Things That Make You Go Oooooo (January 2014)

January is almost over, how is 2014 treating you so far? I'm in the mood for change, for a big shake-up I have so many plans and ideas but no idea how to execute them but I'm damn well gonna find a way and try my best. I definitely want to try a few new things on the blog to but fear not as I will be keeping this feature it's one of my first and my favourites, the internet is a big place and I love sharing the things that have made smile or think differently so here are some of my best picks for January 2014...

♥ Get Some Perspective: 4 Ways to See Yourself and the World Differently

♥ 8 Things You Don’t Know Are Affecting Our Choices Every Day: The Science of Decision Making

♥ 33 Of The Greatest Things That Happened On Tumblr In 2013

♥ Front Row Special on Buffy the Vampire Slayer

♥ DIY Snow Globe Necklace

♥ It’s A Mashup: Test Driving Natural Beauty Recipies

♥ The Meanings of the Selfie

♥ How to Be Confident and Reduce Stress in 2 Minutes Per Day

♥ Winter Detox

♥ You Are Good Enough

♥ New Year, New Productivity

♥ Why Fitspirations Make Me Mad

♥ The Key to Building an Engaged Audience Plus 30 Ideas for Fresh Content

♥ The Evolution of Bitchiness

♥ From Restlessness to Action: Enjoy Working Toward Your Dream

♥ More Doing, Less Promoting: The Key to Creating Great Work

♥ 14 Fucks I Refuse to Give in 2014

♥ Is it Ever OK to Work for Free?

♥ 10 Things Not to Say to Your Kids

♥ Why I Don't Believe In new Years Resolutions

Found something awesome and want to share it be sure to let me know in the comments!

Tea & Cookies

Cate

xoxo

Winter Warming Carrot, Ginger & Squash Soup

When the weather is chilly I always crave soup, normally I go straight for the noodle soup but this time I thought I would try out something different. Squash is a great winter vegetable which is full of anti-oxidants and will keep you feeling fuller for longer and paired with carrots and ginger this will give you a great nutrient boost and keep those colds away. I made mine extra spicy by adding smoked paprika (and extra ginger) but if you're not a fan of the spice you can omit this or use cumin instead, another spice which is great at boosting your immune system.

Ingredients

• 1/2 small squash
• 2 carrots
• 1 stick of celery
• 1 tsp of ginger
• 1 tsp of garlic
• 1 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of almond milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

♥ Peel and remove the seeds from the squash then dice the squash, celery, ginger, garlic and carrots into small pieces.

♥ Heat the coconut oil on a meduim heat in a saucepan then add the ginger, garlic, carrots, squash, celery and smoked paprika sauté

♥ Once the vegetables have softened add water, put on the saucepan lid and allow to simmer on a low heat for 10 - 15 minutes.

♥ Take the soup off the heat and blend until smooth.

♥ Add the almond milk and heat gently

♥ Serve and enjoy!

Good Luck

Cate

xoxo

The Most Delicious Places in Reykjavik

Reykjavik is a really great city to explore it's full of amazing street art, quirky shops, cuddly polar bears and some of the nicest food I've had in a long time, so here are just a few of my favourite food places I found on my recent trip to Iceland...

Santa Karamba 

(Laugavegur 22)

I had a massive craving for some ridiculously spicy food to warm me up and popped into this place and OMG was it good, the food was amazing, the atmosphere super friendly and the prices were really reasonable! Anyone who knows me knows I eat a stupid amount of chilli and when I asked for some hot HOT sauce I got it, in fact I devoured the whole bowl of it much to the surprise of the chef, I'd definitely recommend this place it was the best food I had in Reykjavik and quite possibly the best Mexican food I've ever had!

Lebowski Bar

(Laugavegur 20a)

Dude is this place awesome, seriously when I heard that such a place existed I just had to go! I love quirky places like this and they went all out I mean there's even a bowling lane on the wall! I had the "Walter Burger" and it was surprisingly delicious and my first experience of a White Russian was pretty gosh darn good to, in fact if I didn't have to get up so early the next day I would have tried a few more things off their "White Russian Menu" but I'll save that for my next visit if I'm lucky enough to go again!

Icelandic Fish & Chips

(Tryggvagata 8)

Second time eating here and it did not disappoint, although the "skyronnes" are kinda weird the fish is freshly caught that day, delicious, super crispy and melts in your mouth. I decided to try the salad this time as it's kinda a rarity in Iceland and they grow it themselves and it was no joke one of the nicest salads I've ever had, so fresh and so delicious and it complimented the fish perfectly, definitely recommended if you're ever in Reykjavik!

Sushi Samba

(Þingholtsstræti 5)

Japanese and South American may sound like a strange mix but it makes for a great name and some great food to. I saw some drool worthy pictures of sushi from this place in a magazine that morning and made it my mission to eat there and it did not disappoint, the calamari was so good I ordered seconds, the salmon ceviche a plate of pure happiness and the big plate of sushi rolls I had intended to share I ended up devouring all to myself so that's a pretty good indication food there was daaaamn gooood!

Café Loki

(Lokastigur 28)

Traditional Icelandic food can be a bit daunting with the pickled whale and sheep heads but Café Loki has some nice options for those of you not so brave but would still like a taste of Iceland. I went with mashed fish and picked herring on rye bread and despite my reservations it was actually really nice the fish was yummy and not too over powering and the rye bread was the best I had (I ate rye bread pretty much every day I was in Iceland it was that good!) and the rye bread ice cream definitely worth a try whilst my Dad wasn't too keen I loved it and despite the freezing temperatures outside devoured it pretty damn quickly but the "Loki tea" warmed me up so much so I even bought a pack to bring home with me. Café Loki is located right next to the church so you get a really beautiful view whilst you enjoy your Icelandic delights.

Café Haiti

(Geirsgata 7)

Last time we were there in 2011 I had the smoked salmon lunch and it was delicious but this time came for the coffee. If I wasn't already full from breakfast I probably would have devoured some of the delicious cake they had on offer but the coffee here is worth the trip alone, the owner was actually roasting the coffee beans in the back while we were there which must explain why the coffee there is so damn good, it's such a nice relaxing place to I could've spent all day there so if you're a coffee fan I definitely recommend you give this place a try.

Cookies & Coffee

Cate

xoxo

Thank You Nerd Burger

Christmas came a few days early for me when I heard I had won this awesome geeky giveaway hosted by Cazz of Nerd Burger and yesterday my amazing prizes arrived which was not only an awesome surprise but made a crappy day 100% better!

Big thank you to Cazz & Seven Seas I can't wait to read and wear and play with everything

xoxo

Nerd Burger has quickly become one of my favourite blogs so I totally recommend you go check it out for some colourful, geeky fun times and be sure to visit Cazz's Etsy Shop to which is full of adorable, quirky crafts, I'm totally loving my Bat Girl bow!

Love & Geek Hugs

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #46

"You can't look back; you have to keep looking forward."
- Lucy Liu

Kpop Workout Playlist

Kpop Workout 2 from Cateaclysmic on 8tracks Radio.

If you need a bit of extra motivation to get up and get moving here's one hour of some of my favourite Kpop tracks because there's nothing quite like Kpop to get you upbeat and dancing, enjoy!

사랑해 & 김치

Cate

xoxo

Pinky Paradise January Sale!

Circle lenses are my new addiction and if you had told me that this time last year I would have laughed, 2013 was the year I conquered my fear of contact lenses and it's now a brighter, sharper more colourful world. I love that I can change my eye colour whenever I want and the lenses are so comfy and easy to put on you would never know they were there.

My favourite circle lense store Pinky Paradise is having a sale so I wanted to share it with you guys, just click and enter the code below at checkout and you can get 20% off any order placed with them from now until midnight January 12th

NEWYEAR2014

Be sure to check them out as they stock a whole variety of lenses perfect for daily wear and cosplay, but if lenses aren't your thing Pinky Paradise also stock some great Asian beauty products including my favourite sheet masks from My Beauty Diary, I've already placed my order and can't wait for it to arrive!

Love & Lenses

Cate

xoxo

A Trip to Asgard (Hallgrímskirkja)

During my latest trip to Iceland a visit to Hallgrímskirkja was a must, although I saw it at a distance on my last trip I didn't get the chance to see it up close, luckily it was just a short walk away from where we were staying and seeing it up close somehow reminded me of Asgard...

 

It's a very beautiful church and I'd like to think that they took inspiration from it for the Thor movies as Iceland is very proud of its Norse roots and you can find all sorts of Viking related stuff around the city much to my delight!

The inside of Hallgrímskirkja is just as beautiful as the outside, there is a magnificent organ which must sound amazing and some beautiful stained glass windows, whilst there I decided to light a candle for my Nanna as she's been through a tough year and I knew even though she says she's not religious anymore it was something she would do if she was there.

  

But the highlight of Hallgrímskirkja has to be the view from the top, for 700k ($5/£3) you can take a lift to the top of the church and get a beautiful view of the Reykjavik, we were lucky to get there just as the sun was setting and the view was just breathtaking.

I was such a perfect way to start our trip, Iceland is such a beautiful country which never fails to amaze me and they'll be more on my adventures in the land of ice and fire soon!

Snowflakes & Hot Chocolate

Cate

xoxo

How to Get Fit, Strong & Fabulous for FREE!

2013 was the year I got fit and I didn't need a gym membership to do it! I'm honestly so proud at myself for keeping up with regular workouts and I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been, I never realised just how unfit I was until I got fit and now I feel amazing, so here are some of my favourite free workouts so you can feel amazing to.

BeFit

There are some awesome workouts on this channel I started doing the 30 day workout back in January to get my body used to physical exercise and it worked wonders and definitely helped grown my fitness level! They also post some great mobile workouts ranging from 10 - 40 minutes which are great to do if you're away or don't have a lot of time to workout. There's also a 90 day workout which I've started doing this month so go check them out there's pretty much something for everyone on this channel and a great starting point for beginners.

Blogilates

Cassey is probably one of my favourite trainers she knows exactly how to get you motivated and have fun and while some of her videos still pose a challenge for me I will definitely credit her for getting me more strong, toned and flexible and if you sign up to her newsletter you get an awesome new workout plan each month and she even has a beginners calender for pilates newbies.

XHIT

If you're looking for quick easy to follow workouts that get your heart pumping then check these girls out. I only recently discovered this channel and unfortunately it doesn't look like they've posted any new workouts in a while but there are plenty there to keep you busy and they're great to do rest days if you still want to be a bit active or on those days when you don't have the time to do a full workout.

Smoothies & Yoga Pants

Cate

xoxo