iReview

I’m not sure how many of you have heard about altered art. For me, I came across the term while searching for materials to buy on eBay for my scrapbooking hobby.

It seems that it is hard to find a website that has a concise definition on what is actually altered art. I found one in eBay review - Altered Art Materials: The Search Is On! that says,

” Altered art is simply the repurposing of everyday materials to become something artistically expressive. From bottle cap bracelets and cigar box purses to collaged books and homemade shrines, altered art is becoming increasingly popular among scrapbook aficionados, fiber artists, painters, and even collectors who are not formally trained in art.”

If you are interested to see how altered art items look like, have a look here at Scrapjazz.com.

My friend is having a mix up feeling about going to Australia this December. She is supposed to attend her brother in law convocation but now her husband is having a second thought about going.

From what I read and heard from friends who have been there, Australia is such a nice country to travel to. You can either go to its second largest city, Melbourne and enjoy the varieties of lifestyle, from vibrant nightlife to thriving art scene. Or you can go some place adventurous like taking a dive in Great Barrier Reef or splashing fun in Gold Coast. With a country larger than the whole of Europe, you have several holiday seasons to spend to complete your whole journey in Australia.

Coming back to my friend’s story, well, it’s true that a vacation plus long distance travel like that would need you to spend a lot of money, in terms of ticket flight, accommodation and for sure some pocket money. But if you are in the UK and planning to look for flight to Australia anytime soon, have a look at DialAFlight.com.

For now, their Best Flight Fare from HEATHROW to MELBOURNE is around £539 inclusive tax and this rate is valid from 01 November 2007 until 09 December 2007. Plus with DialAFlight you can have all-inclusive trip since they not only offer cheap flights but they also have a selection of great bargain on Australia Hotels, car hire and travel insurance.

A friend of mine who is planning to travel to Australia this coming December was telling me that the flight ticket during that time is almost fully booked because it is going to be summer and school holiday. I was like how come it’s summer in December?

Silly me for neglecting my Geography knowledge..haha! I was never a big fan when it comes to Geography back then in school. The only time I enjoy learning it was when I was 13 because the teacher has a weird jerky movement every time he talked. Pity him for having a student like me.

So if you are planning to travel anywhere worldwide, make sure you know what’s the climate and the season of the place during the time of your travel. At least you would know what to pack and what to expect once you arrive there. I found a website that tells in details about climate and season.

If you feel like refreshing your Geography lesson, have a look here at World Climate.

*This post is written for Headshot Studio*

If your career move depends on the image of yourself on a paper, would you invest in taking great headshots?

Of course if you are willing to give it all, finding the right headshot photographer is the first clever step you must make. If you are in Los Angeles, the Headshot Studio is one place you should try. Doug Hac, the photographer there has been in the business for over ten years. Among the actors that he has shot are Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway), Brittany Murphy and the stars from hit TV shows like Heroes, just to name a few. He even has photographed Donatella Versace muse Devon Aoki.

Of course if you are not planning to be an actor anytime soon, it will still be a good idea to have a great headshot. You can use it in online dating site or even on your blog (especially if you are a problogger with thousand of readers all around the world), or a boost to your old style business card.

Give it a try, with a fee as low as $297 for their One Look Package, it is a small money to pay for the future world of glamor and fame.

Since I was away for the weekend trip to an island, I have been having a great time taking a lot of pictures, mostly scenery, plants and of course the beach. I don’t really like to take pictures of people..hehe!

So today I thought I will learn something that I don’t really like, just for the sake of gaining new knowledge.

How do you like to have an extra tips or two when it comes to take portrait pictures? Check out this site’s article on Portrait photography - Physical likeness & character make a good portrait. I like the part where they say that a good portrait should be able to bring out the character of the person or any living beings into the picture.

I will try to implement what I learn from the site soon. I just hope I have a volunteer to pose for me..haha!

*This post is written for rotisolusa.com*

I’m not sure how many of you have been to any of the upscale rotisseries while dining out. For me, it is such a view to see the burning fire crackling on the poultry. (At least some restaurant did the outside effect of having their chicken roasted with wood while it’s actually a commercial rotisserie) It’s like even though you never taste the chicken before, just by looking at the roasting chicken will whet your appetite for a decent lunch.

If you are planning to open a rotisserie business, check out the Rotisol Rotisserie. You can have the one that fits 6 birds for a start which runs on gas or electric. Or you can opt for the one with self-cleaning features which could save up to 300 manpower hours per year.

Or maybe if you have the whole bunch in the family that love roasted chicken, invest in the Rotisol line of rotisserie for the residential market. The spits are adjustable in depth for a perfect cooking which would enable you to cook from a small hen to a large turkey. A perfect healthy roasted poultry dish every time!

Somehow I am lost for recipes to cook. Even worse when I am not sure what to have for dinner or lunch. If only we don’t need to eat that often..haha! Like a friend of mine used to say, life would be easier if all the food comes in pills and one swallow will make us feel full for hours.

Well, if you are looking for frugal and easy ways to have dinner, check out this article: Five quick and healthy dinners with rotisserie chicken.

Like the article says, the tips to quick cooking is by utilizing whatever convenience foods available in the market for very quick, healthful dinner preparations.

I am yet to find some Asian recipes that really tasty and quick. If you know any recipe which could help solve my eating and cooking problem, feel free to share, OK!

This post is written for langantiques.com*

Are you looking for estate diamond buyers? Perhaps you have inherited a great diamond ring from your late, late grandmother and after finding out of the real value of the ring, you decided that it’s best that you sell it for large amount of money. After all you are not going to be married so the ring will not be passed down to your future wife or daughter..hehe!

Usually an estate diamond ring of vintage quality and authentic cut have a value of more than USD10k and above. Take this for example, a platinum ring with a high quality 1.09 carat round brilliant cut diamond has a retail price of $11,250.00. There is another one I saw on the site that has a retail price of USD30k++.

If you are interested to buy or sell vintage jewelry, check out Lang Antiques in San Francisco. They have been in the business since 1969, buying and selling fine antique jewelry and estate jewelry of different gemstones and period pieces such as Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, Art Nouveau and up to more contemporary jewelers.

Or perhaps if you have found the perfect jewel in your life and would like to commemorate the event with something as precious as she is, look out no further than the collection of fine jewelry that Lang Antiques has to offer. The one-of-a-kind ring will certainly suit the one-of-a-kind woman that you love!

How much do you know about natural stones in jewelry? Put it precisely about the different type of gemstones - ruby, emerald, topaz, onyx, sapphire just to name a few. Have you ever wonder why they have so much values next to silver and gold?

Take this emerald for example. From the website that I read, emeralds are known to be calming and balancing, promoting creativity and eloquence and restoring faith and hope.

Whereas sapphire is believed to brings gifts of fulfillment, joy, prosperity, inner peace and beauty. Of course there is gemstone for every birth month. Mine for example would be diamond.

I’m not sure whether the mystical properties of every gemstones are true because I am yet to try wearing any real stone. Perhaps I will try white topaz as it is a popular substitute for diamond. It is said here that topaz is particularly good for artists. It gives one access to their artistic creativity, and increases one’s appreciation of beauty. It is said to give a person the capacity to see both the larger picture and the minute detail, recognizing how they interrelate.

Let me try first and let you know later, OK!

*This post is written for DenTek Night Guard*

If you never heard about these terms - Night Guard, Doctor Night Guard, Dental Night Guard, night mouth guard, this is your chance to let those who have teeth grinding problem at night while they sleep to know that there is a solution to their problem.

While reading about bruxism - the dental term for habit of grinding your teeth and/or clenching your jaw, the root cause for the problem is actually stress and tension in the daily life. People of type A personality and those with suppressed anger and frustration are also prone to have this type of problem. It could also be a problem because of sinus or sleeping disorders.

Of course in the long run, it will give bad impact to your dental health which could also lead to migraine and facial pain. So if you know people who have this problem, ask them to check about this dental night guard. Hope it would help them and their spouses as well, haha!