This is a rehash of Bloggers Are Morons, an entry that I posted following the March 29, 2005 earthquake. It is still relevant now although the scenario has changed somewhat. Instead of blogging about it the conventional way, people stay put to broadcast information on the earthquake via Twitter and Facebook first before evacuating. Fear means very little to these people. It was more important to get the information out rather than worry about their own safety. The technology has changed but the stupidity has not. All hail the new media! Just in case if you are wondering, no, I did not tweet about it. That was probably because I did not feel the tremor.

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Facebook and Twitter is alive with chatter of earthquake with a magnitude of 7.6 on the Richter scale that hit off Sumatra near the city of Padang at 6.16pm just now. A tsunami watch has been issued for Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and India. I did not feel a thing. Nothing moved. The water in the aquarium did not slosh about. The doors did not rattle unlike the time when even the floor moved under me for a good one minute or more and made me giddy.

Having moved to a single storey house now, I still feel for those who are staying in high rise apartments, especially people with mobility impairments. Section 40 of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2008 (PWD Act 2008) states that disabled persons shall have the right to assistance in the event to natural disasters, among others.

I am interested in finding out if anything has been done to address this matter since my letter to Dato’ Seri Sharizat in May 9, 2005 regarding a systemtic evacuation plan for disabled people trapped in high rise buildings in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or a fire. Dare I be optimistic and say that surely the government has done something since the PWD Act 2008 has already clearly spelt that out in as many words?

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Some men do not deserve to have a penis. Let me tell you why. Firstly, they hide inside accessible toilets to smoke, selfishly polluting it with the stench of cigarette fumes. Secondly, they simply do not bother to lift the toilet seat when peeing. Thirdly, they do not know how to aim properly. Hello! You are not dousing a fire. There is no need to swing it from left to right and up and down. Just shoot straight into the toilet bowl lar!

Inside one of the accessible toilets at Ikano Power Centre.

This photo was taken inside one of the accessible toilets at Ikano Power Centre. This must be the work of a man who did not know how to hold his penis to direct the stream of urine into the toilet bowl. There was urine all over the toilet seat and on the floor too. The room reeked of cigarette fumes. Imagine my consternation when I got into the toilet and was greeted by the unsettling sight and smell. Fortunately I did not need to sit on the toilet bowl. Unfortunately, I usually spend a little more time in the toilet as compared to other people and had to bear with the stench the entire duration I was inside.

Ikano Power Centre is one of the most accessible buildings. In fact it is a paradise for wheelchair users. There are ample accessible parking spaces. The entire building is almost 100% accessible except for the rather steep ramp connecting to Ikea at the ground floor and the pet shop at Level 2. Moreover, just across the road is The Curve where food outlets are aplenty.

There are so many reasons why I like to hang out there, only to be spoilt by idiots who mess up the accessible toilets. These are the handful of people who make other Malaysians look bad. When I was in Tokyo, all the public toilets that I used at train stations, shopping complexes and at the airport were spotlessly clean and, mostly importantly, dry. Malaysians should learn to be more civic conscious and discard that third world mentality. We should keep toilets clean for the next person just like we would like the person before us do the same.

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