I have become quite obsessed with fashion. Most of my posts have had unique (not previously posted by me) items, so it took me hours daily to find the things to use in each of them. And I paid for most of the items that were not freebies. (Heartfelt thanks to sponsors like House of Starlight, Baby Monkey shoes and Jaqueline's). I waited for the lucky letters and did the MM-board rounds. I kept my eye on groups for sales events and other fashion groups. I read a lot of blogs every day to find interesting new places. I was very inspired by the creativity and talent in SL blogosphere.
It was fun and really addictive, but I need time for other things now. I am learning more about creating and building. I want to spend more time with friends and not always keep an eye for the next thing to blog while exploring a cool place. I will not leave fashion completely, but it will be just one of the aspects of this blog and not the dominate feature. I will tune down my obsession to spot every new trend and do every hunt and sales round. And I will take it easy about blogging in general in the future. Promise. :) (My friends have been nagging, lol).
I wish to thank everyone who has supported me during my first year in Second life. This has been very inspiring, fun and educational to me. I have been ill for some time in rl. Not life threatening, but it has kept me cooped up indoors quite a bit. So SL has offered me an unique window to a social life I could not fully nurture in rl. All my friendships in SL are real, mind you. They just take a different form than going to a café in rl and chatting.
I have also found Second life an amazing tool for those who lack means or are bed bound by an illness. I have met a very lovely young man who gets to fly a pirate ship and explore wonders of the world virtually, while being rather isolated in real life. I have met so many people who find solace and comfort in SL, when their real life is treating them unfairly. Or just people who take care of a family, or work from home, and wish for company and entertainment because of that.
SL and virtual life in general, goes beyond social networking. You don't have to find things to say. If a friend needs company, but silence is better than words at the time, you can take them to a beach and throw rocks in the water or show them a wonderful sim you can explore together. You can be with people and not have to be socially extroverted. You can listen to the chatty Cathies and talkative Tims and just express yourself without feeling pressure.
And people find new interesting avenues for their creative pursuits. I have a friend who has found a whole new career in virtual education over at Inworldz. I met the creator of a whole new game grid called SpotON3d and it's sister grid Veesome, who wanted to offer a new look at virtual life. I heard about starting a new game grid first hand at Giant grid. I have met so many amazingly talented people who create, design, and build. So many generous people do that just to benefit the community. And even the ones running businesses often prove themselves to be so open and giving and friendly, that you just follow their pursuits in awe.
I could write a whole book about my mentor Flicka, who picked me up when I was ready to leave SL during my very first days. She took the confused newcomer under her wing and thought me so much about the way SL (and virtual life in general) works. But most of all she has thought me about generosity and kindness. She has been helping newbies for years now. You meet people she has helped and they just flourish. I have had people comment on my profile and the way my avatar looks and tell me I have to be an alt (an alternative character to a main one) to be so knowledgeable of SL. This is mostly thanks to Flicka and her patient guidance.
My friends and neighbors whom I know through Flicka form a community that is kind, supportive and frankly very easy to be around. They are never tacky or rude. They stick together, help each other and find ways to get you out of a sticky situation. They find new people to help and guide. They create, build and wholeheartedly embrace virtual life. I am so happy I have found these people and get to experience SL with them.
The other big group of friends that I spend most my days in SL with, and owe so much to, are the folk who come to the clubs at Amarantha, a sim bossed over by the lovable and most caring character, Badger Albatros. You have seen him in posts made by my lovely summer intern Rhinoh, who thinks of him as her favorite uncle. Well so do I, for sure. :) This sim is quite the melting pot of fun loving, accepting and unique characters. I am constantly surprised by the communal atmosphere and their knack for having fun. Nobody can throw a party like these people, and they do it every day. Dj's with such great and varied tastes in music, hosts that can charm anyone and make people feel good about themselves, patrons who accept newcomers wholeheartedly and yet rally behind their own when needed. In a group you meet so regularly, you end up having misunderstandings and even arguments sometimes, but at the end of the day this group of silly folk just makes you come back the next day and bring a smile to your face.
And from Amarantha I found my SL siblings, whom I love so much and could not do without. Thanks so much for being so funny and silly and bratty with me. ;)
Met G while camping for fashion:
Me and my first friend on SL, Cindy:
For a while, I worked as a dancer. I met some cool people there as well.
And you blogger friends and readers have been such good people to work with and for. Thank you for each and every comment, thank you for following me! Thank you fellow bloggers for all the inspiration and amazing creativity. I will continue following you and linking to you in the future. And make no mistake, I am a huge fan! :)
So, to finish of this long and sentimental post, I want to wish you all the best. And if you are interested to see where it all began for me, here is my first post explaining what I wished from SL and how my first days had been so far. I think I have been given all that I wished for and much more, and that's all thanks to the fantastic people I now know and love.
