Foon Ying Kwong Lam

god bless 7-11s and their bright white fluorescent lights that are such a welcome delight in the dead of night when one takes flight to fight the hunger plight. it is always comforting and somewhat exciting to see a familiar sight when you’re far from home, even if it is just an orange, green and red neon signboard. nevertheless, it is a signboard that bears the promise of round-the-clock coffee, diet coke, chocolate and instant noodles whenever the need for such provisions arises; and the knowledge of that is like the awareness that you have a plan B, a best friend, the feeling of kicking off your shoes as you throw yourself down on the couch after a long, long, long day.

i was just falling asleep on my books last night, so i thought i’d run down to the 7-11 to get some coffee and Pocky sticks. because i was too sleepy and grumpy to look for my bra, i pulled on one of Martian’s shirts instead. it smelt so good and so much like him that i wondered why i dont wear his shirts more often. then i wore his Bloomberg flip-flops, and off i went to get me some coffee. the security guard at the entrance, not my favourite one but she’s cutesy as well, asked me if i was going to go get siew yeh. i was going to say, siew yeh and kopi, but i caught myself and said, yes, siew yeh and kah feh.

this late in the night, only stray cats, sleepless taxi drivers and the occasional Pocky-craving insomniac prowl the streets. as i flip-flopped my way down to Robinson Road, i remembered that one night some months ago when we fought and i cried and i went down to Lan Kwai Fong alone. it was a strange night, that one, a strange perplexing night of Mr Wimbledons, ulterior motives facaded by easy drinking games, and conversations about which of the two is the more heartbreaking sex. later that night when i got home, Martian enveloped me in hugs and kisses, and i felt like such an idiot for thinking i would feel better being away from him. sad things and sulkiness just melt away when the person you love is holding you.

the 7-11s here dont make that irritating electronic dingdong! sound every time someone enters or exits. when i walked in, there was a night-shift policeman (ah sir!) reading the newspaper on a stack of somethings, and his gaze immediately landed on my chest sans bra. the young guy by the drinks display did the same, and so i glared at them. a post-party dyed-blonde girl walked in then, and she once-overed me, and then flicked her eyes away boredly as if to say, they’re just tits.

there is one department of Hong Kong’s gastronomical delights that, despite all my time here, i have yet to sample : the infamous 7-11 microwaveable ricebowls! i allowed myself some time to linger upon the tableau of different frozen rice dishes, to give each and every one due deliberation before i made my big momentous decision of What To Eat. finally, i decided on Rice with Pork and Salted Fish, principally because it is a flavour of my childhood, and it brings me back to precious lunchtimes with my mother and brothers on cloudy schoolday afternoons.

cheerful boxes of cookies and snacks were behind me, and i dove into the shelves with my eyes. some experiences are best shared, though, and i was quickly disenchanted. i picked out a box of Pocky and Hello Panda biscuits.

pleased with my 7-11 treasures, i made my way home. back to my SAT textbooks and my sleeping boyfriend, who would be quite pissed off to know that i went out of the house without a bra.

the rice bowl was actually quite nice!

SAT Question of the Day : 1B5A - 6BC = ABC. A, B and C all stand for different numbers from 1 to 9. What is the value of C?

36 comments May 31st, 2007