Things That Make You Go Oooooo (December 2016)

Goodbye 2016!! I started this year in Japan, came back to the U.K. for a few months then packed up and moved to Thailand and right now I'm catching a flight back to the U.K. to spend a few weeks catching up with friends and family. 2016 has been a strange yet amazing year and I'm super excited for 2017 and all the new adventures that will come with it, I hope everyone out there is happy and healthy, remember to take care of yourself and never stop dreaming xoxo

♥ 14 Habits Of Happy People

♥ Tips For Self Care Exercises

♥ How To Live A Happier Life By Changing Your Thoughts

♥ 8 Tips For Moving To Another Country

♥ 10 Creative Ways To Express Gratitude

♥ 15 Creative Ways To Make Money

♥ How To Stop Being A Doormat And Start Speaking Up

♥ It's Actually Pretty Weird That We Think In Words

♥ 40 Ways To Let Go Of Anger Right Now

♥ How To Be Yourself

a

♥ 10 Things You Need To Do Before 2017

♥ How To Talk To Strangers

♥ The Secret To Learning A New Language

♥ 30 Writing Prompts For Lifestyle Bloggers

♥ How To Shoot Outfit Pictures

♥ Should I Dump My Oldest Friend

♥ 28 Adrenaline Boosting Fitness Resources For Geeks

♥ Speaking The Language Of The Vikings

♥ How To Find Adventure In Every Day

♥ How To Turn Your Anxiety Into Success

Love & Cookies

Cate

xoxo

SURPRISE MY ETSY IS REOPEN... Temporarily!

I'll be travelling back to the U.K. for a short break in just a few days so as a surprise I thought I would re-open my Etsy Shop for a few weeks as quite a few people have been asking me about buying scarves recently and I know it's been quite a cold winter in the northern hemisphere so you might need something to keep you a little bit warmer on those chilly days.

This will most likely be your last chance to buy scarves as I won't be making them any more and all my remaining stock will be going to one of the local handmade craft stores in Thailand, so if you want anything make sure you get those orders in quick and I will ship them to you in the new year!

Also I'll be listing a few things over on eBay to try and clear out my wardrobe a bit more now I pretty much have to live out of my suitcase so be sure to check those out to

Thank you everyone for your support & I wish you a happy healthy 2017

Love & Bunnies

Cate

xoxo

Christmas in Osaka

Christmas is just a few days away and this will be my second Christmas in Asia so I thought I would share a few photos from my Christmas in Japan last year specifically my time in Osaka seeing the Hikari Kyoen or Festival of Lights.

We actually left Osaka on Christmas Eve and spent Christmas Day in Tokyo visiting Tokyo Tower and the Kapibarasan Café but Osaka was so full of pretty Christmas illuminations and decorations that I had to share even though it's a year late.

I definitely felt a lot more of a Christmas vibe around Osaka than I did in Tokyo in fact one morning I was woken up by a bunch of people riding motorcycles past our apartment dressed as Santa and after one of out shopping trips to Closet Child we saw it fake snowing in the mall across the road where there was a giant illuminated reindeer.

The Festival of Lights is definitely a must see if you're in Osaka for Christmas, it's very popular and there were lot's of people there watching the light show and enjoying all the food and drink stalls where you can get all kinds of foods from Western to Japanese and of course hot wine and sake. The main draw is the 3D light projection show which was very beautiful, I was pretty much mesmerised for the whole 10 minutes! Although Christmas isn't a popular celebration in Asia I'm always surprised and delighted by the little ways they celebrate and this was definitely a happy Christmas memory for me.

Where would you love to spend your Christmas?

Love & Sake

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #81

“Don’t be afraid of failure when you’re young, but go against it. Isn’t that what youth is about?”
- Mademoiselle Yulia

5 Live Action Anime Movies That Are Worth Watching

Live action anime has a pretty bad rep. and I will admit I've probably seen more I've disliked than liked but there are some really good ones out there to so don't rule the genre out completely just yet. A lot of anime seems to be getting made into live action movies lately and even Hollywood has started to join the trend with the soon to be released Ghost in the Shell movie so I though I would share a few that I've recently watched and enjoyed.

My Love Story!!

(俺物語!!)

If you're not familiar with this popular anime and manga it's a really funny and cute one to check out. The story follows Takeo, an awkward ogreish looking guy, who has no luck with the ladies as they all fall for his stereotypical gorgeous and charming best friend Suna until he rescues a cute girl called Rinko and they begin to fall for each other. What really makes this movie as enjoyable as the anime is the casting of Takeo the lovable big guy, he not only looks the part the acts the part as if he's just stepped out of the manga, I found myself laughing out loud many times while watching this and the movie stayed very true to its roots so if you're a fan of the original I totally recommend it!

Erased

(僕だけがいない街)

You might recognise this one as I recommended the anime series in a previous post so be sure to check that one out if you haven't already. Just incase you haven't heard of  Erased (Boku Dake Ga Inai Machi) I won't go into the story-line too much as the mystery is a big part of the plot and although I already knew what was coming when watching the movie it still kept me captivated and really hit me in the feels, the children, especially Hinazuki, really did an awesome job and I found myself feeling more for these characters in the movie than I did in the anime. The movie holds up to the anime pretty well and the acting is great although the ending does seem a bit rushed but it's still definitely worth checking out.

Wolf Girl and Black Prince

(オオカミ少女と黒王子) 

This is a typical shoujo romance story and I have to admit I didn't really like the anime but I gave the movie a go mostly because Kento Yamazaki was in it and even if it was awful staring at his pretty face for a couple of hours would be worth it haha! But I actually enjoyed the movie a lot more than the anime and found the characters much less annoying as the overall vibe of the movie was more realistic with less cringe worthy humour, the complete opposite to My Love Story!! The story and a few of the side characters were changed but it didn't bother me too much if at all. Sidenote: I also got a bit nostalgic watching this movie seeing them walking down the same streets I had walked when I was in Japan, it makes me want to go back there so much!

Parasyte

(寄生獣)

This anime was one of the first I watched after my "break" and it totally got me back into the game as sci-fi horror was always one of my fave anime genres and I love an anime that makes me question the world around me. I had heard quite a few negative things about the movie so my expectations were low but it was actually a really good movie. I loved how much effort was put into the CGI and special effects because they looked amazing, Parasyte is an anime that is hard to imagine in real life but they did such a good job of making it look and feel realistic and although there is quite a bit of violence and gore it wasn't presented in an overly indulgent way or played for shock value as you find with most other movies of this genre.

Ace Attorney

逆転裁判

I think most people are familiar with the Ace Attorney Nintendo games and this movie pretty much follows the plot of the first game. This movie is over two hours long and it took me a few watches to get into at first and the fact that the cast look so ridiculous in those wigs was kinda jarring but once I did actually get into the movie I really did enjoy it and even though I've played the game several times and knew what the outcome would be I still felt those moments of tension and really enjoyed seeing the conclusion of the case. The movie is very loyal to the game in that it's almost an exact copy even down to the way it looks and I'm not just talking costumes and ridiculous wigs even the courtroom has an element of the game in it with its high-tech screens and confetti. I was actually surprised I enjoyed it as much I did but I'd totes be up for another movie if they decided to make one. Oh and one final fun fact about this movie is that Takashi Miike directed this.... yeah... that kinda surprised me to considering the type of films he's most known for...

What is the best, worst or weirdest live action anime you've ever seen?

Love & Okonomiyaki

Cate

xoxo

Kawaii Christmas Wishlist

It seems so strange to me that Christmas is just around the corner. Now I'm living in the tropics every day feels like summer so I'm in a perpetual state of July and haven't really given much thought to the holidays although I will be returning to the UK and its cold winter for a visit very soon. I've been living the minimalist travellers life for a while now so there's very little I actually want but my shopaholic tendencies will never die so here are just a few things that have caught my eye.

♥ Holographic Backpack - I've swapped out my satchels for backpacks recently as they're just so much more convenient to travel with and the backpack trend is pretty strong here in Asia so there are quite a few that have caught my eye but this one is definitely my fave!

♥ Dinosaur Hoodie -  I recently watched this Thai drama about a cute boy into Dinosaurs (more about that soon) and I have wanted to get myself a Dino hoodie just like his ever since, I've actually wanted one for a while but seeing this drama just ignited my love for them again.

♥ Daenerys Dragon Necklace - Ever since I saw Daenerys wearing this necklace in Game of Thrones I have wanted it in my life so I was super excited to see you could actually buy the real thing... although it's waaaay out of my price range I can still dream...

♥ Sailor Moon Miracle Romance Compact - This is something I might actually buy because I've seen it in a few shops in Bangkok but it's kinda pricey although saying that the Sailor Moon make-up line is actually really good quality and I love their eyeliners and lipstick so this would be the perfect addition to my collection and useful to.

♥ Sailor Moon Sukajan - When I was in Tokyo last year I made it my mission to get a souvenir jacket as it's something I've wanted for a long time, the trend was only just starting there at the time and now it's huge and you can find so many awesome designs including this Sailor Moon one which I would have snapped up in a heartbeat had they had it in store when I was there.

♥ Twinkling Stars Skirt - Galaxy fashion is something I think I'll always be into and this skirt actually lights up which I think is so awesome!

♥ Yankee Candles - Candles always get me into the festive spirit and Yankee candle has the best scents I love the fruity scents and the cake ones smell so delicious to, I've been searching all over for some candles like them in Thailand but had no luck yet so I'll be stocking up on them when I'm back in the UK!

What do you hope Santa brings you for Christmas?

Love & Moonlight

Cate

xoxo

Things That Make You Go Oooooo (November 2016)

2016 is almost at an end can you believe it? The weather has started to get a bit cooler in Thailand although it's nowhere near as cold as the U.K. I mean winter temperatures here are considered a heatwave in the U.K.! This will be my second Christmas in Asia and although I have spotted quite a few Christmas trees it's nowhere near as big a celebration is in the west which I actually kind of like because from September onwards it can be Christmas overload. December is going to be a really busy month for me but I'm looking forward to it so much...


♥ 8 Ways You Can Survive and Thrive In Midlife

♥ Your Instagram Photos Can Reveal Whether You Have Depression

♥ Stars Getting Rich Off Fan Conventions: How to Take Home "Garbage Bags Full of $20s"

♥ Tom Hiddleston Interviewed by Benedict Cumberbatch

♥ The DIRTY 30 COMMANDMENTS of Working for Yourself: How to Slay Like an Unf*ckwithable Boss

♥ 10 Things to Stop Doing If You Want to Be Happy

♥ 7 Alternative Ways To Evaluate Your Life Every Day

♥ Go For It: How to Stick With Your Budget

♥ 29 Tips To Make Your Blog Posts Better

♥ No-Bullshit Business Advice From Babes You'd Like To Be BFFS With

♥ Free Blog Post Checklist 

♥ This Powerful Commercial Features an Important Message From a Dad to His Daughter

♥ Real-life Kiki’s Bakery is worth a visit whether you’ve seen the anime it’s based on or not

♥ 11 Best Tips for Staying Beautiful When You Travel

♥ 15 Things To Do When You're Single

♥ The Bravest Choice of All

♥ 5 Reasons Why It's Ok To Be Silly

♥ TED Talks for Geeks

♥ My Favourite Hashtags To Gain Likes And Organically Grow Your Instagram

♥ 8 Things Not to Say to Someone Who's Struggling with Anxiety

Love & Hot Chocolate

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #80

"With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?"
- Oscar Wilde

Kawaii Box Unboxing & Giveaway

Who doesn't love getting cute surprises in the mail? Well if you're anything like me you'll absolutely love, Kawaii Box, a monthly subscription service that will send you a box full of random kawaii goods and candy each month! Prices start at just $19.80 per month and include free worldwide shipping which I think is a pretty amazing deal and trust me the boxes are totally worth it I mean just check out the video below to see what was inside this box...

As you can see I absolutely adored everything in this box especially the dango bunny plushie which I now keep next to my bed and all that awesome adorable stationery is going to really help me with my studies to because there's nothing like cute things to keep you motivated!

Kawaii Box have very kindly let me host a giveaway where one of you lucky people can receive your own awesome box full of cute goodies so be sure to check out the widget below for details on how you can enter ♥

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck

Cate

xoxo

Things That Make You Go Oooooo (October 2016)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! It's my favourite creepy cute holiday of the year so to celebrate I will be watching some creepy movies although I'm not sure which ones yet so be sure to recommend me some in the comments. It's hard to believe 2017 is almost here as it's forever summer in Thailand my brain keeps on thinking it's only July which isn't a bad thing as I quite enjoy the warmer weather after all the cold winters I've had although I'll admit I do miss seeing the seasons change...

♥ 10 Mantras To Kickstart Your Morning

♥ A Geeks Guide to Fighting Procrastination

♥ On Making A "Fuck That!" List

♥ All The Glorious Perks of Having a Lifelong BFF

♥ 5 Witchy Travel Destinations

♥ How To Be Perfectly Unhappy

♥ Stop-Motion Animation Turns Woman Into A Human Canvas

♥ Tips For Taking Photos In Cold Weather

♥ The Blog is Dead, Long Live the Blog

♥ 10 Childish Things To Embrace

♥ 29 Tips to Make Your Blog Posts Better

♥ Single woman spends 14 years with mannequin family to make a point

♥ The 50 Dos and Don'ts of Running Your Own Business

♥ You’re Not Bad; You’re Crying Out for Help

♥ 40 Self Care Techniques To Rejuvenate And Restore Yourself

♥ 5 Ways Coffee & Pie Can Help You Through Your Break Up

♥ Creepy and Cool Things To Do in Rome

♥ This Guy Photoshops His Dog Into A Giant In All His Pics And It’s Hilarious

♥ DIY Funko Shelves From Collector Corps Boxes

♥ Wonder Woman Nails

Love & Pumpkins

Cate

xoxo

Catmosphere Cat Café - Chiang Mai - Thailand

Cat Cafés have well and truly taken over Thailand! I visited my first Cat Café on my birthday a few years ago now in Bangkok but when I heard there was a space themed Cat Café here in Chiang Mai I knew I had to go check it out I mean what a perfect combination!

All the cats in Catmosphere have spaced themed names and upon entering the café I was greeted by a gorgeous Persian called Yoda in fact I go so swarmed by kitties when I first sat down I barely had a chance to check out the menu. There's a 100 baht entrance fee to the café unless you order food or a drink so I ordered a cappuccino and brownie which cost slightly more than your average café but in my opinion is worth it as they tasted pretty good and also you get to play with cute kitties for as long as you want, they also give you free water to which one of the cats decided to drink but they gave me another glass which kitty tried to steal from me again but I managed to drink myself until my back was turned and he stole again...

There is all sorts or cool Star Wars cat themed artwork on the walls which I really wanted for my house and I loved the music they played there so many 80's classics from Michael Jackson to Europe  I found it hard not to sing along, I could have easily spent all day just chilling there.

All the kitties seemed to have a fascination with my Captain America backpack and a few came over and just sat on it, a girl sitting next to me was also working on her laptop and one of the cats climbed into her laptop bag and fell asleep it was the cutest thing!

The kitties are super friendly here and they're not afraid to come up and play with you or sit in your lap, I went in the morning which is supposed to be one of the times where they're most active so a great time to visit. There's also a few toys there which you can use to tempt the kitties to play with you which is great fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this cat café and I can see I'm going to be a regular here, they even have really cute space themed t-shirts with the kitties on so I may have to get myself one of those next time, in fact I didn't realise it at the time but I was even wearing a space cat themed outfit that day (my galaxy skirt and a Hello Kitty top) so how could I not love this place?

What nerdy name would you give your cat?

Love & Cats

Cate

xoxo

5 Asian Dramas I'm Watching & Loving

It's not just anime I've been watching a lot of lately it's Asian dramas, they're kinda a guilty pleasure of mine and I tend to watch a lot of Thai dramas so I can practice my language skills even though every drama seems to follow the same story but I do kinda like them as they don't take things to seriously and they cast the best looking people haha! I don't just watch Thai dramas though I watch a lot of Japanese and Korean ones to so here are a few of my faves that I've recently watched

Imaginary Cat (상상고양이)

This is a Korean drama based on a popular webtoon about a struggling comic artist that one rainy day finds a stray cat and falls in love. The drama is told from both the protagonists and the cat's point of view which is super cute and I really enjoyed, it's very funny but as the story begins to unfold you get hit right in the feels so be warned you might need tissues.

Why Can't Seiya Todoin, 16-Year-Old, Get a Girlfriend?

( なぜ東堂院聖也16歳は彼女が出来ないのか?)

So the title pretty much says it all, this drama is all about Seiya Todoin who's handsome, smart and rich but pretty much clueless about girls and his mission to get a girlfriend. So I watched this a long time ago with Violet when we were in Japan because Yutaka Kobayashi who plays Kaito in Kamen Rider Gaim was in it and it completely shattered my illusions of this guy being super cool because he is such a dork in this (and in real life) but I loved how stupid and hilarious this drama was and I still want a second season dammit!

Ugly Duckling: Don't (รักนะเป็ดโง่ ตอน)

This is a Thai drama about a girl who gets bullied at school by her first crush then becomes a complete social recluse and deals with it by wearing a box over her head. So I kinda related to this drama in the fact that I'm totally socially awkward and have at times just wanted to hide away in a box but I learned to deal and so does Maewnam. This drama is equal parts funny and cute and the cast is hot! I loved the development of the characters in this drama to from Maewnam living in box to becoming a strong woman and standing up to the bullies not just for her sake but for her friends and family. If you're new to Thai dramas then this is part of a collection of series titled Ugly Ducking which are just 7 episodes long and although I haven't actually seen the other series yet they're definitely on my watch list.

Mr. Nietzsche in the Convenience Store

(ニーチェ先生～コンビニに、さとり世代の新人が舞い降りた～)

This Japanese drama is basically about a bunch of oddballs that work the late shift at a convenience store. So this drama may not sound like much but it is hilarious, I found myself laughing out loud many times watching this, if you can't already tell I love a drama that doesn't take itself too seriously and this was such a fun watch so I totally recommend it if you need a giggle.

Criminologist Himura and Mystery Writer Arisugawa 

(臨床犯罪学者 火村英生の推理)

If you love murder mystery shows you will love this one and if you're a Sherlock fan you will love it even more because this show is basically Japanese Sherlock I mean they even have the same hairstyle! I also love the fact that the show is set in Kyoto (one of my fave places)so you get to see a lot of traditional Japan. The series is based on the novels of Alice Arisugawa and after watching the series I'm definitely going to check out the books!

What Asian dramas have you watched?

Love & Chai

Cate

xoxo

Inspirational Quotes #79

"Be a voice not an echo."
– Albert Enstein

Becoming a Monk in Thailand

One of the common traditions in Thailand is for the males of the family to join the monastery for a period of time in order to bring good luck to their family. Back in May my family held a big celebration for my cousin who decided to become a monk and the planning and preparations for this started almost a year in advance.

Our whole family from Bangkok (and Sukhothai) made the journey early morning to Singburi with our car packed full of food and other offerings for the monks. When we reached his house it was already packed full of people drinking, eating and dancing to traditional Thai music then our first family duty was to begin the cleansing where you shave off all his hair and eyebrows, wash him in water and turmeric then he dons a white robe and begins his blessings.

We woke up early the next day in order to start the procession from his house to the temple which in reality was only a few kilometres away but the walk took us a few hours! Loud music is played and the whole family dances and celebrates in the street, it was so much fun and we all wore matching T-shirts with our family name on, I actually had a little part in designing them to as I chose the colours and the fonts we used, although I'm still clueless about a lot of Thai traditions I love that my family allows me to be a part of them and teach me new things.

At the temple each of the family were given a package of offerings to give to the monks, these packages can contain food, money, toiletries, robes, basically anything the monks will need for their stay there as monks enter the monastery with nothing and rely on donations for their stay there.  We made the procession around the temple three times, which is said to be auspicious, before my cousin enters the temple to take his vows and change from his white robes into the tradition orange monk robes.

The ceremony ended with the family offering food to the monks, praying and receiving blessings, then my cousin was left alone to spend his time at the temple with the elder monks. I had so much fun celebrating with my family although it was ridiculous hot and I really enjoy seeing and being a part of these Thai traditions although I may not fully understand what's going on at times and I'm very much looking forward to the next big celebration we have together.

If you want to learn more about becoming a monk be sure to check out this link

Love & Blessings

Cate

xoxo