THE STIMULATED LIFE

It's a beautiful day, truly one of those days when one is glad to be alive.
Two cups of coffee, long bath, clean clothes, and quick ride on an uncrowded bus down to Chinatown.
There was a pretty young woman with very pale skin and a somewhat abstracted look to her face opposite me who had purchased several bags of groceries. She did not even notice my glances, but was probably thinking what she would do with the rest of her day. Almost certainly a spry middle-aged Dutchman doesn't figure into her plans, unfortunately.
Very pale arms, terminating in small hands. Neat and trim in her jeans and teeshirt. Simple haircut that framed her face and bright brown eyes nicely.
At Mason Street she got off.
That's two blocks before Stockton, so I'm guessing one of her household duties is to buy the stuff that isn't available in Chinatown during the weekend.


Another person on the bus had a similar haircut and a very sweet face, but unfortunately she was with her mom, who looked at me disapprovingly the entire time like only a Cantonese mother can.
Probably thinking "hah, smelly old white dude - tobacco! People like him NEVER marry nice family girls (好家庭嘅女), and he probably plays cards with other depraved smokers!"

Admission: I do indeed whiff of tobacco. But I don't play cards.
And I am not depraved.

I wasn't looking at her daughter, but I did surreptitiously sneak the occasional glance.
She was beautiful in that completely unaware way that some damsels have.
Both she and the other young lady had that quiet calm look.
Composed thoughtful faces, intelligent eyes.

Seeing pretty women is good for the soul. It's like a wave of warm sunshine.

I headed over to the dimsum place with happy enthusiasm.
Yes, life is very good indeed.
It's time to eat!

Yummy!

Left the eatery and lit up shortly after three o'clock.
After sampling various other places over the past few months, I realize that 金華點心快餐 has some of the very best jook (粥) around. And their oil strips are delicious, fresh, light, and airy.
One lovely bowl of preserved egg and lean pork rice porridge (皮蛋瘦肉粥 pei dan sau yiuk juk), one yau tiu (油條) - only three bucks.
Cheaper than many other places, and far far better too.
Yeah, a simple lunch. But ever so satisfying.

On the way down to the office I purchased a large bag of lichees.
I'll snack on a few while reading the internet.
The rest are for my roommate.



NOTE: Yummy dim sum and fast food (金華點心快餐 kam wah dim sam faai tsan) is on Stockton Street diagonally opposite where the new metro station is going to be. Their rice porridge is good (two kinds: fish slice jook, and preserved egg and lean pork jook), so are their cilantro rice sheet rolled noodle, and their chicken buns. Sometimes the coffee is excellent, sometimes not. In addition to a selection of dim sums frequently fresh from the kitchen, they also offer three items over rice (a very good deal), plus black bean spareribs over rice, and lamb stew with tofu skin.
You'll probably have to share a table with some other people, and you might want to learn Toishanese.

The pipe tobacco is Rattray's 'Hal O'The Wynd'. I opened another tin yesterday, and had three bowls one after the other last night, with no tongue burn at the time, and no residual rastiness to my mouth this morning.
Darn fine tobacco.
Did I already mention that life is good?
Because it really is.


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