Thursday, August 13, 2009

How much time have you got?

Is that a trick question?

Now now! I'm not talking about trick questions here, like, "There are thirteen apples in a basket... or how many sheep out of fifteen... etc"

But I'm talking about trick questions in life, in day to day conversations,with friends, family and strangers alike. I'm talking about questions that make you answer even unwillingly. Though maybe partially.

For example:

A work colleague asking you if you are feeling hungry - may want to ask you out for lunch or may want to ask if you've BROUGHT packed lunch that you could offer to him/her. It may mean something totally unexpected with "double"/negative meanings OR he/she may be simply asking if you are hungry.

Most of us are the not-paranoid types and don't think too much over questions that are not directly asked. But, then, similar situations do occur in life, where we ARE forced to think twice/thrice/etc. and consider which answer we do actually present.

And it is for these situations that I started this blog. I would like to hear different answers from you, readers, for some "trick" questions that I come "face to face", literally, in my day to day life. I might also include the answers that I've already received or the answer that I myself gave right away under stress.

I also look forward to converting this blog eventually into a team-blog if there are any regular/frequent commenters/participators, who will be providing their own trick questions from life.

Now, the question, "Is that a trick question?" itself is a trick question that some of my friends have pulled on me when I was simply asking a regular question. I don't remember accurately any of my original replies but i DO remember feeling whether my friend felt a bit insulted/hurt or was actually willing to reveal more than what I originally intended to ask. Since he/she was my friend and I certainly didn't want him/her to feel bad I answered (in one way or other) that he/she may not reply to my question if he/she didn't want to. That is why I feel the importance of stating how the person asking the question is related to me. And that is what I (and future team members) will do while presenting trick questions: present briefly the scenario, state  relationship with the person asking questions and then state the question. (And then wait for the replies/answers to come from readers, of course!)

I also plan to inviting a few people I know, and whose blogs I follow to get this thing started. But for now I wait for people to just stumble upon. It might not work just yet, "The Season" has not yet arrived! :(

Well, here's the first one:

How would you feel if a friend (not necessarily one of your best mates but certainly a good friend) calls u up and after the simplest and most basic greetings and 'how r u-s', asks u this, "Hey! How much time have you got? Can you talk for long?"

I myself understood that my friend wanted to talk about something important to him and something that's going to take long, which I might've ignored in the past, so I said, 'Yeah, I got time... for now. I'll let you know if something comes up. So - go on - what's up?'

Now, how would you answer to the question,

"Hey! How much time have you got? Can you talk (on phone) for long?"