[NEW CHAPTER: Moses at the Hong Kong Book Fair last Thursday for the launch of his book.]

By Maureen Koh

LIFE'S like a cup of expresso. You can't expect it to be always sweet, there has to be bitterness too.

That's the view of Hong Kong actor Moses Chan.

Let's forgive him for that bit of playful philosophising.

After all, he's just released a coffee-table book about, well, coffee.

It's some way from his early days as a soft-porn actor. Since then, the former model has gone on to become an A-lister on Asian TV, acting in such drama hits like Moonlight Resonance, The Gem Of Life and Heart Of Greed.

Now he's an author.

His 'colourful' past is something the 38-year-old actor is clearly embarrassed of, yet he was sporting enough to address it.

Moses was here recently on a three-day tour to promote the latest TVB dramas available for rent at Scorpio East outlets.

With a sheepish smile, he told The New Paper about the soft-porn flick which helped kick-start his acting career: 'Awww... what can I say other than I was really naive then.

'I was still modelling and thought the role would be a good break for me. It didn't occur to me when I signed the contract that it was gonna be a Category III film.'

As Moses could not back out, he went ahead and ended up filming several steamy scenes in Twenty Something, directed by Teddy Chan in 1994.

He said: 'Actually, I appreciate every mistake (I've made) and every experience I've had.'

Everyone, he reckoned, has a past that makes him the man he is today.

He has done a lot of things wrong, he said.

'And in return, I gain the wisdom not to make the same mistake. Of course, I may continue to make other mistakes because I'm still human, but what we gain is, are you gonna learn not to make the same mistakes again.'

And that is why Moses would always remind himself to take a 'coffee break' no matter how hectic life is.

He uses the 'coffee' term because the beverage is one of his greatest loves. And it aptly describes how life can be, he said.

'That is exactly how life is - 'fu zun gam loi' (means the bitterness ends and sweetness begins in Cantonese). You have to go through some hardship and obstacles before you can finally 'taste' success or happiness,' said Moses.

'That's why I feel it's always important to take that break and I always tell the people around me the same thing.

'We don't really have to drink that cuppa, but we have to allow ourselves the escape from daily pressures.

'For me, when there's a really, really big decision to make, I'd just hold on and enjoy my cup of coffee.'

But back to the book, My Coffee Guide, launched at the Hong Kong Book Fair last Thursday.

The 178-pager, which he put together with his brother Daniel, is a guide to the many cafes that dot Hong Kong.

Moses said: 'I just wanted to share and promote something that I love, that's why I put together this book.'

He insisted he's no expert but just 'someone pursuing his coffee dream and love'.

He added: 'To be honest, I'm not a qualified judge. I can only tell you as the end-user, what my opinion is.'

Still, it was not an easy task as Moses and his brother had to scour the whole of Hong Kong and visit more than 50 cafes.

Moses made it sound simple.

He said: 'This is what I do - I open up the Hong Kong map and I pinpoint where the coffee spots are, I visit them and I share what is good and what is not.'

Sounds easy. But he added: 'I did that while I was filming like, three dramas back-to-back.'

Two of them - Beyond The Realm Of Conscience and A Flirting Scholar - will be aired in Hong Kong next month.

Moses said he was also fortunate to realise another dream - hosting a travel show.

And you guessed it, the theme is again coffee.

'It was something I proposed to TVB for a few months before we actually went ahead with it,' he declared with pride.

And the result was the nine-episode Coffee Confidential, which received rave reviews when it was aired last year.

Moses travelled to Kenya, Taiwan, Italy and Denmark and introduced the whole process of coffee-making - from its beginning at a plantation to coffee art.

He said: 'The coffee culture in Hong Kong is still in its infancy, with people taking the drink as routine beverage.

'And there's no programme like that which caters to the Asian flavour. I was also lucky that the company provided me with a very good team.'

Moses added: 'Honestly, the show may not be the best. I feel there's still room for improvement but for a first-time effort, the results were gratifying.'

This has spurred his enthusiasm to do more. He said: 'I have a lot of coffee projects in my mind.

'Like coming here to do a programme on the coffee culture in Singapore - seeing that there are so many types of different cafes here.'

But eventually, he hopes to have his own brand of coffee products.

'This is my ultimate dream,' he said.