Information Is Beautiful

The book "Information Is Beautiful" by David McCandless was introduced to me by Seanan back in the day when we were working on a project some time last year. He lent me the book, maybe wishing me to pick some great ideas in there because I was assigned to do our poster.

I just felt the need to have the book in hand whenever I'm running out of ideas, especially when lacking of sleep and feeling burn out. So today, I ordered it online. I'm flabbergasted by his passion about data and colours, information is truly beautiful...

Him putting it into a successful career is something I would want to follow, let's rock and roll.

Life is Full of Surprises

Indeed it is. Being open to unexpected turns in the road is an important part of success. If you try to plan every step, you may miss those wonderful twists and turns. Just find your next adventure do it well, enjoy it and then, not now, think about what comes next.

Do not plan everything, but do your best for the things you love doing.

Travel Bug

By the time this is posted, I might be on my halfway to Donegal. The plan is to leave by 6am so I can be there before 10, I just hope that my memory won't fail me to remember the names of roads I passed through before. I must follow detour signs which has been there for few years, me thinks! 

I'll try to tweet about the places I'll be going, it's gonna be interesting! Happy Thursday!

Out and About, Hello Spring!

It's nice to be out and about again after few months of constant rain and gloomy weather. I was one of those people who like to hide and never bother to walk in the park when it's cold outside. But recently, it seems the weather is changing and I'd like to resume my morning walks again, staying indoors most of the time is taking a toll on me, I've been having back pains already! 

Magic Mouse

Magic mouse is my new bestfriend. It's silly how I ignored it for more than a year only to find out now that it will ease my CTS (aka Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) problem. I have my intuos wacom tablet that I use for drawing and editing photos but for basic typing and net browsing, I only wanted a mouse. This magic mouse has been sitting in my drawer for the longest time and just decided to try it the other day and wow, the constant pain on my right ring finger is totally gone!!!.....  Well, not really but I can feel the improvement already ツ

The wacom tablet and the (expensive) pen are quite troublesome to bring on site, so it brought me to this idea why try the magic mouse for editing photos! See above and below the finished products ツ

It takes time to get used to it and it's not recommendable for massive edits and drawings. It would help a lot if you have photoshop actions though. This might sound a magic mouse review, but if you know me in person, I always praise products that are easy to use, I rave about new restaurant finds, and appreciate attentive friendly customer service. Or perhaps I'm just easy peasy with optimistic mentality ツ

 

Doughnuts and De-clutter

iPhoto drives me mad. The way it's duplicating everything frustrates me where all I want is to have one single back up of the photos and sketches I made. Doughnut monster (sketch above) came multiple times in four different folders and I have to manually delete each of them. All I want is to de-clutter.

But then I guess, this drawing reminds me to slow down on gulping sweets all the more I haven't got back to my "normal weight" after devouring lots and lots of food over Christmas season. Gahhhh....

Bleeding inside.

Jamie's Italian in Dundrum

One of the things I promised to myself this year is to explore different places and food to eat, I've been too comfortable of relying to what's there in front of me or what I've always like.

While searching restaurants on the internet, I stumbled upon Jamie's Italian in Dundrum. It is owned by Jamie Oliver itself, a British chef and a celebrity who has TV shows, cookbooks and "charming talents". I didn't even know that we have one here to be quite honest! But I'm delighted to know that now and enjoy a fine dining experience which I did last Thursday.

I love his vibrant vintage-y website, it reflects the ambiance of the restaurant and it's impressive to see the food staff all good looking and attentive! Food was served quick which is always a plus factor of course, not to mention how delicious the pasta are! It is Italian, we have to order pasta but would love to try their steak and fish dishes next time. The place is spacious, and you wouldn't hear other people's conversation. Unless you're too nosy and eager to hear someone else gossip!

A Perky Wallpaper

It all started when a friend recommended a restaurant called Bobo's for lunch, myself and colleague went straight in when we saw a deal of €10 for a hamburger, chips and drinks. Upon entering, you'll notice this massive wall art of a farm with fat (and cutesy) cows. It got stuck in my mind and had this idea to create something for my iPhone wallpaper..... which I also turned into my twitter background. A bit of tweaking with fonts and multiple dots, voila!

Photoshop tip of the day:
Using Photoshop, make sure to put everything into separate layers, also, converting a layer into smart object can be handy when you decide to edit them in illustrator or in any vector-drawing environment.

The above photo is just a small portion of the massive wall art in Bobo's, you'll see a bit of their comfy couch in faux leather cow print fabric where I sat. And I tasted one of the best hamburgers ever! It was super delicious and spicy, it's called "The Diorai" - prime juicy beef burger with iceberg lettuce, Old Dubliner cheddar cheese, smothered with chilli mince, salsa and chipotle mayonnaise. Writing this post makes me want to come back for more!

London Underground | 150th Anniversary

Today marks 150th Anniversary of London Underground, I've no idea how long it has been built so I did a little research about it. I was in London last month and I used London Underground (often called as "London Tube") as much as I needed to to get around the massive town. It can really get confusing at first but you get the hang of changing lanes after few minutes of wondering around it. Each journey can be really quick, you've no time to sit and relax, I like the punctuality of it, it comes between 2-5 minutes.

PS.
Photo above has been featured on Places in London website!!! Yay!!!

Jeffrey Campbell's Lita

I've forgotten how comfortable Jeffrey Campbell's Lita is! I've no problem walking in them and yet it gives me the height I've always wanted. The shoe has 5" heel which makes me five foot seven ツ. 

Anyway, today we watched the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland at NCH. The venue is packed with parents and supporters, the concert itself is awe-inspiring. I always admire young people who do something for passion. It helps them to decide what they want to be in future.