Skip to main content

Day 5: The Queue Prompt


The Queue Prompt

Some say queuing is part of the Singaporean psyche, whether for McDonald's Hello Kitty toys, the latest iPhone, Michelin starred hawker cuisine, or even a HDB flat.
When was the last time you queued for something? What was it for, and why? How long did you have to wait in line? More importantly, was it worth the wait? Would you do it again? Write a poem about the experience.



Which queue to join?

Queue 1 is moving at 2 persons per minute, queue 2 at one,
After a long day, the cashier at queue 1 looks like she's done
And then 3 people shift from queue 1 to queue 2,
All this while you were deciding what to do,
If you get heads 2 in 3 times you toss a coin,
Taking all this into account, which queue should you join?

Well, to be honest, the equation is a wee bit tough.
The number of people who look like they've had enough,
Multiplied by the cashier's inherent capacity,
Divided by the customer's acquired tenacity
To the power of your lucky number,
Should give you a random number to remember,
As you realise, no matter what you do,
the faster moving queue is always the one without you.







Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Them 90s Things - 1 - iTV Music Channel

Starting a random series of all things from a 90s childhood, just so I have a record of these memories for posterity. Do you remember a channel called iTV?  The 1999 Cricket World Cup was when our extremely middle-class, government quarters colony rose to the challenge of cable tv. Till then, we were happily adjusting our antennas and watching wholesome family entertainment on the two channels of DD1 and DD2. Then came the cable wale bhaiya, with his fancy earring, a few TV guides stacked under his arms along with long ropes of cable, promising unlimited entertainment for the entire colony. And just like that, we all got lured. Cable TV bought with it a lot of changes, many of which I assume will get covered in this series. But, today's post is about 1 particular memory which every 90s kid can relate to. A huge letter I revolving on the TV in anticipation of a new song being chosen. Yep. The iTV generation. Not MTv. It was all about iTV. I still don't know what that channel was...

Drumrolls and All That

In crass Hindi, this moment would have been aptly defined as "Laut ke buddhu, ghar ko aaye".  Exact translation would mount to "Fools return home" and that's what this post is. So, after taking a break from work, doing a second Masters, getting a job in Singapore and moving countries, I am back on the blog.  Who would have thunk? An year back, I had no idea this is what I would be doing in an year. But then again, do we know what we will be doing an year from now?  Lesson learnt. No planning, no guessing.  Just keep exploring, keep doing new things, keep learning, keep meeting new people. Things will happen. Trust. Like a fool (who returned home!) So, while I discover this part of my life, Singapore, I thought I need the blog more than the blog needs me. Because moving countries is not in the least as glamorous as it sounds.  There's the whole deal with selling all belongings which you have hoarded lovingly over the years. A...

The One Where We Decided the Title is Unnecessary

Aah well. So 2010 ended. Nope. I did not do the customary year-end post simply because, as cliched as it may sound, I felt the year zipped by too fast and that my last year's year-end post is about as relevant today as it was back then. Except that I am lazier this year. And hence skipping that little ritual of the round-up post. Touche! Resolutions? Nada. Why? Because, let's face it, there is no point. But here's a list of things I am looking forward to this year: Some clarity on life. And my future. Turning 23. Not looking forward to all the relatives' concerns about the inevitable nuptials. Reading. A lot. At least more than what I read last year. Lots of choti si khushis. A small wish that I hope gets fulfilled this year. Umm. So, it's small when you look at the big picture. The really really big picture. The enormous picture. That's when the wish looks small. Okay, fine. Have it your way. The BIG wish. I still hope it gets fulfilled, though. Bright ...