A little morning exercise

The mighty finger of god directed me to a security tentage setup just outside the forbidding stone walls of the US Embassy here. Finger of the security guard that is....

Now picture this scenario on a drizzling and wet Monday morning, where there are some rows of wooden tuckshop-style benches for the people to sit and await their turn for a miserable US visa. I didn't pay too much attention to signages or whateva of that sort as I conveniently sat down on an empty spot between this well-dressed and banker looking Indian chap, and a not-so-well-dressed-but-passable Indian lady.

I can't say this for everyone but I'm usually very much aware of my surroundings, even though I may actually seem to be pretty darn serious about dripping off the rainwater from my umbrella and velcro-ing it neatly.

It is commonly fairly intimating, or vaguely irritating, when one stares, but I could tell that everyone along the bench was covertly staring at me. Every single one of them yes. After some discreet investigation of my own, I realised that there's actually a queue. A proper queue where good adhering citizens line up for their turn, despite all of us having a prearranged appointment time.

However at this particular moment of indecisiveness on my part, an auntie and her fairly adult son came along and plonked down beside me. One can only imagine the heartwrenching turmoil and utter helplessness of our poor citizens further down the bench... most probably feeling unjust, but simply not doing anything much about it.

Don't misunderstand me. I have good manners and will move to the back of the line almost immediately if not for this brief arrival of freshmen...

You must understand that firstly, it's a rainy day and all the other vacant benches were not taken, for a good enough reason that they are wet. Secondly, there's like a totally dry bench at the start of the queue... virgin and untouched by the sacred bottoms of visiting Singaporeans in their quest of bluer skies and greener pastures... So the people at the front of the queue that came earlier than me are just simply idiots.

The best part of my morning then fitted into the picture...

"You. Yes you. What tum is gor interwwiew one? Just now forget ask." asked the security guard. "7.45am" I said.
"Oh then go into the security check la.. dunnid wait. The other people here are all later one." he exclaimed loudly.

Fantastic. Sometimes being kiasu doesn't quite equate to getting you anywhere faster.