the biggest roadblock is the concept of ‘risk-weighted return‘

what if the risk is all a figment of your wildest imagination?

i have a goal.

but my strategy is unclear

there’s a handful of parts i can control

there’s more than expected that i cannot

all i can do is continually inspire myself to get there

after all, what can i possibly have to lose?

A stale gust of air conditioning whipped me in the face as I pushed open the restaurant door, the waitress glances at the clock as she hurries towards me, 3:18PM: tea-time!

The restaurant was empty and had rampant hints of stickiness as I plopped myself down at a booth seat, its neon colored theme reminiscent of the IKEA children’s section. 

The menu, held in worn-out laminated covers spelled out the ingredients of a typical Hong Kong 茶餐廳 fast-food restaurant cuisine: slabs of meat with unknown concoctions of sauce they daringly name ‘Chicken-a-la-King’ or ‘Seafood Gravy’, fried rice dabbled by barbequed meat flakes as condiments, fat white noodles drizzled with just enough grease you don’t taste it before it descends down to your esophagus.

The waitress stared at me a bored expression as I take my sweet time deciding. Finally, I gesture at the Black Bean ribs combo, indicated by the handwritten scrawl on the wall as today’s special.

Waitress nods and disappeared behind a stained red curtain, the stony expression never leaving her face.

Since she’s not looking, I dunk my chopsticks and spoon into the suspicious brown liquid “tea” served to me earlier, hoping the swirls will diminish the cutlery’s stickiness.

Big Brother says ‘Cleanliness is Godliness!” 

Mere minutes later, my food arrives; black beans ever prominent in the sea of brown half-ribs drowned by sauce covering a bed of white rice.

The rice might have been yesterday’s leftovers—they cluster in chunks like those cells in amoeba videos.

Nevertheless, the food hits the spot and quells my hunger pangs.

This is probably the least healthy meal I’ve had in months, but dang, it tastes good.