The need to feel alive again

Total darkness engulfed me as I allowed myself to be sorrowful and tearful. Have you ever come across a time when you realised how much someone/something means to you only after you lost it? Yeah...I had...when I lost my father two years ago...and now yet again, I'm going through this heart-wrenching feeling as I have lost someone precious to me.

This is going to be my favourite hideout for now...

Viva la Vida - An Interactive Art Experience

As a tribute to life, AuraKyo has come up with yet another great masterpiece this time. And trust me, you should visit Viva (yeah...the music, dance and shopping in SL can WAIT!)..for like me, you will not regret having made this journey...and I made it twice!

I followed the storyline which begins with the breath of life as shown in the pictures below.

I thought I was already intrigued by the sculptures enough (as always), but wait, I know now why AuraKyo advises all visitors to "Explore with open eyes; you'll find small secrets around and in the middle of the land". Immediately, I was greeted with bizarre images like the one below.
Being someone who likes to partake in anything, I cannot help it but knelt to pray too. Shh...I shall not reveal why there is praying here... ^^
I will not let you know what is beyond this door too...

Through the bold colours and intricate textures of the sculptures and even the building itself, AuraKyo has dealt with life, pain, hope, war and celebration in this extremely intriguing exhibition. As a strong advocator of peace, I was emotional when reading the quotes and poems and looking at the exhibits. The sounds of war and music in the background heightened my experience and I felt the pain that people living in war zones must have gone through.

Just when I thought I had come to the end of this journey, I was surprised yet again by AuraKyo. I have always enjoyed the interaction between artists and visitors and I wasn't disappointed at all.

I seldom have the time to reflect and I suppose you'd agree with me too. I mean with the hectic life style that we all lead, we'd be glad if we could have more sleep!

I'm glad that AuraKyo has allowed visitors to drop notecards on childhood, hope, desire, dreams etc to add to the content and impact of the visitors' experience. As I wandered through it, fond (and some painful) memories came flashing back. Strangely, I have no qualms about sharing my innermost secrets and experiences this time, as I normally would not have. I suppose it's the hidden "power" of AuraKyo and this is what makes this journey even more personalised.

Well, if you think I'm being nostalgic and emotional here, yeah, I guess you can say so. But at the same time, I embrace life and thank God for every breath that I take, which, I feel, AuraKyo has aptly portrayed in her celebration at the end of the journey.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rezzable%2010/197/97/21/

Broken Hearted Chapel

Emru brought me to this Broken Hearted Chapel a long time ago when I was feeling down. I'd already liked it there but never did blog about it for I was tied up with work. This time round, I returned to BHC for obvious reason - I had hoped the artistic atmosphere will be uplifting and make me a happier person. Only difference is I went alone this time.

The entire SIM is built by the very talented AuraKyo Insoo, who is into sculpture, paintings and above all, the very interesting visual effects. If I remembered correctly, she is an artist in RL too.
In the art gallery itself, you'd be able to see 3 huge books like the one shown here. The heartache and beauty (in a sad way) of these stories contributed by SL citizens more than made up for the slight grammatical mistakes in the writings. If you wish to, you can also drop a notecard in the heart-shaped container beside the book, and AuraKyo will publish it in the book.

The second picture shows a sculpture of two hugging, and the third is that of a ...yes, you guessed it right, a broken heart. :( AuraKyo makes good use of the space in the SIM cleverly without overcrowding the pieces. You'll get to see different paintings along the corridors.

AuraKyo is not only creative in the artistic pieces above, she also makes use of vibrant colours to add to her garden below the gallery, as can be seen from the pictures below. I love what I see...


Now, the following two are my favourite pictures of it all that I've taken in the BHC. This Love sculpture is set against the sunset when I took it. Aww...love it. The next one's theme is on the living memory of someone who has passsed on...i think. :)


There is a also a playground with huge mushrooms and brightly coloured swings! I had a fun time sitting on the swing and it brought back my childhood memories of the times I spent at the playground with my younger sis. Now I seldom see such swings in my neighbourhood. What a pity! What is the government doing?!


There are a lot more pictures that I would want to upload but that will only be a spoiler. It's always best to experience the thrill of discovering the hidden surprises and decipher the message an artist wants to convey to you.

Though I could not change the ending of my relationship, I felt nonetheless rejuvenated after my trip to BHC. I hope you do too.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Broken%20Hearts/217/81/21/

FF 2008

Wow....I've been so tied down by work lately that I've got hardly any air to breathe! Guess I'll keep this post short and simple...if I could! ^^

Fall is soon arriving and being in Singapore, I'd never have a chance to wear such knitted clothing or scarves sad to say. Yes, you guessed it. FF stands for "Fall Fashion". Purple is the current rave in Fall season...and I, for one, LOVE this colour very much.

Without further ado, let's roll out my first Fall collection! *Drums roll*

Absolutely love this knitted top in gorgeous dark purple (I' ve had something similar in RL but have yet wear it cos it's freaking hot in SG!:/) . If you enlarge the picture, you'll see the intricate details that really resemble those in RL! What I adore about this top are its sculpted scarf and sleeves. As you can see from the picture, the scarf and sleeves move in a soft flowy manner with my every movement.

Did I mention that there's one accompanying blouse in a matching pink purplish colour?
There are shirt and jacket layer for both designs - with or without the blouse.

I'd match this top with a pair of skinny jeans and my fav boots. Something simple and yet exudes femininity.
Knitted ensemble: Aran Knit (Purple) from DP Serendipity
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Manic%20Flair/192/217/301/

Slinked Tattoos

Right Edward, here's to you. I just want the whole world to know what wonderful work you have created in SL! ^^

I cannot quite fathom the idea of inflicting pain onto my body for the sake of a picture that I may most likely regret in the near future, given my mood changes and fickle-mindedness!

It was only when I got to know a UK friend in RL that I started developing interest in tattoos. He showed me his tribal ones and it got me wanting it for my avatar! Yeah!

I am into butterflies as they are such beautiful creatures and got a lot of such tattoos in SL. The only two I want to feature amongst the many I have are the following.

I chanced upon these when I did a search on Japanese tattoos, for I have the impression that they do it the way I want it - an ART piece and not too loud. The rest I have are good too, but just that being a newbie in tattoos, I wouldn't want to get those really screaming for attention. :)

I have got many tattoos now but I only want to showcase two right here for now as they are worth mentioning! I seldom buy things immediately (I ponder A LOT when I have to spend Lindens...heh...) but I got TWO from Slinked Tattoos without much hesitation! I tp to many places selling tattoos but there is none that suits me better than these! Frankly speaking, I must say Slinked tattoos are good value for money. The tattoos come in different layers too, best if you like mixing and matching, though I'd recommend you to "feature" this on its own...it's enough to stand out. :)

Disclaimer: I'm NOT getting paid in any form by Slinked.

Edward Palace designed such a beautiful artwork of red Japanese flowers and vines that I told myself if I didn't get it, I would regret it!
I don't think I have done justice to the tattoo if I didn't include the original high res photo I had taken. Nonetheless, this is the size of it on my body. It is just so beautiful and intricately designed that I wish in SL, ALL my clothes are translucent so thatI can showcase the tattoo! I also wish I had the courage to tattoo this on my back in RL! hmm...is there a painless way to do it? Anyone please tell me! URGH!

I should include the original high res photo of the artwork or else, I will be doing injustice to the hard work of Edward! :)

Here's another tattoo I have gotten. I simply love the way the butterflies are arranged. One should pay attention to the details of the butterfly design - the circles, the different butterflies etc. Again, I am attaching the original.

There are tattoos for men too and there are so many more that I want to buy. :)

Slinked Tattoos - http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xian%20Gardens/240/46/22/

Sleek Beach Club

I am recently into clubs and beaches - the former I rarely do in RL and the latter as I am lately not in a good mood, so looking at waves does help.

Anyway, through a friend's recommendation, I got to know this fantastic group - Trauma Radio, which hosts a lot of events and plays fantastic music too! TR DJ once played live at Sleek Beach Club and boy, I was immediately in love with the place! Not only was the house music good, the place is my favourite hangout till now!

Sleek Beach Club. Beach benches with really good pose balls (from Bits & Bobs) lined the coastline. This club also boasts sea sports like Jet Ski, surfing and etc.! If you are not a sports junkie, you can just chill out on the beach - read a book or simply sit on the floats!

Since I have done this in RL, I shall do it in SL too! I love reading by the beach....nice! Even instant Nescafe coffee tastes better when sipped at beach than in front of your table! =.=

As you can see, I frequent this place for I'm in a different outfit now. :) you can easily find me here! Just drop me an IM but give me time to reply as I'm away doing work in RL. ^^

I like this water feature here. Not sure what it's called, but I like the twirling and swirling ripples and the hidden haven in this built! See if you can find it!

One thing I like about Sleek is the many "hidden treasures" you can explore - pose balls in yacht, boat, limousine and etc.

Be sure to check out this place if you want a wide variety of music! It's definitely worth the visit!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sleek%20Beach%20Club/117/119/21/

~Gloria~

I got to know this fun-loving gal from Hong Kong, Gloria, during one of TUI's many photography lessons. Her beauty captivated me and I just IM-ed her my praises for her! Later, we embarked on a j0urney much treaded on by females in SL - shopping! haha! We teleported to many different SIMs and it was later that I realised why SL economy manages to thrive despite all the bugs and what not! Like perhaps many other citizens, she spends money - lots and lots of it! lolx

Anyway, we had so much fun that we shopped for several days consecutively and exploring SIMs.



G and me in a Japanese SIM chatting this cat up...meooooooow....and no, it cannot speak! And sorry peeps! I lost the lm. heh...

There was once Gloria and I were in a shop selling different skins and shapes. We were having so much fun messing with the photo studio (yeah...we looooove taking photographs as we were so into modelling contests!) when this bugger had to come and mess with us both! Ha! I shall not reveal much about his appearance, but what put us off was his beahviour! He was stark NAKED with his "tool" dangling and chatting us up in a very unwelcoming and rude manner. Despite our attempts to shoo him off, quoting from the T&C of SL SIMs (no griefing and appearing naked in that SIM), he was still there, making indecent requests. Ha! He had it from us ultimately! I never knew GIRL POWER could be one of the most destructive weapon in the world! Together, Gloria and I were like having a "talk-show", making comments about how miserable he had made himself look and etc. Poof! He went off after feeling defeated and his ego bruised! muahahaha! I'm never a quarrelsome person even in RL but boy! This man really deserved the lashing! :D

Oh yes, back to Gloria. She is funny, intelligent, helpful (esp in shopping!), gorgeous, and most of all, genuine. I miss the times we have, Gloria! Come back into SL! Don't be so busy with your fiance! Ask him to come into SL too and show y0u some Linden love so that we can go shopping again! ^^ Yeah! She is THAT fortunate to have her RL fiance to login, exhaust his bank account and fatten Gloria's wallet and then log off! Man! Where / when can I get someone like that? awww... lol

Arh well, perhaps we shall see each other in MSN and Facebook yeah? :) Do check them regularly dear! Missing ya! muacks!

Bambi's **The Closet** SIM Opening!

I got to know Bambi63 Rehula by being on the Xploder some time back. I got to know her avi actually, not Bambi. After some time spent together hopping from one Xplo to another for a while, I decided that this is a friend to keep, simply because she is sincere and polite (typical of Japanese!). It was only later that she revealed that she is a SL designer and has her own shop!

Well, **The Closet** is her shop's name. Expect to see a range of sweet-looking, cute and yet feminine apparel from Bambi63. Her designs quite varied, ranging from the Bohemian to Mexican floral prints.

What I love about her design is that she uses floral print which are quite different from the normal blossoms you see in SL designs. Also, what's best is being someone who is not really into overly sweet girly stuff (like pink and excessive floral print - no offense to those who like such style! This's up to individual isn't it?) in RL, I find her apparel to my liking! I love her floral designs so much that I even asked her if she sells them as textures. hehe...I had wanted to make carpets using her floral designs. shh... but too bad, she doesn't sell them. =.=


Have I forgotten to mention I absolutely love her shop layout? As seen in the picture above, she made beautiful photo frames with the photos featuring her designs.

While you are in the sim, be sure to check out her pavilion at the top of the hill! It features a very cool Turk carpet and Mookah, which you can actually use to puff away! ^^ Fun!


I suggested to Bambi that we should take a picture with our friends. ^^ And here we are, on the mat Bambi has placed on the hill. Arh well, we remained as stiff as we could, sitting on the default pose balls, so that she can look unique enough to stand out! lol

In the photo: Bambi (lying down), moi, Emru, and Nao - Bambi's partner.


Oops! I'm caught on camera! Mom's gonna scold me for smoking...haha

**The Closet** is now having an opening special - a treasure hunt, from 14th June, 9pm till 24th Jun, 8am (SLT). Details are as stated in her blog: http://the-closet-sl.blogspot.com/

Location: http://slurl.com/secondlife/DUal/7/243/22/

~Random Thoughts on SL~

I have been in SL for an estimated 9 months, though I stopped for a while in between.

You would definitely agree with me if I said it's such an irony how I got into this game.

I was reading an issue of the Catholic newsletter last year when I chanced upon an article which warned its readers the possible detriments of online gaming. I must say it's been a roller coaster ride . I have met people who just asked for Lindens or favours from you and then vanished, friends who turn out to be just acquaintances (just add you and that's about it) and friends who are genuine and share common interests. Also, I have had a few friends who have left an imprint when they left. I know what some of you might be thinking about - why subject yourself to drama when in fact, SL is supposed to be a haven? I wish I have the answer to that question.

I guess SL is very much like RL; after all, we are all dealing with real people behind each machine. What differentiates SL from RL is that it takes more effort to determine if you are meeting an angel or a devil since in the virtual world, one can easily disguise him(her)self behind gorgeous or cute looking avatars or characters.

Well, having said much, I have learnt that in my both lives, I try to live by the Ethic of Reciprocity: treat others as you would like to be treated. I'm NOT a saint and hence, sometimes, I find myself bending this rule a little. BUT I TRY and so far, I'm quite happy with my progress.

So, be nice to everyone!

~My Mentor - Vixsilver Yoshikawa~

I thought I should blog about my friends as they are the ones that make this SL game all worthwhile! I decided to dedicate my first post (on friends) to someone who was there to help me up and be strong and most importantly, to be a genuine friend in the virtual world.

Vix, like me, is a Singaporean too. A newbie me bumped into her in a shop (if my memory doesn't fail me). I was asking in public chat for help. She was very helpful to come to me and subsequently, we have been friends since then! Oh yes, have I mentioned my first Linden dollar came from her? She gave me L$200 when she knew I needed it just in case. So thoughtful of her really. :)

Vix has a keen sense for fashion and beautiful things, and this has gotten her a position with BareRose. :) See her blog site in my picks! ^^ Anyway, she helped me with my makeover - got rid of my newbie stiff hair, freckled pale yellow skin etc. Sounds too familiar! Yep! It's the default skin that every newbie has!

As you can expect, we spent lots of time shopping, contributing to the SL economy (surely we can garner the good SL-tizens award? lol) and bitching around. LOL. But she was also there when I felt lost. I was going through a hard time in my first SL relationship which was unexpected in the first place. Vix was a listener and a good adviser too. She was there when I needed someone to talk to.

There was once when I was at Vix's place and I was having a fight with him at the same time. She was very considerate and thoughtful and such a dear when she exited her house so that I could sit down on her couch and type in peace! Hard to believe huh? Yes...she's Vix. One reason why I wish to be her RL friend is this trait of hers - that she's a very genuine person who does not see the need to conform to societal rules and ever so ready to help a friend in need and is sincere about it - someone who is quite hard to find in RL and even more so in SL!

There are so many things apart from the above traits that she possess - she's talented, has an artistic flair, generous, humorous, fun, wild blah blah blah...

Vix, this is a tribute to you, for being there for me all the time, for never forsaking me as a friend, for all the knowledge you have generously shared. I know I can be quite persistent in my asking of questions, which can get the most patient person to feel anything but calm, but you have shown such great patience with me when you taught me things (though I truly suspect you nearly burst your blood vessels!).

For all these, I love ya! :) I'm heterosexual...just to clarify. lol

Enough Procrastination!

Yeah! I am finally writing my first post about Second Life after a few months of exploration. I've so much I want to share about SL that I don't know where and how to start! ^^

How about some sneak peek of what you'll expect to read from me - just about everything and anything in SL!

Disclaimer: I'm still pretty much a learner in SL, be it in the fashion or building sense. Like every blogger, I'm entitled to my opinions. Of course, I welcome every comment but that doesn't mean you can take that for granted!