Reflections on a Year Well Lived

Just over a month ago Sifriya celebrated her rez day....well, I should say forgot about the rez day until some magazine colleagues surprised her with a party. It is so hard to believe that it has been a full year since little Sifriya was born. I refer to her as little because she did appear very child-like when she first arrived on Help Island. Everything was so amazingly new and exciting! I think her favorite pastime was taking pictures of herself in new areas discovered.

A year later, she still loves taking pictures....too many in fact.....but things have definitely changed for Sifriya. For starters, the population of SL has changed quite a bit. When I first arrived in SL, the average population in-world on any given evening was about 46,000. These days, the evening population runs about 86,000. An interesting observation about these population increases is the fluid nature of the new residents. The places I visited in Sifriya's early days seemed popular and well attended. However, popularity shifts quickly with the wind in some cases. Too many beautiful places that were frequently inhabited are now empty, and in several instances, erased from the grid. Of course, some of the hot spots are still popular a year later, but the formula needed to maintain the popularity seems to be a combination of dedication,
friendly people, beautiful atmosphere enhanced with a huge dash of luck.




What ever happened to Timeless?




All of this does not discount the fact that true talent in SL still abounds and can earn a nice amount of Lindens if the artist is persistent. There are still moments and experiences that render me a bit stunned in awe. The artistic talent alone is enough to keep coming back as some individuals continue to surprise when their creativity collides with the pixelated world of SL.

As for the more personal reflections, the year has provided a wealth of new friends and colleagues. It has also proven to be a new way to connect with current RL co-workers....all while joining in the exploration of educational uses of SL. These efforts are growing and new results are being produced, but there is still a long road ahead to making SL a well respected educational tool available to everyone. Yes, SL is free, but schools are not always equipped with current video cards capable of running SL. Things look promising, and virtual worlds will be used in the classroom, but the jury is still out whether SL has the future locked up in this area.
Listening to Stephen Hawking at NASA!

On another personal note....shall we talk about the many different looks of Sifriya over the year? Looking back, the phases are quite comical....from the stiff hair poking through her hat, to the blue hair days, to the wing fetish, to the Cruella Deville look, to the current look which has proven to be comfortable and fairly normal looking. All were fun, but over time I have found the extreme experimentation with appearance was restricted to my newbie months. Once I splurged for a purchased body and skin, I no longer felt the need to go overboard with the appearance choices. Even my hair choices seem to have relegated themselves to auburn, cinnamon or brown...blackened or highlighted, but that is the extent of the diversity these days.

In short, SL continues to provide a wonderful creative outlet for this right-brained human behind the avatar. It has also sparked new ideas within my profession as well as brought new friends into my life who continue to be a positive influence in so many wonderful ways. This one little avatar has definitely added positives to the life of her human.

For more fun-filled pictures of Sif's first year in SL, scroll to the bottom of this Blog
Here's to another productive and inspiring year!
Sif

Pay No Attention to That Avatar Behind the Green Curtain!

Places to shop are everywhere in SL, but it is a rare thing to stumble upon a shopping venue that is so well designed and full of fun activities to make you want to stay merely for the exploration and aesthetics value. The Magic of Oz SIM is just such a place and I highly encourage you take some time to experience this refreshing and visually stunning space! Kudos to creators and designers Jenne Dibou and Candy Cerveau for such a beautiful addition to SL!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Magic%20of%20Oz/130/152/0

Upon arrival at the central landing point you have the choice to follow the yellow brick road to various places full of fun adventure and wonderful products. Up the hill to the Emerald City.

How many SIMs allow you to play the wizard in the Emerald City?

Hanging out in the Emerald City where you will find mostly jewelry for sale.

Munchkin Land is a place that really shows off the textural quality of the Magic of Oz and includes many various shops.

Hanging around with the scarecrows just outside Munchkin Land.

Across the SIM to the witches castle full of various products and creepy activities. Flying monkeys anyone?

Ok, so I admit it, the flying monkeys were really creepy, but just walk by them slowly with no sudden movements and you should be fine, I think!

See you in Oz!

Sif

Welcoming 2009 at the Bubbly Nightclub!

New Year's Eve is one hot event in SL....revelers are dressed to the nines, and every hour there is a New Year somewhere in the world to celebrate with a kiss! It goes without saying that the romantic ballrooms and clubs are jam packed with couples and singles alike. If you haven't visited some of the romantic dancing places in SL, you're missing quite an experience. From blues to salsa to formal ballroom, several wonderful venues exist to suit your mood. Regardless of choice, the most popular places have several things in common: great music, detailed romantic atmosphere, friendly staff, beautiful dancing animations and shopping on the side. The one problem with many of these popular venues is the lag. Many evenings, the number of avatars present, dancing with complex flexi attachments makes rezzing and walking somewhat of a drag. So it is a great delight to find lesser known places with all of the qualities of the popular ones.
I stumbled upon the Bubbly Nightclub on the Ratopolis Sim about a month ago, but hadn't actually been back for dancing until last night. What a special night to choose this romantic spot! The architecture is very stately with warm toned marble/granite and ocean views. The dance floor is a perfect size flanked by long windows, columns and red curtains while the second floor contains a fully functional dining experience. Best of all, this place was gorgeous without the extreme lag! There were several couples enjoying this place, but not nearly as many as the main romance hotspots. The music was a perfect blend of vintage romantic vocal jazz and slow big band. A reminder that the dress code is formal at Bubbly, and if you need any help picking out that special attire, there are many shops and a wedding chapel across the bridges on the Mediterranean style port (looks like architecture by Barnesworth Anubis which creates the ultimate seaside romantic atmosphere). Be sure to head around behind the ballroom toward the ocean after walking down the stairs....there are proposal animations, a gondola ride and wine cellar underneath the ballroom....this helps Bubbly live up to its mantra: Where Romance is Alive!

Bubbly sure knew how to decorate beautifully for the evening, and the dance animations were very romantic. One of them even included this sweet kiss animation, just perfect for the stroke of midnight! Happy New Year everyone! Here's to a hopefully brighter year! Bubbly will definitely be one of my favs this year!
Sif

Happy Birthday to Lilly's!

I have to send out a quick birthday greeting to Lilly's Irish Pub that turns 1 year old today! In my opinion, Lilly's is THE best Irish pub in SL. The people are friendly, the music is great and the Sim is gorgeous! No weird flashing eyesores here on the Glendalough Sim. Everything has been done beautifully in traditional Irish seaside style complete with old romantic ruins, churches and cottages for resdential use. By the way, if you're planning a wedding, the stone arched courtyard with lots of white candles and roses is a must see!

Lilly's has always been a sentimental favorite of mine. Not only am I bit Irish in RL, but Lilly's was one of the first places my friends and I stumbled upon in our newbie days. We were only a few weeks old when St. Patrick's Day rolled around, and Lilly's gave us the best music, dancing and welcoming atmosphere, even as we danced around in our silly green freebies :-) Also, the music is not limited to Irish ballads only, lots of rock themes to go around. Join their group to get the full extent of their musical range - and enter their many contests.

Do yourself a favor and put Lilly's on your short list of favorite dance places! You won't be sorry!
Sif

Spooky Nights & Halloween Frights!

If you can't tell already, Halloween is a HUGE deal in SL. Not only are there cute Halloween freebies everywhere, but the decorations, dance parties, costume contests and haunted houses can quickly fill up your calendar! Don't forget to visit your favorite stores for freebies and discounted costume accessories. RFyre has some gorgeous witch hats and gowns with orange, red and black colors. Sparkle Skye just released a beautiful harvest ball gown at a discounted L$500 price for members. By mixing and matching some of your finds, you can create a unique look. This ensemble is from the two deals mentioned above. By taking off the fairy wings that originally came with the ball gown, adding the witch hat and some jewelry from Alienbear Castle, I created a fancy witch ready to waltz.

Before October 31st passes into ages past, take a group of friends around to a few of the haunted themed Sims. This activity is fun alone, but even more fun with friends. The Sim featured in the following pictures is the Halloween Horror Village in Antiqua Paradise. The place is huge and includes various areas dedicated to horror movies and tales of fright. Many different pose balls can be found to make the adventure even more rewarding. The various death scripts are quite comical, including the guillotine, coffins and being eaten by a giant spider. Rumor has it that Freddie Kruger even lurks in a hidden chamber.

Another great place for a hauntingly good time is the House of Horror at Paradise City. Wandering through the house will allow you to encounter a haunted dance lounge and trap doors to various places hard to get out of....fun place to lose your friends! From there you should try to catch a ride on the Love Bugg Pumpkin on Lovers Lagoon which seats four people and sends you through a haunted house ala amusement park ride complete with scary clowns. This one is unique, but on Saturday night, the place was crowded and the extreme lag made the ride slow down until it crashed. If you go on a week night, I'm sure the ride would be better.

Speaking of tales of fright, don't forget libraries...seriously! Most of them are hosting scary storytelling sessions that feature classic literature, like this recent reading of Bram Stoker's Dracula held at the West of Ireland Library and Cultural Center. These sessions are held in voice by some very talented people, many with RL theatre backgrounds....so it's well worth the visit!

My advice.....there are so many events, you should invest in more than one costume...you'll need them!

Happy Haunting!

Sif