TikToker jokes haze followed him back to Australia
An Australian content creator joked that the Southeast Asian haze followed him home after his vacation in Malaysia.
TikTok user @nurmustafa___ shared his mini frustration in a video last Wednesday (28 Oct).
He recounted boarding an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Perth in a bubbly mood, happy to escape the regional smoke.
Before flying, he even posted an Instagram story asking his Asian friends if they wanted “fresh air” from Perth.
Source: @nurmustafa___ on TikTok
Unfortunately for him, he might have spoken too soon, as the haze may have actually “followed [him] home”.
Clear skies in Malaysia while smoke drifts south
Mustafa noted the ironic timing of his flight home.
Rain cleared smoky skies across Malaysia just as he left, while weather models showed haze shifting south towards Australia.
“The day I left is the day you guys get clear skies,” he exclaimed.
“And the day the haze followed me home to Perth!”
He jokingly labelled the haze an “obsessive ex” that pursued him across continents.
Australian coast sees haze from Indonesian fires
Satellite data confirmed that smoke from Indonesian peatland fires drifted across the Indian Ocean to Australia.
The plumes reached coastal areas like Broome, creating hazy skies across northern and western Australia.
Dry El Niño conditions have worsened forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan since August.
Videos spark playful banter across three nations
Mustafa’s original video has garnered over 176,000 views on TikTok, and over 300,000 on Instagram, at the time of writing.
In follow-up videos, he shared audience analytics, showing viewers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Australia “united”.
Source: @nurmustafa___ on TikTok
Many took to the comments section to have some banter and poke fun at Mustafa’s predicament.
One used a translated Malaysian proverb to tease him.
Source: @nurmustafa___ on TikTok
Another thanked him playfully for “taking the haze back to Australia” with him.
Source: @nurmustafa___ on Instagram
One even jokingly suggested that this was happening because Mustafa is the “main character”.
Source: @nurmustafa___ on Instagram
Mustafa quipped in response to the comments that he “[doesn’t] want these problems”.
He added to the banter in his video response:
We already have our own bushfire problems you know, every year we go through cyclones, bushfire, rain, and all of the above. Spiders, kangaroos, emus, we even lost to emus, I don’t know if you guys know that!
Source: @nurmustafa___ on TikTok
Mustafa invites viewers to choose where he should bring the next in the last follow-up video, playing off the bit that he has the power to influence where the haze goes.
“Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Singapore, how’s everyone’s sky today? And which country do I bring this problem next to?”
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Featured image adapted from @nurmustafa___ on TikTok.