Queue-rant events

With all the recent doom and gloom being reflected in the international media surrounding elections and the likes, a phenomena of a completely different kind has gripped our sunny shores and been subjected to scrutiny of the highest order: queues. 

Already a familiar story amongst most updated citizens: Coldplay manages to sell out their tickets fast enough to warrant a second show. An overnight vigil is held while waiting for the tickets, and a snaking line forms around the Sports Hub in anticipation for the tickets to be on sale. Desperate fans have been reported to pay their way into the queue, unfazed by the additional cost. Not to be out done, the second show sells out in a matter of hours as well. Coldplay must be some pretty good band it seems to have both of their shows sold out.

Scenes captured on actual day of release by a customer​

The recent release of the limited edition BAPE x NMDs also caused enough of a stir to be featured in the local paper with enthusiasts forming lines two days before the actual release. In a recent article, a story has surfaced of a sneakerhead booking a room nearby to facilitate a more comfortable and sanitary wait. However, confusion over different queue lines at the Adidas store at Pacific Plaza soon boiled up a cauldron of indignation and frustration. Whatever happened to the shoes? Were they allocated and sold in a fair manner?
 
To outsiders, such tales are great fodder for water cooler gossip about the fanaticism of subcultures that have boiled over into an inconvenience to most of mainstream society. One can almost imagine the snort and disapproving side-eyed glances at the sheer thought of being participants in such unspeakable circumstances.
 
A rather hypocritical state of mind though upon closer inspection. In all frankness, queuing has become inbuilt in our culture; in our hasty commutes and daily routines. We sacrifice precious minutes queuing for the killer curry rice, bak chor mee, nasi padang etc etc. Heck, we even queue up for stuffed toys at Macdonalds at certain times of the year. (Ahem, im looking at you Hello Kitty)
 
Perhaps somewhere in the prolonged waiting and lack of air conditioning, we lose our cool. Irregardless of our selected vice, there has to be something within us to find some form of unity rather than discord in the shared spaces of our passions. I mean civility can’t be that much of a tall order that demands more than what we are already capable off right….
 
Having said all that, I will still be at the next raffle/release/hypeedupevent and hope for the best: not just in terms of my luck but in the best of behaviour from fellow participants. Having said that, should an opportunity present itself on a nice siny platter, I can't make any promises to not show true local flavour and spew vulgarities of every ethnicity in a straight sentence. 

(P.s Sorry if we’re not condemning the resale of Coldplay tickets. We sometime do that with shoes. To borrow from a famous phrase, “All animals are equal, but some are born more equal than others)

- ​SS