Images

Humbly Proud

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I’ve said frequently that I’m rarely (if ever) truly happy with my photographs. I am definitely my own worst critic. In fact, it took me a long time to even publish any on Flickr and have rarely entered a photo contest. I have considered entering more often, but I look at the pool of entries and decide mine just doesn’t come up to scratch.

Recently, Second Friends, a social networking site started a while back by Seth Regan/Mankind Tracer specifically for Second Life residents, ran a photo contest. I have been a member of Second Friends since September, 2012, but admittedly haven’t done much there, other than check in once in a while. But when I saw a notice for the photo contest – without a view of the other entries – I decided to throw my hat into the ring. I think entering it blind was the main reason I did it. I wasn’t comparing my work to the other entrants.

Ironically, I sent in my entry a couple of days ago, but for some reason, the email bounced back. By the time I realised it, I thought the entry deadline had passed and I just shrugged it off, thinking it would be another of my failed attempts, anyway. But then I saw a post that there were still three hours to go until the deadline, and I resent the email.

This time, it went through. And to my shock, I won first place.

The photo I chose was one of my very favourites I’ve taken. It was from the 2304 Rain post I did a couple of months ago.

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Please click the link above to visit Second Friends, and if you are a dedicated Second Life dweller, join. It’s an opportunity to socialise with other SL residents and post about what you’re doing there – events, your business, or just the fun you have in our amazing virtual world.

The prize is to have my photo displayed on the home page of Second Friends for a month, along with a link to my blog. So for a full 30 days, whenever I log in to Second Friends, I’ll be reminded that sometimes I need to stop being so critical of my work and just be humbly proud.

My Second Life Haiku Meme – Pink Cheeks, Oh So Warm

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Oh geez, she wants us to write poetry? She wants us to get all literary and creative and stuff? Somebody stop her!

This week’s meme challenge from Strawberry (yeah, she’d better prance!) Singh, is to write a haiku about our Second Life. I’m sure you all had to write one in school at some point – it’s a Japanese style of poetry, consisting of three lines, the first with five syllables, the second with seven and the third with five again.

Here are the instructions:

So the meme for this week is, write a Haiku about your Second Life. Remember to leave your link in this meme’s post so others can come by and read your answers as well!

Well, time for this buttercup to suck it up and show you just how bad I am at this!

1 Haiku Rain

Usually smiles
But sometimes it rains til the
Sunshine peeps back in

Crawls into a hole
Her head hung deeply in shame
Pink cheeks, oh so warm.

Creating Kaos

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1 Kaos_094J1a

Well, maybe not creating Kaos, but helping him to recreate himself.

Kaos is a good mate of mine. He’s a very direct, in-your-face kind of guy. He’s also a DJ, a musician and a fitness fanatic. He’s a very blokey bloke, with a sharp wit and a keen sense of humour. He comes across to a lot of people as a smartass, but that’s probably because they’re not used to his tell-it-like-it-is personality.

K has been through a lot lately, both in Second Life and real life. Some good, some not so good. But K isn’t one to dwell on the negative. In fact, he hates negativity of any kind, as he will soon tell you. Sometimes he lets himself slip into that space, but it’s not long before he bounces back, sassy as ever.

I’ve recently seen the softer side of K. I won’t say he has a vulnerable side, but he definitely has more facets than an acquaintance or passerby would normally see. When he asked me to redo his profile pictures, he wanted me to show the tougher side, but also the part of him he’s let me see recently. To me, that was his heart – open, caring and mortal, just like the rest of us.

Here you go, K-Hole…these are how I see you. Bad boy with a touch of sensitivity.