So last week, I received an email from my web host and they’re asking me for money to renew my domain subscription. I was like hang on a minute what? I paid you already, for the whole year! Don’t be ripping me off!

And then I realised that holy mother of God – thecattylife has been in business for one. whole. year.

Happy birthday, me!

It’s not like I was completely oblivious to my blog’s impending birthday. I remembered it was sometime mid-year last year that I started this blog, but blogging for me blends from year to year to yet another year, a virtual archive of memories that collects and collates, that brings me joy and hopefully, just maybe, it brings some of my readers a tiny bit of joy too.

Long before thecattylife, I had my blogspot, an ill-managed and terribly-designed blog which I started in 2004. It looked pretty darn ugly but it was my saviour, my confidant (well, it and the rest of the world) and believe it or not, my verbal vomit onto the interwebs probably saved me a trip or two to the shrink in my younger and more tormented days.

Blogging to me is sanity. Food is the luxury.

But here I am in 2010 with thecattylife, my pet project and excuse to eat out, cook and bake to my little heart’s content. Not only does it bring me a sense of peace and allow me to talk, or type, or talk and type at the same time as I often do, it has also brought a myriad of new friends into my life and most importantly, my parents love my blog. They send links to their friends! If that’s not rewarding, I don’t know what is!

*breathe* I need to pause, this is getting too soppy.

So. As we all know, here at thecattylife, I exploit any and every opportunity I have to celebrate via eating and today, I’m celebrating in utmost style by jetsetting my butt over to Paris to enjoy the long weekend and eat. Everything. Croissants and macarons and steak and — y’all just watch out for me now.

But I’m not leaving you guys empty handed either. To help celebrate my first birthday, Matcha Chocolat are giving my readers the chance to win a delectable box of premium chocolates – their brand new selection, the Jade Selection, which will be unveiled in June. It’s not even June yet! You can’t get newer than that, people.

I was lucky enough to sample Matcha Chocolat’s Emperor Selection which tantalised my taste buds. Aside from the quality of the chocolate used, the unique tea infusions and exquisite craftsmanship will blow you away.

The Jade Selection, which comes out on the first of June, contains 16 Tea Chocolates of the following variteties

  • Sencha – white chocolate centre + sencha green tea + white chocolate shell
  • China Rose – milk chocolate centre + rose pouchong tea + milk chocolate shell
  • Liquid Jade – dark chocolate centre + green tea liqueur + matcha green tea + white chocolate shell
  • Masala Chai – milk chocolate centre + Masala chai tea + dark chocolate shell
  • Strawberry Summer – milk chocolate centre + strawberry scented tea + English Breakfast tea + dark chocolate shell

Shhh.. sneak peek of the Jade Selection:

image courtesy of Matcha Chocolat

My chocolate receptors are quivering at the very thought of this selection and I’m almost jealous you guys get to try it before me. Almost. Except I’ll be in Paris swanning through oceans of Pierre Hermé macarons so it’s likely I’m not all that jealous at all 😉

Anyway, to be in for a chance to win this box of mind-numbingly gorgeous chocolates, leave me a comment and tell me which flavour in the Jade Selection sounds the best to you. Also, at this stage, Matcha Chocolat prefers to only post within the UK as these are fresh chocolates and don’t have an extensive shelf life, so I’m sorry to my international readers!

Ok! With that, I’m signing out, singing myself a husky Happy Birthday a la Marilyn, and wrapping up my day to start the long weekend.

Au revoir!

37 Thoughts on “birthday celebrations: thecattylife turns one and it’s giveaway time! Want some Matcha Chocolat?

  1. Happy Blog Birthday! I would not give away that box – I’d eat it all by myself!

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  3. Happy bloggiversary!

  4. Meeta: I know, secretly I am hoping no one responds to this post so I can keep it all to myself 😉

    Su-Lin: Thanks!! 😀

  5. Hey people make sure to say which chocolate sounds best to you if you want to receive the Jade Selection giveaway!!!

    Just choose from either: Sencha, China Rose, Liquid Jade, Masala Chai or Strawberry Summer, and write this in your comment to Catty.

    You know I am going to send her a box anyway….:)

  6. Happy blogversary! 🙂

    p.s Those chocolates look ridiculously good…

  7. Mark & Chi on May 28, 2010 at 12:56 pm said:

    Happy Birthday Cat/Blog! Always delicious to read and I’m sure there’s matcha more to come 😉

  8. Nobody seems to want to win Matcha Chocolat! More for me then 😉

    Su-yin and Mark&Chi: thanks for the birthday wishes guys xx and har-har-har Mark… there certainly is matcha more to come! 😀

  9. Happy birthday! Looking forward to meeting you next week. So jealous – please have a truffle macaron from Pierre for me. Intrigued by both masala chai and strawberry summer!

  10. I want em choccies!! Esp the Liquid Jade one. I have a weakness for anything green tea.

    Have fun in Pareeee!

  11. Happy blog bday! I want a box of that yummy choc!

  12. gastroanthropologist: Thank you! I’m so excited about Pierre Herme in all his Parisian glory ~ can’t wait! When am I meeting you?? Have I missed something?!

    Vix: I also have a weakness for all things green tea. In case you haven’t noticed.

    pigpigscorner: Thanks! 😀

  13. Jenny on May 28, 2010 at 3:15 pm said:

    Happy birthday for your blog, Catty! I’ve only been reading yours a few months but I scrolled back and read all the old posts ~ I love your blog, keep it up and have a superb time in Paris!

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  15. Jayna on May 28, 2010 at 4:00 pm said:

    Happy birthday, Catty’s blog.

    I have been reading for several months now. Like it even more now that you picked up baking since I have a weakness for sweet things.

    The China Rose one sounds interesting =)

    • Thanks for the great comment and yay about the baking! You know I only started baking last June. I love it though – relaxing (mostly) and rewarding cos you can share it with people (well, when you don’t eat it all first!) xx

  16. Happy blogaversary! It’s great that it brings you so much joy. I empathise because The Grubworm brings the same to me, alongside all those extra ounces round my middle…

    Have a great time in Paris, i may be be just a smidgen envious, but then I’m off to sunny Cornwall to eat pasties and clotted cream (and icecream) for the weekend so I don;t feel too awful. Have many a macaron and enjoy a much deserved rest.

    As for those delectable Match choccies, everyone else is not thinking clearly. Surely they can see that sencha and white chocolate is the ONLY flavour in the running 😉 All that sweet creamy loveliness and beautifully nutty smooth green sencha just scream LUXURY to me.

  17. Having tried the new selection, I can certainly say it’s FABULOUS!

    Am posting just to wish you a very happy blog birthday, don’t enter me into the competition as I’ve already been lucky enough to taste this beauty!

  18. Linh on May 28, 2010 at 8:01 pm said:

    Liquid Jade does it for me!
    Have a fantabulous weekend, and happy eating. Look forward to hearing alll about it. x

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  20. Happy Blogoversary dear and lovely Catty! Have a brilliant time eating your way through gay Paree and think of me doing the same in Milano! So glad you hav this blog or I wouldn’t have found you at all ^^

  21. Happy Bloggerversary honey, here’s to many more! Hope you’re having a fab time in gay Pareee xx

  22. poptart on May 29, 2010 at 4:38 pm said:

    Happy Bloggerversary hope you celebrate in style in gay Paree!

    Those chocolates look insanely good now how to choose just one flavour – ok if you’re twisting my arm very very hard I’d go with the Liquid Jade – YUM YUM YUM!

  23. food deprived on May 29, 2010 at 5:55 pm said:

    happy blog birthday!! and liquid jade please!! its MY birthday on saturday TEEHEE! =D

  24. risottogirl on May 29, 2010 at 6:53 pm said:

    Love your blog catty, happy 1st birthday and keep up the entertaining work 🙂

    I think the sencha sounds the yummiest to me x

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  27. Jo Bryan on May 30, 2010 at 10:37 am said:

    Happy 1st Blogaversary, and how lovely to be jetting off to to Paris too. Extremely jealous!!!

    I found this very hard to chooe a chocolate what a task as I was slightly drooling reading all the descriptions, however, i think the fact its the season for English strawberries I had to choose Strawberry Summer – milk chocolate centre + strawberry scented tea + English Breakfast tea + dark chocolate shell….Mmmmmmmmm

  28. Pingback: Does tea make you gassy? | Tea

  29. Hey

    Happy 1st birthday…good work Catty.

    Onto those chocolates…It’s was between the Sencha and Liquid Jade. With just the descriptions to go on it has to be the Liquid Jade – Dark chocolate with a liquid matcha centre…sensational. I’m keen on the Sencha Green Tea Centre in the Sencha one but not so much on the white chocolate.

    Enough typing, feel like having chocolates now…going to raid my cupboards now…Yum

  30. EVERYONE! Thank you soooo much for the birthday wishes and your input for what flavour of Matcha Chocolat you like best. I’ve just touched down back from Paris and am full and fat and pimply and extremely HAPPY to have eaten all of those good things on the weekend. Will blog about it soon enough 🙂

    Anyone else who wants to enter the Matcha Chocolat competition do so tonight! Tomorrow (June 1) a winner will be selected by random. Stay chooned lovelies xx

  31. Too late to win I know but happy 1st blogaversary !!

  32. Hi y’all ~ I’ve done the draw and the mysterious “H” is the winner! Congratulations, I’ll drop you an email shortly 🙂

  33. WOOOHOOOOO…THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

    I know people always say that they never win anything but I’ve never been the lucky (or chosen) one before…SO HAPPY…life seems brighter with good chocolates 😀

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