3 comments 28.9.09

Mongkok Foot Scrunching Beggar

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under , ,
This beggar needs no introduction. Seated at the top of one of the busiest MTR exits in Hong Kong (Mongkok E2), it's a miracle that he doesn't get trampled by the millions of emo teens, sneaker freaks or gadget addicts that frequent the famed Sai Yeung Choi St. area each day.

The Mongkok Foot Scrunching Beggar sits on a square of newspaper with his head hung low and his crutch laid out in front of him. While one of his legs is folded under him (probably crippled), his other leg is kept active by a constant scrunching and unscrunching motion in his toes.


Whenever I see him, I swear I can feel the pins and needles and that slow, painful ache that you get from sitting too long. I mean, can you imagine sitting there all day long, scrunching your toes over and over again, just to keep the blood flowing in you, while tens of thousands of oblivious people pass you by?

He definitely picked a prime location to beg in terms of the sheer number of human traffic, but I'm not sure how many of those people even notice him, given that their minds are probably cluttered with other life-threatening dilemmas (e.g. HTC Hero vs. iPhone?? Nike vs. Adidas?? Straight or wavy perm??)... :P
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2 comments 22.9.09

One death rope please...

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under
I know, I look Chinese. And to the average HKer, I look just like one of them. That is...until I open my mouth.

The thing is, I'm not really that bad at Cantonese. I can get by for a few minutes before they either hear my accent and/or realize that my vocabulary is limited to that of an 5th grader, and sometimes when I talk too fast, I tend to mix words up... for example:

Me: Yea, I really enjoy going to the gym!
HKer: Oh ya? How often do you go?
Me: I 'animal' quite often!
HKer: (awkward silence)

Seconds pass before I realize I said 'animal (dong-mut)' instead of 'exercise (wun-dong)', but... it's all good right...Same diff...I'm suure they understood me...yeaaaaa...*awkward!*

It happened again the other day when I was shopping for a camera neck strap:

Me: Excuse me, do you have any 吊頸帶 (lit. hang-neck-strap)?
Man: WHAT!?
Me: Y'know, for my camera.
Man: Ohh, you mean 掛頸帶 (lit. hang-neck-strap)!
*erupts in mocking laughter*
Me: -__-

Turns out there's more than one way to say 'hang' in Cantonese, and the way I said it meant I wanted a camera strap to hang myself from my apartment ceiling. Riiight...lesson learnt.

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2 comments 17.9.09

Mooncake Madness

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under ,
Yes, it's true. I just ate a whole mooncake ON MY OWN. Go ahead, drop your jaw and call me whatever gluttonous animal you want. I deserve it!! :p

I didn't mean to, really. For some strange reason, I had a sudden craving for something sweet. And since my chocolate drawer was empty, all I really had to satisfy my craving were two double-yolked mooncakes given to me by my company (I blame them!!).

Suddenly, I was shoveling triangular-cut pieces of lotus paste chunks into my face (while working I might add), enjoying the sticky sweetness and slight chewiness of it all, and within a few minutes, the mooncake was no more.

The effects were immediate: Heartbeat - slowing. Eyelids - drooping. Mood - Worsening. I mean, I can actually feel my blood turning into lotus paste! I better get out of here before I devour the other one...
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0 comments 16.9.09

How I survived India

Posted by Miss Fong - Filed under
Since I've been back, many people have asked me if I got sick in India. It's a legitimate question, as there are countless stories of others getting the dreaded 'Delhi Belly' and the worst food poisoning of their lives. However, I'm happy to report that I didn't get sick at all!! :D

Okay, so I cheated by bringing 7 days worth of snacks, food and water from HK,
but the point is,
I survived!! ;)


Ironically, the day I arrived in China, my stomach woes began... ~_~
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