Second Life

Surfing In A Virtual World

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Misty Mountains_004SM

No, I’m not talking about catching a wave – but I have done that before. I’m talking about sitting on a bench in a sunny glade, the breeze whispering through the autumn leaves, the gentle melody of a waterfall tumbling over the rocks into a bubbling stream and browsing on my laptop. Yes, it is spring in Australia, but I can experience the season I miss most in our virtual world. I’ll leave you to guess what I’m searching for as I enjoy this fall day. Is it a Photoshop tutorial? A song for the next set I DJ? The most recent news story? I’ll never tell, but if you do guess, I’ll know a little birdy told you 😉

I have to admit I giggle a little whenever I see someone using a laptop inside SL. It is a bit ironic – don’t we get enough of our electronic gadgets just logging in and using them to navigate this place we call our second home? Still, I truly enjoyed this respite from my busy day, both in reality and virtuality. Amazingly, I suffered not a bit of lag – this little glen must have an optimal wifi hotspot.

Visit Misty Mountains, part of Calas Galadhon Park if you want to bask in this glorious location.

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Top: .:* LOULOU&CO *:. – Tunic :: AMANITA :: by lolly Carlberg (THE AUTUMN EFFECT HUNT gift)
Leggings: Maitreya Leggings – S Suede-Ecru by Onyx LeShelle
Boots: Maitreya Mesh * Devi Booties S Olive by Onyx LeShelle
Necklace: MG – Necklace – Nima’s Fall Leaf Necklace – Short by Maxi Gossamer (available at Collabor88)
Earrings: MG – Earrings – Nima’s Fall Leaf Necklace – E1 – L by Maxi Gossamer (available at Collabor88)
Hair: Magika [01] Reflect by Sabina Gully *NEW*
Skin: [PXL] Creations [PXL] JADE SK Cherry Lips MEB C2 by Hart
Larsson
Hands: Slink Mesh Hands (av) Casual by Siddean Munro
Eyes: Amacci Gaze Eyes – Ocean Blue by Carina Larsen

Pose by the bench.

I See Myself

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1 Mirror_002J

Our language has wisely sensed the two sides of being alone. It has created the word loneliness to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word solitude to express the glory of being alone.
~ Paul Tillich

I spend a lot of time alone. I live alone (well, don’t tell my cat I said that) and when in Second Life I am usually on my own. I have read a lot of blogs where the authors also spend most of their time isolated from others while in world. In terms of social media and virtual worlds, that may appear to be a contradiction. Aren’t we supposed to be out amongst others, sharing our time and lives with the inhabitants of our world(s)?

Not necessarily. I am usually comfortable in my aloneness. Yes, I experience loneliness from time to time, but I don’t usually let it linger for too long. I prefer to see my self-imposed isolation as a time for reflection, for understanding why I am the person I am, for thinking rather than speaking too soon.

I see myself in solitude much more than as lonely. And I am happy with the person it has made me.

No credits today. Just take the time to think about who you are instead of going shopping. Even I am doing the same.

Surrealism Challenge: Meta Meadow Inventory

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Meta Meadow

Ironically, one of the fundamentals of Surrealism is to incorporate chance and spontaneity. This has got to be one of the most planned and carefully orchestrated photos I have ever taken. However, it did challenge me to push the boundaries, so at least I followed that tenet of Surrealism!

Why would I do this, you ask? Well, because Berry asked me to, of course 😉 And what Berry wants…

…we’ll just leave it at that.

Here are the instructions:

Meme instructions: Create an image in Second Life that has a surreal feel to you. Don’t forget to share your link in the comments (of this post) and add your picture to the Blog Memes flickr group.

And you don’t have to remind me this is a Monday meme and it’s now Thursday. It took me this long to figure out what I might do. Then I remembered I had picked up a couple of avatars from the Meta_Body Project by CapCat Ragu and Meilo Minotaur back in 2011 (you see??? It PAYS not to clean out my inventory!) Of course, when I grabbed these avatars I had fully intended to do something with them. I just hadn’t thought it would take two years *blushes*

Here is what the project was about:

The virtual experience of the body is not exactly an experience of the flesh. These sensations, albeit having a physical sensorial aspect, continue to be experienced in our bodies behind the screen, not in our avatar body. The virtual body is a metaphorical body, all language, therefore open to experimentation and possibility.
In this new project, Meilo Minotaur and CapCat Ragu invite us, once again, to rethink our bodies through our avatars, making available all kinds of skins, shapes, body parts, clothes, etc. All these items are fully modifiable, shareable and copyable, thus challenging the audience to become creators and also share their derivative work with us, in the All My Independent Women exhibition.

The project started again last year, and there is a SLURL to the location of the new avatars on the Meta_Body flickr group page (click SEE MORE on the description), but I haven’t checked it out to see if they are still there. Do go ahead and look at the group – there are some amazingly stunning and surreal photos there!

Me? I put on my Meta_Body avatar then spent ages going through my Arcade gacha items to put together this photo. The depths of my inventory is the real story of surrealism here!

Pretty stuff I’m wearing:

Meta_Body: You see my inside by meilo Minotaur (Meta_Body project avatar 2011)
Props from The Arcade & Lisp

Pose: Body Shots – Female 02F