Books Galore!

Even when a gal is depressed
you find a way to turn it around
Injection of positivity when
I'm running low, thank you (=

 

Dear Everyone

This is a post split into many different posts,
you 'll have to try and figure out
what was when, and when is now.
(confused ah?)

I have no time to do separate posts and change time
and date la, so exercise your mind
use your imagination a bit.
__________________________________

Much news.
Have you had enough of Denmark?
How would you like to go to Wales?
Yes, Wales, UK
Penarth, Cardiff to be even more precise.

Well whether you like it or not,
we're going, in something like 11 days.

I decided to do my TEFL in Wales
while I aupair, seemed the best choice
study and have at least some income

Those concerned about teenaged boys and puberty
well, I'll bet it'll be interesting (;
_______________________________

I am on my hands and knees oiling the wooden floors
MTP has a list of things that need to be done
before I leave, I'll gladly do them

Oiling the floors means your hands
and knees are oily-sticky

It also means that when
your IPOD decides to switch to a playlist
featuring R Kelly, Usher, Jagged Edge & Jodeci
you won't be able to change it
thus you will be stuck working listening
to songs about 'going somewhere we can be alone'
'promise I'll eat you if you take your clothes off'
'daymn you look sooo fine'
'pull up anticipating good love, don't keep me waitin'
these songs are great but not-so when one
is horny as a hare and hasn't had s...

well lets just not go there.
_____________________________

Its pouring cats, dogs and pigeons,
never seen it so heavy here
its icy-like
______________________________

Who the fark wrote 'Aja Smells' in my notebook(paper)?
which one of YOU?
huh?
I don't. You do!
________________________________

Mtp and I were without internet for 2 days
last weekend
two.whole.days.
at this already extremely stressed period of my life
can die.

Went to her parents house to check my email
then we let BBB there and went for lunch, chinese place
"This is so funny," says MTP
regarding our buffet choices
"A chinese girl eating danish food,
A danish girl eating chinese food"

I pile my plate like a typical malaysian, when I get back
MTP says "You can go back you know?"
Malu, yo!
_________________________________

Everyday MTP asks me whether I've decided what to do
but I am stressed and weighing endless options
and want to have my cake and eat it

Saturday she actually called me 'sweetheart'!

Then later she came into my room as I sat
on my bed completely surrounded by my
13 new english books *pumps fist in air*
trying to escape into them

I put the one I'm holding down
the cover flips up, then I weigh it down with the remote
and promptly pile a few others on top of
each other so their covers don't flip up
when I look up, MTP is watching me
"I hate it when my covers flip up too," she says
then we laugh, at the weirdness of us.
__________________________________

I am sitting at 'Le Chat Noir'
Eurasian-Chinese girl, French cafe, Copenhagen
Can't understand danish but un peu du Francais

I am confused out of my mind
J3 is right, the thought of
not knowing where my plans lay for the
next year sends me in to a panic-stricken franticness

I take out a pen and paper
start listing down my options

across the road, a band starts in the rival local pub
Beatles songs

a little girls walks pass me, clad only in
green polka-dot underwear and spectacles

inside I can hear Sean and Frederik playing
foosball the balls muffled thudding into the faded wood

water beads on my glass of wine,
diluted liquid gold

there is a soft breeze, and the sun is warm on my skin

beside me and old man sits
ankle socks in sandals, reading

My mind begins to relax, unfurl
this is where I finally make my decision.

Spiders Are Bastards

I woke up this morning, got out of bed and
felt a hundred sticky-silken threads brush across my face
my bed is set against the corner
and they built a web across it
this would be funny if I were joking
but I'm not

Everyday I go what I call
"Spider-web hunting"
with a long brush that reaches up 2 stories
fun as it may sound, it would be funner
if there was the word 'man' in that sentence

Hmm what else can I tell you about me day?
Oh, yes! I found the intestines and remnants of a
mouse's tail on the floor
cat left it, nice huh?

Anne has wonderfully offered to pay
for my TEFL course and costs in Prague
it starts next week,
but there's an interesting family in Wales
and one in Spain that I am waiting to hear from
either way, I can do my TEFL whenever, wherever
how great is that?

Do you see what I mean by people are too nice to me?
Under law, Anne doesn't have to give me
a thing, but she is willing and so fucking nice about it
even though this split is no one's fault.

So, depending on factors
this time next week,
I could be in Wales, Prague or Spain

With Love, From Malaysia

Speechless, unexpected, and totally effective
thank you so much for cheering me
up when I'm down, always
I'm so touched.

Thank you.

 

C'est La Vie

I'd say that I'm a pretty positive person, wouldn't you?
But this past week and a half
has been...

shit hit the fan would be apt I think.

An American friend called from Malaysia Tuesday morning
worried about me cos my MSN said 'sick'
I wasn't sick ill, but sick with worry

He said he called because he was down
and though happy shiny me would cheer him up
poor guy got duped

But anyway lots of people called, smsed
emailed from Malaysia, you wonderful people, you!

Since I put my life out here anyway
I might as well say
my ex-boyfriend from 1.7 yrs ago
got arrested big time for fraud (amongst other things)

Now quite frankly, he had it coming
I feel no pain over his arrest
and the reason I left him way back then when
he was a small fish (not the Interpol wanted criminal he is today)
was because I finally saw that he would never change
my love wasn't a match for his greed and wouldn't ever be
(stupid idiot right?right?)

And everyone who knows me, knows
that thanks to domestic instability during my teens,
I strive to have my life stable and as clean as possible
so yeah, you could say he and I had completely
different agendas in life.

So to all of you who think I'm worried because he's caught
I'm not
When I love I love completely, when I stop, I stop

It's someone else that has my heart and mind in distress.

Moving along.

You know how I said I strive for stability?
I do, but normally it doesn't happen
normally my life fools me just enough for me to think
things are finally going smoothly
it goes ," Heylll honey, I'm bored!"
then the fucker pulls out a gun and starts blowing
random things up

You recall I mentioned MTP and I were tense last week?

Well yesterday MTP and I were talking about
the worrisome predicament back home when she suddenly said
"I'm sorry I'm so hard to live with,"

I am stunned, "What brought this on?"

she tells me that little things keep getting to her,
things that are not done 'the way she likes',
aggravating her and making her bitchy with me.

She knows her behaviour is irrational and apologises

I told her 'since when are women rational?'
But in fact some of us are, I try to be, as much as I can.
Don't I (= ???

So I asked her what bugged her.
She tells me, little things, minor things.

'So what do we do?' she asks,
'Do I teach specifically how I want everything done?
and we try it out for a few weeks?'

'MTP, I know that no matter how I did it,
even if it was exactly your request,
it would still not be enough,'
I said, 'It won't work, because you're you,
only the right man might change you."

Because I know her, and I know me.

Look at me, my friends come and stay in my apartment
for ONE weekend and by Sunday
I'm like, "isn't it time you guys leave?"

and the whole time they are there, I know they are
trying to do things my way, the coasters,
the 'no going on the bed with outside clothes' etc.

But I re-do it all, I rewipe the table, I remake the bed.

So imagine MTP, anal, alone for 10 yrs longer than I was.
My worse nightmare, what I could have become.
I'm surprised she lasted this long.

Later, Mayleen and Peter pointed out that
she offered to teach me how to do things
yet I declined, why they asked, why not stick it out

There is a 'just so' rule that anal people have, and
you may be doing the EXACT same thing
but its not right because they didn't do it themselves

We like things just so, and just so is something no one
but ourselves understand, my entire family understands this rule

by way of explanation, I said to Peter
"If you had to live with me and do everything
100% the way I wanted it each day, could you?"

"Sorry Belle, but no way."

You see, MTP and I understand each other
and at any other time we could be friends having
a whale of a time
so this is all amicable

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay. Don't panic.
You hear me?Don't panic.
Don't inundate me with calls
and emails okay?I'm getting like
a 100 emails a day because I'm back on the
au pair website and my inbox looks very messy
and I can't pick it clean

I'm fine
and no, Cubed I am not coming home.

I've looked into other au pair placements and
am considering some in Spain and France

I've asked MTP to help out with compensation
in the form of a Teaching English As A Second Language course
or a few months pay to keep me on my feet
while in between jobs and she's considering it

But I am stressed out, confused and exhausted from worry
Because MTP gave me her whole year's schedule
I planned accordingly, everything from the weddings
to my Xmas & NY holidays(tickets bought, accom. booked)
to my return to M'sia next June
and my next job after that timed accordingly

And now everything has to be reconsidered, planned
as someone so aptly put it
its like everything has been thrown up in the air
and I'm waiting for it all to land so
I can put it together again

plus it each thing depends on something else,
its a tough web to untangle, I tell you

Whatever happens, I will come home as planned for
the weddings.

If I dont get another placement
or into a course I will still hang out here til Sept
either staying with MTP til then or my aunt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other news, today the trains in Denmark
fucked up again.

MTP warned me and asked me to drive to CPH
but I was wary about the way because my
guide has gone to China and left me headless

So I brave the train
made it a quarter of the way before it stopped
try not understanding the language..

Ended up on a 2 hour bustrip to nowhere
tried to walk home, then realised I couldn't be bothered with
the last 1 km, so took the bus one stop

when I put my ten 2-hr trips card in the machine,
it chomped of 2 instead of 1 trip
(one trip is like 22 RM okay?)
and I look in dismay at the driver
he shrugged

Got home, took the car
gas very low,
found random chinese place, completely devoid of people
decided this was a great sign (sarcasm, if I must explain)
though I don't think the proprietress was very impressed
with my inability to speak danish or chinese
yet looking chinese-like.

Bought stir-fried duck with mix veg
wanton soup and rice
RM80.80
For.one.person.

Over and out.

I was kidding about the emails.
Drown me in them, though I might not have time
to reply (shit!I owe so many!)

I still have to work okay!

You Know Something?

You guys are the best.
To everyone that called, emailed, sms-ed
for the support and concern
thank you

I love you, and I know you love me
and I appreciate that so much
even all the way over here, I feel it

To those of you who don't know what I am talking about
one day, I promise I'll tell the full story
(buy the book ya?)

Now we just got to sit and wait it out
I've been through this so many times before
and as hard as it seems now
everything will be okay
I know it.

It always turns out fine for
good people.

Gosh the facets of my life that you don't know about
when you think you do
see what I mean cubed?

Worried Sick

Well, we all knew it had to happen didn't we?
Inevitable
to lead such a life, you always have to look behind you
and I have the need for a life completely opposite yours
another reason why I got out
but that was ages ago.

But it had to happen with you there
and now I understand what worried sick means
there is this pain
like my insides are wringing themselves

This is a feeling of absolute helplessness
though I know even if I were there, I could do nothing

and I can't help but feel its partially my fault
had I been back in Malaysia
you'd have been somewhere else with me

I know all we need to do is be patient
ride this out, you'll be okay
but I have this great, great need
to tell you that I love you

I love all of you, and I miss you guys so much
and I just wish this didn't happen to you
because you're the last person that needs this sort of thing

Cubed said you're tough as nails, that you'll
ride it out with some fine stories to tell
I have to believe him

Friday:Tivoli Gardens

Mtp had been urging me to see Tivoli
in the summer, it's on of her favourite places
so when the subject of a concert there came up
I pounced.

We arrive at dusk
after a sumptuous, costly Thai meal
that I insisted on cos I was craving so bad
(now I know why, PMS)

The gardens are teeming,
the place has a vibrant, jovial vibe
the old-fashioned street lamps cast
a magical, fairy-tale like glow
this is one of the oldest and supposedly most
beautiful amusement parks in the world.

I want ice-cream
and Ming says the concert is about to start
so, later
But I insist (never toy with a woman with PMS)
Ice-cream or I scream
we go get.


The concert has begun, we wend our way through
the crowd, I vaguely remember it's
some veteran Danish rock-star playing
overflowing/jam-packed/crushing
comes to mind
the music is good, despite being unable to understand
the lyrics
and the people are passionately clapping, singing

Later MTP asks "So who performed?"
"Some old Danish guy," I say, then tell her about the crowd

That evening she comes into my room
"Some old Danish guy?, Michael Falch is
the Bob Dylan of Denmark!"

"Well, he is, hot." I say by way of apology/distraction

"Yes," she sighs, leaning against the door-jamb
"He is hot."



The concert ends and we try and get on rides
Though the park shuts in an hour,
each ride attendant tells us they reached capacity

I wonder if this is really true or whether its racism
the boys have told me of encounters (jeez I say it like 'aliens')
and I am PMS-ing and sensitive
It saddens me, eventhough I've never experinced that sort of
thing before

"Is it true?" I ask MTP when the subject comes up
"Sadly, it is" she says

 

Today Someone Told Me To

"Take care of you for me."

I thought it was very sweet =)

Five Days In A Row (Blame it on the weather)

Wednesday: Dragor, one scoop pistachio, one scoop rum & raisin
Thursday: In the car, one strawberry pie
Friday: Tivoli, one scoop pistachio, one scoop rum & raisin
Saturday: Dragor, one scoop rum & raisin, one scoop nougat
Sunday: Home, one hot fudge sundae

Go me?

Its okay, Aja, PMS + period makes it okay
hormones gladly take the blame

The Heat

The heat has been crazy
hot and humid
driving anyone who isn't jumping in the
sea in a bikini or
walking around starkers, nuts.

It toys with us, fucks moods up.

Last night, I laid down flat in the backseat
of my aunt's BF's car
(licensed for 2)
trying to avoid detection by cops

BBQ at his house
then, utterly pooped at 10pm,I took the bus from
Dragor to Kongens Nytorv(20 mins)
the then metro from KN to Norreport (5 mins)
then waited 45 mins before I realised there were NO trains
to Hillerod (strike or something)
So I take the train to Lyngby, then the bus to Holte Station
then the train to Birkerod
then realised that the buses stopped running at midnight
had.to.take.a.cab.
RM60 for 7 mins. 1 am.

Period, first day somemore.

Not surprising that I woke up moody and emotional.

MTP also seemed moody
I'm always trying to gauge her mood,
or we're always trying to gauge each other's
but she's the boss so she can
whether conciously or not, take things out on me.

Its a dance for us, something we must learn.
One has to get used to someone else in their space
the other has to find space
you know what I mean?

After all, 2 strong women who have lived on their own
and fallen into their individual grooves
suddenly put together
can hardly be a ball

factor in cultural differences
hormonal changes
weather, personal and work stress and you have
a relationship that's delicate

So some days, we are angsty
never cold, always civil, somewhat lukewarm
hot weather fans the situation

like today, MTP unfurls a list of chores at breakfast
I've been away for 2 days and some things
are in disarray
it upsets me that she didn't realise I had already done
the rug and that
rather than constructively criticising
my attempt at putting a stack of CDs back into
her rack alphabetically
she chastised me for not asking her exactly
how she wanted them

but I don't know if it's my emotional state that
makes it seem so much worse
or her mood and way of delivery,
or if it's actually the way it is

I tackle things anyway, analysing our relationship in my head
it does fascinate me though, us women and our
various states of mind

I wonder what goes through her mind,
and how much of her is like me
I wonder how I would be in her place
and if she could subconciously resent me
because we live under the same roof
yet my responsibilities are so much less than hers

I realise that there are so many variables that
that one wouldn't normally even consider
could affect our relationship
its a delicate balance between friend and boss.

by evening, the heat winds down
MTP and BBB come into my room,
they sit on the floor
after some 'ummming and ahhing' we agree
on McDonalds for dinner
she goes to get, it and I take the BBB to the garden
then remember its time for his feeding
and I might as well get it done so MTP and I can eat in peace

Halfway through, I hear my phone ringing

5 missed calls

I call MTP back
"Can you please feed the BBB?"she asks
"I'm on top of it, we're almost finished" I tell her
"Good thinking", she says

She comes back and we sit on the terrace
and pig out on burgers, fries and hot fudge sundaes
we giggle about hot men
and then we're okay again

it's always like this, no matter how
grouchy we may be, we always become 'okay'
again as the day comes to a close
which is a good thing, until I start wondering
"was it just me?"

Women!

I So Agree

Peter emailed me today and said this

"How is your life? Your blog has become boring (sorry). There is no anger
anymore which deprives it of a lot of its humour. It’s all about food, lakes
and having nae mates. What’s happened to you??? You seem very chilled which
is good, Happy? I think so, right? Good for you."

And I so fucking agree. My blog is goddamned boring.
Even I am goddamn bored reading it
but the fact of the matter is too many people
fucking read this, and as a result, I can't really
say what I want anymore right?

So the solution is to start a new blog,
and leave this for the
food, lakes and having nae mates (not anymore!)
as Peter so succinctly put it.

You'll be hearing from me via email
and if you can't wait, email me
and ask.

Thursday in Sweden

It takes me about 2 hrs to drive from Copenhagen to
Sweden, where we have been invited for dinner
by people I have yet to meet


The water is clear, and warm-ish,
(for these parts).
Across the bay a Danish band (in Sweden)
sings, "Alice?Who the fuck is Alice?"
we sing a long
as we wade into the shallow water.



The food was so damn good I tell you,
we had Polo,
like mutton biryani, but more subtle,
fresh herbs imparted a more delicate flavour
as opposed to the heavy spice in biryanis.
There were fresh salads and crusty rice
with a legume and lamb stew
as well as a refreshing, herby yoghurt.

Realised too late that there was water on my lens.

Top people man!



Trippy pic.

Sweden ove.r.

One of Seven: Aja Ng Rambles

Warning: Long post, lots of rambling in the wrong direction.

Lust. Luxuria (latin)

Had an interesting (on-going) conversation
with a friend in a LDR (long-distance relationship) recently
about what I initially thought
was lust
but deepened to cover fidelity
(because lust on it's own, can be good, with the right person)
and the need for companionship, another person's touch
versus the need to just have sex.

It started with him saying that
while he and his partner are apart
he likes to have dinner with beautiful women
some who don't understand that it's just for companionship,
(they're thinking:' he wants me to be his mistress')

After all since when in Asia do they
understand that men and women can actually
be just friends?

He gets conversation,(and an ego-stroke, but we all need those
once in awhile) a good meal,
another day passes without having to have dinner
alone

But my friend, he knows he tempts fate
and fears that one day
the culmination of factors
alignment of planets konon (=
will put him in a scenario where:

He is lonely and misses his partner, resents her for
not being there, he has dinner with a beautiful women
and in his depressive funk, has too much to drink
she comes on to him..
and well, you know the rest.

This is coming from someone whom
I know, adores his partner
completely, he just misses her.

I tell him that that day is bound to come
and that no, he should not become a hermit
but just pick his dates better
ones that know, its just dinner and convo

Ones that will respect his relationship
understand when his resolve weakens and set him
back in line, true friends who'll look out for him

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I go into a whole spiel about
"Do you really want to risk cheating?,
can you live with yourself?"

There's the guilt that comes with it
whether or not it would be selfish to transfer your anguish by confessing,
hurt, rebuilding of trust..

I'm one of those people who understand that sex can be just sex,
you can still love one person completely,
and have sex with another

Maybe it's because I've been there,
been cheated on by someone whom,
I knew without a doubt, loved me to death
Sure it hurt me, I couldn't fathom
how anyone who loved someone would/could do that
but I just started compartmentalising things
and understood.

Was he sorry?Genuinely
Did I make him pay? Like a slave

But the fact of the matter is, it taught
idealistic, romantic me a painful lesson, that sex and love
can be separate, whether you like it or not
the same way that love can be of many different
levels, you have to decide what suit you best
and settle down with it.

When I was younger and my dad remarried
I baulked because I didn't think his wife
was his intellectual equal
and couldn't understand why he would choose her

but as I matured, I begin to see the different layers in their
relationship, I begun seeing the way her presence visibly relaxed him
the way they the still held hands after a decade together
watching them made me feel warm and fuzzy

most of all it made me see that
different things work for different people
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe I'm just a typical Libran who likes to sit on the fence,
rationalise both sides

I'm not saying infidelity is okay,
in fact, I would do everything within my power to prevent it,
protecting the person I love, over horniness
because its simply not worth it
(because it somehow, always comes around doesn't it?),

But people make mistakes,
we are after all human
and in some masochistic way,
we like the emotional tug-of-war, to push our limits
to take risks for that adrenaline rush

and well, chemistry, we all know chemistry
Especially sexual chemistry
it really fucks with the brain and heart
even that of the most unwaveringly in love

I have a friend, who always goes with the chemistry
she meets a guy, falls deeply madly crazily in love
further down the road she meets another
sparks fly, she hops, skips and jumps
so on and so forth

You'd think that she'd get it by now,
no matter who you're with, there's always going
to be chemistry with someone else,
you weigh pros and cons
but you try your best to stick to the decision you made
don't you?
(but did I not just say to each, his own?)

You see, now my stupid Libran mind protests to that statement
about 'sticking'
I'm questioning myself, what if that person
was 'the one' and you're letting it go?

But what it there's more than one 'the one's' ?

Ish. I ask too many questions
I analyse too many things, the more you're
exposed to, the more you question, isn't it?
and I'm not entirely sure that's good.

Anyway, I went off tangent (Aja does that a lot)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyway, infidelity.

My friend points out that its not just the allure of sex
anyone can single-handedly (=
settle some horniness

Its the need for intimacy
to wake up spooning, entangled
to feel someone's warmth next to you
to be crushed in a great big hug

And by god do I miss that too
I have always had a problem with men I'm not intimate with
touching me, even my friends
(but most times, I just grit my teeth rather than flinch and act like a
complete frigid freak)

I just don't feel its right when men who are just friends
touch me,
it doesn't have to be anyplace intimate, my knee,arm

I just feel like if a man touches me
it should be the man that I 'belong' to; exclusivity
or it should be on my terms
which would most often be when I give a hug
(only special people get hugs)

but intimacy like that, needs the right person
(jeez, I keep going off tangent!)

My bloody point is, that when it comes to cheating in a relationship
to me, there are 3 types:

1) Screwing someone other than your partner

2) Revealing intimate points of yourself, emotionally,
or negative points about your relationship
(seeking solace or advice when things are rocky )to
of the opposite sex (or same sex depending on orientation)
someone other than your partner.

Its just that there's a level of intimacy you reserve
just for your partner, and once you reveal it to someone else
something is lost
it's not just disrespectful towards your partner
but you are opening yourself up to developing that sort of
emotional connection with someone else
that will lead to confusion and pain for all three.

Aiya fuck it, its damn hard to explain.

3) Spooning with someone else,
waking up entagled with someone else,
smiling unconciously into the phone at them
holding hands and calling someone else
'baby'.

My point though is, if my boyfriend
simply fucked someone else,it would be forgivable
but if he spooned someone else, it would kill me.

Going Back In Time

3 boys, a girl and a little red car
(thinking of calling her Neptune)
when cruising to Dragor
one hot, steamy, Wednesday


Quaint little houses, a slow pace to life
the ocean, lapping calm and clear
narrow, cobbled lanes in between houses
roses blooming fragrant
and ducks who like pesto, on cornmeal bread
are just some of the sights;
do look at the link


They all grew up in Denmark
2 Arabs and a Chink
they communicate in Danish
thankfully they like practising their english on me
(most Danes speak great english)

Bet you're saying "Awww look at that.."
Sitting in the office now, issit?

We always have to have a pic of the feets
don't we?

Ice-cream on a hot day, who'd have thought?

The proprieter spoke Malay and that should have given
me some indication that the restaurant
next door was Malaysian..but nooooo

Aja the Genius, yeah, say my name bitch.

The boys and I are strolling with our ice-creams
"Do, you have ice-cream in Malaysia?"

"No, it's too hot so they only have melted ice-cream" says I

Its only much later that I found out they
actually believed me.

*Buzzz Buzzz*

Below is why 'Aja is such a genius'

Over and out.

HuHuHaHa

Okay here's an
african-american (PC) version of the
Little Red Riding Hood (joke)

Lil Red Riding Hood is walking in the forest,
out jumps the wolf and he tells her
"I'm gonna f*** you to death'
Lil Red Riding Hood says
"Oh no you ain't nigga, you gonna do just like in the book
and eat me first."

Danish Pastry 101

My sources say, that Danish Butter Cookies here
taste the same as Danish Butter Cookies there
also, Danish Pastries here, are called
Viennese Pastries
which I think is quite plausible
since Vienna has always been known for its
pastries and tortes
basically its sweet desserts

Ohhhhh don't get me started about Vienna

Below you will find traditional Danish breakfast rolls
Crusty exterior, light, airy and moist inside
plain, or dusted with sesame seeds or poppy seeds
eaten plain
(but Aja eats everything with brie)


Then there are Danish Pastries
A cinnamon snail in the front (to die for)
and in th background a pastry filled with a loose
almond-paste-like mixture
(didn't try it)


Pictures are crap because I just wanted to eat
goddammit

There you go Bardy!

 

Humour, Konon

In a discussion about China's One-Child Policy..

'Yeah but if you have a girl, you can try again..'
was one of the comebacks
amongst much much less PC ones.

Butter Cookies Anyone?

Ironic how since touching down in Denmark
I've not had one single butter cookie, not one I tell you
the thought only struck me when
George exclaimed
"I feel like I'm in a butter cookie commercial"
as we wended our way through golden fields of
barley this morning.

Smorrebord though, I've had plenty.

Below is further proof that Ng Aja has made friends

On a beautiful, sunny Copenhagen day,
all you need is a girlfriend
a cosy little nook of a cafe
some good food and icy coffee

Marie and I are sitting munching on nachos
I am telling her about my life's no.1 love
"So," she says, "How would you say 'that guy is cute' in your language?"

"MMmm", I pause
"That guy is cute?" I say

Her eyes bulge

"Marie! I speak english at home!"

Then I feel I've ripped her off out of an exotic few lines so
I give her some malay and very badly accented hokkien


We then walk the main street skipping into design shops
and cooing over everything from
couches to candlesticks

Danish designs are marvelous, fantabulous, awesome!
When it comes to furniture and living accesories
from Arne Jacobsen to George Jensen
you can be sure that when I get my home
wherever it is, Denmark is where I'll be shopping(and shipping)
for furniture, kitchen tools, everything that goes into
one's home

It doens't help that MTP and her family are
design snobs and that their wealth allows
them to acquire some beautiful, beautiful pieces in their
homes

And now Marie, a design student in love
(and rightly so) with her countrymen's
innovative yet comfortable and eye-catching designs

I fear all the other danes I meet in the near future
will share this passion
and I fear this passion will be passed on to me
and my poor future husband's pocket
poor him

LOL


So from zero social life,
I went from having morning, lunch and afternoon plans
to overlapping, then dinner plans

Dinner, thanks to the ravingly good weather
was a barbecue amongst a bunch of highshool friends
I've always loved how people in countries with 4 seasons
take advantage of their
summers and have BBQs whenever possible

In Malaysia, we have summer all year long
and BBQs like 4 times year


I love this kind of casual, run-to-the-store
throw some marinade on the meat, call some friends over
(or just you and me) BBQs

damn shiok

Today's new found friends try and explain that this
gathering is a quintessential Danish one
and the concept is called Hygge

a word that doesn't exist in the english language
but can best be described as 'cosy'

they tell me it's just a feeling of togetherness
being comfortable and chilling with a bunch of people

It is indeed heartwarming to observe them
I am touched that everyone makes the effort to
speak english, that we are laughing great belly laughs
and even though the girls are standoffish first
they warm up when the boys are away

at the end of the night I realise there was no alcohol
no ciggarettes, yet so much fun.

Later, the 3 boys that my aunt had appointed my
guardians for the day
drove me to the edge of the highway
(cos I didn't know my way out of Copenhagen central)

On the way they sang with me
to Mariah's We Belong Together remix
and made fun about dropping me off and
stealing my car
then I dropped them off at the start of the highway
and they took the metro back into town

When I get home, MTP is awake
"They were trying to explain the concept hygge to me"
I tell her, when she asks how my night went
I know if one person gets close to precise, it would be her

"Its so many things, its that feeling of comfort and cosiness
it can be alone or amongst friends
that warm and fuzzy feel good feeling
like hot chocolate on a freezing day
or duvet shoes
your favourite book,
or a night out with a good bunch of friends.."

Kinda makes one smile doesn't it?

Last Sunday's Dish

Tau Eew Bak with steamed rice, hard-boiled egg and
lettuce and cucumber salad

 

Not Your Everyday Talk

I am sitting in the kitchen feeding the BBB
MTP prepares dinner
in the 'study' her visitor sits
another Columbia Business School graduate

"Hey," he yells, "you wanna see the football club that I bought?"

then as an after thought he says
"I guess thats not something you hear everyday eh?"

MTP replies with "Yeah but today I asked you if you wanted
to tour the new factory I spent 50 million on, so.."

Me, I'm thinking, 'hey, you guys wanna see
the tights I bought on sale last week?'

Aja Made Friends!

Yes!!!!Go Me!!!!
Made my first girlfriend, her name is Marie

There's also a guy lah, supposed to meet up sometime
next week, which has attracted all sorts of response really
from 'Be careful they only want to get into your pants' from UR
to 'Squeal' (when said its a Gaytean lookalike)
but we had enough of the likes of Gaytean didn't we?(;

Marie and I met up Saturday, talked and walked
went to a club
danced, drank and fended off men who wanted to
dance

which reminds me of a longstanding
discussion that Vans and I have
what is it with men who don't
aim within reach?

I mean you're 45 and you look like
emaciated, drug addict like
sure you don't expect a young, beautiful 22 yr old
to dance with you?

Its like the bangla street cleaners who always
purse their lips and do that sucking noise at us
"Dei! Ada bindi ah?, Dei, am I wearing a saree?Punjabi suit?"
Na-uh, don't think so, aim within reach man.

So after awhile, Marie and I ditched the dance club
MC D's for medium vanilla shake and small fries
18 fucking ringgit, can you believe that?

So happy from alco
we walk and talk, surprisingly we click well
and are open, discussing things like
life experiences,
what other girls are wearing
and
penis sizes between asian and caucasian men
we also sing-a-long with a busker.

Then we stroll the circular square of Kongens Nytorv
perusing the display of photographs by Steve Bloom

I'm wearing heels the first time in a month
it is extremely uncomfortable and I am blistering
so I remove them and walk barefoot on the smooth cobbles

at 2.30am we part ways
I skip to my aunt's
tumble into bed

at 7am the bell from the church across the street
starts tolling, as it does every hour after
at 9 we finally stop ignoring it
everyone starts to stir
I look under the curtain that separates me
from my aunt, her bf and her son

she's stepping on his toes and they are hugging,
kissing
sighhh.