Monday, February 8, 2021

Waiting In Line

Noi and I were at the IMM building this afternoon, putting some stuff in a small storage area we rent there. Walking down one corridor in the very large shopping mall we happened upon a very long queue. The carefully observed social distancing adhered to made the queue a lot longer than it would have been in ordinary circumstances, but even so it seemed quite extreme in length. We walked the length of the corridor, and then down another long corridor, following the queue to its final destination: a small shop for the Singapore Pools. Noi knowingly informed me they were there to buy 'numbers' - a mysterious activity that seems to appeal to quite a number of those resident on the island.

I was torn between a sense of admiration for the unflinching patience of those involved, given the fact the queue hardly seemed to be moving at all, and a feeling of sharp disorientation at the level of craziness on public display.

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