I never used to make New Year resolutions. The dream of owning a Ford GT was never more likely to happen if I made it my resolution to get one and the mundane day-to-day stuff seemed so in control to me that I didn’t feel I needed to change anything. All this altered a few years ago when I woke up on 1 January with yet another blistering headache ready to make my brain pop. I vowed never to drink again and I didn’t…for three days. There were other things on my list that I did stick to like getting a better job, getting in shape (although that’s going back on the list this year) and to start a band and record a demo – it was a successful year.

Since then I’ve religiously stuck to a few key resolutions, one of which this year will be to change my car (it’s a sort of self improvement). Ford will also be hoping your resolution will be to ditch your used Ford Ka or alternative and buy a new one when it launches in January. There is quite a major problem that Ford face however and I liken it to the rock band The Darkness.

For those unfamiliar with The Darkness they were formed in the early nineties by brothers Justin and Dan Hawkins. Recruiting two old friends on bass and drums respectively, The Darkness wrote songs that harked back to the glam metal and classic rock of Led Zeppelin, T-Rex, AC/DC and Queen. In a world where hip hop, R ‘n’ B and shiny pop were ruling the airwaves, The Darkness in their spandex and with their cheesy rock were destined to be a massive failure. Yet somehow, amazingly, they weren’t.

In 2003 they burst onto an unsuspecting public and guitar music was reborn. Their debut album went to number one for four weeks in the UK and sold 1.5 million copies. They toured the world with superstars like Metallica, won two Brit Awards in 2004, had a massive Christmas single and were on every form of media constantly. Yet when it came to following up this unexpected success, they were unable to do so. Their bassist quit, singer Justin went into rehab and their second album flopped, resulting in the record company cancelling their contract.

Ford are in the same boat with the Ka (albeit a less musical one). Part of Ford’s ‘New Edge’ design philosophy in 1996, the Ka was so futuristically styled when it launched that it had the potential to send any prospective customers running away screaming. I was on the verge of calling NASA the first time I saw one. Even today the old car looks fresh so it’s no wonder that Ford have let the original Ka design run for 13 years.

Yet people didn’t run away – they loved it. With a combination of styling that was ahead of its time but appreciated, good build quality, nippy 1.3 litre engine and neat and tidy handling – particularly around town, the Ka sold in droves. Crucially it attracted young women to the Ford brand and the Ka was so small they could carry it around it their handbags. With the Ka becoming every bit a style icon as good little car, Ford developed a brand loyalty with its Ka owners that boosted sales across its range.

Now you see the size of the new Ka’s task. A used Ford Ka is ridiculously cheap and on average will be £4,000 cheaper (for a two year old model) than the new derivative. The new car is also a Fiat 500 and Panda in drag (well all the unpinnings are the same) but it doesn’t look anywhere near as good. Despite it being the ugly step-sister of the Italian firm the Ka is streets ahead when it comes to the driving experience. The Ford PR guff said the new Ka had “the most exciting driving dynamics of any small car” and this is the case.

To encourage buyers you can also choose from three ‘personalisation packs’ for your new car: Digital Art, Grand Prix and Tattoo. What? Well basically each pack contains exterior graphics, matching coloured seat fabric colours, steering wheel and floor mats. It’s clear that Ford is aiming to retain its young female customer base which considering the number of fans of it, isn’t surprising.

The new Ka then, is Ford’s second difficult second album and you may be better sticking with their original material. It’s ironic that despite the new car being a good one, the success of its elder means that it may very well be judged a failure. Time and how well it fits inside a handbag will tell.

Mark Creese
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/new-or-used-ford-ka-681032.html

There are things that we want to be temporary in life. Like in the case of suffering and heartaches, we want these things to end right away. Sometimes, when your satisfaction is not met, things can become temporary too. However, just as there are things that we want to stay in a short span of time, there are also things that we want to stay forever. These stuff or even feelings are pleasurable. There is much satisfaction in it, that you do not want it to be changed or exchanged with anything else in the world. Comfort, happiness, love, treasures, abundance and anything positive are things that we want to have until we die.

Permanence is hard to achieve. That is because times are changing and everything is dynamic in the world. However, beauty can be timeless and it can make the world stand still. Have you ever watched breath-taking view on top of a hill? It stops time. Physical beauty on the other hand can change and its levels vary according to age. It can wear out together with our physiologic deterioration, genetic problems or accidents. Despite of it all, these defective beauties can still be remedied with the use of permanent makeup.

Yes, some of us have nice cheekbones, great eye color, natural pouting pinkish lips or the perfect nose. However, problems in beauty can happen in other parts of your body like your skin. Some accidentally loose their hair on their eyebrows and it takes time to grow them back while others suffer pigmentation that causes an imbalance on the look. This method can really help achieve high self-esteem and gives you a good body image at times when you think your problems cannot be solved.

Tattooing is the technique in applying this method. Yes, they are just like the dragons, snakes and other hard-core graphics that people place on their arm, legs and other parts of the body. The only different is that the tattoo will be applied in the areas on the face to help the user to put a permanent color on the structures on the face.

How is it done? Definitely, the same as any tattoo application. It involves puncturing your skin with organic pigments. Is it painful? It all depends on your pain tolerance but as many people find it, tattooing just stings a lot. This is probably what they meant when they quoted “beauty knows no pain”.

What are the probably downsides? If you are hypersensitive, then the use of these organic pigments can cause allergic reaction to your skin. Therefore, you should be careful. If it could not appear now, it may be later. On top of that, to perform this permanent makeup, needles are involved. Therefore, you need to be sure on where you will be performing it because it can pose high risk incidence of HIV transmission or possible infection from other disease. You have to be sure that the needles used are sterilized. Therefore, it requires you to be meticulous at all times. One more thing, since you will be punctured, the part of your face will be swollen for a bit. Do not worry this is the temporary part and it simply goes away leaving you a permanent shade of your preferred color. But this could be a painful experience, so be ready for it.

Kristy Scott
http://www.articlesbase.com/skin-care-articles/understanding-the-process-of-permanent-makeup-application-the-good-and-the-bad-of-it-710110.html

Choosing a tattoo is difficult. If it isn’t, you have not done your homework. Too often, newcomers will stroll into their local tattoo parlor, pick up a few books or checkout the artwork on the walls, and thirty minutes later sit down in the chair for their session.

This is crazy! Call it short-sighted, or having too much faith in tattoo removal technology (dubious odds, at best), but for something that will be on your body for your entire life, you really need to take a few steps back, slow down, and take your time making a design choice. Here are a few steps that you should consider taking so that you don’t end up with a visible reminder of your bad decision.

Choose your location first: where you get your tattoo often has an impact on the style that you choose. For example, a tattoo that looks good on your lower back likely has a far different style than one that will be placed on your shoulder. Start with the location.

Next choose your design: first narrow down your selection into a style of tattoo that you like, and then narrow it further by finding several designs within that style that appeal to you.

Test drive your design: get some professional transfer paper — this is the paper that tattoo artists use to transfer designs from their books to your skin. Trace the design onto the transfer paper, optionally using a lightbox for assistance. Then have a friend transfer the design onto your skin and fill it in with fine-tipped permanent markers in the appropriate colors. It doesn’t have to be perfect — you just want to make sure the size, style, and colors agree with you.

Sleep on it: now just take your time, continue observing your test tattoo, and trying on different designs. You can see, with a high degree of accuracy and realism, what that tattoo is going to look like on your skin. If you don’t like, just scrub really hard and try again with a clean canvas! Eventually you’ll find a perfect design.

Additionally, if your tattoo will include a lettering style, don’t limit yourself to what you see in the parlor’s books. There are literally thousands of freeware fonts that you can download and install on your computer. You can use a graphics program (even a free one like gimp) to add the lettering to your tattoo design of choice, and then transfer it to your skin with the rest of the test tattoo. Like the design, you’ll eventually find a font that is perfect for your new tattoo.

To some, this sounds like a lot of work, and that’s true. But this tattoo will be with you for a lifetime, so you will want to do your research. Use a tattoo finder to locate a great design, browse through the many free fonts available online, and test drive all of the promising tattoo designs before you ink them permanently. Your effort will be rewarded many fold in the years to come.

Ben Swank

Nowadays, it isn’t easy to source for tattoo ideas and images what with the rampant availability of ho-hum creations, which even my tattoo artist confirms: “There are too many identical looking designs lying around. A lot of folks don’t even bother doing portfolio hunting so they tend to opt for pre-made designs that are terribly, terribly lame. I’m sick of doing the same old crap. Can’t they come up with something unique for a change?”

And so, I decided to point out 5 ways to source for tattoo ideas and images so you won’t get stuck with boring and insipid pre-made designs typically found in tattoo shops or generic tattoo websites, some of which will impose a fee of anywhere from 10$-20$ for just ONE measly design!

Hopefully, the following suggestions may assist you in conceiving lots of original design ideas, and realise them in a novel manner, the results of which not only mark your body with breathtakingly unique work of art but also fill you with a sense of pride.

4. Internet Message Boards – If you wish to obtain ideas in the comfort of your own house, then you should consider joining message boards that specifically discusses about tattoos. You may find plenty of inspiration to form your own original tattoo ideas and images but beware however, as there seem to be a lot of spammers and abusive users lurking in those message boards.

3. Find a very good tattoo artist – Okay this may sound obvious, but did you know that many “tattoo virgins” would simply go through the motion of getting a permanent ink on their skin without properly discussing with the artist? Getting a tattoo is a very serious decision, and designs that you intend to have for possibly the rest of your life must be well thought out beforehand. It is best that you approach an artist and discuss with him or her at length regarding what kind of a tattoo you have in mind.

Do not make any decision hastily and be sure to provide the artist with all the relevant info like what the tattoo means to you, what it represents, any deep symbolic meaning that you would like to indicate, and so on. These are all the things that you must relay accordingly and who knows, perhaps the artist may conceive a much better rendition of your original ideas.

2. Graphics Application – My second favorite way to source for tattoo ideas and images. Are you handy with graphic applications such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP? If yes is your answer, then prepare for hours of creative fun as you create and manipulate images to help you develop tattoo designs from scratch.

1. Online Tattoo Galleries – Eager to gain access to a huge array of mostly sumptuous looking tattoo creations? Well, online tattoo galleries are definitely the place to haunt if you’re absolutely keen on finding great looking tattoos that are updated on a regular basis. Apart from the large library of ever growing designs, you are also entitled to print out their images in the highest quality resolution thus making the tattooing process a whole lot breezier for the artist. Some galleries also furnish you with access to many highly useful tattoo resources including tattoo studio reviews, directories, helpful members forum, and even videos to help make your journey in sourcing tattoo ideas and images a very pleasurable one.

Joser Kovacs
http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/4-great-ways-to-source-for-tattoo-ideas-and-images-741441.html