Living in Malaysia

They're finally fixing the road in front of my condo. At last!

Does anyone else get annoyed with Astro for their crappy service? I don't even have to talk about the service being unavailable message - which, incidentally, is in exactly the same league as the damn Windows blue screen - but what annoys me these days are all the repeats Astro keeps showing.

How many times have I watched Midsomer Murders: A Tale of Two Hamlets? How many times have I seen Asha Gill in Dublin, boating on the River Liffey? How many bloody times have I seen runs and reruns on BBC Entertainment? I admit I don't know if it's Astro's fault, but I can't help thinking it is. Fine, if you want to repeat the current season because there are no new seasons, but please don't keep repeating old seasons!

Midsomer Murders on Hallmark is a fine example. The old seasons had Sergeant Troy as Inspector Barnaby's sidekick. Then the new season came and Troy was replaced by a better looking Sergeant Scott. The next month, Troy is back in the two hamlets. Three weeks later, Scott is saving Barnaby's daughter from drowning. Again.

And now I see Astro adding new channels. I wish they would fix their existing channels before adding new ones. But this is so like Malaysia.

Speaking from the viewpoint of a twenty-something living in the city, two things that matter are: Traffic and TV. As anyone else living here knows, traffic sucks.

But my real complaint is the same as with Astro's. You keep building new roads, but you don't fix your existing ones of potholes, unevenness and ruts. And public transportation hasn't improved so much as to encourage me to use it. I would honestly love to take buses, trains and taxis, but - Buses are late and unreliable, train stations are in inconvenient locations, such that you have to drive there and drive back from there, so you may as well drive all the way to your destination... and I'm just scared of taking taxis alone.

Can't we slow down on the building of new things and pass some of that money on to improving existing services? And just maybe we'll be more willing to Cuti-Cuti Malaysia - because when public toilets are clean and roads are smooth, we don't mind driving around the country to visit our awesome islands and beaches.

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I was actually gonna end there, but when the subject of public toilets came into my head, I just couldn't stop myself from adding another thought. I know highway rest stop toilets are being cleaned regularly these days, but there's only so much they can do until it becomes the public's responsibility to use the toilet nicely and with consideration. I've seen a mother wash her little kid's backside in the sink before, and I know some people wash their feet with the hoses in the cubicles. That just makes the toilet so disgusting to be in!

I heard an announcement today on Hitz FM telling people to brush their teeth. Crossing the road safely, I understand. Strap your motorcycle helmet securely, I understand. Teaching people to brush their teeth???? In that case, can we also have commercials teaching people how to use public toilets properly?