Online Photo Editor: PicMonkey

Found this awesome photo editor that doesn't require registering. Sometimes, this is a sigh of relief. I'm pretty much twitching whenever I give out my email address, no matter how many I own, to any web login. You always fear the marketing companies/phishers' whiffing to hound your email down. Evidently, Picmonkey's no-strings-attached-just-edit-photos philosophy hits the right note. And oh boy, am I glad to find it!

Anyway, grieving over the demise of Picnik is officially over (before it merged with Picasa). Lo and behold, Picmonkey was born! (At least, when I finally discovered it.) It has the looks and feel of Picnik, and the technical ease is a welcome treat.

Picmonkey's tools aren't just eye-candy. Features to edit photos are not just the usual basic edits, cross process or posterize. It comes cutesy fonts and overlays plus no-frills touch up options that made editing fun again. Pretty much, I'm very impressed of how robust the tools are and easy it is to manipulate and save photos. I might even say, Picmonkey can replace my watermarking software anytime! This site would truly be a big hit to kids, teens, and not surprisingly to photoshop novices and advanced users.

The only downside that I could think of--and I really dread stating--is the lack of having an account. It would somehow personalize and may even perhaps provide some limited photo storing to backup creations. BUT, it's not a big deal, since I love how portable and practical Picmonkey is.

Mind you, Picmonkey is not a GIMP or Photoshop alternative, but this is definitely a keeper!

Style Guide: Chictopia

Coffee brings me to newer grounds. Today, I found Chictopia and exploited it because I got too jittery. First off, it is an online fashion diary made by and made for the majority. It reminds me of a classier StyleDiary but with more social networking and oomph. I am totally hooked especially the Street Style section.

And how hooked was I? I also sent a fashion article for their EUI blog. Well, you can't course through all of the site's pages in a day. It is very fresh and inspiring. I may have just found what I am looking for. Gone are the days of just using name-brand sites or Google Images (gasp!) for fashion inspirations. This is IT... or until the next best thing to style guides comes into place.

Come feast your fashionista eyes at Chictopia.

Online Tutorial: Livemocha

I've been meaning to improve my Spanish, and with Livemocha, I have found redemption! The site is just a playground of a lot of language activities and learners. It is like facebook for those who want to learn a new language. And wouldn't learning be more exciting and true to form to the meet-new-friends principle?

All other languages are offered, and paid courses are an option. If you are a student and a teacher by heart, this is a great opportunity to help other members as well. You get to earn points and use up for your language exploration needs.

Bottomline, I am hooked. Very hooked.

Online Fun: Face in Hole

Images get easily mashed up with the available photo editors out there. Here is one site that you can use for the fun of it. Try inserting your face on any of the "bodies" available in the different categories. This is one way of sprucing up that drab social page that you have.

For today, Face in Hole deserves ***** attention. :)