Virtual Asia is a sim that is owned by Manaf resident. The concept of the sim is a very interesting one because most of the residents of the sim have a home there free of charge and there is so much to do on the sim, aside from shopping. It’s a real community where the residents all know each other. It’s also a fantastic place for city pictures. This is just a quick raw snapshot I took for this post, but I will go back to take more real soon.

I found this sim because I was contacted by Nova2009 Avril to be interviewed for the new Virtual Asia show that is sponsored by the sim. Now that I look back and listen to the interview, I’m rather embarrassed cuz I realize I say “well…ummmmmmmm” way too much. LOL But in any case, it was great fun and I was honored they asked me.

I’m embedding the video below but you can also find it on youtube here:
http://youtu.be/LePE1v-jDBA

Thank you once again to Nova and Manaf for a different experience in my SL. It was great fun to meet you guys and hang out for a bit. Also a big thank you to Manaf for showing me around your gorgeous sim, I will be back soon to take more pics!

You can see more pics and videos of Virtual Asia on Koinup:
http://www.koinup.com/sim/MaxStudio
Also check out more of Nova’s great youtube videos on her channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/novavril

Teleport to Virtual Asia: http://slurl.com/secondlife/MaxStudio/209/154/3999

Ever since I first put on my Fashism eyes a month ago, I haven’t taken them off. Fashism is currently rebranding and have put all of their eyes on sale. You can check them out on the marketplace here: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/79409
The sale ends next week.

I found this beautiful sim, Antiquity Saint Petersburg, on Koinup Places yesterday. It’s the perfect place for all your winter pictures.

Credits:
*Skin: [PXL] GAIA TAN CE DEB C1 FR by Hart Larsson
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Pale Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
*Hair: “LoQ Hair” Martini – Black by Gia Pawpad
*Turtleneck: Zaara : La femme Turtleneck *black* by Zaara Kohime
*Jacket: Tee*fy Long Loose Belt Cardigan (Pearl) by Azure Electricteeth
*Pants: Maitreya Leather Legging * S Black by Onyx LeShelle
*Shoes: Maitreya Mesh Devi Booties (non-rigged) by Onyx LeShelle
Nails: Candy Nail #P024 Magic of Witch Black L20 by Peche Bury
Ring: Donna Flora VITO black ring R by Squinternet Larnia
*Bag: PIDIDDLE – Anya Tote For Fashionable Late by Brutus Martinek
*Promotional copies
Location: Antiquity Saint Petersburg Found on Koinup Places

In the January 2012 issue of Avenue Magazine I popped up in a few places so I just wanted to briefly talk about all that and link you guys to it.

I’ve been wanting to blog the first picture in this post for a while now. So when I saw it in this month’s Avenue Magazine, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to. Back in December Lexie Jansma, owner of Siren Productions, requested I dress up my female avatar using only mens clothing items for a promotional shot for Menswear Fashion week. I was totally excited to be posing amongst all the handsome men. Click the picture to see all those that are posing with me.

Siren Productions’ Menswear Fashion Week 2012 is coming this March 23rd to 31st in association with KMADD, Avenue, and Menstuff. MWFW is approaching it’s 3rd year starting out with 50 designers and 1 sim and still continues to grow! If you have further questions, want to participate in the event as a designer/media partner/sponsor/performer, or have comments please feel free to contact Lexie Jansma or Garrett Ceriano by IM or notecard inworld.

Keep an eye on the Siren Productions blog and flickr for future updates.

Also this month one of my favorite vampires is the Model of the Month, oh yes, none other than Winter Jefferson himself. I was tickled to read his interview, he always manages to entertain me and also happy to see he mentioned my comments about him in his fabulous interview. Make sure to check it out!

Finally, I also did my vignettes column this month. This will be my last time doing the vignettes column. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the Avenue Magazine team for having me on board with this wonderful project for a year and giving me a chance to be a part of their stylish publication. I will miss it dearly.

My real life has become quite hectic and will be more in the foreseeable future. I’ll still be around blogging on and off as often as possible though so don’t worry, you guys aren’t rid of me yet! :P

Thanks for reading! <3

So I have to admit, I am really excited about the upcoming Festival of Sin event which will be a celebration of the 7 Deadly Sins. The naughty side of me cannot wait to see it all. That’s why I was really excited when the event organizer and owner of Exposeur, RubyStarlight Writer, asked me and the random dude to pose for the Sloth and Gluttony shot. She basically told us to be a filthy, trailer trashy couple, we did well, no? :P I also kinda love the little pizza & biryani gut Mr. Gluttony has going on there.

The event will run from February 18th till March 3rd, which is still a while a way but I thought I would throw some questions to Ruby so y’all can get some more information about it and we get an idea of what we have to look forward to.

Strawberry Singh: Who are the organizers behind this brilliant event?
RubyStarlight Writer: Organizational duties rest on my dainty shoulders. However, I’d really have nothing spectacular without Annette Voight doing a lot of building and custom textures for the SIM and Elysium Eilde doing the logo, ad, and all the promotional photography. It’s a group thang. No, wait… not *that* kind of group thang…

Strawberry Singh: How did you guys come up with the theme?
RubyStarlight Writer: The theme is something I’ve had in my head for awhile… you know, being an unapologetic sinner and all. And I have this weird OCD habit about categorizing things. I’m such a perpetual planner that I break everything down into little bits and parts and so I’m kind of obsessive about something like the 7 Deadly Sins or the 4 Seasons or movie genres… or ranking my friends from most awesome to least awesome… it’s really actually pretty out of control… I should get some help.

Strawberry Singh: Are the designers required to make exclusive items just for this event?
RubyStarlight Writer: The items won’t be permanently exclusive, so I guess by definition, no. Each creator is required to make at least one item for the event, inspired by their assigned theme (one of the 7 Deadly Sins), and release it at the festival. Once the event is over though, the designer may choose to place it for sale in their store.

Strawberry Singh: What are you most looking forward to?
RubyStarlight Writer: I’m most looking forward to people EXPERIENCING the event. It’s not just about the shopping. I’m working on placing a lot of hidden features, alleyways, rooms and interactive experiences for people to explore and discover. The first week of an event is a fight to get in and shop, but I hope people will come around the second week as well to explore, take photos, and just have fun.

Strawberry Singh: Will this event be an ongoing thing we can look forward to each year?
RubyStarlight Writer: I think so. I’m having A LOT of fun planning and building and scheming. I can’t make any promises because I really can’t possibly know where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing this time next year, but I do have a vague outline for 2 more elaborate events like this one this year as well, so I think it’s likely. I’ve decided to actually put together an “official” event production company again to do the ones I’ve got planned, which I’ll make official once this festival is over. I almost wanna tell you what the next event is… but… nah.

Strawberry Singh: Do you have any requests from those that will be attending the event?
RubyStarlight Writer: Two things:

1. Don’t come if you have sensitivities to blood, violence, sex, drugs, and other general debauchery. I am not holding back at all with the design of this sim, and yes, some people may get offended if they can’t handle the rough stuff. It will be an Adult sim, and I am not afraid to show it. Consider it NC-17.
2. We’ve got about a billion textures and scripts and everything else, so we’re limiting access to only 40 people at a time. Maybe less… we’ll have to see. I expect complaints about that, but having something unique and interesting was far more important to me than having something boring but highly functional, so there is a need to keep the number of people on the sim down a bit. There will be two whole weeks to get in and get the items that excite you, so if people can be patient, they will manage to get in and move around just fine.

And there you have it! I am SO looking forward to this event, don’t forget to mark your calendars!
Festival of Sin: http://festivalofsin.wordpress.com
February 18th to March 3rd

Credits:
I do not have the credits for all of the lovely setup, decor and poses that were done by Ruby nor do I have the style details for the random dude in the pic with me, so I’m just sharing what I’m wearing. (sorry) :P
What I’m wearing:
*Skin: [PXL] GAIA TAN NE LEB C1 FR by Hart Larsson
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Deep Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
*Hair: Tiny Bird – Sodom South Georgia – Dark Cherry by Autumn Hykova (currently not available, IM her and harass her for it :P)
Shirt: 6T Reds Do It Better (f) 3 by Sixx Yangtz
Shorts: Amour Fashion – Ripped Shorts by Syriah Moyet
Dirt on shirt: Bruised Torso ~ Jacket Layer – Modded (no longer available)
Dirt on legs: .Pekka. Dirty Muddy Light 3 by Kathya Szczepanski
*Tattoo: [HUZ TATS]-Oriental-Henna-Tattoo Layer by Hunain Bellic
*Shoes: Maitreya Gold * Flip-Flops + Anklets by Onyx LeShelle
*Promotional copies

I’ve installed a SOPA strike plugin which will make my site inaccessible January 18th from 8am to 8pm est. Learn more about SOPA and the SopaStrike.

I apologize to all of my advertisers for the interuption this may cause your ad campaigns on my site, I will add a day to all of your campaigns. I just felt that it was important for me to do this.

Speaking of which, February 15th will mark my two year domain anniversary. Just the other day I shared my very first blog posts from December of 2007 on plurk and got a good giggle with everyone. To celebrate my domain anniversary I am going to do a small sale on my two month advertising rate. Normally it is L$6500, but from now until February 15th, it will be L$3000. So for L$3000 you can have your 125×125 ad/logo on my sidebar for two months. Please email me if you are interested in having that setup.

Don’t forget to take action, check out wikipedia for all the info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Take_action

What I’m wearing:
*Skin: -Glam Affair- Linn Dark – D HB 03 by Aida Ewing
*Hair: “LoQ Hair” RedWine – Black by Gia Pawpad
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Deep Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
*Wings: MIAMAI_[BL]_Nike Night by Monica Outlander
*Lingerie: -Glam Affair- Intima – Thabita by Aida Ewing
*Tattoo: [HUZ TATS]-Horn-Eye-Black-Tattoo by Hunain Bellic
*Pose: Long Awkward Pose [LAP] – Stance 11 by Dove Swanson
Location: Lea24 (Found on Koinup Places)

I was reading New World Notes earlier and I found out that there is a Second Life® Google+ Page now. I’m not 100% sure if this is entirely official but since Hamlet blogged about it, I’m gonna trust him on it. :P

So I thought I would make a list of all the different social networks that SL has a presence on (that I know of). Not sure if all of these places are official but I do keep an eye on them.

1. Linden Lab® Profile: https://my.secondlife.com/linden.lab
2. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/secondlife
3. Google+: https://plus.google.com/108633455224826641550
4. Twitter: https://twitter.com/secondlife
5. Support Linden on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SupportLinden
6. Plurk: http://www.plurk.com/secondlife
7. Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Secondlife
8. Flickr Group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlife
9. Linden Lab on Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/company/12653
10. SL Community Forums: http://community.secondlife.com

Do you follow Linden Lab on any of these social networks? Do you think they are using social media in an efficient way? Do you think their presence on these networks is sufficient or lacking? Do you know of any more social networks Linden Lab is on?

Did you know that there are many other social networks that are targeted towards SLers, such as 2ndHub. You can see more of them listed on my Social Media Page.

Finally, a big thank you to Daniel Voyager for letting us know that today is Rodvik Linden’s first rezday! Let’s all wish him a happy rezday on twitter. Happy Rezday Mr. Rodvik! <3

Recently a lot of you have switched over to using Exodus Viewer and have been contacting me about a few things that you guys are all having problems with. I figured I’d cover them all here cuz it seems everyone is having the same issues.

1. Lines and/or glitches on your pictures: I did get that as well in the latest releases so I have actually gone back to Beta 5 which is available at this link: 11.10.31.1 That’s the release that is working best for me right now without any glitches or other issues. I will keep updating with every new release though and see if it works better for me.
2. New snapshot window: The new snapshot feature is actually part of SL Viewer 3 that Exodus has adapted. You will find the snapshot feature like this not only in Exodus but also in the official SL 3 viewers and any other viewer that has adapted the v3 UI. It’s a bit tricky to get used to but here are some screenshots of the steps you take to take a pic now:
   a. Click Save to Computer
   b. Click Resolution
   c. Choose your desired resolution and hit save
3. My resolution and graphics card: I shoot all of my pictures at 5760×3084 resolution and I have a gtx 560ti graphics card. All of the images you see on my blog are photoshopped (unless otherwise stated).

The tattoo I’m wearing is from Huz Tats. Huz Tats temporarily does not have an inworld location at the moment so if you’ve been looking to pick up some of the brilliant tattoos from there, you can try looking on marketplace or contacting Hunain Bellic inworld and he’ll be able to help you out.

Credits:
*Skin: -Glam Affair- Linn Tan – D HB 09 by Aida Ewing
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Pale Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
*Hair: Tameless Norine – All Colors by Nita Bracken
*Lingerie: [Ladies Who Lunch] Claire (Noir) by Faint Paulse
*Tattoo: [HUZ]-Oriental-Black-Faded-Tattoo Layer by7 Hunain Bellic (Marketplace)
Nails: [MANDALA]SINRA nails (hand size 20) CK black by kikunosuke.eel
*Ring: Zaara : Kashiti bobble ring *onyx* (silver) by Zaara Kohime
*Poses: Olive Juice by Isabellagrace Baroque
*Promotional Copies

Yes I’m totally showing my age and listening to Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam right now. :P

The mesh dress I’m wearing in the picture is actually a free group gift which was sent out just two days ago to the Chain and Vine group inworld. It’s open enrollment right now (but L$100 to join the group) so make sure to pick it up when you get the chance. Lyric Demina sends out wonderful group gifts often so it’s definitely a group worth joining and staying in. This dress and other new mesh items are also available for purchase instore so take the slurl now.

The pose and prop I’ve used was just released from Diesel Works today. Check out Lourdes Denimore’s sexy pictures and post about it here.

Did you guys know that Fashion Feed of SL has returned with Boot Janus joining the staff and a lot of neat new features as well. I even noticed Ms. Carissa Crimson back and blogging this morning. Welcome back Carissa!

Credits:
*Skin: -Glam Affair- Linn Tan – D HB 09 by Aida Ewing
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Pale Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
*Hair: >TRUTH< Andrea - espresso by Truth Hawks
*Necklace: LaGyo_Adriel necklace silver by Gyorgyna Larnia
Dress: Chain and Vain Turtleneck Dress – Smoke – MESH – GROUP GIFT by Lyric Demina
*Nails: je suis…naive v.2 BASIC NAILS by Julia Merosi
*Pose+Prop: Diesel Works – Polywall v.2012 by Rogan Diesel
*Promotional copies

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.”
Kahlil Gibran

Photography by Lulu Jameson.

The other day Lulu Jameson asked to take my picture and this morning showed me this image, I was speechless. Lulu’s photography has always been so inspirational to me, not only because he’s so talented but because he’s a kind soul and his passion can be seen in his work. Thank you Lulu, for this gorgeous picture and for continuously inspiring me to do better. <3

Yesterday was the birthday of one of my most favorite artists, Kahlil Gibran. I really wanted to blog something about him and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to. I remember being up late at night in my youth, completely indulged in “The Prophet” and lost in his art. Most of the quotes I have on my favorite quotes tumblr are also from Gibran (or Rumi, another one of my favs).

Also in my youth I was a big urdu poetry buff. I actually went to quite a few urdu poetry mushairas back then and I’ve been looking up translations of a lot of my favorites. The only problem is, the feeling gets lost in translation. But, I might share some over the next little while.

I was thinking the other day that I kinda like this blogging thing. It lets me share whatever randomness is swirling around in my head. Thanks for reading. <3

Credits:
*Skin: Glam Affair
*Hair: Truth
*Eyes: Fashism
*Eyelashes: Exile
*Top: Miamai

So I do have quite a lot I want to talk about in this post but before I start I thought I would share my New Year’s resolutions with you guys. I posted them on my facebook page here, what are your resolutions?

My crazy friend Faint Paulse has been threatening me for a year now about making this Miss Internetz tiara for me. She basically calls me Miss Internetz all the time, as you can see in this recent plurk here. I have no idea how it started and why she does it but I laugh my ass off each time. I never in my wildest dreams thought she would actually go through with it and make the tiara though so when she dropped it on me this morning I just knew I had to take a pic in it. LOL Thank you Faint, I love you! <3 I do believe that everyone should have this Miss Internetz tiara so I think y'all should totally IM her and harass her to sell it in her store. Yes, this is my revenge! :P I was also laughing at what she named it, LOL!

The latest update to Exodus Viewer was just released about an hour ago. I’ve installed it and tried it out and it’s working just as smoothly as the previous version I blogged about here, however I am having the eyelash alpha issue which is listed in this blog post as a known issue. So I will have to wait for the next release or until that bug is fixed.

One of the best things about this latest Exodus release is that it has the new Mesh Deformer code from Qarl Linden. Check out Qarl’s video I’m embedding below or view it on this youtube page: http://youtu.be/yoOywmSKG2k

Finally, I was looking over some of my older posts from 2011 and got a bit nostalgic. Although I do admit that 2011 was not the best year for me personally, I had quite a few ups and downs in regards to family, friends and those that were very close to me, I did have a fulfilling year of blogging. I thought I would share a few of my favorite posts from 2011.

• What’s Your Digits? – I really enjoyed how everyone contributed towards this post and all that resulted from it. Thank you to all those that participated and that still participate by submitting their digits to the flickr group.
• Exploring Second Life™ – I often got asked how I found the sims I took pics at and it was always hard to pinpoint and name all the different places I visit. This post really helped me get organized and I still use it myself at times.
• Second Life™ Newbie Resource – Another post that was long overdue for me after being asked so many times from non-slers about SL.

Those were definitely my top three favs that I did. There are so many more that I loved writing as well, especially those where I rambled and spoke from the heart. This blog is so therapeutic for me at times and has done so much for me on a personal level. I’d like to end this post with a story I’ve shared before in one of my previous blog posts, it’s the donkey story. I thought this would be a good time to share it again because it’s one of those stories that I always go back to. I remember my father reading it to me when I was a little girl and I do admit that it has helped me get through a lot of tough times. Please excuse my poor translation and if I forget or mixup any information.

Long time ago there lived a scholar named Luqman. Luqman wanted to teach his children a very important lesson in life. So one day he asked his son to come travel with him on a journey.

On this journey Luqman brought a donkey along and requested his son to ride the donkey. So his son rode the donkey as Luqman followed on foot beside them. After a little while they came across a group of people who stared at them distastefully and said,
“What a disrespectful son! He makes his father walk on foot as he rides the donkey so comfortably.”

Upon hearing this, Luqman and his son switched positions and Luqman started to ride on the donkey while his son followed on foot beside him. After a little while they came across another group of people who stared at them distastefully as well and said,
“What a horrible father! He makes his son walk on foot while he rides the donkey so comfortably.”

Upon hearing this Luqman asked his son to join him on top of the donkey. So they continued their journey with both of them riding on the donkey together. After a little while they came across another group of people who stared at them distastefully as well and said,
“What cruel people to put so much weight on such a little animal in this scorching heat. How can the poor donkey carry such a burden?”

Upon hearing this Luqman and his son both dismounted and continued their journey on foot beside the donkey. After a little while they came across another group of people who stared at them and pointed and laughed while repeating,
“What foolish men to walk on foot in this heat. Why aren’t they using their donkey?”

At this point Luqman turned to his son and said,
“Now do you see son what the people have said. No matter what you do or how you do it, people will always find a way to criticize you.”

So the moral of the story and my reason for sharing is, don’t try to please everyone, because that is impossible. Do what you feel is right in your heart.

And that’s my main new years resolution this year, I’m going to follow my heart…I hope you do the same. <3

Thank you for reading and supporting my blog and all the rambling that I do on it! I'm looking forward to more blogging adventures in 2012. Happy New Year! <3

Credits:
*Skin: -Glam Affair- Linn Tan – D 02 by Aida Ewing
*Eyes: FASHISM ‘Sunrise’ Eyes – Pale Warm Silver (M) by Ikon Innovia
Lashes: Exile Lashes: Lush by Kavar Cleanslate
*Hair: Vanity Hair:Lexington-Jet Black + hair base by Tabata Jewell
*Necklace & Earrings: FINESMITH- Paulinha’s MVW Formal by Yula Finesmith
*Tiara: Ladies who Lunch – Long live Miss “Berry” Queen of the Internetz! by Faint Paulse (Custom made for me)
*Promotional copies