Didn't the govt blacklist these numbers? Who's going to take them down now?
There are green trees and there are man-made trees. I know which ones look better
One thing that all Malaysians are used to is clutter. I'm not talking about our work desks (although I could supply good blog material on that topic alone) but about our culture of encouraging clutter. Or tolerating illegal signage.
As the pix I've taken so visibly demonstrate, we are a messy lot. Signboards abound in every corner of our streets. From the humble papan plank to the larger and bolder illegal tarpaulin canvass. Anything and everything is advertised but of course, the lion's share goes to the few hundred thousand or so freelance lorry drivers with mobile numbers.
In any other (Western) country this sort of thing would have been torn down the minute after it was put up. Over here, it's become a household sport to put things up. It's like a race to see who can populate the newest lamp-post or tree bark with the most stickers or papan planks. Earlier this year I had to help out in putting up directional signage for the Australian Rules Football Asian Championships. I was amazed how every lamp-post I came across already had wires wrapped around its base so that signage contractors can do an 'easy-install'.
And screw aesthetics. These advertisers go for the dirtiest, nastiest way to brand themselves, often with a two-inch brush and a dirty piece of wood. Sadly, our enforcement brethren seem a little busy (enforcing other things?) to take note of this endemic riddling our suburbs.
Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself. You don't really have to go far too, sadly.
Signage clutter. Rubbish clutter. Sticker clutter. It's a KL way of life. Probably our answer to Scandinavia's minimalism movement. Now I'm just waiting for a coffee table book of the best of our clutter to appear. Calling all publishers..?
