Twenty Questions

The latest Strawberry Singh meme is a lot of questions! I'm taking a deep breath and jumping in.

Meme instructions: Answer the following 20 personal questions about your Second Life. Don’t forget to share a link to your post in the comments!

1. When and how did you discover Second Life? – I read an article in the New York Times about Second Life in early August 2007.
2. Did you know about virtual worlds before or was this your first experience with them? – I had no clue. I'd played the Sims a bit, but that was all.
3. Has Second Life met your expectations? – I don't recall what my expectations were. I do recall that SL was very complicated and I'm amazed I stuck to it. Thank you newbie mentors! When I attached a box of household goods to my body and asked how to remove them, the poor mentor had to deal with a newbie on a Mac who didn't even know how to right click.
4. If you could teleport back to the first ten minutes of your avatar’s slife, what would you tell yourself? – Hmm....I'd probably tell myself to forget most of the freebies and to invest in a decent skin. Oh, and to take off the dumb freebie nipple tattoos.
5. How long did it take you to master avatar flying and driving vehicles inworld? – Wait, we can FLY??? I'm still not good at it. And I can't drive in SL worth a darn.
6. Do you have a mystery alt? – No. I'm quick to tell my friends who I am on an alt. I get lonely otherwise!
7. Is your SL avatar a reflection of you, or someone you wished you could be? –Physically Dolly is a younger me with a better ass. Personality wise, it's just me unless I'm roleplaying, and even then it's an exploration of sides of myself.
8. Is there an individual you met in SL that inspired you in your RL? How? – Probably, though I can't think of anything specifically.
9. Do you feel it is easier to create stronger bonds/relationships with people you meet inworld as opposed to the real world? – Not stronger bonds, but I was surprised at how attached I became to my Second Life friends.
10. Did you ever imagine or believe people could fall in love with someone they never met before Second Life? – I never imagined it.
11. How has your perspective of dating changed (or not) since you started playing second life? – I don't really think my perspective has changed. But my dating life in Second Life has been wilder, because for the most part it's a safe place to explore sides of my sexuality that I wouldn't feel comfortable doing in RL.
12. How has your perspective of employment changed (or not) since you started playing second life? – I've always admired entrepreneurs, so not really.
13. Name three things in both your lives that overlap each other significantly. – I'm not sure I understand this question.
14. If you could live your life more immersively in a virtual world, would you? (Kind of like the Matrix) – No, SL is the wild west. It's a great place to visit, but I have to be able to turn off the computer.
15. How do you think behavior changes for people if they’re inworld vs in real world? Why do you think that is? – Not many people in my real life have looked me in the eye and acted like a troll, so I agree common courtesy suffers from anonymity. On the plus side anonymity can be freeing when respect for fellow residents is observed.
16. How has second life consumerism changed your perception of spending habits, the value of money, the need to be “bleeding edge” with fashion? – I do spend money in Second Life, but I can indulge myself for a lot less than it costs in real life, so I don't begrudge my shoes and hair. In real life I practically live in jeans.
17. Do you think virtual worlds like SL drive and redefine human interaction or do they narrow and limit it? – Human interaction is changing with or without SL. I text instead of talk on the phone these days just like everyone else.
18. If technology progressed tomorrow to allow you to send emotions to people the way you’d send text or voice messages, would it enrich your SL experience or infringe on it? – If you can write or speak you can send emotions. You just have to be willing to talk about them.
19. Name three skills you attribute to having learned or honed in second life alone. – Interior design and talking photos are skills I've honed in SL.
20. If your grand kids googled your Second Life Avatar’s name, would they be intrigued, disgusted, proud or something else? – The good news is that it seems grandchildren accept their grandparents more than those kids' parents do. At least that's my observation. They'd be curious, probably.

Credits:

Pure Poison - Pin - It Girl Wedges (at My Attic)
Tee*fy Laura Unbuttoned Knotted Shirt Check (at Collabor88)
Zaara Elina shorts navy (at FaMeshed)
LeLutka - AMANDA'S hair - StrawberryShortcake (New Release)

Purple Moon Coco Sunglasses in Cherry

Zenith Butterfly Ring (Silver)
Izzie's - Neva Skin rosy GB

Slink Avatar Enhancement Hands
Slink Female Feet (AvEnhance) - Mid
IKON Promise Eyes - Green (M) 

Mon Cheri "Falsies" Eyelash - Upper+Lower 

 

Hello Again!

I'm back. Again. Yes I know my blogging has been a bit erratic in recent months, well more like 9 months, since I first took ill.  The good news is my health is slowly improving, I'm feeling fitter than I've felt in many years, but it's not all been easy. You may or may not have missed my presence on Second Life or Plurk, and I don't feel that I have to explain, but I want to, perhaps the only reason being that it's selfishly cathartic.

Last August I was admitted to hospital with a rare liver infection, the doctors still don't know what caused it, even after a plethora of tests. Things improved after a couple of rounds of antibiotics, but again in January I had a reoccurrance and was laid up in bed for the first 2 months of the year. At the end of February, the day before my birthday in fact, I got a call from the Doctor with MRI results. The infection had cleared up but there were changes in my liver the doctors weren't happy with. Basically, they diagnosed me with a fatty liver or Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver as it's properly known. As you can imagine, this was an extra blow to my health that I just wasn't expecting. Yeah, I have always struggled with my weight, yeah, I guess I was classed as obese, yeah, I was quite unfit, but you really don't realise what effect it has on your body until it smacks you in the face.

At first I blamed being on my computer so much. I hated it, it was switched off for two months. I blamed six years of being on Second Life every day for hours on end. Partly that was true, but in reality, I only had my own lazy arse to blame. I made the choice, the choice to sit at my computer all that time, I was the one who let it get to the stage where I was putting my health in great danger. Having chronic depression and anxiety hasn't helped, but again, I chose to let that stand in my way of being healthy.

That day, when my Doctor called my house to tell me the bad news, something snapped in me. I got out of my sick bed and I swore that things were going to change. I have four beautiful daughters who need me, one of whom is autistic. My eldest daughters are broody (not allowed to have babies yet though!) and it made me think, I want to be a fit and active Grandma. My husband, the poor man. He puts up with so much, without complaint. He loves and cares for me unconditionally and I need to be well for him, so I can be the wife he deserves.

Anyway, I'm rambling a bit, I know. I'll finish up by telling you since February the 26th this year, I have lost a total of 2 stone 2 lbs (30lbs for the US guys) and I am feeling a million dollars compared to how I was for the first two months of the year. I am determined to be healthy, I go walking whether it's raining or blowing a gale out there and I make damned sure get my half hour or exercise a day and eat healthily.

I will be on Second Life, but not at much as I used to be. I'll still blog when I am inspired or just for the fun of it, but Second Life isn't allowed to dictate my real life anymore, I just can't afford it to.

Now on to the picture! When I logged on for the first time in two months last week I had a whole lot of shopping to catch up with. I love this little dress from Zaara, you'll all know by now that you can pick it up at Fameshed. I changed my skin when I saw this one from Glam Affair at this months Collabor88, perhaps a little darker than I usually go but what the hell, it's summer (almost). The table set from Lisp can also be found at Collabor88 and it comes in a few different shades and is filled with cute animations.

That's me done, phew! Until next time, ta ta for now. <3

Desperately Seeking Hair

 I love this new Exile hair.  Hard. I'm not even sure I have anything else to say in this post except yada yada Zaara, Maxi Gossamer, FaMeshed, SLink sale, but have you noticed my hair? OMG.

Seriously, I adore everything I'm wearing.  This Zaara dress is one of the highlights of a VERY top notch FaMeshed event.  The hair isn't even from the event.  I'm just so excited about it because I had some strange idea in the back of my mind that Exile hair might sit too low on the forehead to suit me.  I haven't even demoed an Exile hair in forever.  Well, that's balderdash.  This hair is perfect.  And I'm loving the streaks and fades I can customize on a hud.  Kisses, kisses, Kavar (Truth, I still love you, too)!

Before I forget to mention it, while SLink is having a 30% off sale, it's a good time to pick up a fatpack or two of shoes for our SLink feet.  It's on now through the weekend.

You may be wondering why I don't have a pretty closeup featuring the hair, not to mention showing off the elegant necklace from Maxi Gossamer.  And, you might say, "Aren't those SLink shoes you're covering up in the grass?"  My answer is this - I'm a naughty, naughty fashion blogger today and I blame Whiskey Monday's "I Don't Want to Be a Fashion Blogger" post. Hey! Same dress!

Credits:

Exile - Desperately Wanting Natural Fusion

Zaara - [Mesh] Chaitra chiffon dress *leaves*

Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Raisa - ALL - SILVER
Slink - Lulu Addon Shoes - Beige
Slink Mesh Feet (Av) Toes
Slink Mesh Hands (av)
Mirror's Enigma Victoria Tan Skintone (Nude/Red)
Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Deep Honey Hazel, w3)

Shelby

Is it just me, or have several skin designers in Second Life moved to the next level of artistry and beauty over the past year?  I'm amazed when I demo skins lately at how gorgeous they are!  I thought I was a hair and shoe whore, but I'm adding skin whore to my CV.  This lovely skin is Shelby, a new release from Adam N Eve - a store that has been around as long as I've been in Second Life.  I bought either my first or second skin there (and no, I don't have a picture - I wish I did).   Shelby comes with dark eyebrows but includes blonde and red tattoo layers.  The makeups are lovely and I was tempted, but I tend to favor the barest skins. It's Second Life! Who needs makeup with flawless skin like this?

I popped into Zaara just because I haven't been there in awhile.  I love her new mesh designs, like this dress you can barely see.  The little extra bow detail for the shoulder straps, complete with beads is brilliant.  Also, I didn't forget my heart for my personal Valentine's Day challenge!  Maxi Gossamer's new release for Collabor88 did the trick.

Credits:

Adam N Eve Skins - Shelby T2 Bare (new release)
Adam N Eve Eyebrow Tattoo Red T2
Adam N Eve Bare Inner Eyelid

Wasabi Pills Joy2 Mesh Hair - Gingerbread
Maxi Gossamer - Necklace - Moon Vine Lover's Heart - Silver (at Collabor88)
Zaara : Ritika Maxi dress *ivory*
BeetleBones Mesh Lashes V.01 (Dainty brown)
Mayfly - Liquid Light Mesh Eye (September Shadow, w3)

 

Let's go fly a kite!

Another autumnal picture because I love this season. When I saw these kite poses promoted on Plurk last week, I knew I had to get them for a post. They are from Izzie's and that's where I snapped the shot as well. The sim is a perfect autumn scene.

**DECO - MESH Parka - (licorice)

**DECO - MESH Snowboots (cherry)

Zaara : Classic Jeans *black*

Izzie's - Kite Poses

Bohemian Idyll

I feel totally boho chic in the new mesh blouse from Zaara.  The hair from Truth and bracelet from Mandala look perfect with it. 

Credits:

Zaara - Ashima blouse *fire*

TRUTH Hair - Hailey w/Roots - pumpkin

MANDALA - Omochi Bracelet /SAHARA Brown

Beetle Bones Mesh Lashes (Dainty brown)

Mayfly - Deep Sky Mesh Eye (Olive Hazel)

Mon Tissu - Cuffed Denim Shorts ~ Classic Wash

Glam Affair - Leah Natural - 01 Red

Sunday Girl

I couldn't sleep so I'm blogging instead.  I just made it on time to go and hunt for this top at coldLogic.  It comes in three different colours and if you hurry you might just get it before it gets taken down.  I threw on my Zaara capri jeans and my Porn Star pumps, fixed my hair quickly and tada, all ready.  Meanwhile the birdies are tweeting outside and the sun is rising.

coldLogic  Top - Jett.TFUH gift

Zaara Capri Jeans

The Urban Bomb Unit (UBU) Porn Star Pumps

Hair: .ploom. Whinxie - A Little of Everything

Skin: Curio - Yum/Acorn

Shape my own

Pose: [LAP] All the days pose set

52 Weeks of Colour - St. Patrick’s Blue by Ayla

I've done nothing but blog this week it seems, and I had totally forgotten to look for something for the colour challenge.  Just as well I took break on Friday afternoon for a spot of retail therapy and found this over sized tshirt from Jane.  I paired it with my capri denims from Zaara and dusted off the flippity flops I got last summer from Maitreya.  All I needed to do was fix my wig, and today I'm wearing Magika's mesh hair.

Details and thingamajigs

Over sized mesh tshirt: Jane

Capri Denims: Zaara

Flip Flops: Maitreya

Hair: Magika - Capture

Skin: Curio - Yum/Acorn

Pose: [CS Shapes]

Shape my own

Location the Qinan home

52 Weeks of Colour Challenge - Dandelion by Ayla

This colour put me in the mood for spring and here in Scotland it really is a spring day and the sun is shining for my birthday! My whole outfit this week is from Zaara, it was the first store that came to mind when I heard this weeks colour choice.  Her clothes are so bright and colourful and I just knew I would find something there that would be just right for Dandelion.  I took the picture in my little garden as i walked amongst the daffodils, enjoying the end of the snow and the slow emerging bright new season!

Bandhni Hanky top *mango*: Zaara

Denim Capris *light*:  Zaara

Hair:  Exile - Ashlyn:Roots-Wedge

Mesh Feet: Slink