Common sense, not common

When I was approaching the lift to my apartment this evening, I smelled something rather unexpected.

The burning smell like in a temple, you know, something like burning joss sticks.

I soon discovered the truth, and the first word that I uttered was: "idiot!"

See, there is this small lounge thing with sofa and a dustbin with ashtray top in front of the lifts. And just now, on top of that dustbin ashtray top was a McDonald's hot drinks takeaway holder, the hard cardboard type that we hold on the edge or bottom, not the one that has loops to hang four cold drinks that we carry using fingers through loops.

And on top of that hard cardboard hot drinks holder, was an unextinguished cigarette butt, which was happily burning away the cardboard holder, giving the joss stick like smell.

Yup, cardboard, safest thing to extinguish a cigarette, NOT.

I mean, seriously? Come on!

okay, I have always wanted to post this image, relevance be damned!

I guess common sense is just for common people like me, it does not apply to special people. You know, those abnormally special people. Abnormally retarded.

Well, McDonald's, bless them, used some kind of cardboard that doesn't burn with flame. So while the cardboard was merrily burning away giving out smoke, there was no open flame. Of course, it's just a matter of time before the fire got to something that does burn with flame, like the napkin, the straw, the paper cup.

While I pride myself not being those whose first action is to take picture of anything and everything to post on social media, I did regret I didn't do it today. Take a photo, that is.

See, my first reaction was to extinguish the fire. So I emptied my water bottle on it, refilled at nearby tap, and emptied it again to make sure it's really out.

Then, being the grumpy old man that I am, I grumbled about this idiotic incident to wifey as soon as I got home. Wifey, being a much more responsible person (and smarter, nicer, beautifuller, more social, et cetera et cetera), went down to take a photo and filed a report to the management.

I suppose a photo while it's still burning probably has more impact compared to a photo of wet cardboard...

Oh well.