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?