Back in 2015, Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla told neighbouring countries off for complaining about the haze that comes from Indonesia. He instead asked them to be more grateful for the clean air they enjoy all those times there isn’t haze.
Apart from the indignation, laughter and memes spawned, there was a website called “Thank You Indo For The Clean Air“. And there is the VP at the sides responding “no problem!”
All you’re supposed to do is click on the red button and it will deliver your gratitude in pixels to Indonesia.
There’s even a small section below where you get to write personalised thank-you notes to Indonesia. That is, if you have a penchant for literary expression.
Unfortunately, the website no longer available. Going to the URL today will instead take you to an unregistered domain page.
So much for wishing to thank Indonesia for bringing haze season to us again. Honestly, now you get to skip that pesky outdoor picnic your friends have planned for months because you’d rather stay home and watch TV after a long week at work. Nothing beats watching TV by yourself on a weekend.
Yep, it’s a joke. And not just a joke, but also an elaborate and clever advertisement. The top of the website has a gaudy yellow bar that asks if you’re bothered by the haze and then suggests that you buy some N95 masks.
And if you click on that mesmerising marketing strip, you’ll be popped over to the Amazon page for N95 masks. Another damning clue in case the advertising stint seemed all but odd to you, was the copyright disclaimer at the foot of the page. It was the work of the “Awesome Company”, which in turn is a “participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program”.
The PSI, as of 5pm on 10 Sep, is 86. It has been hovering around this level for the past few days. The haze, as with the many times we have experienced it before, comes from forest fires in Indonesia.
PSI levels above 100 are considered to be unhealthy and NEA advises the public to stay indoors, or at least reduce their outdoor activities should this level be reached.
The Meteorological Service of Singapore (MSS) told the Straits Times that given how hot spots are expected to persist in Sumatra, our hazy days are probably here to stay for a while.
In case, it may not be such a bad idea to go get some N95 masks. Just in case it gets as bad as that last time when Singapore looked like part of a Silent Hill movie set.
Featured images adapted from thankyouindoforthecleanair.com.
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