Is that a flash from a camera?
The lights from a disco ball?
Or the sun reflecting off the lens of a pair of binoculars?
Wait… is someone spying on ME?!
Oh shucks, it’s just those dratted CDs that the upstairs neighbour hung on their clothes rails to get rid of birds.
These random instances of flashing lights aren’t exactly something you should take lightly though, especially not when it ended up causing real injury.
Blinded by CD-ROMs
When technology moves towards the digital age, many of us simply binned the old CDs that likely won’t work anyway, but oddly enough, they have found new life by becoming the bane of birds everywhere.
One of the more common and cost-effective ways to “scare” away birds from standing – and pooping – on clothes rails is by hanging these antiquated CDs at the end.
Apparently, the CDs will reflect sunlight and blind the birds if they get too near – a great way to discourage the birds from going anywhere near your clothes rack.
However, the reflected lights from these CDs will also blind anyone else with eyes as a female resident living on the 9th floor in Block 162 on Bukit Batok Street 11 found out to her dismay.
You see, an old couple on the 10th floor started hanging CDs on their clothes rails to “chase” away birds last month.
That isn’t a problem except that the reflected light from the discs will often illuminate her kitchen, especially when the sunshine is particularly strong that day.
On one of those days, she was unfortunately blinded by the reflected light while she was cutting some vegetables.
She ended up cutting her hand in the process.
Of course, that’s only one of the many problems that these CDs pose.
She also pointed out that if there are gusts of strong winds, the rope holding the discs to the clothes rails might snap.
If that happens, the CDs will fall like shurikens to the ground, potentially breaking upon impact into equally dangerous shrapnel.
Needless to say, it can end really badly for whoever’s unfortunate enough to be within the area.
No one wants to look like Hellraiser’s Pinhead, I’m sure.
“Made me feel like I’m in a disco”
Besides being dangerous, the CDs have greatly annoyed many other neighbours as well.
When interviewed by LianHe WanBao (联合晚报), Mr Fang, a 62-year-old coffee shop assistant who lives on the 9th floor, said that the flashing lights have affected his life as well.
“The lights made me feel like I’m in a disco,” he added.
Another neighbour, a 55-year-old teacher who lives on the 8th floor, also thought the flashing lights were initially flashes from a camera.
But she later discovered the flashes came from the CDs.
She empathized with the elderly couple who hung the discs, and didn’t mind the flashes as much since she usually keep the windows closed.
When the annoyed neighbours approached the old couple to talk them into taking down the CDs, they reluctantly did so, replacing the CDs with old milk cans instead.
…well, at least they did something.
What do the experts say?
Although hanging CDs or anything that’s light-reflective is effective at discouraging birds from approaching the area, anti-bird netting is still the best solution since it won’t affect the neighbours.
However, birds are intelligent creatures despite their tiny brains.
At least five residents at the HDB told reporters that they have tried using anti-bird netting to stop birds from flying into their kitchen two to three times a day to scavenge for food.
The birds simply tore through the netting to get into the house.
The issue was especially bad during the circuit breaker period when dining in is forbidden.
When the birds weren’t able to find food at the nearby Kopitiam, they resort to “breaking and entering” the homes of nearby residents to get the food they need to survive.
Having to keep changing the netting isn’t a cost-effective solution either. After all, those costs do add up quickly!
Featured Image: Google Maps
Watch this for a complete summary of what REALLY happened to Qoo10, and why it's like a K-drama:
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