Last night, after work, I quickly rushed to do my shopping grabbing whatever I could without looking at the things because I wanted to rush home to sleep knowing that I had to get up early when yarl restaurant turns on its loud and deafening kitchen hood very early in the morning. But of course, I couldn't jump onto the bed immediately after I got home. After taking a bath and settling down, it was already 12.30 a.m. But at 5.45 a.m., I was already waken up by Yarl Restaurant's loud and deafening kitchen hood noise. Experience has taught me that it is not possible to sleep with the kitchen hood noise on. I had tried forcing myself to sleep before by pressing two pillows on one ear with the other ear pressing onto the mattress only to find myself keeping awake all the time and feeling dizzy the whole day with the kitchen hood noise ringing in my mind all the time. This Friday will be my company's annual dinner and the dinner normally ends at 11.30 p.m. I don't feel like going at all because I will be home late and will have to sleep late that day only to be waken up very early in the morning by yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise. This would mean that I have to endure another tired and sleepy day. Given the noise pollution situation that I am in now, even the luxurious lucky draw presents cannot tempt me to go to my company's annual dinner anymore. The dreadfulness of having to endure yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise all my waking hours and with the kitchen hood noise intruding into my sleep makes me lost interest in the lucky draw presents that I used to look forward to each year. Why am I complaining about Yarl restaurant? This is because my every move is controlled by yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise. I can't even take part in my company's annual dinner.
When I offered to take my daughter out for a treat on her birthday (on a Monday), she refused to go out because yarl restaurant was closed for one day on that day. She said that it was the only day she could study properly in her room and she did not mind giving up her birthday treat. All these years, we have never appreciated the peace of our neighbourhood until yarl restaurant started operation in January this year. Only then did we begin to miss the good old days when there was no kitchen hood noise and the neighbourhood was peaceful and quiet. It is only now that we realize how precious time is when yarl restaurant is closed even for a short while. Where are our basic rights as Malaysian citizens? Our entire life is controlled by yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise and the Malaysian government cannot do anything about this. What a hateful nuisance Yarl restaurant is! Why make others sacrifice for its business? Surely yarl restaurant's boss knows that there are many kitchen hoods that do not produce out so much noise because many restaurant owners are using this kind of kitchen hood! Is it because this is the cheapest variety that he could find in the market? Is this what we call Malaysian Integrity?
One day before Deepavali, I referred the case to Datuk Michael Chong. I have always believed that he was the only one who could help those who are in desperate need of help. I waited for him for 3 hours and I was very happy when he finally agreed to look into the matter. When I called his office again yesterday, I was told that yarl restaurant's boss did not want to talk to him at all and ignored his calls and he couldn't do anything about it because he just couldn't get the chance to talk to the boss. I have always placed very high hopes on the MCA. I have always believed that the MCA does not deserve to be defeated so seriously in this year's general election and even thought of campaigning for the MCA in the next election. By that time, I would have completed what I am supposed to do and will have more time for that. I really hope that I could find a reason why I should campaign for the MCA! Do you know why people do not want to vote for the MCA? Let me narrate what I heard in the Metro bus (No12) I was travelling in not long after the general election. A few men were talking about MCA's defeat in the bus. I didn't know them but I just told them what was in my mind at that moment. (Each time I think of Datuk Michael Chong, there is always a smile on my face because I believe that there isn't anything that he couldn't do). So I told these men that the door of MCA is always opened and anyone who needed help could always see Datuk Michael Chong who is forever willing to help. Guess how they responded? One of them shouted at me and said, "MCA is a traitor". I refused to comment on that further because the whole gang looked furious and I only smiled without saying another word. All these while I have been wondering if I should campaign for the MCA in the next election since I write a lot and maybe my writings would help. But should I?
Is Yarl restaurant's Noise and Air Pollution Case very difficult to solve? Just ask his boss to change his loud kitchen hood to a noiseless one since so many restaurants are already using this kind of kitchen hood and the case is solved. But how come the MP of this area (Fong Kui Lun) doesn't have the authority to do so? How come Datuk Michael Chong cannot do anything about it? How come the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) can't do anything about it? How come the Department of Environment can't do anything about it? How come the Malaysian government can't do anything about it? This clearly reminds me of the uncivilized cowboy towns in the West in the distant past. You have a big bully here and he is doing whatever he wants (threatening the life and well-being of others) when he entered the neighbourhood and no one can stop him. If we were living in an uncivilized cowboy era, then maybe nothing can be done. But with all our laws and environmental guidelines for noise pollution and still nothing can be done to settle the problem is indeed a mockery to our Malaysian Legal System.
According to the pamphlet distributed by Institiut Integriti Malaysia:
Integriti melibatkan saya dan anda. Pilihan yang kita lakukan mencerminkan peribadi dan nilai diri kita. Pilihan yang kita buat akan memperkuatkan ataupun memusnahkan integriti.
Keputusan yang diambil tanpa integriti mendatangkan akibat yang buruk. Secara keseluruhannya, kita berkemungkinan akan melukai diri kita sendiri dan orang lain jika kita gagal melakukan perkara yang betul atau melakukannya dengan salah.
The above statement can be interpreted this way: Integrity involves you and me. The choice that we make clearly reflects our personality and values. The choice that we make can strengthen or destroy integrity.
The decisions made without integrity can bring disaster in our lives. We may harm others and even ourselves if we fail to do the right thing or do the wrong thing.
Just ask the civil servants what they have done with this pamphlet? You can find lots of them in the garbage bin! But why keep harping on integrity when there is none? What is so unique with Malaysia is, unlike other countries in this world, the snatch thieves and robbers here often cause serious injury or even death to their victims. Needless to say, this is a clear reflection of the personalities and values of our society. Do we call this Malaysian integrity? (In other countries, the thieves and robbers normally don't take lives) Sad to say, these cases are increasing rapidly. What is even worse is when the snatch thieves turn out to be policemen! If our policemen can turn out to be robbers, there is really something terribly wrong with the values of our society. This clearly shows that Malaysia is seriously lacking in integrity. Why is it so? Because it is difficult to instill integrity into the lives of our people. Who cares about the Institiut Integriti Malaysia? It is only intended for the showroom!
When it comes to making a living, Malaysia is the worst lot! For instance, when our snatch thieves and robbers decide to do business, they have only one thing in mind i.e. to go all the way out to make a profit regardless of the safety and well-being of others. Are they justified in doing this? Justified or not, we have to accept the fact that this is Malaysian integrity. Why am I comparing the snatch thieves / robbers with Yarl restaurant's boss? In actual fact, there is no difference between Yarl restaurant's owner and the snatch thieves / robbers because their purpose is the same i.e. to go all the way out to make a profit regardless of the harm that they may bring to others! His selfishness is clearly the best example of Malaysian integrity. Why the best example? The snatch thieves and robbers can be arrested by the police but it seems that it is legally right for yarl restaurant's boss to murder his victims. Do you know how I am feeling now? I feel sleepy and tired due to lack of sleep. I feel dizzy because the noise of the kitchen hood is causing vibrations and tremors in my brain. I cannot concentrate on my work and much of it has been seriously delayed because of the kitchen hood noise. My health is failing and I feel sickly and irritated. I cannot think clearly and often lose my temper without reasons. How much should yarl restaurant compensate me for the sufferings that I am enduring now? Am I justified to write about the truth of what is going on in my life?
Who says that noise pollution is not a serious problem? It can even cause death! That's why I said that Yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise is murdering me. Noise has been found to interfere with our activities at three levels; (a) audio logical level in referring with the satisfactory performance of the hearing mechanism; (b) biological level interfering with the biological functioning of the body; and © behavioural level affecting the sociological behaviour of the subjects. Because of this the noise affects categorically, performance, physiology and psychology.
Noise pollution has been known to cause nervous disorder, headache, high blood pressure and short memory. The various of noise pollution is summarized below:
(a) Depression and fatigue, which considerably reduces the efficiency of a person.
(b) Insomnia as a result of lack of undisturbed and refreshing sleep.
© Straining of senses and annoyance as a result of slow but persistent noise from motorcycles, alarm clocks, call bells, telephone rings and deafening and endless noise from kitchen hoods, etc.
(d) It is a cause of frustration and is associated with difficulty in concentration, disturbance of rest, physical and mental fatigue. Low frequency noise of 50 to 60 dB affects the higher centre of brain and causes an alternation in the normal sleep pattern and prevents sound sleep. Yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise is certainly much louder that that and it not only fills up all our waking hours but intrudes into our sleep as well. How come the Malaysian government says it doesn't matter and nothing can be done to solve yarl restaurant's Noise and Air Pollution Case?
(e) Noise, which is an annoyance also causes irritation dis-satisfaction, dis-interest and affects work "performance. Noise has been reported both to improve and to decrease work efficiency, depending on its intensity, duration and frequency distribution etc.
Various physiological as well as pathologic effects of noise pollution are as follows:
(a) Noise pollution affects human health, comfort and efficiency. It cause contraction of blood vessels, makes, the skin pale, leads to excessive secretion of adrenalin hormone into blood stream with is responsible for high blood pressure.
(b) It causes muscles to contract leading to nervous breakdown, tension and even insanity.
© Noise effects are anxiety, stress reaction and fright. These adverse reactions are coupled with a change in hormone content of blood, which in turn produces increased rate of heart beat, constriction of blood vessels, digestive sperms and dilation of pupil of eye.
(d) The most immediate and acute effect of noise is the impairment of hearing, which diminishes by the damage of some part of auditory system. When exposed to very loud and sudden noise acute damage occurs to the eardrum. Prolonged exposure to noise of certain frequency pattern will lead to chronic damage to the hair cells in the inner ear.
(e) Auditory fatigue appears in the 90 dB associated with whistling and buzzing in ears. Temporary deafness occurs at 4000-6000 Hz, and this effect is known as Temporary Threshold Shift (TTS), Permanent loss of hearing occurs at 100 dB due to continuous noise exposure. Under such conditions, the auditory threshold shift is called Permanent Threshold Shift (PTS). Besides chronic hearing loss, there may be instantaneous damage or acoustic trauma, which may be caused by very high intensity impulsive noise resulting from an explosion or sudden excessive noise of more than 150 dB.
(f) Physiological effects of noise pollution include neurosis, hypertension, increase in sweating, hepatic diseases, giddiness, peptic ulcers, undesirable change in gastro intestinal activities behavioural and emotional stress.
(g) Noise mainly interferes with man's communication. It is easily visualized that a conversation can be carried on in whisper in a still place, while one his to shout to make sense in a noisy factory.
(h) Blood gets thickened by excessive noise. Changes in breathing amplitude have also been reported due to impulsive noise.
(i) Noise causes cosinophilia, hyperglycarmia, hypokalaemia and hypoglycarmia by a change in blood and other body fluids.
(j) Noise causes chronic headache and irritability; work, which needs a high degree of skill, is considerably affected. The overall working efficiency goes down when noise level goes up.
Noise pollution interferes with the ability to comprehend normal speech and may lead to a number of personal disabilities, handicaps, and behavioral changes. These include problems with concentration, fatigue, uncertainty, lack of self confidence, irritation, misunderstandings, decreased working capacity, disturbed interpersonal relationships, and stress reactions. Some of these effects may lead to increased accidents, disruption of communication in the classroom, and impaired academic performance. Particularly vulnerable groups include children and the elderly.
Uninterrupted sleep is known to be a prerequisite for good physiologic and mental functioning in healthy individuals. Environmental noise is one of the major causes of disturbed sleep. When sleep disruption becomes chronic, the results are mood changes, decrements in performance, and other long-term effects on health and well-being. Much recent research has focused on noise from aircraft, roadways, and trains. The noise from the kitchen hoods can also be very devastating since it is continuous and deafening and may even last up to 18 hours a day. It is known, for example, that continuous noise in excess of 30 dB disturbs sleep but yarl restaurant's kitchen hood noise is certainly more than that. It sounds like a diesel truck outside my window. How much noise can a diesel truck make? According to the Table of Sound Pressure Levels, it is 90dBA. When there is insufficient sleep, the entire human body is seriously and adversely affected. WHY THEN IS THE MALAYSIAN GOVERNMENT ENCOURAGING NOISE POLLUTION BY SUPPORTING YARL RESTAURANT'S NOISE AND AIR POLLUTION PROGRAM?
A solid night’s sleep is essential for a long and healthy life and this is a luxury that yarl restaurant's victims cannot afford to have. Since yarl restaurant started operation, we have been suffering form insufficient sleep and this is seriously affecting our health. It should be remembered that regular poor sleep puts you at risk of serious medical conditions including obesity, heart disease and diabetes – and it shortens your life expectancy. (So it seems that Yarl restaurant is murdering us with its kitchen hood noise just like the snatch thieves / robbers who killed their victims in the process of doing their business) Just how much sleep do we need? Most of us need around eight hours of good quality sleep a night to function properly – but how could we sleep 8 hours per day when Yarl restaurant is operating more than 17 hours a day? If no one complains, it may even operate round the clock. Business is extremely good and the workers are busy all the time. That's why the kitchen hood is turned on all the time. What with all those catering business, the restaurant is making a great profit at the expense of others! (Hope that yarl restaurant's boss is paying the amount of income tax that he should pay since tax evasion is also one of our Malaysian integrity!).
More at http://zorro2013questforjustice.blogspot.c...n-malaysia.html and http://zorro2013questforjustice.blogspot.c...-integrity.html
References:
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/554566_3
http://www.preservearticles.com/2012030124...man-health.html
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