What’s your favorite food on a rainy day? Mine is a cold noodle soup (물냉면) with some LA kalbi and a beer. Unfortunately, it’s been a challenge to find it in Stockholm, so the next best thing is a big bowl of ramen with a beer or some soju, always in great company.

It has been a busy few weeks since Patric officially moved to Copenhagen. We are still going through a few boxes and more shelves to put up, but we are happy to work together towards our new home.

Last weekend we visited Venngarn Castle, north of Sigtuna.

Less than an hour drive from Stockholm, we’ve spent the day walking in a beautiful garden, visiting an antique shop, and enjoying a traditional Swedish lunch.

This drawing was inspired by a painting of two knights with head cut-outs (swipe to see reference picture). I decided to take a more modern approach by updating our wardrobe.

My boyfriend and I recently moved to our new apartment. The highlight is definitely the beautiful seaside view and sunrises we get to experience every morning from our balcony.

February 12 marked the new year on the lunar calendar. I’ve always loved the lunar new year for the large gatherings and the ridiculous amount of food.

This year is a bit different as we are not able to meet in larger groups. I’ve decided to draw us eating 汤圆 (tang yuan). These glutinous sweet rice balls are also a homonym for reunion 团圆. That’s my wish for this year of the Ox, to be able to have large gatherings around the world with my family and friends.

What I love about Christmas is being surrounded by your loved ones. This year, we might not be able to travel back home or spend time with our parents, but we are fortunate to celebrate with close friends. We are very grateful for the new friendships we have created and for nurturing the old ones.

While visiting my family in Paris, we had some delicious Chinese food. It reminded me of that sweet memory when my mother and I used to make jiao zi (饺子) together.

My mom would spend the whole morning prepping the dough and meat. As a family, we would spend almost the whole day folding them together. She was never really impressed by my folding skills.

Yesterday was the first time my partner was able to see his mother after 2.5 months of distancing. They gathered in their garden in the suburbs of Stockholm to celebrate Mother's day.

The silver lining of the corona was that we were able to confine together for the last 100 days in Stockholm..

Now that I’m back in Copenhagen we have resumed our long-distance romance with a lot of FaceTime and text messages.

Last Sunday in Europe, we turned back our clocks to gain an extra hour.

I love the feeling of sleeping in the next day and realizing that it’s still only 8:30 o’clock in the morning. On the other hand, my boyfriend doesn’t seem to be a morning person despite the bonus sleeping time.

Last week we celebrated my boyfriend’s birthday by treating ourselves to a spa getaway. A 20-min ferry ride away from Stockholm, the Japanese-theme spa included ryokan, saunas, and a variety of heated outside pools.

Growing up in Canada, the snow made our cold and dark winters more enjoyable. Especially when our school would call us to let us know that it was closing due to snowy weather. We got a few flakes here in Stockholm, enough to make me appreciate the colder months.

With the travel ban, it’s sad to not be able to see them in person. My good friend Gloria from Hong Kong recently mentioned how much she misses Sweden. I decided to bring her back to her happy place through my illustration in rosenträdgården, Stockholm. She provided the picture and I transported her there, with a nice flower crown to celebrate spring and a crisp glass of Prosecco.
 

My two-year-old nephew loves to FaceTime with me, mostly because he can play with the different filters. His favorite ones are the pizza face and the foot face.

I have been in Sweden for more than two months now, and I do miss my friends and life in Denmark.

I wanted to take the time to thank them by including these two in my #100daysofhappiness. I didn’t have a nice picture of my current apartment so I included old pictures from when I was living in Paris... the furniture is still the same though.

Every September I have to grab a pumpkin spice latte. It’s not because I particularly like the taste of it, but it has become more of a fall tradition. I get very nostalgic during that time of the year, especially being away from Canada.

My boyfriend remembers as a kid, having to wake up very early on that day to perform songs to the parents dressed in stars, candles, and white gowns.

With the short days in Sweden, it’s very nice to light candles at home and to walk by all the fairy lights on the streets.