iRK-ful

I perch on my stoop in Starbucks, sipping Zen Green Tea and tapping out this entry while trying to calm myself and be less irritated by my run in with some ladies in the restroom earlier. Have you ever wished, especially those times when you've got an urgent call of nature, for someone to hurry up and finish their business so that you may conduct yours?

Thankfully I didn't have any urgent business to conduct this afternoon when this particular incident took place. I was waiting at the start of a row of restroom stalls when two ladies, offspring in tow, just stepped gingerly past me effectively cutting the cue, as if I didn't exist! When the second lady waltzed past, I looked her sternly in the eye and said "would you mind waiting your turn, please?" and guess what? She gave me this 'i-think-i-know-what-you're-saying-but-i-choose-to-pretend-i-don't' smile and proceeded into the next vacated stall. Hal-lo??!!

I don't mean to compare our rakyat's mentality with those of the west but I think these are very basic toilet etiquette that every civilised person should be aware of and observe. For one, you stand IN LINE while waiting your turn. Then there's 'please flush after use' and throwing foreign objects into the toilet cistern is a big no-no.

Living in Malaysia where certain cultures practise washing up (and I don't mean just hands) after a visit to the loo, I can live with the constantly wet and slippery floor of the toilet stall but having to play the 'try-your-luck-and-pick-a-stall' game is just TOO MUCH! Imagine if there's an URGENT call of nature and you've survived to be the next in line when these ignoramuses (or pretend-to-be) just step past you and proceed to occupy the first available toilet at your (oh my bladder!) expense. You'd be hopping mad.. well.. if you can hop with your bladder full that is :)

It's deplorable having to put up with a wet and dirty floor. Equally disgusting to find a toilet stuck with.. er.. rubbish. But cue-cutting is the LAST straw. I've witnessed arguments breaking out in toilets due to cue-cutting but generally, we Malaysians are a tolerant lot. However, this does not give the delinquents an excuse to pretend not to know. If you see a line at your destination, you take your place at the end of the line. Not in front.

I've heard radio advertisements educating the public on being 'curteous and not cut cue'. Can they also please extend the message for toilet cue-cutters? It's time for a mentality change and this should manifest itself in every aspect of our daily lives, not just on the roads, in the supermarkets or at the 'counter pembayaran' but at the parking lot (oh.. have I got a bone to pick with those lot stealers) and our public toilets.

Darn.. I've finished my tea and now feel a need to go to the restroom. What characters will I meet there this time :( ~Jas (-_-) 22.04.2006~