Back in the Land of Gravlax, Ikea and Abba

After neglecting this blog for about 10 months, I've been encouraged to revive it by some friends of mine.

The reason being that I've just moved from hot, humid Malaysia to the chilly climes of Sweden. Here, I shall record the minutae of my daily life as a would-be immigrant in Ikealand (for some reason the first thing people think of when I mention "Sweden" is either Ikea, or Swiss chocolates - apparently many mistake "Swede" for "Swiss").

I was affected by a strong fear of incurring excess baggage fees when I was packing, but to my great relief, the Thai Air check-in counter at KLIA didn't weigh my hand luggage (I don't want to get into what I put in there to make it so damn heavy :P).

There was a 4-hour transit at Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, which went fine as well, as there were many F&B and retail outlets open till late, and plenty of places to sit. There was some anxiety that the demonstrators against current PM Samak would cause flights to be delayed and general chaos at BKK, but it was very peaceful.

The flight went smoothly - I highly recommend Thai Air! The in-flight entertainment was basic (one programme projected onto a screen, or shown on monitors suspended from the ceiling), but the food was much better than the food served on MAS (very fresh and tasty - though very mild). The service was very warm and friendly as well. And there were little thoughtful touches that made one's travels a little more comfortable and pleasant.

I arrived in Stockholm on Sunday morning, and since then have just been cooking, unpacking, and generally making myself at home in the new apartment I share with F. I love it here, and I love being here with him. :)

We've planned the entire week's dinners (and lunches - leftovers from dinner);last night we made assam fish with a pack of spice paste from the package I sent from KL - handy when one is homesick, especially. Today after F gets off work we'll be shopping for groceries we didn't manage to get last night, and check out what's available at the little Asian sundry store I found during my last trip. I remember seeing a small selection of Lee Kum Kee sauces... mmmm.

P/S: A redesign of this blog is long overdue. Will be done soon!