You know it is late January in Sweden when….

…

SA 261520Z 35007KT 6000 -SN BR FEW002 BKN003 01/00 Q1009 RWY 01
WET 51-100 PCT LESS THAN 1 MM FC 0.76 RWY 08 WET 51-100 PCT
LESS THAN 1 M
M 26 0.73 RWY 01R WET 51-100 PCT LESS THAN 1 MM FC 0.78
TEMPO 2000 BKN005=

Looking ahead for 2009

A few weeks in to 2009, I have now made a plan of what will come this year (or at least what I hope to acheive).

* Flying – This is a natural part and if all goes well there will be a journey down Europe in April and let friends and family experience the joy of flying.

* Travel – I managed to cross of New York last year and this year I am hoping for Bangkok and maybe a few shorter trips.

* University – Complete the compulsory section of my M.Sc. and choose either to:

- Take a few law courses

or

- Realize my plan of learning Russian.

(What do my Dear blog readers think?)

…..  and more

1000 places to see before I die

This was my Christmas gift from Anders and his family and for someone like me who loves to travel, this was the ultimate gift. I have gone through it from cover to cover and realzied I have approximately 780 places left to visit before I can move on There is a hope that I will be visiting many of these places soon!

The first month as a MAC user

After having my new MACbook delivered on December 8th I have now had a good chance to try it, both as a a work and entertainment tool and I must say I am impressed. There are enough blogs and websites around that talk about the techie stuff and design aspects so I shall not go in to this. However, I am very content with a number of solutions that it has such as the mouse pad. I was also surprised how easy it was to get used to working with it as there are some differences. It was in fact so easy that previously easy things now appear too complicated when in a PC environment.
To rate it I would give it a 4 out of 5. The reason for deducting one point i the need to install a program to run PC applications but hey, it is a MAC.

Who was it?

That checked in with my colleague J early this morning and asked her to say hello to me. She said it was one of you blog readers but couldn’t remember the name. Here I thought I could work incognito but no Next time, do say hi!

The 2008 checklist revisited

At the start of 2008 I set a list of goals to be accomplished and I have had a few questions about how things went so:

* Get out of my parents place and find a habitat of my own

Accomplished: On August 29th 2008 when I moved to Uppsala

* Travel!  I hope to do BKK and/or NYC + more

Partially accomplished: At least got to visit NYC June 2-4 and it was an experience I will never forget

* Generate some more flying hours in my logbook. This includes Vassunda-Bodø with Anders and of course a trip or 10 to Mariehamn

Accomplished: 20+ hours. Bodø became Göteborg and Mariehamn was visited as well.

* A very personal mission

Failed: and hence I will not write about this

* Take an introductory course in law

Failed: But I decided to start my M.Sc instead and hence I achieved a bit more than planned!

* Other things that are written in the stars

Accomplished: 2008 brought a lot of things I didn’t expect but that turned out to be great. Entering the airline industry was one of them.

The year 2008

Dear blog readers,

2008 is coming to an end and it has been a year full of events. After having left my job at News Factory just before Christmas last year I had to make a number of choices about my future. Having originally planned to pursue my Masters degree starting in 2009, I decided to opt for an earlier start and applied to the M.Sc in Strategic Marketing Management at the university of Uppsala, a two year program allowing me to specialize within my preferred field.
Uncertain about being accepted, I continued to apply for a number of jobs and somewhat surprisingly (more for me than for those who know me) managed to get a foot in to the company and industry I have wanted to work in since I was a child, SAS. On February 18th, I started as a Customer Service Agent, a job not to par with my previous education, but still allowing me to grasp many of the operational aspects. These will certainly come in handy in the future if we manage to sail out of this financial crisis without too many job cuts and I can climb the ladder.
In july, I received my letter of acceptance to the M.Sc and began planning for once again moving out of my parents nest. On the third attempt I managed to get my hands on a cozy little apartment 5 minutes from the central station in Uppsala with access to both the airport and Stockholm as well a mere 10 minutes from the university. The move took place on September first this year and I am feeling increasingly at home every day and owning it makes it even better.

Student life in Uppsala is great and a contrast to my previous experiences on the Côte d’Azur and I try to remain as active as studies and work allows me to. My clarinet was dug out after a five year long break and I now meet a mixed bunch of people for practice once per week

I also had my first year as a PPL holder and accumulated close to 20 hours with a number of splendid trips to Norway, Mariehamn and around the proximity of Uppsala.

In terms of travel, 2008 has been quite relaxed where my first trip ever to New York as the clear highlight and now  in December, from where I am writing parts of this letter, Milano.

Dear readers, that was all for now and not much remains for me now other than to wish you ALL THE BEST FOR 2009 to you and your loved ones. I am certain that it will be an interesting year for everyone regardless of where you are working or studying.

Seasons greetings from

PC

Back to basics

Every now and then it is necessary to go back and practice the basics of flying namely taking off and landing. On this fantastic day, after a good morning at work, I found an aircraft (SE-GON) and enough time to put myself in the circuit at Sundbro. All in all, a total of 40 minutes airborne and 11 landings setting new targets (touch down points) for every landing and reflecting over what could have been done better. I’d say that roughly 8/11 landings can be qualified as good and the remaining three could have used some extra work. It dd take my memories back to last year and flying school with the endless circuits.

My body is still doing touch and go’s.

Merry Christmas!

A November summary with the question: To go MAC or not to go MAC?

I am back in the blog business after quite a long absence due to a lot of work at university, SGS and with some other projects in different areas.

University: Currently enjoying two very enjoyable courses in consumer behavior and business strategy. Both require a lot of work but the return is high. There will be a post asking for your help very shortly.

Apartment: A lot of things have happened since the pictures I posted back in September and I will give you some new ones closer to Christmas. But it is getting cozier by the minute and more and more like home.

SGS: Been working equivalent to a 25% job and November did pose a few challenges with a few snowy days and some new qualifications i.e chances a more varied day at work.

Social life: Believe it or not but I have time for it as well. Both my classmates and “Blecket” take up a large chunk of this part.

Flying: Look out the window and answer that question yourself in connection with “all of the above”!

Travel: Looking forward to Milano December 14-16 and perhaps I might be going to another larger European city next week in connection with work, but this remains to be seen.

The question I ask myself now is:  Since my computer is about to be changed soon, I need your help, should I stick to a PC laptop or be radical and go for the new and improved MACbook? Any thoughts around this is appreciated.