Coming Back to Blogging

I've had numerous thoughts about this post, and have never been entirely sure how to start it.

I'm back in the UK.

There. I said it. I'm back in the UK after two and a half years of travelling around Asia and Australia. There has been very little on here in this time, for various reasons. Most of it coming down to time and very little patience with the small laptop I had with me.

I had an amazing time during my travels, and made some great friends along the way. I would 100% do it again, without hesitation. And, to any people out there who are wondering if they should take the risk and go travelling, I would say: Do It. I don't think you'll ever regret going travelling, but you are more than likely going to regret not going travelling. 

I came back to the UK a couple of days before Christmas to surprise my Mum, who I hadn't seen since I left back in July 2013. Since then, I have been trying to get my head around being back (which in all honesty I haven't fully managed yet), settle back into the swing of things and look for a job. So far the job hunt isn't going so well, but here's hoping something will turn up soon.

I'd like to start writing here again regularly now I've done this post. I think I just need to work out what I want to blog about, as in all honesty I don't think I want this to be purely make up reviews like it once was. So, fingers crossed there will be more to come from me starting from now. I mean, I'm already beating my number of posts for 2015 just by posting this...

Kate x

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Vietnam

Halong Bay

Vietnam was one of the countries that we spent the longest in, just behind Thailand. I suppose the main reason for this is that we had to arrange to get our visas ahead of time when we were back in the UK and visa was the most expensive from our travels around Asia.

During our time in Vietnam we travelled from Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the South to Hanoi in the North stopping at a few towns along the way. Overall we spent a little under the 30 days our visa entitled us to in Vietnam. 

Starting in Saigon, we spent one day walking around to all the sights of the city including the War Museum, the Ho Chi Minh Palace, Notre Dam church, the Post Office and to some of the markets. While we were here we stayed at Diep Ahn Guesthouse, where the owner Anh, gave us a recommended route to walk to see all the sights which was really useful. One day we did a day trip to the Mekong Delta which included seeing some of the locals floating markets and seeing how some of their local snacks are made. I can't remember exactly what they were but one was a coconut candy and another was a sweet rice paper which were both delicious.

On our last day in Saigon we took a half day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels which were impressive to see. There is a 100m stretch of tunnel that has been widened for the average Westerners build with exits every 20m. I managed the first 20m before needing to get out, I actually freaked out just as we got in the tunnel but with tons of people behind me I couldn't get out. I always knew I wasn't keen on confined spaces but this time I was panicking and trying to get out as quickly as possible. Even when I think back about the experience I feel a little funny. After our half day trip to the Tunnels we had a few hours to grab dinner and to have a quick shower as we had booked ourselves onto a sleeper bus to our next destination - Nha Trang.

Nha Trang is a beachy resort, full of bars to visit. We weren't so much there for the bars, I wanted some beach time! In the evenings the beaches would have locals coming with their children for a swim as well which I thought was nice to see. We didn't stay long until we were on another sleeper bus to Hoi An.

Hoi An is a coastal town that everybody should visit when in Vietnam, it is a UNESCO Heritage town with some truly spectacular buildings. It is also beautiful by night, some buildings are lit up in different colours, there are little lanterns floating down the river and lanterns hanging in trees and overhead. Hoi An is well known for tailoring so we decided we wanted to have something tailor made as well - Danny had a suit and I had a playsuit made. It was quite a fun experience! Hoi An also has some lovely local food, there is an abundance of good restaurants and you can also get cooking classes.

After Hoi An we spent a couple of days in Hue - not a stop everyone will make but it has some significant sites from the war. There is a Citadel there that is now in ruins for a large part with beautiful gates riddled with bullet holes. You don't really need long in Hue, but there were some nice restaurants there as well. After a couple of days in Hue we booked ourselves onto a sleeper train to Hanoi. I was really excited about this as I had decided a long time before that I wanted to experience a sleeper train during our travels round Asia and the time was finally here!

I actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep while on the train, getting up once to go to the bathroom. We shared our cabin with an elderly Vietnamese couple who spoke no English. We tried to communicate a few times with them trying to ask where we were from, unfortunately they didn't understand. They were very nice though, and were letting us know when we were close to arriving in Hanoi so we could get our things together.

Once getting into Hanoi station we took a taxi to our hotel. We'd gotten in to Hanoi pretty early so we couldn't check in, but we were able to go to the small dining room at the back of the hotel to have some breakfast which was much needed. Once we were checked in, we were given a map of Hanoi with recommendations of where to go, things to see etc. We were only out for a couple of hours before we had to run back - the heavens opened and did not stop.

We got absolutely drenched. There were a couple of days where it absolutely hammered down with rain, which as it turns out was the back end of a cyclone. We tried to brave the weather one of the days with waterproofs etc, but we ended up seeking refuge in a café overlooking Hoam Kiem lake for a couple of hours before plucking up the courage to get back to the hotel again.

We had been planning a trip to Halong Bay which looked touch and go because of the weather, but fortunately we managed to time it just right and went for a two day one night trip. We booked the trip through our hotel and went for a mid-range offer. We were picked up early by a bus which was already pretty full and were driven to Halong City before being registered and boarding the boat. The first day it was still a little grey, but it was great to be there. We sailed out to the caves where there is a 'surprise'. After the caves, we had time to kayak around the bay which was great to get closer to some of the rock formations.

After kayaking, we took off to where we would be mooring for the night and having dinner. Before getting ready for dinner we all changed into our swimwear to have a little swim, and to watch the gorgeous sunset. That evening was really fun, we had a good dinner followed by playing Uno with the others on the trip and also trying our hands at fishing - none of us caught anything but we weren't using bait so it's not surprising really.

The next day we were taken through some of the little islands on our way back to shore. We were very lucky as the storm seemed to have well and truly cleared which resulted in blue skies and sun. I am so glad we got the opportunity to visit Halong Bay, it was truly beautiful.

Once we got to shore, we got back on a bus and were driven back to Hanoi. We spent a couple more days in Hanoi with some warmer weather, we visited the Water Puppet show which I would highly recommend to anyone who visits Hanoi, the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum which I found a little creepy - you go into a dimmed room and shuffle round Ho Chi Minh's embalmed body. In all honesty, we spent a little bit too long in Hanoi, we should have organised our days better so we could have fitted a trip out to Sapa as well - something we will definitely do when we go back.

After our time in Vietnam came to an end, we flew back to Bangkok to get ready to go down for some Thai Island hopping - the main beachy part of our travels! 

Kate x

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Cambodia

Time has passed so quickly that our time in Cambodia was well over six months ago now. Something I have really learnt whilst being away that time really does go quickly - you don't even realise it until you stop to think how great it was. A year away sounds like a long time, but we've already been in Australia for six months exactly of our one year visa.

I was initially a little hesitant about including Cambodia to our itinerary but I am so glad we did. While there we visited Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh. The highlight was most definitely Siem Reap where we spent the majority of our time, this included spending three days at the amazing Angkor Wat temple complex. Somewhere I recommend everyone visiting at some point in their lives. 

Our travel into Cambodia from Thailand was quite long and tiresome, but once we arrived and found our guesthouse we were quite relieved. 

Considering how small Siem Reap really is, it's so busy and I was very surprised to find how many foreigners actually lived and worked there. We met at least 3 Americans there all who worked as English teachers.

Sihanoukville, also known as Snookyville was a little beachy town on the coast of Cambodia. We had one day of sun before torrential rain hit. From Sihanoukville, you can also get transport to some of their islands such as Koh Rong.

Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, has a completely different feel to Siem Reap. To be honest, I much preferred Siem Reap. I'm sure some may disagree, but everyone has their preferences.

Phnom Penh has most of the memorial sites where the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge occurred. The two notable ones are the Killing Fields which are a little south of PP and Tuol Sleng Prison (also know as S21) which both now serve to remember those who died at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, and to educate visitors.

Cambodia is truly a wonderful place, we even left Siem Reap with new friends who I hope to visit again one day in the not so distant future.

If anyone has the opportunity to visit Cambodia during time in South East Asia, I would whole heartedly recommend visiting.

Kate x

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Thailand - Bangkok

Hi everyone!

It has been an unbelievably long time since I last posted, I had really hoped I could have posted a couple of things before I left the UK but unfortunately I was incredibly tight for time trying to get loose ends tied before leaving.

We flew out to Bangkok, our first destination, on the 6th July with a 2.5 hour stopover in New Delhi before arriving to Bangkok on the evening of the 7th. We hopped in a taxi and about 30-40 minutes later we were in front of our hotel in Chinatown. When we booked our flights and first couple of nights of accommodation we decided to treat ourselves and not dive straight into budget accommodation. We spent our first three nights at the Shanghai Mansion which is an absolutely lovely hotel with lovely staff. It was a nice way to ease our way into Bangkok. The first evening we just collapsed after a lot of flying.

Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha)

The following day we ventured out with the aim of seeing the Grand Palace and Reclining Buddha, that didn't quite happen and instead we ended up going to the MBK mall to check it out - pretty impressive and very manic, I expected it to be more like Westfields in layout but it was quite cramped and like a little maze. We decided to try the Skytrain to get back to our hotel and we were pretty successful, although we got a little disorientated walking back from the station and stumbled across a nice temple (of which there are many in Bangkok).

Throughout our time in Bangkok we ended up seeing the Grand Palace, Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Vimanmek and the Throne Hall. It was all suitably impressive. 

You can climb up Wat Arun from the outside as it has steps leading up to various levels - these steps are incredibly steep and I almost didn't climb up to the highest point as they were so steep going up looked like a mission - however I did it which I regretted later. Now I'm not generally scared of heights, but when you're faced with incredibly steep steps down to the next level - verging on vertical - I was quite nervous. In the end my legs tensed and were shaking so much I actually pulled a muscle in my thigh and was hobbling around a bit for a couple of days afterwards.

Wat Pho

After our three nights in the lovely Shanghai Mansion (which incidentally make the nicest (Strawberry) Mojitos I've had since being in SE Asia) we moved onto a hotel called Buddy Boutique Inn which is pretty much in the 'backpacker' area of Bangkok - Khao San Road which essentially is akin to a 'strip' you'd see in any European party resort - think Kavos, Magaluf etc. It was a change to what was in Chinatown and things seemed a bit more 'familiar' on KSR but I don't think we'll stay there again, maybe to visit though. 

Our initial thoughts on Bangkok are a little indifferent - we were quite happy to see the back of it and from people I know who have been I get the impression it is a bit of a 'marmite' city. We'll be going back there in before heading on down to the Islands so maybe by giving Bangkok a second chance, we'll be pleasantly surprised. 

Kate x

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(This entry was written while I was still travelling around Asia, just in case the last bit confuses anyone!)

Travel Update #3

It is now less than a week until Danny and I leave the UK to embark on our travels around Asia, and I must admit I'm excited but the nervousness is really hitting me now as I've already started to say my goodbyes to friends and family.

I left my job on Thursday which was a big deal to me in itself - I'm now unemployed which is a little scary. 

This week I am focussing on packing, clearing out junk in my room and attempt to throw out some clothes (which is proving to be quite difficult) and buying any last minute supplies.

There are a few products I've bought in the run up to our departure which I will aim to review while away even if I can't publish them until I'm in Australia, I don't care! 

This time next week I'll either be fast asleep in Bangkok or awake due to jet lag, who knows! I have had plenty of entry ideas such as what make up I'm packing and what skincare but I don't know whether I'll realistically have time to write anything or take photos - I'll give it a go but sadly it isn't a priority for me this week. 

Kate x

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Travelling Plans #2

The following post was written in April and has been sitting in my drafts. I thought it still relevant to post.

Following on from my last post a couple of months ago outlining plans to go travelling, things have advanced and changed. 

The most exciting bit of news I have is that we've booked some flights! Danny and I fly out to Thailand on the evening of 6th July. We have a brief stop off in Delhi and then straight onto Bangkok. Now we've got a date we're looking forward to the other things we need to do before leaving, namely vaccinations and visas. We had our Australian visas granted on the 6th May in record speed - we were granted them within 1-2 hours of applying. We had been expecting to hear back about a week later.

In my last post I said we were going to get a multistop flight ticket, well that plan has gone out the window completely, we're now going to book flights as they come - it gives us more freedom and more money to play with while we're out there, especially since when in Australia we'll be earning money which can then be saved. 

On the 13th April we went to London to book our flights and for me to try on rucksacks - I decided to get it while I was there as there was very little difference in price between in store and online. If you saw someone walking around Covent Garden with the biggest carrier bag ever - that was me. 

Hotel wise we've booked 3 nights in an upmarket hotel for a little bit of comfort before venturing into hostels. We're booked in to stay at a hotel called the Shanghai Mansion and it looks absolutely lovely and has good reviews on TripAdvisor (I have been consulting this as though it's the bible for reviews on hotels and reading forums).

For our stop in Asia the rough plan is to start off in Bangkok for a couple of days, then move onto Cambodia (Siem Reap and Phnom Penh), from there onto Vietnam travelling up the coast, across into Laos to dot about there and back into Thailand to work our way down from Chiang Mai down to the Thai Islands (hopefully in time for a Full Moon Party), last stop being Malaysia before hopping on a flight to Melbourne!

Kate x

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My Weight Loss One Year Anniversary

I've never written a post about my weight loss although I have started to in the past and deleted it, that was mostly about being stuck in a rut but I didn't know where I wanted to go with it. 

At the end of University (in 2011) one of my friends joined WeightWatchers, which was something I scoffed at (for me) I'd been trying to lose weight ever since coming back from my year abroad in Berlin where I did gain a significant amount of weight. I joined gyms, but saw no difference in my weight. Perhaps a 2 or 3 pound fluctuation but nothing ever stuck. 

I always knew I was bigger than I was happier with, but now looking back on it I hadn't realised quite how heavy I had got. When my friend started to see amazing results (I think she lost something like 7lbs in her first week of WeightWatchers) I began to consider it, previously I had thought it was more of a money grabbing gimmick. I then found out one of my neighbours went so one morning I went to the local meeting with her to sign up - I'd had enough and clearly nothing else I'd done had worked. I was incredibly nervous stepping on the scales and felt quite ashamed of myself that the scales flashed "11.05" back at me. 

This photo, which really brings it home to me how big I had actually become, was taken the night of my University's summer ball in 2011. Naturally this isn't a flattering photo, there are much nicer ones of me from that night but this one really hit home:

I started to attend WeightWatchers weekly and was soon surprised to see it was working - it made me realise how much I was eating and that my portion size was way off too. By the time I graduated I had already lost about 7lbs which I was chuffed about and people had already started to comment on it. 

Fast forward to April 2012, my last few pounds to shift took me approximately 3 months, they were incredibly pesky, but I managed it on the 3rd April 2012 I reached my goal weight. My goal weight was 9.07 although I did drop down to 9.06 a couple of weeks later. I couldn't believe in 10 months I had managed to lose almost 2 stone. 

I can only say how glad I am that I joined WeightWatchers - once I joined my perception of them totally changed. I will admit I don't follow the points system to the T now, however I try to be a bit mindful of what I eat and how much now. 

A few months after reaching my goal weight, I started to gain some weight again which I was incredibly conscious of - so I joined the gym. I had done a little bit of swimming previously but I hadn't joined a gym since the previous year. I managed to creep back up to about 10.05 which really got me down and it took me around 6 months to lose that again. When attaining your goal weight with WeightWatchers you become a 'Gold Member' which means you have free membership for a year, during this time you have to stay within 5lbs +/- of your goal weight (and attend 5 weigh ins), so the maximum weight I could be before needing to pay again was 9.12 - this became my new goal. I avoided meetings like the plague until I reached this goal and continued to gym 2-3 times a week. 

I began to think I'd never get there, but I did. Yesterday, I went back to WeightWatchers for the first time since June, stepped on the scales and was relieved to see I was back within my 5lb limit. I'm annoyed at myself for letting my weight slip but despite taking an age to lose it, I've actually lost more inches in the process. I may be 5lbs heavier than I was this time last year but I'm okay with that and I plan to work towards a minimum of maintaining that weight and aim to get back down to 9.07. 

I don't have many full body shots of me now, the closest two I can find are from a wedding in September where my face looks chubby because of the way I'm smiling and a few weeks earlier in London for the Paralympic Games:

Kate x

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April Wishlist

Happy Easter everybody! 

So payday has been and my bank account looks a little healthier (although I doubt this will last for long) so now is the time for me to start lusting after products again. So what is on April's wishlist?

01. Soap & Glory Endless Glove Moisture Mask and Hand Cream - I'm forever buying hand creams and feel very lost without one in my bag. I spotted this on the Boots website last week and I love the idea of this doubling as a hand mask - perfect for night time.
02. Lonely Planet South East Asia on a Shoestring - The first leg of our travels this summer will be starting in Thailand, with the plan to visit Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia as well. Despite doing lots of online research, I've decided to buy this as something to read in my spare time, and it's quite nice to have all information in one place.

03. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette - I've tried my hardest to resist this latest palette, and I've failed. I love the idea of having a small palette of everyday colours that can also create a night time smoky look. It looks very travel friendly.
04. American Apparel Black Disco Pants - At the end of January I bought some disco pants at a more affordable price than the £70 that AA are asking for. I absolutely loved them, but two weeks ago I had a nasty accident. I looked down in a crowded Pizza Express only to see that they'd split in the crotch and that my underwear was clearly visible. Cue a frantic look round shops for a replacement pair of trousers while discretely carrying my bag infront of me to conceal my mortification. I have since sent them back and been refunded but find myself missing my shiny trousers.
05. Dr. Jart Water Fuse BB Cream - The only BB cream that I've only used regularly is the one from Garnier, but after having a couple of issues in recent weeks I've decided once my current tube runs out I'd like to try something new. I've heard only positive things about this BB cream so I have my eye on this one. I regret not buying it when it was ridiculously reduced in Boots last year.
06. Lanolips Lemonaid Lip Aid - I have one of Lanolips Coloured Lip Ointments which I rather enjoy, and after reading a glowing review from Sophia over on Tattooed Tealady I'm itching to try this although the thought of spending near enough £10 on a lip balm makes me a little reluctant, but I've been assured this will last me a long time.

Do you own any of these products? Would you recommend them?

Kate x

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A night spent in London

From time to time Danny and I like to treat ourselves to a nice hotel room in London for the night, the first time we did this was last February and we stayed in The Cumberland just next to Marble Arch, it was a great experience and the breakfast was ah-maze-ing. 

Back in July I booked tickets for us to go see Bloc Party at Earls Court on 22nd February, which I was quite looking forward to but dreading the potential crush there could be at an arena gig. I just assumed we'd get the train home afterwards, until Danny suggested we stay overnight. After scouring lastminute.com for a reasonably priced, but nice hotel I stumbled across this beauty. This is The Grosvenor Hotel in Victoria. It is a really nice hotel, in keeping with the area and we were utterly in awe of the building - they had to give us a map, yes a map, to find our way to our room as they have two wings of the hotel. 

The room was amazing, the bathroom was lovely too - although it had a magnifying mirror which I definitely wasn't prepared for. I don't need to see in magnification how large my pores are thank you very much.

I thoroughly enjoyed Bloc Party, it wasn't anywhere near as busy as I thought it would be. I was expecting to be squashed and be thoroughly miserable as is normal when my height in a large crowd of people. This meant there was space to breath, unfortunately there were some guys acting like total idiots to my left which was pretty irritating.

This was the second time I'd seen Bloc Party in my life, however I was fortunate enough to see Kele in a small gig in Berlin, I was standing about two people away from him the entire time. Quite a stark difference to be standing on the opposite side of an arena.

I leave you with a video compiled of lots of peoples footage from that night on their phones of their latest single "Truth". I still love them as much as I did when someone first told me to listen to Helicopter back in 2003 or so.

Kate x

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Travel Plans #1

Following my post last month about the plans my boyfriend and I have to go travelling this summer we went to STA Travel last weekend (while on an overnight stay in London) to find out a little bit more about flights and get a rough cost of how much it will cost us as prices advertised online are "from £x.xx" and bearing in mind that we are looking to leave in July we knew that there may be an additional cost for flying peak time.

After discussing multi-stop flights and destinations etc we have a rough idea of the flights we'll probably take, which fit in nicely with where we'd like the visit:

01. London - Bangkok

02. Kuala Lumpur - Melbourne

03. Sydney - Christchurch

04. Auckland - Bangkok

05. Bangkok - London

Our idea is to go around South East Asia first (Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and possibly Cambodia) and then go on to Australia with the working holiday visa, and then on to New Zealand afterwards. Ideally we'd like to fit Fiji in there too somewhere, but that will be something to investigate while we're out there. The price for flights cost the same in the estimate we got to fly from Auckland to London or to have a stop off in Bangkok again, we think we'll probably stop off there again especially if at time of booking it costs the same. 

We're going to go back to STA Travel later this month to book flights and get the ball rolling. I'm getting increasingly excited about our plans. There are still a couple of questions we have to ask before booking but speaking to an advisor in STA has definitely gotten the ball rolling. When we go up to London to book our flights, we're also going to drop by the Berghaus store in Covent Garden at the same time to buy rucksacks. There are two I have my eye on:

Berghaus Women's Torridon 60L Rucksack

Berghaus Women's Cuillin 60+10L Rucksack

I thought I'd go for something a little 'girly', and also I always find it easier to spot my luggage on a carousel at the airport if there is something slightly different about it.

We went into the store while in London and a member of staff mentioned fitting the rucksack to our backs to make sure they are comfortable etc, so we've decided to go in store rather than buying online (for probably only a difference of £5 or so) if we'll get that service.

Once our flights are booked (together with a couple of nights accommodation) we'll really start looking into everywhere we want to visit town wise, and start applying for our visas!

Kate x

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20 Facts About Me

I've really enjoyed reading everybody's posts from this tag. If I could think of more facts I would have gone for 50, but to be honest I lack enough imagination and as soon as I sit down to think of some, my mind goes blank!

1. I'm left handed.
2. My favourite animals are giraffes and owls.
3. I strongly dislike rose scented things.
4. I'm a very fussy eater, and it's still a big deal for me to try new food.
5. I love black and white photography, especially of architecture.
6. Danny is the boyfriend that I've had.
7. When I was younger I had a horse riding accident that caused me to almost break my neck and since then I have developed a fear of horses.
8. I am a messy person, no matter how hard I try to keep on top of mess it always catches up to me.
9. My favourite colour is green.
10. I'm an only child.
11. I listen to Harry Potter audio books when I go to sleep.
12. I don't drink tea or coffee, I only drink squash. I don't even like drinking water by itself.
13. 13 is my lucky number.
14. I still don't know what direction I want to go in career wise.
15. I have to have the flu jab every year because my immune system is so rubbish.
16. People are normally surprised that I've not seen Dirty Dancing.
17. I was bullied quite a bit at school for having oily skin and spots.
18. When I was 11 I won a makeover by Andrew and Liz Collinge.
19. I'm always cold.
20. My family call me Catherine, but everyone else calls me Kate. 

Kate x

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A beauty blogger that doesn't want to spend her money?

Despite reading beauty blogs on a regular basis and having a wish list longer than my arm of makeup and various skincare products I'm finding myself putting off buying any of these products in favour at looking at other kinds of products.

And do you know what they are? Travelling "essentials". I've gone from looking at MAC lipsticks online trying to work out which shade to buy to looking up rucksacks and trying to shop around for the best price.

01. Microfibre travelling towel.

02. Large Berghaus rucksack.

03. Karrimor walking boots.

04. Samsung W150 camera (I don't want to take my SLR with me)

05. Visa costs for the countries we'd like to visit.

I mentioned in my New Years Resolutions post that I would be trying to save more money this year ready to go travelling with Danny, my boyfriend. I kept it quite vague as we haven't really had any set plans until the last couple of weeks. Even now, we don't have anything booked yet, but we have ideas of where we'd like to go, and how much certain things will cost. 

Travelling can be quite a vague term, anything from 4 weeks Interrailing round Europe to 12 months on another continent. Our plan is to go to South East Asia, then onto Australia with the working holiday visa, then onto New Zealand and then either back to the UK or maybe Fiji on the way. We haven't said "we'll be back in 12 months" we're going to take it as it comes, and if we stay the full 12 months (or more) then that's great, if we come back before then then that's great too. 

I'm currently researching what there is to see and do in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and possibly Laos and Cambodia too as well as visa requirements. I am getting ridiculously excited and despite still buying a few beauty bits here and there, I am trying to be very controlled with my spending in favour of things I will need to buy over the next few months in preparation of leaving and generally for money while I'm out there! 

If anybody has already been travelling around Asia and Oceana and has any handy tips or bits of advice on places to avoid/places definitely worth seeing I'd really appreciate it!

Kate x

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Life in photos #1

01. Chocolate treats at a girlie night in. Ashamed to say that I ate too many cadbury's fudges. 

02. I have my boyfriend well trained in making me hot chocolates with frothed milk, marshmallows and squirty cream. 

03. I was locked out at work after having the locks changed, so I waited in my car for someone to come and let me in. I work in rural Suffolk so I have some nice views.

04. I have new trainers for the gym and I absolutely love them. Much nicer than my old battered pair from when I was about 13. 

05. Out for an evening drink with the boy after going for a yummy chinese meal. I love shredded duck.

06. My boyfriend's Mum bought me this little chocolate angel from ChoccyWoccyDooDah on a trip to Brighton before Christmas. This is the before picture. You can probably imagine what the after picture looks like. 

07. A view from one of the two office windows last Monday. Snow looks so pretty when you don't have to drive in it.

08. Waking up to this last Tuesday was not fun. I busted out my super warm coat from when I lived in Berlin. Function over fashion. 

09. I went to see Django Unchained on Saturday with the boyfriend. It was actually the first certificate 18 I've seen at the cinema. 

This is my month of January so far in photos. I haven't done a 'photo' blog post before, so I hope you enjoy this! I always enjoy seeing what other bloggers have been up to. 

Kate x

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New Years Resolutions

I very rarely make new years resolutions, or at least, I try not to make outlandish ones that I know I won't keep - for example no chocolate until Easter or something equally as unlikely.

For 2013, I want to make some resolutions that I can keep, and by writing it in here, I at least have it well documented!

1. Be a better blogger - I started off so well with this blog, but slowly my posts have become fewer and fewer. Part of this is due to lack of time, and partly because I've had nothing new to share because I can't afford anything until the following month etc. Next year I am going to make a conscious effort to put more time into this, and also to participate more in the #bbloggers chats as I do enjoy them, but haven't participated as much as I'd like to this year.
2. Save more money - My boyfriend and I are hoping to go travelling in 2013 so I want to save money for that to make our plans reality and I would just like to start saving more money, as I'm sure I'll thank myself for it in the long run.
3. Stop grazing - After having reached my goal weight back in April, I have fallen off the wagon a little bit, and part of the problem is grazing at work. It has been quieter in the second half of the year, which means I notice hunger more and then eat more than I should. Equally we do get lots of treats which don't help, and when I'm not busy I have very poor self control....especially when they are put on the empty desk next to me. This one should be easier to do at the beginning of the year because work will start to pick up again and I will have less time to think about my stomach.

Three new years resolutions are doable I think, and I hope to stick to them. I would put 'exercise more' on my list, but I do go to the gym already (although I'm going through a bit of a slump at the moment) and I really don't think I'll manage to go anymore than I already do. 

Have you made any new years resolutions? What are they?

Kate x

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A first for me...

Last week one of my colleagues came into work and suggested we all go Go Karting, since our Easter Bowling trip was a success (despite me being the worst one there) and it was met with a mostly positive response. I'd never been, so I was quite nervous at the prospect, but I agreed to go anyway.

Tuesday night was when we'd booked for, and we all went straight from work. Throughout the day I'd got increasingly nervous as I remember when I was younger I never liked the quad bikes or anything motorised, so by the time we got there, I was anticipating thoroughly disliking it.

I can't say I was too impressed having to wear a hairnet, but since I was wearing a crash helmet it was the last thing I was worried about. Trying to find an actual jumpsuit to fit was a nightmare, I think I was the last one to find something that fit.

The girls were up first to do the practice laps and I was petrified. I couldn't quite get to grips with the accelerator and by the time the five practice laps were over I was ready to throw the towel in. I stuck with it and did all of my heats, fully knowing I wouldn't make the final, and I didn't even come last in all of them which I was quite impressed with. During my last heat I had a head on collision with one of the girls who had spun, which has left me a little sore since.

I did get the hang of the karts towards the end and going round the tight corners, which I was quite pleased about. During one of my heats our boss' wheel came flying off and I think that was the only time I overtook him as he was sat crashed into the tyre wall. During another heat, another guy's wheel came flying off too, at first I thought it was somebody's helmet, but no it was a tyre. Very reassuring for me!

It was nice to be out with work, but I don't think Go Karting is for me. If given the opportunity again, I'd rather sit on the sidelines I think. I am glad I went though, as it's something to say that I've experienced at least!

The drive home was a bit difficult though. Going from a kart with incredibly stiff steering, to my cars super light steering was a little baffling. Luckily the industrial estate the track is based on was deserted, so I had a little time to readjust before having to deal with oncoming traffic!

Go Karting Track

The winners of the final!

Kate x

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Liebster Blog Award

Jenni from Jenni My Style and Judy from Judy's Beauty Blog have both nominated me for the Liebster Award, which is pretty cool actually! I've seen the Liebster award being mentioned a few times before. I started blogging mid May, but didn't think I'd be nominated for it! I really like the idea of it :)

The Liebster Blog Award is given to upcoming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. The Meaning; Liebster is German and means sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing and welcome.

 Here are the rules for receiving this award: 

1. Each person must post 11 things about themselves 

2. Answer the questions the tagger has set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer. 

3. Choose 11 people and link them in your post. 

4. Go to their page and tell them. 

5. Remember, no tag backs! 

11 things about myself: 

1. I am left handed. 
2. My favourite colour is green. 
3. I am a quarter Malaysian (paternal Grandmother) 
4. My favourite animal is a giraffe. 
5. I am dyslexic. 
6. Aside from English, I speak French and German, some Spanish too though not as confidently. 
7. I like playing video games. 
8. I don't like liquorice. 
9. I'm a very messy person, I really struggle to keep things tidy.
10. I love The Beatles. 
11. I long to move to London. 

Jenni's questions: 

1. What is your phobia (come one, there must be something everyone is afraid of)? My phobia is snakes, which I realise is completely irrational, how often will I come into contact with snakes in my lifetime? But I hate them, I hate seeing them on tv and I just think they're evil. 
2. Something you wear everyday. A watch, I can't not wear a watch, I hate not knowing what the time is.  
3. Worst Habit? Interrupting people 
4. What do you think is the best thing invented? I think I would have to say cameras. 
5. Are you a tea drinker or a coffee drinker? Neither, I don't like hot drinks. I am on the other hand a squash fiend. 
6. How many pairs of shoes do you own? A lot, I'm not too sure off the top of my head but I'd hazard a guess at it being over 20. 
7. What would you do if you won the lottery? Depending on how much I won, probably buy a house and another mulberry bag. If it was only something like £7.00 then I'd probably use it to buy lunch in Tesco or something! 
8. Last 3 beauty products you last purchased? Benefit Dallas Ultra Plush Lipgloss, MAC Lipstick in Capricious and Hot Gossip, Schwarzkopf Glisskurs Hair treatment 
9. Name up to 3 must-have beauty items you cannot leave the home without? Powder, lipbalm, concealer 
10. Watched anything that made you cry? I cry at any remotely sad film. I think I've nearly cried out of happiness at a film once.... 

 Judy's questions: 

1. What is your favourite hair product and why? I'm yet to find one that I can't live without. Perhaps Dry Shampoo, I love the smell of it and it gives texture to my hair. 
2. Who is your favourite writer/novelist/poet? I'm trying to get back into reading, as uncultured as it sounds the author I have the most books from is Charlaine Harris (True Blood series) but my favourite book is A Very Long Engagement by Sebastian Japrisot.... 
3. What is your magazine of choice and why? Probably love it! I just love the trashy stories in it! 
4. What is your all time favourite movie? Cool Runnings 
5. Do you speak any other languages? Yes, French, German and Spanish 
6. What is your favourite makeup brand and why? Clinique, despite the price tag it's good quality. 
7. What is your favourite part about blogging? Knowing that people have read what I've written and are interested in what I have to say! 
8. What is your favourite perfume? Amor Amor by Cacharel 
9. What is your profession? I am a multilingual customer service executive 
10. Are you a romantic? Yes, no, maybe? A little, I surprised my boyfriend with a photobook of our recent holiday yesterday. He loved it. 
11. What is your favourite shoe brand? I don't really have one if I'm honest! 

My Questions 

1. Eyelash curlers; yes or no 
2. Do you wear foundation? 
3. What is your favourite cosmetic brand? 
4. Lipgloss or Lipstick? 
5. Why did you start (beauty) blogging? 
6. Where would your dream holiday be? 
7. Beauty boxes; yay or nay? 
8. What is your favourite colour? 
9. What is your favourite film? 
10. Do you have any pets? 
11. What is your most prized possession?

My nominations:
Tania
Emma
Monica
Hannah
Elena
Shiv
Alexandra
Kirsty
Alice
VLL
Beaumaquillage

Kate x

Berlin Trip June 2012

Hello!

I hope everybody is well!

So, I am back from my little holiday and very sad about this fact. I had such a wonderful time with my boyfriend and friends that I really didn't want to come back. 

My friends actually surprised me at the airport arrivals gate, I had no idea - one of them had even flown in from France to surprise me for my birthday! 

We saw the majority of the sights and did so much walking that my legs still feel like they are going to drop off - thank god I work in an office and minimal walking is required. Hopefully the walking counteracts all the bad food I ate while I was out there!

Berlin is a city that captured my heart back in 2007, but then my love affair with the city truly started in September 2009 when I moved there. I lived there until July 2010 and studied at one of the Universities, I like to go back when possible to see friends and also because I miss the city, going back to living in a town after living in a Capital is incredibly difficult.

Here are some photos of my trip, I tried to take some of me too but my hay fever flared up and the result was me looking somewhat like Rudolf (very unattractive):

East Side Gallery

Reichstag

Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe

Fernsehturm / TV Tower

Olympia Stadion / Olympic Stadium

Kate x

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Holiday Anticipation

Hello!

So, tomorrow I am off on holiday for five days with my boyfriend! We are off to Berlin which is where  I lived for a year as part of my degree and I couldn't be more excited to go back! To top it off, tomorrow is also my 23rd birthday! 

I saw my 21st birthday come in, in Berlin so I'm thinking that perhaps every other birthday should be celebrated there !

I don't have any posts scheduled unfortunately while I'm away, but hopefully there will be much to post about when I'm back! 

Have a lovely week/weekend!

Kate x

Herman the German Friendship Cake

Hello!

So today’s post is a little different. I’m writing about the German Sourdough Cake called Herman, I think recently this has become a big thing. I’d seen people referring to their cake as Herman on Facebook and wondered: “Why the hell are people naming their cake?!”. All was revealed to me a couple of weeks ago when my colleague presented me with a Tupperware of cake batter and instructions to take care of him over a period of ten days.

It is a food equivalent of a chain letter effectively, but a very yummy chain letter at that.

 Herman is ‘fed’ so much that by the penultimate day you split the batter into 4 equal shares, give three to friends for them to start the 10 day cycle all over again and then you bake your share the following day, usually with fruit (I’ve tried it with apple and with blueberries and colleagues of mine have tried pineapple and raspberries too).

It’s time consuming but it’s quite a nice thing to do, as it is a sourdough cake, there is a smell to the batter as it ferments – a bit like a beer smell which isn’t too overwhelming (or to myself at least)

These are the instructions that you’ll be given together with a little pot of batter:

• 1 cup sugar
• Half teaspoon salt
• 2 cups plain flour
• Two thirds of a cup cooking oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla essence
• 2 cooking apples cut into chunks (or other fruit if preferred)
• 1 cup raisins (optional)
• 2 heaped teaspoons cinnamon (optional)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder

The end result is a pretty large cake which is also good to share. If you ever get given Herman I would recommend doing it, the only difficulty I found was finding people to give it to, and I’ve ended up doing two cycles.

If you don’t want to wait to be given a Herman, you can start one from scratch and you can find the instructions here (Page 2).

Unfortunately I don't have a photo of my cakes, but I can assure you they were delicious. I also discovered this weekend that they can come under another name, my boyfriends parents were given one called 'Oscar' on Sunday, but looking at the instructions, it looks as though they've renamed it each time it has been passed on (judging by the scribbled out names on the instructions)

Have you been given Herman before?

Kate x