I make a fuss over wet toilet floors? Wet toilet floors breed bacteria and are a major source of infections and spread common viruses like flu and colds etc. Geddit?
What we need to do is to start instilling these values from a young age at school and make it a culture within our children. I haven't been to a Malaysian school for a long time but I do remember when I was about 7 years old and having visited my school toilet for the first time. I held my breath, stepped in for about 2 seconds and ran out!! It was too teruk to even attempt. In the end, I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I leaked in class instead! (ok, I don't encourage THAT either)
I do hope though, that school toilets have changed. We definitely need to teach our children how to use toilets properly. Just like how the dental nurses used to come and teach us how to brush our teeth the right way. Its a daily thing we do, and equally important as brushing our teeth, so why not?
Lets teach them to be able to wash themselves properly without having to wet everybody else in the toilets with them. Lets make sure that our toilets are properly equipped with the right necesseties like handtowels, hand soap, functioning hoses etc..etc..and yes, lets sing Happy Birthday while washing our hands!
I'm not saying that my toilet habits are perfect, nor am I implying that the toilets in my house are so clean that you could sleep on the floors. Its just that, this is basic hygiene and it is important to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness if we want to be healthy people. In addition, many of us, including myself have travelled to different countries abroad and have seen that to have clean toilets is not all that hard. Even if we look in our own country, there are pretty "okay" toilets, like the ones in KLCC and Jusco in Megamall. We know that this can be done. So why not??
Tell me then.. How do we move forward?? Which Minister or Ministry do I write to to fight my cause?? (eh-chewah) How do we get our fellow Malaysians to be more conscious and cautious of their toilet habits?
I really want to have this done, especially before I turn 50-60ish. Cos at that age, I won't have the muscle strength to tahan for so long and I can't go leaking away all over KL! Or shall I just?
*****
Diet Update
After a miserable two weeks of dieting, the results - an equally miserable 0.5kg of weight loss which I am convinced is a result of the visit to the loo, before I weighed myself. I sometimes dream that I will wake up one morning to a fine, slim and fit new ME. Sigh..the blobs are still there. Miracles don't happen do they?
Nevertheless, I shall FOCUS and I shall PERSEVERE! :(
This was not the first time. I often find our toilet stalls wet from wall to wall with water. Hey, I know, accidents happen..but not everyday!! While I understand and practise cleansing myself with water after my daily business in the loo, I just cannot fathom why we can't keep our toilets clean, dry and smelling fresh like others. If I had my way, I'd be standing there with my arms crossed and a big frown on my face, telling people to wipe the toilets dry after use and flush and pick up scattered toilet paper and ....ohhh..the list is endless!!! But I don't want to appear to be so busybody lah, so not cool, isn't it? Plus, I have a job to go to!
While I note that generally there is a large improvement in the cleanliness of our public toilets, we Malaysians still have a long way to go. In some places, you know you are near a toilet just by breathing in the stench-ridden air in the area. In many others, toilets do not flush properly or do not have water supply and do not have toilet paper, resulting in too-disgusting-to-even-step-in-although-desperate toilets. When faced with these toilets, I just tahan, hold it in and pray I don't sneeze, or else......
I also note that many of us do not have the habit of washing our hands after using the toilet. According to Oprah Winfrey, a good way to know whether your hands have been properly cleansed after using the loo is to sing Happy Birthday while washing your hands. So friends, sing away! Apparently, the time taken to sing Happy Birthday is just about the right amount of time you need to spend washing your hands to make sure it is really clean. Oh, and did you know that wiping the toilet seats (especially wet ones) will only spread the bacteria all over the seat? Its just as bad as taking the toilet water and splashing it all over the seats? The solution - disinfectant wipes. And why I make a fuss over wet toilet floors? Wet toilet floors breed bacteria and are a major source of infections and spread common viruses like flu and colds etc. Geddit?
What we need to do is to start instilling these values from a young age at school and make it a culture within our children. I haven't been to a Malaysian school for a long time but I do remember when I was about 7 years old and having visited my school toilet for the first time. I held my breath, stepped in for about 2 seconds and ran out!! It was too teruk to even attempt. In the end, I couldn't hold it in any longer, so I leaked in class instead! (ok, I don't encourage THAT either)
I do hope though, that school toilets have changed. We definitely need to teach our children how to use toilets properly. Just like how the dental nurses used to come and teach us how to brush our teeth the right way. Its a daily thing we do, and equally important as brushing our teeth, so why not?
Lets teach them to be able to wash themselves properly without having to wet everybody else in the toilets with them. Lets make sure that our toilets are properly equipped with the right necesseties like handtowels, hand soap, functioning hoses etc..etc..and yes, lets sing Happy Birthday while washing our hands!
I'm not saying that my toilet habits are perfect, nor am I implying that the toilets in my house are so clean that you could sleep on the floors. Its just that, this is basic hygiene and it is important to maintain a certain standard of cleanliness if we want to be healthy people. In addition, many of us, including myself have travelled to different countries abroad and have seen that to have clean toilets is not all that hard. Even if we look in our own country, there are pretty "okay" toilets, like the ones in KLCC and Jusco in Megamall. We know that this can be done. So why not??
Tell me then.. How do we move forward?? Which Minister or Ministry do I write to to fight my cause?? (eh-chewah) How do we get our fellow Malaysians to be more conscious and cautious of their toilet habits?
I really want to have this done, especially before I turn 50-60ish. Cos at that age, I won't have the muscle strength to tahan for so long and I can't go leaking away all over KL! Or shall I just?
*****
Diet Update
After a miserable two weeks of dieting, the results - an equally miserable 0.5kg of weight loss which I am convinced is a result of the visit to the loo, before I weighed myself. I sometimes dream that I will wake up one morning to a fine, slim and fit new ME. Sigh..the blobs are still there. Miracles don't happen do they?
Nevertheless, I shall FOCUS and I shall PERSEVERE! :(
posted by anedra at 1:00 AM
33 Comments:
Tell me about it, Anedra...I will keep mine until I find a clean one..but I must say the toilets in Malaysia well...as you've described.
Maybe the Govt there should do the FINE system hehe you know how FINE it is in Singapore.;)
Funny though, cleanliness in toilets is just what Islam emphasises..yet..
My practice when visiting public toilets.
1) Find a cleaner one
2) Cover your toilet seat with tissue paper.
3) If the floor is wet and there's a tap next to it..clean the floor first.
4) Bring baby wipes!
5) Lastly don't forget to count 10 or more to hold your breath!
Happy Loo-ing!
p.s. Keep going on that diet thing, Anedra!
Rephrase on point 3)
If the toilet floor is wet with you-know-what...wash it with the water from the tap next to the 'business area', provided got hose and bucket-la...
mycottonbed: yes, maybe we should start fining people although I hate the thought of having to punish people so that they learn even on the most basic things! but if it works in s'pore..maybe it will work on us. donno whether the govt will do it tho..nanti tak popular pulak!
well, u can also get lysol spray n those toilet seat liners b4 u get into ur toilet.oh pls don't get me started on public toilets.i'll give you a monk-ish lecture on germ-busting mechanisms.
my diet is also taking a back seat as I have gained half of what i have lost a couple of weeks ago. takpe...press on! one day we might just wake up a fitness goddess eh? i wish...
nazrah: thats an idea, maybe I shall start going around town with lysol spray. Oh! they even have lysol wipes now I think.. But a bit mahal lah to go using that to wipe public toilets right??
oh..i wanna wake up lookin like Angelina Jolie pucker lips and all! how lah..
setuju sangat.....baru mencecer pasal toilet masjid after reading your blog.
Iskandar: ..and ESPECIALLY toilet masjid! I just don't get it! I've been to too many toilets kat masjids and they were just as bad as my primary school toilets if not worse!
only goes if terpaksa. if not, tahan le..... anak i yang 4 tahun pun boleh tak terkeluar 'business'nya kalau the toilet is too smelly.....
massy: absolutely, and it all starts from home too!
shidah: my eldest is the same too! ksian kadang-kadang..but if they are really desperate, hentam jugak! Just have to ignore the "surroundings"..its sad really!
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I guess you can write your complaints to Biro Pengaduan Awam or Public Complaints Bureau at PM's Department. They will channel the complaints to the appropriate Ministry/Agencies
atiza: thanks, I will put a day aside to get something in!
narfy: tell me about it..my french friend who came to visit even brought slippers all over with her to go to toilets at people's houses!! Tu dah over sikitlah. But I guess they're not used to the barefooted stuff and all. Kalau public toilets tu, she won't even step in! Makes us look bad sometimes huh, these public toilets?
hai mammal, cerita pasal toilet nih memang smapai besok tak habis!
somehow or rather, the bathroom habits here are so much better. up to the step of having disposable seat covers which i find can be a waste of paper.
memang betul germa tgk org yang buang air kecil pun tak tau duk diam. and then when they have to do the big one, why cant they turn back and check if they left any skid marks?
yup, i teach my kids over and again, look back before u leave the bathroom. u dont know what u have left for others kan?
hai mammal, marah jugak eh tgk org tak der etiquette eh?
Anedra!
I too leaked in class when i was 7!! Tapi itu because diorang kata dalam toilet ada hantu!
masa kat boarding school, the hostel was forever takde air. We had to carry baldi ke tangki quite a distance away to get water. So can imagine lah the condition of our toilets, selalu ada kayu balak terapung2 inside, sometimes tikus pon bobbing in the toilet. I was 'lucky' because i rabun gilabab. In the morning, masuk toilet without glasses, can still perform. Tahan hidung je lah. Nak survive kan..
Kalo darurat sangat nak kena guna public toilet in KL, remove my glasses lah, sure can!
The toilets in Japan... alamak.... BESTnya, ada seat warmer, deodorant, montot powder, music etc etc all at the touch of a button. Thought i died and went to toilet heaven.
Woih panjang.
One blogpost is certainly not enough to talk about the state of public toilets in Malaysia. I was over at Putrajaya the other day to collect my IC, and was just quietly doing my "little business" in the loo when the makcik next to me just HAD to let loose the water hose in her toilet booth (obviously she couldn't control the hose lah) and my jeans were soaked all the way up to my knee-caps and so were my SUEDE flatties!! I screamed when it happened and actually yelled "Kalau nak pakai air tu pakailah, tapi jangan sampai melimpah-limpah kat tempat orang!! Ni entah air bersih ke apa!!" ... only to be met my stark silence. Ngok betui some people. Say sorry lah!
I too, have had ENOUGH of Malaysian public toilets. Now, I will try to ensure that I go to toilet at the very last minute before I leave the house, and if I don't find any public toilets I think are worth entering, I'll get hubs to drive me to the nearest decent hotel to go! But sometimes, no choice jugak and I'll be cursing away trying to do a balancing act in the toilet to avoid all that wet, suspicious looking water, holding my breath, doing the "little business" AND staying clean!!
WHAT is it with Malaysians and wet, stinking, smelly toilets?? I don't think they'll EVER learn!!
Ely: you're right. If everybody could just remember to leave the bathroom/toilet clean..it would be a big help. It doesn't take too long anyway to do a lil check on whether you've left "anthing" behind ya?
OOD: Oh yes, these Jap toilets I hear are great. I hear there's a good one at Nikko Hotel's Jap Restaurant. Warmer, size adjuster and all! Jom? NAk gi test tak? ..and I'll take yr contoh next time I need to go to an icky toilet. I'll wear my sunglasses first! Maybe that'll help! But only if I am desperatelah!
Blabs: I can totally relate to that especially when u are wearing suede shoes like I did yesterday. It absorbs the water and yr feet are infested with god-knows-what water. How to keep clean like that? It even makes beribadat tedious cos you gotta take off yr pants etc..etc..Kalau at home ok lah..but in the office and oublic areas, how?
jom pi nikko hotel. first we eat at the jap restaurant (must go before u get pregnant, later cannot eat sushi), stuff ourself real tight and then go do business at the toilet big time!
what say you?
Nak tambah sikit to what OOD said. I've not tried the toilets at Nikko hotel myself, but there's this little wonderful Jap restaurant in the heart of Telawi at Bangsar called "Sugimoto". They've got GREAT Jap food and if there's one place I seronok pergi toilet is there - same like what OOD said. Got seat warmer lah, bidet spray lah, backside spray lah, adjuster lah, best!! Just that the toilet's blardy small. Kaki must senget-senget a bit! :p
DeKapai: point taken!! But sometimes cannot tahanlah..
OOD: hey, I'm just at the Mines, near yr komuter station. We shd catch up some day..have lunch or something. and yes..I'll give you my hp number..but how?? Nikko for lunch?? Jom?? Dah lama tak pekejna jap food btw. And can test try the toilets tu..I think I could spend hours in there!
bLABS: Must go try that restaurant and its toilets. If u dowan to be so anonymous..we can go makan-makan together also! *winks*
hmm..malaysian public toilets. my pet peef is toilets yang kena bayarpun are sometimes really stinky. almost everytime I used public toilet, I get UTI, kena bekal cranberry pills sedia. most of the time I tried to find public toilet yang jenis cangkung so I can be sure no part of my skin is touching the toilet. otherwise, i try to hold it in for as long as i could. the thing is, it is not only the public toilet that smells bad, some times private houses washrooms pun smell awful too. I guess some people are in the habit of using the bathroom as a loo too especially when you visit belah-belah kampung. yikes! but talking about public toilets ni, kat US ni pun, some rest areas have nasty smelling toilets that I much rather pee in the bushes than put my b*tt on one! although I must say, toilets kat rest areas in gurun and juru that I i have had the experience to use when i was home are quite satisfactory.
maz: u're an orang utara?? me too..well, half of me that is. yeah..I can't seem to say enough when it comes to toilets. I think men are quite lucky when it comes to this, cos at least they can pee standing!!
narfy: zippedeedoodah yay!! congrats! I am so happy and proud of you! yes, this calls for a celebration BIG TIME! Just tell me when sistah!
u mean u didnt give the person in the next stall a tongue lashing that she deserved? dah tua2 pun tak tau pakai toilet ke? ish really ugly malaysian huh
atn: I just managed an "Oii!", yeah come to think of it, patut I bagi a bit if syarahan..but I was in the midst of some business, so, tak kuasa. I will next time tho.
Maybe...just maybe...! Begin at home. Encourage our children, as soon as they can read, to read while doing their big business. (Time and the high probability of missing the target are constraints which would, I guess, prohibit any serious reading while doing the small one). Since they will be spending some time in the loo, they'll then know what a clean toilet means. Which means we need loos with the sitting type not the 'cangkung', which also means a rack with their favourite mags., comics, etc, etc. Hopefully they will be like you - they will not only have to but they will also love to go to the loo. And because they do, would'nt doing it in the loo be something they look forward to? And since the school toilets are dirty as they are would'nt they (not their teachers!!) themselves make a move to do something abt.it?
anon: that is so correct! start from home and putting some reading into it may just work! (i do that actually..in nice smelling loos of course!). but of course while peeing is a no-no lah! something to think of isn't it?? jolly interesting idea! :) yes, plus decorating our toilets with some little potted plants (if got space) will be nice too.
I do get pissed off when talking abt toilets.
anedra/odd: nikko hotel? that's my next door neighbour! If you go in a group, kita boleh dok kat teppanyaki punya area. they serve with a style! (camana from toilet boleh talk abt food ni?)
kakteh: oh yeah? Me?? I feel all SH***Y thinking about em. :)
shidah: now I really gotta go and try the jap restaurant there. nevermind..talking about food is always better than toilets, anytime!
Perhaps kalau tukar nama toilet to something nice maybe tabiat dalamnya pun berubah. Ni kalau fikir toilet..ermm tempat buang najis, so, malaysian can't think that, "toilet" can be a nice resting and thinking place.
kakmutiara: maybe can change to "Heavenly sanctuary" or something like that! I donno..but perhaps you're right! The name itself is a turn off and people just rush in and out without thinking of how to maintain it!
anyways, welcome here! I was told by atenah to get a translation of the french song in the blog from you! how bout it?
heheheheh guess wat anedra.. my theatre this time is called Toilet Oh Toilet.. hehehehe... luv u -d-
d- eh..u curi my idea ya??? how come you didn't tell me before? when?when? I wanna go watch! luv u back sistah!
how to tell loh??? everytime i go back to your place.. you're neva home... next week me on holiday.. but have to rush back to campus.. i am now dancing for convo. can u just believe your lil sis doing all this.. don't tell mama... she'll just give me THE eye.. actually she knows some of it.. so don't worry i'll eventually tell her... luv u.. miss our sister day out.. muaaaxxxxx and another thing.. the toilet oh toilet script dah siap few semester back dah.. tak tiru pun!!! heheh -d-
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