GIMP and my graphic design.

Ok people I have have been trying to learn more graphic design and perfect the skills I already have. Most graphics on this blog are mine except for the background, which is the superb artwork of Alex Grey. There is an infinite array of possibilities with graphic programs as there are thousands of effects and inside each effect are thousands of settings. Add and infinite amount of layers and do the multiplication and you can fathom the possibilities.

I use GIMP because it is free and because Adobe installer won't work on my computer (a problems thousands of people seemed to have had over the years). GIMP stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program and I won't go into what GNU is because I only know a little about it at this time, but it is a worthy competitor and adversary of Adobe Photoshop and Corel Draw and because it is free it is much better. There are many tutorials and forums on the internet to teach you how to use the program and a complete user hand guide, which I have in pdf format. There are too many things too do with this program so none of us will ever know how to do everything with this program, but users like me are kind enough to teach their tricks and skills on these forums, blogs and websites and I will list some of these places here:

Get the latest version of GIMP here:
http://gimp.org/

Make Gimp look and work like Photoshop with Gimpshop:
Gimpshop

Find cool plugins and scripts at the GIMP registry and forum here:
http://registry.gimp.org/

Here is my first Gimp tutorial site where you can learn cool tricks and make some of your own when you think you know what you are doin, lol:
http://gimp-tutorials.net/

Another cool GIMP forum with tutorials in forum posts:
http://www.gimptalk.com

A couple of blogs with tutorials:
http://sunraytutorials.blogspot.com/
http://ajitgraphics.blogspot.com/

There are many more, but these are my main ones I go to. I also have a few trick of my own and will eventually start a blog dedicated to GIMP tutorials. Today I spent half the day just messing around with a few random tricks I learned and some I just figured out on my own. In the image I will show you below the lightning bolts are the newest trick I learned and I am still trying to perfect it. Here's is what I did today:














If you like what you see then please let me know what you think by leaving your comment.

Frustration

I have been with a consumer product review site called comparedby.us almost from the beginning, maybe a month after they started. They had problems almost from the beginning and I have stuck up for them. They paid me. That is what gave me confidence that they would improve all of these problems. I have had patience and now it is dwindling. They implemented a new system days, a week at the most before the pay period and of course it had to have all kinds of bugs and so I had to bitch about it to be able to get paid. I am too pissed to go into detail about what has happened, I just want top say that I am tired of being patient with CBU. That have turned down some of my reviews too and even my worst ones are better than the average best there. I am not trying to say this to be arrogant I am just saying that I writing very helpful pertinent reviews and I am starting to understand some of these people who are good writers about why they are frustrated and angry.

I am frustrated because I have been in an argument with a women at Ciao.com and she keeps arguing with me. Myabe I shouldn't argue back, but she is so wrong and if people start to listen to her people may start believer her because she is a good talker. That's all she is. She is evil. The bottom line is she is trying to make the point that it is Americans fault why we are going into a major depression, but that it is alright that people who want to make money and rich people to feed on the common persons stupidty, hopes and dreams to make a quick buck. She keeps telling me that if people are too stupid to not understand economics or how to pay their bills the right way, then they don't deserve to own their own home. She keeps telling me that if people aren't smart enough to have more than one skill then it is their fault if they lost their jobs and can't find another.

That is pure EVIL. I am am a very intelligent person, but I understand that not everyone can be so. People live different lives and go through different situations and don't always gain the right tools they need to make it in life. I myself never had anyone tell me that I should learn skills or go to school when I was a kid. I lived in the ghetto and the only thing I knew was gang banging and drug dealing. That never stopped me from being inquisitive and curious and wanting to learn, but it certainly stopped me from knowing that I needed more skills in order to make it in the world. Not many people I ever knew actually had a real job. I am 31 and just now leaning web and graphic design trying to gain new skills.

This is this stupid bitches statement "If people get laid off because they only have one marketable skill then they deserve to loose their job". ? How evil is that? To wish bad things upon people. Here is something else she said "If people are stupid enough to put all their money in equities then they deserve to loose it all". ? So she is saying that if a not so intelligent person takes the advice of a financial advisor or their well meant peers to invest in a hone or other equity and they lose their money then they deserved it. How evil can that be. She was also saying that it is alright for smart people to take advantage of dumb people.

You can not blame individual people for mass problems, especially when those mass problems are started by people with money. This is fact! They take advantage of peoples hopes and dreams and then blame them when they can't pay for it. These institutions know that people won't be able to pay their payments and high interest rates and they give them credit and mortgages anyway.

I don't know the solution and I don't believe the most intelligent pragmatists do either. What I do know is that we should top going around blaming individual people for our problems. Even as I sit here and blame republicans and I rich people I know I shouldn't blame them either. Blaming doesn't help anyone. We need stop being enemies with each other and start to help each other. Evil people like her have no place in this world and we can not feed her ignorance.

I am frustrated. I will get over it and then it will start up again and I will get angry again. I don't know what to do....

Goals.

Today is a much better day the more recent days have been to me even though I am still depressed and I feel like shit I am in a much better mood for some reason. Last night I didn't feel good either, but I was in a very inspired mood and I have made a bunch of plans for many articles and book possibilities in the future. I am quite excited by the ideas I have been having and keep writing more and more ideas down.

Organization is going to be a problem though and it may take me years before I even have a rough draft of just one book, but I am determined ot do this. I want to write a bunch of series sort of like "Learning for dummies", but there will be levels like 'Beginner', 'Intermediate' and 'Advanced' and I will call it something better to not belittle people like the dummies books do.

I am going to write a bunch of articles and eventually expand on those into these books. I plan to right how to learn the basic computer functions that will help you do everything you need to do on a computer and make it much easier and efficient so that you can pay more attention to what you are learning than how to even use a computer.

I will write books on learning how to think. How to organize your thoughts and how to make it easier to learn. it doesn't have to be hard even for a layman. I have all sorts of ideas and I can keep writing about them all day, but that would be pointless here.

I get my Federal income tax return anyday now andI will be getting my new computer. I know it is getting close so that puts me in a better mood. I have missed playing Call of Duty 4 so much and other video games. I work on here alot, but I like to play sometimes. I like to play alot of different types of games to like MMORPGS and FPS's. I really don't have a preferred genre. Well, enough rambling for today see you all tomorrow.

OMG, I feel like such a dumb ass. Yesterday I was so upset and in a bad mood because I thought I had lost my mp3 player. I had stuck it in my coat pocket while running for the bus and when I went to get it out yesterday it was gone. My coat pockets have holes in them and so when I put things in them they go inside my coat. Well I had searched all through the bottom of my coat and couldn't find it.

After some pouting and t.v. watching last night I pick up my coat again and searched again. Still nothing. I laid the coat down next to me again on the bed and started watching t.v. again. While moving around getting comfortable I layed my arm on the arm of my coat and felt a little bump that I thought shouldn't be there down by the cuff. It was very curious to me so I then stuck my hand inside my pocket, up the inside of my coat and then into the arm and down towards the cuff and what do you know, there was my mp3 player!

I felt so stupid that I had made such a fuss. I really would have been devastated if I had lost it though. Music is so important to me and my mood. It really gets me through everyday and I am listening to it right now of course. I wrote a new review at Ciao and it is pretty much receiving all "exceptional" ratings with the exception of just a few very "very helpfuls". My girlfriend is mad at me, but I hope she'll get over it soon as she knows I love her and I am on her side. Hopefully the rest of my day will turn out just fine.

Pissed!

AHHHHHHHHH! Today has been a very bad day for me. Firstof all, of all I don't feel well and anyone who knows me knows why, but today is one of my worse days. I havn't told my girl because she will get all worried and I don't want her to.

I go to the local Good Samaritan Inn in my city to eat lunch everyday because I am one of those many people in the U.S. that doesn't have a job because of the economy and the fact the more that 2,500 have been laid off from their jobs in the last 3 months in my city alone. Today I went to eat and on my way home I had to run to the bus station because the busses were getting ready to leave and so I shoved my mp3 player into my pocket because I didn't have time to fiddle with it. I was tired when I got home because I had been up all night writing reviews online (a Helium article as well) so I went to bed. This evening when I woke up I went to get my mp3 player out of my coat pocket and it was gone! Needless to say I am pissed.

I am pissed at myself because I know better that I should pay attention to what I am doing. I am a perfectionist and I always pay attention to every little minute detail and because of my sickness I have been slipping as of late. I a pissed because music is one of the few things (other than my girl) in my life that ever really makes me enjoy life. I am not in awe by the universe or people and nothing really impresses me besides music and most art. I am impressed by some intellectualism, but people like us are few and far between anymore. Now I have lost one of the few things that makes me happy and I have no way to get a new one.

I have money coming soon form my tax refund, but it is spent already. I have to buy a computer, for the ability to make more money of course, and the rest is going to my mom since we are poor and I just can't live off of her for free. She understands my plight of course and respects me because I do work hard at what I can do online. I don't know what to do. I meed my music and I need an mp3 player. I am pretty much screwed.

Don't get me wrong people, I am not whining. I have had hardships most of my life, but music is very important to me. Once I get my new computer I will be able to listen to music through my pc in my headphones, but I need music even more when I go out and ride the bus. I am just sad is all. I'll get over it, life goes on...

Helping people learn.

I love to help people learn because people have always been kind enough to help me learn and so I feel good when I pay it back (or pay it forward really). It is great when I find people who are inquisitive and smart enough to know that asking a question is the only way to learn anything. There is no such thing as a stupid question and we should keep asking the same question over and over again until we feel we truly understand it.

I have a wealth of knowledge in my brain and unlike most people my brain is no where near cramped and I can just keep learning more and more everyday, which I do. I love to pass on all the information I can to anyone who is will to listen. If I don't know something that someone asks me then I go figure it out. There are so many free learning resources in the world today that it really takes no effort.

I am usually quite patient with people when I teach them things and I understand that not everyone learns the same way. Some people are smart, they just understand things differently. On occasion I do get frustrated with teaching though and today for a short instance was one of those times. I was helping an older friend how to copy and paste (don't laugh) and this is like the 3rd time I have tried to explain it to her. She asked me this morning and it was then that I got frustrated and almost didn't help her, but I refuse to give up on anyone. I also don't like to fail at anything either so I quickly bottled my frustration and tried to put it into the most simplest of terms and explained it step by step. She has had trouble in the past even copying a web address and pasting it into a browser so I couldn't even direct her to a video tutorial, which is much better at explaining to people how to do things. So I told her step by step hot to hold the left click button and drag the mouse across the text until all of the text was highlighted and then right click to bring up the menu and click copy to bring it into the clipboard and then go up to the address bar and right click to bring up the menu again and click paste and then hit enter. The address took her to a video tutorial to better explain to her what I was showing her. She finally figured it out!

It made me feel good to help her and she messaged me back thanking me. This is one of the most basic functions on a computer that is really necessary to do almost everything and I have opened whole new doors for her. i now have a feeling that there will be a multitude of questions from her and I am up to the challenge. Now that she can copy and paste it should be easy now!

Depressed on Valentines day.

I have been very depressed today. It is Valentines day and I am in a long distance relationship with a beautiful, intelligent and caring woman from the Philippines and so I can't kiss her or hold her and it is making me very upset. I don't know why. It is frustrating most days anyway, but for some reason because it is a holiday it is reminding me of what I am missing.

I am a person who really doesn't believe Valentines Day is a real holiday because we should celebrate our love for our partner everyday of the year. I guess I am saying everyday should be Valentines Day. It is just a commercialized way to exploit money from people for something that should already be celebrated without having to spend money. Do we need to be reminded that we love someone? If we do then we truly don't love that person.

Some people might wonder why I am with my girl. She is on the other side of the planet in the Philippines and I am in Decatur, Illinois, over 8000 miles away. I will not be able to be with her for another 2 years. What's even crazier is that we are two totally different kinds of people with totally different personalities. Through all this I love her more than anyone I have ever loved in my life. I know she loves me for various reasons that only me and her know about. For me I love the fact that she is kind, caring, completely genuine, beautiful, sexy and incredibly intelligent.

All of the American women I have been with are evil, scandalous or just plain dumb. Most women here care about if you have a car or how much money you make. It is so sad how superficial most women are here. There may be good faithful women here and there may be women here who are not superficial, but I haven't met many. The ones I have met either aren't attracted to me or I don't know what the problem is. I don't drive I think is the biggest problem and I choose not to and if they don't like it then screw them. I am not going to change something that is an important part of my life just to be with someone. I may drive one day (I do know how), but it will be because I have got old and lazy and don't want to walk anymore. I don't think I am ugly. I may not be Brad Pitt and I have been called ugly before, but I know different women have different tastes and I have been with women who were attracted to me.

I was in a relationship for seven years before and she got bored with me and kicked me to the curb and I have learned with my mistakes with here what not to do. I will no longer let a woman walk all over me just so she will love me. My girl now loves me for who I am and she finds me attractive (except for my square nose!, lol) and I make her laugh and she loves me for my intellectual capacity and my creativity. She loves me for who I am. That is why I love her and why I will suffer without her for the next two years.

I still don't know why I am still depressed about it. I am bi-polar anyway so there usually isn't a specific reason why I am depressed I am just usually sad or happy for no reason, but today I have a reason. As we speak She is sleeping and has the web cam on so I can watch her sleep and that makes me feel a little better, but then again it makes me wish I was right there sleeping with her. Mixed emotions are a bitch.

In the end I will get over it. Tomorrow is a new day and she will cheer me up again when she wakes up.

My first Diamond at Ciao

I am a writer at a few review sites and well known at two major ones and I put alot of hard work, dedication and passion into most of my reviews. I do these things for several reasons and first and foremost is because I am a perfectionist and like to be the best I can be at everything I do. I like to evolve, expand and exercise my mind. I also put so much effort into it because my work reflects on my character; the kind of person I am. It shows that I take pride in whatever it is I do.

I recently wrote a review at Ciao.com on the Tool album "Ænima" and of course I put everything I had into it. I did it not only because of my pride and wanting to be perfect, but because this band and especially this album mean a great deal in my life. You can read more about that in my review below.

Ciao was my first review site and through all the bullshit and crap that is happening lately it is still my home and none of these idiots are going to chase me off. It is has taught me how to be a good writer; some would say a great writer and I keep getting better with each new review I write (especially about music).

Well, my hard work has finally paid off. The most prestigious award at Ciao is the Diamond. The Diamond is awarded to exceptional reviews that are hand picked by the staff at Ciao every month. Our reviews are rated by our peers and exceptional is the highest rating you can recieve. The staff then determines if the review is actually exceptional or not because many people cheat and give each other high ratings when they really don't deserve it. But there are hundreds of truly exceptional reviews and only 5 of those reviews can receive this highest honor. Along with the award of Diamond you are also awarded a monetary recompense to show you that they appreciate you hard work and skill.

I have finally won my first Diamond! I knew my review was exceptional as many of my others are, but there are many great writers at Ciao who are much more talented than I. Today as I was looking through my reviews to see if someone had hate rated me I was skimming the page and almost didn't see it. I thought I did, but didn't believe it so I scrolled back up the page and there it was! I jumped out of my chair so high I almost feel over I was so happy. My hard work had finally paid off.

Now we don't see our new earnings for the day until the new day arrives so all day I wondered how much. It really was all I could think about all day. Finally the time came and I refreshed my browser to see my new earnings and I had made $15! That's not including money I get from the rates so so far I have made maybe $17 or $18 off of this one review.

I keep using the cliche "I can't believe it", but in all reality I can. I am not as arrogant as some people beleive, but I am a good writer and I put my heart, soul and knowledge into this review. I deserve it and I am glad that other people and Ciao recognize it. Thank you Ciao and all the people who read and rated it.