Pretty Bits - Part Chic, Part Geek

Retrevo - Shopping Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:23:00 +0000

It's that time of the year again. It's Christmas!! Time for me to pamper myself with a brand new gadget - a new Digital Camera!!!

I may be a techie but I have to admit, I am no camera or electronics expert. And being a typical human being, I do not want to just buy any camera I lay my eyes on. I need to know the specifications, preferable tried and tested reviews.

Thus, I embarked on my most trusted way of sourcing for product reviews and I found a SUPERB website - Retrevo. Wait!! Guess what the website's tagline is.. "Matching People And Electronics" It was perfect!!

It doesn't just provide product reviews, it also includes features like:

Product specification
Price checks from various other websites
Product reviews

The coolest part of the search was the fact that all products are categorized to "Low range, Mid range, Top range" which makes it really user-friendly. Check out the Expert Reviews and ratings!!

I must have spent hours browsing the website on all kinds of electronic gadgets from laptops to mobile phones to DVD players etc.. It was way too cool!

Makes shopping for electronics so much easier since you can do all your research, review expert advice and BUY the products all at once!

So, go check out the website today. You will be gobsmacked by the wealth of information it provides.

Shopping Research Made Easy With Wize

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 12:40:00 +0000

Being a self-proclaimed SHOPAHOLIC, I practice what I would call the "Code of Shopping -The Smart Way", which essentially means to research before deciding on something to buy. This is especially applicable for big items or electronics. With the surge and advancement of technology, we can no longer keep up with which brand holds the latest techie gadgets or has the best use of current technological expertise. I for one, tend to like reading product reviews before buying anything (apart from clothes and shoes).

For bigger items like DVD players; computers; laptops or cameras (just to name a few), I would really almost always do a decent amount of research before deciding on the item that fits my needs. And this research can take hours or days! However, I recently chanced upon a website that does Product Reviews for a wide range of products and more.

Wize has a very unique way of consolidating product reviews that are done by other websites and ranking the products according to these reviews. Wize basically collects reviews and ratings from thousands of sources on the web including Amazon and Cnet (that i used to use) and calculate a WizeRank for the product. So, for us shoppers, it's a great tool to use when we are desperately researching or in a dilemma of which brand or product to buy.

I love Wize and have been using it since. It's saved me tons of hours doing numerous research from different websites. This is basically a "One Hit Wonder" for me!

Best way to shop this festive season

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:02:00 +0000

Yeah it's the time of the year again. Festive shopping has always been a HUGE headache for me and people around me. Just the thought of making out the list of gifts to buy for whom and from where drives me insane!

Well, I have recently chanced upon a FABULOUS way to shop for Christmas or any special occasion - Shopping Gift Cards!!! These aren't just your regular boring stores, there are a wide range of different types of gift cards to suit everyone. Best part of it is that you can even choose the amount to put in the gift card. So, you can give a £10 gift card to an acquaintance or a £350 gift card to someone you love!

You get to choose from a range of gift cards from Departmental Stores to Health and Beauty to Home and even Specialty stores. Best of all, you can do all of this in the comfort of your own home - YES, ONLINE!!

So.... Why wait? Check it out now at http://www.shopping.com/gift-cards

Happy shopping!!!

Crates Castle

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:27:00 +0000

Mikki and Alfie's first trip to Crates Castle.

They were all dressed up for the walk around the Castle grounds and Forest trails.

Doesn't Mikki look great in her new red hoody from her aunt Daphne?

Mikki's visit to Dunnottar Castle

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 07:03:00 +0000

Saturday 4 August was forecasted to be one of the few days where the scottish sun would be shining bright all day. And since I hadn't had much time to spend alone with Mikki after working in London for couple of weeks and introducing a new puppy, Alfie into the family as soon as I got back, I thought it would be fun for her to go on a little excursion - to the great Dunnottar Castle.

Mel Gibson's Hamlet filmed a few scenes at Dunnottar Castle:

Everything about the castle and its surroundings was just surreal and gorgeous. I could lie on the grass all day just to sink into the magnificent site. Mikki had a ball herself, except that she had to keep herself from being blown away by the constant breeze.

Check out what she has to say:

Alfie finally has erect ears!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:57:00 +0000

After 3 days of taping, Alfie's ears are finally erect! Now, he looks like a real yorkie! Simply adorable.

Let's hope it stays up forever *fingers crossed*

Alfie - Big dog in small body

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 19:33:00 +0000

Yorkies may be small, but they're no easy pushovers. Alfie, for example, does not have a single strand of fear in him. He reminds me of the Goths from Asterix and Obelix, absolutely oblivious to the real meaning of FEAR.

For one, he fell off the flight of stairs last week while trying to reach Mikki who was overwhelmed by his constant desire to play and thought she could get away from him by hiding in the middle of the stairs. Alfie rolled down the entire flight of stairs, only coming to a stop at the foot. Thank goodness my stairs were fully cushioned with carpet, hence reducing the impact. You might think that he would then be terrified of the stairs. Not a chance! He continued to linger to the stairs whenever he gets the opportunity - thinking its time he took the leap and learned to go down the stairs.

Here's a new video of the Alfie the monkey!

Alfie - The Yorkie

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:33:00 +0000

Finally, Mikki's got a little brother - Alfie. Took me a really long time to find a suitable companion for her. Because of her size and timid personality, big dogs were ruled out. Alfie was born in Birmingham on 19 May 2007 as part of a litter of 2. He's got an older sister Ruby who was sold to a family in Dundee. His mom Kizi's currently 8yrs old and this is her 2nd litter. His pedigree certificate shows that his gt grandparents were from the famous Ozmilion family.

Above are 2 of his great and great great grandfathers.

More pictures of Alfie at 9weeks old, you will notice that he's got his ears taped in the last few pictures. Reason for that is because his ears were way too fluffy and they were not standing the way yorkies ears should!

Will update more next time on how Alfie and Mikki are getting along... Stay tuned..

Do you have something to Blurt?

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:06:00 +0000

The world is filled with a massive amount of knowledge which one person alone wouldn't be able to learn it all and keep it inside. More often than not, we find ourselves in situations where we have to source the Internet or Wikipedia for information only to find them way too generic.

It is worse if the information that you are looking for can be quite specific to a certain town or city. Like for example, if you have just moved to a new country and is all but ready to embark on a new career or simply looking for friends with similar interests to hang out. It will be extremely difficult for you to gain access to that information if you had just Googled for it online.

Wouldn't it be cool if there was a central online community which is all about real people asking questions about just about anything and having someone else answering to that question. Well, check out the New Kid on the Block - Blurtit is such an online community that is simply a wealth of real life experiences and information from all parts of the world.

Just imagine a new product or game just launched a couple of weeks back but you are unsure if it is worth getting. Post a question and Wala! Someone from Blurtit who has used the item or played the game will respond and you get a review - free of charge!!!

The categories span from Computers to Pets to Relationships, etc. Ask anything and expect an answer or help from anyone! You can even get suggestions and answers on Blurtit to what valentine's day present to get for your girlfriend or wife!

So, why wait, check it out now!

Dogs are more adaptable than you think!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 16:43:00 +0000

It's been almost 3 months now since my little darling Mikki (a 3 year old maltese) has arrived in Aberdeen. I have been told time and again by my parents about reconsidering relocating her from Singapore simply because of what she has to go through.. The Rabies jab, blood test, 6 months of home quarantine and the final torture of having to be confined to a little crate and be loaded into the cargo hold of the airplane for 13 hours before arriving at London Heathrow. Where she was off-loaded and placed in an Animal Recovery Centre for a dreadful 10 hours while immigration clearance was done, before being stuffed onto BMI for another hour and a half into Aberdeen.

Now that she's here, and seeing how fast she has adapted to the change in environment, weather, food, and still be happy. In fact, she seems happier here than she ever was in Singapore. Maybe it's because she gets her daily run in our garden. Could be that she loves dashing around in a fully carpeted house which definitely was more friendly on her paws than the slippery marble surface in Singapore. Guess the cool weather here has a big part to play as well. But, most of all, the biggest joy for her being here is that she gets to spend more time with me eventhough I have embarked on a new career here in a new job, new organisation.

It's amazing how fast dogs are able to adjust and adapt to changes in environment. It's as though nothing has changed. Maybe I'm just lucky Mikki's very adaptable. Must be her constant short weekend vacations back in Singapore where she would stay in one house and another over the weekends. Some dogs I know aren't as adaptable. I'm just glad I've got a little healthy, easy peasy doggie (except when it comes to food!).

At the end of the day, I look at her happy face and I know I definitely made the right choice in bringing her here with me despite what she had to go through.

Here are some videos of her enjoying herself in the sun, the snow, and in the parks:

Online Bomberman is BACK!!!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 09:57:00 +0000

For those of you familiar with the Japanese version of Online Bomberman(the one that was shut down due to lack of funds), you would be glad to know that there is a new English version of Online Bomberman now!

Check it out!!!

Every girl's Valentine's Day gift

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 14:39:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is just less than a month away. Are you guys out there exhausting your brain juices to come up with the most original Valentine's Day gift for your girl? Here's a suggestion, if you can play an instrument or sing, you might want to consider singing "Don't Change by Musiq" to her on Valentine's Day. If, for some reason you are not musically talented, you could make a dedication instead.

Couple of reasons why I think this song would be perfect:

It has a perfect soothing tune
It is probably be everything you will want to tell your girl
Most importantly, I'm sure your girl will be moved to tears because everything that is mentioned in the song will touch her heart

Take a listen to the song here.

Have also attached the lyrics for you to accelerate your learning ^_^

Lately you've been, questioning
if i still see you the same way
cuz through these trying years
we've, more then both physically changed
Dont you know youll always be the most
beautiful woman i know
so let me reassure you darling, that
my feelings are truly unconditional, see

I'll love you when you hair turns gray, girl
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight, yeah
the way i feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change

no, I was meant for you, and you were meant for me, yeah
And i'll make sure that i'll be everything you need, yeah
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change

Cuz, im not impressed, more or less
by them girls on the tv and magazines
Cuz honestly i beleive, that
your beauty is way more then skindeep
Cuz everything about you makes me feel
I have the greatest gift in the world
And even when you get on my last nerve
I couldnt see myself being with another girl

I'll love you when you hair turns gray, yeah
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight, yeah
the way i feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change,

no, I was meant for you, and you were meant for me, yeah
And i'll make sure that i'll be everything you need, yeah
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change

So, dont waste your time
Worry about
Small things that aint relevant to me
Cuz, to my, understanding, your all i want and need

See, what im done say is im here to stay
And as long as you love doesnt change, for me
Baby, darling i swear, that i, i swear i aint going no where

I'll love you when you hair turns gray, girl
I'll still want you if you gain a little weight, yeah
the way i feel for you will always be the same
Just as long as your love don't change,

I was meant for you, and you were meant for me, yeah
And i'll make sure that i'll be everything you need, yeah
Girl the way we are is how its gonna be
Just as long as your love don't change (ad libs)

oooooooo, your my baby, yeah, dont you change baby, nooo, baby you gotta understand, that i love you baby, dont you kno, u gotta kno, u got to kno, ah yeah, ohhhh, yeahhh, ohhhhhhh

Fantastic Offer not to be missed!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 15:12:00 +0000

Anyone looking to buy a property in one of the most exclusive locations in Singapore?

My apartment in Tanjong Rhu Road is up for grabs. It is located 10 minutes away from Suntec City and has lots of investment potential. With the city at arm's reach, you get to save a pretty nifty amount on transportation and commuting time. There are also private chartered buses that will take you to town or Parkway Parade at intervals throughout the whole day.

If you have been to Tanjong Rhu before, you would have noticed that it is surrounded by Kallang river, is breezy and green, with a jogging path along the river. Many expats love to live in this area partly because of it's location and also because of it's exclusiveness. Alrighty, I shall not rattle on too much, promoting my place. Take a look at it here and see if you like it.

Do pick up the phone and contact my agent if it is to your liking. ^_^

World's Worst World of Warcraft Launch Party

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 06:55:00 +0000

Been a while since I last posted an entry. Been extremely busy since I got back to Singapore to settle the remaining scraps (selling of house, car, packing, my dog, etc..) before I make my final move to Aberdeen, UK.

The days back here have been erratic. For one, I had a damn severe jet lag which lasted for about a week, so I was a walking zombie by day and a wide-eyed maniac by night. Had to pay a high price for that though - just make sure you check out my dark eye rings and eye bags when you meet me and you know what I mean ^_^

So, what have I done since my return which was most rewarding? In actual fact, before my return to Singapore, I placed an order for 2 pre-order redemption cards for the long-awaited game of the year - World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. Burning Crusade is the expansion to the game with millions of players worldwide. Without a doubt, I am one of them - though I stopped my subscription for about 3 months before I reactivated it again prior to the launch of Burning Crusade on 16 January 2007. The launch in Singapore was held at Suntec City - the vacant area outside of Carrefour.

When I first realised that the greatest game in the world was going to have a launch in here in Singapore, I was doubtful that it will be a success - especially when it is held at such a public place, instead of an exclusive party for the gamers =( Still, I was hopeful nonetheless.

Upon arrival at the launch, all my excitement just vanished into thin air. Why? Thousands were already in the queue for the redemption of the game. It was just insane. I mean, I have already paid and collected my redemption cards and now I have to queue again for what seemed like hours - the spiral queue led all the way to the outside of the shopping complex, into the bright hot sun!!

At 1pm, the game was officially launched with a disgraceful, nonsensical, lame skit of a Night-Elf MAGE and a Human WARLOCK. When I saw the skit, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. For those of you who play the game, you would know that there is no such thing as a Night-Elf Mage!!! Also, mages do not use Swords!! and there is no such spell as the Mage Blade!!! I took a short snippet of the skit for you to better visualise my anguish.

Sigh... I'm sure many WoW fans who were at the launch would have been disappointed. Oh.. maybe all except for one guy. There was this guy who was in the queue since 10pm the night before (the launch was scheduled for 1pm on 16 Jan 2007), so yes, he stayed there the whole night. He emerged the ultimate winner as being the first in the queue. And, guess what were his rewards? A collector's edition of the World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and a World of Warcraft Boardgame. Apart from the games, he probably got some media attention and all, but, what the hell.. 15hours for this??? He better be a freaking god-damn good WoW player, fully geared with epics from head to toe.

Will try to blog a little more in the coming weeks. Stay tuned..

Inspired Fantasy Art

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 00:56:00 +0000

Been surfing the web for stock graphics to add more awesome Photoshop creations to my collection and was inspired by all the beautiful Fantasy Art on DeviantArt. So, I embarked on a journey to create my own with the aid of some of the most fabulous resources from DeviantArt.

What do you think?

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 13:47:00 +0000

Happy new year to all. Below is a little something I created just for you.

May all your dreams come true! Enjoy your long weekend.

Create a reflection in Photoshop

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 18:48:00 +0000

Very simple tutorial which I find extremely handy when you want to spruce up a creation. In this tutorial, let's take a look at how you can create realistic looking reflections using Photoshop.

Step 1: Choose a starting image

In my case, I chose to use a text design of PrettyBits. Other choices include landscape, buildings, and even objects.

Step 2: Duplicate your image

Duplicate your image by selecting Image > Duplicate.
Flip you duplicated image by selecting Edit > Transform > Flip Vertical.
Position the reflection below the original image using the Move tool or by pressing V.

Step 3: Adding a gradient to the reflection

Select the gradient tool and add a gradient to the reflection by drawing a line from top to bottom of the image. You should then get something like that.

Step 4: Adding perspective to the reflection

Select the gradient tool and add a gradient to the reflection by drawing a line from top to bottom of the image. You should then get something like that.

Step 5: Final touch

Make your reflection more realistic by reducing the Opacity of the layer. There is no hard and fast rule as to how much the Opacity should be, it is really up to you. Play around with the Opacity and see what works for you.

In this tutorial, I have only shown you the basics of creating a reflection. You may want to explore other types of possible reflections, like in water, horizon, mirror and even sunglasses. Armed with Photoshop and a few good photos, you'll no longer need to hope for a rainy day to capture some good photos of things reflected in water. Once you start to work with reflections, you'll never look at things quite the same way again. I'm even willing to bet that you'll also find yourself analyzing how reflections occur in nature, so you can improve on your digital versions.

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Related Posts:

Finding Love - The Harsh Truth

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:40:00 +0000

Chanced upon this cute stickman video on YouTube which is a true reflection of the harsh reality of the modern society where money can easily get you just about anything you desire - quite easily.

2 main observations from the video:

Money is EVERYTHING
Size MATTERS

Disclaimer: Contains violent scenes. Not for the faint hearted.

The Best Christmas Ever

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 23:39:00 +0000

On 23 December, we made our way to Edinburgh from Aberdeen. It was, as usual, a long 2.5 hour drive for us (although the locals don’t seem to think that’s long). Well, coming from a tiny island like Singapore, where it’s only 43km across, you may be able to see my point.

Upon arrival, we checked into the newly refurbished George Hotel, our second visit. This time around, we got a bigger room! It was lovely with a nice view to boot. Setting our bags down, we started our adventure in this beautiful city which we knew a little better now after our first visit the week before.

Starved after our “long” journey, our first stop was the German Market at Princes Street for the ‘steak on a roll’ and ‘hot potatoes’ that left such an indelible (and delicious) impression on us from our first visit. Standing at a cosy corner of the markets munching on a piping hot and tasty steak roll was my idea of heaven at that point. Finishing that fantastic meal with a hot cup of raspberry wine and Nutella crepe left me the most contented person on Earth that minute, I was sure.

With batteries recharged, we embarked on our trip to the Edinburgh Castle. Taking the City Sightseeing open-top bus for the second time (a wonderful way to soak in the sights on this gorgeous city), we arrived shortly at our destination. Unfortunately, visibility was poor that day, thanks to a dense fog which had enveloped the entire city. Well, as the commentary on the open-top bus offered, at least we can now say we’ve seen the Scottish mist! Nevertheless, the fog did nothing to take away the magnificence of the Castle, which we were able to see up close. We explored its every nook and cranny and also caught a glimpse of the Scottish Honours, as well as studied and took in its rich and fascinating history.

Completing our tour of the castle, we headed for the interesting Museum of Childhood, the first of its kind in the world. It was simply delightful, taking in all the wonderful toys that have enthralled generations all over the world through the ages. That done, no day could be complete without undoubtedly the best experience in the world, shopping! Zara, Topshop, Monsoon, Prada, Marks & Spencer, Accessorize were my ports of call as I rounded my day off in glamorous fashion, lugging a truck load of goodies back to my cosy hotel room.

My prized possession of the day was an Enzo Milano Curling Iron. I was told it is widely used by celebrity hairstylists in Hollywood. What do you think? Not bad eh?

We ended our splendid Christmas with a musical - Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Edinburgh Playhouse. It was truly the most fantasmagorical stage musical I have ever seen. The props were extraordinary and the performance was breathtaking.

What a remarkable 4 days. Definitely a Christmas to remember, I would say.

Related posts:

Belated Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 27 Dec 2006 00:15:00 +0000

A very belated Merry Christmas to all!!! Apologies for the 'belated' greetings.

Just got back from Edinburgh after 4 fantabulous days of castle tour, shopping, and indulging in tons of champagne and chocolates. Most of all, had a scrumptious time digging in at all the yummy food (Mmmm.. I miss my 'Steak in a roll', 'Banana and Nutella Crepe', and 'Chocolate Waffles') at the Christmas Market and German Market.

Time for bed now. Will try and upload some pictures tomorrow.
Ciao~~

Blog Big Money

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 23:59:00 +0000

Having been running 3, err, 2.5 blogs for 2 weeks, I have come to realize the boundless opportunities that the Internet presents with regards to reaping substantial revenue out of nothing. In case you're interested, the 3 blogs that I currently run are Pretty Bits, Mysteria Magica, and Dogz Haven (which never really took off because I was literally buried in articles and articles about making money online 20hours a day).

Through my research, I uncovered myriad methods to put money in your pockets just by leveraging on the latest technology via the Internet. I have to admit how ignorant I have been the last couple of years. Being a Computer Science graduate (with a first class honors to be exact), I am such a pathetic noob when it comes to Internet Marketing and Business.

Sigh......

It would be difficult to find another 'make money online' idea that has changed more lives than this particular one you are about to discover. And what is even more fascinating about this particular make money online idea is the fact that it is based on a very recent trend that has proved to be more than a passing fad.

I am of course talking about the phenomenal rise of blogs. Without blogs, this 'make money online' idea would not have been possible.

For years, since the days of the rise of Amazon.com, many people have been making money from affiliate programs. Still it has always been a rather difficult thing to do mainly because setting up a web site, getting it hosted and keeping it running has always been a costly and time consuming thing to do for most.

Now, enter blogs, which are easy to set up and even easier to maintain and you have a 'make money online' idea that has taken the World Wide Web by storm.

All one needs to do is set up a free blog and simply sprinkle it with the relevant affiliate links and you could swiftly find yourself earning thousands of dollars every month, just like Darren Rowse.

This is THE 'make money online' idea that is revolutionizing the Web.

Since I spend most parts of the day researching for more ways to make money online, I decided to start another blog - Blog Big Money to provide you guys with daily snippets of my research so we can all be rich rich RICH!!

Photoshop: Own a personalized Snow Globe

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 21:59:00 +0000

If you're eagerly waiting for the next tutorial from the "Create your own weather" series, I'm sorry but you're not getting it in this post.

With Christmas just round the corner, I've decided to give you a real treat!

Recently caught the typical Tim Allen flick Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus. Err.. I'm not gonna go into details of the movie, like I said, it's just the typical Tim Allen movie. If you saw the movie, you would remember a scene when Santa gave Lucy a magical snow globe showing her hugging a snowman. That was just Sweeeet!! Damn, wish Santa would give me a personalized snow globe... Yah yah.. We adults should never believe in Santa. Soooo.. I've decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own DIGITAL SNOW GLOBE!

***Warning***
(1) Insane number of photos, so be patient!!!
(2) Freaking long tutorial, so be patient!!!
(3) Be patient!!! I promise it's worth it!!!

Instead of making a Snow Globe for myself, I've made one for the love of my life - Mikki. Gawd! I miss her So very much.. Haven't seen her since I've moved to UK 2 months back. Okok.. I know you're excited. I shall not digress. To entice you to stay and learn to make your own snow globe, I shall first show you the end result..

***VIOLA***

So, what do you think? Still interested? Here we go...

Step 1: Create a new document

Create a new document with the settings as shown.
Select "white" as your foreground color and fill the background with "white".

Step 2: Create and fill your marquee

Create a new layer and then choose the Elliptical Marquee Tool.
In the Style drop-down menu in the Options bar, choose "Fixed Size".
Enter the settings as shown.

Click in the new layer for a marquee of the defined dimensions to appear.
Select a pale blue color and fill the marquee with the Paint Bucket.
Name this new layer "Globe".

Step 3: Give your flare the polar effect

Create a new layer and use the Rectangular Marquee tool to drag around the area of the circle.
Choose Edit > Fill and then select "50% gray" from the pull-down menu.

Now, to create the lens flare, choose Filter > Render > Lens Flare.
Position the flare in the upper left corner.
Set the Brightness to "100%" and Lens Type to "50-300mm Zoom".
Name this layer "Lens Flare".

Step 4: Flip the flare

Still selecting layer "Lens Flare", choose Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates.
Select the option "Polar to Rectangular" and click "OK".
Now select Image > Rotate Canvas > Flip Canvas Vertical.

Step 5: Creating a shiny sphere

Still selecting layer "Lens Flare", choose Filter > Distort > Polar Coordinates.
Select the option "Rectangular to Polar" and click "OK".
Set this layer's blending mode to "Hard Light".
Ctrl + Click layers "Lens Flare" and "Globe" and position them to the top of the canvas.

Step 6: Give it a hazy effect

Create a new layer and name it "Hazy"
Click on the Color Option and enter R: 219, G: 226, B: 225 into the color picker.
Selecting the layer "Globe", create an ellipse using the Elliptical Marquee Tool with the previous dimensions. Place this new ellipse in the same position as the sphere on this layer.
Now, go back to layer "Hazy", fill the marquee selection with the color you have previously selected.
Change the Opacity of this layer to "24%" and make sure it's the topmost layer.

Step 7: Shading the sphere

Selecting the layer you just created, make an ellipse selection (explained in Step 6).
Create a new layer on top of the layer "Hazy" and name it "Hazy Globe copy".
Now, choose the Gradient Tool and click on the swatch in the Options bar.
Choose the Black/White preset in the Gradient Editor and make adjustments as shown.

Step 8: Give your globe dimension

Check Reverse in the Options bar.
Click and drag from left of the middle towards the bottom right of the marquee selection.
Place this new layer below the layer "Hazy".
Change the blending mode of the layer to "Hard Light" and the Opacity to "23%".

Step 9: Adding your snow globe content

Time to add your own pictures/creations into the snow globe.
In the snow globe that I created, I created some variations of trees and brushed them into position.
I shan't go into too much detail since your contents would differ from mine. However, below are some screenshots for your reference.

Step 10: A light scattering of snow

Create a new layer and name it "Snow Trees".
Select a round brush of size 5px and the following settings in the Brush Palette: Spacing of "500%", Maximum Count Jitter and Scatter.

Make sure your foreground color is "White" before painting over parts of the contents where you want a snow fall effect. In my case, I painted snow on the trees.
Always remember to make a marquee selection around the sphere before you paint so that your painting will only apply to the selection.

Step 11: Snowy outlook

Create a new layer and name it "Ground Snow".
Select a soft round brush of size 280px, with the Scattering turned off in the Brush palette and reduce the Spacing.

Paint snow into the bottom of the trees or your content.

Step 12: Turn up the texture

Duplicate the "Ground Snow" layer and make sure this new layer is above the former.
With the "Ground Snow Copy" selected, go to Filter > Texture > Texturizer. Choose a Texture of Sandstone, Scaling of 50%, Relief of 4 and Light of Bottom Right and click "OK".

Step 13: Snow Storm effect

Include this step if you like to add some snow storm effect into your snow globe.
Create a new layer and call it "Falling Snow".
Make the foreground color "White" and the background color "Black".
Now choose Filter > Render > Clouds.
Use the Rectangular Marquee Tool to select a small area of this where there is a lot of contrast between black and white.
Choose Select > Inverse and hit Delete to be left with a small section of clouds.
Now, select Edit > Free Transform and drag the handles so that the cloud selection fills the area of the globe again.
Choose Filter > Pixellate > Mezzotint and select "Coarse Dots" from the Type drop-down menu.

Using the Magic Wand Tool, click on an area of black to select it on the "Falling Snow" layer.
Choose Select > Similar for all areas of black to be selected as well.
Hit "Delete" to be left with white specles.
Reduce the opacity of this layer to "70%".

Step 14: Adjusting the snow storm

Choose the Eraser tool on a low "Hardness" setting and "50%" Opacity.
Rub away falling snow from the ground or any parts where you want less of the "Storm".
Choose Filter > Blur > Motion Blur and set Angle to "-54" and Distance to "4 px".

Step 15: Adding more content

In my case, I have added a house in the middle of the snow globe.
Since this is a sphere, we need to make some "Realistic Distortions" to the content.
With an Elliptical marquee selected around the sphere and the new "House" layer selected, choose Filter > Distort > Spherize.
Reduce the Amount to 80% and click "OK" and warp the house to distort it further.
I have done the same with the picture of Mikki.

***We're almost there!***

Step 16: Place the globe on a stand

Create a layer called "Base Top" above the "Background" layer.
Pick the Elliptical Marquee tool and select "Fixed size" as the style with width 18cm and height 5cm.
Position the marquee as shown and fill it with "Brown".

Step 17: Build up the stand

Create a new layer below the "Base Top" layer and name it "Base Middle".
Pick the Rectangular Marquee tool and select "Fixed size" as the style with width 18cm and height 5cm.
Position the marquee as shown and fill it with "Brown".

Step 18: Create the Base

Duplicate "Base Top" layer and name it "Base Bottom".
Position the Ellipse below the "Base Medium" layer.

Step 19: Adding layer style to base

Merge all 3 "Base" layers.
Add texture, drop shadow and gradient to the "Base" layers as shown.

Step 20: Add the mini base

Duplicate the "Base" layers and resize it to "65%" with fixed aspect.
Choose Edit > Warp. Pull the corners round slightly so they curve round the globe.
Copy the layer style from "Base" layers and paste it to this new layer.

Step 21: Inscribe your globe

Choose the Freeform Pen tool. Select Paths and check Magnetic in the Options bar.
Go along the bottom edge of your base and double-click at the end.
Now, choose the Text tool. Set the color of the text to brownish gray, and pick a font.
With the Text tool selected, click the "Centre Text" option in the Options bar.
Hover mouse over the path until it changes, and then click to type your text.
When you are done typing, select the Move tool to move the text into the desired position.

Step 22: Give it the Engraved look

To achieve the engraved look, double-click on the Text layer and click on Inner Shadow in the Layer Style window.
Enter a Distance and Size of 1px. In Bevel and Emboss, change the Direction to Down, Size to 5px and Soften to 0px.
Finally, choose a highlight mode color of light brown similar to the one shown below.

***Your very own Snow Globe!***

Give yourself a tap on the shoulder for completing this tutorial. Give me your feedback and let me know if there are any specific Photoshop tips you would like to know.

Related Post: Photoshop: Create Your Own Weather - Part 1

Photoshop: Create your own weather - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 22:33:00 +0000

This marks the beginning of the "Create your own weather" series.

"Create your own weather" is a 4 part tutorial where I will share with you some of the techniques to transform a vanilla picture into have 4 contradistinctive demeanors. The series will attempt to re-create an array of nature's weather fronts and instantly change the mood of a picture's landscape - add a rainbow; capture a lightning when it strikes; portrait windy weather; and perhaps a tornado.

In part 1, we will look at how we can transform this...to this...
Personally, snapping a decent picture of a rainbow has never been an easy task for me. Each time I see a rainbow in the sky, I would either be without my camera or that the rainbow would be almost completely immersed and shielded by the clouds by the time I manage to pull my camera out of my bag without causing my make-up and ipod to fall out of the bag. After failed attempts to snap pictures of a nice rainbow, I decided that I shall try my luck at creating my own.

Follow this guide and you will have your own rainbow too!

Pictures used are obtained from Stock.Xchng. Program used: Photoshop CS2.

Step 1: Starting the rainbow

Grab the Magic Wand tool and select the big tree.
Zoom in on the big tree, holding down the SHIFT key, click on parts of the tree that was not selected by the Magic Wand Tool.
Still holding down the SHIFT key, repeat the process on the small tree.
When you have selected enough of the trees, right click and select Layer via Copy.
A new layer will be created with just the trees that you have selected.

Step 2: Re-arranging the trees layer

Drag this new layer to the top of the Layers palette, making sure that it is always the top-most layer.
Double click on this layer in the Layers palette and rename the layer to 'Trees'.

Step 3: Introducing the clouds

Choose a picture of the sky with nice clouds and open it in Photoshop.
Drag the clouds picture into the current composition of Background and 'Trees', making sure that that the clouds are positioned under the 'Trees' layer but above the 'Background' layer.

Transform and resize the clouds to be just above the height of the existing sky.
Name this layer 'Sky'.

Step 4: Add a Layer Mask

Click on 'Add Layer Mask' icon at the bottom of the Layers Palette and add a Layer Mask to 'Sky'.
Select the Brush tool with Black as your foreground color, paint out the sky over the ground.

Step 5: Stroke of a rainbow

Grab the Ellipse tool from the toolbar and draw a large oval.

Now we need to add a layer style. Select Layer > Layer Style > Blending Option.
Change the Fill Opacity to 0%.
Click on the category Stroke and add a 25 pixel stroke to the ellipse. At the same time, change the color of the Stroke to 'Purple'.
Rename this layer to 'Purple'.

Step 6: Adding all 7 colors of the rainbow

Right click 'Purple' and choose Duplicate this layer.
Rename this new layer 'Blue'.
Selecting 'Blue', hit Ctrl+'T' and lock the transformation aspect ratio by clicking on the 'link' between the percentages.

Resize layer 'Blue' by changing the percentage to 102%.
Use method described in Step 5 to change the color of stroke to blue.

Now, do the same for all 5 other colors of the rainbow.
You should end up with this...

Step 7: Blending the colors of the rainbow

Now that we have all 7 colors of the rainbow, we just need to blend them all together to make it more realistic.
Merge all 7 rainbow color layers by holding down the Shift key and clicking on all 7 layers; right click and select Merge Layers.
To blur the rainbow: Still selecting the newly merged rainbow layer, go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and add a 15 pixel blur to the image.

Step 8: Fitting the rainbow to the background

Use the Eraser tool to erase the section of the rainbow that is overlapping the grass.

From the Layers palette, change the Blending mode to 'Soft Light' and Opacity to 50%.
Duplicate this layer and change the Blending mode to 'Screen' and Opacity to 90%.

Step 9: Correct the color of the grass

We're almost there!
Notice the color of the grass in the 'Background' layer looks somewhat sluggish against a rainbow and blue sky backdrop? Let's change that!
Select the 'Background' layer. Go to Image > Adjustments > Hue/Saturation and change the Hue/Saturation as shown....

Viola!!!!!! Here's your very own Rainbow Effect!!

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. Check back for more Weather Series.

Slouching is GOOD for your back!

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 17:01:00 +0000

Now, sit up straight and pay attention!
Does that sound like what your mother probably told you a million times, as her mother told her: to sit up straight?

No, not that straight! Who do you think you are, a professional stuntman? You'll do your back an injury. At least, that's the latest word from the medical world.

Researchers have found that sitting in the 90-degree posture dictated by stern school teachers and parents does not spare you from back trouble later in life. It may actually exacerbate it. Scientists have recently found that sitting upright places needless strain on your back, provoking potentially chronic pain if you spend long hours sitting.

So, if you spent last night sprawled awkwardly on the sofa and you've woken up feeling stiff, then sitting up the way matron taught you may not dispel the aching. What you need is yet more sprawling backwards, tracing a generous angle of 135-degrees with your body and feet on the ground: think of it as the chiropractic equivalent of the hair-of-the-dog remedy drinkers use to chase away a hangover.

Stiffening your spine as a mark of good breeding might be doing you more harm than good!

And if sitting up straight is bad for you, who still dares to say that eating up all your greens will make you strong? Or that an apple a day will keep the doctor away?

Now, try the new *revolutionary* sitting position..

Ah... that's more comfortable. Just one problem with typing while sprawled backwards like a human deckchair: it's sometimes tricky to reach all the keys on the computer keyboard. This may pose a serious problem if you are set on advocating this new posture at work; of course that is if your boss doesn't trim your bonus or increment and brand you as a "slacker".

Well, I've got a work-around for this:

Adjust the height of the chair to as high as possible (always ensuring that your feet touch the ground)
Take a seat and ensure you tuck your butt all the way into the back of the chair (we tend to unconsciously balance our butt-cheeks along the edge of the seat, adding additional stress on the lower back).
Now, slide yourself (together with the chair) towards the desk, stopping once your chest touches the tip of the desk. Be sure not to attempt to sandwich yourself too tightly between the desk and chair. Prolonged "squashing" may result in unwanted injury to boobs, especially the surgically refined ones.
Adjust the angle of your backrest to approximately 120-degree. Notice I refer the new-found posture to 120-degree instead of 135-degree? I just thought that 135-degree might not be realistic for the working environment. Of course, when you're at the comfort of your crib, by all means, go for the recommended 135-degree.
With the new-found 120-degree posture, you should be able to use your keyboard effectively without exhibiting any sign of sprawling (they're all hidden under the desk) and at the same time, reduce the risk of chronic back pain 10 years later. At the end of the day, it all depends on how anal and sticky your boss is about maintaining office image.

Read the full article here.

So, next time your mother, teacher or boss bawls at you when you sprawl on the sofa/chair, refer them to this article and tell them, that it's SCIENTIFICALLY proven to be the ideal sitting position for maintaining a healthy spine.

The first people to read this post has got to be my parents! They have been nagging about my "bummer" posture for the last decade!! Haha..

X'mas in Aberdeen

noreply@blogger.com (The Chic) — Sun, 10 Dec 2006 20:38:00 +0000

15 Days to Christmas!

Every city in the world has its own way of celebrating X'mas and spreading the X'mas cheer. Here in Aberdeen, X'mas is celebrated by almost everyone. This has got to be the only time of the year where you have to jostle your way through the masses along Union Street.

I too, made my way to town yesterday and had an absolutely smashing X'massy time there!

Trooping along Union Street, we came upon a cute little red "Santa train" “choo-chooing” on the road in the opposite direction. Merry looking shoppers were being shuttled along, waving happily from their vantage points, glad to be able to put their tired feet up for a change. . Following a short distance behind were three limousines in succession, in the colours of pretty pink, snowy white and lemony lime. Talk about shopping in style! I know what my next mode of shopping transport’s gonna be!! And in pretty pink too, no less! Along the way, we were passed by Santa, Bozo the clown and….. a pink elephant(!)….. Oh er, sorry, the last one was my imagination, must be the freezing cold…..

Castlegate loomed at the end of Union Street, so named because of the looming castle (duh!). A small but cosy traditional German X'mas Market set up shop there. The aroma of mouth-watering food greeted the cold, weary shoppers, with stalls ranging from traditional German sausages, beer, hot malted wine with shots of rum, Asian cuisine, grills, Paella from

Spain

and haribo sweets for the sweety-toothed…. Yummy! Don’t know about you, but food seems to taste especially good when you’re outdoors , in freezing winter. Souvenirs in all variety, shapes, and sizes from different parts of the world were on display and for sale, of course, as well. Didn't manage to snap any pictures cause my Ixus battery chose to die on me at the most inopportune time, thus giving me another convenient excuse to go back to the markets (no complaints from me of course!) I’ll try to take some smashing pics this week! Overall, had a fantabulous time at the Market, eating and drinking and making merry, with “Jingle Bells”, “White X’mas and “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” chiming in the background. Best part of all, it was really COLD!! No way you're not gonna be able to enjoy this market in hot, humid weather (like in Singapore). Now that’s real X’mas for you!! Heehee. *hint hint to friends to come spend X'mas with me*

Only thing missing was the snow…….

Having been thoroughly filled with the X'mas spirit, I came home and decided that we should have a right go at assembling the X'mas tree that we bought a couple of days back. This house sure could do with some sprucing up! Santa’s gonna want to visit and never leave! Ho! Ho! Ho!

As I had never assembled a X'mas tree in my entire life (can you believe that???? Shocking!!!) , I had absolutely no idea what I was in for. For those of you who are in the unbelievable position of never having put up a X'mas tree as well (simply placing decorations on the tree doesn't count!), and are about to purchase and assemble one on your own, please make sure you get some professional and trained help!! It took me almost 2 whole hours to assemble and decorate the entire tree! MAN, I was certain I had never worked so hard in my life!!! Even my 3 hour long gym sessions (complete with rigorous body-combat and back-breaking body pump classes back-to-back, no less), seemed like a walk in the park compared to this.

I was literally grumbling throughout the entire process (hmmm, not really in keeping with the X’mas spirit, I would say) and lamented my decision to get the tree in the first place. But, once everything was done, I laid back on the couch and admired my masterpiece, satisfaction amidst all that dripping sweat, all that hard work miraculously forgotten…. Merry Christmas, indeed!

DO NOT REMIND ME ABOUT DISASSEMBLING THE TREE AFTER X'MAS!!!