swediporean: back in business

yes, back in singapore since almost two weeks after the most lovely month in europe. it was so nice to be back home and meet all the great people i have the privilege of knowing.

besides the people, there were also some things i had seriously missed (and still miss), which were kind of the first things i bought when i got off the plane. food and drinks were of course a big part of it and in the uk, they were:

copella apple juice
tesco's caramelised onions hummus (and pre-cut carrots to go with that of course)
caffè nero's chai latte (even though it wasn't as good as i had imagined it would be)

and in sweden, they were:

ramlösa
marabou chocolate (and all other swedish sweets)

..and probably lots more that i've already forgotten so, in other words, not that important..

i had also missed the crisp days with clear blue sky and, probably most of all, having colleagues - just walking in and there's a whole office full of people, someone to go for smoke breaks with, going to the pub after work for a few pints and just the whole feeling of belonging and being able to just walk up to someone and have a chat, ask a question or to discuss work related topics with people without having to wait until at least 5pm.

things i realised i hadn't missed at all were:

the incredibly crappy shower at england's lane (was probably in some kind of denial so was actually quite surprised by how awful it really is)
the horrendous transport prices; tube, taxi.. (have gotten a bit used to being able to take a taxi even to go for a coffee or definitely after a night out, but especially in london it's just not justifiable)

while in the uk, i moved out of my room at england's lane for good. really strange. a bit like closing a(nother) chapter in my life. the house was run down and old so probably wouldn't want to come back and live there again, but i have so many great memories and it feels a bit weird that i will most probably never set foot in that house again..

well, moving on.. now i'm back and, even though it felt tough to leave europe again, i do enjoy being here. still can't wait to go back in june though, but will make sure i enjoy the time in between with the great people i've met here. we're having a lovely time and it's a good experience over all. besides, my parents were here visiting for a couple of days, which was great, and they will be back for another couple of days by the end of the month. it's a bit like if you can't be at home, bring home to you.

that's all from me for this time.. just a few photos.

the first photo is of the things i took with me back to sweden and the second of the things i left behind - who would have thought it was even possible to collect so much rubbish in only two years?

my brother and his family (and santa of course)

my new little niece, indra, was being christened and luckily my sister managed to time it so that i could be there. the whole family as well as the god parents and the priest