1st month

Today marks my one month in Copenhagen, i remember last week i was talking to my classmate, Q about out Oslo study trip which is coming up real soon ( this weekend )...

M: hey, guess what next week we will be in Oslo already
Q: yeah!
M: time passes so swiftly, i can actually see february around the corner.

Never screw with time, It pass so quickly once u start enjoying ur life. As i know most of the time when i reach a new place. the first month / weeks / days would feel terrible.

When i was in Poland, i felt terrible for a week.

when i first settle down in Australia, i felt terrible for a whole month,

and in Denmark, i felt terrible for almost 2 week.

all i can say is i felt the worst when i was in Denmark!

Looking back at the whole month in Denmark, i actually managed to pull off quite a lot of things:

I did my 2nd couchsurfing here for a total of 3 days.

I'm glad to represent Malaysia, for being the first Malaysian to be in Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. Not sure how true it is, but i was told by the international student coordinator... and ironically, it's Australia that gave me the chance of doing the exchange not Malaysia.

I totally offended everyone when i were ask what will i be in 10 years time.. I would be SICK of Architecture.. ( the whole room went silence for 10 sec and i got the stare) awkward~

I master the art of riding bike, and totally bike everywhere now.. i am the stage where i can bike with one hand and text with another! By the end of 6 months, i would really want to bike with no hands. Especially when u have show off friends who always bike handless beside you... geez. it used to take me 40 min to cycle to uni, now i could do it in 25min ish.

I decided to deactivate my facebook decided that it's about to take charge of my life?Lets see how long can i last, doing pretty well!

I made a crucial decision in maybe taking a gap year next year. do some soul searching and experiencing.I also made a crucial decision in my personal life. for the good.

I made cool friends that i'm comfortable with.. crazy people... Q from America, B from Austria, A from Portugal, R from Holland, K from Switzerland, E from Estonia, J from Denmark. looking at the list, wat a diverse group =.= I made a good friend here as well.

I'm studying too hard here too.

Kaffekilden

Right in between Nørrebro and Østerbro, is where my encounter happens today. Not accidental but more like a place guided by J. It's called KaffeKilden, a small cosy shop set by the the corner of the block, facing a busy street with vehicles, pedestrian and cyclist passing by. Weather is great once again and predicted to be this good for the rest of the week.

I went for the promotional set offered by the cafe, It's lille latte (Little latte) + croissant for 30kr. Reasonable price compare to other place. However, the coffee is not up to par to what i normally take. well, it's too watery if u get what i mean. I enjoy the bitter kick, but im not sure where did it go in this cup of latte. Croissant looks like it just went for an intense diet, i would prefer something more fluffy and cheerful looking. This just look way too skinny but no doubt it's tasty, definitely way better than the latte. Side note: i miss croissant ! one of my most love pastry, i just like pronouncing it, it feels so upperclass no? "Cro-song" with a flick in the tongue ;)



I guess coffee culture here in Copenhagen is still not as prominent, i am not yet impressed by or grab my attention, or suggested me to stay longer. I'm only persuaded to stay out here longer because of the weather, i need some sun to cheer me up. However, look at the bright side... there is wifi but.... no music. -.- i had to pop on my earphone just to create and artificial enviornment.

I have to go out more often, this is what i have to remind myself of everyday, winter is just around the corner, and everybody had been mentioning to me that weather during the winter season ain't gonna be pretty and i totally have to second that. Copenhagen weathers sucks everyday. PMS 24/7

and when tomoro comes, it would be my one month in Copenhagen, Denmark. Looking back at how i pass that one month, i have to say.. im pretty amazed by myself as well. :) and definitely deserve a pat at the back. Life moves on no matter you like it or not, time ticks and wait for no ones. This reminded me of  the very meaningful quote given by my lecturer here in denmark. "Life is understood backwards, but must be live forward"

Let's see what have i done during this 1 month tomorrow.
as for Kaffekilden on Tagensvej 41
it's cheap but lack in taste (coffee wise) .


i dun think ill be coming back...

Grød

Like i've mention before, I will try my best to go out as much as possible during the weekend, even when there is work required to be submitted on monday! Just have to be really hardworking at night and try to get things done =)

So this weekend, i was suggested by a mate to head to a street, which is refer to the the Hells angel street (Jægersborggade) in Nørrebro. Not sure about you guys, as i turn my bike going into the street, i find the road patches very intriguing. Almost would be able to relate to the Hells and angel thing or maybe yin n yang? There is another Coffee collective there, and it's well packed with people at 12pm when i arrived. It's not a long street but definitely feel with this boho vibe to it. Not exactly very, but getting there. It would be a nice street just to escape for a bit from the city.

 It's a great weather to begin with, great companion, great mood, everything is just so great. It's really to describe this kind of feeling. It's just feel like the perfect morning where nothing is gonna turn bad. im a happy kiddo. So as, me and my friend walk along the street, one session of long clapping grabbed our attention. A crowd gathering outside one of the shop, accompany with loud chattering. Being the kepo guy yeah we went and have a look.

It's Grød. it's situated at the far end of the street. a humble small, shop with minimalist design but packed with people that day. Apparently it was there first day of business, see how lucky i was to actually to stumble upon it and hell yeah very glad we stumble upon this place. It was a long queue but judging on the queue they must have been doing something right!

A simple way of using space, rough decoration and clean cut. I am actually adoring the design. If u zoom out a little bit, it sets in this rough looking neighbourhood, anything posh or sleek looking shop would totally look out of space.

It's a good 5-10 minutes queue, so here am i introducing to you to my new second-hand leather shoes! (360kr) that i manage to get it from a Second hand shop, Københaven K (Teglgårdstræde 4). At last a shop that offers a wide range of street wear for both men and women! It was a good grab.

In the shop, everything is in danish, but stress free for me considering imma walking around with a danish buddy hhaha! I did manage to guess whats one of them rødbede risotto (pretty obvious it's a beetroot no?), and Havregrød med solbær (oatmeal with blackcurrant) is what i had. (30kr each) and accompany with 2 latte (20kr) which is surprisingly cheap.

I was quite reluctant to have something sweet in a savoury dish. I had this experience when i had a rosewater risotto in Tasmania, Australia and it was an absolute disaster in every way! I did squinch my eye as i put the first spoon into my mouth and...delighted =) It taste so good probably because of the acidity of the blackcurrant cut through the sweetness of the dish. Absolutely winner!

Manage to find a sit among the heavy crowds around the place, perfect ambient, like i say weather is great and the background chattering and laughing sound of people there. A restaurant can never fake that! Even the 20kr latte taste so good, it's standard but it's a perfect standard latte i had. Trust me i pay for more for sucky one before. I would strongly recommend this place for sure!

Imma definitely going back soon, perhaps next week?

Grød

Jægersborggade 50 tv,

2200 Copenhagen, Denmark

anybody joining in?

The Coffee Collective

It was a saturday in Copenhagen, finally a weekend that i actually get some free time to explore around Copenhagen. Last week i was just so caught up with work, it kills me that i have to stay in my room when the sun is shining ferociously outside . This week, not a chance, heading out every minute i get, just to grasp, to feel, to experience, to stumble, to smell this foreign place.

My first pick was Nørreport, obviously because it was a the set where the flea market is happening. I'm totally a flea freak, Cheap vintage stuff ftw. However, sadly it's not happening this and next week due to the biking competition thats happening. bugger.

Just in that area there is two food market relatively new, Torvehallerne. Pretty eye catching as it's two large glass buildings effortlessly sitting on the square. The transparency of the glass break the distinction between the indoor space and the outdoor space. It sits in the heart of Nørreport, at Israels Plads, home to Copenhagen’s original fruit and vegetable market, also it's just next to the train station (S-train). It's a great location considering roughly 25,000 cyclists pass Nørreport everyday, and i am officially one of them as well ;) .. not to mention the commuters using the stations.

So imagine the crowd! the flock of people around this area bustled with families, couples and curious passers-by like me! I was there around 11am and the crowd were like having a celebration! I guess, as a student, i still don't find this market useful for me in every sense, the products they sell, the fine food they display, healthy organic foods.. ah heaven... but would be un-practical for me to get those yet. ...and at the end of one of the building is a coffee shop, The Coffee Collective

 To be frank, I'm usually not very much interested in coffee shop in markets, often i would think they are very "commercialize" but the smell of the fresh grinded coffee, it smell so nice i could die! even my leg decided to go rogue on me. It even has a Q ! i guess it should be good. While,  waiting at the Q, i started to look at the menu and deciding which to get. Something really funny happen here as i was discussing with my friend.

Me: What's Cortado?
Q: I don't know .
Me: Well, It really sounds like a beer...

Just as i finish the sentence, the guy behind me who was on the line, burst into laughter. I looked at him and yeah i know he is judging me. For instance, i feel like my hair turn blonde, and grew a G-cup breast in that instance...

Me: (I squinted i seriously squined... my eyes and look at him) Stop teasing... So..what's cortado .
P: bla.. bla.. bla....

 So apparently cortado is an expresso, "cut" with a small amount of warm milk to reduce the acidity and no foam... Apparently according to this guy , he thinks "the coffee collective" has one of the best coffee in town and recommended cappuncino to me and refering it to a "dessert" coffee. Great! someone made a decision for me. =D Cappucino it is (33kr).

I've got my coffee after some wait, it was really good! The chattering sounds of people in the background, the slightly cold/gloomy weather, the colourful veges/fruits laying around accompany with a great cup of coffee. As a sweet tooth, i usually add a few teaspoon of sugar into my coffee, this time i walk away forgetting about the sugar! but regardless and to my surprise.. it's still really good =D

It's a promising weekend for me to start off my saturday with a great cup of coffee. This is officially my first cup of coffee in Copenhagen, and the cup deserve to be kept for awhile.

 I must admit, i am a junk collector.

sigh

Not sure what is wrong with copenhagen, but when i am totally hooked up with my work, the weather outside decide to be lovely.. lovely lovely.. and im stuck in here... doing my blardy work ... the mother-fucking work (quoted from my lecturer)... She is the funny one..

"You've got to dig into the space and find the shit! " Lecturer.