life's a gamble
My classmates and colleagues are driving me nuts soon with their fervent compulsive lottery buying.
"Mari, you want to buy Toto together with us?"
"No thanks."
"Why? TEN MILLION DOLLARS LEH. What's your lucky number?"
"Noooo..."
(My lucky number is 10. Ha ha.)
Every morning as i walk past the Singapore Pools in my neighbourhood, i see a ridiculously long queue of mostly Ah Peks and Aunties. The air around them is unmistakably charged. For once they stand in that line, they become someone else for that 30 minutes. Someone who doesn't just smell of medicated oil and spends their day sipping kopi-o and haggling with the fishmonger.
They become investors. Or simply just gamblers, if you ask me.
They have all dreamed of winning the big prize, the astronomical jackpot given every year. They revel in rags-to-riches stories of lottery winners and try vainly to imagine the taste of the win. To them, it's no longer just about buying a slip of pink paper.
They are purchasing a piece of hope.
But this piece of hope to me is like water from a delicious poisoned well. I know very well that once i start, i won't be able to stop. Like my parents. Who are consistent lottery ticket buyers. My Dad has been buying at least $20 worth of 4D or Toto every week for more than 5 years. Doesn't seem like a big sum? Wait til you do the math.
$4,800.
That's worth over a hundred Sakae sushi buffets. :(
"Mari, you want to buy Toto together with us?"
"No thanks."
"Why? TEN MILLION DOLLARS LEH. What's your lucky number?"
"Noooo..."
(My lucky number is 10. Ha ha.)
Every morning as i walk past the Singapore Pools in my neighbourhood, i see a ridiculously long queue of mostly Ah Peks and Aunties. The air around them is unmistakably charged. For once they stand in that line, they become someone else for that 30 minutes. Someone who doesn't just smell of medicated oil and spends their day sipping kopi-o and haggling with the fishmonger.
They become investors. Or simply just gamblers, if you ask me.
They have all dreamed of winning the big prize, the astronomical jackpot given every year. They revel in rags-to-riches stories of lottery winners and try vainly to imagine the taste of the win. To them, it's no longer just about buying a slip of pink paper.
They are purchasing a piece of hope.
But this piece of hope to me is like water from a delicious poisoned well. I know very well that once i start, i won't be able to stop. Like my parents. Who are consistent lottery ticket buyers. My Dad has been buying at least $20 worth of 4D or Toto every week for more than 5 years. Doesn't seem like a big sum? Wait til you do the math.
$4,800.
That's worth over a hundred Sakae sushi buffets. :(
Labels: life observations
