Hodgehog Mall Freebie Weekend till 28 Sept, 12 noon SLT

I supposed many Fashionistas would have received this via the notices, but not many would have gone. I decided to see if I could get any good freebies from this mall and I did get a few surprises! Read on!

My favourite freebie is this very cute bubble dress from Sugarcube. I thought it can double up as a chic evening attire and at the same time, it'd serve equally well as a day dress, if you know how to pair it up with accessories and hairdo.

Anyway, it's been a long time since I looked formal...so here I am, in the dress...something for a night event.

Hair: ETD - Nadia (Chestnut)
Skin: Cupcakes, Enchanted Sienna
Choker: ~Muse~ Chatelaine Collection - Choker (silver)
Dress: ::SUGARCUBE - pine straw dress [ black ] - BOX
Leggings: Own
Shoes: *REDGRAVE* Black Leather Pumps

URL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hodgepodge/152/110/21

what are you waiting for? ;)

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/

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/

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/