The New Camcorder!

~**Panasonic SDR-S7**~This camera records on an SD card! So make sure you have one wih
at least (in my opinion) 4 gigs! They are so cheap these days, might
as well get one with a lot of gigs. (f.y.i. this camcorder isn't HD).

So I'm happy to say that I got a new camcorder!! :) I always do a
looot of research before I spend a lot of money on something, and
with my budget and what I was looking for, I'm certain I found the
right product for me. :) The main things I were looking for in
particular were a flip around LCD screen, and a good auto focus. I
haaaated how with my other camera (Canon powershot SD750
digital ELPH) I would bring a product close to the lens and it would
be totally blurry! Don't get me wrong, the SD750 is awesome for
pictures- the colors are great and it's a small size (great for travel),
but I wanted something for recording. :)

I wanted to get something that was in my budget- I just sold my
ipod so I my limit was about $250. Luckily, this camcorder was on
sale for $200 at best buy!

This camcorder is suuuper small! Look at the size of it in my hand.
After reading reviews, I did see a lot of people say that this camera
gets very warm after holding it in your hand for around an hour of
recording. The battery life is also pretty bad- it only lasts around 40
minutes to an hour. It took me about 2 hours for the 1st time I
charged it, give or take some time.

NOTE: the pic underneath this text was taken with my laptop cam.

After MUUUCH experimenting, I have decided that for me
personally, I find that I get the best results for tutorials with these
settings: MNL (manual, not auto), Portrait mode, XP (highest res), Indoor lighting (unless you are outdoor of course), 4x3 (instead of 16x9- personal preferece). Sometimes
putting on backlight compensation mode helps too, but note that it
will make you appear "brighter".
There is also an editing system that comes with this camera. I don't
really like it, nor do I care to learn about a new system right
now..lol, I'm doing well with my windows (vista) movie maker.

Some cool effects~-Scene modes- (Off), portrait, sports, low light, spotlight, and surf &
snow

-Soft Skin mode- supposed to soften skin & reduce the appearance of
lines.

-Magicpix- Supposed to brighten up objects or people in dim
lighting.-

Backlight Compensation mode- Supposed to brighten up ojects that
appear dark against backlighting (like if the sun is behind you).

**Just know that this camcorder doesn't do the best in low lighting! It will kindof neutralize colors and make your skin look a little dull. Natural lighting is always best. :)**

NOTE--- This is not for those of you who are looking for a good
camera to take pictures AND a video camera...the pics this camera
takes suck! The highest resolution it goes to is like 640X480, so it's
pretty small. Here's an example of a picture I took in natural lighting.

Using Windows Movie Maker??

(Note that I have VISTA, not XP)

I was a little worried when I tried to import my videos into wmm & they didn't show up...so it's super simple & you'll probably figure it out anyways, but I might as well put it in here--just click "all files" INSTEAD of the default which is "picture & video files".

Hope that helped some!!!! :)

~Sarah

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Exercise

Okay, so today my mom & I went up to Superstition Mountains at 7AM to get some exercise and walk/jog the 2 mile fun walk/run. It costs $25 per person, and all the money goes to charity! I think that's so cool; get to walk and look at beautiful scenery- and it was even a bit chilly outside, and giving to charity!! ;D Of course it's an annual event, as the MARATHON (26.2 miles!!), half marathon (13 mi), 5k (i think that's 3 mi??), and 10k (i think that's 6 mi??) also take place. Anyways, we actually went because one of our family friends from CA was doing the marathon so once we were done with our fun walk we went to root him on! Oh my gosh...it was SOOO COOOOOL watching all those people run across the finish line!!! I cannot IMAGINE ever being able to run (or even WALK) 26 miles straight!! uhg, insanity!! I'm so proud of those people! Heck, I'm so proud of the people who did the 5k!!! :D

Anyways, okay, this is really sad & embarassing info I'm disclosing here (lol), but I couldn't finish the 2 mile!!! My asthma got so bad, and I was like panting, my mom seriously ran the whole 2 mile while I waited about 3/4 mile for her to come back and pick me up (which neither of us really minded except that we kinda wanted to do it together). This has made me realize: MAN alive I'm sooo out of shape!! Just because someone is skinny, does not mean at all that they are healthy! So me & my mom decided that we are going to make this year our get fit & healthy year!! I looke up online some routines that we can do without having to get a gym membership.

1. Bodyweight squats
No weight, nothing. Just you squatting with your
own bodyweight. Many people think that because this
is a simple exercise that it's automatically easy.
Not so. This really tests you. What you ideally
want to do is 25 squats in a row. Then take a short
rest and repeat. Doing this for 4 sets everyday not
only will tone and tighten your legs, but also help
you to shed fat from all over your body.
2. Jumping jacks
Everyone knows about jumping jacks. Few people have
never done them. This is what I'd like for you to
do to get the most out of doing jumping jacks.
Watch tv. Ok, wait, that's not all I want you to
do. When the commercials come on, do jumping jacks
for all of the commercial break until the tv show
comes back on. Do this for 5 commercial breaks
everyday. What's not to like? You can watch tv and
"slip in" some exercising.
3. Isometric butt squeezes (lol)
If you want to tighten up your butt and improve
it's shape, squeeze your butt together really hard
and hold the isometric tension for as long as
possible. Keep doing that with short 10 second
rests between each time you do it. Do this for 5
minutes a day, everyday.

Walking – If the weather is nice, it’s wonderful to
get outside and enjoy the scenery around you while
you exercise. However, if the weather has other
ideas, you can just as easily get an effective
walking workout at home. If you have a flight of
stairs, go up and down them a few times. (You could
even grab a load of laundry as you’re going that
way anyway!) This will help to tone up your legs,
while getting some low impact aerobic exercise as
well. If you don’t have any stairs available, just
walk around the house a few times – it may not be
very exciting, but it will do the job!

Jumping Jacks – These are always fun, as they bring
back memories of being a kid! Who hasn’t done
jumping jacks for fun as a child? Well, surprise –
they are also great cardio exercises, and good for
warming up, too.

Pushups – These are probably not the most favorite
exercise of many people, but while they can be hard
to do, you can find easier ways to do them. You
don’t need to pretend you’re “Rocky”, and do them
with one hand; just do what works for you. Do them
on your knees, instead of keeping your legs
straight. Or, do them standing up against a wall.
You will be building up arm strength and working
out muscles in your chest area.

Leg Lifts – These are great for building up
strength and muscles in your legs. If you find it
hard to do the exercises with your legs straight,
try bending them slightly.

Crunches – The best exercise for building up and
strengthening abdominal muscles. When you’re just
getting started, don’t worry about getting your
head all the way up. So long as you’re going up
until you feel the stretching of the muscles, you
will see some benefit.

Jogging In Place – Jogging is a great exercise for
your heart. You can jog in place at home while
watching TV or listening to music. The only
equipment you will require is a good pair of shoes,
to eliminate any stress to your legs. Squats – These are wonderful exercises for your
legs and buttocks. You can even just try these by
sitting and standing up again from a regular chair,
if you’re finding them to be too difficult. As long
as you’re able to do a few repetitions, you will be
providing some benefit to your body.

Light Weight Lifting – No, you don’t need to go out
and buy expensive weights for this! Just use
whatever you can find in your house. Start out with
something lighter, such as a can of peas, and work
yourself up to heavier items. You can use milk
jugs, laundry detergent bottles or even water jugs.

Dancing – Dancing is a wonderful exercise, which is
great for your heart. Not only that, but it can
lift your spirits as well, and give your overall
feeling a boost. Step Exercises – Using the steps in your home, you
can do repetitions which will tone your leg
muscles. (Just remember to be careful!)

I decided since I'm just beginning to workout, that I'm going to do it 3 times a week 30-45 minutes each time.

another good website:

http://www.fullfitness.net/abs.html

I know this was a bit of a sloppy entry (sorry about that), but I just wanted to type it up and post it so I wouldn't forget! ;P

P.S. here is a picture of Superstition Mountain I took last year when I went hiking up there! Isn't it gorgeous?!

sorry for the obnoxious watermark ;) I'm a bit protective of my photography.

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distractions

It's been about a month since I last had a video out- WOW. It sure doesn't seem like it's been that long! :S It's not like I've taken a break from makeup or anything...I've come up with so many new looks that I love:) I just need to get back with filming the videos. I can't believe I have like 60 subscribers now, that's so cool! :)

Alsoooo, I have made a lot of my videos private!! Including the "how to exfoliate your lips" video, which was apparently pretty popular. I won't go into detail about why I did that, but anyways, I'll probably re-do them....someday ;P I was going to post pictures of the looks from the videos that I deleated, but for some reason I can't find my 'youtube videos' folder! Ruh-oh.... in other words, I have no idea what happened to all my videos! x_X hopefully I'll find them :)

I'm hoping to film my "valentine's day inspired look" or whatever soon. It's pink, black, and silver. Very light, nothing too dramatic at all (in my opinion).. But just something cute that has the pink shadow in it. :)

Here's a cute little picture of my & my doggy Gunther! :)

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