I have a great mood and I hate Tiramisu

Out of any reasons, I had a great mood today. What happened? You experienced that before? You wake up and you feel great. You hair doesn't exactly look good; your eyes are morning baggy; and you nearly miss the bus (but you don't!). Everything isn't really in a right shape but you feel great! 

No, I am not in love. And mum, I don't have a boyfriend.

Then I think, "Is it because of Christmas? That I feel it in my fingers and I feel it in my toes like Billy Mack?" It's December. You know, holiday mood throughout the whole month. Christmas carols, Christmas puddings, Turkey (!), Christmas party, Pre-Christmas party (THIS SAT), Christmas window display (Explicitly stating "Merry Christmas" in Zara's window. Oh thanks, you too merry christmas.) 

Merry Christmas to you too, Zara. When will your Christmas Sale be again?

Speaking of Christmas, instead of cooking a big Christmas dinner at home, just like a typical Hong Kong family, we dinner out. And guess what? You will need to reserve a table one month in advance. I am heading to Amaroni's Little Italy in Festival Walk for Christmas dinner this year (as I like BIG BIG portion. Sue me.) On top of booking one month before Christmas, I will also need to pay $400 for deposit. Madness in Hong Kong. But this is the plan and I really look forward to it. 

Amaroni's Little Italy in Festival Walk. (Sorry I don't own this picture.)

With a great mood, I bought myself a cake in Italian Tomato afterwork (Perfect reason for a cake: CUZ I HAVE A GOOD MOOD). I am a slow decision maker when shopping for any kind of goods. When I say any kinds of goods, I literally meant any kinds of goods. From a magazine to a cheese, from a cake to a dress, I need to spend a long time to decide which one to buy. Sometimes it can take as long as a month for me to finally decide to buy a pair of shoes and then turns out they don't have my size anymore. 

Like this evening, I basically stayed in front of the cake display for my slow decision thinking process and finally decided to randomly buy a piece of cake after around five customers finished their orders. You know what Tom Hanks says in You've Got Mail?"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino." (Check out  the scene here) I am the type of person who has a hard time in Starbucks. I do have decision-making ability - I am just slow. What's worse is even though I spent a long time to choose, most of the time I chose the one I don't really like. Tonight, I chose the Tiramisu that I never liked. I actually hated Tiramisu as I think it's always too soft. 

Tiramisu ($28) from Italian Tomato

After dinner, I tasted my piece of cake, sharing with my brother. It turns out I really don't like Tiramisu. I don't like it soft. I don't like it creamy. I just don't like it. Lesson learnt: Don't buy something you don't like and secretly hope this piece may happen to change your mind. Next time, I will buy myself a dark chocolate cake or a lemon cheese cake instead.

Whatever, I still have a great mood and a small  piece of Tiramisu cannot change a thing.

1/ Where: Amaroni's Little Italy
Address: Shop 32, LG1, Festival Walk, Kolwoon Tong, Hong Kong
Opening hour: Mon - Sun 11am - midnight
Tel: 2265 8818


2/ Where: Italian Tomato
Address: Counter 3004, Yata Shatin Department Store, 3/F, New Town Plaza Phase 3, 18 Sha Tin Centre Street, Shatin, Hong Kong
Opening hour: Mon - Sun 10am - 10pm
Tel: 2604 0185

You are what you eat. And it can save your soul.

My happy Saturday Breakfast

It sounds maniac but I have been planning and thinking about every Saturday breakfast throughout the whole week. Saturday breakfast is sure my favorite entry nearly all time. I was already excited on Thursday night to think about what to buy and the order to cook first and then so to make everything warm and nice when served. I mean, it's the first Winter Saturday breakfast that it's so cold out of bed and warm from the omelette. What could be better to have a nice warm cheese omelette and soft pancake (and watching home movie) on a cozy sofa on a lazy Saturday? If we are talking about pursuing happiness of life, this is my happiness of life. 

Close-up

Naturally waking up at 830am, I woke up with a great mood and perfect sunshine. Scrambling the eggs, cutting the tomato, pan frying the pancakes! It sounds like a good start of the day. Turning on the DVD player, playing the second half of You've Got Mail. Greg Kinnear says in the movie, "You are what you read. And it can save your soul." Well, I am reading "Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip" by Peter Hessler. I don't how it saves my soul reading a chinese factory manufacturing the brassiere wires. My twist on that line could be "You are what you eat. And it can save your soul." That's my own point of view. If the hustling life is sucking your soul, you need to get yourself a nice breakfast. That's the best way to save your soul back. By the beauty of food.

Sometimes, what you need is not a big thing. Not a great success or a big applause. You just need a nice breath of fresh air, an impressive line in movie, an inspiring chapter in book, or simply a nice boiled egg in the morning. No noise from vacuum, no hustle from traffic, and no one to bother you. Just you and your day to do your own things. Or I should say. Just me and my day to do my own things.  

Whenever I feel like my soul is dying, I look for sunshine, I watch my favorite movie, I read a great chapter of book that I bookmarked. And I make myself a nice omelette.

Meg Ryan from You've Got Mail (1998) - "What will NY152 say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. I hear nothing. Not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beating of my own heart. I have mail. From you. "