Happy New Year, everyone!!!!
Be safe, be merry, be healthy!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Fluffy White Stuff
The forecast for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday where I live is fluffy white stuff covering the entire area non-stop! [sigh] It was supposed to start at 3pm Thursday. Thank goodness it didn't. We were all safe home and in bed when it started. Poor DH is out there now plowing the driveway at 6am Friday! Snow is still coming down non-stop. There must be ice mixed with it and it is very windy, as I hear it banging on the window panes. The roads are not plowed yet from where I see them. Or maybe they were but since the wind is blowing the snow off the sidewalks and into the roads and more of it is falling from the sky, the roads are covered again.
Here comes the big plow to work on our street. Uh-oh!! As it passed by our driveway, it pushed back some of the snow into our driveway. Poor DH has to plow that part again as it is now higher than the rest of what's on the driveway.
Where will he put all that stuff away? DH has to plow the driveway somehow so it won't pile up too high. It would be more difficult to do it later. Besides, he is going to drive DB to work. DB got a new job as a dialysis nurse at a nearby hospital. Come rain or snow or sleet [or tornado?] he has a sworn duty to attend to.
There will be thunderstorms sometime today also. I've never heard of that...thunderstorms with snow. It sounds dangerous! Will it melt the snow falling from the sky and turn the flakes into little teeny-weeny ice balls? The temperature will still be lower than the freezing point and wind chills are even lower.
TTFN. Gotta prepare hot coffee or chocolate for DH to warm him up. Am I so glad I'm not going anywhere today! Although I want to go to Michael's. I have a couple of 40% off coupons that are burning a hole in my wallet. I want to get a couple of clear stamps. Well...that has to wait.
Here comes the big plow to work on our street. Uh-oh!! As it passed by our driveway, it pushed back some of the snow into our driveway. Poor DH has to plow that part again as it is now higher than the rest of what's on the driveway.
Where will he put all that stuff away? DH has to plow the driveway somehow so it won't pile up too high. It would be more difficult to do it later. Besides, he is going to drive DB to work. DB got a new job as a dialysis nurse at a nearby hospital. Come rain or snow or sleet [or tornado?] he has a sworn duty to attend to.
There will be thunderstorms sometime today also. I've never heard of that...thunderstorms with snow. It sounds dangerous! Will it melt the snow falling from the sky and turn the flakes into little teeny-weeny ice balls? The temperature will still be lower than the freezing point and wind chills are even lower.
TTFN. Gotta prepare hot coffee or chocolate for DH to warm him up. Am I so glad I'm not going anywhere today! Although I want to go to Michael's. I have a couple of 40% off coupons that are burning a hole in my wallet. I want to get a couple of clear stamps. Well...that has to wait.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Murano SL
The first time I saw a Murano SL and the first time I got into one was at 9:15 pm last Thursday. I drove it to pick up DD from the train station. I was very nervous to drive it out of the driveway just because I am not used to it and I am not familiar with the dashboard and everything else.
It is a nice car. "Nice". Probably some of you are yelling, "Are you crazy???! It is a GRRREAT car!!!!" Sorry, I can't say "great" just yet because it is my first time in this car and I do not know how it will work in unison with the driver - that's me!
Anyway, I liked that the basic controls are in the same places as my oooolddd Nissan Quest.
Just like the Quest, SL's steering wheel can be tilted up, down, and even can be pulled out a little bit. Just like the Quest, the headlight and signal light controls are on the left and the wiper controls are on the right.
What I like:
1) You put in the key in the ignation, step on the brake and hit the start button. Yes, there is a start button.
2) The steering wheel is light...I can turn it with the palm of my hand.
3) The accelerator is easy on the leg. It runs smoothly - not a lot of jolts even on a bumpy road.
4) I like that the front seats are heated, a very convenient plus during a cold winter day.
5) I like the rear view mirror. There's this little digital thingie up in the right corner that tells me what direction I'm facing.
6) Oh, I must not forget to mention the rear view camera. The monitor is on the dashboard. As soon as you put the lever on reverse, it shows you the alightment of the car and what is behind the car. It doesn't show everyone who is behind you, just the bumper of the car nearby so that when you back up you don't get to hit anything or anyone. This one will take time to get used to. I still like the good old looking over the shoulder and checking the left, right, and rear view mirrors.
What I didn't like:
1) It is soooo bulky. As soon as I got in it, I felt like I was in a box! It was an awkward feeling.
2) I can't see very well on the front sides because of the big bulky "posts" that connect the roof to the rest of the car. Added to that bulkiness are the side view mirrors. I have to do a lot of body and head movements.
3) the speakers are on both corners of the dashboard close to the "posts" and they are a little higher than the rest of the dashboard, thus adding more bulkiness to the sides of the car.
3) the rear window is very tiny! What I mean is it is not wide enough for me to see more of what is behind me.
4) the head-rests at the back seat covered half of the the tiny rear window! so less for me to see, again! Then there is this head-rest for the middle seat which obstructed the view of the front bumper, license plate included, of any car behind me! At night, the rear window looked like a toothless smile; or more like a grin with a big gap between two teeth!
5) I cannot see the tiny side windows behind the side windows [where you are supposed to be able to see any car in your blind spot if you move your body sideways or forward!
6) I hate red lights on the dashboard! why didn't they make it green so that it is cooler on the eyes!
7) On the section of the dash board right behind the steering wheel, is a full circle, and a half circle on each side of the full circle. This is where the speedometer, odometer, gas, temperature, or whatever else, are located. OK, picture this. The full circle in the center is lit up with a VERY BRIGHT and VERY RED light along its edges. The half circles, let me think about this a little bit...I think they were more shaped like a quarter moon... are also lit up with VERY BRIGHT and VERY RED lights along the curved edges. So when I pressed the start button, these panels lit up and for a while, and every time I looked at them, I felt like I was being hypnotized! It also looked like the half or quarter circles were merging towards the full circle. Make them stop moving! Argh!
9) The lights on the dashboard are so bright! There is a dimmer, which I used to dim them but it is ABSOLUTELY USELESS!!! I didn't see any difference between bright, dim, and dimmer. They were still bright!
8) Driving home from the train station, I complained about a quarter mile that I cannot see the road. It is stuck in my mind that those big bulky sides are in the way of my view of what's in front of me. I saw a car coming in the other direction give me a "wink" with his headlights. That made me automatically reach out for the lever for the headlights to check if they are on. They weren't! DUHHH!!!! Don't tell me I'm "ulyanin" or that I have "old timer's disease". In all the other cars I've driven [including those I rented when I used to travel to different parts of the country], when I drive at night:
a) the headlights automatically turn on as soon as I turn the engine on; and automatically turn off a few minutes after I turn off the engine; OR
b) the lights on the dashboard are on DIM when I turn on the engine, this tells me to turn the headlights on. When the headlights are on, the dashboard lights are bright [and the lights are green!]
But with the SL, because those darn lights are very, very bright, I thought my headlights were on! Besides, the hypnotizing, moving, merging lights made me not look closely at the dashboard.
9) And why, if I turn on the "circulate" button, the "AC" button also turns on? I want the air to circulate at times when the traffic is heavy so the exhaust from the car in front of me doesn't go under my hood and into my lungs! People tell me that's not true. Why then do I always smell that nauseating poisonous gas? To me, those exhaust pipes look like machine guns aimed at me.
10) during the day, the monitor [where the radio station comes up, where the rear video camera pictures are seen] is too bright, one can't see anything - that's because of day light reflecting on the monitor. So you see, if in the future you'd want to install a GPS in that car, the map is useless as you won't be able to see a thing! They could have made a tiny "awning" over the monitor to protect it from the reflection of the glass window, the sky, the sun, etc.
Another reason, not the last one though, is that the dash board lights are red!!! and I don't like how they designed those circles with the lights all around them!!! I know I've mentioned that already but I hate red lights on the dashboard!
And no, I didn't buy the car. It's my brother's and he let me try it. Sorry, for the negativity, Bro, but perhaps if you lend it to me often enough, I will get used to it and will eventually love it.
It is a nice car. "Nice". Probably some of you are yelling, "Are you crazy???! It is a GRRREAT car!!!!" Sorry, I can't say "great" just yet because it is my first time in this car and I do not know how it will work in unison with the driver - that's me!
Anyway, I liked that the basic controls are in the same places as my oooolddd Nissan Quest.
Just like the Quest, SL's steering wheel can be tilted up, down, and even can be pulled out a little bit. Just like the Quest, the headlight and signal light controls are on the left and the wiper controls are on the right.
What I like:
1) You put in the key in the ignation, step on the brake and hit the start button. Yes, there is a start button.
2) The steering wheel is light...I can turn it with the palm of my hand.
3) The accelerator is easy on the leg. It runs smoothly - not a lot of jolts even on a bumpy road.
4) I like that the front seats are heated, a very convenient plus during a cold winter day.
5) I like the rear view mirror. There's this little digital thingie up in the right corner that tells me what direction I'm facing.
6) Oh, I must not forget to mention the rear view camera. The monitor is on the dashboard. As soon as you put the lever on reverse, it shows you the alightment of the car and what is behind the car. It doesn't show everyone who is behind you, just the bumper of the car nearby so that when you back up you don't get to hit anything or anyone. This one will take time to get used to. I still like the good old looking over the shoulder and checking the left, right, and rear view mirrors.
What I didn't like:
1) It is soooo bulky. As soon as I got in it, I felt like I was in a box! It was an awkward feeling.
2) I can't see very well on the front sides because of the big bulky "posts" that connect the roof to the rest of the car. Added to that bulkiness are the side view mirrors. I have to do a lot of body and head movements.
3) the speakers are on both corners of the dashboard close to the "posts" and they are a little higher than the rest of the dashboard, thus adding more bulkiness to the sides of the car.
3) the rear window is very tiny! What I mean is it is not wide enough for me to see more of what is behind me.
4) the head-rests at the back seat covered half of the the tiny rear window! so less for me to see, again! Then there is this head-rest for the middle seat which obstructed the view of the front bumper, license plate included, of any car behind me! At night, the rear window looked like a toothless smile; or more like a grin with a big gap between two teeth!
5) I cannot see the tiny side windows behind the side windows [where you are supposed to be able to see any car in your blind spot if you move your body sideways or forward!
6) I hate red lights on the dashboard! why didn't they make it green so that it is cooler on the eyes!
7) On the section of the dash board right behind the steering wheel, is a full circle, and a half circle on each side of the full circle. This is where the speedometer, odometer, gas, temperature, or whatever else, are located. OK, picture this. The full circle in the center is lit up with a VERY BRIGHT and VERY RED light along its edges. The half circles, let me think about this a little bit...I think they were more shaped like a quarter moon... are also lit up with VERY BRIGHT and VERY RED lights along the curved edges. So when I pressed the start button, these panels lit up and for a while, and every time I looked at them, I felt like I was being hypnotized! It also looked like the half or quarter circles were merging towards the full circle. Make them stop moving! Argh!
9) The lights on the dashboard are so bright! There is a dimmer, which I used to dim them but it is ABSOLUTELY USELESS!!! I didn't see any difference between bright, dim, and dimmer. They were still bright!
8) Driving home from the train station, I complained about a quarter mile that I cannot see the road. It is stuck in my mind that those big bulky sides are in the way of my view of what's in front of me. I saw a car coming in the other direction give me a "wink" with his headlights. That made me automatically reach out for the lever for the headlights to check if they are on. They weren't! DUHHH!!!! Don't tell me I'm "ulyanin" or that I have "old timer's disease". In all the other cars I've driven [including those I rented when I used to travel to different parts of the country], when I drive at night:
a) the headlights automatically turn on as soon as I turn the engine on; and automatically turn off a few minutes after I turn off the engine; OR
b) the lights on the dashboard are on DIM when I turn on the engine, this tells me to turn the headlights on. When the headlights are on, the dashboard lights are bright [and the lights are green!]
But with the SL, because those darn lights are very, very bright, I thought my headlights were on! Besides, the hypnotizing, moving, merging lights made me not look closely at the dashboard.
9) And why, if I turn on the "circulate" button, the "AC" button also turns on? I want the air to circulate at times when the traffic is heavy so the exhaust from the car in front of me doesn't go under my hood and into my lungs! People tell me that's not true. Why then do I always smell that nauseating poisonous gas? To me, those exhaust pipes look like machine guns aimed at me.
10) during the day, the monitor [where the radio station comes up, where the rear video camera pictures are seen] is too bright, one can't see anything - that's because of day light reflecting on the monitor. So you see, if in the future you'd want to install a GPS in that car, the map is useless as you won't be able to see a thing! They could have made a tiny "awning" over the monitor to protect it from the reflection of the glass window, the sky, the sun, etc.
Another reason, not the last one though, is that the dash board lights are red!!! and I don't like how they designed those circles with the lights all around them!!! I know I've mentioned that already but I hate red lights on the dashboard!
And no, I didn't buy the car. It's my brother's and he let me try it. Sorry, for the negativity, Bro, but perhaps if you lend it to me often enough, I will get used to it and will eventually love it.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Name Your Supplies
Would it be a sin if I don't mention what supplies I use for my traditional layouts?
The reason I don't get to join challenges and contests or upload my layouts on on-line galleries is because I don't keep track of supplies I use. My goal is simple - to complete a layout. Sometimes it takes me too long to decide what papers to use and how to lay the pictures and embellishments on the background paper. Figuring out what the supplies are after they are all chopped into bits and pieces and having to write down everything I used will surely take a whole chunk of my time. Besides, after the sheets are torn off the pads, and the flowers are cut-out from sheets, buttons taken out of their packages, I wouldn't remember where they were from! I wouldn't dare make a list on a post-it-note and attach it on my LO. I don't know if that post-it-note is acid free.
Some write the list on the back of the background paper. For me, I can't do that. Most of the time, my LOs are double-sided, especially if I used a beautiful double-sided sheet - I wouldn't want to waste the other side!
Of course, I think, using digital supplies is an entirely different thing.
- Most of my supplies are free. The least I could do is introduce the designer through my layouts as a "thank you so much" gesture, for being kind-hearted and generous.
- It is easy to make a note of supplies as I can safely tuck them somewhere with the digital file.
- It is more convenient to upload my layouts to an on-line gallery directly from my computer [unlike traditional LOs, I have to scan or take pictures of each one in order for me to save them in my computer.
Just an almost-time-to-go-to-bed thought.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Respect for Life
The older I grow...let me re-phrase that...the more mature I become, the more respect I have for life. Perhaps it is because I now have more knowledge of life and its wonders. More so because I've reached the age of what I think is more than half of my life years. I don't know if I'll reach the age of 60, 70, 0r 80. For sure, I'll never live to double my age today.
I've seen 3 generations replacing me. My generation having their own kids, our kids having their own kids, my generation getting old, the generation before me (our parents') being OLD-er, and the generation before them... now gone.
Young ones don't think about being gone. There isn't an inkling of any thought that life will someday stop. Right now it is the enjoyment and the going forward, which is a natural, healthy attitude.
I always say to those who care to listen: There is only one life. You may be given an extension of what you have now, but you cannot buy, borrow, steal, ask, be given, find, create another one to keep you going.
I've known a long time ago that living things around me are not permanent fixtures. Sooner or later everything goes - back to being dust, becoming one again with the cosmic particles floating in this space we call universe. It's sad to see [and hear] about someone's life being snuff away at an any age because of carelessness, or misunderstanding, or fighting for reasons they believe is right. This does not apply to humans only. I believe that animal and plant beings also have the right to be here. The ant, the icky worm, the yucky housefly, the spider, the squirrel, the cayote searhing for food in urban backyards, they only have one life, some may live for years, others live for a day. If they don't bother you or hurt you in anyway, leave them be and let them fulfill what it is they were here for.
Respecting people's lives is not just letting them eat and breathe. It is also respecting their personal space, their work, their thoughts, their beliefs. Respecting life is being patient.
As I mature more, I'd like to have more patience and more understanding of the whys and hows of life around me.
Happy birthday to me!
I've seen 3 generations replacing me. My generation having their own kids, our kids having their own kids, my generation getting old, the generation before me (our parents') being OLD-er, and the generation before them... now gone.
Young ones don't think about being gone. There isn't an inkling of any thought that life will someday stop. Right now it is the enjoyment and the going forward, which is a natural, healthy attitude.
I always say to those who care to listen: There is only one life. You may be given an extension of what you have now, but you cannot buy, borrow, steal, ask, be given, find, create another one to keep you going.
I've known a long time ago that living things around me are not permanent fixtures. Sooner or later everything goes - back to being dust, becoming one again with the cosmic particles floating in this space we call universe. It's sad to see [and hear] about someone's life being snuff away at an any age because of carelessness, or misunderstanding, or fighting for reasons they believe is right. This does not apply to humans only. I believe that animal and plant beings also have the right to be here. The ant, the icky worm, the yucky housefly, the spider, the squirrel, the cayote searhing for food in urban backyards, they only have one life, some may live for years, others live for a day. If they don't bother you or hurt you in anyway, leave them be and let them fulfill what it is they were here for.
Respecting people's lives is not just letting them eat and breathe. It is also respecting their personal space, their work, their thoughts, their beliefs. Respecting life is being patient.
As I mature more, I'd like to have more patience and more understanding of the whys and hows of life around me.
Happy birthday to me!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Mind Your Manners....hrmmm... I mean Layers
I think the thing that confuses a digital newbie most is how to get to each element after they've been dragged and dropped on the canvas. There is this wonderful box that shows you all the elements and how they are chronologically arranged on your canvas.
Imagine having a sheet of 12x12 scrapping paper on your desk; you place your photo on top of this sheet of paper [that will be layer 1], then you add a frame on your paper, whether that frame is on top of your photo or on one side of your background paper, that will be layer 2. Then add another thing on top of your sheet, that will be layer 3, and so on.
In digital scrapbooking, mind where the layers are. Is layer 2 above layer 1 but below layer 5 and 4? What you want to position the flower peeking out from behind the picture?
Highlight the flower [LAYER 3], drag it with your mouse and put it between the photo [LAYER 1] and background paper.
You can rename your layers if you want to. Renaming them is especially helpful if you have more than 10 and more than two of the same kind of element (for example 3 flowers), and also if you cannot identify what the layers are because the previews are too tiny. To rename, double click on the name of the layer.
If you don't want to rename them, you can play the game hide and seek.
If you have 10 tiny flowers and you now don't remember which layer is the one you want to move around or delete, click on the eye icon [layer visibility]. Watch your canvas when you do this because whatever element disappears from your canvas is the layer you clicked. Keep on clicking until you find the correct layer. [Now's the time to name those layers!]
The next picture shows you how to add notes to your digital layout. I use this to take note of who the digital designers are so that when I upload my LO in my gallery, then I have the information at my fingertips.
To add notes, click on the NOTE icon in the TOOL BOX. Add the notes as soon as you drag an element on your canvas, or before you close your digital supplies folder so you won't forget.
Imagine having a sheet of 12x12 scrapping paper on your desk; you place your photo on top of this sheet of paper [that will be layer 1], then you add a frame on your paper, whether that frame is on top of your photo or on one side of your background paper, that will be layer 2. Then add another thing on top of your sheet, that will be layer 3, and so on.
In digital scrapbooking, mind where the layers are. Is layer 2 above layer 1 but below layer 5 and 4? What you want to position the flower peeking out from behind the picture?
Highlight the flower [LAYER 3], drag it with your mouse and put it between the photo [LAYER 1] and background paper.
You can rename your layers if you want to. Renaming them is especially helpful if you have more than 10 and more than two of the same kind of element (for example 3 flowers), and also if you cannot identify what the layers are because the previews are too tiny. To rename, double click on the name of the layer.
If you don't want to rename them, you can play the game hide and seek.
If you have 10 tiny flowers and you now don't remember which layer is the one you want to move around or delete, click on the eye icon [layer visibility]. Watch your canvas when you do this because whatever element disappears from your canvas is the layer you clicked. Keep on clicking until you find the correct layer. [Now's the time to name those layers!] The next picture shows you how to add notes to your digital layout. I use this to take note of who the digital designers are so that when I upload my LO in my gallery, then I have the information at my fingertips.
To add notes, click on the NOTE icon in the TOOL BOX. Add the notes as soon as you drag an element on your canvas, or before you close your digital supplies folder so you won't forget.
So here, I have a finished, simple LO. This file is in PSD format, therefore it is a fairly big sized file. To shrink the size of the file and to be able to upload it in your gallery, save your file as BMP or JPG. I save mine as JPG with a resolution of 72 dpi.
Take note that when you save your document as JPG, you'll lose the note. I usually shrink my PSD file in a smaller sized-file by merging some of the documents. See this tutorial.
If you have questions or comments about this tut, please let me know. TFL!
Credits: Do It Digi July Inspiration Kit - Summer Romance by BrokenJar Creations www.digitalscrapping.com
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Newbies to Digital Scrapbooking
I learned using photoshop on my own, with a little help from a former officemate. I am no expert but I will share with you what I know and how I do things. I'm pretty sure that there are other ways to do things and perhaps they are the correct ways or the ways that make more sense, but until I discover them or until someone shows me the better, easier way, I will stick to what I currently know.
A couple of friends, an officemate, and three people who found me in the tangled web of the internet have asked, "how do I make a layout? Where and how do I start? How do I put things together? Shall I pick the picture and build around it, or shall I pick the supplies then pick the picture?
There really is not just one correct way to start an LO, whether it is traditional or digital. You might find beautiful papers and embellishments and want to use them right away then find the perfect picture/s to post; or you might have a beautiful picture and scrounge through your scrapbooking supplies for the perfect papers and embellishments. Either way works. It is easier if you have a theme. If you have a photograph on or of the beach, look for supplies pertaining to the beach; if your supplies are bright and happy colors fit for a birthday or summer celebration, then look for a photograph that would go with those colors and emotions.
Check your resolutions - if you are like me, armed with an old computer, I suggest changing your pictures' [that doesn't just pertain to photos] resolutions and make them all the same - see here. I found out that if I do not use elements of the same resolution, one would be bigger than another when it's not supposed to [for example, a bling shouldn't be bigger than a flower]. True, I can re-size the flower, but by doing so, re-sizing might make the flower fuzzy or blurred - because remember, you are increasing the size of the element but the resolution of, say 72 dpi is not enough for such size.
Putting your elements together - It is easy to put elements together in one LO. Start with a simple LO first until you master the art of finding things around your digital work area (^.^) Scraplift a simple traditional or digital LO. As with crediting digital suppliers, please don't forget to give credit to the person you scraplifted from.
A couple of friends, an officemate, and three people who found me in the tangled web of the internet have asked, "how do I make a layout? Where and how do I start? How do I put things together? Shall I pick the picture and build around it, or shall I pick the supplies then pick the picture?
There really is not just one correct way to start an LO, whether it is traditional or digital. You might find beautiful papers and embellishments and want to use them right away then find the perfect picture/s to post; or you might have a beautiful picture and scrounge through your scrapbooking supplies for the perfect papers and embellishments. Either way works. It is easier if you have a theme. If you have a photograph on or of the beach, look for supplies pertaining to the beach; if your supplies are bright and happy colors fit for a birthday or summer celebration, then look for a photograph that would go with those colors and emotions.
Check your resolutions - if you are like me, armed with an old computer, I suggest changing your pictures' [that doesn't just pertain to photos] resolutions and make them all the same - see here. I found out that if I do not use elements of the same resolution, one would be bigger than another when it's not supposed to [for example, a bling shouldn't be bigger than a flower]. True, I can re-size the flower, but by doing so, re-sizing might make the flower fuzzy or blurred - because remember, you are increasing the size of the element but the resolution of, say 72 dpi is not enough for such size.
Putting your elements together - It is easy to put elements together in one LO. Start with a simple LO first until you master the art of finding things around your digital work area (^.^) Scraplift a simple traditional or digital LO. As with crediting digital suppliers, please don't forget to give credit to the person you scraplifted from.
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