Things that make you go Oooooo (May 2011)

by red.dahlia

As I'll be in California now I'm actually writing this post before I leave as I'll be living in a trailer in a canyon with no tv and no internet, not that I'll be too concered with that though as I'll be waking up to gibbon calls every morning and helping do something possitive to conserve their species and I'm quite happy to give up my TV and internet for a month to do that but I'll be back to reality soon so in the meantime here's some great links to keep you occupied.

♥ How To Deal When Your Life Is In Shambles - Awesome advice and an awesome post, I totally agree with every point made.

♥ Attention, Women: Big Food Hates You

♥ The Artists Way #1: Recovering A Sense of Safety - If you're stuck in a creative rut these are some great tips on how to get your groove back.

by ftwentytwo

♥ Neil Gaiman on Copyright Piracy and the Web - This is such a great insight from Neil Gaiman on how piracy actually increases sales on his work.

♥ Why do I Blog?

♥ What I Learned Working In A Porn Store -" I don't judge my customers for watching adult movies. I judge them for the shifty, strange ways they shop"

by Lei è ree

♥ Corset X-Rays from 1908 - Absoluetly stunning!

♥ The Lifelogger vs The Lifeblogger

♥ Seed Paper Tutorial - So easy to make and so pretty.

by freakygee

♥ The Real 90's - I feel so nostalgic when reading this blog and it brings back memories of the 90's which I thought I had forgotten.

♥ Beauty is not a spectrum

♥ 10 Surefire Ways To Live Below Your Full Potential - Is this you? Yes? well it's time for a change don't you think?

by loray

♥ 8 Tips For Fashion Photography - Zhang Jingna (Zemotion) one of my favourite photographers shares her secrets on how to get that perfect shot.

♥ How To Focus

♥ Picking Your Luxuries: A Guide To Living Lavishly With Less - Love these tips, big or small it's always great to have something to save up and look forward to mine of course is global adventures.

by Ashley

♥ Twitpics from Space - How amazing is it that we can recieve photos of the Earth from space? It completely blows my mind!

♥ I Confess, I'm A Workoholic

♥ Back to the Future - I LOVE this photography project and for a long time now I've wanted to re-create my old childhood pictures so this has definitely given me the inspiration and push I needed.

by Bakerella

♥ On Bright Faith and Why Falling in Love is Totally Uncool - Forget being cool guys consider this your permission slip to get excited and do silly things!

♥ Friends and Enemies

♥ We May Be Plastic But Our Love Is Real - Ok so I may be totally out of the loop here but Ken and Barbie broke up? But it's nice to see that even out little plastic friends can have a happy ending.

Disney's Princess Ke$ha - watch more funny videos

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Mac & Milk Fashion Week SS2011 from Kalvin Lazarte on Vimeo.

Love & Sparkly Hugs

Cate

xoxo

Rhubarb and Ginger Crumble

Rhubarb season is upon us and one of my favourite things to do with it (aside from dip in in sugar and crunch away) is make a crumble. Crumbles are probably the easiest and tastiest desserts to make and are delicious with custard and ice cream as well as on their own. This recipe was a bit of an experiment but judging by the rate at which it was eaten it was quite a success so I thought I would share it with you guys.

For the crumble

• 100g finely chopped almonds
• 100g cold butter or margarine
• 150g wholemeal flour
• 50g granulated sugar
• 75g brown Sugar
• 1 tsp of ground cinnamon

For the  base

• 200g fresh rhubarb
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger (can be more if you want a little extra spice)
• 2 tbsps brown sugar
• 1 can of ginger beer

* please note that these measurement are approx. as I tend not to weigh when I bake so feel free to add more or less of something if you need to.

♥ Preheat the over to 180°c

♥ Cut the rhubarb into 1" - 2" chunks then place into a saucepan with the sugar and ginger beer and simmer until tender.

♥ Once the rhubarb is tender drain the excess juice off then place the rhubarb into a baking dish and mix in the grated ginger.

♥ Mix all the ingredients for the crumble together until it resembles breadcrumbs, you can do this by hand or by using a food blender by using short pulses.

♥ Put the crumble mix on top of your rhubarb base and place into the over to cook for 15 - 20 minutes.

♥ Remove from the over, serve and enjoy!

Eat & Stay Healthy

Cate

xoxo

Why I Love Green Tea

Drink Tea & Stay Healthy

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #14

I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men. - Marlene Dietrich

Bye Bye Blighty, Hello Hollywood!

Tomorrow morning I'll be up bright and early and on my way to Los Angeles, California. I'm extremely excited as this will be my second visit to California and my second volunteer trip and though it may not all be glitz and glamour cleaning out gibbon enclosures I'll most definitely have a fun time whilst I'm out there.

Needless to say I will probably be too busy to keep a running document of my adventures, so blog posts will be infrequent but I will definitely tell you all about them on my return in June.

So for anyone who has ever been or lives in Los Angeles tell me where are the best places to eat, the weirdest most wonderful places you've visited and the one thing I just have to do and see whilst I'm there, I'll look forward to your recommendations and hopefully get to meet a few of you soon.

Love & Sparkling Adventures

Cate

xoxo

The Frequent Flyer: 20 Discoveries I Made in China

by alvinclsmy

I'm so excited because on Saturday I'll be travelling on my second solo adventure to sunny California. Last year I visited China and in memory of that adventure and in excitement of my adventures to come I thought I would look back and and share a few of the interesting and amusing discoveries I made during my stay in the land of noodles, pandas and great walls!

1. There's no such thing as ice so even when the sun is blazing expect to be served a nice refreshing glass (or plastic cup) of piping hot tea!

2. Apple Jam

3. Ready-to-poop-pants

4. Taxi drivers have no idea where they're going and drive like maniacs!

5. Ultrasound to determine the sex of a child is outlawed.

by Magali C

6. They only use chopsticks

7. Children are very wise there and seem to grow up quickly.

8. It's VERY polluted

9. China Post is SUPER DUPER cheap, so be sure to send a ton of postcards when you're there.

by Sharyn Morrow

10. Nothing EVER works!

11. Pineapple beer & that beer in some cases is cheaper than water!

12. Foreigners are rare birds which must be photographed and now I know how celebrities feel when they're hounded by the paparazzi!

13. Women dress really well, pretty, frilly, floral dresses are plenty and they don't need a special occasion to wear them, me likey!

14. Chinese gameshows RULE!

by Tadanag

15. Squat toilets are unavoidable

16. Fresh hand-pulled noodles are a gift from the gods

17. Aubergine is the vegetable of choice

by Stacey Viera

18. Queuing is non-existent

19. You have to haggle EVERYWHERE!

20. Shopping malls resemble old fashioned market places, so noisy!

Love, Noodles & Happy Memories

Cate

xoxo

Related Links
The Frequent Flyer: Things to do in Xi'an (China)
The Frequent Flyer: Things to do in Beijing (China)
The Frequent Flyer: Living with Pandas [Part 1]
The Frequent Flyer: Living with Pandas [Part 2]