Friday, August 7, 2009

To Pee or Not To Pee


After Pak Payne's poetic lament in "What Is Becoming of Me...", I am feeling a wee bit 'Shakespearish', thus "To Pee Or Not To Pee..." [the next entry will probably be "To Pi Or Not To Pi, to Phi Phi"; THAT's the question!]

Is it true that you have to pay two ringgit to take a leak in KLCC? What exactly do they have in the washrooms there, paintings by Old Masters? The sprawling tourist magnet isn't exactly our playground, so we don't know. We hardly go to the city centre, by the way.

Everything that we need and want can be found in our own backyard; there's One Utama, The Curve, Ikea, Ikano, Damansara Uptown, and further up, Hartamas. In fact, we are within walking distance to One Utama that I sometimes go there on foot. It takes only 20 minutes, and at a leisurely pace too.

I certainly do not mind paying to use a shopping centre's toilet facility, but I think two ringgit is a bit rich, considering other places like One Utama and The Curve do not charge a single sen for the same. And their loos are as clean and spotless as those found in five-star hotels.

I wonder what the rationale is for charging two ringgit for a pee (or a poo). I may be wrong, but I still think the management is just trying to make a quick buck, well knowing that when you gotta go, you gotta go...

Oh, I forgot to mention I was told they give you a packet of 'wet-ones', presumably for you to clean yourself up afterwards. I guess that's their justification for the two ringgit charge.

But what if I refuse the packet because I have this habit of bringing my own wherever I go? Can I get a discount on the two bucks?

Two ringgit is a lot of money these days. For this amount, one can have two meals at Restoran Rakyat Ukhwah 1Malaysia, or two packets of that famous Nasi Lemak Taman Tun.

Be that as it may, I have decided I shall not enrich KLCC further by peeing in their first-rate toilet. No, I am not bringing a bedpan when shopping in KLCC, don't worry. [Psstt.. Pak Abu says he's not considering the bottle either.... it's too bulky to hide in his pocket!]

Pak Abu and I have found the solution; we shall continue to avoid KLCC as we have done in the past, unless there is a real need to be there.

I can't promise to stay away because Kinokuniya is gobsmacked in KLCC and it has some of the best collections of books ever. If you like Pablo Neruda, go to Kinokuniya for it carries an impressive stock of the poet's work.

If you are coming One Utama way, give me a tinkle. I pace the aisles of both Old and New Wings almost everyday. That's my routine. Perhaps we can have Ultimate Mocha together at The Coffee Bean. Best of all, you don't have to pay to pee!

26 comments:

Unknown said...

Puan,

Agreed..

Except that the cleaning Bangla (must be Ex-F1 crew) keep ogling you from top to bottom and can't wait for you to finish your pit stop!..he..he

Salam

Pi Bani said...

Uhuk! Uhuk! Tersedak sat... walaupun bukan nama I yang disebut, tapi sebutannya sama...

To Pi or not to Pi... Bani!

p/s
Pi Bani nak pi Bali esok... :)

Cat-from-Sydney said...

Aunty Puteri,
It's easier being a cat...go figure! teeheehee....

Mrs.A said...

You have to pay RM 5 for the premier toilets at the Gardens. You go in for free if you spent RM 100 anywhere in the Gardens (show your receipt) , or if you are Isetan or Robinsons member card holder... Cantik la toilet nye, with Beaubelle toiletries to use, and proper towels rather than paper freely available. (tak boleh la bawak balik ke hapa! )

Anonymous said...

Dear Kak Puteri
There are 2 types: one is FOC and another type charges 2 bucks! I was curious to know what's in store and paid the 2 bucks(manalah tahu ada orang tukang cebok kan!!) but the difference is that it is cleaner, no queue and has toiletries from Body Shop or L'occitane!
Salam

Zendra-Maria said...

Took a wee-wee
At KLCC
After some peach tea
Just to see see
...Actually
That time was free
Wow, no smellee-smellee
But felt guilty
Cos of petai pee!

Yowzee

Tommy Yewfigure said...

And I tot all along the RM2.00 fee was for hands free service, silly me…hahaha.

Have a good one Puteri, I meant weekend.

Salam,
Tommy

P/S – Lebih best I kencing kat tiang.

Pak Idrus said...

You have a choice at KLCC, there are the free washroom as well. I think it is a good idea, for those who does not want to ques; then pay and use it after all it is just RM2.00. There are free washrooms at the other floors so use that.

There are many other complexs in KL where you have to pay and does not give one a choice. i.e.Sg.Wang, Ampang Point and others. So it is always good to have a choice.

I think KLCC is still the best mall and user friendly as well, moreover it is just 4 minutes away from my home to the parking lot at KLCC.

It is a place where my spouse and I lepak some of the time. The other are the GE Mall and the Pavilion.

Have a nice day anyway.

Anonymous said...

Madam,

What a coincidence!

I just got out from The Scent of a Woman. And now I have to decide whether To Pee or...

Can somebody lend me 2 bucks. Coins also can.

Derebar

ummisara said...

Kak Puteri...

RM2 for pee??? oh my!!

One Utama & DCurve tak leh nak lari...itu memang i punya weekend agenda. Tempat lain payah lah...toilet pun okay.

Parking pun mudah. Kak Puteri , nanti i carik u melilau -lilau kat sana ya :)

Desert Rose said...

RM2??? Mak aiiii,

Ada satu tempat ni, if not mistaken by d beach la, put up a signage

Air kecil -20 cnts
Air Besar - 50 cents
Mandi - RM1


Ha ha, kalau org byr 20 cents and poo sekali, how to determine? By lenght of time? Buleh je cakap , saya ada batu karang kencing tak lawas,

Or kalau niat mg ikhlas byr 20 cents sb nak pee, tetiba terpoo sekali, how?? Kira diskaun or kena top up lagi 30 cents???

Adakah org segitu ikhlas nak cakap, "Err bang tadi sy byr 2 kupang sebab nak terkucil , sekali yg besaq pun keluaq jugak, nah la lg 3 kupang"... buleh????

Queen Of The House said...

The difference is in the smell-factor. In the RM2 premier loo, the washers try to go in after each patron's visit to clean up, wipe etc. Sometimes tak sempat nak clean orang dah masuk. The toiletries are a plus lah .... one time a friend and I went in and she decided might as well make full use of the facilities, so she took her time lumur lotion, spray facial spritz, letak the leave-in conditioner, sapu bedak, hehehe. At another time, I took my kids to KLCC, and diorang ni kalau dah rasa nak ter-pee, cannot wait punya. Since the queue at the free toilet was snaking all the way out, we had no choice but to pay RM6 for the 3 of us.

Naz in Norway said...

I have to admit that I love going to KLCC whenever I'm in Msia (basically due to Kinokuniya) and I do succumb to the RM2 toilet for its cleanliness, Loccitane goods, no queues, no gawking.

If it is emergency (read: no time to even start the line of *to pee or not to pee*), I'll even take the bush! :D

D said...

my, my... hope my fantastic four and I wont all desperately need the loo at the same time during our next visit to KLCC! Kopak la paying RM10!!

Iskandar Syah Ismail aka DR Bubbles said...

Lari tajuk sikit dari cerita Pee sebab terbaca pasal Neruda.

The other day, I read Neruda loudly to myself at The Times Bookshop.Masa tu dok tempting to grab the mic at the customer service counter so that I can share Neruda with the rest of the customers in the bookshop,loudly through PA System.

Unknown said...

Salam Kak Puteri,

As some have rightly pointed out that there are free toilets in KLCC. The premier toilet is for the ground floor only where MOST of the designer boutiques are located.

I know of a few ppl who definitely will only go to the premier toilets. For me, if at KLCC i'll nip off to the office for a pit-stop but for the most lovely toilet, its gotta be Gardens.

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Thank you all for your comments. Now I learned something new, that KLCC does have non-paying washrooms as well. What a relief! I thought takder! Perhaps one day I may try the super-duper pricey one at the Gardens (where is this Gardens place btw?) just to get the feel of taking a leak in a washroom with a snob appeal..LOL

Salt N Turmeric said...

I usually just use the toilet in the restaurants. They are usually cleaner. :)

Kama At-Tarawis said...

Pi - selamat pi Bali.. ronda aja ekk!

cat & tommy - the tiang is there for a function, so use it la.. hehehe

zendra - smelly smelly petai wee-wee hahahaha.. pandai you rhyming!

Derebar - must be your lucky day, from one prick story to another.. LOL

bubbles - neruda needs to be read aloud kan? the poems are just beautiful..

farina - i feel guilty about using restaurant punya washroom without patronising the place.. me laways guilt-laden.. hehehe

ray said...

Komen Pak Malim, kucing ray yg alim.

Saya suka pee kat tayar, kata Pak Malim sambil berlayar.

Kama,

Kalau singgah ke One Utama
Bawa bersama ayam serama
(Pak Malim punya dinner).

Anak kucing pakai knee guard
Pak Malim tunggu sebelah guard.

mekyam said...

so now the question is to pay or not to pay. :D

btw, i ketawa golek2 reading the scenario painted by Desert Rose.

LOL @ ...sekali yg besaq pun keluaq jugak.. :D

Mrs.A said...

Gardens is next to Mid-Valley..there is a walkway to connect the two, on the Ground floor and 1st floor. Premier toilets are next to Isetan (nesr the Pastis cafe- nice strawberry shorcake) and on the other side of the mall next to Robinsons.

Chet said...

Kak Kamaliah - it was nice meeting you at Shirley Lim's writing workshop today. And all the places you mentioned are in my neck of the woods, too. I'm usually found at IKEA for the cheap breakfast. It's also a great place to sit and write.

As for the RM2 toilet fee, I think it's only for a specific toilet on one of the floors, and not every toilet.

Sweet Serenity said...

Hi Aunty, sorry wasn't able to join you and Mak Teh at the Lake Club. I teach weeknights 8-10pm and kids are starting to get exam bugs so tak boleh tuang kelas...Hope during Ramadhan or Syawal we could get together. Thanks for the invite. I can't wait to meet you!

Re: Pee..I'm always telling my students before I take them for long road trips in and around the USA to '...pee now or forever hold your pee!!"

Kama At-Tarawis said...

ray
lama sungguh tak nampak ray
kata kama sambil pakai hairspray
ayam serama jadi dinner?
mahal tu ray, tak mampu keme!

mekyam - i would have paid 20 sen and be done with it..hehehe..

mrs a - thanks for the info. i didn't even know such a place exist..

chet - tq for visiting, chet. it was a pleasure meeting you at today's workshop. don't be a stranger now, ya?

liza - pity you couldnt make it to the makan. we had lotsa fun!

Mat Cendana said...

This takes the (mean) street talk of "Kencing" that means "cheat" to another level.

Your mentioning that One Utama doesn't charge; but its toilets are still clean nonetheless. There goes KLCC's possible attempt to tie "high charge" with "cleanliness". I can attest here that KB Mall in Kota Bharu doesn't charge either... and its toilets are clean too.