Thursday, August 03, 2006

curiosity killed the cat

before you proceed, let me warn visitors that they may find today's posting a little crass, if not weird.

hello everybody.

are you all wondering what profound story this beautiful writer will be bringing you today?

well, as you all know, i am a very inquisitive person. i like to ask questions, but most of the time i direct them back at myself as i am very shy by nature (ahem!) however, there are some questions that even this ingenious brain cannot answer, and so i am forced to turn the direction of the arrow today. hopefully, you will be able to throw some light to my query.

first, we post the photo.

this is my toilet roll.

this is my daughter's toilet roll.

normally, as with everybody else i am sure, we don't take much notice of our toilet paper. if you were to ask me at point blank what colour is the toilet paper in my house, i will probably venture a guess of white colour. however, if you were to place it in an identification parade, pretty much like those for criminals, i may be able to spot my suspect. may be is the key word here since no person around me is crazy enough to carry out such a request. spoil sport.

anyway, one morning, through a series of coincidence, i realised that my daughter's toilet roll is actually very pretty. it is, isn't it? very sweet, with nice pink flowers all over. i didn't take much notice of it when i was doing the purchase. and you know what? it is perfumed. it is actually fragranced with a very delicate sweet smell. *taking a deep breath* ahhhhhhhh! the problem is...i look very funny smelling a roll of toilet paper.

which brings me to my question: why is the toilet paper perfumed? is there a bunch of people who goes around making all types of excuses just to have another chance to go to the toilet and smell the roll? or do people keep it in their desk, ready to whip it out in a second when they feel that they are in need of a quick olfactory perk? imagine layering your wardrobe with toilet paper and when your darling says, "honeyyy, you smell so good today. what is the fragrance?" "ohhh, it's just the 2006 dion toilet roll" :-0

when you buy the toilet rolls, they usually come in a bunch, all packed neatly in plastic. so, the fragrance is definitely not to captivate you to purchase the product. okay. so, you have made the decision on the appearance. therefore, i can understand the soothing peach colour and the sweet little flowers. but the logic still sounds a little warped to me. making it attractive enough for what? to wipe your bottom? sheesh!

so, when do you actually get to smell this fragranced product? before you use it? i am sure it is not going to be after you use it. which means that there will actually be people who are sitting at the throne with a section of neatly folded loo-roll, and sniffing away whilst they are hard at work. hmmmmmm.......i don't know how the makers of the fragranced toilet-roll came to that conclusion, but i am curious about the statistics.

do you smell your toilet-roll? do you know of anybody that does?

and for those who are wondering, i am not running out of topic to post. this is not, i repeat, not a post made out of desperation.
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29 comments:

Wuching said...

i dun care what toilet roll i use as long as it is soft for my a** but my wife very particular lah!

me said...

dear wuching: oh yah. then you got caress it on your face to see if it is soft enough so that it won't scratch your bum bum? hahahahaha

titoki said...

Why the toilet papers got COLOURSss in the very first place? The butt got eyes one meh?!

Las montañas said...

The rolls are perfumed; so that if used in a public toilet that doesn't flush, the week's supply of S+toilet papers wont stink the whole sky down. Trivial Q&A for the week.

I am particular about the quality one. Hate those thin thin ones that separate into 2 sheets easily.

Ianfluenza said...

I think it's simply bells and whistles. Like you said, they have soothing peach colours to attract your attention as soon as you steo into the aisle. Why is that so? Marketing competitive advantage lah...

When compared with more generic counterparts, they stand out coz of their patterns, their scents and their packaging. That is how important they are to get into your shopping trolley. But after they serve they ultimate purposes, they all end up smelling and looking the same in the sewers...

You might say that extra bells and whistles mean higher price. I agree to that too. But I guess that's what most of us are falling for anyways. Just the same as comparing a normal generic piece of A4 paper from some scrap book, and a ABC brand 800gsm extra glimmer A4 paper. Both do almost the same job, but the latter's smoother to touch and glimmers in its heavily bleached surface. I guess some wouldn't mind to pay a little more for that.

Wahlau, I damn cheong hei.

me said...

dear titoki: correct. but then we can explain that one by saying to attract us to buy mah. actually, they should come out with rainbow colours one since the main purpose is to scream at us "buy me! buy me!". or maybe neon one, for glow in the dark. hahhahaha

dear lm: but once it's in the bowl, mixed with the s**t, i am quite sure it is the smell of the latter that stands out. nope, wrong answer. next person please.

want thicker ones ah? go for royal gold lah. 5 folds. can wipe elephant's bum bum also :-)

Admin said...

my dear lenglui. don't you know that there are lots of people like me who uses toilet rolls as tissues to wipe their mouth and hands? haven't you seen restaurants putting them on their tables for customers to use as face or hand tissues.

that's why some got perfume lor. they are not meant to wipe shit mah.

me said...

dear ian: wrong answer also. as i have carefully stressed, you don't get to smell it when you are considering which brand to purchase. it's all tightly shrink wrapped. so, the smell doesn't sream 'buy me, buy me' at you. ok, maybe the marketing advantage is for AFTER you buy...like how many of you will take the roll and smmmmmmmeeeeelllllll it? how many actually stick it right up to the nose? the fragrance is actually not strong enough to make the room smell good. it's just slightly perfumed so you have to go very near to know the difference. soooo, if none of us actually stick it up our noses, why do we need perfumed ones to begin with? psychologically better? pay more for something you don't appreciate the difference off in the first place? maybe it's for those freaks (prob me included, since i bought it) who thinks their butt will smell better after using the perfumed genre. ok, wrong answer kiddo, next person please. the cheong hei part you got right. one point lah. kakakakaka.

people don't seem to pay attention to what i write. you tell them the peach colour is to make it more attractive, and thus shout 'buy me, buy me' at you...then they come back and ask why got colours in the first place? then you tell them you won't get to smell it when you are trying to decide which brand to buy....then they come and tell you the scent is to help it get in your shopping trolley. ok, maybe you argue you don't have to physically smell it to know there is an advantage....hmmmmm, but i'm still not convinced there is an advantage if you never ever notice the difference when you use it. tell me, mr ian, am i getting very boring? do people skip sentences when they read, just to rush to the end and on to the comment box?

Las montañas said...

I noticed that your daughter's roll got nice flowers.. then wat about the rolls that guys use? got wat imprints?

me said...

dear ah pek: there. that's why i told you ah pek is the wisest of them all loh. who says ginger is not the hottest when old? *clap clap clap* ah pek win. ah pek clever. your answer makes the most sense.

but hor, ah pek, problem is.....i never see anybody use these pretty perfumed ones in restaurant or anywhere else to wipe hands and mouth. they always use the cheapo 'cherkai' type, so rough like sandpaper then can wipe the oil off mah. soooooo, i'm still a little doubtful about the accuracy of your answer :-I

Las montañas said...

...like how many of you will take the roll and smmmmmmmeeeeelllllll it? how many actually stick it right up to the nose? the fragrance is actually not strong enough to make the room smell good.

some do. Some will use their dirty grubby fingers and dig a hole in the plastic. Then they take the whole bundle and sniff it like drugs

actually hor, the scent, especially if perfumed, is to give a feeling of cleaniness lah! nice scent=clean, bad scent=dirty=sampah

me said...

dear ah pek: i still very shiok when people call me lenglui lah. especially for those latecomers who don't know the underlying reason why some old regulars always call me lenglui. like i really damn pretty or something. kakakaka. shiokkkkkk!

Las montañas said...

When I saw Ahpek's answer/comment, I think I'll stay off the coffeeshop restaurants for a while. You know, they just swipe the roll hanging in the toilet for the diners who wanted serviettes! Imagine what could have landed on the roll while in the toilet!

me said...

dear lm: clever. the prints do not reflect the user. it reflects the buyer lah. me. pretty sweet little ole me. kekeke :-p

Helen said...

Hype lor... see, this toilet roll got your attention enuff to make you actually write a blog post on it!! Isn't that proof enuff the marketing ploy is working? lol

me said...

dear lm: if i'm marketing manager, i'll come up with toilet-roll that has naked women when it comes in contact with s**t. sounds appealing or not? hahahaha. or maybe those with pics of ferrari and porsche for guys.

slow down a bit with your comment lah. cannot catch up with you.

hor! you are the one who has been digging all those holes in the plastic bag! frankly i've never seen any other perverted people who does that and since you can describe it so clearly, IT MUST BE YOU! kakaka.

but i guess you are correct lah. perception. smell good = clean. so, next time, no need to use it to wipe your bum bum. after the big business, stick the toilet-roll up your nose and take a deep breather :-D

and no lah. they never take from the toilet cubicles one lah. it's totally new. you can tell those that come from the toilet ones. they are spotted with brown and black flecks and the flies loveeee to hover around :-)

me said...

dear helen cher-cher: that's because i am 'sor' one loh. and so many people sor together with me, comment until so shiok shiok also. for this we must also highlight las montanas' 'sor'-ness because he is the top commentor. i am surprised no one has said 'toilet-roll also she want to blog about ah'. so far, your comment has been the only one bordering on sanity. ;-L

Las montañas said...

Can't stop or slowdown... its a verbal diarrhoea. Now need your fancy toilet roll.

me said...

dear lm: no. no need to use it. just smell it can already mah. smell good = clean. very free ah you? what is your boss' number? why are you not working?

me said...

wahhhh. say 'boss' only, lm sudah run away liao. verbal diarrhoea also ceased :-D

Las montañas said...

yah, I ran away because lenglui used the 4 letter word on me! boohoohoo!

Pink Cotton said...

hi!!

pinkcotton was here :)

rainbow angeles said...

errrmmm... what about those scented sanitary pads and panty liners? I used to like 'em, u know... but i dunno why lar... now no more lohh...

But the scented toilet paper is interesting... maybe i go try one pack and let u know the diff? :D Yeah, it ain't practical but... *shrug*

Cocka Doodle said...

Dear Hoe chi kuai,
Ok ok, I call you lenglui also la.
That 'hoe chi kuai' was from that pic you posted.LOL

The reason for scented toilet rolls is because you ladies use it to wipe the 'fried crabs' after peeing.
So after wiping, instead of 'fried crabs' you now get 'fragrant crabs' LOL. (Hiong hai)

Ianfluenza said...

GRRR... You marked me wrong answer?!! Here comes my second attempt!

Apart from the comments everyone has sugggested, which I think makes good sense too, allow me to suggest this:

Although it might or might not be what the manufacturer intended, at least we can put the scent in toilet papers for some use... When someone does their business in toilet, or someone just went into the cubicle right after it has been used, it stinks. So, to alleviate the torment to the olfactory senses, we smell the toilet paper! Muahahahaha!!!

Only for your humour...

Ianfluenza said...

But on a more serious note, I still think the scent plays a part in the marketing. I was aware that you carefully stressed on the wrapping stopping the consumers to smell the scent. But it's like choosing chocolate, they print milk chocolate, dark chocolate, or white, you won't be able to know its taste until you've opened it. But the point is, there are a variety of preferences for you to choose from - Gives the consumer personality. Like my ex-housemate she always buys stuff with lavender scent - air fresheners, toilet paper, fabric softeners, you name it. It simply builds her personality (albeit a trivial part) that she is a person who loves lavender. While someone will also go, "Hmmm, I bought Citrus Frsh the last time, maybe I'll try Graden Bouquet this time." Bottomline, things are getting more and more complicated for everyone is after sophistication. A pencil is no longer a simple pencil - it moves to becoming a mechanical pencil (which is convenient) with ergonomic grip, and the same applies for the loo-roll...

me said...

dear lm: there, there, don't cry. next time i won't use the word boss, boss, boss, boss, boss, boss, boss,boss,boss,boss,boss,boss lor :-D

dear pink cotton: hi! hope you enjoyed your visit :-)

dear angel: someone has finally taken this topic one step further! scented sanitary pads! eugh! can you imagine anyone want to smell it after using it? it's even worse than the toilet roll. 'oh, it's pretty smelly here. wait, let me take out my sanitary pad and take a good deep breath'. hahahahahaha.

dear cocka: i think cocka must really like me very much :-D my picture is always still on his mind. you fantasising about me at night ah? kakkakakakakaka. 'mm hoe kum yeong' (don't be like that) so many people looking at us.

ok, i trust your word about the hiong hai, since you have so much experience smelling them. but don't smell the chickens' one too much hor, got disease one lah. hahaha.

dear ian: kakakaka. i can just imagine it. someone sitting on the throne, going "mmmmm mmmmmm mmmmm" and holding the toilet roll right up to his nose "ahhhhhhhh".

ok lah, actually your answer makes the most sense. but so sensible, so practical, not fun mah. let your hair down a little. it's friday again!

sengkor said...

munsiji also scented? wht's next? scented cotton buds?

me said...

dear sengkor: or maybe scented disposable underwear, aromatheraphy laptop, fragranced handphone..the possibilities are endless.